Richard D. Zanuck, producer of “Jaws,” dies at 77

Richard D. Zanuck, who rose from out of his famous father’s shadow to become one of the most successful film producers in history, died yesterday in Los Angeles after suffering a heart attack. He was 77.

Born of Hollywood royalty (his father was legendary studio head Darryl F. Zanuck, his mother actress Virginia Fox), Mr. Zanuck began working for his father, then head of 20th Century Fox, as a producer, finally elevated to President of the studio. It was while at Fox that he met fellow producer David Brown. In 1967, after the failure of such films as “Dr. Doolittle,” Zanuck was fired by his father. In 1972 he teamed up with Brown, forming the Zanuck/Brown company. Their 16 year partnership produced such films as “The Sting,” “The Sugarland Express,” “Jaws,” “The Verdict” and “Cocoon.” In 1989, with his new wife, Lili Fini Zanuck producing alongside him, he produced “Driving Miss Daisy.” The film would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Later films include: “Rules of Engagement,” “Road to Perdition” and six films with director Tim Burton, including this years’ “Dark Shadows.”

In the 1960s Zanuck married actress Linda Harrison. They raised two sons, Harrison and Dean, both now producers in their own right. One of my favorite stories of Mr. Zanuck concerns the production of “Jaws.” He had assured his wife, Linda, that she would play Mrs. Brody in the film. Unbeknownst to Zanuck, the head of Universal Studios, Sid Sheinberg, had promised the role to HIS wife, actress Lorraine Gary. To keep peace in the Universal family, Sheinberg called producer William Frye, who was currently making “Airport ’75.” “Bill,” he said to Frye, “you’ve got another passenger on your airplane!”

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Filed Under: Film Headlines Tagged With: 77, dies, jaws, producer, richard, zanuck, ...

Clive Owen’s “Intruders” Blu-ray Giveaway [ENDED]

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Though no one can see him, Hollow Face lurks in the corners, desperately desiring love but only knowing how to spread fear and hate. He creeps into the life of John Farrow (Clive Owen) after Farrow s beloved 13-year-old daughter Mia (Ella Purnell) is assaulted in their home. The line between the real and the imaginary blurs as fissures start to open within the family unit. It seems that no security measure can keep Hollow Face out. From visionary filmmaker JUAN CARLOS FRESNADILLO (28 Weeks Later, the upcoming Highlander reboot), INTRUDERS is the chilling story of two children living in different countries, each visited nightly by a faceless being who wants to take possession of them.

Media Mikes is teaming up with Millennium Entertainment to giving away three Blu-rays of “Intruders”. If you would like to enter to win one of these great prizes leave us a comment below or send us an email telling us what is the scariest movie you’ve ever seen? The giveaway will be open until Friday, July 27th at Noon Eastern Time and is only open to residents of the United States. Only one entry per person, per household. All other entries will be considered invalid. Once the giveaway ends Media Mikes will randomly select one of the winners and notify them via email.

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Ben Gleib talks about “Ice Age: Continental Drift”, Kevin Smith, “Chelsea Lately”, hanging with Jaleel White and time traveling with Syfy’s “Insane or Inspired?”

Ben Gleib is a comedian who can be seen recently voicing Marshall in “Ice Age: Continental Drift”. He also has his own podcast called “Last Week on Earth” on Kevin Smith’s Smodcast Network. Ben took out some time with Media Mikes to chat about appearing on “Chelsea Lately”, hanging with Jaleel White and time traveling with Syfy while working the show “Insane or Inspired?”

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about your role of Marshall in “Ice Age: Continental Drift”?
Ben Gleib: Well I had had an obsession with sloths since early in my life. So I have had to shape my career so that one way or another, I would portray a sloth on the silver screen. Actually that answer is bullshit. I just auditioned and got cast. It was very exciting though. Every kid grows up watching cartoons and you would never imagine that you would become a cartoon yourself. It has certainly ruined my ability to watch cartoons again though since now I know the process that goes into it…but it is worth it to entertain America’s children [pauses]…I only say I want to entertain America’s children so that women will read this and want to have sex with me.

MG: Tell us about your podcast “Last Week on Earth” on Kevin Smith’s Smodcast Network?
BG: I did a TV pilot with Kevin originally. He then asked me to co-host a podcast with him and shortly after he offered me my own show on his network. The idea behind it was that I try and cover every single event that happens the week before on Earth. News, politics, pop culture, science, social trends, technology and just weird shit. Every other week a celebrity guest joins me for it. I am having the time of my life doing it. It is a shit ton of work trying to learn the details of all of theevents on planet Earth each week. But I feel like it is worth it as a gift to all of my listeners. And by gift I mean a gift that no one asked for, and will probably get returned to the store.

MG: What is the prepare time for each episode?
BG: It is a lot of time. I am following the news all week. I’m also pre-writing a lot of concepts for the podcast. Each episode probably takes me between 20-30 hours to prepare. If I don’t end up on “Jeopardy” or at least the dumb version of it “Celebrity Jeopardy” one of these days, my life will be a failure.

