Phantasm II
''Phantasm II'' is a 1988 American science fantasy action-horror film and the sequel to '' Phantasm'' (1979). It was written and directed by Don Coscarelli and stars Angus Scrimm, James LeGros and Reggie Bannister. The first film's protagonist, Mike, recently released from a mental institution, recruits Reggie and some new friends in an effort to defeat the villain Tall Man. The film caused controversy among fans by recasting main character Mike with LeGros, and was not well received by critics. It was followed by two direct-to-video sequels: '' Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead'' (1994) and '' Phantasm IV: Oblivion'' (1998) as well as the final film in the ''Phantasm'' series: '' Phantasm: Ravager'' (2016), which received a theatrical release. Following distribution problems in the U.S., ''Phantasm II'' was released in Region 1 on DVD in 2009 and Blu-ray disc in 2013. Plot Liz Reynolds is a young woman whose psychic bond to Mike Pearson and the Tall Man manifests in the form of pr ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Don Coscarelli
Don Coscarelli Jr. (born February 17, 1954) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Born to Italian settlers in Libya, he is best known for his work in horror films. His directing credits include the first four films in the ''Phantasm'' franchise, as well as ''The Beastmaster'' (1982) and ''Bubba Ho-Tep'' (2002). Biography Coscarelli was born to Italian settlers in Libya and raised in Southern California. Although his family was not connected with the motion picture business, he was fascinated with cameras and filmmaking at an early age. Long before he was old enough to attend film school, his short films, made with the help of neighborhood friends in his hometown of Los Alamitos, California , were winning prizes on television. At the age of 19, Coscarelli became the youngest director to have a feature film distributed by a major studio when he sold his independently produced drama ''Jim the World's Greatest'', to Universal Pictures. The film was the first ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was prevalent before streaming platforms came to dominate the TV and movie distribution markets. Because inferior sequels or prequels of larger-budget films may be released direct-to-video, review references to direct-to-video releases are often pejorative. Direct-to-video release has also become profitable for independent filmmakers and smaller companies. Some direct-to-video genre films (with a high-profile star) can generate well in excess of $50 million revenue worldwide. Reasons for releasing direct to video A production studio may decide not to generally release a TV show or film for several possible reasons: a low budget, a lack of support from a TV network, negative reviews, its controversial nature, that it may appeal to a small ni ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Robert Kurtzman
Robert Kurtzman (born November 25, 1964) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and special effects makeup artist. Career Kurtzman began his career in 1984 when he moved from his hometown of Crestline, Ohio, to Hollywood, California, to pursue his interest in prosthetic makeup, better known as special makeup effects. In 1988, along with Gregory Nicotero and Howard Berger, he formed K.N.B. EFX Group, a special makeup effects studio which has gone on to work on over 400 film and television projects. K.N.B. has won numerous awards, including an Emmy Award in 2001 for their work on the 2000 Sci Fi Channel miniseries ''Frank Herbert's Dune''. They were awarded an Academy Award in 2006 for achievement in makeup for '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe''. After establishing himself in the special effects arena, Kurtzman turned to directing and producing. His first project was ''From Dusk till Dawn'', for which he wrote the original story, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Greg Nicotero
Gregory Nicotero (born March 15, 1963) is an American special make-up effects creator, television producer, and director. His first major job in special effects makeup was on the George A. Romero film ''Day of the Dead'' (1985), under the tutelage of Romero and make-up effects veteran Tom Savini. In 1988, along with Robert Kurtzman and Howard Berger, he formed KNB EFX Group, a special make-up effects studio which has gone on to work on over 400 film and television projects. KNB has won numerous awards, including an Emmy Award in 2001 for their work on the 2000 Sci Fi Channel miniseries ''Frank Herbert's Dune'' and an Academy Award in 2006 for achievement in makeup for '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe''. He is currently working as an executive producer, special make-up effects supervisor, and primary director on the AMC TV series '' The Walking Dead'' and '' Fear the Walking Dead''. Nicotero has directed 31 episodes of ''The Walking Dead'' and is ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Universal Studios
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an American film production and distribution company owned by Comcast through the NBCUniversal Film and Entertainment division of NBCUniversal. Founded in 1912 by Carl Laemmle, Mark Dintenfass, Charles O. Baumann, Adam Kessel, Pat Powers, William Swanson, David Horsley, Robert H. Cochrane, and Jules Brulatour, Universal is the oldest surviving film studio in the United States; the world's fifth oldest after Gaumont, Pathé, Titanus, and Nordisk Film; and the oldest member of Hollywood's "Big Five" studios in terms of the overall film market. Its studios are located in Universal City, California, and its corporate offices are located in New York City. In 1962, the studio was acquired by MCA, which was re-launched as NBCUniversal in 2004. U ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Road Movie
A road movie is a film genre in which the main characters leave home on a road trip, typically altering the perspective from their everyday lives. Road movies often depict travel in the hinterlands, with the films exploring the theme of alienation and examining the tensions and issues of the cultural identity of a nation or historical period; this is all often enmeshed in a mood of actual or potential menace, lawlessness, and violence, a "distinctly existential air"Cohan, Steven and Hark, Ina Rae. "Introduction". ''The Road Movie Book''. Eds. Cohan, Steven and Hark, Ina Rae. Routledge, 2002. p. 1 and 6 and is populated by restless, "frustrated, often desperate characters".Laderman, David. ''Driving Visions: Exploring the Road Movie''. University of Texas Press, 2010. Ch. 1 The setting includes not just the close confines of the car as it moves on highways and roads, but also booths in diners and rooms in roadside motels, all of which helps to create intimacy and tension between the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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John Kenneth Muir
