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In the wake of Batman and its hit sequels, interestingly, movie studios wouldn’t necessarily snatch up more DC properties to adapt, but they did attempt to bring more classic pulp heroes to the screen with The Rocketeer, The Shadow and 1996’s The Phantom. While there was an animated series just two years prior with the purple-clad character trying to save our dying planet in the future with The Phantom 2040, the feature film with Billy Zane takes its cue more from Indiana Jones-esque action with its 1930s setting and globe-trotting adventure.

Blu-ray.com has reported that the Paramount adaptation of the Lee Falk comic strip is now set to grace your TV screens in crisp ultra-high def 4K with a new Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. The new physical release of the Simon Wincer film, which stars Billy Zane, Kristy Swanson, Treat Williams, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and James Remar, is scheduled to...

Any project involving Steven Spielberg should be easy to watch online, especially if it stars bona fide greats like Josh Brolin, Keri Russell, Will Patton, Alan Tudyk, Sean Astin, Gary Busey, Skeet Ulrich, and Michael Spears. However, "Into the West" -- a Western drama the "Jurassic Park" director produced for Dreamworks Television and TNT in the mid-2000s -- proves that even star-studded Spielberg ensemble pieces can get lost in the ether.

"Into the West" is an ambitious project, with all six episodes clocking in at almost two hours each and covering a lot of American history. What's more, the series tapped some notable directors to helm the saga, including horse opera veteran Simon Wincer, who directed one of the all-time great Westerns in "Lonesome Dove."

The story takes place in the 1800s and spans several decades, with the cusp of it chronicling the Westward Expansion from the perspective of a white man,...

Sons of Anarchy fans can check out a classic biker western movie, starring action movie veteran Mickey Rourke and the ever-entertaining Don Johnson. Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man is currently streaming on Prime Video.

Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man follows Harley Davidson (Rourke), who travels from Texas to Burbank, California, to reconnect with his old friend Robert Lee "Marlboro Man" Edison (Johnson). The pair eventually learn that an old mutual friend is in danger of losing his bar because the Great Trust Bank wants to build a new complex on the property and is demanding millions of dollars for a new contract in advance.

RelatedHappy Gilmore 2's Netflix Release Date Might Have Been Quietly Revealed

The release date for Happy Gilmore 2 might have just been revealed in the most unexpected of ways.

Harley and Marlboro attempt to help him by robbing the bank. However, they rob the...

Comic books have inspired some of the most successful movies of the 21st century, from The Dark Knight and Avengers: Endgame to the Fox X-Men and Sony Spider-Man films. Although these films have raked in billions of dollars for Hollywood, it took a while for the medium to earn its respect. The 1990s stand out as a particularly unique and divisive decade for comic adaptations, with superheroes slowly gaining steam despite a campy, low-budget treatment.

While the 1990s saw some comic book disasters, like Steel and Spawn, it also produced some entertaining and faithful adaptations of classic comics, from superheroes to science fiction movies. Not only was the decade a boom for the comic book industry behind the scenes, but it also spawned a variety of enduring films, even if some weren't well-received at the time. Whether it's a gritty revenge movie or a fun superhero flick, most comic fans...

Since the days of cinema classics like Ben-Hur, fantasy movies have set the benchmark for quality, high-budget entertainment, as can be seen in iconic franchises like The Lord of the Rings. From focusing on heroes embarking on epic quests to reimaginings of beloved fairy tales, the 1990s gave audiences some of the most enjoyable entries in the genre, though with an emphasis on smaller budgets, comedy, and animation.

The 1990s saw something of a slump in fantasy cinema, as the '80s had no shortage of campy flops in the genre, but still remains a great decade for family-oriented adventure. From worlds populated by knights and dragons to reboots of classic Universal Monsters, the decade is practically synonymous with adventure. With many of these movies still household names for fantasy fans, it's worth remembering some of the best the '90s had to offer.

The Phantom Revived A 1930s Comic...

Happy Halloween from The B-Side! Here we talk about movie directors! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between.

Today we talk about Tim Burton! The man! The brand! The artist! The director! The lothario (complimentary)! The B-Sides today include Mars Attacks!, Sleepy Hollow, Planet of the Apes, and Frankenweenie. Our esteemed guest is Maria Lewis, “best-selling author, screenwriter, film curator, and pop culture etymologist currently based in Australia.”

As Beetlejuice Beetlejuice still rakes in money in theaters, we discuss Burton’s influence, whether or not he’s actually a good director (something Burton himself has questioned in the past), his best films and his worst films, his inspirations, and the love-and-hate relationship with Disney from the very beginning of his career. There is also the observation that most of Tim Burton’s films are some version of Alice in Wonderland.

Thanks to the work of creatives like Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, the 1980s were an immensely lucrative time for adventure movies. Whether it was a genre pastiche like Indiana Jones or a time travel comedy like Back To The Future, there was no denying the staying power that many of these 1980s adventure movies had. As the decade wound down, however, their production would slow with an increasing tide of action movies and indie films filling up room.

