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I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t know who Jerry Lewis was. As a kid in the 60s, I loved his films. As someone who liked music, I loved his son’s group, Gary Lewis and the Playboys. And, as I got older and was allowed to stay up late, I loved watching him every Labor Day on the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon he hosted every year. Monday is a sad day because Mr. Lewis won’t be a part of it. He died August 20th at the age of 91.

Born Jerome Levitch in Newark, New Jersey in March 1926, he was 20 years old when he was teamed up with singer Dean Martin and the duo became the most popular nightclub comedy act of the time. Capitalizing on their stage personas (Dean was the good looking singer, Jerry the spastic goof) they made a successful number of films for Paramount. The duo broke up in 1956 and the next year found Jerry starring by himself in the comedy “The Delicate Delinquent.” After success in a series of films created by others (“The Sad Sack,” “The Geisha Boy”) he decided to write and direct himself, beginning with 1960’s “The Bell Boy.” He worte and/or directed 10 films in 10 years including “The Ladies Man,” “The Errand Boy” and the film he was most closely associated with, “The Nutty Professor.”

Critics dismissed Lewis’ films but other cultures, notably the French, hailed him as a comic genius. Lewis was also technically brilliant as a filmmaker, developing the “video assist” system employed by most directors today, giving them the chance to see what they have just shot instead of waiting for the film to be developed. In 1972 he took on a personal project dealing with the Holocaust, writing, directing and starring in “The Day the Clown Cried.” The story of a former clown who is used to escort young children to the gas chambers, the film has rarely been seen. For many years Lewis kept the only print of the film locked up in a vault. However, in 2015 he donated it to the Library of Congress with the stipulation that it not be shown until 2025.

As his film career slowed down Lewis turned his attention more and more to finding the cure for Muscular Dystrophy, raising almost $2.5 BILLION when he stopped hosting in 2010. One of the highlights of the show came in 1976, when Frank Sinatra reunited Lewis with Dean Martin on air. To me it is one of the greatest live moments caught on television. Everything from Jerry muttering “you son of a bitch” to Sinatra to him wiping the tears from his eyes is genuine.

After a decade away from films, Lewis returned with a flourish, playing late-night talk show host Jerry Langdon in Martin Scorsese’s brilliant film “The King of Comedy.” Starring opposite Robert De Niro, Lewis received the best reviews of his life. He continued to work in film, television and theater through 2015. In 2009 he was given the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scientists for his 50 years of work with Muscular Dystrophy.

“Evil Dead” and “Army of Darkness” star and all-around screen legend Bruce Campbell will help the Kansas City Alamo Drafthouse celebrate their 5th anniversary by bringing his interactive game show, “Last Fan Standing,” to town on September 9th.

In conjunction with Rainy Day Books, those that attend the event will not only get a meet and greet with Mr. Campbell but will receive a copy of his latest book, “Hail to the Chin: Further Confessions of a “B” Movie Actor.” Tickets to the event are $65.00 and available here. 

About “Hail to the Chin: Further Confessions of a B Movie Actor”

It’s been 15 years since his first memoir but Bruce is still living the dream as a “B” movie king in an “A” movie world. Bruce Campbell makes his triumphant return from where he left off in “If Chins Could Kill” with further hilarious, gut-wrenchingly honest confessions. Bruce brings us through his life in the decade since his first memoir and his roles as varied as they are numerous- from his roles in the “Spiderman” movies to his self-referential “My Name is Bruce” to his role on #1 show “Burn Notice” and his new STARZ hit series “Ash vs Evil Dead.”

Over the last 15 years, Bruce has become a regular on the Wizard World convention circuit, has created his @GroovyBruce twitter account with over 400,000 followers and a Facebook page with almost 250,000 likes. His profile and reach is lightyears beyond where it was for Chins. “Hail to the Chin” will be bursting with pictures and the signature humor that Bruce brought to “If Chins Could Kill” and will be devoured by his legions of fans across the country.

About Last Fan Standing

Last Fan Standing gives the entire audience the chance to play along and qualify to be on stage—and attempt to be the Last Fan Standing. Through provided “audience response devices” (Clickers if you insist on getting technical), each audience member participates in a series of multiple choice questions, where the players with the fastest-correct answers advance to the Podium Rounds. The Podium Rounds bring the top four (4) players from the audience to a winner-take-all battle of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Superheroes, and Horror based trivia. After each round the player with the lowest score is eliminated, until there is only one….Last Fan Standing!

It’s a difficult experience to summarize, but upon arrival back home in Kansas City, I’ve told people that it felt like a nerdy rite of passage. MediaMikes has had the pleasure of attending New York and Kansas City’s Comic-Con’s, but for the first time, we can now add the honor of attending San Diego Comic-Con to that list.

There are inevitable growing pains for those who have never attended the San Diego Comic-Con, no matter how much research beforehand is done. And if word on social media was correct, there are continuous growing pains for regular attendees. The first hurdle was the agonizing wait time to see if we would be one of the lucky few to get into Comic-Con and then came the mad dash for available hotel and AirBnB space. Following that whirlwind is the announcement of events, panels, and celebrities. Some of them announce a few weeks out while others pop-up announce their intentions the day of.

