The following is an extract from Jessica Edwards‘ book Tell Me Something, which collects together advice on non-fiction filmmaking from 50 of the world’s most prominent documentarians, in which two-time Oscar nominee Lucy Wakler shares her wisdom. Tell Me Something is also available as an e-book.

On Missing 99% of What You Need: Lucy Walker’s Advice to Documentary Filmmakers | Filmmaker Magazine

This piece of advice has been my lifeline, my mantra, my toehold on sanity and encouragement, the bandage for when I am kicking myself so hard I can’t stand up.  It was told to me by Barbara Kopple, the legendary two-time Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker. One of my greatest strokes of luck in life was that she came to teach for a year at my film school. The graduate film program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts is entirely fiction — or it was in my day — with this one exception. And that one class I took changed everything. In that tiny class we also had the insanely talented future Oscar nominees Brett Morgen and Nanette Burstein and future Oscar winner Keiko Ibi. I’d say it wasn’t a coincidence, but an outstanding instructor who inspired us all in Barbara.

DeMarco: ". . . . with no dialogue, you're really not going to be hiding behind any artifice. You have to tell this story the way a silent movie is told."

Camerimage Interview: All is Lost Cinematographer Frank G. DeMarco - ComingSoon.net

A survivalist drama that is already garnering some serious Oscar buzz, writer/director J.C. Chandor's All is Lost stars Robert Redford and Robert Redford alone in the nearly dialogue-free story of a nameless sailor (referred to as "Our Man" in the script) who, after a catastrophic collision with a shipping container, is forced to do what he can to survive in the face of an ongoing storm and the unforgiving elements of the Indian Ocean.

Quentin Tarantino Working on a New Western Script

Quentin Tarantino Working on a New Western Script

Director Quentin Tarantino may have originally made a name for himself with modern crime thrillers like Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs, but his two most recent films have taken a few leaves from the history books – then crossed out parts and added plenty of notes in the margin. Both Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained use real and very sensitive periods of history as a backdrop for classic tells of revenge and retribution, so many are wondering if Tarantino will continue that pattern in his next project.

On his visit to DreamWorks this week, the President praised Jeffrey Katzenberg and spent more than an hour talking with studio heads about piracy, Obamacare, Iran and other issues.

Studio Heads Describe Private Meeting with Obama as 'Love Fest' - The Hollywood Reporter

When President Barack Obama addressed Hollywood’s major studio heads at the DreamWorks Animation campus Wednesday, he touched on a subject dear to Hollywood when he expressed hope of bringing the studios and Silicon Valley together on an effective remedy for digital piracy.

OUR EDITOR RECOMMENDS

VFX Workers Stage Protest Outside DreamWorks Animation During Obama Visit

Hollywood Studio Chiefs Line Up for Obama's DWA Speech

Obama Calls Hollywood an 'Engine' of Economy at DreamWorks Animation

Nonetheless, an executive in attendance saw no reason to hope that antipiracy legislation will be on the agenda anytime soon.

Still, one of the 15 invited executives, who asked not to be identified, described the whole session to The Hollywood Reporter as a “love fest.”

PHOTOS: 10 Presidents and Their Famous Hollywood Pals

For industry insiders following the online piracy legislative wars, there was an interesting subtext to the event: It’s still DWA chiefJeffrey Katzenberg -- whose company is not part of the Motion Picture Association of America -- who holds the key to White House access.

In January 2012, as rumors spread that the White House would oppose key aspects of the industry's favored antipiracy legislation, MPAA head Chris Dodd was forced to call Katzenberg to inquire about the administration's thinking. Although the president went out of his way to single Dodd out several times in his remarks during the meeting, one guest says there is still no getting around the fact that Katzenberg had convened the meeting and extended the invitations.

