Recently, I wrote an article about how Ron Howard’s Cocoon was hard to find in any format. It came out on DVD many years ago but went out of print and has never been issued on Blu-ray. You also can’t find it digitally on any platform. This is a perfect example of why you should always hang on to your physical media, as I’m lucky enough to own the now out-of-print DVD of that movie, and while it’s far from an ideal copy, it’s something.
But that got me thinking. What other movies are hard to find? I opened up the forum on Twitter, and I was shocked by how many prominent films aren’t available digitally and have gone out of print on disc, making them all the more precious for collectors. At the same time, there are some happy endings, such as Martin Campbell’s No Escape,...
But that got me thinking. What other movies are hard to find? I opened up the forum on Twitter, and I was shocked by how many prominent films aren’t available digitally and have gone out of print on disc, making them all the more precious for collectors. At the same time, there are some happy endings, such as Martin Campbell’s No Escape,...
- 5/7/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Movie fans love to discover behind-the-scenes tidbits about their favorite films, and there are few movie facts more exciting than an improvised line or scene. Stories of improvisation remind us that filmmaking is a collaborative, creative process, and that sometimes the most unexpected ideas make the biggest impact.
Writers and directors lay the foundation and set the scene, while it's up to actors to make the characters their own. Take one of the most classic lines in "The Godfather," a perfect example of improvisation upon a strong foundation. The phrase "leave the gun," was written in the script, but actor Richard Castellano added the line "take the cannoli," turning it into the iconic catchphrase it is today. Clearly, Francis Ford Coppola's decision to keep that ad-lib in the final cut was the right one.
We now turn our attention to the world of science fiction, where actors are often...
Writers and directors lay the foundation and set the scene, while it's up to actors to make the characters their own. Take one of the most classic lines in "The Godfather," a perfect example of improvisation upon a strong foundation. The phrase "leave the gun," was written in the script, but actor Richard Castellano added the line "take the cannoli," turning it into the iconic catchphrase it is today. Clearly, Francis Ford Coppola's decision to keep that ad-lib in the final cut was the right one.
We now turn our attention to the world of science fiction, where actors are often...
- 5/5/2024
- by Kira Deshler
- Slash Film
Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire brought American audiences into the fun schlock that defined a run of the Godzilla movies which is called the “Showa era.” This era is basically what people think of when you bring up Godzilla because it’s all about the giant monster battles. The movies are also usually given an out-there, psychedelic plot that drives the monsters into fighting each other. Godzilla X Kong was a smashing success at the box office and has the studio confident in its upcoming plans for sequels. Legendary’s chairman, Mary Parent, would state, “This (box office) is certainly an exciting result. We are in a good position to continue the journey, but let’s see how Godzilla x Kong unfolds. These are early days, but we are certainly feeling good.“
The director of Godzilla X Kong, Adam Wingard, brought in his trusted writer, Simon Barrett for this installment.
The director of Godzilla X Kong, Adam Wingard, brought in his trusted writer, Simon Barrett for this installment.
- 4/23/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
RoboCop became both a blockbuster and a controversial critical darling upon its release in 1987 due to a mix of jet black humor and as subtle as a jackhammer social commentary sticking a perfect landing. Its success was a surprise to an industry that had looked at Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner’s original script with its simplistic one-word comic book title and assumed it was fated to be a high-concept stinker.
The 2023 RoboDoc documentary miniseries does a terrific job of chronicling the effort it took to turn RoboCop into both a box office win and an enduring cult masterpiece with a quick and funny format that makes it accessible to modern fans. The truly hardcore might not learn many new details from the four-hour presentation, available on Tubi, but one thing the documentary does do, especially after the Catholic satire of Benedetta, is make it clear how much of RoboCop...
The 2023 RoboDoc documentary miniseries does a terrific job of chronicling the effort it took to turn RoboCop into both a box office win and an enduring cult masterpiece with a quick and funny format that makes it accessible to modern fans. The truly hardcore might not learn many new details from the four-hour presentation, available on Tubi, but one thing the documentary does do, especially after the Catholic satire of Benedetta, is make it clear how much of RoboCop...
- 4/19/2024
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Last week, Denzel Washington's thriller "The Little Things" topped the Netflix charts after having originally debuted in 2021 and failing to make much of an impact. It was a nice little post-release bump for the film, which, though it wasn't all that well received initially, had grand ambitions to do something different with the crime thriller genre by providing no actual answers to its central mystery. Now, a week later, "The Little Things" is maintaining its dominance on the Netflix charts. But all the while Denzel has been reigning supreme, two other films have been threatening him to usurp him.
Back in 2017, director M. Night Shyamalan debuted "Split," a self-financed stealth sequel to his 2000 film "Unbreakable." Rather than marketing the film as such, he kept the revelation that this was a follow-up to his earlier, Bruce Willis-led thriller, under wraps. Even Universal didn't know about the twist ending before seeing the movie,...
Back in 2017, director M. Night Shyamalan debuted "Split," a self-financed stealth sequel to his 2000 film "Unbreakable." Rather than marketing the film as such, he kept the revelation that this was a follow-up to his earlier, Bruce Willis-led thriller, under wraps. Even Universal didn't know about the twist ending before seeing the movie,...
- 4/8/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
When you think about improvisation in movies, you might initially think of comedies — the kind that come with blooper reels that are often just as good as the movie itself. We've all spent an inordinate amount of time watching and rewatching "The Office" bloopers or marveling at the unhinged absurdity of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly's extemporaneous efforts in the "Step Brothers" blooper reel. Heck, you might even think of Chris Hemsworth improvising Thor lines.
But improv isn't, of course, just a comedic tool. Throughout the history of cinema, actors have embraced spontaneity to add an extra level of realism to their performances. Just look at Jack Nicholson and that famous "Here's Johnny" line from "The Shining." Then, there's Harrison Ford, who improvised one particular Indiana Jones moment in 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark," adding a touch of levity to the action-adventure classic.
But just a year later,...
But improv isn't, of course, just a comedic tool. Throughout the history of cinema, actors have embraced spontaneity to add an extra level of realism to their performances. Just look at Jack Nicholson and that famous "Here's Johnny" line from "The Shining." Then, there's Harrison Ford, who improvised one particular Indiana Jones moment in 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark," adding a touch of levity to the action-adventure classic.
But just a year later,...
- 3/31/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Metallic Rouge is an original sci-fi anime created by studio Bones to celebrate the company's 25th anniversary . The series began on Crunchyroll on January 10 as part of its winter 2024 lineup . Rouge Redstar, the main character, is an android (known as a Nean) tasked with destroying the Immortal Nine. However, the Immortal Nine are Neans just like Rouge who wish to be free from the society that oppresses them. From its plot to its futuristic settling, Metallic Rouge touches upon some key elements of the cyberpunk subgenre. Let's explore a little of what cyberpunk actually is and then get into a rec list of six anime to watch if you like Metallic Rouge . What is Cyberpunk? The origin of cyberpunk is uncertain indeed. Many enthusiasts trace its birth to some William Gibson novels that are known as the " Sprawl Trilogy ". Many cyberpunk titles can be traced back to these works. Related:...
- 3/25/2024
- by Francesco Ventura
- Crunchyroll
Emerging star Lux Pascal, whose credits include Narcos, has joined the cast of Chilean director Alicia Scherson’s next film Summer War.
The co-production reunites Chile’s Araucaria Cine, Le Tiro from Argentina, and Nadador Cine from Uruguay.
Summer War will centre on a US champion of the board game Third Reich whose peaceful summer holiday in 1989 is shattered when a tourist mysteriously disappears at sea.
