15 Things About “Payback” That You Probably Didn’t Know

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Sean Hutchinson and Mental_Floss present 15 Things About Payback That You Probably Didn’t Know.

Here are my three favorite things…

5. HELGELAND WAS INSPIRED BY GRITTY CRIME DRAMAS FROM THE 1970S.

He used films like The Getaway, Dirty Harry, and Charley Varrick for visual references. In fact, the restaurant that Stegman takes Val to is named Varrick’s as a nod to Charley Varrick.

11. HELGELAND WAS FIRED AS DIRECTOR BEFORE THE FILM WRAPPED PRODUCTION.

He and the studio disagreed over the original ending of Payback, and when a consensus couldn’t be achieved, Helgeland was fired. A new director was brought in to reshoot—these new scenes make up about 30 percent of the theatrical cut.

15. IN 2007, HELGELAND WAS ABLE TO RE-CUT THE FILM INTO HIS ORIGINAL VISION.

It was released as Payback: Straight Up—The Director’s Cut.

15 Fun Facts for “Young Frankenstein”

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Young Frankenstein, despite turning 40 years old this year, remains one of the funniest movies of all time.

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the release of Young Frankenstein, Mental_Floss presents 15 Fun Facts for Young Frankenstein’s 40th Anniversary by Marc Mancini.

Here are my three favorite facts…

2. STAR AND CO-WRITER GENE WILDER CONVINCED BROOKS TO FORGO HIS USUAL CAMEO APPEARANCE

Like Alfred Hitchcock, Brooks usually gave himself a part in his own films, from Blazing Saddles’ loopy governor to the wine-selling Rabbi of Robin Hood: Men in Tights. These characters regularly broke the fourth wall and “winked” at the audience, something Wilder felt would clash with Young Frankenstein’s tone. So, as a condition of his taking on the lead role, Wilder made Brooks agree to remain off-camera.

However, the director did provide some howling

6. SEVERAL PROPS HAD PREVIOUSLY APPEARED IN THE MASTERFUL 1931 FRANKENSTEIN FILM

Taking his feature-length tribute to the next level, Brooks included much of the faux labequipment used in that earlier picture.

 

9. GENE HACKMAN SPECIFICALLY ASKED WILDER FOR A PART INYOUNG FRANKENSTEIN BECAUSE HE “WANTED TO TRY COMEDY”

According to the movie’s Blu-Ray commentary, Hackman—who’d been thrice nominated for an Academy Award (and won one in 1971)—learned about Young Frankenstein through his frequent tennis partner Wilder and requested a role. Ultimately, ‘Harold’—the lonely blind character he briefly portrayed—sparked one of the most memorable sequences in comedic history.

Z-View: Dead Body Road #6

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Dead Body Road is a six issue mini-series published by Image.

Writer: Justin Jordan

Penciler / Inker: Matteo Scalera

Colorist: Moreno Dinisio

There’s a man digging a hole in the desert. Let’s see just how many bodies will fit. Orson Gage’s bloody revenge saga ends here.

 

Dead Body Road #6  Justin Jordan and Matteo Scalera continue to create a comic that consistently entertains.

The Good

  • Justin Jordan and Matteo Scalera.  And when I say, “good” I mean great.
  • Justin Jordan’s message to the readers at the end of each issue.  Excellent feature!
  • Noir at it’s best.

The Bad:

  • Some people are going to be put off by the violence and profanity.
  • More people are going to be sad because the series ends here.

The Ugly:

  • Realizing “we wanted the wrong things” too late.

Dead Body Road #6  is a comic for mature audiences due to violence and language.  If you’re a fan of crime/revenge stories then this is for you.  

Rating: 5 out of 5

Dead Body Road is available in a Trade Paperback that collects all six issues.

 

30 Things You Might Not Know About “Die Hard”

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Jennifer Wood and Mental_Floss present 30 Things You Might Not Know About Die Hard.

Here are my three favorites…

5. CLINT EASTWOOD PLANNED TO TAKE A STAB AT THE PART.

Originally, it was Clint Eastwood who owned the movie rights to Nothing Lasts Forever, which he had planned to star in in the early 1980s. That obviously never happened.

7. BRUCE WILLIS WASN’T EVEN THE STUDIO’S THIRD CHOICE FOR THE ROLE.

If Die Hard was to be a success, the studio knew they needed a bona fide action star in the part, so they set about offering it to a seemingly never-ending list of A-listers of the time. Rumor has it that Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford, Robert De Niro, Charles Bronson, Nick Nolte, Mel Gibson, Richard Gere, Don Johnson, Burt Reynolds, and Richard Dean Anderson (yes, MacGyver!) were all considered for the role of John McClane. And all declined it.

9. BRUCE WILLIS WAS BARELY EVEN SEEN ON THE MOVIE’S POSTERS.

Because the studio’s marketing gurus were unconvinced that audiences would pay to see an action movie starring the funny guy from Moonlighting, the original batch of posters for the film centered on Nakatomi Plaza instead of Willis’ mug. As the film gained steam, the marketing materials were altered, and Willis was more prominent in the promos.

Special Editions of David Morrell’s First Blood Trilogy Coming!

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David Morrell, Rambo and Sylvester Stallone fans get ready to be excited!  

Gauntlet Press in collaboration with Borderlands Press have special editions of David Morrell’s Rambo trilogy set for publication starting in 2015.

Leading the way will be Morrell’s First Blood special edition which will feature…

…essays by David Morrell and by New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry as well as the never-before-published outline for the novel and the original first chapter.

As excited as I am for the special edition of First Blood, I am equally excited about the hardcover special edition treatment that David Morrell’s Rambo II and Rambo III novels will get.  Anyone who has ever read them will understand.

For more information check out Gauntlet Press’ First Blood by David Morrell page.

Interview with President’s Vampire Author Chris Farnsworth

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Chris Farnsworth, the author of the excellent Nathaniel Cade series about a vampire secret agent of sorts… well, here’s how Fransworth describes Cade…

Turned into a blood-drinking abomination in 1867, Nathaniel Cade was offered a choice by President Andrew Johnson: serve the United States, or end his unnatural existence. Cade has served every president since, he is the most closely guarded of White House secrets: a superhuman covert agent who is the last line of defense against the nightmares that threaten the American dream.

If like me you’ve read and enjoyed all of the Nathaniel Cade novels you’ll probably get a kick out of Interviewing Authors interview with Chris Farnsworth which you can read or listen to.

Blood Oath [Nathanel Cade Book 1]

The President’s Vampire [Nathaniel Cade Book 2]

Red, White and Blood [Nathaniel Cade Book 3]

The Burning Men [A Nathaniel Cade Story]

15 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About “The Matrix”

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Sean Hutchinson and Mental Floss present 15 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About The Matrix.

Here are my three favorite facts…

1. THE FILM STARTED AS A COMIC BOOK.

Filmmakers Lana (then known as Larry) and Andy Wachowski originally conceived the storyline for The Matrix as a comic. They had both previously written comic books for Marvel.

5. BOTH WILL SMITH AND NICOLAS CAGE FORMALLY TURNED DOWN THE ROLE OF NEO.

Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, and Leonardo DiCaprio were all also considered before the filmmakers settled on Keanu Reeves for the part.

6. RUSSELL CROWE, SEAN CONNERY, AND SAMUEL L. JACKSON COULD’VE BEEN MORPHEUS.

When they declined, Laurence Fishburne took the role.