While Chuck Norris started his career in action movies with 1977’s Good Guys Wear Black and Breaker, Breaker (a few years after playing Bruce Lee’s opponent in Way of the Dragon), one could argue that he only truly hit his stride in the mid-eighties. In fact, Norris’s best run of movies coincided with him signing a long-term deal with The Cannon Group, who produced many of his best-remembered films. Among his fans, one of the movies most often cited as one of his best is 1985’s Invasion U.S.A.

If you haven’t seen it – wow – you’re in for a demented treat. A classic example of Cold War paranoia, in it the Soviet Union invades America via Florida, pulling off brutal acts of terrorism to destabilize the government and strike fear into the hearts of Americans everywhere. Only one problem – a retired CIA agent named Matt Hunter (Chuck Norris) lives in the Florida Everglades and isn’t about to let these guys get away with their evil scheme, kicking off a ninety-minute carnage-filled ride that includes at least thirty kills for Chuck, including an amazing mall shootout that ranks with the best action sequences Norris ever participated in. Notably, the film also has a reputation for having helped inspire the Romanian revolution. Don’t believe me? Read about it yourself!

Sadly, Norris’s movies have been wildly ignored by the gods of 4K physical media—until now, that is. Vinegar Syndrome is putting out Invasion U.S.A. in a spiffy new 4K edition that contains a boatload of extras and will showcase one of Norris’s bigger-budget efforts in a way those of us who grew up watching it on VHS could have never imagined.

Here are the special features courtesy of our friends at Blu-ray.com:

• NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
• HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• Presented with the following sound options: 5.1 surround mix; 2.0 stereo mix; brand new commentary track with director Joseph Zito; brand new commentary track with Austin Trunick, author of The Cannon Film Guide and an archival commentary track with director Joseph Zito and Michael Felsher
• Operation Invasion U.S.A. (31 min) – an interview with director Joseph Zito
• Writing the Real Thing (23 min) – an interview with screenwriter James Bruner
• The Stories We’re Telling (22 min) – an interview with editor Dan Loewenthal
• Heroic Moments (16 min) – an interview with composer Jay Chattaway
• It’s in the Eyes (14 min) – an interview with actress Melissa Prophet
• Do You Like Talking? (7 min) – an interview with actor James Pax
• Cannon Carnage (18 min) – an archival featurette on the make-up effects of Invasion U.S.A.
• Loose Cannons (29 min) – an archival interview with screenwriter James Bruner
• Original trailer
• Reversible sleeve artwork

The only drag is that no one could find the considerable amount of footage deleted from the film before it hit theatres, as it was initially treated with an X-rating by the MPAA, resulting in a last-minute edit job. Like 1986’s Cobra, the uncut version of Invasion U.S.A. has always been a white whale for action fans, but sadly the footage probably doesn’t exist anymore.

Are you going to pick up the 4K release of Invasion U.S.A? Let us know in the comments!

The post Invasion U.S.A: A Chuck Norris classic is getting a 4K release appeared first on JoBlo.

While Chuck Norris started his career in action movies with 1977’s Good Guys Wear Black and Breaker, Breaker (a few years after playing Bruce Lee’s opponent in Way of the Dragon), one could argue that he only truly hit his stride in the mid-eighties. In fact, Norris’s best run of movies coincided with him signing a long-term deal with The Cannon Group, who produced many of his best-remembered films. Among his fans, one of the movies most often cited as one of his best is 1985’s Invasion U.S.A.

If you haven’t seen it – wow – you’re in for a demented treat. A classic example of Cold War paranoia, in it the Soviet Union invades America via Florida, pulling off brutal acts of terrorism to destabilize the government and strike fear into the hearts of Americans everywhere. Only one problem – a retired CIA agent named Matt Hunter (Chuck Norris) lives in the Florida Everglades and isn’t about to let these guys get away with their evil scheme, kicking off a ninety-minute carnage-filled ride that includes at least thirty kills for Chuck, including an amazing mall shootout that ranks with the best action sequences Norris ever participated in. Notably, the film also has a reputation for having helped inspire the Romanian revolution. Don’t believe me? Read about it yourself!

Sadly, Norris’s movies have been wildly ignored by the gods of 4K physical media—until now, that is. Vinegar Syndrome is putting out Invasion U.S.A. in a spiffy new 4K edition that contains a boatload of extras and will showcase one of Norris’s bigger-budget efforts in a way those of us who grew up watching it on VHS could have never imagined.