John Kenneth Muir (born December 3, 1969) is an American literary critic. As of 2022, he has written thirty reference books in the fields of film and television, with a particular focus on the horror and science fiction genres. Biography Born December 3, 1969, Muir began his full-time writing career in 1996, penning several books for the North Carolina-based publisher of scholarly reference books, McFarland & Company. Muir also has written monographs about SF-TV, including ''Exploring Space: 1999 (''1997), ''An Analytical Guide to Battlestar Galactica'' (1998), ''A Critical History of Dr. Who on TV'' (1999), ''A History and Critical Analysis of Blake's 7'' (1999) and ''An Analytical Guide to TV's One Step Beyond'' (2001). Muir was educated at the University of Richmond in Virginia from 1988 to 1992, where he studied for two years under renowned ''Hudson Review'' film critic, Bert Cardullo (a student of The New Republic's film critic Stanley Kauffmann). Muir also counts Paulin ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Stacey Travis
Stacey Elaine Travis (born August 29, 1964) is an American actress. She has appeared in films '' Hardware'' (1990), '' The Super'' (1991), '' Only the Strong'' (1993), ''Traffic'' (2000), ''Bandits'' (2001) and ''Intolerable Cruelty'' (2003). Life and career Travis was born in Dallas, Texas. Her brother is actor and comedian Greg Travis. She attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and graduated from University of Southern California (USC) with a degree in film. She began her career appearing in low-budget comedies and genre films include, ''Phantasm II'', '' Dr. Hackenstein'' and ''Earth Girls Are Easy'' (1988). From 1989 to 1992, she was regular cast member in the MTV comedy series, ''Just Say Julie'' where she played a variety of characters. In 1990, Travis played a female leading role in the science fiction horror film '' Hardware'' opposite Dylan McDermott. She next starred in the comedy film '' The Super'' (1991) and martial arts film '' Only the Str ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kenneth Tigar
Kenneth Tigar (born September 24, 1942) is an American actor, primarily on American television, and translator. Life Kenneth Leslie Tigar was born into a Jewish family in Chelsea, Massachusetts, and raised in the Greater Boston Area. He received his BA and Ph.D. in German literature from Harvard University. As an undergraduate, he was active in theater as both an actor and a director. He spent a year at the University of Göttingen and performed in Vienna and other European cities. Career He has appeared in numerous television shows, including starring as the short-tempered Captain Jensen in '' L.A. Heat'' from 1997 to 1999, appearing in a total of 47 episodes. He guest-starred in two episodes of '' Cheers'', playing different characters – "The Boys in the Bar" in Season 1 as a gay character called Fred, and later in Season 4's " Don Juan Is Hell", as a professor of Diane's. Tigar's film roles include playing a bomb squad leader in ''Lethal Weapon 2'' (1989) and ''Lethal ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. The 42nd parallel north, 42° north parallel delineates the southern boundary with California and Nevada. Oregon has been home to many Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous nations for thousands of years. The first European traders, explorers, and settlers began exploring what is now Oregon's Pacific coast in the early-mid 16th century. As early as 1564, the Spanish expeditions to the Pacific Northwest, Spanish began sending vessels northeast from the Philippines, riding the Kuroshio Current in a sweeping circular route across the northern part of the Pacific. In 1592, Juan de Fuca undertook detailed mapping and studies of ocean currents in the Pacific Northwest, including the Oregon coast as well as ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Reggie (Phantasm)
Reggie is a fictional character from the ''Phantasm'' series of horror films. In all of his appearances, Reggie has been portrayed by Reggie Bannister. Concept and creation Writer/director Don Coscarelli wrote the character for Reggie Bannister and based it on their friendship. They then pushed the character into new directions, divergent from Bannister's personality. Bannister describes the character as an everyman. According to Coscarelli, everyman characters like Reggie are important, because they ground the film and allow humor to unfold. Bannister further described the character as written to be extremely loyal; Bannister says that Coscarelli "wrote this character to be every guy's guy, every man's friend, the guy that would throw himself on the flames to the door of hell to save a friend." The character was named after Bannister himself, as Coscarelli liked to draw characters from his own experiences. Instead of struggling to find a unique name, Coscarelli named him af ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ravager
Ravager or Ravagers may refer to: *Ravager (DC Comics), a DC comics character ** The Ravagers (comics), a team name * ''Ravager'' (film), a 1997 film starring Bruce Payne *''Ravager'', a starship in '' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords'' * ''Ravagers'' (film), a 1979 film directed by Richard Compton and based on the novel by Robert Edmond Alter * ''The Ravagers'' (novel), a 1964 novel by Donald Hamilton featuring secret agent Matt Helm * ''The Ravagers'' (film), a 1965 film directed by Eddie Romero * HMS Ravager, a ship of the Royal Navy. *The Ravagers, a faction of space marauders in the ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' films and TV series. *Ravager, a mob from ''Minecraft ''Minecraft'' is a sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios. The game was created by Markus "Notch" Persson in the Java programming language. Following several early private testing versions, it was first made public in May 2009 before being ...'' See also * Ravage (disambiguation ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |