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Tim Russ' first screen credit came in 1985 when he appeared in an episode of the rebooted "The Twilight Zone." The following year, he starred in his first major motion picture, the actioner "Crossroads," opposite Ralph Macchio, followed by a small role in "Death Wish 4: The Crackdown," a truly absurd actioner with a spectacular death-by-bazooka scene. Russ then worked with Clint Eastwood on the film "Bird" and expanded his TV credits with roles on shows like "Amazing Stories," "Cop Rock," "Alien Nation," and "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air." 

His most high-profile acting gig finally came in 1995 with the debut of "Star Trek: Voyager," in which he portrays the Vulcan security officer Tuvok. Tuvok, as /Film has noted before, is the best Vulcan in the franchise's history. He, unlike Spock, has never been given to human-like bursts of emotion and doesn't have all that pesky internal conflict. Instead, he's a...

Prisoners of the Ghostland screenwriter/producer Reza Sixo Safai joins hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante to discuss his wildest cinematic experiences.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Infested (2002)

The Howling (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings

Hollywood Boulevard (1976) – Jon Davison’s trailer commentary

Bela Lugosi Meets A Brooklyn Gorilla (1952) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary

Prisoners of the Ghostland (2021)

Mandy (2018)

Candy (1968) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer commentary

S.O.B. (1981)

The Shining (1980) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary

Robin Hood (1973)

The Story of Robin Hood (1952)

Modern Times (1936)

The Kid (1921)

The Deer (1974)

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

Qeysar (1969)

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The Warriors (1979)

New Jack City (1991)

Colors (1988)

The Whip And The Body (1963)

Blow Out (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

Porky’s (1981)

Cinema Paradiso (1988) – Glenn Erickson’s Region B Blu-ray review, Glenn Erickson’s 4K Blu-ray review

Circumstance (2011)

Ninja 3: The Domination (1984)

Flashdance (1983)

Debbie...

Grab some popcorn and pull up a chair, it’s a moral imperative that we celebrate the 35th birthday of Martha Coolidge’s science whiz classic Real Genius!

The wise-cracking Val Kilmer starrer, which details the adventures of a group of brilliant physics undergrads at the fictional Pacific Tech University (clearly a stand-in for Caltech), stands as a wonderful slice of ’80s fun. It’s the kind of feel-good adventure that can be watched over and over again, spun like a favorite album.

Kilmer plays Chris Knight, a senior at Pacific Tech on the verge of burnout after years working with a special research team under the tutelage of the sleazy Dr. Jerry Hathaway (William Atherton). Chris, now prone to wearing goofy t-shirts and slippers and generally flaunting any sort of authority with playful jabs, convinces Hathaway to let him room with brilliant freshman Mitch Taylor (Gabriel Jarret), a 15-year-old winter term addition to campus.

Tom Hanks' raucous 1984 comedy classic Bachelor Party is being rebooted as a TV anthology series for ABC.

The half hour sitcom has already earned a big put pilot commitment from the network and 20th Century Fox TV. Fox also has a TV show remake of Tom Hanks' 1988 comedy Big in development, as the studio was behind both films. Bachelor Party is being produced by the Small Dog Picture Co., run by feature film director Jason Winer, and Walcott Co., run by director Max Winkler and New Girl star Jake Johnson.

The Bachelor Party anthology series was co-created by New Girl writer-producers J.J. Philbin and Josh Malmuth, and will examine the sanctity of marriage through the lens of three couples: One about to get married, one divorced, and a third just starting to fall in love. They will experience their relationships day by day as they continue to grow and change.

I'm probably too close to Real Genius to make an objective call as to whether it's a great movie or not, but damn do I love it. I often used to consider Val Kilmer's carefree but brilliant Chris Knight my spirit animal until I realized I was neither brilliant or carefree. Martha Coolidge's 1985 comedy also gave us the great characters of Lazlo (played by Jon Gries), Jordan (Michelle Meyrink) and even Mitch Taylor (Gabriel Jarret) not to mention two all-timer douchebag villains in William Atherton's Jerry Hathaway and Robert Prescott's Kent. I'm itching to watch that movie even as I type this. Will Adam Sandler's Happy Madison, Sony TV, 3 Arts and NBC be able to recapture that excitement? Hard to tell so far, but they're going to have to try because they're making Real Genius as a half-hour comedy. Hit the jump for more on the Real Genius TV Show.

