The description reads,
“Man-child Billy Madison has been a spoiled rich kid all his life, and spends his days drinking and partying. When his father, hotel magnate Brian, becomes fed up with his son’s irresponsible ways, he issues an ultimatum. Since Billy passed all his schooling thanks to his father’s influence and bribes, he must retake and pass every grade in 24 weeks. Otherwise, the business will be turned over to Brian’s conniving associate, Eric.”

The special features are set to include:

DISC ONE – 4K BLU-RAY

• NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• NEW Audio Commentary by Author and Filmmaker Bryan Connolly and The Billy Gilmore Podcast Host Wilson Smith
• Audio Commentary by Director Tamra Davis
• 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio
• Optional English Subtitles

DISC TWO – BLU-RAY

• NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
• NEW Audio Commentary by Author and Filmmaker Bryan Connolly and The Billy Gilmore Podcast Host Wilson Smith
• Audio Commentary by Director Tamra Davis
• Deleted Scenes (32:58)
  • The Pool, Penguins & Pornography (5:38)
  • Billy at Home (8:58)
  • Being Billy (5:52)
  • School Days (5:47)
  • Eric and Principal Anderson (4:41)
  • Academic Decathlon and Graduation (2:01)
• Outakes (3:44)
• Theatrical Trailer (Newly Mastered in 2K)
• 5.1 Surround and Lossless 2.0 Audio
• Optional English Subtitles

The technical specs of the special 30th anniversary 4K release read:

Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Subtitles
English SDH

Disc
4K Ultra HD
Blu-ray Disc

Playback
4K Blu-ray: Region free
2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

The post Billy Madison’s 30th Anniversary 4K Blu-ray will feature 30 minutes of deleted scenes appeared first on JoBlo.

10 Things I Hate About You was key late-’90s watching for a couple of reasons. One, it actually made Shakespeare fun (sorry, Baz!). But more importantly, it launched or nurtured the careers of so many of a generation’s favorite faces: Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, and, of course, Heath Ledger, who was one of the runaway stars of 10 Things.

Casting the role of Patrick Verona – the bad boy tasked to woo Stiles’ Kat so that Oleynik’s Bianca so she can get a date of her own – was one of the hardest jobs for the team. And while hundreds of guys tried out for the part, once Heath Ledger entered the room, 10 Things director Gil Junger knew he was the one. As he told Entertainment Weekly, “The truth of the matter is we were casting and he walked into the room, and I’m very picky. I had already read 253 guys — 253 guys! And then Marcia Ross, the head of Disney casting, said, ‘Look, this next kid, I don’t know him. It’s a favor for an agent I respect. So if he’s no good, just stop it and send him on his way.’”

Junger added that despite being a teenager (a rarity in Hollywood, as it’s normally 20-somethings cast as high schoolers), Heath Ledger had the right personality to be the one to scale the bleachers in 10 Things. “He just had a magnetism unlike I’ve ever felt. It was undeniable. If there’s old souls, he must have been centuries old because he just had a way about him that — he was only 17, and yet he just was so confident and loving and wanted to be the best he could be. He was just an incredible young man.”

After 10 Things I Hate About You scored big at the box office, Heath Ledger’s career was off. Soon after, he was cast in The Patriot opposite Mel Gibson, leading A Knight’s Tale and co-starring in Monster’s Ball, all just a few years before he would land his first Oscar nomination for Brokeback Mountain.

10 Things I Hate About You is still so loved 25+ years later that Junger is even developing a follow-up trilogy that is set to feature 10 Things I Hate About Dating, 10 Things I Hate About Marriage and 10 Things I Hate About Kids. Junger has also supported the idea of paying homage to the late Heath Ledger – who died in 2008 – in the 10 Things trilogy.

The post How Heath Ledger beat 250+ others to land 10 Things I Hate About You appeared first on JoBlo.

Prom season has once again fallen upon us. Finding the prefect clothes, restaurant, and date all factors into having the best time possible but as we have seen in the horror genre, you also need to avoid some things. Be on the lookout for psychic killers, wronged students turned into slashers, and the cutthroat drama of being named prom king or queen. While the original Prom Night is hailed as a classic of both the slasher genre and that ridiculous early horror run for Jaime Lee Curtis, there are other movies to watch this time of year. You could put on any of the 4 Carrie entries which all deal with bullying and psychic powers, or a Nightmare on Elm Street which features a burned to death jerk coming back to kill people who wronged them years later, or you could middle Hellraiser movies that were just tagged as a sequel to put the series name on it to sell. Or… you could watch a movie that incorporates all three of those elements. Prom Night 2 isn’t just the Black Sheep of that somehow 4 entry series, no, it’s also secretly one of the best cash-ins, Carrie rip-offs, and Freddy homages you can find. Please come to the gym ceremony where we crown Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II as the rightful entertaining Black Sheep it is.

Prom Night, starring Jaime Lee Curtis and Leslie Nielsen amongst others, was released in July of 1980 during the beginning of the 80s slasher boom. It was a success financially for AVCO Embassy, making nearly 15 million dollars on its meager 1.5 million budget, but didn’t become a series like many of its contemporary films. At least, not at first and certainly not originally intended as such. Prom Night is fine and certainly has its legacy, but I find it kind of boring to be honest. I don’t love its relatively milquetoast if not faithful remake, but the sequels, those are fun, especially part two. Like I said though, the movie didn’t originally start that way. The movie was conceived, written, and shot as The Haunting of Hamilton High with plot similarities, the high school’s name, and even the tag line being the same as Prom Night were purely coincidental. The writer was Ron Oliver, and this was his first screenplay. He loaded it up with homages to horror movies of the past both recent and longer as well as giving names to many of his characters that were pulled out of horror culture such as Stephen King, Joe Dante, Tod Browning, and Wes Craven.

The director chosen was Bruce Pittman who had done tons of TV shows and made for TV movies up to that point and have a steady career after up to even productions in 2024. In terms of movies, this would easily be his most famous, at least for horror hounds, but he would direct episodes of the Twilight Zone reboot and the Friday the 13th Series too. Unfortunately, when it was all said and done, MGM came back at the movie and decided it wasn’t good enough for distribution. They wanted changes so they gave the screenwriter Oliver a bunch of money and little direction to reshoot a ton of the film. He ended up calling Wes Craven of all people to ask for advice and Wes gave him words that wound up basically being the foundations of what horror of the 80s was built off of. Craven said, “Give them a scare, give them a hard-on, and send them home.” Looking at the elements of what the final product is, well, he took Craven’s words to heart.

The movie opens in 1957 with Mary Lou Maloney seeing a priest before the prom of Hamilton high takes place. Mary Lou is there with her date Billy but sneaks off to have sex with another “high schooler” because yes, in slasher tradition most of the actors really don’t pass for high schoolers. Billy seeks a little harmless revenge and in the first call back to Carrie, he tries to embarrass Mary Lou after she wins prom queen by dropping a bucket of blood… I mean stink bomb… on her head. It backfires, literally, as the lit fuse causes Mary Lou’s dress to catch fire, and she burns to death in front of the rest of the school. It switches from Carrie to A Nightmare on Elm Street real quick though as an angry demon version of Mary Lou is awakened and kills off people that have to do with her death from beyond the grave, nightmare sequences included. We jump back to Carrie when the new main character Vicki is shown to be controlled by her overly religious mother. This causes her to seek a prom dress elsewhere where she finds a trunk with Mary Lou’s cape and crown that was initially meant as her royal garb. This of course awakens the evil spirit who wreaks havoc on both the current students as well as her old boyfriend Billy who is now the school principal and played by Michael Ironside.

Ironside is a legend with a voice to match and has shown up in everything from Scanners to Total Recall to The Machinist and more. Joining Ironside in the cast are Lisa Schrage, Wendy Lyon, Terri Hawkes, Louis Ferreira, and John Pyper Ferguson. The ladies don’t have a ton between them besides The Shape of Water, voices in Sailor Moon properties, and a handful of other TV things. Not to say they didn’t have wonderful and steady careers, they just didn’t show up in a lot of well-known things, particularly horror. This movie holds their genre legacy quite well though. Ferreira also showed up in the remake of Dawn of the Dead, Saw 4, and tons of TV runs on Breaking Bad, Stargate, and Motive. Ferguson might be the most recognizable name outside of Ironside with appearances in Unforgiven, Stay Tuned, Brisco County Jr, X-Files, Millennium, and so much more.

They all hold a special place in the movie from their wonderful Canadian accents ranging from subtle to Tim Hortons and their willingness to go all out. A lot of the extra scenes and budget with the reshoots went to the special effects and added kills. It further plays into Carrie and Nightmare on Elm Street vibe with these kills. One of them looks like something Carrie would do by psychically using something to hang someone but at the same time, it also almost copies one of the deaths from Nightmare 1. In a non-death scare, we get a possessed rocking horse that looks almost as scary before possession as it does after and very much feels like Freddy taking over a landline phone, tongue included. The kills are a bit few and far between with a body count of only 7, fairly low for a slasher movie, but they get the job done when they happen. These special effects and stuff like the whirlpool chalkboard make the movie more memorable than other knock off horror found in this decade and the next.

Eventually our main girl Vikki is possessed fully by Mary Lou and decides to take out both the people that wronged her killed her in the past and her competition at the high school. Buddy Cooper, who was the man Mary Lou ditched Billy for at the prom, is now the town priest and while he finds out what’s going on, he is too late, and Mary Lou takes him out. Another friend confronts her about her attitude and we are treated to one of the more inventive kills in horror. A fully nude Vikki stalks her friend Monica through the girl’s locker room and Monica hides inside one of the lockers. Instead of Vikki pulling her out and using a razor gloved hand, kitchen knife, or machete, she uses the surrounding lockers to squish Monica into raspberry cobbler. It’s wholly unexpected and just gross enough while leaving a little something to the imagination.

The prom kicks off in earnest and while Kelly tries to get the prom queen election results changed, Vikki/Mary Lou electrocute him through the computer in another good FX showcase. The movie ends by going full Carrie with Mary Lou bursting out of Vikki in the final great makeup and FX showcase, which includes a different actress playing the now very burned Mary Lou. Carrie Krueger kills some of the prom guests including Kelly before stalking Vikki’s boyfriend Craig and is seemingly unstoppable with Billy unable to kill her with bullets. Craig is able to evade her long enough for Billy to present her with her originally intended crown which seems to be the only way to break the curse. Vikki is returned and Mary Lou is gone. Billy offers to drive the young couple home, but we get the all too familiar horror twist where Billy is now possessed by Mary Lou, playing her signature music on the car radio and driving away like it’s the end of Phantasm 2 or something.

I mentioned early the movie being in the same boat as the Hellraiser sequels where Pinhead shows up for 5 minutes to tie everything together but this works a little better. While leaning heavily into other horror movies, especially and specifically the franchises of Nightmare on Elm Street and Carrie, this turning into a Prom Night movie actually changed the trajectory of the series. While movies that wouldn’t quite work would continue to get Pinhead thrown in and labeled Hellraiser would be derided, Mary Lou would show up in two additional sequels and continue down the route of the supernatural. Hamilton High would be an important location, and we would have a trilogy of movies that have much more to do with each other than they do with the original film.

