Everyone needs an escape from time to time. A place apart from reality, where the strange whisper with the miraculous, and cheap trinkets are bartered with greasy denizens of the night. What better place to set a horror film than the carnival, where the potential for mystery awaits around every crimson tent and distorted mirror? If you’re so inclined, step right up and buy a ticket to The Funhouse (1981), the late Tobe Hooper’s wonderful tribute to the seedy shadowed world of carnies, caramel apples, and Universal monsters.
Released in March by Universal, The Funhouse underperformed at the box office, but critics (including Gene Siskel) admired it for focusing on suspense and thrills rather than gruesome mayhem. In a landscape littered with severed limbs and phallically inclined urban legends, Mr. Hooper used his genius to once again showcase the underbelly of the American psyche, this time with a major studio’s dollars.
Released in March by Universal, The Funhouse underperformed at the box office, but critics (including Gene Siskel) admired it for focusing on suspense and thrills rather than gruesome mayhem. In a landscape littered with severed limbs and phallically inclined urban legends, Mr. Hooper used his genius to once again showcase the underbelly of the American psyche, this time with a major studio’s dollars.
- 9/2/2017
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
By Lee Pfeiffer
Stories about troubled cops or ex-cops still have a foothold in movies and TV shows -- almost to the point where you wonder why so these emotionally vulnerable men and women chose a stressful career in law enforcement in the first place. Private eyes, on the other hand, are almost an extinct species on the screen, after great media popularity in the 1950s and intermittent periods of audience demand since then. Maybe, as fantasy figures who embody power, personal integrity, and social conscience, trenchcoated PIs have been displaced and replaced by superheroes. The hero of Hal Ashby’s “8 Million Ways to Die” (1986), Matt Scudder (Jeff Bridges), begins as a policeman but becomes an unlicensed, free-lance gumshoe in the course of the story. A detective with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office, Scudder serves a warrant on a suspected drug trafficker in the opening scenes of the film.
Stories about troubled cops or ex-cops still have a foothold in movies and TV shows -- almost to the point where you wonder why so these emotionally vulnerable men and women chose a stressful career in law enforcement in the first place. Private eyes, on the other hand, are almost an extinct species on the screen, after great media popularity in the 1950s and intermittent periods of audience demand since then. Maybe, as fantasy figures who embody power, personal integrity, and social conscience, trenchcoated PIs have been displaced and replaced by superheroes. The hero of Hal Ashby’s “8 Million Ways to Die” (1986), Matt Scudder (Jeff Bridges), begins as a policeman but becomes an unlicensed, free-lance gumshoe in the course of the story. A detective with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office, Scudder serves a warrant on a suspected drug trafficker in the opening scenes of the film.
- 8/17/2017
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
I’m a sucker for crime fiction, whether it’s served up by Raymond Chandler or by Harlan Coben. As a kid, my passion for adventure stories started it all. But like a Chevy Impala on a rain-soaked highway, my interest slid all over the road. I’d devour mysteries, detective novels, pulps and crime thrillers.
In the world of comics, lately we’ve been treated to outstanding fantastic crime thrillers. Ed Brubaker leads the way, of course, with his various crime noir and spy series. Greg Rucka’s stuff is always fun and I hope Oni publishes more Stumptown soon. And other publishers, like Dynamite, Idw, and Boom! Studios have been providing strong contributions as well.
In the traditional book world, Hard Case Crime has been on the forefront of hardboiled crime fiction. Charles Ardai is the man behind it all, and he combines his love for this genre...
In the world of comics, lately we’ve been treated to outstanding fantastic crime thrillers. Ed Brubaker leads the way, of course, with his various crime noir and spy series. Greg Rucka’s stuff is always fun and I hope Oni publishes more Stumptown soon. And other publishers, like Dynamite, Idw, and Boom! Studios have been providing strong contributions as well.
In the traditional book world, Hard Case Crime has been on the forefront of hardboiled crime fiction. Charles Ardai is the man behind it all, and he combines his love for this genre...
- 6/26/2017
- by Ed Catto
- Comicmix.com
Tonight on ‘movies we really want to like’ we have Hal Ashby’s final feature, an L.A.- based crime saga with a great cast and spirited direction and . . . and not much else. It isn’t the train wreck described in Kino’s candid actor interviews, but we can see only too well why it wasn’t a big winner when new. Any day that a Jeff Bridges picture doesn’t shine, is a dark day in my book.
8 Million Ways to Die
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1986 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 115 min. / Street Date June 20, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Rosanna Arquette, Andy Garcia, Alexandra Paul, Randy Brooks.
Cinematography: Stephen H. Burum
Film Editor: Robert Lawrence, Stuart H. Pappé
Original Music: James Newton Howard
Written by Oliver Stone, David Lee Henry (R. Lance Hill) from the book by Lawrence Block
Produced by Steve Roth
Directed by Hal Ashby
Well,...
8 Million Ways to Die
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1986 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 115 min. / Street Date June 20, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Rosanna Arquette, Andy Garcia, Alexandra Paul, Randy Brooks.
Cinematography: Stephen H. Burum
Film Editor: Robert Lawrence, Stuart H. Pappé
Original Music: James Newton Howard
Written by Oliver Stone, David Lee Henry (R. Lance Hill) from the book by Lawrence Block
Produced by Steve Roth
Directed by Hal Ashby
Well,...
- 6/16/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Have you read Don Winslow's remarkable open letter about the drug war? If so, then you've got some sense of the simmering anger that runs through his new novel, The Cartel, which is one of the most impressive books I've read this year. Dense, sweeping, and scathing in terms of pointing at all the systemic failures that keep a horrifying mechanism in place, The Cartel is worth your time, and it's worth a serious conversation, which is exactly what I had with him about a week before the book hit the shelves. He dialed me directly. I was at home, and as I hit record on the conversation, he was already mid-explanation about how long he's been working on telling this particular story, which arrives just as this conversation seems to be heating up onscreen (the documentary "Cartel Land") and in real life. Don Winslow: … when I started...
- 7/1/2015
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
Liam Neeson is in vigilante mode once again as the private detective in this head-bangingly dull thriller
Not so much taking out the trash as simply recycling it, Liam Neeson downshifts once again into vigilante mode in this head-bangingly dull and shamelessly exploitative crime thriller, set in 1999, and adapted from Lawrence Block’s novel. Here’s the “I will find you, I will kill you” phone call from Taken; here’s the lonely man with alcohol issues from Non-Stop; and here’s Brian “Astro” Bradley, hot from YouTube and American X Factor, presumably roped in to corner the youth market who will be excluded anyway by the 15-rated violence.
