#Cannon Film Distributors

[thebutcher-5]

Invaders (film)

Benvenuti o bentornati sul nostro blog. Nello scorso articolo abbiamo deciso di rimanere concentrati sui film in live-action e in particolar modo sulla fantascienza, ma spostandoci negli anni ’50, un periodo prolifico per il genere, e parlando de Gli Invasori spaziali. David è un ragazzino che una notte assiste all’atterraggio di un UFO nel campo vicino alla propria casa. Il ragazzo lo dice…

[laboitediabolique]

Theatrical poster for the limited US release of Robotech the movie, July 1986. A much maligned film, but rarely seen by it's detractors, this film is a rather scrambled edit of Megazone 23 and coupled with edits of footage of various episodes of Southern Cross. Despite claims the film was a box office bomb, in it's test market run in Dallas, Texas, it did exceptionally well despite it's run being limited to daytime matinee screenings in most theatres. However, financial issues plagued it's distributor Cannon Films. Cannon also did not understand the core market of the franchise. When teens and young adults showed up to screenings rather than children (which they expected the film to appeal to and had already bought TV commercial airtime during children's TV shows to market to), they panicked and pulled the film from distribution. Due to internal issues, the film was never remarketed or retooled for wider distribution. It was eventually released on home video in English in the UK and Belgium (with Dutch subtitles) and on laserdisc in English in the Netherlands, again with Dutch subtitles.

[entertainmentyomovies]

Kesari Veer Movie Review

A Spectacular Tribute to Forgotten Warriors of Somnath

Kesari Veer: Legends of Somnath (2025) is a grand historical war drama that brings a lesser-known yet powerful chapter of Indian valor to the forefront. Directed by Prince Dhiman and Kanu Chauhan, this ambitious cinematic venture stars Suniel Shetty, Sooraj Pancholi, Vivek Oberoi, and newcomer Akanksha Sharma in pivotal roles.

Cast and Crew of Kesari Veer Movie

Directed by: Prince Dhiman & Kanu Chauhan

Produced by: Kanu Chauhan, Rajen Chauhan, Heena Chauhan, Suhraj Chauhan, Ohm Chauhan

Production House: Chauhan Studios

Distributor: Panorama Studios

Release Date: May 16, 2025

Cast:

Suniel Shetty as Vegda Ji

Sooraj Pancholi as Hamirji Gohil

Vivek Oberoi as Zafar Khan

Akanksha Sharma as Raajal

Kiran Kumar, Aruna Irani, Barkha Bisht, and Bhavya Gandhi in supporting roles

Kesari Veer Movie Review: Storyline and Themes

Set in the 14th century, Kesari Veer: Legends of Somnath narrates the story of the valiant warriors who defended the Somnath Temple from invaders during a time of great political and spiritual upheaval.

The film follows Vegda Ji (Suniel Shetty), a noble and fearless warrior committed to preserving his culture and faith, and Hamirji Gohil (Sooraj Pancholi), a passionate young prince driven by honor. Their mission: protect the temple from the onslaught led by Zafar Khan (Vivek Oberoi), a general of the Delhi Sultanate.

A tender love story between Hamirji and Raajal (Akanksha Sharma) adds emotional depth amidst the intense drama of war, sacrifice, and honor.

Performances and Direction

Suniel Shetty steals the show with a powerful and stoic portrayal of Vegda Ji, exuding gravitas and intensity.

Sooraj Pancholi brings earnestness and emotion to Hamirji, convincingly portraying the arc of a maturing warrior.

Vivek Oberoi delivers a strong antagonist role as Zafar Khan, blending menace with charisma.

Akanksha Sharma, in her debut, impresses with her poise and screen presence.

Directors Prince Dhiman and Kanu Chauhan balance scale and sentiment, creating a film that is both epic and heartfelt. Their attention to historical detail and visual storytelling gives the film authenticity and cinematic appeal.

Technical Excellence and Music

The film boasts excellent production design and cinematography by Vikas Joshi, capturing the vast battlegrounds and temple landscapes with grandeur.

Action sequences, enhanced by hand-crafted weaponry (including eight real 250-kg cannons), lend weight and realism to the war scenes.

The background score and soundtrack by Monty Sharma elevate the film’s emotional highs, particularly in climactic scenes.

Kesari Veer Movie Review: Final Verdict

Kesari Veer is more than just a war film; it’s a celebration of bravery, cultural identity, and sacrifice. With stirring performances, strong visuals, and a historically rich narrative, this film is a must-watch for those who appreciate epic Indian tales of valor.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4.5/5)

Watch Kesari Veer on YoMovies

Want to experience this gripping saga of Somnath’s heroes from the comfort of your home? Watch Kesari Veer: Legends of Somnath now on YoMovies — your destination for the latest Bollywood releases and timeless classics.

Source URL:- Kesari Veer Movie Review

[angelo-the-whistleblower]

Reboot Movie Idea for Julianne Moore (@JulianneMoore):

Here is the link to The Anderson Tapes Wikipedia page:

The Anderson Tapes (1971) – Wikipedia - (click on the blue link)

Here is the link to The Anderson Tapes novel on Amazon:

The Anderson Tapes – Amazon - (click on the blue link)

Certainly! Here's comprehensive information about The Anderson Tapes (1971) and its source material:

Film Details:

Title: The Anderson Tapes​

Release Year: 1971​

Director: Sidney Lumet​

Screenwriter: Frank Pierson​

Producers: Robert M. Weitman​

Production Company: Robert M. Weitman Productions​

Distributor: Columbia Pictures​

Genre: American crime film

Main Cast:

Sean Connery as John "Duke" Anderson​

Dyan Cannon as Ingrid Everleigh​

Martin Balsam as Tommy Haskins​

Alan King as Pat Angelo​

Christopher Walken as The Kid​

Ralph Meeker as Police Captain Delaney​

Garrett Morris as Spencer​

Margaret Hamilton as Miss Kaler​

Notable Aspects:

The Anderson Tapes marked Christopher Walken's feature film debut, portraying the character known as "The Kid."​

Intellectual Property Rights:

Determining the current rights holders for The Anderson Tapes involves several considerations:​

Film Rights: Originally distributed by Columbia Pictures, now a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment.​

Literary Rights: The novel's rights were initially held by author Lawrence Sanders. Posthumously, these rights may have transferred to his estate or been sold.​

For inquiries regarding a remake or adaptation, it would be prudent to contact Sony Pictures Entertainment for film rights and investigate the current holders of the novel's rights, potentially starting with Lawrence Sanders' estate.​

Source Material:

Novel Title: The Anderson Tapes​

Author: Lawrence Sanders​

Publication Year: 1970​

Specific sales figures for the novel upon its release are not readily available. However, Lawrence Sanders achieved significant commercial success with his works, suggesting that The Anderson Tapes was well-received.​

For precise information on book sales, consulting publishing industry records or reaching out to the publisher, G.P. Putnam's Sons, may provide more detailed insights.​

Here is the trailer: The Anderson Tapes (1971) Original Trailer [FHD]

[thejacksmit]

Projection Room: open for business at last - Prime Video, meet The Renata Road

Stills from The Renata Road courtesy of Beyond The Bar Ltd

Long-time readers of the blog - especially those who have been here from the UCLan days onwards - will likely remember a review of a film made here in the North West that for so long, has remained unreleased to those here in England. A film about a remote hotel where not all is as it seems, a film featuring a lead best known for his quizzing prowess back in the day on a certain BBC light entertainment programme, and a film that's been a real passion project for all involved in front of and behind the camera. That film is of course, Ed Greenberg's directorial debut, psychological thriller The Renata Road.

For the uninitiated, in 2016 I was told of the project through a friend of a friend in a foyer of a local cinema, as the print was being tested on actual projection/sound equipment, and before long, I was invited to an early preview screening of the film to write the first review - since then the blog's been on the ride with the Beyond The Bar team, through the highs and the lows of taking an independently made, crowdfunded film from script to screen, something I've seen more in depth with the film production students I got to shadow back in 2018/19. Obviously we can't reveal too much about the plot beyond what went in that original review - this is a film that has twists and turns at its core, but since the Kickstarter backers seen it, we've been a key part of the journey here at TheJackSmit.com - so much so that we're featured in the international trailer. But today is a day I've been very, very, very excited for, purely because I get to type these words:

The Renata Road is now available on Amazon Prime Video in the UK.

Since we last updated you all on the film in 2022 following its world premiere in LA, and the subsequent US streaming release on Valentines Day last year, Richard Albiston and his team at The Cannon Film Company have worked their magic alongside Beyond The Bar to bring this film home, and with the folks at Burning Bulb, at long last the Renata is truly open for business. The film is out, it's real, and now, at last, audiences can see it with their trusty Prime subscriptions.

