Category: Movies
The Revenant (2015) / Z-View
The Revenant (2015)
Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Screenplay: Mark L. Smith & Alejandro G. Iñárritu (based in part on Michael Punke‘s novel)
Stars: Leonardi DiCaprio and Tom Hardy.
The Pitch: “Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Leonardo DiCaprio want to make a movie together.’”
The Tagline: “Revenant: (n. One who has returned, as if from the dead.)”
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
An 1820 expedition into the frontier for beaver finds itself under attack by Indians. While making their escape, scout Hugh Glass is savagely mauled by a bear. Fearful that they will be found by the marauding Indians, the Captain of the expedition leaves Glass and his young son in the care of John Fitzgerald [Hardy] who promises to stay with Glass until Glass dies. Fitzgerald will then catch back up to the expedition.
When Glass doesn’t die, Fitzgerald decides to help things along. He is caught by Glass’ son burying Glass alive. Fitzgerald kills Glass’ son and leaves Glass for dead. Glass slowly recovers and must make his way across the frontier fighting Indians, and the elements with his goal of revenge giving him a reason to live.
I liked The Revenant quite a bit, but probably not as much as most. The action scenes were amazing. The cinematography was beautiful. No complaints with the acting or direction. I did feel that a bit too much time was spent looking up a trees and with Glass’ visions. The ending was unexpected and didn’t quite ring right with me. Still, I really liked The Revenant and all the awards it won may be an indication that I’m picking nits.
Awards Won:
- Academy Award: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role – Leonardo DiCaprio
- Academy Award: Best Achievement in Directing – Alejandro G. Iñárritu
- Academy Award: Best Achievement in Cinematography – Emmanuel Lubezki
- Golden Globe: Best Picture [Drama]
- Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama – Leonardo DiCaprio
- Golden Globe: Best Director – Motion Picture – Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Another 70 wins & 156 nominations.
Rating:
Bone Tomahawk (2015) / Z-View
Bone Tomahawk (2015)
Director: S. Craig Zahler
Screenplay: S. Craig Zahler
Stars: Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Richard Jenkins, Lili Simmons, David Arquette, Sid Haig, Michael Pare, and Sean Young.
The Pitch: “S. Craig Zahler is a writer/director to watch. Let’s give him the 1.8 million he needs to make ‘Bone Tomahawk.’”
The Tagline: “May the Lord have mercy and grant you a swift death.”
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
A raiding party of cannibalistic Troglodytes are led to farm on the outskirts of a small western town. The cannibals kill some settlers and kidnap others. The town folk are too frightened to go after them except for the Sherriff [Russell], the injured husband [Wilson] of the woman kidnapped [Simmons], the old deputy [Jenkins] and a gunfighter [Fox].
What begins as almost a character study turns into one of the most tense, frightening and violent movies in recent history. The characters are so well written/played that I loved their interactions and the pace leading up to the action. It was also fun seeing name actors in smaller roles. Jenkins as the old deputy is a joy!
S. Craig Zahler moved to the must-watch list with Bone Tomahawk.
Rating:
13 Thrilling Facts About The Original “House of Wax”
Mark Mancini and Mental_Floss present 13 Thrilling Facts About The Original House of Wax. Here are three of my favorites…
8. IT COMES WITH AN INTERMISSION.
Prior to the late 1970s, “epic” films would often treat their viewers to a built-in bathroom break. Midway through screenings of Gone With the Wind and other, extra-long classics, the action would pause, the theater lights would brighten, and the word “Intermission” would appear onscreen. Ordinarily, this practice was reserved for movies with bladder-testing runtimes of two and a half hours or more. By comparison, House of Wax flies by with its breezy 88-minute runtime. Yet, unconventionally for a short picture, it contains an intermission. Why? Screening the 3D film required two projectors running simultaneously. The respite was necessary because it allowed theater employees to change both reels an hour into the movie.
9. A FUNCTIONING GUILLOTINE WAS USED IN THE CLIMAX.
Toward the end of the film, Igor gets into a big fight with Sue’s boyfriend, Scott, played by Paul Picerni. From the get-go, there’s no doubt about which one has the upper hand, as Igor seizes poor Scott and shoves his head under a guillotine in the museum’s French Revolution display. Luckily, the police arrive in time to rescue our hero, pulling him out of harm’s way seconds before the blade comes crashing down.
Just like his character, Picerni came dangerously close to getting his head chopped off, Louis XVI-style—because this guillotine was 100 percent real. Rather than film the scene in segments, de Toth wanted to shoot the whole thing in one take. With blithe nonchalance, he told Picerni to go and stick his head under the razor-sharp blade of this death device.
Naturally, Picerni objected. At a 2006 House of Wax Q&A, the star reminisced at length about the argument that followed. “I asked de Toth, ‘How are you going to control the blade?’ He said the property master was going to sit on top of the guillotine, holding the blade between his legs, then let it drop after my head was removed.” When the actor opined that this sounded dangerous, de Toth replied, “What are you, chicken sh*t?” In the end, Picerni agreed to do the scene in one take, on the condition that a metal bar be inserted under the blade to keep it from falling prematurely.
11. BELA LUGOSI ATTENDED THE PREMIERE—ALONG WITH A GUY IN A GORILLA SUIT.
Although the star of Universal’s Dracula (1931) did not appear in House of Wax, he did help promote it. The film’s world premiere was held at the Paramount Theater in Los Angeles on April 16, 1953. As a publicity stunt, Lugosi was invited to attend the big event. Clad in a vampire cape, he emerged from his limousine with a chain link leash, which was attached to an actor in an ape costume—a clear homage to the 1952 comedy Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla.
