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Here’s Why This The Twilight Zone Episode Was Banned For Decades(Photo Credit – YouTube)

The Twilight Zone had its fair share of eerie episodes, but one stood out for the wrong reasons. The Encounter was yanked from syndication for 52 years. The reason? Problematic themes that sparked outrage, especially within the Japanese American community. And while it finally resurfaced in 2016, its history remains just as haunting as the stories the series told.

Airing in 1964, The Encounter focused on two men — a World War II veteran named Fenton (Neville Brand) and a Japanese American man, Arthur Takamori (George Takei). What started as a simple conversation spiraled into tension, with Fenton’s bitterness toward Japan fueling hostility. The episode’s supernatural twist involved a katana Fenton took from a soldier he killed, hinting that the sword carried the original owner’s malice, driving the men into a violent confrontation.

While The Twilight Zone often explored deep themes,...

The best Jennifer Jason Leigh movies and TV shows include a strong mix of genre releases and some top independent efforts. She is a second-generation actor, her father being Vic Morrow. Leigh was 21 years old when her father died in an on-set accident while filming The Twilight Zone, but she was already entrenched in the Hollywood industry by this time, having appeared in Fast Times at Ridgemont High the year before his death.

Since then, Leigh has starred in everything from thrillers like Single White Female and crime dramas like Road to Perdition to TV shows like Fargo and Hunters. Over her career, she has proven to be able to take on any role, from villains to heroes to supporting roles, and she never misses a beat. She has earned both Oscar and Golden Globes Award nominations for the same role. She has also moved from movies to television shows,...

George Folsey Jr., a famous film editor and director known for his work on classic comedies like “Animal House” and “Coming to America,” has died at 84. His son, Ryan Foley, who is also a film editor, told everyone that he had died.

Over more than fifty years, Folsey Jr. had a very successful career in Hollywood. People knew him best for working with director John Landis for a long time. Major hits like “The Kentucky Fried Movie” (1977), “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978), and “The Blues Brothers” (1980) were produced as a result of their collaboration, which started with Landis’s 1973 film “Schlock.” During the 1970s and 1980s, they helped shape American humor.

Editing Michael Jackson’s groundbreaking “Thriller” music video in 1983 was one of Folsey Jr.’s most important jobs. This famous song not only changed the way music videos looked, but it also became an important part of the culture. His...

George Folsey Jr, the veteran film editor and producer who worked closely with John Landis on movies including Animal House, The Blues Brothers, Coming to America and the ill-fated Twilight Zone: The Movie as well as the iconic music video for Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” has died. He was 85.

The news was confirmed Wednesday by his son, fellow editor Ryan Folsey, on social media.

Folsey Jr was the son of George Folsey, the 13-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer whose credits included Meet Me In St. Louis, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Executive Suite and The Balcony.

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Folsey Jr was an assistant producer on Twilight Zone: The Movie, on which a helicopter crashed during the filming of Landis’ segment of the anthology film in July 1982 in Santa Clarita, CA. The crash, later found by the National Transportation Safety Board to have...

George Folsey Jr., the longtime producer and film editor for director John Landis, has died at the age of 85, according to his family.

The son of 13-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer George J. Folsey, whose credits included “Meet Me in St. Louis” and “Forbidden Planet,” Folsey Jr. got his start in editing at Kabc in Los Angeles, where he edited documentaries and news reports for broadcast in the 1960s.

He then moved into cinema by learning the trade at MGM, where his father had worked, alongside “Grand Prix” Oscar-winning editor Henry Berman. His first feature film project was Alexander Singer’s “Glass Houses,” a 1972 film in which Folsey was editor, cinematographer and producer.

A year later, Folsey was hired to edit John Landis’ debut feature film “Schlock,” a sendup of “King Kong” in which an ape man chased out of his cave wanders into a Southern California neighborhood and develops an unrequited crush on a teen girl.

George Folsey Jr., the veteran film editor behind classic films such as “Coming to America” and “Animal House,” died Dec. 29. He was 84.

Variety learned the news from Folsey Jr.’s son Ryan Folsey, who is also an editor. Folsey Jr. was the son of cinematographer George J. Folsey.

Folsey Jr. collaborated frequently with director John Landis. Over the course of his five-decade career, he went on to edit or co-edit a total of six of Landis’s films which included “Schlock,” “The Blues Brothers” and “Coming to America.”

Furthermore, Folsey Jr. worked with the “Burke and Hare” filmmaker as a second unit director on “Trading Places,” “Into the Night” and “Three Amigos.”

Some of his other editing credits include the “Michael Jackson: Thriller” music video, “Hot Tub Time Machine,” “Clarity,” “Wolf Mountain,” “Just Swipe,” “Summer Rain,” “Despair,” “Freeloaders,” “Chain of Command” and “My Sister.”

In addition to his work as an editor,...

