Never give up! Never surrender! Never Surrender, the 2019 documentary about the making of beloved sci-fi comedy Galaxy Quest, is headed to Blu-ray later this month. Unfortunately it doesn’t come with a Protector case, although Vinegar Syndrome does have a nifty exclusive slipcover.

Here is the synopsis of Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary, as per Blu-ray.com: “With beloved cult classic Galaxy Quest reaching its 20th Anniversary, this star-studded documentary unveils how the film turned fans into true heroes and predicted a future where geeks would rule the world! The cast and crew recall how a fire on set, the loss of a powerful director, and an unconvinced studio couldn’t stop the film that would never give up and never surrender!”

Bonus features on Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary include: interviews with stars Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver, director Dean Paristo, writer Robert Gordon, and numerous notable fans like Lost creator Damon Lindelof and The Flash’s Greg Berlanti. Also housed on the disc will be b-roll bonus clips and the original trailer.

While Galaxy Quest was a hit with critics and did eventually make back its budget at the box office, the movie has since grown into a genuine cult favorite. While it may not get its own convention, it was honored during its 10th anniversary at the San Diego Comic Con, with fans treated to a live concert of music from the movie. Its indirect con ties are clear, too, as it not only features them in Galaxy Quest but foresaw just how gargantuan – and important to the target fanbase – they would become in the coming years. Let’s put it this way: in 1999, the year Galaxy Quest came out, SDCC had 42,000 people in attendance; on average, it at least triples that annually.

Sequel talk has been on and off for about 25 years now, with word coming last year that Paramount+ would be producing a TV series, which we all know needs to be subtitled The Journey Continues. Tim Allen previously said a sequel was in discussion, teasing, “There is constantly a little flicker of a butane torch that we could reboot it with. Without giving too much away, a member of Alan’s Galaxy Quest family could step in and the idea would still work.”

While you can watch Galaxy Quest on various streaming platforms, we would strongly encourage you to continue supporting physical media and pick up the Blu-rays of both Galaxy Quest and this doc. You can watch the trailer below.

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Like an Apollo Creed uppercut to the senses, we’ve learned that Carl Weathers, the iconic actor in the Rocky film franchise, Predator, The Mandalorian, Happy Gilmore, Action Jackson, and so much more, has passed away at 76.

“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers,” his family said in a statement. “He died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, February 1st, 2024. … Carl was an exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life. Through his contributions to film, television, the arts and sports, he has left an indelible mark and is recognized worldwide and across generations. He was a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner, and friend.”

Born on January 14, 1948, in New Orleans, Weathers was a titan of the silver screen and television domain with over 75 credits across his 50-year career. He is best known for playing Apollo Creed, Rocky Balboa’s rival-turned-friend in the Rocky film franchise. As the Master of Disaster, Apollo Creed was partly inspired by Muhammad Ali and remains the Italian Stallion’s most iconic opponent alongside Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago.

As a champion of action cinema, Weathers played Colonel Al Dillon in 1987’s Predator. Attached to Major “Dutch” Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) in the fight against a hostile alien game hunter, Dillon’s ability to wreck shop alongside Dutch is aspirational and the stuff of action cinema legend.

Weathers also leads the 1988 crime comedy Action Jackson. In one of the actor’s most unforgettable roles, ‘Action’ Jackson pursues a power-hungry auto magnate who eliminates his competition until he corners the market. With snappy one-liners galore and adrenaline coursing through his veins, Weathers’ performance in Action Jackson delivers heat, humor, and grandeur.

Updating…

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Neon has previously released four quick and creepy teaser trailers for Longlegs, the latest horror project from The Blackcoat’s Daughter (a.k.a. February), I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, and Gretel & Hansel director Osgood Perkins. Today, a new teaser trailer has arrived online, and this shows a little more than we’ve seen previously, including multiple people committing acts of violence, scenes with Maika Monroe of It Follows and The Guest, and even glimpses of the character being played by Nicolas Cage (Dream Scenario). You can check it out in the embed above. Longlegs is set to reach theatres on July 12th.

The cast of the film also includes Alicia Witt (Urban Legend) and Blair Underwood (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D). The story Perkins crafted for the film is said to be “in the vein of classic Hollywood psychological thrillers.” Monroe takes on the role of FBI Agent Lee Harker, a gifted new recruit assigned to the unsolved case of an elusive serial killer (Cage). As the case takes complex turns, unearthing evidence of the occult, Harker discovers a personal connection to the merciless killer and must race against time to stop him before he claims the lives of another innocent family.