'Last Vegas' Producer Amy Baer Is One To Watch - Forbes

'Last Vegas' Producer Amy Baer Is One To Watch - Forbes

Consider her first credit as a producer: CBS Films’ Last Vegas, a film helmed by action director Jon Turtletaub that cost $28 million to produce, starring the aging icons Robert DeNiro, Morgan Freeman, Michael Douglas and Kevin Kline. In its third week in theaters, it retained third place in a race led by the blockbuster sequel The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. It has grossed over $54 million box office to date.

The Time Lord has conquered the box office.

'Doctor Who' screening stuns at Monday box office, No. 2 after 'Catching Fire' | Inside TV | EW.com

A special nationwide 3D screening of the Doctor Who 50th anniversary TV special “Day of the Doctor” grossed a stunning $4.8 million at the U.S. box office.  What makes this particularly impressive: That’s from one night. The 75-minute “Day of the Doctor” screened in 660 theaters as a one-night-only special event Monday and averaged $7,155 per location, with 320,000 tickets sold. Granted, the tix were $15 a pop, so that certainly helped.  In fact, the BBC’s cult favorite show was the No. 2 movie in America on Monday, behind only The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Its gross is nearly as much as The Wizard of Oz in 3D made during its entire run earlier this year ($5.5 million). And it was more than indie fav Much Ado About Nothing ($4.3 million) or bomb The Fifth Estate ($3.3 million).

Businessman behind hits like "Pretty Woman" says he bought arms on Israel's behalf.

Latest spy game playing itself out in Hollywood

More than 60 years after a congressional Committee on Un-American Activities held hearings aimed at rooting out communist spies from Hollywood, a Hollywood producer has proudly revealed his own clandestine efforts on behalf of Israel.  Arnon Milchan, the Israeli-born businessman who owns New Regency Films, has been part of an array of blockbusters, including Pretty Woman, Fight Cluband the spy thriller Mr. and Mrs. Smith. In an interview Monday with Israel's popular show Uvda, Milchan detailed his real-life, cloak-and-dagger work on numerous operations, including the purchase of technology needed to operate nuclear weapons.  "I did it for my country and I'm proud of it," Milchan said.  You don't have to go to the movies to find TV and film stars with true spy stories to tell.

Walt Disney Studios is marking milestone after milestone.

Walt Disney Breaks Studio Record With $4 Billion in Global Box Office | Variety

For the first time in its history, Disney has broken the $4 billion mark at the worldwide box office. It previously reached a record high in mid November when “Thor: The Dark World” hammered past the $3.791 billion set in 2010.  Thanks to “Iron Man 3,” Disney became in July the first studio this year to reach $1 billion in the domestic BO (for the eight consecutive year). It grossed $2 billion in the worldwide box office, for the fourth year in a row, this August.  “Frozen” opened in theaters nationwide Wednesday and “Saving Mr. Banks” hits select theaters on Dec. 13 (expanding wide a week later) so the studio is sure to hit several more high notes in the new year. Meanwhile, “Thor: The Dark World” has grossed over $559 million in one month.

Israeli spy agency used Arnon Milchan's companies to make weapons-related purchases

'Fight Club' producer Arnon Milchan: I helped Israeli spy agency - CNN.com

Baz Lurhmann being courted to direct Napoleon Mini

HBO Eyeing Spielberg’s Napoleon Mini Based on Kubrick Script | Variety

Napoleon Bonaparte may be getting the pay TV treatment, as HBO is in early talks to acquire a Steven Spielberg-produced miniseries centering on the infamous French leader.  Development of the mini, which is based on a 1961 screenplay penned byStanley Kubrick, was announced by Spielberg in March during an interview on French TV net Canal Plus.  Baz Luhrmann (“The Great Gatsby”) is in discussions to helm the miniseries for HBO, as Deadline first reported today.

'Sons of Anarchy' creator Kurt Sutter

'Sons of Anarchy' creator Kurt Sutter talks about Tuesday's finale | Inside TV | EW.com

EW talked to Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter about tonight’s action-packed finale. But first, A SPOILER ALERT! Don’t read if you are one of those rare — and arguably, insane — SAMCRO fans who prefers to delay enjoyment of the top-rated FX drama. 

