This East Side Kids comedy was Ava Gardner's first credited role.
She played "Betty", bride of Rick Vallin and sister of "Glimpy" (Huntz Hall).
Ava grew up on a North Carolina tobacco farm, the youngest of seven children.
She got her first break in Hollywood on the strength of a single portrait...
...in the window of a photographic studio.
Ava was once dubbed "The World's Most Beautiful Animal" in a publicity campaign.
A director once gushed, "She can't talk, she can't act, she's sensational!"
By 1945 she smoked three packs of cigarettes a day...
...and was known for her drinking and salty language.
She was married to Frank Sinatra, Artie Shaw, and Mickey Rooney.
She was nominated for Best Actress for "Mogambo" in 1953.
And later won critical praise for her role in "Night of the Iguana."
Ava died of pneumonia in 1990 at age 67.
Her last words were: "I'm so tired."
Factoids by IMDb I neither own nor claim any rights to this material. Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!
This drug test guy (Pat McDermott) is hired by potential buyers to test the imported "product."
But instead of just doing it, he puts on his own little show...
...with cutesy names for the levels of heroin potency.
Later, he's called upon to do a quick on-location test.
But instead of just doing it, he has to draw out the suspense...
...glancing from one guy to the other...
...before doing his patented "nod and smile" move.
And that's how you tell the amateur heroin testers from the real pros.
I neither own nor claim any rights to this material. Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!
Terror Films Unleashes "HELL HOUSE LLC II: THE ABADDON HOTEL" Via A Wide Digital Release on January 4th, 2019
Los Angeles, CA. - (Monday, December 17, 2018) – The highly anticipated sequel HELL HOUSE LLC II: THE ABADDON HOTEL was initially released September 20th on the genre streaming site SHUDDER.
After a 3-month exclusive window on this platform, TERROR FILMS will make this exciting haunter on several more Digital hosters, including: Amazon Instant, iTunes, Vudu, Steam, Google Play and Xbox. This latest release will also take place in multiple countries, beginning Friday, January 4th, 2019.
Upon the initial release of HELL HOUSE LLC II: THE ABADDON HOTEL, writer/director Stephen Cognetti’s sequel set off an online frenzy among fans leaving them hungry for more. Although an official announcement has not been made, the attached banner was uploaded to the TERROR FILMS’ official Facebook page several weeks ago, clearly hinting at a third installment coming this October 2019, titled HELL HOUSE LLC III: LAKE OF FIRE.
In case you missed the initial announcements, the official trailer and poster for HELL HOUSE LLC II: THE ABADDON HOTEL can be found below. A future DVD release will be announced shortly, on the official HELL HOUSE LLC Facebook page.
As a bad-movie fan, I've seen some obscure stuff. But THE COMEDIANS (Indiepix Films, 1984) is such an obscure, oddball oddity that it not only isn't on IMDb, but I couldn't even find it on the website of the company that released it on DVD.
It's one of the South African apartheid-era films made for black audiences who weren't allowed access to mainstream cinema. Once on the verge of being lost (many already are), these films are being preserved and restored for posterity and released through Indiepix Films' "Retro Afrika" series.
Like the rest of the ones I've seen, THE COMEDIANS is a no-budget affair assembled from the most meager resources. But while the filmmakers' talents often transcend low budgets and sparse conditions on other titles, this one is about as crude as it gets, making even MANOS: HANDS OF FATE look almost lavish in comparison.
It stars Hector Mathanda, the most familiar face I've yet encounted in these South African films (he was also in FISHY STONES, UMBANGO, and GONE CRAZY) and by far the most talented actor. The gap-toothed comic is a natural performer and seems entirely at ease in front of the camera, delivering his lines with a loose improvisational style that's often quite funny. (He even refers to himself as "Hector" in one scene.)
He stars here as Mr. Bono, a con man who convinces his straight-arrow friend Mr. Slu to lend him his magic ring (we never find out where it came from or how Mr. Slu gained possession of it) in order to heal his sick wife, Pretty.
Bono, of course, wants the ring in order to amass ill-gotten wealth, a big house, and fancy cars, and even tries to use it to make his wife even prettier (which backfires with amusing results).
His entire plan ends up backfiring after he hires a gang of young toughs to break into Mr. Slu's house and rob him blind, including, presumably, his magic ring. What happens after Mr. Slu gets wise to the scheme forms the satisfying conclusion to the story.
