Netflix has released its weekly chart of how movies and television series have been doing on the streamer, with the Jennifer Lopez action-thriller remaining in #1 over the Top 10 English film chart for the week of May 22, its third week in that position. Read on for this week’s analysis.
Before we get to the movies, it’s quite notable that Arnold Schwarzenegger made his debut on the streamer in a rare live action series called “Fubar,” created by Nick Santora (“Scorpion”), which debuted atop the English TV list with 88.9 million hours viewed, easily the most-viewed series of the week. It entered the Top 10 in 90 countries and was the #1 watched series in the United States, Canada and dozens of other countries across the globe.
It still received some stiff competition from the “All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” spin-off series, “Xo, Kitty,” its first season getting 63.8 million hours viewed last...
Before we get to the movies, it’s quite notable that Arnold Schwarzenegger made his debut on the streamer in a rare live action series called “Fubar,” created by Nick Santora (“Scorpion”), which debuted atop the English TV list with 88.9 million hours viewed, easily the most-viewed series of the week. It entered the Top 10 in 90 countries and was the #1 watched series in the United States, Canada and dozens of other countries across the globe.
It still received some stiff competition from the “All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” spin-off series, “Xo, Kitty,” its first season getting 63.8 million hours viewed last...
- 5/30/2023
- by Edward Douglas
- Gold Derby
The sheer range of genres represented by this week’s new releases — from Liam Neeson thriller “Honest Thief” to romantic weepie “2 Hearts” — suggests that distributors of all kinds are doing their best to give audiences the kind of selection they enjoyed before the lockdown.
Well, nearly all kinds of distributors.
The major studios are still playing it safe and holding their tentpoles for a time when they can pack the megaplexes, although Paramount has stepped in with a fun post-apocalyptic adventure, “Love and Monsters,” which goes straight to PVOD, and Sony picked up an unconventional neo-noir called “The Kid Detective” out of the Toronto Film Festival that sneaks into theaters today. Pre-Halloween horror offerings continue, as Amazon Prime releases two more titles in its Welcome to the Blumhouse series: “Evil Eye” and “Nocturne.”
Art-houses land a major title in 2019 Venice Film Festival winner “Martin Eden,” an Italian adaptation of the Jack London novel.
Well, nearly all kinds of distributors.
The major studios are still playing it safe and holding their tentpoles for a time when they can pack the megaplexes, although Paramount has stepped in with a fun post-apocalyptic adventure, “Love and Monsters,” which goes straight to PVOD, and Sony picked up an unconventional neo-noir called “The Kid Detective” out of the Toronto Film Festival that sneaks into theaters today. Pre-Halloween horror offerings continue, as Amazon Prime releases two more titles in its Welcome to the Blumhouse series: “Evil Eye” and “Nocturne.”
Art-houses land a major title in 2019 Venice Film Festival winner “Martin Eden,” an Italian adaptation of the Jack London novel.
- 10/16/2020
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Yes, there have been a number of film distributors — big ones — who’ve cut and run during the pandemic, jettisoning their movies onto PVOD or selling them outright to streamers as domestic exhibition hangs in a fractured state.
And despite how prevalent it has become, from Universal/Dreamworks Animation’s Trolls World Tour to Paramount’s $125M sale of Coming 2 America to Amazon, I’ve heard often and again from studio sources that neither PVOD nor streaming sales make up for the maximum revenues and profits that the theatrical windows downstream revenue model yields. This despite the fact that there have been ample discussions between studios and the big circuits about a dynamic shortened theatrical window/PVOD revenue share model following Universal and AMC’s deal.
With viewership across streaming platforms up during the pandemic due to the nation being quarantined at home, industry insiders have a theory...
And despite how prevalent it has become, from Universal/Dreamworks Animation’s Trolls World Tour to Paramount’s $125M sale of Coming 2 America to Amazon, I’ve heard often and again from studio sources that neither PVOD nor streaming sales make up for the maximum revenues and profits that the theatrical windows downstream revenue model yields. This despite the fact that there have been ample discussions between studios and the big circuits about a dynamic shortened theatrical window/PVOD revenue share model following Universal and AMC’s deal.
With viewership across streaming platforms up during the pandemic due to the nation being quarantined at home, industry insiders have a theory...
- 10/16/2020
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
If you wanted to sum up the dim state of theatrical moviegoing, at least for this week, you could do it in one sentence: “No Time to Die” and “West Side Story” have been bumped to 2021, and “2 Hearts” is opening on 1,500 screens. What is “2 Hearts”? It’s a softheaded piece of morbid romantic treacle — two parallel cloying love stories for the price of one. But it all builds to them merging together, and the film tips its hand within 10 minutes that its spiritual linchpin will be a cataclysmic medical trauma. It takes no great deduction to look at these couples, put two and two together, and realize that what we’re watching is going to turn into a faith-based organ-transplant movie.
The couples’ stories are like competing Hallmark cards, but if you had to pick the most grating, it would be the coyly idyllic look-how-in-love-we-are! college romance between...
The couples’ stories are like competing Hallmark cards, but if you had to pick the most grating, it would be the coyly idyllic look-how-in-love-we-are! college romance between...
- 10/15/2020
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Update: Freestyle Releasing’s 2 Hearts is moving to Oct. 16, in hope that the Covid-19 cases will have quelled by then. The Lance Hool-directed romantic drama will now go wide against Universal/MGM’s Candyman on its new date, and Searchlight’s limited release of Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch.
Previous, June 16: Freestyle Releasing has picked up the romantic drama 2 Hearts with an eye on a Sept. 11 release.
The pic follows two couples who were never destined to meet but are thrown together by destiny and fate. 2 Hearts is based on the true stories of Leslie and Jorge Bacardi, of the famous Bacardi Rum family company, and Christopher Gregory, whose struggles and triumphs led to greater acts of kindness and giving than any of them knew were possible.
Jacob Elordi, Tiera Skovbye (Riverdale), Adan Canto, and Radha Mitchell (Man on Fire...
Previous, June 16: Freestyle Releasing has picked up the romantic drama 2 Hearts with an eye on a Sept. 11 release.
The pic follows two couples who were never destined to meet but are thrown together by destiny and fate. 2 Hearts is based on the true stories of Leslie and Jorge Bacardi, of the famous Bacardi Rum family company, and Christopher Gregory, whose struggles and triumphs led to greater acts of kindness and giving than any of them knew were possible.
Jacob Elordi, Tiera Skovbye (Riverdale), Adan Canto, and Radha Mitchell (Man on Fire...
- 7/13/2020
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The trailer for the new film from Freestyle Releasing, 2 Hearts, was recently released and you can check it out above! The film will be in theaters on September 11, 2020 and is rated PG-13.
For two couples the future unfolds in different decades and different places, but a hidden connection will bring them together in a way no one could have predicted. Based on an inspirational true story, 2 Hearts is a romantic journey that celebrates life, love and generosity of spirit, and challenges audiences to believe miracles are possible.
Charismatic young Australian actor Jacob Elordi plays Chris, a college freshman whose love for a spirited classmate played by Tiera Skovbye helps him find the purpose he has been searching for.
In another place and time, Adan Canto plays Cuban exile Jorge, who falls for well-traveled flight attendant Leslie, played by Radha Mitchell. Though they were never meant to meet, fate...
For two couples the future unfolds in different decades and different places, but a hidden connection will bring them together in a way no one could have predicted. Based on an inspirational true story, 2 Hearts is a romantic journey that celebrates life, love and generosity of spirit, and challenges audiences to believe miracles are possible.
Charismatic young Australian actor Jacob Elordi plays Chris, a college freshman whose love for a spirited classmate played by Tiera Skovbye helps him find the purpose he has been searching for.
In another place and time, Adan Canto plays Cuban exile Jorge, who falls for well-traveled flight attendant Leslie, played by Radha Mitchell. Though they were never meant to meet, fate...
- 6/19/2020
- by Mike Tyrkus
- CinemaNerdz
In today’s film new roundup, “Broken Hearts Gallery” moves back, “Burnt Orange Heresy” gets a release date, “Summertime,” “2 Hearts” and “The Mechanic” find homes and Helen Mirren is narrating “Escape from Extinction.”
Release Dates
Sony Pictures has moved back the release of romantic comedy “The Broken Hearts Gallery” from July 10 to July 17.
The studio said Tuesday that the movie will still be the first wide release of the summer. Last week, Warner Bros. moved Christopher Nolan’s spy thriller “Tenet” off July 17 and on to July 31.
