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Robert Downey Jr. has had a very vast filmography. Although his career started shaky because of his demons, his connections within the industry allowed him to work with the very best that Hollywood had to offer. This became even more true after he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe, standing as one of the most successful actors in the world.

While this has granted him immense amounts of exposure, he has also had to work with all kinds of people. From starring in a film of someone who has just started directing to winning an Oscar alongside Christopher Nolan, he now knows the true extent of what kind of people exist in Hollywood.

Unfortunately, when Downey was starting out, he had to deal with the wrath of one of the best directors in the industry.

Robert Downey Jr.’s time on Natural Born Killers may not have been good A still...

The best Woody Harrelson movies and TV shows reveal just how underutilized the award-winning actor truly is in many of his most widely recognized roles. Born in Texas in 1961, Woody Harrelson has been an active presence on screens since 1985 (following a brief stint as an uncredited extra in movies like 1978’s Harpy Valley PTA). However, it would take some years before Woody Harrelson managed to find his way to the spotlight, with his big break coming in 1985 with the role of Woody Boyd in the hit sitcom Cheers.

Following his part in Cheers, Woody Harrelson’s career began progressing at a much faster pace. Roles in movies like 1992’s White Men Can’t Jump, 1993’s Indecent Proposal, and 1994’s Natural Born Killers helped keep his name in the spotlight. Audiences couldn’t get enough of his unique vocal delivery thanks to his soothing-yet-invigorating strong Texan accent. As the years progressed, the...

Roger Corman, one of the most influential figures in the history of American cinema, passed away at the age of 98. A filmmaker with many nicknames, such as the "King of B-movies," the "King of Cult Movies," and the "Pope of Pop Cinema," Corman ranks among the most prolific film industry professionals of all time. Throughout his 70-plus-year career, Corman produced roughly 500 films, directed nearly 60 movies, and acted in approximately 50 television shows and movies. As a producer, Corman played an invaluable role in providing American distribution for countless classic foreign-language films. Corman also helped launch the careers of dozens of Hollywood luminaries, such as directors Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and Peter Bogdanovich, as well as actors like Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, Bruce Dern, Peter Fonda, and William Shatner, to name a few.

Working as a director in the 1950s and 1960s, Corman became a pioneer of low-budget cinema,...

Unlike its predecessor, Joker: Folie à Deux has brutally failed to fare between both critics and general audiences, with a minority still standing up in praise for it. Turns out, one of Hollywood’s most renowned veterans, filmmaker Quentin Tarantino is also included in the list of people who seemed to have “really, really liked it, really. A lot. Like, tremendously.”

Joker: Folie à Deux. | Credits: Warner Bros.

To say the least, the director, who is famed for having tamed pieces like Pulp Fiction and the Kill Bill film series, found himself discovering and praising influences of a script he wrote 30 years ago in Joker 2. But the best part about Tarantino’s review is his theory in one statement about the director’s approach to helming this piece: “Todd Phillips is the Joker.”

Quentin Tarantino Feels Joker 2 Has Been Influenced by Natural Born Killers

Over three decades ago,...

“Joker: Folie à Deux” bombed with critics and at the box office, but not with Quentin Tarantino. The filmmaker recently appeared on “The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast” and raved over the divisive “Joker” sequel, which is barely at the $60 million mark domestically after nearly a month in theaters. The movie’s worldwide total stands at $201 million, a huge nosedive from the 2019 movie’s billion dollar gross.

“I really, really liked it, really. A lot. Like, tremendously, and I went to see it expecting to be impressed by the filmmaking,” Tarantino said. “But I thought it was going to be an arms-length, intellectual exercise that ultimately I wouldn’t think worked like a movie, but that I would appreciate it for what it is. And I’m just nihilistic enough to kind of enjoy a movie that doesn’t quite work as a movie or that’s like a big, giant mess to some degree.

The most unfiltered director currently working is once again up to his usual antics, and this time he's letting us know how he really feels about Todd Phillips' notorious flop, "Joker: Folie à Deux." Quentin Tarantino has never been shy about shooting straight from the hip as far as his opinions are considered, whether it be praising his favorite movies of all time or telling off pearl-clutchers like Jan who think his violent films are directly responsible for all the ills of society. His eclectic tastes have intrigued and confounded fans and fellow filmmakers alike over the years, so nothing he says at this juncture should ever feel like a surprise. So, for anyone who had "Tarantino defends 'Joker: Folie à Deux' specifically because it gives the middle finger to everybody" on their bingo card, well, congratulations.