MG: Tell us how you ended up appearing as a frequent guest on “Chelsea Lately”?
BG: I knew Chelsea a bit before she had her show just from doing stand-up together. So one day she told me they wanted me on the show and I have been asked back ever since. I have been very fortunate because I really enjoy being on television. Chelsea’s show is best place for comedians to be these days. You go on her show and just riff about everything going on with pop culture that week and it is a lot of fun. Plus it is even easier for me, since if I tell jokes that don’t go over so well, Chelsea just makes fun of me and it gets laughs anyway. So it is a win-win situation and a fail safe.

MG: How did you get involved with Syfy’s “Insane or Inspired?”?
BG: The casting director of that show, Phyllis Coblentz, called me up one day and asked me to be on the show. I agreed to do it and thought it sounded like a fun show to do. We actually just got picked up for another twelve episodes as well. It has been awesome with Syfy because besides being paid to be on their show, they also conduct experiments on you. I can’t say too much more, but my end of this phone call is happening in the 1800’s. I might have already said too much, so let me cover it up and say that my end of the conversation is actually place in the 23rd century. That way it will keep you guessing.

MG: I noticed you wear the same clothes in every episode, do you ever consider personal hygiene?
BG: When you work with Syfy and are a time traveler, you don’t really have time to pack a heavy bag. You just keep the same clothes. Syfy didn’t really know which clips would be in each episode, so they asked us to wear the same clothes each taping. It was a little silly because in the same episode you can see me with long hair and a beard and short hair and clean shaven, all while being in the same clothes. That or it could have been just the longest taping in history or I just have bionic fast growing hair.

MG: Speaking of the SyFy family, you worked with Jaleel White, host of “Total Blackout” in the film “Dumbbells”, tell us about that?
BG: We already shot “Dumbbells” and I didn’t even know that Jaleel White was in the movie until you told me right now. I am very excited to know that now and more excited about my film career since he is in it. I did actually meet Jaleel White once in the past. I was at a bar in Hollywood last year and there was a very attractive girl I was trying to impress and while she went to the bathroom, I felt like my breath could use a little freshening. And like a knight in shining armor, like everyone knows he is, Jaleel White walks into the bar. So I asked him if he could spare a piece, since I saw him chewing and I felt nervous asking Steve Urkel for gum. He put a piece of gum in my hand and closed my fingers around it and said to me “Never forget me man, I hooked you up”. Things did not work out with that girl. But if they did work out, could you have guessed who the best man at the wedding would have been?

MG: Let me guess…Jaleel White?
BG: No, it would have been my best friend Scott. I just got a piece of gum from Jaleel White, that’s really not a big deal.

MG: Being a comedian, who are your all-time favorites comedians?
BG: My favorite comedians of all-time would have to be George Carlin, Chris Rock and George W. Bush. They are definitely three of the funniest people in history.

MG: What do you enjoy most about doing stand-up comedy?
BG: It is the most free medium for a comedian. It is really a privilege to bring comedy to people on any form, whether it be TV or movies. But when it is stand-up, there is literally nobody else that gets to have a say in it. I get to say or do anything I want. It is completely just my unfettered creative output that gets directly to the audience and you get immediate feedback. It is also exhilarating, in the moment, with every second to second and joke to joke you don’t know how it is going to go. So it keeps you on your toes. Also when you are on your toes it is good because you seem taller. Girls enjoy tall guys, and you just hope that they do not look down because girls do not like guys who stand on their tippy toes. They do not find it very manly.

MG: What do I need to do to get you down to the Improv clubs here in Orlando, FL?
BG: All you need to do is find very attractive women who are into somewhat tall comedians who make themselves look like taller ballet dancers, and then I will be there. Because that is the girl I like. The kind of girl I like, and you can quote me on this, is the kind of girl that likes me. But do me a favor though, do not quote me on anything else I said so far.

MG: Well that is going to make this a very short interview then.
BG: Perfect.

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Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: age, ben, continental, drift, gleib, ice, ...

Adam Busch talks about working on TBS’ hit show “Men at Work”

Adam Busch is currently co-star on TBS’ hit show “Men at Work”.  He co-stars along side Danny Masterson (“That ’70s Show”), James Lesure (“Las Vegas”) and Michael Cassidy (“The O.C.”).  “Men at Work” is one the best new shows on television right now and was already renewed for a second season next summer. Like myself Adam is also a Long Island, NY native who then moved to Orlando FL (also like myself) to pursue acting.  Media Mikes had a blast chatting with him about “Men at Work” and if you haven’t seen this show be sure to check it out on TBS.

Mike Gencarelli: What drew you to “Men at Work”?
Adam Busch: I have always wanted to do a sitcom. I started working for Nickelodeon on the show “The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo” and across the hall they were recording the sketch comedy “All That”. Our show was serious and we would hear this laughing and screaming next door whenever the stage door was opened. They were always having such fun and improving on the fly. I said myself that I wanted to do that.  Well, it took about 15 years later but I am finally making it happen. It was definitely as fun as I thought it would be.

MG: How do you prepare for the role of Neal?
AB: I like that it’s a place for Breckin (Meyer) and the writers to really explore relationship problems. You get heartache, you get serial monogamy and the pressure of a new dating system. Neal is the only chance to get the positives and negatives of being in a long-term relationships and the things that come up. I think it is a constant reminder to the other guys that things can be much better or much worse depending on the situation.

MG: The show is filmed in from of a live audience, does make it more difficult to shoot?
AB: That is the best part! If at all everything else is a challenge and that is where I feel the most comfortable and have the most fun. When you have been rehearsing a line all week long and right before you say it one of the writers or Breckin comes over and hand you a brand new fresh line that you haven’t had time to think about, you have no choice but just to commit to it. To hear the reactions from the crowd, that is so much fun. I love the studio audience. There is also a rhythm you can into like if the audience is laughing or Oooing and Ahhhing, you can tap into that and just go with it and make the audience happy.

MG: You find that their is a lot of room for improv?
AB: Well, yeah there is room for it and it certainly does happy sometimes. The really exciting thing is that it gives room for Breckin and the writers to come up with lines on the fly.

MG: Breckin Meyer seems like he is always there on set, huh?
AB: He is always there. Every day, after we rehearse with the director, we do a run through for him to hear it and see it. He is the one giving notes on our performance or walking around making sure everyone is cool or has questions before the shoot. It is a really lucky situation having a young actor as your boss. Also everything is ripped right from his life, so he has all the answers.

MG: The chemistry between you and the guys are great, you find it hard to stay serious while shooting?
AB: Yeah, I do…I do. But that is what is great about doing a show about four friends. Very often if I am laughing at something James (Lesure) is saying during the shooting, there it is right in the show. We are friends and he makes me laugh and that is it. I don’t have to remain serious. We enjoy the way we all interact. Our dynamic of us hanging out is actually a lot different than our dynamic on the show. In the show everyone makes fun of Neal but outside we all make fun of (Michael) Cassidy. He is so freaking pretty and you can’t resist [laughs].

MG: What has been your favorite episode so far this season?
AB: I don’t know if I have a favorite episode. But I certainly have a favorite scene, like when I smack Cassidy back into reality. That was really fun and it changed so much throughout the week. First it was him smacking me, then it was me smacking him and it ended with us both smacking each other. We decided we were just gonna do it, no blocking with camera to fake it. I said I gonna smack you and your gonna smack me and that’s it. I also loved meeting J.K. Simmons and working with him. It was really wonderful.

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Film Review “Ice Age: Continental Drift”

Starring the voices of: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary
Directed by: Steve Martino and Mike Thurmeier
Rated: PG
Running time: 1 hour 34 mins
20th Century Fox

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Of all of the popular series of computer animated films that have come along in the past decade plus, I’ve always felt that the “Ice Age” series was often dismissed. Which is a shame because, along with the “Toy Story” films, I’ve always thought that they featured the most consistent story and writing excellence as well as a perfect vocal cast. And I’m happy to say that the fourth chapter, “Continental Drift,” continues that excellence.

The film begins with Scrat once again trying to protect his treasured acorn. Over the past decade Scrat has become a rodent Gollum, doing whatever he can to protect his “precious!” He has also become the ice age’s very own Wiley E. Coyote, suffering devastating consequences no matter how smart he thinks he is. While Scrat is dealing with his problems, our three main characters, Manny (Romano), Sid (Leguizamo) and Diego (Leary) are dealing with theirs. An unexpected visit from Sid’s sloth family leaves an unexpected present behind: Grandma (Wanda Sykes). Even more unexpected are the changes taking place in the world around them. Changes that will send the three friends, and their new addition, on a journey they won’t long forget.

Rendered with the beauty one would expect from Blue Sky Studios, the film is a virtual travelogue of the world of the past. Cloud covered mountains overlook clear, rushing rivers while the flowers bloom so bright you can almost smell them. And that beauty is also a vital part of the story. The film deals with the formation of the continents, a formation that separates our familiar friends from their loved ones. As they try to find their way home they come across a band of animal pirates, commanded by their simian leader, Captain Gutt (Peter Dinklage). Of course not everyone understands what a baddie the captain is. “Surrender or face my fury,” he demands. “Face your furry what,” asks Sid. Poor Sid.

As usual, the voice actors go above and beyond, breathing believable life into their animated alter egos. In checking back on my reviews of the previous three films, I noticed that I have always continued to praise the work of Ray Romano. And rightly so. He, and his fellow actors, give full and complete performances, which is many times a rarity in animated features. Leary and Leguizamo match Romano line for line. It’s obvious that these actors feel very comfortable in these roles and their familiarity is a plus. Sykes is very funny as Grandma. Like the other actors, she has managed to inject her very distinct personality into the character. Ditto Queen Latifah (Ellie), Jennifer Lopez (Shira the Tiger) and the rest of the vocal cast.

In this day of BIGGER and BETTER, 3D is pretty much standard on films like this. It doesn’t really add much to the story here. In fact, it was much better utilized in the short “Simpsons” cartoon that precedes it. But no matter how you choose to see it, you won’t be disappointed.

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Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson Join Forces for “Twins of Evil” U.S. and European Tour


LOS ANGELES, CA (Thursday, July 12, 2012) — It had to happen. Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie are hitting the road together this fall, co-headlining the “Twins of Evil” tour. Debauchery, theatrics, ghoulish imagery, and a full-on assault of all the senses are what’s in store for fans when the tour kicks off, first in the U.S. and then with a 10-country sweep through Europe.

