NEW ON NETFLIX | Holiday Edition

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and Netflix has restocked its selection with original and nostalgic releases coming this December to close out the year in peace, happiness and laughs. Lining up the must-watch list are the Will Smith led blockbuster, BRIGHT, Dave Chappelle’s original produced comedy special, Dave Chappelle: Equanimity, the Eminem-led 8 Mile and more.

Find your complete need-to-watch list this month below:

  • These aren’t Santa’s elves. Shine BRIGHT this holiday with the help of everyone’s favorite hero, Will Smith and Joel Edgerton in Netflix’s original film, Bright. Ride through an LA rife with interspecies tensions, a human cop and his orc partner who become embroiled in a prophesied turf war. When isn’t Will Smith saving the world on everyone’s Christmas list. (Dec. 22)
  • Netflix is a Joke. This year’s been a doozy, start your new year off with a laugh with Dave Chappelle’s third Netflix stand-up special, Dave Chappelle: Equanimity. The new special launches on Dec. 31 and will be the first release produced exclusively from Chappelle for Netflix Original Comedy. (Dec. 31)
  • Reggie Yates Outside Man: Volume 2: A second season is here as you ride with award-winning filmmaker Reggie Yates who travels the world and confronts a new slate of challenging issues facing the world today. (Dec. 15)
  • Feeling the love for Eminem after his duet with Beyoncé? Let Netflix take you back to where it all began with 8 Mile. This holiday season re-ignite the yule log that B-Rabbit instilled in you 15 years ago. Pull up a bowl of mom’s spaghetti and re-watch the Rap God as he battles for the top. (Dec. 1)

Cozy up with your family this holiday season with all the new shows and films on Netflix. Fuller House, Bright, and The Crown Season 2 is on your way soon!

Check out the new and old this month with the full list here

NETFLIX ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY FILM TEAM FOXCATCHER DEBUTS THIS FRIDAY APRIL 29

The incredible true and tragic story of world champion wrestler David Schultz, the centerpiece of a national wrestling training program, comes to life in the riveting new Netflix original documentary feature, Team Foxcatcher. 

The acclaimed film recently had its world premiere during the Tribeca Film Festival, ahead of its global debut on Netflix this Friday, April 29. Screeners and interviews are available now.

From director Jon Greenhalgh, Team Foxcatcher chronicles the paranoid, downward spiral of millionaire John E. DuPont that led to Shultz’s tragic murder on the DuPont property in 1996. This single event shook the international sports world to its core and cut short the life of a loving family man and one of the world’s top athletes. The film was produced by Neil Fazzari. Jeremy Bailer and Ben Hatta served as Executive Producers.

But before the tragedy, the film begins with the rise of Schultz: a remarkable sportsman who emerged as one of the world’s fiercest wrestling competitors.  Chasing his olympic dreams, Schultz and his family relocated to the seemingly idyllic Foxcatcher Farms and joined with DuPont - a benefactor with a vision for making the U.S. wrestling program a dominant global force.

Team Foxcatcher tells the story of descent into tragedy largely through the lens of Nancy Schultz, whose incredible footage chronicled her family’s time at Foxcatcher Farms. Archival home videos and first hand interviews show how the charismatic Schultz, an Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion, became the heart of the program and DuPont’s closest confidant. But on the fringes of this powerful partnership emerged a manic, mentally unstable DuPont, fueled by a disturbing obsession with power, wealth and influence.  The film builds to the tragic final hours at Foxcatcher Farms, the murder of Dave Schultz, and the two-day police standoff before DuPont was ultimately arrested and charged.

“I'm proud to be a part of this film that was six years in the making to honor the incredible legacy of David,” said Nancy Schultz. “With his ties to the wrestling community, we felt Jon Greenhalgh was the perfect filmmaker to tell this story and pay homage to the kind of man and athlete David was.”

On the 20th anniversary of the shocking events, Team Foxcatcher demystifies a story that gripped the nation and opens up a very private, opaque world where friendship, family, and the composition of national sports training programs were not what they appeared to be.  The result is a documentary that fills in new aspects of the story that formed the basis of the 2014 Hollywood feature film.