Adventure films in the 1990s which weren't big-budget spectacles had to adjust their output, appealing to smaller demographics in order to achieve success. This led to a lot of riskier choices, leading to a decade full of odd and underrated attempts to popularize ideas both new and old. Ideas that were deemed impossible for a long time were revitalized for a new era by new technology and changing attitudes. Adventure looked...

Quick Links What Is Quigley Down Under About? What Type of Gun Does Quigley Use? How Far Does Quigley's Rifle Shoot?

Released in 1990, Quigley Down Under is a popular Tom Selleck action-western finding new life on Fubo and MGM+ in 2024. According to Just Watch, the film is up 3,770 spots from its previous position, indicating a recent viewership spike. Yet, those who've seen the film are bound to be more impressed with the iconic firearm used by Selleck's character, the sharpshooting American sniper Matthew Quigley.

With the film finding a new audience on streaming platforms nearly 35 years after its theatrical run, a closer examination of how Quigley's sniper rifle affects his time in Australia after betraying his employer and supporting the local Aborigines. In particular, the type of rifle, its authenticity, and how far it can accurately deliver a bullet will help viewers understand why the movie continues its compelling appeal nearly a quarter-century later.

Quick Links Lonesome Dove's Struggle to Make It to the Screen Lonesome Dove TV-Miniseries Plot and Cast Lonesome Dove's Legacy on TV Where to Watch Lonesome Dove

Being met with fanfare and critical acclaim, Lonesome Dove came out when the Western genre's staying power on TV was questioned because the quality and commercial viability, in many people's eyes, were declining. The show would bring a star-studded cast and a new take on the genre, less glorified than the previous Western TV fare, cemented itself in pop culture, and inspired many to keep the dreams of portraying the Wild West alive.

However, the landmark Western miniseries struggled to make it to the screens, having been pitched more than a decade before and left to sit. We will examine the journey of Lonesome Dove, what could have been, and the legacy it has left on the TV landscape.

Lonesome Dove...

As we’ve highlighted in previous videos and articles, those who exclusively purchase films through online services are not truly guaranteed to have it available in their collection when the buyer is at the whim of the service provider. The seemingly iron-clad way to have a movie ready-to-watch is if you can have it at your fingertips. There are thankfully some distribution brands that are releasing movies that have been previously hard to find. Shout Factory is one of those brands, and the company has now released details on the restoration of Quigley Down Under on Blu-ray.com.

Directed by Simon Wincer (Lonesome Dove), Quigley Down Under stars Tom Selleck as sharpshooter Matt Quigley. “Arriving in Australia with nothing more than a saddle and his prized six-foot Sharps rifle, American sharpshooter Matthew Quigley thinks he’s been hired to kill off wild dogs,” reads the description. “But when he realizes...

We’re big on physical media over here at JoBlo, so it’s always great to hear when a movie gets a long-awaited 4K facelift. Shout Factory announced over the weekend that they will be giving the classic Tom Selleck Western Quigley Down Under a 4K release later this year.

Directed by Simon Wincer (Lonesome Dove), Quigley Down Under stars Tom Selleck as sharpshooter Matt Quigley. “Arriving in Australia with nothing more than a saddle and his prized six-foot Sharps rifle, American sharpshooter Matthew Quigley thinks he’s been hired to kill off wild dogs,” reads the description. “But when he realizes that his mission is murder — to eradicate the Aborigines from the property of a wealthy cattle baron — Quigley refuses … and quickly turns from hunter to hunted. Forced to wage a savage war against his former employer, Quigley proves that no one gets the best of a steely-eyed gunfighter — no one,...

Capelight Pictures (Altitude) are excited to announce that Tom Selleck’s adventure western Quigley Down Under will be coming to the UK for the first time with a special 2-Disc Limited Collector’s Edition Mediabook release on December 11. We are giving 5 away to lucky winners!

This action-packed 90’s western will be appearing for the first time in the UK on Blu-ray in a Limited Collector’s Edition Mediabook. Featuring extensive bonus material, 24-page booklet and restored Pcm 2.0 soundtrack.

Directed by Simon Wincer Quigley Down Under, follows American sniper Matthew Quigley (Tom Selleck) who is known for his exceptional shooting skills. With his custom-made Sharps Buffalo Rifle, he hits targets at long range like no other. A new job takes him to Australia, where he is employed to hunt dingoes for the greedy landowner Elliot Marston (Alan Rickman). But Marston has only one goal: to claim even more areas of the largely uninhabited continent for himself,...

Vinegar Syndrome’s 2023 Black Friday Pre-Order is now Live, and the sale is running from today (September 22) all the way through 11:59 Pm Edt on Sunday, September 24.

