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It can’t be denied that as far as martial arts movies go, the best ones come from Asia, particularly Hong Kong during their action heyday, which was arguably the 70s, 80s and first half of the ’90s. It’s tough to compete with the likes of the Shaw Brothers and the drunken master known as Jackie Chan. That said, martial arts movies were also making a foothold in the States decades ago, thanks mainly to Bruce Lee-mania following the release of Enter the Dragon. Before that movie, very few actors in Hollywood seemed like they were credible martial artists, except maybe James Coburn, a student of Lee’s, who pulled off some pretty good-looking moves in the otherwise silly Our Man Flint movies. Steve McQueen also had training but didn’t use martial arts on screen. Up to then, though, the most notable uses of martial arts in movies usually revolved around Judo,...

Was The Rock not initially cast in Fast & Furious? (Photo Credit – Facebook)

Did you ever wonder what Fast & Furious might’ve looked like without The Rock? Neither did we… until Vin Diesel dropped this wild nugget during a 2017 Facebook Q&a. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson wasn’t always meant to be the bulldozer of justice, Luke Hobbs. Nope, the role was written for Tommy Lee Jones! Diesel spilled the tea: “There was a girl named Jen (maybe Jan?) Kelly who said, ‘I would love to see you guys work together on-screen.’ So, we initially gave a role written for Tommy Lee Jones, but we gave it to Dwayne, and he shined in it.”

So, let’s rewind. Tommy Lee Jones, the action movie vet known for The Fugitive and Under Siege, was supposed to be the big bad in the Fast & Furious universe. Instead, they handed that part over to Johnson,...

Daniel Calparsoro’s Netflix series, Bank Under Siege, takes us back to 1981, when a gang of robbers orchestrated a heist at the Central Bank of Barcelona. The series is inspired by true events, though many fictional plot points have been added, and certain creative liberties have also been taken. The country was going through a political upheaval at that point in time, and there was a state of chaos and uncertainty. A coup was attempted just 3 months before the heist, and so, at first, it was believed that both events were linked. Let’s find out who the mastermind of the heist was, and if the real perpetrators were ever caught and charged.

Spoiler Alert

Was the heist committed by the civil guards?

At the beginning of Bank Under Siege, we saw that, after the attempted coup conducted under the leadership of Lt. Colonel Antonio Tejero, everybody believed that the...

Members of the armed services can and will argue amongst themselves, but in the minds of people and pop culture, Navy SEALs loom large as the picture of the United States' most elite military men. We can probably thank the fiction of Tom Clancy, and the fact that a Seal team that killed 9-11 mastermind Osama bin Laden, but Hollywood has been enamored with the special operations force for at least the last three decades. When a character in any movie is declared to be either a current or former Navy Seal, it's a given that they won't go down easily. When we discuss the most ruthless thing a U.S. president can do short of a nuclear strike, more often than not it's, "Send in Seal Team 6!"

While movies often take artistic license, it's fair to say that some of the movies featuring Navy SEALs are significantly more accurate than others,...

The Diplomat season 2 finale is a game-changing episode for the series! I truly can’t believe everything that happened in this episode, and now, I can’t wait to see what creator Debora Cahn and the team have planned in The Diplomat season 3.

The Diplomat season 2 episode 6, “Dreadnought,” begins with Kate and Hal Wyler (Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell) discussing the big revelation at the end of episode 5. Vice President Grace Penn (Allison Janney) and the Americans are actually responsible for the attack on the Hms Courageous and for killing the Scottish independence movement.

Hal also reveals that the President doesn’t know what Grace did. Hal tries to slow down Kate. She wants to blow this up and make it a big deal, but Hal doesn’t want her to.

Kate tells Stuart that he wants to be Vice President

Kate comes to the revelation that she needs to make sure that she,...

Keri Russell is a television star who commands the screen in almost anything she is in. However, her role as Ambassador Kate Wyler is easily her best. Russell reigns supreme in the second season of The Diplomat, a show so smart, so funny, and so damn entertaining that it should be required viewing for any student in any screenwriting course.

Debora Cahn’s The Diplomat is simply the smartest show on television! The writing is masterful, the dialogue is addictive, and the performances are compelling on almost every level. Perhaps no other series on television works on so many different levels so effortlessly. The characters are complex, the themes are timely, and the plot is suspenseful and strategic.

Keri Russell stars in the second season of The Diplomat (2024) | Image via Netflix Related “He’s so not impressed with me”: Even Keri Russell’s Badass, Award-Winning Role in The Americans...

