Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Happy Birthday DCD!


That's right!  It's that special day!  No, not Thirty Days Til Octo's Birthday Day (although that's true), but my favorite little sister's actual birthday!

Please join me in hearty table thumping and mad props!  It's been a crazy year for our Horrorthonner and I couldn't be prouder of her.  Happy Birthday, sweetie!  Mwah!

'Real Fake History; New Documentary Relives The Battle of Endor from ‘Return of the Jedi’



From slashfilm Some film franchises and television shows have a large enough mythology and universe that entire encyclopedias (or more commonly Wikis today) have been written in an attempt to chronicle every facet of the world that some of our favorite stories unfold.Star Wars, Star Trek, Game of Thrones, Lost and more all have expansive and rich histories.

Now a new web series from Machinima is diving into some of the milestone moments of our favorite films and TV shows with Real Fake History. Created in the style of a History Channel show or Ken Burns documentary, these documentary shorts examine the fictional wars, events and stories of films and television. The first episode has just gone live taking a look at the pivotal Battle of Endor, the fight which brought down the Empire, in Return of the Jedi.

Monday, June 29, 2015

Jurassic World hits $500 million in the US, $1.2 billion globally!


From ew, Jurassic World can update its long list of box office accomplishments with yet another achievement: It’s only the fifth film ever to make more than $500 million in North America, and it hit that number faster than any movie in history.

In its third weekend, Jurassic World brought in an estimated $54.2 million, winning the weekend once again and narrowly squeezing by Inside Out, which made $52.1 million. That means that domestically, Chris Pratt and his team of raptors have the biggest movie of the year after only three weekends in theaters, beating Avengers: Age of Ultron’s domestic total of $451.2 million.

Jurassic World is already the fastest film to hit $1 billion globally, and this weekend brings its worldwide total to an estimated $1.238 billion, making it the eighth biggest movie of all time.

Even though Jurassic World topped the box office for the third weekend in a row, it was still a tight race: Inside Out also had a strong showing, only dropping about 42 percent. That kind of a decline is tiny for a movie in its second weekend, but it’s also fairly typical for Pixar films, which tend to hold up fairly well week to week. The critically-adored Inside Out already has a North American total of $184.9 million.

Meanwhile, the biggest new release of the weekend fell flat, as Ted 2debuted to only $32.9 million, snagging third place. While the R-rated sequel to 2012’s Ted wasn’t expected to do as well as the first, which opened to $54.4 million, most expected Seth MacFarlane’s teddy bear to bring in about $45 to $50 million the second time around.

The only other major new release of the weekend was Max, which debuted to an estimated $12.2 million. The family-friendly adventure did slightly better than expected, which is especially impressive considering the competition it faced from Inside Out.

Here are this weekend’s top five at the box office:

1. Jurassic World — $54.2 million
2. Inside Out — $52.1 million
3. Ted 2 — $32.9 million
4. Max — $12.2 million
5. Spy — $7.8 million

Friday, June 26, 2015

Disney Wants To Build $1 Billion Plus Disneyland Expansion: Cue The Marvel/Star Wars Rumors


From slashfilm, The Walt Disney Company has publicly announced they are considering a $1 billion-plus expansion of the Disneyland Resort, which would bring unknown new attractions, a new parking structure with at least 5,000 parking spots and other improvements to the Southern California-based theme parks. Could this mean new Marvel and Star Wars rides and lands are just on the horizon? Find out the details of the proposed Disneyland Expansion after the jump.

According to Disney officials, the expansion would not add a third theme park (i.e. third gate) to the Anaheim-based Disneyland resort, but instead would expand its existing offerings. There have been rumors for a while now that Disney would be doing a huge remodel of Tomorrowland to revamp much of it as a Star Wars land. There have been so many other rumors over the years, which have included connecting Critter Country to Fantasyland and replacing Mickey’s Toon Town with a Star Wars themed land. Reports the Orange County Register:

Disney officials said they don’t know potential rides, themed lands and other details yet, but said construction would begin by late 2017 and wrap up no later than December 2024. The company now owns the “Star Wars,” Marvel and Pixar franchises and has other options such as banking off its “Frozen” blockbuster. … Disney has elbow room inside the two Anaheim parks. California Adventure has approval for 3 million square feet of theme-park space but has used only 900,000, according to Anaheim’s master-plan agreement with Disney. Disneyland already has used 2.6 million of its 3.5 million square feet available, city records show.

The expansion of Disney California Adventure, which included Buena Vista Street and the brand Cars Land was completed in 2012 also at a reported cost of a $1 billion-plus. So that may give you some idea how much can be accomplished for that amount of cash. The ariel map below gives you some idea of the land Disney uses to currently operates Disneyland resort. Notice backstage areas like the one to the right of Cars Land and below Tower of Terror which could possibly used for more attractions, restaurants and stores.

The proposed Disneyland expansion would not extend either of the parks outside the current attraction and parking lot areas. The only thing that would be constructed outside of the current park property is the new parking structure, which would be located just east of Harbor Boulevard in a piece of property already owned by the mouse.

2024 is a long time to wait for completion on an expansions, especially considering what Universal Studios Hollywood has been able to complete in much much less time. Earlier this year, Disney Chairman Bob Iger already told shareholders that the company was planning to expand the Disneyland Resort and that Disney Imagineers were working on bringing Star Wars attractions to the domestic Disney theme parks.

So why is Disney making it public that they are considering investing over a billion dollars in Disneyland resort? Because they are asking the city of Anaheim for a deal in exchange for the investment that will bring 1,400 jobs and a lot of tourism dollars to the city. Disney wants to forgo a tax on theme park admission tickets for another 30 years.

