News

Written and directed by Michael Crichton, the sci-fi thriller Runaway had its thunder stolen by another killer robot movie in 1984: The Terminator.

It’s a wonder what author and filmmaker Michael Crichton must have thought when Orion Pictures released its moderately low-budget sci-fi thriller The Terminator in cinemas in October 1984. Not just because of its parallels between Crichton’s 1973 film Westworld – right down to Yul Brynner’s implacable, gun-toting robot cowboy, which Arnold Schwarzenegger later admitted had influenced his performance. Rather, because young upstart filmmaker James Cameron completely stole Crichton’s thunder.

Less than two months later, in December 1984, Crichton’s own killer robot movie emerged in cinemas. Called Runaway, it cost a little more to make than The Terminator (Cameron’s debut cost about $6.4m; Crichton’s film cost $8m). But unlike the former, Runaway was a box office disappointment. The Terminator made almost $80m in cinemas alone,...

Veteran character actor Eddie Driscoll, who appeared on shows such as Entourage, Mad Men, Sex and the City, and This Is Us, has died. He was 60. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the passing was confirmed by actor Jimmy Palumbo, who said Driscoll died from a saddle pulmonary embolism after suffering from stomach cancer for several months. Born on September 26, 1963, in New York, Driscoll studied acting at the University of Miami and enrolled in an apprenticeship program at the Burt Reynolds Institute for Film & Theatre in North Palm Beach, Florida. He would go on to appear in several projects with Reynolds, including the 1989 films Physical Evidence and Breaking In and the 1990s television shows B.L. Stryker and Evening Shade. Driscoll appeared in bit parts in countless hit TV programs over the years, including Days of Our Lives, The King of Queens, 24, Heroes, CSI: Miami and CSI: NY, Desperate Housewives,...

Eddie Driscoll, the veteran character actor who appeared on shows including Sex and the City, Boston Public, Entourage, Mad Men, The Last Ship and This Is Us, has died. He was 60.

Driscoll died Dec. 15 in Los Angeles from a saddle pulmonary embolism after months of fighting stomach cancer, actor Jimmy Palumbo announced.

Driscoll had a recurring role as East Coast leader Randall Croft in 2016 on the TNT sci-fi series The Last Ship, and he portrayed the loan shark Angelo “Gyp” DeCarlo in a West Coast touring company of Jersey Boys.

Driscoll also showed up on episodes of Days of Our Lives, Tracey Takes On …, The King of Queens, Cold Case, 24, Heroes, CSI: Miami and CSI: NY, 24, Medium, Heroes and Desperate Housewives and in films including Lansky (1999), Boat Trip (2002), Pavement (2002), Cellular (2004) and Blast (2004).

Born in New York on Sept. 26, 1963, Edward Driscoll graduated from Lenape Valley Regional High School in Stanhope,...

Glenn Farr, the Oscar-winning editor known for his work on “The Right Stuff” and “Commando,” has died. He was 77.

Farr died on May 25 due to complications from a brain tumor, said his friend and fellow editor Janice Hampton.

In 1984, Farr won the Academy Award for editing with Philip Kaufman’s “The Right Stuff,” a historical drama film based on Tom Wolfe’s 1979 novel of the same name. Farr shared the win with fellow editors Lisa Fruchtman, Tom Rolf, Stephen A. Rotter and Douglas Stewart.

“This is truly a beautiful, wonderful moment for each one of us,” Farr said in his Oscar acceptance speech. “We are privileged to be a part of it and the experience will long live in our hearts. We must thank our marvelous, beautiful director — we love you Phil Kaufman — for his leadership and dedication and the vision he gave to us.” Farr also offered a thank...

The 13th Warrior has a storied history–which we actually covered in a previous installment of “Wtf Happened to This Movie?!”–with the most heated aspect of the production being director John McTiernan being replaced by writer Michael Crichton, who wrote the source novel (1976’s Eaters of the Dead). But now, John McTiernan is speaking out against just this, saying The 13th Warrior is undoubtedly his movie.

John McTiernan recently sat down with filmmaker Fabrica Du Welz (the 2016 Chadwick Boseman actioner Message from the King) to discuss a number of his works, with the conversation inevitably turning to 1999’s The 13th Warrior, particularly the debate over who directed which scenes and who truly deserves credit. “The difference between Michael and I amounts to three shots…Yes [it’s my film]!” he said. “[There’s] a tiny amount of stuff added in…” McTiernan then pulled back slightly, delicately broaching Crichton himself but recognizing he may have had...

