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The 48th edition of the Asian American International Film Festival (Aaiff), presented by Asian CineVision (Acv), will run from July 31 to August 10, 2025, with screenings, panels, and community events held across New York City and online.

Aaiff is the nation’s first and longest-running film festival dedicated to works by and about Asians and Asian Americans. Since 1978, the festival has been a platform for diaspora storytelling, identity exploration, and bold artistic experimentation, building a legacy that continues to thrive across generations.

For its 48th edition, Aaiff will honor the beauty of repair and transformation — examine how personal and collective fractures can be reassembled into something stronger and more radiant than before. Drawing inspiration from Kintsugi — the Japanese art of mending broken ceramics with gold, this year’s theme asks how storytelling, dreaming, and creation can guide the community through rupture into renewal. It’s a celebration of resilience, imagination, and the...

Everyone's got to start somewhere, and that somewhere ain't necessarily got to be pretty. Take Tom Cruise, for example. He made his film acting debut in Franco Zeffirelli's teen romance "Endless Love," an avalanche of ick notable for its Diana Ross/Lionel Richie theme song and notorious for the scene where Shirley Knight's bohemian mother watches approvingly from the top of a staircase as her 15-year-old daughter (Brooke Shields) has firelit sex with her 17-year-old boyfriend (Martin Hewitt). Somehow, Cruise survived this association with one of the most atrociously awful movies of the 1980s to become one of the world's biggest movie stars.

On the less scandalous end of the spectrum, Paul Newman's first movie was the biblical epic "The Silver Chalice," for which he received mostly lousy reviews. Jessica Lange was ridiculed for conjuring the ghost of Carole Lombard to play a daffy starlet in the 1976 remake of "King Kong.

Where Marvel’s Blade has faltered, its costumes found a second life in another period horror: Ryan Coogler’s vampire hit, Sinners.

One of 2025’s most acclaimed genre hits, Sinners was such a hit that even its own studio seemed taken by surprise. But in a fascinating glimpse behind the creative curtain, producer Sev Ohanian recently revealed that Ryan Coogler’s horror has a previously hidden connection to another toothsome production: Marvel’s Blade.

You may recall that Marvel has spent over five years trying to reboot the Blade franchise, with Oscar winner (and Jurassic World Rebirth star) Mahershala Ali in the titular vampire hunter role. One iteration of the troubled production, headed up by director Bassim Tariq, was a period piece set in the 1920s – this was likely around the year 2022 or 2023. That incarnation of the film got so close to filming that sets had been built and costumes...

I'm old enough to remember the 2014 press release wherein Marvel Studios announced all their films for their then-upcoming "Phase Three." The phase, as it was announced at the time, was to consist of "Captain America: Civil War", "Doctor Strange", "Guardians of the Galaxy 2", "Thor: Ragnarok", "Black Panther", "Avengers: Infinity War - Part I" (May of 2018), "Captain Marvel", and "Inhumans". The phase would climax with "Avengers: Infinity War - Part II" in May of 2019. 

As Phase Three progressed, Marvel worked out a deal with Sony to make a Spider-Man movie, and "Spider-Man: Homecoming" was shoved into the lineup, released on July 7, 2017. This pushed back the "Thor," "Black Panther," and "Captain Marvel" movies. Phase Three also ended up adding "Ant-Man and the Wasp" and "Spider-Man: Far From Home" to the roster, and changed the title of the climax movie to "Avengers: Endgame." It seems the 2014 press release was only 70% correct. 

Most notably,...

Last week, we shared the news that Full Moon is bringing their 1992 film Bad Channels and 1990 film Crash and Burn to Blu-ray, with copies available through their site FullMoonHorror.com and available for pre-order on Amazon. (Links can be found in our article.) Now, we have more Full Moon Blu-ray news to share, as the company will be giving director Albert Pyun‘s 1993 sci-fi horror film Arcade a Blu-ray release on July 15th! Copies can be pre-ordered through Amazon at This Link.

Directed by Pyun from a screenplay by David S. Goyer (and a story by Full Moon founder Charles Band), Arcade has the following synopsis: All the kids in town are dying to play the hot new video game “Arcade”. Trouble is once you play the game you can kiss reality good-bye. Arcade has seven levels of excitement, adventure, and terror for its players. The game transports you to...

The game is about to begin, because Arcade is coming to Blu-ray on July 15 via Full Moon Features.

The 1993 sci-fi thriller has been remastered in high definition from the best available elements.

Special Features:

Audio Commentary with Producer Charles Band and Actor Megan Ward VideoZone Featurette Interview with Actor John DeLancie Rare VFX Reel Original Trailer Full Moon Trailers

Albert Pyun directs from a script by David S. Goyer, based on a story from executive producer Charles Band.

