Who doesn’t love a chilling, scary movie during the hot days of summer!
In ANNABELLE: CREATION, several years after the tragic death of their little girl, a dollmaker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, soon becoming the target of the dollmaker’s possessed creation, Annabelle.
The film is from director of the spooky LIGHTS OUT, David F. Sandberg. Get ready for more frightening images from the filmmaker.
While the film doesn’t open in cinemas until August 11th, ANNABELLE: CREATION premiered Monday, June 19th, at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Variety said in their review, “At one point, visiting Annabelle’s Victorian-looking chamber for what feels like the umpteenth time, Janice finds herself face to face with what looks to be the dead girl. “Will you help me?” the ghostly stranger asks, to which Janice helpfully replies, “What do you need?” “Your soul!” shrieks the creature and proceeds to chase the handicapped girl around the house.” Sounds awesome and can’t wait for this next chapter in The Conjuring universe!
Check out the creepy trailer for the new horror film.
Sandberg directs from a screenplay by Gary Dauberman, who also wrote “Annabelle.” The film stars Stephanie Sigman (“Spectre”), Talitha Bateman (“The 5th Wave”), Lulu Wilson (upcoming “Ouija 2,” “Deliver Us from Evil”), Philippa Coulthard (“After the Dark”), Grace Fulton (“Badland”), Lou Lou Safran (“The Choice”), Samara Lee (“Foxcatcher,” “The Last Witch Hunter”), Tayler Buck in her feature film debut, with Anthony LaPaglia (TV’s “Without a Trace”) and Miranda Otto (Showtime’s “Homeland,” “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy).
From James Wan, serving as executive producers on ANNABELLE: CREATION are Toby Emmerich, Richard Brener, Walter Hamada, Dave Neustadter and Hans Ritter.
Collaborating with Sandberg behind-the-scenes from his LIGHTS OUT team are production designer Jennifer Spence, editor Michel Aller; they are joined by director of photography Maxime Alexandre (“The Other Side of the Door”) and costume designer Leah Butler (“Paranormal Activity 3 & 4”).
The composer is Benjamin Wallfisch. Read our interview with him HERE.
“Boys, oh boys… I think he’s come back for his noon feeding.” – Matt Hooper
On June 20, 1975 a thriller from a relatively unknown filmmaker was unleashed on unsuspecting theatre goers. That summer saw the birth of the blockbuster, the likes of which had never been seen before in cinemas.
Shark films are seemingly all the rage now. Last year was THE SHALLOWS, 1999 was the super fun DEEP BLUE SEA, this past weekend was the release of 47 METERS DOWN and in 2018 comes the intriguing MEG from Warner Bros. Pictures.
The science fiction action thriller MEG, directed by Jon Turteltaub, stars Jason Statham (“Spy,” “Furious 7,” “The Expendables” films) and Chinese actress Li Bingbing and is slated for release on March 2, 2018.
A deep-sea submersible—part of an international undersea observation program—has been attacked by a massive creature, previously thought to be extinct, and now lies disabled at the bottom of the deepest trench in the Pacific…with its crew trapped inside. With time running out, expert deep sea rescue diver Jonas Taylor (Statham) is recruited by a visionary Chinese oceanographer (Winston Chao), against the wishes of his daughter Suyin (Li Bingbing), to save the crew—and the ocean itself—from this unstoppable threat: a pre-historic 75-foot-long shark known as the Megalodon. What no one could have imagined is that, years before, Taylor had encountered this same terrifying creature. Now, teamed with Suyin, he must confront his fears and risk his own life to save everyone trapped below…bringing him face to face once more with the greatest and largest predator of all time.
While you’re celebrating the release of JAWS by watching it Tuesday, June 20th, or looking for shark movie to watch before heading out to see 47 METERS DOWN, check out our list of SHARK films.
JAWS – “…what we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, an eating machine. It’s really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat and make little sharks, and that’s all.” That statement by Matt Hooper in JAWS is pretty much the thriller in a nutshell. It’s the eating part that horrified movie goers and ocean swimmers alike in 1975. Ringing the dinner bell for Bruce the Great White Shark consisted of terrifying sequences of teeth, fins, swimmers and blood and no one was safe from being killed off. Frank Rich of The New York Times wrote, “some of the most frightening sequences in Jaws are those where we don’t even see the shark.” That is until you heard John Williams’ scary score announcing his arrival. JAWS set the standard for edge-of-your seat suspense quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon and forever changing the movie industry. JAWS won 3 Oscars including Best Score, Editing and Best Sound and nominated for Best Picture. Without a doubt, Spielberg’s masterpiece is what make JAWS We Are Movie Geeks #1 pick as the behemoth of all shark movies.
