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This article contains mention of violence and assault.

Both versions of The Crow focus on the origin story of Eric Draven. He is a man who rises from the dead to take his revenge, similar to the many other revenge movies that follow this formula. The 2024 The Crow is not a remake of the original but expands upon the narrative laid out by the comic book series. Source material like the comic book serves as inspiration for the brooding vengeance films within this niche. While stories of revenge have been popular since the beginning of the film, The Crow exemplifies what the genre does best.

Nothing about either version of The Crow is flat or bland, as even within the moody palate, it remains dynamic.

It stands apart because of how dark and gritty the action and aesthetic of the project are. However, nothing about either version of The Crow is flat or bland,...

Do you remember the answer to the question, Who is Darkman? If not, Scream Factory invites you to revisit Sam Raimi’s first foray into superhero films with their brand new 4K Ultra HD release of 1990’s Darkman launching February 20th.

After being unable to obtain the rights to The Shadow, Raimi decided to mix traits from other popular crime fighters and classic Universal Monsters and pour them into the base of his own unique and tragic figure, Darkman. And this unique character is one who could disguise themselves as anyone they wanted to be.

With prospects like Bill Paxton and Gary Oldman interested in the lead, Raimi rolled the dice on virtual unknown Liam Neeson for his first ever starring role. Raimi also took a gamble on another longshot, his roommate Frances McDormand for the female lead after Julia Roberts bowed out due to personal reasons and became the Pretty Woman.

Director Sam Raimi’s film Darkman was first released in 1990, and in recent years Scream Factory has brought that movie and its direct-to-video sequels Darkman II: The Return of Durant and Darkman III: Die Darkman Die to Blu-ray. Last month, the company announced that they’ll be giving Darkman a 4K release on February 20th – and since then they’ve revealed that this release will include deleted scenes that weren’t on their previous Blu-ray release of the film, plus a fan commentary by Scare Me and Werewolves Within director (and Darkman superfan) Josh Ruben!

Scream Factory is accepting pre-orders for multiple editions of this release. You can get the 4K / Blu-ray combo on its own, get it in a limited edition steelbook, get the steelbook with a prism sticker and poster, get the steelbook with a prism sticker, poster, a pin, and lobby cards, get the regular collector’s...

Before he made his Spider-Man trilogy and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but after he unsuccessfully tried to get the job directing a Batman or The Shadow movie, Sam Raimi made his debut in the superhero world with a character he created: Darkman. Raimi’s film Darkman was first released in 1990, and in recent years Scream Factory has brought that movie and its direct-to-video sequels Darkman II: The Return of Durant and Darkman III: Die Darkman Die to Blu-ray. Now the company has announced that they’ll be giving Darkman a 4K release on February 20th!

Scream Factory hasn’t announced what special features will be found on the 4K release, but they are accepting pre-orders for it. You can get the 4K / Blu-ray combo on its own, get it in a limited edition steelbook, get the steelbook with a prism sticker and poster, get the steelbook with a prism sticker,...

Director Sam Raimi ("Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness") is developing a direct sequel to his 1998 feature "Darkman", originally starring Liam Neeson as scientist 'Peyton Westlake', who survives the aftermath of an attack with superhuman athletic abilities and a realistic mask making process:

"...'Westlake' (Neeson) is left for dead by mobster 'Robert Durant' (Larry Drake), after his girlfriend, attorney 'Julie Hastings' (Frances McDormand), runs afoul of corrupt developer 'Louis Strack Jr' (Colin Friels).

"After a treatment to cure him of his injuries fails...

"...Westlake develops super-human abilities, which also have the unintended side-effect...

"...of rendering him mentally unstable and borderline psychotic..."

Click the images to enlarge...

Click here to read the full article.

Hulu has picked up U.S. rights to the Australian series Vanishing Act, a mystery crime drama based on the real-life disappearance of Australian high-roller Melissa Caddick.

Caddick was an Australian businesswoman who allegedly swindled her family and friends out of millions of dollars to bankroll her lavish lifestyle of designer clothes, fast cars, expensive real estate and flash holidays.

But the day after police raided her home, Caddick disappeared. Months later, her shoe is found, washed up on a deserted beach – with her disembodied foot inside. The case spawned major media attention and wild speculation that Caddick was murdered, or that she deliberately cut off her own foot and went into hiding.

The three-part series, produced by Screentime Banijay for Nine Network Australia, stars Kate Atkinson (Wentworth) as Caddick, alongside Colin Friels, Jerome Velinsky, and Maya Stange. Dcd Rights is handling international sales.

Director Sam Raimi ("Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness") wants to do a direct sequel to his 1998 feature "Darkman", originally starring Liam Neeson as scientist 'Peyton Westlake', who survives the aftermath of an attack with superhuman athletic abilities and a realistic mask making process:

"...'Westlake' (Neeson) is left for dead by mobster 'Robert Durant' (Larry Drake), after his girlfriend, attorney 'Julie Hastings' (Frances McDormand), runs afoul of corrupt developer 'Louis Strack Jr' (Colin Friels).

"After a treatment to cure him of his injuries fails...

"...Westlake develops super-human abilities, which also have the unintended side-effect...

"...of rendering him mentally unstable and borderline psychotic..."

