Podcast appearances and mentions of David R Ellis

This week on Friday Night Frightfest, we're tempting fate and dodging elaborate death traps as we look at the beginnings of a beloved horror franchise! In anticipation of the highly anticipated new film, Final Destination: Bloodlines, we're going back to where it all began, comparing the terrifying ingenuity of Final Destination (2000) and its thrilling sequel, Final Destination 2 (2003). Final Destination (2000) Directed by James Wong, the original Final Destination introduces us to Alex Browning, who has a premonition of a catastrophic plane crash and, along with a handful of others, manages to cheat death. But Death, as they soon learn, doesn't like to be cheated. What follows is a relentlessly suspenseful and inventive series of "accidents" as Death comes to claim its due, showcasing Rube Goldberg-esque kills that became the franchise's trademark. Final Destination 2 (2003) Directed by David R. Ellis, Final Destination 2 escalates the stakes with a truly unforgettable opening highway pile-up. Kimberly Corman has a vision of this horrific event and saves herself and several strangers. However, they soon discover they've merely placed themselves at the top of Death's new list. This sequel famously expands on the rules of Death's design and offers even more elaborate and shocking sequences of unfortunate demises. Join us as we discuss these first two films in the series. If you don't have time to watch them yourself before seeing Final Destination: Bloodlines, this episode offers a good synopsis of the films. We discuss how they established the franchise's unique blend of supernatural horror and inventive practical effects, and what makes each of these early entries so enduringly terrifying. Prepare for a grim reminder that you can't escape your destiny! Spoilers Start around 4:27.

EVEN DEATH GETS A SEQUEL!! Final Destination 2 Full Reaction Watch Along:   / thereelrejects   With Final Destination: Bloodlines in theatres now, Aaron, Andrew, & Johnald continue their death trap marathon giving their Final Destination 2 Reaction, Recap, Commentary, Analysis, & Spoiler Review!! Download PrizePicks today at https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/RE... & use code REJECTS to get $50 instantly when you play $5! Join Aaron Alexander, Andrew Gordon & John Humphrey as they face Death's deadly blueprint once more in David R. Ellis's 2003 horror sequel Final Destination 2. After a premonition of a catastrophic pile-up on Route 23, grieving college student Kimberly Corman (A.J. Cook, Psych, Dead Like Me) saves fellow travelers—including returning survivor Clear Rivers (Ali Larter, Final Destination, Resident Evil) and skeptical Officer Thomas Burke (Michael Landes, Lois & Clark, Crime Story)—from oblivion. As each narrow escape triggers increasingly elaborate “accidents,” the group races to decode death's design before it claims them all. The film delivers some of the franchise's most iconic set-pieces: the bone-shattering log-truck crash that flattens a diner, the suffocating tanning-bed horror, the gruesome hair-in-the-drain mangling, and the spine-tingling funeral-home showdown that reunites them with a familiar face (including Bruce Campbell's memorable cameo). Alongside Cook and Larter, the supporting ensemble—Nora Carpenter (Lindsey Haun, Ghost Whisperer), Eugene Dix (Terrence C. Carson, The Lion King live action), Kat Jennings (Maja Davis, The Wedding Planner), Evan Lewis (David Paetkau, Tremors 2), and bereaved father Tim Carpenter (James Kirk, CSI)—brings heart and terror to every death-defying moment. Join Aaron, Andrew, & John as they break down every jaw-dropping kill, ingenious booby-trap, and twist of fate in Final Destination 2—and find out if anyone can ever outsmart Death! Follow Aaron On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealaaronalexander/?hl=en Follow Andrew Gordon on Socials:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MovieSource Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/agor711/?hl=en Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Agor711 Intense Suspense by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Support The Channel By Getting Some REEL REJECTS Apparel! https://www.rejectnationshop.com/ Follow Us On Socials:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/  Tik-Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@reelrejects?lang=en Twitter: https://x.com/reelrejects Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ Music Used In Ad:  Hat the Jazz by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Happy Alley by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! Head Editor: https://www.instagram.com/praperhq/?hl=en Co-Editor: Greg Alba Co-Editor: John Humphrey Music In Video: Airport Lounge - Disco Ultralounge by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Ask Us A QUESTION On CAMEO: https://www.cameo.com/thereelrejects Follow TheReelRejects On FACEBOOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM:  FB:  https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thereelrejects Follow GREG ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER: INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/thegregalba/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thegregalba Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if us being here right now was the plan from the beginning? Join Reneé, John Paul, and Travis as they discuss David R. Ellis's 2009 supernatural horror film "The Final Destination." Please consider supporting the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepodmortem  Pod Mortem / Stairhole Productions Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/user/thepodmortem Pod Mortem would like to thank Original CINematic for sponsoring this week's episode! https://www.ogcinpro.com/  Feel free to contact: William Rush: wrush@ogcinpro.com Xxena Rush: xrush@ogcinpro.com    Where to listen to the podcast and follow us on social media: https://allmylinks.com/thepodmortem Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepodmortem https://www.instagram.com/travismwh https://www.instagram.com/bloodandsmoke https://www.instagram.com/juggalodaddy84 Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thepodmortem https://twitter.com/bloodandsmoke https://twitter.com/realstreeter84 https://twitter.com/travismwh What would you rate The Final Destination and what should we watch next? Email us at thepodmortem@gmail.com    "Pod Mortem Theme" written and performed by Travis Hunter-Sayapin. https://youtube.com/travismwh

Épisode 4 de la franchise Final Destination, La Destination Ultime, sorti en 2009 et réalisé David R. Ellis.   Rendez-vous sur le site du podcast PREMIERVISIONNEMENT.COM pour accéder facilement à toutes les autres rétrospectives couvertes par le podcast.   Liens du podcast:   feed rss: https://anchor.fm/s/590d508/podcast/rss   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/premiervisionnement/   Twitter: @visionnement   Le podcast est disponible sur la plupart des distributeurs de baladodiffusion.   Bonne écoute!

Épisode 2 de la franchise Final Destination, Destination Ultime 2, sorti en 2003 et réalisé David R. Ellis.   Rendez-vous sur le site du podcast PREMIERVISIONNEMENT.COM pour accéder facilement à toutes les autres rétrospectives couvertes par le podcast.   Liens du podcast:   feed rss: https://anchor.fm/s/590d508/podcast/rss   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/premiervisionnement/   Twitter: @visionnement   Le podcast est disponible sur la plupart des distributeurs de baladodiffusion.   Bonne écoute!

We present our conclusion to Black History Month with actor focus; this time we celebrate the career of Samuel L. Jackson!  We're looking 3 of his starring vehicles Snakes on a Plane, then The Great White Hype and finally Soul Men, also starring the late, great Bernie Mac!Samuel L. Jackson is one of the most iconic, prolific, and versatile actors in modern cinematic history. With a career spanning over five decades, Jackson has appeared in more than 150 films, cementing his status as a cultural icon and a box office powerhouse. His breakthrough role came in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever (1991), but it was his unforgettable performance as Jules Winnfield in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994) that propelled him to global stardom. That role earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and introduced audiences to his signature blend of charisma, intensity, and humor — all delivered with that unmistakable commanding voice.Throughout his career, Jackson has balanced blockbuster success with critically acclaimed performances. He's a staple in Tarantino's films, appearing in Jackie Brown, Django Unchained, and The Hateful Eight, showcasing his ability to deliver complex, morally ambiguous characters with unmatched flair. His work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Nick Fury has made him a cornerstone of one of the most successful film franchises in history, introducing him to a new generation of fans.Despite his widespread popularity, Samuel L. Jackson's awards recognition has often lagged behind his cultural impact. In addition to his Oscar nomination for Pulp Fiction, Jackson has received numerous honors, including a BAFTA Award, Golden Globe nominations, and an Honorary Academy Award in 2022, recognizing his lifetime achievements and contributions to cinema.Jackson's legacy is defined not only by his memorable performances but also by his ability to elevate even the most minor roles into something unforgettable. Whether in gritty dramas, high-octane action films, or sharp comedies, his presence demands attention, often turning supporting parts into scene-stealing moments. Beyond acting, Jackson's influence extends to his advocacy for diversity in Hollywood, his mentorship of younger actors, and his efforts to champion independent filmmakers.With a career that seamlessly spans indie gems, blockbusters, and prestige films, Samuel L. Jackson stands as a living legend whose legacy is defined by his versatility, consistency, and undeniable cultural presence — a true icon whose impact will resonate for generations to come.Snakes on a Plane is a 2006 American action thriller[3] film directed by David R. Ellis and starring Samuel L. Jackson. It was released by New Line Cinema on August 18, 2006, in North America and the UK. The film was written by David Dalessandro, John Heffernan, and Sebastian Gutierrez and follows the events of dozens of venomous snakes being released on a passenger plane in an attempt to kill a trial witness.The Great White Hype is a 1996 American sports comedy film directed by Reginald Hudlin. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Berg, Damon Wayans, Jeff Goldblum, Jon Lovitz, Cheech Marin, John Rhys-Davies, Salli Richardson and Jamie Foxx.The film satirizes racial preferences in boxing, and was inspired by Larry Holmes's 1982 fight with Gerry Cooney (who was known as "The Great White Hope") and Mike Tyson's 1995 return fight vs. Peter McNeeley. Entertainment Weekly called Rev. Fred Sultan (Samuel L. Jackson) a "Don King-clone."Soul Men is a 2008 American musical comedy film directed by Malcolm D. Lee, and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Bernie Mac, Sharon Leal and Sean Hayes, released on November 7, 2008. It was one of three Mac's films that were released after his death (and was actually released on the same date as another posthumous film, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa).Mac and Isaac Hayes died on August 9 and 10, 2008, respectively. Director Lee said the film was heavily re-edited to soften the tone of the film, as a tribute to the two actors.Disclaimer: The following may contain offensive language, adult humor, and/or content that some viewers may find offensive – The views and opinions expressed by any one speaker does not explicitly or necessarily reflect or represent those of Mark Radulich or W2M Network.Mark Radulich and his wacky podcast on all the things:https://linktr.ee/markkind76alsohttps://www.teepublic.com/user/radulich-in-broadcasting-networkFB Messenger: Mark Radulich LCSWTiktok: @markradulichtwitter: @MarkRadulichInstagram: markkind76RIBN Album Playlist: https://suno.com/playlist/91d704c9-d1ea-45a0-9ffe-5069497bad59

What goes bump in the night giving Kyle a fright? For the Season 9 finale it's The Final Destination (2009) directed by David R. Ellis. This film has a group of disaster survivors get picked off one-by-one through a series of Rube Goldberg machines. Why did Kyle pick the fourth movie in the franchise? Where did Mat get those 3-D glasses? Will someone tell these boys the rules? Stay out of the pool as the Boo Boys break it all down. 

Cazzaro, divertente, con un Samuel L. Jackson a palla di fuoco!!! Forse, chi si impressiona davanti a un serpente non dovrebbe vedere questo film, ma per tutti gli altri, la visione è d'obbligo! Il nostro eroe afroamericano deve proteggere un testimone durante un viaggio in aereo, nel quale il cattivaccio di turno ha messo tanti e ancora tanti serpenti di tutti i tipi e misure. Snakes on a plane è una pellicola tamarrissima che diverte da matti, almeno per quello che mi riguarda. Adrenalinico, a tratti originale, inverosimile e frizzante. Un prodotto più che leggero, che però mi è rimasto nel cuore e che non poteva assolutamente mancare in questa settimana dedicata alla tamarraggine.

This week we watched the 2004 action thriller film Cellular. Directed by David R. Ellis it tells the tale of a female science teacher who is kidnapped but manages to randomly phone a stranger for help, who then informs the police before realizing that the kidnappers are dirty cops. The film stars Kim Basinger, Chris Evans, Jason Statham, William H. Macy, Noah Emmerich, Richard Burgi, Valerie Cruz and Jessica Biel. Come join us!! Website : http://tortelliniatnoon.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tortelliniatnoonpodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TortelliniAtNoon Twitter: https://twitter.com/PastaMoviePod                            

Something about death's design, a list, this time it happens backwards… who knows. Welcome to 2024, Loathsome Things style! It's all epic action-disaster stunt sequences between bouts of really depressingly bad line delivery. Start the year off with the best horror movie podcast for people that are tired of all the other horror movie podcasts as we watch a movie that one podcaster described as “I Know What You Did Last Destination!”

Welcome to week 2 of Hurwitz's Horror-tober: Part 2 The Sequel! We continue this sequel filled month with Final Destination 2: The One With the Log Truck!Imagine this, you're about to take a long weekend getaway with your best pals, not a care in the world when all of a sudden, you have a horrifying vision of you and several strangers getting mashed in a horrific accident. This is exactly what happens to Kim Corman one year after the tragedy of Flight 180. But it's because of this vision Kim is able to save herself and the lives of those she saw perish in the crash. Little does she know, she has set into motion events that will have death coming to collect her life and those that survived because of her.TimecodesJeff Hates on Eatin' Bowl: 0:00Horror Hour: 5:22   Chucky Board Game: 6:18   A Bunch of Things Have Been Released: 9:51   Slender The Arrival Rerelease: 14:37   Steve Watched A Bunch of Movies: 16:40   Saw X (FULL SPOILERS): 19:07Final Destination 2 Discussion: 26;10Final Destination 2 Final Thoughts: 1:10:58Ratings: 1:24:25  Favorite Kills: 1:28:42Tops & Bottoms: 1:30:37Tagline Time What's the Time Tagline Time: 1:32:44LINKS:Instagram / TikTokJoin the Patreon!Shop MerchUgly CowboyCall the Hot Take Hotline:916-538-4412

Sit back. Relax. Enjoy the fright. Directed by David R. Ellis, Snakes on a Plane is the ation horror film written by David Delessandro, John Heffernan, and Sebastian Gutierrez. Luke and Jae board the 2006 thrill ride that turned into a limited comic series published by WildStorm Productions. FBI agent Nelville Flynn (Samuel L. Jackson) boards a flight from Hawaii to Los Angeles, escorting a witness to trial. An on-board assassin releases a crate of deadly serpents in an attempt to kill the witness. Flynn and a host of frightened passengers and crew must band together to survive the slithery threat.

