Growing up in the 80’s, one of the highlights for me on television was always “The Wonder Years”. The cast was about the same age as me when the show aired, so I was able to relate to a lot of the issues that the series presented. This complete series has never before been released on DVD in its entirety. StarVista Entertainment/Time Life is presenting this as a 26-disc collector’s set featuring all 115 episodes housed in a replica metal locker. This is literally one of the best DVD presentations that I have honestly ever seen for a series. It is also jam-packed with over 23 hours of specially-produced bonus programming including featurettes, an incredible cast reunion 16 years in the making and never-before-seen outtakes. If you are looking to revisit the Arnold family and take a trip down memory lane, this is a wonderful release and I highly recommend it. Giving this a 5 out of 5 stars is not even nearly enough to give it the respect that it deserves.

Official Premise: It was 1968 — the year of Nixon and space walks and Mod Squad and Vietnam. Enter Kevin Arnold (Savage), a sixth grader at Kennedy Junior High School. Set against the suburban backdrop of Anytown, USA, Kevin sought to minimize his teenage angst while dealing with an older, noogie-happy brother Wayne (Jason Hervey), a rebellious sister, Karen (Olivia d’Abo), distant, workaholic father, Jack (Dan Lauria) and doting housewife mother, Norma (Alley Mills). Add to the mix Paul Pfeiffer (Josh Saviano), his nerdy, allergy-riddled best friend, a potential love interest in winsome girl-next-door Winnie Cooper (Danica McKellar) and narration by an older, wiser, wittier Kevin (voiced by Daniel Stern) to add perspective to the nostalgia, and you have the perfect recipe for TV greatness.

One of the biggest aspects that I remember from this series was the music. This show introduced me to numerous songs and bands in my early years. What is amazing to find out is that the team at StarVista Entertainment/Time Life went above and beyond to ensure that the series was delivered in its most available entirety. This release received over 400 clearances and includes near 300 songs from many iconic artists such as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Simon & Garfunkel, Jimi Hendrix, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles and The Rolling Stones, plus Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Many More!  I am happy that people behind this release were able to put in the time and effort to deliver this series with all this great music still included. That is definitely not an easy (and cheap) task to deliver. They could have easy just cut these songs and saved a butt load of money but they decided to take this route

When I hear certain songs like “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)” by The Byrds, “Louie Louie” by The Kingsmen, “Sunshine of Your Love” by Cream, Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” The Trogg’s “Wild Thing,” “Good Vibrations” and “Wouldn’t it Be Nice” by The Beach Boys, “My Girl” by The Temptations, I am literally transported back to my parents house and find myself sitting in front of the TV watching this show. Of course let’s not forget the show’s timeless theme song “With a Little Help from My Friends” by Joe Cocker. This song is just so amazing and timeless is really the best way to describe it…another 100 years in the future it will still be just as effective and hopefully still synonymous with this show.

Amongst the over 23 hours of bonus features, some of the new features included are a commentary track on the first kiss outtakes by Fred (Savage) and Danica (McKellar) on all six takes of the legendary first kiss from Pilot episode, never before available. “That’s a Wrap! Mark B. Perry’s Farewell Set Tour Season 5” features Writer/Producer Mark B. Perry’s home video set tour from the end of his final season on the show, along with new commentary from him. “From the Vault: Alley Mills and Bob Brush Letters” features Alley Mills reading her emotional, written conversation with Executive Producer Bob Brush about the show’s finale. The one-hour finale as it was originally aired on ABC on May 12, 1993, including a deleted scene not included in the half-hour broadcasts of the final two episodes.

There are ten brand-new featurettes inclluding”With A Little Help From My Friends: The Early Days of The Wonder Years, “The Times They Are A-Changin'”: The Era, “My Generation”: The Kids Grow Up, “When A Man Loves A Woman”: Kevin & Winnie Forever, “Bookends”: Kevin & Paul, “A Family Affair”: At Home With The Arnolds, “”I Love You For Sentimental Reasons”: Fan-Favorite Episodes, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”: The Wonder Years’ Love Stories, “ABC”: Teachers That Made A Difference and “Both Sides Now”: The Music That Made The Moments. My favorite was the 2014 Los Angeles cast reunion, featuring all key cast together for the first time in 16 years.

There are also extensive individual interviews with all seven key cast members (Fred Savage, Danica McKellar, Josh Saviano, Dan Lauria, Alley Mills, Olivia d’Abo and Jason Hervey), as well as with notable actors featured as guest stars or in recurring roles, such as David Schwimmer, Ben Stein, Bob Picardo and Seth Green; plus, in-depth interviews with narrator Daniel Stern, Neal Marlens, Carol Black, Bob Brush and other production personnel. You can tell that the people that put together this release were fans of the show themselves. This is full of such amazing fan service that it will leave everyone satisfied.

If you want to purchase this Complete Series DVD set, click here. Also available now is the complete first season DVD, click here to buy. 

Actors: C. Thomas Howell, Cerina Vincent, Jason Wiles, Lew Temple
Directors: Steven R. Monroe
Rated: Unrated
Studio: Inception Media Group
DVD Release Date: September 9, 2014
Run Time: 90 minutes

Our Score: 2.5 out of 5 stars

From the premise of “Monika” is from director, Steven R. Monroe, is the guy behind the 2010 remake of “I Spit On Your Grave” and it stars Jason Wiles (“Third Watch”) and Cerina Vincent (“Cabin Fever”). Cerina is extremely bad-ass in the role but I feel like she was under used. According to the cover art, it shows her and only her but she is more supporting than lead in the film. The story is a bit confusing and the twist honestly comes a little too late to be effective enough. I was left curious and scratching my head with questions for too long. Worth renting if you are looking for some decent action but just don’t expect too much.

Official Premise: Reagan Tyler is a man troubled by visions and premonitions. In a cheap Las Vegas motel, he meets Monika, a beautiful young woman with seduction and revenge on her mind. Their brief encounter draws Regan into a surreal cat and mouse hunt for the hit-man who had earlier murdered Monika’s sister. In the best tradition of grind-house action, Monika takes Reagan on her mission for justice and she isn’t afraid to spill blood along the way. In this full throttle assassin meets assassin showdown, Monika packs a secret more powerful than her guns…she just may be invincible.

