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So far, there is only one character who appears in every season of The White Lotus — Greg, who is now going by Gary in Season 3. We know Greg as the scheming and downright murderous former husband to the beloved Tanya McQuoid (the legendary Jennifer Coolidge). In Season 1, he weaseled his way into her heart. In Season 2, he bailed on her in Italy but secretly arranged for her murder. In Season 3, we find him living in Thailand at a house near the White Lotus resort, dating a "model" (the delightful Charlotte Le Bon). When another character from Season 1, Tanya's potential business partner Belinda (the hilarious Natasha Rothwell), shows up at the Thailand White Lotus resort and recognizes Greg, she begins to fear for her own life.

Greg/Gary is a scary jerk, probably the most explicitly villainous character in Mike White's show, but he's played by an extremely funny man — Jon Gries.

Long before Matthew Modine set foot in the Upside Down in Stranger Things, he established himself as a talented actor. Modine first gained recognition in the 1980s, starring in films like Birdy and Vision Quest. At the same time, Val Kilmer (a Juilliard-trained actor who had previously worked on stage) was trying to make it in Hollywood, appearing in films like Top Secret!, Real Genius, and Top Gun. Their paths crossed in a surprisingly intense confrontation, which Modine recently recounted on the Literally! With Rob Lowe podcast.

At the time, Modine was having breakfast with David Alan Greer, after the two had won an award at the Venice Film Festival for Robert Altman's Streamers.

"There was a fella sitting about 10 feet from me and he was saying obscenities. It was clearly directed at me. I told David, who had his back to this fella, I said, 'either that guy's...

Val Kilmer always wanted to be an actor, so he took his craft incredibly seriously. One of his earliest notable theater appearances was playing Hotspur in a 1981 production of Shakespeare's "Henry IV, Part 1." This led to his securing the role of Alan in a production of "The Slab Boys," wherein he acted opposite fellow future stars Kevin Bacon, Jackie Earle Haley, and Sean Penn. Kilmer was so devoted to "The Slab Boys" that he turned down a role in Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of "The Outsiders."

Some may see that as a foolish career decision, but Kilmer instead made his feature film debut in the 1984 Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker slapstick comedy "Top Secret!," one of the best comedies of all time. Kilmer has admitted, however, that he didn't have much fun making "Top Secret!" because he was still hung up on the fineries of his classical theater education. It seems that he...

Michelle Meyrink isn't an A-list celebrity, but she was a low-key staple of 1980s cinema, known for her quirky charm and ability to bring eccentric characters to life. Born in Vancouver, Canada, Meyrink pursued her passion for acting at a young age, quickly making a name for herself in Hollywood (via The Biography). She began with small but memorable roles in films like The Outsiders and Valley Girl, but her big break came with the 1984 cult classic Revenge of the Nerds, where she played Judy, a lovable female nerd.

Meyrink's career continued to thrive with roles in films like Real Genius, where her portrayal of the hyperactive genius Jordan Cochran became one of her most celebrated performances. Though she left acting in the late '80s, her roles in movies like One Magic Christmas and Permanent Record showcased her versatility, leaving a lasting impression on the cinema of the decade.

Directed by Adam Carter Rehmeier (Dinner in America) from a screenplay by first-time feature writer Tom Dean, a film titled Carolina Caroline is currently in production – but rather than filming in North or South Carolina, it’s being made in Kentucky. When you first look at the cast list as reported by Deadline, you might be led to believe that this is a horror project, because in the lead roles we have genre icons Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner, who has been in the likes of Red, The Haunting in Connecticut, Jennifer’s Body, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Red State, The Walking Dead, The Cleanse, Alien Code, Ghosts of War, Smile, The Passenger; Mother, May I?; and the upcoming Smile sequel. But this one isn’t horror; it’s being described as a romantic crime thriller.

The story centers on a young woman (Weaving) who skips her small town — in...

Before she became known as one of the best comedy directors of her generation for the now classic “Valley Girl” and “Real Genius,” director Martha Coolidge made her feature debut with the searing drama “Not a Pretty Picture,” a one-of-a-kind documentary/narrative hybrid in which Coolidge recreated her own rape with actors and shot both the recreation and the behind the scenes circumstances of its making. Bravely personal and intensely provocative, “Not a Pretty Picture” announced Coolidge as a major new talent and earned praise from both critics and other filmmakers, yet for decades it has been difficult to see, more talked and written about than screened.

That changed in 2022 when the Academy Film Archive restored “Not a Pretty Picture” in partnership with Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation and the George Lucas Family Foundation. Now, after a series of public screenings at festivals, museums, and repertory theaters, the film is...

The 1995 film "12 Monkeys" was one of the few times a Terry Gilliam film wasn't beset with chaos and production problems. Gilliam is notoriously unlucky — not to mention incredibly headstrong — so many of his features were only made after last-minute disasters, deaths, or other major catastrophes. One can see Gilliam's unluckiness in play in Keith Fulton's and Louis Pepe's 2002 documentary "Lost in La Mancha," which traced the director's first, stalled attempt to make "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote." Also, one doesn't need to be a deep-cut cineaste to know all about the issues Gilliam had with his 1983 sci-fi film "Brazil," a picture that was re-cut multiple times.