In today's episode, we are diving into the depths of cinematic terror with Jaume Collet-Serra's The Shallows (2016) and David R. Ellis's Shark Night (2011). In The Shallows, a young woman on a pilgrimage to her late mother's favorite surf haunt finds herself stranded on a rock as she faces off against a relentless great white shark. In Shark Night, a group of unsuspecting friends gather for a little lakeside R&R, only to find themselves being stalked by an assortment of toothy terrors. While both films ostensibly fall under the subgenre of ‘shark horror,' their differing approaches have us considering the utility of the ‘shark as monster' trope. Do these films offer up waters chummed with spine-tingling suspense and jaws-dropping scares? We're finding out in today's spoiler filled episode, so stay tuned! CITED IN EPISODE  BERGER, JOHN. "WHY LOOK AT ANIMALS?." LITERATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT; LEMNAGER, S., SHEWRY, T. EDS (1980): 32-42. CLASEN, MATHIAS. EVOLUTIONARY STUDY OF HORROR LITERATURE FUCHS, MICHAEL. LOOKING THROUGH THE BEASTS EYES?: THE DIALECTICS OF SEEING THE MONSTER AND BEING SEEN BY THE MONSTER IN SHARK HORROR MOVIES LATTANZIO, RYAN. JOHN CARPENTER HAS NO IDEA WHAT THE TERM 'ELEVATED HORROR' MEANS RELATED REVIEWS AND ESSAYS OF INTEREST HORROR REWATCH: DEEP BLUE SEA (1999) JAWS, THE SLASHER, AND THE ENCOUNTER AT THE HEART OF HORROR JERSEY SHORE SHARK ATTACK (2012) REVIEW MAKO: THE JAWS OF DEATH (1976) REVIEW SHARKANSAS WOMEN'S PRISON MASSACRE GETS IT SOOO RIGHT SHARK HORROR, PART 1: NATURALISTIC HORROR SHARK HORROR, PART 2: THE SHARK IN THE HUMAN WORLD THE BLACK DEMON: SHARK HORROR MEETS FOLK HORROR UP FROM THE DEPTHS (1979) FILM REVIEW --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/horror-homeroom/support

Julius en Jasper bespreken Final Destination 2 (2003) van David R. Ellis en Final Destination 5 (2011) van Steven Quale. Als er eentje zou moeten verdwijnen, welke mag dan blijven?

It's the battle of campy horror! On this episode, we got David R. Ellis' “Snakes on a Plane” vs. Elizabeth Banks' “Cocaine Bear”! Who wins out? Let's find out! Aftershow topics: – Brad gives a spoiler-free review of “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” – Blak gives a spoiler-free review of co-creator Donald Glover's newest series […]