Captive (Trailer) - Vancouver Film School (VFS)

Captive is the groundbreaking first-ever feature film created in the one-year VFS Film Production program. The thriller was shot in just 13 days with a crew of 13 students, and was subsequently acquired for distribution by Blackrock Films.

While we have an idea of what the future holds for Scorsese, there are a lot of fascinating details about his past that we want to share with you.

40 Things You Didn’t Know About Martin Scorsese – Flavorwire

Happy birthday to tireless filmmaker and living legend, Martin Scorsese. Here’s hoping we can all be as productive and creative in our 70s. The director will see his biopic about stock swindler and motivational speaker Jordan Belfort, The Wolf of Wall Street, hit theaters on December 25, and he’s currently filming a documentaryabout former President Bill Clinton. And let’s not forget that Sinatrabiopic in the works, an adaptation of Shūsaku Endō’s 1966 novel,Silence, and his ongoing work as executive producer for HBO’sBoardwalk Empire. 

Being a super-hero has its privileges

Who are Hollywood's biggest stars when they're stripped of their superpowers? | PopWatch | EW.com

In the current era of The Avengers and Batman Vs. Superman, it’s impossible to be a fan of the comic-book genre and not have a well-considered argument to the question, “Who’s the Most Powerful Superhero?” Superman, of course, is the most obvious answer in any superpower battle-royale debate, but there are strong and more interesting claims to be made for the others, too. (Except Hawkeye. Sorry, guy.)

In Hollywood offices, there are similar conversations going on all the time about their own legion of superheroes, those famous actors and actresses who can open a movie in New York, Nebraska, and Nepal, whether it be a romance, an action-adventure, or a raunchy comedy. But with more and more of the industry now tilted towards Comic-Con-approved tent-pole pictures, the pecking order for actors today is heavily weighted by his or her ability to land a major role in a superhero franchise. It is the lifeblood of a long and prosperous career. For example, playing Batman not only elevated Christian Bale to the Hollywood A-list — positioning the indie actor for other major studio movie roles — but his enhanced financial security allowed him to continue to gamble on the eclectic roles he preferred in the first place, in movies like The Fighter and Rescue Dawn.

When the right actor gets the right superhero role, it becomes virtually impossible to separate the artist from the character. The cape becomes part of their public persona, one that can help or hinder their other on-screen roles. But what happens when Hollywood’s heroes are stripped of their superpowers? That is to say, what is Robert Downey Jr. without Tony Stark’s armor? What is Hugh Jackman when his Wolverine claws are clipped? Do we still pay to see their movies, or do we give them the cold-shoulder, like old-school Lois Lane used to give old-school Clark Kent? Who is the most powerful superstar when they’re nothing more or less than their Hollywood alter ego?

After looking at the actors and actresses who are major players in current comic-book franchises, we examined their recent box-office and critical reputation when they’re not in costume, and then ranked them in order to see who really flies the highest and has the biggest muscles in the movie universe.

'American Hustle,' a new movie with an A-list ensemble cast, will be distributed by Sony Pictures next month, but it was financed by the much smaller, independent Annapurna Pictures.

Hollywood: Go Big or Go Third Party - WSJ.com

Soon after the smack-talking teddy-bear comedy "Ted" grossed a spectacular $568 million at the box office last summer, NBCUniversal Chief Executive Steve Burke had good news for Wall Street: "We'd like to see a 'Ted 2' as soon as we can."

What Mr. Burke didn't mention: "Ted 2" isn't the media conglomerate's movie to make.

That is because the original was financed by an independent company, with Universal Pictures handling distribution and marketing. It is a growing trend among Hollywood's legacy studios, which these days are inclined to put most of their chips on big-budget "tentpole" superhero movies and sequels with a built-in following rather than gamble on an original, middle-budget film with less potential to be a global blockbuster.

The Best Man Holiday took two years to get a green light

'The Best Man Holiday' Director, Malcolm D. Lee, Talks Sequel & Black Film Renaissance

14 years since making his directorial debut in the romantic comedy-drama, “The Best Man,” Malcolm D. Lee has fulfilled fans long-awaited request with the film’s sequel, “The Best Man Holiday.”

