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One of John Candy’s 80s classics from director Carl Reiner, Summer Rental, was pretty elusive on physical media. Fans of this comedy don’t have to wait any longer as the boutique label Kino Lorber will now be releasing a new 4K restoration Blu-ray transfer of the film at the start of the new year. Blu-ray.com is reporting that Summer Rental, which was previously scheduled to hit retailers this year, will now have its physical media release on January 21, 2025.

The 1985 comedy stars John Candy, Karen Austin, Kerri Green, Joey Lawrence, and Aubrey Jene and is directed by Dick Van Dyke Show alum and Ocean’s Eleven star, Carl Reiner, who would direct another summer-themed comedy with Mark Harmon, Summer School, just a couple years later.

The description reads, “Comedy legend Carl Reiner (Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid) directed this tale of a family man who takes a vacation from...

One of John Candy’s 80s classics from director Carl Reiner, Summer Rental, was pretty elusive on physical media. Fans of this comedy don’t have to wait any longer as the boutique label Kino Lorber will now be releasing a new Blu-ray transfer of the film sometime this year. Blu-ray.com is reporting that Summer Rental will be hitting retailers in late 2024.

The 1985 comedy stars John Candy, Karen Austin, Kerri Green, Joey Lawrence, and Aubrey Jene. The plot description reads, “After air traffic controller Jack Chester loses a plane (it’s covered on his screen by a fly), he’s told to take a break. Jack books his family into a plush resort, but it turns out that their lodgings are in a hut by the beach, and that’s as good as the vacation gets.” Reiner would direct another summer-themed comedy with Mark Harmon, Summer School, just a couple years later.

The cult classic and lesser-known work of Star Wars creator George Lucas, Radioland Murders, starring Brian Benben and Mary Stuart Masterson, will be celebrating its 30th anniversary with a brand new special Blu-ray release, according to Blu-ray.com. The 1994 film was directed by Mel Smith and the screenplay was penned by Lucas with Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz, Jeff Reno and Ron Osborn. The movie was also produced by Star Wars: Special Edition and Star Wars Episode I-iii producer Rick McCallum.

The description reads,

“The secretary at radio station Wbn, Penny Henderson (Mary Stuart Masterson) is frantically trying to keep things in order as a broadcast goes on the air. Chaos breaks loose, however, when a series of murders occurs in the building, accompanied by an enigmatic voice over the airwaves. Penny’s writer husband, Roger (Brian Benben), tries to deduce who the killer is, but he also happens to be the prime suspect.

Michael Lerner, the character actor known from films like “Godzilla,” “Elf,” and “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” and who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Barton Fink,” has died, as per a report in Variety. He was 81 years old.

The news was broken by his nephew, actor Sam Lerner, a series regular on “The Goldbergs.” He wrote on his Instagram page that “it’s hard to put into words how brilliant my uncle Michael was, and how influential he was to me. His stories always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting. He was the coolest, most confident, talented guy, and the fact that he was my blood will always make me feel special.” He added, “Rip Michael, enjoy your unlimited Cuban cigars, comfy chairs, and endless movie marathon.”

A carousel of images included pictures of Lerner on set in various costumes over the years,...

Exclusive: Corbin Bernsen (Showtime’s City on a Hill), Timothy V. Murphy (TNT’s Snowpiercer) and Jeremy Holm (House of Cards) have signed on to star in the horror film Herd, from director Steven Pierce.

The indie co-written by Pierce and James Allerdyce tells the story of a woman who ends up trapped between a zombie outbreak and warring militias as she tries to outrun her past. Pierce is producing Herd as the inaugural feature under his newly-minted Fp banner, alongside Allerdyce, Lori Kay, Matt Mundy and Bret Carr. Production will commence in Missouri early next month.

Bernsen is a two-time Emmy and Golden Globe nominee perhaps best known for Arnie Becker on 20th Television’s LA Law, who recently signed on to reprise the role in an ABC revival. The actor can currently be seen on Showtime’s City on a Hill and will also soon be seen on...

In my book, director Josh Ruben is two-for-two after his efforts on last year’s Scare Me and now with his follow-up film, the horror comedy/whodunnit Werewolves Within. Written by Mishna Wolff and based on the Ubisoft game, Werewolves Within is easily one of the most confidently crafted genre mash-ups to come along in years that delivers a ton of laughs, a compelling mystery, and an incredibly talented ensemble who all deliver an array of memorable and scene-stealing performances. I’m no psychic, but I do suspect that by the end of this year, many horror fans will be touting Werewolves Within amongst their favorite genre films of 2021.

