Win a trip for 4 to the opening of Cars Land and a private Jungle Cruise tour skippered by John Lasseter!

From late 1977 through spring 1978, John Lasseter, before becoming chief creative officer at Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios and principal creative advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering, worked at Disneyland, and was a skipper on the Jungle Cruise attraction. Recently, a search for a photo of John skippering the Jungle Cruise came up empty. Surely there must be a photo of Skipper John somewhere? To find one, we have created a contest: the first person to submit a verifiable photo of John as the skipper of the Jungle Cruise from 1977 will win a trip for 4 to the grand opening of Cars Land at Disney California Adventure in summer 2012, and a ride on the Jungle Cruise skippered by none other than John himself! What better way to turn a Disney memory of old into a Disney memory of today?

For details on how to submit, visit Johnofthejungle.com or the official Disney•Pixar Facebook page: http://www.Facebook.com/disneypixar

John of the Jungle: The Search for John Lasseter:

Below please find poster and details on A GOOD OLD FASHIONED ORGY, a Samuel Goldwyn Films release. The film is rated R and opens September 2.

The film has an all-star cast including Lake Bell, Leslie Bibb, Michelle Borth, Rhys Coiro, Will Forte, Don Johnson, David Koechner, Nick Kroll, Tyler Labine, Lucy Punch, Angela Sarafyan, Lin Shaye, Lindsay Sloane, Martin Starr and Jason Sudeikis.  The film is directed by Alex Gregory & Peter Huyck.

The Emmy nominated writing team of Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck (“The Larry Sanders” Show,” “King of the Hill”) make their directorial debut with “A Good Old Fashioned Orgy.” The story, also penned by the pair, is the hilarious account of a group of early 30 something Manhattan-ites who decide to do the unthinkable to celebrate the end of their summer weekend jaunts in the Hamptons.

When Eric Keppler’s (JASON SUDEIKIS) father Jerry (DON JOHNSON) informs the group that he plans to sell their beloved Hamptons getaway, the gang finds it hard to face the reality that the summers they have known since their teenage years are coming to an end. Memories of infamous themed house parties date back to their high school days and this news is devastating to the long time friends.

In an effort to go out with a bang, Eric wants to throw one last epic party to trump all others and decides to orchestrate an orgy among him and his friends. At first, no one except the always inappropriate Mike McCrudden (TYLER LABINE) is on board but slowly, one by one the others agree to participate. Each thinking that by joining, it might help him/her resolve some personal issue. Sue Plummer (MICHELLE BORTH) sees it as a chance to be with Eric after a missed opportunity years ago. Laura LaCarubba (LINDSAY SLOANE) thinks it might help her get past her body image issues. Alison Lobel (LAKE BELL) is coming off a bad break up and thinks it will be a nice change from the restrictions of a relationship. Doug Duquez (MARTIN STARR) and Willow Talbot (ANGELA SARAFYAN) think it might help their on again off again romance. Adam Richman (NICK KROLL) has just been fired from a job that controlled the entirety of his 20s so he vows to make his 30s memorable and decides an orgy is just the thing to kick it off.

Intentionally not included are Glenn (WILL FORTE) and Kate (LUCY PUNCH) who already have a child and are about to get married.  Unfortunately, the couple learns of the orgy on their wedding day and become furious that their best friends excluded them from this monumental event.  They still believe that despite being parents and newlyweds, they are still hip and cool.

With the threat of a pending sale, Eric tries as hard as he can to ensure that the house does not get sold until after the Labor Day weekend orgy party. To do this, Eric begins dating one of his realtors, Kelly (LESLIE BIBB), in an effort to convince her to hold off. When he unexpectedly begins to develop serious feelings for her, he starts to second guess his participation in the orgy and threatens to dismantle the entire plan.

No one could have anticipated how the evening would change their lives and the lessons that would be learned from one night of debauchery. Also starring David Koechner (VIC) and Lyn Shaye (DODY HENDERSON), “A Good Old Fashioned Orgy” is a raunchy yet hilarious tale of friendship, growing up and moving on with a little bit of sex thrown in for good measure.

SundanceNOW.com is a place for anyone interested in independent films both American and worldwide – from the die-hard fans, who we hope will become active members of our community, to those interested in browsing our extensive list of different genres and sampling something new.

YOU NEVER KNOW WHO MIGHT BE LIVING NEXT DOOR

GOOD NEIGHBORS

A Terrifying Adventure That Will Chill Viewers To The Bone Arrives On DVD And Blu-ray Debut September 27 From Magnolia Home Entertainment

“What a deliciously dark surprise!” Fangoria.com

“If you have the chance to see this film, do so.” TwitchFilm.com

LOS ANGELES, CALIF. – Following its critically acclaimed debut at the 2010Toronto Film Festival, the haunting thriller Good Neighbors will terrify on Blu-ray Disc and DVD September 27 from Magnolia Home Entertainment. From writer/director Jacob Tierney (This Is My Father) this “gem that’s well-worth checking out” (Bloody Disgusting.com) stars Scott Speedman (Underworld: Evolution, Barney’s Version, “Felicity”), Emily Hampshire (The Trotsky) and Jay Baruchel (She’s Out Of My League, Knocked Up, Tropic Thunder).

Set in Quebec, Good Neighbors follows three neighbors as they bond over a recent string of murders taking place in their community. As the trio learns more about each other and the horror of what lies outside escalates, dark secrets unfold and they soon learn that nowhere is safe. Combing smart dialogue, strong performances and jarring thrills, this riveting mystery is loaded with unique bonus features including the making of Good Neighbors and HDNet: A Look at Good Neighbors. The Good Neighbors Blu-ray and DVD will be available for the suggested retail prices of $29.98 and $26.98 respectively.

Synopsis
When a recent string of murders terrorize their community, neighbors Spencer (Scott Speedman) and Louise (Emily Hampshire) quickly bond over their shared fascination with the tragic events. When a new tenant named Victor (Jay Baruchel) arrives in the building, all three quickly hit it off, but they soon discover that each of them has their own dark secret. As the violence outside mounts, the city retreats indoors for safety. The more time these three spend together in their apartment building, the clearer it becomes that what they once thought of as a safe haven is as dangerous as any outside horror they could imagine.

Greg Sestero is known for his role of Mark in the cult film “The Room”.  Greg is currently writing a book about his experience working on the film and working with Tommy Wiseau. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Greg about the film and the upcoming book.

Mike Gencarelli: How did you originally meet Tommy Wiseau and get involved with the film?
Greg Sestero: Ironically, I met Tommy in an acting class. I watched him attempt a Shakespearean sonnet and thought, I have to do a scene with him.

MG: Did you originally take this as a serious film because of it’s content or more comedy
due to its major plot holes?
GS: I think it’s obvious that there was only one way to have taken it. Out of nowhere, playing football in tuxedos three feet apart kinffd of says it all.

MG: What is your favorite part of attending the midnight screenings with fans?
GS: The fans are the best part of the whole thing; always so gracious and enthusiastic. They come up with the most clever riffs for the film.

MG: You were recently in Prague; did you think you would be touring internationally with this film?
GS: Not a chance. Like many, I truly didn’t think the film would see the light of day.

MG: Tell us about why you’re writing the book now?
GS: It’s been almost a decade of questions about “The Room”. Why, and how, on earth was it made? Where did the $6 million dollar budget come from? Who is Tommy Wiseau? I think the story behind the film is replete with just as much hilarity, entertainment and mind boggling insanity as the film itself. Its an unbelievable story I feel fans and non fans can thoroughly enjoy.

MG: How does Tommy Wiseau feel about your writing this book?
GS: Probably that I should leave my stupid comments in my pocket.

MG: What other projects are you currently working on or have upcoming?
GS: I recently shot a video with Patton Oswalt for the comedy website 5secondfilms. Which you can view here.

Directed by: Elliott Lester
Starring: Jason Statham, Paddy Considine, Aidan Gillen, David Morrissey, Zawe Ashton
Distributed by: Millennium Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 97 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

Jason Statham knows how to kick some ass. He has proved that time and time again since “The Transporter”. This film is no different, he kicks some major ass and looks mad cool when he is doing it. I am surprised that this film did not get more of a theatrical push in North America because it is quite better than Statham’s recent films. The story is great, it is action packed, ultra-violent and definitely keeps you entertained the whole time.

The story follows Detective Sergeant Tom Brant (Jason Statham) who does not follow anyone’s rules but his own. He is known for his brutality against his victims and has been warned by his department. Tom is put on a case where a crazy killer named Blitz is going around killing cops, just for the fun of it. Tom needs to find out who Blitz is before it is too late. He also finds out that he is more connected to the case than he knows.

This film is smart, sleek and packs a hell of a punch. Jason Statham is especially great in this film as the kick ass copy avenger. I wasn’t too thrilled with him since his role in “The Expendables” but this redeemed his ass kicking status. Another notable performance was Aidan Gillen who plays the killer Blitz. His performance was haunting, yet funny and also very intense.

The Blu-ray presentation is very crisp and the sound is bone-breaking clear. The extras on the disc are decent including a UK theatrical trailer, cast and crew interviews, behind the scenes and additional previews. The interviews are interesting to watch, brief but definitely worth a watch. The behind the scenes is also great because a film like this has a lot of stunt coordination and it is great to see how it all comes together. This film is definitely worth a watch if not a purchase.

Rena Riffel is known best for her role of Penny in 1995’s erotic cult classic “Showgirls”.  Rena is returning for “Showgirls 2: Penny ‘s from Heaven” but not only starring, she is directing, writing and producing it!  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Rena about “Showgirls”, its sequel and her other series “Trasharella”.

Mike Gencarelli: What did you like most about the role of Penny when you co-starred in “Showgirls”?
Rena Riffel: What I loved the most was being able to work with Paul Verhoeven.  He has always been my hero, he is a genius filmmaker and such a nice person.  And “Basic Instinct” was my favorite movie at that time (and still is), it was the same Director and Writer team for Showgirls… I was in heaven!  I loved playing the role because I got to play my signature “ditzy” character, which I had been developing. And it was incredible to be able to dance in the movie, since I am a dancer.  Elizabeth Berkeley(Nomi) and I had such a great time dancing together.  We had rehearsed the dancing for about five months, actually.  Glenn Plummer and I rehearsed our dance a lot and I loved every minute of it.  I was originally auditioning for the lead role of Crystal Connors, I think the casting director may have seen me starring in a movie called “Art Deco, Detective” (Directed by Philippe Mora) where I had played a similar “Crystal-type” character.  I had four call-backs for the role, both acting and dance auditions, and was then put on “hold” for weeks just waiting to get confirmed.  When I finally heard back, they had changed my part to Penny because they said I wasn’t old enough to play an aging Showgirl, I was in my early-twenties.  But I was thrilled to get the role of Penny.