While appearing on the "Bret Easton Ellis" podcast (alongside his "Pulp Fiction" co-writer...

While some fans would prefer to vote Joker: Folie à Deux out like a bad So You Think You Can Dance routine. However, Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds, and Jackie Brown filmmaker Quentin Tarantino thinks Todd Phillips’ divisive Joker musical is an underrated cinematic gem. According to Tarantino, Joaquin Phoenix gives crowds “one of the best performances I’ve ever seen in my life.” Joker: Folie à Deux positively bombed at the box office, with Warner Bros. announcing a digital release date for the musical after one week of disappointment. However, Tarantino is ready to wear the badge of a Joker 2 apologist as he discusses the sequel on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast.

“I really, really liked it, really. A lot. Like, tremendously, and I went to see it expecting to be impressed by the filmmaking. But I thought it was going to be an arms-length, intellectual exercise that ultimately...

Quentin Tarantino recently joined The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, where he shared his thoughts on Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux. And he enjoyed it. A lot.

I really, really liked it, really. A lot. Like, tremendously, and I went to see it expecting to be impressed by the filmmaking. But I thought it was going to be an arms-length, intellectual exercise that ultimately I wouldn’t think worked like a movie, but that I would appreciate it for what it is.

And I’m just nihilistic enough to kind of enjoy a movie that doesn’t quite work as a movie. That’s like a big, giant mess to some degree. And I didn’t find it an intellectual exercise. I really got caught up into it. I really liked the musical sequences. I got really caught up. I thought the more banal the songs were, the better they were.

It's pretty clear that the majority of critics and filmgoers were not impressed with Joker: Folie Deux, given the low scores given the polarizing sequel. However, revered filmmaker Quentin Tarantino is a big fan of the film, going so far as to compare director Todd Phillips to the Joker himself.

Tarantino shared his thoughts about the Joker sequel on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, per World of Reel. The Pulp Fiction director shared how he went into Joker: Folie Deux with the expectation that the film wouldn't quite work, only to be surprised by how much he truly enjoyed it. Even the controversial musical sequences were highly entertaining for Tarantino, who felt the sequel featured Joaquin Phoenix delivering "one of the best performances" he's ever seen.

Related Every Quentin Tarantino Gangster Movie, Ranked

Many of Tarantino's gangster films became instant classics, and each was more distinct than the last.

"[Joaquin Phoenix gave] one...

Quentin Tarantino recently appeared on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, where he discussed Todd Phillips’ ‘Joker: Folie à Deux.’ And he liked it. Really. A lot.

I really, really liked it, really. A lot. Like, tremendously, and I went to see it expecting to be impressed by the filmmaking. But I thought it was going to be an arms-length, intellectual exercise that ultimately I wouldn’t think worked like a movie, but that I would appreciate it for what it is.

And I’m just nihilistic enough to kind of enjoy a movie that doesn’t quite work as a movie. That’s like a big, giant mess to some degree. And I didn’t find it an intellectual exercise. I really got caught up into it. I really liked the musical sequences. I got really caught up. I thought the more banal the songs were, the better they were.

Woody Harrelson's new thriller "Lips Like Sugar" flips his role in "Natural Born Killers." Harrelson plays a homicide detective alongside Owen Wilson in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics setting. The film tackles a potential serial killer case and involves Juliette Lewis in a different role from "Natural Born Killers."

Woody Harrelson is starring in a new thriller movie, and this project is perfectly flipping his role in one of the most controversial Quentin Tarantino stories. Woody Harrelson is one of the most respected actors of his generation, having shown his acting range in a variety of movies and TV shows. Harrelson made his big screen debut as an extra in 1978’s Harper Valley PTA, but rose to fame with his role as Woody Boyd in the TV series Cheers. Harrelson’s first box-office hit was the 1992 sports comedy White Men Can’t Jump, after which he starred in all types of movies.

Films featuring morally corrupt protagonists offer compelling narratives that challenge traditional expectations of a hero. These villains-turned-protagonists draw audiences into their dark worlds, exploring themes of moral decay and the consequences of unchecked ambition. Despite their repugnant behavior, viewers may find themselves oddly captivated and even sympathetic towards these monsters.

