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Matt Stone and Trey Parker, born and raised in Denver, were obsessed as kids with Mexican restaurant Casa Bonita, a massive, labyrinthine, Disneyland-ish local landmark that opened in 1974 in Lakewood, Colorado with roving characters, live entertainment — including a cliff diving show — secret rooms and so-so food. It fell on hard times and then closed in 2020 during Covid.

So they bought it after some soul searching and hoped a speedy renovation would delight their kids and others as they had been delighted. The Denver area cheered.

It was not speedy and quickly soared past the estimated $6 million budget — ultimately passing $40 million. Floors, walls and ceilings were rotten, everything electric outdated and dangerous and plumbing a disaster in the 54,000 square foot emporium. A falcon had been dropping pigeon carcasses onto the roof since the 1970s. There is much footage in the new doc ¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor! of Parker wandering the site in distress,...

Welcome to the latest instalment of a brand-new feature here on Nerdly, where one of our comic gurus, Ian Wells, delves into comics history and dissects Comics Interview, the long-running journal of interviews and criticism from David Anthony Kraft (Dak).

Respect For Dak

In this issue Dak kicks things off talking about how much writing he is still doing in other forms. Borrowing a page from his book I want to take a more extended look at his comics career as I don’t feel I done it justice in the first issue. I mean no disrespect but I feel ‘journeyman writer’ is best to describe his career. It is an impressive catalogue of work, where he can play claim to having worked on legendary characters such as; Kamandi, Tarzan, Captain America and She Hulk. In 1984 he finished a long stint on Worlds Finest, so you can add Batman and...

Imagine watching Nick at Nite back when shows from the 1950s through to the '70s dominated the programming block. It just so happens that "Gilligan's Island" season 1, episode 19, "Gilligan Meets Jungle Boy," is on. By and large, you know what to expect: Gilligan (Bob Denver) getting up to slapstick mayhem; Jonas Grumby, aka "The Skipper" (Alan Hale Jr.), on the verge of blowing a fuse over his first mate's antics; and the shipwrecked passengers of the SS Minnow staging yet another comically failed attempt in their Sisyphean quest to escape the titular island. Sherwood Schwartz's supremely silly sitcom series was nothing if not consistent in its formula.

It's at this point that a 13-year-old Kurt Russell shows up with no shirt and a leopard loincloth on.

"Jungle Boy" does indeed hit all the anticipated beats for an episode of "Gilligan's Island." It also, in true to form fashion,...

The Oscar-winning film-maker discusses his documentary about the legendary puppeteer and his unwavering desire to experiment

Before he became the world’s most famous puppeteer – the man responsible for The Muppets and Big Bird; and turning David Bowie into the Goblin King in Labyrinth – Jim Henson was an experimental film-maker.

In his Oscar-nominated 1965 short, Time Piece, Henson stars as a man transcending time and space, the percussive beats of ticking clocks, heartbeats and other machinery creating the rhythms for the film’s montage. In a film that takes cues from Georges Méliès and Dziga Vertov, Henson goes from playing hospital patient to Tarzan to George Washington. He was a man who could seemingly be anyone, and do anything, much like Henson himself.

Actress Carrie Fisher became a global icon when she played Princess Leia Organa in Star Wars. The actress was twenty-one when the film was released and it immediately launched her into worldwide fame as the film became a phenomenon. Princess Leia was considered to be one of the best female characters in sci-fi.

Fisher was reportedly cast in the role of Leia after George Lucas considered multiple actresses. The late star was only one-film-old at the time and had only been in a couple of stage shows. According to an old interview with Fisher from 1977, Lucas chose her because she fulfilled one particular quality of the character that he had written.

Carrie Fisher Was Cast As Princess Leia Due To One Condition Carrie Fisher in Star Wars: A New Hope | Credits: Lucasfilm Ltd./20th Century Fox

Late actress Carrie Fisher played Princess Leia Organa, the sister of Luke Skywalker and...

Cairo-based Mad Distribution has acquired Jonathan Millet’s Critics’ Week opener Ghost Trail from mk2 Films, Somali director Mo Harawe’s Un Certain Regard drama The Village Next To Paradise from Totem Films and Anne-Marie Jacir’s upcoming All Before You for release in the Middle East and North Africa.

They are three of 30 titles secured by Mad Distribution for Mena territories, which also include Saif Hammash’s Palestinian short Deer’s Tooth, selected for La Cinef, and Rayane Mcirdi’s Algerian-French short After The Sun, which plays in Directors’ Fortnight.

The distribution arm of indie studio Mad Solutions plans...

A delegation of Palestinian filmmakers is in Cannes, seeking both international support for projects and the opportunity to alter the discourse on how Palestinians are perceived internationally.