Till then, though, we get to watch Hector Mathanda perform the most comically craven, greedy, and egotistical character imaginable to his heart's content, dominating the film entirely and apparently having a wonderful time doing so.
Even the amateur-level supporting cast get into their roles and act as adequate straight men for Hector. Once the big plan goes awry and all of his hired minions end up destitute and in rags (literally), they launch into a surprising acapella song lamenting their fate as they skulk through the ruins of their crumbling shacks. It's a wonderfully unusual moment.
Technically, THE COMEDIANS is rock-bottom stuff that would get a D-minus if submitted as a student film. At times you may find yourself wondering if the cameraman even bothered to look through his viewfinder--it's only through sheer luck that he manages to keep the actors in frame, and he often gets lost looking for them.
While many of director-photographer Japie Van Der Merwe's takes are amazingly long, mostly extended master shots without a cut, the actors seem to have the script memorized enough to at least ad-lib their way through it all without a pause.
Hector Mathanda, of course, is in his element here, reveling in his character's bald-faced deceit as he brags to his hired lackeys about such American friends as Michael Jackson, Dionne Warwicke, George Foreman, and even President Ronald Reagan, and pretending to chat with them over the phone.
The film gives us an interesting look at everyday surburban life in South Africa and what was considered upper and lower class among its residents. But mainly it's a fascinating example of utterly artless, basic, primitive-level filmmaking.
Some will have no desire to watch a single frame, while others (including myself) will wish it could go on for another hour or more. THE COMEDIANS is a cinematic artifact like few others you'll ever see.
TECH SPECS Format: Color, NTSC, 3:2, Stereo Language: Zulu Subtitles: English Number of discs: 1 Rated: NR Studio: Indiepix Films Run Time: 87 minutes Extras: Trailer
Premieres on VOD Available Now Exclusively on Amazon Instant Video Sci-Fi Horror Comedy to Haunt iTunes February 2019
"Dunn beats the odds and delivers an impressive horror comedy that hurls the classic duo dynamic into '90s slacker culture"-- Film Threat
Los Angeles, CA - Mandao Films has announced a resurrection of Halloween spirits with the Digital HD debut of writer/director Scott Dunn's Mandao of tAhe Dead. The spectral sci-fi comedy is now available exclusively on Amazon Instant Video, ahead of an iTunes release in February 2019.
The second feature from filmmaker Scott Dunn and producer Gina Gomez, Mandao of the Dead combines temporal hijinks with chills from beyond the grave in a film Horror Fuel calls "a charming winner of a flick."
The unambitious Jay Mandao lives frugally off his late father's cereal royalties. He wants nothing more than to live in solitude, but is duped into taking in his adult nephew-in-law, Jackson.
As Halloween approaches, Jay begins having odd dreams, and comes to find that he has the ability of astral projection. Jay and Jackson are approached by a ghost who has a small window of opportunity to reverse his death at the hands of Jackson's murderous ex-girlfriend.
In "Welcome To Wakanda," the cast and crew of Black Panther discuss creating the world of Wakanda, and what making the film meant to them.
Black Panther is director Ryan Coogler's take on a modern African hero and a utopian vision of what an uncolonized Africa might look like. The film explores the conflict between two powerful men, one African and one African-American, who are mirror images of each other, each grappling with his own history, home, and very identity.
When Prince T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) becomes king of the hidden, technologically advanced kingdom Wakanda, he is forced to defend his throne against rogue mercenary Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan).
Wakanda is also alive with strong, intelligent women--from Wakanda's elite all-female security force, led by Okoye (Danai Gurira), to the international spy Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), to T'Challa's tech-savvy sister (Letitia Wright) and mother (Angela Bassett)--who are portrayed as equals to the men they protect and advise.
During apartheid, hundreds of South African films were produced for black audiences who didn't have access to mainstream entertainment. Many of them are now lost, but several are now being rediscovered and preserved, including this 1985 western, REVENGE.
The story is about as simple as it gets: a young couple and their son come to a small town where they've purchased a farm, but encounter a gang of sadistic gunslingers. Descending upon the tiny farm, the outlaws rape and murder the wife, beat the young boy, and set fire to the house.
The man, Shala, vows revenge and is aided by an old ex-gunslinger, who teaches him how to shoot while the boy, Kitso, recovers from his injuries. When he's finally ready, Shala straps on the old man's guns, borrows his horse, and goes into town to confront his enemies.
