Earlier this week, Funko announced the Big Trouble in Little China line of Pop! toys, and that inspired my next Fun Facts list. I watched this movie all of the time when I was a kid. I swear it was on a constant loop in my house for a little while there. The John Carpenter-directed movie stars Kurt Russell, and it was just such an incredibly fun movie, with great characters. I think it's about that time to show it to my own kids. Here are 11 Fun Facts about the movie that you may or may not know. It was hard to find decent clips from this film on YouTube to show you certain things, but I posted the original trailer, a supercut of Russell's best lines in the movie, and the most ridiculous death scene ever.

• The story was originally written as a western but Carpenter thought it would be better to set it during modern times. The script even included a scene where Jack Burton's horse was stolen instead of his truck. As a fan of westerns, it would have been great to see this story told in the old west!
• The Chinese writing that we see in the main title translates to "Evil Spirits Make a Big Scene in Little Spiritual State".
• This was the last studio film Carpenter directed at the end of the 1980s because of the bad experience he had with studio head Lawrence Gordon. Apparently Gordon interfered with everything about the film up until its release date. Carpenter's Prince of Darkness (1987) and They Live (1988) were made independently through Alive Films without any studio interference and distributed by Universal Pictures.
• There's a scene in which Russell is attempting to infiltrate a brothel. In it he is wearing the same outfit that he wore in the 1980 film Used Cars.
• The test screening for the movie was so overwhelmingly positive that Russell and Carpenter thought the movie was going to be a huge hit. Unfortunately 20th Century Fox hardly put any effort into marketing and promoting the movie, so it was a box office bomb. Apparently the studio didn't know how to market this kind of film.
• Russell suffered a bad case of the flu during shooting, so due to the fever a lot of the crazy sweat we saw on his body was real.
• Russell was Carpenter's only choice to play the lead, but the studio wanted Jack Nicholson or Clint Eastwood instead. Both actors were unavailable by the time shooting started so Carpenter got to keep Russell. Which is great, because Russell was awesome!
• Before the end credits roll, Russell's character is driving his truck and talking on the CB Radio, and he says, "You just listen to the old Pork-Chop Express here now and take his advice on a dark and stormy night when the lightning's crashing and the thunder's rollin' and the rain's coming down..." This statement pays tribute to the names of the 3 Storms, who were Lo Pan's bodyguards.
• During the wedding scene where the villain Lo Pan is sticking the Needle of Love in Miao Yin, actor James Hong actually jabbed Suzee Pai too hard. You can see her flinch from the pain.
• Carpenter wanted Jackie Chan in the role of Wang Chi, but he wasn't cast because his English wasn't good enough. Dennis Dun ended up in the role. Chan does make a cameo though, during the fight scene between the Chang Sings and Wing Kong Tong.
• As the villainous Lightning character is crushed to death, some of the lightning he emits forms a small Chinese symbol as it disappears. The symbol translates as "carpenter".

Info collected from Imdb.

We already know that James Gunn has a plan for Guardians of the Galaxy 2, and that he's writing the script. But we don't really know what exactly it will be. Don't expect to find anything in the comics though, because the director confirmed that the story is new, original, and not based on anything. It will also introduce new characters who will be important not only to the Guardians of the Galaxy, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole. Gunn also explains that when he shared his idea for the sequel with Marvel they said, “Whoa, that’s risky.”

Hopefully they follow through with the risk, because I like it when Marvel makes risky choices! It usually pays off for them. Gunn was recently on Alison Rosen Is Your New Best Friend (via FilmDrunk) and this is what he had to say about Guardians of the Galaxy 2:

It’s not really based on anything. The story for Guardians 2 is an original story that I came up with that I started working on actually while I was shooting Guardians 1, and it’ll answer some of the questions that were put forth in the first movie about Peter Quill’s father and who he is and what’s going on with that. We’ll get to know some of the characters a little bit more and then we’re going to meet a couple of new characters who will be very important to Guardians movies and probably important to the Marvel Universe as a whole.

It’s different than what’s in the comic books. Peter Quill’s father is somebody different in the comics. So then when the movie came out, we got green-lit on the sequel right away. I went in and I sat down with those guys and I’m like, ‘Okay, here’s what I think the sequel should be.’ And they were like, ‘Oh, whoa. That’s risky, but okay.’ Now I’m going to turn over the story in a few short weeks and we’ll find out how well it works.

