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The opening of a movie can make or break it. Too fast or show too much and the rest of the movie will struggle to match it. Too slow or not have a hook in the audience and you lose them permanently before the really good stuff hits. A sequel should have an easier time with it because when released theatrically anyway, it should have a bigger budget and know what the first movie did in the first place to be successful let alone be able to mimic some of the better scenes. One of the best to ever do it is a shocking choice, but the first 16 minutes of Stephen Hopkins Predator 2 are some of the best and most draw you in 16 minutes you’ll find. While the movie wasn’t nearly the smash success that its predecessor was with box office, critical reception, or even the fanbase for a while,...

After nearly 35 years, the "Predator" franchise is still going strong. Despite a fair share of disappointment during its seven-film (and counting) run, every decade produces a strong chapter that reinvigorates interest in the mysterious alien hunters. John McTiernan's muscle-bound 1987 creature feature starring Arnold Schwarzenegger remains the best. Still, more recent offerings like Nimród Antal's 2010 sequel "Predators" and Dan Trachtenberg's 2022 prequel "Prey" have closed the gap and provided hope for future entries.

Delightfully R-rated, the "Predator" series follows a group of elite alien warriors, brought to life with incredible special effects, who venture to different planets to test themselves against the best killers they can find. Curiously, none of the films have allowed a Predator to claim victory over their most formidable foes, though they do enjoy minor victories that make way for some nasty spine-ripping action. To date, we've seen Predator eliminate its victims in various ways...

Despite reports of a mystical, uncut version of Predator 2, it likely doesn't exist. Predator 2 has an interesting legacy within the franchise. While it's now well-regarded for its expansion of the mythology - with one easter egg basically setting up Alien Vs Predator - and intense action, but it was a disappointment on its original release. Audiences were letdown about the lack of Arnold Schwarzenegger, and it somewhat stalled the series on the big screen for 14 years. Director Stephen Hopkins also had to submit the sequel to the MPAA around 20 times to avoid an Nc-17 rating.

Had Predator 2 been slapped with that rating, it would have severely limited its box office potential. The tight post-production time might these edits had to be made quickly, as Hopkins recounted in a chat with Avp Galaxy in 2021. In the years since its 1990 debut, reports of a super gory, Nc-17 version of...

The new animated anthology miniseries "Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi" is now streaming on Disney+, and brings us a new perspective on Count Dooku: a view of him in his earlier years before the corruption of the Sith took him and twisted him into Darth Tyranus. 

The man behind Count Dooku's voice, Corey Burton, has been a voice actor for decades, providing voices you hear almost every day. From the tram operator at Disneyland and "Star Wars" characters like Count Dooku and Cad Bane, all the way to Captain Hook, Spike Witwicky and Shockwave from "Transformers," and even James Bond, Jr., Burton has shaped the audio landscape of Saturday morning cartoons and theme parks for decades. We were able to have a wide-ranging conversation with him about the beginnings of his career, his work as Count Dooku, and the legacy of "Star Wars."

'Who Is That?'

I'm a...

Witness the ‘fifties transformation of the femme fatale, from scheming murderess to self-deluding social climber. Barbara Stanwyck redefines herself once again in Gerd Oswald’s best-directed picture, a searing portrayal of needs and anxieties in the nervous decade. With fine support from Raymond Burr, Virginia Grey and Royal Dano.

Crime of Passion

Blu-ray

ClassicFlix

1957 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 84 min. / Street Date September 5, 2017 /

Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Sterling Hayden, Raymond Burr, Fay Wray, Virginia Grey, Royal Dano.

Cinematography: Joseph Lashelle

Art Direction: Leslie Thomas

Original Music: Paul Dunlap

Original Story and Screenplay by Jo Eisinger

Produced by Herman Cohen, Robert Goldstein

Directed by Gerd Oswald

A key title in the development of the Film Noir, 1957’s Crime of Passion shows how much the style had departed from the dark romanticism and expressive visuals of the previous decade. The best mid-’50s noirs strike a marvelously cynical and existentially bleak attitude regarding crime and society.