The Coven, sales agent on the ’Terrifier’ franchise, has closed a handful of key territory deals at EFM on the adaptation of Sitges supernatural short film The Painted and comedy horror remake Street Trash.
Sales have closed in Latin America (Gussi), Philippines (Pioneer), Mena (Falcon), Malaysia (Antenna), and Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar (Blue Lantern).
Sascha Sibley adapted The Painted (pictured) from his 2020 Sitges short selection of the same name. The story follows a family who discover they have inherited a curse and must do whatever they can to avoid becoming its latest victims.
Priscilla Smith’s sales and production...
Sales have closed in Latin America (Gussi), Philippines (Pioneer), Mena (Falcon), Malaysia (Antenna), and Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar (Blue Lantern).
Sascha Sibley adapted The Painted (pictured) from his 2020 Sitges short selection of the same name. The story follows a family who discover they have inherited a curse and must do whatever they can to avoid becoming its latest victims.
Priscilla Smith’s sales and production...
- 2/26/2024
- ScreenDaily
The Coven has closed a handful of sales at EFM on Sitges supernatural short film adaptation The Painted and comedy horror remake Street Trash.
Deals have closed in Latin America (Gussi), Philippines (Pioneer), Mena (Falcon), Malaysia (Antenna), and Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar (Blue Lantern).
Sascha Sibley adapted The Painted (pictured) from his 2020 Sitges short selection of the same name. The story follows a family who uncover a curse they have unknowingly inherited from their estranged cousin and must do whatever they can to avoid becoming its latest victims.
Priscilla Smith’s sales agency also showed buyers in Berlin footage from Street Trash,...
Deals have closed in Latin America (Gussi), Philippines (Pioneer), Mena (Falcon), Malaysia (Antenna), and Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar (Blue Lantern).
Sascha Sibley adapted The Painted (pictured) from his 2020 Sitges short selection of the same name. The story follows a family who uncover a curse they have unknowingly inherited from their estranged cousin and must do whatever they can to avoid becoming its latest victims.
Priscilla Smith’s sales agency also showed buyers in Berlin footage from Street Trash,...
- 2/26/2024
- ScreenDaily
Oscar winner Kevin Costner returns to the director’s chair with Warner Bros Pictures’ Horizon: An American Saga four-part film series. The Western epic just debuted its first trailer and released the first batch of official photos from chapter one of Costner’s Civil War tale.
“In the great tradition of Warner Bros. Pictures’ iconic Westerns, Horizon: An American Saga explores the lure of the Old West and how it was won—and lost—through the blood, sweat and tears of many,” reads Warner Bros Pictures’ synopsis. “Spanning the four years of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, Costner’s ambitious cinematic adventure will take audiences on an emotional journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to discover what it truly means to be the United States of America.”
In addition to Costner, the cast includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington,...
“In the great tradition of Warner Bros. Pictures’ iconic Westerns, Horizon: An American Saga explores the lure of the Old West and how it was won—and lost—through the blood, sweat and tears of many,” reads Warner Bros Pictures’ synopsis. “Spanning the four years of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, Costner’s ambitious cinematic adventure will take audiences on an emotional journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to discover what it truly means to be the United States of America.”
In addition to Costner, the cast includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington,...
- 2/26/2024
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Academy Award-winning visionary filmmaker Kevin Costner directs New Line Cinema’s vast “Horizon: An American Saga” Chapters One and Two, a multi-faceted chronicle covering the Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West. A story of America too big for one film, this true cinematic event also stars Costner, who co-writes with Jon Baird (“The Explorers Guild”) and produces through his Territory Pictures.
In the great tradition of Warner Bros. Pictures’ iconic Westerns, “Horizon: An American Saga” explores the lure of the Old West and how it was won—and lost—through the blood, sweat and tears of many. Spanning the four years of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, Costner’s films will take audiences on an emotional journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to discover what it truly means to be the United States of America.
In the great tradition of Warner Bros. Pictures’ iconic Westerns, “Horizon: An American Saga” explores the lure of the Old West and how it was won—and lost—through the blood, sweat and tears of many. Spanning the four years of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, Costner’s films will take audiences on an emotional journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to discover what it truly means to be the United States of America.
- 2/26/2024
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Variety has broken the news that the 1987 cult classic horror comedy Street Trash (buy it Here) is getting a remake from Ryan Kruger, the director of the 2020 body horror film Fried Barry! Production is already underway on the remake, which moves the story from Brooklyn to South Africa, and Cineverse has acquired the North American distribution rights. They’re planning to release the film through the Screambox streaming service sometime in 2024.
The original Street Trash was directed by J. Michael Muro from a screenplay by Roy Frumkes. Thirteen years ago, Frumkes said he was working on the script for Street Trash 2… but that sequel never made it into production. Thankfully, Muro and Frumkes are both involved with the remake. They’re executive producing it alongside Bad Dragon and Vinegar Syndrome.
The Street Trash remake follows a group of homeless misfits as they fight for survival when they discover a plot...
The original Street Trash was directed by J. Michael Muro from a screenplay by Roy Frumkes. Thirteen years ago, Frumkes said he was working on the script for Street Trash 2… but that sequel never made it into production. Thankfully, Muro and Frumkes are both involved with the remake. They’re executive producing it alongside Bad Dragon and Vinegar Syndrome.
The Street Trash remake follows a group of homeless misfits as they fight for survival when they discover a plot...
- 8/8/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Get ready for a full load of face-melting gory goodness when Cineverse/Bloody Disgusting/Screambox reboot the 1987 cult classic Street Trash alongside Vinegar Syndrome!
Production is currently underway in various locations around Cape Town, South Africa for the film that is shot entirely on 35mm. The news was first reported by Variety.
Cineverse plans to release the film as a Screambox Original in early 2024.
From director Ryan Kruger, whose first independent feature Fried Barry played dozens of film festivals worldwide, Street Trash follows a group of homeless misfits as they fight for survival when they discover a plot to exterminate every homeless person in the city.
“Our reimagining of Street Trash takes place in Cape Town, South Africa where the growing divide between rich and poor has changed the world as we know it,” says Kruger. “I was a huge fan of the original Street Trash when I was a kid,...
Production is currently underway in various locations around Cape Town, South Africa for the film that is shot entirely on 35mm. The news was first reported by Variety.
Cineverse plans to release the film as a Screambox Original in early 2024.
From director Ryan Kruger, whose first independent feature Fried Barry played dozens of film festivals worldwide, Street Trash follows a group of homeless misfits as they fight for survival when they discover a plot to exterminate every homeless person in the city.
“Our reimagining of Street Trash takes place in Cape Town, South Africa where the growing divide between rich and poor has changed the world as we know it,” says Kruger. “I was a huge fan of the original Street Trash when I was a kid,...
- 8/8/2023
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
Cineverse has acquired all North American rights to the reboot of the 1987 horror-comedy “Street Trash.” The reboot of the cult classic is helmed by “Fried Barry” director Ryan Kruger.
Over three decades after the slimy and grimy film’s debut, Kruger is moving this horror story out of Brooklyn and into a whole new continent with an even more potent message. “Our reimagining of Street Trash takes place in Cape Town, South Africa where the growing divide between rich and poor has changed the world as we know it,” said Kruger in a statement. “I was a huge fan of the original ‘Street Trash’ when I was a kid, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to introduce a whole new generation to the melted gonzo goodness that made the original such a classic.”
