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Casting is such a crucial component to crafting a great film that last year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rightly deemed the profession worthy of Oscar recognition. There will now be a Best Casting trophy handed out every March, which has avid Oscar viewers wondering what films would've won the top prize each year prior to 2025 –- and whether that winner would've had to be in the running for Best Picture. Would this have been a way to make sure star-studded romps like "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," "Casino Royale," or "The Cannonball Run" were represented on Hollywood's biggest night? Would a critical misfire like "Heartburn" have been acknowledged just for bringing together the heavyweight acting duo of Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep for the first time? Could films like "The Outsiders" or "Stand by Me" (which should've been a Best Picture contender) have taken...

This September, Peacock is bringing you a ton of entertainment with the highly anticipated crime drama series Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist starring Kevin Hart and all of the seasons of Fox’s comedy series Martin. However, for the purposes of this article, we are only including the films that are coming to Peacock this month and have a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the 5 best films coming to Peacock in September 2024 with a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

Get Out (September 1)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%

Get Out is a psychological horror thriller film written and directed by Jordan Peele. The 2017 film revolves around Chris, an African-American man as he decides to visit his white girlfriend’s parents during a weekend getaway but when he gets there he finds himself in several strange situations but the real horror hasn’t even begun yet. Get Out stars Daniel Kaluuya...

Anyone who takes a serious look at the film career of Kevin Bacon would know at a glance that he is much more than the subject of a ’90s parlor game. From his screen debut in the 1978 comedy classic “National Lampoon’s Animal House,” Bacon has, over the 45+ years he has appeared on screen, made a seamless segue from hunky heartthrob to respected character actor without missing a beat.

During his distinguished career, Bacon has appeared in romcoms, crime dramas, musicals and even a slasher movie or two. winning along the way a Critics Choice Award, a pair of Golden Globes and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Yet, despite co-starring in such Oscar-winning films as “JFK,” “Mystic River” and “Apollo 13,” Bacon, incredibly, has never been nominated for an Academy Award himself. But as he is still much in demand as a working actor, there’s plenty of time for that particular honor.

There's a scene midway through Chuck Russell's 1994 comedy The Mask that stands out as an absolute comic masterstroke—zero CGI cartoon antics required. Stanley Ipkiss (Jim Carrey) squirms under the magnifying glass of Lt. Mitch Kellaway (Peter Riegert), the detective sizing up the lowly bank clerk in his dinky apartment.

Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” (Disney) grossed $38.5 million in Thursday previews. Though not a record (“Avengers: Endgame” took in $60 million), it suggests an opening above the projected $150 million-$200 million. However, it guarantees the easiest of predictions: This will make it the best opening for an R-rated film ever.

“Deadpool and Wolverine” will be the biggest opening weekend for an R-rated film as not only an unadjusted gross, but also adjusted to relative ticket prices. It should also easily score the biggest domestic total for an R-rated release, but it will remain far down the list of R-rated hits based on attendance.

At $371 million, it will become the highest grossing R-rated film. But it will need to gross $464 million — $100 million more than either of the two earlier “Deadpool” films — to even make the top 15 when comparing adjusted ticket prices.

We reviewed the top 10 films from every year since the MPA initiated...

Elmer Bernstein is one of the greatest composers in the history of film scoring. He broke in writing music for Z-grade schlock like "Cat-Women of the Moon" and "Robot Monster" (forever in the conversation for The Worst Movie Ever Made) and quickly hit the A-list with his scores for "The Man with the Golden Arm," "The Ten Commandments," and "Some Came Running." In a career that spanned over 50 years, he dabbled in every imaginable genre, earning 14 Academy Award nominations (winning only one) without ever overtly repeating himself (a hazard for many movie composers).

How versatile was Elmer Bernstein? He could rouse us with his plucky theme for "The Great Escape," break our hearts with his soaring "To Kill a Mockingbird" score, and find classical grandeur in the frat-boy hijinks of "National Lampoon's Animal House."

He scored Martin Scorsese's luscious "The Age of Innocence" and two ludicrous "Billy Jack" movies.

Judy Belushi Pisano, the widow of John Belushi and a former actress and producer, has died. She was 73.

News of Pisano’s death was reported by The Mv Times, which covers Martha’s Vineyard, where she spent much of her later years. She died after a long battle with cancer, the publication noted. Belushi’s official social media accounts also shared the news on Instagram and Facebook.

“Today, our hearts are heavy as we say goodbye to our sweet Judy,” the posts began. “Her unwavering dedication and creative genius alongside Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi gave birth to The Blues Brothers, a timeless testament to the power of music and laughter.”

