Aloha, Stranger: Taylor Kitsch and Rihanna are somewhere down there beholding the might of an alien invasion force in BATTLESHIP.

The aliens have landed! Yes. Again. This time they’ve invaded off the coast of Hawaii, so it’s just like Pearl Harbor, if the attack on Pearl Harbor had included such devastating weaponry as Giant Exploding Pegs and Hot-Rodding Robot Fireballs. Can slacker sailor Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch), finding himself in command of the lone, surviving ship and assisted by crewmate Rihanna and visiting captain Tadanobu  Asano (just to prove we’re all over Pearl Harbor), find a way of defeating the enemy? Can Hopper’s fiancee Brooklyn Decker, with the help of (actual) double amputee Greg Gadson, destroy the island-based satellite substation before the invading force can signal their cohorts, even as her father, the Admiral (Liam Neeson), stands on the sidelines, shaking his fist and screaming, “Hopperrrrrr!!!” (not really, but close enough)? C’mon, it’s a movie based on a board game — are these really questions?

Come join Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons as they debate whether director Peter Berg might have been better served doing a film called CROCODILE DENTIST. Also: Dan gives his capsule review of LOVELY MOLLY, the new exercise in ominous horror by BLAIR WITCH’s Eduardo Sanchez. Plus: What’s coming to theaters.

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3. John Carter; A Thousand Words & Silent House – CFQ Spotlight Podcast 3:10

The Fangs are Almost as Big as the Lapels: An undead Johnny Depp braves the ravages of the 70's in DARK SHADOWS.

Two hundred years is a long time to revive a vampire, but then again, forty years is long time to revive the first horror soap opera (not counting an earlier, feature adaptation and a TV revival in the ’90s). In Tim Burton’s DARK SHADOWS, Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) is cursed into vampirehood by spurned lover Angelique (Eva Green) in the 18th century and is buried alive (undead?) to await his unearthing in the 1970’s. What he finds is the family fishing empire in ruins, the occupants of stately Collinswood manor — including Michelle Pfeiffer as matriarch, Helena Bonham Carter as a drunk doctor, Jackie Earle Haley as a drunker handyman, and Bella Heathcote as a nanny who bears a striking resemblance to Barnabas’ lost love Josette — devolved into feckless dissolution, and Carpenters music everywhere.

Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons have seen the film, and sit down to discuss whether Burton’s more comedic take on DARK SHADOWS’ melodramatics are worth the trip back to the Me Decade. Also in this show: What’s coming to theaters.

Related posts:

1. Dark Shadows Delayed?
2. ‘Dark Shadows’ Takes Flight
3. Young Barnabas Cast for ‘Dark Shadows’

Cinefantastique’s homevideo podcast looks at this week’s horror, fantasy and science fiction titles on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD, including a quartet of classic and cult items: GREMLINS, GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH, GANJA & HESS, and the 1959 version of JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, starring James Mason.

The GREMLINS films, directed by Joe Dante and produced by Steven Spielberg, arrive on new Blu-ray discs that port over the old DVD features, with the added high-def qualities of the new format. GANJA & HESS (starring Duane Jones, of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD) at long last arrives in a director’s cut, courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art and Kino Video. And JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH is a limited edition Blu-ray, with video quality far exceeding previous home video versions, released by Twilight Time, the company behind last year’s limited edition Blu-ray release of Ray Harryhausen’s THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND. CFQ correspondents Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski dig into the details, for the benefit of those eager to encounter by carnivorous critters, ’70s blaxploitation horror, and glossy Hollywood adaptations of Jules Verne.

[NOTE: Sound problems with the original posting of the podcast have been fixed.]

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1. Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) – Film Review
2. Cybersurfing: Reviews of “Crystal Skull” & “Center of the Earth”
3. Sense of Wonder: The Last Airbender is no Avatar, and it’s time to boycott bad 3-D

Left to right: Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Robert Downey Jr, and a mass of pixels that look kinda like Mark Ruffalo prepare to do some avenging, because they are THE AVENGERS.

There are so many ways a grand conglomeration of super heroes could turn into a car wreck (case in point: THE FANTASTIC FOUR), that we should be grateful when a film manages just to clear that bar. Fortunately, and quite happily, THE AVENGERS not only manages that base-line feat, but goes far beyond it, becoming a rare example of a top-notch comic book movie. Granted, the team-up of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), aided and abetted by Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), doesn’t boast much more than a bare-essentials plot — demigod Loki (Tom Hiddleston) wants to take over the Earth ‘cuz… well, just ‘cuz — but under the direction of Joss Whedon, the proceedings offer enough kick-ass action and delicious character moments that plot barely matters.

Come join Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French and Dan Persons as they break down the first official blockbuster of summer 2012 to find out what makes it pop and where it fizzles. Also: What’s coming to theaters.

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1. ‘The Avengers’ Movie Start Date
2. ‘The Avengers’ — Official Trailer
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They're Magical! They're Muscial! They're So Very, Very Wrong!: Peter Frampton (right) joins forces with the Bee Gees (left) in SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND.

Like a black velvet reproduction of Guernica, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the movie, takes one of the landmark works of art of the twentieth century and renders it shallow, pointless and silly. Included in its list of crimes: entrusting the Beatles’ most innovative work to the likes of the Bee Gees, Peter Frampton, Steve Martin and Alice Cooper, among an almost infinite roster of incomprehensible casting choices; and placing the whole mess in the hands of a director who was clearly incapable of telling a coherent story (the magical musical instruments need to be stolen because why? And how exactly does that lead to the charming town of Heartland, U.S.A. being turned into Pottersville?), but never met a cheapjack, circa seventies special effects trope he didn’t love.

Does that mean the film should be avoided like the plague? Aw, hell, no — here is a musical (rock opera, actually) so wrongheaded in all its aspects that it manages to work its way around to inventing its own brand of awesomeness — terrible awesomeness, to be sure, but awesomeness nevertheless. All of which makes it perfect for worship upon the altar of the Temple of Bad. Come join Andrea Lipinski, Keven Lauderdale, and Dan Persons as they delve into this singular time capsule of seventies pop culture, style, and, most of all, hair, and have a few larfs at its expense.

Theme I Wonder If God was Sleeping by scottaltham

SONG PUBLISHED UNDER CREATIVE COMMONS

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Tom Jones' Fans Just Throw Their Underwear on the Stage: An admirer takes his love of Edgar Allan Poe (John Cusack, right) too far in THE RAVEN.

If truth is stranger than fiction, then can a serial killer inspired by the eminently strange writings of Edgar Allan Poe be said to be even stranger still? In THE RAVEN, a mad murderer has managed to engineer the deaths of his victims in ways that accurately (and in some cases, implausibly) replicate the works of one of the true geniuses of horror, and only Poe (John Cusack) can break the clues that will end the crime spree.

Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons sit down to contrast the film with its source materials and discuss whether director James McTeigue (V FOR VENDETTA) has succeeded in turning Poe’s baroque fantasies into a compelling dark mystery. Also in the show: A brief conversation of THE HOBBIT’s less-than-triumphant technical sneak preview, and what’s coming to theaters.

Related posts:

1. USA Today travels in the Hot Tub Time Machine
2. The Raven (1935) – Retrospective Horror Film & DVD Review
3. Hot Tub Time Machine theatrical release

Adhering to Form: Fran Kranz preps for survival in THE CABIN IN THE WOODS.

Joss Whedon has just been the busy, busy little bee lately, hasn’t he? He was one of the producers of the Morgan Spurlock documentary COMIC-CON EPISODE IV: A FAN’S HOPE last week; he’s the director of eagerly awaited THE AVENGERS, coming up in May; and this past weekend he produced and helped co-write THE CABIN IN THE WOODS with first-time director Drew Goddard (who previously wrote CLOVERFIELD). A deconstruction of the by-now-well-known stock “slasher” horror movie, CABIN takes its clutch of cliche teenagers (played by Kristen Connolly, THOR’s Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchinson, DOLLHOUSE’s Fran Kranz and Jesse Williams) besieged in a country cabin by a family of zombie sadists, and twists the scenario around by having it being monitored and manipulated by a bunch of shirt-sleeve, nine-to-fivers (including Richard Jenkins, Amy Acker, and Bradley Whitford), for mysterious ends.

Join Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons as they critique the critique, looking into what Goddard and Whedon bring to the (torture) table above and beyond a replication of the form, how the film’s mythology holds up under close scrutiny, and whether the SCREAM franchise has anything to worry about. Then, the gang takes a capsule look at the outer space prison riot film LOCKOUT. Plus: What’s coming in theaters.

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1. Joss Whedon’s Cabin in the Woods a creature feature?
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3. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark: Cinefantastique Spotlight Podcast 2:33.1

Do Do That Career Advancement That You Do So Well: Janet Blair prevails upon supernatural forces to help Peter Wyngarde in BURN, WITCH, BURN.

Tricky situation this week: Two genre releases, but one, while good, is getting a very limited release to start; the other, while making it to more venues, doesn’t quite merit the attention. So we’re dipping into our 50th Anniversary archives to bring out a goody from 1962: BURN, WITCH, BURN (a.k.a. NIGHT OF THE EAGLE). The tale of college professor who comes to grief when he insists his wife quit employing supernatural forces to help him advance his career, the film boasts a script by Charles Beaumont and Richard Matheson — based on Fritz Leiber’s Conjure Wife — some impressive performances (particularly by Janet Blair as the conjuring spouse), an overall handsome production, and, in the American release, a Paul Frees-voiced prologue that has to be heard to be believed.

This week’s main topic was proposed by Cinefantastique Online managing editor Steve Biodrowski and he joins Lawrence French and Dan Persons to discuss what works and what’s just a little silly in this little-known but very satisfying exercise in modern-day horror. Then Steve weighs in on the week’s (semi-)major release, the claustrophobic thriller ATM, and Dan gives his opinion on Morgan Spurlock’s elaborate documentary, COMIC-CON EPISODE IV: A FAN’S HOPE.

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Crossing Generations and Genres in COMIC-CON EPISODE IV: A FAN'S HOPE.

For some, it is Valhalla; for others, it is a seething, roiling, chaotic pit of humanity. For many, I suspect, it’s a phenomenon just slightly more indecipherable than Naked Lunch. It is San Diego Comic-Con, and documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, with the help of Stan Lee, Joss Whedon, and aintitcool’s Harry Knowles, has endeavored to crack the code in COMIC-CON EPISODE IV: A FAN’S HOPE. Rallying a massive production unit and focusing in on a handful of attendees that include a couple of aspiring artists, a costumer seeking to catch attention with her ambitious creations, and an old-school vendor wondering whether there are any comics left at the con — plus celebrity interviews from the likes of Kevin Smith, Guillermo del Toro, and Seth Rogen — Spurlock cuts through the myths of obsessive behavior, social awkwardness and bad hygiene (although there’s plenty of that, as well) to create a more human portrait of the people who have found pleasure and fulfillment in the worlds of genre media, and the event where they can let their geek flags fly.

Click on the player to hear my interview with Spurlock.

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1. Burn, Witch, Burn; ATM; Comic-Con Episode IV: The Cinefantastique Spotlight Podcast – 3:14
2. The Cabin in the Woods & Lockout: The Cinefantastique Spotlight Podcast – 3:15
3. X-Men: First Class: Cinefantastique Spotlight Podcast 2:21.1

FUUUUNNNNNGUUUUSSSS!!!: Sam Worthington's gonna need to bathe in a vatful of Purell after this moment from WRATH OF THE TITANS.

In the curious ecology that is Hollywood, a film that’s best known as a poster child for what not to do when converting 2D to 3D and for a declarative that become something of a pop-culture punchline has to, of course, have a sequel. In WRATH OF THE TITANS, there’s no Kraken-releasing, but that doesn’t mean demigod Perseus (Sam Worthington) doesn’t have his hands full, what with his brother Ares (Edgar Ramirez) teaming up with his uncle Hades (Ralph Fiennes) in order to sacrifice big daddy Zeus (Liam Neeson) in an attempt to resurrect Kronos, a big-ass lava guy who also happens to be father to Zeus and Hades. It’s a family thing, see?

Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski and Dan Persons get together to discuss how director Jonathan Liebesman (BATTLE LOS ANGELES) fares in tackling this new installment of the mythological franchise. Then Lawrence French joins them to give his reactions to two other releases: the fractured fairy tale, MIRROR MIRROR, and the ominous horror exercise INTRUDERS. Then Dan weighs in with his thoughts on the low-key cloning drama, WOMB. Plus: What’s coming in theaters.

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Fear Has a New Name, and It's BIRDEMIC: SHOCK AND TERROR.

It’s the rare film that comes along and totally redefines the medium, but such a film is BIRDEMIC: SHOCK AND TERROR. From its striking visual style to its Oscar-worthy performances to its dazzling special effects to its powerful, environmental subtext, this tale of a small, California town enduring the wrath of a vengeful Mother Nature — in the form of merciless attacks by flocks of deadly birds — is no mere light entertainment, but a truly life-changing experience, as immersive as AVATAR, as revolutionary as 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.

Andrea Lipinski and Kevin Lauderdale join Cinefantastique Online’s Dan Persons in a sober, critical analysis of this landmark film, analyzing how director James Nguyen has taken the lessons learned from his spiritual mentor — Alfred Hitchcock — and exceeded the master in every regard. Click on the player to hear the podcast, and discover how the pantheon of cinema greats — from Griffith to Scorsese; from Eisenstein to Kubrick — will soon have a new name added to its ranks.

Theme I Wonder If God was Sleeping by scottaltham

SONG COVERED UNDER CREATIVE COMMONS

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I Spy With My Little Eye... Regrets of the Past: Jason Patric tries to exorcise his sins in KEYHOLE.

This gangster is haunted, literally. KEYHOLE begins with an inversion — a group of criminals have to fight their way past a police barricade into a house — and only gets stranger from there. Turns out their boss Ulysses Pick (Jason Patric), isn’t after any kind of swag, but an exorcism of the past. The house is his own, riddled with ghosts, and Pick — with a willing mystic and an unwilling kidnap victim in tow — seeks to contact these remnants of a shaded, violent past, including his wife (Isabella Rossellini), possibly to banish them forever.

KEYHOLE is another stylish, enigmatic examination of the human soul by the Canadian master of such, Guy Maddin. Shot (mostly) in black and white, with a noirish tone, a script co-written by Maddin and frequent collaborator George Toles, and key performances by Udo Kier and KIDS IN THE HALL’s Kevin McDonald, the film’s a strange and poetic examination of how the sins of the past can linger forever, and what it might cost to revisit them.

Maddin’s one of my favorite interviews, and I’m glad to finally get him on the podcast. Click on the player to hear our conversation.

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Shanyn Leigh and Willem Dafoe Embrace Their Fates in 4:44 LAST DAY ON EARTH.

The newest episode of my short radio series THE INDIE ON DEMAND MOVIE REVIEW takes a look at 4:44 LAST DAY ON EARTH, in which Willem Dafoe and Shanyn Leigh are cast as a New York couple awaiting the end of the world, and director Abel Ferrara — he of such nihilistic exercises as KING OF NEW YORK and BAD LIEUTENANT — is cast as someone who sees the end of all humanity as a time of personal reflection and spiritual questing, rather than, say, raging masses clawing over each other in order to snag the last seat on the final spaceship out.

Click on the player to hear my review.

PLEASE LET YOUR PUBLIC RADIO STATION KNOW
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The Last Battle?: Jennifer Lawrence struggles for survival in THE HUNGER GAMES.

Hunger will compel people to some extreme acts: lie; kill; volunteer your child to appear on TODDLERS & TIARAS. Who knew it could also lead to one of the best movies of the year? The highly anticipated THE HUNGER GAMES takes the first book of the popular young adult series — about a dystopic future where the working masses are kept under control by being forced to sacrifice their children to a high-tech, to-the-death, televised battle — and turns it into a top-notch entertainment. Plus, in the person of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) — a combatant whose behavior amidst the carnage may be a harbinger of change — audiences finally get a more palatable and compelling heroine than a certain, vampire-besotted star of another series.

beabetterbooktalker.com’s Andrea Lipinski joins Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski and Dan Persons to explore the fine points of the film: What might have been lost in the transition from page to screen; how does director Gary Ross reconcile the carnage of the battle sequences with the more satirical vision of the ruling elite; and what’s scarier, the prospect of being torn to bits by raging, genetically-engineered hell-hounds, or Stanley Tucci’s hair? All this and more will be discussed in the show. Plus: What’s coming to theaters and home video.

REGRETTABLE TECHNICAL NOTE: Conversation about a film this good is hard to contain, which is another way of saying that the running time of show forces us to reduce the audio quality slightly for convenience sake.

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With no new horror, fantasy, or science fiction films opening this weekend, Cinefantastique stalwarts Lawrence French and Steve Biodrowski keep their Sense of Wonder alive by turning the clock back five decades for a retrospective celebration of TALES OF TERROR (1962), producer-director Roger Corman’s fourth film inspired by the work of Edgar Allan Poe. With a witty screenplay by Richard Matheson (THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN), and a cast including Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Basil Rathbone, this three-part anthology serves up the expected chills and thrills, along with a perhaps unexpected dose of merriment, in MORELLA, THE BLACK CAT, and THE CASE OF M. VALDEMAR. The result is a classic example of 1960s terror cinema, colorful and atmospheric, with impressive art direction by Daniel Haller, beautifully captured by cinematographer Floyd Crosby, with an ethereal score by Les Baxter.

So listen in as Steve and Larry open the vault to exhume the buried behind-the-scenes secrets and the arcane aesthetics of this popuri of Poe. The result is a scintillating CFQ Spotlight podcast, which answers the immortal question: What the hell happened to that missing limbo scene?

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2. Tales of Terror (1962) – A Retrospective
3. ‘X-The Man W/The X-Ray Eyes’ Score

Do you have a lee-zance for zose minkeys?: Taylor Kitsch gets a bonus in simians in JOHN CARTER.

Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, James Kirk, Luke Skywalker. Bleep those guys; as an interplanetary adventurer, John Carter has ‘em all beat by at least ten years. Bringing the star of   Edgar Rice Burroughs’ series of Barsoom novels to the screen has been a long-sought-after passion project for a number of filmmakers, including Bob Clampett, Ray Harryhausen, John McTiernan, and Robert Rodriguez, but it was Andrew Stanton — previously known for his work at Pixar, including directing FINDING NEMO and WALL-E — who finally got the chance, with Disney as his generous backer. Now his big-budget, live-action debut (laced with a healthy portion of computer-generated characters) JOHN CARTER, based on the debut tale A Princess of Mars, has come to the big screen, with Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, and Willem Dafoe starring.

beabetterbooktalker.com’s Andrea Lipinski joins Cinefantastique’s Lawrence French and Dan Persons to to soak in the magnificent vistas of Mars and see whether the adventure matches the scenery. Also: Andrea gives her thoughts on the Eddie Murphy comic fantasy, A THOUSAND WORDS, and Dan talks about the real-time horror film SILENT HOUSE, the surreal Swedish musical fantasy THE SOUND OF NOISE, and the borderland whatsit TIM AND ERIC’S BILLION DOLLAR MOVIE. Plus: What’s coming to home video.

Technical Note: The long running time for this show means we’ve had to settle for lower audio quality. Just imagine it’s 1933 and you’re listening to Little Orphan Annie. Keep drinking your Ovaltine!

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I Speak for the Digital Trees: Danny DeVito (left) and Ed Helms face environmental calamity in THE LORAX.

Everybody needs a Thneed. The question is, does anybody need DR. SEUSS’ THE LORAX, the feature-length, CG animated, 3D, big screen adaptation of the legendary children’s author’s environmental parable? Directed by DESPICABLE ME’s Chris Renaud, the film expands upon the tale of a humble forest guardian (voiced here by Danny Devito) trying to defend his home from an avaricious industrialist (Ed Helms) by ganging it to the adventures of a young boy (Zac Efron) who attempts to save his plasticized town from the clutches of an even more avaricious industrialist (Rob Riggle).

Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski and Dan Persons braved the 3D onslaught of Seussian bric-a-brac and discuss whether the tale survives its trip through the lens of contemporary, pop-culture-referencing, family filmmaking, how faithful the producers have remained to the author’s intent, and whether throwing in a few minions would have been a good idea.

Also: Steve and Dan discuss the second part of the second season of THE WALKING DEAD. Plus: What’s coming to theaters and home video.

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The Evil Next Door: Daniel Henshall (right) breaks Lucas Pittaway into a world of brutality in THE SNOWTOWN MURDERS.

Call it a cultural difference. Here in the U.S, our serial killers are quiet loners who nurse secret agendas and conduct their grim business on their own. In Australia, the most notorious case of serial murder involved the personable, charismatic John Bunting (Daniel Henshall), who came into the poverty-stricken community of Snowtown, staged neighborhood watch meetings, and from them gathered together a small corps of cohorts — including his girlfriend’s impressionable, teenage son (newcomer Lucas Pittaway) — to help rid the place of “deviants” in increasingly sadistic ways. As directed Justin Kurzel, THE SNOWTOWN MURDERS is a horror film that gains all the more impact for its basis in reality, showing how people in the depths of destitution and despair will willingly surrender themselves to a cunning and seductive evil.

Click on the player to hear my interview with Kurzel.

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Free at Last, Free at Last: From left to right: SITA SINGS THE BLUES; LADY FRANKENSTEIN; and THE TERROR

The universe of the genre film is filled with many strange and wonderful things: heroes; demons, attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion (oh, Roy Batty, we miss you). But nothing is so strange or, at times, wonderful as the sight of movies that, by accident or design, have fallen out of copyright and are now subject to the random winds of distribution. They’re copied and recopied, cut and redubbed, posted in versions of varying quality on YouTube, all quite legally and for absolutely no money.

In other words: You ever wonder from whence came those films on that 1000 SCI-FI CLASSICS! DVD set that you bought on Amazon for $2.99 in order to bring your $22.01 order up to the $25 needed for free shipping? Now you know.

So, in the absence of a new theatrical release this week, we here at the Cinefantastique Spotlight are debuting our first “Public Domain Pandemonium,” where each of us offers for discussion a movie readily available on the web and elsewhere. Steve Biodrowski gives us his take on giddily nude horror film LADY FRANKENSTEIN; Lawrence French talks about Roger Corman’s let’s-burn-off-Karloff’s-contract-and-these-two-remaining-days-we-have-on-the-castle-set “classic,” THE TERROR; and Dan Persons talks about the unusual, Creative Commons animated musical-fantasy, SITA SINGS THE BLUES. A trio of fun films, all available by clicking the links above. And all for free! Ya cheapskate.

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2. Tales of Terror (1962) trailer
3. Galaxy of Terror: DVD Review

Hot Plot: Violante Placido (right) and Nicolas Cage battle the devil in GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE.

In a pair-up as enticing as a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE combines the rich, nutty goodness of Nic Cage with the tasty junkiness of the Neveldien/Taylor directing team. Transporting Marvel’s tortured, soul-sucking biker to Eastern Europe, the sequel has him joining forces with Idris Elba and Violante Placido to save a young boy from the clutches of Satan — here portrayed by Ciarán Hinds — and his minions. As befits a GHOST RIDER story, much road-based action ensues; as befits CRANK-masters Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, much frenetic craziness gets layered onto that.

Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons rally together to discuss whether the Neveldine/Taylor style is enough to overcome the script’s stock elements, and whether even the extensive depth of the 3D screen is enough to accommodate a Nic Cage performance. Also: Steve gives his capsule review of THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY; and what’s coming in theaters and on home video.

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Hot Soul: A singer's love and success in the world of Cuban jazz is explored in CHICO & RITA.

