What’s your favorite movie sequel of all time? For some of us, it’s the Godfather Part II, for others it’s The Empire Strikes Back, or maybe you’re into Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2. In any case, one of the greatest sequels of all time has to be Terminator 2: Judgement Day. T2 is James Cameron’s 1991 masterpiece that follows up the original 80’s blockbuster. The movie was originally meant to be the end of the road for the Terminator franchise and as such, the ending of the movie serves as a definitive ending to the iconic story. The final confrontation involves the T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) taking on the T-1000 (Robert Patrick) who has been hunting the Conner family in order to terminate them once and for all.
In the scene, the T-1000 is subdued by way of a grenade launcher and subsequently dropped into a vat of molten steel.
In the scene, the T-1000 is subdued by way of a grenade launcher and subsequently dropped into a vat of molten steel.
- 10/10/2023
- by Kier Gomes
- JoBlo.com
Arnold Schwarzenegger revisited his iconic role as The Terminator in the titular film T2: Judgment Day. But some of the differences the film’s director James Cameron made for the film raised some alarms for the actor.
Arnold Schwarzenegger complained to James Cameron about the ‘Terminator 2’ script Arnold Schwarzenegger | Phillip Faraone/Getty Images
Although Schwarzenegger would return to the Terminator franchise in 1992’s Judgment Day, his character would be slightly different. In The Terminator, Schwarzenegger played a brutal killing machine responsible for several deaths in the feature.
But in Judgment Day, Schwarzenegger noticed this aspect of his character was absent from the script. In an interview with The Ringer, Cameron recalled Schwarzenegger’s trepidation towards the project.
“We were pals at this point. Post-Terminator, we rode motorcycles together. And he said, ‘Jim, I have a big problem with the script.’ I said, ‘Well, what is it?’ And he said,...
Arnold Schwarzenegger complained to James Cameron about the ‘Terminator 2’ script Arnold Schwarzenegger | Phillip Faraone/Getty Images
Although Schwarzenegger would return to the Terminator franchise in 1992’s Judgment Day, his character would be slightly different. In The Terminator, Schwarzenegger played a brutal killing machine responsible for several deaths in the feature.
But in Judgment Day, Schwarzenegger noticed this aspect of his character was absent from the script. In an interview with The Ringer, Cameron recalled Schwarzenegger’s trepidation towards the project.
“We were pals at this point. Post-Terminator, we rode motorcycles together. And he said, ‘Jim, I have a big problem with the script.’ I said, ‘Well, what is it?’ And he said,...
- 7/3/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Hang on for your life again! This time in stunning 4K! Sony Pictures is announcing a new physical media release of the classic 90s action movie, Cliffhanger, starring Sylvester Stallone, with a Uhd and Bluray steelbook combo. This new 4K transfer will be dropping in time for the film’s 30th anniversary.
The official synopsis from Sony reads,
“Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, Janine Turner and Ralph Waite star in this high-altitude avalanche of action: a non-stop adventure peak with suspense and capped with heart-quaking terror. For Rocky Mountain Rescue, the mission is almost routine: locate five climbers. With the woman he loves (Turner) and his best friend (Rooker), Gabe Walker (Stallone) braves the icy peaks only to discover that the distress call is really a trap set by merciless international terrorist Eric Qualen (Lithgow). Now millions of dollars and their own lives hang in the balance. Against explosive firepower,...
The official synopsis from Sony reads,
“Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, Janine Turner and Ralph Waite star in this high-altitude avalanche of action: a non-stop adventure peak with suspense and capped with heart-quaking terror. For Rocky Mountain Rescue, the mission is almost routine: locate five climbers. With the woman he loves (Turner) and his best friend (Rooker), Gabe Walker (Stallone) braves the icy peaks only to discover that the distress call is really a trap set by merciless international terrorist Eric Qualen (Lithgow). Now millions of dollars and their own lives hang in the balance. Against explosive firepower,...
- 3/10/2023
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Giving James Cameron a ridiculous amount of money to make a film is standard practice these days. The director loves spending studio money, but he also has a knack for making it back and then some. That's allowed him to craft a directorial career which has seen each of his films increase in budget like clockwork. Since the meager 6.4 million dollars it took to make "The Terminator" in 1984, Cameron has steadily increased his financing with every subsequent film. 1986's "Aliens" clocked in at 17 million before things escalated significantly with 1989's "The Abyss," which cost a cool 70 million to make.
So when it came time for Cameron to make a sequel to "The Terminator," independent production company Carolco was willing to up the ante once again. "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" secured its place in cinematic history for multiple reasons: Its groundbreaking visual effects, affecting story, grand action set-pieces, and outstanding performances...
So when it came time for Cameron to make a sequel to "The Terminator," independent production company Carolco was willing to up the ante once again. "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" secured its place in cinematic history for multiple reasons: Its groundbreaking visual effects, affecting story, grand action set-pieces, and outstanding performances...
- 12/16/2022
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Disney soon will find out the wisdom of its massive acquisition of Fox and ownership of the billion-dollar investment in Avatar tentpoles that should give the studio a fresh supply of blockbusters over the next decade. Avatar: The Way of Water opens Friday, with only a modicum of budget drama, considering every movie he made since his 1984 breakthrough The Terminator has been preceded by media pearl-clutching that Cameron’s penchant for big budgets finally would ruin a studio.
It never happened, not on Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Abyss, Aliens, True Lies, Titanic — for which a chastened Cameron surrendered his backend after doubling the budget of a film that won Best Picture and became Hollywood’s highest grosser — and again on Avatar, whose gross surpassed Titanic and is the largest-grossing film ever worldwide.
Not that it hasn’t been stressful; former Fox chief Bill Mechanic once told me he wouldn...
It never happened, not on Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Abyss, Aliens, True Lies, Titanic — for which a chastened Cameron surrendered his backend after doubling the budget of a film that won Best Picture and became Hollywood’s highest grosser — and again on Avatar, whose gross surpassed Titanic and is the largest-grossing film ever worldwide.
Not that it hasn’t been stressful; former Fox chief Bill Mechanic once told me he wouldn...
- 12/13/2022
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Stone recalled her abrupt introduction to fame; explains Saudi visit.
Sharon Stone said she “would like to have directed” after her breakthrough role in Paul Verhoeven’s erotic thriller Basic Instinct in 1992, but was dissuaded from doing so due to her gender.
“I went to the studio [Stone didn’t confirm to which studio she was referring] and asked them for a small budget,” said Stone. “And I was laughed out of the room; I was told ‘women don’t direct’.”
Basic Instinct was produced by Mario Kassar’s Carolco Pictures and released in the US by TriStar Pictures.
Stone was speaking at an in-conversation event as part of the...
Sharon Stone said she “would like to have directed” after her breakthrough role in Paul Verhoeven’s erotic thriller Basic Instinct in 1992, but was dissuaded from doing so due to her gender.
“I went to the studio [Stone didn’t confirm to which studio she was referring] and asked them for a small budget,” said Stone. “And I was laughed out of the room; I was told ‘women don’t direct’.”
Basic Instinct was produced by Mario Kassar’s Carolco Pictures and released in the US by TriStar Pictures.
Stone was speaking at an in-conversation event as part of the...
- 12/2/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
As "Avatar: The Way of Water" inches closer to its theatrical premiere 13 years after the debut of the box-office record-breaking "Avatar," a press tour featuring a very vocal James Cameron comes with it. The marketing for the upcoming blockbuster has had Cameron at the forefront, likely because the director hasn't helmed a film since 2009 and has had plenty of time to formulate talking points. Moreover, the director has never shied away from his beliefs as a filmmaker. Not only has he continued to champion the 3D format, but Cameron has also been adamant that he's aware of the pressure for the sequel and potential problems audiences may have with the runtime. At this point in the director's career, he seems unafraid to defend any creative decisions involved with his movies.
Looking back at some of the creative decisions involved with Cameron's filmography, one marketing decision is interesting retrospectively. The first...
Looking back at some of the creative decisions involved with Cameron's filmography, one marketing decision is interesting retrospectively. The first...
- 11/28/2022
- by Ernesto Valenzuela
- Slash Film
By now, we've all come to accept Arnold Schwarzenegger in pretty much any acting role he feels like filling. We've seen him follow a complete arc from action hero to comedy star to real-life politician, and at this point, it's become normal that he once played Danny Devito's brother and a male scientist that impregnated himself. In 1996's "Jingle All The Way," director Brian Levant showed us Schwarzenegger as just an ordinary family man, shortly after James Cameron portrayed him as a secret agent that defrauds his family into believing he's an average guy. He might not always be very believable in any of these roles, but he's far more convincing than he has any right to be.