MG: Tell us about how you got your song “Deep Kiss” into the film “Showgirls”?
RR: I simply went through the proper channels, giving my “cassette tape” to the Music Supervisor.  They only wanted good songs, so she made it clear to me she wasn’t going to do me a favor if it sucked.  She played it for her assistant without telling him it was “Penny”, to make sure it didn’t suck.  The entire production office said they loved it (this is what she told me).. then she played it for Mr. Verhoeven, after he also loved it and said it would be perfect for the lap dance scene, then she said ‘guess who it is, it’s “Penny” singing!’  When they told me they would use the song in the movie, I was so happy.  To be included in a film score with Prince, David Bowie, and Dave Stewart was such an honor.

MG: With “Showgirls 2: Penny’s From Heaven”, you are not only acting but writing, editing and directing, what can you tell us about this film?
RR: To be reunited with Glenn Plummer, Dewey Weber, and Greg Travis from the Showgirls’ cast, working together once again on “Showgirls 2: Penny’s From Heaven” was the most amazing experience.  I am so proud of this movie.  It qualifies for the Academy Awards, so it will be “In Consideration” for the Oscars.  So, if any Academy Members are reading this, please watch this film and I hope that it will win your votes!   We all took this film very seriously and I worked very very hard on it.  It’s been one of those movies in which the filmmakers sacrificed everything to get this film made.  Like the making of  Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now”, we had such incredible challenges in the making of  “SG2:PFH”.  But the good thing is, I  always came in “on budget” and “on time” despite the obstacles.  I think I must have a Showgirl Angel watching over me.

MG: How do you feel it will stand up with the original film by means of erotic and edgy?
RR: The story revolves around a sapphic erotic romance. It is very erotic and edgy. It has very controversial themes and subjects.  I do have an NC-17 or possibly X rated version which is similar to Showgirls’ nudity but includes not only full frontal female nudity but also full frontal male nudity, but I decided not to release it.  I was getting feedback telling me that if I include it, it will make the movie too shocking to see genitalia all over the place.  And the full frontal male nudity seemed to dominate the scene, which I enjoyed, but..  I figure my job is to make a movie for the audience to enjoy, so I sadly cut it. But, I will eventually release the full frontal version someday.  For now, this version has some violence, nudity, erotic dance numbers, sexual content, and some adult language, so I think it would be considered an R rating.

MG: When can we see expect to see this film released?
RR: I am planning to do “Sneak Peek” screenings in the Fall 2011 in Los Angeles. And possibly in select cities, like in the N.Y. area, Portland, OR., San Francisco, CA., and the U.K.  I expect the movie to be released world wide in 2012. I will have more info and updates on the website, www.Showgirls2Movie.com.

MG: What do you like most about directing and do you find it difficult to juggle roles?
RR: What I love most about directing and being a filmmaker is bringing my vision to reality, it’s a great feeling to see what I had in my mind unfold before my eyes.  It’s not difficult at all to juggle the roles of acting and directing. I found it easy to snap back and forth into my character, then back into dealing with the technical aspects and running the show.  I am inspired by Barbra Streisand, and as she said so eloquently, it actually makes it easier to both act and direct at the same time, because there is one less actor you need to worry about. I find the same with screenplay writing, it feels the same to me as acting, drawing from that same creative place, and using the impulse of timing and revealing.  And editing feels the same as writing.  It is all intertwined from that same creative place and instinct I use as an actress.

MG: How did you come up with the idea for the film “Trasharella Ultra-Vixen”?
RR: I was basically improvising and writing as we were filming.  But I was going for a grind-house type of Russ Meyer influence, then threw a Vampire in the mix. I loved what Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez did with “Grindhouse”, and with my equipment I had at that time, it gave me hope that I could make a grind-house retro B-Movie.  A lot of the story is from a script I wrote called “Butterfly Lane”.  “Butterfly Lane” deals with vampires, witches, ghosts, and being possessed.

MG: Do you have plans to follow-up with “Trasharella in Space”?
RR: Yes, I have the script ready to go.  I just need to build the spaceship for the Scream Queens, they are the drag queen astronauts who Trasharella will be traveling to cyberspace with while killing off vampire-zombies, the vampires have mutated.  It is a musical, like “Trasharella Ultra-Vixen”.  This one should be a blast!

Glenn Ciano is the director of two upcoming films “Inkubus” and “Infected”.  Both films have fantastic genre casts: “Inkubus” stars Robert Englund, William Forsythe, Joey Fatone and Jonathan Silverman and “Infected” stars Michael Madsen, William Forsythe and Christy Carlson Romano.  Glenn really knows the business and he really loves what he does.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Glenn about his upcoming films and his love for directing.