Amidst the swashbuckling felines, fast-talking lizards, and kung-fu pandas — plus a cat in Paris — that occupy this year’s Oscar nominees for animated feature, there’s actually a tale featuring human beings, stylized though they may be. In CHICO & RITA, live-action director Fernando Trueba (BELLE EPOQUE) joins forces with artist/designer Javier Mariscal and his brother Tono Errando to tell the colorful and wide-ranging story of talented singer Rita and the equally talented — and perpetually reprobate — composer and pianist Chico as they forge their careers in the jazz hotbed of Havana in the late ’40′s and thence to America and possible fame and fortune. The going will not be easy — love will be squandered and egos crushed — but animation, done in an attractive, computer-enhanced graphic novel style (and featuring a touch of full-frontal nudity), is beautiful and the music, courtesy of jazz legend Bebo Valdés, is hot. Rango can go sit on a rock.

Click on the player to hear my interview with Trueba, Mariscal, and Errando.

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There was no shortage of curiosity when George Lucas announced that he was converting his STAR WARS features to 3D, and no little disappointment when it was revealed that the first film to undergo the process would be the almost universally reviled EPISODE I – THE PHANTOM MENACE. Nevertheless here we are at the longest of those long times ago, back in that galaxy far, far away, watching once more as Jedi knight Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his talented padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) try to rescues Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) from the clutches of the evil Trade Federation, in the process stumbling upon Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), a young boy with such formidable attributes — including single-handedly building C-3PO and having just by chance been born of immaculate conception — that he might well be the Chosen One, the one destined to bring Balance to the Force. That is, if instead he doesn’t turn to the Dark Side and become… well, let’s just say the name rhymes with Marth Frader.

Our special guest, chronicrift.com’s John Drew, joins Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons as they revisit the newly dimensionalized version of this “first” installment and discuss whether the upgrade is worth donning the special, “Collectible Keepsake” 3D glasses. Also: Larry and Steve give their capsule reviews of JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND. Plus: What’s coming in theaters and on home video.

GOING TO GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE THIS WEEKEND?
TWEET YOUR #WalkAwayReview TO @cfqspotlight
(Please don’t tweet during the movie!)

Related posts:

1. Wrath of the Titans & Mirror Mirror: The Cinefantastique Spotlight Podcast – 3:13
2. CFQ Ultra-Lounge Podcast, Volume 2, Episode 45.2: Star Wars, The Walking Dead, and the Curse of Continuity
3. Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace – Film Review

Don't Go in the... Never Mind: Sarah Paxton (left) and Pat Healy probe where novice ghost hunters shouldn't probe in THE INNKEEPERS.

There are compelling reasons why, when traveling, one should skip the chain lodgings and stay at one of America’s classic hotels. There’s the friendly and courteous staff, the opportunity to experience a true piece of Americana, and the chance that you’ll encounter a spectral manifestation that wants to rip your immortal soul from your still-screaming body. (Disadvantage: no wi-fi.) In THE INNKEEPERS, a pair of slackers (Sarah Paxton and Pat Healy) are put in charge of an aging hotel in its last days and — when not attending to the needs of such guests as Kelly McGillis as a sympathetic psychic and George Riddle as Quiet Creepy Guy — decide to play GHOST HUNTERS by investigating the myriad tales of hauntings that the institution has acquired. To quote a classic, American aphorism: “Big mistake.”

With films such as THE ROOST and THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, director Ti West has managed to deliver old-school, atmospheric chills on a limited budget, and he’s pulled the same feat off with THE INNKEEPERS, creating a ghost tale that’s both witty and scary, with a valuable lesson for us all (i.e. continental breakfast shouldn’t be the only consideration when choosing a hotel). Click on the player to hear my interview with him.

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1. Sara Paxton Is An Innkeeper
2. The Woman in Black (Capsules: Chronicle; The Innkeepers; Kill List): CFQ Spotlight Podcast 3:5

We Blame Slytherin: Daniel Radcliffe unearths the secret of a hostile spirit in THE WOMAN IN BLACK.

The balmy days of February have triggered an uncommon sense of renewal, nowhere more so than in the cinema, where, after a customarily dismal January (we’re looking at you, THE DEVIL INSIDE), there now come glimmers of hope in the entertaining and atmospheric THE WOMAN IN BLACK. Featuring a post-Potter Daniel Radcliffe as an emotionally ravaged lawyer trying to redeem his career in the British countryside, instead discovering a village where children spontaneously take their lives and an isolated mansion houses a malign spirit and a terrible secret, the film’s a refreshing invocation of the classic ghost story, all the better for coming from British horror-home Hammer.

beabetterbooktalker.com’s Andrea Lipinski joins Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons to stir up the spirits and measure the film’s ability to generate scares and creeps. Plus: The gang delivers capsule reviews of CHRONICLE, THE INNKEEPERS, and KILL LIST. Also: What’s coming in theaters and home video.

GOING TO STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE THIS WEEKEND?
TWEET YOUR #WalkAwayReview TO @cfqspotlight
(Please don’t tweet during the movie!)

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1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: Cinefantastique Spotlight Podcast 2:27.1
2. Radcliffe To Star In THE WOMAN IN BLACK
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1: November 19

Not Your Typical Hit: Pro assassins find themselves in over their heads in KILL LIST.

What starts out as common, garden-variety crime thriller turns… bizarre, and then frightening, in director Ben Wheatley’s twisty new film, KILL LIST. The tale of middle class hit-man Jay (Neil Maskell), who with colleague Gal (Michael Smiley) goes out for one more job and discovers blood oaths, strange rites, and disturbingly grateful targets have been thrown into the bargain, the film allows Wheatley to hook the rough-edged shooting style he explored in his debut effort, DOWN TERRACE, to a world that has room for both examinations of a tempestuous home life and the graphic shocks of classic horror. Think IN BRUGES meets THE WICKER MAN, then forget about all that and prepare to get righteously freaked-out.

Click on the player to hear my interview with Wheatley.

UNFORTUNATE TECHNICAL NOTE: Our usual podcast host has started giving us agita, apparently because we are just that popular, so we’ve temporarily switched to another service and had to downgrade our audio quality as a result. We’ll get this snag patched up and be back to the rich, beautiful sound you expect from MMP as soon as possible.

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1. The Woman in Black (Capsules: Chronicle; The Innkeepers; Kill List): CFQ Spotlight Podcast 3:5

You May Feel a Burning Sensation: Brittania Nicol discovers the secrets of THE WICKER TREE.

A story as relevant as yesterday’s headlines, or too late a tale? Some thirty years ago, Cinefantastique hailed Robin Hardy’s THE WICKER MAN as “the CITIZEN KANE of horror,” lauding the Anthony Shaffer-scripted story of a god-fearing police detective trying  to solve a mystery within a community of Scottish pagans for its bold eroticism and cunning narrative. Now, Hardy has taken his own novel, Cowboys for Christ, and brought it to the screen as THE WICKER TREE, billing it as a “reimagining” of his original triumph.

Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski and Dan Persons take a look at this tale of a couple of present-day evangelical missionaries who find they may have bitten off more than can chew in trying to convert the “heathens” of a Scottish village, and discuss how the film fares in its three-plus decade transition. Plus: Oscar 2012 nominations, and what’s coming to theaters and home video.

SEEING THE WOMAN IN BLACK THIS WEEKEND?
TWEET YOUR #WalkAwayReview TO @cfqspotlight
(Please don’t tweet during the movie!)

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1. Wicker Man redux
2. Hugo (Capsule: The Muppets): CFQ Spotlight Podcast 2:46.1
3. Alien & the Ill-Advised World of Prequels: The Cinefantastique Roundtable Podcast 2:3

Deal Me Some Death, Baby: Kate Beckinsale does even more of what she does in UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING.

The UNDERWORLD franchise’s relentless, death-dealing vampire, Selene (Kate Beckinsale), goes under ice at the beginning of UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING, and so does most of the series’ political intrigue, swapping out the power struggles from the previous entries in favor of even more chases, gunplay, and explosions — lots and lots of explosions. Awakened into a (nominally) future world where humanity has decimated the vampire covens and their natural enemy, the werewolf-like lycans, Selene finds herself protecting the fate of the young vamp/lycan hybrid Eve (India Eisley), and on the run from a sinister pharmaceutical corporation, all in glorious 3D. You will believe a metal-barbed whip can poke your eye out.

Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski and Dan Persons set their logic centers to neutral and debate what’s fun (i.e. Kate Beckinsale in skin-tight leather) and what’s not (plot) in this fourth installment, and whether there’s any future to UNDERWORLD’s future. They also discuss their gut-reactions to the latest crop of genre trailers, and Steve talks a little about a safe-driving film with a surprising production credit. Plus: What’s coming in theaters.

GOING TO SEE THE WICKER TREE THIS WEEKEND?
TWEET YOUR #WalkAwayReview TO @cfqspotlight
(Please don’t tweet during the movie!)

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1. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans – DVD Review
2. Werewolves Rising: Underworld launches a new wave of Lycans
3. Laserblast DVD & Blu-ray: Underworld 3, Star Trek, Galaxy Quest, The Grudge 3, Passengers

The Romance Will Poke Yer Eyes Out!: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is now enhanced with 3D.

Does Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST need to undergo digital conversion to the 3D format in order to lure audiences back into the theater? It shouldn’t, not really. BEAUTY is a certified classic, the first animated film to net a “Best Picture” Oscar nom and the one that re-energized the Disney animation division. To think that it has to go through a “It’s the film you’ve known and loved, back on the big screen where it belongs… now with candy,” process in order to get butts into seats says more about the current theories of film marketing than it does about what was lacking in the movie itself.

Nevertheless, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is back, and Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons have strapped on the 3D goggles to determine whether the film prospers or suffers from the tweaking, as well as discussing whether the film’s stature still holds some twenty years later, and examining how the contributions of the songwriting team of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken permanently transformed animated storytelling.

Plus: Steve delivers his capsule judgement on the apocalyptic thriller THE DIVIDE, and the CFQ team discuss their reactions to the animated short TANGLED EVER AFTER. Plus: What’s coming in theaters.

GOING TO SEE UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING THIS WEEK?
TWEET YOUR “WALK-AWAY REVIEW” TO @cfqspotlight.
(Please don’t tweet during the film!)

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2. Tangled: Cinefantastique Podcast 1:42
3. Laserblast 10/5/10: Splice, The Exorcist, Beauty & The Beast

Mother and Child Reunion?: Fernanda Andrade (top) learns the risks of reconnecting with Suzan Crowley in THE DEVIL INSIDE.

What kind of film is worthy of the sacrificial lamb slot that is the first release of January? What sort of slipshod storytelling does it take for audience members to start hurling epithets at the screen as the credits crawl? How disposable is the project when the host of a podcast devoted to genre film repeatedly gets the title wrong? Why, that would be THE DEVIL WITHI… ’scuse us… THE DEVIL INSIDE, yet another attempt to recast horror through the blurry lens of the mockumentary.

Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski and Dan Persons ring in the New Year by exploring DEVIL’s flawed theology, shallow characterizations, and ambiguous narrative gambits. And, with the help of input from theofantastique.com’s John W. Morehead, they discuss whether the recent rebirth of the exorcism genre is an accurate reflection of these anxious times. What’s revealed in discussion may surprise you — maybe even more than the film itself.

Also: Steve gives his capsule thoughts on the alien-invasion-in-Moscow flick, THE DARKEST HOUR, and Dan provides takes on THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN and the imaginative fantasy short,  A GOBLIN’S TALE. Plus: What’s coming in theaters.

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1. The Rite: Cinefantastique Spotlight Podcast #3
2. The Last Exorcism: Cinefantasique Podcast 1:29
3. Lisa and the Devil (1973) – Horror Film Review

Embrace the Po: Hong Kong action is celebrated in KUNG FU PANDA 2.

So, there, that’s one New Years resolution out of the way for me. A few months after the theatrical release of KUNG FU PANDA 2, I was able to score an interview with its director, Jennifer Yuh Nelson. With the home video release of the film (in just about every format available, including Amazon Instant Video and a Blu-ray boxed set that also includes the first KFP and a new short film, SECRETS OF THE MASTER), I felt it was time to raise some attention for this beautifully mounted, entertaining sequel.

