In TRIPLE 9, a crew of dirty cops is blackmailed by the Russian mob to execute a virtually impossible heist. The only way to pull it off is to manufacture a 999, police code for “officer down”. Their plan is turned upside down when the unsuspecting rookie they set up to die foils the attack, triggering a breakneck, action-packed finale filled with double-crosses, greed and revenge.

World’s First Film School Dedicated to Comedy will Open its Doors in September 2016 in Chicago; Application Now Live

The Second City has announced the establishment of the Harold Ramis Film School, the world’s first film school focusing on comedic content. Building on Ramis’ legacy as a writer, director, producer and performer, the Chicago-based school will foster students interested in the Media Arts, utilizing The Second City’s approach to improvisation and content creation.

“Harold Ramis was the quintessential Second City writer/performer – intelligent, funny and devoted to the spirit of ensemble,” says Andrew Alexander, CEO and Executive Producer of The Second City. “His early mentoring of the Second City TV cast set the template for how that show would operate for eight seasons. His unselfish and generous spirit dominated the many wonderful films that he directed and wrote. I am thrilled by this opportunity to instill Harold’s philosophy of successful storytelling in film in the next generation of artists.”

Witness the founder of Apple like never before. Steve Jobs paints an intimate portrait of the brilliant man at the epicenter of the digital revolution, backstage in the final minutes before three iconic product launches.

Directed by Academy Award winner Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire), written by Academy Award winner Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) and starring Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen and Jeff Daniels. Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds, 12 Years a Slave) stars as the enigmatic Jobs, headlining an accomplished cast that includes Academy Award-winner Kate Winslet (The Reader, Titanic), Seth Rogen (Neighbors, This is the End) and Jeff Daniels (“The Newsroom,” The Martian) in an unexpected and enthralling film that led Peter Travers of Rolling Stone to declare, “Steve Jobs is a triumph.”

The finalists for the second annual Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics were announced today. The five nominated titles are:

• ANDRE THE GIANT CLOSER TO HEAVEN by Brandon Easton (writer), Denis Medri (artist) (IDW Publishing)

• FRESH ROMANCE edited by Janelle Asselin (Rosy Press)

• MOON GIRL AND THE DEVIL DINOSAUR by Brandon Montclare and Amy Reeder (Writers), Natacha Bustos (Artist) (Marvel Entertainment)

• MS. MARVEL by Willow Wilson (writer), Adrian Alphona (artist) (Marvel Entertainment)

• ZANA by Jean Barker (writer), Joey Granger (Artist) (Emet Comics)

The winner will be announced at the second annual Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics ceremony event to be held later this month at Long Beach Comic Expo on Saturday February 20 at 2:30 PM PT, on Dwayne McDuffie’s birthday. Acclaimed comic book writer (GENIUS) and reporter (THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER) Marc Bernardin will be the event’s Keynote Speaker.

“We were thrilled to receive more than three times as many submissions this year as we did for the inaugural award,” said Neo Edmund, the Director of the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics. ““After weeks of careful deliberation, we were able to narrow down the submissions from over 100 titles to the five nominees, all of of which speak to Dwayne’s inclusive vision for the industry in unique and significant ways.”

Newly Launched "Best-Selling Authors Bundle" Features New York Times Best-Selling Authors including Neil Gaiman, Dean Koontz, George R.R. Martin, Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino, Charlaine Harris, and More!

Dynamite Entertainment again partners with Humble Bundle for one of the most jam-packed collections of comics and prose yet! This latest offering features some of the biggest authors in the publisher's catalog, giving readers approximately $250 in content for a fraction of the cover price for fans to pay what YOU want for each bundle, and introduce yourself to Dynamite's library of literary titles!

"It's always a lot of fun to work with our good friends over at Dynamite," says Kelley Allen, Director of Books at Humble Bundle. "This promotion is chock-filled with mega star authors, artists and creators to the hilt!"