Reading through the press kit, the film's director says it best: "there’s been an increasing demand from the public these past years for more challenging content; for stories that make you think and look beyond the surface-level narrative. Films that inspire discussion and interpretation". I hope audiences understand it as well as the two packed cinema screens I seen it with during the search for a distributor - as I said back then, it won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it is a distinctly Northern film that gets you talking. Which, in essence, is what a good film should do. But while today is a day of celebration, there is a small amount of sadness as it would be wrong not to mention a key part of the Renata family who isn't here to see the big day - in 2019 production designer, set builder and all round top man Craig Priestley lost his battle with cancer. I had the honour of meeting him in the summer of 2018, playing many board games with him, and quite rightly, the film is dedicated to his memory. If anything, the last few years covering this film has shown how much of a family this industry can create.

A huge thanks to the teams at Beyond The Bar, The Cannon Film Company and all involved in the production of The Renata Road for their support in TheJackSmit.com coverage of the film over the years.

[zirhlikuzgun]

A-ke.P.V. Industries Logo History - Part 2

...

(21) [1974-1995] {Gaumont-British}

(7) [1974-1981] {Gaumont-British}

(6) [1974-1980] {American Multi Cinema}

(1) [1974-1975] {American Multi Cinema}

(37) [1975-2012] {Hoyts Distribution}

(9) [1975-1984] {Greater Union Organisation}

(5) [1975-1980] {Cannon Films}

(2) [1975-1977] {American Multi Cinema}

(0) [1976] {Legibus Thirty-Six}

(6) [1976-1982] {Esselte Communications}

(10) [1976-1986] {United Artists Theatres}

(6) [1977-1983] {EMI Films}

(10) [1977-1987] {Famous Players Theatres}

(2) [1977-1979] {American Multi Cinema}

(3) [1977-1980] {American Multi Cinema}

(2) [1978-1980] {Hoyts Distribution}

(5) [1978-1983] {EMI Film Distributors}

(2) [1978-1980] {EMI Film Distributors}

(6) [1978-1984] {Canadian Odeon Theatres}

(1) [1978-1979] {Canadian Odeon Theatres}

(6) [1979-1985] {Village Theatres}

(6) [1979-1985] {Roadshow Films}

(4) [1979-1983] {Guild Film Distribution}

(3) [1979-1982] {United Artists Theatres}

(5) [1979-1984] {Canadian Odeon Theatres}

(6) [1979-1985] {Loews Theatres}

(1) [1979-1980] {American Multi Cinema}

(25) [1980-2005] {Hoyts Cinemas}

(13) [1980-1993] {Hoyts Distribution}

(4) [1980-1984] {Hoyts Distribution}

(3) [1980-1983] {EMI Film Distributors}

(4) [1980-1984] {Cannon Films}

(7) [1980-1987] {Cannon Films}

(15) [1980-1995] {Gaumont-British}

(6) [1980-1986] {Gaumont-British}

(5) [1980-1985] {Gaumont-British}

(14) [1980-1994] {AMC Theatres}

(3) [1980-1983] {AMC Theatres}

(14) [1981-1995] {Gaumont-British}

(13) [1981-1994] {Gaumont-British}

(36) [1982-2017] {Carmike Cinemas}

(4) [1982-1985] {Carmike Cinemas}

(4) [1982-1986] {Guild Film Distribution}

(19) [1982-2001] {Pinewood Studios}

(7) [1982-1989] {United Artists Theatres}

(3) [1983-1986] {Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment}

(2) [1983-1985] {Guild Film Distribution}

(3) [1983-1986] {AMC Theatres}

(3) [1984-1987] {Greater Union Organisation}

(20) [1984-2004] {Greater Union Organisation}

(9) [1984-1993] {Hoyts Distribution}

(6) [1984-1990] {Hoyts Distribution}

(2) [1984-1986] {General Cinema Corporation}

(1) [1984-1985] {Cannon Films}

(11) [1984-1994] {Cannon Cinemas}

(16) [1984-2000] {Century Theatres}

(15) [1984-1998] {Cinemark Theatres}

(7) [1984-1990] {Cinemark Theatres}

(8) [1984-1992] {Century Theatres}

(5) [1984-1988] {Cinemark Theatres}

(2) [1984-1986] {Cineplex Odeon Theatres}

(15) [1984-1999] {Cineplex Odeon Theatres}

(7) [1985-1992] {Village Cinemas}

(7) [1985-1992] {Roadshow Films}

(7) [1985-1992] {Carmike Cinemas}

(8) [1985-1993] {Hoyts Distribution}

(9) [1985-1994] {Cannon Films}

(12) [1985-1997] {Guild Film Distribution}

(9) [1985-1994] {Guild Film Distribution}

(8) [1985-1993] {Guild Film Distribution}

(10) [1985-1995] {Gaumont-British}

(5) [1985-1990] {Gaumont-British}

(9) [1985-1994] {Loews Theatres}

(27) [1986-2012] {Village Roadshow Pictures}

(7) [1986-1992] {Village Roadshow Pictures}

(4) [1986-1990] {Guild Film Distribution}

(35) [1986-2021] {ABC Cinemas}

(31) [1986-2017] {ABC Cinemas}

(16) [1986-2002] {General Cinema Corporation}

(7) [1986-1993] {General Cinema Corporation}

(3) [1986-1989] {United Artists Theatres}

(5) [1986-1990] {Cannon Cinemas}

(11) [1986-1997] {Odeon Cinemas}

(12) [1986-1998] {Cineplex Odeon Theatres}

(4) [1986-1990] {AMC Theatres}

(5) [1987-1992] {Greater Union Distribution}

(7) [1987-1994] {Guild Film Distribution}

(35) [1987-2022] {Famous Players Theatres}

(7) [1987-1994] {Famous Players Theatres}

(4) [1988-1992] {Hoyts Cinemas}

(5) [1988-1993] {Hoyts Distribution}

(6) [1988-1994] {Guild Film Distribution}

(9) [1988-1996] {Warner Cinemas}

(1) [1988-1989] {Cinemark Theatres}

(1) [1989-1990] {Cinemark Theatres}

(1) [1990-1991] {Cinemark Theatres}

(1) [1991-1992] {Cinemark Theatres}

(2) [1989-1991] {British Pathé}

(7) [1989-1996] {Warner Bros. Cinemas}

(3) [1989-1992] {United Artists Theatres}

(14) [1989-2003] {Regal Cinemas}

(4) [1989-1993] {Regal Cinemas}

(5) [1990-1995] {Gaumont-British}

(5) [1990-1995] {MGM Cinemas}

(3) [1990-1993] {Cinemark Theatres}

(1) [1990-1991] {AMC Theatres}

(2) [1991-1993] {Cannon Films}

(8) [1991-1999] {British Pathé}

(3) [1991-1994] {Loews Theatres}

(3) [1991-1994] {AMC Theatres}

(4) [1992-1996] {Carmike Cinemas}

(11) [1992-2003] {Greater Union Distribution}

(12) [1992-2004] {Village Roadshow Pictures}

(1) [1992-1993] {Hoyts Cinemas}

(7) [1992-1999] {British Pathé}

(2) [1992-1994] {United Artists Theatres}

(5) [1992-1997] {Century Theaters}

(3) [1992-1995] {Cinemark Theatres}

(0) [1993] {United Artists Theatres}

(0) [1993] {United Artists Theatres}

(4) [1993-1997] {Hoyts Cinemas}

(3) [1993-1996] {General Cinema Corporation}

(3) [1993-1996] {Guild Film Distribution}

(4) [1993-1997] {Guild Film Distribution}

(3) [1993-1996] {Warner Bros. Cinemas}

(7) [1993-2000] {Regal Cinemas}

(5) [1993-1998] {Cinemark Theatres}

(3) [1994-1997] {United Artists Theatres}

(7) [1994-2001] {Famous Players Theatres}

(2) [1994-1996] {Sony Theatres}

(16) [1994-2010] {AMC Theatres}

(2) [1994-1996] {AMC Theatres}

(1) [1995-1996] {United Artists Theatres}

(0) [1996] {United Artists Theatres}

(2) [1995-1997] {Cinemark Theatres}

(6) [1995-2000] {Cineworld Cinemas}

(7) [1995-2002] {Virgin Cinemas}

(2) [1995-1997] {Odeon Cinemas}

(3) [1996-1999] {Carmike Cinemas}

(2) [1996-1998] {Guild Pathé Cinema}

(13) [1996-2009] {Warner Village Cinemas}

(3) [1996-1999] {Warner Village Cinemas}

(6) [1996-2002] {General Cinema Corporation}

(21) [1996-2017] {Loews Theatres}

(10) [1996-2006] {Loews Theatres}

(6) [1996-2002] {AMC Theatres}

(5) [1997-2002] {Hoyts Cinemas}

(2) [1997-1999] {United Artists Theatres}

(3) [1997-2000] {Century Theatres}

(2) [1997-1999] {Cinemark Theatres}

(5) [1997-2002] {Odeon Cinemas}

(14) [1998-2012] {Village Roadshow Pictures}

(24) [1998-2022] {Cinemark}

(6) [1998-2004] {Cinemark}

(3) [1999-2002] {Carmike Cinemas}

(3) [1999-2002] {United Artists Theatres}

(7) [1999-2005] {UGC Cinemas}

(10) [1999-2009] {Warner Village Cinemas}

(1) [1999-2000] {Spean Bridge Cinemas}

(12) [1999-2010] {Rave Cinemas}

(5) [1999-2004] {Cineplex Odeon Theatres}

(7) [1999-2006] {Loews Cineplex Entertainment}

(2) [1999-2001] {Loews Cineplex Entertainment}

(4) [1999-2003] {Galaxy Entertainment}

(0) [2000] {Regal Cinemas}

(1) [2000-2001] {Regal Cinemas}

(3) [2000-2003] {SBC International Cinemas}

(5) [2000-2005] {Cineworld Cinemas}

(3) [2000-2003] {Cineworld Cinemas}

(12) [2000-2012] {Century Theatres}

(6) [2000-2006] {Century Theatres}

(1) [2001-2002] {General Cinema Corporation}

(8) [2001-2009] {Pinewood Studios}

