Movies

Courtney Love has taken legal action over a new Kurt Cobain film.
The Hole frontwoman has issued cease-and-desist notices against theatres showing Benjamin Statler's 'Soaked in Bleach' - which follows an investigator hired to find the rocker when he disappeared from rehab a week before his body was found and touches on speculation his widow was involved in his death - arguing the footage is "defamatory".
The order states: "The Film falsely presents a widely and repeatedly debunked conspiracy theory that accuses Ms. Cobain of orchestrating the death of her husband Kurt Cobain.
"A false accusation of criminal behaviour is defamatory ...which entitles Ms. Cobain to both actual and presumed damages."
Producers of the movie - who are not subject to legal action from the 50-year-old singer - are "disturbed" by the letters, arguing the 'Malibu' singer has made a "cowardly attack" on freedom of speech.
They said in a statement to Deadline: "We were disturbed to learn that Courtney Love's lawyers sent threatening letters to movie theatres all over the country.
"Most arrived before 'Soaked in Bleach' was released last week, presumably before she or her lawyers ever saw it. She obviously hoped to scare theatre owners into dropping the film.
"Thankfully, very few were intimidated. Most saw the letter for what it is - a cowardly attack on the rights of free speech, free expression and free choice.
"Courtney Love's uninformed accusations and efforts to discredit the film are totally off base. The film examines the well documented facts surrounding the death of Kurt Cobain and it questions much of what the public has been told about those events...
"Courtney Love and her lawyers clearly don't like that the film presents a compelling case for re-opening the investigation into Kurt's death. They should respect the First Amendment and let people decide for themselves."
No actual complaint has been filed with the courts as of yet.
The docudrama follows investigator Tom Grant, who recorded his conversations with Courtney during his investigation into Kurt's disappearance.
The film is made up of the interviews with the singer, reenactments of the events and also discussion from people close to the matter.

Sir Ian McKellen struggles to remember his lines.
The award-winning actor, who's starred in a string of hit movies, including the 'X-Men' and 'Lord of the Rings' franchises, has revealed old age is making it increasingly tough to recall his words.
The 76-year-old star told the Radio Times magazine: "When I was a young man, people would ask how I remembered my lines, and I'd think, 'That's the easy part!' Well, these days it's one of the problems. I do find myself thinking, 'How am I going to remember it?'
"There are times in a life when the memory really does get worse and the mind doesn't work as it should. And if you were to get to the stage where you couldn't remember anything at all, well, that would be very distressing. Fortunately, I'm not there yet."
Earlier this month, Sir Ian claimed having fun is the key to feeling young.
The acclaimed actor said he keeps his soul youthful by constantly challenging himself.
When asked how he keeps a youthful mind, Sir Ian said: "Keep working, keep moving, keep exercising, keep thinking, keep enjoying yourself.
"Maybe you'll hold off the inevitable. You won't, of course! I don't think that I'm immortal like I did when I was younger. 'Die? Me?' Yes Darling, we're all going to die."

Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson will return for the third installment in the 'Pitch Perfect' franchise.
The duo have both agreed to star in the eagerly-awaited movie, which has been spurred on by the impressive box office performance of the recently-released first sequel, which has already surpassed $259.7 million globally.
Anna, 29, will reprise the role of Beca in the new movie, while Australian stand-up comedian Rebel, 35, will return to the part of Fat Amy, Variety reports.
Despite reportedly agreeing to star in another 'Pitch Perfect' movie, Rebel revealed recently that she won't do karaoke unless she is being paid to sing in a film.
Rebel - who also starred alongside 'Prom Night' actress Brittany Snow and Elizabeth Banks in 'Pitch Perfect 2' - explained: "A lot of people think - because we sing in the movie and whatever - that we would do karaoke, but I have a thing against karaoke.
"The microphones are never good quality, they have always been dropped, and a lot or people are screaming into them and the vocal sound quality is never the right mix and I'm like, 'No!' I'll sing in a movie - when I'm getting paid."

Anna Faris is jealous of Chris Pratt's relationship with a dinosaur.
The 38-year-old actress - who has a two-year-old son, Jack, with the Hollywood hunk - has joked about being envious of the relationship between her husband and one of the raptors that appears in the new 'Jurassic World' movie.
She tweeted: "Honey, what if I'm the littlest jealous of Blue? I mean, she's hot, smart, and you clearly adore her - thoughts?"
Her remarks come shortly after Chris, 35, revealed how much he cherishes spending time with his wife and son.
Chris has had to keep in touch with his loved ones via "FaceTime, phone calls, videos, pictures, and Skype" since 'Guardians of the Galaxy' became an international hit last summer.
But the popular actor insisted he will always ensure his son feels loved.
He said: "As long as your kid knows that you are and that you're responsible for their upbringing, their childhood is going to be great. He's ever going to have a shortage of love around him.
"[The other morning] he snuck into our room and didn't tell us he was in there until we heard him yawn. He just wanted to be there with us. We were like, 'Come on up, buddy!' Those moments make it all worth it."