"Dynamite has been incredibly fortunate to work with some of the greatest names in fiction," says Dynamite CEO/Publisher Nick Barrucci. "This year marks the fifth anniversary of New York Times Best-seller Charlaine Harris' first-ever graphic novel adaptation of her series, Grave Sight, as well as the anniversary of Dean Koontz's incredibly suspenseful graphic novel adaptation of Fear Nothing. We wanted to mark the occasion by gathering together the work of numerous phenomenal writers into one great bundle, titles like Shaft: A Complicated Man (the 2015 Glyph Award winner by writer David Walker) and Legends of Red Sonja (a celebration of so many sensational authors, spearheaded by the talented Gail Simone). This will give fiction fans a low cost way to check out Dynamite's wide catalog of literary all-stars, and all in support of three great causes. This bundle is packed with something for fans of comics and prose!  And with this bundle, we are also supporting 3 GREAT charitable organizations that we feel help those in need - The Make-A-Wish Foundation, The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and Doctor's Without Borders."

Based on a True Story; Starring Aaron Eckhart

Spotlight Pictures has acquired international sales rights for the sports drama, COURAGE, based on an inspirational true story and the novel “Courage Beyond the Game: The Freddie Steinmark Story” by Jim Dent.  Written and directed by Angelo Pizzo, who also wrote the iconic sports films Hoosiers and Rudy, COURAGE stars Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight), Finn Wittrock (Unbroken), Robin Tunney (Hollywoodland), and Sarah Bolger (The Spiderwick Chronicles). 

The film was produced by Paul Schiff and executive produced by Bud Brigham. COURAGE received a wide U.S. theatrical release with significant P & A in November 2015 under the title My All American.  Spotlight Pictures CEO Matt McCombs made the announcement today.

20th Century Fox / Released 2/9/16

Meanwhile back in London, Max Denbigh (Andrew Scott), the new head of the Centre for National Security, questions Bond's actions and challenges the relevance of MI6, led by M (Ralph Fiennes). Bond covertly enlists Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw) to help him seek out Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux), the daughter of his old nemesis Mr. White (Jesper Christensen), who may hold the clue to untangling the web of Spectre. As the daughter of an assassin, she understands Bond in a way most others cannot.

As Bond ventures towards the heart of Spectre, he learns of a chilling connection between himself and the enemy he seeks, played by Christoph Waltz.  Extras include featurette, video blogs and gallery.

Last Word: Bond is back.  No really, James Bond is back.

Returning with him are all of the properties once held by Kevin McClory, including the organization that the film’s title comes from, SPECTRE, and it’s leader, Bond’s grand nemesis, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who has been absent in official Bond films since 1971’s Diamonds are Forever. This, the fourth Bond film to feature Daniel Craig as 007, is his most “Bond-like” film of the quadrilogy for better or worse.

Major complaints from long-time fans have been that the “new” bond films both seem less “Bond-like” and the story carryover from film to film, starting with 2006’s Casino Royale, has gone on too long without the familiar tropes of the earlier films. Some of those tropes, however, are the very traps that spoiled the later Pierce Brosnan films, in my humble opinion. I think that it is fitting that SPECTRE finds Bond “coming full circle”, as they say, story wise.

When producers EON regained the rights to Casino Royale, they finally made the first Bond novel part of the film canon.  Combined with the the casting of Craig as the new 007, the franchise was able to do a soft reboot of the franchise without having to disavow the previous films. Fleshing out the character of James Bond and his sordid past allowed the film makers the freedom to create a whole new James Bond, while paying homage to the past with winks and “Easter eggs” for the long time fans. Continuing through Quantum of Solace (2008) and the last film Skyfall (2012) we finally got a sense of where Bond came from, who he is.

