Category: Movies

“The Beta Test” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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There are several different posters for The Beta Test available, but I liked the one above best.

“But Craig, it doesn’t look like a movie poster.  It looks like a fancy invitation.  It doesn’t list who stars in the movie, who directed it or the studio that made it.  How can this be the best poster?”

Watch the trailer below and then, like me, plan to check out the movie.  Oh, and then you’ll know why I picked the poster above as the best.  ; )

Shortly before his wedding, ruthless talent agent Jordan (Jim Cummings) receives a mysterious envelope offering no-strings-attached sex with a stranger in a hotel room. Initially amused, then intrigued, he becomes obsessed by the idea of a secret erotic adventure and impulsively accepts. But will he regret his choices when his meticulous, superficial world threatens to collapse under the weight of his burgeoning lies?

Clint Eastwood’s Best Roles!

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Jeremy Herbert at /Film decided to come up with his list of Clint Eastwood’s 14 Best Roles Ranked.  Narrowing down Eastwood’s best roles to just 14 is tough. Before you click over to check out Herbert’s list, here are my top five (using just Herbert’s picks) and a few more that didn’t make his list, but would have made mine.

Harry Callahan from Dirty Harry:  This is a pretty easy choice for me.  I think Harry is Eastwood’s most iconic and best role.  After that the choices become tougher, but for me Dirty Harry is #1.

Josey Wales from The Outlaw Josey Wales:  I placed Josey in the second spot, but to be honest I almost placed Blondie aka The Man with No Name at #2.  Today Josey gets the edge, but that could change.  Wales loses everything but his humanity.  And Herbert is right to mention the classic line: “Dyin’ ain’t much of a living, boy.”

Blondie from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly:  The movie that made Eastwood an international superstar.  

Will Munny from Unforgiven:  I applaud Eastwood for having the patience to wait until he was old enough to play the character.  Unforgiven doesn’t give us the typical good guy – bad guy movie.  Our good guy is a bad guy.  There’s no shooting guns out of the bad guy’s hands.  Gut shots are slow, painful deaths.  There’s no riding off into the sunset with the girl. John Wayne would have hated this film.  I wouldn’t want all my westerns to be like this, but I do love me some Unforgiven.  

Other Eastwood characters that would have made my list but didn’t make Herbert’s…

  • Hogan from Two Mules for Sister Sarah
  • Dave from Play Misty for Me
  • Ben Shockley from The Gauntlet
  • Gunnery Sargent Thomas Highway from Heartbreak Ridge
  • Chief Red Garnett from A Perfect World

Black & White Classic Monsters in Color!

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I know that there are many purists who think that colorizing ANY movie (especially classics) is terrible.  I’m of the mindset that as long as the originals are still available, why not colorize?  It may encourage younger viewers to watch and turn them on to the originals.  I know I’d be interested in seeing the black and white classic monsters in color… but I wouldn’t give up my dvd originals.

A collection of scenes from black and white horror classics, mostly Universal Monsters, colourized using the programs EbSynth, DeOldify and Photoshop.

Featuring
Nosferatu, Phantom of the Opera, Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, Werewolf of London, Mad Love, Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Creature From the Black Lagoon.

Music by Bernhard Herrmann from Alfred Hitchock’s Vertigo.

Source: Patrick Zircher

Bruce Lee’s Best Non-Kato TV Roles!

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The fine folks at Me-TV decided to turn the spotlight on 5 Forgotten Television Appearances by the Legendary Bruce Lee.  After playing Kato on The Green Hornet, Bruce Lee made appearances on four other US television shows: Ironside, Blondie, Here Come the Brides and Longstreet.  Me-TV also snuck in Lee’s appearance in the feature film Marlowe since it played on television in 1972 (released to theaters in 1969).  Before you click over, here are my thoughts on each…

Ironside:  I used to watch this series with my grandparents.  Lee plays a karate instructor who teaches Ironside’s female associate a few tricks.  I’d like to see the episode now to see if it holds up.  I had just turned 9 when I saw the show originally.  I remember it being just okay (it needed more Bruce Lee).

Blondie:  This is one Bruce Lee appearance I’ve never seen.  I didn’t watch Blondie and didn’t even remember the show (which looks pretty bad).

Here Come the Brides:  I used to watch HCtB regularly, but barely remember the Bruce Lee episode or much of the series.  This is another show I’d like to check out to see how it holds up.

Longstreet:  I loved the idea of Bruce Lee training a blind investigator self-defense.  Lee appeared in four of the 24 episodes.  I liked this show (with Lee in it) quite a lot.

Marlowe:  Lee only has two scenes but they are the ones you will remember!  In the first he threatens Marlowe (James Garner) and in the second they fight to the death (although the way Lee dies is pretty lame).

