It’s official—as speculated, Activision has confirmed that 2024’s sausage from the Call of Duty meat grinder will be Black Ops 6. First revealed in a wraparound advertisement in today’s USA Today, and thus only known about by people staying in hotels, the marketing campaign has begun its inexorable expansion with a…
It’s official—as speculated, Activision has confirmed that 2024’s sausage from the Call of Duty meat grinder will be Black Ops 6. First revealed in a wraparound advertisement in today’s USA Today, and thus only known about by people staying in hotels, the marketing campaign has begun its inexorable expansion with a…
A couple of months ago, it was announced that June Diane Raphael, who may be best known for playing the character Brianna Hanson for the 94 episodes that make up the Netflix series Grace and Frankie, which ran for seven seasons, is set to star in a TV series reimagining of the classic sitcom Bewitched for Sony Pictures Television. It has also been revealed (via Deadline) that Raphael has been cast in the mysterious horror project called Weapons, the new film from Barbarian (watch it HERE) writer/director Zach Cregger.
Details on the character Raphael will be playing haven’t been revealed, but we do know she’ll be sharing the screen with Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men), Julia Garner (Ozark), Alden Ehrenreich (Solo), Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange), Amy Madigan (Antlers), Austin Abrams (Euphoria), and Cary Christopher (Days of Our Lives). At one point, Pedro Pascal of The Last of Us was set to star in the film with and Renate Reinsve of The Worst Person in the World. Pascal had to leave the project so he could star in the Marvel Cinematic Universe reboot of Fantastic Four instead, and it appears that Reinsve followed him out the door.
Most details about Weapons are shrouded in mystery. It has been said that it’s “an interrelated, multistory horror epic” that’s tonally in the vein of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia, and The Hollywood Reporter adds that the story revolves around the disappearance of high schoolers in a small town.
Cregger wrote the Weapons screenplay and will be directing the film. He’s also producing it with Roy Lee and Miri Yoon of Vertigo and J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules of BoulderLight Pictures.
Last year, New Line Cinema went all-in on a partnership with Cregger and Barbarian’s producers at BoulderLight Pictures. New Line came out the winner in a bidding war over Weapons, which they’re planning to give a theatrical release date on January 16, 2026.
New Line Cinema is paying Cregger a sum in the eight figure range to make this movie. When they won the bidding war over the rights, New Line’s president and CCO Richard Brener released the following statement: “Zach proved with Barbarian that he can create a visceral theatrical experience for audiences and that he commands every tool in the filmmaker toolbelt. We couldn’t be happier that he, Roy [Lee] and Miri [Yoon], and J.D. [Lifshitz]and Rafi [Margules] chose New Line to be the home of his next film, and hope it is the first of many to come.“
In addition to working with them on Weapons, New Line signed a first look deal with BoulderLight Pictures, tasking the company with developing high concept genre projects for them, and they gave a greenlight to the sci-fi thriller Companion, produced by BoulderLight and Cregger. That film will be reaching theatres a full year ahead of Weapons.
Are you looking forward to Weapons? What do you think of June Diane Raphael joining the cast? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
The post Weapons: June Diane Raphael is in Barbarian director’s next horror film appeared first on JoBlo.
INTRO
Welcome to the chaotic afterlife of Resident Evil, where zombies roam, mutations abound, and survival is just a hilarious twist away. This time around, Alice and the gang are back, along with some new friends to join the series. Gone are the expansive sets of the first three films and are replaced with green screen sets, cutting edge 3D technology and… Paul W.S. Anderson back in the director’s chair! Did he finally bring the film series back to its original roots? Does making this film in 3D make for a better viewing experience? Are we, as audience members, gifted with the best film in the series so far? So today on Horror Revisited, get ready to laugh, scream, and wonder why on earth you keep coming back for more in the next installment of the franchise… Resident Evil: Afterlife (watch it HERE).