Scherson is adapting the screenplay from celebrated Chilean author Roberto Bolaño’s novel The Third Reich, which was discovered among his papers following his death in 2010.
Pascal, who is the sister of The Last Of Us...
The co-production reunites Chile’s Araucaria Cine, Le Tiro from Argentina, and Nadador Cine from Uruguay.
Summer War will centre on a US champion of the board game Third Reich whose peaceful summer holiday in 1989 is shattered when a tourist mysteriously disappears at sea.
Scherson is adapting the screenplay from celebrated Chilean author Roberto Bolaño’s novel The Third Reich, which was discovered among his papers following his death in 2010.
Pascal, who is the sister of The Last Of Us...
- 2/19/2024
- ScreenDaily
In the 1980s, Hollywood didn’t quite know what to do with Rutger Hauer. The actor broke out in a pretty major way following his acclaimed turn in Paul Verhoeven’s Soldier of Orange, paving the way for his American debut in the Sylvester Stallone thriller Nighthawks, where he played the villain Wulfgar. His performance as Roy Batty in Blade Runner blew people away, and for a while, it looked like he might become the next big Hollywood heartthrob, especially when he signed on to star in the epic adventure film Ladyhawke opposite Michelle Pfeiffer for Richard Donner.
But major stardom didn’t happen? Why? Perhaps it was because the movies of Hauer’s that did best at the box office were the ones where he played the villain, such as The Hitcher. He was so unforgettable as a bad guy that when he played a hero, such as in...
But major stardom didn’t happen? Why? Perhaps it was because the movies of Hauer’s that did best at the box office were the ones where he played the villain, such as The Hitcher. He was so unforgettable as a bad guy that when he played a hero, such as in...
- 2/18/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
The Losers return to a very familiar place: ‘Salem’s Lot. But things look a tad different in 2004.
Starring Rob Lowe, Donald Sutherland, Samantha Mathis, and the late and great Andre Braugher and Rutger Hauer, this TNT miniseries updated the 1975 novel by shifting the vampiric action into modern times. This affords the narrative a more topical lense, particularly the mutual feelings of a nation still reeling from 9/11 and the ensuing war overseas.
Join the Losers in the popular Stephen King town as they weigh in on the miniseries’ 2004 vibes, the eerie connection to Wolves of the Calla, the changes to the source material, and the phenomenal cast — particularly Sutherland and Brauer. They also debate whether it’s cynical or earnest, why all the characters are jerks, the edge lord vibe of it all, and its connection to a more recent miniseries cut from the same cloth: Chapelwaite.
Tune in and return...
Starring Rob Lowe, Donald Sutherland, Samantha Mathis, and the late and great Andre Braugher and Rutger Hauer, this TNT miniseries updated the 1975 novel by shifting the vampiric action into modern times. This affords the narrative a more topical lense, particularly the mutual feelings of a nation still reeling from 9/11 and the ensuing war overseas.
Join the Losers in the popular Stephen King town as they weigh in on the miniseries’ 2004 vibes, the eerie connection to Wolves of the Calla, the changes to the source material, and the phenomenal cast — particularly Sutherland and Brauer. They also debate whether it’s cynical or earnest, why all the characters are jerks, the edge lord vibe of it all, and its connection to a more recent miniseries cut from the same cloth: Chapelwaite.
Tune in and return...
- 2/16/2024
- by Michael Roffman
- bloody-disgusting.com
Ahead of touching down at the Berlin Film Festival, Black Bear manager Philip Westgren shared with THR about why the shutdown Templehof airport is a must-see stop and where you can escape the festival frenzy for a nice steam.
What’s your state of mind heading into the European Film Market?
I like this year’s lineup which, next to more established names, contains a number of younger global filmmakers with interesting looking films. Strong voices will always find a way to break through and Berlin is still one of the places where that magic happens.
What’s your favorite, only-in-Berlin moment from festivals/markets past?
Running into Michael Barker at the Berlin airport the day after I began working with [The Teacher’s Lounge director] Ilker Çatak. When I brought up Ilker and his film The Teachers’ Lounge, Michael’s eyes knowingly lit up and he said, “Now there’s a director to get into business with.
What’s your state of mind heading into the European Film Market?
I like this year’s lineup which, next to more established names, contains a number of younger global filmmakers with interesting looking films. Strong voices will always find a way to break through and Berlin is still one of the places where that magic happens.
What’s your favorite, only-in-Berlin moment from festivals/markets past?
Running into Michael Barker at the Berlin airport the day after I began working with [The Teacher’s Lounge director] Ilker Çatak. When I brought up Ilker and his film The Teachers’ Lounge, Michael’s eyes knowingly lit up and he said, “Now there’s a director to get into business with.
- 2/15/2024
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Since Valentine’s Day is next week, we thought we’d unlock a sweet treat for you: Our Valentine’s Day special from last year! We called it The Sweetest Slice, because in this episode, we played Kinky Cupid and tore out our favorite sex scenes from Stephen King’s works. So, if you want two hours of sensual smut, aka poundcake, stream below … with a cool glass of milk!
But, don’t forget to return next week as the Losers head to ‘Salem’s Lot circa 2004 with Rob Lowe, Donald Sutherland, Samantha Mathis, and the late and great Andre Braugher and Rutger Hauer. For further adventures, join the Losers’ Club over long days and pleasant nights via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS.
You can also unlock hundreds upon hundreds of hours of exclusive content in The Barrens (Patreon) — from deep dives into uncollected King works to...
But, don’t forget to return next week as the Losers head to ‘Salem’s Lot circa 2004 with Rob Lowe, Donald Sutherland, Samantha Mathis, and the late and great Andre Braugher and Rutger Hauer. For further adventures, join the Losers’ Club over long days and pleasant nights via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS.
You can also unlock hundreds upon hundreds of hours of exclusive content in The Barrens (Patreon) — from deep dives into uncollected King works to...
- 2/9/2024
- by Michael Roffman
- bloody-disgusting.com
What does it take for a movie adaptation to transcend its source material? Many a filmmaker uses a book as a blueprint (whether or not they read it in its entirety) but take creative license to put their own unique stylistic and/or thematic spin on what is necessarily a much more visual story than the original one on the page. Often that’s taking a key character—whether a comic book antihero or an unnamed book protagonist—and giving them an entirely new backstory or quest. Or choosing a different point of view that opens up new storytelling avenues. In some cases, book and movie follow the same premise but diverge wildly at the end… or they do reach the same narrative conclusion, but on radically different paths that will leave you with very different emotional reactions as a viewer.
Here are eight great movies based on books that...
Here are eight great movies based on books that...
- 2/1/2024
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
Demons, witches, and devils have been around in religion and life for nearly as long as people have been around. This extends into movies as since the very beginning of motion pictures, we have attempted to capture the fears of these types of fears on film in a number of ways. Most of the media we see on it is built out from existing ideas to create a new narrative that looks to capture the interests of the general public enough to make a profit or base a movie on it. While many people know both the book and movie of The Exorcist, something like The Rite (watch it Here) that more or less came and went in the early 2010s proves that it also has an interesting story to tell. Whether or not you believe in the religious supernatural events found in either the book or the movie, it...
- 1/16/2024
- by Andrew Hatfield
- JoBlo.com
Thanksgiving Parade from TriStar Pictures and Spyglass Media Group, LLC Thanksgiving
Back in 2007, Quentin Tarantino rounded up some pals for a release called Grindhouse, intended to re-create the experience of going to a drive-in for a schlocky double feature, complete with jingles for the snack bar and fake trailers for other movies. Funny thing about the way that turned out.
