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2009 | 2008 | 1999 | 1998

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Review of Brian King's Hitchcockian thriller Night Train

6 July 2009 12:47 PM, PDT | From QuietEarth.us | See recent QuietEarth news

Year: 2009

Directors: Brian King

Writers: Brian King

IMDb: link

Trailer: link

Amazon: Link

Review by: agentorange

Rating: 6 out of 10

Screenwriter Brian King makes a valiant effort to bring a classic noir flavor to his moody directorial debut, but ultimately Night Train fails to deliver a second coming of Sam Spade and The Maltese Falcon and comes off feeling like a by-the-numbers retread of A Simple Plan mixed with a not-so-memorable episode of The Twilight Zone.

That's not to say there isn't also a lot to like here. King's screenplay may not be terribly original, but it is at least a cinephile's wet dream - full of references to past characters and film noir flicks. The ensemble cast of Danny Glover, Leelee Sobieski, and Steve Zahn is also uniformly strong considering their paper-thin characters and I liked how the sets evoke a timeless feeling where you're never quite sure what era you're in.

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The Dark Knight Cleans Up at Key Art Awards

14 June 2009 9:28 PM, PDT | From TheMovingPicture.net | See recent TheMovingPicture news

The 38th annual Key Art Awards, which honor outstanding achievement in artwork and other promotional materials in film advertising, were recently handed out and last year’s mega blockbuster The Dark Knight was the star of the show. Awards were handed out in nearly 60 categories, from which the 11 best in show awards were chosen. Chris Nolan's second Batman movie, led the list of award winners, taking home eight prizes, including three best of show awards for its theatrical poster, theatrical TV spot and home entertainment print. Pixar’s Wall-e was a close runner-up, earning seven awards, including one best in show citation for home entertainment, new release packaging. Warners, which fielded Knight, and Disney, which released Wall-e, earned 10 awards each, as did Paramount, thanks to a mix of films that included Iron Man, Tropic Thunder and The Godfather: Coppola Restoration DVD. Ignition, which worked on films as varied as Pineapple Express,

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James Cook

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Drag Me To Hell

3 June 2009 11:50 PM, PDT | From Pastemagazine.com | See recent PasteMagazine news

Release Date: May 29Director: Sam RaimiWriters: Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi Cinematographer: Peter DemingStarring: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna RaverStudio/Run Time: Universal, 99 mins.

Old Raimi is back, kind of

Sam Raimi has had a long and curious career, but his legacy as a filmmaker has never been in competition. Yes, after The Evil Dead, he quickly took on studio work, and even before the Spider-Man trilogy made billions worldwide, his name was already attached to a host of incongruous titles—The Quick and the Dead, A Simple Plan, For Love of the Game. But he will always known for his dourly imaginative Evil Dead movies, the bombastic, brutal, hilariously tasteless semi-trilogy that over time enshrined him as a godfather of modern horror.

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Brian King's Night Train available early (now) at Blockbuster

2 June 2009 10:36 AM, PDT | From QuietEarth.us | See recent QuietEarth news

Even though we haven't reported on it, Night Train is a film I've been eying for while. Mostly because it's the feature film debut from Brian King, whose previous screenwriting credits include Vincenzo Natali's cyberpunk opus, Cypher, but also because I like the film's Shallow Grave meets A Simple Plan vibe featuring a dead man, a mysterious box full of diamonds and three characters who fight to keep hold of them.

The film is scheduled to hit DVD on July 14, 2009 but we just received word from the production that it's available early from Blockbuster. While I don't necessarily like plugging one particular video vendor, particularly ones who try to monopolize the distribution of films, I do like the idea of stores making certain film's available early.

Synopsis:

How far would you go to have everything you desire? Christmas Eve… when a veteran conductor (Glover), a young pre-med student (Sobieski

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Justin Long on Drag Me to Hell

1 June 2009 11:37 AM, PDT | From www.canmag.com | See recent CanMag news

Justin Long was a huge Sam Raimi fan. Growing up with the Evil Dead films, he matured along with the filmmaker watching A Simple Plan and The Gift. When Long finally got to costar in Drag Me to Hell, he met Raimi on a professional level.

Justin Long on Drag Me to Hell

.He.s very insightful and he communicates specifically when he needs to,. Long said. .For the most part I think he just kind of trusts. He puts a lot of trust in the actors which is not to say that he doesn.t give specific direction. He does when he feel he needs to, I think. He was an actor. He.s acted before, and while we were writing certainly we would act out certain things and he would slip into this very natural cadence, this very natural delivery that he had. I think

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15 most memorable characters in Sam Raimi’s movies.