George Folsey Jr., the film editor and producer who collaborated with director John Landis on such films as Animal House, The Blues Brothers, Coming to America and An American Werewolf in London, has died. He was 85.

Folsey died Sunday in Los Angeles of complications from pneumonia, his son, fellow film editor Ryan Folsey (Cabin Fever, Renfield), told The Hollywood Reporter.

His father was George J. Folsey, the famed 13-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer whose credits included The Cocoanuts (1929), Animal Crackers (1930), Thousands Cheer (1944), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), The Clock (1945), Green Dolphin Street (1947), Adam’s Rib (1949), Million Dollar Mermaid (1953), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) and Forbidden Planet (1956).

George Folsey Jr. also edited Shawn Levy’s Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) and The Pink Panther (2006) and Eli Roth’s Hostel (2005) and Hostel: Part II (2007).

After cutting Landis’ directorial debut, Schlock (1973), Folsey edited the Landis-helmed The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), Animal House (1978), The Blues Brothers (1980) and Coming to America (1988), which he also produced.

Jennifer Jason Leigh came from a showbiz family. Her father was Vic Morrow, a prolific film and TV actor who starred in the series "Combat!" Her mother was Barbara Turner who acted in many TV shows throughout the '50s and '60s, and who wrote the screenplays for "Petulia," "Cujo," "Georgia," and "Pollock." Leigh started attending acting workshops when she was still a teenager, studying with Lee Strasberg. At age 16, she started to land her first professional acting gigs, appearing in an episode of "Baretta," and in the film "The Young Runaways." In 1981, she caught the public's eye playing a young woman battling anorexia in the TV movie "The Best Little Girl in the World," but it wasn't until her role in 1982's "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" that the world took proper notice.

After that, Leigh was an actress to look out for. Her intense performances always lend...

In addition to Sick, Scream Factory’s February home video line-up includes 4K upgrades for Galaxy of Terror, Ghosts of Mars, and Humanoids from the Deep.

Galaxy of Terror lands on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on February 11. Produced by Roger Corman, the Alien-inspired 1981 sci-fi horror film has been newly restored in 4K from the 3mm interpositive with Dolby Vision.

Bruce D. Clark directs from a script he co-wrote with Marc Siegler. Edward Albert, Erin Moran, and Ray Walston star with future horror icons Sid Haig and Robert Englund. A young James Cameron served as production designer and second unit director.

Disc 1 – 4K Uhd:

4K Restoration Of The 3mm Interpositive (new) Presented In Dolby Vision (new) Audio: English DTS-hd Master Audio Mono Audio Commentary with Cast and Crew

Disc 2 – Blu-ray:

4K Restoration Of The 3mm Interpositive (new) Audio: English DTS-hd Master Audio Mono Audio Commentary with Cast and Crew Tales...

Blu-ray.com reports that Scream Factory has announced that they’ll be bringing four horror movies to 4K in February – and each one of these is a cool title that a lot of genre fans will be picking up. Scream Factory’s February 4K line-up consists of Ghosts of Mars (2001), Humanoids from the Deep (1980), Galaxy of Terror (1981), and Sick (2022)!

Directed by John Carpenter from a screenplay he wrote with Larry Sulkis, Ghosts of Mars is one of the least popular films in Carpenter’s filmography… but still, it’s Carpenter, so that means a 4K release is going to be a must-buy for a good number of fans. Here’s the synopsis: Long inhabited by human settlers, the Red Planet has become the manifest destiny of an over-populated Earth. Nearly 640,000 people now live and work all over Mars, mining the planet for its abundant natural resources. But one of those...

The original "Twilight Zone" is one of those rare shows that serve as the yardstick for the entire medium of television, which is especially impressive when you remember how all over the place its stories can be. The most notable episodes of "The Twilight Zone" alone range from "Time Enough at Last" to "Eye of the Beholder" (a legendary take on body horror). The only reliable throughlines here are the inventive speculative premises, wild plot twists, and clever parables. Apart from them, anything and everything is possible in the "Zone."

Because of the original show's sheer impact on popular culture, it's no surprise that "The Twilight Zone" at large has grown into a loose franchise that spans over six decades and numerous movies and TV shows. Academy Award winners and visionaries have given their best shot at the property over the years, but how have they succeeded? Let's find out...

Often cited as one of the best actors of all time, Sidney Poitier has an incredible filmography full of important career-defining films. His filmography is vast, and while some are considered the best of Sidney Poitier's films, others simply represent some of the most important moments in his career as an actor, director, and filmmaker. Regardless of where they fall in the timeline of his life, each film represents a notable step to becoming the legend that Poitier is known as today.

Born February 20th, 1927, Poitier appeared in over 50 films. These movies include everything from tense thrillers to softer romantic dramas, and he gave a compelling performance in each one. With Sidney Poitier's death in 2022, the film world lost one of its greatest stars, making it that much more important to reflect on his history as an important figure in American film.

Blackboard Jungle (1955) Sidney Poitier's Breakout Success Was A...

The Twilight Zone Helicopter Crash is one of the most infamous accidents in Hollywood history. It claimed the lives of three people – veteran actor Vic Morrow and two child actors – Myca Dinh Le (age 7) and Renee Shin-Yi Chen (age 6). It led to a nine-month involuntary manslaughter trial, and numerous lawsuits and was considered the moment Hollywood finally started to take child labour laws seriously. It’s become a permanent stain on the legacy of director John Landis, and ghoulish footage of the incident is on permanent record, proving how complicated sequences can have deadly outcomes in only a split second. Indeed, in this episode of JoBlo Scandals, we’re digging into the Twilight Zone accident and the man at its heart, director John Landis.

Before the accident, Landis was one of the top directors in Hollywood. Two movements were going on in seventies films that forever changed the medium. One was the “New Hollywood” movement,...

Shark films throughout the years have become popular for their use of tense atmospheres, shocking moments, and the pure primal fear they evoke in audiences. Despite the best shark films like Jaws, which can dominate a genre, there are many lesser-known films about sharks that are equally engaging, unique, and frightening. The films employ varying techniques to convey the imminent danger that shark attacks present and make the audience identify with the characters involved. Making the moments presented come to life in a more realistic way.

Rather than being held back by classics like Jaws and The Meg, these films have found a way to inject new imagination into the Shark genre, combining innovative stories with scary, heart-pounding moments. Whether it's an attack during a planned mission, such as in Under Paris, or a romantic folk tale about shark fishing in Mexico, like Tiburoneros, films about sharks have a way of captivating the audience.

The limitations that come with the TV medium haven't been enough to stop a few made-for-tv action films from holding up well to those released on the big screen. With TV films, audiences often expect a low-quality film as the budget is minimal compared to that of a film released in theaters. However, there are some exceptions. Plenty of made-for-tv horror and sci-fi films have proven to have the same effect on audiences as big Hollywood releases.

The same can be said for the action genre. Of course, a large screen is ideal for the fast pace and high levels of energy expected of the genre. The visual and sound quality of a movie theater prompts a more immersive viewing experience. Still, made-for-tv action films like Duel and L.A. Takedown show the TV medium is not to be underestimated, and a similar experience can be had on a smaller scale.

Stars: Vic Morrow, Sonny Chiba, Etsuko Shihomi, Philip Casnoff, Peggy Lee Brennan, Tetsurô Tanba, Mikio Narita, Makoto Satô, Seizô Fukumoto, Hiroyuki Sanada | Written by Kinji Fukasaku, Shotaro Ishinomori, Hirô Matsuda | Directed by Kinji Fukasaku

Message from Space, directed by Kinji Fukasaku, is a Japanese science fiction film that blends traditional space opera tropes with unique cultural elements, delivering a visually captivating yet narratively uneven experience. Released in the wake of the monumental success of Star Wars, this film ambitiously seeks to carve out its own niche within the genre.

One of the standout features of Message from Space is its visual presentation. The film showcases an impressive array of special effects for its time, with meticulously designed spacecraft and vibrant alien landscapes that reflect a distinctively Japanese aesthetic. The miniature models and practical effects, though not as polished as those in Hollywood blockbusters, possess a charming quality that adds to the film’s retro-futuristic appeal.

On Friday nights, IndieWire After Dark takes a feature-length beat to honor fringe cinema in the streaming age.

First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.

Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.

The Pitch: A Meddlesome Producer’s Bloodiest, Briniest Catch of the Day

As titillating as it is atrocious, “Humanoids from the Deep” has everything. Sandy boobs. Practical gore. A woman director undermined by Roger Corman. Garnish with those dead dog scenes, and what more could you ask of a creature feature from the summer of 1980?

Starring Doug McClure as a hero fisherman, Ann Turkel as an inquisitive biologist, and Vic Morrow in a shifty special performance, this sluggish monster invasion imagines a community ravaged by sea creatures (Aka clumsy actors in suits...

Few films have arrived in theaters saddled with more baggage than "Twilight Zone: The Movie." That the anthology film featuring segments from John Landis, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, and George Miller actually arrived in the first place was something of a surprise -- and for many in the entertainment industry, it wasn't a welcome one.

The production became a wholly avoidable tragedy on June 23, 1982, when a helicopter crashed on the set of Landis' segment, "Time Out," killing Vic Morrow and child actors Myca Dinh Le and Renee Shin-Yi Chen. The show does not always have to go on, but the movie was nevertheless completed and released (rather insensitively) on June 24, 1983, leading off with "Time Out". For some, it was like watching a snuff film.

How do you not let the realization that you're watching what might be a criminal production -- the National Transportation Safety Board had yet to finish their investigation,...

