Jake

While The Matrix is rightly billed as the most successful and inventive science fiction film of the 1990s, Alex Proyas’ criminally overlooked Dark City deserves to be mentioned on the same level. After all, the Wachowski siblings were so impressed by the visual tableau and production design of Dark City that they purchased props and parts of the set and recycled them in the first Matrix movie. Fusing neo-noir tropes with science fiction tenets and a splash of old-school horror, Proyas set out to make a disorienting Kafkaesque nightmare on par with a classic Twilight Zone episode.

Alas, when New Line Cinema saw Proyas’ original vision, they deemed Dark City too confounding for audiences to understand and forced Proyas to simplify the story by adding an unnecessary voice-over narration to explain what transpires. In 2008, ten years after the film was released theatrically, Proyas edited a new director’s cut that eliminated the expository narration and challenged the audience to do the work and follow the story themselves. Regardless of which version you prefer, we’re tuning and tunneling deep into the architectural substructure beneath Dark City to discover what the f*ck happened to this movie nearly 30 years ago.

Development

Alex Proyas began writing the script for Dark City in 1990, four years before his sophomore feature film, The Crow, was released. Proyas conceived a story that would blend elements of film noir, Gothic horror, and steampunk science fiction, citing the 1940s detective classic The Maltese Falcon as a major influence. Also inspired by Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone, Proyas deliberately set out to unnerve audiences with an unforgettably nightmarish experience.

Upon writing the script, Proyas focused on a 1940s gumshoe who obsesses over getting the facts of a crime case correct. But when the facts don’t add up to make logical sense, the detective begins losing his sanity and spirals out of control. Reaching a dead end, Proyas redirected course by shifting the spotlight to the criminal whom the detective is pursuing—amnesiac murder suspect John Murdoch.

After completing a first draft, Proyas passed the script to David S. Goyer and Lem Dobbs. Goyer had already written The Crow: City of Angels, and Proyas was so impressed by Goyer’s script for the yet-to-be-released Blade that he recruited him for Dark City. Dobbs, who wrote Kafka for Steven Soderbergh earlier in the decade, seemed ideal for the wildly outlandish sci-fi tale. It’s understood that Dobbs rewrote most of Proyas’s original script and is responsible for the vast majority of the movie we all know and love, save for the scenes requiring special visual effects. Once Dobbs tightened the script, Goyer wrote the shooting script, adding the FX-driven action sequences and the mechanics of the city’s nocturnal operation.

Casting

With the script in order, Proyas set out to cast the movie. Although he was familiar with Rufus Sewell’s work, Proyas cast him as John Murdoch because he felt audiences wouldn’t recognize him as a big-name movie star and that his anonymity would help mystify the character and add to the story’s intrigue.

Richard O’Brien was always Proyas’s first choice to play Mr. Hand, one of the bald, pale Strangers assigned to tracking down Murdoch. Proyas wanted an “ethereal, androgynous” quality and specifically wrote the part for him, inspired by O’Brien’s performance as Riff Raff in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The child companion of Mr. Sleep was played by Satya Gumbert and her twin brother Noah Gumbert, both massive Rocky Horror fans.

The key role of Dr. Daniel P. Schreber was named after real-life German judge Daniel Paul Schreber, whose autobiography Memoirs of My Nervous Illness heavily influenced the film’s themes. Concepts such as “fleetingly improvised men” and the cage-like head apparatus were drawn directly from Schreber’s writings.

William Hurt ultimately played Detective Frank Bumstead, though he was initially offered the role of Schreber. Sir Ben Kingsley was also considered. Kiefer Sutherland, when offered the role, initially assumed the script was meant for his father, Donald Sutherland, but agreed to participate anyway.

Production Design & Visual Style

After The Crow, Proyas reunited with cinematographer Dariusz Wolski and production designer Patrick Tatopoulos. Proyas asked Tatopoulos to imagine a city in constant flux—one built from fragments of different places, intentionally disorienting.

The Strangers’ original design as bug-like creatures was abandoned in favor of pale, corpse-like entities inhabiting human shells. Early drafts even featured a robotic guard dog with steel jaws.

Principal Photography

With a $27 million budget, Dark City filmed from December 1996 to April 1997 in New South Wales, Australia. The entire city was constructed on soundstages—no real locations were used, aside from the ocean pier shot at the end.

Proyas avoided the exaggerated artifice of Tim Burton’s Gotham City, opting instead for a grounded yet uncanny environment. Tatopoulos described the city as a patchwork of global architecture, designed to feel familiar but placeless.

The film was shot on 35mm using a Panavision Panaflex Gold II camera, with extensive use of natural light sources like street lamps. Sets such as the Strangers’ underground lair reached heights of 50 feet, far taller than standard soundstage builds.

The Ending, the Confusion, and Studio Panic

Proyas originally envisioned a Kafka-esque courtroom ending inspired by Orson Welles’ The Trial. That version was scrapped in favor of Shell Beach, but preview audiences were baffled by the physics of the city floating in space.

To clarify matters, force-field effects were added. Despite this, confusion persisted, leading to the dreaded opening narration—something Proyas loathed and later removed in the 2008 director’s cut.

Release & Reception

Originally intended for a 1997 release, Dark City was delayed to February 27, 1998. Title changes were briefly considered due to studio concerns, but the original title was restored after Mad City flopped.

The film grossed $27.2 million worldwide against its $27 million budget. While not a hit, it earned strong critical acclaim. Roger Ebert named it the best film of 1998 and later added it to his Great Movies list.

As of 2025, Dark City holds a 78% Tomatometer score, an 85% audience score, a 66 Metascore, and a 7.6 IMDb rating.

The Director’s Cut vs. Theatrical Cut

The 2008 director’s cut removes the opening narration and restores 11 minutes of footage. Changes include:

• Jennifer Connelly’s real singing voice in the nightclub
• Extended scenes clarifying Anna/Emma’s false memories
• Added spiral imagery reinforcing the Strangers’ control
• New character moments humanizing the murder victims

Final Take

Despite studio meddling and box-office disappointment, Dark City has only grown in stature. Its influence on The Matrix, Inception, and modern sci-fi is undeniable. While the theatrical cut was compromised, the director’s cut restores Alex Proyas’ original intent—cementing Dark City as one of the most visually and thematically daring science-fiction films of the 1990s.

The post What Happened to Dark City (1998)? appeared first on JoBlo.

Good news to kick off the New Year: Speed Racer, the 2008 live-action adaptation of the classic Japanese animated TV series, appears to be heading for a long-awaited 4K Ultra HD reissue.

Originally released to disappointing box-office results—$93 million worldwide against a reported $120 million budget—the film was widely viewed as a misfire from the Wachowskis following their The Matrix Trilogy. Despite the setback, Speed Racer has since grown into a bona fide cult favorite.

Why Speed Racer Failed at the Box Office (But Found New Life Later)

At the time of release, Speed Racer featured a then-hot ensemble cast, including:

• Emile Hirsch
• Christina Ricci
• Matthew Fox (riding high from Lost)
• Rain
• John Goodman
• Susan Sarandon

While audiences were initially lukewarm, the film’s hyper-stylized visuals and faithful anime sensibility found appreciation over time—especially when Speed Racer became one of the earliest Blu-ray releases, where its visual design truly popped.

Why Hasn’t Speed Racer Been Released on 4K Before?

The main obstacle has always been technical.

• Speed Racer was shot digitally.
• Its digital intermediate (DI) was completed at 1080p, not 4K.
• Upscaling to true 4K requires careful reconstruction and supervision.

This issue isn’t unique. Throughout the 2000s, 1080p was the industry standard for digital filmmaking, affecting many high-profile titles.

Other Movies With the Same 1080p Limitation

Several notable films were finished in 1080p, including:

• Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (remastered later in 4K)
• Sin City
• Films by Michael Mann, such as:
  • Collateral (which got a 4K disc)
  • Miami Vice (a long delayed 4K is in the works)
  • Public Enemies

Warner Bros. faces a similar challenge with Superman Returns, directed by Bryan Singer, which remains unreleased on 4K for the same reason.

What’s the Latest on the 4K Reissue?

According to The Digital Bits, Warner Bros. is actively working on a 4K remaster, with the Wachowskis involved in some capacity. If accurate, this suggests a carefully supervised upgrade rather than a quick upscale—exactly what fans have been hoping for.

When Will Speed Racer Be Released on 4K?

No official street date has been announced, but 2026 is shaping up to be the year Speed Racer finally gets the premium release its fans have been waiting for.

Will you be picking up Speed Racer on 4K Ultra HD when it drops?
Sound off in the comments below.

The post Speed Racer is coming to 4K in 2026 appeared first on JoBlo.

Mike

The early ’90s were a buffet of sexy danger for thriller fans, and today’s unheralded 1992 man-vs-man-for-all-the-marbles psycho-fest has it all. It’s a creepy stalker movie packed with all-time great actors and a look into what happens when a happy couple has their world wrecked by inner-city crime reaching into their suburban safe haven. This movie is full of sex, horror, and questionable decisions. It even ends with a fistfight in the kitchen that makes the Halloween Ends Laurie vs. Michael Myers throwdown look like a gentle cuddle. Unfortunately, it also involves a scene depicting police brutality during a boiling point in America, something that cast a shadow over the film’s release and nearly buried it forever. This is the story of what happened to Unlawful Entry.

The Simple, Terrifying Premise

There isn’t a ton of information about where the inspiration for Unlawful Entry came from. Maybe it was simply a desire to jump on the thriller boom with a psycho-cop angle. At its most basic level, the movie asks a genuinely unsettling question: Who do you call when the guy who wants your wife is a cop?

That question was explored by writers George Putnam (NYPD Blue, Deadwood), John Katchmer, and Lewis Colick, who would later write thrillers like Judgment Night and Domestic Disturbance. Largo Entertainment, fresh off several entertaining Fox releases including Point Break and The Super, optioned the script in the summer of 1991.

When Suburban Safety Shatters

The film follows Michael Carr, a wealthy but otherwise average guy, and his beautiful yet naive wife Karen. Their suburban bliss is shattered when a home intruder puts a knife to Karen’s throat after Michael fails to restrain him. The intruder flees, but the psychological damage is done. When the police arrive, Officers Pete Davis and Roy Cole take the report. Almost immediately, something feels off about Pete. His stare lingers too long. His interest in Karen is unmistakable. Even his partner senses it. From that moment on, you know this situation is going to spiral.

Horror From Both Sides of the Badge

What makes Unlawful Entry so effective is its two-pronged horror. On one level, it’s about a rage-fueled, mentally unstable cop roaming the streets of Los Angeles at night. On the other, it forces the audience to imagine what they’d do if that cop turned his attention toward their spouse.

To make matters worse, Karen is clearly drawn to Pete’s sad-eyed, misunderstood-cop persona. It’s a nightmare scenario for Michael, who soon finds himself targeted in the most sadistic ways possible. As Pete uses his authority and connections to dismantle Michael’s life piece by piece, Michael is forced to rise to the occasion to save both himself and his wife.

Jonathan Kaplan and a Perfectly Cast Trio

The film was directed by Jonathan Kaplan, best known for The Accused and a long list of music video work. His approach turns Unlawful Entry into a psychological karate kick aimed squarely at the average man’s worst fears.

Casting was crucial, and they nailed it.

Ray Liotta, fresh off Goodfellas and Field of Dreams, plays Officer Pete Davis in one of his most underappreciated performances. His presence is deeply unsettling. Sometimes he doesn’t even do anything, he just watches. His performance evokes echoes of Taxi Driver, Nightcrawler, and even American Psycho. The difference is that this Patrick Bateman has a badge.

Opposite him is Kurt Russell, who deserves serious credit for taking a role many actors would’ve passed on. For much of the movie, Russell plays a man who is powerless, scared, and being outmatched at every turn. But when the time comes, he snaps, and it’s deeply satisfying. Russell perfected this “everyman pushed too far” role in films like Breakdown and Executive Decision, and Unlawful Entry is an early example of how well he could sell it.

Roger Ebert even noted that Russell and Liotta felt like twisted reflections of one another on screen. Their face-off is pitch-perfect; more Cape Fear than traditional stalker fare.

Between them is Madeleine Stowe as Karen, delivering a performance that walks a tricky line. She’s strong, likable, and tragically blind to how dangerous Pete truly is. Stowe had already proven herself in erotic thrillers like Revenge, and here she makes Karen’s denial feel frustrating but believable. When the film shifts from stalking to full-blown slasher territory, Stowe sells the desperation and terror without losing the audience’s sympathy.

The supporting cast is stacked with reliable character actors, including Roger E. Mosley, Ken Lerner, and Deborah Offner, all adding weight to the story.

Real-World Tragedy and an Uncomfortable Parallel

Unlawful Entry was filmed in Los Angeles in 1991, and the production became unintentionally entangled with real-world events. On March 3, 1991, Rodney King was brutally beaten by LAPD officers following a high-speed chase. The footage was released publicly the next day. Unfortunately, Unlawful Entry featured a pivotal scene in which Officer Pete brutally assaults the man who broke into the Carrs’ home, partly to show off in front of Michael. As the Rodney King case unfolded and the 1992 LA riots erupted just two months before the film’s release, the similarities became impossible to ignore.

The director and producers heavily edited the scene, and the cast repeatedly emphasized in interviews that the film was intended purely as entertainment. Thankfully, audiences seemed to understand this context, and the film was able to survive rather than be erased.

Chaos on Set and a Reworked Ending

Behind the scenes, the production was just as intense as the movie itself. Liotta described Kaplan as “an intense little dude,” while Russell affectionately referred to him as “a frantic Santa Claus.” Stowe even admitted that while she and Liotta barely spoke off-camera, she found herself genuinely drawn to him while in character, a strange but telling detail.

The film’s ending was rewritten multiple times, leading to confusion even among the cast during filming. While some critics felt the final act was rushed, the chaotic energy actually works in the movie’s favor. The final confrontation between Michael and Pete is raw, frantic, and vicious, culminating in a kitchen fight that feels earned after all the psychological torment.

Yes, Even the Cat Matters

One unforgettable element of the film is the Carrs’ cat, Tiny, which was played by three different cats during production. The cat consistently prefers Pete over Michael, subtly undermining the old horror-movie idea that animals can sense evil. It’s a small but clever touch that adds another layer of humiliation and unease for Michael.

Even after everything Michael endures to save his family, the cat still chooses Karen over him. It’s darkly funny, strangely human, and maybe proof that I’ve watched this movie too many times.

Music, Release, and Legacy

Legendary composer James Horner scored the film, though not without some creative friction. Kaplan, whose father was composer Sol Kaplan, had very specific ideas about the music’s tone. The result is an underrated score that feels like a traditional thriller theme with just enough eerie restraint to avoid tipping the audience off too early.

Unlawful Entry hit theaters on June 26, 1992, opening in second place at the box office. It grossed over $10 million its first weekend and went on to earn $57 million domestically against a $23 million budget. A solid success. Critical reception was generally positive, with many reviewers praising Liotta’s performance while acknowledging some stretches in believability.

