Rare “The Thing” Behind-the-Scenes Photo!
Check out this ultra rare photo of James Arness out of makeup for The Thing!
Source: Michael Kronenberg
Category: Movies
“Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” Art by Juan Ramos!
I love this Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark art by Juan Ramos. It is being offered as a limited edition Giclee print from Bottleneckgallery.com. Click on the art above to see a larger version and click here if you want to learn more about the print.
“Memory” Starring Liam Neeson and Guy Pearce – The Trailer is Here!
Liam Neeson and Guy Pearce in Memory, an action thriller with a cool concept. Deal me in.
MEMORY follows Alex Lewis (Liam Neeson), an expert assassin with a reputation for discreet precision. Caught in a moral quagmire, Alex refuses to complete a job that violates his code and must quickly hunt down and kill the people who hired him before they and FBI agent Vincent Serra (Guy Pearce) find him first. Alex is built for revenge but, with a memory that is beginning to falter, he is forced to question his every action, blurring the line between right and wrong.
“Watcher” – The Trailer is Here!
Watcher has a great look and vibe. Deal me in.
US Release Date: June 3, 2022
Starring: Maika Monroe, Karl Glusman, Burn Gorman
Directed By: Chloe Okuno
Synopsis: Julia uproots her life in America to accompany her husband to Bucharest, Romania. As she spends more time alone, she notices a shadowy figure staring from the opposite block. Her curiosity turns to fear when she hears of a murderer in the area.
“The Takedown” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!
I like the poster and trailer for The Takedown. I’m ready for a fun buddy-movie. Deal me in.
Ousmane Diakité (Omar Sy) and François Monge (Laurent Lafitte) are two cops with very different styles, backgrounds and careers. The unlikely pair are reunited once again for a new investigation that takes them across France. What seemed to be a simple drug deal turns out to be a high scale criminal case wrapped in danger and unexpected comedy.
Watch The Takedown, only on Netflix May 6
2021’s Best Horror Movie Posters – You Can Vote!
IMPAwards has started voting for 2021’s Best Horror Movie Poster. You can vote here.
As you can see above, my five included: Spiral: From the Book of Saw; A Quiet Place: Part II; The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It; Malignant and Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. At this point in the voting only one of my top five (Malignant) made it into the top ten. Maybe that will change once everyone gets their votes in.
RIP: William Hurt
William Hurt’s son announced today that his father died of natural causes one week short of his 72 birthday. William Hurt’s acting career spanned over 40 years. He appeared on the stage, television and feature films.
Mr. Hurt began his career as a stage actor and won an Obie Award (Off Broadway Theater Award) for his debut performance in Corinne Jacker’s My Life in 1977. In 1977, he also made his first television appearance in Kojak. William Hurt’s feature film debut came in 1980’s Altered States and his performance earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best New Actor in a motion picture.
For the rest of his career William Hurt continued to appear on stage, television and in feature films. He won one Oscar for Best Actor (Kiss of the Spider Woman) and had four Best Actor Oscar nominations. Three of the nominations came in three successive years!
Some of William Hurt’s most notable feature film appearances were in: Altered States; Body Heat; The Big Chill; Kiss of the Spider Woman; Children of a Lesser God; Broadcast News; The Accidental Tourist; Dark City; A.I. Artificial Intelligence; The Village; A History of Violence; Captain America: Civil War; Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: End Game.
Some of Mr. Hurt’s most notable television appearances were in: Kojak; Varian’s War; Damages; Endgame; Too Big to Fail and Bonnie & Clyde.
My favorite William Hurt performance was in Body Heat. I had seen him prior to that but his performance as Ned Racine was the one that made me sit up and take notice. It was interesting to see how William Hurt was able to adapt to different roles over the course of his long and memorable career.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to William Hurt’s family, friends and fans.
“Below Zero” (2021) / Z-View
Below Zero (2021)
Director: Lluís Quílez
Writers: Fernando Navarro, Lluís Quílez
Starring: Javier Gutiérrez, Karra Elejalde and Luis Callejo.
