News

Stars: Scott Eastwood, Willa Fitzgerald, Mike Colter, D.W. Moffett, Sylvester Stallone | Written by Alexander Vesha | Directed by Michael Polish

Alarum is the Old English word from whence the word alarm came from. It’s also the title of Sylvester Stallone’s latest film, an espionage thriller whose players include an organization comprised of rogue agents called, you guessed it, Alarum.

Prague, 2019, Joe Travers comes under fire in his hotel room. He takes out the shooter, only to be jumped by Laura. The two fall through a window onto a parked car, where they decide hooking up with each other is better than beating each other up.

Five years later, they’re in Gdańsk, where their plans are interrupted by a plane crash, a crash caused by somebody shooting the pilot and his passenger. Coming across the wreckage whilst Laura is busy elsewhere, Joe figures out what is going on, guts...

While Sylvester Stallone is enjoying success on his show Tulsa King, he doesn’t stray too far from movies, but it’s looking more and more like his side hustle nowadays. Stallone was recently featured in Armor, which was a low-budget action thriller that primarily focused on a single location on a bridge. In his review, our Alex Maidy said Armor “is nowhere near mediocre due to formulaic action that cannot even muster enough energy to keep attention on screen.” Plus, there’s talk that Sly received a supposed $3.5 million for a single day’s work. Enter the trailer for Alarum, which flaunts Stallone in the marketing but looks as if he’s carved out the same deal for this film.

Grindstone Entertainment, which resides under Lionsgate, has released the trailer, which stars Scott Eastwood (The Fate of the Furious, Suicide Squad), Sylvester Stallone (Rocky franchise, Creed), Willa Fitzgerald (Strange Darling,...

The Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild said Thursday that Buffy the Vampire Slayer make-up artist Todd McIntosh and Terminator hair stylist Peter Tothpal will be honored with lifetime achievement awards at the 2025 Muahs Awards.

The honors will be bestowed at the ceremony set for February 15 at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel.

McIntosh, who won Outstanding Makeup Emmys for Buffy and later Pushing Daisies among his 12 overall nominations, has a list of credits that also includes the films Memoirs of a Geisha, Venom, The Brady Bunch Movie and The Clan of the Cave Bear, and series including Dark Shadows, Star Trek: Enterprise and Legion in a career in its sixth decade.

Tothpal created looks for all three of James Cameron’s Terminator movies, and his MCU credits include both Avengers movies, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Iron Man 3, along with Cameron’s True Lies, Eraser and Another 48 Hrs.

Quick Links Blue Thunder Is Perfectly Out-of-Date Roy Scheider Gave a Classic Performance as Frank Murphy John Badham Was Ahead of His Time with Blue Thunder's Themes

Ah, the '80s. It was a time when disbelief was much more easily suspended in movie theaters across America. That led to the Roy Scheider vehicle, Blue Thunder, making an impressive $42 million in 1983, doubling its budget thanks to a helicopter-based action plot that presaged Top Gun by combining a fighter pilot film with new helicopter and computer technology being developed in the early '80s. It was a weird, in-between time when many neo-noir films like 8 Million Ways to Die and To Live and Die in LA were romanticizing the ex-military LAPD officers who dominated Hollywood-adjacent crime films of the rugged '80s. Directors like Hal Ashby and William Friedkin and Blue Thunder director John Badham were trying out a style...

On Thursday August 29 2024, Investigation Discovery broadcasts People Magazine Presents: Crimes Of The 2010s!

2018: To Live and Die in L.A. Season 1 Episode 9 Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “People Magazine Presents: Crimes Of The 2010s,” titled “2018: To Live and Die in L.A.,” promises to be a gripping exploration of a mysterious case. This episode focuses on a 25-year-old woman from Macedonia who dreams of making it big in Hollywood. With her blonde hair and blue eyes, she embodies the classic image of a starlet, eager to chase her aspirations in the entertainment industry.

On February 23, 2018, this young woman leaves her apartment in Los Angeles, full of hope and ambition. However, what follows is a chilling turn of events. She disappears without a trace, leaving behind friends, family, and a community that is left to wonder what happened. The episode delves into the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, examining...

The original actor cast in Shooter would have resulted in a Very different film than the 2007 Mark Wahlberg flick. Since transitioning from rapper to actor, Wahlberg has appeared in everything from wacky family comedies to sci-fi blockbusters and intense dramas. Still, Mark Wahlberg action movies are a genre unto themselves and have given the star some of his biggest hits. This includes Four Brothers, his two Transformers outings and 2007's Shooter, which has become a streaming hit on Netflix.

