“The secret of a happy marriage remains a secret.” — Henny Youngman Boundaries are important in any relationship, much less a till-death-do-us-part union in which both parties are spies involved in highly classified operations for a British intelligence agency. Steven Soderbergh and David Koepp get it. They understand the need …
Read More »Is 'The Agency' the Best Neurotic-Spy Workplace Drama on TV?
Francophiles, adventurous TV viewers, and those prone to scoffing at streamer algorithms may remember the first time they came across The Bureau, a drama set within the General Directorate for External Security (in French, the DGSE). Actor-director Matthieu Kassovitz played Guillaume Debailly — code name: Malotru — a spy who’d …
Read More »Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender Are Star-Crossed Spies in 'Black Bag' Trailer
Black Bag reveals the consequences of mixing work and pleasure. In the Black Bag trailer, released Tuesday, Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender star as happily married intelligence agents. All seems well for the lovebirds, until an intelligence breach challenges their marriage, leaving Fassbender’s George to decide between love or the …
Read More »'Kneecap' Gives Belfast's Controversial Rap Trio Their Own '8 Mile'
They’re young, handsome, angry, and they want to get drunk and get laid and get high. Very, very high. Also, these gentlemen would love to have the indigenous vernacular of Ireland treated with the respect it deserves. They are Kneecap, a hip-hop trio from Belfast made of up of MCs …
Read More »Taika Waititi's 'Next Goal Wins' Has One Big Problem: Taika Waititi
31-0 — that was the final score of the World Cup qualifying match in 2001 that made the American Samoa soccer team legends in the world of international soccer. Not legends in a good way, mind you; they were the ones on the receiving end of that epic lambasting. Think …
Read More »How David Fincher Turned 'The Killer' Into a Mean, Lean Punch to the Gut
The man is a consummate professional. In the outside world, he could be anyone — just another ridiculous looking dude somewhere between the ages of 32 and 48, the everyguy in line behind you at an Ace Hardware store or in front of you at McDonald’s. But sitting here, in …
Read More »David Fincher's 'The Killer' Misses the Mark
Ten years ago, The Criterion Collection dropped a dual-format edition of Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights. Included amongst its special features is behind-the-scenes footage of Chaplin forcing his co-star, Virginia Cherrill — a socialite the filmmaker spotted at a boxing match — to act out the scene of her blind flower …
Read More »David Fincher on Why 'The Killer' Assassin Shoots People to The Smiths
“I don’t really think of the movie as an assassin movie, said David Fincher. “I think of it more as a revenge movie.” The acclaimed director behind Se7en and Zodiac was discussing his new film The Killer, which is making its premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Michael Fassbender stars …
Read More »Michael Fassbender Is an Assassin Desperately Trying to Stick to the Plan in 'The Killer' Trailer
In David Fincher‘s The Killer, Michael Fassbender plays an assassin with a simple mission: Stick to the damn plan. But in the first teaser trailer for the upcoming Netflix film, the trained killer is having a harder time staying on course than he expected. Arriving to select theaters in October …
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