THE NEW HOLLYWOOD TREND. Sony released the first 9 minutes of "Kraven The Hunter" before it hit movie theaters. It might be a brand new promotional idea to get audiences into theater seats. Help or Hinder? We will see.
Angel studios also released the first 8 minutes of "Homestead" that opened last weekend Dec. 20, 2024. It landed in the top 10 box office at number #5 with $6 million.
The competition is fierce against social media. There are so many movies competing for an audience. There are new film trailers each week. What do Hollywood studios do? Well, they release the first 8 or 9 minutes of a movie to entice you.
Below is the first 8 minutes of "Homestead" that was released before it hit movie theaters.
48 HRS distributed by PARAMOUNT pictures. It starred Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy which was his film debut. Murphy is one of many comedians from Saturday Night Live (NBC) to successfully transition into films. Other SNL stars came before him (Bill Murray) and others came after him (Adam Sandler).
The "48 Hrs." production budget climbed to $12 million. It went onto become the 7th highest grosser of 1982 with $78 million.
The story is simple. Inspector Jack Cates (Nolte) and convict Reggie Hammond (Murphy) team up to find several criminals. Reggie has served only 6 months of a 3 year prison sentence. He is released into the custody of inspector Cates with only 48 hours to track down two criminals. Reggie knows one of them.
It was the "chemistry" between Nolte and Murphy that grabbed film audiences. They were absolutely great together. This made Eddie Murphy an overnight "star." Whatever film he made after this. Fans flocked into movie theaters.
I recently watched it on BluRay and it is too much fun. Check it out.
WEREWOLVES distributed by BRIARCLIFFEntertainment (2024). For the last 13 days. This film has climbed into the top #10 box office and then dropped out. Then, climbed back into the top #20.
Friends are telling me that this is a real popcorn film. No matter how ridiculous it looks with the humans inside wolf costumes. So, I'm heading into a theater to watch this.
It has nabbed $1,944,030 at the world-wide box office.
NBC says, "Listen to Robert L. May’s original story of Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer who was not allowed to join in any reindeer games. Until one Christmas Eve when Santa came calling…"
The Radio Western “Gunsmoke” ran for nine seasons on CBS (1952-1961). The cast includes U.S. Marshall Matt Dillon (William Conrad), Howard McNear (Charles “Doc” Adams), Parley Baer (Chester Wesley Proudfoot) and Miss Kitty Russell (Georgia Ellis).
The series is set in the 1870’s at Dodge City, Kansas.
“Gunsmoke” peaked at 40 million listeners during its’ long run. CBS radio paid for the first two seasons without a sponsor. It was because of the adult themes including murder, kidnapping, massacres, scalping's, alcohol and drug addiction. Plus, domestic abuse, lynching's and deadly shootings. Radio critics and fans had praised these adult storylines.
I am a huge fan of Western films and TV shows. I absolutely love the “Gunsmoke” radio series. I’ve enjoyed all 480 episodes.
My favorite top 25 “Gunsmoke” episodes can be read in the right column. Just click on the photo. I have 100 top favorites too. Let’s go back to the old west of the 1870’s.
Click the photo below for my top #50 favorite "Gunsmoke" episodes (#26-50).
48 Hours says, "In December of 2007, Jocelyn Earnest was found dead from a gunshot wound in her Virginia home. Beside her was a revolver and a suicide note. But investigators believed that the scene was staged and found fingerprints on the note that matched her estranged husband, Wesley Earnest."
"Amidst a divorce, it was the lake house they fought over: Jocelyn wanted it sold and Earnest didn’t want to let it go. Investigators charged Wesley for murder, and then fifteen months after the death, another bizarre twist: the lake house burned down while Wesley was out on bond awaiting trial."
48 HOURS on CBS. The first hour segment is called, "Scott Peterson: Case in Question" that will air this Saturday at 9/8 p.m.
CBS says, "He was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife. The “other woman” recorded his calls for the prosecution. With his death sentence now overturned there’s a renewed push to clear him. 48 Hours - contributor Jonathan Vigliotti reports."
DATELINE on NBC. The second hour segment is called, "The Watcher" that will air this Saturday at 9/8 p.m.
NBC says, "A recent law school graduate in Georgia with a promising future disappears without a trace. What could have happened? Keith Morrison reports."
DATELINE on NBC. The first hour segment is called, "On the Outskirts of Town" that will air this Saturday at 8/7 p.m.
