"Predator" from 1987 is one of the most enduringly scary monster movies of all time. Decades later, 20th Century Studios (formerly Fox) is still cranking out sequels and even made a good one with "Prey" in 2022, but when you break down what went on behind the scenes of the original Arnold Schwarzenegger action-horror classic, it's easy to see how close this film was to being an embarrassment for everyone involved.
Shot on location in a hot-house Mexican jungle, the cast and crew were already battling the elements. They also embarked on this hunter-and-hunted suspense story the same way as the characters — without a glimpse of the Predator. Legendary "Die Hard" director John McTiernan shot a huge portion of this creature feature before he even had his monster on set, and when it arrived, the crew had to get to the chopper for a redesign.
Schwarzenegger carries this movie on his broad shoulders as the commanding commando,...
Shot on location in a hot-house Mexican jungle, the cast and crew were already battling the elements. They also embarked on this hunter-and-hunted suspense story the same way as the characters — without a glimpse of the Predator. Legendary "Die Hard" director John McTiernan shot a huge portion of this creature feature before he even had his monster on set, and when it arrived, the crew had to get to the chopper for a redesign.
Schwarzenegger carries this movie on his broad shoulders as the commanding commando,...
- 8/15/2022
- by Gino Orlandini
- Slash Film
Here in the Us we have Hollywood, a center of filmmaking so cemented into the global economy that it seems no economic crisis can cripple it. However, in many, many other developed nations, films are made in part from support from government funding. This is true of Spain, The United Kingdom, and Iceland to name a few. But THR reports that the government of Iceland is currently considering cutting film funding by a whopping 40%, and Hollywood is responding with outcry. Directors like Clint Eastwood, Darren Aronofsky, Terrence Malick, and producers like David Beniof, Chris Newman, G. Mac Brown, and Beau Marks have all signed a petition that declares they side "with the entire film community in Iceland, in their efforts to maintain the current levels of government support for filmmaking." The petition and its big names are calling for the Icelandic government "to reconsider their current plans to cut the...
- 12/13/2013
- cinemablend.com
Hollywood filmmakers who have shot in Iceland have added their support in a fight against plans by the government of Reykjavik to slash state support of the local film industry. Directors Clint Eastwood, Darren Aronofsky and Terrence Malick; Game of Thrones producers Davod Beniof and Chris Newman; G. Mac Brown, executive producer of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Judge Dredd producer Beau Marks are among the group that have signed a petition saying they stand “with the entire film community in Iceland, in their efforts to maintain the current levels of government support for filmmaking” urging the Icelandic
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- 12/13/2013
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As the Icelandic Film Fund is battling proposed government cuts of 40% for 2014, a group of filmmakers has signed a statement of support for the Icelandic industry.
The supporters include Clint Eastwood, Darren Aronofsky and Terrence Malick, whose films Flags of Our Fathers, Noah and Tree Of Life have all shot partially in Iceland.
As Screen previously reported, more than 200 jobs could be lost because of the proposed cuts. In its 2014 budget, the Icelandic government is proposing a 40% cut to the Icelandic Film Fund, the organisation that supports Icelandic filmmaking through screenwriting, development and production grants. This is the second time in recent years that the Icelandic government has planned to deliver such a blow to local industry — In 2010 the government had proposed a 35% cut to the fund, but eventually enacted 25%.
The second round of budget talks will be held on Dec 13 (Friday) with the final bill to be voted on next week.
The letter...
The supporters include Clint Eastwood, Darren Aronofsky and Terrence Malick, whose films Flags of Our Fathers, Noah and Tree Of Life have all shot partially in Iceland.
As Screen previously reported, more than 200 jobs could be lost because of the proposed cuts. In its 2014 budget, the Icelandic government is proposing a 40% cut to the Icelandic Film Fund, the organisation that supports Icelandic filmmaking through screenwriting, development and production grants. This is the second time in recent years that the Icelandic government has planned to deliver such a blow to local industry — In 2010 the government had proposed a 35% cut to the fund, but eventually enacted 25%.