Click the images to enlarge...

Developing Situation

New president of the Philippines Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday swore in a swath of new officials at government agencies. Among them, veteran actor Tirso Cruz III, was appointed as chair and chief executive of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (Fdcp). He replaces Liza Dino Seguerra who has held the post for the past four years. In a Facebook posting, Seguerra said that she had not been officially informed of her replacement, but that nevertheless she would ensure a smooth transition.

Commissions

The BBC has commissioned independent production company Zig Zag to make “Football Academy,” a soccer documentary series following the young players and staff of the academy at Southampton Football Club, which will air this fall in the countdown to the 2022 soccer World Cup in Qatar. The 15×30’ series, for Cbbc, was filmed during the 2021/22 season and will track the highs and lows of key characters at the academy,...

Interceptor Trailer — Matthew Reilly‘s Interceptor (2022) movie trailer has been released by Netflix. The Interceptor trailer stars Elsa Pataky, Luke Bracey, Aaron Glenane, Mayen Mehta, Rhys Muldoon, Belinda Jombwe, Marcus Johnson, Colin Friels, and Zoe Carides.. Crew Matthew Reilly and Stuart Beattie wrote the screenplay for Interceptor. Michael Lira created the music for the [...]

Continue reading: Interceptor (2022) Movie Trailer: Elsa Pataky Fights to keep Nuclear Weapons Safe from Mercenaries...

Director Sam Raimi ("Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness") is interested in creating a direct sequel to his 1998 feature "Darkman", that originally starred Liam Neeson as scientist 'Peyton Westlake', who is consumed with vengeance after attackers leave him disfigured but he survives with superhuman athletic abilities and a realistic mask making process:

"...'Westlake' (Neeson) is left for dead by mobster 'Robert Durant' (Larry Drake), after his girlfriend, attorney 'Julie Hastings' (Frances McDormand), runs afoul of corrupt developer 'Louis Strack Jr' (Colin Friels).

"After a treatment to cure him of his injuries fails...

"...Westlake develops super-human abilities, which also have the unintended side-effect...

"...of rendering him mentally unstable and borderline psychotic..."

Click the images to enlarge...

"Everyone wants to be anywhere but here." Netflix has revealed an official trailer for an action movie titled Interceptor, streaming this summer starting in early June. It marks the feature directorial debut of an Australian writer / producer named Matthew Reilly, who is directing from a script he co-wrote with Stuart Beattie. One Army captain must use her years of tactical training & military expertise when a coordinated terrorist attack threatens the remote missile interceptor station she is in command of in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Starring Elsa Pataky as Captain JJ Collins, she's joined by Luke Bracey, Aaron Glenane, Mayen Mehta, Rhys Muldoon, Belinda Jombwe, Marcus Johnson, Colin Friels, and Zoe Carides. This definitely looks cheesy, but it's also entertaining af. I'm down for this! Always ready for a contained thriller with a badass lady kicking all the bad guys' butts. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Matthew Reilly's Interceptor,...

“Oh, she’s always challenging me.”

Deborah Mailman is reflecting on playing Senator Alex Irving, her in character Total Control – the most complex role she believes she’s had in a more than 20 year career.

The Blackfella Films political drama is set to return for a second season tonight on the ABC, and for Mailman, the emotional stakes this time around are higher again.

In the Aacta Award-winning first season, Irving engineered a coup to dethrone Prime Minister Rachel Anderson (Rachel Griffiths), who appointed her to the Senate.

Now, she must face the reality of the alliance she’s made with the Opposition Leader Laurie Martin (William McInnes), taking orders from him and his offsider, enigmatic Indigenous politician Paul Murphy (Wayne Blair).

“In season two, the writers took Alex pretty much to breaking point,” Mailman tells If.

“The emotional energy that was required for some of those moments was exhausting.

The second season of Total Control will launch on the ABC November 7.

In the first season, political newcomer Alex Irving (Deborah Mailman) engineered a coup against Rachel Anderson (Rachel Griffiths), the Prime Minister who appointed her to the Senate.

In season two, both Alex and Rachel find themselves treading different political paths. After being dumped by her own party, Rachel relies on strategist Nick Pearce (Alex Dimitriades) to guide her political ambitions, while Alex finds herself surrounded by a new team, led by her brother Charlie (Rob Collins). But politics can be a nasty business. Will Alex’s determination and the tenacity of her grass-roots driven team be enough? Can she survive a system determined to shake everything she values? And can these political adversaries become political allies?

Reprising their roles in the Blackfella Films series are Rob Collins, Wes Patten, Anthony Hayes, William McInnes, Huw Higginson and Lisa Flanagan,...

Nine has unveiled dramas Underbelly: Vanishing Act and After the Verdict as part of its 2022 slate, with the network emphasising its “strong investment” in the genre at its upfronts today.

The series join Eq Media Group’s real estate docu-drama Buying Byron, ITV Studios Australia’s prison ob-doc series Australia Behind Bars, Southern Pictures and Orange Entertainment Co’s Missing Persons Investigation, and The Full Box’s Million Dollar Murders as the new titles announced for next year.