LAKE PLACID – Yep, not a shark movie, but it may as well have been. It’s pretty much JAWS set on a lake, but it was so much fun the summer of 1999. First off, who in their right mind goes swimming in a lake? That’s what pools are for! But if you decide to venture into your nearby lake, you’re on your own and risk running into all sort of nasty beasties, including a gigantic killer crocodile.
OPEN WATER – Presented in the cinemas at water level, holy moly, and fully aware that this will not end well, OPEN WATER was a surprise hit out of the film festival circuit. It gave the whole phrase FREAK OUT MOVIE a new meaning. Two divers, a husband and wife, return to the surface only to discover that their charter has left and they are literally in open water. The ending is still chilling.
THE SHALLOWS – In the 2016 thriller THE SHALLOWS, Nancy (Blake Lively) is surfing alone on a secluded beach when she is attacked by a great white shark and stranded just a short distance from shore. Though she is only 200 yards from her survival, getting there proves the ultimate contest of wills. “Surfing alone on a secluded beach” Okay, right there you’d have to ask yourself, should I be doing this? But then we wouldn’t have a movie – and one that was really, really terrific! Blake Lively was our hero last summer with her courage, smarts and tenacity in facing the shark.
DEEP BLUE SEA – Have you ever heard the phrase, “white knuckling it”? Exactly describes Renny Harlin’s awesome, frenzied 1999 shark movie and it still grabs us every time it shows up on cable. Good plan to alter sharks to make them smart and intelligent. LL Cool J, and his snarky lines, express what the audience is thinking. “Ooh, I’m done! Brothers never make it out of situations like this! Not ever!” Playing the preacher and cook, he has the best scene in the film, even over Samuel L. Jackson’s demise, surviving the sharks by climbing into one of his stoves. Being trapped below the surface in a laboratory while sharks are hunting you down made for one scary ride.
47 METERS DOWN – “Cage goes in the water, you go in the water. Shark’s in the water. Our shark.” Couldn’t be helped when the first trailer was released showing the two sisters jumping into the cage to watch the sharks on a holiday excursion. JAWS obviously came to mind. 47 METERS DOWN film is RIDICULOUS scary! Besides the sharks, and plunging to the ocean floor… they are constantly showing how much air they have left, so you are in a full blown panic. Audiences screamed out loud like 3 times during the opening weekend. And the end is sooooooooo brutal!!!!!!! BRUTAL!!!! You will have all that shark terror in your head when leaving the theater. The film left us scared witless and it is without a doubt a great summer movie!!
A definite must-see in the theater.
And for those of you wondering where Sharknado is? You DO NOT put the Syfy TV movie in the same list as JAWS!! Your movie geek card will be revoked.
Contributed by Melissa Thompson, Cate Marquis and Michelle Hannett.
Al Capone is America’s best known gangster and the single greatest symbol of the collapse of law and order in the United States during the 1920s Prohibition era. Capone had a leading role in the illegal activities that lent Chicago its reputation as a lawless city and an interesting variety of Hollywood stars have had the leading role as Al Capone in the many films that have been made that featured him as a character.
The first film about Capone was produced when he was still making headlines. The main character may be named Antonio Camonte, but there’s little doubt as to who producer Howard Hughes had in mind when he and director Howard Hawks filmed SCARFACE during the Great Depression. Camonte shares more than the same initials with one Al Capone, who was about to begin his eleven-year sentence for tax evasion when the movie was released in 1932. Legend has it that a pair of Capone’s enforcers paid an unannounced visit to screenwriter Ben Hecht’s Los Angeles Hotel room, demanding to know if the movie was indeed about their boss. When told that it was not, the pair was curious as to why the picture was titled SCARFACE while Capone had a famous facial scar, a souvenir from his days as a bouncer at a Coney Island speakeasy when he was 18. “If we call the movie SCARFACE, people will think it’s about Capone and come to see it” Hecht explained “It’s part of the racket we call show business”. The two thugs were persuaded and left. Camonte is played by Paul Muni, in an over-the-top performance displaying ape-like maniacal behavior and prominent use of the Thompson submachine gun. George Raft and Boris Karloff appear in memorable supporting roles. Many similarities exist between the film’s characters and actual organized crime figures of the time. In addition to Tony Camonte being Al Capone, Johnny Lovo (played by Osgood Perkins, father of Tony) resembles crime figure Johnny Torrio, the Chicago-based mobster who helped build the criminal empire known as the Chicago Outfit before Capone took it over. The St. Valentine’s Day massacre, the hospital murder from the life of Legs Diamond, and the 1920 killing of Capone’s Irish, North Side enemy Deanie O’Bannion in a flower shop are also recreated in the film. At the end of SCARFACE, Camonte is slaughtered at the hands of the police force. The 1983 cocaine-era update of SCARFACE was more removed from Capone’s story. It followed the original’s plot closely but Al Pacino’s Tony Montana was Cuban and the action took place in Miami.