Kicking off September 28 when both Zombie and Manson co-headline the first day of the Desert Uprising Festival in Phoenix, Arizona, expect defiant rock’n’roll showmanship in the form of these unholy rollers with the first U.S. date wrapping in Dallas on Halloween, October 31. For ticket on-sale and purchasing info, log onto www.marilynmanson.com or www.robzombie.com

“Finally! Why did the most obvious tour take so long to happen? Who knows? Who cares? It’s happening now,” stated Zombie. “If good taste is the chief enemy of great art, then we should be able to fill the Louvre with this f***ing tour. Be prepared for something wicked this way a-coming.”

“I have sympathy for the Whore of Babylon that gave birth to these twins of evil, and this abomination of a tour,” says Marilyn Manson. “There is no babysitter, and there is no repairing her womb. If Rob Zombie doesn’t f*** you up, than I surely will. Hide all drugs and firearms…I’m coming to town.”

J Devil, the DJ alter ego of KoRn’s frontman Jonathan Davis, will support the Manson/Zombie dates with his chaotic electro-metal. “I like to think of J Devil as the ‘anti-christ’ of EDM,” he said. “To play alongside Zombie and Manson is going to be a f***ing sinister night all around, and an unbelievable theatrical experience. I can’t wait.”

Marilyn Manson’s eighth full-length album Born Villain debuted in the Top 10 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart, also grabbing the #1 spots on both the Heavy Album Chart and the Independent Album Chart. “This is Manson at his best,” says ARTISTdirect. “Elegantly, he slices throats and puts up a middle finger to everyone once more.”

For the “Twins of Evil” tour, Zombie and his band of maniacs – John 5/guitar, Piggy D/bass and drummer Ginger Fish – will bring their elaborate, multi-media production, complete with hair-raising theatrics, animatronic robots, oversized LED screens, a non-stop collage of psychotronic monster film clips, a spectacular light show, a gigantic robot with flames shooting out of its body, pyrotechnics, insane guitar riffs and vicious beats. On August 7, prior to the kick off of the “Twins of Evil” tour, Mondo Sex Head, an album featuring new and unique remixes of Rob Zombie classics by some of today’s top DJs, including KoRn’s Jonathan “J Devil” Davis, Photek, the Bloody Beetroots, Kraddy, Drumcorps, and Ki: Theory will be released (Universal Music Enterprises/UMe). Fans can download one of the new songs, “Thunder Kiss ’65 (J-Devil Number of the Beast Remix),” from iTunes.

With more to be announced, dates for the “Twins of Evil” tour are as follows:

(U.S. Leg)
SEPTEMBER
28 Desert Uprising Festival, Ashley Pavilion, Phoenix, AZ
29 48 Hours Festival, Las Vegas, NV

OCTOBER
1 USANA Amphitheatre, Salt Lake City, UT
2 1st Bank Center, Denver, CO
4 Topeka Expo Center, Topeka, KS
8 Pershing Auditorium, Lincoln, NE
9 Verizon Wireless Center, Mankato, MN
11 Allstate Arena, Chicago, IL
12 DTE Energy Music Theatre, Detroit, MI
13 US Cellular Coliseum, Bloomington, IL
15 Covelli Center, Youngstown, OH
16 The Armory, Rochester, NY
19 Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ
20 Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT
21 Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, NH
23 Agganis Arena, Boston, MA
25 Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood, Atlanta, GA
30 Reliant Arena, Houston, TX
31 Dallas, TX

(European Leg)
NOVEMBER
26 London, UK
27 Manchester, UK
28 Glasgow SECC, UK
29 Birmingham, UK

DECEMBER
1 Luxembourg
2 Bochum, Germany
3 Amsterdam, The Netherlands
5 Stockholm, Sweden
6 Copenhagen, Denmark
8 Vienna, Austria
9 Munich, Germany
10 Basel, Switzerland
12 Bologna, Italy

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Comic Images’ Limited Edition Gold Lamé Plush C3PO Giveaway [ENDED]

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In honor of San Diego Comic Con this week, Comic Images and Media Mikes are teaming up to giveaway one of their brand new limited edition first-ever C3PO Super Deformed Plush. This is a 14” limited edition Super Deformed Plush made of gold lamé that will only be available at Comic Con and Celebration.  This is a special and super rare giveaway for the biggest “Star Wars” fans.

If you would like to win one of these great prizes, please leave us a comment below or send us an email and let us know your favorite quote from “Star Wars” series. This giveaway will be open until Friday July 27th at Noon, Eastern Time and is only open to residents of the United States. Only one entry per person, per household; all other entries will be considered invalid. Once the giveaway ends, Media Mikes will randomly pick out a winner and alert via email.

If you are hitting up SDCC this year but sure to visit the Comic Images booth (#2913B), where Yoda, Darth and Chewy join Spidey and Frankenstein to rein supreme in all their geekdom.  For more information about Comic Images product line, visit www.ComicImages.com.