NBC says, "When a young woman is found dead near a soccer field in Indiana, detectives try to piece together a puzzle that leads them to an unexpected suspect. Andrea Canning reports."
DATELINE on NBC. The next episode is called, "Left for Dead" that will air this Friday at 9/8 p.m.
NBC says, "After 20-year-old Amber Smith survives a brutal attack, detectives work tirelessly to find a suspect. But when they finally do, she is convinced they have the wrong man. Keith Morrison reports."
20/20 says, "Pamela Smart, who was sentenced to life in prison without parole for her involvement in the 1990 murder of her husband, talks about the case and the possibility for a new chance at freedom."
48 Hours says, On December 20, 1980, teenage sweethearts Sabrina Gonsalves and John Riggins were supposed to attend a birthday party but never arrived. 36 hours later their bodies were found by police in a California ravine. The case went unsolved. Then in 2002, using advanced DNA technology, police were able to match samples stored in a FBI database to a convicted rapist.
20/20 says, "Fifty years later, what can that original bumper tell us about the cause of Karen's accident? In our final episode, an accident reconstructionist combs through the original evidence, creates a computer simulation of the crash, and reveals his findings to the Silkwood family."
NBC says, "Andrea Canning reports on the dramatic updates in the case of international fugitive Nicholas Rossi, who faked his death. Will the man with multiple identities finally face justice?"
This episode update aired last Friday Night (12-13-2024).
NOTE: This guy just makes me laugh at his outrageous B.S.
THE ORDER from VERTICAL entertainment (2024). The movie stars Jude Law and it nabbed $365,000 at the weekend box office (Dec. 13-15, 2024).
Vertical says, "Based on a true story, an alarming surge in violent bombings and bank robberies in the Pacific Northwest leads a weathered FBI agent into a deadly cat-and-mouse game with a charismatic domestic terrorist plotting to overthrow the US government."
Other box office news. "Werewolves" drops out of the top 30 in its' 2nd week. Word got out fast on the fake wolves with humans underneath. Hahaha - I'd still like to see it.
"The Activated Man" couldn't even crack the top 30. The horror movie won 30 Independent film awards.
VISION QUEST distributed by WARNER BROS. (1985). The wrestling sports film grabbed $13 million at the box office. It went onto become a huge rental with VHS Home Video. It starred Matthew Modine and Linda Fiorentino. Madonna appeared as a singer in a bar who performed the pop hit, "Crazy for You."
The trend in Hollywood at the time was to follow the "Rocky" movie formula. The underdog who goes the distance against all odds. What comes to mind is, "The Karate Kid" (1984) with martial arts and "Youngblood" (1986) with ice hockey. "Vision Quest" had wrestling.
It tells the story of Louden Swain (Modine) who is a high school wrestler. He decides to drop several weight classes to take on a state champion who has never lost a "title." Louden also falls in love with an older woman named Carla. She changes his life and he comes-of-age.
Pop singer Madonna was becoming a bigger star by 1985. She sang, "Crazy for You" in the film. It became a worldwide smash and hit number #1 on the U.S. pop chart. The music video also received heavy rotation on MTV and VH1 cable channels. The "Vision Quest" music soundtrack climbed to number #11 on Billboard's album chart.
You can watch "Vision Quest" on Blu-Ray and I must say it captures 1985 perfectly.
Below is a 1985 "cheesy" poster of the movie "Vision Quest." That's how promotion was back then.
1985 Publicity poster for "Vision Quest." I think it might be a newspaper ad campaign.
48 HOURS on CBS. Last night's episode was called, "The Batman Intruder" (12/14/2024). If you missed it. You watch by streaming at the official website.
SAG/AFTRA says, "Intimacy coordinators are an essential part of creating safe and professional working environments on set, acting as advocates and liaisons between actors and production for scenes involving nudity, simulated sex and other intimate acts. Last month, intimacy coordinators unanimously agreed to join SAG-AFTRA in a National Labor Relations Board vote."
"To discuss why this matters and what it means for the future of the profession and the entertainment industry at large, we’re joined by intimacy coordinators Claire Warden and Erin Tillman, who were instrumental in the recent vote to unionize."
**The views expressed by the guests are their own and not that of SAG-AFTRA. Any mention of products or services does not imply SAG-AFTRA's endorsement.**
DATELINE on NBC. Last night's episode was called, "The Man of Many Faces" (12/13/2024). With Andrea Canning.
You have to Sign-Up to Sign-In to watch the latest episode.
Note: OMFG... I watched this and all I can is, this guy can give Donald Trump a run for his money. He's a complete fraud from the day he was born. The fake crying and the oxygen tank made me laugh.!
