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"Check it out - the Death Loop!" A wild trailer has debuted for an indie horror thriller film called Traction Park Massacre, a theme park horror riff made by the filmmakers Douglas Dimonda & Adam Dubin. They had a panel at New York Comic-Con which is where this trailer is from. It's expected to arrive sometime in 2025, as there's no release or festival premiere set yet - but this first look does hype it up. "Young People meet Outlaw Bikers meet feral Twin Psycho-killers in a notorious abandoned water park." Terror Twins LLC is making the film, which is described as an homage to horror cult classics like Evil Dead 2, Friday the 13th, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, etc. Also inspired by the infamous Action Park water park in New Jersey (profiled in this doc Class Action Park) that was actually very dangerous. Traction Park Massacre stars Kai Thomas Schulz,...

When Mel Brooks feature filmmaking debut "The Producers" hit theaters in 1968, it was both a critical/commercial smash and a bit of a scandal. Emboldened in part by the increasing permissiveness of the counterculture comedy era, Brooks pushed the outside of the envelope with a ribald sense of humor he couldn't indulge as a writer for NBC's "Your Show of Shows" and "Caesar's Hour" and outright shredded it by making light of the Third Reich with the film's fictional musical "Springtime for Hitler." Soon after the film's release, he was confronted in an elevator by a woman who told him "The Producers" was vulgar. Brooks fired back, "Lady, it rose below vulgarity."

This, I believe, is true of "Jackass." Created by Jeff Tremaine, Spike Jonze and Johnny Knoxville, this showcase for a gang of lovable skateboard-culture knuckleheads who subject themselves and each other to a series of physically/mentally...

Despite its title, “How to Rob a Bank” is not an instructional video on how to commit crime. Instead, as its co-director Stephen Robert Morse tells Variety, it’s a documentary about “the consequences of crime.”

The doc, which dropped on Netflix last week, focuses on a prolific ‘90s Seattle bank robber called Scott Scurlock, whom the FBI soon nicknamed Hollywood due to his penchant for elaborate disguises.

Morse (a producer on “Amanda Knox”) and his co-director Seth Porges (“Class Action Park”) began working on the film back in 2020 and quickly tracked down many of those involved in the notorious case.

As the documentary works its way into the streamer’s global top 10, Morse sat down with Variety to discuss the genesis of the project and what he learned from getting up close and personal with a notorious bank robber.

How did you get involved with this project?

My collaborator,...

How To Rob A Bank Image: Netflix Spoiler alert: How To Rob A Bank is not going to teach you how to make off with millions from a local financial institution. It is, however, a more compact, marketable title than How This One Dude Robbed A Bunch Of Banks For As Long As He Could,...

How To Rob A BankImage: Netflix

Spoiler alert: How To Rob A Bank is not going to teach you how to make off with millions from a local financial institution. It is, however, a more compact, marketable title than How This One Dude Robbed A Bunch Of Banks For As Long As He Could,...

Velvet Hammer Media, the non-scripted production company founded by Jennifer O’Connell and Rebecca Quinn, has received a minority investment from global sports and entertainment company Endeavor.

William Morris Endeavor, talent agency within Endeavor, represents athletes from sports organizations like the NHL and NFL. Endeavor currently owns UFC and Pbr (Professional Bull Riders).

Vhm just recently secured series such as “The Big Bakeover” and Roku’s “Empty Nest Refresh” along with other unannounced development deals with Netflix, NBCU and other platforms. Together, O’Connell and Quinn serve as EPs on all Vhm projects. The pair founded Vhm earlier this year after departing their roles at Max (formerly HBO Max).

“Since starting Vhm, we have been inspired by the support and well wishes we received from across the industry, including from our colleagues and crew we’ve worked with over many years,” said O’Connell and Quinn in a statement. “For the last several months,...

Endeavor Group Holdings has taken a minority stake in Velvet Hammer Media, a non-scripted production company co-founded by Jennifer O’Connell and Rebecca Quinn in February.