In addition to the sales and discounted pre-orders, several brand new titles have been put up for grabs today, including The Prophecy 3-film trilogy on 4K Ultra HD!

Here’s everything that was announced today…

“Our latest Vsu, D.A.R.Y.L., the 1985 cyborg/sci-fi Hollywood crossover film from Ozploitation director, Simon Wincer, and starring Mary Beth Hurt, Michael McKean, and Colleen Camp hits 4K Uhd in an extras jammed edition, featuring an exclusive new restoration by Vinegar Syndrome!

“Then, upping the ante even further, we’re proud to present the 4K Uhd debut of one of the bloodiest, boldest, and most unusual horror franchises of the 1990s, The Prophecy 1-3, including new and exclusive 4K restorations of Gregory Widen’s The Prophecy...

Before the SeaWorld Kills movement, we had Free Willy, the 1993 film whose emotional ending taught us that maybe, just maybe, orcas shouldn’t live in tiny pools. Of course, 30 years ago CGI wasn’t what it is now, and in a new interview, director Simon Wincer revealed how, exactly, they made Free Willy possible: a rocket launcher.

“I remember saying to my agent: ‘If I can deliver the finale — where the whale leaps to freedom — we’ve got a movie,'” Wincer told The Guardian. “We had so many meetings about how the hell we were going to do it. It was the early days of CGI so we shot at high tide in a small harbour — and literally built a rocket launcher with an animatronic whale on it. It would fly out of the water and come to a stop then CGI would take over. Like any pivotal movie moment,...

Welcome to The Best Movie You Never Saw, a column dedicated to examining films that have flown under the radar or gained traction throughout the years, earning them a place as a cult classic or underrated gem that was either before it’s time and/or has aged like a fine wine. This week we’ll be looking at Harley Davidson And The Marlboro Man!

The Story: The year is 1996 – the future. A biker (Mickey Rourke) and his cowboy pal (Don Johnson) team up to save their favorite bar from going under. To pull this off, they plan a heist but wind up in possession of a massive load of a popular new street drug called “Crystal Dream.”

The Players: Starring: Mickey Rourke, Don Johnson, Chelsea Field, Giancarlo Esposito, Tom Sizemore, and Daniel Baldwin. Directed by Simon Wincer.

“I was fortunate enough to work on a film with Don, the...

Richard Donner is getting a lot of praise from friends, fans, and contemporaries in the wake of his death, and PETA is also honoring the late filmmaker. Donner, who's known for directing iconic movies like The Goonies, Superman, and Lethal Weapon, also executive produced Free Willy and its two sequels. The movie helped to raise awareness about the problems with capturing orcas and keeping them in captivity for the sake of entertainment.

Keiko, the real-life orca who "played" Willy in Free Willy, was fortunate enough to have a much better life after the movie. The success of the movie led to the orca's rescue, and after he was successfully rehabilitated, the whale was released back into the ocean in Norway. Grateful for Donner's efforts in helping Keiko and other orcas like him, PETA honored the filmmaker with a statement of their own. The animal rights organization stated:

"PETA will remember...

Want to feel old? Disney released one of its strangest movies 25 years ago this week… Operation Dumbo Drop (1995) Director: Simon Wincer Stars: Danny Glover, Ray Liotta, Denis Leary Even as a kid I realized Operation Dumbo Drop was a really weird movie...and it hasn't gotten any better 25 years later. Ray Liotta was caught off guard at the first meeting of the Narc International…...

Travis Fimmel as Major Harry Smith.

Transmission Films has released two images and the trailer of Kriv Stenders’ Vietnam War movie Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan.

Travis Fimmel plays Major Harry Smith, who led a largely inexperienced company of 108 men who held off about 2,500 Viet Cong and North Vietnamese soldiers for three and a half hours in torrential rain on August 18 1966.

The drama scripted by Stuart Beattie, based on a story by James Nicholas, Jack Brislee, Karel Segers and Paul Sullivan, co-stars Luke Bracey, Richard Roxburgh, Daniel Webber, Nicholas Hamilton, Aaron Glenane, Anthony Hayes and Stephen Peacocke.

Transmission Films will launch the film produced by Red Dune Productions’ Martin Walsh and Deeper Water Films’ John and Michael Schwarz on August 8.

“To see the battle portrayed on screen for the first time is a heart pounding and emotional experience for audiences. The passion and expertise of the filmmaking team...

Shudder will take viewers to the place that's "not as brightly lit" this Halloween season, as the 1980s anthology series Tales From the Darkside will be available to watch in its entirety on the horror streaming service beginning October 1st:

Press Release: New York, New York – September 26, 2016 – The AMC-backed streaming service, Shudder, is The entertainment destination for everything you need to watch this Halloween season. Whether you’re a hardcore horror fan or simply looking for the scariest films to celebrate this time of year, Shudder has something for everyone in its sweeping library, carefully curated by some of the top horror experts in the world.