Just as the recently-reviewed UMBANGO (also part of Indiepix's "Retro Afrika" series), this South African "western" with an all-black cast is a captivating novelty where elements of both the American West and Italian spaghetti westerns are combined in a rural African setting to create a sort of low-rent fantasy world.
With its scaled-down western town consisting of a few small wooden shacks, none-too-convincing costumes (the cowboy hats look like the kind I wore as a kid), and small cast of non-professional actors, there's an "amateur night at the movies" ambience to REVENGE that's transcended by the filmmakers' earnest efforts to concoct a modestly compelling entertainment with the meager resources at hand.
To this end, the film is a pleasant diversion whose makeshift qualities add to its watchable charm. It's fun to see director Coenie Dippenaar staging little homages to scenes from more expensive westerns, and giving us his versions of the standard saloon brawls and gunfights as well as the traditional bad guys vs. farmers conflict that sparks our hero's singleminded quest for revenge.
As it plays out, the finale is as low-key and simple as the rest of the story, but somehow satisfying nonetheless. On the whole, this is a familiar throwback not just to 60s and 70s western cinema but to the matinee oaters of the 30s and 40s as well, albeit with an almost non-existent budget and distinctly anachronistic setting.
All of which adds up, for me anyway, to an irresistible curiosity piece. REVENGE isn't like anything else, and that, despite its shortcomings, makes it a pleasantly unique experience.
Tech Specs Actors: Roy Dlamini, Vusi Gudazi, Alex Ngubane Format: Color, NTSC Language: Zulu with English subtitles Number of discs: 1 Rated: NR Studio: Indiepix Films 3:2, Color, Stereo DVD Release Date: December 18, 2018 Run Time: 54 minutes Extras: Trailer
Steve Carell in Robert Zemeckis' "WELCOME TO MARWEN" “I have hope, and I have my town.”
Academy Award® winner ROBERT ZEMECKIS — the groundbreaking filmmaker behind Forrest Gump, Flight and Cast Away — directs STEVE CARELL as a new kind of hero in a movie unlike any that has ever been made before. Based on a miraculous true story, Welcome to Marwen reveals one man’s fight to heal himself, and restore his spirit, through the power of his artistic imagination.
When a devastating attack shatters Mark Hogancamp (Carell) and wipes away all his memories, no one expects him to recover. But Mark, putting together pieces from his old and new life, meticulously creates a mythical Belgian town, Marwen, where he can be Captain Hogie, a World War II fighter pilot. Here, in Marwen, Mark can be a hero, fight his enemies, and rely on his friends. As he builds an astonishing art installation peopled with breathtakingly life-like dolls—a testament to the most powerful women he knows—he draws strength from his fantasy world to triumph in the real world.
A bold, wondrous and timely film from a revolutionary pioneer of contemporary cinema, Welcome to Marwen shows that when your only weapon is your imagination…you can find courage in a most unexpected place.
Starring alongside Carell in this genre-defying film is LESLIE MANN (Blockers, The Other Woman) as Nicol, the compassionate neighbor who captures Mark’s heart and becomes the newest addition to Marwen. The other significant women in Mark’s life, who become his protectors in his fictional town, include Emmy Award winner MERRITT WEVER (Showtime’s Nurse Jackie, AMC’s The Walking Dead) as Roberta, who works at the hobby store Mark frequents; EIZA GONZALEZ (Baby Driver, Highway) as Carlala, a strong-willed co-worker with whom Mark works at the Avalanche Roadhouse; GWENDOLINE CHRISTIE (HBO’s Game of Thrones, Star Wars: The Last Jedi) as Anna, the dedicated homecare worker who visits him monthly; JANELLE MONÁE (Hidden Figures, Moonlight) as GI Julie, who befriends Mark during his struggle to walk again; and LESLIE ZEMECKIS (A Christmas Carol, Beowulf) as Suzette, an actress from his favorite adult-fantasy videos who becomes a sexy French Resistance fighter.
DIANE KRUGER (Inglourious Basterds, In the Fade) portrays Deja Thoris, the alluring and enigmatic doll who toys with Captain Hogie, and NEIL JACKSON (HBO’s Westworld, Quantum of Solace), who portrays Nicol’s former boyfriend – and becomes Captain Hogie’s arch enemy in Marwen: an SS Major in the Nazi regime. FALK HENTSCHEL (Transcendence, White House Down) plays one of the men who attacked Mark and who, in Marwen, becomes a sadistic Nazi named Captain Topf.