“The Broken Hearts Gallery” stars Geraldine Viswanathan, Dacre Montgomery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Molly Gordon, Phillipa Soo, Suki Waterhouse, Arturo Castro, Ego Nwodim, Taylor Hill and Bernadette Peters.
****
Sony Pictures Classics will release Giuseppe Capotondi’s “The Burnt Orange Heresy” in theaters on Aug. 7. Based on the novel by Charles Willeford with a screenplay by Scott B. Smith, the film stars Claes Bang, Elizabeth Debicki,...
Release Dates
Sony Pictures has moved back the release of romantic comedy “The Broken Hearts Gallery” from July 10 to July 17.
The studio said Tuesday that the movie will still be the first wide release of the summer. Last week, Warner Bros. moved Christopher Nolan’s spy thriller “Tenet” off July 17 and on to July 31.
“The Broken Hearts Gallery” stars Geraldine Viswanathan, Dacre Montgomery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Molly Gordon, Phillipa Soo, Suki Waterhouse, Arturo Castro, Ego Nwodim, Taylor Hill and Bernadette Peters.
****
Sony Pictures Classics will release Giuseppe Capotondi’s “The Burnt Orange Heresy” in theaters on Aug. 7. Based on the novel by Charles Willeford with a screenplay by Scott B. Smith, the film stars Claes Bang, Elizabeth Debicki,...
- 6/16/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Freestyle Releasing, a division of Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studio, has acquired the rights to the indie romance “2 Hearts,” which stars “Euphoria” and “The Kissing Booth” actor Jacob Elordi and “Riverdale” actor Tiera Skovbye in an inspiring love story.
The film directed by Lance Hool will open in theaters on Sept. 11, and it follows two couples who are connected across two different decades and in other parts of the world but are brought together after they both suffer from a rare illness and discover that miracles can still happen.
“I believe that connections are everywhere,” Elordi says in the first trailer for “2 Hearts,” which you can watch above. “The kindness of a stranger, the first heartbeat of a baby, the love of your family, and I believe each one of us has a purpose, even if we can’t see it. Do you?”
Elordi and Skovbye play one...
The film directed by Lance Hool will open in theaters on Sept. 11, and it follows two couples who are connected across two different decades and in other parts of the world but are brought together after they both suffer from a rare illness and discover that miracles can still happen.
“I believe that connections are everywhere,” Elordi says in the first trailer for “2 Hearts,” which you can watch above. “The kindness of a stranger, the first heartbeat of a baby, the love of your family, and I believe each one of us has a purpose, even if we can’t see it. Do you?”
Elordi and Skovbye play one...
- 6/16/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Freestyle Releasing has picked up the romantic drama 2 Hearts, which stars Jacob Elordi, Tiera Skovbye, Adan Canto and Radha Mitchell.
A Sept. 11, 2020, theatrical release is set for the indie feature from director Lance Hool. 2 Hearts is based on the true stories of Leslie and Jorge Bacardi, of the Bacardi rum empire, and Christopher Gregory and his act of kindness.
"We believe 2 Hearts is the kind of heartwarming and uplifting love story that audiences need right now and will want to experience," Freestyle’s head of acquisitions Chris Charalambous said in a statement on Tuesday.
2 ...
A Sept. 11, 2020, theatrical release is set for the indie feature from director Lance Hool. 2 Hearts is based on the true stories of Leslie and Jorge Bacardi, of the Bacardi rum empire, and Christopher Gregory and his act of kindness.
"We believe 2 Hearts is the kind of heartwarming and uplifting love story that audiences need right now and will want to experience," Freestyle’s head of acquisitions Chris Charalambous said in a statement on Tuesday.
2 ...
- 6/16/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Freestyle Releasing has picked up the romantic drama 2 Hearts, which stars Jacob Elordi, Tiera Skovbye, Adan Canto and Radha Mitchell.
A Sept. 11, 2020, theatrical release is set for the indie feature from director Lance Hool. 2 Hearts is based on the true stories of Leslie and Jorge Bacardi, of the Bacardi rum empire, and Christopher Gregory and his act of kindness.
"We believe 2 Hearts is the kind of heartwarming and uplifting love story that audiences need right now and will want to experience," Freestyle’s head of acquisitions Chris Charalambous said in a statement on Tuesday.
2 ...
A Sept. 11, 2020, theatrical release is set for the indie feature from director Lance Hool. 2 Hearts is based on the true stories of Leslie and Jorge Bacardi, of the Bacardi rum empire, and Christopher Gregory and his act of kindness.
"We believe 2 Hearts is the kind of heartwarming and uplifting love story that audiences need right now and will want to experience," Freestyle’s head of acquisitions Chris Charalambous said in a statement on Tuesday.
2 ...
- 6/16/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Albuquerque Studios entered the spotlight last October when it was purchased by Netflix. While the complex is clearly the jewel in the crown of New Mexico’s production infrastructure, with eight soundstages totaling 132,000 square feet, 100,000 square feet of production offices, a large backlot and support space, it’s not the only modern studio facility in the Land of Enchantment.
In fact, before Netflix set up shop in Albuquerque, the bulk of its productions in the state were based some 60 miles northeast at Santa Fe Studios, which boasts two 19,275-square-foot soundstages, 25,000 square feet of production offices and a 57-acre backlot. Operated by the Hool family (brothers Lance and Conrad Hool and Lance’s son Jason), it has hosted the Netflix series “Godless” and “Longmire” and the streamer’s features “The Ridiculous 6” and “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” as well the Season 3 finale of “House of Cards.”
The Hools bought the...
In fact, before Netflix set up shop in Albuquerque, the bulk of its productions in the state were based some 60 miles northeast at Santa Fe Studios, which boasts two 19,275-square-foot soundstages, 25,000 square feet of production offices and a 57-acre backlot. Operated by the Hool family (brothers Lance and Conrad Hool and Lance’s son Jason), it has hosted the Netflix series “Godless” and “Longmire” and the streamer’s features “The Ridiculous 6” and “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” as well the Season 3 finale of “House of Cards.”
The Hools bought the...
- 4/25/2019
- by Todd Longwell
- Variety Film + TV
Perhaps best known as relentless vigilante Paul Kersey in the Death Wish movies, Bronson played another justice-seeking character, Leo Kessler, in 1983's 10 to Midnight, coming to Blu-ray in a Collector's Edition from Scream Factory early next year, and ahead of its January 22nd release, the Blu-ray's full list of special features has now been revealed.
From the Press Release: "Charles Bronson stars as a rogue cop pursuing a deranged killer in the action-packed suspense-thriller 10 to Midnight. Serving up vigilante justice as only he can, Bronson delivers one of his most riveting performances in this film. On January 22nd, 2019, Scream Factory brings this Cannon Group classic to Blu-ray as a Collector’s Edition loaded with new bonus features, including a new 4k scan of the original camera negative, new interviews with actor Andrew Stevens, producer Lance Hool, actor Robert F. Lyons, and actress Jeana Tomasina Keough; as well as a...
From the Press Release: "Charles Bronson stars as a rogue cop pursuing a deranged killer in the action-packed suspense-thriller 10 to Midnight. Serving up vigilante justice as only he can, Bronson delivers one of his most riveting performances in this film. On January 22nd, 2019, Scream Factory brings this Cannon Group classic to Blu-ray as a Collector’s Edition loaded with new bonus features, including a new 4k scan of the original camera negative, new interviews with actor Andrew Stevens, producer Lance Hool, actor Robert F. Lyons, and actress Jeana Tomasina Keough; as well as a...
- 12/6/2018
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
From VancouverFilm.Net, here is the Vancouver Film Production Update for July 2018, including "Casino Night", "Motherland", "Lost In Space" and a whole lot more:
Feature Films
2 Hearts
Local Production Company: 2H Productions Inc.
Director: Lance Hool
Producer: Conrad Hool
Jun 14/18 - Jul 28/18
A Score To Settle
Local Production Company: Settle Productions Inc.
Director: Shawn Ku
Producer: Lee Clay, Daniel Maskers
Jul 03/18 - Jul 23/18
Airborne
Local Production Company: Siberian Productions Ltd.
Director: Tom McCarthy
Producer: Michael Bederman
Jun 18/18 - Jul 27/18
Always Be My Maybe
Local Production Company: Anaheim Productions Inc.
Director: Nahnatchka Khan
May 28/18 - Jul 06/18
Casino Night
Local Production Company: Hedgehog Films Inc.
Director: Jeffrey Fowler
Producer: Neal H. Moritz, Mie Onishi, Takeshi Ito, Dmitri M. Johnson, Dan Jevons
Jul 30/18 - Sep 26/18
Come To Daddy
Local Production Company: Ctd Productions Inc.
