News

Exclusive: The Mediapro Studio US & Canada has joined as a co-producer of the documentary about the life story of Benny “The Jet” Urquidez, the iconic mixed martial arts fighter who introduced the sport to the world.

Production on the as-yet-untitled movie is now officially underway under the direction of Emmy-nominated sports documentary editor-turned-filmmaker Jennifer Tiexiera.

Keanu Reeves and Fisher Stevens will serve as producers, along with Maura Anderson and Zak Kilberg of Highly Flammable, John Scalise and his Faya Project, and Laura Fernández Espeso of The Mediapro Studio. Jc Acosta and Pam Healey are the Executive Producers for The Mediapro Studio. Executive Producers will also include Nancy Weisler, Sol Tryon, Brian Maya, Tiexiera under her Lady & Bird shingle and Chris Quintos Cathcart and Tyler Boehm of Unapologetic Projects.

“The Mediapro Studio team is thrilled to be collaborating with these brilliant creative partners to shine the spotlight on a remarkable athlete...

Chuck Norris has carved out a reputation for starring in some of the best action movies of all time, particularly his groundbreaking work in the 1980s that put gritty action thrillers into the mainstream. Perhaps he is known predominantly now as a folktale legend told through jokes and memes about his physical prowess and athletic abilities, but these all started with a genuine origin. Like many martial arts film stars, Norris' fighting ability came first before his venture into Hollywood, with a martial arts background that saw him secure several championships and develop skills in multiple disciplines.

Some of Norris' best films show him as a one-man army fighting against forces of evil, but he is just as comfortable in an ensemble cast that band together to get the job done. His role as the iconic J.J. McQuade in Lone Wolf McQuade showcases the blend of individual bravado and exceptional combat skills,...

Chad A. Verdi of Verdi Productions and Anthony Gudas and Aaron Kaufman of Public School Productions have partnered with producers John Scalise, Keanu Reeves and Fisher Stevens to produce “The Jet,” a documentary on the life story of Benny “The Jet” Urquidez.

The film is currently in production from director Jennifer Tiexiera. Verdi, Gudas, and Kaufman will join Reeves, Maura Anderson, Zak Kilberg and Scalise as producers.

Urquidez is known for his influence on martial arts in mainstream culture as an actor, fight coordinator, and trainer to the stars. He held a total of six world titles in five weight divisions and remained undefeated throughout his more than 20-year kickboxing career.

Urquidez is also known for his contributions to martial arts cinema, appearing in numerous action films during the 1980s and 1990s. Some of his film credits include “The Octagon,” “Road House” and “Grosse Pointe Blank.” Over the years, he...

Chuck Norris is a martial artist, actor and cultural icon known for his tough-guy persona. Born Carlos Ray Norris in 1940, in Oklahoma, he first gained fame by winning numerous championships before transitioning to a successful career in film and television. Norris is widely known for his role in the television series Walker, Texas Ranger, which aired from 1993 to 2000. But his appearances in a series of action films during the 1970s and 1980s cemented his stardom. His stoic demeanor and martial arts skills made him a beloved figure in action cinema and a subject of countless internet memes celebrating his exaggerated style of acting.

The 1983 movie Lone Wolf McQuade stands as one of Chuck Norris's quintessential films, encapsulating the rugged individualism and relentless determination that define his screen persona. The Missing in Action series then begins with the first film in 1984, further cementing Chuck Norris's reputation as a symbol of American heroism.

In the highly anticipated Season 1 Episode 1 of “Paddy & Molly: Show No Mersey,” viewers are in for a thrilling ride as they follow the journey of UFC stars Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett and ‘Meatball’ Molly McCann. The episode kicks off with Paddy gearing up to face the formidable Tony Ferguson in The Octagon, setting the stage for an intense showdown in Vegas. As the tension rises, fans can expect a mix of adrenaline-pumping action and behind-the-scenes drama.

Paddy, known for his fearless fighting style and charismatic personality, takes center stage as he faces one of the biggest challenges of his career. Meanwhile, Molly, the tough and talented UFC fighter, provides unwavering support to her friend and training partner. Together, they navigate the ups and downs of the fight game, showcasing their unwavering determination and passion for the sport.

As the clock strikes 12:00 Am on Monday, 2 July 2024, BBC Three invites viewers...

Chuck Norris excels in various martial arts styles and has created two of his own: American Tang Soo Do and Chun Kuk Do. Norris' blend of martial arts training and acting talent made him a star in Hollywood, including his iconic role in Walker, Texas Ranger. Known for his fight scenes in 1980s action movies, Norris has studied and mastered numerous martial arts styles to become a massive success.

Chuck Norris is experienced in many different fighting techniques and has used them throughout his career in martial arts and film. Norris' first major film role came at the invite of his friend and fellow martial artist Bruce Lee, who insisted that Norris play the villainous role of Colt in 1972's The Way of the Dragon. Norris and Bruce Lee's illegal showdown in the film became one of the most recognizable fights in cinematic history. Fom there, Norris, who was encouraged...

Chuck Norris is known for his roundhouse kicks and his action star persona in the ‘80s and the ‘90s. He starred in films such as Good Guys Wear Black, Breaker! Breaker!, and The Octagon. Though he did not reach the level of other action stars of the era such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, he still held his ground. The actor was known for being proficient in martial arts and was also known to have trained many celebrities in martial arts before he became an actor.

Norris made his big screen debut with Bruce Lee’s The Way of The Dragon. The action star has a minor role as Colt, who is recruited by the antagonist to fight against Lee’s Tang Lung. Norris and Lee reportedly developed a friendship when they met at the All-American-Karate Championship tournament, where the Silent Rage star was a two-time world champion.

Chuck Norris Began His...

Exclusive: Action megastar Keanu Reeves has partnered with Academy Award winner Fisher Stevens to co-produce a documentary on the life story of Benny “The Jet” Urquidez, the iconic athlete who introduced mixed martial arts to the world.

Titled The Jet, the film is currently in production under the direction of Emmy-nominated sports documentary editor turned filmmaker Jennifer Tiexiera. Its financiers are Chris Quintos Cathcart and Tyler Boehm of the newly formed Unapologetic Projects, a company dedicated to working with underrepresented creators. Maura Anderson and Zak Kilberg of Stevens’ recently launched production company Highly Flammable will also serve as producers along with John Scalise and his Faya Project. Nancy Weisler, Brian Maya and Chris Quintos Cathcart & Tyler Boehm of Unapologetic serve as executive producers on the project slated for release in 2025.

Nicknamed for his explosive spinning back kick, Sensei Benny “The Jet” Urquidez had a profound impact on martial arts in mainstream culture,...

Chuck Norris, known for his roles in '80s action films, is returning to the action genre after 11 years in the upcoming film Agent Recon. Norris was one of the main challengers behind Stallone and Schwarzenegger for the title of the third-biggest action star of the '80s. While Norris gained fame in action movies, his reputation as a tough guy also stems from his TV show Walker, Texas Ranger and his later family-friendly movies.

Expendables 2 star Chuck Norris returns to the action genre for the first time in 11 years in the upcoming Agent Recon. He originally gained fame as a stunt performer working with the likes of Bruce Lee, then became an action movie legend in his own right, thanks to a run of films including Lone Wolf McQuade, The Octagon, Missing in Action and many more. Later, Norris became a massive TV star thanks to his long-running, hugely-successful series Walker,...

Starting his career in an uncredited role in as a henchman in the Dean Martin/ Matt Helm movie The Wrecking Crew, Chuck Norris really burst onto the scene fighting Bruce Lee in a Roman Coliseum in The Way of the Dragon. Since then, Chuck Norris has had a career filled with action scenes, loud guns, and roundhouse kicks. He was a mainstay of 1980s action films and was even brought in as a sort of savior for the others in The Expendables 2. While he’s mostly retired now, everyone still knows who he is, and Chuck Norris jokes have honored him for years. After a solid deep dive of the man’s movies, here are what we consider the best Chuck Norris movies:

The Octagon (1980)

Starting off a decade of plenty for Mr. Norris, The Octagon is one of those films that feels very much like he owns it.