FOURTH TIME’S THE CHARM
The story would continue where the last film left off, so naturally Ali Larter as well as Spencer Locke would return as Claire Redfield and K-Mart. But, we are introduced to a whole helping of new characters… even one replacing a huge antagonist… let’s dig into that. For anyone who’s seen Resident Evil: Extinction, we were introduced to Albert Wesker. He was played by Jason O’Mara. Unfortunately, Jason didn’t return for Afterlife to reprise the role. Instead, he was replaced by Shawn Roberts. If you have watched the previous film, you may be asking yourself why… he does such a great job and was pretty memorable. During casting, Shawn auditioned for the role of Chris Redfield. That role would go to Wentworth Miller. Shawn had done such a great job, that he landed the part of Wesker, after a successful audition. I know we just praised Jason for the role, but hear me out. Shawn embodies Albert Wesker so well, that it feels like I’m watching the video game character come to life!
Onto the other new faces. We just mentioned that Chris Redfield, a MAJOR Resident Evil franchise character, would finally make his onscreen debut. Wentworth Miller, the guy from Prison Break, was cast for the role. He had never played any games in the series, so he would prepare for the role by searching the internet for images and noticed how buff the character is. Unfortunately, he didn’t have too much time to prepare for the role. He would do cardio to build up endurance and described his take on the character as “He’s definitely capable and heroic, but there’s also something quite innocent.” Boris Kodjoe, Kim Coates, Kacey Clarke, Norman Yeung and Sergio Peris-Mencheta all joined the ride for the Afterlife. If you’ve been tuning in to our take on this series, you’ll know we have a true love for the character of Jill Valentine. To the team’s dismay, she wasn’t in Extinction, which made the film feel slightly off. As post credit scenes started to become a thing, thanks to Ironman, Resident Evil: Afterlife would also fall victim to them. In this case, we were excited as hell to see that Jill Valentine does make an appearance again. Granted it’s for a minute and sets her character up for the next film, but it was still wonderful to know she would be coming back. I guess Sienna Guillory realized Resident Evil was her bankable franchise and not Eragon.
PAULY
As we stated in the beginning of the episode, Paul W.S. Anderson finally said “hold my beer” and returned to direct. I’m guessing he had had enough of telling each director what he wanted to see out of the film and just wanted to take control again. With that being said, he did return to produce and write the script as well. Since he was overseeing everything, he would try to venture the series into new territory… 3D. Back in 2009, Anderson was shown footage of James Cameron’s upcoming epic, Avatar. Paul would take into account many things and try to replicate what Cameron did. He would add 3D into the story to heighten the impact of scenes by adding depth and dimension to the visuals, making them more engaging and immersive for audiences. Because of how successful Avatar became, Anderson knew there would be a surge in popularity of this retooled format. Since Resident Evil: Afterlife was relatively new territory to the 3D genre Paul used it as a way to differentiate and attract audiences looking for a visually stunning and immersive moviegoing experience.
PRODUCTION
Resident Evil: Afterlife was shot on the same camera system. Avatar and The Final Destination… The Fusion Camera System. This digital movie camera system was developed by James Cameron and Vince Pace. It was created to shoot features in stereoscopic 3-D. While Avatar and other films used the Sony HDC-F950 cameras, Afterlife stuck with Sony F35 cameras. The crew would spend two weeks alone just to understand the 3D camera setup.
Principal photography for the film began on September 29, 2009 and lasted until December of that same year. The production budget was estimated around $60 million and 20% of that budget consisted of filming the film in 3D. During production, Milla Jovovich accidentally shot out a $100,000 camera. In the film, there is a fight scene recreated from the video game Resident Evil 5, between Wesker and Chris. This scene would incorporate slow motion, among other action scenes in the film. Brining to life the slow motion scenes in the film was no easy task. Wesker has “superhuman speed” so not only did it take multiple days just to record that, but the weight of the 3D cameras were much bigger and heavier. This meant that the operators couldn’t use Steadicam rigs for easy fluid moments for shots. Camera operators were reduce to using a Segway to capture the shots.
3D cameras weren’t able to pick up anything shiny due to a flare. Cal Loucks, the hired set decorator said that objects in the film that were metal were painted silver with a special paint to remove reflections. Loucks also mentioned that the colors of the film had to be saturated because of the 3D cameras and resulted in a restrictive color palette.