What I have been waiting for, however, is for Daniel Craig’s Bond to finally BE JAMES BOND 007. What better way to close out this chapter of the Bond Mythos then to have him be the James Bond I remember and love with the return of his greatest nemesis, SPECTRE. SPECTRE the movie, finds Bond still trying to decipher and discover who is behind the recent past events that he has been embroiled in culminating in the death of the previous M, played by Oscar winner Dame Judi Dench.

A cryptic message has Bond going rogue once again to find out what kind of an organization could be so powerful as to dictate and shape world events and crises. All this while his very department, MI6 is about to be dissolved and merged with MI5 and a new Center for National Security created back in England. Familiar faces and new enemies lead him to the leader of the global cabal. This man from Bond’s past has a connection to Bond that Bond would rather keep hidden. SPECTRE returns James Bond to the his grand splendor and spectacle.

Thankfully the humor is kept at bay and the one-liners are minimal. The gadgets are, for the most part, believable. Some of the tech is a little far reaching but still semi-grounded in reality. The nods to the past and “Easter eggs” are still there for the eagle-eyed stalwarts. The John Barry theme greets the viewer again as we look down the familiar gun barrel as Craig enters from the right to open the film. It all begins to feel like the James Bond of the past but with the present firmly in it’s sights.

Though the plot can be a little overly convoluted for no good reason, and the Sam Smith opening title song, “The Writing’s on the Wall” is pretty awful, SPECTRE delivers enough of what I wanted, both as a great action film and a James Bond film. The balance sometimes teeters a bit towards the “over-the-top” but in the end the film remains more like Connery and less like Moore. So, in this reviewer’s opinion that is good enough for government work. I had read that this was Craig’s last film as Bond though his contract says one more. If this remains the case, then I would be more than happy with his oeuvre. JAMES BOND WILL RETURN. (– Benn Robbins)

Universal / Released 2/9/16

When her heart is stolen by a seductive stranger, a young woman is swept away to a house atop a mountain of blood-red clay - a place filled with secrets that will haunt her forever. Between desire and darkness, between mystery and madness, lies the truth behind Crimson Peak.

From the imagination of director Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) comes a gothic romance masterpiece starring Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska and Charlie Hunnam.  Extras include commentary, featurettes, and deleted scenes.

Last Word: Guillermo Del Toro's new movie is a beautifully made, decadent dish for any fan of old-fashioned gothic horror such as The Innocents, The Haunting or the '60s Hammer films. If you're looking to have the wits scared out of you, Crimson Peak is not that film, but it does offer some shivery moments when heroine Edith (Mia Wasikowska) prowls the dark corridors of her new home, lit candelabra in hand, after hearing strange noises in the middle of the night.

With his ability to hint at darkness under the sunniest smile, Tom Hiddleston (best-known to the uninitiated as Marvel's Loki) was simply made for the role that's a combination of Cary Grant's penniless charmer in Suspicion and the brooding Rochester in Jane Eyre. Much like Joan Fontaine in many a '40s film, naive American Edith has married a dashing but destitute Baronet, Thomas Sharpe (Hiddleston) who first came to her father seeking an investment to fund the excavation of the blood-red clay that forms the foundation of his hilltop home, Allerdale Hall.

Or, as the locals have dubbed it, Crimson Peak, because the red clay seeps through in the wintertime, staining the snow a bright, gory red. If that visual doesn't make you swoon a little, then this film is definitely not for you. Sharpe lives with an icily aloof sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain, relishing her role as the tightly wound Mrs. Danvers of the trio). Their palatial house is literally falling apart, which makes it an improbable place to live, but a beautiful set piece, with leaves and snow falling through the open rafters.

The only jarring element in this perfectly crafted snow globe of a film is the ghosts themselves, whose goriness is an almost shocking contrast to the exquisitely tasteful art and production design. The ghosts, who still have flesh on their poor bones, feel as if they've wandered in from another, far more gruesome movie.  Perhaps because the film is set in the 19th century, one expects ghosts more like the spectral figures seen in the spirit photographs earlier in the film. There are also a few graphic bits of violence and a brief sex scene (yes, Hiddles shows his backside) that remind us that, despite the loving homage, we are definitely not in the same filmmaking era as The Haunting and The Innocents.