Pisano was married to Belushi from 1973 until 1982, when he died from an overdose. She remarried in 1990 to Victor Pisano before filing for divorce in 2010.

“In the years following John’s passing in 1982, Judy honored his life and championed his legacy and Blues Brothers brand,...

SNL alum and one-half of The Blues Brothers, John Belushi’s widow, Judy Belushi-Pisano, has passed away at the age of 73. She was his beloved wife when he died of an accidental drug overdose in 1982. Now, she has died but what is the cause? Keep reading for more details.

John Belushi’s Widow, Judy, Dead At 73

He may have been deceased for over forty years but John Belushi has an incredible legacy. He was known for a plethora of characters on SNL as well as being on half of The Blues Brothers. In fact, he exited SNL along with Dan Aykroyd in 1978 to film the movie under the same name. Additionally, Belushi was known for National Lampoon’s Animal House. His timing solidified him as a comedic actor and icon who was unmatched. Sadly, in 1982, he was given a combination of heroin and cocaine which led to his untimely death. Belushi...

This July, Prime Video is bringing you a lot of entertainment with a sequel of a beloved film like My Spy titled The Eternal City and an animated sequel series to the comedy gold, which was the Sausage Party film titled Foodtopia. However, for the purposes of this article, we are only including the films that are coming to Prime Video this month and have a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the 7 best films that are coming to Prime Video in July 2024 with a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

Animal House (July 1)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

National Lampoon’s Animal House is a classic comedy-drama film directed by John Landis from a screenplay co-written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney, and Chris Miller. Inspired by National Lampoon stories written by Matty Simmons and Ivan Reitman, the 1978 film follows the story of freshmen Larry and Kent as they join a troublemaking...

If being a Hollywood star consists of having either major box office clout or a few Oscar nominations (and, preferably, at least one win), the great Donald Sutherland never had any of those. Then why, since his death last Thursday at age 88, has he been celebrated the world over as one of the true legends to grace the modern screen?

The reason is simple: the Canadian-born Sutherland, whose incredibly prolific and versatile career kicked off in 1964 with the Italian horror flick, The Castle of the Living Dead, possessed the extremely rare quality — call it a kind of alchemy — where he could disappear into a role and yet somehow remain Donald Sutherland at the same time.

Whether he was playing a sinister Nazi spy (The Eye of a Needle), a boozy G.I. medic (M*A*S*H), an existentially lovesick detective (Klute), the benevolent English patriarch of a classic 19th...

Legendary actor Donald Sutherland just passed away at the age of 88. Younger fans probably know him best for playing the villainous President Snow in the Hunger Games movies, or perhaps for voicing Hollis Hurlbut in that one episode of The Simpsons.

Older audiences, on the other hand, grew up watching Sutherland in classic movies like M*A*S*H, Don’t Look Now and The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Although his greatest work, hands down, was this vintage Canadian tourism commercial in which he tells a joke about a salmon fisherman on his wedding day.

Sutherland also starred in one of the most profitable movie comedies of all-time: National Lampoon’s Animal House.

Sutherland played the highly-inappropriate Professor Jennings (who somehow still isn’t the most questionable element of the movie). This may have seemed like an odd role for the actor at the time, but Sutherland only took the gig...

Donald Sutherland passed away Thursday at the age of 88, an actor so respected for his dramatic acting that he won an honorary Oscar in 2017. He’ll be remembered for Klute, Ordinary People, Don’t Look Now and even The Hunger Games, but don’t forget that Sutherland played key roles in three of the most influential comedies ever.

1 M*A*S*H

Take a seat, Alan Alda — Sutherland was the original Hawkeye Pierce in Robert Altman’s epic satire. Sutherland didn’t get along with the director, but who cares? It was Altman’s first hit-it-out-the-park classic, a movie that thumbed its nose at the Vietnam War by pretending to be about the Korean War. “Elliott Gould and Donald Sutherland are two genuinely funny actors,” wrote Roger Ebert in his four-star review. “They don’t have to make themselves ridiculous to get a laugh. They’re funny because their humor comes so directly from their personalities.

Legendary actor Donald Sutherland has passed away at the age of 88, it has been confirmed. The prolific star of the big and small screen, who amassed almost 200 acting credits over the course of a remarkable career spanning over half a century, died on Thursday after a long illness.

In a statement sharing the tragic news of his father's passing, Donald's son and fellow actor Kiefer Sutherland shared the following: "With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away. I personally think one of the most important actors in the history of film. Never daunted by a role, good, bad or ugly. He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more than that. A life well lived."

A life well lived, indeed. Born on 17 July, 1935, in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, Donald McNichol Sutherland graduated from...