Most of the film was shot at Cinespace Film Studios in Toronto, Ontario with tons of green screened sets. For the epic opening of the film, the crew had to find an interior reminiscent of Umbrella Corporation’s subterranean lair. This was filmed at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, which is also located in Toronto. Robarts Library, also in Toronto, was used to resemble a Los Angeles prison. Anderson really flexed his budget and went to Oshawa Airport in Ontario to portray an Alaskan aircraft boneyard. The Second Unit of the film however, was sent to Alaska to capture establishing shots. Lots of shots would then be completely retweaked in post production to give a more apocalyptic feel.
POST PRODUCTION/MONSTERS
Speaking of post production, the visual effects this time around, were done by Rocket Science VFX as well as returning favorite Mr. X Inc. Paul Jones, who helped created Nemesis back in Resident Evil: Apocalypse, was hired as the special effects creator. 150 zombies err extras were used to portray wide shots of the undead decimating Los Angeles, but of course Mr. X Inc added tons more. We can’t forget about Alice’s doubles though! The team would shoot motion control photography for multiple passes of Milla, giving the look and feel of more than one Alice at a time.
Some new monsters would come into play as well. While fan favorite infected Dobermans would come back, they weren’t going to be the run of the mill zombie dogs. Nope, this time they were infected Maijni Dobermans. Majini are creatures from Resident Evil 5 who are more intelligent and have mandibles and tentacles coming out of their mouths. Dogs weren’t the only ones who appeared, human zombies also come to scare the crap out of you in this form! We are also introduced to the best baddie in the film, The Executioner. He is a straight up badass wielding his axe ready to take out any foe in front of him. I’ve always thought he was the better adversary over Nemesis.
SCORE
One thing that is vital to a film engaging with its audience is its score. Whether you have famous names like Marco Beltrami, Marilyn Manson or Charlie Clouser… your ears are bound to have a good time. What feels strikingly similar to the Defense Against the Dark Arts position at Hogwarts, so goes for the Resident Evil film series’s composers. This time we are graced with the likes of Tomandandy who had previously composed scores for The Rules of Attraction, The Hills Have Eyes remake and The Mothman Prophecies. Their score features a blend of electronic and orchestral elements which creates a tense and atmospheric backdrop. It enhances the action and horror and feels like a serviceable add on to the film.
PLOT
Let’s discuss the plot of the film. It begins with an assault on Umbrella HQ in Tokyo by Alice and her clones. She’s able to kill everyone except Wesker who flees in his plane and detonates the facility. Alice stows away and tries to kill Wesker, but is stabbed by his anti-virus serum removing her superhuman abilities. As the plane crashes, both Alice and Wesker flee and six months pass. Alice then continues searching for survivors, which leads her to the safehaven in Alaska, mentioned in the previous film. Alice finds Claire, who has a spider-like device strapped to her chest. She doesn’t recognize Alice but eventually they travel to Los Angeles and find a prison full of survivors. It’s there we meet Chris Redfield, Claire’s brother and begs Alice to help him escape for being falsely imprisoned in exchange for providing an escape route. However, their journey takes a dangerous turn when they discover the supposed broadcasted safe haven, Arcadia, is a vessel that has been housing all of the rest of the survivors in prisons led by Wesker. As Alice confronts her own past and the true nature of her existence, she must rally her allies and unleash her formidable skills to stop Umbrella’s sinister agenda once and for all.
RELEASES
Resident Evil: Afterlife opened in theaters on September 10, 2010, instead of its tentative release date in August. It would be the only new release of the week coming in at first place, dethroning the previous week’s number one film, The American, aka George Clooney’s assassin film. It grossed $26.6 million on opening weekend. In the film’s second week, it would drop to fourth place and would take a 63% loss in ticket sales. By its third week, the film fell to seventh place and on its fourth week it would leave the top ten. Domestically it would make $60 million. In other markets the film did really well, grossing $240 million ending its theatrical run with a worldwide total of $300 million!