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Eve to Adam Signed CD “Banquet For a Starving Dog” & T-Shirt Giveaway [ENDED]

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To celebrate the extension of Eve to Adam’s support run with rock legends Creed Media Mikes has once again teamed up with Total Assualt PR to giving away 1 Eve to Adam t-shirt and 1 signed copy of the bands latest album “Banquet For a Starving Dog”. If you would like to enter to win one of these great prizes leave us a comment below or send us an email telling us what concert you are most looking forward to seeing this summer? The giveaway will be open until Friday, July 27th at Noon Eastern Time and is only open to residents of the United States. Only one entry per person, per household. All other entries will be considered invalid. Once the giveaway ends Media Mikes will randomly select one of the winners and notify them via email.

“Banquet of a Starving Dog” is the debut from the NY hard rock band Eve to Adam. The band prides themselves on being a live act and has shared the stage with bands such as Daughtry, Motley Crue and 3 Doors Down. You can catch them all summer long as the opening act for Creed. Also be sure to check out Media Mikes exclusive interview with Eve to Adams lead vocalist/guitarist Taki Sassaris.

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Nivek Ogre talks about Skinny Puppy and “The Devil’s Carnival”

Nivek Orgre is the lead singer in the band Skinny Puppy.  He is also known for working with Darren Lynn Bousman in his film, “Repo! The Genetic Opera” and “The Devil’s Carnival”.  Ogre took out sometime to chat with Media Mikes to chat about “The Devil’s Carnival” and also touring with Skinny Puppy.

Mike Gencarelli: How did you start working with Darren Bousman?
Nivek Ogre: I first met Darren through Joe Bishara. Joe was the musical producer for both “Repo! The Genetic Opera” and “The Devils Carnival”. He has been a friend of mine and fellow musician since back in the day. He went on to make a much better choice than I did by moving from playing in bands to doing sound tracks. After our last tour in 2007 we were talking and he asked me what I was going to do. At that time I pondered some of my fantasies. I was thinking about doing everything from being a pastry chef to being put into prosthetics. Being put into prosthetics has been one of my favorite dreams ever since I was a little kid reading Famous Monsters magazine. He told me about the work he was doing on “Repo! The Genetic Opera” and there was a character that is a face stealing rapist. I thought it was delicious. They had originally wanted someone else as Darren wanted Actors who could sing not Singer who could act. It was sort of an uphill battle for me but Terrance Zdunich and the whole crew were pulling for me. Terrance had heard of Skinny Puppy and I got to know Darren more over the course of production as I was wearing his wife’s face. One of the masks they had cast for me was of his wife Laura’s face. Whenever I had to ask him a question with that mask on he would look at me and run away. (Laughs) It was a bit of an odd friendship at first. I didn’t know what he really thought of me and was sort of out in left field. I was told to be very polite and not to pull any diva moves by the producers. I’m not sure what they thought I was. They were all very nice to work with. Over the time since Repo Darren had tried to get me in to some of his other projects however things never seemed to work out. We always kept in touch and on the side we started to realize we both had an interest in paranormal and other extremesort of perceptive qualities. We went back and forth over email and Darren told me he had this character called “The Twin”. They plugged me into that role and that’s how things all sort of happened.

MG: What can you tell us about your role as “The Twin”?
NO: The Twin is sort of an interesting character to me as I think he could have been played a lot of different ways. I myself tend to have too much empathy so I wanted to make him very sympathetic. I kind of saw him as one of the original shells that were shucked down to hell. He probably made a bargain with the man below and is now living in fear trying to escape his fate by taking on the appearance of another. However while doing this he tends to see the best parts of him which gave him a slight bit of humanity. He also would see their nastiest thoughts which ultimately would do them in. It is both an empathetic and vicious character. I see myself as the bait for Lucifer.

MG: What do you enjoy most about working in the horror genre?
NO: Everything I have worked on has been somewhat of an ensemble cast. The best part for me is I am playing a supporting role for a whole group of people. Sometimes it’s even for the main character. In the case of Repo I was supporting Paul Sorvino. We each had our own things but we all were Paul’s kids. It’s a huge kick because it allows me to dig into a character. I get to really be in the moment and react to everything around me. With Skinny Puppy I make it. I conceptualize the stage show, I perform it and I am there every night by myself. I have musicians on the stage but everything else is imaginary. It is a huge amount of fun to play up against people. I really enjoy the process and I love makeup effects. I am one of those guys who likes to be immersed in character. I don’t have to have my face showing as I love trying to push myself through a mask.

MG: How do you think your music on the soundtracks differ from your work with Skinny Puppy?
NO: It’s incredible. If you ever have any trepidation or fear about changing your style or jumping into something new do it whole heartedly. I tell people this all the time. For 26 years I have stayed in the character of Ogre and never stepped too far out from that. I didn’t want to piss fans off or have them think that I wasn’t bloody or weird enough. When I actually stepped out and pushed myself it gave me a whole new presence and character within my voice. It was a great thing.

MG: Can you give us some background on the upcoming Skinny Puppy live album?
NO: In May of last year I released an Ogre record and I have continued to tour that as my solo project. Skinny Puppy is recording a new studio album as we speak that is going to be titled “Weapon”. The live album I believe is coming out in July. That album kind of follows our ill-fated European tour. It was a great tour performance wise but we were pirated out of a large sum of money. The tour just went upside down on us. Everything that could go wrong did. I did get to take my girlfriend to Europe for the first time as she had never been so I guess there are two sides to the coin.

