Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, nominated for three Academy Awards and celebrated as one of the most popular spy thrillers of all time, NORTH BY NORTHWEST comes to life on the big screenwhen it plays at The Wildey Theater in Edwardsville, IL ( 252 N Main St, Edwardsville, IL 62025) at 7:00pm Tuesday June 8th. $3 (or free with proof of vaccination) Tickets available starting at 3pm day of movie at Wildey Theatre ticket office. Cash or check only. (cash, credit cards accepted for concessions) Lobby opens at 6pm. Attendance limited to 150.
Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason and Martin Landau give fast and furious chase across the country, from the skyscrapers of Manhattan to the dizzying peaks of Mount Rushmore, set to the music of Bernard Herrmann, don’t miss your chance to see NORTH BY NORTHWEST on the big screen
Anthony Quinn and Charles Bronson in GUNS FOR SAN SEBASTIAN (1968) will be available on Blu-ray June 15th from Warner Archive.
Leon Alastray (Anthony Quinn), a rebel on the run from the Mexican Army, escapes to the remote village of San Sebastian, where locals believe he’s a holy man. Finding the area devastated by savage Yaqui attacks and the presence of a separate enemy – Teclo (Charles Bronson), a man with his own shocking secret – Leon reveals his true identity and leads the villagers against the deadly threat. As the people of San Sebastian prepare for an explosive fight, they must gather courage to reclaim their town.
The 13-Episode ULTRA GALAXY: MEGA MONSTER BATTLE Series and the Movie will be available on Blu-ray June 15th from Mill Creek Entertainment
Originally released in 2007, the 13-episode ULTRA GALAXY: MEGA MONSTER BATTLE was linked to a popular Japanese arcade card game in which monsters from across the Ultraman Series engaged in head-to-head combat. The show is set in the distant future, as the Earth organization ZAP SPACY explores unknown planets for much-needed natural resources. Under the leadership of Captain Hyuga, the crew of the spaceship Pendragon crash-land on Planet Boris, a desolate world teaming with warring giant monsters. There they encounter a mysterious young man named Rei who uses a device called the Battlenizer to summon and control his own monsters.
The story continues in the 2008 sequel series ULTRA GALAXY: MEGA MONSTER BATTLE NEVER ENDING ODYSSEY. The Pendragon team are attacked by the Reionics Hunters, members of the alien Pedan race that seek to exterminate all of Rei’s kind. The conflict leads the crew to the monster-filled Planet Hammer and an encounter with Alien Reiblood, first of the Reionics.
Rei and the Pendragon crew return in the 2009 theatrical feature MEGA MONSTER BATTLE ULTRA GALAXY THE MOVIE, a special effects extravaganza with nearly all of the Ultra Heroes! A terrifying threat returns to destroy the Ultraman homeworld, the Land of Light in Nebula M78, when the evil Ultraman Belial is released from centuries of imprisonment. Armed with a powerful Reionics weapon called the Giga Battlenizer, Bellial defeats one Ultraman after another and steals the Plasma Spark, the energy source for the Land of Light. Ultraman Mebius seeks out Rei to help rescue Ultraman and Ultraseven and recover the Plasma Spark. But will even the timely assistance of Ultraman Dyna and the powerful young fighter Ultraman Zero be enough to turn the tide against Belial and his army of monsters?
RLJE Films, a business unit of AMC Networks, has picked up select rights to the horror film, ANYTHING FOR JACKSON, from Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural. RLJE Films will release ANYTHING FOR JACKSON on VOD, Digital, DVD and Blu-ray on June 15, 2021.
Now you can win the Win the DVD of ANYTHING FOR JACKSON We Are Movie Geeks has two to give away. Just leave a comment below telling us what the scariest movie you’ve seen yet this year (I’s say SPIRAL. It’s so easy!
1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT. PRIZE WILL ONLY BE SHIPPED TO US ADDRESSES. NO P.O. BOXES. NO DUPLICATE ADDRESSES.
2. WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES
Directed by Justin G. Dyck (Christmas With a Prince) and written by Keith Cooper (A Witches’ Ball), ANYTHING FOR JACKSONstars Sheila McCarthy (The Broken Hearts Gallery, Die Hard 2), Julian Richings (Spare Parts, Man of Steel), Konstantina Mantelos (“Miss Misery”, “Paranormal 911”) and Yannick Bisson (“Murdoch Mysteries”). RLJE Films will release ANYTHING FOR JACKSON on DVD for an SRP of $27.97 and Blu-ray for an SRP of $28.96.