MAN ON A LEDGE distributed by SUMMIT entertainment (2012). The production budget climbed to $42 million and grossed $47 million at the box office.
The story surrounds a young man who breaks from prison and goes to New York City. He used to be a cop and believes that he was wrongly convicted in stealing an expensive diamond. He decides to climb out on the window ledge of a tall city hotel. It looks like suicide while proclaiming his innocence.
I finally watched this which is streaming on YouTube. I liked it a lot and the last 15 minutes is very exciting. It felt like a Made-For-TV-Movie with an enormous budget. There were flashes of a "social" issue. A man against law enforcement who wants to end it all. Behind that is this same man trying to clear his name too. Maybe it could've been a TV mini-series. Layout the crime and how this young man is set up. Then, how he clears his name meticulously.
Hollywood doesn't make too many "on the edge" films. "Ledge" reminded me of the classic 1951 movie, "Fourteen Hours." It's about a young man who wants to commit suicide. He climbs out on the ledge of a tall hotel in New York City. That movie tackled a lot of social issues and very well too.
Click below on photo for "Man on a Ledge" streaming on YouTube.
"Man on a Ledge" with Sam Worthington & Elizabeth Banks (2012).
Below is the movie trailer of "Man on a Ledge."
Click below on photo for "Fourteen Hours" streaming on YouTube.
"Fourteen Hours" with Richard Basehart & Paul Douglas.
Below is the original trailer of "Fourteen Hours" 1951.
20/20 says, "How Anna Sorokin, known as the 'Soho Grifter', had fascinated the world and had conned the highest social circles into believing she was a German heiress worth millions; featuring an interview with Sorokin, following her release from prison."
48 Hours says, "On June 29, 2009, Brian Davis disappeared. According to his wife, Robyn, and her best friend, Carol Saltzman, Brian had left to go boat shopping and never came home. Police soon began to suspect the women when an examination of their cell phone records convinced police that they were lying. The two were both charged with murder when Brian was found shot to death alongside his car on an isolated road in St. Charles, LA."
KRAVEN THE HUNTER from SONY (2024). Okay everyone.... I am not up on who bought the rights to which comic books. Film critics are saying that Sony failed at the box office with their comic book movies. They are not happy with "Kraven" because it looks like it was just thrown together. Good action, but no compelling story.
There are comic book fans of "Kraven" who may walk into theaters to watch this. "They" are the ones Sony needs to satisfy. We'll see what happens.
48 HOURS on CBS. The next episode is called, "The 'Batman' Intruder" that will air this Saturday at 10/9 p.m.
CBS says, "Morgan Metzer is attacked in her home by a masked intruder disguising his voice to sound like Batman. Her ex-husband comes to her aid, but is he a hero?"
THE ACTIVATED MAN distributed by STONE CUTTER MEDIA (2024). It opens in movie theaters this Friday Dec. 13, 2024. Plus, debuting on cable-TV and streaming online with digital platforms. The Independent horror movie has won 30 film festival awards since its' debut in December of 2023.
Independent critics like the film and so do the fans.
The production budget was obviously small. The first trailer looks cheap, cheesy and ultra-low budget. The second and final trailer looks like the filmmakers put more money into it. But, it still has "low budget" written all over it.
Synopsis, "As Ors Gabriel struggles with the grief and pain from losing his best friend and beloved dog, Louie, to cancer, the shock from the trauma brings on strange visions only Ors can see."
"While he questions whether his mind has fractured or if it's actually real, a mysterious rise in murder-suicides takes hold of the city, and Ors becomes haunted by images of a shadowy figure known to many as ‘The Fedora Man’. Through torments and terror, Ors uncovers dark secrets from his past, forcing him to embrace who he really is, and what he is meant to do."
48 Hours says, "In December 1996, Atlanta resident David Coffin returned home from a weekend away with his girlfriend, Megan Lee, to find it had been ransacked and his Porsche was stolen. Two days later, David's house caught on fire and he was found dead inside. Police zeroed in on Scott Davis, Megan's estranged husband, as a suspect when he revealed he knew David died from a gunshot wound and not due to the fire."
20/20 says, "Three investigators tried to solve the mystery of what happened to Karen Silkwood on that dark highway the night of November 13th, 1974. An accident investigator hired by the union believed so strongly that Karen’s car had been forced off the road that he saved the bumper as evidence, handing it down to his daughter on his deathbed."