Jackie Chan has fought numerous fellow action heroes over the course of his career. In the action movie world, Jackie Chan needs no introduction, having dedicated his life to a blend of action, comedy, and martial arts that is uniquely his own. Additionally, Jackie Chan has also performed innumerable death-defying stunts throughout his career, with his movies frequently featuring outtakes of stunts gone wrong and the many injuries he has incurred.

With martial arts being such an integral element of all Jackie Chan movies, he has also been at the center of some of the most impressive fight scenes ever put to film. While many fellow stuntpeople and martial artists have had fight scenes opposite Chan and gone on to great careers themselves, Jackie Chan has also fought quite a few big martial arts movie stars. Even the average Jackie Chan fight scene is usually guaranteed to be entertaining, but...

Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee may be universally considered the greatest in the Martial Arts genre, but they’re not alone at the top. Both are unquestionably the biggest names in kung fu movies, but they don’t dominate the genre. It’s actually filled with talented fighters not named Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan, some of which being actors whose fame predate the two stars.

The number of iconic martial arts movies released since the 1960s speaks to the idea that Lee and Chan have plenty of company when it comes to actors with real fighting skills. After all, a large portion of the most talked-about martial arts movies of all time don’t include either actor. Bloodsport, Come Drink With Me, Ong Bak, Fearless, and Ip Man are among the countless films in the genre that don’t rely on the top two kung fu stars. Here are...

Event cinema distributor Iconic Events Releasing will be bringing monthly marquee UFC Pay-Per-View fights this year to the big screen.

Iconic has already booked UFC 270: Ngannou vs. Gane, UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2, and UFC 272: Covington vs. Masvidal.

The action continues with Uf 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie on Saturday, April 9, from VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., where the featherweight champion Volkanovski will defend his title against “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. There’s also a heated rivalry in the second chapter of the co-main event, as Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan meet for the undisputed bantamweight title.

“UFC is the ultimate theatrical sporting event – there’s simply nothing like experiencing these highly entertaining, competitive, and captivating fights on the big screen,” said Steve Bunnell, Iconic Events’ CEO. “UFC athletes are the best in the world and seeing them on giant movie theatre screens...

Dick Halligan, who won two Grammys for his early work with the group Blood, Sweat and Tears and later turned to film and television work, died Jan. 18 in Rome, Italy at age 78. The family cited natural causes.

Halligan was a member of Blood, Sweat and Tears for the horn-driven rock band’s first four albums. He played trombone on the group’s heralded 1968 debut, “Child is Father to the Man,” then moved over to keyboards and flute for their second album, the self-titled, “Blood, Sweat and Tears,” after co-founder and keyboardist Al Kooper left the band. With David Clayton-Thomas coming in as the grittier new lead vocalist, the group had a major commercial breakthrough and went from the counterculture cult popularity of the debut to winning the 1969 album of the year Grammy for the sophomore release. Halligan remained on board for two more albums before taking his leave in 1971.

It...

This article contains Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins spoilers.

It’s been a long time since we’ve been to the movies and an even longer time since we’ve seen a ninja flick on the big screen. Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is a dazzling return to the underrated ninja genre – a breakout premiere in the shadow of the pandemic.

Ninja films rarely earn a theatrical showing anymore. They are pigeon-holed as B-grade movie fodder, and justifiably so. Back in the 1980, ninja films proliferated when second and third-run movie theaters ruled. Campy, low budget ninja pictures were popular fare there back then, right alongside slasher films and teen sex comedies. But with the advent of home entertainment, those cheap flea-ridden theater seats atop soda-sticky floors are long gone. Nowadays, most new ninja films go straight to streaming so to see one on the big screen is quite a treat for fans of the genre.

Even though the PlayStation 5 is just around the corner, Sony continues to treat gamers to a wealth of impressive sales. And the latest promotion is a real doozie that’ll really delight all you fighting fans out there.