For more information please visit: media.netflix.com or http://www.tribecafilm.com/filmguide

Exclusive footage reveals the inner workings of the Foxcatcher wrestling facility and founder John du Pont's descent from philanthropist to murderer. Team Foxcatcher only on Netflix April 29.

Netflix in June : A review

In this post, I will review (some) added shows and movies on Netflix for the month of June. What you should watch and what you can avoid.

MOVIES:

  • CAKE:

I was really excited to see this movie because of the many appraisal it received concerning Jennifer Aniston’s performance. Of course I loved her in Friends, and then she sort of disappointed me with a lot of not so good, dumb movies, with a few exceptions. She became mostly known for roles in what I call heavy comedies, that are hard to digest, where most of the humor revolves around poop, falling, farts, burps and so on..

Cake is not a great movie. The premise is pretty interesting though: A woman, Claire, played by Jennifer Aniston, becomes obsessed with a young woman ( Anna Kendrick)  from her chronic pain support group that has recently committed suicide as she has to overcome her own difficulties.

***Spoiler alert

Claire, we learn, has had a horrible car accident that has left her in constant pain and handicapped, but most horribly, that killed her young son. Her refusal to deal with the pain eventually also led to her separation from her husband. And that’s where we are.  She is mean, angry, in pain, addicted to painkillers and incapable of dealing with her emotions. She is trying to shut everyone out of her life, and has successfully done so, apart from Silvana, her maid, that is trying to help and protect her, even taking a lot of risks doing so.

Claire becomes obsessed with this young woman, Nina, from her support group that committed suicide and has many visions involving her (although stopping the mix wine/ pain killers might be a good idea for it to stop). Claire decides to know more about her life and a strange relationship blossoms between her and Nina’s late husband. They are both desperately hanging on to life but he is doing so in a much more grounded way, he has not given up on life, mainly due to his young son. He tries to help Claire as much as he can and both give each other hope of a better tomorrow. Of course the parallel is obvious between the two women. One killed herself and left her son and husband grieving for her. The other had her son killed in a car accident and was left by her husband. What are Claire’s reasons to wake up every morning? What has she left to live for?

The story deals with grief, hope and love but in such a way that we are not sure what the film is trying to convey. There is no clear direction in the movie and we are left wondering where this is headed.

There are a lot (too many) shots of Claire in her bed, hallucinating and in pain. The shots involving Nina are a bit cliché, she is dressed perfectly, talks with a smooth voice. Some of the narratives are not subtle, like the whole metaphor of the cake with the introduction of a runaway teenager that does not add anything to the story.

Sure the acting is pretty solid from Jennifer Anniston, but I would not say it is mind blowing. Why is it that every time a story involves some kind of tragic past and/or physical alterations from glamour criteria ( loss of weight, gain of weight, shaving head, scars etc..) people judge it as great acting and expect an Oscar nomination? The movie has to be great, the character has to be deep and complex. In that case the characters are a bit too cliché and are not very well established.  Their complexity is not understood. The movie does not work very well.

Rating : 2/4

  • Beyond the lights

This movie as everything a good romantic Drama should have : beautiful people, true love, obstacles, and drama.

The movie is about a pop star, Noni, with a controlling manager/mother, who is on the verge of becoming a huge star. She meets Kaz, a boy with a good heart and strong principles that is about to enter politics. Their world could not be further apart and their relationship would hurt both of their careers.

This movie is about the star system, about what sells and what does not. It is about a lot of today’s singers in a way, how they are manipulated, marketed, sexualized to sell, sell, sell. It does not matter if they feel comfortable in that persona labels create for them, or if they are happy. People have to believe they are, they have to sell the American dream, the illusion.

Noni meets Kaz, someone that truly cares about her for the first time and her principles evolve, which, no surprise here, does not please the many investors in her career.

Kaz also represents the hypocrisy of the political system. It is not good for his campaign to be seen with a pop star, it would show him as someone looking for fame, someone that enjoys drama when in fact he is a grounded, good hearted person, in love and trying to help the person he loves. People are labeled and both words despise each other.