Per the film’s official logline, “’Street Trash’ follows a group of homeless misfits as they...
Over three decades after the slimy and grimy film’s debut, Kruger is moving this horror story out of Brooklyn and into a whole new continent with an even more potent message. “Our reimagining of Street Trash takes place in Cape Town, South Africa where the growing divide between rich and poor has changed the world as we know it,” said Kruger in a statement. “I was a huge fan of the original ‘Street Trash’ when I was a kid, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to introduce a whole new generation to the melted gonzo goodness that made the original such a classic.”
Per the film’s official logline, “’Street Trash’ follows a group of homeless misfits as they...
- 8/8/2023
- by Sophia Scorziello
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Oscar-winning filmmaker Kevin Costner (Dances with Wolves) has rolled cameras on the second installment of Horizon: An American Saga, announcing the addition of Glynn Turman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Kathleen Quinlan (Apollo 13) and Giovanni Ribisi (Avatar: The Way of Water) to the cast of his Civil War Western epic for Warner Bros and New Line.
The second chapter of the multi-faceted chronicle, spanning 15 years of pre- and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West, will also see the onscreen return of Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Ella Hunt, Will Patton, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman and Thomas Haden Church.
In the great tradition of classic Westerns, the second film will continue to explore the lure of the old West and will take audiences on a treacherous journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to...
The second chapter of the multi-faceted chronicle, spanning 15 years of pre- and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West, will also see the onscreen return of Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Ella Hunt, Will Patton, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman and Thomas Haden Church.
In the great tradition of classic Westerns, the second film will continue to explore the lure of the old West and will take audiences on a treacherous journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to...
- 4/28/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The fifth episode of "Seal Team" Season Five is titled "Frog On The Tracks", directed by J. Michael Muro, now streaming on Paramount+:
"...in Part Two of a three-episode arc, 'Bravo' races against the clock to prevent a terrorist attack, while attempting to locate and capture the enemy.
"Preoccupied with questions, 'Jason' (David Boreanaz) must make a tough call to get the answers he so deeply craves..."
Click the images to enlarge... ...
"...in Part Two of a three-episode arc, 'Bravo' races against the clock to prevent a terrorist attack, while attempting to locate and capture the enemy.
"Preoccupied with questions, 'Jason' (David Boreanaz) must make a tough call to get the answers he so deeply craves..."
Click the images to enlarge... ...
- 11/2/2021
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Mubi is showing Lamberto Bava's Demons (1985) from February 26 to March 28 and Demons 2 (1986) from February 27 to March 29, 2017 in the United States as part of the series Due Demoni.Horror movie viewing as societal disease in Lamberto Bava's Demons (left) and Demons 2 (right)The opening shots of Lamberto Bava’s Demons contrast the film’s adorably ingenuous protagonist with the ragged punk hordes of the subway car she’s riding. She stares at them with equal parts fascination and doe-in-headlights dread. It’s a concise visualization of the simple social commentary driving Bava the Younger’s trashterpiece diptych, Demons and Demons 2. The two make an excellent double feature of midnight flicks about the perils of daring to dip even passingly into the lower depths of subculture and the, well, demons that society risks releasing when willing to dabble in The Weird. But cautionary tales are rarely this batshit and never this fun,...
- 3/2/2017
- MUBI
Featuring 24 hours of onscreen frights, the Music Box of Horrors marathon returns to Chicago's Music Box Theatre this October with a lineup that includes Halloween III: Season of the Witch, Popcorn, Street Trash, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, and more.
Press Release: Music Box of Horrors creeps back to Chicago for its 12th Anniversary at The Music Box Theatre.
This 24-hour marathon will run from Saturday, October 15th, through Sunday, October 16th, 2016!
The Music Box of Horrors remains an absolute highlight on The Music Box Theatre Calendar and includes some scary surprises where only the strong survive.
Every October, for one 24-hour period, The Music Box Theatre transforms into…the Music Box of Horrors. The 2016 Music Box of Horrors is an unrelenting full day of scares and chills, featuring some of the most frightening and entertaining horror films around!
This year’s marathon includes a plethora of fantastic programming! Director...
Press Release: Music Box of Horrors creeps back to Chicago for its 12th Anniversary at The Music Box Theatre.
This 24-hour marathon will run from Saturday, October 15th, through Sunday, October 16th, 2016!
The Music Box of Horrors remains an absolute highlight on The Music Box Theatre Calendar and includes some scary surprises where only the strong survive.
Every October, for one 24-hour period, The Music Box Theatre transforms into…the Music Box of Horrors. The 2016 Music Box of Horrors is an unrelenting full day of scares and chills, featuring some of the most frightening and entertaining horror films around!
This year’s marathon includes a plethora of fantastic programming! Director...
- 9/20/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Beyond Fest must have their check in the mail, because ol' Jack Burton himself is coming to the festival for a 30th anniversary screening of Big Trouble in Little China. Filmmaker James Gunn will be on hand to discuss the cult John Carpenter movie with the beloved actor, and that's only one of many events fans will want to mark on their fall calendars.
Taking place September 30th–October 11th at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles, Beyond Fest 2016 will also feature screenings of Phantasm: Ravager, Phantasm: Remastered, George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead in 3-D, Martin, In a Valley of Violence, The Wolf Man (1941), The Bad Batch, Raw, and City of the Living Dead.
A 4K restoration screening of Romero's The Crazies will also take place, as well as a live performance by composer Fabio Frizzi and his orchestra during a showing of The Beyond: Composer's Cut.
Taking place September 30th–October 11th at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles, Beyond Fest 2016 will also feature screenings of Phantasm: Ravager, Phantasm: Remastered, George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead in 3-D, Martin, In a Valley of Violence, The Wolf Man (1941), The Bad Batch, Raw, and City of the Living Dead.
A 4K restoration screening of Romero's The Crazies will also take place, as well as a live performance by composer Fabio Frizzi and his orchestra during a showing of The Beyond: Composer's Cut.
- 9/8/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
'Crash' movie: Ryan Phillippe. 'Crash' movie review: California tossin' and turnin' Screenwriter Paul Haggis' multiple award-winning directorial debut, Crash, is set in a Los Angeles that is part Quentin Tarantino, part Paul Thomas Anderson, part Spike Lee, part Bret Easton Ellis. Haggis' L.A. also happens to be a place with precious little in common with the Southern California metropolis located on Planet Earth. In the film, Haggis and co-screenwriter Robert Moresco tell us – or rather, scream at us – that the Angeleno boiling (definitely not melting) pot is about to explode at any moment, as Los Angeles denizens spend all their spare time hating, fearing, misunderstanding, and cheating on one another. And perhaps much of that is true, except that most of that hate, fear, misunderstanding, and cheating have absolutely nothing to do with ethnic or national differences. But not in this particular L.A., situated in some warped La...
- 12/17/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
“I don’t need this. I already got trouble with my kids, my wife, my business, my secretary, the bums… the runaways, the roaches, prickly heat, and a homo dog. This just ain’t my day!”