In Werewolves Within, we’re first introduced to Finn (Sam Richardson), who is heading to his new Ranger post in the snowy, small town of Beaverfield. He’s been recently “sort of” broken up with by his girlfriend, and so Finn...

Francis Ford Coppola served as a mentor for George Lucas in the heyday of New Hollywood, producing Lucas’ 1973 breakthrough feature “American Graffiti.” Lucas’ next project would be “Star Wars,” which launched a franchise so massive the writer-director would never helm a non-“Star Wars” movie again. Lucas has directed four films since 1977, which Coppola tells Variety in a wide-ranging interview is somewhat sad news.

“Well, he created something that brought joy and happiness and pleasure — and even some wisdom — to so many people. Whatever benefits he got from it, he deserved and is welcome to,” Coppola said. “If I feel sadness, it is that he didn’t make the other movies he was going to make. George is truly a brilliant, talented person. Just look at ‘American Graffiti’ and see all the innovation. We should’ve had more.”

Coppola said Lucas is well aware that Lucas’ decision to only direct...

From writer/director/producer and co-star Josh Ruben comes Scare Me, a semi-meta celebration of the power of great storytelling, as well as a deeply funny examination of both the creative process as well as the current state of gender politics to boot. While its setup and Ruben’s approach might seem overly simplistic on the surface, there are a lot of elements at play in Scare Me, which elevated the experience for me, and I really appreciated how everyone here just goes all in for this quirky horror comedy.

As mentioned, Scare Me’s setup is pretty straightforward, as we follow a struggling writer named Fred (Ruben) to a remote cabin in the woods, where he plans to hunker down and get some writing done, but once he arrives, Fred can’t seem to connect with his creative muses at all. While out on a run, he crosses paths...

Jack Sheldon, the stand-out jazz trumpeter and affable Merv Griffin sidekick whose gave voice to the Schoolhouse Rock classics I’m Just a Bill and Conjunction Junction, has died. He was 88.

Sheldon’s face and name were most recognizable to fans of The Merv Griffin Show thanks to his 16-year sidekick stint but his trumpeting reached its greatest acclaim via the big screen with the forlorn Oscar- and Grammy-winning song The Shadow of Your Smile from The Sandpiper (1965).

Sheldon’s voice, however, became a signature part of Saturday morning cartoons for years thanks to two beloved installments of the oft-repeated Schoolhouse Rock educational series of animated shorts. The ABC series was ramping up its second season when it brought Sheldon in and the charismatic jazzman delivered winning performances both as the dedicated train conductor from Conjunction Junction (1974) and lonely piece of proposed legislation in the civics-minded I’m Just a Bill.

While it may not be a Friday, Tuesday the 13th does have a bit of a nice ring to it, too, which makes it a perfect day to add some great genre Blu-rays and DVDs to your home entertainment collections. Scream Factory is doing the (dark) lord’s work yet again this week with their Collector’s Edition of Vice Squad (which I cannot wait to check out) as well as their stunning Steelbooks for both Galaxy of Terror and Forbidden World.

For those of you who enjoy “talkies” (a phrase we coined in our house for our favorite dialogue-heavy films), Radioland Murders arrives on Blu for the first time ever this week, and the third season of Riverdale hits both formats on Tuesday as well.

Other notable releases for August 13th include Avengers: Endgame, The Velocipastor (ahead of its Blu-ray release on September 17th), A Dark Place, Devil Music,...

Academy Award nominated screenwriter Gloria Katz has passed away. She was 76-years old. The screenwriter had been battling ovarian cancer and died Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Katz is best-known for her work on George Lucas' American Graffiti, but she and her husband also worked on Star Wars as uncredited script doctors, helping Lucas to give the dialogue some extra humor, while also shaping the Princess Leia character into the beloved character that she is today.

Gloria Katz originally attended Uc Berkeley as an English major and later transferred to UCLA to get her graduate degree in history. However, she later changed her mind and received her master's degree in film during the late 1960s. She was one of four women in the program along with fifty men, noting that she and the other women were looked down upon by professors at the time. However, she...

Gloria Katz, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of “American Graffiti” who helped polish the final “Star Wars” script, died on Sunday. She was 76.

She died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles following a battle with cancer. Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment confirmed Katz’ passing in a tweet on its official account, writing, “Very sad news to report tonight. Gloria Katz, who wrote Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom for us with her husband Willard Huyck, has passed away. Our deepest condolences to Mr. Huyck and loved ones.”

