News

Every now and then, a movie slips through the cracks and it’s safe to say that The Salton Sea is one of them. Part crime thriller, part fever dream, it lunges viewers into a world of meth-fueled chaos, crooked cops, and a man stuck between revenge and full-on self-destruction. At the center of it all is Val Kilmer who plays Danny Parker, a man who’s seemingly just another lost soul in a haze of drugs and crime. But as things move along, it becomes clear that the truth is far more complicated. Directed by D.J. Caruso, The Salton Sea offers up everything a great noir should have ranging from double-crosses to a main character drowning in secrets.

For Christmas one year, I gave my grandpa a DVD box set of the early "Seinfeld" seasons. My dad thought it was a silly gift because a now-classic show like "Seinfeld" would probably have reruns until the end of time. So far, my dad has been right. Even as streaming has transformed the television landscape, the availability and appeal of "Seinfeld" shows no signs of fading. In fact, it's this ongoing popularity that helped turn director Rob Reiner's production company, Castle Rock Entertainment, into a cash cow.

Named after Stephen King's famous setting on the Maine coast, Castle Rock Entertainment is an American independent film and television production company founded in 1987 by Rob Reiner, Martin Shafer, Andrew Scheinman, Glenn Padnick, and Alan Horn. The company produced numerous acclaimed independent films, including Richard Linklater's "Before" trilogy, several Stephen King adaptations such as "The Green Mile" and "The Shawshank Redemption,...

Preacher nearly became a film before the successful AMC TV adaptation, with multiple directors and a screenwriter interested in the project. While Garth Ennis had no issue with a film adaptation, turning Preacher into a TV series allowed for a more thorough and successful adaptation. Preacher is just one example of how TV adaptations of comic series, like The Boys and The Walking Dead, have found more success than they would if they were film adaptations.

Preacher fans are well aware of the 2016 AMC live-action series based on the DC/Vertigo comic by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, though what they might not be aware of is how close the R-rated comic actually came to getting a film adaptation. Years before Seth Rogan, Evan Goldberg, and Sam Catlin turned the comic into a hit four-season show, Preacher was very nearly a feature film, and Garth Ennis opens up about that arduous process.

Val Kilmer has embodied various memorable characters, delivering skillful lines packed with personality. Kilmer's characters often exhibit sharp sarcasm and wit, adding depth to the dialogue. Kilmer's performances in films like The Doors and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang showcase his ability to bring gravitas to serious subjects while maintaining the lighter tone of the film.

Val Kilmer has acted in several highly memorable roles, where he had the opportunity to bring the scripts to life and deliver some wonderful lines of dialogue. Val Kilmer is one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood, considering his career has seen him act in over 100 titles since 1984. Whether he is playing a superhero, an antagonistic ally, or a straight-up villain, he does a great job embodying the role.

He played Jim Morrison in the biographical movie The Doors, as well as Batman, Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky, and other significant roles throughout his career,...

Program Description

The Punisher is back and he’s on a killer mission when Punisher: War Zone arrives on 4K Ultra HD™ + Blu-ray™ + Digital SteelBook® October 18 from Lionsgate. Starring Ray Stevenson (Thor), Dominic West (The Wire), and Julie Benz (Dexter), Punisher: War Zone gives a new meaning to painting the town red as he wages his bloody one-man vigilante war. Punisher: War Zone will be available for the suggested retail price of 27.99 for 4K Ultra HD™ + Blu-ray™ + Digital SteelBook®.

Official Synopsis

Ex-Special Forces officer Frank Castle is back with all guns blazing as The Punisher, this time waging a one-man war on two fronts. While targeting the vicious mob boss, Billy Russoti, Castle horribly disfigures the gangster in a firefight that also claims the life of an undercover FBI agent. Seeking terrible vengeance, Russoti takes the name “Jigsaw” and begins recruiting the underworld’s most notorious criminals while the Feds form an anti-vigilante Strike Force.

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between.

Today, we discuss one of the most intriguing actors of his generation: Val Kilmer! To tackle such an enigma, we bring in the legendary Katie Walsh! A must-follow on Twitter, a co-host of the insatiably-entertaining Miami Nice Podcast, and an accomplished writer. The B-Sides featured today are: Kill Me Again, At First Sight, The Salton Sea, and Mindhunters.

We discuss how Kilmer was a prodigy––the youngest student admitted into Juilliard’s drama department––before his Broadway debut in the (ultimately) star-studded Slab Boys. There’s talk of his well-documented penchant to be difficult on set, as well as those who defended him and his abilities.

We confront Dan’s deep admiration for the poorly-aged The Salton Sea,...

