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It’s been a bit since I’ve posted a blog, which hopefully someone out there has noticed. I had to take a brief hiatus from my daily Days viewing to get a real job (temporarily!). But I didn’t completely leave the soap world behind. For the past six week, I served as the production coordinator for a civil war feature filming in middle Tennessee produced by All My Children veteran Alan Dysert (ex-Sean Cudahy) and featuring Dynasty legend John James (ex-Jeff Colby).

Yes, that’s right. Nashville is not just home to the Dimera warehouse in which all the dead bodies of Salems finest and not-so-finest are resurrected when the storyline serves. It is also home to quite a few daytime alums. Melissa Reeves, Scott Reeves, Jonathan Jackson. So it should come as no surprise a movie filming just outside of Nashville would feature not one but two former sudsers.

This action film about a smuggler and the cop on her tail invites comparisons to the Michael Mann thriller – which it conspicuously fails to live up to

The plot of this trite crime thriller revolves around two women: desperate single mother Holly (Danielle C Ryan), who gets caught up in smuggling black market pharmaceuticals, and Ptsd-afflicted veteran and FBI field agent Jaylynne Jackson (Diora Baird), who is assigned to bust the smuggling operation. The narrative crosscuts between their parallel stories, with their paths crossing only briefly at first at a petrol station. Later they have a sitdown in a diner to discuss their antagonism, which suggests writer-director Shane Stanley and co think they’re tipping their hat to Michael Mann’s Heat but with two women instead of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Although it’s an interesting idea, sadly the execution is dire, with cliche-riddled dialogue as cheesy...

Night Train is a movie by Shane Stanley in which we can see Diora Baird in a very American thriller. The co-star is Abraham Benrubi.

The plot is about a Hollywood truck driver who avoids being pursued by the FBI. Our dear Diora Baird will piece everything together in this action thriller written by Shane Stanley.

Souped up cars, races and lots of road humor in this production with a very American flavor.

Our Opinion Night Train (2023)

This isn´t going to be the blockbuster of the year. It is a very simple thriller done with just enough resources and which is happy to be a secondary market product.

You can get an idea with this information and a little imagination (without much malice or sarcasm).

Coches tuneados, carreras y mucho humor en la carretera para esta producción con un ssabor profundamente americano.

Storyline

Buckle up for high-octane action thrills aboard Night Train.

Screen Rant is pleased to present an exclusive clip from Saban Films' newest action thriller, Night Train. Currently playing in select theaters before arriving on digital and On Demand next week, the action-packed adventure was directed and produced by Shane Stanley from a screenplay by Cj Walley (who also served as producer). Night Train stars Danielle C. Ryan as a woman driven to extremes and features a strong supporting cast that includes Diora Baird, Joseph D. Reitman, Ivan Sergei, Brent Bailey, Kevin Joy, Paul Haapaniemi, Reggie Austin, Thomas Nelson, Joe Lando, and Abraham Benrubi.

Night Train follows Holly McCord (Ryan), a mother who is desperate enough to save the life of her young son that she will take on any job, whether it's hustling strangers or hauling black market drugs with her souped-up truck. Despite having bounties on her head and federal agents like Jaylynne Jackson (Baird) in hot pursuit,...

Actor John Anthony Aniston, best known for playing Victor Kiriakis on Days of Our Lives from 1985 until 2022, has died at the age of 89. He was best known for daytime TV but also had small roles in shows like Gilmore Girls, Mad Men and more.

His daughter, actress Jennifer Aniston, confirmed his passing in an Instagram post. “You were one of the most beautiful humans I ever knew. I am so grateful that you went soaring into the heavens in peace – and without pain. And on 11/11 no less!” Aniston wrote sweetly. His cause of death was not confirmed.

In Memoriam 2022: 100 Great Celebrities Who Died This Year!

Yannis Anastassakis was born in the town of Chania, Greece on the island of Crete on July 24, 1933. He was moved to the U.S. at the age of two, and his family name was anglicized to Aniston. He grew up in Chester, Pennsylvania where his family operated a restaurant.