In 2022, we've gotten used to these performances, and we can look back with nostalgia, numb to the absurdity of them all. But back in 1990, the idea of casting Schwarzenegger as the...
In 2022, we've gotten used to these performances, and we can look back with nostalgia, numb to the absurdity of them all. But back in 1990, the idea of casting Schwarzenegger as the...
- 11/12/2022
- by Walter Roberts
- Slash Film
When Parade magazine revealed in 1986 that Sylvester Stallone earned 12 million to star in "Rocky IV," every studio executive in Hollywood ordered Tums in bulk. That sum, which equates to 32 million in 2022, doubled the per-picture salary pulled down by the vaunted likes of Dustin Hoffman, Warren Beatty, and Robert Redford. Arnold Schwarzenegger was only making 3 million back then.
In an industry ever mindful of overspending -- while gleefully overspending when, say, someone decides the Universal Monsters brand should be reinvented as an action franchise spearheaded by Tom Cruise -- the last thing studios want is for a volatile, highly sought-after star like Hoffman to learn their competition is raking in twice what they make. This is when budgets start skyrocketing. And, in 1986, an era where there were no sure things like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this is how an executive loses their job.
This outrage was sparked anew two years later...
In an industry ever mindful of overspending -- while gleefully overspending when, say, someone decides the Universal Monsters brand should be reinvented as an action franchise spearheaded by Tom Cruise -- the last thing studios want is for a volatile, highly sought-after star like Hoffman to learn their competition is raking in twice what they make. This is when budgets start skyrocketing. And, in 1986, an era where there were no sure things like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this is how an executive loses their job.
This outrage was sparked anew two years later...
- 11/7/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
As the Cannes Film Festival celebrates its 75th anniversary, the concurrent Marché marches into its 63rd year. The wilder, oft-times disreputable sister of the more sedate, ergo, more esteemed, official festival, there’s no shortage of tales when it comes to the Cannes Market.
There’s no better place to start than Cannon’s “go-go” boys: Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus. Cannon flew 18 staffers to the 1986 festival and took over the Martinez Hotel, encircling it with bodyguards. Cannon’s endless line of posters along the Croisette made the late critic Roger Ebert dub that year the “Cannon Film Festival.”
“Golan [was] one of the last free-wheeling dealmakers at an event where a lot of people would like to be capitalist buccaneers, but few have the courage or the capital,” wrote Ebert. “People still talk about the time Golan had lunch with Jean-Luc Godard at the Majestic Hotel and wrote out a contract on a table napkin,...
There’s no better place to start than Cannon’s “go-go” boys: Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus. Cannon flew 18 staffers to the 1986 festival and took over the Martinez Hotel, encircling it with bodyguards. Cannon’s endless line of posters along the Croisette made the late critic Roger Ebert dub that year the “Cannon Film Festival.”
“Golan [was] one of the last free-wheeling dealmakers at an event where a lot of people would like to be capitalist buccaneers, but few have the courage or the capital,” wrote Ebert. “People still talk about the time Golan had lunch with Jean-Luc Godard at the Majestic Hotel and wrote out a contract on a table napkin,...
- 5/10/2022
- by Angus Finney
- Variety Film + TV
Ten years ago, Disney’s “John Carter” opened nationwide.
Meant to be a potential franchise-starting blockbuster, it was savaged by critics, who called the film “wanly plodding and routine” (Entertainment Weekly), and “a giant, suffocating doughy feast of boredom” (The Guardian), and was met with indifference by general audiences, who simply didn’t show up..
Quickly, the movie and its fate took on a nearly mythical dimension – it wasn’t just a box office disappointment, it was a staggering creative and commercial failure, the kind of movie that is often mentioned in the same breath as other high-profile misfires like “Ishtar” or “Waterworld.”
But the actual story of “John Carter” – how it was conceived, what happened during production, and how it all fell apart thanks largely to a misguided marketing campaign – is much more complex and much more interesting.
Most Hollywood bombs are perceivable early on, through a toxic combination of untested filmmakers,...
Meant to be a potential franchise-starting blockbuster, it was savaged by critics, who called the film “wanly plodding and routine” (Entertainment Weekly), and “a giant, suffocating doughy feast of boredom” (The Guardian), and was met with indifference by general audiences, who simply didn’t show up..
Quickly, the movie and its fate took on a nearly mythical dimension – it wasn’t just a box office disappointment, it was a staggering creative and commercial failure, the kind of movie that is often mentioned in the same breath as other high-profile misfires like “Ishtar” or “Waterworld.”
But the actual story of “John Carter” – how it was conceived, what happened during production, and how it all fell apart thanks largely to a misguided marketing campaign – is much more complex and much more interesting.
Most Hollywood bombs are perceivable early on, through a toxic combination of untested filmmakers,...
- 3/9/2022
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
This big, expensive and well-produced action-suspense Sci-fi epic mostly delivers on its promise to be Aliens at the bottom of the sea. At heart it’s a 1950s pulse-pounder with a bigger monster, a zillion times the budget and a script that does everything but make us care. We appreciate the likable characters but it’s too easy to predict who will ‘get it’ next. The realism factor is not bad at all, although the undersea explorer video training sessions should have given ‘how not to crack up under stress’ more emphasis. And can’t anybody properly mind those pesky nuclear bombs?
DeepStar Six
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1989 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 99 min. / Street Date October 13, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Greg Evigan, Nancy Everhard, Miguel Ferrer, Nia Peeples, Cindy Pickett, Matt McCoy, Taurean Blacque, Marius Weyers, Elya Baskin, Thom Bray, Ronn Carroll.
Cinematography: Mac Ahlberg
Film Editor: David Handman
Original...
DeepStar Six
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1989 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 99 min. / Street Date October 13, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Greg Evigan, Nancy Everhard, Miguel Ferrer, Nia Peeples, Cindy Pickett, Matt McCoy, Taurean Blacque, Marius Weyers, Elya Baskin, Thom Bray, Ronn Carroll.
Cinematography: Mac Ahlberg
Film Editor: David Handman
Original...
- 10/17/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The producer of Narcos takes us on a walk through some of the movies that made him.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Contagion (2011)
Panic In The Streets (1950)
Rififi (1955)
Night And The City (1950)
Thieves’ Highway (1949)
Never on Sunday (1960)
The Karate Kid (1984)
The Game (1997)
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
The Great Escape (1963)
Children of Men (2006)
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (1971)
If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969)
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (2005)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
The Godfather (1972)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Animal House (1978)
An American Werewolf In London (1981)
Trading Places (1983)
Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)
Fellini Satyricon (1969)
The Beastmaster (1982)
Sheena (1984)
High Risk (1981)
Ghostbusters (1984)
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
Piranha (1978)
Gallipoli (1981)
Witness (1985)
The Killing Fields (1984)
Mad Max (1980)
Max Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)
The Last Wave (1978)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
The Lord of the Rings (1978)
The Hobbit (1977)
The Return of the King (1980)
Class (1983)
The Great Santini (1979)
Fast Times At Ridgemont High...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Contagion (2011)
Panic In The Streets (1950)
Rififi (1955)
Night And The City (1950)
Thieves’ Highway (1949)
Never on Sunday (1960)
The Karate Kid (1984)
The Game (1997)
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
The Great Escape (1963)
Children of Men (2006)
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (1971)
If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969)
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (2005)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
The Godfather (1972)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Animal House (1978)
An American Werewolf In London (1981)
Trading Places (1983)
Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)
Fellini Satyricon (1969)
The Beastmaster (1982)
Sheena (1984)
High Risk (1981)
Ghostbusters (1984)
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
Piranha (1978)
Gallipoli (1981)
Witness (1985)
The Killing Fields (1984)
Mad Max (1980)
Max Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)
The Last Wave (1978)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
The Lord of the Rings (1978)
The Hobbit (1977)
The Return of the King (1980)
Class (1983)
The Great Santini (1979)
Fast Times At Ridgemont High...
- 6/16/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Deadline’s annual film revenue tournaments have celebrated the triumphs of each year’s most profitable films. For a third year in a row, we decided to look at the ones that amounted to a big swing and a miss. Here are the movies our experts said posted the worst losses of 2019.