Working from a screenplay Zemeckis penned alongside CAROLINE THOMPSON (Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas), the director leads an accomplished behind-the-scenes crew that includes cinematographer C. KIM MILES (The Flash, Lost in Space), production designer STEFAN DECHANT (Pacific Rim: Uprising, Kong: Skull Island), editor JEREMIAH O’DRISCOLL (Rings, Allied), costume designer JOANNA JOHNSTON (Allied, The BFG), visual effects supervisor KEVIN BAILLIE (Allied, Star Trek: Beyond) and composer ALAN SILVESTRI (Avengers: Infinity War, Ready Player One).
The film is produced by Oscar®-winning producer STEVE STARKEY (Forrest Gump, Flight), JACK RAPKE (Cast Away, Flight), Zemeckis, and CHERYLANNE MARTIN (The Pacific, Flight) of Zemeckis’ Universal-based production company, ImageMovers. Welcome to Marwen is executive produced by JACQUELINE LEVINE (Allied, The Walk), and by JEFF MALMBERG, who directed the riveting 2010 documentary, Marwencol, which inspired the film.
"Nosferatu" was an unlicensed film adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel "Dracula."
Count Orlok the vampire was played by an actor named Max Schreck.
Unlike the suave count of later films, Orlock was cadaverous and almost ratlike.
Many consider Shrek to be the most frightening movie vampire of all time.
"Schrek" in German means "terror."
Much of the film's imagery remains unmatched in the annals of horror.
Bram Stoker's wife sued the filmmakers for copyright infringement.
She won the case, and all copies were ordered destroyed.
Luckily for cinema history, some survived.
F.W. Murnau's film went on to become an invaluable classic of screen terror. I neither own nor claim any rights to this material. Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!
Music by teknoAXE
"Panther Girl of the Kongo" is a 12-chapter serial from Republic Pictures.
Phyllis Coates plays Jean the Panther Girl, an anthropologist in Africa.
Her work is interrupted by the sudden appearance of giant lobster monsters.
The "claw monsters" are created from ordinary crawfish by a crooked scientist... ...who wants to chase the local natives away from his illegal diamond mine.
Jean summons her adventurer friend Larry Sanders (Myron Healy) to help fight the monsters.
The special effects were created by Howard and Theodore Lydecker.
"Panther Girl of the Kongo" was the next-to-last serial produced by Republic. It used extensive stock footage from their 1941 serial "Jungle Girl."
A 100-minute edit was released to television with the title "The Claw Monsters."
Cole Thornton (John Wayne) and Mississippi (James Caan) almost run out the back door of the saloon...
...and into a hail of bullets from hired guns waiting in ambush.
But when they recognize the two men who are leading them into the trap...
...then it's the unfortunate Milt and Pedro who must go out the door instead.
Will a sudden flare-up of Cole's old spinal injury get him killed anyway?
I neither own nor claim any rights to this material. Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!
"ANTIDOTE" Gravitas Ventures IN THEATERS AND AVAILABLE ON VOD AND DIGITAL HD: December 14, 2018
SYNOPSIS: Dispatched to a village plagued by a deadly disease, Anna (Natali Yura) and her finace Manuel (Rafael de la Fuente) work tirelessly to relieve the suffering of the villagers. They soon come to learn that the villagers believe the White Witch brought the deadly disease.
To save themselves and the village, Anna and Manuel are forced to team up with Victor (Randy Couture, THE EXPENDABLES 3) a cocky treasure hunter, who only wants to find the Lost City of Gold.
The trio realize that the White Witch and the Golden City are viciously interconnected and that they must join forces to uncover the Mayan legend of the White Witch to have any hope of surviving. Also starring Chuck Zito, Wil Travel (“Jessica Jones”) and Mindy Robinson.
WATCH THE TRAILER:
DIRECTED BY: Ken Barbet WRITTEN BY: Jason Cominetto, Scott Windhauser
CAST: Randy Couture, Chuck Zito, Natali Yura, Will Traval, Celeste Thornton, Rafael de la Fuente, Alyona Chekhova, Thom Rivera, Toktam Aboozary
GENRE: Thriller, Independent, Drama DISTRIBUTOR: Gravitas Ventures
Talented child actor Bart Bradley got around a lot in the 50s-60s...
...including a prime role in the sci-fi/monster classic "Twenty Million Miles To Earth" (1957).
