Category: Movies

“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.

“Catch the Bullet” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I like the title, Catch the Bullet and the poster better than the trailer.  Who doesn’t like a good western?  The question is how good will Catch the Bullet be?  I feel like the trailer gives away too much and doesn’t feel gritty enough.  I hope I’m wrong because we need more good westerns.

This powerful western starring Peter Facinelli (Twilight franchise) shows what happens when you push a good man too far. Britt MacMasters (Jay Pickett), a U.S. Marshal, returns from a mission to find his father (Tom Skerritt) wounded and his son, Chad, kidnapped by the outlaw Jed Blake. Hot on their trail, Britt forms a posse with a gunslinging deputy and a stoic Pawnee tracker. But both Jed and Britt tread dangerously close to the Red Desert’s Sioux territory, which poses a menace far greater than either can imagine.

Catch the Bullet – On Digital Friday, September 10, 2021 and DVD on Tuesday, September 14, 2021 – Jay Pickett, Tom Skerritt

The 12 Best Movies from the Last 12 Decades!

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Jonathan H. Kantor, at Listverse, took on the Herculean task of coming up with the Top 10 Best Movies Of The Last 10 Decades.  I decided I would compare my list to Kantor’s but I also included two decades that he didn’t.  I also decided I would choose the film that best resonated with me for each decade rather than the “best”.  The films picked are the ones I return to watch most often (in most cases… more on that later) Here is how our lists compared and then my thoughts after…

Kantor

Zablo
1900s The Great Train Robbery (1903)
1910s Shoulder Arms (1918) Charlie Chaplin
1920s Metropolis The Unknown (1928) Lon Chaney
1930s The Wizard of Oz The Wizard of Oz (1939)
1940s Citizen Kane Casablanca (1942)
1950s Sunset Blvd. North by Northwest (1959)
1960s Psycho Night of the Living Dead (1968)
1970s The Godfather Rocky (1976)
1980s Raiders of the Lost Ark Die Hard (1988)
1990s The Shawshank Redemption The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
2000s Spirited Away Pitch Black (2000)
2010s Boyhood John Wick (2014)

Choosing one film to represent the best of each decade was nearly impossible.  I was forced to leave out many of my favorite movies since I could only select one per decade.  Hats off to Kantor for coming up with such a list and for making me think about the films I love.  I’m sure if I did this again I would in some cases select different films.  I’ve been thinking for a while now I would like to post a list of my top three favorite films for each year, taking them one year at a time.  Perhaps I will get to that one day.  For now I need to give my brain a rest.

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.

“Kate” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Kate reminds me of a mash-up of D.O.A., Atomic Blonde, The Long Kiss Goodnight and John Wick.  I like the poster and the trailer rocks.  Deal me in.

After she’s poisoned, a ruthless criminal operative has less than 24 hours to exact revenge on her enemies and in the process forms an unexpected bond with the daughter of one of her past victims.

There’s no time for mercy.

“2 Bullet Solution is Here” – Three Test Subjects, Two Bullets, 1 Solution – Check Out this Cool Short!

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2 Bullet Solution (I love that title) is three minutes and 32 seconds that works as a short movie or the opening of a feature film.  It is full of well done action that isn’t mindless.  I wouldn’t mind seeing 2 Bullet Solution adapted into a full length movie. Matt Mullins and Chris Naylor are filmmakers to watch.

3 Test Subjects, 2 Bullets, 1 Solution.

“2 Bullet Solution” by Matt Mullins and Chris Naylor