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Director Eli Roth has talked about the disappointment of his videogame adaptation, Borderlands, and says its problems were partly due to Covid.

Where such videogame adaptations as The Super Mario Bros Movie and now A Minecraft Movie have made millions for their studios, Lionsgate’s Borderlands landed with a bit of a thud in 2024. Reviews were harsh, and the box office numbers were even more gloomy: it made $33m from a budget of around $110m (plus more for marketing and so forth).

Although director Eli Roth put a brave face on as he did the promotional rounds at the time, there had been rumours for over a year that things were going awry behind the scenes. First came reports that Craig Mazin had his name taken out of its credits; Mazin denied this, but to this day the film’s listed screenwriter is one Joe Crombie, which appears to be an Alan Smithee-like pseudonym.

Whether it’s the original director or not, following up all time classics in a series is a tall task. We have seen it with many of the greatest movies of all time like Rick Rosenthal having to follow up John Carpenter and Halloween or John Boorman following up William Friedkin and The Exorcist. Sometimes the original director has a go at it for contractual obligations like Tobe Hooper and Cannon films giving us Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 or for passion like John Carpenter himself electing to attempt to give us a better version of Escape from New York but in Los Angeles. Sorry, John, we still think you are wrong about that one. One director that made a career of it was George Romero. While he certainly had a varied career with things like Knightriders, Creepshow, and Monkey Shines, he is also the godfather of modern zombie horror. After Night of the Living Dead...

Whenever viewers tuned into CBS' long-running western series, "Gunsmoke," the only guarantee they could count on was seeing what dilemma James Arness' Marshal Matt Dillon would get into that week. Like most television westerns, you never knew if the new person riding into town was there to seek help or cause trouble, but chances were that the role would be occupied by an actor who would go on to a successful career.

Names like Ron Howard, Sam Elliott, Harrison Ford, and Leonard Nimoy — albeit in a culturally insensitive role — have all made a pit stop. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you'll get two prolific guest stars for the price of one — such as in the case of "One Killer on Ice."

The season 10 episode stars John Drew Barrymore, son of Hollywood legend John Barrymore and father of Drew Barrymore, as Anderson, a suave bounty hunter who rolls into Dodge City with a proposition.

We have featured the work of Dylan Haley before in these pages for his fine work on Dennis Hopper's The Last Movie 4K reissue some years ago. (Also we are big fans of his key art for The Belladonna of Sadness). His work has a soft texture to it, and often a minimalist collage aesthetic, often with the credit block tucked away one of the top corners to keep maximum negative space. Here, for Jonah Malak's Mexico-usa border migrant documentary, Spare My Bones, Coyote! all of those things are in play with a quite saturated deep red, a DIY sun, cut-in saguaro cacti and burnt orange hills. This desert scene is matted with a textured bone-colour, with one of the searcher's shadows peaking just past the border. The...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

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This April, Prime Video is bringing you a lot of entertainment, from the release of the highly anticipated action horror series The Bondsman to the much-anticipated streaming release of Conclave. However, for the purposes of this article, we are only including the films that are coming to Prime Video this month and have a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the 10 best films that are coming to Prime Video in April 2025 with a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

Annie Hall (April 1) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97% Credit – United Artists

Annie Hall is a satirical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Woody Allen, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Marshall Brickman. The 1977 film follows Alvy Singer, a comedian who ponders why his relationship with his ex-girlfriend Annie Hall ended so abruptly. Annie Hall stars Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts,...

Days ahead of the release of their new album, Life, Death & Dennis Hopper, The Waterboys have unveiled plans for a 2025 tour across North America.

The tour dates will bring the Mike Scott-helmed band to the US and Canada in September and October, kicking off on September 4th in Washington, DC. From there, they’ll perform in New York, Toronto, Nashville, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, and more cities, before wrapping in Oklahoma City on October 4th. See the full list of dates below to find a concert near you.

Tickets for the tour will first become available through an artist pre-sale opening on April 2nd at 9:00 a.m. local time, with some dates also offering a Live Nation pre-sale opening later that day at 12:00 p.m. (use code Dance). The general on-sale will then open on Friday, April 4th at 10:00 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster.

Life,...

Filmmaking undeniably requires craft, but it also requires something additional that is less easy to teach, harder to pin down, and impossible to replicate. In short, it requires a kind of magic, an alchemy between the collaborators, the material, and the time period in which the movie is made. Sure, most creative people who make films as a career learn little tricks and shortcuts in order to help facilitate this, but ultimately (and to the continual annoyance of the studio bean counters), it happens or it doesn't. Just as the right actor can elevate a character and the wrong sound effect can ruin a scene, a film's original score is a key ingredient in making this alchemical mixture of cinema. While the covenant between a composer and a director tends to produce just the right kind of score the film needs, sometimes the balance is off.