Filmmaking is incredibly hard work, said everybody who's ever made one for our enjoyment. It’s especially a trial by fire for inexperienced movie magicians, hoping that the wand will strike at least once or twice and that they just survive. With his reputation as a BTS guru with Blue Underground and Dark Sky Films in full swing, Severin Films’ David Gregory set out to make his feature debut, Plague Town (2008)—a tense homage to classic British and foreign horror infused with a fresh feel for the present. And now, a Blu from Severin that houses not only a surprisingly effective chiller, but also behind-the-scenes features that painstakingly showcase a vision dragged kicking and screaming all the way to the screening room.

It is odd for me to be discussing a film this recent. However, it makes perfect sense in context to the creators; Gregory and his co-writer John Cregan...

Exclusive: Hell on Wheels creators Joe Gayton and Tony Gayton have signed with APA.

The sibling writing-producing duo created the praised historical drama series Hell on Wheels, which aired for five seasons on AMC.

Together, the veteran scribes have written numerous pilots, including Southern Comfort for Fox and The Novice for USA, as well as the 2010 feature film Faster, starring Dwayne Johnson. Separately, Tony Gayton also wrote The Salton Sea, directed by D.J. Caruso and starring Val Kilmer, and Murder by Numbers, starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Gosling. Joe Gayton wrote Ernest R. Dickenson-directed Bulletproof, starring Adam Sandler and Damon Wayans.

Joe and Tony Gayton are also repped by attorney Karl Austen.

Surely, it can’t be long before we see a new addition to “The Film Critic’s Lexicon,” in the chapter devoted to such shorthand similes as “feels like a Hallmark movie,” “resembles an after-school special” and that old standby, “Tarantinoesque.” Chances are very good there will be something on the order of “good enough for lockdown” or “quarantine time-killer,” used to describe the sort of unabashedly derivative and instantly disposable genre fare that might find an audience among undemanding genre enthusiasts in search of something new — anything new — to watch while homebound.

And when that label does indeed appear, don’t be surprised to see a production still from writer-director Christian Sesma’s “Paydirt” alongside it as illustration.

A thoroughly mediocre but sporadically diverting mashup of elements cribbed from the cinemas of Guy Ritchie, Steven Soderbergh and, yes, Quentin Tarantino, “Paydirt” is a crime drama with darkly comical touches...

Shirley Knight, who was twice Oscar nominated for best supporting actress, for “The Dark at the Top of the Stairs” (1960) and “Sweet Bird of Youth” (1962), and won a Tony and three Emmys, died on Wednesday of natural causes in San Marcos, Texas. She was 83.

Her daughter, actress Kaitlin Hopkins, paid tribute to Knight in a lengthy Facebook post.

Knight continued to work as she approached 80, reprising her role as Mom in “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” in 2015 after appearing in the 2009 original.

In 1997’s “As Good as It Gets,” starring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt, Knight played the mother of Hunt’s character; the New York Times called her performance “tenderly funny.”

Other film credits of recent vintage include Luis Mandoki’s “Angel Eyes” (2001), starring Jennifer Lopez; thriller “The Salton Sea” (2002); “Grandma’s Boy” (2006); Rebecca Miller’s “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee” (2009), with Robin Wright; “Our Idiot Brother” (2011), toplined by...

Let me kick this off by saying that I'm a massive fan of Nickelodeon's 90's kid-horror anthology series Are You Afraid of the Dark?. I own every episode on DVD (come on Blu-ray collection!) and, yes, I can hand over some choice episode recommends (see below). And it's armed with this love of all things The Midnight Society, that one of the upcoming horror movies that I'm looking forward to the most is Paramount's big-budget feature film adaptation.

And today we have word that the upcoming film has snagged its director in the form of D.J. Caruso. Caruso is best known for helming such films as xXx: Return of Xander Cage, I Am Number Four, Eagle Eye, and The Salton Sea. But don't let that deter you from being excited about the man's possible involvement with this upcoming kid-horror movie. Caruso also has films like Disturbia and Taking Lives under his belt.

The dark action tale, Punisher: War Zone comes to 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (Plus Blu-ray and Digital) on September 25 from Lionsgate. Frank Castle continues to hunt down criminals who deserve his merciless execution!

Frank Castle is back when Punisher: War Zone arrives on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray and Digital) September 25 from Lionsgate. The film tells the tale of an ex Special Forces instructor arriving in New York to take on a scarred villain. Experience four times the resolution of full HD with 4K along with Dolby Vision Hdr, which brings entertainment to life through ultra-vivid picture quality. When compared to a standard picture, Dolby Vision can deliver spectacular colors never before seen on a screen, highlights that are up to 40 times brighter, and blacks that are 10 times darker. The release also features Dolby Atmos®audio mixed specifically for the home to place and move audio anywhere in the room,...

