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The "Stargate" franchise is a bit of a complicated one, starting with Roland Emmerich's 1994 film about ancient portals (the titular "stargates") that allow for travel between distant worlds. Just three years later, premium cable network Showtime launched a television series based on the movie, though star Kurt Russell did not reprise his role as commander Jack O'Neill, who was instead portrayed by Richard Dean Anderson. Despite moving from Showtime to the Sci-Fi channel (which became SyFy), "Stargate Sg-1" was rather successful and had a devoted fanbase that helped support not only the series but additional spin-offs like "Stargate Atlantis," "Stargate Universe," and "Stargate Origins." In fact, "Stargate Sg-1" broke a Guinness world record for the longest consecutive running science fiction series, taking over the spot from the hit Fox show "The X-Files." That record-breaking almost didn't happen, however, as the team behind "Stargate Sg-1" nearly cancelled the show after...

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To this day, Rod Serling's sci-fi anthology series "The Twilight Zone" regularly tops lists of the best TV shows of all time. Serling, and a team of some of the best sci-fi authors of the 1950s and 1960s, conceived of 156 miniature morality stories, usually with a supernatural bent, and in so doing changed the very face of television. Sci-fi and horror were considered more commercially viable, inspiring a new slew of imitators and a shift in the public's attention. Serling also introduced a unique form of storytelling efficiency with "The Twilight Zone," proving that an entire, closed morality fable could be wrapped up in a mere 25 minutes (or 51 minutes in the show's fourth season). Serling was also careful to explicitly state a moral in every episode, making "The Twilight Zone" a fantastic social commentary. 

"The Twilight Zone" ran from...

Alan Hale, Jr. became a performer as part of his family's legacy. His mother was actress Gretchen Hartman who appeared in dozens of films in the 1910s, while his father, Alan Hale (real name: Rufus Edward MacKahan) racked up hundreds of credits in the silent era, typically as a reliable sidekick to Errol Flynn. Hartman retired from acting in 1929, and Hale, Sr. continued to work until his death in 1950. Alan Hale, Jr. first appeared on the screen as an infant, "starring" opposite his mother. Hale made his Broadway debut in 1931, when he was only 10, appearing in a very, very short-lived show called "Caught Wet" (it opened and closed in the same month). In 1933, Hale played uncredited role in William Wellman's Depression-era drama "Wild Boys of the Road," and it may be the first movie a casual observer would recognize him in. 

Staring in 1941, Hale began his acting career in earnest,...

Fabulous Films will be releasing Farscape: The Complete Series Blu-ray 25th Anniversary Edition on Blu-ray in the UK on 10th June 2024.

The epic sci-fi classic Farscape is a fusion of live-action, state-of-the-art puppetry, prosthetics and CGI. Edge-of-your-seat thrills, irreverent humour, unforgettable characters and mind-boggling alien lifeforms are brought to life by the creative minds of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. No wonder it’s been called the most imaginative sci-fi series in television. Now sit back and enjoy all 88 episodes of Farscape: The Complete Series Blu-ray 25th Anniversary Edition now in high definition.

Writer and director of the Guardians of the Galaxy film series James Gunn (now also Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DC Studios) is a fan of Farscape and has admitted he drew inspiration from the series. Gunn approached Ben Browder who plays John Crichton in Farscape to suggest an appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.

Not all Miranda Lambert concerts are the same. Especially the concert she held in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday, March 22. The megastar county music singer made a shocking announcement. Not just any announcement, a shocking baby announcement.

Gender Reveal At The Miranda Lambert Concert

The Friday night concert turned into a gender reveal party for Miranda Lambert, her band and all the fans in the audience.

“We’ve been waiting a long time to reveal the gender at this show, to a song called ‘Drunk’ because that’s on brand for our white trash asses,” Miranda Lambert said. “So at the end of this song, the confetti that comes out of the sky is going to be blue or it’s going to be pink.”

As Mirada Lambert continued to sing “Drunk,” the anticipation of everyone listening grew and grew. Everyone wanted to know if it would be pink or blue,...

Arrow Video have released Mario Bava’s Blood And Black Lace on Limited Edition Uhd, Limited Edition Blu-ray and Limited Edition Uhd with Arte Originale.

We have more details of these releases below.

Blood And Black Lace – Limited Edition Uhd

The Christian Haute Couture fashion house is a home to models… and backstabbing… and blackmail… and drug deals… and Murder.

Having established a template for the giallo with The Girl Who Knew Too Much, Mario Bava set about cementing its rules with Blood and Black Lace. In doing so, he created one of the most influential films ever made – an Italian classic that would spearhead the giallo genre, provide a prototype for the slasher movie, and have a huge effect on filmmakers as diverse as Dario Argento and Martin Scorsese.

Newly restored from the original camera negative and presented here in its original uncut form, this all-new 4K Ultra HD...

"There is only one master! And his name is Satan!"...

If you’re a Stargate fan in the UK – or within a hop of the UK – the first-ever Basingstoke Comic Con should be pinging on your radar.