As Halloween approaches, Shudder is expanding its database with a variety of new titles including cult favorites, blockbuster hits, and classic thrillers. Additionally, for the first time ever, Shudder will be offering horror TV series to complement its expansive film library.

Premiering October 20th...

On February 17, 1936, Lee Falk’s comic strip hero The Phantom was introduced to the world. Over the following years—as the character reached millions of fans through an unparalleled-for-that-era level of worldwide syndication—The Phantom became an international sensation. The comic strip (clearly) excelled in many countries around the world, but perhaps none more so than […]

The post Hdtgm: A Conversation with Simon Wincer, Director of The Phantom appeared first on /Film.

Free Willy director Simon Wincer and writer David Williamson produced a captivating if cynical drama that one critic called ‘Rocky with hoofs’

Like so many great Australian traditions, Melbourne Cup week fuses a number of recreations dear to the national psyche – namely sport, gambling and the consumption of prodigious amounts of alcohol. Every year news stories report garbage-splattered carnage involving dolled-up men and women collapsing on each other and racehorse owners and trainers pocketing serious coinage from their four-legged investments.

Punters lap it up while the sport’s naysayers think of the Cup more along the lines of a profound national shame. The very line “a day of profound national shame” is delivered by a racing official in director Simon Wincer’s 1983 drama tracing the career of Australia’s legendary thoroughbred, Phar Lap, a national icon as beloved as jars of Vegemite or Sir Donald Bradman.

Continue reading...

Sergio Leone and Joe Dante at one stage were linked with The Phantom. We look back at Billy Zane's moment in the superhero spotlight.

“Where’s your spirit of adventure?” asks Drax, the film's villain, before setting off in search of the final skull of Touganda. This sums up The Phantom nicely. It might not work, but they went on an adventure and tried something interesting and different. Cinema would be richer with a greater sense of adventure. That said, the spirit of the film being expressed by the villain does serve as an example of what a muddle the team behind The Phantom movie got themselves into.

The 1996 film The Phantom is a bit of an oddity. It gets a lot of stuff really wrong, yet there are other areas where it comes up with a really interesting approach to the challenge of making a comic adaptation. It...

Simon Brew Feb 21, 2019

Hans Gruber in Die Hard. The Sheriff in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Yet Alan Rickman played a different movie villain between them...

Alan Rickman, in the space of a few years, committed to screen two of the finest movie villain performances of modern blockbuster cinema. It would be fair to say that both acted as a template of sorts for the standard British foe that would permeate big Hollywood movies for the decade that followed, and Rickman steered clear of villainous roles thereafter.

But sandwiched in-between the release of Die Hard in 1988 and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in 1991 was an Australian western by the name of Quigley Down Under. First released in 1990, although not making it to the UK until 1991 (some three months before Robin Hood arrived on UK cinema screens), it's a western set in Australia, directed by Simon Wincer. Wincer won an Emmy...

Simon Brew Mar 5, 2018

Hans Gruber in Die Hard. Sheriff in Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves. Yet the late Alan Rickman played a different movie villain between them.

The late, great Alan Rickman, in the space of a few years, committed to screen two of the finest movie villain performances of modern blockbuster cinema. It would be fair to say that both acted as a template of sorts for the standard British foe that would permeate big Hollywood movies for the decade that followed, and Rickman for one steered clear of villainous roles thereafter.

See related iZombie season 4 episode 1 review: Are You Ready For Some Zombies? iZombie season 4 episode 3 trailer and synopsis Syfy's Z Nation: fun, low-budget, and well worth your time

We spoke to in 2015 ahead of the release of his second film as director, A Little Chaos. And as part of that chat, we got talking about...

First off, I'm not a big fan of superhero films in which the superhero has no superpowers, but of course there are exceptions to that rule like Batman and Black Widow. I guess I really should say, I prefer my superheroes to have superpowers. Secondly, I'm not a big fan of the color purple, yet funny enough, I like The Color Purple (1985). Go figure. With all that said, I actually enjoyed the 1996 superhero film, The Phantom. Its not the greatness film in the world, but it has its moments and the supporting cast is actually quite good. Heck, we get to see a young Catherine Zeta-Jones ("Red 2") blossom two years before she became an overnight star because of her performance in The Mask of Zorro. Below, is some fantastic concept art Jim Martin created for the film, which starred Billy Zane ("Zoolander") and was directed by Simon Wincer ("Crocodile...

The Judge did not come close to winning its opening weekend. Nor did the critics swoon over the pairing of Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall, playing a hot-shot, big-city attorney and his ornery father, a prominent small-town judge accused of murder. But even if the script is Grisham-light and the prodigal-son bit overly familiar, there's at least one reason to keep it on your must-see list: Duvall. "Now it's about time to recognize Robert Duvall as one of the most resourceful, most technically proficient, most remarkable actors in America today," wrote the New York Times. "When I say 'one of…...