The Anaheim City Council will hold a public hearing on July 7th 2015 to consider extending the current entertainment tax exemption for Disney that started in 1996 and is set to expire on June 30th of next year (2016). According to the Orange County Register, “two members of the Anaheim City Council said they support Disney’s desire to expand without threat of a ticket tax. Two others said they were undecided, while Mayor Tom Tait said he opposed the plan.” TheDisneyBlog has a good rebuttal of the proposed deal. The gist of which follows:


If I was on the Anaheim city council, I’d be very tempted to say no. Disney has legitimate needs to expand right now. They need to find ways to fit the Star Wars and Marvel franchises into the parks and need to increase capacity to meet increased demand for the parks. Plus Disney needs to keep up with the Joneses. Universal Studios Hollywood is in the middle of a huge expansion and threatens to soak up some of the tourist market in Los Angeles. Disney really needs to offer something new of their own to compete. All that means, there’s a very good chance that Disney would build this expansion anyway, even if they don’t get the package of tax incentives they’re asking for. I’m not seriously suggesting that Anaheim not work something out with Disney. But they also need to remember that Disney already played them over WestCOT. What I would push for is a committment for a third gate in the next 5 years. Heck, Anaheim could even promise land for the park a very reasonable price. $1 billion in development may be nice, but an attraction or two that Disneyland was going to build anyway, isn’t a prize. A theme park that brings an extra 30,000 guests a day, all the extra nights hotel stays, and all that tourism revenue into the city’s coffers, now that’s something a city could get behind.

I think its pretty clear Disney will expand in the next ten years as the parks need to compete with all the new additions that Universal Studios had been adding to their Hollywood theme park. Its also clear that Disney will strike a deal with Anaheim over admission tax as no Disney park in the world currently has an admission tax. So its just a matter of what deal Anaheim agrees with to make it happen.

'Watcher' letters frightens New Jersey family from home


From BBC,  New Jersey family will not move into their new million-dollar home after receiving threatening packages from a mysterious sender called "the Watcher".

The family is suing the home's previous owners for not telling them about it before the sale, claiming they had received letters too.

In letters "the Watcher" wrote that the home "has been the subject of my family for decades."

"I asked [the previous owners] to bring me young blood," the Watcher wrote.

Content from the letters are included in a complaint filed to a New Jersey Court. The house is worth $1.3m (£826,131).
'Young blood'

The stalker wrote that he has been in control of the house for two decades and he asked the previous owners to sell it.

"You have changed it and made it so fancy...it cries for the past and what used to be in the time when I roamed its halls," the stalker wrote. "And now I watch and wait for the day when the young blood will be mine again."

Westfield mayor Andy Skibitsky, speaking at town hall meeting in Westfield on Tuesday, said "The Watcher" is a mystery, ABC News reports.

"When, over a year ago, this matter was reported to the police, our police department conducted an exhaustive investigation," Mr Skibitsky said. "Such efforts, however, have not yielded information leading to charges being filed and, therefore, this case is pending introduction of any new evidence."

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Metal Cat Is Playing Out



Hello Fellow Horrorthonners!

Hope the warmer weather is finding you all well. We all know that barbeques, swimming pools and beaches aside, summertime means concerts! This year Catfreeek is finding herself on the stage instead of in front of it! After over a year of composing original songs with my writing partner Dave Lazzereschi our metal band, Chained to Insanity is finally making its mark on the club scene. We had stellar debut performance this past April at The Met in Pawtucket. What a way to debut, full stage, professional sound & lights and a crowd cheering and dancing to our tunes.We were asked back this June and rocked the Met a second time with a longer set and a larger crowd. You can see videos from both shows on our Facebook page.We now have 3 more gigs lined up:


Vino's  
83 Main st
Woonsocket, RI
This is our cd release party it will be a small intimate show for our fans, friends & family. We will perform our entire cd plus more. PSB custom guitars will be opening for us. Show starts at 9:00pm

The Met
1005 Main st
Pawtucket, RI
We are opening for two well known metal bands, Bad Marriage out of Boston and Point 08 coming up from North Carolina will be headlining.

Simon's 677
Valley st
Providence, RI
Details coming soon.


There are 3 ways to get our cd,  hit one of us up we have them on hand, buy one at one of our shows or download it at cd baby


We also have t-shirts available!

Hope to see some of you at our shows.
Keep on rockin'!
~Catfreeek


Wednesday, June 24, 2015

GameStop now sells retro consoles and games


From cinemablend, GameStop typically steps away from older consoles a generation or two after they’ve ridden off into the sunset. As of today, however, the retailer is moving in the opposite direction, selling retro consoles and games through its online store.

GameStop announced a couple of months ago that it would be bringing back some retro console business and, as of today, that new model has taken the form of the store buying and selling games from six old-school machines including the Nintendo Entertainment Systems, the SNES, the Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64, PlayStation andDreamcast.

No word yet on if more modern retro consoles will be added to the roster, such as the PlayStation 2, GameCube and OG Xbox, or if handhelds from a bygone era, like the GameBoy, GBA or Game Gear, will get a chance to be born again at retail.

But don’t rush off to your nearest GameStop just yet. For starters, today is the day that Arkham Knight finally releases and the place will likely be a madhouse. Secondly, this entire retro business is wisely being conducted exclusively online. I say “wisely” because this will keep the retailer from having to give up shelf space for new and used games more likely to go out the door on a regular basis, and it will give consumers a bigger pool to choose from. If this was being done on a site by site basis, your retro selection would be limited by what’s available in the area or what the manager ships in that they think might sell well. Hosting the whole thing online, you’ve got a perfect view of the entire available stock in one convenient location.

To see what GameStop’s retro classics section has to offer, all you have to do is head on over to the official website and get to perusing. Giving things a quick gander, I’m actually pretty happy with the prices I’ve seen thus far. They’re on par with what many of these games typically go for on ebay and, even more surprising, I’ve seen quite a few games that are noticeably cheaper than what I can get them for at my local secondhand stores.

It should also be mentioned that these retro consoles are also being made available, but not through the online store. The Sega Genesis, for instance, is just $34.99 and can only be found “for trade in select stores only.” Most consoles also have their controllers and accessories up for grabs, though you can pick those up online.

This should come as pretty great news for fans of retro consoles, as it makes GameStop yet another place where you might be able to track down that hard-to-find title. Being a major retailer, it might also help keep some of those secondhand prices from creeping up to astronomical levels.

Gmail officially adds 'Undo Send', turn it on right now!


From gizmodo, Do you ever wish that there was an undo button for email? Gmail has offered this experimental feature for some time now. Six years, in fact. But today it’s officially a regular part of Gmail.

No more accidentally sending that killer turkey burger recipe to your boss when it was intended for your aunt. How embarrassing! Was your strongly worded email to the neighborhood association about Mr. Vanlandingham’s obnoxious mailbox colors a bit too strongly worded? Just click undo and delete all those what the fudges and holy shoots. Problem solved!

So how do you enable Gmail’s undo feature? Go to the little cog icon in the upper righthand corner and select “Settings.” About a third of the way down the page you’ll see the “Undo Send” section. You can choose between 5, 10, 20 and 30 second windows of unsendability. Make sure you hit “Save Changes” at the bottom and you’re all set.

Then, the next time you hit send on an email that you probably shouldn’t have, you’ve got precisely that many seconds to change your mind and hit the undo button at the top of the page. Decide after 31 seconds that maybe you shouldn’t call your sister’s new boyfriend a dull, shit-breathing knobhead for spilling his entire Zima over your head at last weekend’s barbecue? Well, you’re out of luck in that case, friend. Technology can’t solve all your problems.

'Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension' trailer!

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

New 'Peter Parker' seems kind of wimpy

From Marvel, Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios are proud to announce that after a full worldwide casting search, Tom Holland will play Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the next Spider-Man film, in theaters in IMAX and 3D on July 28, 2017. The film will be directed by Jon Watts, director of "Cop Car," the upcoming thriller that made its debut earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival.

Marvel and Sony Pictures, and producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal conducted an extensive search for both the actor and the director. The studios and producers were impressed by Holland’s performances in "The Impossible," “Wolf Hall,” and the upcoming "In the Heart of the Sea," and by a series of complex screen tests. Following Marvel’s tradition of working with the brightest next wave of directors, Watts also went through multiple meetings with Feige, Pascal, and the studio, before winning the job.

Commenting on the announcement, Tom Rothman, Sony Pictures Motion Pictures Group Chairman, said, “It’s a big day here at Sony. Kevin, Amy and their teams have done an incredible job. The Marvel process is very thorough, and that’s why their results are so outstanding. I’m confident Spider-Man will be no exception. I’ve worked with a number of up-and-coming directors who have gone on to be superstars and believe that Jon is just such an outstanding talent. For Spidey himself, we saw many terrific young actors, but Tom’s screen tests were special. All in all, we are off to a roaring start.”

Feige commented, “As with James Gunn, Joss Whedon, and the Russo brothers, we love finding new and exciting voices to bring these characters to life. We spent a lot of time with Jon and find his take and work inspiring.”

Pascal added, “Sony, Marvel, Kevin and I all knew that for Peter Parker, we had to find a vibrant, talented young actor capable of embodying one of the most well-known characters in the world. With Tom, we’ve found the perfect actor to bring Spider-Man’s story into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”

Sony Pictures will finance and release worldwide the next installment of the $4 billion Spider-Man franchise on July 28, 2017, in a film co-produced by Kevin Feige and his expert team at Marvel and Amy Pascal, who oversaw the franchise launch for the studio 13 years ago. Together, they will collaborate on a new creative direction for the Web-Slinger.

Maya Rudolph's Rachel Dolezal Impression - Late Night with Seth Meyers

Jon Stewart Slams Fox News Over Charleston Coverage

Sniff, Mr. Bradford died


From ew, Dick Van Patten, the star of TV’s Eight is Enough, has died. He was 86.

“I am sorry to report this sad news,” his rep said in a statement released to media Tuesday. “His family will not be doing any press at this time.” The cause of death is still unknown.

While Van Patten first rose to fame as family dad Tom Bradford on the 1977-81 hit show Eight is Enough, he had been acting since he was a child, first appearing on Broadway at age 7. He went on to appear on Broadway 27 more times.

He also starred in several films, including the Mel Brooks spoof vehicles Space Balls and Robin Hood Men in Tights. The regularly working actor last appeared on the small screen in a guest role onHot in Cleveland in 2011.

Leaked pictures from 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' show Han piloting the Falcon and “The General” dispatching Captain Phasma after Finn

[via making Star Wars]

Watch The Simpsons' Homer And Marge Hilariously Deny Break-Up Rumors

‘Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension’ Will End the Series


From slashfilm, A new installment in the Paranormal Activity series opens this fall, and the first images from Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimensionare now online. The film is called the “final installment” of the series, and promises to close the book on the story begun in 2009.

You read that right. This is, for now at least, the last Paranormal Activity film. “We made this movie like it’s the end of this Paranormal line for sure,” says Jason Blum. And that title promises quite a few revelations.

USA Today has the images, and quotes producer Jason Blum saying,


It’s coming to an end. This is it, the finale. We’re saying it before the movie opens. We’re not going to grind this horror franchise into the ground. This will keep Paranormal Activity as part of this culture and this particular time in a really fantastic way… All the questions that everyone has asked from the past ‘Paranormal Activity’ films: What does Toby look like? What’s the backstory to the families? These questions have been teased out. Now they will be answered.