Jack Hogan, an actor who starred in ABC’s Combat! for 111 episodes, died Dec. 6 of natural causes at his home in Bainbridge Island, Wash. He was 94 years old.

The news was confirmed to Variety by his son West.

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Hogan played Pfc William G. Kirby on Combat!, starring alongside Rick Jason, Vic Morrow and Pierre Jalbert. The show...

Jack Hogan, who most famously played Pfc William G. Kirby on ABC’s WWII-set series Combat!, died in his sleep Wednesday, December 6, according to the curator of an online community dedicated to Combat! He was 94.

Hogan played Pfc Kirby on 111 episodes of the long-running drama opposite Rick Jason, Vic Morrow and Pierre Jalbert. Robert Altman directed many episodes of the show, which was on the air from 1962-1967. It was not unfamiliar terrain: Hogan had been a staff sergeant in Japan during the Korean War.

Combat! was far from Hogan’s only credit.

He made his debut in the 1956 Anthony Quinn-starrer Man From Del Rio, Hogan worked steadily. He had multiple-epsisode arcs on The Rough Riders, Have Gun – Will Travel, Sea Hunt, Lock Up, Bat Masterson, The Lawman and The Rifleman.

After Combat!, Hogan worked steadily for the better part of the next three decades. His credits during...

Jack Hogan, a retired actor who starred in the WWII drama series “Combat!” from 1962 until 1967, died of natural causes on Dec. 6 at his home on Bainbridge Island, Washington, his son West told Variety. He was 94.

Hogan played Pfc William G. Kirby on the ABC series “Combat!,” starring Rick Jason, Vic Morrow and Pierre Jalbert. The show, which ran for five seasons, follows a squad of American soldiers fighting the Germans in France during WWII.

Born Richard Roland Benson, Jr. on Nov. 24, 1929, in Chapel Hill, N.C., Hogan earned his pilot’s license at the age of 16 and joined the Air Force after graduation. He spent four years serving as a staff sergeant in Japan during the Korean War.

After moving to Hollywood, Hogan worked as a lifeguard at the Beverly Hills Hotel and began taking acting classes at the Pasadena Playhouse.

Hogan made his onscreen debut as an uncredited role...

Dave Robb, a longtime Hollywood labor reporter who worked for Variety in the 1980s and ’90s, died Dec. 8 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 74 and had recently been diagnosed with cancer of the brain stem.

Robb most recently worked for Deadline, Variety‘s sibling company under the Penske Media Corp. umbrella. Robb spent most of this year on the strike beat as the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA engaged in historic, months-long work stoppages.

Robb made his name with aggressive and investigative reporting on Hollywood’s powerful labor unions. But he also had numerous other passions, always with an eye toward using his platform as a journalist to help the less privileged. Michael Fleming Jr., Deadline co-editor in chief, confirmed Robb’s death in a lengthy tribute posted Saturday.

“He was an advocate for the under-represented and disenfranchised in Hollywood: African American and Native American actors, child actors,...

Science fiction is a fascinating film genre. It inspires dreams of extraterrestrial life, futuristic gadgets, and space travel. Today, this all seems more plausible than ever. Yet, besides reflecting society, sci-fi helps us evaluate our actions -- and their consequences.

Creating scenes with nail-biting stunts requires a collaborative effort between actors and directors. Replacing stars with stunt performers due to their physical capabilities usually works but mishaps can still happen --- both on and off camera. The film industry has seen an increase in accidents over the last decade despite the advancement of technology. According to the Los Angeles Times, from 2010 to 2019, 19 fatal injuries occurred on American film sets. As attorney Chris Deacon told the outlet, "If those engaged to work on set in whatever capacity are dying at the hands of the creative process, then something is fundamentally wrong in the production processes."

Sure, authenticity makes for a thrilling watch.

This article contains discussions of death and life-changing injuries, including those of young children.

Movie sets, despite safety guidelines, can still be dangerous places where tragedies occur, resulting in fatalities and life-changing injuries. Some of the most infamous movie set disasters include the death of Brandon Lee during the filming of The Crow and the helicopter accident during Twilight Zone: The Movie. Recent disasters, such as the shooting accident on the set of Rust and the stunt accident on the set of Deadpool 2, highlight the ongoing risks and need for improved safety measures on movie sets.

Movie sets can be dangerous places despite safety guidelines and regulations, and some have been the site of tragic disasters. While film sets strive to prioritize safety, several major movies have been marred by catastrophes. Unfortunately, many of these have been fatal.

One might presume that modern cinema sets have refined safety standards...

You're about to enter another dimension. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. I'm talking, of course, about the world of streaming. We've all found ourselves wandering its endless terrain, confused, slightly panicked, ultimately grabbing on to something vaguely familiar just to gain a sense of stability. Alas, we appear doomed to remain stranded in the streaming sphere as long as the idea that being able to access every piece of media ever produced at any time is viewed as a positive thing.