Final Verdict

Even if it doesn’t have the name recognition of Basic Instinct, Unlawful Entry remains one of the most entertaining, rewatchable, and well-acted thrillers from the golden age of the genre. And that is what happened to Unlawful Entry.

A couple of previous episodes of this show can be seen below. For more, check out the JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel—and don’t forget to subscribe!

The post Why Unlawful Entry Is One of the Most Underrated Thrillers of the 90s appeared first on JoBlo.

Chris

You ever watch a movie and, by the time it’s over, just know that one of the people in it—someone you’d never heard of before—is going to become a major star?

That happened to me when I was fourteen years old and saw Primal Fear.

A mid-level legal thriller released in early spring 1996, the film was never meant to be much more than a programmer for Paramount Pictures. Instead, it became a classic—largely because it marked the screen debut of Edward Norton. His performance made him a star overnight, earned him an Oscar nomination, and propelled him into two more high-profile supporting roles before the year was out. By the time 1997 rolled around, Norton was a bona fide movie star.

So how does a complete unknown deliver a career-changing performance?

Why Legal Thrillers Ruled the 1990s

In some ways, you can thank John Grisham—though Primal Fear has nothing to do with him directly. The film is based on a novel by William Diehl, but it never would have been made if legal thrillers hadn’t been all the rage in the early-to-mid 1990s.

Grisham’s The Firm became a massive blockbuster starring Tom Cruise, who had already scored with A Few Good Men. Its success triggered a gold rush of courtroom thrillers. Many were adapted from Grisham novels and many became hits, including The Pelican Brief and Joel Schumacher’s The Client.

Today, a film with the pedigree of Primal Fear would likely be positioned as Oscar bait—or more likely turned into a prestige streaming series. In 1996, though, a twisty legal thriller was money in the bank.

From William Diehl’s Novel to the Big Screen

With most of Grisham’s novels already optioned, other legal writers had their moment. William Diehl, a former photojournalist, was already in his sixties when Primal Fear was published in 1993. He’d previously had a hit adaptation with Sharky’s Machine in 1981, directed by and starring Burt Reynolds.

Primal Fear was a different beast. The story centers on Martin Vail, a bad-boy defense attorney who takes on the case of Aaron Stampler, a seemingly simple altar boy accused of brutally murdering Chicago Archbishop Richard Rushman. What looks like an open-and-shut case quickly becomes something far more complicated.

Vail takes the case largely for the publicity—and for the chance to go head-to-head with his ex-girlfriend Janet, the ambitious prosecutor handling the case.

Richard Gere’s Perfect Comeback Role

Martin Vail was written as a man in his forties, making the role a perfect fit for Richard Gere, who was in the midst of his “mature sex symbol” phase.

After early superstardom with American Gigolo and An Officer and a Gentleman, Gere’s career had cratered in the late ’80s. He rebounded in 1990 with Pretty Woman and delivered one of his strongest performances in Internal Affairs. Still, a string of misfires followed—particularly ill-advised period films. His miscasting as Lancelot in First Knight didn’t help.

Primal Fear was exactly what he needed. Paramount, under Sherry Lansing, backed him, and Gere slid effortlessly into Vail—a slick, egotistical lawyer who never quite crosses into sleaze.

He was surrounded by a killer ensemble: Laura Linney, John Mahoney, Terry O’Quinn, Frances McDormand, André Braugher, Alfre Woodard, Steven Bauer, and Maura Tierney. And yet, every one of them—including Gere—would be blown off the screen by an actor with zero prior screen credits.

The Performance That Changed Everything (Spoilers Ahead)

If you haven’t seen Primal Fear, spoiler warning.

Throughout the film, Aaron Stampler appears to be a traumatized victim suffering from dissociative identity disorder. His violent alter ego, “Roy,” seems responsible for the crime—a byproduct of horrific lifelong abuse.

Then comes the final scene.

A slip of the tongue reveals the truth: Aaron never existed. Roy is the real personality. He isn’t mentally ill—he’s evil. He killed the Archbishop because he wanted to. He murdered another victim simply for kicks. The stammer, the innocence, the vulnerability—it was all an act.

That reveal made the role legendary.

The Role Every Young Actor Wanted

The part was initially offered to Leonardo DiCaprio, who turned it down after What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. Will Wheaton later blamed passing on the role—choosing acting school instead—for derailing his adult career.

Pedro Pascal has said it was his first audition. Matt Damon desperately wanted it, and losing the role helped motivate him and Ben Affleck to write Good Will Hunting. Ironically, Damon would later star in The Rainmaker, another Grisham adaptation, which proved far less impactful.

Norton, an unknown, was billed sixth. Today, he shares top billing with Gere on every re-release.

A Perfectly Crafted Thriller

Norton’s performance is the headline, but Primal Fear works because everything around it is strong.

The script is sharp. Diehl’s novel is gripping. Director Gregory Hoblit—making his feature debut after TV work on L.A. Law and NYPD Blue—keeps the tension tight. Cinematographer Michael Chapman brings a moody, polished look, and James Newton Howard’s score became a trailer staple.

The film’s signature needle drop, the haunting Portuguese ballad “Canção do Mar” by Dulce Pontes, later became iconic in its own right.

Box Office Success and a Star Is Born

Released in April 1996—a traditionally quiet month—the film’s $56 million domestic gross was considered excellent. Worldwide, it topped $100 million on a $30 million budget.

Its real explosion came on VHS and cable, as word spread about Edward Norton. By year’s end, he’d landed The People vs. Larry Flynt and Everyone Says I Love You, earned an Oscar nomination, and become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after young actors.

What followed—American History X, Fight Club, Rounders—cemented his legacy.

Why Primal Fear Still Matters

Rewatching Primal Fear today is a reminder of how rare it is for talent and opportunity to collide so perfectly. Edward Norton didn’t just break out—he announced himself.

It’s one of the great star-making performances in modern cinema, and a reminder that sometimes, one role really can change everything.

The post Here’s How Primal Fear Turned Edward Norton Into a Movie Star Overnight  appeared first on JoBlo.

Chris

What are the greatest action movies of all time? It’s a controversial question, isn’t it? Any time any publication or site puts out a new list of what they consider the best action movies of all time, it can’t help but generate a ton of controversy. Nevertheless, we here at JoBlo have decided to throw our hats into the ring with a list we really hope generates some nostalgia among our viewers but also encourages them to seek out the movies on this list that they may not have seen. But first, some may wonder where superhero movies are on this list. Given how broad that genre is, we decided to stick to old-school action, so we have left them off the list, as they deserve their own ranking. There are also a few absences from the list, notably some Jackie Chan Hong Kong films (like Police Story), with those to follow in another planned list, so stay tuned! With that out of the way, here’s our Top 25 Greatest Action Movies Ever Made!

25. Hard Target (1993)

Jean-Claude Van Damme is one of the biggest action stars of all time, and Hard Target is his best action movie. Beautifully directed by John Woo in his American film debut, it’s not only gloriously violent and lovingly photographed, but it has one of the most memorable villains of all time, Lance Henriksen’s Emil Fouchon. It’s a take on the classic Most Dangerous Game formula, but it gives the heroes and villains equal screen time as they play out a game of cat and mouse, making it highly unique as an action film. One note – to fully appreciate this movie, you must see the uncensored, unrated version, which Kino recently reissued on Blu-ray.

24. Leon: The Professional (1994)

Luc Besson’s 1994 hitman drama ranks as one of the most stylish action movies ever made. Sporting a lush score by Eric Serra, and an iconic performance by Jean Reno as the titular “cleaner”, this one inspired many knockoffs. It also introduced the world to Natalie Portman, who plays Leon’s pseudo-daughter figure, Mathilda, who he helps avenge her family’s murder (Portman seems curiously mixed on the film now, though). Plus, Gary Oldman delivers the greatest villain performance of his career as cinema’s most iconically evil corrupt cop. 

23. Casino Royale (2006)

You can’t seriously do a list like this without including at least one James Bond movie. While I’d wager On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and maybe Goldfinger are better James Bond movies in terms of action, I think Martin Campbell made the best overall action film of the franchise with Casino Royale. It re-invented James Bond for the 21st century, and it is an excellent showcase for Daniel Craig. Once people saw him doing parkour, all doubts about his ability to carry the franchise were immediately put to rest.

22. Commando (1985)

Arnold Schwarzenegger became a star in Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator, but Commando changed his image from a killing machine to a more personable, loving variation. Sure, he still sends 137 souls to meet their maker, but he also establishes a loose persona as a caring dad that really changed the way people see him. Plus, Commando has some of the most creative carnage of all time packed into the insane climax. The woodshed scene alone is glorious.

21. Rambo: First Blood Part 2 (1985)

The Vietnam War was a psychic wound on America of this era, and I’m not sure contemporary audiences are aware of the cultural importance of Rambo: First Blood Part 2 in the United States throughout the eighties. Along with Commando, this was one of the first “one-man-army” movies and was endlessly imitated. It was also the second highest-grossing movie of 1985 and boosted Stallone into the stratosphere. It was also name-checked by the sitting president – Ronald Reagan – and, in some ways, paved the way for more serious examinations of the Vietnam War, such as Platoon. It’s also worth noting that the MIA issue was widely debated at the time, so of all the films on this list, it could be argued that this might be one of the most culturally significant ones. 

20. Top Gun (1986)

Tom Cruise’s Maverick is one of the most iconic movie characters ever. Rumour has it enlistment into the US Navy skyrocketed after this Tony Scott-directed masterpiece, which stars Cruise as the famously cocky pilot. From a stylistic standpoint, this might actually be the most influential film on the list – the only reason it’s this far down is that the action is mainly contained to aerial dogfights. You could also make a good case for the sequel, Top Gun: Maverick being one of the best action movies ever, too.

19. Road House (1989)

While some may chuckle at Road House’s inclusion on this list, it belongs here for several essential reasons. For one, it upends the era’s idea of an action hero. Many of the era’s biggest stars were monosyllabic types, but Patrick Swayze was different. His character, Dalton, is intelligent, stylish and cerebral, with a degree in philosophy and a low-key vibe that invites people to underestimate him – to their doom. But, the main reason Road House makes this list is that the fights in this movie feel real, with them the perfect antidote to the over-choreographed bouts that followed in its wake. In this one, people whack each other with tree trunks, and by the time it’s over, Swayze’s Dalton can barely stand. It’s a masterpiece of its kind (and we’re excited about the well-received remake, even if it will never replace the original in our hearts).

18. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

Being an action hero isn’t all about brawn. Attitude has a lot to do with it, and there’s arguably never been a hero with more attitude than Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley. He’s not a muscle man, but he’s young and street-smart. What’s also great about this movie is how director Martin Brest allows the film to be hilarious but takes the action very seriously, especially towards the end. I also always liked that Axel becomes pals by the end with the real Beverly Hills Cops that initially antagonize him. I’m cautiously optimistic about the upcoming fourth film.

17. The John Wick Franchise (2014 -)

Granted, we’re cheating a bit with this one, but it’s pretty amazing how what started as a movie that nearly went to VOD became one of the biggest action franchises of the century. At the time this was made, Keanu Reeves was on the verge of becoming a DTV star, but this reinvented him for a new generation and gave him one of his most iconic characters to play – with him becoming the most iconic movie hitman since Chow Yun Fat ditched his guns. Chad Stahelski’s take on action choreography has been tremendously influential, with every action flick that comes out nowadays owing the franchise a sizeable debt. 

16. Kill Bill Volume 1 & 2 (2003, 2004)

Quentin Tarantino has made some incredible films, but in terms of action, none was more influential than his ode to Kung-Fu cinema, Kill Bill. The first volume alone has some of the most stylish and memorable action sequences of the last quarter century, including the iconic “Showdown at the House of Blue Leaves”. Each volume is half of a bigger whole, but in terms of action, performance, direction and music, I think a case that Kill Bill is one of the greatest action movies of all time can easily be made.

15. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Not every movie is a walk in the park, and it figures that sometimes, to get excellent results on the big screen, you need a little behind-the-scenes chaos. Indeed, Fury Road was a madhouse of a shoot, with the two stars, Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy, famously feuding. In the making of book, Blood, Sweat and Chrome, both look back at the complex making of the film with regret, with it seeming like no one ever knew exactly how much of a classic it would become, with Hardy especially noting how his head he was. The result on screen was arguably worth it. George Miller took decades to get a new Mad Max movie underway finally, and the result was widely considered one of the greatest movies of its kind ever made.

14. Point Break (1991)

In 1991, Point Break was considered another quite solid action movie. Still, like another movie starring Patrick Swayze on this list, its legacy grew over time, with it being one of the most quotable and rewatchable movies of all time. It helped make Keanu Reeves an action star, and it’s one of the best-directed studio films of the nineties, with Kathryn Bigelow’s movie ripped off over and over in the years to follow- most notably by The Fast and The Furious. There. We said it. Vin Diesel doesn’t have anything on Crazy Swayze. 

13. Predator (1987)

Fact: there has never been a more macho movie made than Predator. Think about it – you have Arnold Schwarzenegger, the late Carl Weathers, Jesse “The Body” Ventura, Bill Duke, crazy Sonny Landham, and the Predator! Even before the alien shows up, this would be up there with the greatest “men on a mission” movies ever made, but when suddenly the team starts getting picked off, and Arnold has to go mano-a-mano with his otherworldly foe, you know you’re watching a classic. Also, Predator pulls off a neat trick – it makes Schwarzenegger an underdog. This won’t be the last John McTiernan movie on this list.

12. First Blood (1982)

While Rambo 2 is maybe more impressive from a pure carnage standpoint, First Blood is devastating and arguably Sylvester Stallone’s best-ever movie after the original Rocky. John Rambo is a tragic character here, and the action, while lower-key than in the next film, will blow you away, such as his fantastic cliff-dive. There’s an incredible score by Jerry Goldsmith and Stallone’s astonishing action in the shattering climax. 

11. The Matrix (1999)

The only bad thing about The Wachowskis The Matrix is that it was so good a whole slew of movies tried to copy it, only for no one to do it quite as well. Even the Wachowskis were never quite able to nail a follow-up, with none of the sequels particularly good, even if they have their fans. The first is one of the best sci-fi action movies ever, with Keanu Reeves reinventing himself as Neo, one of the millennium-defining heroes.

10. The Raid (2011)

Audiences who saw Gareth Evans’ The Raid at its original TIFF Midnight Madness screening walked out of this one feeling like they’d just been hit by a freight train. The martial arts action movie was re-invented by this, and it’s an equally impressive sequel, with Iko Uwais showing off moves as we’d never really seen on the big screen before. The sequel, The Raid 2, is arguably just as good. We’re pretty excited to see Evans’ long-delayed Havoc, starring Tom Hardy, which should hit Netflix this year.

9. Lethal Weapon (1987)

While it’s not the first buddy-cop movie, this is the one that made it a genre unto itself. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover are perfectly cast as the iconic pals Riggs and Murtagh. Richard Donner’s lean and mean direction gives the movie a pulse. The (admittedly excellent) follow-ups come close to matching, but not quite. Gibson’s Riggs, in particular, feels like one of the few truly dangerous action heroes.

