Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas came out almost 23 years ago, and even though director Henry Selick has since definitively announced whether it's a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie, it's still experienced a remarkable shelf life and gained cult classic status. The movie is also, according to Screen Junkies' latest Honest Trailer, almost singlehandedly responsible for keeping Hot Topic in business, but that's just one of their humorous observations you can see in the new video. Let us know what you think below.

We have a couple new images from Lucasfilm's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The feature Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), K-2SO (Alan Tudyk), Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn), and a squad of Death Troopers. 

The photos come from USA Today, and in an interview, director Gareth Edwards talks about the villain Krennic, saying he “hits a brick wall in the hierarchy where they won’t let him in the club and it’s going to turn into a them-or-us situation: either Krennic or Tarkin and the others.”

Krennic and Darth Vader will spend some time on screen together, and when directing one of the first scenes with the two characters, Gareth talked about the fanboy freak-out experience that Mendelsohn had. Mendelsohn called the director over in the middle of the take, and this is the story: 

“He went, ‘It’s Darth Vader. We filmed with Darth Vader,’ and I was like,‘I know. It’s amazing, isn’t it?’ It was like no one wanted to admit that they’re having a little fanboy freak-out but everyone did. It’s impossible not to. He’s so iconic.”

Edwards also talked about the Mendelsohn's accent in the film. The actor asked Edwards if he should adopt “a very posh English accent.” But the director said no, and explained that Krennic, would "not be a part of that boys club."

It feels like if the Empire ever have a job vacancy, they go to the Royal Shakespeare Company to headhunt people. I like the idea that Ben’s character was much more working-class” and rose in the ranks “through sheer force of personality and ideas.”

Rogue One can't get here soon enough! That last trailer kicked so much ass! The movie launches into theaters on December 16th, 2016.  

Makeup artist Lucia Pittalis is a magician when it comes to transforming herself into other people. We've posted a collection of her work before, but she's added a few new looks to her collection, including James Bond, Han Solo, and more from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. As you'll see, her transformation is pretty incredible. 

Via: Fashionably Geek

Platinum Dunes has been trying to get a new Friday the 13th reboot off the ground for years. The last we heard was that the film was delayed again, and before that there was news that The Crazies director Breck Eisner was looking to direct it, which is the case. 

We've heard a lot of interesting details about this reboot. Some say that the movie will not tell and origin story and others say it will introduce Jason's dad. We now have some additional details thanks to producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, who recently did an interview with Collider. 

Talking about why the development of the film was taking so long, they explained that there were a lot of obstacles to get through. One of the main ones had to do with some rights issues between Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. They went on to say that one of the big issues was that the studio wanted to make a shitty found footage movie:

"Then there was an execution issue. At one point, the studio wanted us to make a found-footage version of that movie and that was deeply concerning to us because we didn’t think we could execute the movie in the right way if it was a found-footage movie.

“No, Jason is a POV movie. So, it was very hard to wrap our head around how you would do a Friday the 13th that was found footage, knowing that we really need the Jason perspective of watching. We didn’t want to break the DNA of that. We also battled: do we do a sequel to the original? Do we pick up where we left off with Jared and Amanda at the end of the movie? Somehow, that didn’t find a home. So, it’s been eight years. It will be eight years since we made the last one. I’m here to say that we found the location. We have found the lake, we have found the camp. We found an amazing script by Aaron Guzikowski. Breck Eisner is directing the movie. That movie is shooting in early Spring.”

I couldn't be happier that they are ditching that found footage idea. That would have just been such an annoying film. The site did learn a few new details regarding the film, including the fact that it will be a period piece. If Jason's father is involved, I assume that it will take place sometime in the '70s or '80s but that's just speculation. They also say the movie will unsurprisingly have a hard R rating. I don't see how you could make a Friday the 13th film and not have it be hard R. The film will shoot in Georgia, and don't expect it to be released in 3D or IMAX. 