Frank Castle vows vengeance when The Punisher arrives on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray and Digital) September 25 from Lionsgate. Based on Marvel’s iconic anti-hero, the film tells the tale of FBI agent Frank Castle’s unrelenting need for vengeance after his family is killed. Experience four times the resolution of full HD with 4K along with Dolby Vision Hdr, which brings entertainment to life through ultra-vivid picture quality. When compared to a standard picture, Dolby Vision can deliver spectacular colors never before seen on a screen, highlights that are up to 40 times brighter, and blacks that are 10 times darker. The release also features Dolby Atmos® audio mixed specifically for the home to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead. The Punisher 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack is loaded with special features and will be available for the suggested retail price of $22.99.

Frank Castle is...

Exclusive: Tucker Tooley Entertainment has picked up the crime drama film spec script Thug for Den of Thieves writer/director Christian Gudegast to helm. The project was penned by Tony Gayton. Tucker Tooley, CEO of Tooley Entertainment, will produce.

Gudegast, co-screenwriter for London Has Fallen which grossed $205.9M globally, made his directorial debut on Den of Thieves which Tooley also produced. The relationship between Gudegast and Tooley is very strong as the writer/director is also scripting the sequel to Den of Thieves.

Thug follows an ex-journeyman boxer and aging enforcer for a San Pedro Gangster who attempts to get back into the lives of his estranged children and clean up the messes of his past while coming to terms with the ruined landscape of his twenty-year career in crime all the while as the criminal underworld won’t loosen their hold on him.

An adaptation of an action-thriller book that has been in development for over 20 years may now finally see the light of day, thanks to star Jason Statham and director D.J. Caruso. Statham is in talks to star in Killer's Game, with Stx Films in talks to finance and distribute the film, with D.J. Caruso set to take the helm. Steve Richards of Endurance Media and Andrew Lazar of Mad Chance will produce, although there is no word on who will write the screenplay adaptation just yet. Over the past 20 years, there have been more than a few well-known writers, directors, and stars who have tried to bring this project to the big screen.

Killer's Game is based on the novel of the same by Jay Bonansinga, which was published in 1997, and Hollywood was seeking this project even before it was published. The story centers on an assassin, who, after learning he is dying,...

If you live on the West Coast and you're a fan of Death Dealer Selene from the Underworld movies, then you'll want to mark the weekend of June 17th–18th on your calendar, because Kate Beckinsale will be a featured guest at Wizard World Sacramento. In today's Horror Highlights, we also have details on the Blu-ray / DVD release of Peelers and the lineup for Attack of the 50 Foot Film Fest in Atlanta.

Kate Beckinsale to Attend Wizard World Sacramento: Press Release: "Sacramento, Calif., June 5, 2017 – Kate Beckinsale, star of such films as Underworld and Pearl Harbor, and Val Kilmer, standout in Batman Forever and Top Gun, have been added to the top-flight celebrity roster at Wizard World Comic Con Sacramento at the Sacramento Convention Center. Both will appear on Saturday and Sunday, June 17-18, when they will greet fans, sign autographs, pose for photo ops and conduct interactive Q&A sessions with fans.

We’ll soon find out if The Disappointments Room is another hit for D.J. Caruso (who helmed such diverse films as The Salton Sea, Disturbia, Eagle Eye, and I Am Number Four), but in the meantime here’s a sneak peek clip… Continue Reading →

The post Show of Hands… Who Wants Another Sneak Peek of The Disappointments Room? appeared first on Dread Central.

Relativity has released a trailer for a surprise horror film that's coming out in the next few weeks, titled The Disappointments Room, which we haven't heard much about until now. Kate Beckinsale stars, along with Duncan Joiner, as a mother and her young son who move to their dream home but discover a creepy room in the attic. Upon opening it, they unleash "unimaginable horrors". This trailer doesn't actually show any of those horrors, as it pretty much stops when she opens the door. The full cast includes Lucas Till, Gerald McRaney, Michaela Conlin, Michael Landes and Mel Raido. Give this a quick watch below. Here's the first official trailer for D.J. Caruso's The Disappointments Room, originally from Yahoo: When a mother and her young son move into their rural dream house, they accidentally unlock a hidden room in the attic and unleash unprecedented horror. The Disappointments Room is...

A gleeful throwback to a genre that unfortunately jumped the shark years ago, Detour harkens back to the ’90s noir that ultimately met its death with one too many Quentin Tarantino knock-offs. Detour is not that. It’s instead a playful shape-shifter (using a split-screen device) that offers a slight element of misdirection to its wild, winding road of unexpected encounters, moral decisions, and a portrait of white-trash Americana. This is lurid film noir at its best.