This thriller was based on the novel Point of Impact by author Stephen Hunter and cast Wahlberg as Bob Lee Swagger, a retired marine sniper. After being framed for an assassination, Swagger goes on the run to clear his name; this involves many gunfights and car chases too. This Antoine Fuqua movie was a modest success upon release and later spawned a TV series starring Ryan Phillippe.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

Milica Tomovic’s Serbian project Big Women headed the winners at Sarajevo Film Festival’s CineLink industry platform for 2024, taking the €20,000 Eurimages co-production development award.

Produced by Dragana Jovovic and Jelena Radenkovic, the film will follow two friends who embark on an unplanned trip to the Montenegrin coast, where they uncover long-buried secrets.

Scroll down for the full list of CineLink 2024 winners

Tomovic’s debut feature Celts premiered in Panorama at the 2021 Berlinale, before winning the best director prize at Sarajevo later that year.

The awards were distributed during a ceremony at Sarajevo’s new Festival Garden on Thursday,...

“People Magazine Presents: Crimes Of The 2010s” delves into a haunting mystery in its Season 1 Episode 9 titled “2018: To Live and Die in L.A.” This gripping episode airs on Thursday, 29 August 2024, at 8:00 Pm on Investigation Discovery. It follows the story of a 25-year-old Macedonian woman, who dreams of stardom in the glitzy world of Hollywood.

With aspirations of fame and a bright future ahead, the young woman, characterized by her striking blonde hair and blue eyes, moves to Los Angeles full of hope. However, on February 23, 2018, she mysteriously disappears after leaving her apartment. The episode explores the chilling events surrounding her vanishing, raising questions about what happened that day.

Viewers will be drawn into the investigation as they learn about the search efforts and the impact of her disappearance on her loved ones. The episode not only examines the darker side of pursuing dreams but also reflects on...

Thy Art Is Murder are set to embark on a Spring 2024 North American tour.

Dates kick off April 11th in Montreal, Quebec, and run through May 11th in Sayreville, New Jersey. Angelmaker, Signs of the Swarm, and Snuffed on Sight will provide support for the 25-city outing.

A Live Nation ticket pre-sale for select dates begins Thursday (February 8th) at 10 a.m. local time using the code Energy. General ticket sales start Friday (February 9th) at 10 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster. Fans can also look for deals or get tickets to sold-out dates via StubHub, where your purchase is 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s Fan Protect program.

Stated Thy Art Is Murder via a tour press release: “After decimating Europe on our largest headline tour ever, we are incredibly excited to bring our new album Godlike to North America’s shores.”

You can see the full list of Thy Art...

The New Hollywood movement opened up doors for bleaker storytelling in American cinema. Specifically, it allowed, in the wake of the Hays Code dissolving, for authority figures like cops to finally be depicted as out-and-out baddies on film. The darker complexities of reality, where authority figures often become evildoers, could be brought to life on the silver screen. Filmmaker William Friedkin leaned into these possibilities and then some with his 1971 feature The French Connection, while subsequent 1970s directorial efforts like The Exorcist and Sorcerer would dabble in material that would’ve been unthinkable to witness in American cinema just a decade earlier. Friedkin’s love for capturing the grimy underbelly of humanity endured well into the 1980s when he helmed the 1985 feature To Live and Die in L.A.

When he died this summer, a lot of director William Friedkin’s movies got new life as film fans dug into this filmography. Looking over his body of work, one of the interesting things to note is that he directed four films that could justifiably be called masterpieces, but only two of them were successful. There was The French Connection and The Exorcist, both of which raked in huge box office and are considered classics. But, there were also two flops that he made that are just as good as those films, one of which is 1977’s Sorcerer, and the other is 1985’s Secret Service thriller To Live and Die in L.A., which we’re digging into in this episode of Wtf Happened to This Movie.

The film stars William Petersen (long before CSI) as a Secret Service agent after the counterfeiter who killed his partner. While that premise sounds old hat,...

Guillermo del Toro had his own cinematic masterclass when he worked with the late William Friedkin on The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.

In an interview with IndieWire, del Toro discussed his experience as a shadow director for the legendary filmmaker of The Exorcist on what would be his final movie. Assigned to step in if Friedkin could not complete the production, del Toro approached The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial as a huge admirer of Friedkin's past work.

Related: Guillermo del Toro Remembers Fond Childhood Memories of Ghibli Films

"He is an original," del Toro said. "He blends the lessons of documentary with complex and precise technology and narrative prowess. Every decision he makes is infused with his idiosyncrasies, his personality. Look at the ending of The French Connection — that final frame he holds, brutal, mercilessly elliptical — or the final minutes of The Exorcist, how he lands the audience softly out of the...