Screen Gems would pay Constantin Film, Davis Films and Impact Pictures $52 million for the rights to distribute the film in North America and other key foreign markets. When released, the film opened in 4,700 screens in 3,203 different locations with over 2,000 of the locations showcasing the 3D technology. It would also be released in IMAX 3D and would, at the time, rank as one of the largest 3D releases.
Once again, Sony would not screen the film in advance for critics. The film currently sits at a 21% on Rotten Tomatoes with the critics consensus statement: As dim-witted and lifeless as its undead antagonists, Resident Evil: Afterlife is a wholly unnecessary addition to the franchise. Michael Ordona of the Los Angeles Times said some positive things about the slower action scenes saying that it was easier to see and take in compared to most films in that genre. Others, while not liking the film, praised the use of 3D and would be called sleek and well staged.
Surprisingly, the film would be nominated for several awards including Favorite Horror Movie at the People’s Choice Awards as well as several technical achievements at the Genie Awards. Milla would win at the Scream Awards for Best Science Fiction Actress.
Resident Evil: Afterlife released on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D on December 28, 2010. Special features included filmmaker commentary, featurettes, deleted and extended scenes and outtakes. 2013 saw the release of a two-disc set that housed the first four films entitled The 4 Movie Resident Evil Collection. In January of 2017, to coincide with the final film, a 4K version would be released in stunning Ultra HD Blu-ray.
LOOKING BACK
Sometimes when we revisit films, we usually notice new things that either wasn’t appreciated the first time around, or even a newfound feeling towards the movie. Besides the action, this film felt as artificial and hollow as its green screen backgrounds. This is a franchise that I truly enjoy, as well as others, but nothing vibed this time around. I can even forgive Apocalypse for being a misstep after the wholly entertaining first film, but everything just felt fake here. The plot feels like an afterthought in so many ways, and any fan of the video game knows they did Chris Redfield dirty during and after this movie.
Now that I’ve said my piece about the story, I will praise Anderson and crew for their work on the special effects. Everything and I mean everything about them are gorgeous. Experiencing this in theaters, in 2010, with the 3D glasses was not only a sight to behold, but at a crisp 97 minutes kept my attention. Even upon revisiting on my Blu-ray player, the video quality is top notch. The visuals are stunning and provide tons of immersion.
POSITIVES
With those visual effects, we are blessed with some very fun scenes. The opening scene alone, which feels like the climax, is just pure visual perfection. It felt like Anderson saying to the audience “Hello Boys, I’m back!” I had the biggest smile on my face watching Alice and her clones destroy the Umbrella Corporation’s headquarters. It replicates the climax of The Matrix almost perfectly, but stands on its own as a highlight of not just this movie, but of the whole series. The axe fight scene is another high-octane battle between Alice,and the formidable Executioner Majini,Set within the confines of a prison facility, the scene unfolds with heart-pounding intensity as the Executioner proves to be a formidable adversary, swinging his weapon with deadly force as Alice navigates the narrow corridors in search of a way to defeat him. The tension mounts as Alice narrowly dodges each blow, with dynamic camera angles and fluid editing capturing every heart-stopping moment of the confrontation. The scene is a visually stunning and adrenaline-fueled spectacle that leaves a lasting impression. Last but not least, let’s discuss the climactic battle on board the Arcadia. Alice, alongside her allies, confronts Albert Wesker. The scene unfolds with explosive action and high stakes as Alice unleashes her formidable skills and resources to thwart Wesker’s nefarious plans. The battle is a test of wills and strength as both sides engage in a fierce struggle for survival, with Alice’s determination matched only by Wesker’s cunning and ruthlessness.
OUTRO
In conclusion, even though the 3D craze has fizzled out, Resident Evil: Afterlife shines with its pulse pounding visuals. Its intense action sequences, and impressive visual effects, offer a thrilling cinematic experience for fans of the franchise. It does look and feel to be the closest, so far, to its video game counterpart. But, with an over-reliance on flashy visuals and action sequences, the story falls short on character development and depth. With that being said, Milla Jovovich delivers on the action as Alice, and the film keeps audiences engaged from start to finish. While some may think that it’s a misstep in the film series, Resident Evil: Afterlife continues chugging along with its world building, gun wielding zombie fighting self and cements its place in the Resident Evil universe.
