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Last year, Charles Band’s company Full Moon announced that they were launching a new production label called Pulp Noir, which would focus on “edgier, weirder, darker horror and dark fantasy films.” Two Pulp Noir movies, Quadrant and Death Streamer, have since made their way through production – and while those movies were initially released in color, all of the Pulp Noir movies will also get black & white “noir” releases, so there are both color and black & white versions of Quadrant and Death Streamer available on the Full Moon Features streaming service. While we wait for more Pulp Noir movies to be made, Band has started going through the Full Moon library to give some of their older films the black & white / noir treatment. Last month, a “noir” version of the 1984 sci-fi thriller Christmas classic Trancers was released through Full Moon Features and YouTube, as was a black & white version of the 1997 creature feature The Creeps.

The 1990s saw a lot of action movies come and go, some of which were better than others. Big stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis dominated the theaters, and they had projects green-lit by name recognition alone. However, just because one high-octane film does well, it doesn't guarantee that another will resonate as well with audiences. Many movies come out with high hopes and prolific marketing, but the pay-off isn't quite what studios are expecting.

Many different metrics go into measuring a film's success. If the budget is high, the box office takings need to cover and even exceed it in order not to be considered a failure. The caliber of actors involved also has bearing. A lesser-known ensemble won't have as many expectations as a tried and tested cast with previous blockbusters. Explosive action films are typically projected to earn more than less popular genres, too. However, some...

Listings compiled by Jessica Gardner and Pete KeeleyDEFINITIONS:Membership: Theater maintains an active company or ensemble of actors and generally casts productions from that pool.Open: Each show is cast on an open basis.Limited: Theater casts on an open policy under limited or special circumstances, usually when a part cannot be cast from existing company members.Key To Symbols & Abbreviations: R: Theater is available for rent. R-va: Rental with variable availability. H&R: Headshots and résumés accepted. M: Accepts manuscripts. Include self-addressed, stamped envelope. W: Workshops or classes offered. D: Charges dues.Note: The following sets of listings comprise theater venues and producing companies; often these are one and the same and are listed as such. Producing companies not exclusively associated with any particular venue are included in the "Independent Theatre Companies" listing on page 18. Affiliated companies are listed in parentheses.More Than 499 Seatsahmanson THEATRE135 N. Grand Ave.Los Angeles,...