The Christmas-themed follow-up finds Lee reuniting with the ensemble cast, which includes Morris Chestnut, Nia Long, Sanaa Lathan, Monica Calhoun, Melissa De Sousa, Terrence Howard, and Regina Hall, at their characters regroup for a holiday retreat filled with laughs and a bit of misfortune along the way.

During a recent interview with the Huffington Post, Lee opened up on directing and producing the project, in addition to his thoughts on the resurgence of black films in theaters and the reason why most studios refuse to release soundtracks.

"The Best Man Holiday" continues an ongoing trend

'Best Man' nearly topples 'Thor' at the box office | Fox News

NEW YORK –  In an unlikely battle of sequels, "Thor: The Dark World" bested "The Best Man Holiday" at the box office.  Disney's "Thor: The Dark World" continued its box-office reign with $38.5 million in its second week of release, according to studio estimates Sunday. Opening 15 years after the original "The Best Man," Universal's "The Best Man Holiday" opened strongly with $30.6 million.  Drawing an overwhelmingly female and African-American audience, "The Best Man Holiday" was a surprise challenger for the mighty "Thor." The R-rated romantic comedy, with an ensemble cast including Morris Chestnut and Taye Diggs, debuted with more than three times the box office of 1999's "The Best Man." That film opened with $9 million.

Radio announcer John Nesbitt narrated a series of Oscar-winning shorts for MGM about unusual historical events. The Passing Parade series is a pseudo-documentary acted out, which covered everything from mail-order marriages to this look at French doctor Philippe Pinel — who fought for the humane treatment of psychiatric patients.

▶ Stairway to Light - YouTube

Director: Sammy Lee
Writers: John Nesbitt (story) Rosemary Foster (screenplay)
Release Date: November 3, 1945
Awards: Oscar for Best Short Subject, One reel in 1946
Narrated by John Nesbitt
This Passing Parade series entry tells the story of Dr. Phillipe Pinel (1745-1826), a French physician. When he was assigned to a government institution for the mentally ill, he was appalled at the conditions he found. People were treated like animals, chained in dark basement cells for decades. Dr. Pinel treated the patients with kindness and understanding. His then-unorthodox methods became the model for treating those with mental illness.

1997 Oscar Winner - Visas and Virtue Directed by Chris Tashima

Europe, 1940. For thousands of Jews, a Japanese diplomat and his wife defy Tokyo and the Nazis, and offer visas, for life. 1998 Academy Awards (Oscar) - Best Short Film, Live Action - Winner Directed by Chris Tashima Writing credits (in alphabetical order) Tom Donaldson Chris Tashima Tim Toyama play Cast (in credits order) Chris Tashima ... Chiune 'Sempo' Sugihara Susan Fukuda ... Yukiko Sugihara Diana Georger ... Helena Rosen Lawrence Craig ... Nathan Rosen Shizuko Hoshi ... Narrator (voice) Produced by Chris Donahue .... producer Irma Escamilla .... associate producer Gail Kaneshiro .... associate producer Tim Toyama .... executive producer Original Music by Scott Nagatani

Tremendous power, bravery and grace lies at the very heart of this film, Death Metal Angola.

“Magical and Terrifying:” Jeremy Xido on Death Metal Angola | Filmmaker Magazine

The following is a guest post from Jeremy Xido, the director ofDeath Metal Angola, which screens at DOC NYC on November 16.