There's really no way to tell what Gunn has planned for the sequel, but seeing what he did with the first film, I can only image that it's going to be even more amazing. Hell, if you think about it, everything about the first movie was risky, but it sure did pay off! I'm excited to see what risks he will take with the sequel.

Photos by Jillgreen Berg

I can't think of the number of times that I've seen complaints expressed as "ruined my childhood." Often these complaints are lobbed at remakes and reboots that tread on hallowed nostalgic ground.

Childhood was a time when we were still too young to drive, picked what was cool only on face value, and, for many of us, it was a long time ago. So when recent news about an all-female Ghostbusters team broke, a lot of geeks felt as if their "childhood" was under attack. Using the word "ruined," a past tense word to describe a movie that has not even been made, is jumping the gun on a few levels.

Events can ruin your childhood, like a Halloween costume so terrible you received teasing so harsh that you never trick-or-treated again. But a reboot of Ghostbusters can't change past events or become a past event in your childhood, so what is truly under attack?

What's really being threatened is nostalgia, the loving memory of things from our childhood. So, perhaps the phrase we should be using is "ruining my nostalgia."

In my personal experience, revisiting movies or TV shows I loved as a kid can occasionally become ruined experiences. My wife loved FernGully growing up, and re-watching it a couple years ago exposed a poorly animated movie: nostalgia ruined. But there are movies that are better than you remember. For me, one example is The Rocketeer: nostalgia amplified. So a major way to ruin a nostalgic childhood memory is to revisit something that was never great to begin with or has aged poorly. 

But what about remakes and reboots? Producer/director Michael Bay's name alone brings out the "ruined my childhood" battle cry. But has he really ruined our enjoyment of the classic animated TV shows or toys a few of his films have been based on? I think not - those things are still awesome. At worst, he's just made really terrible movies that pale in comparison to our memories of those characters.

One of my favorite films, The Ten Commandments, got an update/re-adaptation by Ridley Scott called Exodus. Sadly, the new film sucked on so many levels, but it in no way taints my nostalgia for the 1956 film.

One way these poorly made reboots/remakes can ruin a childhood is with the current generation of kids. A decade from now when these films are revisited by these kids as adults, they will see how much they suck or don't hold up. Also, for good or bad, everything that has been rebooted/remade will likely be rebooted/remade again in the next 15 years. 

Ruining your actual childhood would require new knowledge about your real life. For example, the man you call Grandpa is actually the man who killed your real grandfather and held your grandmother captive until she had Stockholm syndrome: childhood ruined!

So let's stop saying someone or something "ruined my childhood," unless it's the revelation of a dark family secret.

Robert Zemeckis, who is in post-production on his true-story adaptation The Walk right now, is teaming up with Brad Pitt for a mysterious new film for Paramount Pictures. Steven Knight, the writer/director behind Locke, Peaky Blinders, and Redemption (he also wrote Eastern Promises and - this is baffling to me - has a screenwriting credit on the Jeff Bridges-starrer Seventh Son) wrote the script based on his original idea, and Graham King of GK Films will produce alongside Zemeckis and Steve Starkey (Flight, Real Steel).

Not much is known about the movie at this point. The press release I got calls it "epic" and a "sweeping romantic thriller," and The Wrap says that a source close to the film tells them it will take place during World War II. If true, that'll be three major WWII-set projects for Pitt over the past few years, following Inglourious Basterds and Fury.

Separately, this creative team has done some amazing work. But I'm not convinced that Zemeckis is capable of directing a great live-action film again following all of those years spent tinkering around with motion capture and digital technology - Flight wasn't very good, and he seems to have lost his mojo. Will working with a screenplay by the talented Steven Knight (who is also working on the World War Z sequel) and having Brad Pitt lead the film be enough to get him back on track? Time will tell.

Josh Trank's Fantastic Four film comes out this year, and so far, fans have been split about the first teaser for the film. I think it looks very cool so far, and I'm definitely curious to see what Trank's full vision for the movie will be. But in the meantime, The Screen Watchers Guild have put together a fan-made recut of Trank's new trailer using footage from the 2005 Fantastic Four film directed by Tim Story. It's a great reminder of how bad that version of the movie was, and it's especially comical seeing the more colorful, poppy footage over the dark, ominous audio from the new teaser. Check it out below.