30 May 2009 2:15 AM, PDT | From SoundOnSight | See recent SoundOnSight news

15- Donnie Barksdale in The Gift Actor: Keanu Reeves Memorable quote: Messing with the Devil is gonna get you burned. Everybody knows that. Say what you will about Keanu Reeves, but given the right project, proper casting and good direction and the man can do a decent job. He is far from outstanding in The Gift but I have to admit that I really liked the fresh take in having Reeves play a white trash hick. 14-Jacob Mitchell in A Simple Plan Actor: Billy Bob Thornton Memorable quote: I mean, hell, Hank, I've never even kissed a girl. You know, if me becoming rich is gonna change all that, you know I'm all for it. Billy Bob Thornton works best when playing the creep. This is best seen in movies like U-Turn and A Simple Plan. Here Sam Raimi uses his ugly mug placing him opposite to Bill Paxton has

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Ricky

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Justin Long Talks Drag Me to Hell

29 May 2009 2:00 AM, PDT | From DreadCentral.com | See recent Dread Central news

There is no doubt that Justin Long is a funny guy. After all, his resume is filled with hilarious performances in films like Dodgeball, Waiting, Accepted, and Idiocracy. So imagine his surprise when he got the call from director Sam Raimi to play the straight man in his new horror film, Drag Me to Hell.

Long said, "I kind of thought Sam was calling me because there was a clown in the film that comes into different scenes intermittently to throw up or juggle for comic relief. But it turns out he saw me in Live Free or Die Hard and liked my performance enough to want me in Drag Me to Hell."

"I guess it's a good thing Sam hadn't seen me in my other roles, or maybe I wouldn't have even gotten the call from him," Long joked.

In Drag Me to Hell Long plays Clay Dalton, the

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thehorrorchick

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Int: Sam Raimi!

29 May 2009 12:34 AM, PDT | From JoBlo.com | See recent JoBlo news

Sam Raimi. Need I say more? Okay, sure the man did the Spider-man movies, and he also crafted some awesome little flicks like The Gift and A Simple Plan. But many a genre fan will never forget what he did to a mild mannered store clerk who finds himself battling demons and zeroing in on his cool factor. Yes, I am talking about Ash, and of course, The Evil Dead franchise. And while he hasn't returned to that series yet, he does offer up something that will certainly remind fans why he is...

JimmyO

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[Movie Review] Drag Me To Hell

28 May 2009 8:00 PM, PDT | From JustPressPlay.net | See recent JustPressPlay news

The worst thing that you could say about Drag Me To Hell, Sam Raimi’s latest film and his first horror film in over a decade, is that it’s stupid; or maybe that it’s a little racist, seeing as every non-white character is either conniving, possessing of mystical powers, or in league with Satan. But then again, the exact same thing could be said of all three Evil Dead films, and that does little to affect the entertainment value of those films. The point is, Raimi’s always done his most invigorating work when he’s operating outside the confines of a plot, character motivation, and even common sense - here he has pitched all of those so far to the wind that you’re almost wondering whether the man even understands what they mean. And it makes you want to forgive him for spending the last decade

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Anders Nelson

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Drag Me to Hell (review)

27 May 2009 1:07 PM, PDT | From www.flickfilosopher.com | See recent FlickFilosopher news

It’s not a metaphor, the title of cult-favorite director Sam Raimi’s return to his low-budget roots -- sort of -- with Drag Me to Hell. I spoil not. The opening sequence of this hard-to-pin-down horror sort-of comedy features a young boy who’s been afflicted with a gypsy curse getting actually dragged to the actual hell by soul-lusting demons, presumbly to suffer for all eternity for a very minor crime. Business is meant here. There’s no fooling around. This is so we know what’s in store for Raimi’s heroine, mild-mannered bank loan officer Christine Brown (Alison Lohman), now that she has been damned by the same curse. Literally damned, it would appear. I’ve been a fan of Raimi’s forever, since long before he shot to fame with his big-budget Spider-Man flicks. From the goofy perfection of 1987’s Evil Dead II -- which Raimi

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MaryAnn Johanson

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Drag Me To Hell (Film Review)

27 May 2009 12:36 PM, PDT | From Fangoria.com | See recent Fangoria news

The advertising pitch on Drag Me To Hell is that it marks Sam Raimi’s return to “pure horror,” but anyone familiar with the director’s work knows that he was never really there to begin with. Even passages of his very first Evil Dead were informed as much by the Three Stooges as by George A. Romero, and his approach to the tenets of screen fear have only become more playful with time. So his latest is not the ultimate experience in grueling terror that some might be expecting or hoping for—but it is a Hell of a lot of fun.

