Podcast appearances and mentions of John P Ryan

We're late into Spooky Season, but it's never too late for some Scare-a-Thon fun!Ian and AC return with a special 50th anniversary review of Larry Cohen's 1974 family-drama-with-monsters, It's Alive!John P. Ryan and Sharon Farrell star as Frank and Lenore Davis, a happily married expectant couple whose second trip to the delivery room ends in a freakish massacre. Turns out their newborn is a razor-clawed mutant with a thirst for milk, blood, and mayhem!During the weeklong, city-wide hunt for a creature on the loose, the Davises go through twisted versions of the Stages of Grief, and the audience is treated to the kind of unexpectedly observant, cerebral horror that only Larry Cohen could deliver!Join the guys for a spoilerific celebration of Cohen's casting, creativity, and character nuance--all in support of the Women's Reproductive Rights Assistance Project (donation info below, if you are so moved to participate)! Subscribe, like, and comment to the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel, and check out kickseat.com for multiple movie podcasts each week!Show LinksWatch the It's Alive trailer.Support this year's Scare-a-Thon by donating directly to WRRAP!And keep up with all of AC's "Scare-a-Thon" viewings at Horror 101 w/ Dr. AC!Bonus Content! As mentioned in the show, you can check out Ian's interview with It's Alive director Larry Cohen (waaaaay back on the third episode of the Kicking the Seat Podcast!): And listen to Ian's interview with Steve Mitchell, director of the Larry Cohen documentary, King Cohen!

This week we are talking about "Class of 1999". This movie is like the Substitute, but instead of Treat Williams laying down the law, it's Cyborgs played by Pam Grier, Patrick Kilpatrick, and John P Ryan. This one had us discussing the lack of other teachers and adults, the love of school by the gang members, only one 12 year old, the great SFX, and more. Watch the unedited video at sequelsonly.com/Classof99 or on our YouTube channel. Next up in Scary Sequel Month is American Werewolf in Paris. For it, I chatted with an actor who played a werewolf in his 1st big budget movie Alan Mckenna. Alan talked about his odd journey into acting, soap operas, writing films, optioning scripts, and more. Follow us on all social media @sequelsonly and our website is sequelsonly.com   Review, rate, and share us with your friends, enemies, neighbors, exes, and even that annoying supermarket clerk!

RMR 0281: Special Guest, Will Grouch joins your hosts Russell Guest, and Dustin Melbardis for the Retro Movie Roundtable as they revisit Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) [PG] Genre: Animation, Superhero, Mystery, Crime, Action, Adventure   Starring: Kevin Conroy, Dana Delany, Hart Bochner, Stacy Keach, Abe Vigoda, Dick Miller, John P. Ryan, Efrem Zimbalist Jr, Bob Hastings, Robert Costanzo, Mark Hamill   Director: Eric Radomski & Bruce Timm Recorded on 2024-08-15

In this latest episode of the Deep Dive spinoff, Gaius is joined by Dustin Rybka of the Sex Party podcast to discuss 1993's Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, directed by Eric Radomski and Bruce Timm, and written by Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Martin Pasko, and Michael Reaves. The movie is based on Batman: The Animated Series and is the first original theatrical film produced by Warner Bros. Animation. In the film, Batman reconciles with a former lover, Andrea Beaumont, and faces a mysterious vigilante who is murdering Gothan City's crime bosses. The situation comes complicated when the Joker enters picture and Batman is now faced goingup against two villains in this epic adventure that failed to ignite the box office upon initial release, but went on to become a cult classic on home video with some saying its one of the best Batman adaptations to date. The film features the vocal talents of Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Bob Hastings, Robert Costanzo, Dana Delany, Hart Bochner, Stacy Keach Jr., Abe Vigoda, Dick Miller, and John P. Ryan. Other: Where To Watch Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Links For Guest: Dustin Rybka Instagram

Welcome back to another exciting episode of Not A Bomb Podcast. This is the podcast where we re-examine some of the biggest bombs in cinematic history. Oh man, do we have a treat for you! This week's show is all about Cannon films, and you can't talk about Cannon without Austin Trunick. Austin is the author of two excellent retrospective books - The Cannon Film Guide: Vol 1 and 2. If you have ever wanted to know something about Cannon Films, Austin is the guy to talk to. While Cannon created a ton of cult favorites, they also dipped their toes into some prestige storytelling. We decided to go a bit more “highbrow” with this week's choice and are discussing 1985's Runaway Train. This Academy Award nominated film started as a screenplay by legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa and was passed around by several Hollywood executives. The story of two escaped convicts who become stuck on a…you guessed it…runaway train finally found a home with Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus. Austin brings so much insight to this film and we are super excited he joined us for this week's conversation. So, sit back, relax, and learn all about one of the best stories to come out of The Cannon Group, Runaway Train. Runway Train is directed by Andrei Konchalovsky and stars John Voight, Eric Roberts, Rebecca De Mornay, Kyle T. Heffner, John P. Ryan, T.K. Carter, and Kenneth McMillian.Be sure to check out The Cannon Film Guide: Vol 1 and Vol 2, or please support your local bookstore and ask them to order it for you. If you want to leave feedback or suggest a movie bomb, please drop us a line at NotABombPod@gmail.com or Contact Us - here. Also, if you like what you hear, leave a review on Apple Podcast. For invite to the Not A Bomb Discord, hit us up here. Cast: Brad, Troy, Austin Trunick

Jim reflects on a classic Cult/Horror film from Director Larry Cohen - 1974's "It's Alive," starring John P. Ryan, Sharon Farrell, Andrew Duggan, Guy Stockwell, James Dixon, Michael Ansara, William Wellman Jr, Robert Emhardt, Shamus Locke and Daniel Holzman. A young couple faces a virtual nightmare when it's child is born a mutant/killer. The race is on to stop the infant from killing again. Find out more on this episode of MONSTER ATTACK!, The Podcast Dedicated To Old Monster Movies.

Jim reflects on a classic Cult/Horror film from Director Larry Cohen – 1974’s “It’s Alive,” starring John P. Ryan, Sharon Farrell, Andrew DuggaN, Guy Stockwell, James Dixon, Michael Ansara, William Wellman Jr, Robert Emhardt, Shamus Locke and Daniel Holzman. A young couple faces a virtual nightmare when it’s child is born a mutant/killer. The race … It’s Alive (1974) | Episode 394 Read More » The post It’s Alive (1974) | Episode 394 appeared first on The ESO Network.

For this week's HALLOWEEN HUMPFEST drops we're exploring Larry Cohen's “It's Alive” trilogy and we continue with the not-so-subtle social commentary as Frank returns and is backed by an organization that wants to keep these killer mutant babies alive and he will do whatever it takes to protect the Scott's abnormal baby. But there's a doctor whose wife had one of these babies in Seattle and it killed her so he's got an agenda to KILL THEM ALL. It probably ate her because it was depressed living in Seattle. You know that hospital bill is gonna be unreal. Yeah, we're talking the Larry Cohen sequel “It Lives Again” from 1978 starring Frederic Forrest, Kathleen Lloyd, John P. Ryan and John Marley. They say these things will breed at around age six. They fucking hate birthday cake. Subscribe to us on YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJf3lkRI-BLUTsLI_ehOsg Contact us here: MOVIEHUMPERS@gmail.com Hear us on podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6o6PSNJFGXJeENgqtPY4h7 Our OG podcast “Documenteers”: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/documenteers-the-documentary-podcast/id1321652249 Soundcloud feed: https://soundcloud.com/documenteers Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/culturewrought