Yeah, they’re going to show Toby this time. Oh, and the film will be released with 3D used for parts of the movie, but not all. (See the synopsis below.)

Will this really be the last one? Plenty of other horror series have trotted out “final” chapters only to later continue with many more installments. (Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter effectively turned the concept of declaring an end into a joke. That was the fourth film, and six more followed, not counting a spin-off and reboot.) Blum is saying this is it. We’ll see how long that holds.

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension opens on October 23. Gregory Plotkin directed from a script by Adam Robitel and Gavin Heffernan.

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension centers on the Fleeges — father Ryan (Chris J. Murray), mother Emily (Brit Shaw) and their young daughter Leila (Ivy George) — who move into a house and discover a video camera and a box of tapes in the garage. When they look through the camera’s lens, they begin to see the paranormal activity happening around them – including the re-emergence of young Kristi and Katie. The video camera footage will be presented in 3D in theaters.

Monday, June 22, 2015

Box Office


From ew, This weekend marks the first time a Pixar movie hasn’t opened number one at the box office, but we think the studio will be okay with this result: Inside Out, the studio’s latest offering, debuted with an estimated $91.1 million in North American ticket sales, giving it the largest opening ever for an original property (defined by Disney as a non-sequel and non-sourced work), surpassing the 2009 opening weekend of Avatar ($77 million). Pete Docter’s film ranks as the second biggest Pixar opening of all time, just behind Toy Story 3, which debuted with $110.3 million.

Early tracking predicted that Inside Out would debut around $60 million, which is about what other original Pixar films like WALL-E($63.1 million) and Cars ($60.1 million) had earned, and many believedthat the unstoppable force of Jurassic World would eat into Inside Out’s success. But as early as Friday, it was clear that Inside Out was destined for bigger things, and it actually topped the night with a whopping $34.2 million (including Thursday previews). Even thoughInside Out ended the weekend in second place, it’s the biggest No. 2 debut of all time, demolishing the $68.7 million record previously held by The Day After Tomorrow.

Still, even with all of Inside Out’s success, it wasn’t enough to stopJurassic World. Chris Pratt and his team of velociraptors won the weekend, only dropping about 51 percent to an estimated $102 million. This makes it the second-biggest second weekend of all time, just shy of Marvel The Avengers’ $103.1 million. Like last weekend, it’s important to note that $102 million is just an estimate, and if Jurassic World sees a particularly strong Father’s Day turnout, it could end up breaking The Avengers’ record when final numbers are released on Monday.

Globally, Jurassic World has already earned $981.3 million, and it’s on track to become the fastest film ever to hit $1 billion. (Furious 7 set the current record of 17 days in April.)

Dope, the only other new opening this weekend, rounded out the top five with an estimated $6 million, falling just short of expectations.

Here are this weekend’s top five at the box office:

1. Jurassic World — $102 million
2. Inside Out — $91.1 million
3. Spy — $10.5 million
4. San Andreas — $8.2 million
5. Dope — $6 million

Jake Lloyd, Former 'Star Wars' Child Star, Arrested After High-Speed Chase


WALTERBORO, S.C. (AP) — A former child actor who starred in one of the "Star Wars" movie sequels faces charges after leading South Carolina deputies on a high-speed chase.

Colleton County Sheriff's deputies on Wednesday arrested a 26-year-old man they confirmed through a former talent agent was Jake Lloyd, who played a young Anakin Skywalker in the 1999 movie "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace," Sgt. Kyle Strickland said Sunday.

The man gave his name as Jake Broadbent, Strickland said. The man's birthdate matched the actors' listed by movie database IMDB.com and a hometown of Fort Collins, Colorado, where Lloyd was born.

The man was charged with failing to stop for officers and reckless driving after hitting speeds over 100 miles an hour, Strickland said.

Deputies in coastal Charleston County initially tried to stop the fleeing vehicle early Wednesday afternoon, but quit chasing after the man drove into neighboring Colleton County, Sheriff's Office Major Eric Watson said Sunday.

The chase lasted for more than 25 miles before Lloyd drove off Interstate 95, plowed through a fence, and continued speeding along a parallel frontage road, authorities said. The road ended at a dead end, but the vehicle kept going into a wooded area before it hit several small trees and stopped.

The man had not posted bond and remained in jail Sunday evening, Strickland said.


Lloyd said in a 2012 interview that the role he performed when he was 10 years old made his youth hellish because he was bullied by other children. His last acting credit was in 2005, according to IMDB.com.

Friday, June 19, 2015

It's a wrap! Two familiar characters were filmed for 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'

[via starwars7news]

‘Dope’ Review: John Hughes Meets the ‘Hood in Rick Famuyiwa Teen Action Comedy


So many movies play it safe and predictable that you have to give it up to “Dope” for making consistently bold moves — even if they don’t always pay off. This vibrant film is a bit of a mess, but it’s a beautiful one.

Writer-director Rick Famuyiwa (“The Wood”) gives us three unique, eccentric, fresh adolescent characters who don’t feel like the usual teen-movie archetypes — and then he almost immediately plunges them into shootouts and drug deals that feel crushingly familiar. “Dope” clearly wants to mix “Risky Business” and the John Hughes oeuvre with the 1990s milieu of “Boyz n the Hood” and the many films it inspired. But while there’s no reason that combo couldn’t work, Famuyiwa doesn’t quite nail the proportions.

The ’90s are a recurring touchstone here, with our heroes Malcolm (Shameik Moore), Diggy (Kiersey Clemons, “Transparent”) and Jib (Tony Revolori, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”) obsessed over the decade and its music and its fashions, from their stack of “Yo! MTV Raps” VHS cassettes to the top of Malcolm’s Kid n Play hairdo. As narrator Forest Whitaker (who also produced) points out, these three are outcasts in their Inglewood high school, both for their anachronistic affectations and for their desire to make good grades and go to college.