8. Robocop (1987)

Paul Verhoeven’s hyper-kinetic, ultra-violent future cop movie will never be equaled, so of course it has to be on a list of the greatest action movies. Peter Weller is iconic as the tragic Alex Murphy-turned-Robocop, and it’s one of the few movies on this list that no one could ever accuse of being dated. Everything about it is cutting edge, from the novel use of miniatures to the social commentary and the excellent score by Basil Poledouris.

7. Aliens (1986)

This is unique because it’s an action movie sequel to a tight horror flick. Everyone has their own opinion about whether James Cameron’s space actioner matches Ridley Scott’s original. Still, it remains one of the best sci-fi actioners ever made, with Sigourney Weaver our choice for the greatest heroine ever. Plus, the movie also has Michael Biehn in one of his best roles (Corporal Hicks), Bill Paxton, an amazing score by James Horner and more.

6. The Road Warrior (1981)

Some will say George Miller’s Fury Road is better, but for my money, nothing matches the intensity of The Road Warrior, which is shot without the benefit of CGI and any other bells and whistles. The vehicular carnage is fantastic, and Mel Gibson, like it or not, is the definitive Mad Max. It’s a rollercoaster ride of a movie. While one could argue that the first Mad Max film was more influential, Miller always considered it a rough draft of what he wanted to do with the franchise… and clearly what he wanted to do was to make some of the greatest action movies the audience had ever seen.

5. Enter the Dragon (1973)

Very few movies on this list are as influential as the final film made by the great Bruce Lee; this movie would have broken him through to a North American audience. Granted, his dying does add to the mystique, but boy, is this ever one of the best martial arts action movies ever made? With Enter the Dragon, I wonder if English-language martial arts action stars like JCVD or Steven Seagal would have ever happened. Simply put, Enter the Dragon gave North American audiences the appetite for martial arts mayhem.

4. Hard Boiled (1992)

John Woo was at the peak of his filmmaking abilities when he made this buddy cop action flick in Hong Kong, pairing Chow Yun-Fat’s rebellious cop, Tequila, with an undercover operative played by Tony Leung. The last forty minutes of this film have never been matched from a shoot-out standpoint. Someone once told Quentin Tarantino that “John Woo sure can direct an action sequence”, to which he replied, “yeah, and Michelangelo sure can paint a ceiling.” Watch Hard Boiled and see what he’s talking about.

3. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas’s Ode to Adventure is the most iconic film of its kind, introducing us to the great Indiana Jones, played by Harrison Ford. What else can be said about the adventure masterpiece that hasn’t been said already? If you’ve never seen this movie in a theater, I urge you to go check it out if it ever plays near you. There’s something different about watching this movie with an audience in a theater, especially during the last hour, where it just goes from set-piece to setpiece. Also, has any action star ever thrown a better punch than Harrison Ford as Indy?

2. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

The best sequel of all time remains the last of its kind, being a huge budget action flick done in the old ways, with real explosions and real heart, with Schwarzenegger giving his most affecting performance as the cyborg who slowly learns the bittersweet truth about being human. Plus, Linda Hamilton as a newly musclebound Sarah Connor is one of the greatest action heroines. So many movies, including Terminator films, have tried to recapture the magic of this one, but have failed. It’s one of a kind, and definitely one of the greatest action movies.

1. Die Hard (1988)

What else could it be? Bruce Willis’s John McClane is the definitive action star, as he is a regular guy forced into action and wants to get home to his family for Christmas. Willis, Alan Rickman, the score, and everything else about this movie are iconic, but what makes it so great is that Willis isn’t a superhero but a man. Yes, it’s the best Christmas movie of all time, but it’s also – in our opinion (and that of many others) that it’s the greatest action film ever made.  

So, those are our picks for the twenty-five greatest action movies, but I’m sure there are titles we left off the list that you think belong on here with the others. Would you have included the Chow Yun Fat / Michelle Yeoh classic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)? Should the Jet Li / Maggie Cheung / Tony Leung film Hero (2002) have made the cut, or the Al Pacino and Robert De Niro pairing in Heat (1995)? Let’s discuss it in the comments!

The post What Are The 25 Greatest Action Movies of All Time? appeared first on JoBlo.

The description for the 4K release reads,
“In 1972, playwright Richard Collier (Christopher Reeve) becomes fascinated by a photo of Elise McKenna (Jane Seymour), a turn-of-the-century stage actress, while staying at the Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island, Michigan. As Richard’s obsession grows, he learns from a friend that time travel may actually be possible through hypnosis. Richard travels in time to meet Elise, and the two appear destined to be together. However, Elise’s jealous manager (Christopher Plummer) attempts to keep them apart.”

Special Features:

DISC ONE – 4K BLU-RAY

• NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• NEW Audio Commentary by Novelist and Critic Tim Lucas
• NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian/Writer Julie Kirgo and Writer/Filmmaker Peter Hankoff
• Audio Commentary by Director Jeannot Szwarc
• Optional English Subtitles

DISC TWO – BLU-RAY

• NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
• NEW Audio Commentary by Novelist and Critic Tim Lucas
• NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian/Writer Julie Kirgo and Writer/Filmmaker Peter Hankoff
• Audio Commentary by Director Jeannot Szwarc
• Back to Somewhere in Time: Documentary by Laurent Bouzereau (63:42)
• Inside Insite – The Somewhere in Time Fan Club: Featurette (3:23)
• Theatrical Trailer
• Optional English Subtitles

Technical Specs:

• Video
  Codec: HEVC / H.265
  Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
  HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
  Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
  Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Audio
  English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
• Subtitles
  English SDH
• Discs
  4K Ultra HD
  Blu-ray Disc
  Two-disc set (1 BD-100, 1 BD-50)
• Packaging
  Slipcover in original pressing
• Playback
  4K Blu-ray: Region free
  2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

The post Christopher Reeve’s most underrated movie is coming to 4K appeared first on JoBlo.

Chris

The upcoming Street Fighter movie reboot recently revealed its cast and teased some of the looks of the characters from the film. It remains to be seen how they’ll blend the tone of the game into a new feature, but prior to this newer live-action interpretation, a movie from 1994 attempted to bring the game to the big screen for the first time (not counting Jackie Chan’s nod in 1993’s City Hunter). The 1994 film is the Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle from Universal Pictures, which is a movie that has a divisive reputation among audiences and fans. Today, we take a look at it from a different angle. While it may not be a faithful Street Fighter film, I submit to you that it could actually pass for a fun satire of a megalomaniacal wannabe dictator. So, let’s break it down!

The Game Vs. The Movie

Street Fighter in arcades:
Street Fighter. In the arcades, it was pure adrenaline — bright characters, chaotic gameplay with novice-friendly button-mashing action and iconic animation and music. When Hollywood announced a live-action movie in the early 90s, and that Van Damme would be starring in it, it didn’t seem like things could easily go wrong. After all, Van Damme starred in Bloodsport, which was a martial arts tournament movie with plenty of fighters of varying backgrounds and styles. It was basically a more grounded version of Street Fighter.

Movie changes:
However, instead of a tournament story, audiences ended up with a chaotic hostage-rescue plot, starring Van Damme as the all-American Guile and Raul Julia — in his final role — as General M. Bison. Critics and fans complained that the movie felt overstuffed by trying to juggle too many characters at once. The consensus was that the dialogue leaned cheesy, the fights lacked the impact of the games, and the tone swung awkwardly between straight-faced action and unintentional comedy.

Character adaptations:
While it looks like characters were adapted from game to movie, it’s only on the surface, and for some characters, it’s only a passing resemblance. So, here are the main differences of the game vs the movie. The heart of Street Fighter II, in which the movie was based, was a world martial arts tournament. Each fighter traveled the globe to compete, each with their own motivation — some noble, some selfish. In the movie, however, instead of fighters gathering for a competition, the story is a hostage rescue mission. M. Bison is rewritten as a warlord in the fictional country of Shadaloo, who kidnaps 63 Allied Nations relief workers and demanding a huge ransom.

Key character shifts:
In the Street Fighter II video game, Ryu, is actually the protagonist and Guile is more of a supporting character. Ryu and Ken are similar warriors seeking strength and honor, whereas in the movie, Ryu and Ken are reimagined as small-time hustlers. Actors Byron Mann and Damian Chapa are in their own buddy-comedy that’s set against the war backdrop. In the game, the character of Chun-Li is an Interpol agent avenging her father, whereas in the movie, she’s a reporter on the frontlines, but her vengeance backstory is somewhat intact. In the game, Guile is a soldier whose out for justice for his friend, Charlie, whereas in the movie, he’s leading the Allied Nations’ rescue for the hostages. In the game, M. Bison is a mysterious crime lord running the Shadaloo syndicate from the shadows, whereas in the movie, he’s a comically over-the-top Bond villain of sorts. But we’ll get to him later…

Supporting cast changes:
The rest of the supporting fighters from the game have their various motivations to enter the tournament, and they would be the ones who are more restructured to fit the film’s plot in a myriad of supporting roles.

The Difficult Production of the Film

Street Fighter was screenwriter Steven E. de Souza’s directorial debut. He had previously written some of the most notable action movies from the 80s, including 48 Hrs., Commando, The Running Man and the first two Die Hard films. Street Fighter was supposed to be his big leap from action screenwriter to blockbuster director. Instead, it turned into one of, if not the most difficult productions of his career, thanks to a mix of corporate pressure, impossible deadlines, and on-set chaos.

Capcom pressures and deadlines:
Capcom, the company who makes the games, financed the movie and they gave de Souza a huge challenge right from the start: he had to write, cast, and shoot the entire film in less than a year so it could hit theaters by Christmas 1994. That tight schedule meant there was no time for rehearsals, rewrites, or reshoots. The production began filming in Thailand and Australia before the final script was even locked. Capcom would also constantly breathe over de Souza to ensure he met their ever-changing requirements by adding or removing characters, costumes, and props to match merchandising plans.

Star complications:
Additionally, Van Damme and Raul Julia consumed a large chunk of the film’s $35 million budget, leaving little for fight choreography or effects (which are pretty important for a martial arts fantasy property). Both the lead stars would also present their own challenges during shooting. Van Damme was at the height of his fame at this time and also at the height of the indulgence in his fame. Reports were that Van Damme was incredibly unreliable behind the scenes, where he would either show up late or not at all and de Souza was forced to shoot around him. He was also said to be high on cocaine the entire time. He’d get distracted from work or be dealing with personal problems. Meanwhile, Julia was in a fragile physical state at the time as he battled stomach cancer. He was incredibly thin, but throughout shooting, he did start putting weight back on, so his more physically demanding scenes were pushed to later in the schedule.

On-set conditions:
Filming conditions were said to be hell too. Shooting on location in Thailand meant facing extreme heat, difficulty with transporting equipment, and inexperienced local crews slowing everything down. Fights were shortened or improvised on set because of time constraints. De Souza later admitted he had to shoot up to four units simultaneously just to finish on schedule, bouncing between them by boat and radio. In interviews, de Souza described the experience as “a battle on every front” — between Capcom’s merchandising interests, studio politics, star egos, and the ticking clock.

De Souza’s Vision

So, whenever screenwriters adapt from source material to feature film, they have the job of condensing lore and changing things around for dramatic purposes if need be. It’s happened countless times with books. It was still a relatively new practice of bringing video games to life on the big screen with Super Mario Bros. hitting theaters just a year prior in 1993. There wasn’t a Batman-type of movie that provided the kind of blueprint for videos game adaptations as there were for comic books. Super Mario Bros. was an infamous dud and the Double Dragon movie that was released a month prior to Street Fighter also failed to make any kind of waves.

So, while the video games Street Fighter and Street Fighter II had enough plot to serve as a jumping off point, De Souza didn’t want to make a film that simply mimicked the game’s tournament setup. He felt that structure was “schlocky” and over-used. He wanted more narrative weight, more of a mission/plot beyond just fights. The plan was to turn M. Bison into a supervillain with grandeur rather than the game’s somewhat mysterious crime boss. Capcom agreed with this direction. De Souza wanted stakes beyond just individual duels: war, ethics, political danger. According to De Souza in a 2015 interview with the Bristol Bad Film Club, he explained, “Capcom had a long range plan where M. Bison would be a Bond-like villain, and sent me blueprints for his underground lair … I followed their plans of going in a Bond direction.”

The Satire of a Megalomaniac

With the film looking to appeal to players of the game, namely kids and teens, De Souza opted to bring some humor to the film. While there’s definitely plenty of unintentional humor to laugh at, the writer/director says that comedy was always part of the plan. On a recent rewatch, it was surprising how predominant the comedy actually is. I’m sure those who are really initiated with the film wonder how anyone could miss it. However, much of the reception with Street Fighter had been bogged down by the disappointment of not respecting the source material. Additionally, some jokes were subtle and had gone over my head as a kid, I caught them this time around. To appreciate this vision, you have to look at the film with the angle that it’s a satire instead of a Street Fighter II adaptation.

Raul Julia’s performance:
First and foremost, a big reason the angle is successful is because of the immaculate performance by Raul Julia. Julia was known to be ill at the time, but the actor, who had recently been seen in the popular Addams Family movies, took on the role of Bison for his children, who were big fans of the game.

Comedic beats in the film:
While purists probably wouldn’t have minded if there had been an appropriate amount of levity, there still is a lot of broad humor that I feel can be appreciated on its own. There’s a fun little bit with Ryu and Vega that plays on Vega’s narcissism. Vega soaks up the attention of an underground fighting crowd, which includes swooning women with signs. But when Ryu’s physique is revealed, Vega catches wind of a woman who loses interest in him, throws away her sign and it annihilates him! Also, watching this now as an adult, I do find Zangief’s simple-mindedness to be amusingly charming (“Quick! Change the channel!”). There’s plenty of cheese and Naked Gun-type visual gags, like Zangief and E. Honda fighting on a scale model with Godzilla sound effects playing over it. A lot of these can be hit or miss, but I found it to be quite entertaining for what it was.

Julia’s theatrical Bison:
The real star here is Julia with how he handles Bison. Early in Julia’s career, he had ample experience doing Shakespeare and a number of other theatre productions, so his theatrics really come through in Street Fighter. He looked to be in on the joke and gave his character a dramatic flair that hilariously showcases the character’s ego.

Bison feels like part Stalin, part Bond villain, part televangelist. Julia knows he’s in a campy video game movie—but he treats the material like grand theater. Never really mocking the role—he’s elevating it, giving this absurd tyrant the full gravitas of Macbeth.

Meme-worthy moments:
People have kind of caught on to it, as one of the current popular memes born from the movie is Bison’s “It was Tuesday” speech. For those who aren’t familiar, there’s a scene where Bison takes Chun-Li into his private quarters, obviously wanting to seduce her. He even makes himself comfortable by cartoonishly changing behind a dressing screen. Chun-Li reveals that she’s seeking vengeance on Bison after pillaging her home and killing her father in the process. Bison then gives a speech about how that day was the the most important of her life due to the horrific events. “But for me, it was Tuesday.” Chun-Li’s reaction is straight out of a Naked Gun whenever anyone interacted with Frank Drebin.