The virtual event included the cast announcement of Screentime’s Underbelly: Vanishing Act, which tells the story of Melissa Caddick, the high-roller who allegedly embezzled over $40 million before disappearing.

The series stars Kate Atkinson as Melissa Caddick, alongside Colin Friels, Tai Hara, Maya Stange, Ursula Mills, and Sophie Bloom.

Underbelly: Vanishing Act is produced by Kerrie Mainwaring and Matt Ford, who is also writing alongside Michael Miller, with Geoff Bennett directing.

Subtext...

Mark Tarlov, who produced the John Waters-directed films “Pecker,” “Serial Mom” and “Cecil B. Demented,” died on July 31 at his home in Manhattan due to cancer, his family announced. He was 69.

Starting his career in entertainment in 1979, Tarlov worked in business affairs at Warner Bros. before executive producing his first feature, “Christine,” based on the Stephen King novel. In 1986, Tarlov produced Sidney Lumet’s “Power,” which starred Richard Gere, Gene Hackman and Julie Christie. In 1995, he produced “Copycat,” starring Holly Hunter and Sigourney Weaver.

In 1990, he worked with the British novelist William Boyd to transform Mario Vargas Llosa’s 1977 book “Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter” into “Tune in Tomorrow,” directed by Jon Amiel and starring Keanu Reeves, Peter Falk, Barbara Hershey, Patricia Clarkson and John Larroquette. The film won the audience and critics awards at the Deauville Film Festival, and was closing-night selection at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Mark Tarlov, who produced such films as Copycat and Serial Mom, passed away on July 31st after a battle with cancer. His family made the announcement. Tarlov was 69.

Tarlov landed his first entertainment job in Business Affairs at Warner Bros. in 1979. Four years later, he EP’d his first feature, Christine, based on the Stephen King novel and directed by John Carpenter. Next, he produced Sidney Lumet’s Power starring Richard Gere, Gene Hackman and Julie Christie.

In the ’90s Tarlov worked with the British novelist William Boyd to transform the Mario Vargas Llosa novel, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter into the offbeat film, Tune in Tomorrow, directed by Jon Amiel and starring Keanu Reeves, Peter Falk, Barbara Hershey, Patricia Clarkson and John Larroquette. His collaboration with William Boyd grew into a lifelong friendship and yielded another film based on Boyd’s novel, A Good Man in Africa starring Colin Friels,...

Deborah Mailman and Rachel Griffiths will be joined on screen by a host of new faces for the second season of the ABC/Blackfella Films’ Total Control, including Wayne Blair, who will also direct all six episodes.

Steph Tisdell stars in her first dramatic role, alongside other new cast members such as Alex Dimitriades, Colin Friels, Harry Greenwood, Rob Carlton, Daniella Farinacci, Brenna Harding, Benedict Hardie, and Anita Hegh.

Returning are Rob Collins, Anthony Hayes, William McInnes, Huw Higginson, Wes Patten, Lisa Flanagan and Harry Richardson.

Filming is currently underway, with production to take place across Sydney; Canberra, including at Parliament House, and Broken Hill.

The first season of the multiple Aacta Award-winning drama saw political newcomer Alex Irving (Mailman) engineer a coup against Rachel Anderson (Griffiths), the Prime Minister who appointed her to the Senate.

Season two sees Alex running as an independent. She’ll be ready for the...

A groundbreaking entry in the superhero cinema genre, 1990’s Darkman is celebrating its 30th anniversary. While the dark horse hit of a film served as a mainstream breakthrough for Evil Dead horror maestro Sam Raimi and a key headlining gig for star Liam Neeson, it was also the culmination of much behind-the-scenes friction between studio Universal and the filmmakers, who, on this occasion, shed some intriguing light on the experience.

Members of the cast and crew of Darkman participated in an oral history interview with THR commemorating the film’s big 3-0; a conversation that proved revelatory regarding a fateful act of subterfuge perpetrated by eventual Spider-Man director Raimi and company against the wishes of studio Universal to secretly re-edit the film a mere 48 hours before it screened to critics. The film, which hit theaters on August 24, 1990, was a surprise hit (with no bankable filmmaker or stars to tout), topping...

Steven Oliver in ‘Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky’.

Local films from directors Jo-Anne Brechin and Steven McGregor are among the 12 world premieres to feature on the line-up for Miff 68½ – Melbourne International Film Festival’s upcoming digital-only iteration.

To run August 6-23, the event will encompass some 69 features and 44 shorts from 56 countries – an impressive number given the rights complications inherent in putting together an online showcase. Forty-nine per cent of films are from a female director, and all films are available to stream across Australia.

Miff artistic director Al Cossar said: “I’m delighted to say that, despite the extraordinary circumstances of 2020, Miff’s ‘radical act’ is to keep going and continue on our mission to bring you the world through unforgettable screen experiences. At Miff, we are driven by a deep understanding that film has the ability to entertain, inspire, illuminate and empower audiences in a way that few other...

‘Riot.’

The cast members of Werner Film Productions’ Riot, Generator Pictures’ Homecoming Queens and Bunya Productions’ Mystery Road were voted by members of Equity Australia as the most outstanding ensembles in the 9th annual Equity Ensemble Awards.