Since the film ends on a cliffhanger, we would get a follow up in 2012 entitled Resident Evil: Retribution. So how about it? Would you like us to load up our weapons and continue covering the series? Let us know in the comments!
Two previous episodes of Revisited can be seen below. To see more of our shows, head over to the JoBlo Horror Originals channel – and subscribe while you’re at it!
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PLOT: Stolen from her people as a child and forced to witness her mother’s execution, young Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) sets out on an epic quest for vengeance against the warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth).
REVIEW: George Miller’s Mad Max series contains not one but two of the most incredible action movies ever made. Sure, there’s Fury Road, but there’s also The Road Warrior. Both are masterpieces of their genre, so the bar has been set pretty high for Miller’s return to the Wasteland. The early reviews seem overly concerned that Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga isn’t a replay of Mad Mad: Fury Road, with it telling an epic, fifteen-year tale, the likes of which has never been attempted in the series before. From the 1979 original onward, all the movies told relatively compact stories, so Miller and co-writer Nico Lathouris deserve praise for doing something different. The inevitable tragedy of the early reactions to Furiosa is that they will be devoted to singling out what it isn’t while losing sight of what it is – a pretty incredible action odyssey told on a mammoth scale.
Furiosa is a terrific addition to the franchise in that it’s the perfect midway point between The Road Warrior and Fury Road (Beyond Thunderdome takes place later), in that society is still trying to rebuild itself somewhat, albeit in these desperate, warlord-ruled factions. Anya Taylor-Joy’s Furiosa comes from one of the few holdouts of a legit civilization not ruled by barbarity, and the world-building is superb. You feel like there’s more to this wasteland than just Max, even if you know he’s still out there lurking someplace.
The film is more of an ensemble than the trailers suggest, with Anya Taylor-Joy only making her first appearance an hour into the movie. The first half is devoted to young Furiosa, played by Alyla Browne and how a child navigates this brutal world, with Chris Hemsworth as a surprisingly three-dimensional antagonist. He’s like the opposite side of the coin to Max in that, like him, he lost his family but allowed it to turn him into a psychopathic barbarian, while Max (mostly) held on to his humanity. This might be Hemsworth’s best performance, with him making Dementus charismatic enough that you know why desperate scavengers would rally behind him and maybe even see some nobility in his quest, in that he’s out for himself and what he can get in a world gone insane.
Browne is striking as the quiet Furiosa, who keeps to herself and learns how to make herself somewhat invisible as she grows older. Anya Taylor-Joy, as the older version of the character, is excellent. She sounds almost exactly like Theron and shows us the rougher, more inexperienced, and unpolished youth she became before being moulded into the stoic heroine she became.
One guy no one is really talking about in the reviews is Tom Burke, who’s probably best known for playing Orson Welles in David Fincher’s Mank. He plays a vital role as Jack, a driver for Immortan Joe (Lacey Hulme), who dreams of leading a virtuous life, even if he knows it’s impossible in the heartless Wasteland. He becomes Furiosa’s mentor and love interest, playing an essential role in her evolution in several ways. He teaches her to kill, but his heroic qualities rub off on her, too, setting the stage for the events of Fury Road. This is a great part for Burke, who’s never really gotten the chance to shine as an action star before.
Everyone in Miller’s nightmarish odyssey is terrific, including Charlee Fraser, who plays a small but potent role as Furiosa’s warrior mother. Technically, the movie is impeccable with DP Simon Duggan shooting the film so that it looks as much like John Seale’s Fury Road work as possible, while Junkie XL contributes another hard driving score.
The action and pace of Furiosa are different than Fury Road, as this isn’t a chase film, but there’s one major action sequence involving Jack and Furiosa on the War Rig that goes toe-to-toe with anything in the other movies. Miller also shoots the film in a way that emphasizes visual storytelling, helped by how expressive Taylor-Joy is, with a lot going on behind those eyes at all times, making her an ideal lead for this kind of movie-making. The dialogue is so sparse at times that I’d be curious to see a silent cut (similar to the Black and Chrome cut of Fury Road) that tells the film entirely with visuals; I imagine it would work well, with Miller perhaps our last true master of purely visual storytelling.