It’s in that opening narration where Famuyiwa establishes his go-for-broke intentions toward the film’s tone: Whitaker tells us about another nerdy kid who got shot during a restaurant hold-up and the camera shows the victim’s bloody GameBoy while Whitaker notes that, ironically, he was just a few points shy of the high score. That’s a pretty ballsy opening salvo, promising a tightrope walk between dark comedy and realistic suffering. Unfortunately, “Dope” can’t maintain that balance.

Malcolm is forced to shuttle romantic messages between local drug dealer Dom (rapper A$AP Rocky) and his estranged girlfriend Nakia (Zoë Kravitz), eventually becoming smitten with her himself despite the inherent danger involved. Malcolm’s willingness to go whither Nakia goest eventually lands Malcolm and his friends possession of Dom’s satchel, which holds a large amount of an ecstasy-like drug that seemingly everyone in Inglewood wants.

The characters here are too interesting (or at least potentially interesting) to get caught up in yet another bag-of-drugs plot. Diggy, for example, is a baby butch lesbian whose androgyny confuses men and enchants a series of women, while Dom balances cold intelligence, a dry wit and a propensity for ruthless violence in the way of the great screen villains. But once “Dope” goes off on long tangents explaining how Bitcoin works (it’s part of how our heroes wind up selling the drugs online), it’s clear that the movie has somewhat lost its way.

Still, Famuyiwa brings such vitality to the production that it’s hard not to get absorbed, even when the story’s initial promise gets wrapped up unsatisfactorily — or rather, too satisfactorily, with all the complicated and random odds and ends tied up in a neat bow. Tom Cruise‘s character in“Risky Business” manages to get into Princeton, yes, but at least there’s still that crack in the Faberge egg.

(Side tangent: after “Dope” and “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” can filmmakers please retire the framing device of the college application essay, at least for a while? It’s so overused that the trope has become the new “…and that was the summer that changed everything.”)

If nothing else, “Dope” is the movie that turned Shameik Moore into a leading man, and here’s hoping the industry finds more characters this interesting for him to play. He’s charismatic and engaging (I would have loved more scenes between Moore and the underutilized Kimberly Elise, who plays Malcolm’s bus-driver mom), and he brings the kind of wit, energy and sheer movie magnetism that heralds an interesting career ahead.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

What I say every morning when I arrive at work...


Marvel Concedes Opening Record to 'Jurassic World' with Painting of Chris Pratt on Mjolnir-Wielding T-Rex


From iwatch stuff, The final numbers are in and it's now official: Jurassic World had the biggest domestic opening of all time. Universal is reporting that their film brought in $208.8 million over the weekend, putting it just ahead of Marvel's The Avengers, which in 2012 set the prior opening record with $207.4 million. Hooray for money! And hooray to Chris Pratt, from Marvel Studios. That company's president, Kevin Feige, earlier today sent out a tweet about the achievement, saying, "Congrats Mr. Spielberg @UniversalPics @Legendary @LeDoctor @colintrevorrow and especially @prattprattpratt." Also included in the tweet? Artwork of Pratt riding a Mjolnir-wielding dinosaur and facing off against the Avengers. Have a look at the full piece below, then off to the tattoo shop with you.

'The Peanuts Movie' looks great!

Jon Stewart To Donald Trump: 'Let's Dance, Clownstick!'

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

'Halloween Returns'


From ew, Michael Myers is back. Dimension Films and Trancas International Films announced that the next Halloween film, Halloween Returns, will start production next month. Marcus Dunstan will direct, replacing Rob Zombie, who shepherded both Halloween (2007) and Halloween II (2009). The plot for Returns is unknown.

“Michael Myers has taken a long break from the big screen and we know fans are eager to see him return,” Bob Weinstein, co-chair of Dimension and its parent company, The Weinstein Company, said in a statement. “We are excited to be back in business with Trancas and look forward to bringing one of the scariest installments of this classic franchise to audiences worldwide.”

Zombie’s films, both of which were under the Dimension and Trancas banner, were financial successes, with budgets less than $20 million and worldwide hauls of $80 million (Halloween) and almost $40 million (Halloween II). Zombie’s first film was a remake of the classic John Carpenter 1978 thriller, which starred Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasance.

Dunstan will work with familiar collaborator Patrick Melton. The pair co-wrote the Returns script, as well as the books for the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh installments of the Saw franchise.

Malek Akkad will produce, while Matthew Stein will executive produce.

Monday, June 15, 2015

Jurassic World earned $511 million worldwide over the weekend, breaks all previous records


From ew, Back in 1993, Jurassic Park became the first film ever to open to more than $50 million. Now, Jurassic World has brought us back to Isla Nublar and broken a few box office records of its own: Chris Pratt and the leaping lizards earned $511.8 million worldwide, becoming the first movie ever to make more than $500 million in a weekend.

Not only did Jurassic World score some incredible global numbers, but Colin Trevorrow’s film debuted to $204.6 million domestically this weekend, making it the second biggest domestic opening of all time andoutstripping expectations by more than $80 million. It’s only the second film ever to make more than $200 million in its opening weekend, and Jurassic Worldfalls only a few million behind Marvel’s ensemble superhero adventure The Avengers, which holds the current box office record of $207.4 million. (It’s important to note that Jurassic World’s numbers are only an estimate right now; the studio will release final weekend numbers on Monday.)

Jurassic World already had been expected to score the biggest June opening of all time (way above Man of Steel’s record $116.6 million), but it also earned the biggest debut of the year, beating Avengers: Age of Ultron, which (only?) brought in $191.3 million when it opened in May. Jurassic World also earned a whopping $82.8 million on Friday, giving it the third biggest opening day of all time.

