Ronald.phillips

Some people find lists like this daunting, but for me it was pretty simple gathering this list since I only chose movies that had big ol' profound effect on me. These seminal movies shook me at various points in my life, from childhood to early adulthood. You won't find any movies from the last two decades, and that's part of what made this so easy. Since I started as a movie journalist in 2005 it has been harder to equate movies I have watched for work among my all-time favorites, no matter how powerful they were. Perhaps by then movies stopped becoming formative, similarly to when filmmakers like Martin Scorsese or Edgar Wright prepare such lists: They tend to be movies they saw in their youth. With that in mind, if you are still young, I highly recommend seeking any of these movies out! If you're an old bastard like me, I can't help ya.

15. Killer Of Sheep (1978)

This is the only film on the list which was shown to me while attending film school at Boston University. At the time that would have been the only way I could have seen it, as Charles Burnett's magnificent Los Angeles slice-of-life (made as his UCLA Masters thesis) was never formally distributed due to music rights issues. A grant from Steven Soderbergh in 2007 helped restore the film to its full glory, although I miss seeing it with Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable" during the stirring final montage (the only song they could not secure the rights to). The film itself is episodic and lacks much plot, but serves as a beautiful Italian neorealist counterpoint to the Blaxploitation depictions of Black neighborhoods at the time. 

14. The Saragossa Manuscript (1965)

This hallucinatory Polish epic by director Wojciech Has had the distinction of being Jerry Garcia's favorite movie, and in 1999 Gracia's friends Francis Coppola and Martin Scorsese helped restore and distribute it in America. I saw all 182 minutes of it at Boston's Brattle Theater, and remember being nearly driven mad by its Russian doll narrative. It starts with an army officer during the Napoleonic War stumbling upon an old manuscript, and as he starts reading the tale someone within that story starts telling another story, and then someone in that story starts telling their own tale, etc. By the time you're seven or eight stories deep, your brain will start to bend. 

13. Terms Of Endearment (1983)

Most of the people who think of this movie as being hokey have probably never actually watched it. One of the few Best Picture winners truly deserving of the honor, James L. Brooks' directorial debut tracks the life of Debra Winger's Emma Greenway through the prism of her dysfunctional relationship with mother Aurora (Shirley MacLaine). The needle Brooks threads between humor and pathos is so delicately stitched, with every performance modulated to just the right level of off-kilter. And of course, Jack Nicholson's horn dog astronaut Garrett Breedlove dominates every scene he's in without stealing the movie from MacLaine.

12. Tin Men (1987)

Of the many filmmakers to emerge from the 1980s, Barry Levinson is often wrongfully overlooked, especially for his highly personal Baltimore movies: "Diner," "Tin Men," "Avalon" and "Liberty Heights." For me "Tin Men" is the clear favorite for its depiction of low-level con men in the early 1960s selling aluminum siding and reckoning with a new job frontier. Danny DeVito's Ernest Tilley (the best Baltimore accent ever) is a tragically flawed Willy Loman type, whose competition with fellow salesman "BB" Babowsky (Richard Dreyfuss) becomes an escalating game of one-upsmanship with unexpected results.

11. The 10th Victim (1965)

The iconic opening sequence where Ursula Andress kills a man with her bra gun was clearly co-opted by Mike Myers for his "Austin Powers" movies, as was Myers' band Ming Tea. Director Elio Petri's sci-fi satire is more than the sum of one scene, though. Based on a story by sci-fi author Robert Sheckley, this Italian movie depicts a future where a good deal of society participates in a government program called "The Big Hunt" where contestants alternate between being hunters and victims in a filmed and publicized competition. Way ahead of the curve, this movie pre-dates "The Running Man," "The Hunger Games," "Squid Game" and reality television. It's also incredibly funny, especially the scene where Marcello Mastroianni's wife is having her shelf of comic books taken away, screaming "Marcello! They're taking my classics!"

10. Black Sunday (1960)

Mario Bava's official directorial debut (he ghost directed a few movies before this) isn't just a gothic triumph... it is THE gothic horror movie of all gothic horror movies. Since seeing it I managed over the years to eventually watch every movie Bava ever made, and they all add up to a truly remarkable genre filmography. Dripping with atmosphere inspired by both the Universal classics and early Hammer films, Bava's ability to create sinister mood paintings on film is unparalleled, and Barbara Steele is the prototypical Tim Burton goth girl to die for. I have seen both the American dubbed/edited version released by AIP and the original Italian release, and though I prefer the Italian I have a soft spot for the AIP cut since it features the voice cast of the original animated "Speed Racer" doing the lines!

9. Songs From The Second Floor (2000)

One of my favorite filmmakers to emerge from the world of commercials, Swedish helmer Roy Andersson has spent the last 20 years crafting stunning vignette movies loaded with humor and unforgettable visuals. The scene in this film of a boardroom full of executives passing around a crystal ball is a wonderful example of Andersson's humor. I love the way he stages scenes on elaborate studio sets using painted backdrops and miniatures, even outdoor scenes. Seek out any of his films, including the recent "About Endlessness," but please start with "Songs From the Second Floor."

8. The Driver (1978)

When describing "The Driver" I usually hype up how cool it is that writer/director Walter Hill (maker of the equally badass "48 Hours") stripped all the story mechanics down to their essence, to the point where the characters are pure archetypes literally called "Driver" or "Detective." They almost become like video game avatars. People often get turned off by this description, saying it sounds too weird or arty, but I say "Just watch it." The movie's minimalism is its strength, and obviously played a huge role in inspiring Nicolas Winding Refn's equally great genre exercise "Drive." Also the car chases positively scorch. 

7. Real Life (1979)

Albert Brooks' directorial debut might be his best, funniest, and most incisive movie. Based on the early reality TV exercise "An American Family," Brooks' invasion of an average Phoenix, Arizona family's life to shoot a documentary was just as ahead of its time as "The 10th Victim," in how it shows the simultaneous deterioration of reality and boundaries as Brooks (playing a brilliantly toxic version of himself) makes the movie more and more about himself. The best scene comes early when he demonstrates the special helmet camera, the Ettinaur 226XL: "Only six of these cameras were ever made. Only five of them ever worked. We have four of those."

6. Explorers (1985)

This is a strange case in that it's a movie which exists in a form that the director, Joe Dante, does not actually prefer. Rushed out unfinished to theaters by a studio intent on dumping it, "Explorers" accidentally inherited a different vibe where characters originally envisioned with more development (the mom, the teenage love interest) are now merely vague archetypes. Given that the film revolves around Jungian dream scenarios, this is actually appropriate. I've discussed this personally with Mr. Dante and he doesn't agree, but after seeing 30 minutes of deleted material on the recent Shout! Factory Blu-ray I can say I prefer the movie as released, with all the whimsy and wonder you would expect from a movie about three kids who build a spaceship. I even enjoy all the '50s pop culture references when those kids finally meet the aliens in the third act, which remind me of Dante's early effort "The Movie Orgy."

5. Yojimbo (1961)

Akira Kurosawa's samurai take on Dashiell Hammett's "Red Harvest," which eventually influenced Sergio Leone's Dollars trilogy, is the perfect synthesis of Eastern and Western cultural transference, especially for a film made relatively shortly after World War II. Toshiro Mifune's gruff ronin Sanjuro (later to get his almost as good self-titled sequel) might be the most influential movie character of the 20th century, giving birth to the Man With No Name, Mad Max, and Han Solo all at the same time, playing each side of a gang town against each other until the final pulse-pounding showdown. Anyone trying to get into older or foreign cinema should utilize this movie as their gateway drug, it's too much fun. 

4. Delicatessen (1991)

I first encountered this movie early in the morning on Cinemax during the climax when Dominique Pinon and Marie-Laure Dougnac are trapped in their apartment with the cannibalistic mob outside. When Pinon floods the bathroom and dispatches the mob with the ensuing torrent of water I was instantly hooked on Jean-Pierre Jeunet as a director. Made with his visualist cohort Marc Caro, its possible that the two working in conjunction did the best works of their career on this post-apocalyptic dark comedy about a bombed out apartment building ruled over by a tyrant chef. Boundless imagination, incredible sequences, and memorable characters make this a debut for the ages.

3. The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966)

Sergio Leone made arguably the best trilogy capper of all-time with this sprawling Western about a mercenary gunman (Clint Eastwood) and a Mexican bandit (Eli Wallach) who reluctantly team up to find a fortune in gold before their archenemy Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) does. No one did set pieces like Leone, who imprinted strongly on a young Quentin Tarantino and countless other filmmakers including George Lucas. The final three-way cemetery showdown is a masterclass in suspense. Wallach portrays the vile Tuco with an unexpected level of compassion, never letting him fall into caricature, as evident in the scene between him and his brother Pablo (Luigi Pistilli). Nowadays there are warnings of poor racial depictions played before the movie, largely because of Wallach's brownface, which is important to acknowledge no matter how great he is in the role. 

2. Blade Runner (1982)

From my first viewing around age 10 or 11, I was a fiend for this movie. The future noir mood and visual layer cake Ridley Scott so stunningly put together justifies all the praise the one-time box office bomb accrued in ensuing years. The Director's Cut righted a lot of the wrongs in an already great film, and then the Final Cut in 2007 truly restored a flawed masterpiece to just a straight-up classic. It took me a long time to come to the realization that it is Roy Batty, not Rick Deckard, who is the hero of the piece. The Final Cut also forces us to reckon with the idea not only that Deckard is a replicant, but that he has spent his entire career (which may only encompass the length of the film) killing his own kind. A sci-fi story where the eye-popping visuals are just window dressing for real humanism. 

1. Brazil (1985)

Terry Gilliam is my favorite filmmaker, and "Brazil" is my favorite film of his. I've seen some of the others more often ("Baron Munchausen," "Fear and Loathing"), but his ode to 20th century bureaucracy was the first movie that really challenged me as a young filmgoer. It turned ideas of heroism and fantasy on their head, and prepared me for a life lived within systems that don't always have my anyone's best interest in mind ... and occasionally explode. As the years go on I marvel at the miraculous turns of luck that enabled Gilliam to realize this vision intact and on the grandest scale with the best cast imaginable. We're all in it together. 

Read this next: The Best Movies Of 2021 So Far

The post Max Evry's Favorite Movies of All Time appeared first on /Film.

Anyone who says making movies is easy is a liar. 

Film sets are tough places. Everyone has a very specific job and never enough time to do it. Budgets are usually tight. Filmmaking equipment doesn't always like to behave. Actors are asked to strip their souls bare while surrounded by an entire crew. There is no such thing as a truly breezy film shoot.

So what happens when you add gallons of fake blood, performers buried in complex monster costumes, and an artistic desire to create something scary and upsetting? You get horror filmmaking, baby. 

Every film set has stories of things going wrong or going unpleasantly, but the ones from horror sets tend to grab the imagination firmly between two hands and squeeze until its skull cracks and its eyeballs bulge. And because horror fans (perhaps more than any other fan base) like to know how the bloody sausage gets made, stories of what actors had to endure while making classic and not-so-classic horror movies tend to endure, ready to be told and retold, ad infinitum.

So, without further ado, here are some of the worst or most difficult things actors had to do for horror movies.

Bill Skarsgard Was Forced To Scare Kids For It

Bill Skarsgård did an excellent job bringing Pennywise the Dancing Clown to life in Andy Muschietti's "It," and made fans of Tim Curry's iconic performance proud. That said, he also potentially scarred some kids for life and had a tough time dealing with that.

In a 2017 interview with ... well, Interview Magazine, Skarsgård talked about the experience of terrifying small children as part of his job. "It's a really weird thing," he said, "'If I succeed at doing what I'm trying to do with this character, I'll traumatize kids.'" For the most part, as long as he was on set and suited up, ready to go, Skarsgård tried to stay in character. Then, one day, they were filming a scene with all these child extras who hadn't seen him yet. Accompanied by their parents, no less.

"Some of them were really intrigued," he said, "but some couldn't look at me, and some were shaking." He continued, adding:

"This one kid started crying. He started to cry and the director yelled, 'Action!' And when they say 'action,' I am completely in character. So some of these kids got terrified and started to cry in the middle of the take, and then I realized, "Holy s***. What am I doing? What is this? This is horrible."

All in a day's work, I suppose. (Ariel Fisher)

Tony Todd Vs Very Real Bees In Candyman

Actor Tony Todd is a horror legend for several reasons, but there's nothing quite like his performance as the creepy and classic villain in 1992's horror epic "Candyman." That being said, Todd had to deal with some hazardous conditions with bees (Candyman's signature) while shooting the film — from which he was able to make a sizable buck. 

"I negotiated a bonus of $1,000 for every sting during the bee scene," Todd told The Guardian in 2019. "And I got stung 23 times. Everything that's worth making has to involve some sort of pain. Once I realized it was an important part of who Candyman was, I embraced it. It was like putting on a beautiful coat."

That insane number of stings means Todd walked away from the "Candyman" set — where he was often covered in bees on his face and even in his mouth — with a $23,000 bonus. Not too shabby for the star, but probably still less than that performance was worth. If you've seen it, you know it was a masterpiece. (Lex Briscuso)

The Most Miserable Zombie Kill Of All In Day Of The Dead

Captain Rhodes is one of the great villains in George Romero's zombie movies -- a violent and unhinged example of human rage unshackled from civilization. He deserves his brutal, iconic death scene, where a crowd of the undead literally tear him in half and feast on his guts. But actor Joseph Pilato certainly didn't deserve what went down during the making of the scene. The pig and chicken guts used to create Rhodes' innards and organs were stored in a refrigerator ... a refrigerator that was accidentally left unplugged, with the animal parts left to bake in the Florida sun for weeks. When someone finally noticed, it was too late. They had to shoot. 

During the many hours it took to stage the scene, many crew members were able to keep their distance or at least wear a mask (although many felt physically ill while shooting the scene). But Pilato? The poor actor had to endure being literally covered in rotten animal pieces, under hot film set lights. Before his death in 2019, he claimed he could "still smell them to this day." Knowing this makes Pilato's performance, where he famously yells for the zombies to "Choke on 'em!" as they devour his intestines, all the more impressive. (Jacob Hall)

Every Moment Bruce Campbell Spent Making The Evil Dead

Sam Raimi's "The Evil Dead" may be a low-budget horror masterpiece, but making the O.G. cabin in the woods monster movie was no picnic. Raimi and long-time collaborators Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell set out to make a new experience in terror, maxing out credit cards, begging relatives for financing, and shooting their movie in a ramshackle cabin in the middle of the Tennesee wilderness. Crew members and actors kept quitting. Money kept running out. The cabin had no running water or heat. With all of that, it was pretty easy to look exhausted for the camera.

