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11 things Hollywood gets wrong about being an FBI agent — and one thing it gets right

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X Files Scully Mulder

The 1935 smash hit "G Men" signaled a departure from the gangster-glorifying films of the earlier part of the decade. Rather than lionizing the bank robbers and bootleggers that captivated Americans during the Great Depression, this movie focused on James Cagney as a selfless FBI recruit.

According to James L. Neibaur's "James Cagney Films of the 1930s," it's unclear how involved FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover was in the production of the film. Some sources indicated that he opposed the movie, but ended up changing his mind once he saw it in theaters. Neibaur writes that there were also rumors that Hoover himself signed off on the script's glowing portrayal of the Bureau.

Since those days, fictional depictions of FBI agents have undergone a number of transformations, which often shift along with the American public's view of the agency. We've seen the paranormal-investigating power couple Mulder and Scully on "The X-Files," coffee-loving, eccentric Dale Cooper on "Twin Peaks," the heroic squad featured on "Criminal Minds," along with the ominous, overbearing suits that appear in the background of many police shows. Some clichés surrounding the FBI are specific to the Bureau, while many of the tropes that cling to the organization also pertain to law enforcement and federal agencies in general.

Business Insider spoke about these different fictional portrayals with three retired FBI agents, Jerri Williams, author of the upcoming novel "Pay to Play,"Joe Navarro, author of "What Every Body is Saying," and Chris Voss, author of "Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It."

They revealed which popular fictional clichés about the FBI are dead wrong and discussed the handful of shows that come close to getting it right:

SEE ALSO: Here's what it's really like to work for the FBI

DON'T MISS: A former FBI agent reveals 7 ways your body betrays you when you're nervous

Myth: The FBI doesn't play well with others

It's a scenario that plays out in "Die Hard,""Law and Order," and "Dexter," just to name a few — stony-faced or smug federal agents swooping in to seize control of a case and shut out local law enforcement. "TV Tropes," an online wiki of fictional works, refers to this trope as "Jurisdiction Friction."

All three of the former agents that spoke with Business Insider listed this portrayal as a major pet peeve.

"That is just such a cliché," Williams says. "A local detective or sheriff is working on something and the FBI comes in and takes over and just treats everybody terribly. That is the worst. When I see that I just think, 'Doesn't whoever wrote this have any original ideas?'"

Williams isn't just irked because the trope depicts the agency in a negative light — she says the stereotype can be self-perpetuating, causing local law enforcement agencies and other institutions to regard the FBI with suspicion.

"We might have to break down some resistance before we can even do our job, because people expect us to be like that," Williams says.

Navarro says the trope is fundamentally untrue. When a case falls under FBI jurisdiction, the Bureau typically establishes a task force with local law enforcement agencies. Additionally, the FBI may become involved to provide investigative resources that some smaller police forces simply don't have. Navarro recalled working on a kidnapping in Arizona, where the FBI provided over a hundred agents to assist the local sheriff's department.

"We don't just walk in and say, okay boys and girls, we're taking over," he says.

Voss notes that there are some situations where he can understand why local law enforcement agencies might get a negative impression of the Bureau. He recalled arresting the wife of a fugitive on the FBI's "Most Wanted" list outside a convenience store in a small town in Pennsylvania. Voss and his partner were driving an unmarked car when they seized the woman, which alarmed two local cops who just happened to be parked outside.

However, Voss says he believes that fiction exaggerates the issue, citing the movie "The Negotiator," which features antagonistic FBI agents who wrangle with local authorities over a case.

"They were sort of this threatening, looming presence," Voss says. "The FBI just doesn't operate like that."



Myth: FBI agents are robotic bureaucrats

Voss, a former FBI hostage negotiator and CEO of the Black Swan Group, explains how fiction can have a negative impact on how FBI agents interact with the public and other law enforcement agencies.

"Fictional television does in fact have an effect on peoples' opinions," he says. "And so many people just expect FBI agents to be jerks."

Williams says that, in her experience, practical jokes in the office were fairly common.

"We'd take our jobs seriously but not necessarily ourselves," she says.

Navarro says that this cliché can cause people to view the agency as a monolith of stiff, sinister bureaucrats and sunglasses-wearing, suited men.

"Obviously most FBI agents are concerned about crime and national security, but they also, for the most part, have families," he says. "They have kids, they have sick days off, they worry about their wives or their husbands, and they attend birthday parties — just regular stuff."



Myth: FBI agents are constantly fighting serial killers

In fiction, FBI agents frequently do battle with a frightening enemy — serial killers.

The novel and subsequent movie adaptation of "Silence of the Lambs" seemingly kicked off this trend, pitting FBI Academy student Clarice Starling against the sadistic Buffalo Bill. In the same vein, the characters on "Criminal Minds" continue to track down serial murderers around the country.

Williams, who served as a special agent for 26 years and mainly investigated economic crimes, noted that, while the FBI does investigate serial killers, only a small percentage of agents handle such cases.

The prevalence of the federal agent vs. the serial murderer trope points more to our culture's fascination with serial killers, as as Dr. Scott Bonn previously wrote in "Psychology Today," than how the Bureau actually operates.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

'The Rock' reveals the new 'Jumanji' will not be a reboot after all

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the rock getty final

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is always jumping from one movie set to another. And he loves to keep his Instagram followers informed on what he's up to.

So it was while in between flights to projects that Johnson dropped this piece of info on us: His "Jumanji" movie is not going to be a reboot, as some previously assumed.

In an Instagram post last week thanking everyone on the "Fast 8" shoot, Johnson informed his followers that he was off to shoot the next "Jumanji" movie alongside Kevin Hart and Jack Black.

But, the actor noted, "For the record we are NOT making a reboot."

Instead it's a "continuation of the awesome JUMANJI story," he wrote.

Here's his post:

Finished strong and on to the next. That's an officially wrap on #FastAndFurious8. Thank you to our director @fgarygray for the vision and execution. Thank you UNIVERSAL for being tremendous partners as always, thank you to all my fellow co-stars for the daily effort and grind. Scott Eastwood you handsome sumbitch! Natalie Emmanuel I have a cold Budweiser ready for you and Tyrese Gibson you still have the biggest smile and forehead I've ever seen.😂 And a huge THANK YOU to our hard working production crew - the backbone of our business. Your kind words meant a lot to me last night - thank you! In the end, we all rallied, as great teams do, kicked ass and will deliver an amazing movie to the world. Proud of our entire FAST FAMILY. And now in two weeks I'll reunite with ol' friends Kevin Hart & Jack Black and we have the honor to introduce a whole new generation to the amazing world of #JUMANJI. *(for the record we are NOT making a reboot, but rather a continuation of the awesome JUMANJI story). It's also crazy to me how much me, Kev and Jack look like triplets when we're together. 👶🏽👶🏻👶🏿. Man this is gonna be FUN. #WheelsUp #ThatsAWrap #FromFastAndFurious #StraightIntoJumanji #BigBrownBaldTattooedMan #DarkChocolateComedicRockStar #BrillaintCrazyCurvyCaucasion #TheseHashtagsAreRidiculous #INeedSleepAndCARBS #ButIWillSettleForTequila

A photo posted by therock (@therock) on Aug 19, 2016 at 11:12am PDT on

There have been no other details revealed about the movie.

The original, which was released in 1995 and starred Robin Williams and Kirsten Dunst, made over $262.7 million worldwide and was the seventh highest-grossing domestic movie of that year.

The new "Jumanji" will open in theaters in July 2017.

SEE ALSO: Here's the surprising first movie roles of 27 A-list actors

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The Rock made a little girl's wish come true

The 10 most failed superhero movies ever, ranked

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steel shaq

If there's a solid bet for big-budget Hollywood movies these days, it's the superhero genre.

One of the biggest movies of this summer was (for yet another year) a Marvel mashup, "Captain America: Civil War." Meanwhile, Warner Bros.' DC Comics title "Suicide Squad" struggled, breaking a record in its first weekend and then quickly dropping based on bad reviews and worth of mouth.

But "Squad" can't even come close to the most epically disastrous superhero movies. Long before they were Hollywood's cash cow, comic-book adaptions were known as a notoriously mixed bag. For every Tim Burton "Batman" there was... "Blankman."

Here are the wide-release superhero movie titles with the lowest box-office grosses, going back to 1978, as reported by Box Office Mojo:

SEE ALSO: 100 movies on Netflix that everyone needs to watch in their lifetime

10. "The Meteor Man" (1993)

Adjusted gross: $16,769,200*

An original superhero movie starring Robert Townsend, "Meteor Man" is about a teacher who becomes a superhero when Washington, DC, is taken over by street gangs. Critics didn't think it quite worked though, with Roger Ebert saying it "contains big laughs and moments of genuine feeling, but it seems to be put together out of assorted inspirations that were never assembled into one coherent storyline."

*Note: All figures adjusted for inflation.



9. "Blankman" (1994)

Adjusted gross: $16,454,000

Damon Wayans in his "In Living Color" days starred in a comedic take on superhero movies. He plays a naive repairman who loves Batman. It probably wasn't intended for primetime, though the admittedly funny movie became a cult hit on video.



8. "Zoom" (2006)

Adjusted gross: $15,851,500

Tim Allen took his own shot at the superhero genre with this family/sci-fi affair also featuring a then-unknown Kate Mara. Panned by critics, it couldn't recoup its $35 million budget. If you have no memory of the film, you're far from alone.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The director of the next 'Bad Boys' confirms Will Smith and Martin Lawrence will be back

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bad boys

The bad boys are in fact coming back.

Thirteen years after the sequel — and 21 since the original — Will Smith and Martin Lawrence have been confirmed for a return to the "Bad Boys" franchise.

The third installment, titled "Bad Boys for Life," was originally scheduled for a June 2017 release, but now is set for January 2018.