Actor Neville Brand was the 4th most decorated GI in WWII. He was a natural heavy with his gravelly voice and brutish facial features and was cast as Al Capone, a recurring character on The Untouchables TV series which ran on ABC from 1959 to 1963. The show was a spin-off of a 1959 TV movie THE SCARFACE MOB with Brand as Capone and Robert Stack as Elliott Ness. Brand had a lot of fun with the role of Capone, laughing and then turning furious and surly in a split second, as his cronies fearfully tried to keep up with his mood swings. Capone is killed at the end of THE SCARFACE MOB but came back for the subsequent show several times as did other real-life gangsters including Frank Nitti (played by Bruce Gordon) whose character was killed off no less than four times during the show’s run. The Untouchables became so popular that THE SCARFACE MOB was released in movie theaters in 1962 to cash in. A second season two-part Capone-centered episode The Big Train was edited together and released to theaters as THE ALCATRAZ EXPRESS in 1961. The plot follows Capone (Neville Brand) having been convicted and sentenced on the income tax charges. On his train ride to Alcatraz, transferring from the Federal pen near Atlanta where he began his sentence, members of his gang attempt to spring him loose. Notwithstanding the fact that Capone and Ness never really met, The Untouchables, with its memorable narration by Walter Winchell, was groundbreaking, power-packed TV crime drama that holds up well today
The most comprehensive and authentic film portrait of the notorious mob boss was the 1959 film AL CAPONE. The script by Malvin Wald and Henry F. Greenberg sticks mostly to the real story and the film crackles with hard-boiled dialogue as it charts Capone’s rise from New York City crime soldier to unchallenged head of the Chicago underworld. Method actor Rod Steiger, who bore a strong physical resemblance to the gangster, starred as Capone and gives the lively, larger-than-life performance that the subject deserves. Martin Balsam’s character in AL CAPONE, Mac Keeley, was based on real-life Chicago Tribune reporter Jake Lingle who wrote mob-related stories for the paper. Lingle had close ties to Capone as well as the notoriously corrupt Chicago Police Department, and was paid by both mobsters and a police commissioner as a middle man. Lingle was murdered in 1930 after “getting too big for his hat”, as Capone put it, and demanding too much for his services. Actor Nehemiah Persoff who portrays Capone’s boss, Johnny Torrio, had a recurring role on the TV series The Untouchables playing, among other roles, Capone’s book keeper, Jake “Greasy Thumbs” Guzik. AL CAPONE was nicely shot in noirish black and white by Lucien Ballard with a fine sense of period detail, and directed by longtime Orson Welles associate Richard Wilson. The final scene accurately depicts Capone’s assault by a fellow inmate while at Alcatraz.
Director Roger Corman was criticized for casting a gaunt Jason Robards as Al Capone in THE ST. VALENTINES DAY MASSACRE, the 1967 film that centers on the rivalry between Capone and Bugs Moran. Corman originally planned on casting Orson Welles as Capone and Robards as Moran, but he was directing the film for Twentieth Century Fox (one of the few times he would direct for a major studio), and did not have the control over the film that he was used to. Fox vetoed Welles so Robards became Capone and Ralph Meeker was brought on to play Moran. Robards looked nothing like the real Capone but gives the gangster a menacing, mercurial persona. THE ST. VALENTINES DAY MASSACRE was an intelligent gangster film presented mostly with documentary precision and factual accuracy, focusing on the Sicilian nature of the Mafia and its relations with non-Sicilians like Capone. While we will never know what the film could have been with the added talents of Orson Welles on board, it is nevertheless an outstanding example of Corman’s versatility as a director.
