Gael Garcia Bernal

Rosewater, Jon Stewart's directorial debut based on the best-selling memoir Then They Came For Me: A Family's Story of Love, Captivity and Survival by Maziar Bahari, hits theaters in the U.S today. Acclaimed by critics and featuring an accomplished lead performance from Gael Garcia Bernal, the movie is certainly one to consider for the major awards this season.

Gael Garcia Bernal [L] and Jon Stewart [R] working on Rosewater

Rosewater tells the true story of Bahari, a broadcast journalist with Canadian citizenship who, in 2009, returned to Iran to interview Presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi. The candidate's supporters rose up in protest of his prematurely announced defeat to President Ahmadinejad and Bahari sent footage of street riots to the BBC. Later, he was arrested, tortured and interrogated for 118 days while his wife led an international campaign to have her husband freed.

Continue reading: Could Jon Stewart's 'Rosewater' Have A Shot At The Oscars?

American political satirist Jon Stewart has added another string to his bow: screenwriter and film director. His directorial debut Rosewater- which he also wrote and produced- has just launched its first trailer.

Stewart is better known as a political satirist but has also cameoed in several big name movies

The film is based on the memoir of London-based journal Maziar Bahari, 'Then They Came for Me', which tells the story of his 100-day imprisonment in Iran under suspicion of spying. The film is set against the backdrop of the 2008 Iran elections which caused shockwaves around the world after incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner in what many Iranians declared a fraudulent election. 

Continue reading: See The Trailer For Jon Stewart's Directorial Debut 'Rosewater'

Most films on the lower rungs of Netflix occupy that position for a single reason: they’re downright terrible. The acting is at best laughable and at worst cringe-worthy, whilst the script seems to be the product of baboons who possess a slightly above average intelligence. Elsewhere, the special effects are seemingly artefacts from design software that became obsolete once Windows 98 was released and the goofs and continuity errors come thick and fast. But amongst the schlock, the horribly ill-conceived box office flops and throwaway Chuck Norris vehicles are a selection of films hardly deserving of their placement amongst the vast expanse of Hollywood detritus. We’ve all sifted through the lower echelons of the vast Netflix database, ambivalently scrolling past Beverly Hills Ninja and Death Wish 4 and laughing at the hilarity of shoe-string budget horror C-movies such as Return Of The Killer Tomatoes and Strippers Vs Werewolves. Hiding amongst the most forgettable and artistically hollow filmic endeavours are some criminally overlooked works of cinematic art. Here is a selection of filmic diamonds who have unfairly found themselves confined to the Netflix motion picture ghetto:

Rebellion (2011), Director: Matheiu Kossovitz

Continue reading: The Most Undiscovered Movies On Netflix

The final panel for Cannes 2014 has been decided upon, with Sofia Coppola, Willem Dafoe and Gael Garcia Bernal amongst others joining Jane Campion who is serving as jury president. Denmark’s, Nicolas Winding Refn, France’s Carole Bouquet, Iran’s Leila Hatami, China’s Jia Zhangke, and South Korea’s Jeon Do-yeon comprise the rest of the 9 person-strong jury.

Sofia Coppola is one of an eclectic bunch set to judge at this year's Cannes

“Cannes has always sought to adopt a universal and international approach, and in tune with this tradition, Campion will be surrounded by eight luminaries of world cinema, from China, Korea, Denmark, Iran, the United States, France and Mexico,” the Festival said in a statement.

Continue reading: Cannes 2014: Sofia Coppola, Willem Dafoe And Gael Garcia Bernal Will Judge

Matthew Mcconaughey may have pulled off the performance of his career in Dallas Buyers Club but the actor apparently had to convince the movie's directors that he was the right guy to take on the role of entrepreneurial AIDS victim Ron Woodroof.

Matthew McConaughey Was Far From First Choice To Play Ron Woodroof.

Looking at the series of cheesy rom-coms that McConaughey has padded out his career with, it's fairly easy to see why director Jean-Marc Vallee was at first sceptical about casting the classically handsome, all-American beefcake actor. "I wasn't sure about Matthew at first," said Vallee to THR. "Mr. The Most Handsome Man With Muscles? Then I met him and found a man who really wanted to change perceptions and have new challenges in his career."

Continue reading: Matthew McConaughey Was Far From First Choice In 'Dallas Buyers Club' Casting [Trailer]

Check out the trailer for the Oscar-nominated No! The Pablo Larran-directed Chilean film is released in the UK on February 8, before seeing a limited release across the Atlantic in the United States the week after (February 15).

Starring a relatively unknown cast, including Gael Garcia Bernal as main character Rene Saavedra, No is based on the play El Plebiscito by Antonio Skarmeta and centers on the real story of the 1988 Chilean plebiscite, where the opposition won by just over half of the vote percentage. Both the play and film focus on the famous campaign whereby Chile’s military dictator Augusto Pinochet lost out on continuing to rule the country after 16 and a half years in charge. Bernal’s character is an in-demand advertising man who ends up as part of a team who create upbeat films and other forms of propaganda in order to persuade the Chilean people to finally rise up and vote to get rid of their militant leader. The trailer shows hints at this uprising, with shots of riots and protests undercutting lines that pre-suppose a general change occurring in the country.

Hotly reviewed by the critics, No is up for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language film at the 85^th Academy Awards. It is set to do battle with Amour, War Witch, A Royal Affair and Kon-Tiki. Of these, Amour is strongly fancied, the Michael Haneke-directed film also up for several other categories,including Best Picture outright.

Continue reading: New Trailer For Oscar-Nominated Chilean Film No (Video)