Specifically, the PlayStation 4’s latest Deal Of The Week is offering EA Sports UFC 4 for just $39.99, which is 33% off its original price of $59.99. Granted, the savings may not sound as significant as usual, but EA’s mixed martial arts fighting title is pretty new, and only released a couple of months ago. As always, this offer won’t last forever, so if you’re interested in hopping into the UFC Octagon on the PS4, we’d suggest pulling the trigger sharpish.

Not only is the official UFC video game franchise a really popular series, but the fourth iteration has received a lot of positive praise from critics as well. Indeed, our very...

Action icon and all-around legendary guy Chuck Norris is celebrating his 80th birthday today… Or maybe his birthday is celebrating him.

Born Carlos Ray Norris in Ryan, Oklahoma, the famous martial artist and film producer had a surprisingly melancholy childhood. His father was a drunk who would often put his family in financial crisis, causing Norris to exhibit introverted tendencies throughout his younger years – obviously a stark contrast from his action-packed career as a no-nonsense ass-kicker later in life. He picked up the nickname “Chuck” while serving in the United States Air Force where he began studying martial arts and soon started teaching karate. He eventually became the first ever westerner to earn the rank of 8th-degree black belt in taekwondo.

In 1972, Norris earned himself a long-term spot in Hollywood when he starred as Bruce Lee’s nemesis in The Way of the Dragon, which went on to be Hong...

Happy birthday, Chuck Norris! The action icon and internet legend is celebrating his 80th birthday today and the internet, rightfully so, took time to celebrate the occasion. The star of Walker Texas Ranger has had a career spanning more than 40 years, not to mention all of the truly incredible jokes centered around his legend that have sprung up during that time.

Chuck Norris, born Carlos Ray Norris, was born in 1940. Long before his career as an action star, Norris was a member of the military, serving in the Air Force. It was during his time there that he earned the nickname "Chuck." Norris began studying martial arts during his time in active service. Once leaving the military, he started teaching karate. Rather amazingly, Norris was the first westerner in history to hold the rank of 8th-degree black belt in taekwondo.

It was in 1972 that Chuck Norris got his big break,...

By David Kozlowski | 11 August 2017

Welcome to Issue #8 of The Lrm Weekend, a weekly column offering strong opinions about film, TV, comics, Star Wars, Marvel, DC, animation, and anime. We also want to hear from you, our awesome Lrm community! Share your feedback or ideas for future columns: @LRM_Weekend and we'll post your Tweets below!

Previous Issues: 8.4.17 | 7.28.17 | 7.21.17 | 7.14.17 | 7.7.17 | 6.30.17

Hey Lrm Weekenders, we've got a bunch of cool stuff for you this week. In our editorial we'll examine the big Disney streaming service announcement and what it means for Netflix. We'll also dive into the career of master crime writer Elmore Leonard, assess Chuck Norris' fighting skills, and have some fun with 80s Action movies. Looking forward to your comments and feedback!

Netflix Is Poised To Dominate And It's All Disney's Fault

Disney's big announcement, to pull their films from Netflix and launch their own streaming service by 2019, might look like...

Martial arts movies are true guilty pleasures -- one of the more overlooked and undervalued of all the film genres. I was raised on a steady diet of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Sonny Chiba, and Chuck Norris films. Later, I got to know Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Jean Claude-Van Damme, Steven Seagal for -- for the better or (sometimes) worse. These amazing fighters led the way for more recent talents, like Tony Jaa and Iko Uwais.

The '70s and '80s were arguably The greatest decades of martial arts movies (Enter the Dragon, Drunken Master, The Octagon, Bloodsport)... sure, you had to squint at times to get past bad acting and absurd plots, but we reveled in the pure visceral insanity of two (or more) trained fighters going toe-to-toe. Karate vs. Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do vs. Muay Thai -- for martial arts junkies, it's incredible to watch...

Production design, characters, and more come alive in new coffee table book.

Regardless of where you stand on Ghost in the Shell 2017’s story, performances, and overall existence, there’s one thing most of us can agree on — it’s one hell of a visually attractive film. From the character design to the look of the world itself, the various teams and talents behind the scenes succeeded in crafting and creating a high-tech environment infused with aesthetic appeal.