Donald Sutherland, one of the greatest Canadian actors of his generation and a silver screen legend, has died. The actor, who famously starred in M*A*S*H*, Ordinary People, JFK, The Dirty Dozen, Klute, The Hunger Games, and so many more, was 88.

His son, Kiefer Sutherland, an iconic actor in his own right, broke the news on X:

With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away. I personally think one of the most important actors in the history of film. Never daunted by a role, good, bad or ugly. He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more… pic.twitter.com/3EdJB03KKT

— Kiefer Sutherland (@RealKiefer) June 20, 2024

According to Deadline, the actor died in Miami after a long illness. This is an especially heavy blow for a Canadian such as myself. Growing up, he...

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has always had a bit of a boys' club vibe. The first official phase of the franchise that built up to "The Avengers" was spearheaded by Tony Stark's hard-partying ladies' man Tony Stark, while the most significant female members of the MCU to date have always been written as, at best, eye-rolling foils forced to acknowledge that most of their male colleagues are overgrown children who come through in the clutch when resolving a crisis that is partially of their own making.

This isn't much of a departure from the almost exclusively male-drawn and -written comic books of the 1960s-1980s that inspired the mostly male-directed MCU films. Aside from a boy scout like Steve Rogers (aka Captain America) or a cerebral conjuror like Doctor Strange, these guys have a good time off the clock. In a way, they have a kind of frat boy mentality.

Fight Club, Zodiac, The Social Network, Gone Girl. There's hardly anyone who hasn't seen, let alone heard, all of these movies and the name of the man behind them, David Fincher. From Alien 3 to The Killer with Michael Fassbender, from House of Cards to Love, Death & Robots, Fincher's career is now in its fourth decade and his films have collectively grossed over $2.1 billion. But of course, no matter how original his work, even a director as innovative as Fincher is inspired by the achievements of filmmakers who came before him. Here is a list of 26 films that David Fincher has cited as his favorites.

26 Must-See Movies David Fincher Loves

26. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

25. Chinatown

24. Dr. Strangelove

23. The Godfather Part II

22. Taxi Driver

21. Being There

20. Alien

19. Rear Window

18. Jaws

17. Lawrence of Arabia

16. Zelig

15. Cabaret

14. All That Jazz

13. Paper Moon

12. All the President's Men

11. Citizen Kane

10. 8½

9. The Graduate...

Netflix comedy movies in March 2024 cover every subgenre in the category. Whether you’re looking to stream slapstick, a rom-com, or something with a side of horror, Netflix’s March additions have something for you.

While any time is a good time to watch a comedy, springtime and laughs can go hand-in-hand. With warmer weather (and summer blockbusters) around the corner, spend your March with Netflix’s best comedy movies.

‘Beverly Hills Ninja’ Coming to Netflix March 1

Celebrate comedy legend Chris Farley by streaming Beverly Hills Ninja on Netflix beginning March 1. The 1997 martial arts comedy marks the final film released during Farley’s lifetime, as the actor died less than a year after its release.

Farley stars as Haru, adopted as a child by a clan of ninjas who believe he’ll become the master promised in legends. As expected, Haru never entirely becomes a ninja despite his best efforts.

A big-budget series adaptation of a best-selling sci-fi epic, a new season of an acquired Peacock gem, a spinoff series of a Guy Ritchie crime feature, the return of one of the world’s most grueling reality competition shows, Millie Bobby Brown finding herself in all sorts of bother and Adam Sandler getting serious in a space drama are among the standout films and series hitting Netflix in March.

Funnyman Sandler is deathly serious in Johan Renck’s Spaceman, Netflix’s big feature release this month that debuts on March 1. The film, an adaptation of Jaroslav Kalfar’s novel Spaceman of Bohemia, sees Sandler play a Czech astronaut sent to the farthest reaches of space, just as his personal life is falling to pieces. Sandler’s character must keep his sanity and his only supposed company is a giant alien arachnid. The film, which premiered out of competition at the Berlin Film Festival,...

As the mixed critical response and lackluster box office for "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" emphatically proves, they simply don't make 'em like "Raiders of the Lost Ark" anymore.

When Roger Ebert reviewed Steven Spielberg's action-adventure classic back in 1981, he opined that it played like "an anthology of the best parts from all the Saturday matinee serials ever made." As it happens, that was pretty much George Lucas' idea when he dreamt up Indiana Jones in the first place — and what an idea it was. The Indiana Jones franchise has since become one of the biggest blockbuster sagas in cinema history, with Dr. Henry Jones Jr. himself ascending to the status of pop culture icon in the process.

