There've been great masses of critical laurels laid at Alexander Payne's door over the years, some, in our eyes, more earned than others. When it really hits home, the director's quiet humanism and wry humor can yield perceptive insights, especially into certain trademark areas of expertise: family dynamics, the vanities and follies of aging men, the reluctance to let go of old dreams. But the downside to this kind of blanket approbation is that, because we know what to look for in an Alexander Payne movie, sometimes we might kid ourselves that we find things that aren't ...

J.J. Abrams has revealed a deleted snippet of footage from Star Trek Into Darkness, featuring Benedict Cumberbatch taking a particularly moody shower. In an interesting twist on the misogyny/sexism debate that`s raged around Alice Eve`s underwear scene, the unused clip goes someway to restoring the gender balance. You can see the clip in question during the Conan O`Brien interview below, in which Abrams also give his take on the contentious...

COLOGNE, Germany - If doubters required any further evidence that Germany's pay-TV market is on the up, they got it with this week's announcement that NBCUniversal International Television will launch its flagship pay-TV brand, Universal Channel, on German pay networks Sky Deutschland and Deutsche Telecom. Belinda Menendez, President of international TV distribution and Universal Networks International said the German version of the channel will launch September 5 under the tagline "100% Characters." "The German launch of Universal Channel - our flagship channel brand - is an exciting miles...

Arnold Schwarzenegger`s career renaissance continues apace, with the big man currently in talks to star in Steve Pink`s remake of The Toxic Avenger. The Hot Tub Time Machine director will be bringing the `80s cult favourite back to the big screen, in which a nerdy janitor finds himself granted superpowers after being dumped in a barrel of toxic waste by a gang of bullies. Arnie won`t be playing the titular hero (Schwarzenegger as a nerdy janitor?), but rather a mentor, who shows our newly powerful protagonist how to channel his abilities for good. Schwarzenegger will play a character known as ...