Academy Awardnominee Mark Wahlberg re-teams with director Peter Berg (Lone Survivor) in the tense, moving action drama Deepwater Horizon, arriving on Digital HD December 20th from Summit Entertainment, a LIONSGATE Company. Filled with powerful performances and “white-knuckle tension” (USA Today) Deepwater Horizon will be available on 4K Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray and Digital HD), Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital HD), DVD and On Demand January 10. Rotten Tomatoes Certified Fresh, Deepwater Horizon honors the brave men and women whose heroism would save many on board, and change all of their lives forever. This epic story of survival also stars Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight), Academy Award® nominee John Malkovich (Best Supporting Actor, In the Line of Fire, 1993), Gina Rodriguez (TV’s “Jane the Virgin”), Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner franchise), and Academy Award® nominee Kate Hudson (Best Supporting Actress, Almost Famous, 2000).
Mark Wahlberg leads an all-star cast in this unforgettably powerful film inspired by a thrilling story of real-life heroes. For the one hundred and twenty-six people aboard the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig, April 20, 2010, began like any normal day. Before day’s end, the world would bear witness to one of the greatest man-made disasters in U.S. history. Deepwater Horizon reveals the brave acts of the men and women who rose to the challenge—and risked everything to lead others to safety.
The Deepwater Horizon 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and Digital HD releases have over two hours of special features including an hour-long five-part series “Beyond the Horizon,” – in which Mark Wahlberg and the cast meet the real-life heroes and discuss their experiences from Deepwater Horizon – three all-new featurettes looking at Peter Berg’s directing of the film and the incredible work involved in bringing the Deepwater Horizon rig and explosive stunts to life, and behind-the-scenes footage of how some of the most difficult scenes were shot. These releases also include tributes to America’s blue-collar workers in “Work Like an American,” featuring profiles of a real-life Deepwater Horizon firefighter, an ironworker, a longshoreman and many more hardworking Americans. The Blu-ray of Deepwater Horizon will feature a Dolby Atmos soundtrack remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead.
The Deepwater Horizon DVD release includes two featurettes looking behind the scenes of the film and the “Work Like an American” tributes. Deepwater Horizon will be available on 4K Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD for the suggested retail price of $42.99, $39.99 and $29.95, respectively.
Deepwater Horizon’s screen story by Matthew Sand with screenplay by Matthew Michael Carnahan and Matthew Sand.
4K ULTRA HD / BLU-RAY / DIGITAL HD SPECIAL FEATURES
As we head into the holiday season, WAMG brings you our list of the Best Non-Traditional Christmas Movies to watch after the Holiday ham, pretty presents, and multiple viewings of WHITE CHRISTMAS, HOME ALONE and MIRACLE ON 34th STREET are a thing of Christmas Past.
Our choices are filled snarky mistletoe carnage and crafty comedy – Geek style. Santa Claus is coming to town in these “More Naughty Than Nice” films.
We’ve made a list and checked it twice with our lineup of not just the 20 Best holiday films but the Top 21 Non-Traditional Christmas Movies. After the success of KRAMPUS, we just had to add it!
We kick off our list with our Honorable Mention –
JINGLE ALL THE WAY
Christmas; It’s the most magical time of the year. High powered businessman Howard Langston (Arnold Schwarzenegger), is hard at work taking last-minute orders from customers to whom he just can’t say no; like his son, Jamie (Jake Lloyd), asking for the hottest action figure of the season — Turbo Man! Unfortunately, Howard is facing one BIG problem: It’s Christmas Eve, and Turbo Man has been sold out since Thanksgiving! Howard’s down-to-the-wire trek to find Turbo Man quickly turns into an odyssey wilder than he could have ever imagined. In the course of his seemingly endless Yuletide misadventures, he finds himself in a no-holds-barred fight-to-the-finish with a crazed postman named Myron (Sinbad), who is out to claim the last Turbo Man for his kid. It’s enough to scare away even the bravest of men. But to Howard, this is war — and he’s determined to win…no matter what!
20. SANTA’S SLAY
‘TWAS THE FRIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS… Hate to be the bearer of bad news — especially at Christmas but you’ve all been lied to… Santa (former WWE star Bill Goldberg) is not a jolly old man with a big smile handing out toys to good children, he’s the son of Satan who lost a bet 1,000 years ago and was forced into spreading Christmas cheer. Now his 1,000 years are up and he’s after one thing…REVENGE. Finally, his true colours are showing, and he’s taking out his anger on the residents of a small American town.Teenager Nicholas Yuleson finds out that his grandfather is actually the angel who won the bet and now that it is over, Santa Claus wants payback. Nicholas and his girlfriend Mary (Lost star Emilie De Ravin) try to escape from the Killer Claus and find a way to stop his reign of terror before it’s the end of Christmas as we know it.
19. SILENT NIGHT (2012)
In 1984, the slasher classic Silent Night, Deadly Night stunned audiences, was banned across America, and remains the most notorious Christmas movie in history. Now, Santa is back, and he’s got a brand new bag of tricks.
As their small Midwestern town prepares for its annual Christmas Eve parade, Sheriff (Malcolm McDowell of Halloween) and his deputy (Jaime King of My Bloody Valentine 3-D and “Hart Of Dixie”) discover that a maniac in a Santa suit is murdering those he judges as “naughty.” Their sins? Porn, adultery, greed… And he will make sure they rest in heavenly pieces. Donal Logue (Shark Night 3D), Ellen Wong (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World), Lisa Marie (The Lords of Salem), and Brendan Fehr (“CSI: Miami”) co-star in this brutal and darkly humorous tale of Christmas gone bad.