I was really hoping for a hardcore revenge thriller ala “Kill Bill” but due to the story issues, I was really not get into this film much. I was excited to see Cerina show off her fancy gun work. In fact for the film, she actually went to train shooting prior to shooting, so that is some dedication. I think if they would have focused more on Cerina’s character and went a bit easier with the plot twists, this could have been much more effective. There are no special features included on this DVD.

Starring: Kevin Dillon, Shawnee Smith, Donovan Leitch, Jeffrey DeMunn, Candy Clark, Joe Seneca
Director: Chuck Russell
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Twilight Time
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Run Time: 95 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

If you call yourself a horror fan, then you should be a fan of 1988’s “The Blob”. The film was directed by Chuck Russell (“The Mask”) and written by Frank Darabont (“The Shawshank Redemption”). This is a remake of the original 50’s Steve McQueen horror classic. Twilight Time is behind the release and it is great to see this film get a proper Blu-ray release. I remember the first time I picked this film up on VHS at my local mom and pop store and how it always freaked me out and still does today. It holds up very well. A must own if you can find it, horror fans!

This Blu-ray release is an Screen Archives Entertainment Exclusive and is a Limited Edition release with only 5000 copies produced. Normally Screen Archives’ releases are limited to 3000 but this one had quite the demand and I believe is already completely sold out. The 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 is good, especially with the practical effects which are solid impressive even though there is some grain throughout. Same goes for the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 with works well with all the ooey gooey sounds effects.

The special features are not as impressive as I would have hoped but not bare bones either, so thats a plus. There is an interesting audio commentary with Director Chuck Russell and Horror Authority Ryan Turek. There is a near 20 minute featurette called “Friday Night Flights at the Cinefamily”, which includes a Q&A with Chuck Russell. Lastly there is are two trailers and an isolated score track included

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Starring: Tara Strong, Ashleigh Ball, Andrea Libman, Tabitha St. Germain
Directors: Jayson Thiessen, Ishi Rudell
Studio: Shout! Factory
Release Date: October 28, 2014
Run Time: 72 minutes

Film: 5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks” is a sequel to 2013’s “My Little Pony Equestria Girls”. This is the second brand new full-length film from the very popular “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” series. I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting to like this but I have a two year old daughter and she is going absolutely crazy for it. She absolutely loves the music in this film and she dances and sings along. Since receiving this, we have probably watched this film at least one per day and it definitely grows on you. The music is easily the best part of this film, no question. If you love the “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” series, then I highly recommend this!

Official Premise: In My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks, Canterlot High (CHS) is hosting a musical showcase, and Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy are going to be performing with their new band, The Rainbooms. But when The Dazzlings, a new girl group, arrive at CHS and convince everyone to turn the friendly showcase into a Battle of the Bands, tensions mount between the competing musical acts. A now-reformed Sunset Shimmer realizes that The Dazzlings may not be ordinary girls and are after something far more sinister than just being named Best Band at Canterlot High. The Rainbooms call on Princess Twilight to restore harmony to their world to help them perform a musical counter-spell so that they can win a battle that now determines the fate of the entire school.

Shout Factory is releasing this film as a Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo. I personally think that the digital copy is useless Shout has yet to get on board with Ultraviolet Digital HD service. They still use the download this to your device and that is very outdated. The 1080p transfer is gorgeous. The film is extremely colorful, as you can imagine if you follow the series. The DTS-HD Master Audio track works perfect with the fun characters and the fantastic tunes. The special features are pretty great as well with an audio commentary track, 8 Prequel Shorts and 3 Sing-Alongs included. The sing-alongs are a great way to re-enjoy each song.

Starring: John Hodiak, Barbara Britton, Chuck Connors, Bruce Bennett, Fess Parker
Director: Lesley Selander
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Olive Films
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Run Time: 83 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
3D: 4 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1/2 out of 5 stars

When it comes to 50’s 3D films, I am always curious to see them. “Dragonfly Squadron” was actually never released in 3D ever in theaters. The film was completed in late ’53 and released early ’54 after the decline of the format, so it ended up only being released in 2D.  So this Blu-ray makes the first time that this film is ever available in stereoscopic 3-D, as originally intended, due to the wonderful work done by the 3-D Film Archive team. You have to give props to Olive Films for taking on this huge task. If you are a fan of this film, this is a must own.

Official Premise: In 1950, as the Korean peninsula is drawn closer to war, a stern Air Force Major (John Hodiak), is assigned to train a squadron of South Korean pilots, making them combat-ready in half the usual time. At the air base at Kongju, Brady comes face to face with a former flame (Barbara Britton), the wife of an army medical officer (Bruce Bennett). When enemy forces invade, most of the American personnel are evacuated, but Brady remains behind with the barely-trained South Korean troops, and bravely diverts the Russian-backed North Korean army.

The Blu-ray contains both the 3D and 2D versions on a single disc. The 1080p transfers, presented in 1.66:1, certainly look their age and not presented fullish polished and crystal clear, especially during the stock footage scenes. There is grain throughout but overall, it doesn’t overpower the viewing experience. The DTS-HD Master Audio Mono also isn’t perfect but it also sounds quite impressive with sound effects like the soaring plane and bombs exploding. The only special feature here included is a theatrical trailer. I would have loved to see featurettes on the film’s restoration. This is a real missed opportunity.

Starring: Lamb of God
Director: Don Argot
Rated: Unrated
Studio: 9.14 Pictures
Run Time: 121 minutes

Film: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 4 out of 5 stars

What starts out as a typical band related documentary quickly becomes much more than that. “As the Palaces Burn” is the latest DVD release from Richmond, Virginia’s Lamb of God. Directed by Don Argot and being released via Epic Records and 9.14 Pictures the 2 disc documentary runs just over a combined 4 hours and is mixed in stunning 5.1 Surround Sound and PCM Uncompressed Stereo.

To quote my previous review of the films theatrical release “Whether you are a fan of Lamb of God’s music or not I strongly urge you to see this film.” The film was just as powerful the second time around as when I first saw it a few months back. This is not just another pieced together making of documentary looking at one of heavy metals biggest bands. That may have been the original intent however mid way through the film it starts to document the series of events which lead to the incarceration of lead singer D. Randall Blythes incarceration in the Czech Republic for the charge of Manslaughter.