However, that overwhelming spectacle aspect is put on the backburner for opening night on Wednesday. For a handful of hours, the massive vendor and exhibit hall was opened for the tens of thousands already in scenic San Diego. For those thousands, some had waited outside all day, while others, like me, walked in after the initial stampede. A sensory explosion of lights, sounds and excitement filled the halls as the talk on the floor was of SDCC specific goodies already being sold out. I spotted folks who already had multiple bags of merchandise in tow while others waited in lines for exhibits like “The Walking Dead” and “Star Wars.”

Despite the giddy joy within the SDCC halls, the 79 degrees and sunny skies made it hard not to enjoy the various outdoor exhibits around the convention center. They may as well be more popular than the convention center itself because you don’t need a pass and it’s free. Netflix, “The Walking Dead,” “Westworld,” SyFy, Adult Swim and others were on point with their outside exhibits. Not only did they offer up swag, ranging from shirts and bandanas, but some offered legitimate exclusive items along with fresh food and a refreshing bottle of water.

While talking with others exploring the sprawling nerdified cityscape outside, I began to understand the behemoth known as Hall H. For those who don’t know, Hall H is where Marvel, FOX, DC, and others unveil previews and have panels focused on the hottest shows and movies for nerdy pop-culture. When you crunch the numbers, around 5% of attendees are only able to squeeze into Hall H for a panel. Some were lucky enough to step inside, including our very own Lauren Damon. But for those on the outside looking in, waiting in a line to wait in a future line seems like pure insanity when there are other panels at smaller venues.

Because Comic-Con has grown so big, it’s hosting panels in a nearby library, while also packing over 15,000 people into the home of the San Diego Padres, PetCo Park. Multiple panels were even jammed into the nearby hotel meeting rooms, while the nightly festivities spilled into the nearby Gaslamp Quarter. My and Lauren’s experiences have their merits, going balls out for Hall H or enjoying nearly every display and participating into those off the beaten path panels. If you were to ask me or Lauren about our experiences, they’d both be positive for widely different, but solid reasons.

With hundreds of thousands in town, there’s an argument over whether or not SDCC is worth the “Hunger Games” dash for tickets and lodging, the long waits, and the sore feet after four days of walking and standing. We at MediaMikes say it is. It’s a one-of-a-kind experience that transcends all ages and turns out to be an unforgettable weekend for all in attendance. There may be times of frustration, but the moments of pure nerdy ecstasy, like watching the latest “Thor: Ragnarok” trailer in a crowd of thousands of screaming people or geeking out over Matt Groening revealing that “The Simpsons” writers have been asked to tone down their criticism of Fox News, make SDCC a lifetime memory.

For those who’ve attended before, you’ve made up your mind about where you stand on attending the world’s largest comic-con. Once may be enough, but from what I gathered from talking with complete strangers on the hall floor, on the street and at the bars, it’s a yearly pilgrimage once you’ve had a taste. But for those who have been on the fence for years about whether or not to attend, just do it. Keep in mind that you have to choose your time wisely because those five days (or fewer) go by quickly. Here at MediaMikes, we’ve gotten our feet wet and can’t wait to dive head first next time.

July 16th is an important date in my life. It’s the birthday of my daughter-in-law, Jessica. It’s also the date that one of my personal heroes, Harry Chapin, died in 1981. Sadly, the date will know be remembered for the loss of two of Hollywood’s legends as both Oscar winning actor Martin Landau and acclaimed filmmaker George A. Romero both passed away.

Born in Brooklyn in June 1928, Martin Landau began his employment career as a cartoonist for the New York “Daily News.” However, he had always dreamed of becoming an actor and, at age 23, made his off-Broadway debut in the play “First Love.” In 1955 he was one of 2000 aspiring actors to apply to the prestigious Lee Strasberg’s Actor’s Studio. He was one of only two admitted, alongside a young man named Steve McQueen.

For several years he worked steadily, both on-stage and on television, appearing in such popular programs as “Maverick,” “Rawhide,” “Playhouse 90” as well as films such as “North by Northwest” and “Cleopatra.” He even co-starred with his old acting mate McQueen in an episode of “Wanted: Dead of Alive.” After stand-out roles on such shows as “The Twilight Zone” and “The Outer Limits,” Gene Roddenberry asked him to audition for the role of Mr. Spock in “Star Trek.” The role went to Leonard Nimoy, but the same year saw Mr. Landau appear in the role that made him a star, Rollin Hand in “Mission: Impossible.” Ironically, when he left the show in 1969 he was replaced in the cast by Nimoy.

In 1975 he co-starred alongside wife Barbara Bain in the sci-fi program “Space: 1999,” a groundbreaking show that is still considered a classic. Following the show’s cancellation he continued doing episodic television along with the occasional film roles. He earned his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1989’s “Tucker: The Man and his Dream.” The next year saw nomination number two, this time for his work in Woody Allen’s “Crime and Misdemeanors.” The third time proved the charm when he took home the Oscar for his portrayal of Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood.” He continued to work steadily, appearing on television and in films up to his death. His last film, “Without Ward,” is scheduled to be released next month. Mr. Landau was 89-years-old and his cause of death is listed as “Complications” after a brief hospital stay.

If you are familiar with the term “Zombie” you have one man to thank: George A. Romero. The New York born writer/director also passed away today after a battle with lung cancer. He was 77-years-old.