(1) [2001-2005] {Famous Players Theatres}

(7) [2001-2008] {Regal Cinemas}

(3) [2002-2005] {Carmike Cinemas}

(10) [2002-2012] {Hoyts Distribution}

(7) [2002-2009] {Hoyts Cinemas}

(4) [2002-2006] {Odeon Cinemas}

(6) [2002-2008] {Odeon Cinemas}

(2) [2002-2004] {Loews Cineplex Entertainment}

...

[grindhousecellar]

[chiseler]

Tales of the Unexpected:  SANTA CLAUS

Most of my life I’d been haunted by an image—five seconds from a film I could not name: Santa, in someone’s living room on Christmas Eve, fires a toy cannon at a demon’s ass. That’s all, but it stuck with me for decades. The only thing I was sure about was that it came from a film my father had taken me to see when I was four or five. There was snow in the theater parking lot.

It clearly wasn’t a typical holiday film, so as the years progressed I decided it must have been Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (co-starring Jamie Farr and Pia Zadora as martians), but I was mistaken. There are no demons in that movie. I asked my dad, but he had no idea what the hell I was talking about. Then, as the universe would have it, when I was well into middle age the film was placed in my hands by someone  who had no idea I’d spent much of my life looking for it. Seeing the film in its entirety for the first time in 40 years, I finally understood why things might have turned out the way they did.

When the conversation rolls around to bad Christmas movies, there’s of course a broad spectrum from which to choose. Given that nearly every Christmas movie ever made is insufferable to some degree, it’s generally easier, I’ve found,  to break things down into categories that stretch from the simply godawful (Jingle All the Way) to the agonizingly painful (A Very Brady Christmas or that Marlo Thomas remake of It’s a Wonderful Life) to the merely baffling (An Ewoks Christmas). Of course there are some people who think they can bring the conversation to an abrupt end by pulling out Santa Claus Conquers the Martians as the last word on holiday cinema. There’s simply nothing more to say.

Oh, but that’s far too simple. There’s another level out there. Something that reaches far beyond banal categorizations like “good” and “bad” and even “weird,” deep into the almost unfathomable territory of “brain damaging” and “utterly terrifying,” and a number of adjectives that have yet to be discovered. Films that cannot and should not be called “bad” no matter how easy it would make thinking for the smug hipsters in the Mystery Science Theater crowd. These are films that come from another plane, another universe, another way of thinking, and for that they remain fascinating, and cannot be so easily dismissed.

In the 1950s and ‘60s, K. Gordon Murray was an American film producer and distributor who made a decent living for himself by picking up the rights to foreign genre pictures (mostly from Mexico), dubbing them into English, and renting them to U.S. theaters. English-speaking audiences can thank Murray for The Brainiac and Robot vs.The Aztec Mummy.

In 1956 he bought the rights to a children’s holiday picture directed by René Cardona, a man better known for horror and exploitation pictures like Survive! and Night of the Bloody Apes. Instead of widespread distribution, Murray limited the film to short (two or three day) runs around the holidays, when the film would only be shown as a children’s matinee. In retrospect I have to wonder if he limited viewings that way because he knew what kind of effect the film would have on people.

Santa Claus sounds about as innocuous as they come. Who would even pay attention to a title like that?  It’s only when you note the shrill, almost frantic tone of some of the taglines attached to the film that you begin to get some sense that there’s something else going on here—that this isn’t another Rankin/Bass production:

Bursting upon our BIG SCREEN in all the colors of the rainbow… a prize-winning blue ribbon treat for old and young alike! Here’s something for the whole family to see together!

Another tagline makes it sound even more ominous:

See All the Weird and Wonderful Characters of Make-Believe! The Fantastic Crystal Work-Room of the Happy Elves! The Fabulous Realm of the Candy-Stick Palaces!

Those families who weren’t scared away by those dire warnings were never the same again.

René Cardona

In  Cardona’s vision, Santa (José Elías Moreno)  lives in a cloud kingdom in space, positioned in a stationary orbit above the North Pole. Instead of elves, Santa has collected groups of children from all corners of the world—North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa. It’s unclear who these children belong to or if they’re in space willingly, but they open the film with a long recital of traditional songs from each nation.

Ten minutes later we cut to Hell. Although this happens in most Christmas movies, few do it so literally. There amid the flames, Satan informs a minor and bumbling demon named Pitch (José Luis Aguirre ‘Trotsky’) that he is to turn all of the children on Earth evil in order to anger “that old goat Santa Claus” and show the people of the world “who their true master is.”

We are then introduced to three storylines: a lonely rich boy whose parents neglect him, a poor girl whose single mother can barely support them both, and three young thugs. Behind each story, we hear Santa’s echoed laughter. Santa laughs through the entire film, often at scenes of misery and despair. It’s unclear why.

Finally and centrally, we see the core of Santa’s orbiting kingdom—an observatory equipped with a collection of surveillance devices that would put the NSA to shame. As the narrator (Murray himself) describes it:

This is Santa’s Magic Observatory. What wonderful instruments! The Ear Scope! The Teletalker, that knows everything! The Cosmic Telescope! The Master Eye! Nothing that happens on Earth is unknown to Santa Claus!

He’s not kidding, either. Santa can see anyone he chooses merely by thinking of them, listen to what they’re saying, even watch their dreams, and these are powers he abuses freely.

There is no reason to attempt to describe the plot any further. It’s not an issue. Visually, however, the film is a thing of deranged  wonder, reminiscent of Japanese films that would be made ten or fifteen years later. It’s a world of remarkable and sometimes frightening imagination. The telescope features a large, roving eyeball instead of a lens. Santa’s sleigh is actually a giant wind-up toy, the living reindeer replaced with carousel reindeer made of white plastic. The color palate throughout the film (if you can find a decent print) is intense. And the film’s multiple dream sequences are, well, pretty jaw-dropping.

It’s also a remarkably subversive film—which intertwined both with the visuals as well as the director’s background, may be no surprise at all. Along with the kidnapped children he’s using as slave labor, the cannon he fires at the demon’s ass, and  Santa’s often inappropriate laughter, which snakes throughout much of the soundtrack, there’s Merlin, another of Santa’s employees. Merlin runs a drug lab, and on Christmas Eve has just developed a “magic powder” that will “give people a sound sleep and fill them with wonderful thoughts and good intentions.”

Santa is perfectly willing to deliver babies to children who request little brothers or sisters, and one good little boy is set to receive “an atomic lab and a machine gun.” And then of course there’s the role of the demons here, in a world in which Santa and his toys have replaced Christianity.

It’s a film that’s often mocked by fools for its cheap sets and bad acting, without pausing to think about what’s really going on here—the kind of twisted, alien imagination at work, or the ideas that Cardona is sneaking in under their smug noses. It’s a deeply strange and disturbing work, a visionary work on a minuscule budget, and one that says more about the holidays than we may care to think about.