MG: Are there any other upcoming projects in the works?
NO: I am doing a movie at the end of April in Philadelphia that is going to be a throwback to the 80’s slasher films. The movie is titled “Scream Park” and we are filming it in an amusement park in Northern Pennsylvania. I am pretty excited about my role in that film.

 

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Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: carnival, devils, nivek, ogre, puppy, skinny, ...

Blu-ray Review “Lockout”

Directed by: James Mather, Stephen St. Leger
Starring: Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace, Peter Stormare, Vincent Regan, Joseph Gilgun
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Distributed by: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Release Date: July 17, 2012
Running Time: 95 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars

When you see the name Luc Besson attached to a movie, you usually know you are in for a treat. He knows action (“The Transporter”) and sci-fi (“The Fifth Element”), “Lockout” is a great combination of the both with even some great humor thrown in. The film was done on a relative low budget of $20 million but when you look at it it should have cost at least $90 million. I have no idea how Adam Sandler’s terrible comedies cost over $80 million for each film. The visual effects in this film are over-the-top, fun and feel straight out of video game…especially the car chase in the beginning. On the box the film is labeled as “Die Hard meets Blade Runner,” but I really couldn’t stop thinking to myself it really felt like remake of “Escape from New York”, which is not a bad thing. Overall this is a real fun time for all sci-fi fans.

The film follows, Snow, a man convicted of wrongfully committing espionage against the U.S. but is offered his freedom if he can rescue the president’s daughter from an outer space prison taken over by violent inmates. Doesn’t that sound cool enough? Of course normally action/sci-fi slow down after the opening scene but that is not the case with this film at all. This film is literally a 95 minute non-stop roller coaster. Guy Pearce was awesome in this film and kicks some major ass. Maggie Grace…well…she could have stayed on the island in “Lost” but at least they are fun and snarky together. The only question I have is what is the deal with the Unrated Edition? The film was 95 minutes in theaters and 95 minutes with the Unrated cut, I guess there was not much left to put back in.

If you thought the movie was kick-ass enough, the Blu-ray presentation is even better. “Lockout” looks absolutely fantastic on Blu-ray. It’s 1080p transfer really delivers especially since most of the film is very dreary and dark. To accompany the perfect video transfer, the Dolby DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio track is out-of-this-world (get it?). Since the film is 95 minutes non-stop ride, this audio track really gets pushed to the limits and succeeds well. This release also includes a streaming Ultraviolet digital copy, which is yet another plus. Though then we come to the special features, which basically are a let down. There are only two short featurettes and nothing else. The first is “Breaking Into Lockout” is features cast and crew chatting about their characters and the production, typical. “A Vision of the Future” is a cool look into the films futuristic look and feel. Despite the lack of extras, this is still a great film and an awesome Blu-ray.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: bluray, lockout, review

Blu-ray Review “The Astronaut’s Wife”

Director: Rand Ravich
Starring: Johnny Depp, Charlize Theron, Joe Morton, Clea Duvall, Donna Murphy
MPAA Rating: R
Distributed by: Warner Home Video
Release Date: July 10, 2012
Running Time: 109 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: N/A

1999 was an interesting year for Johnny Depp. He just came off of my favorite films and his best performance in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and on the eve of the great “Sleepy Hollow”. This film was never my favorite Depp film ever but I still enjoyed it. I thought it played well on the horror/thriller genre. Johnny Depp doesn’t get to play the baddie often and he definitely plays it well. Nonetheless fans of his films will definitely want to check out this HD upgrade and pick up this release.

The Blu-ray itself includes a nice 1080p transfer.  The film packs some decent special effects and looks really good.  The audio included is a sweet Dolby Digital 5.1 track, which works well for the suspense in the film.  So with this release we get a good film, great Blu-ray transfer… but unfortunately zero special features.  I wasn’t expecting new features but I am not sure why they did not just mirror the DVD special features.

Buy It 7/10 on Blu-ray™
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Premise: Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominees Johnny Depp (“Pirates of the Caribbean,” franchise, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”) and Academy Award and Golden Globe-winner Charlize Theron (“Monster,” “The Italian Job”) star as the perfect all-American couple–astronaut Spencer Armacost and his beautiful schoolteacher wife–so passionately in love they can sense each other even while he floats in space and she is two hundred thousand miles below. But in two minutes it all turns to inexplicable terror. For two minutes, Armacost completely loses consciousness while on a space mission, returning home just barely alive. His wife senses something amiss from the moment he lands on earth. She begins to have strangely violent dreams–dark, paranoid thoughts–and the sensation that her husband is not the lover, or the man, he was.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: astronauts, bluray, review, wife

Blu-ray Review “Casa de mi Padre”

Directed by: Matt Piedmont
Starring: Will Ferrell, Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, Nick Offerman, Genesis Rodriguez
MPAA Rating: R
Distributed by: Lions Gate
Release Date: July 17, 2012
Running Time: 84 minutes

Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Will Ferrell is one of my favorite comedic actors.  He always manages to make me laugh.  His film roles recently have been hit or miss, he is still one of my favorites.  “Casa”, unfortunately sits right on the border of hit or miss.  When I heard the idea of a comedy that features Will Ferrell speaking only Spanish, I thought it would be the funniest idea ever.  Even though the film runs only 84 minutes, its angle gets old after about 30 minutes.  Don’t get me wrong it is still funny but I do not think it is something I will be able to re-watch and quote (especially since I don’t speak Spanish) like “Anchorman”.  Fans of Ferrell, I suggest you give it a shot but just don’t expect to fall on your ass laughing.