KFP2 was, I felt, unjustly maligned in its original release. Thing is, what most critics seemed to feel was its greatest flaw — not enough focus on lovable doofus panda Po (Jack Black) — I saw as its greatest strength. Instead of the first film’s fish-out-of-water scenario, the sequel uses Po’s elevation to kung fu master to engage in a full embrace of Hong Kong action, casting him into a story that sees the panda facing off against a megalomaniacal peacock who has developed a weapon that may render martial arts obsolete: the cannon. It’s Jackie Chan enhanced with a lush, animation style — bridging over numerous formats, including 2D and shadow puppets — and highlighted with exquisitely choreographed battle scenes; exciting, funny, and a dazzling visual feast. For the love of martial arts, or pure, bravura animation, you need to see this.

Click on the player to hear my interview with Nelson.

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1. Kung Fu Panda 2: Cinefantastique Spotlight Podcast 2:20.1
2. Forbidden Kingdom: Jackie and Jet Meet Expectations – DVD Review
3. Jackie Chan Presents Gen-Y Cops

Ghost Protocol in the Machine: Tom Cruise (falling) shows Michael Nyqvist (demonstrating the wrong way to order at the McDonald's drive-thru) how to keep things moving in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL.

What says Christmas Spirit more than nuclear holocaust, life-or-death chases in an automated car park, and scaling the world’s tallest building? Maybe that’s why Paramount scheduled the release of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL for this most festive of seasons. Or maybe it’s that it’s just plain fun. Stripping the IM force down to leader Tom Cruise — aided and abetted by Paula Patton, Simon Pegg and new recruit Jeremy Renner — and paring the story down to a struggle to prevent a megalomaniacal terrorist from triggering WWIII,  the film (under the direction of animation vet Brad Bird, here making his live-action debut) unpacks some of the baggage accrued in the previous installments to become a lighter, wittier exercise in epic action.

Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons discuss their reaction to all the chaos, exploring how director Bird fares in his first foray in the tangible world, considering Tom Cruise’s future in the franchise and evaluating whether the IMAX format makes the Impossible Missions seem even… uh… impossibler.

Also: Larry delivers his verdict on THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO and Steve gives his reaction to the THE DARK KNIGHT RISES prologue screened at MI’s IMAX venues.

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2. Simon Pegg in Mission: Impossible IV?
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Destroy All Monsters (1968)

Just in time for Christmas, the Cinefantastique Laserblast crew – that would be Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski – offer up their recommendations for  DVDs and Blu-ray discs that would make perfect stocking stuffers for the horror, fantasy, and science fiction fan in your life. Suggestions range from the 1932 classic ISLAND OF LOST SOULS, now on Criterion Blu-ray disc, to the 1968 Japanese giant monster fest, DESTROY ALL MONSTERS, out on Blu-ray from Media Blasters. As a special added bonus feature, this Laserblast podcast includes an interview with Steve Ryfle (author of JAPAN’S FAVORITE MON-STAR), who provided audio commentary for the DAM disc.

Merry Christmas, everyone! And truly, nothing says Christmas like Godzilla!

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1. Destroy All Monsters vs. Aliens, Plus Hollywood sees 3-D Gold
2. Destroy All Monsters – U.S. Theatrical Trailer
3. Giant Monsters of 1961: Cinefantastique Roundtable Retrospective Podcast 3:16

A Break for Books: Tintin (Jamie Bell) pauses amidst all the action in THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN.

Time to close the year off with some rip-roarin’ adventure, so why not throw in a little, continental flair in the process? Steven Spielberg has decided to take that route, and make his debut in the animation field, with THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN, a cg-animated film using AVATAR’s performance-capture process and based on the charmingly audacious comic books by the artist Hergé. Starting with a mysterious message found in a model boat and spinning out into grandiose tapestry of action that includes pirate raids, fictional Arabian kingdoms, motorcycle chases, and talented opera singers, the story takes the classic boy reporter/detective (performed and voiced by Jamie Bell) and gives him the kind of adrenaline-filled exploits that only Spielberg can orchestrate.

Click on the player to hear the press conference featuring Steven Spielberg (who fields most of the questions), producer Kathleen Kennedy, stars Bell and Nick Frost, and WETA effects master Joe Letteri.

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1. The Devil Inside (Capsules: The Darkest Hour; The Adventures of Tintin; A Goblin’s Tale): CFQ Spotlight Podcast 3:1
2. Spielberg will direct Harvey remake
3. Abrams’ Super 8 Teaser and Info

A Justified War: Robert Downey Jr. (right) faces down Jared Harris in SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS.

Abandon all propriety, ye who enter here. Once again, under the direction of Guy Ritchie and as embodied by Robert Downey Jr, the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes shakes off his tweedy cobwebs and gets down, dirty, and flat-out physical in SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS. Centered around the inevitable confrontation between Holmes and the formidable criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris) — with world-wide stakes — the film takes the consulting detective and his steadfast friend Dr. Watson (Jude Law), plus Noomi Rapace as a self-reliant gypsy, on an epic tale of murder, conspiracy, and life-or-death chess games.

Come join Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons as they weigh the merits and demerits of this further retooling of a literary classic. Also: Dan delivers his opinion on the new documentary, CORMAN’S WORLD: EXPLOITS OF A HOLLYWOOD REBEL. Plus: What’s coming in theaters.

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1. Holmes 2 is ‘A Game Of Shadows’
2. ‘Game of Shadows’ Posters
3. ‘Sherlock Holmes II’ Pic, Release Date

The Christmas season is upon us, and as we have had occasion to mention, that means ghosts and spirits. And what greater Christmas ghost story is there than Charles Dickens’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL? That is the subject of this week’s Cinefantastique Round Table Podcast: Dan Persons, guest John W. Morehead (of Theofantastique.com), and Steve Biodrowski take a look back at the original novel and the numerous film and television adaptations, both live action and animated, that have brought not only Scrooge but also Jacob Marley and the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future to life on the screen. Listen for fond remembrances of everything from the 1951 classic SCROOGE starring Alistair Sim to the 1970 musical starring Albert Finney, from George C. Scott to Patrick Stewart, not to mention Mr. Magoo, the Muppets, and Doctor Who!

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1. A Christmas Carol (1938)
2. A Christmas Carol (2009)
3. Scrooge (1951)

The Great Bird Has Landed: Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett in a candid moment from TREK NATION.

A son goes in search of the father he never quite knew, and the CFQ crew gets introspective enough to take a nostalgic trip back to explore one of the formative influences on their sense of wonder, Gene Roddenberry’s STAR TREK.

Come join our special guest, theofantastique.com’s John W. Morehead, as he joins Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons as they discuss TREK NATION, the documentary by Roddenberry’s son, Eugene, that delves not only into the landmark show, its follow-ups, and its eternal fandom, but also the man behind the trek, his strengths and his flaws. Lasting influences will be identified, favorite episodes will be discussed, lives will be lived long, and prosperity will be… uh… prospered.

Also: What’s coming in theaters.

Guaranteed: 100% “Keep on Trekkin’” Free.

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2. STAR TREK — 45th Anniversary
3. Roddenberry’s son will take you behind the scenes of Trek

This week’s special edition of the Cinefantastique Laserblast podcast forgoes the usual rundown of recent horror, fantasy, and science fiction releases on home video, instead offering a 50th anniversary tribute to a beloved genre classic. Back in 1961, producer Charles H. Schneer and special effects supervisor Ray Harryhausen brought Jules Verne’s novel MYSTERIOUS ISLAND to the big screen, with Herbert Lom as Captain Nemo presiding over a strange land overrun by giant crabs, enlarged insects, and one or two other monstrous menaces.

Listen in as CFQ podcast regulars Steve Biodrowski and Lawrence French are joined by Ted Newsom, who wrote the extensive and excellent multi-part coverage of Ray Harryhausen’s career, which graced the cover of three issues of Cinefantastique magazine. Together, they offer fond reminiscences of the film, an assessment of how well it stands the test of time, and a look at the limited edition Blu-ray disc released last month by Last month, Twilight Time released, featuring a high-def transfer that makes MYSTERIOUS ISLAND look better than it has in decades.

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1. Supernal Dreams: 50th Anniversary DVD Sinbad’s 7th Voyage
2. The Tempest & Amazing Stream-of-Consciousness Episode – CFQ Post-Mortem Podcast 1:43.1
3. Cybersurfing: 7th Voyage on Blu-ray

But the extraterrestrial infestation wasn’t really the big news in genre film for 2011. With an open couple of weeks before the final onslaught of major science-fiction, fantasy, and horror releases, Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons decided to look back over the year and pick out their favorites in ten categories*, including Best Performance, Best Use of 3D, and Best Film, among others. The selection they’ve come up with may well surprise you. (Hint: A certain film featuring big-ass robots does better than expected.)

Click on the player to hear the show.

*And yes, we acknowledge that this is a provisional list, given that such titles as TINTIN, THE DARKEST HOUR, AND MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL have yet to screen.

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1. The Thing: CFQ Podcast 2:40

Dark, provocative, erotic, the film inspires a multitude of responses, frequently within the same second of footage. And once you get past the tale’s elegant mise en scene and sensuous atmosphere, don’t be surprised to discover Leigh has posed some intriguing questions on love, death, and all the impulses that drive our species. Sex is 99% brain, after all.

Click on the player to hear my interview with Leigh.

See the trailer for SLEEPING BEAUTY at mightymoviepodcast.com

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1. Sense of Wonder: Cinema’s Scaliest Dragons
2. Justin Kurzel on THE SNOWTOWN MURDERS: Horror Film Podcast

George Melies blows up his own head in THE MAN WITH THE RUBBER HEAD

Following up on the previous CFQ Spotlight Podcast devoted to Martin Scorcese’s HUGO, the Cinefantastique crew of Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski – joined by special guest Andrea Lipinski – blast off into the fabulous fantasy world of George Melies. The special effects pioneer and cinema magician of the early silent era was the first to realize the potential of movies imbued with a Sense of Wonder, using the camera not to capture reality but to create dreams writ large on the silver screen.

Also on the table for discussion during this Round Table: upcoming 3-D theatrical films and recent home video releases.

Check out the links below to see some of the Melies movies discussed in the podcast.

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1. The Man with the Rubber Head: Video
2. Video: Le Monstre (The Monster, 1903)
3. Le Diable Noir (a.k.a., The Black Imp, 1905): Video

Gears Set in Motion: Asa Butterfield and Chloë Grace Moretz uncover the true heart of film in HUGO.

At first glance, it doesn’t seem like there’d be much intersect between HUGO — the fanciful film based on Brian Selznick’s vividly illustrated novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret — and director Martin Scorsese. It’s set in a Parisian railway station circa the 1930’s, so there’s little opportunity for Brooklyn accents; it’s about an orphan boy (Asa Butterfield) who tends to the clocks in that station while hiding out in its secret passages, so there’s little chance we’ll be seeing Joe Pesci kick someone’s ribs in; and it’s driving force is an automaton that contains within its works a secret about the station’s not-so-kindly toy vender, Papa Georges (Ben Kingsley), so forget about hearing any of the traditional, four-letter-word-laced dialogue this time around. It’s only when you find out what that secret is that you realize not only why Scorsese is the perfect choice for this film, but why this may be the film he’s been waiting his entire career to make.

beabetterbooktalker.com’s Andrea Lipinski joins Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons to explore how a tale about the founding father of fantastic film has stirred a legendary director to create his sweetest and most enchanting work, and how it in turn pays tribute to those who seek to instill the sense of wonder in audiences around the world.

Also: Andrea gives her take on THE MUPPETS. Plus: What’s coming in theaters.

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1. The Magic of George Melies: Roundtable Podcast 2:46.2
2. Birdemic: Shock and Terror: Critics Roundtable Podcast
3. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (Capsule: Corman’s World): CFQ Spotlight Podcast 2:49.1

STAR WARS is back again – this time on home video – and a look at the 1977 original reminds Cinefantastique Podcasters Lawrence French, Dan Persons, and Steve Biodrowski that, despite having been retitled A NEW HOPE, the first film still works best as a stand-alone original, not as part four in an on-going franchise – fact that no digital enhancements or continuity tweaks can hide. And speaking of the Curse of Continuity, Steve Biodrowski expresses dawning concern over the direction of THE WALKING DEAD’s second season: will AMC’s excellent horror drama slide into LOST-style obfuscation as it holds onto secret plot developments like trump cards to be reserved for play at a later date? Digging deeper, the CFQ crew follow the Midochlorian DNA strand from STAR WARS and THE WALKING DEAD to ISLAND OF TERROR, RED STATE and WITCHFINDER GENERAL – a conversational obstacle course that navigates its way through more treacherous hive of scum and villainy than even Mos Eisley contains. But no matter how disturbing the twists and turns, don’t “opt out” like the raft of suicidal losers in THE WALKING DEAD; after all, hope – or a discussion of the epilogue from the credits of TWILIGHT: BREAKING DAWN, PART 1 – may be just around the next corner.