Opening in 4,273 theaters, Jurassic World is Universal Pictures’ widest release ever, and it outstrippedFurious 7, which previously held the record for Universal’s biggest debut with $147.2 million. Jurassic World also had huge success in 3D, with about 48 percent of its domestic total coming from 3D screens, making it the highest-grossing domestic debut ever for RealD. Additionally, the film broke IMAX records, bringing in more than $20.6 million on IMAX screens this weekend and breaking the previous domestic weekend opening set by The Dark Knight Rises ($19 million).

For the past three weekends, box office totals had been down from last year, but Jurassic World’s success gives a much-needed jolt to a slow summer. As the only major opening this weekend, Jurassic World brought this weekend’s box office total up about 50 percent over last year. The other films in the top five performed largely as expected, with Melissa McCarthy’s Spy dropping to second place.Entourage plummeted to sixth place, only bringing in $4.3 million in its second weekend.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Actor Christopher Lee dies


LONDON — British actor Christopher Lee has died at the age of 93, according to multiple media reports.

Lee, who starred in films including the Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and Dracula, passed away in Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, on Sunday after being treated for respiratory problems,the Telegraph reported, citing sources close to his family.

Lee rose to fame playing Dracula and Frankenstein's monster in a series of horror films for British production company Hammer Films from the 1950s to the 1970s. In 1973 he played one of his most famous villains in The Wicker Man.

He most recently appeared in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies in Dec.

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Disney Will Lose Over $100 Million on ‘Tomorrowland’


From slashfilm, Brad Bird‘s Tomorrowland was always a gamble. Sometimes gambles pay off big, other times they don’t. Now it seems, despite the combination of an Oscar-winning director, a proven box-office star and a high-concept, Disney-approved idea,Tomorrowland will end up losing Disney somewhere around $140 million. Read more about the Tomorrowland box office below.

The Hollywood Reporter reported on the Tomorrowland box office news. According to their piece, the film’s budget was $180 million and marketing cost $150 million. At the moment, the film has grossed $170 million globally, which puts it roughly $160 million in the hole. It still has time to play and open in international markets though, hence the approximate $140 million loss.

So why didn’t the film hit? There are a ton of reasons. Reviews were mixed, adults may have thought the film was a kids movie, and kids may have thought it looked like an adult movie. It opened over the competitive Memorial Day weekend in the U.S. against two surprise hits, Mad Max Fury Road and Pitch Perfect 2. Plus, there’s the sad reality many people don’t take risks when going to a movie anymore. Especially one they don’t hear universally good things about (and, even then, not always).

And really, that’s the worst thing about Tomorrowland’s box office. It’s another potential argument against original content in Hollywood. While I didn’t particularly like the film, many did, and I did like that it tried to be something new and different. On paper, it’s the kind of movie – like a Back to the Future or Star Wars or Ghostbusters – that at the time was original, high concept, and a potential franchise starter. Hopefully, despite the financial disappointment of Tomorrowland, Disney and the other studios still keep trying at least some of these films.

As for Disney, don’t worry about them. This is their first financial disappointment since The Lone Ranger in 2013. Plus they’ve already had Cinderella and Avengers: Age of Ultron hit this year, Inside Out later this month will be big, not to mention Star Wars: The Force Awakens among many others. Their business model allows for the occasional miss.

'Spectre' Extended TV Spot - James Bond (2015)

'Captain America: Civil War' teaser leaked

Tuesday, June 09, 2015

'Scream: The TV Series' trailer

Jason Alexander Explains Why George Costanza’s Fiancée Susan Was Killed on ‘Seinfeld’


From slashfilm, Even though the series finale of Seinfeld was considered disappointing by some, you can’t deny the series is one of the best comedies that television has seen in the past 25 years. One of the more bold moments from the show’s run was the death of Susan Biddle Ross, the on-and-off girlfriend and eventual fiancée of Jason Alexander‘s character George Costanza.

Beyond being a surprising story twist, however, there was never really any explanation as to why Susan (played by Heidi Swedberg) was killed off. But Alexander recently opened up about why Susan was killed, and it didn’t sound very nice at first. But then he eventually clarified after the story went viral.

Find out why Susan was killed on Seinfeld after the jump!

Here’s what Alexander told Howard Stern (via Uproxx) on his morning radio show:


“After every episode we’d all go out — not the guest cast — but the four of us and Larry would go out and have a bite to eat and we would just bitch about everything. And I kept saying ‘I’m going out of my mind, you guys. You’re killing me. I can’t understand how to play off of this girl. I’m sure that this stuff is not working — it can’t be!’ And they’re going ‘It works great, you don’t know what you’re talking about.’ I was the only actor doing scenes with her … and finally they do an episode where Elaine and Jerry have a lot of material with her, and they do the week and then we get to the restaurant afterwards and they go ‘You know what? It’s fucking impossible. It’s impossible!’ And Julia actually said ‘I know, don’t you just wanna kill her?’ And Larry went ‘Kabang!'”

Ouch, that sounds rough. However, maybe sensing that this quote, even in context, sounded rather mean to Swedberg, Alexander took to Twitter in order to clarify what he meant with his comments, pointing out the the problem was on his end. Basically, he was unsure of how to play off of her, but that wasn’t really Swedberg’s fault. Alexander says:


“…I just felt I was on uncertain ground in how to play off that character and I was always concerned that it wasn’t working. And that’s what I would voice concern about. But because the scenes were playing the way they were, the relationship with George and Susan sustained a whole season. People clearly liked the interplay even though I believed I was “off”.