The second round of budget talks will be held on Dec 13 (Friday) with the final bill to be voted on next week.
The letter...
- 12/12/2013
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
To mark the release of Straw Dogs on DVD and Blu-ray 12th March, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have given us five copies of the movie to give away on Blu-ray. The film stars James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, Dominic Purcell and Alexander Skarsgård and is directed by Rod Lurie.
A young couple (James Marsden and Kate Bosworth) moves to a quaint southern town. Soon their perfect getaway turns out to become a living hell when dark secrets and lethal passions spiral out of control. Trapped by a pack of depraved locals led by a ruthless predator (Alexander Skarsgard), they face a night of agonising suffering and endless bloodshed. Now their only hope for survival is to become more savage than their merciless torturers.
Straw Dogs was produced by Marc Frydman (The Jacket, The Contender). Executive producers are Beau Marks (Mardi Gras: Spring Break, The Roommate) and Gilbert Dumontet (The Shepherd: Border Patrol,...
A young couple (James Marsden and Kate Bosworth) moves to a quaint southern town. Soon their perfect getaway turns out to become a living hell when dark secrets and lethal passions spiral out of control. Trapped by a pack of depraved locals led by a ruthless predator (Alexander Skarsgard), they face a night of agonising suffering and endless bloodshed. Now their only hope for survival is to become more savage than their merciless torturers.
Straw Dogs was produced by Marc Frydman (The Jacket, The Contender). Executive producers are Beau Marks (Mardi Gras: Spring Break, The Roommate) and Gilbert Dumontet (The Shepherd: Border Patrol,...
- 3/2/2012
- by Competitons
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Miss the Straw Dogs remake during its short theatrical stint but still curious as to how it ended up? No worries. The flick is on its way to DVD and Blu-ray, and we have all the details you need just waiting for you.
From the Press Release
A terrorized couple is pushed to their breaking point in the intense new psychological thriller Straw Dogs, unleashed on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital December 20 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. James Marsden (X-Men), Kate Bosworth (21) and Alexander Skarsgård (TV’s “True Blood”) sizzle in this suspenseful story of a young married couple who, after being victimized by a gang of violent locals, decide to take the law into their own hands. Written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Rod Lurie (The Contender, The Last Castle) and co-starring Dominic Purcell (TV’s “Prison Break”), Willa Holland (TV’s “Gossip Girl”), and two-time Oscar® nominee James Woods (1996, Best Supporting Actor,...
From the Press Release
A terrorized couple is pushed to their breaking point in the intense new psychological thriller Straw Dogs, unleashed on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital December 20 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. James Marsden (X-Men), Kate Bosworth (21) and Alexander Skarsgård (TV’s “True Blood”) sizzle in this suspenseful story of a young married couple who, after being victimized by a gang of violent locals, decide to take the law into their own hands. Written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Rod Lurie (The Contender, The Last Castle) and co-starring Dominic Purcell (TV’s “Prison Break”), Willa Holland (TV’s “Gossip Girl”), and two-time Oscar® nominee James Woods (1996, Best Supporting Actor,...
- 11/8/2011
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
As you may recall, The Roommate made its way to both DVD and Blu-ray this week, and in honor of the occasion Sony Pictures has provided two clips from the release - a deleted scene entitled "ID Check" and a minute and a half from the Obsession: The Making of The Roommate featurette.
Sometimes…murder can really ruin a friendship. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's terrifying new thriller The Roommate (review here) debuts on Blu-ray and DVD May 17, 2011. Leighton Meester (TV’s “Gossip Girl,” Country Strong) leads a hot young cast, including Minka Kelly (TV’s “Friday Night Lights,”), Cam Gigandet (Burlesque, Priest) and Aly Michalka (TV’s “Hellcats,” Easy A), in this spine-tingling tale of a co-ed (Kelly) who becomes the deadly obsession of her new roommate (Meester). Directed by Christian E. Christiansen, The Roommate is a taut thriller full of nail-biting suspense and shocking twists that’s had...