We continue our look back at the movies released by independent distributor Vestron Pictures, focusing on their 1988 releases. ----more---- The movies discussed on this episode, all released by Vestron Pictures in 1988 unless otherwise noted, include: Amsterdamned (Dick Maas) And God Created Woman (Roger Vadim) The Beat (Paul Mones) Burning Secret (Andrew Birkin) Call Me (Sollace Mitchell) The Family (Ettore Scola) Gothic (Ken Russell, 1987) The Lair of the White Worm (Ken Russell) Midnight Crossing (Roger Holzberg) Paramedics (Stuart Margolin) The Pointsman (Jos Stelling) Salome's Last Dance (Ken Russell) Promised Land (Michael Hoffman) The Unholy (Camilo Vila) Waxwork (Anthony Hickox)   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.   At the end of the previous episode, Vestron Pictures was celebrating the best year of its two year history. Dirty Dancing had become one of the most beloved movies of the year, and Anna was becoming a major awards contender, thanks to a powerhouse performance by veteran actress Sally Kirkland. And at the 60th Academy Awards ceremony, honoring the films of 1987, Dirty Dancing would win the Oscar for Best Original Song, while Anna would be nominated for Best Actress, and The Dead for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Costumes.   Surely, things could only go up from there, right?   Welcome to Part Two of our miniseries.   But before we get started, I'm issuing a rare mea culpa. I need to add another Vestron movie which I completely missed on the previous episode, because it factors in to today's episode. Which, of course, starts before our story begins.   In the 1970s, there were very few filmmakers like the flamboyant Ken Russell. So unique a visual storyteller was Russell, it's nigh impossible to accurately describe him in a verbal or textual manner. Those who have seen The Devils, Tommy or Altered States know just how special Russell was as a filmmaker. By the late 1980s, the hits had dried up, and Russell was in a different kind of artistic stage, wanting to make somewhat faithful adaptations of late 19th and early 20th century UK authors. Vestron was looking to work with some prestigious filmmakers, to help build their cache in the filmmaking community, and Russell saw the opportunity to hopefully find a new home with this new distributor not unlike the one he had with Warner Brothers in the early 70s that brought forth several of his strongest movies.   In June 1986, Russell began production on a gothic horror film entitled, appropriately enough, Gothic, which depicted a fictionalized version of a real life meeting between Mary Godwin, Percy Shelley, John William Polidori and Claire Clairemont at the Villa Diodati in Geneva, hosted by Lord Byron, from which historians believe both Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and John William Polidori's The Vampyre were inspired.   And you want to talk about a movie with a great cast. Gabriel Byrne plays Lord Byron, Julian Sands as Percy Shelley, Natasha Richardson, in her first ever movie, as Mary Shelley, Timothy Spall as John William Polidori, and Dexter Fletcher.   Although the film was produced through MGM, and distributed by the company in Europe, they would not release the film in America, fearing American audiences wouldn't get it. So Vestron would swoop in and acquire the American theatrical rights.   Incidentally, the film did not do very well in American theatres. Opening at the Cinema 1 in midtown Manhattan on April 10th, 1987, the film would sell $45,000 worth of tickets in its first three days, one of the best grosses of any single screen in the city. But the film would end up grossing only $916k after three months in theatres.   BUT…   The movie would do quite well for Vestron on home video, enough so that Vestron would sign on to produce Russell's next three movies. The first of those will be coming up very soon.   Vestron's 1988 release schedule began on January 22nd with the release of two films.   The first was Michael Hoffman's Promised Land. In 1982, Hoffman's first film, Privileged, was the first film to made through the Oxford Film Foundation, and was notable for being the first screen appearances for Hugh Grant and Imogen Stubbs, the first film scored by future Oscar winning composer Rachel Portman, and was shepherded into production by none other than John Schlesinger, the Oscar winning director of 1969 Best Picture winner Midnight Cowboy. Hoffman's second film, the Scottish comedy Restless Natives, was part of the 1980s Scottish New Wave film movement that also included Bill Forsyth's Gregory's Girl and Local Hero, and was the only film to be scored by the Scottish rock band Big Country.   Promised Land was one of the first films to be developed by the Sundance Institute, in 1984, and when it was finally produced in 1986, would include Robert Redford as one of its executive producers. The film would follow two recent local high school graduates, Hancock and Danny, whose lives would intersect again with disastrous results several years after graduation. The cast features two young actors destined to become stars, in Keifer Sutherland and Meg Ryan, as well as Jason Gedrick, Tracy Pollan, and Jay Underwood. Shot in Reno and around the Sundance Institute outside Park City, Utah during the early winter months of 1987, Promised Land would make its world premiere at the prestigious Deauville Film Festival in September 1987, but would lose its original distributor, New World Pictures around the same time. Vestron would swoop in to grab the distribution rights, and set it for a January 22nd, 1988 release, just after its American debut at the then U.S. Film Festival, which is now known as the Sundance Film Festival.    Convenient, eh?   Opening on six screens in , the film would gross $31k in its first three days. The film would continue to slowly roll out into more major markets, but with a lack of stellar reviews, and a cast that wouldn't be more famous for at least another year and a half, Vestron would never push the film out to more than 67 theaters, and it would quickly disappear with only $316k worth of tickets sold.   The other movie Vestron opened on January 22nd was Ettore Scale's The Family, which was Italy's submission to that year's Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. The great Vittorio Gassman stars as a retired college professor who reminisces about his life and his family over the course of the twentieth century. Featuring a cast of great international actors including Fanny Ardant, Philip Noiret, Stefania Sandrelli and Ricky Tognazzi, The Family would win every major film award in Italy, and it would indeed be nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, but in America, it would only play in a handful of theatres for about two months, unable to gross even $350k.   When is a remake not a remake? When French filmmaker Roger Vadim, who shot to international fame in 1956 with his movie And God Created Woman, decided to give a generational and international spin on his most famous work. And a completely different story, as to not resemble his original work in any form outside of the general brushstrokes of both being about a young, pretty, sexually liberated young woman.   Instead of Bridget Bardot, we get Rebecca De Mornay, who was never able to parlay her starring role in Risky Business to any kind of stardom the way one-time boyfriend Tom Cruise had. And if there was any American woman in the United States in 1988 who could bring in a certain demographic to see her traipse around New Mexico au natural, it would be Rebecca De Mornay. But as we saw with Kathleen Turner in Ken Russell's Crimes of Passion in 1984 and Ellen Barkin in Mary Lambert's Siesta in 1987, American audiences were still rather prudish when it came to seeing a certain kind of female empowered sexuality on screen, and when the film opened at 385 theatres on March 4th, it would open to barely a $1,000 per screen average. And God Created Woman would be gone from theatres after only three weeks and $717k in ticket sales.   Vestron would next release a Dutch film called The Pointsman, about a French woman who accidentally gets off at the wrong train station in a remote Dutch village, and a local railwayman who, unable to speak the other person's language, develop a strange relationship while she waits for another train that never arrives.   Opening at the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas on New York's Upper West Side on April 8th, the film would gross $7,000 in its first week, which in and of itself isn't all that bad for a mostly silent Dutch film. Except there was another Dutch film in the marketplace already, one that was getting much better reviews, and was the official Dutch entry into that year's Best Foreign Language Film race. That film, Babette's Feast, was becoming something more than just a movie. Restaurants across the country were creating menus based on the meals served in the film, and in its sixth week of release in New York City that weekend, had grossed four times as much as The Pointsman, despite the fact that the theatre playing Babette's Feast, the Cinema Studio 1, sat only 65 more people than the Lincoln Plaza 1. The following week, The Pointsman would drop to $6k in ticket sales, while Babette's Feast's audience grew another $6k over the previous week. After a third lackluster week, The Pointsman was gone from the Lincoln Plaza, and would never play in another theatre in America.   In the mid-80s, British actor Ben Cross was still trying to capitalize on his having been one of the leads in the 1981 Best Picture winner Chariots of Fire, and was sharing a home with his wife and children, as well as Camilo Vila, a filmmaker looking for his first big break in features after two well-received short films made in his native Cuba before he defected in the early 1980s. When Vila was offered the chance to direct The Unholy, about a Roman Catholic priest in New Orleans who finds himself battling a demonic force after being appointed to a new parish, he would walk down the hall of his shared home and offered his roomie the lead role.   Along with Ned Beatty, William Russ, Hal Holbrook and British actor Trevor Howard in his final film, The Unholy would begin two weeks of exterior filming in New Orleans on October 27th, 1986, before moving to a studio in Miami for seven more weeks. The film would open in 1189 theatres, Vestron's widest opening to date, on April 22nd, and would open in seventh place with $2.35m in ticket sales. By its second week in theatres, it would fall to eleventh place with a $1.24m gross. But with the Summer Movie Season quickly creeping up on the calendar, The Unholy would suffer the same fate as most horror films, making the drop to dollar houses after two weeks, as to make room for such dreck as Sunset, Blake Edwards' lamentable Bruce Willis/James Garner riff on Hollywood and cowboys in the late 1920s, and the pointless sequel to Critters before screens got gobbled up by Rambo III on Memorial Day weekend. It would earn a bit more than $6m at the box office.   When Gothic didn't perform well in American theatres, Ken Russell thought his career was over. As we mentioned earlier, the American home video store saved his career, as least for the time being.    The first film Russell would make for Vestron proper was Salome's Last Dance, based on an 1891 play by Oscar Wilde, which itself was based on a story from the New Testament. Russell's script would add a framing device as a way for movie audiences to get into this most theatrical of stories.   On Guy Fawkes Day in London in 1892, Oscar Wilde and his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, arrive late at a friend's brothel, where the author is treated to a surprise performance of his play Salome, which has recently been banned from being performed at all in England by Lord Chamberlain. All of the actors in his special performance are played by the prostitutes of the brothel and their clients, and the scenes of the play are intertwined with Wilde's escapades at the brothel that night.   We didn't know it at the time, but Salome's Last Dance would be the penultimate film performance for Academy Award winning actress Glenda Jackson, who would retire to go into politics in England a couple years later, after working with Russell on another film, which we'll get to in a moment. About the only other actor you might recognize in the film is David Doyle, of all people, the American actor best known for playing Bosley on Charlie's Angels.   Like Gothic, Salome's Last Dance would not do very well in theatres, grossing less than half a million dollars after three months, but would find an appreciative audience on home video.   The most interesting thing about Roger Holzberg's Midnight Crossing is the writer and director himself. Holzberg started in the entertainment industry as a playwright, then designed the props and weapons for Albert Pyun's 1982 film The Sword and the Sorcerer, before moving on to direct the second unit team on Pyun's 1985 film Radioactive Dreams. After making this film, Holzberg would have a cancer scare, and pivot to health care, creating a number of technological advancements to help evolve patient treatment, including the Infusionarium, a media setup which helps children with cancer cope with treatment by asking them questions designed to determine what setting would be most comforting to them, and then using virtual reality technology and live events to immerse them in such an environment during treatment.   That's pretty darn cool, actually.   Midnight Crossing stars Faye Dunaway and Hill Street Blues star Daniel J. Travanti in his first major movie role as a couple who team with another couple, played by Kim Cattrall and John Laughlin, who go hunting for treasure supposedly buried between Florida and Cuba.   The film would open in 419 theaters on May 11th, 1988, and gross a paltry $673k in its first three days, putting it 15th on the list of box office grosses for the week, $23k more than Three Men and a Baby, which was playing on 538 screens in its 25th week of release. In its second week, Midnight Crossing would lose more than a third of its theatres, and the weekend gross would fall to just $232k. The third week would be even worse, dropping to just 67 theatres and $43k in ticket sales. After a few weeks at a handful of dollar houses, the film would be history with just $1.3m in the bank. Leonard Klady, then writing for the Los Angeles Times, would note in a January 1989 article about the 1988 box office that Midnight Crossing's box office to budget ratio of 0.26 was the tenth worst ratio for any major or mini-major studio, ahead of And God Created Woman's 8th worst ratio of .155 but behind other stinkers like Caddyshack II.   The forgotten erotic thriller Call Me sounds like a twist on the 1984 Alan Rudolph romantic comedy Choose Me, but instead of Genevieve Bujold we get Patricia Charbonneau, and instead of a meet cute involving singles at a bar in Los Angeles, we get a murder mystery involving a New York City journalist who gets involved with a mysterious caller after she witnesses a murder at a bar due to a case of mistaken identity.   The film's not very good, but the supporting cast is great, including Steve Buscemi, Patti D'Arbanville, Stephen McHattie and David Straithairn.   Opening on 24 screens in major markets on May 20th, Call Me would open to horrible reviews, lead by Siskel and Ebert's thumbs facing downward, and only $58,348 worth of tickets sold in its first three days. After five weeks in theatres, Vestron hung up on Call Me with just $252k in the kitty.   Vestron would open two movies on June 3rd, one in a very limited release, and one in a moderate national release.   There are a lot of obscure titles in these two episodes, and probably the most obscure is Paul Mones' The Beat. The film followed a young man named Billy Kane, played by William McNamara in his film debut, who moves into a rough neighborhood controlled by several gangs, who tries to help make his new area a better place by teaching them about poetry. John Savage from The Deer Hunter plays a teacher, and future writer and director Reggie Rock Bythewood plays one of the troubled youths whose life is turned around through the written and spoken word.   The production team was top notch. Producer Julia Phillips was one of the few women to ever win a Best Picture Oscar when she and her then husband Michael Phillips produced The Sting in 1973. Phillips was assisted on the film by two young men who were making their first movie. Jon Kilik would go on to produce or co-produce every Spike Lee movie from Do the Right Thing to Da 5 Bloods, except for BlackkKlansman, while Nick Weschler would produce sex, lies and videotape, Drugstore Cowboy, The Player and Requiem for a Dream, amongst dozens of major films. And the film's cinematographer, Tom DiCillo, would move into the director's chair in 1991 with Johnny Suede, which gave Brad Pitt his first lead role.   The Beat would be shot on location in New York City in the summer of 1986, and it would make its world premiere at the Cannes Film Market in May 1987. But it would be another thirteen months before the film arrived in theatres.   Opening on seven screens in Los Angeles and New York City on June 3rd, The Beat would gross just $7,168 in its first three days.  There would not be a second week for The Beat. It would make its way onto home video in early 1989, and that's the last time the film was seen for nearly thirty years, until the film was picked up by a number of streaming services.   Vestron's streak of bad luck continued with the comedy Paramedics starring George Newbern and Christopher McDonald. The only feature film directed by Stuart Margolin, best known as Angel on the 1970s TV series The Rockford Files, Newbern and McDonald play two… well, paramedics… who are sent by boss, as punishment, from their cushy uptown gig to a troubled district at the edge of the city, where they discover two other paramedics are running a cadavers for dollars scheme, harvesting organs from dead bodies to the black market.   Here again we have a great supporting cast who deserve to be in a better movie, including character actor John P. Ryan, James Noble from Benson, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs from Welcome Back Kotter, the great Ray Walston, and one-time Playboy Playmate Karen Witter, who plays a sort of angel of death.   Opening on 301 screens nationwide, Paramedics would only gross $149,577 in its first three days, the worst per screen average of any movie playing in at least 100 theatres that weekend. Vestron stopped tracking the film after just three days.   Two weeks later, on June 17th, Vestron released a comedy horror film that should have done better. Waxwork was an interesting idea, a group of college students who have some strange encounters with the wax figures at a local museum, but that's not exactly why it should have been more popular. It was the cast that should have brought audiences in. On one side, you had a group of well-known younger actors like Deborah Foreman from Valley Girl, Zack Gailligan from Gremlins, Michelle Johnson from Blame It on Rio, and Miles O'Keeffe from Sword of the Valiant. On the other hand, you had a group of seasoned veterans from popular television shows and movies, such as Patrick Macnee from the popular 1960s British TV show The Avengers, John Rhys-Davies from the Indiana Jones movies, and David Warner, from The Omen and Time after Time and Time Bandits and Tron.   But if I want to be completely honest, this was not a movie to release in the early part of summer. While I'm a firm believer that the right movie can find an audience no matter when it's released, Waxwork was absolutely a prime candidate for an early October release. Throughout the 1980s, we saw a number of horror movies, and especially horror comedies, released in the summer season that just did not hit with audiences. So it would be of little surprise when Waxwork grossed less than a million dollars during its theatrical run. And it should be of little surprise that the film would become popular enough on home video to warrant a sequel, which would add more popular sci-fi and horror actors like Marina Sirtis from Star Trek: The Next Generation, David Carradine and even Bruce Campbell. But by 1992, when Waxwork 2 was released, Vestron was long since closed.   The second Ken Russell movie made for Vestron was The Lair of the White Worm, based on a 1911 novel by Bram Stoker, the author's final published book before his death the following year. The story follows the residents in and around a rural English manor that are tormented by an ancient priestess after the skull of a serpent she worships is unearthed by an archaeologist.   Russell would offer the role of Sylvia Marsh, the enigmatic Lady who is actually an immortal priestess to an ancient snake god, to Tilda Swinton, who at this point of her career had already racked up a substantial resume in film after only two years, but she would decline. Instead, the role would go to Amanda Donohoe, the British actress best known at the time for her appearances in a pair of Adam Ant videos earlier in the decade. And the supporting cast would include Peter Capaldi, Hugh Grant, Catherine Oxenberg, and the under-appreciated Sammi Davis, who was simply amazing in Mona Lisa, A Prayer for the Dying and John Boorman's Hope and Glory.   The $2m would come together fairly quickly. Vestron and Russell would agree on the film in late 1987, the script would be approved by January 1988, filming would begin in England in February, and the completed film would have its world premiere at the Montreal Film Festival before the end of August.   When the film arrived in American theatres starting on October 21st, many critics would embrace the director's deliberate camp qualities and anachronisms. But audiences, who maybe weren't used to Russell's style of filmmaking, did not embrace the film quite so much. New Yorkers would buy $31k worth of tickets in its opening weekend at the D. W. Griffith and 8th Street Playhouse, and the film would perform well in its opening weeks in major markets, but the film would never quite break out, earning just $1.2m after ten weeks in theatres. But, again, home video would save the day, as the film would become one of the bigger rental titles in 1989.   If you were a teenager in the early 80s, as I was, you may remember a Dutch horror film called The Lift. Or, at the very least, you remember the key art on the VHS box, of a man who has his head stuck in between the doors of an elevator, while the potential viewer is warned to take the stairs, take the stairs, for God's sake, take the stairs. It was an impressive debut film for Dick Maas, but it was one that would place an albatross around the neck of his career.   One of his follow ups to The Lift, called Amsterdamned, would follow a police detective who is searching for a serial killer in his home town, who uses the canals of the Dutch capital to keep himself hidden. When the detective gets too close to solving the identity of the murderer, the killer sends a message by killing the detective's girlfriend, which, if the killer had ever seen a movie before, he should have known you never do. You never make it personal for the cop, because he's gonna take you down even worse.   When the film's producers brought the film to the American Film Market in early 1988, it would become one of the most talked about films, and Vestron would pick up the American distribution rights for a cool half a million dollars. The film would open on six screens in the US on November 25th, including the Laemmle Music Hall in Beverly Hills but not in New York City, but a $15k first weekend gross would seal its fate almost immediately. The film would play for another four weeks in theatres, playing on 18 screens at its widest, but it would end its run shortly after the start of of the year with only $62,044 in tickets sold.   The final Vestron Pictures release of 1988 was Andrew Birkin's Burning Secret. Birkin, the brother of French singer and actress Jane Birkin, would co-write the screenplay for this adaptation of a 1913 short story by Austrian novelist Stefan Zweig, about a about an American diplomat's son who befriends a mysterious baron while staying at an Austrian spa during the 1920s. According to Birkin in a 2021 interview, making the movie was somewhat of a nightmare, as his leading actors, Klaus Maria Brandauer and Faye Dunaway, did not like each other, and their lack of comfort with each other would bleed into their performances, which is fatal for a film about two people who are supposed to passionately burn for each other.   Opening on 16 screens in major markets on Thursday, December 22nd, Burning Secret would only gross $27k in its first four days. The film would actually see a post-Christmas bump, as it would lose a screen but see its gross jump to $40k. But after the first of the year, as it was obvious reviews were not going to save the film and awards consideration was non-existent, the film would close after three weeks with only $104k worth of tickets sold.   By the end of 1988, Vestron was facing bankruptcy. The major distributors had learned the lessons independents like Vestron had taught them about selling more volumes of tapes by lowering the price, to make movies collectables and have people curate their own video library. Top titles were harder to come by, and studios were no longer giving up home video rights to the movies they acquired from third-party producers.   Like many of the distributors we've spoken about before, and will undoubtedly speak of again, Vestron had too much success with one movie too quickly, and learned the wrong lessons about growth. If you look at the independent distribution world of 2023, you'll see companies like A24 that have learned that lesson. Stay lean and mean, don't go too wide too quickly, try not to spend too much money on a movie, no matter who the filmmaker is and how good of a relationship you have with them. A24 worked with Robert Eggers on The Witch and The Lighthouse, but when he wanted to spend $70-90m to make The Northman, A24 tapped out early, and Focus Features ended up losing millions on the film. Focus, the “indie” label for Universal Studios, can weather a huge loss like The Northman because they are a part of a multinational, multimedia conglomerate.   This didn't mean Vestron was going to quit quite yet, but, spoiler alert, they'll be gone soon enough.   In fact, and in case you are newer to the podcast and haven't listen to many of the previous episodes, none of the independent distribution companies that began and/or saw their best years in the 1980s that we've covered so far or will be covering in the future, exist in the same form they existed in back then.    New Line still exists, but it's now a label within Warner Brothers instead of being an independent distributor. Ditto Orion, which is now just a specialty label within MGM/UA. The Samuel Goldwyn Company is still around and still distributes movies, but it was bought by Orion Pictures the year before Orion was bought by MGM/UA, so it too is now just a specialty label, within another specialty label. Miramax today is just a holding company for the movies the company made before they were sold off to Disney, before Disney sold them off to a hedge fund, who sold Miramax off to another hedge fund.    Atlantic is gone. New World is gone. Cannon is gone. Hemdale is gone. Cinecom is gone. Island Films is gone. Alive Films is gone. Concorde Films is gone. MCEG is gone. CineTel is gone. Crown International is gone. Lorimar is gone. New Century/Vista is gone. Skouras Films is gone. Cineplex Odeon Films is gone.   Not one of them survived.   The same can pretty much be said for the independent distributors created in the 1990s, save Lionsgate, but I'll leave that for another podcast to tackle.   As for the Vestron story, we'll continue that one next week, because there are still a dozen more movies to talk about, as well as the end of the line for the once high flying company.   Thank you for joining us. We'll talk again soon.   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.