The con takes place over the weekend of May 19th to 21st, 2023, at the Hampshire Court Hotel – two miles from the railway station. As one of the classic commuter belt towns, Basingstoke itself is well connected – only 46 minutes by train from London. Tickets start at £30 for a day, with a £225 Stargate package guaranteeing autographs and seating for all Stargate talks.

Basingstoke Comic Con guests Gary Jones, Rainbow Sun Francks, Rachel Luttrell, Ben Browder, Paul McGillion, Joe Flanigan, and Michael Shanks

And Stargate is especially well represented, with confirmed guests including Paul McGillion (Carson Beckett in Stargate Atlantis), Rachel Luttrell (Teyla Emmagan in Sga), Rainbow Sun Francks (Aiden Ford in Sga), Joe Flanigan (John Sheppard in Sga), Gary Jones (Walter Harriman in Stargate Sg-1...

Having a premiere at SXSW last year turned out to be a charm for directing duo The Daniels, and although awards lightning most likely won’t strike this year for this somewhat niche horror pastiche, hopefully its creators — Australian double-act the Cairnes brothers — will get their own media moment as a result. That Late Night With the Devil is one for the myriad genre festivals that abound internationally is a no-brainer, but the Cairneses deserve a bit more consideration than that for their film’s wry engagement with U.S. history and pop culture, despite shooting their New York-set film entirely in Melbourne.

Related Story SXSW Preview + Hot List: Movies With Ewan McGregor, Sydney Sweeney, Karen Gillan, Anthony Mackie & More Related Story 'Dungeons And Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' Review: Chris Pine Leads Group Of Unsung Heroes In Adaptation Of Famed Table-Top Game – SXSW Related Story 'National Anthem' Review: Luke Gilford's Light,...

Sidney Poitier’s terrifically enjoyable directorial debut from 1972, in which he stars opposite Harry Belafonte, is rereleased in all its galloping glory

The rediscovery of black American cinema continues with the rerelease of Sidney Poitier’s directorial debut from 1972: a terrifically enjoyable western adventure bromance, packed with brio and breezy, unreflective energy and tilted to the lighter end of the tonal spectrum. This (along with cultural ghettoisation) has perhaps meant that it hasn’t previously been considered a serious classic. But the time may well come when Buck and the Preacher are spoken of in the same breath as Butch and Sundance.

Sidney Poitier is Buck: a frontiersman who after the civil war makes a living as a wagonmaster for black people from Louisiana who want to head out west and farm the unclaimed territories, dreaming of the promised lands of Kansas and Colorado, with their great soil and climate.

Actress Kate Mulgrew has had a long and storied career. Although perhaps best recognized as Captain Janeway on "Star Trek: Voyager" or Red on "Orange is the New Black," Mulgrew's TV career goes back to the 1970s when she appeared in 409 episodes of the soap opera "Ryan's Hope." But Mulgrew landed her first starring role in 1979 -- when she was only 24 -- playing the title character on the short-lived detective spinoff series "Mrs. Columbo." 

To explain: "Columbo" was a popular detective series that first began regularly airing in 1971. "Columbo" starred Peter Falk as the title character, a police lieutenant whose first name is never officially spoken (although fans will be able to tell you that it's Frank). The gimmick of the series was that audiences were allowed to watch the perpetrators commit their crime right in a given episode's opening act. Columbo wouldn't be called in to investigate until later in said episode.

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products released each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

Nosferatu & Metaluna Mutant Action Figures from Super 7

Super 7 will add Nosferatu and This Island Earth’s Metaluna Mutant to its Ultimates action figure line in October 2023. They’re available to pre-order for 54.99. Shipping is free with the code FALLFREE22.

Nosferatu comes with three interchangeable heads, eight interchangeable hands, rat, and key ring, while Metaluna Mutant includes two interchangeable heads and four interchangeable hands. Each 7” figure is packaged in a slipcase-style collector’s box.

Halloween Posters from Vice Press

Vice Press has released Halloween 24×36 lithograph prints by Florey. Two variants are available: one with an autumnal, daytime aesthetic and the other with a spooky, nighttime atmosphere. My favorite detail is the subtle reflection of Michael Myers’ mask in the window.

It wasn’t all fun and games on Ryan Murphy’s “The Glee Project”, apparently.

To mark the 10th anniversary of the final episode of the reality show, that aired from 2011 to 2012, contestants have spoken out about their time on the series.

Insider interviewed multiple stars of the show, which was dedicated to finding “Glee”‘s next big star, with season 2 contestant Abraham Lim admitting: “There were so many great elements of the show, but it was also really anxiety-inducing and there was a lot of trauma. Trauma bonds were made.”

Executive producer Shauna Minoprio insisted it was all about who Murphy wanted to write a “Glee” character for.

“What’s interesting about the show is, this was about somebody’s creative vision,” Minoprio told the publication. “It wasn’t about who’s the best singer or dancer. It was about who Ryan Murphy was the most excited to write a character for.