Maybe that’s why my dad has blocked it out of his memory, and why I spent a lifetime trying to track it down.

by Jim Knipfel

[collaborationandresearchproposal]

Thursday 29th April, Research Report: Lycanthropy and the hays code

Notable points * lycanthropy seems  to be synonymous with homosexuality- parallels between Teen Wolf and Buffy The Vampire Slayer's respective coming out scenes. * The Queer-ness of the character Remus Lupin from the Harry Potter books and film series. Many fans head cannon and write slash fics about Remus and Sirius' romance and relationship, reading the characters as queer. The ship, named 'Wolf Star' is quite popular and well known within the fandom. Many fans feel there is enough evidence to build this relationship on; Remus and Sirius' ghosts stood next to each other in the resurrection stone, mirroring Harry's parents,  a canonically married couple. They also bought Harry a joint present for his birthday and know the intricacies of each others personalities. Dumbledore also infamously told Sirius to 'lie low at Lupins.' But the problem here, as the article points out, is that Rowling doesn't acknowledge Lupin as queer, despite the homoerotic cues in the writings,  and instead gives him a female love interest and admits that Lupins Lycantrhopy is a metaphor for AIDS/HIV. She has further dismissed any alternative readings of the character, disappointing fans' hopes of there being a shred of representation in a queer monster who is actually queer. This sort of behaviour from authors and creators is what turns Queer-coding into the more harmful and frustrating Queer-baiting. A large majority of queer representation comes from connotations and interpretations. the clues are there and queer audiences do pick them up. However this grey area allows allows straight culture to use queerness for pleasure and profit in mass culture without admitting to it. Modern examples of this are CW's Supernatural and BBC's Sherlock. I can't personally speak for Supernatural but having watched Sherlock with the advantage of a queer eye, I can say with confidence that it is a prime example of queer-baiting. there is clear homoerotic subtext between Sherlock and John and even Sherlock and Moriarty. I Personally think it's entirely romantic as I head cannon Sherlock to be Asexual or at least on that spectrum but the point is, it is not just wishful thinking or pushing of a narrative. It's manipulation. Queer-baiting takes advantage of an already vulnerable group of people by preying on their desire for representation in the media.

In modern media werewolf's are often portrayed as having chiselled bodies and looming over each other. The 1985 Teen Wolf received a television reboot and it's fair to say it got reasonably more progressive.  It seemed interested in queering the werewolf narrative and in a sly moment of gender-bending the traditional Little Red Riding Hood narrative, protagonist Scott receives the Bite from a male werewolf while wearing a Little Red Hoodie (‘Wolf Moon’). Additionally, the show features LGBTQ characters while Scott’s human best friend Stiles visits a gay bar and makes friends with a group of drag queens in startling contrast to the gay panic of the 1985 film’s version of Stiles. By midway through the show’s second season, the slash pairing that had proved dominant in the fandom was Stiles and wannabe-Alpha Derek Hale. The two characters, who operate in the narrative as belligerent and begrudging allies, rapidly became a slash phenomenon, due, in part, to the chemistry and comic timing between actors Tyler Hoechlin and Dylan O’Brien. The narrative is further subverted when Derek is raped by an adult  human woman.

The pair 'Sterek' gained so much traction that it caught the attention of MTV and the cast and crew behind the show. So much so that they released a video of Hoechlin and O'Brien cuddling on a boat, asking fans to vote for Teen Wolf for this  years Choice Summer TV Show at the Teen Choice Awards. This  was big as it acknowledged fans and slash flics and the pairing itself as a possibility and many queer voices who watched the show felt heard and validated. However this didn't last long. MTV released a video on the official Teen Wolf Facebook, this time featuring O’Brien asking fans to vote for Teen Wolf in a TV Guide Poll. O’Brien joked that if fans did not vote, then the show would kill off its sole remaining gay character and one of the few remaining non-white characters on the show, Danny. The Teen Wolf Facebook released the video with the following caption: ‘Keep #TeenWolf in first place! Heed Dylan and Linden’s advice or we might have to. #KillDanny’ (Teen Wolf). The show’s social media team then attempted to make the #KillDanny tag go viral on Facebook and twitter, but fans, understandably, were not amused, primarily using the tag for outraged tweets to MTV (Baker-Whitelaw).Such blatant disregard for fans’ concerns about queer representation on the show alienated a large number of fans, especially when coupled with Jeff Davis’ more frequently dismissive and condescending comments about the Sterek pairing where he had been enthusiastic and even encouraging of the ship. As seasons wore on without any indication that Sterek would indeed become canon, it became clear that MTV and Jeff Davis had been queer-baiting Sterek fans as a marketing technique and that the unique interplay that fans had enjoyed with Davis, which offered a new kind of truly interactive fandom had, in fact, been something of an illusion. ' serial killer Hannibal Lecter and his love interest Will Graham in Hannibal, and reanimated gay corpses Kieren, Simon, and Rick in In the Flesh. Notably, both series have received an overwhelmingly positive response from fans and critics who have applauded the series for taking their queer monsters beyond mere coding and into explicit text. The warm reception of Hannibal and In the Flesh’s handling of queer representation by fans, and the continuing frustration with Teen Wolf’s queer-baiting and the appropriative nature of Remus Lupin’s narrative in Harry Potter, belie a desire not only for better queer representation, but also for more complex re-articulations of queer monstrosity' the symbolic and narrative trappings of monsters are often used as metaphors for queerness without actually acknowledging the positive behind that queer identity or even confirming the queer identity at all. Another positive example is the miniseries Good Omens. Based on the book of the same name, written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Pretty much the whole fandom believe That the two leads, Crowley and Aziraphale are in a romantic relationship. They've known each other for centuries and perhaps what was the main fuel to this ships fire was the episode 3 cold open. Even fans who have only read the book seem to support these two as a couple and what's perhaps even more amazing is Gaiman’s response on twitter. "I wrote it as a love story. They acted it as a love story. You saw it as a love story. How much more proof do you need?" and "I wouldn't exclude the ideas that they are ace, or aromantic, or trans. They are an angel and a demon, not as make humans, per the book. Occult/Ethereal beings don't have sexes, something we tried to reflect in the casting. Whatever Crowley and Aziraphale are, it's a love story." It's beautiful because not only does it confirm that they are in love but it also leaves room for interpretations of what kind of relationship they have together.

https://dialogues.rutgers.edu/images/Journals_PDF/2017-18-dialogues-web_e6db3.pdf#page=164

In the year 1922, when cinema was gaining traction and popularity, The Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association (MPPDA) hired a devout Presbyterian, Will H. Hays as its head. Eight years later, in 1930, the MPPDA ratified the Motion Picture Production Code. Also known as the Hays Code, these guidelines were set up as “a list of rules that studios could follow to avoid the censors’ wrath” one specific line read “sexual perversion or any inference to it is forbidden” This era in censorship set the stage for a culture in which the stereotypical behaviour of homosexuals, or any behaviour deviating from the traditional gender roles, is seen as dangerous, evil, and even fatal. By representing coded homosexual characters as depressed, perverse, and succumbing to punishing ends, it shifted social subconscious beliefs of LGBT individuals in real life to those represented on screen. Media often teaches us how to feel about others and ourselves – e.g., it promotes specific body types and clothing styles. In the same way, by promoting gendered behaviour and banning homosexuality, it spread a message that homosexuality was not fit to be viewed openly. Although themes of homosexuality were banned they were definitely alluded to and that continues today.

[aion-rsa]

The 20 Best Horror Movies on Netflix UK – Scary Films to Watch Right Now

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Netflix is an ever-changing, constantly growing treasure trove of hidden gems and secret delights (here’s everything new on Netflix UK this month). Sometimes, a teeny bit too secret though.

Who hasn’t sat down to watch a horror movie and found themselves scrolling endlessly, either not being able to find something they’re in the mood for, or not really knowing what half the titles are, or if they’re any good?

We’ve scoured the full current catalogue available to watch in the UK now and picked out the best scary movies. It’s a mix of classic and new, and a range of slashers, horror-coms, mumblegore, monster movies and more to hopefully scratch that itch with ease.

We’ll keep this updated as and when titles drop in and out of the service.

Hereditary (2018)

If you haven’t seen this slice of trauma, the feature debut of Ari Aster, you probably should. If you have seen it, you probably won’t want to again. Toni Collette stars as a woman whose controlling mother has just passed away setting of a series of horrible events. Aster says the film was partly inspired by his own sense of his family being cursed – this a movie absolutely drenched in grief and pain with astonishing performances all round. It’s tough going, but it’s a masterpiece. Read our review.

The Platform (2019)

This existential Spanish horror made a splash at the start of lockdown with it’s tale of prisoner trapped in an enormous vertical prison with a platform at it’s centre which delivers food to the inmate floor by floor starting at the top, so that each floor only gets what the floor above has left over. It’s political, allegorical, it’s clever and it’s very violent.

The Endless (2017)

Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’s gorgeous sci-fi horror stars the two as brother who escaped from a cult ten years ago and are drawn back in in search of answers when a strange videotape arrives. This is their third movie after Resolution and Spring and the two are only growing in strength as directors – The Endless is rammed with indelible imagery and deeply unsettling moments within a plot that is a joy to unpick.

What Keeps You Alive (2018)

Couple Jackie and Jules head to a remote woodland cabin to celebrate their first wedding anniversary but things go bad… Ok this sounds like the most generic slasher in the world but trust us it’s not. Twists hit early on (that we’d hate to spoil) and the tension ramps up fast in a very effective cat and mouse chase with a female bent. This comes from Colin Minihan who made Grave Encounters – this isn’t similar but both have a disorientating sense of place. Read our review.

