"Say Anything" marked America's transition into the 1990s by sealing off the heyday of feel-good high-school rom-coms and goth rock in the '80s. It was a major and much-needed send-off that is probably still an all-time favorite among many a Gen-x-er today.
The coming-of-age hit from 20th Century Fox featured breakout stars like John Cusack and Ione Skye. Even the supporting roles were played by soon-to-be major players like Pamela Adlon or the children of mega-famous stars like Jason Gould.
But not every actor featured in the 1989 romance movie survived into 2024. Unfortunately, John Mahoney, who played Diane's hypercritical (and hypocritical) father, James Court, passed away back in 2018. The late actor was the oldest major cast member by quite a few years and was in his late 70s when he passed. Before his death, Mahoney had an incredible career in film and television — his supporting role as Martin Crane in...
The coming-of-age hit from 20th Century Fox featured breakout stars like John Cusack and Ione Skye. Even the supporting roles were played by soon-to-be major players like Pamela Adlon or the children of mega-famous stars like Jason Gould.
But not every actor featured in the 1989 romance movie survived into 2024. Unfortunately, John Mahoney, who played Diane's hypercritical (and hypocritical) father, James Court, passed away back in 2018. The late actor was the oldest major cast member by quite a few years and was in his late 70s when he passed. Before his death, Mahoney had an incredible career in film and television — his supporting role as Martin Crane in...
- 1/27/2024
- by Shae Sennett
- Slash Film
The Film
There is perhaps no better demonstration of how thoroughly the teen movie dominated the 1980s than the fact that even Robert Altman made one. Altman was always an eclectic filmmaker, but this stands alongside Popeye as a movie that, at first glance, it makes no sense for him to have made.
High School juniors O.C. and Stiggs (Daniel Jenkins and Neill Barry) are long time friends, seemingly outsiders at school, the film has them relating their summer break as a flashback told over the phone, ostensibly to someone in Gabon, who they are calling as a prank on a wealthy local family, the Schwabs, who they routinely target.
To say that Altman’s style does not mesh naturally with a zany teen comedy would be to dramatically understate things. Though made and first screened in 1985, it didn’t get a commercial release until 1987, at which point the...
There is perhaps no better demonstration of how thoroughly the teen movie dominated the 1980s than the fact that even Robert Altman made one. Altman was always an eclectic filmmaker, but this stands alongside Popeye as a movie that, at first glance, it makes no sense for him to have made.
High School juniors O.C. and Stiggs (Daniel Jenkins and Neill Barry) are long time friends, seemingly outsiders at school, the film has them relating their summer break as a flashback told over the phone, ostensibly to someone in Gabon, who they are calling as a prank on a wealthy local family, the Schwabs, who they routinely target.
To say that Altman’s style does not mesh naturally with a zany teen comedy would be to dramatically understate things. Though made and first screened in 1985, it didn’t get a commercial release until 1987, at which point the...
- 7/20/2023
- by Sam Inglis
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Better Off Dead is one of two 1985 movies that marked John Cusack’s debut as a leading man. After small roles in Sixteen Candles and Class, Cusack, at only eighteen, nabbed the lead in Rob Reiner’s The Sure Thing, and Savage Steve Holland’s Better Off Dead followed immediately afterward. While Cusack has often praised The Sure Thing and Reiner’s direction, his feelings on Better Off Dead have always been controversial. Holland says that while Cusack attended the dailies, when he saw the cut-together version, he felt humiliated and told him that he would never trust him again as a director. This was problematic as they were in the middle of shooting a follow-up, One Crazy Summer, whose shoot would be more fraught than the collegial Better Off Dead.
So what made Cusack so angry? Better Off Dead is an absurdist comedy that, among other things, includes a...
So what made Cusack so angry? Better Off Dead is an absurdist comedy that, among other things, includes a...
- 11/30/2022
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Isidore “Izzy” Mankofsky, who shot The Muppet Movie, Somewhere in Time and dozens of telefilms including the Farrah Fawcett-starring The Burning Bed, died Thursday, the American Society of Cinematographers announced. He was 89.
