Author: Heath Andrews

Of the dozens of novels that Stephen King has written, one that is frequently cited as his best and most prolific is 1978’s “The Stand.” The unabridged version of the story is a sprawling epic about a superflu that wipes out most of the world’s population, leaving small groups of survivors to try and rebuild. It’s not exactly a cheery, life-affirming story, but it’s gripping, sweeping, and profound. Its also being set to become a feature film, and for a change it’s not being directed by Mike Flanagan. This time the reins are being handed to Doug Liman. “The Stand”…

The early 2000s were an interesting time for culture and television. In back-to-back years, MTV brought us the series “Jackass” while NBC gave us “Fear Factor.” Both featured people doing outrageous or gross things but for different reasons and in different ways. “Jackass” featured actors doing ridiculous things virtually guaranteed to get someone hurt while “Fear Factor” had people as contestants trying to win money by doing stunts surrounded by safety crews. Those two worlds are about to collide. “Fear Factor” is getting a revival with Johnny Knoxville as host. Knoxville was one of the creative minds behind “Jackass” along…

When it comes to modern plays and playwrights, there are few more well known than “The Phantom of the Opera” and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. Lloyd Webber’s 1986 musical hit Broadway in 1988 and didn’t stop until 2023. That’s one hell of a long run for anything let alone a musical. While it’s departure from Broadway was a major blow, the musical will now live on in a new immersive experience called “Masquerade.” You can tell something is going to be a special event when they outline a very specific dress code for it. The details for “Masquerade” are intentionally…

We’ve been following the upcoming “Street Fighter” film for a while now through a number of ups and downs. The adaptation of the legendary Capcom fighting game series was originally supposed to hit theaters in early 2026 until Sony scrubbed it from its release slate. It made sense considering the film was changing directors and hadn’t even announced anyone in the cast. In May, there were some additional names added to the film, and now, one of the franchise’s iconic characters has been cast. Relative newcomer Callina Liang will play Chun-Li. Liang is a Canadian actress who got her start…

“In the jungle you must wait until the dice read five or eight.” Those immortal words were read out loud by a young Alan Parrish before being sucked into the board game, Jumanji. It took 26 years for Alan to return from the game and be portrayed by Robin Williams in the film. Though it makes some of us feel quite old, it has now been 30 years since that movie came out; we’ve spent more time since the film premiered than Alan spent in the jungle. But with that 30th anniversary, the filming location of Keene, New Hampshire is…

The magic of the radio has brought the world a number of unforgettable personalities, songs, and musical experiences. There was a time where it was a wild west of pushing boundaries, seeing what you could get away with on-air, and challenging listeners with the unfamiliar. While a lot of this was being done by shock jocks, there was one man who was doing it through unique novelty music, Dr. Demento. For 55 years, the man has broadcast funny and bizarre songs the world over, and now his time is winding down as he’s set to retire. Starting in 1974, Dr.…

“I want to play a game.” Those immortal words, spoken by Billy the Puppet, ushered in a franchise of torture porn that goes by the name of Saw. When the first film dropped in 2004, it was a commercial success to an insane degree; making $100 million on a budget that was less than $2 million. Naturally, sequels would follow leading up to 2023’s “Saw X.” Then, everything fell apart in a fairly dramatic way. Not like, Jigsaw torture device dramatic, but more creative disputes and intellectual property rights drama. Enter Blumhouse Productions to save the day. The franchise was…

In the pantheon of horror films, there is one that reigns supreme for its raw, almost amateur like excellence. Sure, there are a lot of independent horror movies that have become cult classics, but only a few can stand on their own as being titans of the genre. Leading the exclusive pack is “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Fifty-one years after its initial release, it’s coming back to theaters for one night only, and die-hard fans can probably guess the day and month it’s happening. Following narration from John Larroquette, movie goers were treated to the “real” events that would, as…

As of the time of this writing, we are about a week away from the release of “Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.” The sequel to Hideo Kojima’s first game as an independent director (away from longtime employer Konami) is set to be another milestone for the auteur. In the build-up to the game, Kojima’s also announced a number of “Death Stranding” related projects including a live-action film, and an anime. Now it’s getting possible another project in the form of another animated film, possibly. Kojima’s production company, along with animation company Line Mileage, announced they had hired Aaron Guzikowski…

The idea of video games as cinematic achievements seems like it’s more of a recent trend thanks to the advanced hardware of current generation systems and the art of storytelling evolving with games. Games like “Metal Gear Solid” and “The Last of Us” have been cited as helping to bridge the divide between films and video games but the truth is, that link goes even further back. “Dragon’s Lair” from 1983 may be rightly called one of the first cinematic gaming experiences, so it’s only fitting that it receives a full, cinematic treatment with a talented director. If you’ve never…