Director: Ant Timpson
Jul 09/18 - Aug 03/18
Good Boys
Local Production Company: Good Boy Productions Inc.
Director: Gene Stupnitsky
Producer:...
Feature Films
2 Hearts
Local Production Company: 2H Productions Inc.
Director: Lance Hool
Producer: Conrad Hool
Jun 14/18 - Jul 28/18
A Score To Settle
Local Production Company: Settle Productions Inc.
Director: Shawn Ku
Producer: Lee Clay, Daniel Maskers
Jul 03/18 - Jul 23/18
Airborne
Local Production Company: Siberian Productions Ltd.
Director: Tom McCarthy
Producer: Michael Bederman
Jun 18/18 - Jul 27/18
Always Be My Maybe
Local Production Company: Anaheim Productions Inc.
Director: Nahnatchka Khan
May 28/18 - Jul 06/18
Casino Night
Local Production Company: Hedgehog Films Inc.
Director: Jeffrey Fowler
Producer: Neal H. Moritz, Mie Onishi, Takeshi Ito, Dmitri M. Johnson, Dan Jevons
Jul 30/18 - Sep 26/18
Come To Daddy
Local Production Company: Ctd Productions Inc.
Director: Ant Timpson
Jul 09/18 - Aug 03/18
Good Boys
Local Production Company: Good Boy Productions Inc.
Director: Gene Stupnitsky
Producer:...
- 7/1/2018
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
From VancouverFilm.Net, here is the Vancouver Film Production Update for June 2018, including "Airborne", "Van Helsing", "The Big Sleep" and a whole lot more:
Feature Film
Always Be My Maybe
Local Production Company: Anaheim Productions Inc.
Director: Nahnatchka Khan
May 28/18 - Jul 06/18
A Score To Settle
Local Production Company: Settle Productions Inc.
Director: Shawn Ku
Jun 24/18 - Jul 14/18
Benchwarmers 2
Local Production Company: 2nd String Productions Inc.
Director: Johnathan Rosenbaum
Producer: Dan Angel
Jun 05/18 - Jun 28/18
Casino Night
Local Production Company: Hedgehog Films Inc.
Director: Jeffrey Fowler
Jul 30/18 - Sep 26/18
Good Boys
Local Production Company: Good Boy Productions Inc.
Director: Gene Stupnitsky
Producer: Dan Clarke
Jul 09/18 - Aug 23/18
Love & Oatmeal
Local Production Company: Scott & Cindy Film Productions Inc.
Director: Peter Sattler
Producer: Molly Smith, Rachel Smith, Thad Luckinbill, Trent Luckinbill, Trina Wyatt
Jun 04/18 - Jun 29/18
Needle In A Timestack
Local Production Company: Needle Production Services BC Inc.
Director: John Ridley
Producer: Vince Geradis,...
Feature Film
Always Be My Maybe
Local Production Company: Anaheim Productions Inc.
Director: Nahnatchka Khan
May 28/18 - Jul 06/18
A Score To Settle
Local Production Company: Settle Productions Inc.
Director: Shawn Ku
Jun 24/18 - Jul 14/18
Benchwarmers 2
Local Production Company: 2nd String Productions Inc.
Director: Johnathan Rosenbaum
Producer: Dan Angel
Jun 05/18 - Jun 28/18
Casino Night
Local Production Company: Hedgehog Films Inc.
Director: Jeffrey Fowler
Jul 30/18 - Sep 26/18
Good Boys
Local Production Company: Good Boy Productions Inc.
Director: Gene Stupnitsky
Producer: Dan Clarke
Jul 09/18 - Aug 23/18
Love & Oatmeal
Local Production Company: Scott & Cindy Film Productions Inc.
Director: Peter Sattler
Producer: Molly Smith, Rachel Smith, Thad Luckinbill, Trent Luckinbill, Trina Wyatt
Jun 04/18 - Jun 29/18
Needle In A Timestack
Local Production Company: Needle Production Services BC Inc.
Director: John Ridley
Producer: Vince Geradis,...
- 6/6/2018
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Director and documentarian Mark Hartley scores both a film history and comedy success with this ‘wild, untold’ account of the 1980s film studio that was both revered and despised by everyone who had contact with it. The ‘cast list’ of interviewees is encyclopedic, everybody has a strong opinion, and some of them don’t need four-letter words to describe their experience!
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
On a double bill with
Machete Maidens Unleashed!
Blu-ray
Umbrella Entertainment (Au, all-region
2014 / Color / 1:77 widescreen / 106 min. / Street Date April 4, 2017 / Available from Umbrella Entertainment / 34.99
Starring: Menahem Golan, Yoram Globus, Al Ruban, Alain Jakubowicz, Albert Pyun, Alex Winter, Allen DeBevoise, Avi Lerner, Barbet Schroeder, Bo Derek, Boaz Davidson, Cassandra Peterson, Catherine Mary Stewart, Charles Matthau, Christopher C. Dewey, Christopher Pearce, Cynthia Hargrave, Dan Wolman, Daniel Loewenthal, David Del Valle, David Paulsen, David Sheehan, David Womark, Diane Franklin, Dolph Lundgren, Edward R. Pressman,...
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
On a double bill with
Machete Maidens Unleashed!
Blu-ray
Umbrella Entertainment (Au, all-region
2014 / Color / 1:77 widescreen / 106 min. / Street Date April 4, 2017 / Available from Umbrella Entertainment / 34.99
Starring: Menahem Golan, Yoram Globus, Al Ruban, Alain Jakubowicz, Albert Pyun, Alex Winter, Allen DeBevoise, Avi Lerner, Barbet Schroeder, Bo Derek, Boaz Davidson, Cassandra Peterson, Catherine Mary Stewart, Charles Matthau, Christopher C. Dewey, Christopher Pearce, Cynthia Hargrave, Dan Wolman, Daniel Loewenthal, David Del Valle, David Paulsen, David Sheehan, David Womark, Diane Franklin, Dolph Lundgren, Edward R. Pressman,...
- 4/8/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Bronson’s Loose Again!: On the Set with Charles Bronson is author Paul Talbot’s all-new companion volume to his acclaimed Bronson’s Loose!: The Making of the ‘Death Wish’ Films. His new book reveals more information on the Death Wish series and also details the complex histories behind eighteen other Charles Bronson movies. Documented herein are fascinating tales behind some of the finest Bronson films of the mid-1970s (including Hard Times and From Noon Till Three); his big-budget independent epics Love And Bullets and Cabo Blanco; his lesser-known, underrated dramas Borderline and Act Of Vengeance; his notorious sleaze/action Cannon Films classics of the 80s (including 10 To Midnight, Murphy’S Law and Kinjite: Forbidden Sunjects); the numerous unmade projects he was attached to; and his TV movies of the 90s (including The Sea Wolf). Exhaustively researched, the book features over three dozen exclusive, candid interviews including...
- 6/27/2016
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
You definitely will not be disappointed by the absolutely amazing Mad Max: Fury Road. However, I make no promises about this week's movie… Steel Dawn (1987) Director: Lance Hool Stars: Patrick Swayze, Lisa Niemi, Brion James In a desert wasteland overrun by famine and warlords, the only savior: Patrick Swayze and his mullet. Following the global success of the Mad Max series in the 1980s, a whole...
- 5/13/2015
- by Jason Adams
- JoBlo.com
Missing in Action
Written by Arthur Silver, Larry Levinson, John Crowther, Lance Hool, James Bruner
Directed by Joseph Zito
U.S.A., 1986
In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, one of the contentious issues plaguing American-Vietnamese relations is the rumour that U.S. soldiers are still be held against their will in prison camps. This is something former Colonel James Braddock (Chuck Norris), who participated in the Vietnam campaign, firmly believes, unequivocally so, despite his inability to demonstrate it to the wider public. For reasons poorly explained, Braddock is brought along on a diplomatic mission to Ho Chi Minh where officials on both sides are to discuss the matter. Braddock is not the diplomatic type however, preferring to engage in a solo mission to discover the truth about his brothers in arms who are, supposedly, Missing in Action.
The funny thing about the movie is the way it begins, namely,...
Written by Arthur Silver, Larry Levinson, John Crowther, Lance Hool, James Bruner
Directed by Joseph Zito
U.S.A., 1986
In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, one of the contentious issues plaguing American-Vietnamese relations is the rumour that U.S. soldiers are still be held against their will in prison camps. This is something former Colonel James Braddock (Chuck Norris), who participated in the Vietnam campaign, firmly believes, unequivocally so, despite his inability to demonstrate it to the wider public. For reasons poorly explained, Braddock is brought along on a diplomatic mission to Ho Chi Minh where officials on both sides are to discuss the matter. Braddock is not the diplomatic type however, preferring to engage in a solo mission to discover the truth about his brothers in arms who are, supposedly, Missing in Action.
