“The gates of Heaven and the gates of hell are claimed to be in the same spot. During the firefight, COP Keating was like the gates of hell: violent, bloody, and full of sorrow. However, watching men sacrificing themselves to protect each other, I could see the true form of brotherhood and love, making the firefight at COP Keating like the gates of heaven as well.” Ty M. Carter, Medal of Honor Recipient
Looking for a great movie to rent during July? THE OUTPOST is the must-see film of the summer.
In this military thriller, based on The New York Times best-selling non-fiction book, The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor from CNN’s Jake Tapper, a tiny unit of U.S. soldiers, alone at the remote Combat Outpost Keating, located deep in the valley of three mountains in Afghanistan, battles to defend against an overwhelming force of Taliban fighters in a coordinated attack. The Battle of Kamdesh, as it was known, was the bloodiest American engagement of the Afghan War in 2009 and Bravo Troop 3-61 CAV became one of the most decorated units of the 19-year conflict.
Scott Eastwood portrays Staff Sergeant Clint Romesha and Caleb Landry Jones portrays Specialist Ty Carter (who also appears in the movie), who were awarded the Medal of Honor. Orlando Bloom plays Captain Ben Keating. Director Rod Lurie, himself a former soldier and graduate of West Point, cast several other veterans of the American military in various roles, including Henry Hughes and Daniel Rodriguez.
Jim Batts says of the #1 Movie on iTunes, “best known for his political dramas like THE CONTENDER, Rod Lurie proves to be an effective action director. He expertly captures the sweaty panic of the near-daily attacks and ramps up the disorienting chaos of the big battle.”
SKIN: A HISTORY OF NUDITY IN THE MOVIES , Available On Demand August 18th, explores the history of nudity in film, beginning with the silent movie era through present day. The film features revealing interviews with actors including Pam Grier (Jackie Brown, Foxy Brown) and Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Caligula)as well as directors Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show, Paper Moon), Kevin Smith (Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Clerks)and Amy Heckerling (Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Clueless). Check out this trailer:
A definitive documentary on the history of nudity in the movies, beginning with the silent movie era through present day, examining the changes in morality that led to the use of nudity in films while emphasizing the political, sociological and artistic changes that shaped this rich history.
SKIN: A HISTORY OF NUDITY IN THE MOVIES delves into the gender bias concerning nudity in motion pictures and will follow the revolution that has pushed for gender equality in feature films today. A deep discussion of pre-code Hollywood and its amoral roots, the censorship that “cleaned up” Hollywood and how the MPAA was formed leads into a discussion of how nudity changed cinematic culture through the decades. It culminates in a discussion of “what are nude scenes like in the age of the #METOO movement?”
SKIN: A HISTORY OF NUDITY IN THE MOVIES features Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show, Paper Moon, Targets, Saint Jack), Shannon Elizabeth (American Pie, Scary Movie, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back), Diane Franklin (The Last American Virgin, Better Off Dead, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure), Pam Grier (The Big Doll House, Jackie Brown, Foxy Brown, Above the Law), Amy Heckerling (Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Look Who’s Talking, Clueless), Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Caligula, Startrek: Generations, Halloween), Eric Roberts (Runaway Train, Inherent Vice, Star 80), Kevin Smith (Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Clerks, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back), Sean Young (Blade Runner, Dune, No Way Out, Wall Street), Jim McBride (creator of Mr. Skin)
Today Disney+ shared the new trailer, poster and first look images from the upcoming film Disney’s “The One and Only Ivan.” Based on the award-winning book by Katherine Applegate, “The One and Only Ivan” tells the story of Ivan, a silverback gorilla who learns that life isn’t defined by place and circumstance but by the power of friendship and the courage to make change happen.
This sweet movie will be streaming only on Disney+, August 14th.
An adaptation of the award-winning book about one very special gorilla, Disney’s “The One and Only Ivan” is an unforgettable tale about the beauty of friendship, the power of visualization and the significance of the place one calls home.