The Grindhouse package did fairly well at the box office but the trailers eventually outstripped its performance by a wide margin. Robert Rodriguez’s Machete clip turned into two wildly successful comedic gore-fests, with a third on the way, and boosting Danny Trejo into the stratosphere of celebrity status. Hobo With A Shotgun became a cultish outing for Rutger Hauer. Two other trailers stayed as such – Edgar Wright’s Don’T and Rob Zombie’s Werewolf Women Of The S.S. Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving teaser preview is now the...
Back in 2007, Quentin Tarantino rounded up some pals for a release called Grindhouse, intended to re-create the experience of going to a drive-in for a schlocky double feature, complete with jingles for the snack bar and fake trailers for other movies. Funny thing about the way that turned out.
The Grindhouse package did fairly well at the box office but the trailers eventually outstripped its performance by a wide margin. Robert Rodriguez’s Machete clip turned into two wildly successful comedic gore-fests, with a third on the way, and boosting Danny Trejo into the stratosphere of celebrity status. Hobo With A Shotgun became a cultish outing for Rutger Hauer. Two other trailers stayed as such – Edgar Wright’s Don’T and Rob Zombie’s Werewolf Women Of The S.S. Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving teaser preview is now the...
- 11/17/2023
- by Mark Glass
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
In Greta Gerwig's hit film "Barbie," actress Alexandra Shipp plays Writer Barbie, a character who regularly wins Nobel prizes for her work. When Ken (Ryan Gosling) brings word of the patriarchy back from the real world into the Edenic, all-pink world of Barbie dolls, however, Writer Barbie's mind is curiously erased. She, like almost all of the Barbies, has no context for the patriarchy, and cannot resist confident, thick-headed, masculine bluster. She -- and many Barbies -- briefly become passive, grinning "girlfriends," eager to listen to whatever male-forward blather the Kens of Barbieland feel they need to share.
Eventually, Writer Barbie and the rest of the Barbies are "deprogrammed" by being reminded of the horrendous everyday struggles every human woman needs to survive on a daily basis. When she snaps out of it, Writer Barbie looks back on her time being brainwashed with confusion. How was it, she wonders,...
Eventually, Writer Barbie and the rest of the Barbies are "deprogrammed" by being reminded of the horrendous everyday struggles every human woman needs to survive on a daily basis. When she snaps out of it, Writer Barbie looks back on her time being brainwashed with confusion. How was it, she wonders,...
- 10/31/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The episode of Wtf Really Happened to This Horror Movie covering The Burning was Written and Narrated by Andrew Hatfield, Edited by Mike Conway, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.
Urban legends are mostly just that, the stuff of legends. They can inspire some people to do horrifying things and create urban legends of their own. Very often, these stories get the movie or show treatment whether they hue close to anything factual or not. One of the most famous examples of this urban legend which has a serial killer acting out some of the most famously told tales. Often movies that use the “inspired by” tag don’t have much to do with their source material like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre being merely inspired by Ed Gein. What happens when a legend inspires a movie and then the real story comes out years later?...
Urban legends are mostly just that, the stuff of legends. They can inspire some people to do horrifying things and create urban legends of their own. Very often, these stories get the movie or show treatment whether they hue close to anything factual or not. One of the most famous examples of this urban legend which has a serial killer acting out some of the most famously told tales. Often movies that use the “inspired by” tag don’t have much to do with their source material like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre being merely inspired by Ed Gein. What happens when a legend inspires a movie and then the real story comes out years later?...
- 10/17/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
It's been 16 years since "Grindhouse" was released and it's still one of the most fascinating genre movies to ever hit theater screens. Not so much in terms of quality (the movie has its die-hard fans and exasperated critics still to this day), but in just how influential it was, especially for a movie that bombed so spectacularly at the box office.
To brush you up on the movie, it was Robert Rodriguez hot off of "Sin City" and Quentin Tarantino joining forces to pay homage to a particular favorite period of genre filmmaking: the "Grindhouse Era." That's where really gory, sleazy, typically super low-budget horror movies had their place to shine in rundown theaters. It was an era of little to no executive oversight, so anything went in these hyper-violent movies.
In terms of influence, there have been multiple horror movies trying to capture that throwback "grindhouse" aesthetic, usually to...
To brush you up on the movie, it was Robert Rodriguez hot off of "Sin City" and Quentin Tarantino joining forces to pay homage to a particular favorite period of genre filmmaking: the "Grindhouse Era." That's where really gory, sleazy, typically super low-budget horror movies had their place to shine in rundown theaters. It was an era of little to no executive oversight, so anything went in these hyper-violent movies.
In terms of influence, there have been multiple horror movies trying to capture that throwback "grindhouse" aesthetic, usually to...
- 10/16/2023
- by Eric Vespe
- Slash Film
In recent years Paul Verhoeven's Hollywood films have been going through something of a critical revaluation. Flesh + Blood is now being appreciated as an allegory of Nazi Germany, Martin (Rutger Hauer) as Hitler, the Cardinal (Ronald Lacey) Goebbels and Agnes (Jennifer Jason Leigh), complicit in her own rape, the March Violets. Starship Troopers is a parody of totalitarian propaganda. Someday Showgirls may be seen as a cutting critique slashing at the Hollywood system and the American Dream. Everyone can have their piece of apple pie as long as they are willing to exploit and abuse.
RoboDoc documents the filming of RoboCop, Verhoeven's satire on the privatisation and militarisation of policing and corporate America's fascistic tendencies.
At almost five hours long, what you get to see is an almost shot for shot 'making of' documentary. It starts at the beginning with script writing and production through to filming, editing and.
RoboDoc documents the filming of RoboCop, Verhoeven's satire on the privatisation and militarisation of policing and corporate America's fascistic tendencies.
At almost five hours long, what you get to see is an almost shot for shot 'making of' documentary. It starts at the beginning with script writing and production through to filming, editing and.
- 10/6/2023
- by Donald Munro
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
There are many things you associate with a David Fincher film: uncompromising mind games, impeccable visual slickness, and a pulsing atmosphere among them. But while his thrillers often feature tense showdowns, you don’t necessarily think of Fincher as an action filmmaker, per se. His latest film, :a[The Killer]{href='https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/david-fincher-the-killer-teaser-shows-michael-fassbender-as-a-lethal-assassin/' target='_blank' rel='noreferrer noopener'}, is many things – a hitman movie, a survival thriller, a noir flick – but its :a[kill-or-be-killed stakes]{href='https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/the-killer-new-kind-of-cinematic-assassin-not-james-bond-david-fincher-exclusive/' target='blank' rel='noreferrer noopener'} lead to the kind of fight scene that goes further than anything the director has plunged himself into before. And _Empire was on hand witness that particularly bruising brawl being filmed on set in New Orleans – a thunderous smackdown between :a[Michael Fassbender]{href='https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/david-fincher-the-killer-brings-michael-fassbender-back-to-the-screen-its-the-type-of-film-i-was-salivating-to-do-exclusive-image/' target='blank' rel='noreferrer noopener'}’s central contract killer,...
- 9/29/2023
- by Ben Travis, Nev Pierce
- Empire - Movies
When you think of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," you probably think of the hit TV series that introduced an entire generation of '90s kids to the metaphor of high school being like a horror movie. But if you happened to come of age in the early '90s, you might well remember your first introduction to the character of The Slayer coming with 1992's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" movie.