As the film delves deeper into these events the film takes its most dramatic turn as it shows the immense amount of emotion the band members have for one another as well as Randy’s own strength throughout the entire time of his incarceration and subsequent return to the Czech Republic to stand trial for these clearly bogus charges. Director Don Argot did a great job capturing everything I enjoy seeing in a film of this nature. Candid interviews with not only the band but with fans and fellow musicians gave the film a number of different perspectives that helped affirm the bands place in the music world and the impact the events involving Randy had on those both close to him and those from afar. The feature presentation of the film wraps up with a really cool Q and A session with not only the film’s director but also with the band themselves.

Clocking in at just over 2 hours the special features portion of the film plays like an alternate version of feature presentation. Further in-depth interviews with the band, fans and friends such as Slash and Dave Brockie reaffirm the impact the band has on it fans not only here in the states but all over the world. It was really great to see and hear more of the back stories of those who appear in the film as this bonus footage includes unedited takes from a number of interviews as well as extended footage which initially was only show in short edited clips. This film is a must have!

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Starring: Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Adam Levine, Hailee Steinfeld, Catherine Keener, James Corden, Mos Def
Director: John Carney
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: ANCHOR BAY
Release Date: October 28, 2014
Run Time: 104 minutes

Film: 5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars

I remember exactly where I was the first time that I saw “Once”. When I saw it it was still a film that no one heard of…and then it went to win an Academy Award for Best Song. “Being Again” attracted me because is the the latest film from writer-director John Carney, who also did “Once”. I love any film that includes music in it, especially good music…and especially music sang by actual actors. Wasn’t a huge Keira Knightley fan prior to this but she really won me over here. She had a fantastic voice and these songs work great for her. The film has a lot of heart and really draws you into the story. I really respect what John Carney does within in his films and his vision and respect for the music. Fantastic music, fantastic cast! Highly recommended.

Official Premise: Gretta (Keira Knightley) and her long-time boyfriend Dave (Adam Levine) are songwriting partners who go to New York City when Dave lands a deal with a major record label. But the excitement of Dave’s new-found fame affects the couple in unexpected ways, leaving Gretta unsure of her future – until Dan (Mark Ruffalo), a scruffy record label executive with a few problems of his own, stumbles across her performance on an East Village stage. Dan is immediately captivated by Gretta’s raw talent and unique sound, leading to a life-changing collaboration, set to the soundtrack of a summer in New York City.

Anchor Bay is releasing this film as a combo pack. There is a Blu-ray + Digital Copy included. The 1080p transfer captures the beauty of NYC perfectly, especially when they go on the tour mission to record the album. Really beautiful locations throughout this film. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track works perfectly with the film’s music. There is a great balance of the dialogue and songs. The special features are a let down though. There is a short featurette “The Making of Begin Again” and some music videos Including Adam Levine’s “Lost Stars”.

Starring: Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, Ewen Bremner
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: ANCHOR BAY
Release Date: October 21, 2014
Run Time: 126 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 4.5 out of 5 stars

“Snowpiercer” is based on the French graphic novel “Le Transperceneige”. The film has a fantastic cast including Captain America himself, Chris Evans (“The Avengers”), Song Kang-ho (“The Host”), Tilda Swinton (“The Chronicles of Narnia”), Jamie Bell (“Jumper”), Octavia Spencer (“The Help”), Ewen Bremner (“Trainspotting”), John Hurt (“Hellboy”) and Ed Harris (“Apollo 13”). This film is a must see but is definitely not your typical sci-fi thriller. I love the look and feel of this film. It taken placed all on a train yet it has this much large scale to it. Joon-ho Bong is an amazing filmmaker and he did the same thing with his film “The Host”, which is equally awesome. If you are looking for something original and fresh, I highly recommend this!

Official Premise: It’s been 18 years since we froze the earth. The few remaining humans live on the Snowpiercer, a train on an infinite loop around the globe. For those at the front, it’s a lavish paradise of drugs and sushi in the lap of luxury; for those trapped in the tail section, life is short and cruel. But change is in the air. Curtis (Chris Evans), desperate to escape the tail of the train, plans an uprising, aided by his mentor Gilliam (John Hurt). What begins as an isolated riot explodes into a mass revolution, an all-or-nothing push to the front of the train, and a war for humanity’s future. Who will live and who will die? How far can they go? Is there hope beyond the frozen wastes.

Anchor Bay did something that is quite rare in Blu-ray releases today. It comes with a fantastic slipcover with beautiful artwork from the film inside. It may seem like a little thing but this a real treat when you are used to most bare bones releases. The 1080p transfer is fantastic, which add to the scale of this film. The visual effects are treated very well and look quite sharp. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 also sounds great, especially in the action scenes. You hear the train speeding my at top speed through each speaker. Marco Beltrami’s score sounds amazing as well and really adds a lot to the tension of the film.

“Snowpiercer” only features an audio commentary on the disc one of the release with Scott Weinberg, of Geek Nation, hosts MSN Movies’ James Rocchi, the Austin Chronicle’s William Goss, Hitfix.com’s Drew Mcweeny, Deadline’s Jennifer Yamato, and Movies.com’s Peter S. Hall. It is very in-depth and definitely aimed at the fans. Of course, I forget to mention that the there is an entire second disc of special features included. “Transperceneige: From the Blank Page to the Black Screen” is a documentary by Jésus Castro-Ortega, which is runs about an hour and dives into the film. “The Birth of Snowpiercer” is a much tighter making of piece. There is a focus on the film’s cast in “The Characters”.

There is an “Animated Prologue”, which dives into the events that are described in the opening monologue of the film.  (HD, 4:31): An animated opening that looks at some of the events only mentioned in the film. “Chris Evans & Tilda Swinton on Snowpiercer” feature the actors talking about their roles and the film. “The Train Brought to Life: Behind the Scenes of a Special Screening” takes us on a promotional tour for the film through Texas that ended with an outdoor screening at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Also included is Tom League’s interview with Bong Joon-Ho. Lastly, there are Concept Art Galleries included.