Ivan is a 400-pound silverback gorilla who shares a communal habitat in a suburban shopping mall with Stella the elephant, Bob the dog, and various other animals. He has few memories of the jungle where he was captured, but when a baby elephant named Ruby arrives, it touches something deep within him. Ruby is recently separated from her family in the wild, which causes him to question his life, where he comes from and where he ultimately wants to be. The heartwarming adventure, which comes to the screen in an impressive hybrid of live-action and CGI, is based on Katherine Applegate’s bestselling book, which won numerous awards upon its publication in 2013, including the Newbery Medal.
The film stars Sam Rockwell as the voice of Ivan; Angelina Jolie as the voice of Stella; Danny DeVito as the voice of Bob the dog; Helen Mirren as the voice of Snickers the poodle; Brooklynn Prince as the voice of Ruby; Ramon Rodriquez as the mall employee George; Ariana Greenblatt as George’s daughter Julia; Chaka Khan as the voice of Henrietta the chicken; Mike White as the voice of Frankie the seal; Ron Funches as the voice of Murphy the rabbit; Phillipa Soo as the voice of Thelma the parrot; and Bryan Cranston as Mack, the mall’s owner. “The One and Only Ivan” is directed by Thea Sharrock from a screenplay by Mike White based on Applegate’s book and is produced by the late Allison Shearmur, Angelina Jolie and Brigham Taylor. Sue Baden-Powell and Thea Sharrock serve as executive producers.
The Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, an annual presentation of the nonprofit Cinema St. Louis, serves as the area’s primary venue for films made by local artists. The Showcase screens works that were shot in the St. Louis region or were written, directed, or produced by St. Louis-area residents or by filmmakers with strong local ties who are now working elsewhere. Because of the Covid-19 health crisis, the Showcase will be presented virtually in 2020. This short video provides more information on CSL’s decision to move its 2020 festivals and events online. CSL is partnering with Eventive, which also handles our ticketing, to present the Virtual Festival.The Showcase’s 15 film programs range from full-length fiction features and documentaries to multi-film compilations of fiction and documentary shorts.
In MY IRELAND, Anthony Monaghan, a working-class immigrant now living in St. Louis, takes a hard look at the rampant emigration, mass evictions, and homeless crisis that plague his homeland of Ireland today. In search of answers, he travels the nation and interviews Irish people from all walks of life, from a homeless Dubliner to a member of the Irish Parliament. One thing is clear: Corruption has caused the displacement, if not the destruction, of countless lives in Ireland. Monaghan previously appeared in the Showcase with the documentary “Rednecks + Culchies.”
The Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, an annual presentation of the nonprofit Cinema St. Louis, serves as the area’s primary venue for films made by local artists. The Showcase screens works that were shot in the St. Louis region or were written, directed, or produced by St. Louis-area residents or by filmmakers with strong local ties who are now working elsewhere.Because of the Covid-19 health crisis, the Showcase will be presented virtually in 2020. This short video provides more information on CSL’s decision to move its 2020 festivals and events online. CSL is partnering with Eventive, which also handles our ticketing, to present the Virtual Festival. Ticket information for WAKE UP can be found HERE
Review of WAKE UP by Stephen Tronicek
If there is one thing that Nate Townsend’s Wake Up: Stories from the Frontlines of Suicide Prevention wants to tell you, it is that suicide is not just a suicide problem. It is a problem attached to many different factors and many different lives, from gun control to the fight for LGBTQ rights.
Wake Up starts with the death of Ryan Candice, a Mizzou student, who took his own life. Following this, his friends put together a cross country film about the widespread problems that are connected to suicide. Along the way, they find an activist taking photos of suicide survivors, the problem with gun control, and a retreat that is helping veterans with their Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
What results is a documentary that succeeds in capturing the scale of the problem, but also succeeds in being respectful of these stories. Wake Up has plenty of the macro statistics, some of which seem like mistakes ( “…over 80% of Utah’s firearm deaths are suicides”), but it never loses sight of the individuals who deal with the issue every single day.