So, what happens when you want to go a level deeper? Perhaps you're not perturbed enough by our contemporary situation as it is, and feel like further spooking yourself with a visit to the Twilight Zone itself? Well, I might suggest Rod Serling's original series, which ran from 1959 to 1964 and in large part remains as relevant today as it was back then.

There is a lot to unpack when it comes to "Twilight Zone: The Movie," a really good movie that comes with a lot of baggage. I'm sure you know some of the movie's reputation, but if you don't then I'd recommend checking out the "Cursed Films" series on Shudder. They did an in-depth episode on the turbulent and tragic production that "Twilight Zone: The Movie" went through. It's a fascinating watch, but trigger warning: they do show the raw footage of the helicopter accident that took the lives of Vic Morrow, Myca Dinh Le, and Renee Shin-Huei Chen during the filming of the movie in full. 

That wholly preventable accident overshadowed the whole movie and tarnished its legacy, but it's important to remember that the whole thing started out with giant filmmakers of the day wanting to pay respect to the sci-fi/horror anthology show that they grew up with.

"The Simpsons" is a pop cultural institution. The yellow-skinned family was introduced to television viewers via a series of animated shorts on "The Tracey Ullman Show," and scored a ratings success with their debut episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" on December 17, 1989. Before long, Bart Simpson became a troublemaking icon, burning up the Billboard Hot 100 with the novelty rap song "Do the Bartman", and appearing on knock-off t-shirts as everything from a U.S. Army soldier to a spliff-toting Rastafarian.

When the initial sensation faded, and the series' ratings came down to earth (after Fox stupidly moved it to Thursdays at 8 p.m. to challenge "The Cosby Show"), there was a sense that "The Simpsons" was not long for this world. But the show's viewership stabilized, and, most importantly, the writing got sharper. A massively talented group of scribes turned the series into a must-watch satire loaded with if-you-know-you-know references to films,...

The sci-fi/horror anthology series "The Twilight Zone" has always had the power to completely blow our minds, with classic episodes that taught fraught moral lessons, and featured twist endings that would eventually become so iconic that modern audiences are likely to watch episodes for the first time around pre-spoiled, whether they realize it or not, just due to cultural osmosis.

But there is perhaps no episode of "The Twilight Zone" quite like "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet." The episode is a claustrophobic thriller about a man on an airplane suffering from intense anxiety, who looks out and sees a man on the wing of the plane. Naturally, no one believes him because when anybody else looks, the man mysteriously vanishes. Only our hapless hero, sanity fraying, knows that the plane is in danger from the mysterious entity. With nobody else willing to believe him, he has to make a terrible,...

At the close of Titans season 2, episode 1, "Trigon," audiences were met with a note paying tribute to Warren Appleby, the series' stunt coordinator. Appleby was a veteran special effects coordinator, who had previously worked on It, Carrie, and How It Ends. During production on Titans' second season in 2019, Appleby died in an accident on set. This tragedy ended a long and impressive career for Appleby, who worked on special effects alongside a wealth of great artists for both films and TV series.

Appleby's first big project came in 1994, with the artist working on special effects assistant for the Robocop television series. In the years since, Appleby became a reliable partner for acclaimed director David Cronenberg, helping to develop the special effects for Crash, eXistenZ, Cosmopolis, and Maps to the Stars. Guillermo del Toro was also a huge fan of his work and partnered with him multiple times. Through this partnership,...

If you work in Hollywood as technical crew, you know the name of actor Vic Morrow, killed by a helicopter during a stunt gone wrong on the 1983 feature “Twilight Zone: The Movie.” Or Brandon Lee, the son of actor Bruce Lee, struck and killed by a prop gun while filming 1994’s “The Crow.” Those stories have resurfaced following the indictments of Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed for manslaughter after a fatality on the set of “Rust.”

A broadly held belief among below-the-line crew is that no one cares about their safety. Yet in interviews across the industry, TheWrap found that the problems facing production staff are deeper than mere apathy. The insularity among Hollywood’s many guilds and unions leads to finger-pointing when something goes wrong. Unclear lines of responsibility, with key managers sharing the burdens of both maximizing safety and minimizing costs, don’t help. And a culture of long hours,...

Since the days of silent pictures, the American film industry has grappled with on-set accidents and tragedies. Among the earliest was in 1914, when director Owen Carter and actress Grace McHugh drowned while shooting a sequence of a bandit’s daughter crossing the Rio Grande for the silent feature “Across the Border.” On-set deaths have shadowed the movies ever since, from the accidental shooting of Brandon Lee on “The Crow” set in 1993 to the 2014 death of “Midnight Rider” assistant camerawoman Sarah Jones on a Georgia train trestle.

But those are just the ones we know about: Media attention around on-set tragedies and mishaps, especially the manslaughter charges against “Rust” actor and producer Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, formally filed on Tuesday, is a modern phenomenon. In the early days, the lack of a 24/7 news cycle allowed many accidents and deaths to go unreported.