Tubi’s lineup for November 2024 offers a diverse and exciting selection of content across genres, ensuring there’s something for everyone. With Tubi Originals like the heartwarming comedy “The Engagement Dress” (November 10) and the festive yet spicy “Hot Girl Winter” (November 24), holiday cheer takes a fresh twist. The thrillers keep the tension high, including the chilling ghost story “Still Here” (November 9) and the stormy suspense of “The Last Exit” (November 16). For documentary enthusiasts, “Behind The Crime: Self Defense or Slaughter” (November 15) and “Fresh Meat 2: Killing Dahmer” (November 22) dive into intense real-life investigations. Families can look forward to the magical fun of “Family Ornaments” (November 17), while anime fans can enjoy “Bunny Drop” on November 5. Classic action films like “Die Hard”, “Mad Max: Fury Road” (November 9), and “San Andreas” (November 22) return for adrenaline junkies, and horror lovers will appreciate the creepy lineup of “Annabelle: Creation”, “The Thing (1982)”, and more. Whether it’s nostalgic art-house classics,...

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"Saturday Night Live" has been going on for 50 seasons now, so they've had their fair share of bad hosts. Sometimes the host is simply not that comfortable with live acting -- looking at you, January Jones or Jacob Elordi -- and sometimes the host has the bad luck of getting a cold at the worst possible moment, like what seemingly happened to poor Jean Smart in the season 50 premiere. Other times the host is bad because, well, they're just kind of a bad person.

Case in point: Steven Seagal, who hosted in April 1991 and helped deliver an episode so terrible that it got him banned from the show forever. Over three decades later, most "SNL" fans are happy to just pretend the episode never happened, because ite was a trainwreck in a way that wasn't even that fun or interesting.

It can’t be denied that as far as the old-time action heroes go, Steven Seagal doesn’t get much respect these days. A whole lot has been written about Steven Seagal’s behaviour off-screen (much of it by us), and I’m not going to rehash it all here, but suffice it to say there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of goodwill left over for the former ponytailed action hero.

While many would say he’s become a parody of himself in recent years, one shouldn’t forget that, at the start of his career, Seagal was ultra-popular. His Aikido moves, plus his tall, almost lanky figure and quiet demeanour made him unique among action heroes of the day. And, if you look at his filmography, his first five movies are really good as far as action flicks of the era go. Everything else? Well, not so much,...

"Die Hard" turned Bruce Willis into an action star. The actor, previously known for his role on ABC's comedy-drama "Moonlighting," introduced audiences to the reluctant everyman action hero which has since become an archetype of the genre. NYPD detective John McClane also became Willis' best-known role and remains one of the most beloved action icons to this day. Naturally, Hollywood was eager to parlay the success of the original film into a franchise, and so a sequel was quickly produced in 1990. It wasn't quite the hit and cultural touchstone that the first movie had been, but it wasn't without its charms. Then, a third movie materialized which cemented John McClane as an enduring on-screen hero.

As "Die Hard" movies go, 1995's "Die Hard with a Vengeance" is actually one of the better ones. That's mostly due to the two legacy sequels that were churned out in 2007 and 2013 being impressively forgettable.

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 has quickly established itself as a massive success. With a record-breaking launch, fans are eager for more details on what comes next for the franchise. Recent comments by the game’s Creative Director, Oliver Hollis-Leick, hint at the potential for even greater things.

Warhammer 40K fans noticed a lot of cool details in the game. | Image Credit: Saber Interactive

Fans are particularly curious about a potential expansion featuring the Silent King who is one of Warhammer 40K’s most mysterious villains and the last ruler of the Necrons. Hollis-Leick’s cryptic responses during a recent Q&a session on X(formerly Twitter) have only fueled the speculation.

Space Marine 2 Hinted At The Possibility For This 40K Faction

Hollis-Leick’s comments during an X/Twitter Q&a teased the potential for further exploration of the Necron Tomb World seen in Space Marine 2. When asked directly whether the...

The recent war amongst Npc orchestrated by AI has feuled a desire with me wanting to see more from it. Recently, a video has surfaced on the internet featuring a battle between Dreadnought, or The Old Ones, as they are known in the Warhammer 40K lore, and the Chaos Force.

Space Marine 2 has rich lore that needs to be explored further. Image Credit: Saber Interactive

The battle was intense and a hell lot of fun, which is the major reason why the desire to see it more has risen. I want a Dlc featuring the old ones, preferably letting me play with one of them as well, which would be just amazing.

A Dlc Featuring The Old Ones Would Be Super Cool Old One Eye, carnifex revived for Hive Fleet Tiamet, terrorising the Death Korps of Krieg. Image Credit: @NotramIlopak

If Space Marine 2 was ever to get a Dlc update,...

According to Nick Swardson, Michael Winslow had an ego that was even more bloated than the full Police Academy filmography.