The Film
More from Deadline'Avengers: Endgame' Is No. 1 In Deadline's 2019 Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament; How Its Billion-Dollar Opening Rocked Exhibition And Generated A $900M ProfitSmall Movies, Big Profits: 2019 Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament'Frozen 2' Skates Away With Near $600M Profit: No. 2 In Deadline's 2019 Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament
X-Men: Dark Phoenix
20th Century Studios/Disney
Total Loss: $133M
As the writer and producer and creative spine of recent X-Men movies, Simon Kinberg was finally entrusted to direct his own movie after backstopping others, including Josh Trank in Fantastic Four. X-Men star Jennifer Lawrence lobbied for Kinberg. What went wrong?...
The Film
More from Deadline'Avengers: Endgame' Is No. 1 In Deadline's 2019 Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament; How Its Billion-Dollar Opening Rocked Exhibition And Generated A $900M ProfitSmall Movies, Big Profits: 2019 Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament'Frozen 2' Skates Away With Near $600M Profit: No. 2 In Deadline's 2019 Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament
X-Men: Dark Phoenix
20th Century Studios/Disney
Total Loss: $133M
As the writer and producer and creative spine of recent X-Men movies, Simon Kinberg was finally entrusted to direct his own movie after backstopping others, including Josh Trank in Fantastic Four. X-Men star Jennifer Lawrence lobbied for Kinberg. What went wrong?...
- 4/28/2020
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Roland Emmerich’s 1994 sci-fi adventure “Stargate” ended up grossing over $196 million worldwide, but the path to becoming a hit wasn’t easy. The independently-made film that opened 25 years ago this week spawned TV series including the 1997-2007 “Stargate Sg-1,” direct to video movies, video games and comic books, but it was not well-received with audiences in early test screenings.
The problem was with Jaye Davidson’s character, Ra, a powerful and ruthless alien in human form who had enslaved people from Earth and taken them to another planet via the Stargate, an ancient, ring-shaped device that creates a wormhole.
“He wasn’t originally an alien in the movie,” says producer and co-writer Dean Devlin. “He was originally an Egyptian who worked for the aliens. He was the boss of the humans, but he was still slave to the aliens. One day I’ll never forget, Roland and I were in...
The problem was with Jaye Davidson’s character, Ra, a powerful and ruthless alien in human form who had enslaved people from Earth and taken them to another planet via the Stargate, an ancient, ring-shaped device that creates a wormhole.
“He wasn’t originally an alien in the movie,” says producer and co-writer Dean Devlin. “He was originally an Egyptian who worked for the aliens. He was the boss of the humans, but he was still slave to the aliens. One day I’ll never forget, Roland and I were in...
- 10/29/2019
- by Susan King
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Sarah Connor may be sci-fi filmdom’s most badass female action hero this side of Alien‘s Ripley. While played subsequently by numerous actresses in sequels and a TV show, the role is most indelibly linked to the performances turned in by Linda Hamilton in James Cameron’s 1984 original Terminator, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Cameron washed his hands of the series after the rights were scooped out from under him by Mario Kassar and Andy Vajna, until he had a change of heart and lent a creative hand to director Tim Miller on the upcomingTerminator: Dark Fate. Arnold Schwarzenegger continued to reprise his signature cyborg, but Hamilton demurred. She only seriously entertained coming back when Cameron did. Between Cameron’s first and second film, Hamilton transformed herself from a reluctant heroine with everywoman qualities, into a jacked action heroine. After setting the bar so high, could she be as convincing 28 years later?...
- 10/21/2019
- by Mackie Shilstone
- Deadline Film + TV
When the producers of Lionsgate’s “The Spy Who Dumped Me” were struggling to get a permit for a key location on the streets of Budapest several years ago, they knew exactly where to turn. “I called Andy,” says Adam Goodman, whose Mid Atlantic Films serviced the shoot. “I said, ‘Look, we need your help.’”
Goodman might have expected Hungarian film commissioner Andy Vajna to pick up the phone and call in a favor. But on the day of Mid Atlantic’s pitch, a black minivan pulled up to the stairs of the mayor’s office. “Andy steps out with the mirrored sunglasses, the suit, smoking a cigar,” Goodman recalls recently in Budapest. “As we walked into the mayor’s offices, it was like the parting of the Red Sea.” Vajna’s presence gave a winning presentation added weight, according to Goodman. Within days of the meeting, he had the permit he needed.
Goodman might have expected Hungarian film commissioner Andy Vajna to pick up the phone and call in a favor. But on the day of Mid Atlantic’s pitch, a black minivan pulled up to the stairs of the mayor’s office. “Andy steps out with the mirrored sunglasses, the suit, smoking a cigar,” Goodman recalls recently in Budapest. “As we walked into the mayor’s offices, it was like the parting of the Red Sea.” Vajna’s presence gave a winning presentation added weight, according to Goodman. Within days of the meeting, he had the permit he needed.
- 6/5/2019
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Andy Vajna, the Hollywood producer who died earlier this week, have appeared in a just-released video from the set of the latest movie in the “Terminator” franchise, which shot in Hungary last year.
The behind-the-scenes promotional video, posted online by the Hungarian National Film Fund, sees Schwarzenegger and the movie’s director, Tim Miller (“Deadpool”), sing the praises of Budapest as a location, and Vajna complimenting the “Terminator” franchise. It ends with Schwarzenegger saying, “I’ll be back.”
It was Vajna’s last set visit to one of the international productions filming in Hungary, where he served as the government commissioner for the film industry. With partner Mario Kassar, Vajna founded the indie powerhouse Carolco, which produced blockbusters including “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” the first three “Rambo” films and “Basic Instinct.” He died Sunday in Budapest after a long illness. He was 74.
On Twitter this week, Schwarzenegger paid tribute to Vajna,...
The behind-the-scenes promotional video, posted online by the Hungarian National Film Fund, sees Schwarzenegger and the movie’s director, Tim Miller (“Deadpool”), sing the praises of Budapest as a location, and Vajna complimenting the “Terminator” franchise. It ends with Schwarzenegger saying, “I’ll be back.”
It was Vajna’s last set visit to one of the international productions filming in Hungary, where he served as the government commissioner for the film industry. With partner Mario Kassar, Vajna founded the indie powerhouse Carolco, which produced blockbusters including “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” the first three “Rambo” films and “Basic Instinct.” He died Sunday in Budapest after a long illness. He was 74.
On Twitter this week, Schwarzenegger paid tribute to Vajna,...
- 1/25/2019
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Son Of Saul director Laszlo Nemes hails man who ‘recreated the Hungarian film landscape’.
Andy Vajna, the Hollywood producer involved in Rambo, Die Hard and Terminator who went on late in his career to serve as commissioner in charge of the Hungarian film industry, has died aged 74. The news of his death was confirmed on Sunday (20) by the Hungarian National Film Fund.
A colourful, and flamboyant figure who worked as a hairdresser before embarking on his career as a producer, the Budapest-born Vajna was the co-founder of Carolco Pictures with his friend, Lebanese producer Mario Kassar, in the mid 1970s.
Andy Vajna, the Hollywood producer involved in Rambo, Die Hard and Terminator who went on late in his career to serve as commissioner in charge of the Hungarian film industry, has died aged 74. The news of his death was confirmed on Sunday (20) by the Hungarian National Film Fund.
A colourful, and flamboyant figure who worked as a hairdresser before embarking on his career as a producer, the Budapest-born Vajna was the co-founder of Carolco Pictures with his friend, Lebanese producer Mario Kassar, in the mid 1970s.
- 1/20/2019
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Andy Vajna, a Hungary-born producer known for backing installments of top Hollywood franchises like Rambo and The Terminator before a later stretch working as a government commissioner, has died at age 74.
A cause was not specified, but Vajna’s death reportedly followed a lengthy illness.
Since 2011, Vajna had worked for Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, helping to revive the country’s film industry. In a Facebook post, Orban offered a brief tribute. “We are bidding farewell to the greatest Hungarian film producer,” he wrote. “Hasta la vista, Andy! Thank You for everything, my Friend!”
Vajna, along with producing partner Mario Kassar, was a longtime fixture at the Cannes Film Festival, helping to pioneer the strategy of securing star-driven international rights deals as the core financing for pricey tentpoles. Among Vajna’s dozens of producing credits are the first three Rambo films, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Total Recall and Evita.
A cause was not specified, but Vajna’s death reportedly followed a lengthy illness.
Since 2011, Vajna had worked for Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, helping to revive the country’s film industry. In a Facebook post, Orban offered a brief tribute. “We are bidding farewell to the greatest Hungarian film producer,” he wrote. “Hasta la vista, Andy! Thank You for everything, my Friend!”
