News

“Stranger Things 2” returns just in time for Halloween, both in the real world and in the eerie town of Hawkins, Indiana conceived in the nostalgic minds of The Duffer Brothers. The action picks up three days before Halloween 1984, which means that the year will soon be coming to a close. For those who may not have been alive or perhaps have a shaky memory of the time, 1984 was a big year for memorable events and in pop culture.

The first season reveled in bringing the time period alive in all of its totally ‘80s glory, from Dungeons & Dragons gaming sessions and Eggo waffles to homages to “E.T.,” “The Shining,” and “Rambo.” Hell, even star Winona Ryder’s presence is a timely tribute since she made her early career in such iconic ‘80s films as “Lucas,” “Beetlejuice,” and “Heathers.”

Read More:7 New Netflix Shows to Binge in October, and The Best...

From thrillers to sci-fi to horror, here's our pick of 20 films from 1986 that surely deserve a bit more love...

A fascinating year for film, 1986. It was a time when a glossy, expensive movie about handsome men in planes could dominate the box-office, sure (that would be Top Gun). But it was also a year when Oliver Stone went off with just $6m and came back with Platoon, one of the biggest hits of the year both financially and in terms of accolades. It was also a period when the British movie industry was briefly back on its feet, resulting in a new golden age of great films - one or two of them are even on this list.

As ever, there were certain films that, despite their entertainment value or genuine brilliance in terms of movie making, somehow managed to slip through the net. So to redress the balance a little,...

The popular young-adult fantasy novel series by Michael Scott, The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, will be heading to the big screen as Lawless Entertainment will partner with the Australian based Ampco Films to adapt the first novel in the six-book series, The Alchemyst. Scott will adapt his own book, though no director has been announced. Production, however, is scheduled to begin in February in Australia and New Zealand. No distributor has picked it up, either.

Deadline is reporting that Gaumont International Television and producer Martha De Laurentiis are looking to adapt the 1968 cult film Barbarella into a TV series. Martha, and her husband, Dino De Laurentiis -who produced the original film- acquired the property back in 2007 and was working on a remake before his death in 2010. Gaumont International Television is a French based company that launched a small office in Los Angeles back in the fall of last year,...

Some of you may have already heard the news, but for those who haven’t, the Associated Press reported the death of actor James Farentino earlier today. Farentino is probably most well known for his work on the show ER as the rough around the edges father of George Clooney. But those with a little bit more of a long term memory most likely recall his roles on Melrose Place and The Final Countdown.

Farentino was famous for playing characters that mirrored his own life. He was married four times and often found himself in trouble with the law including a recent battery charge. But his spirit shined in all of his roles; he was as coarse as he was sentimental. His death was the result of a heart failure.

Farentino’s career stretches back over 40 years in both film and TV, starring in starring in a couple of episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour,...

His was an extremely familiar face to TV watchers in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. James Farentino had a handful of interesting big screen credits, most notably the lead in Dan O’Bannon’s cult shocker Dead And Buried (1981) and the odd WWII sci-fier The Final Countdown (1980). Farentino was married to Michelle Lee and Elizabeth Ashley but in 1992 was criminally charged with stalking Frank Sinatra’s daughter (never a good idea). A dependable actor, James Farentino died of heart failure yesterday in Los Angeles.

From The Los Angeles Times:

Actor James Farentino, whose private life was sometimes as dramatic as the roles he played in theater and on television, died Tuesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 73 and had suffered from a lengthy illness, said family spokesman Bob Palmer.

Best known for his TV work, Farentino was one of the last contract performers with Universal Studios in the 1960s.

James Farentino, whose acting career was briefly derailed by allegations he stalked Frank Sinatra's youngest daughter, has died at 73, the Los Angeles Times reported. Farentino, one of the last contract performers with Universal Studios in the 1960s, had recurring appearances on shows including "The Bold Ones: The Lawyers," "Dynasty," "Blue Thunder" and "Police Story." Film roles included "The Pad and How to Use It" (1966), for which he won a Golden Globe for most promising newcomer, "Me, Natalie" (1969) and "The Final Countdown" (1980). He was married four times, and had a...

James Farentino, best remembered for his roles in the television series The Bold Ones: The Lawyers and Dynasty, died of heart failure earlier today at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 73. A Brooklyn native (born on Feb. 24, 1938), Farentino made his Broadway debut in the 1961 production of Tennessee Williams' Night of the Iguana, starring Bette Davis, Margaret Leighton, and Patrick O'Neal. The following year, he began guesting on various television series, among them The Defenders, Route 66, and 77 Sunset Strip. Despite a Golden Globe as Most Promising Newcomer – Male for Brian G. Hutton's 1967 comedy The Pad and How to Use It, Farentino's film career was a minor one. He did, however, play one of the leads in a more important comedy that same year, David Lowell Rich's Rosie!, based on a play co-written by Ruth Gordon, and starring Rosalind Russell, Sandra Dee, and Brian Aherne. Additionally,...