Fuller and Form seem to have a handle on what they want this Friday the 13th reboot to be. One thing that they don't want to do is disappoint the fans. They went on to say:

“There’s been a lot of mileage between the 1st one and the 13th one. What we don’t want to do is alienate the audience who hasn’t seen the preceding 12 Friday the 13th movies. Aaron Guzikowski’s job, as challenging as it is, is to come up with a movie where if you haven’t seen any go the other ones, you can still come and see this one and love it and not feel like you’ve missed out on anything. And if you have seen the other ones, we want this to feel fresh. That’s what took the longest amount of time: coming up with a story and then executing a script that fulfills both those mandates.”

Hopefully, they can pull it off. I'd love to see a new Friday the 13th movie that kicks ass, unlike the last time they tried to reboot it in 2009. Like I said, there's been some intriguing stuff revealed about the film in the past and you can read up on all of that stuff here.

I’m a big fan of horror comedy. It’s a combination that isn’t easy to get right, but when it is done well it can be hilarious. A couple of my favorite horror comedies in recent years include The Cabin in the Woods, Tucker Dale Vs. Evil, and Hell Baby. Horror comedies have been around forever, though, and I had to include one of them in the 1950s horror movie column that I’ve been writing this month for Halloween. 

The next film on my list is the 1959 film The Headless Ghost. The story follows three college students, two Americans and a girl from Denmark, who take a day trip from London to visit an old English castle called Ambrose Castle. The three students hide in the castle after it is closed to see if the legends of the ghosts they heard about were real. There they find the headless ghost. 

After sundown, in the great hall, the portraits are more than oil on canvas: one hopes the students can put an end to a 600-year-old curse. In the castle's deepest recesses, obstacles abound: a cat and a rat, a rattler, an ax-swinging suit of armor, and revelers entertained by a slave's dance. Can the three overcome conflicts to help a ghost get ahead?

The film production was put together really quickly and was made to be part of a double feature with the film Horrors of the Black Museum. Producer Herman Cohen threw the production together fast, and they even shot it in the same castle as Horrors of the Black Museum at the same time. Cohen said:

“We knocked out that picture very, very fast; that's why the running time is so short, like sixty-five minutes. The director, Peter Graham Scott, was a film editor in London who always wanted to direct, and I needed somebody to do a fast job under my guidance.”

Just so you know, this is one of those films that is so bad it’s good. It's not as good as the horror comedies that we are seeing these days, but it’s such a damn silly movie. It's not the best or most popular horror film to come out of the '50s, but I did find charming and enjoyable. You can watch the fun trailer below along with the full film if you want.

To check out the other 1950s horror movies that I've recommended this Halloween, click on the following links: The Screaming Skull, The Tingler, and The Ghost of Yotsua.

Last weekend, Deadpool director Tim Miller dropped out of the sequel because he and actor Ryan Reynolds didn’t see eye to eye on the direction of the film. Thanks to The Wrap we now have some rumored information on what went down and what they disagreed on that caused Miller to leave.

The sequel to Deadpool was in active development when the very first film went into production. It wasn’t until after the sequel was officially announced that things started to fall apart with the Deadpool creative team, which consisted of Reynolds, Miller, and writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.

When things first started rolling on the sequel, Reynolds, Resse and Wernick were gunning for a “scrappy, raunchy and inexpensive movie,” which was exactly what the first film was, and it worked! Deadpool was produced on a $58 million budget and it ended up pulling in $780 million at the box office. 

According to an inside source, Miller wanted “a more stylish take, one that would compete with mega-budget superhero movies.” They say the budget for his vision would have skyrocketed to over $150 million. That’s just crazy! Deadpool doesn't need to be one of those mega-budget superhero films. The first film was so good and different from everything else because of its financial limitations. It made the creative team think outside of the box. Going back into the box just doesn’t seem to make sense. 

According to the report, there “were two totally different movies on the table, and one of them just wasn’t Deadpool.” That’s sad to hear. Maybe Miller wasn’t the guy who was supposed to take Deadpool to the next level. In the end Reynolds, Reese and Wernick’s vision for the movie won, which is obviously the right choice.