Katz co-wrote 1973’s “American Graffiti” with her husband Willard Huyck and director George Lucas. In addition to an Academy Award nod, “American Graffiti” won the National Society of Film Critics Award and the New York Film Critics Circle Award for best screenplay.

Later, Katz and Huyck re-teamed with Lucas to revise his fourth and final draft of 1977’s “Star Wars,” including shaping and...

Gloria Katz, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter who co-wrote “American Graffiti” and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” died Sunday following a battle with ovarian cancer. She was 76.

Katz co-wrote “Graffiti” with her husband of 50 years, Willard Huyck, and director George Lucas. The three went on to win the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay and the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay, and were nominated for an Academy Award.

“Graffiti” was the beginning of a long association between the couple and Lucas, which continued when Katz and Huyck worked uncredited as script doctors on his 1977 blockbuster “Star Wars.”

Also Read: Yes, That Was That Dead Villain in 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' - Here's What it Means

The pair later co-wrote the Steven Spielberg-directed “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” “Howard the Duck,” directed by Huyck, and “Radioland Murders,” all...

Producer and screenwriter Gloria Katz died Sunday in Los Angeles at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after a battle with ovarian cancer. She was 76.

Katz was born in Los Angeles on October 25, 1942. She attended Uc Berkeley and went on to UCLA where she received a masters in film. Her husband William Huyck met George Lucas at USC and the three later became a trio of collaborators.

Katz teamed with her husband and Lucas on many projects. She is best known for co-writing the Lucas-directed classic American Graffiti starring Ron Howard. The film earned Katz, her husband, and Lucas an Oscar nomination in 1974 for Best Screenplay.

In addition to the coming-of-age comedy, Katz and her husband collaborated on numerous projects including the Steven Spielberg-directed Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. She also co-wrote Messiah of Evil, Lucky Lady, French Postcards, Best Defense, and Howard the Duck, which were all directed by Huyck.

Star Wars isn't the only dormant George Lucas cinematic franchise that's being revived thanks to the producer's deal with Disney. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has confirmed that the company has begun "talking about" making a new Indiana Jones film. Harrison Ford's fedora-wearing treasure hunter last appeared in the franchise's 2008 fourth installment Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. However, with the next installment still years away, it's unclear whether or not the 72-year-old Ford will return to crack his trademark whip.

"When it will happen, I'm not quite sure,...

The last film, of which a ton of people disliked, aka The Crystal Skull was released in 2008 so the fans have eagerly awaited a new addition to the Indiana Jones franchise. It looks like we have finally been heard.

In 2014 Disney’s CEO Bob Iger said that they would love to make another Jones movie but wanted to pace themselves but it looks like they have finally caved to the demands of the masses.

Unfortunately it is still very early and there is no official script yet as Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy stated the following when being interviewed by Vanity Fair:

In buying the company, Disney also got rights, for better or worse, to less-storied Lucasfilm properties, among them Willow and Radioland Murders. A bigger prize is the Indiana Jones franchise. Kennedy confirmed rumors that another Indy movie ‘will one day be made inside this company. When it will happen,...

It's nothing major, but it is another official confirmation from Lucasfilm. This time the studio has confirmed to Vanity Fair that they definitely are developing another new Indiana Jones movie – it will "one day be made". Ever since Disney bought Lucasfilm, we've been hearing rumors and rumblings of another Indiana Jones that might continue where Kingdom of the Crystal Skull left off, or reboot the series altogether. Over the years we've heard names like Bradley Cooper and Chris Pratt mentioned as potential replacements, but again nothing is confirmed yet. In fact, Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy went so far as to say that they haven't even started working on a script yet. Too early for anything to actually come together, only ideas for now. Here's the segment from Vanity Fair covering the latest Indiana Jones confirmation: In buying the company, Disney also got rights, for better or worse, to less-storied Lucasfilm properties,...

For a long while now, everyone has suspected that Disney and Lucasfilm will make Indiana Jones 5. Though, it hasn't ever been officially announced. And while it is rumored that Chris Pratt will take over for Harrison Ford, no one has ever confirmed that at either Disney or Lucasfilm. As part of the massive Star Wars: The Force Awakens spread in Vanity Fair this month, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy did confirm that a movie is happening at Disney. Though, she has no idea when it may move forward. Nor does she even begin to hint that someone else is replacing Harrison Ford at this juncture. She says:

"[A New Indiana Jones] will one day be made inside this company. When it will happen, I'm not quite sure. We haven't started working on a script yet, but we are talking about it."

Disney and Paramount brokered a financial deal for future films way back...