While 1984's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" has its defenders, and many fans of the series will swear 1989's "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" is just as good as "Raiders,...

How do you solve a problem like Chevy Chase? Throughout his lengthy career, the actor has had a long, troubled history of acting like a jerk to nearly everyone he's worked with, from the infamous backstage fight he had with Bill Murray upon leaving Saturday Night Live to his much-publicized feud with showrunner Dan Harmon while co-starring on the beloved NBC sitcom "Community." By many accounts, the star is, at best, annoying to work with, and, at worst, an insufferable jerk.

That behavior would seem to be the end-all, be-all explanation for why Chase's film career eventually floundered despite having a pretty strong start. Yet, like most things, that isn't the whole story: for one, Chase is an incredibly talented actor and comedian, despite his personal shortcomings. For another, his persona being what it is — this is the man who made a splash announcing himself on SNL as "I'm Chevy Chase,...

As the calendar turns to August, Peacock is going to be home to some of the most exciting sporting events and movies on streaming. In addition to being the streaming home for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the NBCUniversal streaming service will host the WWE’s Summerslam, college football’s premiere Week 0 matchup between Notre Dame and Navy from Ireland.

In addition to all of the sports action, the streamer will become the exclusive streaming home of the most successful movie of the year, all of Hallmark Channel’s Summer Nights movies, and one of the most exciting Viking epics ever made.

Sign Up $5.99+ / month peacocktv.com What Are the Best Shows and Movies Coming to Peacock in August 2023? 2023 Women’s World Cup Finals | Aug. 20

The United States Women’s National Team is just two games into its quest to win its third-straight Women’s World Cup, but the excitement is already ramping up,...

W​ith No Hard Feelings hitting theaters, it seems that studios might be trying to bring back hard R raunchy comedies. The gamble of taking a well-known actor and throwing them into a raunchy, sex-filled comedy may end up working out. Could this bring about a new wave of R-rated comedies? We can only hope. So what are some of the best sex comedies? Let’s look back at this hilarious genre and find out which ones make the cut.

Z​ack And Miri Make A Porno (2008)

K​evin Smith is not a stranger to the raunchy realm of comedies, but this film is maybe his truest sex comedy out of all of his filmography. Life-long platonic friends Zack and Miri are in trouble as they are both dead broke and have mounting bills as their rent is coming due. To make a large amount of cash very quickly, they...

Italy’s Taormina Film Festival kicks off its 69th edition Friday evening against the backdrop of its landmark Teatro Antico amphitheatre with a “Pavarotti Forever” benefit event headlined by Placido Domingo and Vittorio Grigolo.

It’s not the typical opening for a film festival, but it is in keeping with the eclectic programming of incoming artistic director Barrett Wissman, whose interview with Deadline on his plans for the festival can be read here.

Much is riding on the edition, with Wissman being brought in to raise its local and international profile after a turbulent decade, which was compounded by the Covid pandemic.

Topping the bill over the first weekend is the Italian premiere of Indiana Jones and the Dial Of Destiny in the presence of Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Mads Mikkelsen. It’s the first time a major Disney production has touched down at the festival since Inside Out in 2015. Indiana Jones,...

Toronto’s favorite son turns his eye toward New York, and back to 1975 for his next project. Jason Reitman is currently producing the next “Ghostbusters” picture with director and co-writer Gil Kenan and leads Paul Rudd and Carrie Coon, but he’s got his next project lined up at Sony Pictures.

As per Deadline, the “Juno” and “Up in the Air” director will be back behind the camera for an untitled “Saturday Night Live” opening night project. Kenan will co-write the script.

Casting has not been announced, but somebody out there is (probably) going to be playing producer Lorne Michaels and first-episode cast members like Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, and Garrett Morris. Also, potentially, writers like Michael O’Donoghue, Al Franken, Anne Beatts, Alan Zweibel, and others. The first guest on “SNL” was George Carlin so maybe someone will be doing an impression of the comedian during his “Toledo Window Box” era,...

Ah, 1978. It was the year that Slashfilm writer Lee Adams entered the world, and two movies changed the course of comedy forever (those landmarks are unrelated; I'm not trying to claim any credit). Those movies were "National Lampoon's Animal House" and Cheech and Chong's "Up in Smoke" — two lowbrow hits whose influences are still felt to this day.

There was lowbrow stuff before 1978, of course. Slapstick — the age-old art of falling over, breaking things, and hitting people — was still doing the rounds in the increasingly weary adventures of Inspector Clouseau. But the class of '78 was different: wild, irreverent, raucous, bawdy, subversive, counterculture comedy that delighted the kids and antagonized the squares.