Long before he made Popeye Doyle race a Brooklyn subway and Regan MacNeil’s head spin, William Friedkin began his career doing live TV. He’d move on to an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, short documentaries, a Sonny-and-Cher joint (Good Times), theatrical adaptations (The Birthday Party, The Boys in the Band), and then an all-guts-all-glory double shot that instantly made him a New Hollywood power player. But like a lot of directors coming up in the early 1960s, his roots were with actors, words, conflict, and not much more.

William Friedkin was an inherently well-informed filmmaker. He started out in television at age 18, directing live news reports and documentaries for WGN-tv in Chicago. He knew how to get to the bottom of any story, best frame the narrative to capture attention, and inform the viewer.

He brought that sense of assured knowledge to movies. There is never any doubt about the veracity of The French Connection (1971). The Exorcist (1973), meanwhile, invites the audience to medical diagnoses and a realistic portrayal of demonic possession. It is the emphasis on the medical that makes the demonic seem plausible. Similarly, To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) is an authentic movie about counterfeiting, and one which deserves to be as celebrated as his early ‘70s masterpieces.

A Step by Step Guide to Counterfeiting

The printing of bogus bills may not seem like an exciting basis for a crime thriller, but Friedkin progressively raises the...

William Petersen was a theater actor from Chicago when William Friedkin changed the course of his life. In 1984, the Oscar-winning director tapped the then-unknown performer to play Richard Chance, a Secret Service agent willing to bend rules and break laws in order to capture a shadowy counterfeiter (Willem Dafoe) in “To Live and Die in L.A.” The crime thriller was a return to form for Friedkin, who had summited the heights of the movie business with “The French Connection” and “The Exorcist,” only to suffer a string of disappointments. Petersen and Friedkin would later collaborate on a Showtime remake of “12 Angry Men” and two episodes of “CSI.” Friedkin died on Aug. 7 at the age of 87, and Petersen shared his reflections on his “greatest mentor and most brilliant friend.”

I was doing “Streetcar Named Desire” at the Stratford Festival outside of Toronto, and Billy sent his casting director to watch me.

I remember clearly the first time I became aware of the name William Friedkin. I was 12 years old.

I used to wander around Manhattan a lot by myself in those days. I loved bookstores and hobby shops, and in particular I loved dingy places that sold strange collectibles. One Saturday, I entered such a spot — in this case, a movie memorabilia joint on Bleecker Street — and saw an enormous poster meant for display in subway stations. The image slapped me across the face: a truck in the pouring rain, leaning impossibly to the right on a rickety rope bridge ready for collapse. It said merely: “a William Friedkin Film, Sorcerer.”

What a mysterious and wonderful piece of art! I bought it (10 dollars, all I had on me) and posted it on my wall.

Soon after, I learned that this very same director had made a film showing at the Hollywood Twin,...

William Friedkin's career spanned decades and left behind a diverse legacy that shaped numerous genres, from intense police thrillers to groundbreaking horror movies like The Exorcist. Friedkin's skillful character work shines through in films like Bug, where Michael Shannon delivers a compelling and terrifying performance, and The Birthday Party, an underrated adaptation of Harold Pinter's play that showcases Friedkin's ability to bring tension alive onscreen. While The French Connection and The Exorcist are standout films in Friedkin's career, his other works like Sorcerer and To Live and Die in L.A. deserve recognition for their thrilling and influential contributions to cinema. Friedkin's versatility is evident in projects like The Night They Raided Minsky's, a charming musical comedy that showcases his range as a filmmaker.

The late, great William Friedkin left viewers with a slew of great movies that remain a testament to his originality and range. William Friedkin passed away on Aug.

When you think of 1980s action movies, visions of steroidal juggernauts like Schwarzenegger and Stallone are likely to spring to mind, but there was always another, if less numerous, stream running through their midst: gritty, downbeat, and cynical films typically helmed by New Hollywood stalwarts whose careers were in various stages of diminution. Among them were Hal Ashby’s strident, coke-fueled 8 Million Ways to Die, John Frankenheimer’s seamy extortion saga 52 Pickup, and William Friedkin’s To Live and Die in L.A., a neon-hued noir reworking of the morally ambiguous cops-versus-criminals terrain he had staked out a decade earlier in The French Connection.