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1. Star Wars Re-Re-Redux & The Infectious World of Biothrillers: CFQ’s Black Hole Ultra-Lounge 2:35.2
2. Let the Haunts Commence & Droids in the Hood: CFQ’s Black Hole Ultra-Lounge 2:38.2
3. Star Wars 1: The Phantom Menace 3D & Journey 2: The Mysterious Island – CFQ Spotlight Podcast 3:6

Nibbles from Inside: Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) confront the prospect of bring new undead life (uhhh... you know what we mean) into the world in THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PART 1.

It’s vampires! And werewolves! And the most romantic wedding ever! Annnnd… actually it’s mostly about that wedding, and the repercussions thereof (in other words, somebody’s winding up with a bloodsucking bun in the oven). For those already enamored by the ongoing travails of blushing heroine Bella (Kristen Stewart) and her sensitive vampire beau Edward (Robert Pattinson), THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PART 1 begins the final chapter of an epic romance, as humans, lyncanthropes, and the undead begin to confront the daunting prospect of mortal and immortal merging into one, tiny life. For those not prone to reflexive swooning, Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons are willing to apply a more critical yardstick, exploring the tale’s confusing explication of vampire gestation, its zeal for licensed pop music, and whether its none-too-subtle pro-life subtext should be cause for concern.

Also: What’s coming in theaters.

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1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Vampire Babies Coming To A Teen Flick Near You
2. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse now playing
3. “Breaking Dawn Part 2″ Gets Release Date

Strike a Pose Before Striking Your Enemy: Henry Cavill (right) wages decorous war in IMMORTALS.

It’s a good week for lush, exquisite cinematography and vividly stylized worlds; maybe not so good a week for compelling narratives. In IMMORTALS, director Tarsem Singh Dhandwar uses Greek mythology as the raw material upon which to invest his skill with staging beautiful, beautiful actors in elaborate tableaux, all in the service of the tale of a lowly peasant (Henry Cavil) who, with the blessings of the gods (including former Apollo Luke Evans), rallies the bedraggled forces of Greece against a sadistic warlord (Mickey Rourke, and are you surprised?). Come join Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons as they admire the scenery and debate whether anything exists past the pretty facade.

Then, Larry and Dan briefly discuss the strengths and weaknesses of Lars von Trier’s elegant science fiction drama, MELANCHOLIA, in which a despondent Kirsten Dunst must cope with her own sense of inertia and the threat of a rogue planet on a collision course with Earth. Plus: What’s coming in theaters.

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1. The Raven: The Cinefantastique Spotlight Podcast – 3:17
2. Cavill on playing Superman
3. Guy Maddin on Keyhole: Fantasy Film Podcast

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1. New ‘Harry Potter’ Trailer
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3. Bond vs Machete & Anticipating Resident Evil 4: CFQ Post-Mortem Podcast 1:30.1

Come join Steve, Larry, and Dan as they each pick an episode (all of which are available on Netflix Instant View) to celebrate, compare and contrast, and discover in the selections legendary screenwriters, top-level acting talent, a penchant for creeping paranoia, and the tubbiest alien invaders ever.

Also in this episode: A discussion of the CG animated film PUSS IN BOOTS and Pedro Almodovar’s THE SKIN I LIVE IN, both starring Antonio Banderas. Plus: What’s coming in theaters.

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1. Interview: Marc Scott Zicree Discusses Rod Serling and “The Twilight Zone Companion”
2. Dream House: : Cinefantastique Spotlight Podcast 2:38.1
3. CFQ Laserblast Podcast 2:20.2: Drive Angry, Stanley Kubrick, Twilight Zone

Connecting the Line Between Point A and... What's Beyond Z?: Dr. Michio Kaku embraces the future in PROPHETS OF SCIENCE FICTION.

When Ridley Scott executive produces a cable series focusing on how the visionaries of science fiction helped pave the way for our actual future, you might expect episodes speculating on a world where chest-bursters and replicants run riot. Instead, PROPHETS OF SCIENCE FICTION — debuting on the Science Channel on November 9 — looks into what such fertile minds as Mary Shelly, H.G. Wells, and Isaac Asimov got right and wrong in their predictions (although we’re crossing our fingers that a scheduled episode on Philip K. Dick will take a welcome turn towards the dark).

Participating in the series is Dr. Michio Kaku, who, in the series’ debut episode, will be exploring how the dreams (or nightmares) of Ms. Shelly’s Dr. Frankenstein are coming true in today’s laboratories. I managed to wrangle a few minutes with the good doctor, and the conversation both put the lie to the prevalent contention that no one saw the Internet coming, and gives pause for thought to people who were hoping that recent discoveries at the CERN reactor could pave the way to faster-than-light travel.

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Running Time: Amanda Seyfried and Justin Timberlake live the fugitive life in IN TIME.

A world where everyone remains young and pretty forever? No, it’s not the CW prime-time schedule, it’s IN TIME, Andrew Niccol’s latest weaving of science-fiction speculation and wry social commentary. Imagining a civilization in which time literally is money — minutes, hours, days are earned and spent, the poor living a genuine day-to-day existence while the rich are practically immortal — Niccol casts Amanda Seyfried and Justin Timberlake as a two souls from the opposite sides of the time-line who decide to right what they see as an inequitable system, by violent means, if necessary.

Theofantastique.com’s John W. Morehead joins Cinefantastique Online’s Dan Persons to look at how Niccol — who here produces, writes, and directs — brings this curious scenario to the screen, and discuss whether Occupy Wall Street should take time out from their protests in order to catch a screening.

Also: Dan delivers his verdict on the latest entry from the Shrekiverse, PUSS IN BOOTS.

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Good View of the Son Set: Patton Oswalt awaits the treachery of THE HEART, SHE HOLLER.

When the people involved in WONDER SHOWZEN and XAVIER: RENEGADE ANGEL decide to do Southern Gothic drama, you know what you’re going to get is… odd. And so it is with THE HEART, SHE HOLLER, the first mini-series produced by Adult Swim and the twisted brain trust that is PFFR.

Starring Patton Oswalt — in an atrocious pageboy — as the long-lost scion of the Heartshe dynasty locked in battle with sisters Hurshe (pronounced like the chocolate, and played by Kristen Schaal) and Hambrosia (Heather Lawless), the six-episode drama is dark, delirious stew filled with deceit, spectral visitations, and rampant psychokinetic powers. Tennessee Williams would have fits.

We recorded the evening roundtable session (which is probably why we all sound so punchy) with Oswalt and producers John Lee and Alyson Levy. Click on the player to hear the show.

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Page to Page: Jim Henson's typewriter conjures a cinematic establishing shot in TALE OF SAND.

Lest we forget that Jim Henson was about more than Kermit and Big Bird (ahem, DARK CRYSTAL, THE STORYTELLER, and on, and on…), this year’s New York Comic Con staged a panel in which Henson archivist Karen Falk and Archaia Editor-in-Chief Stephen Christy exhibited footage from the Muppet-master’s experimental short films, commercials, and TV plays, and discussed the imminent publication of Tale of Sand, a wry, surreal, Kafkaesque graphic novel based on an unfilmed script co-written by Henson and frequent writing partner Jerry Juhl.

After the presentation, Falk and Christy granted us a few minutes to discuss Henson’s eclectic soul, how that translated into the furiously antic/ominous vision that became TALE OF SAND, and how Henson’s history is tied inextricably to that of CFQ. Click on the player to hear the interview.

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Street Tougher: Adult Swim's BLACK DYNAMITE.

Come 2012, Adult Swim is going to get bad-ass. In honor of the grand and sometimes delirious world of blaxploitation, they’ve latched onto the 2009 feature satire, BLACK DYNAMITE, and are bringing it to the video screen as half-hour, animated series.

With the film’s Michael Jai White and Byron Minns continuing their roles as producers, writers, and stars — White as ex-CIA agent Black Dynamite; Minns as compatriot Bull Horn — plus the feature’s director Scott Sanders helming the episodes and THE BOONDOCKS’ Carl Jones backing them up as exec producer, the show promises to carry forward with the movie’s vision of a world where the hair is big, the lapels are wide and the action is nonstop.

Adult Swim brought in White, Minns, Jones, and Sanders — plus Kim Whitley, who plays Honey Bee — for their roundtables, and we got to speak with all of them. Click on the player to hear the show.

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That's Gonna Leave a Stain: The street beat gets gory in MTV's DEATH VALLEY.

MTV’s making a big pitch to get back into the genre game, what with the resurrection of BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD and LIQUID TELEVISION. And, speaking of resurrections, there’s also DEATH VALLEY, a gory/funny exploration of what happens when the undead decide to emigrate en masse to Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley.

Presented as a COPS-style mockumentary, the series is set one year after the initial infestation, and follows the members of L.A.’s Undead Task Force (or UTF) as they deal with vampires, zombies, and other denizens of the night. The cops’ attempts at keeping the peace are not always by-the-book, which, as befits a twenty-first century horror-comedy, leads to both tons of laughs and vat-fulls of gore. Wouldn’t have it any other way.

MTV brought stars Tania Raymonde, Texas Battle, and Charlie Sanders and series creator Spider One to New York Comic Con for roundtable interviews. Click on the player to hear the session.

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Don't Believe Everything You See, Especially in the Trailer: A scene NOT from PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3.

And so the story of two sisters vexed by supernatural forces — as captured by conveniently located video cameras — continues, or begins, or ends depending on how you want to look at it, in PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3. Another prequel set in 1988 and purportedly recorded on VHS equipment — which doesn’t really account for the broadcast-quality image — the film purports to show how sisters Katie and Kristi Ray were first courted as children by forces malevolent, leading to the chaos depicted in the previous entries.

Those who are acquainted with the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY franchise will know what to expect (although maybe not when to expect it), but is more of the same enough? Join Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons as they patiently await the manifestations and debate whether this strung-out origin tale fills in narrative gaps or just restates already established history with more ungainly video equipment.

Also: A discussion of the Wachowski’s imminent return to genre and Bryan Singer’s bid to retell the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA legend once more. Plus: what’s coming in theatrical and home video releases.

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Kids Strike Back: The cast of ATTACK THE BLOCK faces down an alien incursion.

You gotta love an alien invasion film where the aliens make the serious mistake of trying to invade some council estates (read, “projects”) in London and discover that the street-tough kids there are not going to yield the territory without racking up a body count. That’s the idea behind ATTACK THE BLOCK, Joe Cornish’s directorial debut that was exec produced by SHAUN OF THE DEAD’s Edgar Wright. It’s neatly pulled off with a surprising bit of depth, and worth checking out when it’s released on homevid on October 25th.

So a bunch of us were gathered in a room in New York Comic Con’s press warren, and got to throw questions indiscriminately (but incisively) at Joe. I managed to capture the session for this podcast.

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Corman was at the con to sign autographs and promote the new, career-spanning documentary, CORMAN’S WORLD: EXPLOITS OF A HOLLYWOOD REBEL, and took a few minutes to talk with us.

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Dean Venture succombs to the inexorable pull of the Floyd Hole in THE VENTURE BROS.

Yes, Cinefantastique Online was at the just-wrapped New York Comic Con 2011, and we’re going to be bringing you tons o’ goodies — in both audio and video form — over the coming days (and weeks!). But we figured we should start you off the with the choice of the choice: the full press conference for Adult Swim’s hit series, THE VENTURE BROS, featuring creators Jackson Publick (a.k.a. Christopher McCulloch) and Eric “Doc” Hammer.