Liam plays Matt Scudder, an unlicensed private detective who used to be a cop until “a bullet took a bad hop” and who now “does favours for people” like finding out who kidnapped and murdered their wives. What few surprises are...
Not so much taking out the trash as simply recycling it, Liam Neeson downshifts once again into vigilante mode in this head-bangingly dull and shamelessly exploitative crime thriller, set in 1999, and adapted from Lawrence Block’s novel. Here’s the “I will find you, I will kill you” phone call from Taken; here’s the lonely man with alcohol issues from Non-Stop; and here’s Brian “Astro” Bradley, hot from YouTube and American X Factor, presumably roped in to corner the youth market who will be excluded anyway by the 15-rated violence.
Liam plays Matt Scudder, an unlicensed private detective who used to be a cop until “a bullet took a bad hop” and who now “does favours for people” like finding out who kidnapped and murdered their wives. What few surprises are...
- 9/20/2014
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
Three new pictures bow this weekend with Fox’s sci-fi action thriller The Maze Runner leading the way. It opens tonight at 10 Pm, having already made a strong bow overseas to heavily outpace Divergent and gross $8.5M so far. After this weekend’s bow in the states, the picture will likely have grossed its production budget back — said to be around $35M+ but they got a tax incentive from shooting in Louisiana which brought the net cost down. That’s not including marketing and distribution costs, but this should be yet another profitable film for Fox (which has been on a roll). CGI was also handled out of the U.S. (in Vancouver) through a company called Method. Here’s the thing, Divergent was heavily skewed female so the question is will the boys come out for Fox the same way girls (who tend to go to movies in packs) came out for March 2014 release?...
- 9/18/2014
- by Anita Busch
- Deadline
Liam Neeson knuckles down to serious crime business as author Lawrence Block's ex-cop turned private investigator Matt Scudder. A disturbing case puts him on the trail of two serial killers who have murdered a drug dealer's wife, despite the ransom being paid. But, it won't be an afternoon stroll as the investigation takes Scudder into a world of insanity and murder.
- 9/17/2014
- Sky Movies
They've done it at last: made a Liam Neeson-stomps-some-ass flick where, as the credits roll, there's more stuff to be glad you saw than Neeson himself. Based on one of those Lawrence Block novels that's pretty smart but also too invested in the mechanics of rape and torture, the movie's a grim beauty, shot like nobody told writer-director Scott Frank he's supposed to be churning out schedule-filling late-summer product. Instead, Frank has crafted the kind of thriller that Neeson's brooding elder-toughs have deserved all along, a tense and prickly picture more interested in shoe-leather investigative work than in making a lark of brutal deaths. Neeson's Matt Scudder — the glum ex-cop hero of many bloody Block books — bobs about Frank's colorless pre-millennial New York like...
- 9/17/2014
- Village Voice
Director: Scott Frank; Screenwriter: Scott Frank; Starring: Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, Ruth Wilson, Boyd Holbrook; Running time: 114 mins; Certificate: 15
A man walks into a bar... behind him follow gun-toting thugs, sparking a shootout that spills into the street. It's a grand entrance for Liam Neeson as Matt Scudder, the creation of novelist Lawrence Block, who leaves the NYPD and quits the booze after going 'Wild West' in the city. Sure, the film is littered with clichés, but a towering performance from Neeson and some delicate artistry from writer-turned-director Scott Frank (screenwriter of Out of Sight and Minority Report) lifts it above bog standard.
Even the opening credits are well-considered, with Neeson framed from below as he descends a flight of steps to finish off one of the gunmen. It's a subtle echo of the cop movies that were playing in the '70s when Block first put pen to paper on the long-running Scudder series,...
A man walks into a bar... behind him follow gun-toting thugs, sparking a shootout that spills into the street. It's a grand entrance for Liam Neeson as Matt Scudder, the creation of novelist Lawrence Block, who leaves the NYPD and quits the booze after going 'Wild West' in the city. Sure, the film is littered with clichés, but a towering performance from Neeson and some delicate artistry from writer-turned-director Scott Frank (screenwriter of Out of Sight and Minority Report) lifts it above bog standard.
Even the opening credits are well-considered, with Neeson framed from below as he descends a flight of steps to finish off one of the gunmen. It's a subtle echo of the cop movies that were playing in the '70s when Block first put pen to paper on the long-running Scudder series,...
- 9/16/2014
- Digital Spy
Matt Scudder (Liam Neeson), an ex-nypd cop who now works as an unlicensed private investigator operating just outside the law. When Scudder reluctantly agrees to help heroin trafficker Kenny Kristo (Dan Stevens) hunt down the men who kidnapped and then brutally murdered his wife, the Pi learns that this is not the first time these men have committed this sort of twisted crime…nor will it be the last. Blurring the lines between right and wrong, Scudder races to track the deviants through the backstreets of New York City before they kill again.
In this interview for Nerdly, film correspondent James Kleinmann asks Liam Neeson whether he was already familiar with author Lawrence Block’s Matt Scudder novels.
In this interview for Nerdly, film correspondent James Kleinmann asks Liam Neeson whether he was already familiar with author Lawrence Block’s Matt Scudder novels.
- 9/16/2014
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Some marriages are built to last. “The Ring,” unfortunately, isn’t. Stephen King’s short nonfiction is a fleeting thing. Throughout his years as a published writer, King has written dozens – no, hundreds – of thoughtful, contemplative, engaging pieces that have largely gone unread. He’s contributed scores of forewords and afterwords to other writer’s works, offering deep insight into the novels and stories by writers as diverse as Clive Barker, Jack Ketchum, and the brilliant Lawrence Block; by design, however, those forewords and afterwords are locked in the books they accompany. That elusiveness dogs King’s essays and articles first published in periodicals even more. When Castle Rock: The Stephen King Newsletter was still a going concern, important essays like “The Dreaded X” and “The Politics of Limited Editions” appeared... then disappeared. No one has collected old Castle Rocks, and those pieces have never been collected elsewhere. Ditto some...
- 3/7/2014
- by Kevin Quigley
- FEARnet
With 2013 almost behind us, it’s time to start looking forward to the future. By this time last year, Stephen King had announced two new novels for 2013 – Joyland and Doctor Sleep – but we ended up with so much more: The Dark Man, Hard Listening, “Afterlife,” “Summer Thunder,” plus surprises like an unfinished manuscript surfacing and King’s earliest fiction sale, “The Glass Floor,” being reprinted by Cemetery Dance. What’s in store for 2014? We’re in the same position we were in last year: two new books announced, and not much more. Still, 2014 looks to be unique in every sense of the word: for the first time since 2011, we have a year without any sequels. However readers felt about The Wind Through the Keyhole or Doctor Sleep, there’s something exciting about going into two new Stephen King novels completely blind. Well, maybe not completely. What do we know about these novels?...