The first of a two-part series on the short-lived 80s American distribution company responsible for Dirty Dancing. ----more---- The movies covered on this episode: Alpine (1987, Fredi M. Murer) Anna (1987, Yurek Bogayevicz) Billy Galvin (1986, John Grey) Blood Diner (1987, Jackie Kong) China Girl (1987, Abel Ferrera) The Dead (1987, John Huston) Dirty Dancing (1987, Emile Ardolino) Malcolm (1986, Nadia Tess) Personal Services (1987, Terry Jones) Slaughter High (1986, Mark Ezra and Peter Litten and George Dugdale) Steel Dawn (1987, Lance Hook) Street Trash (1987, Jim Muro)   TRANSCRIPT From Los Angeles, California, the Entertainment Capital of the World, it's The 80s Movies Podcast. I am your host, Edward Havens. Thank you for listening today.   Have you ever thought “I should do this thing” but then you never get around to it, until something completely random happens that reminds you that you were going to do this thing a long time ago?   For this week's episode, that kick in the keister was a post on Twitter from someone I don't follow being retweeted by the great film critic and essayist Walter Chaw, someone I do follow, that showed a Blu-ray cover of the 1987 Walter Hill film Extreme Prejudice. You see, Walter Chaw has recently released a book about the life and career of Walter Hill, and this other person was showing off their new purchase. That in and of itself wasn't the kick in the butt.   That was the logo of the disc's distributor.   Vestron Video.   A company that went out of business more than thirty years before, that unbeknownst to me had been resurrected by the current owner of the trademark, Lionsgate Films, as a specialty label for a certain kind of film like Ken Russell's Gothic, Beyond Re-Animator, CHUD 2, and, for some reason, Walter Hill's Neo-Western featuring Nick Nolte, Powers Boothe and Rip Torn. For those of you from the 80s, you remember at least one of Vestron Pictures' movies. I guarantee it.   But before we get there, we, as always, must go back a little further back in time.   The year is 1981. Time Magazine is amongst the most popular magazines in the world, while their sister publication, Life, was renowned for their stunning photographs printed on glossy color paper of a larger size than most magazines. In the late 1970s, Time-Life added a video production and distribution company to ever-growing media empire that also included television stations, cable channels, book clubs, and compilation record box sets. But Time Life Home Video didn't quite take off the way the company had expected, and they decided to concentrate its lucrative cable businesses like HBO. The company would move Austin Furst, an executive from HBO, over to dismantle the assets of Time-Life Films. And while Furst would sell off the production and distribution parts of the company to Fox, and the television department to Columbia Pictures, he couldn't find a party interested in the home video department. Recognizing that home video was an emerging market that would need a visionary like himself willing to take big risks for the chance to have big rewards, Furst purchased the home video rights to the film and video library for himself, starting up his home entertainment company.   But what to call the company?   It would be his daughter that would come up with Vestron, a portmanteau of combining the name of the Roman goddess of the heart, Vesta, with Tron, the Greek word for instrument. Remember, the movie Tron would not be released for another year at this point.   At first, there were only two employees at Vestron: Furst himself, and Jon Pesinger, a fellow executive at Time-Life who, not unlike Dorothy Boyd in Jerry Maguire, was the only person who saw Furst's long-term vision for the future.   Outside of the titles they brought with them from Time-Life, Vestron's initial release of home video titles comprised of two mid-range movie hits where they were able to snag the home video rights instead of the companies that released the movies in theatres, either because those companies did not have a home video operation yet, or did not negotiate for home video rights when making the movie deal with the producers. Fort Apache, The Bronx, a crime drama with Paul Newman and Ed Asner, and Loving Couples, a Shirley MacLaine/James Coburn romantic comedy that was neither romantic nor comedic, were Time-Life productions, while the Burt Reynolds/Dom DeLuise comedy The Cannonball Run, was a pickup from the Hong Kong production company Golden Harvest, which financed the comedy to help break their local star, Jackie Chan, into the American market. They'd also make a deal with several Canadian production companies to get the American home video rights to titles like the Jack Lemmon drama Tribute and the George C. Scott horror film The Changeling.   The advantage that Vestron had over the major studios was their outlook on the mom and pop rental stores that were popping up in every city and town in the United States. The major studios hated the idea that they could sell a videotape for, say, $99.99, and then see someone else make a major profit by renting that tape out fifty or a hundred times at $4 or $5 per night. Of course, they would eventually see the light, but in 1982, they weren't there yet.   Now, let me sidetrack for a moment, as I am wont to do, to talk about mom and pop video stores in the early 1980s. If you're younger than, say, forty, you probably only know Blockbuster and/or Hollywood Video as your local video rental store, but in the early 80s, there were no national video store chains yet. The first Blockbuster wouldn't open until October 1985, in Dallas, and your neighborhood likely didn't get one until the late 1980s or early 1990s. The first video store I ever encountered, Telford Home Video in Belmont Shores, Long Beach in 1981, was operated by Bob Telford, an actor best known for playing the Station Master in both the original 1974 version of Where the Red Fern Grows and its 2003 remake. Bob was really cool, and I don't think it was just because the space for the video store was just below my dad's office in the real estate company that had built and operated the building. He genuinely took interest in this weird thirteen year old kid who had an encyclopedic knowledge of films and wanted to learn more. I wanted to watch every movie he had in the store that I hadn't seen yet, but there was one problem: we had a VHS machine, and most of Bob's inventory was RCA SelectaVision, a disc-based playback system using a special stylus and a groove-covered disc much like an LP record. After school each day, I'd hightail it over to Telford Home Video, and Bob and I would watch a movie while we waited for customers to come rent something. It was with Bob that I would watch Ordinary People and The Magnificent Seven, The Elephant Man and The Last Waltz, Bus Stop and Rebel Without a Cause and The French Connection and The Man Who Fell to Earth and a bunch of other movies that weren't yet available on VHS, and it was great.   Like many teenagers in the early 1980s, I spent some time working at a mom and pop video store, Seacliff Home Video in Aptos, CA. I worked on the weekends, it was a third of a mile walk from home, and even though I was only 16 years old at the time, my bosses would, every week, solicit my opinion about which upcoming videos we should acquire. Because, like Telford Home Video and Village Home Video, where my friends Dick and Michelle worked about two miles away, and most every video store at the time, space was extremely limited and there was only space for so many titles. Telford Home Video was about 500 square feet and had maybe 500 titles. Seacliff was about 750 square feet and around 800 titles, including about 50 in the tiny, curtained off room created to hold the porn. And the first location for Village Home Video had only 300 square feet of space and only 250 titles. The owner, Leone Keller, confirmed to me that until they moved into a larger location across from the original store, they were able to rent out every movie in the store every night.    For many, a store owner had to be very careful about what they ordered and what they replaced. But Vestron Home Video always seemed to have some of the better movies. Because of a spat between Warner Brothers and Orion Pictures, Vestron would end up with most of Orion's 1983 through 1985 theatrical releases, including Rodney Dangerfield's Easy Money, the Nick Nolte political thriller Under Fire, the William Hurt mystery Gorky Park, and Gene Wilder's The Woman in Red. They'd also make a deal with Roger Corman's old American Independent Pictures outfit, which would reap an unexpected bounty when George Miller's second Mad Max movie, The Road Warrior, became a surprise hit in 1982, and Vestron was holding the video rights to the first Mad Max movie. And they'd also find themselves with the laserdisc rights to several Brian DePalma movies including Dressed to Kill and Blow Out. And after Polygram Films decided to leave the movie business in 1984, they would sell the home video rights to An American Werewolf in London and Endless Love to Vestron.   They were doing pretty good.   And in 1984, Vestron ended up changing the home video industry forever.   When Michael Jackson and John Landis had trouble with Jackson's record company, Epic, getting their idea for a 14 minute short film built around the title song to Jackson's monster album Thriller financed, Vestron would put up a good portion of the nearly million dollar budget in order to release the movie on home video, after it played for a few weeks on MTV. In February 1984, Vestron would release a one-hour tape, The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller, that included the mini-movie and a 45 minute Making of featurette. At $29.99, it would be one of the first sell-through titles released on home video.   It would become the second home videotape to sell a million copies, after Star Wars.   Suddenly, Vestron was flush with more cash than it knew what to do with.   In 1985, they would decide to expand their entertainment footprint by opening Vestron Pictures, which would finance a number of movies that could be exploited across a number of platforms, including theatrical, home video, cable and syndicated TV. In early January 1986, Vestron would announce they were pursuing projects with three producers, Steve Tisch, Larry Turman, and Gene Kirkwood, but no details on any specific titles or even a timeframe when any of those movies would be made.   Tisch, the son of Loews Entertainment co-owner Bob Tisch, had started producing films in 1977 with the Peter Fonda music drama Outlaw Blues, and had a big hit in 1983 with Risky Business. Turman, the Oscar-nominated producer of Mike Nichols' The Graduate, and Kirkwood, the producer of The Keep and The Pope of Greenwich Village, had seen better days as producers by 1986 but their names still carried a certain cache in Hollywood, and the announcement would certainly let the industry know Vestron was serious about making quality movies.   Well, maybe not all quality movies. They would also launch a sub-label for Vestron Pictures called Lightning Pictures, which would be utilized on B-movies and schlock that maybe wouldn't fit in the Vestron Pictures brand name they were trying to build.   But it costs money to build a movie production and theatrical distribution company.   Lots of money.   Thanks to the ever-growing roster of video titles and the success of releases like Thriller, Vestron would go public in the spring of 1985, selling enough shares on the first day of trading to bring in $440m to the company, $140m than they thought they would sell that day.   It would take them a while, but in 1986, they would start production on their first slate of films, as well as acquire several foreign titles for American distribution.   Vestron Pictures officially entered the theatrical distribution game on July 18th, 1986, when they released the Australian comedy Malcolm at the Cinema 2 on the Upper East Side of New York City. A modern attempt to create the Aussie version of a Jacques Tati-like absurdist comedy about modern life and our dependance on gadgetry, Malcolm follows, as one character describes him a 100 percent not there individual who is tricked into using some of his remote control inventions to pull of a bank robbery. While the film would be a minor hit in Australia, winning all eight of the Australian Film Institute Awards it was nominated for including Best Picture, Director, Screenplay and three acting awards, the film would only play for five weeks in New York, grossing less than $35,000, and would not open in Los Angeles until November 5th, where in its first week at the Cineplex Beverly Center and Samuel Goldwyn Pavilion Cinemas, it would gross a combined $37,000. Go figure.   Malcolm would open in a few more major markets, but Vestron would close the film at the end of the year with a gross under $200,000.   Their next film, Slaughter High, was a rather odd bird. A co-production between American and British-based production companies, the film followed a group of adults responsible for a prank gone wrong on April Fool's Day who are invited to a reunion at their defunct high school where a masked killer awaits inside.   And although the movie takes place in America, the film was shot in London and nearby Virginia Water, Surrey, in late 1984, under the title April Fool's Day. But even with Caroline Munro, the British sex symbol who had become a cult favorite with her appearances in a series of sci-fi and Hammer horror films with Peter Cushing and/or Christopher Lee, as well as her work in the Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, April Fool's Day would sit on the proverbial shelf for nearly two years, until Vestron picked it up and changed its title, since Paramount Pictures had released their own horror film called April Fools Day earlier in the year.   Vestron would open Slaughter High on nine screens in Detroit on November 14th, 1986, but Vestron would not report grosses. Then they would open it on six screen in St. Louis on February 13th, 1987. At least this time they reported a gross. $12,400. Variety would simply call that number “grim.” They'd give the film one final rush on April 24th, sending it out to 38 screens in in New York City, where it would gross $90,000. There'd be no second week, as practically every theatre would replace it with Creepshow 2.   The third and final Vestron Pictures release for 1986 was Billy Galvin, a little remembered family drama featuring Karl Malden and Lenny von Dohlen, originally produced for the PBS anthology series American Playhouse but bumped up to a feature film as part of coordinated effort to promote the show by occasionally releasing feature films bearing the American Playhouse banner.   The film would open at the Cineplex Beverly Center on December 31st, not only the last day of the calendar year but the last day a film can be released into theatres in Los Angeles to have been considered for Academy Awards. The film would not get any major awards, from the Academy or anyone else, nor much attention from audiences, grossing just $4,000 in its first five days. They'd give the film a chance in New York on February 20th, at the 23rd Street West Triplex, but a $2,000 opening weekend gross would doom the film from ever opening in another theatre again.   In early 1987, Vestron announced eighteen films they would release during the year, and a partnership with AMC Theatres and General Cinema to have their films featured in those two companies' pilot specialized film programs in major markets like Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston and San Francisco.   Alpine Fire would be the first of those films, arriving at the Cinema Studio 1 in New York City on February 20th. A Swiss drama about a young deaf and mentally challenged teenager who gets his older sister pregnant, was that country's entry into the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar race. While the film would win the Golden Leopard Award at the 1985 Locarno Film Festival, the Academy would not select the film for a nomination, and the film would quickly disappear from theatres after a $2,000 opening weekend gross.   Personal Services, the first film to be directed by Terry Jones outside of his services with Monty Python, would arrive in American theatres on May 15th. The only Jones-directed film to not feature any other Python in the cast, Personal Services was a thinly-disguised telling of a 1970s—era London waitress who was running a brothel in her flat in order to make ends meet, and featured a standout performance by Julie Walters as the waitress turned madame. In England, Personal Services would be the second highest-grossing film of the year, behind The Living Daylights, the first Bond film featuring new 007 Timothy Dalton. In America, the film wouldn't be quite as successful, grossing $1.75m after 33 weeks in theatres, despite never playing on more than 31 screens in any given week.   It would be another three months before Vestron would release their second movie of the year, but it would be the one they'd become famous for.   Dirty Dancing.   Based in large part on screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein's own childhood, the screenplay would be written after the producers of the 1980 Michael Douglas/Jill Clayburgh dramedy It's My Turn asked the writer to remove a scene from the screenplay that involved an erotic dance sequence. She would take that scene and use it as a jumping off point for a new story about a Jewish teenager in the early 1960s who participated in secret “Dirty Dancing” competitions while she vacationed with her doctor father and stay-at-home mother while they vacationed in the Catskill Mountains. Baby, the young woman at the center of the story, would not only resemble the screenwriter as a character but share her childhood nickname.   Bergstein would pitch the story to every studio in Hollywood in 1984, and only get a nibble from MGM Pictures, whose name was synonymous with big-budget musicals decades before. They would option the screenplay and assign producer Linda Gottlieb, a veteran television producer making her first major foray into feature films, to the project. With Gottlieb, Bergstein would head back to the Catskills for the first time in two decades, as research for the script. It was while on this trip that the pair would meet Michael Terrace, a former Broadway dancer who had spent summers in the early 1960s teaching tourists how to mambo in the Catskills. Terrace and Bergstein didn't remember each other if they had met way back when, but his stories would help inform the lead male character of Johnny Castle.   But, as regularly happens in Hollywood, there was a regime change at MGM in late 1985, and one of the projects the new bosses cut loose was Dirty Dancing. Once again, the script would make the rounds in Hollywood, but nobody was biting… until Vestron Pictures got their chance to read it.   They loved it, and were ready to make it their first in-house production… but they would make the movie if the budget could be cut from $10m to $4.5m. That would mean some sacrifices. They wouldn't be able to hire a major director, nor bigger name actors, but that would end up being a blessing in disguise.   To direct, Gottlieb and Bergstein looked at a lot of up and coming feature directors, but the one person they had the best feeling about was Emile Ardolino, a former actor off-Broadway in the 1960s who began his filmmaking career as a documentarian for PBS in the 1970s. In 1983, Ardolino's documentary about National Dance Institute founder Jacques d'Amboise, He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin', would win both the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and the Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Entertainment Special.   Although Ardolino had never directed a movie, he would read the script twice in a week while serving on jury duty, and came back to Gottlieb and Bergstein with a number of ideas to help make the movie shine, even at half the budget.   For a movie about dancing, with a lot of dancing in it, they would need a creative choreographer to help train the actors and design the sequences. The filmmakers would chose Kenny Ortega, who in addition to choreographing the dance scenes in Pretty in Pink and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, had worked with Gene Kelly on the 1980 musical Xanadu. Well, more specifically, was molded by Gene Kelly to become the lead choreographer for the film. That's some good credentials.   Unlike movies like Flashdance, where the filmmakers would hire Jennifer Beals to play Alex and Marine Jahan to perform Alex's dance scenes, Emile Ardolino was insistent that the actors playing the dancers were actors who also dance. Having stand-ins would take extra time to set-up, and would suck up a portion of an already tight budget. Yet the first people he would meet for the lead role of Johnny were non-dancers Benecio del Toro, Val Kilmer, and Billy Zane. Zane would go so far as to do a screen test with one of the actresses being considered for the role of Baby, Jennifer Grey, but after screening the test, they realized Grey was right for Baby but Zane was not right for Johnny.   Someone suggested Patrick Swayze, a former dancer for the prestigious Joffrey Ballet who was making his way up the ranks of stardom thanks to his roles in The Outsiders and Grandview U.S.A. But Swayze had suffered a knee injury years before that put his dance career on hold, and there were concerns he would re-aggravate his injury, and there were concerns from Jennifer Grey because she and Swayze had not gotten along very well while working on Red Dawn. But that had been three years earlier, and when they screen tested together here, everyone was convinced this was the pairing that would bring magic to the role.   Baby's parents would be played by two Broadway veterans: Jerry Orbach, who is best known today as Detective Lenny Briscoe on Law and Order, and Kelly Bishop, who is best known today as Emily Gilmore from Gilmore Girls but had actually started out as a dancer, singer and actor, winning a Tony Award for her role in the original Broadway production of A Chorus Line. Although Bishop had originally been cast in a different role for the movie, another guest at the Catskills resort with the Housemans, but she would be bumped up when the original Mrs. Houseman, Lynne Lipton, would fall ill during the first week of filming.   Filming on Dirty Dancing would begin in North Carolina on September 5th, 1986, at a former Boy Scout camp that had been converted to a private residential community. This is where many of the iconic scenes from the film would be shot, including Baby carrying the watermelon and practicing her dance steps on the stairs, all the interior dance scenes, the log scene, and the golf course scene where Baby would ask her father for $250. It's also where Patrick Swayze almost ended his role in the film, when he would indeed re-injure his knee during the balancing scene on the log. He would be rushed to the hospital to have fluid drained from the swelling. Thankfully, there would be no lingering effects once he was released.   After filming in North Carolina was completed, the team would move to Virginia for two more weeks of filming, including the water lift scene, exteriors at Kellerman's Hotel and the Houseman family's cabin, before the film wrapped on October 27th.   Ardolino's first cut of the film would be completed in February 1987, and Vestron would begin the process of running a series of test screenings. At the first test screening, nearly 40% of the audience didn't realize there was an abortion subplot in the movie, even after completing the movie. A few weeks later, Vestron executives would screen the film for producer Aaron Russo, who had produced such movies as The Rose and Trading Places. His reaction to the film was to tell the executives to burn the negative and collect the insurance.   But, to be fair, one important element of the film was still not set.   The music.   Eleanor Bergstein had written into her script a number of songs that were popular in the early 1960s, when the movie was set, that she felt the final film needed. Except a number of the songs were a bit more expensive to license than Vestron would have preferred. The company was testing the film with different versions of those songs, other artists' renditions. The writer, with the support of her producer and director, fought back. She made a deal with the Vestron executives. They would play her the master tracks to ten of the songs she wanted, as well as the copycat versions. If she could identify six of the masters, she could have all ten songs in the film.   Vestron would spend another half a million dollars licensing the original recording.    The writer nailed all ten.   But even then, there was still one missing piece of the puzzle.   The closing song.   While Bergstein wanted another song to close the film, the team at Vestron were insistent on a new song that could be used to anchor a soundtrack album. The writer, producer, director and various members of the production team listened to dozens of submissions from songwriters, but none of them were right, until they got to literally the last submission left, written by Franke Previte, who had written another song that would appear on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, “Hungry Eyes.”   Everybody loved the song, called “I've Had the Time of My Life,” and it would take some time to convince Previte that Dirty Dancing was not a porno. They showed him the film and he agreed to give them the song, but the production team and Vestron wanted to get a pair of more famous singers to record the final version.   The filmmakers originally approached disco queen Donna Summer and Joe Esposito, whose song “You're the Best” appeared on the Karate Kid soundtrack, but Summer would decline, not liking the title of the movie. They would then approach Daryl Hall from Hall and Oates and Kim Carnes, but they'd both decline, citing concerns about the title of the movie. Then they approached Bill Medley, one-half of The Righteous Brothers, who had enjoyed yet another career resurgence when You Lost That Lovin' Feeling became a hit in 1986 thanks to Top Gun, but at first, he would also decline. Not that he had any concerns about the title of the film, although he did have concerns about the title, but that his wife was about to give birth to their daughter, and he had promised he would be there.   While trying to figure who to get to sing the male part of the song, the music supervisor for the film approached Jennifer Warnes, who had sung the duet “Up Where We Belong” from the An Officer and a Gentleman soundtrack, which had won the 1983 Academy Award for Best Original Song, and sang the song “It Goes Like It Goes” from the Norma Rae soundtrack, which had won the 1980 Academy Award for Best Original Song. Warnes wasn't thrilled with the song, but she would be persuaded to record the song for the right price… and if Bill Medley would sing the other part. Medley, flattered that Warnes asked specifically to record with him, said he would do so, after his daughter was born, and if the song was recorded in his studio in Los Angeles. A few weeks later, Medley and Warnes would have their portion of the song completed in only one hour, including additional harmonies and flourishes decided on after finishing with the main vocals.   With all the songs added to the movie, audience test scores improved considerably.   RCA Records, who had been contracted to handle the release of the soundtrack, would set a July 17th release date for the album, to coincide with the release of the movie on the same day, with the lead single, I've Had the Time of My Life, released one week earlier. But then, Vestron moved the movie back from July 17th to August 21st… and forgot to tell RCA Records about the move. No big deal. The song would quickly rise up the charts, eventually hitting #1 on the Billboard charts.   When the movie finally did open in 975 theatres in August 21st, the film would open to fourth place with $3.9m in ticket sales, behind Can't Buy Me Love in third place and in its second week of release, the Cheech Marin comedy Born in East L.A., which opened in second place, and Stakeout, which was enjoying its third week atop the charts.   The reviews were okay, but not special. Gene Siskel would give the film a begrudging Thumbs Up, citing Jennifer Grey's performance and her character's arc as the thing that tipped the scale into the positive, while Roger Ebert would give the film a Thumbs Down, due to its idiot plot and tired and relentlessly predictable story of love between kids from different backgrounds.   But then a funny thing happened…   Instead of appealing to the teenagers they thought would see the film, the majority of the audience ended up becoming adults. Not just twenty and thirty somethings, but people who were teenagers themselves during the movie's timeframe. They would be drawn in to the film through the newfound sense of boomer nostalgia that helped make Stand By Me an unexpected hit the year before, both as a movie and as a soundtrack.   Its second week in theatre would only see the gross drop 6%, and the film would finish in third place.   In week three, the four day Labor Day weekend, it would gross nearly $5m, and move up to second place. And it would continue to play and continue to bring audiences in, only dropping out of the top ten once in early November for one weekend, from August to December. Even with all the new movies entering the marketplace for Christmas, Dirty Dancing would be retained by most of the theatres that were playing it. In the first weekend of 1988, Dirty Dancing was still playing in 855 theaters, only 120 fewer than who opened it five months earlier. Once it did started leaving first run theatres, dollar houses were eager to pick it up, and Dirty Dancing would make another $6m in ticket sales as it continued to play until Christmas 1988 at some theatres, finishing its incredible run with $63.5m in ticket sales.   Yet, despite its ubiquitousness in American pop culture, despite the soundtrack selling more than ten million copies in its first year, despite the uptick in attendance at dance schools from coast to coast, Dirty Dancing never once was the #1 film in America on any weekend it was in theatres. There would always be at least one other movie that would do just a bit better.   When awards season came around, the movie was practically ignored by critics groups. It would pick up an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature, and both the movie and Jennifer Grey would be nominated for Golden Globes, but it would be that song, I've Had the Time of My Life, that would be the driver for awards love. It would win the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Original Song, and a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The song would anchor a soundtrack that would also include two other hit songs, Eric Carmen's “Hungry Eyes,” and “She's Like the Wind,” recorded for the movie by Patrick Swayze, making him the proto-Hugh Jackman of the 80s. I've seen Hugh Jackman do his one-man show at the Hollywood Bowl, and now I'm wishing Patrick Swayze could have had something like that thirty years ago.   On September 25th, they would release Abel Ferrera's Neo-noir romantic thriller China Girl. A modern adaptation of Romeo and Juliet written by regular Ferrera writer Nicholas St. John, the setting would be New York City's Lower East Side, when Tony, a teenager from Little Italy, falls for Tye, a teenager from Chinatown, as their older brothers vie for turf in a vicious gang war. While the stars of the film, Richard Panebianco and Sari Chang, would never become known actors, the supporting cast is as good as you'd expect from a post-Ms. .45 Ferrera film, including James Russo, Russell Wong, David Caruso and James Hong.   The $3.5m movie would open on 110 screens, including 70 in New York ti-state region and 18 in Los Angeles, grossing $531k. After a second weekend, where the gross dropped to $225k, Vestron would stop tracking the film, with a final reported gross of just $1.26m coming from a stockholder's report in early 1988.   Ironically, China Girl would open against another movie that Vestron had a hand in financing, but would not release in America: Rob Reiner's The Princess Bride. While the film would do okay in America, grossing $30m against its $15m, it wouldn't translate so easily to foreign markets.   Anna, from first time Polish filmmaker Yurek Bogayevicz, was an oddball little film from the start. The story, co-written with the legendary Polish writer/director Agnieszka Holland, was based on the real-life friendship of Polish actresses Joanna (Yo-ahn-nuh) Pacuła (Pa-tsu-wa) and Elżbieta (Elz-be-et-ah) Czyżewska (Chuh-zef-ska), and would find Czech supermodel Paulina Porizkova making her feature acting debut as Krystyna, an aspiring actress from Czechoslovakia who goes to New York City to find her idol, Anna, who had been imprisoned and then deported for speaking out against the new regime after the 1968 Communist invasion. Nearly twenty years later, the middle-aged Anna struggles to land any acting parts, in films, on television, or on the stage, who relishes the attention of this beautiful young waif who reminds her of herself back then.   Sally Kirkland, an American actress who got her start as part of Andy Warhol's Factory in the early 60s but could never break out of playing supporting roles in movies like The Way We Were, The Sting, A Star is Born, and Private Benjamin, would be cast as the faded Czech star whose life seemed to unintentionally mirror the actress's. Future Snakes on a Plane director David R. Ellis would be featured in a small supporting role, as would the then sixteen year old Sofia Coppola.   The $1m movie would shoot on location in New York City during the winter of late 1986 and early 1987, and would make its world premiere at the 1987 New York Film Festival in September, before opening at the 68th Street Playhouse on the Upper East Side on October 30th. Critics such as Bruce Williamson of Playboy, Molly Haskell of Vogue and Jami Bernard of the New York Post would sing the praises of the movie, and of Paulina Porizkova, but it would be Sally Kirkland whom practically every critic would gush over. “A performance of depth and clarity and power, easily one of the strongest female roles of the year,” wrote Mike McGrady of Newsday. Janet Maslim wasn't as impressed with the film as most critics, but she would note Ms. Kirkland's immensely dignified presence in the title role.   New York audiences responded well to the critical acclaim, buying more than $22,000 worth of tickets, often playing to sell out crowds for the afternoon and evening shows. In its second week, the film would see its gross increase 12%, and another 3% increase in its third week. Meanwhile, on November 13th, the film would open in Los Angeles at the AMC Century City 14, where it would bring in an additional $10,000, thanks in part to Sheila Benson's rave in the Los Angeles Times, calling the film “the best kind of surprise — a small, frequently funny, fine-boned film set in the worlds of the theater and movies which unexpectedly becomes a consummate study of love, alienation and loss,” while praising Kirkland's performance as a “blazing comet.”   Kirkland would make the rounds on the awards circuit, winning Best Actress awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the Golden Globes, and the Independent Spirit Awards, culminating in an Academy Award nomination, although she would lose to Cher in Moonstruck.   But despite all these rave reviews and the early support for the film in New York and Los Angeles, the film got little traction outside these two major cities. Despite playing in theatres for nearly six months, Anna could only round up about $1.2m in ticket sales.   Vestron's penultimate new film of 1987 would be a movie that when it was shot in Namibia in late 1986 was titled Peacekeeper, then was changed to Desert Warrior when it was acquired by Jerry Weintraub's eponymously named distribution company, then saw it renamed again to Steel Dawn when Vestron overpaid to acquire the film from Weintraub, because they wanted the next film starring Patrick Swayze for themselves.   Swayze plays, and stop me if you've heard this one before, a warrior wandering through a post-apocalyptic desert who comes upon a group of settlers who are being menaced by the leader of a murderous gang who's after the water they control. Lisa Niemi, also known as Mrs. Patrick Swayze, would be his romantic interest in the film, which would also star AnthonY Zerbe, Brian James, and, in one of his very first acting roles, future Mummy co-star Arnold Vosloo.   The film would open to horrible reviews, and gross just $312k in 290 theatres. For comparison's sake, Dirty Dancing was in its eleventh week of release, was still playing 878 theatres, and would gross $1.7m. In its second week, Steel Dawn had lost nearly two thirds of its theatres, grossing only $60k from 107 theatres. After its third weekend, Vestron stopped reporting grosses. The film had only earned $562k in ticket sales.   And their final release for 1987 would be one of the most prestigious titles they'd ever be involved with. The Dead, based on a short story by James Joyce, would be the 37th and final film to be directed by John Huston. His son Tony would adapt the screenplay, while his daughter Anjelica, whom he had directed to a Best Supporting Actress Oscar two years earlier for Prizzi's Honor, would star as the matriarch of an Irish family circa 1904 whose husband discovers memoirs of a deceased lover of his wife's, an affair that preceded their meeting.   Originally scheduled to shoot in Dublin, Ireland, The Dead would end up being shot on soundstages in Valencia, CA, just north of Los Angeles, as the eighty year old filmmaker was in ill health. Huston, who was suffering from severe emphysema due to decades of smoking, would use video playback for the first and only time in his career in order to call the action, whirling around from set to set in a motorized wheelchair with an oxygen tank attached to it. In fact, the company insuring the film required the producers to have a backup director on set, just in case Huston was unable to continue to make the film. That stand-in was Czech-born British filmmaker Karel Reisz, who never once had to stand-in during the entire shoot.   One Huston who didn't work on the film was Danny Huston, who was supposed to shoot some second unit footage for the film in Dublin for his father, who could not make any trips overseas, as well as a documentary about the making of the film, but for whatever reason, Danny Huston would end up not doing either.   John Huston would turn in his final cut of the film to Vestron in July 1987, and would pass away in late August, a good four months before the film's scheduled release. He would live to see some of the best reviews of his entire career when the film was released on December 18th. At six theatres in Los Angeles and New York City, The Dead would earn $69k in its first three days during what was an amazing opening weekend for a number of movies. The Dead would open against exclusive runs of Broadcast News, Ironweed, Moonstruck and the newest Woody Allen film, September, as well as wide releases of Eddie Murphy: Raw, Batteries Not Included, Overboard, and the infamous Bill Cosby stinker Leonard Part 6.   The film would win the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Picture of the year, John Huston would win the Spirit Award and the London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director, Anjelica Huston would win a Spirit Award as well, for Best Supporting Actress, and Tony Huston would be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. But the little $3.5m film would only see modest returns at the box office, grossing just $4.4m after a four month run in theatres.   Vestron would also release two movies in 1987 through their genre Lightning Pictures label.   The first, Blood Diner, from writer/director Jackie Kong, was meant to be both a tribute and an indirect sequel to the infamous 1965 Herschell Gordon Lewis movie Blood Feast, often considered to be the first splatter slasher film. Released on four screens in Baltimore on July 10th, the film would gross just $6,400 in its one tracked week. The film would get a second chance at life when it opened at the 8th Street Playhouse in New York City on September 4th, but after a $5,000 opening week gross there, the film would have to wait until it was released on home video to become a cult film.   The other Lightning Pictures release for 1987, Street Trash, would become one of the most infamous horror comedy films of the year. An expansion of a short student film by then nineteen year old Jim Muro, Street Trash told the twin stories of a Greenpoint, Brooklyn shop owner who sell a case of cheap, long-expired hooch to local hobos, who hideously melt away shortly after drinking it, while two homeless brothers try to deal with their situation as best they can while all this weirdness is going on about them.   After playing several weeks of midnight shows at the Waverly Theatre near Washington Square, Street Trash would open for a regular run at the 8th Street Playhouse on September 18th, one week after Blood Diner left the same theatre. However, Street Trash would not replace Blood Diner, which was kicked to the curb after one week, but another long forgotten movie, the Christopher Walken-starrer Deadline. Street Trash would do a bit better than Blood Diner, $9,000 in its first three days, enough to get the film a full two week run at the Playhouse. But its second week gross of $5,000 would not be enough to give it a longer playdate, or get another New York theatre to pick it up. The film would get other playdates, including one in my secondary hometown of Santa Cruz starting, ironically, on Thanksgiving Day, but the film would barely make $100k in its theatrical run.   While this would be the only film Jim Muro would direct, he would become an in demand cinematographer and Steadicam operator, working on such films as Field of Dreams, Dances with Wolves, Sneakers, L.A. Confidential, the first Fast and Furious movie, and on The Abyss, Terminator 2, True Lies and Titanic for James Cameron. And should you ever watch the film and sit through the credits, yes, it's that Bryan Singer who worked as a grip and production assistant on the film. It would be his very first film credit, which he worked on during a break from going to USC film school.   People who know me know I am not the biggest fan of horror films. I may have mentioned it once or twice on this podcast. But I have a soft spot for Troma Films and Troma-like films, and Street Trash is probably the best Troma movie not made or released by Troma. There's a reason why Lloyd Kaufman is not a fan of the movie. A number of people who have seen the movie think it is a Troma movie, not helped by the fact that a number of people who did work on The Toxic Avenger went to work on Street Trash afterwards, and some even tell Lloyd at conventions that Street Trash is their favorite Troma movie. It's looks like a Troma movie. It feels like a Troma movie. And to be honest, at least to me, that's one hell of a compliment. It's one of the reasons I even went to see Street Trash, the favorable comparison to Troma. And while I, for lack of a better word, enjoyed Street Trash when I saw it, as much as one can say they enjoyed a movie where a bunch of bums playing hot potato with a man's severed Johnson is a major set piece, but I've never really felt the need to watch it again over the past thirty-five years.   Like several of the movies on this episode, Street Trash is not available for streaming on any service in the United States. And outside of Dirty Dancing, the ones you can stream, China Girl, Personal Services, Slaughter High and Steel Dawn, are mostly available for free with ads on Tubi, which made a huge splash last week with a confounding Super Bowl commercial that sent millions of people to figure what a Tubi was.   Now, if you were counting, that was only nine films released in 1987, and not the eighteen they had promised at the start of the year. Despite the fact they had a smash hit in Dirty Dancing, they decided to push most of their planned 1987 movies to 1988. Not necessarily by choice, though. Many of the films just weren't ready in time for a 1987 release, and then the unexpected long term success of Dirty Dancing kept them occupied for most of the rest of the year. But that only meant that 1988 would be a stellar year for them, right?   We'll find out next episode, when we continue the Vestron Pictures story.   Thank you for joining us. We'll talk again next week.   Remember to visit this episode's page on our website, The80sMoviePodcast.com, for extra materials about the movies we covered this episode.   The 80s Movies Podcast has been researched, written, narrated and edited by Edward Havens for Idiosyncratic Entertainment.   Thank you again.   Good night.