Starring: James Cagney, Walter Huston, Joan Leslie
Director: Michael Curtiz
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distributed by: Warner Archive
Running Time: 126 minutes

Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 4 out of 5 stars

Warner Archive has delivered their best Blu-ray to date with Michael Curtiz’s “Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)”. Curtiz directed this film just before he took helm on the classic “Casablanca”. James Cagney brought home the Academy Awards for this film, which is such a national treasure. It also won two additional Academy Awards including Best Musical Score and Best Sound Recording. “Yankee Doodle Dandy” is over 70 years old but it has never looked better. The 1080p transfer is flawless and doesn’t look a year over 50. I also have a two year old that loves musical and she had a blast with the music in this film, which is presented extremely well with its mono track. Warner Archive also includes some outstanding extras as well. If you are a fan of classic musicals, I wouldn’t miss this release

Official Premise: Legendary actor James Cagney stars in the role for which he won an Academy Award–the life of singer, dancer and songwriter George M. Cohan, a true Yankee Doodle Dandy. This non-stop musical tour de force sings, dances and celebrates the life and career of a music man who lifted a nation, the first entertainer awarded the United States Congressional Medal of Honor for his contribution to morale. From his early days as a vaudeville performer to his stardom on Broadway, George M. Cohan composed the songs that defined his generation. And now the film – and its music – may be enjoyed as never before thanks to this pristine high definition 1080p Blu-ray Disc presentation that’s as close to a first-run 35mm viewing as possible this side of a time machine.

The special features on this Blu-ray are quite spectacular like the film. There is “Leonard Maltin hosts Warner Night at the Movies 1942 with Casablanca trailer”. There is a 1942 newsreel included. There is a Warner Bros. short “Beyond the Call of Duty”, as well as James Cagney in wartime short “You, John Jones”. There is the Warner Bros. vintage cartoon “Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid” and “Yankee Doodle Daffy, which are great and presented in 1080p HD. There is a documentary called “Let Freedom Sing!: The Story of Yankee Doodle Dandy”. There is an audio commentary with Warner Bros. historian Rudy Behlmer, which is a little dry but very informative. There is a featurette called “John Travolta remembers James Cagney”. Lastly there is an audio-only extras ­radio show, pre-recording session outtakes/rehearsals and theatrical trailer included.

The Soska Sisters cconsisting of Jen & Sylvia Soska are film directors are literally taking over the horror genre. After their short film “Dead Hooker in a Trunk”, they made the fantastic and original horror film called “American Mary” then quickly following that they were brought us to work with WWE on the horror sequel “See No Evil 2”. They also have a segment in the upcoming “ABCs of Death 2”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with the “Twisted Twins” to chat about “See No Evil 2” and their upcoming projects.

Mike Gencarelli: I just want to start that I loved “American Mary”; it was original, very smart, ballsy and really fucking gory. I honestly reminded me why I love horror movies. Going from that film to “See No Evil 2” with WWE’s Kane; what was that like?
Sylvia Soska: That is a hell of a compliment. Thank you for saying that. That project is very much a part of who Jen and I are. After that film, we took many studio meetings to get the next film made, but all anyone wanted to see was Katharine Isabelle with us as a sexy doctor or surgeon or torturer and it was really depressing. When WWE and Lionsgate approached us to make the film, we read the script and got super excited, but didn’t think there was a chance in hell that we would get hired. It was so much of a dream project, but it happened. Then we started to collaborate on the story, hire the cast, and it just kept getting better. We only make films that we, as fans, would want to see; See No Evil 2 is that kind of film.
Jen Soska: We are the fan directors. We love horror movies so much and I do hope you can tell on every frame of our movies. We want to make a horror film in each sub genre of horror. To have the opportunity to create our own masked man horror icon was incredible. I feel the first film was more of a prequel and this is Jacob’s true first film. The first film had Jacob under the command of his fanatic religious mother. In this film we recreate Jacob’s look, theme music, and array of weapons. It’s a tremendous honor and I still can’t believe we got such an incredible opportunity that so few directors ever have.

MG: What was your biggest challenging tackling that film?
SS: It should have been much more difficult but we were spoiled by our cast and crew. Let me tell you a little thing about the crew you can get in Vancouver – seasoned professionals that work year around on everything from major blockbuster productions, to some of the best genre televisions series we have ever seen, and the darling independent gems. You get this crew and you get peace of mind because they are so good. Almost the entire cast were child actors, so not only was the level of talent very high in our performers, but we had a team that could pull off this very ambitious film very masterfully.
JS: For me, the biggest challenge was making something that was true to the original and respected the fans who loved that film while building on that film’s missed opportunities. It’s hard to come
into an existing franchise and make changes. Every franchise has key parts to it. You don’t want to come into something like, Hellraiser, and take out the lament configuration. Just like with Jacob.
There were untouchable elements, but we had a lot of room to play around with the character and story and kills and almost everything.

MG: Tell us about what it was like working on “ABCs of Death 2” and your segment “T is for Torture Porn”?
SS: It was something we’ve been wanting to make since the open entry contest on the first one. I watch a lot of porn, I love it. I think in horror there are interesting issues you can tackle because it’s not like you’re just preaching at people – you have one foot in reality and one in the fantastical. T is for Torture Porn is a commentary on unwanted sexual violence and degradation with a very angry reaction to that with how the short ends. But there’s still a laugh to it all, wait til the after credits scene – it’s the end of our segment.
JS: A tremendous honor! I loved the first ABCs of Death. I really wanted to be in it, but we saw T is for Toilet (the entry for the 26th slot open to all directors) and it was perfection. We wanted to make Torture Porn all the way back then but we put it on the back burner. We didn’t even expect them to do a sequel. I’m so happy they did and absolutely honored that Ant invited us on.

MG: Are you ever afraid of taking it too far or offending the audience?
SS: Ha ha, from some of the not happy with it reviews, maybe I should have? Naw, art is to make people feel things. It’s to spurn a reaction. Anything that one person loves, another person will hate it.
JS: In the immortal words of one of my favorite comedians ever, John Cleese, “some people deserve to be offended.” It’s just art and art should make you question things and leave an impression on you. It should get you thinking. I’m not a fan of senseless violence or cruelty to animals, but I think that violence and the obscene have a place in art for sure. Though somewhat controversial, MARTYRS and A SERBIAN FILM are superb films. They use their violence, gore, and more upsetting parts as a commentary.