- 12/27/2013
- by Kevin Quigley
- FEARnet
At first, he seems unsure. Hesitant, even. His voice is coming out metered, measured, and his reading feels more like recitation than performance. Then, something astounding happens: he hits dialogue, and everything ramps up. Voices, it seems, help Michael Kelly find his voice. For those used to listening to crime stories on audio, Kelly’s take on Joyland might be jarring. The narrators of Lawrence Block’s Matt Scudder series, for example – Alan Sklar, William Roberts, Mark Hammer – explore every word as a threat, pummeling headlong toward finales composed of shock and sadness (only Block himself, on Eight Million Ways to Die, seems to get to the deep sorrow of the character). On the other hand, the more stately readings of both Robert B. Parker’s Spenser series (Michael Prichard, who has taken on Tom Clancy’s techno-thrillers with the same endearing seriousness as John Irving’s The World According to Garp...
- 6/12/2013
- by Kevin Quigley
- FEARnet
Shout! Factory has released a Blu-ray edition of the 1990 Captain America movie, a year after a DVD of the much-maligned film was released as a part of MGM’s Limited Edition collection. They deserve kudos for a nice, clean transfer but clarity and high definition cannot help a really weak story hampered by a low budget production.
As I wrote last year:
The film had actually been announced in the early 1980s from Cannon Films but in the intervening years, the studio folded and the right shifted a bit before Menahem Golan mounted it under his 21stCentury banner.
The movie languished in development until the rights were about to expire so director Albert Pyun urged Golan to let him take a crack at getting the film made for about $6 million. Marvel actually approved the script that was shot and Pyun loved its take on America’s fascination with heroism. If...
As I wrote last year:
The film had actually been announced in the early 1980s from Cannon Films but in the intervening years, the studio folded and the right shifted a bit before Menahem Golan mounted it under his 21stCentury banner.
The movie languished in development until the rights were about to expire so director Albert Pyun urged Golan to let him take a crack at getting the film made for about $6 million. Marvel actually approved the script that was shot and Pyun loved its take on America’s fascination with heroism. If...
- 6/3/2013
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Stephen King's new novel, Joyland (review here), is set to release on June 4th, and we had a chance to chat with the book's editor, Charles Ardai.
Ardai, who is also a producer on the TV show "Haven," spoke about the upcoming release and what fans can expect, working with Stephen King, and lots more.
Amanda Dyar: First off, can you tell us how you got involved with Joyland and why fans should pick it up?
Charles Ardai: In 2005, Hard Case Crime was fortunate enough to get to publish a new book by Stephen King called The Colorado Kid. We stayed in touch on and off over the next 8 years, and at one point Steve sent me email saying he’d just finished writing another book he thought might be right for us, and would I like to take a look. Would I? I’d have walked...
Ardai, who is also a producer on the TV show "Haven," spoke about the upcoming release and what fans can expect, working with Stephen King, and lots more.
Amanda Dyar: First off, can you tell us how you got involved with Joyland and why fans should pick it up?
Charles Ardai: In 2005, Hard Case Crime was fortunate enough to get to publish a new book by Stephen King called The Colorado Kid. We stayed in touch on and off over the next 8 years, and at one point Steve sent me email saying he’d just finished writing another book he thought might be right for us, and would I like to take a look. Would I? I’d have walked...
- 6/3/2013
- by Amanda Dyar
- DreadCentral.com
There’s a certain flavor to Stephen King’s 1970s novels that goes deeper than theme and tone and even feel, especially in the smaller, more personal stories like The Shining and ’Salem’s Lot and The Dead Zone. The books are certainly “of their time,” but it’s more than that: it’s a distinct spirit that’s difficult to pin down and even harder to describe. These books – as well as the Bachman novel Blaze, a relic from those early days – come from such a distinct time, place, and mindset in King’s career that the stories can’t help but reflect who and where their author was when they were written. Cheese aficionados and wine connoisseurs call this elusive essence terroir. At this late date, decades after those classic novels were published, it would be almost impossible to capture that exact flavor again, in a new novel...
- 5/15/2013
- by Kevin Quigley
- FEARnet
Embellishment. Is it a dirty word, especially when it comes to writing? Well, it depends. Simply put, there must be no embellishment when writing for a professional journal. The truth must be told. There is a big difference between writing for a professional journal and writing fiction, or even this column. Writing for a professional journal must follow a proscribed style set by peer-reviewed organizations whose rules on grammatical usage, word choice, elimination of bias in language, the proper citation of quotes and references and the inclusion of charts and tables have become the authoritative source for all intellectual writing. This means that for me, as an Rn, Bsn, Cnor, I must adhere to the styles and standards set by the Publication Manual Of The American Psychologoical Assocociation (Apa), which is “consulted not only by psychologists but also by students and researchers in education, social work, nursing, business, and many...
- 4/22/2013
- by Mindy Newell
- Comicmix.com
In a world where you can't count on many movie stars--Tom Cruise? Will Smith?--and foreign sales financing dictates non-studio indie production, mostly formula genre fare aimed at a global market, Liam Neeson is king. The "Schindler's List" and "Taken" star has taken the place of aging tentpole anchors Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks, Tommy Lee Jones, Anthony Hopkins and Al Pacino as the older guy with authority, gravitas and menace who can handle some action and romance as well as carry a movie in multiple markets around the world. He can believably play presidents and kings, fathers, lovers and action heroes. His presence even for a short bit in a movie is worth millions and can get it made. He's the guy producers are dying to add to their ensembles. Next up for Neeson: He's taking on a would-be franchise character based on the global bestselling Matt...
- 3/13/2013
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Way, way back in the day, when Harry S. Truman was president and that thing in the living room, that teevee set that daddy brought home, well, we watched whatever was on. I mean, it’s not like there were a lot of choices. In St. Louis we had no more than three channels, and back then, it might have been one or even two fewer. So you watched teevee, sometimes because there was a program you wanted too see, sometimes because, well…you wanted to watch teevee. You twisted the knob and whatever was on that wobbly, blurry, staticky screen is what you saw.
Sea Hunt, starring Lloyd Bridges, was sometimes what was on and what I watched. I thought it was okay – not a favorite, but okay. I couldn’t have seen it much because it debuted in 1958, which was my first year at the university, and you...
Sea Hunt, starring Lloyd Bridges, was sometimes what was on and what I watched. I thought it was okay – not a favorite, but okay. I couldn’t have seen it much because it debuted in 1958, which was my first year at the university, and you...