Thrust into this world is law student Harper (Tye Sheridan), a nice rich kid whose mother lies on her deathbed. He theorizes that his stepfather, Vincent (Stephen Moyer), is responsible for a car crash that’s left her on life support. He’s an architect who frequently travels from California to Vegas “for work” and first devises a plan to get him busted at the airport. In a moment of desperation, he shoots...

Having first graced the big screen as mop-headed slacker Ted Theodore Logan in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Keanu Reeves has since become one of Hollywood’s ‘go to’ actors when explosive action is the order of the day, starring in numerous edge-of-your-seat thrillers including Point Break, Speed and The Matrix. His most recent film, John Wick, which sees Reeves play a former hitman hell-bent on revenge as he returns to the criminal world he left behind in out now on DVD and Blu-ray.

With a career spanning over three decades, Reeves is rarely far from his next on-screen adventure, but what about some of those action heroes we haven’t heard from in a while? We decided to track down a few of our favourites.

Linda Hamilton

Linda Hamilton shot to fame as Sarah Connor, a young waitress who finds herself pursued by a relentless android killer in The Terminator.

Plagues & Pleasures On The Salton Sea

This documentary reveals the troubled history of Salton Sea, which was once the site of a wonderful resort in the California desert, but soon turned into a fetid, largely abandoned area. Narrated by John Waters.

Director: Chris Metzler, Jeff Springer

Starring: John Waters, Leonard Knight, Petre Melvin

Streaming: Amazon | iTunes

Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea photo gallery:...

We learned last week who would play the title role in Marvel's upcoming Daredevil series for Netflix and now we know who he'll face off with with word arrived that veteran character actor Vincent D'Onofrio - pictured above in The Cell - has joined the cast to play Wilson Fisk / The Kingpin opposite Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock / The Daredevil.Years of life on Law And Order have somewhat dulled the public impression of D'Onofrio but back in the day - whether his magnetic performance in The Cell or playing a tweaker with a prosthetic nose opposite Val Kilmer in The Salton Sea - was very much the go to guy when casting agents needed to do something weird. Here's hoping he's free to...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

The Salton Sea in California's desert is a huge lake that shouldn't be. Created accidentally at the beginning of the 20th century when irrigation routes from the Colorado River flooded the Salton Sink in the Coachella Valley. The spot was a popular tourist spot, and properties were snapped up by celebrities like Sonny Bono. After all, how often is there new waterfront property?

Of course, with no consistent water source the Salton Sea's water level fluctuates wildly, and the salinity grows ever higher, much of it being leeched out of the surrounding land (which also takes with it pesticides). By the 1970s, the water could no longer support the fish that called it home, and they died off by the millions, washing ashore. The area is described as smelling like an old fish market on a hot day. You might drive past and think it looks like a nice, quiet...

Welcome to The Best Movie You Never Saw, a column dedicated to examining films that have flown under the radar or gained traction throughout the years, earning them a place as a cult classic or underrated gem that was either before it’s time and/or has aged like a fine wine. This week we’ll be looking at D.J. Caruso’s The Salton Sea! The Story: After the murder of his beloved wife, Danny Parker is set adrift in a world where nothing is as it seems....

As Alfonso Cuaron’s mega-hit Gravity continues to rack up praise and big box office dollars, it’s a good time to take a critical look at the weakest aspect of the film, which is the lead acting performance of Sandra Bullock.

It’s widely known that Cuaron’s first choice, Angelina Jolie, fell through and there were reported meetings with Marion Cotillard, Scarlett Johansson, Blake Lively, and Natalie Portman among other candidates, before Bullock was ultimately chosen.

These other contenders are clearly talented but they are still part of a group that could easily be called Hollywood Casting 101.

While the film’s financiers would disagree, Gravity is not a film that needed big stars, as the presence of George Clooney and Sandra Bullock is far less a contributor to its enormous success than the film’s suspense thriller concept and visually striking execution.

Obviously, a director on a big-budget...

It's Thursday. Friday's still quite a few hours away, and you're looking for something to help you pass your time. We totally hear you. The Internet has become a veritable theme park of time-killing activities, and the following one is a treat for sure!

As per the Pajiba website...

"Are you familiar with the movie and television trope in which someone is unexpectedly hit by a bus or other large vehicle? I’m sure that two or three instances of it immediately come to mind (and they’re assuredly in the video). We see it all the time (and it’s almost always effective), but I had no idea just how often it is employed until the noted video editor behind Harry Hanrahan compiled practically every instance ever of the trope into this supercut. It’s one of those brilliant video edits that blows up the trope, exposes it for...