These people include Dese’rae Stage, the creator of Live Through This, a project collecting photographs of suicide survivors. Dese’rae’s story visits the effects of suicide on the LGBTQ community. It also includes Craig Bryan, the Director of the National Center for Veterans Studies who discusses the effects of PTSD on veterans and the climbing suicide rate in veterans and Roger Thompson who talks about his experience with PTSD, but also his experience at the Nation Abilities Center.
All of these aspects come together to form a cohesive thesis on suicide prevention in the United States: That there are many things that contribute to feelings of suicide, some that may seem too large for you to handle, but that there are many people out there to help.
The filmmaking is as clean as most documentaries. The elements aren’t necessarily special, but they are perfectly polished with B-Roll rolling into interviews all flowing together through the fantastic original score by Roberto Murgia. While many documentaries are hampered by a pacing problem, Wake Up avoids such a pitfall. Wake Up is a film about hope. It is about different people facing up against one of the most horrible things in the world and fighting it. As that, it is one of the most important films of the year, showing us true stories of suicide but also shows us that we can just keep fighting.
The Toyman Toy Show in St. Louis has been going strong for almost 30 years now and just keeps getting bigger and better! The fun takes place at The Machinists Hall 12365 St Charles Rock Road in Bridgeton, MO 63044. There are over 120 vendors at the Toyman Toy Show spread out over 220 tables. all selling vintage toys, comics, dolls, diecast cars, movie memorabilia, and more as well as cosplayers and artists. It’s an unbelievable amount of fun for only $5!
The next Toyman Show is this Sunday, July 12th from 9:00a to 3:00p and artist and animator Philo Barnhart, best known for known for his work on The Little Mermaid (1989), The Secret of NIMH(1982) and The Rescuers Down Under (1990) will be there! Other guests include CHARLES D. MOISANT – Writer, Artist for Silver Phoenix Ent).
ALL attendees will be REQUIRED to wear face masks/coverings. This is per St.Louis County Health Dept Guidelines. ToyMan Show is PROVIDING 3-ply masks (2000 qty) for ALL who needs them. Sanitizer stations – IN USE Sanitizer(gel) – REFILL(1oz) Available
Have a Fever? Have a Cough? Have Shortness of Breath? PLEASE STAY HOME till next event!
50% Hall Capacity… means ONLY 250 front door attendees can be IN THE HALL at ANY given time. ACTIVE COUNTERS will be IN USE.. Per HEALTH DEPT. / FIRE MARSHALL.
Adult Admission at the Toyman Show: $5.00 – Children 16 & under free. Sunday: 9:00am – 3:00pm. Early Bird @ 8:00a – $12.00 – * FREE PARKING *
The Hi-Pointe Theater, at 1005 McCausland Ave in St. Louis, is the best place to see movies. Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche in THE TRUTH opens there Friday July 10th.
Legends of French cinema Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche join masterful filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda (Shoplifters, Still Walking) to paint a moving portrait of family dynamics in THE TRUTH. Fabienne (Catherine Deneuve) is an aging French movie star who, despite her momentary lapses in memory, remains a venerable force to be reckoned with. Upon the publication of her memoirs, her daughter Lumir (Juliette Binoche) returns to Paris from New York with her husband (Ethan Hawke) and their young daughter to commemorate its release. A sharp and funny battle of wits ensues between the mother-daughter duo, as Lumir takes issue with Fabienne’s rose-colored version of the past. Reflected cleverly by Fabienne’s latest role in a sci-fi drama, their strained relationship takes a poignant journey toward possible reconciliation. Charming, bold, and imbued with endless emotional insight, THE TRUTH offers a relatable look at human relationships, featuring exquisite performances from its all-star cast.
The Critics love THE TRUTH:
Peter Travers at Rolling Stone says:
“….You don’t want to this thrilling standoff between two French legends-Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche -who are double dynamite as a mother and daughter with different ideas of what constitutes the truth.”