"A private eye pieced together a theory that Silkwood was under surveillance. And a state trooper launched his own investigation inside law enforcement. They all hit dead ends. Or did they?"
WEEKEND IN TAI-PEI distributed by EUROPA-CORP (France) and CAI CHANG ASIA (Taiwan) 2024. It was released in the U.S. on Nov. 8, 2024. The worldwide gross climbed to $2.8 million. It was thrashed by American critics and I laughed so hard at the absurdity. This is my review.
This film has been done before in so many 1980's action movies.
The story surrounds John who is a DEA agent. He tracks down Kwang who is a drug trafficker in Taipei, Taiwan. Kwang is married to Joey who is an Asian female mercenary driver. She has a 13-year-old son Raymond. He steals a written ledger from Kwang. It ends up in the hands of John who just happens to be in Taipei. He finds out that Raymond is his son. Joey never told John after the baby was born.
I was “howling” with laughter at all of the 1980’s action cliches. There are too many to count. The funniest is the “slow motion” scenes when John faces danger. In the hotel scene. He doesn’t aim too well and misses the “main” thug of Kwang who is right in front of him!
Kwang is supposed to have a gray hair "streak" on the top of his head. Instead, it is painted “white” which you can see on the high definition camera! Also, in those ridiculous flashbacks. John has a black wig on, but with the same age wrinkles from the present time. He was never young when he met Joey 13 years ago!
I also caught the homage to the classic movie, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1961) with Audrey Hepburn. This film copies the opening of that movie with Joey. She looks into a window looking over expensive cars while the song, “Moon River” plays. Hepburn looked into a window and sung that song later in “Tiffany’s.”
All of the cliches are here people!... The angry DEA boss fed up with her “star” agent John.... The God-awful Asian “Rap” music which plays while Joey drives her fast car.... The stupid Kwang who writes down all his crimes in a ledger. When all he has to do is put it on computer or his iPhone.... Hahahaha.!
Then, the final fight sequence between John and Kwang. They battle in a movie theater copying Alfred Hitchcock. A popular Asian film (House of Flying Daggers 2004) plays on the big screen as they fight.
I never laughed so hard at this unoriginal movie script. Check it out if you want.
MIDNIGHT RUN distributed by UNIVERSAL pictures (1988). It starred Robert DeNiro and Charles Grodin. The production budget climbed to $35 million and grossed $81 million at the box office. Film critics gave it a lukewarm response but movie audiences loved it. Plus, it went onto become a huge VHS Home Video Rental.
The story surrounds two men. Jack Walsh (Robert DeNiro) and Jonathan Mardukus (Charles Grodin). Jack is a bounty hunter who is hired to capture Jonathan and bring him back to Los Angeles. Jonathan is an accountant who embezzled $15 million from a mob boss. As both men return back to L.A. They are chased by the FBI.
This is a comedy from top to bottom in a road trip across the U.S. The chemistry between DeNiro and Grodin is absolutely hilarious. They don't know each other and when they meet. Both of them bicker like an old married couple. The whole cast is "angry" and out of it comes "laughter." Especially from Robert DeNiro whose angry words are reactions to everyone around him. It is fun to watch.
Check it out on Blu-Ray because it is worth the whole fun experience.
1988 "Midnight Run" with Robert DeNiro. Sketch artist is Bryan BySouth.
1988 "Midnight Run" with Charles Grodin. Sketch Artist is Brain BySouth.
Below is the original Movie Trailer for "Midnight Run" 1988.
THE ORDER distributed by AMAZON PRIME VIDEO (2024). It stars Jude Law. Over the weekend (Dec. 6-8, 2024) it nabbed $878,000 at the North American box office. It ranks at number #12 just two notches from the top #10.
"The Order" official website says, "Based on a true story, an alarming surge in violent bombings and bank robberies in the Pacific Northwest leads a weathered FBI agent into a deadly cat-and-mouse game with a charismatic domestic terrorist plotting to overthrow the US government."
This is based on the non-fiction book, "The Silent Brotherhood" by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt (1989). It was filmed in Canada and was directed by Justin Kurzel.
Click on the photos below for the official website.
2024 "The Order" with Jude Law.
2024 "The Order" with Jude Law as an FBI agent (front).
WEREWOLVES distributed by BRIARCLIFF / ENTERTAINMENT (2024). This opened to good reviews from critics as a fun "B" film. Something that might go straight to online streaming without a theatrical release. However - Over the last weekend (Dec. 6-8, 2024) it nabbed $1.2 million at the box office. Ranking at number #11 just outside of the top #10.
