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Review – Stranger Things (2016)

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stranger things

by Henry Hill

The newest Netflix Original series Stranger Things is a terrific throwback to the Spielberg movies of the ‘80s. Think Goonies meets E.T. Meets John Carpenter’s The Thing. Featuring a Carpenter-esque theme song and score, Stranger Things is full of horror, mystery, drama and most of all, fun. It is full of fun easter eggs that will have viewers pausing and rewinding to see what they can spot in the background. Posters for films like Jaws and The Evil Dead hang on the walls in the kids bedrooms and The Clash’s hit 1982 song “Should I Stay or Should I Go” is played on the record player. Needless to say, after five episodes I am hooked.

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“Outatime: Saving The Delorean Time Machine” Debuts on July 19th!

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It has been thirty years since the release of the beloved film Back to the Future,featuring the most iconic car in movie history, the DeLorean Time Machine.  While the film’s legacy has thrived over the years – the car itself wasn’t so lucky.  After decades of harsh weather, souvenir hunters and wild animals, the Time Machine seemed destined for the junkyard.

 OUTATIME: Saving the DeLorean Time Machine chronicles the efforts of Bob Gale, Universal Studios, and the film’s dedicated fan community as they work together to save this cinema icon. Together, they embark on the greatest movie prop restoration of all…time! OUTATIME will be available on Digital HD, DVD and VOD on July 19, 2016 courtesy of Virgil Films.   

To do the restoration right, Bob Gale made a historic choice. Instead of hiring a car company or prop house to restore the car, Mr. Gale brought in a group of Back to the Future super fans to tackle the restoration. By doing so, the Time Machine became the biggest fan-led prop restoration in movie studio history.  Joe Walser (Head of the Restoration) and his team of Time Machine experts had one singular goal – restore the car with 100% accuracy. Every bolt. Every detail. Exactly like it was in the movie. That kicked off an intense, year-long restoration. Grueling work and long hours pushed team members to their breaking point. Even so, their dedication never faltered. As Walser often said, “our pain is temporary, but the car will be perfect forever.”

Working closely with the Time Machine Restoration Team, filmmaker Steve Concotelli was granted exclusive behind-the-scenes access for the entire restoration process. Concotelli interviewed dozens of people involved with the project and the Back to the Future franchise – including Bob Gale, John Murdy, Michael Scheffe, Michael Lantieri, Claudia Wells, members of the Restoration Team, and more. The result is a fascinating look at the restoration of a movie icon.

About Joe Walser (Head of the Restoration)

Joe Walser has decades of film production experience under his belt having quickly worked his way up the ranks of the Art Department to Production Designer. His pet project to build himself a DeLorean Time Machine quickly became his passion. Joe’s realized goal was to build the first truly accurate DeLorean Time Machine replica. His first Time Machine is currently on display in a museum in Santiago, Chile. His second is the official car used by Universal Studios for all their official media projects.  Joe’s professional background, relentless quest for accuracy, and loyalty to the Back to the Future franchise made him the perfect candidate to head the screen-used, hero DeLorean Time Machine restoration project for Bob Gale and Universal Studios.

About Steve Concotelli (Producer/Director)

For over fifteen years, Steve has been committed to producing high quality television.  In that time, he worked every job in the industry – serving as a Writer, Camera Operator, Editor, Field Producer, Director, and ultimately Executive Producer.  Steve has helped create over 500 hours of television with content partners including Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, Discovery Channel, TruTV, CMT, Spike, G4 and others.  In 2010, Steve founded Cricket Pictures, a boutique production company in Los Angeles. At Cricket, Steve and his team excel at finding unique on-camera talent and creating dynamic formats around them.

About Virgil Films

Virgil Films & Entertainment was founded in 2003 by Joe Amodei to acquire, market and distribute DVD, TV and Digital product in the theatrical feature film, documentaries, special interest and sports categories. The company has built partnerships with OWN, Sundance Channel Home Entertainment, National Geographic Cinema Ventures, Pure Flix Entertainment, MLB Productions, Morgan Spurlock’s Warrior Poets and other high-profile entertainment brands since their inception. Releases from Virgil Films & Entertainment include the Oscar-nominated documentary Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me; the award-winning documentary Miss Representation; the critically- acclaimed, timeless, best-selling Forks Over Knives and the Oscar-nominated documentary Restrepo and its sequel Korengal. They have also released the compelling I Am Chris Farley, A Brony Tale, Legends of the Knight and others. 

