Movies

Guess who goes where? Everything feels so possible at the start... the only "lockish" thing about this year's Best Actor race is that there is a crazy amount of HAIR happening. Goatees, moustaches, wigs, curls, shags, pomade, dye-jobs, ...
Guess who goes where? Everything feels so possible at the start... the only "lockish" thing about this year's Best Actor race is that there is a crazy amount of HAIR happening. Goatees, moustaches, wigs, curls, shags, pomade, dye-jobs, fros... you name it, it's happening! THE BEST ACTOR CHARTTom Hanks, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Matthew McConaughey leading the charge Which leading men are you rooting for? (From a distance of course. I hope you all jump ship if the performance doesn't live up to your dreams! The past few years of Oscar races have shown a disturbing amount of stubborn Team Loyalty before the films and performances were seen)
31 minutes ago
Lionsgate stock keeps roaring, setting another all-time high thanks to more Wall Street bullishness over its TV business and its young-adult franchises, such as “The Hunger Games.” The stock jumped 4% on Thursday, rising $1.11 to $...
Lionsgate stock keeps roaring, setting another all-time high thanks to more Wall Street bullishness over its TV business and its young-adult franchises, such as “The Hunger Games.” The stock jumped 4% on Thursday, rising $1.11 to $27.66. The stock has nearly doubled in price this year and more than tripled its $8.60 price when Lionsgate... Read more »
31 minutes ago
Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton informed President Obama on Thursday that he was stepping down from his seat on the Broadcasting Board of Governors, apparently over time commitments. In a letter to Obama, Lynton said that “ci...
Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton informed President Obama on Thursday that he was stepping down from his seat on the Broadcasting Board of Governors, apparently over time commitments. In a letter to Obama, Lynton said that “circumstances kept me from taking part” in recent formal meetings of the board. He has served since July 2,... Read more »
42 minutes ago
[Back in May of 2003 (!!) I posted a Video Cheese review of a set of '70s cop show first episodes. One of these was the first chapter of the S.W.A.T. TV show. In honor of Steve Forrest's recent passing, I thought I would report that piec...
[Back in May of 2003 (!!) I posted a Video Cheese review of a set of '70s cop show first episodes. One of these was the first chapter of the S.W.A.T. TV show. In honor of Steve Forrest's recent passing, I thought I would report that piece.] S.W.A.T.:  “The Killing Ground” Theme Music/Credit Sequence:  One of the great themes of the ‘70s is supported by a pretty cool action montage.  The S.W.A.T. team transport truck was right up there with the A-Team’s van. Concept:  An elite police team employs Special Weapons and Tactics.  “When people are in trouble, they call the police.  When the police are in trouble, they call S.W.A.T.” Regulars:  Steve “Captain America” Forrest* is team leader Lt. Hondo Harrelson, Robert Urich is Off. James Street. [*Editor Ken: Mr. Forrest didn't play Captain America, but he had appeared in the Reb Brown failed TV pilot movie.] The Episode:  Before S.W.A.T. became a series, it was given a backdoor pilot via a two-hour episode of The Rookies.  However, the only character introduced there was team leader ‘Hondo’ Harrelson.  The rest of the regular cast we meet here, with all the normal exposition and so on.  Thus this is the only show of the five featured on this DVD that feels like a real ‘first’ episode of a series. Handsome young patrol cop Jim Street and his veteran partner Rob Duran respond to a domestic disturbance call.  Upon reaching the scene, however, they find themselves ambushed by a trio of snipers.  Another patrol car comes by and helps drive their assailants off, but Duran is severely wounded.  Quickly on the scene—too quickly, it seems, although as explained later it makes sense—is a S.W.A.T. team led by Lt. Hondo Harrelson. Duran dies at the hospital.  Street cries big glycerin tears, obviously an attempt to make the characters more ‘realistic’ and sensitive than earlier TV cops in the Joe Friday mold.  He then asks Harrelson to let him try out for the new S.W.A.T. team Hondo’s establishing. Afterward, Harrelson informs Mrs. Duran, pregnant with their third child, of her husband’s fate.  She looks about twenty years younger than her husband was, for whatever reason. Perhaps because if she’s young and attractive the whole thing seems more tragic. Since Hondo isn’t in Duran’s chain of command, his assuming this task seems unlikely.  Besides, wouldn’t Street, who was the guy’s partner, want to be the one to tell her?  In any case, the scene is a sadly hilarious example of ‘70s earnestness, exemplified by Forrest’s forehead-wrinkling acting.  And the dialog is shameless: Grieving widow:  “The baby’s birthday is tomorrow.  We…were going to buy the party decorations tonight!  God!  God!  Why?! Why?!” The ambush was the latest in a string of cop killings.  We the viewers now meet the killers, who are seeking revenge for a felonious relative shot down by police.  Meanwhile, Street, fellow patrol cop T. J. McCabe (‘T.J.’ being popular initials for TV cops, I guess) and undercover narc Dominic Luca attempt to make the S.W.A.T. team.  Luca’s the class clown guy whose mouth usually gets him in trouble.  When we first see him he’s in full undercover Serpico-mode, including the inevitable battered army jacket and beard. There are other guys trying out, but Street, McCabe and Luca are clearly the ones who will make the cut.  (First of all, we saw all of them in the opening credits.)  We’re told what a hard-ass Harrelson is, and how rigorous the training, although all we see is some standard calisthenics and field stuff. Part of the show’s appeal was the team’s, well, stuff.  Particularly the “war wagon.”  This was the big blue truck that transported the team and their equipment.  To facilitate speed, the team members grab their weapons on the way out and leap into the truck.  Then they don their jumpsuits and body armor en route and arrive ready to instantly deploy.  Extra weapons and gear are on board for off-duty personnel, who are directed to head directly to the scene when a call goes
about 1 hour ago
The venerable NBC late-night skein is on summer hiatus, but the lack of fresh material on air isn’t keeping SNL-watchers from prognosticating the show’s direction come the autumn.