When a stand-up comedian makes the jump from stage to screen, it signifies a massive moment of mainstream breakthrough for an artist accustomed to slumming it at road gigs and open mics for most of their career. By starring in a hit film, a stand-up comedian can go from an almost unknown touring act to a headliner at any comedy club in the country, and, much like a deep-sea diver coming up for air too fast, the swift ascent can do strange things to their brains.

As Swardson claimed during a recent episode of the 2 Bears, 1 Cave podcast, when Police Academy, Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment, Police Academy 3: Back in Training, Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol, Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach, Police Academy 6: Under Siege,...

A while back, a terrific book about the golden age of action stars called “The Last Action Heroes” came out (buy it here). Written by Nick De Semlyen, the book takes a very affectionate look at all of the icons we grew up with in the 80s and 90s, with one notable exception. Steven Seagal does not come off well in the book – at all. One of the wildest stories from the book recounts a time when Seagal grew outraged over the fact that a meeting room he wanted was being occupied by the legendary Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.

The two actors, who would have been in their late sixties then, were participating in a read-through for their hit comedy Grumpy Old Men. According to the book, the vibe in the room was light, with the two old pros cracking up their director, Daniel Petrie and assembled guests. One of them was William Osborne,...

With movies like Under Siege and his expertise in martial arts, there was a time when Steven Seagal was a prominent Hollywood action star. By pulling in massive box office numbers, the Hard to Kill star was expected to be the next big thing in the 90s. Unfortunately, Seagal’s career fell hard after the actor was embroiled in numerous serious controversies.

Steven Seagal in Under Siege | Regency Enterprises

While fans often discuss Steven Seagal’s story of rise and fall, a recent video clip on Instagram also portrayed another controversial side of the actor. A recent social media post proved how the star has lied about his bloodline across several media interviews. The comments section is filled with fans who cannot get over the hilarious claims of the star about his family background.

Steven Seagal blatantly lied about his family background

Steven Seagal in Under Siege: Dark Territory | Regency...

The lineup has been unveiled for the 2024 Denver edition of the Decibel Metal & Beer Fest, led by acclaimed acts Autopsy (playing their 1989 album Severed Survival), Yob, Pallbearer, Cirith Ungol (first and last Denver show), and Frozen Soul.

The two-day fest will take place December 6th-7th at the Denver venue Summit, and also feature Undergang, Dreadnought, Crypt Sermon, Earthburner, Necropanther, and more.

Decibel and Live Nation pre-sales will both begin Thursday (July 25th) at 10 a.m. Mt using the codes Zombiedust and Strum, respectively, via LiveNation.com, with a general on-sale starting Friday (July 26th) at 10 a.m. Mt. Fans can also look for deals or get tickets to sold-out dates via StubHub, where your purchase is 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s Fan Protect program.

In addition to the two-day fest, a pre-fest show will take place the on December 5th at Ratio Beerworks with Green Druid, Abrams, and Cloud Catcher.

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 has recently been the talk of the gaming community, with its release so close, players want to know more about the game and the modes it will feature. The trailers and information from developers have spilled some beans (6v6 mode) but that’s not enough for the community.

Ever since the recent dev build leaks, players have been speculating what modes would be available in the game. Some players want to see new gameplay but many players want to see the return of one mode, Dreadnought Assault.

Players Want Space Marine 2 to Bring Back a PvP Mode From Its Predecessor

With Saber Interactive taking the helm of Space Marine 2, players are expecting a lot of good changes from the original title. However, there are still certain things that players want to remain the same, like the PvP Mode introduced in one of the Space Marine‘s Dlc called Dreadnought Assault.

Growling his way into our hearts in Air Force One, President James Marshall was one heck of a hero. Yeah, we might still be a little sore about that hijacked plane, but it ended up turning Marshall into a hero. But what if Harrison Ford could return for a sequel that’s even more explosive?

Harrison Ford as President James Marshall from the movie Air Force One (1997) | Columbia Pictures

This time, forget Air Force One – we’re talking about an Air Force carrier, a global crisis, and Ford, older and wiser. Get ready for the sequel that might just redefine the presidential action genre!

Harrison Ford’s Air Force One Almost Had a Sequel, But Hollywood Passed Harrison Ford as President James Marshall from the movie Air Force One (1997) | Columbia Pictures

Remember James Marshall, the dynamic leader who saved Air Force One (and his family) from terrorists in a white-knuckle joyride?...

Well, I warned you. Kind of. While today’s story is released with Stephen King’s name plastered all over it, at the time of its release The Running Man was under the name of Richard Bachman, who had some dark stories attached to him. I was planning on doing this for a while but with the news that Edgar Wright is going to tackle the story in a new version that hopefully is closer to the book, it makes too much sense to talk about this dystopian horror now. While it’s a stalwart of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s catalogue of action, especially that range from 1987 to 1991, it’s not often looked at as a premiere Stephen King adaptation. It’s not expressly seen as horror but when it gets boiled down, both book and film, it’s horrific what happens in both stories and what’s going on in the worlds of both medias.