We continue our look back at the movies released by independent distributor Vestron Pictures, focusing on their 1988 releases. ----more---- The movies discussed on this episode, all released by Vestron Pictures in 1988 unless otherwise noted, include: Amsterdamned (Dick Maas) And God Created Woman (Roger Vadim) The Beat (Paul Mones) Burning Secret (Andrew Birkin) Call Me (Sollace Mitchell) The Family (Ettore Scola) Gothic (Ken Russell, 1987) The Lair of the White Worm (Ken Russell) Midnight Crossing (Roger Holzberg) Paramedics (Stuart Margolin) The Pointsman (Jos Stelling) Salome's Last Dance (Ken Russell) Promised Land (Michael Hoffman) The Unholy (Camilo Vila) Waxwork (Anthony Hickox)   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.   At the end of the previous episode, Vestron Pictures was celebrating the best year of its two year history. Dirty Dancing had become one of the most beloved movies of the year, and Anna was becoming a major awards contender, thanks to a powerhouse performance by veteran actress Sally Kirkland. And at the 60th Academy Awards ceremony, honoring the films of 1987, Dirty Dancing would win the Oscar for Best Original Song, while Anna would be nominated for Best Actress, and The Dead for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Costumes.   Surely, things could only go up from there, right?   Welcome to Part Two of our miniseries.   But before we get started, I'm issuing a rare mea culpa. I need to add another Vestron movie which I completely missed on the previous episode, because it factors in to today's episode. Which, of course, starts before our story begins.   In the 1970s, there were very few filmmakers like the flamboyant Ken Russell. So unique a visual storyteller was Russell, it's nigh impossible to accurately describe him in a verbal or textual manner. Those who have seen The Devils, Tommy or Altered States know just how special Russell was as a filmmaker. By the late 1980s, the hits had dried up, and Russell was in a different kind of artistic stage, wanting to make somewhat faithful adaptations of late 19th and early 20th century UK authors. Vestron was looking to work with some prestigious filmmakers, to help build their cache in the filmmaking community, and Russell saw the opportunity to hopefully find a new home with this new distributor not unlike the one he had with Warner Brothers in the early 70s that brought forth several of his strongest movies.   In June 1986, Russell began production on a gothic horror film entitled, appropriately enough, Gothic, which depicted a fictionalized version of a real life meeting between Mary Godwin, Percy Shelley, John William Polidori and Claire Clairemont at the Villa Diodati in Geneva, hosted by Lord Byron, from which historians believe both Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and John William Polidori's The Vampyre were inspired.   And you want to talk about a movie with a great cast. Gabriel Byrne plays Lord Byron, Julian Sands as Percy Shelley, Natasha Richardson, in her first ever movie, as Mary Shelley, Timothy Spall as John William Polidori, and Dexter Fletcher.   Although the film was produced through MGM, and distributed by the company in Europe, they would not release the film in America, fearing American audiences wouldn't get it. So Vestron would swoop in and acquire the American theatrical rights.   Incidentally, the film did not do very well in American theatres. Opening at the Cinema 1 in midtown Manhattan on April 10th, 1987, the film would sell $45,000 worth of tickets in its first three days, one of the best grosses of any single screen in the city. But the film would end up grossing only $916k after three months in theatres.   BUT…   The movie would do quite well for Vestron on home video, enough so that Vestron would sign on to produce Russell's next three movies. The first of those will be coming up very soon.   Vestron's 1988 release schedule began on January 22nd with the release of two films.   The first was Michael Hoffman's Promised Land. In 1982, Hoffman's first film, Privileged, was the first film to made through the Oxford Film Foundation, and was notable for being the first screen appearances for Hugh Grant and Imogen Stubbs, the first film scored by future Oscar winning composer Rachel Portman, and was shepherded into production by none other than John Schlesinger, the Oscar winning director of 1969 Best Picture winner Midnight Cowboy. Hoffman's second film, the Scottish comedy Restless Natives, was part of the 1980s Scottish New Wave film movement that also included Bill Forsyth's Gregory's Girl and Local Hero, and was the only film to be scored by the Scottish rock band Big Country.   Promised Land was one of the first films to be developed by the Sundance Institute, in 1984, and when it was finally produced in 1986, would include Robert Redford as one of its executive producers. The film would follow two recent local high school graduates, Hancock and Danny, whose lives would intersect again with disastrous results several years after graduation. The cast features two young actors destined to become stars, in Keifer Sutherland and Meg Ryan, as well as Jason Gedrick, Tracy Pollan, and Jay Underwood. Shot in Reno and around the Sundance Institute outside Park City, Utah during the early winter months of 1987, Promised Land would make its world premiere at the prestigious Deauville Film Festival in September 1987, but would lose its original distributor, New World Pictures around the same time. Vestron would swoop in to grab the distribution rights, and set it for a January 22nd, 1988 release, just after its American debut at the then U.S. Film Festival, which is now known as the Sundance Film Festival.    Convenient, eh?   Opening on six screens in , the film would gross $31k in its first three days. The film would continue to slowly roll out into more major markets, but with a lack of stellar reviews, and a cast that wouldn't be more famous for at least another year and a half, Vestron would never push the film out to more than 67 theaters, and it would quickly disappear with only $316k worth of tickets sold.   The other movie Vestron opened on January 22nd was Ettore Scale's The Family, which was Italy's submission to that year's Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. The great Vittorio Gassman stars as a retired college professor who reminisces about his life and his family over the course of the twentieth century. Featuring a cast of great international actors including Fanny Ardant, Philip Noiret, Stefania Sandrelli and Ricky Tognazzi, The Family would win every major film award in Italy, and it would indeed be nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, but in America, it would only play in a handful of theatres for about two months, unable to gross even $350k.   When is a remake not a remake? When French filmmaker Roger Vadim, who shot to international fame in 1956 with his movie And God Created Woman, decided to give a generational and international spin on his most famous work. And a completely different story, as to not resemble his original work in any form outside of the general brushstrokes of both being about a young, pretty, sexually liberated young woman.   Instead of Bridget Bardot, we get Rebecca De Mornay, who was never able to parlay her starring role in Risky Business to any kind of stardom the way one-time boyfriend Tom Cruise had. And if there was any American woman in the United States in 1988 who could bring in a certain demographic to see her traipse around New Mexico au natural, it would be Rebecca De Mornay. But as we saw with Kathleen Turner in Ken Russell's Crimes of Passion in 1984 and Ellen Barkin in Mary Lambert's Siesta in 1987, American audiences were still rather prudish when it came to seeing a certain kind of female empowered sexuality on screen, and when the film opened at 385 theatres on March 4th, it would open to barely a $1,000 per screen average. And God Created Woman would be gone from theatres after only three weeks and $717k in ticket sales.   Vestron would next release a Dutch film called The Pointsman, about a French woman who accidentally gets off at the wrong train station in a remote Dutch village, and a local railwayman who, unable to speak the other person's language, develop a strange relationship while she waits for another train that never arrives.   Opening at the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas on New York's Upper West Side on April 8th, the film would gross $7,000 in its first week, which in and of itself isn't all that bad for a mostly silent Dutch film. Except there was another Dutch film in the marketplace already, one that was getting much better reviews, and was the official Dutch entry into that year's Best Foreign Language Film race. That film, Babette's Feast, was becoming something more than just a movie. Restaurants across the country were creating menus based on the meals served in the film, and in its sixth week of release in New York City that weekend, had grossed four times as much as The Pointsman, despite the fact that the theatre playing Babette's Feast, the Cinema Studio 1, sat only 65 more people than the Lincoln Plaza 1. The following week, The Pointsman would drop to $6k in ticket sales, while Babette's Feast's audience grew another $6k over the previous week. After a third lackluster week, The Pointsman was gone from the Lincoln Plaza, and would never play in another theatre in America.   In the mid-80s, British actor Ben Cross was still trying to capitalize on his having been one of the leads in the 1981 Best Picture winner Chariots of Fire, and was sharing a home with his wife and children, as well as Camilo Vila, a filmmaker looking for his first big break in features after two well-received short films made in his native Cuba before he defected in the early 1980s. When Vila was offered the chance to direct The Unholy, about a Roman Catholic priest in New Orleans who finds himself battling a demonic force after being appointed to a new parish, he would walk down the hall of his shared home and offered his roomie the lead role.   Along with Ned Beatty, William Russ, Hal Holbrook and British actor Trevor Howard in his final film, The Unholy would begin two weeks of exterior filming in New Orleans on October 27th, 1986, before moving to a studio in Miami for seven more weeks. The film would open in 1189 theatres, Vestron's widest opening to date, on April 22nd, and would open in seventh place with $2.35m in ticket sales. By its second week in theatres, it would fall to eleventh place with a $1.24m gross. But with the Summer Movie Season quickly creeping up on the calendar, The Unholy would suffer the same fate as most horror films, making the drop to dollar houses after two weeks, as to make room for such dreck as Sunset, Blake Edwards' lamentable Bruce Willis/James Garner riff on Hollywood and cowboys in the late 1920s, and the pointless sequel to Critters before screens got gobbled up by Rambo III on Memorial Day weekend. It would earn a bit more than $6m at the box office.   When Gothic didn't perform well in American theatres, Ken Russell thought his career was over. As we mentioned earlier, the American home video store saved his career, as least for the time being.    The first film Russell would make for Vestron proper was Salome's Last Dance, based on an 1891 play by Oscar Wilde, which itself was based on a story from the New Testament. Russell's script would add a framing device as a way for movie audiences to get into this most theatrical of stories.   On Guy Fawkes Day in London in 1892, Oscar Wilde and his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, arrive late at a friend's brothel, where the author is treated to a surprise performance of his play Salome, which has recently been banned from being performed at all in England by Lord Chamberlain. All of the actors in his special performance are played by the prostitutes of the brothel and their clients, and the scenes of the play are intertwined with Wilde's escapades at the brothel that night.   We didn't know it at the time, but Salome's Last Dance would be the penultimate film performance for Academy Award winning actress Glenda Jackson, who would retire to go into politics in England a couple years later, after working with Russell on another film, which we'll get to in a moment. About the only other actor you might recognize in the film is David Doyle, of all people, the American actor best known for playing Bosley on Charlie's Angels.   Like Gothic, Salome's Last Dance would not do very well in theatres, grossing less than half a million dollars after three months, but would find an appreciative audience on home video.   The most interesting thing about Roger Holzberg's Midnight Crossing is the writer and director himself. Holzberg started in the entertainment industry as a playwright, then designed the props and weapons for Albert Pyun's 1982 film The Sword and the Sorcerer, before moving on to direct the second unit team on Pyun's 1985 film Radioactive Dreams. After making this film, Holzberg would have a cancer scare, and pivot to health care, creating a number of technological advancements to help evolve patient treatment, including the Infusionarium, a media setup which helps children with cancer cope with treatment by asking them questions designed to determine what setting would be most comforting to them, and then using virtual reality technology and live events to immerse them in such an environment during treatment.   That's pretty darn cool, actually.   Midnight Crossing stars Faye Dunaway and Hill Street Blues star Daniel J. Travanti in his first major movie role as a couple who team with another couple, played by Kim Cattrall and John Laughlin, who go hunting for treasure supposedly buried between Florida and Cuba.   