Cage has said (while speaking to John Carpenter) the film is about “a character who’s hearing voices. It’s kind of like a possessed Geppetto, who’s making these dolls”. Production took place in Vancouver, Canada. Cage is producing Longlegs through his company Saturn Films, which recently had success with The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and Pig. Also producing are Dan Kagan, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Dave Caplan, and Chris Ferguson. Jason Cloth and Fred Berger of Automatik serve as executive producers with John Friedberg of Black Bear International. 

In addition to directing the films mentioned at the top of this article, Perkins directed an episode of the recent revival of The Twilight Zone. He has also worked on the screenplays for the thriller Removal, the crime thriller Cold Comes the Night, and the horror film The Girl in the Photographs.

What did you think of the latest teaser trailer for Longlegs? Will you be seeing this movie in July? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Back when we heard that Georgina Campbell was starring in the psychological horror film Lovely, Dark, and Deep, she was best known for winning a BAFTA TV leading actress award for her role in the 2014 TV movie Murdered by My Boyfriend. Since then, we’ve seen her name around here quite a lot, due to her roles in films like All My Friends Hate Me, Barbarian, Bird Box: Barcelona, T.I.M., and the upcoming The Watchers, Cold Storage, and Psycho Killer. As for Lovely, Dark, and Deep, it’s set to receive a VOD release on February 22nd, and we have the trailer embedded below.

This project marks the feature directorial debut of Teresa Sutherland, who previously wrote Emma Tammi’s horror western The Wind and was a staff writer on the Netflix / Mike Flanagan series Midnight Mass. The story of this “cosmic thriller” sees Campbell taking on the role of Lennon, who seizes the opportunity to assume the coveted role of a back-country ranger at a remote outpost. While adapting to her solitary existence in the wilderness, she becomes aware of a lurking, sinister presence. Driven by the need for answers, Lennon embarks on a journey through the ominous terrain, seeking to unveil the long-standing mystery that has haunted her since childhood.

Campbell is joined in the cast by Wai Ching Ho, who played Madame Gao on the Netflix / Marvel shows Daredevil, Iron Fist, and The Defenders, and the awesomely named Nick Blood, best known for playing Lance Hunter on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Here, Ho is playing District Ranger Zhang, “the most senior ranger in the national park, who will do anything to protect it”, while Blood takes on the role of Jackson, “a seasoned park ranger encountered by Lennon deep in the backcountry”.

Lovely, Dark, and Deep was produced by Josh Waller of Woodhead Creative. Stefanie Coimbra of House of Quest Films serves as executive producer alongside QWGmire’s Molly C. Quinn, Matthew M. Welty, and Elan Gale.

Are you interested in Lovely, Dark, and Deep? Check out the trailer and poster below, then let us know by leaving a comment.

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I remember exactly where I was when I discovered Philip Seymour Hoffman had died. I was at a revival screening of the 1979 version of Battlestar: Galactica at a Montreal theatre, waiting for the film to start when my email blew up. Here at JoBlo, whenever an icon dies, it tends to become a thread that allows us all to vent a little, and Hoffman’s death destroyed many of us.

It shook me up in a lot of ways, as I had just seen him at the Sundance Film Festival a few weeks earlier, where he had two films, A Most Wanted Man and God’s Pocket. In hindsight, it’s easy to say he didn’t look quite right, but honestly, I had no clue anything was wrong with him. Of course, in the days following his death, we learned that addiction had taken its toll on perhaps the most outstanding actor of his generation, leaving a bereaved family behind.

It’s incredible to think Hoffman has been gone for a decade now. Meanwhile, his son, Cooper Hoffman, is all grown up and leading movies of his own, such as Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza. Rather than dwell on his death, let’s take this opportunity to appreciate his work. Here’s a list of what I think are his five best performances, and it would be very, very cool if everyone reading this chimed in with their favourites in the talkback.

So, without any further adieu, here are my favorites:

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead:

Sidney Lumet’s last movie was one of his best, thanks to four great performances by his leads – Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, Albert Finney, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. In it, Hoffman and Hawke play brothers who conspire to rob the jewelry shop owned by their parents, with the robbery leaving their mother dead and their bereaved father seeking revenge. Hoffman plays a desperate addict who goes from being a white-collar criminal to a die-hard killer by the time the credits roll, delivering a chilling (and oddly empathetic) performance, making his monster all too human.