The Bison persona escalates:
And that’s just one example of Bison’s superiority complex. I don’t want the video to simply become a clip show, but there’s no other way to showcase just how funny this angle is without cutting to certain scenes. Julia plays Bison with the perfect kind of dry humor, like the scene where he’s making plans for his capital city — “I think the food court should be larger. All the big franchises will want in.” Bison’s number 2 is Dee Jay, who is a far cry from his video game counterpart, and played here by Miguel Nuñez Jr. Throughtout the movie, Dee Jay sticks by Bison and witnesses every speech, every strange decision firsthand, and always gives a hilarious side-eye to his boss. He makes no attempt to hide his ambivalence.

Bison’s delusions of grandeur:
Bison’s narcissism knows no bounds as everything he wants to build is steeped in the very image of him. He wants his capital city called “Bisonopolis” in his totalitarian world named “Bisonica” where they spend the “Bison Dollar.” He’s even arrogant enough to preemptively use Bison Dollars in his dealings with other figures before its worth anything.

Finale madness:
It all culminates in a surreal finale where Bison is somehow given the powers of super-conductor electromagnetism. And he feels he’s finally achieved what he calls “godhood.” Julia is totally unhinged in the finale and it’s an incredible tour de force. “For I beheld Satan as he fell from Heaven. LIKE LIGHTNING!”

Final Thoughts

It’s messy, yes. It’s cartoonish. But it’s also funny—and often, intentionally so. And in the end, it won’t satisfy anyone who’s looking for a close adaptation of the video game. That wound would only get salt poured on it when the Mortal Kombat movie opened a year later and pleased fans by staying pretty true to the story and tone of the source material. Street Fighter may not have fared as well, but now that a new one will make attempt to capture the game, perhaps we can look back on this movie with a different sensibility.

Plus, despite the hectic production, the movie could’ve turned out far worse. Cue Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li.

The post Were the critics wrong about the 1994 Street Fighter movie? appeared first on JoBlo.

The description reads,
“Twin brothers torn apart by violence. On a mission of revenge. One packs a punch. One packs a piece. Together they deliver… DOUBLE IMPACT

Alex and Chad, twins separated at the death of their parents. Chad is raised by a family retainer in Paris, Alex becomes a petty crook in Hong Kong. Seeing a picture of Alex, Chad rejoins him and convinces him that his rival in Hong Kong is also the man who killed their parents. Alex is suspicious of Chad, especially when it comes to his girlfriend.”

Special Features and Technical Specs:

DISC ONE – 4K BLU-RAY

• NEW 4K 16-BIT RESTORATION FROM THE CAMERA NEGATIVE, APPROVED BY DIRECTOR SHELDON LETTICH
• HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• Audio:
  • English: LPCM 2.0
  • English: LPCM 5.1
  • Optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles for the main feature

DISC TWO – BLU-RAY

• PREVIOUSLY RELEASED BLU-RAY EDITION FROM 2019
• Audio:
  • English: LPCM 2.0
  • English: LPCM 5.1
  • Optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles for the main feature
• The Making of Double Impact: Part 1 (HD, 53 mins) + The Making of Double Impact: Part 2 (59 mins) [A two part feature length retrospective documentary about the making of the film featuring interviews with star and co-writer Jean-Claude Van Damme, director and co-writer Sheldon Lettich, producer Ashok Amritraj, co-star Cory Everson-Donia, co-star and fight coordinator Peter Malota and “Chad” and “Alex” photo doubles Jeff Rector & Jerry Rector]
• Double Impact: Deleted / Extended Scenes (SD, 54 mins)
• Double Impact: Anatomy of a Scene [with Director Sheldon Lettich] (HD, 8 mins)
• Double Impact: 1991 Behind the Scenes Featurette [Rarely seen legacy featurette from 1991 featuring interviews with Jean-Claude Van Damme, Moshe Diamant and Charles Layton] (6:58, SD)
• Double Impact: B-Roll Selections [Raw, behind the scenes footage from the set] (8:05, SD)
• Double Impact: Film Clips [Five full frame clips from the film for use in TV promos](4:52, SD)
• Cast & Crew Interview Clips [1991 EPK interview clips featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Moshe Diamant and Charles Layton] (6:21, SD)
• Double Impact MVD Rewind Collection Promo (:24, HD)
• Original Theatrical Trailer (1:40, SD)
• REGION-A “LOCKED”

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

• Collectible Double Impact “4K LaserVision” Mini-Poster
• Reversible Cover Art
• Collectible “LaserVision Collection” Mini-Poster

• Video
  Codec: HEVC / H.265
  Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
  Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
  Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Audio
  English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
  Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
• Subtitles
  English, French, Spanish
• Discs
  4K Ultra HD
  Blu-ray Disc
  Single disc (1 BD-50)
• Packaging
  Slipcover in original pressing
  Figure/replica/props/memorabilia included
• Playback
  4K Blu-ray: Region free
  2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

Check out the insanely fun trailer from 1991 below!

The post Double the Van Damage! The MVD Rewind Collection announces a new 4K Blu-ray for Double Impact appeared first on JoBlo.

Turtle fans rejoice! Arrow Video has come through on remastering the original trilogy of our childhoods for a brand new ultra-high-definition experience! Although the price can be intimidating for casual buyers, die-hard fans of the 90s film franchise, physical media collectors, and film completionists will definitely marvel at the new 4K set.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

So, first we have the 1990 Steve Barron film. Revisiting the film nowadays, it’s amazing how well it still holds up. One of the special features on this UHD disc is a brand new 2025 interview with Barron and he talks about how when he was presented with this film as a project, he wanted to rework the script because although it’s aimed primarily at kids, he knows the movie had potential to be enjoyable for adults as well and as we get older, we find more and more nuances than we previously realized.

The 4K is absolutely amazing. All of the movies in this set have had their pictures remastered in 4K, this one is from the film’s original negatives and was approved by the director, while the sequels were remastered from the 35mm interpositive by Arrow Films. All three films are presented in Dolby Vision and it was a real treat for the eyes this time around. What’s really surprising is that the colors really popped on all the films in this set. Barron was great at making New York look gritty and stark, which the new transfer maintains, but somehow the Turtles look even more vibrant than they ever have before. It took me back somewhat cause it’s like their greens had the consistency of Shrek, but it never truly took me out of the movie. It was just really interesting to see and a brand new way for the visuals to look.

The special features have interviews from Barron as well as Judith Hoag, who portrayed April, and the voice & stunt actors who helped to bring the Turtles to life. A lot of upgraded re-releases of past films have been very impressive about giving the viewers some new material for extras and this is no exception. The only thing I wish this disc had was some archival footage, including deleted scenes teased in the Turtle Power documentary. It’s likely that this was probably saved for the upcoming Ninja Turtles documentary — TMNT: Evolution, Mutation & Reboot. However, we DO get some unique alternate footage, including a Korean cut and a full UK cut with alternate takes edited in to censor Michaelangelo’s nunchucks.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze

After Steve Barron balanced the tone of the first one perfectly, New Line Cinema rushed out a sequel for the following year and while it came out pretty quicky, the movie never felt rushed and had been able to become its own movie. The sequel leaned the tone more towards the popular cartoon as elements of the film were lighter, like the Turtles not truly using their weapons, as well as the famous integration of Vanilla Ice whipping out a theme song for the Ninja Turtles within minutes of discovering them. 

While it’s clear that the studio gave into the parents who thought the first was too dark, this entry is still very enjoyable as the Turtles are still a lot of fun and we do get more of an arc for them as they discover more about their past. The inclusion of new mutated villains is obviously inspired by the cartoon, but subplots like Ernie Reyes Jr.’s Keno attempting to infiltrate The Foot gives us a welcome look into their operation. Even if this sequel could feel like a cash grab (let’s not forget how New Line used to pump out A Nightmare on Elm Street sequels every year to capitalize on the popularity of Freddy Krueger), there’s still a lot of heart put into it. And even though I hadn’t mentioned it yet, the animatronics from the Jim Henson Workshop worked miracles in these movies as I can still watch these characters be expressive and feel real despite having limitations compared to CGI.

We get interviews from people like Paige Turco, who took over for April when Judith Hoag opted not to return, and composer John Du Prez, whose interview moreso encompasses the whole trilogy. The coolest special feature is the Behind the Shells documentary that also came out in 1991 to accompany the movie. This is also an extended cut, which is seemingly from an original broadcast version and features a bit more footage than the commercially released VHS version that you can currently watch on YouTube.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III

So, truth telling time. I don’t hate this movie. I don’t even dislike this movie. I for sure have nostalgia for it, but I also think it’s pretty fun for a kids adventure film. Shredder and The Foot clan are not back for the third time around and director Stuart Gillard (who has a commentary on this 4K release) pushed the tone fully into cartoon territory with a time travel plot. As a fan of the cartoons, I wasn’t put off from it as it was exactly the kind of chapter that would happen on the animated series. 

What’s interesting to see this time around is the tone juxtaposing from the humor being cheesier than before to the villain portion of the movie that almost plays like a historical drama. The war of families between Lord Norinaga and Mitsu is an interesting backdrop to put in the middle of a Ninja Turtles film. And another layer showcases Norinaga trading with an Englishman named Walker, who is trying to sell him guns for the war, which he pushes for more as they mistake the Turtles for ancient Japanese demons. 

Nowadays, I can appreciate the effort to bring some bizarre historical politics into a kids adventure, especially considering how Shredder had no visible plan in the first movie (What was he planning to do with his teenage thieving ring?). However, one can argue that it was perhaps executed a bit too dry. 

The special features kind of showcase how much of a black sheep this entry is in the franchise as there is a commentary by the director, but the only interviews are with Vivian Wu and Sab Shimono, who portray Norinaga and Mitsu. There is also an alternate UK opening, which, again, showcases the censorship of Michaelangelo’s nunchucks.

Verdict

As stated before, the price of the set can be intimidating to a casual buyer, but 4Ks are currently holding a similar fight with streaming as movie theaters and they are offering a bevy of extras on certain titles along with the picture upgrade. This set is perfect for a Ninja Turtles super fan as it also includes stickers, trading cards and a book of essays about the films. A reversible poster is also included along with the packages sporting some newly commssioned art. These items bring to mind some nostalgia for special prizes sent to kids when you apply to be in a fan club back in the 90s. As a lover of the trilogy, the features are great to see, but the real star is the picture quality. These films have never looked better. 

The post How did Arrow Video’s 4K Blu-rays of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trilogy come out? We take a look at it! appeared first on JoBlo.

88 Films has announced it’s March releases and Blu-ray.com reports that The Protector will be getting a 4K Blu-ray from the label. While 88 Films is a British-based distributor, the Blu-rays will be multi-regional, so domestic buyers should take note! The new 4-disc set will not only feature the original US theatrical version, but it will also include the Hong Kong version that was re-directed by Chan, as well as a UK version of the film.

The Protector hits retailers on March 16.

The description reads,
“Description: After the kidnapping of a wealthy businessman’s daughter, maverick New York City cops Billy Wong (Jackie Chan) and Danny Garoni (Danny Aiello) are sent to garner leads in Hong Kong, but the pair find themselves beset by the local police and crime boss, Harold Ko (Roy Chiao) who will stop at nothing in ensuring the continuity of his drug empire.”

The technical specs read:

• Video
  Codec: HEVC / H.265
  Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
  HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
  Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
  Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Audio
  English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
  English: LPCM 2.0
• Subtitles
  English, English SDH
• Discs
  4K Ultra HD
  Blu-ray Disc
  Four-disc set (1 BD-100, 1 BD-50)
• Packaging
  Slipbox
  Slipcover in original pressing
  Reversible cover
  Booklet
• Playback
  4K Blu-ray: Region free
  2K Blu-ray: Region B (A, C untested)

While there hasn’t been a list of extras announced with the 4K release (except for the multiple international cuts), it’s possible that 88 Films might integrate some of the special features that were included in the regular Blu-ray that became available a few years ago. Those special features included:

• Alternative “Hong Kong Version”, Jackie Chan’s recut of the film. (Presented from a Standard Definition Source with newly translated English subtitles)
• Remastered Original Stereo Soundtrack
• NEW English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Remixed Soundtrack
• NEW Hard Edge: Interview with Director James Glickenhaus (2019)
• NEW Follow the Puck: Interview with Mark Irwin (2019)
• Audio Commentary by Film-Maker Arne Venema & Hong Kong Film Expert Mike Leeder [US Cut]
• Audio Commentary by Irish Film-making maverick George Clarke & Hong Kong Film Expert Mike Leeder [HK Cut]
• A Tale of 2 movies with Steve Lawson: A side-by-side comparison of the HK cut and the US cut of the film
• Archive Behind the Scenes Featurette with newly translated subtitles
• Original Promotional Trailers
  • International Trailer
  • Japanese Trailer
  • Hong Kong Trailer
  • Japanese Teaser Trailer [HD]

The post The Protector: The American attempt to make Jackie Chan a gruff New York City cop is coming to 4K Blu-ray from 88 Films appeared first on JoBlo.

The description reads,
“Idealistic producer Jack Horner has always dreamed of elevating his films into an art form. When he discovers young actor Eddie Adams, Jack begins to turn his dreams into reality. Under the stage name of Dirk Diggler, Eddie soon gives the adult entertainment world a star the likes of which it has never seen. But the rise to fame has its costs, and soon Dirk finds himself sliding down the slippery slope of sex, drugs and violence. The only question: can he get himself back together before it’s too late?

From an original screenplay by Anderson, the film was nominated for three Academy Awards – Best Supporting Actor (Burt Reynolds), Best Supporting Actress (Julianne Moore), and Best Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen (Paul Thomas Anderson). Reynolds won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor, and Julianne Moore also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Written and directed by Anderson, the film is produced by Lloyd Levin, John Lyons, Anderson, and JoAnne Sellar.”

Special Features:

• HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• NEW American Cinematheque Panel Night 1 – Paul Thomas Anderson and John C. Reilly
• NEW American Cinematheque Panel Night 2 – Paul Thomas Anderson
• Commentary: Director Paul Thomas Anderson
• Commentary: Don Cheadle, Heather Graham, Luis Guzman, William H. Macy, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Mark Wahlberg, and Melora Walters
• Additional Scenes (29:15)
  • Scene 3: Ham and Cheese
  • Buck and Amber in the Van
  • Brock and Chico
  • The 2nd Awards Ceremony
  • New Year’s Eve
  • Fire with Fire: The Brock and Chest Story
  • Maurice and Rollergirl
  • Mixing “Feel the Heat”
  • Under the Table
  • Becky/Jerome/Car Crash
• Michael Penn Try Music Video (3:16)
• The John C. Reilly Files: Outtakes and Extended Sequences (34:54)
  • Swim Trunks
  • Waiting for Todd
  • Mixing with Nick
• Optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles for the main feature

Technical Specs:

• Video
  Codec: HEVC / H.265
  Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
  HDR: HDR10
  Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
• Audio
  English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
  French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
  Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
  Audio descriptive
• Subtitles
  English SDH, French, Spanish
• Discs
  4K Ultra HD
  Blu-ray Disc
  Single disc (1 BD-100)
• Digital
  Digital 4K
  Movies Anywhere
• Playback
  4K Blu-ray: Region free

The post More details are released on the Boogie Nights 4K Blu-ray from Warner Bros. appeared first on JoBlo.