How to Train Your Dragon has been such a great franchise, and How to Train Your Dragon 2 was an incredible film. DreamWorks Animation has been developing a third one, and in a recent interview with Collider, writer and director Dean DeBlois discusses How to Train Your Dragon 3. He opens up a bit about the plot, some character details, the ending, and offered an update on the script. First of all he talks about the status of the film, saying:

"There were a few months of pitching outlines and making sure that everybody was content with where it was headed, and now I’m deep into the script. I’m about halfway through. I was literally working on it this afternoon before coming here. I have to hand it off pretty soon."

When it comes to what he has included in that script, it's been revealed that this third movie is planned as the final step in Hiccup’s coming of age story, and that the film franchise will end where author Cressida Cowell’s book series began. Here's what he had to say about that, and he also goes into some story details.

SPOILERS ahead for anyone that hasn't read the books:

"[Dragon 3 is] the culmination of Hiccup’s coming of age. Both he and Toothless are now chiefs of their respective tribes, and it’s a dueling story where you have both characters trying to do what’s right for their kind, and an eventual outcome where Hiccup is able to stand on his own. We’re gonna take the story to where the books begin, which is Hiccup as an adult reflecting back on a time where there were dragons, suggesting that the dragons will in some way go away. Why and could they come back and the mystery of what all that is will be saved for the actual story."

I'm really curious to see what leads to the dragons being gone. He also talks about the villain of the second film, Drago, saying that the character's story arc will continue in the third film.

“You have to wait until the third film to actually see where Drago’s character goes. He’s a lot more complex than he’s presented in this second installment.”

 How to Train Your Dragon 3 is currently set to be released on release June 29th, 2018. I wish we didn't have to wait that long, but it gives the creative team time to craft another amazing film.

This is our first look at the historical comedy film Elvis & Nixon, which features Kevin Spacey as Nixon and Michael Shannon as Elvis. This is truly an intriguing true story, and it’s sure to make for a great movie.

Elvis & Nixon follows two men at the height of their powers, conscious they could not stay on top forever, both ripped with fear of the inevitable, sharing one famous private moment in the Oval office. The film recounts the morning of December 21st 1970, when the King of Rock’ n Roll (Shannon) showed up on the White House lawn to request a meeting with the most powerful man in the world, President Richard Nixon (Spacey). He had a very urgent request: to be sworn in as an undercover Federal Agent at large. This intimate moment in the Oval office between two men at the height of their powers has never been told.

The movie also stars Evan Peters, Alex Pettyfer, Colin Hanks, Johnny Knoxville, Tracy Letts, and singer Sky Ferreira. Liza Johnson directed the movie from a screenplay written by Joey Sagal, Hanala Sagal, and actor Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride).

It looks like Samuel L. Jackson will be working with director Tim Burton in his upcoming film Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. The actor is currently in talks with Fox to join the project, and if officially cast he will star alongside Eva Green and Asa Butterfield. Burton has managed to bring together a very talented cast for this project, who will all give great performances.

The script for the film was written by Jane Goldman, and it is an adaptation of the Ransom Rigg novel that follows a teenager who finds himself on an island where he must help protect a group of orphans with special powers from creatures out to destroy them.

Butterfield plays 16-year-old Jacob Portman, "who seeks the truth about his grandfather's past after he's murdered by a 'hollow,' a vicious creature that Jacob had thought to be imaginary. He quickly meets a young girl named Emma who can control fire, and via a time loop, she introduces him to Miss Peregrine and a group of peculiar children with special abilities, including super strength and invisibility."

Green is playing Miss Peregrine, who serves as the guardian of the group, but it's Jacob that holds the key to their survival. Jackson will play a key character in the story named Barron. He's a new character and there's not word on whether he's good or bad. 

Chernin Entertainment is producing the fantasy-action film, and it's set to be released on March 4th, 2016. Jackson is currently shooting Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight. It will be cool to see him and Burton work together on a project. 

Source: Deadline

Artist Martin Ansin created this cool eye-catching piece of poster art for Mondo which pays tribute to Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe’s epic film Gladiator. 2015 marks the 15th anniversary of the movie, and the poster beautifully recreates this scene from the film. There are two versions of the print: the regular is above, and the variant features a metallic layer. 