Fans of the film in general and of its visuals in particular will want to check out the new coffee table book from Insight Editions called The Art of Ghost in the Shell.

As they’ve done previously with films as diverse as Krampus, Pan, and The Jungle Book, the book pulls together a treasure trove of sketches, paintings, photographs (both from the film and behind the scenes), and ideas used by the filmmakers to design and build the...

With Jean-Claude Van Damme hitting the big screen this month in Kickboxer: Vengeance (a remake of his 1989 smash hit) we decided to find out who is the greatest of the legendary Eighties action heroes. Who kicked hardest, fought longest and has the staying power to be the last man standing? Let the fight begin!

Sylvester Stallone

Evidence: Sylvester Stallone is not only an enduring action star of note – from Rambo and Rocky, Cobra to Cliffhanger, right through to The Expendables, Sly has always set the box office cash tills ringing; but he is also an Oscar-nominated writer, a director, and even a painter. There is, it seems, very little he cannot do.

Verdict: Stallone is more rennaisance man than action hero king.

Dolph Lundgren

Evidence: At 6ft 5 and built like a Sherman tank, Swedish powerhouse Lundgren has taken on James Bond and Rocky, played The Punisher, a Universal Soldier and was one of The Expendables.

With so many cult titles from the Eighties and Nineties making their way to Blu-ray of late, it shouldn’t be too surprising to see a few more obscure titles also getting a digital upgrade. For example, the 1980 fright flick The Unseen. Any of you seen it?

Can’t say I’ve ever seen The Unseen. Good thing Scorpion Releasing will be putting it out on Blu-ray August 13th so I can find out what I’ve been missing.

Synopsis:

Freelance reporter Jennifer and her two friends, Karen and Vicki, accept an invitation for cheap room and board in a large farmhouse offered by a friendly, but shady museum owner named Ernest Keller since all the motels in and around town are booked for a holiday parade fair Jennifer is covering. But unknown to the women, some unseen "thing" has been living in the basement of the house for over...

Scientists have worked tirelessly since the invention of Blu-ray looking for a way to capture the essence of Chuck Norris onto a high-definition disc. No matter how hard they tried though his fists, jaw and body hair refused to be contained long enough for the transfer to take. But finally, in the year of our Lord 2012, six years after the format’s debut… they’ve succeeded. Seven of Chuck Norris’ classics are now available in HD. The Octagon (1980) was always one of my favorite Chuck Norris movies growing up, and that’s probably because it’s filled with ninjas. My Saturday afternoons often included airings of martial arts movies, both international and domestic. Anyone who did the same knows the former were always far more entertaining than the homegrown variety. Which is why Norris’ films, and this one in particular, hold such fond memories. Scott James (Norris) is an ex-martial arts champion with memories of intense physical...

The original “Expendable”, the undisputed toughest guy on the planet and the only man ever to have counted to infinity – twice, the second time backwards! – World Karate Champion turned actor Chuck Norris stars in these two classic, groundbreaking Us kung fu movies, now on Blu-ray for the first time.

We’re celebrating the release of A Force of One and The Octagon (Anchor Bay) which arrive on DVD and Blu-Ray on 6th August. Make sure you don’t miss out!

For your chance to win, first like us on Facebook… Already a fan? You can skip this part.

… and then email contest@whatculture.com with the e-mail header Chuck Norris. Make sure you leave your full name and address and that you are over the age of 15.

Following last week’s release of The Players, with Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin (The Artist) co-starring in the lead, we have a handful of new international films reaching the shelves this week, with three more films from France and two from Asia leading the pack.

We’ve also got a few excellent films to add to Play.com’s exclusive new Blu-ray Steelbook releases, in tandem with Universal’s 100th Anniversary, so with that in mind:

My picks of the week:

Shion Sono’s Himizu & David and Stéphane Foenkinos’ Delicacy

With the Blu-ray Steelbook re-release of Serenity a must-buy for fans/collectors.

Himizu Iframe Embed for Youtube

DVD and Blu-ray

Debuting at the Venice Film Festival last year, where it came away with the Marcello Mastroianni Award, Shion Sono’s Himizu has been receiving critical acclaim ever since in its film festivals tour ever since. The film was given a limited...