Here are the special features courtesy of our friends at Blu-ray.com:

• NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
• HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• Presented with the following sound options: 5.1 surround mix; 2.0 stereo mix; brand new commentary track with director Joseph Zito; brand new commentary track with Austin Trunick, author of The Cannon Film Guide and an archival commentary track with director Joseph Zito and Michael Felsher
• Operation Invasion U.S.A. (31 min) – an interview with director Joseph Zito
• Writing the Real Thing (23 min) – an interview with screenwriter James Bruner
• The Stories We’re Telling (22 min) – an interview with editor Dan Loewenthal
• Heroic Moments (16 min) – an interview with composer Jay Chattaway
• It’s in the Eyes (14 min) – an interview with actress Melissa Prophet
• Do You Like Talking? (7 min) – an interview with actor James Pax
• Cannon Carnage (18 min) – an archival featurette on the make-up effects of Invasion U.S.A.
• Loose Cannons (29 min) – an archival interview with screenwriter James Bruner
• Original trailer
• Reversible sleeve artwork

The only drag is that no one could find the considerable amount of footage deleted from the film before it hit theatres, as it was initially treated with an X-rating by the MPAA, resulting in a last-minute edit job. Like 1986’s Cobra, the uncut version of Invasion U.S.A. has always been a white whale for action fans, but sadly the footage probably doesn’t exist anymore.

Are you going to pick up the 4K release of Invasion U.S.A? Let us know in the comments!

The post Invasion U.S.A: A Chuck Norris classic is getting a 4K release appeared first on JoBlo.

True Crime is a part of everyday media that the TV series, specials, films, and documentaries all about it have been around forever.  But actually, that’s not the case.  The format we now see, wasn’t the norm at all in the 80s when Unsolved Mysteries began its iconic run.  A weekly series built around cases and interviews with the people who were a part of them, re-enacting the crimes…had never been done before.

But then one day a series came along that would not only showcase True Crime but would also give us ghosts, UFOs, and all points in between.  Not only that, but the theme song would cause PTSD in most kids my age who had the fortune or misfortune to hear it.  That series is Unsolved Mysteries, a series so popular that it changed not only pop culture but the way investigations within law enforcement were conducted.  

Unsolved Mysteries began as news specials on NBC in 1986. At that time, it was hosted by David Birney and Meredith Baxter Birney, not Robert Stack.  

The idea came from the minds of Terry Dunn Meurer and John Cosgrove.  The concept of recreating an incident and interviewing the people involved, as well as law enforcement, was intriguing for viewers.  It was also a way to get tips and leads on cases that had run out of steam or gone cold by vigilant viewers ready to call in. This was a few years before America’s Most Wanted would air.

The specials were a hit and led to the idea of branching out to not just missing persons.  In 1987 the first Unsolved Mysteries special aired hosted by Perry Mason himself, Raymond Burr.  Over the next couple of years, six more would air, with Karl Malden hosting the first two and the legendary and iconic Robert Stack stepping out of the fog to host the last four and cementing himself as the voice of the series.  Stack wasn’t as expensive as Burr or Malden, which is why he got the permanent gig, but I honestly couldn’t see anyone but him, much less hear someone else’s voice on the show.  But you can tell from the fact that the three hosts all came from the realms of crime TV series: Perry Mason, Mike Stone from Streets of San Francisco, and Elliot Ness. The series wanted viewers to equate their hosts with heroic types from the world of law.  This is funny, though, since many people equate Stack in the series as adding to the creep factor of the show.  You knew when he walked out of the shadows you were in for something.

Today on Gone But Not Forgotten, we’re delving into the question of what happened to Unsolved Mysteries.

The post Unsolved Mysteries (1987-1999): Gone But Not Forgotten appeared first on JoBlo.

True Crime is a part of everyday media that the TV series, specials, films, and documentaries all about it have been around forever.  But actually, that’s not the case.  The format we now see, wasn’t the norm at all in the 80s when Unsolved Mysteries began its iconic run.  A weekly series built around cases and interviews with the people who were a part of them, re-enacting the crimes…had never been done before.

But then one day a series came along that would not only showcase True Crime but would also give us ghosts, UFOs, and all points in between.  Not only that, but the theme song would cause PTSD in most kids my age who had the fortune or misfortune to hear it.  That series is Unsolved Mysteries, a series so popular that it changed not only pop culture but the way investigations within law enforcement were conducted.  