Like Friedkin’s earlier film, To Live and Die in L.A. cannily blends quasi-documentary procedural realism with an unpredictable modernist sensibility. The story is succinct in its pulpy purity: loose-cannon Secret Service agent Chance (William Petersen) vows to take down elusive counterfeiter Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe), no matter the cost,...

For those who treasure a sense of place in movies, the new trailer for Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, a film set for release by Paramount in October, brings a flicker of hope. (Pete Hammond’s Cannes review is here.)

True, it looks a little stagey, like Gangs of New York but out on the prairie. Still, for a few fleeting seconds—wedged among a scowling De Niro, a maundering DiCaprio and all those mortified Native people–tantalizing traces of the real Oklahoma peep through. Acres and acres of buffalo grass. Old brick facades. The kind of sky that hangs over Pawhuska and Bartlesville, where a 1982 tornado marched right up Frank Phillips Blvd. to the doorstep of Phillips Petroleum.

Maybe, just maybe, this film will find it: That wondrous, increasingly rare, cinematic sensation of actually being there.

In the current era, our blockbusters have taken a markedly...

MGM+ has given the green light to Hollywood Black, a documentary series from director Justin Simien that aims to serve as “a definitive chronicle of a century of the Black experience in Hollywood.”

The four-part series, based on the work of scholar Donald Bogle, is being produced by Simien’s Culture Machine, Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi’s Significant Productions, and the Academy Award-winning production company RadicalMedia.

“We are thrilled to work with Justin Simien, Jeffrey Schwarz, RadicalMedia, and to expand our prolific creative partnership with Forest and Nina,” Michael Wright, head of MGM+, said in a statement. “Hollywood Black, like other recent MGM+ docuseries, is an entertaining and thoughtful look at a vital part of American culture, examining the evolution of Black cinema and the talented artists who built it. It is a timely and relevant look at the Black experience in Hollywood.”

Simien’s credits include directing the 2014 film Dear White People,...

Exclusive: Tenderfoot TV, the audio company behind series including To Live and Die in LA and Atlanta Monster, is rolling out a new investigative podcast series about the world of crypto – funded entirely by Bitcoin itself.

The Atlanta-based company is launching From Nowhere, which will uncover the dark past of the crypto world, and how it became the overbearing force it is today.

The series will aim to tell the “the definitive story of Bitcoin” from a revolt against banks to the digital Wild West that includes lies, corruption, extortion and even murder. It will combine first-person narration, interviews, re-enactment scenes and readings, and the inclusion of archives.

It will lay out how an anonymous pseudonym managed to challenge the most powerful financial giants in the world, inspire statues and world leaders, and accumulate what is believed to be an over $60B net worth.

It will be hosted by investigative...

Robert Downey Sr. died at the age of 85 on July 6. His son, actor Robert Downey Jr., confirmed the news in a touching Instagram tribute on July 7. "Rip Bob D. Sr. 1936-2021 . . . Last night, dad passed peacefully in his sleep after years of enduring the ravages of Parkinson's," the Marvel star shared alongside a black and white photo of his father. "He was a true maverick filmmaker, and remained remarkably optimistic throughout . . . According to my stepmoms calculations, they were happily married for just over 2000 years. Rosemary Rogers-Downey, you are a saint, and our thoughts and prayers are with you."

The actor and director, best known for writing and directing the satirical film Putney Swope, got his start in 1953 with the short film The American Road. During his career, Robert Sr. had roles in Boogie Nights, Magnolia, To Live and Die in L.A., and on The Twilight Zone. He directed his son,...

Robert Downey Sr., the counterculture filmmaker best known for his satire Putney Swope, died Wednesday, July 7th. He was 85.

Downey Sr.’s son, the actor Robert Downey Jr., confirmed his death with a post on Instagram, saying, “Last night, dad passed peacefully in his sleep after years of enduring the ravages of Parkinson’s… he was a true maverick filmmaker, and remained remarkably optimistic throughout… According to my stepmom’s calculations, they were happily married for just over 2,000 years.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Sr., the director of the anti-establishment satirical classic Putney Swope and the father of actor Robert Downey Jr., died early today in his sleep at home in New York City. He was 85.

His death was announced by wife and author Rosemary Rogers to the New York Daily News. Rogers told the publication that Downey Sr. had suffered from Parkinson’s for more five years. Robert Downey Jr. confirmed the death on Instagram today, writing that his father was “a true maverick filmmaker” who “remained remarkably optimistic” throughout “the ravages of Parkinson’s.”

See Downey Jr.’s Instagram tribute below.