You can see a bit of the Stooges here in several moments of cranial abuse with assorted found objects, and one key sequence is so Evil Dead II that it only lacks someone screeching, “I’ll swallow your soul!” In fact, Raimi gleefully mixes influences from throughout horror history,

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no-reply@fangoria.com (Michael Gingold)

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Slideshow: 25-Image Gallery For ‘Drag Me to Hell’ With Alison Lohman

27 May 2009 11:14 AM, PDT | From HollywoodChicago.com | See recent HollywoodChicago.com news

Chicago – This 25-image slideshow contains the official press images for “Drag Me to Hell” starring Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Dileep Rao, David Paymer, and Adriana Barraza. The film, written by Sam Raimi & Ivan Raimi and directed by Sam Raimi, opens on May 29th, 2009.

Synopsis:

“Director Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, Evil Dead, A Simple Plan) returns to the horror genre with Drag Me to Hell, an original tale of a young woman’s desperate quest to escape an evil curse.

Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is an ambitious L.A. loan officer with a charming boyfriend, professor Clay Dalton (Justin Long). Life is good until the mysterious Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) arrives at the bank to beg for an extension on her home loan. Should Christine follow her instincts and give the old woman a break? Or should she deny the extension to impress her boss, Mr. Jacks (David Paymer), and

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adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)

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question of the day: Which movies are actually better than the books they’re based on?

26 May 2009 8:15 AM, PDT | From www.flickfilosopher.com | See recent FlickFilosopher news

Even the most ardent movie snobs tend to find it easy to say, “Oh, the book is always better than the movie.” But that’s not quite true. It’s rare, but it does happen: The movie is better than the book. There’s so few of them, though, that we could probably compile a comprehensive list of them right here. So let’s do it. Which movies are actually better than the books they’re based on? My pick: A Simple Plan, Sam Raimi’s adaptation of the novel by Scott Smith [Amazon U.S.] [Amazon U.K.]. The novel is great, but Smith, who wrote the screenplay, too, found ways to make his story even more pointed as he boiled it down for the screen. (If you have a suggestion for a Qotd, feel free to email me.)

MaryAnn Johanson

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Sam Raimi goes from 'Hell' to 'Spider-Man 4'

26 May 2009 2:27 AM, PDT | From Hitfix.com | See recent Hitfix news

  After shooting three 'Spider-Man' films in a row, Sam Raimi needed a blockbuster break.  And while the filmmaker has previously dabbled with more serious endeavors with films such as "A Simple Plan" and the amazingly underrated "The GIft," Raimi went back to his "Evil Dead" horror origins with the exhilarating new thriller "Drag Me to Hell.""The horror genre is the best audience in the world. They go there to be thrilled and I feel like they have a really fun attitude in their hearts when they see these movies," Raimi says.  "Not that normal audiences aren't special, but the horror...

Gregory Ellwood

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trailer break: ‘Drag Me to Hell’

12 March 2009 10:45 AM, PDT | From www.flickfilosopher.com | See recent FlickFilosopher news

Or, Hell Is Other People’s Housing Crisis. Or Final Foreclosure. Or Mortgagalypse. Try it, it’s fun! It’s always cause for celebration when Sam Raimi has a new movie for us. But Sam Raimi making a big-budget horror movie? This is a new, um, creature entirely. Can we hope for the same gonzo nightmare we usually get from Raimi? Should we hope for that? If there’s any of Raimi’s trademark comedy here, there’s no hint of it in the trailer. On the other hand, his A Simple Plan (one of the rare movies that actually improves upon the book it’s based on) and The Gift are superstylish and downright chilling dark dramas that border on horror, and without a lick of humor either. They’re not quite the kind of horror we seem to be promised in this trailer, but I’m gonna remain optimistic.

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MaryAnn Johanson

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Raimi's Return to Horror: The 'Drag Me to Hell' Trailer

11 March 2009 2:02 PM, PDT | From Cinematical.com | See recent Cinematical news

I've been a Sam Raimi fan since the very first time I laid my fingers on the creepy dark blue Thorn-emi VHS case pictured right here -----> ) From the awesome "Evil" trilogy to the very clever Darkman and the very underrated The Quick and the Dead, right up to A Simple Plan, For Love of the Game (yup, dug it), and The Gift -- it was just fun to watch an "old pal" make his way up the movie chain. And then Spider-Man hit, and suddenly everyone knew how cool a director he was. Hmph. I got that snarky little "I liked him years ago" vibe and went back to watch Evil Dead 2 again...