- 2/7/2013
- by Dennis O'Neil
- Comicmix.com
Review by Chris Wright, MoreHorror.com
“The Funhouse” (1981)
Directed By: Tobe Hooper
Written By: Larry Block
Starring: Elizabeth Berridge (Amy Harper), Shawn Carson (Joe Harper), Jeanne Austin (Mrs. Harper), Jack McDermott (Mr. Harper), Cooper Huckabee (Buzz), Largo Woodruff (Liz), Miles Chapin (Richie),Sylvia Miles (Madame Zena), David Carson (Geek), Sonia Zomina (Big Lady), Kevin Conway (Carnival Barber), Herb Robins (Carnival Manager), Mona Agar (Strip Show Dancer), Wayne Doba (The Monster), William Finley (Marco the Magnificent)
With Tobe Hooper having many popular films in his directing filmography, The Funhouse falls by the way-side on being familiar in horror. I enjoyed this early Hooper movie a lot. It takes many of the various slasher elements and adds the right mix of camp and bloodshed for a delicate treat for viewers. Opening up at a limited scope of theaters, it had a respectable opening in 1981. It is available on all media formats; it...
“The Funhouse” (1981)
Directed By: Tobe Hooper
Written By: Larry Block
Starring: Elizabeth Berridge (Amy Harper), Shawn Carson (Joe Harper), Jeanne Austin (Mrs. Harper), Jack McDermott (Mr. Harper), Cooper Huckabee (Buzz), Largo Woodruff (Liz), Miles Chapin (Richie),Sylvia Miles (Madame Zena), David Carson (Geek), Sonia Zomina (Big Lady), Kevin Conway (Carnival Barber), Herb Robins (Carnival Manager), Mona Agar (Strip Show Dancer), Wayne Doba (The Monster), William Finley (Marco the Magnificent)
With Tobe Hooper having many popular films in his directing filmography, The Funhouse falls by the way-side on being familiar in horror. I enjoyed this early Hooper movie a lot. It takes many of the various slasher elements and adds the right mix of camp and bloodshed for a delicate treat for viewers. Opening up at a limited scope of theaters, it had a respectable opening in 1981. It is available on all media formats; it...
- 1/11/2013
- by admin
- MoreHorror
The Funhouse
Stars: Elizabeth Berridge, Shawn Carson, Jeanne Austin, Jack McDermott, Cooper Huckabee, Kevin Conway | Written by Lawrence Block | Directed by Tobe Hooper
Tobe Hooper has had a very diverse career, and I say that with nary a blurb of hyperbole. For every The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, you get Crocodile. I love the majority of his films because they give me the feeling of warm and fuzzy nostalgia. But, with The Funhouse which came out at the height of the slasher craze, he was still shaping his now wild career. And the film is drastically different from some of his other films, yet it still retains some of Hooper’s erraticism. There are crazed characters and most of the carnival folk feel very, very real. Hell, the carnival feels real, it’s like it may have visited your hometown. It’s also a great slow burn film, you get to...
Stars: Elizabeth Berridge, Shawn Carson, Jeanne Austin, Jack McDermott, Cooper Huckabee, Kevin Conway | Written by Lawrence Block | Directed by Tobe Hooper
Tobe Hooper has had a very diverse career, and I say that with nary a blurb of hyperbole. For every The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, you get Crocodile. I love the majority of his films because they give me the feeling of warm and fuzzy nostalgia. But, with The Funhouse which came out at the height of the slasher craze, he was still shaping his now wild career. And the film is drastically different from some of his other films, yet it still retains some of Hooper’s erraticism. There are crazed characters and most of the carnival folk feel very, very real. Hell, the carnival feels real, it’s like it may have visited your hometown. It’s also a great slow burn film, you get to...
- 10/16/2012
- by Nathan Smith
- Nerdly
If you hear anyone lamenting the state of the short horror fiction market these days, pay them no mind – they are clearly not looking in the right places. Yes, it’s true, the presence of genre fiction on the newsstands at your local bookshop is nearly nonexistent (if you’re lucky, you’ll find a beat-up copy of Cemetery Dance crammed on a bottom shelf in the Hobbies section next to the model train and dog grooming magazines), which is a shame considering the large amount of horror/science fiction movie magazines you can find just a few sections over. If you’re relying on the good folks at Barnes and Noble or Books-a-Million to feed your appetite for horrific literature, you’re all but starving.
But like a lot of things, short horror fiction has found new life online. Many small press publishers maintain online magazines that are companions to the books they produce,...
But like a lot of things, short horror fiction has found new life online. Many small press publishers maintain online magazines that are companions to the books they produce,...
- 10/8/2012
- by Blu Gilliand
- FEARnet
The Blu-ray and DVD arrival of The Scream Factory's release of Tobe Hooper's slasher classic The Funhouse is on the horizon and we have an inside look at what to expect once it gets here! Alive! Alive! Alive!
The Funhouse Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD
Director Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist) pays affectionate tribute to various classic horror movies in this tale of two teenage couples who spend the night in a sleazy carnival funhouse.
On her first date with Buzz (Cooper Huckabee, True Blood), Amy (Elizabeth Berridge, Amadeus) disobeys her father and goes to the carnival with Richie (Miles Chapin, Hair) and Liz (Largo Woodruff), but their first date may end up as their last. After witnessing a murder, the four terrified teens are trapped in the maze of the funhouse and stalked by a real monster, a horribly deformed killer who lurks among the...
The Funhouse Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD
Director Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist) pays affectionate tribute to various classic horror movies in this tale of two teenage couples who spend the night in a sleazy carnival funhouse.
On her first date with Buzz (Cooper Huckabee, True Blood), Amy (Elizabeth Berridge, Amadeus) disobeys her father and goes to the carnival with Richie (Miles Chapin, Hair) and Liz (Largo Woodruff), but their first date may end up as their last. After witnessing a murder, the four terrified teens are trapped in the maze of the funhouse and stalked by a real monster, a horribly deformed killer who lurks among the...
- 10/2/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Hammett, Chandler, Cain: the modern mystery thriller starts with them. They are the godfathers of that sensibility that would come to be called noir which would, in time, overflow the printed page and onto the stage, the big screen, and eventually even to television. Identified primarily with mysteries, the concept of flawed human beings ethically tripping and stumbling in a moral No Man’s Land, equidistant between Right and Wrong, Good and Bad would bleed across genre lines. There would be noir Westerns (Blood on the Moon, 1948), noir war movies (Attack!, 1956), noir horror (The Body Snatcher, 1945), even noir melodramas like Cain’s own Mildred Pierce, adapted for the screen in 1945.