A few years ago, I was traveling through Angola researching a film about a railway when I stopped at the only cafe in Huambo, the country’s bombed-out second city, that served a decent cup of coffee. A young man with tiny dreadlocks in a blue button-down Oxford shirt waved me over. I sat with him for a while and chatted. We talked about what I was doing there and I asked him about himself. He said he was a musician. “Oh really?” I said. “What do you play?” he looked me in the eye and said, “Death metal.” Stunned, I asked him if he would play for me. He got very excited, said he’d find an amplifier somewhere and told me to meet him later that night at “the orphanage,” and slipped me the address. I assumed it was some sort of club. But when I arrived in the middle of the night at what would turn out to be an abandoned milk factory in the middle of nowhere, it was clear that this was no club. There he was, outside the building, with an electric guitar, surrounded by 55 orphaned boys who called this place home. Using electricity siphoned from a neighbor, the young man – Wilker Flores – proceeded to play one of the hardest and harshest impromptu gigs imaginable, lit by nothing more than the headlights of a van. It was magical and terrifying, and marked the beginning of my long and profound relationship with Flores and his girlfriend, Sonia Ferreira, who runs the Okutiuka orphanage and is one of the most remarkable people I have ever met.

Clio Barnard's social-realist tale of a teen scrap scavenger goes at it like a supercharged Ken Loach – and packs in Bradford's answer to Ben-Hur to boot

‘The Selfish Giant’ Wins Best Film at Stockholm Fest | Variety

STOCKHOLM — Clio Barnard’s “The Selfish Giant” took the best film nod at the 24th Stockholm Intl. Film Festival’s gala ceremony hosted at Berns Hotel on Friday.  A drama turning on the ambivalent friendship between two feral adolescents, “Giant” world preemed at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight to warm reviews. It’s repped by Protagonist Pictures and produced by Moonspun Films, with the backing of the British Film Institute and Film4.  “Shattering, to the point, believable, delicate, humorous. The sensitive interaction between the two main actors has resulted in the most touching portrayal of friendship we’ve seen in film,” stated the jury, which was chaired by Kristian Petri and comprised Ai Weiwei, Helena Danielsson,Lena Endre, Moa Gammel and Hiner Saleem.

"The Smurfs 2" -- The little blue people are back.

SMURFS 2 (3D) - Official Trailer - In Theaters JULY 31st - YouTube

The Smurfs are back! This time they're in Paris with a whole new creation by Gargamel...The Naughties! 

The 10 Indies to Watch on VOD This November

Criticwire Members' List of Highest Ranked 2013 Indie Movies Adds 'Nebraska' and 'The Great Beauty' | Filmmakers, Film Industry, Film Festivals, Awards & Movie Reviews | Indiewire

According to the nearly 500 critics listed in Indiewire's Criticwire Network, there are over 70 indie films that have been released in theaters or on digital platforms this year worth checking out. Of course, 2013 still has a few more months to go. The following list, updated on a weekly basis, contains all films released in 2013 that currently hold a B+ average or higher on Criticwire as long as they have been graded by at least 15 critics.   You can also browse a list of the top-rated documentaries released in 2013 here.   Cannes can be a tough crowd. Just ask the two films that join the ranks of Best Reviewed Indies of 2013 this week.  Alexander Payne's "Nebraska" and Paolo Sorrentino's "The Great Beauty" both made their debuts in France back in May, both receiving tepid acclaim. Reviews and overall response were somewhat underwhelming against the backdrop of "Blue is the Warmest Color," "Behind the Candelabra" and "Inside Llewyn Davis." In fact, neither film was able to crack the Best Feature top 10 in our festival-end poll. 

AFI FEST: 7 Noteworthy Films

Our 7 Favorite (And Not-So-Favorite) Films At AFI FEST: LAist

The excitement has finally settled over our Hollywood streets as the 27th annual AFI FEST came to an end Thursday night. The eight-day film festival honored highly-anticipated films such as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Inside Llewyn Davis, and covered beloved arthouse and foreign language picks that have been hitting the festival circuit. Plus, there were enough star-studded parties to keep the energy going. Nothing Bad Can Happen Here snagged the Grand Jury prize for the New Auteurs section, and The Selfish Giant proved to be a hit among jurors and audience members as it took home the Audience Award. We bring to you a list of some of our favorites and a couple of ones that took us by surprise—from a film Quentin Tarantino has heralded as the best of the year to gorey Korean castrations.