The Glee Project wasn't as glee-ful as you might've thought. Former contestants on the Oxygen reality series detailed their experiences in a new interview, sharing that the Glee Project, which saw people compete for a role on Ryan Murphy's hit show Glee, wasn't the Hollywood introduction that they had hoped for. Chief among their complaints were the living conditions, especially during the debut season. "We stayed in a Jewish summer camp," season one contestant Cameron Mitchell told Insider Aug. 22. "We slept in retrofitted bunk bedrooms that didn't have AC. Fans had to be brought in." Added season one runner-up Lindsay Pearce, "The first...

There was a time when “Glee” dominated pop culture, and as a result, a reality competition spinoff was briefly in the spotlight as well. But, according to some of the contestants on “The Glee Project,” that spinoff series actually fostered “a lot of trauma.”

In a new oral history with Insider, former winners and runners-up of “The Glee Project” — including Damian McGinty, Samuel Larsen and Lindsay Pearce — admitted that the reality show was pretty emotionally damaging at times, saying that the producers “manipulated” the young contestants into storylines they wanted to see on screen.

“It was abuse, whether they thought it was or wasn’t,” Pearce, who had a brief arc as Harmony “the Gerber baby” on the show, said. “They made a successful reality television show, but the cost was high for some of us.”

Pearce recalled two specific moments on the show, in which she was involved directly.

Click here to read the full article.

RespectAbility, the non-profit that seeks to combat stigmas for people with disabilities through advocacy, has announced the participants for the virtual edition of its Lab for Entertainment Professionals with Disabilities.

RespectAbility hosted virtual labs during the Covid-19 pandemic and has continued the effort, along with an in-person lab, as a digital format may be better suited for some fellows.

“As the entertainment industry returns much of its programming to in-person, it is important to remember how being virtual can be inclusive of so many more individuals,” said lab co-founder and director Lauren Appelbaum, svp of communications and entertainment & news media at RespectAbility. “That is why it is so important that so many of our studio sponsors are excited to support the disabled creatives taking part in both our in-person and virtual cohorts, ensuring equal access for folks who cannot return to an in-person...

“What he does to your nerves is almost as frightening as what he does to his victims!”

World Premiere of The Toolbox Murders (1978) on New 4K 16-Bit Restoration struck from the uncut original negative for the 4K Uhd + Blu-ray Set Coming January 18th 2022. Pre-order Here

Here’s the Restored 1080p HD Movie Trailer from Blue Underground

Blue Underground Opens the Tool Shed to Release One of the Most Shocking Slashers of All Time in 4K Ultra HD. Blue Underground invites you to ring in the New Year with one of the most sadistic and controversial slashers of all time. On January 18, the cult distributor plans to dust off the old toolshed with a brand-new release of The Toolbox Murders. Dennis Donnelly’s notorious exploitation classic makes its debut on 4K Ultra HD with a new Blu-ray combo that has been scanned in 4K 16-bit from the uncut original negative. A...

The Bloodhound Release: "Arrow Video will release Patrick Picard’s debut feature The Bloodhound in the US and UK on VOD on March 15th, and BluRay on March 22nd, 2021

First-time feature director Patrick Picard brings a fresh take to one of the best-known stories from the master of mystery and the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher, in his new slow-burner horror-thriller The Bloodhound, a hauntingly atmospheric tale described by The Hollywood News as “an impressively stylish and intellectual debut”.

Francis, a dispossessed young man, is summoned to the secluded home of his wealthy childhood friend, Jp Luret, who is suffering from a mysterious affliction. Upon his arrival, Francis realizes that Jp and his ethereal twin sister Vivian are the sole surviving members of the privileged Luret family, whose legacy has been one of depression and self-destruction, and the only occupants of their family estate.

Three years after the first movie theater reopened in Saudi Arabia – following removal of a religion-related ban – the kingdom has become the top theatrical market in the Middle East and is turning into a major driver for Arabic film production.

“At the moment Saudi is on a different path from the rest of the world,” says David Hancock, an analyst at London-based Omdia, which sees this new market as having the potential to be ranked among the top 10-15 territories for box office worldwide by 2024.

By 2024 Omdia estimates there will be 1,400 screens in Saudi Arabia, up from a current count of less than 300 screens in 2020 with more than 600 screens expected in 2021. In 2020 Saudi box office was up 3% to $115 million, bucking the downward trend in the rest of the world.

But besides growing box office and screen count, just like in other parts of the world such as China where there is moviegoing growth,...

On 8th February 101 Films will release Edward Murphy’s Raw Force (1982) for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK. A crazy, over-the-top mix of martial arts and horror, this sleazy gem stars exploitation greats Cameron Mitchell and Vic Diaz, and features everything from zombies to cannibal monks. The release is loaded with extras, including a brand new commentary.

Welcome to Warrior’s Island, burial ground of disgraced martial arts masters! When the Burbank Kung Fu Club travels to this mysterious island, they quickly find themselves facing the bloodthirsty vengeance of flesh-ripping, kung fu fighting zombies, gun-toting white slave traders and a band of strange monks, who may be the only key to explaining the madness.

Special Features: New: Commentary with David Flint and Adrian Smith Destination Warriors Island: The Making of Raw Force, with director Ed Murphy and cinematographer Frank Johnson Audio interview with finishing editor Jim Wynorski Original...