Sure there are moments that are a bit soapy but I thought this would be a bad romantic drama and  it proved out to be a really entertaining movie, touching on a lot of subjects and allowing a (brief) look in the backstage of fame and politics, with the final message being to accept yourself for who you are ( which is always a nice message to convey).

Rating : 3/4 

  • THE BEST OF ME

I was not expecting much when I started this movie but I still was shocked by how bad this was. It is horribly bad. It is basically about two persons that haven’t moved on since they were 17 after what seems like 3 months of romance.

 They are so stuck in the past, which would be fine if the movie showed the pathetic aspect of it but no, it is somehow seen like a really good thing. Everything about it is really dull.

They admit they still love each other after having talked for 10 minutes total, about 20 years after their teenage fling.

Using very subtle flashbacks to their teenage years (where the guy actor looks nothing like the older one, apparently people shrink with age) It tries to involve drama. The main guy (I don’t even remember his name, let’s call him lover boy) has a horrible family he tries to escape from but they really want him bad and are ready to kill for that (for whatever reasons..). There is a semi- violent scene and his best friend is killed after a fight. Lover boy goes to prison (along with his father) and of course, teenage girl is in love and says she will wait for him. But he breaks it off (duh) because, obviously, she is not going to wait like 8 years for him to get out.

But apparently, even though she has “moved on” in the meantime, and has had 3 kids (not out of love is an understatement), she is still pissed at him for breaking it off 20 years later because « she would have waited for him ». This is just ridiculous.

The bad guys are still there, and still pissed at lover boy, who is truly too nice to be trusted. And guess what? The bad guys are bad like really really bad, they’re the scar of the Lion King, even though their end game is never really clear (guess they are really dumb too).

So in the end, SPOILER ALERT, Guess what? They kill lover boy at the same time lover girl’s son has an accident and I kid you not, lover boy’s heart saves lover girl’s son. So basically, her lover’s heart now is inside her son, creepy right?

I mean this movie is so bad, the characters are such cliché; it feels like it was made by a 10 year old because life is simple and true love is eternal. I understand why they kill him off in the end because should they have started really being together, I wonder how long it could have lasted given the fact that they barely know each other and that all they talk about, and have in common is their 3 month romance when they were kids. But seriously, dialogues are bad, characters are bad, just stay away.

Rating : 1 /4

  • NIGHTCRAWLER :

This movie is very hard to review for me. I admit it is an exceptionally well-filmed movie, every shot is just pure and jaw droopingly beautiful. The character Lou Bloom, played by Jake Gyllenhaal is mesmerizing and the dialogues are poignant. The music is just right.

However, this is not my kind of movie. It reminded me of Drive in its amazing direction but I just do not really fall in love with those kind of movies. I think, after a little soul searching, that I am just too much a fan of dialogues, of knowing he complexity and self awareness of characters.

This movie is about a « reporter », or more precisely a man, with a camera that films local news but is not afraid to go further than anyone else. He will trespass scene crimes, break the law and even create drama himself, in order to get the best ( aka the goriest, most violent) shots.

This film is definitely a critic of today’s voyeurism, especially in the news, with more and more crude and disturbing images being broadcasted. It is a critic of our society that likes it, that always ask for more of it. People are so curious about death, about violence; think about how many people tried to see the corpses or the injured when an accident took place near you, and even you wanted to see as well. I do not know if it is part of our nature, because we wonder about death, or something that has been reinforced due to us being accustomed of seeing those images on the news. Anyways, today, these are the « money shots ».

But the movie is not only about that, it is most and foremost about Lou Bloom, someone that appears to everyone like a great worker, even sympathetic, reaching for the stars, making his own luck ( an American dream embodiment) that is ultimately a manipulative, vicious person, devoid of any empathy.

The camera follows him without making us empathize with his character, and we are able to condemn his actions and judge him very easily, distancing ourselves from such a horrible person. But the truth is, how horrible is he? and how horrible are we if we condemn the means but not the finality, if we watch his images and ask for more?

This emphasizes the paradox we are in concerning most things in the world today, we condemn child labor and exploitation but still buy 5 dollars shirt. We condemn global warming but still do not take our own bags to the grocery store and so on.

