Rewind Wednesday: "I'll Be Back!"

25 Years ago on an Autumn day we would be introduced to a film that would set that standard for futuristic films of today! I figure how fitting it would be to feature this movie for our Rewind Wednesday! Drum Roll please (LOL)... it would be none other than The Terminator starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator, Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor and Michael Biehn as Kyle Reese.

"In the Year of Darkness, 2029, the rulers of this planet devised the ultimate plan. They would reshape the Future by changing the Past. The plan required something that felt no pity. No pain. No fear. Something unstoppable. They created 'THE TERMINATOR' "

This 1984 science fiction/action film directed and co-written by James Cameron would introduce the concept of a "terminator", specifically the titular character (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a seemingly unstoppable cyborg assassin who has been sent back from the year 2029 by a race of artificially intelligent computer-controlled machines bent on the extermination of the human race. The Terminator's mission is to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) whose future son leads a resistance against the machines. A human, Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn), is also sent back from the future to protect her.



James Cameron got the idea for The Terminator (1984) while shooting another film in Europe. His vision was of a metal endoskeleton emerging from flames and most of the script was written backwards from there. The endoskeleton would have to be futuristic, and Cameron couldn't afford to set the film in the future. The solution was to bring the future to the present, hence the 'time travel' aspect of the script was written in. Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that "such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer". (Hmmm really...lol) According to him and co-writer William Wisher, Schwarzenegger was offered the role of the human soldier Reese. However, they realized that he would be better suited as the Terminator, which as a result became large and muscular. Michael Biehn was also on the shortlist for the Terminator, and not the hero Kyle Reese. It would go on to win several awards including the Saturn Award (1985) for Best Make-Up, Science Fiction Film, and Writing.

Considering that, The Terminator was a low-budget movie, at roughly $6.4 million, it would turn out to be a box-office hit, earning $38,371,200 domestically. The film would then go on to gross more than $78 million worldwide. Although stereophonic sound existed in 1984, The Terminator (1984) was filmed in monophonic. This was because during the production, the budget was too low to allow the filmmakers to get all the effects they wanted and still allow for the film to be shot in stereo. Although a stereo remix was produced later for the Hemdale VHS release, it was not until MGM acquired the rights to the film that a fully recognizable 5.1 stereo soundtrack was created, for the 2001 Special Edition DVD. Now here is something else that was quite interesting, Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous debut line 'I'll be back' was originally scripted as 'I'll come back'. And now that I think of it, that has a better ring to it too!!

And now just think in 2008, The Terminator was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. This movie has truly stood against the test of time, and hopefully the third installment Terminator: Salvation will continue the legacy. Check out the trailer below:

It hits theaters tomorrow May 21st, 2009.

David Banner and Boris Kodjoe Together in a Film?!!

The Confidant is a tantalizing suspense thriller, written and directed by award winning writer
Alton Glass. The movie is an intricately woven tale about two childhood best friends that have an unusually strong bond, and an even more intriguing secret.

The storyline includes both Kodjoe and Banner’s characters each being on a path to promising futures, one as a first round NFL draft pick, and the other a talented artist. A complicated web of lies, gambling, murder, and a pact between friends, sends one to prison and the other to fame. After eleven years locked away, the innocent of the two (Banner) comes to collect on the debt, and is determined to have the life that was taken away from him…by any means necessary!

Hmmmm this should be interesting....

Discover more secrets with "Angels & Demons"

Tom Hanks reprises his role as Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon in “Angels and Demons,” the much-anticipated sequel to the international blockbuster, The Da Vinci Code(2006), This would be another Dan Brown (author) film adaptation, although the novel Angels & Demons was published and takes place before the novel The Da Vinci Code.

When Langdon discovers evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati—the most powerful underground organization in history—he also faces a deadly threat to the existence of the secret organization's most despised enemy: the Catholic Church. Embarking on a nonstop, action-packed hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon follows a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that mark the Vatican's only hope for survival.

If you enjoyed the DaVinci Code, then you will undoubtedly enjoy this movie as well. The same twists and turns are reflected in Angels and Demons as well. One slight difference is the fact that this one was just slightly at a faster pace, which kid of helped it out considering the movie is two hours long. What viewers may also want to realize is that the movie is obviously fictitious, however there is still enough real history to make it seem very believable. And when it all boils down that is what matters, the entertaining piece not whether its a real story. If that is the case no one would go to the movies.

"Howard is excellent in depicting the simplicity of complexity and complex issues."

Grade: B

Exclusive Premiere's Coming to you this Fall!!

As you may know I try to give you some sneak peeks of any new and upcoming films, and today is no different.

This first sneak peek premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film festival where it won the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize for best drama, as well as a Special Jury Prize for supporting actress Mo'Nique. Precious, originally known as Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire, is a 2009 drama film, adapted from the 1996 Sapphire novel Push about a teenaged girl living in Harlem. This film will have you shedding tears uncontrollably! Its powerful story and plot are truly amazing. I remember watching the trailer and just getting chills. Well here's a sneak peek for you to see with your own eyes.



Precious is to hit theaters November 6, 2009!! Definitely a MUST GO SEE!!!


This next one is for all my Tyler Perry and Madea fans. This film is definitely going to have you rolling in your seats!! That boy is just too crazy!! I Can Do Bad All By Myself hits theaters September 11th, 2009.