Jennifer Aniston remembered her father, actor John Aniston, “as one of the most beautiful humans I ever knew,” after he died last week.

The elder Aniston — best known for his decades-long work on the soap opera Days of Our Lives — died last Friday, Nov. 11, at the age of 89. A cause of death wasn’t given.

Jennifer announced her father’s death on Instagram Monday, writing, “You were one of the most beautiful humans I ever knew. I am so grateful that you went soaring into the heavens in peace – and without pain.

John Aniston, who starred as Victor Kiriakis in nearly 3,000 episodes of “Days of Our Lives,” died on Friday, Nov. 11. He was 89.

The Greek-born, Emmy-nominated actor was a staple on the NBC soap opera for over 30 years, also appearing on daytime serials “Love of Life” and “Search for Tomorrow.”

In 2022, Aniston received a Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on “Days of Our Lives.” In 1986, the role earned him two Soap Opera Digest Awards — for outstanding actor in a leading role and for outstanding villain on a daytime serial.

He was also the father of Jennifer Aniston, who wrote on Instagram Monday morning, “Sweet papa…⁣ John Anthony Aniston. You were one of the most beautiful humans I ever knew. I am so grateful that you went soaring into the heavens in peace — and without pain. And on 11/11 no less! You always had perfect timing. That number will forever hold...

Stars: Matthew Lawrence, Danielle C. Ryan, Dawn Olivieri, Kevin Joy, Mo Gallini | Written by Cj Walley | Directed by Shane Stanley

Jimmy has just lost his brother and is taking his ashes to the coast to scatter them in the ocean. As bad as that is, things promptly get worse when a stop at a convenience store puts him in the middle of what seems to be a very well-armed robbery. Only the cashier, her name is Natasha takes out the robbers with a shotgun and a throwing knife before grabbing her backpack and bolting.

But Jimmy’s bad day is far from over as he finds Natasha has stowed away in his vehicle and a couple of big black SUVs full of goons are on their trail. He’s not sure whether to be relieved or terrified when she easily dispatches them.

Writer Cj Walley and director Shane Stanley, who...

Jimmy (Matthew Lawrence) cowers in the store, in Double Threat. Courtesy of Vmi Worldwide and Rolling Thunder Films

Double Threat is an action comedy based on a variation of a familiar theme: a mild-mannered nice guy meets up with a crazy hot gal for a zany round of dangerous encounters. In this case, Matthew Lawrence (Joey’s younger brother) goes to a convenience store managed by a seemingly nice, cute woman (Danielle C. Ryan) who suddenly goes Rambo when a couple of armed thugs enter the premises. She disposes of them and dashes out, jumping into Lawrence’s truck. He drives off in a state of confusion.

He soon learns she’s skimmed big bucks from a crime boss, and the bad guys are hunting her down, led by his wannabe “Goodfella” son (Kevin Joy). Lawrence next learns his passenger is actually two dissociative personalities in one body. She is Natasha by name,...

Hello everybody, what’s up? You’re listening to I Was Just Wondering With Tom Salmon! The podcast that dives into music, film and games and everything else in between.

My guest on this week’s episode is writer and producer Cj Walley, who wrote his first feature-length film Break Even (2020) starring Tasya Teles, Steve Guttenberg and James Callis. The film tells the story of four thrill seeking friends that find fifty million dollars in cash on a remote island, only to discover it was left by the DEA for a ruthless Cartel in a rogue deal gone wrong.

We jumped into Cj’s experience of how his mental breakdown in 2012 lead him to follow his life long passion for screenwriting, why he started the free screenplay sharing website Script Revolution and what’s it like working and collaborating with Hollywood director Shane Stanley on Break Even (2020) and Double Threat...