It’s Monday, so we all know what that means! Yes, it’s time for another rundown of DVDs and Blu-ray’s hitting stores online and offline this week. It’s a jam-packed week, with plenty of movies waiting to take you money, so let us breakdown the new releases and highlight what you should – and shouldn’t – be buying from today, August 6th 2012.

Pick(S) Of The Week

Castle: Season 3 (DVD)

Famous mystery novelist Richard Castle and NYPD detective Kate Beckett return for the suspenseful Third Season of ABC Studios’ brilliantly funny series, Castle. Enjoy every inspired idea and flirtatious moment as this fiery duo solve the strangest homicides New York has to offer. It’s the most entertaining season yet as Castle’s wildly funny storytelling skills work their way into every case. Between his mixed-up partnership with Beckett and his relationships with his diva mother and his clever daughter,...

A Force Of One

Stars: Chuck Norris, Clu Gulager, Jennifer O’Neill, Ron O’Neal, Bill Wallace, James Whitmore Jr., Eric Laneuville | Written by Pat E. Johnson, Ernest Tidyman | Directed by Paul Aaron

This week is sees a double-bill of Chuck Norris releases with The Octagon and now A Force of One. Chuck Norris again plays a Martial Arts expert, this time focusing more on karate so none of the mysterious and unknown art of the ninja (sarcasm of course). The question is will the spooky whispering be back or will this one be taken more seriously, and will he sound less like a serial killer.

In A Force of One Chuck Norris plays Matt Logan a karate champion and teacher of the martial art. When an undercover narcotics force finds itself being eliminated by an assassin while searching the source of a drugs problem they look for help from Logan.

The Octagon

Stars: Chuck Norris, Tadashi Yamashita, Karen Carlson, Lee Van Cleef, Art Hindle, Carol Bagdasarian | Written by Paul Aaron, Leigh Chapman | Directed by Eric Karson

Chuck Norris, the man and the legend, he’s made movies that can truly make you cringe; for all the wrong reasons. The Octagon in some respects is one of these cringe-worthy films with its truly strange script and its use of the “ninja”, but we can’t blame Norris of course or he’ll give us that intense stare and probably whisper to himself some philosophical thought that would warp our tiny little minds. Yes, if The Octagon is to be believed Chuck Norris has an internal monologue and it’s a whisper, which sounds very much like a serial killer planning your death. Chuck Norris is Scott James a man haunted by his past. Trained as a martial artist with his friend...

Heavy Metal Parking Lot

A strong contender for the title of most famous movie you've probably never heard of. When cable TV first hit the Us, a certain amount of space was given over to public access, so every area had some local content. It was open to all-comers and equipment was made available to anyone strong enough to lug it around. So Maryland residents John Heyn and Jeff Krulik took it upon themselves to record the activity of attendees of the local enormodome indoor arena. They lucked out too because on the evening they chose, Judas Priest rolled into town.

What resulted was a jaw-dropping 17 minutes where we're treated to a procession of kids who were, to assume the vernacular of the time, super-wasted and hyped up to see a proper rock show; none of that sucky new wave or Madonna crap for them. Full of bad haircuts, baffling fashion choices and ranting teens,...

Why in the hell are there so many exclamation points in that headline, you ask? Because I’m pretty excited about the fact that the Chuck Norris martial arts classic “The Octagon” is coming to Blu-ray. What’s more, Anchor Bay is also releasing “A Force of One” and Dolph Lundgren’s little-seen action flick “Pentathlon”, the latter of which is currently missing from my exhaustive collection of dodgy action cinema. Good news for my entertainment addiction, bad news for my wallet. Damn you, empty currency receptacle! Anyway, in order to take advantage of the upcoming action-packed event flick “The Expendables 2″, Anchor Bay is giving us an opportunity to own the aforementioned motion pictures. Look for them to arrive on retail shelves this summer. Makes sense, right? For specifics regarding special features and what-not, have a look at this press release. All of your many questions shall be answered momentarily.