So you better watch out!!
18. DIE HARD 2
“Ah, what the hell; it’s Christmas!”
Bruce Willis returns as John McClane, an off-duty cop who is the wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time in DIE HARD 2. On a snowy Christmas Eve, as he waits for his wife’s plane to land at Washington Dulles International Airport, terrorists take over the air traffic control system. It’s now up to McClane to take on the terrorists, while coping with an inept airport police chief, an uncooperative anti-terrorist squad and the life of his wife and everyone else trapped in planes circling overhead.
“Just once, I’d like a regular, normal Christmas. Eggnog, a f****n’ Christmas tree, a little turkey. But, no. I gotta crawl around in this motherf****n’ tin can.
17. BLACK CHRISTMAS
BLACK CHRISTMAS (the 1974 version of course), generally acknowledged as the forerunner of the ‘slasher’ genre, is so graphic in its imagination that you don’t even need to see any gore or murder. BLACK CHRISTMAS, which holds up spectacularly well after almost 40 years, tells the tale of a group of sorority sisters that are hounded and harassed by a mysterious obscene crank caller. Circumstances take a disturbing turn when one of the poor gals winds up missing (She’s the one up in the attic throughout the movie! With the plastic bag over her head!). Up next is an investigation and the appearance of a few more dead bodies, ultimately leading up to a finale that will forever be etched in your mind when you tuck under the covers and prepare for sleep (which may actually never come). BLACK CHRISTMAS sports a stellar cast that includes Olivia Hussey (ROMEO AND JULIET), Margot Kidder (acting drunk and slutty), John Saxon (acting drunk and studly), Keir Dullea, and Andrea Martin (who would play the house mother in the forgettable 2006 BLACK CHRISTMAS remake). Add to the mix director Bob Clark, one of the most eclectic independent directors ever, and a born storyteller (the man was responsible for A CHRISTMAS STORY, PORKY’S, and CHILDREN SHOULDN’T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS). No doubt, if Bob Clark could’ve copyrighted the slasher movie concepts and cliches that he created, he would’ve been just as famous as John Carpenter or Wes Craven, maybe even more.
16. SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT
SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT, the poster child for Holiday horror films, caused a huge stink when it was released back in 1984. Influential film critic Gene Siskel especially despised the film, going as far to list, on his syndicated TV show, the film’s producers by name and, wagging his finger like a sweater-vested church lady, wailed “shame, shame, shame” after each name. What got Siskel’s holiday hackles up was the distasteful idea to have a slasher film featuring Saint Nick as its bloodthirsty villain. It wasn’t even the first ‘killer Santa’ movie – CHRISTMAS EVIL from 1980 has that distinction) but SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT is the most notorious because it had the balls to be released during the Christmas season and its holiday television ads attracted the ire of overly-sensitive parents, some of who actually went out and picketed various theaters in protest of it. Outraged moms and dads wrote letters to the film’s producers (“My little Billy is afraid to sit in Santa’s lap because of a TV commercial he saw for your disgusting film”). Consequently, the flick got pulled out of the cinemas and in some markets, including St. Louis, it was never shown theatrically at all. It eventually did find a big audience when it was released to video stores and several increasingly inferior sequels were spawned (though the great Monte Hellman directed part 3!). Lost in the controversy is that SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT was actually a pretty solid and scary horror flick. Of course it was never meant for kids, who would likely have been scarred for life if they had seen the opening sequence where an escaped criminal in a Santa suit rapes and kills off a kids mom while the child looks on. SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT has plenty of fun bloody death scenes and some great one-liners.
15. ELVES
They don’t work for Santa anymore!
A Nazi doctor obsessed with eugenics decided to create a hybrid race of elves who terrorize a small town during Christmas. The only one who can save the day Christmas is Mike McGavin (Dan Haggerty of TV’s “Grizzly Adams”), the renegade Santa Claus.
14. BAD SANTA
Here’s probably the raunchiest comedy to be set in the holiday season. Thorton’s the most, vile ill-tempered mall Santa ever. He and his “elf” Marcus (Tony Cox) are casing the place for a Christmas Eve robbery for goodness sake! Luckily one of the original “kings of comedy” Bernie Mac as the place’s security chief is on to him. BAD SANTA was the last live action feature film work from John Ritter (who hires the two cons) and the movie’s dedicated to his memory. Also memorable is TV “Gilmore Girl” Lauren Graham as a gal who really, really likes ole’ St. Nick! Really. This was the second fiction feature directed by acclaimed documentarian Terry Zwigoff (CRUMB).
13. RARE EXPORTS: A CHRISTMAS TALE
Rare Exports tells the tale of Pietari Kontio played by Onni Tomilla and his widowed Father, Rauno (apparently played by his real life father Jorma Tomilla) and their adventures on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in their tiny village that sits right next to the Russian border. Pietari and his friend cut through the fence separating the two countries to observe an American drilling crew who has arrived in secret (don’t American’s always have something to hide?) to bore a hole into a huge mountain that is actually a burial mound.
Shortly after the drilling starts children start to disappear and weird voodoo looking dolls are left in their place. The reindeer herd upon which the village depends has almost all been slaughtered, and eaten, by what appears to be humans, barefoot humans!
