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A Predator movie directed by Shane Black, written by him and the director of The Monster Squad. This sounded like the recipe for an awesome sci-fi action horror film, but what Black delivered was one of the least popular films in the Predator franchise, with a third act that was completely different from what was originally written and a variety of bad ideas being filmed as potential endings. Critics were unimpressed. Fans were disappointed. And now, we’re going to dig into what happened to The Predator.

1987 was a huge year for Shane Black. His original screenplay Lethal Weapon was turned into an action classic by director Richard Donner. His friend, director Fred Dekker, brought their script for the creature feature The Monster Squad to the screen, creating a film that is now considered to be a cult classic. And he was cast alongside the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers,...

For four films in a row, the timeline of the Alien franchise was very straightforward, with each sequel picking up where the previous movie left off… but then things got a bit more complicated, with the addition of prequels, a mid-quel, and even a couple of crossovers that don’t appear to be canon to the other movies. So we have decided to try to clear up the confusion and put together a list on How to Watch the Alien Franchise in Chronological Order. Here we go…

Alien Vs. Predator (2004)

As mentioned, the Predator crossovers aren’t acknowledged in the Alien films that followed; in fact, the prequels try their best to contradict them. But if you’re looking to watch these movies in an order based on the timeline, this is where you start, because it’s set in 2004 (and the unrated cut has a prologue that takes place...

A new episode of the Awfully Good Horror Movies video series has just been released, and with director Fede Alvarez’s Alien: Romulus now in theatres, we have decided to celebrate by taking a look back at one of the least popular entries in the Alien franchise, the crossover sequel Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (watch it Here). You can hear all about it in the video embedded above!

Directed by the Brothers Strause from a screenplay by Shane Salerno, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem has the following synopsis: Residents of Gunnison, Colorado, are caught up in the crossfire when two deadly extraterrestrial species bring their longstanding conflict to Earth. On the one side, nearly indestructible Aliens; on the other, a lone Predator whose mission is to wipe out all traces of the Alien infestation from Earth, no matter who gets in the way.

The film stars Steven Pasquale, Reiko Aylesworth, John Ortiz,...

The Alien franchise is set to continue on the small screen with an “FX on Hulu” TV series from Fargo creator Noah Hawley, a show that began filming last year, then had to halt production after a month due to the actors strike. Filming resumed earlier this year, and continues to this day. A few months ago, we heard that Sandra Yi Sencindiver of Foundation had joined the cast to play “a senior member of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation” in multiple episodes… and in a new interview with Variety, Sencindiver said she believes that fans of Alien and Aliens will be pleased with what Hawley is doing with this show.

One of the first things we heard about the Alien TV series – and one of the most surprising things about it – is that it will actually be set on Earth, a couple decades before the events of the first movie. FX...

Once upon a time there was a film industry that wasn't dominated by the comic book behemoths of D.C. and Marvel. Where a comic book style movie felt fresh, innovative and where the Hong Kong production line hadn't been stripped bare in the service of mainland blockbusters with a patriotic core. “Black Mask” in many respects is a last hurrah of an industry about to go through immense change. As Eureka Entertainment bring it to blu-ray, it's time to revisit this Frankenstein's monster of a collaborative effort between several unique talents.

on Terracotta by clicking on the image below

Tsui Chik (Jet Li) is a former member of the 701 Squad, a surgically enhanced team of super soldiers that feel no pain. After their team is shut down he escapes and hides out as a librarian. His only friend is Inspector Shek who knows nothing of his past.

Ryan Lambie May 9, 2017

Ahead of Alien: Covenant, we take a look at the unexplored plot threads the existing Alien movies have left behind...

Nb: The following contains a mild spoiler for Prometheus as well as earlier films in the Alien franchise.

See related  Looking back at Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

When Prometheus emerged in 2012, it took the franchise in a very different direction - well away from the dark, metallic corridors of the main Alien movies and into broader sci-fi territory. Sure, Ridley Scott's Alien prequel contained plenty of slithering things and a splash of blood here and there, but the director evidently had bigger things on his mind than facehuggers and xenomorphs: the origins of life on Earth, godlike beings from the other side of the galaxy, and exactly how they came to crash-land on to encounter - or perhaps even create - the title Alien from Scott's 1979 classic.

Black Mask

Written by

Directed by Daniel Lee

Hong Kong, 1996

As Black Mask opens, a series of distorted images edited together in rapide fire MTV music video style is accompanied by a narrator explaining that a short while ago the Chinese government invested heavily in the creation of a squad of super soldiers named the 701st. The experiment proved disastrous however as it ended up producing super thugs rather than super heroes for the most part. Tsui Chik (Jet Li) was one such bio-engineered soldier who made it out alive when the state opted to liquidate its failed crop. Tsui keeps to himself mostly, working as a librarian and playing chess with his only friend, police inspector Shek Wai-Ho (Ching Wan Lau). When Hong Kong’s mob leaders are murdered in increasingly gruesome fashion in a series of elaborate attacks, Tsui finds himself thrust into action as his super hero...