For "12 Monkeys," though, everything seemed to work out okay. Based on Chris Marker's 1962 short film "La Jetée," the film begins in 2035 after most of humanity has been killed by a lethal virus. Survivors were forced into underground prisons,...

One of the more unusual creative choices made for Roland Emmerich's 1998 film "Godzilla" was to make it into, essentially, a comedy. In its structure, "Godzilla" is a straight-up adventure blockbuster, replete with the trappings of city-sized destruction and international mayhem that Emmerich typically handles with such aplomb. In its tone, however, "Godzilla" is light and breezy, and focuses on the human character Nick Tatopoulos (Matthew Broderick) and his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, the aspiring reporter Audrey (Maria Pitillo). Audrey feels stymied in her career by a lascivious, egotistical boss Charles Caiman (Harry Shearer) who implies that he'll give her a promotion in exchange for sexual favors. One might also notice that Caiman's secretary is played by actress Nancy Cartwright.

Insulted and disgusted by Charles, Audrey instead takes to the streets of New York with her cameraman Animal (Hank Azaria) hoping to catch footage of the rampaging iguana monster stalking the streets.

Hollywood actors often have their careers reduced to one major role. Having said that, isn’t it compelling how an iconic character like Batman can bring an actor everlasting fame, but also conceal the breadth of their versatility? Val Kilmer, known widely for donning the dark mask of the Caped Crusader, embodies this paradox with remarkable grace.

Prior to making his breakthrough in the 1980s with roles in comedies such as Real Genius and Top Secret, Val Kilmer began his acting career on stage. The acclaimed sequel to Top Gun, in which he reprised the role of Iceman, has brought him back into the spotlight.

Val Kilmer as Batman in Batman Forever | Warner Bros Pictures

Despite his early breakthrough, Kilmer charted a different course, circling the universe of TV—save for a voice role as Kitt in the Knight Rider reboot and brief stints on shows like Ghost Girls and The Spoils of Babylon.

Actor Val Kilmer is known for his roles in iconic films such as Batman Forever and The Doors, which made him a household name. Kilmer’s career saw exponential heights during the late 80s and early 90s with his popularity bolstered by his performance as Iceman, a rival to Tom Cruise’s Maverick, in 1986’s Top Gun.

Val Kilmer’s filmography includes the iconic 1986 military action film Top Gun (Credit: Paramount Pictures).

During an interview, Kilmer opened up about his lengthy career and reflected on some of his most career-defining roles. At the time, Kilmer credited one iconic crime-drama film with putting him above the rest of his peers in Hollywood over Top Gun. Here is why Val Kilmer feels 1995’s Heat was one of the most important films in his career.

Val Kilmer Credits Heat With Giving Him an Edge Over His Hollywood Peers

Val Kilmer rose to prominence...

Val Kilmer’s Hollywood career was at its peak during the 80s and 90s racking up impressive films and interesting roles that showed his acting prowess. He started off playing comic roles in films like Top Secret! and Real Genius. His fame catapulted after his screen-stealing role as Iceman in Top Gun. The 90s saw the actor receiving attention for his acting and starring in successful blockbusters.

Val Kilmer as Batman in Batman Forever | Warner Bros Pictures

After impressing critics and audiences with his incredible performances in The Doors, Heat, and Tombstone, Kilmer entered the superhero world as Batman in 1995’s Batman Forever. The film was a success and he planned to return for a sequel. However, Kilmer refused to return for Batman & Robin as he knew it was doomed after witnessing its rushed pre-production.

Val Kilmer Backed Out From Batman & Robin Due to Its Rushed Production George Clooney...

It is no secret that Marisa Tomei’s entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Spider-Man: Homecoming left fans breathless, the same way she once captivated Robert Downey Jr. during their brief romance years ago. Now, in a viral video flaunting her impeccable style and seemingly ageless beauty, Tomei is the talk of town once again.

Marisa Tomei as Aunt May in the Spider-Man franchise. | Marvel

The internet’s beloved Aunt May, Marisa Tomei, has stirred up quite a storm, as viewers now find themselves in a state of disbelief, marveling at her flawless figure and radiant skin. It’s hard to believe that she’s nearing 60, causing quite a stir online.

Fans Can’t Believe Marisa Tomei Is Almost 60, Especially After Watching This Video!

Marisa Tomei, currently 59 years old, boasts a career spanning several decades in acting. She’s earned two nominations for Best Supporting Actress Oscars. In the 90s,...

The promotional tour for Anyone But You dove headfirst into the game, matching, if not surpassing, the excitement of the iconic Barbie campaign. Despite its straightforward approach, the tactics wielded proved exceptionally effective.

Fanning the flames of chemistry between the leads, Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney, both of whom were in a committed relationship of their own at the time, the supposed campaign proved to be a masterstroke. However, while Sweeney emerged unscathed from the promotional tour, Powell found himself in a tumultuous breakup.