Hollywood has no shortage of action movies and has cooked up some of the best action films of all time over the years. Bruce Willis’ Die Hard surely occupies a high place in Hollywood’s Hall of Fame for the genre. Not only did it branch out an incredible franchise, but the movie also inspired a bunch of other iconic movies like Under Siege, Speed, The Rock, and many more.

Die Hard (1988) | 20th Century Studios

Among these movies is Sylvester Stallone’s 90’s classic, Cliffhanger. Based on Willis’ top-of-class action film, Stallone’s flick would have never happened had the action thriller not been released.

Bruce Willis’ Die Hard Inspired Sylvester Stallone’s Cliffhanger Sylvester Stallone in Cliffhanger | TriStar Pictures

Bruce Willis‘ 1988 action thriller Die Hard featured him as a New York City police detective who runs into a terrorist takeover while going over to visit his estranged wife. A...

Director Renny Harlin's "Cliffhanger" is a quintessential '90s action movie. The right movie at the right time, it is one of the few true breakout action flicks starring Sylvester Stallone that's not connected to "Rocky," "Rambo," or "The Expendables." It's a lean, fun, crowd-pleasing thriller that features John Lithgow in a great villain performance (a villain role that almost went to David Bowie) and remains a product of its time in the best of ways. It also might not have happened at all had "Die Hard" not become a huge success a handful of years earlier.

In a 2023 20th anniversary retrospective in The Telegraph, it's explained that "Cliffhanger" started with co-producer Gene Hines, who saw a TV show about mountain climbers in the mid-'80s. "That got him interested in the world of climbing," said co-producer Jim Zatolokin. "It's a dynamic and unique world with a lot of characters.

Action movie culture experienced a boom in the 1980s. Hollywood heavyweights Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone competed to see who could land the best roles, have the largest muscles, and score the most hits in their respective blockbusters. However, as the new decade began, the next wave of action stars began to emerge, led by the likes of Jean-Claude Van Damme (Jcvd) and Steven Seagal, who gained widespread recognition.

Well, it seems like even Hollywood’s mightiest have weighed in on this titanic tussle! Indeed, a long-running debate was reignited by none other than the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s god of thunder, Chris Hemsworth. No, it’s not Seagal, but according to the Australian powerhouse, Van Damme is the undisputed champ of adrenaline-pumping thrills.

Jean-Claude Van Damm in Street Fighter | Columbia Pictures

No, it’s not Seagal, but according to the Australian powerhouse, Van Damme is the undisputed champ of adrenaline-pumping thrills.

Many people may not know this, but before Steven Seagal’s action movie heyday, he worked as a martial arts instructor and choreographer. Most famously, he was super agent Michael Ovitz’s martial arts teacher. Ovitz, notoriously, thought he could make anyone a movie star, and proved it by securing Steven Seagal a movie deal at Warner Bros, where he made Above the Law… and the rest was history.

Another guy Steven Seagal trained was Sean Connery, who was one of Ovitz’s first major clients. The agent paired Connery up with Seagal to get him into shape for the unofficial James Bond movie, Never Say Never Again. Connery was fifty-two at the time and had a couple of fight sequences in the film, so Seagal was brought in to whip him into shape. One day, while sparring, Seagal broke Connery’s wrist. The urban legend is that Connery did something that made him angry,...

Helldivers 2 is a video game about intergalactic war and every bullet counts. Players have made suggestions to help improve the game and make the experience somewhat smoother, but director Johan Pilestedt means to protect the sense of realism first.

In reality, soldiers are weary of their shots and always keep track of the number of bullets left in each magazine. The director could improve the capacity but it would take a lot of work. The developers will have to tweak the 3D asset of the magazine to make it believable.

Johan Pilestedt Wants a Realistic Experience for Helldivers 2

Helldivers 2 needs to be a realistic gaming experience and Johan Pilestedt is adamant about it.

While it is possible to increase the ammo capacity of each magazine, the developers will need to change the model of the magazines as well to add a sense of realism. Pilestedt is right; if a small...

Zack Snyder finally delivers epic battle action in “Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver” (currently streaming on Netflix), the sequel to his space opera that began as a “Seven Samurai”-inspired “Star Wars” pitch. In fact, the 122-minute, PG-13 version contains nearly an hour of mostly ultra slo-mo fighting in parallel montages. (The upcoming extended cut this summer promises another hour of gory footage.)

In terms of VFX, that breaks down to 1,316 shots for a combined 745 battle shots. Plus, there are impressive flashbacks of battles pertaining to the crew of warriors prior to the big event.