In an interview with io9, the film's director Joe Carnahan said the stars will be back and explained that the delay was due to Smith's commitments on "Suicide Squad."

"We couldn’t all get in a room, go through this thing, and really ring it out," Carnahan told io9. "I’m a big believer in 'Do the work at the script level until you’ve got something you know works.' That everyone is happy with, the stars are happy with, the director is happy with, the studio is happy with."

Michael Bay directed the first two films in the franchise. Carnahan said the delay also gives him time to form a bond with his stars.

"There’s only one Will Smith and one Martin Lawrence," Carnahan said. "You can’t replace those guys and I wouldn’t want to be involved if it wasn’t Will and Martin. They are that franchise."

Read the full interview with Joe Carnahan on io9.

SEE ALSO: Will Smith says 'America won't' elect Donald Trump as president

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 7 things you missed in the new Star Wars Rogue One trailer

There's a big clue that Dr. Strange will appear in the next 'Thor' movie

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Thor 3 Dr Strange

"Thor: Ragnarok," may be the third Marvel movie starring the God of Thunder, but it's not exactly going to be a solo outing, since the Hulk is coming along for the ride. Now, there's a tantalizing piece of evidence hinting that Dr. Strange will also be making an appearance. 

The Sorcerer Supreme's Marvel Cinematic Universe debut won't come until this November when the "Dr. Strange" movie comes out, but if a clue from a recent photograph taken on the set of the "Thor" film is to be believed, we won't go too long without seeing him again. 

As Hitfix notes, TV writer Daley Pearson visited the Australia set of "Ragnarok" and shared a couple of pictures of star Chris Hemsworth on Twitter. In one of the photos, Hemsworth's Thor is holding a yellow note with the address "177A Bleecker Street" written on it. 

In the comics, the New York City address is Dr. Stephen Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum. Could Thor be looking for Dr. Strange, seeking help with some mystical problem?

Dr. Strange address 177A Bleecker Street

The cameo is just speculation at this point, but if Dr. Strange does pop up in "Thor: Ragnarok," it would make sense. The Asgardian aspect of the MCU has always been the most "magical" part of the franchise, but the movies so far have tried to keep the mystic arts at least somewhat connected to science.

"Your ancestors called it magic and you call it science," Thor tells Jane Foster in the first movie. "Well, I come from a place where they're one and the same thing."

If Dr. Strange is Marvel's first proper foray into a magical world, it would make sense that he'd pop up again in a "Thor" movie to help further explain what the heck Thor's quote actually means. 

SEE ALSO: Here are all the huge new trailers you need to see from this year's Comic-Con

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Marvel’s newest ‘Doctor Strange’ trailer is here and it looks unlike any superhero movie we’ve seen

The 10 best movies since 2000, according to critics

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mulholland drive

To determine the best movies since 2000, BBC Culture scoured the globe for the thoughts of film critics and received responses from 177. With those, it put together a list of the top 100 movies of this century.

There are major big-budget studio movies, like "A.I.: Artificial Intelligence" and "The Dark Knight," as well as intimate art-house titles including "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" and "Lost in Translation."

But none of those cracked the top 10.

Below are the 10 best movies of the 21st century, according to the critics polled.

See all 100 titles over at the BBC's site.

SEE ALSO: 100 movies on Netflix that everyone needs to watch in their lifetime

10. "No Country for Old Men" (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2007)

This adaptation of the gritty Cormac McCarthy novel earned Joel and Ethan Coen Oscars for Directing and Screenwriting. It also won Best Picture and a Best Supporting Actor award for Javier Bardem as the sadistic Anton Chigurh.



9. "A Separation" (Asghar Farhadi, 2011)

The first Iranian film to ever win the Best Foreign Language Oscar, the film looks at a family who must decide whether to leave Iran to start a new life or stay home to care for a parent who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease.



8. "Yi Yi: A One and a Two" (Edward Yang, 2000)

Life for a middle-class family living in Taipei is seen through three generations.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Why you must watch this movie about one of the most horrific moments in TV history

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kate plays christine

Ten years ago, when Robert Greene learned the story of Christine Chubbuck— a 1970s TV reporter in Sarasota, Florida, who was the first person to commit suicide on live television — two things instantly came to him: "How do you make a film about someone who kills themselves?" and "I need to see the footage."

With the most mundane moments of our lives now able to be captured and immediately put online for the world to see, Greene was shocked to find that not only was no footage of the Chubbuck suicide online, but there was no video of the reporter period.

"She went on television to commit suicide so people would see it, and that has been lost," Greene told Business Insider. "There's such pathetic irony to that."

Christine_Chubbuck wikipediaGreene began making movies that walked the line between nonfiction and fiction — like 2012's "Fake It So Real," which looks at the independent professional-wrestling circuit, and 2014's "Actress," an intimate study of character actress Brandy Burre ("The Wire").

But as the years passed, Greene couldn't escape the Chubbuck story.

With Chubbuck essentially a pre-internet folk story — the footage of it still hadn't surfaced — he decided to start the Chubbuck project, but with a unique angle.