All the kids in town are dying to play the hot new video game Arcade. Trouble is once you play the game you can kiss reality goodbye. Arcade has seven levels of excitement, adventure, and terror for its players. The game transports you to another world with its stunning graphics, thrilling sound effects, and virtual reality simulation. It is the ultimate experience in a video game.

But excitement like this doesn’t...

It’s time for a new episode of our series Revisited, and with this one we’re looking back at a cult classic sci-fi action movie: Cyborg from 1989 (watch it Here), a project that teamed the legendary Jean-Claude Van Damme with late, great B-movie maker Albert Pyun. You can hear all about the result of their collaboration by checking out the video embedded above.

Pyun directed the film from a screenplay he wrote with Daniel Hubbard-Smith. The film has the following synopsis: In a future beset by chaos and violence, mercenary Gibson Rickenbacker is charged with a mission that could change everything: protecting beautiful cyborg Pearl Prophet. She holds the cure for a deadly disease that could destroy humanity, and must get it to scientists in Atlanta. But warlord Fender Tremelo, fearing that his power will be undercut by peace, intends to make sure she never reaches her destination.

Van Damme...

In the Lost Lands.Paul W. S. Anderson is beaming a boyish grin when I log into our video call. Salt-and-pepper hair aside, you wouldn’t guess that the B-movie maven was turning sixty on the day of our chat. “I’m actually getting to spend my first birthday in three years with Milla,” he says by way of preamble while I fumble with my recording device. Anderson is cinema’s preeminent wife guy, and the Milla in question is Milla Jovovich, mother to his three daughters and star of seven collaborations.Theirs is one of the great actor-director partnerships of the 21st century—she the high-kicking badass with charisma to burn, he the no-nonsense conductor of bodies in (slow) motion; the enthusiastic facilitator of his leading lady’s uncomplicated cool.The surly critical dismissal of their new film, In the Lost Lands (2025), tells a familiar story. Content to miss the wood for the trees,...

"Captain America: New World Order" is just a couple weeks away, bringing the star-spangled man back to the big screen in his own solo venture in nearly a decade. Of course, it will be Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson wearing the suit and throwing the shield this time, rather than Chris Evans' Steve Rogers. Regardless, any Marvel Cinematic Universe sub-series getting a fourth installment is a big deal ... although there have been more feature-length "Captain America" movies than just the ones produced by Marvel Studios.

Yup, today we're talking about 1990's "Captain America," the $3-million feature directed by late B-movie legend Albert Pyun. Although the film was conceived as a theatrical release, those plans changed when the production hit financial problems, leading to a direct-to-video rollout. A planned $40-million budget was canceled late in planning, dooming the project from the start. These days, the film is seen as little more than a hilarious curiosity,...

Quick Links Superman Returns Was a Muddled Mess With a Perfect Actor Superman Returns Is One of Many Questionable Man of Steel Stories Superman Returns Made Kal-El a Problematic Father Kevin Spacey's Lex Luthor Was the Worst Part of Superman Returns

The upcoming 2025 Superman film has DC Comics fans looking up at the sky with hope and anticipation for the new shared universe helmed by James Gunn. Naturally, it has also reignited the fervor among those who did and did not like 2013's Man of Steel. The main critique is director Zack Snyder simply not understanding the character. But if any director is guilty of that, it's director Bryan Singer's 2006 Superman Returns. Of the two 21st Century big-screen iterations of Clark Kent, Singer's is the one that most fails to capture his essence.

Superman is an alien, but his strength is in how he reflects contemporaneous humanity,...

Comic book adaptations have been around since the early 1940s, existing as serials for DC and Marvel's most popular characters, like Batman, Captain Marvel, Captain America and Superman - and 2025 marks some key announcements for several classic releases. Since the inception of comic book films, the genre's landscape has shifted drastically with landmark films like Batman (1989), Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, The Dark Knight, and the films in the MCU timeline.

Things will continue to shift even more with James Gunn's Dcu and Sony's Spider-Man Universe. Still, it's nice to look back on what came before in terms of comic book movie adaptations, and in 2025 there are some that will have significant birthdays. Here are the biggest comic book anniversaries that will happen in 2025.

Captain America 35 Years

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Captain America

Captain America is a 1990 superhero film directed by Albert Pyun.

Every year, movie fans around the world engage in a familiar ritual -- the ranking of our favorite films of the year. And every year, we tend to realize the same thing: Hey, this was a pretty dang good year for cinema, huh?2024 offered all manner of cinematic pleasures, from glossy studio epics to small arthouse projects. This particular list runs the gamut, striving to capture just how varied the great movies were this year. You'll find giant blockbusters alongside tiny indie releases, realistic dramas alongside gory horror movies, some of the biggest hits of the year alongside box office bombs. This varied collection of titles all have one thing in common: They brought us joy and catharsis and everything in-between. They reminded us why we love movies in the first place.If you're wondering how this list came to be, and why so many titles didn't make the cut,...

Matt Salinger starred as Captain America in Albert Pyun’s 1990 film – and the original cut of the movie has been discovered.