With a focus on both premium and global formats, Vhm has secured multiple series greenlights with a range of streamers and networks, including “The Big Bakeover” for The CW, Roku’s “Empty Nest Refresh” and others not yet announced. O’Connell and Quinn serve as executive producers on all projects, with Vhm also providing production services.

Vhm also has development deals and projects in the works at Netflix and NBCUniversal, among other platforms. Development executive and producer Nick Alarcon joined Vhm as vice president. Additionally, Vhm has launched an “Inside Access Program,” which aims to hire and develop underrepresented talent behind the camera.

“Over the course of their careers, Jen and Rebecca have developed and produced some of television’s most provocative shows, entertained broad audiences,...

Six months after HBO Max abandoned its nonfiction efforts in the wake of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, the department’s top two executives have set up shop together. Jennifer O’Connell and Rebecca Quinn have launched Velvet Hammer Media (Vhm), a production company specializing in premium original nonfiction content.

O’Connell (former HBO Max EVP of nonfiction and live-action family originals) and Quinn (former HBO Max SVP of nonfiction original programming) will serve as co-CEOs and executive producers at their new outfit — with an eye on creating, producing and distributing formats, special-event programs and documentaries. Operating out of Los Angeles, the two have already hired development and production veteran Nick Alarcon (Lionsgate) as vice president.

“We have spent our entire professional lives in the content business, building and nurturing vital relationships with creatives and executives, and we look forward to furthering those collaborations and friendships through Vhm,” said O’Connell and Quinn in a joint statement.

While HBO Max is undergoing a sea change behind the scenes, the streamer still boasts an impressive catalog of films. Its documentary line up is particularly strong, thanks to partnerships with TCM, the Criterion Collection, and HBO itself, as well as the inclusion of several HBO Max originals. On the service, you'll find everything from groundbreaking classics that defined the genre, like "Nanook of the North," to docuseries that dive into seminal artists and cultural icons, like "George Harrison: Living in the Material World," to investigative films that probe the human condition, like "Mommy Dead and Dearest."

Whether you're looking to learn more about an overlooked moment in history or dive into the dark underbelly of true crime, there's something for every kind of documentary fan on HBO Max. From the countless hours of material to choose from, we've gathered the best documentaries streaming on HBO Max right now.

20 Feet From Stardom...

HBO/HBO Max chief content officer Casey Bloys sent a memo to employees this afternoon, explaining the decision by Warner Bros. Discovery to layoff 70 employees, or 14 of his workforce, as the company restructures. The move, announced the morning, comes as Warner Bros. Discovery prepares to merge HBO Max and Discovery+ into one streamer — with the decision made to reduce redundancies in unscripted programming. But a changing business model also led to cuts in scripted children’s and family fare, casting, international and acquisitions.

“Unfortunately, the environment in which we operate is changing rapidly, and it is up to us to continue to refine our model to chart a course for long term success,” he wrote in the memo. “As you heard from David Zaslav during our last earnings call, producing top-tier HBO/Max scripted content is crucial to Wbd’s future. Part of this process involves an honest assessment of what we need moving forward.

At the end of a day that saw about 70 (14) staffers in his divisions getting laid off, Casey Bloys, Chief Content Officer for HBO & HBO Max, just sent an email to his team about the cuts as well as his new (old) senior HBO/Max scripted executive team of Amy Gravitt, Francesca Orsi and Sarah Aubrey, which includes new responsibilities for Gravitt and Aubrey.

In the memo (read it in full below), Bloys lays out the responsibilities for his top executives on the scripted and documentary side who are staying on and also highlights the accomplishments of the top executives who are leaving as a result of the layoffs: Jennifer O’Connell, Jennifer Kim; Michael Quigley and Linda Lowy.

“Although I am confident these structural changes will allow us to sustain a thriving business model, these decisions have been extremely painful to make,” Bloys wrote. “We operate in an environment where we...

Producer and entrepreneur Alex Lieberman has launched Bright West Entertainment, a new film finance and production company with a special focus on backing documentary content.