While box office returns in 2020 will suffer an estimated 80% global drop due to Covid-19, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is bucking this downward trend, having grown since 2019 to become the Middle East’s top grossing territory this year to date.

Fresh figures released during the recent Meta Cinema Forum exhibitors’ conference reveal that Saudi Arabia this year has overtaken the United Arab Emirates and is currently the region’s top-grossing territory, with more than $73 million in theatrical movie ticket sales over the past 40 weeks — a roughly $2 million increase in box office returns compared with the same period in 2019.

The UAE during the same 2020 period has generated roughly $51 million, roughly a quarter of its 2019 box office draw.

“We believe that Saudi Arabia is the only cinema market globally to have expanded in 2020,” says Cameron Mitchell, CEO of prominent Middle East exhibitor Vox Cinemas, which is leading the way in Saudi. He...

Middle East exhibitor Vox Cinemas has reopened around 71%, or 391, of its 550 screens amid the coronavirus crisis. “Tenet,” which bowed on Aug. 26 in the region, is currently playing on 209 of those screens, six of which are IMAX. On some of Vox’s multiplexes in Saudi Arabia, the Christopher Nolan blockbuster and other films are being shown 24/7, “which helps mitigate some of the capacity restrictions,” says Vox CEO Cameron Mitchell.

Mitchell — whose Vox operates in the UAE, Lebanon, Oman, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait — spoke to Variety about how “Tenet” and, soon, “Mulan,” which will get a theatrical launch in the Middle East, are driving moviegoers back to cinemas in a region that is considered to have great growth potential for theatrical.

“Tenet” is considered the big game changer by international exhibitors, especially in Europe. Is that how you perceive it?

Content in general coming back has been a huge win for us.

My Favorite Year

Blu ray

Warner Archive

1982/ 1.85:1 / 92 min.

Starring Peter O’Toole, Mark Linn-Baker, Joe Bologna

Directed by Richard Benjamin

Nat King Cole’s shimmering version of Stardust, Rockefeller Plaza surrounded by wide-brimmed hats and two-toned Buicks – the first three minutes of My Favorite Year invoke the past with such ease that Proust might applaud.

Sentimental as they are, the sights and sounds of 1954 foreshadow something more significant in the zeitgeist – the era when television was on the rise and Hollywood’s star system was headed in the opposite direction.

Richard Benjamin’s 1982 comedy opens with the camera gliding by the sleek deco marquee of Radio City Music Hall where Seven Brides for Seven Brothers was the summer showcase – on Broadway the Rivoli was flogging the “right at you” thrills of House of Wax. One film in CinemaScope and four track stereo, the other in 3-D – each designed to lure...

The legendary director Raoul Walsh hits The Big Trail one more time for a CinemaScope & stereophonic ‘big star’ cattle drive movie, dodging most cliches but taking a few squarely between the eyes. Star chemistry is what keeps them dogies movin’, with Clark Gable making it look all too easy. Frisky Jane Russell fares well, but not our favorite Robert Ryan: despite the high-profile billing, he pulls S.O.B. duty yet again. There’s no doubt about it, pilgrim … I see a whole lotta cows in this one.

The Tall Men

Blu-ray

Twilight Time

1955 / Color / 2:55 widescreen / 122 min. / Street Date September 17, 2019 / Available from Twilight Time Movies / 29.95

Starring: Clark Gable, Jane Russell, Robert Ryan, Cameron Mitchell, Juan García, Harry Shannon, Emile Meyer, Argentina Brunetti, Chuck Roberson, Will Wright.

Cinematography: Leo Tover

Editing: Louis R. Loeffler

Original Music: Victor Young

Written by Sydney Boehm, Frank Nugent from the novel by Clay...

New hire previously founded, ran management company Curated By Media.

Louis Arriola’s Us-based entertainment producer Nyla Media Group, which is preparing to open a studio facility in Dominican Republic in 2020, has named Cameron Mitchell CEO.

Mitchell will oversee all aspects of operations at Nyla, including strategic planning, finance, business development, business affairs, creative, and production and marketing of Nyla content.

Prior to joining Nyla Media Group, Mitchell founded and ran management company Curated By Media. He previously worked for more than 10 years as an agent, and has worked for almost 20 years in entertainment, representing actors, directors, and writers such as Gabrielle Union and RZA,...

” It’s my first day as a woman, already it’s that time of the month.”

Hedwig And The Angry Inch screens midnights this weekend (September 6th and 7th) at The Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar) as part of their ‘Reel Late at The Tivoli’ Midnight Series. A Facebook invite for the screening can be found Here

The winner of numerous awards including the Audience and Director awards at Sundance, Hedwig And The Angry Inch (2001) is the film of an original stage musical comedy that played off Broadway for over two years. It centers on Hedwig,whose only way of escaping from East Berlin is to undergo a sex-change and assume his mother’s identity. Unfortunately the operation goes wrong and he is left with an `angry inch’. Escaping to America, he forms a rock band whilst seeking the soul partner that will fulfill his destiny. Loaded with songs that you will...