The first of a two-part series on the short-lived 80s American distribution company responsible for Dirty Dancing. ----more---- The movies covered on this episode: Alpine (1987, Fredi M. Murer) Anna (1987, Yurek Bogayevicz) Billy Galvin (1986, John Grey) Blood Diner (1987, Jackie Kong) China Girl (1987, Abel Ferrera) The Dead (1987, John Huston) Dirty Dancing (1987, Emile Ardolino) Malcolm (1986, Nadia Tess) Personal Services (1987, Terry Jones) Slaughter High (1986, Mark Ezra and Peter Litten and George Dugdale) Steel Dawn (1987, Lance Hook) Street Trash (1987, Jim Muro)   TRANSCRIPT From Los Angeles, California, the Entertainment Capital of the World, it's The 80s Movies Podcast. I am your host, Edward Havens. Thank you for listening today.   Have you ever thought “I should do this thing” but then you never get around to it, until something completely random happens that reminds you that you were going to do this thing a long time ago?   For this week's episode, that kick in the keister was a post on Twitter from someone I don't follow being retweeted by the great film critic and essayist Walter Chaw, someone I do follow, that showed a Blu-ray cover of the 1987 Walter Hill film Extreme Prejudice. You see, Walter Chaw has recently released a book about the life and career of Walter Hill, and this other person was showing off their new purchase. That in and of itself wasn't the kick in the butt.   That was the logo of the disc's distributor.   Vestron Video.   A company that went out of business more than thirty years before, that unbeknownst to me had been resurrected by the current owner of the trademark, Lionsgate Films, as a specialty label for a certain kind of film like Ken Russell's Gothic, Beyond Re-Animator, CHUD 2, and, for some reason, Walter Hill's Neo-Western featuring Nick Nolte, Powers Boothe and Rip Torn. For those of you from the 80s, you remember at least one of Vestron Pictures' movies. I guarantee it.   But before we get there, we, as always, must go back a little further back in time.   The year is 1981. Time Magazine is amongst the most popular magazines in the world, while their sister publication, Life, was renowned for their stunning photographs printed on glossy color paper of a larger size than most magazines. In the late 1970s, Time-Life added a video production and distribution company to ever-growing media empire that also included television stations, cable channels, book clubs, and compilation record box sets. But Time Life Home Video didn't quite take off the way the company had expected, and they decided to concentrate its lucrative cable businesses like HBO. The company would move Austin Furst, an executive from HBO, over to dismantle the assets of Time-Life Films. And while Furst would sell off the production and distribution parts of the company to Fox, and the television department to Columbia Pictures, he couldn't find a party interested in the home video department. Recognizing that home video was an emerging market that would need a visionary like himself willing to take big risks for the chance to have big rewards, Furst purchased the home video rights to the film and video library for himself, starting up his home entertainment company.   But what to call the company?   It would be his daughter that would come up with Vestron, a portmanteau of combining the name of the Roman goddess of the heart, Vesta, with Tron, the Greek word for instrument. Remember, the movie Tron would not be released for another year at this point.   At first, there were only two employees at Vestron: Furst himself, and Jon Pesinger, a fellow executive at Time-Life who, not unlike Dorothy Boyd in Jerry Maguire, was the only person who saw Furst's long-term vision for the future.   Outside of the titles they brought with them from Time-Life, Vestron's initial release of home video titles comprised of two mid-range movie hits where they were able to snag the home video rights instead of the companies that released the movies in theatres, either because those companies did not have a home video operation yet, or did not negotiate for home video rights when making the movie deal with the producers. Fort Apache, The Bronx, a crime drama with Paul Newman and Ed Asner, and Loving Couples, a Shirley MacLaine/James Coburn romantic comedy that was neither romantic nor comedic, were Time-Life productions, while the Burt Reynolds/Dom DeLuise comedy The Cannonball Run, was a pickup from the Hong Kong production company Golden Harvest, which financed the comedy to help break their local star, Jackie Chan, into the American market. They'd also make a deal with several Canadian production companies to get the American home video rights to titles like the Jack Lemmon drama Tribute and the George C. Scott horror film The Changeling.   The advantage that Vestron had over the major studios was their outlook on the mom and pop rental stores that were popping up in every city and town in the United States. The major studios hated the idea that they could sell a videotape for, say, $99.99, and then see someone else make a major profit by renting that tape out fifty or a hundred times at $4 or $5 per night. Of course, they would eventually see the light, but in 1982, they weren't there yet.   Now, let me sidetrack for a moment, as I am wont to do, to talk about mom and pop video stores in the early 1980s. If you're younger than, say, forty, you probably only know Blockbuster and/or Hollywood Video as your local video rental store, but in the early 80s, there were no national video store chains yet. The first Blockbuster wouldn't open until October 1985, in Dallas, and your neighborhood likely didn't get one until the late 1980s or early 1990s. The first video store I ever encountered, Telford Home Video in Belmont Shores, Long Beach in 1981, was operated by Bob Telford, an actor best known for playing the Station Master in both the original 1974 version of Where the Red Fern Grows and its 2003 remake. Bob was really cool, and I don't think it was just because the space for the video store was just below my dad's office in the real estate company that had built and operated the building. He genuinely took interest in this weird thirteen year old kid who had an encyclopedic knowledge of films and wanted to learn more. I wanted to watch every movie he had in the store that I hadn't seen yet, but there was one problem: we had a VHS machine, and most of Bob's inventory was RCA SelectaVision, a disc-based playback system using a special stylus and a groove-covered disc much like an LP record. After school each day, I'd hightail it over to Telford Home Video, and Bob and I would watch a movie while we waited for customers to come rent something. It was with Bob that I would watch Ordinary People and The Magnificent Seven, The Elephant Man and The Last Waltz, Bus Stop and Rebel Without a Cause and The French Connection and The Man Who Fell to Earth and a bunch of other movies that weren't yet available on VHS, and it was great.   Like many teenagers in the early 1980s, I spent some time working at a mom and pop video store, Seacliff Home Video in Aptos, CA. I worked on the weekends, it was a third of a mile walk from home, and even though I was only 16 years old at the time, my bosses would, every week, solicit my opinion about which upcoming videos we should acquire. Because, like Telford Home Video and Village Home Video, where my friends Dick and Michelle worked about two miles away, and most every video store at the time, space was extremely limited and there was only space for so many titles. Telford Home Video was about 500 square feet and had maybe 500 titles. Seacliff was about 750 square feet and around 800 titles, including about 50 in the tiny, curtained off room created to hold the porn. And the first location for Village Home Video had only 300 square feet of space and only 250 titles. The owner, Leone Keller, confirmed to me that until they moved into a larger location across from the original store, they were able to rent out every movie in the store every night.    For many, a store owner had to be very careful about what they ordered and what they replaced. But Vestron Home Video always seemed to have some of the better movies. Because of a spat between Warner Brothers and Orion Pictures, Vestron would end up with most of Orion's 1983 through 1985 theatrical releases, including Rodney Dangerfield's Easy Money, the Nick Nolte political thriller Under Fire, the William Hurt mystery Gorky Park, and Gene Wilder's The Woman in Red. They'd also make a deal with Roger Corman's old American Independent Pictures outfit, which would reap an unexpected bounty when George Miller's second Mad Max movie, The Road Warrior, became a surprise hit in 1982, and Vestron was holding the video rights to the first Mad Max movie. And they'd also find themselves with the laserdisc rights to several Brian DePalma movies including Dressed to Kill and Blow Out. And after Polygram Films decided to leave the movie business in 1984, they would sell the home video rights to An American Werewolf in London and Endless Love to Vestron.   They were doing pretty good.   And in 1984, Vestron ended up changing the home video industry forever.   When Michael Jackson and John Landis had trouble with Jackson's record company, Epic, getting their idea for a 14 minute short film built around the title song to Jackson's monster album Thriller financed, Vestron would put up a good portion of the nearly million dollar budget in order to release the movie on home video, after it played for a few weeks on MTV. In February 1984, Vestron would release a one-hour tape, The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller, that included the mini-movie and a 45 minute Making of featurette. At $29.99, it would be one of the first sell-through titles released on home video.   It would become the second home videotape to sell a million copies, after Star Wars.   Suddenly, Vestron was flush with more cash than it knew what to do with.   In 1985, they would decide to expand their entertainment footprint by opening Vestron Pictures, which would finance a number of movies that could be exploited across a number of platforms, including theatrical, home video, cable and syndicated TV. In early January 1986, Vestron would announce they were pursuing projects with three producers, Steve Tisch, Larry Turman, and Gene Kirkwood, but no details on any specific titles or even a timeframe when any of those movies would be made.   Tisch, the son of Loews Entertainment co-owner Bob Tisch, had started producing films in 1977 with the Peter Fonda music drama Outlaw Blues, and had a big hit in 1983 with Risky Business. Turman, the Oscar-nominated producer of Mike Nichols' The Graduate, and Kirkwood, the producer of The Keep and The Pope of Greenwich Village, had seen better days as producers by 1986 but their names still carried a certain cache in Hollywood, and the announcement would certainly let the industry know Vestron was serious about making quality movies.   Well, maybe not all quality movies. They would also launch a sub-label for Vestron Pictures called Lightning Pictures, which would be utilized on B-movies and schlock that maybe wouldn't fit in the Vestron Pictures brand name they were trying to build.   But it costs money to build a movie production and theatrical distribution company.   Lots of money.   Thanks to the ever-growing roster of video titles and the success of releases like Thriller, Vestron would go public in the spring of 1985, selling enough shares on the first day of trading to bring in $440m to the company, $140m than they thought they would sell that day.   It would take them a while, but in 1986, they would start production on their first slate of films, as well as acquire several foreign titles for American distribution.   Vestron Pictures officially entered the theatrical distribution game on July 18th, 1986, when they released the Australian comedy Malcolm at the Cinema 2 on the Upper East Side of New York City. A modern attempt to create the Aussie version of a Jacques Tati-like absurdist comedy about modern life and our dependance on gadgetry, Malcolm follows, as one character describes him a 100 percent not there individual who is tricked into using some of his remote control inventions to pull of a bank robbery. While the film would be a minor hit in Australia, winning all eight of the Australian Film Institute Awards it was nominated for including Best Picture, Director, Screenplay and three acting awards, the film would only play for five weeks in New York, grossing less than $35,000, and would not open in Los Angeles until November 5th, where in its first week at the Cineplex Beverly Center and Samuel Goldwyn Pavilion Cinemas, it would gross a combined $37,000. Go figure.   Malcolm would open in a few more major markets, but Vestron would close the film at the end of the year with a gross under $200,000.   Their next film, Slaughter High, was a rather odd bird. A co-production between American and British-based production companies, the film followed a group of adults responsible for a prank gone wrong on April Fool's Day who are invited to a reunion at their defunct high school where a masked killer awaits inside.   And although the movie takes place in America, the film was shot in London and nearby Virginia Water, Surrey, in late 1984, under the title April Fool's Day. But even with Caroline Munro, the British sex symbol who had become a cult favorite with her appearances in a series of sci-fi and Hammer horror films with Peter Cushing and/or Christopher Lee, as well as her work in the Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, April Fool's Day would sit on the proverbial shelf for nearly two years, until Vestron picked it up and changed its title, since Paramount Pictures had released their own horror film called April Fools Day earlier in the year.   Vestron would open Slaughter High on nine screens in Detroit on November 14th, 1986, but Vestron would not report grosses. Then they would open it on six screen in St. Louis on February 13th, 1987. At least this time they reported a gross. $12,400. Variety would simply call that number “grim.” They'd give the film one final rush on April 24th, sending it out to 38 screens in in New York City, where it would gross $90,000. There'd be no second week, as practically every theatre would replace it with Creepshow 2.   The third and final Vestron Pictures release for 1986 was Billy Galvin, a little remembered family drama featuring Karl Malden and Lenny von Dohlen, originally produced for the PBS anthology series American Playhouse but bumped up to a feature film as part of coordinated effort to promote the show by occasionally releasing feature films bearing the American Playhouse banner.   The film would open at the Cineplex Beverly Center on December 31st, not only the last day of the calendar year but the last day a film can be released into theatres in Los Angeles to have been considered for Academy Awards. The film would not get any major awards, from the Academy or anyone else, nor much attention from audiences, grossing just $4,000 in its first five days. They'd give the film a chance in New York on February 20th, at the 23rd Street West Triplex, but a $2,000 opening weekend gross would doom the film from ever opening in another theatre again.   In early 1987, Vestron announced eighteen films they would release during the year, and a partnership with AMC Theatres and General Cinema to have their films featured in those two companies' pilot specialized film programs in major markets like Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston and San Francisco.   Alpine Fire would be the first of those films, arriving at the Cinema Studio 1 in New York City on February 20th. A Swiss drama about a young deaf and mentally challenged teenager who gets his older sister pregnant, was that country's entry into the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar race. While the film would win the Golden Leopard Award at the 1985 Locarno Film Festival, the Academy would not select the film for a nomination, and the film would quickly disappear from theatres after a $2,000 opening weekend gross.   Personal Services, the first film to be directed by Terry Jones outside of his services with Monty Python, would arrive in American theatres on May 15th. The only Jones-directed film to not feature any other Python in the cast, Personal Services was a thinly-disguised telling of a 1970s—era London waitress who was running a brothel in her flat in order to make ends meet, and featured a standout performance by Julie Walters as the waitress turned madame. In England, Personal Services would be the second highest-grossing film of the year, behind The Living Daylights, the first Bond film featuring new 007 Timothy Dalton. In America, the film wouldn't be quite as successful, grossing $1.75m after 33 weeks in theatres, despite never playing on more than 31 screens in any given week.   It would be another three months before Vestron would release their second movie of the year, but it would be the one they'd become famous for.   Dirty Dancing.   Based in large part on screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein's own childhood, the screenplay would be written after the producers of the 1980 Michael Douglas/Jill Clayburgh dramedy It's My Turn asked the writer to remove a scene from the screenplay that involved an erotic dance sequence. She would take that scene and use it as a jumping off point for a new story about a Jewish teenager in the early 1960s who participated in secret “Dirty Dancing” competitions while she vacationed with her doctor father and stay-at-home mother while they vacationed in the Catskill Mountains. Baby, the young woman at the center of the story, would not only resemble the screenwriter as a character but share her childhood nickname.   Bergstein would pitch the story to every studio in Hollywood in 1984, and only get a nibble from MGM Pictures, whose name was synonymous with big-budget musicals decades before. They would option the screenplay and assign producer Linda Gottlieb, a veteran television producer making her first major foray into feature films, to the project. With Gottlieb, Bergstein would head back to the Catskills for the first time in two decades, as research for the script. It was while on this trip that the pair would meet Michael Terrace, a former Broadway dancer who had spent summers in the early 1960s teaching tourists how to mambo in the Catskills. Terrace and Bergstein didn't remember each other if they had met way back when, but his stories would help inform the lead male character of Johnny Castle.   But, as regularly happens in Hollywood, there was a regime change at MGM in late 1985, and one of the projects the new bosses cut loose was Dirty Dancing. Once again, the script would make the rounds in Hollywood, but nobody was biting… until Vestron Pictures got their chance to read it.   They loved it, and were ready to make it their first in-house production… but they would make the movie if the budget could be cut from $10m to $4.5m. That would mean some sacrifices. They wouldn't be able to hire a major director, nor bigger name actors, but that would end up being a blessing in disguise.   To direct, Gottlieb and Bergstein looked at a lot of up and coming feature directors, but the one person they had the best feeling about was Emile Ardolino, a former actor off-Broadway in the 1960s who began his filmmaking career as a documentarian for PBS in the 1970s. In 1983, Ardolino's documentary about National Dance Institute founder Jacques d'Amboise, He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin', would win both the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and the Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Entertainment Special.   Although Ardolino had never directed a movie, he would read the script twice in a week while serving on jury duty, and came back to Gottlieb and Bergstein with a number of ideas to help make the movie shine, even at half the budget.   For a movie about dancing, with a lot of dancing in it, they would need a creative choreographer to help train the actors and design the sequences. The filmmakers would chose Kenny Ortega, who in addition to choreographing the dance scenes in Pretty in Pink and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, had worked with Gene Kelly on the 1980 musical Xanadu. Well, more specifically, was molded by Gene Kelly to become the lead choreographer for the film. That's some good credentials.   Unlike movies like Flashdance, where the filmmakers would hire Jennifer Beals to play Alex and Marine Jahan to perform Alex's dance scenes, Emile Ardolino was insistent that the actors playing the dancers were actors who also dance. Having stand-ins would take extra time to set-up, and would suck up a portion of an already tight budget. Yet the first people he would meet for the lead role of Johnny were non-dancers Benecio del Toro, Val Kilmer, and Billy Zane. Zane would go so far as to do a screen test with one of the actresses being considered for the role of Baby, Jennifer Grey, but after screening the test, they realized Grey was right for Baby but Zane was not right for Johnny.   Someone suggested Patrick Swayze, a former dancer for the prestigious Joffrey Ballet who was making his way up the ranks of stardom thanks to his roles in The Outsiders and Grandview U.S.A. But Swayze had suffered a knee injury years before that put his dance career on hold, and there were concerns he would re-aggravate his injury, and there were concerns from Jennifer Grey because she and Swayze had not gotten along very well while working on Red Dawn. But that had been three years earlier, and when they screen tested together here, everyone was convinced this was the pairing that would bring magic to the role.   Baby's parents would be played by two Broadway veterans: Jerry Orbach, who is best known today as Detective Lenny Briscoe on Law and Order, and Kelly Bishop, who is best known today as Emily Gilmore from Gilmore Girls but had actually started out as a dancer, singer and actor, winning a Tony Award for her role in the original Broadway production of A Chorus Line. Although Bishop had originally been cast in a different role for the movie, another guest at the Catskills resort with the Housemans, but she would be bumped up when the original Mrs. Houseman, Lynne Lipton, would fall ill during the first week of filming.   