Unfortunately, Prom Night 2 would be left underappreciated and underseen due to a lack of physical media and dismal box office with making only 2.7 million on its 2.5-million-dollar budget, but it has started to make a comeback. You can watch it on borderline VHS quality, though uncensored, on Tubi, and Joe Bob Briggs hosted it on The Last Drive-in with better quality and lots of insights. Later this year in 2025 we are getting treated to a complete upgrade courtesy of Synapse which further cements the need for these boutique labels to continue to rescue movies who may be unknown or just unloved by time. A great new 4k release and special features will hopefully lead to the whole sequel series getting the same treatment which this movie and series deserve wholeheartedly. It’s way more fun and cheesier than it has any right to be and is endlessly rewatchable. This prom season don’t vote for Carrie or the original slasher and instead say hello to Mary Lou, the true Prom Queen of the series.

A couple of the previous episodes of The Black Sheep can be seen at the bottom of this article. To see more, head over to the JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!

The post Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987) Revisited – Horror Movie Review appeared first on JoBlo.

The Way of the Gun “depicts the fates of petty criminals Parker (Ryan Phillippe) and Longbaugh (Benicio Del Toro). They believe they’ve hit the jackpot when they kidnap a surrogate mother, Robin (Juliette Lewis), on the brink of delivering a wealthy couple’s child. A simple plan, a $15 million payoff…what could go wrong? Everything, it turns out. Robin is carrying the son of a ruthless gangster (Scott Wilson), who dispatches his hit men ― and grizzled righthand man (James Caan) ― to take out Parker and Longbaugh once and for all.“

You can check out the 4K Ultra HD Steelbook cover via Lionsgate Limited below.

Special features and technical specs include:

• 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• DOLBY ATMOS AUDIO TRACK
• NEW Intention Is Everything (TRT 20-25 mins.)
• NEW Trigger Discipline (TRT 8-10 mins.)
• Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Christopher McQuarrie and Composer Joe Kraemer
• Isolated Music Track with Commentary by Composer Joe Kraemer
• Cast Interviews
  • Benicio Del Toro
  • Juliette Lewis
  • Taye Diggs
  • Nicky Katt
  • James Caan
• Storyboards and Script of a Deleted Scene
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spot
• Optional English and Spanish subtitles for the main feature

McQuarrie spoke with JoBlo a few years ago when the film was included in our Best Movie You Never Saw series. When asked how The Way of the Gun prepared him for helming the Mission: Impossible movies, McQuarrie said, “The Way of the Gun was the first step in a long and ongoing journey toward my ultimate goal, which is simply one of understanding how to be understood – how to make the audience look where I want, hear what I want, feel what I want. The film taught me that the audience doesn’t work for me. I work for them.”

He continued, “The greatest irony is that I never set out to be an action director. I had dreams of making historical dramas like Valkyrie (I still do). Tom Cruise saw The Way of the Gun and recognized instantly my grasp of clarity and geography. Despite its many flaws, despite being an overtly intellectual film that leans heavily on its dialogue, he recognized the visual storyteller buried deep within. The Way of Gun didn’t just prepare me. It got me the gig. And just as I had done for Ryan, Tom did for me: He gave me a better opportunity than anyone else would ever dare and let me run.“

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning will hit theaters on May 23rd. The first reactions have been largely positive, with plenty of praise for the impressive stuntwork, but most felt that the movie was a little too long.

Will you be adding The Way of the Gun to your 4K collection?

The post The Way of the Gun: Christopher McQuarrie’s underrated action thriller to get 4K Ultra HD release this summer appeared first on JoBlo.

Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead was supposed to be Christina Applegate’s first major foray into movies, having established herself as a catch on Married…with Children. But not only did she not want to do it, it flopped, opening at #6 with $4.2 million, behind fellow newcomers Jungle Fever and City Slickers. Today, it’s a beloved cult favorite among a certain generation and Applegate herself.

Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead took a while to find its audience, which it did thanks to VHS and TV replays that kept it from dying on natural causes. But Applegate was initially hesitant because she didn’t want to come off as a sell-out. “I didn’t wanna do it, because it was a commercial film. I was so into indies back then. I was like, ‘I’m only gonna do independent film acting’…I was such a f*cking asshat…I had some personal stuff going on, off the scenes, which will be in the book, that were pretty horrific. So there were some really hard days. But, yeah, I loved everybody. But at the same time, I was still like, ‘This is, like, selling out.’”

The movie – which finds Christina Applegate’s Sue Ewell (“Swell”) taking over head of household duties once the family’s babysitter croaks – is absolutely deserving of a reappraisal, with some killer lines and scenes that make it a damn fun watch. As Applegate defends it, “What movie has a bunch of drag queens steal their car? And people quote it all the time. ‘The dishes are done, man,’ and all that stuff. I feel very proud now about it. I just hated what an asshole I was at the time.”

But instead of a full-on retrospective appreciation, we ended up getting slapped with a remake, which arrived last year. Not to diss that movie outright, but there’s an undeniable charm in the early ‘90s aesthetic that helps make Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead a capsule in a way.

Are you a fan of Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead? Do you think it’s deserving of a wider audience 30+ years on?

The post Christina Applegate looks back on Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead appeared first on JoBlo.

Tom Cruise has worked with some of the greatest directors ever. But at the top might be Stanley Kubrick, who directed Cruise and then-wife Nicole Kidman in his final film, 1999’s Eyes Wide Shut. And despite a nasty divorce, Cruise still has wonderful things to say about Kidman – along with some other notable Hollywood luminaries.

Cruise recently spoke to Sight and Sound (via Deadline) for the May issue, wherein he recalled meeting Kubrick and ensuring that Kidman get the role of his wife in Eyes Wide Shut. (Kubrick was at one point considering another one-time Hollywood power couple, Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger.) “I flew out to his house and I landed in his backyard. I read the script the day before and we spent the day talking about it. I knew all of his films. I spoke to [The Color of Money director Martin] Scorsese about him and [The Firm director/Eyes Wide Shut co-star] Sydney Pollack… so I knew what he did and how he worked. Then it was basically he and I getting to know each other. And when we were doing that, I suggested Nicole play the role [of Alice]. Because obviously she’s a great actress.”

No doubt Eyes Wide Shut was a unique experience for both Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, who were put on a set that was nothing like their past collabs Days of Thunder and Far and Away. “We arrived in the summer and basically we just started testing… the script was just an idea. We [were] constantly rewriting the scenes and shooting the scenes and then reshooting the scenes to really find the tone of the film.” And for those wondering, yes, he did finish making the movie before his death.

Another legend who worked with Stanley Kubrick is Jack Nicholson. Having worked with Nicholson on A Few Good Men, Cruise was able to see how the Oscar winner operated. On observing these methods, Cruise mentioned, “He was finding his character. And you could see every movement slowed. He became more and more centred as we were going through it. You could tell from the way he’s sitting. He’s actually holding his hat quite tautly to generate power. He understands that lens. He’s a wordsmith, Nicholson. He’s like a crooner that knows how to carve up a monologue and knows how to carve up a scene. He can turn a phrase in such a unique way. And it’s not by chance. He knows what he’s doing. He has command over his body and his voice and he knows the camera.” Cruise also noted that Marlon Brando – once a close friend of Nicholson’s – had similar methods. No wonder they lived down the road from each other!

Whether clinging to airplanes for Mission: Impossible or wading through psychologies of sex with Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise has continued to approach acting like almost no one else.  As he elaborated, “When I’m acting, that’s my home. Acting is every moment new. Every take new. Even though you’ve got all these notes and you want to hit these certain beats. But it’s in a new unit of time and you have to let it fly…”

The post Tom Cruise praises Nicole Kidman on Eyes Wide Shut, cites Jack Nicholson’s influence on him appeared first on JoBlo.

Maybe no other game than GoldenEye 007 better gave you memories with your friends. Just seeing the cover automatically sends you back to those basement days, chugging Surge and belching Doritos 3D. And when you took your N64 to college, it was cheap beer on both fronts. Whatever the setting or era, it was almost guaranteed that someone was getting an N64 controller to the knee. Now, GoldenEye 007 is being recognized not just for how many friendships it ruined but how innovative the multiplayer gameplay was, as it will officially be part of the World Video Game Hall of Fame.

Joining GoldenEye 007 are Defender, Quake and Tamagotchi. On Defender, The Strong National Museum of Play noted it for its gameplay that helped separate the skilled players to those who just threw quarters in random machines at the arcade. As for first-person shooter Quake – which id Software launched as a successor of sorts to Doom – the organization lauded the 3D environment. And then there’s the Tamagotchi, which let you experience loss on a personal – and temporary, if you had a pencil handy to press “reset” – level.

Although GoldenEye 007 did have a single player mode, it was the multiplayer that made the game legendary. And while chaos and cursing was inevitable, it was almost always agreed that you couldn’t play as Oddjob and the Golden Gun was off limits. The game’s legacy has been so lasting that a documentary titled GoldenEra was even produced a few years ago.

The Strong – which also houses the National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York – launched the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2015, with Doom, Pac-Man, Pong, Super Mario Bros., Tetris, and World of Warcraft being the inaugural inductees. Since then, nearly 50 games have been inducted, with selections ranging chronologically from 1962’s Spacewar! to The Last of Us, which got inducted 10 years after its 2013 release.

Other nominees for this year’s World Video Game Hall of Fame included instant app smash Angry Birds, Konami classic Frogger and bar favorite Golden Tee Golf.

What are your favorite memories of playing GoldenEye 007? Who was your go-to character?

The post GoldenEye 007 inducted into Video Game Hall of Fame appeared first on JoBlo.

Blu-ray.com has now reported on the new 40th anniversary edition 4K Blu-ray of Better Off Dead that’s set to release in early August from Paramount Home Media Distribution. While there haven’t been announcements regarding special features, the specs can be seen below. The description reads, “After his girlfriend (Amanda Wyss, NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET) ditches him for a boorish ski jock, Lane (John Cusack, HIGH FIDELITY) decides that suicide is the answer. However, his increasingly inept attempts bring him only more agony, not to mention embarrassment. Filled with the wildest teen nightmares, a family you can’t help but identify with, and a host of extremely comic characters, BETTER OFF DEAD is an essential 80s classic, and a painfully funny teenage tale.”

The specs read,
Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS 2.0
French: DTS 2.0
Spanish: DTS 2.0

Subtitles
English, English SDH, French, Spanish

Discs
4K Ultra HD
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD-66, 1 BD-25, 1 BD-50)

Digital
Digital 4K
iTunes, Vudu

Packaging
Slipcover in original pressing

Playback
4K Blu-ray: Region free
2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

Better Off Dead is one of two 1985 movies that marked John Cusack’s debut as a leading man. After small roles in Sixteen Candles and Class, Cusack, at only eighteen, nabbed the lead in Rob Reiner’s The Sure Thing, and Savage Steve Holland’s Better Off Dead followed immediately afterward. While Cusack has often praised The Sure Thing and Reiner’s direction, his feelings on Better Off Dead have always been controversial. Holland says that while Cusack attended the dailies, when he saw the cut-together version, he felt humiliated and told him that he would never trust him again as a director. This was problematic as they were in the middle of shooting a follow-up, One Crazy Summer, whose shoot would be more fraught than the collegial Better Off Dead.