While it isn't all that common,...

When Kevin Costner'sWaterworld hit theaters in 1995, it was impossible to ignore the controversy behind the production. At the time, with an estimated budget of $175 million, it was the most expensive film ever made, a record that reflected its ambitious vision of a water-based post-apocalyptic world. But the film's large scale and setting, shot primarily on the water, created major challenges, driving up costs and delays, making Waterworld a high-risk gamble for Universal Studios.

Despite the struggles and the media frenzy around its budget, Waterworld didn’t crash and burn as expected. While its U.S. box office earnings were underwhelming, it found success overseas and had a second life in home video, TV reruns, and even a popular theme park stunt show. Though it never became the major blockbuster studios predicted, Waterworld still made its name in pop culture, evolving from a financial risk to a cult classic.

Waterworld Is...

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If you are a horror fan, then there is a big chance that you might have heard about the horror streaming service Shudder, and if you have its subscription, you might be wondering what’s in store for you in April 2025. Don’t worry. There is a host of new and old horror movies coming to the service in the upcoming month, and we have listed the 10 best movies coming to Shudder in April 2025.

Fright Night (April 1) Credit – Columbia Pictures

Fright Night is a supernatural horror film written and directed by Tom Holland. The 1985 film follows a teenager who knows that his next-door neighbour is a vampire, but when he tells people, nobody believes. So, he asks for assistance from a has-been horror film actor. Fright Night stars Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse, Stephen Geoffreys, and Roddy McDowall.

I grew up in a bohemian household in Southern California where icons of the literary, film, and music worlds would often converge. On any given evening, there might be a noted author in our living room reading something they’d just written, or a titan of the fine arts drinking whiskey with my parents at the dinner table. These guests were friends of my parents, one of whom is the actor and artist Russ Tamblyn. As a kid, I knew them to be godfather-type figures — Dean Stockwell, Dennis Hopper, and...

Only deep-cut horror fans may know that there are 11 extant "Hellraiser" movies. Clive Barker kicked off the property by writing and directing 1987's "Hellraiser," itself based on Barker's novella "The Hellbound Heart." The film revolved around a mysterious wooden puzzle box -- the Lament Configuration -- that, when solved, could summon a cadre of terrifying Cenobites from a parallel dimension. The Cenobites are essentially undead sadomasochists who appear to torture their summoners to death. Being S&m junkies, however, the torture is meant to be the ultimate sexual experience. For them, pain and pleasure are one and the same.

In 1988, there was a theatrical followup titled "Hellbound: Hellraiser II." Directed by Tony Randel, the sequel took the sexual obsessions of the first movie into deeply surreal territory; a large portion of the sequel is set in Hell, a maze-like realm overseen by a sentient, building-sized obelisk called Leviathan. The third "Hellraiser" film,...

Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and Juarez (Lisseth Chavez) are in full action movie mode in Season 7, Episode 11 of “The Rookie,” aptly titled “Speed.” A throwback to the 1994 L.A. action classic of the same name, the new episode finds Nolan and Juarez trapped in a hostage situation on a bus while undercover for a public safety initiative. Meanwhile, the Mid-Wilshire team mobilizes to hunt down the suspects and get all the passengers off safely.

Directed by Jan de Bont (“Twister”), the original “Speed” stars Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock as a cop and a bus passenger, respectively, who have to keep their bus speeding through the streets of L.A. at over 50 mph. If they fail, or if anyone tries to get off, the bus is rigged to blow, thanks to the handiwork of a vengeful retired bomb squad member (Dennis Hopper).

As for “The Rookie” episode, you’ll have to...

Long before Jack Nicholson cemented his name as an icon with menacing roles like Jack Torrance from The Shining, he was a rising talent. In the 1960s, Nicholson appeared in many television shows and movies like The Little Shop of Horrors (1960). Prior to entering mainstream cinema, he was also seen in a B-movie film known as The Cry Baby Killer (1958). In his early years in Hollywood, Nicholson was finding his footing in the movement of the late 60s. But it was not before 1969 that he gained his breakout role in the film Easy Rider, a drama that served as a pivotal moment in Nicholson's career. A chance to share the screen with two of cinema's greatest stars, Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper, in a film that would redefine independent cinema.

More than just a road movie, Easy Rider explored the themes of freedom, disillusionment and the clash between societal norms and counterculture.

Hulu has officially ordered a new crime drama series based on the 1987 film, Black Widow, with Shameless actress Emmy Rossum in talks to star in the show.