Werewolf of London (1935) / Z-View
Werewolf of London (1935)
Director: Stuart Walker
Screenplay: John Colton (based on a story by Robert Harris)
Stars: Henry Hull, Warner Oland and Valerie Hobson
The Pitch: “Monster movies are making dough. Let’s make a werewolf movie!”
The Tagline: “Beware the Stalking Being – Half-Human – Half-Beast!”
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
While on a expedition to Tibet, botanist Dr. Glendon [Hull] is attacked and bitten by a strange beast. Although he survives and returns to his home in London, Glendon turns into a werewolf each night of a full moon.
Will Gelndon find a cure before he kills again or he is discovered to be the werewolf terrorizing the city…
Rating:
Otis Frampton and a Rhinestone Cowboy
Otis Frampton did his take on Sly from Rhinestone way back in 2009 when every Sunday [okay, ALMOST, every Sunday], Otis had a live UStream broadcast that he called the 7×7 Sunday.
Lucky fans could get a head sketch of ANY character drawn live by Otis on a 7X7 inch bristol board for 7 bucks postage paid. It was the best deal going. Watching Otis drawing live and interacting with fans kept me up even if I wasn’t a sketch winner.
Good times!
“The Thing” Alternate Poster Art
I like this alternate poster art for The Thing posted by Dr. Giallo on Twitter. Wish I knew who the artist was to credit him/her.
The New “Mechanic: Resurrection” Trailer & Poster are Here!
The new Mechanic: Resurrection trailer looks like fun.
The New “Jack Reacher: Never Look Back” Trailer is Here!
The new Jack Reacher: Never Look Back trailer looks like the movie will be a fun, if predictable, ride. I liked the first Jack Reacher movie and have no reason to think the sequel will be any less fun.
The New “Magnificent Seven” Poster is Here!
The new Magnificent Seven poster is here! Seems like there’s a big Hateful 8 vibe going on.
11 Facts About “History of the World, Part I”
Mark Mancini and Mental_Floss present 11 Facts About History of the World, Part I. Here are three of my favorites…
2. THE LEAD CAVEMAN WAS PLAYED BY MEL BROOKS’S FORMER BOSS.
In 1949, the late, great Sid Caesar hired Brooks as a joke writer for The Admiral Broadway Revue, a short-lived NBC variety show. After the series ended, Brooks joined the staff of Caesar’s next program, Your Show of Shows. Working for a living legend was something the younger man would never forget. Even today, when Brooks is asked about his mentor, he often says “No Sid Caesar, no Mel Brooks.”
Twenty-two years after Your Show of Shows ended its run, Brooks expressed his gratitude to Caesar by giving him a major role in 1976’s Silent Movie. Brooks would cast the comic again in History of the World, this time as Chief Caveman, who has a zeal for music (and slapstick).
4. ORIGINALLY, JOSEPHUS WAS GOING TO BE PLAYED BY RICHARD PRYOR.
Josephus, a quick-witted Ethiopian slave, is a principal character in the film’s Roman Empire segment. Richard Pryor seemed perfect for the part and, to Brooks’s delight, he accepted the role. Unfortunately, though, a terrible accident kept him out of the movie. On June 9, 1980, less than a month after History of the World began production, the comic lit himself ablaze while freebasing cocaine and had to be hospitalized. At the suggestion of Madeline Kahn (who played Empress Nympho), Brooks handed the role to tap dancer Gregory Hines.
11. BROOKS NEVER INTENDED TO MAKE A SEQUEL.
With a title like History of the World, Part 1, you’d assume that a Part 2 would be hot on its heels. But Brooks has stated that he never intended to make a sequel. On June 7, 1981—just four days before the movie opened in theaters, the director weighed in on this subject in The New York Times. “Will there be a History of the World, Part 2?” he asked, rhetorically. “No. Maybe a Part 4, never a Part 2.”
The misleading title—as he later put it—was meant as “a joke,” one he now regrets. “I’m sorry I did that, the kids keep writing me letters asking when we are going to see part two,” he explained while promoting his DVD box set, The Incredible Mel Brooks: An Irresistible Collection of Unhinged Comedy. Still, he’s definitely thought about what new topics he might spoof in a potential follow-up—as he states in the below clip. “There’s a lot of things I haven’t covered in history. Things like the Civil War.”
Sly Stallone to Star & Jim Mickle Set to Direct…
Sly Stallone is set to star in a film currently titled Godforsaken (although the name will change) as an…
…aging ex-con with more regrets than memories. Upon hearing about his son’s death his solitude is quickly broken as he must now protect the only family he has left and avenge a son he hardly knew.
Jim [Cold in July] Mickle is on board to direct for STX Entertainment.
Source: Deadline.
“ROCKY” by Gabz Celebrating the 40th Anniversary!
“ROCKY”
by Gabz
Celebrating the 40th Anniversary!
Grey Matter Art, under license from MGM Studios is proud to present a new officially licensed, limited edition screen print for the 40th anniversary of the classic film, “Rocky” by talented artist, Grzegorz Domaradzki (Gabz). GMA are thrilled to be working with Gabz again to showcase this amazing poster. There are 2 separate editions for this poster, a regular and variant Edition. Below are details regarding the poster and release date.
Artist: Gabz
Size: 24×36
Regular Edition: 225/$45.00
Variant Edition: 175/$60.00
Printed by: D & L Screen Printing
This poster was released on Wednesday, June 08th on our website shop page at 1:00 PM (est) at www.greymatterart.com
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook,for all updates. And be sure to sign up for our website newsletter for all news & information.
Paul Gulacy Podcast Interview
Paul Gulacy sits down (or perhaps stands) for an interview /podcast with Doug Bost and Adam Bernstein.
