Category Archives: legend

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

“The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” 50th Anniversary Special Edition

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The hell-raising bloodshed of 1974’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre disrupted movie theatergoers worldwide. Leatherface is running after a group of friends, wielding the iconic chainsaw.

Directed by Tobe Hooper, the studio marketed this horror film based on actual events to attract public attention and sell tickets. Ed Gein, who committed gruesome crimes of murder, inspired Leatherface and minor plot points. Otherwise, the horror film’s storyline is predominantly fiction.

Ed Gein was a serial killer and body snatcher, robbing grave sites, also known as the Butcher of Plainfield, the Mad Butcher and the Plainfield Goul. Gein’s murders were so horrific that his killing spree filled popular horror films: Psycho, The Silence of the Lambs and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year, making it the perfect time for horror fans to grab popcorn and their favorite beverage and pop the DVD or VHS in their machines.

Dark Sky Selects sent me The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 50th Anniversary Chainsaw Edition. To my surprise, I opened the box to pursue multiple theme-based features. A collection of many interviews on a multi-disc set will include:

  • Three new 4K UHD editions.
  • AA Blu-ray bonus disc containing new extra features.
  • Exclusive VHS movie release.

The special edition collector’s set is housed in a custom-made box replicating the iconic chainsaw from the film. The chainsaw is among the best swab gizmos I have ever seen. Opening it triggers the sound of Leatherface wielding it in the movie. They numbered each box set and only created 5000—I own #1251. 

This limited edition also features a newly designed 50th Anniversary O-card and brand-new bonus content, including The Merchandise of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Restoration of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 50th Anniversary Chainsaw Edition will be available for $299.98 exclusively at Dark Sky Selects.

Here is a breakdown of what you get:

DISC 1: 4K UHD (FEATURE FILM)

BONUS: 4 FEATURE COMMENTARIES

  • Writer-Producer-Director Tobe Hooper, Actor Gunnar Hansen, Cinematographer Daniel Pearl
  • Actors Marilyn Burns, Allen Danziger, and Paul A. Partain, and Production Designer Robert Burns
  • Writer-Producer-Director Tobe Hooper
  • Cinematographer Daniel Pearl, Editor J. Larry Carroll and Sound Recordist Ted Nicolaou

DISC 2: BLU-RAY (FEATURE FILM)

BONUS: 4 FEATURE COMMENTARIES

  • Writer-Producer-Director Tobe Hooper, Actor Gunnar Hansen, Cinematographer Daniel Pearl
  • Actors Marilyn Burns, Allen Danziger, and Paul A. Partain, and Production Designer Robert Burns
  • Writer-Producer-Director Tobe Hooper
  • Cinematographer Daniel Pearl, Editor J. Larry Carroll and Sound Recordist Ted Nicolaou

DISC 3: BLU-RAY BONUS FEATURES

  • NEW The Merchandise of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
  • NEW The Restoration of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
  • Feature-Length Documentary: The Legacy of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
  • The Cinefamily Presents FRIEDKIN/HOOPER: A Conversation About The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Between William Friedkin and Tobe Hooper
  • Flesh Wounds: Seven Stories of the Saw
  • A Tour of the TCSM House with Gunnar Hansen
  • Off the Hook with Teri McMinn
  • The Business of Chain Saw: An Interview with Production Manager Ron Bozman Interview
  • Deleted Scenes & Outtakes
  • Grandpa’s Tales: An Interview with Actor John Dugan
  • Cutting Chain Saw: An Interview with Editor J. Larry Carroll
  • Blooper Reel
  • Horrors Hallowed Grounds: TCSM
  • Dr. W.E. Barnes Presents “Making Grandpa”
  • Still Gallery
  • Trailers
  • TV Spots
  • Radio Spots

The film’s low budget, gritty style, extreme gore, and violence boosted its popularity. Since then, we’ve had horror films like The Blair Witch Project, Friday the 13th, Halloween and Night of the Living Dead.

The group of friends intends to visit an old family homestead. On their journey, they encounter a hitchhiker who behaves strangely. The stranger eventually turns on them and attacks them, leading to a harrowing chase through the Texas countryside.