Follow them on twitter: @virgilfilms | www.VirgilFilmsEnt.com

Follow the film on twitter: @outoftime_movie | www.OUTATIMEmovie.com

Sink Your Teeth Into the Comic Book Sequel to “The Lost Boys”

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THE LOST BOYS never grow old, never die, and have a new miniseries from Vertigo on behalf of Warner Bros. Consumer Products hitting shelves October 12. The stakes are high in this nostalgic and unstoppable sequel to the ’80s cult classic vampire film. Featuring the surviving characters from the film, THE LOST BOYS comic book is being crafted by horror veterans, writer Tim Seeley (GRAYSON, NIGHTWING, Hack/Slash) and artists Scott Godlewski (THE DARK & BLOODY, Copperhead) and Patricia Mulvihill (THE DARK & BLOODY, HELLBLAZER), with covers by Tony Harris. The team will deliver a gruesome and stylish return to the bloody boardwalks and big hair of 1987.

Santa Carla, California, is on edge. The eccentric coastal town and haven for the undead was finally returning to “normal” after its last supernatural scuffle left the local vampire coven’s leader dead and gave newcomers Michael and Sam Emerson a housewarming both violent and bizarre. Now the brothers must once again team up with militant vampire hunters Edgar and Allan Frog as a new gang of ruthless, stunning, life-sucking nightcrawlers known as the Blood Belles emerges from the aftermath to collect Michael’s love interest and their lost sister, Star.

“I saw The Lost Boys at a formative time in my life, when a VHS, a VCR and a summer afternoon were a perfect escape into a crazy world of biker vampires with mullets and monster-fighting hippy grandpas,” explains writer Tim Seeley. “The Lost Boys was one of my entry points into the horror genre, and I’ve been fascinated ever since. Getting the chance to write a sequel to the film, featuring the original characters, and getting to work with Scott, Patricia and Tony is truly a high point in my comic book-making career.”

“I hadn’t revisited the film until after becoming involved with this project and totally understood the fascination and the reason for the devoted cult following,” explains artist Scott Godlewski. “My artistic approach to the series is all about keeping the lighter moments light so that when the blood and guts show up they hit you like a hammer.”

The first issue of this monthly miniseries from Vertigo on behalf of Warner Bros. Consumer Products will be available on October 12. Check Vertigo Comics for updates. Click below to see images from the upcoming comic!

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Game of Thrones Updates

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Cersei Queen

The Emmy®– and Golden Globe-winning series GAME OF THRONES will begin shooting its next season later this summer, it was announced today by Casey Bloys, president, HBO programming. Production of the seven-episode seventh season will be based in Northern Ireland, while additional portions will be filmed in Spain and Iceland, with debut slated for summer 2017 on HBO.

“Now that winter has arrived on GAME OF THRONES, executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss felt that the storylines of the next season would be better served by starting production a little later than usual, when the weather is changing,” said Bloys. “Instead of the show’s traditional spring debut, we’re moving the debut to summer to accommodate the shooting schedule.”

Season seven directors will include Mark Mylod, Jeremy Podeswa, Matt Shakman and Alan Taylor.

Locations for shooting in Spain will include Sevilla, Caceres, Almodovar del Rio, Santiponce, Zumaia and Bermeo.

Last week, GAME OF THRONES received 23 Primetime Emmy® nominations, the most of any nominee for the third year in a row. This year’s nominations include Outstanding Drama Series, 2 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington), 3 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Emilia Clarke, Lena Headey, Maisie Williams), Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (Max von Sydow), 2 for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Miguel Sapochnik, Jack Bender) and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (David Benioff and D.B. Weiss).

– Courtesy of HBO

Suicide Squad: Teasing Us With Its Siren Song

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by Logan Myerz

It’s hard to imagine looking back twenty years ago that superhero movies would be where they are at today.  Back then, we only had a few films of the genre that was overpowered by raunchy comedies and dramas.  2016 is the year that DC Entertainment and Marvel Studios are trying to outshine one another with the newest and sometimes dreadful characters to fill your CGI fantasies. Sadly, it’s starting to get a little overwhelming with all the pre-pubescent fan boys duking it out over the interwebs and at Comic Con trying to take the reigns as who is better, Marvel or DC? Honestly, who cares? It all depends on the story and the final product of the film, which DC Entertainment hasn’t really been pulling their weight thus far in the game. The newest film Suicide Squad, arriving late this summer, will HOPEFULLY change everyone’s minds. What’s unique about this film is David Ayer approached this group of supervillains as the main focal point and utilized top notch actors/actresses to bring the characters to life, most notably Jared Leto as The Joker, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, and Will Smith as Deadshot. It’s a film that stands out on its own from the get go and has received lots of buzz around the internet, becoming one of the most anticipated films of the year.