While audiences often expect the protagonist to embody moral goodness with forgivable flaws, some films challenge this norm by featuring a main character who is simply a bad person. Traditionally, viewers anticipate following a heroic lead, someone who fights for justice, defends the weak, and battles evil. However, compelling narratives emerge when focusing on fundamentally corrupt characters. These protagonists, exhibiting traits of villainy, offer only fleeting glimpses of humanity amidst their violence, deceit, and malevolence. Despite their repugnant behavior, their stories are captivating. Witnessing moral restraint crumble into unchecked self-interest proves oddly compelling.

From American Psycho’s sophisticated serial killer...

The HBO miniseries White House Plumbers dramatizes the true events of the Watergate scandal, but how does the cast compare to their real-life counterparts? Released in five parts, the star-studded series is based on Egil Krogh's book Integrity and centers on Nixon operatives G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt as they try and fail to contain one of the nation's biggest political scandals. Unlike other historical adaptations that spice up certain elements for exciting effect, White House Plumbers presents its tale of political intrigue almost exactly as it occurred and focuses on the fascinating characters involved. More than simply justifying its existence, the series makes the story relevant again.

The Max exclusive series was met with modest praise from critics (via Rotten Tomatoes), and the cast was given particular notice for their brilliant recreations of well-known historical figures. To truly represent such a momentous event in history, the...

The 1990s were a different time in Hollywood, and it’s worth wondering how one of the most controversial movies ever made became both a box office hit and cultural touchstone. Indeed, the lurid American crime spree depicted in Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers has remained a haunting fever dream lodged firmly in the collective consciousness over the past three decades despite public outcries and attempts to ban the film. The themes of Americans’ obsession with violence as magnified through mass media have only gotten more topical since the movie’s release, but the production itself was grueling and the movie elicited major post-release outrage.

Let’s get all riled up and find out Wtf Happened to this Movie!

Natural Born Killers came from a screenplay written by Quentin Tarantino, with a story focusing on a man and woman who get married and go on a cross-country killing spree.

Champions is a comedy movie directed by Bobby Farrelly starring Woody Harrelson and Ernie Hudson.

Remake of the Spanish film Campeones. No one dared to trash the Spanish film, but this one has been given its due by specialized critics.

Sometimes you have to judge cinema as cinema, and sometimes even film critics get it right.

Sentimental and trite.

Movie Review

Is it better than the Spanish version? Of course, Hollywood exhibits all its industry muscle, and what was a European production in the Hispanic film – with its own merit but lacking on a production level, here the industry exhibits its potential and gives a quick polish to everything: the editing, the sound, and puts a star, Woody Harrelson, in the spotlight.

It takes everything from the Spanish film, except for the great campaign that was made to judge a film not by its cinematic content but by its more social side.

The late Tom Sizemore was one of the great character actors of the 1990s. His spectacular run during this decade begins with Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers," an ultra-violent media satire with frenzied editing and a polarized reputation. The film's leads are Mickey Knox (Woody Harrelson) and his bride Mallory (Juliette Lewis). To quote "Bonnie and Clyde" — "They're young, they're in love, and they kill people."

As the Knoxes carve carnage across America, hot on their trail is Detective Jack Scagnetti. In another movie, a man like Scagnetti would be the hero — but not here. The detective is obsessed with spree killers because his mother was killed by Charles Whitman, "The Texas Tower Sniper." However, Scagnetti is not just out to catch killers, but to emulate them. In one scene, he strangles a young prostitute.

In 1998, Sizemore spoke about playing Scagnetti to the Independent. The actor described the experience as a challenge,...

It’s time for a new episode of the Best Horror Movie You Never Saw video series, and in this one we’re looking back at the 1994 Italian horror comedy Cemetery Man, a.k.a. Dellamorte Dellamore. To find out all about Cemetery Man, check out the video embedded above!

Based on the novel Dellamorte Dellamore by Tiziano Sclavi, Cemetery Man was directed by Michele Soavi from a screenplay by Gianni Romoli. The film has the following synopsis: Something is causing the dead to rise from their graves as flesh-eating zombies, and cemetery custodian Francesco Dellamorte grows tired of killing them all for the second time. However, the town politicians won’t listen to him, so Francesco is on his own. One day, he falls for a beautiful woman whose husband has recently died — but their affair is tragically interrupted by zombies, sending Francesco into a tailspin of madness and woe.