Sydney Sweeney & Glen Powell in Anyone But You How Sydney Sweeney Romance Rumors Ended Badly for Glen Powell While Filming Anyone But You

The rumored romance between Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney was all that people could talk about a few months ago. It all started when they began filming the romantic comedy Anyone But You.

Things started heating up when their on-screen chemistry seemingly spilled over into real life,...

Harry Johnson, an actor who appeared on dozens of shows throughout his 40-year career, including Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Law & Order, has died. He was 81.

Johnson died Tuesday, his rep Jonathan Erickson confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. The cause of death is unknown at this time.

“It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Atb Talent client Harry Johnson,” Atb Talent Agency shared in a statement. “With a career spanning over 40 years, Harry was a true talent and cherished member of the community. His impact on the entertainment industry will be remembered and celebrated. Our hearts go out to his friends and family, including Christiane, his wife of 15 years and stepchildren, Oliver and Penelope. May his memory be a blessing to all.”

Born on Dec. 27, 1942, in Plainfield, New Jersey, Johnson began his acting career in 1978, when he appeared in the pilot episode of Battlestar Galactica,...

Character and voice actor Harry Johnson, whose acting credits include Battlestar Galactica, Law & Order, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, passed away.

Deadline confirmed that Johnson died on January 2, 2024, in Los Angeles, California, after an undisclosed "long illness." Johnson was 81 years old. His passing was confirmed by his wife of 15 years, Christiane.

Harry Johnson was born on December 27, 1941, in Plainfield, New Jersey, and was credited as "Chip Johnson" in the 1970s and 1980s. Johnson began his career in 1978 with a multi-part pilot episode of the original Battlestar Galactica, where he played the First Warrior. He went on to sign a contract player with Universal Studios, appearing in other productions the same year.

Johnson's career of over four decades includes acting credits on TV shows like M*A*S*H, Dynasty, The A-Time, Cold Case, Melrose Place, Days of Our Lives, Party of Five, Highway to Heaven, Thirtysomething, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Harry Johnson, an actor with scores of credits spanning 40 years that ranged from the original Battlestar Galactica to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, several Dick Wolf series and the famous “Harry & Louise” commercials, died January 2 of in Los Angeles after a long illness. He was 81.

His wife, Christiane, confirmed his passing to Deadline.

Born on December 27, 1942, in Plainfield, NJ, he often credited as Chip Johnson in the 1970s and ’80s and was among the last contract players for Universal Studios. Johnson began his screen career with the multi-part pilot episode of Battlestar Galactica in 1978 and went on to guest-star on dozens of TV series including M*A*S*H, Quincy M.E., The Incredible Hulk, Simon & Simon, The Greatest American Hero, Highway to Heaven, The A-Team, L.A. Law, Dynasty, Who’s the Boss?, Thirtysomething, Melrose Place, Party of Five, Roswell, Resurrection Blvd., Judging Amy, Days of Our Lives and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

He was...

If there are two phases of life that filmmakers are fascinated with more than any other, it’s high school and college. It seems like that odd, ever-shifting space of time, when you learn to drive, drink, and do your own taxes all by yourself, is a boon for most filmmakers. Just look at Emma Seligman and her sapphic hit Bottoms, about two high school teens who stumble their way into disaster because they’re in love with a couple of cheerleaders. But what happens when that kind of chaos occurs at college, where kids are given more freedom and no one notices if you gently hit a football player with your car? The most likely answer by a solid mile is Martha Coolidge’s Real Genius...

Step back into the 1980s with some of our favorite rom-coms from the decade. Nicolas Cage in “Valley Girl” and “Moonstruck,” Molly Ringwald looking for love in high school, and, of course, Princess Buttercup and her devoted Westley. Below we round up some of the best 80s romantic comedies.

When Harry Met Sally…

Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal go from friends to lovers to … well, panic, and finally blissful commitment in this comedy written by Nora Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner. The deli scene is, of course, a classic.

Coming to America

Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) tries to find the perfect American bride who doesn’t care that he’s African royalty in this hilarious comedy where he plays multiple parts. Always worth a rewatch.

Pretty in Pink

What’s the most important love affair in this John Hughes-penned movie? Have-not Andie (Molly Ringwald) and rich boy Blane...

If you've never seen the 1984 comedy "Top Secret!", it's a film that pulls double-duty as both a spoof of spy movies and Elvis Presley. The comedy in the film is equal parts broad, clever, slapstick, and dumb, as you might expect from Jim Abrahams and the Zucker brothers, David and Jerry, who previously unleashed "Airplane!" on the world. And as you might also expect, it's also uproariously funny. But the film is most memorable for introducing audiences to Val Kilmer, who turns in a star-making performance as Nick Rivers -- a rock and roll heartthrob who gets pulled into the world of international espionage and intrigue.

Given Kilmer's reputation as a serious actor, thanks to stellar turns in movies like "Tombstone," "The Doors," and "Heat," it's easy to forget that his earliest work on the big screen was in the comedy genre. Between "Top Secret!" and "Real Genius," he...