MG: What do you love most about the horror genre?
SS: Everything. Being scared gets me excited, it makes me feel alive. It’s a thrill.
JS: What’s not to love? I feel horror chose us from a very young age. I can’t remember a time I didn’t love it. It’s exciting and fun. You ever go to a Horror Convention? If you haven’t, treat yourself. They are the happiest places on Earth filled with the sweetest people. Horror brings out the best in people.

MG: We ever going to see you both directing a romantic comedy?
SS: I thought American Mary was a romantic comedy. Jen and I are in love with this script written by Josh Murray, this extremely crass female-centric Christmas comedy. I bet you didn’t see that coming, eh? But that’s how we pick our projects – if we would want to see this movie, we would make that movie.
JS: Dammit, I thought SEE NO EVIL 2 was a romance movie! Well, to me, it totally is. I’d love to tackle any genre. I’m not into labels. Some people seem happy to categorize us as “female twin horror directors”, but I just see us as directors. I love film. I love all genres of film. There is no genre we wouldn’t tackle and put a Soska spin on.

MG: You also worked with WWE Studios for “Vendetta”, which is an action films; what can you tell us about that experience?
SS: Vendetta stars Dean Cain, Paul ‘Big Show’ White, and Michael Eklund and it is the most badass film we have ever made. The pure physicality to it, the amazing stunt fights from our Stunt Coordinator, Kimani Smith, and Fight Coordinator, Dan Rizzuto, pushed everything and everyone to the max. You have never seen the cast like this before. It is such a fuck yeah movie. We got our See No Evil 2 team back to pull it off and we really kicked the shit out of ourselves making this gritty crime revenge flick.
JS: It was incredible! It was so nice to have Michael Luisi of WWE Studios be the first to give us an opportunity to do a genre that wasn’t strictly horror. We have stunts and action in all of our films. It was really fun to have so much more of it. Dean Cain is outstanding, a true Hollywood icon. You’ve never seen him like this before, either. I love Dean good, but he’s SO much better bad. And he’s a total badass in Vendetta. Paul “Big Show” Wight is so evil. He plays a lot of comedic roles and the humor here comes from just how bad he is. And he loves it. Eklund is the Canadian Daniel Day Lewis. I just love him. There isn’t anything he can’t do. You hand me a script and I look for the top three roles I can see him in. He’s so capable and versatile. The film is so sexy, and dark. It’s almost a boy version of American Mary.

MG: How is your adaption of “Painkiller Jane” coming along? Is this your next project?
SS: Painkiller Jane is coming along very well. We are on the epic task of finding Jane. She needs to be tough as nails, completely shredded, with a great emotional capacity, and pitch perfect comedic ability. Easy, right? There are a few projects we have in development that are racing to the finish line right now, so I can say 100% sure on anything, but we have a huge focus on making Bob, our monster movie right now. It’s time, we haven’t stop work on it in all this time.
JS: We are filmmaking sharks. If we stop making films, we die. We have several original scripts that we’re pushing forward and have several more films in all stages of development. We’re planning some TV work along with a couple graphic novels, as well, so we honestly never stop. We’re so creative. I love story telling. I’m so blessed to be able to do what we do. With any luck, BOB will be our next one. It’s so very special to us.

MG: Lastly, I just have to ask how does it feel to literally be taking over the horror genre? Very soon, you will be so big that I won’t be able to speak with you again!
SS: Nothing feels like real life to me right now. I am getting to make films I love with my best friend and it’s been years of struggling to get to a point where we feel secure in getting to keep doing this! Thank you for supporting us – otherwise we would be waiting tables still.
JS: Ha ha, OMG, you will ALWAYS be able to talk to us! We still can’t believe people like our stuff. It’s like some sort of weird karma from being so damn unpopular growing up. It’s a profound honor to have people respond to us and our work the way they have. I grew up dressing like movie characters I love. Seeing people cosplay ours or get them tattooed on them is so unreal. Like a dream come true. And all the letters we get mean the world to us. We try to be the role models we would have liked growing up. We’ll always stay the same. Grounded and uber grateful for the influence we have. And we’re only just getting started.

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Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s reality-bending Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) closed the 52nd New York Film Fest this past Sunday. The film which opens on October 17th stars Michael Keaton as Riggan Thompson an actor trying to distance himself from an iconic superhero film franchise by starring and directing his own broadway production. Keaton’s huge cast of co-stars includes Edward Norton, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Amy Ryan, and Andrea Riseborough, all of whom joined the director at a press conference after the film at AMC Lincoln Center.

Much of the film revolves around Riggan’s struggle with his own identity versus his public image. Specifically he’s faced with a particularly vicious theatre critic whose sole objective is  to destroy Riggan’s show with her pen. Michael Keaton however maintained that he keeps himself in the dark when it comes to critics now. “This is where I’m really a dope” laughed Keaton who looked at reviews in his early days but not so much recently.  “I thought originally…you should be courageous and read everything and I did that a couple of times and I thought ‘well I’m not doing that anymore!’  Although he did add “Admittedly if someone says ‘hey you had a got nice review’ I’ll read it. I’m open to making myself feel better!” Addressing an entire auditorium of NYC critics he concluded “I think I’ve been treated basically fairly, I know I’m the wrong person to ask…There’s probably a lot of you out there going “Oh no you haven’t!”

           
British theatre actress Andrea Riseborough, who plays Riggan’s co-star also avoids critical reviews “because [she finds] them debilitating, not because [she doesn’t] respect them” Riseborough added that there’s a certain element of fear when it comes to actors encountering critics, rather than hostility, especially in the world of theatre. “You know, they saw Gambon doing his bit back in the day and now they’re going to come and see me. It makes me just want to shit myself!”
 Zach Galifianakis confidently chimed in “I’ve never had a bad review, so I’m not quite sure what you’re talking about. It sounds familiar. I’ve heard people talk about it. But I’ve never had one” cracking up his cast and the audience.

Naomi Watts compared some of her theatre experience to the unorthodox way Birdman was shot: “I can say, I haven’t done a huge amount of theatre, but just from back in the days when I was studying and you know, doing plays then, a lot of my nightmares revolve around being on the stage; And forgetting my lines, or having the wrong clothes on or no clothes at all. So it is that classic recurring nightmare. A lot in the way this film was shot, with this speed and the high stakes and the technicalities and the dependency on each other and the, also the effects, you know the props and things, the cameras, the lighting and the removing of tables and putting them back, you know all those things sort of created this high level intensity and pressure that felt sort of emblematic sort of how it feels on the stage.”