Street Trash screens midnights this Friday and Saturday Night (August 7th and 8th) at The Hi-Pointe Theater (1005 McCausland Ave, St. Louis) as part of Destroy the Brain’s monthly Late Night Grindhouse
Vintage Vinyl, the used record store on the Loop in U City, is housed in the same building that used to be the Varsity Theater. The Varsity is where The Rocky Horror Picture Show played midnights to sold-out crowds throughout much of the ‘70s and -80s. The theater definitely catered to the cult and college crowd, presenting counterculture film programming, mostly for the students at nearby Washington University and for years was the only place in town to catch 3-D movies.
Street Trash screens midnights this Friday and Saturday Night (August 7th and 8th) at The Hi-Pointe Theater (1005 McCausland Ave, St. Louis) as part of Destroy the Brain’s monthly Late Night Grindhouse
Vintage Vinyl, the used record store on the Loop in U City, is housed in the same building that used to be the Varsity Theater. The Varsity is where The Rocky Horror Picture Show played midnights to sold-out crowds throughout much of the ‘70s and -80s. The theater definitely catered to the cult and college crowd, presenting counterculture film programming, mostly for the students at nearby Washington University and for years was the only place in town to catch 3-D movies.
- 8/3/2015
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
We’re nearly fifteen years into the 21st century and despite the frequent predictions of the implosion of cinema, the industry and medium is still going strong. While much has been made recently about the end of celluloid, a great deal of the best cinematic work in the past decade has been captured photochemically in addition to digitally as a new video on Vimeo can attest. Edited by Erick Lee, this roughly six-minute long video pays tribute to some the best cinematographers working today. In an attempt to maintain uniformity throughout the video as well as not wishing to crop any of the images, Lee culled shots from films with an aspect ratio of 2.40:1 by luminaries that include Christopher Doyle, Pung-Leung Kwan, S. Ravi Varman,Frank Giebe, John Toll, Wally Pfister, Roger Deakins, Anthony Dod Mantle, Paul Cameron, Emmanuel Lubezki, J. Michael Muro, Robert Richardson, Florian Ballhaus,John R.,...
- 4/1/2014
- by Cain Rodriguez
- The Playlist
The Red Road, Season 1, Episode 3, “The Woman Who Fell from the Sky”
Written by Bridget Carpenter
Directed by J. Michael Muro
Airs Thursdays at 9pm Est on SundanceTV
This week, on The Red Road: Jean starts to stabilize, Phillip spends some quality time with his dad, and Rachel has terrible taste in boyfriends
The Red Road continues this week with an entertaining, if not hugely memorable, table-setting episode. With only six episodes in the first season, there’s not much opportunity for multiple dramatic peaks and valleys, so it’s not surprising that episode three features some fallout from the characters’ various poor choices in episodes one and two and a few new touches, but no fireworks. These are presumably coming later, as we build towards the finale. As a middle episode, however, “The Woman Who Fell from the Sky” works well, expanding Phillip’s circle and focusing in a bit more on Rachel.
Written by Bridget Carpenter
Directed by J. Michael Muro
Airs Thursdays at 9pm Est on SundanceTV
This week, on The Red Road: Jean starts to stabilize, Phillip spends some quality time with his dad, and Rachel has terrible taste in boyfriends
The Red Road continues this week with an entertaining, if not hugely memorable, table-setting episode. With only six episodes in the first season, there’s not much opportunity for multiple dramatic peaks and valleys, so it’s not surprising that episode three features some fallout from the characters’ various poor choices in episodes one and two and a few new touches, but no fireworks. These are presumably coming later, as we build towards the finale. As a middle episode, however, “The Woman Who Fell from the Sky” works well, expanding Phillip’s circle and focusing in a bit more on Rachel.
- 3/18/2014
- by Kate Kulzick
- SoundOnSight
The Red Road, Season 1, Episode 2, “The Wolf and the Dog”
Written by Aaron Guzikowski
Directed by J. Michael Muro
Airs Thursdays at 9pm Est on SundanceTV
This week, on The Red Road: Jean misses her brother, Harold shops for spare parts, and Phillip amiably threatens children
In its pilot, The Red Road introduced viewers to a community rarely represented on television, a (state, but not federally, recognized) Native American tribe, along with a local white police officer and his family. The pilot, a solid though somewhat generic episode, struggled with some of its central figures, but separated itself thanks to its unique setting. This week, that element unfortunately remains almost completely relegated to the background, but the writers make up for this lack of specificity by developing their central trio in surprising and entertaining ways.
Last week, Jean was erratic. This week, instead of backing away from this as...
Written by Aaron Guzikowski
Directed by J. Michael Muro
Airs Thursdays at 9pm Est on SundanceTV
This week, on The Red Road: Jean misses her brother, Harold shops for spare parts, and Phillip amiably threatens children
In its pilot, The Red Road introduced viewers to a community rarely represented on television, a (state, but not federally, recognized) Native American tribe, along with a local white police officer and his family. The pilot, a solid though somewhat generic episode, struggled with some of its central figures, but separated itself thanks to its unique setting. This week, that element unfortunately remains almost completely relegated to the background, but the writers make up for this lack of specificity by developing their central trio in surprising and entertaining ways.
Last week, Jean was erratic. This week, instead of backing away from this as...
- 3/7/2014
- by Kate Kulzick
- SoundOnSight
Stars: Michael Moriarty, Andrea Marcovicci, Garrett Morris, Paul Sorvino, Scott Bloom, Danny Aiello, Patrick O’Neal, Alexander Scourby | Written and Directed by Larry Cohen
In 1985, New York director Larry Cohen (It’s Alive, Full Moon High) took to the camera to bring us a cult classic called The Stuff, the story of a strange “goo” found coming from the Earth which is packaged up and sold as a delicious desert treat. The only problem is that when the customers of the product eat it they turn into flesh eating zombies.
The story is not dissimilar to another cult favourite of mine, Street Trash (J. Michael Muro, 1987), which dealt with a liquor that turned it’s drinkers to sludge, only in this case the people who, for lack of a less dirty sounding term, swallow the stuff, end up as zombies. It’s a wonderfully silly plot that works wonderfully with the rest of the film.
In 1985, New York director Larry Cohen (It’s Alive, Full Moon High) took to the camera to bring us a cult classic called The Stuff, the story of a strange “goo” found coming from the Earth which is packaged up and sold as a delicious desert treat. The only problem is that when the customers of the product eat it they turn into flesh eating zombies.
The story is not dissimilar to another cult favourite of mine, Street Trash (J. Michael Muro, 1987), which dealt with a liquor that turned it’s drinkers to sludge, only in this case the people who, for lack of a less dirty sounding term, swallow the stuff, end up as zombies. It’s a wonderfully silly plot that works wonderfully with the rest of the film.
- 2/27/2014
- by Chris Cummings
- Nerdly
Growing up in a small town in California in the 1980′s and into the 90′s with nothing to do, I existed on a steady diet of TV and books. Street Trash is one of those movies that would show up occasionally and piqued my interest because it seemed like something of the Troma variety. In fact, one could look at it as the best film that studio never made. I do recall the film looking rather grungy and beat up, so seeing it uncut and presented so beautifully was a bit of a shock. Who knew this little movie could look this fantastic? Let’s take a trip to the junk yard, shall we?