Born in New York City, Downey Sr. became a significant force in the city’s underground film movement in the 1960s, writing and directing the 1961 short fantasy film Ball’s Bluff in which a Civil War soldier wakes up to find himself in 20th Century Central Park.

Other offbeat indie films followed,...

*full disclosure: a screener of this film was provided by G.C. Pix LLC.

Director: Richard Gabai.

Writers: Aaron Ginsburg and Wade McIntyre.

Cast: Sean Patrick Flanery, Angeline-Rose Troy, Natalie Zea, Christopher Lloyd, and Adam Baldwin.

Insight is one part murder mystery and one part psychological thriller. This film stars Sean Patrick Flanery and Natalie Zea centrally. Flanery plays a detective, while Zea plays Kaitlyn a night nurse with a mission. That mission is to find a young girl's killer, after this victim dies in her emergency room. A defibrillator possibly gives Kaitlyn psychic insight into the killer's identity, while the final moments of this film delivers an unseen emotional punch. Insight will be in theatres September 2nd and this reviewer would suggest you get in line, for the: tense plot, a psychological unravelling and the great ending.

After Kaitlyn recovers from her shock, she begins to feel as if...

Check Entertainment is set to show InSight in theatres September 2nd, This is a thriller with a touch of mystery, which stars Sean Patrick Flanery (Boondock Saints), Natalie Zea (Californication), and Adam Baldwin (Full Metal Jacket). Theatre locations are below and InSight involves a nurse who is tragically electoruted by a defibrillator. She then experiences a near death experience. Visions of a deceased patient's killer haunt her, compelling Kaitlyn (Zea) to find a murderer.

InSight's official poster is here. Get set to see one of the most intriguing thrillers in theatres shortly!

Tagline: "Who Killed Allison Parkes?"

"Shot in the seedy Boyle Heights district in Los Angeles, InSight follows Kaitlyn (Natalie Zea), an ER nurse. While tending to a young stabbing victim, Allison, is accidentally electrocuted by the defibrillator that was being used to save the woman's life. Almost immediately she starts to experience the victim's memories. Kaitlyn turns to family,...

Meat Loaf confers with Ally Sheedy in Citizen Jane.

Green Apple Entertainment will release the crime mystery TV film Citizen Jane, starring Ally Sheedy (The Breakfast Club) and Sean Patrick Flanery (Deadly Impact), on DVD on Aug. 23 for a list price of $26.98.

Based on a true story that dominated the headlines in the 1990s and the subsequent best-selling book by James Dalessandro, the movie tells the tale of Jane Alexander (Sheedy), who lives an enviable life in San Francisco with the handsome and slyly charismatic Tom O’Donnell (Flanery). But Jane’s idyllic life is shattered when her beloved, elderly aunt is brutally murdered.

Embarking on an epic, 13-year journey to track down the killer, Jane stuns authorities with her shrewdness and intelligence and ultimately brings her aunt’s killer to justice. In the process, she starts up the activist group Citizens Against Homicide, which supports families looking for justice.

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment will release of the crime thriller movie The Boondock Saints: Truth & Justice Edition starring Billy Connolly (Gulliver’s Travels) on Blu-ray on June 14th.

Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery are The Boondock Saints.

This latest Blu-ray release of Troy Duffy’s 1999 cult film will feature both the theatrical and director’s cut of the movie in 2.35:1 1080p high-definition transfers with DTS-hd Master Audio 5.1 sound.

Tthe movie revolves around two notorious vigilante brothers in Boston (Deadly Impact’s Sean Patrick Flannery and TV’s The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus) who are convinced that the souls of the wicked shall be purified by blood and that their killing spree is a mission from God.

The Boondock Saints: Truth & Justice Edition will carry a list price of $29.99.

Here’s a list of the Blu-ray’s bonus features, which include one new featurette:

Disc...

The souls of the wicked shall be purified by blood-but only at the hands of two notorious vigilante brothers whose killing spree is a mission from God. The cult phenomenon The Boondock Saints: Truth & Justice Edition arrives on Blu-ray June 14th from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Just in time for Father's Day, The Boondock Saints: Truth & Justice Edition contains both the R-rated and unrated director's cut with digital copy for the first time and an all-new, never-before-seen bonus feature that pulls you even deeper into the gritty, action-packed Boondock's world.

When a series of mysterious murders occur in Boston, the police begin to suspect that the deaths are vigilante killings perpetrated by twins Connor (Sean Patrick Flanery, Deadly Impact) and Murphy (Norman Reedus, American Gangster) MacManus. Pursued by FBI Special Agent Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe, Spider-Man 3), the devout Irish Catholic duo maintain innocence while wreaking havoc...