John Badham's 1986 comedy "Short Circuit" was a masterwork on cinematic animatronics. The film's main character was a robot, called only Number Five (voiced by Tim Blaney), who was struck by lightning and lost its memory, but somehow gained sentience. Number Five, originally built to be a laser-wielding soldier, idly rolled out of the robotics lab where it was built and into the home of the put-upon suburbanite Stephanie (Ally Sheedy). Stephanie spends the bulk of the film trying to teach Number Five about the fineries of human interaction while providing it with all the raw data she can provide; Number Five can read books in a matter of seconds. 

Searching for Number Five is a military jarhead named Capt. Skroeder (G.W. Bailey), and a pair of funny robotics geniuses named Newton and Ben (Steve Guttenberg and Fisher Stevens). Antics ensue on all sides while Number Five itself slowly comes...

It’s New Year’s Eve once again over at Trailers From Hell, so you know what that means, fellow cineastes: it’s Val Kilmer’s birthday!

As such, our Kilmer Birthday Committee (of one) will continue its annual tradition of watching one Val classic in celebration. Tonight’s entertainment: the criminally under-seen and intensely silly Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker adventure comedy Top Secret! (1984), a mash-up Elvis musical/spy caper parody picture. This relentlessly unserious entertainment carries special significance for Kilmerphiles, as it brought the world Val’s first-ever feature film role.

Now when Val Kilmer makes his celluloid acting debut, he’s not just some featured extra, or the 12th lead, or whatever. Don’t be silly. He’s the star, damn it.

In Top Secret!, that means he’s Nick Rivers, a Presley-esque rock and roller who finds himself inadvertently at the heart of an attempted hostile overseas takeover. This raucous...

Oliver Stone was born in 1946. Jim Morrison was born in 1943. Stone was 19 when The Doors first formed in 1965. Morrison was 22. By 1991, a 45-year-old Stone had established himself as a notable and hard-striking American Boomer auteur with films like "Platoon," "Wall Street," and "Born on the Fourth of July." By 1991, Morrison had been dead for 20 years. 

Stone's wild, drug-soaked biopic "The Doors" was released to modest success and a warm critical response (the film currently holds a mere 57 approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes). Using multiple film formats and a freewheeling narrative, "The Doors" certainly captured the sweaty, drugged-out experience of attending a concert in the late 1960s, but didn't offer too much beyond the death wish-inflected arc possessed by the band's doomed lead singer. 

Morrison was played by Val Kilmer, a rising star at the time with comedy hits like "Top Secret!" and "Real Genius," as well as blockbusters like "Top Gun" and "Willow,...

When Val Kilmer's Madmartigan first appears in director Ron Howard's 1988 fantasy film "Willow," he's locked in a hanging cage awaiting his death. "Give me some water, peck, or you'll die. You understand? Water!" he growls, grabbing the movie's plucky hero Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) from behind. After teaming up, the pair go on to quibble over the appropriate food to feed a human baby and take a precarious but undeniably fun-looking sled ride down a snowy slope to avoid being captured by their enemies.

Madmartigan, the swaggering scamp of a swordsman that he is, is a role that calls for an actor with excellent comedic timing along with a knack for effortlessly emanating braggadocio. Kilmer had already proven himself to possess both those traits in spades by the time he signed on for "Willow," having cut his teeth with early career roles in the broad 1980s comedies "Top Secret!

If you’re a fan of Ron Howard’s fantasy film, “Willow,” you’re probably someone who enjoys the chemistry between the title character, played by Warwick Davis, and his cohort on the adventure, Madmartigan, played by Val Kilmer. The 1988 film was positioned right in the sweet spot of Val Kilmer’s career, where he was emerging as one of the biggest and most charismatic stars on the planet, following films like “Top Gun,” “Real Genius,” and “Top Secret.” So, with “Willow” getting a reboot on Disney+ this week, fans were probably hoping to see Kilmer reprise his role.

Continue reading ‘Willow’: Jonathan Kasdan Says Val Kilmer Had To Be Written Out Of Reboot Due To Covid Concerns at The Playlist.

The message of Damien Chazelle's bloody 2014 film "Whiplash" is a direct counterargument to arguments typically heard in college movies. In most cases, when a college student finds themselves pushing themselves to the point of burnout -- a trope seen in films like "Real Genius," "Good Will Hunting," or even "Legally Blonde" -- the movie stops to let the characters know that relaxation, breaks, parties, and friendship can take precedence, even if it's temporary. Don't lose sight of your humanity. If the school demands more than 100 from its students, it's typically depicted as a negative, as in James Bridges' "The Paper Chase." In all cases, hard-nosed and demanding professors typically read as villains, sometimes even sadists, too eager to tear down students who don't meet their too-exacting standards.

"Whiplash," in contrast, argues that in order to truly learn and achieve greatness, a student has to endure all kinds of torture.