The King Of Fighters

Stars: Maggie Q, Sean Faris, Will Yun Lee, Ray Park, David Leitch, Françoise Yip | Written by Rita Augustine, Chris Chow, Matthew Ryan Fischer | Directed by Gordon Chan

Based on the Snk Video game series and directed by Gordon Chan (Jackie Chan’s Thunderbolt, Fist of Legend), The King of Fighters is a (relatively) lowbudget independent flick that has little in common with the game from which it takes its name. When I say little in common I mean that the film uses little more than the names of the characters we know and love from the game, and referencing the Orochi, which made up a key part of the story in the early years of the video game franchise (King Of Fighters ’95 – ’97) and has since played a part in subsequent installments – and nothing much else.

The film iteration of The King of Fighters tells the story...

Raffi Tang (Francoise Yip) is living a quiet life in Mexico far from the mother who disowned her. The two fought years prior when Raffi declared her love for another woman, and they haven’t spoken since. Her mother has recently taken to writing her daughter, but the letters remain unopened. Raffi gets a call from a friend late one night that her mom’s house back in San Francisco was just on the news, and when she calls the local authorities she discovers why. Her mother has been killed in what appears to be a botched robbery. Raffi heads back home for the first time in years, but while she plans to only stay through her mom’s funeral she discovers there may be more to the case than previously thought. Why is the police investigation being run by amateurs committing multiple mistakes? Could her mother’s expensive and long-running lawsuit against her father (Kenneth Tsang) be...

All right, a couple of interviews and a sneak peek before the date with the Cylon Bunny. Hope everyone has a great Easter weekend!

Eric Stoltz talked to The Orange County Register about Fort McCoy, which will be screened at the Newport Beach festival next week (April 30). Here is what he said:

"I read the script and I thought it was a very well-written and interesting and compelling true story," said Stoltz, 49. "I enjoy playing roles based on real people. As a producer, I suggest things to the directors – cuts, shots, casting, notes. We got permission from the Department of Defense to shoot at an authentic Army base. I thought that was pretty cool, because they don't always do that."

Stoltz plans to attend the screening on April 30 and stick around for the question-and-answer session afterward. "I love film festivals, because the people who come to them are the people interested in supporting the arts,...

Mo’ money mo’ problems. This seems to be the moral of the story in Doris Yeung’s directorial debut, Motherland, a tale of an immigrant family’s destruction from chasing the American Dream.

Inspired by the real life murder of Yeung’s mother, the film opens with Raffi Tang (Francoise Yip) returning home to San Francisco after her mother was killed in an apparent robbery. Estranged from her mother due to her mother’s disapproval of her same-sex relationship, Raffi had been living in self-imposed exile in Mexico.

Upon arriving home, Raffi becomes entangled in a web of deceit woven by her stepfather (Kenneth Tsang), a person of interest in the murder, and a mysterious family friend (Byron Mann). Raffi’s wealthy mother and stepfather had been embroiled in a contentious and expensive five year long battle over marital assets. Over time, Raffi suspects that the murder was a professional hit ordered by her stepfather.

Great news today. Esai Morales is the first Caprica actor (and second Adama) to be cast in 17th Precinct. He'll be joining James Callis, Tricia Helfer and Jamie Bamber. Here is the report from Deadline:

Esai Morales has joined the cast of Ron Moore's NBC drama pilot 17th Precinct. Set in a city ruled by magic, it revolves around the workings of the 17th, headed by Detective Chief Inspector Wilder Blanks (Eamonn Walker). Morales, repped Innovative and Brillstein, will play his second in command, Lt. Liam Butterfield.

VancouverIsAwesome.com has posted a report from the set to go with those pics that showed up a few days ago.

In other pilot news, Mike Dopud is filming the one for Exit Strategy (CIA action procedural for Fox, with Ethan Hawke, Megan Dodds and Tom Sizemore).

Final reminder: Paula Malcomson guest stars on Fringe tonight (9 pm, Fox). There are a...

This week sees a couple of golden oldies trotted out alongside the customary summertime family fun, docs on science both good and bad, and another lesson from the Tony Scott school of flash-bang filmmaking.

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"Betty Blue: The Director's Cut"

Having inspired everything from ardent film student party chatter to the pure cinematic showmanship of Luc Besson, Jean-Jacques Beineix's 1986 Oscar-nominated romantic drama has a legacy that reaches far and wide. This new print of Beineix's definitive 1991 cut of his oh so artsy tale of an aspiring writer Zorg (Jean-Hugues Anglade), his wild, volatile muse Betty (Béatrice Dalle) and her gradual descent into self-destruction contains more than an hour of additional footage that stretches out Betty's madness and embellishes it with such antics as Zorg's cross-dressing crime spree. In French with subtitles.

Opens in New York.