Well 2010 is almost over and it’s time for my obligatory Top Ten of the year. As with last year I’ll be compiling two movie Top 10’s – one cinematic releases and one direct to DVD list. Why? Well the majority of movie sites and blogs give credence to all the big releases of the year but, as I try to do all year, I want to highlight some films which you might have missed that you really should hunt down and watch.

This list is completely subjective, and you may not agree with any or all of my choices or the order in which they appear. Either way I’d love to read your thoughts on my choices good or bad, so don’t forget to leave a comment. Anyway, onto the list:

10) Hunt to Kill

Jim Rhodes (“Stone Cold” Steve Austin) is one bad ass Border Patrol Agent.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment have a brand new movie coming to DVD 27th September called Deadly Impact. It stars Joe Pantoliano, Sean Patrick Flanery, Carmen Serano and is directed by Robert Kurtzman.

Synopsis: With a star-studded cast lead by Joe Pantoliano (the Matrix, Bad Boys 2) with Sean Patrick Flanery (Boondock Saints series, Saw VII) , and introducing the beautiful Carmen Serrano (Breaking Bad, Easy Money) this is a white knuckle action ride filled with explosions and chases that will keep you thrilled to the detonation.

Hard-nosed cop Thomas Armstrong’s (Sean Patrick Flannery) life was shattered when he became the helpless target of a mastermind assassin named The Lion (Joe Pantoliano). After losing his wife and unborn child to the deranged killer Tom retreats from the world. FBI agent Isabel Ordonez (Caremen Serano) tracks Tom down; The Lion is back terrorising Albuquerque holding the city to ransom with a series of bombs.

Deadly Impact

Stars: Sean Patrick Flanery, Joe Pantoliano, Carmen Serano, Greg Serano | Written by Alexander Vesha | Directed by Robert Kurtzman

Detective Thomas Armstrong’s world is turned upside down when he becomes the target of an assassin nicknamed “The Lion”. After his wife and unborn child are killed at the hands of the vicious bomb-loving madman, Armstrong quits the force and high tails it to Mexico. However Armstrong’s world is again rocked when FBI Agent Isabel Ordonez tracks him down and reveals that The Lion is back and holding the city of Alberquerque to ransom – and Armstrong is the only cop to get close enough to The Lion to identify him. Returning to Alberquerque, Armstrong crosses paths with The Lion and the FBI unit chasing him. Officially assigned to track down The Lion by the FBI, it becomes a game of cat and mouse between Armstrong and The Lion,...

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment have announced the UK DVD release of action thriller Deadly Impact on September 27th.

Hard-nosed cop Thomas Armstrong’s (Sean Patrick Flannery) life was shattered when he became the helpless target of a mastermind assassin named The Lion (Joe Pantoliano). After losing his wife and unborn child to the deranged killer Tom retreats from the world. FBI agent Isabel Ordonez (Caremen Serano) tracks Tom down; The Lion is back terrorising Albuquerque holding the city to ransom with a series of bombs. In a thrilling race against time, Armstrong must stay one step ahead to capture the madman and save innocent lives.

With a star-studded cast lead by Joe Pantoliano (The Matrix, Bad Boys 2) with Sean Patrick Flanery (Boondock Saints 1&2, Saw VII) , and introducing the beautiful Carmen Serrano (Breaking Bad) Deadly Impact is a white knuckle action ride filled with explosions and chases that will...

Albuquerque – This sleepy town is getting rocked awake by a mad bomber in Deadly Impact. Thomas Armstrong (Boondock Saints’s Sean Patrick Flanery) is a cop that is forced to shoot his wife in order to save 10 people that are being held hostage by The Lion (The Matrix’s Joe Pantoliano). The ugliness of the moment cause Armstrong to quit the force and devote himself to booze. Eight years later The Lion reappears. The FBI wants Armstrong’s help in identifying him, but can he tangle with the diabolical madman who has promised to blow up the city?

Deadly Impact is an action rush with Pantoliano using the power of Bluetooth for evil. Here’s the trailer for the film:

The movie is out on DVD this week. I had a chance to swap email with Director Robert Kurtzman and Producer David S. Greathouse. The duo had previously made Buried Alive.