The rather intimidating Christopher Heyerdahl is back for Season 2 of AMC’s hit series Hell on Wheels. Christopher of course plays “The Swede” in a show with the tagline, “Blood will be spilled. Lives will be lost. Men will be ruined.” Season 2, Episode 1 titled, ‘Viva La Mexico’ will air on August 12, 2012. Check out the new stills of Christopher below and then a promo for the show as well:

Hell on Wheels is a contemporary Western that centers on former Confederate soldier Cullen Bohannon, portrayed by Anson Mount, whose quest for vengeance has led him to the Union Pacific Railroad’s westward construction of the first transcontinental railroad. Developed by Endemol USA and produced by Entertainment One (eOne) and Nomadic Pictures, Hell on Wheels is created, written, and executive-produced by Joe and Tony Gayton (Faster, Uncommon Valor, The Salton Sea, Bulletproof). The new season premieres August 12th.

See all of the stills over at Spoiler TV here and more on the show at Amctv here.

Thanks for the tip Noor!

Gary Oldman as Jackie Flannery in State Of Grace (Phil Joanou, 1990, USA):

Long considered one of the most talented actors in cinema, it’s very strange that his outstanding acting as the younger brother of Ed Harris’ local crime boss in this underrated film doesn’t get talked about nearly enough when discussing Oldman’s body of work. This is a must-see performance for all Oldman fans. For the record, State Of Grace is a far better Irish mob film than The Departed (Martin Scorsese, 2006, USA), primarily because it contains much better acting across the board. Oldman was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Tomas Alfredson, 2011, UK/France).

Other notable Gary Oldman performances: Prick Up Your Ears (Stephen Frears, 1987, USA), Dracula (Francis Ford Coppola, 1992, USA), True Romance (Tony Scott, 1993, USA), Leon: The Professional (Luc Besson, 1994, France), Air Force One (Wolfgang Petersen, 1997, USA), The Contender (Rod Lurie,...

Credited for "helping to modernize the Western genre" when it premiered in 2011, Hell on Wheels centers on former Confederate soldier Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount), whose quest for vengeance has led him to the Union Pacific Railroad's westward construction of the first transcontinental railroad. Currently reigning as the #2 rated show on AMC (with a series premiere that was the second highest rated AMC debut of all time), it is episodic TV at its very best. And before Season Two rolls into town this fall, home viewers can catch up on all the frontier drama in this star-studded smash with Hell On Wheels - The Complete First Season, arriving on DVD and Blu-ray May 15, only from Entertainment One.

Hell on Wheels tells the epic story of post-Civil War America, focusing on a soldier who sets out to exact revenge on the Union soldiers who have killed his wife. His journey takes him west to Hell on Wheels,...

The story of excitable, if journeyman-level director D.J. Caruso is a long one, with him starting off his career with moodier fare like “The Salton Sea” and the far less impressive “Taking Lives,” before eventually delving into young-adult-prone projects like “Vertigo,” “Eagle Eye,” and last year's “I Am Number Four.” He’s continuing that string of films with the Val Kilmer, Radha Mitchell, Kate Maberly, Chandler Canterbury, and Annalise Basso-starring “The Goat Island,” his passion project indie, which he's just locked and will be showing to distributors. But he won't be sitting idle for long, as Caruso has lined up his next movie pretty quickly.

Deadline report that Caruso will be taking the director’s chair for “Invertigo,” a sci-fi epic with a script by fanboy punching bag Ehren Kruger ("Transformers") and Bradley Cramp about a Nasa satellite that crash-lands in New York City, creating a “reverse-g vortex” where gravity on earth becomes inverted.

When AMC announced it had picked up Tony and Joe Gayton’s television western Hell on Wheels, the news set off a string of speculative buys across the various other networks scrambling to reproduce AMC’s success, as was the case with Mad Men. After having viewed the complete first season of Hell on Wheels, however, the onslaught of pending westerns need not fret, the best is still waiting to be discovered because AMC has set the bar incredibly low.

Having previously written revenge flicks like Faster and The Salton Sea, it was of little surprise that the Gayton brothers would choose to begin the story of Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) by having his trek west be fueled with a thirst for vengeance. What is surprising is how quickly everyone – ...

Click to continue reading ‘Hell On Wheels’ Season 1 Finale Review...

Django Unchained casting continues unabated, yet its status as my most anticipated film of next year means that I don’t mind. According to Deadline, the latest addition to Quentin Tarantino‘s western is Rex Linn, who will be playing Tennessee Harry. Want to know more? You’ll have to read the script or wait for the film, as their story provides no further information.

Linn‘s an actor whose physical appearance often leads him to being cast as a police officer, but that might not be the case in this slave and plantation owner-filled revenge tale. Some of his biggest credits include CSI: Miami, Ghosts of Mars, The Hunted, The Salton Sea, Appaloosa, and has recently been appearing on The Walking Dead. Basically, you’re bound to have seen him in something at some point.