Per Deadline, Rossum is set to executive produce the untitled project alongside New Girl creator Liz Meriwether and is in talks to star in the series as well. The official logline for the untitled series reads: "An FBI agent uses the secrets from a female serial killer’s past to try and find her.” Rossum will reportedly portray the FBI agent if an agreement is reached to star in the series. In addition to serving as executive producer, Meriweather will also serve as writer on the series.

The untitled series is based on 1987's Black Widow, a crime drama directed by Bob Fafelson and written by Ronald Bass. The film stars Debra Winger, Theresa Russell, Sami Frey, Dennis Hopper, Nicol Williamson, Terry O'Quinn,...

In Stephen King's "Firestarter," a child develops the ability to harness pyrokinesis. This kid, Charlie, is soon hounded by a government agency known as The Shop, who had conducted drug trials on her parents, Andy and Vicky, when they were young. Nefarious without limits, the Shop kills Vicky and kidnaps Charlie, but Andy is able to use his limited powers (known as The Push) to search for his daughter and flee with her. "Firestarter" fleshes out this perilous journey, honing in on Charlie's inner struggle and how everyone around her wants to control her powers one way or another. It's a novel about cultivating autonomy, which often takes root when one faces the brutality of the world firsthand. Although "Firestarter" isn't as thematically dense as, say, "Carrie" or "The Stand," it examines the making and unmaking of identity, with society forever ready to intrude if someone dares to stray from the norm.

The Waterboys have recruited Fiona Apple as the narrator of their latest single “Letter From an Unknown Girlfriend.” The record, written by Mike Scott and performed by Apple, will appear on the forthcoming Waterboys concept album Life, Death and Dennis Hopper, out April 4.

“I used to say/No man would ever strike me/And no man ever did/‘Til I met you,” Apple sings on the song. “Yeah, you had the charm/Charm enough to sweep me/Took me in your arms/Swore you’d satisfy and keep me.” It...

The Waterboys have enlisted Fiona Apple to contribute her distinctive, gritty vocals and sweeping piano to their new song, “Letter from an Unknown Girlfriend.” Stream it below.

The track is taken from their upcoming album, Life, Death & Dennis Hopper, and is written from the perspective of a woman calling out her former abuser. “I used to say/ No man would ever strike me,” Apple sings. “And no man ever did/ ‘Til I met you.”

As the album’s liner notes point out, “‘Letter from an Unknown Girlfriend’ could be addressed to a controlling, abusive partner in any decade, any century.”

This isn’t Apple’s first connection to The Waterboys. In 2019, she covered their 1985 song “The Whole of the Moon” for the finale of Showtime’s acclaimed series The Affair.

Life, Death & Dennis Hopper (pre-order here) is set for release on April 4th via Sun Records. “The arc of [Hopper’s] life...

As the supernatural drama "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" gained in popularity over its 12-episode first season, the show inevitably wanted to get a bit bigger for its second installment. That included adding in new characters, some of whom had a tinge of the fantastical, even if they weren't vampires. To that end, consider Daniel Osbourne, better known as Oz. As played by Seth Green, Oz quickly became a valued member of the Scooby Gang while also falling in love with Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan), the charmingly nerdy member of the group and best friend of Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar). Oh yes, and, as it's soon revealed, Oz is a werewolf, too.

Oz was a big part of the show for its second and third seasons, falling further for Willow while attempting to tamp down his lupine sensibilities once every full moon. Unfortunately, he only made it into a few...

Kyle MacLachlan stopped by Austin, Texas this week for the South By Southwest Film Festival, where he sat down for an interview with SXSW studio host Reece Feldman. The conversation soon turned to one of MacLachlan's most famous collaborators, the late David Lynch, who passed away in January this year. Feldman asked MacLachlan where he thought was the best place for new viewers to start with Lynch's work. "I was curious," he said to MacLachlan, "if you think that there's one totemic work that'll really introduce someone to [Lynch]."

MacLachlan name-dropped a few of Lynch's other films, but in the end went with perhaps the most popular answer he could've given:

"'Eraserhead is a very particular vision, almost a nightmarish vision. And you can obviously distill so much of his later imagery from 'Eraserhead.' 'Elephant Man,' again, a beautiful film, personal in a different way...

Dig deeper into Jenny Pen’s heritage with IndieWire After Dark! In March 2025, our weekly midnight movie club is revisiting three of the fringe film influences that inspired “The Rule of Jenny Pen.”

Where do babies come from? Under “The Rule of Jenny Pen,” the answer isn’t as simple as having unprotected sex or getting a visit from the stork. No, the brainchild of director James Ashcroft and puppeteer Paul Lewis has an especially complicated birth story and answers to more artistic parents than most.