The film would open in 419 theaters on May 11th, 1988, and gross a paltry $673k in its first three days, putting it 15th on the list of box office grosses for the week, $23k more than Three Men and a Baby, which was playing on 538 screens in its 25th week of release. In its second week, Midnight Crossing would lose more than a third of its theatres, and the weekend gross would fall to just $232k. The third week would be even worse, dropping to just 67 theatres and $43k in ticket sales. After a few weeks at a handful of dollar houses, the film would be history with just $1.3m in the bank. Leonard Klady, then writing for the Los Angeles Times, would note in a January 1989 article about the 1988 box office that Midnight Crossing's box office to budget ratio of 0.26 was the tenth worst ratio for any major or mini-major studio, ahead of And God Created Woman's 8th worst ratio of .155 but behind other stinkers like Caddyshack II.   The forgotten erotic thriller Call Me sounds like a twist on the 1984 Alan Rudolph romantic comedy Choose Me, but instead of Genevieve Bujold we get Patricia Charbonneau, and instead of a meet cute involving singles at a bar in Los Angeles, we get a murder mystery involving a New York City journalist who gets involved with a mysterious caller after she witnesses a murder at a bar due to a case of mistaken identity.   The film's not very good, but the supporting cast is great, including Steve Buscemi, Patti D'Arbanville, Stephen McHattie and David Straithairn.   Opening on 24 screens in major markets on May 20th, Call Me would open to horrible reviews, lead by Siskel and Ebert's thumbs facing downward, and only $58,348 worth of tickets sold in its first three days. After five weeks in theatres, Vestron hung up on Call Me with just $252k in the kitty.   Vestron would open two movies on June 3rd, one in a very limited release, and one in a moderate national release.   There are a lot of obscure titles in these two episodes, and probably the most obscure is Paul Mones' The Beat. The film followed a young man named Billy Kane, played by William McNamara in his film debut, who moves into a rough neighborhood controlled by several gangs, who tries to help make his new area a better place by teaching them about poetry. John Savage from The Deer Hunter plays a teacher, and future writer and director Reggie Rock Bythewood plays one of the troubled youths whose life is turned around through the written and spoken word.   The production team was top notch. Producer Julia Phillips was one of the few women to ever win a Best Picture Oscar when she and her then husband Michael Phillips produced The Sting in 1973. Phillips was assisted on the film by two young men who were making their first movie. Jon Kilik would go on to produce or co-produce every Spike Lee movie from Do the Right Thing to Da 5 Bloods, except for BlackkKlansman, while Nick Weschler would produce sex, lies and videotape, Drugstore Cowboy, The Player and Requiem for a Dream, amongst dozens of major films. And the film's cinematographer, Tom DiCillo, would move into the director's chair in 1991 with Johnny Suede, which gave Brad Pitt his first lead role.   The Beat would be shot on location in New York City in the summer of 1986, and it would make its world premiere at the Cannes Film Market in May 1987. But it would be another thirteen months before the film arrived in theatres.   Opening on seven screens in Los Angeles and New York City on June 3rd, The Beat would gross just $7,168 in its first three days.  There would not be a second week for The Beat. It would make its way onto home video in early 1989, and that's the last time the film was seen for nearly thirty years, until the film was picked up by a number of streaming services.   Vestron's streak of bad luck continued with the comedy Paramedics starring George Newbern and Christopher McDonald. The only feature film directed by Stuart Margolin, best known as Angel on the 1970s TV series The Rockford Files, Newbern and McDonald play two… well, paramedics… who are sent by boss, as punishment, from their cushy uptown gig to a troubled district at the edge of the city, where they discover two other paramedics are running a cadavers for dollars scheme, harvesting organs from dead bodies to the black market.   Here again we have a great supporting cast who deserve to be in a better movie, including character actor John P. Ryan, James Noble from Benson, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs from Welcome Back Kotter, the great Ray Walston, and one-time Playboy Playmate Karen Witter, who plays a sort of angel of death.   Opening on 301 screens nationwide, Paramedics would only gross $149,577 in its first three days, the worst per screen average of any movie playing in at least 100 theatres that weekend. Vestron stopped tracking the film after just three days.   Two weeks later, on June 17th, Vestron released a comedy horror film that should have done better. Waxwork was an interesting idea, a group of college students who have some strange encounters with the wax figures at a local museum, but that's not exactly why it should have been more popular. It was the cast that should have brought audiences in. On one side, you had a group of well-known younger actors like Deborah Foreman from Valley Girl, Zack Gailligan from Gremlins, Michelle Johnson from Blame It on Rio, and Miles O'Keeffe from Sword of the Valiant. On the other hand, you had a group of seasoned veterans from popular television shows and movies, such as Patrick Macnee from the popular 1960s British TV show The Avengers, John Rhys-Davies from the Indiana Jones movies, and David Warner, from The Omen and Time after Time and Time Bandits and Tron.   But if I want to be completely honest, this was not a movie to release in the early part of summer. While I'm a firm believer that the right movie can find an audience no matter when it's released, Waxwork was absolutely a prime candidate for an early October release. Throughout the 1980s, we saw a number of horror movies, and especially horror comedies, released in the summer season that just did not hit with audiences. So it would be of little surprise when Waxwork grossed less than a million dollars during its theatrical run. And it should be of little surprise that the film would become popular enough on home video to warrant a sequel, which would add more popular sci-fi and horror actors like Marina Sirtis from Star Trek: The Next Generation, David Carradine and even Bruce Campbell. But by 1992, when Waxwork 2 was released, Vestron was long since closed.   The second Ken Russell movie made for Vestron was The Lair of the White Worm, based on a 1911 novel by Bram Stoker, the author's final published book before his death the following year. The story follows the residents in and around a rural English manor that are tormented by an ancient priestess after the skull of a serpent she worships is unearthed by an archaeologist.   Russell would offer the role of Sylvia Marsh, the enigmatic Lady who is actually an immortal priestess to an ancient snake god, to Tilda Swinton, who at this point of her career had already racked up a substantial resume in film after only two years, but she would decline. Instead, the role would go to Amanda Donohoe, the British actress best known at the time for her appearances in a pair of Adam Ant videos earlier in the decade. And the supporting cast would include Peter Capaldi, Hugh Grant, Catherine Oxenberg, and the under-appreciated Sammi Davis, who was simply amazing in Mona Lisa, A Prayer for the Dying and John Boorman's Hope and Glory.   The $2m would come together fairly quickly. Vestron and Russell would agree on the film in late 1987, the script would be approved by January 1988, filming would begin in England in February, and the completed film would have its world premiere at the Montreal Film Festival before the end of August.   When the film arrived in American theatres starting on October 21st, many critics would embrace the director's deliberate camp qualities and anachronisms. But audiences, who maybe weren't used to Russell's style of filmmaking, did not embrace the film quite so much. New Yorkers would buy $31k worth of tickets in its opening weekend at the D. W. Griffith and 8th Street Playhouse, and the film would perform well in its opening weeks in major markets, but the film would never quite break out, earning just $1.2m after ten weeks in theatres. But, again, home video would save the day, as the film would become one of the bigger rental titles in 1989.   If you were a teenager in the early 80s, as I was, you may remember a Dutch horror film called The Lift. Or, at the very least, you remember the key art on the VHS box, of a man who has his head stuck in between the doors of an elevator, while the potential viewer is warned to take the stairs, take the stairs, for God's sake, take the stairs. It was an impressive debut film for Dick Maas, but it was one that would place an albatross around the neck of his career.   One of his follow ups to The Lift, called Amsterdamned, would follow a police detective who is searching for a serial killer in his home town, who uses the canals of the Dutch capital to keep himself hidden. When the detective gets too close to solving the identity of the murderer, the killer sends a message by killing the detective's girlfriend, which, if the killer had ever seen a movie before, he should have known you never do. You never make it personal for the cop, because he's gonna take you down even worse.   When the film's producers brought the film to the American Film Market in early 1988, it would become one of the most talked about films, and Vestron would pick up the American distribution rights for a cool half a million dollars. The film would open on six screens in the US on November 25th, including the Laemmle Music Hall in Beverly Hills but not in New York City, but a $15k first weekend gross would seal its fate almost immediately. The film would play for another four weeks in theatres, playing on 18 screens at its widest, but it would end its run shortly after the start of of the year with only $62,044 in tickets sold.   The final Vestron Pictures release of 1988 was Andrew Birkin's Burning Secret. Birkin, the brother of French singer and actress Jane Birkin, would co-write the screenplay for this adaptation of a 1913 short story by Austrian novelist Stefan Zweig, about a about an American diplomat's son who befriends a mysterious baron while staying at an Austrian spa during the 1920s. According to Birkin in a 2021 interview, making the movie was somewhat of a nightmare, as his leading actors, Klaus Maria Brandauer and Faye Dunaway, did not like each other, and their lack of comfort with each other would bleed into their performances, which is fatal for a film about two people who are supposed to passionately burn for each other.   Opening on 16 screens in major markets on Thursday, December 22nd, Burning Secret would only gross $27k in its first four days. The film would actually see a post-Christmas bump, as it would lose a screen but see its gross jump to $40k. But after the first of the year, as it was obvious reviews were not going to save the film and awards consideration was non-existent, the film would close after three weeks with only $104k worth of tickets sold.   By the end of 1988, Vestron was facing bankruptcy. The major distributors had learned the lessons independents like Vestron had taught them about selling more volumes of tapes by lowering the price, to make movies collectables and have people curate their own video library. Top titles were harder to come by, and studios were no longer giving up home video rights to the movies they acquired from third-party producers.   Like many of the distributors we've spoken about before, and will undoubtedly speak of again, Vestron had too much success with one movie too quickly, and learned the wrong lessons about growth. If you look at the independent distribution world of 2023, you'll see companies like A24 that have learned that lesson. Stay lean and mean, don't go too wide too quickly, try not to spend too much money on a movie, no matter who the filmmaker is and how good of a relationship you have with them. A24 worked with Robert Eggers on The Witch and The Lighthouse, but when he wanted to spend $70-90m to make The Northman, A24 tapped out early, and Focus Features ended up losing millions on the film. Focus, the “indie” label for Universal Studios, can weather a huge loss like The Northman because they are a part of a multinational, multimedia conglomerate.   This didn't mean Vestron was going to quit quite yet, but, spoiler alert, they'll be gone soon enough.   In fact, and in case you are newer to the podcast and haven't listen to many of the previous episodes, none of the independent distribution companies that began and/or saw their best years in the 1980s that we've covered so far or will be covering in the future, exist in the same form they existed in back then.    New Line still exists, but it's now a label within Warner Brothers instead of being an independent distributor. Ditto Orion, which is now just a specialty label within MGM/UA. The Samuel Goldwyn Company is still around and still distributes movies, but it was bought by Orion Pictures the year before Orion was bought by MGM/UA, so it too is now just a specialty label, within another specialty label. Miramax today is just a holding company for the movies the company made before they were sold off to Disney, before Disney sold them off to a hedge fund, who sold Miramax off to another hedge fund.    Atlantic is gone. New World is gone. Cannon is gone. Hemdale is gone. Cinecom is gone. Island Films is gone. Alive Films is gone. Concorde Films is gone. MCEG is gone. CineTel is gone. Crown International is gone. Lorimar is gone. New Century/Vista is gone. Skouras Films is gone. Cineplex Odeon Films is gone.   Not one of them survived.   The same can pretty much be said for the independent distributors created in the 1990s, save Lionsgate, but I'll leave that for another podcast to tackle.   As for the Vestron story, we'll continue that one next week, because there are still a dozen more movies to talk about, as well as the end of the line for the once high flying company.   Thank you for joining us. We'll talk again soon.   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.