He also appeared on such TV shows as "Telephone Time: Pit-a-Pat and the Dragon" (1957)... ...and "Have Gun Will Travel" (1958) with Richard Boone and John Carradine.
But at some point along the way, child actor Bart Bradley disappeared... ...and was replaced by adult actor Bart Braverman.
Bart then co-starred with Robert Urich as "Binzer" in the hit TV series "Vegas." He also appeared on several game shows such as "Password Plus" and "The Match Game."
Genre distributor TERROR FILMS has teamed up with fellow executive and head of acquisitions, Jim Klock and his CODE 3 FILMS’ slate for a three Picture deal.
The first film under the deal, RED LETTERS is currently in post-production and was produced by Code 3 Films’: Darrell Martinelli, Emily Adams, Kelsey Trainer and Jim Klock. Klock also wrote, directed and stars in the film.
Additional cast includes: Mike Capozzi (Shockwave & Trace), Chad Ridgely (Massacre on Aisle 12), Robin Baker(6:66 PM: Evil Has an Hour to Kill) and Kyra Kennedy, fresh off the national tour of (Waitress the Musical & Blue Bloods).
In addition to his executive duties at both Terror Films and Code 3, Klock’s acting career has kept him busy with roles in: Alex and Me, Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger, “Scream Queens,” “True Detective,” SyFy’s Santa Jaws and the recently released feature film, The Green Book.
RED LETTERS tackles the classic theme of “good versus evil.” The film centers around two private investigators, who embark on an assignment, which leads them into the hands of darkness. Neither investigator is prepared for what lays in wait.
The Red Letters Teaser:
TERROR FILMS’ president, Joe Dain, will act as executive producer and oversee the film’s distribution strategy, which is currently set for release in March of 2019.
The film’s official release date, poster and trailer will be announced at a later date but in the meantime the genre distributor is sharing a few stills and a sneak peek teaser.
We know from the opening foreword that a murder will be committed--a young Viennese man will kill and dismember a girl and distribute the parts in various places. But the film immediately begins to follow the lives of not one, but two disaffected young Viennese men, Christian and Alex, and it's up to us to figure out not just who the murderer will be, but his motive as well.
Which makes the 2016 German/Austrian production AGONY (aka "Agonie"), by talented director and co-writer David Clay Diaz in his feature debut, not just a whodunnit but a whydunnit.
We first meet Alex (Alexander Srtschin), an angry young man just sprung from either the military or juvenile prison (I wasn't sure which) and dumped back into lower-class society to return to a troubled family and few prospects.
He's hostile and endlessly aggressive, always working out and practicing his boxing skills, always wishing there were someone there for his flashing fists to connect with.
Then there's Christian (Samuel Schneider), a law student living unhappily with his single mother. Unlike Alex, Christian is quiet, reserved, restrained, and painfully repressed. A concession stand worker in a theater, he studiously attends legal classes with high hopes of becoming a judge. We're not so sure how realistic these hopes are.
Christian meets a girl from his class named Sandra (Alexandra Schmidt) and they form a relationship which features rough, mutually abusive sex. Also unlike Alex, this seems to be Christian's only avenue for releasing the pent-up aggression that comes from desperation and a growing sense that he will never succeed in any of his goals.
The film shows us chunks of each man's life in turn, each unrelated to the other save for their potential to reach that breaking point which will lead to irrational violence. Alex strikes out against romantic rivals, the police, his gruff father (who tries clumsily to help him but already has one foot out the door), girls who taunt and reject him, and even his best friend, Julian, the only person in his life with whom he feels comfortable.
Christian, meanwhile, is the quiet one who gives us pause when we fear what roiling emotions may lurk behind his passive demeanor. He's belittled by inferiors at work (a pimply nerd orders him around in front of Sandra and her friends while he's on the job) and treated as a child by his mother. Sex with Sandra seems urgent, joyless, and physically threatening.
In other words, AGONY keeps us in suspense the whole time as it makes us suffer through the dreary lives of these two unrelated dead-end characters (the monotony of which is broken only by unfortunate events) as each heads for what appears to be a sad end. Which, for one of them, will include an unimaginably heinous crime.
AGONY makes us gaze into the abyss of their lives to try and discern which of these apparent sociopaths will turn psychopath and what will provoke it. It's a fascinating, finely-wrought film, yet joyless, and we never really become invested enough in Christian or Alex to care deeply what happens to them beyond a sour feeling of lingering sadness. That, and a curdled, disheartening pessimism.