Written by Joss Whedon, who eventually became showrunner on the TV series, and directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui, the film starred Kristy Swanson as the titular slayer and was a decidedly lighthearted affair, especially in comparison to the show that succeeded it. Co-starring Luke Perry and featuring a surprisingly impressive cast that included Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hauer, Hilary Swank, and Paul Reubens, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" '92 debuted to unfavorable reviews and was sadly relegated to a footnote in "Buffy...
Written by Joss Whedon, who eventually became showrunner on the TV series, and directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui, the film starred Kristy Swanson as the titular slayer and was a decidedly lighthearted affair, especially in comparison to the show that succeeded it. Co-starring Luke Perry and featuring a surprisingly impressive cast that included Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hauer, Hilary Swank, and Paul Reubens, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" '92 debuted to unfavorable reviews and was sadly relegated to a footnote in "Buffy...
- 8/25/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
The episode of Revisited covering Buffy the Vampire Slayer was Written, Edited, and Narrated by Lance Vlcek, Produced by Tyler Nichols and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.
With the recent passing of Paul Reubens, it got me thinking about the first role I ever saw him in, funny enough, without even knowing it was him until years later. It’s the one as a long-hired rocker with a penchant for blood. It’s a fun supporting role, acting alongside the legend that is Rutger Hauer. So, today I’d like to revisit a goofy, light-hearted, and charming vampire flick – from the early 90s. So raise your glass and raise it high. Today we talk about Buffy the Vampire Slayer (watch it Here).
First things first, I understand the show is the most accurate, and Buffy‘s true form is considered the television format, so I don’t...
With the recent passing of Paul Reubens, it got me thinking about the first role I ever saw him in, funny enough, without even knowing it was him until years later. It’s the one as a long-hired rocker with a penchant for blood. It’s a fun supporting role, acting alongside the legend that is Rutger Hauer. So, today I’d like to revisit a goofy, light-hearted, and charming vampire flick – from the early 90s. So raise your glass and raise it high. Today we talk about Buffy the Vampire Slayer (watch it Here).
First things first, I understand the show is the most accurate, and Buffy‘s true form is considered the television format, so I don’t...
- 8/8/2023
- by Lance Vlcek
- JoBlo.com
Ridley Scott is responsible for many film classics that will be recognized in the zeitgeist for years to come. Two of his most celebrated works come from the sci-fi genre, with the films Alien from 1979 and Blade Runner from 1982. Although, of the two, Alien was the one that became an instant classic, while Blade Runner was initially a flop that had acquired its following over time and it is now recognized as one of the greatest films in science fiction with its profound themes, stellar effects that still hold up, and a fully realized noir-ish world.
As franchises and the re-visiting of intellectual properties dominate the modern film world, both of Scott’s signature works have been given sequels/prequels in recent years. Alien: Covenant would be Scott’s follow-up to the Alien prequel, Prometheus, and Blade Runner 2049 would be the direct sequel to Scott’s cult hit that...
As franchises and the re-visiting of intellectual properties dominate the modern film world, both of Scott’s signature works have been given sequels/prequels in recent years. Alien: Covenant would be Scott’s follow-up to the Alien prequel, Prometheus, and Blade Runner 2049 would be the direct sequel to Scott’s cult hit that...
- 8/8/2023
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
The late, great Paul Reubens completely changed the landscape of comedy with his character of Pee-wee Herman, becoming one of the handful of celebrities like Jim "Ernest P. Worrell" Varney, Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson, and Glenn "Divine" Milstead who become synonymous with their most famous roles. Honestly, there were probably a lot of people who learned of his passing at the same time they learned his actual name. Don't get me wrong, Pee-wee Herman is one of the greatest and most influential characters ever shown on screen and his hopeful embrace of the weird and creative has certainly made the world a better place. But Reubens was so much more than Pee-wee Herman and brought a number of other hilarious roles to life.
Who could forget his incredible turn on "30 Rock" as Prince Gerhardt, the inbred royal with a baby doll hand, or his role as FBI Agent Bob in "Matilda,...
Who could forget his incredible turn on "30 Rock" as Prince Gerhardt, the inbred royal with a baby doll hand, or his role as FBI Agent Bob in "Matilda,...
- 7/31/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Fairy man.
We spent June discussing a cisgender male demon trapped in a female body, genderfluid dinosaurs and evil weaves, so we’re kicking off July with a film that’s a bit more grounded: Robert Harmon‘s classic cautionary tale The Hitcher!
In The Hitcher, Jim (C. Thomas Howell) picks up a hitchhiker named John Ryder (Rutger Hauer) while transporting a car from Chicago to San Diego. After quickly showing Jim his murderous ways, John is kicked out of the car and begins a relentless pursuit of Jim, murdering anyone who gets in his way and framing Jim for the murders. With no one to help him except a local waitress (Jennifer Jason Leigh), Jim must decide how far he is willing to go to survive.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify,...
We spent June discussing a cisgender male demon trapped in a female body, genderfluid dinosaurs and evil weaves, so we’re kicking off July with a film that’s a bit more grounded: Robert Harmon‘s classic cautionary tale The Hitcher!
In The Hitcher, Jim (C. Thomas Howell) picks up a hitchhiker named John Ryder (Rutger Hauer) while transporting a car from Chicago to San Diego. After quickly showing Jim his murderous ways, John is kicked out of the car and begins a relentless pursuit of Jim, murdering anyone who gets in his way and framing Jim for the murders. With no one to help him except a local waitress (Jennifer Jason Leigh), Jim must decide how far he is willing to go to survive.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify,...
- 7/3/2023
- by Trace Thurman
- bloody-disgusting.com
Propstore, one of the world’s leading film and TV memorabilia companies, just kick-started a new memorabilia auction this week that was loaded with horror props. On Wednesday, June 28, over 500 rare and iconic pieces from Film and TV fetched in excess of $9.7 million.
The most high-priced auction item? The original clown doll from 1982’s Poltergeist!
Notable sales from yesterday, Day One of Propstore’s Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, included (sale prices inclusive of buyer’s premium)…
Screen-Matched Evil Clown Doll from Poltergeist (1982) sold for $656,250 Norris (Charles Hallahan) Spider Head-Thing from Thing, The (1982) sold for $587,500 Robert Blalack’s Praxis Optical Printer Used to Composite Every VFX Shot from Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) sold for $337,500 Rick Deckard’s (Harrison Ford) Screen-Matched and Photo-Matched Costume from Voight-Kampff and Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) Fight Scenes from Blade Runner (1982) sold for $287,500 Screen-Matched Jumanji Game Board from Jumanji (1995) sold for $262,500 Light-Up Full-Size...
The most high-priced auction item? The original clown doll from 1982’s Poltergeist!
Notable sales from yesterday, Day One of Propstore’s Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, included (sale prices inclusive of buyer’s premium)…
Screen-Matched Evil Clown Doll from Poltergeist (1982) sold for $656,250 Norris (Charles Hallahan) Spider Head-Thing from Thing, The (1982) sold for $587,500 Robert Blalack’s Praxis Optical Printer Used to Composite Every VFX Shot from Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) sold for $337,500 Rick Deckard’s (Harrison Ford) Screen-Matched and Photo-Matched Costume from Voight-Kampff and Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) Fight Scenes from Blade Runner (1982) sold for $287,500 Screen-Matched Jumanji Game Board from Jumanji (1995) sold for $262,500 Light-Up Full-Size...
- 6/29/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Amazon Prime Video’s live action Blade Runner series could be delayed by as long as a year after the production schedule was disrupted amid the writers strike.