Mike Gencarelli: “Inkubus” was your directorial debut. How were you able to attract such talent as Robert Englund, William Forsythe and Joey Fatone to the project.
Glenn Ciano: You never know what to expect. When Robert Englund became a possibility things went completely wild. I had to rewrite the script…polish it up. And then to know that he was reading it. And on the other side I was asked what I thought about working with Robert because he is a horror icon. I mean having him comes with its own baggage. It’s great but it’s also so easy to mishandle someone that is basically a legend in the genre. I told them I wouldn’t be scared at all. I’d run right after it, tackle it to the ground and pull out something new. I mean, that’s why you want to make movies…to work with guys like that. Robert liked that answer too! And when we were casting the role of Diamante I looked at a list of actors and I had always wanted to work with William Forsythe. I had been a P.A. (production assistant) on a movie he did called “Palookaville” when I was just starting out in the movie business. So to be able to come full circle and work with him in a completely different way, that opportunity was …he left such an impression on me as a young man as an actor and just watching him work. Joey has become probably my best friend in the business. We met in 2005 when I sold a script called “Homie Spumoni,” which he was in and I worked on. I was very involved with the film right up to the end and he and I struck up a real easy relationship. It feels like he grew up just down the street. And it remains that way. So when this came up I told him I had a horror movie about to jump off and I asked him what he thought. He said, “Are you kidding me…I LOVE horror!” I told him I had rewritten the role…that the character would be in way over his head, just like Joey would be (laughs). And then through Joey…we were going over a list of names and he spit out Jonathan Silverman and I said, “oh my God, I HAVE to work with Jonathan Silverman.” I love movies and I love making them, so to have such an eclectic pairing of all of these personalities and actors is incredible. And if you read some of the reviews, they’re like “what the hell is Joey Fatone doing in this movie…what the hell is Jonathan Silverman doing in this movie?” But when you see the movie it makes sense because it takes all types. I like to create worlds and atmospheres and each guy and each girl has a different thing to do. I like the fact that you read the cast list and you might think this is just a horror movie but it’s not. I pay homage to the genre because I love it, but at the same time making movies is like telling a joke. Not the joke that you and your five friends get off on but the joke that goes in front of the biggest audience possible. That’s cool. That’s really saying something. Hopefully the audience will make something of these movies and get them out there. I’ve had test screenings where 60 year old women come up to me afterwards and say, “wow, that was really an intense mind fuck.” And I think that’s great because that’s what I wanted. I expect to hit my mark and do my job for the “right” age demographics but if I can get other people to say, “wow…I didn’t expect that. I got pulled in,” that’s what’s cool. I mean that’s what Robert Englund…Freddy Krueger…did. They weren’t just horror movies. He was the boogie man. I mean whether they like horror movies or not, everyone knows who Freddy Krueger is. That says a lot.

MG: What was your most challenging aspect of getting this film made?
GC: I only had 15 days to shoot it. The effects had to be more practical. We weren’t dealing with the biggest budget in the world…it was amazing to get all of these people on board. Being a first time director I had to make good decisions and stick to them. I had a kid piss his pants in the movie. And you know, I had other stuff like someone getting their spine ripped out. That was easier then getting this kid to piss his pants. There’s this rig they use…and he’s wearing shorts made out of the same material they make scuba suits out of. So we couldn’t get the shorts to look like they were wet. And I had to yank the shot…hopefully come back to it if we have time on another day. I only have these actors for a certain amount of time and I have to get the most out of them. And if I don’t use the time properly I get screwed because I won’t have what I need on screen. So if I can isolate the effects shots to where I don’t need an actor I just need a section of a body…I kept sliding down my days to shoot my inserts. I tried to be really smart about the time I had. I had to schedule everything the right way because if something went wrong I wouldn’t have enough screen time with the people I needed to have screen time with. Also, telling the story in smaller moments. You have to get those big shots done. If I have a small crew I can deal with that, but if I don’t get the shots I need for the movie then I don’t have a movie at all.

MG: You worked with Michael Madsen and Christy Carlson Romano on both “Infected” & “Loosies” Tell us about those two films?
GC: The experiences were fantastic. I got to work with Mike and I got to work a second time with William Forsythe. I met Christy Carlson Romano when she auditioned for “Loosies.” And through William I was able to get Vincent Gallo in, who I had also worked with on “Palookaville.” Michael Madsen was someone I had always wanted to work with. As a producer on “Loosies” it was great to be involved in assembling a great cast. And to be involved in the system of filmmaking that was designed on “Inkubus.” We used the 5D cameras, which isn’t a popular thing to do. But we were saving money. We were buying stuff…we owned our cameras, we owned our lenses. So when we needed to do reshoots it wasn’t a big deal to go out and find the equipment because we already had it. I mean we did three movies back to back. So it was great to have the editing machines and the other equipment available any time at our disposable. We were making stuff that was HD quality and doing stuff that other people hadn’t done before. It was great on “Loosies” to see my system at work for another director. And then being back in the director’s chair for “Infected,” we took it a step further. I wanted to do a slow boil, Sam Peckinpah-style western that happened to have some zombies in it. (laughs). But I really wanted to cook it. The whole thing with the zombie genre, which I’m a big fan of as well, is that someone is always waking up in a hospital and the world has already turned to shit! I wanted to know what it had turned to shit. I wanted to put a little more science into the fiction. So my version is an evolution of Lyme disease, which effects your mind and body in certain ways and knocks you down to your primal state. A lot of fever induced stuff…stuff that scared me. I actually found a deer tick on me. I plucked him off, put it in a baggie and took it to a Lyme clinic and the doctor scared the bejesus out of me…telling me it’s an epidemic…it will affect everyone you know…in the next year or five years…different strands. I asked him if it could be fatal and he said if a dog gets enough different strands and they mix together it could be fatal. They would just walk around in a circle, sit down and die. And I was like, “what the hell?” I asked him about humans and he said doctors didn’t know yet. Like I said, it scared the bejesus out of me so I went home and wrote the screenplay! Michael Madsen was really great to work with. He really epitomized my cowboy. He wasn’t looking to be a hero…he wasn’t a good dad…but life just kind of intervened and gave him a second chance under the worse circumstances to kind of step up.

