‘Fatman’: Mel Gibson Is Grim & Gritty Santa In This Ridiculous, Entertaining Holiday Thriller [Review]

“We know that you’re a homosexual, we’ve been following you.”Trigger Warning: This story has details of suicidal ideation and might be distressing to some readers. For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.This is what Yvonne Sillett,  a former Australian soldier and cipher operator, was told during a 1988 interrogation into her sexuality in relation to her security clearance. The royal commission is gathering evidence from ADF members who have had suicidal ideation or from surviving family members of those who have died.  Describing her interrogation, Sillett said that “after several hours of this questioning they said they would be taking the matter further and that, based on my sexuality, I could no longer be in Signal Corps as I’d be open to blackmail, and that they were downgrading my security clearance which was needed to do that job. They told me I’d never instruct women again.”According to The Guardian, during her interrogation, she was asked to give up the names of other homosexual military personnel but she refused to do so.With the help of a partner at the time, Sillett was able to “pull through.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentZDF Enterprises, a key production-distribution component of one of Europe’s biggest public broadcaster powerhouses, Germany’s ZDF, is set to operate under the new name of ZDF Studios.Effective from April 1, the title, announced by ZDF Enterprises President and CEO Fred Burcksen on Monday in Mainz, captures much better ZDFE’s current business reach, scale and ambitions.“We are a studio, we cover all elements of our industry, from early development to longtail sales. The new name fits our business model much better and reflects our production and distribution expertise,” Burcksen said.ZDF Enterprises was launched in 1993 to handle worldwide program distribution as new content-avid private TV networks sprang up in Europe and beyond and also to deal with the business affairs of the acquisition of programs from around the world.

Naman Ramachandran Acclaimed Nepalese filmmaker Deepak Rauniyar has cast Indian actor Tannishtha Chatterjee as one of the leads in his upcoming feature “The Sky Is Mine.”Chatterjee’s credits include “Brick Lane” (2007), for which she scored a best actress nomination at the British Independent Film Awards, “Parched” (2015) and “Lion” (2016). She won the Asia Star Award for best Asian filmmaker at Busan for her directorial debut, “Roam Rome Mein” (2019).Rauniyar’s latest work, short film “Four Nights,” is playing at Berlinale Shorts. The filmmaker’s first feature, “Highway,” premiered at the 2012 Berlinale and played Locarno, while his sophomore feature “White Sun” (2016) won awards at the Venice, Palm Springs, Fribourg and Singapore festivals.

Hannah Ann Sluss confirmed she's dating Los Angeles Rams player Jake Funk ahead of Super Bowl Sunday.After keeping their relationship on the down-low, the former Bachelor starlet took to her Instagram page and shared an array of photos and videos, which included her fashion and food preps before heading to SoFi Stadium to see all the action live and in person.One of those images showed Sluss giving her beau a 'good luck kiss' before the big game against the Cincinnati Bengals.And in the end the couple have plenty to celebrate, as a late 4th quarter touchdown pass by Matthew Stafford to Cooper Kupp gave the Rams a 23-20 win to become the new world champions of the NFL. Confirmed! Hannah Ann Sluss confirmed she's dating LA Rams player Jake Funk before the team took on the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl 56 at Sofi Stadium in Los AngelesSluss, who was a contestant on the 24th season ofThe Bachelor in 2020, took a selfie video of her 'good Luck kiss' seemingly from inside the Rams hotel.She was all about showcasing her legs and midriff decked out in a black shorts and white crop top combination, although she did cover up at times by wearing an LA Rams jacket with her man's name and uniform number 34 on the back.

Her estranged husbandKanye 'Ye' West called her current boyfriend Pete Davidson a 'd***head' and shared ascreengrab of his private text to him on Sunday.But Kim Kardashian didn't seem too bothered about the social media drama.The 41-year-old SKIMS mogul ignored all of Ye's posts as she took to Instagram to instead share some very fashionable snaps of herself. Fashionista: Kim Kardashiantook to Instagram to instead share some very fashionable snaps of herselfKim looked out of this world in a black flight suit with matching heels as she accessorizedwith the same Catwoman-esque Balenciaga shades she wore after the Met Gala.

Miley Cyrus went all out for her set at this year’s Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest, performing 20 songs including mashups, covers, and a live debut of a ‘Plastic Hearts’ deep cut.The former Disney star opened up the show with her 2013 hit ‘We Can’t Stop’, with a brief interpolation of the Pixies’ 1988 classic ‘Where Is My Mind?’. Later in the set, she blends ‘Wrecking Ball’ with elements of Sinead O’Connor’s Prince-written ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’.A sextet of covers punctuated the setlist, first with ‘Heart Of Glass’ by Blondie, then ‘23’ by Mike WiLL Made-It and ‘Maybe’ by Janis Joplin, with the live debut of her own ‘Plastic Hearts’ track ‘Never Be Me’ sandwiched in-between.

Sam Page, the actor who stars in Kia‘s new commercial with Robo Dog, has welcomed the adorable robot to his family!

Naman Ramachandran Indian filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, renowned for his epic cinematic vision, now trains his sights on women’s empowerment tale “Gangubai Kathiawadi,” playing as a Berlinale Special Gala on Feb. 16.Starring Alia Bhatt (2019 Berlinale selection “Gully Boy”) in the titular role, the film is based on the book, “Mafia Queens of Mumbai,” written by S. Hussain Zaidi and Jane Borges.