Star Wars was undoubtedly the crown jewel in Lucasfilm’s vault that attracted the attention of Disney prior to the company’s acquisition, though the House of Mouse also hold the cards to a certain, fedora-wearing professor. All is quiet on the Indiana Jones front as of late, ever since Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt was attached to a potential reboot; however, according to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, a franchise relaunch is currently incubating in the early stages of development.

Kennedy didn’t divulge much more other than confirming its existence, though news of Jones’ return – however far off it proves to be – is still worth getting excited for. Speaking to Vanity Fair during the outlet’s coverage of The Force Awakens, here’s what the current boss had to say about having another crack of the whip.

“In buying the company, Disney also got rights, for better or worse,...

Hollywood went hunting for lots of British comedy talent in the 1990s - and lured the likes of Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson...

For some reason, Hollywood fell in love with British actors again in the 1990s. Sparked by Alan Rickman's turn as Hans Gruber in Die Hard at the back end of the 1980s, many movie villains were either Brits, or in the case of Cliffhanger, John Lithgow taking on the mannerisms of a British antagonist.

Yet in particular, Hollywood went recruiting British comedy talent, with faces then mainly - but not exclusively - known for their small screen work getting roles of various sizes in Hollywood productions. Here are some who racked up the air miles - starting with the man who arguably became one of the most successful...

Hugh Laurie - 101 Dalmatians

Laurie is a man of many talents, who ultimately cracked America with...

Every now and then, I find myself suddenly and unexpectedly angry at George Lucas, but not for reasons that have anything to do with "Star Wars." There has been a refrain we've heard from him over and over during the past couple of decades, where he talks about returning to his roots and making experimental films that could never exist inside the studio system, movies that aren't created to be commercial product, but that come from a very personal place. And over and over, those comments lead nowhere and nothing happens. I'd love to see him do it, though. I have a huge fondness for "Thx-1138," Lucas's first feature film, which evolved out of a student film he made. I take Lucas at his word that commercial filmmaking was never meant to be the complete detour it became after "American Graffiti" and "Star Wars" both blew up into mega-hits,...

While you might not know Stephen Tobolowsky by name, you've certainly seen him in countless films like Groundhog Day (Ned! Ryerson!), Spaceballs, Sneakers, Radioland Murders, The Insider and Memento, and his voice is unmistakable in Robots, Buried and The Lorax. Plus, there's all the TV appearances on shows like "Glee" and "Heroes." Our friends as SlashFilm and writer David Chen have been host to the unique and fascinating podcast The Tobolowsky Files, and now they're trying to turn some of the actor's stories (now available in a book) into a concert documentary film, and they need help. SlashFilm and David Chen have taken to Kickstarter to help fund the film The Primary Instinct: If you donate the right amount, you can have the opportunity to meet Tobolowsky backstage at one of the live shows, or even have him perform a private show for you and 20 of your friends. Other rewards...

Welcome to Issue 12 of ‘The Marvelous Da7e!’

Real quick mission statement: this column is for discussion of superhero movie news and superhero movies. Titular allegiance aside, this sphere includes non-Marvel properties.

This week: What we can learn by defining Howard The Duck.

Pardon me, but I’ve been re-watching Howard The Duck. The 1986 live-action creature-feature “sci-fi/comedy,” PG-rated zoophilia and notorious flop.

It’s not a good movie. It’s an enjoyable movie, but not because of what is on screen…okay, scratch-that. It has the most physically attractive appearence of Lea Thompson on film and this time, she’s not the mother of our main character, so you can totally lust after her up until the end where it seems like she’s actually going to have sex with this duck.

Ducks, who – by the way – are basically rapists across the board. But that’s neither here nor there.

Comedian, actor, writer and director who came to prominence in satirical TV sketch show Not the Nine O'Clock News

Mel Smith was once upstaged by a talking gorilla. He was playing a zoologist in a sketch on his hit comedy show Not the Nine O'Clock News and the gorilla suit contained Rowan Atkinson. "When I caught Gerald in 68 he was completely wild," said Smith. "Wild?" retorted the gorilla. "I was absolutely livid!"

If the gorilla had the best line, Smith had the more expressive countenance, mugging with a deadpan virtuosity rarely seen since Oliver Hardy in his pomp. That face – as hangdog as his childhood hero Tony Hancock's – made Smith, who has died of a heart attack aged 60, one of the most recognisable of postwar British comedians.

Smith's face was only part of his fortune. He was a writer and editor of some of the most redoubtable British TV...

British comedian Mel Smith, who directed The Tall Guy and the first Mr Bean movie, has died.