The two films had their roots in the '60s. Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong developed their stand-up act in the latter part of the decade before making their break on the big screen with the granddaddy of stoner movies,...

Love Is Blind season four, Murder Mystery 2, Rob Lowe starrer Unstable and docuseries Waco: American Apocalypse and Emergency: NYC are among the much-anticipated projects hitting Netflix this month.

Dating show Love Is Blind returns on March 24, featuring a new group of singles looking to make a connection based on something other than looks.

Later in the month, the streamer drops Rob and John Owen Lowe’s Unstable, a scripted comedy inspired by the playful dynamic between the real-life father and son. In the series, co-created by Santa Clarita Diet creator Victor Fresco, the elder Lowe plays successful biotech entrepreneur Ellis Dragon who is struggling after the death of his wife. John Owen Lowe plays his introverted son, Jackson, who seems to be the only one who can save his dad.

And Netflix closes out the month with Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler’s Murder Mystery 2. The sequel finds Aniston...

John Belushi remains the poster child for the entertainer who burned bright but had their light extinguished far too soon. The comedian came up through the ranks of Chicago's fabled Second City comedy group and was a member of the inaugural season of "Saturday Night Live." Belushi honed his disruptive, physical style of comedy in the early seasons of "SNL" with characters such as Samurai Futaba and one of the Killer Bees alongside Dan Aykroyd.

In 1977, Belushi would add movie star to his resume with the role of Bluto Blutarsky in the film "National Lampoon's Animal House." Plus, ffter three appearances on "Saturday Night Live," the characters Joliet Jake (Belushi) and Elwood Blues (Aykroyd) were developed into their own 1980 hit movie "The Blues Brothers."

Belushi was integral to "Saturday Night Live's" early success and stayed with the show through 1980 before transitioning completely to movies. But it's also fair to...

There’s something for everyone this month on Netflix, including the streamer’s first-ever live-streamed global event: Chris Rock’s comedy special “Selective Outrage.”

The last time the comedian was on a stage of this scale, he was slapped in the face by Will Smith. You’ll have to tune in at 7 pm Pm Pt/10 pm Et on Saturday, March 4 to find out if he addresses the Oscars incident!

On the drama front, the second half of “You” Season 4, starring Penn Badgley, returns March 9. Fans of political intrigue will want to tune into “The Night Agent.” Former child star Gabriel Basso stars as a vigilant FBI agent who answers a call that plunges him into a deadly conspiracy involving a mole at the White House. Idris Elbra returns as disgraced London detective John Luther in “Luther: The Fallen Son” on March 10. And of course, we can’t forget the steamy series “Sex/Life,...

It seems like just last month Netflix was releasing the long-awaited fourth season of its stalker drama You. And that’s because it was just last month that Netflix released You Season 4! Now, with its list of new releases for March 2023, Netflix is finishing off what it started with You Season 4 Part 2.

The five episodes that make up You Season 4 Part 2 will premiere on March 9. The ending of Part 1 left things off on quite the cliffhanger so soon we will get to see how Joe (Penn Badgley) reacts to the reveal of the other serial killer in his orbit. Netflix is premiering a fresh season of another one of its TV hits this month as well with Shadow and Bone Season 2 premiering on March 16.

The biggest TV new in March 2023 might actually come in the form of a movie though. Idris Elba will reprise his iconic British TV role as...

(L-r:) Magic Mike Xxl, National Lampoon’s Animal House, Easy A (Sony Pictures) Graphic: AVClub Disney+ has season three of The Mandalorian coming in early March, while HBOMax wraps up its acclaimed drama The Last Of Us in mid-March. But don’t count out Netflix for the month. As a rough...

March is a time for madness, whether it comes from basketball, Mercury retrograde, or a person’s home streaming habits. Netflix joins in on the chaos by updating its library with all three “Hangover” movies, a whole lot of workout content, “Magic Mike Xxl,” and much, much more.

On March 9, the streamer will premiere Part 2 of “You” Season 2, starring Penn Badgley, Charlotte Ritchie, and Ed Speleers. The five remaining episodes find Joe (Badgley) trapped in a volatile dance with London mayoral candidate and serial killer Rhys (Speleers), trying to prevent more murders but also not go down for the many he’s committed in the process. The trailer shows Joe and Kate (Ritchie) growing closer, more brushes with Kate’s wealthy socialite friends, and the return of Victoria Pedretti as Joe’s wife Love — or maybe the ghost of his wife, and of sins past.

“You” Season 4 Part 2 premieres March...

While binge drinking has remained a staple of American college culture for years, day drinking in a backyard in 2023 might look very different from the college parties popularized by the 1973 hit film Animal House. Case in point: there is the Borg, the new Gen Z, gallon-sized binge drink sweeping (and surprising) a millennial side of TikTok.