In ANYTHING FOR JACKSON, after a tragic car accident that took their grandson’s life, Audrey and Henry are unable to go on without him. Following the guidance of their ancient spell book, the elderly couple decide to abduct a young pregnant woman with the intention of performing a “reverse exorcism” to channel their grandson’s spirit inside her unborn child. But when it becomes clear the ritual has called upon more than one spirit, the couple realize they have summoned more than they bargained for and must put an end to the evil entity they’ve invoked.
The critics are impressed:
This Year’s HEREDITARY” – Nerdist
“the kind of nightmare fuel that would impress Clive Barker” – RogerEbert.com
“a riotously gory, impish inversion of all things yuletide” – The Guardian
The Tense New Thriller Premieres on Digital, on Demand and in Select Theaters July 30, 2021 from Shout! Studios. Check out this trailer:
The tense and twisty home invasion thriller MASQUERADE, written and directed by Shane Dax Taylor (Isolation, Bloodworth, Close Range) premieres on digital, on demand and in select cinemas nationwide on July 30, 2021 from Shout! Studios. In the dark tale of truth and consequences Bella Thorne (Midnight Sun, Assassination Nation, Netflix’s The Babysitter franchise) leads a stellar cast of Alyvia Alyn Lind (Netflix’s Daybreak, Overboard), Skyler Samuels (The Gifted, American Horror Story) with Mircea Monroe (Book Club, Fifty Shades of Black) and Austin Nichols (The Walking Dead, Bates Motel). Eleven-year-old Casey (Lind) is home alone — until a group of intruders, led by Rose (Thorne), break in. They plan to steal her family’s priceless collection of artwork, but their wreckless ambition is outmatched only by Rose’s opportunism. Casey must struggle to survive as the stakes grow ever higher and the invaders prove themselves willing to stop at nothing to get what they want. A Production of Racer Entertainment, and A Shane Dax Taylor Film, MASQUERADE is produced by Steven Schneider (Glass, Insidious: The Lost Key), Shane Dax Taylor, and Kenneth Burke (Black Cadillac, Bloodworth).
Eleven-year-old Casey (Lind) is home alone — until a group of intruders, led by Rose (Thorne), break in. They plan to steal her family’s priceless collection of artwork, but their wreckless ambition is outmatched only by Rose’s opportunism. Casey must struggle to survive as the stakes grow ever higher and the invaders prove themselves willing to stop at nothing to get what they want. A Production of Racer Entertainment, and A Shane Dax Taylor Film, MASQUERADE is produced by Steven Schneider (Glass, Insidious: The Lost Key), Shane Dax Taylor, and Kenneth Burke (Black Cadillac, Bloodworth).
“I got the results of the test back – I definitely have breast cancer.”
The St. Louis movie event of the summer! Tommy Wiseau in THE ROOM plays at The Skyview Drive-in in Belleville (5700 N Belt W, Belleville, IL 62226), at 11pm Thursday June 24th.A Facebook invite can be found HERE. Tickets will only be sold at box office on June 24th. The Skyview’s site can be found HERE
There are different types of ‘Bad Movies’. It’s become sport to poke fun at bloated star vehicles such as ISHTAR, GLITTER, or GIGLI but those films are usually miserable experiences to actually sit through. There are films that are intentionally bad such as those from Troma studios (TOXIC AVENGER, POULTRYGEIST) but Troma knows its audience and anyone seeing a Troma film knows what they are getting into. Tommy Wiseau’s THE ROOM belongs with the group of movies that are so bad that they can transform their own awfulness into a “comedy of errors”. Unlike more mundane bad films, these films develop an ardent following of fans who love them because of their poor quality, because normally, the errors (technical or artistic) or wildly contrived plots are unlikely to be seen elsewhere and they become great entertainment in spite of themselves. PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE is the most famous film in this category but its director, Ed Wood, made his films while cloaked in an alcoholic haze (and bra) while convinced he was making great art. I’m not sure what Tommy Wiseau’s excuse is.