So that’s apparently how it all went down. There was a lot of behind-the-scenes drama, and we’re probably only getting a little taste of it. If this is all true, the Deadpool sequel ended up in the right hands. Now hopefully they can hire a talented director to realize their vision. 

It looks like things could have gone a lot worse in terms of who was killed off in The Walking Dead season seven premiere. A video has leaked showing off an alternate death that would have been pretty devastating. Don't read any further if you haven't watched the season seven premiere! 

it was sad enough to watch Abraham and Glenn die. Even though I kind of knew it was coming, I loved both of those characters, and it was sad to see them go in such a nightmarish way. Well, in an alternate version of the show, Abraham actually lives and Maggie and her unborn child are the ones who die. Her death is just as brutal, and I'm glad they didn't end up going down. That would have been insanely heartbreaking. 

The blurry footage below shows Maggie taking two wicked blows to the head from Negan's barb wire-wrapped bat. Glenn cries out to his pregnant wife but is knocked out. After the first blow we hear Negan say, “Ooh, look at that. Taking it like a champ.”

As you saw in the season premiere, there were multiple death scenes shot, and clips of them were used in the premiere as Rick envisioned the rest of their deaths. If you want to see exactly how Maggie's death would have gone down, check out the video below. 

You've got to watch this ultra entertaining Halloween short film called "Spooky Club"! This has the makings of a Halloween classic and is seriously one of my favorite short films of the year. The story follows a group of friends that make up the "Spooky Club" as they set out on a heist to retrieve Vincent Price's stolen skull so that they can cremate it just like he wanted. 

I absolutely love the characters in the short, the fun goofy vibe, and the wittiness of the concept and writing. These characters should seriously get their own series, or even a feature film. It's just such an awesomely executed film project that is exactly what we need to ring in Halloween. 

I applaud the directing team Joe and Lloyd Stas for what they've created. They released it in memory of horror icon Vincent Price, who died 23 ago this month. To help support Price's legacy make sure to visit these websites: vincentprice.com / vincentpricelegacy.com. In the meantime, please enjoy this wonderful short, "Spooky Club"!

Disney is teaming up with actor Ice Cube and Tony Award-winning director Thomas Kail (Hamilton), for a new, modern take on the Charles Dickens’ classic Oliver Twist. 

According to THR, this version of Oliver Twist will be "a modern musical with sources describing it as crossing many genres, including hip-hop." With Cube and Kail involved, that's pretty much what I expected. Cube is writing the script with Jeff Kwatinetz, and, of course, Cube is set to play the character Fagin.

The story follows the life of a young orphan boy who moves from a life as an exploited child laborer to being taken under the wing of Fagin, who leads a gang of young pickpockets in London.

Oliver Twist has been adapted several times over the years, and Disney even had their own animated version called Oliver and Company. This new adaptation seems like it could be a great project for Cube and Kail to work on together. I'm curious to see what thee come up with in terms of style and music. 

Director Rian Johnson will be introducing a new stormtrooper to the Star Wars universe in Star Wars: Episode VIII. That stormtrooper is being referred to as "The Executioner," and thanks to Making Star Wars we have some details for you!

I'm sure you all remember the Stormtrooper FN-2199 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He ended up being a fan favorite, and apparently, The Executioner will end up being a big hit with fans as well. The report offers the following description of the new Stormtrooper:

"He has a matte black line that goes over half his mask on one side that sets him apart. The Executioner’s weapon is not unlike FN-2199’s at the handle but it has three spinning blades on the end that are said to be like something out of Phantasm (think of the crazy blades that come out of the spheres in those films). We think he has a shield but we haven’t been able to confirm if he actually uses it in the film or not."

They go on to say that they've heard Finn will end up in a fight with The Executioner, only this time, Han Solo won't be around to save him. Below you'll find a sketch that the site had drawn up showing what The Executioner might look like. 

Most of the talk regarding Star Wars: Episode VIII revolves around Rey and Luke's relationship, and as interesting as that is, I'm curious to see where Finn and Poe Dameron go! 

 There's no confirmation of any of the information here, so as of right now this is just a rumor. 

You may have heard the news circulating the web about Bethesda making the decision to hold review copies from games media until the day prior to launch. For those not in the know, here's Bethesda's full statement...read more on Gametyrant

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I'm pumped up about the new Predator movie that Shane Black is currently developing with his Monster Squad co-writer Fred Dekker. I believe that fans are going to get the badass Predator film we've all been waiting for. 

Every film that has been released in the Predator franchise has had some cool things, but none of them have really measured up to the bar that was set with the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger original. Black might just be what this franchise needed. After all, he did work on the very first film.

In a recent interview with Collider, Black talked about his plans for the film and about the tone, characters, and the R-rating that they are going for. He started off by talking about the tone he is looking to capture, saying:

“I think the Predator movies have slightly veered from typical sci-fi in that there is a sort of thriller aspect to them. I think it should be scary, I think it should be funny, and I think ultimately it should be wondrous and about perceiving things that human beings very seldom get a chance to see… I don’t mean movie audiences, I mean characters in the movie. I’m not saying the movie will be nothing anyone’s seen before (laughs).”

A wondrous Predator movie, huh? I like the sound of that! The first film had that wondrous feeling, but it's exactly what every other film with these alien hunters has lacked since. He went on to talk about the characters in the film:

“I think it’ll be interesting to get a group of credible guys—the hallmark of the first one is you have guys together that are kinda funny and self-referential and also very tough. I don’t know that we’re going to deviate over much from that, but there are at least a couple of factors that we’ve deliberately chosen to make it not just that group of buff, tough guys.”

I assumed that would be the case because you don't want to replicate what's already been done. Black also spoke about making sure to give fans the R-rating the film should have.

“Fox has been very cooperative. I mean part of it is the success they had with Deadpool, but I also made a case—and I think they agreed—that fans of the Predator generally, probably aren’t looking to go to see a PG-13-rated version of it. It would be more of a letdown if it was sort of tailored to a family friendly audience than if it were allowed to play out to the same scale and level that the first R-rated one did.”

It seems to me like The Predator is headed in the right direction. Black is headed up to Vancouver in about a week or two to seriously dive into pre-production and they are looking to start shooting the film in mid-February. The film is set to be released on February 9, 2018.

If you believe some anonymous poster on a forum, Rockstar is planning multiple expansions for Grand Theft Auto Online through 2020. According to SoftSecrets...read more on Gametyrant

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Update: An earlier version of this article incorrectly asserted that McAvoy's character has schizophrenia. That was a mistake: it appears he actually has Dissociative Identity Disorder (aka Multiple Personality Disorder). The headline and body of the article have been altered to reflect that.

Is M. Night Shyamalan in the middle of a comeback? His movie The Visit was pretty well-liked when it came out last year, and now Universal has released the latest trailer for Split, a suspense thriller in which James McAvoy plays a kidnapper with 23 personalities vying for dominance in his body and Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) as one of the young girls he's taken hostage. Before The Visit, Shyamalan was on a legendarily bad streak of films, but this one actually looks pretty good. And the idea that one of McAvoy's character's personalities could be a terrifying beast (that he might actually have to physically alter his body chemistry to let out) is very intriguing.

Split hits theaters on January 20, 2017.

Though Kevin (James McAvoy) has evidenced 23 personalities—each with unique physical attributes—to his trusted psychiatrist, Dr. Fletcher (Betty Buckley), there remains one still submerged who is set to materialize and dominate all the others.  Compelled to abduct three teenage girls led by the willful, observant Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy, The Witch), Kevin reaches a war for survival among all of those contained within him—as well as everyone around him—as the walls between his compartments shatter apart.