The BBC reported that filming on Blade Runner 2099 was due to get underway at Northern Ireland’s Belfast Harbour Studios, but could now be pushed back until Spring 2024.
The writers strike, which is now in its third week, was cited as a factor in the postponement. Amazon had no comment.
Northern Ireland Screen said: “Northern Ireland Screen is extremely disappointed that Blade Runner 2099 is not going ahead at this time due to the ongoing writers’ strike.
“The project has been prepping on the ground in Belfast for many months now. The WGA strike has been halting production all over the world and we hope a fair deal is reached soon so crew can get back to work.”
Amazon Prime Video...
The BBC reported that filming on Blade Runner 2099 was due to get underway at Northern Ireland’s Belfast Harbour Studios, but could now be pushed back until Spring 2024.
The writers strike, which is now in its third week, was cited as a factor in the postponement. Amazon had no comment.
Northern Ireland Screen said: “Northern Ireland Screen is extremely disappointed that Blade Runner 2099 is not going ahead at this time due to the ongoing writers’ strike.
“The project has been prepping on the ground in Belfast for many months now. The WGA strike has been halting production all over the world and we hope a fair deal is reached soon so crew can get back to work.”
Amazon Prime Video...
- 5/26/2023
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
A year and a half has gone by since we heard that Second Sight Films had tracked down the original camera negative for the 1986 classic The Hitcher (watch it Here), which would allow them to do a full restoration and a 4K release. Now Second Sight has shared an update on the status of the 4K restoration, complete with a quote from director Robert Harmon!
Harmon was quoted as saying, “Stunned by how great it looks… beautiful work!! Really, this movie has no business looking this good considering how ancient the elements are. Thanks to everyone for dedication way beyond anything I could ever have hoped for.” Second Sight added that, “We’re thrilled at Robert’s reaction and owe a huge thanks for his time and supervision. Nearing end of the grading stage, a final session with Robert being scheduled soon. Release / Pre-order date Tbc.”
Harmon directed the film...
Harmon was quoted as saying, “Stunned by how great it looks… beautiful work!! Really, this movie has no business looking this good considering how ancient the elements are. Thanks to everyone for dedication way beyond anything I could ever have hoped for.” Second Sight added that, “We’re thrilled at Robert’s reaction and owe a huge thanks for his time and supervision. Nearing end of the grading stage, a final session with Robert being scheduled soon. Release / Pre-order date Tbc.”
Harmon directed the film...
- 5/24/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
It’s been well over a year now since we learned that UK company Second Sight Films was working on a brand new restoration of 1986 classic The Hitcher, the company tracking down the original camera negative and allowing for a 4K Uhd and Blu-ray release. But what’s the latest update on Second Sight’s hotly anticipated release, here in mid-2023?
The company updates in a series of tweets this week, “Nearing end of the grading stage, a final session with Robert [Harmon] being scheduled soon. Release / Pre-order date Tbc.”
Second Sight also shared some comments from The Hitcher director Robert Harmon, who provides an exciting preview of the restoration-in-progress. Harmon writes…
“Stunned by how great it looks… beautiful work!! Really, this movie has no business looking this good considering how ancient the elements are. Thanks to everyone for dedication way beyond anything I could ever have hoped for.”
Second Sight is a UK company,...
The company updates in a series of tweets this week, “Nearing end of the grading stage, a final session with Robert [Harmon] being scheduled soon. Release / Pre-order date Tbc.”
Second Sight also shared some comments from The Hitcher director Robert Harmon, who provides an exciting preview of the restoration-in-progress. Harmon writes…
“Stunned by how great it looks… beautiful work!! Really, this movie has no business looking this good considering how ancient the elements are. Thanks to everyone for dedication way beyond anything I could ever have hoped for.”
Second Sight is a UK company,...
- 5/24/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Set mostly in England, back before it was officially called England — and centuries before Great Britain was so much as a glint in the eye of James I — director Ed Bazalgette’s workmanlike historical epic “The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die” wraps up the events of “The Last Kingdom,” the Netfix drama series based on Bernard Cornwell’s “Saxon Tales” novels. Playing like “Game of Thrones” with more history and fewer dragons, the film opens with several smaller kingdoms, including Northumbria, Mercia and East Anglia, gearing up for a power struggle exacerbated by the recent death of Alfred the Great, king of Wessex, and worsened by the surreptitious attempts of the Danes to sow discord.
The hero of the hour is Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon), a young Saxon and the protagonist of the TV series, who fans will know was raised by Danes after a Danish attack wiped out most...
The hero of the hour is Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon), a young Saxon and the protagonist of the TV series, who fans will know was raised by Danes after a Danish attack wiped out most...
- 4/14/2023
- by Catherine Bray
- Variety Film + TV
There are some filmmakers that just effortlessly ooze cool, and Jason Eisener is absolutely one of those people. The Canadian creative first came to mainstream public consciousness after winning the "Grindhouse" fake trailer contest hosted by Robert Rodriguez and SXSW Festival, and his winning short, "Hobo with a Shotgun," led to a feature film of the same name starring Rutger Hauer. In the years that followed, Eisener has been involved in a slew of ridiculously rad projects, like the killer Christmas tree slasher, "Treevenge," serving as a producer on the well-loved "Turbo Kid," co-creating the Vice series "Dark Side of the Ring," and directing a segment of "V/H/S/2" that evolved into the genre-bending feature film, "Kids vs. Aliens."
If you want a film to have striking visuals, snappy dialogue, and a bleeding, beating heart of genre influences, you call Jason Eisener. This is why it makes complete sense that Eisner...
If you want a film to have striking visuals, snappy dialogue, and a bleeding, beating heart of genre influences, you call Jason Eisener. This is why it makes complete sense that Eisner...
- 2/24/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
A new episode of the Revisited video series has just arrived online, and in this one we’re looking back at a classic from the 1980s: the horror thriller The Hitcher (watch it Here), which was released back in ’86. To find out what we had to say about The Hitcher, check out the video embedded above.
Directed by Robert Harmon from a screenplay by Eric Red, The Hitcher has the following synopsis: While transporting a car from Chicago to San Diego, Jim Halsey picks up a hitchhiker named John Ryder, who claims to be a serial killer. After a daring escape, Jim hopes to never see Ryder again. But when he witnesses the hitchhiker murdering an entire family, Jim pursues Ryder with the help of truck-stop waitress Nash, pitting the rivals against each other in a deadly series of car chases and brutal murders.
The film stars C. Thomas Howell,...
Directed by Robert Harmon from a screenplay by Eric Red, The Hitcher has the following synopsis: While transporting a car from Chicago to San Diego, Jim Halsey picks up a hitchhiker named John Ryder, who claims to be a serial killer. After a daring escape, Jim hopes to never see Ryder again. But when he witnesses the hitchhiker murdering an entire family, Jim pursues Ryder with the help of truck-stop waitress Nash, pitting the rivals against each other in a deadly series of car chases and brutal murders.
The film stars C. Thomas Howell,...
- 2/23/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Directed by Robert Harmon from a screenplay by Eric Red, the 1986 horror thriller The Hitcher (watch it Here) was one of the coolest movies to be released in a decade that was packed with cool movies. And on today’s episode of The Arrow in the Head Show, hosts John “The Arrow” Fallon and Lance Vlcek have been joined by The Hitcher writer Red for a look back at the classic film. To hear what they had to say about the movie, check out the video embedded above!
The Hitcher has the following synopsis: While transporting a car from Chicago to San Diego, Jim Halsey picks up a hitchhiker named John Ryder, who claims to be a serial killer. After a daring escape, Jim hopes to never see Ryder again. But when he witnesses the hitchhiker murdering an entire family, Jim pursues Ryder with the help of truck-stop waitress Nash,...