It’s close to a full hour of goodness, during which Publick and Hammer not only field questions about the show but — as has become legendary during their press conferences — also take the audience on a wild ride through their fertile imaginations, including expressing frustration for their lack of involvement in the DOCTOR STRANGE movie, confessing an unsettling fascination for a certain, esoteric sex act, and developing on-the-spot an entire action-thriller movie starring Liam Neeson as a man on a desperate quest to rescue his child bride.

Even if you’ve never seen THE VENTURE BROS. (and you should — it’s one of the best animated series going), you should check this out. It’s funny, it’s informative and, fair warning, it’s definitely NSFW. Plug them headphones in.

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It’s a remake! No, it’s a prequel! It’s THE THING, the latest film derived from John W. Campbell’s short story “Who Goes There?” – which previously inspired the 1951 Howard Hawks production THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD and director John Carpenter’s 1982 remake THE THING. With regular Cinefantastique Spotlight Podcast host Dan Person missing in action at the New York Comic Con, Lawrence French and Steve Biodrowski put all three THINGS on the chopping block for examination. Does the new version stand up to its predecessors? Do the CFQ effects match the prosthetics of the 1982 film? And how realistic is it to find three human with perfect teeth? All these and other questions will be answered, so join us on a terrifying trip to the freezing vastness of the antarctic continent, wherein lies the alien shape-shifter that may already have duplicated your best friend sitting next to you as you read this…

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Bots that Box: Hugh Jackman (right), Evangeline Lilly (behind bench) and Dakota Goyo say hello to a new contender in REAL STEEL.

The official Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots movie is still in the planning stages, but until then, we have REAL STEEL, the Disney/DreamWorks family-friendly take on a world in which the squared circle has been commandeered by mechanical pugilists while the humans stay safely in their seats. Wrapped in the redemptive tale of an absentee father (Hugh Jackman) bonding with his son (Dakota Goyo) in order to rescue a hang-dog sparring robot from the junkyard and turn it into a populist sensation in the ring, the film features director Shawn Levy’s assured way with top-level special effects, not the least being Jackman’s formidable physique. Join Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons as they discuss whether the project goes the distance, or should just retire and open up a night club in Florida (strained boxing analogy ahoy!).

Also: The gang offers an appreciation of Steve Jobs and discusses the recent spate of announced projects taking on the Frankenstein legend; and Dan gets all sloppy over the deliciously bizarre J-Horror film, THE SYLVIAN EXPERIMENTS. Plus: what’s coming in theatrical and home video releases.

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THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE 2 (FULL SEQUENCE)

The tag line for Tom Six’s new THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE 2 (FULL SEQUENCE) is “100% Medically Inaccurate,” tipping those who witnessed the merciless onslaught that was THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE (FIRST SEQUENCE) that the follow-up is, if anything, going to be a further affront to everything that is pure, good, and sanitary in this world.

The tale of a mentally deranged parking attendant (Laurence R. Harvey), who is transported by repeated, obsessive viewings of the first HUMAN CENTIPEDE film — in which a mad, German doctor (is there any other kind?) stitches three unfortunate people together, mouth-to-anus, with the expected, alimentary repercussions — and decides to make his own, twelve-person (“full sequence”) version with the crude tools available to him, FULL SEQUENCE is an unstinting assault of gritty, black and white photography, and grotty gore effects, not to mention crowbar assaults, ball-peen hammer dentistry, staple-gun surgery, and live centipedes inserted in orifices where live centipedes should not go.  THE BLIND SIDE it ain’t, but that’s all to the good, in my humble opinion. If you’re the type who can get into Six’s “You think that’s too much? Try THIS!” aesthetic, you’ll no doubt find it an intense and weirdly gratifying ninety minutes. You sick little monkey, you.

Click on the player to hear my interview with Tom Six and Laurence R. Harvey.

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La Llarona swallows a victim at Halloween Horror Nights.

Following their discussion of DREAM HOUSE, Steve Biodrowski and Dan Persons took a few minutes to discuss this year’s Halloween haunt at the Universal Studios theme park and the upcoming, STAR WARS-themed photo book, Dark Lens. Also, Dan sends a personal greeting to one of our far-flung listeners.

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Not Your Average Fix'r Up'r: Daniel Craig stands at the precipice of his fracturing sanity in DREAM HOUSE.

Winner of this year’s Ironic Film Title ribbon (SARAH PALIN: THE UNDEFEATED was disqualified for failure to complete a term — talk about ironic) DREAM HOUSE marks director Jim Sheridan’s attempt to explore the world of the psychological thriller, with a few surprising twists thrown in along the way. The tale of man whose family life begins to crumble with the revelation that the beautiful house they’ve just moved into was the scene of an horrific crime, the film has the atmosphere, has affecting performances by stars Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz, — backed up by Naomi Watts as a sympathetic neighbor — and lays its story out in a way that casts events already witnessed in new lights as secrets are progressively revealed, but does its old-school approach still have relevance? Join Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski and Dan Persons as they root around the cellar of a beloved genre and try to sweep away the cobwebs to find what works and what doesn’t in this latest attempt to draw chills from the infinite convolutions of the human mind.

Also: a discussion of the announced short-list of directors for Leonardo DiCaprio’s upcoming TWILIGHT ZONE project; and what’s coming in theatrical and home video releases.

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Cloudy with a Chance of Impending Doom: Michael Shannon tries to weather the storm in TAKE SHELTER.

Roland Emmerich can bite me. The guy’s been making disaster films since time can remember, yet for all his besetting humans with floods, fires, and earthquakes (and the occasional alien invasion), he’s never managed to make something as resonant, affecting, and powerful as TAKE SHELTER. A film that skirts the line between vivid fantasy and straight drama, it tells the tale of a loving, working-class husband and father (Michael Shannon) suddenly overwhelmed by visions of impending doom and torn between the compulsion to protect his wife (Jessica Chastain) and deaf daughter (Tova Stewart) from the onslaught and the fear that a family history of schizophrenia may be making itself manifest. This is director Jeff Nichols second feature (and his second with Shannon), and in weaving a scenario that balances vivid imagery with nuanced observation — and is highlighted by moving, vulnerable performances from Shannon and Chastain, among others –  the film speaks compellingly not only to the power of familial love, but to a sense of creeping helplessness that’s overtaking American society.

Click on the player to hear my interview with Nichols.

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Dammit, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a newsreader!

What can we say? There were no new genre films being released to theaters this week, and Steve and Larry had schedules that prevented them from syncing up for a planned discussion of TWILIGHT ZONE episodes (we’ll try to do that at some other point).

So, instead, Dan sat down with his trusty microphone and a stack o’ news, and brings you up-to-date on what happened in genre in the past week and what’s coming to theaters and home video in the coming week.

Everything will be back to normal next week (relatively speaking). Until then, click on the player, and enjoy!

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So Real, You Can Almost Smell the Lion Breath: A beloved moment from THE LION KING 3D.

There were no new genre films in theaters this weekend, but there was one old one in a shiny new, 3D coat: THE LION KING 3D, which just so happened to top this week’s box-office. With a prescience befitting a Cinefantastique editor, Steve Biodrowski recognized the film for the hit it was going to be, and attended a screening. In this episode of the Spotlight, he gives his impression of the newly dimensional musical fantasy, after which Dan Persons joins in for a discussion of MST3K VS. GAMERA, the new home video box set that collects all of MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000’s episodes devoted to Japan’s beloved, mammoth flying turtle.

Also in this episode: discussions of Harlan Ellison’s IN TIME lawsuit and of the impending Hannibal Lecter TV series.

Plus: Gamera is friend to all children!

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Ryan Gosling in DRIVE.

Somehow, it seems like it was only a matter of time before director Nicolas Winding Refn hitched his camera to a hurtling piece of American metal and did a full-on car chase film. In DRIVE, Ryan Gosling plays a guy named… wait for it… Driver, a stunt man with a freelance career in piloting getaway cars and dreams of breaking into the racing world. That is, if his dedicated agent (Bryan Cranston) can swing the breaks, and he isn’t waylaid by gangsters Ron Perlman and Albert Brooks or distracted by his beautiful next-door neighbor (Carey Mulligan) and her young son. It’s Refn, so moral ambiguities will abound, not to mention some incredibly mounted chases and unrestrained violence. Sum total: Action goodness with both brains and balls. Fine, fine stuff.

And, yes, despite Refn’s heightened aesthetic, DRIVE doesn’t really qualify as genre film, but in the course of our conversation, the director does briefly discuss plans for his remake of LOGAN’S RUN, which will also star Gosling. So there ya go.

Click on the player to hear my interview with Refn.

See the Trailer and Other Videos at:
mightymoviepodcast.com

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Turn Your Head, Cough, and Die: Jennifer Ehle battles the bio-apocalypse in CONTAGION.

Break out the Purell, Steven Soderbergh is in mainstream thriller mode and he’s decided to get under your skin — almost literally — with a tale about a virus that doesn’t know when to quit. CONTAGION follows Soderbergh’s TRAFFIC template, spinning a world-spanning drama of people trying to survive the ravages of a fast-acting and deadly disease. Caught up in the turmoil: everyday dad Matt Damon; asshole blogger Jude Law; CDC doctors Jennifer Ehle, Kate Winslet, Demetri Martin, and Marion Cotillard; and government officials Laurence Fishburne, Bryan Cranston, and Enrico Colantoni.

Join Cinefantastique Online’s Lawrence French and Dan Persons as they examine Soderbergh’s skill at applying an indie film’s spontaneous production approach and incisive worldview to the dynamic momentum of a mainstream drama, debate whether the globe-hopping scenario does a disservice to the film’s characters, and consider whether it’s advisable for mature film critics to engage in a little social research by faking coughing fits during screenings (short answer: probably not).

Also: A celebration of the 45th anniversary of STAR TREK’s debut; plus what’s coming this week in theaters (spoiler: nothing) and home video.

[serial posts]

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Fresh Meet: Sara Paxton is the deep blue plate special in SHARK KNIGHT... 'scuse us, SHARK NIGHT 3D.

Yes, we’re deliberately misspelling SHARK KNIGHT. Why? Well, because it’s Labor Day weekend, and also because it amuses us to think of an insatiable predator of the deep leering in towards a nubile, young twenty-something, unleashing his awful, toothy grin, and saying, “Why sssso sssserioussss?”

As for SHARK NIGHT 3D itself, listen in as Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski and Dan Persons discuss what merits and demerits they can locate in this latest entry in the body-count genre of horror film. Then Steve will give his take on APOLLO 18, the found footage thriller about a secret mission to the moon where two astronauts discover that They Are Not Alone.

Plus: What’s coming in theaters and home video.

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Standing for Justice: Andy Lau confronts the intangible in DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME.

Cause for celebration, indeed: Hong Kong director Tsui Hark is back, and if anything, his vision has gotten more crazily energetic and eye-dazzling in his latest effort. In DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME, Andy Lau plays actual historical figure Dee Renjie, a disgraced judge who’s compelled to confront the undeniably fantastic when he’s sprung from prison by embattled Empress Wu to find out who is exterminating her entourage by having them burst spontaneously into flame. As can be expected from Hark, the film is a treasure trove of dizzyingly exquisite fight sequences, backed up by a witty and intelligent story line that has Dee on the one hand deploying science against the forces of superstition and on the other sees him in conflict with an empress ruthlessly determined to maintain her power. It’s got action, it’s got spectacle, it’s got a deer who can kick ass. What else could you ask for?

Click on the player to hear my interview with Hark.

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Things That Go "Sallllleeee" in the Night: Bailee Madison goes demon hunting in DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK.

DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK, the title urges, but you know they’re lying. There are things hiding in the dark, little things, nasty things, things that want nothing better than to drag you down, down to the caverns where they dwell in order to, well, let’s just say you won’t need your library card anymore. Director Guillermo del Toro was so transfixed as child by the original telemovie that he re-wrote the tale with frequent partner Matthew Robbins, brought in comics-artist Troy Nixey to direct, and unleashed the darkness-loving creepies on estranged father Guy Pearce, conflicted girlfriend Katie Holmes, and most especially Bailee Madison as the young girl the demons most desperately covet.