In an interview with The Columbus Dispatch, Campbell was pretty blunt about the experience: 

"From the beginning to the end — they were all low points. You were in a cabin that had not been occupied in decades, and had no power (or) running water; no sewage; no nothing. It was kind of like camping out for 12 weeks, but meanwhile you're trying to do a movie. There wasn't much acting required: You were cold, you were miserable, you were covered in blood. Some actors have to run around in circles, do push-ups, slap yourself in the face to get ready. We were miserable all day long; we were good to go."

Movie fans may argue it was worth it, but we can't say we'd be in a rush to go through that. (Danielle Ryan)

Gunnar Hansen's Extremely Filthy Time Making The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Gunnar Hansen has cemented his place in cinema history for bringing Leatherface to life in Tobe Hooper's horror masterpiece "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre." As is often the case, Hansen was an artist who suffered for his art, even if he didn't set out to be the suffering artist type. The movie was filmed in Texas in the summer in the midst of sweltering heat. It was also made on a shoestring budget, so the cast all wore the same clothes each day during filming. In Hansen's case, that meant a whole lot of sweat collecting in all those clothes -- and that mask -- during the production. Speaking to Yankee Magazine in 1987, Hansen recalled "Sometimes shooting sessions dragged on for more than 26 hours. Since we all had only one set of clothes for the movie, it was too much of a risk to get them washed; the colors might change." 

With that, being in close proximity to the other cast members became challenging because, as one can imagine, things got smelly. "After a few weeks of shooting, it was a little more than 'fright' that made us keep our distance from each other," Hansen recalled. But all of that sweat and suffering etched them into the pages of horror history. (Ryan Scott)

Dan Stevens Versus Bananas In Apostle

Actual blood and gore is rather unhygienic and tends to hold up poorly on long filming days. For this reason and a few others, film productions generally avoid using the real thing and instead opt for substitutes like corn syrup and -- in the case of Netflix's 2018 horror movie "Apostle" -- mashed-up bananas. "Someone would come on with a giant paint brush in between takes and just slather on another layer. And off we go!" star Dan Stevens recalled in an interview with Vulture -- creating a mental image that is arguably even more gross than him being covered in real viscera.

Director Gareth Evans went all-out with the blood and gore in "Apostle," including a scene where Stevens' character loses several fingers to a meat grinder before grappling with his basket-headed would-be executioner. The sequence took three days to film and, since the on-camera gore was made from mushy bananas, Steven told Vulture that over time it "really started to hum [British slang meaning 'stink'] and the vileness of the scene amped up."

Being smeared in smelly mashed-up bananas was actually a high point of the "Apostle" shoot for Stevens, at least compared to a scene where he had to swim through the drainage ditch of a slaughterhouse -- the "offal trough," as he refers to it. "You know, it gets pretty cold in Wales," said Stevens. "And some of that water was not heated, but the banana was nice and warm." (Hannah Shaw-Williams)

Tippi Hedren Surviving Alfred Hitchcock While Filming The Birds

"The Birds" is one of the most rightfully famous horror movies of all time, but the story of how it was made is a horror story unto itself. Filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock was a notorious prankster at best and an abuser at worst, and he firmly set his sights on star Tippi Hedren while filming this tale of nature gone amuck. In addition to dealing with Hitchcock's vague direction ("Because I tell you to" was her motivation for one scene, apparently), she endured genuine physical trauma while filming the movie's climax. 

Despite being told fake bird props would be used for the finale, the actual shoot involved live birds being literally thrown at Hedren by crew members. Hedren endured this torment for five long days, until one bird sliced her face (barely missing her eye), leading the actress to collapse and break down in tears. Only a doctor's order for immediate rest saved her from additional torment, even as Hitchock himself pushed back against the doctor. "Are you trying to kill her?" the doctor reportedly asked. And from the sound of things, that could have very well been the case. (Jacob Hall)

Colin Farrell Nearly Choking On A Blood Geyser For Fright Night

2011 saw the remake of the 1985 vampire classic, "Fright Night" with Colin Farrell stepping into the role as the seductive and dangerous vampire, Jerry Dandridge. Vampire movies are known to be bloody, and this remake is no exception. However, as the bloopers of "Fright Night" would showcase, Colin Farrell had a bit of a rough time with one of the blood gags on set. Farrell's Dandridge attacks an unsuspecting victim played by Christopher Sarandon, the original Jerry Dandridge in 1985's "Fright Night," in a cameo role. 

During the scene, however, the tubing rigged on Sarandon to squirt blood worked a little too well, and shot high-pressure fake blood directly into Farrell's throat. The crew heard what they thought was the rigging making a terrible gurgling sound, but in actuality, the sound they heard was Farrell choking on the blood and desperately trying to push air through his mouth to breathe as it filled with bloody liquid. Thankfully, he was okay and able to laugh about the incident after the fact, and "Fright Night" fans were gifted a killer scene between the two Dandridges. (BJ Colangelo)

Ted Raimi Sweating Literal Gallons While Making Evil Dead 2

Imagine being encased by latex, in North Carolina's heat, for multiple hours a day on a film set where high-powered lights and other production elements increase temperatures. That was Ted Raimi's curse during his scenes as Henrietta in Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead II," where he played a historian's demonically-possessed wife. Ted's body sweated literal buckets of salty runoff into the deadite's full-body costume, which was reported to collect liters' worth of bodily liquid. Don't believe me? Watch carefully when Henrietta spins around over Annie's head, and you'll see perspiration dripping out of the monster's ear and info frame. 

You have to wonder what childhood abuse Ted inflicted unto Sam Raimi, his brother and director, that would justify such torment. Or you could outright award Ted a "Brother Of The Year" trophy for broiling day after day just to give Sam the perfect take. At least special effects guru Gregory Nicotero was reportedly available to pour Ted's sweat into Dixie cups, so the actor wasn't sloshing around in his self-produced stanky stew. (Matt Donato)

Robert Pattinson Doing The Most To Get Into Character In The Lighthouse

Willem Dafoe had to run lines with a mouth full of dirt while shooting Robert Eggers' "The Lighthouse," but it seems that Robert Pattinson may have had it a touch worse to get into character as Ephraim Winslow. In a 2019 interview with Esquire, Pattinson said because he was playing "a mad person, it means you can sort of be mad the whole time. Well, not the whole time, but for like an hour before the scene."

Pray tell, Esquire, what does he mean by this? Well, dear reader, according to this interview, in his scenes where he's supposed to be drunk on kerosene, Pattinson said he was "basically unconscious the whole time."

"It was crazy," he continued. "I spent so much time making myself throw up. Pissing my pants. It's the most revolting thing. I don't know, maybe it's really annoying."

Not so sure I'd describe that as "annoying," per se, but revolting sounds about right. That said, it seems the majority of his Method approach is a reaction to the pressure of his early immense fame. He explained:

"For a long time you're very self-conscious in the street. You're hiding a lot, so [on set] you have an excuse to be wild. It's like being an adrenaline junkie. And also, when you don't know how to do something, why not just run headfirst into a wall? See what happens. I haven't got any other ideas."

Some of his ideas on "The Lighthouse" included all of the above, as well as spinning in circles to throw himself off balance, and putting a rock in one of his shoes. None of that holds a candle to the discomfort of rehearsals, however. Or long walks by the sea. Dafoe interviewed Pattinson for Interview Magazine, asking him "Do you remember when we were being sprayed with that water and it stung so bad?" "That's the closest I've come to punching a director," Pattinson replied:

"However much I love Robert [Eggers], there was a point where I did five takes walking across the beach, and after a while I was like, 'What the f*** is going on? I feel like you're just spraying a fire hose in my face.' And he was like, 'I am spraying a fire hose in your face.' It was like some kind of torture. It definitely creates an interesting energy. [Laughs]"

(Ariel Fisher)

Jessica Chastain Versus A Blood Pool For IT Chapter Two

While "IT Chapter Two" might not be as roundly beloved as its predecessor, an increased budget allowed them to go bigger with some key sequences. Namely, a scene in which adult Beverly, played by Jessica Chastain, gets covered by 4,500 gallons of blood near the film's climax in what is one of the bloodiest scenes ever put to film. Fitting that such an honor belongs to a Stephen King movie. The scene in question takes place as Pennywise is making the Losers face their biggest fears, and Bev winds up submerged in blood in a bathroom, which Chastain actually had to do for hours on end. 

It wasn't cake for the filmmakers either, as filming the scene was complex and required the construction of three interconnected sets to make it work, logistically. Chastain, speaking to Vanity Fair, said "It was really disgusting." She added, "It's like slime, and it was up my nose, in my ears, and stuck on my eyeballs. I kind of did have some little fears." But she also said she was "happy to do it." Commitment. (Ryan Scott)

A Set That Became A Literal Refrigerator For The Thing

John Carpenter's "The Thing" is one of the chilliest cold-weather flicks in the horror genre, and that's due to temperature authenticity. Alaska and British Columbia represent the frigid exterior shots of research facilities, but indoor settings took Carpenter's production back to Los Angeles' 100-degree heat waves. There was a brief consideration to film in refrigerated units — think gigantic meat lockers — but their walls and ceilings didn't provide enough space. Instead, the team amassed as many portable air conditioners as possible and closed off the stage so that temperatures would dip below thirty degrees Fahrenheit. Actors didn't need to pretend their characters are frozen to the bone because they're legitimately shivering under costume warmth. 

Carpenter called upon movie magic to counter California's blazing rays with a manufactured tundra that surely pleased everyone present for shooting each day. It's a good thing Kurt Russell took that year to grow out his bushy beard and insulating hairstyle, for more reasons than his character's iconic look. (Matt Donato)

Robert DeNiro Getting Vegetable Ink Tattoos For Cape Fear

It's not easy to apply fake tattoos that will stand up to the punishment of filming without becoming smeared or faded. But Robert De Niro felt that his tattoos in Martin Scorsese's 1991 thriller "Cape Fear" were so important to the character of Max Cady that he was willing to go the extra mile in order to make them look good. De Niro was tattooed with vegetable dyes, which had to be touched up during filming but otherwise remained on his body for several months before the organic ink was eventually broken down. 

According to a blog post by Temptu, the make-up company behind the tattoos, their application took an hour and a half and "De Niro got so deep into character that we had to actually increase the size of the tattoos about 10% due to the additional muscle he had gained."

Not all of De Niro's tattoos in "Cape Fear" were fake, though. The black panther tattoo seen on his right bicep is real, and can also be spotted in Scorsese's 1973 film "Mean Streets." (Hannah Shaw-Williams)

Shelley Duvall Suffering Stanley Kubrick To Make The Shining

In the years since the release of "The Shining," much has been revealed about the horrendous working conditions for all the cast and crew of the film, but none were as extensive or as exhausting as what happened with actress Shelley Duvall. In an attempt to get a more "authentic" performance from Duvall, director Stanley Kubrick unexpectedly cut her lines to throw her off, kept her isolated and waiting for long periods of time between scenes, criticized every choice or acting impulse she had for Wendy Torrance, and ordered the crew to follow suit, even being quoted in the documentary "Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures" as directing crew members "Don't sympathize with Shelley." 

Kubrick hit peak viciousness during one of the most iconic scenes of "The Shining," the baseball bat confrontation on the stairs, where Kubrick shot the scene with a world-record setting 127 takes. The skin on Duvall's hands was shredded raw from gripping the bat, and she cried herself hoarse and became dehydrated. She was so stressed her hair began falling out. Shelly Duvall's portrayal of Wendy Torrance made her a horror legend, but it's a performance that came at the expense of her mental and physical well-being. (BJ Colangelo)

Florence Pugh Enduring A Very Real Breakdown On Midsommar

Florence Pugh made herself known to the world through her impressive and haunting performance in Ari Aster's sophomore feature, "Midsommar" — and she really left her emotions onscreen while shooting. In March 2021, Pugh revealed via Instagram that she went through an incredibly difficult shooting process alongside the various Hargan women with whom she shot that intense crying scene. She wrote:

"Truly, these women made this scene possible. It was TERRIFYING. As terrifying as it was to watch, it was to read and know we had to do it. I love these girls so much. I'm not a big crier, so going through that with them was true safely and love and respect. It only happened because I had them. We all looked at each other before we started rolling and knew it would be hard. And awkward. And strange. And unnatural. We knew it wouldn't be pleasurable. But by the end we would roll in each other's laps and cry and allow our bodies to keep heaving. I remember the first take being so long, much longer than is displayed in the film that you all watched. When Ari said cut, we all clung on to each other's arms and dug our nails into each other's palms and wept. Sobbed. Heaved. I remember it being really hard to stop."

It's clear the emotional output paid off in spades — but there's no doubt that kind of traumatic reenactment can mess around with your psyche. (Lex Briscuso)

Jane Levy Getting Buried Alive In The Evil Dead Remake

Maybe difficult shoots are just a part of the "Evil Dead" backbone, because the star of Fede Alvarez's 2013 remake, Jane Levy, endured physical and psychological torture to bring her character Mia to life. She told Yahoo! Movies that the hardest part was being buried alive; she had a plastic bag around her head with an oxygen tube behind her ear. Sometimes she would lose air and have to dig herself out. "That was a hard day," she said. No kidding.

Other things Levy had to do? Pretend to cut her tongue in half, vomit on someone's face, fall down a hill, crawl through a swamp, crash a car, rip her own arm off, and get assaulted by a demon tree. By the end of filming, which was mostly shot chronologically, Levy had "nothing left." The actress has been candid about not really wanting to return to the franchise, so it's no surprise she's not a part of the upcoming "Evil Dead Rise." (Danielle Ryan)

Read this next: The Entire Conjuring Universe Timeline Explained

The post The 16 Worst Things Actors Had to Do For Horror Movies appeared first on /Film.

Blackfire is considered one of the best mods for the original versions of Crysis 2 and Crysis 3. And, we are happy to report that the Blackfire team has released two new versions of its mod for Crysis 2 Remastered and Crysis 3 Remastered. Blackfire for Crysis 2 Remastered aims for a bright and colorful … Continue reading Blackfire Mod is now available for Crysis 2 Remastered & Crysis 3 Remastered →

The post Blackfire Mod is now available for Crysis 2 Remastered & Crysis 3 Remastered appeared first on DSOGaming.