The comic actor and writer was best known in the UK for his work on sketch shows Alas Smith and Jones and Not the Nine O’Clock News. His agent confirmed he died at his home in London on Friday [July 19] of a heart attack.

His comedy partner was Griff Rhys Jones with whom he set up independent television company Talkback Productions in 1981. The company, which was sold to Pearson for £62m in 2000, produced series such as Da Ali G Show, I’m Alan Partridge and The Apprentice.

After taking roles in movies including National Lampoon’s European Vacation and The Princess Bride, Smith made his feature directorial debut in 1989 with The Tall Guy. The romantic comedy also marked the screenwriting debut of Richard Curtis and starred Jeff Goldblum, Emma Thompson and Rowan Atkinson.

Smith next directed...

News Den Of Geek 20 Jul 2013 - 14:44

The writer, actor and director Mel Smith has died at the age of 60.

Some really sad news to report. The actor, writer and director Mel Smith has died, at the age of 60. The news has now been officially confirmed by the BBC. A heart attack is believed to be the cause of his death.

Smith sprung to fame in the groundbreaking and hugely influential Not The Nine O'Clock News, and then he joined up with Griff Rhys-Jones for a long running and fruitful partnership, the highlight of which being Alas Smith And Jones. The pair's monologues were so popular, they even become part and parcel of the annual build up to the F.A. Cup Final. They also joined together for the movie of Tom Sharpe's Wilt.

Smith co-wrote and starred in the movie Morons From Outer Space too, and he made...

Producer Rick McCallum — who was instrumental in the resurrection of the Star Wars franchise, from the “Special Edition” re-releases of the first trilogy to the prequel trilogy Star Wars films — is leaving Lucasfilm to pursue producing independent films. The announcement, made on StarWars.com, comes a month after the bombshell news that Disney is purchasing Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion, with veteran Hollywood producer Kathleen Kennedy taking the helm of the Star Wars franchise as executive producer of a planned sequel trilogy.

“There’s only person in the world who could do this, and that’s Kathleen Kennedy,” McCallum said in the announcement.

As Lucasfilm embarks on a new future filled with more Star Wars movies, Rick McCallum, one of the key talents responsible for the past 20 years of Lucasfilm productions, has embarked on an exciting future filled with his own films. Coming from a background of independent film production, McCallum is readying films that bring him back to his roots, but now with the wealth of experience that comes from his two decades of collaboration with George Lucas. McCallum's professional association with Lucas began with The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992) and Radioland Murders (1994), and continued through the Special Edition release of the Star Wars Trilogy (1997), the prequel trilogy (Episodes I, II, and III, 1999-2005), and most recently Red Tails (2012). "It's a producer's job to make possible a director's vision, whatever that may be," says McCallum. "George never let the limits of reality constrain his vision, so the challenge to production...

As Lucasfilm embarks on a new future filled with more Star Wars movies, Rick McCallum, one of the key talents responsible for the past 20 years of Lucasfilm productions, has embarked on an exciting future filled with his own films. Coming from a background of independent film production, Rick McCallum is readying films that bring him back to his roots, but now with the wealth of experience that comes from his two decades of collaboration with George Lucas.

Rick McCallum 's professional association with Lucas began with The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992) and Radioland Murders (1994), and continued through the Special Edition release of the Star Wars Trilogy (1997), the prequel trilogy (Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, 1999-2005), and most recently Red Tails (2012).

Says Rick McCallum.

"It's a producer's job to make possible a director's vision,...

It came, it saw, it massively underwhelmed. Nevertheless, despite lukewarm critical reviews, Prometheus shot to the top of the UK Box Office this week, comfortably ahead of Snow White and the Huntsman in second. I imagine Prometheus will have plenty of legs and should be at the top for another week or so yet as people flock to see what all the fuss is about.

The major release this week is Lucasfilm production Red Tails which tells the story of the first African-American airmen to serve in the American army during World War 2. It’s a project George Lucas has had gestating for some time now but he has wisely handed over directorial duties to Anthony Hemingway, an experienced TV director making his first foray into feature films. I can’t see Red Tails challenging the big hitters at the top of the Box Office pile, but it should do...

Turns out George Lucas wasn’t bluffing with all that talk about retiring. Lucasfilm Ltd. announced today that Steven Spielberg’s longtime producing partner Kathleen Kennedy is joining the production company as co-chair. Lucas will retain his position as CEO but Kennedy’s new role will allow him to “move forward with his retirement plans,” according to a press release.