As much as Captain America movies now are known for whizzy special effects, for (thus far) Chris Evans wanging a shield around, and for nine figure budgets, there was a time when that absolutely wasn’t the case.

Go back to 1990, and you get Albert Pyun’s take on Captain America, a low budget affair that had its already sparse budget slashed in the weeks up to filming. Matt Salinger took on the title role, and you’ll find Ned Beatty and Ronnie Cox in the ensemble too. The film reportedly cost just $3m to make, which wouldn’t cover the cost of Chris Evans’ knitwear in the first Knives Out film.

While not on the scale of the Justice League Snyder Cut, there was a director’s cut...

A long-lost Marvel movie has finally been found. While the MCU has now brought the likes of Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America to a much wider audience, these were far from the first efforts to bring these beloved characters to the screen in live-action. After several made-for-tv movies, director Albert Pyun was given the reins to Captain America in 1990 but, sadly, the movie was mauled by those who saw it, and currently stands at just 6% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the Marvel outing has since garnered something of a cult following, and now, various reports on social media have revealed that a myth surrounding the movie is indeed true: a director’s cut exists, and it has been found.

Directed by Albert Pyun, the late filmmaker known for low-budget, high-concept genre fare, and written by Stephen Tolkin, 1990’s Captain America stars Matt Salinger in the title role alongside Ronny Cox,...

Captain America was released in British theaters on December 14, 1990. At the time, the movie was criticized by both fans and critics and earned less than its low $3 million budget. While it has since gained a cult following, there are still many controversies surrounding it.

It’s been known for a while that the original 90-minute theatrical cut of the film was heavily altered during post-production. The director, Albert Pyun, had made a 130-minute version with more character development, which many believed was much better than what was released.

Now, reports on social media suggest that the director’s cut has been found, restored, and shown to a few people. They claim it’s a much better film and that the original version deserves a second chance with fans.

This news hasn’t been officially confirmed, but multiple social media sources report that Pyun’s original version has been found, restored,...

On December 14, 1990, the film Captain America was released in British theaters. The movie was panned by critics and fans at the time, and it ended up earning less than its already miserable $3 million budget. While the movie has since gained a cult following, there are still numerous controversies related to the movie.

It has been known for some time that the original theatrical cut of the movie – which lasted 90 minutes – was butchered in post-production and that Albert Pyun, the director, made a version with a lot more character content that lasted 130 minutes and was seemingly much better than the original product.

Well, according to some reports on social media, it seems that the director’s cut of the movie has been recovered, restored, and shown to some people, who claim that it is a much better movie and that the panned film actually deserves a second chance with the fans.

Quick Links How Last Man Standing Re-imagines Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo Who Does Bruce Willis Play in Last Man Standing? Last Man Standing Holds Up More Than How Critics First Perceived It

While it sadly seems Bruce Willis will no longer be gracing the silver screen with his charismatic and captivating presence due to his aphasia diagnosis, it's important to remember that he has left behind quite a cinematic legacy with a resume full of films that are sure to stand the test of time. He's an actor who tackled nearly every genre throughout his career. Whenever his name is brought up, it's more than likely that action films like Die Hard or thrillers like The Sixth Sense are the first to come to mind. Last Man Standing is also one worth mentioning, not just because of how undeservedly overlooked and overshadowed it still is, but because it was the...

Stars: Lee Horsley, Richard Lynch, Richard Moll, Kathleen Beller, Simon MacCorkindale, George Maharis, Anthony De Longis, Robert Tessier, Nina van Pallandt | Written by Albert Pyun, Tom Karnowski, John V. Stuckmeyer | Directed by Albert Pyun

Albert Pyun’s The Sword and the Sorcerer is a notable entry in the sword and sorcery genre that has left a distinct mark on me since childhood thanks to its blend of camp, spectacle, and unrestrained imagination. Despite operating with a modest budget and limited resources, Pyun’s debut feature showcases a mix of ambition and creativity that put the film firmly on my radar back in the VHS rental days. Plus it starred Lee Horsley, who I knew as TV’s Matt Houston, so what was not to love?

The Sword and the Sorcerer emerged during a pivotal period for the sword and sorcery genre. The early 1980s saw a renaissance in such films,...

Blu-ray.com has announced that Albert Pyun’s 1982 fantasy film The Sword and the Sorcerer is getting a brand new 4K Blu-ray transfer from the British label 101 Films. The movie stars Lee Horsley, Kathleen Beller, Simon MacCorkindale, George Maharis, and Richard Lynch and is scheduled to hit retailers on October 7. Albert Pyun’s 1982 fantasy adventure The Sword and the Sorcerer may not be the most fondly remembered epic of its era, but it was wildly successful. The Sword and the Sorcerer had grossed a spectacular (for the era) $39.1 million, which actually outgrossed Conan the Barbarian in North America by 1 million dollars (at a fraction of the budget).