It was a HUGE night for Van Jefferson!

the Super Bowl LVI Pepsi Halftime Show, and delivered a jaw-dropping spectacle that took a lot of work to make happen.ET's Kevin Frazier spoke with Jesse Collins, executive producer of this year's halftime show, and he reflected on what it was like to make such a memorable event really come to life.«We've been in development of this since last September, just talking every week, every single moment, and we've been in hard rehearsals probably for the last three weeks,» Collins reflected. «I think the hardest part of it was getting it [down] to 13 minutes.»«I mean, you've got monster catalogues and trying to figure out how to make this work... I mean I could think of 10 records that I wish they would've done,» he added.

JD Linville There are few places on Earth more visually striking than the Black Sands of Reynisfjara Beach in Iceland, where tourists flock to take pictures and stand a fool’s chance to be smashed against the rocks by sneaker waves, then drowned at sea. These dangerous and beautiful beaches serve as backdrop for Icelandic showrunner Baldvin Z’s crime thriller series “Black Sands,” which will play at Berlinale Series. Written by Baldvin Z, Ragnar Jónsson, Andri Óttarsson and Aldís Hamilton, the limited series follows disgraced detective Anita (played by Hamilton) as she investigates a series of deaths at the beach while balancing the familial shadows of her past.The series, produced by Baldvin Z’s own Glassriver, brings a warmth to Nordic Noir not often seen, with scenes of Anita reconnecting and rekindling her hometown connections after expulsion from Reykjavik.

Peter Debruge Chief Film CriticWith coronavirus cases surging around the country, Friday the 13th might not be the time to test your luck in theaters — though that hasn’t stopped Hollywood from serving up an unusually enticing slate of fresh releases exclusively in cinemas. From body-swap slasher movie “Freaky” to Mel Gibson’s nutzo Santa satire “Fatman,” the week’s new releases will have some weighting the risks.Meanwhile, the streamers have stepped up.

Happy Friday the 13th! Do people celebrate Friday the 13th? Or is it just the date that Jason Voorhees ventures to Camp Crystal Lake to murder debaucherous youth? Either way, it’s a significant date in terms of this week’s new releases featured on the latest episode of The Playlist Podcast. LISTEN: Director Max Winkler Talks ‘Jungleland,’ Working With Charlie Hunnam & Lazer Tag [The Playlist Podcast] This week, Charles, Mike, and Brian discuss two new films, the bodyswap slasher, “Freaky,” which timed its release perfectly with this Friday the 13th.

Suicide Squad star Scott Eastwood is set to lead upcoming action-thriller Dangerous, starring alongside Tyrese Gibson (Fast and the Furious, Transformers), Famke Janssen (When They See Us, House on Haunted Hill), and Kevin Durand (Swamp Thing, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) in the newly announced film from Saw V director David Hackl. Mel Gibson is making a cameo role.

Andreas Wiseman International EditorScott Eastwood has signed on to star alongside Tyrese Gibson, Famke Janssen, Kevin Durand and Mel Gibson in action-thriller Dangerous, which is to be directed by David Hackl (Saw V).Eastwood will play a reformed sociopath who, after the death of his brother, heads to a remote island which soon falls under siege from a deadly gang of mercenaries. Forced to fend for himself, he discovers their role in his brother’s demise and sets off on a relentless quest for vengeance.International Film Trust is launching world sales (minus Canada) at this week’s virtual AFM.

Dave McNary Film ReporterScott Eastwood and Mel Gibson have joined the action-thriller “Dangerous,” along with Tyrese Gibson, Famke Janssen and Kevin Durand.Eastwood will portray a reformed sociopath who, after the death of his brother, heads to a remote island which soon falls under the siege of a deadly gang of mercenaries. Forced to fend for himself, he discovers their role in his brother’s demise and sets off on a relentless quest for vengeance.

Last time I wrote about Michael Cowan, he’d been banned from being a director for 13 years.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film CriticIn the years since Mel Gibson fell from the grace of his celebrity, we’ve been through the Mel Gibson-is-canceled stage (which happened but didn’t take), the Mel Gibson-gets-a-cameo-as-found-object-of-infamy stage, the Mel Gibson-crawls-back-to-nail-a-nutzoid-lead-role stage (remember “The Beaver”?), the Mel Gibson-has-become-the-hero-of-Z-thrillers-that-exploit-his-disreputability stage, the Mel Gibson-has-a-real-deal-comeback-with-“Hacksaw Ridge” stage, the Hollywood-still-won’t-accept-him-as-an-actor stage, and (at last) the Mel Gibson-barely-even-has-to-be-an-actor-because-he’s-now-a-meme stage.How else do you explain the fact that he’s now playing Santa Claus?In “Fatman,” Gibson is Chris (as in

Dave McNary Film Reporter“Panama,” an action-thriller with Mel Gibson and Cole Hauser attached to star, has received financing from Grandave Capital as a third-party investor, Variety has learned exclusively.Hauser will portray a rugged and decorated ex-marine who is sent undercover by his former commander, played by Gibson, to execute a high-value deal with untrustworthy adversaries. The film is currently in pre-production with Mark Neveldine directing from a script by Daniel Adams and William R.

In Fatman, the latest film by brothers Ian and Eshom Nelms, Santa Claus is a gruff, defeated man with a drinking problem. Persecuted by those he wants to bring joy to, he at one point suffers a wound in his side, Jesus-style.

Santa Claus, in “Fatman.” Many performers have given a unique spin on Father Christmas, from Edmund Gwenn as the traditional jolly type in “Miracle on 34th Street” to Tim Allen as an angry divorced dad in “The Santa Clause.” Mel’s Canadian schlub with a sooty beard and John Wayne voice is the worst of them all.In this telling, Chris lives proudly out in the open on an average-looking farm in a real northern town with his wife Ruth (Marianne Jean-Baptiste). He is cranky and monotonous, he doesn’t wear the red suit, he drinks beer at the pub and is friendly with the locals.