The biggest bum fest this side of John Waters’ Desperate Living, Street Trash tells the happy tale of a liquor store owner just trying to make a living and a group of local homeless people trying...
The biggest bum fest this side of John Waters’ Desperate Living, Street Trash tells the happy tale of a liquor store owner just trying to make a living and a group of local homeless people trying...
- 11/8/2013
- by Derek Botelho
- DailyDead
The ’80s were a special time for horror films as the art of prosthetic gore and special effects really came into their own in a big way. From werewolf transformations and alien things to slashed throats and decapitations, the days of time-lapse photography and simple splashes of blood were left behind in favor of elaborate and often awesome visual creations. One of the joys of growing up then was the presence of Fangoria magazine on newsstands offering up the first glimpse, usually in color, of the wildly imaginative and often grotesque creations to come in upcoming horror films. It put films and filmmakers on fans’ radar well before the internet took over those duties, and one of the movies that it helped hype up for me was Jim Muro‘s DayGlo, chuckle-filled nightmare, Street Trash. The film is a low budget exploitation picture about a case of cheap wine well past its “sell by” date that causes...
- 7/18/2013
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Street Trash (1987) (Blu-ray Review) Directed By: James Muro Starring: James Lorinz, Mike Lackey, Mark Sferrazza Rated: Ur/Region A/1:85/1080p/Number of Discs 1 Available from Synapse Films In the sleazy, foreboding world of winos, derelicts and drifters in lower Manhattan, two young runaways eighteen-year-old Fred (Mike Lackey) and his younger brother, Kevin (Mark Sferrazza) live in a tire hut in the back of an auto wrecking yard. Life is har…...
- 7/16/2013
- Horrorbid
Synapse Films president Don May Jr. wrote a detailed update on the site's blog explaining that their long-awaited Blu-ray “Meltdown Edition” release of James Muro's 1987 cult classic Street Trash, originally slated for June 11th, has been delayed slightly due to technical issues in the restoration and HD remastering process. Street Trash was transferred in high-definition from the original camera negative, which had many physical flaws to be addressed – flaws which were not visible in the earlier standard definition DVD release – and May says those issues were not addressed to his satisfaction by the authoring facility involved. “For me personally, this project is currently in a state that I refuse to release,” he writes. “I have discussed it with my business partner, Jerry Chandler, and we both agree that the delay, to fix the issues at hand, is more important than to release a botched product to our fans, and to the marketplace,...
- 5/6/2013
- by Gregory Burkart
- FEARnet
Street Trash... If you've seen it already, then you know exactly how much of a crazed low-budget masterpiece this film actually is. From melting winos to playing catch with a detached hobo cock, it really doesn't get much weirder, and now the good folks at Synapse Films are delivering the goods in 1080p!
Look for James Muro's cult classic on store shelves beginning on June 11th.
The disc will feature:
- High-Definition Transfer (1080p, 1.85:1) from the Original Camera Negative
- 5.1 Surround Remix Created Specifically for Home Theatre Environments
- Two Audio Commentaries Featuring Producer Roy Frumkes and Director James Muro
- "The Meltdown Memories" – Feature Length Documentary on the History and Making of Street Trash
- Original Promotional Teaser
- Original Theatrical Trailer
All-new Blu-ray exclusives include:
- Jane Arakawa Video Interview and Deleted Scenes
- Create Your Own Bottle of ‘Tenafly Viper’ Wine with the Enclosed Label Sticker
Synopsis
In the sleazy,...
Look for James Muro's cult classic on store shelves beginning on June 11th.
The disc will feature:
- High-Definition Transfer (1080p, 1.85:1) from the Original Camera Negative
- 5.1 Surround Remix Created Specifically for Home Theatre Environments
- Two Audio Commentaries Featuring Producer Roy Frumkes and Director James Muro
- "The Meltdown Memories" – Feature Length Documentary on the History and Making of Street Trash
- Original Promotional Teaser
- Original Theatrical Trailer
All-new Blu-ray exclusives include:
- Jane Arakawa Video Interview and Deleted Scenes
- Create Your Own Bottle of ‘Tenafly Viper’ Wine with the Enclosed Label Sticker
Synopsis
In the sleazy,...
- 4/1/2013
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
James Muro’S New York Underground Classic! Street Trash Special Meltdown Edition!
All the vomit and toilet waste in glorious high-def Blu-ray! – From Writer and Producer Roy Frumkes!
In the sleazy, foreboding world of winos, derelicts and drifters in lower Manhattan, two young runaways—eighteen-year-old Fred (Mike Lackey) and his younger brother, Kevin (Mark Sferrazza)—live in a tire hut in the back of an auto wrecking yard. Life is hard, but the most lethal threat … Continue reading →...
All the vomit and toilet waste in glorious high-def Blu-ray! – From Writer and Producer Roy Frumkes!
In the sleazy, foreboding world of winos, derelicts and drifters in lower Manhattan, two young runaways—eighteen-year-old Fred (Mike Lackey) and his younger brother, Kevin (Mark Sferrazza)—live in a tire hut in the back of an auto wrecking yard. Life is hard, but the most lethal threat … Continue reading →...
- 3/30/2013
- by HorrorNews.net
- Horror News
Synapse Films has released some great cult classics over the years and has announced that 1987′s Street Trash will be getting the Blu-ray treatment. Blu-ray.com reports that the movie will be available on June 11th and includes a pretty decent set of special features:
“In the sleazy, foreboding world of winos, derelicts and drifters in lower Manhattan, two young runaways – eighteen-year-old Fred (Mike Lackey) and his younger brother, Kevin (Mark Sferrazza) – live in a tire hut in the back of an auto wrecking yard. Life is hard, but the most lethal threat to the boys is the mysterious case of “Tenafly Viper” wine in Ed’s liquor store window. The stuff is forty years old… and it’s gone bad. Real bad! Anyone who drinks it melts in seconds, and it’s only a dollar a bottle.
The subversive cult classic/horror comedy Street Trash rode the last wave...
“In the sleazy, foreboding world of winos, derelicts and drifters in lower Manhattan, two young runaways – eighteen-year-old Fred (Mike Lackey) and his younger brother, Kevin (Mark Sferrazza) – live in a tire hut in the back of an auto wrecking yard. Life is hard, but the most lethal threat to the boys is the mysterious case of “Tenafly Viper” wine in Ed’s liquor store window. The stuff is forty years old… and it’s gone bad. Real bad! Anyone who drinks it melts in seconds, and it’s only a dollar a bottle.
The subversive cult classic/horror comedy Street Trash rode the last wave...
- 3/28/2013
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Street Trash (1987) Director: J. Michael Muro Stars: Bill Chepil, Vic Noto, James Lorinz The new adult beverage Viper is so good, it'll make your face melt! Let's not play games. The only reason to watch something like Street Trash is for the disgusting, graphic, over the top gore (if you can even call it that). And to that end, this movie succeeds in spades. Tom's last thoughts: "Bear hugging Dr. Manhattan.totally worth it!" As the title might...
- 9/12/2012
- by Jason Adams
- JoBlo.com
1. The Fly (1958): The film is based on a short story by George Langelaan.
2. The Thing: Donald Pleasence was the original choice to play Dr. Blair, but was unable to due to prior filming commitments.