It was quite an undertaking for production VFX supervisor Marcus Taormina, considering that he simultaneously worked on “Part One: A Child of Fire” and “Part Two: The Scargiver.” But like a strategic-minded military leader, he laid the groundwork in “Part One” for the moment in “Part Two” when the Nazi-like Imperium forces (led by...

The 1990s represented a golden epoch for action cinema. This was the time which saw VHS and its digitized successor DVD introduce a whole new generation of fans to the magic of stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. And those titans from the ‘80s still claimed big wins, too, at the box office and home media via the likes of Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Demolition Man, and Cliffhanger.

It was also the decade that saw audiences turn out in droves to theaters and rental stores to catch a glimpse of Steven Seagal’s flying fists in movies like Under Siege or Jean-Claude Van Damme and his trademark splits in Timecop; Jackie Chan finally got the larger American fanbase he so richly deserved thanks to the Rush Hour movies while Bruce Willis gave us Die Hard With A Vengeance, the best of all the Die Hard sequels, before pivoting...

Harrison Ford is one of the most talented and respected actors in Hollywood. Having starred in some of the most well-known franchises of all time, he has injected himself into the very bones of the film industry as a whole. If there was a film that starred him in some or the other role, there was a high likelihood that it was a hit.

The Fugitive

However, there was one movie of his that ended up becoming quite underrated, getting lost in the flashing lights of his filmography. One that got multiple Oscar nominations. Ford’s 1993 movie, The Fugitive was iconic to say the least, being an excellently told story about a man who was wrongfully accused of killing his wife.

Suggested“It’s only 70 mil”: Samuel L. Jackson had the Most Hilarious Reaction to Harrison Ford Replacing Him as the Highest Grossing Actor

There is one scene in...

We’ve had sharks in an underwater lab, a grocery store, a river, sand, and snow, as well as toxic sharks and ghost sharks. So what could possibly be left to do with sharks that hasn’t been done before? Take the concept of putting our sharp-finned friends in a plane and mix that in a blender with a disaster flick premise to serve you No Way Up from Rlje Films.

A flock of birds fly into the engine of a plane carrying a small group of people to Cabo, causing it to nosedive into the ocean. Too bad this plane was not piloted by Sully Sullenberger to help with a safe landing. Due to the initial impact of hitting the water or straight up drowning, most of the passengers are killed in the descent; especially one unfortunate soul who shows why you should not head to the bathroom when...

A big-budget live-action adaptation of a cult Nickelodeon animated fantasy series, the return of a sports docuseries that transformed the global appeal of Formula 1, a new animated feature written by the incomparable Charlie Kaufman, and another season of a reality dating show that inspires equal parts love and hate on social media are among the standout projects hitting Netflix in February.

Netflix’s big feature release this month is the animated film Orion and the Dark, which debuts Feb. 2. Written by Charlie Kaufman, the celebrated scribe behind Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Adaptation, the film is an adaptation of Emma Yarlett’s children’s book about an anxious kid who is scared of the dark. The Hollywood Reporter‘s review described Orion and the Dark as a film that “hilariously and movingly [taps] into typical childhood anxieties” and is “infused with ample wit of both the...

Netflix has released the full list of movies and television shows coming to the streaming service in February 2024.

If you don’t know, each and every month, the streamer has movies and shows that it adds and also takes away, mainly due to various licensing deals.

This month is no exception, but it looks like fans will be getting a great crop of new titles to choose from.

Keep reading to see the full list of new titles coming to Netflix next month…

Everything Coming to Netflix in February 2024

February 1, 2024

American Assassin

Anaconda

Enough

Fury

The Great Gatsby (2013)

How to Train Your Dragon 2

It (2017)

Magic Mike’s Last Dance

Moneyball

The Other Boleyn Girl

Pacific Rim

Resident Evil

Resident Evil: Retribution

S.W.A.T.: Under Siege

Shot Caller

Something’s Gotta Give

Tom and Jerry (2021)

X

Young Sheldon: Season 6

February 2, 2024

Orion and the Dark — Netflix Family

Plus One

February 3, 2024

Ready Player...

I think we can all agree that James Marshall was one of our greatest presidents. I mean, he single-handedly stopped a terrorist attack and saved his entire family in the process!

What's that? You don't remember that happening? And you don't remember President James Marshall ever holding office? Well, that's because none of this happened ... in the real world. But in the wonderful world of movies, James Marshall was indeed a president who kicked some ass, and was played by none other than Harrison Ford in the Wolfgang Petersen blockbuster "Air Force One."

In that very silly, very enjoyable film, the official airplane of the President of the United States is seized by terrorists (lead by Gary Oldman!). The President and his family are taken hostage. But this is not your average Potus! No, James Marshall is a Vietnam veteran and a war hero, so he knows how to handle himself.