They arrive at a farmhouse and meet cannibalistic killers, including the iconic Leatherface with a mask of human skin and a chainsaw. Michael Myers copied the masking technique so beautifully on Halloween.

Upon its release, the film sparked controversy for its graphic violence, a stark contrast to the Coen Bros. films and the SAW franchise. This controversy, however, only cemented its status as a cult classic and the most influential horror movie of its genre.

It generated many sequels and remakes, influencing countless horror films that tried to be deemed worthy.

“John Wick: Chapter 4” Trailers, Clips, Posters and Images

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John Wick, played by Keanu Reeves, uncovers a path to defeat The High Table. The ultimate authority of the underworld. It’s a council of twelve crime lords. They govern the underworld’s most powerful criminal organizations. The High Table has respect but draws fear.

But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes.

Chad Stahelski directs a stellar cast that includes Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick, Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins and Ian McShane.

Keanu Reeves as John Wick in John Wick: Chapter 4. Photo Credit: Murray Close
Keanu Reeves as John Wick, Donnie Yen as Caine, and Scott Adkins as Killa in John Wick: Chapter 4.
Photo Credit: Murray Close
Keanu Reeves as John Wick in John Wick: Chapter 4. Photo Credit: Murray Close
Love Story

“Love Story” 50th Anniversary Restored 4K Film

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Some call it a classic LOVE STORY as it celebrates its 50th anniversary with a brand-new Blu-ray, newly restored from a 4K film transfer.

Based on Erich Segal’s best-selling novel, LOVE STORY received seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and became a cultural phenomenon, earning over $100 million at the domestic box office. In 2002, the AFI named it #9 among the 100 greatest love stories ever.

The Blu-ray includes the newly restored film, a new Filmmaker Focus with film historian Leonard Maltin, plus previously released content, including a commentary by director Arthur Hiller, an introduction by film critic Ben Mankiewicz, Love Story: A Classic Remembered, and the theatrical trailer, plus access to a Digital copy of the film. The disc is a collectible packaging with a foldout image of the film’s theatrical poster and an interior spread with key movie moments.  

Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw both received Oscar nominations for their starring roles as Harvard students Oliver, played by O’Neal, and Jenny, played by MacGraw, from opposite backgrounds. Still, they share a chemistry they cannot deny—and a love they can’t ignore. Despite Oliver’s wealthy father threatening to disown him, the young couple marries and builds their new life together. But fate has other plans, and soon Oliver and Jenny face a crisis only the strongest of loves can endure. And we hear the most poignant and misunderstood phrase — “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”

“Boogie” Amazing Journey of Professional Basketball Player

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Written and directed by writer, producer and restauranteur Eddie Huang, Boogie is his directorial debut.

The coming-of-age story of Alfred “Boogie” Chin, played by Taylor Takahashi, a basketball phenom living in Queens, New York, who dreams of one day playing in the NBA.

While his parents pressure him to focus on earning a scholarship to an elite college, Boogie must navigate a new girlfriend, played by Taylour Paige, high school, on-court rivals and the burden of expectation.

The rest of the cast includes Pamelyn Chee, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Mike Moh, Dave East, Perry Yung, Alexa Mareka, and Pop Smoke.

watch the horror movie, candyman

Unlock the Terrific Horror “Candyman” Poster and Trailer

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watch the Candyman and freak out over the horror movie.

Don’t say his name. 

Co-written and directed by Nia DaCosta and produced and co-written by Oscar winner Jordan Peele with co-writer Win Rosenfeld, the movie will bring back childhood memories of a fresh take on a blood-chilling urban legend. Your friend’s older sibling probably told you about at a sleepover, known as the Candyman, is a contemporary incarnation of the cult classic.  

For as long as residents can remember, the housing projects of Chicago’s Cabrini Green neighborhood were terrorized by a word-of-mouth ghost story about a supernatural killer with a hook for a hand, quickly summoned by those daring to repeat his name five times into a mirror. 