Join Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons as they explore how the story survives the updating, consider whether the chills outweigh the plot holes, and discuss why, after all these years, people still don’t realize that when disembodied voices start whispering to you the dark, it’s time to GET THE HELL OUT OF THE HOUSE.

Also: Guillermo del Toro imparts some thoughts on the importance of storytelling; and what’s coming in theaters and home video.

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Bailee Madison in DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK

Guillermo del Toro says that, as a kid, he harbored great affection for the TV-movie version of DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK, enough so that he and his friends used to creep each other out merely by whispering the name, “Salllllleeeee.” The years have passed and audiences have (maybe) become more sophisticated, but the new version of the film, co-written and co-produced by del Toro and directed by comics artist Troy Nixey in his feature film debut, clearly demonstrates that there’s still room in the hearts of horror fans for a flick that worms its way into your brain with evocative atmosphere, and a story that has a young girl (Bailee Madison) ignored by her father and his girlfriend (Guy Pearce, Katie Holmes) and beset by little creatures who just plain want her.

Because of Hurrican Irene, we’re forsaking the usual production values to bring you my interview with Nixey as fast (and easily) as possible. Click on the player to hear the chat.

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Road Rage Bites: Anton Yelchin (left) courts the wrath of Colin Farrell in FRIGHT NIGHT.

There goes the neighborhood. Charismatically feral vampire Jerry (Colin Farrell) moves into a struggling Las Vegas suburb, and it’s up to teen lovers Charley (Anton Yelchin) and Amy (Imogen Poots) to keep property values from seriously bottoming out by curtailing his ongoing recruitment campaign. Enter indifferent magician Peter Vincent (David Tennant) and screenwriter Marti Noxon (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER) and you’ve got FRIGHT NIGHT, a retelling of the 1985 tongue-in-cheek mini-classic, modernized with CG effects and goosed with 3D gimmicks. Special guest Judith Furnari joins Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons (yes, the band is back together!) as they explore whether the outer reaches of Las Vegas carry more than a little whiff of Sunnydale, and if this remake is worth the literal and figurative blood that was spilled in its making.

Also: A discussion of Ridley Scott’s announced return to the BLADE RUNNER universe, and what’s coming in theaters and on home video.

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Sick Transit Glori-AHHHH!: Death opens a can of whoopass in FINAL DESTINATION 5.

Okay, so they called the previous installment THE FINAL DESTINATION, as if that was going to be the last chapter of the franchise. So what? Like you never said, “This one’s the last French fry,” and then went on shoveling the spuds down your gullet like there was no tomorrow. Given the success of that 2009 entry, no one really should be surprised that we’re now looking at FINAL DESTINATION 5 — which may or may not be the actual, final encore/curtain call for the series — or that at this point the producers have honed to a fine… art, let’s say… the formula of twenty-somethings escaping an horrendous fate only to be subsequently stalked and dispatched by death in various, Rube Goldbergian ways. One plus: Even at this late date, a franchise that’s essentially a more morbid envisioning of Road Runner cartoons (and is once again rendered in appropriately poke-your-eye-out 3D) is still pretty amusing. Come join our special guest, Cashiers du Cinemart’s Mike White, as he joins Cinefantastique Online’s Dan Persons in examining the delights and the demerits of one of the most formulaic, yet oddly entertaining, of film franchises.

Also in this episode: A discussion of director Rupert Wyatt’s plans for the sequel to his hit film, RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, plus what’s coming in theatrical releases and home video.

Be sure to check out Cashiers du Cinemart!

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2. The Final Destination – Trailer
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Couples Night in the Cockpit: A moment from Winsor McCay's THE FLYING HOUSE.

Think of it as one spiritual brother reaching out to another over the span of almost an entire century: Bill Plympton — the innovative animator known for his edgy surrealism and distinctive, hand-drawn style — has decided to rejuvenate the work of one of animation’s first fathers, Winsor McCay, the man who painstakingly and single-handedly created such elegant, landmark films as GERTIE THE DINOSAUR and LITTLE NEMO IN SLUMBERLAND. Plympton has reached into McCay’s catalogue to pull out THE FLYING HOUSE — an UP-like adventure in which a married couple take wing in their homestead — and with the help of a small corps of volunteers, is busy cleaning up the footage, adding a soundtrack voiced by Patricia Clarkson and Matthew Modine, and, in a move that’s controversial only until you see how pretty it looks, added a delicate color palette to the original black and white footage.

Plympton and I talk about the McCay project, as well his work on the new Weird Al video, TMZ, and his new book, the comprehensive survey, Independently Animated: Bill Plympton: The Life and Art of the King of Indie Animation (which you can purchase here, if you’re of a mind). Click on the player to hear the show.

THE FLYING HOUSE
Kickstarter Pitch Video

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3. Toy Story 3 Featurette: Tim Allen & Tom Hanks

The motion capture demo mentioned during the show can be seen here.

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1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Cinefantastique Spotlight Podcast 2:30.1
2. Rise of the Planet of the Apes — Trailer
3. “Harry Potter” Alum Joins “Rise of the Apes”

Meet the New Ape, Not at All Like the Old Ape: A MoCapped Andy Serkis takes command in RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES.

Startling the studios, startling the critics, and startling its delighted audiences, RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES has arrived to prove that a reboot — in the hands of a skilled director and inspired writers, actors and effects artists — does not necessarily need to serve as Exhibit One in the case for the film industry’s creative bankruptcy. Join theofantastique.com’s John W. Morehead and Cinefantastique Online’s Lawrence French and Dan Persons as they explore how the latest retooling of a moribund franchise has become the most bracing film of the summer, discuss some emotional nuances director Rupert Wyatt uses to bring depth to the fantasy, celebrate Andy Serkis’ work as our new simian overlord, and sift over some notable glitches in the scenario.

Also: Some thoughts on the revelation that Steven Sodherbergh is directing second unit sequences for  THE HUNGER GAMES; and what’s coming to theaters and home video.

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Hellflower on Wheels: Tyler Dawson (left) and Evan Glodell prep for the end of civilization as we know it in BELLFLOWER.

The course of true love is never easy. When an imposing, MAD-MAX-like, fire-breathing automobile intervenes, it can get downright complicated. Evan Glodell’s BELLFLOWER is the tale of two Southern Californians — Woodrow (Glodell) and Aiden (Tyler Dawson) — who fill their free time with speculations of the post-apocalyptic future and preparations for same that include the construction of Matilda, a bad-ass, black automobile that would make the Road Warrior drool. But when Woodrow begins hanging out with Milly (Jessie Wiseman), a woman with similar, dark impulses, the ecology of the two friends and their circle of acquaintances is about to undergo a serious upheaval.

Glodell packs the film with a wired, spontaneous energy, and doubles-down on the rough, hand-tooled feel by having a hand in the building of the film’s flame-throwers and cars, as well as the home-made lens system used to shoot the footage. Good to know that, come the Fall, canny filmmakers will still be able to survive.

Click on the player to hear the interview.

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I've Heard of Iron Horses, but Iron Dragonflies?: Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford (way, way back there) undergo future shock in COWBOYS AND ALIENS.

It’s genre-meets-genre at your local multiplex, and not since Gene Autry faced down an advanced, subterranean civilization in PHANTOM EMPIRE has the American west faced such daunting enemies as are encountered in COWBOYS AND ALIENS. With Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig bringing steely resolve to their roles as bitter foes forced to set aside differences in order to ward off an impending invasion of vicious, and quite greedy, aliens, the film — under the direction of IRON MAN’s Jon Favreau — is an intriguing mix of western conventions and summer blockbuster thrills. Join special guest Orenthal Hawkins as he joins Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons in a debate over whether the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, as well as an exploration of why aliens always seem to be on the short-end of the evolutionary development chain, and a discussion of whether there are better ways to build secure, interplanetary vessels.

Also in capsule reviews: Larry and Dan discuss the low-budget, alien invasion film ATTACK THE BLOCK, and Dan gives his take on the experimental fantasy-drama, THE FUTURE.

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3. ‘Cowboys and Aliens’ – Trailer

And What Did You Do This Weekend?: Chris Evans wins the war for the Allies in CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER.

We’re betting Paramount would’ve preferred that CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER had come out on the Memorial Day or July 4th weekends. However, martial-arts-happy animals and big-ass robots claimed those two slots, so here we are in later summer, trying to get our patriotism back for a red-white-and-blue bedecked super hero doing his bit for mom, apple pie, and gas-guzzling cars in the thick of WWII. Does director Joe Johnston’s ROCKETEER-tested period style work its magic for this final bit of table setting before next year’s THE AVENGERS? Are two hours enough time for an origin story, rescue adventure, and ultimate clash between good and evil? And where the hell are all the Nazis? Join Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons as they discuss these issues and more.

Also in this episode: Dan gives his capsule review of the moody, science-fiction drama, ANOTHER EARTH.

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3. Chris Evans in Full ‘Capt. America’ Suit

In honor of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART 2, the Cinefantastique Podcast crew takes a look at sequels that surpass their predecessors, including TOY STORY 2, DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN, and BATMAN RETURNS. Joined by special guest Andrea Lipinski (formerly of the Chronic Rift podcast), the regular CFQ crew of Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski also take a look at superheros on screen this year and give a run down of this week’s home video release, including the director’s cut of LIMITLESS (featuring an alternate ending on Blu-ray), the most recent season of DOCTOR WHO (starring Matt Smith), and TEKKEN, a DTV title based on the popular games by Namco.

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And so it comes to this: one determined, no-longer-a-boy-wizard versus one living incarnation of evil, facing off in a battle to the death. Meanwhile, millions of loving fans watch on, thinking, This is the culmination of all my dreams made real, while a smaller contingent of more critical spectators settle into their theater seats praying that, after ten years of set-up and a preceding film that wasn’t much more than an overextended tease, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 just pays off for all the hours invested. Come join our special guest, Be a Better Booktalker’s Andrea Lipinski, as she joins Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons in a spirited discussion of the grand finale of the Harry Potter saga, and discover whether a mammoth budget, a dedicated director, and a talented cast lead to a worthy send-off.

Together Again for the Really, Truly Last Time: Daniel Radcliffe (left) faces down Ralph Fiennes in HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2.

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Uncomfortably Numb: John Carpenter directs Amber Heard in THE WARD.

How does a review show handle the situation where two, exciting, soon-to-be-classic films are released on the same weekend? We don’t know, but this weekend saw the release of JOHN CARPENTER’S THE WARD and the Kevin James comedy, ZOOKEEPER, so we decided to cover both of those instead. Granted, there’s not much of a correlation between a horror film in which a young woman (Amber Heard), having been involuntarily imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital, must protect herself and her fellow inmates from the malevolent force seeking their destruction, and an Adam-Sandler-backed laugher in which James is schooled in the ways of love by a clutch of chatty zoo animals, but Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons are game lot, and always ready for a challenge. At the very least, they consider whether John Carpenter’s long absence from the feature screen is one of the more regrettable flaws of the present film industry, and whether James might want to consider his own extended hiatus.

PRODUCTION NOTE: Larry was having some problems with his microphone, which we attempted to fix — not particularly seamlessly — in post. We hope to have this patched up by next week’s show.

Click on the player to hear the show.

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Getcher Big-Ass Robots Right Here: Automatons face-off again in TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON

Big. Bigger. Biggest. Somehow those words don’t seem fitting descriptions for the new TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON. Biggeriest? Spectactimammogigantular?

In any case, it seems that Michael Bay’s plan for redeeming himself for the universally reviled TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE FALLEN involves ironically jettisoning as much plot as possible and focusing on the fireworks, all in glorious, James-Cameron-approved 3D. That’s maybe not a bad idea, considering that the film’s less-than-innovative narrative once again centers on the noble Autobots trying to foil the Decepticons’ plan for world conquest, with the hapless Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf) serving his traditional role as the beanbag tossed around by the warring factions. He gets a new girlfriend (Rosie Huntington-Whitely), reunites with old associates (including John Turturro as the self-aggrandizing Simmons), and gains some new friends (John Malkovich) and enemies (Patrick Dempsey), plus a visit from (the voice of) Leonard Nimoy as the latest addition to the robot corps. But who cares as long as the explosions are concussive and the action nonstop? Well, Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons do, and they’re ready to discuss what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s flat-out non-existent (hint: logic) in this big-ticket extravaganza.