Ben Gazzara entered the gangster cinematic sweepstakes in 1975, ably playing Al Capone in the Roger Corman production CAPONE directed by Steve Carver. Clearly intended as exploitation – with liberal doses of nudity and foul language to embellish the blood-soaked exploits , the Fox film was one of many gangster sagas produced in the wake of THE GODFATHER. Gazzara’s interpretation of the gangster borders on parody at times and the film gives little insight into Capone’s early years. While it sometimes has characters describing him as an animal, it also depicts him as the sympathetic lover of a hard-living (but totally fictional) flapper played by Susan Blakely. Don’t look to CAPONE for the historical accuracy though – for example, Frank Nitti (played by a pre-ROCKY Sylvester Stallone) is seen giving the eulogy at his boss’s funeral despite having died four years earlier. John Cassavettes has a small role as Capone’s New York-era boss Frankie Yale and Harry Guardino costars as Johnny Torrio.
Actor Bob Hoskins, a dead ringer for Al Capone, was paid $200,000 to play the mobster in Brian DePalma’s 1987 big-budget updating of THE UNTOUCHABLES. Unfortunately for Hoskins, the studio’s first choice for the part was Robert DeNiro, who had passed on the role earlier but was persuaded to star after Hoskins had been signed. Hoskins took his $200k “Play or Pay”money and went home while DeNiro gained a few pounds (and padded himself with pillows) to play Capone. DeNiro, always the method man, insisted on wearing the same style of silk underwear that Capone wore, even though it would never be seen on camera. Set in 1930, the film, from a screenplay by David Mamet, is centered on Elliott Ness (played by Kevin Costner) and his Untouchables, who work tirelessly to bring down the ruthless Capone and his criminal empire. DeNiro’s Capone is a larger-than-life, cartoonish interpretation – with his chest puffed out in front of him, he creates a satire on the idea of Capone as villain – so black-hearted that it’s impossible to root for him. It’s an over-the-top portrayal that’s perfect in the context of the film. The memorable scene in THE UNTOUCHABLES where Capone takes a baseball bat to the skull of one of his crew is based on a true incident from 1929. Two of Capone’s most feared hit men, Albert Anselmi and John Scalise, had hatched a plot to kill Capone and take over the outfit. Capone got wind of this plan and invited all his associates to a dinner party. In the middle of the soup, Capone pulled out a bat and clubbed Anselmi and Scalise to death, then shot them both in the head. DePalma’s THE UNTOUCHABLES is a great adventure movie, with at least a half-dozen tremendous action scenes and a script that delivers one quotable line after another. “You can get further with a kind word and a gun than you can with just a kind word.”
There have been many other portrayals of Capon in the movies and on television. The 1995 film DILLINGER AND CAPONE theorized that John Dillinger (played by Martin Sheen) was not killed outside the Biograph in 1934 but lived to team up with Capone (F Murray Abraham) for a bank hesit. Abraham played Capone again the next year in BABY FACE NELSON opposite C. Thomas Howell as the titlular gangster. Ray Sharkey was Capone in 1989’s THE REVENGE OF AL CAPONE and Eric Roberts took the role in 1990’s THE LOST CAPONE. When The Untouchables was revived for television in 1993, William Forsyth was well-cast as Capone and most recently John Bernthal, star of the popular Walking Dead TV show played Capone in NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN. Currently British actor Stephen Graham, who portrayed Baby Face Nelson in PUBLIC ENEMIES, played Capone on the popular HBO series Boardwalk Empire. Capone’s fame is lodged permanently in the consciousness of Americans and there will no doubt be many future films about the man who held the imagination of the public as few figures ever do. In his forty-eight years, Capone left his mark on the rackets, on Chicago, and on Hollywood.
Coming to theaters August 11 is THE ONLY LIVING BOY IN NEW YORK, starring Kate Beckinsale, Pierce Brosnan, Kiersey Clemons, Cynthia Nixon, Callum Turner and Jeff Bridges.
Adrift in New York City, a recent college graduate seeks the guidance of an eccentric neighbor as his life is upended by his father’s mistress.
Check out the brand new trailer now from Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions.