Severin Films is announcing the Blu-ray release of one of the most unique films in the martial arts genre. The Crippled Masters is a 1979 Chinese Kung Fu film that stars Frankie Shum and Jackie Conn using their skills in the martial arts to defeat evil doers despite not having the use of all their limbs. Blu-ray.com reports that the cult film will be hitting retailers on Black Friday.

The description reads,
“More than four decades ago, “one of the strangest and most shocking martial arts movies ever witnessed” (DVD Talk) drove 42nd Street audiences into a stunned frenzy. Today it remains an “amazing” (Severed Cinema), “genuinely jaw-dropping” (High Def Digest) “undisputed masterpiece” (Grindhouse Database), and is officially licensed on disc in North America for the first time: When a cruel crime boss chops off the arms of a peasant (Sung-Chuan Shen aka Frankie Shum, who was born with Thalidomide Syndrome) and acid-dissolves the lower limbs of a henchman (Chao-Ming Kang aka Jackie Conn, born with small, deformed legs), the two disabled men train under a mysterious master to combine themselves into one unstoppable fighting machine and battle their way to vengeance. Chung Chien Li (THE GUY WITH THE SECRET KUNG FU) and Chen Mu-Chuan (THE IRON MONKEY) co-star in “the FREAKS of martial arts cinema” (1000 Misspent Hours) directed by Chi Lo aka Joe Law (THE DRAGON LIVES AGAIN), newly scanned in 4K from the interpositive with 3 hours of revealing Special Features produced exclusively for this release.”

Special Features:

• NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM AN INTERPOSITIVE
• MANDARIN AND ENGLISH AUDIO TRACKS
• Audio Commentary With Frank Djeng, Co-Producer Of ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE
• Audio Essay By Cult Cinema Critic Lovely Jon
• Unleashing The Legends: The Godfathers Of Kung Fu Distribution – Interview With Temple Of Schlock’s Chris Poggiali
• Original Trailer
• New Line Cinema U.S. Trailer
• Subtitles: English SDH, English
• REGION-FREE

Technical specs:

• Video
  Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
  Resolution: 1080p
  Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Audio
  TBA
• Subtitles
  English SDH
• Discs
  Blu-ray Disc
  Single disc (1 BD-50)
• Playback
  2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

Please note that Blu-ray.com is featuring some conflicting information about the Blu-ray being “region-free” and somehow “region A.” It is not known why it’s listed as both.

The post The unconventional martial arts cult classic, The Crippled Masters, comes to Blu-ray appeared first on JoBlo.

Blu-ray.com has just passed along the news that 1980’s The Stunt Man is getting a brand new 4K Blu-ray release from Radiance Films. The film stars Peter O’Toole, Steve Railsback, Barbara Hershey, Allen Garfield, and Alex Rocco. This new physical media release is scheduled to hit retailers early next year on February 23, 2026.

The description reads,
“Cameron (Steve Railsback, Lifeforce) is a man who finds himself unmoored from American life: recently returned from Vietnam, he is now a drifter on the run from the law. While evading police, he stumbles upon the filming of a World War I movie helmed by the megalomaniacal Eli Cross (Peter O’Toole, Lawrence of Arabia). When Cameron discovers that he bears a striking resemblance to the lead actor, he hatches a plan: to hide from his potential captors by disguising himself as a stunt double and agreeing to perform a series of increasingly dangerous stunts.

But nothing is what it first seems on an Eli Cross set, and as illusion and make-believe start to bleed into one another, Cameron finds himself locked in a battle of wits with a possibly insane genius, and in danger of becoming unmoored not just from society, but from reality itself…

Newly restored in 4K, The Stunt Man was a critical smash that suffered from distribution issues on its original release in 1980 – it was nevertheless nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Director for Richard Rush, and has earned a reputation as one of the most beloved cult films of all time. Featuring one of Peter O’Toole’s greatest performances, and enough action-packed mayhem to power several blockbusters, The Stunt Man is – to use the words of Eli Cross – pure movie magic.”

Special Features:

• TWO-DISC (4K BLU-RAY/BLU-RAY) COMBO PACK RELEASE
• NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE CAMERA NEGATIVE by Radiance Films
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• The legendary feature-length making-of documentary directed by Richard Rush: The Sinister Saga of Making The Stunt Man (2001) (131 mins)
• New audio commentary with critics Christina Newland and Monica Castillo
• Archival cast and crew commentary with writer/director Richard Rush and actors Peter O’Toole, Steve Railsback, Barbara Hershey, Alex Rocco, Sharon Farrell and Chuck Bail (2001)
• New interview with Chuck Bail, stuntman and actor (2024)
• Archival interview with Richard Rush (2011)
• Archival interview with Peter O’Toole (2011)
• Archival interview with Steve Railsback and Alex Rocco (2011)
• Archival interview with Barbara Hershey (2011)
• Q+A with Richard Rush, Steve Railsback and Barbara Hershey from a screening at The New Beverly Cinema (17 mins)
• Deleted scenes
• Trailer
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Option of 5.1 DTS Surround mix or original uncompressed mono audio
• Pull-out poster and six lobby-card style postcards
• Limited edition 40-page perfect bound book featuring new writing from Adam Nayman and Brandon Streussnig, and an archival interview between Kenneth Turan and Richard Rush
• Limited edition of 5000 copies, presented in rigid box and full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

Technical Specs:

• Video
  Codec: HEVC / H.265
  Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
  Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Audio
  TBA
• Subtitles
  English SDH
• Discs
  4K Ultra HD
  Blu-ray Disc
  Two-disc set (1 BD-50)
• Packaging
  Slipbox
  Reversible cover
  Booklet
• Playback
  4K Blu-ray: Region free
  2K Blu-ray: Region B (A, C untested)

The post 1980’s The Stunt Man gets a big 4K Blu-ray release appeared first on JoBlo.

The description for Bullet in the Head reads,
“In 1967, on the way to the wedding of a friend, a young man is accosted by a local gang member. Later, the three friends administer justice, in the process of which the gang member is killed, and they leave Hong Kong to avoid the police and the gang. They run black market supplies to Saigon and get embroiled in the war, ultimately becoming captured by the Viet Cong. Their friendship is tested to the limits as they try to escape. Directed by John Woo, and starring Jacky Cheung, Simon Yam, and Tony Leung.”

Disc One (4K UHD, Feature Film):

• NEW 4K Scan From The Original Camera Negative
• Presented In Dolby Vision
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
• NEW Audio Commentary With Film Critic Frank Djeng

Disc Two (Blu-ray, Feature Film):

• NEW 4K Scan From The Original Camera Negative
• NEW Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated For This Release
• NEW Audio Commentary With Frank Djeng

Disc Three (Blu-ray, Special Features):

• “Festival Cut” Of Bullet In The Head
• Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
• English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
• Alternate Boardroom Ending
• NEW “Brilliance With A Bullet” – Interview With Director/Writer John Woo
• NEW “Head Case!” – Interview With Actor Waise Lee
• NEW “Army Of One” – Interview With Producer Terence Chang
• NEW “Apocalypse Woo” – Interview With Editor David Wu
• NEW “Tumultuous Times” – Interview With Production Planner Catherine Lau
• NEW “Hong Kong Confidential” – Inside Bullet In The Head With Author Grady Hendrix
• NEW “Apocalypse How?” – Interview With Professor Lars Laamann
• Trailers
• Image Gallery

Technical specs:

• Video
  • Codec: HEVC / H.265
  • Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
  • Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Disc
  • 4K Ultra HD
  • Blu-ray Disc
• Playback
  • 4K Blu-ray: Region free
  • 2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

The “Festival Cut” of Bullet in the Head is a Holy Grail special feature as it has not been seen outside of film festivals in any kind of commercial release. The Festival Cut is reported to have a runtime of around 136 minutes (approx. 2h 16m). The Festival Cut reportedly includes scenes that are absent in the widely available theatrical cut. For example, some accounts mention the “urine drinking” scene (during a POW-camp sequence), which appears only in the Festival Cut. The film has more than one ending. One ending is a car-chase shootout finale (supposedly Woo’s originally intended ending); another is a boardroom confrontation ending (reportedly added to satisfy runtime/distributor demands). The Festival Cut is said to include the “car chase” ending.

As for Once a Thief, stay tuned for more details on its release. The description reads, “Once a Thief is an action/comedy/romance movie involving the plight of three master thieves (a la Pink Panther). All three were raised by the same father as street orphans. After a successful art heist followed by a pledge to make it the last crime ever for the trio, the plot revolves around the theft of a mysterious ‘cursed’ painting and how its obsession affects the family. Directed by John Woo, and starring Cherie Chung, Chow Yun-Fat, and Leslie Cheung.”

For now, the technical specs can be viewed below:

• Video
  Codec: HEVC / H.265
  Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
  Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Audio
  TBA
• Subtitles
  English
• Disc
  4K Ultra HD
  Blu-ray Disc
• Playback
  4K Blu-ray: Region free
  2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

The post Details for John Woo’s Bullet in the Head 4K release from Shout Factory are revealed, plus Once a Thief news appeared first on JoBlo.

Blu-ray.com has now revealed that the boutique physical media label, Kino Lorber, will be releasing a 4K Blu-ray remastering of Harry and the Hendersons. The new Blu-ray hasn’t yet locked down a specific release date, but it is said to be available at retailers sometime in early 2026.

The description reads,
“While returning from a trip in the woods, George Henderson (John Lithgow) and his family run into something with their car that turns out to be a Sasquatch. Thinking the creature is dead, they take him home, but “Harry” (Kevin Peter Hall) soon awakens. Despite their initial fears, Harry is a kind and sensitive being, and the Hendersons become very fond of him. However, it is difficult to keep him a secret, and soon they begin to fear for Harry’s safety.”

There is yet to be special features announced, but the technical specs read,

• Video
  Codec: HEVC / H.265
  Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
  HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
  Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Audio
  TBA
• Subtitles
  English SDH
• Disc
  4K Ultra HD
  Blu-ray Disc
• Playback
  4K Blu-ray: Region free
  2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

As said before, the movie never quite reached the heights of zeitgeist-defining 80s films, as it wasn’t a success at the box office when it first hit. However, it did garner a fan base as the movie lived on through VHS and television airings and became a mild cultural hit. The movie would even get a television sitcom adaptation. It was a charming family film, which was expected from a Spielberg/Amblin production and the marketing tried to draw audiences in through mystery (kinda like with Gremlins), but instead, it backfired.

According to IMDb, “The filmmakers kept Harry a secret prior to the film’s release – only glimpses of him were shown on all publicity materials and theatrical trailers. Although a wise decision for the film, this was also blamed for the film not being more successful than it actually was due to it not selling the fact that a Bigfoot was the star of the film. As a result, the film was renamed ‘Bigfoot & the Hendersons’ in many overseas territories, and much of the artwork now featured Harry.”

The post Harry and the Hendersons stomps onto 4K Blu-ray, courtesy of Kino Lorber appeared first on JoBlo.

Ever since Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, many classic movies produced by the studio have become surprisingly difficult to find. Some notable examples include the 1972 classic The Hot Rock, starring Robert Redford (which is actually airing on TCM tonight, so set your PVRs), Ron Howard’s Cocoon, the Thanksgiving classic Dutch, Kathryn Bigelow’s Strange Days, and so many more. However, one that’s puzzling in its absence is Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. Despite being considered one of Brooks’ all-time classics, and one of the greatest comedies of all time, the film isn’t available on 4K disc, nor is it streaming anywhere. You can’t even buy it or rent it digitally from iTunes or any other service. The only way to obtain it is through the 2008 Blu-ray Disc, which, fortunately, is still in print and relatively easy to purchase. That said, it’s a seventeen-year-old disc…

What’s strange is that the movie was restored in 4K last year. It screened fairly widely, with numerous revival screenings taking place all over North America. It played a cool arthouse theater here in Montreal – the Cinema Moderne – and sold out every screening. You’d think Disney would have reissued it shortly after (it’s also getting a TV spinoff on FX). Still, it seems like they’ve all but gotten out of the physical media business, with them rarely issuing discs unless it’s for a huge catalogue title like Die Hard, Speed, Predator or one of the Alien movies (although Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection still aren’t out in 4K). 

This is a pretty unacceptable turn of events, as the Fox catalogue is legendary. It’s crazy that they haven’t followed other studios like Warner Bros, Universal and Paramount, who, having cut back on their own physical media releases, have licensed them to places like Arrow Video, Kino Lorber, Shout, Vinegar Syndrome and others. Indeed, any of those companies would love to get their hands on Young Frankenstein. The movie is so well regarded that I’m sure Criterion would love to add it to the collection (it’s streamed now and then on The Criterion Channel). 

At least, the movie is still available on Blu-ray, which is more than can be said for many other movies. But, there’s something unacceptable about the fact that Young Frankenstein is relatively hard to find these days, driving home the importance of physical media, a sentiment echoed by director Christopher Miller, whose tweet about this spawned this article:

In addition to Young Frankenstein, what other movies are shockingly tough to find?

The post Young Frankenstein: Mel Brooks’ masterpiece can’t be rented or purchased digitally appeared first on JoBlo.

Here at JoBlo, we love the eighties. Heck, we even have a Facebook page and a YouTube channel called Loving the 80s— that’s how much we’re obsessed with the decade. However, when you think about all your favorite eighties movies, I’m willing to bet that for the majority of them, there’s a song that immediately comes to mind. That’s because the 80s were the heyday of movie soundtracks. Nowadays, movies just don’t have super popular songs associated with them the way they used to (which is why the Best Original Song category at the Oscars is so horrendous). It’s a shame, because there’s something about a hit song and a movie together that’s just indelible. But there are two kinds of eighties movie soundtracks. There are those like Against All Odds, where the theme song “Take a Look at Me Now” by Phil Collins was WAY more popular than the movie it came from. Then there are others where entire soundtracks became part of pop culture — and those are the ones I’m going to talk about here. So, here we go with the Best Movie Soundtracks of the 80s (in chronological order!)

1. Fast Times at Ridgemont High

This is an iconic but strange soundtrack, deeply divided between the aesthetics and personal tastes of the director Amy Heckerling, and the financiers of the movie, who happened to be associated with The Eagles. As such, half of the soundtrack is New Wave, while the other half is California rock, made by bands closely associated with The Eagles. The album released as a tie-in more closely reflects California rock, with solo songs by every member of The Eagles except Glenn Frey, while the movie’s mix is more eclectic. Some of the most memorable tracks, like Moving in Stereo by The Cars, are absent from the album but add immensely to the film and helped popularize New Wave.

2. Flashdance

Adrian Lyne’s movie was arguably the first eighties film to really reflect the MTV aesthetic that would come to define the decade. Paramount had little to no faith in the movie, but they cut several music videos from the soundtrack for MTV, and the movie became a smash hit. Some of the signature songs include “Flashdance! (What a Feeling)” and “Maniac.”