Michael Moriarty has long stood on the precipice of the mainstream; teetering, looking in, a toe here, but always bringing his unique Moriarty-ness to every project. Never one to shy away from speaking his mind, he brings the same fearlessness to his art, often resulting in performances just left (and sometimes further) of center. So it goes for another genre jaunt, Blood Link (1982), in which he plays formerly conjoined twins who collide in a mélange of murder and deception, giallo style.

This German-Italian-u.S. co-production premiered in the U.K. in October, with a rollout Stateside in November; oddly, it didn’t debut in Italy until ’86 and Germany in ’87. Perhaps the distributors didn’t have enough faith in their product, or they found its old fashioned story to be out of step with modern slashers. A man chasing himself is a hard sell, after all.

But honestly I thought the...

There is a natural temptation to compare the new Hulu series Shrill with Girls, one of its most heavily debated predecessors. Both take place in hipster enclaves -- Portland and Brooklyn, respectively -- and star white women who want to be a writers and who, when we meet them, are sleeping with men

...

Read More >

Other Links From TVGuide.com ShrillAidy BryantLuka JonesLolly AdefopeGirlsLindy WestJohn Cameron Mitchell...

Middle East exhibitor Vox Cinemas is on track to open 110 screens in Saudi Arabia by year’s end as the oil-rich kingdom continues to liberalize its entertainment environment.

Vox unveiled its second Saudi multiplex Jan. 28, a luxurious 12-screen facility in the city of Jeddah’s Red Sea Mall. The multiplex houses more than 1,450 seats and an Imax with Laser screen that is currently the largest film-going facility in Saudi.

Vox CEO Cameron Mitchell said the company would open three more locations, including a multiplex featuring all premium cinemas and gourmet dining in Riyadh’s iconic Kingdom Tower, during the first quarter of this year. In the Saudi capital, Riyadh, Vox will also soon unveil a 15-screen facility in Al Qasr Mall and an eight-screen multiplex in The Roof Mall.

Mitchell said Vox has committed to opening cinemas in 10 Saudi cities, including Dammam, Taif and Tabuk, as part of its announced...

Murder strikes a private college. In the new security guard’s efforts to find the killer, he uncovers sordid secrets and multiple unsavory conspiracies. Triple-threat Burt Lancaster boasts directing and screenwriting credits here, and heads a large, exemplary cast of suspects in a mystery that implicates practically all of them in something illegal.

The Midnight Man

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1974 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 117 min. / Street Date February 26, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Burt Lancaster, Linda Thorpe, Cameron Mitchell, Morgan Woodward, Harris Yulin, Robert Quarry, Joan Lorring, Lawrence Dobkin, Ed Lauter, Mills Watson, Charles Tyner, Catherine Bach, Bill Lancaster, Quinn K. Redeker, Peter Dane, Linda Kelsey, William Splawn, Nick Cravat.

Cinematography: Jack Priestley

Film Editor: Frank Moriss

Original Music: Dave Grusin

Written by Roland Kibbee, Burt Lancaster from a book by David Anthony

Produced and Directed by Roland Kibbee & Burt Lancaster

Carrying a reputation as an intelligent low-key murder mystery, 1975’s...

While 2018 featured a plethora of high-def home media releases for horror fans to enjoy, 2019 is already looking to be an even better year with a bunch of upcoming releases from a wide range of distributors, including the folks at Vinegar Syndrome, who have announced three February 26th Blu-ray releases—Battle for the Lost Planet / Mutant War, Party Line, and Wacko—that should have cult horror and sci-fans marking their calendars with giddy anticipation.

Battle for the Lost Planet and Mutant War Blu-ray: "This special limited edition embossed slipcover (designed by Earl Kessler Jr.) is limited to 1,500 units and is only available here at VinegarSyndrome.com!

In Battle For The Lost Planet rogue master thief Harry Trent (Matt Mitler) who, in an attempt to steal military secrets, found himself stranded alone in space for years, finally returns to earth only to discover that the planet has been taken over by vicious gangs of alien mutants.

Hollywood may be reassessing its ties to Saudi Arabia following the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. But at a big international film industry conference underway in the Middle East, there are no signs anyone else is thinking about pulling back from what continues to be considered a global top 10 movie market in the making.

More than 500 film industry delegates from 45 countries are gathered at Dubai’s Grand Hyatt Hotel for the first edition of the Mena Cinema Forum, where “a lot of the discussions were about Saudi Arabia,” said the event’s director, Leila Masinaei. But Masinaei noted that, while some people did address the Khashoggi scandal, “everyone is trying to keep politics and business separate.”

Khashoggi’s disappearance inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 prompted a number of foreign media moguls, including several U.S. executives, to pull out of last week’s Saudi government-backed investment conference in Riyadh.

It’s time to celebrate the Irwin Allen disaster epics for what they are — huge, indigestible spectacles that first seem funny and then congeal into a cinematic badness that words cannot describe. This sprawling ordeal tortures good actors and shatters every limit of audience patience. I alone have survived to tell thee. Is a fair review even possible?

