Category: Celebs

“Introducing, Selma Blair” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I know Selma Blair from the Fog and Hellboy movies. I know she has been in many other films, but I didn’t see them.  Until I saw the trailer for Introducing, Selma Blair, I had no idea she was dealing with Multiple Sclerosis.  Ms. Blair appears to be a tenacious fighter with a sense of humor.  I have a feeling I’ll be adding another movie to the list of Selma Blair films I’ve seen.

Director Rachel Fleit’s deeply intimate and powerful feature of one woman’s journey of personal acceptance and resilience, Introducing, Selma Blair, follows the singular actress as she reckons with the next chapter of her life after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. The film explores complex issues ranging from dissecting deep-rooted myths about beauty, and the collective fear around disability and mortality. Complete with her trademark wit and humor, the film follows Blair as she reconciles a journey of monumental transition.

In theaters October 15 and streaming October 21 on discovery+.

“Night of the Animated Dead” – Retelling Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” – The Trailer is Here!

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George Romero’s original Night of the Living Dead is one of my all-time favorite horror movies.  It spawned several Romero directed sequels as well as reboots and remakes with some being very good and some not.  I’ll leave it to you to decide where Night of the Animated Dead will fall.  I do wish the animation was more realistic.

Revisit George A. Romero’s 1968 horror classic in an altogether unprecedented presentation as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment releases Night of the Animated Dead, a new, star-studded animated recreation of the thriller coming September 21, 2021 to Digital and October 5, 2021 to Blu-ray Combo Pack & DVD.

In Night of the Animated Dead, siblings Barbara and Johnny visit their father’s grave in a remote cemetery in Pennsylvania when they are suddenly set upon by zombies. Barbara flees and takes refuge in an abandoned farmhouse along with stranded motorist Ben and four local survivors found hiding in the cellar. Together, the group must fight to stay alive against the oncoming horde of zombies while also confronting their own fears and prejudices.

Night of the Animated Dead features the voice talents of Josh Duhamel (Jupiter’s Legacy, Transformers) as Harry Cooper, Dulé Hill (The West Wing, Psych) as Ben, Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps) as Barbara, James Roday Rodriguez (A Million Little Things, Psych) as Tom, Katee Sackhoff (The Mandalorian, Battlestar Galactica) as Judy, Will Sasso (MadTV) as Sheriff McClelland, Jimmi Simpson (Westworld) as Johnny and Nancy Travis (Last Man Standing) as Helen Cooper.

Executive Producers are Richard Potter (Diciembres), Thomas DeFeo (The Seventh Day) and Jamie Elliott (Fighting with My Family). Producers are Ralph E. Portillo, p.g.a. (Buddy Games), Robert Feldman, p.g.a. (Dr. Shroud) and Kevin Kasha (I Spit on Your Grave). Animation services were provided by Demente Animation Studio. The original Night of the Living Dead was written by George A. Romero (Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead) and John Russo (The Majorettes, Santa Claws). Night of the Animated Dead was produced by Michael J. Luisi, p.g.a. (The Call, Oculus) and directed by Jason Axinn (To Your Last Death).

“Prisoners of the Ghostland” starring Nicolas Cage & Sofia Boutella – The Trailer is Here!

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The trailer for Prisoners of the Ghostland is so over the top that it demands that you see more.  I know I want to.  The fact that Sofia Boutella co-stars is another reason to tune in.  Could this be Nicolas Cage’s comeback?

Starring Nicolas Cage, Sofia Boutella, Bill Mosley, Nick Cassavetes, Tak Sakaaguchi
Directed by Sion Soto

In the treacherous frontier city of Samurai Town, a ruthless bank robber is sprung from jail by a wealthy warlord, The Governor, whose adopted granddaughter has run away. Strapped into a leather suit that will self-destruct within five days if he doesn’t find the missing girl, the bandit sets off on a journey to find the young woman — and his own path to redemption.

RIP: Pat Hitchcock

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Patricia (Pat) Hitchcock, an actress, producer and writer, died on August 9th at the age of 93.  Pat Hitchcock was the only child of director Alfred Hitchcock.

Her very first role was an uncredited part in her father’s 1936 film Sabotage.  As a teenager Pat Hitchcock performed on stage in summer stock productions.  When she graduated high school Pat Hitchcock attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed on stage.

Before deciding to marry and raise a family, Pat Hitchcock appeared in three films.  The two most famous were Stage Fright and Strangers on a Train, both directed by her father.  In 1956, Mrs. Hitchcock had an uncredited role in The 10 Commandments.  In 1960, she appeared in one of her father’s most famous films, Psycho.  Pat Hitchcock also appeared in ten episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Pat Hitchcock also worked on Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine.

Alfred Hitchcock was the first director I knew by name.  As a child I loved watching his movies and looking for his cameos.  When I was older I learned that his daughter appeared in some of his films and his television series and I enjoyed looking for her appearances.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family, friends and fans.

Drew Stuzan Interview!