Thomas Webb (Callum Turner), the son of a publisher and his artistic wife, has just graduated from college and is trying to find his place in the world. Moving from his parents’ Upper West Side apartment to the Lower East Side, he befriends his neighbor W.F. (Jeff Bridges), a shambling alcoholic writer who dispenses worldly wisdom alongside healthy shots of whiskey.
Thomas’ world begins to shift when he discovers that his long-married father (Pierce Brosnan) is having an affair with a seductive younger woman (Kate Beckinsale). Determined to break up the relationship, Thomas ends up sleeping with his father’s mistress, launching a chain of events that will change everything he thinks he knows about himself and his family.
The Only Living Boy in New York stars Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water, Crazy Heart), Kate Beckinsale (Love & Friendship, Underworld), Pierce Brosnan (GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies), Cynthia Nixon (“Sex and the City,” A Quiet Passion), Callum Turner (Assassin’s Creed, Tramps) and Kiersey Clemons (Justice League, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising).
The film is directed by Marc Webb ([500] Days of Summer, The Amazing Spider-Man) from a screenplay by Allan Loeb (Things We Lost in the Fire, 21). Producers are Albert Berger (Little Miss Sunshine, Nebraska) and Ron Yerxa (Little Miss Sunshine, Cold Mountain). Director of photography is Stuart Dryburgh (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty). Production designer is David Gropman (Life of Pi, The Cider House Rules). Costume designer is Ann Roth (The English Patient, The Reader). Editor is Tim Streeto (The Squid and the Whale, Greenberg). Original music is by Rob Simonsen (Foxcatcher, Gifted).
“One other thing. If you guys ever have kids, and one of them, when he’s eight years old, accidentally sets fire to the living room rug… go easy on him.”
BACK TO THE FUTURE screens this Friday and Saturday nights (June 23rd and 24th) at midnight at the Tivoli Theater as part of their ‘Reel Late at the Tivoli’ Midnight series.
Today, the original BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985) is dated only by its Huey Lewis soundtrack and the choice of a De Lorean as a time machine. Except for a needless scene in which an obviously dubbed Michael J. Fox pretends he’s both Chuck Berry and Jimi Hendrix, there’s little to criticize, and much to admire. One surprise in watching BACK TO THE FUTURE 32 years later is how cleverly the plot and script ties the past and present events together. Watching the film for a second or third time only adds to the pleasure, because references become clear that during a first viewing only seemed like idle dialogue. You’ll have the chance to watch it again on the big screen this weekend when it plays midnight at the Tivoli in St. Louis as part of their Reel Late Midnight series this weekend (June 23rd and 24th). I will be there with BACK TO THE FUTURE trivia and prizes so bone up on your McFly knowledge!
Admission is only EIGHT BUCKS!
The Tivoli is located at 6350 Delmar in The Loop. Visit Landmark’s The Tivoli’s website HERE
Another brilliant lineup of midnight movies for the ‘Reel Late at The Tivoli’ to kick off the summer 2017 season. It’s a typically good variety of titles that will draw the late night movie buff crowd with a couple of retro surprises. The Midnight Movie experience has always catered to a college-age crowd and that’s the way it should be. The oldest film this time is SHAFT from 1971 and the most recent is THE ROOM from 2003. It’s always exciting when Tommy Wiseau comes to town. There’s a Miyazaki thrown in there for attendance insurance and a handful of standards including OFFICE SPACE and THE PRINCESS BRIDE. The only title I’m certain is new to the Tivoli midnight roster is SHAFT, and I suspect it will draw a good crowd.
Here’s the line-up:
June 23-24BACK TO THE FUTURE
June 30-July 1OFFICE SPACE
July 7-8BLAZING SADDLES
July 14-15TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (1990)
July 21-22SHAFT (1971)
July 28-29THE PRINCESS BRIDE
Aug. 4-5THE EXORCIST: EXTENDED DIRECTOR’S CUT
Aug. 11-12SPIRITED AWAY Friday and Saturday at midnight, Subtitled Saturday matinee at noon in English
Aug. 18-19THE SHINING
Aug. 25-26THE ROOM with Tommy Wiseau in person! –
Preceded by a trailer for Tommy’s upcoming film BEST F(R)IENDS
All tickets $15; no passes
Illumination and Universal Pictures’ DESPICABLE ME 3 opens in theaters nationwide on June 30, 2017.