The good news is that Kino’s new 4K encodings of Sergio Leone’s first two Italo ‘Dollars’ oaters look terrific, with Fistful showing a lot of improvement: the basic restorations are from prime Italian film elements. And the packages are collector / home theater enthusiast friendly — standard Blu-ray encodings are part of the deal. As the films are still licensed from MGM, they include the extras from 2007 of which we’re very proud. The end results may be the first Leone disc release that makes this viewer ‘The Man with No Complaints.’ Don’t forget, they’re separate purchases.

A Fistful of Dollars + For a Few Dollars More

4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1964-1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / Street Date May 31, 2022 / Separate Purchases / Available through Kino Lorber Fistful and A Few More /

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Gian-Maria Volontè, Lee Van Cleef

Original Music: Ennio Morricone

Directed by Sergio Leone

Yes,...

Carnage in Columbia Pictures’ Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

Okay, movie fans were ready to re-enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the multiplex and sent Shang-chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings to the top of the box office. Are they ready for another fix, though this new flick has “tenuous ties” to the MCU? Yes, this is part of Sony’s licensing deal with Marvel (much like last year’s The New Mutants was with Fox), but is not a co-production with Marvel Studios, as was the last two Spidey flicks and the upcoming No Way Home. Three years ago, Sony decided to do “spin-offs” without the wall-crawler. But before the Oscar-winning animated epic Spider-man: Into The Spider-verse there was Venom. And because he made a decent haul in theatres, a sequel was shot, then delayed due to the pandemic, and now finally “escapes”. But there’s no number in the title,...

This obscure Italian horror has Christopher Plummer, Donald Pleasence and atmospheric locations — and a making of story that Severin tells in full unexpurgated detail. Never released in an English- language territory, Augusto Caminito’s brooding shocker had four directors. Its commercial chances were derailed by its deranged star, Klaus Kinski, who poses well, molests his female co-stars and sabotages what was supposed to be a high-end horror attraction. Maybe Werner Herzog could wring what he wanted out of Klaus, but the manic prima donna gave everyone else the shaft.

Nosferatu in Venice

Blu-ray

Severin Films

1988 / Color / 1:77 widescreen / 93 min. / Vampire in Venice, Prince of the Night / Street Date March 20, 2021 / Available from Severin Films / 30.00

Starring: Klaus Kinski, Christopher Plummer, Barbara De Rossi, Yorgo Voyagis, Anne Knecht, Donald Pleasence, Elvire Audray, Giuseppe Mannajuolo, Clara Colosimo, Maria Clementina Cumani Quasimodo, Micaela Flores Amaya ‘La Chunga’, Mickey Knox.

Cinematography: Tonino Nardi

Film Editor: Claudio M. Cutry...

This The Little Things analysis contains spoilers. Read our spoiler-free review here.

The Little Things can be seen as a tainted police procedural with its murky ambiguity and troubling ending. But it’s also the story of a man for whom the allure of a charismatic serial killer goes too far. After all, serial killers make up less than one percent of homicides but they average a double-digit percentage of Hollywood crime films, and probably a majority of prison fan mail. What is it about these one-percenters we love so much?

Directed by John Lee Hancock, the supposed sociopath in The Little Things is Albert Sparma, a drifter who works as a repairman. Jared Leto is certainly magnetic in the part, serving Sparma up with a now-stereotypical “charismatic serial killer” vibe. But the Oscar-winning actor also brings an ambiguous energy to the part, suggesting he may merely be a serial killer groupie.

The cast of The Batman might be on the verge of becoming even more star-studded. According to our sources – the same ones who were the first to confirm that Robert Pattinson would be playing the Dark Knight, that Viola Davis was returning for The Suicide Squad and that Black Mask will be gay in Birds of Prey – Woody Harrelson is currently being eyed to take on an unknown role in the flick. While this doesn’t mean he’ll 100% get the part, it’s certainly something that fans are going to want to see, as adding an actor of such a high caliber to any project instantly makes it better.

Harrelson’s prolific career has spanned over three decades, with his breakout role coming in 1985 as bartender Woody Boyd in the iconic television sitcom Cheers. The portrayal earned him five Emmy nominations, though he was never able to walk away with the statue.

Works of art that were once radical tend to find their cozy place in the cultural ecosystem. It’s almost funny to think that an audience ever booed “The Rite of Spring,” or that the Sex Pistols shocked people to their souls, or that museum patrons once stood in front of Jackson Pollock’s splatter paintings or Warhol’s soup cans and said, “But is it art?” In 1971, “A Clockwork Orange” was a scandal, but it quickly came to be thought of as a Kubrick classic.