Quentin Tarantino Talks “True Romance”

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True Romance doesn’t get enough love.  Tarantino’s script.  Directed by Tony Scott.  And look at that cast: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, Bronson Pinchot, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Rapaport, Saul Rubinek, Conchata Ferrell, James Gandolfini, Chris Penn and Tom Sizemore!!!

Rob Hunter at Film School Rejects posted 30 Things We Learned from Quentin Tarantino’s ‘True Romance’ Commentary.  Before you click over, here are three of my favorites and some thoughts on each…

It wasn’t specified in the script that Elvis (Val Kilmer) would never really be seen all that clearly, and he was worried that the actor would be upset by Scott’s choice. He heard later that Kilmer loved it. (This was an interesting choice that many actor’s wouldn’t have liked. Credit to Val Kilmer for seeing the merit in playing it that way. – Craig)

He (Tarantino) is a huge fan of Scott’s Revenge (1990) which is the correct response to that film.  (I am a huge fan of Revenge.  It is probably Tony Scott and Kevin Costner’s most underrated film. – Craig)

He credits Scott with doing what a director should with the adaptation and make it their own. Clarence dying in the script makes sense to Tarantino, but Scott’s film is far more successful as a fairy tale of sorts meaning Clarence needed to live. “If I had made the movie he would have died. It would have been the same script but it would have been different. And in mine I think it would have worked. But in his, no, in his I think he was right.”  (In Scott’s film Clarence lives, in Tarantino’s script Clarence dies.  Both endings could work, but I’m glad Tony Scott stuck to his guns.  Like him, I wanted to see them get away. – Craig)

Guillermo del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I’m looking forward to Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley.  He’s assembled a great cast and has a feel for this type of film.  Don’t take my word for it.  Check out the poster above and the trailer below.  As for me, I’m heading for Nightmare Alley come December.

In NIGHTMARE ALLEY, an ambitious carny (Bradley Cooper) with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) who is even more dangerous than he is.

Directed by: Guillermo del Toro

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, David Strathairn

“The Cleaner” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Here we have the poster and trailer for The Cleaner.  The poster is okay, but the trailer works.  I also like the casting for The Trailer.  I don’t really know the star, King Orba, but look at his list of co-stars: Luke Wilson, Linda Carter, Shelley Long, Eden Brolin, M.C. Gainey, Punky Brewster herself, Soleil Moon Frye.

I’m in.

When a middle-aged house cleaner Buck Enderly takes on an eccentric new client, he gets roped into locating her estranged son. Buck tracks down the disturbed young man but in another twist of fate becomes an accomplice to a violent crime. Available October 12.

Directed By Erin Elders
STARRING: King Orba, Luke Wilson, Lynda Carter, Shelley Long, Eden Brolin, Shiloh Fernandez

The All-Time Best Movie Jump Scares!

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Alex Riviello at /FIlm posted A Brief History Of The Horror Movie Jump Scare with excellent examples.  Before you click over, here are my five favorites from Riviello”s list plus three that didn’t make his list, but would have made mine.

Carrie.  I saw Carrie at a midnight movie when I was 18.  It was nearly 2am and it appeared the movie was done.  Remember this was in the days when happy endings were common (and jump scares at the end of movies were not). When the jump scare happened I came out of the seat and probably scared my date more than the jump scare.

The Descent.  The first part of The Descent sets up the horror of being underground in tightly enclosed spaces.  Finally they get to an area with some breathing room.  As they use the night vision glasses to see the best way to proceed we get the jump scare and it is great one!

Friday the 13th. I saw Friday the 13th for the first time on HBO and had no idea the jump scare was coming.  It was well after midnight.  I thought the end credits were getting ready to roll so I got up to to turn off the tv (no remote control in those prehistoric days).  As I stood in front of the tv the jump scare happened and it’s a miracle I didn’t wake up the entire apartment complex.

Psycho.  Hitchcock is the master of suspense.  He slowly builds tension as Detective Arbogast slowly goes up the big staircase.  He cuts to a door with a sliver of light and then back to Arbogast reaching the top of the stairs.  Hitch switches to an overhead shot of an old lady attacking with a knife!  Wha-what?  

Wait Until Dark.  I’m glad this one was included because it is one of the best jump scares.  Audrey Heburn plays a blind lady with two killers in her house.  I don’t want to give anything away.  Watch Wait Until Dark.  It’s an underrated gem.

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Here are three classic jump scares that would have made my list…

Exorcist III:  Late at night a nurse is checking on things.  The camera views her doing this from a distance.  As she walks across the hall we see someone (something) walking quickly behind her holding huge shears at her neck level.  Perfect set-up for this jump scare with the person in background called away and then back and away again.