3. Cujo: Stephen King was inspired to write the book when he took his bike to a mechanic and encoutnered a St. Bernard who was growling and tried to bite him.
4. Intruder: The film takes place in Walnut Lake, Michigan, which is the area where Scott Spiegel, Bruce Campbell, Ted Raimi, and Sam Raimi grew up.
5. Candyman: An ambulance was on set during all bee scenes, because Virginia Madsen is severely allergic to bees.
6. Street Trash: This film was based on an original short film by director James Muro.
7. Zombie: The title was changed to Zombi 2 in Italy, in an effort to capatilize on the success of Dawn of the Dead,...
2. The Thing: Donald Pleasence was the original choice to play Dr. Blair, but was unable to due to prior filming commitments.
3. Cujo: Stephen King was inspired to write the book when he took his bike to a mechanic and encoutnered a St. Bernard who was growling and tried to bite him.
4. Intruder: The film takes place in Walnut Lake, Michigan, which is the area where Scott Spiegel, Bruce Campbell, Ted Raimi, and Sam Raimi grew up.
5. Candyman: An ambulance was on set during all bee scenes, because Virginia Madsen is severely allergic to bees.
6. Street Trash: This film was based on an original short film by director James Muro.
7. Zombie: The title was changed to Zombi 2 in Italy, in an effort to capatilize on the success of Dawn of the Dead,...
- 10/10/2011
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Writer/director Gregory Lamberson’s 1988 cult hit “Slime City” was one of those forgotten gems that finally reached a much larger audience courtesy of the DVD back in 2006. As a fan of all things 80′s, the flick was an immediate hit with me, and I was quick to loan the disc to friends looking for something cheesy, weird, and, completely gross. The film — a bizarro genre-bender about a dorky New York City schlub who becomes addicted to a mysterious brew he uncovers in the basement of his derelict apartment building — isn’t anything overwhelmingly special, but Lamberson’s go-for-broke attitude and its oddly effective makeup effects charmed me in much the same way that Frank Henenlotter’s “Brain Damage” and J. Michael Muro’s “Street Trash” had when I first discovered them on videocassette. In fact, I still watch all three at least once a year. At least. Enter “Slime City Massacre...
- 6/18/2011
- by Todd Rigney
- Beyond Hollywood
Once in a blue moon, a movie comes along that provides like no other. It can contain in-depth analysis into the human psyche, a romantic tryst that inhibits the world from rotating on its axis, profound intellectual human emotions on galactic levels, and/or redemption that sustains your inner wisdom from feeling remorse or guilt.
Street Trash has None of these!!
Where other films deliver on the abovementioned goods (bads?), Street Trash emits a giant “Fuck You”, and then sodomizes you while simultaneously belittling you for contributing to the human race! Never has a film raped the corneas, as well as the silver screens, of the world with such gusto and abhorrent negligence. Okay Straw Dogs did a similar thing for its generation as well, but did Straw Dogs have derelict-melting “Thunderbird”, a crazed (yet Very funny!) Mafioso hell-bent on burying his (even more hilarious!) entrance usher, a junkyard Colonel...
Street Trash has None of these!!
Where other films deliver on the abovementioned goods (bads?), Street Trash emits a giant “Fuck You”, and then sodomizes you while simultaneously belittling you for contributing to the human race! Never has a film raped the corneas, as well as the silver screens, of the world with such gusto and abhorrent negligence. Okay Straw Dogs did a similar thing for its generation as well, but did Straw Dogs have derelict-melting “Thunderbird”, a crazed (yet Very funny!) Mafioso hell-bent on burying his (even more hilarious!) entrance usher, a junkyard Colonel...
- 6/11/2011
- by Ray of the Dead
- The Liberal Dead
With the upcoming DVD release of Slime City Massacre right around the corner, I thought now would be an excellent time to look back at Greg Lamberson’s 1988 flick that started it all – Slime City. Put on your raincoats, my friends, because things are about to get messy.
Jason Bene: Although Slime City is a low budget film, it is quite ambitious. Where did you find the funding to make this cult classic?
Greg Lamberson: My producing partners (Marc Makowski and Peter Clark) and I put up about one third of the $50,000 budget ourselves; we bugged friends and family for another third, and a foreign sales rep named Alexander Beck put up the remainder. It was a different time when we started, because video was huge and no-budget films sold well. But by the time we finished, the bottom had dropped out of that market. So in one sense,...
Jason Bene: Although Slime City is a low budget film, it is quite ambitious. Where did you find the funding to make this cult classic?
Greg Lamberson: My producing partners (Marc Makowski and Peter Clark) and I put up about one third of the $50,000 budget ourselves; we bugged friends and family for another third, and a foreign sales rep named Alexander Beck put up the remainder. It was a different time when we started, because video was huge and no-budget films sold well. But by the time we finished, the bottom had dropped out of that market. So in one sense,...
- 4/29/2011
- by Jason Bene
- Killer Films
"Most of us go to work every day with a pretty good idea of what's going to happen. As Detective Bryant will be reminded of today…cops never do."
It's perhaps one of the most veracious lines ever to introduce an episode of television, and featured at the start of Southland's fourth episode this season, entitled "Code 4"—surely one of the most wrenching, visceral and immersive hours of television ever filmed.
For those familiar with TNT's crime drama, you already know that each instalment begins with a voice over accompanying a profound scene that occurs later in the story. The episode then goes back and shows us the events that led up to that profound moment.
Of course, if you haven't been watching Southland, then put simply, you should be. Here's the skinny: The series follows the contrasting lives of both Los Angeles beat cops and detectives, giving us...
It's perhaps one of the most veracious lines ever to introduce an episode of television, and featured at the start of Southland's fourth episode this season, entitled "Code 4"—surely one of the most wrenching, visceral and immersive hours of television ever filmed.
For those familiar with TNT's crime drama, you already know that each instalment begins with a voice over accompanying a profound scene that occurs later in the story. The episode then goes back and shows us the events that led up to that profound moment.
Of course, if you haven't been watching Southland, then put simply, you should be. Here's the skinny: The series follows the contrasting lives of both Los Angeles beat cops and detectives, giving us...
- 2/14/2011
- CinemaSpy
Who doesn't love to revisit a cult classic every now again? Certainly not Trembles as this week he takes a look at an old favorite: J. Michael Muro's Street Trash from 1987.
According to Roy Frumkes, author of the screenplay, "I wrote it to democratically offend every group on the planet, and as a result the youth market embraced it as a renegade work."
Synopsis:
When a liquor store owner finds a case of "Viper" in his cellar, he decides to sell it to the local hobos at one dollar a bottle, unaware of its true properties. The drinks causes its consumers to melt, very messily. Two homeless lads find themselves up against the effects of the toxic brew, as well as going head to head with "Bronson" a Vietnam vet with sociopathic tendencies, and the owner of the junkyard they live in.
Alcoholics (un)Anomalous!
Discuss Motion Picture Purgatory in the Dread Central forums!
According to Roy Frumkes, author of the screenplay, "I wrote it to democratically offend every group on the planet, and as a result the youth market embraced it as a renegade work."