Yet “Natural Born Killers,” a brazenly radical movie when it was first released, on August 26, 1994 (25 years ago tomorrow), has never lost its sting of audacity. It’s still dangerous, crazy-sick, luridly hypnotic, ripped from the id, and visionary. I loved the movie from the moment I saw it. It haunted me for weeks afterward, and over the next few years I saw it over...

A significant subplot of Quentin Tarantino's ninth feature, Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood, involves the offer of work to fading movie stars from the Italian film business, where a few got lucky and reinvigorated their careers and others merely paid the rent or tarnished their reputations, if any.This notion is certainly not one of Q.T.'s notorious counter-historical plot turns: Italy had been offering opportunities to Hollywood and European flotsam since the fifties.In the era of Il Boom, the post-war economic miracle, filmmakers, including actors, were offered a great deal: they could live and work in Italy tax-free for a year. Projects were not only re-written to take advantage of this possibility, they were conceived for it: it's uncertain Roman Holiday would exist without the big tax break incentive.For actors, there was clearly another consideration, beyond the big, or at least tax-exempt, bucks and...

It’s a spooky, snowy train ride across thousands of miles of Siberian rails — trapped on board with a victim-possessing creature from outer space, with eyes that kill! Actually, ‘Pánico en el transiberiano’ is a fine show for Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, a Spanish-made chiller with a smart script and some effective shocks.

Horror Express

Blu-ray

Arrow Video

1972 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 90 min. / Street Date February 12, 2019 / Available from Arrow Video

Starring: Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Telly Savalas, Alberto de Mendoza, Silvia Tortosa, Julio Peña, Ángel del Pozo, Helga Liné.

Cinematography: Alejandro Ulloa

Original Music: John Cacavas

Written by Arnaud d’Usseau, Julian Zimet

Produced by Bernard Gordon

Directed by Eugenio Martín

Dedicated horror fans look to the past to uncover forgotten chillers, or just to complete their lists of rare items unseen. For instance, although no release date has been given, we’re told that Kino Lorber will be giving...

One of a number of Paramount noirs seemingly forever Mia on disc, Hal Wallis’ show reunites Burt Lancaster and Lizabeth Scott with promising newcomers Kirk Douglas and Wendell Corey. It’s light on action but strong on character — and it contains a key scene in the development of both the noir style and the gangster genre.

I Walk Alone

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1947 / B&W / flat Academy / 97 min. / Street Date July 24, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Burt Lancaster, Lizabeth Scott, Kirk Douglas, Wendell Corey, Kristine Miller, George Rigaud, Marc Lawrence, Mike Mazurki, Mickey Knox, Gino Corrado.

Cinematography: Leo Tover

Film Editor: Arthur Schmidt

Original Music: Victor Young

Written by Charles Schnee, Robert Smith, John Bright from a play by Theodore Reeves

Produced by Hal B. Wallis

Directed by Byron Haskin

One reason we keep going to theatrical Noir festivals is that a substantial number of interesting classic-era features still haven’t surfaced on disc.

Writer-director Sergio Sollima gives us one of the best 'political' Italo westerns from the pre- May '68 era... with two top stars in great form, Gian Maria Volontè and Tomas Milian. This two-disc German import has both the long and short versions of the movie in HD, with full language options for each. Face to Face (Faccia a faccia; Von Angesicht zu Angesicht) Region A+B Blu-ray Explosive Media (Alive) 1967 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 93, 112 min. / Street Date April 29, 2016 / available at Amazon.de / E 21,93 Starring Gian Maria Volontè, Tomas Milian, William Berger, Jolanda Modio, Gianni Rizzo, Carole André Ángel del Pozo, Aldo Sambrell, Antonio Casas, Lidia Alfonsi, John Karlsen, Gastone Moschin, G&eacutge;rard Tichy. Cinematography Raphael Pacheco Film Editor Eugenio Alabiso Original Music Ennio Morricone Art Direction and sets Carlo Simi Written by Sergio Donati, Sergio Sollima Produced by Arturo González, Alberto Grimaldi <Directed by Sergio Sollima

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Wow,...