Filming on Dirty Dancing would begin in North Carolina on September 5th, 1986, at a former Boy Scout camp that had been converted to a private residential community. This is where many of the iconic scenes from the film would be shot, including Baby carrying the watermelon and practicing her dance steps on the stairs, all the interior dance scenes, the log scene, and the golf course scene where Baby would ask her father for $250. It's also where Patrick Swayze almost ended his role in the film, when he would indeed re-injure his knee during the balancing scene on the log. He would be rushed to the hospital to have fluid drained from the swelling. Thankfully, there would be no lingering effects once he was released.   After filming in North Carolina was completed, the team would move to Virginia for two more weeks of filming, including the water lift scene, exteriors at Kellerman's Hotel and the Houseman family's cabin, before the film wrapped on October 27th.   Ardolino's first cut of the film would be completed in February 1987, and Vestron would begin the process of running a series of test screenings. At the first test screening, nearly 40% of the audience didn't realize there was an abortion subplot in the movie, even after completing the movie. A few weeks later, Vestron executives would screen the film for producer Aaron Russo, who had produced such movies as The Rose and Trading Places. His reaction to the film was to tell the executives to burn the negative and collect the insurance.   But, to be fair, one important element of the film was still not set.   The music.   Eleanor Bergstein had written into her script a number of songs that were popular in the early 1960s, when the movie was set, that she felt the final film needed. Except a number of the songs were a bit more expensive to license than Vestron would have preferred. The company was testing the film with different versions of those songs, other artists' renditions. The writer, with the support of her producer and director, fought back. She made a deal with the Vestron executives. They would play her the master tracks to ten of the songs she wanted, as well as the copycat versions. If she could identify six of the masters, she could have all ten songs in the film.   Vestron would spend another half a million dollars licensing the original recording.    The writer nailed all ten.   But even then, there was still one missing piece of the puzzle.   The closing song.   While Bergstein wanted another song to close the film, the team at Vestron were insistent on a new song that could be used to anchor a soundtrack album. The writer, producer, director and various members of the production team listened to dozens of submissions from songwriters, but none of them were right, until they got to literally the last submission left, written by Franke Previte, who had written another song that would appear on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, “Hungry Eyes.”   Everybody loved the song, called “I've Had the Time of My Life,” and it would take some time to convince Previte that Dirty Dancing was not a porno. They showed him the film and he agreed to give them the song, but the production team and Vestron wanted to get a pair of more famous singers to record the final version.   The filmmakers originally approached disco queen Donna Summer and Joe Esposito, whose song “You're the Best” appeared on the Karate Kid soundtrack, but Summer would decline, not liking the title of the movie. They would then approach Daryl Hall from Hall and Oates and Kim Carnes, but they'd both decline, citing concerns about the title of the movie. Then they approached Bill Medley, one-half of The Righteous Brothers, who had enjoyed yet another career resurgence when You Lost That Lovin' Feeling became a hit in 1986 thanks to Top Gun, but at first, he would also decline. Not that he had any concerns about the title of the film, although he did have concerns about the title, but that his wife was about to give birth to their daughter, and he had promised he would be there.   While trying to figure who to get to sing the male part of the song, the music supervisor for the film approached Jennifer Warnes, who had sung the duet “Up Where We Belong” from the An Officer and a Gentleman soundtrack, which had won the 1983 Academy Award for Best Original Song, and sang the song “It Goes Like It Goes” from the Norma Rae soundtrack, which had won the 1980 Academy Award for Best Original Song. Warnes wasn't thrilled with the song, but she would be persuaded to record the song for the right price… and if Bill Medley would sing the other part. Medley, flattered that Warnes asked specifically to record with him, said he would do so, after his daughter was born, and if the song was recorded in his studio in Los Angeles. A few weeks later, Medley and Warnes would have their portion of the song completed in only one hour, including additional harmonies and flourishes decided on after finishing with the main vocals.   With all the songs added to the movie, audience test scores improved considerably.   RCA Records, who had been contracted to handle the release of the soundtrack, would set a July 17th release date for the album, to coincide with the release of the movie on the same day, with the lead single, I've Had the Time of My Life, released one week earlier. But then, Vestron moved the movie back from July 17th to August 21st… and forgot to tell RCA Records about the move. No big deal. The song would quickly rise up the charts, eventually hitting #1 on the Billboard charts.   When the movie finally did open in 975 theatres in August 21st, the film would open to fourth place with $3.9m in ticket sales, behind Can't Buy Me Love in third place and in its second week of release, the Cheech Marin comedy Born in East L.A., which opened in second place, and Stakeout, which was enjoying its third week atop the charts.   The reviews were okay, but not special. Gene Siskel would give the film a begrudging Thumbs Up, citing Jennifer Grey's performance and her character's arc as the thing that tipped the scale into the positive, while Roger Ebert would give the film a Thumbs Down, due to its idiot plot and tired and relentlessly predictable story of love between kids from different backgrounds.   But then a funny thing happened…   Instead of appealing to the teenagers they thought would see the film, the majority of the audience ended up becoming adults. Not just twenty and thirty somethings, but people who were teenagers themselves during the movie's timeframe. They would be drawn in to the film through the newfound sense of boomer nostalgia that helped make Stand By Me an unexpected hit the year before, both as a movie and as a soundtrack.   Its second week in theatre would only see the gross drop 6%, and the film would finish in third place.   In week three, the four day Labor Day weekend, it would gross nearly $5m, and move up to second place. And it would continue to play and continue to bring audiences in, only dropping out of the top ten once in early November for one weekend, from August to December. Even with all the new movies entering the marketplace for Christmas, Dirty Dancing would be retained by most of the theatres that were playing it. In the first weekend of 1988, Dirty Dancing was still playing in 855 theaters, only 120 fewer than who opened it five months earlier. Once it did started leaving first run theatres, dollar houses were eager to pick it up, and Dirty Dancing would make another $6m in ticket sales as it continued to play until Christmas 1988 at some theatres, finishing its incredible run with $63.5m in ticket sales.   Yet, despite its ubiquitousness in American pop culture, despite the soundtrack selling more than ten million copies in its first year, despite the uptick in attendance at dance schools from coast to coast, Dirty Dancing never once was the #1 film in America on any weekend it was in theatres. There would always be at least one other movie that would do just a bit better.   When awards season came around, the movie was practically ignored by critics groups. It would pick up an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature, and both the movie and Jennifer Grey would be nominated for Golden Globes, but it would be that song, I've Had the Time of My Life, that would be the driver for awards love. It would win the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Original Song, and a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The song would anchor a soundtrack that would also include two other hit songs, Eric Carmen's “Hungry Eyes,” and “She's Like the Wind,” recorded for the movie by Patrick Swayze, making him the proto-Hugh Jackman of the 80s. I've seen Hugh Jackman do his one-man show at the Hollywood Bowl, and now I'm wishing Patrick Swayze could have had something like that thirty years ago.   On September 25th, they would release Abel Ferrera's Neo-noir romantic thriller China Girl. A modern adaptation of Romeo and Juliet written by regular Ferrera writer Nicholas St. John, the setting would be New York City's Lower East Side, when Tony, a teenager from Little Italy, falls for Tye, a teenager from Chinatown, as their older brothers vie for turf in a vicious gang war. While the stars of the film, Richard Panebianco and Sari Chang, would never become known actors, the supporting cast is as good as you'd expect from a post-Ms. .45 Ferrera film, including James Russo, Russell Wong, David Caruso and James Hong.   The $3.5m movie would open on 110 screens, including 70 in New York ti-state region and 18 in Los Angeles, grossing $531k. After a second weekend, where the gross dropped to $225k, Vestron would stop tracking the film, with a final reported gross of just $1.26m coming from a stockholder's report in early 1988.   Ironically, China Girl would open against another movie that Vestron had a hand in financing, but would not release in America: Rob Reiner's The Princess Bride. While the film would do okay in America, grossing $30m against its $15m, it wouldn't translate so easily to foreign markets.   Anna, from first time Polish filmmaker Yurek Bogayevicz, was an oddball little film from the start. The story, co-written with the legendary Polish writer/director Agnieszka Holland, was based on the real-life friendship of Polish actresses Joanna (Yo-ahn-nuh) Pacuła (Pa-tsu-wa) and Elżbieta (Elz-be-et-ah) Czyżewska (Chuh-zef-ska), and would find Czech supermodel Paulina Porizkova making her feature acting debut as Krystyna, an aspiring actress from Czechoslovakia who goes to New York City to find her idol, Anna, who had been imprisoned and then deported for speaking out against the new regime after the 1968 Communist invasion. Nearly twenty years later, the middle-aged Anna struggles to land any acting parts, in films, on television, or on the stage, who relishes the attention of this beautiful young waif who reminds her of herself back then.   Sally Kirkland, an American actress who got her start as part of Andy Warhol's Factory in the early 60s but could never break out of playing supporting roles in movies like The Way We Were, The Sting, A Star is Born, and Private Benjamin, would be cast as the faded Czech star whose life seemed to unintentionally mirror the actress's. Future Snakes on a Plane director David R. Ellis would be featured in a small supporting role, as would the then sixteen year old Sofia Coppola.   The $1m movie would shoot on location in New York City during the winter of late 1986 and early 1987, and would make its world premiere at the 1987 New York Film Festival in September, before opening at the 68th Street Playhouse on the Upper East Side on October 30th. Critics such as Bruce Williamson of Playboy, Molly Haskell of Vogue and Jami Bernard of the New York Post would sing the praises of the movie, and of Paulina Porizkova, but it would be Sally Kirkland whom practically every critic would gush over. “A performance of depth and clarity and power, easily one of the strongest female roles of the year,” wrote Mike McGrady of Newsday. Janet Maslim wasn't as impressed with the film as most critics, but she would note Ms. Kirkland's immensely dignified presence in the title role.   New York audiences responded well to the critical acclaim, buying more than $22,000 worth of tickets, often playing to sell out crowds for the afternoon and evening shows. In its second week, the film would see its gross increase 12%, and another 3% increase in its third week. Meanwhile, on November 13th, the film would open in Los Angeles at the AMC Century City 14, where it would bring in an additional $10,000, thanks in part to Sheila Benson's rave in the Los Angeles Times, calling the film “the best kind of surprise — a small, frequently funny, fine-boned film set in the worlds of the theater and movies which unexpectedly becomes a consummate study of love, alienation and loss,” while praising Kirkland's performance as a “blazing comet.”   Kirkland would make the rounds on the awards circuit, winning Best Actress awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the Golden Globes, and the Independent Spirit Awards, culminating in an Academy Award nomination, although she would lose to Cher in Moonstruck.   But despite all these rave reviews and the early support for the film in New York and Los Angeles, the film got little traction outside these two major cities. Despite playing in theatres for nearly six months, Anna could only round up about $1.2m in ticket sales.   Vestron's penultimate new film of 1987 would be a movie that when it was shot in Namibia in late 1986 was titled Peacekeeper, then was changed to Desert Warrior when it was acquired by Jerry Weintraub's eponymously named distribution company, then saw it renamed again to Steel Dawn when Vestron overpaid to acquire the film from Weintraub, because they wanted the next film starring Patrick Swayze for themselves.   Swayze plays, and stop me if you've heard this one before, a warrior wandering through a post-apocalyptic desert who comes upon a group of settlers who are being menaced by the leader of a murderous gang who's after the water they control. Lisa Niemi, also known as Mrs. Patrick Swayze, would be his romantic interest in the film, which would also star AnthonY Zerbe, Brian James, and, in one of his very first acting roles, future Mummy co-star Arnold Vosloo.   The film would open to horrible reviews, and gross just $312k in 290 theatres. For comparison's sake, Dirty Dancing was in its eleventh week of release, was still playing 878 theatres, and would gross $1.7m. In its second week, Steel Dawn had lost nearly two thirds of its theatres, grossing only $60k from 107 theatres. After its third weekend, Vestron stopped reporting grosses. The film had only earned $562k in ticket sales.   And their final release for 1987 would be one of the most prestigious titles they'd ever be involved with. The Dead, based on a short story by James Joyce, would be the 37th and final film to be directed by John Huston. His son Tony would adapt the screenplay, while his daughter Anjelica, whom he had directed to a Best Supporting Actress Oscar two years earlier for Prizzi's Honor, would star as the matriarch of an Irish family circa 1904 whose husband discovers memoirs of a deceased lover of his wife's, an affair that preceded their meeting.   Originally scheduled to shoot in Dublin, Ireland, The Dead would end up being shot on soundstages in Valencia, CA, just north of Los Angeles, as the eighty year old filmmaker was in ill health. Huston, who was suffering from severe emphysema due to decades of smoking, would use video playback for the first and only time in his career in order to call the action, whirling around from set to set in a motorized wheelchair with an oxygen tank attached to it. In fact, the company insuring the film required the producers to have a backup director on set, just in case Huston was unable to continue to make the film. That stand-in was Czech-born British filmmaker Karel Reisz, who never once had to stand-in during the entire shoot.   One Huston who didn't work on the film was Danny Huston, who was supposed to shoot some second unit footage for the film in Dublin for his father, who could not make any trips overseas, as well as a documentary about the making of the film, but for whatever reason, Danny Huston would end up not doing either.   John Huston would turn in his final cut of the film to Vestron in July 1987, and would pass away in late August, a good four months before the film's scheduled release. He would live to see some of the best reviews of his entire career when the film was released on December 18th. At six theatres in Los Angeles and New York City, The Dead would earn $69k in its first three days during what was an amazing opening weekend for a number of movies. The Dead would open against exclusive runs of Broadcast News, Ironweed, Moonstruck and the newest Woody Allen film, September, as well as wide releases of Eddie Murphy: Raw, Batteries Not Included, Overboard, and the infamous Bill Cosby stinker Leonard Part 6.   The film would win the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Picture of the year, John Huston would win the Spirit Award and the London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director, Anjelica Huston would win a Spirit Award as well, for Best Supporting Actress, and Tony Huston would be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. But the little $3.5m film would only see modest returns at the box office, grossing just $4.4m after a four month run in theatres.   Vestron would also release two movies in 1987 through their genre Lightning Pictures label.   The first, Blood Diner, from writer/director Jackie Kong, was meant to be both a tribute and an indirect sequel to the infamous 1965 Herschell Gordon Lewis movie Blood Feast, often considered to be the first splatter slasher film. Released on four screens in Baltimore on July 10th, the film would gross just $6,400 in its one tracked week. The film would get a second chance at life when it opened at the 8th Street Playhouse in New York City on September 4th, but after a $5,000 opening week gross there, the film would have to wait until it was released on home video to become a cult film.   The other Lightning Pictures release for 1987, Street Trash, would become one of the most infamous horror comedy films of the year. An expansion of a short student film by then nineteen year old Jim Muro, Street Trash told the twin stories of a Greenpoint, Brooklyn shop owner who sell a case of cheap, long-expired hooch to local hobos, who hideously melt away shortly after drinking it, while two homeless brothers try to deal with their situation as best they can while all this weirdness is going on about them.   After playing several weeks of midnight shows at the Waverly Theatre near Washington Square, Street Trash would open for a regular run at the 8th Street Playhouse on September 18th, one week after Blood Diner left the same theatre. However, Street Trash would not replace Blood Diner, which was kicked to the curb after one week, but another long forgotten movie, the Christopher Walken-starrer Deadline. Street Trash would do a bit better than Blood Diner, $9,000 in its first three days, enough to get the film a full two week run at the Playhouse. But its second week gross of $5,000 would not be enough to give it a longer playdate, or get another New York theatre to pick it up. The film would get other playdates, including one in my secondary hometown of Santa Cruz starting, ironically, on Thanksgiving Day, but the film would barely make $100k in its theatrical run.   While this would be the only film Jim Muro would direct, he would become an in demand cinematographer and Steadicam operator, working on such films as Field of Dreams, Dances with Wolves, Sneakers, L.A. Confidential, the first Fast and Furious movie, and on The Abyss, Terminator 2, True Lies and Titanic for James Cameron. And should you ever watch the film and sit through the credits, yes, it's that Bryan Singer who worked as a grip and production assistant on the film. It would be his very first film credit, which he worked on during a break from going to USC film school.   People who know me know I am not the biggest fan of horror films. I may have mentioned it once or twice on this podcast. But I have a soft spot for Troma Films and Troma-like films, and Street Trash is probably the best Troma movie not made or released by Troma. There's a reason why Lloyd Kaufman is not a fan of the movie. A number of people who have seen the movie think it is a Troma movie, not helped by the fact that a number of people who did work on The Toxic Avenger went to work on Street Trash afterwards, and some even tell Lloyd at conventions that Street Trash is their favorite Troma movie. It's looks like a Troma movie. It feels like a Troma movie. And to be honest, at least to me, that's one hell of a compliment. It's one of the reasons I even went to see Street Trash, the favorable comparison to Troma. And while I, for lack of a better word, enjoyed Street Trash when I saw it, as much as one can say they enjoyed a movie where a bunch of bums playing hot potato with a man's severed Johnson is a major set piece, but I've never really felt the need to watch it again over the past thirty-five years.   Like several of the movies on this episode, Street Trash is not available for streaming on any service in the United States. And outside of Dirty Dancing, the ones you can stream, China Girl, Personal Services, Slaughter High and Steel Dawn, are mostly available for free with ads on Tubi, which made a huge splash last week with a confounding Super Bowl commercial that sent millions of people to figure what a Tubi was.   Now, if you were counting, that was only nine films released in 1987, and not the eighteen they had promised at the start of the year. Despite the fact they had a smash hit in Dirty Dancing, they decided to push most of their planned 1987 movies to 1988. Not necessarily by choice, though. Many of the films just weren't ready in time for a 1987 release, and then the unexpected long term success of Dirty Dancing kept them occupied for most of the rest of the year. But that only meant that 1988 would be a stellar year for them, right?   We'll find out next episode, when we continue the Vestron Pictures story.   Thank you for joining us. We'll talk again next week.   Remember to visit this episode's page on our website, The80sMoviePodcast.com, for extra materials about the movies we covered this episode.   The 80s Movies Podcast has been researched, written, narrated and edited by Edward Havens for Idiosyncratic Entertainment.   Thank you again.   Good night.