The description, according to Blu-ray.com reads,

“Meet Talon, a daring mercenary who conquers castles and dungeons alike with his lethal three-bladed sword. But when Talon learns that he is the prince of a kingdom controlled by an evil sorcerer, he is...

[This story contains spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.]

Unsurprisingly, much of the discussion surrounding Deadpool & Wolverine, both positive and negative, has focused on the so-called cameos in the film. Is it simply fan service? Do we care about seeing those characters again? Are they the purpose of the movie? Does it say anything about us as a culture? The answers will naturally vary and lead to a vast amount of discourse, much of it exhausting.

Deadpool & Wolverine is being used as a litmus test for various things, art, commercialism, consumerism, and the capability to have fun or not. None of those tests are particularly interesting, and I’d argue they are outside of the parameters of what Deadpool & Wolverine is actually about, which is: who decides which stories matter?

Do you remember the first Marvel movie you saw? Maybe it was Blade (1998), Spider-Man (2002), Iron Man (2008), The Avengers (2012), or any of the other numerous comic...

Even going back to the 1940s, Captain America always had one of the silliest costumes in superherodom. Decked out in the colors and symbols of the American flag, and outfitted with a shield that looks like a stubborn decal left over from a model airplane, Captain America has always projected a form of patriotic tackiness that reminds one of overheated Fourth of July picnics, mosquito bites, and stale hot dog buns. Captain America was popular enough to survive the 1940s, however, and remains popular to this day.

Indeed, one must admire Marvel Studios for taking a wet blanket character like Captain America and selling him to audiences as something exciting and dynamic. The version of the character played by Chris Evans has, as of this writing, appeared in nine of the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Many now like him again.

One of the sillier aspects of Captain America,...

When Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, and Hideo Oguni were writing the screenplay for their 1954 epic "Seven Samurai," they couldn't have predicted its lasting influence on cinema. Not only did Kurosawa's masterful direction alter and revolutionize the way action sequences would be shot, but the premise became a reliable and lasting template that multiple other filmmakers would employ in the ensuing decades. For those unlucky enough to have never seen "Seven Samurai," the setup is simple: a remote farming village is regularly looted by passing bandits, leaving them destitute. Unable to withstand another attack, the villagers gather up their modest means and hire seven rogue samurai to protect them. The samurai know that the job won't pay, but each one has their own reasons for joining the cause. Using their cunning and limited means, the samurai repel the bandit attack.

Most recently, the "Seven Samurai" premise was transposed onto Zack Snyder's "Rebel Moon.

Joe Simon and Jack Kirby created Captain America in 1940 as a symbol of American propaganda. Enhanced by a powerful steroid, Steve Rogers was given over to the American military, given a colorful, American flag costume, and ordered to pummel Nazis. Indeed, on the cover of "Captain America Comics" #1, Steve can be seen punching Adolf Hitler in the face. After WWII ended, Captain America has been adrift in Marvel Comics, only finding usefulness as the leader of a ragtag group of other superbeings. It's astonishing how successful the character has been in the last 60 years or so, given that he clearly exists as a still-living relic of the Greatest Generation. 

In 1944, Captain America first appeared in cinemas as the star of a 15-part Republic Pictures serial starring Dick Purcell. The character was altered dramatically for the serial, however. Instead of a weakling soldier named Steve Roger enhanced by steroids, Captain American...

Brazil’s Fantaspoa film festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and the festival is breaking numerous records, presenting an impressive total of 114 feature films, 22 of these as World Premieres, marking the largest number of feature films in Fantaspoa’s long history.

The final selection of feature films for Fantaspoa’s highly-anticipated 20th edition has been exclusively presented to Bloody Disgusting, so read on for everything you need to know!

The festival tells us this week, “With a diverse selection, the feature films screening at Fantaspoa Xx have been divided into seven distinct competitive categories: International, Ibero-American, National, Documentary, Animation, All-Nighter, and Low Budget, Great Films. These categories promise audiences a variety of cinematic experiences, from the fringes of horror and fantasy to the depths of the human imagination.

“In addition to feature films, Fantaspoa will screen 123 short films, totaling 237 participating works, making this edition of the festival the largest in its history.

As /Film's resident wrestling obsessive, I've written quite a bit about how sports entertainment is a formative piece of how I process the media I consume, as well as waxing poetic about my appreciation for the Adonis and Venus mortals that walk amongst us on shows like "American Gladiator." I'm of the mindset that if a person must self-proclaim they are an expert, chances are, they are not. So while I will not claim to be an expert, I will say that my knowledge of cinema featuring pumped-up women and brawny babes is, uh, stronger than most.

Sure, there are plenty of films that feature swole ladies for a one-off visual gag or a background character, but there aren't many films that allow women who are jacked to the gills to take center stage. Sometimes, the films are specifically about these towering muscle mommies, and sometimes they're just action films...