Illumination, who brought moviegoers Despicable Me and the biggest animated hits of 2013 and 2015, Despicable Me 2 and Minions, continues the story of Gru, Lucy, their adorable daughters—Margo, Edith and Agnes—and the Minions in Despicable Me 3. After he is fired from the Anti-Villain League for failing to take down the latest bad guy to threaten humanity, Gru finds himself in the midst of a major identity crisis. But when a mysterious stranger shows up to inform Gru that he has a long-lost twin brother—a brother who desperately wishes to follow in his twin’s despicable footsteps—one former super-villain will rediscover just how good it feels to be bad.
STEVE CARELL (The Big Short, The 40-Year-Old Virgin) not only reprises his role as Gru, but also takes on a second part—that of Dru, Gru’s long-lost twin. KRISTEN WIIG (Bridesmaids, The Martian) returns as super-spy Lucy, while Emmy, Tony and Grammy Award winner TREY PARKER (South Park, The Book of Mormon) voices new villain Balthazar Bratt, a former child star who has become obsessed with the evil TV character he played in the ’80s. Gru’s most formidable and comedic nemesis to date, Bratt is out to take down Hollywood…and anyone who stands in his way.
Directed by PIERRE COFFIN (Despicable Me series, Minions) and KYLE BALDA (Minions, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax), Despicable Me 3 is co-directed by ERIC GUILLON (production designer and character designer of Minions and Despicable Me series), executive produced by CHRIS RENAUD (Despicable Me series, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, The Secret Life of Pets) and written by CINCO PAUL & KEN DAURIO (Despicable Me series, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax).
Returning to join their fellow stars are MIRANDA COSGROVE (TV’s iCarly, Crowded) as Margo, Gru and Lucy’s eldest daughter; DANA GAIER (The Ice Cream Truck) as Edith, their middle child; STEVE COOGAN (Philomena, The Secret Life of Pets), who voices Silas Ramsbottom, their former boss, as well as Fritz, Dru’s butler; and Academy Award® winner JULIE ANDREWS (Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music) as Gru’s always disappointed Mom. They are joined by newcomer NEV SCHARREL, who steps into the role of youngest daughter Agnes, and JENNY SLATE (Obvious Child, The Secret Life of Pets) as Valerie Da Vinci, Silas’ ambitious new replacement.
The music is from composer HEITOR PEREIRA (interview) and 11-time Grammy Award winner PHARRELL WILLIAMS, who once again brings his signature original songs and themes to the series.
WAMG invites you to enter for the chance to win FOUR (4) seats to the advance screening of DESPICABLE ME 3 on JUNE 27 at 7PM in the St. Louis area.
Answer the Following:
In MINIONS (which was released in 2015 but is a prequel to the Despicable Me franchise), we learned the origins of the lovable, yellow creatures and saw how Kevin, Stuart and Bob’s comedically misguided quest for an evil leader ultimately led them to team up with a young Gru. The mischievous trio will return for MINIONS 2 in July 2020.
Which Minion became King in the MINIONS film after he pulls the sword from the stone?
TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWER AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.
2. No purchase necessary. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house.
Rated PG (Parental Guidance Suggested – Some Material May Not Be Suitable for Children) for action and rude humor.
MARRIED TO THE MOB screens Friday, June 24th at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood). This is the sixth film in their ‘Tribute to Jonathan Demme’ The movie starts at 8:00pm.
In director Jonathan Demme’s 1988 comedy MARRIED TO THE MOB, Michelle Pfeiffer stars as Angela Demarco, the widow of a recently “iced” Mob hit-man who moves from her garishly tacky Long Island home to start a new life for herself and her son, while being pursued by Mob boss Dean Stockwell and FBI man Matthew Modine. MARRIED TO THE MOB has lots going for it including a very amusing script; offbeat characters; sudden sharp turns to unexpected violence, and a hilarious yet menacing, Oscar-nominated performance by Stockwell and and also by Mercedes Ruehl, as his jealous wife from hell, But Ms Pfeiffer steals the show easily. She perfectly nails Angela’s under-educated, Long Island Italian accent, and the many fine mannerisms that she brings to the role to really flesh out this spunky and surprisingly bright character. Also look for Trey Wilson as FBI Field/Regional Director Franklin, Joan Cusack as Rose Boyle, Ellen Foley as Theresa, Eraser’s Oliver Platt as Ed Benitez, Anthony J. Nici as Joey De Marco, and Charles Napier as Ray – Angela’s gay hairdresser. Catch this one if you can.