The company is making a big splash this month. Three of its next feature documentaries — “On the Line: The Richard Williams Story,” “Subject” and “Rudy! A Documusical” — are set to world premiere at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival, which kicks off on Wednesday.

“I’m focused on financing interesting stories and trying to serve as a catalyst to help projects get made,” Lieberman tells Variety. “I don’t have a brand filter or a set type of story that I’m interested in making. It’s not original to say this, but I love human stories.”

Filmmakers who have worked with Lieberman say he’s committed to giving them the resources they need to get their projects finished and praise him for understanding the difficult road...

WarnerMedia tried to put its best foot forward on Wednesday by focusing on the future of its own media assets, rather than questions about its looming spinoff from AT&T and merger with Discovery.

Executives at the AT&T-owned media conglomerate put a spotlight on the company’s broad array of media outlets and talent during an upfront presentation to advertisers. The showcase, largely pre-taped, featured Leslie Odom Jr. in a musical showcase that took viewers on a tour across WarnerMedia, relying on cameos from Samantha Bee, Robin Thede, Lisa Ling, Anderson Cooper and W. Kamau Bell, among others.

The company also nodded to new initiatives, with WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar vowing to offer an “elegant” experience for advertisers with an ad-supported version of the company’s streaming-video hub, HBO Max. Other efforts will put HBO Max programming on cable networks TBS and TNT with limited commercial interruption in a format...

TBS and TNT have launched Front Row, a limited-commercial destination where the networks’ originals as well as shows originally made for streaming service HBO Max will air.

The initiative, announced during the WarnerMedia upfront, was accompanied by TBS launching Friday Night Vibes, a movie showcase hosted by comedian and actress Tiffany Haddish.

Front Row programming will begin this summer, with Max Originals Love Life, Close Enough, 12 Dates of Christmas, Titans and Class Action Park. The first season of Max Original The Flight Attendant, which reached 1.6 million viewers during a brief TBS run last November, will return to TBS in 2022 ahead of its second season premiere on HBO Max.

TNT content headed to Front Row include Rich People Problems (working title), Cody and Brandi Rhodes’ Rhodes to the Top, Claws and Snowpiercer. TBS titles will be announced at a later date.

‘Claws’: TNT, TBS & truTV Boss Brett Weitz Says...

TBS has enlisted Tiffany Haddish to host “Friday Night Vibes,” a weekly movie showcase that will feature wrap-around segments with the comedian and guests.

Haddish’s new venture with producer Reginald Hudlin was among a number of programming announcements unveiled Wednesday by WarnerMedia at the company’s annual upfront, including a plan to give HBO and HBO Max original series second-window airings on TNT and TBS. The shock of Monday’s news that WarnerMedia is set to spinoff of AT&T and merge with Discovery has greatly overshadowed the company’s programming announcements for its ad-supported cable networks.

But the upfront presentation that was scheduled long before Discovery and AT&T sealed the deal went ahead as planned, complete with remarks from WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar, who is expected to bolt after being unpleasantly surprised by the secret merger plan.

In its upfront pitch to advertisers, WarnerMedia referred to its linear general entertainment cable networks TBS,...

Tina reached a total audience of 1.1 million viewers across linear and streaming, WarnerMedia said, in the best showing yet by a documentary on HBO Max.

The Tina Turner portrait, which features a new interview with the singer at her home in Switzerland, is the top-rated HBO documentary since Leaving Neverland in 2019.

Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin, who won a Best Documentary Oscar for Undefeated in 2012, co-directed Tina. Also behind the film is Lightbox, the production company founded by Academy Award-winning producer Simon Chinn and Emmy-winning producer Jonathan Chinn. Diane Becker is also a producer. Lightbox is also involved in the forthcoming documentary Diana.

Tina looks back at Turner’s life and career, using a dazzling collection of archival footage spanning more than six decades. The epic tale stretches from her teen-aged days rising to stardom alongside Ike Turner through the grueling years when he abused and manipulated her, to her...