After graduating from Carnegie-Mellon college in Pittsburgh he made the steel city his home, shooting many of his films in the area. In the mid-1960s he and some friends pitched in their money to create Image Ten Productions. After a series of short films, he co-wrote (with John Russo) and directed one of the most influential films of all time, the black and white horror classic “Night of the Living Dead.” To honor the film the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress inducted it into its ranks. After a few less commercial films he returned to the horror genre with the film “Martin.” But it was his next film that cemented him into the pantheon of horror film legend, 1978’s “Dawn of the Dead.” In an endeavor to release the film away from the Image Ten company the copyrights to “Night of the Living Dead” were lost, putting the film into the public domain, which meant that when home video came around Romero did not share in any of the proceeds.

I was a teenager in Tampa when a friend of mine called me and said I had to get to the theatre he worked at by 7:30. They were holding a sneak preview and, even though he couldn’t tell me what it was, he said I would hate myself if I missed it. Gathering a few of my friends we made it to the theatre in time to be admitted to the auditorium. This was back in the days when a sneak preview was just that – the filmmakers just showed up at a theatre with a print and showed it to an unknowing audience. Well my friend was right. I would have been pissed to learn I had missed out on the first screening of “Dawn of the Dead.” Shot in color with incredible effects by make-up legend Tom Savini, the film gave me nightmares for weeks. Made for $1.5 million, “Dawn of the Dead” went on to gross over $40 million, making Romero a much sought after director. He followed the film in 1981 with “Knightriders,” starring Ed Harris and another horror classic, the 1982 anthology “Creepshow.”

In 1985 he delivered “Day of the Dead,” but it was not as well met by fans or critics as the previous two. He also directed “The Dark Half,” based on a Stephen King story and wrote the script for the Tom Savini-directed color remake of “Night of the Living Dead.” In 2005 he directed “Land of the Dead” and followed it up with two more films, “Diary of the Dead” (2007) and 2009’s “Survival of the Dead.”

Meeting Richard Dreyfuss. My lanyard reads “Celebrity” but we know the truth.

I’ve been attending fan conventions since I was 16-years-old. In those 40 years I’ve had the chance to meet so many of my favorite celebrities, from the cast of the original “Star Trek” series to such esteemed filmmakers as Martin Scorsese, John Avildsen, Ron Howard and Brian DePalma. This past weekend I had the experience of seeing a convention from “the other side of the table” when I was a celebrity guest of the Hollywood Show in Los Angeles.

Being a guest at a show like the Hollywood Show is a surreal moment. Instead of standing in line and talking to people about who you are going to meet (favorite roles, etc) there are people standing in line to talk to YOU. The show was very “Jaws”-centric, which means had I lived in LA I would have been the first one in line. Among the guests from my favorite film were Joe Alves, Carl Gottlieb, Roy Arbogast, Ted Grossman and the show’s headliner, Academy Award winner Richard Dreyfuss. As the co-author of the definitive book on “Jaws 2,” I was placed in the same row as a group of “Amity Kids” from the film: Donna Wilkes, Gigi Vorgan, Tom Dunlop, Ben Marley, Billy Van Zandt and Martha Swatek. Both Ann Dusenberry and Gary Springer were hoping to attend but cancelled, Gary having to work and Ann’s father, Bruce, having sadly passed away recently. Another “Jaws” highlight was the amazing sculpture of Robert Shaw as Quint in the fighting chair, which was created by Nick Marra. Mr. Marra also created the amazing sculpture of Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss at the back of the ORCA that was featured at the 2012 JAWSFest.

Nick Marra’s amazing Quint sculpture.

But if you weren’t a “Jaws” fan there was someone there for everyone. Fans of classic television had the opportunity to meet Wally and the Beaver (Jerry Mathers and Tony Dow), Mary Ann (Dawn Wells), Barney Miller and Stan Wojciehowicz (Hal Linden and Max Gail) as well as several “Star Trek” stars, including Nichelle Nichols, Fred Williamson and Mariette Hartley. Besides Richard Dreyfuss, film fans got to spend time with such stars as Bruce Dern and Paul Sorvino. Current television was also represented, with many soap opera stars attending on Saturday. I was pleased to find that sitting directly behind me was the cast of “Mike and Molly,” with Billy Gardell’s back often ending up in the photos taken of me.

Not only were the celebrity guests friendly and generous with their time, they weren’t charging an arm and a leg. I’ve been to shows where celebrities charge a minimum of $50 just for an autograph. If you want a photo with them, it’s more. The highest priced signature here was Mr. Dreyfuss’, who was charging $40. But with that signature you could take a photo with him and, of course, chat for a few moments. Most of the guests were signing for $25 or less, meaning you had more celebrity opportunities for your dollar.

Me and the JAWS 2 kids (l-r): Ben Marley, Tom Dunlop, Martha Swatek, yours truly and Billy Van Zandt.

To me, the best part was when a representative of the show came to my table and escorted me to the “Celebrity Lounge,” where Goody Bags were prepared for the guests. I was taken around the room and offered everything from jewelry to bath salts, from wine glasses to hand painted chocolates. I was amused that a few of the gift representatives told me how much they enjoyed my last project and a couple even asked what I had coming up next. “Another book,” I’d reply. They would write down my name and ask to take a photo of me with their product, which I found to be an incredible boost for me ego. And I can’t help but think that somewhere is an advertisement featuring me holding up a bag of snack crackers reading, “Michael Smith LOVES ‘Rice Crisps'” (and I must admit, I did. Especially the pizza flavored ones). The next Hollywood Show in Los Angeles is coming up in October and it’s early guest list looks like it’s filled by the stars of “Hill Street Blues” and the film “The Warriors.” For information please go HERE.