MG: How do you feel that directing “Infected” has differed from “Inkubus”?
GC: Like I said, we did three movies in a row. I learned a lot on “Inkubus,” most how to manage that 15 days. How to make sure we not only had the scenes…the building blocks… but that we had the work inside the scenes. To add time…to add the little moments. To let it breathe whenever it was supposed to. And I had different kinds of special effect challenges shooting “Infected” versus “Inkubus.” “Inkubus” was a demon…he could do almost anything. I was able to do some digital effects but for the most part they were practical. With “Infected” I really wanted to go old school violence. We were shooting off blank loads. I was getting my camera in as close as I could. I actually got my DP shot in the face (laughs) by Michael Madsen, which was wild but well worth it. We built our own 35 foot crane. We built lights that put off a blue sodium vapor for moonlight because we weren’t able to have huge generators. We got to the point where if we needed to do something we figured out a way to do it. And we weren’t going to let anybody stop us. This movie was on our own backs and it was a great feeling. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to make a movie like that again. It was a very unique experience to where everybody just rallied around the movie itself and got it done. We were out in the middle of the woods…in the middle of nowhere…making this crazy film. And I think it shows. I was able to accomplish similar things with both films. I believe that in “Inkubus” films will see a Robert Englund that they haven’t seen since “A Nightmare On Elm Street.” He is the man in this movie…he leads the charge and he owns it. In “Infected” no one has seen this kind of Michael Madsen in very long time. This film proves that he can deliver…he can carry a movie. He is a movie star. Maybe people forgot that a little bit. Maybe he forgot that a little bit. But this movie is a kick in the pants because he’s back. And I’m glad to be a part of that. It’s something that I’ve always wanted. I’ve wanted to see Michael Madsen back in the forefront. I want to see Robert Englund back in the forefront. I want to see Wiliam Forsythe in a tour-de-force. He tears it up in both of these movies. He holds the emotional center of each film on different levels just giving the ballsiest character performance. To be a part of that…to capture that as a young filmmaker…no matter what happens I feel good about that. That’s the kind of career I’m heading towards. I told Michael Madsen I was going to punch a hole in his stomach and tear out his guts! I didn’t hire his head shot. And he responded. Just like my brazen attitude towards Robert Englund, “ I’m not hiring you because I want you to make a cameo…to make an appearance in my movie…you ARE the movie!”

MG: When can we see “Inkubus” and “Infected”?
GC: It looks like “Inkubus” will be coming out in October. The producers are putting together a small release themselves. I applaud them for that. “Infected” is still in post production. I think it will be out shortly after “Inkubus.” We also have some great conventions coming up where we’ll start making some noise. Robert and I are going to “Rock and Shock” and were going to make a little noise. It’s going to be the fans that make these movies. There won’t be a heavy marketing campaign behind them. No one is going to be force feeding them to you. But I’m glad they’re going to give these movies a shot theatrically. They’re a no brainer as far as DVD and television go. But I’m where I want to be. I like being in the hands of the fans.

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Director: Richard Gabai
Cast: Sean Patrick Flanery, Natalie Zea, Adam Baldwin, Christopher Lloyd, Thomas Ian Nicolas, Veronica Cartwright, Juliette Landau, Max Perlich, Angeline-Rose Troy
Check Entertainment Distribution
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 92 minutes

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The most important question for this film is “Who Killed Allison Parkes?”. This film is a non-stop thrill ride that keeps you guessing the whole movie. It is well-paced and the surprises are perfectly executed. I am pretty good at guessing the twists but this film had me stumped. The film also has an all-star cast and their performances are well done.

“InSight” follows Kaitlyn (Natalie Zea), a nurse that is somehow linked to one of her patients. When she is caring for the stabbing victim, Allison Parkes, she is accidentally electrocuted by the defibrillator and immediately she starts seeing the victim’s own memories. It is up to Kaitlyn with to use this to help solve the crime along with detective Peter Rafferty (Sean Patrick Flanery).

Sean Patrick Flanery is great in this role and plays the cop well. Natalie Zea gives an intense performance, as the troubled nurse turned victim. Great supporting cast also includes appearances from Adam Baldwin, Christopher Lloyd and Thomas Ian Nicolas. The film feels low budget for sure but tries its best to deliver higher quality production. The editing is well done in the film piecing it together slowly for the big reveal. Overall a small film with some big surprises, definitely worth a watch.

Directed by: Scott Rosenbaum
Starring: Kevin Zegers, Jason Ritter, Peter Fonda, Taryn Manning
Red Hawk Films
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 92 minutes

Our Score 3.5 out of 5 stars

Music is a big inspiration in my life and I am always jump at the chance to see a good music road-movie. That is what this film is a good music road-movie. You can tell when you watch the film that it is a real labor of love from director Scott Rosenbaum. He has put many years into this film and that is what makes this film unique. Most music films are cliche but this one makes a stand and stand aside from the others. Great performances only add more to this film…and it is one intense journey through the world of music.

Rock star Spyder (Kevin Zegers) is looking to record his band’s third album and seeks long lost childhood friend, Eric Genson (Jason Ritter) for help. Spyder is struggling and burnt out after the flop of his sophomore album. Eric agrees to help Spyder as long as they do it his way. The guys set out on a cross country journey from Long Island, NY to Los Angeles, CA. Accompanying the band is their manager (Taryn Manning), the legendary August West (Peter Fonda). As they travel along historic Route 66 it makes them realize what their journey truly means and what they are looking for in music and life.

The film is not all fun and games and is quite gritty and intense. It shows the ups but also a whole lot of downs as the group travels. The acting in this film is so key to this film working and it really succeeds. Kevin Zegers is dark and channels his goth rocker quite well. Jason Ritter is emotional and really sells this performance. Peter Fonda aces his character in the film as always as the aged but still cool rocker. I look forward to Scott Rosenbaum next feature to see what he draws up after this successful debut. Music fans keep an eye out for blues legends Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin and Sugar Blue.