Orphan (2009)

Released during the heyday of Dark Castle’s mid-budget horror splurge, Orphan is one of those genre films with an absolutely ludicrous (and therefore thoroughly enjoyable) twist, which we will not spoil for you. Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga star as a couple mourning the loss of their baby, who decided to adopt a little Russian girl called Esther from the local orphanage. Things quickly start to go very, very wrong as the pair start to suspect that wee Esther – who insists on dressing like a spooky doll – isn’t all she appears to be. Check out our review.

Insidious (2010)

The many sequels may have yielded diminishing returns but the first of this franchise, about a couple (Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne) whose comatose son appeared to be trapped in another realm by a evil spirit, is a very effective chiller. Horror genius James Wan directs, and the first half of this movie at least is pretty much guaranteed to make you jump out of your skin.

Annihilation (2018)

An all star cast including Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Tessa Thompson, plus the quality direction of Alex Garland wasn’t enough to secure this horror sci-fi based on Jeff Vandermeer’s novel a theatrical release in the UK. Nevermind, that just means you can watch it for free on Netflix. Portman joins a crew of women exploring the mysterious Area X where he husband ventured some time before and came back changed. It’s a weird, unfamiliar landscape of beautiful flora and terrifying fauna defying explanation until the strange, indelible finale (not sure what it means? Have a read of this explainer). And you can check out our review, too if you like.

Daybreakers (2009)

You’ll get a little bit of everything with this Spierig Brothers curio. It was the film that really got the directing team noticed and it’s not hard to see why. Set in a dystopian world where basically everyone has been turned into a vampire, one corporation thinks it’d be a bloody (sorry) good idea to track down all the surviving humans and…well, basically milk them. Ethan Hawke stars as a vampire haematologist who starts to think there might be another way for this story to go after he’s collared by a former vampire (Willem Dafoe), who can cure everyone. (Living) dead good. Check out our review.

The Bar (2017)

Slightly bonkers Spanish horror thriller which sees a bunch of strangers stuck in a busy Madrid cafe when snipers begin shooting anyone who tries to leave. Confusion and personality clashes abound in this economical single location chiller with a dark sense of human as the inhabitants slowly discover what’s going on, who’s responsible and try to work out if and how they will survive.

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TV

Netflix UK: What’s New in April 2020?

By Kirsten Howard

TV

21 underappreciated films to watch on Netflix UK

By Paul Bradshaw and 2 others

The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon’s love/hate letter to the horror genre felt like something of a game changer when it finally arrived (it was shelved for several years because of financial issue with original distributor MGM). Chris Hemsworth and Haley Bennett star in a double layer story about ordinary kids vacationing in a woodland cabin, with Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins as very particular kinds of bureaucrats up to something in the background. No spoilers, just watch. Here’s our review.

Cargo (2017)

Martin Freeman stars in this Netflix original developed from a short directed by Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke. Set in the Australian outback, Freeman is a father trying to find someone to protect his child in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. More wistful and emotional than that sounds on paper, there’s a fascinating subplot about an Aboriginal girl mourning her father and the final set piece is unforgettable. Check out our review.

Lifeforce (1985)

A Cannon Films classic directed by late Texas Chain Saw legend Tobe Hooper, people are still discovering the ’80s madness that is Lifeforce. Originally entitled Space Vampires, it’s exactly what you’d expect, and so much more. Nude, energy sucking bat creatures are brought back to Earth after an interstellar mission finds a gaggle of them lying dormant in Halley’s Comet, and it all goes very badly for the planet. You can expect a scenery-chewing Patrick Stewart to pop up in between the tits and gore. Not literally! Although, sometimes literally.

Creep (2014)

No, not the one set on the tube, this ‘mumblegore’ horror is far weirder than that. Director Patrice Brice plays Aaron, a videographer hired by Mark Duplass’s Josef to make a video for his kid to watch after he’s died of a terminal illness. Or does he? Playing on the power of politeness and the awkwardness of male relationships this is a highly original, itchily uncomfortable watch. Creep 2 is also on Netflix, and also good!

Read more

TV

17 of the best TV series on Netflix UK

By Louisa Mellor

TV

Underappreciated comedy movies on Netflix UK to watch now

By Mark Harrison and 1 other

Hush (2016)

Another smart sensory-based horror, this time from Oculus and Doctor Sleep man Mike Flanagan. This home invasioner sees deaf writer Maddie (Kate Siegel) attacked in her woodland retreat by a masked stranger. He uses her inability to hear to sneak around and terrorise her, but she has tricks of her own up her sleeve. Check out our review.

The Invitation (2015)

Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body, Destroyer) just keeps knocking it out of the park (and she’s recently been attached to a Dracula movie from Blumhouse Productions), and with The Invitation she continued to secure her place as one of the best directors around. Here, Will (Logan Marshall-Green) and his girlfriend go to a party held by his formerly suicidal ex-wife, and discover that she seems to be happier than she ever was, but Will starts to suspect that rather than healthily coping with her mental illness, she may well have joined a doomsday cult instead, and be planning to kill them all. Paranoia and tension are at the max in this bad boy. Here’s our review.

Little Evil (2017)

Comedy horror from Eli Craig who made the wonderful Tucker and Dale Vs Evil. This time he’s playing on creepy kid tropes, particular those from The Omen movies. Adam Scott plays a man who discovers his new wife’s (Evangeline Lilly) son might actually be the anti-christ. And because it’s Eli Craig, of course it’s funny and very good natured as well as playing with the genre.

Gerald’s Game (2017)

Another Mike Flanagan offering here – what can we say? he’s damn good! – as Jessie (a spectacular Carla Guigino) and her husband Gerald drive to a remote house to try and spice up their marriage with a bit of gentle BDSM. One problem: Jessie is not into it. At all. Two problems: Gerald carks it, leaving her tied up with only her cunning to help her free herself from her prone, handcuffed predicament. Three problems: a mythical, supernatural killer may be in the house. Stephen King, you’ve done it again. Read our review.

Ravenous (2017)

Unusual Canadian zombie movie (in French) which sees remaining stragglers after an outbreak of the infected band together in disparate groups travelling to find other survivors. Ravenous sets up its infected as worshipping a sort of new religion of found items (chairs, TVs etc.) making comment on the zombification of society. It’s also funny and quite scary, so there’s that.

Veronica (2017)

Loosely based on a true story, Veronica is set in Madrid in 1991 and follows a young woman who messes with a Ouija board who thinks she’s accidentally summoned an evil spirit. Director by Paco Plaza, one of the two directors behind [REC], the movie gained minor notoriety when it first landed on Netflix because of a few viewers finding it overly scary. It’s true there are some seriously creepy bits (but you’ll be fine!).

The Perfection (2018)

Get Out‘s Allison Williams and Dear White People‘s Logan Browning star in this twisty, trashy but nonetheless enjoyable tale of two musical prodigies hothoused at a mysterious academy. It’s lurid and lavish (and it’s got some fairly dodgy sexual politics, we’d warn you) but great lead performances and a tricksy three act structure that keeps you guessing, make this an entertaining and unusual Friday night pick. Read our review.

Want more horror? Here’s our list of 81 genuinely creepy horror movies. Here are some horror movies it’s safe to watch with your kids. And here are some underappreciated Scream-inspired horror movies of the 90s.

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[tcm]

Counterculture Films of 1969 by Susan King

One often looks at 1969 through nostalgia-trimmed glasses. It was the year we landed on the moon. Woodstock took place. Women’s liberation and equal rights were very much on everyone’s mind. There was sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. People were turning on and tuning out. But the U.S. was still reeling from the assassinations of Senator Robert Kennedy and Rev. Martin Luther King the year before. Richard Nixon was president. The Vietnam War continued to rage and so did the anti-war protests.

Though Hollywood was still producing successful, traditional fare like the Western TRUE GRIT, for which John Wayne won his only Oscar, the counterculture was very much on the studios’ minds. John Schlesinger’s MIDNIGHT COWBOY, the only X-rated film to win the best picture Oscar, found commercial success and Dennis Hopper’s low-budget road picture EASY RIDER, with Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson, captured the zeitgeist of that time. Its blockbuster status forced the studios to produce films for the young and often disenfranchised.

It was during this turbulent, albeit creative time that Columbia brought French auteur Jacques Demy to Hollywood to make MODEL SHOP. Accompanying Demy on the voyage was his wife and fellow New Wave filmmaker Agnes Varda, who managed to make a short and a feature while her husband was toiling on MODEL SHOP.

The auteur had made his film debut with 1961’s LOLA starring the luminous Anouk Aimee as a cabaret dancer in Nantes who has a young son. Demy had received international acclaim with his lush 1964 musical THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG, which made Catherine Deneuve a major star. He and Deneuve reunited for the 1967 musical THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT, which also starred her sister Francois Dorleac and Gene Kelly.