Tagline: Escape is not the exit.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
When a prison transport on a deserted road comes under attack, one police officer survives by getting in the armored truck with the prisoners. Outside the weather is freezing and a killer wants one of them dead. But which one? And why?
Below Zero has action, mystery and atmosphere. The fact that it lacks American stars adds to the suspense of who may die. The foggy night and frozen lake scenes are memorable. Below Zero rates 3 of 5 stars.
“JAZZ FEST: A NEW ORLEANS STORY” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!
I’m not one for crowds, but the New Orleans Jazz Fest just might be worth it.
JAZZ FEST: A NEW ORLEANS STORY
Directed By: Frank Marshall and Ryan Suffern
Featuring: Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Buffett, Katy Perry, Earth, Wind & Fire, and many others.
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell, aka “Jazz Fest,” is the signature annual music and cultural event of the city and has been called America’s greatest festival. Celebrating the music, food, and arts and crafts of all of Louisiana since 1970, Jazz Fest is an essential showcase of the rich heritage of the region, and hundreds of thousands attend the event each year. Local music heroes are joined on 14 stages by some of the most important figures in entertainment, highlighting the connections between Louisiana culture and the world.
JAZZ FEST: A NEW ORLEANS STORY weaves together live performances and interviews from the 50th anniversary of the iconic festival, featuring some of the biggest names in the music industry, along with a wealth of archival documentary footage from the past half century. This film not only captures the Festival in all of its beauty and glory, but also delves deep into the rich culture of The Big Easy.
Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes (2018) / Z-View
Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes (2018)
Director: Robert S. Bader
Writers: Robert S. Bader, Dick Cavett
Starring: Muhammad Ali, Dick Cavett, Joe Frazier, Woody Allen, Jimmy Breslin, Jim Brown, Howard Cosell, Angelo Dundee, Louis Farrakhan, Martin Luther King, Jerry Lewis, Joe Louis, Thomas Hauser. Lester Maddox. Norman Mailer, Malcolm X, Michael Marley and Larry Merchant.
Tagline: None.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes is a wonderful documentary chronicling the life and boxing career of Muhammad Ali using clips from the Dick Cavett Show as the glue holding it together. Ali not only led an interesting life, but lived in interesting and turbulent times. It is fascinating to see how social changes and outside influences impacted Ali’s career. As Ali matured he became more of his own man, the only three-time heavyweight champion and the most famous athlete in the world. It’s an interesting journey and rates 5 of 5 stars!
“Cold Skin” (2017) / Z-View
Cold Skin (2017)
Director: Xavier Gens
Screenplay: Jesús Olmo, Eron Sheean (based on the novel by Albert Sánchez Piñol)
Starring: Ray Stevenson, David Oakes and Aura Garrido.
Tagline: How much horror can the heart endure?
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
In 1914, a young man is dropped off on a small, remote island near the Antarctic Circle. The island is not on regular shipping lanes and the ship won’t return for a year. The only other person on the island is the lighthouse keeper, a strange recluse who might be crazy.
During his first night on the island, the young man’s cabin comes under attack by strange creatures from the sea. The young man barely gets into the cellar where he survives the night. The next morning the young man makes his way to the lighthouse. He’s shocked to see that it has been fortified with spikes and metal window coverings. The lighthouse keeper explains that the creatures attack nightly and retreat to the ocean with the sunrise. The young man barters food and ammunition in order to be let in the lighthouse.
Neither the young man nor the lighthouse keeper trust their alliance. Tensions grow when the young man discovers a female creature is being held captive and abused by the lighthouse keeper.
I was expecting Cold Skin to be a straight out horror film with a lot of action. It is, but takes an unexpected turn which gives it more depth. I continued to think about Cold Skin long after the movie ended. Cold Skin leaves some unanswered questions, and won’t be for everyone. I liked that it was more than just mindless monsters and left me with some food for thought. Cold Skin rates 3 of 5 stars.
“Alice” – Revenge is Long Overdue! – The Poster and Trailer are Here!