"I never wanted to make a straightforward story," Greene said. "The title of the movie actually became the full idea."

"Kate Plays Christine," which opens in select theaters Tuesday and premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival amid much conversation, is a part documentary, part fictionalized narrative that explores Chubbuck through actress Kate Lyn Sheil ("House of Cards,""The Girlfriend Experience").

Sheil plays Chubbuck in scripted scenes depicting key moments leading up to her death while also chronicling Sheil's journey in Sarasota by talking to people who knew Chubbuck.

Greene captures the similarities between the women — Chubbuck's frustrations about not being taken seriously as a journalist in a male-dominated industry; Sheil's concerns about being pigeonholed into one type of character — while also delving into Sheil's struggles to truthfully represent Chubbuck in the scripted scenes with little to no source material. (Sheil is actually not the only actress to play Chubbuck in a Sundance movie; Rebecca Hall plays her in "Christine," which opens in theaters in October.)

Kate Lyn Sheil Jamie McCarthy Getty final"Kate is the film," Greene said. "Kate is someone I'm friends with but also someone I find very interesting to watch on screen because I don't know where things come from, and as a documentary filmmaker, I'm fascinated by that."

Sheil acknowledges, however, that her performance is not without some dramatics for the camera.

"It's simultaneously genuine and completely fabricated," Sheil told Business Insider. "It's me knowing what Robert was trying to do, being frustrated by that, but playing it up."

For example, in one scene, Sheil tries to do one of the scripted scenes but stops and tells Greene it's not working. When one of her costars gives her encouragement, Sheil lashes out at her. When asked how real that scene was, Sheil said she would never talk to another actor that way in real life.

But that aspect of performing for the camera was something Greene wanted to explore in the film, since many documentaries are not as authentic as we may think.

"If you have a camera, you have a performance — that's just a fact," Greene said. "Most documentaries are so eager to hide that because authenticity is this gift to the audience: 'I didn't make this up.' But it's a film — it's not reality. One of the things we're trying to do in the film is to take that as a starting point, not an endpoint."

Robert Greene Andrew H. Walker Getty finalAnd then there was the ending of the movie. Did the filmmakers want to reenact a suicide? What of substance would it give the audience?

Greene and Sheil said they didn't come up with the film's ending until the night before they shot it.

"I didn't want to pull the trigger, but flying down to Florida, the plan was to reenact the suicide," Sheil said.

Going back and forth with ideas, the two along with cinematographer Sean Price Williams finally landed on an ending they agreed on (it was filmed on the 41st anniversary of Chubbuck's death), which was greatly influenced by a discovery they made in the reporting for the movie.

"The ending, to me, is everything I care about in movies," Greene said. "The way it came about was a very documentary way. We have a scene and we've talked to people, and now it's an absolute collision of fiction and nonfiction."

A melodrama wrapped in an investigative documentary, "Kate Plays Christine" is a unique story that explores depression, female stereotypes, and privacy in a time when all-access is the norm.

It's a movie that will leave you with more questions than answers, and Greene wouldn't have it any other way.

"The point of the movie is this is what it takes to tell this story," he said. "So when the audience is asking, 'Is it real?' — 'Is Kate deciding to do that, or did Robert tell her to do that?' — we're inviting those thoughts because most films don't invite those thoughts, and it's fruitful because I think that is the nature of the Christine Chubbuck story."

SEE ALSO: 100 movies on Netflix that everyone needs to watch in their lifetime

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 7 things you missed in the new Star Wars Rogue One trailer

Ice Cube says he wants to make one more 'Friday' movie: 'We can do it right'

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friday ice cube

Rapper-actor Ice Cube has made it known that he's got one more "Friday" left in him.

But he wants to "do it right."

The writer and star behind the classic 1995 comedy and its two sequels, "Next Friday" (2000) and "Friday After Next" (2002), announced on Twitter on Monday that he's talked to the studio that has made the films, New Line Cinema.

Now the ball is in its court to make "Last Friday"— so long as the movie's given the care that it deserves.

The first "Friday" launched the career of Chris Tucker and made over $28.2 million worldwide on a $3.5 million budget as audiences loved the story of two friends (played by Cube and Tucker) who spend a Friday trying to get money they owe a drug dealer. "Next Friday" did better with $59.8 million worldwide. "Friday After Next" sunk with a $33.5 million worldwide gross.

They made Ice Cube one of the biggest musician-turned-actor stars ever, so it's not surprising that he might want to return to the franchise.

"Friday" has had the best shelf life of the three, a big reason being that Tucker left the franchise after the first one. But if Cube can get Tucker back, then that could generate enough interest to make it a viable property once more for New Line.

There are no details yet on what "Last Friday" would be about.

Business Insider reached out to New Line for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.

SEE ALSO: The 10 best movies since 2000, according to critics

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This is how rapper 50 Cent made millions and then lost it


The 12 best Matthew McConaughey performances ever, ranked

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dazed and confused Universal

Matthew McConaughey has come a long way since we first saw him as the sleepy-eyed stoner Wooderson in the classic 1993 movie "Dazed and Confused."