He also was the Dp on Richard Fleischer’s The Jazz Singer (1980) and two movies directed by Savage Steve Holland and starring John Cusack: Better Off Dead … (1985) and One Crazy Summer (1986).
A three-time Emmy nominee, Mankofsky got his start at Encyclopedia Britannica Films, then made his feature debut on the Aip sequel Scream Blacula Scream (1973), starring William Marshall.
In a 2009 interview, Mankofsky said in enjoyed working with Jim Henson and ...
He also was the Dp on Richard Fleischer’s The Jazz Singer (1980) and two movies directed by Savage Steve Holland and starring John Cusack: Better Off Dead … (1985) and One Crazy Summer (1986).
A three-time Emmy nominee, Mankofsky got his start at Encyclopedia Britannica Films, then made his feature debut on the Aip sequel Scream Blacula Scream (1973), starring William Marshall.
In a 2009 interview, Mankofsky said in enjoyed working with Jim Henson and ...
- 3/15/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Isidore “Izzy” Mankofsky, who shot The Muppet Movie, Somewhere in Time and dozens of telefilms including the Farrah Fawcett-starring The Burning Bed, died Thursday, the American Society of Cinematographers announced. He was 89.
He also was the Dp on Richard Fleischer’s The Jazz Singer (1980) and two movies directed by Savage Steve Holland and starring John Cusack: Better Off Dead … (1985) and One Crazy Summer (1986).
A three-time Emmy nominee, Mankofsky got his start at Encyclopedia Britannica Films, then made his feature debut on the Aip sequel Scream Blacula Scream (1973), starring William Marshall.
In a 2009 interview, Mankofsky said in enjoyed working with Jim Henson and ...
He also was the Dp on Richard Fleischer’s The Jazz Singer (1980) and two movies directed by Savage Steve Holland and starring John Cusack: Better Off Dead … (1985) and One Crazy Summer (1986).
A three-time Emmy nominee, Mankofsky got his start at Encyclopedia Britannica Films, then made his feature debut on the Aip sequel Scream Blacula Scream (1973), starring William Marshall.
In a 2009 interview, Mankofsky said in enjoyed working with Jim Henson and ...
- 3/15/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Better off Dead is far and away one of the most random and incredibly funny movies of the 80s. It came to us from Savage Steve Holland who also directed One Crazy Summer and How I got Into College. However I think most would agree that Better off Dead was his crowning achievement. The movie starred John Cusack but I think all the highlights went to guys like Curtis Armstrong who played Charles DeMar and characters like Ricky Fitts and the Asian Guy who talked like Howard Cosell (who also played the villain in Karate Kid II). It was just
Starting off the Day with Better Off Dead’s My Two Dollars...
Starting off the Day with Better Off Dead’s My Two Dollars...
- 4/17/2017
- by Nat Berman
- TVovermind.com
In addition to being an excellent tipper, Tom Hanks is a believer in a free—and caffeinated—press.
On Thursday, Reuters White House and politics reporter Steve Holland tweeted out a photo of a fancy espresso machine the actor sent to reporters covering the Trump administration. “Thankx to @tomhanks for the new coffee machine for the schlubs in the Wh press room,” he wrote.
The gift was accompanied by a note from Hanks, which reads: “Keep up the good fight for Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Especially the truth part.” The letter also features Bill Mauldin’s Pulitzer prize-winning World War II drawing,...
On Thursday, Reuters White House and politics reporter Steve Holland tweeted out a photo of a fancy espresso machine the actor sent to reporters covering the Trump administration. “Thankx to @tomhanks for the new coffee machine for the schlubs in the Wh press room,” he wrote.
The gift was accompanied by a note from Hanks, which reads: “Keep up the good fight for Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Especially the truth part.” The letter also features Bill Mauldin’s Pulitzer prize-winning World War II drawing,...