Part David Lynch, part Muppet, the titular Jenny Pen debuted in theaters on March 7. She’s a Pisces who is laying early claim to the title of 2025’s favorite new horror icon, thanks to the midwives over at IFC Films and Shudder. (“The Rule of Jenny Pen” will stream exclusively on the horror platform and AMC+ starting on March 28.)

The centerpiece to a toxic...

There have already been several tragic celebrity deaths in 2025, including David Lynch and Gene Hackman. Though he was 95 years old, Hackman's passing came as a particular shock as he was discovered in conjunction with the death of his much younger wife, Besty Arakawa. His death was announced days before this year's Academy Awards, where a special speech was given by former co-star and friend, Morgan Freeman. Hackman was a two-time Oscar winner, taking home acting awards for his roles in The French Connection and Unforgiven.

One of the most impressive things about Hackman's career was his ability to play a wide range of roles. The actor could, at once, play both intense drama, like Harry Caul in The Conversation, and comedy, such as when he played the Blindman in Young Frankenstein. One of his most iconic late-career roles blended drama and comedy, playing dying patriarch Royal Tenenbaum in Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums.

Fans can relive the magic of Hickory’s underdog basketball team running the picket fence play all over again in Gene Hackman's classic movie Hoosiers. Director David Anspaugh’s must-see sports film remains a favorite among audiences and critics alike, as evidenced by its Rotten Tomatoes scores, and now Hoosiers is finding new life on streaming. On Mar. 12, the Hackman, Dennis Hopper, and Barbara Hershey flick cracked Prime Video's Top 10 Movies in the United States list at No. 9.

Hoosiers was inspired by the real-life Indiana basketball team, which played for Milan High in 1954 and went on to become State Champions. Hackman made a plethora of unforgettable movies over his illustrious career, but this basketball classic will always be remembered as one of the best sports films of all time. The critics’ rave reviews led to Hoosiers registering a "Certified Fresh" 91% on the Tomatometer, while fans’ reactions resulted in it...

Since the death of Gene Hackman, fans have been revisiting many of the actor’s movies across various streaming platforms. Now it is the turn of his 1986 underdog basketball movie Hoosiers to enjoy its time in the spotlight, and this is one of the movies that sits right up there with the best of Hackman’s long and varied career.

Charting at number four on the global Freevee chart, Hoosiers is a story that combines those classic 80s themes of small-town grit and the spirited teamwork of a group of people who are destined for lesser things until they are brought into the orbit of the one person who can help them find their true potential. While it may seem like a tried and overused plot, Hoosiers was probably the template for many other movies with a similar storyline that followed.

Set in rural Indiana during the 1950s, the film stars Hackman as Norman Dale,...

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This March, Prime Video is bringing you a lot of entertainment, from the return of beloved shows like The Wheel of Time and Bosch: Legacy to the much-anticipated thriller drama film Holland. However, for the purposes of this article, we are only including the films that are coming to Prime Video this month and have a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the 9 best films that are coming to Prime Video in March 2025 with a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

12 Angry Men (March 1) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100% Credit – United Artists

12 Angry Man is a legal drama film directed by Sidney Lumet from a screenplay by Reginald Rose. Based on Rose’s 1954 teleplay of the same name, the 1957 film follows twelve men selected to serve as jury members on a murder case where the suspect is a Latino teenager.

The late great David Lynch's Blue Velvet is available on a new streaming home.

Blue Velvet is officially available for streaming on Amazon's Prime Video. Blue Velvet marks a major addition to the Prime Video streaming library not just for fans of Lynch's work, but for fans of neo-noir and mystery films as well.

RelatedSpace Ghost Coast to Coast Star George Lowe Dies at 67

George Lowe, the voice of Space Ghost and one of Adult Swim's most iconic stars, passes away at the age of 67.

Released in 1986, Blue Velvet was written and directed by Lynch and starred longtime collaborator Kyle MacLachlan as college student Jeffrey Beaumont, whose return home leads to him being swept up in a world of sex, drugs, and violence. Blue Velvet featured an ensemble cast including Isabella Rossellini as nightclub singer Dorothy Vallens, Dennis Hopper as violent drug lord Frank Booth, George Dickerson as Detective John Williams,...

Quick Links'Law & Order' vs. 'Arrest and Trial'How 'Law & Order' Managed to Stand Out

Dun-dun! The Law & Orderfranchise has been a part of our television landscape since 1990. The original series and its spin-offs comprise a whopping 67 seasons and over 1,300 episodes. As iconic as Law & Order is, it's hard to imagine that its concept was borrowed heavily from another series. That series was the 1960s similarly titled Arrest and Trial.