The venerable NBC late-night skein is on summer hiatus, but the lack of fresh material on air isn’t keeping SNL-watchers from prognosticating the show’s direction come the autumn.
about 1 hour ago
Maintaining a strong acquistions pace, Sundance Selects has acquired North American rights to Clio Barnard’s “The Selfish Giant,” following its world premiere in the Directors Fortnight at Cannes. It’s the fourth Cannes...
Maintaining a strong acquistions pace, Sundance Selects has acquired North American rights to Clio Barnard’s “The Selfish Giant,” following its world premiere in the Directors Fortnight at Cannes. It’s the fourth Cannes buy for Sundance Selects, which has also bought a pair of competition titles — “Young & Beautiful” and “Blue Is the Warmest Color”... Read more »
about 1 hour ago
Steve Forrest, immortalized for viewers of a certain age as Lt. Dan “Hondo” Harrelson on the short lived but affectionately recalled SWAT, passed away on May 18th. For those unfamiliar with his work, Mr. Forrest was sort of a...
Steve Forrest, immortalized for viewers of a certain age as Lt. Dan “Hondo” Harrelson on the short lived but affectionately recalled SWAT, passed away on May 18th. For those unfamiliar with his work, Mr. Forrest was sort of a (pre-comedy) Leslie Nielsen or Lee Majors sort of actor. Mr. Forrest basically began his career as a film and TV actor in the early ’50s, generally playing very small roles. By the mid-50s he was working more steadily on television, and slowly building his career. He would have his first taste of stardom as the titular lead on the adventure series The Baron, in which he basically played an American version of The Saint. The program lasted but one year, albeit that was a 30 episode run. I’ve never really seen the show, but for some reason I own it on DVD. I must have grabbed it somewhere when it was on sale really cheap. By then Mr. Forrest was a guest star mainstay, one of that gigantic pool of actors you had back in that day, appearing on all the endless cops shows and westerns and whatnot. It was in 1975, though, that he received his signature show in SWAT. Partially propelled by quite popular theme music that sold like hot cakes on vinyl, the show was an instant hit. Sadly, it was also immediately targeted by special interest groups for its copious violence. That was a fairly big issue back then, and ABC responded by reducing the show’s mayhem. Needless to say, this reduced audience interest in the show dramatically, and SWAT was off the air after two seasons. His place in pop culture history secured, Mr. Forrest continued to work in television guest roles through 2003. He also played the rocketship captain in the Cat-Women of the Moon parody Amazon Women on the Moon. Mr. Forrest was 87 at the time of his passing. Related PostsRIP Emi Itô (Jul 9, 2012) RIP Ernest Borgnine (Jul 8, 2012) RIP Andy Griffith (Jul 3, 2012) RIP Richard Lynch (Jun 21, 2012) RIP Ray Bradbury (Jun 6, 2012)
about 1 hour ago
One more superhero couldn't hurt. Though it seemed like the cast of X-Men: Days of Future Past was all filled up, director Bryan Singer just revealed one last addition. Through Twitter, Singer announced that "American Horror Story" regul...
One more superhero couldn't hurt. Though it seemed like the cast of X-Men: Days of Future Past was all filled up, director Bryan Singer just revealed one last addition. Through Twitter, Singer announced that "American Horror Story" regular and Kick-Ass co-star Evan Peters is playing Quicksilver, a character with superhuman speed who happens to be the son of Magneto and the twin brother of Scarlet Witch. What makes this news truly interesting is that Joss Whedon has actually confirmed that both Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch would appear in The Avengers 2 as well. So what does that mean for Marvel and Fox? ››› Continue reading Evan Peters is Cast as Quicksilver in 'X-Men: Days of Future Past'
about 1 hour ago
Feature trailer for Rush. There is a line that all drivers tell themselves. Death is something that happens to other people. That's how you find the courage to get in the car in the first place. But more powerful than fear itself... is...
Feature trailer for Rush. There is a line that all drivers tell themselves. Death is something that happens to other people. That's how you find the courage to get in the car in the first place. But more powerful than fear itself... is the will to win. Filed Under: Rush (2013) Tags: Universal Pictures, Action, Drama, Biopic, Thriller, Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Bruhl, Olivia Wilde
about 1 hour ago
The 2-year wait for Luther season 3 will be over this fall, as BBC America has announced that Neil Cross’s fan-favorite series will be returning on September 3 with a week marathon of all 4 episodes – and what’s more, some plot det...
The 2-year wait for Luther season 3 will be over this fall, as BBC America has announced that Neil Cross’s fan-favorite series will be returning on September 3 with a week marathon of all 4 episodes – and what’s more, some plot details of this upcoming season were also included. In BBC America’s press release, it was announced that Luther season 3 will air from September 3-6 at 10pm, essentially turning the short-season show into its own miniseries. What all will happen in the highly-anticipated episodes is still unknown, but the plot description below hints at a few things: John Luther, the near-genius detective struggling to cope with his own demons, is back under intense pressure – with two conflicting crimes to investigate and a ruthless ex-cop determined to bring him down. Luther’s ...Click to continue reading ‘Luther’ Season 3 Premiere Date & Plot Details Revealed
about 1 hour ago