Synopsis:
When a liquor store owner finds a case of "Viper" in his cellar, he decides to sell it to the local hobos at one dollar a bottle, unaware of its true properties. The drinks causes its consumers to melt, very messily. Two homeless lads find themselves up against the effects of the toxic brew, as well as going head to head with "Bronson" a Vietnam vet with sociopathic tendencies, and the owner of the junkyard they live in.
Alcoholics (un)Anomalous!
Discuss Motion Picture Purgatory in the Dread Central forums!
- 6/11/2010
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
I’m not big on the resurgence of neon or the return of 80’s fashion, but in the case of the 80’s cinematic master-piece Street Trash, I’m willing to make an exception. From Mondo Tees comes a fitting tribute to Jim Muro’s 1987 classic in t-shirt and poster format.
New York’s craziest homeless settlement has sprung up in New York’s sleaziest junkyard. Kept in a state of constant fear by shell-shocked Vietnam vet Bronson, these outcast citizens go about their daily routine of stealing, foraging, and getting drunk. That is until the local liquor store unearths a long lost case of Viper Wine. This is one wine that didn’t age well as one swig turns any man or woman into a melting blob of neon goo… literally.
On the obscurity scale, a Street Trash tee ranks dangerously high. With a design that is “inspired” and not from the actual film,...
New York’s craziest homeless settlement has sprung up in New York’s sleaziest junkyard. Kept in a state of constant fear by shell-shocked Vietnam vet Bronson, these outcast citizens go about their daily routine of stealing, foraging, and getting drunk. That is until the local liquor store unearths a long lost case of Viper Wine. This is one wine that didn’t age well as one swig turns any man or woman into a melting blob of neon goo… literally.
On the obscurity scale, a Street Trash tee ranks dangerously high. With a design that is “inspired” and not from the actual film,...
- 12/17/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (David McKendry)
- Fangoria
G4's just posted their latest offering of Body Count , a genre based web series hosted by Wrong Turn 2 director Joe Lynch. In this episode, "Classic Horror Movies for the End Of Summer", Lynch profiles and recommends three of his favorite goriffic horror flicks - Roy Frumkes and Jim Muro's infamous Street Trash , the legendary Hong Kong shocker Ebola Syndrome (Yi boh lai beng duk) and Chris Sivertson's The Lost adapted from the Jack Ketchum novel. Ok, that last one isn't really "goriffic", but it is disturbing and highly recommended, even by this writer. Check out the episode below: Video Game - E3 2009 - Attack of the Show...
- 9/17/2009
- shocktillyoudrop.com
I’m letting you in on a secret I’m not proud to admit. I'd never seen Street Trash. Why the shame? Well, if you’ve read the required horror viewing list, you’d know that Street Trash is near the top of that list. I have no excuse for not seeing it, but hopefully this review will rectify this huge oversight.
A low budget indie horror, 1987’s Street Trash is a hilarious Technicolor gorefest. Set against a pre-gentrified Brooklyn, Street Trash is what would happen if Abel Ferrara did a comedy. Filmed on the Brooklyn-Queens border, where apparently no completed buildings existed, Street Trash is an extremely bleak and disturbing slapstick comedy.
The film centers on a junkyard inhabited by alcoholics, runaways, crazies, and deviants. The chorus is kept in check by deranged Vietnam vet, Bronson (Vic Noto), who strangely resembles Zach Galifianakis. When a local liquor store unearths...
A low budget indie horror, 1987’s Street Trash is a hilarious Technicolor gorefest. Set against a pre-gentrified Brooklyn, Street Trash is what would happen if Abel Ferrara did a comedy. Filmed on the Brooklyn-Queens border, where apparently no completed buildings existed, Street Trash is an extremely bleak and disturbing slapstick comedy.
The film centers on a junkyard inhabited by alcoholics, runaways, crazies, and deviants. The chorus is kept in check by deranged Vietnam vet, Bronson (Vic Noto), who strangely resembles Zach Galifianakis. When a local liquor store unearths...
- 9/10/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (David McKendry)
- Fangoria
You'd think a movie with the word "rush" in its title would at least keep things moving at a decent clip.
But in its third time out of the gate, Rush Hour 3, reuniting Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, hits the ground stalling.
Even with Brett Ratner again returning to the helm of the successful globe-trotting franchise that really launched his career -- the first two films earned in excess of $590 million worldwide -- any sense of momentum seems to have been lost over the course of the six years since the last installment.
Given the enthusiastic fan base, the New Line Cinema release should have no problem nabbing top spot over the Aug. 10 weekend, but likely will fall well short of the $225 million collared by Rush Hour 2.
As buddy cop action-comedies go, Rush Hour from the outset always felt like the poorer relation next to a Beverly Hills Cop or a Lethal Weapon.
What it had going for it was that engaging yin/yang of the Chan/Tucker personalities that made for an amusing clash of cultures.
This time, however, the routine goes awfully stale, with the actors doing the shtick-handling without the chemistry that compensated for all the by-the-numbers formula.
Here we have Tucker's LAPD Detective Carter and Chan's Inspector Lee reuniting in Los Angeles before relocating to Paris to stop an international crime syndicate known as the Triads in their notorious tracks.
While their search for the elusive Shy Shen leads them from the sewers of Paris to the top of the Eiffel Tower, the picture, even with three editors at its disposal, seldom gets off the ground.
Even bits that would seem to be can't-miss propositions, like when Tucker poses as a Fey French designer named Bubbles in order to "review the troops" backstage at the Folies-Bergeres (played by a theater in Santa Ana), fall awfully flat.
As Ratner, his two leads and returning screenwriter Jeff Nathanson all appear to be approaching the task at hand with all the inspiration of a contractual obligation, the assembled cosmopolitan cast -- including old pro Max von Sydow as the French foreign minister, the alluring Noemie Lenoir as the resident femme fatale and director Roman Polanski as an obnoxious police inspector -- do what they can to add a bit of much-needed vitality.
With the exception of that Eiffel Tower finale that delivers a couple of sky-high thrills, if a little late in the game, the obligatory action sequences also tend to simply go through the motions, offering little in the way of freshness or ingenuity.
Admittedly, it all looks pretty terrific, thanks to the vibrant camerawork of cinematographer J. Michael Muro (Open Range, Crash) and the sets by production designer Edward Verreaux (Monster House, Contact)
With the masterful Lalo Schifrin handling the scoring, Rush Hour 3 at least sounds like it's moving in a propulsive direction, even as it sputters to the finish line.
RUSH HOUR 3
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema presents anArthur Sarkissian and Roger Birnbaum production
Credits:
Director: Brett Ratner
Screenwriter: Jeff Nathanson
Based on characters created by: Ross LaManna
Producers: Arthur Sarkissian, Roger Birnbaum, Jay Stern, Jonathan Glickman, Andrew Z. Davis
Executive producer: Toby Emmerich
Director of photography: J. Michael Muro
Production designer: Edward Verreaux
Music: Lalo Schifrin
Co-producers: James M. Freitag, Leon Dudevoir
Costume designer: Betsy Heimann
Editors: Don Zimmerman, Dean Zimmerman, Mark Helfrich
Cast:
Carter: Chris Tucker
Lee: Jackie Chan
Kenji: Hiroyuki Sanada
Jasmine: Youki Kudoh
Reynard: Max von Sydow
George: Yvan Attal
Genevieve: Noemie Lenoir
Soo Yung: Jinchu Zhang
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
But in its third time out of the gate, Rush Hour 3, reuniting Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, hits the ground stalling.