The Hitcher has the following synopsis: While transporting a car from Chicago to San Diego, Jim Halsey picks up a hitchhiker named John Ryder, who claims to be a serial killer. After a daring escape, Jim hopes to never see Ryder again. But when he witnesses the hitchhiker murdering an entire family, Jim pursues Ryder with the help of truck-stop waitress Nash,...
- 1/20/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Director Jason Eisener is back with the horror/sci-fi movie Kids vs. Aliens, released in Theaters, On Demand, and Digital on January 20, 2023, from Rlje Films and Shudder.
In Kids vs. Aliens, produced by Bloody Disgusting, Cinepocalypse, and Studio71, all Gary (Dominic Mariche) wants is to make wrestling home movies with his best buds. Gary’s annoyed that his older sister Samantha (Phoebe Rex) wants to skip their wrestling fun to hang with the cool kids. When the siblings’ parents head out of town on Halloween weekend, a teen house party turns to terror when aliens attack, forcing the siblings to band together to survive the night.
Eisener co-wrote the film with John Davies (Hobo with a Shotgun) and incorporated his childhood into this wild midnight movie, from hometown UFO lore to his love of Masters of the Universe toys. In many ways, Kids vs. Aliens feels like a fitting full...
In Kids vs. Aliens, produced by Bloody Disgusting, Cinepocalypse, and Studio71, all Gary (Dominic Mariche) wants is to make wrestling home movies with his best buds. Gary’s annoyed that his older sister Samantha (Phoebe Rex) wants to skip their wrestling fun to hang with the cool kids. When the siblings’ parents head out of town on Halloween weekend, a teen house party turns to terror when aliens attack, forcing the siblings to band together to survive the night.
Eisener co-wrote the film with John Davies (Hobo with a Shotgun) and incorporated his childhood into this wild midnight movie, from hometown UFO lore to his love of Masters of the Universe toys. In many ways, Kids vs. Aliens feels like a fitting full...
- 1/20/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
When Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez teamed up for the hybrid horror crime film "From Dusk Till Dawn," audiences knew to expect a sleazy drive-in movie that was going to be filled to the brim with sight gags, bloodstained carnage, and whip-smart dialogue. The vampire action comedy featured television star George Clooney in his first major role after breaking hearts as Dr. Ross on NBC's smash-hit hospital drama "ER." Seeing Clooney playing against type as a maniacal bad boy must have appealed to the mainstream, and the cinematic clout earned from the new indie classics "Pulp Fiction" and "Desperado" translated into an unlikely hit when "Dawn" staked its way into theaters in January of 1996.
With that success under their belts, Tarantino and Rodriguez had every right to think that the regular moviegoing public knew what a grindhouse theater was, and that they were familiar with 1970s exploitation films. "From Dusk Till Dawn...
With that success under their belts, Tarantino and Rodriguez had every right to think that the regular moviegoing public knew what a grindhouse theater was, and that they were familiar with 1970s exploitation films. "From Dusk Till Dawn...
- 1/3/2023
- by Drew Tinnin
- Slash Film
1994’s Surviving the Game is one of the unheralded gems of nineties action flicks. It stars Ice-t, many years before he became part of the cast of Law & Order Svu. Back then, he was known primarily as a rapper, but following roles in New Jack City, Trespass and Ricochet, he became an up-and-comer, with many pegging him as a potential urban action star.
In Surviving the Game, Ice-t plays a homeless man being hunted in the wild in a variation on the classic tale, Most Dangerous Game. This story has always been excellent fodder for action flicks, with the previous year’s Hard Target ranking as one of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s classics.
While New Line Cinema couldn’t give the movie a massive budget, they didn’t cheap out either, giving Ice-t a great director in Ernest Dickerson, who was Spike Lee’s go-to cinematographer and the director of the well-received gangsta tale,...
In Surviving the Game, Ice-t plays a homeless man being hunted in the wild in a variation on the classic tale, Most Dangerous Game. This story has always been excellent fodder for action flicks, with the previous year’s Hard Target ranking as one of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s classics.
While New Line Cinema couldn’t give the movie a massive budget, they didn’t cheap out either, giving Ice-t a great director in Ernest Dickerson, who was Spike Lee’s go-to cinematographer and the director of the well-received gangsta tale,...
- 12/29/2022
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Los Angeles. The land suffocates beneath a cancerous industrial crust that spits flames into a polluted, blackened troposphere. A dark sky weighs heavy on the grim scene, heightening the feeling of hopelessness that plagues this wretched vision. No, this isn't the view of downtown from my apartment. This is, of course, the famous "Hades" shot that opens 1982's "Blade Runner" and establishes director Ridley Scott's vision of 2019 LA.
As former Mythbuster and alarmingly knowledgeable FX dude Adam Savage remarked during an episode of VFX artists react, the "Hades" shot is considered "one of the great effects shots in film history," and includes "every model-making technique there is." What's perhaps most impressive about this and all the other effects shots in "Blade Runner" is that they were all captured in-camera using multiple motion-controlled camera passes on the same piece of film.
Harrison Ford might not be that fond of "Blade Runner,...
As former Mythbuster and alarmingly knowledgeable FX dude Adam Savage remarked during an episode of VFX artists react, the "Hades" shot is considered "one of the great effects shots in film history," and includes "every model-making technique there is." What's perhaps most impressive about this and all the other effects shots in "Blade Runner" is that they were all captured in-camera using multiple motion-controlled camera passes on the same piece of film.
Harrison Ford might not be that fond of "Blade Runner,...
- 12/23/2022
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
One of the most popular films to emerge from Fantastic Fest 2022 was Kids Vs. Aliens by Jason Eisener.
All Gary wants is to make awesome home movies with his best buds. All his older sister Samantha wants is to hang with the cool kids. When their parents head out of town one Halloween weekend, an all-time rager of a teen house party turns to terror when aliens attack, forcing the siblings to band together to survive the night. The movie features Dominic Mariche, Phoebe Rex, Calem MacDonald, Asher Grayson Percival, Ben Tector.
Sitting at 75 on Rotten Tomatoes, Chris Evangelista of Slashfilm said in his review from September that Kids Vs. Aliens “embraces gore and danger to emulate the type of old-school monster movie kids would gleefully devour late at night during sleepovers.”
Eisener says of his film: “We wanted to create a horror adventure film with its own expansive universe,...
All Gary wants is to make awesome home movies with his best buds. All his older sister Samantha wants is to hang with the cool kids. When their parents head out of town one Halloween weekend, an all-time rager of a teen house party turns to terror when aliens attack, forcing the siblings to band together to survive the night. The movie features Dominic Mariche, Phoebe Rex, Calem MacDonald, Asher Grayson Percival, Ben Tector.
Sitting at 75 on Rotten Tomatoes, Chris Evangelista of Slashfilm said in his review from September that Kids Vs. Aliens “embraces gore and danger to emulate the type of old-school monster movie kids would gleefully devour late at night during sleepovers.”
Eisener says of his film: “We wanted to create a horror adventure film with its own expansive universe,...
- 12/22/2022
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Casting is a subtle art, and though casting directors are the backbone of the industry in a lot of ways, directors are more deeply involved in the process than even most people realize. So much of making Quentin Tarantino's stories work hinges on casting, and for his ninth film, "The Hateful Eight," it was a crucial element. In a 2015 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Tarantino explained that he couldn't cast the role of Daisy Domergue, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, as he normally would with any other project.