Vajna, along with producing partner Mario Kassar, was a longtime fixture at the Cannes Film Festival, helping to pioneer the strategy of securing star-driven international rights deals as the core financing for pricey tentpoles. Among Vajna’s dozens of producing credits are the first three Rambo films, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Total Recall and Evita.
- 1/20/2019
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Andy Vajna, executive producer of several “Rambo” films as well as “Total Recall” and several “Terminator” movies, has died at 74.
The Hungarian National Film Fund confirmed his death, calling him a “dominant figure in the Hungarian and international film industry” who was responsible for the development of the fund.
With partner Mario Kassar, Vajna founded the indie powerhouse Carolco, which produced blockbusters including “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” the first three “Rambo” films and “Basic Instinct.” Carolco was one of the most successful companies in the foreign pre-sales business, and a mainstay at the world’s film markets. He was a founder and president of the American Film Marketing Assn., which launched the American Film Market.
Vajna served as producer or executive producer on films including “Evita,” starring Madonna, Oliver Stone’s “Nixon,” “Judge Dredd,” “Die Hard With a Vengeance” and “Angel Heart.”
He left Carolco in 1989 to form Cinergi Productions and InterCom...
The Hungarian National Film Fund confirmed his death, calling him a “dominant figure in the Hungarian and international film industry” who was responsible for the development of the fund.
With partner Mario Kassar, Vajna founded the indie powerhouse Carolco, which produced blockbusters including “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” the first three “Rambo” films and “Basic Instinct.” Carolco was one of the most successful companies in the foreign pre-sales business, and a mainstay at the world’s film markets. He was a founder and president of the American Film Marketing Assn., which launched the American Film Market.
Vajna served as producer or executive producer on films including “Evita,” starring Madonna, Oliver Stone’s “Nixon,” “Judge Dredd,” “Die Hard With a Vengeance” and “Angel Heart.”
He left Carolco in 1989 to form Cinergi Productions and InterCom...
- 1/20/2019
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
We wanted to present you with a very simple film like a glass of water. It was risky, all of my team believed in it, but we didn’t know if the audience would join us because this film is only approachable with a generous heart.Ildikó Enyedi accepting the Golden Bear in Berlin 2017
The only woman director among the Best Foreign Language Academy Award nominations, Ildikó Enyedi said this as she accepted the Golden Bear for Best Film at the Berlin Film Festival last year.
Ildikó Enyedi is a Hungarian whose last feature, Simon the Magician, was made 18 years ago. My Twentieth Century was released in the U.S. by Aires in 1990.
SydneysBuzz: What were you doing during the 18 years before you made On Body and Soul, your next film after Simon the Magician?
Ildikó Enyedi: Most of the time I was just suffering. I was working every single...
The only woman director among the Best Foreign Language Academy Award nominations, Ildikó Enyedi said this as she accepted the Golden Bear for Best Film at the Berlin Film Festival last year.
Ildikó Enyedi is a Hungarian whose last feature, Simon the Magician, was made 18 years ago. My Twentieth Century was released in the U.S. by Aires in 1990.
SydneysBuzz: What were you doing during the 18 years before you made On Body and Soul, your next film after Simon the Magician?
Ildikó Enyedi: Most of the time I was just suffering. I was working every single...
- 1/24/2018
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Ryan Lambie Dec 4, 2017
Co-producer Stephanie Austin talks to us about the trials of bringing one of the biggest movies of all time, Terminator 2, to the screen...
In 1990, producer Stephanie Austin, previously known for her work in television, helped shepherd one of the biggest films of the decade to the big screen. Little did she know at the time, as she first looked through James Cameron's ambitious sequel script, that she would soon be producing the most expensive movie up to that point - a new high-watermark in special effects, and a proving ground for other CGI blockbusters.
See related Vic and Bob: an appreciation House Of Fools episode 1 review: The Conan Affair House Of Fools: BBC cancels Reeves and Mortimer's sitcom
Over 25 years later, Terminator 2: Judgment Day still looks as shiny as ever - but the confidence and assured pace of its director's vision gives...
Co-producer Stephanie Austin talks to us about the trials of bringing one of the biggest movies of all time, Terminator 2, to the screen...
In 1990, producer Stephanie Austin, previously known for her work in television, helped shepherd one of the biggest films of the decade to the big screen. Little did she know at the time, as she first looked through James Cameron's ambitious sequel script, that she would soon be producing the most expensive movie up to that point - a new high-watermark in special effects, and a proving ground for other CGI blockbusters.
See related Vic and Bob: an appreciation House Of Fools episode 1 review: The Conan Affair House Of Fools: BBC cancels Reeves and Mortimer's sitcom
Over 25 years later, Terminator 2: Judgment Day still looks as shiny as ever - but the confidence and assured pace of its director's vision gives...
- 12/1/2017
- Den of Geek
Ryan Lambie Sep 27, 2017
The Terminator series is making its third attempt at a trilogy. But would it be better as a one-off story, Ryan wonders...
Nb: The following contains spoilers for all the Terminator films released so far.
See related Looking back at Green Wing Buffy The Vampire Slayer: the top 10 episodes The Simpsons: 50 best episodes In praise of Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson's Bottom Looking back at The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 Fresh Meat series 4: bleak truths and knob gags
Genisys probably seemed like a good idea at the time. After the so-so critical and financial performance of Terminator 3 and Terminator: Salvation, the fifth entry in the series would, as far as its producers were concerned, take the saga back to its glory days: the nightmarish chases of The Terminator and the eye-popping special effects of T2, widely regarded as the franchise's high-water mark.
The Terminator series is making its third attempt at a trilogy. But would it be better as a one-off story, Ryan wonders...
Nb: The following contains spoilers for all the Terminator films released so far.
See related Looking back at Green Wing Buffy The Vampire Slayer: the top 10 episodes The Simpsons: 50 best episodes In praise of Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson's Bottom Looking back at The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 Fresh Meat series 4: bleak truths and knob gags
Genisys probably seemed like a good idea at the time. After the so-so critical and financial performance of Terminator 3 and Terminator: Salvation, the fifth entry in the series would, as far as its producers were concerned, take the saga back to its glory days: the nightmarish chases of The Terminator and the eye-popping special effects of T2, widely regarded as the franchise's high-water mark.
- 9/25/2017
- Den of Geek
Ryan Lambie Aug 25, 2017
We talk to the actor behind one of cinema's great villains - Terminator 2's Robert Patrick...
It's more than 25 years since Terminator 2: Judgment Day first emerged, but actor Robert Patrick still carries the same cool, shark-like look of his shape-shifting villain, the T-1000. When Patrick fixes me with his sharp blue eyes, I can almost imagine his right arm quietly morphing into a sharp, chrome spear... and then he smiles, lets out a raucous laugh and the illusion is, thankfully, broken.
See related The Greatest Showman: first pics from Hugh Jackman musical The Greatest Showman On Earth: Zendaya joins Hugh Jackman in cast
In London to promote the 3D re-release of T2, and it's testament to how well-made James Cameron's sci-fi sequel is that it holds up so well all these years later. For his part, Robert Patrick doesn't appear to have tired being...
We talk to the actor behind one of cinema's great villains - Terminator 2's Robert Patrick...
It's more than 25 years since Terminator 2: Judgment Day first emerged, but actor Robert Patrick still carries the same cool, shark-like look of his shape-shifting villain, the T-1000. When Patrick fixes me with his sharp blue eyes, I can almost imagine his right arm quietly morphing into a sharp, chrome spear... and then he smiles, lets out a raucous laugh and the illusion is, thankfully, broken.
See related The Greatest Showman: first pics from Hugh Jackman musical The Greatest Showman On Earth: Zendaya joins Hugh Jackman in cast
In London to promote the 3D re-release of T2, and it's testament to how well-made James Cameron's sci-fi sequel is that it holds up so well all these years later. For his part, Robert Patrick doesn't appear to have tired being...
- 8/23/2017
- Den of Geek
Us sales and production company MonteCristo International Entertainment has named former Carolco and Seven Arts executive Chris Bialek (pictured) as president.
MonteCristo has also appointed intellectual property lawyer Elettra Bietti as a business affairs executive based in the UK.
Distribution and marketing veteran Bialek has worked with figures including Mario Kassar, Arnold Kopelson, Mark Damon and Edward Pressman, and has also done stints at Parallel Media, Das Werk and Quadra Entertainment.