There's no doubt that last year was an unexpected one when it came to theatrical release dates and Covid-19 protocols, but it was still a wonderful year for cinema and we saw many vital, thought-provoking, and diverse stories make their way to the big and small screens. For evidence of a hallmark year of cinema, one need look no further than the nominees for the 4th Annual Hollywood Critics Association Film Awards.

Selected by the Hollywood Critics Association (including Daily Dead Managing Editor Heather Wixson), the nominations for the 4th Annual Hollywood Critics Association Film Awards include Promising Young Woman (which leads all films this year with nine nominations), His House, Freaky, and many more intriguing films.

Below, we have the official press release with the full list of nominations for the 4th Annual Hca Film Awards ceremony, which will stream on the Hca Facebook page and YouTube channel on Friday,...

Exclusive: Producer and director Seth Porges (Class Action Park) has signed with CAA for representation in all areas.

Porges is maybe best known for his work on the summer’s hit feature documentary Class Action Park, about a famously dangerous New Jersey amusement park, which debuted at No. 1 on HBO Max.

He has several projects in the works, including a collaboration with Soledad O’Brien Productions and a true-con documentary with producers Stephen Robert Morse (Amanda Knox) and Max Peltz of Lone Wolf Studios.

A journalist by trade, Porges is a regular commentator on cable news, and has appeared on History Channel, Discovery, and National Geographic. He has also appeared as an expert in roughly 50 episodes of Travel Channel’s Mysteries at the Museum and multiple seasons of Science’s What on Earth?

Previously, Porges was an editor at Popular Mechanics and Maxim magazines, and has contributed to dozens of publications,...

Producers Stephen Robert Morse and Max Peltz are joining forces to launch a new production entity, Lone Wolf Studios.

The full-service production, sales and financing film and television company will have offices in London, New York and Los Angeles. Morse, whose producing work on the Netflix documentary “Amanda Knox” earned an Emmy nomination in 2017, said the “‘lone wolf’ identity of our company reflects the non-conformist ethos that Max and I feel as producers. Whatever obstacles and hurdles our characters face, and whatever unique decisions they make, we’re ready to capture those moments on screen.”

The company already has a number of projects in various stages of production, including a boxing documentary with Grain Media and a true-con documentary with Seth Porges of “Class Action Park.” Also in the works is a scripted series with Fuqua Films, Propagate and CBS Studios.

“We’re trying to be a different sort of...

‘Tis the season for UFO death cults. HBO Max has unveiled the trailer for “Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults,” an upcoming documentary that will premiere December 3 on the streaming service.

Per WarnerMedia, the docuseries is a thorough examination of the infamous UFO cult through the eyes of its former members and loved ones. What started in 1975 with the disappearance of 20 people from a small town in Oregon, ended in 1997 with the largest suicide on U.S. soil and changed the face of modern New Age religion forever. “Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults” uses never-before-seen footage and first-person accounts to explore the infamous UFO cult that shocked the nation with their out-of-this-world beliefs.

All four episodes of the docuseries will premiere Thursday, December 3. The first episode of “Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults” will be available to stream for free on HBO Max’s website starting Friday,...

“Dick Johnson is Dead” won both Best Documentary Feature and Best Director (Kirsten Johnson) at the fifth annual Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards. This Netflix film came into the competition with four bids; it lost the cinematography race to another Netflix title, “My Octopus Teacher,” and thee narration award to “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet.” “The Way I See It” won for score while “Totally Under Control” took editing. See the full list of Ccda winners announced on November 16 below.

The six genre prizes were awarded as follows: “MLK/FBI” (Best Archival Documentary); “John Lewis: Good Trouble” (Best Historical/Biographical Documentary); both “Beastie Boys Story” and “The Go-Go’s” (Best Music Documentary); “Boys State” (Best Political Documentary”); “My Octopus Teacher” (Best Science/Nature Documentary); and both “Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes” and “Athlete A” (Best Sports Documentary).

The Shoes in the Bed title “Mr. Soul!” won one of its...

“Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution,” “Gunda” and “Mr. Soul” lead the fifth annual Critics Choice Association’s documentary nominations, with five apiece. Among the eclectic list of nominees are Taylor Swift, Greta Thunberg, veteran filmmaker Werner Herzog and longtime disability advocate Judith Heumann, as well as docs about such notables as John Lewis, Muhammad Ali, Bruce Lee and Frank Zappa.

Recognized with four nominations each are “Athlete A,” “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” “My Octopus Teacher” and “Totally Under Control.”

In terms of distributors, Netflix led with 31 nominations, followed by Neon with 14 and Magnolia Pictures with nine. Showtime had six, while HBO, Amazon, National Geographic, PBS Independent Lens and Shoes in the Bed Productions earned five each.

It’s the fifth annual documentary honors for the group, honoring projects released in theaters, on TV and on major digital platforms, as determined by the voting of Cca members. Winners will be announced at a presentation on Nov.

It was the most dangerous water park in America. New Jersey’s Action Park — or “Traction Park,” as the locals notoriously nicknamed it — promised adventure, “big things for little kids to do,” and the grandest water attractions in the world.

But it was known for bumps, bruises, dislocated shoulders — and worse. There were so many injuries the park had its own ambulances. Tragically, there were also deaths. Three drowned in the wave pool. One was thrown from the Alpine Slide onto rocks the park had been told to remove. One was electrocuted after falling into the water on the Kayak Experience.

Longtime MTV VJ Riki Rachtman, former host of the metal show “Headbangers Ball,” knew nothing of the perils of the park when he was assigned to do a live broadcast there in 1993 with special guests Alice In Chains. But he was up to the challenge, and Alice in Chains...

WarnerMedia’s HBO Max is extending its discount offer to new and returning subscribers, allowing them to pay just $12 month for up to a year starting Friday.

The “Save for 12” promotion knocks $3 off the list price of the service, expanding on a $12-a-month option first rolled out in the spring ahead of the May 27 launch. With the new offer, customers can sign up via distribution partners including Apple, Google, Hulu, YouTube TV and Comcast’s Xfinity. The previous offer was extended only to those signing up through hbomax.com.

Entering a hotly competitive space, HBO Max has come out of the gate in rather subdued fashion, attracting 4.1 million subscribers as of June 30. John Stankey, CEO of WarnerMedia parent AT&T, has declared the launch “flawless” and said it puts the venture on track to hit its five-year subscriber targets. Like other content purveyors, the service has experienced significant headwinds due to Covid-19 production shutdowns.

(Welcome to The Quarantine Stream, a new series where the /Film team shares what they’ve been watching while social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic.) The Movie: Class Action Park Where You Can Stream It: HBO Max The Pitch: For an entire generation of Americans raised in the New York and New Jersey area, Action Park was the […]

The post The Quarantine Stream: ‘Class Action Park’ is About a Mind-Bogglingly Dangerous Amusement Park, and Also Childhood Trauma appeared first on /Film.

Class Action Park is a documentary showcasing the notorious New Jersey water park that operated from 1978 to 1996.

It is part nostalgia, part docudrama, and part horror movie.

I visited Action Park not once, not twice, but many, many times in the 1980s and early 1990s. The rides were wild, and we had a heck of a good time.

But now, as I look back, I realize how lucky we were to have survived it.

That's part of what makes Class Action Park so alluring; it shows all the things visitors remember punctuated by what happened behind the scenes that even a frequent visitor would have never known.

And if you've never visited, Class Action Park is a unique glimpse into New Jersey in the 1980s, a time when regulations were frowned upon, risks were taken for both money and bragging rights, and when it all went wrong, the overall attitude was 'sh*t happens.