THE ROOM is an independently-made, self-distributed movie Wiseau wrote, directed, and starred in back in 2003 that would have been quickly forgotten if it hadn’t found new life after being discovered by some courageous Los Angeles movie fans. It’s been playing midnights in larger cities for a couple of years now, complete with prop-throwing, dialog-heckling, and the audience acting out scenes (think ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW without the bustiers). I’ve seen THE ROOM many times (the first was from Netflix, when I watched it twice because I thought I had dreamed what I watched the first time) and can’t wait to see it again with a live interactive audience so I too can shout out “Lisa, you’re tearing me apart!” I won’t bother reviewing THE ROOM because there’s no real way of adequately describing the film’s amusements in standard critique but I will say that it really does live up (or in this case down) to its reputation.
A most uncomplicated love story, THE ROOM stars Wiseau as Johnny, a long-haired banker whose trampy girlfriend Lisa (Juliette Danielle) is having an affair with his best friend Mark (Greg Sestero). Johnny gets upset. The End. To be sure, THE ROOM is a craptacular train wreck that will have you rolling on the floor with laughter because of its stupidity, but it is so transcendent in its dreadfulness that it actually becomes a thing of beauty. All of THE ROOMS’s cult achievement rests squarely on the awkward shoulders of Tommy Wiseau, the creepiest leading man ever to grace the big screen. Wiseau looks like Gene Simmons’ squat, constipated brother and has an incredibly uncomfortable screen presence. Speaking in a vague Eastern European accent (he claims he’s originally from France. He also claims to study psychology ‘as a hobby’), his every line is mumbled in the same phonetic, euro-sleaze inflection and concluded with a forced, strangled giggle. Wiseu directs himself in three long soft-core sex scenes, each one accompanied by an excruciating song and while Wiseu could have hired as his leading lady an unattractive actress who could act or a beauty who couldn’t, Juliette Danielle is both homely and untalented. I hate to be cruel but with her bad teeth, folds of fat that pop out of her lingerie, and nervous tick neck-twitch, she actually outdoes Wiseu in the lack-of-charisma department (at I first suspected she must be Wiseau’s girlfriend until I read an interview where he claims to have discovered her the day before shooting began when he spotted her stepping off a bus!).
It’s hard to explain the appeal of THE ROOM to someone who hasn’t seen it. I could describe the craziness that abounds such as the scene when the guys go outside and toss a football around from about three feet apart while reciting wretched dialog, or mention that a main character announces she has cancer halfway through, a development never again revisited, but there’s no way my descriptions can do THE ROOM’s unintentional delights justice. After all the anti-acclaim the film has received, Wiseau has backpedaled and now claims he was making a spoof, or dark comedy all along. I’m not buying it. I’ve read and seen too many interviews with Wiseau. I’ve interviewed him myself (he called me and said “You have twenty minutes of my time!”….an hour later I said to him “Dude, I have to go – gotta to make dinner for my kids!”). I’m convinced he really was trying to make a serious drama with THE ROOM. Watch the extras on the THE ROOM DVD and you’ll observe a man who just isn’t all there. I’ve never seen someone with such a complete lack of self-awareness and oblivious narcissism. Sorry Tommy, we’re not laughing with you, we’re laughing at you. I don’t mean to begrudge the guy, as I understand it takes a lot of hard work to get a feature film made and he should just be glad he’s managed to turn himself into something of a cult figure. Wiseau says THE ROOM was based on his unpublished novel and never-performed play (!). Wiseau also claims the film’s budget was 6 million dollars but I’m sure 95% of that went to pay for the billboards he posted along Sunset Boulevard for four straight years promoting THE ROOM that show a huge close-up of his foul mug and the purchase of a full page “for your Oscar consideration” ad in Variety. Wiseau’s film failed to receive any nominations but he has self-published a glossy commemorative hardback book on the making of THE ROOM. I must have that book! It doesn’t get worse than THE ROOM, and that’s a good thing.
Andi Matichak and Emile Hirsch in the New Shocker SON Premieres Exclusively on Shudder July 8 Check out the trailer:
Written and directed by Ivan Kavanagh (Never Grow Old, The Canal), SONstars Andi Matichak (Halloween franchise, Assimilate), Emile Hirsch (Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, Into the Wild, Milk), and Luke David Blumm (The King of Staten Island).