Unsolved Mysteries began as news specials on NBC in 1986. At that time, it was hosted by David Birney and Meredith Baxter Birney, not Robert Stack.  

The idea came from the minds of Terry Dunn Meurer and John Cosgrove.  The concept of recreating an incident and interviewing the people involved, as well as law enforcement, was intriguing for viewers.  It was also a way to get tips and leads on cases that had run out of steam or gone cold by vigilant viewers ready to call in. This was a few years before America’s Most Wanted would air.

The specials were a hit and led to the idea of branching out to not just missing persons.  In 1987 the first Unsolved Mysteries special aired hosted by Perry Mason himself, Raymond Burr.  Over the next couple of years, six more would air, with Karl Malden hosting the first two and the legendary and iconic Robert Stack stepping out of the fog to host the last four and cementing himself as the voice of the series.  Stack wasn’t as expensive as Burr or Malden, which is why he got the permanent gig, but I honestly couldn’t see anyone but him, much less hear someone else’s voice on the show.  But you can tell from the fact that the three hosts all came from the realms of crime TV series: Perry Mason, Mike Stone from Streets of San Francisco, and Elliot Ness. The series wanted viewers to equate their hosts with heroic types from the world of law.  This is funny, though, since many people equate Stack in the series as adding to the creep factor of the show.  You knew when he walked out of the shadows you were in for something.

Today on Gone But Not Forgotten, we’re delving into the question of what happened to Unsolved Mysteries.

The post Unsolved Mysteries (1987-1999): Gone But Not Forgotten appeared first on JoBlo.

This week, Mayor of Kingstown returns to Paramount Plus for its third season. As a devoted fan, I’m thrilled to see one of Taylor Sheridan’s more underrated shows continue, but of course, its return is noteworthy for other reasons, too. Shortly before the debut of season two, star Jeremy Renner had a terrible accident that left him with thirty broken bones when he was run over by a 14,000-pound snowcat. Yet, about a year later, Renner was already back on set reprising his role as Mike McClusky and, in the lead-up to the premiere, Renner sat down with us to describe his recovery (watch the video embedded above)

One of the nicest things about Renner is how real he’s always been, and in our interview, he got very honest about the physical and mental challenges he faced upon his return to acting. While I told him that, in my opinion, he hadn’t missed a step, he acknowledged the fact that he had a very hard time in those early episodes but kept moving forward. If anything, the fact that he acknowledges his limitations makes him even more of an aspirational figure, with him having overcome the odds to make his return in a way that I think will inspire people. 

Notably, he also told us that he’d be down to return as Hawkeye in the MCU, even saying that the notion of returning to play the role is a good target for him in his ongoing physical rehabilitation. 

“That’s always in my mind too. Getting asked back to do those things would always be an honour. I’m always willing to get ready. I think I need something to look forward to, or something to try and achieve…keeps me going in my progress. Stuff like that, ‘oh, can I ever get back to that kind of shape’ to be able to be that flexible with all these busted-old hips and things? Yeah, I think it would be a good challenge, and I’m up for it.”

Mayor of Kingstown Season 3 debuts on Paramount Plus on June 2nd. 

The post Interview: Jeremy Renner on returning post-accident for Mayor of Kingstown & the challenge of playing Hawkeye again appeared first on JoBlo.

It’s time for another episode of the WTF Happened to This Horror Movie? video series, and with this one we’re looking back at director Chan-wook Park’s 2003 South Korean film Oldboy (watch it HERE) – a movie that has not only been ranked on lists of the Greatest Films Ever Made, but has also had people looking at hammers differently for over twenty years now. You can hear all about it in the video embedded above.

Written by Park with Jo-yun Hwang and Jun-hyung Lim, Oldboy is a loose adaptation of the Japanese manga of the same name. The film has the following synopsis: Dae-Su is an obnoxious drunk bailed from the police station yet again by a friend. However, he’s abducted from the street and wakes up in a cell, where he remains for the next 15 years, drugged unconscious when human contact is unavoidable, otherwise with only the television as company. And then, suddenly released, he is invited to track down his jailor with a denouement that is simply stunning.