NotebookCheck: It seems that Intel was not telling the full story when it compared the Core i9-12900K against the Ryzen 9 5950X, currently AMD's most comparable processor. As it turns out, Intel allowed the Core i9-12900K to consume 2.4x the power of its AMD competitor and benchmarked the Ryzen 9 5950X using an older version of Windows 11 with AMD performance issues.

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Space Exploration Technologies Corporation's (SpaceX) Starlink subsidiary's fight to retain access to the 12GHz frequency spectrum and limit multichannel video and data distribution service (MVDDS) providers from using the 12GHz frequencies took an interesting turn last week. Starlink, represented by SpaceX's director of satellite policy, Mr. David Goldman, has rejected Michael Dell backed RS Access's claim that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s comment solicitation criteria are sufficient to make new 12GHz rules, as it argues that the MVDDS companies should be removed from the band. To bolster its arguments, Starlink outlines that a technical study submitted by RS Access is 'deeply flawed' and therefore fails to demonstrate why the MVDDS companies should be able to operate in the 12GHz band.

DISH and RS Access Have Failed To Demonstrate How Spectrum Sharing Is Possible With Satellite Operators Outlines Starlink

Mr. Goldman's comments build upon the hard-hitting approach in an older FCC submission made in late September, where he demanded that the Commission remove the MVDDS companies' access to the 12GHz band. Starlink's user dishes use this band to receive data from the orbiting satellites, and in previous filings, the internet provider has highlighted how it is one of the few bands that is suitable for this purpose.

Starlink's latest submission, made over the weekend, refutes RS Access's claim that the current FCC 12GHz Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) is in line with the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) since the NPRM can not highlight how sharing between satellite and 5G operators is possible. It argues that DISH Network's (another MVDDS license holder) initial arguments explicitly stated so and that recent attempts by DISH and RS Access provide little knowledge into how this has changed.

It then turns its guns on the sole technical study submitted by RS Access to demonstrate that spectrum sharing is possible due to technological advances. According to Starlink, in order "[t]o reach the submission’s unrealistically favorable conclusions, RS Access was forced to assume certain operational parameters and deployment scenarios. But even then, it did not propose any actual rules that would require mobile operators to comply with those expectations."

Mr. Goldman then extends this line of argument by stating that the FCC has not outlined in the NPRM what it deems to be unacceptable levels of interference to the satellite internet users in the United States. Criticizing DISH for considering interference to "tens of thousands" of satellite users as "minuscule," he outlines that an absence of unacceptable interference criteria negates RS Access' claim that the NPRM follows the APA.

To further bolster his side, the executive uses RS Access' assertion that a separate FCC proceeding for the C-band (4GHz-8GHz) is evidence that the 12GHz NPRM follows the law to demonstrate that the record states otherwise. According to him:

Yet the notice in the C-band proceeding included eleven pages of proposed rules covering everything from power limits, emission limits, and power flux- density limits to licensing provisions. Even then, the Commission issued two further notices seeking “focused additional comment” on specific proposals in the record to ensure that it had robust input on salient issues from all interested parties. Far from supporting RS Access’s argument, the C-band proceeding provides a stark contrast highlighting the deficiencies of the current record.

In his September letter, Mr. Goldman used the argument that there is insufficient technical information on the record to urge the FCC to close the proceeding without risking harm to the internet companies. In it, he picked apart RS Access' technical study once again and outlined that it was deficient in seven areas.

These, according to him, are:

1. A lack of satellite services apart from Starlink and the effects of spectrum sharing on the satellite companies' operations.
2. Incorrect deployment assumptions.
3. Fewer satellite user terminals are included than would be present in reality.
4. Higher elevation angles for user terminals than actually used.
5. An incorrect interference metric.
6. An assumption of coordination even though Starlink and RS Access are unable to do so.
7. A limited demonstration of how satellite and MVDDS systems can co-exist.

Mr. Goldman also criticized research boutique MoffettNathanson, by stating that it "has no genuine insight into the operations of the SpaceX NGSO system."

After aggressively building a constellation with more than 1,600 satellites, Starlink is gearing up to launch even more in the coming months. At this front, it hopes to utilize SpaceX's Starship rocket, a fact that is another hotly debated point in a separate FCC proceeding.

The post Starlink Wants Rivals To Stop Wasting FCC’s Time  by Ramish Zafar appeared first on Wccftech.

With hits like "The Suicide Squad," "Guardians of the Galaxy," and "Guardians of the Galaxy 2," James Gunn became a cross-over success story from genre darling to one of the most highly-sought after superhero film directors. Before stepping into the world of comic book heroes, Gunn was known for his edgy dive into wannabe heroes with "Super," his love letter to B-movies, "Slither," and an extensive history of working with schlock label, Troma Films. For many, however, James Gunn will always be the guy who penned the scripts for 2002's live-action "Scooby-Doo," and 2004's "Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed." Sure, James Gunn gave us Michael Rooker covered in blue body paint screaming, "I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!" but he also gave us the canonical proof that Scrappy-Doo is the absolute worst. Now, his decision-making in casting "Scooby-Doo" is impacting the upcoming HBO Max series, "Peacemaker."

Many may know "Peacemaker" star Lochlyn Munro from his work on "Riverdale," "Freddy vs. Jason," and "Spiral," but he was almost Shaggy in James Gunn's "Scooby-Doo" movie. In the most recent episode of the podcast, The Dave and Creech Show, Munro shared that his audition for "Scooby-Doo" is partially responsible for his casting on "Peacemaker."

I ended up in this project because when he saw my tape, he remembered that I was one of his choices for Shaggy. So, I went in - Obviously, [Matthew] Lillard was the perfect choice for that character. But that's kind of how he went, 'Oh, yeah, I want Lochlyn in this, because I remember he was one of my choices for "Scooby-Doo."' Twenty years later, isn't that weird?

Who Will Lochlyn Munro Play On Peacemaker?

The upcoming spin-off series "Peacemaker," is based on the DC Comics superhero of the same name, and was recently featured in Gunn's "The Suicide Squad" with John Cena playing the character seeking peace at all costs. The series is set after the events of the film, following the subsequent missions of the anti-hero, with Cena returning to play the titular character. Munro will be playing a detective named Larry Fitzgibbon, an original character Gunn created specifically for the series, as well as a trademark of James Gunn's work. Almost every movie (and non-movie projects like the videogame "Lollipop Chainsaw") by James Gunn has a character named "Fitzgibbon" in honor of his personal friend, Larry Fitzgibbon.

Lochlyn Munro has been working steadily since the early 1990s but has never quite "hit the big time" in a way that he should have by now. Hopefully his attachment to something as high profile as "Peacemaker" will finally let audiences see what so many of us have known for decades, that Lochlyn Munro is a dynamite character actor who deserves to stay booked and busy.

"Peacemaker" is set to premiere on HBO Max on January 13, 2022.

Read this next: Superman Movies Ranked From Worst To Best

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I can't believe today is the day I'm going to agree with Carole Baskin about literally anything, but here we go! 

While "Tiger King 2" will (supposedly) be hitting all of our collective Netflix queues on November 17 (just in time for a casual Thanksgiving binge-fest), Baskin is doing everything she can to get her piece of the pie ... Or perhaps stop the release of "Tiger King 2: The Squeakquel" altogether. 

Baskin and her current husband, Howard Baskin, who were featured pretty heavily in the buck wild roller coaster ride that was the first "Tiger King" documentary, are officially suing Royal Goode Productions to be removed from the upcoming sequel.

According to a suit filed on November 1, 2021, in Tampa, Florida, Baskin is arguing that there has been a pretty big breach of contract. The lawsuit states that Baskin only signed release documents for footage of her to be used in the first film and that she has not signed any paperwork related to "Tiger King 2: Electric BoogaZoo." Apparently, the Baskins weren't even aware of their role in the sequel until they saw the trailer drop. If that is indeed true, I can't imagine what that day at the Baskin's household was like, but I'm sure pandemonium doesn't even cover it. The lawsuit uses some pretty strong language in regards to the sequel:

"Understanding that the Appearance Releases limited Royal Goode Productions' use of the footage of the Baskins and Big Cat Rescue to the single, initial documentary motion picture, the Baskins believed that any sequel – though odious – would not include any of their footage,"

Live Free Or Die Tiger King

Of course, the suit doesn't stop there. It also digs into the "Tiger King" series in general, with Baskin arguing that she was lead to believe the show would be the big cat version of the award-winning documentary "Blackfish," which centered on the captivity of killer whales. Instead, it dove into the drama around Joe Exotic and friends.

It's fascinating to me that Baskin (or any of the other weird private zoo owners) thought she wouldn't be seen as the SeaWorld of the big cat zoo game, but despite that, I'm on her side here. If she's right and her contract has been breached, that's a pretty big deal that needs to be resolved. Also, I would be pretty upset about the release of "2 Tiger 2 King," too, if the first documentary essentially called me a murderer. No matter how unreasonable she seems, that is a fairly understandable reaction.

Whatever happens with "I Still Know What You Did Last Tiger King," it's weird to know that for an hour or so, I really felt some sympathy for Carole Baskin. I quite literally never thought this would happen.

Read this next: 13 Box Office Bombs That Are Truly Worth A Watch

The post Carole Baskin Sues Netflix Over Tiger King 2 appeared first on /Film.

Strand Releasing will bring to Blu-ray Michael Haneke's apocalyptic Time of the Wolf (a.k.a. Le temps du loup), starring Isabelle Huppert, Anaïs Demoustier, Béatrice Dalle, Patrice Chéreau, and Maurice Bénichou.

The release will be available for purchase on December 21.

Synopsis:
Following a global cataclysm, Anne (Isabelle Huppert) and her family set out for a safe haven at their holiday home. But, when they arrive, the home is already occupied by other survivors.

Their hopes for safety are immediately dashed by a violent tragedy, which serves as a lesson to take nothing for g [Continued ...]

Climate change is revealing long-frozen artifacts and animals to archaeologists. But the window for study is slender and shrinking. From a report: Glacial archaeology is a relatively new discipline. The ice was literally broken during the summer of 1991 when German hikers in the Otztal Alps spotted a tea-colored corpse half-embedded on the Italian side of the border with Austria. Initially mistaken for a modern-day mountaineer killed in a climbing accident, Otzi the Iceman, as he came to be called, was shown through carbon-dating to have died about 5,300 years ago. A short, comprehensively tattooed man in his mid-40s, Otzi wore a bearskin cap, several layers of clothing made of goat and deer hides, and bearskin-soled shoes stuffed with grass to keep his feet warm. The Iceman's survival gear included a longbow of yew, a quiver of arrows, a copper ax and a kind of crude first-aid kit full of plants with powerful pharmacological properties. A chest X-ray and a CT scan showed a flint arrowhead buried deep in Otzi's left shoulder, suggesting that he may have bled to death. His killing is humankind's oldest unsolved cold case. Six years later, in the Yukon's snow fields, hunting tools dating back thousands of years appeared from the melting ice. Soon, similar finds were reported in Western Canada, the Rockies and the Swiss Alps. In 2006, a long, hot autumn in Norway resulted in an explosion of discoveries in the snowbound Jotunheimen mountains, home to the JÃtnar, the rock and frost giants of Norse mythology. Of all the dislodged detritus, the most intriguing was a 3,400-year-old proto-Oxford most likely fashioned out of reindeer hide. The discovery of the Bronze Age shoe signified the beginning of glacial surveying in the peaks of Innlandet County, where the state-funded Glacier Archaeology Program was started in 2011. Outside of the Yukon, it is the only permanent rescue project for discoveries in ice. Glacial archaeology differs from its lowland cousin in critical ways. G.A.P. researchers usually conduct fieldwork only within a short time frame from mid-August to mid-September, between the thaw of old snow and the arrival of new.

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Movie magic can do many things. It can transport, entertain, and thrill. It can also provide hope and inspiration, especially through romantic comedies and grand, epic love stories, thanks in large part to the iconic couples found throughout movie history. Whether they're opposites who attract, friends who become lovers, or couples who battle social prejudices to stay by one another's side, there are countless ways disparate people come together on screen.

But only a handful of the many movie couples truly stand out as the swooniest, most romantic, and most heartfelt. Not all of them have happy endings, but there's no doubt that the love that each one of them shares is real. We've gathered the 19 greatest movie couples of all time from the Golden Age of cinema, iconic Oscar winners, and more, each one ranked here from least to most romantic.

Tracy And Dexter — The Philadelphia Story

Tracy (Katherine Hepburn) and Dexter (Cary Grant) are both passionate hotheads whose love affair ended as quickly as it began. Two years after their divorce, Tracy is set to marry again, and the ornery Dexter plans to interrupt the wedding. Dexter makes a plan with a tabloid to cover Tracy's wedding; in exchange, the editors will kill a story about Tracy's father, leading Dexter to show up with a reporter and photographer on the eve of the event.

Mere hours away from the ceremony, Tracy soon finds herself caught between the reporter, her fiancé, and Dexter as she has to choose what she really wants for herself. As her fiancé gets wind of her doubts and affiliations with the other men, he calls off the engagement, leaving Tracy to face another scandal — but Dexter swoops in to offer his hand, giving them the chance to make things right.

Tracy and Dexter are a great example of how two people can be so right for each other that it may seem easier to ignore the truth than give in to fate. Tracy and Dexter have an exceptional love story, but it's still not as memorable as some other couples', earning them the lowest place on our list.

Bridget And Mark — The Bridget Jones Trilogy

A modern retelling of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" sees Bridget (Renée Zellwegger) play the role of Elizabeth Bennet and Mark (Colin Firth) the role of Mr. Darcy, with the two frenemies thrown together but not initially attracted to each other. While Bridget and Mark's families are friends, the two strongly dislike each other, and Bridget is in love with someone else entirely -- her toxic boss, Daniel (Hugh Grant). However, as Mark and Bridget are repeatedly thrown together, and as Daniel shows his true colors, Bridget and Mark both realize what was in front of them all along.

Over the course of their relationship, Mark and Bridget continue to fight and test each other -- and to be tested by Daniel — and eventually get engaged, marry, and have a child. They have a realistic chemistry within a ridiculous world, and are a lighthearted example of how two people can grow apart and come back together over and over again.