A wise, funny, liberating movie from Chile, about a middle-aged woman who finds romance but whose new partner finds it painfully difficult to abandon his old habits.

Watch: Exclusive Trailer for Chile's Official Oscar Bid, 'Gloria' | Filmmakers, Film Industry, Film Festivals, Awards & Movie Reviews | Indiewire

"Gloria," Chile's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category of the upcoming 86th Academy Awards, has swiftly attracted widespread critical acclaim for offering an honest, comically-driven portrait of your not-so-typical 50-something year old single woman. When fun-loving Gloria (Paulina Garcia) steers her way through the trappings of loneliness and into Rodolfo's (Sergio Hernandez) arms, his limbo-like affair with his (ex)wife forces her to retreat from her sudden romantic glow. Gloria, however, drags herself heart break to happiness and shines brighter than ever as an emotionally reborn woman in her golden years.

Top 10 festive film flops – avoid these turkeys this Christmas

Christmas films: From Four Christmases to Jingle All The Way via Vince Vaughn – top 10 worst Christmas films of all time | Metro News

Nestled among the lifestyle and food output you’ll find them offering weepy or uplifting festive movies every hour of every day until the first week of January, usually starring people you have never heard of and made for American TV. What could be more seasonal than that?  Personally I love a cheesy Christmas movie, I always get my red pen out and excitedly ring what I want to watch in the bumper special TV guide.  But not all festive flicks cut the Christmas mustard – some just go a bit too far, either with the cheese or the syrup, and make a fine old mess. Some are just plain ridiculous.  And so, here is a list of ten turkeys you should probably switch off if you want to keep your Christmas spirit from coming back up again this year.

YouTube to be included in Nielsen's cross-platform measurement panel by early 2014

YouTube, with Nielsen Rating, Could Get Millions from TV Ad Buyers — But It Needs Premium Content | Variety

YouTube global head of content Robert Kyncl has bragged that the video site reaches more U.S. viewers 18-34 than any single TV network. But it hasn’t provided marketers a gauge of how YouTube ads perform in relation to Nielsen’s TV ratings, the de facto currency for television.  That’s set to change. Google has agreed to have YouTube measured under Nielsen’s TV-plus-online ratings service. As a result, the video site stands to pick up considerably more in business from advertisers and agencies, according to Pivotal Research analyst Brian Wieser — assuming, that is, YouTube has enough premium inventory to sell.  “We believe that at the individual media-agency level, Google left as much as tens of millions of dollars in annual media budgets on the table” because of its previous position, Wieser wrote in a research note. That’s because many advertisers only want to buy inventory that can be consistently measured across TV and online, and therefore they may have been selective in spending money with YouTube over the past few years, he said.

Speaking of Christmas, there's barely enough room under the tree for all the movies

Holiday movie preview 2013

If you thought Tom Hanks, Cate Blanchett, Bruce Dern and Robert Redford were adding up to a crowded Oscar season, just wait. Here come Judi Dench, Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio and Meryl Streep.  This year's Oscar race is so jam-packed that it's starting to resemble the New York City Marathon. When a ferocious campaigner like Harvey Weinstein holds back the release of an Oscar gorilla like "Grace of Monaco," starring Nicole Kidman, you know things are getting rough. "This is the most competitive season I've ever seen," Weinstein reportedly said at a Zurich film festival earlier this year. "And if you aren't ready, don't get in it."

Colin Farrell is just one of many names linked to Warcraft

Colin Farrell Talks Warcraft, Calls Script 'Amazing' | Superhero Hype

A few months ago rumors for the casting of the upcoming Warcraft movie started popping up, and one of the first names attached was Colin Farrell. IGNcaught up with the actor and asked about the project, and what its production status is.  "Don’t know what’s happening, man. I read the script, if that’s any use to you, and it’s amazing....Duncan was cool. I sat with Duncan for awhile and read the script, loved the script, and we was as cool as can be. I don’t know what’s happening with the film. I don’t know where they are in the process...It’s just a world that I never explored — and it’s a really big and fantastical world. I can’t imagine what he, being as visually gifted as he is, Duncan, and what he did on Moon with, like, a dime, I can’t imagine what he’d do with this Warcraft."