The character of Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) first appeared as a background player in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" pilot "Encounter at Farpoint" in 1987. Chief O'Brien was initially just an ancillary character who operated the transporters on the Enterprise-d, and who only passingly interacted with the show's main cast. As the series progressed, however, O'Brien's role became larger and larger, and he came to have his own backstories and relationship. O'Brien would eventually marry Keiko (Rosalind Chao) and have a daughter, and eventually reveal that he's suffering from some long-held war trauma. Ultimately, O'Brien appeared in 52 episodes of "Next Generation" before exiting in the show's sixth season. 

The reason O'Brien left was because he had accepted a promotion. He was to become the chief engineer on a rundown Cardassian space station now designated Deep Space Nine by the Federation. Meaney, then, had signed on to be one of...

David McKnight, whose film resume included starring as the lead in the blaxploitation horror movie J.D.’s Revenge, as well as Robert Townsend’s Hollywood Shuffle and The Five Heartbeats, died Sunday at age 87.

McKnight passed from cancer in Las Vegas, according to reports.

The actor was a TV staple in various character roles, appearing on Kojak, Hill Street Blues, The Incredible Hulk, Dynasty and Benson, among other shows.

In J.D.’s Revenge (1976), McKnight played a deceased New Orleans hustler who takes over the body of a college student (Glynn Turman) and goes after the man who murdered him and his sister 30 years earlier.

McKnight was hired to play Uncle Ray in Townsend’s The Hollywood Shuffle, playing a singer turned barber who encourages Townsend’s Bobby Taylor to pursue his dream of becoming an actor.

McKnight went on to portray Pastor Stone in the Townsend-directed The Five Heartbeats (1991) and was the...

David McKnight, who portrayed the title character in the cult blaxploitation horror classic J.D.’s Revenge and appeared in Hollywood Shuffle and The Five Heartbeats for Robert Townsend, has died. He was 87.

McKnight died Sunday of cancer in Las Vegas, his friend and publicist Cynthia Busby told The Hollywood Reporter.

McKnight also showed up on dozens of TV shows, from Kojak, Hill Street Blues, The Incredible Hulk, Dynasty and Benson to Moonlighting, 227, Roc, L.A. Law and The District.

In the New Orleans-set J.D.’s Revenge (1976), directed by Arthur Marks, McKnight played a deceased hustler who takes over the body of a college student (Glynn Turman) and goes after the man who murdered him and his sister 30 years earlier.

In a 2018 interview, McKnight said that he first met Townsend when the first-time feature filmmaker was putting together Hollywood Shuffle (1987) and offered him advice.

He was then hired to play Uncle Ray,...

In the 1990s, Hollywood's obsession with intellectual property wasn't nearly as all-consuming as it is now, but studios were still interested in giving themselves a perceived leg up by occasionally leaning on source material that might be familiar to audiences. The absolute best-case scenario for this type of situation was "The Fugitive," a new spin on an old TV series. With a $44 million budget, Chicago-born director Andrew Davis turned what could have been a by-the-numbers chase flick into a worldwide smash hit (only behind "Jurassic Park" and "Mrs. Doubtfire") that earned seven Academy Award nominations, with Tommy Lee Jones going on to win Best Supporting Actor. It's the rare action film to be nominated for Best Picture, its star turns from Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones are pitch-perfect, its ensemble is comprised of a murderer's row of terrific character actors, and the film's breathless pacing always keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Get ready for the return of The Rookie. Season 6 of the ABC series will premiere in early 2024, after a months-long delay due to the writers’ and actors’ strikes.

‘The Rookie’ Season 6 premieres on Feb. 20 Jenna Dewan in ‘The Rookie’ | Raymond Liu/ABC via Getty Images

The Rookie Season 6 premieres Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 9 p.m. Et on ABC. New episodes will stream the next day on Hulu. The network hasn’t confirmed how many episodes will be in season 6, but viewers can likely expect a shorter-than-normal season because of the strikes. The show will also hit a major milestone next season, airing its 100th episode just after the season 6 premiere.

So far, there are no specific details about what to expect from the new episodes of The Rookie. But in early November, cast member Eric Winter (who plays training officer Tim Bradford) took to X to share an image of the...

Movie lovers know Steven Seagal for his rise to fame through the ’80s and ’90s as a B-movie action star. With hits like Under Siege, Above the Law, and Marked for Death, fans know him well. Unfortunately, Seagal has a history of behavior issues on set. Here’s what one director said about Seagal being a “pain in the neck” to work with.