The funny thing about the movie is the way it begins, namely,...
- 4/1/2015
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
Only one man has ever went toe-to-toe with the legendary Bruce Lee, while living to tell about it and that was Chuck Norris in Return of the Dragon. The always calm and cool Chuck Norris has since become the idealization of a bad-ass thanks to popular culture of Chuck Norris Facts and a few really good commercials, and yet when we quote these:
Chuck Norris was once shot. The bullet died.
When Chuck Norris calls 911 it’s to ask if everything is okay.
Have action fans forgot you don’t get cool by being cool, you earn it, and Chuck Norris officially started to earn his coolness factor in a series of Cannon Films productions during the mid-1980s, namely the Missing in Action series, a deeply personal set of action films for Norris. Killer Film is back with another Action Packed Flashback with director Lance Hool on his Missing in Action II: The Beginning.
Chuck Norris was once shot. The bullet died.
When Chuck Norris calls 911 it’s to ask if everything is okay.
Have action fans forgot you don’t get cool by being cool, you earn it, and Chuck Norris officially started to earn his coolness factor in a series of Cannon Films productions during the mid-1980s, namely the Missing in Action series, a deeply personal set of action films for Norris. Killer Film is back with another Action Packed Flashback with director Lance Hool on his Missing in Action II: The Beginning.
- 8/12/2011
- by Jon Peters
- Killer Films
Encore visited the Geelong set of Simon Wincer’s new project The Cup which, although shot on a tight schedule, he hopes will be ‘the movie that stops a nation’ when it’s released in 2011.
The Cup tells the story of Damien Oliver (played by Stephen Curry), winner of the 2002 Melbourne Cup with the horse Media Puzzle and the support of Irish trainer Dermot Weld (Brendan Gleeson). Oliver’s brother (Daniel MacPherson) was killed one week before the event in a horse racing accident in Perth – which also reflects the way their father died 27 years ago.
Us journalist Eric O’Keefe heard of Oliver’s story and contacted Wincer, trying to get more information from his Australian friend to write a magazine article. Wincer looked into it and rang him back saying “This is a movie!”
Wincer is, of course, no stranger to horse-themed projects, from 1983’s Phar Lap to the 2008 CBS miniseries Comanche Moon.
The Cup tells the story of Damien Oliver (played by Stephen Curry), winner of the 2002 Melbourne Cup with the horse Media Puzzle and the support of Irish trainer Dermot Weld (Brendan Gleeson). Oliver’s brother (Daniel MacPherson) was killed one week before the event in a horse racing accident in Perth – which also reflects the way their father died 27 years ago.
Us journalist Eric O’Keefe heard of Oliver’s story and contacted Wincer, trying to get more information from his Australian friend to write a magazine article. Wincer looked into it and rang him back saying “This is a movie!”
Wincer is, of course, no stranger to horse-themed projects, from 1983’s Phar Lap to the 2008 CBS miniseries Comanche Moon.
- 11/1/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
Director Simon Wincer is about to start production of his new horseracing film The Cup, but he admits that the project has been particularly difficult to put together.
“I’m glad that we’re up and running, because it’s certainly tried my patience a number of times,” Wincer told Encore.
The Cup tells the story of Damien Oliver, winner of the 2002 Melbourne Cup with the horse Media Puzzle. Oliver’s brother was killed in a horse racing accident in Perth, one week before the event.
Wincer and Eric O’Keefe started working on this project in 2003, and it’s taken seven years to make it happen. The $17.5m film was financed in 2008, but fell apart due to the global financial crisis.
Win some, lose some. That’s what The Cup has experienced in its long journey.
Ray Winstone was attached to the project, to play Irish trainer Dermot Weld.
“I’m glad that we’re up and running, because it’s certainly tried my patience a number of times,” Wincer told Encore.
The Cup tells the story of Damien Oliver, winner of the 2002 Melbourne Cup with the horse Media Puzzle. Oliver’s brother was killed in a horse racing accident in Perth, one week before the event.
Wincer and Eric O’Keefe started working on this project in 2003, and it’s taken seven years to make it happen. The $17.5m film was financed in 2008, but fell apart due to the global financial crisis.
Win some, lose some. That’s what The Cup has experienced in its long journey.
Ray Winstone was attached to the project, to play Irish trainer Dermot Weld.
- 5/28/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
Brendan Gleeson ("Troy," "In Bruges") and Stephen Curry have joined the family adventure "The Cup" for Myriad Pictures says Screen Daily.
Gleeson plays celebrated Irish horse trainer Dermot Weld who helped a grieving jockey win the 2002 Melbourne Cup.
Simon Wincer is directing and will produce with Lance Hool while Village Roadshow, Screen Australia and Film Victoria will finance. Filming kicks off in Australia this Summer.
Gleeson plays celebrated Irish horse trainer Dermot Weld who helped a grieving jockey win the 2002 Melbourne Cup.
Simon Wincer is directing and will produce with Lance Hool while Village Roadshow, Screen Australia and Film Victoria will finance. Filming kicks off in Australia this Summer.
- 5/4/2010
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Brendan Gleeson has joined the cast of Simon Wincer’s "The Cup," a film about the 2002 Melbourne Cup horse race, which begins filming this summer in Australia. He will play legendary Irish horse trainer Dermot Weld.
The film is being produced by Wincer and Lance Hool of Silver Lion Films, with financing from Village Roadshow, Screen Australia and Film Victoria. Myriad Pictures will handle worldwide sales for the film in North America and territories outside of Australia, Singapore, New Zealand and Greece, which will be distributed by Village Roadshow.
Kirk D'Amico, CEO and president of Myriad, and Village Roadshow's Joel Pearlman are exec producing along with James M. Vernon, Greg Sitch and Peter DeRauch.
The film is being produced by Wincer and Lance Hool of Silver Lion Films, with financing from Village Roadshow, Screen Australia and Film Victoria. Myriad Pictures will handle worldwide sales for the film in North America and territories outside of Australia, Singapore, New Zealand and Greece, which will be distributed by Village Roadshow.
Kirk D'Amico, CEO and president of Myriad, and Village Roadshow's Joel Pearlman are exec producing along with James M. Vernon, Greg Sitch and Peter DeRauch.
Man on Fire
Opens
April 21
Denzel Washington plays an avenging angel in "Man on Fire", a full-throttle, good-vs.-evil thriller about an ex-CIA agent bent on eliminating, one by one, a ruthless Mexican gang of kidnappers and dirty cops.
Everything is straightforward save for director Tony Scott's fussy style of hyperimages and flash editing, which he has developed in such similar melodramas as "Spy Game" and "Enemy of the State". Washington commands the screen with calm assurance, shares it well with his tiny co-star, Dakota Fanning, during the first half of the story and pretty much carries the marathon-length movie on his broad shoulders, as he is in nearly every scene.
At nearly 21⁄2 hours, exhibitors might lose a daily showing with "Man on Fire". But it won't matter much as the film looks primed to do excellent boxoffice, with Washington pulling in above-average numbers for a film that should appeal to men of all ages and a good many women as well.
"Man on Fire" is actually a second go at the novel of pseudonymous author A.J. Quinnell by producer Arnon Milchan, who shepherded to the screen a 1987 French⁄Italian production starring Scott Glenn and Joe Pesci and directed by Elie Chouraqui. This production, of course, is considerably amped by Scott and a top-flight crew, with much time spent on atmosphere, stunts, conflagrations and dramatic confrontations.
Washington plays one of those burnt-out cases so beloved by thriller writers. In this instance, he is John Creasy, a former CIA assassin who has run out of people to kill. The only remaining target is himself. Alcoholic and without purpose, he drifts into Mexico to visit old pal and fellow ex-agent Rayburn (Christopher Walken). Rayburn fixes him up with a job as bodyguard to 9-year-old Pita Ramos (Fanning), daughter of stressed-out Mexican industrialist Samuel (singing sensation Marc Anthony) and his anxious Yankee wife, Lisa (Radha Mitchell). The family's smooth attorney (Mickey Rourke) has insisted on hiring a bodyguard as abductions occur round-the-clock in Mexico.
(The portrait of the country and its citizens is about as bleak as any studio picture ever made, essentially portraying Mexico as a cesspool of crime and corruption reaching upward into the social elite. Whether accurate or not, the movie is not likely to make Vicente Fox's top 10 list.)