Two words… Gary Busey. Need more? How’s this… Gary Busey as a convicted killer named Millard Findlemeyer sent to the electric chair, only to return as a gingerbread man cookie with a vengenace! Something as dreadfully awesome as this could only come from the mind of low-budget, genre-schlock-meister Charles Band. The writer and director also even wrote and performed an original song for this modern cult Christmas classic. Put on your PJs, grab a glass of milk and fill yourself with the holiday spirit as a questionably sane Gary Busey plays an insane homicidal gingerbread man hellbent on killing the woman who had him killed. Merry Christmas!
11. SUSAN SLEPT HERE
This 1954 holiday set romantic comedy is actually narrated by an Oscar statuette! A struggling veteran screenwriter, played by the former baby-faced tenor of 30′s musicals Dick Powell, is surprised to find a spunky juvenile delinquent under the Christmas tree. It’s Debbie Reynolds, Queen Organa herself (yup, Carrie Fisher’s Mom) just a couple of years after the classic SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN. Also in the cast are future TV stars Anne Francis (“Honey West”) and Alvy Moore (Mr. Kimball on “Green Acres”). This is one of the early feature films directed by former Loony Tunes animator/director Frank Tashlin. Later he would guide the movie careers of Jayne Mansfield and Jerry Lewis.
10. DIE HARD
“All right, listen up guys. ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except… the four a**holes coming in the rear in standard two-by-two cover formation.”
Warms the holiday heart, doesn’t it? NY cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) is invited to his estranged wife’s Christmas Party “by mistake” and goes up against Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman). “Now I have a machine gun. Ho ho ho.” While not exactly your traditional holiday movie, this 1987 actioner will add a little spike to your glass of eggnog.
9. BETTER OFF DEAD
Sure, getting dumped for someone “more popular” doesn’t exactly set the mood for the holidays… But Lloyd doesn’t let that, or a crazed paperboy stop him from becoming a winner on the slopes! Well, except for the creative ways that he imagines killing himself… That slows him down a bit. There’s no better time for a dark John Cusack comedy than the holidays!
8. JACK FROST
A snowman might not be my first choice for reincarnation, but in Jack Frost, but that’s the card Jack, a father who is too occupied with his band than his family, is dealt after his untimely death in a car accident. As a snowman, he now has the opportunity to make things right with his son before returning to the afterlife. This snowman tale is sure to warm your heart this holiday season.
7. CHRISTMAS EVIL
John Water’s favorite Christmas movie is the 1980 oddity CHRISTMAS EVIL . After suffering a traumatic childhood experience involving his father in Santa Claus outfit, a disturbed toy factory worker fixates on Santa Claus in an unhealthy way. When Christmas cynicism pushes him over the edge, he takes on the role one Christmas eve to reward the good boys and girls – and to murder the cynics. So when he spies a little girl playing with her doll, that’s fine, she’s being nice – when he sees a little boy reading Penthouse, that’s a different matter.
CHRISTMAS EVIL is a suitably surreal entry in the Christmas horror sub-genre and John Waters described it best: ”CHRISTMAS EVIL has a grubby look and mucky atmosphere, as if it were shot using the same crap film they used to shoot those 1970s drive-in concession-stand ads where the food came out looking wretched when its intention was to lure patrons to the snack bar!” CHRISTMAS EVIL is like a murky, clumsily violent dream an alcoholic stepfather is having during the holidays while passed out in his recliner, translated to shoddy film stock – and that isn’t an effect commonly or easily achieved by any movie. A masterpiece.
6. THE ICE HARVEST
THE ICE HARVEST a great example of modern film noir set, naturally, on Christmas Eve in Wichita, KS. Everybody in the film, including the people you’re supposed to be rooting for, shows an unsavory side. Billy Bob Thornton showed his with equal parts of passion and cunning. John Cusack, playing a mob lawyer involved in a plot to swindle his employer and the local mob out of some money, played his role with enough subtlety that he passes for an attorney, and with enough venom to let us know life has treated him wrong (and he has returned the favor). Everyone else runs the gamut from fawning to mischievous to I-can’t-believe-I’ve-gotta-spend-the-holiday- doing-this angry. It’s no spoiler to reveal that the plot had enough twists to keep any mystery lover happy, but THE ICE HARVEST, based on the novel by St. Louisan (and Wichita native) Scott Phillips, carried far more laughs than the usual December comedy and was a dark, dark way to spend Christmas in 2005.
5. SANTA CLAUS (1959)
Badly dubbed over in English, the madcap Mexican import SANTA CLAUS from 1959 is a peculiar pinata packed with pagan ritual, Arthurian legend and Western malarkey. SANTA CLAUS was one of those whacked out K. Gordon Murray hybrid specials that the famed showman would purchase from Mexico, redub, and unleash to kiddie matinees. As weird as the original version of this film probably was, what with the wind up reindeer, and Satan (called Pitch), and Merlin, and the Chucky doll wearing the cowboy hat, and the Rolling Stones giant lips on the wall and the radar dish with the human ear in the center…you can just lump that all into the category of ‘cultural differences’. I am pretty sure that the original version was a harmless, if somewhat trippy, kid’s film. But once the “English Version” editors got done with it, the results defied description. SANTA CLAUS is aMexican fever dream of a kid’s Christmas movie, made by people who obviously hate children,
4. REINDEER GAMES
Get ready for the jingle bells. After being imprisoned for six years on a grand theft auto charge, Rudy Duncan and his cellmate Nick are finally going to be paroled. After hearing endless stories during his incarceration of Nick’s romantic correspondence to a woman named Ashley he has never met, Rudy is looking forward to returning to his family. When Nick is killed during a prison riot, Rudy decides to assume Nick’s identity and meet up with the unknown woman. Burdened with knowledge of Nick’s Indian casino employment past, Rudy finds himself in too deep with Ashley’s brother Gabriel and is forced to cooperate with a casino robbery that Gabriel and his gang have been planning with Nick in mind. Hold tight to that mug of hot chocolate – it’s going to be a bumpy sleigh ride.