So what made Cusack so angry? Better Off Dead is an absurdist comedy that, among other things, includes a Korean drag racer who sounds exactly like Howard Cosell, a claymation interlude, and a plot that treats suicide as “wacky.” It’s strange, but it’s also much loved by fans of eighties cinema, and indeed Cusack has mellowed on it in recent years, trying to downplay his attitude to Holland and appreciating its cult status.

The post Truly a sight to behold; John Cusack’s quirky, off-beat ’80s comedy, Better Off Dead, gets a 40th anniversary 4K Blu-ray release appeared first on JoBlo.

The newly launched JoBlo Action 4K channel is for action fans, run by action fans, and will gather together 4K, Blu-ray HDR quality clips from several decades worth of action classics. The official description lets us know it will feature all of the coolest, most insane movie action sequences from the 80s, 90s and 2000s… all in gorgeous high-res 4K quality! Stay tuned for daily updates and more 4K insanity to come! And from what I hear, the range is even wider than mentioned in the description, as you can expect to see some clips that dip back into the 1970s as well. Basically, if a cool action movie has come out at any point in the last fifty years, you’ll see the most impressive moments from that movie on the JoBlo Action 4K channel.

In addition to celebrating the classics (old and recent), we’ll also be sharing exclusives from new movies.

If you love action, the JoBlo Action 4K channel is for you – so click over to YouTube and check it out, and don’t forget to subscribe while you’re there! We already have a couple weeks worth of clips on there, showing off some of the best moments from (as of right now) Charlie’s Angels, The Fast and the Furious, The Equalizer, Bad Boys II, King Kong, The Rundown, xXx, Men in Black, Resident Evil, Ghostbusters, and Ghostbusters II. There’s a lot more to come! Here are some of our most popular clips:

The post JoBlo launches the Action 4K YouTube channel! appeared first on JoBlo.

The description for American Pie 2 reads,
“The characters you love are back! One year after the prom-night misadventures immortalized in American Pie, the entire gang has reunited for the summer. Now, an innocent-looking beach house will be transformed into the ultimate party-central. Five guys will discover the powerful bonds of friendship… and Super Glue. Five girls will explore the mysteries of love… and the Rule of Three. And from late-night band camp encounters to some very accommodating next-door neighbors, this will be one summer vacation none of them will ever forget.

This first follow-up to the coming-of-age classic has now been remastered in 4K HDR10 and Dolby Vision from the original negatives, exclusively by 88 Films.”

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• TWO-DISC COMBO PACK (4K BLU-RAY/BLU-RAY)
• NEW 4K REMASTERS OF THE UNRATED AND THEATRICAL VERSIONS FROM THE CAMERA NEGATIVE
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATIONS OF BOTH CUTS
• Audio Commentary With Director Jb Rogers [Theatrical Cut]
• Audio Commentary With Writer Adam Herz [Theatrical Cut]
• Audio Commentary With Actors Jason Biggs, Mena Suvari, And Thomas Ian Nicholas [Theatrical Cut]
• Audio Commentary With Actor Eddie Kaye Thomas [Theatrical Cut]
• Deleted Scenes: Stifler’s Dad Moves In, Stifler’s Dad Meets Jim’s Dad
• Outtakes
• “The Baking Of American Pie 2” Featurette
• “Good Times With The Cast” Featurette
• “Be Like That” Music Video By 3 Doors Down
• Theatrical Trailer (With Jason Biggs Intro)
• Behind The Scenes Stills Gallery
• Audio:
  • DTS-HD Master Audio 5,1
  • DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
  • Optional English SDH Subtitles
• 40-page perfectly bound book of cast and crew stills and behind the scenes photos
• Rigid slipcase with original poster artwork
• O-Ring with new artwork by Tommy Pocket
• 4K BLU-RAY: REGION-FREE/BLU-RAY: REGION-B “LOCKED”

And the description for American Reunion reads,
“Get ready for ‘flat-out hilarious, raunchy fun’ (Box Office Magazine) as the whole American Pie gang returns to East Great Falls for the first time since their legendary senior year to turn their reunion into the most unforgettable weekend since high school. Old friends will reconnect, old flames will reignite, and everyone will discover just how much fun you can pack into one outrageous reunion. Starring Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott and Eugene Levy, ‘the gang is back and better than ever!’ (Jake Hamilton, Fox-TV)

This final theatrical sequel to in the America Pie franchise is presented as a deluxe collector’s edition by 88 Films.”

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• HIGH-DEFINITION TRANSFERS OF THE UNRATED AND THEATRICAL VERSIONS OF THE FILM
• NEW Saving The Best Piece For Last – Scoring American Reunion
• Audio Commentary with Writer/Directors Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg [Unrated Version]
• The “Out of Control” Track
• Deleted Scenes
• Extended Scenes
• Alternate Takes
• Gag Reel
• A Look Inside
• The “Reunion” Reunion
• The Best of Biggs: Hangin’ With Jason B
• Lake Bake
• Dancing with the Oz
• American Gonad-iators: The Fight Scene
• Jim’s Dad
• Ouch! My Balls!
• International Set Visit
• Trailer
• Stills Gallery
• Audio:
  • DTS-HD Master Audio 5,1
  • DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
  • Optional English SDH Subtitles
• 4p-page book of cast and crew stills and behind the scenes photos
• Rigid slipcase with classic poster art
• O-Ring with new artwork by Tommy Pocket
• REGION-B “LOCKED”

The post American Pie 2 comes to 4K and American Reunion gets a new Blu-ray release appeared first on JoBlo.

Here are Quentin Tarantino’s top three movies:

• The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) by James Whale
• The Son of Monte Cristo (1940) by Rowland V. Lee
• The Last of the Mohicans (1936) by George B. Seitz

And here are Roger Avary’s top three movies:

• A Clockwork Orange (1971) by Stanley Kubrick
• Sorcerer (1977) by William Friedkin
• M (1931) by Fritz Lang

Some fun films there, with Sorcerer being one of my personal favourites.

Tarantino recently explained why you should listen to The Video Archives Podcast. “I want you to listen to our show, and I want you to like the show. I have not seen every movie of every Pauline Kael review I’ve read. But I like reading the reviews,” he said. “We’re not a ‘recommend’ show. If we do end up recommending a movie that you want to watch, great! I want to do movies that I want to watch with Roger, and I want to talk about. Whatever happens after that, that’s all up to you. We can do movies we don’t like. We just have to think it’ll be a good show. The only thing that’s important is the discussion.“

The writer/director is still working on what will become his tenth and final movie, but we could see a follow-up to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood before that. David Fincher is set to direct Brad Pitt in a sequel to Tarantino’s movie, which will debut on Netflix.

We’ve heard little tidbits about the project over the last month, including a possible title. Some have heard that the film will be The Continuing Adventures of Cliff Booth. Not only that, but Booth will apparently embark on a new career as he becomes a Hollywood studio fixer. Further details have stated that the sequel will take place roughly eight years after the events of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It’s also been rumoured that Leonardo DiCaprio is in talks to make an appearance as Rick Dalton, but it would likely be a small role if it happens.

The post Quentin Tarantino & Roger Avary reveal their top 3 movies on The Video Archives Podcast appeared first on JoBlo.

Blu-ray.com has reported that the Paramount adaptation of the Lee Falk comic strip is now set to grace your TV screens in crisp ultra-high def 4K with a new Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. The new physical release of the Simon Wincer film, which stars Billy Zane, Kristy Swanson, Treat Williams, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and James Remar, is scheduled to hit retailers sometime later this year. The description reads, “The Phantom, descendant of a line of African superheroes, travels to New York City to thwart a wealthy criminal genius from obtaining three magic skulls which would give him the secret to ultimate power.”

Not much is announced by way of special features, but the technical specs are:

Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)

Subtitles
English SDH

Discs
4K Ultra HD
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD-100, 1 BD-50)

Packaging
Slipcover in original pressing

Playback
4K Blu-ray: Region free
2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

Billy Zane recently declared that Kit Walker aka The Phantom stands as “one of my favorite characters.” But the movie itself was a flop, with the June 7th, 1996 opening weekend finding it opening at #6, despite only one other title that week being a new release. As Zane remembered, “It got a lot of stick early on because it wasn’t edgy at a time when all those movies were going dark. I’ve always held a torch for what I saw as a dying genre, which was adventure. I was raised on adventure, and I think it’s so easily overlooked as how critical it is to young boys and girls.”

This action is what drew Billy Zane to The Phantom, saying, “I really understood the ethos of that, which is why I think I got the role. I just knew it and I was holding a torch for it… and it was a candle in the wind at the time, but then this thing came about, and I was, like, ‘A-ha! At last!’ It was something that would benefit from this weird adoration and fixation on all things Errol Flynn and Tarzan. A happy hero. Go figure! No issues. Well-adjusted. Animal friends. Man cave. Girlfriend. The family business. Life is good!”

The post Slam evil! The Phantom appears on 4K Blu-ray later this year appeared first on JoBlo.

Even still, despite the cutdown there were still some pretty funny scenes in the movie, and when it hit VHS and cable, it became a bit of a cult hit. With both MacDonald and Saget having passed away, the good folks at Vinegar Syndrome have undertaken a massive restoration of the film, and have re-assembled the original, unrated cut and are releasing it to 4K Blu-ray Disc this June. The unrated cut only runs one minute longer than the theatrical cut, but it apparently contains a lot of alternate footage, as when Saget made the PG-13 version, he used a lot of alternate takes, jokes, and tame deleted footage for the cut. Thus, the two versions are distinct. As a bonus, there’s also a 2-hour assembly cut of the movie being included, although it was sourced from the best possible elements, which, in this case, is an old VHS transfer. This assembly cut was never meant to be released, so it’s being included as more of a curiosity.

Here are the rest of the extras (courtesy of our friends at Blu-Ray.com)

• THREE-DISC SET (4K BLU-RAY/TWO BLU-RAYS)
• NEW 4K RESTORATIONS OF THE THEATRICAL (82 MIN.) AND EXTENDED (83 MIN.) CUTS OF THE FILM
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• Commentary track with co-writer Frank Sebastiano and Mike Hunchback (Theatrical Cut)
• Commentary track with co-writer Frank Sebastiano and co-writer/actor Fred Wolf (Dirtier Cut)
• “Note to Self: Doing Dirty Work” (63 min) – a newly produced making-of documentary featuring interviews with the cast and crew
• “Hey Jim, It’s Norm” (19 min) – an interview with actor Jim Downey and co-writer Frank Sebastiano
• “The Last Word” (16 min) – an interview with co-writer Frank Sebastiano and co-writer/actor Fred Wolf
• Front Row” (9 min) – an interview with assistant director Alan Goluboff
• “Cutting Dirty Work” (6 min) – an interview with first assistant editor Ryan Folsey
• “Excuse Me” (8 min) – an interview with co-writer/actor Fred Wolf
• “Revenge for Hire” (9 min) – an interview with co-writer Frank Sebastiano
• “Face First” (7 min) – an interview with Norm’s stunt double Brian Jagersky
• “Fully Loaded” (8 min) – an interview with actor David Koechner
• “Nose Biter” (5 min) – an interview with actress Uni Park
• “Quicksand” (8 min) – an interview with actor Kevin Farley
• “Two Dollars” (11 min) – an interview with actor Jim Downey
• 2-hour Assembly Cut of Dirty Work (sourced from video)
• Alternate extended ending
• Original trailer
• 40-page perfect bound book with essays by Dan Ozzi, John Dieringer, and Oscar Becher (Limited Edition Only)
• Reversible sleeve artwork
• English SDH subtitles

Also, kudos to the label for making what most be the most disgusting 4K Blu-ray cover of all time:

UUUUURGH. Will you add this one to your shelf? Let us know in the comments!