But they all started with what Hammett, Chandler, and Cain did on the page, and each provided an evolutionary step which took what had once been usually dismissed as a flyweight genre dedicated to colorful private investigators and clever puzzles,...
But they all started with what Hammett, Chandler, and Cain did on the page, and each provided an evolutionary step which took what had once been usually dismissed as a flyweight genre dedicated to colorful private investigators and clever puzzles,...
- 9/19/2012
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
Since the announcement of the Scream Factory line of Blu-rays and DVDs we've been foaming at the mouth with anticipation. We've got an update on one of their more anticipated packages The Funhouse! Read on for the skinny on what to expect!
The Funhouse Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD
Director Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist) pays affectionate tribute to various classic horror movies in this tale of two teenage couples who spend the night in a sleazy carnival funhouse.
On her first date with Buzz (Cooper Huckabee, True Blood), Amy (Elizabeth Berridge, Amadeus) disobeys her father and goes to the carnival with Richie (Miles Chapin, Hair) and Liz (Largo Woodruff), but their first date may end up as their last. After witnessing a murder, the four terrified teens are trapped in the maze of the funhouse and stalked by a real monster, a horribly deformed killer who...
The Funhouse Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD
Director Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist) pays affectionate tribute to various classic horror movies in this tale of two teenage couples who spend the night in a sleazy carnival funhouse.
On her first date with Buzz (Cooper Huckabee, True Blood), Amy (Elizabeth Berridge, Amadeus) disobeys her father and goes to the carnival with Richie (Miles Chapin, Hair) and Liz (Largo Woodruff), but their first date may end up as their last. After witnessing a murder, the four terrified teens are trapped in the maze of the funhouse and stalked by a real monster, a horribly deformed killer who...
- 8/8/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Shout! Factory officially announced The Funhouse as part of their Scream Factor lineup in early July, but we have now the full list of bonus features:
“Just in time for Halloween, dare you to hop on board for a gruesome good time and rediscover two enduring thrillers filled with edge-of-your seat suspense and terror when Scream Factory™ presents Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack and The Fun House Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD on October 16, 2012. Both collector’s editions of Terror Train and The Fun House feature anamorphic widescreen presentation of the movie and a spectacular array of bonus content, including new interviews and commentaries, archival material, a collectible cover featuring newly rendered retro-style artwork, a reversible wrap with original theatrical key art and more! Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack is priced to own $29.93; The Fun House Collector’s Edition Blu-ray has...
“Just in time for Halloween, dare you to hop on board for a gruesome good time and rediscover two enduring thrillers filled with edge-of-your seat suspense and terror when Scream Factory™ presents Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack and The Fun House Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD on October 16, 2012. Both collector’s editions of Terror Train and The Fun House feature anamorphic widescreen presentation of the movie and a spectacular array of bonus content, including new interviews and commentaries, archival material, a collectible cover featuring newly rendered retro-style artwork, a reversible wrap with original theatrical key art and more! Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack is priced to own $29.93; The Fun House Collector’s Edition Blu-ray has...
- 8/8/2012
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
The Fifty Shades of Gray phenomenon has shaken the literary scene in a heap of ways: Concerns of cultural backlash over the objectification of women. Lurid delight that kink has been diluted, prettied up, and packaged in soft language enough to be devoured by the mainstream. Despair that yet another bestseller of dubious literary merit has swept away the American market.
Love it, hate it, or simply want to ignore it, you have to admit that Fifty Shades of Grey has cast light on an important literary talent. Author E. L. James’ husband, Niall Leonard, scored a three-book crime thriller contract.
And while I freely admit that Leonard’s hearty lit deal is linked to his wife’s mega success, a recent look into his career by the Herald Sun reveals a more surprising factor. He damn well deserves to be in print.
I’d expected the bio on Niall...
Love it, hate it, or simply want to ignore it, you have to admit that Fifty Shades of Grey has cast light on an important literary talent. Author E. L. James’ husband, Niall Leonard, scored a three-book crime thriller contract.
And while I freely admit that Leonard’s hearty lit deal is linked to his wife’s mega success, a recent look into his career by the Herald Sun reveals a more surprising factor. He damn well deserves to be in print.
I’d expected the bio on Niall...
- 7/20/2012
- by Matthew C. Funk
- Boomtron
If you listen carefully, you can actually hear horror -oving hearts around the world beating with joy! Check out all the info for The Scream Factory's release of Terror Train and The Funhouse right here along with some incredible artwork!
From the Press Release
Just in time for Halloween, we dare you to hop on board for a gruesome good time and rediscover two enduring thrillers filled with edge-of-your seat suspense and terror when Scream Factory™ presents the Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack and The Funhouse Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD on October 16, 2012. Both collector’s editions of Terror Train and The Funhouse feature anamorphic widescreen presentation of the movie and a spectacular array of bonus content, including new interviews and commentaries, archival material, a collectible cover featuring newly rendered retro-style artwork, a reversible wrap with original theatrical key art and more! Terror Train Collector...
From the Press Release
Just in time for Halloween, we dare you to hop on board for a gruesome good time and rediscover two enduring thrillers filled with edge-of-your seat suspense and terror when Scream Factory™ presents the Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack and The Funhouse Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD on October 16, 2012. Both collector’s editions of Terror Train and The Funhouse feature anamorphic widescreen presentation of the movie and a spectacular array of bonus content, including new interviews and commentaries, archival material, a collectible cover featuring newly rendered retro-style artwork, a reversible wrap with original theatrical key art and more! Terror Train Collector...
- 7/5/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
We’re excited about the upcoming slate of horror releases from Scream Factory. They have already announced Halloween II and III Blu-ray releases, and we now have details on Terror Train and The Funhouse:
“Just in time for Halloween, dare you to hop on board for a gruesome good time and rediscover two enduring thrillers filled with edge-of-your seat suspense and terror when Scream Factory™ presents Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack and The Fun House Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD on October 16, 2012. Both collector’s editions of Terror Train and The Fun House feature anamorphic widescreen presentation of the movie and a spectacular array of bonus content, including new interviews and commentaries, archival material, a collectible cover featuring newly rendered retro-style artwork, a reversible wrap with original theatrical key art and more! Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack is priced to...
“Just in time for Halloween, dare you to hop on board for a gruesome good time and rediscover two enduring thrillers filled with edge-of-your seat suspense and terror when Scream Factory™ presents Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack and The Fun House Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD on October 16, 2012. Both collector’s editions of Terror Train and The Fun House feature anamorphic widescreen presentation of the movie and a spectacular array of bonus content, including new interviews and commentaries, archival material, a collectible cover featuring newly rendered retro-style artwork, a reversible wrap with original theatrical key art and more! Terror Train Collector’s Edition Blu-ray + DVD combo pack is priced to...
