Sad news for horror fans today … Tobe Hooper has passed away. He was 74 years old. The coroner for Los Angeles County has reported that he died yesterday in Sherman Oaks. As of now, the cause of death has not been revealed. If you are a horror fan, you definitely know of all of his many, many contributions to the genre. But for those unaware, Hooper was responsible for bringing us two of the best, most influential scary movies of them all: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Poltergeist. In addition to directing 1974’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre, he also wrote the screenplay and created the soundtrack. Which means that he is, in fact, solely responsible for delivering that entire terrifying tale — and the franchise that followed. Interestingly enough, Hooper taught at a college before making the film, and he made documentaries on the side. He was out doing some holiday shopping in the early 70s, and he came across a rack of chainsaws for sale. He thought about how much he wanted to leave the store, and how starting up a chainsaw would definitely part the crowd. But instead of firing up a chainsaw in a busy department store, he later pulled together a group of his students and other teachers at the college. And that’s how the movie was created. Seriously. Though there wasn’t much blood at all in the film, Hooper had to fight repeatedly to get it down to a R rating, and it was still banned in several countries. Because, as he so impressively proved, you don’t need gore to completely and thoroughly horrify viewers. Twelve years after introducing the world to those wild Texan cannibals, Hooper directed the sequel, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. This movie was very, very different from the first, but still just an absolute gem, proving Hooper’s incredible skill. Which honestly, at that point, didn’t really need proving: eight years after the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre and four years before the sequel, he directed Poltergeist. Which is, of course, also one of the greatest horror movies of all time. He’s directed many other things as well, including a miniseries based on Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot and even a Billy Idol music video. (“Dancing with Myself,” if you were curious.) Hooper is widely regarded to be one of the most influential people when it comes to horror films, and for good reason. And several members of the community are taking the time to pay tribute to him. View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Died in 2017: In Memoriam James Wan, director of Saw and The Conjuring, tweeted “Sad to hear the passing of Tobe Hooper. One of the nicest people. A sweet, gentle soul of a man. Your legacy lives on.” Fellow legend John Carpenter wrote “Tobe Hooper directed THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, a seminal work in horror cinema. He was a kind, decent man and my friend. A sad day.” William Friedkin, director of The Exorcist, said “Tobe Hooper, a kind, warm-hearted man who made the most terrifying film ever. A good friend I will never forget.” RIP, Tobe.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is likely to win four weekends in a row at the box office. Also in Friday’s round-up of news, Ashton Kutcher ‘s Steve Jobs pic jOBS will head to theaters months after its Sundance debut; Kickstarter passes $100 million pledge mark; Michael Haneke withdraws Amour from an awards race; and a look at weekend expansions among the Specialties. Box Office: Hobbit to Cut Down Texas Chainsaw The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is set to continue a month-long reign at the box office, outpacing newcomer Texas Chainsaw , which will open in 2,654 theaters. Hobbit has cumed $242 million domestically, Variety reports . Ashton Kutcher’s Sundance Steve Jobs Film Heads to Theaters jOBS , the film about the Apple mastermind Steve Jobs from 1971 – 2000, which will close the upcoming Sundance Film Festival will head out to theaters April 23rd. Open Road will distribute the film directed by Joshua Michael Stern, Deadline reports . Kickstarter Pledges Pass $100 Million Users of Kickstarter.com have pledged upward of $100 million to independent film projects. Together, 891,979 people have pledged $102.7 million to indies since April 2009 of which $85 million has been collected for 8,500 projects, THR reports . Michael Haneke Withdraws Amour from Austrian Film Awards Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke has withdrawn his critically applauded Oscar hopeful Amour to give other local films a chance at recognition. The French-language film would have been ineligible for some categories. The film has already won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress at the European Film Awards and is Austria’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards, The Guardian reports . Specialty Preview: The Impossible , Promised Land , Hyde Park On Hudson Hope to Gain Momentum Post-holiday attention on limited releases will focus on holdovers and expansions, including Lionsgate-Summit’s The Impossible , Focus Features’ Promised Land and Hyde Park On Hudson and The Weinstein Company’s Silver Linings Playbook and others, Deadline reports .