3. REMEMBER THE NIGHT
This little known 1940 Paramount gem is slowly becoming a Christmas perrenial on the TCM (Turner Classics Movies) cable channel. Four years later stars Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck would team again for the landmark film noir DOUBLE INDEMNITY for director Billy Wilder. In this Preston Sturges story, Stanwyck’s once again is on the wrong side of the law. She’s a shoplifter in the custody of criminal prosecutor MacMurray who ends ups taking her with him to his family home for Christmas. Both actors would have great success in television decades later, Stanwyck with the western drama “The Big Valley” and MacMurray with the long-running family sitcom “My Three Sons”.
2. 3 GODFATHERS
This Western take on the Nativity story was filmed previously as a silent in 1916 and an early black and white “talkie” in 1936. This color version directed by movie master John Ford and starring his frequent collaborator John Wayne in 1948 is perhaps the best remembered. Three outlaws on the run come across a woman dying in an abandoned wagon alongside her infant. After she passes they take her baby and vow to travel across the merciless desert and deliver the child to the nearest town (at the risk of being caught by the law). Wayne’s two cohorts are Pedro Armendariz and Harry Carrey,Jr. (Senior starred in the 1916 film). Also in the cast are Ford stalwarts ward Bond, Ben Johnson, and Mildred Natwick.
1. EDWARD SCISSORHANDS
There is no wrong time to watch Edward Scissorhands! Tim Burton’s imagination combined with a score by Danny Elfman sets the tone for magic that is sure to brighten the holidays. Johnny Depp is wonderful as the sensitive, creative character of Edward… who is just a bit misunderstood. Oh, and try not to smile with delight as Edward makes it snow for the first time in their small town. It’s nothing short of spectacular!
And finally, our newcomer…
KRAMPUS
Legendary Pictures’ Krampus, a darkly festive tale of a yuletide ghoul, reveals an irreverently twisted side to the holiday.
When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max (Emjay Anthony) is disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. Little does he know, this lack of festive spirit has unleashed the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers.
All hell breaks loose as beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own, laying siege to the fractured family’s home and forcing them to fight for each other if they hope to survive.
The horror-comedy also stars Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, Conchata Ferrell, Stefania Lavie Owen and Krista Stadler.
Krampus and his mischievous underlings have been created by the combined efforts of Weta Workshop and Weta Digital, both renowned for their epic work on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies and King Kong, among many others.
Written and directed by Michael Dougherty (Trick ’r Treat), Krampus is co-written by Zach Shields and Todd Casey and produced by Legendary’s Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni, Alex Garcia and Dougherty.
The terrific score is by composer Douglas Pipes. (Interview)
From director Mel Gibson, the Golden Globe-nominated HACKSAW RIDGE arrives on Digital HD on February 7 and on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray and Digital HD), Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital HD), DVD and On Demand February 21 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.
ased in the incredible true story of one man’s faith, strength and courage during one of the bloodiest battles of WWII, theGolden Globe®-nominated Hacksaw Ridge arrives on Digital HD on February 7 and on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray and Digital HD), Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital HD), DVD and On Demand February 21 from Summit Entertainment, a LIONSGATE Company. From Academy Award®-winning director Mel Gibson (Best Picture, Braveheart, 1995), with screenplay by Robert Schenkkan (The Quiet American) and Andrew Knight (The Water Diviner), Hacksaw Ridge features breathtaking visual effects and stunning production design and has been nominated for three Golden Globes®: Best Picture – Drama, Best Director – Motion Picture, and Best Actor – Motion Picture for Andrew Garfield. Garfield (The Amazing Spider-man) gives a moving performance as American hero Desmond Doss, alongside an all-star cast, including Sam Worthington (Avatar), Luke Bracey (Point Break), Teresa Palmer (Warm Bodies), Hugo Weaving (The Lord of the Rings franchise), Rachel Griffiths (Saving Mr. Banks), and Vince Vaughn (HBO’s “True Detective”).
Hacksaw Ridge is the extraordinary true story of Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) who, in Okinawa during the bloodiest battle of WWII, saved 75 men without firing or carrying a gun. He was the only American soldier in WWII to fight on the front lines without a weapon, as he believed that while the war was justified, killing was nevertheless wrong. As an army medic, he single-handedly evacuated the wounded from behind enemy lines, braved fire while tending to soldiers, was wounded by a grenade, and hit by snipers. Doss was the first conscientious objector to ever earn the Congressional Medal of Honor.
The 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and Digital HD releases feature an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the film in “The Soul of War: Making Hacksaw Ridge,” a comprehensive documentary detailing the making of the film, including the real-life people and story, casting, filming, special effects and stunts with interviews from Mel Gibson, Andrew Garfield and others. In addition, the release will contain deleted scenes and a special Veterans Day Greeting from Mel Gibson. The DVD will feature deleted scenes and the special Veterans Day Greeting. The 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray discs of Hacksaw Ridge will feature Dolby Atmos audio remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead. Hacksaw Ridge will be available on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD for the suggested retail price of $42.99, $39.99 and $29.95, respectively.