In SON, after a mysterious group of individuals breaks into Laura’s home and attempts to abduct her eight-year-old son, David, the two of them flee town in search of safety. But soon after the failed kidnapping, David becomes extremely ill, suffering from increasingly sporadic psychosis and convulsions. Following her maternal instincts to save him, Laura commits unspeakable acts to keep him alive, but soon she must decide how far she is willing to go to save her son.
Read my interview with filmmaker Joseph Puleo HERE, and read Jim Batts review of AMERICA’S LAST LITTLE ITALY: THE HILL HERE
AMERICA’S LAST LITTLE ITALY: THE HILL. the award-winning documentary about St. Louis’ most venerable Italian neighborhood, has been named a Silver award-winner for General-History for Non-Broadcast in the 42nd Annual Telly Awards.
With over 12,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents, the Telly Awards is the premier award honoring video and television across all screens and is judged by leading experts from television, streaming networks, and production companies, including Netflix, Dow Jones, Duplass Brothers Productions, A&E Networks, Nickelodeon, ESPN Films, and Vimeo.
The documentary tells the story of The Hill, the St. Louis Italian-American neighborhood founded by Italian immigrants in the late 1800s. Much larger than other Little Italys, The Hill encompasses some 52 square blocks. While the most popular Little Italys across America have lost their ethnic identity, The Hill remains an actual Italian neighborhood, not just one street of tourist attraction restaurants and shops.
“We’re tremendously honored that America’s Last Little Italy: The Hill has been recognized on a global stage at this year’s Telly Awards. It’s so rewarding that our film continues to resonate with the people who watch it, regardless of if they’re Italian-American or not,” said director/producer Joseph Puleo. “To bring the remarkable story of The Hill neighborhood to the attention of people across the world has been our goal all along and this award will only help that cause.”
Since its premiere, America’s Last Little Italy: The Hill has garnered numerous awards, including Best Documentary at the Venus Italian International Film Festival, and Best Documentary at the Little Rock Italian Film Festival. The film was also an Official Selection at the New Haven Documentary Film Festival. The film’s positive critical acclaim includes Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Costas who said the film was “captured with a clear eye and abundant heart.” Additionally, the film continues to generate tremendous buzz not only regionally, but across the country and through social media.
America’s Last Little Italy: The Hill is currently being distributed to PBS stations across the country by NETA and is available on DVD, where it has already achieved sales of 5,000+ and is streaming for rent or purchase via Amazon Prime Video.
THE SERPENT, releases June 18th from Vertical Entertainment. The film was directed, written, and produced by Gia Skova, who also stars as the film’s lead. Here’s the exciting trailer:
Agent Lucinda Kavsky is highly trained and one of the CIA’s most lethal weapons. When she’s given a special assignment that takes a disastrous turn, she comes to find out she is being set up by her own agency. As she unravels their horrendous plot, she uncovers a web of lies and secrecy that expose a massive conspiracy.
THE SERPENT stars Gia Skova, Travis Aaron Wade, Craig Conway, Alexandra Tebano, and Nigel Vonas
“You see, Jason was my son, and today is his birthday… “
St. Louis-area Jason Voorhees fans!The Starlite Drive-in (15605 N. State Highway 21, Cadet, MO 63630) will be showing The Original FRIDAY THE 13th Double Feature With A QUIET PLACE 2starting this weekend, June 4th and 5th, and the show starts at 8:45. The Starlite’s other screen will be showing CRUELLA and RAJA AND TEH DRAGON.It’s always best to order tickets in advance! The Starlite’s site can be foundHERE.
For generations to come the original FRIDAY THE 13th will remain a classic, beloved goldmine of slasher tropes! Who would have thought a movie about a bunch of kids going to a camp where two people died years later would be so full of sex and violence? The critics hated this movie but it was a box-office sensation and anyone who loves slasher films adores it. It’s such easy fodder to tear into but it’s also entertaining despite all the flaws. Bad acting? Check. Bad camera work? Check. Spending four fifths of the movie thinking the camera man is the killer? Check.
FRIDAY THE 13th got some outstanding gore and, moves along fast enough to keep you interested and, despite tons of filler, is so much fun to watch because it’s so easy to sit with friends and riff it. It’s a pretty great horror film and party movie so don’t miss your chance to see it on the big screen this weekend at The Starlite