“There's only one thing wrong with the Davis baby…. IT'S ALIVE!” Join us as we discuss this early 70's classic! We talk about Rick Baker's monster design, the superb acting of John P. Ryan and Rob does his best Larry Cohen impression.

Screenwriter Chad Law joins Chris the Brain and Chad Cruise as they discuss the Cannon classic, Avenging Force! Directed by Sam Firstenberg and starring the dynamic duo of Michael Dudikoff and Steve James. Avenging Force continues the adventures of Matt Hunter (Dudikoff taking over the role from Chuck Norris) as he battles the Pentangle hate group/hunting club. The truck jumps, the guns in baby strollers, the maniacal John P. Ryan, Cowboy Dudi, shirtless Steve James and more are discussed. Plus, the episode kicks off with a brief interview with Chad Law, discussing how he got into the world of action movie writing and his upcoming movie coming to AMC+ on September 23rd, Section 8, featuring two Bulletproof Action favorites, Dolph Lundgren and Scott Adkins! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This time on the show Adam recommends that Melanie watch the sexiest movie they have done on the show. The Wachowski's first foray into cinema, Bound from 1996. This sultry crime thriller stars the ever-adorable Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon, and Joe Pantoliano in a sharply written gen filled with murder, deception, and a twisty-turny con game. When Violet (Tilly), a mobster's (Pantoliano) girlfriend, meets ex-con (Gershon), the pair begin a love affair that pits them against the mob as they plan to steal $2 million dollars and disappear together. Bound also stars a young Christopher Meloni and the fantastic John P. Ryan in his final role. This was the film that put The Wachowski's on the map and made way for their blockbuster hit The Matrix. You're in for a real treat with this one. Please rate, subscribe, and review. It really helps! You can also check out our back catalog, which includes discussions about Office Space, Legally Blonde, Speed, Encanto, The Fifth Element, and a wild special episode where Adam puts himself through the entire Twilight Franchise. With the tastes of the two hosts combined, there is truly something for everyone. But wait, there's more! We also have videos of Made You Watch… (a podcast) on the Enstarz YouTube Channel if you want to put faces to voices. Join Adam and Melanie as they share their love of movies every Wednesday. You can find Made You Watch... (a podcast) on all music and podcast streaming services. Follow Melanie Weir: Instagram @mel.ohh.dramatic and Twitter @spoopityboop Follow Adam Mock: Instagram @mock_adam and Twitter @Ad_Mock Follow The Show: Twitter @MadeYouWatch Email: feedback@madeyouwatchapodcast.com (We'd love to hear from you!) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/madeyouwatch/support