All an all, the entire weekend was an amazing time for me, both as a fan and as a “celebrity.” I’ll be doing the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in Baltimore in September. I hope the people with the Pizza Rice Crisps are there!

There are countless movies about poker and gambling related storylines. Likewise, casinos have been popular prime locations for making these movies since the very beginnings of a silver screen. In case you are interested in learning some tips and tricks while watching such films, then our selection of carefully selected gambling movies will be of a great interest to you. Another place to get try your gambling skills would be supercasinosites.com/online-casinos and play while watching these great movies.

1. Rain Man

A selfish businessman called Charlie Babbit (Tom Cruise) discovers his father left a fortune to his savant, autistic, brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman). After meeting his older brother for the first time, Charlie takes Raymond to Las Vegas with the idea of using his brother’s gift to win big while playing blackjack. “Rain Man” resembles everything from family bonds, mental insight, to even crossing the legal boundaries.

2. The Sting

One of the most stylish movies of all times, “The Sting”, takes place in Chicago, in 1936. A young con man Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) teams up with an old pro Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) to revenge for his murdered partner responsible, Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw). In this finely-crafted story, things don’t go according to plan, so there is some ad hoc improvisation by the undaunted duo.

3. Casino (1995)

Full of violence and tragedy, “Casino” is Martin Scorsese’s masterpiece where Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone and Joe Pesci are the main characters. The movie is all about greed, dishonesty, power, and a rivalry between the two best friends – a mafia underboss and a casino owner, over a trophy wife and a gambling empire.

4. Two for the Money (2005)

After suffering a career-ending knee injury, a former college football celebrity Brandon (Matthew McConaughey) decides to keep working in the sports gambling business. His knowledge and skills qualify him to choose winners which is how why he catches the eye of one of sports-betting’s consultants Walter (Al Pacino) who takes Brandon under his control. “Two for the Money” is a famous  American drama about the world of sports gambling.

5. Casino Royale (2006)

Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) is a shady financier who attends a high-rollers poker tournament in Montenegro, where he tries to recoup his money back in order to stay safe amongst the terrorists. Secret agent James Bond (Daniel Craig) is sent on a mission to prevent Le Chiffre from winning the money and escaping. Altogether, “Casino Royale” is a classy casino film which became highly popular among movie lovers.

6. Louis Theroux: Gambling in Vegas (2007)

“Louis Theroux: Gambling in Las Vegas” is a TV documentary which is created by Louis Theroux who goes to Las Vegas in order to reveal the world behind the curtains of a casino culture. Among many people, he meets interesting individuals such as high-rollers and a worker who looks after them, and also a retired doctor who tells she has gambled millions of dollars in seven years.

The Conclusion

These are top 6 must-see gambling movies. Certainly, some of the titles are better than the others, but they all have one thing in common – to keep you entertained and eager to visit the casinos and try your luck.

One would be hard pressed nowadays to find a game that doesn’t offer the player some degree of online functionality. With big budget, triple-A releases being developed with online in mind, taking advantage of the large, cult like followings that online games garner, more and more money is being spent on an aspect that was once an afterthought. Online gaming, however; thanks to the competitive nature of human beings; has spawned a thriving community of competitions, championships and tournaments, played on a variety of titles. With these competitions on the upswing, we mulled over why exactly gaming competitions have gotten so big.

It’s not just competitive spirit and cyberspace self-worth that has spawned tournaments, however. The Call of Duty World Championships, held this spring, had a total prize pool of $1,000,000, and in 2011, the Battlefield 3 Worldwide Conquest Tournament had a prize of $1,600,000; quite the prize for what is, to the untrained observer, playing a computer game. With this much on offer, players that thought they were good at the game whilst playing for fun are enticed to take it that step further. Meanwhile, with such big prizes on the line, publicity is generated and game copies are sold; the benefits are shared by consumer, publisher and developer.

Online gaming doesn’t have to be a high-definition, bullet-ridden endeavour, however. Take online casino mobile providers. These companies have been enjoying enormous growth of recent, thanks in part to the lifting of the taboo of gambling across society and the rise in mobile gaming apps. Casino games obviously lend themselves to tournaments, and as such competitions are regularly held, testing the competitors’ mettle across a variety of games; blackjack, roulette, poker, to name but a few; as huge prizes hang in the balance. These competitions are so popular that continent-wide and worldwide competitions are regularly held, satisfying the competitive desires of many whilst simultaneously making many individuals rather wealthy!

 

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When some of Europe’s biggest soccer clubs become involved, it’s a sure sign that there is money to be made. Soccer’s voracious appetite for money is legendary and when it comes to exploiting market segments, few sporting organisations are better than soccer clubs.

Paris St Germain, Santos, Manchester City, West Ham United, Ajax, Besiktas and Schalke are just some of the clubs involved. When leagues begin partnerships, it’s a sign of more investment to come.

City signed their first eSports player others are ahead of that curve. For the clubs, it’s all about brand exposure. Tara Warren, executive director of communications at West Ham, explained that digital and tech are the club’s priorities as far as brand awareness is concerned. eSports and the professional game enjoy a symbiotic relationship.

So too do other sports and the burgeoning eSports, which is of little surprise when the market is estimated by some analysts to be worth $1bn in 2018. Global sport finance specialists, Deloitte, offers more caution, predicting significant – but smaller – growth, a point with which the Financial Times agrees.