3. Footloose

No less than three songs off the Footloose soundtrack made it into the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. There was the title track by Kenny Loggins (and plenty more from him), “Let’s Hear it For the Boy” by Deniece Williams, and “Almost Paradise” by Ann Wilson and Mike Reno. Even songs that didn’t make the top 10 were iconic, like Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero.”

4. Ghostbusters

Would Ghostbusters have been as big of a hit without Ray Parker Jr’s theme song? “Who you gonna call?” became the rallying cry for this movie, but the soundtrack actually has a lot of good songs on it, including “Magic” by Mick Smiley, which will be immediately recognizable to anyone who’s seen the movie (which I wager is everyone reading this article).

5. Purple Rain

Prince’s screen debut became an album inextricably linked to the movie, with two number one hits on the Billboard Top 100 (“When Doves Cry” and “Let’s Go Crazy”), another number 2 hit (the title track), and another that hit number 8 (“I Would Die For You”). The soundtrack went thirteen times platinum and is still one of the highest-selling albums of all time.

6. Beverly Hills Cop

Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer really knew how to assemble a kick-ass soundtrack. Knowing that Flashdance’ssoundtrack helped propel it to boffo box office, they went all out on the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, which reflected an eclectic mix of pop music. There was Glenn Frey’s “The Heat is On,” but also urban tracks like “Neutron Dance” by The Pointer Sisters, and more. More impressively, an instrumental track, “Axel F,” from the score by Harold Faltermeyer became a number 3 hit on the Billboard Top 100.

7. Back to the Future

When I think of Back to the Future, I can’t help but think of Huey Lewis & the News, with their song, “The Power of Love,” arguably the most immediately identifiable soundtrack cut of the decade. But they’ve got another classic on the soundtrack too — “Back in Time” — that’s almost as good.

8. The Breakfast Club

John Hughes is the definitive voice of 80s teens on film, and his soundtracks reflected that he had his finger on the pulse of what this generation of kids were listening to. Nowhere was this more obvious than with The Breakfast Club, with the Simple Minds track “Don’t You Forget About Me” being one of the biggest and best songs of the decade.

9. Top Gun

Another Simpson/Bruckheimer joint, the Top Gun soundtrack had not one but two iconic theme songs it’s impossible to separate from the movie — “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins, and “Take My Breath Away” by Berlin. This is another soundtrack that sold so many records it’s considered one of the defining albums of the decade.

10. Dirty Dancing

Despite being set in the 1960s, the makers of Dirty Dancing didn’t limit themselves to period tracks. Oh no. While they included plenty of old-school songs, many of the biggest hits on the soundtrack were brand new, including Eric Carmen’s “Hungry Eyes,” “She’s Like the Wind” (which is sung by the movie’s star Patrick Swayze), and the most iconic song off the soundtrack, “I’ve Had the Time of My Life.”

Bonus: Less Than Zero

This is another movie whose soundtrack is better known than the film it comes from. This adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel was a big flop, but the soundtrack is a banger, produced by Rick Rubin, who included songs from the burgeoning hip hop scene as well as rock tracks, such as The Bangles’ cover of “A Hazy Shade of Winter.” Of all the soundtracks on this list, this is the best curated one.

What do you think of this list and what are we missing? Let us know in the chat and check out our best soundtrack lists for the 90s and 2000s.

The post The 10 Best Movie Soundtracks of the 80s appeared first on JoBlo.

One of my favorite things to do here at JoBlo is to highlight obscure movies that deserve a lot more love. I’ve dedicated an entire column/series to it called The Best Movie You Never Saw, and one of the best movies I’ve ever covered is Peter Hyams’ 1981 movie Outland. A kind of quasi sci-fi remake of High Noon set on Jupiter’s Moon, IO, it stars Sean Connery as a Marshal set to enforce law on a mining colony who finds himself marked for death by the company administering the moon when he discovers a conspiracy. They hire gunmen to take him out, and with no one on the moon willing to help him, he has to take on the killers alone. 

What’s particularly interesting about Outland is the period in which it was made. In ’81, sci-fi as a genre was in an interesting place. Star Wars had changed the game back in 1977 by introducing cutting-edge special effects, which allowed filmmakers to tackle science fiction and fantasy in a way no one ever really could before. But another very influential film was 1979’s Alien, a distinctly adult take on the genre, which introduced elements of horror. Outland is very much an offshoot of Alien, with it almost feeling like a spin-off of sorts, with the ominous company administered by the main villain (an against-type Peter Boyle) feeling like Weyland-Yutani. 

Another reason Outland feels like a sequel to Alien is the fact that nine department heads were involved in the production design on both movies, while the film was produced by The Ladd Company, which was run by Alan Ladd Jr, who greenlit Alien as the head of 20th Century Fox. Indeed, just the next year, he would also be responsible for Blade Runner. And, they both have (amazing) scores by Jerry Goldsmith. 

Sadly, Outland is still a pretty obscure movie, which is a surprise given that it’s a big-budget sci-fi action movie with Sean Connery as the hero. Maybe it’s due to the fact that – at the time it was made – Connery’s career was on a downslide, with him still struggling to come into his own post-James Bond (some believe Outland flopping pushed him towards agreeing to make Never Say Never Again). His real resurgence would begin with The Name of the Rose and Highlander in 1986, and The Untouchables in 1987. When it came out, Outland was a flop, and as such hasn’t had the place in the pantheon of classic sci-fi movies it deserves.

Thankfully, the good folks at Arrow Video have given it a deluxe 4K re-release, and this new edition is gorgeous. The movie looks superb in 4K, and it’s packed with interesting extras that explore its unique place in cinema history. Despite being a flop, Outland was important because it was the first film shot with the IntroVision front projection system, which was an important precursor to green screen. Many of the disc extras are devoted to explaining how the system came to be and its impact (many classic VFX shots, which, as the boys running from a train in Stand by Me, and Harrison Ford jumping from the bus in The Fugitive, were done with this process). Peter Hyams sits for an extended interview, as does DP Stephen Goldblatt, who admits that despite his credit, Hyams shot the film and only hired him to shoot the IntroVision scenes. 

If you’ve never seen Outland, I highly recommend picking up this new set (buy it here), as its a movie ripe for rediscovery. It has tons of action, some really cool bladder gore fx, Connery in top form, a classic Jerry Goldsmith score, and that iconic Alien vibe. And, while you’re at it check out this episode of The Best Movie You Never Saw that I did on it!

The post Outland: An obscure (but awesome) Sean Connery flick has been given a 4K redux appeared first on JoBlo.

Speaking with the Associated Press, Fox said of his Back to the Future fanbase, “I’ll be on the street and some kid will go, ‘There’s Marty McFly!’ No, this is an old man…Sometimes I look at it and think about my family. I think about how I have a 37-year-old son who wasn’t born yet. It’s a long time ago.”

As far as why he thinks people are still drawn to Back to the Future, Fox added, “The distance between now and 1985 is greater than the distance between 1985 and 1955. In a way, that makes it more accessible. People aren’t locked into their time period. They’re not saying: This is real, this isn’t real. It’s all fantasy.”

It’s pretty great to see that Fox still recognizes the staying power that Back to the Future has and that he stays in touch with many of his castmates (and even buried a purported hatchet with one-time Marty McFly Eric Stoltz). Heck, he even finds himself watching the movie himself if it’s on TV even if it’s an inconvenience to others. “I tell this one story about one Christmas when we were decorating the tree, I went to get some popcorn and heard the opening on the TV. I sat down and watched it. An hour later, my wife said, ‘Where are you?’ I said, ‘I’m watching “Back to the Future.” And, you know, it’s really good. I’m good in it.’ Watching it on Christmas Eve, with a bowl of popcorn, I really loved it.”

Why do you think Back to the Future endures four decades later? What makes it so special to you? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below.

The post Michael J. Fox on what makes Back to the Future special 40 years later appeared first on JoBlo.

The 4K UHD of Under Siege is set to include a new audio commentary and interview with director Andrew Davis, another one with co-star Damian Chapa and – best of all – a sit-down with Erika Eleniak. Snakes on a Plane contains all the extras from the previous Blu-ray/ DVDs, as well as a new documentary about the film’s novelization. The Evil Dead Rise disc seems especially stacked, with new interviews from the entire cast and behind-the-scenes crew, plus audio commentary and vintage featurettes. Cheap Thrills also has a mix of archival featurettes and newly recorded material reuniting the cast.

Of them all, the one I’m most excited for is Under Siege. While folks are divided on Steven Seagal’s legacy, his first five movies were action classics, and they are not well represented at all on 4K. Warner Bros has been slow to restore their catalogue titles, so it’s nice to see them licensing more and more to Arrow. That said, it’s frustrating when WB hangs on to crown jewels like the Lethal Weapon or Dirty Harry franchises, and only restores the first films, leaving the others to languish with dated transfers. Both franchises would, no doubt, get amazing releases by Arrow Video.

Which one of these will you be picking up in January? Let us know in the comments!

The post Under Siege and Snakes on a Plane are getting 4K UHD releases from Arrow Video appeared first on JoBlo.

The MVD Rewind Collection is set to release this for retailers on February 24.

The description reads,
“A powerful and dangerous cult, hidden on a remote island fortress, has brainwashed the daughter of a U.S. senator. With local authorities powerless and time running out, the government turns to a highly specialized team of martial arts experts known as ‘Force: Five.’

Led by seasoned agent Jim Martin, the team includes five elite fighters, each with unique combat skills–from unarmed street-fighting and karate to high-impact kickboxing. Their mission: infiltrate the island compound, uncover the secrets of the cult’s charismatic and manipulative leader, and rescue the senator’s daughter before she becomes permanently indoctrinated–or worse.

From writer/director Robert Clouse, the auteur of Bruce Lee’s legendary Enter the Dragon and Jackie Chan’s The Big Brawl, along with a diverse cast of martial arts legends including Joe Lewis (Bloodfight 2: The Deathcage), Bong Soo Han (Kill The Golden Goose), Sonny Barnes (Black Belt Jones), Benny “The Jet” Urquidez (Dragons Forever) and Richard Norton (Mad Max: Fury Road) & Amanda Wyss (A Nightmare on Elm Street), comes this early 1980s entry in the classic martial arts action genre that’s ‘a lot of fun and that’s precisely what makes the film so entertaining and has a sense of humor about itself and is a very cute, little action picture’ (Gene Siskel, Sneak Previews).”

Special Features:

• High-definition presentation
• Archival Interview with actor Joe Lewis (SD, 50:08)
• Archival Interview with Benny Urquidez (SD, 8:59)
• Archival ‘Benny Urquidez Fight’ featurette (SD, 6:41)
• Original Theatrical Trailer (HD)
• Reversible Artwork
• Collectible Mini-Poster
• Limited Edition Slipcover (First Pressing Only)
• Optional English subtitles for the main feature

Technical Specs:

• Video
  Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
  Resolution: 1080p
  Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Audio
  TBA
• Subtitles
  English
• Discs
  Blu-ray Disc
  Single disc (1 BD)
• Playback
  2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

The post Force: Five: the 1981 martial arts film from Enter the Dragon director, Robert Clouse, gets a new Collector’s Edition Blu-ray appeared first on JoBlo.

As he recounted on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Farrell was turning 25 when Minority Report was halfway through filming. “I begged production – who did I think I was? – of a $120 million film if they [would] not have me working on my birthday…So of course my pickup was 6 a.m. on May 31, and I got up to all sorts of nonsense the night before. And I remember getting into bed, and as soon as I turned off the light the phone rang and it was the driver, who said, ‘It’s 10 past 6.’ And I went, ‘Oh sh*t.’”

After being told by the assistant director that it wouldn’t be too smart to show up to the set like that, he requested – what else? – beer and cigs. So he downed a couple of beers and headed to the set of Minority Report. “It was terrible. I will never forget the line I had that I couldn’t get out. It was, ‘I’m sure you’ve all grasped the fundamental paradox of pre-crime methodology.’ That was the line that started the scene.” Bit of a mouthful for a dude that’s hungover, eh?

But Farrell pressed on, although his status caught the attention of at least one crew member. “I remember one of them coming up and saying, ‘Do you want to go out and take a breath of fresh air?’ And I remember thinking, ‘If I go out and take a breath of fresh air, then I’ll be under more pressure when I come back in…’” Forty-six takes later…“Tom wasn’t very happy with me. Tom, who I love, was not very happy.”

Probably by design, Tom Cruise has never worked on a movie with Colin Farrell since Minority Report.

The post Colin Farrell ticked off Tom Cruise on Minority Report after showing up hungover appeared first on JoBlo.

Chris

It can’t be denied that as far as martial arts movies go, the best ones come from Asia, particularly Hong Kong during their action heyday, which was arguably the 70s, 80s and first half of the ’90s. It’s tough to compete with the likes of the Shaw Brothers and the drunken master known as Jackie Chan. That said, martial arts movies were also making a foothold in the States decades ago, thanks mainly to Bruce Lee-mania following the release of Enter the Dragon. Before that movie, very few actors in Hollywood seemed like they were credible martial artists, except maybe James Coburn, a student of Lee’s, who pulled off some pretty good-looking moves in the otherwise silly Our Man Flint movies. Steve McQueen also had training but didn’t use martial arts on screen. Up to then, though, the most notable uses of martial arts in movies usually revolved around Judo, with James Cagney showing off some good moves in the film Blood on the Sun, while Spencer Tracy – who was HEAVILY doubled, demolished Ernest Borgnine in the classic thriller Bad Day at Black Rock with only one arm. But, in the seventies, fight sequences started to get better, with the Asian influence especially notable in Blaxploitation movies because many of the stars, including Fred Williamson and Jim Kelly, had legit training. When Chuck Norris came along towards the end of the decade, you also started to see mainstream stars dip their toes into martial arts. Still, sometimes the results weren’t pretty, such as when Richard Burton uses drunk-fu to beat up a racist in the abysmal melodrama The Klansman (check out my choice for the worst fight scene ever right here). 

In the eighties, fights in American movies started to get good. However, the way they were shot often didn’t quite match up to what was happening in Hong Kong, with a great example being the climactic fight between Mel Gibson and Gary Busey in Lethal Weapon. Both actors had been extensively trained in a variation called Jailhouse Rock, which was popular in prisons, but there was too much rain and close cutting to showcase the movies. That said, there were some great American martial arts movies then – and loads of great ones are being made now, so here’s our list of the best American martial arts movies ever made. Note that movies like The Matrix or John Wick, which married martial arts with gunplay, didn’t make the list, with this dedicated more to straight-up martial arts mayhem.

Honorable Mention: The Undisputed sequels:

So, if you know action, our mentioning these sequels probably established us as somewhat legit, as director Isaac Florentine and his leading men, Michael Jai White (who holds seven black belts!) and Scott Adkins, brought something new and fresh to the DTV world. The first two sequels, Undisputed 2 and 3, are arguably more famous than the now obscure Walter Hill movie they’re sequels to. 