Owning Mahowny:

This little-seen Canadian drama gives Hoffman a rare leading role (he typically played supporting roles) in a wild true story. In it, he plays a bank executive who embezzles money he uses to gamble, eventually running up a $10 million tab. Two other great character actors who have since passed away have excellent roles in this, with Maury Chaykin playing his bookie, while John Hurt is a satanic casino manager.

Capote:

Hoffman won an Oscar for playing Truman Capote in this biopic charting the fraught time in the author’s life when he wrote: “In Cold Blood.” Many play Capote as a caricature, but Hoffman didn’t overly concern himself with delivering an uncanny physical portrayal. Instead, he found the man’s soul, and the result is perhaps a career-defining performance. Ironically, whenever I think of Capote, I now picture Hoffman rather than Capote himself. It’s strange how that happens sometimes.

Almost Famous:

In Hoffman’s character roles, quantity wasn’t king – it was quality. He doesn’t have much screen time in Cameron Crowe’s rock n’ roll masterpiece but is superb as real-life rock critic Lester Bangs. In the film, he’s the cynical rock journalist who mentors the surrogate Crowe character at the movie’s heart. Hoffman was ill with the flu the whole time he shot the film, but you’d never know.

Magnolia:

Honestly, I could have had every movie Hoffman did with PT Anderson on this list, but it wouldn’t have done a great job digging into the scope of his career. Instead, I’m picking my favorite performance of his in an Anderson film, with him never warmer than as the caregiver Phil Parma, who desperately tries to help his employer (Jason Robards in his final role) reconcile with his long lost son, who happens to be Tom Cruise’s iconic Frank “T.J” Mackay. Hoffman and Cruise play brilliantly off each other – so well that Cruise reused him (to significant effect) as the villain in my favorite Mission Impossible movie.

Now it’s your turn. What are your favorite Philip Seymour Hoffman performances? Let us know in the comments.

The post Let’s remember Philip Seymour Hoffman on the 10th anniversary of his death with his best films appeared first on JoBlo.

Spotify is all-in to keep The Joe Rogan Experience on its streaming platform. Today, the music, podcast, and audiobook platform announced it’s inked a multi-year extension to host Rogan‘s top-rated program. However, rather than make Spotify the only place you can listen to The Joe Rogan Experience, the interview podcast is going non-exclusive, opening the door up for listeners across a spectrum of streaming services.

Other platforms set to host The Joe Rogan Experience include Apple, Amazon, and YouTube. Spotify began laying the groundwork for Rogan to expand his reach in 2023, and now that shift is happening. Instead of letting Rogan roam free, Spotify “will work closely with Joe and his team to continue to maximize the audience of the show across platforms.”

Streaming competitors have kept close watch over the expiration of Rogan’s current deal, which some estimate was for $200 million. Knowing other platforms would poach Rogan without hesitation, Spotify began cutting its existing podcast lineup to retain the chart-topping interviewer. Details about the new contract remain a mystery, though The Wall Street Journal estimates Spotify paid $250 million to stay seated. It’s no mystery why Spotify is determined to stay in business with Rogan. His popularity surged in 2023, with a 45% leap in revenue from the money-making podcast. That’s huge for a show that’s been active since 2013.

The Joe Rogan Experience is a pillar of Spotify’s podcast network. The sometimes controversial program hosts a variety of guests, from high-profile filmmakers and executives to up-and-coming comedians and musicians. If you scroll through the show’s history, you’ll find people like the comedian Bobby Lee, the MMA fighter Joe Pyfer, sex neuroscientist Dr. Debra Soh, and Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan as guests.

What do you think about The Joe Rogan Experience expanding its reach beyond Spotify? Would you prefer to listen to the interview-style podcast on a different platform? Do you have a favorite episode of the long-running show? Is there someone Rogan has yet to interview that you want to guest on the podcast? Feel free to leave your answers to these questions in the comments section below.

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PLOT: An in-depth look at famed Italian Horror director Dario Argento’s life and film career.

REVIEW: There are few filmmakers that can be considered all-time greats, yet Dario Argento is most definitely one of them. From the films he’s made to the filmmakers he’s inspired, it’s evident that the world of horror would be very different without his presence. And Dario Argento Panico does a great job of proving why. A beautifully shot and all-encompassing retrospective provides a unique look at the auteur filmmaker. So if you’ve never experienced his work before then buckle up: you’re in for a ride.

While I was obviously familiar with the works of Argento, I wasn’t aware of his life. So I was consistently blown away by some of the revelations here. Dario having no prior experience before getting behind the camera for the first time is flabbergasting. Mostly because the work that he pulls off is more masterful than you’d expect from a first-timer. There were various factors that contributed to this, with his father Salvatore being the main one. Given that he was such a massive driving force in his life highlights a popular 2024 issue through the lens of the 60s and 70s: nepotism.