Soon to be joining Watts in stage experience is Emma Stone, who in November will replace Michelle Williams in the current broadway revival of Cabaret. I asked her how she felt between making this film about a movie star entering Broadway and now actually facing that in reality.
“Well, you know, I did write the character of Sally Bowles and I’m directing the production”  the Amazing Spider-man star laughed, then added  “No, I you know, of course this movie brings up a lot of horrible fears of coming into the broadway community and having a Tabitha [the film’s villainous critic]…it feels very different. But I will say that making this  movie and kind of what we had to contend with, as actors, in making something like this, all of the pieces that Naomi was talking about had to–you know, having the table moving out and needing to rely on each other  the way the company does, I think is incredibly helpful now going into theatre in that way and realizing that you’re you know you operate very much as a unit. We all operate as a unit. And in a lot of films it’s not that way at all. It’s a very separate experience. So yeah, I’m nervous as hell. I’m shitting myself!”

Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu elaborated on the challenge he and DP Emmanuel Lubezki faced in shooting Birdman in mainly long contiunous shots. “Basically all the camerawork, all the blocking and all the lighting was pre-assigned in advance, months in advance. So there was no improvisation everything was precise, meticulously…Without the editing everything has to happen in the flow and then so you have to really get everything together…So the difficulty was the point of view–where this camera would be located to tell the story right. Who has to be in frame or not. Who has to be the listener…The challenge of that was that there was no lights, shooting film lights. Everything was practical lights and sometimes it was 360 degrees in tiny cooridors with guys with microphones. So all that thing that they’re talking about–the things moving and the ‘you have to be behind him’ and then you go under the legs of somebody and then crawl over the other side. It was kind of the kids playing a theatre play and the camera going around with this 17mm lens which is a wideshot. So every bit, every line, every open door has to be performed exactly the same…it has to be right.”

Actress Amy Ryan described this process as causing a “happy accident” whereby Keaton’s character had to be laying on a dressing room counter top in order to accommodate the camera manuevers “That was the only place really that worked best for every moving part in the scene, boom operator and [Lubezki], myself, Michael. And now I can’t think of a better choice for that, that’s exactly where he should be in that moment.”

Of course with a past Hulk, a Gwen Stacy and an iconic Batman in the room, the idea of the Superhero Film had to be raised with the cast and although the film is definitely not that, it doesn’t entirely shy away from some CGI effects. Keaton was pleased with this “When the special effects come in, I mean it’s just outta nowehere! And I totally dig it. I go yeah, there’s a little treat…A little megaplex action superhero movie dose for you right there…”
He and Edward Norton previewed some footage at New York Comic Con the evening before.  “Michael and I went over to New York Comic Con last night to do a little panel there,” said Norton, “and in the dark right before we went on I looked at Michael and said ‘do think this is the ultimate bait and switch?’ Can you imagine if you go to this actually thinking it’s a superhero movie?”

Birdman is now in limited theatrical release.

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Media Mikes would like to give our readers the chance to attend a special 40th Anniversary Screening of the locally made horror film “Satan’s Children” on November 15 at the beautiful and historic Tampa Theatre.

Made in the spring of 1974, and directed by the late Joe Wiezycki, a determined group of local TV crew people filmed “Satan’s Children,” a shocking and exploitive tale of brutal revenge, bizarre unholy rituals, hedonistic hippie culture, weird sex, and the seductive spell of Satanism and devil-cults. In other words: grindhouse heaven! A fantastic acting ensemble cast was assembled, with most coming from the University of South Florida in Tampa. Sadly, the film never received a proper release.

Now, 40 years later, we’re giving the devil his due! Two lucky readers (and a guest) will win passes to attend this fun filled event. Not only will be winners get to attend the special screening, they will be able to meet some of the cast and crew from the film that will also be in attendance.

All you have to do to be eligible is to let us know below what long-ago or obscure horror film you’d like to see on the big screen. Two random entrants will be chosen and notified by email. This contest ends on November 7, 2014. Good luck!

For more information, head to http://tampatheatre.org/movies/satans-children/

Starring: Danielle Harris, Katharine Isabelle, Glenn Jacobs, Chelan Simmons, Kaj-Erik Eriksen, Lee Majdoub, Michael Eklund
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Lions Gate
Release Date: October 21, 2014
Run Time: 90 minutes

Film: 1 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars

When “See No Evil” was released in 2006, I was psyched to see WWE wrestler Kane get a starring role in a horror film. After watching the film, I was totally underwhelmed. When I heard there was a sequel coming along over 8 years later, I was shocked and probably couldn’t care less until I saw that Jen and Sylvia Soska (aka The Soska Sisters) were directing. They did the fantastic horror flick “American Mary” and are taking over the horror genre…but unfortunately this film is a major let down still. It is first of all boring as hell. The kills are not inspired at all and the film follows every typical horror cliche. I know the Soska Sisters are better than this and I will give them a pass but any respecting horror fan should save themselves the true horror of sitting through this film. Lastly, why does everyone love Danielle Harris? Plain and simple…The chick can’t act!

Synopsis: WWE Superstar Glenn “Kane” Jacobs reprises his role as the psychopathic mass-murderer Jacob Goodnight in the rebirth of WWE Studios’ franchise See No Evil 2, the blood-soaked sequel to See No Evil. A group of friends pays a late-night visit to the city morgue to surprise Amy (Harris) on her birthday. But the surprise is on them when the one-eyed corpse of brutal psychopath Jacob Goodnight (Jacobs) unexpectedly rises from a cold sub-basement slab. Their wild party quickly turns into a terrifying slay-fest as the sadistic mass-murderer resumes his savage rampage complete with hooks, surgical knives and power saws.