Presented in Sydney on Monday night, ABC TV’s Riot’s Damon Herriman, Kate Box, Xavier Samuel, Jessica De Gouw and Josh Quong Tart took the prize for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a mini-series/telemovie.

Sbs’s Homecoming Queens‘ Michelle Law, Liv Hewson, Taylor Ferguson, George Zhao, John McNeill, Yassmin Abdel-Magied and Adele Perovic won outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series.

Aaron Pedersen, Judy Davis, Deborah Mailman, Wayne Blair, Colin Friels, Anthony Hayes, John Waters, Tasma Walton, Tasia Zalar, Madeleine Madden, Ernie Dingo, Aaron McGrath, Rohan Mirchandaney, Meyne Wyatt, Connor Van Vuuren, Eddie Baroo, Ningali Lawford, Jessica Falkholt, Benjamin Hoetjes and Kris McQuade won the drama series category...

‘Mystery Road.’

BBC4 in the UK has acquired Bunya Productions’ six-part drama Mystery Road in a deal with All3Media International.

The series starring Aaron Pedersen and Judy Davis, a spin-off of Ivan Sen’s feature film, will premiere as a weekly double bill at 9 pm on Saturday September 22.

Directed by Rachel Perkins, the show launched last month in the Us on Acorn TV, which bills itself as North America’s most popular streaming service for British and international television. Acorn also picked up secondary rights in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

BBC2 bought the Mystery Road movie which screened on September 2 and is still available to stream.

Sue Deeks, BBC head of program acquisition, said: “Mystery Road is set in a uniquely stark and beautiful landscape and features a cast of some of the best acting talent around. We’re thrilled to be bringing this compelling and visually stunning drama to BBC viewers.

If you've been waiting for Game of Thrones hottie Khal Drogo to get his own movie, then you're in luck. The gorgeous Jason Momoa will be starring as Atlantean hero Arthur Curry in the upcoming Aquaman movie, set to premiere at the end of this year. Better yet, the film will be an origin movie, showing young Arthur as a nine-year-old (to be played by Kaan Guldur) and a 13-year-old (to be played by Otis Dhanji). Not only were these mini Momoas perfectly cast, the two young Australian actors are already seasoned performers themselves.

Guldur (above) just finished filming Fighting Season, a six-part Australian drama mini-series in which Guldur stars as Callum Collins. Guldur also lent his voice to The Lego Ninjago Movie and appeared in a short film called Red Ink. Aquaman will be Guldur's first foray into DC's live action universe, as well as his first major live-action film.

Sue Milliken.

After a stint at the ABC, Sue Milliken began producing in the late 1970.s with Tom Jeffrey. Together they produced.Weekend of Shadows.(1977),.The Odd Angry Shot.(1978) and.Fighting Back.(1981).

Milliken produced.The Fringe Dwellers.(1985),.Black Robe.(1991) and.Paradise Road.(1996) for Bruce Beresford, with whom she has just published a book of correspondence,.There.s A Fax From Bruce, through Currency Press.

The veteran's other credits includes.Sirens, Dating The Enemy, Imax documentary.Sydney: A Story of a City, 2001 TV mini.My Brother Jack, Colin Friels feature.Solo, and sixty six episodes (three seasons) of sci-fi series.Farscape.for the Jim Henson Company..

Milliken recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Australian International Movie Convention. Her book of correspondence with the director Bruce Beresford,.There.s A Fax From Bruce, was published in June through Currency Press.

She spoke to.If.about her next feature, her new book and Gender Matters.

The Secret Daughter.

Seven has announced that The Secret Daughter, starring Jessica Mauboy, will premiere October 3.

Mauboy leads series cast as Billie Carter, a part-time country pub singer whose life changes forever after a chance meeting with wealthy city hotelier Jack Norton, played by Colin Friels.

The drama also stars Bonnie Sveen (Home and Away), Matt Levett (A Place To Call Home, Devil.s Playground), David Field (Catching Milat, No Activity), Rachel Gordon (Winter, The Moodys, Blue Heelers), Salvatore Coco (The Principal, Catching Milat) and Jared Turner (The Almighty Johnsons, The Shannara Chronicles).

The Secret Daughter is a Screentime, a Banijay Group company, production for Channel Seven produced with the financial assistance of Screen Australia and Screen Nsw.

The series was directed by Leah Purcell, Geoff Bennett and Paul Moloney, and written by Justin Monjo, Greg Haddrick, Louise Bowes and Keith Thompson.

Ad-man David Nobay, formerly creative chairman of Droga5 Sydney, has launched the Sydney branch of boutique Paris outfit Marcel with a series hawking nothing in particular.

ArtBreaks is a series of eight experimental shorts made with some of Australia's biggest names, such as John Waters, Warwick Thornton, Colin Friels and Josh McConville.

Each of the eight, which launched on iView at the beginning of the month, is based around a poem written by Nobay himself.

"It's how I stay sane", Nobay said. "I'm not good at doing nothing, historically."

The award-winning creative director wrote a play, Moving Parts, that starred Colin Friels at Nida in 2013.

With Friels on his back to work together again, Nobay showed the actor his poems, and Friels narrated the first of the shorts, Snared.

The connection with iView came when Nobay met Adrian Swift, then the ABC's head of programming, through a mutual friend.