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Heather Langenkamp is known best for her role of Nancy in “A Nightmare on Elm Street” series.  Heather recently took a film crew along with her on various convention trips and filmed the documentary “I Am Nancy”.  The doc shows Heather’s perspective of meeting fans and how she holds up in the “Nightmare” series.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Heather about the working on “Nightmare on Elm Street”, her documentary “I Am Nancy” and also what she has planned upcoming.

Mike Gencarelli: Over the last 25 years how do you feel the character of Nancy stands out in the horror genre?
Heather Langenkamp: It didn’t really hit me until sometime after I had finished the other movies. Nancy stands out for several reasons since she grows up over the course of 15 years in the films. When we first meet her she’s your average teenager and by the time we see her in “New Nightmare”, she is a mom, married and had this incredible life. Not too many characters in film get to show the growing up of a character like that.

MG: Working on the documentary “I am Nancy” what would you say was the most challenging aspect?
HL: Definitely waking up and not knowing what to expect every day. We would gather the crew and then go to these conventions and we never knew if what we shot was good. I was often busy at my table greeting fans but I would tell the crew to go out and just talk to fans. I really had no idea what was being put down until months later when we transferred everything to computer and watched it. I was amazed at all the different things the fans said about what the character of Nancy meant to them.

MG: What would you like to tell your fans about the film and the Nancy character?
HL: I want people to have fun when they go to movies. You spend a lot of money to go and have them kind of take you away from your daily life for a bit and enjoy a piece of art which I think “A Nightmare on Elm Street” is. Our culture is something we all have in common and I love how people from all walks of life can sit and talk about films be it “Harry Potter” or “A Nightmare on Elm Street”. I know people in the movie business that get into it for that reason to make people laugh or cry. What I have noticed since I made the documentary is that there are a few movies out there that people watch over and over. Some of those movies mean something special to those people and for some “A Nightmare on Elm Street” is one of those movies and I am really proud that it has those lasting qualities.

MG: How much footage did you guys have to go through?
HL: I imagine it was over 100 hours as we had gone to 6 different conventions and we had either one or two cameras shooting. The conventions were around 30 hours each and then when you add in Wes Craven’s interview we probably had about 150 hour or so. My director Arlene Marechal has this amazing gift of remembering people and their dialogue from the shooting.  After watching the footage dozens of times she organized all of her editing all from memory. It was pretty unusual and took her quite a bit of time. We would be saying we needed a certain story and she would be able to remember a person from all the footage who told that story. She had this incredible photographic memory. One thing I love about the film is that it is really fast paced and we tried to include as many people as we could. There was a lot of interesting things said but we just couldn’t fit them all in.

MG: How did you meet Arlene and get her involved with the project?
HL: Funny enough, she is my sister in law. We were working together at our make-up effects shop for a film called “The Cabin in the Woods” and I needed some help. You can always trust your family and I called her up and told her I was in need of some extra hands managing the office. Arlene came down and worked kind of as the plant manager for about 4 months. During this time Arlene brought to my attention that a lot of the guys who work at the shop would talk about me and or be nervous when I would walk by and stuff and that they wanted my autograph on their Freddy glove. I told her that happens all the time. (Laughs) She was like did you know they were such big fans and that they love you? I was like ya, ya, ya, whatever I’m with people all the time who are big fans of the film. When we were done with that show Arlene said she wanted to make a film about me going to all these conventions and that it would be very interesting. She felt Nancy should be just as big as Freddy and that there were a lot of Nancy fans out there. I said sure as I was going to be at 6 conventions that year and Arlene came with me to each one and that’s where everything came from.

MG: What has been your fondest memory from working on the documentary?
HL: Meeting fans like Jude who you meet at the end of the film really made the show. She was just amazing and she made me cry. Being able to just talk to people and I remember every fan. They gave me such great gifts with their stories.

MG: Do you think you will ever get to play Nancy again?
HL: All I can say to that is in my dreams. I would love to do that! I would be an older grey haired Nancy for sure but I feel like there is another story there. The great thing about Freddy is that he lives in your dreams. He can transform and things but he never ages and he can always be there. I have always thought there is another opportunity for a Nancy/Freddy battle. The relationship between the two characters is really interesting and Robert England always made sure to show that Nancy was getting to him and his most difficult fight. Nancy always had to have a fighting chance. He does get me in the third film but in the final film I win and in the first film I kind of win so in my mind its 2- Nancy and 1- Freddy.

MG: Can you give us some back ground on “The Cabin in the Woods”
HL: We were really fortunate to get that project and it was much bigger than we anticipated. We thought it would just be some make-up and a few creatures but it turned into what we called the “Costco of Death” (Laughs) there was so much stuff and it was super challenging. Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon or so imaginative it’s almost like a burden to be around them as they have so many ideas. We were constantly sending them drawings and ideas. It wasn’t a big budget movie so we were on a tight time table. I am praying the film comes out in April on the big screen as I have yet to see a cut of it. Its super secret! I am hoping people will get really excited about horror films again after this film as it really shakes things up.

MG: Can you tell us about your latest film “The Butterfly Room”?
HL: I am really hoping that comes out soon as it’s been in post-production for over a year now. It was financed by the Italian government as they love horror films much more than the Americans do believe it or not. I go to play the daughter of Barbara Steele who is a classic 60’s and70’s horror actress icon. She and I have this bizarre relationship in the movie. I have to save this girls life that has been drawn in by my mother. The role is very Nacy-ish. I can’t vouch for if the movie is going to be great or not but I really loved my part and acting with Barbara Steele was a thrill.