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An aspect of this film that’s rare these days is that Suicide Squad is utilizing its score and music videos to tease us with other characters and details before the film is released world-wide. Twenty-One Pilots just released the music video Heathens and Lil Wayne/Wiz Khalifa released the music video Sucker for Pain.  It’s like taking a trip down memory lane to the 1990’s when music videos promoted the film months before it’s release date and the soundtracks were a heavy influence on the outcome of the films success. The DC Entertainment marketing and PR teams are working extensively to get Suicide Squad to a broader audience with a heavily influenced artistic tone, music, and costume design to stand out against other films of the genre.

I don’t know about you, but after witnessing Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice in theaters, I gave up hope on the superhero cinematic universe.  But with great doubt comes great hope, and hopefully this film will uplift your spirits and make you believe once again. Suicide Squad is the movie that I am excitedly anticipating for this summer, and so should you!

Suicide Squad will be released in theaters on August 5th.

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Sources: Comingsoon.net YouTube

The Official 2016 Emmy Nomination List

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2016 Emmy Nominations

Outstanding Drama Series

The Americans
Better Call Saul
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
House of Cards
Mr. Robot

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Claire Danes, Homeland
Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder
Taraji P. Henson, Empire
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Keri Russell, The Americans
Robin Wright, House of Cards

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Kyle Chandler, Bloodline
Rami Malek, Mr. Robot
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Matthew Rhys, The Americans
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul
Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Kit Harington, Game of Thrones
Michael Kelly, House of Cards
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Dame Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Lena Heady, Game of Thrones
Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones
Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones
Maura Tierney, The Affair
Constance Zimmer, UnREAL

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EXCLUSIVE: Logan sits down with Ben Browder!

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The Sci-fi channel or as they call it today, SyFy, was a huge part of my childhood and teenage years.  Shows such as Farscape and Stargate SG-1 took my mind away from the normal everyday life into new and exciting galactic adventures that every fan like myself couldn’t stop watching. Ben Browder is one of the few actors that is able to transition into many different characters through television and film that really makes him a stand out actor and one to keep your eye on. I am not only a huge fan of his work, but I am also inspired by his project choices and his humble charisma. He is an actor that cares about his craft and works extremely hard to portray that in every project he is associated with.

Today, I get to sit down and talk with Ben about his newest film, Outlaws and Angels, a western film about outlaws that overrun an honest frontier family in New Mexico, and what can ensue when there is bloodshed.

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Can You Smell What Universal Studios is Cooking?

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by Logan Myerz

It’s rare to find a professional wrestler that hangs up the tights and makes a successful career in the movie industry. We have seen several failed attempts of wrestlers gone actors with films such as Suburban Commando and See No Evil.  But Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is in the 1% that have been very fortunate and showcased in almost every movie released these days.  If it’s not quirky comedies, then it’s top notch action flicks the reek of testosterone and in your face CGI. But the word on the streets is that Universal Studios have had their eye on Dwayne Johnson to play something out of his comfort zone which is none other than Lawrence Talbot, better known as The Wolfman. The kind lads at Deadline have reported there has been consistent whispers about bringing Mr. Johnson into the Universal Monster-Verse that is currently underway. The studio is rebooting the entire monster saga starting with Tom Cruise in The Mummy that is aimed for a June 9th, 2017 release. We have already seen the re-imagined Wolfman film back in 2010 starring Benicio Del Toro. That film received a really bad wrap for some odd reason, but I was one of the few fans that really enjoyed seeing Dr. Gonzo as a hairy lycan.  Only time will tell if these rumors are indeed true, but with the Rock’s current movie schedule and ten other films in the works over the next few years, it may be hard to pull this one off.   

The future of the Universal Monster franchise is quite exciting for horror fans around the world and will help rejuvenate the studio back to where it all began in the early days of film. Like all of you, I will be in the audience enjoying the new takes on all of these classic black and white characters that we grew up loving.

Starting in 2017, there will be a monster film released each year starting with The Mummy and another “mystery” creature feature aimed for it’s debut on April 13, 2018.