Brian Helgeland's script can't help but traffic in predictable plot developments. Yes, Pita breaks down Creasy's resistance to life, even getting him to smile again and act as her swimming coach. And yes, Pita gets abducted and the ransom drop goes awry -- crooks beating other crooks to the prize -- and all is lost.
But Creasy, despite being badly wounded, methodically takes on the entire gang, a bloody trail of reprisals that leads to top cop Fuentes (Jesus Ochoa) and "the Voice" (Gustavo Sanchez Parra), who ordered the kidnapping. In this, he has the aid of Mexico's only apparent honest citizens, police inspector Manzano (Italian star Giancarlo Giannini) and fearless journalist Mariana (Rachel Ticotin).
Scott heightens the tension with cinematographer Paul Cameron's nervous, pivoting camera moves, Christian Wagner's quick edits, sudden shifts in motion, color and a dramatic play of light and shadows. Harry Gregson-Williams' percussion-driven Latin jazz score greatly pushes the mood of high anxiety.
While on fire, Washington plays it cool. Whether a drunk or revenge-minded killer, he is always in control. Fanning gets snatched away, which leaves a hole in the story, but Giannini and Ticotin help fill the gap by playing a pair of good guys who nevertheless exploit each other.
The film is always watchable, and the confrontations contain undeniable edgy excitement. But even if this weren't a remake, it would be a remake. Hollywood filmmakers have fished these waters so thoroughly that it's virtually impossible to land a big catch.
MAN ON FIRE
Fox 2000 Pictures and Regency Enterprises present a New Regency/Scott Free production
Credits:
Director: Tony Scott
Screenwriter: Brian Helgeland
Producers: Arnon Milchan, Tony Scott, Lucas Foster
Executive producers: Lance Hool, James W. Skotchdopole
Director of photography: Paul Cameron
Production designer: Benjamin Fernandez
Music: Harry Gregson-Williams
Co-producer: Conrad Hool
Costume designer: Louise Frogley
Editor: Christian Wagner
Cast:
Creasy: Denzel Washington
Pita: Dakota Fanning
Samuel: Marc Anthony
Lisa: Radha Mitchell
Rayburn: Christopher Walken
Manzano: Giancarlo Giannini
Mariana: Rachel Ticotin
Fuentes: Jesus Ochoa
Jordan: Mickey Rourke
Running time -- 142 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
April 21
Denzel Washington plays an avenging angel in "Man on Fire", a full-throttle, good-vs.-evil thriller about an ex-CIA agent bent on eliminating, one by one, a ruthless Mexican gang of kidnappers and dirty cops.
Everything is straightforward save for director Tony Scott's fussy style of hyperimages and flash editing, which he has developed in such similar melodramas as "Spy Game" and "Enemy of the State". Washington commands the screen with calm assurance, shares it well with his tiny co-star, Dakota Fanning, during the first half of the story and pretty much carries the marathon-length movie on his broad shoulders, as he is in nearly every scene.
At nearly 21⁄2 hours, exhibitors might lose a daily showing with "Man on Fire". But it won't matter much as the film looks primed to do excellent boxoffice, with Washington pulling in above-average numbers for a film that should appeal to men of all ages and a good many women as well.
"Man on Fire" is actually a second go at the novel of pseudonymous author A.J. Quinnell by producer Arnon Milchan, who shepherded to the screen a 1987 French⁄Italian production starring Scott Glenn and Joe Pesci and directed by Elie Chouraqui. This production, of course, is considerably amped by Scott and a top-flight crew, with much time spent on atmosphere, stunts, conflagrations and dramatic confrontations.
Washington plays one of those burnt-out cases so beloved by thriller writers. In this instance, he is John Creasy, a former CIA assassin who has run out of people to kill. The only remaining target is himself. Alcoholic and without purpose, he drifts into Mexico to visit old pal and fellow ex-agent Rayburn (Christopher Walken). Rayburn fixes him up with a job as bodyguard to 9-year-old Pita Ramos (Fanning), daughter of stressed-out Mexican industrialist Samuel (singing sensation Marc Anthony) and his anxious Yankee wife, Lisa (Radha Mitchell). The family's smooth attorney (Mickey Rourke) has insisted on hiring a bodyguard as abductions occur round-the-clock in Mexico.
(The portrait of the country and its citizens is about as bleak as any studio picture ever made, essentially portraying Mexico as a cesspool of crime and corruption reaching upward into the social elite. Whether accurate or not, the movie is not likely to make Vicente Fox's top 10 list.)
Brian Helgeland's script can't help but traffic in predictable plot developments. Yes, Pita breaks down Creasy's resistance to life, even getting him to smile again and act as her swimming coach. And yes, Pita gets abducted and the ransom drop goes awry -- crooks beating other crooks to the prize -- and all is lost.
But Creasy, despite being badly wounded, methodically takes on the entire gang, a bloody trail of reprisals that leads to top cop Fuentes (Jesus Ochoa) and "the Voice" (Gustavo Sanchez Parra), who ordered the kidnapping. In this, he has the aid of Mexico's only apparent honest citizens, police inspector Manzano (Italian star Giancarlo Giannini) and fearless journalist Mariana (Rachel Ticotin).
Scott heightens the tension with cinematographer Paul Cameron's nervous, pivoting camera moves, Christian Wagner's quick edits, sudden shifts in motion, color and a dramatic play of light and shadows. Harry Gregson-Williams' percussion-driven Latin jazz score greatly pushes the mood of high anxiety.
While on fire, Washington plays it cool. Whether a drunk or revenge-minded killer, he is always in control. Fanning gets snatched away, which leaves a hole in the story, but Giannini and Ticotin help fill the gap by playing a pair of good guys who nevertheless exploit each other.
The film is always watchable, and the confrontations contain undeniable edgy excitement. But even if this weren't a remake, it would be a remake. Hollywood filmmakers have fished these waters so thoroughly that it's virtually impossible to land a big catch.
MAN ON FIRE
Fox 2000 Pictures and Regency Enterprises present a New Regency/Scott Free production
Credits:
Director: Tony Scott
Screenwriter: Brian Helgeland
Producers: Arnon Milchan, Tony Scott, Lucas Foster
Executive producers: Lance Hool, James W. Skotchdopole
Director of photography: Paul Cameron
Production designer: Benjamin Fernandez
Music: Harry Gregson-Williams
Co-producer: Conrad Hool
Costume designer: Louise Frogley
Editor: Christian Wagner
Cast:
Creasy: Denzel Washington
Pita: Dakota Fanning
Samuel: Marc Anthony
Lisa: Radha Mitchell
Rayburn: Christopher Walken
Manzano: Giancarlo Giannini
Mariana: Rachel Ticotin
Fuentes: Jesus Ochoa
Jordan: Mickey Rourke
Running time -- 142 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 7/9/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Man on Fire
Opens
April 21
Denzel Washington plays an avenging angel in "Man on Fire", a full-throttle, good-vs.-evil thriller about an ex-CIA agent bent on eliminating, one by one, a ruthless Mexican gang of kidnappers and dirty cops.
Everything is straightforward save for director Tony Scott's fussy style of hyperimages and flash editing, which he has developed in such similar melodramas as "Spy Game" and "Enemy of the State". Washington commands the screen with calm assurance, shares it well with his tiny co-star, Dakota Fanning, during the first half of the story and pretty much carries the marathon-length movie on his broad shoulders, as he is in nearly every scene.
At nearly 21⁄2 hours, exhibitors might lose a daily showing with "Man on Fire". But it won't matter much as the film looks primed to do excellent boxoffice, with Washington pulling in above-average numbers for a film that should appeal to men of all ages and a good many women as well.
"Man on Fire" is actually a second go at the novel of pseudonymous author A.J. Quinnell by producer Arnon Milchan, who shepherded to the screen a 1987 French⁄Italian production starring Scott Glenn and Joe Pesci and directed by Elie Chouraqui. This production, of course, is considerably amped by Scott and a top-flight crew, with much time spent on atmosphere, stunts, conflagrations and dramatic confrontations.
Washington plays one of those burnt-out cases so beloved by thriller writers. In this instance, he is John Creasy, a former CIA assassin who has run out of people to kill. The only remaining target is himself. Alcoholic and without purpose, he drifts into Mexico to visit old pal and fellow ex-agent Rayburn (Christopher Walken). Rayburn fixes him up with a job as bodyguard to 9-year-old Pita Ramos (Fanning), daughter of stressed-out Mexican industrialist Samuel (singing sensation Marc Anthony) and his anxious Yankee wife, Lisa (Radha Mitchell). The family's smooth attorney (Mickey Rourke) has insisted on hiring a bodyguard as abductions occur round-the-clock in Mexico.