“The coverage was less in those days [silents and beyond],” Jonathan Kuntz,...

National Lampoon's "Animal House" is perhaps Hollywood's first party film. It's a beloved genre now, with notable entries like "Neighbors" and "Project X," but "Animal House" was a true pioneer in debauchery. It may have seemed like a non-stop rager in the Delta house, but believe it or not, the set was a strictly sober environment — at least, while the cameras were rolling.

"Animal House" was a fratty set from the very start. Director John Landis called all the Deltas to set a week before the rest of the cast to help them form a close-knit bond. One night, they went to a frat party and got in a fight with the real fraternity brothers there, The New York Times reported.

"That fight cemented us as a group," declared James Widdoes, who plays the high-strung chapter president Robert Hoover. After that, the Deltas took to partying in real life almost as much as their characters.

On the evening of July 23, 1982, “Animal House” director John Landis was filming a tricky nighttime helicopter scene for “Twilight Zone: The Movie.” The wide-open spaces of Indian Dunes, now part of Santa Clarita, Calif., were standing in for Vietnam, and the scene called for soldiers in a helicopter to pursue actor Vic Morrow, who was carrying two children. When the copter made a turn just above a large mortar round, the special effect explosive detonated, bringing down the helicopter and killing Morrow along with 7-year-old Myca Dinh Le and 6-year-old Renee Shin-Yi Chen.

The devastating accident shook Hollywood, and several months later, Variety announced that “Landis, pilot, others face ‘Twilight’ accident charges.” Landis and other “Twilight Zone” movie crew members were charged with involuntary manslaughter — the same charges “Rust” actor and producer Alec Baldwin and “Midnight Rider” director Randall Miller faced for their roles in on-set deaths.

Five years later,...

Trading Places remains a highlight in the careers of stars Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy and Jamie Lee Curtis. A riff on the timeless Prince and the Pauper tale, it was a smash hit in the summer of 1983, ranking fourth for the year, only beaten by Return of the Jedi, Terms of Endearment and Flashdance. It became a staple of video stores and cable and is also an unheralded holiday classic, taking place around Christmas and New Year’s.

Flashback to 1982. This was an important year in the lives of all of the leading players involved with Trading Places. For star Dan Aykroyd, it was marked with tragedy, with his best friend and frequent on-screen partner, John Belushi, dying of a drug overdose early in the year. Likewise, director John Landis was involved in a tragedy while directing Twilight Zone: The Movie. While staging a scene involving a helicopter, star Vic Morrow...

Correction: The previous version of this article utilized inaccurate language. We have updated the piece accordingly.

"¡Three Amigos!" is a fun romp with an all-star comedy trio leading its cast. With Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short in their prime leading the charge, the film was destined to be hilarious based on their performances alone. In addition to this, John Landis, who helmed such successful films as "National Lampoon's Animal House" and "An American Werewolf in London" was directing. Those fantastic building blocks made for a great picture that remained popular for years. The film is so beloved, in fact, that Empire got the three stars and the director back together for a retrospective reunion in 2016, marking the 30th anniversary of the film's release.

The piece is, for the most part, delightful. It's a lot of reminiscing and joking between the co-stars of the film with the sort of...

To handle pyrotechnics on a movie set in California, you need a license, which requires five letters of recommendation, two years of apprenticeship, and passing a written test.

But to be an armorer, all you need is a background check. And in other states, you don’t even need that.

“There’s no actual rules,” said Joe Martinez, who works as an armorer in Hollywood. “There isn’t any official anything.”

The “Rust” tragedy, in which cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed by a live round in New Mexico, has prompted calls for industrywide reform. Some, including a California state senator, have advocated banning “real” guns — that is, guns capable of firing a live round — from sets entirely.

But others in the industry have suggested that would be impractical, and pointed instead to imposing some credentials to work as a film armorer.

“I do agree with permitting,” said Scott Rasmussen, a film armorer based in Albuquerque.

Munich-based Koch Films has struck a deal with Studiocanal Germany to take over the distributor’s entire sales and logistics activities for all physical home entertainment activities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Studiocanal’s extensive portfolio comprises new releases, series and classic catalog titles such as Francis Ford Coppola’s newly restored 1983 teen drama “The Outsiders” and David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive” as well as works by the likes of Jean-Luc Godard, Wim Wenders, Jim Jarmusch and Margarethe von Trotta.

The agreement pools Studiocanal and Koch Films’ strengths and bolsters their market position in the home entertainment sector over the long term, the companies said.

Studiocanal’s Arthaus label includes such recently restored films as Federico Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita”; Ousmane Sembène’s 1968 Senegalese classic “Mandabi”; and Richard Kelly’s “Donnie Darko” as well as German titles like Reinhard Hauff’s 1975 drama “The Brutalization of Franz Blum,” featuring Jürgen Prochnow...