Jamal And Latika — Slumdog Millionaire

Jamal (Dev Patel) and Latika (Freida Pinto) are childhood friends brought together by tragic circumstances. When they're both orphaned by a horrible act of violence, they form their own family together. But even as the brutality required to survive tears them apart, Jamal never forgets Latika. When their paths cross again years later, Jamal endeavors to protect Latika and earn financial stability for the two of them, inspiring him to become a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"

Miraculously, Jamal plays his way to the final question, giving him the chance to win 20 million rupees. Though he uses his "phone a friend" lifeline to call Latika, she doesn't know the answer. However, she does remind him that she's there for him. That's enough. When Jamal wins, it's proof that Jamal and Latika's destinies are intertwined and that fighting for your safety and happiness is worth it in the end. Jamal and Latika have a sweet romance, but it lacks the depth of some of the other relationships on our list, leading to a lower ranking.

Ennis And Jack — Brokeback Mountain

Ennis (Heath Ledger) and Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) are ranchers who meet while working one summer. The two cowboys develop a quiet kinship immediately, but there's something else lurking beneath the surface. As the two strike up a friendship, centered around quarterly fishing trips, their attraction grows. They fall in love and carry on an affair in the quiet solitude of the mountains.

However, when they return from their trips, they're forced to carry on heteronormative lives to survive. Ennis marries and has children. Jack attempts to live truthfully, but a drunken encounter with a woman leads to a wedding and a kid. And yet, even as their families question their friendship, the two keep up their fishing trips.

When Ennis learns that Jack has died, he visits the family and he sees two shirts, one that belongs to Ennis and one that belongs to Jack, entwined in Jack's closet. Though their story ends tragically, Ennis and Jack are a testament to the love that persists even in violent and oppressive circumstances.

Rick And Ilsa — Casablanca

Rick (Humphrey Bogart) and Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) met in France right before the Nazis invaded. The two had a torrid love affair and planned to escape the ensuing war together, but Ilsa left Rick stranded on the train platform with a note saying that she wouldn't be able to make it, but that she loved him. Sometime later, in the middle of the war, the two reunite in Casablanca at Rick's bar when Ilsa shows up with her husband, a resistance leader.

Ilsa and her husband need papers to escape to America, which Rick can provide, but he's too heartbroken to help. Ilsa explains she thought her husband was dead when she met Rick, but received word that he was still alive, forcing her to go after him instead of leaving with Rick. As the Nazis encroach on Casablanca, Ilsa and Rick's time is limited, and they have to figure out a way for her to safely flee with her husband.

Rick and Ilsa's story is ultimately one of redemption and hope as Rick shifts from an isolationist to an active participant in the war effort. Rick and Ilsa's romance is heartfelt, but lacks the complexity of some of the very best movie love affairs.

Albert And Armand — The Birdcage

Albert (Nathan Lane) and Armand's (Robin Williams) relationship is a sweet time capsule of the kind of love that survived and thrived pre-marriage equality. For all intents and purposes, the two live as a married couple in Miami, with Armand running a nightclub that runs drag shows in which Albert is the star. When their son comes home to announce that he's engaged to the daughter of a conservative politician, their lives are thrown into chaos, and they are forced to pretend to be a straight married couple with Albert, in drag, posing as a traditional housewife.

The ruse prompts further ruminations and insecurity from Albert, who feels that their relationship and his standing in the family may be at stake even as he does everything he can to go along with the deception. Ultimately, the truth comes to light, and Armand and their son remind Albert that he is invaluable to the family. Albert and Armand are a sweet and funny couple — they simply aren't as dynamic as some of the other contenders.

Han And Leia — The Star Wars Saga

A swashbuckling space opera, "Star Wars" may not be known for its romance, but Han (Harrison Ford) and Leia (Carrie Fisher) share one of the greatest will-they-won't-they romances in cinematic history. Brought together by the Rebellion, Han and Leia remain star-crossed lovers in a war-torn galaxy.

When they first meet in "A New Hope," Leia is a princess and Rebel operative, working to get the Death Star plans to the Rebellion even while being tortured by Darth Vader. By contrast, Han wants nothing to do with either side of the Galactic Civil War, simply trying to survive as a smuggler and dodge his debts. However, their chemistry is undeniable, and the two form an alliance thanks to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and the rest of the Rebels.

Over time, Han and Leia fall in love and eventually have a child. Though their ending in the sequel films isn't strictly happy, their love endures through their son, Ben (aka Kylo Ren), who eventually carries on Han and Leia's legacy.

Baby And Johnny — Dirty Dancing

Baby (Jennifer Grey) and Johnny's (Patrick Swayze) relationship tells the story of two people who grow together and change each other for the better. The two meet when Baby's family takes a summer vacation to a Catskills resort where Johnny works as a dance instructor.

Raised in a strict family, Baby's destiny is predetermined: to go to medical school and be a doctor just like her father. When she meets Johnny, she deviates from her path for the first time as she discovers a love for dance. As the two grow closer, Baby starts to grow more into her own person, while Johnny risks losing the life he's built at the resort to be with Baby.

Their relationship is a testament to the transformative love that can happen through a shared passion. However, while Baby and Johnny have a powerful story, their affection for one another is almost secondary to the love they share for dance, which hurts their overall ranking.

Carol And Therese — Carol

Based on Patricia Highsmith's "The Price of Salt," long considered the only lesbian love story with a happy ending, "Carol" follows the suspenseful tale of Carol (Cate Blanchett) and Therese (Rooney Mara), two women who are pulled together despite everything that should keep them apart. Therese aspires to be a photographer, but works in a department store when she meets Carol, who comes into the shop to buy a Christmas gift for her daughter. The two have instant chemistry, but are both already partnered — Carol is married to her abusive, alcoholic husband, and Therese is dating an affable but clueless man.

When Carol leaves her gloves at the store, Therese seizes the opportunity to return them to her. Carol takes her to lunch, and the two strike up a friendship. As they grow closer, Carol's husband becomes increasingly jealous and threatens to keep her daughter away from her, forcing the two apart as Carol returns to her family. Ultimately, though, they fight to be with each other, despite the strict mores of the 1950s. Carol and Therese are a hopeful reminder of a love that's existed all throughout history, even if it's sometimes less visible due to prevailing social prejudices.

Quincy And Monica — Love & Basketball

Quincy (Omar Epps) and Monica (Sanaa Lathan) first meet as kids, brought together by their mutual love of basketball. That same attraction is what repeatedly pulls them together and pushes them apart over the years. While Quincy is the child of a former professional basketball player with a clear career ahead of him, as both a woman and someone who doesn't have an in, Monica's path to professional basketball is much harder. Even as the two form a tentative romance, Monica's drive and motivation to succeed at the game threatens to tear them apart, while Quincy's family life moves to shakier ground.

Though Monica initially chooses basketball over love, she ends up discovering a way to have both, and the two find a way back to each other. Monica and Quincy's love story is a great example of the way two people can come together, clash, and get together again over a mutual love of the game. The two have a classic friends-to-lovers romance, earning them a comfortable spot in the middle of our list.

Holly And Paul — Breakfast At Tiffany's

Holly (Audrey Hepburn) and Paul (George Peppard) are kindred spirits who meet each other when Paul moves into Holly's building. Holly is an eccentric and free spirit who throws raucous parties for artists and thinkers, while Paul is an introverted writer. They connect over their secrets: Paul's discovery of Holly's hidden past, and Holly's discovery of Paul's way of making money.

As they grow closer, they form a deep friendship and realize that they can be their true selves together, but as things turn romantic, Holly's fear of sharing herself with someone else forever takes hold, forcing Paul to prove to her why she shouldn't run away again. Holly and Paul show how two lost souls can find each other to create a new family in a scary world. In the past, Holly found safety in reinventing herself. With Paul, she doesn't have to. Holly and Paul have a unique connection, the kind that feels like it can only exist in movies.

Patrick And Kat — 10 Things I Hate About You

A modern retelling of Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew," Patrick (Heath Ledger) and Kat (Julia Stiles) are brought together when a new student pays Patrick to romance Kat so that he can woo Kat's younger sister. Kat is a smart and once-popular girl who had a fall from grace, and is now closed off to the school's cliques, instead focusing on her college ambitions. Patrick is a bad boy who most of the popular kids fear, but who is just mysterious enough to intrigue Kat. The two go toe-to-toe as Patrick courts her, but as they get to know each other, Patrick genuinely falls for her.

When Kat learns the truth of why Patrick pursued her, their relationship is put into jeopardy, forcing Patrick to fight for her and Kat to fight for herself. Patrick and Kat share the real, opposites attract-style love that can happen in the most unexpected circumstances. The two have an intense, enviable chemistry that's helped make "10 Things I Hate About You" a teen favorite for decades.

Joe And Kathleen — You've Got Mail

It's a classic enemies-to-lovers romance. Joe (Tom Hanks) is the wealthy owner of a Barnes and Noble-type bookstore, swallowing up small booksellers one by one. Kathleen (Meg Ryan) is hanging on to her departed mother's children's bookshop for dear life. Unbeknownst to the two of them, they're anonymous friends in an online chat room, able to share their woes in a safe space.

Of course, in real life, they're on different pages. As Kathleen becomes a vocal advocate for small business owners, Joe becomes both more enamored and also increasingly frustrated with her. Meanwhile, behind their computer screens, the two set up a real-life meeting, but when Joe sees that his online suitor is Kathleen, he doesn't reveal who he is, keeping the upper hand. As their cat and mouse game continues, the couple see new sides to each other and grow closer before their online personas meet one last time, and Joe shares his true identity.

Joe and Kathleen have a dynamic friendship-turned-romance that exemplifies how people's complexities draw them together. A dynamic romance for the modern era, Kathleen and Joe have a real connection.

Westley And Buttercup — The Princess Bride

Almost every great fairy tale features a prince and princess who fall in love. Westley (Cary Elwes) and Buttercup (Robin Wright) may be the ultimate example. Buttercup is a farm girl whose one true love, Westley, responded, "As you wish," to all of her requests. Eventually, the phrase became their shorthand for "I love you." But when Westley went to sea, he died at the hands of the Dread Pirate Roberts, and Buttercup became engaged to Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon).

After Buttercup is kidnapped by a group of bandits who hope to ransom her from the prince, they're chased by the Dread Pirate Roberts, who Buttercup soon realizes is Westley. As they reunite, the two have to overcome not just Prince Humperdinck but an entire world of creatures and dangers as they fight their way to freedom and happiness. Westley and Buttercup provide a moving example of how second chances (and a little bit of magic) can bring people back together. If you're looking for a true, fairytale kind of love, you can't do any better.

Chiron And Kevin — Moonlight

"Moonlight" is a quiet, intimate, coming-of-age character study focused on Chiron, a young Black man who is growing up with a mother addicted to drugs and is struggling to accept his sexual orientation.

Joining him on his journey is his friend Kevin. As children, Kevin (Jaden Piner) helps young Chiron, then called Little (Alex R. Hibbert), toughen up, but in doing so shares a moment of affection with him. As teenagers, Chiron (Ashton Sanders) and Kevin (Jharrel Jerome) grow closer and share physical intimacy before Kevin betrays Chiron. Finally, as adults, the two reconnect, working to move beyond their past, and Chiron (Trevante Rhodes) finally lets Kevin (André Holland) in completely, able to embrace who he is as a Black gay man.

Their relationship is one of a complex, lifelong friendship with queer subtext and deep meaning that resonates for viewers of all races and sexual orientations. Chiron and Kevin's story is one of hope, resilience, and the healing that can come from enduring love. Despite the many hardships life sends their way, Chiron and Kevin find their way back to each other.

Celine And Jesse — The Before Trilogy

Celine (Julie Delpy) and Jesse (Ethan Hawke) are two strangers who meet by chance on a train to Vienna in 1995. Celine is a French romantic with grand aspirations to change the world. Jesse is an American cynic full of stories to tell. After hitting it off, Jesse asks Celine to get off the train with him in Vienna and the two spend the day and night walking and talking in the city. They have an instant bond, and agree to meet again in Vienna in six months, but life gets in the way. Instead, they reunite nine years later. It's now 2004, and Jesse has written a novel about their initial encounter when Celine comes to his book signing in Paris.

Though Jesse is married with a young son and Celine is dating a war photographer, the two once again find themselves caught up in each other, wondering what would have happened if they had been able to meet up all those years ago. Celine and Jesse ultimately choose each other, marrying and having children of their own. Their story is far from perfect, but it's both magical and real. What makes Jesse and Celine's love so special is how they choose each other again and again, even as life gets harder. It's a cinematic relationship that still feels realistic, elevating the couple into the top tiers of our ranking.

Rose And Jack — Titanic

One of the most iconic, if not the most iconic, movie couples of all time, Rose (Kate Winslet) and Jack's (Leonardo DiCaprio) love story still resonates years after the movie's release. Jack and Rose meet aboard the ill-fated ship as passengers of different classes. Rose is a first-class ticket holder engaged to a wealthy man, but she's deeply unhappy and unsatisfied. Jack is a dreamer, an artist, and a survivor, despite his lower station in life. Jack's persistence and resilience inspire Rose to strive for more than the future that's been laid out for her.

As they grow closer, Rose plans to leave her fiancé when they dock and leave the ship with Jack. Of course, the iceberg has other plans, but as we learn at the end of the film, despite the unavoidable tragedy of the Titanic, Rose never stops loving Jack, letting the short-lived romance change the shape of her entire life. Though their story ends tragically, Rose and Jack's love is eternal.

Noah And Allie — The Notebook

Noah and Allie are one of the most beloved and romantic couples in film history. While Allie (Rachel McAdams) comes from a wealthy family, Noah (Ryan Gosling) is a tradesman, and although they have a hot and heavy summer fling after meeting at a carnival, Allie's family is determined to keep them apart and match her with a man of better social standing. Of course, World War II also keeps them separated, as Noah is drafted.

When the two finally cross paths again, Allie is engaged and Noah is heartbroken. While they attempt to be friends, the pull of their attraction is too strong. In the end, Noah and Allie's love stands the test of time. As they age, an older Allie (Gena Rowlands) suffers severe dementia, and begins forgetting Noah entirely. However, as an elder Noah (James Garner) reads the story of their lives to her, she briefly remembers the love they share, a miracle considering her condition.