The Swarm

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1978 / Color / 2:40 widescreen / 156 116 min. /Extended Edition / Street Date September 25, 2018 / available through the WBshop / 21.99

Starring: Michael Caine, Katharine Ross, Richard Widmark, Richard Chamberlain, Olivia de Havilland, Ben Johnson, Lee Grant, José Ferrer, Patty Duke, Slim Pickens, Bradford Dillman, Fred MacMurray, Henry Fonda, Cameron Mitchell, Christian Juttner, Alejandro Rey.

Cinematography: Fred J. Koenekamp

Film Editor: Harold F. Kress

Visual Effects: L.B. Abbott

Original Music: Jerry Goldsmith

Written by Stirling Silliphant, from the novel by Arthur Herzog

Produced and Directed by Irwin Allen

“I never dreamed that it would...

The saying goes that books and their covers aren’t always the same or words to that effect; this particular logic had long been applied to the hallowed halls of the video stores, as eye-popping box art used to lure an unsuspecting victim could lead to atrocities or worse, boredom. And then there’s Screamers (1981), which promises something cool and twisted on the cover yet delivers a completely different film – an Italian period adventure tale with killer fish guys filleting to and fro. Different? You bet. Kind of delightful? Definitely.

The cover of Screamers boasts well, a screaming man who has been turned inside out, or rather appears just to be wearing his veins like an Italian horror wetsuit. Groovy, right? Well you can thank Roger Corman and his New World Pictures for the hucksterism; Screamers original title is The Island of the Fishmen, made in ’79, director Sergio Martino (Torso...

Netflix has released a chaotic trailer for Orson Welles’ unfinished final film “The Other Side of the Wind,” just before its premiere Thursday at the Venice Film Festival.

John Huston stars as a high-profile Hollywood director making a comeback, much like Welles was attempting. The trailer mixes black-and-white and color footage, and two other filmmakers of the era — Peter Bogdanovich and Dennis Hopper — appear as characters.

Several characters in the trailer offer brutal assessments of Huston’s character, saying, “What he creates, he has to wreck. It’s a compulsion,” and, “He’s just making it up as he goes along.”

Welles shot the film-within-a-film between 1970 and 1976, and then worked on it until his death in 1985, leaving behind a 45-minute work print that he had smuggled out of France. Huston portrayed a temperamental film director battling with Hollywood executives to finish a movie — just like Welles did throughout his career.

Morgan Neville's documentary on the making of Orson Welles's The Other Side Of The Wind is a 56th New York Film Festival Special Event Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

The Film Society of Lincoln Center has announced the 56th New York Film Festival Special Events program: Orson Welles's The Other Side Of The Wind with John Huston, Peter Bogdanovich, Oja Kodar, Edmund O’Brien, Susan Strasberg, Lilli Palmer, Paul Stewart, Mercedes McCambridge, Cameron Mitchell, Paul Mazursky, Henry Jaglom, Claude Chabrol, and Norman Foster plus Morgan Neville's They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead documentary on the making of The Other Side Of The Wind, and Rex Ingram's The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse, courtesy of Martin Scorsese, with a score written and performed by Matthew Nolan, Barry Adamson, Seán Mac Erlaine, Adrian Crowley, and Kevin Murphy.

Film Comment Presents: Nuri Bilge Ceylan's The Wild Pear Tree starring...

Guest reviewer Lee Broughton covers a trio of grisly horrors. The Toolbox Murders, Blood Harvest and A Cat in the Brain each feature a pop culture icon in a leading role. Hollywood actor Cameron Mitchell, oddball 1960s crooner Tiny Tim and the Italo horror director and all-round enfant terrible Lucio Fulci find themselves caught up in their own gory and disturbing splatter show. Perhaps unsurprisingly, all three films fell foul of the British Board of Film Classification at the time of their original release in the UK.

The Toolbox Murders, Blood Harvest, A Cat in the Brain

Separate Region B Blu-ray releases

All from 88 Films – Slasher Classics Collection

£14.99 each

Reviewed by Lee Broughton

The Toolbox Murders

Region B Blu-ray

1978 / Color / 1.78 / 93 min. / Street Date December 4, 2017

Starring: Cameron Mitchell, Pamelyn Ferdin, Wesley Eure, Nicholas Beauvy, Tim Donnelly, Aneta Corsaut.

Cinematography: Gary Graver

Film Editor: Nunzio Darpino

Production Designer: D. J. Bruno

Original...

Ever since seeing Creepshow (1982) when it first arrived on video, I’ve been enamored with anthology films; reaching back to Amicus’ ‘60s and ‘70s treasures like Tales from the Crypt (1972) all the way up to Epic Pictures’ Tales of Halloween (2015), omnibuses scratch a very particular itch for this viewer. Falling somewhere in the middle of my terrorline is From a Whisper to a Scream (1987), a proud and nasty addition to the sub-genre. This bugger does not mess around.

Released by Moviestore Entertainment stateside and by Cineplex-Odeon up here in Canada the following year, From a Whisper to a Scream (Aka The Offspring, which is what I knew it as) made back its $ 1.1 million budget plus a few dollars more, and the film received mixed reviews from critics in its limited release. Scrappy and mean, with a delightful turn from Vincent Price in the wraparound, From a Whisper to a Scream...