While Universal was working on the second sequel of Jaws (1975), the franchise famously created by Steven Spielberg then passed on to Jeannot Szwarc in 1978, poliziesco specialist Enzo G. Castellari shot L’ultimo squalo between the U.S. and Malta, creating quite a few headaches within white-collar Hollywood. The film did overwhelmingly and surprisingly well, grossing $18 million in the first month of programming, a fact that greatly annoyed Universal, which filed a lawsuit for plagiarism. To be precise, this was the studio’s second attempt at blocking the film. Universal attempted to stop distribution by Film Ventures before its U.S. premiere on March 5th, 1982, but the request was denied in the U.S. district courts. If, on the one hand, the filiation of Castellari's film from the original one is quite evident (with similar characters and narrative solutions), on the other it is also clear that Universal activated its legal team...

The Bad News Bears

Blu ray

Imprint

1976 / 1.78:1 / 102 min.

Starring Walter Matthau, Tatum O’Neal, Vic Morrow

Cinematography by John Alonzo

Directed by Michael Ritchie

W.C. Fields’ final screen appearance was a brief walk-on in Sensations of 1945, an overloaded variety show that barely found time for the great man. As usual Fields had the last laugh—thanks to his life-long aversion to authority, the comedian enjoyed a brief renaissance in the 70’s when his films were showcased at revival houses alongside those other counterculture champions, the Marx Brothers. Morris Buttermaker, the obstinate antihero of Michael Ritchie’s The Bad News Bears, is a W.C. Fields for The Me Decade. Like Fields, Buttermaker is a hard-drinking vagabond (he roams the San Fernando Valley cleaning swimming pools), boasts a tomato-shaped proboscis, and has little use for the world or its inhabitants—who else but Walter Matthau to play this slouching, grouching deadbeat.

William Sadler began his acting career in New York theaters, appearing in more than 75 productions over the course of 12 years. His roles included that of Sgt. Merwin J. Toomey in Neil Simon’s Tony Award winning play “Biloxi Blues”. He is best remembered for his roles in Die Hard 2, The Shawshank Redemeption, and as The Grim Reaper in the Bill and Ted movies. William Sadler is also a television star, appearing in such sitcoms as Roseanne (1988) and Murphy Brown (1988) and he also starred as Sheriff Jim Valenti on the WB science fiction television series Roswell. William Sadler’s latest project is a co-starring role in Alice Fades Away, written and directed by Ryan Bliss and also starring Ashley Shelton, Paxton Singleton and Blanche Baker. Alice Fades Away is the story of a troubled woman in 1950s New England who stumbles upon an isolated farmhouse and is taken in by...

Welcome to this week’s Mlw: Fusion review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have a new sponsor:

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Once upon a time, MGM launched a big spectacle Western remake with the top star Glenn Ford and the bright import Maria Schell — and then second-guessed the whole production, cutting back on everything so severely that director Anthony Mann ankled the set for Spain and El Cid. The storytelling is a mess — after starting big, the show soon falls into pieces. But many of individual scenes and set pieces are exemplary, especially Mann’s re-run of the Oklahoma Land Rush, staged in Arizona and augmented by classy special effects. The large cast rounds up some big talent — Mercedes McCambridge, Russ Tamblyn — to tell Edna Ferber’s multi-generational story about ambition, intolerance and dreams of glory on the frontier.

Cimarron (1960)

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1960 / Color / 2:35 anamorphic widescreen / 147 min. / Street Date January 21, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99

Starring: Glenn Ford, Maria Schell, Anne Baxter, Arthur O’Connell, Russ Tamblyn, Mercedes McCambridge, Vic Morrow,...

Two years ago, in 2017, while filming a scene for AMC’s very successful, long-running TV show The Walking Dead, based on Robert Kirkman’s comic book series of the same name, a stuntman by the name of John Bernecker fell to his death during a stunt gone wrong. Today, his family’s lawyer made his closing argument, accusing AMC of being liable for Bernecker’s death, saying that it was entirely preventable and asking for $40-$100 million in damages.

The stunt in question involved Bernecker falling over a railing after being killed by Dwight, Austin Amelio’s character. There was a crash pad below him and things seemed set, but something went awry and Bernecker missed the pad by between two and nine feet. He fell on his skull and was rushed to a hospital, where he died two days later.

AMC’s arguing that he gripped the railing on his way down,...

Pam Polifroni, a longtime casting director for “Gunsmoke” who gave early acting roles to Jodie Foster, Jon Voight, Loretta Swit and others, has died. She was 90.

Polifroni died in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday, Nov. 21 as a result of dementia, her daughter-in-law confirmed to Variety.

With more than 50 credits to her name by the end of her career, Polifroni worked in both film and television, though most of her hires appeared on the small screen.