The movie is truly a piece of art so I would recommend it, even though, as I stated before, this is not a movie that really touched my sensitivity. Characters that are too distant, storylines that are too distant, and therefore when I have a hard time identifying in the story tends to just affect me less. But that’s just me.

Rating: 4/4

***

TV SHOWS:

  • Orange Is The New Black

Yes! Orange Is The New Black is back and it is so so good!!

The second season had disappointed me a little but this season was really great. It incorporated much more background on the characters and they became way more complex.

The first episode really sets the tone; the show had previously been criticized for not showing enough the reality of female imprisonment and the strain on family that prison results in, especially for the mothers imprisoned, not being able to have their children visit due to different constraints. This season treated much more about motherhood, being afraid for one’s child’s development, being afraid to be a bad mother or a bad example. It deals with a lot of different aspects of motherhood: Dayanara and her concerns for her unborn child, Gloria and Sophia that are facing their rebellious teenagers, Jessica that has a forced separation with her child or even Pennsatucky dealing with her abortions. All of this added so much humanity to their characters and we really understood how powerless those women are in situations that directly affect them. The gang war is more or less over, leaving them with more time to actually think about the outside world and what awaits them.

The flashbacks were amazing, giving us so much more insights as to who the characters are- especially the one about Pennsatucky that was heart breaking.

There is also more solidarity within the prison, old hatches have been buried and all seem very eager to look forward, to be better and do better. All, except for Piper who becomes more and more attached to the prison. She feels like she has finally found herself, and she is not a nice girl anymore. Shocker, Alex is actually the one trying to stay out of trouble and that ultimately leads to a feud between them.

Prisoners are looking for hope and a cult starts, under the presidency of Morna.

There is also a lot of backstory into the guards, the prison system, with Caputo doing everything he can to keep the prison afloat, without ever being thanked for it.

This season depicted much more all the weaknesses, faults and contradictions of the whole prison system. It showed us the limits of the system, a system that is a capitalistic system after all, lead by money, lead by people with their own ego ( like when the one counselor that actually manages to create trust with the prisoners is fired over Healy’s ego), lead by unqualified people. A lot of the episodes directly demonstrated the numerous pitfalls in the prison system, inability to deal with addiction, inability to counsel adequately and to listen, inability to treat the prisoners like human being even.

This season was really a lot more about empathizing with the characters; it was about showing them as human, complex people and created much more occasions to relate to them. This season was about change, redemption and hope. Not to say that there was not drama and humor, it is still hilarious and a dangerous trigger to binge watching behaviors.

If all of that isn’t enough, watch it at least to get the whole buzz about the latest addition to the cast, Ruby Rose.

Rating 4 /4

Note: These ratings and review are personal opinion of the author.

@Netflix - Marvel's Daredevil Renewal

Netflix is confirming a second season of Marvel's Daredevil that will premiere in 2016.

  • Doug Petrie (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, American Horror Story) and Marco Ramirez (Sons of Anarchy), who worked closely with Steven DeKnight and Drew Goddard, will serve as show runners for season two.

• Ramirez, Petrie, Drew Goddard (Cabin in the Woods) and Jeph Loeb (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) are executive producers.

• Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios for Netflix

Blinded as a young boy but imbued with extraordinary senses, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) fights against injustice by day as a lawyer, and by night as the Super Hero “Daredevil” in modern day Hell's Kitchen, New York Cit. Marvel's Daredevil stars Charlie Cox, Rosario Dawson, Vincent D’Onofrio, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Scott Glenn, Bob Gunton, Toby Leonard Moore, Vondie Curtis Hall, Ayelet Zurer. 

PLAN B makes a connect with NETFLIX!

Today, in New York it’s snowing which I like to call a Netflix Day. Who am I kidding, I use anything in my path to make my day a “Netflix” day.

Mobile and I are very good friends. It’s one of the best weapons in a storytellers’ tool box. Hey—it’s hard to get your voice heard in Hollywood mobile ability or not! 