A former president of the Producers Guild of America, Kennedy has produced seven films that received Academy Award Best Picture nominations, including E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, War Horse, Seabiscuit, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, after having started out as...

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

It may come as no surprise to read that the new film from George Lucas – WWII aerial drama Red Tails – is more sure-footed in the exciting dogfight combat scenes than it is on the tarmac. It sucks when conventional wisdom is proven to be true – it’d have been much more interesting to be able to say that producer Lucas and director Anthony Hemingway have exceeded expectations – but the film is exactly what you’d expect: a mix of amazing CGI planes and the cliche, thinly defined pilots who fly them. There’s the alcoholic one (Nate Parker), the undisciplined but brilliant ace (David Oyelowo), the eager-to-please rookie (Tristan Wilds), and their proud, faultlessly noble superiors (Cuba Gooding, Jr and Terrence Howard), but if you’ve seen a movie before you’ll instantly figure out where all these guys are headed, along with what you’re supposed to think and feel,...

It’s a phrase out of the music industry: one-hit wonders. Those bands that come out of nowhere, hit the top of the charts with a catchy – maybe even impressive – single, or have one chart-topping album, and then never seem to be able to hit that sweet spot again. Anybody remember Boston’s second album? Another hit single after “96 Tears” from Jay and the Mysterians?

But they’re not alone. There’s not an area of entertainment where the phenomenon doesn’t exist. Rod Serling never topped The Twilight Zone, and Chris Carter never came up with another series as good as The X Files. Fitzgerald wrote a lot of impressive stuff, but never matched The Great Gatsby, and drank himself to death over it (well, Zelda being crazy didn’t help). Michael Cimino copped an Oscar for The Deer Hunter (1978), and then began a long, spectacular flameout.

It happens.

Vampires and werewolves ruled the box office. Underworld: Awakening premiered in the Number One spot at the box office this weekend with $25.4 Million. Red Tails premiered in Second Place with $19.1 Million. Contraband was Third with $12.2 Million. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close was Fourth with $10.5 Million. Haywire premiered in Fifth Place with $9 Million. Beauty and the Beast, Joyful Noise, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo rounded out the top ten respectively.

Underworld: Awakening (also known as Underworld 4) is a 2012 American 3D action horror film directed by Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein. It is the fourth installment in the Underworld film series, with Kate Beckinsale reprising her role as Selene. Sandrine Holt, Michael Ealy, and India Eisley have been cast in roles new to the series.

Red Tails is a 2012 war film directed by Anthony Hemingway, from a screenplay by John Ridley and Aaron McGruder.

Red Tails seems to be a Hollywood war movie on its surface, but it offers much more than the expected action sequences. It’s the story of The Tuskegee Airmen, a group of black pilots who fought in World War II as part of a Fighter and Bombardment escort Group of the U.S. Army Air Corps. At the time, the American military was racially segregated and these black soldiers were subject to much discrimination, both within and outside the army. Before President Truman integrated the armed forces, black pilots were given the most rundown planes (“from Uncle Sam’s junkyard”), the fewest promotions, and the most dangerous (or boring) assignments. Despite these adversities, they trained and flew with distinction. Throughout the course of the Red Tails they must overcome not only the racism, but also conflicts in their own trust and tragic losses amongst friends. It’s square, old-fashioned melodramatic entertainment to be dure,...

After Howard the Duck and Radioland Murders, you'd have thought George Lucas would have thrown in the towel by now. But no, he trudged forward to make three of the most derided films in history with Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Even with all the negativity and hatred aimed at his head, he continued to move forward, producing and co-directing Red Tails. Which has not yet been screened for critics.

It is Red Tails that has done the man in. As the film prepares for its release this weekend to little fanfare, the director has decided to call it quits. Yes, George Lucas has announced that he is retiring. And that's one way to get some focus on this historically important film.

This is what he had to say.

'The Devil Inside,' 'Beauty and the Beast 3-D' and 'The Grey' also arrive this month.

By Kara Warner

Mark Wahlberg and Ben Foster in "Contraband"

Photo: Universal Pictures

As far as excitement for brand-new movie releases goes, January is not a month film fanatics expect to deliver them major blockbusters, award contenders or other assorted cinematic events. The first month of the year falls into one of two seasons of studio dumping grounds: the late summer and winter months during which movie studios typically unveil their most forgettable fare.

There are exceptions, of course, and being the optimistic movie fans we are, we always hold out hope. Without further ado, here's a rundown of January's new releases and our guesses at their box-office potential.

January 6

The lone new release this week is "The Devil Inside," an R-rated thriller that revolves around a daughter's quest to find out the truth behind her mother's institutionalization.