Stars: Chris Black, Briony Monroe, Megan Tremethick, Jonathan Hansler, Lawrie Brewster, Stephen Kerr, Jon Vangdal Aamaas | Written by Sarah Daly | Directed by Lawrie Brewster

When the evil wizard Akaris abducts Princess Meyra, the muscular and determined ‘Tyrol the Slave’ leads a diverse band of heroes on a perilous quest. They must navigate through an underground labyrinth, brimming with treacherous traps and monstrous foes, to rescue the princess and thwart Akaris’s dark plans.

As a throwback to a genre seemingly forgotten, The Slave and the Sorcerer is billed as “Deathstalker meets The Evil Dead”, a redux of the sword and sorcery films that came before it. Films that, at times, never took themselves too seriously. As The Slave and the Sorcerer opens it feels like this film is a little Too camp, the tongue stuck far too deep into the film’s proverbial cheek – with many of the films cast...

Al Bigley's reimagining of the 1990 Captain America costume surpasses the original in every aspect, showcasing his impressive creative talents and vision. Bigley ingeniously merges signature Captain America elements with a retro biker aesthetic, creating a unique and exceptional cosplay outfit. Bigley's high-quality costume stands in stark contrast to the disappointing and poorly made original movie suit.

Albert Pyun's 1990 Captain America movie left much to be desired in terms of Steve Rogers' hero suit. Its lackluster quality and visual appeal make it difficult to imagine any fan drawing inspiration from it. However, one fan has achieved the seemingly impossible by transforming the lamest Captain America suit in cinematic history into something truly spectacular.

Al Bigley has demonstrated remarkable vision and creative prowess with his reimagining of the Captain America costume from the 1990 movie. In two Instagram posts, Bigley showcases his creative talents with a suit that far surpasses the original costume in every aspect.

Key takeaways: Jean-Claude Van Damme's film "Cyborg" was made because of scrapped plans for He-Man and Spider-Man movies. Cannon Films had financial issues and canceled the He-Man and Spider-Man projects before they could be fully produced. "Cyborg" was a better idea than the canceled films because it didn't have the same lofty standards and was able to deliver moderate success.

Jean-Claude Van Damme's Cyborg was the direct result of scrapped plans for He-Man and Spider-Man movies. Released in 1989, Cyborg saw the Muscles from Brussels take on the role of Gibson, a warrior surviving in a post-apocalyptic landscape trying to cure a plague. Directed by Albert Pyun, Cyborg was one of a slew of action vehicles for Jean-Claude Van Damme made during the 1980s and 1990s.

The film, which comes across as Mad Max but with martial arts, was only the action star's third stint as the lead character. The...

Largely rejected upon its release back in 1987, the live-action film adaptation of Masters of the Universe (watch it Here) has gathered a cult following over the decades, and elements of the film have even been worked into the recent animated Netflix shows Masters of the Universe: Revelation and Masters of the Universe: Revolution. On April 17th, Umbrella Home Entertainment in Australia will be giving the film a collector’s edition Blu-ray release – and copies are available for pre-order Here! (Just make sure you have the ability to play Region B Blu-rays before ordering one.)

Directed by Gary Goddard from a screenplay by David Odell, Masters of the Universe has the following synopsis: When the evil Skeletor finds a mysterious power called the Cosmic Key, he becomes nearly invincible. However, courageous warrior He-Man locates inventor Gwildor, who created the Key and has another version of it. During a battle, one of...

I'm going to need you to remember back to the very early days of the MCU. Robert Downey Jr. was Tony Stark, played with all the snark and charisma you could ever want from a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist character, and Edward Norton was the tortured Bruce Banner, a role he wasn't destined to hold on to. 

A "Captain America" movie was coming up and ... well, people had opinions. Some wanted a grounded Cap, some wanted a badass Cap, and some wanted something more in line with Rdj's Tony Stark. The thing is, we had never gotten a good Captain America on screen before. We'd gotten one terrible "Captain America" film in 1990 from schlockmeister Albert Pyun ("Cyborg" and "The Sword and the Sorcerer"), and the character had pretty much fallen out of favor to all but the most die-hard Marvel comics fans. 

He was too Goodie Two Shoes, at least that was the perception,...

Lately, we at JoBlo have been championing the collection of physical media in the face of certain movies that have been getting somewhat lost due to extremely limited availability. This is especially an issue for those who partake in a digital collection of movies, which has the potential of disappearing despite purchasing them. However, there are great distributors like Vinegar Syndrome and Arrow Video that have done a fantastic job remastering rare movies for Blu-ray releases. The Mvp Rewind Collection has recently announced that the Albert Pyun action-thriller, Mean Guns, starring Christopher Lambert, Ice-t, Michael Halsey, Deborah Van Valkenburgh and Tina Cote is set for a Blu-ray release on April 9.