Before Michael Crichton was known as the bestselling author of works like The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, Congo, Sphere, Rising Sun, and Disclosure, and before he directed movies like Westworld, Coma, The Great Train Robbery, Looker, Runaway, and Physical Evidence, he was a medical school student who was publishing novels under the pseudonym John Lange because he didn’t want his future patients to worry that he would use their stories in his writing. Now Deadline has broken the news that CrichtonSun, which is run by the author’s widow Sherri Crichton, has secured a deal with Blackstone Publishing to get the eight John Lange novels re-published.

According to Deadline, Blackstone Publishing has made a seven-figure deal with CrichtonSun to acquire the worldwide print, eBook and audiobook rights to Crichton’s first series of novels, which he wrote under the pseudonym John Lange. The eight books comprise unconnected tales of...

IFC Films has acquired U.S. rights to “Diane,” an acclaimed indie drama from New York Film Festival director Kent Jones.

The film features a bravura turn by Mary Kay Place (“The Big Chill”) as a woman struggling to help her drug-addicted son while dealing with a simmering guilt that stems from an old transgression. It was executive produced by no less a cinematic light than Martin Scorsese. “Diane” debuted at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, where it earned the top prize for best narrative film and picked up screenplay and cinematography awards.

In a rave review, Variety’s Owen Gleiberman praised Place’s performance and called the film “haunting.”

“It’s a tender, wrenching, and beautifully made movie, and part of what’s revelatory about it is that it’s a story of boomers who are confronting the ravages of old age, yet they’re doing it with...

I don’t know if you’re anything like me, but I can often spend hours upon hours trawling through iTunes looking for new movies to buy… Usually I’ll randomly come across a title I haven’t seen in years and use the “Cast & Crew” links to make my way down the rabbit hole to the more obscure side of Apple’s digital movie service.

Now whilst many will decry that iTunes is a terrible VOD service due to Apple’s desire to lock its audience to their platforms, if you have an Apple TV or iPad be aware – there are some truly obscure films hidden away in the depths of the vast collection of movies. Some of which have been made available in the UK for the first time since VHS and a Lot that have been added to the service in their original uncut form!

So, with...

Doubt can be a dangerous emotion.

It can ruin friendships, relationships, and lives when given too much power.

Doubt Season 1 Episode 1 gave us our first look at what has potential to be a very intriguing series.

The premise, of course, is doubt.

Very few cases are clear cut. Even if someone is found not guilty, doubt still exists unless there is physical evidence.

Exonerated people often have to live the rest of their lives wondering whether their families and friends believe they are guilty.

So, while giving his blood may not have been the wisest legal move for his defense, it's hard to blame Billy for wanting to do it. Physical evidence is terribly hard to deny, and he said how important it is to him that Sadie believes he's innocent.

Personally, I'm already invested in his case and their relationship. I can't wait to find out what those test results reveal.

Ryan Lambie Sep 12, 2016

It was a camp classic in 1995, but did you know Congo was once going to be made in the early 80s with a real gorilla and Sean Connery?

"Congo is a dead project that will never be made" - Michael Crichton, 1983

Just about everywhere you looked in the summer of 1995, a pair of simian eyes stared back at you from the poster of Congo. Based on the best-selling Michael Crichton novel, Congo was billed as that year’s equivalent of Jurassic Park - another exciting creature feature with cutting-edge special effects and maybe just a tiny dash of horror.

“It’s a little like Alien at the beginning,” enthused director Frank Marshall, “in that it’s based in science fact, and like Indiana Jones at the end, with the lost city of Zinj.”

Determined to push Congo as a must-see summer film capable of competing with such...

Recently, CBS dropped the new,official synopsis/description for their upcoming "Elementary" episode 11 of season 4. The episode is entitled, "Down Where the Dead Delight," and it turns out that we're going to see some very intriguing and highly dramatic stuff go down as Holmes and Watson won't be able to locate any physical evidence to the culprit who planted a very deadly bomb explosion in New York City, and more! In the new, 11th episode press release: Holmes And Watson Must Search For A Killer Without The Advantage Of Any Physical Evidence After A Bomb Explodes In The New York City Morgue, On "Elementary," Thursday, Feb. 4. Press release number 2: Holmes and Watson are going to have to search for a killer without any physical evidence to aid them after a bomb is detonated in the New York City morgue. Also, Watson is going to be suspicious when a NYPD...