Play Misty For Me. Clint Eastwood plays a popular DJ who had a one night stand with a woman. She becomes unhinged when he dumps her. The jump scare happens in a scene when Eastwood wakes up to find her in his bedroom. I saw this at a drive-in when I was 13 and I’ll admit that I jumped more than Clint Eastwood — and he came out of his bed!

Alien:  Dallas has a flamethrower and is looking for the alien.  His crew members are monitoring and telling Dallas the alien is close.  Dallas sees evidence of it but not the alien itself.  The crew continues to tell Dallas the alien is getting closer and finally they tell him to run… cue the jump scare!

 

Bram “Dracula” Stoker – Facts You May Not Know!

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Almost everyone knows that Bram Stoker wrote one of the pillars of horror fiction, Dracula.  Brigit Katz at Mental Floss dug deeper and came up with 11 Enlightening Facts About Bram Stoker.  Before you click over, here are three of my favorites with my thoughts on each…

IT TOOK BRAM STOKER SEVEN YEARS TO WRITE DRACULA. (What’s interesting is he liked to say the story came to him in a dream after “a too-generous helping of dressed crab at supper.”  I’ll admit his version is more fun than the reality of seven years of writing, research and rewriting. – Craig)

DRACULA WAS ALMOST NAMED “COUNT WAMPYR.” (Count Wampyr!  C’mon, man, you know that sounds wimpy compared to Count Dracula.  Plus “DRACULA in Wallachian language means DEVIL.”  Thankfully Stoker changed his mind and went with Dracula! – Craig)

BRAM STOKER SENT FAN MAIL TO WALT WHITMAN. (Whitman responded and the two authors actually did meet three different times.  I love it when I learn trivia like this.  It makes both men seem more down to earth. – Craig)

All-Time Best Movies About the Devil!

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Chad Collins at /Film came up with his list of The 13 Best Movies About The Devil Ranked.  Using just Collins’ list, here are my top five in alphabetical order with thoughts on each.

Curse of the Demon: is one of those films that gets better with each viewing.  I just watched it a couple of days ago and it never fails to entertain.  It’s scary without being gory and is more of a psychological thriller.  What if you don’t believe in the devil until you do… and it is too late!

The Devil’s Advocate:  I remember liking this one more than most folks.  Al Pacino as the devil with Keanu Reeves before his John Wick persona that could send the devil running for safety.  

The Exorcist:  Hands-down the scariest devil movie ever made.  Perhaps the scariest movie ever made.

Race with the Devil:  I saw this in a theater when it was first released and loved it.  “When you race with the devil, you better be faster than hell.”  

Rosemary’s Baby:  While Race with the Devil is all about action, speed and thrills, Rosemary’s Baby is slow increasing tension, fear and dread and is considered a classic in the genre.

Here are three that I would have included but didn’t make Collins’ list.

Angel Heart:  Robert Deniro plays Louis Cyphre in this stylish Alan Parker film.  Mickey Rourke, Lisa Bonet and Charlotte Rampling co-star.

Legend:  Tim Curry as the Devil?  Yep.  Tom Cruise as the hero in a Ridley Scott film.  How could this not make the list? 

All That Money Can Buy aka The Devil and Daniel Webster:  was made in 1941 and released under different titles depending on where it was playing.  Movies with the word “Devil” in the title didn’t do as well in the religious south.  A farmer makes a deal with the devil – he trades years of prosperity for his soul.  When the devil comes to collect, the great lawyer Daniel Webster takes him to court!

 

Kevin Wilson’s “Creature from the Black Lagoon” Alt Movie Poster!

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To get the full beauty of Kevin Wilson’s Creature from the Black Lagoon print, you should click over to BottleneckGallery.com and see the larger version.  While you’re then you can even check out Wilson’s variant version.  I prefer the color one above, but your mileage may differ.  If you really dig the Creature from the Black Lagoon print, be advised that they go on sale today and there is a limited number available.

“Every Last One of Them” Starring Paul Sloan with Michael Madsen and Richard Dreyfuss – The Trailer is Here!

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Every Last One of Them has second feature at a drive-in movie written all over it.  I’m looking forward to seeing it!  Starring Paul Sloan with Michael Madsen and Richard Dreyfuss, Every Last One of Them is a throwback low budget action film.  Count me in.

Paul Sloan stars as a man looking for his missing daughter, but his search uncovers a larger conspiracy involving a Chinatown-Esque Big Capitalism deal over water rights. Things begin to spiral out of control, leading to high-stakes shootouts and other masculine antics that genre fans can’t help but eat right up!