The plot description, courtesy of Blu-ray.com, reads,

“The world’s most dangerous criminals are summoned to a new prison on the eve before its grand opening by Moon, the ruthless leader of the world’s most powerful crime syndicate.

The 1990s were an exciting period for action films, with many of them getting released direct-to-video and showing up seemingly randomly at local video stores, requiring fans of the genre to have memberships at multiple locations to get to see everything. There was so much that if attention wasn’t paid, titles would be missed easily or rented twice under different titles at different video stores. Stars emerged within those ranks and gathered the love and adoration of fans. Here are the 10 of the best Dtv action stars of that era:

Dolph Lundgren

Let’s start with the obvious man on the list, the one that everyone saw films from at their local video stores. Lundgren had films that were released in theaters, on video, and direct to cable in some cases during the 1990s, but one thing is for sure, he was a mainstay of the action film aisle...

Before the dawn of the Millennium, the prospect of a live-action Spider-Man meant Nicholas Hammond doing things slowly with a lot of string. The short-lived 1970s Spider-Man TV show perfectly illustrated that non-animated Spidey antics weren’t really achievable, although several – from James Cameron to Albert Pyun – tried to get projects spinning. But then came the arrival of CGI, and anything was possible…

Since Sam Raimi first swung Tobey Maguire into cinemas in 2002 there have been ten Spidey movies, three more Peter Parkers, and a Miles Morales, across four discrete franchises recently connected by Marvel’s multiverse shenanigans. If that sounds complicated, allow us to guide you through the Spider-Verse with our ranking of every big-screen Spider-Man outing.

10) The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Mark Webb’s second Amazing Spider-Man had the opportunity to fix the problems of its predecessor, but sadly ended up more of the same. As previously, the...

George Maharis, a big TV star in the sixties but probably best known to JoBlo readers from his role in Albert Pyun’s The Sword and the Sorcerer, is dead at 94. According to social media posts via the actor’s caretaker, he actually passed away on Wednesday, with the cause of death not revealed. Maharis was a pretty trendy leading man in his day, with him having starred in the hip TV series Route 66, in which he co-starred with Martin Milner as two young men driving across the United States, getting involved in adventures. Taking a page from Jack Kerouac, the show made Maharis a star, but he left it prematurely due to being diagnosed with hepatitis. In 1965 he starred in a pretty good spy thriller called The Satan Bug, which came from the director of The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape, John Sturges, in which he played...

Hex Studios have unveiled the poster for their fantasy film throwback The Slave and the Sorcerer, which is described as being a gory, practical-effects-filled, ’80s-inspired sword and sorcery horror film that will be like “Deathstalker meets The Evil Dead” – and to me that sounds like exactly the film the world needs right now! If you agree, you can secure a copy of the special edition Blu-ray through the Kickstarter campaign that Hex Studios is currently running. Depending on which reward tier you choose, you could also get your name in the credits of the film, or even land an on-screen role in the sequel, The Slave and the General.

Inspired by cult classics like Deathstalker, The Beastmaster, and (of course) The Sword and the Sorcerer, The Slave and the Sorcerer tells the following story: When Princess Meyra is kidnapped by the evil wizard Akaris, the slave Tyrol volunteers to lead...

The team over at Hex Studios is on a mission to “build a British horror & fantasy studio inspired by companies like Cannon, Hammer, and Aip,” and this week they’ve unleashed the official poster art for one of their projects. It’s titled The Slave & The Sorcerer, said to be a “practical-effects-laden sword & sorcery adventure” ripped straight out of the 1980s.

“Inspired by cult classics such as Deathstalker, The Beastmaster, and The Sword and the Sorcerer, the action-packed horror-fantasy is brimming with muscle-bound heroes, seductive sorceresses, and iconic villains true to the era. Also in the spirit of their inspirations, the team at Hex built an extensive dungeon set in their studio facility in Fife, Scotland, and have worked tirelessly to produce an array of horrifically gory practical effects to please even the most bloodthirsty horror fan.”

In the film, “When Princess Meyra is kidnapped by the evil wizard Akaris,...

It’s time for a new episode of The Arrow in the Head Show, and in this one hosts John “The Arrow” Fallon and Lance Vlcek are joined by the writers/stars of the horror comedy The Manson Brothers Midnight Zombie Massacre, Chris Margetis (Stone Manson) and Mike Carey (Skull Manson). Also known as the Manson Brothers, Margetis and Carey have their own show on the Arrow in the Head Show YouTube channel, so this episode of The Arrow in the Head Show can be considered a crossover! And what movie could bring all of these titans together? They have joined forces to cover director Albert Pyun’s 1989 film Cyborg (watch it Here), starring Jean-Claude Van Damme!

Scripted by Pyun and Daniel Hubbard-Smith, Cyborg has the following synopsis: In a future beset by chaos and violence, mercenary Gibson Rickenbacker is charged with a mission that could change everything: protecting beautiful cyborg Pearl Prophet.