So, it’s with a great, big smile that I share that Netflix, the world’s leading Internet TV network, has ordered The OA, a new drama series starring Brit Marling. Zal Batmanglij (Sound of my Voice, The East) who will direct, and Marling and Batmanglij will co-write The OA. Eight hour-long episodes of the series will premiere exclusively across all Netflix territories in 2016.

Cindy Holland, Vice President of Original Content at Netflix shared this about the new project: “We are thrilled to be the home of the first  television series Brit and Zal create together, whether in front of or behind the camera, or both, their creative voice is always uniquely captivating."

"Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij are singular innovators who are looking to push boundaries in new ways and embrace this incredible moment of opportunity in television. We are so excited to be a part of this project,” said Plan B Entertainment.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Netflix and Plan B to help bring to fruition Brit and Zal's extraordinary vision,” said Michael Sugar,executive producer and partner, Anonymous Content. 

Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner from Plan B (Oscar winning producers of 12 Years a Slave) and Michael Sugar from Anonymous Content (True Detective, The Knick) are executive producers of the series, along with Marling and Batmanglij. The OA is a Netflix production. 

Brit Marling is an actor, writer and producer. She has starred in films including Arbitrage, and the recent I, Origins, and stars in the upcoming The Keeping Room. Previous credits include The East and Sound of My Voice, which she also produced and co-wrote with Batmanglij, as well as Another Earth, which she also produced and co-wrote with Mike Cahill. Director and writer Zal Batmaglij made a splash at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival with his feature debut Sound of My Voice, which was released by Fox Searchlight. The studio went on to make his next film The East, which they released in 2013.  

About Netflix

Netflix is the world’s leading Internet television network with over 57 million members in nearly 50 countries enjoying more than two billion hours of TV shows and movies per month, including original series, documentaries and feature films. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments. 

About Plan B Entertainment

Headed by Brad Pitt and co-presidents Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Plan B Entertainment has been responsible for producing numerous award-winning and critically acclaimed films including The Departed, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The Tree of Life, World War Z, 12 Years a Slave, The Normal Heart, and Selma. The company’s forthcoming slate includes THE BIG SHORT, based on Michael Lewis’s best selling book and to be directed by Adam McKay for Paramount Pictures; James Gray’s THE LOST CITY OF Z, based on David Grann’s best selling book starring Charlie Hunnam; UNDAUNTED COURAGE, a limited series for HBO; MAMMA DALLAS, a half-hour comedy written and directed by Mike White for HBO, DEADBEAT, a half hour comedy for Hulu starring Tyler Labine; and development with a number of marquee filmmakers and writers in both film and television.

About Anonymous Content

Founded in 1999 by CEO Steve Golin, Anonymous Content is a production and management company representing directors, writers, actors, and comedians. Anonymous Content has produced such award-winning and commercially successful films and television series as the Academy Award®-nominated films Babel, which also won a Golden Globe® Award; Winter’s Bone, which was nominated in four categories for the Academy Awards®, including Best Picture; The Fifth Estate; Being John Malkovich; Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which won an Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay; as well as the box-office smash 50 First Dates.

PLAN B makes a connect with NETFLIX

Today, in New York it’s snowing which I like to call a Netflix Day. Who am I kidding, I use anything in my path to make my day a “Netflix” day.

Mobile and I are very good friends. It’s one of the best weapons in a storytellers’ tool box. Hey—it’s hard to get your voice heard in Hollywood mobile ability or not! 

So, it’s with a great, big smile that I share that Netflix, the world’s leading Internet TV network, has ordered The OA, a new drama series starring Brit Marling. Zal Batmanglij (Sound of my Voice, The East) who will direct, and Marling and Batmanglij will co-write The OA. Eight hour-long episodes of the series will premiere exclusively across all Netflix territories in 2016.

Cindy Holland, Vice President of Original Content at Netflix shared this about the new project: “We are thrilled to be the home of the first  television series Brit and Zal create together, whether in front of or behind the camera, or both, their creative voice is always uniquely captivating."

"Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij are singular innovators who are looking to push boundaries in new ways and embrace this incredible moment of opportunity in television. We are so excited to be a part of this project,” said Plan B Entertainment.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Netflix and Plan B to help bring to fruition Brit and Zal's extraordinary vision,” said Michael Sugar, executive producer and partner, Anonymous Content. 

Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner from Plan B (Oscar winning producers of 12 Years a Slave) and Michael Sugar from Anonymous Content (True Detective, The Knick) are executive producers of the series, along with Marling and Batmanglij. The OA is a Netflix production. 

Brit Marling is an actor, writer and producer. She has starred in films including Arbitrage, and the recent I, Origins, and stars in the upcoming The Keeping Room. Previous credits include The East and Sound of My Voice, which she also produced and co-wrote with Batmanglij, as well as Another Earth, which she also produced and co-wrote with Mike Cahill. Director and writer Zal Batmaglij made a splash at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival with his feature debut Sound of My Voice, which was released by Fox Searchlight. The studio went on to make his next film The East, which they released in 2013.  

About Netflix

Netflix is the world’s leading Internet television network with over 57 million members in nearly 50 countries enjoying more than two billion hours of TV shows and movies per month, including original series, documentaries and feature films. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments. 

About Plan B Entertainment

Headed by Brad Pitt and co-presidents Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Plan B Entertainment has been responsible for producing numerous award-winning and critically acclaimed films including The Departed, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The Tree of Life, World War Z, 12 Years a Slave, The Normal Heart, and Selma. The company’s forthcoming slate includes THE BIG SHORT, based on Michael Lewis’s best selling book and to be directed by Adam McKay for Paramount Pictures; James Gray’s THE LOST CITY OF Z, based on David Grann’s best selling book starring Charlie Hunnam; UNDAUNTED COURAGE, a limited series for HBO; MAMMA DALLAS, a half-hour comedy written and directed by Mike White for HBO, DEADBEAT, a half hour comedy for Hulu starring Tyler Labine; and development with a number of marquee filmmakers and writers in both film and television.

About Anonymous Content

Founded in 1999 by CEO Steve Golin, Anonymous Content is a production and management company representing directors, writers, actors, and comedians. Anonymous Content has produced such award-winning and commercially successful films and television series as the Academy Award®-nominated films Babel, which also won a Golden Globe® Award; Winter’s Bone, which was nominated in four categories for the Academy Awards®, including Best Picture; The Fifth Estate; Being John Malkovich; Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which won an Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay; as well as the box-office smash 50 First Dates.

Release and First Photos: Netflix Announces First Original Movie

NETFLIX ANNOUNCES FIRST ORIGINAL MOVIE

 CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON: THE GREEN LEGEND TO PREMIERE  SIMULTANEOUSLY ON NETFLIX AND IN SELECT GLOBAL IMAX® THEATERS

 Michelle Yeoh and Donnie Yen star under the direction of Yuen Wo-Ping in the Sequel to the Academy Award®-winning 2000 film

Beverly Hills, Ca. and New York, September 29, 2014--Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend, the stunning next chapter in the saga started by the critically and popularly acclaimed Ang Lee martial arts epic, will premiere exclusively on Netflix and in selected global  IMAX® theaters on August 28, 2015.

Produced by The Weinstein Company, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend echoes the themes of the original movie, but tells its own story -- one of lost love, young love, a legendary sword and one last opportunity at redemption, set against breathtaking action in an epic martial arts battle between good and evil that will decide the fate of the Martial World.

Directed by the renowned martial arts choreographer (The Matrix Trilogy and Kill Bill 1&2) and director (Tai Chi Master) Yuen Wo-Ping, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend stars Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Lady) reprising her role as Yu Shu-Lien and Donnie Yen (Ip Man 1&2, Monkey King 3D) as Silent Wolf.

The film is to be the first of several major films backed by Netflix to premiere on the same day on the world’s leading Internet TV network and in select IMAX theaters globally, giving consumers and exhibitors around the world unparalleled flexibility in how, when and where they enjoy a major motion picture.

“Fans will have unprecedented choice in how they enjoy an amazing and memorable film that combines intense action and incredible beauty,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. “We are honored to be working with Harvey Weinstein and a world-class team of creators to bring this epic story to people all over the world and to partner with IMAX, a brand that represents the highest quality of immersive entertainment, in the distribution of this film.”