4K/BLU-RAY/ DIGITAL HD SPECIAL FEATURES
“The Soul of War: Making Hacksaw Ridge” Documentary
DIE HARD Screens This Friday Night, December 23rd, at Midnight at The Hi-Pointe Theater ( 1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, MO 63117). Admission is only $5.
DIE HARD (1988) is one of the best and most iconic action films from Hollywood. Bruce Willis starred as NYPD Officer John McClane, who tries to save his wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) and several of her co-workers and friends after being taken hostage by German terrorist Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman )and his henchmen during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.
Willis’ witty and deadpan delivery personality, coupled with his never-say-die attitude and relentless attacks on the villains made him a force to be reckoned with, giving us a tough yet comedic performance. Most of DIE HARD takes place inside the Nakatomi Plaza, where you will find all the heart-pounding action as Gruber terrorizes his hostages and tries to rob the treasures within the building the process, while McClane takes on his henchmen one-by-one.
Alan Rickman did a wonderfully devious performance as Gruber, calm and crafty but cold enough to generate no sympathy. Bonnie Bedelia did a great job as Holly Gennaro – gentle, yet fearless. And, Reginald VelJohnson was memorable as Sgt. Al Powell. Highlights are Powell communicating with McClane inside the building, giving him the will to stay tough with all the bad guys around him. With DIE HARD, Director John McTiernan gave us a sly, witty, realistic and sometimes dramatic action-thriller that is just as intense and riveting today as it was in 1988 and better than most or all of the big-class mimickers that have been released since.Don’t miss it when it screens December 1st at Schlafly Bottleworks.
Hi-Pointe Theatre is located at 1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, MO 63117
Take home one of this year’s most riveting dramas when CHRONIC, starring Academy Award nominee Tim Roth, arrives on DVD, Digital HD and On Demand February 28 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment!
Embrace the moving story of one of this year’s most riveting dramas when Chronic arrives on DVD, Digital HD and On Demand February 28 from Lionsgate. Nominated for Best Feature and Best Actor at the 2017 Independent Spirt Awards, Academy Award® Nominee Tim Roth (Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Rob Roy, 1995) shines as a compassionate home-care nurse who emotionally bonds with his terminally ill patients. Praised as “a somber, intelligent, finely composed study of one man’s emotional endgame” by The Guardian, Chronic won Best Screenplay at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. The Chronic DVD includes the featurette “Behind the Scenes of Chronic,” and will be available for the suggested retail price of $19.98.
Tim Roth gives an astonishing performance in this acclaimed film about a dedicated home-care nurse who finds that he needs his patients as much as they need him.
Check out this heart-tugging trailer:
DVD/DIGITAL HD SPECIAL FEATURES
“Behind the Scenes of Chronic” Featurette
CAST
Tim Roth The Hateful Eight, The Incredible Hulk, Reservoir Dogs
Sarah Sutherland TV’s “The Newsroom,” TV’s “Veep”
Robin Bartlett Shutter Island, TV’s“American Horror Story”
This week’s episode of our podcast WE ARE MOVIE GEEKS The Show is up! Hear WAMG’s Cate Marquis, Jim Batts and Tom Stockman talk movies. We’ll discuss the weekend box office and review STAR WARS ROGUE ONE, JACKIE, ELLE, SING, LION, WHY HIM?, and FENCES. We’ll talk about the St. Louis Film Critics Association year-end awards and we’ll pay tribute to the late Zsa Zsa Gabor.
SP Releasing and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release RUNNING WILD in select theaters and On DemandFebruary 10, 2017.
RUNNING WILD tells the story of a young widow trying to save her ranch following her husband’s fatal car crash. She creates a convict rehabilitation program, working with a herd of wild horses that have wandered onto her property. She did not anticipate the greed, bureaucracy and vanity that she must overcome to heal the convicts, the horses and ultimately herself.
Check out the trailer:
RUNNING WILD stars Sharon Stone (Casino, Basic Instinct), Tommy Flanagan (FX’s “Sons of Anarchy,” Gladiator), Jason Lewis (NBC’s “Midnight, Texas,” HBO’s “Sex and the City”), Dorian Brown Pham (FX’s “Wilfred,” Home Run),and Tom Williamson (Freeform’s “The Fosters,” All Cheerleaders Die). The film is directed by Alex Ranarivelo (American Wrestler: The Wizard) and written by multi-hyphenate Christina Moore (Pray for Rain, New Form’s “Mr. Student Body President”) & Brian Rudnick(American Wrestler: The Wizard).
“Only I didn’t say fudge… I said THE WORD. The big one. The queen mother of all dirty words… the F-dash-dash-dash WORD!!!!”
A CHRISTMAS STORY(1983) is screening at 7:30pm Thursday December 22nd at Schlafly Bottleworks – 7260 Southwest Ave St Louis, MO 63143. Doors open at 6:30pm. It’s a fundraiser for Helping Kids Together. The film will be introduced by We Are Movie Geek’s own Tom Stockman!
I used an air rifle I got one Christmas growing up, but I never had a mail-in decoder ring which required me to consume mass quantities of Ovaltine, I never ran into bullies with yellow eyes, and I never took a dare to stick my tongue to an aluminum pole in the middle of winter. Of all the holiday films that have been released in the last thirty years, did anyone envision that the sleepy low budget film from 1983, generically titled A CHRISTMAS STORY, would be at the top of the almost everyone’s list? It actually bombed when first released in theater (though I saw it there twice) but has developed such an enormous following over the years, mostly through cable TV airings, that it probably is #1 on more favorite Christmas movies list than anything. Who would have thought Bob Clark, director of terrifying low-budget horror movies such as BLACK CHRISTMAS and DEATHDREAM (as well as the raunchy comedy hit PORKY’S) could capture such an innocent and nostalgic slice of life?