News Simon Brew 1 May 2014 - 06:24

The Ghost That Walks, The Phantom himself, is heading back to the big screen. Without Billy Zane, we're guessing.

Ah, Billy Zane must look at this and wonder how things could have turned out differently. In a time when comic book and superhero movies weren't the dominant force at the box office - that'd be 1996 - he took on the role of The Phantom in Simon Wincer's big screen take on the character. Things did not go to plan, the film wasn't greatly received, and whatever plans were in place for a franchise were swiftly dumped when the box office numbers came in. We don't enough know if Mr Zane got to keep the costume.

However, The Phantom's big screen days may not be numbered. A recent television take on the character called upon the power of few viewers, and thus came...

Prolific screenwriter Everett De Roche, who died in Melbourne yesterday, was one of the instigators of the Ozploitation genre movement of the 1970s and 80s.

The Us-born writer, who migrated to Australia with his wife in 1968, was 67. He had battled with cancer for three years. He started as an in-house writer for Crawfords for four years in the 1970s, penning episodes of Homicide, Division 4, Ryan and Matlock Police.

His first feature screenplay was Colin Eggleston.s Long Weekend in 1978. Among his film credits were Richard Franklin.s Patrick (1978), Simon Wincer.s Harlequin (1980), Franklin.s Roadgames (1981), David Hemmings. Race to the Yankee Zephyr (1981), Russell Mulcahy.s Razorback (1984) and Franklin.s Visitors (2003).

In 2008 he and director Jamie Blanks collaborated on a remake of Long Weekend, for which he added two characters, a baby dugong and several scenes. "The basic environmental message works as well today as it did in 1978," he said.

Jessica Marais in Love Child..

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Sarah Lambert wasn.t around in the 1960s but Love Child, the drama series she created for the Nine Network, sets to capture that era of revolution, bohemia, youthful innocence and exuberance.

The eight-part series set in Kings Cross in 1969 evidently delivers on that promise, encouraging the network to commission a second season as announced by director of television Michael Healy at the launch of Nine's 2014 season this week..

As the writer-producer, Lambert was inspired to make the show when she learned that a close family friend of her mother was one of thousands of women who had been forced to live in an unwed mothers' home and give up her baby daughter for adoption 20 years earlier.

Produced by Playmaker Media, the series follows characters who live and work in a maternity hospital and home for unwed mothers, contrasted with those who inhabit the streets...

Odd List Simon Brew Ryan Lambie 19 Sep 2013 - 07:20

From dramas to action and everything in between, here's our pick of 20 underrated films from 1990...

Think back to the big films of 1990, and you'll probably immediately come up with things like Ghost, the year's top-grossing film, or maybe Home Alone, which made a star out of the young Macaulay Culkin.

If you're into sci-fi or action, you might pluck Total Recall, Back To The Future Part III or even Die Hard 2 out of your memory banks. But what about all those movies that didn't make it into the year's top 10 ranking films? As ever, there's a huge number of duds and forgettable flops, but there were plenty of films that were wrongly overlooked, too.

That's where this list comes in, which aims to shed a bit of light on 20 films that were either unfairly overlooked by audiences at the time, or...

Odd List Simon Brew Ryan Lambie

From dramas to action and everything in between, here's our pick of 20 underrated films from 1990...

Think back to the big films of 1990, and you'll probably immediately come up with things like Ghost, the year's top-grossing film, or maybe Home Alone, which made a star out of the young Macaulay Culkin.

If you're into sci-fi or action, you might pluck Total Recall, Back To The Future Part III or even Die Hard 2 out of your memory banks. But what about all those movies that didn't make it into the year's top 10 ranking films? As ever, there's a huge number of duds and forgettable flops, but there were plenty of films that were wrongly overlooked, too.

That's where this list comes in, which aims to shed a bit of light on 20 films that were either unfairly overlooked by audiences at the time, or have faded rapidly from general discussions about cinema.

Director David Parker will start shooting The Menkoff Method, billed as a quirky .comedy of human resources,. in Melbourne on September 9.

The screenplay is by first-timer Zac Gillam. It.s the debut feature from White Hot Productions, the production arm of the White Hot Group. The producers are David Lee, Jan Bladier and John Kearney, with Ian Kirk as executive producer.

The plot follows David Cork, a young, introverted bank worker who.s more interested in drawing his comic book than his tedious job in the bank.s data processing centre. All that changes when an enigmatic Russian Hr consultant, Max Menkoff, introduces sweeping reforms with devastating effects.

Menkoff.s unorthodox management techniques take on a dark and sinister turn, forcing Cork and the beautiful and formidable Ruby Jackson from the bank.s head office to try to save their colleagues from a fate worse than death.

The cast will be announced soon.