The story picks up right after the original, but critics aren’t feeling the same love for the follow-up. By Kevin P. Sullivan Tania Raymonde and Trey Songz in “Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D” Photo: Leatherface Productions
Latest in the horror series is expected to debut at #3, behind ‘Django Unchained.’ By Ryan J. Downey Alexandra Daddario in “Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D” Photo: Leatherface Productions
The best thing about the Die Hard Franchise (aside from the almost-perfect, couch-destroying original of course,) is the fact that when it comes to bad puns, these people have no shame. Die Hard 2: Die Harder ; Die Hard With A Vengeance ; Live Free or Die Hard . Brilliance. I can’t wait for Live Together Or Die Hard Alone , Live And Let Die Hard , Cowards Die Hard Many Times , and the teen spinoff I Am So Embarrassed I Could Just Die Hard . [ Releated: The Time Joel Silver Destroyed A $5K Couch During The Filming Of ‘Die Hard’ And WATCH: Bruce Willis Adds Gravitas (And A Little ‘Die Hard’ Confusion) To ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’ International Trailer ] Anyway, before we get to those inevitable classics, we first must get past the upcoming 5th installment in the never-ending story of cowboy cop John McClane, A Good Day To Die Hard . AGDTDH finds McClane going to Moscow just in time for a gigantic outbreak of terrorist violence, courtesy of an oily Russian who apparently just hates America a lot (boooo!). Conveniently, McClane’s son happens to be there, and also happens to be an American spy, so naturally the two of them team up to put the kibosh on the terrorist’s plans. The third trailer is out now, and yep, it is explodey. Yeah, buildings are damaged, wisecracks are made, and Ode To Joy returns as McClane’s theme song. But there’s no hint of yippie-kay-yay in this trailer, and that is in and of itself a miracle. Not as miraculous as the idea that McClane and his son wouldn’t be flattened into bloody wet pancakes when they fall into water like that, but a miracle nonetheless. A Good Day To Die Hard opens on Valentine’s Day. Follow Ross Lincoln Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Trey Songz has already written a song about fear — literally . His track “Don’t Be Scared” soothes a hot chick who’s afraid of her carnal desire for some sweet, sweet loving. Of course, calming a girl into bed is easier than calming a girl while you’re both running from a blood-lusted maniac. But Texas Chainsaw 3D director John Luessenhop knew Trey Songz could handle the challenge when he saw the thrice Grammy-nominated R&B singer float down from the ceiling during the BET Awards and seduce Solange Knowles and the crowd; the next day, Luessenhop called his agent and asked if he could send him the script for the horror sequel — if Songz could control a stage, maybe he could command a screen. And so Trey Songz (AKA “Mr. Steal Yo Girl” as he calls himself in his club banger “Bottoms Up,” AKA Tremaine ‘Trey Songz’ Neverson) stumbled into his unlikely starring debut in a slasher flick playing the boyfriend of Leatherface’s cousin, a brunette goth named Heather (Alexandra Daddario). Will Songz’ fans still swoon over his six-pack abs when they’re slicked with blood? Maybe — although on YouTube, commenters are threatening to storm out of the theater if he doesn’t survive. (We won’t spoil anything, but, um, have they ever seen a horror movie before?) Not only is Texas Chainsaw 3D a first for Songz, Songz is a first for the Texas Chainsaw series: Its first MTV fixture-turned-cast member, its first black star, and the first male love interest to cross the color lines. Plus, it’s the first time in film history where someone dies because a Trey Songz jam on the stereo muffles their screams. We ask Songz about breaking ground in Hollywood — and if R. Kelly should follow in his footsteps. When you told your friends you were the first major black character in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, did they immediately say, “You die, right?” Trey Songz: They wanted to know if I’d die in the credits! In the first ten minutes. It ain’t even a question if I died — it’s how quick. “How fast will it happen?” is what they wanted to know. On IMDb, the first three plot keywords for Texas Chainsaw 3D are: “interracial romance,” “pretty girl,” “interracial kiss.” What’s that about? It’s an obvious thing that’s still very present in this world. In Texas Chainsaw — a huge franchise that started in the ’70s that’s been remade four times, five times, however many times — there’s never been a relationship like this. And although it’s very present in here, I think it’s still a shock to some people that it’s so real. People are starting to erase the color lines. Which is awesome. It definitely is. In your songs, you have this reputation as being a player. I was curious to see if Ryan would be this sweet boyfriend who would change your image — but it turns out Ryan isn’t the best at monogamy. I think Ryan wants to be a good guy. He wants to be there for his girlfriend. You know, they’re young kids having a good time, and he’s messed up a time here or there. Heather, the girl who Alex [Daddario] plays, is kind of a mystery herself. She doesn’t know much about her past, and meanwhile her friend is going behind her back with Ryan and saying, “Hey, I was drunk, I didn’t know better — but let’s do it one more time.” Singing seems like it would be good preparation for acting. You learn that it’s not just what the line is, but how you say it. Singing is all about certain inflection on certain lines. I used to listen to tapes of everybody from Michael Jackson and Prince to Earth, Wind and Fire. They would have different vocal inflections. If the line insinuated pain, they would cringe on some lines. I remember Live at the London Palladium , Marvin Gaye