This time on the show Adam recommends that Melanie watch the sexiest movie they have done on the show. The Wachowski's first foray into cinema, Bound from 1996. This sultry crime thriller stars the ever-adorable Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon, and Joe Pantoliano in a sharply written gen filled with murder, deception, and a twisty-turny con game. When Violet (Tilly), a mobster's (Pantoliano) girlfriend, meets ex-con (Gershon), the pair begin a love affair that pits them against the mob as they plan to steal $2 million dollars and disappear together. Bound also stars a young Christopher Meloni and the fantastic John P. Ryan in his final role. This was the film that put The Wachowski's on the map and made way for their blockbuster hit The Matrix. You're in for a real treat with this one. Please rate, subscribe, and review. It really helps! You can also check out our back catalog, which includes discussions about Office Space, Legally Blonde, Speed, Encanto, The Fifth Element, and a wild special episode where Adam puts himself through the entire Twilight Franchise. With the tastes of the two hosts combined, there is truly something for everyone. But wait, there's more! We also have videos of Made You Watch… (a podcast) on the Enstarz YouTube Channel if you want to put faces to voices. Join Adam and Melanie as they share their love of movies every Wednesday. You can find Made You Watch... (a podcast) on all music and podcast streaming services. Follow Melanie Weir: Instagram @mel.ohh.dramatic and Twitter @spoopityboop Follow Adam Mock: Instagram @mock_adam and Twitter @Ad_Mock Follow The Show: Twitter @MadeYouWatch Email: feedback@madeyouwatchapodcast.com (We'd love to hear from you!) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/madeyouwatch/support