Min-sik Choi, Ji-tae Yoo, Hye-jung Kang, Dae-han Ji, Byeong-ok Kim, Jin-seo Yoon, Dal-su Oh, Kwang-rok Oh, Tae-kyung Oh, Yeon-seok Yoo, and Il-han Woo star.

Ten years after the original Oldboy, Spike Lee directed an English-language remake that stars Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Sharlto Copley, and Samuel L. Jackson.

This is what the WTF Happened to This Horror Movie series is all about: Hollywood has had its fair share of historically troubled productions. Whether it was casting changes, actor deaths, fired directors, in-production rewrites, constant delays, budget cuts or studio edits, these films had every intention to be a blockbuster, but were beset with unforeseen disasters. Sometimes huge hits, sometimes box office bombs. Either way, we have to ask: WTF Happened To This Horror Movie?

The Oldboy episode of WTF Happened to This Horror Movie? was Written, Narrated, and Edited by Tyler Nichols, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

A couple of the previous episodes of the show can be seen below. To see more, head over to our JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!

What do you think of Oldboy? Let us know by leaving a comment!

The post Oldboy (2003) – WTF Happened to This Horror Movie? appeared first on JoBlo.

Alien 3 has a storied history, with shifting writers and directors, studio interference and complete disarray. It’s all well documented and continues to be one of the most faceted “What if?” productions in modern movies. What if William Gibson’s script was used? What if Ridley’s role had been diminished to the point of cameo? What if Renny Harlin had stayed on as director of Alien 3? Well, on the last point, the director wants fans to know that his departure came down to story issues.

Speaking with SlashFilm, Renny Harlin recalled wanting to bring Xenomorphs to Earth for Alien 3, which would have shook up the structure and taken audiences through something they hadn’t yet experienced. “The concept of having these creatures on Earth for the studio, it felt scary and unattainable. For me, it was the natural evolution. We’ve had the Alien with the truck drivers in space, we’ve had Aliens with the Marines in space, and where do we go next? Let’s bring the aliens on Earth and have them going through the cornfield. I had the poster already in my mind with the farmhouse and the cornfield in moonlight, and they are going through the cornfield.” For the record, Harlin thinks the idea of a “prison ship” wasn’t relatable for audiences.

Could Renny Harlin’s idea for Alien 3 have worked? Almost certainly – or it’s at least an intriguing concept – and it would have beat Independence Day to the box office as well. “To this day, I think it would’ve been a ginormous hit movie because it would’ve been the first time anything like that was done. But for whatever reason, the studio felt like, ‘Ah, the audience won’t buy that.’” He added, “I’m not blaming anybody, but for those who don’t know, I worked for a year on Alien 3, and I quit politely, respectfully, because I couldn’t stand the idea of, after Ridley Scott and Jim Cameron, coming up with a movie that is just not going to live up to what the audience is expecting and give them that experience.”

We all know what the end result of Alien 3 was, with Renny Harlin’s departure opening the doors for David Fincher to make his feature debut…for a movie he would hate more than any other he has worked on.

Do you think Renny Harlin’s Alien 3 idea could have genuinely worked? Give us your thoughts below!

The post Renny Harlin on why he “politely” walked away from Alien 3 appeared first on JoBlo.

In March 2022, Star Wars fans could have the experience of a lifetime by spending two days in a hotel, fully immersing themselves in an experience that had a set itinerary intended to put you directly in a galaxy far, far away. And then the entire thing exploded faster than the Death Star, with Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser closing the following September.

In an exhaustive four-hour video titled “The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel”, YouTuber Jenny Nicholson breaks down everything that went wrong with Galactic Starcruiser, hitting on every aspect you’d want to learn about the worst qualities of: the small rooms that made you sign into a Disney account, the characters with confusing arcs, the limited custom journey, and the cost, which for Nicholson and her friend exceeded $6,000.

Nicholson also pointed out that the micromanaged schedule – which offered, by her estimate, 25 hours of actual “entertainment” – had a lot of kinks to work out, as events would sometimes overlap with each other, not allowing her to fully experience what there was to offer…or at least was advertised as being offered. One notable feature was the use of an app, in which you could further communicate with Star Wars characters you met in the hotel. The app would provide data to let you know your relationship status, but, as Nicholson points out, despite her best efforts, most of her outcome was “neutral” and so felt like she wasn’t even participating. Added to this that it often appeared that certain decisions in your individual storyline didn’t matter and the “custom” aspect of the experience was clearly lacking.