"We...

Jessica Mauboy.

Channel Seven's The Secret Daughter, starring Jessica Mauboy, has begun filming in Sydney and country Nsw.

Mauboy leads the cast as Billie Carter, a part-time country pub singer whose life changes forever after a chance meeting with wealthy city hotelier Jack Norton, played by Colin Friels.

The drama will also star Bonnie Sveen (Home and Away), Matthew Levett (A Place To Call Home, Devil.s Playground), David Field (Catching Milat, No Activity), Rachel Gordon (Winter, The Moodys, Blue Heelers), Salvatore Coco (The Principal, Catching Milat) and Jared Turner (The Almighty Johnsons, The Shannara Chronicles).

Supporting cast members include former Miss World Australia Erin Holland, Jr Reyne (Neighbours), Libby Asciak (Here Come The Habibs), Johnny Boxer (Fat Pizza vs Housos), Terry Serio (Janet King), Waapa graduate Harriet Gordon-Anderson, Jeremy Ambrum (Cleverman, Mabo) and Amanda Muggleton (City Homicide, Prisoner).

.Seven is the home of Australian drama and we.re immensely...

Actor-director-writer David Field plans to pen a biography of his great mate Bill Hunter.

Field revealed his plans on Facebook, prompting numerous offers of help from colleagues and friends of the much-loved actor who died in 2011, aged 71.

Close buddies for more than 25 years, Hunter and Field often discussed co-writing a book but never got around to it.

.We were having too much fun,. Field tells If. He may use the title suggested by Hunter, which trades on one of the actor's favourite expressions, .Stand Where and Say What?.

Field first met Hunter, whose credits include Newsfront, Gallipoli, Strictly Ballroom, Muriel's Wedding, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert, Road to Nhill, Crackerjack, The Pacific and The Cup, at the Belvoir Theatre.

They worked together twice, in Laurie McInnes. 1993 black-and-white drama Broken Highway and in Alkinos Tsilimidos.s 2004 film Tom White, which starred Colin Friels as an architect whose life unravels after a nervous breakdown.

Umbrella Entertainment is restoring Australian classic Jedda plus Angel Baby and Burke & Wills for re-issue in HD on DVD and VOD platforms as part of an ongoing preservation program.

The distributor is also working with producer Jane Scott and distributor Andrew Pike on an HD version of Scott Hicks. Shine, and with Scott on Goodbye Paradise.

As part of its restoration program which covers around 200 titles, Umbrella plans to release on one DVD two musical films produced by Peter Clifton, one on The Easybeats. tour of England in 1967, the other looking at a concert by The Rolling Stones at Sydney Showground in 1966, hosted by DJ Ward ..Pally.. Austin.

Shot in 1955, Jedda was the last film from Australian filmmaker Charles Chauvel, who died four years later. The first Australian feature made in colour, it starred Indigenous actors Robert Tudawali and Ngarla Kunoth in the saga of an Aboriginal woman who is...

Budget cuts to the ABC are threatening the broadcaster.s ability to commission children.s programming, according to one senior Australian producer.

Essential Media and Entertainment partner/head of kids Carmel Travers says the reduced funding is severely challenging the ability of producers to make premium kids. content.

.The ABC is being constantly subjected to budgetary reviews by a government that is determined to shrink the financial capacities of the ABC,. Travers told C21 Media at the Mip Junior market in Cannes, where she launched Bubble Bath Bay, an animated pre-school series commissioned by the ABC.

.That is having a huge impact on its capacity to commission as much programming as it used to, and that has a very real impact on the production community in Australia.

.When the ABC is the only shop in town for some genres of children.s shows, that poses a real risk to premium content.

A crime caper replete with kooky contraptions, this endearing film's hero is a man who moves to his own mechanically engineered beat

Its clear from the beginning of director Nadia Tasss 1986 oddball comedy Malcolm that its protagonist, a reclusive simpleton played by Colin Friels, is a bit out of the ordinary. A tram-obsessed employee of the Metropolitan Transport Authority, which operated Victorias trains, trams and buses in the 1980s, the film opens when the sun goes down and Malcolm knocks off work.

With a big grin stamped across his face, Malcolm sneaks out and rides his most prized invention a mini tram-like invention that seats only him down the streets of Melbourne. Its a wonderfully weird scene setter that introduces that first of many kooky contraptions.

Continue reading...

Don Kaye Aug 24, 2019

Once upon a time, there were barely any superhero movies. But Sam Raimi wanted to make his own, so he made Darkman.

Flush off the cult success of Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, young independent director Sam Raimi set his sights on making a superhero movie…of sorts. The result was Darkman, a twisted horror/action hybrid that featured a young Liam Neeson and ended up plumbing much darker psychological depths than even Tim Burton’s Batman -- the only big superhero blockbuster around at the time -- while giving Raimi’s bizarre sense of madcap humor a bigger playground to romp around in.

With Darkman recently made available in a deluxe Blu-ray edition from Scream Factory, it’s always great to look back at the picture, its place in Raimi’s filmography and its context in the pantheon of modern superhero movies – where,...

