Music composer and producer Anton Sanko (pictured above Left with director/producer Sam Raimi) was recently nominated for an Emmy Award for his work in the Lifetime Original Movie “Ring of Fire” in the category of Outstanding Music Composition For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special (Original Dramatic Score). “Ring of Fire” stars Jewel as legendary country artist June Carter Cash. Prior his Emmy nomination Sanko scored the Sam Raimi produced horror/suspense film The Possession starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan as well as critically acclaimed film Rabbit Hole starring Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart. Anton also has a number of television credits under his belt. Chief among them are the epic seven-part global programming television event “Great Migrations” for National Geographic, the acclaimed HBO series “Big Love” starring Bill Paxton, and…
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Off the Shelf…’Oz the Great and Powerful’
In this prequel to the 1939 classic, Sam Raimi shows us how the “Wizard of Oz” became so Great and Powerful. This Blu-Ray release allows us to go much deeper into this so-called prequel than even the well-intentioned 3D transfer would allow. Thankfully a second helping of this saccharine world is a more enjoyable affair and and a slightly more exciting outing. Who wouldn’t want to travel to the wondrous and imaginative worlds we’ve seen grace the silver screen? Chief among the most magical candidates has to be the Land of Oz. Usually it’s with extreme hesitation that one would chose to add to the mythology of property as legendary as The Wizard of Oz. Others smartly…
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G-S-T Review…Evil Dead
There’s a caveat that needs to be applied to any review of Fede Alvarez’s remake of Evil Dead, Sam Raimi’s unassailable 1981 horror staple: the new version isn’t as good as the old. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be, because nobody should reasonably expect genre remakes to live up to or exceed the masterpieces that spawn them. The better news is that Alvarez actually has a great movie on his hands- perhaps one that’s not capable of creating the same lasting, resonating impact within its categorical boundaries as Raimi’s original movie did, but certainly one that brings the blood-soaked goods with the sort of unhinged, fearless…
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G-S-T Review…Oz the Great and Powerful
Who wouldn’t want to travel to the wondrous and imaginative worlds we’ve seen grace the silver screen? Chief among the most magical candidates has to be the Land of Oz. In this prequel to the 1939 classic, Sam Raimi shows us how the “Wizard of Oz” became so Great and Powerful. Usually it’s with extreme hesitation that one would chose to add to the mythology of property as legendary as The Wizard of Oz. Others smartly leave well enough alone. After all, the sequel and TV spin offs have yielded results paling in comparison to Victor Fleming’s film. Since going back has been done before the only place to go is back to the beginning, right? How very contemporary. The film…
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“The CineMagic 8-Ball” – In Theaters 03/08/13
When so many movies are released each week and trailers often seem better than the movie itself, what should one do? In this precarious situation, we consult the The CineMagic 8-Ball (TM) to help us see through the nebulous marketing haze. Doing so just might save us all a disheartening trip to the cinema and spare us the shelling out for $7 popcorn and ridiculous concession stand prices. See what the 8-Ball says about this week’s releases… ——————————————————————————————————————————————- DEAD MAN DOWN In New York City, a crime lord’s right-hand man is seduced by one of his boss’s victims and the two strangers, who are irresistibly drawn to one another, share…
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Sweet Trailer…Sam Raimi's 'Oz The Great and Powerful'
Sam Raimi’s successful genre crossing career has gone from horror/camp to comic books and now he’s treading new ground…somewhere over the rainbow that is. From the first images and teaser trailer it looks like his trip to the land of OZ would be one of wondrous delight. Well brace yourselves, this full trailer for Disney’s OZ The Great and Powerful is even more vibrant lush and magical…Enjoy! From a screenplay by Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire Oz The Great and Powerfuldirected by Sam Raimi. His old Spidey series buddy James Franco will star as the titular Oz and he’ll be joined by a slew of fine actors including the three witches Theodora, Evanora, Glinda played by Mila…
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Sweet (Teaser) Trailer…Fede Alvarez's 'Evil Dead'
Sam Raimi‘s original Evil Dead is getting an overhaul from one Fede Alvarez. Based on the buzz from NY Comic-Con and the insanity of this teaser trailer, it looks like this might impress all the naysayers…like every. single. one. Now necessity of remakes are subjective and an argument best held elsewhere because today we’re just giving the facts; yes it’s happening and yes it looks good (the latter being the main reason we’re posting it). Then there’s the little added bonus of this getting the seal of approval from Raimi, but we’ll get to that. For now, enjoy!! FYI, it is gruesome so beware!! In the much anticipated remake of…
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G-S-T Review…The Possession
Good news, horror fans: The Possession contains fifteen minutes of a solid Sam Raimi flick. There’s bad news, of course, and that’s that those minutes find their home in the climax, which is preceded by a mixed bag of demonic possession tropes brought to us by Danish filmmaker Ole Bornedal. The Possession finds itself in an uncomfortable place where it reminds us why Raimi is such a treasure to the horror genre, but for reasons that aren’t necessarily good; when the heavily Raimi-influenced climax outshines the entirety of the rest of Bornedal’s film, it’s something of a disservice to the rest of the picture, a possess-by-numbers yarn inspired by a very real and allegedly…
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Sweet (Teaser) Trailer…Disney's 'Oz: The Great and Powerful' – UPDATED
Disney looks to have quite the line up as their Wreck-It Ralph will hit theaters this November but next year we get an even more fantastical story with Sam Raimi’s Oz: The Great and Powerful. Raimi looks to trade web-shooters and campy horror for the Yellow Brick Road and wizards/witches. We got a stunningly gorgeous teaser poster last week and now, from Hall H of Comic-Con, comes this first look at the return to the mystical land of Oz in L. Frank Baum’s beloved story…enjoy! Oh, and make sure you take note of the sly transition from 4:3 to wide screen. From a screenplay by Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire Oz The Great and Powerfuldirected by Sam…
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Ohhh, Look…First Teaser Poster for Disney's 'Oz the Great and Powerful'
One of the great things that’s happening in Hollywood is the exploration of ideas behind films we love. Back stories, prequels and the like show us a side to films/characters we thought we know and, when they’re done successfully, give much more depth and intricacy. However this isn’t the first time our understanding of Oz has been altered or enhanced as the Broadway musical Wicked is highly entertaining as it takes huge liberties with L. Frank Baum’s beloved story. But while Wicked focused on the little seen (and misunderstood) Witches, now we get a story from the side of another character who is just as important in the film, the actual Wizard of Oz: When…
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Sweet (and Spooky) Trailer…'The Possession'
Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Drag Me To Hell) produces the mid-Summer shocker The Possession. The film follows a divorced couple dealing with their young daughter’s recent change after she acquires a mysterious antique box at a yard sale. Only, there’s no music in this box, it contains a Dybbuk: a “wandering spirit who takes over the bodies of living people, rather than moving onto the next realm of existence“. Sounds like a quasi-new spin for a horror film and with a dependable cast and a really excellent music choice, this trailer might actually surprise you. Enjoy! Directed by Ole Bornedal, The Possession stars Madison Davenport, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick…
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G-S-T Quick 5 – Great Filmmakers Who Began in Horror
I’m no film historian but I have noticed something consistent in the films I’ve seen. While there’s no surefire formula for success in Hollywood, it’s a good bet that if you want to make it big, you have to start in horror. Now many people may not enjoy horror films but there are a number of uberly talented people working with buckets of blood, fake limbs and scary power tools. In many cases, those productions could just be their ticket to the big leagues. One day, I’d bet, we might just see one of those unknown, unsuspecting directors walking across the stage at Oscar night for something they’ll do later on…