Financier/executive producer James M. Vernon has an unusual problem in the Australian film industry: he says he has more money to invest than there are viable projects.

Vernon.s Media Funds Management (Mfm) has co-financed a raft of films including Mark Lamprell.s Goddess, Fred Schepisi.s The Eye of the Storm, Simon Wincer.s The Cup, Stephan Elliott.s A Few Best Men and the soon-to-be-released Brian Trenchard-Smith-directed action thriller Absolute Deception.

Among the Mfm co-funded films in post-production are the Spierig brothers. supernatural thriller Predestination, Russell Scott.s 3D IMAX documentary Hidden Universe and Geoff Davis. WW1 drama The Stolen.

The most recent project Mfm co-funded was Trenchard-Smith.s action comedy Hard Drive, shot on the Gold Coast and starring John Cusack and Thomas Jane.

Typically Mfm provides up to 100% of the producer offset, up to 100% on pre-sales and gap financing based on qualified sales agency sales estimates.

As all lovers of crime, suspense thriller, war, western, horror and science fiction films know, creating a truly great cinematic villain is no easy task. When it happens, it’s virtually impossible to forget that character.

We’ll now take a look at the greatest film villains of the 1980’s.

The criteria for this article is the same as my previous article Cinema’s Greatest Villains: The 1970’s: the villains must be from live-action films-no animated features-and must pose some type of direct or indirect lethal threat. The villains can be either individuals or small groups that act as one unit.

The villains must be human or human in appearance, so no shape-shifting alien from John Carpenter’s amazing 1982 The Thing, no Aliens from James Cameron’s classic 1986 sequel and no Predator from John McTiernan’s beloved 1987 film of the same name.

Also, individuals that are the central protagonists/antiheroes...

By Todd Garbarini

Rarely has distributor exploitation been as blatant as in the case of Simon Wincer’s The Day After Halloween (1980), a ludicrously-named Australian outing originally optioned under the name of Centerfold, then changed to Snapshot after the producers were unable to secure that title, and was eventually released as One More Minute. It appeared on video shelves here in the U.S. on VHS both in 1983 from Catalina Home Video under the title of The Day After Halloween and in 1985 as The Night After Halloween on Magnum Home Entertainment. The film came on the heels of the John Carpenter-scripted Eyes of Laura Mars (1978) which was set against the milieu of the fashion industry. Filmed in 1978 and released in Australia the following year, The Day After Halloween has absolutely nothing to do with John Carpenter’s seminal holiday suspense yarn, and isn’t even a slasher film. It isn’t even a thriller.

News that Disney purchased Lucasfilm would have been a big enough story on its own, but the additional announcement that “Star Wars Episode VII” is already slated for a 2015 release date made this a huge deal with an immediate positive outcome (well, at least we hope it's positive). The past thirteen years have been dark and cloudy for a lot of fans, and while another trilogy could in fact be a new hope for us all, there is a fairness to any skepticism regarding this sudden development. However, there is sort of an ironic twist to Disney being the company to take over the property. While it isn't out of left field given that Disney theme parks have featured “Star Wars” attractions, events and merchandise for 25 years now, the Mouse House seems to be the most agreeable of buyers given what we've seen them do previously with their acquisitions of The Muppets,...

It’s the month of October. It’s Halloween. No, not the day itself, but tis the season. That means we need to focus on some truly excellent 80’s horror surrounding our beloved holiday. Sure we could give the rehash job to Halloween and its subsequent sequels, but that’s not entirely in spirit of the game although I can assure you that I’m working on something that focuses on the Carpenter magnum opus. Today we’re going to focus on some horror flicks that are about Halloween, but aren’t John Carpenter’s Halloween. Let’s talk about The Day After Halloween, Trick or Treats, Lady in White in our first It Came From 1980X triple feature offering. Each of these movies incorporates something of the Halloween spirit and only one of them actually gets any street cred for being an honest to goodness creep out. There’s...

People love rooting for an underdog, but what do you do when the story you want to tell belongs to one of the best at the top of their game? You inject some tragedy and ground their boundless highs with some humanity; you remind them that the person in question isn’t a god but just a human being who has achieved something brilliant. That’s the strategy adopted for The Cup, the film adaptation of the life of the jockey Damien Oliver who rode Media Puzzle to victory in the 2002 Melbourne Cup. Co-written and Directed by Simon Wincer (The Phantom), there’s enough talent assembled in a cast headlined by Brendan Gleeson to make the film passable, but the acting and the cinematography just barely overcome a script written with an almost complete lack of tact and natural feel for dialogue.

Read more...

The art of the glass shot or matte painting is one which originated very much in the early ‘teens’ of the silent era. Pioneer film maker, director, cameraman and visual effects inventor Norman Dawn is generally acknowledged as the father of the painted matte composite, with other visionary film makers such as Ferdinand Pinney Earle, Walter Hall and Walter Percy Day being heralded as making vast contributions to the trick process in the early 1920’s.