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A strong sense of nostalgia for the freedom of the '80s permeates almost every inch of Class Action Park, a new documentary on HBO Max that chronicles the rise and fall of New Jersey's infamous Action Park, which opened in 1978 and was one of the first modern water parks in America but is now known

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Usually, the genre-heavy Fantasia International Film Festival is held annually in Montreal, but with things the way they are this year (terrible), the festival has gone virtual. This year, Chris Evangelista and Matt Donato are covering Fantasia for /Film, firing off dispatches featuring capsule reviews of the titles we’ve watched from the safety of our […]

The post Fantasia Film Festival Dispatches: ‘The Oak Room’, ’12 Hour Shift’, ‘Climate of the Hunter’, ‘Class Action Park’, ‘Dinner in America’ appeared first on /Film.

Sometimes when you see something so batshit, you don't know where to start. Class Action Park is the new documentary from Seth Porges and Chris Charles Scott about the world's most dangerous amusement park. It's a wild, audacious doc that truly must be seen to be believed. Canadian viewers with a Fantasia 2020 badge viewed it tonight during the festival. You can read the festival's write-up on their site here and watch the trailer at the end of this post. In Vernon, NJ in the '80s and '90s, Action Park lured many kids and teens from neighboring suburbs and cities to reckless abandon, sun and skin burns, hospitalization, and in the worst cases, their deaths.  To understand how things went so wrong, we must talk a little...

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

In the 1980s and ’90s, New Jersey’s Action Park amusement park was seen by many as a beacon of freedom. The rides were totally nuts – there was literally an enclosed water slide that sent riders blasting through a full loop-de-loop! – and every rule was more like suggestion that could be easily laughed at […]

The post ‘Class Action Park’ Trailer: Dive Into the Story of the World’s Most Dangerous Amusement Park appeared first on /Film.

"Build it higher, make it faster." HBO has unveiled the full-length official trailer for Class Action Park, a documentary film about the infamous water park in New Jersey known as Action Park. Have you ever been? "Shirking the trappings of nostalgia, the film uses investigative journalism, newly unearthed and never-before-seen documents and recordings, original animations, and interviews with the people who lived it to reveal the true story for the first time." Action Park opened in Vernon, New Jersey around 1978, setting up as a summer offering on the grounds of the Vernon Valley/Great Gorge ski resort. It featured three separate areas: the Alpine Center, Motorworld, and Waterworld. The latter was one of the first modern American water parks. After multiple deaths and numerous lawsuits, the entire park closed in 1996. The doc features an original score by The Holladay Brothers. This looks wild, totally crazy in every way. I just have to watch.

Don't look behind you!

No, it's not a monster or a serial killer -- it's summer, which is already in your rearview mirror.

But while Summer 2020 hasn't been filled with amusement parks and picnics, HBO Max has something pretty darn good up its sleeve as a substitute.

On August 27, the streamer will drop a new documentary, Class Action Park.

Sound like fun, right?

Widely regarded as the most dangerous amusement park, New Jersey's Action Park was a staple for kids growing up in the '80s and '90s.

There have been many famous Action Park “alumni” that have shared their experiences over the years, inspiring feature films, scripted series, and, most recently, a tell-all book written by the son of the genius madman that founded the park.

For the first time, fans new and old will be able to experience firsthand the insanity of this dangerous water park via real-life footage and testimonials.

In modern American society, the threat of lawsuit looms over everything. Did you get into a car accident? Then you might get sued. Are you a business owner and didn’t make sure the coffee you served is safe and not boiling? Then you are setting yourself up for a major legal issue. And if you’re a theme park, you better make sure that every safety measure is taken and that your guests are not ever in danger.

Continue reading ‘Class Action Park’ Trailer: New Jersey’s Infamous Theme Park Gets Examined In The HBO Max Doc at The Playlist.

HBO Max dropped the trailer for “Class Action Park” Wednesday, a documentary that takes a deep dive into New Jersey’s Action Park, which is “widely regarded as the world’s most dangerous amusement park and a staple of growing up in the New York/New Jersey area in the ’80s and ’90s.”

In the video, which you can view above, stories are told of incidents of electrocution, decapitation, impalement and more at Action Park.

“Nobody should ever be the second person to die in a wave pool,” comedian Chris Gethard says in an interview. “Close the f—ing wave pool!”