It’s clear that some areas of eSports are more established than others. While the winners of the Interactive FIFA World Cup receive £20,000, the winning team at the International Dota 2 Championships get £6.7m. To put it into context, the winner of the Men’s Singles at Wimbledon 2017 will walk away with a cheque for £2.2m. According to the BBC, the total prize money won globally in 2016 was a staggering $93.3m.

Premier League involvement may see the FIFA money increase; 600m players worldwide mean that each year’s new version of the game pulls in more money than the previous edition.

And if you’re still not convinced eSports is the real deal, consider this. An ESL Gaming initiative, in co-operation with NADA and working toward WADA recognition, is to outlaw the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED) which blight other sports. eSports has arrived.

Taking Advantage Of The Tools To Hand

All this from humble beginnings when groups of players met at conventions for multi-player tournaments. Now, most online bookmakers offer a full market on events, while Betway Sports made the headlines last year when they became lead sponsor of Ninjas in Pyjamas, one of the world’s most famous eSports teams.

Despite the money involved, there’s still a perception in the wider world, that eSports is a fad, a new toy whose novelty will soon wear off. Nothing could be further from the truth; eSports will evolve in the same way other professional sports did.

It wasn’t until the mid-1980s that the UK bought into American football. Since then, it has grown through a path of two steps forward, one back. Now more popular than ever, the Super Bowl is becoming an ‘event’ in its own right in these green and pleasant lands.

eSports is unlikely to follow a similar trajectory. It’s very nature puts it front and centre of the technological world we live in today. Any advancements are likely to pull eSports along with them, giving it an immediate advantage on those which went before.

There’s little sign of the growth stalling. It may slow down in coming years but with studios producing games deliberately designed for the eSports, as well as the domestic markets, the signs are that there is much more to come.

Perhaps the biggest danger is the internal perception. With prize money commanding staggering sums, there is bound to be a schism at some point. Those who want the ‘purity’ of their eSports retained will reach a point where the mainstream popularity is too much for them. A bit like fans of a band who after years of working the club circuit make it big but some resent their ‘precious’ being popular.

The Future’s Bright, The Future’s Unlimited

That won’t matter much in the overall scheme of things. As eSports gains in popularity and the additions outweigh the churn of players, there is no problem. BI Intelligence reported that 300m people “tune in” to eSports today, with projects of 500m by 2020. With that kind of reach, the cliff edge seems some way off.

It’s important to remember that as an industry, professional eSports is less than a decade old. Amateur level occupies the same level as Comicon, where the participants are viewed as obsessives. Professionalism confers a different status and in a young industry, there are still plenty of revenue streams to exploit.

Indeed, there are more games to exploit. The genres may be well defined but the games themselves are limited by technology and human imagination. So long as the studios come up with original ideas, as well as iterations of games which capture the imagination of the players, there is a market for eSports.

Source: Flickr

There are some horror movies that are so well crafted they immediately become classics that you’ll return to time and time again. These movies are rare gems, and have the perfect combination of cast, storyline, director, script, special effects and soundtrack. Some horror movies are watchable on first viewing, but for whatever reason fail to make an impact and slide into horror movie obscurity. Then there’s that final, special category of horror movies … the ones that are so bad, so terribly cast and so poorly written that they just shouldn’t work, but they do and they achieve legendary status. These movies are the ultimate in guilty pleasure – and here’s are our all-time favorites!

Dead Snow (2009) – a Norwegian zombie splatter movie, featuring mountains, a death metal soundtrack, snow and Nazis. Yes, Nazis! Although not as terrible as some of the other movies on our list, Dead Snow is one of those films that’s gone onto achieve a bit of a legendary status despite less than satisfactory box office figures. It has even spawned a sequel, ‘Dead Snow 2: Red vs Dead’. In ‘Dead Snow’ a group of students are forced to fight off a series of zombie Nazi attacks, who are out to protect their stolen gold at all costs…

Poker Night (2014) – since poker is well-integrated in popular culture it was only a matter of time before it became the theme for a late-night chiller! ’Poker Night’ was released straight onto video on demand in 2014, but did pull off a limited theatrical release later that month, and stars the ubiquitous Ron Perlman. The plot is not unlike a good old-fashioned Amicus portmanteau: Beau Mirchoff plays a detective who gets invited to a poker night with several police vets and detectives. Each of them has a story to tell about different cases they’ve been assigned to, and when he gets captured alongside Halston Sage he realizes he must use the stories from his fellow officers to find a way to escape.

Wild Zero (2000) – the second zombie movie to make our list, this Japanese masterpiece ticks all the ludicrous boxes – meteorites? Check! Zombie apocalypse? Check! ‘Wild Zero´centers around the story of Ace, a wannabe rockstar who becomes friends with a supernaturally gifted band Guitar Wolf during the afore-mentioned zombie apocalypse caused by falling meteorites and invading aliens. Wild Zero features a gorgeously corny soundtrack, a heart-wrenching love story and all the gore you need for a Saturday night’s viewing!

Faust Love of the Damned (2000) – Brian Yuzna has a unique take on comic book adaptations, ‘Faust Love of the Damned’ is one such film, and like his previous forays into the world of comic strips it wasn’t quite what people expected! Faust ticks all the boxes for icky special effects (thanks, Screaming Mad George!) and is a bafflingly funny take on the legend – a lovesick artist makes a deal with the devil to avenge his the death of his wife. ‘Charming’ is not normally a word you’d associated with a horror flick, but if there’s one thing this movie is, it’s that!