Noah and Allie are a testament to the power of true love despite the numerous difficulties that life can bring. Through the many twists and turns, Noah and Allie fight for each other to the end.

Sally And Harry — When Harry Met Sally

For the true romantic, the dream is to marry your best friend. That's exactly what happens to Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan). Penned by one of the great romance writers of all time, Nora Ephron, "When Harry Met Sally" follows two people whose paths cross over and over until they finally become close companions. Their chemistry is undeniable, but each one values their friendship too much to try to make a move on the other, especially because they're violating Harry's golden rule: "No man can be friends with a woman that he finds attractive. He always wants to have sex with her."

Of course, as they each date other people, their connection persists until they finally get together. Harry and Sally are the greatest movie couple of all time simply due to the steadfastness of their relationship; no matter how much they fall apart, they come back together, thanks to the solid base of their friendship. Sally and Harry have a relationship that feels both magical and incredibly rounded. It's a love story that only comes around once in a blue moon, making them our greatest movie couple of all time.

Read this next: The 15 Best Jane Austen Adaptations Ranked

The post The 19 Greatest Movie Couples of All Time Ranked appeared first on /Film.

(Superhero Bits is a collection of stories, updates, and videos about anything and everything inspired by the comics of Marvel, DC, and more. For comic book movies, TV shows, merchandise, events, and whatever catches our eye, this is the place to find anything that falls through the cracks.)

In this edition of Superhero Bits:

• "Eternals" earns a not-so-great first for the MCU

• Joker arrives in a new banner for "The Batman" at Warner Bros

• Image Comics writers have formed a union

• Another actor is returning for "Spider-Man: No Way Home"

• All that and more!

Image Comics Writers Have Formed A Union

In a pretty big shake-up behind the scenes for the comic book industry, the writers of Image Comics have formed a union. The announcement was initially made on Twitter. 

This is the first time in history that a modern comic book publisher has had its employees unionize, so this is significant. Image released a statement following the announcement that was seemingly supportive, though it didn't actually acknowledge the union.

"Image has always believed in the fair and equitable treatment of staff and has always strived to support employees to the best of our company's ability with regard to their employment."

It will be interesting to see if other writers at Marvel, DC, or other companies follow suit. You can see a full outline of Comic Book Workers United's goals on their website.

LEGO Marvel Avengers: Loki In Training

The Marvel HQ YouTube channel has released a two-part LEGO short that has the Avengers coming face-to-face with Loki, who is in training mode. Sure, this is geared towards younger viewers but this is a charming bit of free content for that audience, or those who just like Marvel heroes in animated form. You can check out the first short above, with the second installment also available at Marvel HQ.

Marvel's Timeliness Preview Art

Earlier this year, Marvel Comics announced a slate of eight event titles that will reshape the universe as we know it. One such title is "Timeless," which will feature none other than Kang the Conquerer at its center. This is, no doubt, having to do with the fact that Kang is about to become a big part of the MCU after Jonathan Majors made his debut in "Loki" before his big screen arrival in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." You can check out the preview art above before "Timeless" hits stands in December.

Yondu Is Good And Truly Dead

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" director James Gunn has, once again, confirmed that Yondu is dead. The character, played by Michael Rooker, met his demise in the film, and his death is perhaps the most meaningful in the MCU to date. Gunn, responding to a fan on Twitter, asserted that, for as long as he's involved with the franchise, Yondu is staying dead. "As I've said many times before, as long as I'm a part of the Guardians, Yondu is dead, 100%, forever, no magic resurrections. Any other way would be belittling his sacrifice and what his story means to so many people," Gunn said. So don't expect to see him in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."

Titans Easter Eggs

DC has released the video above that recaps some Easter eggs fans may or may not have missed in "Titans." In particular, the video goes over some of what can be found in the show's version of the Batcave which, among other things, includes a T-rex. Check it out for yourself above.

Eternals Is Now Rotten On Rotten Tomatoes

We previously reported that Marvel's "Eternals" ranked as the studio's worst-reviewed movie ahead of its release this weekend, overtaking "Thor: The Dark World." Well, it turns out things have gone from bad to worse in that regard as it now sits at just 57 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, with 152 reviews counted as of this writing. Anything below 60 on the site is considered "rotten," and this is the first time a Marvel Studios release has fallen below that threshold. We'll have to see how audiences respond as people make their way to theaters over the weekend.

The Riddler Arrives At The Warner Bros. Lot

With "The Batman" (finally) set to hit theaters in March 2022, Warner Bros. has started decorating its studio lot for the occasion. A Batman banner recently went up at the lot, but as we can see in the above tweet, one has also been revealed for Paul Dano's Riddler, who is set to be the main villain that Robert Pattinson's Caped Crusader will be contending with. Like much of the art for the movie so far, it's very red and very black. Have a look for yourself.

Spider-Man: No Way Home Is Bringing Back Jason

While much remains mysterious about the multiversal happenings that lie ahead in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," we do have confirmation of another returning character. During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, actor Jorge Lendeborg revealed that he will, indeed, be returning as Jason Ionello. Says Lendeborg:

"Man, he does, bro. And very much like in the last one, he has very little to do with the core Spider-Man group. (Laughs.) He's probably going to be home playing some video games."

So we're getting more Jason, but it doesn't sound like his on-screen presence is going to increase much, if at all.

Eternals Arrive In Marvel's Contest Of Champions

Lastly, as we await the release of "Eternals" this weekend, fans can get a taste of the characters, specifically Sersi and Ikaris, in Marvel's "Contest of Champions" video game. The characters have been added to the game, as revealed in the above trailer. What's more, both Gemma Chan and Richard Madden have lent their voices to the game to give it that authentic feel. The game is available and is free to play on both Android and Apple mobile devices.

Read this next: The 15 Best Batman Comics You Need To Read

The post Superhero Bits: Eternals Enters Uncharted MCU Territory, Image Comics Writers Form a Union & More appeared first on /Film.

Double Fine has released a brand new update for Psychonauts 2. According to the release notes, the November 2nd Patch improves stability on all platforms. Additionally, it improves photo mode stability. This patch also improves save checkpoints to prevent the player’s save data getting into a bad state. Not only that, but it improves environmental … Continue reading Latest Psychonauts 2 Update improves stability & save checkpoints, fixes various bugs/issues →

The post Latest Psychonauts 2 Update improves stability & save checkpoints, fixes various bugs/issues appeared first on DSOGaming.

The developers behind Marvel's Avengers have announced that Hero's Catalysts and Fragment Extractors will be removed from the real money store. These items boosted XP and fragment currency gains respectively, and their addition to the game's suite of optional microtransactions immediately drew the ire of players - both because of their pay-to-win implications, and because the developers promised prior to launch that in-game purchases would exclusively be cosmetic.

"We apologise for not responding sooner to your concerns about the addition of paid consumables in the Marketplace," the devs say in a tweet. "We introduced them as an option for an evolving player base, and did not see them as pay-to-win since they don't offer power directly. After considering your feedback, we have decided that by the end of today we will remove Hero's Catalysts and Fragment Extractors for purchase. They will continue to be earnable rewards and those already owned are still usable."

The boosters were initially added to the game shortly after its move to Xbox Game Pass in late September. In a pre-launch blog post back in 2020, the developers "committed that content purchasable with real money in Marvel’s Avengers will be aesthetic-only additions, which will ensure we can keep the game fresh for years to come".

RELATED LINKS: Marvel's Avengers review, Best action-adventure games on PC, The best open-world games on PC

Hello /Film Readers and welcome to another edition of Thunderdome, err, getting to know the writers here by judging us mercilessly by our taste in cinema.

I've been professionally writing about film for over a decade, and there were times in my life where I was afraid that I'd lose credibility if I waxed poetic about films that weren't "Film Twitter Approved." Then I had pancreatic cancer and almost died, so now I refuse to stifle my voice talking about the things that bring me joy. I like what I like, and there's no such thing as a "guilty pleasure" in my book.

Look, I'm going to cut right to the case: I am an odd person and live to champion movies that most people treat like punchlines. I sat here and tried to think of a list that wouldn't "hurt my reputation," but then I remembered, this is the internet and no matter what I post, someone is going to be mad about it, so I'd rather just be honest and proudly own up to what I'm into. The hardest part was trying to rank them in a sequential order, because it felt a little like having to choose between my children. (I don't actually have children). Think of this list less as my trying to sell you on these films, and rather explaining why they mean so much to me.

Anyway, submitted for the approval of the /Film readers, I call this list: "BJ's Favorite Movies of All Time."

15. Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

I could have put any number of films from Russ Meyer in this spot but I figured it would be best to highlight one that most people have actually heard of. I love exploitation cinema, and I especially love to analyze how the films immediately following the end of the Hays Code swung so far in the opposite direction they turned into absolute chaos. "Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" has absolutely everything I love: murder, fast cars, hot (and scary) women, great one-liners, and expertly applied eyeliner. It's a morally messy film, yes, but a staple of cinema intentionally subverting gender expectations. And it gave the world the gift of Tura Satana. 

14. Heavyweights

It's astounding that a film from 1995 about young boys at a fat camp is still one of the best examples of body positive storytelling in all of cinematic history. I hit puberty well before my classmates did as a child, and when you don't have the language to describe what that means, it turns into relentless bullying for being "fat." As a fat adult, I look back on "Heavyweights" with such fondness, because it makes me feel affirmed both as a fat child and for who I am now. It's a movie I didn't know how badly I needed until many years later, and I am grateful every day for having grown up with it playing on VHS on repeat. Outside of the trope of summer camps-treat-indigenous-iconography-as-decoration, "Heavyweights" has also aged remarkably well, and is the home of one of Ben Stiller's career-best performances.

13. I Spit On Your Grave

From a Disney movie to ... this. Yes, I contain multitudes. When I first started writing about horror, I was 18 years old and ran a blog named "Day of the Woman." If you are unaware, that's the original working title of "I Spit On Your Grave." I'm a very vocal gang rape survivor and a staunch defender of the rape-revenge genre as it personally offers me a great deal of catharsis in dealing with my own lived experiences. I don't expect people to feel the same way about this film as I do, but it would be dishonest to not include the film on this list given its importance in my life. There's value to be found in every film, no matter how much it may offend or disturb some viewers. What is one person's trigger may be another person's therapeutic release, and "I Spit On Your Grave" is mine. If you want to hear more of my feelings on this film, you can catch a very young version of me speaking about the film in the documentary "Growing Up with I Spit On Your Grave." 

12. Grease 2

Okay, so, "Grease" is my least favorite movie ever made. I truly and genuinely hate it with every fiber of my being. "Grease 2," on the other hand, is a musical camp masterpiece and does not deserve nearly the vitriol it receives. It's sex-positive, the choreography is masterful, Michelle Pfeiffer's Stephanie Zinone is a feminist icon, and the music is nowhere near as grating as the tunes from "Grease." The love story is better, the jokes are less problematic, and Lorna Luft's gold lamé pants in the bowling scene deserve an award all their own. Loving "Grease 2" is a cinematic hill I am more than willing to die on.

11. Female Trouble

John Waters is my favorite film director of all time, and "Female Trouble" is my favorite of all of his movies. The Pope of Trash and purveyor of filth is directly responsible for my questionable taste, having been exposed to his films at an alarmingly young age. For me, "Female Trouble" is everything great about John Waters distilled into a single package. Dawn Davenport is Divine at her very best, and after learning at a Cinema Wasteland convention table that Mink Stole's personal favorite performance in any John Waters movie is as Taffy Davenport, it makes me love the film so much more. It's an edgy, boundary-pushing, grotesque examination of the female condition and the way generational trauma influences cycles of violence, but done so in the flashy, trashy, filthy way only John Waters could pull off. It's also the film that taught me "the world of the heterosexual is a sick and boring life," something my gay ass has carried with me for my entire life.

10. Clue

"Clue" is a perfect film. Full stop. A perfect blend of farcical physical comedy and sharp-tongued wit from an absolutely untouchable ensemble cast, there's a reason "Clue" has stood the test of time. When it premiered in 1985, it bombed at the box office only to develop a huge cult following. This exact brand of midnight movie/sleeper hit is my bread and butter. I live for films that are terribly misunderstood upon release but beloved and reanalyzed for years (see also: "Jennifer's Body" which just missed this list) after the fact. Tim Curry's ending monologue alone is worth the price of admission but everyone is firing on all cylinders in this one. It is always me, in the living room, with a bowl of popcorn.

9. It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

"There are three things I've learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin." Few things in life bring me as much instantaneous joy as "The Peanuts" gang and the Charlie Brown television specials. I know most people are all about "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!" but I'm not religious, so I've always been an "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" gal. There's something so perfect about the pure optimism of Linus van Pelt, who typically serves as the voice of reason of "The Peanuts" universe, still believing with his whole heart that The Great Pumpkin is going to come into the pumpkin patch on Halloween night and deliver treats. It's comfort food for my soul, and a movie that always brings me joy no matter how many times I've watched it. Okay, sure, calling this a movie is being generous but it's my list, my rules.

8. Little Shop Of Horrors

Combining the talents of future Disney legends Alan Menken and Howard Ashman with the directorial skills of Miss Piggy and Yoda himself, Frank Oz, was a recipe for success no matter how you slice it. "Little Shop of Horrors" is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best film version of a Broadway musical ever made. I've been in a couple of stage productions of "Little Shop of Horrors" and I genuinely believe part of my casting was due to my existing knowledge of every lyric and line from watching the film incessantly as a child. If you didn't know, I have green hair, and every time I get it touched up, I put a quote from "Mean Green Mother From Outer Space." I'm a big fan of practical monsters, especially those of the puppet/Muppets variety. Even now, Audrey II is still the most impressive practical effect ever put to screen. I said what I said.

7. Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead

One of my favorite unappreciated genres of cinema are what I like to call "sick day movies," or the films you watched on the days you stayed home sick from school. "Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead" played a lot on HBO, but my accessibility was due to my grandmother illegally recording movies onto blank tapes off the TV, and I ran this one until the tracking went so off mark the tape was unwatchable. Sue Ellen Crandell (Christina Applegate) is who I wanted to be when I grew up, and this film perfectly encapsulates the fantasy world of latchkey kids in the 1990s. The jokes in this movie still land for me all these years later, and "I'm right on top of that, Rose" is still my go-to response whenever anyone asks me to complete a task. The fashion is a perfect time capsule of 1991, and is the reason I don't trust anyone who claims to have never had a crush on late '80s/early '90s Josh Charles.