"SEQUELTEMBER" is here on The Cannon Canon! We kick off a month of Cannon sequels with 1990's Delta Force 2: The Columbian Connection! A movie that has little to do with the first Delta Force or Columbia. Filmed in part at Regan's abandoned getaway crib, this movie has Norris beating up "skinheads" in a restaurant, more Molasses 2x4 climbing and John P. Ryan having the time of his life. Billy Drago's still full from the scenery he chews up in this one! The winds of change are growing stronger, and so is SEQUELTEMBER! OUR PATREON: patreon.com/thecannoncanon Follow us on the socials: Twitter: @thecannoncanon Instagram: @thecannoncanon Please rate and review us!

Todd & Matt discuss Mark L Lester's kinda, sorta, not exactly sequel to Class of 1984. This sci-fi action horror features Pam Grier, John P. Ryan and Patrick Kilpatrick as cyborg teachers in a violent future. (Well our future 20 years Luis years ago anyway.). Written, directed and produced by Mark L. Lester

This week we review Fatal Beauty! Starring Whoopi Goldberg, Sam Elliott, John P. Ryan, Brad Dourif, and Ruben Blades.

Screenwriter Steven Peros joins the episode to discuss “The Missouri Breaks”, a film that is as great as the sum of its parts and its parts are…well…pretty great! Directed by Arthur Penn. Written by Thomas McGuane. Produced by Elliot Kastner. With a score from John Williams. Starring Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, Kathleen Lloyd, Randy Quaid, Frederic Forrest, Harry Dean Stanton & John P. Ryan How is the world wrong about this movie? From Andras: As Steven Peros says in the episode, some films are misjudged by their time, and against their time. “The Missouri Breaks” was so much OF its time the 1970's totally missed it. Find all of our episodes at www.theworldiswrongpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @theworldiswrongpodcast Check out: The Director's Wall with Bryan Connolly & AJ Gonzalez & The Radio8Ball Show hosted by Andras Jones See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Comedians Isabel Hagen & Danny Polishchuk join Zac this week for another deep dive into the annals of horror history. Frank and Lenore Davies (John P. Ryan & Sharon Farrell) are expecting to deliver a newborn baby. Soon after it's mysterious jailbreak from the delivery room, the Davies realize that their junior is anything but innocent. Tune in for the tumultuous tale of torment by one terrible toddler, as writer and director Larry Cohen channels the chilling chaos unleashed by a killer child in 1974's It's Alive.PLEASE VISIT OUR SPONSORSIf you want to last longer, and perform better in bed, head to https://www.bluechew.com and use promo code MIDNIGHT to get your first shipment for FREE!If you are currently a fan of Kratom, you can save some money and stock up at YoKratom.com, the only place you will find $60 Kilos. Visit www.YoKratom.com where you can buy directly at incredible prices.If you are over the age of 21, then it's time to stock up and enjoy a summer of Delta 8. Go to https://yodelta.com/ for high quality, lab-tested Delta 8 Gummies and Vapes that will get you high. And if you use the promo code GAS you'll get 25% OFF your order!FOLLOW THE SHOW!Zac AmicoInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/zacisnotfunnyIsabel HagenInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/isabelhagen_Twitter: https://twitter.com/isabelhagen_Danny PolishchukInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dannyjokesTwitter: https://twitter.com/DannyjokesThe newest 15 episodes are always free, but if you want access to all the archives, watch live, chat live, access to the forums, and get the show five days before it comes out everywhere else - you can subscribe NOW at http://www.GaSDigitalNetwork.com and use the code ZAC for a 7-Day FREE Trial and save 15% on your subscription to the entire network.Check out https://www.PodcastMerch.com/ZAC to get EXCLUSIVE Zac Amico merchandise (including the Amico 666 Shirt seen on the Joe Rogan Experience!), with BRAND NEW HATS AVAILABLE NOW!Privacy Policy and California Privacy Notice.

This is Blacklisted Cinema, where you are encouraged to talk during the movie. The movie this episode It's Alive is a 1974 American horror film written, produced, & directed by Larry Cohen. It stars John P. Ryan & Sharon Farrell. The Davies expect a baby, which turns out to be a monster with a nasty habit of killing when it's scared. And it's easily scared. Subscribe to us on itunes rate 5* @ https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blacklisted-podcast/id1058504075?mt=2 PodOmatic http://blacklisted.podomatic.com/ Stitcher http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/blacklisted?refid=stpr Google Play https://play.google.com/music/m/Imonfnjs7535svy3wtwdx7rhbpa?t%3DBlacklisted_Podcast IHeartRadio https://www.iheart.com/podcast/256-blacklisted-podcast-30972563/ Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/01L8OZCsaKQZrN2Lm2vb22 Amazon Music https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/56990534-ae2e-47a2-9b72-da3213770fb6/ Audible https://www.audible.com/pd/Blacklisted-Podcast-Podcast/B08K57VXZC or wherever you steal your free podcasts

Three O'Clock High (1987) Directed by: Phil Joanou Starring: Casey Siemaszko, Anne Ryan, Richard Tyson, Jeffrey Tambor, Philip Baker Hall, and John P. Ryan Genre: Teen/Comedy

This week's Throwback Thursday episode we review It's Alive! Starring John P. Ryan, Sharon Farrell, Andrew Duggan, and Guy Stockwell. 

70 Movies We Saw in the 70s: Ep 20 — “It’s Alive!” (1974) There’s only one thing wrong with this episode of 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s… IT’S ALIVE!!! Hollywood sound wiz Jeff Kushner joins Mike and Ben to deliver a sprawling, mauling take on Larry Cohen’s killer baby classic, with diversions into ITs two sequels, IT LIVES AGAIN (1978) and IT’S ALIVE 3: ISLAND OF THE ALIVE (1987). Among the questions raised: • What’s so funny about a mutant baby living in a sewer? • Which vintage ’70s horror film TV ad caused more cardiac events among schoolchildren: SUSPIRIA; MAGIC; or DAWN OF THE DEAD? • Larry Cohen, John P. Ryan, and Michael Moriarty: Jewish-Irish Love Connection? • How did white go-go boots, psychedelic wallpaper, and dainty Florence Nightingale nurse hats play in punky-disco '77? • Where were YOU the day the filming of Q stopped Manhattan’s morning rush with an unannounced, unlicensed helicopter-vs-machine-guns battle atop the Chrysler building? • Circa-1984, what was Larry Cohen doing hanging out in NYC’s performance art scene with the casts of SMITHEREENS and LIQUID SKY? • What is the connection between Robert Blake’s 1985 NBC series HELL TOWN (where he played a two-fisted priest) and Dee Snider’s STRANGELAND? • Does anybody have any leftover “Super-Vision” 3D glasses from the ’80s?