Hello and welcome back to another episode of B Bin Horror! On this week's episode we talk about the 2003 Horror/Thriller, Final Destination 2. Final Destination 2 was directed by David R Ellis and written by J. Mackye Gruber and Eric Bress. The film stars Ali Larter, A.J. Cook and Michael Landes. On this week's episode we talk about what we would do if we won the lottery, near death experiences and mosquito burgers. If you like what you hear you can follow us on Instagram and Facebook @bbinhorror. You can also send us emails at bbinhorror@gmail.com.

We review The Final Destination (2009) on horror movie podcast Screams After Midnight. Final Destination 4 is directed by David R. Ellis and stars Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten, Nick Zano, Krista Allen patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mildfuzztv twitter: https://twitter.com/ScreamsMidnight email: mftvquestions@gmail.com THE CRYPT: https://sites.google.com/view/mildfuzztvpatreonlists/crypt?authuser=0 Audio version: https://screams-after-midnight.pinecast.co/ UK Merch store: https://shop.spreadshirt.co.uk/mild-fuzz-tv/ US Merch store: https://shop.spreadshirt.com/mild-fuzz-tv-usv

We review Final Destination 2 (2003) on horror movie podcast Screams After Midnight. Final Destination 2 is directed by David R. Ellis and stars Ali Larter, A.J. Cook, Michael Landes, David Paetkau, James Kirk, Tony Todd patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mildfuzztv twitter: https://twitter.com/ScreamsMidnight email: mftvquestions@gmail.com THE CRYPT: https://sites.google.com/view/mildfuzztvpatreonlists/crypt?authuser=0 Audio version: https://screams-after-midnight.pinecast.co/ UK Merch store: https://shop.spreadshirt.co.uk/mild-fuzz-tv/ US Merch store: https://shop.spreadshirt.com/mild-fuzz-tv-usv Horror #HorrorMovies #FinalDestination

En este episodio de Space Según Hoy Trasnoche, Fio y Calo toman otro título de Space que les da mucho de qué hablar: Cellular. Nada mejor que una buena llamada telefónica que dure toda una película. ¿Otra vez hablan de David R. Ellis en su etapa de director? Sí. Pero además, todo lo que tenés que conocer sobre un genio incomprendido: El gran Larry Cohen y su jugada maestra vendiendo dos películas con el mismo high concept.