Larry and Jerry were not sure how that relationship would end. They didn’t really want George married but all the alternatives seemed predictable. They were always looking for an inventive end to the engagement. So when the comment was made about “killing”, no one was talking about the actress – they were talking about the character. And that made a creative lightbulb go off apparently.

But in telling this story, it sounds like we are putting a heavy burden on Heidi. I, personally, am not. Heidi would always ask if there was anything in the scenes she could do or if I had any thoughts. She was generous and gracious and I am so mad at myself for retelling this story in any way that would diminish her. If I had had more maturity or more security in my own work, I surely would have taken her query and possibly tried to adjust the scenes with her. She surely offered. But, I didn’t have that maturity or security…”

There’s more to the extensive update on Twitter from Alexander’s entire TwitLonger post right here. This could just as easily be damage control for an off the cuff remark from Alexander, but either way, it’s an interesting behind the scenes story. And this kind of anecdote just goes to show you how Seinfeld never really had any direction or point, which is a big part of what made it great. The show is infamously about nothing, and it’s fascinating to hear how elements like this developed and eventually crumbled.

Monday, June 08, 2015

Uwe Boll Slams Harry Potter, Marvel And His Fans In Epic Video Rant

'The Martian' trailer



During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring “the Martian” home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible rescue mission. As these stories of incredible bravery unfold, the world comes together to root for Watney’s safe return. Based on a best-selling novel, and helmed by master director Ridley Scott, THE MARTIAN features a star studded cast that includes Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Kate Mara, Michael Peña, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Donald Glover.

'Juon the Final HONYOKOKU' trailer

Good Grief!



From tmz, Get ready to hear Charlie Brown curse like a sailor, and wish death on a judge -- the former voice of the cartoon character went absolutely NUTS during a San Diego court hearing.

Peter Robbins was going to be sentenced for probation violations on Friday -- but suddenly went off on the judge, the prosecutor, and his public defender.

Robbins -- who voiced Charlie Brown for several TV specials in the 60s -- was convicted in 2013 for threatening an ex-gf and her plastic surgeon ... but in court he demanded a new trial, and simply lost it on his ex.

He screamed, ironically ... "She has to believe that I would kill her. I wouldn't kill her! I have never had any violent behavior!!" Robbins also barked at the judge, "Good luck to you! I hope you drop dead of a heart attack."

Not shockingly, the judge ordered a mental exam for Robbins. Prosecutors say he violated probation by drinking booze, and cutting off his ankle monitor.

Box Office



From ew, Insidious Chapter 3 may have won the box office race on Friday, but by Sunday, Melissa McCarthy and Paul Feig’s comedy Spy came out on top, debuting to an estimated weekend total of $30 million.
While many were predicting Spy to end the weekend with closer to $35 million, it’s still a win for McCarthy: After Identity Thief and The Heat, this is her third biggest debut in a lead role. (Of note, however, is that the critically adored Spy – which had a 95 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes – open to less thanIdentity Thief, which was skewered by critics.)

Meanwhile, The Rock is still on a roll: San Andreasdropped to second place after its massive debut last weekend, but it still brought in an estimated $26.4 million. That puts Dwayne Johnson’s disaster movie just shy of a domestic total of $100 million after only 10 days in theaters.

After Insidious Chapter 3’s strong Friday debut, it slipped to third place with an estimated weekend total of $23 million. That kind of front-loaded first day is pretty typical for a horror movie, and while the latestInsidious installment didn’t reach the $40.3 million opening of the second chapter, it’s still well above the original film’s $13.3 million debut.

As far as Entourage goes, things cooled off after its better-than-expected Wednesday opening, and the boys brought in $17.8 million over the five-day period and only $10.4 million Friday through Sunday.

Finally, Mad Max: Fury Road rounded out the top five in its fourth weekend with $7.97 million. Not only did it finally beat Pitch Perfect 2 in the weekend box office race (the Barden Bellas only made $7.7 million this weekend), but Max just hit the $300 million mark globally.

Outside of the top five, Cameron Crowe’s controversial Alohatumbled 66 percent, only bringing in $3.3 million in its second weekend. But in more exciting news, Avengers: Age of Ultron made another $6.2 million in its seventh weekend, bringing its worldwide total $1.348 billion and officially knocking out Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 to become the fifth-highest grossing film of all time.
While there have been some solid openings over the past few weeks,Age of Ultron is still the only movie this summer to debut to more than $100 million. But next week, Jurassic World may become the second summer blockbuster to hit nine digits, as early predictions have it bringing in $100 million or more.

Here are this weekend’s top five at the box office:

1. Spy — $30 million
2. San Andreas — $26.4 million
3. Insidious Chapter 3 — $23 million
4. Entourage — $10.4 million
5. Mad Max: Fury Road — $8 million

Friday, June 05, 2015

When you think you look cool (but you don't)

"Skarknado 3: Oh Hell No!" trailer



Wednesday July 22nd 9/8c | Syfy

Star Trek' actress Nichelle Nichols suffers stroke



(CNN) Barely three months after the loss of Leonard Nimoy, "Star Trek" fans have gotten more troubling news.

Nichelle Nichols, 82, who played Lt. Nyota Uhura in the original TV series and films, suffered a mild stroke Wednesday night, according to a post Thursday on her Facebook page.

"Last night while at her home in L.A., Nichelle Nichols suffered from a mild stroke," said the statement by Zach McGinnis of Galactic Productions, which books Nichols and other actors for public appearances.

"She is currently undergoing testing to determine how severe the stroke was," the statement continued. Please keep her in your thoughts."