"The enjoyment of a work of art, the acceptance of an irresistible illusion, constituting, to my sense, our highest experience of "luxury," the luxury is not greatest, by my consequent measure, when the work asks for as little attention as possible. It is greatest, it is delightfully, divinely great, when we feel the surface, like the thick ice of the skater's pond, bear without cracking the strongest pressure we throw on it. The sound of the crack one may recognise, but never surely to call it a luxury." —Henry James, from The Preface to The Wings of the Dove (1909) "[The critic’s] choice of best salami is a picture backed by studio build-up, agreement amongst his colleagues, a layout in Life mag (which makes it officially reasonable for an American award), and a list of ingredients that anyone’s unsophisticated aunt in Oakland can spot as comprising a distinguished film. This prize picture,...

From a crazy early Nic Cage role to a lesser-known film starring Robert De Niro, here's our pick of 25 underappreciated films from 1989...

Ah, 1989. The year the Berlin Wall came down and Yugoslavia won the Eurovision Song Contest. It was also a big year for film, with Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade topping the box office and Batman dominating the summer with its inescapable marketing blitz.

Outside the top 10 highest-grossing list, which included Back To The Future II, Dead Poets Society and Honey I Shrunk The Kids, 1989 also included a plethora of less commonly-appreciated films. Some were big in their native countries but only received a limited release in the Us and UK. Others were poorly received but have since been reassessed as cult items.

From comedies to thrillers, here's our pick of 25 underappreciated films from the end of the 80s...

25. An Innocent Man

Disney, through its Touchstone banner, had high hopes for this thriller,...

Amanda Bynes, 27, agreed Friday to see a counselor twice a week for the next six months to get charges of her allegedly throwing a marijuana bong out the window of her apartment in New York City last May dismissed, the New York Daily News reports.

"I understand that after a period of six months has expired, if I have complied with the conditions set forth below, the charges will be dismissed," Bynes reportedly stated in an affidavit signed Dec. 19.

Pics: Amanda Bynes' Most Bizarre Twitpics

"This is an important step in her rehabilitation," Bynes' lawyer, Gerald Shargel, said. "I am optimistic about her future and pleased with the result."

Bynes was taken into custody last May after police were called to her apartment building and allegedly saw the actress dispose of a bong out her window. She was charged with Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree, Attempted Tampering with Physical Evidence and Unlawful Possession Of Marijuana...

After her late-night arrest, Amanda Bynes (pictured above in the blonde wig) was escorted into Manhattan police station this morning where the judge eventually released her on her own recognizance. She's due back in court on July 9.

Related - Amanda Bynes Hospitalized

Bynes, who was taken into custody after police were called to her apartment building and saw the actress dispose of a bong out her window, was charged with Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree, Attempted Tampering with Physical Evidence and Unlawful Possession Of Marijuana.

Related - Amanda Bynes' Most Shocking TwitPics

People.com reports Bynes' lawyer claimed the police illegally followed her into her apartment. Judge Neil Ross also told Bynes that if she gets arrested again, or fails to return to court on July 9, he is going to "set a significant bail."

The incident caps off a tumultuous few days for the former actress, who has become something of an internet fascination given her...

Coma (1978) Although he’s known primarily as the writer of cutting edge novels like the “Jurassic Park” series, “Congo”, and “The Terminal Man” (among many, many other titles), Michael Crichton was also a director, with his most high-profile decade coming in the ’80s on films like “Looker”, “Runaway” and “Physical Evidence”. One of his earlier films was 1978′s hospital thriller “Coma”, which, ironically enough, is an adaptation of a novel not written by him, but instead an adaptation of a Robin Cook book. The hero of “Coma” is actress Genevieve Bujold, who plays a spunky young MD name Susan Wheeler at a Boston area hospital who discovers that sinister shenanigans are taking place right under her nose. Unfortunately for her, the conspiracy goes right to the very top, which makes her investigation into the situation problematic, not to mention dangerous to her health. Michael Douglas plays Bujold’s boyfriend, a fellow doctor and friendly ear,...

One of my Creationist friends recently questioned my enthusiasm for Ridley Scott's new film "Prometheus." He tweeted:

I tweeted in return:

He replied:

Intelligent Design is the disguise by which Creationists are attempting to infiltrate American schoolrooms and textbooks with their theology. I have no problem at all that they believe God created the heavens, earth and Man, and on the seventh day, he rested. They can even believe that this happened around 10,000 years ago, as about 46% of Americans do.