Forget the proletarian messages, this Italian Neorealist classic is really an exploitation film about ogling brazen, buxom babes in short-shorts, up to their knees in a rice paddy. Hollywood actress Doris Dowling is the nominal star but new discovery Silvana Mangano became the knockout dream of every Italian male suffering from postwar shortages (cough). Giuseppe De Santis delivered the perfect combo -- an art film that pulled in every lonely guy nella cittá. Bitter Rice Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 792 1949 / B&W / 1:33 flat full frame / 109 min. / Riso amaro / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date January 12, 2016 / 29.95 Starring Vittorio Gassman, Doris Dowling, Silvana Mangano, Raf Vallone. Cinematography Otello Martelli Film Editor Gabriele Varriale Original Music Goffredo Petrassi Written by Corrado Alvaro, Giuseppe De Santis, Carlo Lizzani, Franco Monicelli, Carlo Musso, Ivo Perilli, Gianni Puccini Produced by Dino De Laurentiis Directed by Giuseppe De Santis

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Way back in...

Woody Harrelson began his career playing loveable barman Woody Boyd in the long-running sitcom Cheers, and has since gone from strength to strength.

He boasts an astonishingly wide variety of film roles, spanning violent zombie killer Tallahassee in horror comedy Zombieland, self-assured bounty hunter Carson in No Country for Old Men, mass murderer Mickey Knox in Natural Born Killers, blind telemarketer and pianist Ezra in Seven Pounds, and alcoholic anti-hero Haymitch Abernathy in the Hunger Games franchise.

Woody was Oscar nominated for his roles as adult magazine publisher Larry Flynt in The People vs. Larry Flynt and troubled war hero Will Montgomery in The Messenger.

If all this wasn't exhausting enough for one man, he's now dominating our small screens once again alongside Matthew McConaughey in acclaimed crime drama True Detective, and remains one of Hollywood's most interesting and colourful characters - the following ten fast facts stand as proof.

When she's not working as one of our favorite scream queens, Ms. Vampy herself, Brooke Lewis, has an alter-ego, that of advice columnist for Huffington Post. For Valentine's Day we took some of her dating tips and horrified them up a bit.

Lewis is the author of the popular column Ask the Drama Queen, and she recently appeared on "San Diego Living" to give some tips to help people get the most out of their dates, be it with a new person or their spouse or longtime partner.

Even we bloodthirsty beasts at Dread Central can appreciate a good love story (as long as someone's heart is ripped out at the end) so we thought we'd share some of Brooke's dating tips and explain them in a way we all understand.

Happy Valentine's Day, Dreadies!

Tip #1-Plan Ahead

Brooke wants you to be sure to have your dinner plans made,...

I've wanted to see the movie The Horrible Sexy Vampire (1970) ever since I learned there was a film called The Horrible Sexy Vampire. If I'm honest, I've probably wanted (subconsciously) to see The Horrible Sexy Vampire even before I knew there was a film called The Horrible Sexy Vampire. I suppose I must like bad films. I do think films should aspire to be good. But then, isn't that a form of the intentional fallacy? We can't know if a film really aspired to be good or not, and so if a film isn't good, we can't know if it's failed at what was intended, or succeeded at something else.

Anyhow, as long as I've been alive, and probably longer (although that makes no sense since I am three years older than The Horrible Sexy Vampire) I've wanted to see The Horrible Sexy Vampire. And now here I am, seeing it.

Mickey Knox, an actor who after he was blacklisted in Hollywood served as the English dialogue writer on two classic Sergio Leone spaghetti Westerns, died Nov. 15 in Los Angeles, his daughter Valentina said on Facebook. He was 91. Knox played Marty Parisi, one of the crime bosses who is riddled with bullets in a helicopter attack, in The Godfather: Part III (1990) and appeared in Beyond the Law and Wild 90, a pair of 1968 films directed by his onetime brother-in-law, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Norman Mailer. The Brooklyn native and World War II veteran appeared as

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Environmentalist. Cannabis spokesperson. Playwright. Vegan. Cannabis enjoyer. Woody Harrelson is a complex individual and a multifaceted presence on screen, his roles running the range of clean-cut cowboy to cold-blooded killer. But no matter who he's playing there always seems to be a lingering essence of the real Woody, and that's why he rules.

This week sees the former TV star getting "Cheers" for his role as a stage-magician-cum-bank-robber in "Now You See Me" and this November he'll reprise the part of Haymitch Abernathy in his first-ever sequel, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire." We're stoking the fires of Woody worship as we pay tribute to our favorite High Times cover boy with nine of his quintessential roles.

9. 'A Scanner Darkly' (2006)

There's no denying the essential Woodiness of stoner dude Ernie Luckman in Richard Linklater's rotoscope animated take on one of Philip K. Dick's most grounded and personal novels.