While Nicholson does praise a number of elements in the Star Wars hotel such as the character designs, the advanced technology and the usage of live actors, there was evidently a lot of cutting in terms of cost and creativity. The vast majority of us never got to experience Galactic Starcruiser, but if this video is any indication, we just saved ourselves a weekend…and thousands of dollars. Meanwhile, Disney wasted, on the low end, $350 million.

Did the Star Wars hotel experience look promising to you? Would you ever support a fully immersive experience on this scale? Give us your thoughts below.

The post Viral video breaks down disaster of Disney’s Star Wars hotel appeared first on JoBlo.

By all accounts, Christopher Reeve was one of the kindest and most giving men in the business, something that so many of his co-stars and friends gave back. For those lucky enough to work alongside him on screens both big and small – even just once – it will always be a special moment. This holds true even in far lesser fare, as Superman III co-star Annette O’Toole remembers just how giving Reeve was even off the set.

Speaking with MovieWeb, Annette O’Toole – who played Clark Kent’s childhood friend Lana Lang – remembered the time that Christopher Reeve took her to a Simon & Garfunkel concert at Wembley Stadium while she was still trying to get acclimated to the environment. “[They] just kind of introduced me to the world as being part of this huge movie. And it was just a wonderful night, and he was so sweet all the time. He couldn’t have been more lovely to me. And it’s a huge, huge loss.”

Annette O’Toole would go on to have a unique place in the Superman universe by landing a small screen role of a different variety, later playing Martha Kent – mother of Clark – on Smallville. Admittedly, she has always been a fan of the character. “I grew up with George Reeves, who was the TV Superman. I was always a fan of comics, I was always a big Superman fan. I loved the whole thing, but I don’t follow it that much anymore. Maybe I’ve had my fill of it, just because I’ve been in the world so much. You know, I’ve played his girlfriend and his mom, so that’s plenty.”

Annette O’Toole was essentially brought in as a Lois Lane replacement after Margot Kidder spoke poorly of the behind-the-scenes drama of Superman II. Even still, she had high regard for Kidder, having briefly worked with her on both Superman III and Smallville.

Christopher Reeve is the subject of documentary Super/Man, which our own Chris Bumbray gave a 9/10 out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Are you a fan of Superman III? What is your favorite Christopher Reeve story? Share one with us in the comments section below.

The post Annette O’Toole fondly remembers Superman III co-star Christopher Reeve appeared first on JoBlo.

When the cast of next year’s The Fantastic Four was announced, a lot of people – including our readers – were left underwhelmed. One decision that failed to push much interest was Pedro Pascal, who was cast as Reed Richards aka Mister Fantastic. We all love Pascal but one does have to wonder what somebody else could do with the role; and certainly there were a lot of other names that were either considered or wanted it. One in the latter camp is Rahul Kohli, better known for TV work for Mike Flanagan.

Rahul Kohli recently recalled being passed over for one of the lead roles in The Fantastic Four, saying it represents where he is in his career. “I don’t know if I’m allowed to talk about it but I didn’t get it, is the important thing. But on good days, I see the Constantine. It will flare up once and again. And, I love all of them. On good days, you’re like, ‘Man, I’m wanted!’ People really want to see. You’re the guy that people will shout out for anything.” At the same time, he added, “On bad days, ‘It’s a reminder that you’re not the guy. You’re not there. These are the roles you’ll never get.’ So, it’s sweet and it’s perspective. It’s how you feel about yourself.”

Rahul Kohli has very little movie experience but has made his mark on the small screen through comic adaptation iZombie, horror series The Haunting of Bly Manor and The Fall of the House of Usher, and Hulu’s Death and Other Details. No doubt his time is coming but it still must be tough to have lost out to an established name such as Pedro Pascal.

But a premiere name is exactly what Marvel needs as they look to restore confidence in their fanbase ahead of Phase Six, which will launch with The Fantastic Four. Rounding out the titular superheroes are Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm / Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm / Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm / The Thing. Javier Bardem is reportedly in talks to play Galactus.

How do you think Rahul Kohli would have done as Reed Richards in The Fantastic Four? Was this a missed opportunity from Marvel or is Pedro Pascal a better choice? Chime in with your thoughts below.

The post Rahul Kohli was passed over for Pedro Pascal in The Fantastic Four appeared first on JoBlo.