Django Unchained stars — as I’m sure you’ve heard about 700 times in the past two months — Jamie Foxx,...

Chris Metzler and Jeff Springer’s 2004 documentary Plagues & Pleasures On The Salton Sea covers the strange history of the manmade body of water in southern California, and how it sustained a vibrant tourist industry in the 1950s until excessive salinity made the region hostile to wildlife. Alma Har’el’s documentary Bombay Beach doesn’t bother establishing much context for its study of one run-down town on the shores of the Salton Sea; it’s more impressionistic, splicing together images of extreme poverty and decay while peeking in at the lives of three Bombay Beach residents. Har’el spent ...

The Goats is not a story about Val Kilmer's coming of age, sadly. It could, however, be part of the evolution of Eagle Eye and I Am Number Four director D.J. Caruso. The director has meandered from well-liked cult film The Salton Sea to youth-Hitchcock thriller Disturbia to the big budget schlock of Eagle Eye and I Am Number Four. He also worked on The Shield and has some other resume entries, but overall it isn't Now he's getting cameras rolling on The Goats, based on Brock Cole's young adult novel, with Knowing's pre-teen Chandler Canterbury and Annalise Basso in the lead roles of two kids who run away together after a summer camp incident, and Val Kilmer, Radha Mitchell and Kate Maberly. Variety [1]'s first announcement of the project said the story follows "two kids (Canterbury and Basso) at summer camp who fall victim to a...

D.J. Caruso continues to ramp up casting on his passion project The Goats. Variety reports that Val Kilmer, Radha Mitchell and Kate Maberly have joined the cast of the indie drama. Principal photography began today in Georgia. The film is based on Brock Cole's critically acclaimed young adult novel Chandler Canterbury and Annalise Basso "as kids at summer camp who fall victim to a cruel prank that leaves them stranded on Goat Island. Rather than face the humiliation of returning to camp, the duo decide to run away together on a three-day journey of self-discovery." Kilmer will play a deputy sheriff, while Mitchell will play Basso's mother and Maberly will play a camp counselor.

The Goats is being produced by Ar Films founder Alexander Rodnyansky and Media Talent Group founder and chairmanGeyer Kosinski. John McAdams, Serge Bespalov, James Brubaker and Ken Aguado are set to executive produce the film.

Radha Mitchell and Val Kilmer will soon be two very worried grown-ups.

The "Pitch Black" beauty and "Top Gun" star will be on the lookout for two missing kids as they join director D.J. Caruso's long-gestating passion project, "The Goats," according to Variety.

"The Goats," which is based on the young adult novel by Brock Cole, follows two kids at a summer camp (Chandler Canterbury and Annalise Basso) who fall victim to a cruel prank that leaves them stranded on Goat Island, after which they embark on a three-day journey of self-discovery.

Mitchell will be playing Basso's mother and Kilmer, who worked with director Caruso on the terrific drug drama, "The Salton Sea," will play a deputy sheriff. The cast also includes Kate Maberly, who played Wendy in "Finding Neverland," as a camp counselor.

Radha Mitchell will soon be seen with Kate Bosworth in the adaptation of Jack Kerouac's novel,...

You know DJ Caruso best as the director of movies like The Salton Sea or big budget thrillers like Disturbia and Eagle Eye. But in between traditional film projects, he.s trying something kind of different. His next movie is called Inside and you could be a character in it. They.re calling Inside a .social film.. What does that mean? Here.s how they.ve explained it to us. Unlike other productions, .Inside. will engage the audience and allow them to play a role in the film by interacting on social channels. A social casting call will result with one lucky participant cast to play a role via a YouTube video that will then be incorporated into one of the film.s episodes. Others can join in the project during the live social experience by posting on the main characters Facebook wall or tweeting which then has the chance...

An adaptation of Lawrence Block's novel A Walk Among the Tombstones is something that has been knocking around Hollywood for more than a decade. There was a point when Danny DeVito was producing and Harrison Ford almost starred as alcoholic ex-cop Matthew Scudder, a sort of problem fixer who explores the underside of New York City. Now the movie is back in play, and it looks like DJ Caruso (Disturbia, I Am Number Four) could direct. Deadline [1] says this is in the running with Preacher to be the director's next, and given the difficulty in adapting Preacher, I wouldn't be surprised to see this end up happening first. (In fact, I hope that's how it goes.) Danny DeVito is still among the producers (also: Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher at Double Feature and Brian Oliver at Cross Creek). The Matthew Scudder character has previously been played by Jeff Bridges...