Years before he flaunted his versatility in "The Doors," "Tombstone" and "Heat," it appeared as though Val Kilmer was going to be one of Hollywood's go-to comedy stars. Though David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker's "Top Secret!" flopped at the box office in 1984, those who were wise enough to rush out and catch it walked away impressed with the actor's ability to deadpan one moment and switch on his rockstar swagger the next. He followed that up the next year with an immensely appealing performance as troublemaking genius Chris Knight in Martha Coolidge's hysterical "Real Genius."

Kilmer's arrival was as sudden as it was welcome. Unlike many stars, he hadn't paid his dues via two-line roles in schlocky exploitation flicks or sitcoms. He just showed up, and we instantly adored him. If you had to guess, you figured he'd studied improv at Second City or The Groundlings.

Think of the name Val Kilmer, and depending on the person, you might think of a legendary gunslinger, a fantastical warrior, or maybe even Batman himself. The star’s legacy as an actor spans over four decades and a number of iconic projects — Real Genius is my favorite, personally — and he’s also made a name for himself in a number of other pursuits, including painting, as well as publishing a memoir in 2020. He’s ingrained into the fabric of Hollywood history, and continues to make his mark, with a role in this year’s most successful film so far.

The new year is continuing apace at Hulu. The streamer’s list of new releases for February 2022 is highlighted by one very interesting project.

Pam and Tommy is set to premiere on Feb. 2. Perhaps the Groundhog Day release date is intentional as the show will cover a particular moment of celebrity, sex, and exploitation from the early ’90s that seems to have repeated itself over and over. Sebastian Stan and Lily James star as Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson and the series follows the events and fallout of their homemade sex tape being stolen and unleashed on a nascent internet. If nothing else, getting the promo photos of Stan and James as the ’90s stars was worth it.

Read more Movies Willem Dafoe on Noir, Fate and Geeks in Nightmare Alley By David Crow Movies Matthew Vaughn on Finding The Man Who Would Be King’s Man By David Crow

Another Hulu original,...

Film editors Lillian E. Benson and Richard Chew will receive Career Achievement Awards for their outstanding contributions to film editing at the 72nd Annual Ace Eddie Awards, taking place on March 5 at the Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.

“Lillian and Richard are rock star editors and represent the very best of our craft and profession,” said Ace president Kevin Tent. “Just look at those credits! Not only have they had incredibly prolific careers, but they’ve given back to our community in many ways, not the least of which by mentoring the next generation of editors. We are thrilled to honor these two special editors and look back at their amazing careers.”

Past recipients of the Ace Career Achievement Award include Alan Heim, Thelma Schoonmaker, Dede Allen, Janet Ashikaga, Craig Mckay, Margaret Booth, Carol Littleton, John Soh, Mark Goldblatt and Leon Ortiz-Gil, among many others.

Benson made history as...

Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to the WWII-era romantic drama I’ll Find You from director Martha Coolidge. The Anthem Sports & Entertainment company plans to release the title starring Adelaide Clemens (To the Stars), Leo Suter, Stephen Dorff, Connie Nielsen and Stellan Skarsgård in theaters and on demand on February 25.

Inspired by true stories of Polish musicians from the 1930s and 1940s, I’ll Find You centers on the tender, music-infused relationship between Robert (Suter) and Rachel (Clemens) that is forged when the pair meet as music school students—he, a promising singer and she, a violin prodigy. While Robert is torn away from Rachel following the German invasion of Poland, he vows to find her, no matter the cost.

David S. Ward and Bozenna Intrator penned the script for the film, which was shot on location in Poland and New York. Intrator also produced it alongside Lukasz Raczynski, Zbigniew John Raczynski and Fred Roos, with Alexander Roos exec producing.

“I’LL Find You is a beautiful romance film set against the harsh background of World War II,” said Gravitas Ventures’ Manager of Acquisitions, Brett Rogalsky. “What director Martha Coolidge was able to do with these elements is truly impressive, and we’re excited to be able to bring this film to the public.”

“From the beginning I loved the theme in this film that music has an almost magical power to heal,” added Coolidge, “and that it can inspire and move all people even those at opposite ends of the ideological spectrum.”

Coolidge is an Emmy nominee and DGA Award winner who has previously directed films including Material Girls, The Prince and Me, Angie, Lost in Yonkers, Rambling Rose, Plain Clothes, Real Genius and Valley Girl, along with episodes of such series as Siren, Angie Tribeca, Madam Secretary, The Night Shift, Psych and Weeds.

Gravitas Ventures was founded in 2006 and sold to multi-platform media company Anthem Sports & Entertainment in November. Recent releases from the company include Michael Lembeck’s Queen Bees; Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s Our Friend, starring Casey Affleck, Dakota Johnson, and Jason Segel; Vanguard, directed by Stanley Tong and starring Jackie Chan; and Andy Tennant’s The Secret: Dare to Dream, starring Katie Holmes. Gravitas has also recently acquired titles including Adrian Martinez’s feature directorial debut iGilbert; the Kathy Bates drama Home, from writer-director Franka Potente; family adventure film The King’s Daughter, starring Pierce Brosnan; Jason Pollock’s doc Finding Kendrick Johnson; and The Accursed, a horror film marking the feature directorial debut of writer-directors Elizabeta Vidovic and Kathryn Michell.