(The portrait of the country and its citizens is about as bleak as any studio picture ever made, essentially portraying Mexico as a cesspool of crime and corruption reaching upward into the social elite. Whether accurate or not, the movie is not likely to make Vicente Fox's top 10 list.)
Brian Helgeland's script can't help but traffic in predictable plot developments. Yes, Pita breaks down Creasy's resistance to life, even getting him to smile again and act as her swimming coach. And yes, Pita gets abducted and the ransom drop goes awry -- crooks beating other crooks to the prize -- and all is lost.
But Creasy, despite being badly wounded, methodically takes on the entire gang, a bloody trail of reprisals that leads to top cop Fuentes (Jesus Ochoa) and "the Voice" (Gustavo Sanchez Parra), who ordered the kidnapping. In this, he has the aid of Mexico's only apparent honest citizens, police inspector Manzano (Italian star Giancarlo Giannini) and fearless journalist Mariana (Rachel Ticotin).
Scott heightens the tension with cinematographer Paul Cameron's nervous, pivoting camera moves, Christian Wagner's quick edits, sudden shifts in motion, color and a dramatic play of light and shadows. Harry Gregson-Williams' percussion-driven Latin jazz score greatly pushes the mood of high anxiety.
While on fire, Washington plays it cool. Whether a drunk or revenge-minded killer, he is always in control. Fanning gets snatched away, which leaves a hole in the story, but Giannini and Ticotin help fill the gap by playing a pair of good guys who nevertheless exploit each other.
The film is always watchable, and the confrontations contain undeniable edgy excitement. But even if this weren't a remake, it would be a remake. Hollywood filmmakers have fished these waters so thoroughly that it's virtually impossible to land a big catch.
MAN ON FIRE
Fox 2000 Pictures and Regency Enterprises present a New Regency/Scott Free production
Credits:
Director: Tony Scott
Screenwriter: Brian Helgeland
Producers: Arnon Milchan, Tony Scott, Lucas Foster
Executive producers: Lance Hool, James W. Skotchdopole
Director of photography: Paul Cameron
Production designer: Benjamin Fernandez
Music: Harry Gregson-Williams
Co-producer: Conrad Hool
Costume designer: Louise Frogley
Editor: Christian Wagner
Cast:
Creasy: Denzel Washington
Pita: Dakota Fanning
Samuel: Marc Anthony
Lisa: Radha Mitchell
Rayburn: Christopher Walken
Manzano: Giancarlo Giannini
Mariana: Rachel Ticotin
Fuentes: Jesus Ochoa
Jordan: Mickey Rourke
Running time -- 142 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
April 21
Denzel Washington plays an avenging angel in "Man on Fire", a full-throttle, good-vs.-evil thriller about an ex-CIA agent bent on eliminating, one by one, a ruthless Mexican gang of kidnappers and dirty cops.
Everything is straightforward save for director Tony Scott's fussy style of hyperimages and flash editing, which he has developed in such similar melodramas as "Spy Game" and "Enemy of the State". Washington commands the screen with calm assurance, shares it well with his tiny co-star, Dakota Fanning, during the first half of the story and pretty much carries the marathon-length movie on his broad shoulders, as he is in nearly every scene.
At nearly 21⁄2 hours, exhibitors might lose a daily showing with "Man on Fire". But it won't matter much as the film looks primed to do excellent boxoffice, with Washington pulling in above-average numbers for a film that should appeal to men of all ages and a good many women as well.
"Man on Fire" is actually a second go at the novel of pseudonymous author A.J. Quinnell by producer Arnon Milchan, who shepherded to the screen a 1987 French⁄Italian production starring Scott Glenn and Joe Pesci and directed by Elie Chouraqui. This production, of course, is considerably amped by Scott and a top-flight crew, with much time spent on atmosphere, stunts, conflagrations and dramatic confrontations.
Washington plays one of those burnt-out cases so beloved by thriller writers. In this instance, he is John Creasy, a former CIA assassin who has run out of people to kill. The only remaining target is himself. Alcoholic and without purpose, he drifts into Mexico to visit old pal and fellow ex-agent Rayburn (Christopher Walken). Rayburn fixes him up with a job as bodyguard to 9-year-old Pita Ramos (Fanning), daughter of stressed-out Mexican industrialist Samuel (singing sensation Marc Anthony) and his anxious Yankee wife, Lisa (Radha Mitchell). The family's smooth attorney (Mickey Rourke) has insisted on hiring a bodyguard as abductions occur round-the-clock in Mexico.
(The portrait of the country and its citizens is about as bleak as any studio picture ever made, essentially portraying Mexico as a cesspool of crime and corruption reaching upward into the social elite. Whether accurate or not, the movie is not likely to make Vicente Fox's top 10 list.)
Brian Helgeland's script can't help but traffic in predictable plot developments. Yes, Pita breaks down Creasy's resistance to life, even getting him to smile again and act as her swimming coach. And yes, Pita gets abducted and the ransom drop goes awry -- crooks beating other crooks to the prize -- and all is lost.
But Creasy, despite being badly wounded, methodically takes on the entire gang, a bloody trail of reprisals that leads to top cop Fuentes (Jesus Ochoa) and "the Voice" (Gustavo Sanchez Parra), who ordered the kidnapping. In this, he has the aid of Mexico's only apparent honest citizens, police inspector Manzano (Italian star Giancarlo Giannini) and fearless journalist Mariana (Rachel Ticotin).
Scott heightens the tension with cinematographer Paul Cameron's nervous, pivoting camera moves, Christian Wagner's quick edits, sudden shifts in motion, color and a dramatic play of light and shadows. Harry Gregson-Williams' percussion-driven Latin jazz score greatly pushes the mood of high anxiety.
While on fire, Washington plays it cool. Whether a drunk or revenge-minded killer, he is always in control. Fanning gets snatched away, which leaves a hole in the story, but Giannini and Ticotin help fill the gap by playing a pair of good guys who nevertheless exploit each other.
The film is always watchable, and the confrontations contain undeniable edgy excitement. But even if this weren't a remake, it would be a remake. Hollywood filmmakers have fished these waters so thoroughly that it's virtually impossible to land a big catch.
MAN ON FIRE
Fox 2000 Pictures and Regency Enterprises present a New Regency/Scott Free production
Credits:
Director: Tony Scott
Screenwriter: Brian Helgeland
Producers: Arnon Milchan, Tony Scott, Lucas Foster
Executive producers: Lance Hool, James W. Skotchdopole
Director of photography: Paul Cameron
Production designer: Benjamin Fernandez
Music: Harry Gregson-Williams
Co-producer: Conrad Hool
Costume designer: Louise Frogley
Editor: Christian Wagner
Cast:
Creasy: Denzel Washington
Pita: Dakota Fanning
Samuel: Marc Anthony
Lisa: Radha Mitchell
Rayburn: Christopher Walken
Manzano: Giancarlo Giannini
Mariana: Rachel Ticotin
Fuentes: Jesus Ochoa
Jordan: Mickey Rourke
Running time -- 142 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 4/21/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Club Dread
Opens
Friday, Feb. 27
Broken Lizard, the five-man comedy troupe whose sleeper feature Super Troopers drew inspiration from those wacky Police Academy pictures, returns with a fresh effort that grafts together two additional staples of 1980s big-screen viewing -- the spring break comedy and the slasher picture.
The resulting Club Dread works better than one might think, thanks to the group's modus operandi, which combines a fundamental reverence for the target material and a sly irreverence that's key to their skewering technique.
There's the inevitable hit-and-miss aspect that goes with the territory, but there's also sufficient character-driven kookiness to propel it all agreeably along.
Building considerably on that initial college circuit awareness thanks to a strong home video performance, Broken Lizard should have no problem attracting an appreciative young male following here, especially with the added incentive of an R rating.
Club Dread is set at a cheesy singles resort called Coconut Pete's Pleasure Island, presided over by none other than Coconut Pete himself (a pitch-perfect Bill Paxton), a washed-up, sun-baked, faded pop star who's still riding on his big 1970s ode to island debauchery, Pina Coladaburg (naturally, any resemblance to a certain Margaritaville is purely intentional).
But there's trouble in paradise.
The resort's staff is systematically being eliminated by a machete-wielding mystery maniac, and the survivors must stop him or her before the horror really starts interfering with the nonstop partying.