Sometimes…murder can really ruin a friendship. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's terrifying new thriller The Roommate (review here) debuts on Blu-ray and DVD May 17, 2011. Leighton Meester (TV’s “Gossip Girl,” Country Strong) leads a hot young cast, including Minka Kelly (TV’s “Friday Night Lights,”), Cam Gigandet (Burlesque, Priest) and Aly Michalka (TV’s “Hellcats,” Easy A), in this spine-tingling tale of a co-ed (Kelly) who becomes the deadly obsession of her new roommate (Meester). Directed by Christian E. Christiansen, The Roommate is a taut thriller full of nail-biting suspense and shocking twists that’s had...
- 5/18/2011
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
The home video moment you've been waiting for all year is nearly upon us. That's right, kids, The Roommate is making its way to both DVD and Blu-ray. Please for the love of all that is holy, try and contain yourselves!
From the Press Release
Sometimes…murder can really ruin a friendship. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment terrifying new thriller The Roommate, debuts on Blu-ray and DVD May 17, 2011. Leighton Meester (TV’s “Gossip Girl,” Country Strong) leads a hot young cast, including Minka Kelly (TV’s “Friday Night Lights,”), Cam Gigandet (Burlesque, Priest) and Aly Michalka (TV’s “Hellcats,” Easy A), in this spine-tingling tale of a co-ed (Kelly) who becomes the deadly obsession of her new roommate (Meester). Directed by Christian E. Christiansen, The Roommate is a taut thriller full of nail-biting suspense and shocking twists that’s had audiences on the edge of their seats all winter long. Now,...
From the Press Release
Sometimes…murder can really ruin a friendship. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment terrifying new thriller The Roommate, debuts on Blu-ray and DVD May 17, 2011. Leighton Meester (TV’s “Gossip Girl,” Country Strong) leads a hot young cast, including Minka Kelly (TV’s “Friday Night Lights,”), Cam Gigandet (Burlesque, Priest) and Aly Michalka (TV’s “Hellcats,” Easy A), in this spine-tingling tale of a co-ed (Kelly) who becomes the deadly obsession of her new roommate (Meester). Directed by Christian E. Christiansen, The Roommate is a taut thriller full of nail-biting suspense and shocking twists that’s had audiences on the edge of their seats all winter long. Now,...
- 4/27/2011
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Watch The Roommate premiere clips, including Minka Kelly, Leighton Meester, Matt Lanter, Daneel Harris and Frances Fisher! There's also broll from the event. The Sony Pictures thriller opens on February 4th and is helmed by Christan E. Christiansen from the writing by Sonny Malhi. The Roommate opens February 4th and is a psychological thriller about a deranged college freshman (Leighton Meester) who becomes obsessed with her new roommate (Minka Kelly). Also starring are Cam Gigandet, Alyson Michalka, Billy Zane and Katerina Graham. Doug Davison and Roy Lee produced the film while Beau Marks and Sonny Malhi serve as executive producers. Leighton Meester talks about The Roommate in this featured clip...
- 1/25/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Watch The Roommate premiere clips, including Minka Kelly, Leighton Meester, Matt Lanter, Daneel Harris and Frances Fisher! There's also broll from the event. The Sony Pictures thriller opens on February 4th and is helmed by Christan E. Christiansen from the writing by Sonny Malhi. The Roommate opens February 4th and is a psychological thriller about a deranged college freshman (Leighton Meester) who becomes obsessed with her new roommate (Minka Kelly). Also starring are Cam Gigandet, Alyson Michalka, Billy Zane and Katerina Graham. Doug Davison and Roy Lee produced the film while Beau Marks and Sonny Malhi serve as executive producers. Leighton Meester talks about The Roommate in this featured clip...
