“The world is now a blank page and it is there you must make your stand.”
CBS All Access has debuted the first official trailer for their Stephen King adaption of one of the author’s most acclaimed works, The Stand. Writer-director Josh Boone (New Mutants) helms the miniseries which introduces unfamiliar audiences to the peril of mankind and two warring forces: the 108-year-old Mother Abagail (Whoopi Goldberg) and the otherworldly villain Randall Flagg (Alexander Skarsgård) aka the Dark Man.
The events of The Stand unfold after a biologically engineered super-flu (nicknamed Captain Trips) kills off 99% of the world’s population. The survivors struggle to deal with the aftermath while also trying to rebuild society. Two distinct sides crop up, one led by Goldberg’s Mother Abagail, who just want to move on and build, and the other, who set up shop in Las Vegas and plan all sorts of mayhem.
Check out the very well done trailer for The Stand below:
So here’s a trailer for a film that premiered at TIFF in 2006, then in 2008 was released to theaters in the UK, and subsequently released on DVD in the UK the same year. That means almost seven years to the date of its premiere, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane is finally getting a US release. Jonathan Levine directed this horror flick and has since moved on to bigger and more critically praised projects such as The Wackness, the incredibly sad and funny at the same time film 50/50, and the comedic zombie tale Warm Bodies. Starring in the titular role of Mandy Lane is Amber Heard (Never Back Down, Paranoia). The story is as follows: a group of teenagers invite a shy but popular girl, Mandy, to spend the weekend at a secluded ranch with them, and are soon terrorized by a stalker of hers. Sounds interesting with just enough originality in the ‘cabin in the woods-type’ trope to peak my attention. Check out the trailer below:
Honestly, the trailer doesn’t impress me too much, but the fact that they’re getting it out to theaters 7 years after it premiered, when it can already can be bought on DVD outside the United States, has to say something of the quality. That said, reviews have been very divided with some praising it, and others saying it diverges from what could be a clever story. Also, others who have reviewed it recently have said the hype of this long awaited release is too big for what the film deserves. But, while not horror flicks, The Wackness and 50/50 were two of my favorite movies the years they came out, so anything Levine makes is a must-see to me. Joining Heard is Whitney Able from the under appreciated sci-fi flick, Monsters (sequel’s coming out), and Anson Mount from the TV series Hell on Wheels.
The film is already out on VOD, and is set for a theatrical release October 11.
Machete is back and according to the title, this time he kills (which is pretty much what he did in the first movie, but who am I to judge the film’s title). The first Machete film was a fun enough little romp through mexiploitation, with Machete getting framed for murder. Danny Trejo was however not the star in this film and he played the strong, semi silent type while the rest of the cast chewed up the scenery around him. Maybe now with Machete Kills it’s time for Danny to be let loose on the screen with wall to wall machete action. Here is the plot layout and again it seems a great and can we go so far as to say very cheesy OTT story that only Machete can sort out.
Indiana Jones and Commissioner Gordon are pissed at each other, or at least I think that’s what this new Paranoia movie is about. Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman headline a pretty solid cast in this corporate espionage flick, with Liam Hemsworth playing the pawn stuck in the middle. Hemsworth is hired by Dracula Oldman to spy on his old mentor Han Solo Ford and steal company secrets. His motivations for doing this are purely altruistic as he just wants to help his ailing old man, played by Richard “I don’t need this, I was in Jaws“ Dreyfus. I’m sure driving the cool car and banging Amber Heard had no baring on his decision-making. Check out the trailer…
Drinking, drugs, sex, fun and writing; these were the five words that Hunter S. Thompson lived by. For years he traveled the world, ingesting copious amounts of illegal narcotics, drinking until he blacked out, and then wrote about it the next day with a hangover and a Bloody Mary. He was a man’s man, with a very straightforward love for guns, and an even more straightforward hate for Richard Nixon. Thompson was never afraid to voice his not-so-humble opinions. He wrote many novels and memoirs, most notably Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Hell’s Angels, but early in his career, while residing in Puerto Rico, he wrote the novel, The Rum Diary.
Following a journalist named Paul Kemp, the semi-autobiographical novel wasn’t published until much later in his career. Many claimed the novel has no plot and is reflective of a pre-Gonzo Thompson; in other words, a less interesting one. I’ve not read the novel, but after viewing the film, I can make a prediction and say that I’d have to disagree.
We’ve talked a little about NBC’s The Playboy Club, and the time has come to take a look inside the club. Based on the real clubs from the Playboy franchise, we get to see a gritty period piece set in Chicago during the early 60’s after the sexual revolution has ignited. The club’s were a place for the VIP’s of the era to stake their claim as valued members of society. The Playboy Club takes us in a little deeper to the seedy world of big business, sexy bunnies, and Amanda Heard. While it’s an obvious attempt at replicating the success of AMC’s Mad Men, it just might offer us something different.
I am one of many looking forward to this frisky drama! NBC’s ‘The Playboy Club’, is one of this Fall’s most anticipated new series. Recently there have been new video clips implanted into the internet machine, and we would like to share them with you.
First and foremost, I LOVE this little interview with Hef about the show.
I found a little behind-the-scenes clip which I thought was endearing.
I hope you are as excited as I am to see this tantalizing throwback show!
NBC’s The Playboy Club will be airing this fall…at least on most channels. As I mentioned in a previous article, this show will be racy. Of course this is expected because of what the Playboy symbol represents. Most stations were okay with this, but KSL-TV in Salt Lake City Utah is not on board. The president and CEO Mark Willes said that what the Playboy brand stands for is inconsistent with what the station stands for. I looked at this station’s regularly scheduled programming guide, and they are right. They play nothing racier than Days of our Lives and Law and Order: SVU. In The Playboy Club, or at least what I have seen from the trailers, there is a lot of adult content, and all of the women are dressed like bunnies in cute little leotards and fishnets.