If you've never heard of this show, you're likely not alone. Arrest and Trial aired for a single season on ABC and blended elements of police procedurals and courtroom dramas. To be fair, Law & Order didn't copy Arrest and Trial's premise on purpose. The similarities were only discovered after Dick Wolf pitched the series. But rather than abandon the concept, Wolf and the team chose to retool while making some distinct changes. Still, without this little-known '60s series,...

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This March, Tubi is bringing you a lot of entertainment, from the brilliant comedy-drama series Loudermilk to the beloved sci-fi drama series Timeless. However, for this article, we are only including the films that are coming to Tubi in the next month and have a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the five best movies coming to Tubi in March 2025 with a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (March 1) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92% Credit – Warner Bros.

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory is a musical fantasy film directed by Mel Stuart from a screenplay by Roald Dahl. Based on Dahl’s 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the 1971 film follows Charlie, a poor young boy who gets a chance to explore a famous but mysterious chocolate factory run by the eccentric Willy Wonka.

The news of Gene Hackman’s passing was an undeniable tragedy.

This was, after all, a man who had contributed so much to the world of cinema through performances that seemed both challenging and extremely comfortable. While he had not performed in a movie since 2004’s “Welcome to Mooseport,” an inglorious final role if there ever was one, there was always the idea that he could come back – would come back – if the character was too good to pass up.

These are 11 performances that immediately sprang to mind when we heard of Hackman’s death. We could make it twice as long – maybe three times as long – without breaking a sweat. The list of sterling performances from the master goes on and on. This is just a sample. Use it as a guide or maybe a starting point. The worlds of Hackman are infinite.

Warner Bros. “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967)

Gene...

Given the sad news that Gene Hackman, the most legendary of all actors, has passed away, tributes will (appropriately) be coming in non-stop. After all, he was the greatest of the greats, and the fact that he retired relatively early (back in 2004) adds to his mystique, as he went out at the top of his game. Given his rich legacy of work, everyone will no doubt be offering tributes to his best movies, like Unforgiven, The French Connection, The Royal Tenenbaums, and many more. Here at JoBlo, we’re gonna do something a little different and pay tribute to the star by singling out some of his lesser-seen films, hoping that maybe fans of his find something on this list they haven’t seen before and can enjoy for the first time!

The French Connection II:

While everyone will (rightly) be raving about William Friedkin’s The French Connection and...

James Marsden wants to star in a Frank Sinatra biopic.The 51-year-old actor has expressed his interest in playing the ‘My Way’ icon in a film similar to Jamie Foxx’s 2004 Ray Charles biopic ‘Ray’, and has stressed he'd like to sing live if such a project were to go ahead.In an interview with The Post, Marsden said: "To do a biopic like what Jamie Foxx did with Ray. I would love to. And you’re actually using your singing voice, as well."‘The Notebook’ star added he has always "loved emulating some of the old crooners", and believes there are plenty of "interesting stories" within Sinatra’s life that would translate well to the silver screen.He said: "I’ve always loved emulating some of the old crooners, like Bobby Darin and Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin."I always thought there were so many interesting stories of Frank...

James Marsden wants to play Frank Sinatra in a biopic.

“I’ve always loved emulating some of the old crooners, like Bobby Darin and Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin,” Marsden told the New York Post this week. “I always thought there were so many interesting stories of Frank Sinatra’s life that could be played. And for whatever reason, you’ve never really seen a movie about him.”

To be fair, Ray Liotta played Sinatra in 1998’s made-for-television movie The Rat Pack, James Russo played him in Stealing Sinatra, also made for TV (released in 2003, the movie covers the 1963 kidnapping of the singer’s famous son), Dennis Hopper played him in 2003’s The Night We Call It a Day, about Sinatra’s 1963 Australia tour, and Robert Knepper played him in 2012’s My Way, about the life of French singer Claude François.

But Marsden is still kind of right — there has...

James Marsden is open to playing Frank Sinatra in a biopic, like Timothée Chalamet’s portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown or Jamie Foxx’s portrayal of Ray Charles in 2004’s Ray.

In a new interview, the Paradise actor expressed his interest in playing the singer known as “The Voice” and “The Chairman of the Board.”

“I’ve always loved emulating some of the old crooners, like Bobby Darin and Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin,” the actor said in an interview with The Post. “I always thought there were so many interesting stories of Frank Sinatra’s life that could be played. And for whatever reason, you’ve never really seen a movie about him.”

He continued, “I just think there’s so many stories that could be told about that man — some of the really tortured and darker stories, and some uplifting ones as well. What he did,...