You come to the present day, after a decade of the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down. Enter visual artist Anthony McCoy, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and his girlfriend, gallery director Brianna Cartwright, played by Teyonah Parris, move into a luxury loft condo in Cabrini, now gentrified beyond recognition and inhabited by upwardly mobile millennials.

With Anthony’s painting career on the brink of stalling, a chance encounter with a Cabrini Green old-timer, played by Colman Domingo, exposes Anthony to the tragically horrific nature of the true story behind Candyman. Anxious to maintain his status in the Chicago art world, Anthony begins to explore these macabre details in his studio. He sees it as fresh grist for paintings, unknowingly opening the door to a complicated past that unravels his sanity and unleashes a terrifyingly viral wave of violence that puts him on a collision course with destiny.

Unparalleled “No Time to Die” Posters and Trailer

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Daniel Craig is back as 007, James Bond.

Director Cary Joji Fukunaga led the production of the 25th James Bond movie by filming where it all began, GoldenEye in Jamaica, where Ian Fleming created James Bond stories, including Dr. No and Live And Let Die locations shot. Daniel Craig returns for his fifth film as Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007. 

The production confirmed the returning cast, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Rory Kinnear, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Jeffrey Wright, and introducing Ana de Armas, Dali Benssalah, David Dencik, Lashana Lynch, Billy Magnussen, and Rami Malek.

Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help.

No Time to Die
Pandemic Caused So Many Posters and Release Date Changes
The new poster looks the same as the old one. Look closer “Only in Theaters” is added and “2021” is taken out.

The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology. 

watch no time to die when it hits the theaters

The 007 production plans also to film in the U.K., and on location in London, Italy, and Norway.

Listen to Billie Eilish sing the them song to No Time to Die.
Billie Eilish

I am very excited that Billie Eilish will sing the theme song for No Time To Die. I wonder if she is working closely with Hans Zimmerman. Eilish said, “It feels crazy to be a part of this in every way. To be able to score the theme song on a film that is part of such a legendary series is a huge honor. James Bond is the coolest film franchise ever to exist. I’m still in shock.”

The Sizzle Reel below is short and offers a perspective of Craig’s role as James Bond.

“Black Widow” Featurettes, Poster, TV Spots, Trailers

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Directed by Cate Shortland, Black Widow is about Natasha Romanoff, played by Scarlett Johansson, in her quests between the films Civil War and Infinity Wars.

Ned Benson and Jac Schaeffer co-wrote the screenplay based on Stan Lee, Don Heck, and Don Rico comic books.

Rachel Weisz and David Harbour play critical roles in the movie – Weisz as Melina Vostokoff and Harbour as Alexei Shostakov and Red Guardian.

Weisz’s most recent role was in The Favourite, and she is married to James Bond, Daniel Craig. David Harbour played the Sheriff in Stranger Things and played Hellboy in the remake.  

Black Widow is Shortland’s first major movie, though it looks like she directed a couple of arthouse movies.

Not a lot of information about the movie, so we watch the trailer to figure out what is happening in the story. It looks like the Black Widow goes home and spends time with her family.

The TV spot is 90 seconds long, almost the length of a trailer, and it contains what is in the above trailer and a little bit more.

I am impressed with these presentations, and I am hoping for a great movie.

“Rambo: Last Blood” Posters, Stallone Interview & Trailers

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Directed by Adrian Grunberg, Rambo: Last Blood (aka Rambo V) arrives four decades after John Rambo, played by Sylvester Stallone, hitchhiked through the Northwest small town looking for a place to stay the night. The sheriff, played by the late Brian Dennehy, drew first blood, and Rambo showed him the who is most skilled and toughest.

The interview with Stallone is heartfelt and wise words from a man who knows the industry and understands the components to produce and story worth seeing.

After three Rambo movies, he is back for the final installment of the franchise. You can hear his words from the movie trailer. He becomes a man who must confront his past. He will be ruthless, using his combat skills achieve revenge in his final mission of vengeance. The studio says it’s the closing chapter of the legendary series.

Stallone calls this the last Rambo movie.

Grunberg worked as a second unit director and first assistant director for several well-known movies including Man on Fire, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. He directed the Mel Gibson headliner Get the Gringo. With his direction, the last installment of Rambo looks promising. 