Since then he's been the heartthrob, the raw indie actor, and then forged "The McConaissance" that led to an Oscar win. 

His latest movie, "The Sea of Trees" (out in limited release this weekend), looks like a dud if you go by the vicious reception it got at Cannes last year. So instead let's celebrate the best performances McConaughey has given us over his career.

Here are his 12 best roles ever, ranked:   

SEE ALSO: 20 modern classic movies everyone needs to watch in their lifetime

12. Fenton Meiks in “Frailty” (2001)

Though mostly told through flashbacks featuring his character as a child, McConaughey does show up in important moments, including this thriller's shocking ending that shows he can be more than the happy-go-lucky guy he was known as at the time.



11. Rick Peck in “Tropic Thunder” (2008)

"Tropic Thunder" plays on the fragile insecurities that everyone in the entertainment industry has, and McConaughey's hilarious portrayal of an agent who will do anything for his client in hopes of not being fired (even going through the jungle to provide him with a TiVo) is an excellent example of that. 



10. Ward Jansen in “The Paperboy” (2012)

Yes, that's McConaughey wearing an eye patch. How did he get it? You'll have to watch the movie (it's on Netflix). And if that's not motivation enough, this is the best McConaughey performance you've never seen. The movie is nuts, but buried in there is McConaughey going next level. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The trailer for the new 'The Ring' sequel will haunt your dreams

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Rings Paramount Pictures final

Paramount is giving us an updated spin on a successful horror franchise from the 2000s with its new horror movie "Rings." 

In 2002, "The Ring" (based on the 1998 Japanese horror movie "Ringu") became a box-office hit, taking in $249.3 million worldwide and spawning a sequel.

The story revolves around a VHS tape that causes the person who's seen it to die in seven days.

With VHS players long forgotten, the death video that spawns a creepy girl to come out of a well and terrorize the people who see it is now a viral video in "Rings."

Though Naomi Watts, who starred in the 2002 film, is not in this one, the creepy girl from the well, Samara, is back.

The movie opens in theaters October 28. Watch the trailer below.

SEE ALSO: Jennifer Lawrence tops the list of the highest-paid actresses in the world right now

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 7 things you missed in the new Star Wars Rogue One trailer

John Kraskinski was almost Captain America but he was intimidated by Thor's looks

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John Kraskinski Captain America Thor

We could have had a very different Captain America had Thor not intervened. 

Actor John Krasinski dropped by "Conan" on Tuesday night and explained how he once came very close to playing the patriotic Marvel superhero. 

"The Hollars" star explained that the studio went so far as to ask him to do a screen test as Captain America in the hero's classic costume. Krasinski said he was game, and as he put on the costume, he was feeling pretty good about himself. 

Until Chris Hemsworth, the actor who plays Thor, walked by.

"I went, 'I’m good. This is stupid,'" Krasinski said upon seeing how heroic Hemsworth looked in comparison to him. "'That’s okay, I’m not Captain America.'"

john krasinski captain america

Of course, there's probably more to the story. Thor's abs weren't the only reason why Marvel eventually opted to cast Chris Evans instead of Krasinski. 

But it's still fun to imagine the God of Thunder wiping the self-satisfied smirk from Jim Halpert's face.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Marvel’s newest ‘Doctor Strange’ trailer is here and it looks unlike any superhero movie we’ve seen

A new ‘Ring’ movie is coming this fall and it looks terrifying

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Rings Paramount Pictures final

Paramount is giving us an updated spin on a successful horror franchise from the 2000s with its new horror movie "Rings." 

In 2002, "The Ring" (based on the 1998 Japanese horror movie "Ringu") became a box-office hit, taking in $249.3 million worldwide and spawning a sequel.

The story revolves around a VHS tape that causes the person who's seen it to die in seven days.

With VHS players long forgotten, the death video that spawns a creepy girl to come out of a well and terrorize the people who see it is now a viral video in "Rings."

Though Naomi Watts, who starred in the 2002 film, is not in this one, the creepy girl from the well, Samara, is back.

The movie opens in theaters October 28. Watch the trailer below.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's what Rio's 'uninhabitable' Olympic Village looks like

Over 30 superhero movies are coming out in the next 5 years — here they all are

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doctor strange

If you were left underwhelmed by "Suicide Squad," the latest film in the superhero genre to hit theaters, there are plenty more movies from DC and Marvel on the way to feed your comics fix.

In the next five years, there are well over 30 superhero movies that have been announced to hit theaters.

We'll see Marvel complete "Phase 3" of the cinematic universe while finally launching its first solo superheroine, Captain Marvel. DC is giving Wonder Woman her own solo outing and will build on the many new heroes teased in "Batman v Superman" as the DC Universe moves closer towards the first onscreen appearance of the Justice League.

Keep reading to see every superhero movie coming soon. 

Sidney Fussell contributed to a previous version of this story.