The film follows Armando Alvarez (Ferrell) who lives a simple life living and working on his father’s ranch in Mexico.  Armando’s younger brother Raul (and his father’s favorite), shows up with his new fiancé, Sonia when the ranch encounters financial problems.  Since Raul’s is a very successful international businessman, he pledges to settle all debts his father has incurred. Things get sticky when Armando falls for his brothers wife Sonia and Raul’s success is coming from working with drug lord, the mighty Onza.

The 1080p transfer isn’t really made to look amazing since it is purposely low-budget and parodied. The Spanish audio included is an DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.  The special features included are a commentary track by director Matt Piedmont, writer/producer Andrew Steele, and Will Ferrell.  There is a Behind-the-scenes featurette and a few deleted scenes included as well.  There is a funny music video for “Fight for Love” by Will Ferrell and Genesis Rodriguez.  I love when Will Ferrell sings.  There are four different “Commerciales” starring Will Ferrell, Diego Luna, Genesis Rodriguez, Efren Ramirez, and Nick Offerman.  These together are funnier than the film. Lastly Pedro Armendáriz Jr.’s final interview is included.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: bluray, casa, de, mi, padre, review, ...

DVD Review “Pink Floyd: The Story of Wish You Were Here”

Starring: Pink Floyd
Distributed by: Eagle Vision
Release Date: June 26, 2012
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 85 minutes

Our Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

“If you look long enough into the void, the void begins to look back through you.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

For the entirety of its 85-minute running time, “Pink Floyd: The Story of Wish You Were Here” finds the Floyd looking into multiple voids: the band’s disillusionment with the music industry after attaining mega-success with 1973’s “Dark Side of the Moon”, the increasing angst and conflict between the group’s individual members, and – perhaps most substantially – the void in the eyes of their former band leader, Syd Barrett, who had left the group in 1968. It’s an absorbing story to be sure and the documentary manages to capture the internal strife as well as the creation of an album that would defy the odds and become just as much of a classic masterpiece as “Dark Side”.

“Story” bookends itself with a live performance of “WYWH”s title track from Live 8 in 2005. There’s no voice-over narration but, rather, title cards that serve to transition the viewer back into Pink Floyd’s formative years – and it’s choice that serves the film well given the number of interviewees it presents. Rightly, the main story begins with the tragic tale of Syd. It’s a heartbreaking tale of a brilliant musician and true visionary wearing out his welcome with random precision due to his succumbing to the lure and excessive usage of brain-frying psychedelic drugs that were part and parcel of late 60’s culture. By the time the film shows its final picture of Barrett, it’s easy to understand why Pink Floyd would dedicate an album to his disappearance from and lingering absence in the band.

New interviews with band members Roger Waters, David Gilmour, and Nick Mason – as well as an archived interview with the late Rick Wright – allow each to shed light on their own personal connection with Syd and how the legacy of this crazy diamond truly shines on. It’s clear that the Floyds are an intelligent lot and the interview segments featuring them are insightful and engaging. Performance segments dissect various musical passages and refrains that served as the genesis of the songs that comprise “Wish”.

“Story” also introduces us to a wide range of people who were involved in the creation of the album both inside and outside of the studio. As with the “Classic Albums” DVD series, clips featuring a producer or engineer behind the mixing desk playing isolated instrumental or vocal tracks from the multi-track master tapes are especially interesting and fun. “Story” does this via sound engineer Brian Humphries by bringing him back to Abbey Road for the first time since the album was recorded. There, we’re treated to single-track samples from “WYWH” that allow us to hear exquisite musical details that are difficult to hear densely-layered final cuts that comprise the album. We even get to hear Roy Harper’s guest vocal track on “Have a Cigar”, one which easily surpasses both Waters’ and Gilmour’s attempts to handle the singing in-house – despite Roger’s new-found belief that, had he persevered, he “could have done it better”.

The documentarians behind “Story” are savvy enough to recognize that any story about Pink Floyd that doesn’t explore the visual aspect of the band’s album artwork and concert animations would be woefully inadequate.  The film covers this topic extensively by featuring interviews with longtime Floyd collaborators designer Storm Thorgerson, illustrator/cartoonist Gerald Scarfe and photographer Aubrey “Po” Powell. Even the iconic “burning man” featured on the “WYWH”s front cover, Ronnie Rondell, shares stories about his precarious contribution to the album (as photographer Powell states, “15 times to catch on fire is rather a lot.”).

“The Story of Wish You Were Here”, despite feeling a little disjunct because of the back-and-forth nature in which it alternates between focusing on Syd and the in-the-studio work, is an excellent documentary and is essential viewing for Floyd fanatics.  In fact, it’s so well done that it would likely hold the attention of even the newest of newbies. It would have made the recently-issued 5-disc “WYWH Immersion Edition” box set all the more immersive; why it wasn’t included in that pricey mega-package is a genuine mystery.