D.J. Caruso has had an interesting career thus far. He started doing moodier fare like "The Salton Sea" and less notably the Angelina Jolie thriller "Taking Lives." He detoured into the sports gambling movie "Two for the Money" before dropping the Hitchock-ripping "Disturbia," the actioner "Eagle Eye" and then this year's "I Am Number Four." The curious thing is that all of his movies have been middling. Not terrible, but not really that good either, and he's profitable and enthusiastic enough to still get his name on pictures. He already has the comic adaptation "Preacher" on his table, but a…...

Vincent D'Onofrio talks Kill the Irishman, his rapport with the remarkable cast, his upcoming directorial debut, Law & Order: Criminal Intent's final season, and more.

Vincent D'Onofrio has always been an actor I have admired for the diversity of roles he picks, and how he often disappears within his characters. His breakthrough year was 1987 where he appeared as the memorable Private Pyle in Full Metal Jacket and in a much different but equally memorable turn as "Thor" in Adventures In Babysitting. He hasn't stopped working since, with an impressive filmography ranging from obscure indie's like the fantastic film The Salton Sea, sci-fi blockbusters like Men In Black and comedies like The Break-Up. Not only that, but he continued to rack up film credits even while starring on the hit NBC/USA Network drama Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Vincent D'Onofrio's latest movie is Kill the Irishman, which tells the fantastic true...

The Movie Pool sits in on a Q&A with D.J. Caruso, the director of I Am Number Four, Disturbia, and Eagle Eye.

Caruso made a splash in his directorial debut of the thriller The Salton Sea. After years of directing television, including Smallville, Caruso became an A-list director with such hits as Disturbia and Eagle Eye. At a press Q&A promoting the DVD release of I Am Number Four, Caruso discussed his career and the sci-fi action film. Rather than editing down his comments, we have chosen to present the Q&A in its entirety. Questions asked by Victor Medina of The Movie Pool are noted.

Q: How much of the book had you read when you signed on to direct the film?

DJ Caruso: I had read the manuscript and then a few versions of the book as it progressed.

Q: What was the hardest part of filming I Am Number Four?...

[1] We reported a few months ago that James Franco had optioned Michael Gregg Michaud's biography of Rebel Without a Cause star Sal Mineo, with the intention of writing and directing (but not acting in) a biopic about the actor. Now it looks like he's found his star. Val Lauren has been cast as the lead in the film, which is currently going by the title Sal. Michaud's book Sal Mineo: A Biography deals with Mineo's rise to fame, his conflicted sexuality, and his tragic murder at the age of 37. Lauren expressed his excitement about the role to The Hollywood Reporter: Sal Mineo himself was an extraordinary and super complex guy... People know him for Rebel Without a Cause, but he was technically the first actor who came out of the closet. He was very brave. Lauren's past credits include Dallas 362, The Salton Sea, and the short film Help,...

The British DJ Rusko--an international emissary of ultra-kinetic, pop-aspiring dubstep who now calls Los Angeles home--has the best giggle. A high-pitched, nervy shake, Rusko's laugh is that of someone who seems to do it often and enjoy it always. Indeed, sitting in the back of his tour bus outside of Philadelphia's Electric Factory, Rusko laughs a lot about his good fortune in the electronic music world, his massive stage show and the task of trying to burn pre-show downtime in a city he barely knows.

But the video for Rusko's latest single--the cheery, bass-built monster "Everyday"--isn't quite as sunny. Filmed on location in California's comparably apocalyptic Salton Sea, "Everyday" captures visages and environments badly damaged by the spot's former popularity. That's the mood only until the stage lights come in, spelling out Rusko's name with 900 or so bright and synchronized bulbs. As the perfect hook cycles through for one more chance,...

AMC's new drama series "Hell on Wheels" just started filming this week, but you can get a first look at the show now.

Below is a trailer for the show, which premieres in the fall and follows a former Confederate soldier (Anson Mount, "Line of Fire") who gets a job working on the transcontinental railroad while hoping to hunt down the Union soldiers who killed his wife.

"AMC's commitment to the western is long-standing, and the genre is an important part of our brand and history as a channel," AMC president Charlie Collier says. "In 'Hell on Wheels,' AMC is creating another epic and enduring American story."

The series, created by brothers Joe ("Uncommon Valor," "Faster") and Tony Gayton ("The Salton Sea," "Faster"), also stars Colm Meaney ("Get Him to the Greek," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"), Common ("Just Wright"), Dominique McElligott ("Moon"), Ben Esler, Philip...

AMC has just released the first sneak peek video for Hell on Wheels, which is slated to premiere in late 2011 on the cable network. Click on the video player below to watch this first glimpse at this post-Civil War series. AMC has also issued a press release announcing the start of production on Hell on Wheels, which you can read below the video player.

AMC announced today that their newest original series, Hell on Wheels begins production on Monday, May 16 in Calgary. Hell on Wheels is a contemporary western that centers on former confederate soldier Cullen Bohannon, portrayed by Anson Mount, whose quest for vengeance has led him to the Union Pacific Railroads westward construction of the first Transcontinental Railroad. Developed by Endemol USA and produced by Entertainment One (eOne) and Nomadic Pictures, Hell on Wheels is created, written and executive produced by Joe Gayton and Tony Gayton (Faster, Uncommon Valor,...

I've got to admit, every time I see any news for the long gestured Preacher adaptation, my heart skips a beat. Partially cause of fear I'm about to read something I'm entirely against. And partially because every rumour could be a fact. And fact's mean the movie is finally getting made. Cloneweb caught up with D.J. Caruso (The Salton Sea, Disturbia) this week to talk about his next project; Preacher. In the interview (roughly translated), Caruso explains he's vying for Chris Pine (Star Trek, Unstoppable) for the role of Jesse Custer. He also says he's spoken with frequent collaborator Shia LeBeouf about playing the disfigured, misguided teen Arse-Face. The mention of Chris Pine actually has me excited, as his turn as Capt. Kirk was absolutely solid, so I could imagine him getting down for a good religious shit-kicking. Stay tuned for any more details as they come in!

This week, Dave, Devindra, and Adam discuss Hunger Games casting controversies, express disagreements about Brooklyn's Finest and Julianne Moore's accents, and wonder what the hell happened to DJ Caruso. Special guest Dan Trachtenberg [1] joins us from The Totally Rad Show [2]. Check out Dan's newest short film [3]! It's awesome. You can always e-mail us at slashfilmcast(At)gmail(Dot)com, or call and leave a voicemail at 781-583-1993. Join us for our next live broadcast on Sunday, March 20 at Slashfilm's live page [4] where we'll be discussing Paul. Download [5] or Play Now in your Browser: [audio:http://media.libsyn.com/media/slashfilmcast/Slashfilmcastep138.mp3] Subscribe to the /Filmcast: [6] [7] Shownotes Introduction (00:45) Dan Trachtenberg from the Totally Rad Show [8] joins us What We've Been Watching David Chen (03:05): Source Code, Win Win, The Chicago Code Dan Trachtenberg (15:24): Brooklyn's Finest Devindra (20:55): Repulsion Adam (24:10): Morning Glory, The Salton Sea News Discussion (31:14) There's Going to...

Jesse Custer may not answer to God, but with a little luck, come this fall he will answer to a higher power as D.J. Caruso steps in to direct the film adaptation of Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s masterpiece, Preacher.

For those unfamiliar with the controversial comic, Preacher hit shelves over fifteen years ago and was nearly an instant hit with everyone who picked it up. Produced by the D.C. offshoot Vertigo, the story follows a down-and-out Texas preacher named Jesse Custer who suddenly finds himself bonded to the spiritual essence of Genesis, the offspring born from the unholy union between an angel and a demon. With his church and congregation destroyed in the aftermath of Genesis’ arrival on Earth, Jesse embarks on a cross-country journey. His old girlfriend Tulip and the hard-drinking Irish vampire Cassidy tag along to literally seek out and hold accountable a negligent God,...

D.J. Caruso to Helm Garth Ennis Epic Tale of Religion and Revenge.

Jesse Custer may not answer to God, but with a little luck, come this fall he will answer to a higher power as D.J. Caruso steps in to direct the film adaptation of Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s masterpiece, Preacher.

For those unfamiliar with the controversial comic, Preacher hit shelves over fifteen years ago and was nearly an instant hit with everyone who picked it up. Produced by the D.C. offshoot Vertigo, the story follows a down-and-out Texas preacher named Jesse Custer who suddenly finds himself bonded to the spiritual essence of Genesis, the offspring born from the unholy union between an angel and a demon. With his church and congregation destroyed in the aftermath of Genesis’ arrival on Earth, Jesse embarks on a cross-country journey, his old girlfriend Tulip and the hard-drinking Irish vampire Cassidy at his side,...

This story has stemmed from over 3 sources, the final being an independent confirmation from Collider, so I'll just link that one. Yesterday, director DJ Caruso took to his twitter to confirm that he is now locked down to direct the long gestured adaptation of the comic book, Preacher. The director, whom previously helmed The Salton Sea, Disturbia and I Am Number Four, was previously attached to a now-cancelled adaptation of another series, Y-The Last Man. As of this writing, there are no other details made available about the film. Personally, and I say this as a massive fan of the source material, the studio really could do better than Caruso. Of the 5 films of his that he's directed, 2 are actually worth a shit. The others, well, not so much. The difficulty with nailing an adaptation like this is; how do you maintain the madcap nature of the original? Preacher is chock-full of profanity,...