Keanu Reeves. Probably one of the most popular actors in the industry today, who is loved by millions. He’s an unlikely icon in every sense and has helped define eras in Hollywood, from his teen days to his action-star period. The internet can’t seem to get enough of him, and his very image started the Sad Keanu posts, the wholesome Keanu memes, and the never-ending irresistible fandom.

For a person who’s famous for staying off-grid and low-key, nobody would’ve thought Keanu would turn from a cult hero to a guy who’s literally everywhere right now! The internet shouldn’t let us deviate from how talented an actor he is, and his versatility, especially; roles in comedies, romantic dramas, art-house films, and thriller/action flicks, has truly given new definitions to the range of his fan base.

In this article, we’ll be charting his growth...

The 1960s and '70s were a turbulent time in myriad aspects for people all over the world. The United States was mired in a pointless war in Vietnam, while, at home, the nation's young populace were taking to the streets to protest this conflict as well as to show support for the Civil Rights Movement, women's equality, and other social/political causes. As often occurs during such highly contentious times, art got revolutionary and deeply weird.

Inspired by experimentation with consciousness-altering substances like marijuana and acid, artists in a variety of media explored psychedelia with gleefully reckless abandon. The Beatles recorded "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," Dennis Hopper made "Easy Rider," and designers incorporated the loud, swirling colors of this creative movement into clothing and home fashions. Shag carpeting became a thing, and people dug it so much they put it on their walls. The whole world had gone groovy,...

Actor Dennis Hopper was the kind of artist myths are made from. He was an incredibly talented performer with a larger-than-life personality that frequently got him into trouble. His reckless behavior and intense drug abuse could make him incredibly difficult to work with, and he even tried to get Marlon Brando to fist-fight him after a misunderstanding before the filming of "Apocalypse Now," leading to the two being separated on set at all times. In the mid-1970s, however, he behaved so badly while filming a movie in Australia that he was not only declared dead on his feet and banned from driving a car in the state of Victoria ever again, but he was also kicked right on out of the country.

That movie was "Mad Dog Morgan," a disturbing 1976 outback Western based on the true life misdeeds of bushranger and outlaw Dan Morgan (whom Hopper played in the film). The Ozploitation,...

The 2010s was a pivotal time for animated movies. Disney ushered in the new decade with its action-adventure film Tangled while DreamWorks started a successful fantasy franchise with How to Train Your Dragon. Recently retired animation studio Blue Sky made fan-favorite Rio and the next installment of the Ice Age franchise, Ice Age: Continental Drift. As the decade continued, so did the expansive catalog of films, including Kubo and the Two Strings, Zootopia, and Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse.

These films made a lasting impact that projected the path ahead for many of these studios. Some animated films, however, failed to grab the audience's attention the way these titles did. Whether due to lackluster marketing or mixed critical reviews, these films still deserve to be discussed for their originality and broadening of the animation field.

Alpha and Omega Failed to Find Its Audience This Series Has 6 Films That Are Even Less...

Many of our favorite Masters of Horror actually found themselves being accidentally thrust into this position after an early genre success, with very few of them actively choosing to only tell scary stories. From Stephen King to John Carpenter, there are many such cases, but I think that one of the most curious examples of a renaissance man who found himself backed into a spooky corner is that of the legendary George A. Romero.

The father of the modern zombie movie, Romero was also a deeply passionate idealist and multitalented artist with ideas spanning multiple genres. And while most of his fans focus on success of his Living Dead films (and the occasional obscure gem like Martin), today I’d like to discuss the director’s most overlooked feature, 1981’s Knightriders – a film that I think will appeal to hardcore horror fans despite featuring almost none of Romero’s penchant for exaggerated blood and guts.

Receiving 4.5 out of 5 from our reviewer Erica Vilkus Cara set Pigeon Shine FrightFest on fire last year at its sold out performance. Directed by Hayden Hewitt this gore-filled psychological horror is now avalible for everyone to enjoy so we caught up with the man behind the amazing movie.

Starring Elle O’Hara as the eponymous Cara – a young woman whose world is spiralling out of control. Haunted by her traumatic past, she lives with a mentally unstable roommate and struggles with a failed career as an online sex worker. Her father is unable to communicate, while her well-meaning mother offers little support. But above all, Cara is consumed by a terrifying belief that there’s a conspiracy to send her back to the harrowing institution.

With James Dreyfus, Laurence R. Harvey Michaela Longden, Julie Hannan and Johnny Vivash this jaw-dropping feature debut by writer-director Hewitt demands to be seen.

Below Hayden...