The post Dirty Work: The long-lost unrated cut is coming to 4K disc appeared first on JoBlo.

Tom Shadyac’s 1994 film, which also starred a slightly pre-Friends fame Courtney Cox, along with Sean Young and Udo Kier, is set to hit retailers on July 29. Ace Ventura was such a hit that he became one of those characters that people did impressions of. Reacher star Alan Ritchson even cited the film as an early inspiration. Calling Carrey his hero, Ritchson remembers, “When Ace Ventura came out [in 1994], I was in sixth grade, and I was enamored. He was so physical, goofy and unafraid. I’d never seen anything like it. I dressed up as Ace Ventura for three Halloweens in a row. I showed up to school and wouldn’t break character the entire time. I had the hair, the business card and I would walk up to people at their lunch tables and say, ‘Excuse me, I’d like to ass you a few questions.”

The description reads,
“He’s the best there is. In fact, he’s the only one there is! He’s Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Jim Carrey (Liar Liar) is on the case to find the Miami Dolphins’ missing mascot and quarterback Dan Marino. He goes eyeball to eyeball with a man-eating shark, stakes out the Miami Dolphins, and woos and wows the ladies. Whether he’s undercover, under fire, or underwater, he always gets his man … or beast!”

Special Features and Technical Specs:

DISC ONE – 4K BLU-RAY

• NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• Audio Commentary With Director Tom Shadyac
• Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround, 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English subtitles for the main feature

DISC TWO – BLU-RAY

• NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
• Audio Commentary With Director Tom Shadyac
• Original theatrical trailer
• Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround, 2.0 Stereo
• Optional English subtitles for the main feature

The post Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is getting a new 2-disc 4K Blu-ray from Shout Factory appeared first on JoBlo.

It can’t be denied that as far as martial arts movies go, the best ones come from Asia, particularly Hong Kong during their action heyday, which was arguably the 70s, 80s and first half of the ’90s. It’s tough to compete with the likes of the Shaw Brothers and the drunken master known as Jackie Chan. That said, martial arts movies were also making a foothold in the States decades ago, thanks mainly to Bruce Lee-mania following the release of Enter the Dragon. Before that movie, very few actors in Hollywood seemed like they were credible martial artists, except maybe James Coburn, a student of Lee’s, who pulled off some pretty good-looking moves in the otherwise silly Our Man Flint movies. Steve McQueen also had training but didn’t use martial arts on screen. Up to then, though, the most notable uses of martial arts in movies usually revolved around Judo, with James Cagney showing off some good moves in the film Blood on the Sun, while Spencer Tracy – who was HEAVILY doubled, demolished Ernest Borgnine in the classic thriller Bad Day at Black Rock with only one arm. But, in the seventies, fight sequences started to get better, with the Asian influence especially notable in Blaxploitation movies because many of the stars, including Fred Williamson and Jim Kelly, had legit training. When Chuck Norris came along towards the end of the decade, you also started to see mainstream stars dip their toes into martial arts. Still, sometimes the results weren’t pretty, such as when Richard Burton uses drunk-fu to beat up a racist in the abysmal melodrama The Klansman (check out my choice for the worst fight scene ever right here). 

In the eighties, fights in American movies started to get good. However, the way they were shot often didn’t quite match up to what was happening in Hong Kong, with a great example being the climactic fight between Mel Gibson and Gary Busey in Lethal Weapon. Both actors had been extensively trained in a variation called Jailhouse Rock, which was popular in prisons, but there was too much rain and close cutting to showcase the movies. That said, there were some great American martial arts movies then – and loads of great ones are being made now, so here’s our list of the best American martial arts movies ever made. Note that movies like The Matrix or John Wick, which married martial arts with gunplay, didn’t make the list, with this dedicated more to straight-up martial arts mayhem.

Honorable Mention: The Undisputed sequels:

So, if you know action, our mentioning these sequels probably established us as somewhat legit, as director Isaac Florentine and his leading men, Michael Jai White (who holds seven black belts!) and Scott Adkins, brought something new and fresh to the DTV world. The first two sequels, Undisputed 2 and 3, are arguably more famous than the now obscure Walter Hill movie they’re sequels to. 

10. Kill Bill:

Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill pushed the envelope for martial arts mayhem, but then again, being a student of film, should you expect anything else? Tarantino had Yuen Woo Ping as a choreographer plus, The Street Fighter himself, Sonny Chiba, along with the very proficient David Carradine (who only really shows off his moves in a deleted sequence opposite Michael Jai White), and Uma Thurman. For my money, the best fight sequence in the film is the first one, where Thurman goes at it with Viveca A Fox, but the House of Blue Leaves sequence is also a classic.

9. Big Trouble in Little China:

At the time, this movie was a box office flop, but years later, people finally caught on and started digging the fact that John Carpenter was making a beautiful Hong-style action fantasy movie in the vein of Mr. Vampire and Zu Warriors. The martial arts in this beats anything happening in American action movies at the time, even if much of it is wire-fu in the classic WuXia fashion.

8. Above the Law:

You can’t do a best American Martial Arts movie list and not include Steven Seagal. Granted, he never really made a pure martial arts movie in his heyday, but the ultra-violent aikido style he broke out in Above the Law and those first few movies were highly influential on American action movies of the area. At his best, Seagal was excellent, but it could be argued that the lean and mean Seagal was only ever present in those first five movies, with everything after Under Siege going downhill. Too bad.

7. Revenge of the Ninja:

Cannon Pictures did more to bring Ninja’s into the mainstream than any other movie studio. While their first Ninja movie, Enter the Ninja, is a joke, the sequel, Revenge of the Ninja, which elevated the first movie’s bad guy actor, Sho Kosugi, to a hero, is a slick movie and the best of their loose Ninja Trilogy. The director, Sam Firstenberg, also did a great job with the first two American Ninja movies, thanks to the untrained Michael Dudikoff being a gifted mimic and athlete, who, likely, could have been a JCVD-level star had Cannon put more money into his movies.

6. Best of the Best:

While the notion of casting the late James Earl Jones as the coach of a national martial arts team is almost as silly as the fact that the out of shape Chris Penn plays one of their best fighters, Best of the Best is still one of the most legit martial arts films of the era. It mixes the sports genre with martial arts. It gets the attitude of competition better than a lot of other films of this ilk, with it emphasizing sportsmanship and the surprising bond you establish with your opponent, no matter who wins. Philip Rhee is a terrific lead in this, thanks to the fact that his skills are legit. Still, Eric Roberts, despite no training, also acquits himself very well, thanks to the fact that he took the choreography very seriously and got himself into peak physical shape.

5. The Last Dragon:

Martial Arts movies had a significant cult status in the inner city, and The Last Dragon is Motown’s tribute to the genre, with a young black marital artist named Taimak, our likeable lead, Leroy Green, aka Bruce Leroy. The music is excellent, as are the fights, with the movie stolen by Julius Carry as Sho’nuff, the shogun of Harlem. Carry wasn’t trained, but he proved to be a good mimic, and attitude is everything sometimes.

4. Kickboxer:

While often overshadowed by Bloodsport, Kickboxer helped bring Muay Thai into the mainstream, and the movie features Jean-Claude Van Damme at his best, with terrific training sequences, an incredible final battle between JCVD and Michel Quissi’s Tong Po, and Van Damme shaking his butt in a bar fight. Also, who could forget the opponents wrapping their hands in bandages and dipping them in broken glass, which was sent up brilliantly in Hot Shots Part Deux

3. Bloodsport:

More JCVD, with this the movie that made him a star. We’ve talked about this a lot on JoBlo, but it introduced the term kumite into the mainstream and also showcases a wide variety of different styles of martial arts. This is a movie made by people who genuinely know the genre

2. The Karate Kid:

While I maintain that the fights in these movies were never great, with Ralph Macchio’s fight skills leaving a lot to be desired (he’s better as a martial artist on Cobra Kai – which has AMAZING fights), this movie did more for martial arts as a practice than any other movie on this list. It led to an explosion in Karate schools across North America, and, thanks to the gentle discipline and philosophy of Mr. Miyagi, proved that karate, and martial arts in general, is an art form that can help a lot of people discover an inner strength they never knew they had.

1. Enter the Dragon:

Bruce Lee’s only American movie, it came out posthumously and was such a cultural phenomenon that it led to a kung-fu craze that was so big, within a year, you had Roger Moore’s James Bond kung-fu fighting his way through The Man with the Golden Gun. Lee’s so damn good in this, but John Saxon also acquits himself well in the fight scenes; Jim Kelly, in some ways, is almost as iconic as Bruce is with his massive afro.

So that’s our list – special thanks to EJ Tangonan, who edited this video, for helping brainstorm this list.

The post The Best American Martial Arts Movies appeared first on JoBlo.

The James Bond collection description reads, “Complete your James Bond Collection with this 007: Sean Connery Complete 6-film 4K Collection. All Sean Connery films available for the first time on 4K Blu-ray in a beautiful, limited edition exclusive Steelbook Library Case.” The collection includes 6 Steelbooks featuring unique art, all 6 007: Sean Connery films on 4K Blu-ray and Digital, and all of it is housed in a Steelbook Library Case. The classic Ian Fleming spy movies will be available to retailers on June 3.

The Digital Bits has now revealed new details of the special features for both releases. They report that the disc will include HDR10 high dynamic range and Dolby Atmos audio, as well as the theatrical audio in 2.0 DTS-HD MA. A couple of featurettes are set to be included (A Legacy of Inspiration: Remembering Dick Donner and “I’m Too Old for This…” A Chemistry That Became Iconic).

