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Surprise! ‘Road House 2: Last Call’ Lacks The Original’s Spirit By Rob Hunter/Aug. 3, 2018 3:00 pm EST (Welcome to DTV Descent, a series that explores the weird and wild world of direct-to-video sequels to theatrically released movies. In this edition, we stop in for a drink and a bar fight with the sequel to a Patrick Swayze classic.) If you’re like me, when someone mentions Patrick Swayze the odds are you think immediately of a single movie – Donnie Darko (2001)....

The Sweet Valley High Books Are Weird, Y’all Random House Most people know the “Sweet Valley High” books from their titles like “Dear Sister” and “Double Love,” but what do you know about “Kidnapped by the Cult!” or “A Date with a Werewolf”? Much like the books of Christopher Pike, the “Sweet Valley High” books frequently dive into the truly absurd. Murder, hostage situations, traumatic accidents, doppelgangers, and the supernatural all show up in Sweet Valley, which is probably why “Juno” and “Jennifer’s Body” scribe Diablo Cody was once tapped to write a film version of the books....

The Alternate Planet Of The Apes Ending Tim Burton Wanted Us To See 20th Century Studios By Sandy Schaefer/Nov. 12, 2021 8:27 am EST Remember when people got excited about Tim Burton movies? Okay, that’s a bit harsh, but most of the eccentric, gloomy director’s work over the last 15 years or so has lacked the wild spark that his earlier, more outlandish films had, as well as the depth of his most mature yet equally peculiar offerings like “Ed Wood” and “Big Fish....

The Daily Stream: No Wonder They Say Vertigo Is The Greatest Movie Of All Time Paramount Pictures By Joshua Meyer/Nov. 27, 2021 5:00 pm EST (Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they’ve been watching, why it’s worth checking out, and where you can stream it.) The Movie: “Vertigo” Where You Can Stream It: The Roku Channel The Pitch: “Do you believe that someone out of the past, someone dead, can enter and take possession of a living being?...

The Eyes Of Tammy Faye Director Michael Showalter On Making A ‘Religious Boogie Nights’ [Interview] Searchlight Pictures By Ethan Anderton/Sept. 16, 2021 12:08 pm EST “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” arrives in theaters this weekend to tell the story of pioneering televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, played by Andrew Garfield and Jessica Chastain. The couple shared a meteoric rise to fame and fortune, but it all came crumbling down when they became embroiled in romantic and financial scandals that broke the purity and sanctity of their religious brand....

The Real Life Inspiration Behind Forrest Gump Paramount Pictures By Joshua Meyer/Sept. 15, 2021 10:07 am EST “Forrest Gump” famously inserted Tom Hanks into old archival footage, interweaving moments from real U.S. history with the fictional story of his character: A simple yet sincere man, sharing homespun wisdom on a park bench to different strangers while recounting the story of his ever-so-charmed life. Director Robert Zemeckis and ILM (Industrial Light & Magic) employed digital compositing and other groundbreaking visual effects to give Forrest’s tale a true-to-life veneer....

The Setup Dreamworks Pictures Gore Verbinski’s remake of Hiroshi Takahashi’s 1998 J-horror classic, “Ringu,” has a near-identical premise. A journalist (in this iteration, Naomi Watts) must work with her ex-husband (Martin Henderson) to solve the mystery of a presumably cursed videotape that’s killing people seven days after they first watch it. What follows is an investigation of the tape, its origins, and why the people who watch it are dying. Simply executed, “The Ring” is absolutely chilling....

This Iconic Scene In ‘Poltergeist’ Induced Nightmares And Signaled The Film’s True Climax By Meagan Navarro/Sept. 1, 2020 10:00 am EST (Welcome to Scariest Scene Ever, a column dedicated to the most pulse-pounding moments in horror. In this edition: Poltergeist used an iconic scare to herald the film’s true climax.)“Now clear your minds. It knows what scares you. It has from the very beginning. Don’t give it any help, it knows too much already....

Witches Of Eastwick Remake In The Works Warner Bros. By Chris Evangelista/Aug. 25, 2021 11:01 am EST “The Witches of Eastwick” are back, baby! “Pleasure” director Ninja Thyberg has been tapped by Warner Bros. to remake the 1987 George Miller movie adapted from the John Updike novel of the same name. Miller’s movie, which took great liberties with Updike’s source material, followed three small-town women (played by Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Susan Sarandon) who all fall for a new guy in town, played by Jack Nicholson....

‘Benedetta’ Review: Paul Verhoeven’s Lesbian Nun Drama Toes The Line Between Profound And Profane [Cannes] By Jason Gorber/July 13, 2021 6:30 am EST Benedetta begins with a minor miracle, when a young girl en route to enter a convent prays at an altar to the Virgin Mary to dissuade a bandit from attacking her family. A bird flies out and defecates in the one unscarred eye of the would-be attacker, thus setting the stage of a film that itself is a minor miracle, one that also pairs the glory of religious expression with the everyday navigation of s*** being flung....