My dad had an Atari when I was growing up, but I'm not old enough to have any personal experiences playing video games on that system. But when I saw that 8-Bit Cinema had dedicated their newest episode to John Carpenter's 1978 classic Halloween, I checked to see if the movie had ever actually been adapted into a game before. Much to my surprise, it has: way back on the Atari 2600. Check out some footage from that game, and then watch the much more entertaining 8-Bit Cinema episode (in which you basically play Punch Out as Michael Myers/The Shape) below.

I had no idea Frank & Lola existed until this morning, but after watching this trailer, I'm hooked. Michael Shannon has been one of the most compelling actors working in the industry for years now, and Imogen Poots is an up-and-coming talent who most recently left a nice impression in Green Room, so the idea of the two of them starring together in a psychosexual thriller is pretty exciting. Writer/director Matthew Ross has crafted a charged atmosphere here, and the trailer is cut in such a way that makes it appear as if anything could happen at any second. Count me in.

Frank & Lola debuted earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, and it arrives in theaters on December 9, 2016.

Set in Las Vegas and Paris, two of the world’s most glamorous cities, FRANK & LOLA is a psychosexual noir romance about love and sex, obsession and betrayal, revenge and redemption. Matthew Ross’s debut feature stars Michael Shannon as Frank, an up-and-coming chef, and Imogen Poots as Lola, an aspiring fashion designer, who find one another at a point when each is at a defining moment in life. Their affair is sudden, passionate, and seemingly everything Frank has always wanted. But, his happiness proves short-lived when a man from Lola’s past, a past that is full of secrets, turns up on the scene, forcing Frank to question whether he can trust Lola—or himself.

A grizzled and scarred Wolverine is on display in our latest look at Logan! The picture comes from director James Mangold's Twitter, where he also confirmed the young girl in the trailer was, in fact, X-23. Below is the full picture with star Hugh Jackman looking pretty ripped for a 48-year-old dude.

I know it has nothing to do with anything, but I saw this picture and instantly thought of American History X...I think it's mostly the shirtless guy in black and white, now that I look at both. 

Logan hits theaters on March 3, 2017. 

Tokyo Comic-Con, located in the center of one of the most well-established geek cultures of the world, is prohibiting men from dressing like women at the conventions, according to Anime News Network. The convention also notes that they will be banning real military costumes, excessive skin exposure, and transparent costumes.

Hilariously enough, the reason for this is almost more sexist than the action itself. From the source:

Event staff are wary of attracting a large number of stereotypically unattractive men dressed as women.

So basically they don't want a bunch of ugly dudes dressed as women, which is surprisingly a common problem at Japanese conventions? My opinion is if a guy wants to romp around in whatever skin-tight anime character clothing he wants and feel comfortable with it, he should be free to! Conventions are about fun — someone needs to express that to the Japanese!

On a hilarious and related note:

Shia LaBeouf may be many other things, but he's still a good actor. That's evident here in this first trailer for his latest film, Man Down. Here's the description (via Slashfilm):

When U.S. Marine Gabriel Drummer (Shia LaBeouf) returns home from his tour in Afghanistan, he finds that the place he once called home is no better than the battlefields he fought on overseas. Accompanied by his best friend Devin Roberts (Jai Courtney), a hardnosed marine whose natural instinct is to shoot first and ask questions later, he searches desperately for the whereabouts of his estranged son, Jonathan (Charlie Shotwell) and wife, Natalie (Kate Mara). In their search, the two intercept Charles (Clifton Collins), a man carrying vital information about the whereabouts of Gabriel’s family. As we revisit the past, we are guided in unraveling the puzzle of Gabriel’s experience and what will eventually lead us to finding his family.

PTSD isn't something that gets talked about enough and it is a real problem for our veterans of the military. Here's hoping LaBeouf does enough justice to it to reopen the discussion of getting help for those in need without having to worry about repercussions. The film opens December 2, 2016. 

Nintendo will be launching with 2 million units of the Nintendo Switch worldwide and will sell the console at a profit. The news comes from Wall Street Journal technology reporter Takashi Mochizuki, who was at Nintendo's latest financial briefing...read more on Gametyrant

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