Hopefully, Miller isn’t done with The Wasteland because he leaves enough threads dangling that there’s likely more story to be told. Some will be disappointed that Furiosa depends more on CGI than the other Mad Max movies did, but sadly, I think Fury Road might have been the last of its kind for many reasons. Even still, Miller’s made this a tactile, visceral experience that drives home the point that at seventy-nine, he’s still a master of his craft and making movies directors forty years his junior wouldn’t have the energy or skill to tackle. It’s not Fury Road, but Furiosa is still pretty damn amazing.
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Earlier this week, we learned that iconic slasher Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th franchise will be a playable character in Warner Bros. and Player First Games’ upcoming video game MultiVersus, a free-to-play platform fighter game that will be making its way out into the world on May 28th as “a free download for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 consoles, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One consoles, and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), with full cross-play and cross-progression support.” Now Jason has gotten his own gameplay trailer, which can be seen in the embed above.
As a press release notes, this trailer show us that “Jason towers over the competition as a Tank class character with a scary moveset that incorporates his axe and machete weapons, teleporting ability to show up right behind opponents and stuff them into a sleeping bag, fatally folding a bed in half to launch enemies off the map, and more. The video also shows off a glimpse of the Uber Jason character variant based on his appearance from the Jason X film.“
In addition to Jason, the announced characters for the game include Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, Black Adam, and The Joker of DC Comics; Shaggy and Velma of Scooby-Doo; Bugs Bunny, Tasmanian Devil a.k.a. Taz, and Marvin the Martian of Looney Tunes; Arya Stark from Game of Thrones; Tom and Jerry; Finn the Human, Jake the Dog, and Banana Guard of Adventure Time; Steven Universe and Garnet of Steven Universe; The Iron Giant; LeBron James from Space Jam: A New Legacy; Rick and Morty; Gizmo and Stripe from Gremlins; Agent Smith from The Matrix; and “an extraordinary original creature named Reindog.”
The inclusion of Jason Voorhees in MultiVersus marks the character’s return to the gaming world years after a copyright lawsuit between original Friday the 13th director / producer Sean S. Cunningham and screenwriter Victor Miller caused the likes of Friday the 13th: The Game and Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle to go dormant. Judging by a recent Jason Universe announcement, it sounds like there’s even more gaming action on the way.
MultiVersus has the following overview: Step into the fray of our MultiVerse, where every match is a wild jamboree of iconic characters throwing down in wonderfully weird ways. Pair Marvin the Martian and Arya Stark, or Velma with Batman. Get ready for a rollercoaster of fun and discover a universe of endless possibilities! Every star brings their unique moves, worlds and attitudes to fight. And as the roster expands, so does the spectacle — with new personalities and play styles turning up the heat in every battle. Get ready to throw down in iconic places like the Batman’s batcave, Jake and Finn’s Treefort and Game of Thrones’ throne room. Our maps turn legendary realms into epic battle grounds — and the best part? We’re adding new maps regularly, so the party never stops! Whether you’re seeking the intensity of 1v1, the frenzy of a 4-player mayhem, or team up for strategic 2v2 battles, we’ve got you covered. Plus, introducing an all new PvE mode, a thrilling realm of limitless combat possibilities designed for solo or co-op play. Grab a seat and get comfy — our Multiverse is all about good vibes and unexpected delights, always bringing something new to the table: With regular content drops and ongoing quality improvements there’s always something new brewing.
Will you be playing MultiVersus? What did you think of the Jason Voorhees gameplay trailer? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
The post MultiVersus: Jason Voorhees battles Bugs Bunny, Velma, Morty, Shaggy & more in gameplay trailer appeared first on JoBlo.
Some actors fade away after their breakout hits, and some have a precise moment when their careers end. Michael Richards—who won three Emmys playing Kramer on Seinfeld—undoubtedly falls into the latter category. In 2006, long after the sitcom went off the air, Michael Richards was back on the stand-up circuit, just as he had started his career. Perhaps ironically, that’s how he ended it, too.