As always, The Academy Awards ceremony this year honored the industry's best artists who passed away over the past year with the In Memoriam segment, but there were some major snubs. The In Memoriam segment pays tribute to filmmakers and actors with a touching two-to-three-minute clip with a stripped-back piano composition played over the top. This year, Lenny Kravitz took to the stage to play a tear-jerking version of "Calling All Angels" as names and images of celebrated filmmakers swiped across the screen. Way more effort was put into it than the previous In Memoriam, which had skipped passed creatives before audiences were able to read their names.

However, while there were predictably so many shocking Oscar 2023 moments, one of the most shocking parts of the three-hour-plus event was all the glaring omissions in this year's In Memoriam. There's obviously a limited amount of time and only so many artists that can be honored,...

Albert Pyun’s 1982 fantasy adventure The Sword and the Sorcerer may not be the most fondly remembered epic of its era, but it was wildly successful. In the early 1980s, the sword and soccer genre experienced a revival, with Hollywood anticipating that Conan the Barbarian, Universal’s mega-budget adaptation of the Robert E. Howard pulp novels would be the next Star Wars. It didn’t quite happen, but before it even reached theaters, dozens of low-budget Conan riffs were in the works. One that hit theaters first was 1982’s The Sword and the Sorcerer, which grossed a spectacular (for the era) $39.1 million, actually outgrossing Conan in North America by 1 million dollars (at a fraction of the budget).

In this episode of Fantasizing About Fantasy Films, which is written and narrated by Jessica Dwyer and edited by Bill Mazzola, we dig into the making of the late Albert Pyun classic. Were...

Before Chris Evans grabbed a star-spangled shield and donned the mantle of Captain America, and even before the late, great, B-movie maestro Albert Pyun directed the straight-to-video 1990 "Captain America" movie, there was Universal's failed "Captain America" feature-length television film, which aired in 1979. Now a footnote in the history of superhero cinema, director Rod Holcomb's "Captain America" fits neatly next to the studio's 1978 "Dr. Strange" adaptation as similar attempts at seeing how Marvel's comic book characters could (extremely loosely) translate to low-budget, live-action TV material. Unfortunately for Holcomb, the project was a bit of an embarrassment.

Holcomb had already directed three episodes of Universal Television's "The Six Million Dollar Man" before taking on the task of adapting "Captain America," but the director was frightened that the production ended his career before it barely even began. The film starred Reb Brown, also known in B-movie circles from "Yor, the Hunter from the Future,...

Everyone has to start somewhere and exactly where that place may be is often of pretty dubious quality or (at the very least) rather surprising for some of today’s biggest names in the film industry. For example, we all know Jennifer Aniston had her start with Leprechaun, a film she’d probably rather forget (although we think it’s a lot of fun). Now, with current streaming services pulling all kinds of older films and television shows into their libraries, fans can get the chance to see some of those questionable choices that most likely were made to pay the bills. Here are a few of our favorites:

Elisabeth Moss in Surburban Commando (1991)

While not her very first credit, this is the Mad Men & Handmaid’s Tale star’s first feature film and it’s a doozy. For anyone not familiar with it, it’s an action comedy starring...

Last week, we posted a list of five forgotten actors we’d like to see make a comeback, and the reaction was so strong, we decided to post a bunch more! There’s a ton of forgotten actors from the 80s and 90s we’d love to have back on our screen, so let’s take a look at another group of them today.

Kelly Jo Minter

Let’s start with a horror favorite and a regular presence on the convention circuit, Kelly Jo Minter. Most folks will remember her from A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, The People Under the Stairs, and a slew of television series appearances. She was everywhere for a while in the 1980s and 1990s, then projects started becoming further and further apart, with nothing between 2008 and 2019, then nothing since. This actress is beloved by many people, and she should get a new part,...

In the article series Sound and Vision we take a look at music videos from notable directors. This week we look at Ice-t's Always Wanted to Be A Ho, directed by Albert Pyun, seen here posing on the left of our Swarez. Albert Pyun, who passed away last week, might have often been derided as a director of schlock and trash movies, but for connoisseurs of the genre the man was something of a household name. It pleased me, personally, to see that most of the many articles that followed his death were thoughtful and respectful, while not necessarily glowing about the movies themselves. But by all accounts Albert Pyun was a very nice man, a hard working director, and in my opinion, was one...

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Albert Pyun was a beloved B-movie filmmaker who brought audiences a total of 52 films as a director and who recently passed away leaving two upcoming films seemingly unfinished. Looking at his career, the man knew how to create interesting and entertaining films to say the least. His first release was the 1982 film The Sword and the Sorcerer and his newest was the 2018 film Death Heads: Brain Dead. The man seemed unstoppable, and he will be very missed. To celebrate the man and his work, here are 5 of our favorite films from the Pyuniverse.