Lionsgate is releasing this film as combo pack with Blu-ray and Digital HD copy. The 1080p transfer is decent giving the bland colors and boring locations that this film had to work with. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track suffers through one of the most terrible horrible scores that I have heard recently. The special features aren’t much better than the film itself. There are three featurettes included. The first focuses on the directors in “Twisted Twins (Soska Sisters)”, despite my hate for this film, I love these girls and they are going to do big things for the horror genre. “Autopsy: Dissecting the Kills” is a boring look at the boring and uninventive kills in the film. Lastly “Kane’s Goodnight: An Icon Reborn”, looks into the character Jacob Goodnight.

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Colin Minihan and Stuart Ortiz make up the duo known as the The Vicious Brothers. They are the dudes behind the found footage cult film “Grave Encounters” and its sequel “Grave Encounters 2”. In there latest film, “Extraterrestrial”, they are taking on aliens this time instead of ghosts. The film stars Daytime Emmy winning actress, Brittany Allen as well as Michael Ironside (“Scanners”, “Starship Troopers”). Media Mikes had a chance to chat again with The Vicious Brothers and the film’s star Brittany Allen to discuss the film and what we can expect.

Mike Gencarelli: You guys tackled ghosts with the “Grave Encounters” films, why aliens next?
Colin Minihan: “Extraterrestrial” was actually the first thing that we have ever written even before “Grave Encounters”. We have always loved anything to do with UFO, aliens and abductions We have thought that no film recently has done justice to the sort of alien abduction concept, so we wanted to take it on.
Stuart Ortiz: I think there has been a lot of B-movies in the last early 2000’s with alien scenarios and they are always really low production value. Why hasn’t anyone ever tried to make a “Cabin in the Woods” movie with younger 20’s and instead of it being a slasher make the slasher an alien. When Stu and I write, we usually lock ourselves up on the remote northern tip of Vancouver Island, which is surrounded by woods. You kind of always wonder when you are in the place like that what else is there. You can feel the fear of what is out there in the sky when you are looking up at the stars. I can’t imagine that aliens don’t exist, so I think since we think it could be real it makes it as scary as ghosts, which I also think exist.

MG: Brittany, how did you come on board this project?
Brittany Allen: I got the script through my agent. As soon as I finished the script, I contacted my reps and said that “This is something different and special”. I felt that they took the genre and did something new with it. It was very refreshing to read a strong female character that had very human emotions that she was working through in the contexts of a horror/sci-fi film. I related instantly to everything about her from her pessimism on love and the journey that she takes throughout the film. I had a really strong feeling about it, so I pushed for it and ended up meeting with the guys over Skype and then I got the part.

MG: You guys have much more visual effects here than your previous films; tell us about how you accomplished such amazing effects in the film?
CM: The visual effects undertaking on the film was massive for the budget we had. Stu and I wanted to make a blockbuster and we only had a million dollars to do it with. So we pushed our visual effects company to the point that every artists probably lost some hair to make the film look as good as it does. It is one of those things that when you work on a low-budget film that doesn’t have a major studio behind it, I think people feel more involved with it since there isn’t a thousand person team working on it. It is more responsibility for less people and having them step up into those roles. There is a ton of CGI in the film. The UFO is completely computer generated. The alien in the film is also completely computer generated. I feel like the level of detail in the alien is really quite something because people are thinking that it is a model or even a practical effect. When Stu and I were making the film, we were torn in wanted to do it practical or not. We are fans of the genre dating back to “John Carpenter’s The Thing” where practical effects were at their height. To do that now, it just wasn’t realistic within our shooting schedule. But I believe it was a great choice and I am very happy with it.

MG: Brittany, you’ve done some sci-fi including “Defiance”; what do you enjoy most about this genre?
BA: I like putting myself in another world. I have a pretty wild imagination and being able to use that to get into these characters. There is a freedom that comes with this and it is a real playfulness in it. It was just a rush too. I remember one night we had like an hour left to shoot and it was like 3am in the morning and we would do this crazy scene running in the woods. We would finish and would be screaming with our adrenaline pumping. So it was a lot of fun.
SO: I want to be in the front of the camera, that sounds like fun [laughs]

MG: Your role was quite demanding, especially in the third act; was it a big challenge for you?
BA: I would say the biggest challenge in those scenes was using this stuff called Ultra Slime. It was lathered all over my body. That was probably the biggest challenge. It is exactly like you would imagine it to be, it was the slimiest, grossest feeling ever. It was a challenge that I really embraced though.
SO: You were covering in that slime for like a whole day
BA: Yeah, there was one day that I was covered in the slime all day and I started to feel cold and uncomfortable.
CM: I remember I got a piece of it on my finger and I was like “Eww, get this off me [laughs].
BA: Afterwards, it felt like it was all over me when it wasn’t anymore. Overall, emotionally those scenes were some of the most fun to shoot.

MG: How was it working with Michael Ironside? And I love the aspect of the aliens being able to controls your minds… Were you tempted to blow up his head like in “Scanners” [laughs]?
SO: Yeah, I think we had that discussion every single day.
CM: Or we could have torn his arms off (ala “Total Recall”) or his legs bitten off (ala “Starship Troopers”). Is there a scene montage of Ironside getting limbs ripped off in his film? I just want to shoot a movie so that we can add just one part to that if so [laughs].
SO: Working with Michael was just great. He is super intense and even though he has been making films for 30 years and been in a ton of movies, he is still super passionate and excited about the work. You never know what to expect when you bring an actor in for a few days of work. We are huge fan boys of Ironside and it was great getting to work with him.
CM: He also had a lot of great ideas for his character that he brought to the table right away. In the film, he is wearing these ridiculous shirts and that was all his idea. So he was just so cool.

MG: This is your third film together; how do you feel that you have matured as directors?
SO: It is funny because “Grave Encounters” is such a completely different film from “Extraterrestrial” in every way. “Grave Encounters” is obviously a found footage movie and meant to focus around amateur footage versus “Extraterrestrial” in which we are trying to achieve a huge epic sci-fi extravaganza influenced by Steven Spielberg. I don’t know if we could have made this film first…maybe. I think that we learned a lot on “Grave Encounters”.
CM: We are both self taught filmmakers. Stu and I have been shooting films since he was was 5 and I was 8, so we have grown up with it. So with “Grave Encounters”, it is a found footage movie, you have to abandon the language of cinema that we potentially thought ourselves and throw the concept of elaborately staging a scene out the window because it would feel fake within the context of a found footage film. So I think with “Extraterrestrial”, it shows more of that classic influence like Stu said Spielberg…Zemeckis, these guys that put the focus on the staging of talent and telling the story with a camera. I am grateful that we got the opportunity to showcase our ability to direct outside of the found footage world. I prefer this type of filmmaking much more.