- 1/25/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Watch The Roommate premiere clips, including Minka Kelly, Leighton Meester, Matt Lanter, Daneel Harris and Frances Fisher! There's also broll from the event. The Sony Pictures thriller opens on February 4th and is helmed by Christan E. Christiansen from the writing by Sonny Malhi. The Roommate opens February 4th and is a psychological thriller about a deranged college freshman (Leighton Meester) who becomes obsessed with her new roommate (Minka Kelly). Also starring are Cam Gigandet, Alyson Michalka, Billy Zane and Katerina Graham. Doug Davison and Roy Lee produced the film while Beau Marks and Sonny Malhi serve as executive producers. Leighton Meester talks about The Roommate in this featured clip...
- 1/25/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Watch The Roommate premiere clips, including Minka Kelly, Leighton Meester, Matt Lanter, Daneel Harris and Frances Fisher! There's also broll from the event. The Sony Pictures thriller opens on February 4th and is helmed by Christan E. Christiansen from the writing by Sonny Malhi. The Roommate opens February 4th and is a psychological thriller about a deranged college freshman (Leighton Meester) who becomes obsessed with her new roommate (Minka Kelly). Also starring are Cam Gigandet, Alyson Michalka, Billy Zane and Katerina Graham. Doug Davison and Roy Lee produced the film while Beau Marks and Sonny Malhi serve as executive producers. Leighton Meester talks about The Roommate in this featured clip...
- 1/25/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
In the graphic novel adventure prequel Die Hard: Year One, to be released by comic book publishers Boom! Studios August 2009, 'John McClane', more than a decade before the events chronicled in the first Die Hard movie, is a rookie cop, working on earning his badge in New York City during the Us 1976 Bicentennial celebrations. The first 20th Century Fox Die Hard feature, directed by John McTiernan in 1988, was produced by Lawrence Gordon, Joel Silver, Charles Gordon and Beau Marks, from a screenplay by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. The movie was based on a 1979 novel by author Roderick Thorp titled Nothing Lasts Forever, itself a sequel to the book The Detective, adapted as a 1968 theatrical feature starring Oscar-winning actor Frank Sinatra....
- 5/29/2009
- HollywoodNorthReport.com
Going where Jim Carrey and his rubber face profitably went before him, Jamie Kennedy tries The Mask on for size only to find out that's it's a painfully ill-fitting proposition.
Loud, mean-spirited and generally obnoxious, Son of the Mask makes the boisterous 1994 original look downright demure and refined.
Director Lawrence Guterman, of Cats and Dogs fame, and his crack visual effects team are so busy showing off how far digital technology has advanced in the past decade that no one ever bothers to stop for a second to check if there are any workable characters or a story that makes any sense.
The result is a garish mess of a movie that spins wildly out of control early on and never looks back.
Squarely aimed at kids (presumably those with ADD), the New Line release may initially draw Kennedy's WB Network and Malibu's Most Wanted fan base, but its overall boxoffice will unlikely come anywhere close to the $120 million nabbed by the original.
Where the first Mask transformed Carrey's timid bank clerk, the new edition centers on Kennedy's Tim Avery, an aspiring cartoonist whose name references Tex Avery, the famed animator whose classic, energetic work inspired the first Mask film and has been cannibalized here.
A reluctant new dad, Tim has no idea what he's in for. Not only was his son conceived while Tim was in full Mask mode -- meaning it's only a matter of time before the baby exhibits some very unusual behavior -- but also the cursed item is being sought by the relentless Loki (Alan Cumming), the mischievous son of Norse god Odin (Bob Hoskins).
To further amp up the ensuing chaos, the pooch also gets its snout into the mask, turning Tim's household in a whirling dervish of computer-generated mayhem.
Failing to recapture the style and manic but focused energy of the original, Guterman's direction and Lance Khazei's script instead flail around in a dozen directions at once, with grating results.
Not quite blessed with the facial elasticity of his predecessor, Kennedy makes do with his best mugging until the special effects take over, and Cumming, Hoskins and the rest of the cast essentially follow his lead.
And those effects, supervised by James E. Price, are pretty spectacular, if a little disturbing. The centerpiece -- a fully digitized, photorealistic havoc-wreaking baby -- could conceivably induce terrifying nightmares weeks after initial exposure.