‘Chapelwaite’ Trailer: Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s Lot’ Prequel Is Now A Show On EPIX By Chris Evangelista/July 8, 2021 12:47 pm EST Take a trip back to 1850s Maine with the latest trailer for Chapelwaite. The EPIX series is based on the Stephen King short story “Jerusalem’s Lot,” which, as you can probably tell from the title, is related to King’s vampire novel Salem’s Lot. It’s a prequel story done in the style of a Lovecraftian pastiche, and it’s mighty spooky....

‘Faces Of Death’ Reimagining Will Turn The Cult Faux-Documentary Into A Modern-Day Horror Movie By Chris Evangelista/May 7, 2021 3:00 pm EST Faces of Death, the controversial movie that claimed to feature footage of actual gruesome deaths – most of which were, in fact, faked – is getting a Hollywood upgrade. Legendary will make a Faces of Death reimagining with Isa Mazzei and Daniel Goldhaber, the team behind the indie horror movie Cam....

‘Knives Out 2’ Adds Rom-Com Queen Kate Hudson To The Cast By Ben Pearson/May 20, 2021 10:30 am EST Kate Hudson, star of romantic comedies like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Fool’s Gold, and Bride Wars, is the latest addition to the star-studded cast of Rian Johnson’s Knives Out 2. The highly anticipated sequel is set to film in Greece this summer, taking Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc character to an international locale and embroiling him in another murder mystery....

‘Luca’ Early Buzz: Pixar’s Latest Is A Vibrant, Visually Stunning Ode To Friendship By Hoai-Tran Bui/June 3, 2021 7:30 am EST The expectations are always high whenever Pixar releases a new film, particularly after its most recent movie won an Oscar. Though Luca, the coming-of-age fantasy from first-time feature director Enrico Casarosa, looks as far removed from the photorealistic ambitions of Soul as possible. There’s a simplicity to both the animation style and the story, which feel like a throwback to the animated films of yesteryear, back when friendship was the prevailing theme and the biggest stake was accidentally getting water spilled on you and your sea monster friend....

‘Monsters Inside: The 24 Faces Of Billy Milligan’ Trailer: Netflix Docuseries Focuses On A First-Of-Its-Kind Legal Defense By Chris Evangelista/Aug. 23, 2021 11:40 am EST In the 1970s, a young man named Billy Milligan was arrested in connection with a series of rapes at Ohio State University. Milligan claimed to have no memory of committing any crimes, and a whole group of psychiatrists would eventually diagnose him with having up to 24 different personalities....

‘Reservation Dogs’ Trailer: Taika Waititi-Produced Crime Comedy Series Heads To FX By Danielle Ryan/July 15, 2021 3:38 pm EST The trailer for Taika Waititi and Sterlin Harjo’s new FX series, Reservation Dogs, has dropped, and it looks like an absolute blast. The series follows four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma who both commit crimes and fight them. The series will draw from writer and director Harjo’s experiences as an Indigenous Oklahoman to make it as authentic as possible, while still being wickedly funny....

‘Take Out’: Lana Condor To Star In Randall Park-Penned Action Comedy Series At Hulu By Shania Russell/July 21, 2021 3:34 pm EST Lana Condor is teaming up with Randall Park to flex her range in a new action-comedy series for Hulu. Their upcoming show, Take Out, is said to be a combination of the world’s three greatest things: romance, action, and food. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Condor is set to star as Iris, a restaurant employee struggling to find that perfect work-life balance while also keeping an important secret close to her chest — she’s on a mission to bring down an evil crime syndicate hellbent on taking over New York City....

‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’ Is “Like Se7en, But In The Conjuring Universe” By Chris Evangelista/April 21, 2021 12:30 pm EST The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, the latest entry in The Conjuring franchise, will drop its spooky trailer tomorrow. For now, though, some new images have found their way online, along with some comments from director Michael Chaves. Like most of the Conjuring films so far, The Devil Made Me Do It is drawing on a true story (although you can expect things to be heavily fictionalized): the murder trial of Arne Johnson....

‘The Forever Purge’ Is The Final ‘Purge’ Movie Unless It’s Not, Says Producer Jason Blum By Joshua Meyer/July 1, 2021 6:49 am EST Is The Purge franchise about to purge itself of any possible future installments? Maybe yes and maybe no. According to producer Jason Blum, who recently spoke with /Film, it all depends on franchise creator James DeMonaco, who directed the first three Purge films and has done the screenwriting on all five, including this week’s new theatrical release, The Forever Purge....

‘What We Do In The Shadows’ Season 3 Teases A Returning Character And New Jackie Daytona-Inspired Directions By Ethan Anderton/April 2, 2021 3:00 pm EST It’s been far too long since we’ve spent time with our new favorite vampires in FX’s mockumentary series What We Do in the Shadows. Based on the film of the same name, the series follows a group of vampires living in the United States as they deal with the trials and tribulations of being bloodsuckers in the modern American world....