A CHRISTMAS STORY captured the idealism and–yes—the sadism of being a kid. Childhood is a crazy mix of hero worship, toy envy, survival of the fittest, daily fear of something, extreme innocence, and the desire to be treated as a grown-up without having to actually put up with being one. A CHRISTMAS STORY captures all these elements with sardonic poignancy. One of the greatest things about A CHRISTMAS STORY is ‘the Old Man’ played by Darren McGavin (61 when the film was made), who is constantly busy throughout the film, whether it’s battling the *#&*#@! furnace or trying to get his *#&*#@! car started or any other number of task that he becomes occupied with and cause him to cuss. He has very little dialog with Ralphie, yet it is he who in the end gets him his BB gun.
A CHRISTMAS STORY has a kind of timelessness that makes such a beloved piece of art, one we watch over and over and never get tired of it. Now you’ll have the chance to shoot your eye out and see A CHRISTMAS STORY in all its big screen glory and with an audience of fellow merrymakers when it plays 7:30pm Thursday December 22nd at Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood (7260 Southwest Ave St Louis, MO 63143). Suggested admission is $6 but all of that money will support production of A FIT KID, an active lifestyle development program produced by Helping Kids Together (http://www.helpingkidstogether.com/), a St. Louis based social enterprise dedicated to building cultural diversity and social awareness among young people through the arts and active living.
Sponsored by Karl & Beckie Heinz
A yummy variety of food from Schlafly’s kitchen is available as are plenty of pints of their famous home-brewed suds. The bartender will be on hand to take care of you.
We hope to see everyone December 22nd! It’s better than sticking your tongue on frozen pole!
THE FACEBOOK Invite for the event can be foundHERE
“La La Land,” an original musical about pursuing one’s dreams, garnered 13 nominations, while the science-fiction close encounter “Arrival” earned eight nominations from the St. Louis Film Critics Association Sunday.
The organization will announce their annual awards on Sunday, Dec. 18. Awards are given out in 23 categories.
Best Film nominees also included two haunting, powerful dramas, “Manchester by the Sea” and “Moonlight,” with six nominations apiece. The neo-western thriller “Hell or High Water” earned four, as did the First Lady biopic “Jackie” and the Coen Brothers comedy “Hail, Caesar!.”
Other multiple nominees included the action-comedy “Deadpool,” the sci-fi adventure “Doctor Strange,” the landmark Supreme Court case on interracial marriage “Loving,” the animated musical “Moana,” and the thriller “Nocturnal Animals,” all with three.
SLFCA members work for recognized outlets in print, broadcast and online publications.
For more information about the awards or our group, visit www.stlfilmcritics.org or contact board secretary Lynn Venhaus, 618-917-8175.
Here is a complete list of nominations:
BEST FILM
Arrival
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
BEST DIRECTOR
Denis Villeneuve, “Arrival”
David Mackenzie, “Hell or High Water”
Damien Chazelle, “La La Land”
Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea”
Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight”
BEST ACTOR
Viggo Mortensen, “Captain Fantastic”
Ryan Gosling, “La La Land”
Joel Edgerton, “Loving”
Casey Affleck, “Manchester by the Sea”
Tom Hanks, “Sully”
BEST ACTRESS
Amy Adams, “Arrival”
Isabelle Huppert, “Elle”
Natalie Portman, “Jackie”
Emma Stone, “La La Land”
Ruth Negga, “Loving”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jeff Bridges, “Hell or High Water”
Dev Patel, “Lion”
Lucas Hedges, “Manchester by the Sea”
Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight”
Michael Shannon, “Nocturnal Animals”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Greta Gerwig, “20th Century Women”
Lily Gladstone, “Certain Women”
Viola Davis, “Fences”
Michelle Williams, “Manchester by the Sea”
Naomie Harris, “Moonlight” BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Taylor Sheridan, “Hell or High Water”
Damien Chazelle, “La La Land”
Jeff Nichols, “Loving”
Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea”
Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight” BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Eric Heisserer, “Arrival”
August Wilson, “Fences”
Luke Davies, “Lion”
Whit Stillman, “Love and Friendship”
Tom Ford, “Nocturnal Animals”
BEST EDITING
Hacksaw Ridge
Jackie
La La Land
Moonlight
Nocturnal Animals
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Bradford Young, “Arrival”
Vittorio Storaro, “Café Society”
Roger Deakins, “Hail, Caesar!”
Linus Sandgren, “La La Land”
James Laxton, “Moonlight”
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Hail, Caesar!
The Handmaiden
Jackie
La La Land BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Arrival
Doctor Strange
The Jungle Book
La La Land
A Monster Calls BEST MUSIC SCORE
Johann Johannsson, “Arrival”
Mica Levi, “Jackie”
Justin Herwitz, “La La Land”
Nicholas Brittle, “Moonlight”
Cliff Martinez, “The Neon Demon”
BEST SOUNDTRACK
Everybody Wants Some!!