In MODEL SHOP, Gary Lockwood, still riding high from his role in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 masterpiece 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, plays a young uncompromising and unemployed architect who lives in Los Angeles in a tiny cottage in the middle of oil rigs with his aspiring actress girlfriend (Alexandra Hay). Not only does the couple fight like cats and dogs, Lockwood’s George is about to lose his cherry red sportscar due to back payments and get his draft notice.

While on a search to get money to keep his car, he witnesses a beautiful woman (Aimee) dressed in white in a parking lot and decides to follow her. She is none other than Lola, now divorced and working without a permit in a grungy part of Hollywood at a model shop where men rent a Polaroid to shoot photos of women in intimate settings.

MODEL SHOP wasn’t a hit with critics or audiences, and Demy and Varda packed up their bags and returned to Paris. Nevertheless, the film feels less dated than a lot of the films released 50 years ago. First of all, for anyone living in Los Angeles it’s great fun to watch Lockwood drive around the City of Angels of half-a-century ago. Demy avoided the traditional L.A. locations and set MODEL SHOP in the grungy part of the city reflecting the characters’ marginalized lives. Demy deftly captures the angst and dissatisfaction so many young people were going through at the time.

Paul Mazursky captured the affluent L.A. culture of 1969 with his R-rated comedy BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE, which marked his feature directorial debut. It was a winner with critics and audiences. And the ads which feature stars Robert Culp, Natalie Wood, Elliott Gould and Dyan Cannon sharing a bed together caused controversy and an even bigger box office.

Documentary filmmaker Bob (Culp) and his wife Carol (Wood) attend one of the era’s enlightenment swingers’ retreats which opens their minds and hearts and makes them more sexually aware. But their uptight friends—the delightfully funny Gould as Ted and Cannon as Alice, who both earned Oscar nominations— are upset at the changes in their friends Bob and Carol.

Featuring a score by Quincy Jones, BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE also earned Oscar nominations for screenplay and cinematography. It was definitely groundbreaking and is still quite amusing, but it seems so tame by today’s standards that one wonders what all the hullabaloo was about 50 years ago.

There was very little hullabaloo over the comedy-drama STAIRCASE, starring Rex Harrison and Richard Burton in their first film together since 1963’s CLEOPATRA. In fact, the best way to describe the production directed by Stanley Donen is as a mess.

Adapted by Charles Dyer and based on his hit play, STAIRCASE finds Harrison and Burton as longtime lovers who operate a barbershop in a lower-class London neighborhood. Harrison serves up the ham as Charles, an egotistical part-time actor who is about to go on trial for cross-dressing at a nightclub. Burton’s Harry wears a towel on his head because he suffers from alopecia and refuses to wear his wig. He spends a lot of his time taking care of his mother (Cathleen Nesbitt) who has dementia and suffers from incontinence. For the majority of the film the two lovers scream and yell at each other. It’s exhausting to watch. Unlike the recent Brit-com VICIOUS, starring Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi as a squabbling gay couple, there is little humanity or love emanating from Charles and Harry.

The production was difficult. Both actors were earning over $1 million for their work. And because they wanted to avoid England’s severe taxes, they insisted STAIRCASE be shot in Paris. And talk about demanding stars. Because Elizabeth Taylor didn’t want to be separated from Burton, she insisted the film she was making, the Las Vegas-set THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN also be shot in Paris.

Granted, it was brave of Donen, the actors and 20th Century Fox to make the film, considering it had only been two years since homosexuality had been legalized in England and Wales with the passing of the Sexual Offences Act of 1967. But STAIRCASE is so campy and mean-spirited, no wonder critics panned it and audiences stayed away.

Foreign films broke out of the art house circuit in 1969 with the release of the political thriller Z, directed by Greek-born, French-based director Costa-Gavras. The Algerian production not only became the first foreign language film in three decades to be nominated for the best film Oscar, Z won Academy Awards for best foreign film and editing. Costa-Gavras was also nominated for screenplay and directing. Z, starring Yves Montand, Irene Pappas and Jean-Louis Trintignant, was a very thinly veiled account of the assassination in 1963 of the liberal Greek politician Grigoris Lambrakis.

Costa-Gavras told the L.A. Times in 2009 that the film ended up being made in Algeria because no French producer or distributor wanted to do the film. There was no love story and there were several characters going through it, he said. “I remember even an important producer said to me, I will film the telephone book, but not that story.”

“Thankfully, co-star and co-producer Jacques Perrin knew high-profile individuals in Algeria. We saw the minister of information in Algeria”, noted Costa-Gavras. “He was a very great intellectual. He said we can do it. We can’t give you money, but all the facilities.”

The closing credits were unusual and masterful listing everything that had been banned in Greece after a 1967 military coup including Mark Twain, the Beatles, popular music and even the letter Z because it was symbolic of Lambrakis and the resistance that was still very much alive in the county.

[fearsmagazine]

DREAMCATCHER - Review

DISTRIBUTOR: Samuel Goldwyn Films

SYNOPSIS: The film opens as two estranged sisters who, along with their male friends, head off to an underground music festival called Cataclysm.One of the headliners is DJ Dreamcatcher, whose real name is Dylan, who is about to reach global stardom. Everything changes for the four friends after a chance encounter with Dylan and a drug fueled gruesome event. Things spiral way out of control and what ensues is a 48 hour whirlwind of violence and mayhem.

REVIEW: DREAMCATCHER is a slasher film that takes a stab at trying to be this generation's “Scream,” the 1996 slasher film from horror icon Wes Craven and penned by Kevin Williamson. In the director’s statement from director and writer Jacob Johnston, he sets forth these lofty goals, “1) I didn’t want throwaway, cannon-fodder characters and 2) thematically, I wanted to explore the effects of trauma and the various forms it can take.” Lofty goals for a first time feature film director. Still, what might have been on the page and ultimately ended up on the screen seems a bit lacking, especially for someone whose credits are almost exclusively on Marvel film and television projects in the visual departments

I didn’t read any of that going into DREAMCATCHER, and still I was disappointed. During the day I also work in the music industry and I’ve been to my share of music events and festivals of all shapes and sizes. The whole setup and presentation of this Cataclysm music festival just does not jive. The venue is too small, the layout does not work, the stage is smaller than it should be, and it’s just all wrong. When the camera cuts to the dance floor there are a variety of shots where you don’t understand how this event is going to take Dylan’s career to a global level of fame. Also, if you watch the dancers you’ll notice it is the same few people, same clothes, that are in this “crowd.” Heck the so called “bar,” looked more like a refreshment table at a high school prom with a server. I’ve been at smaller raves, in broken down locations, that were visually more impressive. Plus, he failed to capture the energy and excitement that goes on at these festivals, especially when the musicians are performing. How can you expect to pull in the audience you’re targeting if you can’t deliver something that manages their expectations or what they’ve personally experienced.

Considering the entire narrative as a whole there was nothing really new here and at times there is little setup or exposition to offer any insight into some of the characters’ actions. Case in point, there is a scene at the rave where Pierce is confronted about her actions. As a result she has a mental breakdown that sends her into the arms of Dylan. There’s all this dialogue that I’m guessing is supposed to offer context, maybe elicit some sympathy, but it falls flat and just doesn't work. There are similar moments throughout.

The killer’s costume design bear’s a striking resemblance to that of the one in “Scream,” simply a mask and robe. Oh, and the fact that the one here also often uses a knife. I’ve seen the costumes and headgear that some of these DJ’s wear to create their personas and this is the best they could come up with, especially in trying to play off the Dreamcatcher name?

The acting is just okay, nothing here really stands out, and I don’t think any of these actresses will emerge for this film as the new generations scream queen. As such, I didn’t find myself caring about any of these characters. There are a couple of rough edits, likewise a couple of times there was a sound issue, but the cinematography was okay.

The film employs a long list of electronic music tracks, after all it is supposed to be a music festival. I know about a third of these tracks. I’m not sure if it is the editing or the sampling, but often the mix feels like a long continuous loop so that it sounds like that there are only three or four songs in the film. Plus, you often think of these numbers as high energy and really able to get the audience going. However they just feel monotone when laid over the shots of the dance floor.

If I were to interview anyone involved with this production it would have to be person at Samuel Goldwyn Films with acquired the distribution rights to the film. I don’t believe that the company has released many horror films over the years and I believe we've come to expect a certain type of film they would handle. So my one question would be why DREAMCATCHER? I get that this is Jacob Johnston's first feature film and maybe the script wasn’t all there. At least given his experience I would have expected something more visually impressive. It just feels like yet another overly ambitious try at reinventing the wheel that fails to live up to the hype. Especially in light of other films that have come out over the last five years that have used a similar location for a horror film.  If you are curious and watch the film I would like to add this one last thought, that DREAMCATCHER also tries to give new meaning to the killer character in “Scream,” Ghostface. You’ll get it.