Jai Courtney and Joel Edgerton are the stars of the new film “Felony”, which also co-stars Tom Wilkinson. Edgerton also wrote and produced the film. Jai is growing to be quite the superstar with films under his belt like “The Divergent Series” and the upcoming reboot “Terminator: Genisys”. Joel has been in great films like “The Hurt Locker” and can be seen next in “Exodus: Gods and Kings” alongside Christian Bale. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Jai and Joel about their new film “Felony” and their experience on it.

Mike Gencarelli: Joel, you not only star but also wrote and produced “Felony”; tell us about how you became involved with this film?
Joel Edgerton: I started writing this film back in 2007 or 2008. It was based on a short story that I did about this character knocks this kid off his bike while driving drunk and then lies about it. Very quickly I became fascinated with not just him as a character but the characters that Jai (Courtney) and Tom (Wilkinson) ended up playing in the movie. It became about this event and how it would end up effecting a various people’s lives and also how everybody involved in the story has very different opinions about the cleanup, aftermath and punishment needed for the crime. The movie is a thriller that also look into ethics at the same time, so hopefully it is very entertaining. I have written a lot of stuff and when I write something that I really know in my bones is good I become very passionate about it and I will try everything to try and make it work. Next was gathering a really great team. We got Matthew Saville, who is a really great director, his movie “Noise” is one that I really love. Then together him and I found the right producing partner Rose (Blight), who then became the real engine that pushed us into getting this made. Then it became it about finding the right leads to be in the movie and we were blessed in the fact that we got Jai, who is perfect for the character and really blessed that Tom came to play with us as well.

MG: Jai, how did you come on board and what drew you to the project?
Jai Courtney: Really it was just the script. I have been an admirer of Joel’s for some time. We didn’t know each out prior to this film. When I read the script, I did notice his name on the front page and it did definitely intrigue me but I think if that script was written by anyone else, I would have been equally as hungry to do it. It is very well done. Joel reaches out and engages the audience and asks them what they would do in terms of what is going on in the film. My character sees things very clear, defined and very black and white. He believes in that if you mess up then you should suffer the consequences. I am a lot more unsure in person and I thought it was really new territory for me. You couple that with getting the ability to go home (to Australia) to make a movie there. But it is really a universally themed narrative, so it was just a bonus for me and just felt like such a good fit. So I went ahead and auditioned for it and before we knew it we were crackalacking [laughs].

MG: What was it like to work side by side with the great Tom Wilkinson?
JC: I had the pleasure of playing his partner. He is a funny old guy and has been doing this forever. I have an enormous amount of respect for what he is capable of as an actor. Look, it was just a buzz for me. It was great to be able to work with someone that experienced yet he was still so hard working. I would ask Tom what he would be up to on the weekend and he would look at me confused and he would say “Well, I will be working on my lines. I’ve got all these lines to say”. I was just like “Wow”, it has never changed for him. He still works so hard and does an amazing job.
JE: I was amazed firstly that he just jumped on board. To have the person you wanted to play the character say “Yes” was great. I wrote him literally these speeches that would go on for pages. I had this long scene with him on the dock and he turned up fully prepared to shoot the scene. He could have even probably shot during the rehearsal. He doesn’t play the card of learning the lines on the set, like a lot of actors do. Even I was terrified writing it, to be honest, but he just came super prepared and super thoughtful of what his character what doing and it made the film so much more interesting. His character is spewing some of the most difficult points of view on justice and he has such conviction as an actor that you kind of fall into his point of view. You want to believe him.

MG: Joel, how did you prepare for such an emotional role being a family man at home, take a bullet and yet living with this lie?
JE: The tricky thing was that I realized very early on that my character is one of the most inactive characters in the film. We did work hard that he wasn’t just a series of long faces but to show that there is a lot of turmoil going on. Jai’s character is working towards something and trying to fix this problem and Tom’s character is working to fix it in terms of covering it up. I think the biggest challenge for me is that I am not only speaking lines that I have been writing for years and trying to sell them like I would in any other movie but I wanted to make sure that there enough complexity to the guilt. You are asking an audience to empathize with someone that has done a terrible thing and still go on that journey with him. Matthew, the director, and I were having a moment by moment discussion of how we can keep the audience with my character yet still allow them to also not be on his side.

MG: Jai, how did you perfect that “I know you did it” stare that you gave to Joel throughout the film?
JC: I worked on that stare for months [laughs]. I used to joke with Matthew because it did feel like that was all I did just starring at Joel with that “I know you did it” face.

MG: Jai, going from films like “Divergent” to this; was a good chance of pace?
JC: Definitely man. It was wonderful being able to shake things up with a film like this. He is a quiet character but internalizes more than some of the other roles that I have had the fortune of playing. It is fun to get to do the big blockbuster films as well but as an audience member, I respond to this kind of cinema a little more. It is more in line with the kind of film that intrigues me and gets me putting my feet up. It was very refreshing. I was just very lucky to be a part of it. To be honest, it was probably one of the most fulfilling personal experiences that I have had. No frills but no bullshit either. It shows you don’t always need a big budget to have a lot of fun.

MG: Joel, next up you got “Exodus: Gods and Kings”; which is quite a different type film than this one.
JE: A little bit [laughs]. Yeah, that was an incredible experience. That is the beauty of the jobs that I get, one minute you are back doing telly in Australia and writing and then next I was in some building in Spain wearing a gold skirt. So you get to have like 3-4 month excursions into different worlds with a bunch of great professional people. It is a real blessing. I wouldn’t want to do just the one thing. It is nice to be able to jump around in the different worlds. The big budget films are exciting but there is really something that gets your adrenaline going with these smaller movies as well.

MG: Jai, what can you spill for us about “Terminator: Genisys”?
JC: They are very tight lipped about it, so I can reveal much but I am really excited about it. I am really happy that I got to have the experience. I am a fan of the franchise also, so it was really cool to get to play that role. I am really excited with the direction that we are taking the franchise as well.