Darkman - Shout Factory - Blu-ray and DVD Director: Sam Raimi Cast: Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand, Colin Friels, Larry Drake, Nelson Mashita. Full cast + crew When it comes to movie nostalgia, there's liking movies because they were so highly specific to a time when you were younger and couldn't always see a film's obvious flaws, and then there's liking a movie because it's so highly specific to the time in which it was made that it just could not get made these days. Darkman may have some flaws, but it's far more of the latter. There is simply no way this movie would get made in today's studio system. Sam Raimi's earliest Hollywood gig, Darkman is about a scientist (played by Liam Neeson) who is burned...

Read More...

What an amazing week for TV fans. As if you didn’t have enough stacking to do with the new, brilliant season of “House of Cards” on Netflix, there are four other full seasons in this week’s What to Watch that you really should watch front to back. And then there’s the still-amazing “Darkman,” a cult classic that perfectly captures Sam Raimi’s skill at controlled chaos. Finally, we have two ’80s horror flicks in one set in “Bad Dreams” and “Visiting Hours.” Check ‘em all out (Ok, you can skip the genre stinkers).

Game of Thrones: The Complete Third Season

Photo credit: HBO

“Game of Thrones: The Complete Third Season”

One of the best shows on TV gets the glorious, fantastic, always-perfect HBO treatment, complete with absolutely perfect HD transfers and enough special features to stop a TV fan in their tracks. 12 audio commentaries! The...

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The Nine Network.s gambit of moving the Schapelle Corby telemovie from Monday to Sunday night has backfired as the show was beaten comprehensively by the premiere of Seven.s Inxs: Never Tear Us Apart.

The Inxs drama produced by Shine Australia drew 1.974 million viewers in the 5 city metropolitan areas, dwarfing the 1.022 million for FremantleMedia.s Schapelle. The national audience was 2.88 million for the Inxs saga versus 1.339 million for Schapelle.

.I think most people are over Schapelle,. one former network programmer told If this morning. Either that or far more people were attracted to the story of the iconic band and the death of lead singer Michael Hutchence.

Directed by Daina Reid and written by Dave Warner and Justin Monjo, the two-part series stars Luke Arnold, Nicholas Masters, Ido Drent, Andy Ryan, Alex Williams and Hugh Sheridan.

In part 2, which airs this Sunday at 8.30pm, Hutchence finds a new love in Paula Yates,...

Thanks to Scream Factory, Sam Raimi’s Darkman is headed to Blu-ray on February 18th and we’ve been provided with the original trailer, clips, and high-resolution stills from the movie:

“Crime has a new enemy, and justice has a brand new face. Fans of visionary director Sam Raimi (The Spider-Man trilogy) know well the story of Dr. Peyton Westlake and his tragic transformation into the action hero known as Darkman. Based on Raimi’s short story “The Darkman,” the popular crime-fighting master of disguises comes to life in the 1990 film adaptation Darkman, starring three-time Golden Globe® nominee Liam Neeson (Taken) and Oscar® winner Frances McDormand (Fargo). Directed by Sam Raimi, this explosive, action-packed thriller also stars Colin Friels (Dark City), Larry Drake (Dr. Giggles), Dan Hicks (Evil Dead 2) and Nicholas Worth (Swamp Thing) and features soundtrack by award-wining composer Danny Elfman. On February 18, 2014, Scream Factory™ will release Darkman Collector’S Edition Blu-ray,...

Crime has a new enemy, and justice has a brand new face. Fans of visionary director Sam Raimi (The Spider-Man trilogy) know well the story of Dr. Peyton Westlake and his tragic transformation into the action hero known as Darkman. Based on Raimi’s short story “The Darkman,” the popular crime-fighting master of disguises comes to life in the 1990 film adaptation Darkman, starring three-time Golden Globe® nominee Liam Neeson (Taken) and Oscar® winner Frances McDormand (Fargo). Directed by Sam Raimi, this explosive, action-packed thriller also stars Colin Friels (Dark City), Larry Drake (Dr. Giggles), Dan Hicks (Evil Dead 2) and Nicholas Worth (Swamp Thing) and features soundtrack by award-wining composer Danny Elfman. On February 18, 2014, Scream Factory™ will release Darkman Collector’S Edition Blu-ray, featuring all-new interviews with Liam Neeson, Frances McDormand, Larry Drake, Danny Hicks, make-up effects artist Tony Gardner, production designer Randy Ser, art director Philip Dagort and much more!

On February 18th, Scream Factory will release a Blu-ray collector’s edition of Darkman. Here’s a look at the official cover art and list of bonus features:

“Crime has a new enemy, and justice has a brand new face. Fans of visionary director Sam Raimi (The Spider-Man trilogy) know well the story of Dr. Peyton Westlake and his tragic transformation into the action hero known as Darkman. Based on Raimi’s short story “The Darkman,” the popular crime-fighting master of disguises comes to life in the 1990 film adaptation Darkman, starring three-time Golden Globe® nominee Liam Neeson (Taken) and Oscar® winner Frances McDormand (Fargo). Directed by Sam Raimi, this explosive, action-packed thriller also stars Colin Friels (Dark City), Larry Drake (Dr. Giggles), Dan Hicks (Evil Dead 2) and Nicholas Worth (Swamp Thing) and features soundtrack by award-wining composer Danny Elfman.

