by Douglas Barnett, Sep 10 2012 // 10:00 AM

This week’s Monday Pick is the 1984 multi genre classic The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. Director/screenwriter W.D. Richter (Dracula (1979), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Big Trouble in Little China) created one of the weirdest and most beloved cult classics of the 1980s.
Peter Weller (Robocop) stars as the multi talented neurosurgeon, physicist, rock musician and comic book hero Buckaroo Banzai who battles aliens know as Red Lectroids from the Planet 10 who plot to take over the Earth. Buckaroo Banzai’s character was influenced by the 1930s pulp novels of Doc Savage, much like Lucas and Spielberg’s Indiana Jones that was influenced after the literary adventure character of Allan Quatermain.
Buckaroo Banzai has always been a favorite of mine since I first saw it in theaters in the summer of 1984. It’s a very interesting/hard film to describe to anyone who has never scene it. The premise is beyond absurd but that’s what makes the film so lovable. Banzai and his team of do-gooders known as The Hong Kong Cavaliers (a version of Doc Savage’s Fabulous Five) battle the evil Red Lectroids under the command of Lord John Whorfin (yes an alien leader named John) played to psychotic perfection by John Lithgow, who is actually an Italian physicist known as Dr. Emilio Lizardo. Yeah, it’s a little confusing but when you watch the film it all comes together.
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Posted in: 20th Century Fox · Action · Cult Cinema · Directors · DVD · DVD Reviews · Fantasy · MGM · Monday Picks · Movies · Netflix · Sci-Fi
Tagged: Christopher Lloyd, Clancy Brown, Dan Hedaya, Ellen Barkin, Jeff Goldblum, John Lithgow, Lewis Smith, Pepe Serna, Peter Weller, Vincent Schiavelli, W.D. Richter
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by Joe Gillis, May 26 2011 // 11:00 AM
You remember the first Back to the Future movie, right? In it, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) went back in time to save Doc Brown and fix his parents relationship so he could be born in the future. At the end of the movie it all turned out well for him and his family and things seemed wrapped up neatly — except for that whole thing about his kids at the end.
Of course, you also remember what happened to Biff Tannen, the bad guy bully who made life hell for George McFly and by the end of the film in the present, had been reduced to a humble guy waxing Marty’s truck. Well, it seems the makers of this parody video, found over at College Humor, have other ideas in mind fo Biff.
See if you can spot the difference between how the movie ended and how this video thinks the movie would have ended. We’re pretty sure you won’t have much trouble figuring it out.
Check out the video after the break. And remember kids, time travel isn’t for everyone so please, be careful.
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Posted in: Comedy · Movies · News · Video
Tagged: Back to the Future, Christopher Lloyd, College Humor, Comedy, Doc Brown, Marty McFly, Michael J Fox, Parodies, Time Travel
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by Matt Raub, Sep 2 2010 // 9:00 AM
If 2010 goes down in the record books as anything at all, it will be known as “The Year of Back To The Future” as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the trilogy. Not only will we be treated to a brand new Blu-Ray release of the original films on October 26th, but now we’ll be treated to a brand new video game for the franchise, as well.
From TellTale Games, the guys that brought us Sam & Max and Tales of Monkey Island, the game will come in the form of five monthly episodes, each a playable adventure featuring our favorite characters. Christopher Lloyd is returning to voice Doc Brown (because, why not?) and Bob Gale is even getting involved. From the press release:
Co-creator and writer Bob Gale’s involvement further strengthens the links to the original series. Gale is consulting with Telltale on the characterizations and storyline for the game, ensuring it will be true to the spirit and adventure of the films.
Gale elaborates: “Twenty-five years ago when I wrote Doc Brown’s line about ‘seeing the future,’ little did I realize that I would be traveling with him to work on this game. Collaborating with Telltale is an amazing opportunity to continue the adventures of Doc and Marty.”
The first in the game series will be coming to us as soon as this November, and those going to PAX in Seattle this weekend will be treated to the very first look at the game. Also, shortly after BTTF is behind TellTale, word is that their next franchise to tackle in game form is Jurassic Park, so watch out for those Spitters!
In the meantime, check out the very first piece of artwork from the upcoming Back to the Future game, featuring an awesome rendering of both Doc and Marty after the jump.
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Posted in: Action · Announcements · Cult Cinema · Movies · News · Press Releases · Universal Pictures · Video Games
Tagged: Back to the Future, Christopher Lloyd, Doc Brown, Jurassic Park, Marty McFly, Monkey Island, Sam & Max, TellTale Games
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by Joe Gillis, Aug 30 2010 // 7:00 AM
Missed last night’s Emmy Awards? Didn’t feel like sitting through the entire spectacle just to see if Jon Hamm took home that shiny trophy? We’ve got your solution. Here is the complete list of Emmy Winners from last night’s show. Enjoy.