Sure, Woody Harrelson might be hard-drinking but big-hearted Tribute mentor Haymitch Abernathy in "The Hunger Games" to us now, but let's not forget that he was also once charismatic yet most definitely psychopathic mass murderer Mickey Knox in "Natural Born Killers."

Woody gets to bring back a little of that Mickey mojo for his role as Charlie, the temperamental (to say the least) gangster in "Seven Psychopaths." The greatest love in Charlie's life is his pet shih tzu, and when the pooch gets snatched ... well, Charlie gets even more temperamental than usual.

Check out our exclusive pics of Woody living the hectic life of a movie criminal once again. "Seven Psychopaths" opens Oct. 12.

And Check Out This Hilarious, Nsfw Red-Band Trailer for 'Seven Psychopaths'...

DVD Release Date: Aug. 28, 2012

Price: DVD $39.95

Studio: Criterion

Norman Mailer (l.) and Rip Torn go at it in Maidstone.

Eclipse Series 35: Maidstone and Other Films by Norman Mailer puts Mailer’s novels, essays, articles, activism and ego aside and chronicles a largely forgotten chapter of his life: His his late-1960s, headlong, kamikaze-style plunge into making experimental films.

Mailer’s rough-hewn, self-financed, largely improvised cult works all star Norman himself and feature technical assistance from cinema verité trailblazers D. A. Pennebaker and Richard Leacock.

The fullest realization of his directorial efforts is undoubtedly 1970’s blustering Maidstone, wherein Mailer plays a filmmaker and presidential candidate who may be the target of an assassination attempt.

As is the case with all of Criterion’s Eclipse releases, there are no bonus features included in the collection.

Here’s a look at Maidstone and the other two movies that comprise the two-disc set:

Maidstone (1970)

Over a booze-fueled,...

Woody Harrelson is going to get to play the bad guy.

The "Hunger Games" mentor is set to trade drunken guidance for seething villainy as he's signed on to play the heavy in the crime drama, "Out of the Furnace," according to Variety.

Woody joins Christian Bale and Casey Affleck in the hardcore tale of Russell and Rodney Baze, two brothers who live in the economically depressed Rust Belt and dream of better lives. But when a cruel twist of fate lands Russell in prison, Rodney is lured into one of the most violent and ruthless crime rings in the Northeast by kingpin Curtis DeGroat (Harrelson).

Billy Bob Thornton was originally attached to the role of DeGroat, but Woody's definitely more than just a consolation prize. Harrelson recently brought a charismatic edge to his villainous turn in "Rampart," a companion performance of sorts to his unforgettable turn as mass murderer...

Woody Harrelson plays psychopaths brilliantly. It couldn't be anything to do with his dad's day job, could it? He talks about coming to terms with the terrible truth and his new film, Rampart

I'm not looking forward to meeting Woody Harrelson. I'm a bit scared, to be honest. I've just seen Rampart, his new movie in which he plays a racist, psychopathic police officer. Harrelson is terrifying in it. Terrifying when he's chasing villains, bullying juniors, beating the crap out of innocents, stalking the mothers of his children. He's even terrifying when he's making love. His body, specially slimmed-down and muscled-up for the part, pulses with a tension permanently on the cusp of violence.

It's not as if this is a one-off – there's his sickening Mickey Knox in Natural Born Killers ("At birth, I was cast into a flaming pit of scum"), deranged killer Tallahassee in Zombieland, Charlie in the...

Woody Harrelson plays psychopaths brilliantly. It couldn't be anything to do with his dad's day job, could it? He talks about coming to terms with the terrible truth and his new film, Rampart

I'm not looking forward to meeting Woody Harrelson. I'm a bit scared, to be honest. I've just seen Rampart, his new movie in which he plays a racist, psychopathic police officer. Harrelson is terrifying in it. Terrifying when he's chasing villains, bullying juniors, beating the crap out of innocents, stalking the mothers of his children. He's even terrifying when he's making love. His body, specially slimmed-down and muscled-up for the part, pulses with a tension permanently on the cusp of violence.

It's not as if this is a one-off – there's his sickening Mickey Knox in Natural Born Killers ("At birth, I was cast into a flaming pit of scum"), deranged killer Tallahassee in Zombieland, Charlie in the...

Woody Harrelson is set to go stark raving mad.

The "Hunger Games" star has joined Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell and Colin Farrell in Martin McDonagh's dark crime comedy, "Seven Psychopaths," according to Deadline.