"It was almost an impossible role to cast in a conventional way," he explained. "I.E., an actress coming in the room and knocking our socks off, and us saying, 'Oh wow, that's Daisy.' Because if you've seen the movie, you know that the way she is in the last chapter is not necessarily the way she is in the chapters building up to it.
"It was almost an impossible role to cast in a conventional way," he explained. "I.E., an actress coming in the room and knocking our socks off, and us saying, 'Oh wow, that's Daisy.' Because if you've seen the movie, you know that the way she is in the last chapter is not necessarily the way she is in the chapters building up to it.
- 12/22/2022
- by Lex Briscuso
- Slash Film
Of all the life-changing cinema that premiered in the 1980s, Jonathan Kasdan singles out “Willow” as the first film to “mark time” in his existence. “It just had this psychological significance to me in my development,” Kasdan explains to Variety. “You’d be shocked at how many people say, ‘Oh, I saw that movie, it scared the shit out of me when I was a kid.’”
The 1988 fantasy, directed by Ron Howard (then 34) and executive produced by George Lucas, is centered around a lousy sorcerer named Willow (played by a 17-year-old Warwick Davis) who is tasked with protecting a magical baby from all manner of treachery. Its collection of revolutionary visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic — including the transformation of an army of men into squealing pigs — along with powerhouse performances from Jean Marsh, Val Kilmer and Davis all delivered with a touch of charm is what helped to keep...
The 1988 fantasy, directed by Ron Howard (then 34) and executive produced by George Lucas, is centered around a lousy sorcerer named Willow (played by a 17-year-old Warwick Davis) who is tasked with protecting a magical baby from all manner of treachery. Its collection of revolutionary visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic — including the transformation of an army of men into squealing pigs — along with powerhouse performances from Jean Marsh, Val Kilmer and Davis all delivered with a touch of charm is what helped to keep...
- 12/4/2022
- by Meredith Woerner
- Variety Film + TV
Albert Pyun, a genre filmmaker whose sweeping body of work includes cult favorites such as “Cyborg,” “The Sword and the Sorcerer,” “Nemesis” and the 1989 “Captain America,” died Saturday in Las Vegas, Nev. He was 69 years old.
Pyun had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and dementia a few years ago. In the past months, his wife and producer, Cynthia Curnan, had been sharing periodic updates on his condition. More recently, she implored fans to share personal messages with the director after his health began to decline.
Curnan confirmed Pyun’s death through Facebook, writing “I sat with him for his last breath that sounded like he was releasing the weight of the world.”
Largely working under low budgets for a direct-to-video market, Pyun developed an immersive form of dreamy lighting, post-apocalyptic dilapidation and surreal, balletic action that found an enthusiastic following among genre film audiences. Over a filmmaking career spanning four decades,...
Pyun had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and dementia a few years ago. In the past months, his wife and producer, Cynthia Curnan, had been sharing periodic updates on his condition. More recently, she implored fans to share personal messages with the director after his health began to decline.
Curnan confirmed Pyun’s death through Facebook, writing “I sat with him for his last breath that sounded like he was releasing the weight of the world.”
Largely working under low budgets for a direct-to-video market, Pyun developed an immersive form of dreamy lighting, post-apocalyptic dilapidation and surreal, balletic action that found an enthusiastic following among genre film audiences. Over a filmmaking career spanning four decades,...
- 11/27/2022
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Writer/producer/showrunner David Kajganich discusses a few of his favorite films with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
All The Fine Young Cannibals (1960)
Badlands (1973)
Bones And All (2022)
A Bigger Splash (2015)
Suspiria (2018)
Deathdream (1974) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Porky’s (1981)
A Christmas Story (1983)
Black Christmas (1974) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
Murder By Decree (1979) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things (1972)
Black Vengeance a.k.a. Poor Pretty Eddie (1975)
The Poseidon Adventure (1972) – Robert Weide’s trailer commentary
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s Mogwai Madness
Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)
The Last Wave (1977) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World (2003)
What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary
Dressed To Kill (1980) – Dennis Cozzalio’s Criterion review
The Last Picture Show (1971) – Mark Pellington’s trailer...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
All The Fine Young Cannibals (1960)
Badlands (1973)
Bones And All (2022)
A Bigger Splash (2015)
Suspiria (2018)
Deathdream (1974) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Porky’s (1981)
A Christmas Story (1983)
Black Christmas (1974) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
Murder By Decree (1979) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things (1972)
Black Vengeance a.k.a. Poor Pretty Eddie (1975)
The Poseidon Adventure (1972) – Robert Weide’s trailer commentary
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s Mogwai Madness
Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)
The Last Wave (1977) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World (2003)
What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary
Dressed To Kill (1980) – Dennis Cozzalio’s Criterion review
The Last Picture Show (1971) – Mark Pellington’s trailer...
- 11/22/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Over the last forty years, director Albert Pyun has built an awesome career. He started off with the appropriately titled sword and sorcery classic The Sword and the Sorcerer and since then has directed such films as Cyborg, Captain America (1990), Kickboxer 2, Kickboxer 4, Arcade, Nemesis, Dollman, Mean Gun, Infection, and many more. So many more, he has around fifty feature directing credits to his name. Sadly, Pyun was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis several years ago… and it seems he is now in his final days. His wife Cynthia Curnan took to Facebook to ask fans to send in personal messages so she can read them to him. Curnan’s request for messages was then given a signal boost by a Sam Peckinpah fan page.
Curnan’s Facebook post can be found Here. She said, “Albert took another downturn. I could tell he feared going down again. He was working too feverishly.
Curnan’s Facebook post can be found Here. She said, “Albert took another downturn. I could tell he feared going down again. He was working too feverishly.
- 11/16/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
The Story: International terrorist Wulfgar (Rutger Hauer), now unrecognizable after plastic surgery, flees to New York City. Enter NYPD cop Deke DaSilvia (Sylvester Stallone), who, along with his partner Fox (Billy Dee Williams), finds himself transferred to the newly created anti-terrorism unit, in order to help take down Wulfgar once and for all.
The Players: Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Billy Dee Williams, & Rutger Hauer. Music by Keith Emerson. Directed by Bruce Malmuth, Gary Nelson and possibly Stallone himself.
The History: The history behind Nighthawks is compelling stuff. Originally conceived as a third French Connection sequel, which would have pitted Gene Hackman’s Popeye Doyle up against a terrorist modeled on the infamous Carlos the Jackal, while also pairing him with a partner that producers hoped would be played by Richard Pryor, the project went kaput when Hackman decided he had enough of the role. The script made its way to Universal,...
The Players: Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Billy Dee Williams, & Rutger Hauer. Music by Keith Emerson. Directed by Bruce Malmuth, Gary Nelson and possibly Stallone himself.
The History: The history behind Nighthawks is compelling stuff. Originally conceived as a third French Connection sequel, which would have pitted Gene Hackman’s Popeye Doyle up against a terrorist modeled on the infamous Carlos the Jackal, while also pairing him with a partner that producers hoped would be played by Richard Pryor, the project went kaput when Hackman decided he had enough of the role. The script made its way to Universal,...
- 11/12/2022
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Besides maybe "Apocalypse Now," there are very few films with such a well-known and documented history of alternate versions as "Blade Runner." Directed by Ridley Scott, the theatrical version released in 1982 was nothing like the director had wanted, complete with a "happy ending" that didn't flow with the rest of the film. The poorly named Director's Cut, made ten years later in 1992, also didn't have Scott's blessing or much of his involvement. Finally, in the "Final Cut" in 2007, the director could tell the story he wanted of Deckard and his intense and existential experience with rogue replicants.