The stars really did come out for the 50th anniversary special for Saturday Night Live. Introducing Adam Sandler, who performed an incredible SNL50 tribute song, was none other than the legendary Jack Nicholson.

When the camera cut to Nicholson, the applause rained down. The actor kept it simple, saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, Adam Sandler!" From there, Sandler gave a shout-out to Jack and began his song, singing, "Everyone in this room has something in common. All of our lives were changed by the show."

Sandler is known for his songs and mashups, and this one was perfect for the occasion. He sang about the cast, funny moments (including those behind the scenes), the crew, Lorne Michaels, and paid a very heartfelt tribute to fellow SNL vet and friend, the late Chris Farley, who passed away in 1997, and Norm Macdonald, who died in 2021. You can watch the entire performance, and Jack's introduction,...

There's a lot of magic that goes into the art of making movies, but it's rare that all the performers in a movie don't meet before cameras start rolling. Nevertheless, things get complicated on big-budget sets, especially when you factor in Covid-19 restrictions, reshoots, and actors who refuse to work with each other. 

With all that in mind, it's not uncommon that some co-stars aren't always on set at the same time during production. A lot of times, pivotal characters never meet in movies, meaning the only opportunities that actors get to interact would be at the table read or during the film's promotional period. Take, for instance, Tom Holland and Tom Hiddleston, whose characters never interact in "Avengers: Infinity War," despite the actors frequently appearing in interviews together. 

Surprisingly, for these 12 films we're about to cover, not only was there limited contact between co-stars at times, but some actors...

If there’s one video game character everyone knows, it’s Super Mario. Since his first appearance in Donkey Kong (1981), he has jumped, stomped, and power-upped his way into gaming history. Now, the red-hatted plumber has become the face of Nintendo and spawned countless titles.

He has become the face of the company. | Image Credit: Nintendo

Beyond games, Mario has also expanded into everything: TV shows, comics, theme park attractions, and of course, movies. While fans remember the recent entries, very few people remember the first attempt at a Mario movie: the weird and totally bonkers Super Mario Bros. (1993).

And guess what? That film featured a very surprising face: Fiona Shaw, aka Aunt Petunia Dursley from the Harry Potter series.

A Super Mario movie Nintendo wants you to forget Fans didn’t expect Shaw to be part of the film. | Image Credit: Nintendo

Back in 1993, before Hollywood figured out how...

Compromises are made whenever art and industry collide. This is especially true for movies, as it takes an insane amount of resources to produce even the cheapest feature. That’s why producers often feel the need to protect their investment by wrestling control of a project away from “rogue” directors. Quality-wise, this almost invariably spells out doom for the film in question. However, the rise of home video has led to some filmmakers getting a second chance at sharing their vision with the world.

And while we’re all aware of famously superior director’s cuts of movies like Blade Runner and Little Shop of Horrors, not all filmmakers have been fortunate enough to revisit their forlorn projects. With that in mind, we’ve decided to compile a list highlighting six director’s cuts that horror fans are still waiting for. After all, it’s never too late for studios...

Our first roundup of 2025 features some major releases; given the state of things, we should be very thankful for that. Note that our next column will include a lengthy list of new and recent novels and short fiction (one highlight is a short story collection from Burning director Lee Chang-dong) as well as noteworthy Blu-Ray and 4K releases from Criterion and Warner Home Entertainment. In other words, plenty to get lost in––thank goodness for that.

But before then, we have the following terrific texts, starting with an extraordinary biography of one of our greatest living filmmakers.

The Magic Hours: The Films and Hidden Life of Terrence Malick by John Bleasdale (University Press of Kentucky)

John Bleasdale’s Magic Hours is, remarkably, the first in-depth biography of Terrence Malick. This in itself makes the book a crucially important release. Indeed, this is an essential book on cinema, one written with...

As Hollywood still mourns David Lynch’s passing, New York’s Metrograph Theater is honoring the late auteur.

IndieWire can announce the Metrograph will be hosting all-day David Lynch marathon tribute on February 19 with Lynch’s longtime collaborator cinematographer Frederick Elmes onsite.

Elmes will be participating in panels, and also is lending his personal 35mm print of “Wild at Heart” for the mini festival. Elmes was the cinematographer on a trio of Lynch films, “Eraserhead,” “Blue Velvet,” and “Wild at Heart.”

“It’s been such a privilege to be part of David’s unique vision, one that transports us to worlds that are familiar and mysterious, frightening and dark, beautiful and inspirational,” Elmes told IndieWire with the Metrograph announcement. “I’ll miss him dearly.”

Titled “In Dreams: A David Lynch Tribute,” the Metrograph marathon will begin at 1:00 p.m. Et with a screening of “Mulholland Drive.” The program also...

