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At the end of Steven Spielberg's 1975 creature feature "Jaws," Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), Brody (Roy Scheider), and the grizzled Quint (Robert Shaw) have piloted a boat out into the ocean around Amity Island to apprehend a great white shark that has been eating the locals. Their initial plan is for Hooper to get in a shark-proof cage and shove a poison-tipped harpoon into the sea beast. The shark proves to be too powerful, however, and wrecks the cage. The shark also has the wherewithal to leap onto the stern of their boat, crushing it. The shark also eats Quint. Things are looking pretty bad. 

It's not until Brody drops a pressurized oxygen tank into the shark's mouth and shoots it with a rifle that the animal is killed. The tank blows up, and the fish is reduced to bloody chunks. Hooper and Body, the two survivors, begin paddling back to shore.

When “Boulevard Nights” opened in early 1979, it was one of several major studio films — along with “The Warriors,” The Wanderers,” and “Over the Edge” — to take on gang violence as its primary subject. After the movies inspired a handful of violent incidents at theaters, Paramount doubled down on the marketing of Walter Hill‘s “The Warriors” and turned it into a box office hit; unfortunately for “Boulevard Nights” director Michael Pressman, Warner Bros. went in the opposite direction and pulled their film from the venues where violence had broken out, essentially abandoning the movie.

“Warner Bros. said, ‘We’re very proud of this movie, don’t get us wrong,'” Pressman told IndieWire, “‘but we’re not about to risk lawsuits.'” Over the years, however, “Boulevard Nights” has found the audience it always deserved via repertory screenings (it’s a perennial favorite at Quentin Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema...

There are loads of tantalizing Hollywood casting what-ifs. Tom Selleck would've played Indiana Jones had he not been previously committed to CBS' "Magnum P.I." Pierce Brosnan was set to succeed Roger Moore as James Bond after "A View to a Kill," but NBC, realizing the star of their just-canceled "Remington Steele," was a hot commodity, resurrected the show for a fifth season (after which it was canceled again). And there's always poor Dougray Scott, who had to give up the role of Wolverine in Bryan Singer's "X-Men" when "Mission: Impossible II" went over schedule.

These were franchise- and career-altering decisions. What would Harrison Ford have done after the conclusion of the "Star Wars" original trilogy in 1983? Would Brosnan have rejuvenated the flagging Bond series, thus averting the six-year retooling period between "License to Kill" and "GoldenEye?" Could Scott have connected with audiences as emphatically as Hugh Jackman did in the role of Logan?...

Devo are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their formation with 50 Years of De-Evolution (1973-2023), a new box set compiling the best music of their career. The project arrives in full October 20th, while the 7-inch version of their 1988 single “Disco Dancer” is on streaming services for the first time today.

50 Years of De-Evolution (1973-2023) comes in a 50-song 4xLP and 2xCD set, as well as a 25-song 2xLP version. Both offerings include the biggest tracks from all nine of Devo’s albums, while the super deluxe package features rarities like the 1974 demo for “I’m A Potato” and single mixes for “Come Back Jonee,” “Snowball,” and “What We Do.” The 4xLP set is pressed on clear vinyl and limited to 3,000 copies worldwide; it also features a 28-page book, a Devo air freshener, a lithograph of the album artwork, and a foldable hat matching the band’s iconic red energy domes.

Robert Swan, an actor familiar from sometimes brief but noticeable roles in Hoosiers, Rudy, The Untouchables and The Babe, died of cancer today at his home in Rolling Prairie, Indiana. He was 78.

His death was announced by his friend Betty Hoeffner in a Facebook post.

Perhaps best known for his role as an assistant to Gene Hackman’s high school basketball coach in director David Anspaugh’s 1986 sports drama Hoosiers, Swan also featured as a priest in Anspaugh’s 1993 Rudy starring Sean Astin.

Making his feature debut portraying a stagehand in 1980’s Somewhere in Time, Swan frequently appeared on both TV and in film over the next two decades, with roles in the 1984 TV-movie The Dollmaker starring Jane Fonda and in series including All My Children, The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo, Walking Tall, The Twilight Zone and Spencer For Hire.

On the big screen, he portrayed a biker in Doctor Detroit...

Robert Swan, the veteran character actor who appeared in key roles in the notable sports films Hoosiers, Rudy and The Babe, has died. He was 78.

Swan died Wednesday after a long battle with cancer at his home in Rolling Prairie, Indiana, his friend Betty Hoeffner told The Hollywood Reporter.

Swan also portrayed a Canadian Mountie in Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables (1987) and a bloodied deputy in Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers (1994) and was other lawmen in Who’s That Girl (1987) and Mo’ Money (1992).

In Hoosiers (1986), his character, the Indiana farmer Rollin Butcher, has two sons on the Hickory High School basketball team, and he’s one of the few people in town to welcome new coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman). Later, he joins Coach Dale on the bench as a Huskers’ assistant.

Swan then reunited with Hoosiers director David Anspaugh to play a priest in another classic underdog sports flick,...