Plenty of scenes were removed or added in all these versions of the film. However, there are still deleted scenes and scrapped concepts that have yet to be seen. One such scene that's not in any version of "Blade Runner" that's been released is an alternate take on a crucial moment between Rutger Hauer...
Plenty of scenes were removed or added in all these versions of the film. However, there are still deleted scenes and scrapped concepts that have yet to be seen. One such scene that's not in any version of "Blade Runner" that's been released is an alternate take on a crucial moment between Rutger Hauer...
- 10/27/2022
- by Ernesto Valenzuela
- Slash Film
If you're a genre film fan and a lifelong wrestling fan, there's a good chance you hold Jason Eisener in pretty high regard. The filmmaker first broke onto the scene after he won Robert Rodriguez's "Grindhouse" faux trailer competition with "Hobo with a Shotgun," which he later turned into a feature film starring Rutger Hauer. He's responsible for the "Y is for Youngbuck" segment of "The ABCs of Death," the "V/H/S/2/" segment "Alien Abduction Slumber Party," the killer Christmas tree slasher "Treevenge," the nightmare fuel of "One Last Dive," and he also produced the cult hit "Turbo Kid." The dude loves making fun movies, almost as much as he loves the art of professional wrestling.
Back in 2019, Eisener and co-creator Evan Husney unleashed the docuseries "Dark Side of the Ring" onto the world. The series goes beyond the kayfabe of professional wrestling, and deeply examines the countless...
Back in 2019, Eisener and co-creator Evan Husney unleashed the docuseries "Dark Side of the Ring" onto the world. The series goes beyond the kayfabe of professional wrestling, and deeply examines the countless...
- 9/23/2022
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Blade Runner 2099, Amazon Studios’ live-action series set in the Blade Runner universe, has been picked up to series for Prime Video.
Ridley Scott, who directed the original 1982 Blade Runner movie, is executive producing the series, a follow-up to the feature film sequel Blade Runner 2049, which was released in 2017 and directed by Denis Villeneuve.
Silka Luisa (Shining Girls) wrote the script and is exec producing Blade Runner 2099, which comes from Alcon Entertainment in association with Scott Free Productions and Amazon Studios.
The project, which marks the first Blade Runner live-action series, had been in priority development at Amazon Studios.
“The original Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott, is considered one of the greatest and most influential science-fiction movies of all time, and we’re excited to introduce Blade Runner 2099 to our global Prime Video customers,” said Vernon Sanders, head of global television, Amazon Studios. “We are honored...
Ridley Scott, who directed the original 1982 Blade Runner movie, is executive producing the series, a follow-up to the feature film sequel Blade Runner 2049, which was released in 2017 and directed by Denis Villeneuve.
Silka Luisa (Shining Girls) wrote the script and is exec producing Blade Runner 2099, which comes from Alcon Entertainment in association with Scott Free Productions and Amazon Studios.
The project, which marks the first Blade Runner live-action series, had been in priority development at Amazon Studios.
“The original Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott, is considered one of the greatest and most influential science-fiction movies of all time, and we’re excited to introduce Blade Runner 2099 to our global Prime Video customers,” said Vernon Sanders, head of global television, Amazon Studios. “We are honored...
- 9/15/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva and Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Amazon has formally ordered a “Blade Runner” sequel series, Variety has learned.
The live-action project, titled “Blade Runner 2099,” was first announced as being in development at the streamer back in February, while Ridley Scott first revealed the show was in the works in November 2021.
Exact plot details are being kept under wraps, but the title indicates the show will take place fifty years after the events of “Blade Runner 2049,” the 2017 sequel to the original “Blade Runner.” Silka Luisa serves as showrunner and executive producer, with Ridley Scott also executive producing under his Scott Free Productions banner.
Michael Green, the co-writer of “Blade Runner 2049,” will also executive produce with Alcon Entertainment co-founders Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson, Alcon’s head of television Ben Roberts, David W. Zucker and Clayton Krueger of Scott Free, Cynthia Yorkin, Frank Giustra, and Isa Dick Hackett. Tom Spezialy has joined the writers room...
The live-action project, titled “Blade Runner 2099,” was first announced as being in development at the streamer back in February, while Ridley Scott first revealed the show was in the works in November 2021.
Exact plot details are being kept under wraps, but the title indicates the show will take place fifty years after the events of “Blade Runner 2049,” the 2017 sequel to the original “Blade Runner.” Silka Luisa serves as showrunner and executive producer, with Ridley Scott also executive producing under his Scott Free Productions banner.
Michael Green, the co-writer of “Blade Runner 2049,” will also executive produce with Alcon Entertainment co-founders Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson, Alcon’s head of television Ben Roberts, David W. Zucker and Clayton Krueger of Scott Free, Cynthia Yorkin, Frank Giustra, and Isa Dick Hackett. Tom Spezialy has joined the writers room...
- 9/15/2022
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Science fiction films require attention to detail from both the audience and the filmmakers. The best sci-fi movies of all time — such as "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "Blade Runner," or "The Matrix" — are so packed with details that you can rewatch them over and over again, discovering new things each time. Some franchises with extensively expanded universes have deepened our understanding of what's going on in the background. Even if they're only on screen for a few moments, the characters in the Mos Eisley cantina in the original "Star Wars" each have fictional backstories within the spinoff novels and comic books. In the age of social media, sci-fi movie buffs are more active than ever in scouring their favorite films for hidden easter eggs. It's interesting to read the theories that some fans come up with, as some may seem plausible while others are completely ridiculous.
- 9/8/2022
- by Liam Gaughan
- Slash Film
Writer / Director / Actor Halina Reijn discusses some of her favorite movies with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Rrr (2022)
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
Gothic (1986)
Warlock (1989)
Annie (1982)
Midsommar (2019) – Dennis Cozzalio’s 2019 year-end movie roundup
Bambi (1942) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
Annie (2014)
A Woman Under The Influence (1974)
Husbands (1970) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Opening Night (1977)
The Piano Teacher (2001) – Charlie Largent’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Black Book (2006)
Elle (2016) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review, Dennis Cozzalio’s 2016 year-end movie roundup
The Fourth Man (1983)
Basic Instinct (1992) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary
Showgirls (1995)
Indecent Proposal (1993)
Fatal Attraction (1987) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
9 ½ Weeks (1986)
Fifty Shades Of Grey (2015)
365 Days (2020)
A History Of Violence (2005)
Last Tango In Paris (1972) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Chinatown (1974) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary
Marathon Man (1976)
The Abyss (1989)
Apocalypse Now (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Rrr (2022)
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
Gothic (1986)
Warlock (1989)
Annie (1982)
Midsommar (2019) – Dennis Cozzalio’s 2019 year-end movie roundup
Bambi (1942) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
Annie (2014)
A Woman Under The Influence (1974)
Husbands (1970) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Opening Night (1977)
The Piano Teacher (2001) – Charlie Largent’s Criterion Blu-ray review
Black Book (2006)
Elle (2016) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review, Dennis Cozzalio’s 2016 year-end movie roundup
The Fourth Man (1983)
Basic Instinct (1992) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary
Showgirls (1995)
Indecent Proposal (1993)
Fatal Attraction (1987) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
9 ½ Weeks (1986)
Fifty Shades Of Grey (2015)
365 Days (2020)
A History Of Violence (2005)
Last Tango In Paris (1972) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary
Chinatown (1974) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary
Marathon Man (1976)
The Abyss (1989)
Apocalypse Now (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?...
- 9/6/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
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