"Seven Psychopaths" follows a screenwriter (Farrell) as he struggles to finish his new screenplay, "Seven Psychopaths" (ah, it's a meta-comedy!), and gets drawn into the dog-napping escapades of his friends (Rockwell and Walken). Once the beloved Shih Tzu owned by a psychopathic gangster (to be played by Woody, who's replacing Mickey Rourke) goes missing, the screenwriter finds himself fueled with all the drama he needs for his screenplay ... if he can stay alive long enough to write it all down.

This sounds like more than a worthy companion piece to McDonagh's "In Bruges" (which also starred Farrell), which is one of the best movies ever made, quite frankly.

Woody Harrelson is no stranger to playing a violent lunatic,...

On October 14th, Lucky McKee's new film, The Woman (review here), adapted from the Jack Ketchum novel, will open in limited release. It's the story of a feral woman and the unfortunate family who attempts to civilize her. Believe me, this chick needs more than finishing school.

To help usher in The Woman, we thought it would be cool to compile a list of 10 of horror's favorite psycho chicks. Yeah, scream queens are one thing, but these ladies are of a completely different ilk. These ladies bring the pain. Here's the 10, in no particular order ...

Baby Firefly (Sheri Moon Zombie in House of 1000 Corpses/The Devil's Rejects)

Let's start off the list with psycho lady that's got it all. Baby Firefly is hot as Hell, horny, vicious and absolutely devoid of mercy. But on top of her obvious physical beauty and bloodletting skills, Baby tends to bring a...

Released two years after his iconic, Italian-made “Dollars trilogy” – which launched the career of TV actor Clint Eastwood and created the “Spaghetti Western” sub-genre – 1968′s Once Upon a Time in the West is arguably director Sergio Leone’s crowning achievement. The inspired casting of blue-eyed American great Henry Fonda as a cruel villain is matched by the spectacle of Charles Bronson as the mysterious “Harmonica” and Jason Robards as the likeable gun-slinging outlaw, whilst Ennio Morricone’s score – and an ingenious diegetic sound-scape - upstages everyone in a near three-hour epic with less than 15 pages of dialogue.

In many ways Leone was the original Quentin Tarantino: a dedicated cinephile who made films which consciously referenced those that inspired him. In Once Upon a Time in the West there are clear allusions to the work of John Ford, Howard Hawks and Nicholas Ray, among others. Yet far from being a derivative hack,...

The Bad Guy is always the best character in a movie. Hans Gruber, Darth Vader and Gollum are all far more fun than their heroic counterparts, and Anthony Hopkins manages to steal the show in Silence of the Lambs with barely ten minutes of screen time. We all love to hate a villain, and the best baddies are remembered long after they’ve been rightfully dispatched (or not!).

Occasionally, a villain comes along that shocks and horrifies us because they are played by someone we were fooled into thinking was one of us, one of the Good Guys! These baddies are the most effective of all, because they get us where we live. We open our doors to them and invite them in...

10. Vince Vaughn - Psycho (1998)

There wasn’t a huge amount to recommend the remake of this classic horror, and on initial viewing, Vince Vaughn’s casting seemed...

An appropriate book selection to accompany today’s trailer. And it only costs a penny!

In keeping with today’s Hollywood-on-the-Tiber entry 2 Weeks in Another Town, here’s a link to get the latest skinny on what it was really like making movies in Italy and Europe during the 1960s:

It’s The Good the Bad and the Dolce Vita, a fascinating chronicle of the exploits of blacklisted Hollywood actor Mickey Knox, who moved overseas and specialized in revising the English dialog for such classics as Once Upon a Time in the West. Quentin Tarantino named the lead character in Natural Born Killers after him.

The anecdote-filled book is literally star studded, gossipy and highly entertaining. And it’s going really cheap right now on Amazon!

Woody Harrelson once tried to fight a "gang" of hooligans. The actor admits he was ready to face the group, despite having limited weapons at his disposal, and was only able to escape the confrontation at the last minute when he was recognized for his infamous role of mass murderer Mickey Knox in "Natural Born Killers".

"I once took on a whole gang," he revealed. "I only had two stones to defend myself. I did feel a bit queasy at that time. Only at the last minute one of them realized I was the guy from 'Natural Born Killers'."

The fearless 48-year-old star also had a brush with death when a kite surfing adventure went wrong and left him swimming with sharks. He told Germany's GQ magazine, "I love kite surfing. It often just takes a second and the wind takes you three stories higher. And when it dies down you land in the water.