'The Devil Inside,' 'Beauty and the Beast 3-D' and 'The Grey' also arrive this month.

By Kara Warner

Mark Wahlberg and Ben Foster in "Contraband"

Photo: Universal Pictures

As far as excitement for brand-new movie releases goes, January is not a month film fanatics expect to deliver them major blockbusters, award contenders or other assorted cinematic events. The first month of the year falls into one of two seasons of studio dumping grounds: the late summer and winter months during which movie studios typically unveil their most forgettable fare.

There are exceptions, of course, and being the optimistic movie fans we are, we always hold out hope. Without further ado, here's a rundown of January's new releases and our guesses at their box-office potential.

January 6

The lone new release this week is "The Devil Inside," an R-rated thriller that revolves around a daughter's quest to find out the truth behind her mother's institutionalization.

A second trailer for Red Tails has hit the web this week, and it seems to showcase more of the stuff that people liked the first time around (the dogfights) and a lot less of the stuff that people didn't (the dialogue). This movie marks the first non-Star Wars non-Indiana Jones project that George Lucas has been involved since probably Radioland Murders back in 1994. He came up with the story and executive produced the film, while John Ridley (U Turn, Undercover Brother) wrote the script with Anthony Hemingway (The Wire, Treme) in the director's chair. The movie attempts to tell the true story of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American pilots during World War II who were given second-rate planes and difficult missions but rose above all of the challenges to serve their country. While some of the action scenes seem a little too reliant on CG, they...

Aside from Star Wars and Indiana Jones George Lucas's track record as a producer has been less than stellar, which is why he probably does so little of it. His last film outside his cash cow franchises was the 1994 Radioland Murders, which I haven't seen but was apparently a flop but I have big love for Howard The Duck so he's got that going for him.We all know that the arial fights in Star Wars were based on footage from WWII battles and that Lucas is a self confessed plane enthusiast, especially the WWII kind. So it might not come as a surprise that he decides to write and produce Red Tails, the true story about an all black unit of fighter pilots during...

A Us business has bought up Monroe's brand rights in the hope of reviving her via Tron: Legacy-style technology. Will it work?

"Death," purred Gandalf, back in The Lord of the Rings, "is not the end. Death is just another path – one that we must all take." The wizard may have said these words trying to console a scared hobbit, but he could have easily been describing a tentatively emerging Hollywood philosophy.

Toronto businessman Jamie Salter recently announced his intention to cast Marilyn Monroe in a movie. This, you may think, causes something of problem: the Hollywood icon's last completed film, The Misfits, was a flop; its star has been dead some 49 years. Yet if Slater's intentions are true, it's perhaps the first issue that matters much more than the latter.

Gandalf only got it half right. If you're jobbing Vin Diesel, life probably does end with The Fast and the Furious...

George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Three and a half decades after their breakout successes, they remain arguably two of the most potent brand names in American entertainment and understandably so. Probably more than any other two individuals, they have been – for good or for ill — responsible for a massive reconfiguration of media entertainment, expanding from film into TV, merchandising, and new media, constantly exploring the ability to cross-pollinate all these strains, and sparking a re-thinking of the kinds of movies Hollywood makes and the way they’re made.

Lucas and Spielberg are credited – and sometimes blamed – for launching, expanding, and perfecting the concept of the synergistic, merchandisable blockbuster franchise. After their commercial breakouts in the late 1970s, their movies regularly dominated the all-time best box office performers list for most of the following decades, and even today, after such recent additions as Avatar (2009), Titanic (1997), The Passion of the Christ (2004), the Spider-Man,...

This one's hardly a shocker. The other day we relayed a quote [1] from Mel Smith, director of the George Lucas written- and produced Radioland Murders, who claimed that Lucas has been buying up the film rights for a cadre of actors who have passed on, "in the hope of using computer trickery to put them all together in a movie, so you’d have Orson Welles and Barbara Stanwyck appear alongside today’s stars." At the time, I said to expect a blanket denial from LucasFilm, and that has come to pass. "This is a false rumor" the company says. (via OnTheRedCarpet [2]) Whether this was a spiteful bit of commentary from Mel Smith (it read that way) or a joke taken out of context (also possible), it was also the best piece of international publicity Mr. Smith has done for himself in recent years. (To be fair, he gets more ink in the UK,...