Son of the Mask
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema presents a Radar Pictures production in association with Dark Horse Entertainment
A Lawrence Guterman film
Credits:
Director: Lawrence Guterman
Screenwriter: Lance Khazei
Producers: Erica Huggins, Scott Kroopf
Executive producers: Toby Emmerich, Kent Alterman, Michele Weiss, Beau Marks, Mike Richardson
Director of photography: Greg Gardiner
Production designer: Leslie Dilley
Editors: Malcolm Campbell, Debra Neil Fisher
Costume designer: Mary E. Vogt
Visual effects supervisor: James E. Price
Music: Randy Edelman
Cast:
Tim Avery: Jamie Kennedy
Loki: Alan Cumming
Odin: Bob Hoskins
Tonya: Traylor Howard
Daniel Moss: Steven Wright
Jorge: Kal Penn
Dr. Neuman: Ben Stein
Alvey: Liam and Ryan Falconer
MPAA rating: PG
Running time -- 86 minutes...
Loud, mean-spirited and generally obnoxious, Son of the Mask makes the boisterous 1994 original look downright demure and refined.
Director Lawrence Guterman, of Cats and Dogs fame, and his crack visual effects team are so busy showing off how far digital technology has advanced in the past decade that no one ever bothers to stop for a second to check if there are any workable characters or a story that makes any sense.
The result is a garish mess of a movie that spins wildly out of control early on and never looks back.
Squarely aimed at kids (presumably those with ADD), the New Line release may initially draw Kennedy's WB Network and Malibu's Most Wanted fan base, but its overall boxoffice will unlikely come anywhere close to the $120 million nabbed by the original.
Where the first Mask transformed Carrey's timid bank clerk, the new edition centers on Kennedy's Tim Avery, an aspiring cartoonist whose name references Tex Avery, the famed animator whose classic, energetic work inspired the first Mask film and has been cannibalized here.
A reluctant new dad, Tim has no idea what he's in for. Not only was his son conceived while Tim was in full Mask mode -- meaning it's only a matter of time before the baby exhibits some very unusual behavior -- but also the cursed item is being sought by the relentless Loki (Alan Cumming), the mischievous son of Norse god Odin (Bob Hoskins).
To further amp up the ensuing chaos, the pooch also gets its snout into the mask, turning Tim's household in a whirling dervish of computer-generated mayhem.
Failing to recapture the style and manic but focused energy of the original, Guterman's direction and Lance Khazei's script instead flail around in a dozen directions at once, with grating results.
Not quite blessed with the facial elasticity of his predecessor, Kennedy makes do with his best mugging until the special effects take over, and Cumming, Hoskins and the rest of the cast essentially follow his lead.
And those effects, supervised by James E. Price, are pretty spectacular, if a little disturbing. The centerpiece -- a fully digitized, photorealistic havoc-wreaking baby -- could conceivably induce terrifying nightmares weeks after initial exposure.
Son of the Mask
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema presents a Radar Pictures production in association with Dark Horse Entertainment
A Lawrence Guterman film
Credits:
Director: Lawrence Guterman
Screenwriter: Lance Khazei
Producers: Erica Huggins, Scott Kroopf
Executive producers: Toby Emmerich, Kent Alterman, Michele Weiss, Beau Marks, Mike Richardson
Director of photography: Greg Gardiner
Production designer: Leslie Dilley
Editors: Malcolm Campbell, Debra Neil Fisher
Costume designer: Mary E. Vogt
Visual effects supervisor: James E. Price
Music: Randy Edelman
Cast:
Tim Avery: Jamie Kennedy
Loki: Alan Cumming
Odin: Bob Hoskins
Tonya: Traylor Howard
Daniel Moss: Steven Wright
Jorge: Kal Penn
Dr. Neuman: Ben Stein
Alvey: Liam and Ryan Falconer
MPAA rating: PG
Running time -- 86 minutes...
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