Robert Kurtzman might be one hell of a special effects wizard, but his abilities as a motion picture director are, shall we say, head-scratchingly abysmal. It’s hard to believe that a guy who has as much experience in the field as Kurtzman would deliver a steady stream of unwatchable cinematic bilge on a consistent basis. And while I do own a copy of his magnificently trashy 1995 debut “The Demolitionist” on VHS, it’s not the sort of film I would readily recommend to those in search of quality and coherence. Does it make me an unreasonable hypocrite that I watch the movie at least once a year? Probably. Don’t you dare judge me. For his latest effort, Kurtzman has boldly ventured into the direct-to-video action genre, a market that’s already saturated with an endless supply of stale, lifeless endeavors populated with a wide variety of has-beens and never-weres.

Crazy Heart: Perhaps it's the tool of the truly lazy critic to merely point to another movie as basis for describing the movie he's currently reviewing, but it's damn near impossible not to draw parallels between Scott Cooper's Crazy Heart and Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler. The comparison isn't just apt thematically, but reflective of the awards season: it'll get a best actor nomination for the lead and a deserving best song nomination. It's a tried and true song we've all heard before: an old salt rumbling on the road, clinging to a life of desperation and destructive behavior because it's the only one he knows, finding new loves and trying to reclaim old lives, que sera serve me a beer back. And I don't offer that up as a negative; truth be told, there's a reason why it's a popular seed from which to sprout a story.

We might be jumping the gun a bit here today, but clearly Avatar is the biggest DVD and Blu-ray release of the week -- even if it doesn't actually hit stores until Earth Day (Thursday). I wonder how many people will bring it home and wonder why they aren't seeing it in three-dimensions? Other major releases include Crazy Heart (which Jeff Bridges just won the Oscar for), Peter Jackson's much maligned The Lovely Bones, British crime drama 44 Inch Chest, and Peacock starring Cillian Murphy and Ellen Page. On Blu, we have Steven Spielberg's Minority Report, The Basketball Diaries, and the Kino release of Battleship Potemkin. Do you see anything worth buying or renting this week? Avatar [1] (on Apr. 22nd) (+ Blu-ray [2]) The Lovely Bones [3] (+ Blu-ray [4]) Crazy Heart [5] (+ Blu-ray [6]) 44 Inch Chest [7] (+ Blu-ray [8]) Peacock [9] The Young Victoria [10] (+ Blu-ray [11]) Summer Hours: Criterion Collection [12] (+ Blu-ray [13]) Vivre sa vie: Criterion Collection [14] (+ Blu-ray...

DVD Links: DVD News | Release Dates | New Dvds | Reviews | RSS Feed

Avatar This one doesn't hit store shelves until Thursday, April 22nd, and even though neither the DVD nor the Blu-ray comes with a single special feature, this still remains the release of the week.

This past weekend Avatar was still in 500 theaters so if you want to skip the home video version and wait for the assumed November release of the "ultimate edition" maybe you can head to the theater and catch it one last time before it's gone. Otherwise, this is your only option for the next seven months. I am expecting a review copy either in the next few days, and will post some thoughts on the video quality once I get it, but until then I can't add much more to the story other than to say I am excited to watch it again and curious to see it in 2D.

The jury's still out on how horror-oriented Robert Kurtzman's latest directorial project, Deadly Impact, is, but come April 20th we'll know for sure as the flick's unrated DVD hits store shelves from MGM Home Entertainment.

The film stars Sean Patrick Flanery and Joe Pantoliano in an explosive game of cat and mouse, and you can check out the trailer below the following synopsis:

Deadly Impact follows hard-nosed cop Thomas Armstrong (Flanery), whose life was shattered when he became the helpless target of a mastermind murderer. Returning home after a much-needed break, Armstrong joins the FBI to seek revenge and help track down the same killer that threatened his existence; however, this time the assassin is back to terrorize not just a single person, but the entire city. In an exhilarating race against time, Armstrong must stay one step ahead to capture the madman and save innocent lives before time runs out.

We're always excited to hear about what special effects guru Robert Kurtzman is working on, and we think you guys are going to be pretty stoked about his latest project: a new costume line that Robert and his Creature Corps team are making available to collectors as well as the haunted attraction industry.

From the Press Release:

Robert Kurtzman's Creature Corps successfully launched its new costume line and original twisted creations at this year's National Haunters Convention in St. Louis. Their booth was a smash hit attracting thousands of haunters and Halloween enthusiasts from around the world.

"The buzz around our creations has been amazing! People are really talking on the forums about us and how much they dig our work. We had an amazing time at the con and met lots of great vendors and twisted talented artists. It was such a blast being around all the macabre...