Drama Series: “Mad Men,” AMC.
Comedy Series: “Modern Family,” ABC.
Actor, Drama Series: Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad,” AMC.
Actress, Drama Series: Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer,” TNT.
Actor, Comedy Series: Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS.
Actress, Comedy Series: Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie,” Showtime.
Supporting Actor, Drama Series: Aaron Paul, “Breaking Bad,” AMC.
Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Archie Panjabi, “The Good Wife,” CBS.
Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Eric Stonestreet, “Modern Family,” ABC.
Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Jane Lynch, “Glee,” Fox.
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Posted in: Awards · Emmy Awards · News · TV
Tagged: Aaron Paul, Al Pacino, archie Panjabi, Bryan Cranston, Christopher Lloyd, Claire Danes, Daily Show, David Strathairn, Dexter, Edie Falco, Eric Stonestreet, Glee, Jane Lynch, Jim Parsons, Julia Ormond, Kyra Sedgwick, Mad Men, Modern Family, Ryan Murphy, Temple Grandin, The Pacific, Top Chef, You Don't Kno Jack
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by Chris Ullrich, Aug 20 2010 // 1:00 PM
On some occasions, writing a review of a film is somewhat difficult. How do you effectively communicate the intricacies of the plot or characters and how to you genuinely summarize the effect the film has on you so potential viewers reading your review can fully understand and know what they are getting into if they do attend? Fortunately, in the case of Piranha 3D, I had none of those problems.
After all, it is a film about an underwater quake which sets free hundreds of prehistoric man-eating fish who then proceed to attack and eat pretty much anything and everything they can sink their teeth into. Once the fish are loose and on their way to spoil Spring Break for the thousands of kids frolicking at Lake Victoria, AZ it’s up to an unlikely group led by the town’s Sheriff (Elisabeth Shue) and a visiting marine paleontologist (Adam Scott) to stop the deadly horde before it’s too late.
Having recently seen Joe Dante’s original Piranha and another classic Roger Corman gory campfest Humanoids from the Deep, I can say that Piranha 3D borrows heavily from both of those previous films and does deliver a campy, over the top and in your face good time. It’s not art, whatever you may consider that to be, but it does have one big thing going for it: It’s fun.
Piranha 3D doesn’t try to be anything more than what it is: a movie where a pack of fish attack a whole bunch of people and eat them which also features ample sexual situations and nudity. It definitely earns the R rating.
It starts out letting you know these fish are not to be messed with by presenting Richard Dreyfuss doing what can only be described as a parody of his character from Jaws (complete with his rendition of Irving King’s Show Me the Way to Go Home) innocently fishing on the lake.
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Posted in: Horror · Movies · News · Reviews
Tagged: Adam Scott, Alexandre Aja, Christopher Lloyd, Eli Roth, Elisabeth Shue, Horror, Jerry O'Connell, Kelly Brook, Piranha 3D, Richard Dreyfuss, Riley Steele, Roger Corman, Ving Rhames
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by Nat Almirall, Aug 17 2010 // 9:00 AM
There have been some pretty exciting films out this year, but there is one in particular that we’re all pretty excited about, and that’s the upcoming Piranha 3D. We recently had a chance to sit down and chat with star Elisabeth Shue (Back to the Future Part II, Leaving Las Vegas) about Piranha, gore, humor, and sex.
The Flickcast: Since seeing the trailer, this has been one of our most anticipated movies of the summer. In your own words can you give us a brief recap of Piranha 3D?
Elisabeth Shue: It’s not like anything you’ve seen before. It’s basically a roller-coaster ride of gore, and humor, and sex. It’s genuinely terrorizing, but also a lot of fun, and I’m very impressed they were able to find that medium where they could be both. Spring Break in America is so crazy and over the top, and you take that and add thousands of prehistoric fish eating them—it can’t but be incredibly fun.
FC: And your character is the sheriff who tries to maintain control while all this is going on…
ES: Yes, I’m trying to save people, and I don’t do a very good job, because so many die and in ridiculous and crazy ways.
FC: What attracted you to the project? This seems like such a radical departure from your previous work…
ES: Yes. In some ways. What Alex(ander Aja) wanted was to get lots of actors who did iconic movies in the ‘80s and ‘70s. You have Richard Dreyfuss who was in one the greatest movies of the 1970s—Jaws—who is playing (his character) Matt Hooper.