Only new life can defeat death. Join Reneé, John Paul, and Travis as they discuss David R. Ellis's 2003 supernatural horror sequel "Final Destination 2."   Please consider supporting the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepodmortem    Where to listen to the podcast and follow us on social media: https://allmylinks.com/thepodmortem   Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thepodmortem https://twitter.com/bloodandsmoke https://twitter.com/realstreeter84 https://twitter.com/travismwh   What would you rate Final Destination 2 and what should we watch next? Email us at thepodmortem@gmail.com    "Pod Mortem Theme" written and performed by Travis Hunter. https://youtube.com/travismwh

Esta vez Fio y Calo te llevan a volar con el cine del director, actor y doble de riesgo, David R. Ellis, quién ha hecho una carrera admirable con películas como Destino Final II, Cellular y Serpientes en un avión, la película más sincera desde el título. Acompañalos en este vuelo junto a Samuel L. Jackson y más de 30 especies de serpientes rabiosas.

Class of Nuke 'Em High 2 is a fun, over-the-top slice of 90s cinema. Can the same be said for Class of Nuke 'Em High 3: The Good, the Bad, and the Subhumanoid? Plus, Jeff Burk and Lucas Mangum talk all about horror franchises, the place of the Nuke 'Em High films in that canon, our favorite series, Halloween Kills, Final Destination and Saw, the campy brilliance of David R. Ellis, 15 Minutes of Shame, and Man, Fuck This House by indie horror author extraordinaire Brian Asman.

Jay and Nick Rehak (@TheRehak on Twitter) discuss Shark Night, the 2011 film that features 3D sharks eating college students. Directed by David R. Ellis (who was the 2nd Unit director on Deep Blue Sea), and starring Sara Paxton, Dustin Milligan and a sweet jet ski, the movie features pugnacious tiger sharks, murderous mangroves, and a one-armed shark fight that is legitimately beautiful. Sit back, relax (on a jet ski), and be prepared for a fun discussion.

Death loves surprises. We watched 2003's FINAL DESTINATION 2 (dir. David R. Ellis) and talked about lovable stoners, Tony Todd, and death's (convoluted) design. Listen to us cover the first FINAL DESTINATION here. Find us on Instagram and Twitter to join the Spooky Squad. Find Seynique here and here Find Andrew here and here *Artwork by Jordan Stafford --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wediefirst/support

In this episode, Pake and Daphne discuss Snakes on a Plane, directed by the late David R. Ellis and released on August 18, 2006.Website: http://www.runforyourlivespodcast.comEmail:  runforyourlivespodcast@gmail.comFacebook:  https://www.facebook.com/runforyourlivespodcastTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/rfylpodcastInstagram:  https://www.instagram.com/runforyourlivespodcastYoutube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChz8b3rTa3ut29_jYbs1qSwRFYL Spotify Music Playlist:  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/71Bsx083ldVuGwSgJKKEwr?si=0yB3Zq4iTeaMU_cBk6yAlw

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! I HAVE HAD IT WITH THESE MOTHERFUCKING SNAKES ON THIS MOTHERFUCKING PLANE! Vi avslutar vårt tema med "Guilty Pleasure" filmer med den underbara rullen Snakes On A Plane! En film som alla har hört talas om, men som ingen (?) har sett. Vi får se Samuel L Jackson i högform dra en av filmhistoriens mest ironiska repliker, CGI-ormar av högsta (lägsta) klass och förkovrar oss i Kenan Thompsons underbara värld. Spänn fast säkerhetsbälten och ta med er ormgiftet, för nu åker vi!    Om filmen:  Snakes on a Plane är en amerikansk actionfilm från 2006 i regi av David R. Ellis. Idén till filmen började med namnet, "Snakes on a Plane", som var ett skämtsamt uttryck i vissa nördkretsar. Via internet har sedan idén blivit sammansatt till en film, som Hollywood nappade på. Filmen klassas som ett internetfenomen.[1] Rollistan i urval:  Samuel L. Jackson – Neville Flynn Julianna Margulies – Claire Miller Nathan Phillips – Sean Jones Rachel Blanchard – Mercedes Flex Alexander – Three G's Kenan Thompson – Troy Keith Dallas – Big Leroy Lin Shaye – Grace Bruce James – Ken #snakesonaplane #samuelljackson #samjackson #badass #ormar #snakes

Dan Murrell deep dives into SNAKES ON A PLANE directed by David R. Ellis and is joined by guest Chris Rohan, co-creator of the viral parody trailer. Follow Dan Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/murrelldan Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/murrelldan GET THE "GOAT" Merch: http://bit.ly/MTSGOAT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan Murrell deep dives into SNAKES ON A PLANE directed by David R. Ellis and is joined by guest Chris Rohan, co-creator of the viral parody trailer. Follow Dan Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/murrelldan Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/murrelldan GET THE "GOAT" Merch: http://bit.ly/MTSGOAT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen as Mike and Tom discuss the 2003 sequel Final Destination 2. They talk about how this movie is actually a comedy, how all the murders are committed via Rube Goldberg shenanigans as well as how everyone dies like Wile E. Coyote, and manage to make sure that director David R. Ellis is considered to be a comic genius despite having little to no evidence that he is other than this magnificent romp of a delicious movie.

Welcome, one and all, to the latest episode of The Film Stage Show! Today, Brian Roan, Michael Snydel, and Bill Graham are joined again by Bilge Ebiri to discuss David R. Ellis' 2003 horror sequel Final Destination 2. Be sure to read his recent feature for Vulture about the horror series. Enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. For a limited time, all new Patreon supporters will receive a free Blu-ray/DVD. After becoming a contributor, e-mail podcast@thefilmstage.com for an up-to-date list of available films. The Film Stage Show is supported by MUBI, a curated streaming service showcasing exceptional films from around the globe. Every day, MUBI premieres a new film. Whether it's a timeless classic, a cult favorite, or an acclaimed masterpiece — it's guaranteed to be either a movie you've been dying to see or one you've never heard of before and there will always be something new to discover. Try it for free for 30 days at mubi.com/filmstage.

Happy November! This month we are working out way through listener suggestions and start with a movie we both thoroughly enjoyed in the worst ways, Shark Night (3D).We have a lot of questions about the business venture of the villains, how hurricanes are getting sharks into this lake, and how you always need a swimsuit cover up as part of your wardrobe. Sharkologist Molly is in and hitting it with all the shark facts, so buckle up and enjoy the ride. Rate and review or we’ll put sharks in your lake. Stats/info: 2011, directed by David R. Ellis, starring Sara Paxton, Katharine McPhee, Alyssa Diaz, Dustin Milligan, and Joel David Moore (Intro music from https://www.free-stock-music.com)  

This week Gary and Iain review and discuss, The Final Destination (2009) by Director, David R. Ellis. Starring, Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten, Mykelti Williamson. For more Off The Shelf Reviews: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChWxkAz-n2-5Nae-IDpxBZQ/join Podcasts: https://offtheshelfreviews.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/@OTSReviews Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/OffTheShelfReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OffTheShelfReviews Support us: http://www.patreon.com/offtheshelfreviews Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/offtheshelfreviews Discord: https://discord.gg/Dyw8ctf

This week Gary and Iain review and discuss, Final Destination 2 (2003) by Director, David R. Ellis. Starring, A.J. Cook, Ali Larter and Tony Todd.   For more Off The Shelf Reviews: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChWxkAz-n2-5Nae-IDpxBZQ/join Podcasts: https://offtheshelfreviews.podbean.com/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/@OTSReviews Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/OffTheShelfReviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OffTheShelfReviews Support us: http://www.patreon.com/offtheshelfreviews Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/offtheshelfreviews Discord: https://discord.gg/Dyw8ctf

The gang kicks off the 2020 Spook2cular with a rousing discussion on the outrageously fun sequel, Final Destination 2! Was it such a good idea to make the dead meats all complete strangers? What's with all the reminders about the first film? We all saw it! And how do you not give the great Tony Todd more to do in this movie?! PLUS: The gang pitches a new globe-trotting travel/food show, Geographic Beefs!Final Destination 2 stars Ali Larter, A.J. Cook, Michael Landes, David Paetkau, James Kirk, Lynda Boyd, Keegan Connor Tracy, Jonathan Cherry, Terrence, 'T.C.' Carson, Justina Machado, and the legendary Tony Todd; directed by David R. Ellis.Be sure to check out our Witchboard show this weekend exclusively at the Salem Horror Fest!WHM is donating 100% of our 2020 merch income to causes fighting for racial justice. For more information on how you can pitch in, head over to our website.Advertise on We Hate Movies via Gumball.fm

We hebben 1 juno allemaal rood omcirkeld in de agenda, maar we moeten met z'n allen nog een dikke week zonder bios door zien te komen. We tippen je weer drie films die je op Vitamine Cineville kunt bekijken. Verder hebben we het over het schokkende ondergoed van Waldemar Torenstra, avonturen in lege zalen en hysterische geschiedenispop uit Azerbeidzjan. Lauren tipt deze week de premièrefilm Swallow, over een zwangere vrouw die dwangmatig objecten inslikt die niet voor consumptie bedoeld zijn. Fien heeft door Girlhood van Céline Sciamma heel erg zin om weer met haar eigen vriendinnen voor de spiegel te dansen. En Erik doet handige virus-lessen op met Train to Busan, de Koreaanse hitfilm die aan de premisse 'zombies op een trein' genoeg heeft voor twee uur topvermaak.Deze titels kwamen langs:Good Time (2017) - Ben Safdie, Joshua Safdie Uncut Gems (2019) - Ben Safdie, Joshua Safdie Swallow (2019) - Carlo Mirabella-DavisGirlhood (2014) - Céline Sciamma Portrait de la jeune fille en feu (2019) - Céline Sciamma Boyhood (2014) - Richard Linklater Ghostbusters (1984) - Ivan Reitman Ghostbusters (2016) - Paul FeigTurks Fruit (1973) - Paul Verhoeven Erik of het kleine insectenboek (2004) - Gidi van LiempdJa Zuster Nee Zuster (2002) - Pieter Kramer Train To Busan (2016) - Yeon Sang-ho Parasite (2019) - Bong Joon-ho Snakes on a Plane (2006) - David R. Ellis 28 Days Later (2002) - Danny Boyle Night of the Living Dead (1968) - George A. Romero Gossip Girl (2007 - 2012) - Stephanie Savage, Josh Schwartz Fleabag (2016 - 2019) - Phoebe Waller-Bridge Mandy (2018) - Panos Cosmatos Call Me By Your Name (2017) - Luca Guadagnino Wat verder nog voorbij kwam:Vogue’s 73 Questions with…. Eurovision Songfestival: Cleopatra (2020) - Efendi LAB111’s Second Chance Cinema See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We're tired of these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane. In this episode, Andy and Stephanie record in the same room (!) as they discuss David R. Ellis's SNAKES ON A PLANE. Andy swoons over the entire cast, Stephanie talks about seeing the movie in theatres as A Youth Baby, and we jam out to Cobra Starship. Reading Recommendations: THE SNAKES, by Sadie Jones SNAKES ON A PLANE: THE NOVEL, by Christa Faust

We’re tired of these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane. In this episode, Andy and Stephanie record in the same room (!) as they discuss David R. Ellis’s SNAKES ON A PLANE. Andy swoons over the entire cast, Stephanie talks about seeing the movie in theatres as A Youth Baby, and we jam out to … Continue reading "Episode 22 – Snakes on a Plane"

Things are weird! Turns out movies are cancelled! So uh, we saw some things, but really we've been watching a lot of older stuff since there really isn't anything new! March: Emma- dir. Autumn de Wilde; Anya Taylor-Joy, Mia Goth, Johnny Flynn, Josh O’Connor Extra Ordinary- dir. Mike Ahern, Enda Loughman; Maeve Higgins, Barry Ward, Will Forte Swallow- dir. Carlo Mirabella-Davis; Haley Bennett, Austin Stowell What we’ve been watching in da quarantine / what’s up / how’s life / being an essential pizza worker / movies are closed so I don't know what’s coming out in April : Jurge: The Edge of Democracy - Dir. Petra Costa Knock Down the House - Dir. Rachel Lears Dark Side of the Ring (Season 1 & 2) - Dir. Jason Eisener and Evan Husney Ryan: Devs (Limited Series) - Dir. Alex Garland Final Destination 1 through 4 - Dir. James Wong (Not that one), David R. Ellis Karrie: Stand by Me Princess Mononoke Phantom of the Opera rewatch Coming in April? The Main Event Trolls World Tour --------------------------------------------------- Subscribe to the podcast! https://linktr.ee/moviesarereel moviesarereel.tumblr.com Jurge - twitter: twitter.com/suparherojar26 Letterboxed: https://letterboxd.com/jcruzalvarez26/ Ryan- twitter: twitter.com/MrPibbOfficial Letterboxed: https://letterboxd.com/filmpiece/ Karrie - twitter: twitter.com/kar_elyles Letterboxed: https://letterboxd.com/karrie/

An important note: do you feel that you need someone to talk to with all this pandemic craziness going on? Please feel free to give our Instagram, Twitter, or email a message. We’re happy to give you a friendly and caring ear. On the podcast this week, Steven and Sean are getting these motherfucking snakes off this motherfucking plane in the snake-filled David R. Ellis snake film about plane snakes, Snakes on a Plane. Did we mention there are snakes? Loads and loads of blood-thirsty snakes? We kick off the inaugural episode of our monthly b-movie series with a movie that will go down in the annals of history as a film that’s clearly as fine as Citizen Kane, but with a whole lot less sleds. We talk about what constitutes a b-movie for a bit. We’re pretty much in agreement with what it means to attain that fabled classification. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean we’re going to be happy with what we’re going to subject ourselves to in the future. But back to the plane. We marvel about how enjoyable this movie actually is despite it being something of a joke for most people. It may not have won any awards, but dang if this wasn’t a fun and silly movie. It’s a respectable hour and forty-five minutes and didn’t actually feel that long. Our hats are off to the always wonderful Samuel L. Jackson for helping to elevate this one to great heights and give it some legitimacy. If it weren’t for him, this would just be a movie full of dinguses who can’t keep themselves from being eaten. In a movie about actual snakes on an actual plane, it had a decent look and some fine sound design to it. Say what you will about the story, this film was actually technically well-made. Let it never be said that a ridiculous film can’t shine bright. Snakes! (Recorded on March 25, 2020) Links and Show Notes: More Movies Please! - Libsyn Give us a rating and review on iTunes!: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/more-movies-please/id1500339297 Snakes on a Plane - IMDb Tucker and Dale vs Evil - IMDb Sharktopus - IMDb Sharknado - IMDb Shaun of the Dead - IMDb Demolition Man - IMDb Rubber - IMDb Birdemic: Shock and Terror - IMDb Snakes on a Plane - Box Office Mojo The Room - IMDb The microwave snake button There’s a button on that microwave that says “Snake.” Microwave manufacturers, why isn’t this a universal feature? Are you trying to get us all killed by snakes?