Admission is:
$6 for the general public
$5 for seniors, Webster alumni and students from other schools
$4 for Webster University staff and faculty
Free for Webster students with proper I.D.
Here’s the rest of the line-up for the other films that will be part of the ‘Tribute to Jonathan Demme’: 6/30 – The Silence of the Lambs (1991) 7/1 – Philadelphia (1993)
Sony Pictures Classics has released a new poster for the indie hit BRIGSBY BEAR.
The film was an Official Selection at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, as well as the 2017 Cannes Critics’ Week Closing Film.
In Variety’s review from the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, writer Geoff Berkshire said, “BRIGSBY BEAR is the rare festival movie where the main character is experiencing the exact same sensation, and that creates an exhilarating viewing experience that works in the film’s favor. Whether or not this collaboration between childhood friends Dave McCary, Kevin Costello, and Kyle Mooney will hold the same appeal after marketing campaigns reveal many of the quirkiest surprises is an open question. But the eccentric, heartfelt curio is sure to attract a cult following under any conditions.”
Friday night’s Los Angeles Film Festival gala for director Dave McCary’s BRIGSBY BEAR was screened at the Arclight Hollywood.
Brigsby Bear Adventures is a children’s TV show produced for an audience of one: James (Kyle Mooney). When the show abruptly ends, James’s life changes forever, he sets out to finish the story himself and must learn to cope with the realities of a new world that he knows nothing about.
The film stars Kyle Mooney, Beck Bennett, Claire Danes, Mark Hamill, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Greg Kinnear, Kate Lyn Sheil, Ryan Simpkins, Matt Walsh and Michaela Watkins.
In his heyday, director/producer Ovidio Assonitis was affectionately known as “The Rip-Off King” due to his blatant copying of popular, more expensive hit films. Thus, we have Beyond the Door (1974), an Exorcist-style film; Tentacles (1977), a killer octopus film in the vein of Jaws; and even the sequel Piranha II: The Spawning (1981), which he famously directed after firing James Cameron shortly after filming commenced. Always on the lookout for the next big idea in exploitation, it isn’t surprising that he would also jump on the slasher bandwagon as well. Madhouse is Assonitis’ entry into that particular subgenre of film.
Though produced in late 1980 or early 1981 in Savannah, Georgia, Madhouse wasn’t released stateside until 1983. So while the film bears more than a passing resemblance to the classic slasher Happy Birthday to Me (also made in 1981), it is unclear how much of a direct rip-off one film is of the other. While it may be unfair to call Madhouse a rip-off, it certainly borrows heavily from some classic chillers as well as bearing a close resemblance to other films, though this may be due more to the plot centering on twins than anything else.
In her sole screen credit, Trish Everly stars as Julia Sullivan, a teacher at a school for deaf children. She is perfectly wholesome. She has a boyfriend who is a doctor, she has her own successful career, she’s pretty, and she loves the children in her classroom. It’s close to a perfect life. But Julia harbors a terrible secret: her childhood was filled with trauma due to her twin sister who tortured and abused her at every turn. As an adult Trish intentionally isolated herself from her sister, Mary (Allison Biggers), and has managed to mostly forget her hellish childhood and move on with her life. About a week before her birthday, her uncle, a minister, reaches out to her. Father James (Dennis Robertson) tells Julia her sister has been attacked by a horrific, disfiguring virus and is in the hospital. Father James convinces Julia to visit her very ill sister, but just as Julia predicted, Mary treats her very badly. Soon thereafter, Mary escapes the hospital and Julia’s friends and acquaintances soon begin to go missing.
Madhouse is a pretty unique entry into the slasher genre for a number of reasons. While the use of twins as the primary plot driver wasn’t unique (De Palma did it several years before in Sisters, while another slasher called Blood Rage—also released by Arrow—followed several years after Madhouse), there is a twist that throws the standard idea of the evil twin being a serial killer into disarray. When this twist is finally divulged, it’s more than a little confusing for viewers. Astute viewers may not be surprised at this reveal because there is one pretty blatant hint that Assonitis drops midway through the film. But the real problem with the twist is there is absolutely no explanation as to why the killer chooses to kill, leaving the audience hanging. To say more would spoil the film. Another difference is the decided lack of teenagers or the slasher trope that equates sex and death. The film is actually pretty tame in the area of sex. There is no nudity and only a couple of scenes that include kissing. This film is populated by mature adults, most of whom don’t make particularly bad decisions that lead to their deaths, so there isn’t much “don’t go in that door…don’t go down that dark hall…” from the viewers. Finally, the character of Julia doesn’t even discover that people are disappearing until the climax of the film. There is no police investigation, no tension centered on Julia’s knowledge of her friends’ murders. This is a major structural issue that is nearly a fatal flaw for the film.