Official Statement Last night while at her home in LA, Nichelle Nichols suffered from a mild stroke. She is currently...Posted by Nichelle Nichols on Thursday, June 4, 2015

Nichols was a TV rarity when "Star Trek" began in 1966: a black woman in a notable role on a prime-time series. There had been African-American women on TV before, but they often played maids or domestics; Nichols' Uhura was an integral part of the multicultural "Star Trek" crew.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. called it "the first nonstereotypical role portrayed by a black woman in television history."

Actor George Takei, Nichols' "Star Trek" compatriot, sent along his best wishes via Twitter on Thursday. "We don't have any diagnosis on her condition but our thoughts are with her," he said.

We understand #NichelleNichols has been rushed to the hospital. We don't have any diagnosis on her condition but our thoughts are with her.— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) June 4, 2015

McGinnis updated CNN Thursday evening on her condition.

"CAT scan came back negative, and we are awaiting the results from the MRI," he said.

"Currently she is awake, eating, in good spirits and able to have full conversations. Her right side has shown minor signs or mobility loss, but she is not showing any signs of paralysis."

'Vacation" trailer #2

Thursday, June 04, 2015

Loose Pig Chases Woman, Is Apprehended By Police, Covers Back Of Cop Car In $#iT


From geekology, A pig got loose in Shelby Township, Michigan and proceeded to chase a woman until she called the police and the police came and managed to corral it into the back of a patrol car, where it proceeded to smile for pictures and fill the whole back seat with stinky pig shit because that is what makes pigs the happiest.

[Deputy Chief Mark] Coil said the whole thing started after police received a 911 call around 7 p.m. Thursday, from a woman who said there was a pig on the loose and she didn't know what to do. According to reports, the woman was doing yard work when the pig came barreling toward her. It then chased her into the front yard before getting distracted by a decorative ball.

"Officers responded and were able to detain the pig and get him in the back seat of the patrol car," said Coil. "Realistically, the pig didn't give us much trouble. We used a dog pole that we would use for a dog at large and were able to corral the pig and take the pig into custody without any problems whatsoever." The real problem occurred afterward -- when officers got the pig back to the station.

"Well, lets say the pig either out of excitement or otherwise felt the need to use the back seat of our patrol car as a bathroom," said Coil.

I, for one, have never relieved myself in the back of a cop car. Okay that's not entirely true. I have relieved myself in the back of a cop car before, but I happened to have a similar looking friend's ID on me at the time, so theoretically it was actually Dave Martin who peed in the back of that cop car. For related reasons, Dave and I are no longer friends.

[JPX] for some reason I can't stop laughing at this story.   The  pig looks like a drunken frat boy who is so proud of his mischievous behavior.  If you want to see all the poop he dropped in the cop car go here, http://geekologie.com/2015/06/loose-pig-chases-woman-is-apprehended-by.php

Monday, June 01, 2015

Ash vs Evil Dead (Groovy Tease)

Box Office


From darkhorizons, After such a strong start to the year, the U.S. box-office hit a speed bump last weekend as both new wide releases for the Memorial Day holiday - "Tomorrowland" and "Poltergeist" - failed to catch on with either critics or audiences.

Things bounced back slightly this weekend with Dwayne Johnson's disaster flick "San Andreas" opening in first place with a whopping $53.2 million. This marks Johnson's biggest opener outside his work in the "Fast and Furious" franchise.

The other big new film was Cameron Crowe’s "Aloha" which tanked on arrival, opening in sixth place to just $9.3 million not to mention career worst reviews for Crowe. "Pitch Perfect 2" came in second with a further $14.8 million and a $228 million worldwide gross after just three weeks.

Last week's openers "Tomorrowland" and "Poltergeist" fell 58% and 65% respectively, the former nabbing $13.8 million in third place whilst the latter scored $7.8 million in seventh place. "Mad Max: Fury Road" came in fourth with $13.6 million, whilst "Avengers: Age of Ultron" was fifth with $10.8 million.

Actress Betsy Palmer, killer in 'Friday the 13th,' dies


(CNN)Actress Betsy Palmer, who kicked off her career as a sweet-talking panelist on TV game shows in the 1950s and went on to play a mother-turned-murderer in "Friday the 13th," has died.

Palmer, 88, died Friday of natural causes at a hospice care center near her home in Danbury, Connecticut, manager Brad Lemack said in a statement.

Her lengthy television and film career spanned more than five decades, starting with a number of high-profile roles in the 1950s, including a stint as the original letter turner on "Wheel of Fortune," a regular role as a panelist on the prime-time TV game show "I've Got a Secret" and a role as contributor on NBC's "The Today Show."

She drew a new generation of fans, her manager said, with her role as Mrs. Voorhees in the 1980 cult classic "Friday the 13th."

It's a role Palmer once said she'd only accepted because she was convinced no one would see it -- and because she needed the money for a new car.

The day before she got a call about the film, her Mercedes broke down on the Connecticut turnpike. She quickly set her sights on a new one that would cost $10,000.

The offer for the film would pay her exactly that, her manager's statement said, "leading to a sporty new vehicle and a revitalized career."

Even though she wasn't originally a fan of the script and didn't want to perform in a horror film, Palmer once said she appreciated the chance to change her image after playing so many wholesome roles on screen.

"The image always was of me was that I was this girl next door, and of course I've always said that there wasn't a gal that ever lived next door to me that I wanted to be like," Palmer recalled in "Return to Crystal Lake," a documentary about the making of the film. "I was always trying to prove that I wasn't the girl next door."

Television and film work brought Palmer fame and notoriety, her manager said, but performing onstage brought her "the greatest professional joy."

Her credits on Broadway included "Roar Like a Dove," "Cactus Flower" and "The Eccentricities of a Nightingale."

She's survived by her daughter, Melissa Merendino, her manager said.

Malevolent

 2018  ***1/2 It's 1986 for some reason, and a team of paranormal investigators are making a big name for themselves all over Scotland. ...