Jeff York at The Establishing Shot says:
“…. (THE TRUTH) stands as one of the year’s most exquisite, plumbing the depths of an actor’s life and the complexity of relationships in the fallout from it.”
Written and directed byRomola Garai and starringCarla Juri, Alec Secareanu, Imelda Staunton, Angeliki Papoulia, here’s a look at the upcoming movie THE AMULET.
Following an accident that leaves him homeless in London, former soldier Tomaz is brought to the rotting home of Magda, a lonely woman in desperate need of help as she looks after her dying mother. Though at first resistant, Magda eventually welcomes him into their lives and allows him to help her care for them. But as he worms his way into their routine and begins to fall for Magda, Tomaz starts to notice strange, unexplainable, and ugly phenomena. Something seems very wrong with the mysterious old woman who never leaves the top floor, and Magda may in fact be enslaved to do her otherworldly bidding.
Magnet Releasing will release AMULET in theaters and on demand July 24th, 2020.
The Cinema St. Louis Trivia Night will be moving online this year! Go to Cinema St. Louis site for details HERE
Cinema St. Louis‘ popular and challenging movie-themed trivia night will now be held online, July 6-10, on Crowdpurr.com (thanks to an anonymous donor). Questions will be themed into groups of 20 spread across five nights. Whether you love classic films, cult favorites, or St. Louis, these questions are sure to entertain nearly all movie lovers. This will be an individual contest for fun prizes each night, with a grand prize and supreme bragging rights for the participant with the highest overall point total. And don’t worry, this new format will make the questions fun and easy with multiple-choice answers. Once you make your registration contribution below, your email address will be added to the VIP guest list for entrance into the contest each night (capacity: 1,000 players). The themes will be announced daily on Cinema St. Louis’ social-media channels (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram).
“How would you like to be the man responsible for bringing BMX to all the small towns in the USA?”
Utopia Distribution announced recently that the company will be re-releasing the 1986 BMX cult classic RAD for the first time on DVD and On Demand this summer. The film, which was scheduled to have a 4K Restoration World Premiere at the 2020 SXSW Film Festival, will launch across all TVOD and On Demand platforms on Friday, July 24th, with a ‘special edition’ premiere on the new digital streaming platform Altavod on Friday, July 10th and now available on Blu-ray directly through Vinegar Syndrome.Check out this new trailer:
Originally released in 1986 during the rise of the BMX bike craze, this powerful piece of pop cultural nostalgia is finally coming to disc, newly restored in 4K from its original negative by Fotokem. The film follows Cru Jones (Bill Allen), a small town kid determined to win an infamous BMX race set on a nearly impossible course known as Helltrack. A sleeper hit upon its initial release, RAD has become one of the iconic cult films of the 1980s and amongst BMX professionals, spawning fan clubs and repertory film screenings for decades.
Robert Schwartzman and Talia Shire
Utopia Distribution’s Robert Schwartzman, son of RAD producer Jack Schwartzman. has taken the reins on the new restoration of RAD which co-starred his mother, the Oscar-nominated actress Talia Shire. Both Robert Schwartzman and Talia Shire took the time to talk to We Are Movie Geeks about RAD.
Interview conducted by Tom Stockman June 23rd, 2020
Talia Shire in RAD
Tom Stockman: Hello Robert and Talia,
Robert Schwartzman Hi Tom
Talia Shire: Hi Tom
Tom: Talia, I recognize your voice right away and this is very exciting for me. I watched the 4K restoration of RAD the other night and it looks fantastic! Let me tell you a quick funny story. In the late 80’s I dated a young woman who had two little brothers, about 13 and 15 years old. Every time I’d go to pick her up, those boys would be lying on the floor watching their VHS tape of RAD. It was their favorite film.
Talia: Well, I hope those boys find this new version.