While the film did get caught up in the Video Nasty debate in Britain, leading to its being banned, the scenes of violence are few and far between and, frankly, aren’t terribly bloody with perhaps two or three exceptions. The bottom line is, like many of the Video Nasties that were banned, when viewed today, one often questions the British censor’s motivations. Perhaps it had to do more with the killing of a child in the film, though the death is only implied and not even the aftermath is shown. It may also have been because a couple of animals are also killed (though no animals were actually harmed during filming). The British seem particularly squeamish with these kinds of ideas, even if only implicated and entirely off screen. However, Madhouse was probably saved from being completely forgotten because of the Video Nasty debate. That’s the true irony of the Video Nasty era: most of the films that were banned weren’t particularly good films and probably would have disappeared into cinematic oblivion if the DPP hadn’t inadvertently given so much press to them.
The film drags in places. Some scenes are overly talky and it features one of the longest, slowest stalkings in film history, with the killer literally stopping to examine nick-knacks during the scene and culminating with the victim locking herself into her apartment, sitting down, and NOT calling the police. Some of the murders are too quick—just one stab to the chest and the film moves on. It’s almost as if the budget only allowed for a few special effects so Assonitis had to get creative with his kills and save his money for two or three scenes.
That isn’t to say that Madhouse is a bad film. It’s certainly a low budget film, but the production values are high and the film looks much more expensive than it really was. Aside from some low-quality special effects, you wouldn’t guess this was a B-picture by its look. The cinematography is solid and Assonitis is even able to create some genuine tension and eerie set pieces on occasion. Riz Ortolani is back to create the score, which I also found odd. There are entire sequences of the film that contain no music and which I think could have helped create tension if a score had been created for those sequences. Of course, I have no idea who ultimately made the choice to leave some scenes unscored, but whomever made that decision dropped the ball. Ortolani had just recently scored Ruggero Deodato’s Cannibal Holocaust (1980) and it seems he took several of that film’s music cues and added them to Madhouse. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but for fans of Cannibal Holocaust and its iconic score, it’s a bit disconcerting to hear those same cues in this film, though I’m sure that wasn’t a problem in 1981. All in all, though, it’s not Ortolani’s best effort. The acting is a high point. Everly is a standout, being used to much greater effect than most Final Girls. It’s a shame this is her only credit. The cast surrounding her, most of whom you wouldn’t recognize, are veterans of both the small and large screen, and most do an admirable job. Jerry Fujikawa, who plays an Asian handiman, is unfortunately relegated to a silly and slightly offensive typecast role. His demise is actually funny thanks to his expression. Edith Ivey plays a supporting role as Julia’s landlady and wins the prize for Dumbest Move in the Film. I’d have been okay if her character had been the first to die as her performance as a flighty, aging hippy was quite irritating.
While it’s all a bit cheesy—though not nearly as cheesy as Assonitis’ Tentacles—it’s still a worthy entry to the slasher genre and good fun. I’m glad Arrow dug this rarity up and gave it their Special Treatment. This special edition includes both Blu-Ray and standard DVD presentations from a brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative. The film has been hard to come by in any decent presentation, so Arrow’s release is the perfect upgrade and definitive edition of the uncut version of the film. It includes several short interviews with cast and crew, including Assonitis himself. But the standout interview is with Edith Ivey, a veteran with credits running from Howdy Doody to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Brad Pitt. She talks about her career as well as making Madhouse. She is genuine and simply very entertaining. Also included is an alternate title credit sequence as well as the original theatrical trailer. The special features are rounded out with an audio commentary by the slasher fan group The Hysteria Continues. There are four members who talk over each other and drop obscure references that may or may not have any relevance to the film. Not much information is presented about the film itself and the commentary really feels like you are listening in to a random conversation of movie fans while they watch the film. Not the best commentary I’ve ever heard.