As for the Sean Connery James Bond Collection:

Dr No.:

• Commentary with Director Terence Young and Members of the Cast and Crew
• Declassified: MI6 Vault
• Exotic Locations
• Mission Dossier
• Dr. No 1963 Featurette
• Ministry of Propaganda: Theatrical Archive
• Ministry of Propaganda: TV Broadcasts
• Ministry of Propaganda: Radio Communications

From Russia with Love:

• Commentary with Director Terence Young and Members of the Cast and Crew
• Declassified: MI6 Vault
• Animated Story Board Sequence
• Exotic Locations
• Mission Dossier
• Ministry of Propaganda: Theatrical Archive
• Ministry of Propaganda: TV Broadcasts
• Ministry of Propaganda: Radio Communications

Goldfinger:

• Commentaries with Director Guy Hamilton plus Sean Connery and Members of the Cast and Crew
• Declassified: MI6 Vault
• Exotic Locations
• Mission Dossier
• Ministry of Propaganda: Theatrical Archive: Original Theatrical Trailer
• Ministry of Propaganda: TV Broadcasts
• Ministry of Propaganda: Radio Communications

Thunderball:

• Audio Commentary Featuring Terence Young and Others
• Audio Commentary Featuring Peter Hunt, John Hopkins and Others
• Declassified: MI6 Vault
• Selling Bonds – Original 1965 Television Commercials
• Exotic Locations
• Mission Dossier
• Ministry of Propaganda: Theatrical Archive
• Ministry of Propaganda: TV Broadcasts
• Ministry of Propaganda: Radio Communications

You Only Live Twice:

• Commentary with Director Lewis Gilbert and Members of the Cast and Crew
• Declassified: MI6 Vault
• Mission Dossier
• Ministry of Propaganda: Theatrical Archive
• Ministry of Propaganda: Radio Communications

Diamonds are Forever:

• Commentary with Director Guy Hamilton and Members of the Cast and Crew
• Declassified: MI6 Vault
• Alternate and Expanded Angles
• Deleted Scenes
• Mission Dossier
• Ministry of Propaganda: Theatrical Archive: Christmas Teaser Trailer
• Ministry of Propaganda: TV Broadcasts
• Ministry of Propaganda: Radio Communications

Take note as there may still be more special features on these releases that have yet to be announced.

The post Check out the extras on the upcoming 4K Blu-ray releases of Lethal Weapon & Sean Connery James Bond Collection appeared first on JoBlo.

“For the upcoming HONG KONG CINEMA CLASSICS releases, Shout! Studios, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Film Archives, has been working diligently to remaster and restore several prized hits, all scanned in stunning 4K from the original camera negatives. The video and audio have been restored, and the subtitles have been newly translated. With fans in mind, Shout! Studios is currently producing a variety of bonus content for each physical media release for this numbered and deluxe home entertainment series.“

The special features and technical specs for the Jet Li Collection can be seen below:

FIST OF LEGEND

In 1937, a Chinese martial artist returns to Shanghai to find his teacher dead and his school harassed by the ultranationalist Black Dragon Clan.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic at easternKicks
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated for this Release
• NEW Interview With Director Gordon Chan
• NEW Interview With Professor Aaron Moore
• “The Man Behind The Legend” – Interview With Director Gordon Chan
• “Brother In Arms” – Interview With Actor Chin Siu-Ho
• “The Way Of The Warrior” – Interview With Actor Kurata Yasuaki
• “The School Of Hard Knocks” – Karate Seminar With Actor Kurata Yasuaki
• A Look At Fist Of Legend – Interviews With Director Brett Ratner and Critic Elvis Mitchell
• Deleted Scenes
• Trailer

TAI CHI MASTER

Two Shaolin monks – one placid and humble, the other fiery and competitive – are expelled from their temple after a false accusation of cheating. They embark on two radically different paths before being reunited when one betrays the other and nearly kills him in combat. While recuperating, the more balanced monk discovers the power of the slow, graceful martial art of tai chi.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic at easternKicks
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated for this Release
• NEW “Tai Chi Madam – The Michelle Yeoh Effect” Featuring Interviews With Actress Cynthia Rothrock, Author Ric Meyers, Film Critic David West, and Academic Leon Hunt
• “Nemesis” – Interview With Actor Chin Siu-Ho
• “The Birthplace Of Tai Chi” – On Location In Chen Village
• “Meditations On the Master” – Director Brett Ratner and Critic Elvis Mitchell On Director Yuen Wo-ping
• “Twin Warriors” – Director Brett Ratner And Critic Elvis Mitchell On Actors Jet Li And Michelle Yeoh
• English Language Opening Credits
• Trailer

FONG SAI YUK

Self-assured with the kung fu skills to back it up, Fong Sai-Yuk (Jet Li) is one of the best fighters in the area. When a wealthy merchant (Sibelle Hu) devises a competition to win the hand of his daughter (Li Jia Xing) in marriage, Fong jumps at the chance. However, a case of mistaken identity compels Fong to forfeit, leaving his mother (Zhu Zhang) to win back his honor. Meanwhile, Fong’s father invites more problems as a member of a secret anti-government organization.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated for this Release
• NEW Interview With Leon Hunt, Author Of Kung Fu Masters and East Asian Cinemas
• NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
• Trailer

FONG SAI YUK II

Having failed a secret mission for the Red Flower Society, Chinese folk hero Fong Sai Yuk (Jet Li) must try to get his hands on a special document by wooing the governor’s daughter, Man-Yin (Amy Kwok). This doesn’t sit well with his fiancée, Ting Ting (Michelle Reis), or with his martial arts-master mother (Josephine Hsiao). Fong enters a martial arts competition, where he faces off against the villainous Yu (Chuen-Hua Chi) as he battles to restore the Ming Dynasty.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated for this Release
• NEW Interview With Sound Assistants Steven Avila and Trip Brock On Translating Classic Hong Kong Films To The West
• NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic at easternKicks
• Trailer

THE BODYGUARD FROM BEIJING

A witness to a gangland murder (Christy Chung) falls for the bodyguard (Jet Li) hired to protect her.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic at easternKicks
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated for this Release
• NEW Interview With Co-writer Gordon Chan
• Trailer

The post Check out the newly released details on the Jet Li classics getting remastered in new 4K Blu-ray releases appeared first on JoBlo.

If there’s one movie that has the most insane behind-the-scenes stories, it’s Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. From heart attacks to star wrangling to cast firings to stoned actors to actual wars to pretty much everything that could go sideways during production, Apocalypse Now had it all. Don’t believe us? Go watch Hearts of Darkness and you’ll get a pretty good idea of everything that was happening. Don’t plan on seeing that? Just ask Emilio Estevez, son of star Martin Sheen, who watched his dad have a total meltdown on the set of Apocalypse Now when he was just a teenager.

Estevez recently appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, where he recounted the time he was brought onto the Philippines set of Apocalypse Now only to see his movie star father make film history while also breaking down completely. But first let’s set the scene, which is one of the most-cited ones from the film due to just how scary it got, with Martin Sheen getting drunk and punching a mirror to the point where it caused his hand to bleed profusely, something you see in the final film.

That’s pretty frightening, but the way Estevez tells it, seeing his old man partake in such antics (on Sheen’s birthday, no less) is what made Apocalypse Now so special to him. “He has this meltdown on set because he was celebrating his birthday and he was drinking…Francis had him isolated in his room and I was there. I watched it happen. And I was there when they carted him out and he was ranting and raging and screaming.”

Estevez added that the building where filming was taking place on Apocalypse Now at that point was actually meant for court, something Sheen was all too aware of. “He demanded to go into the courtroom because he says, ‘If I don’t go in there’ — and he’s screaming at my mom — ‘I need to go into that courtroom because if I don’t go in there, some poor son of a bitch is gonna go to jail for masturbating in front of a pig.’ And Francis was like, ‘Martin, Martin, no. Come on, Martin.’…It was hilarious. We got him in the car. We started driving — God knows where, just somewhere away from where we could get him calmed down and he announced to everyone in the car that he had to pee.” Between Estevez and Laurence Fisburne, teenagers sure were getting an eyeful on the set of Apocalypse Now!

What is your favorite behind-the-scenes story from Apocalypse Now?

The post Emilio Estevez recalls dad Martin Sheen’s antics on Apocalypse Now appeared first on JoBlo.

Jay Leno recently appeared on In Depth with Graham Bensinger (via Deadline), where the topic of The Tonight Show and David Letterman was brought up. And while Leno said he would sit down with Letterman, he’s not convinced it will ever happen. “Oh, yeah. I would like to do that. I think I have no problem with it…I think Dave might be awkward.”

Leno did recall the time that he swung by Letterman’s house on an impromptu drop-in with a friend. “It was the most awkward. Dave’s like, ‘Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. Uh, come on in.’ And we’re like, ‘Oh, this is a mistake…It was just so awkward…‘So, uh, you want a glass of orange juice?’ ‘No, I’m OK. Yeah. We gotta get going.’ It was just so awkward…because you really, you have nothing else in common other than comedy really. Dave’s a sports guy. I’m not a sports guy…But I mean, believe me, if they want to do something, I would do it. But I’m not gonna…I tend to get my hand bitten when I instigate those kind of things.” Yeah, college football is the only difference between you and Dave…Sure, Jay.

Jay Leno and David Letterman would end up teaming up in 2010 for a Super Bowl commercial, which was reportedly Letterman’s idea. But outside of that, there’s really no reason for the two to reconcile. Likewise, Conan O’Brien – who had The Tonight Show more directly stolen from him from Leno – has no interest in ever sitting down with the host.

What do you think? Is a Leno/Letterman reunion worth it?

The post Jay Leno doesn’t think he and David Letterman will ever get along appeared first on JoBlo.

Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (via EW), Affleck said that one of his favorite moments from being on the set of Field of Dreams was seeing star/avid baseball fan Kevin Costner hit a homerun at Fenway. However, Damon remembered it a bit differently, with Affleck adding, “Twenty years later, I was looking through an interview of Matt. And then I see him in this interview say, ‘Yeah I took batting practice at Fenway Park, and I hit the ball off the Green Monster.’ I was like, ‘Matt, are you remembering yourself as Kevin Costner?’”

As for whether or not the budding stars – who were still a few years away from starting to break out with School Ties – left any impression on the star, they highly doubt it, with Affleck insisting there’s no way Costner remembered them. “We were, like, just annoying — you know what I mean? — and there were a lot of people there. It’s sweet of him to say that, but I’m pretty sure he remembers, like, the actors with lines…We were, you know, serious actors from a very young age, and so, we got to know the local casting person in Boston, who would cast when a movie came to town. Like Field of Dreams, you know, they needed extras, and so we would go do extra work, because we wanted to be actors.”

Ben Affleck would return to Fenway Park many times, not just as a fan but a director and active participant. Of course, a key plot point of Affleck’s The Town revolves around a heist at the famed ballpark, while he would also be invited to throw out the first pitch of a 2003 game. Damon would do the same last season, while he narrated a documentary on the Red Sox stadium to honor its 100th anniversary.

Field of Dreams ended up being nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score.

The post Ben Affleck shares funny stories from the set of Field of Dreams appeared first on JoBlo.

As part of his tour with The Big Lebowski, Bridges said that Donny (Steve Buscemi) was never really there. And for whatever argument you have against it, Bridges has a counter that he thinks holds weight. “He’s a figment of Walter’s imagination… And the last few times I’ve seen the movie, I’ve run that theme and it kind of works, man. Because The Dude never — only one time does he ever acknowledge Donnie. And it’s when he [says,] ‘Thank you, Donnie.’ But that’s only to bust Walter’s chops. He knows his friend has this hallucination, this PTSD buddy, and he loves his friend.”