- 3/2/2017
- by Shay Spence
- PEOPLE.com
If you’re an 80s kid like me you might remember a trio of movies that absolutely rocked. In 1985 we were treated to the classic “Better off Dead” starring John Cusak. In 1986 it was “One Crazy Summer” and then in 1989 we saw “How I Got into College.” These were all films that brought a kind of comedy we had not seen before. Combining the elements of animation and just sheer weirdness, director Savage Steve Holland created a type of movie that if anything, shocked us into laughing. The movies were just so random and yet so funny that
It’s Time for Another Savage Steve Holland Feature Film...
It’s Time for Another Savage Steve Holland Feature Film...
- 2/24/2017
- by Nat Berman
- TVovermind.com
Between One Crazy Summer and Better Off Dead, it’s almost impossible not to pick the latter as the more satisfying of the two Savage Steve Holland and John Cusack collaborations. The ’80s comedies have both aged well, though. Neither film was a hit at the box-office, but time has been kind to them. Now, Holland wants to revisit […]
The post Who Wants to See a ‘One Crazy Summer’ Sequel? appeared first on /Film.
The post Who Wants to See a ‘One Crazy Summer’ Sequel? appeared first on /Film.
- 2/6/2016
- by Jack Giroux
- Slash Film
Bruce Campbell and Edgar Wright will be on hand for a groovy 35mm double bill of The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II at this October's Beyond Fest, held in Los Angeles and presented by Shudder. Other screening highlights include the Kurt Russell-starring Bone Tomahawk, Karyn Kusama's The Invitation, the Henry Rollins-starring He Never Died, and much more.
Press Release: Los Angeles, CA - Thursday, September 3, 2015- Beyond Fest, the highest attended genre film festival in the Us, is excited to announce its full slate of 2015 programming featuring 25 events of mind-bending, movie madness. Presented by Shudder, Beyond Fest returns to Hollywood's famed Egyptian Theatre for 11 days of movies, music and mayhem spanning Thursday, October 1st - Monday, October 12th to generate funds for co-presenter, the nonprofit American Cinematheque.
With a diverse slate that includes films from all corners of the globe Beyond Fest is proud to present...
Press Release: Los Angeles, CA - Thursday, September 3, 2015- Beyond Fest, the highest attended genre film festival in the Us, is excited to announce its full slate of 2015 programming featuring 25 events of mind-bending, movie madness. Presented by Shudder, Beyond Fest returns to Hollywood's famed Egyptian Theatre for 11 days of movies, music and mayhem spanning Thursday, October 1st - Monday, October 12th to generate funds for co-presenter, the nonprofit American Cinematheque.
With a diverse slate that includes films from all corners of the globe Beyond Fest is proud to present...
- 9/3/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Somewhere out there, a paperboy is still looking for his "two dollars."
It's been three decades, but we're still chuckling at the absurdly surreal "Better Off Dead." When it opened 30 years ago (on August 23, 1985), the dark comedy about a lovelorn suicidal teen cemented John Cusack's newly-minted leading man status. It also introduced moviegoers to the warped sense of humor of director Savage Steve Holland.
Since then, Cusack has enjoyed a celebrated career, while his castmates have taken paths as twisted as the movie that made them famous. Here's what's become of the "Better Off Dead" players in the years since they brought us one-legged ski races, dancing hamburgers, and vengeful newsboys.
It's been three decades, but we're still chuckling at the absurdly surreal "Better Off Dead." When it opened 30 years ago (on August 23, 1985), the dark comedy about a lovelorn suicidal teen cemented John Cusack's newly-minted leading man status. It also introduced moviegoers to the warped sense of humor of director Savage Steve Holland.
Since then, Cusack has enjoyed a celebrated career, while his castmates have taken paths as twisted as the movie that made them famous. Here's what's become of the "Better Off Dead" players in the years since they brought us one-legged ski races, dancing hamburgers, and vengeful newsboys.
- 8/23/2015
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
Stars: Mae Whitman, Bella Thorne, Robbie Amell, Bianca A. Santos, Skyler Samuels, Romany Malco, Nick Eversman, Chris Wylde, Ken Jeong, Allison Janney | Written by Josh A. Cagan | Directed by Ari Sandel
Bianca (Mae Whitman) is a content high school senior whose world is shattered when she learns the student body knows her as The Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) to her prettier, more popular friends. Now, despite the words of caution from her favourite teacher (Ken Jeong), she enlists the slick but charming Wesley (Robbie Amell), to help take back her ‘label’ and overthrow the school’s resident mean girl Madison (Bella Thorne) reminding everyone that no matter what people look or act like, we are all someone’s Duff.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If there’s one genre I have a soft spot for, even as a thirty-odd year old man, it’s the teen movie.