When you’re a streaming service, there’s only one way to celebrate the New Year. And that’s by IP mining to bring back a franchise that had no business in coming back!

With its list of new releases for January 2022, Hulu is raiding CBS’s closet and premiering How I Met Your Father, a continuation of the sitcom How I Met Your Mother. Complaints about unnecessary rebooting aside, perhaps its worth giving the Hillary Duff starring series a chance. If nothing else, telling a story about 2022 from a future perspective might play well.

Aside from Himyf, there aren’t any other Hulu original series to speak of. Instead, Hulu is opting to once again beef up its film library. January 1 sees the arrival of Master and Commander, Seven, and a whole bunch of Star Treks. Hulu will also be the streaming home of some recently released film Indies,...

When appraised in the cold light of day, The Wild Life (1984) stands as a fairly minor ’80s teen comedy, lacking the flash of broader, more risqué fare like Porky’s (1982) or the great characters that populated instant classics of the genre like 1982’s Fast Times At Ridgemont High (more on that in a second), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), or one of this critic’s personal favorites, Real Genius (1985). So why are we talking about the film’s recent Kino Lorber Blu-ray release at all?

In part, because of the rising talent behind and in front of the camera. The film’s cast includes Chris Penn, Eric Stoltz, Lea Thompson, Jenny Wright, Rick Moranis, Hart Bochner and Randy Quaid (and Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson in a fun cameo). The film was penned by a young writer/producer named Cameron Crowe, hot off the success of penning Fast Times, and helmed...

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Val Kilmer’s heartfelt new documentary “Val” premiered on Amazon Prime on Friday, and apart from tugging at your heartstrings, the film will stir up nostalgic memories of the 61-year-old actor’s filmography. To help with your next movie marathon, we comprised a list of 10 of Kilmer’s best films along with links to where you can stream them.

For more perspective on Kilmer’s life story, you might want to take a deep dive into Kilmer’s memoir, “I’m Your Huckleberry.” Below, find a list of great movies in his film catalog. For more binging options be sure to see our picks for movies by Christopher Nolan, Michael Keaton, and Al Pacino.

In “Val,” the actor Val Kilmer, now in his early 60s, appears before us as a broken-down relic of himself. His face, once beaming and chiseled, with that smile that resembled a bite, now looks soggy and morose, with dark eyebrows that give him an oddly Nixonian cast. More dramatically, he speaks in a thin robotic rasp, the result of a procedure performed on his trachea to heal the throat cancer that was diagnosed in 2015. Kilmer beat the cancer but was left with that scratchy voice-box drone, which takes a bit of getting used to. Yet once you do get used to it, you realize he’s very much the same fellow — or, at least, the older, wiser, more melancholy version. Kilmer used to talk quite fast; that was part of his comic sauvity in films like “Real Genius” — that this dude who looked like a sun god spoke like a geek in overdrive.

For over 40 years Val Kilmer, one of Hollywood’s most mercurial and/or misunderstood actors has been documenting his own life and craft through film and video. He has amassed thousands of hours of footage, from 16mm home movies made with his brothers, to time spent in iconic roles for blockbuster movies like Top Gun, The Doors, Tombstone, and Batman Forever. This raw, wildly original and unflinching documentary reveals a life lived to extremes and a heart-filled, sometimes hilarious look at what it means to be an artist and a complex man.

Amazon Studios will release Val in theaters July 23rd, 2021 and on Prime Video August 6th, 2021.

Directed by Leo Scott & Ting Poo, watch the brand new trailer.

While the actor has been in Top Gun, Wonderland and gave audiences the amazing performance of Doc Holliday in Tombstone, one of my favorite roles of Kilmer’s will forever be in Martha Coolidge’s 1985 comedy,...

Howard Deutch wasn’t sure he was the right man to oversee “Pretty in Pink.” The aspiring filmmaker had met producer and writer John Hughes while directing a music video for his previous examination of high school social castes, “Sixteen Candles.” However, he’d never overseen a feature film and the prospect terrified him.

“I was honest with John and told him I didn’t feel equipped,” Deutch remembers. “He said, ‘all you have to do is get those performances for me and you can do it.’ That always made me feel secure when I was feeling insecure about so many other things.”

Thirty five years later, “Pretty in Pink” is a certified classic and remains a cinematic touchpoint for generation after generation of teenagers who see their own heartaches, triumphs, and insecurities reflected in the lives of Andie, Duckie, and Blane. The film was recently re-released in theaters by...

Classic rock staple singer-songwriter Yusuf/Cat Stevens is commemorating the 50th anniversary of his two 1970 albums, Mona Bone Jakon and Tea for the Tillerman, with super deluxe box sets. One of the bonuses included is an unearthed music video for his song “Lady D’Arbanville.” Produced for the Mona Bone Jakon release, the music video is one of the earliest ever made.