So what about Donny’s death in The Big Lebowski? For starters, we hear The Dude say, “They shot him, man!” after Donny has a heart attack outside of the bowling alley. This could play off The Dude just entertaining Walter, but that doesn’t explain the ashes. But Bridges imagines a missing scene where The Dude goes to the mortician without Walter, telling him to just throw any old ashes in the Folgers can. “He says, ‘Look, I got a friend who’s mentally challenged. He’s about to put this ghost in his mind asleep. I’ll give you 50 bucks…’”

All right, but what about when The Stranger (Sam Elliott) addresses Donny’s death near the end of The Big Lebowski? Yep, Bridges can answer that, too. “But now, The Stranger lives in a place outside of space and time. So he can be talking about Donnie…That’s how I rationalize the whole thing. But the next time you see it, and you’ve never run that scenario…check it out, it’s pretty interesting.”

While it’s just the sort of outlandish fan theory that could be fun to believe, there’s really just too much evidence against it. I’m not sold on Bridges’ take that he only talks to Donny as a way to help Walter cope, especially since it’s so fed up at the time of the aforementioned line. Some have also argued that Donny only throws strikes, which is also blatantly untrue, as he leaves one pin standing right before he dies. Others have tried to make the claim that Jesus’ team only has two members (which The Dude and Walter’s would without Donny), although this is also visually debunked. But come on, Cameron from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is totally a figment of Ferris’ imagination, right?

What do you think of the fan theory about Donny not being real in The Big Lebowski? Do you agree with Jeff Bridges or is he out of his element?

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Commandos! Get ready for a new crisp 4K Blu-ray release of the under-appreciated Joe Dante film Small Soldiers. The 1998 movie can be seen as a spiritual successor of sorts to Dante’s Gremlins series — as little sentient beings run amok on an unsuspecting group of people in a small town and it takes a plucky young hero, with his own little ally, to try to contain and destroy them. Blu-ray.com has reported that Paramount Home Media Distribution is set to release this new 4K remaster alongside a limited edition Steelbook Blu-ray on July 22.

The movie includes an all-star cast with Kirsten Dunst, Gregory Smith, Jay Mohr, Phil Hartman, Kevin Dunn, David Cross and Denis Leary. Meanwhile, the voice cast includes Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Brown, George Kennedy, Frank Langella, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Ernest Borgnine, Harry Shearer, Bruce Dern, Clint Walker, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Christina Ricci.

The description reads,
“When teenager Alan (Gregory Smith) buys a set of Commando Elite action figures, he’s unaware that they have been programmed with military technology. The toys, including leader Chip (Tommy Lee Jones), spring to life and start taking their directives seriously, beginning by “killing” their enemies, the toy Gorgonites. But Archer (Frank Langella) and the Gorgonites won’t go down without a fight. Alan gets caught in the middle of the war, as does his neighbor and crush, Christy (Kirsten Dunst).”

There is no word on what will be included as special features as of yet, but you can take a look at the tech specs below,

Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)

Subtitles
English, English SDH

Discs
4K Ultra HD
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD-50)

Digital
Digital copy included

Packaging
SteelBook, Inner print

Playback
4K Blu-ray: Region free
2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

Joe Dante was announced to be helming a Little Shop of Horrors remake, but the filmmaker has updated that the project hit a major snag as of late. Dante commented with The Direct on the project’s status, or lack thereof, saying, “The word is ‘stasis,’ not status. At the moment, like so many things in town, nothing’s happening, and we always hope that will change, but it’s not the greatest time right now to [get] projects off the ground.”

The post Halt! Who goes there? A new Small Soldiers 4K Blu-ray will be hitting shelves this summer appeared first on JoBlo.

Oh, you know how sequels go: strikes and gutters, ups and downs. The Big Lebowski has been a bonafide classic — and not just of the cult variety — for so long now that it’s become inevitable that sequel talk would come up. So where does it stand? Well, it might come down to — I won’t say “heroes”… — brothers who would be the ones to get it going. But The Dude himself and Maude Lebowski are on board…

Jeff Bridges recently spoke (as part of his “An Evening with The Dude” tour) about how the idea of a sequel to The Big Lebowski gets brought up quite a bit, and although he’s sure it will never happen, Joel and Ethan Coen have surprised him before. “Julianne [Moore] and I would fantasize about that. We did another movie together, Seventh Son, she played a witch in that movie. And we would often say, ‘Gee it’s all set up for a sequel…But no, I don’t think the brothers are going to do that. I don’t think that’s their style. But I must say, they surprise us all the time. Who would have thought Macbeth would have come out of one of those guys? You never know what they’re going to do so who knows…’If they called me up and said, ‘Hey let’s do it again,’ I’d say, ‘Absolutely, come on.’”

Yes, we all pretty much love The Big Lebowski, but is a sequel really necessary? Chances are it would be better than John Turturro’s The Jesus Rolls spin-off (honestly, Marty the landlord was more deserving), but sometimes we just need to let movies be standalones. The Coens are brilliant, but could they ever really tie it together like they did with the original? Look, not supporting The Big Lebowski from the onset (even though it easily made back its budget) is on a lot of us; but now that we’ve embraced it, it’s also time to acknowledge that a sequel will not stand, man.

What do you think? Could a sequel to The Big Lebowski work 25+ years on? Would it have ever worked or is it best left swept under the rug?

The post Jeff Bridges would do The Big Lebowski sequel if the Coen Bros. abide appeared first on JoBlo.

What are the greatest action movies of all time? It’s a controversial question, isn’t it? Any time any publication or site puts out a new list of what they consider the best action movies of all time, it can’t help but generate a ton of controversy. Nevertheless, we here at JoBlo have decided to throw our hats into the ring with a list we really hope generates some nostalgia among our viewers but also encourages them to seek out the movies on this list that they may not have seen. But first, some may wonder where superhero movies are on this list. Given how broad that genre is, we decided to stick to old-school action, so we have left them off the list, as they deserve their own ranking. There are also a few absences from the list, notably some Jackie Chan Hong Kong films (like Police Story), with those to follow in another planned list, so stay tuned! With that out of the way, here’s our Top 25 Greatest Action Movies Ever Made!

25. Hard Target (1993)

Jean-Claude Van Damme is one of the biggest action stars of all time, and Hard Target is his best action movie. Beautifully directed by John Woo in his American film debut, it’s not only gloriously violent and lovingly photographed, but it has one of the most memorable villains of all time, Lance Henriksen’s Emil Fouchon. It’s a take on the classic Most Dangerous Game formula, but it gives the heroes and villains equal screen time as they play out a game of cat and mouse, making it highly unique as an action film. One note – to fully appreciate this movie, you must see the uncensored, unrated version, which Kino recently reissued on Blu-ray.

24. Leon: The Professional (1994)

Luc Besson’s 1994 hitman drama ranks as one of the most stylish action movies ever made. Sporting a lush score by Eric Serra, and an iconic performance by Jean Reno as the titular “cleaner”, this one inspired many knockoffs. It also introduced the world to Natalie Portman, who plays Leon’s pseudo-daughter figure, Mathilda, who he helps avenge her family’s murder (Portman seems curiously mixed on the film now, though). Plus, Gary Oldman delivers the greatest villain performance of his career as cinema’s most iconically evil corrupt cop. 

23. Casino Royale (2006)

You can’t seriously do a list like this without including at least one James Bond movie. While I’d wager On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and maybe Goldfinger are better James Bond movies in terms of action, I think Martin Campbell made the best overall action film of the franchise with Casino Royale. It re-invented James Bond for the 21st century, and it is an excellent showcase for Daniel Craig. Once people saw him doing parkour, all doubts about his ability to carry the franchise were immediately put to rest.

22. Commando (1985)

Arnold Schwarzenegger became a star in Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator, but Commando changed his image from a killing machine to a more personable, loving variation. Sure, he still sends 137 souls to meet their maker, but he also establishes a loose persona as a caring dad that really changed the way people see him. Plus, Commando has some of the most creative carnage of all time packed into the insane climax. The woodshed scene alone is glorious.

21. Rambo: First Blood Part 2 (1985)

The Vietnam War was a psychic wound on America of this era, and I’m not sure contemporary audiences are aware of the cultural importance of Rambo: First Blood Part 2 in the United States throughout the eighties. Along with Commando, this was one of the first “one-man-army” movies and was endlessly imitated. It was also the second highest-grossing movie of 1985 and boosted Stallone into the stratosphere. It was also name-checked by the sitting president – Ronald Reagan – and, in some ways, paved the way for more serious examinations of the Vietnam War, such as Platoon. It’s also worth noting that the MIA issue was widely debated at the time, so of all the films on this list, it could be argued that this might be one of the most culturally significant ones. 

20. Top Gun (1986)

Tom Cruise’s Maverick is one of the most iconic movie characters ever. Rumour has it enlistment into the US Navy skyrocketed after this Tony Scott-directed masterpiece, which stars Cruise as the famously cocky pilot. From a stylistic standpoint, this might actually be the most influential film on the list – the only reason it’s this far down is that the action is mainly contained to aerial dogfights. You could also make a good case for the sequel, Top Gun: Maverick being one of the best action movies ever, too.

19. Road House (1989)

While some may chuckle at Road House’s inclusion on this list, it belongs here for several essential reasons. For one, it upends the era’s idea of an action hero. Many of the era’s biggest stars were monosyllabic types, but Patrick Swayze was different. His character, Dalton, is intelligent, stylish and cerebral, with a degree in philosophy and a low-key vibe that invites people to underestimate him – to their doom. But, the main reason Road House makes this list is that the fights in this movie feel real, with them the perfect antidote to the over-choreographed bouts that followed in its wake. In this one, people whack each other with tree trunks, and by the time it’s over, Swayze’s Dalton can barely stand. It’s a masterpiece of its kind (and we’re excited about the well-received remake, even if it will never replace the original in our hearts).

18. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

Being an action hero isn’t all about brawn. Attitude has a lot to do with it, and there’s arguably never been a hero with more attitude than Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley. He’s not a muscle man, but he’s young and street-smart. What’s also great about this movie is how director Martin Brest allows the film to be hilarious but takes the action very seriously, especially towards the end. I also always liked that Axel becomes pals by the end with the real Beverly Hills Cops that initially antagonize him. I’m cautiously optimistic about the upcoming fourth film.

17. The John Wick Franchise (2014 -)

Granted, we’re cheating a bit with this one, but it’s pretty amazing how what started as a movie that nearly went to VOD became one of the biggest action franchises of the century. At the time this was made, Keanu Reeves was on the verge of becoming a DTV star, but this reinvented him for a new generation and gave him one of his most iconic characters to play – with him becoming the most iconic movie hitman since Chow Yun Fat ditched his guns. Chad Stahelski’s take on action choreography has been tremendously influential, with every action flick that comes out nowadays owing the franchise a sizeable debt. 

16. Kill Bill Volume 1 & 2 (2003, 2004)

Quentin Tarantino has made some incredible films, but in terms of action, none was more influential than his ode to Kung-Fu cinema, Kill Bill. The first volume alone has some of the most stylish and memorable action sequences of the last quarter century, including the iconic “Showdown at the House of Blue Leaves”. Each volume is half of a bigger whole, but in terms of action, performance, direction and music, I think a case that Kill Bill is one of the greatest action movies of all time can easily be made.

15. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Not every movie is a walk in the park, and it figures that sometimes, to get excellent results on the big screen, you need a little behind-the-scenes chaos. Indeed, Fury Road was a madhouse of a shoot, with the two stars, Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy, famously feuding. In the making of book, Blood, Sweat and Chrome, both look back at the complex making of the film with regret, with it seeming like no one ever knew exactly how much of a classic it would become, with Hardy especially noting how his head he was. The result on screen was arguably worth it. George Miller took decades to get a new Mad Max movie underway finally, and the result was widely considered one of the greatest movies of its kind ever made.

14. Point Break (1991)

In 1991, Point Break was considered another quite solid action movie. Still, like another movie starring Patrick Swayze on this list, its legacy grew over time, with it being one of the most quotable and rewatchable movies of all time. It helped make Keanu Reeves an action star, and it’s one of the best-directed studio films of the nineties, with Kathryn Bigelow’s movie ripped off over and over in the years to follow- most notably by The Fast and The Furious. There. We said it. Vin Diesel doesn’t have anything on Crazy Swayze. 

13. Predator (1987)

Fact: there has never been a more macho movie made than Predator. Think about it – you have Arnold Schwarzenegger, the late Carl Weathers, Jesse “The Body” Ventura, Bill Duke, crazy Sonny Landham, and the Predator! Even before the alien shows up, this would be up there with the greatest “men on a mission” movies ever made, but when suddenly the team starts getting picked off, and Arnold has to go mano-a-mano with his otherworldly foe, you know you’re watching a classic. Also, Predator pulls off a neat trick – it makes Schwarzenegger an underdog. This won’t be the last John McTiernan movie on this list.

12. First Blood (1982)

While Rambo 2 is maybe more impressive from a pure carnage standpoint, First Blood is devastating and arguably Sylvester Stallone’s best-ever movie after the original Rocky. John Rambo is a tragic character here, and the action, while lower-key than in the next film, will blow you away, such as his fantastic cliff-dive. There’s an incredible score by Jerry Goldsmith and Stallone’s astonishing action in the shattering climax. 

11. The Matrix (1999)

The only bad thing about The Wachowskis The Matrix is that it was so good a whole slew of movies tried to copy it, only for no one to do it quite as well. Even the Wachowskis were never quite able to nail a follow-up, with none of the sequels particularly good, even if they have their fans. The first is one of the best sci-fi action movies ever, with Keanu Reeves reinventing himself as Neo, one of the millennium-defining heroes.

10. The Raid (2011)

Audiences who saw Gareth Evans’ The Raid at its original TIFF Midnight Madness screening walked out of this one feeling like they’d just been hit by a freight train. The martial arts action movie was re-invented by this, and it’s an equally impressive sequel, with Iko Uwais showing off moves as we’d never really seen on the big screen before. The sequel, The Raid 2, is arguably just as good. We’re pretty excited to see Evans’ long-delayed Havoc, starring Tom Hardy, which should hit Netflix this year.

9. Lethal Weapon (1987)

While it’s not the first buddy-cop movie, this is the one that made it a genre unto itself. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover are perfectly cast as the iconic pals Riggs and Murtagh. Richard Donner’s lean and mean direction gives the movie a pulse. The (admittedly excellent) follow-ups come close to matching, but not quite. Gibson’s Riggs, in particular, feels like one of the few truly dangerous action heroes.

8. Robocop (1987)

Paul Verhoeven’s hyper-kinetic, ultra-violent future cop movie will never be equaled, so of course it has to be on a list of the greatest action movies. Peter Weller is iconic as the tragic Alex Murphy-turned-Robocop, and it’s one of the few movies on this list that no one could ever accuse of being dated. Everything about it is cutting edge, from the novel use of miniatures to the social commentary and the excellent score by Basil Poledouris.

7. Aliens (1986)

This is unique because it’s an action movie sequel to a tight horror flick. Everyone has their own opinion about whether James Cameron’s space actioner matches Ridley Scott’s original. Still, it remains one of the best sci-fi actioners ever made, with Sigourney Weaver our choice for the greatest heroine ever. Plus, the movie also has Michael Biehn in one of his best roles (Corporal Hicks), Bill Paxton, an amazing score by James Horner and more.

6. The Road Warrior (1981)

Some will say George Miller’s Fury Road is better, but for my money, nothing matches the intensity of The Road Warrior, which is shot without the benefit of CGI and any other bells and whistles. The vehicular carnage is fantastic, and Mel Gibson, like it or not, is the definitive Mad Max. It’s a rollercoaster ride of a movie. While one could argue that the first Mad Max film was more influential, Miller always considered it a rough draft of what he wanted to do with the franchise… and clearly what he wanted to do was to make some of the greatest action movies the audience had ever seen.

5. Enter the Dragon (1973)

Very few movies on this list are as influential as the final film made by the great Bruce Lee; this movie would have broken him through to a North American audience. Granted, his dying does add to the mystique, but boy, is this ever one of the best martial arts action movies ever made? With Enter the Dragon, I wonder if English-language martial arts action stars like JCVD or Steven Seagal would have ever happened. Simply put, Enter the Dragon gave North American audiences the appetite for martial arts mayhem.

4. Hard Boiled (1992)

John Woo was at the peak of his filmmaking abilities when he made this buddy cop action flick in Hong Kong, pairing Chow Yun-Fat’s rebellious cop, Tequila, with an undercover operative played by Tony Leung. The last forty minutes of this film have never been matched from a shoot-out standpoint. Someone once told Quentin Tarantino that “John Woo sure can direct an action sequence”, to which he replied, “yeah, and Michelangelo sure can paint a ceiling.” Watch Hard Boiled and see what he’s talking about.

3. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas’s Ode to Adventure is the most iconic film of its kind, introducing us to the great Indiana Jones, played by Harrison Ford. What else can be said about the adventure masterpiece that hasn’t been said already? If you’ve never seen this movie in a theater, I urge you to go check it out if it ever plays near you. There’s something different about watching this movie with an audience in a theater, especially during the last hour, where it just goes from set-piece to setpiece. Also, has any action star ever thrown a better punch than Harrison Ford as Indy?

2. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

The best sequel of all time remains the last of its kind, being a huge budget action flick done in the old ways, with real explosions and real heart, with Schwarzenegger giving his most affecting performance as the cyborg who slowly learns the bittersweet truth about being human. Plus, Linda Hamilton as a newly musclebound Sarah Connor is one of the greatest action heroines. So many movies, including Terminator films, have tried to recapture the magic of this one, but have failed. It’s one of a kind, and definitely one of the greatest action movies.

1. Die Hard (1988)

What else could it be? Bruce Willis’s John McClane is the definitive action star, as he is a regular guy forced into action and wants to get home to his family for Christmas. Willis, Alan Rickman, the score, and everything else about this movie are iconic, but what makes it so great is that Willis isn’t a superhero but a man. Yes, it’s the best Christmas movie of all time, but it’s also – in our opinion (and that of many others) that it’s the greatest action film ever made.  

So, those are our picks for the twenty-five greatest action movies, but I’m sure there are titles we left off the list that you think belong on here with the others. Would you have included the Chow Yun Fat / Michelle Yeoh classic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)? Should the Jet Li / Maggie Cheung / Tony Leung film Hero (2002) have made the cut, or the Al Pacino and Robert De Niro pairing in Heat (1995)? Let’s discuss it in the comments!

The post The 25 Greatest Action Movies of All Time! appeared first on JoBlo.

Every few years an antagonist comes around that is admired by a certain sect of moviegoers. Take Tyler Durden or the Joker from a few years ago, who found fanbases despite clearly being anarchists with warped ideals. Now as we mark the 25th anniversary of American Psycho, it’s time to look at Patrick Bateman – and the Halloween costumes that followed.

Justin Theroux – who played Timothy Bryce, colleague to Patrick Bateman – recently reflected on how American Psycho developed a cult following to the point where the Huey Lewis-loving, axe-wielding investment broker became an idol despite not exactly being the voice of reason or the boy next door. “The thing I find odd is around ten or maybe 12 years ago, I started seeing people going as Patrick Bateman for Halloween. Getting an axe and a clear trenchcoat. In bro culture, he became sort of a hero, and I find that deeply disturbing. I remember being at a Halloween party once and some Patrick Bateman guy was like, ‘Holy sh*t, bro, you were in that! Wanna take a picture with me?’ I thought it was so gross, but I could tell by the way he was acting that he probably was a finance bro and admired Patrick in whatever dumb way.” For what it’s worth, a teenage trick-or-treater knocked on my door a couple of years ago dressed in the full Patrick Bateman garb, complete with slicker, and it was absolutely awesome. (She grabbed a Snickers, was polite and said nothing about feeding stray cats to an ATM.)

As we know now, American Psycho will be getting remade by Luca Guadagnino (with Austin Butler leading?), who seems like the perfect fit. But do we really need to see what someone like Patrick Bateman is like through the lens of the 2020s? Theroux thinks so and he’s remaining supportive, lest he not be invited to the wrap party at Dorsia. “It sounds like they’re putting together an interesting team of people and actors. I’m usually not into remakes, but once I heard who is involved, I thought that could be really good. Maybe it’s a perfect time to retell that story. Whenever you get more time away from an era, you have more perspective on it. The truth or the lies come into more relief, so it might be easier to satirize.”

A pitch-black satire on ‘80s consumerism and the Gordon Gekko rat race, American Psycho may be one of the funniest movies of the century so far, provided your sense of humor is willing to go where the movie (based on Bret Easton Ellis’ once-thought-unfilmable book) drags you.

Why do you think someone like Patrick Bateman has become a pop culture standout? Are costumes of villains truly gross?

The post Justin Theroux says Patrick Bateman Halloween costumes are “gross” appeared first on JoBlo.

Recently, Disney had the biggest flop of the year (so far) with their misbegotten take on Snow White. Many believe the reason the movie failed had more to do with the disastrous press run up to its release, particularly the outspokenness of star Rachel Zegler, who seemed to throw the classic story under the bus while promising the movie would be modernized. It wasn’t really – but over a decade ago, a truly modern, fresh redux of the Snow White legend actually was made. It was called Once Upon A Time and ran for six years.

The show starred Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, the long-lost daughter of Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas). In this new take on the classic fairy tale, Snow White, Prince Charming and other classic characters have had their memories erased by the evil queen (Lana Parrilla), who transports them all to a small town called Storybook, where they live under the evil queen, who poses as the town’s mayor. Emma tries to break the curse and restore everyone’s memories, which she does by season two, but that’s only the beginning of what became a popular show on ABC for quite some time.

It came from some of the people behind Lost, and in fact may have even taken place in the same extended universe, with it having many nods to the show. Eventually, the show’s popularity waned, and the creators attempted a soft reboot by centring the final season around Cinderella and Rapunzel. Still, it wasn’t enough to save a show that had clearly run its course. In this episode of Gone But Not Forgotten, we look back at this show and how it incorporated many classic fairy tale characters into its seven-season run. 

Do you have fond memories of Once Upon A Time? Let us know in the comments!