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Posted in: Action · Casting · Comedy · Exclusive · Interviews · Movies · Sci-Fi
Tagged: Alexander Aja, Back to the Future, Christopher Lloyd, Elisabeth Shue, Piranha, Piranha 3D, Richard Dreyfuss
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by Chris Ullrich, Aug 2 2010 // 10:00 AM
Yes, that’s right folks. The Piranha 3D footage considered too hot, too graphic, too gross for Comic-Con has shown up online — as these things often do. In case you didn’t know, Director Alexandre Aja was forced to rent a theater away from the Con in San Diego in order to share the footage with fans. I got a chance to see this footage and I can say from experience that it is, indeed, pretty graphic.
Not sure about the exact reasons for it not being able to be shown within the halls of Comic-Con, but I guess it makes a certain sense, especially if their was a chance children could be in the room. You don’t want your children watching any of this, believe me.
Or, my cynical self says it could just be a marketing stunt by the filmmakers. If it is, it’s a pretty good one. After all, we are talking about the film right now, aren’t we?
Anyway, enough talk, take a look at the footage after the jump. The complete Piranha 3D experience hits theaters on August 20th.
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Posted in: Comic-Con · Horror · News · Reboots and Remakes · Video
Tagged: 3D, Adam Scott, Alexander Aja, Christopher Lloyd, Elizabeth Shue, Jerry O'Connell, Kelly Brook, Kiefer Sutherland, Movies, Piranha 3D, Richard Dreyfuss, SDCC10
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by Diane Panosian, Jun 30 2010 // 5:00 PM
Diane here and fresh off the red carpet premiere of Universal Studios’ Hollywood latest attraction, King Kong 360 3D. If you have a chance to swing on by this summer, it is worth the wait.
Yesterday while walking among a 360lb Bengal Tiger, a 13 foot Python, a feisty monkey, and tribal dancers who kept on telling me to touch their dinosaur bones I became entranced with the world of Skull Island and a gorilla who’s eaten one too many Big Macs.
I was not alone, The Office’s Craig Robinson, Oscar Nunez, and Kate Flannery, along with Kevin Smith, Yvette Nicole Brown of Community, Wayne Brady,Wanted and King Kong’s Thomas Kretschmann, and a very shy Christopher Lloyd were all there sampling the gourmet apps and reveling in a filmed introduction to the experience by none other than a slimmed down Peter Jackson in 3D.
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Posted in: Announcements · Recommendations · Reviews · Sci-Fi · Universal Pictures
Tagged: attraction, Christopher Lloyd, Community, Craig Robinson, kate flannery, Kevin Smith, King Kong, oscar nunez, Peter Jackson, ride, skull island, Summer 2010, The Office, theme park, Thomas Kretschmann, Universal, Universal Pictures, universal studios, universal studios hollywood, Wanted, wayne brady, Yvette Nicole Brown
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by Sebastian Suchecki, Apr 28 2010 // 9:00 AM
Every once and a while, a film comes along that looks like just plain, unadulterated fun. Kick-Ass had potential to be that, but had to give us a happy ending…and Nic Cage, which ruined it. It looks like fans of camp will get a second chance at happiness this summer with Piranha 3D.
Of course, the plot itself isn’t nearly as important as how the film is going to look, but for those who need closure, it’s about a race of evil prehistoric piranhas who surface and go to town on unsuspecting Spring Break teens vacationing at Lake Victoria. It’s a film like this that deserves it’s 3D conversion far more than something like Clash of the Titans.
The film reads like a who’s who of people who love to take light of their work, such as Party Down’s Adam Scott, Hamlet 2‘s Elisabeth Shue, Eli Roth, Christopher Lloyd, Starship Trooper’s Dina Meyer, Jerry O’Connell, Ving Rhames, Richard Dreyfuss, and Steve McQueen’s grandson. Alexander Aja is the man in the director’s seat, who is best known for getting Kiefer Sutherland to emote like a mofo in the supernatural thriller Mirrors.
Check out the first full trailer for the flick after the jump, and be sure to pay attention to when the frame “expands” to give it that extra 3D look. Catch Piranha 3D in theaters on August 27th.
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Posted in: 3-D · Action · Comedy · Cult Cinema · Horror · Movies · News · Trailers
Tagged: Adam Scott, Alexander Aja, Christopher Lloyd, Dina Meyer, Eli Roth, Elisabeth Shue, Jerry O'Connell, Kiefer Sutherland, Mirrors, Piranha, Piranha 3D, Richard Dreyfuss, Steven McQueen, Ving Rhames
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