Tom: It looks great. Robert, where did you find the original elements for this transfer,
Robert: We, the Schwatrzman family, have had the elements stored properly for many years. They were recently put pulled out of storage and scanned at Fotokem, the company that handled all the post-production. I think they really went above and beyond for us. We were lucky that the elements were in such good shape. We had to do a little bit of cleanup here and there but everyone is really happy about the way this new transfer looks. Originally there was no 5.1 sound mix so I guess in its original theatrical run it was stereo. So we had to rebuild the 5.1 sound out of all the audio that we had. My mom felt strongly about the film and that we had to maintain all of these elements since this was made under sort of a family production company.
Talia Shire in RAD
Tom: Talia, what are some of your memories about the filming of RAD?
Talia: I know young Robert does not remember, because he was only about three years old when we made the film, though he was there in Calgary when we shot RAD. We were shooting two movies at the same time up there then, RAD and HYPER SAPIEN. It was an exciting time and we all had a lot of fun. We all stayed in this hotel and we had all these terrifically gifted young riders and actors such as Bill Allen. You’d see them riding up and down the streets on their BMX bikes. It was like we took over the hotel. When we finally shot at Hell Track, that was scary. It was enormous. I went to the set and I was terrified, but director Hal Needham, who was known for stunts, handled it perfectly, but it was scary.
Director Hal Needham
Tom: I was going to ask you about Hal Needham. I’m a big fan of his. What was Mr. Needham like?
Talia: A lovely man. Very kind, very serious, and very careful. The first day that we were all together, he had his mother there, and we stood in a circle and she led a prayer. I was in awe of him and a bit terrified to tell you the truth but he was very safety-conscious, because those stunts were scary.
Tom: Yes, he was known for directing stunts and had been a stunt man himself, really one of the best.
Talia: Oh yes. He had broken just about every bone in his body.
Tom: Was RAD a big success initially in the United States?
Robert: I think that RAD was not a commercial success, but it was definitely a success within the world of BMX bike riders and, as you pointed out earlier, a whole generation of up-and-coming young riders. And also for people who have discovered movies from the 80s and become somewhat obsessed with some of them. So, the movie became a success, but over time. It has sort of a cult-y nature to it. There was even a RAD convention
Tom: Yes it’s definitely a movie that people did not forget. RAD never had an official DVD release until now. Why did that take so long?
Talia: Jack Schwartzman, my late husband and Robert’s father, had just produced a very daring movie, NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN, the last James Bond movie with Sean Connery. At Warner Bros.,Terry Semel and Bob Daly had just started with that regime. When you just start being the head of the studio, you want to attract other people, so they did the domestic release of NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN which was wonderful for them and we all became friends. Later on, when RAD came out as well as two other movies that were part of this library, they were very generous and very kind. They became part of the distribution in certain territories. But then what what happened was Jack died and things became very murky and complex. Time went on, and I was trying so hard to keep everything together. I would ask them about a DVD release and they would assure me that one was coming but I kept asking and they told me that they had to rethink it. I think it became mired in the aftermath of the estate after his death. But now here we are and we finally have it and it looks great and what’s beautiful about that is that my son Robert has done that
Tom: I read on the Internet Movie Database at the original title was BALLS OUT.
Robert: No that’s not right. I believe the original title was HELL TRACK
Tom: OK, well I think RAD is better than HELL TRACK but anything would be better than BALLS OUT.
Talia: That sounds like some sort of British comedy.
Tom: When I was watching it the other night I recognized so many of the 80s songs. Was a difficult getting some of these music rights cleared from so long ago?
Robert: The musical rites follow the film from the original way that they were cleared. All of the songs are the way they were when the movie was released in 1986. Curb Records were the ones who handled the soundtrack, which is going to be released this summer. They’re putting it on vinyl.
Tom: How popular is BMX bicycle racing today?
Talia: It’s an Olympic sport. People compete for medals. It’s a global event, bigger now than ever, but we were really the first film to show the sport. Sam Bernard, our wonderful writer and producer, thought back then that this would be a good idea and a good draw for young people and now it’s an Olympic sport.
Tom: Robert, tell me about your company Utopia Distributing.