TECH SPECS: Format: 2:1, Stereo, Color, NTSC Language: German Subtitles: English Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.) Number of discs: 1 Not Rated Studio: Indiepix Films DVD Release Date: November 27, 2018 Run Time: 93 minutes Extras: Trailer
Roger Corman's low-budget classic about a Venusian invader was shot in ten days. It stars Peter Graves, Beverly Garland, and Lee Van Cleef.
The creature and its batlike minions were designed by Paul Blaisdell.
When Beverly first saw the creature, she said "THAT conquered the world?" and kicked it over. It has been compared to a cucumber, a squash, and other vegetables.
Beverly's robust performance in this film is a fan favorite.
Corman regular Dick Miller plays an Army sergeant. Critic Leonard Maltin deemed the film "... well acted and interesting but awkwardly plotted."
It was remade by Larry Buchanan in 1966 as "Zontar, The Thing From Venus."
I neither own nor claim any rights to this material. Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!
If you were (and perhaps still are) a Monster Kid, you can identify with 10-year-old Zoe (Aida Valentine), who loves and lives for horror movies. You might also identify with the fact that parents don't always understand this and might even regard such an avid interest with a fair amount of disdain bordering on hostility.
In writer-director Jessica Scalise's ZILLA AND ZOE (2017), Zoe's morbid preoccupations get her into trouble when her attempts to shoot a horror home movie for a local contest results in chaos during the hectic preparations for the wedding of her older sister Zilla (Sam Kamerman).
Thus, Zoe's dad Sal (Greg James), who has raised his two daughters alone after the family was abandoned by their mother, forbids further horror pursuits and orders her to record the wedding activities instead. Then Zoe hits upon a bright idea--she'll turn the wedding itself into a horror movie and kill two birds with one stone.
It sounds like a springboard for raucous, unrestrained hilarity, which the film struggles to achieve with a plethora of odd characters and borderline farcical situations (such as the entire wedding party getting arrested during bridal gown shopping after Zoe's friend Francis attacks them dressed as a werewolf).
The clash between families yields lots of potential comedy as well, with the reserved Sal and his unkempt unemployed brother Oscar clashing with their upper-class future in-laws. These include Zilla's lesbian fiancee Lu (Mia Allen), Lu's pushy, wedding-crazy mother Cora (Julie Elizabeth Knell) and terminally cynical father, and their three eccentric sons, one of whom is a flamboyantly gay transvestite.
There's an amusing sequence in which the two families try to pick a church that will accomodate their unconventional nuptials, and some of the dinnertime conversation is fun to listen to. Little of this is sharply funny, though, most of it coming off like an episode of a mild Netflix comedy or something.
The film also has its dramedy elements, with the whole messy shebang threatening to come between the betrothed women and Zoe's conflict with her father over all that "horror stuff"--including her dragging around a coffin that she's bought at a magic store and shaving the neighbor's dog to obtain hair for Francis' werewolf makeup--leading to hurt feelings that will have Zoe feeling unloved and Sal plagued with guilt and remorse.
Through it all, ZILLA AND ZOE keeps gamely plugging away at being both a breezy, frothy comedy and a sweetly emotional character play and sorta pulls it off even though neither effort scores an unqualified success. The best part is the ending, which is so brimming with good-natured positivity and fun that I ended up liking the film despite not really enjoying it all that much.
SABAN FILMS NABS PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER “NOMIS” STARRING HENRY CAVILL AND BEN KINGSLEY
LOS ANGELES (November 28, 2018) – Saban Films announced today that they have acquired U.S. distribution rights to David Raymond’s directorial debut Nomis starring Henry Cavill (Man of Steel) and Academy Award® Winner Ben Kingsley (Gandhi). Alexandra Daddario (Baywatch), Academy Award® Nominee Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones), Minka Kelly (“Friday Night Lights”) and Nathan Fillion (“Castle”) also star in the psychological thriller. Raymond penned the script, and also produced alongside Robert Ogden Barnum, Arise Pictures’ Chris Pettit and Buffalo Gals’ Jeff Beesley, and Rick Dugdale.
Nomis, which made its World Premiere as the Closing Night film at the Los Angeles Film Festival, follows Marshall (Cavill), a weathered Lieutenant, and his police force as they investigate a string of female abductions and murders linked to an online predator. As new leads emerge and the case unravels, Marshall teams with local vigilante (Kingsley) in pursuit of vengeance.