The black and white video features the inspiration for the title character, Patti D’Arbanville, an actress and model best known for her work with artist Andy Warhol. She also appeared in Real Genius, Time After Time, and played Cathy Smith in the John Belushi biopic Wired. She was Stevens’ girlfriend at the time, and also the inspiration for his song “Wild World.” “Lady D’Arbanville,” which imagines her sleeping, is a metaphor for her being dead. The short film was shot in an English, Gothic-era mansion.

You can...

Grab some popcorn and pull up a chair, it’s a moral imperative that we celebrate the 35th birthday of Martha Coolidge’s science whiz classic Real Genius!

The wise-cracking Val Kilmer starrer, which details the adventures of a group of brilliant physics undergrads at the fictional Pacific Tech University (clearly a stand-in for Caltech), stands as a wonderful slice of ’80s fun. It’s the kind of feel-good adventure that can be watched over and over again, spun like a favorite album.

Kilmer plays Chris Knight, a senior at Pacific Tech on the verge of burnout after years working with a special research team under the tutelage of the sleazy Dr. Jerry Hathaway (William Atherton). Chris, now prone to wearing goofy t-shirts and slippers and generally flaunting any sort of authority with playful jabs, convinces Hathaway to let him room with brilliant freshman Mitch Taylor (Gabriel Jarret), a 15-year-old winter term addition to campus.

You know what the world needs more of these days? People that don't take themselves so seriously. Seriously.

Although Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1 Episode 1  isn't about to break any new ground in ethical and philosophical discourse, it has a good time and presents a fresh take on the world of Trek.

The show is awash in Star Trek trivia easter eggs, from the opening credits through to the fade-out.

And while it may not scratch the itch of Trekkers worldwide waiting for the promised adventures of the announced Enterprise-based episodic series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, it is going to appeal to those who love culturally-referential comedy.

Take the opening credits.

First, we see the Cerritos dragged into the gravitational pull of a black hole only to slingshot around the other side, referencing Tos Season 1 Episode 21: Tomorrow is Yesterday. We assume time travel isn't the purpose in this case.

Paydirt is a godawful Guy Ritchie knockoff that fails utterly as a heist flick. A British parolee wrangles his old crew for one last big score in the California desert. Luke Goss does his Jason Statham impersonation surrounded by painfully dumb supporting characters. Who've got nifty nicknames like "The Brit", "The Babe", and "The Badass." They bumble about in a hackneyed plot peppered with terrible action scenes. A clearly ill Val Kilmer co-stars to the best of his abilities. He struggles in this performance while recovering from throat cancer.

The film opens "five years ago" in the Coachella Valley. Sheriff Tucker (Val Kilmer) leads a DEA raid on a known drug trafficker, Damien Brooks (Luke Goss) aka "The Brit." A shootout ends with innocent lives lost and a paltry amount of marijuana discovered. Tucker gets his man, but takes the fall for the bungled operation. The Brit receives a much shorter sentence for possession.

Val Kilmer is having a moment, thanks to Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s whatever-happened-to…? portrait of him in The New York Times Magazine, which was pegged to the release of his memoir “I’m Your Huckleberry.” It’s one of those buzzy voyeuristic profiles that takes the measure of a movie star who slipped between the cracks and became a gonzo ghost/parody of himself, propelled at times by an engine of self-destructive behavior. Yet the Kilmer saga is singular. In his heyday, he looked like a brainy sun god and was a hard-to-cast, flaked-out talent who fell away from Hollywood without ever having entirely fit into it. The Times profile captures Kilmer the high-flying eccentric and the Christian Scientist. The acting prima donna and the has-been. The throat-cancer victim who lost his voice and now speaks in a whisper. The cockeyed optimist and the survivor. And the legend?

The weirdest thing...

Val Kilmer crafted the persona of a serious, brooding (often labeled “difficult”) actor in such films as “Heat” and “Tombstone,” so it’s interesting to remember that his film debut was in the goofy spy spoof “Top Secret!” in 1984, followed by the comedy “Real Genius” in 1985. Kilmer would go on to show his comedy chops in films including “MacGruber” and “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” but there has long been an air of mystery around him, perhaps because he hasn’t been giving big interviews lately. That makes the publication of his memoir, “I’m Your Huckleberry,” all the more cause for celebration. In his autobiography, from Simon & Schuster, Kilmer is brutally frank about his career, his loves and battle with throat cancer.

Early Years, Famous Faces

Kilmer spent his formative years in the Chatsworth neighborhood of Los Angeles, which feels much further from Hollywood than distance would suggest. “We...

Val Kilmer is an actor that is known for a variety of roles. He’s been Madmartigan in “Willow,” Jim Morrison in “The Doors,” Doc Holliday in “Tombstone,” Bruce Wayne in “Batman Forever,” and my personal favorite, Chris Knight in “Real Genius” (one of the most underrated ‘80s comedies ever, with a magnetic performance from Kilmer.