Even with Brett Ratner again returning to the helm of the successful globe-trotting franchise that really launched his career -- the first two films earned in excess of $590 million worldwide -- any sense of momentum seems to have been lost over the course of the six years since the last installment.
Given the enthusiastic fan base, the New Line Cinema release should have no problem nabbing top spot over the Aug. 10 weekend, but likely will fall well short of the $225 million collared by Rush Hour 2.
As buddy cop action-comedies go, Rush Hour from the outset always felt like the poorer relation next to a Beverly Hills Cop or a Lethal Weapon.
What it had going for it was that engaging yin/yang of the Chan/Tucker personalities that made for an amusing clash of cultures.
This time, however, the routine goes awfully stale, with the actors doing the shtick-handling without the chemistry that compensated for all the by-the-numbers formula.
Here we have Tucker's LAPD Detective Carter and Chan's Inspector Lee reuniting in Los Angeles before relocating to Paris to stop an international crime syndicate known as the Triads in their notorious tracks.
While their search for the elusive Shy Shen leads them from the sewers of Paris to the top of the Eiffel Tower, the picture, even with three editors at its disposal, seldom gets off the ground.
Even bits that would seem to be can't-miss propositions, like when Tucker poses as a Fey French designer named Bubbles in order to "review the troops" backstage at the Folies-Bergeres (played by a theater in Santa Ana), fall awfully flat.
As Ratner, his two leads and returning screenwriter Jeff Nathanson all appear to be approaching the task at hand with all the inspiration of a contractual obligation, the assembled cosmopolitan cast -- including old pro Max von Sydow as the French foreign minister, the alluring Noemie Lenoir as the resident femme fatale and director Roman Polanski as an obnoxious police inspector -- do what they can to add a bit of much-needed vitality.
With the exception of that Eiffel Tower finale that delivers a couple of sky-high thrills, if a little late in the game, the obligatory action sequences also tend to simply go through the motions, offering little in the way of freshness or ingenuity.
Admittedly, it all looks pretty terrific, thanks to the vibrant camerawork of cinematographer J. Michael Muro (Open Range, Crash) and the sets by production designer Edward Verreaux (Monster House, Contact)
With the masterful Lalo Schifrin handling the scoring, Rush Hour 3 at least sounds like it's moving in a propulsive direction, even as it sputters to the finish line.
RUSH HOUR 3
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema presents anArthur Sarkissian and Roger Birnbaum production
Credits:
Director: Brett Ratner
Screenwriter: Jeff Nathanson
Based on characters created by: Ross LaManna
Producers: Arthur Sarkissian, Roger Birnbaum, Jay Stern, Jonathan Glickman, Andrew Z. Davis
Executive producer: Toby Emmerich
Director of photography: J. Michael Muro
Production designer: Edward Verreaux
Music: Lalo Schifrin
Co-producers: James M. Freitag, Leon Dudevoir
Costume designer: Betsy Heimann
Editors: Don Zimmerman, Dean Zimmerman, Mark Helfrich
Cast:
Carter: Chris Tucker
Lee: Jackie Chan
Kenji: Hiroyuki Sanada
Jasmine: Youki Kudoh
Reynard: Max von Sydow
George: Yvan Attal
Genevieve: Noemie Lenoir
Soo Yung: Jinchu Zhang
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
That old horse chestnut My Friend Flicka gets a generic makeover in the form of the singular Flicka, a thoroughly uninspiring drama that ultimately buckles under Michael Mayer's weighty direction.
Going back to the darker Mary O'Hara novel for inspiration, the updated flick boasts fine performances by Maria Bello, country singer Tim McGraw and young Alison Lohman, but it fails to convey the stirring spirit of the 1943 version.
Although it's squarely aimed at female tweens, with Roddy McDowall's original Ken McLaughlin character having been transformed to a Katy, that target demographic hasn't exactly been champing at the bit for their own movies, if the less than stellar results for such titles as "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and Aquamarine are of any indication.
While the Fox 2000 production will probably be a theatrical nonstarter, it still could kick up a bit of dust in the DVD corral.
Having returned to the McLaughlin family ranch in remote Wyoming (played extensively by Los Angeles) after being away in private school, Lohman's 16-year-old Katy discovers a wild mustang filly in the mountains whom she names Flicka, which she is told means "beautiful young girl" in Swedish.
Katy is desperate to keep the horse over the objections of her equally strong-willed dad, Rob McGraw, who made an impressive acting debut in 2004's Friday Night Lights), determined to prove that she can turn her into riding material.
For some reason, he just can't see that Katy and Flicka are kindred spirits, even though director Mayer (A Home at the End of the World) and screenwriters Mark Rosenthal & Lawrence Konner (responsible for the remakes of Mighty Joe Young, Planet of the Apes and Desperate Hours) keep hammering that point home relentlessly.
It turns out other things threaten to pull the McLaughlin family apart, including having to sell off the struggling ranch and Katy's brother Howard's (Ryan Kwanten) as-yet-unannounced plans to attend college in Boston rather than follow in his dad's footsteps.
That leaves mom Nell (the always reliable Bello) to try to keep it all together.
She certainly doesn't get much help from Mayer, whose buoyant stage work -- including the Broadway productions of Thoroughly Modern Millie and "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" -- is nowhere to be seen in this bland, overly purposeful production.
Although the performances are uniformly credible, the viewer is never given a real, unspoken sense of that unbridled bond between the girl and the mustang. There's little joy in this glum production, where storms keep gathering at the slightest hint of rain.
Production values are respectable, with cinematographer J. Michael Muro putting his considerable experience working in The Great Outdoors (Open Range, Crash), to good use here, though producer Aaron Zigman's score keeps getting interrupted by pesky songs about running with the wild horses and the weight of the world, just in case we somehow still didn't get the message.
FLICKA
20th Century Fox
Fox 2000 Pictures presents a Gil Netter production
Credits:
Director: Michael Mayer
Screenwriters: Mark Rosenthal & Lawrence Konner
Based on the novel My Friend Flicka by: Mary O'Hara
Producer: Gil Netter
Director of photography: J. Michael Muro
Production designer: Sharon Seymour
Editor: Andrew Marcus
Costume designer: Molly Maginnis
Music: Aaron Zigman
Cast:
Katy McLaughlin: Alison Lohman
Rob McLaughlin: Tim McGraw
Nell McLaughlin: Maria Bello
Howard McLaughlin: Ryan Kwanten
Gus: Dallas Roberts
Norbert Rye: Nick Searcy
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Going back to the darker Mary O'Hara novel for inspiration, the updated flick boasts fine performances by Maria Bello, country singer Tim McGraw and young Alison Lohman, but it fails to convey the stirring spirit of the 1943 version.
Although it's squarely aimed at female tweens, with Roddy McDowall's original Ken McLaughlin character having been transformed to a Katy, that target demographic hasn't exactly been champing at the bit for their own movies, if the less than stellar results for such titles as "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and Aquamarine are of any indication.
While the Fox 2000 production will probably be a theatrical nonstarter, it still could kick up a bit of dust in the DVD corral.