Also Read: Fall TV 2020: All the Premiere Dates for New and Returning Shows - So Far (Photos)

Per HBO Max, “‘Class Action Park’ is the first-ever feature-length documentary to explore the legend, legacy, and truth behind a place that long ago entered the realm of myth. To some,...

HBO Max is continuing to pull from Warner Bros.’ incredible back catalogue of movies, with August bringing a huge number of new titles to the streaming service. With over 130 new pieces of content, the list of upcoming arrivals encompasses classic films of all kinds, from Oscar winners to comedies, horrors to family pics and, of course, tons of blockbusters.

A highlight for many users will probably be the glut of Batman films coming to HBO Max at the start of the month. Every cinematic outing for the Caped Crusader from 1989’s Batman starring Michael Keaton to 2008’s The Dark Knight with Christian Bale (which just celebrated its 12th anniversary this weekend) are going up on the site. Sticking in Gotham, both seasons of Harley Quinn are also coming to HBO Max, following their original release on DC Universe.

Elsewhere on August 1st, some of the more notable new titles include Before Sunrise and its sequel,...

It’s August 2020 and that can only mean one thing: HBO Max is about to enter Lovecraft Country.

Over the years HBO (and by the transitive property its new HBO Max streaming offshoot) has grown accustomed to debuting a buzzworthy new TV show or limited series every couple of months. For August 2020 that will almost certainly be Southern Gothic horror series Lovecraft Country. The J.J. Abrams and Jordan Peele-produced thriller arrives on August 14 on HBO and HBO Max.

Other strong HBO Max originals arriving in August include the documentary Class Action Park (release date Tbd), Seth Rogen-starring comedy An American Pickle (Aug. 6), and finales for I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, Doom Patrol, and Perry Mason.

Of course, HBO Max is designed to house much of WarnerMedia’s content across many mediums. That means some recent movies on note like Jojo Rabbit (Aug. 1), Richard Jewell (Aug. 8), and Birds of Prey (Aug.

Canadian festival will run a virtual event from August 20 to September 2.

Canada’s Fantasia International Film Festival has revealed a second wave of titles – including eight world premieres - for this year’s virtual ediion which is taking place from August 20 to September 2.

The Montreal-based festival will offer live screenings, a programme library, panels and workshops which will be accessible across Canada and geo-locked to prevent access from elsewhere.

World premieres now set for Fantasia include The Block Island Sound, the latest horror outing from Kevin and Matthew McManus; The Oak Room, a fourth feature from Canadian filmmaker Cody Calahan; and Minor Premise,...

There was nothing in the world like Action Park. Their ads promised you’d be at the center of the action, but they didn’t mention you’d be pulled out of it in on a gurney. Although they did post pictures of little wounded water warriors at the entrance of some of the rides. Vernon, N.J., the town the world’s most dangerous water park was in, had to buy triple its fleet of ambulances when it opened. Also known as “Traction Park” and “Accident Park” at the time, HBO Max bought the rights to the documentary with the most realistic vintage nickname, Class Action Park. They will stream it beginning in August.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Action Park was a staple for anyone who grew up in New Jersey or ventured in from the city. “Class Action Park brings feelings of nostalgia even if you didn...

Back in 2018, Johnny Knoxville starred in the poorly received comedy Action Point, a movie inspired by Action Park, a real life theme park in New Jersey which was notorious for poorly designed, unsafe rides, and inexperienced and often under-the-influence staff. But now you’ll get to hear the story of Action Park from the people […]

The post ‘Class Action Park’ Documentary, About the World’s Most Dangerous Water Park, Heads to HBO Max appeared first on /Film.

Class Action Park — a documentary about a famously perilous New Jersey water park — will land on HBO Max in August, likely with some gnarly concrete burns and maybe a mild concussion.

“Class Action Park brings feelings of nostalgia even if you didn’t grow up going to this infamous New Jersey amusement park,” HBO Max original content chief Sarah Aubrey said in a statement. “The insane stories of lawlessness and injury are an unbelievably wild ride.”

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