This fall, Benedict Cumberbatch will star in "Doctor Strange," the onscreen debut of Marvel's powerful Sorcerer Supreme.



Cumberbatch will play neurosurgeon Stephen Strange. After a horrific car accident, Strange falls into a mysterious world of sorcery and mysticism.



Director Scott Derrickson says the visuals will be radically different from the other Marvel movies, telling EW he was afraid Marvel execs would "knock on the door [and say] 'This movie’s too weird, we can’t make this.'"

Source: EW



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

How Jennifer Lawrence went from farm girl to the highest-paid actress in Hollywood

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Jennifer Lawrence Jennifer Lawrence was just named Forbes' highest-paid actress for the second year in a row.

At just 26, Lawrence raked in $46 million in the past year alone.

But the Oscar-winning "Hunger Games" star has come a long way since her first roles in "Monk" and "Garden Party" and humble beginnings in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Let's look back at her meteoric rise from farm girl to Hollywood's top earner.

Additional reporting by Melia Robinson.

SEE ALSO: Here are the surprising first movie roles of 27 A-list actors

Lawrence was born August 15, 1990 — the first girl to be born on her dad's side of the family in 50 years.

Source: Rolling Stone



She grew up on a horse farm in Louisville, Kentucky, where her parents raised unbroken stallions because they were cheaper.

Sources: Rolling Stone, "The Late Show with David Letterman"



Her family didn't believe in "seeking medical treatment." She was hit by a car at 18 months and deformed her tailbone after being thrown from a horse. Neither incident warranted a trip to the doctor's office.

Sources: "Jimmy Kimmel Live,""Late Show with David Letterman"



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Renee Zellweger explains why she disappeared from Hollywood for 6 years

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Renee Zellweger Bridget Jones's Baby

For 18 years, Renee Zellweger worked as an actress in Hollywood every year, often with multiple high-profile projects in one year — especially after making a name for herself in 1996's "Jerry Maguire."

Then in 2010, the machine powered down. Zellweger's IMDb credits were left without the need to be updated — until this year.

After a six-year hiatus, Zellweger is making her return to Hollywood in the third installment of her beloved "Bridget Jones" franchise that hits theaters September 16. Another film, "Same Kind of Different As Me," is due out in February 2017.

"I wanted to grow," Zellweger explained to The Hollywood Reporter of taking a break. "If you don't explore other things, you wake up 20 years later and you're still that same person who only learns anything when she goes out to research a character. You need to grow!"

During that time, Zellweger told THR that she lived "under the radar" and steered clear of gossip written about her. Instead, she spent time in Connecticut, the Hamptons, and then in Santa Barbara, and enrolled in a screenwriting course at UCLA. THR reports that she even wrote a TV pilot with one of her professors that she pitched to Lifetime — though the network decided to pass.

"Writing is something that has always been part of my life," she told THR. "I'm tapping into it because it makes me happy. There are so many women now who are answering their creative calling — writing, producing, directing. I have a lot of girlfriends who would like to produce material that matters in some way."

Read the full interview on The Hollywood Reporter.

SEE ALSO: 26 movies you have to see this fall

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The directors of 'Catfish' and 'Nerve' reveal how to make it in Hollywood without going to film school


Meet the new young Hollywood — 30 stars under 30 whose careers are blowing up

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alicia vikander hollywood 30 under 30

Each year, new and talented young actors rise to the top of the competitive world of Hollywood.

Some of these fresh faces will land coveted roles, turn studio projects into box-office hits, and even go on to garner award nominations and wins for their performances.

While some young stars — Jennifer Lawrence (26), Daniel Radcliffe (27), and Margot Robbie (26), who was on Business Insider's list last year— have already solidified their Hollywood stardom, others are on the verge of achieving it.

Let's take a look at 30 of the hottest rising Hollywood stars under the age of 30:

SEE ALSO: The fast-rising career of 26-year-old Oscar nominee Brie Larson

SEE ALSO: This model-turned-actress in 'Suicide Squad' is taking Hollywood by storm

Alicia Vikander, 27, is a Swedish actress who received acclaim for her roles in the 2015 films "Ex-Machina" and "The Danish Girl," and she won the best supporting actress Oscar for the latter. She recently starred in the new "Jason Bourne" film and is set to play the lead roles in 2017's "Tulip Fever" and 2018's "Tomb Raider" (taking the Lara Croft mantle from Angelina Jolie).



John Boyega, 24, played the lead role of Finn in "Stars Wars: The Force Awakens." He will reprise his role in 2017's "Star Wars: Episode VIII" and will star in Kathryn Bigelow's currently untitled, upcoming film about the Detroit Riots.



Cara Delevingne, 24, starred as Enchantress in 2016's "Suicide Squad." The English model and actress will star alongside Vikander in 2017's "Tulip Fever" and will play a lead role in the upcoming sci-fi film "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

A deleted 'Captain America: Civil War' scene shows off more of the awesome airport battle

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Captain America Bucky Barnes Civil War

Millions of Marvel fans were wondering when Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes would become friends again, and it finally kind of happened in "Captain America: Civil War."