Gladiator by Martin Ansin. 12"x36" screen print. Hand numbered. Edition of 300. Printed by D&L Screenprinting. $45

Gladiator (Variant) by Martin Ansin. 12"x36" screen print. Hand numbered. Edition of 150. Printed by D&L Screenprinting. $65

A new trailer has been released for the Olivia Wilde supernatural horror thriller The Lazarus Effect. The story centers around a group of medical students who discover a way to bring the dead back to life with a serum called lazarus. As the trailer shows, Wilde’s character dies in the film, and is brought back to life. Of course she doesn’t come back the same, and she goes on a killing spree. It’s like they wanted to take the idea of the 1990s film Flatliners and take it to a new level. It just doesn’t look like it will be as good. The movie stars Mark Duplass, Donald Glover, and Evan Peters. Here's the synopsis:

THE LAZARUS EFFECT follows a group of researchers led by Frank (Mark Duplass) and his fiancée Zoe (Wilde,) who’ve achieved the unimaginable- bringing the dead back to life. After a successful, yet unsanctioned, trial on a newly deceased animal, the team is ready to unveil their breakthrough to the world. When the dean of their university learns of their underground experiments, their project is unexpectedly shut down and their materials confiscated. Frank, Zoe and their team (Donald Glover, Sarah Bolger and Evan Peters) take matters into their own hands, launching a rogue attempt to recreate their experiment, during which things go terribly wrong and one of their own, Zoe, is horrifically killed. Fueled by terror and grief, Frank pushes them to do the unthinkable: attempt to resurrect their first human test subject. Initially, the procedure appears a success, but the team soon realizes something is wrong with Zoe. As her strange new persona reveals itself, the team quickly becomes stuck in a gruesome reality. They are no longer faced with the question of whether they can bring someone back to life- but rather, the wrath of her return.

The Lazarus Effect opens on February 27th.

Sony Pictures has released a new poster for Neill Blomkamp's sci-fi film Chappie. This is the third film from the director who also directed District 9 and Elysium. I've always liked Blomkamp's filmmaking style, and his latest film project is intriguing.

The movie tells the story of a intelligent robot named Chappie, which is the first robot with the ability to think and feel for itself. According to the poster, he's also humanity's last hope. The film stars Sharlto Copley (Maleficent, District 9), Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire), South African rappers Ninja and ¥o-Landi Vi$$er, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Sigourney Weaver, and Hugh Jackman as the villain. 

In the near future, crime is patrolled by an oppressive mechanized police force. But now, the people are fighting back. When one police droid, Chappie, is stolen and given new programming, he becomes the first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself. As powerful, destructive forces start to see Chappie as a danger to mankind and order, they will stop at nothing to maintain the status quo and ensure that Chappie is the last of his kind.

The movie hits theaters on March 6th. You can check out the latest trailer here.

Source: Comingsoon

I’ve been a fan of Terry Gillian and the rest of the Monty Python comedy team since I was a kid. I was introduced to them by my parents with the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which I still thoroughly enjoy watching to this day. I later started watching their Flying Circus series, which is just brilliantly made comedy. It has been fun to follow the careers of the comedy troupe, and Gilliam has made a lot of amazing and adventurous films over the years.

Like all directors, Gilliam had to get his start somewhere, and in 1968 he made his directorial debut with a short film that he called Storyline. As you’ll see, it features a lot of the same great human and silly animation that has become a staple of the the Monty Python greatness. I hope you enjoy the film!

Thanks to The Film Stage

While we wait to see if Fox moves forward with their X-Files limited series, there’s another show that’s in development that I hope David Duchovny reprises his role in. David Lynch is bringing Twin Peaks back, and many members of the original cast are returning to jump back into this crazy world. Duchovny admits that he would also like to come back as DEA agent Denise Bryson.

In an interview with LA Times, he’s asked about about if it’s really true that X-Files and Twin Peaks were coming back, and this was his response:

"Seems like it. I would bet on it if I were you. I think Twin Peaks is happening for sure. I hope my character comes back, I think she does. And then X-Files — Fox made some kind of shadowy announcement last week. Certainly, something's happening. Something's brewing. It's like the Eagles' greatest hits tour … by me."

I loved both of these shows and the fact that they are coming back is pretty incredible. I never thought I’d see the day.

Artist James Hance is on a roll with his Wookie The Chew art series. We showed you one last week, and new we have this new piece called “Chewsticks.” It features the two Star Wars-inspired Pooh characters playing on a bridge over a river with a sunken X-Wing in the background. These illustrations always make me smile.

A new movie going into development includes the unlikely team-up of Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) and Nicolas Cage (Leaving Las Vegas, Joe). The movie is called The Trust, and it comes from Benjamin and Alex Brewer.