Cindy Nelson-Mullen, the MonteCristo sales and acquisitions executive who has now been named chief operating officer of the company, said: “During the last 10 years, MonteCristo has grown its sales and production activities, theatrical releases and digital output deals and currently represents over 70 feature films worldwide. We look forward to Chris’s contribution to consolidate and expand the company presence in the English-language market.”
Bialek said he is “very excited to be part of the MonteCristo team and I look forward to growing the company with higher...
MonteCristo has also appointed intellectual property lawyer Elettra Bietti as a business affairs executive based in the UK.
Distribution and marketing veteran Bialek has worked with figures including Mario Kassar, Arnold Kopelson, Mark Damon and Edward Pressman, and has also done stints at Parallel Media, Das Werk and Quadra Entertainment.
Cindy Nelson-Mullen, the MonteCristo sales and acquisitions executive who has now been named chief operating officer of the company, said: “During the last 10 years, MonteCristo has grown its sales and production activities, theatrical releases and digital output deals and currently represents over 70 feature films worldwide. We look forward to Chris’s contribution to consolidate and expand the company presence in the English-language market.”
Bialek said he is “very excited to be part of the MonteCristo team and I look forward to growing the company with higher...
- 1/3/2017
- ScreenDaily
Curtis Hanson--Confidentially
By
Alex Simon
Curtis Hanson was my first interview with a fellow film buff and film journalist. He was nice enough to sit down with me twice, first at the Rose Cafe in Venice, then at a lunch spot in the Marina, the name of which has been lost to time. He was then kind enough to invite me to the world premiere of "L.A. Confidential" at the Chinese Theater as his guest, my first time on the red carpet at a real-life Hollywood premiere, and called me after this piece ran to thank me personally. A nice man. Hanson, and co-writer Brian Helgeland, would go on to win Best Adapted Screenplay Oscars for "L.A. Confidential."
Years later, I ran into Hanson at a book signing party for Pat York that was held in Westwood. I approached him and reminded him of our interview a decade or so earlier.
By
Alex Simon
Curtis Hanson was my first interview with a fellow film buff and film journalist. He was nice enough to sit down with me twice, first at the Rose Cafe in Venice, then at a lunch spot in the Marina, the name of which has been lost to time. He was then kind enough to invite me to the world premiere of "L.A. Confidential" at the Chinese Theater as his guest, my first time on the red carpet at a real-life Hollywood premiere, and called me after this piece ran to thank me personally. A nice man. Hanson, and co-writer Brian Helgeland, would go on to win Best Adapted Screenplay Oscars for "L.A. Confidential."
Years later, I ran into Hanson at a book signing party for Pat York that was held in Westwood. I approached him and reminded him of our interview a decade or so earlier.
- 9/21/2016
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Exclusive– Few names conjure up the magic and market of Cannes as much as Mario Kassar and Carolco Pictures. Along with partner Andrew G. Vajna, Kassar helped to disrupt the independent film business, with Carolco enjoying a more-than decade long run that saw the likes of First Blood, Terminator 2, Basic Instinct and Cliffhanger all made outside the studio system. Before Lionsgate, before Summit, before EuropaCorp, there was Carolco, and Kassar was at the heart of it all…...
- 5/12/2016
- Deadline
Deadline marks its 10th anniversary as a digital news breaking enterprise with a throwback initiative: our first ever print magazine at the Cannes Film Festival. Given the formative years of this publication, it seemed a natural to celebrate the idea of disruption. From evolving distribution platforms to the growing importance of China, the film business is changing rapidly. In times like these, the world belongs to those who see past the anxiety and chaos of change, and instead see an opportunity to change the game. Our collection of disruptors includes the likes of Peter Jackson (on his career and the potential of Screening Room), Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, Amazon’s Roy Price, director and slate co-financier Brett Ratner, directors Ang Lee, Jodie Foster, Nicolas Winding Refn and Jeff Nichols; Wild Bunch co-founder Vincent Maraval, Canal Plus chairman Vincent Bollore, Bright screenwriter Max Landis, and Mario Kassar, the Carolco Pictures co-founder...
- 5/11/2016
- by Nikki Finke
- Deadline Film + TV
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Exclusive: studio co-founder Mario Kassar has left Carolco just over a year after its revival...
Total Recall. Terminator 2. The Rambo franchise. Through the 80s and 90s, Carolco was one of the biggest independent studios in Hollywood, before a combination of financial woes - including the failure of Cutthroat Island - saw it close in 1996.
Then, last January, came the news that the Carolco brand had been revived by new CEO Alex Bafer, with Carolco's original co-founder Mario Kassar named as its chairman. As we reported at the time, the resuscitated company had some big plans, including a remake of the Japanese horror hit Audition and an all-new sci-fi action film called Bot.
We've now learned that both Bafer and Kassar are no longer with the company, and that the Carolco brand is in the hands of new owners - Carolco's website currently lists real estate developer, entrepreneur...
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Exclusive: studio co-founder Mario Kassar has left Carolco just over a year after its revival...
Total Recall. Terminator 2. The Rambo franchise. Through the 80s and 90s, Carolco was one of the biggest independent studios in Hollywood, before a combination of financial woes - including the failure of Cutthroat Island - saw it close in 1996.
Then, last January, came the news that the Carolco brand had been revived by new CEO Alex Bafer, with Carolco's original co-founder Mario Kassar named as its chairman. As we reported at the time, the resuscitated company had some big plans, including a remake of the Japanese horror hit Audition and an all-new sci-fi action film called Bot.
We've now learned that both Bafer and Kassar are no longer with the company, and that the Carolco brand is in the hands of new owners - Carolco's website currently lists real estate developer, entrepreneur...
- 4/7/2016
- Den of Geek
"Eckhart saw Hell too. He said: The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of life, your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you, he said. They're freeing your soul. So, if you're frightened of dying and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the earth." -- Louis (Danny Aiello) in "Jacob's Ladder" I first viewed "Jacob's Ladder" on VHS several years after its release in theaters, when it received a lukewarm response from audiences (it grossed around $26 million by the end of its run) and received a polarizing response from critics: Roger Ebert called it "powerfully written, directed and acted" while The Washington Post's Hal Hinson charged it with being "garbled and cliched." My initial reaction to...
- 12/31/2015
- by Chris Eggertsen
- Hitfix
The Asian World Film Festival (Awff), which is dedicated to bringing the best of a broad selection of Asian World cinema to Los Angeles, has added East West Artists (Ewa) Co-Founder Jaeson Ma as Director of International Relations. The Festival slate will consist of select foreign language films that have been officially submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture, Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) as their country’s Oscar® hopeful and those submitted to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) for Golden Globe consideration.
Awff has also enlisted several notable industry executives for its Honorary Board, including former studio executive Teddy Zee and Carolco Pictures executive producer Mario Kassar ("Rambo," "Basic Instinct") as well as the former Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa. With The Wrap serving as the official media partner, Awff will take place October 26-November 2, 2015 and will be based at ArcLight Cinema in downtown Culver City and the luxury iPic Theaters in Westwood.
After recently teaming up with Ma on "The Shack," starring Octavia Spencer, Sumire and Sam Worthington, producer Lani Netter secured Ma, recognizing his ability as a strategic consultant and producer, cultivating global Asian talents at Ewa, (which is in partnership with Untitled Entertainment), and since his expertise directly aligns with Awff’s goal of drawing greater recognition to an underrepresented region of talent and filmmakers.
“Jaeson Ma is an ideal partner and asset to Awff because of his long established relationships with the Hollywood and Asian filmmaking industries. He's a trusted ally and invaluable addition,” said Netter, who serves as the Festival’s Director of Development and Philanthropy.
On joining the Awff Board, Ma shared, “Awff will showcase films and talents from the fastest growing region for entertainment, which is very exciting. There are many incredible films in Asia that are not realized by the international marketplace but now they have a fighting chance to be recognized and celebrated at the highest level through Awff."
The Festival’s Advisory Board welcomed producer Stefan Brunner, Shoreline Entertainment producer, Alex Flores, producer Medha Jaishankar, Emmy-winning TV and film director Jeremy Kagan, Igor Kokarev, scholar and expert on Soviet and American Film History, producer Brad Littlefield, producer and Founder and CEO of the Hollywood Film Academy Gia Noortas, South Korean film producer Keon-Seop Park, producer Eliyas Qureshi, producer Nick N. Raslan and Thomas Small, writer and Cultural Affairs Commissioner to the City of Culver City.
