Damon Houx
Stuntman turned director David R. Ellis has passed away at the age of 60. He was prepping his next movie when he died suddenly of unknown causes. Though Ellis would never be considered an auteur, his no-nonsense approach and eye for good schlock made him one of the best B-movie directors in the business.
Though she's still one of the biggest movies stars out there, for an actress like Julia Roberts, turning to television is one of the best ways to get leading roles. So it's no surprise she's leading Ryan Murphy's 'Normal Heart' adaptation for HBO. And she'll be joined by Avenger Mark Ruffalo and Matt Bomer.
It's hard to be a film fan and not love Sam Raimi's 1981 horror movie 'The Evil Dead.' Not only did it kick off the career of one of the great geeks heroes of cinema, it's one of those scrappy no-budget classics that gets over because of the sheer willpower of the director and the ethos that any character can die at any time. It seems like an untouchable classic. But watching the red band trailer for Fede Alvarez's remake 'Evil Dead?' We're sold on this remake.
Though the 2013 Oscar nominations won't be announced until next week, today the Producers Guild of America announced their nominees for best picture, best animated film, and best long form television show, and though all the Oscar favorites were included, there were some surprise nominations, like that of the James Bond film 'Skyfall.'
Though 'Brave' was a welcome respite, Pixar has gone sequel crazy, as their previous two films were sequels and this summer we're getting a prequel in 'Monsters University.' But the studio is also working on three non-sequels for the future, and have released images from each of them.
With college football bowl games happening now, Pixar has made an ad for their college-themed film 'Monsters University' and unleashed it during the games. It's the sort of clever ad that gives hope that the prequel to 'Monsters, Inc.' has a couple tricks up its sleeve.
With the new year right around the corner, it's time to get excited about the films of 2013, and though the February release date suggests lowering expectations, we're at least interested in seeing 'A Good Day to Die Hard,' perhaps because there's no way it will be as generic as the last one. Now there's a TV spot and it looks like the movie could be fun.
Charles Durning, one of the great character actors of the modern era, has passed away at the age of 89 from natural causes. If the name doesn't ring a bell, his work should as he's been a reliable supporting player in cinema and television for decades.
It's been a while since Neill Blomkamp hit the big time with 2009's 'District 9,' the Best Picture-nominated low-budget found-footage sci-fi film that proved a huge hit when released. We've been waiting to see how Blomkamp worked within the Hollywood system, and we'll find out when 'Elysium' hits screens in 2013. But until then, here's a look at Sharlto Copley's character in the film.
Jack Klugman, best known to audiences as grumpy sports writer Oscar Madison on 'The Odd Couple' and as Dr. R. Quincy M.E. has died at the age of 90.