In a deleted clip, which debuted in Entertainment Weekly, Rogers and Barnes are fighting with War Machine and Black Widow at a climatic scene at an airport. It's a small moment in the big battle scene.

The bonding happens during the battle, where the Avengers are fighting each other because they differ ideologically about the government's role in regulating superheroes. Captain America leads the anti-regulation side while Iron Man is on the pro-regulation side.

Bucky Barnes, also known as the Winter Soldier, is often under HYDRA's mind control, so it's hard for him to develop his own political ideology. But he eventually sides with Captain America on this one, mostly because Iron Man wants to take him into custody.

In the deleted scene, Rogers and Barnes share a quick witty exchange, showing they've developed a friendly rapport over the court of the battle. It's also, I dunno, maybe a little flirty? For members of the fandom who want Rogers and Barnes to be a couple, it's definitely a gratifying moment.

Co-director Joe Russo told EW's Anthony Breznican that the scene had to go because it was trying to solve a problem that didn't really exist.

"We were looking for a transitional moment to get Cap and Bucky back together, but in editorial we ultimately realized we didn’t need that transition,” Russo said.

He and his co-director and brother Anthony cut the clip to make the whole scene smoother.

The scene will be on the movie's blu-ray and DVD, which will be released September 13.

Check out the deleted clip below via EW: 

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Why this bank-heist thriller is the best movie of the whole summer

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Hell or High Water CBS Films

If you're looking at the movies coming out and you're not into a horror flick ("Don't Breathe"), a Jason Statham vehicle ("Mechanic: Resurrection"), or a movie about Barack and Michelle Obama's first date ("Southside With You"), then let me suggest the best movie I saw all summer.

"Hell or High Water," currently in theaters, is a modern-day Western that not only pays off with great writing and acting, but also has one of the best motives for a bank heist I've ever seen.

Hell or High Water CBS FilmsChris Pine and Ben Foster play brothers who devise a clever bank-robbing scheme to help save the family farm. On their trail is a Texas Ranger (Jeff Bridges) who is days away from retirement. But instead of phoning it in, he dives headfirst with his partner (Gil Birmingham) to track them down.

Yes, it sounds like dozens of Westerns or heist movies you've seen, but what sets this one apart is its refusal to fall into clichés that are rampant in both genres.

First, there are the lead creatives behind the movie: director David Mackenzie, who already wowed audiences with his prison drama, "Starred Up," a few years back, and writer Taylor Sheridan, coming off his incredible debut script for "Sicario." (The screenplay for "Hell or High Water" is an original work, in case you're also exhausted by franchises.)

From the opening scene (a beautiful, long, single take of the brothers cruising by the first bank they are to rob) to the ingenious way the brothers launder the money so it won't be traced (I won't give it away, but I have never see this hustle done in a movie), "Hell or High Water" just has a feel of originality and anticipation for how things will turn out that you don't get often these days — especially in the dog days of summer.

hell or high water 2 CBS FilmsAnd then there's the acting. You already know that Foster is going to bring his A-game, and Bridges, when given the right material, can still knock it out of the park.

But it's the performance by Pine that really is eye-opening. As the soft-spoken Toby, Pine delivers the best performance of his career.

What sealed it for me was the movie's ending. The subtle work between Pine and Bridges in the final scene is more powerful than any shootout can deliver. (The last line of the movie gave me chills.)

The setting of the movie also lingers. The West Texas we see, a barren landscape that's filled with signs of poverty, explains the brothers' motivation. And that Old West feel is evident when later in the movie, as the community is fed up with the robberies, the region's open-carry law is put on display as many citizens fire handguns and rifles to ward off the brothers.

The best part, though, is simply that "Hell or High Water" is now playing nationwide — so if you need something different from the constant superhero movies and lousy sequels, this is the movie for you.

SEE ALSO: The 12 best Matthew McConaughey performances ever, ranked

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The Rock's 'Fast and Furious' role was originally written for another Oscar-winning actor

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the rock fast and furious universal

Just when you think there's a break in the "Fast and Furious" franchise news, Vin Diesel gets on social media and drops a bombshell. 

While doing a Facebook Live chat (outside with lovely wind chimes ringing in the background), the actor revealed that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was not the first choice to play the Hobbs character.

“Back in the fifth film, when I was asking, ‘Who should I work with?’ the reason why we brought Dwayne Johnson into ‘Fast Five’ was because of you [the fans],” Diesel said in the video. “There was a girl named Jen Kelly who said, ‘I would love to see you guys work together on-screen,’ and so we gave a role, that was initially written for Tommy Lee Jones, but we gave it to Dwayne, and he shined in it.”

Johnson recently called out unnamed male actors as being unprofessional on the set of the upcoming "Fast and Furious" movie, "Fast 8," though days later he walked back those comments. He's been a major addition to the franchise since coming on in 2011's "Fast Five." 