Saban Films’ Bill Bromiley commented, “This is a beautifully crafted tension-filled thriller with a cast that, undeniably, our audiences will love. Nomis is a fun and entertaining ride and we’re very excited to be onboard.”
Bill Bromiley and Jonathan Saba negotiated the deal for Saban Films, along with CAA on behalf of filmmakers. Fortitude International is handling international rights.
Most recently at the American Film Market, Saban Films acquired The Haunting of Sharon Tate starring Hilary Duff and Derrick Borte’s American Dreamer starring Jim Gaffigan. The company continues to be active in the acquisition and distribution space, with upcoming titles including: James Marsh’s King of Thieves starring Michael Caine, Jim Broadbent, Tom Courtenay and Michael Gambon; Richard Says Goodbye, the Wayne Roberts-directed drama starring Johnny Depp; and Sarah Daggar-Nickson’s A Vigilante starring Olivia Wilde.
Saban Films’ recent titles also includes: Stephan Rick’s elevated genre film The Super starring Val Kilmer; Between Worlds starring Nicolas Cage; the anthology Berlin, I Love You with Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley and Jim Sturgess; the Gerard Butler starrer The Vanishing; David L.G. Hughes’ Viking Destiny; Alexandre Moors’ The Yellow Birds starring Tye Sheridan, Alden Ehrenreich, Toni Collette, Jason Patric, Jack Huston and Jennifer Aniston; Eshom and Ian Nelms’ lauded feature Small Town Crime starring John Hawkes and Octavia Spencer; and Ivan Kavanagh’s Never Grow Old starring John Cusack and Emile Hirsch.
Since the company’s launch in 2014, Saban Films has released over 40 films with successes that have run the gamut from critically acclaimed theatrical films such as The Homesman, to one of the biggest Fathom events in 2016 with Rob Zombie’s horror thriller 31. Saban Films, in partnership with Roadside Attractions, most recently released Craig William Macneill’s racy drama Lizzie, starring Chloë Sevigny and Kristen Stewart. Other recent releases include: Brad Silberling’s war thriller An Ordinary Man starring Academy Award® Winner Ben Kingsley; and Alexandros Avranas’ Dark Crimes starring Jim Carrey and Charlotte Gainsbourg.
About Saban Films Saban Films, an affiliate of Saban Capital Group (“SCG”), is a film acquisition and distribution company which acquires high-quality, feature films to distribute in North America. Focusing on commercial, talent driven films, the company looks at projects in all stages of production for release across multiple platforms, including a day and date theatrical/VOD release strategy. Based in Los Angeles, Saban Films was established by Haim Saban, SCG Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and is led by Bill Bromiley who serves as President, Shanan Becker, Chief Financial Officer and Ness Saban, Vice President of Business Development.
A single movie can be chick-flick heaven or hell, depending on your point of view, and VIRGINIA MINNESOTA (2017) is plenty of both. I could easily imagine many viewers thoroughly enjoying, on a deep emotional and intellectual level, the very same sequences I found hard to endure.
That's just the way these things work sometimes, and if the movie's really well-made, as this one is, then both reactions tend to be even more extreme and conflicting. I found myself going from gag response to wonderment within minutes, aghast at how sappy and indulgent it was one moment before melting with genuine sentiment the next.
Rachel Hendrix plays Lyle, a young woman journeying back to the boarding school where she grew up because the woman who ran it has died and put four of her former charges in her will. All must be present for the reading, however, and sure enough, the most headstrong and troublesome of the bunch, Addison (Aurora Perrineau), fails to show.
It falls to Lyle to go and fetch her, and, as you might guess, their trip back to the home becomes one of mutual and self discovery during which they encounter lots of eccentric people and situations and have weighty discussions leading to the searching and baring of souls.
Old wounds are reopened, especially concerning the death of little Virginia, a former housemate who drowned mysteriously one night while out with Addison. Guilt and recriminations fly, and we begin to understand why Lyle naturally assumes a more levelheaded and sensible demeanor while Addison is so insufferably obnoxious and anti-social most of the time.
Their trip lapses into an improbably odd sort of "Alice in Wonderland" experience that's steeped in finely-aged quirk. (For a few minutes there, it even turns into a monster movie.)
After Addison breaks up with her fiance by setting fire to his boat, they flee in a stolen car and end up with a traveling theater troup traversing the forest in a horse-drawn wagon before ending up at a dance party at the foot of a lighthouse where Addison runs into an old lesbian lover. Whew.