Boiled down, the matte process is one whereby a limited film set may be extended to whatever, or wherever the director’s imagination dictates with the employment of a matte artist. In it’s most pure form, the artist would set up a large plate of clear glass in front of the motion picture camera upon which he would carefully paint in new scenery an ornate period ceiling, snow capped mountains, a Gothic castle or even an alien world.

Tom Noonan as Francis Dollarhyde in Manhunter (Michael Mann, 1986, USA):

Noonan is absolutely incredible as a serial murderer in this underrated adaptation of Thomas Harris’ novel Red Dragon. With all respect to the talented but miscast actors involved in Brett Ratner’s 2002 adaptation Red Dragon (USA), with the exception of Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter, the acting in this earlier, superior version of the book exists on a much higher level. Most notably, there’s nothing resembling a comparison between Noonan’s Francis Dollarhyde and Ralph Fiennes’ interpretation. This role is by far Noonan’s finest film work to date and should not be missed.

Other notable Tom Noonan performances: Phoenix (Danny Cannon, 1998, USA).

Christopher Walken as Brad Whitewood Sr.in At Close Range (James Foley, 1986, USA):

Having once described his role in this film as “the hillbilly Lucifer”, Walken is incredible as a rural crime boss bringing his son,...

Title: The Cup Director: Simon Wincer A true story based on the coveted horse race in Australia flies to the finish line. Literally. And you know what? It’s “no worries” as they say down-under…or at least in the Crocodile Dundee flicks. Yeah, the majority of American audiences will not recognize any of the performers save for Irish born thesp, Brendan Gleeson; who plays a revered horse trainer from Ireland that goes all in on a successful Australian jockey (played by co-writer Stephen Curry) to mount one of his horses, that many believe is past-its-prime. The story based on actual events takes place in 2002 Melbourne. Very little time is devoted [ Read More ]...

For someone who's considered one of the greatest filmmakers in history, Sergio Leone was not especially prolific. While he worked extensively as an assistant director (with credits including "Bicycle Thieves," "Quo Vadis" and "Ben Hur"), he was only credited on seven films across his thirty-year career (with uncredited direction work on three others -- "The Last Days Of Pompeii," "My Name Is Nobody" and "A Genius, Two Partners and A Dupe").

But given that those films include some of the greatest Westerns -- the Man With No Name trilogy, and "Once Upon A Time In The West" -- and a wonderful crime epic, "Once Upon A Time In America," it's hard not to mourn that we didn't get more films from the director, who passed away 23 years ago today, on April 30th, 1989. But it wasn't for a lack of trying, as there were a number of other projects that Leone considered,...

The box jellyfish is one of the world.s deadliest creatures. With tentacles up to three metres long and venom that attacks the skin, the heart and the nervous system, swimmers that are unlucky enough to be stung often never make it back to the shore. Drowned after going into shock, or dead of heart failure.

With experience as a former teenage backpacker in the area, Mooneys Insurance Brokers managing director David Mansley was well aware of the dangers faced by those brave . or stupid . enough to venture into the water along the Northern Queensland coastline during stinging season, which was why alarm bells rang when the production team behind shark thriller The Reef planned to do just that.

.There.s no way they could have shot where they were proposing to shoot,. he says.

Thankfully, co-producer Tiare Tomaszewski had contacted the insurance broker in the very early stages of...

The last time one of Lee Falk's creations made it to the big screen the result was a disaster. I'm referring to director Simon Wincer's The Phantom, starring Billy Zane and Catherine Zeta-Jones. While heavily marketed, the film ended up being a total dud, both with critics and at the box office, bringing in only $17 million domestically after debuting at #6 with a $5 million take in the opening weekend. Let's hope that Falk's next character to arrive at the movies fares better. According to THR, Warner Bros. is now planning to create a film based on Falk's Mandrake The Magician. The story follows the titular illusionist, who has the ability to hypnotize people at great speed and have them do his bidding. Along with his African strongman parter, Lothar, Mandrake would work to rid the world of evil, "ranging from gangsters to masters of disguise to aliens." Should the...

The Movie Pool grows out a brostache for the Tom Selleck western Quigley Down Under on Blu-ray!

Blu-ray Specs

Release date: November 1, 2011

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 120 minutes

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Audio: English 2.0 Surround DTS-hd Master Audio, Spanish Mono, French Dolby Surround

Subtitles: English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Spanish, French

Special Features: "Rebirth of the Western" documentary, TV spots, Theatrical trailer

The Set-up

Legendary sharpshooter Matthew Quigley travels to Australia, only to find his potential employer is an Outback rancher planning to exterminate the Aborigines living near his land. Rather than join him, Quigley joins the natives in a fight for survival.