is singing this song about love and he’s talking about how a man ain’t supposed to cry. And he’s going, “Oooohhoooh! Ohhhoooohh!” singing and crying at the same time. That was a good learning tool. Memorizing lines, too. I memorize my own words — I write my songs without writing the lyrics down most of the time, and that’s great practice. There’s a great scene in the movie where one of your friends is in the next room screaming for help, and you can’t hear him because you’ve got the stereo cranked up and playing, uh, one of your own songs. Rip in the space/time continuum? “I’m only here for the ladies and the drinks” — I’m going crazy. That’s funny. The beauty of that is this being my first film, a lot of people will relate to this as me being Trey Songz versus me being Ryan throughout the bulk of it. To those people that aren’t really within my world of music, it’ll be a good moment for them to tie that together as well. At the same time, you know, this is Trey Songz in this movie and this is Trey Songz’ song — if my fans go crazy, too, I’ll appreciate that. You’re already used to have cameras on you on tour and when you’re shooting videos. Do those same cameras feel different when you’re on a movie set? It’s a bit different, but I’d say having directed some of my videos, having shot I don’t know how many videos, and being in short movies sometimes or having very small roles in films, I have been prepared well. Most of the time I’m not speaking in these videos, but that’s probably about the only difference. You’ve said you were a shy child. Are you now used to attention? I wasn’t really ever that shy. That’s some misquoted s–t. I was the kind of kid who loved singing, I loved rapping, I loved attention. But for me, it was more about chasing the dream of being a superstar because of the town I was from and because of what I’d seen. That’s why I say wherever I go, all around the world, it don’t matter where you’re from, or what you’ve got going on, or who’s made it in what profession. You can do whatever it is you plan to do if you really stay focused. Several of the people you’ve worked with musically are making their own moves towards acting. I’m going to say a couple names — tell me what kind of movie you think would be perfect for them as their big break. Cool. Okay: Soulja Boy. A movie like Roll Bounce . Nicki Minaj . I think she could play anything. She’s a character within herself. Last one: R. Kelly. He’s always wanted to act. I don’t really know that about him, but if you listen to his songs, albums after albums after albums, they’re stories. He writes movies in his songs. He’s on Trapped in the Closet , like, 30 by now. I think he’d be good at it, actually. He could play any kind of role. He could play anything from a preacher to a villain. Which he kind of does in Trapped in the Closet . You wrote your joking response song “Out of the Closet” back when you were rivals. Now that you’ve made peace, when you heard he was making more chapters, did you want to get involved? That fact that he’s able to tell a story through music that’s so profound and deep — and with great vocals and great production — is amazing. That’s the end-all, be-all of it. Texas Chainsaw 3D is in theaters Friday. Amy Nicholson is a critic, playwright and editor. Her interests include hot dogs, standard poodles, Bruce Willis, and comedies about the utter futility of existence. Follow her on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Last year, Sundance It Girl Elizabeth Olsen had two notable films debut in Park City. One was Sean Durkin ‘s Martha Marcy May Marlene , which earned Olsen raves and new fans for her central turn as a paranoid cult survivor. Now comes Olsen’s second Sundance ’11 pic, Silent House , in which poor Olsen finds herself spooked by bumps in the night and possibly more insidious forces while stuck in a darkened abandoned house. Was it really shot in a single continuous take, as co-directors Chris Kentis and Laura Lau claim? Is there any young actress quite as watchable in moments of terror as the younger Olsen? Watch the trailer and let us ponder these questions together. Silent House is a remake of the 2010 Uruguayan horror film La Casa Muda , which played the Cannes Film Festival and also used the one-take gimmick. As far as trailers go, this is how you do it. The “inspired by real events” angle has been done to death in modern horror (see: The Devil Inside ), but using Texas Chainsaw -style snapshot editing and voice-over makes it feel both fresh and retro at once. And then there’s the captivating power of Elizabeth Olsen’s face, fascinating even in terror, lit gorgeously within the constraints of a set that seems to rely on practical lighting. And hey! Her real-time ordeal lasts only 88 minutes. When’s the last time a movie promised not to take up too much of your day upfront? Verdict: Can’t wait to shiver and squirm along with Lizzie Olsen on March 9. In real time!
[1] Although he made his name in the late ’70s and early ’80s with horror classics like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Salem’s Lot, and (at least officially) Poltergeist, director Tobe Hooper’s been laying low as of late. His last credits, two episodes of the Showtime series Masters of Horror, and the 2005 film Mortuary, are from several years back, and the films he did before that (including Toolbox… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : /Film Discovery Date : 10/01/2012 17:32 Number of articles : 2
J. Cole taps Trey Songz for a collaboration on “Can’t Get Enough.” It is not certain if the track will be on J. Cole’s Cole World: The Sideline Story album but he did speak with VIBE magazine about the Trey Songz collaboration. Check out the audio below. Recent Post: Wale ft. J. Cole “Bad Girls Club” [NEW MUSIC] Trey Songz To Star In Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D