Continue reading ‘Top Gun: Maverick’: Val Kilmer Admits That He Was Forced To Beg His Way Into The Action Sequel at The Playlist.

Back in 2018, writer Evan Dorkin and artists Veronica Fish and Andy Fish first enrolled comic book readers in Blackwood College, a supernatural place where surviving to see another day takes precedence over getting passing grades in your classes. Following the macabre mayhem of the series' first four-issue run, Dark Horse Comics is bringing readers back to Blackwood College for another round of gory fun in Blackwood: The Mourning After. With the first issue coming out on February 12th, we recently had the pleasure of catching up with Evan, Veronica, and Andy for our latest Q&a feature to discuss what deadly pleasures readers can look forward to experiencing next at Blackwood College.

You can read our full Q&a with Evan, Veronica, and Andy below (as well as preview pages from the first issue), and to learn more about Blackwood: The Mourning After #1, visit Dark Horse Comics' website.

Thanks for...

Everyone has a favorite Val Kilmer movie. Since the early ‘80s, Kilmer has been a beloved actor in Hollywood with films like Real Genius, Willow, Batman Forever and Heat. Starring in several films that are staples in many people’s childhood and young adult life, Kilmer was the perfect choice to spotlight for a Rolling Roadshow […]

The post Val Kilmer and Alamo Drafthouse Took Us to Tombstone and The Danger Zone in One Epic Weekend appeared first on /Film.

If you miss the 1980's, then you're going to love NostalgiaCon 2019, an exciting showcasing of the stars, music, fashion, fun and excitement that made the '80's the decade to remember. Kicking off with an opening celebration on July 4, the full event will be open on July 5 and 6 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

NostalgiaCon 2019 is an All-'80s-all-the-time destination for hit TV show cast reunions, box office mega stars, unforgettable live concerts, exclusive panel sessions, cosplay competitions, memorabilia and collectibles and so much more.

Among the NostagiaCon 2019 highlights include Back to the Future star Christopher Lloyd makes a special stop in our timeline for meet and greets. Even more exciting are the cast reunions galore.

Corey Feldman, Ke Huy Quan and Sean Astin join for a very special The Goonies get-together. Loni Anderson and Howard Hesseman team-up for a look back at Wkrp in Cincinnati. Steve Guttenberg and Michael Winslow...

The Oscars are looming, in case you hadn’t heard. I spent last evening with a last-minute Oscar lightning round screening of Willem Dafoe’s Best Actor-nominated performance as Vincent Van Gogh in At Eternity’s Gate, and in my best Gene Shalit voice I will tell you to go-go-Gogh grab it at a Redbox near you. Dafoe’s work towers over the other four nominees, and even gives Ethan Hawke’s tortured pastor in First Reformed, my choice for male performance of the year, a run for its money.

But truth be told, I’ve been spending the waning minutes before the Dolby Theater at Hollywood and Highland takes its place as the center of the universe tomorrow night, immersed in decidedly anti-Oscar bait, and if you don’t have any desire to submit yourself to watching Oscars this year you could do much worse than spending time with...

Upstart publisher Ahoy Comics launched in 2018 with a comics magazine format that harkened back to the days of the early 1980s when the medium still had a presence on national newsstands and some publishers dabbled in magazine-sized publications with edgier content, painted covers and/or pages of prose content.

This April, Ahoy will stir up even more memories of the Reagan Era when it publishes Planet of the Nerds, a new series that evokes vintage Hollywood hits such as Revenge of the Nerds, Weird Science, Real Genius, Back to the Future and The Breakfast Club. The story: Three high school jocks in the 1980s are accidentally frozen by an experimental cryogenics device, only to be revived in the tech-driven, superhero-loving, empathy-counseling world of 2019 — in other words, an era shaped by the nerds they once tormented.

Today Deadline has an exclusive preview excerpt from the inaugural issue of Planet of the Nerds,...

Gabriel Jarret, who co-starred with Val Kilmer in "Real Genius," claims his ex-gf went nuts on him ... refusing to leave his home, and accusing him of child molestation, rape and more ... TMZ has learned.   Gabriel filed for and got a restraining order Monday against Jennifer Marie Alfano ... and in the docs he says she called him a few weeks ago, crying about being thrown out of a hotel and losing all of her possessions, so...

In his lengthy and varied career, Val Kilmer has played everyone from Jim Morrison to Doc Holliday to Mark Twain – in multiple projects. He’s played Moses in the lavish musical “The Ten Commandments” and voiced Kitt the car in the “Knight Rider” reboot. Along the way, he’s worked with filmmakers from Oliver Stone to Ron Howard and actors from Tom Cruise to Marlon Brando. In short, there’s no pigeonholing the actor who launched his career with broad comedies like “Top Secret!” and “Real Genius” before becoming a household name thanks to “Top Gun” – a role he’ll reprise in the upcoming sequel.

So it’s surprising to hear there’s something Kilmer hasn’t done, but that’s the case with “The Super,” which he says is his first straight-up genre thriller. Based on an idea from and produced by “Law & Order” mastermind Dick Wolf, “The Super...