“The moviegoing experience is evolving quickly and profoundly, and Netflix is unquestionably at the forefront of that movement,” said TWC Co-Chairman Harvey Weinstein. “We are tremendously excited to be continuing our great relationship with Netflix and bringing to fans all over the world the latest chapter in this amazing and intriguing story.”

“IMAX has a terrific opportunity, via this partnership with Netflix, to release Crouching Tiger – a high-quality, action-packed film that is right in our wheelhouse -- at the end of the summer blockbuster season,” said Greg Foster, Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. and CEO of IMAX Entertainment. “We are particularly hopeful it will play in our highly successful China market. In territories where we simultaneously release with Netflix, we are excited to offerconsumers the option of deciding how, when and where they want to view the film, and exhibitors the opportunity to participate in this alternative form of content in a new and innovative way.”

Based on the acclaimed novel, Iron Knight, Silver Vase, by Wang Dulu (book 5 in the Crane-Iron Pentalogy) and written by John Fusco (Marco Polo)  the new film is produced by Harvey Weinstein (Academy Award winner - The King’s Speech, The Artist) and Peter Berg (Emmy Award winner - Friday Night Lights; Lone Survivor, Hancock) and Sarah Aubrey (Friday Night Lights; Lone Survivor, Hancock) and executive produced by Morten Tyldum (Headhunters, The Imitation Game), Ralph Winter (X-Men franchise), Anthony Wong, and Bey Logan (The Medallion).

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend also stars Harry Shum Jr (Glee, Revenge of the Green Dragons), Jason Scott Lee  (Seventh Son, Hawaii Five-O), Roger Yuan (Bulletproof Monk), Eugenia Yuan (Revenge of the Green Dragons) and newcomer Natasha Liu Bordizzo.

Principal photography is now underway in New Zealand. The film’s director of photography is Tom Sigel (Drive, X-Men: Days of Future Past) and design is led by the Academy Award®-winning Lord of the Rings team of costume designer Ngila Dickson, production designer Grant Major and visual effects supervisor Mark Stetson.  

About Netflix

Netflix is the world's leading Internet television network with over 50 million members in nearly 50 countries enjoying more than one billion hours of TV shows and movies per month, including original series. For a low monthly price, Netflix members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.

About The Weinstein Company

The Weinstein Company (TWC) is a multimedia production and distribution company launched in October 2005 by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the brothers who founded Miramax Films in 1979. TWC also encompasses Dimension Films, the genre label founded in 1993 by Bob Weinstein. During Harvey and Bob’s tenure at Miramax and TWC, they have received 348 Oscar nominations and won 82 Academy Awards.

Since 2005, TWC and Dimension Films have released such films as VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA; THE READER; INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS; SCRE4M; SPY KIDS: THE KING’S SPEECH; THE IRON LADY; UNDEFEATED; THE ARTIST; THE MASTER; SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK; DJANGO UNCHAINED; SCARY MOVIE 5; LEE DANIELS' THE BUTLER; PHILOMENA; THE GIVER and THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY. Upcoming releases include ST. VINCENT; THE IMITATION GAME; PADDINGTON and BIG EYES.

TWC boasts an active television production division which garnered nine Emmy nominations in 2013 and five in 2014. TWC Television produces the reality powerhouse Project Runway, with its spin-off series Project Runway All Starsand Under The Gunn.  Recent TWC television productions include Mob Wives, Million Dollar Shoppers, Rodeo Girlsand Trailer Park: Welcome to Myrtle Manor. Scripted projects currently in production include John Fusco's Marco Polo. Scripted projects in development include Ten Commandments and Daniel Stashower’s The Hour Of Peril. TWC also developed Nanny Diaries and produced The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. 

About IMAX Corporation

IMAX, an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are using IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and, as such, IMAX's network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe.

IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing. As of June 30, 2014, there were 868 IMAX theatres (735 commercial multiplexes, 19 commercial destinations and 114 institutions) in 59 countries.

IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience®, The IMAX Experience® and IMAX Is Believing® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation.  More information about the Company can be found atwww.imax.com.  You may also connect withIMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).