La La Land
Moana
Sing Street
Trolls
BEST SONG
“Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” ” “La La Land”
“City of Stars,” “La La Land”
“How Far I’ll Go,” “Moana”
“You’re Welcome,” “Moana
“Drive It Like You Stole It,” “Sing Street”
BEST ACTION FILM
Captain America: Civil War
Deadpool
Doctor Strange
Hacksaw Ridge
Jason Bourne
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
April and the Extraordinary World
Finding Dory
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
Zootopia
BEST COMEDY
Deadpool
Don’t Think Twice
Florence Foster Jenkins
Hail, Caesar!
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
De Palma
The Eagle Huntress
Gleason
I Am Not Your Negro
Weiner
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Elle
The Handmaiden
A Man Called Ove
Our Little Sister
Toni Erdmann
BEST HORROR/SCI-FI
10 Cloverfield Lane
Arrival
Doctor Strange
Don’t Breathe
The Witch BEST SCENE
Berlin Airport fight, “Captain America: Civil War”
Opening credits, “Deadpool”
“Would that it were so simple” with Ralph Fiennes and Alden Ehrenreich, “Hail, Caesar!”
Opening traffic jam number, “La La Land”
Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams encounter on street, “Manchester by the Sea”
WORST
The Angry Birds Movie
Masterminds
The Ninth Life of Louis Drax
Warcraft
Zoolander 2
Fly over the moon. Sing in the rain. Fasten your seatbelts. Make an offer no one can refuse. See classic movies on the big screen!
Gene Kelly will sing in the rain, Bette Davis will fasten her seatbelt for a bumpy night, Marlon Brando will make an offer no one can refuse, Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint will scurry across Mount Rushmore, and Elliott and E.T. will fly over the moon – and they’ll do it all on the silver screen in 2017. Today, Fathom Events and TCM announce their continuing partnership to bring monthly screenings of their “TCM Big Screen Classics”series to movie theaters nationwide throughout the year.
For the second consecutive year, “TCM Big Screen Classics” offers film fans an amazing journey into the magic of movies year-round. Beginning in January, the series presents one or more films each month in movie theaters – all accompanied by specially produced commentary from TCM host Ben Mankiewicz or Saturday-afternoon host Tiffany Vazquez, giving unique insight and behind-the-scenes tidbits that enhance the movie-going experience. Each title returns for four showings only, making the “TCM Big Screen Classics” series a monthly must-see for movie buffs of all ages.
Each of these cinematic treasures will be digitally projected in its original aspect ratio at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. local time each day (Sundays and Wednesdays).
Tickets for the 2017 “TCM Big Screen Classics”series can be purchased online by visiting www.FathomEvents.com, or at participating theater box offices. For a complete list of theater locations visit the Fathom Events website(theaters and participants are subject to change).
“TCM and Fathom are proud to announce some of the greatest feature films of all time in the 2017 TCM Big Screen Classics series. These 14 titles were released over five decades and include Best Picture winners, epic storytelling, astounding direction, legendary star-power and memorable soundtracks, all of which have captured the hearts of film lovers and defined moviemaking magic,” said Fathom Events Vice President of Studio Relations Tom Lucas.
“The TCM Big Screen Classics series presents a unique opportunity for movie lovers to experience some of the most beloved classics of all time, on the big screen and with a live audience, as they were originally intended to be shown,” said Genevieve McGillicuddy, vice president of partnerships and brand activation, Turner Classic Movies. “Expanding our long-term relationship with Fathom Events and our studio partners makes it possible for TCM to directly engage with a community of movie fans in a meaningful and memorable way, and share our love of classic film in local markets across the country.”
From January to December 2017, here’s a month-by-month look at the amazing films that comprise this year’s “TCM Big Screen Classics” series:
Silent film movie star Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) finds his muse in Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds) just as Hollywood discovers talking pictures, but mega-star Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) isn’t going to stand for it – she’s bigger “than Calvin Coolidge, put together!” With the help of Cosmo Brown (Donald O’Connor), Don and Kathy will find a way to overcome the scheming Lina. Co-directed by Kelly and Stanley Donen, Singin’ in the Rain is a glorious, grin-inducing example of the Hollywood studio system at its finest, one of the happiest of musicals ever made.
The perfect Valentine’s Day event for romantics and movie-lovers alike, this CinemaScope classic remains as much a tearjerker today as it was 60 years ago, when its misty-eyed tale was first released. Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr star as the two lovers who meet by chance on a trans-Atlantic voyage and fall in love despite their existing relationships. When they agree to meet six months later atop the Empire State Building, they cannot foresee the tragic circumstances that will test the limits of their devotion – and of the tear ducts of millions of moviegoers who have fallen in love with this swooning story of love, fate and circumstance.
Backstage backstabbing and treachery has never been as deliciously fun or as intensely dramatic as it is in All About Eve – which is tied only with Titanic for the most Academy Award® nominations for a single film. Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s black-and-white masterpiece also stars a young Marilyn Monroe in one of her first important roles. With a record-breaking four nominations in female acting categories (Bette Davis and Anne Baxter as Best Actress and Celeste Holm and Thelma Ritter as Best Supporting Actress), it remains one of the most riveting dramas ever made, a movie often imitated but never duplicated.
From its dazzling opening credits sequence by Saul Bass, set to a wild scherzo by Bernard Hermann, to its cliffhanging finale atop Mount Rushmore, director Alfred Hitchcock’s cross-country adventure offers non-stop thrills. It stars Cary Grant as Roger O. Thornhill, a man wrongly accused of murder, who hops on to a train … and into the lap of Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint). All the while, he’s pursued by the sinister Philip Vandamm (James Mason), who is convinced that Thornhill is a spy. He’s not – but he’s about to become one. Few films are as effortlessly delightful as Hitchcock’s grandest adventure ever.