Bianca (Mae Whitman) is a content high school senior whose world is shattered when she learns the student body knows her as The Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) to her prettier, more popular friends. Now, despite the words of caution from her favourite teacher (Ken Jeong), she enlists the slick but charming Wesley (Robbie Amell), to help take back her ‘label’ and overthrow the school’s resident mean girl Madison (Bella Thorne) reminding everyone that no matter what people look or act like, we are all someone’s Duff.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If there’s one genre I have a soft spot for, even as a thirty-odd year old man, it’s the teen movie.
- 8/16/2015
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Some people can win for losing.
Ben Affleck claimed the Directors Guild of America Award for Argo on Saturday in Hollywood’s latest thumb-in-the-eye to the small group of filmmakers in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences who failed to nominate him for an Oscar.
“I worked really, really hard to become the best director I could be, by putting in as hours as I can, and banging my head against a wall, berating myself, lying to myself about whether it’s going to work,” Affleck told the crowd, never mentioning the snub. “Basically, I got to a...
Ben Affleck claimed the Directors Guild of America Award for Argo on Saturday in Hollywood’s latest thumb-in-the-eye to the small group of filmmakers in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences who failed to nominate him for an Oscar.
“I worked really, really hard to become the best director I could be, by putting in as hours as I can, and banging my head against a wall, berating myself, lying to myself about whether it’s going to work,” Affleck told the crowd, never mentioning the snub. “Basically, I got to a...
- 2/3/2013
- by Anthony Breznican
- EW - Inside Movies
Today, the Directors Guild of America announced its nominees for TV and commercials. Some of the shows involved are predictable (Homeland, Mad Men, Louie, Girls), while others aren’t (check out that Reality category!). The list:
Dramatic Series:
Michael Cuesta, Showtime’s Homeland, “The Choice”
Jennifer Getzinger, AMC’s Mad Men, “A Little Kiss”
Lesli Linka Glatter, Showtime’s Homeland, “Q&A”
Rian Johnson, AMC’s Breaking Bad, “Fifty-One”
Greg Mottola, HBO’s The Newsroom, “We Just Decided To”
Comedy Series:
Louis C.K., FX’s Louie, “New Year’s Eve”
Mark Cendrowski, CBS’s The Big Bang Theory, “The Date Night Variable”
Bryan Cranston,...
Dramatic Series:
Michael Cuesta, Showtime’s Homeland, “The Choice”
Jennifer Getzinger, AMC’s Mad Men, “A Little Kiss”
Lesli Linka Glatter, Showtime’s Homeland, “Q&A”
Rian Johnson, AMC’s Breaking Bad, “Fifty-One”
Greg Mottola, HBO’s The Newsroom, “We Just Decided To”
Comedy Series:
Louis C.K., FX’s Louie, “New Year’s Eve”
Mark Cendrowski, CBS’s The Big Bang Theory, “The Date Night Variable”
Bryan Cranston,...
- 1/9/2013
- by Mandi Bierly
- EW - Inside TV
As a birthday gift to Demi Moore, who turns 49 on Friday (Nov. 11), we'd like to offer this: After this paragraph, we're not going to mention the alleged rough patch she's currently going through with her husband, Ashton Kutcher, or anything else about her personal life.
What we're going to do instead is talk about Moore's career as an actress. "Ghost" and "Striptease" and "G.I. Jane" and "Indecent Proposal," you know about. But in between her big hits and body-transforming, headline-making roles, Moore has done some really fine work. Here are four roles that maybe don't get as much attention as they should.
"About Last Night ..."
A year before "About Last Night ..." hit theaters in July 1986, Moore and Rob Lowe had co-starred in the Brat Pack-iest of all Brat Pack movies, "St. Elmo's Fire," which despite what you may think you remember isn't a very good film. "About Last Night ..." was a good movie,...