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Drew Struzan, one of the legends of movie poster art, was recently interviewed by Erik Sharkey for /Film.com.  The interview is well worth a read.  If you click over you’ll find out about Drew Stuzan’s…

  • documentary
  • love of King Kong (and his take on who the real villain of the film is)
  • approach to poster art
  • favorite Star Wars movie
  • early art career
  • thoughts on the Indiana Jones films
  • plans for retirement

Before you click over, I want to highlight this exchange about Drew Struzan’s First Blood poster:

Erik Sharkey:  I always thought your artwork for the movie First Blood was a powerful poster of a single figure.

Drew Struzan:  Well, thank you. It’s a guy with a big gun, and the first thing we know is that he was in a war of some kind, but I want the image to be beautiful. I want it to be kind. I want it to be loving. Big tough guy with a big gun and bullets, how does that relate to what I’m saying? What’s the color in it? It’s basically a blue picture. And blue is the most comforting and loving color you can paint. Does it not look peaceful? I could have painted blood dripping from them, which a lot of movie posters have done, but that’s not what I paint. I want to make the world a better and more beautiful, peaceful, and kind place. So, you’ll see that in every picture I paint.

“Way of the Gun” Trivia from Director Christopher McQuarrie!

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I recently posted about my love for Way of the Gun.  It’s got a great cast and was written/directed by Christopher McQuarrie.  If you haven’t seen it you might want to give it a try.

Rob Hunter, at Film School Rejects, posted 28 Things We Learned from Christopher McQuarrie’s ‘The Way of the Gun’ Commentary.  As usual, before you click over, here are three of my favorites and thoughts to go with each…

McQuarrie was “very resistant” to casting Phillippe, but the actor wouldn’t take no without the opportunity for a meeting. (When McQuarrie asked Phillippe why he wanted to be in his small film instead of a higher profile project, Phillippe’s response that he wanted to be an actor, not a movie star was classic!  I love Phillippe’s persistence and attitude towards his craft. – Craig)

The kidnapping scene sees lots of collateral in the form of dead or wounded people in both the foreground and background. McQuarrie points out the couple in the car at 17:43 — “a guy crying over his dead wife with three bullets in the windshield” — and says it’s all meant to leave viewers questioning who their loyalty is aimed towards. (One of the things I really like about Way of the Gun is that the two leads aren’t movie star bad guys.  You know, bad guys that are really good at heart or misunderstood.  These guys aren’t heroes. – Craig)

“The character is a survivor,” said James Caan about his character Joe Sarno, “I want to show what he survived.” The result was a highlighting of the scars on his face and neck. (There are a lot of great lines in Way of the Gun and James Caan’s character gets his fair share.  One of my favorites: “The only thing you can guess about a broken down old man is that he is a survivor.” – Craig)

Val Kilmer – Little Known & Surprising Trivia!

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Jake Rossen, at Mental Floss, has come up with 10 Surprising Facts About Val Kilmer.  Rossen’s list is a good one, with some truly surprising trivia.  Before you click over, here are three of my favorites with my thoughts…

VAL KILMER WAS THE YOUNGEST PERSON TO EVER BE ACCEPTED INTO THE JUILLIARD SCHOOL’S DRAMA DIVISION.  (That is a testament to Kilmer’s talent that isn’t subjective. – Craig)

VAL KILMER TURNED DOWN THE OUTSIDERS TO DO BROADWAY. (I’m sure that was a tough decision — work with a group of up and coming young stars directed by Francis Ford Coppola or appear on Broadway with Kevin Bacon and Sean Penn.  I’m a bit surprised that he didn’t go with Coppola and the movie. – Craig)

VAL KILMER DIDN’T WANT TO MAKE TOP GUN. (Kilmer felt Top Gun had a pro-war message and almost didn’t accept the role that is arguably his second most famous! – Craig)

I still believe that Val Kilmer not getting nominated, let alone win an Oscar for his role as Doc Holiday in Tombstone is one of the biggest oversights in Academy Award history.

“Copshop” starring Gerard Butler & Frank Grillo – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Normally I like crime movies to be serious, but every once in a while it is fun to watch one that leans deeply into comedy.  Copshop looks to be one that fits in that category.  With a cast that includes Frank Grillo and Gerard Butler, how can I resist?  Deal me in.

Screaming through the Nevada desert in a bullet-ridden Crown Vic, wily con artist Teddy Murretto (Frank Grillo) hatches a desperate plan to hide out from lethal hitman Bob Viddick (Gerard Butler): He sucker-punches rookie officer Valerie Young (Alexis Louder) to get himself arrested and locked up in a small-town police station. But jail can’t protect Murretto for long. Viddick schemes his own way into detention, biding his time in a nearby cell until he can complete his mission. When the arrival of a competing assassin (Toby Huss) ignites all-out mayhem, mounting threats force Viddick to get creative if he wants to finish the job and escape the explosive situation.

The Best American Neo-Noir Films!