10. Kill Bill:

Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill pushed the envelope for martial arts mayhem, but then again, being a student of film, should you expect anything else? Tarantino had Yuen Woo Ping as a choreographer plus, The Street Fighter himself, Sonny Chiba, along with the very proficient David Carradine (who only really shows off his moves in a deleted sequence opposite Michael Jai White), and Uma Thurman. For my money, the best fight sequence in the film is the first one, where Thurman goes at it with Viveca A Fox, but the House of Blue Leaves sequence is also a classic.

9. Big Trouble in Little China:

At the time, this movie was a box office flop, but years later, people finally caught on and started digging the fact that John Carpenter was making a beautiful Hong-style action fantasy movie in the vein of Mr. Vampire and Zu Warriors. The martial arts in this beats anything happening in American action movies at the time, even if much of it is wire-fu in the classic WuXia fashion.

8. Above the Law:

You can’t do a best American Martial Arts movie list and not include Steven Seagal. Granted, he never really made a pure martial arts movie in his heyday, but the ultra-violent aikido style he broke out in Above the Law and those first few movies were highly influential on American action movies of the area. At his best, Seagal was excellent, but it could be argued that the lean and mean Seagal was only ever present in those first five movies, with everything after Under Siege going downhill. Too bad.

7. Revenge of the Ninja:

Cannon Pictures did more to bring Ninja’s into the mainstream than any other movie studio. While their first Ninja movie, Enter the Ninja, is a joke, the sequel, Revenge of the Ninja, which elevated the first movie’s bad guy actor, Sho Kosugi, to a hero, is a slick movie and the best of their loose Ninja Trilogy. The director, Sam Firstenberg, also did a great job with the first two American Ninja movies, thanks to the untrained Michael Dudikoff being a gifted mimic and athlete, who, likely, could have been a JCVD-level star had Cannon put more money into his movies.

6. Best of the Best:

While the notion of casting the late James Earl Jones as the coach of a national martial arts team is almost as silly as the fact that the out of shape Chris Penn plays one of their best fighters, Best of the Best is still one of the most legit martial arts films of the era. It mixes the sports genre with martial arts. It gets the attitude of competition better than a lot of other films of this ilk, with it emphasizing sportsmanship and the surprising bond you establish with your opponent, no matter who wins. Philip Rhee is a terrific lead in this, thanks to the fact that his skills are legit. Still, Eric Roberts, despite no training, also acquits himself very well, thanks to the fact that he took the choreography very seriously and got himself into peak physical shape.

5. The Last Dragon:

Martial Arts movies had a significant cult status in the inner city, and The Last Dragon is Motown’s tribute to the genre, with a young black marital artist named Taimak, our likeable lead, Leroy Green, aka Bruce Leroy. The music is excellent, as are the fights, with the movie stolen by Julius Carry as Sho’nuff, the shogun of Harlem. Carry wasn’t trained, but he proved to be a good mimic, and attitude is everything sometimes.

4. Kickboxer:

While often overshadowed by Bloodsport, Kickboxer helped bring Muay Thai into the mainstream, and the movie features Jean-Claude Van Damme at his best, with terrific training sequences, an incredible final battle between JCVD and Michel Quissi’s Tong Po, and Van Damme shaking his butt in a bar fight. Also, who could forget the opponents wrapping their hands in bandages and dipping them in broken glass, which was sent up brilliantly in Hot Shots Part Deux

3. Bloodsport:

More JCVD, with this the movie that made him a star. We’ve talked about this a lot on JoBlo, but it introduced the term kumite into the mainstream and also showcases a wide variety of different styles of martial arts. This is a movie made by people who genuinely know the genre

2. The Karate Kid:

While I maintain that the fights in these movies were never great, with Ralph Macchio’s fight skills leaving a lot to be desired (he’s better as a martial artist on Cobra Kai – which has AMAZING fights), this movie did more for martial arts as a practice than any other movie on this list. It led to an explosion in Karate schools across North America, and, thanks to the gentle discipline and philosophy of Mr. Miyagi, proved that karate, and martial arts in general, is an art form that can help a lot of people discover an inner strength they never knew they had.

1. Enter the Dragon:

Bruce Lee’s only American movie, it came out posthumously and was such a cultural phenomenon that it led to a kung-fu craze that was so big, within a year, you had Roger Moore’s James Bond kung-fu fighting his way through The Man with the Golden Gun. Lee’s so damn good in this, but John Saxon also acquits himself well in the fight scenes; Jim Kelly, in some ways, is almost as iconic as Bruce is with his massive afro.

So that’s our list – special thanks to EJ Tangonan, who edited this video, for helping brainstorm this list.

The post The Best American Martial Arts Movies appeared first on JoBlo.

The description reads:
‘From acclaimed director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) and screenwriter Kurt Sutter (TV’s Sons of Anarchy), Southpaw tells the riveting story of Billy “The Great” Hope, reigning Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World (Academy Award-nominee Jake Gyllenhaal).

Billy seemingly has it all with an impressive career, a beautiful and loving wife (Rachel McAdams), an adorable daughter (Oona Laurence), and a lavish lifestyle. When tragedy strikes and his lifelong manager and friend (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) leaves him behind, Hope hits rock bottom and turns to an unlikely savior at a run-down local gym: Tick Willis (Academy Award-winner Forest Whitaker), a retired fighter and trainer to the city’s toughest amateur boxers. With his future riding on Tick’s guidance and tenacity, Billy enters one last epic fight as he struggles with redemption and to win back the trust of those he loves.”

Special Features:

• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• DOLBY ATMOS AUDIO TRACK
• Southpaw: Inside the Ring – Featurette
• Q&A with Jake Gyllenhaal, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Rachel McAdams, and More.
• Extended Training Montage
• Deleted Scenes
• Theatrical Trailer
• Optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles for the main feature

Technical Specs:

• Video
  Codec: HEVC / H.265
  Resolution: Upscaled 4K (2160p)
  HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
  Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
• Audio
  English: Dolby Atmos
  English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
  Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
• Subtitles
  English SDH, Spanish
• Discs
  4K Ultra HD
  Blu-ray Disc
  Two-disc set (1 BD-50)
• Digital
  Digital copy included
• Packaging
  Slipcover in original pressing
  SteelBook, Inner print
• Playback
  4K Blu-ray: Region free
  2K Blu-ray: Region A (B, C untested)

The post Jake Gyllenhaal’s boxing film, Southpaw, steps into the ring with a new 4K Blu-ray for its 10th Anniversary appeared first on JoBlo.

In the late 1970s and early 80s, one of the most popular science fiction shows was Battlestar Galactica. We did an episode of Gone But Not Forgotten going in-depth on the original show, but to sum up: the story revolves around a distant galaxy where humans have lost a war against the Cylons—an evil race of robots who have destroyed the human homeworld. The survivors of the war flee to find a new home. Their destination is a world where their lost tribe once traveled to—the planet Earth.

The show lasted a total of 24 episodes, and in 1980, an inferior follow-up series, Galactica 1980, was created. That series lasted 10 episodes and seemed to put an end to the future of Battlestar Galactica. But over the years, attempts were made to continue the series. Two of the most famous were when Richard Hatch invested $50,000 into creating a proof-of-concept trailer, and when X-Men director Bryan Singer attempted a revival series. Both failed to get off the ground.

The rights reverted to Universal, and then the president of Universal’s television division, Angela Mancuso, saw potential in the franchise. This is when she approached David Eick to adapt Battlestar for a new generation. Eick was a veteran producer with a steady track record of successful shows such as Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and cult classics like American Gothic. Seeing how big a task it would be to bring Battlestar back to life, David approached veteran Star Trek writer Ronald D. Moore.

The direction of the show began with a national tragedy—the September 11th attacks and their effects on society. Both David and Ronald realized that Battlestar Galactica had parallels to the terrorist attacks. They knew this series would be unlike anything else in the science fiction genre. Their goal was to make it as realistic as possible. The series would be shot in a documentary-like style, the sets were built to look like a military vessel, and the characters would be more complex than standard science fiction heroes or villains.

After speaking to Moore and Eick, Mancuso gave the green light to make a miniseries on a new network called The Science Fiction Network. But before the miniseries even aired, there was intense hatred from fans of the original series. It all started when Dawson attended the 2003 Galacticon to screen clips of the miniseries. Once the audience saw it, they began to boo and hiss. They became hostile to Dawson during the Q&A, and former star of the show Richard Hatch had to step in to defend him.

The anger from Battlestar Galactica fans stemmed from the drastic changes Moore and Eick had made with the revival. Its allegory of a post-9/11 society and the decision to make Cylons humanoid were seen as cheap and uninspired. But one of the biggest controversies was gender-swapping the characters of Starbuck and Boomer.

However, many fans quickly changed their minds when the miniseries aired to massive ratings. The show went to series due to this success and a clever marketing idea by David Eick. The first thing he did was leave the miniseries on a cliffhanger. He knew it would entice executives to give the green light to a full series if the ratings were strong.

Whether or not that decision was a factor is unknown. What we do know is that the revival was a game-changer for the Syfy Network. Galactica was seen as groundbreaking in the science fiction genre. Many said it was the first show to truly push the boundaries of the genre. People compared it to classic TV shows like The Twilight Zone and the original Star Trek, which incorporated social commentary into their stories. The consensus among critics was that Battlestar Galacticadid not hide its commentary. Themes of bitterness, survivor’s guilt, hatred of an unknown enemy, and religious conflict were front and center.

The first season of Battlestar focused on two ideologies: revenge against its enemies and the importance of preserving a free society. It was fascinating to see this play out with General Adama and President Roslin’s uneasy alliance that eventually turned into a love story. One of the best storylines came in season two with the introduction of Admiral Helena Cain, whose motivation for revenge against the Cylons at any cost changed Adama’s view of the war.

While I agree that Battlestar Galactica introduced these new themes, I think shows like Space: Above and Beyond did it first. But I can’t deny that Battlestar took it to a new level.

Of course, the stories couldn’t have worked without the actors behind the roles. Galactica’s cast was massive, and each actor gave incredible performances. The key was that everyone took their role seriously. At the time, science fiction roles weren’t as sought after as those in prime-time dramas. A role on a sci-fi show was often seen as a step down. However, every actor cast realized almost immediately that being on the show was an honor—and that it could lead to greater opportunities. The clearest example of this was Lieutenant Kara Thrace, a.k.a. Starbuck, played by Katee Sackhoff. To say that Sackhoff has the career she does today because of her portrayal of Starbuck is like saying that water is wet. Starbuck was the most popular character on the show, overshadowing even the legendary Edward James Olmos.

As I stated before, one of the most heated complaints before the show aired was the gender swap of Starbuck. Moore stated that these changes to Starbuck and Boomer were because the original series had few female roles. He felt this was unrealistic and limited the show’s appeal to potential new fans. Surprisingly, one of the most vocal critics of this change was the man who originated the role of Starbuck, who wrote an article titled “Starbuck: Lost in Castration.” It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out his opinion. To his credit, though, he did not personally attack Katee Sackhoff and even took a photo with her at Starbucks in the documentary Battlestar Galactica: The Lowdown.

The reason Boomer’s gender was also changed went deeper than that of Starbuck’s. Moore felt that making Boomer a woman would provide more story opportunities when introducing a female Cylon sleeper agent. It was more interesting to turn a trusted member of the team into a spy than to introduce an entirely new character. It also caught audiences by surprise when the reveal of Cylon Boomer came at the end of the miniseries. Grace Park was praised not just for her portrayal of the Cylon sleeper agent Boomer but also of Athena—a Cylon who turned against her kind to help the humans.

However, the main cast wasn’t the only one to benefit. Guest stars like Mark Sheppard, Rick Worthy, and Callum Keith Rennie moved on to bigger roles. Lucy Lawless and Dean Stockwell’s careers were also revitalized by their appearances. But one of the most memorable guest stars who saw the most benefit was the original Apollo, Richard Hatch, who gained a new generation of fans with his role as terrorist-turned-politician Tom Zarek.

Yet even though Battlestar Galactica seasons 1 and 2 were praised by critics and fans, season 3 is when the downfall began. A bold choice was made to have the survivors try to start a new life on a hostile planet, only to be conquered by the Cylons. It started out well, but by the end of season 3, the show had gone off the rails.

Controversial choices included Baltar being put on trial and then acquitted, a large portion of the cast being revealed as Cylons, and Starbuck being killed—only to be mysteriously resurrected. But the worst choice was the answer to one of the biggest questions of the series.

From the start of the Battlestar Galactica revival, Gaius Baltar was the scientist inadvertently responsible for the destruction of the Twelve Colonies. It was a Cylon known as Model Six, or Caprica Six, who seduced Baltar into giving her information that allowed the Cylons to destroy the colonies. Afterwards, Baltar would have visions of Six, who helped him survive exposure of his crimes and advised him on manipulating the crew for personal power.

The mystery of what “Vision Six” was—and her motivations—was heavily debated by viewers. The two most popular theories were that she was either a manifestation of Gaius’s broken psyche or some kind of Cylon program in his head. The mystery became even more intriguing when we learned that Caprica Six also had visions—of Gaius Baltar.

But the truth divided the fanbase: the answer was that Vision Six and Vision Baltar were angels.

While the concept of religion had been there from the beginning, it was subtle and never overshadowed the more engaging themes of survival and war. By the end of season 3, though, the series had changed drastically. Religion took center stage. Now it was about destiny, the Cylons’ belief in one god, Baltar starting a cult, miracles, a Christ-like child, and angels. As a fan, I felt betrayed. I had been enamored with a show about war, survival, hatred, and hope in the darkness. Now I didn’t know what the hell I was watching.

But how did the show end up like this?

Well, it goes all the way back to the miniseries. As Moore and Eick worked on it, the mythology of the Cylons wasn’t fleshed out. The basics were that the Cylons and humans had fought a war in the past. A truce was called, and then the Cylons attacked again, nearly exterminating humanity. A fleet of ships escaped to find Earth while the Cylons pursued them.

That’s all that was planned. In fact, one of the most memorable parts of the series was the tag before every episode—it always ended with the words “The Cylons Have a Plan.” This was suggested to the marketing team by David Eick. When Ronald found out, he went to Eick and said, “But they don’t have a plan, David.” Eick replied, “No, trust me! This is marketing. It doesn’t matter. We’ll figure it out later. There’ll be a plan someday.”

This anecdote sums up Battlestar Galactica’s biggest problem. Essentially, they had become the Hollywood cliché of “We’ll fix it in post.”

If you ask Ronald Moore, he proudly says that the freedom of not having a clear plan from beginning to end let the show write itself. He stated that this helped the show feel fresh because the writers were on the same journey as the characters. However, Moore would eventually discuss the controversial revelation that Dream Six and Dream Baltar were magical beings. When asked if they were angels or demons, he replied:

“I think they’re both. We never tried to name exactly what the head characters were; we never looked at them as angels or demons. They seemed to periodically say good things or evil things, to save people or to damn people. There was a sense that they worked in the service of something else… that was guiding and helping, sometimes obstructing, sometimes tempting. The idea at the end was that whatever they’re in service of is eternal and continues, and whatever they are, they too are still around, with all of us who are the children of Hera. They continue to walk among us and watch.”