What we're going to do instead is talk about Moore's career as an actress. "Ghost" and "Striptease" and "G.I. Jane" and "Indecent Proposal," you know about. But in between her big hits and body-transforming, headline-making roles, Moore has done some really fine work. Here are four roles that maybe don't get as much attention as they should.
"About Last Night ..."
A year before "About Last Night ..." hit theaters in July 1986, Moore and Rob Lowe had co-starred in the Brat Pack-iest of all Brat Pack movies, "St. Elmo's Fire," which despite what you may think you remember isn't a very good film. "About Last Night ..." was a good movie,...
- 11/11/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Henry Winkler is often called the Nicest Man in Hollywood, but now he’s also known as an Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE). He was awarded the honor from the Queen (via British Ambassador Nigel Sheinwald, pictured with Winkler) this week in recognition of his services to children with dyslexia and special educational needs. According to the British Embassy in Washington, he’s spent much of the last two years touring the U.K. to educate about dyslexia and other learning difficulties. Winkler, who was diagnosed with dyslexia as an adult, is also...
- 9/15/2011
- by Mandi Bierly
- EW.com - PopWatch
If only Bryan Goluboff's debut feature, "Beware the Gonzo," were made in the 1980s. This tale of teen 'zine rebellion almost has a Savage Steve Holland feel to it, minus almost all of the humor and general absurdity, and I could easily picture John Cusack and Curtis Armstrong in lead roles filled instead by Ezra Miller (who seems more interested in emulating Justin Long and Max Fischer) and Griffin Newman, respectively. Though Newman's character, "Horny" Rob, is actually more like the Armstrong of "Revenge of the Nerds." It's quite the Reagan-era nerds-versus-jocks underdog teen comedy, but the lower tier stuff,…...
- 8/25/2011
- Spout
DVD Playhouse—August 2011
By Allen Gardner
High And Low (Criterion) Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 adaptation of Ed McBain’s novel King’s Ransom is a multi-layered masterpiece of suspense and one of the best portraits ever of class warfare in post-ww II Japan. Toshiro Mifune stars as a wealthy businessman who finds himself in a moral quandary when his chauffer’s son is kidnapped by ruthless thugs who think the boy is Mifune’s. Beautifully realized on every level. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Commentary by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince; Documentary on film’s production; Interview with Mifune from 1984; Trailers and teaser. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 4.0 surround.
Leon Morin, Priest (Criterion) One of French maestro Jean-Pierre Melville’s rare non-crime-oriented films, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo as a devoted cleric who is lusted after by the women of a small village in Nazi-occupied France. When Fr. Morin finds himself drawn to a...
By Allen Gardner
High And Low (Criterion) Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 adaptation of Ed McBain’s novel King’s Ransom is a multi-layered masterpiece of suspense and one of the best portraits ever of class warfare in post-ww II Japan. Toshiro Mifune stars as a wealthy businessman who finds himself in a moral quandary when his chauffer’s son is kidnapped by ruthless thugs who think the boy is Mifune’s. Beautifully realized on every level. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Commentary by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince; Documentary on film’s production; Interview with Mifune from 1984; Trailers and teaser. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS-hd 4.0 surround.
Leon Morin, Priest (Criterion) One of French maestro Jean-Pierre Melville’s rare non-crime-oriented films, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo as a devoted cleric who is lusted after by the women of a small village in Nazi-occupied France. When Fr. Morin finds himself drawn to a...
- 8/8/2011
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Nothing glows in the warm light of nostalgia like ’80s high-school comedies, which were crude and schlocky in their best instances, yet draw a level of affection that comes as much from coach-potato memories as from any resounding merit. It would be a stretch to call 1985’s Better Off Dead, the first of two quick-and-dirty Savage Steve Holland/John Cusack team-ups, anything greater than a broad, shambling, hit-or-miss piece of comic craftsmanship. What it has in its favor is affability—some owed to Cusack’s gawky young charisma, some to Holland’s goofy tone and lightly surreal sense of ...