What I object to is the fraudulent "science" by which they attempt to smuggle this religious belief into classrooms. A Biblical explanation for creation no more belongs in a textbook than any other creation myth, such as the Native American belief than we were all given birth by an Earth Mother, with a Spider Women acting as midwife. Now that ID has been thoroughly debunked, the tactic has shifted to: "Teach the controversy.

Jo (Sela ward) is thrown against a mirror and hovers between consciousness, as a man walks around the room, which we know can only be Curtis (Jason Wiles) and throws bullets around. 48 hours earlier Jo spots a man outside the courtroom, who is revealed as Frank (Michael Weston). Serena (Jenn Proske) is distraught over Curtis walking free. Jo is adamant they will get him. The Senator (Jeffrey Nordling) asks how she can say that. Jo isn't involved in the case and "the case still fell apart." That's a damning indictment against Lindsay (Anna Belknap) and her skills if ever there was one, ha. 3 years ago Washington DC, a flashback to Jo meeting the Senator and Serena. He doesn't want any press involvement that's why he called in the FBI. Serena was drinking and blames herself. Present day Jo gets out the evidence and Mac (Gary Sinise) reaffirms she can't be on this case,...

Disc Dish recently spoke with actress Theresa Russell on the eve of the release of Track 29, (DVD $14.98, Image Entertainment, available on Feb. 21, 2012), the 1988 comedy-drama in which she stars alongside Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Christopher Lloyd (Piranha) and Sandra Bernhard (Dinner Rush).

Written by Dennis Potter and directed by Ms. Russell’s then-husband Nicolas Roeg (The Man Who Fell To Earth), Track 29 is an eccentric fantasy-reality juggler if ever there was one. In it, she portrays Linda, a bored housewife who becomes captivated by the handsome young hitchhiker Martin (Oldman), who suddenly “drops” into her life. After Martin claims that he’s the child that she gave up for adoption after a teen pregnancy, Linda must deal with a series of increasingly bizarre events, which may or may not be transpiring solely in her own lonely head.

Not a great film but far from a forgettable one,...

Having trouble convincing your better half to watch your film of choice? Then you might find the following advice rather useful…

It’s very rare that you end up in a relationship with someone who likes exactly the same films as you, and then who wants to watch them at the same time. In fact, there’s a strong argument that it wouldn’t be much of a relationship were that the case.

However, most of us can relate to the moment where you excitedly take delivery of a new movie, and then plan an evening viewing of said film. Lots of us will be facing this very conundrum, for example, when Drive turns up on disc. Because in any relationship, the brutal truth tends to be that there are moments when your partner declares that they don’t want to watch the same film, and thus, you don’t watch it.

Last month she was arrested for running over a no parking sign and leaving it without reporting it to the police, but Heather Locklear won’t be facing any official charges.

The “Melrose Place” actress has been cleared of her hit-and-run misdemeanor as police can’t prove that she was the one driving the car involved.

District Attorney Gregory D. Totten told press, "Physical evidence established that the vehicle involved in the collision was ... registered a 2005 black BMW sedan registered to Richard and Heather Sambora of Westlake Village.”

He continued, "Insufficient evidence exists to establish who the driver of the vehicle was at the time of the collision. As a result, no criminal charges will be filed."...

Heather Locklear has been cleared over an alleged hit-and-run incident after officials rejected the case due to a lack of evidence. The "Melrose Place" star was alleged to have been arrested and cited after failing to alert police about a collision with a road sign in Westlake Village, California in April.

Ventura County Sheriff's Department officials responded to calls of a one-vehicle crash and discovered a car had mounted a curb and knocked over a 'no parking' post. The investigation led deputies to Locklear's home nearby and they linked damage to her BMW to the collision, but her legal representative, Blair Berk, was adamant her client was not behind the wheel at the time of the crash.

And now the case has been thrown out by officials. A statement from Ventura District Attorney Gregory D. Totten reads, "Physical evidence established that the vehicle involved in the collision was... registered to...

Heather Locklear has been cleared over an alleged hit-and-run incident after officials rejected the case due to a lack of evidence.

The Melrose Place star was alleged to have been arrested and cited after failing to alert police about a collision with a road sign in Westlake Village, California last month.

Ventura County Sheriff’s Department officials responded to calls of a one-vehicle crash and discovered a car had mounted a curb and knocked over a 'no parking' post.

The investigation led deputies to Locklear's home nearby and they linked damage to her BMW to the collision, but her legal representative, Blair Berk, was adamant her client was not behind the wheel at the time of the crash.