Mike Hagerty, the prolific character actor who recently starred in HBO’s critically acclaimed dramedy “Somebody Somewhere,” died Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 67.

Bridget Everett, who played Hagerty’s on-screen daughter in “Somebody Somewhere,” shared the news via her Instagram on Friday.

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A veteran character actor with over 100 credits in various television shows and movies, Hagerty was also known for his recurring role in the hit NBC sitcom “Friends,” where he played Mr. Treeger, the superintendent of the apartment complex that the majority of the main cast lived in. He also was a main cast member on Fox’s “The George Carlin Show” and on HBO’s “Lucky Louie.” Born and raised in Chicago, Hagerty was noted for his distinctive mustache and thick Chicago accent and got his start as a performer at the city’s famed improv theater company Second City.

Writer Bruce Jay Friedman, who received an Oscar nomination for the 1984 comedy “Splash,” died Wednesday at his home in Brooklyn. He was 90.

His death was confirmed by his son Josh, who told the New York Times that the cause had not been determined.

Friedman, a native of the Bronx, emerged in the 1960s as a novelist specializing in dark comedy centered on self-involved protagonists with “Stern” and “A Mother’s Kisses,” followed by the plays “Scuba Duba” and “Steambath.” His short story, “A Change of Plan,” was adapted by Neil Simon into the 1972 movie “The Heartbreak Kid,” starring Charles Grodin, Cybill Shepherd, Eddie Arnold and Jeannie Berlin, with Elaine May directing.

Friedman found box office success with his 1980 Richard Pryor-Gene Wilder prison comedy “Stir Crazy,” directed by Sidney Poitier. He wrote the first draft of “Splash,” the 1984 romantic comedy about a love affair between Tom Hanks’ character and...

Our weekly series in which writers revisit for the first time in ages their youthful passions and reconsider how well they hold up with the passage of time. The late 1970’s were a glorious time to be first discovering movies. For a boy in his adolescence, there were of course the complete life-altering revelations of seeing “Jaws,” “Star Wars,” “Close Encounters” and eventually “Raiders” on opening day, surrounded by hundreds of other kids struck absolutely dumb at the spectacle before them. It was impossible to be young in those days and not become obsessed with the movies. But best of all were the comedies. It was an era when the genre was of re-inventing itself; moving out of the code restrictions that had hemmed comedy in since the dawn of Hollywood, the movies suddenly found itself let loose with acres of previously untouchable terrain to roam, and very few rules to guide them.

Former broadcaster and entertainment publicist, Mack Newberry, died at his home in St. Augustine, Fla. on Friday of natural causes. He was 89. Newberry was a prominent publicist in Hollywood who worked for more than a decade at Solters Roskin Friedman in Los Angeles. His client list included Carol Burnett, Rita Moreno, Dolly Parton, Donny and Marie Osmond, John Denver and Rita Moreno, among many others. See photos: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2014 He also worked as a unit publicist on films, which included “My Girl,” “Straight Talk,” “Doctor Detroit,” and “China Moon.” He also worked on TV series, including Steven Spielberg‘s “seaQuest.

The veteran Hollywood publicist died yesterday at his home in St. Augustine, Fl. Mack Newberry was 89. A protege of Lee Solters, he spent more than a decade at Solters Roskin Friedman in Los Angeles, working with clients including Carol Burnett, Rita Moreno, Donny and Marie Osmond, Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme and Marty Pasetta, who directed Oscar telecasts from 1972-88. Newberry also managed publicity for the Grammy Awards in the pre-cable/Internet years and was West Coast PR rep for the Tonys. He worked as a unit publicist for such films as Doctor Detroit, China Moon, My Girl, Straight Talk […]...

The website batman-on-film.com believes they have some reliable information on Zack Snyder's Man of Steel sequel from their trusted source, "Doctor Detroit." They're told that filming in Michigan will commence Mid-March at Michigan Motion Picture Studios in Pontiac. Though a date for filming on location in Michigan couldn't quite be pinned down. Their source believes that will happen "late spring (May or possibly June)." Doctor Detroit then goes on to say that the footage Zack Snyder shot at East Los Angeles College in October is "likely scrapped." It involved a football game between Gotham City University and Metropolis State University. Their source also has a Batmobile update. Apparently, there is currently some sort of shoot going on in Los Angeles involving Ben Affleck's new ride. Whether this footage will end up being used in the film or is for the purposes of testing/promotion is not entirely clear.

How does one discover a movie like The Wizard of Speed and Time in 2012/2013? Isn’t it antiquated? Isn’t it beyond overdone and dated and doesn’t the premise just fall apart in the face of what we know about Hollywood; the whole movie is one great big farce filled with anti-truths and nonsensical ramblings of a talented special effects man from 1980-whenever? First of all, none of what you have just read is true save that Mike Jittlov is one talented effects man who happens to have a keen eye for film making and a knack for storytelling that touches the heart, inspires and yet delivers a message all at the same time. This is the kind of movie you want you kids to watch if you want them to grow up to be filmmakers like you never became. Follow your dreams. Learn how to accomplish your goals and never give up.