6. Let The Right One In

As I indicated with my reasoning for "I Spit on Your Grave," the Swedish vampire masterpiece "Let the Right One In" is also one that stays with me for its deeply personal connection to my lived experience. I'm someone who navigates this world while enduring severe mental illness, and in my younger years, dangerous and self-destructive ideations. This film came out during one of the darkest times of my existence, and I'm not exaggerating when I say "Let the Right One In" saved my life. There's a painful beauty to this film, one that highlights that sometimes life is hard, sometimes life is scary, and sometimes the best way to survive it is to learn how to walk alongside that darkness and learn to not be afraid of it. I've written before about the willingness of this film to navigate childhood queerness, and the score to this film is what I play on repeat during my most difficult days of dealing with mental illness. "Let the Right One In" always brings a great deal of peace, so much so that I've got "sweet dreams," the first thing Oskar teaches Eli what to say in morse code, tattooed on my arm as a constant reminder that I can get through it.

5. Josie And The Pussycats

My love for 2001's "Josie and the Pussycats" knows no bounds, and I was even an interviewee for the book "Best Movie Ever: An Oral History of Kaplan and Elfont's 'Josie and the Pussycats.'" My obsession is PUBLISHED, y'all. "Josie and the Pussycats" was horribly misunderstood upon its release, and thanks to vocal online communities has only recently begun to be appreciated for the satirical masterpiece that it is. Kay Hanley's music was what made my 11-year-old self realize that women could be rockstars, and was when I first developed my love of Parker Posey and Rachael Leigh Cook. Hell, I had a "Josie" haircut for half of my high school career. Last year I celebrated my birthday by recording an entire podcast episode celebrating my love of this film, and it was better than any party. "Josie and the Pussycats" is totally jerkin'.

4. Dracula's Daughter

I love the Universal Monsters, but "Dracula's Daughter" has always been my favorite despite the fact that most people pretend she doesn't even exist. It's always been weird to me that "The Bride of Frankenstein" became the go-to "girl monster" in the Universal Monsters canon, and she's in the film for like, three minutes and doesn't even speak, whereas Countess Marya Zaleska (Gloria Holden) has an entire movie centered around her own story and is oft forgotten. "Dracula's Daughter" is a heavily queer-coded story that tackles the difficulties of existing in a world that finds your presence disgusting and dangerous. I have her portrait tattooed on my arm, a constant reminder that embracing who you are is important, no matter how monstrous the world finds you.

3. Phantom Of The Paradise

I'm a big time De Palma mark, and love his entire filmography with my whole heart. I challenged myself to pick only one of his films and since "Carrie" gets enough love, I had to shout out my absolute favorite De Palma film, "Phantom of the Paradise." Sometimes I genuinely can't believe this film exists, but I'm so glad it does. It has a similar energy to "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" with at least two-thirds more plot, music by Paul "Rainbow Connection" Williams, my favorite "Phantom" character design, and the glam rocker named Beef. The chaotic energy and camp stylings pluck all of my heart strings, and any movie that includes "threat by plunger" gets an A in my book.

2. Drop Dead Gorgeous

It may be hard to believe considering my current half-shaved head and green-haired appearance, but for over 15 years, I was extremely active in the Midwest beauty pageant scene. Competing in pageants was a huge part of my life, and there are few people I can relate to about this considering how stigmatized the pageant industry (rightfully) has become. That said, "Drop Dead Gorgeous" speaks to me on a religious level. If you've ever wondered what the behind-the-scenes of a small town pageant looks like, this movie nails it. With no exaggeration, "Drop Dead Gorgeous" is my favorite comedy film ever made and if you catch me in the right mood, I can quote the entire film front to back, in full, Minnesotan accent. Go Muskies, Woo!

1. Fright Night

I have an entire wall in my office dedicated to "Fright Night," and in particular, Chris Sarandon as Jerry Dandridge. I love horror comedies and vampire films, and the innate queerness of "Fright Night" spoke to me long before I ever had the language to describe my own existence. I've loved this movie for my entire life, and because of the layered depth of Tom Holland's script, the themes present in the film have evolved just as I have. I needed the queer themes as a child, I needed the sexual awakening as a teen, and now as an adult, I need to know to trust my instincts if I too believe my neighbor is a vampire. The cast reunited for a script reading during the pandemic, and it was the best I felt in all of 2020. I find something new to love about the film with every rewatch, and just like "Let the Right One In" and "Dracula's Daughter," I also have a fruit bat wearing a red scarf and holding an apple in honor of "Fright Night" tattooed on my thigh because I love this movie so much I needed it to live underneath my skin. I could analyze this film for hours, but if there's any movie ever made that truly encompasses who I am as a person, it's "Fright Night."

Read this next: The Best Movies Of 2021 So Far

The post BJ Colangelo's Favorite Movies of All Time appeared first on /Film.

In 1988, George Lucas and Ron Howard joined forces to create "Willow," a fantasy adventure based on an idea Lucas came up with in the early 1970s. The film, which Howard directed and Lucas both produced and co-wrote, starred Warwick Davis ("Return of the Jedi," the "Leprechaun" and "Harry Potter" movie franchises) as Willow Ufgood, a Nelwyn (little person) farmer and wannabe magician who is pulled into a quest to protect a Daikini (human) infant prophesied to bring about the downfall of an evil sorceress in the movie's fantastical setting.

Although it was far less successful than Lucas' original "Star Wars" film trilogy and earned mixed reviews, "Willow" performed well enough at the box office to keep rumors of a movie sequel alive for over three decades. Instead, its story will continue in a sequel series that, somewhat confusingly, shares the film's title. Here's what we know about the "Willow" show so far.

When And Where To Watch The Willow Sequel Series

The "Willow" sequel series will become available to stream exclusively on Disney+ at some point in 2022. Disney+ and Lucasfilm officially announced the show in October 2020, less than two months before Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy unveiled its logo during Disney's Investor Day presentation in December 2020. Production on the series began in June 2021, with on-location filming taking place in some of the same undeveloped regions of Wales where Howard shot the original movie.

Disney+'s "Willow" has also filmed at Dragon International Film Studios, a Wales-based collection of movie and TV studios that's been used by the BBC for filming on its Arthurian fantasy adventure series, "Merlin," as well as the sixth season of the modern "Doctor Who." On top of its Wales footage, Howard's movie features major shots of natural scenery like Powerscourt Waterfall in Ireland. For now, though, it's unclear whether the sequel show will revisit that setting or any other landscapes outside of Wales.

What We Think The Willow Sequel Series Will Be About

Plot-wise, the "Willow" show doesn't seem to be recycling any elements from "Chronicles of the Shadow War," a trilogy of sequel novels to the original movie that Chris Claremont wrote (based on a story outline by Lucas) in the 1990s. Rather, the Disney+ series reportedly takes place many years after the movie's events and revolves around a new generation of heroes. Their ranks include Kit, a princess who sets out to rescue her kidnapped twin brother with the aid of Jade, a servant training to become a warrior, and Dove, a kitchen maid. Also along for the ride is Boorman, a thief who joins the show's other leads on their quest to avoid being imprisoned.

So far, Willow is the only character from the original movie confirmed to appear in the sequel series. However, neither Madmartigan — a self-serving swordsman who's roped into helping Willow on his journey in the film — nor the evil queen's daughter Sorsha (a warrior who falls in love with Madmartigan) look to appear on the show.

What We Know About The Willow Cast And Crew

Jonathan Kasdan ("Solo: A Star Wars Story") and Wendy Mericle ("Arrow") are serving as the "Willow" sequel series' head writers, with Howard acting as an executive producer alongside Kennedy, Kasdan, and Mericle. The first season's episode count is unknown, although Disney+'s live-action series typically only have six to eight episodes per season.

As for the cast, Davis is reprising his role as Willow Ufgood for the show opposite Ruby Cruz ("Castle Rock," "Mare of Easttown") as Kit, Erin Kellyman ("The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," "The Green Knight") as Jade, Ellie Bamber ("The Nutcracker and the Four Realms," "The Serpent") as Dove, and Amer Chadha-Patel ("Doom: Annihilation," "The Third Day") as Boorman. Tony Revolori ("The Grand Budapest Hotel," Flash Thompson in the MCU) is also playing an undisclosed role in the series.

Jon M. Chu ("Crazy Rich Asians," "In the Heights") was originally set to direct the "Willow" show's pilot but dropped out in January 2021 due to a combination of production delays and personal reasons. Jonathan Entwistle ("The End of the F***ing World," "I Am Not Okay with This") replaced Chu within a few weeks of his departure before also leaving "Willow" due to scheduling issues. Finally, in July 2021, it came to light that "Outlander" veteran Stephen Woolfenden, who was already a producing director on the show, had stepped in to fill Entwistle's spot and finished shooting on the first two episodes.

Read this next: The 25 Best Kids' Movies Of All Time

The post Everything We Know About the Willow Sequel Series So Far appeared first on /Film.

(Welcome to On Your Radar, a series where we take a look at what's next for the biggest actors and filmmakers, and why you should be excited...or not.)

Jason Momoa has certainly come a long way from his early, clean-shaven days starring in "Baywatch" in the late 1990s. After bringing Ronon Dex to life on "Stargate Atlantis" in the 2000s, Momoa cemented his status as the go-to actor for playing gruff, long-haired, brawny warriors who could kill you with one hand tied behind their back with his portrayals of Khal Drago on "Game of Thrones" and, to a lesser degree, Conan in the "Conan the Barbarian" reboot. He's since transformed Arthur Curry/Aquaman from an easy punchline into one of the coolest superheroes in DC's movie universe, complete with surfer dude charm and tattoos that nod to the actor's Hawaiian ancestry. Momoa will be back to wield Atlan's trident once again in "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," but he also has some non-comic-book-related projects on the horizon that could merit a look.

With Apple TV+ having already ordered a third season of the Momoa-led sci-fi series "See," the actor's schedule will stay busy for the foreseeable future. Here's every Jason Momoa film to keep an eye out for.

The Last Manhunt

While Momoa does most of his work onscreen, he pulled triple-duty as the co-writer, director, and star of 2014's "Road to Paloma," a dramatic thriller that also served to honor his Native American heritage. Momoa is now co-writing, executive producing, and starring in "The Last Manhunt," a Western that tells "the true story of the last great American manhunt of the old west," based on the oral history of the Chemehuevi tribe from Joshua Tree, California. 2021 has been a landmark year for movies and TV shows that offer a more authentic and nuanced portrayal of modern Indigenous Americans ("Rutherford Falls," "Reservation Dogs," "Wild Indian"), but "The Last Manhunt" is the rare period drama to feature Native American talent in key roles on both sides of the camera.

Christian Camargo ("Days and Nights") is directing "The Last Manhunt" from a story Momoa co-penned with Thomas Pa'a Sibbett, with Zahn McClarnon ("Doctor Sleep"), Lily Gladstone ("First Cow"), Mainei Kinimaka ("See"), and Martin Sensmeier ("Yellowstone") among those rounding out the cast. The film has finished production but has yet to receive a release date.

Slumberland

Remember when Daniel Radcliffe grew horns in Alexandre Aja's aptly titled horror comedy "Horns"? Well, now it's Momoa's turn to sprout some pointy outgrowths for the far more family-friendly "Slumberland," a movie inspired by Winsor McCay's whimsically surreal "Little Nemo in Slumberland" comic strips. It's unusual territory for Momoa, whose films tend to skew adult and bloody, save for when he's playing Aquaman in live-action or LEGO form. That goes double for "Slumberland" director Francis Lawrence, a filmmaker whose work is typically either R-rated ("Constantine," "Red Sparrow") or falls on the more violent side of PG-13 ("I Am Legend," "Catching Fire," "Mockingjay - Part 1 & 2"). Perhaps their take on McCay's comics will harken back to darker, weirder 1980s fantasy adventures in the vein of "Labyrinth" and "Return to Oz"? One can hope so, anyway!

Marlow Barkley ("Single Parents") stars in "Slumberland" as the movie's young hero, who "traverses through dreams and flees nightmares" with the help of "an eccentric outlaw" (Momoa) in the hopes of seeing her late father again. "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb" writers David Guion and Michael Handelman penned the movie, which will debut on Netflix in 2022.

Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom

Much like Tom Hardy did on "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," Momoa got involved in writing the story for his own superhero sequel, "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom." The DC movie promises to give Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's David Kane/Black Manta a larger role to play (in lieu of the character's no-longer-secret spin-off film being canceled) while introducing some fresh additions to the franchise played by Pilou Asbæk ("Game of Thrones") and Indya Moore ("Pose"). James Wan is also back behind the camera as director and looking to inject some extra horror into Arthur Curry's latest outing, having described the movie as being "very heavily inspired" by Italian helmer Mario Bava's cult 1965 sci-fi horror flick "Planet of the Vampires." That makes the project Wan's second love letter to Italian horror in a row coming after his gonzo Giallo homage "Malignant."

Production is now underway on "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" ahead of its scheduled theatrical release on December 16, 2022.

Cliffhanger

Sylvester Stallone played a mountain climber who squares off against a merry band of plane-robbing thieves in Renny Harlin's "Cliffhanger," a pulpy survival thriller that hit it big at the box office in 1993. In spite of this, however, plans for a sequel never materialized, and the movie is now being rebooted with a female lead. Ana Lily Amirpour ("A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night") is directing this new take on the high-octane concept, with Momoa — who worked with the Iranian-American filmmaker on her 2016 dystopian thriller "The Bad Batch" — slated to make a key cameo. Rocket Science announced the remake in May 2019, with an eye on starting production in the spring of 2020. Of course, that was before the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in those plans, leaving the fate of the project ... well, insert your cliff-hanging pun of choice here.

Amirpour's third feature film, "Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon," has been touring the film festival circuit this year but has yet to set a firm release date.

Read this next: The 14 Greatest Science Fiction Movies Of The 21st Century

The post Upcoming Jason Momoa Movies to Keep On Your Radar appeared first on /Film.