Having bruised the inner child of everyone born in the 70s and later, George Lucas may now aim to scar our ancestors as well. Rumors are circulating that the Lord of the Franchise is using deceased actors in his upcoming film project. Wow, two “nutty billionaires bringing celebrities back to life” stories in one day? What are the odds! Although we bet he has the technology to do so, Lucas is not actually raising the dead to act in his movie. According to associate Mel Smith, he will just be using animated projections.

“He’s been buying up the film rights to dead movie stars in the hope of using computer trickery to put them all together in a movie,” he told Britain’s Daily Mail. “So you’d have Orson Welles and Barbara Stanwyck appearing alongside today’s stars.” Smith directed Lucas’s 1994 box-office bomb, Radioland Murders, and relations...

Having bruised the inner child of everyone born in the 70s and later, George Lucas may now aim to scar our ancestors as well. Rumors are circulating that the Lord of the Franchise is using deceased actors in his upcoming film project. Wow, two “nutty billionaires bringing celebrities back to life” stories in one day? What are the odds! Although we bet he has the technology to do so, Lucas is not actually raising the dead to act in his movie. According to associate Mel Smith, he will just be using animated projections. “He’s been buying up the film rights to dead movie stars in the hope of using computer trickery to put them all together in a movie,” he told Britain’s Daily Mail. “So you’d have Orson Welles and Barbara Stanwyck appearing alongside today’s stars.” Smith directed Lucas’s 1994 box-office bomb, Radioland Murders, and relations...

According to Mel Smith, the Star Wars czar wants to use CGI to allow today's stars to act alongside greats of the past. Why?

• Breaking news: Lucasfilm have since denied Smith's words

Hidden away in this Daily Mail interview with Mel Smith is possibly the most terrifying George Lucas-related news since ... well, the last time there was some terrifying George Lucas-related news.

Smith once worked under Lucas as director of the ill-fated 1994 comedy Radioland Murders and says the Star Wars creator, not content with almost ruining his much-loved original space opera trilogy by inserting oodles of entirely superfluous CGI, is now planning to desecrate further great movie memories via his passion for digital effects.

"He's been buying up the film rights to dead movie stars in the hope of using computer trickery to put them all together in a movie," says Smith. "So you'd have Orson Welles and...

Next week's "Tron: Legacy" stars two Jeff Bridges: one of Bridges' approximate biological age and one that looks uncannily like the Bridges of thirty years ago (at least until he opens his mouth). The young Bridges represents yet another advancement in CGI special effects which means it's time to return to that fear that pops up every so often: that digital creations could some day replace actors altogether. I tend to think this sort of thing is hogwash, that even the most technologically advanced cinematic creations need some humanity at their core.

But you know who apparently doesn't think that's hogwash? George Lucas. The man who was responsible for the infamous CGI creation Jar Jar Binks (as well as the far more successful all CGI Yoda in "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith") is apparently looking to bring dead actors back to life in the form...

In one of the more bizarre rumors in a while, George Lucas-collaborator Mel Smith (director of Radioland Murders) claims that Lucas is buying the film rights to dead movie stars in hopes of casting them in a movie with the help of digital effects. Given his track record for the last 10 years, I honestly didn't think Lucas could do anything that would make my jaw drop for even a moment. But bravo. I was wrong.

An interview with "Bean" and "The Tall Guy" director Mel Smith in The Daily Mail this week hinted at an ambitious CG-heavy project George Lucas is working on.

Smith directed the ambitious but derided 1994 black comedy flop "Radioland Murders" which Lucas produced and has no qualms about where to lay the blame - "The film was a disaster. George doesn’t understand comedy, so the movie flopped. At least it taught me how to use CGI. George is obsessed with it and used too much in the last two Star Wars films — which I thought were ghastly."

He then dropped this following and telling quote: "‘He [Lucas] has been buying up the film rights to dead movie stars in the hope of using computer trickery to put them all together in a movie, so you’d have Orson Welles and Barbara Stanwyck appear alongside today’s stars."

Smith says he's "too...

Filed under: Movie News, Cinematical

Call this one the "wacky rumor of the week."

British comedian and actor Mel Smith laid a bizarre tidbit at the foot of the Daily Mail, saying that 'Star Wars' maestro George Lucas has "... been buying up the film rights to dead movie stars in the hope of using computer trickery to put them all together in a movie, so you'd have Orson Welles and Barbara Stanwyck appear alongside today's stars."

Whoa. Wait. What?!

Smith has worked with Lucas once before, directing the 1994 comedy flop 'Radioland Murders' for the obscenely powerful producer and filmmaker. Exactly how he knows about Lucas' current plans is unknown, meaning that while this is interesting news, it's possibly a long jump from solid truth.

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