Not to be confused with the Star Trek aliens of the same name, a Borg is a gallon jug filled with vodka, water, and caffeinated flavoring or electrolyte additives. They’re usually made by...

"Animal House" was the first movie ever created under the name of National Lampoon. It made the humor magazine a household name, but not everybody on the staff was interested in venturing into the movie business. In fact, some of the writers and editors at the magazine felt that the film brought on an unwelcome shift that would eventually render them obsolete.

The film arrived in 1978, eight years after National Lampoon was founded, and achieved instant success. The magazine went on to attach its name to a number of other films, including 1983's "Vacation," which was so popular it exploded into its own movie franchise.

The success of "Animal House" brought a lot of new readers to the magazine, and it also brought a lot of the magazine's writers into the entertainment business. One of the magazine's founders, Henry Beard, had warned the staff against going into film and television before he moved on.

The National Lampoon is not a movie studio, though it might have seemed like it in the 1980s. The humor magazine that ran from 1970 to 1998 got into the movie business in 1978 when it put its name on "Animal House." The college comedy — co-written by Harold Ramis, directed by John Landis, and starring John Belushi — was wildly successful and launched a cinematic comedy institution. After a few disappointments, National Lampoon would hit cinematic gold again in 1983 with "National Lampoon's Vacation," a cross-country family vacation movie written by John Hughes and starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo. The franchise would see two John Hughes-penned sequels and a fourth movie not associated with National Lampoon (1997's "Vegas Vacation").

With a hot comedy label, one of the best screenwriters in Hollywood, and the lead actors returning, what went wrong with the first sequel, "National Lampoon's European Vacation?" According to one author, Griswold family patriarch...

The National Lampoon-backed "Vacation" movies sit comfortably in the pop culture hive.

As it was in future filmmaker John Hughes' original National Lampoon essay "Vacation '58," the lifeblood of the hilarious, raunchy, and relatable family misadventures found in the movies comes from its fallible but undefeated patriarch. In fact, name a "Vacation" title — be it the beloved Hughes-penned '80s trilogy "Vacation," "European Vacation," and "Christmas Vacation" or one of its Lampoon label-free continuations — and the quotes that are zealously regurgitated back to you likely come from Clark W. Griswold, head of the nuclear Griswold family.

The role would be filled by Chevy Chase, a full-blown star by the time the first "Vacation" project came his way. Using a mixture of the physical comedy that made him famous on "Saturday Night Live" and a more chill iteration of the gruff father of Hughes' essay, Chase's Clark was so aggressively good-spirited...

There are two situations where you should never speak without a lawyer present. One is when you're being questioned by the police, and the other is during contract negotiations. Donald Sutherland learned the latter the hard way.

Sutherland had a supporting role in "Animal House" as Professor Dave Jennings, a hippie whose attitude is closer to his students' than the Faber College administration. He even re-used his wig from "Don't Look Now" to play Jennings: The curly perm and mustache fit even better for the part of a hippie professor. "Fat, Drunk, & Stupid: The Inside Story Behind the Making of Animal House" by Matty Simmons tells the story of how Sutherland got the part.

John Landis, director of "Animal House," befriended Sutherland on the set of "Kelly's Heroes" and wanted to work with him. "Animal House" was in production at the same time as the "Invasion of the Body Snatchers...

Long before the success of "National Lampoon's Animal House" launched careers and a renewed interest in Greek fraternities, it had to get sold as a story. After multiple directors passed on it, John Landis would eventually come on board, telling Indiewire that he "was hired to develop it, basically to supervise the rewrite." The screenplay was a collaborative effort, the work of "The National Lampoon Show" star and writer Harold Ramis, "National Lampoon Magazine" co-founder Douglas Kenney, and Chris Miller, whose "The Night of the Seven Fires" story served as a springboard for what would become the sordid saga of Faber College's Delta Tau Chi house. Early drafts were going long on absurd concepts; one seedling of a story focused on cult leader Charles Manson as he navigated high school.

In Matty Simmons' book "Fat, Drunk, and Stupid," the producer looks back on the writing process for "Animal House," which...

When your students are tanking their classes (if they attend at all) and dumping Fizzies tablets onto the varsity swim meet, you can't be a soft school administrator. That said, Dean Wormer would run Faber College more like Rikers if he had the opportunity. The gruff villain (played by John Vernon) is just one of the highlights of "National Lampoon's Animal House," John Landis' 1978 frat comedy, as the biggest authority standing in the way of Delta House's good time. The movie was penned by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney, and Chris Miller, pulling from their respective experiences in higher education. It was "National Lampoon Magazine" editor-in-chief and writer Kenney who came up with the Dean years before the movie, as the satirical "National Lampoon's High School Yearbook" featured Wormer as a civics teacher and coach. On the big screen, Wormer doesn't suffer fools or twerps, and he's as rigid about...