Dustin Hoffman delivers a Hollywood rarity: a true star-making performance as the confused, floundering Benjamin Braddock. He’s a new college graduate who seems to have no ambition in life until he crosses paths with the very married Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft). The biggest box office surprise of the decade, The Graduate was an Oscar winner for director Mike Nichols (among its seven nominations), and Simon & Garfunkel’s score started a new trend in movie soundtracks. The Graduate may be celebrating its 50th anniversary, but it remains as insightful, relevant and sharply funny as ever, and comes back to movie screens just in time for a new generation of graduates to learn the secret to success: Plastics.
The summer of 1977 might be best known for a certain intergalactic adventure, but Smokey and the Bandit was the year’s second highest-grossing movie, a gleefully silly romp that grossed the adjusted box-office equivalent of nearly $500 million. The plot is almost non-existent – the Bandit (Burt Reynolds) has 28 hours to drive a truckload of Coors beer from Texas to Georgia while avoiding the relentless “Smokey,” Sherrif Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason) – and takes a backseat to the stunt-driven action of director Hal Needham and the still-sizzling on-screen chemistry of Reynolds and Sally Field.
There is the sheer perfection of the performances by such legendary names as Brando, Pacino, Keaton and Duvall; the impeccable direction of Francis Ford Coppola; the haunting musical theme by Nino Rota; and the stunning cinematography by Gordon Willis. Any one of these elements would make The Godfather a classic, but this epic crime drama combines them all into a towering achievement in American filmmaking celebrating its 45th anniversary, an epic saga that redefined cinema.
This hysterical comedy from director Billy Wilder finds Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon masquerading as women inorder to elude irate Chicago mobsters while befriending a beautiful singer, Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe). One of the most influential movies ever made, Some Like It Hot is one of the greatest comedies of all time, still generating laughs nearly sixty years later.
Director Amy Heckerling’s adaptation of Cameron Crowe’s book (he also wrote the screenplay) didn’t simply capture a moment in time – it defined a generation by observing the behaviors and habits of teenagers in the early ‘80s with sharpness and an endless wellspring of humor. Pitch-perfect performances and a soundtrack filled with hits of the ‘70s and ‘80s, make Fast Times at Ridgemont High one of the quintessential cinematic experiences of the era – a nostalgic look back for those who lived through it and an eye-opening revelation for younger audiences.
1968 file photo of Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty in the movie BONNIE AND CLYDE. Courtesy of Warner Home Video.
Faye Dunaway is Bonnie Parker and Warren Beatty is Clyde Barrow in Arthur Penn’s violent, sexually charged and deeply influential crime drama, a nostalgic look back at notorious outlaws filmed with the passion and zeal of filmmakers who were beginning to explore the boundaries of their craft. With a legendary screenplay by writers Robert Benton and David Newman, Bonnie and Clyde features supporting performances by an exemplary cast that includes Gene Wilder, Gene Hackman, Michael J. Pollard and Estelle Parsons and became a pop-culture sensation. A movie about legends that became a legend itself, Bonnie and Clyde made international superstars out of its cast and influenced generations of filmmakers and audiences.
Thirty-five years since its release, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial remains a singular achievement, a movie that enchanted a generation with its sheer moviemaking prowess and its simple, exquisite story of the bond between a little boy and an alien. Directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Melissa Mathison, it’s one of the rare movies that can be universally defined by a single shot: Elliott and E.T. flying on a bicycle against a full moon. Set to a lush, unforgettable score by John Williams, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial mesmerizes everyone who sees it – including the United Nations, who, in September 1982, awarded Spielberg the U.N. Peace Medal for his creation of one of Hollywood’s most enduring movies.
Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles – doesn’t sound too bad! Director Rob Reiner’s charming fantasy-adventure, from a screenplay by William Goldman (and based on his novel) is a fairy tale like no other, a movie that is as beguiling to adults as it is to children, infused with magic and beauty. Robin Wright stars as Princess Buttercup, with Cary Elwes as her dashing Westley, and Mandy Patinkin is the revenge-seeking Inigo Montoya – just the beginning in an adventure that’s as fresh, fun and tongue-in-cheek as ever. The perfect cast also includes Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn, Andre the Giant, Peter Falk, Billy Crystal, Carol Kane and, as the young boy who gets the best bedtime story ever, Fred Savage.
As time goes by, some movies age – but Casablanca remains timeless. Perhaps no other movie has become as beloved and as synonymous with Hollywood glamour as Casablanca. Humphrey Bogart is Rick Blaine, owner of Rick’s, the nightclub that everyone in Casablanca attends – including resistance leader Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) and his wife, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), whose sudden appearance leads to some of the best dialogue ever written for the movies. The screenplay by Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch took an unproduced stage play and turned it into a movie unlike any other, which received the Academy Award® for Best Picture and became one of the most classic films of all time.
Fifty years ago, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner scandalized audiences with its bold depiction of interracial romance – a poignant subject at this time in history, and its depiction of prejudice overcome by love remain powerful and moving. Sidney Poitier delivers a commanding performance as John Prentice, who accompanies his fiancée, Joey, (Katharine Houghton) to her parents’ home – without telling them that he is black. As her parents, Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy star in their final film together. Produced and directed by Stanley Kramer and written by William Rose, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner was a box-office sensation across the country, including in the South, where the studio worried that audiences would shy away from its subject. It is, in the words of TheNew York Times, “a deft comedy and – most of all – a paean to the power of love.”