CAST: Niki Koss, Zachary Gordon, Travis Burns, Blaine Kern III, Olivia Sui, Emrhys Cooper, Elizabeth Posey, Nazanin Mandi, Adrienne Wilkinson, and Lou Ferrigno Jr. CREW: Director/Screenplay - Jacob Johnston; Producers - Krystal Vayda & Brandon Vayda; Cinematographer - Matthew Plaxco; Score - Alexander Taylor; Editor - Cody Miller; Production Designer - Austin Johnson; Costume Designer - Desi Aguilar; Special Effects Makeup - Julia Hapney; Visual Effects - SPIN & ChiLA Media. OFFICIAL: N.A. FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/dreamcatcherthemovie TWITTER: N.A. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/TT6YjgGRVDI RELEASE DATE:.Digital and On Demand March 5, 2021

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay),  or 👎 (Dislike)

Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri

[atomicwinterwonderland]

Best triggered angry bitch girl coming to the rescue for kristopher lmao

Robotech (TV series)

Robotech (1985) is an original story adapted with edited content and revised dialogue from the animation of three different mecha anime series:

Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982–1983)

Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross (1984)

Genesis Climber MOSPEADA (1983–1984)[6]

Harmony Gold's cited reasoning for combining these unrelated series was its decision to market Macross for American weekday syndication television, which required a minimum of 65 episodes at the time (thirteen weeks at five episodes per week).[7]Macross and the two other series each had fewer episodes than required, since they originally aired in Japan as weekly series. On some television stations, the syndicated run was preceded by the broadcast premiere of Codename: Robotech, a feature-length pilot.

This combination resulted in a storyline that spans three generations, as mankind must fight three destructive 'Robotech Wars' in succession with various invading forces, each of which is motivated in one way or another by a desire for a powerful energy source called 'protoculture'. While each of the three animated series used for its footage informs its content, the Robotech storyline is distinct and separate from each of them.

The First Robotech War (The Macross Saga) concerns humanity's discovery of a crashed alien ship and subsequent battle against a race of giant warriors called the Zentraedi, who have been sent to retrieve the ship for reasons unknown. In the course of this chapter, Earth is nearly annihilated, the Zentraedi are defeated, and humans gain knowledge of the energy source called protoculture. Humanity also learns of the Robotech Masters whose galactic empire the Zentraedi protected and patrolled.

The Second Robotech War (The Masters) focuses on the arrival in Earth orbit of the Robotech Masters, who have come seeking what turns out to be the sole means in the universe of producing protoculture. Through a combination of mistrust and arrogance, their attempts at retrieving this meet with opposition from the humans and unleash a war that leaves the Masters defeated and Earth awash in the spores of a plant called the Flower of Life—the source of protoculture and a beacon to the mysterious Invid who scour the galaxy for its presence.

The Third Robotech War (The New Generation) begins with the arrival on Earth of the Invid, who are lured by the Flower of Life and rapidly conquer the planet. References in the previous two chapters explain to viewers that many of the heroes of the First Robotech War had left Earth to seek out the Robotech Masters on a preemptive mission, and it is this Robotech Expeditionary Force that sends missions back from across the galaxy to attempt a liberation of their homeworld. The storyline follows one group of freedom fighters as they work their way towards the final battle with the Invid.

Robotech: The Movie

Main article:

Robotech: The Movie

Robotech: The Movie, also called Robotech: The Untold Story, is a feature film and was the first new Robotech adventure created after the premiere of the original series. It uses footage from the Megazone 23 – Part 1 OVA (original video animation; made-for-video animated feature) combined with scenes from "Southern Cross" and additional original animation produced for the film.

The original plan for the film was to have it set during the Macross Saga, parallel to the SDF-1's return to Earth from Pluto. The film would also have served as a prequel to the Sentinels, as both projects were initially meant to share many characters. Harmony Gold producer Carl Macek worked with the OVA's original creators to make the story and the new ending work. The film had to be changed again after the distributor of the film, Cannon Films, saw an incomplete rough cut of the film and were upset by it. They ordered Macek to remove multiple scenes from the film and to add more violence (most of the scenes removed were scenes setting up characters and showing female characters interacting). Macek reluctantly did what they ordered, and created a new script and rough edit for the film in less than 24 hours. When the distributors saw Macek act out the new film, they were much more pleased with the new cut.[8] The opening night in Texas received a positive response, but Cannon Films pulled out after noting that most attendants were adults; the bulk of the scheduled advertising for the series was targeted to children. The film had limited success in Argentina and Belgium.[citation needed]

In 2011, A&E Home Video released, as a part of their Robotech: The Complete Series collection, a 29-minute version of Robotech: The Movie containing only footage used from "Southern Cross". There was no attempt to remaster the footage.[9]

Robotech II: The Sentinels

Main article:

Robotech II: The Sentinels

This aborted American-produced series would have followed the continuing adventures of Rick and Lisa Hunter and the Robotech Expedition during the events of The Masters and The New Generation. The feature-length pilot is composed of the first three (and only) episodes that were produced. The Sentinels featured characters from all three Robotech sagas and introduced the SDF-3 along with an overview of their new mission. The series was planned to have a total of 65 episodes.[10]

In Robotech Art 3: The Sentinels, Carl Macek blamed the cancellation of the series on the crash of the Yen/Dollar exchange rate,[11] which caused toy partner Matchbox to withdraw from the project. Harmony Gold lacked the funds to produce the series on its own, and production ceased after only three episodes.

Robotech II: The Sentinels was released on VHS by Palladium Books.[12] In 2011, a "remastered" version was released on the A&E DVD set, Robotech: The Complete Original Series DVD. This version has opening titles resembling those found on the "Robotech Remastered" DVDs, as well as a new ending with text explaining the fate of the SDF-3. Also, all of the flashback footage used from "The Macross Saga" has been removed, including the re-used footage from the episode "Wedding Bells".[13]

Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles

Main article:

Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles

In 2002, Tommy Yune announced development of a new sequel film, which was untitled until 2004 as Robotech: Shadow Force. The storyline overlaps with and continues from the unresolved ending of the original series. The title of the story arc was soon changed to Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles. The first trailers with finished animation were shown at Anime Expo and Comic-Con International in 2005. It was not until February 2006, when Kevin McKeever, operations coordinator at Harmony Gold, was able to confirm that the pilot movie had been completed. After a series of delays, FUNimation Entertainment was finally announced as the home video, broadcast, and theatrical distributor at the 2006 Comic-Con International in San Diego with the possibility of producing further sequels. Harmony Gold premiered the movie at various film festivals in 2006, and it was first seen by a public audience at MechaCon on August 9, 2006, where it was showcased as a charity screening to help raise funds for the ongoing Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita recovery effort. A limited theatrical run followed in January 2007, and the film was released on DVD on February 6, 2007.[14] A two-disc collector's edition was released in November 2007.[15]

[angelo-the-whistleblower]

Part 10 - Incoming Text for Liv Tyler (@misslivalittle) and Liam Hemsworth (@liamhemsworth) and Jessica ‘Simply Jess’ Marquez (@iamjessmarquez): “An Idea Worth a Billion Dollars”

Full Information About The Delta Force (1986)

Here are the Wikipedia pages links:

Delta Force (Military Unit) - (click on the blue link)

The Delta Force (1986 Movie) - (click on the blue link)

Key Film Details:

Title: The Delta Force

Release Date: February 14, 1986

Genre: Action, War

Running Time: 125 minutes

Country: United States

Language: English

Director: Menahem Golan

Producers: Yoram Globus, Menahem Golan

Screenwriters: James Bruner, Menahem Golan

Cinematography: David Gurfinkel

Music: Alan Silvestri

Editing: Alain Jakubowicz

Production Company: The Cannon Group

Distributor: Cannon Releasing Corporation

Main Cast:

Chuck Norris – Major Scott McCoy

Lee Marvin – Colonel Nick Alexander

Martin Balsam – Ben Kaplan

Joey Bishop – Harry Goldman

Robert Forster – Abdul Rifi (terrorist leader)

George Kennedy – Father William O’Malley

Shelley Winters – Edie Kaplan

Bo Svenson – Captain Campbell

Hanna Schygulla – Ingrid Harding

Budget and Box Office:

Budget: Estimated $9 million

Box Office Earnings: $35 million worldwide

Intellectual Property (I.P.) Ownership & Licensing for a Reboot

The rights to The Delta Force (1986) are likely owned by MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) or a successor company that acquired The Cannon Group’s assets after its bankruptcy. Cannon’s catalog has passed through multiple hands, including Warner Bros., MGM, and currently Amazon (since Amazon acquired MGM in 2022).

Who to Contact for Licensing the I.P.:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) / Amazon Studios

Amazon acquired MGM in 2022, so the rights likely belong to Amazon Studios’ film licensing division.

You would need to contact Amazon MGM Studios’ licensing and development team for rights negotiations.

Secondary Rights Holders (Warner Bros. Discovery / Other Distributors)

Some Cannon films are co-owned by Warner Bros., so it may require checking distribution rights.