Forest Whitaker is reportedly set to star in 'Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One'.
The 53-year-old actor will join Felicity Jones in director Gareth Edwards' eagerly-awaited 'Star Wars' spin-off movie, which is set for release in 2016.
The Academy Award-winning star will feature in a role that is currently masked in secrecy, according to Variety.
Meanwhile, it is widely expected Felicity will play a rebel raider in the movie, while Diego Luna and Riz Ahmed are reportedly playing Alliance soldiers.
A screenplay for the project is currently being penned by Chris Weitz, who's best known for writing 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon' and 'About a Boy'.
This comes after Gareth Edwards revealed 'Rogue One' is "set in an era where there are no Jedi".
In April, the director previewed the movie at the Star Wars Celebration event in the Anaheim Convention Centre and gave fans a few clues as to what they can expect.
He said: "It's set in an era where there are no Jedi, or they're all but extinct.
"It's about the fact that God's not coming to save us. We're on our own - and we have to do this ourselves and turn around.
"The absence of the Jedi is omnipresent - it hangs over the whole movie - and it comes down to a group of individuals that don't have magical powers but have to somehow bring hope to the galaxy."

Katherine Waterston has been cast as the female lead in the 'Harry Potter' spin-off movie.
The 35-year-old actress - who featured in the Paul Thomas Anderson-directed movie 'Inherent Vice' last year - is set to star in 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' alongside Oscar-winning performer Eddie Redmayne.
Katherine will appear in the role of a witch in the much-anticipated movie, which is set in New York around 70 years before the story of Harry begins and is to be directed by David Yates, who also helmed the last four movies in the 'Harry Potter' franchise.
Earlier this month, 'Harry Potter' creator J.K. Rowling hinted an American version of Hogwarts will feature in 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'.
The best-selling author is currently writing the screenplay for the spin-off movie and she suggested an American wizarding school may be featured in the movie.
In a Q&A session on Twitter, she was asked the name of the "US school" and replied: "That information will be revealed in due course."
'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' is scheduled for release in November 2016.

Disney are making a 'Maleficent' sequel.
The studio have hired writer Linda Woolverton to pen a script for the follow-up to the 2014 reimagining of the 'Sleeping Beauty' story and are keeping star Angelina Jolie "in the loop" about the progress of the project.
According to Deadline, the movie is being written in such a way that the 40-year-old actress can reprise her role as the titular fairy, though she has no contract in place for a sequel.
Angelina previously developed, but declined to appear in, sequels to her movies 'Salt' and 'Wanted'.
Meanwhile, Joe Roth has agreed to return and produce the sequel, but it is not yet clear whether Robert Stromberg - an Oscar-winning production designer who made his directorial debut on 'Maleficent' - will take the helm again.
'Maleficent' made almost $760 million at the global box office, a huge profit on its $180 million cost.
While Angelina doesn't usually appear in sequels, she previously admitted she had a wonderful time playing Maleficent.
Asked if she had thought about the prospect of a sequel, she said: " Nobody has asked me about that. I don't know. I can't imagine. I'm not dead, at the end of it. She's still there. I don't know. I loved playing her."

Sir Ian McKellen won't be returning to the 'X Men' franchise.
The 76-year-old-actor - who had previously played the role of Magneto in the sci-fi movies - has confirmed that he won't be returning to the role in the much-loved Marvel series.
When asked if the rumours that he will be joining the cast on the latest film were true, Sir Ian said: "I haven't heard that, I don't think I am, no, no, they are currently making the film and I'm not in it.
"You want to be in movies people want to see, I always thought the 'X Men' stories were superior to my taste, to any other fantasy movies."
Opening up about how he feels about not being a part of the 'X Men' family anymore, the star said he's glad he isn't getting "caught up in blockbusters".
He told Digital Spy: "I was very happy to be a part of the films but I have other things to be doing.
"I've just done 'Mr. Holmes', I just done some filming for a sitcom, a film for BBC TV with Anthony Hopkins, so there are compensations for not getting caught up in blockbusters."

Chris Pratt wasn't a "film buff" as a child - but was a huge admirer of Steven Spielberg.
The 35-year-old Hollywood star - who features in the Colin Trevorrow-directed sci-fi movie 'Jurassic World' - has revealed that despite not being obsessive about movies in his younger years, he's a long-time admirer of the director, who helmed the original 'Jurassic Park' films and was the executive producer on the latest movie in the franchise.
Asked who he's most enjoyed meeting in recent times, Chris told Entertainment Weekly: "Probably Steven Spielberg. Working with him and having him be a peer now is pretty remarkable. He's a guy who's an icon. I was never a film buff as a kid. I liked to entertain people and I liked comedy and I liked to escape with a movie now and then, but I knew who Steven Spielberg was.
"He was the first real celebrity director. Like the director you'd go see his movie because it was his movie. And 'Jurassic Park' was a big event for me.
"So working with him and just the idea that everyday the dailies would go back and he'd be sitting there watching them. And they'd be like, 'He really likes them!' And I'd be like, 'You're just saying that to be nice!'"