Directed by: Simon Wincer

The Delivery

This very underrated 1990 movie starring Tom Selleck was not a commercial success, but it is an entertaining flick that will hopefully gain new fans with its first-ever Blu-ray release. Set against the gorgeous Australian Outback, Selleck plays Old West sharpshooter...

Australian film Last Dance has begun production in Melbourne.

Directed by David Pulbrook, principle photography began on Monday in and around St Kilda, Melbourne.

The film is Pulbrook’s debut feature film. Pulbrook has had a long history as an editor, beginning his career in the 60s working on episodes of Homicide and Division 4. He’s since edited Gillian Armstrong’s Smokes and Lollies, Kevin Dobson’s Squizzy Taylor, Michael Pattinson’s Street Hero and Ground Zero which he won an AFI for. Most recently he edited Simon Wincer’s The Cup.

The film stars Julia Blake (Innocence, Bed of Roses), Firass Dirani (Killer Elite, Underbelly) and Alan Hopgood.

Pulbrook said of his film: “Last Dance digs beneath the stereotypes to reveal the basic humanity of the two principle protagonists and transcends the tragedy of their pasts and speaks of optimism, possibilities and tolerance. We were careful not to...

Rank the week of November 1st’s Blu-ray and DVD new releases against the best films of all-time: New Releases Cars 2

(Blu-ray & DVD | G | 2011)

Flickchart Ranking: #2213

Win Percentage: 48%

Times Ranked: 3502

Top-20 Rankings: 35

Directed By: John Lasseter

Starring: Larry the Cable Guy • Owen Wilson • Michael Caine • Emily Mortimer • Eddie Izzard

Genres: Action Comedy • Adventure • Adventure Comedy • Animation • Comedy • Family • Family-Oriented Adventure • Family-Oriented Comedy

Rank This Movie

Water For Elephants

(Blu-ray & DVD | PG13 | 2011)

Flickchart Ranking: #3022

Win Percentage: 51%

Times Ranked: 2226

Top-20 Rankings: 17

Directed By: Francis Lawrence

Starring: Reese Witherspoon • Robert Pattinson • Christoph Waltz • Paul Schneider • Hal Holbrook

Genres: Animal Picture • Drama • Romance • Romantic Drama

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Crazy Stupid Love

(Blu-ray & DVD | PG13 | 2011)

Flickchart Ranking: #816

Win Percentage: 57%

Times Ranked: 3830

Top-20 Rankings: 19

Directed By: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa

Starring: Steve Carell • Ryan Gosling • Julianne Moore • Emma Stone • Marisa Tomei

Genres: Comedy Drama • Comedy of Manners • Drama • Romance • Romantic Comedy

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Snow Flower And The Secret Fan...

Rubber Records has released a soundtrack album for the Australian drama The Cup. The album includes the original score from the movie by composer Bruce Rowland (The Man from Snowy River, Lightning Jack). The soundtrack is available as a digital release on Amazon. Audio clips can be checked out after the jump. The Cup is directed by Simon Wincer (Quigley Down Under, Free Willy) and stars Brendan Gleeson, Stephen Curry, Daniel MacPherson and Tom Berlinson. The movie about the running of the 2002 Melbourne Cup opened last week in Australia and is currently awaiting a domestic release. To learn more about the film, visit the official movie website.

Amazon.com WidgetsHere’s the album track list:

1. Opening Titles

2. A Day In Damien’s Life

3. Dermot Weld

4. Indecision

5. What’s Wrong With You?

6. Godolphin Stables

7. A Package From Perth

8. I Know What You Mean

9. Anything Could Happen

10. Damien’s Dilemma

11. He’s...

Stephen Curry has admitted that his latest role was a challenge. The Australian actor, who plays top jockey Damien Oliver in upcoming Aussie movie The Cup, said that he found the job difficult because he is not very confident around horses. Curry told the Herald Sun: "The horses and I don't really get along, I'll be honest. They are wonderful, beautiful creatures, but so are great white sharks. I don't want to swim with them or be on them, I just want to bet on them. "We had 500 extras on day one and I got bucked off in front of all of them. And my mum laughed the loudest. Thanks for that, Mum." The Simon Wincer film tells the story of Oliver's Melbourne Cup victory on horse Media Puzzle shortly after (more)...

James Cameron has a thing for water. And almost-impossible-to-film storylines…this time, he’s done it again: he’s the producer of Sanctum, a new movie about a cave-diving team having to face their worst fears when they get stuck inside the least accessible cave in the world.

I had the chance to speak to the lovely Alice Parkinson, who stars in the film in the role of strong and tomboyish Victoria. Alice gave me an interesting insight on gruelling training, learning to dive and filming underwater.

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HeyUGuys: Sanctum is a high tension movie and your role is very physical and demanding. What did you think when you first read the script – where you a bit nervous, or just excited?

Alice Parkinson: Excited, most definitely. With that kind of story, I knew it was going to be hard work and gruelling – and it was. But I was excited.