Director Andrew Davis said Steven Seagal was a ‘pain in the neck’

Director Andrew Davis worked with Steven Seagal for Seagal’s 1988 debut, Above the Law. The director and actor worked together four years later in 1992’s Under Siege. Before Seagal was cast in Above the Law, he worked as a martial arts instructor in Hollywood. Michael Ovitz, an agent who was also Seagal’s student then, thought Seagal would be ideally suited for the leading role.

“I had a meeting with Warner Bros., and they said:...

The early nineties were arguably the heyday of brawny action. Arnold Schwarzenegger was the world’s biggest star, thanks to Total Recall and Terminator 2. Sylvester Stallone was just a little behind him with Cliffhanger and Demolition Man, but the lower-tier action stars were starting to catch up. Steven Seagal had a string of hits and was briefly about to hit the big time with Under Siege. At the same time, the Muscles from Brussels was finding his way into bigger studio fare and teamed up with arguably the greatest action director of all time for one of his best movies – Hard Target, which is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its release.

Jump back to 1991, when Jean-Claude Van Damme had two movies that broke through at the North American box office. First up, in January of that year, was Lionheart, which carried a low budget but made $22 million for Universal.

Apple TV+’s hit limited series “Hijack” starring Idris Elba is a nail-biting thrill ride set in real-time. Over the years, there have been many types of hijack films. Besides planes, there have been suspenseful takeovers of ships, trains, subways and even trucks.

“The Taking of the Pelham One Two Three,” from 1974 — avoid the two remakes — is a superb thriller about four men who take over a New York subway car and hold the passengers, conductor and an undercover policeman hostage unless they get $1 million (remember that was a lot of money 49 years ago). If their demands aren’t met, they will start killing hostages. Directed by Joseph Sargent and adapted by Peter Stone from the best-selling novel by John Godey, “Taking” boasts a stellar cast at the top of their game including Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Hector Elizondo and Martin Balsam. David Shire penned the influential score.

A year...

Harrison Ford and Andrew Davis at the German premiere of The Fugitive Photo: Franziska Krug Director Andrew Davis has plenty of films to his credit, including the massive family hit Holes and the highly regarded Michael Douglas thriller A Perfect Murder, but he’s more than happy to mostly be...

The FugitiveScreenshot: Warner Bros./YouTube

Director Andrew Davis has plenty of films to his credit, including the massive family hit Holes and the highly regarded Michael Douglas thriller A Perfect Murder, but he’s more than happy to mostly be known as “the guy who directed The Fugitive.” And no wonder.

The August 2023 lineup from Vinegar Syndrome was announced and put up for pre-order this afternoon, and as always you can grab individual releases or the entire August package.

First up, Vinegar Syndrome presents the world 4K Uhd and Bd debut of Martin Walz’ film adaptation of the beloved underground comic, Killer Condom! In addition to presenting the film in its never-on-disc extended director’s cut (along with the standard theatrical version), they’ve assembled a comprehensive selection of extras which reveal every sleazy secret surrounding this delectably debauched German sci-fi classic.

Next up, Mexico’s maverick auteur, René Cardona Jr. is back to unleash a quadruple threat of exploitation madness: Headlining the set is his notorious animal attack classic, Beaks! (aka Birds Of Prey). This jaw dropping sleaze fest, which features a surprise soundtrack by maestro Riz Ortolani, has been restored to its complete and uncut international version and offers...

Andrew Davis’ Under Siege is usually considered Steven Seagal’s best movie. However, at the time, most critics singled out Tommy Lee Jones’s performance as the baddie, Strannix, as a scene-stealer. According to Nick de Semlyen’s new book, “Last Action Heroes”, Jones dominating the film was intentional, as Seagal was somewhat reluctant to sign onto the movie. To help entice the star, his screen time was kept to only about 41 minutes. As Davis tells de Semlyen, “Between the Pentagon stuff and all the other cutaways, Tommy is actually in the movie more than Steven.”

According to Davis, Jones took the lead in reworking his bad guy, who he remembers was “flat” and “boring” in the original script. “Tommy said, ‘Why can’t I be a rock n’roll kinda guy? It was a little weird, but Tommy made it work.” Indeed, Jones’s performance would elevate his career,...

The last couple of years alone have seen Idris Elba showcase a rather broad range. From gunslinging villains (Rufus Buck in The Harder They Fall) and beloved yet destructive TV detectives given a big-screen moment (Luther in Luther: The Fallen Sun), via wish-granting genies (The Djinn in Three Thousand Years of Longing) to returning Norse gods (Heimdall in Thor: Love and Thunder), animated video game characters (Knuckles in Sonic the Hedgehog 2) and a man who takes on a lion with his bare hands (Dr. Nate Samuels in Beast), it’s been a rather eclectic mix.

Hijack is — also — something altogether different.