PLUS: Steve gives his take on BEGINNERS, a drama that skirts the borderline with some fantasy elements.

Click on the player to hear the show.

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Carmen Electra is about to lose a breast implant in this scene from the R-rated SCARY MOVIE.

This time out, the Cinefantastique Round Table Podcast – the podcast of horror, fantasy, and science fiction films – devotes itself to two in-depth conversations. The first focuses on the subject of the MPAA ratings system and how it impacts horror movies, with their depictions of graphic violence. The second, inspired by the new book, Conversations with Michael Cricthon, takes a look at the best selling author’s contribution to the science fiction genre in literature on on film. CFQ editor Steve Biodrowski (whose interview with Crichton regarding JURASSIC PARK is in the book) is joined by San Francisco correspondent Lawrence French and New York correspondent Dan Persons.

Also this week: Farewell to James Arness; James Cameron on the AVATAR sequels (not a trilogy); Pierce Brosnan in Stephen King’s BAG OF BONES; and Ron Howard on THE DARK TOWER.

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3. ‘Dark Tower’ Not Dead Yet?

It’s the RETURN OF THE KING – along with THE TWO TOWERS and THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING – on this week’s episode of the Cinefantastique Laserblast Podcast. Headlining Tuesday, June 28’s horror, fantasy, and science fiction released on home video is the new Extended Edition Blu-ray box set of LORD OF THE RINGS: THE MOTION PICTURE TRILOGY. Lawrence French, Dan Persons, and Steve Biodrowski discuss the wisdom of picking up the new set, when all of the old bonus features are once again presented on DVD (the Blu-ray discs being reserved for the feature films).

Also on the turntable this week: SEASON OF THE WITCH, the horror film starring Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman; THE NESTING and ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST, low-budget horror from the early 1980s; a recommendation for COWBOY BEBOP: THE MOVIE; and another look at THE RESIDENT, the direct-to-video thriller from Hammer Films, starring Hilary Swank.

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1. Laserblast DVD & Blu-ray, April 6: Lord of the Rings, Battlestar Galactica, Hammer Icons of Suspense
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3. Laserblast, September 14: Prince of Persia, Fringe, The Twilight Zone

World Enough and Crime: Racecar Lightning McQueen (left, voiced by Owen Wilson) and loveable tow-truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy, center) are dragooned into international espionage by dashing super spy Finn McMissile (Michael Caine, right) in CARS 2.

Kids love cars, and kids love CARS — that seems to be the calculation behind Pixar’s latest animated offering, CARS 2. Abandoning the original film’s theme that celebrated the romance of exploring off-the-beaten-superhighway U.S, director John Lasseter and crew have devised an espionage plotline for this sequel, with cocky racecar Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and kids’-fave country-bumpkin tow-truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy, a.k.a. Daniel Lawrence Whitney) embarking on a whirlwind world tour to compete in an international racing competition, and finding themselves dragooned into a deadly conspiracy being battled by suave superspy Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and his sexy (check out those steel-belted radials!) partner Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer). With beautifully crafted settings and numerous, exquisitely choreographed action sequences, does CARS 2 overcome the problems found in the first installment, a film that many feel is Pixar’s weakest effort? Join Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons as they examine the movie.

Also in this episode: Steve offers his thoughts on Woody Allen’s hit fantasy/comedy, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, Dan discusses the level of human misery he’ll inflict for the sake of saving a few lousy bucks, and the gang discusses the inscrutable artistry of Michael Bay.

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Tuesday, June 21 brings us another wonderful week’s worth of horror, fantasy, and science fiction films on home video, and the Cinefantastique Laserblast crew – Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski – focus with laser-like attention on the details of THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU, the romantic science-fiction-fantasy starring Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, arriving on DVD and Blu-ray; the new Criterion Collection release of KISS ME, DEADLY, producer-director Robert Aldrich’s brilliant film noir deconstruction of private eye Mike Hammer, which adds a sci-fi macguffin not present in the Mikey Spillaine source novel; and the GHOST IN THE SHELL Blu-ray  trilogy – feature-length condensations of the TV series inspired by Mamoru Oshii’s brilliant theatrical films. And if that’s not enough for you, how about some exploitation camp, in the form of MEGA PYTHON VS. GATOROID on Blu-ray and FACE OF THE SCREAMING WEREWOLF on DVD?

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Mean, green, interstellar justice machine: Ryan Reynolds is the GREEN LANTERN.

Somebody notify Kermit: Being green just got a little easier. That’s what happens when the all-powerful will of the universe taps test pilot Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) to be its latest defender, and a dying alien bequeaths him a ring that turns him into the GREEN LANTERN, a mighty force for good with a bitchin’ emerald wardrobe and the ability conjure anything that can be imagined into reality. The new film is Hollywood’s latest attempt to take the comic book movie back to its purer roots, when heroes were heroes, bad guys were malevolent, and the galaxy had the colorful vividness of a two-page splash. Does GREEN LANTERN earn its stripes as simple summer fun? Do Reynolds and Blake Lively (playing Jordan’s boss, wingman, and love interest Carol Ferris) make an appealing screen couple (even as the kids are going, “Yick”)? And what the hell’s going on with Peter Sarsgaard’s forehead? Listen in as Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons discuss these and many more issues.

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The Effects Extravaganza Gets Real: A junior filmmaker (Joel Courtney, foreground) confronts a genuine threat in SUPER 8.

J.J. Abrams, the man who set the deliriously enigmatic pace for LOST in that show’s pilot and upended STAR TREK by blowing up Vulcan (we still haven’t recovered) now sets his sights on the Spielbergian kids’ adventure in SUPER 8. Set in a small-town, rose-tinted version of 1979, the sf/fantasy film tells the tale of a group of tweens — prime amongst them Elle Fanning — who while filming their zombie movie capture on-camera a spectacular train crash and the unleashing of something malevolent from within. With Abrams idol Spielberg himself stepping into the producer role, will SUPER 8 be the film to take the Master’s visionary fantasy/drama template from the seventies and eighties and reconcile it with Abrams’ ability to work nuanced, character-based drama into a genre framework? Or is the inexorable pull of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS’ sense of wonder too strong even for the man who in the past few years has acquired a reputation for his own, unique storytelling style? Join Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons as they discuss the issue.

Click on the player to hear the discussion.

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2. Abrams’ Super 8 Teaser and Info
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SUPER 8 – the highly anticipated science fiction thriller from writer-director J.J. Abrams and producer Steven Spielberg – explodes onto screens this week. Naturally, the Cinefantastique Round Table Podcast – the podcast of horror, fantasy, and science fiction films – is here to tell you whether or not to get your hopes up; CFQ regulard Dan Persons, Lawrence French and Steve Biodrowski wiegh in, and Dan, who got a sneak peak months ago, opines that, yes, you should be excited.

Also on this week’s agenda: a look at some recent headlines, including news that Tom Cruise is signing on to appear in the big-budget futuristic would-be blockbuster OBLIVION and that directorial stylist Alex Proyas (THE CROW, DARK CITY) is developing a new science fiction film.

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Christopher Reeve in SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE

Celebrating the arrival of the new SUPERMAN Blu-ray box set, this week’s Cinefantastique Laserblast Home Video Podcast takes a look back at the five Warner Brothers films: SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE; SUPERMAN II; SUPERMAN III; SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE; and SUPERMAN RETURNS. Guest Orenthal V. Hawkins joins CFQ stalwarts Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski for a wide-ranging discussion of what made the films good, bad, or indifferent – and just what can we expect from Zack Snyder’s upcoming SUPERMAN: MAN OF STEEL?

Also up for discussion: GREEN LANTERN: EMERALD KNIGHTS on DVD and Blu-ray; CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: JOURNEY OF MAN on 3D Blu-ray; and the distinction between the DEEP RED BLu-ray disc and the “Uncensored English Language” DVD. Plus, the announcement that Tim Burton’s THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS will arrive in a 3D Blu-ray version this August. Listen in for all the details…

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A Subtle Attraction?: Magneto (Michael Fassbender, left) and Professor X (James McAvoy) join forces in X-MEN: FIRST CLASS.

It isn’t particularly well known, but mutants were with Washington when he crossed the Delaware, with Einstein when he developed the theory of relativity, and with Sarah Palin while she was waiting for Russia to raise its head above Alaska. Most specifically, they were directly engaged in the Cuban Missile Crisis — the world-changing historical event that is the backdrop for the first meeting of the psychic Professor X a.k.a. Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and the magnetically-charged Erik Lehnsherr, otherwise known as Magneto (Michael Fassbender). Come join special guest Orenthal V. Hawkins as he sits in with Steve Biodrowski, Lawrence French, and Dan Persons to discuss X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, the latest installment of the Marvel film franchise that uses comic book action to address some potent social issues. Does this chapter live up to the standard established by Bryan Singer? Is the first team-up of mutants — which includes Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Banshee (Caleb Landry Jones), and Darwin (Edi Gathegi) — as impressive as the more famous ensemble of the previous films? And is Moria MacTaggert’s (Rose Byrne) choice of lingerie government-issued, or does Victoria’s Secret sell bullet-proof brassieres? Listen to the show and find out!

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Mint on the Pillow, Imminent Confrontation with the Unknown in the Suitcase: Eric Balfour gets his glow on in DO NOT DISTURB.

Shot on the proverbial shoestring over seven quick production days, DO NOT DISTURB is a curious little anthology film with some interesting names attached. Mali Elfman — daughter of Danny — wrote and produced, as well as starring in a couple of segments; Eric Balfour (SKYLINE) directs one segment and stars in another. Other helmers include music video director Petro Papahadjopoulos and Brandon Nicholas; and daddy Danny chipped in a theme song, with other soundtrack contributions coming from Incubus’ Mike Eizinger and Thenewno2′s Oliver Hecks. The stories, all set in one hotel room, run the gamut from a conventional drama featuring some teen classmates on a school trip, to an alien encounter, to a prostitute contending with a client with esoteric tastes in role-play, to a twist on the ol’ involuntary organ-donor urban myth. Turns out some hotel rooms need a UV sweep; some just deserve to be walled-up and forgotten about.

Click on the player to hear my interview with Mali.

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Prophetic messaging? The first few X-MEN films were entertaining; then came WOLVERINE...

In this week’s Cinefantastique Round Table Podcast – the Podcast with a Sense of Wonder – Dan Persons, Lawrence French, and Steve Biodrowski appraise the X-MEN film franchise: what have the mutants contributed to the world of comics-to-movies adaptations? Also up for discussion: remembering late actor Vincent Price – the Merchant of Menace – on the 100th anniversary of his birth. Plus a look at the week’s most interesting news: Is it good or bad that the live-action, Americanized remake of Katsuhiro Otomo’s AKIRA is going nowhere fast? Does Christopher Nolan’s use of IMAX instead of 3D for THE DARK KNIGHT RISES indicate a better way to immerse audiences in on-screen world’s of fantasy? And do we really want or need a DARK SHADOWS remake with reluctant vampire Barnabas Collins recast as a thoughtless playboy?

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You can keep track of Milton's Mayhem with the interactive features on the DRIVE ANGRY Blu-ray disc.

Looking for new horror, fantasy, and science fiction films on home video? Then look no farther than this week’s Cinefantastique Laserblast Podcast, in which Lawrence French, Dan Persons, and Steve Biodrowski run down the latest releases on DVD, Blu-ray, and VOD: DRIVE ANGRY, TRUEBLOOD: THE COMPLETE THRID SEASON, SGU: STARGATE UNIVERSE – THE COMPLETE FINAL SEASON, STANLEY KUBRICK: LIMITED EDITION COLLECTION, STANLEY KUBRICK: THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION, CAT O’NINE TAILS. Also this week: news of the upcoming Blu-ray release of THE TWILIGHT ZONE’s fifth season, including 20 new audio commentaries not available on previous DVD releases.

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3. Warner Bros. On “Lost” 2001 Footage