- 7/5/2012
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Last month, we were one of the first to bring you news about Joyland, a new novel Stephen King was writing that revolves around an amusement park serial killer. The book has now been officially announced, along with plot details and a release date:
“Hard Case Crime, the award-winning line of pulp-styled crime novels published by Titan Books, today announced it will publish Joyland, a new novel by Stephen King, in June 2013. Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever. Joyland is a brand-new book and has never previously been published. One of the most beloved storytellers of all time, Stephen King is the world’s best-selling novelist,...
“Hard Case Crime, the award-winning line of pulp-styled crime novels published by Titan Books, today announced it will publish Joyland, a new novel by Stephen King, in June 2013. Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever. Joyland is a brand-new book and has never previously been published. One of the most beloved storytellers of all time, Stephen King is the world’s best-selling novelist,...
- 5/30/2012
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
The film adaptation of "A Walk Among Tombstones", based on Lawrence Frank's book series, is finally moving forward at Exclusive Media and Cross Creek Pictures after years in stalled development says The Hollywood Reporter.
Liam Neeson has been cast in the lead and Scott Frank is taking the director's seat after having adapted the script from the book of the same name which is a part of Lawrence Block's series with his popular literary character Matthew Scudder.
Harrison Ford was attached to star and D.J. Caruso to direct in previous incarnations. Universal will release the film domestically and shooting will begin on location in New York next year.
Liam Neeson has been cast in the lead and Scott Frank is taking the director's seat after having adapted the script from the book of the same name which is a part of Lawrence Block's series with his popular literary character Matthew Scudder.
Harrison Ford was attached to star and D.J. Caruso to direct in previous incarnations. Universal will release the film domestically and shooting will begin on location in New York next year.
- 5/18/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Can't get enough Liam Neeson? Well, here's another tidbit for you. Neeson has signed on for A Walk Amongst The Tombstones. The film is being adapted from Lawrence Block's novel series about character Matt Scudder. Does that name sound familiar? It should. Jeff Bridges played Scudder in 1986's 8 Million Ways To Die. Okay, maybe you don't remember it. Scott Frank (Minority Report) has scripted the film which centers on, "Scudder at the time he.s an ex-nypd cop and unlicensed...
- 5/17/2012
- by Niki Stephens
- JoBlo.com
Donald Westlake, ever the prolific author, has had two novels released since his death on New Year’s Eve of 2009, both brought to us by the stellar Hard Case Crime imprint. The first, in 2010, is called Memory, and was thought to be his only “lost” novel, until crime writer Max Allan Collins unearthed a manuscript for The Comedy Is Finished, which was published earlier this year. Now, I’m not sure that these novels carry a certain extra weight for their timing—that is to say, had Westlake published these novels when he had written them, would they ring so much more important to me? Or would they be just two more examples of Westlake’s superior writing skills, part of a canon that was revered within the genre well before the man’s passing?
It doesn’t matter.
Westlake will likely be most remembered for his most famous creations,...
It doesn’t matter.
Westlake will likely be most remembered for his most famous creations,...
- 5/6/2012
- by Jimmy Callaway
- Boomtron
What goes into making a memorable character for a story?
According to Lawrence Block, author of over one hundred novels and recipient of the Grand Master award from the Mystery Writers of America, they must be three things: plausible, sympathetic, and original.
I think that’s a damn good definition of what makes a character real. Except that I think Mr. Block used the wrong word. It’s not “sympathetic,” it’s “empathetic.” Now, sympathy and empathy are kissing cousins, but sympathy, I think, allows the individual to separate from the character just a bit, to feel for the character while still allowing for some separation – six degrees of separation, if you will. Empathy, on the other hand causes the individual to feel with the character– it’s the recognition of self in someone else.
Without that recognition, without that empathy, the character is in danger of falling flat, of eliciting a “who cares?...
According to Lawrence Block, author of over one hundred novels and recipient of the Grand Master award from the Mystery Writers of America, they must be three things: plausible, sympathetic, and original.
I think that’s a damn good definition of what makes a character real. Except that I think Mr. Block used the wrong word. It’s not “sympathetic,” it’s “empathetic.” Now, sympathy and empathy are kissing cousins, but sympathy, I think, allows the individual to separate from the character just a bit, to feel for the character while still allowing for some separation – six degrees of separation, if you will. Empathy, on the other hand causes the individual to feel with the character– it’s the recognition of self in someone else.
Without that recognition, without that empathy, the character is in danger of falling flat, of eliciting a “who cares?...
- 3/12/2012
- by Mindy Newell
- Comicmix.com
The end of the year is fast approaching, which means Certain People (I name no names) realize that they need to use up their vacation days or lose them.
Changing subjects entirely, today I took off from work, and most of what I did was bop into the city to do some book-shopping. (I had a vague idea of doing Xmas shopping as well, and even walked quickly through part of that agglomeration of festive selling huts in Union Square, but that portion of the day’s festivities was not successful.)
First I hit Forbidden Planet — pretty much as an aperitif — which I hadn’t been in for several years. (My mental map of Fp is from the days when they had back issues in the basement — yes, that long ago.) I got issues of two comics for the boys, and also two extremely different graphic novels:
Brody’s Ghost,...
Changing subjects entirely, today I took off from work, and most of what I did was bop into the city to do some book-shopping. (I had a vague idea of doing Xmas shopping as well, and even walked quickly through part of that agglomeration of festive selling huts in Union Square, but that portion of the day’s festivities was not successful.)
First I hit Forbidden Planet — pretty much as an aperitif — which I hadn’t been in for several years. (My mental map of Fp is from the days when they had back issues in the basement — yes, that long ago.) I got issues of two comics for the boys, and also two extremely different graphic novels:
Brody’s Ghost,...
- 12/14/2011
- by Andrew Wheeler
- Comicmix.com
Title: Getting Off: A Novel of Sex & Violence Author: Lawrence Block, Writing as Jill Emerson People are always fascinated with how the minds of serial killers work, and what motivates them to commit their heinous crimes. The new Titan Books crime thriller ‘Getting Off: A Novel of Sex & Violence,’ the latest noir book featured in the Hard Case Crime series, strikingly recreates the style of crime novels of the 1940s and ’50s. Writer Lawrence Block adds an interesting, modern twist to his story by featuring a strong, determined femme fatale as the lead character who’s determined to punish and kill all men for their sexual urges, particularly towards...