The seven-part series, which launches on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, June 28 and which Elba also exec produced via his Green Door production company (and the solitary projects from its now-ended deal with the streamer), sees him play Sam Nelson, a business negotiator on board a flight from Dubai...

The episode of Wtf Really Happened to This Horror Movie covering The Mothman Prophecies was Written and Narrated by Andrew Hatfield, Edited by Mike Conway, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

“Mary Klein cannot be found by looking. You will see her in time.”

“Based on a true story” is a favorite of writers and Hollywood executives alike. It can be taken verbatim or tweaked and can live in many genres. When myth crosses over into real events, it can be difficult to discern what the focus of a property should be upon. The writer of The Mothman Prophecies was called and consulted about the book he wrote over 20 years after it was published, and he seems to really enjoy it. His account, at least in his eyes, is a very real and frightening story that happened to a people and its town...

It would be easy to dismiss Cliffhanger as little more than a fun riff on the Die Hard formula, with the action switching from the heights of Nakatomi Plaza to the Colorado Rockies. After all, the film largely pits Sylvester Stallone’s Gabe Walker—often wearing little more than a t-shirt on the mountain in place of John McClane’s vest—against a crack team of international terrorists led by John Lithgow, who is in deliciously deranged form as a psychotic military intelligence expert turned thief.

The comparisons are not helped by the fact that Cliffhanger arrived at a time when the Die Hard formula was being milked for all its worth. In the 12 months prior to its release, moviegoers had been served up the likes of Passenger 57 (Die Hard on a plane) and Under Siege (Die Hard on a boat), with Speed (Die Hard on a bus) hot...

Welcome to this week’s review of Impact Wrestling, which this week opens with a Before the Impact match that saw Brian Myers defeat Tyler Tirva. Let’s get into the review…

Match #1: Eddie Edwards def. Yuya Uemura The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

After coming up short in the #1 Contenders match at Under Siege, Eddie Edwards and Yuya Uemura look to bounce back in singles action! Yuya Uemura takes Eddie Edwards to the limit but Edwards puts Yuya away with the Boston Knee Party. After the match, Edwards disrespects Uemura which draws out Frankie Kazarian. Kazarian is upset at the bad example Edwards is setting as a locker room leader. Alisha jumps on the back of Kazarian but Kazarian throws her off, angering Eddie.

My Score: 3 out of 5 Match #2: Sami Callihan & Jake Crist def. Decay (Crazzy Steve & Black Taurus) The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:...

When it comes to adapting a classic TV show to the big screen, it doesn’t get much better than Andrew Davis’ The Fugitive. Indeed, the third highest-grossing film of 1993 proved to be a monumental critical and commercial hit that earned more than $370 million globally and was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. In addition to Tommy Lee Jones winning an Oscar for his indelible supporting turn as U.S. Marshall Sam Gerard, the film still boasts some of the most impressive action set pieces and stunning practical FX on record. The movie succeeds on multiple levels as a riveting manhunt thriller, an engrossing murder mystery, a compelling redemption story, an FX-driven action-adventure, and of course, a faithful TV adaptation that both honors the spirit of the original and also pushes the narrative forward into daring, unpredictable territory. Yet, for as nearly perfect a film as The Fugitive remains to this day,...

Welcome to this review of Impact Wrestling’s Under Seige pay-per-view, right here on Nerdly. I’m editor Phil and we have plenty of big matches to get to, so let’s see if Impact can pull off another banger of a PPV!

Countdown To Under Siege Match #1: Death Dollz (Courtney Rush & Jessicka) def. The Coven (Taylor Wilde & KiLynn King) The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Taylor Wilde inadvertently collides with her own partner. Rush attempts a Sharpshooter on Wilde but King hits a German suplex from behind. The Coven cut off the ring and begin to wear Rush down. Rush finally creates some separation and makes the tag to Jessicka, who goes on the attack. Jessicka hits a running splash on King. Jessicka intercepts King as Rush locks in the Sharpshooter, forcing Wilde to submit.

My Score: 2.5 out of 5 Match #2: Digital Media Championship – Joe Hendry def.

The 1963 TV series "The Fugitive" was a massive success in its initial four-season run, and became something of a pop cultural touchstone. The premise was a grabber: Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen) has been arrested and convicted for the murder of his wife, a crime he didn't commit. Dr. Kimble slips the authorities and goes on the lam, eager to track down the real killer and prove his innocence. All he knew was that the killer had one arm. On Dr. Kimble's tail -- the Javert to his Valjean -- was Lieutenant Philip Gerard (Barry Morse), who didn't much care if Kimble was guilty or innocent; he merely sought to apprehend him and let the law work itself out. 

30 years later, "The Fugitive" would be adapted into a massively successful and acclaimed feature film starring Harrison Ford as Kimble and Tommy Lee Jones as the re-named Sam Gerard, a U.