But what is worse? a woman in a leotard, or a couple cheating and half naked on a soap opera? I understand that it is going to be a sexy show, but the nudity clause the cast had to sign was specifically for in-DVD extra content. No one will be getting naked on NBC. It is ridiculous. For example, Glee shows two girls making out who are IN HIGH SCHOOL, couples cheating on one another, a pregnancy, and drunken Britney stripping. I am sure that if Glee was put on by NBC, this channel would have no problem airing it. Yet, because this show has the playboy symbol, suddenly it can’t just be a sexy drama… it must be too provocative. NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt said that they are the only place reacting this way, and it is their prerogative to do so.
Heather Morris strips on GLEE – You’re welcome Doc!
Playboy is all about sexuality and beautiful women…but this show does not seem to be any worse than what appears in soap operas or teen dramas. I guess we will have to wait until it premiers this fall to say for sure, but I am of the opinion that KSL-TV has no reason to pull this show from their lineup. The Playboy Club has been adopted by Salt Lake City’s My Network affiliate, KMYU.
This week’s Trailer Roundup features movies we’ve talked, as well as some we haven’t. Maybe you’ll see something that interests you…
LUCKY
Well, I’m not a big Colin Hanks fan (seriously – who is?) but this looks pretty watchable. Ari Graynor is his dream girl, and once he hits it big in the lotto, she agrees to marry him. She later finds out – he is a serial killer. And the winning ticket belonged to a victim…
George BluthJeffrey Tambor plays a detective investigating the disappearance of some of Hanks’ victims. I like dark comedy, and the early feedback on this is all positive. Also features Ann-Margret, Mimi Rogers, and Adam Harrington.
Release Date: July 15, 2011 (Limited – NY, LA)
COWBOYS AND ALIENS(Newest Trailer)
Cowboys & Aliens is directed by Jon Favreau(Iron Man) and the screenplay, based off a Graphic Novel by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, was adapted by Orci & Kurtzman(Star Trek). The movie stars Daniel Craig as a memory-challenged cowboy with a mysterious weapon, in the middle of an apparent Alien invasion. His love interest is the always stunning Olivia Wilde, and the rest of the cast is populated with familiar names and faces. Most notably Harrison Ford, but also featuring Sam Rockwell, Clancy Brown, and our friend Walton Goggins.
Beginning this fall, NBC will be airing The Playboy Club every Monday night, and I will be watching this show. The show’s aesthetic is obviously inspired by the success of AMC’s Mad Men, which is set in the same era, and focuses on ‘men being men’ and has a cast full of beautiful women. Weather or not the Hugh Hefner’s legacy can inspire the same kind of quality and accolades as the AMC mega hit is yet to be seen. But it’s got a Network budget and an eye-catching subject matter, so if NBC really gets behind it, The Playboy Club could help turn around the struggling Network…
Set in 1963, at the original Playboy Nightclub in Chicago – hence the title. It’s a drama that will focus on the girls in the employ of Mr. Hefner, and will star former ‘Grizzly Girl of the Week’ – Amber Heard(Pineapple Express, Zombieland). This miraculously beautiful blonde is the newly hired ‘Bunny Maureen’ in the show, and she quickly creates some major trouble for herself.
Maureen is a somewhat naive and innocent girl, especially in comparison to some of the other bunnies, but she’ll be forced to grow up pretty quick when she accidentally kills a man with direct ties to a mob family. That’s when Nick Dalton (Eddie Cibrian – Invasion, CSI: Miami) stumbles across the bunny with bloody nylons, and decides to help her dispose of the body. Dalton seems to be the man to have on your side, as he acts swift and decisively, and instructs the new Bunny on what to do. Nick is a king at the club. Envied by men, adored by women, but it’s obvious that he’s really alone.
The show also stars some other – ahem…talented ladies. Some of the beauties include ‘Bunny Brenda’ (Naturi Naughton – ‘Fame’, former member of ear-rapists 3LW), who is an African-American beauty aspiring to be the first “chocolate centerfold”. Laura Benanti (2008 Broadway production of ‘Gypsy’) plays Bunny ‘Carol-Lynne’, the first Playboy Bunny. She is the mother hen of the group, and gives advice and instructions to the girls. Leah Renee Cudmore (‘True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet’), is ‘Bunny Alice’, a LESBIAN who is in a sham marriage with a gay man. So they cast a straight girl to play the lesbian, and then a leasbian (Heard) to play a straight girl. Acting! Finally we have Jenna Dewan(Star of the classic Horror Schlock – ‘Tamara’), as ‘Bunny Janie’. Janie in a strained relationship with Max (Wes Ramsey – CSI: Miami) who is incredibly overbearing when it comes to Janie’s position as a 1960s living, breathing fantasy. So there’s some built-in drama.
The real question though – Who wants to see some NUDITY? Don’t you worry, because NBC has you covered… or should I say uncovered?
The DVD release of the show has been approved to bare it all, if that is where their creative (or otherwise) juices take them. All of the stars have it in their contract to be shot in their birthday suits. I foresee a long line at Best Buy…
There is already plenty of controversy over this, especially from the idiots at the ‘Parents Television Council’, but none of that matters though. The show will get off to a strong start, and I predict that it will do quite well. Afterall, Playboy is an institution in this country…
Grizzly Bomb 