Helping to make all this more fun is the presence of "Mister", a GPS-tracking robot who's supposed to be passed from traveler to traveler across the USA but whom Rachel won't give up since he's become a surrogate companion for her. This friendly little robot is like the film's R2D2 and is actually its most likable character.
Returning to that great, dark old mansion for the reading of the will brings on a series of touchy-feely scenes as the former housemates gush over each other until it's time for a dramatic resolve of old issues. Here, writer-director Daniel Stine manages to draw everything together into some potent melodrama which is played to the hilt by the two leads.
Beautifully photographed and directed with understated flair, VIRGINIA MINNESOTA isn't anywhere near the kind of movie I would normally watch, but finding myself doing so gradually went from a chore to a surprisingly tolerable experience. All that finely-aged quirk aside, it's an engaging story that's well acted and technically superb.
If you have ninety minutes or so to kill, the comedy mockumentary DICK DICKSTER (Indican Pictures, 2018) will definitely kill them for you. Whether or not they die with a smile on their face is entirely up to your tolerance for crude, lowbrow humor that runs hot and cold in the laugh department but is never boring.
Co-writer (with Nick Bird) Robert R. Shafer of "The Office" stars as Dick Dickster, the most obnoxious, rude, pushy, irresponsible, foulmouthed, lecherous, egomaniacal, and permanently plastered director in Hollywood.
This fat slob has hit the skids, with nothing to his name but a sometimes well-remembered cheapo horror flick called "Cult of Doom" which he watches repeatedly in the privacy of his livingroom like Howard Hughes solo-screening "The Conqueror."
When a student filmmaker decides to do a documentary on Dick, we get a sycophant's eye view of this colossal bastard's everyday life, which includes dealing with a witchy ex-wife he met during a lap dance, an Italian loan shark who wants either his nads or a juicy part in his next picture, and an offer from porn star-turned-producer Coco Hart (Jan Broberg) to direct her creepy son's script, which is a porn spoof of "Cult of Doom" entitled "Cult of Poon."
Dick is offended by the offer (he urinates on the script in Coco's office) but his manager, Sammy Davas Jr. (Tim Russ of "Star Trek: Voyager"), urges him to bite the bullet and do it lest Dick's mob debts get him killed, leaving Sammy with 10% of nothing. But when the perpetually horny and hostile Dick is let loose in the world of porn filmmaking, the result is non-stop chaos.
But chaotic as it is, DICK DICKSTER isn't all that funny most of the time. With the exception of a few amusing gags here and there, it's mostly just a series of outrageous incidents in which Dick does the most shocking and antisocial things possible in response to whatever situation he finds himself in.
The thing is, though, that after a while it doesn't really matter that the movie isn't totally belly-laugh funny, because gradually Dick's character becomes rather interesting and even somewhat fascinating to observe as Shafer plays his "obnoxious bastard" qualities to the disgusting hilt. Watching him run roughshod over various porn-business types and other leeches is even somewhat gratifying, even if you can't stand the man himself.
The story gets rather interesting as well, with one auditioning actress named Peaches Ripen (Cela Scott) hinting that Dick may in fact be her illegitimate father, and colorful conflicts between the director and other actors, as well as growing bad feelings between him and Coco, begin to resolve themselves in satisying ways until finally the story's surprise climax is both shocking and entertaining.
Direction is by Christopher Ray (aka Christopher Douglas Olen Ray), whose father Fred shows up in interview segments along with such familiar faces as Richard Grieco (FORGET ABOUT IT) and Richard Gabai (BIKINI DRIVE-IN, NIGHTMARE SISTERS).
The cast is also stocked with what I understand are several actual current porn stars such as Bonnie Rotten. The Italian loan shark, Tony Baritoni, is played by Tim Abell of WE WERE SOLDIERS, INHERITANCE, and ATTACK OF THE 60-FOOT CENTERFOLD.
But DICK DICKSTER is Robert R. Shafer's show, and although he lacks the comedy timing and finesse of a skilled comedian, he blusters and bullies his way though this well-mounted comedy documentary like a bull in a china closet, with equally destructive yet perversely watchable results.
Tech Specs Runtime: 90 mins Format: 1:78 HD Sound: Dolby Digital Subtitles: English Country: USA Language: English Website: http://theywantdickdickster.wixsite.com/twdd Genre: Comedy, Thriller Extras: Deleted scene, Indican trailers