Tom Moult is leaving Ogilvy after less than two years as executive chairman, the company has announced.

He joined Ogilvy & Mather Australia in a surprise move from Euro Rscg in November 2010.

His departure comes a month after Ogilvy’s global boss Miles Young hinted that change was afoot in the Australian operation.

Young said: “We have a very clear vision for reinventing Ogilvy Australia, with digital at the heart. We’re trying to digitise the agency across the board – which is not a common way of doing things in Australia.”

The announcement from Ogilvy:

Sydney: August 3, 2012: Ogilvy & Mather today announced the strengthening of its senior ranks in Sydney and Melbourne to meet growing client demand and capitalise on the agency’s expanding client digital portfolio. The raft of promotions and new roles are effective August 3, 2012.

As part of the changes, Tom Moult will step down as Executive Chairman. Andrew Baxter,...

Los Angeles -- There's something about the dark and quiet of a movie theater that allows us to make ourselves vulnerable. We enter into an implicit pact, giving over to the images, letting ourselves laugh at something silly or cry at something poignant, all in the cloistered company of strangers. That's why when something unexpected interrupts that experience, it's that much more startling, like being awakened suddenly from a vivid dream.

Long before the massacre during a midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Colorado, movies themselves have depicted the jarring sensation that occurs when the intrusion of reality disrupts the sanctity of sitting in a theater. Quite often these scenes are violent, but sometimes they're funny, clever or just plain weird.

Perhaps because filmmakers feel so passionately about the moviegoing experience, they also enjoy shaking it up from an artistic perspective. Here's a look at several key examples:...

Trailer and clips from Gun Hill Road, starring Isiah Whitlock Jr., Judy Reyes and Esai Morales. Rashaad Ernesto Green directs and writes this unique story of an ex-con returns home to the Bronx after a three year stint in prison, only to discover his wife estranged and his teenage son exploring a sexual transformation that will put the fragile bonds of their family to the test. Also in the cast of Gun Hill Road are Tyrone Brown, Franky G, Miriam Colon, Vincent Laresca and Robert Prescott.

Trailer and clips from Gun Hill Road, starring Isiah Whitlock Jr., Judy Reyes and Esai Morales. Rashaad Ernesto Green directs and writes this unique story of an ex-con returns home to the Bronx after a three year stint in prison, only to discover his wife estranged and his teenage son exploring a sexual transformation that will put the fragile bonds of their family to the test. Also in the cast of Gun Hill Road are Tyrone Brown, Franky G, Miriam Colon, Vincent Laresca and Robert Prescott.

Trailer and clips from Gun Hill Road, starring Isiah Whitlock Jr., Judy Reyes and Esai Morales. Rashaad Ernesto Green directs and writes this unique story of an ex-con returns home to the Bronx after a three year stint in prison, only to discover his wife estranged and his teenage son exploring a sexual transformation that will put the fragile bonds of their family to the test. Also in the cast of Gun Hill Road are Tyrone Brown, Franky G, Miriam Colon, Vincent Laresca and Robert Prescott.

The summer of 1985. Has it really been twenty-five years. Wow! I don't really feel old, but its amazing that era was so long ago and yet the memories feel like yesterday. I was ten going on eleven and enjoying my summer break. Though my parents wouldn't let me leave my neighborhood with my friends, they always took me to the cinema as often as they could, which is where my love of movies comes from. I consider myself fortunate to have shared some great movie moments with my family and with my parents coming to town to visit me this summer, we hope to have some more.Hollywood still makes great movies today, but the eighties were a time when most of the movies you saw were good. At least they seemed to be good at that early age. Time can often be cruel and with maturity comes the revelation...