Gravitas Ventures has picked up the rights to Diving Deep: The Life and Times of Mike deGruy, the documentary about late underwater cinematographer Mike deGruy. Mimi deGruy, Mike’s widow and filmmaking partner, wrote and directed the doc, which will begin its rollout starting with Apple TV/iTunes and Amazon rentals on January 19.

A man for whom the ocean was his home and her inhabitants were his family, Mike died doing what he loved while working with his friend, director James Cameron. The film, which opened the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2019, includes decades of Mike’s work paired with never-before-seen footage and on-camera commentary by Mike. In addition, Mimi interviewed many of Mike’s friends including Cameron, National Geographic Explorer Sylvia Earle, British broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, and the deGruy children, who often served as Mike’s filmmaking helpers.

“When I found out Mike had died, I felt...

The Personal History Of David Copperfield filmmaker Armando Iannucci and Escape From Pretoria director Francis Annan will be the recipients of the inaugural Dda Spotlight Award at 24th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. The honorary prize was set up to time with the 50th anniversary of comms company Dda and will honor honours artists and filmmakers whose recent work takes a concerted step forward in improving diversity and inclusion in the film industry and cinema culture. The pair will accept their awards virtually on November 15.

Exclusive: Danielle C. Ryan, Matthew Lawrence, Dawn Olivieri And Kevin Joy will star in action-comedy feature Double Threat for director Shane Stanley, whose Break Even releases December 1 via Vision Films and Artist View Entertainment. Mo Gallini and Andrea Logan are also on board the pic which follows a forensic accountant (Lawrence) whose quiet pilgrimage to travel cross country to scatter his late brother’s ashes...

Award-winning movie and TV veteran Sally Kirkland has signed on to play a socialite-turned-desperate pizza delivery lady in new movie Alice Stands Up.

The Oscar-nominated Anna star, 70, will reteam with her African Chelsea director Brent Roske for the new film, in which she plays a well-to-do woman who discovers her life savings have gone due to a bad business deal set up by her late husband.

Her character has to deliver pizzas and work as a door-to-door saleswoman to make ends meet, while reconnecting with her estranged daughter and autistic son.

Kirkland tells WENN, "I laughed on almost every page. Brent pitched it to me as a drama but I think it's very, very funny. I'm so excited to get to work again with Brent. He's an actor's director and really lets you discover the scene and play."

And producer Shane Stanley is convinced the film will be a hit - because so many people have found themselves having to resort to desperate measures to survive the global economic crisis.

He adds, "The script is about people picking themselves up during tough times."...

Hollywood has always loved tales of redemption -- the poor, downtrodden or otherwise disenfranchised finding their true value with the help of an inspirational mentor. Sometimes the formula works. Unfortunately in "Gridiron Gang", Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is about as inspirational as a yawn.

A true story, based on an award-winning documentary, about Inner City kids in juvenile detention who come together to forge a winning football team, is great material, but the film never catches fire. With rabid interest in the new football season and a major marketing blitz by Sony, the film could score a few early touchdowns in its first weekend but should tail off quickly after that.

Johnson plays Sean Porter, a dedicated probation officer at Camp Kilpatrick, the last stop for teenage gang members and violent offenders before the state locks them up with adults.

Frustrated by the frequency with which the kids return to the camp after being released, he imagines that by creating a football team he can instill discipline and a sense of self-worth in his charges. In other words, he's a man on a mission, and he's got plenty of work to do.

First, he must get the institution to go along with his plan. That means convincing reluctant camp director Paul Higa (Leon Rippy) and his assistant Dexter (Kevin Dunn) that it can work, and then finding other high school coaches willing to compete against convicted felons.

Then he has to put the team together. These kids, most of them from the Los Angles area, and many from rival gangs, already live in an environment of distrust and hatred.

His main reclamation project is Willie Weathers (Jade Yorker), a surly youth who killed his mother's boyfriend after losing his cousin in a drive-by shooting. Then there's his gang nemesis Kelvin (David Thomas), the angry Samoan Junior Palaita (Setu Taase), the team's water boy and mascot Bug (Brandon Mychal Smith) and the white but-not-too-trashy Kenny Bates (Trever O'Brien). In this sanitized version of street life, none of them are really bad kids, they just made bad choices.