I love the throwback 70s feel to the poster for Alice. The trailer sets up an interesting mash-up of M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village and most any Pam Grier movie from back in the day.
I love it. Can you dig it?
Deal me in!
Alice (Keke Palmer) yearns for freedom as an enslaved person on a rural Georgia plantation under its brutal and disturbed owner Paul (Jonny Lee Miller). After a violent clash with Paul, she flees through the neighboring woods and stumbles onto the unfamiliar sight of a highway, soon discovering the year is actually 1973. Rescued on the roadside by a disillusioned political activist named Frank (Common), Alice quickly comprehends the lies that have kept her in bondage and the promise of Black liberation. Inspired by true accounts, Alice is a modern empowerment fable tracing Alice’s journey through the post-Civil Rights Era American South.
“Splinter” (2008) / Z-View
Splinter (2008)
Director: Toby Wilkins
Screenplay: Ian Shorr, Kai Barry, Toby Wilkins (uncredited)
Starring: Shea Whigham, Jill Wagner, Paulo Costanzo, Charles Baker, Rachel Kerbs and Laurel Whitsett.
Tagline: It will get under your skin.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
A young couple carjacked by an escaped prisoner and his girlfriend become trapped in a remote gas station by a parasitic lifeform that infects its victims turning them into deadly hosts. Splinter is a low-budget film that works thanks to a well written script and excellent casting. The story moves quickly and while there may be a few nits to pick with their ice-pack solution, why bother when the film is so much fun?
Splinter rates 4 of 5 stars.
“Agent Game” Starring Dermot Mulroney & Mel Gibson – The Poster and Trailer are Here!
I like the looks of the poster and trailer for Agent Game starring Dermot Mulroney and Mel Gibson. Hope you do as well.
“F9: The Fast Saga” (2021) / Z-View
F9: The Fast Saga (2021)
Director: Justin Lin
Screenplay: Daniel Casey, Justin Lin
Starring: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludicris, Charlize Theron, John Cena, Finn Cole, Sung Kang, Helen Mirren and Kurt Russell.
Tagline: Fast Family Forever
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
I was a big fan of the first several Fast and Furious movies. Not so much with the last few. The problem is that in each new film the stakes get bigger and the stunts more outrageous. We are now at the point where the Road Runner cartoons have more logical storylines and respect for physics.
With F9: The Fast Saga, whatever you need to happen will happen:
- Drive a car over a suspension bridge that has one end cut loose? No problem, just shift gears and keep driving.
- Drive a car over a chasm where a suspension bridge was just cut loose? No problem, hit the nitrous and a bridge cable will wrap around your axel and swing you to the other side.
- Need an electromagnet that will pull cars through a building to wreck a truck chasing you? No problem, flip the switch. Need a gag where the electromagnet pulls of necklaces, rings and watches from pedestrians? No problem, flip the switch – the necklaces, rings and watches will come off and leave necks, fingers and wrists intact.
- Attacked by truckloads of machinegun armed soldiers who fire hundreds of rounds? No problem, you won’t even get winged! And you’re able to use a pistol to take out soldiers with each shot.
- Chase a gun repelling across the city? No problem, drive the car crazy through traffic, stop and run to the roof of a building and jump out into space. No worries, you’ll crash into him knocking you both through a window where you can fight! He’ll miss a punch a knock out part of wall! Then he’ll pick you up and run with you through the house destroying doorways.
- Your girlfriend in the midst of a motorcycle jump has her bike knocked from under her? No worry, you can drive your car so she lands on it! Much softer hitting the metal car at 100 miles an hour than the ground!
- Need to go to outer space with virtually no training or a space ship? No problem, strap a jet engine onto a small car and put on scuba gear.
Needless to say, these are just a few of the insane things that happen. I can suspend disbelief for a few items, but when a logical storyline goes out the window and there is no real concern that a character will be hurt, let alone killed, you’re going to lose me. I’ll watch, but with less interest than I have in a Road Runner cartoon, F9: The Fast Saga rates 2 of 5 stars.