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Swapnil Dhruv Bose put together a list of 10 Essential Films from the American Neo-Noir Movement.  The list is a good one.  Here are my thoughts on each of the films and a few others that would have made my list…

Point Blank (John Boorman – 1967):  I’m a Lee Marvin fan and I’ve liked Point Blank more with each viewing.  

The Long Goodbye (Robert Altman – 1973): While I’m a Raymond Chandler fan, I didn’t like this adaption of his novel. Part of the problem was that I didn’t think Elliot Gould was a good choice to play Chandler.  

Chinatown (Roman Polanski – 1974): Chinatown is a classic.

The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola – I’ve never watched The Conversation which is a surprise even to me because it is held in such high regard and I’m a Coppola fan. Perhaps this will be the year I watch it.

Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese – 1976): I like Scorsese. I like Deniro. I didn’t like Taxi Driver. I thought it was slow and excessively violent. Perhaps another viewing is in order.

Blade Runner (Ridley Scott – 1982): I’ve enjoyed every version of Blade Runner. (Although I wasn’t a huge fan of the sequel.)

Blue Velvet (David Lynch – 1986): I didn’t care for Blue Velvet.

Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino – 1994): I loved Pulp Fiction. It remains one of Tarantino’s best films.

L.A. Confidential (Curtis Hanson – 1997): L.A. Confidential is perhaps the best film on this list. I love it.

The Big Lebowski (Coen Brothers – 1998): I’ve never seen it. I know, I know. I need to fix that.

Films that would have made my neo-noir list:

The Killers (1964 – Don Siegel)

Sin City (2005 – Robert Rodriguez & Frank Miller)

Blood Simple (1984 – Cohen Brothers)

Seven (1995 – David Fincher)

John Wick (2014 – Chad Stahelski, David Leitch)

Heat (1995 – Michael Mann)

Thief (1981 – Michael Mann)

RIP: Ron Popeil

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Ron Popeil an American inventor, business man and marketing genius.  He died yesterday at the age of 86.  No cause of death was given.

Popeil became famous not only for his inventions but more so in the way he marketed them.  He began with television ads promoting his Chop-O-Matic vegetable slicer calling it “the greatest kitchen appliance ever made.”  Popeil’s claims were over the top but he made them with enthusiasm and likability.  He followed the Chop-O-Matic with the Veg-A-Matic which could “slice a tomato so thin it only has one side.”

His company Ronco continued to put out ads marketing their products: The Pocket Fisherman, Mr. Microphone, The Bedazzler, Hair in a Can Spray, The Kitchen Magician, Mr. Dentist, and The Smokeless Ashtray were just some of the products you could find Mr. Popeil hawking in television ads.  Ronco also branched out to Ronco Records to release compilation albums featuring popular songs from a few years ago now at popular prices.

In addition to his grandiose  product claims, Ron Popeil was the first to use the catch phrase used in most late night television commercials hawking products, “Wait… There’s more!”   Ron Popeil’s enthusiasm for his products and his unabashed hucksterism made him a popular culture celebrity.  He was parodied on everything from Saturday Night Live to the Simpsons.  Even Gallagher’s most popular bit, The Sledge-O-Matic could be traced back to Ron Popeil.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ron Popeil’s family, friends and fans.

“The Gate Way” Starring Shea Whigham, Olivia Munn, Frank Grillo & Bruce Dern – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The Gateway looks good!  While the poster mostly goes with the big photoshopped heads of the stars, it does have a lower half of art.  The real joy though is the trailer.  It features a compelling story and what a cast!  Deal me in.

Shea Whigham (American Hustle), Olivia Munn (X-Men: Apocalypse) and Frank Grillo (The Grey) star in this edge of your seat, gritty crime thriller. Whigham is Parker, a down on his luck social worker who finds himself in over his head when he tries to protect his client from her recently paroled husband. Can Parker save the family from the violent threat of the maniacal drug dealer and his crew, desperate to reclaim their priceless stash at any cost?

THE GATEWAY – In select theaters September 3rd and on Blu-ray/DVD September 7th- Shea Whigham (Parker), Olivia Munn (Dahlia), Taryn Manning (Corey), Mark Boone Junior (Gary), Taegen Burns (Ashley) with Frank Grillo (Duke) and Bruce Dern (Marcus).

“Untold” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster for Untold is okay, but the trailer makes me want to learn the rest of the stories.  Deal me in.

From the creators of WILD WILD COUNTRY, comes a five-part sports docuseries event that brings fresh eyes to some of the greatest stories in sports. From tennis to boxing to basketball, these stories aren’t the ones you’ve heard before, even if you think you have.

“The Card Counter” Written/Directed by Paul Schrader; Starring Oscar Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan and Willem Dafoe – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Wow!  I love the poster and trailer for The Card Counter.  Written and directed by Paul Schrader it stars Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan and Willem Dafoe.  Deal me in!

Redemption is the long game in Paul Schrader’s THE CARD COUNTER. Told with Schrader’s trademark cinematic intensity, the revenge thriller tells the story of an ex-military interrogator turned gambler haunted by the ghosts of his past decisions, and features riveting performances from stars Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan and Willem Dafoe.