“A lot of the time, in western media, Palestinians are just a bunch of angry Arabs,” suggested Palestine-Denmark filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel, whose debut To A Land Unknown is playing in Directors’ Fortnight. He hopes his film “can contribute a level of humanity to the discourse” on Palestinians.

“People don’t see us as people with dreams, and hopes and fears. I hope that’s what will resonate with audiences.”

To A Land Unknown...

Twin brother directors Tarzan and Arab Nasser are gearing up to film Once Upon a Time In Gaza in Jordan in September.

Bac Films is handling international sales and French distribution. Mad Distribution has taken Mena rights.

The Palestine-France-Germany-Portugal-Jordan- Saudi Arabia co-production is produced by Marie Legrand and Rani Massalha of France’s Les Films du Tambour, who made the Nassers’ 2015 title Dégradé and 2020 feature Gaza Mon Amour, Palestine’s Oscar submission.

David Grumbach, CEO of Bac said the film “echoes the terrible current events in this region and confirms the Nasser brothers are among the leading auteurs in cinema...

Fan Siu-wong, Kurt Russell, Zoe Bell, Mike Star, Fred Stoller, Johnny Barnes, Keanu Reeves’ fist, and Hugo WeavingScreenshot: YouTube

With the release of Amazon’s Mma-inspired remake of Road House, The A.V. Club is looking at the most brutal, compelling, and consequential punches to the face in cinema. Now,...

For over a decade, Naked and Afraid has challenged people to survive in some of the harshest conditions on earth. The Discovery Channel reality series has aired nearly 200 episodes since it debuted in 2013.

Hundreds of survivalists have competed on Naked and Afraid, with some going on to appear multiple times and cement their status as N&a legends. Others may have only appeared once or twice, but their outrageous behavior still made a major impression. So what happens after their time on the show comes to an end? Here’s where some of the most memorable Naked and Afraid cast members are today.

Jeff Zausch Jeff Zausch of ‘Naked and Afraid’ | Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

This is what he lives for. Jeff Zausch is a seven-time Naked and Afraid cast member known for his aggressive, no-holds-barred approach to survival. (He’s also appeared on Peacock’s Snake in the...

Actor Bill Skarsgård is known for his roles in blockbuster films such as the It franchise and was recently seen in last year’s John Wick: Chapter 4. The Swedish actor is part of the Skarsgård family, with his father Stellan Skarsgård, and brothers Alexander, Gustaf, and Valter Skarsgård also being actors.

In October 2023, Bill Skarsgård was reportedly arrested in Sweden after he was found possessing marijuana. The Castle Rock star was reportedly caught at Stockholm’s international airport and arrested. The actor was reportedly sentenced to a fine earlier this week, with no arrest or probation.

Bill Skarsgård Was Arrested For Marijuana Possession In Sweden Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise in the It franchise

Bill Skarsgård is known for playing the role of Pennywise, the clown and main antagonist of the It franchise. The actor was known for his creepy performance and earned universal acclaim for the role. He began...

Antony is the new film directed by Joshiy, and it has its own universe that it’s trying to sell. There have been many ‘father-son’ stories in cinema, but Antony has a father-daughter conflict right at the heart of its plot. The interesting thing about the film is that it is filled with violent action scenes, slow-motion shots, and loud Bgm, and all this tries to hide the fact that we are watching a melodrama unfold where a young girl wants a father figure in her life and thinks she has found it in a goon. It is a hard sell for various reasons, but conviction in the story and its execution is evident, which is why Antony becomes an entertaining potboiler with a charismatic performance by Joju George.

Spoilers Ahead

Plot Synopsis: What Happens In The Film?

Antony, a feared goon, wanted revenge against a man named Xavier for...

It was five decades ago long distance swimmer Diana Nyad became part of the cultural landscape with her feats including a recording-setting circling of Manhattan and a 102-mile swim from the Bahamas to Florida she accomplished that in 27 hours. In 1978, Nyad made her first attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida but ended the quest after 40 hours. After segueing to a successful career as a sports journalist on ABC’s “Wild World of Sports” for over two decades, she decided at 60 to try again. She made three attempts felled by asthma, muscle fatigue, jellyfish and a tropical storm.

Nyad’s attempts at the swim were the subject of the 2013 documentary “The Other Shore.” When I talked to her for the L.A. Times a decade ago the then 64-year-old was preparing for her final attempt. “When I first started this in my 20s and when I started again when I turned...

The forbidden love between two soldiers in a society riven by war is at the heart of “So the Lovers Could Come Out Again,” the sophomore feature from Lebanese filmmaker George Peter Barbari, whose debut, “Death of a Virgin, and the Sin of Not Living,” premiered in the Berlin Film Festival’s Panorama strand. Barbari will be presenting the project at the Crossroads Co-Production Forum, which takes place Nov. 5 – 9 at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.