Polifroni worked on “Gunsmoke” beginning in 1966 and continued through 1975. She was responsible for suggesting and landing Bette Davis for a guest role on the show, and also gave Jon Voight one of his earliest Hollywood parts. One of Jodie Foster’s youngest roles, at age seven, came after being hired by Polifroni for a small role in “Gunsmoke.” Loretta Swit also appeared on the series thanks to Polifroni, as well as on “Hawaii Five-o,” ahead of...

Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” ends with Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) being welcomed into Sharon Tate’s home for the first time after his bloody confrontation with members of the Manson Family cult. Some Tarantino fans have wondered if Rick finally being introduced to one of Hollywood’s most promising rising stars would reignite his dwindling career, but it turns out that’s not what’s in store for the “Lancer” actor.

During an appearance on “The Margaret Cho” podcast, Tarantino weighed in on what happens to Rick’s career after “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” ends. The answer shouldn’t surprise anyone familiar with the real-life figures Tarantino based Rick on when scripting the character.

“There are a few different ways his career could have gone depending on who you hitch your horse to of who he is representing. The George Maharis way is this way,...

Exploitation director Jared Masters compiles two dozen more grindhouse double feature DVDs for Shoctober! Celebrating the work of Dario Argento, Lon Chaney, Vic Morrow and Brandon Lee!… Cult horror classics, obscure thrillers, vintage erotica, absurd 80s action, sizzling foreign films and more! The next wave of Frolic Pictures’ new limited edition grindhouse series double …

The post Exploitation director Jared Masters compiles two dozen more grindhouse double feature DVDs for Shoctober! appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net.

John Landis celebrates his 69th birthday on August 3, 2019. Despite his many career ups and downs, the director has created a number of classics across several different genres. In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 10 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1950, Landis made his filmmaking debut with the micro-budget creature feature “Schlock” (1973), in which he also starred as an apeman terrorizing a Southern California suburb. It was the first collaboration between him and makeup maestro Rick Baker, who went on to win the first Academy Award for Best Makeup for the director’s “An American Werewolf in London” (1981).

SEEDan Aykroyd movies: 15 greatest films ranked from worst to best

Landis had his greatest successes with comedies, starting with the sketch compilation “The Kentucky Fried Movie” (1977), written by the “Airplane!” trio of Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker. He went on to helm...

John Landis celebrates his 69th birthday on August 3, 2019. Despite his many career ups and downs, the director has created a number of classics across several different genres. In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 10 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1950, Landis made his filmmaking debut with the micro-budget creature feature “Schlock” (1973), in which he also starred as an apeman terrorizing a Southern California suburb. It was the first collaboration between him and makeup maestro Rick Baker, who went on to win the first Academy Award for Best Makeup for the director’s “An American Werewolf in London” (1981).

Landis had his greatest successes with comedies, starting with the sketch compilation “The Kentucky Fried Movie” (1977), written by the “Airplane!” trio of Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker. He went on to helm the box office smashes “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978), “The Blues Brothers...

Wow — a good Audie Murphy movie. Clair Huffaker’s screenplay should take credit, as well as the workmanlike direction of former Hitchcock assistant Herbert Coleman. Even John Saxon comes off well, plus the film can boast good work from favorites Zohra Lampert and Vic Morrow, and fine support from Rodolfo Acosta, Royal Dano and Lee Van Cleef.

Posse from Hell

(Die Gnadenlosen Vier)

Blu-ray

Explosive Media GmbH

1961 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 89 min. / Street Date June 21, 2018 / Eur 14,84

Starring: Audie Murphy, John Saxon, Zohra Lampert, Vic Morrow, Robert Keith, Rodolfo Acosta, Royal Dano, Frank Overton, James Bell, Ward Ramsey, Lee Van Cleef, Ray Teal, Charles Horvath, Harry Lauter.

Cinematography: Clifford Stine

Film Editor: Frederic Knudtson

Written by Clair Huffaker from his novel

Produced by Gordon Kay

Directed by Herbert Coleman

Yes, I have to admit that I’ve seen more bad Audie Murphy movies than good ones, including a few outright losers. But...

What’s the greatest killer shark movie of all time? Jaws (1975) of course, and no one has ever disputed it. Try ranking number 2 through 114 however, and everyone has a different answer. Most folks will quickly marry Jaws 2 (’78) to its predecessor and follow up with the usual suspects: Deep Blue Sea (1999), The Shallows (2016), etcetera and so on. Just make sure you put Jaws: The Revenge (’87) last, okay? Or don’t; as we all know, at the very least it bought Michael Caine a nice house and had Mario Van Peebles trot out a gratuitous Jamaican accent as a Bahamian diver. Speaking of gratuitous (in regards to accents and all other matters), let’s take a look at Great White (1981), my favorite Jaws movie that I can’t call Jaws for fear Universal will sue or shut me down.

Released in its native Italy in April, with a world wide rollout...