Porter peppers them with uplifting messages about grit and determination and not being losers anymore. And -- surprise, surprise -- after numerous hardships and disappointments, the Mustangs, as they are called, become a self-respecting team that wins enough games to make it to the regional championship.

Director Phil Joanou, making his first feature in seven years, does a nice job giving the film a gritty, lived-in quality (much of the picture was shot at the real Camp Kilpatrick in the Santa Monica Mountains), and the football sequences, coached by Alan Graf, look and sound like The Real Thing. But screenwriter Jeff Maguire hasn't given them enough to work with.

The characters all have back stories -- Porter's mother is dying and he hates his father; Weathers is trying to go straight and win back his girlfriend; Junior longs to be reunited with his 2-year-old -- but not the depth to make them seem like anything more than types.

At an unbelievable 126 minutes, the film is bloated with story; too many things happen, mostly setbacks, to allow the movie to gather any momentum and soar, as this kind of picture must do to succeed. But Johnson is the real problem because the film is built around him. He is the latest in a long line of muscular hunks who don't so much emote as deliver lines. But in fairness, it is not easy to sell dialogue like, "accept this challenge and I promise you, you'll be winners."

Lensing by Jeff Cutter, production design by Floyd Albee, editing by Joel Negron and other tech credits are good enough to draw you into the film; unfortunately, there's nothing to keep you there.

GRIDIRON GANG

Sony Pictures

Columbia Pictures presents in association with Relativity Media an Original Film production

Credits:

Director: Phil Joanou

Screenwriter: Jeff Maguire

Executive producers: Michael Rachmil, Shane Stanley, Ryan Kavanaugh, Lynwood

Spinks

Producers: Neal H. Moritz, Lee Stanley

Director of photography: Jeff Cutter

Production designer: Floyd Albee

Music: Trevor Rabin

Co-producer: Amanda Cohen

Costume designer: Sanja Milkovic Hays

Editor: Joel Negron. Cast: Coach Sean Porter: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

Malcolm Moore: Xzibit

Ted Dexter: Kevin Dunn

Paul Higa: Leon Rippy

Willie Weathers: Jade Yorker

Kenny Bates: Trever O'Brien

Bug: Brandon Mychal Smith

Leon Hayes: Mo

Kelvin Owens: David Thomas

Junior Palaita: Setu Taase

Donald Madlock: James Earl III

Jamal Evans: Jamal Mixon

Danyelle Rollins: Jurnee Smollett

MPAA rating PG-13

Running time -- 126 minutes...

Hollywood has always loved tales of redemption -- the poor, downtrodden or otherwise disenfranchised finding their true value with the help of an inspirational mentor. Sometimes the formula works. Unfortunately in Gridiron Gang, Dwayne The Rock Johnson is about as inspirational as a yawn.

A true story, based on an award-winning documentary, about inner city kids in juvenile detention who come together to forge a winning football team, is great material, but the film never catches fire. With rabid interest in the new football season and a major marketing blitz by Sony, the film could score a few early touchdowns in its first weekend but should tail off quickly after that.

Johnson plays Sean Porter, a dedicated probation officer at Camp Kilpatrick, the last stop for teenage gang members and violent offenders before the state locks them up with adults.

Frustrated by the frequency with which the kids return to the camp after being released, he imagines that by creating a football team he can instill discipline and a sense of self-worth in his charges. In other words, he's a man on a mission, and he's got plenty of work to do.

First, he must get the institution to go along with his plan. That means convincing reluctant camp director Paul Higa (Leon Rippy) and his assistant Dexter (Kevin Dunn) that it can work, and then finding other high school coaches willing to compete against convicted felons.