In November of that year, Michael Richards launched into a tirade filled with racist and disgusting rhetoric, the video leak of which sealed his fate. Nearly 20 years later, he reflects on that moment and what he was experiencing while on stage at the Laugh Factory. “My anger was all over the place and it came through hard and fast. Anger is quite a force. But it happened. Rather than run from it, I dove into the deep end and tried to learn from it. It hasn’t been easy.”
As he continued telling People, “Crisis managers wanted me to do damage control. But as far as I was concerned, the damage was inside of me.” Friend Jerry Seinfeld also went on damage control, inviting Michael Richards via satellite to address the American public on The Late Show, an incredibly awkward situation that was met with laughs from the audience, who was subsequently chastised by Seinfeld.
As for that night, Michael Richards said, “I’m not racist. I have nothing against Black people. The man who told me I wasn’t funny had just said what I’d been saying to myself for a while. I felt put down. I wanted to put him down…[I’m] learning and healing. Healing and learning. But life is always an up and a down. I continue to work through the day and the night, the light and the dark that I am.”
Whether you want to pin the Michael Richards incident as part of the so-called Seinfeld Curse or a moment of snap judgment gone way overboard, the actor/comedian has been pretty much out of the spotlight since, with really only a failed namesake sitcom and some minimal work for Seinfeld and Larry David.
Michael Richards’s upcoming memoir, Entrances and Exits, will discuss this and more. It will be released next month.
Do you think Michael Richards should be forgiven for the 2006 Laugh Factory incident? Let us know how you feel in the comments below.
The post Michael Richards “not looking for a comeback” after Laugh Factory rant appeared first on JoBlo.
Some actors fade away after their breakout hits, and some have a precise moment when their careers end. Michael Richards—who won three Emmys playing Kramer on Seinfeld—undoubtedly falls into the latter category. In 2006, long after the sitcom went off the air, Michael Richards was back on the stand-up circuit, just as he had started his career. Perhaps ironically, that’s how he ended it, too.
In November of that year, Michael Richards launched into a tirade filled with racist and disgusting rhetoric, the video leak of which sealed his fate. Nearly 20 years later, he reflects on that moment and what he was experiencing while on stage at the Laugh Factory. “My anger was all over the place and it came through hard and fast. Anger is quite a force. But it happened. Rather than run from it, I dove into the deep end and tried to learn from it. It hasn’t been easy.”
As he continued telling People, “Crisis managers wanted me to do damage control. But as far as I was concerned, the damage was inside of me.” Friend Jerry Seinfeld also went on damage control, inviting Michael Richards via satellite to address the American public on The Late Show, an incredibly awkward situation that was met with laughs from the audience, who was subsequently chastised by Seinfeld.
As for that night, Michael Richards said, “I’m not racist. I have nothing against Black people. The man who told me I wasn’t funny had just said what I’d been saying to myself for a while. I felt put down. I wanted to put him down…[I’m] learning and healing. Healing and learning. But life is always an up and a down. I continue to work through the day and the night, the light and the dark that I am.”
Whether you want to pin the Michael Richards incident as part of the so-called Seinfeld Curse or a moment of snap judgment gone way overboard, the actor/comedian has been pretty much out of the spotlight since, with really only a failed namesake sitcom and some minimal work for Seinfeld and Larry David.
Michael Richards’s upcoming memoir, Entrances and Exits, will discuss this and more. It will be released next month.
Do you think Michael Richards should be forgiven for the 2006 Laugh Factory incident? Let us know how you feel in the comments below.
The post Michael Richards “not looking for a comeback” after Laugh Factory rant appeared first on JoBlo.
Clear the streets and queue up a YouTube video about how to do the Neutron Dance because Eddie Murphy is back as the loose-cannon cop Axel Foley in Netflix‘s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F trailer!