- 8/3/2011
- avclub.com
John Cusack stars as a teen who repeatedly tries to commit suicide while trying to win back his ex-girlfriend with the help of an incredibly versatile French exchange student – and gets stalked by a paperboy who wants his $2 while barreling down a mountain on one ski — and yet there’s not one extra on the new Better Off Dead… Blu-ray that’s out today? What?!
It’s time to bring back EW Extras, a recurring column that allows us to right these kind of tragic wrongs (see also: Weekend at Bernie’s) and create the DVD extras that never were.
It’s time to bring back EW Extras, a recurring column that allows us to right these kind of tragic wrongs (see also: Weekend at Bernie’s) and create the DVD extras that never were.
- 8/2/2011
- by Mandi Bierly
- EW - Inside Movies
Rank the week of August 2nd’s Blu-ray and DVD new releases against the best films of all-time: New Releases Rio
(DVD & Blu-ray | PG | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #3463
Times Ranked: 1625
Win Percentage: 52%
Top-20 Rankings: 16
Directed By: Carlos Saldanha
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg • Anne Hathaway • Leslie Mann • Jemaine Clement • Jamie Foxx
Genres: Adventure • Adventure Comedy • Animal Picture • Animation • Comedy • Family
Rank This Movie
Soul Surfer
(DVD & Blu-ray | PG | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #6816
Times Ranked: 243
Win Percentage: 55%
Top-20 Rankings: 5
Directed By: Sean McNamara
Starring: Helen Hunt • Craig T. Nelson • Dennis Quaid • AnnaSophia Robb • Kevin Sorbo
Genres: Drama • Family Drama • Sports Drama
Rank This Movie
The Final Destination
(DVD & Blu-ray | R | 2009)
Flickchart Ranking: #5287
Times Ranked: 5225
Win Percentage: 31%
Top-20 Rankings: 2
Directed By: David R. Ellis
Starring:
Genres: Horror
Rank This Movie
The Perfect Game
(DVD & Blu-ray | PG | 2009)
Flickchart Ranking: #13940
Times Ranked: 28
Win Percentage: 61%
Top-20 Rankings: 0
Directed By: William Dear
Starring: Clifton Collins, Jr. • Cheech Marin • Moisés Arias • Jake T. Austin...
(DVD & Blu-ray | PG | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #3463
Times Ranked: 1625
Win Percentage: 52%
Top-20 Rankings: 16
Directed By: Carlos Saldanha
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg • Anne Hathaway • Leslie Mann • Jemaine Clement • Jamie Foxx
Genres: Adventure • Adventure Comedy • Animal Picture • Animation • Comedy • Family
Rank This Movie
Soul Surfer
(DVD & Blu-ray | PG | 2011)
Flickchart Ranking: #6816
Times Ranked: 243
Win Percentage: 55%
Top-20 Rankings: 5
Directed By: Sean McNamara
Starring: Helen Hunt • Craig T. Nelson • Dennis Quaid • AnnaSophia Robb • Kevin Sorbo
Genres: Drama • Family Drama • Sports Drama
Rank This Movie
The Final Destination
(DVD & Blu-ray | R | 2009)
Flickchart Ranking: #5287
Times Ranked: 5225
Win Percentage: 31%
Top-20 Rankings: 2
Directed By: David R. Ellis
Starring:
Genres: Horror
Rank This Movie
The Perfect Game
(DVD & Blu-ray | PG | 2009)
Flickchart Ranking: #13940
Times Ranked: 28
Win Percentage: 61%
Top-20 Rankings: 0
Directed By: William Dear
Starring: Clifton Collins, Jr. • Cheech Marin • Moisés Arias • Jake T. Austin...
- 8/2/2011
- by Jonathan Hardesty
- Flickchart
If you were anywhere near a television that had cable in the mid-1980s, you saw Better Off Dead. A hundred times.
The best film by Savage Steve Holland, a fringe director and animator (he created Press Your Luck "Whammy!"), Better Off Dead is a mix of teen angst, broad comedy and lengthy trips into the surreal. This manifests itself with a stop-motion hamburger singing Van Halen, a team of Japanese Howard Cosell impersonators and, seared upon the brain of everyone of a certain age, a maniacal paperboy who will stop at nothing to get his two dollars.