I'm excited to announced that I will be joining a great group including His Royal Highness Prince Gharios of Ghassan, Hany Haddad, immediate Past Chair of Board of Directors at the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, Lebanese philanthropist Maya Ibrahim, Amin Maalouf, best-selling author and member of the French Academy, Oscar®-winning producer Andre Morgan (Million Dollar Baby), director George Ovashvili, Hon. Roy Paul, judge for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, South Korean film producer and distributor Chul Shin, community leader and Co-Founder of the Hollywood Schoolhouse, Ferris Wehbe, Weissman/Markovitz Communications Chairman and Co-Founder Murray Weissman and Korean activist and public figure Grace Yoo, to serve on this year’s Honorary Board.
Awff will open with a red carpet awards gala on Monday, October 26, recognizing celebrities and well-known foreign talent and filmmakers who have been major contributors throughout the Asian world film community, followed by seven days of films at ArcLight Cinema and the iPic Theater and with the closing night Festival Awards presented along with the closing night film on Monday, November 2. Throughout the week there will also be expert panels on subjects like film financing, distribution, PR, marketing and awards campaigns, editing for a global audience and more to be announced.
Films that will be accepted by the Festival include those from the 50 countries recognized by the Academy and HFPA. Priority will be given to those in the Best Foreign Language Film categories at the 88th Academy Awards and 73rd Golden Globes. In rare cases, the Asian World Film Festival will consider other outstanding films that are not in contention for the Oscars® or Golden Globes, but which have received critical acclaim on the international film festival circuit. More detailed guidelines are available at www.asianworldfilmfest.org/submissions.
The prizes given out are of significant value to enhance the awards campaign and will feature top prizes for Best Film, Jury Selection and Audience awards including The Wrap’s Awards Special Screening Series and full page ads in the Foreign Film and Oscar Wrap issues valued at over $50,000.
Awff has also enlisted several notable industry executives for its Honorary Board, including former studio executive Teddy Zee and Carolco Pictures executive producer Mario Kassar ("Rambo," "Basic Instinct") as well as the former Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa. With The Wrap serving as the official media partner, Awff will take place October 26-November 2, 2015 and will be based at ArcLight Cinema in downtown Culver City and the luxury iPic Theaters in Westwood.
After recently teaming up with Ma on "The Shack," starring Octavia Spencer, Sumire and Sam Worthington, producer Lani Netter secured Ma, recognizing his ability as a strategic consultant and producer, cultivating global Asian talents at Ewa, (which is in partnership with Untitled Entertainment), and since his expertise directly aligns with Awff’s goal of drawing greater recognition to an underrepresented region of talent and filmmakers.
“Jaeson Ma is an ideal partner and asset to Awff because of his long established relationships with the Hollywood and Asian filmmaking industries. He's a trusted ally and invaluable addition,” said Netter, who serves as the Festival’s Director of Development and Philanthropy.
On joining the Awff Board, Ma shared, “Awff will showcase films and talents from the fastest growing region for entertainment, which is very exciting. There are many incredible films in Asia that are not realized by the international marketplace but now they have a fighting chance to be recognized and celebrated at the highest level through Awff."
The Festival’s Advisory Board welcomed producer Stefan Brunner, Shoreline Entertainment producer, Alex Flores, producer Medha Jaishankar, Emmy-winning TV and film director Jeremy Kagan, Igor Kokarev, scholar and expert on Soviet and American Film History, producer Brad Littlefield, producer and Founder and CEO of the Hollywood Film Academy Gia Noortas, South Korean film producer Keon-Seop Park, producer Eliyas Qureshi, producer Nick N. Raslan and Thomas Small, writer and Cultural Affairs Commissioner to the City of Culver City.
I'm excited to announced that I will be joining a great group including His Royal Highness Prince Gharios of Ghassan, Hany Haddad, immediate Past Chair of Board of Directors at the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, Lebanese philanthropist Maya Ibrahim, Amin Maalouf, best-selling author and member of the French Academy, Oscar®-winning producer Andre Morgan (Million Dollar Baby), director George Ovashvili, Hon. Roy Paul, judge for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, South Korean film producer and distributor Chul Shin, community leader and Co-Founder of the Hollywood Schoolhouse, Ferris Wehbe, Weissman/Markovitz Communications Chairman and Co-Founder Murray Weissman and Korean activist and public figure Grace Yoo, to serve on this year’s Honorary Board.
Awff will open with a red carpet awards gala on Monday, October 26, recognizing celebrities and well-known foreign talent and filmmakers who have been major contributors throughout the Asian world film community, followed by seven days of films at ArcLight Cinema and the iPic Theater and with the closing night Festival Awards presented along with the closing night film on Monday, November 2. Throughout the week there will also be expert panels on subjects like film financing, distribution, PR, marketing and awards campaigns, editing for a global audience and more to be announced.
Films that will be accepted by the Festival include those from the 50 countries recognized by the Academy and HFPA. Priority will be given to those in the Best Foreign Language Film categories at the 88th Academy Awards and 73rd Golden Globes. In rare cases, the Asian World Film Festival will consider other outstanding films that are not in contention for the Oscars® or Golden Globes, but which have received critical acclaim on the international film festival circuit. More detailed guidelines are available at www.asianworldfilmfest.org/submissions.
The prizes given out are of significant value to enhance the awards campaign and will feature top prizes for Best Film, Jury Selection and Audience awards including The Wrap’s Awards Special Screening Series and full page ads in the Foreign Film and Oscar Wrap issues valued at over $50,000.
- 8/19/2015
- by Peter Belsito
- Sydney's Buzz
Two of the Cryptkeeper's big screen stories will receive a stellar home media treatment this fall. Scream Factory has announced that on October 20th, they will release the Tales From the Crypt films Demon Knight and Bordello of Blood in respective Collector's Edition Blu-rays.
From Scream Factory: "You asked for them...and we got em! Both Tales From The Crypt films Demon Knight (1995) and Bordello Of Blood (1996) will be coming out on 10/20 as separate "Collector Edition" Blu-rays. We have no additional information at this time except that newly-commissioned artwork will be revealed next month and that extras will be announced in Late Summer.
The cat (crypt keeper?) was let out of the bag (coffin?) earlier today over a leak on the internet that caught us by surprise and hence the out-of-the-blue announce today. Originally, we had planned to reveal these two highly-requested titles sometime next week. smile emoticon We hope...
From Scream Factory: "You asked for them...and we got em! Both Tales From The Crypt films Demon Knight (1995) and Bordello Of Blood (1996) will be coming out on 10/20 as separate "Collector Edition" Blu-rays. We have no additional information at this time except that newly-commissioned artwork will be revealed next month and that extras will be announced in Late Summer.
The cat (crypt keeper?) was let out of the bag (coffin?) earlier today over a leak on the internet that caught us by surprise and hence the out-of-the-blue announce today. Originally, we had planned to reveal these two highly-requested titles sometime next week. smile emoticon We hope...
- 6/15/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
We chat to legendary producer Mario Kassar about the return of Carolco, its forthcoming sci-fi film Bot, Hollywood studios, and more...
First Blood. Total Recall. Terminator 2. For a generation versed in the major action films of the 80s and 90s, the Carolco brand holds a special place in the memory. Its distinctive logo became a byword for bold, often brash movies starring some of the biggest names of the day - not least Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Founded by producers Andrew Vajna and Mario Kassar in the 1970s, Carolco went from indie outsider to a company with the size and clout of a Hollywood major; the studio became famous - and infamous in some quarters - for its headline-grabbing deals. (Legend has it that, when Arnie signed up to make Terminator 2: Judgment Day, he was given a $17m private jet.)
At the height of its powers, Carolco was making smaller-scale,...
First Blood. Total Recall. Terminator 2. For a generation versed in the major action films of the 80s and 90s, the Carolco brand holds a special place in the memory. Its distinctive logo became a byword for bold, often brash movies starring some of the biggest names of the day - not least Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Founded by producers Andrew Vajna and Mario Kassar in the 1970s, Carolco went from indie outsider to a company with the size and clout of a Hollywood major; the studio became famous - and infamous in some quarters - for its headline-grabbing deals. (Legend has it that, when Arnie signed up to make Terminator 2: Judgment Day, he was given a $17m private jet.)
At the height of its powers, Carolco was making smaller-scale,...
- 3/23/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Exclusive: Carolco producer Mario Kassar talks to us about his forthcoming sci-fi action film, Bot. Here are the first details.