Robert: We are a full-service distribution company We have a really great team in LA and New York. We’ve been acquiring the rights to many feature films, especially a lot of documentaries. We have in-house theatrical booking, putting movies into theaters for limited release is really important to our company. We had a theatrical lineup for RAD this year but we’re pushing that back to next spring. We were going to have a big premiere but we had to push that back because of the corona, but we’re still keeping the release dates with the Blu-ray and the DVD and there will be some more announcements next year that we’re really excited about. It’s a filmmaker-first company, filmmaker co-founded. We really wanted to create a company that embraces and champions filmmakers. It’s not all about quantity like a lot of companies, we just want to get behind specific titles that we felt we could help be successful. We are very collaborative, a company that listens to directors. With my personal connection to RAD, I really wanted it to be an important and customized release, we didn’t want to just hand it off to another company. We were too sensitive to this particular film and water to make sure it was handled correctly and Utopia is the company allows us the most flexibility.
Tom: Are there other 80s cult movies that Utopia will be restoring in the near future?
Robert: We want to, but releasing library titles is just not Utopia’s business model Vinegar Syndrome is the company that is doing the special Blu-ray and DVD version and it’s a company that has a long history of being involved in backlog titles.
Talia: Tom, that’s the thing. There were other people that would have been going after RAD but it would have gotten lost. It would not have been so beautifully customized. Sometimes the rights will be signed for a title and then it will never see the light of day after everyone signed up. RAD was very special. Distribution is what my husband Jack Schwartzman was trying to build, and then Robert Schwartzman, his son, is seeing how important it is to have a product with customized distribution.
Talia Shire with Robert Foxworth in PROPHECY
Tom: Talia, let me ask you about another movie you start in. I’m tied in with a horror movie community and PROPHECY from 1980 is a film that is really gaining ground as a cult film Give me a quick memory of that movie.
Talia: That was for Producer David seltzer and Director John Frankenheimer. What was interesting about PROPHECY was that it was really trying to have an ecological message about pollution contaminating the waters. It was a horror movie with a strong environmental message. It was a little tough to shoot because I was in the water a lot with monsters, not only in Canada, but also on Paramount’s soundstage, where they have a huge pool. I have heard that it is sort of coming back and that new audiences are starting to discover it, and that’s great because it’s a very well-done film. It wasn’t a huge success back then but is having a new life now.
Tom: Like RAD.
Talia: Yeah it’s so much fun making these movies that find a second audience.
Tom: I’ve so enjoyed you in so many films over the years, the Rocky films and of course the Godfather films.
Talia: Thank you, actually the GODFATHER Pt III is currently being reworked. Francis is very proud of that movie. It’s actually a fascinating movie that wasn’t received as well as it should have been. That movie was really about money laundering.
Talia Shire in GODFATHER Pt III
Tom: So your brother Francis Coppola is re-editing and tinkering with the GODFATHER Pt III?
Talia: Yes, I think that’s what’s fun about being a filmmaker. You can go back and refine some thing or adjust something, so yes he is doing that with Godfather III
Tom: Robert, do you have any memories at all of being on the set of RAD?
Robert: I can’t really say I have vivid memories of being there but I do remember when the movie came out and the effect it had in the years that followed. It was run like an independent movie in a way. You really have to roll up your sleeves and figure out how you are going to get to people to see a certain movie. RAD captured the underworld competitiveness of a lifestyle sport. We had so much talent. Lori Loughlin was a TV star and my mom was a movie star but most of these were new up-and-coming names. Bart Conner was an Olympic gold medalist.
Talia: Robert, you probably don’t remember being in that Christmas parade with Bart Conner on our float and all the bike riders were going around us down Hollywood Boulevard.
Tom: Did they have a big Hollywood premier for RAD when it was new?
Talia: We had these two big black vans with giant televisions in them. And we had two guys who crisscrossed the United States and they would open the doors of the van and play parts of the movie. We knew we had to bring it to the audience’s attention.
Tom: Well good luck with the RAD restoration. Robert, good luck with Utopia Distributiion and Talia, it’s been such a treat getting to talk with you.