So . . .just who is the guy we've been quoting all these years? His name is Demian Slade (he was also Bobby in Back to the Beach), and I had the opportunity to chat with this very good spirited dude in anticipation of Better Off Dead getting its release on Blu-ray. Here are the highlights of that conversation.
The best film by Savage Steve Holland, a fringe director and animator (he created Press Your Luck "Whammy!"), Better Off Dead is a mix of teen angst, broad comedy and lengthy trips into the surreal. This manifests itself with a stop-motion hamburger singing Van Halen, a team of Japanese Howard Cosell impersonators and, seared upon the brain of everyone of a certain age, a maniacal paperboy who will stop at nothing to get his two dollars.
So . . .just who is the guy we've been quoting all these years? His name is Demian Slade (he was also Bobby in Back to the Beach), and I had the opportunity to chat with this very good spirited dude in anticipation of Better Off Dead getting its release on Blu-ray. Here are the highlights of that conversation.
- 8/2/2011
- UGO Movies
Starring: John Cusack, Diane Franklin, Curtis Armstrong
Director: Savage Steve Holland
The Scoop: (1985) As one of the films that helped seal Cusack as an '80s icon, this movie was the teen comedy for kids who were just a little more offbeat than John Hughes. Cusack stars as a kid who decides to off himself after being dumped, but he's such a chump he can't even kill himself successfully. Plus, it has Armstrong in it, so you know its alt. Millions of cult fans still want their two dollars.
Special Features: Trailer
Rated PG, 97 min. | Watch the trailer...
Director: Savage Steve Holland
The Scoop: (1985) As one of the films that helped seal Cusack as an '80s icon, this movie was the teen comedy for kids who were just a little more offbeat than John Hughes. Cusack stars as a kid who decides to off himself after being dumped, but he's such a chump he can't even kill himself successfully. Plus, it has Armstrong in it, so you know its alt. Millions of cult fans still want their two dollars.
Special Features: Trailer
Rated PG, 97 min. | Watch the trailer...
- 8/1/2011
- by NextMovie Staff
- NextMovie
I ignore a lot of press releases, we all do. We try very hard to make sure that what gets posted on Twitch is worthy or "Twitchy" enough for the site. By all rights, this should have been something I ignored, but I can't help myself, I love Better Off Dead, and it's coming to Blu-ray!That's right, the early John Cusack vehicle, directed by Savage Steve Holland, is coming in high definition! Honest, I thought this one was a ways down the road, but this made me giddy. Better Off Dead is a silly, and often very dark, piece of comedy that could only have come from the eighties. The film is filled with classic characters, including Cusack's Lane Meyer, the nobody who must win...
- 6/28/2011
- Screen Anarchy
John Cusack is getting a little wacky, starring in the international screwball comedy Dictablanda (meaning ‘Soft Dictator’), which comes with the tagline “People don’t die, they get killed.” Directed by Alejandro Agresti, an Argentinian director who most recently gave us The Lake House, the film starts shooting this month through April in Buenos Aires and Mar de Ajo, Argentina.
The script is written by Cusack, entertainment attorney Kevin Morris (more on that in a minute), Paul Hipp and Agresti as well.
Morris, the lawyer, is also Cusack’s partner in New Crime, the actor’s new production banner. Pablo Bossi is also producing through his Pampa Films. [Variety]
This doesn’t sound too far off from Cusack’s recent passion poly-satire War Inc., which came and went with not so much as a whimper. That said, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Screwball’s been stigmatized these days as archaic,...
The script is written by Cusack, entertainment attorney Kevin Morris (more on that in a minute), Paul Hipp and Agresti as well.
Morris, the lawyer, is also Cusack’s partner in New Crime, the actor’s new production banner. Pablo Bossi is also producing through his Pampa Films. [Variety]
This doesn’t sound too far off from Cusack’s recent passion poly-satire War Inc., which came and went with not so much as a whimper. That said, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Screwball’s been stigmatized these days as archaic,...