Highest paid media moguls

2012 highest-paid media executives - latimes.com

Executive pay sure is nice. After stock options, reward options and bonuses, media moguls can see their compensation packages skyrocket. Click through to the end to see the highest-paid media executive.

The only solution is to divide the writing Oscars into three categories: Best Original Screenplay, Best Screenplay Based On Factual Material and Best Adaptation.

Roundup: The screenplay Oscar conundrum

Mark Harris notes, as many have before him, that the Academy's Best Screenplay categorizations are a bit confusing. Why should films like "Before Midnight" and "Toy Story 3" compete as adaptations when they're not adapted from anything, simply because they use pre-existing characters? And on the original side of things, are factual or biographical screenplays really that comparable to fiction crafted entirely from the writer's imagination?

Fox executive Mike Hopkins became CEO of Hulu in October. The website launched in 2008 with big ambitions to change the TV world by providing free online access to popular TV shows.

With new leadership, online video site Hulu changes TV strategy - latimes.com

The online video site Hulu once had ambitions of ushering in the future of television by shaking up the status quo.  But under its new management, the site will throw off its old mantle of TV disrupter as it seeks to work in partnership with cable and satellite companies.  Veteran Fox television executive Mike Hopkins took over as chief executive less than a month ago, an appointment that signaled the media companies that control Hulu wanted to turn the popular service into a feature offered through pay-TV distributors.  "When you hire a guy who's spent his life in distribution, it probably signals that they're looking for a second revenue stream in that area," Needham & Co. media analyst Laura Martin said.

At nearly 600 pages, Fosse is certainly big, if not lithe. And Wasson's own narrative style has a jazzy, discursive and relentless energy well aligned with its subject.

'Fosse' jazzes up life of the choreographer-director

The only thing that could have been better than Sam Wasson's page-turning, comprehensively rendered biography of choreographer-director Bob Fosse would have been Fosse's own memoir.  And one imagines that Fosse, had he not died suddenly of a heart attack at age 60 in 1987, would have loved the chance to unfurl his storytelling chops given how much he coveted and envied literary talent.  But then, even close friends of Fosse's such as screenwriter Paddy Chayevsky and novelist E.L. Doctorow would have found it challenging to create a character as vivid, complex, charming, magnetic and exasperating as this lithe, limber fellow with big ideas and bigger dreams.

"Rio: 2096 A Story of Love and Fury" -- A romance spanning 600 years between immortal lovers is set against six centuries of Brazilian history, from colonization by European powers into the future,

▶ Rio 2096 - A Story of Love and Fury - YouTube

"Rio 2096, A Story of Love and Fury" is an animated film revolving around the love between an immortal hero and Janaína, the woman he has been in love with for 600 years. Luiz Bolognesi has set the story in four phases of Brazil's history: colonization, slavery, military regime and the future, in 2096, in the midst of wars for water. Targeting both youngsters and adults alike with a graphic novel slant to it, the film stars the voice talents of Selton Mello and Camila Pitanga as the two main characters. The feature film also counts on the voice of Rodrigo Santoro as an Indian Chief and warrior.

Introducing Batkid -STORY: Batkid Saves the City, Makes Everyone's Day

Batkid Saves San Francisco, Becomes Live-Stream Sensation Gallery - The Hollywood Reporter

Batkid's secret identity is Miles, a 5-year-old boy whose cancer is in remission after a treatment of chemotherapy that ended this summer. He told the Make-a-Wish Foundation that his greatest wish was to be DC Entertainment's Caped Crusader. Patricia Wilson, the executive director of the Bay Area branch of the organization, felt like that was something they could make happen.

"Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie - Rebellion" -- The third in a series of Japanese animated films about magical girls, based on characters from a TV series.