- 11/11/2011
- by karen
- ShockYa
New York writer Lawrence Block is best-known these days as a master of hardboiled crime fiction, with a diverse collection of noir series characters, including alcoholic gumshoe Matt Scudder, charming thief Bernie Rhodenbarr, and lonely but terminally professional hit man Keller. In his early career, though, he also wrote under a plethora of pseudonyms, including Jill Emerson, credited with seven novels of steamy lesbian erotica. He was young, he needed the work, but he wasn’t ashamed—in fact, he later republished at least one of the Emersons under his real name. Block picks up the Emerson identity again—sort ...
- 9/21/2011
- avclub.com
In the wake of Batman’s success in 1989, it appeared to renew interest in movies based on comic books. One of the first, and one of the worst, was the 1990 version of Captain America. The film had actually been announced in the early 1980s from Cannon Films but in the intervening years, the studio folded and the right shifted a bit before Menahem Golan mounted it under his 21st Century banner.
The movie languished in development until the rights were about to expire so director Albert Pyun urged Golan to let him take a crack at getting the film made for about $6 million. Marvel actually approved the script that was shot and Pyun loved its take on America’s fascination with heroism. If only some of that love found its way onto the screen.
The movie was shot in 1989 but wasn’t released theatrically and was finally dumped on video...
The movie languished in development until the rights were about to expire so director Albert Pyun urged Golan to let him take a crack at getting the film made for about $6 million. Marvel actually approved the script that was shot and Pyun loved its take on America’s fascination with heroism. If only some of that love found its way onto the screen.
The movie was shot in 1989 but wasn’t released theatrically and was finally dumped on video...
- 8/30/2011
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Captain America (1990)
Directed by Albert Pyun
Written by Stephen Tolkin, based on a story by Stephen Tolkin and Lawrence Block, based on characters created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
USA, 1990
Fantasia imdb
Dismissed by comic-book fans (those who know of it at all) as the Captain America with the Italian Red Skull, this was a film that I had publicly mused about going to see when I took a look at the Fantasia line-up.
To my surprise, I got the following comment on July 13th from Albert Pyun, director of Captain America, not to mention The Sword and the Sorcerer and Cyborg, “Hey Michael – hope to see you at my screening of Captain America and Tales of an Ancient Empire. Think you will enjoy both. They are sort of throwbacks to the 1980′s cinema and I think a lot of fun and laughs… And I really want to read...
Directed by Albert Pyun
Written by Stephen Tolkin, based on a story by Stephen Tolkin and Lawrence Block, based on characters created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
USA, 1990
Fantasia imdb
Dismissed by comic-book fans (those who know of it at all) as the Captain America with the Italian Red Skull, this was a film that I had publicly mused about going to see when I took a look at the Fantasia line-up.
To my surprise, I got the following comment on July 13th from Albert Pyun, director of Captain America, not to mention The Sword and the Sorcerer and Cyborg, “Hey Michael – hope to see you at my screening of Captain America and Tales of an Ancient Empire. Think you will enjoy both. They are sort of throwbacks to the 1980′s cinema and I think a lot of fun and laughs… And I really want to read...
- 8/10/2011
- by Michael Ryan
- SoundOnSight
Hard Case Crime has been described as ‘the best new American publisher to appear in the last decade, and with their list of authors, it’s easy to see why. Their bestselling book is Stephen King’s The Colorado Kid (my treasured copy is encased in bubble wrap and a sturdy envelope so it won’t get damaged), but they also boast some wonderful talent including Ray Bradbury, Lawrence Block and Robert B Parker.
As you can tell from that list, Hard Case Crime only publishes the best writers and Christa Faust definitely falls into that category. She’s been nominated for a prestigious Edgar award and won a Spinetingler award in the ‘Rising Star’ category.
Christa Faust is the first woman to join the ranks of Hard Case Crime’s authors and this is her second book with them - if you want to know how the hero of...
As you can tell from that list, Hard Case Crime only publishes the best writers and Christa Faust definitely falls into that category. She’s been nominated for a prestigious Edgar award and won a Spinetingler award in the ‘Rising Star’ category.
Christa Faust is the first woman to join the ranks of Hard Case Crime’s authors and this is her second book with them - if you want to know how the hero of...
- 7/26/2011
- Shadowlocked
The Funhouse
Stars: Elizabeth Berridge, Shawn Carson, Jeanne Austin,Cooper Huckabee, David Carson | Written by Lawrence Block | Directed by Tobe Hooper
As a horror fan I always like going back to the older movies that I missed in that past. The Funhouse is one of these so now it’s been released on Blu-ray it’s the perfect opportunity for me to watch and review it.
I found The Funhouse to be quite a confusing movie in parts, to the point it seems to be confused as to what it’s trying to achieve. It starts like a Halloween clone but this proves to be a misdirection to confuse the watcher making the opening scenes more a homage to the famous Halloween opener. These scenes are important for later though as it builds up a rivalry between one of the teens that get stuck in the funhouse and her younger brother.
Stars: Elizabeth Berridge, Shawn Carson, Jeanne Austin,Cooper Huckabee, David Carson | Written by Lawrence Block | Directed by Tobe Hooper
As a horror fan I always like going back to the older movies that I missed in that past. The Funhouse is one of these so now it’s been released on Blu-ray it’s the perfect opportunity for me to watch and review it.
I found The Funhouse to be quite a confusing movie in parts, to the point it seems to be confused as to what it’s trying to achieve. It starts like a Halloween clone but this proves to be a misdirection to confuse the watcher making the opening scenes more a homage to the famous Halloween opener. These scenes are important for later though as it builds up a rivalry between one of the teens that get stuck in the funhouse and her younger brother.
- 7/21/2011
- by Pzomb
- Nerdly
A film franchise fashioned around author Lawrence Block.s literary hero Matthew Scudder has been in various stages of development for more than a decade, but a new financing deal could mean that the retired police officer turned investigator-for-hire could become a project for I Am Number Four director D.J. Caruso. Cross Creek Pictures president Brian Oliver has agreed to finance an adaptation of Block.s A Walk Among the Tombstones with Danny DeVito as well as Double Feature partners Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher, according to Deadline. Tombstones, published in 1992, was Block.s tenth Scudder story, and featured the former cop tracking the abducted daughter of a heroin kingpin through New York.s Hell.s Kitchen. (I wonder if Marvel Comics. Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, could cameo?) At one point, a Scudder film was being set up as a vehicle for Harrison Ford, but deals have fallen apart ...