Somewhat ironically, if there’s any disappointment to be had with “Story”, it’s the near absence of interviews with Rick Wright, who passed away in 2008. One of the highlights of the 2001-issued “Classic Albums: The Making of Dark Side of the Moon” DVD was Wright’s solo piano performances of segments from that disc – even though, musically, “Dark Side” was a David Gilmour-dominated LP. By comparison, “WYWH” is a showcase for Wright’s abilities as a composer and musician. That the timing of the production of the documentary didn’t allow it to interact with him and focus more on his contribution is a shame because – even though the album is a brilliant homage to Syd Barrett – musically on “Wish”, the correct answer to the question of “Oh, by the way, which one’s Pink?” is indeed “Rick Wright”.  The diamond that was Rick shines on just as brightly as Syd’s.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: Aubrey Powell, Brian Humphries, David Gilmour, Gerald Scarfe, Nick Mason, Pink Floyd, ...

Blu-ray Review “The Flowers of War”

Directed by: Yimou Zhang
Starring: Christian Bale, Ni Ni, Xinyi Zhang, Paul Schneider, Tong Dawei
MPAA Rating: R
Distributed by: Lions Gate
Release Date: July 10, 2012
Running Time: 146 minutes

Film: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

when Christian Bale goes…I follow. Since “Empire of the Sun”, I have been a fan of mostly everything he has done. “The Flowers of War” is a unique film, a completely Chinese production, with Bale just thrown in for his “The Dark Knight” fame. Due to this it only features about 40% English speaking and the rest is Chinese and Japanese. The film is also extremely long running almost two and a half hours and after 90 minutes it feels very stretched out. Bale’s performance is good but nothing like his role in “The Fighter”. Props needs to be given to director Zhang Yimou, who has done some of my favorites “Hero” and “House Of Flying Daggers”, who is great at what he does but this one doesn’t come close to his best work.

The story follows the classic story of love and war. Taking place during WWII on the streets of Nanjing, we meet a group of opposites who all seek refugee in a church.  There is a group of schoolchildren, a dozen prostitutes and an American mortician posing as a priest. When they become prisoner in the church by Japanese soldiers, it is up to the priest to unite with the group and put together a plan to protect the children from the on-going events of the war.

Besides my issues with the film, its Blu-ray presentation is superb.  It looks fantastic with its 1080p transfer and packs a nice aspect ratio of 2.40:1.  The star of the film, sorry Christian, is its audio track of DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1.  During the war scenes, it is absolutely fantastic and works so well.  The special features are not bad overall.  There is a behind the scenes extra look into the film’s production featuring the following five featurettes “The Birth of The Flowers of War”, “Meeting Christian Bale”, “The Newborn Stars”, “Hard Time During War” and “Perfection of Light and Color”.  Very thorough and informative overall.  Lastly there is a trailer included.

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Blu-ray Review “American Reunion”

Directed by: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg
Starring: Jason Biggs, Eugene Levy, Chris Klein, Seann William Scott, Mena Suvari
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Distributed by: Universal Studios
Release Date: July 10, 2012
Running Time: 113 minutes

Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

When “American Pie” came out I was still in high school just like Jim and his friends. I have grown up with these films and even have a kid myself like Jim. But “American Reunion” though is just one sequel too many. I think I had enough after the second, let alone the four (not referenced) direct-to-video spin-off/sequels. This film is just the a continuous of the same, it really doesn’t take the franchise into anything new at all or doesn’t give it any direction. There were a few decent laughs but nothing special, overall. Eugene Levy (again) was the best part of this film and should have his own movie. Also I understand they wanted to re-create the original poster with this film but Natasha Lyonne was seriously in the film for 40 seconds.

The Blu-ray edition includes two cuts of the film: a 113-minute theatrical cut and a 114-minute unrated version. So you can see that it doesn’t matter which one you watch they are basically the same, just like the last few sequels. This release comes in a combo pack with a Blu-ray disc, DVD disc and a streaming UV Digital Copy. The 1080p video resolution looks ok but nothing special and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The audio track is also decent with its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, not really challenged.

The special features are also decent but nothing to call home about. There are two audio commentary, the first is with co-writers/co-directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, some funny moments overall. The second “Out of Control” audio track is a video commentary with Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott and other members of the cast who pop-up on screen throughout and give comments. I preferred the second one for sure though it is sometimes erratic.

Next up, there are over 40 minutes collected of deleted, extended, alternate scenes, as well as a Gag Reel (which funnier than whole movie). “The ‘Reunion’ Reunion: Re-Launching the Series” is a behind0the-scenes featurette with the cast chatting about returning. “The Best of Biggs: Hangin’ with Jason B.” is an all you can eat Jason Biggs buffet. “Lake Bake” is a location feature with the cast and crew. “Dancing with the Oz” is a look into Chris Klein dance act. “American Gonad-iators: The Fight Scene” is a feature on the films climactic fight sequence. “Jim’s Dad”, aka the best part of the film, takes a look at Eugene Levy’s character. “Ouch! My Balls!” is a behind-the-scenes with the cast planting spoof. Lastly there is an interactive yearbook with clips from the entire Pie series.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: american, bluray, reunion, review
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