And we’re off to the races! The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp) officially kicked off the 2017-18 awards season with this evening’s 27th Annual Gotham Awards, which took place at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City and were hosted by John Cameron Mitchell.

Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” proved to be the night’s biggest winner, with three wins, including Best Screenplay, the Audience Award, and Breakthrough Director. Luca Guadagnino’s “Call Me by Your Name” proved victorious in the Best Feature category, winning out against a stacked list of competitors. Earlier in the night, star Timothee Chalamet won the Breakthrough Actor award for his star-making turn in the romance.

The ceremony’s nomination list was studded with some of the year’s most beloved indies, including “Get Out,” “Call Me by Your Name,” Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird,” Kogonada’s “Columbus,” and Sean Baker’s “The Florida Project.

Consider awards season officially started. The Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp), the nation’s premier member organization of independent storytellers, has announced the nominees for its 27th Annual Ifp Gotham Awards. For 2017, ten competitive awards will be presented to independent features and series.

This year’s nominees are lead by Jordan Peele’s “Get Out,” which pulled in four nominations (including Best Feature, Breakthrough Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Actor), but the breakout debut is trailed by four other hot contenders, each with three nominations to their name. Those include Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird,” Luca Guadagnino’s “Call Me by Your Name,” Kogonada’s “Columbus,” and Sean Baker’s “The Florida Project.”

The Gothams also heaped nomination glory on other films that are expected to contend this season, including Craig Gillespie’ “I, Tonya,” the Safdie brothers’ “Good Time,” and Dee Rees’ “Mudbound,” which will be receiving a special ensemble awards.

Review by Roger Carpenter

Italian directors have always had a penchant for jumping on the cinematic bandwagon whenever a popular film is released. And we aren’t talking about just a couple of directors and a couple of films, but nearly all directors and, depending upon the genre, sometimes hundreds of films. Thus, we have the pepla of the 1950’s and 1960’s, the poliziotteschi and gialli of the 1970’s, the spaghetti westerns of the 1960’s and early 1970’s, the Jaws-inspired rip-offs, the Alien-inspired ripoffs, and the zombie and jungle/cannibal epics of the 1980’s. But, with the international sensation of the Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis vehicle entitled The Vikings in 1958, Italians were quick to jump on this particular bandwagon as well, resulting in a seven-year cycle of Viking films. And Mario Bava, best known for his proto-slashers and horror vehicles, was not averse to climbing on the bandwagon occasionally himself.

“And On The Eighth Day Bava Created Color.” That’s my sentiment with every new quality restoration of a Mario Bava picture. This amazing new disc of Il Maestro’s teeth-clenched Viking epic delivers stunning action scenes and eye-bending widescreen fantasy visuals. Arrow’s Blu-ray is spiked with a new Tim Lucas commentary.

Erik the Conqueror

Blu-ray + DVD

Arrow Video USA

1961 / Color / 2:35 widescreen (Dyaliscope) / 90 min. / Street Date August 29, 2017 / Available from Arrow Video / 39.95

Starring: Cameron Mitchell, Alice & Ellen Kessler, George Ardisson, Andrea Checchi, Françoise Christophe, Raf Baldassarre, Joe Robinson, Folco Lulli.

Cinematography: Mario Bava, Ubaldo Terzano

Film Editor: Mario Serandrei

Original Music: Roberto Nicolosi

Written by Oreste Biancoli, Mario Bava

Produced by Ferruccio De Martino

Directed by Mario Bava

Far too good to be slammed as a mere imitation of Richard Fleischer’s The Vikings, Mario Bava’s exciting Erik the Conqueror is one of the best of the Italian-made...

In 1961, director Mario Bava (Rabid Dogs, Kill Baby Kill) turned his hand to the historical adventure genre, capitalizing on the recent success of 1958’s Kirk Douglas vehicle The Vikings. The result was a colorful, swashbuckling epic of treachery, heroism and forbidden love: Erik the Conqueror. In 786 Ad, the invading Viking forces are repelled from the shores of England, leaving behind a young boy – Erik, son of the slain Viking king. Years later, Erik (George Ardisson, Juliet of the Spirits), raised by the English queen as her own, becomes Duke of Helford, while across the sea, his brother Eron (Cameron Mitchell, Blood and Black Lace) assumes leadership of the Viking horde and sets his sights on conquering England once again, setting the two estranged brothers on a collision course that will determine the fates of their respective kingdoms… Featuring a bombastic score by frequent collaborator Roberto Nicolosi (Black Sunday) and memorably...

This August, Arrow Video enters the deranged mind of Herbert West with their limited edition 4K restoration of Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator (which was initially slated for a July 25th release), and we now have the full list of special features for the anticipated release, along with two other horror Blu-rays coming out this month from Arrow: The Slayer and a limited edition steelbook of Society.