▶ Madoka Magica The Movie Trailer -Rebellion- Trailer 2 - YouTube

Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie -Rebellion- is coming to Theaters in the U.S. and Canada starting December 6th. U.S. Premiere Event on December 3rd in Hollywood, CA. Tickets are Now On Sale! Get your tickets now at MadokaMagicaUSA.com/rebellion

Variety proclaims that 2013 offers "more terrific awards possibilities than ever"

The Best Screenplay problem - Grantland

We're a mere 108 days from the 86th annual Academy Awards, and America remains firmly not in the grip of Oscar fever! Can you feel the growing throb of vague, half-aware expectation mixed with polite indifference? It's catching! One reason for this is that, while contenders like 12 Years a Slave, All Is Lost, and Dallas Buyers Club are chugging along, they still, after a combined 67 days in release, have collectively grossed less than Thor: The Dark World took in by about 8:30 p.m. on its first day. However, there's also an increasing disconnect between Oscar talk and real-world moviegoers. In awardsland, pundits have been masticating the chances of Joel and Ethan Coen's Inside Llewyn Davis and Alexander Payne's Nebraska since May, when the movies played at Cannes. And more recently, buzz about fall festival films like Saving Mr. Banks,Philomena, Out of the Furnace, Labor Day, August: Osage County, and Lone Survivorhas had predictors hastily revising and re-revising their cheat sheets. But back on earth, none of those movies has actually, you know, opened — and that's not even counting David O. Russell's American Hustle and Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street, which remain off limits even to those of us whose job is to shake them by the ankles and see if any trophies fall out.

First 'Hercules' title had been set for Feb. 7

‘Hercules’ Battle Starting Jan. 10 as Lionsgate Moves Epic Forward | Variety

Lionsgate is moving “Hercules: The Legend Begins” forward a month to Jan. 10, where the actioner will be the only new wide release.  The studio’s dating move came three days after it acquired U.S. rights to the Millennium Films movie. It had dated the Kellan Lutz action-adventure for Feb. 7, where it would have faced the openings of Warner’s “Lego” and Sony’s “Monuments Men.”  “Hercules: The Legend Begins” will now open six months before Paramount opens “Hercules,” starring Dwayne Johnson.  The Jan. 10 date will also see expansion of a trio of titles in limited release — Universal’s “Lone Survivor,” Warner Bros.’ Spike Jonze film “Her” and TWC’s “One Chance.”

Friday's Box Office: 'Best Man Holiday' Hammers Thor

Friday Box Office: 'Best Man Holiday' Steals Thor's Thunder - Forbes

The lesson of this weekend’s box office is two-fold. First of all, we have another shining example of why ranking is relatively irrelevant. Thor: The Dark World is actually not the top film on Friday. But while it will likely be the top film of the weekend, it is not the top story of the weekend. Universal’s The Best Man Holiday, a sequel to The Best Man fourteen years after the original, debuted with a strong $10.7 million. It should do around $30m for the weekend providing it has the same or similar 2.77x weekend multiplier as Think Like A Man($12.1m/$33m). The lesson here is once again said number will be an unquestionable triumph for the $17m comedy whether it ends up in first place or ends up in ninth place. The number is the number, and The Best Man Holiday‘s opening weekend is terrific no matter where it lands on the charts.

"Planes" -- A Disney/Pixar spin-off from the "Cars" franchise.

▶ Disney's Planes - Trailer 2 - YouTube

Box office preview: ''Thor' won't be bested

Box office preview: 'Best Man Holiday' won't best 'Thor' | Inside Movies | EW.com

Just how scared of Thor: The Dark World was Hollywood? Last weekend, not a single studio opened a wide release against it. (Though, About Time did expand into wide release.) And this weekend, only one movie, The Best Man Holiday, will face off against the bearded Norse superhero. Originally, The Wolf of Wall Street was set to open on this date, but Paramount pushed the film to Christmas Day, leaving Holiday as the sole contender. The comedy has no chance of usurping Thor‘s throne, but that doesn’t mean it’s headed for trouble. Here’s how the box office might look over the weekend.