DUDIKOFF BABY!!!! "Avenging Force" might be the most Cannon-y Cannon films in the history of Cannon Films and the Cannon Canon Bros (Frank and Geoff) are sticking it where the sun don't shine (audibly speaking and into your earholes, of course)! Is it a sequel to "Invasion U.S.A"? Is it almost too prescient of our current times? Are Frank and Geoff jealous of Michael Dudikoff and Steve James' friendship? Is that John P. Ryan's real guttural demonic scream? Which Build a Bear killer costume would we choose? And DID SO MANY KIDS NEED TO DIE?!?!?! So many questions, you could discretely fit them into a baby crib, it's...."Avenging Force!" Follow us on the socials: Twitter: @thecannoncanon Instagram: @thecannoncanon Please rate and review us!

This week we talk franchises, the new Hellraiser movie, and we bring you a quick one-off review of 1992’s Star Time. If you’ve ever wondered what Taxi Driver directed by David Lynch and featuring John P. Ryan quoting Karl Marx would be like, Star Time is just the film for you! The post E77: STAR TIME appeared first on Channel 83.

On this week's outrageous episode, the 2020 Listener Request Month continues as the guys chat about the completely ridiculous Cannon Films classic, Death Wish 4: The Crackdown! What does it say about Kersey that he's now dreaming up plots to other Death Wish films? How many dummies were destroyed for the creation of this film? And why is Bronson so bad at tapping the mafia's phones? PLUS: Paul Kersey goes undercover with the class of Beverly Hills, 90210! Death Wish 4: The Crackdown stars Charles Bronson, Kay Lenz, John P. Ryan, Perry Lopez, George Dickerson, Soon-Tek Oh, and Danny Trejo; directed by J. Lee Thompson.

Hosts Mat Bradley-Tschirgi and William Thrasher discuss Death Wish 4: The Crackdown. Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) is blackmailed by Nathan White (John P. Ryan) into bumping off drug dealers. The streamlined plot launches the viewer from one action sequence to another with aplomb. J. Lee Thompson manages to show off an impressive sense of scale during a gang warfare shootout. Gail Morgan Hickman's screenplay has a few novel twists even as the story has to end on a now familiar beat of Paul Kersey walking off by his lonesome. Mat reads a nice email from a fan of the show. Thrasher likes the vintage Weird Al Yankovic mockumentary The Compleat Al. Mat felt The Dark Half movie directed by George Romero is nothing special aside from a few good surreal touches here and there.   Follow the show on Twitter @Sequelcast2 Like our Sequelcast 2 Facebook Page The theme song to the Sequelcast is written and performed by Marc with a C. Sequelcast 2 is delighted to be a member of The Batman Podcast Network. Hear more great podcasts here! Watch Thrasher's tabletop RPG YouTube show d-infinity Live!. Listen to Marc with a C's music podcast Discography. Buy One Starry Night, a Cthulhu Live scenario Thrasher contributed to, from DriveThruRPG!  Watch Alex Miller's YouTube series The Trailer Project!

Its a Tubbs-tastic episode of Miami Vice that also includes one of the greatest music guests ever. In this episode Tubbs finds himself locked in the sex dungeon of a psychopath who has made it his personal mission to hold the world accountable for their sins against society. Tubbs is left with little choice but to witness countless horrors all while trying to manipulate Manning to let him go or at least let his guard down. Dominic feels really bad for Manning's assistant and tells him to go ahead and get revenge. Melissa reminds us that Tubbs took night school and knows his way around an electric chair. John... John is forced to talk about Yanni. Its a great episode of Vice and your Vice podcast. Become a Patron! Episode Information Miami Vice - Season 05 Ep. 13 - The Cell Within Premiered March 10, 1989 Writer: Jack Richardson (Honor Among Thieves, one more coming) Director: Michael Hoggan (Wrote French Twist, only director credit) Guest Stars John P. Ryan as Jake Manning Robin Bartlett as Rhoda King Maria Pitillo as Anna Richard Gant as "Battlin'" Barry Gay L.M. Kit Carson as Robert Phelps Music Keys to Imagination by Yanni Feedback Got some feedback? Contact Us. Email: gowiththeheat[@]gmail[.]com Dom Twitter: @domcorriveau John Twitter: @corriveau_john Melissa Twitter: @mrsmelcorriveau The shows official accounts: Twitter Facebook Instagram Intro & transition music provided by: Cuban Sandwich, Voice Over Under Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Its a Tubbs-tastic episode of Miami Vice that also includes one of the greatest music guests ever. In this episode Tubbs finds himself locked in the sex dungeon of a psychopath who has made it his personal mission to hold the world accountable for their sins against society. Tubbs is left with little choice but to witness countless horrors all while trying to manipulate Manning to let him go or at least let his guard down. Dominic feels really bad for Manning's assistant and tells him to go ahead and get revenge. Melissa reminds us that Tubbs took night school and knows his way around an electric chair. John... John is forced to talk about Yanni. Its a great episode of Vice and your Vice podcast. Become a Patron! Episode Information Miami Vice - Season 05 Ep. 13 - The Cell Within Premiered March 10, 1989 Writer: Jack Richardson (Honor Among Thieves, one more coming) Director: Michael Hoggan (Wrote French Twist, only director credit) Guest Stars John P. Ryan as Jake Manning Robin Bartlett as Rhoda King Maria Pitillo as Anna Richard Gant as "Battlin'" Barry Gay L.M. Kit Carson as Robert Phelps Music Keys to Imagination by Yanni Feedback Got some feedback? Contact Us. Email: gowiththeheat[@]gmail[.]com Dom Twitter: @domcorriveau John Twitter: @corriveau_john Melissa Twitter: @mrsmelcorriveau The shows official accounts: Twitter Facebook Instagram Intro & transition music provided by: Cuban Sandwich, Voice Over Under Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Long Shot (2017) TV-14 | 39min | Documentary, Short | TV Short 29 September 2017 When Juan Catalan is arrested for a murder he insists he didn't commit, he builds his case for innocence around raw footage from a popular TV show, "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Director: Jacob LaMendola Stars: Tasha Boggs, Juan Catalan, Melissa Catalan Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection (1990) R | 1h 51min | Action, Adventure, Crime | 24 August 1990 (USA) When DEA agents are taken captive by a ruthless South American kingpin, the Delta Force is reunited to rescue them in this sequel to the 1986 film. Director: Aaron Norris Writers: James Bruner (characters), Menahem Golan (characters) Stars: Chuck Norris, John P. Ryan, Billy Drago

Long Shot (2017) TV-14 | 39min | Documentary, Short | TV Short 29 September 2017 When Juan Catalan is arrested for a murder he insists he didn't commit, he builds his case for innocence around raw footage from a popular TV show, "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Director: Jacob LaMendola Stars: Tasha Boggs, Juan Catalan, Melissa Catalan Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection (1990) R | 1h 51min | Action, Adventure, Crime | 24 August 1990 (USA) When DEA agents are taken captive by a ruthless South American kingpin, the Delta Force is reunited to rescue them in this sequel to the 1986 film. Director: Aaron Norris Writers: James Bruner (characters), Menahem Golan (characters) Stars: Chuck Norris, John P. Ryan, Billy Drago

Well a hey-howdy and a how the fuck are you, Buckers!?! Remember your best pal from the new school you had to start 3rd grade in? Well, that's kind of Twiki for Buck. He's Buck's most loyal compatriot in his new school, called the FUTURE. Somebody snatches Twiki away and the guess the fuck what? Buck has to do rescue him from a mine. Oh, and Wilma and Doctor Huer are attempting to heal the planet earth with space ice for the sake of the human race. NBD.   And we're all on Twitter: @SinisterPurpose, @RumpleSchlepp, @Floatsspitoon Tell a your friend who's unhappy with their job in the blazium mine to Buck Up and start listening to us! We produce this podcast with healthy doses of love for fans of SciFi, Science Fiction, Action, Adventure, 70s Television, 80s Television, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Wilma Deering, Dr. Huer, Twiki, Dr. Theopolis, Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, Tim O’Connor, Felix Silla, Mel Blanc, Rewatch Podcasts & Special Guest Stars: John P. Ryan, Eddie Benton .

Long Shot (2017) TV-14 | 39min | Documentary, Short | TV Short 29 September 2017 When Juan Catalan is arrested for a murder he insists he didn't commit, he builds his case for innocence around raw footage from a popular TV show, "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Director: Jacob LaMendola Stars: Tasha Boggs, Juan Catalan, Melissa Catalan Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection (1990) R | 1h 51min | Action, Adventure, Crime | 24 August 1990 (USA) When DEA agents are taken captive by a ruthless South American kingpin, the Delta Force is reunited to rescue them in this sequel to the 1986 film. Director: Aaron Norris Writers: James Bruner (characters), Menahem Golan (characters) Stars: Chuck Norris, John P. Ryan, Billy Drago