I’m fairly certain that when you think actors in blaxploitation cinema, Dan Akroyd doesn’t top the list of performers to excel in the genre. For one, he’s not black. Furthermore, he doesn’t fit the role of the heroic African American man or woman who is trying to seek vengeance, fight crime or afford justice to a group of downtrodden individuals. And even further, Akroyd is a nerd. Yes, I said it. The man is one great big nerd pants. Hardly befitting of the kind of hero portrayed in blax films of the 1970’s, but one film crossed over the border between blaxploitation and fish out of water comedy in the early 80’s. That film is about a man with an M.D. from the north shore of Michigan. Say Hello to Doctor Detroit.

Doctor Detroit released in 1983 is the story of Clifford Skridlow (Dan Akroyd), a...

Ed Helms will soon be pimping himself out.

Somewhat literally, in fact, as the "Hangover" star has signed on to headline the American remake of "Le Mac," according to Variety.

The original "Le Mac," a French farce released in 2010, chronicles the door-slamming misadventures of a mild-mannered banker who, through bizarre circumstances involving a botched robbery, is forced to masquerade as a notorious gangster and pimp.

No, it's not a French re-imagining of "Doctor Detroit," the 1983 comedy starring Dan Aykroyd as a nerdy college professor who reinvents himself as a notorious underworld figure who looks and talks all funny.

Johnny Rosenthal ("Bad Santa 2") will be writing the screenplay with Ben Stiller producing under his Red Hour Films banner. No word yet on who will be joining Helms in the silliness involved with a dork trying to be a badass.

Ed Helms was most recently seen sporting a face tattoo that...

The episode opens inside Tara's head, with Bryce strapped to a gurney with a hood over his head. As he sings "The Logical Song" by Supertramp, Tara turns a wheel and ducks his head into a tub of filthy water. Waterboarding vs. Supertramp? I can't decide who's getting tortured worse.

Oh wait, yes I can, it's me. I hate that song, although knowing that it includes the "tackled" sound effect from an early handheld electronic football game once won me 25 bucks in a radio trivia contest.

Tara screams that she has a life to lead and Bryce mocks her about how badly her life is going. In a line clearly meant to foreshadow the Season Four we'll never get, Bryce says that Tara has "no idea how much crazy is bouncing around that lopsided skull of yours." Following a remark about Tara's nether regions far too vile for me to repeat here,...

Jeers to Fran Drescher for not knowing when to shut up.

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The Nanny veteran has returned to TV with The Fran Drescher Tawk Show, a daytime chatfest getting a three-week test run on six Fox affiliates (because that approach worked so well for The Kilborn File and Huckabee?). Despite the presence of the "Fran Band" and celebrity guests — like Drescher's "dear friends" and Doctor Detroit costars Dan Aykroyd and Donna Dixon — the show's all about Fran...

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Nan Martin was a leading character actress on stage, screen and television for over fifty years. She may be best remembered by horror fans for her role as Amanda Krueger (aka Sister Mary Helena), the mother of supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger, in 1987’s A Nightmare in Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, with Robert Englund as Freddy.

Martin was born in Decatur, Illinois, on July 15, 1927, and was raised in Santa Monica, California. She began performing on stage while attending UCLA, and worked as a fashion model in the late 1940s. She subsequently moved to New York, where she made her Broadway debut in 1950. She appeared in several other Broadway productions, and continued to perform on stage throughout her career.

She also appeared frequently on television from the mid-1950s, with roles in such series as The Twilight Zone as Laura Ford in the 1963 episode “The Incredible World of Horace Ford”, The Invaders,...

Jim Dorey at Market Saw has been writing about 3-D for longer than it was the knee-jerk reaction every studio seemed to have to every possible movie idea. So naturally, as these things get developed, Market Saw becomes a more vital resource. Please read it; Jim's a good dude.

Yesterday, he wrote that Ilm is working on the effects for Ghostbusters 3, and - here's the suspense - it's going to be in 3-D. That's the story, anyway. It would be a way to do it, that's for sure, but can you imagine Dan Aykroyd in three dimensions. Man, I'm not sure my senses can handle that much Doctor Detroit.

Yes, well, actually, I would like to write something Shorter here. But I keep getting carried away and before I know it, I’ve produced more text than I know what to do with. Despite occasional exceptions penned directly on the computer, I still initially write essays (like this one) as I Always have for almost three decades, by hand, on legal pad. So, I sorta know when I hit Five pages of blue-lined, yellow legal text, I’ve gone far beyond my two-and-a-half page target length. We’re into sudden death overtime or, maybe, overspace.

Are my subjects more epic? I think not. I’m just trying to include all the details I suddenly remember because, you know, I don’t anticipate ever returning to these topics to impart more funky anecdotes about, say, Creepshow, Explorers or Doctor Detroit. (Yes, I realize all you many Doctor Detroit fans, Detroitians...