Leprechaun 3 (1995) – well, it wouldn’t be a list of “terribad” films without at least one Leprechaun title, eh? So what makes this particular installment in the wacky series special enough to warrant inclusion above the others? Well it stars the Leprechaun in Vegas for a start, as he literally takes a trip to find his gold. Things get a bit lycanthropic when the little guy takes a bite into Scott, who himself goes through a transformation into (you guessed it) a Leprechaun! Leprechaun 3 is the perfect mix of camp and gore, and being set in Vegas allows for some creative set pieces and a very nice twist, which you’ll just have to watch the film to discover!

What are your favorite so-bad-they’re-good horror movies to watch?

Source: NFL via Facebook

You just couldn’t script it, could you? Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots, one of the most successful franchises in the history of the National Football League, produced the greatest Super Bowl comeback of all-time to beat the Atlanta Falcons back in February.

Trailing 28-3 at half time, Tom Brady led the Patriots to a phenomenal victory that will live long in the memory of football fans across the globe. If you want to create a dramatic sporting film based on real events, look no further than this game – it will go down in the annals as one of the craziest matches in Super Bowl history.

If truth be told, nobody saw it coming and that is what made it even better. Heading into the famous half time show, the Patriots and the great Tom Brady were down by 25 points. Only a fool would have claimed that New England were going to win from such a bleak position…

But they did. In true Hollywood style, the Patriots offense rallied and started to close the gap. On the other side of the ball, defensive co-ordinator Matt Patricia made a handful of tweaks to the system and the Falcons just couldn’t cope with the added pressure. A movie would have to go down the route of a favourite bouncing back despite facing major odds rather than a true underdog story; the Patriots were well fancied going into the clash.

To be honest, you wouldn’t even need to focus primarily on the first half at all. While some may be looking for eye-witness accounts from New England players, a greater emphasis on the storyline might work better.

Source: New England Patriots via Facebook

Shooting a movie based on the comeback could be relatively straightforward; open up with the Patriots heading into the locker room with the scoreboard in sight and dive in there with a Belichick speech littered with inspirational quotes and passion. If you want to grab attention right from the beginning, an opening scene like that would certainly fit the bill.

Who knows, we could be set for another equally dramatic event in 2018. Next year’s Super Bowl will take place in Minnesota and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Bill Belichick and the Patriots, currently +600 in NFL betting odds with bet365, competing on the big stage once again.

As long as Belichick and Brady are at Gillette Stadium, New England will always be in contention and a film focusing on how both men have carried the Patriots’ dynasty in recent years would go down a treat with sports fans.

Last year’s Super Bowl was truly remarkable and New England supporters will never forget the comeback. Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons have been criticised for choking but that is completely unfair to the Patriots; they deserved to win based on that second half effort.

When we look back through the history of sporting films, underdog stories tend to dominate so it is about time that we celebrated an era of success; the New England Patriots deserve a movie on Super Bowl LI – let’s hope that a film maker out there agrees.

 

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Rough weather in the Midwest didn’t stop tens of thousands of people from packing into Bartle Hall in Kansas City over the weekend for Planet Comicon. For three days, folks braved monsoon-like rains to meet their favorite stars, socialize and geek out. Nearly every inch of the convention center was brimming with fans, excited to see, meet and hear from celebrities, creators and cosplayers.

Like previous years, the 2017 edition of Planet Comicon featured all-stars across the entertainment spectrum. Everyone from Ron Perlman (“Sons of Anarchy” and “Hellboy) and Felicia Day (“The Guild” and “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”) to Jason Aaron (Writer for “Doctor Strange and “Thor”) and Kevin Eastman (Co-creator of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”) brightened the otherwise gloomy days. Our very own Mike Smith even hosted an informative panel on “Jaws 2” and Hollywood sequels. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who was disappointed by this year’s line-up and activities.

Saturday, one of the busiest days of the three-day extravaganza, could have been disastrous if it wasn’t for the quick work and social media tools at the disposal of Planet Comicon organizers. A backdrop collapse during John Barrowman, early on in the day, could have thrown a wrench in the organizer’s plans. But a quick reshuffling, along with constant updates on Facebook, Twitter, and Planet Comicon’s new phone app, notified fans about the up-to-the-minute changes. It’s just one of many signs that Planet Comicon is always evolving to become bigger and better. It’s truly a leader of cons in the Midwest and shows the perseverance to become one of the best cons in the U.S.

MediaMikes would be remiss if we didn’t thank Planet Comicon organizers for not only their hard work, but for the opportunity for some of our readers to win three-day passes to the event. We’re already planning to attend and cover next year’s Planet Comicon.

Photo by Dan Lybarger

“Hellboy” himself, Ron Perlman

Pikachu on the dance floor at an after party

Felicia Day with balloon versions of the “MST3K” robots

No-Face from “Spirited Away”

 

Emma Caulfield and Clare Kramer reflect on their roles on “Buffy”

Batman’s true weakness

Jason Isaacs talks Harry Potter and DC

A near-perfect Bob and Linda Belcher

The one-man show, John Barrowman

No shortage of creativity

Tara Reid talks about how she wound up in the “Sharknado” series

Ariel delighting children

Shannon Elizabeth has been busy since “American Pie”

An unlikely duo, the Mad Hatter and Jack Frost

 

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Starring: Roy Scheider, Bruno Cramer, Francisco Rabal and Amidou
Directed by: William Friedkin
Rated: PG
Running time: 2 hrs 1 min
Paramount/Universal

Our score: 5 out of 5 Stars

Pop quiz: In 1977, 20th Century Fox announced plans to release one of the most anticipated films of the past few years. What was it?