In its 80s and 90s heyday, Carolco and its studio co-founder Mario Kassar specialised in such larger-than-life blockbusters as Rambo: First Blood Part II, Total Recall and Terminator 2.
Twenty years on, and the Carolco brand has been revived by Kassar and new CEO Alex Bafer, with one of its first projects being a new incarnation of the fearsome horror-drama, Audition. Beyond that, Bafer also hinted at something more akin to Carolco's sci-fi action films of old; it is, he said, "a Terminator-type sci-fi summer blockbuster."
That film now has a name: it's called Bot, and it's the first in a potential trilogy of movies penned by Tedi Sarafian - the story writer behind, among other things, 2003's Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines.
"Bot's the kind of movie I used...
In its 80s and 90s heyday, Carolco and its studio co-founder Mario Kassar specialised in such larger-than-life blockbusters as Rambo: First Blood Part II, Total Recall and Terminator 2.
Twenty years on, and the Carolco brand has been revived by Kassar and new CEO Alex Bafer, with one of its first projects being a new incarnation of the fearsome horror-drama, Audition. Beyond that, Bafer also hinted at something more akin to Carolco's sci-fi action films of old; it is, he said, "a Terminator-type sci-fi summer blockbuster."
That film now has a name: it's called Bot, and it's the first in a potential trilogy of movies penned by Tedi Sarafian - the story writer behind, among other things, 2003's Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines.
"Bot's the kind of movie I used...
- 3/16/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Almost 20 years after it closed, Carolco is back. CEO Alex Bafer tells us about its revival and a "very big" future sci-fi blockbuster.
At the height of its 80s and 90s powers, Carolco was one of the biggest independent film studios in Hollywood. Its distinctive logo appeared on some of the most successful movies of the era - the Rambo series, Terminator 2, Total Recall, Basic Instinct - but the studio also found a place for smaller-scale, unique films such as Angel Heart and Jacob's Ladder.
Then a combination of recession, a faltering TV and home video label and cinematic misfires - not least the infamous Cutthroat Island - saw Carolco file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December 1992. And with that, Carolco seemed to be finished.
On the 20th January, however, it was announced that the Carolco brand is back. A company once called Brick Top Productions has acquired the Carolco name,...
At the height of its 80s and 90s powers, Carolco was one of the biggest independent film studios in Hollywood. Its distinctive logo appeared on some of the most successful movies of the era - the Rambo series, Terminator 2, Total Recall, Basic Instinct - but the studio also found a place for smaller-scale, unique films such as Angel Heart and Jacob's Ladder.
Then a combination of recession, a faltering TV and home video label and cinematic misfires - not least the infamous Cutthroat Island - saw Carolco file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December 1992. And with that, Carolco seemed to be finished.
On the 20th January, however, it was announced that the Carolco brand is back. A company once called Brick Top Productions has acquired the Carolco name,...
- 1/25/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Well Go USA will launch Richard Gray's The Lookalike in Us cinemas and on digital HD on Friday November 7.
The dark comedy crime-romance stars Justin Long, John Corbett, Gillian Jacobs, Jerry O.Connell, Gina Gershon, Scottie Thompson and Luís Guzman.
Gray (Blinder, Mine Games, Summer Coda) is in post-production on the thriller Sugar Mountain, which stars Jason Momoa and Cary Elwes..
He's working with producer Mario Kassar on a new adaption of the Ryû Murakami novel, the story of a widower who, with the help of a TV producer friend, holds auditions supposedly for a leading lady as a cover to find a wife. The novel was adapted into a Japanese film in 1999.
.We.re thrilled to bring The Lookalike to audiences throughout the Us starting in November,. said Doris Pfardrescher, CEO/President of Well Go USA. .It.s a phenomenal film with extraordinary talent that seamlessly blends the elements of the thriller,...
The dark comedy crime-romance stars Justin Long, John Corbett, Gillian Jacobs, Jerry O.Connell, Gina Gershon, Scottie Thompson and Luís Guzman.
Gray (Blinder, Mine Games, Summer Coda) is in post-production on the thriller Sugar Mountain, which stars Jason Momoa and Cary Elwes..
He's working with producer Mario Kassar on a new adaption of the Ryû Murakami novel, the story of a widower who, with the help of a TV producer friend, holds auditions supposedly for a leading lady as a cover to find a wife. The novel was adapted into a Japanese film in 1999.
.We.re thrilled to bring The Lookalike to audiences throughout the Us starting in November,. said Doris Pfardrescher, CEO/President of Well Go USA. .It.s a phenomenal film with extraordinary talent that seamlessly blends the elements of the thriller,...
- 10/7/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Richard Gray is to write and direct a remake of Audition, for producer Mario Kassar...
News
Cinema has few experiences like watching Audition without knowing what's coming. Personally, I used to import region 3 DVDs back when it was incredibly economical to do so, and popped Audition into my DVD player with no idea what was around the corner. A stiff drink was required by the end of it.
Audition was put together by Takashi Miike, but it's now been revealed that one time Carolco supremo Mario Kassar - who produced the likes of Rambo III, Basic Instinct and Terminator 2 - is putting together an English language remake of the film.
Richard Gray has got the job of directing the new movie, having adapted the screenplay himself. Gray's credits to date include Blinder and Mine Games.
At this stage, it's traditional in a news story to describe the film itself a little.
News
Cinema has few experiences like watching Audition without knowing what's coming. Personally, I used to import region 3 DVDs back when it was incredibly economical to do so, and popped Audition into my DVD player with no idea what was around the corner. A stiff drink was required by the end of it.
Audition was put together by Takashi Miike, but it's now been revealed that one time Carolco supremo Mario Kassar - who produced the likes of Rambo III, Basic Instinct and Terminator 2 - is putting together an English language remake of the film.
Richard Gray has got the job of directing the new movie, having adapted the screenplay himself. Gray's credits to date include Blinder and Mine Games.
At this stage, it's traditional in a news story to describe the film itself a little.
- 7/2/2014
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
It used to be that a day didn’t go by without some Hollywood hotshot producer (or wannabe hotshot producer) announcing he had acquired the remake rights to a Japanese movie with plans to convert it for domestic consumption. It’s all the fault of “The Ring” remake, which convinced Hollywood that Japanese horror movies was the new gold rush. Well it’s been a few years since the last Japanese horror movie to Hollywood remake that I can recall even actually getting made. These days Hollywood is more in love with the idea of remaking South Korean thrillers, though even that has cooled off since Spike Lee’s much ballyhooed remake of “Oldboy” sunk like a rock into the deepest parts of the box office, never to be seen or heard from again. But apparently there is one brave soul in Hollywood who still believes in the Japanese-to-Hollywood easy...
- 7/1/2014
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
This was inevitable. The premise of "Audition" is irresistible as a horror movie set-up. It's not only clever, it also does a tremendous job of commenting on just how casual the misogyny is in many horror films, from concept to execution to the marketing. "Audition," at least in the original Miike film, is about setting those scales right, delivering some magnificent horror to those who have earned it. I haven't read the Ryu Murakami novel that inspired the film that Takashi Miike made but I've seen that film theatrically three times, and all three times, it was amazing to watch the crowd while they watched the movie. It messed with them on a chemical level. If you haven't seen the film, it's about a guy who hasn't dated since his wife dies, and he ends up letting a friend, a film producer, put together a fake audition in which young...
- 6/30/2014
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
This, by itself, is not news: another Japanese horror film is getting an English-language remake. Add in one crucial detail, however, and watch the newsiness bubble to life before your very eyes: the 1999 Japanese horror film Audition is getting an English-language remake. Unaware of what Audition is? It’s a simple story. A lonely man has spent too long doing the single dad thing and realizes that he needs a little love in his life to be truly complete. So he, his son and a buddy from the movie industry put together a mock audition where young women come to try out for “a role.” Unwittingly, they’re really auditioning to be the object of Mr. Lonely Dad’s affection. They end up with the perfect candidate for a girlfriend, but — surprise! — she’s nuts. Cue the kind of sick, godless horror depravity that disgusts people yet also makes them desperate to watch Audition. According...
- 6/30/2014
- by Adam Bellotto
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Beloved horror cult gem Audition will be getting an English-language remake. Takashi Miike’s 1999 film–which doubled as a public service announcement about the potential dangers of piano wire–was based on a 1997 novel by Japanese author Ryu Murakami.
The new film will transplant the story to an American setting. It’s being produced by Mario Kassar, the iconic ’80s-era producer of films like Terminator and Rambo. It will be written and directed by Richard Gray, the Australian director who’s currently wrapping up Jason Momoa’s Sugar Mountain. Update: A rep for Gray confirmed his participating to EW, and...