On February 18, 2014, Scream Factory™ will release Darkman Collector’S Edition Blu-ray,...

The Nine Network today revealed details of its upcoming telemovie on Schapelle Corby, a miniseries on Gina Rinehart and a telemovie chronicling a near- disaster involving a Qantas flight.

The network.s 2014 slate also includes a factual series which follows Australian diplomats as they deal with Aussies in crisis in Thailand, relationships documentary Married at First Sight, dating show When Love Comes To Town and a new, six-part current affairs series, Inside Story.

FremantleMedia.s Schapelle features Krew Boylan as the 27-year-old beauty school dropout from the Gold Coast who was arrested at Bali airport with 4.2kg of marijuana in a boogie board bag. The cast includes Jacinta Stapleton as her sister Mercedes, Denise Roberts as her mother Ros, Colin Friels as her father Mick, Les Chantery as her mentor Ron Bakir, Vince Colosimo as lawyer Robin Tampoe, Francis Greenslade as Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Michael Croaker as Federal Police boss Mick Keelty.

The Nine Network today revealed details of its upcoming telemovie on Schapelle Corby, a miniseries on Gina Rinehart and the chronicle of a near- disaster involving a Qantas flight.

The network.s 2014 slate also includes a series in which Australian diplomats reveal how they saved Aussies in crisis abroad, relationships documentary Married at First Sight, dating show When Love Comes To Town and a new current affairs series, Inside Story.

FremantleMedia.s Schapelle will star Krew Boylan as the 27-year-old beauty school dropout from the Gold Coast who was arrested at Bali airport with 4.2kg of marijuana in a boogie board bag. The cast includes Jacinta Stapleton as her sister Mercedes, Denise Roberts as her mother Ros, Colin Friels as her father Mick, Les Chantery as her mentor Ron Bakir, Vince Colosimo as lawyer Robin Tampoe, Francis Greenslade as Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Michael Croaker as Federal Police boss Mick Keelty.

Essential Media and Entertainment has lined up co-production partners in Malaysia and Ireland for a CGI animated pre-school series for ABC-tv. Entitled Bubble Bath Bay, the show is based on an original concept by Sydney-based Gareth Eden Styche of Shambles Inc. The 52 x 11. series is the biggest CGI pre-school commission by ABC Children.s Television in Australia.

The plot will follow the adventures of Sydney the Sailboat, Zip the Water Taxi and their nautical friends in magical waterways, islands and coves. Colin Friels is voicing the harbourmaster Terry the Tug.

The coproduction partners are Malaysia.s Ideate Media, Telegael Ireland and Lemon Sky Games and Animation of Malaysia. The series director is former Disney Studios Animation director Steve Trenbirth.. .We.ve got a terrific creative and technical team to produce this beautiful series,. says Carmel Travers, Essential Director and Head of Children.s Entertainment. The project is in the design...

The day after Australian actress Yael Stone got married in the Us last year, she turned up for an audition with a slight hangover and in her words, "still glowing."

The Nida graduate who was a regular in Spirited and All Saints must have impressed the producers of Orange is The New Black, a TV dramedy set in a women's prison: She landed the role of inmate Lorna Morello in the 13-episde series which premiered in the Us on Netflix last week to rave reviews.

From Weeds creator Jenji Kohan, the show features Taylor Schilling as an engaged yuppie who is serving a 15-month stint in the slammer for her unwitting role in an international drug smuggling ring.

"The most appealing elements come from the wealth of supporting players, including a breakout turn by Yael Stone as a wonderfully distinctive character who seems to have parachuted in from a 1930s gangster film,...

Judy Davis is one of the fiercest film actors around. She talks about the flaws in her new film, feeling let down by Woody Allen, and her distaste over the release of River Phoenix's last movie

Judy Davis sounds vaguely discombobulated when she picks up the phone. The 58-year-old actor is at home in Sydney on a Friday evening. What have I interrupted? "Oh, nothing," she sighs. "I was just tidying." She asks how I am. I tell her I just got up (it's the time difference), and she sighs again and says: "Oh God."

Anyone who knows Davis's work will appreciate the disdain she can bring to a simple exhalation. Withering contempt is her on-screen stock-in-trade; her repertoire for expressing it includes an array of tics and twitches, a drop-dead stare and a temper seen to blistering effect in some of her films for Woody Allen, including Husbands and Wives and Deconstructing Harry.

Veteran Australian producer Al Clark will receive the Aacta Raymond Longford Award in recognition of his three-decade career which has included iconic films such as Chopper and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Clark, who emigrated from the UK in the 1980s after representing music acts such as the Sex Pistols and Phil Collins, has produced or executive produced 19 feature films. He has also served on the board of the Australian Film Commission (1989-1992) and participated in official juries of several international film festivals, including the San Sebastian and Valladolid Film Festivals.

..With a love of films that always transcends the frustrations of getting them made, I.ve tried to choose distinctive projects, to navigate them soundly, to find gifted people to work with, and to bring out the best in their considerable talents," Clark said after being told of the award. "I.m grateful to Aacta for...

Channel Seven has picked up Fremantle Media’s drama Killing Time. The 10-part series starring David Wenham previously ran on Foxtel’s TV1.The announcement:

Channel Seven will soon air the award-winning crime drama Killing Time, starring David Wenham.