Among those dwindling survivors/suspects:
Pretentious Putman Livingston (director Jay Chandrasekhar), the dreadlocked tennis coach with the phony British accent
Juan Castillo (Steve Lemme), the Speedo-sporting South American dive master
Sam (Erik Stolhanske), the captain of the Fun Police who takes his job a little too seriously
Jenny (Brittany Daniel), the resident foxy fitness instructor
and Dave (Paul Soter), Coconut Pete's ecstasy-dispensing nephew.
Then there's also Lars (Kevin Heffernan), the new masseur with a secret Coconut Pete fetish and the not-so-innocent Penelope (Jordan Ladd), who would appear to be harboring a mysterious past.
Troupe member Chandrasekhar directs with a light, easygoing touch that suits the vehicle's sun-soaked, blissed-out tone.
And while it all goes on a little too long, there are enough bits of goofy inspiration, like a human game of Pac-Man, complete with sound effects and a finale that takes the old monster-who-never-dies scenario to new, ridiculous lengths, to break up the repetition.
Club Dread
Fox Searchlight
Fox Searchlight presents a Cataland Films production, a Broken Lizard film
Credits:
Director: Jay Chandrasekhar
Screenwriter: Broken Lizard
Producer: Richard Perello
Executive producers: Lance Hool, Peter E. Lengyel
Director of photography: Lawrence Sher
Production designer: Benjamin Conable
Editor: Ryan Folsey
Costume designer: Melissa Bruning
Music: Nathan Barr
Music supervisors: Christopher Covert, Barry Cole
Cast:
Coconut Pete: Bill Paxton
Putnam Livingston: Jay Chandrasekhar
Lars: Kevin Heffernan
Juan Castillo: Steve Lemme
Dave: Paul Soter
Sam: Erik Stolhanske
Jenny: Brittany Daniel
Hank: MC Gainey
Penelope: Jordan Ladd
Running time -- 103 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Friday, Feb. 27
Broken Lizard, the five-man comedy troupe whose sleeper feature Super Troopers drew inspiration from those wacky Police Academy pictures, returns with a fresh effort that grafts together two additional staples of 1980s big-screen viewing -- the spring break comedy and the slasher picture.
The resulting Club Dread works better than one might think, thanks to the group's modus operandi, which combines a fundamental reverence for the target material and a sly irreverence that's key to their skewering technique.
There's the inevitable hit-and-miss aspect that goes with the territory, but there's also sufficient character-driven kookiness to propel it all agreeably along.
Building considerably on that initial college circuit awareness thanks to a strong home video performance, Broken Lizard should have no problem attracting an appreciative young male following here, especially with the added incentive of an R rating.
Club Dread is set at a cheesy singles resort called Coconut Pete's Pleasure Island, presided over by none other than Coconut Pete himself (a pitch-perfect Bill Paxton), a washed-up, sun-baked, faded pop star who's still riding on his big 1970s ode to island debauchery, Pina Coladaburg (naturally, any resemblance to a certain Margaritaville is purely intentional).
But there's trouble in paradise.
The resort's staff is systematically being eliminated by a machete-wielding mystery maniac, and the survivors must stop him or her before the horror really starts interfering with the nonstop partying.
Among those dwindling survivors/suspects:
Pretentious Putman Livingston (director Jay Chandrasekhar), the dreadlocked tennis coach with the phony British accent
Juan Castillo (Steve Lemme), the Speedo-sporting South American dive master
Sam (Erik Stolhanske), the captain of the Fun Police who takes his job a little too seriously
Jenny (Brittany Daniel), the resident foxy fitness instructor
and Dave (Paul Soter), Coconut Pete's ecstasy-dispensing nephew.
Then there's also Lars (Kevin Heffernan), the new masseur with a secret Coconut Pete fetish and the not-so-innocent Penelope (Jordan Ladd), who would appear to be harboring a mysterious past.
Troupe member Chandrasekhar directs with a light, easygoing touch that suits the vehicle's sun-soaked, blissed-out tone.
And while it all goes on a little too long, there are enough bits of goofy inspiration, like a human game of Pac-Man, complete with sound effects and a finale that takes the old monster-who-never-dies scenario to new, ridiculous lengths, to break up the repetition.
Club Dread
Fox Searchlight
Fox Searchlight presents a Cataland Films production, a Broken Lizard film
Credits:
Director: Jay Chandrasekhar
Screenwriter: Broken Lizard
Producer: Richard Perello
Executive producers: Lance Hool, Peter E. Lengyel
Director of photography: Lawrence Sher
Production designer: Benjamin Conable
Editor: Ryan Folsey
Costume designer: Melissa Bruning
Music: Nathan Barr
Music supervisors: Christopher Covert, Barry Cole
Cast:
Coconut Pete: Bill Paxton
Putnam Livingston: Jay Chandrasekhar
Lars: Kevin Heffernan
Juan Castillo: Steve Lemme
Dave: Paul Soter
Sam: Erik Stolhanske
Jenny: Brittany Daniel
Hank: MC Gainey
Penelope: Jordan Ladd
Running time -- 103 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 3/15/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Court rules against Village Roadshow
SYDNEY -- A Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday confirmed a $30.5 million arbitration award against Village Roadshow Pictures (USA), part of Australian entertainment group Village Roadshow Ltd., on behalf of producers Lance Hool and Charles Meeker. The award stems from an agreement made in 1996 between both parties to produce up to three films that never went ahead. In a statement, Patrick Cathcart, a partner with Hancock Rothert & Bunshoft, counsel for the plaintiffs, said the confirmation brought Meeker and Hool "closer to collecting the award and being compensated for the horrendous actions of this multinational entertainment conglomerate." VRL managing director Graham Burke confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that VRP USA is pursuing an appeal. In July VRL also said it believed it had strong legal grounds "to contest any effort to extend the liability of VRP USA to VRL."...
- 10/22/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film review: 'One Man's Hero'
There's an interesting story at the core of "One Man's Hero", a fact-based historical drama set during the Mexican War of 1846.
But while the little known sidebar -- that a battalion of soldiers who had fought as heroes of the Mexican Revolution was comprised exclusively of Irish nationals -- has the makings of an intriguing film, its actual telling is endlessly talky and dramatically page-bound.
Despite a solid performance (and swell Irish accent) from Tom Berenger, this shelf-dwelling Orion Pictures release is better suited for classroom applications than those of the moviegoing variety.
It's a shame, too, because director Lance Hool (himself of Mexican and American heritage), who worked with late screenwriter Milton S. Gelman on the script, was on to something that merited more proficient handling.
As the story goes, in the name of manifest destiny, President Polk sent an army to provoke a war on the Mexican border, recruiting soldiers among a number of Irish immigrants who had fled the potato famine for the promise of 40 acres of land and full U.S. citizenship for their families.
In reality, the immigrants encountered some serious anti-Catholic prejudice from the largely Protestant troops, and it was those religious beliefs that would ultimately ally them with the Mexicans.
For Irishman John Riley (Berenger), the breaking of ranks is initiated when his platoon is brutally punished for crossing the Mexican-American border in order to attend Catholic church services. He rescues them and leads them into Mexico with the intention of rejoining the army and facing whatever reprimands await.
But as fate would have it, Sgt. Riley and his men come up against Cortina (Joaquim de Almeida), a guerrilla leader who takes them for American troops. A battle ensues, leaving Riley wounded and his company imprisoned.
After subsequently receiving an ultimatum from the Mexican government to either fight on the side of Mexico or die, Los San Patricios -- St. Patrick's Battalion -- is born and Riley and his unit of Irish nationals are prepared to fight the good fight, even though they will be branded (both literally and figuratively) as traitors by the United States.
It's a compelling dilemma, but one that's ill-served by Hool's inert direction, which lays claim to some of the most uninvolving battle sequences ever put on film. It also doesn't help when, in an effort to transmit as much informational data as possible, most of the characters sound as if they're reading from textbooks.
Berenger, at least, manages to mine some quieter moments of integrity that keep his character grounded in some kind of living, breathing reality. He's one of the few characters whose speeches don't suggest that there will be a quiz at the end of the picture.
As the lone female of the cast and Berenger's forbidden love interest, Mexico's Daniela Romo is faced with the daunting task of playing Marta, the "woman of all women," meaning she is required to be a freedom fighter who is simultaneously beautiful, passionate, nurturing and strong-willed. That she manages to evoke all of the above in the wake of those mountains of spoken platitudes makes her an inspiration to women everywhere.