Legal Representation or Film Agents

You may need to hire an entertainment lawyer or an agency specializing in film licensing to negotiate with Amazon MGM Studios.

How to Negotiate a Delta Force Reboot Adapted for the Ukraine War (2025)

A reimagining of The Delta Force in 2025 would involve the following steps:

Step 1: Rights Inquiry & Proposal

Contact Amazon MGM Studios and submit a formal inquiry to license or acquire remake rights.

Propose a modernized adaptation of The Delta Force focusing on special forces operations in Ukraine.

Explain the market demand for military action films based on real-world conflicts.

Step 2: Securing Writers & Producers

Amazon MGM may request script approval before granting rights.

Attach a screenwriter, director, or production company with a track record in military or war films.

Step 3: Structuring the Deal

Options:

Outright Purchase: Acquire full remake rights.

Revenue-Sharing Deal: Amazon MGM remains involved and profits from the reboot.

Licensing Agreement: Limited rights for a reboot with specific conditions.

Step 4: Talent & Casting Approach

Attach a strong lead actor to play the modern-day Scott McCoy (e.g., Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hardy, or a real-life military consultant-turned-actor).

Consider involvement from military veterans or advisors for realism.

Step 5: Studio Partnership or Indie Financing

If Amazon MGM does not want to produce the film, you may partner with another studio (e.g., Lionsgate, Universal, A24, or an independent production company) while still licensing the Delta Force name.

Plot Concept for a Delta Force Reboot in 2025: Ukraine War

Title: Delta Force 2025: Operation Ukraine

Premise: A group of elite U.S. Delta Force operatives is deployed to Ukraine under a covert NATO mission to extract a high-value target from behind enemy lines. The mission goes wrong, forcing them to battle Russian special forces and mercenary groups in a high-stakes survival operation.

Modern Themes:

Cyber warfare

Drone combat

Russian PMC (Private Military Companies) like Wagner Group

Moral dilemmas in modern warfare

Conclusion

If you want to reimagine The Delta Force for 2025 with a Ukraine War setting, Amazon MGM Studios is likely the first point of contact. A strong pitch, proper legal team, and potential studio partners will increase the chances of approval. Would you like help drafting an official licensing request?

Here is the Trailer: THE DELTA FORCE (1986) | Official Trailer | MGM

[tabloidtoc]

Hollywood Reporter, November 20

Cover: Spotify’s Daniel Ek and Dawn Ostroff unveil a plan to harness Hollywood talent and exclusive podcasts to become the world’s #1 audio platform 

Page 10: Contents 

Page 14: Contents 

Page 21: The Report -- Star Wars Uncertainty Extends to Disney’s Lucasfilm Leader Too 

Page 22: What the End of the Paramount Decrees Actually Means 

Page 24: Taylor Swift vs. Scooter Braun and the Imminent Rerecording War 

Page 26: More Joker -- Warners’ 1B Reasons to Say Yes

Page 28: Box Office, Broadcast TV, Cable TV, Billboard Hot 100, Billboard 200, Closer Look -- Apple TV + Audience So Far 

Page 30: Awards Season -- Best Picture -- Joker, The Good Liar, Ford v Ferrari, Best Original Screenplay -- Lena Waithe for Queen & Slim, Best Actress -- Jessie Buckley in Wild Rose, Best Supporting Actress -- Margot Robbie in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Zhao Shuzhen in The Farewell 

Page 32: 7 Days of Deals -- It’s Showtime for A24-produced Features on Television, $500M Price Is Right for Sony’s GSN Takeover, Rights Available -- The Districts by Johnny Dwyer, Revelation by Bobi Gentry Goodwin, Film -- Nicolas Cage, Spike Lee, Mark Wahlberg and Tom Holland, Sam Worthington and Russell Crowe, Michael De Luca 

Page 33: Television -- Sarah Michelle Gellar, Vanessa Bayer, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Nick Cannon, Clive Owen, Jenni Konner and Sarah Treem, Digital -- Joe and Anthony Russo, Riley Keough, Bill Murray and Alyssa Milano, Eddie Murphy, Gary Oldman, Real Estate -- Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Rep Sheet -- Mia Maestro, Valerie Weiss, Drake Doremus, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Victoria Mahoney, Julia Fox, Next Big Thing -- Jonah Hauer-King 

Page 37: About Town -- Cenk Uygur: ‘I’m Going to Maul Them’ 

Page 38: R.I.P. Retail Therapy: A Fond Farewell to Barneys, Mike Nichols and Sidney Lumet and Roman Polanski: Three New Reads on Larger-Than-Life Moviemaking

Page 40: Yes, I Did Say That! Taylor Swift, John Stankey, Elizabeth Banks, Byron Allen, Julia Wolov on Louis C.K., Gayle King, Alex Zhu, Jeff Probst, Flashback -- Courteney Cox in 2014 

Page 42: HFPA and THR’s Golden Globes Ambassador Party -- Kaitlyn Dever and Olivia Wilde and Beanie Feldstein, Daniel Kaluuya and Emilia Clarke, Jacob Tremblay and Rob Gronkowski, Kate Beckinsale and Jamie Foxx and Tyrese Gibson, Adam Scott, Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd and Robert Pattinson, Greta Gerwig and Amy Pascal, Ali Wong and Chrissy Metz, Florence Pugh and Joe Keery and Ginnifer Goodwin and Jameela Jamil, Natasha Lyonne and Jill Soloway and Shakina Nayfack, Dylan Brosnan and Pierce Brosnan and Lorenzo Soria and Paris Brosnan, Justin Hartley and Bonnie Arnold, Sam Taylor-Johnson and husband Aaron 

Page 43: The Big Bash Gala -- Megan Colligan and son Lukas Roybal, Nina Jacobson, Mike Shumard, Susan Moseley and Priscilla Valldejuli and Sherry Lansing and Laura Lizer, Mike Daly, Michael Green and Rob Steinman and Dan Gardenswartz 

Page 44: Rambling Reporter -- Finding Jack’s directors originally wanted Elvis Presley to bring back from the dead but had to settle for James Dean, Noah Baumbach’s agent Jeremy Barber has cameos in three of his films including Marriage Story, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington finally won the top prize at the 1939 Cannes Film Festival, Idris Elba is now shilling for Ford but he used to work on their assembly line, Power Dining -- Dana Walden, Jeremy Zimmer, T Bone Burnett, Billy Porter, Halm Saban, JoJo Siwa, Bruce Willis, Olivia Munn, Michael Ovitz, Ben Stein, Bob Simonds, Roy Price, John Branca, Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez, Common, Laura Dern 

Page 46: Hitched, Hatched, Hired 

Page 50: The Business -- Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta 

Page 52: Law & Policy -- The Streaming Wars’ Wild West: Programmers vs. Distributors 

Page 54: The Race -- Are Films About Slavery Good for African Americans? 

Page 56: Behind the Screen -- Finding the Revs and Roars of Ford v Ferrari 

Page 62: Style -- Wine for Everyone on Your List 

Page 64: Send Me the Same Stuff the Guys Get -- Don’t buy into antiquated stereotypes and assume women want wine as gifts

Page 66: Cover Story -- Spotify the Storyteller 

Page 72: Producers Roundtable -- Debra Martin Chase, Peter Chernin, Charlize Theron, Dan Lin, Emma Tillinger Koskoff and David Heyman 

Page 80: Awards Season Playbook -- Directing -- James Mangold of Ford v Ferrari, Taika Waititi of Jojo Rabbit, Destin Daniel Cretton of Just Mercy, Noah Baumbach of Marriage Story, Quentin Tarantino of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Bong Joon Ho of Parasite, Melina Matsoukas of Queen & Slim, Dexter Fletcher of Rocketman, Robert Eggers of The Lighthouse, Benny and Josh Safdie of Uncut Gems, Trey Edward Shults of Waves 

Page 82: Writing -- These screenplays might seem fantastical but the exploration of how a dad’s love (or lack of it) shapes a man couldn’t be more real 

Page 84: The making of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood 

Page 88: Critic’s Notebook -- The “Plus TV” Era Is Upon Us 

Page 89: Social Climbers -- Actors -- Lili Reinhart, Tom Felton, Scripted TV -- Stranger Things, TV Personalities -- Jimmy Fallon 

Page 90: Backlot -- Hollywood’s Top 25 Marketing Masterminds 

Page 94: How Singapore Is Shaping Asia’s Digital Future 

Page 96: 90 Years of THR -- 1982 -- Tom Hanks Got His Start in Splatter and D&D Flicks

[rpsabetto]

The Last American Virgin

(USA 1982)

“Are you here to interview me or to fuck me?”

— Ruby

It was decades ago — probably the ‘80s — the last time I saw low budget ’80s cable classic The Last American Virgin. I recently noticed it in the “free movies” queue on…where else, cable. I had to know whether it was as good as I remembered.

An odd mix of other teen movies from its day — think of Porky’s and Fast Times at Ridgemont…