"Pineapple Express" is one of the funniest films of the 21st century and an essential watch for fans of the Apatow generation, which grew up loving the work of Seth Rogen and James Franco. Rogen and Franco had worked together first in "Freaks and Geeks," and their comedic partnership continued throughout the following decades, often yielding unexpected results: The pair nearly started an international crisis with "The Interview," for instance, and produced a genuinely heartfelt award season contender with "The Disaster Artist."

However, 2008's "Pineapple Express" distilled their personalities to perfection. Franco stars as the friendly weed dealer Saul Silver, who is without any ambitions and lives in his own reality. Rogen's Dale Denton works a day job, even if he admittedly puts very little effort into it, and he's drawn into an eccentric crime plot when he witnesses a crime outside of Silver's apartment. The two wacky stoners are forced into an action buddy adventure in a subversion of genre tropes -- these are the characters that would generally be the comedic relief, not the leads.

David Gordon Green is a fascinating filmmaker. While he began his career directing independent dramas like "George Washington" and "All the Real Girls," he steadily transitioned into studio fare with star vehicles like "Our Brand is Crisis" and "Stronger." Green recently took the helm of the new "Halloween" franchise, and his natural versatility made "Pineapple Express" even more unique.

If you love "Pineapple Express," check out these movies.

Long Shot

Rogen is a unique movie star, and he's much more versatile than he's often given credit for. Although he's often characterized as a "loveable loser," Rogen has evolved throughout his career and delivered various types of performances. He's shown that he can work within dramatic fare with "Steve Jobs" and "Take This Waltz," launched the "Neighbors" franchise, delivered sensitive supporting roles in "Funny People" and "50/50," and even tried his hand at being an action hero with "The Green Hornet."

"Pineapple Express" features one of his most iconic characters, but the 2019 romantic comedy "Long Shot" is perhaps the single most underrated work in his entire filmography. The film follows a surprising romance between Rogen's idealistic journalist Fred Flarsky and the U.S. Secretary of State Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron). Field was Flarsky's childhood babysitter, and he's been in love with her ever since. Field's achievements are underappreciated by the President (Bob Odenkirk), while Flarsky has been fired for refusing to abandon a story that could expose his publication's corporate sponsors.

A throwback to classic '90s romantic comedies about two completely opposite characters who fall in love, "Long Shot" transformed Rogen's wacky idiosyncrasies into a forward-thinking, active character. He still gets to do plenty of physical gags, but the film doesn't characterize him as a buffoon with poor intentions. Rogen is never shy about his politics, and "Long Shot" is blunt in its message about media corruption without ever losing its comedic grace.

Inherent Vice

"Pineapple Express" is one of the definitive stoner movies of all time, but the film is distinct from the purely comedic fare of the "Friday" or "Harold and Kumar" franchises. Saul and Dale live in a version of reality that is at least somewhat relatable, and they actually grow as characters when forced to become heroes. The depiction of stoner culture is humorous, but not completely stereotypical, and the action element offered a welcome addition to the genre. It's hilarious to watch perpetually high characters try to solve a conspiracy when they can barely follow one train of thought.

The stoner comedy adventure film got an elevated take when one of the greatest filmmakers of the generation decided to tackle the subgenre. Paul Thomas Anderson's 2014 adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's mystery novel "Inherent Vice" is uproarious thanks to its stoner lead character Doc Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix), a private eye whose investigations tend to go awry thanks to his smoking habits. A satire of noir fiction that pays homage to classics like Robert Altman's "The Long Goodbye," "Inherent Vice" drew critical acclaim and received an Academy Award nomination for best adapted screenplay.

Phoenix creates an instantly loveable lead, who is surprisingly not that dissimilar from Saul and Dale. Doc is drawn into situations where he accidentally reveals the corrupt politicians of 1970s Los Angeles, and he never treats his revelations with much more than amused laughter. Furthermore, Phoenix demonstrates the same aptitude for physical comedy that Franco did in "Pineapple Express."

Thunderbolt And Lightfoot

It's amusing to think of "Pineapple Express" as an action movie considering how much of the film is dedicated to Franco and Rogen goofing off, but the film pays homage to classics within the buddy-adventure genre. It's a classic story of two unlikely heroes who are paired together after a situation they couldn't predict, and their friendship grows throughout. Green's eclectic experience made him well-suited to direct the action sequences, particularly the famous car chase in which Franco puts his foot through a window, which has a surprising edge not seen in most studio comedies.

The buddy-adventure genre has existed for generations, but it's rarely been as consistently hilarious as "Pineapple Express." That said, one classic that may give it a run for its money is Michael Cimino's beloved 1974 favorite "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot." Like Green, Cimino is a versatile filmmaker who would go on to direct epics like "The Deer Hunter" and "Heaven's Gate." The film suggests a clash of tones based on the unusual pairing of its two stars alone, starring Clint Eastwood as the veteran bank robber Thunderbolt and Jeff Bridges as the small town criminal Lightfoot.

Like "Pineapple Express," the bickering between two diametrically-opposed characters makes the film consistently entertaining. Eastwood's grimness marks a sharp contrast to Bridge's fast-talking, goofy character. Neither character is particularly honorable in their intentions, and they're forced to form a team of criminals in order to pull off a major heist.

Under The Silver Lake

"Pineapple Express" depicts its stoner characters with a surprising earnestness, showing the realities of their lifestyle. Saul still has actual responsibilities that demand his attention, even if he rarely commits to any real work in his daily job. Still, he grows irritated with Dale, who seems to luxuriate in his carefree daily life and reaps the benefits regardless. The depiction is ultimately a positive one, as they both end up choosing to stay in action and end up defeating the bad guys. The growth of their friendship is surprisingly heartfelt.

The 2019 A24 dark comedy "Under the Silver Lake" boasts the same type of nonstop stoner antics within an adventure mystery premise. The string of wild supporting characters and surprising action sequences is quite similar to "Pineapple Express," but its lead character is completely unlikeable. Andrew Garfield's lonely stoner Sam spends most days alone in his Los Angeles apartment obsessing over classic Hollywood movies, but he grows fascinated by his new neighbor Sarah (Riley Keough), with whom he shares a few intimate moments. When Sarah disappears and Sam can't find any trace of her, he decides to focus all his efforts into determining her whereabouts.

Sam's investigation draws him into a vast Hollywood conspiracy involving secret societies and subliminal messaging, but it's never clear what situations are real and which are part of Sam's stoned imagination. It's amusing because, despite his obsession, Sarah never acknowledged her actual feelings for Sam.

21 Jump Street

The growth of Saul and Dale's friendship is treated with surprising earnestness in "Pineapple Express." The pair's relationship begins as a business-oriented one (with Dale mildly annoying Saul with his erratic behavior), but soon enough they find themselves thrust into a high-stakes adventure that will require them to work as a team. Watching them grow to appreciate one another's skills as the adventure unfolds is one of the film's greatest pleasures.

The reimagining of the classic "21 Jump Street" series into a 2012 action-comedy finds a similar blend between nonstop humor and exciting action, adding the same, lightly mismatched friendship that set "Pineapple Express" apart from other studio comedies. Writers-directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have a unique ability to take ideas that seem awful on paper and reinvent them with their unique perspectives, and this one's no different: The idea of rebooting a classic television series may have seemed very cynical, but Lord and Miller crafted it into a loving satire of the buddy cop genre that paired two unlikely stars together.

Morton Schmidt (Jonah Hill) is a geeky, awkward high school student who is mocked by his classmates. The jock Greg Jenko (Channing Tatum) initially teases him, but needs Schmidt's help studying for an exam. Both aspire to be police officers, and after working together to make it through the police academy, they're dispatched on an assignment to go undercover as high school students.

American Ultra

The stoner action-comedy is a unique subgenre. It's amusing to see uncoordinated characters try to fight, and it can be hard to find the right blend between violence and humor. Too much violence could be off-putting or uncomfortable to watch, and the stoner characters shouldn't be skilled beyond the realm of believability. "Pineapple Express" strikes the perfect balance. Saul and Dale just happen to become witnesses to a murder, and they're initially just trying to stay alive when they become targets of the amusing drug kingpin Ted Jones (Gary Cole). They learn new skills throughout their adventure, and so the action-centric finale doesn't feel unearned.

2015's "American Ultra" is an underrated entry within the same subgenre, and it's unique thanks to its high concept premise. It follows the lonely convenience store clerk Mike Howell (Jesse Eisenberg), who can't commit to a vacation with his girlfriend Phoebe Larson (Kristin Stewart) due to his perpetual state of anxiety. Mike is humiliated after canceling their plans, but his heartbreak is followed by an unusual encounter with the strange woman Victoria Lasseter (Connie Britton), who gives him a series of codewords.

It's revealed that Mike is a secret sleeper agent in a covert CIA assassin program, and that his memory has been completely wiped. Mike and Phoebe find themselves hunted down by government agents, and Mike is surprised to discover his training. Eisenberg makes these revelations hilarious as Mike grows fearful of his own abilities.

Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back

Saul and Dale certainly became new favorites among stoner movie fans, but few stoner characters are as iconic as Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith). The frequent co-stars of Kevin Smith's "View Askewniverse" first showed up in 1994's "Clerks," and Smith's fans grew to anticipate their following appearances in "Mallrats," "Chasing Amy," and "Dogma." Their relationship has grown and developed throughout the films, and real life best friends Mewes and Smith make their friendship consistently engaging. The characters finally took on lead roles in 2001 with "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back."

"Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" puts the two loveable losers in a road trip action storyline similar to the one in "Pineapple Express." After learning from Ben Affleck (who amusingly first appears as his "Chasing Amy" character, then as himself) that the comic book characters they inspired, Bluntman and Chronic, will star in a major Hollywood action movie, Jay and Silent Bob decide to venture from New Jersey to Los Angeles to stop the production.

Along the way, they become involved in an increasingly unpredictable series of crimes, and like "Pineapple Express" there's a great number of fun side performances. The animal rights activist Justice (Shannon Elizabeth) recruits the two to join her all-female heist team, and Jay begins to fall in love with her. Will Ferrell's Federal Wildlife Marshal Willenholly attempts to track them down, adding the same mild suspense that Cole does in "Pineapple Express."

Burn After Reading

It's fun to see an action movie centered on complete idiots, and "Pineapple Express" constantly lampoons the crime movie genre as Saul and Dale stumble through a plot involving drug lords, corrupt cops, and rival gangs. Their perspective livens up the genre with a hint of satire, as they struggle to comprehend the increasingly complicated plot.

Few filmmakers understand satire as well as the Coen Brothers, who frequently take familiar genres and deconstruct them with their wacky characters. The Coens' 2008 film "Burn After Reading" looked at spy thrillers from a hilariously cynical perspective, depicting the various players in a CIA conspiracy as selfish buffoons.

Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) is a frustrated career agent who, upon feeling unappreciated by his superiors, decides to quit. Cox takes all the details from his experiences and begins crafting them into a personal memoir. He's unaware that his wife Katie (Tilda Swinton) is having an affair with another American agent, Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney). Pfarrer is a serial womanizer, but he's severely paranoid about his secret dealings being discovered.

Nonetheless, Pfarrer starts a new affair with the workout instructor Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand), who is trying to save money for expensive cosmetic surgery. When Linda and her wacky coworker, Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt), just so happen to come into possession of Cox's memoir, they decide to sell it to a Russian buyer. This group of selfish weirdos become intertwined in a convoluted caper the CIA irdector (JK Simmons) ultimately decides "doesn't mean anything."

Spring Breakers

James Franco delivers one of his funniest performances ever in "Pineapple Express." While the clever screenplay by Rogen and Evan Goldberg already granted him with a wealth of amusing dialogue, Franco added quirks that made Saul even more memorable. Saul sees himself as a sage provider of advice, often breaking into bizarrely philosophical ramblings to Dale with confused logic, and the sad sense of defeat he shows whenever the two encounter any mild inconvenience is flat-out hilarious. 

Franco went on to reach even greater comedic heights with his incredible performance in Harmony Korine's dark comedy-crime thriller "Spring Breakers." Korine often tells dark and twisted stories with a darkly comic slant, and Franco fits perfectly within that particular tone. The film follows college students Candy (Vanessa Hudgens), Faith (Selena Gomez), Brit (Ashley), and Cotty (Rachel Korine), who decide to begin a series of small-time robberies in order to pay for their planned spring break getaway. The girls get involved with the enigmatic drug dealer Alien (Franco), who bails them out of prison unexpectedly and recruits them for his gang.

Alien also sees himself as a musician, and shares strange rap songs he's written with the other characters; he's somehow both hysterically funny and threatening as he charms the girls with his advances, only casually hinting at the danger he possesses.

Spies Like Us

One of the most compelling aspects of Dale and Saul's characters is their complete lack of any real motivation. Dale is just trying to live his life stress-free, and ironically Saul's complete ease only makes him more on edge. As a result, it's amusing to watch the pair get wrapped up in a plot that demands that they pay attention to the various dangerous characters.

John Landis' 1985 comedy classic "Spies Like Us" follows two similar goofballs who are forced to live up to greater expectations than they ever expected. Low-ranking CIA agents Emmett Fitz-Hume (Chevy Chase) and Austin Millbarge (Dan Akroyd) are utterly incompetent and are forced to cheat on tests to gain top secret information. Unfortunately for them, the government needs two expendable agents who can be dispatched quickly, and they're quickly assigned to a dangerous international mission. Landis captures the same mix of quippy dialogue and chaotic non-sequiturs during the action sequences that Green does in "Pineapple Express."

Night Shift

One of the strongest aspects of David Gordon Green's direction in "Pineapple Express" is the gradual escalation of the chaos. Obviously the film takes place in a reality where traditional logic is absent, but Green does a terrific job steadily introducing the characters and heightening the extreme circumstances they find themselves in. Great comedy requires such meticulous pacing, and Ron Howard perfected that balance in his 1982 crime comedy classic "Night Shift."

Henry Winkler stars as New York City morgue worker Chuck Lumley, who lacks any confidence and is bullied by co-workers, neighbors, and cab drivers alike. Lumley's sad daily life gets a boost through two new encounters: His fast-talking new co-worker Bill Blazejowski (Michael Keaton) pushes him to be more adventurous, and he falls in love with the prostitute Belinda Keaton (Shelley Long, in a breakout performance). The trio gets involved in a prostitution ring, where they're surprisingly able to operate under the nose of local authorities.