National Lampoon's "Animal House" is perhaps Hollywood's first party film. It's a beloved genre now, with notable entries like "Neighbors" and "Project X," but "Animal House" was a true pioneer in debauchery. It may have seemed like a non-stop rager in the Delta house, but believe it or not, the set was a strictly sober environment — at least, while the cameras were rolling.

"Animal House" was a fratty set from the very start. Director John Landis called all the Deltas to set a week before the rest of the cast to help them form a close-knit bond. One night, they went to a frat party and got in a fight with the real fraternity brothers there, The New York Times reported.

"That fight cemented us as a group," declared James Widdoes, who plays the high-strung chapter president Robert Hoover. After that, the Deltas took to partying in real life almost as much as their characters.

On the evening of July 23, 1982, “Animal House” director John Landis was filming a tricky nighttime helicopter scene for “Twilight Zone: The Movie.” The wide-open spaces of Indian Dunes, now part of Santa Clarita, Calif., were standing in for Vietnam, and the scene called for soldiers in a helicopter to pursue actor Vic Morrow, who was carrying two children. When the copter made a turn just above a large mortar round, the special effect explosive detonated, bringing down the helicopter and killing Morrow along with 7-year-old Myca Dinh Le and 6-year-old Renee Shin-Yi Chen.

The devastating accident shook Hollywood, and several months later, Variety announced that “Landis, pilot, others face ‘Twilight’ accident charges.” Landis and other “Twilight Zone” movie crew members were charged with involuntary manslaughter — the same charges “Rust” actor and producer Alec Baldwin and “Midnight Rider” director Randall Miller faced for their roles in on-set deaths.

Five years later,...

John Landis' 1978 comedy "Animal House" would change the game for many; not only was the college campus laugh-fest a launchpad for several of its stars — including the already famous "SNL" star John Belushi, who would soon get a call from Steven Spielberg about an upcoming comedy project — but it also heralded a new age of irreverent comedy, one that celebrated contemporary filmmakers didn't quite see at the time.

In Mick de Semlyen's book "Wild and Crazy Guys," producer Ivan Reitman reasoned:

"Before 'Animal House' they were all watching Bob Hope and Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis ... and then this was the first film really made by kids who were postwar and in their early twenties, with a different way of expressing what's funny."

That expression would see the story's central troupe of "fat, drunk, and stupid" college students launching food fights, thumbing their noses at authority, frightening a...

Many consider their time spent at college as the best years of their lives. For a number of people, that's their first taste of independence as they're the ones who pick their classes, figure out what to eat for dinner, and determine when it's a good time to go to bed. And when theses kids decide to make all those decisions by picking all the wrong answers, it certainly makes for a wild time, which is essentially what "Animal House" is all about.

A pioneer of the boundary-pushing sex comedy, the 1978 film from director John Landis, producer Ivan Reitman, and writers Douglas Kenney, Chris Miller, and Harold Ramis planted the seeds for generations of Greek life antics and alcohol-fueled hijinks. Even my peers, who became college freshmen 30 years after the Universal Pictures classic premiered, were taking part in toga parties and getting a little bit louder now with Otis Day and the Knights.

The cast of National Lampoon's "Animal House" acted very similar on and off the screen. The 1978 comedy classic was the acting debut of Kevin Bacon, who was only nineteen at the time. Bacon had his big break when director John Landis plucked him out of acting school and cast him as Chip Dillard, a pledge in the prestigious Omega Theta Pi fraternity. It seemed like a dream come true at first, but the young actor quickly learned that playing one of the bad guys comes at a price.

Landis alienated the clean-cut, antagonistic Omegas from the rugged anti-heroic Deltas before they even began filming. The director brought the Deltas to set a week before the Omegas, where a strong bond quickly formed, The New York Times reported in a 2018 oral history. The group actually visited a nearby fraternity at the University of Oregon for a party — and got in a brawl with the brothers.

Chevy Chase is, and always has been, a compelling comedic actor. He can play smug, and he can play charming; he can be a romantic lead, or a buffoon. His portrayal of Clark Griswold from the "Vacation" series is a bit of a melting pot of all of those components, going from loving family man in one scene to unhinged maniac in the next. And apparently, Chase can often be just as volatile when the cameras aren't rolling as his most famous character is when they are. 