And now the case has been thrown out by officials.

A statement from Ventura District Attorney Gregory D. Totten reads, "Physical evidence established that the vehicle involved in the collision was... registered to Richard and Heather Sambora of Westlake Village. Insufficient evidence exists to establish who the driver of the vehicle was at the time of the collision. As a result, no criminal charges will be filed."

Locklear, who bought the BMW when she was married to Bon Jovi rocker Richie Sambora, is currently serving a three-year probation term after she pleaded no contest to reckless driving following a DUI arrest in 2008.

Actress Heather Locklear will not be charged in her recent misdemeanor hit-and-run accident, "Extra" has learned.

The statement from the district attorney read: "An investigation conducted by the Ventura County Sheriff's Department revealed that on April 17, 2010, at approximately 4 am, a hit and run, in violation of California Vehicle Code section 20002, occurred on Lakeview Canyon Road in the city of Thousand Oaks, where a driver collided with a "No Parking" sign and left the scene without...

Prosecutors have thrown out misdemeanour hit-and-run charges against Heather Locklear. The actress was arrested on April 17 by police in Ventura County who claimed that she ran over a no parking sign and then fled the scene, reports People. Sheriffs traced debris left on the street back to the 48-year-old's car. Ventura District Attorney Gregory Totten said: "Physical evidence established that the vehicle involved in the collision (more)...

Heather Locklear won't face criminal charges after she was accused of knocking over a "no parking" sign and leaving the scene last month in Westlake Village, California. A rep from the office of the Ventura County District Attorney tells "The Insider": "Physical evidence established that the vehicle involved in the collision was a 2005 black BMW sedan registered to Richard and Heather Sambora of Westlake Village. "Insufficient evidence exists to establish who the driver of the vehicle was at the time of the collision. As a result, no criminal charges will be filed."

[Read full story on The Insider]...

Although most of the nation is celebrating today, some very sad news has just arrived. Legendary author, screenwriter, and filmmaker Michael Crichton has died. He was 66 years old and died suddenly in Los Angeles on Tuesday "after a courageous and private battle against cancer." In addition to all of his books that have served as inspiration for so many wonderful films, Crichton directed a few films of his own, including Westworld, Runaway, and Physical Evidence. He will forever be known as the brilliant mind behind the imaginative worlds of Jurassic Park, Congo, Twister, Sphere, The Andromeda Strain, and The 13th Warrior as well as "ER" on TV. His legacy, and his great stories, will surely live on forever. Without Crichton, we would have never seen dinosaurs come to life or seen Dustin Hoffman explore a spaceship at the bottom of the ocean. He is as important as all the directors...

Bestselling Jurassic Park author and filmmaker Michael Crichton has lost his battle with cancer in Los Angeles. He was 66.

Crichton, who also wrote sex thriller Disclosure and co-created hit TV series ER, was 66.

In a statement, the author's representative says, "While the world knew him as a great story teller that challenged our preconceived notions about the world around us, and entertained us all while doing so, Michael Crichton was a devoted husband, loving father and generous friend who inspired each of us to strive to see the wonders of our world through new eyes.

"He did this with a wry sense of humour that those who were privileged to know him personally will never forget."

A family insider tells website MomLogic.com, "Michael's family respectfully asks for privacy during this difficult time."

Crichton was born in Chicago, Illinois but grew up in Roslyn, New York, the son of a journalist who encouraged his writing passion.

He quit studying English at Harvard University to travel through Europe and then returned to Massachusetts to study medicine at Harvard Medical School.

His early novels were written under the pseudonym Jeffery Hudson.

Crichton gave up medicine in the early 1970s and moved to California, where he began directing movies based on his books.

His big break came with 1973 cult movie Westworld.

He almost became an actor in the mid-1970s when director Nicolas Roeg called on him to play the alien David Bowie eventually portrayed in The Man Who Fell to Earth. To date, his only acting role came in 1971's The Andromeda Strain, in which he played an uncredited surgeon.

The author/director starred in his own real-life drama in 2002 when he was tied up and robbed at gunpoint by masked men in his Santa Monica, California home.

Married five times, Crichton leaves behind one child, Taylor.

His bestselling novels and hit screenplays also include Twister, Congo, The Great Train Robbery and all the Jurassic Park sequels.

As a filmmaker, he directed the movies Physical Evidence, Runaway and The First Great Train Robbery, among others.