- 7/1/2011
- cinemablend.com
An adaptation of Lawrence Block's novel A Walk Among the Tombstones is something that has been knocking around Hollywood for more than a decade. There was a point when Danny DeVito was producing and Harrison Ford almost starred as alcoholic ex-cop Matthew Scudder, a sort of problem fixer who explores the underside of New York City. Now the movie is back in play, and it looks like DJ Caruso (Disturbia, I Am Number Four) could direct. Deadline [1] says this is in the running with Preacher to be the director's next, and given the difficulty in adapting Preacher, I wouldn't be surprised to see this end up happening first. (In fact, I hope that's how it goes.) Danny DeVito is still among the producers (also: Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher at Double Feature and Brian Oliver at Cross Creek). The Matthew Scudder character has previously been played by Jeff Bridges...
- 7/1/2011
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
It looks like DJ Caruso has to choose between Preacher and A Walk Among Tombstones. Caruso is currently in discussions to helm the adaptation of the Lawrence Block novel, A Walk Among Tomstones which has been scripted by Scott Frank (Minority Report). This project has been in the works for awhile now. Double Features' Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher are producing with Danny DeVito and Cross Creek president Brian Oliver. Shamberg, Sher and DeVito got Frank to pen the script when they were...
- 7/1/2011
- by Niki Stephens
- JoBlo.com
"Disturbia" director DJ Caruso is in discussions to direct the R-rated gritty drama "A Walk Among the Tombstone" for Cross Creek Pictures says Deadline.
The story follows Matthew Scudder, an alcoholic former cop who spends his retirement doing favors for friends which take him deep into the underbelly of New York City.
Scudder goes in search of a heroin kingpin's wife who has been kidnapped and is being sent back in pieces. Scott Frank penned the script for the adaptation of the Lawrence Block novel.
Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher, Danny DeVito and Brian Oliver are producing. The project was previously set up at Universal back in the late 90's and once had Harrison Ford attached.
There are over twenty Scudder books so this could potentially launch a franchise. Caruso is deciding between this and the John August-scripted "Preacher" at Sony Pictures as his next project.
The story follows Matthew Scudder, an alcoholic former cop who spends his retirement doing favors for friends which take him deep into the underbelly of New York City.
Scudder goes in search of a heroin kingpin's wife who has been kidnapped and is being sent back in pieces. Scott Frank penned the script for the adaptation of the Lawrence Block novel.
Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher, Danny DeVito and Brian Oliver are producing. The project was previously set up at Universal back in the late 90's and once had Harrison Ford attached.
There are over twenty Scudder books so this could potentially launch a franchise. Caruso is deciding between this and the John August-scripted "Preacher" at Sony Pictures as his next project.
- 7/1/2011
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Four stories and one goofy little video to keep you awake on this Friday morning (or afternoon depending on what coast you live on). We've got a writer for Thor 2, a new cast member for G.I. Joe 2 and a couple of other bits and bobs to think about. Have at it...
Adrianne Palicki ("Friday Nights Lights") has been cast as Lady Jaye, the female lead in the Paramount sequel to G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes. She joins Channing Tatum, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Ray Park, Byung-hun Lee, Elodie Yung, RZA and D.J. Cotrona in the sequel to 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, which will be directed by Jon Chu (Step Up 3D).
Additionally, Bruce Willis along with other unnamed actors are said to be in line for the role of General Joe Colton, the original G.I. Joe who was appointed by then President John F. Kennedy...
Adrianne Palicki ("Friday Nights Lights") has been cast as Lady Jaye, the female lead in the Paramount sequel to G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes. She joins Channing Tatum, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Ray Park, Byung-hun Lee, Elodie Yung, RZA and D.J. Cotrona in the sequel to 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, which will be directed by Jon Chu (Step Up 3D).
Additionally, Bruce Willis along with other unnamed actors are said to be in line for the role of General Joe Colton, the original G.I. Joe who was appointed by then President John F. Kennedy...
- 7/1/2011
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
D.J. Caruso is in negotiations to direct a film adaptation of Lawrence Block’s novel “A Walk Among the Tombstones”, Deadline is reporting. The talks come after Cross Creek Pictures announced it will finance the movie, whose script will be written by Scott Frank. The ‘I Am Number Four’ director is considering whether he wants to helm the book adaptation or the John August-written movie ‘Preacher’ for his next project. ‘A Walk Among the Tombstones’ will be produced by Dany DeVito, Double Feature partners Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher and Cross Creek president Brian Oliver. ‘A Walk Among the Tombstones’ was once set to be released by Universal and had Harrison...
- 7/1/2011
- by karen
- ShockYa
Filed under: Movie News
We're a sucker for hard-boiled detective yarns, from Sam Spade to Mike Hammer. So our juices got flowing when we read about 'A Walk Among the Tombstones,' an adaptation of the Lawrence Block novel about Matthew Scudder, an alcoholic former cop who spends his retirement doing favors for friends, the kind that take him deep into the underbelly of New York City. When a heroin kingpin's wife is kidnapped and those kidnappers begin to send her back in pieces, Scudder gets involved.
'A Walk Among the Tombstones' is one of two films that DJ Caruso ('I Am Number Four,' 'Eagle Eye') is in discussions to direct, according to Deadline. The other is 'Preacher,' a John August-scripted film for Sony Pictures.
Continue Reading...
We're a sucker for hard-boiled detective yarns, from Sam Spade to Mike Hammer. So our juices got flowing when we read about 'A Walk Among the Tombstones,' an adaptation of the Lawrence Block novel about Matthew Scudder, an alcoholic former cop who spends his retirement doing favors for friends, the kind that take him deep into the underbelly of New York City. When a heroin kingpin's wife is kidnapped and those kidnappers begin to send her back in pieces, Scudder gets involved.
'A Walk Among the Tombstones' is one of two films that DJ Caruso ('I Am Number Four,' 'Eagle Eye') is in discussions to direct, according to Deadline. The other is 'Preacher,' a John August-scripted film for Sony Pictures.
Continue Reading...
- 7/1/2011
- by Harley W. Lond
- Moviefone
We reported back in late October that Girl with the Dragon Tattoo star Noomi Rapace would be acting in a boxing biopic, which is set to star her ex-husband, Ola Rapace. Now, THR says that Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke is taking the reigns of the movie, and shooting will begin in Sweden this autumn. The film tells the story of Bo “Bosse” Hogberg and his wife, the cabaret singer Anita Lindblom. The movie currently doesn’t have a title, but we know that it will follow his time as a boxer in the 60s and 70s, and the relationship that the two had as a couple.
Hardwicke directing is something that we didn’t expect, as she’s been handling American studio fare as of late. The film sounds like it’s a little more daring than her last two efforts, Twilight and Little Red Riding Hood, if only because...
Hardwicke directing is something that we didn’t expect, as she’s been handling American studio fare as of late. The film sounds like it’s a little more daring than her last two efforts, Twilight and Little Red Riding Hood, if only because...
- 7/1/2011
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
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