In short, Chase has a reputation for being kind of a jerk and is often difficult to work with. Just ask Dan Harmon and the cast of "Community," or even more famously, comedy legend and fellow "Saturday Night Live" alum Bill Murray.

But when director John Landis was getting set to helm 1978 classic "Animal House," Chase was also arguably the biggest star in comedy at that time,...

The 1990 bubblegum hip-hop comedy “House Party,” starring Kid ‘n Play, was a movie that channeled the flavor of its moment, and influenced a lot of what came afterward. It opened in March 1990 and helped to launch the spirit of the ’90s — something at once edgy and optimistic, infused with a rogue bravura that was made to conquer. Hip-hop had been on the rise for a decade, and by the late ’80s the preeminence of N.W.A. and Public Enemy had brought an ominous new profound power to hip-hop. In the summer of 1989, Spike Lee released “Do the Right Thing,” and that movie, with its fight-the-power core, was of course a Black cinematic apotheosis suffused with equal parts exuberance and trauma.

Somehow landing in the middle of all that, here was “House Party,” a naughty rollicking New Line comedy that was comparable, in many ways, to the John Hughes films or “Animal House.

Comedians David Spade and the late Chris Farley were one of the most memorable comedy duos of the '90s, both as ⅔ of the Gap Girls on "Saturday Night Live" and as co-leads of two of the decade's classic buddy films. Decades beyond the release of the latter film, Penelope Spheeris' "Black Sheep," it still delivers plenty of Farley's physical comedy -- its funniest scenes sees him tussle with a bat and a steep hillside -- and strong buddy chemistry with Spade. But the end product mimics the earlier "Tommy Boy," but without much of that film's magic, leading one of its leading men to wish the movie had been axed.

Coming out of "SNL" fame, Farley signed a two-picture deal with Paramount. "Tommy Boy'' fulfilled the first half, grossing 32 million on a 20 million budget. Following Farley's Tommy Callahan III on a mission to sell brake pads with a less-than-thrilled Spade in tow,...

Composer Bear McCreary discusses a few of his favorite movies with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

The Wolf Man (1941) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s Wolf Man movie power rankings

Host (2020)

Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s 4K Blu-ray review, Tfh’s 30th anniversary celebration

Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

Total Recall (1990)

Robot Monster (1953) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary

Cat-Women Of The Moon (1953)

The Man With The Golden Arm (1955) – Katt Shea’s trailer commentary

The Ten Commandments (1956) – Larry Cohen’s trailer commentary

The Swarm (1978) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

The Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)

The Howling (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings

Batman (1989)

Dick Tracy (1990)

Looney Tunes: Back In Action (2003) – Mike Schlesinger’s trailer commentary

Chinatown (1974) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary

The Professor And The Madman (2019)

Hollywood Boulevard (1976) – Jon Davison’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing

Do The Right Thing (1989) – Allan Arkush...

Exclusive: After successfully relaunching the franchise with 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Sony Pictures is ramping up pre-production on the sequel with the film’s writer and exec producer Gil Kenan set to take over directing reins. Sources tell Deadline that Jason Reitman, who directed the pervious pic, will move into the writer-producer role alongside co-scribe Kenan and Jason Blumenfeld. Insiders add that the Ghostbusters: Afterlife ensemble that includes Paul Rudd and Carrie Coon is on board to return.

Related Story Kymberly Herrin Dies: 'Ghostbusters' Actress Who Starred In Popular Zz Top Video Was 65 Related Story TIFF Industry Selects Section Includes Steve Buscemi's 'The Listener', Bill Pohlad's 'Dreamin' Wild'; Jason Reitman's Live Read Returns Related Story Sony Dates 'Ghostbusters' Sequel For 2023

“It’s an absolute honor to pick up the proton pack and step behind the camera for the next chapter of the Spengler family saga,...

In the words of Kevin Bacon, "Funny-scary is a very difficult thing." The star of Ron Underwood's horror-comedy "Tremors" has spoken at length about the 1990 creature feature and his role as stubborn handyman Val McKee who, alongside Fred Ward's Earl Bassett, tries to escape the doldrums of Perfection, Nevada when giant prehistoric underground monsters interrupt their flight.

In the documentary "Tremors: Making Perfection," Bacon, Underwood, and the rest of the film's cast and crew go long on its journey from page to screen. It began as a simple concept from writers S. S. Wilson and Brent Maddock, who were collecting footage for a Navy safety video when they thought about what it would be like if something had them marooned on a rock. The story, then dubbed "Land Sharks," would be retitled "Beneath Perfection" before finally landing on "Tremors."

It would feature a colorful cast of small-town characters,...

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