Actress and rock 'n' roller Taylor Momsen made her screen debut at the age of three, appearing in a 1997 Shake 'n Bake commercial. In the ad, she noted that Shake 'n Bake dinners were an excellent sign of her mother's love, and she demonstrated the product with aplomb. It's Shake 'n Bake, and she helped. Momsen was also, at the time, working as a child model, something she recalls hating. In a 2011 interview with Bethesda, Momsen said that she recalls being busy a lot as a toddler and that she wasn't given a lot of time to spend with friends. Her whole life, she said, she was in and out of school.

That same year, while she was still in preschool, Momsen started appearing on a few TV shows, notably the 1997 "The Cosby Show" spinoff "Cosby," and in a 1998 episode of "Early Edition." Momsen's first feature film was director David Worth...

There were a lot of great pivotal moments in the action movie genre in the 1990s. From Heat(1995) to Léon: The Professional (1994), these movies dominated the box office for their action-packed sequences and innovative plots. One of the most popular movies of that decade, Speed, revolutionized the action genre. Directed by Jan de Bont and starring Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, and Dennis Hopper, the 1995 film is quintessential in the genre for giving high stakes, a realistic premise, and a new style of shooting these exhilarating action sequences that were genuinely dangerous. Speed centers on an LAPD cop, Jack Traven (Reeves), who has to save a lot of people from a bomb that will blow off if the bus drops below fifty miles per hour. This is a simple yet thrilling plot that changed the layout of action movies and also introduced audiences to a new kind of hero that defied the brooding,...

As amazing as Keanu Reeves is in the John Wick franchise, The Matrix: Resurrections, Toy Story 4, and even Sonic the Hedgehog 3, sometimes you just can't beat a classic. Ask anyone what Reeves' best action movie is, and you might get a few answers, including Point Break, The Matrix, or maybe even Constantine. But one film that you're guaranteed to hear is Speed, the 1994 action classic that temporarily gave the entire country a fear of buses.

Speed is enthralling audiences once again on streaming, as Max users can't get enough of Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock driving a bus and stopping a domestic terrorist (Speed was a wild movie!). The movie is currently putting in a strong showing on Max's Top 10 most popular movies of the week -- if it drops below fifth place, it might explode. Directed by Jan de Bont, Speed stars Reeves as Jack Tavern, a...

In 1986, one of cinema's most fiercely original auteurs released a film that scandalized the public. At the heart of his dark dissection of the American soul was a stunning performance by an Italian actress who would become an international icon. Isabella Rossellini bore the brunt of the backlash against David Lynch's Blue Velvet, but her Oscar nomination for Conclave is a long-overdue acknowledgment of her extraordinary abilities.

Isabella Rossellini is a true Renaissance woman. The scholarly farmer, filmmaker, and model is most famous for her genre-spanning acting career — which was nearly nipped in the bud by the movie for which she is best known today. Blue Velvet shocked contemporary audiences who were unprepared for its frank portrayal of sexual trauma, but today it is regarded as one of the great American independent masterworks, largely due to Isabella Rossellini's unapologetic creation of an unforgettable character.

Blue Velvet Was Reviled Upon Release,...

Speed, the iconic action film starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, has found a new streaming home this February. Fans of the action classic that shot Reeves and Bullock to stardom will be able to stream the movie on Max starting from today. It was a major blockbuster back in 1994, making over $350 million at the box office and winning two Academy Awards the year after in the Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing categories. The film was also acclaimed by critics and audiences, landing a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with renowned critics like Roger Ebert awarding it four out of four stars.

The movie, directed by Jan de Bont, also stars Dennis Hopper, Jeff Daniels, Joe Morton, Beth Grant and Alan Ruck, among others. Speed follows an LAPD officer named Jack, who's forced to get on board a bus that has a bomb rigged into the speedometer. Luckily, one of the passengers,...

One of the coolest, charming and charismatic movie stars around in the '50s and '60s was definitely Paul Newman. The definition of a movie star, Newman could have had any role he wanted back then. An actor known for his versatility, who could be dramatic, hysterical, funny and serious, Newman had it all. He has an impressive run of films in the '60s but probably none more iconic than Cool Hand Luke. The Stuart Rosenberg classic based on the book of the same name is one of those undeniable masterpieces that holds up to this day. Newman leads the way in this equally emotional and humorous tale of a man recently incarcerated after drunkenly vandalizing public property.

Of course, it's not only Newman that allows this film to blossom into the resonant journey that it is. The supporting cast, which includes George Kennedy, J.D. Cannon and Jo Van Fleet...