Whether it’s Dario himself or his daughter Asia, they were given opportunities due to who they were. This shows the other side of the argument, at least for Dario, as he’s such an auteur, that without his father’s unfettered support, he may not have been able to push the boundaries of the genre as he did. So while it may have been family that got them through the door, it was their own talent that kept them there. While others were questioning his vision, Salvatore stood by him, which just made his vision even stronger.

Regarding the technical side, Panico is very impressive. It’s beautifully shot and the main focus consistently stays on Dario. Too often these career retrospectives end up doing these random detours but thankfully this one works really well. Even the slight shift towards Asia works because it’s done in the context of Dario’s own work. Everyone is spoken to that would need to be, and provide interesting insight. I could have gone for some archive footage of George Romero, given Argento’s impact on Dawn of the Dead, but you can’t win them all.

One aspect that I really loved was Dario’s sister retelling his childhood. There’s been an increasing trend of journalists simply recounting a person’s life based on what they’ve read/studied. It can feel a little surface-level. So it’s nice to get what feels like genuine insight. I also got a lot of entertainment out of Nicolas Winding Refn‘s cocaine comparison regarding Argento’s films. The man has clearly lived an interesting life. There’s a lot of praise being heaped onto the director from all sides so fans should be pleased.

But if you hoping for some criticism of Argento’s career then you’re probably going to have to look elsewhere. This is simply 98 minutes of pure praise. Even Argento’s latter career, which is marred with terrible film after terrible film, is simply glossed over. Because of this, it feels like a little bit of the truth is missing. While I certainly understand the respectful approach taken, I do think more could have been addressed. Then there’s the Asia Argento of it all that just adds an air of unease to her segments.

In the end, there’s a lot to like about Dario Argento Panico. While some films are glossed over a little too quickly, that’s expected for a man with such a filmography. I’d argue it’s been over 30 years since we’ve gotten a good film from him, so sometimes it’s nice to be reminded of the director he once was. This was proof as to why Argento left the impact that he did. From films such as Suspiria to Deep Red, he made some of the most interesting films in all of Italian Horror but it’s evident that his biggest accomplishment was the many lives he touched along the way.

DARIO ARGENTO PANICO IS STREAMING ON SHUDDER ON FEBRUARY 2ND, 2024.

Dario Argento

GOOD

7

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Season 2 of the HBO series adaptation of the video game The Last of Us is expected to start filming in Vancouver, Canada sometime in February, and we’ve previously heard that returning stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are going to be joined in the cast by new additions Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart and No One Will Save You) as Abby Anderson, a major character from the video game who is described as being “a skilled soldier whose black-and-white view of the world is challenged as she seeks vengeance for those she loved”; Isabela Merced (Dora and the Lost City of Gold and Sweet Girl) as Ellie’s new romantic interest Dina; and Young Mazino of Beef as Jesse, “a pillar of his community who puts everyone else’s needs before his own, sometimes at terrible cost.” (Jesse also happens to be Dina’s ex.) Now Entertainment Weekly has confirmed that Schitt’s Creek Emmy winner Catherine O’Hara – who will be seen in the long-awaited Beetlejuice sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice later this year – is also in talks to join the cast. Details on the character she’ll be playing have not been revealed.

O’Hara actually confirmed the casting news herself during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live, where she also mentioned that her son is a set dresser on the show.

The story of the The Last of Us video game is set years after a fungal plague wiped out much of humanity, transforming most into vicious zombie-like monsters, the story follows Joel, who’s living in a militarized quarantine zone. He has a close relationship with Tess, who operates in the black market of this community. Together, they’ve become known by the local criminal underworld for their ruthlessness. On a mission to reclaim their stolen guns, they run into the leader of the Fireflies, a resistance group, who tasks them with smuggling a young girl named Ellie out of the zone. This mission soon becomes much more than they were prepared for. 

For the HBO series, Pedro Pascal plays Joel, who is “tormented by past trauma and failure. He must trek across a pandemic-ravaged America, all the while protecting a girl who represents the last hope of humanity”. He is joined in the cast by Bella Ramsey as Ellie, “an orphan who has never known anything but a ravaged planet and who struggles to balance her instinct for anger and defiance with her need for connection and belonging… as well as the newfound reality that she may be the key to saving the world”; Anna Torv as Tess, “a smuggler and hardened survivor in a post-pandemic world”; Gabriel Luna as Joel’s brother Tommy, “a former soldier who hasn’t lost his sense of idealism and hope for a better world”; Merle Dandridge as Marlene, “the head of the Fireflies, a resistance movement struggling for freedom against an oppressive military regime”; Nico Parker as Joel’s daughter Sarah; Jeffrey Pierce as Perry, “a rebel in a quarantine zone”; Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett as Bill and Frank, “two post-pandemic survivalists living alone in their own isolated town”; and Storm Reid as Ellie’s best friend Riley.

Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, who did the motion-capture performances for Joel and Ellie in the video game, are also in the cast of the show. Baker plays James, “a senior member of a group of settlers who must fight to keep their community alive in the face of increasingly brutal odds.” Baker also hosts a podcast that serves as a companion to the TV series. Johnson’s character is Anna, “a pregnant woman, alone and on the run, who must give birth under the most terrifying of circumstances.”

What do you think of Catherine O’Hara joining the cast of The Last of Us season 2? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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After a relatively quiet Christmas movie season at the box office and January being a movie dumping ground, we get our first big release of the year with Matthew Vaughn’s spy flick, Argylle. The early reactions to star-studded action comedy have been pretty positive, with the consensus from audiences at advanced screenings being that it is a fun time. Our own Chris Bumbray would say in his review, “It’s silly – but intentionally so. If you like your spy flicks infused with a heavy dose of camp and are maybe tired of espionage tales being ultra-serious, this might be just the ticket. And, as a bonus, if you ever wanted to get a feel for what a Bond film might be like with an everyman like Sam Rockwell in the lead.”

However, according to Deadline, the Thursday previews would perform below what was originally expected. Many exhibitors estimated that a movie such as Argylle would go for a $20 million-plus kind of opening. Thursday previews totaled in at $1.7 million, which falls below the $2.4 million that Jason Statham’s The Beekeeper earned in early previews. The Beekeeper would go on to open with $16.5 million, which means that one can assume that unless there is a major surge in moviegoers this weekend, Argylle will not likely be hitting the $20 million estimates.

While the early reactions gave a much more positive impression, the critical score over at Rotten Tomatoes come in at just 35%. The audience reactions are a mixed bag of viewers who had a lot of fun and viewers who found the movie convoluted, as well as running on for too long. Argylle had screened at 3,100 theaters last night and has the benefit of all the cinema upcharges this weekend of IMAX and other large-format premium screens.

The film may not be a well-known IP, but should this movie come out as a success, Matthew Vaughn has planned an extension for a franchise with two sequels. Vaughn told Total Film, “Book one is about: how did Argylle become a spy? That will be the next film. And then Argylle 2 is – I don’t want to give it all away, but there’s the young Argylle, and that becomes Henry, because Henry loves the idea of doing a proper Argylle movie as well.” However, he wanted to see what the reception and the business for Argylle was like first. “Everybody complains there’s not enough original stuff, but it’s because they don’t go see it. People have got to buy tickets first, or there won’t be f***ing anything.“

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I’ll never forget the first time I saw Napoleon Dynamite. It was in a Montreal movie theater in the old Forum building (currently featured in the Queen IMAX doc Queen Rock Montreal). The film had only been out a few weeks but had already started becoming a cult hit following its Sundance premiere. I remember it being a matinee on a weekday, and I was stunned when I saw several audience members wearing identical “Vote for Pedro” t-shirts. I knew from the reviews that it was a reference to the movie, and it was then that I had an accurate idea of just how deep the Napoleon Dynamite cult was going. 

And folks – that was TWENTY years ago! Crazy isn’t it? But yes, Napoleon Dynamite has been a thing since 2004, with it grossing $44 million on a $400,000 budget, and it’s known as being one of the best-selling DVDs of all time, in addition to the marketing bonanza it became thanks to the merchandising. Being one of the biggest cult hits to come out of the Sundance Film Festival, it was appropriate that the fest celebrated the film’s 20th with a gala screening, and I was thrilled to be invited to participate in the press line. While director Jared Hess wasn’t there due to him shooting the Jason Momoa video game adaptation Minecraft, I got to speak to most of the other folks from the film, including the iconic Pedro, Efren Ramirez, who gave JoBlo a big shout-out, and Napoleon Dynamite himself, the great Jon Heder.

Check out the interviews above, and big thanks to former JoBlo.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Shirey, my former erstwhile partner on who you can catch on his own Arctic Ninja Network, for helping me with the shooting. 

Do you think Napoleon Dynamite holds up after twenty years? Let us know in the comments. 

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