Rewind Wednesday: Class is in Session edition!!

It's that time of the week again, Rewind Wednesday! Today's feature is one that is very near and dear to my heart. It features my alma mater Clark Atlanta University (at the time Clark College) as well as some of my other fellow Atlanta University Center (AUC) institutions. This film I personally think put ATL on the map!! Well if you haven't figured it out yet I'm talking about Spike Lee's 1988 musical-drama School Daze! This film would include a huge cast of great actors and actress who have really blown up in today's tv and film. It would star such greats as Laurence Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Samuel Jackson, Jasmine Guy, and Ossie Davis just to name a few.

Based in part on Spike Lee's experiences at Atlanta's Morehouse College, it is a story about fraternity and sorority members clashing with other students at a historically black college during homecoming weekend. This would be Lee's second feature film in which he directed. In addition, it would highlight what it meant to be a college educated student, and more specifically an African American (black) student. The student's at Mission College needed to understand that they were responsible for what goes on around them and that they would need to own up to that!



One interesting thing to note about this film was that Spike Lee had the actors stay in separate hotels during filming. The actors playing the "wannabes" had better accommodations than the ones playing the "jigaboos", which contributed to the on-camera animosity between the two camps. This truly helped to show the authenticity of what could and may have happened on a typical day in the life of an HBCU. The method approached used would yield strong results - the fight that occurs at the step show between Dap's crew and the Gammas was not in the script; on the day of the shooting of the scene, the fight broke out, and Lee ordered that the cameras keep rolling. Now keep in mind even though "Mission College," and "Gamma Phi Gamma" were fictional, a chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity actually appears in School Daze.



School Daze truly captured the reality of many African American students attending college and it gave future students an idea of what they could obtain in life. Many folks could completely vibe with the whole fraternity/sorority versus "GDI" issue. For some who did attend an HBCU you could identify with what was being portrayed in the film. Whereas on the other hand at a predominantly white institution some of the other issues around skin color may be new to the individual. I will definitely say this this is must see for any African American student attending or planning on attending college - especially if they plan on attending an Historically Black Colege or University. (This should be a ritual for those going to the AUC [Clark Atlanta, Morehouse, Spelman, and Morris Brown]).

In the end you truly must wake up!! Dap's (Laurence Fishburn) point in this movie was "to encourage the student body to wake up and take notice to what was going on around them.

For All My Indie Film Folks!!

Now I must say there are several good mainstream films but sometimes you gotta check out those ones that just may not make to the "big leagues". Well I personally think they do just in their own right. I got a nice little line for you guys to take a look at these films, and switch it up just one time. You never know, you just might like it!

First up I think is very fitting considering all the noise about steroid use! Bigger Stronger Faster.


In the hopes of exploring American culture's increased obsession with winning, documentary filmmaker Christopher Bell examines the anabolic steroid use of his two brothers. After setting the stage with a look at the cultural backdrop of the 1980s -- in which hulky stars like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger were the ideal -- Bell illustrates how he and his brothers became involved in the bodybuilding subculture, eventually discovering the brutal truth that success in the lifestyle of pumping iron demanded the use of steroids. Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

Next is coming from an actor who we have not seen in a looong time...Jean Claude Van Damme... JCVD.


Jean-Claude Van Damme plays himself in this meta-crime comedy that finds him garnering mores headlines than he's had in years after stumbling into an in-progress bank heist. Down and out, with only straight-to-DVD titles under his belt and a recent job lost out to fellow has-been Steven Seagal, the aging action star returns to Belgium a broken man fresh from losing a custody case for his daughter in Hollywood. Upon his arrival, the bad news continues with a disastrous ATM encounter that leads him into the bank and straight into a robbery situation, for which he's about to be blamed. Soon, crowds grow outside on the street, with the cops quick to point the finger at him and his fans cheering for his release. The film garnered a cult following during its festival run and awarded Van Damme his first theatrical release in the States in almost a decade.

And last on the list is for my folks who just love a good costume! The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert.


The usually menacing British actor Terence Stamp does a complete turnaround as Bernadette, an aging transsexual who tours the backwaters of Australia with her stage partners, Mitzi (Hugo Weaving) and Adam/Felicia (Guy Pearce). Their act, well-known in Sydney, involves wearing lots of makeup and gowns and lip-synching to records, but Bernadette is getting a bit tired of it all and is also haunted by the bizarre death of an old loved one. Nevertheless, when Mitzi and Felicia get an offer to perform in the remote town of Alice Springs at a casino, Bernadette decides to tag along. The threesome ventures into the outback with Priscilla, a lavender-colored school bus that doubles as dressing room and home on the road. Along the way, the act encounters any number of strange characters, as well as incidents of homophobia, while Bernadette becomes increasingly concerned about the path her life has taken. Winner of the 1995 Oscar for Best Costume Design.

Can Keanu Reeves fit the bill to star in updated "Jekyll"?

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Keanu Reeves is about to develop a split personality as the star of a modern retelling of "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."

Universal Pictures is developing the feature, with Justin Haythe, writer of Revolutionary Road , penning the script. Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, writer-director of the "Pusher" trilogy of gritty thrillers, is in negotiations to direct the project, titled "Jekyll."

Reeves most recently starred in the remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still.

(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)
(please visit our entertainment blog via www.reuters.com or on http://blogs.reuters.com/fanfare/)