If gothic romance isn't your cup of tea (and yes, cups of tea feature prominently in the narrative that takes a page from Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious), then you might not get caught up in Crimson Peak's spell. This happens to be exactly my cup of tea, and I was spellbound throughout.  Yes, you'll guess some of the film's revelations. Yes, you'll likely find a few things over the top. But if  your taste runs more towards House of Usher than Poltergeist or Sinister, get your gothic-loving soul to Crimson Peak. (– Sharon Knolle)

Drafthouse Films/ Released 2/2/16

An uncompromising revenge thriller of operatic scope, The World of Kanako is a non-stop visual and emotional assault to the senses as it follows troubled ex-detective Akikazu (Koji Yakusho, 13 Assassins, Babel) on the hunt for his missing teenage daughter, Kanako. What he discovers in his search is an unsettling and harrowing web of depravity - surrounding both Kanako and himself. As Akikazu stumbles along a shocking trail of drugs, sex and violence, he finds himself woefully unprepared for the revelations that affect all he holds dear.

Directed by Tetsuya Nakashima (Confessions, Japan's submission for the Academy's best foreign language film in 2011), The World of Kanako is astonishing tour de of mystery, beauty and boundary-pushing violence. A wildly kinetic and startlingly venomous throwback to the best that Asian extreme cinema has to offer, The World of Kanako offers a trip right up to the edge of a man's private hell - and over it. Extras include making of, interviews, trailers, poster and booklet.

Last Word: Akikazu Fujishima is an ex-security guard struggling with schizophrenia who receives a phone call from his estranged wife asking if he has seen their teenage daughter, Kanako. With his daughter missing, Akikazu sets out to find her by any means necessary, although it’s what he finds out about her that can be more damaging. The World Of Kanako is an astounding piece of storytelling with strong characters, who could have been lost by a lesser filmmaker given the film's frenetic and non-linear set up.  Frankly, The World Of Kanako is a movie that manages to be disturbing, tense, emotional, and hilarious all within moments of each other without losing any of the momentum it has built along the way.

There are many impressive performances in the movie but Kôji Yakusho as Akikazu Fujishima stands out as someone who could really become more than a cult star in the next couple of years. Attentive fans of Asian Cult films may have already recognized Yakusho from numerous Kiyoshi Kurosawa films such as The Cure, Charisma, and Pulse, along with Takashi Miike’s 13 Assassins.  The cinematography and over all visual style of The World Of Kanako looks amazing and works beautifully to convey the varying tones of the film and helps the viewer differentiate between the multiple timelines or side stories. The soundtrack also helps to set The World Of Kanako apart from the great many Asian revenge thrillers, as it is mostly interpretations of western music and hearing a Dean Martin song during a particularly violent scene really stands out. Worth mentioning is the film's use of an amazing version of House Of The Rising Sun (Traditional), apparently performed by Mai Yamane that almost steals the show and can also be heard in the movies trailer.  If you like a good revenge thriller with some over the top violence and excessive bloodshed, then The World Of Kanako is the film for you. (– Joshua Gravel)

In this spectacular action-adventure, the survival of mankind hangs in the balance as an unexpected mortal hero Bek [Brenton Thwaites] undertakes a thrilling journey to save the world and rescue his true love. In order to succeed, he must enlist the help of the powerful god Horus [Nikolaj Coster-Waldau] in an unlikely alliance against Set [Gerard Butler], the merciless god of darkness, who has usurped Egypt’s throne, plunging the once peaceful and prosperous empire into chaos and conflict. As their breathtaking battle against Set and his henchmen takes them into the afterlife and across the heavens, both god and mortal must pass tests of courage and sacrifice if they hope to prevail in the spectacular final confrontation.