Four men. Each of them running from something that will consume them. There’s Jackie Scanlon (Scheider). A small time gangster, he and some of his pals have just made the mistake of robbing a New Jersey church whose priest happens to be the brother of a BIG time gangster. Victor (Cramer) is a Frenchman running away from a certain prison sentence in his native country. Kassem (Amidou) is running from his past as a wanted terrorist in Jerusalem, whlle Nilo (Rabal) is a mystery man. They find themselves deep in the South American jungles where they are recruited to drive trucks loaded down with highly volatile explosives. Their reward: freedom at best. At worse: BOOM!

William Friedkin’s follow-up to “The Exorcist,” “Sorcerer” is a loose remake of the French film “The Wages of Fear.” For various reasons, none that I couldn’t understand as a 16 year old boy, it was not greeted well by the public or film critics. Was it the symbolism? The fact that the first 15 minutes of the film are mostly in a foreign language? Heck, was it the “Exorcist” curse? I have no idea but I can tell you today what I thought 40 years ago: “Sorcerer” is a masterpiece of filmmaking.

Friedkin took his cameras on-location to various locales across the world and captured the colors and emotions of each one brilliantly. In the South American jungles, the beauty of the trees and wildlife contrasts against the dreary, constantly rain-filled skies. As the trucks begin on their journey, you are white knuckled with the drivers, as each roadside cliff, rock-strewn road and badly dis-repaired bridge constantly puts the men one bad bump away from death. As the road gets more treacherous, the men learn that, if they can’t trust each other, there will be no one left to complete their mission.

The cast is top notch, with Scheider coming across as a modern day Fred C. Dobbs. The rest of the cast are equally strong. Even when there are no words being spoken, the four men communicate plenty. Visually the film is stunning. The restoration makes the film look brand new. And the score, by German band Tangerine Dream, is outstanding. If I have one quibble, it is that I remember seeing the film opening night with a short four-minute overture while the screen stayed black. The creepy music and black screen really helped prepare you for what you were about to see.

OK, do you know the answer to my question? If you said “Star Wars” you are…WRONG! No, the big movie from Fox that year was supposed to be “The Other Side of Midnight,” based on the steamy novel by Sidney Sheldon. Very few theatre owners had even heard of “Star Wars.” That film’s prospects were so low that Fox mandated that any theatre that wanted to play “The Other Side of Midnight” had to agree to play “Star Wars,” which was bad news for “Sorcerer,” which opened in many cities the week after “Star Wars.” Mann’s Chinese Theatre, which had played “Star Wars,” dropped it after a week to play “Sorcerer.” This was May 1977. Soon, “Star Wars” returned, where it played through June 1978. Not bad for a movie nobody wanted.

“Sorcerer” is now back on the big screen at many Alamo Drafthouse Theatres. To see if it’s playing in your city, head here.

We’ve all been there, bored out of our wits, stuck at home, waiting for the train or traveling with the bus, and we have all wished to be relieved of that boredom. So, what can be done about it? There are actually lots of things you can do. One of them is playing online casino games, and if you don’t already then we suggest giving it a try. It is an amazing way to deal with boredom. There are so many games on offer, meaning, so many ways to kill time.

• Neo Monsters. Let’s start with a real old-school game, we are talking about Neo Monsters, available on both iOS and Android, it is monster collecting battle with cool graphics reminscient of Game Boy and old Super Nintendo. We are very happy to recommend this game for all of you.
• Townsmen. This is an awesome game, reminiscent of the game settlers, which was a big thing a few years back. It’s a simulator, where the goal is to create a town, by using resources and by creating new ones. The idea is to be strategic as well as a good tactician, in order to complete different assignments with respects to the town you are building, in order to succeed.
• Jackpot Paradise. It is not possible to recommend games to kill the boredom, without recommending this extraordinary Casino site, this is quite a new name in the online gambling world, and yet, it is already well known and well liked. The site offers a great Welcome Bonus for new players. How about 10 free Slots and up to £200 matching bonuses? Go to Jackpot Paradise and check it out.
• KleptoCats. One might argue that this is a game for children, however, we couldnt disagree more. Who does not love cats? And why cannot an adult play game be both cute and funny? Why not play a game where you own a bunch of adorable cleptomaniac cats that will bring you all kinds of stuff for your room? Sounds weird? It is, but we promise you will also find it interesting and hilarious. The game is available on both iOS and Android.
• Bet365. There is no way presenting a list of hilarious and fun online games without mentioning Bet365. This is a great Casino and Sports Betting site that offers its own Casino application. The site’s Casino app is powered by Playtech, and as such, it offers some of the best games around. There are Slots as well as Live Casino games on offer, such as Roulette and Blackjack.
• Trivia Crack. Here is yet another great game, fun to play, together with your friends. This is an application, a multiplayer application in reality, that offers a trivia game concerning completely useless information. We liked it a lot when trying it out, it gave us quite a few laughs. If you have great remote friends, then this is the game for you, and you will most likely share a lot of laughters from afar.
• Lucky Nugget. We present to you, yet another great Casino appliction. This is a great site with a good reputation that has been around for more than 10 years in total. When the site receantly launched its own Casino application few were surprised as it was a great way for it to notch up its success a bit. Lucky Nugget is powered by the amazing Microtech and installing on your mobile device unlocks 50 free spins for real money.
• Twofold. This beautifully designed puzzle game is a real mental challenge, it offers great gameplay as well as lots of fun. For those of you that have played Candy Crush, this game is the perfect continuation of your gaming career. However, the game is a bit tricky from the get go and it requires a little bit of getting used to. The tutorial is great though, and so with lots of help, the players are eased into the role of Twofold-players.