From the official "Werewolves" website, "A super-moon event has triggered a latent gene in every human on the planet, turning anyone who entered the moonlight into a werewolf for that one night. Chaos ensued and close to a billion people died. Now, a year later, the Super-moon is back...."
If you watch the movie trailers closely. The werewolves look fake and the cheesy dialogue is laughable. But - this looks like a fun popcorn movie. I want to see it!
Click posters below for the official website.
2024 Scene from "Werewolves."
2024 screen from "Werewolves" with Frank Gillo (Right).
48 Hours says, "On December 2, 2000, Eric Miller died in a Raleigh, NC hospital and blood tests revealed that he had been poisoned with arsenic. Police discovered that Eric’s wife, Ann, was having an affair with her co-worker, Derril Willard. Derril killed himself after being questioned by police, but before he died he had a confidential conversation with his attorney."
"In the spring of 2004, the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that Derril's attorney must reveal what Derril had told him about Ann’s role in Eric’s murder. 48 Hours - correspondent Troy Roberts reports.
This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 1/1/2011.
I remember this segment from Troy Roberts. It is "Wild."
REBEL RIDGE from NET-FLIX (2024). This premiered on the streaming online giant "Netflix" last Sept. 6, 2024. It received great reviews and solid ratings.
I am personally wondering why it didn't get a theatrical release. Nonetheless, Netflix has a wide audience and that is where this movie flourished. I heard about it and finally watched it.
Critics always compare films to others that have come before. "Rebel Ridge" hearkens back to the 1982 movie, "First Blood" with Sly Stallone. The "cliches" are here with racism in a small town against a black male... Revenge... Corruption by police officers... It has been done before in dozens of movies. This has all of that, but it is so well written and executed. It is a "riveting" drama.
The story surrounds a former Marine named Terry Richmond. He rides his bike toward the town courthouse with $30,000 cash in his back pack. That money is to bail-out his cousin from jail. Terry is literally hit and forced off the road by police. They charge him with fleeing law enforcement and they steal his money. He decides to fight a racist and corrupt police chief. The more he investigates. Racism is just the surface of what is going on.
If you ever faced racism. You understand Terry's situation as a black male or a minority. It made me "angry" when the police ran him down on his bicycle for a made up charge. I have to say that I was pulling for Terry when the cops forced him out of town after personally devastating news. The reason goes deeper because of Terry's cousin and racism against blacks. I applauded at the end of this movie because of possible "justice."
"Rebel Ridge" was written, directed, edited and produced by Jeremy Saulnier. Check it out. You will not be disappointed.
DATELINE on NBC. This coming weekend episode is called, "Out of the Darkness" that will air this Saturday at 9/8 p.m.
NBC says, "A wife calls 911 to report her husband has been shot on a country road in Texas. Could the dramatic police footage from the scene end up being key in the investigation? Josh Mankiewicz reports."
DATELINE on NBC. The next episode is called, "The Woman With No Name" that will air this Friday at a special time 10:15/9:15 p.m.
NBC says, Amateur internet investigators, new DNA technology and a dogged investigator help police find a killer – and identify a victim for years known only as 'Lavender Doe.' Keith Morrison reports."
48 Hours says, "On December 3, 1999, a fire ravaged an abandoned warehouse in Worcester, Massachusetts and claimed the lives of six firefighters. 37-year-old Tom Levesque and 19-year-old Julie Barnes, an unhoused couple living in the building, were subsequently charged with manslaughter for starting the blaze."
48 Hours - Correspondents Dan Rather and Bill Lagattuta report.
48 HOURS-NCIS says, "Will Erin’s story end with justice? Prosecutor Sean Daugherty fights against Chris Lee’s defense with a powerful, unforgettable strategy."
"As the trial comes to a close, the people in Erin’s orbit—her family and friends, the NCIS agents, reporters—learn the painful truth about Erin’s tragic end."
20/20 says, "Details surrounding the Jodi Arias murder case, including excerpts from Arias' personal journal and victim Travis Alexander's blog, and new interviews with Alexander's friends and family."
20/20 says, "We retrace the final days of Karen’s life: she’s been so badly contaminated by radioactive material that men in hazmat suits show up to inspect her apartment, strip much of it down to the studs, and seal her possessions into 55-gallon drums for disposal."
"Karen grows fearful the contamination will kill her. Years after her death, Karen's family sues Kerr-McGee for the contamination and for the first time, her allegations against the company are tested in court."