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Imogen Poots in starring in this year’s 3D remake of “Fright Night” as Amy Peterson. Imogen was also in this year adaption of “Jane Eyre”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Imogen about working on the film and with such a great cast.

Click here to read our raving review for “Fright Night”

Mike Gencarelli: How familiar were you to the original “Fright Night” before getting involved with the remake of “Fright Night”?
Imogen Poots: Oh yes, I was I watched the original film before I tried out of the film. I really enjoyed it and I was very excited to be able to get on board for the remake.

MG: What did you like most about playing Amy Peterson?
IP: I think Amy is quite strong. Which means that she’s able work with Charlie and stand up for herself against Jerry. She is quite different that the original. She just want to be with her boyfriend and they are able to to explore the complexity the situation that they are involved in.

MG: Tell us about the makeup process for your character?
IP: It was really great. What was really cool though was that before we even started shooting I went down the KNB EFX and they did molds of my head and my body. It was really amazing and fun to have that happen. The guy in charge was Howard Berger and he was such a nice guy. Overall it was a wonderful experience.

MG: How was it working with Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, David Tennant and Christopher Mintz-Plasse?
IP: Yeah it is a great cast and everyone was awesome. I became super close with Anton and Chris. Colin was awesome. He is an incredible actor and a wonderful human being. They all put me at ease. It is a real international cast and that was very interesting. Craig Gillespie, the director, I adore him and he had a wonderful approach to the film to turn it into a real character driven piece. It was really cool working with all of them.

MG: Since it was filmed in 3D, did it make the production any more difficult?
IP: There was a little more down time in between shots. Everyone was walking around wearing sunblock and wearing sunglasses, but they weren’t sunglasses they were 3D glasses. On the production side, it was a slightly bigger camera with more weight. So overall not to bad.

MG: Will there be any homages to the original film or does this stand alone?
IP: Oh sure! I believe we definitely created homage to the original. I think it was important. The moment the character was created it is in the era…its the 80’s. It has that camp feel but it is more of a re-imagining from the original while still obtaining some qualities.

MG: This year you went from “Jane Eyre” to “Fright Night”, do you enjoy diverse roles?
IP: Yeah, I mean it is not something I seek outright. At the same time it is always exciting to play diverse roles.

MG: What is going to be your next project?
IP: It is a movie called “A Late Quartet”. It is with Catherine Keener and Philip Seymour Hoffman. I play a young violinist who is quite expectational and is attending Juilliard. Also, I am in New York right now and we are starting production in a couple of weeks on “Greetings From Tim Buckley”.

MG: Did the play the violin before this film?
IP: I didn’t before this role…but I do now…to an extent [laughs].

Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, David Tennant, Imogen Poots, Toni Collette, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Distributed by Touchstone Pictures
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 106 minutes

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

.

Click here to read our interview with star Imogen Poots

When it comes to horror films, it is hard for them to remake our “babies”. I happened though to have really enjoyed this film. I have to say it was really well done and it is a great upgrade to the series. It kept the charm of the first film but added more action, humor and class. Plus who doesn’t like vampires in 3D…I sure do!…and yes BTW it was shot in 3D (more on that later). What makes it even better is that you have a fantastic young cast led by the amazing Colin Farrell. NOTE: Die-hard fans of the original make sure to keep an eye out about half way through for a great cameo from the original Jerry, Chris Sarandon.

The story gets an update in this remake and moved to the outskirts of Las Vegas because where else is a perfect setting for people that play all night and sleep all day. We follow Charley (Anton Yelchin) who, of course, suspects that his new neighbor Jerry (Colin Farrell) is a vampire after being convinced by his friend Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). Once Jerry catches on to Charley knowledge of him all war is waged on him and his friends and family. Charley then visits and seeks the help from Las Vegas magician and vampire expert Peter Vincent (David Tennant) to try beat him.

Anton Yelchin and Imogen Poots are great newcomers and are going to be taking over Hollywood soon. Christopher Mintz-Plasse’s role is limited but effective. Christopher really gets a chance to act in this film and not just play the nerd. I have to tell you Roddy McDowall is a hard act to follow but David Tennant (known best for playing the 10th Doctor Who) is simply spectacular!! He is funny and steals most of his scenes. But let’s give it up to Colin Farrell who is such plays the amazingly bad-ass vampire, Jerry. Colin not only hits a home run, he gets a grand slam with this film and the role really suites him well.

The special effects in the film are really well done and the makeup is phenomenal, kudos as usual to KNB EFX team, Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero. The film was shot using 3D cameras like the recent “Final Destination 5” and it really improves the film. The 3D is subtle but adds good depth and a few “whoa” jump moments, especially at the end. Overall if you are fan of the original I suggest you give this film an open-minded chance and if you haven’t seen the original you will still have a blast with this for sure (then watch the original, cause it rules!).

A little intelligence goes a long way. Check out the new trailer for Universal Pictures’ upcoming comedy spy-thriller JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN, starring Rowan Atkinson and Gillian Anderson. Rowan Atkinson returns to the role of the improbable secret agent who doesn’t know fear or danger in the comedy spy-thriller Johnny English Reborn. In his latest adventure, the most unlikely intelligence officer in Her Majesty’s Secret Service must stop a group of international assassins before they eliminate a world leader and cause global chaos.