Is Blu-ray ready for Chuck Norris? That’s the question on everyone’s lips as Anchor Bay announce the UK Blu-ray debut of two of the ultimate bad-ass’ earliest movies, A Force of One and The Octagon. Chuck Norris, the ultimate action hero who’s set to show Stallone and co. how it’s done this summer in The Expendables 2, was made for hi-definition. Imagine it: the grizzled good looks, the hard as nails beard and the fists and feet of steel… all in glorious high definition on Blu-ray. How can you resist? I know I can’t!

A Force of One

A routine investigation by a crack team of undercover narcotic agents becomes anything but when a deadly assassin begins to eliminate the members of the squad one by one. In a desperate bid to identify the culprit, and to train its officers in the martial arts in order to defend themselves,...

When it was first announced, MacGruber seemed like the most dubious Saturday Night Live movie since It’s Pat!. Unlike previous films based upon the late night sketch show’s characters, MacGruber could not even carry five minutes of screen time. Instead, it managed only one to two, always punctuated by the exact same Aeon Flux-esque closing gag in which all of the protagonists meet an untimely end.

Expectations rose when Lonely Island member Jorma Taccone was placed in the director’s chair backed by the legitimate A-list talents of Ryan Phillipe and Val Kilmer. Suddenly, what had once sounded like the single worst idea for a movie in a great many years had a chance to be the next Wayne’s World, or at least the next Night at the Roxbury.

Is it? No. Not really. But it is very funny. Sometimes. More after the jump:

In many...

Today is Chuck Norris' birthday — and that is a Chuck Norris Fact. Sure, we all know the star of "The Octagon" hasn't actually aged since the day he thought he saw a gray hair and made Father Time taste his boot heel, but we still set aside one day each year to celebrate everything Chuck Norris has given us.

Take, for example, "Chuck Norris and the Karate Kommandos." The animated series debuted in 1986 and featured Norris (of course) and a team of highly trained government operatives as they battled Super Ninja and his villainous buddies. The series only lasted five episodes, but also spawned a comic book series published by Marvel's kid-friendly imprint Star Comics.

Having grown up with the series (and dressing up as the Karate Kommandos' leader for at least one Halloween), I had to ask Norris about it when he dropped by Splash Page HQ last...

This week, Chris and Matt are joined by special guest Rick Marshall, editor of MTV’s Splashpage site, to talk about movies, tv, comics, games and all things geek. Among the topics covered are what holiday movies the three are looking forward to such as Kick-Ass and Sherlock Holmes, Avatar, cool video game releases, Thor casting, the performance of 2012 at the box office, the upcoming release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon and a whole lot more.

As usual, the guys made some cool picks for you to check out this week including Rick’s pick of the upcoming Warner Bros. action flick Ninja Assasin, Matt’s pick of the classic Bruce Willis action/romance film Die Hard and Chris’ dual picks of the Chuck Norris action film The Octagon (shown at right) and AMC’s currently running reboot The Prisoner, starring Ian McKellan and Jim Caviezal.

As always, if you have comments,...

My relatively pleasant evening was rocked by an earthquake last night when I heard that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is joining Sylvester Stallone's action epic The Expendables. Now this thing can boast an ensemble of Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Randy Couture, Forest Whitaker, Eric Roberts and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Danny Trejo is rumored to play the villain.

To the optimist, it looks like Stallone is putting together the greatest action movie 1985 has ever seen. The cynic in me, however, remains convinced that this is some kind of trick. I just know that I'm going to enter the theater, balls swelling with testosterone, and realize that there is no movie—just Stallone and a team of Taiwanese doctors ready to steal my organs.

Don't expect Schwarzenegger to flex a lot of muscle, though. His appearance is basically a cameo, where he plays himself. According to AICN,...

The Brood (1979) Synopsis: Frank Carveth (Art Hindle, The Octagon rocks!) shares custody of his daughter with his estranged wife, Nola (Samantha Eggar), and one day finds bruises and welts on the little girl's body after a visit with her mother.  The wife is in the care of an unconventional psychiatrist ...