The post Once Upon A Time (2011-18): A Much Better Take on Snow White than Disney’s recent remake appeared first on JoBlo.

Last week, we shared the news that Full Moon is bringing their 1992 film Bad Channels and 1990 film Crash and Burn to Blu-ray, with copies available through their site FullMoonHorror.com and available for pre-order on Amazon. (Links can be found in our article.) Now, we have more Full Moon Blu-ray news to share, as the company will be giving director Albert Pyun‘s 1993 sci-fi horror film Arcade a Blu-ray release on July 15th! Copies can be pre-ordered through Amazon at THIS LINK.

Directed by Pyun from a screenplay by David S. Goyer (and a story by Full Moon founder Charles Band), Arcade has the following synopsis: All the kids in town are dying to play the hot new video game “Arcade”. Trouble is once you play the game you can kiss reality good-bye. Arcade has seven levels of excitement, adventure, and terror for its players. The game transports you to another world with its stunning graphics, thrilling sound effects, and virtual reality simulation. It is the ultimate experience in a video game. But excitement like this doesn’t come cheaply – when you battle with Arcade you’re putting your life on the line. The kids have accepted the challenge and are absorbed into the game. Only Alex and Nick realize that these mysterious disappearances are linked to Arcade. They must battle the game, alone.

The film stars Megan Ward (Trancers II), Peter Billingsley (A Christmas Story), John de Lancie (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Sharon Farrell (Lone Wolf McQuade), Seth Green (Can’t Hardly Wait), A.J. Langer (The People Under the Stairs), and Bryan Dattilo (Days of Our Lives).

Full Moon brings Arcade to Blu-ray with the following special features: – Audio Commentary with Charles Band and Megan Ward – VideoZone – Original Trailer – John de Lancie Interview – Rare VFX Reel – Full Moon Trailers

Arcade premiered in 1993 ahead of a March 1994 release – which was later than originally intended, because the movie had to be delayed while the special effects were reworked because Disney threatened to sue Full Moon, feeling the original special effects were too similar to the Disney film Tron.

Are a fan of Arcade, and are you going to be adding this Full Moon classic to your Blu-ray collection? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post Full Moon is bringing Albert Pyun’s Arcade to Blu-ray appeared first on JoBlo.

Has there ever been a more iconic big-screen presence than Clint Eastwood? I’d be hard-pressed to name one, as while others like Sean Connery, Harrison Ford, and maybe Humphrey Bogart and John Wayne – if you go old school – can compare, there’s a lot more to Eastwood than anyone else. How so? Well, while most of his contemporaries were happy just to act in their films, Eastwood became the auteur of his work, directing many of his post-The Outlaw Josey Wales vehicles. When he opted to semi-retire from screen acting, he was able to carry on as a director, and in fact, despite being well into his nineties, he’s still directing movies, with his recent Juror No 2 being a little gem.

However, when In the Line of Fire was made in 1993, Eastwood was at something of a crossroads in his career. For the thirty years prior, starting with the Man With No Name trilogy, and on through his seventies heyday, Eastwood was a superstar leading man, but for awhile he seemed hesitant to acknowledge the fact that he was aging. Around the time he did Heartbreak Ridge in 1986 when he was fifty-five, he got ultra-jacked, even showing up on the covers of muscle magazines, and towards the end of the decade, he made a pair of movies that – unusually for him – whiffed at the box office, despite being in genres he excelled in. One was Pink Cadillac, a road action/comedy in the vein of Every Which Way But Loose, which was such a huge flop in North America that it went direct to video in much of Europe. The other was The Rookie, which was Eastwood’s attempt to make a huge, over-the-top action movie that could compete with what Stallone and Schwarzenegger were putting out. It was a box office disaster – although it’s a fun if weird flick where Eastwood – and I’m not kidding – is actually sexually assaulted at one point by the movie’s female villain, played by Sonia Braga.

However, Eastwood bounced back in a big way with Unforgiven, which acknowledged that he was getting old and served as an elegiac closing chapter to the western part of his career. It was a major hit and won multiple Oscars. But, before it even hit theaters, Eastwood was hard at work on a movie that would put on bow on his career as a contemporary action star in the same way that Unforgiven did for his westerns. That movie would be In the Line of Fire.

Notably, In the Line of Fire would be the rare Clint Eastwood vehicle where he did not produce the film through his Malpaso banner. Instead, he was an actor for hire, with the script, which was written by Jeff Maguire, who had previously written the largely unseen Sylvester Stallone soccer movie Victory, having started a bidding war. Eastwood wasn’t the first choice for the role, with Robert Redford having been the initial choice, and even after he left, Sean Connery was viewed as a potential Frank Harrigan. However, the part suited Eastwood to a tee, with him playing a secret service agent who, in his younger days, was part of the group that failed to protect John F. Kennedy when he was assassinated, with it haunting him over the next thirty years. He’s targeted by a mad assassin, Mitch Leary, played by John Malkovich, who torments him by promising to kill the new president, daring Frank to try and stop him.

The role was a change of pace for Eastwood at the time. While it still played to his strengths as an action hero, with him blowing away a couple of bad guys right off the bat in a scene that could have been lifted from a Dirty Harry movie, Harrigan is vulnerable, with him a lonely, cynical agent, who, in a quirky character bit, chooses to ride public transit rather than drive a car, and even cries at one point when he remembers having failed Kennedy. In other ways the role fits Clint to a tee, with him still able to perform his own stunts, while Frank has the same kind of aversion to authority Harry Callahan has. He’s also irresistible to women, with him romancing the much younger Rene Russo throughout the movie.

There are many reasons why In the Line of Fire works in my opinion. One is that it has a terrific director in Wolfgang Petersen, who gives the action a scale and edge Eastwood’s Malpaso directors didn’t seem capable of — with a bigger budget than would usually suit the thrifty Eastwood to boot. Peterson also enlists Ennio Morricone to deliver a solid thriller score that’s evocative of his own score for The Untouchables, which is different from the low-key, Jazzy-style Clint used in his own movies – although, of course, Ennio had scored his Leone trilogy.

The cast is also perfect, with Eastwood delivering one of his best performances as the believably human Frank. I think if Redford had played the role, he would have played the part as too much of a charming golden boy. You believe Eastwood is a guy who has gone somewhat to seed. Most importantly, he has amazing chemistry with John Malkovich, who plays the iconically evil Mitch Leary, the psychopath assassin tormenting Frank. One reason they work so well is that – for scenes when they’re speaking by phone, they shot together so they could play off each other in real-time. Malkovich was also prone to improvisation and scene-stealing, something which delighted rather than threatened Eastwood, which as the scene where Frank threatens Mitch with a gun and he bites the barrel. Rene Russo also makes for a tougher-than-usual heroine, with her believable as the very nineties modern woman at odds with Frank’s old-fashioned ways but drawn in by his vulnerability. The many character actors, including John Mahoney, Dylan McDermott, Tobin Bell, and Fred Dalton Thompson add immeasurably to the film, making it feel almost like a sibling of the Jack Ryan thrillers, which were big at the time.

The film was a smash hit, making over $100 million in 1993 dollars, making it one of the year’s biggest hits. It came along at just the right time, as it was released near the 30th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination, which was very much in the public zeitgeist thanks to Oliver Stone’s JFK. Eastwood’s career after Unforgiven was in the midst of a huge upswing, and the thriller genre was also red-hot. Perhaps wanting to end his action movie career on a high would be the last time Eastwood would play an action hero. He kept making thrillers, such as Absolute Power and Blood Work, but they would be more character-based and lower-key than this. That said, it’s been thirty-two years since this came out, and he’s still going strong. 

The post In the Line Of Fire: Clint Eastwood’s Last Action Film Was Great appeared first on JoBlo.

A number of dead bodies turn up in 1998’s Wild Things: Sam, Kelly, Ray, that random dude floating in the river…Wait, what? As it turns out, the deaths weren’t just happening on screen but also near the set, as the crew soon found out that sometimes people are exactly what they appear to be…

Kevin Bacon recently told Variety that one of the Florida locations for Wild Things brought some unique problems that brought a slight disruption to filming. “We were out in the swamp one night — a lot of mosquitoes, wow — and we were shooting some scene. I don’t remember what it was, by kind of a river. They had floated a raft out there so that they could put a light. All of a sudden I hear across the walkie-talkie: ‘Hey, uh, I think I just saw a floater.’ And it was a body that was floating by…It was kind of indicative of the vibe of the movie.” The story has been recounted by director John McNaughton before, noting that police did the cast and crew a solid by ensuring that the corpse didn’t ruin any shots. You know, priorities!

Wild Things ran into other problems during filming such as a tornado tearing through and nearly destroying trailers. But even before cameras rolled, Wild Things was having issues in the casting process. Take, for example, that Robert Downey Jr. was the original choice to play Matt Dillon’s character; the only problem was that he had had so many issues with drugs at the time that the studio couldn’t wrangle up proper insurance.

Yet, despite all of the troubles Wild Things had, it became…well, that’s a bit difficult. It’s objectively not a terribly well-made film, but those who are willing to treat it as trashy, sexy fun mostly had a good time with the nudity and convoluted plot twists. It’s through that that Wild Things maintains a cult following and feels like a fitting companion to everything Joe Eszterhas and Adrian Lyne had helped popularize in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

Are you a fan of Wild Things? What do you think its legacy is 25+ years later?

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It’s been 40 years since the Brain, the Athlete, the Basket Case, the Princess, and the Criminal all suffered through detention at Shermer High. Now, they have reunited for the first time ever as a way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Breakfast Club.

The 40th anniversary celebration of The Breakfast Club was first teased last month, but it’s still a nice surprise for fans considering Anthony Michael Hall, Emilio Estèvez, Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald, and Judd Nelson have never joined up in this capacity before. But thanks to Chicago’s C2E2, the troubled teens – now successful middle-aged actors – were able to take to the convention scene this week.

Speaking at the event marking the 40th anniversary of The Breakfast Club, Estèvez – who played Andrew Clark, sentenced to a Saturday detention for taping another student’s butt cheeks together – said this was the exact moment he needed to ensure he could be with some of his closest co-stars. “I skipped all of my high school reunions, so this just was something that finally I felt I needed to do just for myself. But…this one felt special. It’s here in Chicago, where we made the film, and obviously the 40th anniversary, and it just felt like it was time.”

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Molly Ringwald – who portrayed Claire, serving her day for skipping school – also reflected on the moment, saying, “I feel really, very emotional and moved to have us all together. This is the first time that Emilio has joined us. We don’t have to use the cardboard cutout anymore because he’s here.” Outside of the already-mentioned reasons for detention, Hall’s Brian took a flare gun to school, Nelson’s Bender triggered the fire alarm and Sheedy’s Allison just decided to show up.

Four decades on, The Breakfast Club remains perhaps the quintessential teen movie, molding cliches into what many consider a genuine depiction of the struggles and emotions of the then-modern teen. That we are still talking about The Breakfast Club 40 years on shows that younger generations are still seeing themselves in John Hughes’ characters.

What do you think the legacy of The Breakfast Club is 40 years after its release? Has any other film touched it when it comes to classic teen movies?

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