Ah yes, that's why we're here. Because Sam Raimi is making his first return to full-bore horror since 1987. (Yes, fellow genre minions, I said 1987. Army of Darkness is not a horror film. Admit it already!) A work-in-progress cut of Mr.

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Scott Weinberg

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Before the Oscars, They Belonged to Us, Part 3

26 February 2009 2:51 AM, PST | From DreadCentral.com | See recent Dread Central news

Disclaimer: This article may contain sarcasm; irony and “LOLs” proceed with caution.

The Final Chapter (read Part 2 here)! We have Howard the Duck, Freejack and Shyamalan flicks on the list; these are never good signs. Nonetheless we are bringing it all to you in full-color and in 3-D. (Ed. Note: Due to the economy, 3-D has been dropped and will be replaced by Smell-o-vision — check for your scratch and sniff cards in about 4-6 weeks.) Best Sound went to rage-zombie veterans Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke, leaving Mark Weingarten who worked on Rejuvenatrix in the dust. The Sound Editing section contains one too many references to Ron Silver, and at least two references to a Roger Corman film.

The visual effects category pulled on our heartstrings this year due to the loss of Stan Winston, who was noted en memoriam along with other heroes, Vampira, Leonard Rosenman and Charles H. Schneer

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Heather Buckley

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Before the Oscars, They Belonged to Us, Part 2

25 February 2009 2:52 AM, PST | From DreadCentral.com | See recent Dread Central news

Disclaimer: This article may contain sarcasm; irony and “LOLs” proceed with caution.

Our second stab at the Oscars contains make-up effects and score (read part 1 here). The make-up effects, followed by the visual effects and technical awards, remain my favorite parts of the show; here you got to see your heroes: Rick Baker, Howard Berger, Chris Walas or Rob Bottin in the audience. Even the great Stan Winston could have been out there, back in the day. Though best known for his “visual effects” wins—he brought home an Oscar for best make-up in 1991 for Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Here genre fans can rejoice, Greg Cannom brought home the gold, again, for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Cannom, a genre elder, worked alongside (just to name a few) Fincher, Coppola, Landis, Dante, Blatty, and Cohen creating all sorts of character and creature make-ups.

This part of the list also

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Heather Buckley

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We Can't Wait #17 Drag Me To Hell

10 February 2009 1:06 PM, PST | From FilmExperience | See recent FilmExperience news

Directed by Sam Raimi

Starring Alison Lohman, Justin Long

Synopsis Lohman gets cursed by the scary old lady she's gone and pissed off. Horror apparently ensues!

Brought to you by the director of For The Love of the Game and the writer of The Nutt House

Expected Release Date May 29th

Ja: I feel as if I could just type the sentence "Sam Raimi has made a new horror movie" and leave it at that, but I've discovered there are people in the world that that sentence means nothing to... a fact that I find way scarier than any ghouls or goblins or scary pissed-off old ladies with cataracts and grudges. Because the sentence "Sam Raimi has made a new horror movie" turns my insides into a warm, happy goo, and it ought to goo-ify every last one of you too!

Oh sure, it's not Evil Dead 4 -- and hell

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NATHANIEL R

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"Coughing's good. It gets you higher."

27 January 2009 3:06 PM, PST | From FilmExperience | See recent FilmExperience news

.

Hi, everybody! It's Ja from Mnpp here again, all set to rampage across your computer screens once more. Yay! This time I'm doing exactly what I did last time... only different! Last time it was Geena Davis' birthday that made me all nostalgic for an Awol actress. This time, same spiel, different actress - today is the 45th birthday of Bridget Fonda, and I miss her something terrible too.

The last time Fonda worked was seven full years ago for a couple of television projects, but the real shining gems in her resume, as far as I'm concerned, go back a few years further to Sam Raimi's A Simple Plan in 1998 and Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown in 1997 (side-note: These remain both of these director's finest films. Discuss.)

Honestly, smacking those two performances beside each other right now is a little mentally overwhelming, so large does my love for both of them loom.

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JA

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2009 | 2008 | 1999 | 1998

1-20 of 21 articles from 2009   « Prev | Next »

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