Then he has to put the team together. These kids, most of them from the Los Angles area, and many from rival gangs, already live in an environment of distrust and hatred.

His main reclamation project is Willie Weathers (Jade Yorker), a surly youth who killed his mother's boyfriend after losing his cousin in a drive-by shooting. Then there's his gang nemesis Kelvin (David Thomas), the angry Samoan Junior Palaita (Setu Taase), the team's water boy and mascot Bug (Brandon Mychal Smith) and the white but-not-too-trashy Kenny Bates (Trever O'Brien). In this sanitized version of street life, none of them are really bad kids, they just made bad choices.

Porter peppers them with uplifting messages about grit and determination and not being losers anymore. And -- surprise, surprise -- after numerous hardships and disappointments, the Mustangs, as they are called, become a self-respecting team that wins enough games to make it to the regional championship.

Director Phil Joanou, making his first feature in seven years, does a nice job giving the film a gritty, lived-in quality (much of the picture was shot at the real Camp Kilpatrick in the Santa Monica Mountains), and the football sequences, coached by Alan Graf, look and sound like The Real Thing. But screenwriter Jeff Maguire hasn't given them enough to work with.

The characters all have back stories -- Porter's mother is dying and he hates his father; Weathers is trying to go straight and win back his girlfriend; Junior longs to be reunited with his 2-year-old -- but not the depth to make them seem like anything more than types.

At an unbelievable 126 minutes, the film is bloated with story; too many things happen, mostly setbacks, to allow the movie to gather any momentum and soar, as this kind of picture must do to succeed. But Johnson is the real problem because the film is built around him. He is the latest in a long line of muscular hunks who don't so much emote as deliver lines. But in fairness, it is not easy to sell dialogue like, "accept this challenge and I promise you, you'll be winners."

Lensing by Jeff Cutter, production design by Floyd Albee, editing by Joel Negron and other tech credits are good enough to draw you into the film; unfortunately, there's nothing to keep you there.

GRIDIRON GANG

Sony Pictures

Columbia Pictures presents in association with Relativity Media an Original Film production

Credits:

Director: Phil Joanou

Screenwriter: Jeff Maguire

Executive producers: Michael Rachmil, Shane Stanley, Ryan Kavanaugh, Lynwood

Spinks

Producers: Neal H. Moritz, Lee Stanley

Director of photography: Jeff Cutter

Production designer: Floyd Albee

Music: Trevor Rabin

Co-producer: Amanda Cohen

Costume designer: Sanja Milkovic Hays

Editor: Joel Negron. Cast: Coach Sean Porter: Dwayne The Rock Johnson

Malcolm Moore: Xzibit

Ted Dexter: Kevin Dunn

Paul Higa: Leon Rippy

Willie Weathers: Jade Yorker

Kenny Bates: Trever O'Brien

Bug: Brandon Mychal Smith

Leon Hayes: Mo

Kelvin Owens: David Thomas

Junior Palaita: Setu Taase

Donald Madlock: James Earl III

Jamal Evans: Jamal Mixon

Danyelle Rollins: Jurnee Smollett

MPAA rating PG-13

Running time -- 126 minutes...

Xzibit is in final negotiations to join Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in Columbia Pictures' upcoming drama Gridiron Gang. Xzibit will play Malcolm, assistant coach of the team in the film, which was inspired by a 1993 documentary and follows a probation officer (Johnson) who forms a football team of juvenile inmates. The players overcome huge obstacles, gain self-esteem and discipline and, in one season, go from brawling beginners to contenders for the division title. Jeff Maguire wrote the screenplay. Neal Moritz is producing through his Original Film banner together with the documentary makers Lee Stanley and Shane Stanley. Phil Joanou is directing. Filming is scheduled to begin at the end of May at Camp Kilpatrick, a juvenile detention facility in the Santa Monica Mountains. Xzibit will next be seen in XXX: State of the Union and Derailed. His past credits include 8 Mile and The Chronicles of Riddick. Xzibit is repped by CAA.