Us football star and actor known for his Police Academy role

Some fans of the popular Police Academy films might be surprised to discover that the actor playing the gentle florist turned recruit Moses Hightower was someone who inspired an entire college campus to wear T-shirts stating "Kill Bubba Kill", echoing the words chanted by thousands of supporters in Michigan State University's Spartan Stadium. Bubba Smith, who has been found dead aged 66, was one of American college football's most legendary defenders, a figure who inspired awe on the gridiron. Playing against that image earned him a long career in film, television and advertising, most notably for Lite Beer.

His beer commercials often paired him with the equally fierce Dick Butkus, but the most memorable was one he did alone, in which he extolled the virtues of Lite Beer, then tore the can open with his bare hands. "I also love the easy-opening cans,...

Bubba Smith, the former NFL and Police Academy star, has passed away. The 6' 7" Charles Aaron "Bubba" Smith played in the National Football League from 1967 to 1976, before moving into a film and television career. He started with small roles in television series such as Wonder Woman, Charlie's Angels, Vega$ and The Misadventures Of Sheriff Lobo, before obtaining a starring role in the short-lived series Blue Thunder. He is best remembered as the softly spoken florist turned police officer Moses Hightower from the Police Academy movie franchise. Bubba Smith was found dead at his Los Angeles residence on Wednesday. He was 66.   Video...

Bubba Smith, the 6-foot-7 former National Football League player and one of the performers in the Police Academy movies, was found dead earlier today at his Baldwin Hills home in Los Angeles. Smith was 66. No foul play is suspected. As a professional football player, Charles Aaron 'Bubba' Smith (born February 28, 1945, in Beaumont, Texas) played with the Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders, and Houston Oilers from the late '60s to the mid-'70s. From the late '70s on, Smith began to sporadically appear in films. His one notable big-screen role was that of soft-spoken florist-turned-police cadet Moses Hightower, later promoted to sergeant and finally lieutenant in the Police Academy movies of the mid-to-late '80s. Those were inane slapstick fare that was generally derided by critics; the first movie in the series, however, became a major box-office hit, collecting more $81 million in 1984 (or about $192 million today). Hugh Wilson directed, and...

“Yo, Bubba, can we try that again … except this time try not to kill the guy!” I remember giving that direction to Bubba Smith on the set of "Blue Thunder" in 1984. Also read: Bubba Smith, 'Police Academy' Actor and NFL Star, Found Dead at 66 I was teasing him about rough-housing a stuntman bad guy at the end of a chase, but hey, I was talkin’ to one of the greatest – and baddest – defensive ends in the history of the NFL, a Super Bowl V champ. This was Bubba’s first role...

Bubba Smith, the former NFL star and "Police Academy" actor, was found dead in his Los Angeles home on Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles Times. He was 66.

Smith was found at his home on Sunlight Place in Baldwin Hills by a caretaker. The L.A. County coroner's office has not determined a cause of death, but officials believe he died of natural causes.

Smith is probably best known for his role as Sgt. Moses Hightower, one of the less incompetent (and larger) police officers in the "Police Academy" movies. He played the role in the first six installments of the popular comedy franchise and appeared in the short-lived television series as well.

Smith also appeared as Lyman 'Bubba' Kelsey on the '80s action series, "Blue Thunder," which chronicled the adventures of the crew of an advanced police helicopter.

Prior to his acting career, Smith was an NFL defensive...

Blue Thunder: The Complete Series

Stars: Dana Carvey, James Farentino, Bubba Smith, Dick Butkus

Based on the film of the same name, Blue Thunder originally aired on America’s ABC network in 1984, a year after the film opened in cinemas. Riding the coat-tails, re-using the footage and more-importantly re-using the iconic Aerospatiale Gazelle helicopter, the series starred two of America’s most beloved NFL superstars, a TV icon, and an up and coming actor/comedian to create something more akin to The A-Team.

Mixing helipcopter action with a new road based vehicle – the Rolling Thunder – the series saw the crew of the Blue Thunder take the the war against crime to the air, and the streets, for a mere 13 episodes before the first season was shot down in its prime.

Here in the UK, Blue Thunder made a sporadic appearance on terrestrial television in the 80s, before screening in...

Mediumrare Entertainment have announced the UK DVD release of Blue Thunder: The Complete Series, which will be available to own on DVD for the first time from 27th September 2010. The DVD release will feature all 11 action packed episodes on 3 discs.

Starring Dana Carvey (Waynes World), James Farentino, Bubba Smith and Dick Butkus, Blue Thunder: The Complete Series is based on the action-packed blockbuster film of the same name, and features a high tech, turbo speed aircraft created by the federal government as the ultimate weapon in the war on crime. It can see through walls and record a whisper or even level an entire city block…in seconds. When terror rains down, Blue Thunder will always follow!

Blue Thunder: The Complete Series is distributed by Mediumrare Entertainment and will be available from all good DVD retailers from September 27th 2010.