Press Release: The summer really hots up in August, as Arrow Video releases a special edition of an 80s classic, a white-knuckle thriller, a splatter horror masterpiece, a box set of crime classics, a rare Italian sword-and-sandal epic, and an amazing new limited edition steelbook.

First up, one of the most wildly popular horror movies of all-time, Stuart Gordon's enduring splatter-comedy classic Re-Animator returns to Blu-ray in a stunning restoration packed with special features. According to the distributor (Mvd), this awesome package is officially sold out already,...

Samuel Fuller sure knows how to turn up the geopolitical tension, especially in a rip-roaring provocative atom threat adventure, that might have caused problems if anybody cared what movies said back when the Cold War was hot. Richard Widmark skippers a leaky sub to the arctic and discovers that the Chinese communists are going to start WW3 — and blame it on Uncle Sam. It’s an insane comic-book adventure about very serious issues — and we love it.

Hell and High Water

Blu-ray

Twilight Time

1954 / Color / 2:55 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date June 13, 2017 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store 29.95

Starring: Richard Widmark, Bella Darvi, Victor Francen, Richard Loo, Cameron Mitchell, Gene Evans, David Wayne.

Cinematography: Joseph MacDonald

Art Direction: Leland Fuller, Lyle R. Wheeler

Film Editor: James B. Clark

Original Music: Alfred Newman

Written by Samuel Fuller, Jesse L. Lasky Jr. story by David Hempstead

Produced by Raymond A. Klune

Directed...

'The Pink Panther' with Peter Sellers: Blake Edwards' 1963 comedy hit and its many sequels revolve around one of the most iconic film characters of the 20th century: clueless, thick-accented Inspector Clouseau – in some quarters surely deemed politically incorrect, or 'insensitive,' despite the lack of brown face make-up à la Sellers' clueless Indian guest in Edwards' 'The Party.' 'The Pink Panther' movies [1] There were a total of eight big-screen Pink Panther movies co-written and directed by Blake Edwards, most of them starring Peter Sellers – even after his death in 1980. Edwards was also one of the producers of every (direct) Pink Panther sequel, from A Shot in the Dark to Curse of the Pink Panther. Despite its iconic lead character, the last three movies in the Pink Panther franchise were box office bombs. Two of these, The Trail of the Pink Panther and Curse of the Pink Panther, were co-written by Edwards' son,...

An original feature documentary on late actor-filmmaker Orson Welles is in the works at Netflix, and it will be helmed by Academy Award winning director Morgan Neville (“20 Feet from Stardom”). The documentary will explore the final fifteen years of Welles’ life and his complex relationship with the film industry, both artistically and commercially, through the lens of his final movie, “The Other Side of the Wind,” which he shot in the beginning of the 1970s and has remained unfinished since then.

Read More: From Paris to Netflix: The Long, Strange Journey of Orson Welles’ Last Movie, ‘The Other Side of the Wind’

“‘The Other Side of the Wind’ has long been a ghostly legend in cinema history, but the story behind it is equally fascinating,” Neville said in a statement. “I’m excited to be able to tell the incredible story behind this film and to explore what made Welles such an enduring figure.

Feature will debut on digital service at same time as The Other Side Of The Wind.

Netflix announced on Monday that Morgan Neville will direct an original documentary about the final 15 years of Orson Welles’s life.

Neville will explore the American titan’s complex artistic and commercial relationship with Hollywood.

Frank Marshall and Filip Jan Rymzsa will serve as executive producers on the feature, produced by Neville’s Tremolo Productions.

Netflix recently came on board to add completion funds and pay for the restoration of Welles’s last, unfinished film The Other Side Of Wind.

Marshall and Rymzsa are producing that project and it will have “a significant presence throughout the new documentary, providing a framework into the legendarily volatile dynamics between Welles and the industry.”

The two films will launch in tandem in 2018.

“The Other Side Of The Wind has long been a ghostly legend in cinema history, but the story...

The following story features spoilers from Sunday’s The Good Fight finale on CBS All Access. If you have yet to stream the episode, hit the nearest exit.

The bastard threw his own flesh and blood under the bus!

In the closing act of The Good Fight‘s inaugural season finale, we learned that the embattled Henry Rindell (played by the terrific Paul Guilfoyle) decided to forego a plea deal that would’ve landed him behind bars but cleared daughter Maia (Rose Leslie). Instead, he chose to hit the road and live out his days as a fugitive. Cut to...

President of Fox International addresses challenges, notes theatrical box office “continues to drive the train.”

Andrew Cripps delivered a positive forecast for the theatrical business in keeping with the traditional tone of CinemaCon’s Monday opening keynote, while urging greater collaboration between distributors and theatre owners.

“Audiences are changing and they’re harder to connect with through traditional means. Films are more expensive than ever… marketing costs only seem to go in one direction – up,” the President of Fox International said, adding that piracy and the growing proliferation of entertainment choices presented challenges.

The executive said he expected consolidation to continue, highlighted the need to offer enhanced theatre-going experiences, and urged the industry to grapple with and share data.

“If we can collaborate… to improve the customer engagement, then that has to be a good thing,” Cripps told attendees at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

“We live in interesting times. The movie business...