Some life stuff got in the way so here's a quick update for coming episodes and pieces.  And a brief edition of things we love featuring Kyle Starks and an... interesting movie. All-Old All-Good Book Club: Avengers Disassembled by Brian Michael Bendis Curse of the Rewatch: Snakes on a Plane by David R. Ellis Subscribe: Itunes | Stitcher | Google Play Twitter: @NextTimeOnPod If you have any questions or comments please email nexttimeonpodcast@gmail.com Intro track: Blerds Beats by Baronhawk Poitier

Cory and Che discuss the newest issue of Doomsday Clock as well as the season premiere of American Gods.  Then they review Captain Marvel and the state of the MCU after its big opening weekend. All-Old All-Good Book Club: Avengers Disassembled by Brian Michael Bendis Curse of the Rewatch: Snakes on a Plane by David R. Ellis Subscribe: Itunes | Stitcher | Google Play Twitter: @NextTimeOnPod If you have any questions or comments please email nexttimeonpodcast@gmail.com Intro track: Blerds Beats by Baronhawk Poitier

Cory and Che discuss this months All-Old All-Good Book Club, Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba's The Umbrella Academy.  As well as the first season of the Netflix original. All-Old All-Good Book Club: Avengers Disassembled by Brian Michael Bendis Curse of the Rewatch: Snakes on a Plane by David R. Ellis Subscribe: Itunes | Stitcher | Google Play Twitter: @NextTimeOnPod If you have any questions or comments please email nexttimeonpodcast@gmail.com Intro track: Blerds Beats by Baronhawk Poitier

Cory and Che go over the results of the 2019 Oscars and a polarizing True Detective season finale. All-Old All-Good Book Club: Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way Curse of the Rewatch: Snakes on a Plane by David R. Ellis Subscribe: Itunes | Stitcher | Google Play Twitter: @NextTimeOnPod If you have any questions or comments please email nexttimeonpodcast@gmail.com Intro track: Blerds Beats by Baronhawk Poitier

Che and Cory preview all the awards before this Sunday's 91st Academy Awards. All-Old All-Good Book Club: Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way Curse of the Rewatch: Snakes on a Plane by David R. Ellis Subscribe: Itunes | Stitcher | Google Play Twitter: @NextTimeOnPod If you have any questions or comments please email nexttimeonpodcast@gmail.com Intro track: Blerds Beats by Baronhawk Poitier

Cory and Che discuss the new comics Gunning for Hits, The Batman Who Laughs, and Hit-Girl Season 2.  They also lament Disney's terrible Aladdin CGI and review the two new Gerard Way adaptations, Umbrella Academy and Doom Patrol (sort of).  And they go over the penultimate episode of True Detective. All-Old All-Good Book Club: Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way Curse of the Rewatch: Snakes on a Plane by David R. Ellis Subscribe: Itunes | Stitcher | Google Play Twitter: @NextTimeOnPod If you have any questions or comments please email nexttimeonpodcast@gmail.com Intro track: Blerds Beats by Baronhawk Poitier

País Estados Unidos Dirección David R. Ellis Guion Chris Morgan (Historia: Larry Cohen) Música John Ottman Fotografía Gary Capo Reparto Kim Basinger, Chris Evans, Jason Statham, William H. Macy, Noah Emmerich, Jessica Biel, Valerie Cruz, Matt McColm, Richard Burgi, Eric Christian Olsen, Adam Taylor Gordon, Lin Shaye, Sherri Shepherd, Caroline Aaron, Rick Hoffman Sinopsis Un joven recibe la llamada de una mujer que le dice que ha sido secuestrada y que la van a asesinar muy pronto. Además, sus captores buscan también a su marido y su hijo. Ella necesita ayuda, pero no sabe dónde está y las baterías del móvil no duran eternamente.

Santiago Calori y Sebastián Rotstein son guionistas y hacen un podcast sobre cine diferente, para todos los perversos que quieran saber más sobre cómo se hace y cómo se analiza el guión de una película. En este episodio: Cellular, de David R. Ellis. Además: Black Mirror y el documental HyperNormalisation. La próxima semana: El Fondo del Mar, de Damián Szifrón.

Santiago Calori y Sebastián Rotstein son guionistas y hacen un podcast sobre cine diferente, para todos los perversos que quieran saber más sobre cómo se hace y cómo se analiza el guión de una película. En este episodio: Pickpocket, de Robert Bresson. Además: a Rotstein no le gustó Crisis in Six Scenes y Calori volvió a creer en el cine con The Wailing. Tarea para el próximo episodio: ver Cellular, de David R. Ellis.

Popcorn Talk Network proudly presents a vodcast that offers a glimpse into the movies we love to watch with breakdown and analysis of the movies some might call… a "Guilty Movie Pleasure". Join us each week as Ben Begley and Cameron Louis breakdown your favorite films, from the classics to the yet to be seen; it’s all here under one banner… GUILTY MOVIE PLEASURES! Rate us and Download on itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/guilty-movie-pleasures/id909155875?mt=2 This week on GMP, Ben Begley and Cameron Louis break down Final Destination 2! Final Destination 2 is a 2003 American supernatural horror film directed by David R. Ellis. The screenplay was written by J. Mackye Gruber and Eric Bress, based on a story by Gruber, Bress, and series creator Jeffrey Reddick. It is the sequel to the 2000 film Final Destination and the second installment of the Final Destination film series. After the financial success of Final Destination, N --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Cobras, serpentes e víboras a pontapé entraram no podcast. A nossa homenagem ao falecido realizador David R. Ellis.Convidados. Fernando Oliveira e JB Martins (Cineblog).

Popcorn Talk Network proudly presents a vodcast that offers a glimpse into the movies we love to watch with breakdown and analysis of the movies some might call… a "Guilty Movie Pleasure". Join us each week as Josh Macuga and Ben Begley breakdown your favorite films, from the classics to the yet to be seen; it’s all here under one banner… GUILTY MOVIE PLEASURES! This week on GMP, Ben Begley and Josh Macuga break down Snakes On A Plane!!!!! Snakes on a Plane is a 2006 American action thriller film directed by David R. Ellis and starring Samuel L. Jackson. It was released by New Line Cinema on August 18, 2006, in North America. The film was written by David Dalessandro, John Heffernan, and Sheldon Turner and follows the events of hundreds of snakes being released on a passenger plane in an attempt to kill a trial witness. The film gained a considerable amount of attention before its release, forming large fanbases online and becoming anInternet phenomenon, due to the film's title, cas --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Título original The Final Destination (Final Destination: Death Año 2009 Duración 82 min. País Estados Unidos Estados Unidos Director David R. Ellis Guión Eric Bress Música Brian Tyler Fotografía Glen MacPherson Reparto Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten, Nick Zano, Haley Webb, Mykelti Williamson, Krista Allen, Richard T. Jones, Stephanie Honore, Andrew Fiscella, Justin Welborn, Stephanie Honore, Lara Grice, Jackson Walker, Phil Austin, William Aguillard, Brendan Aguillard Productora New Line Cinema / LivePlanet Género Terror. Thriller | Slasher. Gore. Secuela. 3-D Web oficial http://thefinaldestinationmovie.com/ Sinopsis Nick O’Bannon y unos amigos acuden a un circuito de carreras para presenciar una prueba del Nascar. Durante ésta tiene lugar un terrible accidente que conlleva desastrosas consecuencias para el estadio. Pero Nick descubre que se trata de sólo una visión de algo que está a punto de suceder, y junto con otras doce personas consigue salir del recinto y escapar de una tragedia segura. Pensando que han burlado a la muerte, el grupo continúa con su vida, pero desafortunadamente para Nick, Lori y sus amigos sólo es el principio, ya que la muerte no deja cabos sueltos, y regresará para llevarse a los supervivientes de una manera brutal.

Vigésimo-sétimo programa, com a volta de um jornalista que virou cineasta! Esta semana tivemos a presença mais que ilustre do nosso amigo Fábio Madrigal Barreto, que "deu à luz" esta semana ao seu curta Filhos do Fim do Mundo. Confira uma mini-entrevista sobre como foi a produção deste curta e quais são os seus planos para o futuro. Voltando à programação normal, esta semana saíram três trailers de produções bem bacanudas: A comédia e releitura da série oitentista Anjos da Lei, de Phil Lord e Chris Miller. O suspense dramático e filme que o Julio Almeida espera ansiosamente We Need to Talk About Kevin, de Lynne Ramsay. O terror assombroso The Innkeepers, de Ti West. Esta semana estamos bem providos de estréias: tem o drama irlandês O Guarda, de John Michael McDonagh, o possivelmente divertido Terror na Água 3D, de David R. Ellis, a aventura futurista O Preço do Amanhã, de Andrew Niccol, o drama misturado com ficção científica A Pele que Habito, de Pedro Almodóvar, e o terror A Casa dos Sonhos, de Jim Sheridan. Não tem desculpa para não ir ao cinema. O tema do último bloco, o já tradicional Bloco do Ouvinte, foi sugerido pela Lúcia Queiroz Dias, de São José do Rio Preto - São Paulo. Ela queria saber as novidades e como anda a cinessérie James Bond. Confira logo abaixo no nosso On Demand. Já esqueceu? Não tema porque nós lembramos você novamente: dúvidas, reclamações, sugestões e cartas digitalizadas podem ser enviadas para claquete@bestradiobrasil.com.

Directors David R. Ellis' "Shark Night 3D" and David Robert Mitchell's "Myth of the American Sleepover" get the full review treatment.John and I also discuss the slate of films playing this month at the Brattle, The Coolidge Corner Theater, and the Harvard Film Archive; "Class of 1984," "The French Connection," and the films of Woody Allen. Let us know what you think of the show! Send us an email at contact@post-movie.net Visit us online at post-movie.net

Décimo-sétimo programa com a volta DELE! Não, não é Jesus Cristo! É Fábio Barreto, nosso correspondente direto de Los Angeles!! Começamos daquele jeito: comentando os melhores trailers lançados nesta semana. A aventura e mais um capítulo da cinessérie que ninguém pediu Underworld Awakening, de Måns Mårlind. O drama Machine Gun Preacher, de Marc Forster. A besteira que todo mundo vai assistir Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, de Mark Neveldine e Brian Taylor. O faroeste que Julio e Leandro serão os primeiros da fila Blackthorn, de Mateo Gil. O possivelmente sensacional e filme do ano Shark Night, de David R. Ellis. E, só para animar a festa, o clip com o OK GO cantando a música tema de The Muppets Show. Essa é para relembrar a infância! Seguimos com as estréias da semana: a volta de O Rei Leão, agora em 3D aos cinemas, a comédia Amor A Toda Provae a grande estréia da semana Planeta Dos Macacos: A Origem, onde batemos um papo fantástico com o nosso homem em L.A., Fábio Barreto. Finalizando o programa, comentamos sobre a possível nova série de Jornada Nas Estrelas, o lançamento em blu-ray dasTrilogias Star Wars, mais uma versão pra falir os pobres fãs!, a nova versão de Frankenstein e a possível terceira parte da série Os Caça-Fantasmas. Quer rir? Quer lembrar qual filme passou pela primeira vez na televisão brasileira trinta vezes no SBT? Então clica aí no play! Reclamações e dúvidas encaminhe para claquete@bestradiobrasil.com, por favor.

In 2009 Rob Zombie returned to the twisted mind of Michael Myers in Halloween 2...and no one cared because horror films had entered a new dimension: 3-D! Capitalizing on this new cinema gimmick was The Final Destination, the fourth in the franchise. With Final Destination 2 director David R. Ellis returning to stage another car crash, this time on a speedway, and psychic Nick trying to save the lives of his friends from such threats as a car wash, a swimming pool, and a chain link fence, do inventive deaths inject new life into the Final Destination series? Listen to find out!

In 2009 Rob Zombie returned to the twisted mind of Michael Myers in Halloween 2...and no one cared because horror films had entered a new dimension: 3-D! Capitalizing on this new cinema gimmick was The Final Destination, the fourth in the franchise. With Final Destination 2 director David R. Ellis returning to stage another car crash, this time on a speedway, and psychic Nick trying to save the lives of his friends from such threats as a car wash, a swimming pool, and a chain link fence, do inventive deaths inject new life into the Final Destination series? Listen to find out!

In 2009 Rob Zombie returned to the twisted mind of Michael Myers in Halloween 2...and no one cared because horror films had entered a new dimension: 3-D! Capitalizing on this new cinema gimmick was The Final Destination, the fourth in the franchise. With Final Destination 2 director David R. Ellis returning to stage another car crash, this time on a speedway, and psychic Nick trying to save the lives of his friends from such threats as a car wash, a swimming pool, and a chain link fence, do inventive deaths inject new life into the Final Destination series? Listen to find out!