He was also asked why the mystery of Starbuck’s resurrection was never explained. He responded that providing a concrete answer would diminish the mystery and impact of the character’s spiritual journey.

So, in other words, he had no idea how to explain it—and it was easier to leave it a mystery and try to convince everyone that was intentional.

This aspect of Battlestar Galactica serves as a great example for any writer creating a show: it’s incredibly important to have a plan when you create a story. The “fix it in post” mentality cannot sustain a TV series. You can only distract the audience for so long before they start asking questions, and if you don’t have answers, things can get ugly. Don’t believe me? Go ask a former Game of Thrones fan how they feel about the ending of that eight-season show. You’re not going to find many who praise that disaster of a series finale.

But for that miniseries, those first two seasons, and the Razor TV movie—it had incredible writing. I still remember amazing episodes like “33,” the first episode of season one, which made you feel as exhausted as the crew; “Bastille Day,” which introduced the fascinating character of Tom Zarek and asked whether he was a terrorist or a folk hero; and the nail-biter “Pegasus,” which introduced the brutal Admiral Cain.

There were also unforgettable moments, such as when Starbuck confesses her role in Adama’s son’s death or when Boomer tries to assassinate Adama while in a trance. Not to mention the incredible performances of James Callis and Tricia Helfer, filled with paranoia and raw sexuality.

It’s for these reasons that I could never say the Battlestar Galactica revival was a failure.

After the series ended, attempts were made to continue the Battlestar Galactica universe. A prequel called Caprica explored the origins of the Cylons but was canceled after one season. Then there was a two-hour pilot called Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome, revolving around a young Adama fresh out of the academy. However, it was not picked up and was later split into a web series.

Since then, the world of Battlestar Galactica has remained closed. A reboot was being developed for Peacock until the network canceled it in 2024. There is still talk about it being picked up by another network or streaming service. I’m on the fence about this one. On the one hand, I don’t think you could capture the same lightning in a bottle that the 2004 revival had. But on the other hand, it would be interesting to see what a fresh pair of eyes could make of it.

If you want to watch Battlestar Galactica, it’s a bit of a mess. I was only able to find the miniseries and the TV movie Razor to stream on—of all places—Fandango.com. Prime has the entire series and Blood & Chrome available to rent. Peacock is the only place you can watch Caprica. But the second TV movie, The Plan, was nowhere to be found online.

As I stated before, even with all its flaws, the Battlestar Galactica revival universe is something to be experienced. It was groundbreaking and still stands as some of the best science fiction ever made.

So maybe you should hop on board an old space battleship and witness the fear, the love, and—most importantly—the hope that we must all keep alive in the face of darkness.

So say we all.

The post What Happened to Battlestar Galactica (2003-2009)? appeared first on JoBlo.

The description reads,
“Following the highly popular 4K Blu-ray SteelBook releases of Besson’s Subway, Leon, and Nikita, StudioCanal presents a beautifully collectable, four-disc edition of his award-winning, mythical Mediterranean adventure, inspired by the life of legendary diver Jacques Mayol.

The release includes the Theatrical and Extended cuts of the film, and brand new extras. It is presented with a stunning new artwork by the acclaimed artist Flore Maquin.

With a cast including Jean Reno (Leon), Jean-Marc Barr (Dancer In The Dark), and Rosanna Arquette (Pulp Fiction), the film features a vibrant scored by regular Besson collaborator Éric Serra (The Fifth Element) who won the 1989 César award for Best Music, and extraordinary widescreen cinematography (by Carlo Varini, Subway) looks absolutely stunning in the new restoration.

Winner of the 1989 National Academy of Cinema Academy Award, and described by Film4 as ‘a hypnotically beautiful and metaphysical delight’, it’s time to dive into the definitive edition of THE BIG BLUE and experience Besson at his passionate and most visually arresting best.

Enzo (Jean Reno), the uncontested freediving world champion, tracks down his childhood friend and fellow freediver Jacques (Jean-Marc Barr) and insists that he compete in the upcoming world championships. Jacques accepts Enzo’s challenge and beats his record, sparking a competition between the two old friends that intensifies as each man attempts to reach increasingly life-threatening depths and journey further into the unknown…”

Special Features:

DISC ONE – 4K BLU-RAY

• NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE THEATRICAL CUT BY GAUMONT (137 min)
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• NEW Interviews with Cast and Crew
• Optional English subtitles for the main feature

DISC TWO – 4K BLU-RAY

• NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE EXTENDED CUT BY GAUMONT (168 min)
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• Optional English subtitles for the main feature

DISC THREE – BLU-RAY

• NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE THEATRICAL CUT BY GAUMONT (137 min)
• Making of Documentary
• Optional English subtitles for the main feature
• Region-B “locked”

DISC FOUR – BLU-RAY

• NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE EXTENDED CUT BY GAUMONT (168 min)
• Optional English subtitles for the main feature
• Region-B “locked”

Technical Specs:

• Video
  Codec: HEVC / H.265
  Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
  HDR: HDR10
  Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
• Audio
  TBA
• Subtitles
  TBA
• Discs
  4K Ultra HD
  Blu-ray Disc
  Two-disc set (1 BD-50)
• Packaging
  SteelBook, Inner print
• Playback
  4K Blu-ray: Region free
  2K Blu-ray: Region B (A, C untested)

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The Goonies LEGO set is made up of 2,912 pieces, and once complete, will have measurements of 15” tall, 7” deep and 24.5” wide, making it a nice display piece that you wouldn’t want Chunk anywhere near…Speaking of Chunk, he is one of 12 minifigures included in the box, joined by fellow Goonies Mikey, Data, and Mouth. Also in the set are Sloth, Mama Fratelli and more.

Data himself, Ke Huy Quan, even helped in the promotion of the LEGO Goonies set. “Revisiting Data after all these years – but this time in LEGO form – has been such a joyful experience. The Goonies was all about heart, adventure, and friendship, and this set captures that spirit in fantastic detail. From the booby traps to the treasure room, it’s like stepping back into the tunnels with the gang – only now, I get to share that magic with a whole new generation of fans.”

As Ke Huy Quan teased, the LEGO Goonies set is brimming with action that will let you recreate parts of the movie’s climax. We’ve got a secret fireplace, boulders, skeleton keys, the skeleton organ — there’s even an octopus, a nod to a famous deleted scene. So, yeah, there’s plenty to do with the set once it’s built.

At close to 3,000 pieces, you’ll be spending a lot of time building The Goonies LEGO set. So while you might not have the stunned, authentic reaction the cast did upon first seeing the Inferno (or did they…?), it will no doubt blow away your guests.

This Goonies set is actually part of the LEGO Ideas initiative, which lets fans and builders submit their own concepts in the hopes they get enough fan support to go through the next steps to eventually land on shelves. The designer of this set is Vaggelis Ntezes, who said of his process, “In designing this set, I revisited my childhood memories – growing up in the 80s, playing with LEGO Pirates sets and watching The Goonies. Combining nostalgia, fantasy, and creativity, I wanted to build something that offered both playability and display value. The final design merges the legendary Inferno with the cave system and booby traps, capturing the spirit of adventure that made the film so unforgettable. I’m thrilled to see it come to life and hope it brings joy to fans old and new.” The set comes out on November 4th at a price of $329.99.

Will you be picking up the LEGO Goonies set?

The post The Goonies LEGO set is good — and big — enough for us appeared first on JoBlo.

Stallone recently sat down with GQ to get nostalgic about some of his most memorable movies, kicking it all off with cult favorite Demolition Man, in which Sly plays John Spartan, a Los Angeles cop who is cryogenically frozen, awoken once a crime lord busts loose. “I think it was a great movie. It’s one of the few films that really [holds] up. And it’s almost close to happening. There’s certain kind of mannerisms and…we call it the “gentilization of society.” Everything’s so meek…That’s so far back, and I thought [at the time] it was just very, very contemporary…I thought it was really well done.”

Stallone also had major praise for Demolition Man co-star Wesley Snipes, who played Simon Phoenix. “Wesley was wild, he’s a wild man, very energetic, good fighter. When we were doing kicks…I could feel it and it was good. But Wesley, he really dug down there and gave a very memorable character. Things with his hair and his voice…he was good, he was at the top of his game then.”

And what’s a behind-the-scenes recollection with a near-death experience? Check out these scares Stallone had while making Demolition Man: “I thought the set design was brilliant. It was what we call a practical set. Those things really worked…” And yes, he means the giant claw, going on to say, “Those are the two most dangerous stunts I’ve ever done…Sometimes the hydraulics would go sideways and the strength of those metal claws would tear you up. And the other thing is, when they froze me originally and they put me in this round tub [with] thick plexiglass, you couldn’t break it with a sledgehammer. And they started pouring in warm oil and it’s filling up [to my chin]. It’s supposed to cut.” But it didn’t, with the liquid going far higher than intended, leaving him locked in the tub which was bolted shut. Thankfully, some of the crew members came through courtesy of sledgehammers and hatchets, freeing Stallone of certain doom. And to think, one of his last completed movies would have been Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot!

Where would you rank Demolition Man in Stallone’s filmography? Does it hold up in 2025?

The post Sylvester Stallone still loves 1993’s Demolition Man appeared first on JoBlo.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been posting a series of lists based on what I think are the best movie soundtracks of all time. I’ve already done the eighties and the nineties, so now it’s time to complete the trilogy with the best soundtracks of the 2000s.

Bear in mind, this has nothing to do with film scores. Those will be covered in another list. Rather, this is dedicated to soundtracks packed with licensed music. They aren’t listed only based on how good the songs are, but also on the impact they had within the films themselves. So, here we go with our list (ranked chronologically).

Almost Famous

No one knows how to compile a soundtrack like director Cameron Crowe and his former music supervisor, Nancy Wilson (of Heart). Since the movie was based on Crowe’s real-life experiences on the road as a teenage rock critic in the seventies, you can imagine the track list is impeccable. Crowe made sure to throw in some all-time bangers (like Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer”), but most of the soundtrack is meant to evoke the era rather than serve as a non-stop barrage of hits. Hence the deep cuts, like The Beach Boys’ “Feel Flows,” as well as original songs from Stillwater, the fictional band within the film, such as “Fever Dog,” written by Wilson.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Of all the albums on this list, T Bone Burnett’s bluegrass- and gospel-filled soundtrack for the Coen Brothers’ masterpiece may be the most unlikely hit. It went eight times platinum, while The Soggy Bottom Boys’ “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow” became one of the coolest karaoke songs of the decade.

Snatch

Guy Ritchie’s crime caper sported one of the most iconic soundtracks of the 2000s. In fact, some of the songs became so closely identified with the crime genre—such as “Diamond” by Klint and Massive Attack’s “Angel”—that they eventually became clichés.

Moulin Rouge

This was certainly the decade of the jukebox musical, and Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! was among the most iconic. The medleys of pop classics, sung by stars Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, became so popular that both actors ended up cutting singles shortly after release—McGregor with the theme song of his movie Down With Love, and Kidman with a duet alongside Robbie Williams on a cover of “Something Stupid.” Neither had anywhere near the impact of their singing here, though, with a highlight being the baroque cover of The Police’s “Roxanne” (“El Tango de Roxanne”). Plus, Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya, and Pink’s “Lady Marmalade” topped the Billboard charts.

Donnie Darko

Some may object to me listing this soundtrack, as the movie barely made a dent in theaters and the album initially sold poorly due to being released by a tiny indie label. Yet, as the movie’s cult fame grew, so too did album sales. Much of the record is dedicated to Michael Andrews’ score, but it also contains the now-iconic cover of “Mad World” by Gary Jules, which hit #1 as the UK Christmas single in 2003 (two years after the film’s release) and has since become a standard.

Lost in Translation

Another ultra-hip soundtrack from Sofia Coppola, this one featured five songs from Kevin Shields (of My Bloody Valentine), plus tracks from Phoenix, Air, and The Jesus and Mary Chain. All of them became instantly tied to the imagery of Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson (in a star-making part) wandering through a dreamlike Tokyo. When I was in university, this was the record the cool kids played at their parties.

Shaun of the Dead

Edgar Wright’s feature directorial debut had one of the hippest soundtracks of the decade, packed with retro hits like Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now,” library cuts like “The Gonk” (from Dawn of the Dead), and remixed Goblin tracks. Plus, our leads rap along to “White Lines.” The track that inspired it, Liquid Liquid’s “Cavern,” also served as the centerpiece of another iconic 2000s movie—Spike Lee’s 25th Hour.

Kill Bill: Volume 1

Like Snatch, many of the songs Tarantino included here became overused to the point of cliché. I cringe whenever someone drops Tomoyasu Hotei’s “Battle Without Honour or Humanity,” though that’s hardly QT’s fault (he lifted it from a Japanese film himself). Other iconic tracks from these albums include Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down),” Bernard Herrmann’s whistled “Twisted Nerve” theme, and Santa Esmeralda’s epic cover of “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.” Volume

Garden State

You can’t write a serious list of the best soundtracks of the 2000s without including Zach Braff’s Garden State. It helped push indie rock into the mainstream, went platinum, and gave bands like The Shins and Iron & Wine their big break. It also paved the way for TV’s The O.C., which had a similar vibe and helped launch bands like Death Cab for Cutie into stardom.

Once

Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová’s achingly romantic ballad “Falling Slowly” won an Oscar and made the duo breakout indie stars in the second half of the decade. Nearly a musical, John Carney’s masterful film is filled with soul-crushing ballads, and both the movie and soundtrack remain beloved almost twenty years later.

Well, that’s my list—though almost all the selections come from the first half of the decade, as thoughtfully crafted soundtracks stopped selling in the second half thanks to the rise of streaming music and the decline of the record industry. What other ones do you think belong here? Let us know in the comments!

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Sitting down for a piece in Interview Magazine, Christian Slater was asked by Rami Malek which of his movies he loved the most. “I think it’s always been Pump Up the Volume. Again, I love everyone who’s involved, and I still love them all to this day. I feel like we made something very special together, and I remember being very happy on the set.”

Fittingly, Slater also cited his Pump Up the Volume character as the one he would choose to be stuck on a deserted island with. “It would probably be Mark Hunter, from Pump Up the Volume. I liked him, and I liked that movie, and I loved all the people involved in that project. I was just very happy when I was making that movie…It was the next movie I did after Heathers, and it had a depth to it that I really appreciated…I liked the vulnerability of it. Where in Heathers, I was just a real madman—pretty much a psycho killer—and it was nice to play a young man struggling with the FCC and issues of that nature, and trying to expose injustice.”

Christian Slater has a wide filmography so there’s plenty to choose from here. For what it’s worth, I would have to put True Romance’s Clarence at the top, although having finally gotten around to Pump Up the Volume this past summer, Mark Hunter is in the top three for sure. But certainly his TV work is in the conversation, as Slater has earned the most acclaim of his career – including a Golden Globe – for Mr. Robot.

What do you consider Christian Slater’s best movie and performance? Where does Pump Up the Volume rank? Give us your picks in the comments section below!

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