ONE MAN'S HERO
MGM
An Orion Pictures release
Director: Lance Hool
Screenwriter: Milton S. Gelman
Producers: Lance Hool, William J. MacDonald, Conrad Hool
Director of photography: Joao Fernandes
Production designer: Peter Wooley
Editor: Mark Conte
Costume designer: Matthew Jacobsen
Music: Ernest Troost
Casting: Mary Jo Slater & Bruce Newberg
Color/stereo
Cast:
John Riley: Tom Berenger
Marta: Daniela Romo
Gaspar Cortina: Joaquim de Almeida
General Winfield Scott: Patrick Bergin
General Zachary Taylor: James Gammon
Captain Gaine: Stephen Tobolowsky
Running time -- 121 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
But while the little known sidebar -- that a battalion of soldiers who had fought as heroes of the Mexican Revolution was comprised exclusively of Irish nationals -- has the makings of an intriguing film, its actual telling is endlessly talky and dramatically page-bound.
Despite a solid performance (and swell Irish accent) from Tom Berenger, this shelf-dwelling Orion Pictures release is better suited for classroom applications than those of the moviegoing variety.
It's a shame, too, because director Lance Hool (himself of Mexican and American heritage), who worked with late screenwriter Milton S. Gelman on the script, was on to something that merited more proficient handling.
As the story goes, in the name of manifest destiny, President Polk sent an army to provoke a war on the Mexican border, recruiting soldiers among a number of Irish immigrants who had fled the potato famine for the promise of 40 acres of land and full U.S. citizenship for their families.
In reality, the immigrants encountered some serious anti-Catholic prejudice from the largely Protestant troops, and it was those religious beliefs that would ultimately ally them with the Mexicans.
For Irishman John Riley (Berenger), the breaking of ranks is initiated when his platoon is brutally punished for crossing the Mexican-American border in order to attend Catholic church services. He rescues them and leads them into Mexico with the intention of rejoining the army and facing whatever reprimands await.
But as fate would have it, Sgt. Riley and his men come up against Cortina (Joaquim de Almeida), a guerrilla leader who takes them for American troops. A battle ensues, leaving Riley wounded and his company imprisoned.
After subsequently receiving an ultimatum from the Mexican government to either fight on the side of Mexico or die, Los San Patricios -- St. Patrick's Battalion -- is born and Riley and his unit of Irish nationals are prepared to fight the good fight, even though they will be branded (both literally and figuratively) as traitors by the United States.
It's a compelling dilemma, but one that's ill-served by Hool's inert direction, which lays claim to some of the most uninvolving battle sequences ever put on film. It also doesn't help when, in an effort to transmit as much informational data as possible, most of the characters sound as if they're reading from textbooks.
Berenger, at least, manages to mine some quieter moments of integrity that keep his character grounded in some kind of living, breathing reality. He's one of the few characters whose speeches don't suggest that there will be a quiz at the end of the picture.
As the lone female of the cast and Berenger's forbidden love interest, Mexico's Daniela Romo is faced with the daunting task of playing Marta, the "woman of all women," meaning she is required to be a freedom fighter who is simultaneously beautiful, passionate, nurturing and strong-willed. That she manages to evoke all of the above in the wake of those mountains of spoken platitudes makes her an inspiration to women everywhere.
ONE MAN'S HERO
MGM
An Orion Pictures release
Director: Lance Hool
Screenwriter: Milton S. Gelman
Producers: Lance Hool, William J. MacDonald, Conrad Hool
Director of photography: Joao Fernandes
Production designer: Peter Wooley
Editor: Mark Conte
Costume designer: Matthew Jacobsen
Music: Ernest Troost
Casting: Mary Jo Slater & Bruce Newberg
Color/stereo
Cast:
John Riley: Tom Berenger
Marta: Daniela Romo
Gaspar Cortina: Joaquim de Almeida
General Winfield Scott: Patrick Bergin
General Zachary Taylor: James Gammon
Captain Gaine: Stephen Tobolowsky
Running time -- 121 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 9/24/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film review: 'McHale's Navy'
Taking its cue, but virtually nothing else, from the '60s TV series of the same name, "Mc-Hale's Navy" is one botch of a movie.
An ill-fitting blend of action and comedy, this poorly written and assembled Tom Arnold vehicle goes so wrong so quickly that it's a wonder Universal bothered with the expense of a theatrical launch when a direct-to-video send-off would have made more sense.
Playing the part originally as-signed to Ernest Borgnine (who makes a few brief appearances here), Arnold is Lt. Cmdr. Quinton McHale, a retired Navy man turned entrepreneur who returns to his post in San Ysidro, Calif., when the maniacal East German Maj. Vladakov (Tim Curry) invades a neighboring island.
Back in action, McHale and his motley crew are determined to take Vladakov down while having to answer to the newly assigned Capt. Wallace Binghampton (Dean Stockwell) and the icy Lt. Penelope Carpenter (Debra Messing).
Arnold is miscast as the lovable, devil-may-care McHale, while the rest of the cast all appear to be off doing their own thing (not that they've been given much to work with) -- from Curry's incessant eye-rolling to Stockwell's curious Maxwell Smart impression.
Elsewhere, there's David Alan Grier as groveling Ensign Charles Parker (the part played by Tim Conway on the old series) and Tommy Chong, who generates a few of the picture's rare laughs as a Cuban black marketeer.
Working from a shell of a script, director Bryan Spicer ("Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie") applies a haphazard approach to the comedy and the constant barrage of pyrotechnics that seems to belong in another picture. On the other hand, if the explosions are intended to distract attention from the waterlogged state of this enterprise, they are indeed a most welcome diversion.
McHALE'S NAVY
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
and the Bubble Factory present
A Sheinberg production
A Bryan Spicer Film
Director Bryan Spicer
Screenwriter Peter Crabbe
Story Peter Crabbe and Andy Rose
Producers Sid, Bill and Jon Sheinberg
Executive producers Lance Hool, Perry Katz
Director of photography Buzz Feitshans IV
Production designer Gene Rudolf
Editor Russell Denove
Costume designer Michael T. Boyd
Music Dennis McCarthy
Color/stereo
Cast:
Lt. Cmdr. McHale Tom Arnold
Maj. Vladakov Tim Curry
Capt. Binghampton Dean Stockwell
Ensign Charles T. Parker David Alan Grier
Lt. Penelope Carpenter Debra Messing
Happy French Stewart
Virgil Bruce Campbell
Cobra Ernest Borgnine
Armando/Ernesto Tommy Chong
Running time -- 109 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
An ill-fitting blend of action and comedy, this poorly written and assembled Tom Arnold vehicle goes so wrong so quickly that it's a wonder Universal bothered with the expense of a theatrical launch when a direct-to-video send-off would have made more sense.
Playing the part originally as-signed to Ernest Borgnine (who makes a few brief appearances here), Arnold is Lt. Cmdr. Quinton McHale, a retired Navy man turned entrepreneur who returns to his post in San Ysidro, Calif., when the maniacal East German Maj. Vladakov (Tim Curry) invades a neighboring island.
Back in action, McHale and his motley crew are determined to take Vladakov down while having to answer to the newly assigned Capt. Wallace Binghampton (Dean Stockwell) and the icy Lt. Penelope Carpenter (Debra Messing).
Arnold is miscast as the lovable, devil-may-care McHale, while the rest of the cast all appear to be off doing their own thing (not that they've been given much to work with) -- from Curry's incessant eye-rolling to Stockwell's curious Maxwell Smart impression.
Elsewhere, there's David Alan Grier as groveling Ensign Charles Parker (the part played by Tim Conway on the old series) and Tommy Chong, who generates a few of the picture's rare laughs as a Cuban black marketeer.
Working from a shell of a script, director Bryan Spicer ("Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie") applies a haphazard approach to the comedy and the constant barrage of pyrotechnics that seems to belong in another picture. On the other hand, if the explosions are intended to distract attention from the waterlogged state of this enterprise, they are indeed a most welcome diversion.
McHALE'S NAVY
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
and the Bubble Factory present
A Sheinberg production
A Bryan Spicer Film
Director Bryan Spicer
Screenwriter Peter Crabbe
Story Peter Crabbe and Andy Rose
Producers Sid, Bill and Jon Sheinberg
Executive producers Lance Hool, Perry Katz
Director of photography Buzz Feitshans IV
Production designer Gene Rudolf
Editor Russell Denove
Costume designer Michael T. Boyd
Music Dennis McCarthy
Color/stereo
Cast:
Lt. Cmdr. McHale Tom Arnold
Maj. Vladakov Tim Curry
Capt. Binghampton Dean Stockwell
Ensign Charles T. Parker David Alan Grier
Lt. Penelope Carpenter Debra Messing
Happy French Stewart
Virgil Bruce Campbell
Cobra Ernest Borgnine
Armando/Ernesto Tommy Chong
Running time -- 109 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 4/21/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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