Killing Time is the true story of the rise and fall of notorious Melbourne criminal defence lawyer Andrew Fraser. His clients ranged from accused cop killers to the rich and famous including international businessman Alan Bond.

At the top of his game, Fraser commanded a huge salary and lived the dream. But when his cocaine addiction spiralled into a thousand dollar-a-day habit, his judgment became unsound and he crossed the line into the criminal milieu. He was disbarred, discredited, broken financially and his marriage was destroyed.

Caged amongst serial killers and psychopaths, Fraser is forced to reflect on where it all went so wrong, and try to salvage his shattered reputation.

TItle: The Eye Of The Storm Sycamore Entertainment Group Director: Fred Schepisi Screenwriter: Judy Morris, from Patrick White’s novelCast: Charlotte Rampling, Georffrey Rush, Judy Davis, Colin Friels, Robyn Nevin, John Gaden, Helen Morse, Alexandra Schepisi, Maria Theodorakis, Dustin Clare Screened at: Park Ave., NYC, 8/22/12 Opens: September 7, 2012 Clashes over potential inheritances, featuring sons and daughters who hover over rich, dying parents, can be the basis of soap opera or the foundation of Shakespearean drama. “The Eye of the Storm,” which is in part a tale of two vultures traveling thousands of miles to cajole their dying mother to grant them the bulk of an estate, is a filmed [ Read More ]...

Production on Mabo has been halted after cast and crew were threatened by an angry local. Stars of the ABC telemovie, which included Colin Friels and award-winning Offspring actress Deborah Mailman, were flown off the island yesterday over fears for their safety. According to the Courier-Mail, a local man brandishing what police described as an "instrument, but definitely not a gun or a knife" chased three crew members and then attempted to force his way into their accommodation at about 1am on Saturday. An unnamed man later surrendered to police on the island and has now been charged with three counts of threatening violence, one count of attempted entry of a dwelling and one count (more)...

Essential Media goes into production on Monday to make two tele-movies based on the character of Jack Irish.

The films come from the creative team behind ABC’s other successful lawyer program Rake, Jack Irish will be directed by Jeffrey Walker and produced by Ian Collie of Essential Media and Entertainment, and adapted by Andrew Knight and Matt Cameron. It will be filmed in and around Melbourne.

The two films; Jack Irish: Bad Debts, and Jack Irish Black Tide, will star Guy Pearce as Jack Irish, the former criminal lawyer, collector of bad debts, footy fan, trainee cabinetmaker and sometime lover.

The two films will also feature Martin Sacks (The Cup, Blue Heelers), Emma Booth (Cloudstreet, Underbelly), Don Hany (Offspring), Colin Friels (Killing Time, Blackjack) and more.

We last saw Guy Pearce on the small screen in his Emmy winning role as Monty in mini-series Mildred Pierce.

Jack Irish: Bad Debts...

Sitting in the cinema about six months ago I saw a trailer that took me by surprise. It showed a group of teenagers witnessing the invasion of their hometown making me immediately think, this must be the forthcoming remake of John Milius’s 1984 cold war thriller, Red Dawn. With that in mind I looked out for stars Chris Hemsworth and Adrianne Palicki but instead, the cast seemed to be mostly alumni from popular Aussie soaps Neighbours and Home & Away. Then the title hit the screen, Tomorrow When The War Began, not the most memorable or grammatically correct title but it left me intrigued.

Based on a hugely popular series of books written by Australian author John Marsden, this film adaptation of the first book in the series proved to be the highest grossing Australian film of last year and makes its way to Blu-ray and DVD in the UK this week.

Fred Schepisi’s The Eye of the Storm has opened confidently, posting a strong first weekend, in its limited release.

Despite opening across just 18 screens, the film earned $196,250, averaging an impressive $10,903 per screen.

Fresh from its international premiere screening at Tiff last week, the posting is the highest opening weekend average for an Australian film this year.

“To achieve the highest screen average in such a stellar year for local films is very special,” said Richard Payten, Managing Director, Transmission Films. “It is also gratifying to see the film embraced so warmly at the Toronto international Film Festival where it was sold out for all screenings.”

The Eye of the Storm is based on the 1973 novel of the same name by Patrick White about two high society siblings returning home to their dying yet manipulative mother’s side. The film stars Geoffrey Rush, Judy Davis and Charlotte Rampling, with additional cast courtesy of Alexandra Schepisi,...

Had I not known that this gung-ho Australian adventure story was adapted from a series of novels for older children by John Marsden, I would have supposed it to be a remake of John Milius's much maligned 1984 "what-if" film Red Dawn, in which a band of intrepid Colorado high-school kids take to the hills and conduct a six-month guerrilla war against a Soviet invasion of the United States. In Tomorrow, When the War Began a cross-section of small-town kids (three female, three male) come back from a trekking weekend in the outback to find their coastal town brutally invaded by a coalition of Asian nations determined to share Australia with its xenophobic inhabitants. The one grownup around is a local dentist played by the film's only familiar face, Colin Friels, who rapidly disappears.

With their parents and other adults either killed or herded into the local showground (something similar...