Made

Jon Favreau's 2001 directorial debut "Made" features a similar central character dynamic to "Pineapple Express." Favreau himself stars as Bobby Ricigliano, a mafia associate trying to care for his young daughter -- while his profession may be completely different from Saul's, he's a relatable character who's just trying to piece together the chaos of his life. Also like Saul, he must deal with an obnoxious sidekick with a knack for biting off more than he can chew. Bobby's fast-talking partner Ricky Slade (Vince Vaughn) manages to get them both involved in a money-laundering scheme that sends them to New York City.

Favreau had previously written the screenplay for "Swingers," and he crafts another engaging on-screen relationship with Vaughn here. Their constant bickering makes the mafia world more interesting, and like "Pineapple Express" both characters are forced to grow when they're put under pressure. It's fascinating to see how distinct Favreau's first film is from the rest of his filmography; before becoming one of the signature blockbuster filmmakers of his generation and prominent creative force within the "Star Wars" franchise, Favreau started off in the indie scene much like Green.

Read this next: The 15 Funniest Movies Of The Decade

The post Movies Like Pineapple Express That You Should Watch ASAP appeared first on /Film.

Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery are ready to go back to the boondocks. Reedus and Flanery will reprise their roles as the fraternal vigilante twins, Connor and Murphy MacManus, in "The Boondock Saints III." 

Deadline reports that Flanery will pen the script with director Troy Duffy "with a lot of input from Reedus." This marks a slight departure from the first two films, which Duffy wrote and directed himself. The original "Boondock Saints" hit theaters in 1999, and in the decades since it's developed a cult following. A sequel, "The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day," arrived in 2009, but after that, it seemed the series was done.

In 2017, Flanery posted a message on his official verified Twitter account saying that neither he nor Reedus were "involved in any way" in "The Boondock Saints III." However, Duffy told Deadline that "Flanery was in many ways the driving force in getting done the current draft ... and whatever differences they had have been patched."

Since the last movie, Reedus has gone on to great fame as Daryl on "The Walking Dead," but the main show is in the middle of its final season and is set to wrap up next year. Before he motorcycles into a "Daryl and Carol" spin-off series with longtime co-star Melissa McBride, he'll be filming his part in "The Boondock Saints III," which begins shooting in May 2022.

Keeping Up With The Times

As for Flanery, outside "The Boondock Saints III," he will reportedly appear as the Judge Dredd parody, Gunpowder, a corrupt advocate of Second Amendment Rights, in season 3 of Amazon's "The Boys." His "Boondock Saints" character, of course, is known for his gun-toting brand of vigilante justice, but the first movie had the misfortune of landing not long after the Columbine High School shootings in 1999, directly impacting the film's marketability.

Duffy had this to say about the direction of "The Boondock Saints III":

"Where we're going is, the brothers are older. They are coming out into a brand new world that is not like the one they left. They are at odds. One wants to continue, the other doesn't. There's a new enemy out there, not like the traditional ones they've faced. That's the thing that is timely about this one. I asked the fan base once, who would you most like to see Connor and Murphy kill? There were like 4500 answers, and some were Biblical; people just don't give you one word answers. The number one answer was, politicians."

Given what happened on January 6 of this year with the storming of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., it's a bit scary to hear people's number one answer there. Hopefully, as "The Boondocks Saints III" takes shape, it can avoid comparisons to such real-life incidents and just give fans a sequel they can enjoy.

Read this next: The 15 Best Batman Comics You Need To Read

The post Boondock Saints 3 in the Works, Troy Duffy, Norman Reedus, and Sean Patrick Flanery Returning appeared first on /Film.

Music pack, usable with The Hell 2 mod.

Full version of 'Diablo: The Hell 2' mod.

Charles Munger, a "97-year-old billionaire-investor turned amateur-architect" gave $200 million to the University of California Santa Barbara on one condition: that no one could change his blueprints for a "11-story, 1.68-million-square-foot structure that would house up to 4,500 students, 94 percent of whom would not have windows in their small, single-occupancy bedrooms," reports The Independent. — Read the rest

Director Edgar Wright's new film "Last Night in Soho" sadly underperformed at the box office this weekend despite solid reviews (read our own positive take here), but that does not mean the film is altogether doomed. Eleven years ago he came out with "Scott Pilgrim vs the World" which has slowly evolved into a cult favorite still getting play in theaters. The point is, whether his movies make or lose money, we are always there for a Wright joint, and the cinema-crazy filmmaker recently did a Reddit AMA where he discussed what made him want to make movies in the first place as well as his most-viewed movies of all-time.

"I was always interested in films and being apart of that world but the lightbulb moment was seeing a TV documentary when I was 14 called 'The Incredibly Strange Film Show' which had an episode about Sam Raimi and the fact that he directed 'Evil Dead' at the age of 18 after having made Super 8 shorts with his school friends. I pretty much leapt up and said 'that's what I'm going to do."

This comes as no surprise given how big an influence Raimi's self-consciously stylish imprint has transferred over to Wright's movies. The "Doctor Strange 2" helmer even reached out to Wright at one point to direct "Drag Me to Hell" before Wright convinced Raimi he should go back to his horror roots and do the job himself. And for those looking for inspiration themselves, you can find some old episodes of host Jonathan Ross' "The Incredibly Strange Film Show" on YouTube and other parts of the web and it's well worth a look with its profiles of cult filmmakers the likes of Herschell Gordon Lewis ("Blood Feast") and Ray Dennis Steckler, whose 1964 film "The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies" inspired the program's name and eventually became an MST3K favorite.

No Surprises Here

In another question during the Reddit AMA someone asked Wright what the most watched film in his collection are. Here is what he said: 

I'm not sure what movie I've watched the most in my life, but it would probably be one of the following:

2001: A Space Odyssey

Airplane!

An American Werewolf in London

This is Spinal Tap!

Phantom of the Paradise

or Carrie (Two De Palmas!)

Again, if you've followed Edgar Wright's career or past interviews at all you'll find no surprises here. "American Werewolf" in particular had a huge impact on the "when it's scary it's scary/when it's funny it's funny" tone of "Shaun of the Dead." The pastiche style of De Palma was also formative, as both he and Wright are of the mindset of being consciously informed by other movies. The zany Mad Magazine comedy of "Airplane!" mixed with the more improvised parody of "Spinal Tap" shows Wright's eclectic comedic sensibilities. "2001" is a bit harder to place in Wright's own filmography, but the power of the imagery and Kubrick's mastery of the form are catnip to any storyteller. 

Read this next: 13 Box Office Bombs That Are Truly Worth A Watch

The post Edgar Wright Reveals His Most-Watched Movies, What Inspired Him to Become a Filmmaker appeared first on /Film.

Reply from KormaX, 02.11.2021, 12:07:

Thank you, but the LOADLIN versions are unsuitable for me. Not just that they won't run on my system, but even if they did, they're, by concept, fail to fit my needs. Most importantly, loosing my DOS session just in order to run DOSBox is never an option for me, having many things resident, including a suspended web browser, work, etc., and even temporary things on my RAM-disk. Loosing all these things just to play a short game or run an app that requires more conventional memory than available would be counter-productive. Could you please post you binary you've mentioned instead?

Thank you!

Remedy's Creative Director Sam Lake is proud of the work that has been done in the original Alan Wake, and revisiting the game for the development of the remaster made him appreciate it more as a whole.

Speaking with GameSpot, the director of the action adventure game original released back in 2010 commented on going back to it, saying that it has allowed him to take a look at the entire picture with fresh eyes, and the experience has been entirely positive.

Time is a funny thing. Coming out of the project, after being so focused on making it, trying to get everything in, you often see a lot of the problems or miss the things that didn't make it in. Coming back to an older work, mercifully, all of that has faded away and you can look at the work with fresh eyes, appreciate it as a whole, and not miss those details. So, it's all positive. I am, and we are, very proud of Alan Wake. It makes me very happy. And many elements invented there are still part of the Remedy game formula, being refined further in Control, for example."

Remedy also expanded the universe of Alan Wake with Control, which provided yet another chance for Sam Lake to revisit the original game and change his perspective on it.

Coming back to write more Alan Wake in Control felt very easy and natural, like coming back to meet an old friend. And yet, it made me realize that I have grown as a writer, and my perspective on certain ideas and themes related to the character have shifted and evolved. It's something that is very natural, of course, but without that opportunity, I might not have realized it as concretely. It made me feel grateful for the opportunity. And I absolutely love the fact that now that there is a new audience who have been introduced to Alan Wake via Control, we are able to bring back the original game in a new remastered form for those players to experience as well. And of course, for the old fans as well, who have been tirelessly asking for it.

Remedy developed Alan Wake Remastered together with d3t, and one of the main focuses was preserving the game's unique atmosphere and enhancing it with the new technology available today. Unfortunately, the remaster was not able to take advantage of the power of current-generation consoles, and shipping to both old and current consoles made the development an intimidating task, according to Community Director Thomas Puha. Still, the team did manage to get some current-gen features in, like DualSense support on PlayStation 5, which contributes to making the game feel more immersive.

Alan Wake Remastered is now available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox One. Learn more about the game by checking out Ule's review.

The post Remedy’s Sam Lake Is Very Proud of the Original Alan Wake; Developing the Remaster Was A “Pretty Intimidating Task” by Francesco De Meo appeared first on Wccftech.

Intel's returning to the graphics card fold with plans for a Xe DG2 GPU that could rival Nvidia’s RTX 3070, but it looks like the lineup might be even more robust than we first anticipated. A new open-source driver update suggests that there's another cut-down version of the SKU that aims to rival Nvidia and AMD, featuring 448 execution units instead of 512.

Spotted by Coelcanth’s Dream, the new Alchemist SKU was used for testing as part of a Mesa OpenGL and Vulkan driver update. In the patch notes, Intel developer Franciso Jerez claims that the update improves the performance of DG2 graphic solutions when dealing with "non-trivial workloads".

While Jerez's post doesn't include power consumption details, the pixel pipeline optimisation data included with the patch claims the driver boosts the DG2-448's performance with a 20-40% improvement. Jerez's data also features various games used for testing, like Shadow of Mordor, Dota 2, Team Fortress 2, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

RELATED LINKS: Intel Core i9 9900K review, Intel Core i7 9700K review, Best CPU for gaming

The PlayStation 5 CMOS battery issues that prevented a console from launching select physical games and all digital titles have been fixed, with only one exception.

A new video shared on YouTube by Hikikomori Media confirms that a PlayStation 5 console can now run every PS5 and PS4 game even with a missing CMOS battery, with the exception of PlayStation Plus games, which still do not work.

Today, Hikiko explores the inner workings of the PlayStation 5 to discover if the gaming console has DRM that could potentially lock gamers out of their purchased titles!

This is a continuation of my investigation into the CBOMB DRM found within PlayStation Consoles.

 

The PlayStation consoles' CMOS battery issues came to light earlier this year when it was revealed that they would not run games with a dead battery. The issue was particularly significant for the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition for obvious reasons, so it's nice to hear that Sony took care of the problem.  With the issue fixed on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, the PlayStation 3 console is the only one that still suffers from these issues

A major cause for concern is the effect the issue has on digitial titles. As stated, without the
battery and an internet connection, all digital titles stopped working. Whilst this is a bad thing for all PS5 owners, it is particularly troubling for PlayStation 5 Digital Edition owners. That console has no option to play physical media whatsoever, making the eventual expiration of all purchases made on the console inevitable and unavoidable. Unless Sony patches the issue, it is simply a matter of time before all digital purchases cease to function.

More information on the now fixed PlayStation 5 CMOS battery issues can be found here.

The post PlayStation 5 CMOS Battery Issues Have Been Completely Fixed, With One Exception by Francesco De Meo appeared first on Wccftech.

A new survey report describes security teams as trapped by a lack of resources into continuing what they have been doing (which, from empirical evidence, clearly is not working) rather than migrating their efforts to what they believe they should be doing (risk analysis and threat modeling).

read more

At a glance, there are no seismic changes or trends to be found within the Steam hardware survey for October 2021, but comparing it to the data from October 2019 shows just how fast Steam users are adopting RTX 3000 series GPUs in comparison to the RTX 2000 lineup. Surprisingly, Nvidia’s newest graphics cards are still finding their way into gaming PCs much faster than the previous generation, stock issues be damned.

In October 2019, RTX 2000 series components made up 4.77% of Steam’s video card category, with the Turing products launching in September 2018. However, looking at this year’s results, RTX 3000 GPUs account for 5.56%, a 0.79% lead over the previous generation within the same timeframe.

This is surprising given ongoing supply issues and widespread scalping practices that have disincentivised or made it outright impossible for many to upgrade to the best graphics cards on the market from their legacy GPUs. It’s likely that without these factors we’d have observed a much greater disparity in adoption rate due to the lukewarm reception of the RTX 2000 series, leading many to hang on to older graphics cards.

RELATED LINKS: Steam FAQ, Steam family sharing, Steam in-home streaming

An anonymous reader quotes a report from GeekWire: The Japanese video game company Sega announced Monday that it plans to "explore a strategic alliance" with Microsoft, which will see Sega build new games and overhaul its development process via Microsoft's Azure platform. The new alliance is part of a forward-focused initiative at Sega called "Super Game." According to a news release, Microsoft's Azure provides Sega with a "next-generation development platform" that Sega can customize to account for different styles of work and infrastructural changes. "SEGA has played such an iconic role in the gaming industry and has been a tremendous partner over the years," Microsoft CVP Sarah Bond said in a statement. "We look forward to working together as they explore new ways to create unique gaming experiences for the future using Microsoft cloud technologies. Together we will reimagine how games get built, hosted, and operated, with a goal of adding more value to players and Sega alike." According to Sega, the key focuses behind Super Game are the keywords "Global," "Online," "Community," and "IP utilization." With 5G on its way to supercharge cloud gaming in many parts of the world, Sega is explicitly using Microsoft Azure in an attempt to anticipate and serve whatever the next trend might be. The name of the initiative follows up on information spotted in Sega's March 2021 financial presentation, where the company stated that its strategy included the creation of a Super Game within the next five years, defined as a title that "can be expanded globally." With IP utilization as one of the Super Game's hallmarks, it suggests that Sega plans to turn one of its tentpole franchises -- the same financial report mentioned Phantasy Star Online, Sonic the Hedgehog, Persona, Yakuza, and Total War as potential candidates -- to be made into a big-ticket service game. Whatever that ends up being, its development process will be powered by Microsoft Azure.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.