Release Date:  October 28, 2011
Rating: PG
Genre:  Comedy spy-thriller
Cast:  Rowan Atkinson, Gillian Anderson, Dominic West, Rosamund Pike, Daniel Kaluuya and Richard Schiff
Directed by:  Oliver Parker
Story by:  William Davies
Screenplay by:  Hamish McColl
Produced by:  Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Chris Clark
Executive Producers:  William Davies, Debra Hayward, Liza Chasin

Synopsis:
Rowan Atkinson returns to the role of the improbable secret agent who doesn’t know fear or danger in the comedy spy-thriller Johnny English Reborn.  In his latest adventure, the most unlikely intelligence officer in Her Majesty’s Secret Service must stop a group of international assassins before they eliminate a world leader and cause global chaos.

In the years since MI-7’s top spy vanished off the grid, he has been honing his unique skills in a remote region of Asia.  But when his agency superiors learn of an attempt against the Chinese premier’s life, they must hunt down the highly unorthodox agent.  Now that the world needs him once again, Johnny English is back in action.

With one shot at redemption, he must employ the latest in hi-tech gadgets to unravel a web of conspiracy that runs throughout the KGB, CIA and even MI-7.  With mere days until a heads of state conference, one man must use every trick in his playbook to protect us all.  For Johnny English, disaster may be an option, but failure never is.

Official Site: http://www.johnny-english.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/johnnyenglishmovie
Images: http://linked.lbiusaccess.com/Universal/JohnnyEnglishRebornImages.zip

Universal Pictures:
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/UniversalPictures 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/universalpics    
Website: http://www.universalpictures.com

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Johnathon Schaech is co-starring in Renny Harlin’s new war action film “5 Days of War”. He is also appearing in this Fall’s “ChromeSkull: Laid to Rest 2”. Besides acting Jonathan is also spends his time writing screenplays. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Jonathan about his new film and his upcoming projects as well.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about working on the film “5 Days of War” and your role of Capt. Rezo Avaliani?
Johnathon Schaech: It is about a conflict that happened about three years ago between the Country of Georgia (which is important to say in the States) and Russia. It is based around a journalist that is out there and captures an atrocity that happened during the first day of the war. He tries to get the footage out to make people aware. My character is Capt. Rezo Avaliani, he is special forces for the Georgian military. He fought in Iraq with US soldiers and he friended this journalist in Iraq and he helps him get this footage out.

MG: How was it working with director Renny Harlin and such a great cast?
JS: First off Renny is one of the best all-time big action directors. He wanted to make a big action-style film but firstly he wanted to tell the story more than anything. He has done some big films but with this he wanted to do something different. He wanted to tell a good story but with the Hollywood entertainment value that he is so good at. He is a shooter man…[laughs], he shot the shit out of it. I got to work with Rupert Friend and Emmauelle Criqui, from “Entourage”. Rupert is this eclectic young English actor, who played an American journalist. Richard Coyle is another English actor, from “Prince of Persia”. These guys are really great actors. I got to work with Val (Kilmer) for a very short time. I didn’t get to work with Andy Garcia since he was playing the President of Georgia and I out there trying to save his countries. I am like the superhero man [laughs]. I get to be like the Arnold Schwarzenegger for Renny Harlin. I am the action guy.

MG: You worked on “Laid to Rest”, tell us about returning for the sequel “ChromeSkull: Laid to Rest 2”?
JS: I did a little cameo for my buddy Rob (Hall). We had a lot of fun. I ended up got my face cut off in the first one. So we tried to do something different in this one with me in a cameo role. We always want to work together. He is going to be a big film director one day. It is a fun and entertaining horror film.

MG: You wrote the teleplay for “Masters of Horror: The Washingtonians”, that was one of my favorite episode, tell us about that?
JS: I did that with my writing partner Richard Chizmar, it was based one of this short story by Bentley Little. We just brought it to life and got to work with Peter Medak, who was the director. He is fantastic.

MG: What can you tell us about writing adaptations of two Stephen King novel’s “From a Buick 8” & “The Black House”?
JS: We started working on “From a Buick 8” seven years ago and we are still fighting. We were so close to getting it made a couple of time. Once with Tobe Hooper and then with George Romero, both were attached to direct. It has had so many lives. It is moving in different directions with different people. The other is “The Black House” and we were hired to write that by Akiva Goldsman. He hired us because (Steven) Spielberg was making the first book, “The Tailsman”. They hired us to do the second book but the first one got canned when Spielberg pulled out. This one is just sitting around waiting for “The Tailsman” to get made. That’s Hollywood.

MG: Did you get to meet with Stephen King in the process?
JS: Well my partner Rich known King very well and is very good friends. King has published a bunch of his novels. I left that side to Rich. I never got to sit down with Stephen.

MG: In the last few years the horror genre has been quite rewarding to you, do you enjoy working most in that area?
JS: I love it man. I just finished a movie in Louisiana from After Dark Productions. This could be the break-out movie for After Dark, it is called “Dark Circles”, directed by Paul Soter. He is part of Broken Lizard, known for “Super Troopers” and “Beerfest”. He loves horror and he is a horror freak. He really wanted to make a horror film, so we wrote this really great script. It came across my desk and I got to sit down and talk to him about it. He put me in the movie. Pell James and I are the two leads. It is suppose to be really great!

MG: So you got acting, writing and producing down, any future plans to direct more?
JS: Oddly enough, I just finished a script for Happy Madison Productions, a comedy I wrote for Columbia. That is the kind of stuff that I want to be working on. Not necessarily comedy, but bigger feature film. You get an opportunity to then get out there and direct something that will really get a chance to be seen and have actual life. I am not going to step behind the lens at less their is something that I absolutely love.

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