Nearly thirty years after the last movie’s release, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F will find Detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) back on the beat in Beverly Hills. The official synopsis reads: “After his daughter’s life is threatened, she (Taylour Paige) and Foley team up with a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and old pals Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) to turn up the heat and uncover a conspiracy.” Mark Molloy directed the Beverly Hills Cop sequel from a screenplay by Will Beall and Tom Gormican & Kevin Etten.
In Netflix’s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F trailer, Eddie Murphy returns to the role that helped cement his place as a bonafide action star after 1982’s 48 Hrs. In the exciting preview of the anticipated sequel, Axel is up to his old tricks, and several of his associates are feeling “too old for this sh*t.” After getting arrested for crashing a helicopter into a golf course, Axel phones his daughter (Taylour Paige), who wants nothing to do with her father’s shenanigans. A few wisecracks later, Axel partners with Detective Bobby Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) to rescue his pal, Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), with the help of John Taggart (John Ashton). As the team’s best-laid plans spiral out of control, Axel rips through the streets of Beverly Hills alongside Jeffrey Friedman (Paul Reiser) and Serge (Bronson Pinchot) to make the sunny state safe again. If you look closely, you’ll catch Kevin Bacon’s Captain Grant firing a gun from an out-of-control cop car. It’s pure chaos! It’s Beverly Hills! It’s Axel Foley!
Getting the gang back together was a definite highlight for director Mark Molloy, and he knew he had to put Murphy, Reinhold, and Ashton together to improvise like the old days.
“Eddie, John, and Judge sat in the car and they would just talk s—,” Molloy said. “And they told me that a lot of the first film is some of those moments when they were just allowed to sit there and talk to each other. I always had that image of those three guys on a stakeout in the car together, it was just imprinted in my brain. And then I remember sitting with the three of them in that car, and I actually happened to look around at the crew filming it. I just saw on everyone’s faces, like, Oh man, this is exactly where we want to be right now.“
Molloy continued: “You’ve got one of the greatest comedians, if not in my eyes, the greatest comedian in the world. A huge part of my job is to create a space for improvisation to thrive. I always want to get what’s on the page, but when you have someone like Eddie Murphy, you want to let him be free. And as I look back on the film, some of the funniest moments in the film is when Eddie is improvising and the audience loves it.“
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F will premiere on Netflix on July 3rd.
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The Cannes Film Festival has a storied history of infamous moments. We think of Brigitte Bardot in her bikini, Spike Lee threatening Wim Wenders with a baseball bat after losing the Palme d’Or, pretty much everything Lars Von Trier has said or done…But one that really caught the media’s attention was when Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren went at it on the red carpet, with people under the impression that the Universal Soldier co-stars and European macho men were really at each other’s throats. Turns out, it was all just a gag for the press.
It’s one thing that Universal Soldier was even being represented at the Cannes Film Festival but another entirely that it wasn’t even screened! As it was, despite a minor presence on the Palais des Festivals, Roland Emmerich’s sci-fi action flick wasn’t part of any screenings because it wasn’t complete. As such, it needed some extra promotion. So leave it to the Muscles from Brussels to concoct a plan that would give Universal Soldier a little boost in publicity ahead of its summer 1992 premiere.
As JCVD told Arsenio Hall of the staged Universal Soldier spat at Cannes, “The movie was complete but not cut yet…So I was in Cannes in Dolph. So I call his room, I say, ‘Dolph, we have a problem: we’re here, we have no movie to show…So let’s do something special. Remember when Sly and Arnold were dancing in Cannes [in 1990]? What about you and I…having a friction on the steps of the red carpet…So he said, ‘Yeah, that’s a good idea.’ So we push around each other and we made all the news in Cannes.” When Hall pressed JCVD if he really made up the entire red carpet tussle, he confirmed, “It was free publicity. I’m a businessman.”
Rumors were abound that JCVD and Dolph Lundgren didn’t get along while making Universal Soldier so when they pretended to go at it while the likes of David Lynch, Sidney Lumet and Robert Altman were waiting to see if they would take home the Palme d’Or, it was easy to buy. And the stunt paid off, with Universal Soldier opening at #2 and going on to be a fan favorite in the catalogs of both stars.
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