Having returned to the McLaughlin family ranch in remote Wyoming (played extensively by Los Angeles) after being away in private school, Lohman's 16-year-old Katy discovers a wild mustang filly in the mountains whom she names Flicka, which she is told means "beautiful young girl" in Swedish.
Katy is desperate to keep the horse over the objections of her equally strong-willed dad, Rob McGraw, who made an impressive acting debut in 2004's Friday Night Lights), determined to prove that she can turn her into riding material.
For some reason, he just can't see that Katy and Flicka are kindred spirits, even though director Mayer (A Home at the End of the World) and screenwriters Mark Rosenthal & Lawrence Konner (responsible for the remakes of Mighty Joe Young, Planet of the Apes and Desperate Hours) keep hammering that point home relentlessly.
It turns out other things threaten to pull the McLaughlin family apart, including having to sell off the struggling ranch and Katy's brother Howard's (Ryan Kwanten) as-yet-unannounced plans to attend college in Boston rather than follow in his dad's footsteps.
That leaves mom Nell (the always reliable Bello) to try to keep it all together.
She certainly doesn't get much help from Mayer, whose buoyant stage work -- including the Broadway productions of Thoroughly Modern Millie and "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" -- is nowhere to be seen in this bland, overly purposeful production.
Although the performances are uniformly credible, the viewer is never given a real, unspoken sense of that unbridled bond between the girl and the mustang. There's little joy in this glum production, where storms keep gathering at the slightest hint of rain.
Production values are respectable, with cinematographer J. Michael Muro putting his considerable experience working in The Great Outdoors (Open Range, Crash), to good use here, though producer Aaron Zigman's score keeps getting interrupted by pesky songs about running with the wild horses and the weight of the world, just in case we somehow still didn't get the message.
FLICKA
20th Century Fox
Fox 2000 Pictures presents a Gil Netter production
Credits:
Director: Michael Mayer
Screenwriters: Mark Rosenthal & Lawrence Konner
Based on the novel My Friend Flicka by: Mary O'Hara
Producer: Gil Netter
Director of photography: J. Michael Muro
Production designer: Sharon Seymour
Editor: Andrew Marcus
Costume designer: Molly Maginnis
Music: Aaron Zigman
Cast:
Katy McLaughlin: Alison Lohman
Rob McLaughlin: Tim McGraw
Nell McLaughlin: Maria Bello
Howard McLaughlin: Ryan Kwanten
Gus: Dallas Roberts
Norbert Rye: Nick Searcy
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 10/19/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
That old horse chestnut "My Friend Flicka" gets a generic makeover in the form of the singular "Flicka", a thoroughly uninspiring drama that ultimately buckles under Michael Mayer's weighty direction.
Going back to the darker Mary O'Hara novel for inspiration, the updated flick boasts fine performances by Maria Bello, country singer Tim McGraw and young Alison Lohman, but it fails to convey the stirring spirit of the 1943 version.
Although it's squarely aimed at female tweens, with Roddy McDowall's original Ken McLaughlin character having been transformed to a Katy, that target demographic hasn't exactly been champing at the bit for their own movies, if the less than stellar results for such titles as "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and "Aquamarine" are of any indication.
While the Fox 2000 production will probably be a theatrical nonstarter, it still could kick up a bit of dust in the DVD corral.
Having returned to the McLaughlin family ranch in remote Wyoming (played extensively by Los Angeles) after being away in private school, Lohman's 16-year-old Katy discovers a wild mustang filly in the mountains whom she names Flicka, which she is told means "beautiful young girl" in Swedish.
Katy is desperate to keep the horse over the objections of her equally strong-willed dad, Rob McGraw, who made an impressive acting debut in 2004's "Friday Night Lights"), determined to prove that she can turn her into riding material.
For some reason, he just can't see that Katy and Flicka are kindred spirits, even though director Mayer ("A Home at the End of the World") and screenwriters Mark Rosenthal & Lawrence Konner (responsible for the remakes of "Mighty Joe Young", "Planet of the Apes" and "Desperate Hours") keep hammering that point home relentlessly.
It turns out other things threaten to pull the McLaughlin family apart, including having to sell off the struggling ranch and Katy's brother Howard's (Ryan Kwanten) as-yet-unannounced plans to attend college in Boston rather than follow in his dad's footsteps.
That leaves mom Nell (the always reliable Bello) to try to keep it all together.
She certainly doesn't get much help from Mayer, whose buoyant stage work -- including the Broadway productions of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" -- is nowhere to be seen in this bland, overly purposeful production.
Although the performances are uniformly credible, the viewer is never given a real, unspoken sense of that unbridled bond between the girl and the mustang. There's little joy in this glum production, where storms keep gathering at the slightest hint of rain.
Production values are respectable, with cinematographer J. Michael Muro putting his considerable experience working in The Great Outdoors ("Open Range", "Crash"), to good use here, though producer Aaron Zigman's score keeps getting interrupted by pesky songs about running with the wild horses and the weight of the world, just in case we somehow still didn't get the message.
Going back to the darker Mary O'Hara novel for inspiration, the updated flick boasts fine performances by Maria Bello, country singer Tim McGraw and young Alison Lohman, but it fails to convey the stirring spirit of the 1943 version.
Although it's squarely aimed at female tweens, with Roddy McDowall's original Ken McLaughlin character having been transformed to a Katy, that target demographic hasn't exactly been champing at the bit for their own movies, if the less than stellar results for such titles as "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and "Aquamarine" are of any indication.
While the Fox 2000 production will probably be a theatrical nonstarter, it still could kick up a bit of dust in the DVD corral.
Having returned to the McLaughlin family ranch in remote Wyoming (played extensively by Los Angeles) after being away in private school, Lohman's 16-year-old Katy discovers a wild mustang filly in the mountains whom she names Flicka, which she is told means "beautiful young girl" in Swedish.
Katy is desperate to keep the horse over the objections of her equally strong-willed dad, Rob McGraw, who made an impressive acting debut in 2004's "Friday Night Lights"), determined to prove that she can turn her into riding material.
For some reason, he just can't see that Katy and Flicka are kindred spirits, even though director Mayer ("A Home at the End of the World") and screenwriters Mark Rosenthal & Lawrence Konner (responsible for the remakes of "Mighty Joe Young", "Planet of the Apes" and "Desperate Hours") keep hammering that point home relentlessly.
It turns out other things threaten to pull the McLaughlin family apart, including having to sell off the struggling ranch and Katy's brother Howard's (Ryan Kwanten) as-yet-unannounced plans to attend college in Boston rather than follow in his dad's footsteps.
That leaves mom Nell (the always reliable Bello) to try to keep it all together.
She certainly doesn't get much help from Mayer, whose buoyant stage work -- including the Broadway productions of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" -- is nowhere to be seen in this bland, overly purposeful production.
Although the performances are uniformly credible, the viewer is never given a real, unspoken sense of that unbridled bond between the girl and the mustang. There's little joy in this glum production, where storms keep gathering at the slightest hint of rain.
Production values are respectable, with cinematographer J. Michael Muro putting his considerable experience working in The Great Outdoors ("Open Range", "Crash"), to good use here, though producer Aaron Zigman's score keeps getting interrupted by pesky songs about running with the wild horses and the weight of the world, just in case we somehow still didn't get the message.
- 10/19/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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