It's hard to imagine Jones bringing to the table what The Rock has. But it's fun to imagine. 

"Fast 8" will feature newcomers to the franchise: Helen Mirren, Scott Eastwood, and Charlize Theron.

The movie opens April 2017. Watch Diesel's entire Facebook Live chat.

SEE ALSO: The 12 best Matthew McConaughey performances ever, ranked

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HDR is going to change how you watch TV — here are the movies and shows currently available, and where to find them

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marco polo netflix

HDR, not 4K, is the next big thing in TV technology.

My colleague Jeff Dunn has an excellent explanation of why, but the takeaway is that your next good TV will likely have both 4K, which is just basically more pixels, and HDR, which affects the colors and will have a much more noticeable affect on your experience.

What is HDR? 

HDR stands for "high dynamic range," and it boosts your TV's contrast ratio. This means the difference between your TV's brightest and darkest colors is greater, which allows for much finer detail for the shades in between. HDR also comes alongside another feature, wide color gamut (WCG), which lets your TV produce more colors than most current sets are capable of.

With HDR, the colors are glorious, and the picture is more lifelike. "It’s not a gimmick so much as a straight improvement,"according to Dunn.

So HDR is great, but there are a few problems. First, the good TVs that support it right now will run you $1,500-$2,000. You're probably better off waiting for the market to mature. But even if you are willing to plunk down the cash at this very moment, there is still the issue of what you are actually going to watch.

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HDR10 vs. Dolby Vision

To get into this, it first helps to understand that there are two common types of HDR. The first is HDR10, which is a more open format. If you see something that refers to HDR on a TV, it's most likely talking about HDR10. The second is Dolby Vision, which is also HDR, but is a proprietary format created by Dolby that requires a licensing fee from the TV manufacturer. I won't get into the differences between them here, but know this: You can't play Dolby Vision content on an HDR10 TV and vice versa, though there are TVs that support both.

This brings us to where you can find HDR shows and movies.

Streaming services

If you're going to be dipping your toe into the HDR pool, chances are you're going to be using Netflix or Amazon Video, the two major streaming services that currently support it.

Netflix will release a lot of original HDR content by the end of 2016, and made a splashy announcement about it this spring, calling the technology "the next generation of TV." That said, it's still a small fraction of the service's overall library. All Netflix titles are available in both HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

Here is Netflix's selection of current and upcoming titles, which the company says will hit "more than 150 hours" by the end of 2016:

  • A Series of Unfortunate Events
  • Bloodline
  • Chef’s Table
  • Hibana
  • Knights of Sidonia
  • Marco Polo
  • Marvel’s Daredevil
  • Marvel’s Iron Fist
  • Marvel’s Jessica Jones
  • Marvel’s Luke Cage
  • Marvel’s The Defenders
  • The Do-Over
  • The Ridiculous Six

Amazon, like Netflix, plans to release "more than 150 hours" of HDR content by the end of 2016. But right now, Amazon's selection of original content is mostly limited to HDR10, so if you have a Dolby Vision TV, it's slim pickings. Amazon does have some movies from Sony in Dolby Vision, however.

Here is Amazon's selection, compiled by Lifehacker (HDR10 unless noted as Dolby Vision as well):

  • Bosch Seasons 1 and 2 (Dolby Vision as well for Season 2)
  • Mad Dogs Season 1
  • Man in the High Castle Season 1
  • Mozart in the Jungle Seasons 1 and 2
  • Red Oaks Season 1
  • Transparent Seasons 1 and 2
  • Good Girls Revolt
  • Highston
  • One Mississippi
  • Patriot
  • The Interestings
  • The Last Tycoon
  • Z: The Beginning of Everything
  • CHI-RAQ
  • Coral Reef Adventure
  • Dolphins
  • The Living Sea
  • Van Gogh: A Brush with Genius
  • After Earth (Dolby Vision as well)
  • Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Dolby Vision as well)
  • Chappie (Dolby Vision as well)
  • Elvis and Nixon
  • Elysium (Dolby Vision as well)
  • Fury (Dolby Vision as well)
  • Hancock (Dolby Vision as well)
  • Men in Black III (Dolby Vision as well)
  • Pineapple Express (Dolby Vision as well)
  • Salt (Dolby Vision as well)
  • Smurfs 2

Beyond Netflix and Amazon, Vudu, Walmart's movie rental service, also offers a bunch of HDR titles, though they are only Dolby Vision (sorry, no HDR10). See a full list of titles there.

Lastly, if you are trying to stretch into the physical realm, you can pick up Ultra HD Blu-rays. These, however, only support HDR10 currently, and consequently there aren't any players compatible with Dolby Vision either. The new Xbox One S supports only HDR10.

So the main moral of the story is that watching HDR content is going to be a little convoluted until the whole HDR10 versus Dolby Vision war settles down — or until all TVs just start supporting both by default. 

Additional reporting by Jeff Dunn.

SEE ALSO: 12 Netflix originals that will use the new technology Netflix is calling the 'next generation of TV'

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