Matthew Cirulnick and Stallone wrote the screenplay, and Cirulnick writing credits are impressive with tons of episodic television and a few movies in pre-production.

The rest of the cast includes Paz Vega, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Adrianna Barraza, Yvette Monreal, Genie Kim aka Yenah Han, Joaquin Cosio, and Oscar Jaenada.

Never mess with Rambo. He kicks some booty in this movie.

The movie clip promotes the release of the movie. It shows the action and destruction Rambo is known for doing. The oneliners are expected but true to form.

“Judy” Trailers, Clips, & Poster

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Directed by Rupert Goold, Judy begins during the Winter of 1968. The showbiz legend Judy Garland, played by Renee Zellweger, arrives in Swinging London to perform a five-week sold-out run at The Talk of the Town.

It is 30 years since she shot to global stardom in The Wizard of Oz, but if her voice has weakened, its dramatic intensity has only grown. As she prepares for the show, battles with management, charms musicians, and reminisces with friends and adoring fans, her wit and warmth shine through.

The movie derives from the play End of the Rainbow by Peter Quilter and the screenplay adaption by Tom Edge. On the IMDB website, Quilter says Edge’s screenplay is more edger than the imaginative play.


Judy is available on Amazon Prime or wherever Blu-rays and DVDs can be purchased. 

Goold directing credits include True Story, King Charles III, and The Hollow Crown, which won Broadcasting Press Guild Awards for Best Single Drama. Goold works with executive producer Sam Mendes, who directed a couple of James Bond 007 movies. Mendes is not involved with the production of Judy.

The movie looks promising with Zellweger as Judy. We come to find even her dreams of love seem undimmed as she embarks on a whirlwind romance with Mickey Deans, played by Finn Wittrock, her soon-to-be fifth husband. Featuring some of her best-known songs, we celebrate the voice, the capacity for love, and the sheer pizzazz of “the world’s greatest entertainer.”

The next trailer shows more of the movie with is flashbacks and Garland’s drug dependency and separation from her children because she needs to go to London and make money. We see more of the other actors in the movie, including Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock, Rufus Sewell, and Michael Gambon.

Buckley is making quite a name for herself with her starring role in the award-winning Wild Rose.

Zellweger becomes Judy Garland, and she embodies her. She makes the movie.

Judy Garland is an endearing soul who understood the hardships that life can bring. She lived tragically in the end. But I am sure she is doing well.

In this clip, I can see Judy Garland as Dorothy when she comforts the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion. Zellweger is brilliant, and I hope she gets nominated for both the Golden Globe and Oscar.

It’s heartbreaking to watch this scene because of Judy Garland’s life rollercoaster. Here she is on an upswing when we know it will be tragic again.

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” Trailer, Clips, Featurettes, TV Spot & Interview

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I am so excited that J.J. Abrams is returning to direct the final chapter of the saga from a galaxy far, far away.

The standard cast is returning with some new faces, including Lupita Nyong’o, Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac, Daisy Ridley, Keri Russell, Adam Driver, Billy Dee Wiliams, and the late Carrie Fisher.

Abrams also co-wrote the screenplay with Chris Terrio, and there appears to be a new Droid.

The red carpet interview with producer Kathleen Kennedy reveals the franchise hasn’t finished yet. Still, the other red carpet interviews with J.J. Abrams and stars talk about this being the last movie of the nine Star Wars movies.

Star Wars is a big box office winner. I side with Kennedy. The space opera stories must continue even if the next one starts with a different group of characters.

The “Special Look” shows the Star Wars past and the movie’s ending. In the middle, we see C-3PO with red eyes. At the end of the footage, we see Rey (or is it Rey) on the Darkside.

The third trailer shows a lot happening in the final movie. All of it is exciting.

Here is a TV spot and yes it advertises to purchase your advance tickets. Not a bad idea considering it will sell out in some locations. The TV spot does offer some clues to the story and new footage. Enjoy!

The Star Wars Culture featurette says it all.

The next featurette is fabulous. Enjoy!

The movie is about legends.

Funny scene, yes, “They fly now.”