The crime drama follows “two crooked cops, David Waters (Wood) and Jim Stone (Cage), who discover a hidden safe while working in the evidence unit of the police department. The duo’s desire for the possessions of the safe throws them into a deadly well of corruption leaving them fighting for their lives and questioning their every move.”

For some reason I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the thought of Wood and Cage starring in a movie together. This could be completely awesome or an absolute disaster.

Wood recently wrapped production on Breck Eisner’s supernatural action movie, The Last Witch Hunter with Vin Diesel, Julie Engelbrecht, Rose Leslie, Michael Caine, and Olafur Darri Olafsson.

Production is currently underway on The Trust in Las Vegas, Nevada with the film set for an October 2015 release date through Lionsgate.

Finally, an answer to the age old question... why don't unicorns exist? BETC Paris released an amusing comedy short called "Unicorns" that explains in less than two minutes why unicorns do not exist in today's world. I thought the film was creative and unique, and I especially liked the twist on the answer that we've all been waiting for.

VanOrton Design created this striking poster design called “Boom Stick.” It’s a different kind of design than we're used to seeing for this film franchise. Most of the stuff we’ve seen in the past has been dark, gritty, and filled with blood. This is more of a slick and stylish piece with bright fun colors.

Dope was one of the most talked about films at Sundance this year. I haven’t talked to anyone who didn’t like it, and today we have a trailer for you to check out to give you an idea of what’s up with this movie. The movie comes from writer and director Rick Famuyiwa, and this is what Eli had to say about it in his review:

“You'll be doing yourself a great disservice if you tune out while watching this film, or miss it when it’s properly released. Famuyiwa does indeed incorporate all three meanings of the title into this fast-paced gem that takes the typical coming-of-age high-school comedy and masterfully weaves in the kind of visual flair and storytelling devices normally only found in heist movies.

“Dope feels familiar yet fresh, slightly predictable at times but never pastiche. If I could submit a definition of this film to Webster’s Dictionary, it’d be:

“What Risky Business would be like if John Singleton and Guy Ritchie teamed up to remake it.”

Here’s the synopsis from Sundance:

Malcolm is a high school geek with a high-top fade, carefully navigating life in The Bottoms, one of the toughest neighborhoods in Inglewood, California. He and his fellow outcasts share a voracious appreciation for all things ’90s hip-hop, opting to sport Cross-Colours and Z. Cavariccis at the risk of being clowned at school. He dreams of attending Harvard, but first he has to make it home every day. When a drug dealer takes a shine to Malcolm and invites him to his birthday party, Malcolm’s crew is swirled into a hilarious blender of offbeat characters and bad choices where redemption can only be found in Bitcoin.

Writer/director Rick Famuyiwa delivers an energetic, super-fresh, modern-day coming-of-age story that is a delightful mash-up of DIY punk, Yo! MTV Raps, YouTube, and Neil deGrasse Tyson. Intelligent and full of heart, Dope is an up-to-date inspirational tale of the journey to maintain a grasp on one’s own authentic self amidst surreal circumstances.

Open Road Films and Sony Pictures picked acquired the film for $7 million, so there’s a good chance that you’ll eventually see it in theaters.

These intriguing four-legged "stilt spirit" costumes were designed by Melissa Irwin and her husband, Garen. They were inspired The Dark Crystal and Hayao Miyazaki's spirit characters. 

If you like what you see, you can buy instructions on how to make your own at Melissa's Etsy store here for $10. Of course, you can save yourself $10 and try to wing it by doing it yourself.

The costumes are incredibly creepy, and that’s what I love about them. They also kind of remind me of The Wheelers from Return To Oz. Those things were freakin’ terrifying.

Disney has released three images from Brad Bird’s stunning new sci-fi film Tomorrowland. As you can see, they show off the awesome, futuristic-looking destination of Tomorrowland. This gives us a detailed glimpse at the architecture and an overall concept of the epic scale of this radical setting. All I can say is that I wish the Tomorrowland at Disneyland looked like this! 

Bound by a shared destiny, a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor jaded by disillusionment embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory as “Tomorrowland.” Bird has gathered a great team behind the lens with Oscar® winning director of photography Claudio Miranda (“Life of Pi,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”), production designer Scott Chambliss (“Star Trek,” “Star Trek Into Darkness,” “Cowboys & Aliens”), Oscar® nominated costume designer Jeffrey Kurland (“Inception,” “Ocean’s Eleven”) and Academy Award®-winning editor Walter Murch (“The English Patient,” “Cold Mountain”).

The movie will be released on December 12th, 2014.