The new film will transplant the story to an American setting. It’s being produced by Mario Kassar, the iconic ’80s-era producer of films like Terminator and Rambo. It will be written and directed by Richard Gray, the Australian director who’s currently wrapping up Jason Momoa’s Sugar Mountain. Update: A rep for Gray confirmed his participating to EW, and...
- 6/30/2014
- by Darren Franich
- EW - Inside Movies
The cult horror classic Audition, Takashi Miike’s breakout film from 1999, is getting the Hollywood treatment with an English language remake planned to shoot this fall.
Deadline reported Friday that the remake will be produced by Mario Kassar (Terminator, Rambo) and directed by Richard Gray (the upcoming The Lookalike and Sugar Mountain).
Miike’s film, based on a novel by Ryu Murakami, is about a man who puts out a casting call for a new girlfriend and finds the woman he selects is not all she appears. This adaptation falls into that nebulous territory of not strictly being a remake of the Japanese film but a new adaptation of Murakami’s story with an American setting.
And this of course is hardly the first cult horror film to fall under Hollywood’s purview. Last year the Spike Lee directed Oldboy, a remake of a South Korean film with just as many cringe-worthy moments,...
Deadline reported Friday that the remake will be produced by Mario Kassar (Terminator, Rambo) and directed by Richard Gray (the upcoming The Lookalike and Sugar Mountain).
Miike’s film, based on a novel by Ryu Murakami, is about a man who puts out a casting call for a new girlfriend and finds the woman he selects is not all she appears. This adaptation falls into that nebulous territory of not strictly being a remake of the Japanese film but a new adaptation of Murakami’s story with an American setting.
And this of course is hardly the first cult horror film to fall under Hollywood’s purview. Last year the Spike Lee directed Oldboy, a remake of a South Korean film with just as many cringe-worthy moments,...
- 6/30/2014
- by Brian Welk
- SoundOnSight
After the universal praise from critics and audiences of last year’s Oldboy, it was only a matter of time before someone attempted to remake Audition. Late Friday afternoon, Deadline reported that Ryu Murakami’s novel, made infamous by Takashi Miike’s 1999 film, would indeed be getting a Hollywood adaptation.
In this version, to be directed by Richard Gray (The Lookalike), Audition‘s unlucky protagonist is Sam Davis, who lives alone with his son following the death of his wife seven years prior and is convinced by a filmmaker friend to stage the fake auditions. The former ballerina with a mysterious past he falls for is now named Evie Lawrence, but otherwise details fall closely in line with Murakami’s best-seller.
Gray adapted the script and will tackle a fall shoot for Audition
The film is being produced by Mario Kassar (Terminator, Rambo, Basic Instinct)...
In this version, to be directed by Richard Gray (The Lookalike), Audition‘s unlucky protagonist is Sam Davis, who lives alone with his son following the death of his wife seven years prior and is convinced by a filmmaker friend to stage the fake auditions. The former ballerina with a mysterious past he falls for is now named Evie Lawrence, but otherwise details fall closely in line with Murakami’s best-seller.
Gray adapted the script and will tackle a fall shoot for Audition
The film is being produced by Mario Kassar (Terminator, Rambo, Basic Instinct)...
- 6/30/2014
- by Chris Connors
- FEARnet
Mark Ruffalo (Avengers: Age of Ultron) recently mentioned that Marvel was still considering a new standalone Hulk movie, but when asked about the chance that movie be based on the "Planet Hulk" comic Ruffalo didn't seem to think that was the best option. "'Planet Hulkc' I don't think that's the way to go yet," he said. "I think you need more Banner. The whole thing is just him as Hulk, on a planet, fighting other gladiators." MTV Jason Bateman (Bad Words) will direct and star in an untitled FBI wedding comedy for Universal Pictures. David Bar Katz wrote the latest draft of the screenplay, no plot details were reported. Variety Terminator, Rambo and Basic Instinct exec producer Mario Kassar is assembling an English-language adaptation of Audition based on the 1997 novel by Japanese author Ryu Murakami and perhaps Takashi Miike's most appreciated film. The story centers on a lonely widower...
- 6/30/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
After remaining seemingly safe from Hollywood's remake machine for 15 years, Takashi Miike's cult thriller Audition has been snatched up for an English-language adaptation. Deadline reports Terminator and Rambo producer Mario Kassar is developing the new take on Ryu Murakami's 1997 novel on which Miike's 1999 film is based. Richard Gray (The Lookalike) will be at the helm of the film which will follow a lonely widower who decides to put out a fake casting call for a leading lady with the intention of using the set-up to meet a new girlfriend. However, one of the attendees turns out to be more than he bargained for. This time the film will follow a character named Sam Davis who has the hope of meeting a new lover, until he falls for Evie Lawrence, a former ballerina with a mysterious past. Gray also adapted the noel himself, and the plan is for the...
- 6/30/2014
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Takashi Miike’s stunning, creepy, brain-searing 1999 adaptation of Ryu Murakami’s novel Adaptation had such an impact here in 2001, we wondered whether it would be long before an American producer snapped up the rights to mount a remake. But as the years passed and nothing happened, we relaxed; the moment seemed to have passed. Now, though, Mario Kassar is plotting a Us-centric take on the tale.The original Audition, for those who have not seen it, found a lonely widower letting his movie producer friend set up a series of fake try-outs for young women to become his girlfriend. Unfortunately for him, the girl he selects – Asami – hides a steely, psychotic, creatively murderous nature and… Well, things go terribly wrong from there. Kassar, who helped shepherd The Terminator, Rambo and Basic Instinct into the world, believes the time is right for an American version of the story, which would switch...
- 6/30/2014
- EmpireOnline
Last year we listed our 5 Best & 5 Worst Horror Movie Remakes, and noted that Takashi Miike's "Audition" had "mercifully avoided the remake treatment." We spoke too soon. One of the handful of early films that put the filmmaker on the radar of genre enthusiasts, "Audition" is now going down the remake road. Deadline reports that producer Mario Kassar — the man who brought us, among other things, "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "Basic Instinct," "Showgirls," "The Doors" and "Rambo III" — is putting together an American redo of the movie that is based on the novel by Ryu Murakami. And for better or worse, there won't be any major changes, with the story (now set in the United States, duh) still following a widower who holds fake auditions in order to find a new mate, but meets his match with one unforgettable choice. And if you're hoping this is one that'll get stuck in development hell,...
- 6/30/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
With practically ever other popular J-horror over the past 15 years spawning some form of a Us remake it is quite surprising that Takashi Miike's art-house styled horror still remains untouched. That is of course until now, providing you bothered to at least read the headline! Producer Mario Kassar ('Terminator') is putting together the project and is eyeing an Autumn/Fall shoot with Richard Gray ('The Lookalike') at the helm. The remake will be based on the novel by Japanese author Ryu Murakami, as the original Asian version was too, but we're sure to expect little nods and homages along the way to filmmaker Takashi Miike's 1999 adapted effort....
- 6/30/2014
- Horror Asylum
Well, it took a surprising amount of years to get on Hollywood's "we need our own version of that" radar, but it's finally on its way. The 1999 Takashi Miike film Audition, which was based upon the 1997 novel by Japanese author Ryu Murakami, is getting the U.S. remake treatment!
Deadline reports that Terminator, Rambo, and Basic Instinct executive producer Mario Kassar is in the midst of assembling an English-language adaptation for us Westerners. The new Kassar-produced version is based on the original Murakami novel and will transplant the story to an American setting.
In this version, to be directed by Richard Gray (The Lookalike), Audition‘s unlucky protagonist is Sam Davis, who lives alone with his son following the death of his wife seven years prior and is convinced by a filmmaker friend to stage the fake auditions. The former ballerina with a mysterious past he falls for is now named Evie Lawrence,...
Deadline reports that Terminator, Rambo, and Basic Instinct executive producer Mario Kassar is in the midst of assembling an English-language adaptation for us Westerners. The new Kassar-produced version is based on the original Murakami novel and will transplant the story to an American setting.
In this version, to be directed by Richard Gray (The Lookalike), Audition‘s unlucky protagonist is Sam Davis, who lives alone with his son following the death of his wife seven years prior and is convinced by a filmmaker friend to stage the fake auditions. The former ballerina with a mysterious past he falls for is now named Evie Lawrence,...
- 6/29/2014
- by Steve Barton
- DreadCentral.com
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