“So the Lovers Could Come Out Again” is the story of two young soldiers holed up in a building controlled by Christian militias during the Lebanese civil war. As the fighting intensifies, the two men begin to find safety in each other, sharing their hopes and fears and recognizing that both are running from the past, as well as the war that rages inside them. Each of­fers the other their perspective on life, love,...

How did I find monsters? My father.

It was around Halloween 1956, the same week of Elvis Presley’s second appearance on Ed Sullivan.

My parents often let me stay up and watch late movies. Adventure stuff mainly: Tarzan, tiger hunters, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry. Earlier that year, the first monster I met was King Kong, when my father introduced me to him late one night.

One evening a couple of weeks later, my father said, “I have something special for you tonight.” It was James Whale’s 1931 Frankenstein.

My mother wasn’t happy.

The Whole Spiel — the new company co-founded by former NBC Entertainment chairman Paul Telegdy — and Red Bull’s Terra Mater Studios have teamed up to develop a slate of drama series. The projects include a reimagined “Tarzan” series, wildlife crime investigation “Rogue,” geopolitical drama “A New King” and true history drama “The Executioner.”

In collaboration with Shingle Media and Friendly Fire, the “Tarzan” series will reimagine Edgar Rice Burroughs’ iconic hero for a new generation. The plot will follow Tarzan and Jane defending their home against fortune hunters who come to Africa.

“Rogue,” created and written by National Geographic Explorer Derek Joubert, is a thriller series set in the underground world of illegal wildlife trading. It will follow a multi-billion-dollar global conspiracy in the heart of Africa that shatters lives while fueling the narcotics trade, arms dealing and terrorism. The series will be co-produced with Joubert’s Wildlife Films.

Set inside a wealthy aristocratic family,...

This past week we lost one of the industry’s best. As Dan Green pulls his chair up to the great drawing board in the sky I look back on an amazing career. For me, Dan Green was probably the first inker I knew the name of. This comes from hunting down my back issues of Wolverine. Marc Silvestri and Adam Kubert were two of my favourites to track down issues of and Green was always the third name in the credits. Perhaps this is doing inkers a discredit. They are like drummers in rock bands in that regard. Essential to creativity but one step behind the limelight. If someone like Joe Sinnott was like the old-school drumming of Ringo Starr, then Green is more akin to the style of John Bonham. In my opinion, he was the first rock star inker.

The journey began for Dan Green in Detroit.

Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc. has partnered with LA’s Tarzana International Film Festival (Sep 29– Oct 1) to honor the author best known for creating the Tarzan and John Carter Of Mars characters.

Opening night festivities will include the screening of the 2017 documentary Tarzan: The Man Behind The Legend, followed by a Q&a with the director and cast.

The festival, which takes place at the Regal Cinemas in the Sherman Oaks Galleria, will bestow the inaugural Edgar Rice Burroughs Legacy Award at the closing night gala. The award will be presented to an “iconic industry writer known for their work in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and adventure”.

This year, the event will also celebrate Warner Bros’ centennial with a screening of 2007 feature The Brothers Warner directed by Cass Warner Sperling, granddaughter of longtime studio head Jack Warner. The documentary chronicles the creation and rise of the first major Hollywood studio.

Superhero media is the fad these days, and most comic-book franchises are doubling down on their efforts to produce more related content with each passing year. However, there was a period when even the big two comic-book franchises, DC and Marvel, explored different genres like horror, western, space adventure, and fantasy in the comic-book medium, which were totally free from the continuity of mainline superhero-related series and had their own space to grow. Some of the most iconic stories and characters were introduced through these non-superhero comics, and they had their own separate audience to cater to as well.

Generally, as comic-book sales dwindled, most of the iconic titles ceased to exist and were integrated into mainline comics continuity; as a result, many of yesteryear’s popular characters were largely forgotten. In the recently released DC animated movie Justice League: Warworld, which is a part of the Tomorrowverse, the narrative...

Popeye the Sailor: The 1960s TV Cartoons

By Fred M. Grandinetti

230 pages/$30 hardcover $20 softcover/Bear Manor Media

Like author Fred M. Grandinetti, I was a child of the 60s and was exposed to all the Popeye cartoons, and it took time for me to understand that some were excellent, some were good, and some were outright bad. It slowly became clear to me that the best was the theatrical shorts made in the 1930s by the Fleischer Studio. What was less clear was who made the others of varying quality.

Thankfully, Grandinetti provides us with a handy guide, breaking down which animation house did what, all in an attempt to corner the syndicated cartoon market when there were hours upon hours of time to fill.

Elzie Segar’s Thimble Theater featured the Oyl family, with new characters coming and going as needed for each serialized adventure. On January 17, 1929, readers met Popeye,...