 

Amy Lee is the co-founder/lead singer for the Grammy Award winning rock group Evanescence. Lee has also participated in numerous other musical projects and has performed as a solo artist. Amy’s latest release is for the film “Voice From the Stone” starring Emilia Clarke and Marton Csokas. Media Mikes had the chance to speak with Amy recently about the film, her experience at Skywalker Ranch and what’s in-store for Evanescence this year.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about your new single “Speak to Me”?

Amy Lee: This was quite different for me. Writing a song comes from a lot of different places. This one has a really cool and unique story. It was written for the film “Voice From the Stone” which I got to actually see before writing the song. I really loved the film as it made feel so many different things. Being a new mother I was really able to connect with the film main theme as it centers on the bond between mother and son. For me to watch that and relate it to the new huge inspiration in my life I instantly knew it was something I wanted to do. I spoke on the phone with the film’s director Eric Howell and Michael Wandmacher the films composer and we had a great talk about the directional idea and once we were off the phone I went straight to the piano and came up with the initial idea. That doesn’t always happen with me. Sometimes I can go months waiting for an idea to come that I feel is good enough to move forward with. Working on this track was a very inspiring experience.

AL: Were you basing your idea on a portion of the films score or
was it something completely separate from that?

Amy: When I saw the film the score was there but it wasn’t completely finished. They weren’t looking for me to do anything related to the score. They wanted me to write the one and only song in the film which has lyrics. It was helpful to see the visuals and hear some of what was going on as it helped me envision the finished product.

AL: Was this your first time writing for a film?

Amy: I have actually written quite a few things for movies however, most of the time it hasn’t made it through all of the different doors you have to go through to get to the final product. (Laughs) There have been several things that have made it though. In 2014 I did my first score which was a much bigger undertaking as opposed to doing just one song when I worked with David Eggar on the movie “War Story”. There’s another film titled “Blind” coming out later this year that I worked on the score for as well. My experience working on this latest film was very unique as I was able to travel to Italy and visit the filming locations and I was also invited out to Skywalker Ranch in California while they were mastering parts of the film. That was just a dream come true!

AL: Do you ever find differences between writing solo/Evanescence material and music for films?

Amy: Definitely. When I am writing for Evanescence or for my solo stuff and I am writing something that is supposed to represent me. I have these expectations I set for myself to ensure that whatever I do represents who I am. From the lyrics to the music I want it to showcase me. Luckily there are lots of sides of who we are so I get the chance to go down a lot of roads. When you are writing for something like a movie where you are trying to represent the emotions of a character you have to put yourself in that place and try to speak artistically from that view point. Even though it’s someone else’s emotions you are their voice and vehicle. This is different but it’s a nice change as you are allowed to make other choices

AL: What was it like being able to work at Skywalker Ranch?

Amy: After showing my idea to everyone a couple days after our initial talk and them really liking it I was invited to the Ranch to record. I had never been away from my son at the time as he was only thirteen months old. I had to really think about things as it was such a great opportunity but living in New York I would have to fly across the country to California and leave my baby for the first time ever. We hadn’t even had just a single overnight away from one another at this point. After deciding to do it things really couldn’t have been more perfect. Being away put me emotionally in the right place to write the song as I was dealing with separation which was something the song needed. It was just perfect. The ranch is such a great place for creation. There recording studio is the most immaculate place I have ever seen. I actually stayed there and when you are a guest you get stay in your own private cottage with a bike you can ride from place to place on. The one night I was there I had this idea in the middle of the night so I rode my bike down to the studio and just started working. It was the perfect free space to work. Any chance I get to work there again I will certainly take it.

AL: Can you give us an update on your solo work and what is going on with Evanescence?

Amy: About a month ago I released a new solo song called “What Exists”. Looking at my solo releases I feel like I have released more than I actually have. (Laughs) I certainly feel like I have done a lot. I have done a lot of covers. Doing covers is something you can put your own style to without the pressure of having to write a song. I did some of those covers for Disney a few years back. Evanescence has started touring again and we are gearing up to start next month. We will be in South America for a few weeks then we go to Europe. We are working on a bigger project right now which I can’t talk about just yet but we will be releasing something this year. I am very excited!

AL: Any other projects you would like to mention that you have been working on?

Amy: I worked on the score for an independent film titled “Blind”. The film stars Alec Baldwin and Demi Moore. I am not sure of the exact release date for it but I believe it should be coming out this summer, possibly fall. It was a different type of project for me. I didn’t do the soundtrack but as there was a need for music David Eggar would call me. It’s a very different film than “War Story”. For me it’s really fun to be able to work on different things as I get to learn about different genres of music or how to play a different way. There are different feelings which come along with all of that. It’s great to be able to find new collaborators and projects as you are giving yourself the space and a reason to try new things which I think can only be good for you.

 

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