FX guru, director, producer, writer and all around nice guy Bob Kurtzman (Formerly of Knb FX and director of Wishmaster, The Rage, Deadly Impact) dropped us a note to let us know that his new line of creature FX from Creature Corps. was a hit at TransWorld's 15th Annual Halloween and Attraction Show in St. Louis. In addition to continuing his FX work in feature films like Jennifer Lynch's Hisss, Kurtzman and his crew are now selling custom creature designs through their Creature Corps. line. Hit the jump for more, including a full image gallery. "The buzz around our creations has been amazing! People are really talking on the forums about us and how much they dig our work. We had an amazing time at the con and met...

Interview by Kayley Thomas

Sean Patrick Flanery – When I told Heidi I’d set up an interview with him for Pretty/Scary, I think her heart might have stopped momentarily. Mine may have skipped a beat too. There’s a lot to love. He had that cute and creepy thing going for him in Powder. He was simply adorable (I mean, very manly) as Young Indiana Jones. He had the honor of getting ganked by Christopher Walken in Suicide Kings. He’s brought us some serious (and not-so serious) scares in Demon Hunter, The Masters of Horror’s The Damned Thing, Kaw, and The Insatiable, as well as episodes of Charmed, The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, and more recently, The Dead Zone. And he’s got some more sf/f and horror in the works: Deadly Impact hits DVD this April with Mongolian Death Worms and Scavengers slated for later in 2010. Plus,...

It's more in the thriller vein than pure horror, but we thought our readers would still like to know about special effects guru Robert Kurtzman's latest directorial project, Deadly Impact, which debuts on unrated DVD April 20th from MGM Home Entertainment.

The film stars Sean Patrick Flanery and Joe Pantoliano in an explosive game of cat and mouse. Although the DVD looks to be bare bones, you can check out the artwork and pre-order the disc below the following synopsis:

Deadly Impact follows hard-nosed cop Thomas Armstrong (Flanery), whose life was shattered when he became the helpless target of a mastermind murderer. Returning home after a much-needed break, Armstrong joins the FBI to seek revenge and help track down the same killer that threatened his existence; however, this time the assassin is back to terrorize not just a single person, but the entire city. In an exhilarating race against time,...

Writer, Director, and Special FX legend Robert Kurtzman will be attending the inaugural Fangoria Trinity Of Terrors, to be held October 30 through November 1 at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas! Kurtzman will be onhand to discuss his work on the Jennifer Lynch-directed Hisss, his latest directorial effort Deadly Impact (formerly To Live And Die) starring Sean Patrick Flanery and Joe Pantoliano, and the latest FX projects from his Precinct 13 Creature Corps.

Tickets for our massive Halloween Weekend are now available online through http://www.trinityofterrors.com and through Vegas.com. You may also order tickets from Vegas.com by phone - 1-888-las-vegas (527-8342) 24 hours a day.

For more than two decades Robert Kurtzman has been an icon in the world of special make-up,creature effects, and genre filmmaking.

His award winning, photorealistic effects work can be seen inhundreds of movies including Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters, franchises and television series.

After a year of planning, the schedule for the Midwest edition of Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors convention is ready to be unveiled. We’ve even added a few last-minute guests, like Jeffrey Combs and Ashley Laurence (see item here). And for a peek at our jam-packed indie film fest, go here.

The Weekend will be held this coming March 6-8 (three monstrous days!) at the Wyndham Chicago O’Hare (6810 North Mannheim Road, Rosemont). Fans are urged to arrive extra early, as the show will probably sell out like previous editions. For more information on the Weekend of Horrors, go here. It’s gonna be a killer!

Friday, March 6

2:15 P.M.: Greetings

With our hosts, Creation chief Adam Malin and Fangoria editor Tony Timpone

2:30 P.M.: Previews

Future Fears

3:30 P.M.: Previews: “Beast” & “Braincell”

The gruesome details behind two new indie gorefests with actor...

It’s doubtful that many makeup and CGI gurus keep themselves as busy as former Knb kingpin Robert Kurtzman, currently juggling a plethora of special FX assignments with directorial gigs such as the recently wrapped thriller To Live And Die. However, when Fango recently caught up with him, he was happy to give us a few tidbits on Surveillance director Jennifer Lynch’s new shocker Hisss (formerly Nagin).

The U.S./India co-production stars Bollywood babe Mallika Sherawat (pictured)—whom Western fans may know from Jackie Chan’s martial-arts caper The Myth—and Irrfan Khan, currently winning worldwide attention with his role as the police inspector in Slumdog Millionaire. Kurtzman, who served as visual FX producer on Hisss, tells us that the movie is “about the legend of the snake woman, played by Mallika. I just finished working on it, and it took 10 weeks to complete.”

Prodded for further plot points,...