The Sword and The Sorcerer (1982)

Pyun’s first film as a director, which he co-wrote with Tom Karnowski and John V. Stuckmeyer, The Sword and the Sorcerer is a medieval-esque epic film with magic, sword, babes, and a whole lot more. There’s a ton on here and the film goes in a few different directions, not...

Legendary B-movie director Albert Pyun passed away this week, leaving behind many glorious contributions to this column, including…

Cyborg (1989)

Director: Albert Pyun

Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Deborah Richter, Vincent Klyn

Is There A Plot?

In a completely unimaginable future where a deadly plague and the collapse of civilized society have completely destroyed humanity, a martial arts mercenary hunts down the pirate warlord who killed his family. There’s also a cyborg occasionally.

What’S The Damage?

Cyborg has the esteemed distinction of being the last movie released by Cannon Films, purveyor of such B-movie classics as Superman IV, Over The Top, and Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo, before the company went bankrupt amid an SEC investigation. It’s a film that only exists because of two higher profile Cannon failures: a sequel to Dolph Lundgren’s Masters Of The Universe and, believe it or not, a live-action Spider-man movie. In the late 1980s,...

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI, and sign up for our weekly email newsletter by clicking here.NEWSMuch-loved genre filmmaker Albert Pyun (above) has died. Working mostly with low-budgets, and often making films for the direct-to-video market, Pyun’s career spanned five decades and included films such as The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982), Cyborg (1989), and the popular cyberpunk film series Nemesis. Cynthia Curnan, Pyun's wife and producer, had recently requested messages from fans to pass onto the filmmaker, who had been ill for a number of years prior to his passing.It seems that Paul Thomas Anderson is planning to start shooting his next feature in July 2023. Little is yet known about the new project, but a casting call has been listed for a “15-to-16-year-old female of mixed ethnicity who is physically athletic and excels at Martial Arts.” Previous...

Aaron Stewart-Ahn, writer of Mandy (yes… That Mandy), discusses a few of his favorite films with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Mandy (2018)

The ’Burbs (1989) – Ti West’s trailer commentary, Tfh’s ’Burbs Mania

Explorers (1985)

The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982)

Cyborg (1990)

Masters Of The Universe (1987) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

Down Twisted (1987)

Rumble In The Bronx (1996)

Green Book (2018)

Hellraiser (1987)

Nemesis (1992)

Heat (1995)

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind a.k.a. Warriors of the Wind (1984)

Princess Mononoke (1997)

Star Wars (1977)

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Dune (1984)

Blue Velvet (1986) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Criterion Blu-ray review

Waterworld (1995)

Super Mario Bros. (1993)

Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s 4K Blu-ray review, Tfh’s 30th anniversary celebration

Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

Do The Right Thing (1989) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

Minari (2020)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review...

Nick Holly, who worked in the entertainment industry as a writer, producer and literary agent and manager, has died at the age of 51, according to multiple media reports. Holly died Nov. 21 at his home in Santa Monica after battling lung cancer.

Known as the co-creator of the ABC comedy series “Sons & Daughters,” Holly began his career at CAA as a mailroom employee. From there, he moved on to become an agent at Buchwald and then launched his management company Epiphany Alliance.

Also Read:

Albert Pyun, Director of Cult Films ‘Cyborg’ and ‘The Sword and the Sorcerer,’ Dies at 69

His resume includes writing for the YouTube animated series “The LeBrons” and executive producing the film “The Weekend.” He joined forces with his client Fred Goss to create “Sons and Daughters,” a half-hour comedy about a complicated family and their daily challenges. The series was produced by Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video.

Holly,...

Kevin Spacey has booked his latest film project just weeks after winning a sexual battery lawsuit in the U.S., an individual with knowledge of the casting told TheWrap on Monday.

The two-time Oscar winner will voice a mysterious and murderous antagonist who takes control of a self-driving car, akin to Kiefer Sutherland’s vocal performance in Joel Schumacher’s “Phone Booth.”

The film, entitled “Control” and written and directed by Gene Falliaze, is about a British government minister, Stella Simmons (Lauren Metcalf), who has an affair with the Prime Minister (Mark Hampton). One night, Simmons heads home in her self-driving car to find the vehicle remotely hijacked by someone who knows her secret and wants to punish her.

Shooting will take place early next year at Camberwell Studios and on location in London, while Spacey will wrap his purely voice-over role this week. The actor recently won a 40 million...

Filmmaker Albert Pyun has died, according to Variety and other sources. He was 69. Our friend Swarez, a past contributor to our site, shared the photo above when Pyun announced his early retirement from filmmaking due to health issues. Swarez noted: "I've been a fan of his films for years and had the good fortune of meeting him in Austin a few years ago. It was a thrilling experience and one of the few times I've asked someone I admire to pose in a picture with me, a picture taken by actor Michael Pare no less." Swarez was not the only Pyun fan here at the site. Todd Brown, our founder and editor, frequently expressed his admiration, wrote about his films, and shared news items...

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