- 3/8/2011
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
The new comedy "Take Me Home Tonight" celebrates the 1980s and all its excesses, from Mercedes-worship to Frankie Goes To Hollywood telling us all to relax.
The '80s was a time of rampant materialism and mohawks, and the only way people got through it -- like WWII -- was with laughter.
In honor of Topher Grace's nostalgic comedy, we're celebrating the 25 most-uniquely only-in-the-80's comedies, the ones where the hair was froofy, Eddie Murphy still brought the funny, and the geek inherited the Earth.
25. 'The Naked Gun' (1988)
The same team that made "Airplane!" decided to bring their anarchic brand of humor to the small screen with "Police Squad" (In Color), but the satire of TV cop shows only lasted a measly six episodes. After the show gained a cult following, the trio decided to resurrect Leslie Nielsen's accident-prone Lieutenant Frank Drebin to surprising success and a comedic trilogy,...
The '80s was a time of rampant materialism and mohawks, and the only way people got through it -- like WWII -- was with laughter.
In honor of Topher Grace's nostalgic comedy, we're celebrating the 25 most-uniquely only-in-the-80's comedies, the ones where the hair was froofy, Eddie Murphy still brought the funny, and the geek inherited the Earth.
25. 'The Naked Gun' (1988)
The same team that made "Airplane!" decided to bring their anarchic brand of humor to the small screen with "Police Squad" (In Color), but the satire of TV cop shows only lasted a measly six episodes. After the show gained a cult following, the trio decided to resurrect Leslie Nielsen's accident-prone Lieutenant Frank Drebin to surprising success and a comedic trilogy,...
- 3/2/2011
- by Max Evry
- NextMovie
Filed under: Cinematical, Best and Worst
Sure, comedy is subjective, but there were so many diverse comedies in 2010, I can practically guarantee that more than a few of the movies on this list made you laugh out loud. There was a little something for everybody this year, and you can check out ten of our favorites below.
10. 'Hot Tub Time Machine' -- There's got to be a place on this list for something truly stupid, and this movie, in which John Cusack travels back in time to the 1980s with the help of an enchanted hot tub, fits the bill. Yes, it's ridiculous, but for someone who grew up on the films of Savage Steve Holland ('Better Off Dead,' 'One Crazy Summer') it feels like an R-rated return to that wacky world.
9. 'Cyrus' -- Surprisingly gentle and low-key considering its two stars (John C.
Sure, comedy is subjective, but there were so many diverse comedies in 2010, I can practically guarantee that more than a few of the movies on this list made you laugh out loud. There was a little something for everybody this year, and you can check out ten of our favorites below.
10. 'Hot Tub Time Machine' -- There's got to be a place on this list for something truly stupid, and this movie, in which John Cusack travels back in time to the 1980s with the help of an enchanted hot tub, fits the bill. Yes, it's ridiculous, but for someone who grew up on the films of Savage Steve Holland ('Better Off Dead,' 'One Crazy Summer') it feels like an R-rated return to that wacky world.
9. 'Cyrus' -- Surprisingly gentle and low-key considering its two stars (John C.
- 12/27/2010
- by John Gholson
- Moviefone
Filed under: Cinematical, Best and Worst
Sure, comedy is subjective, but there were so many diverse comedies in 2010, I can practically guarantee that more than a few of the movies on this list made you laugh out loud. There was a little something for everybody this year, and you can check out ten of our favorites below.
10. 'Hot Tub Time Machine' -- There's got to be a place on this list for something truly stupid, and this movie, in which John Cusack travels back in time to the 1980s with the help of an enchanted hot tub, fits the bill. Yes, it's ridiculous, but for someone who grew up on the films of Savage Steve Holland ('Better Off Dead,' 'One Crazy Summer') it feels like an R-rated return to that wacky world.
9. 'Cyrus' -- Surprisingly gentle and low-key considering its two stars (John C.
Sure, comedy is subjective, but there were so many diverse comedies in 2010, I can practically guarantee that more than a few of the movies on this list made you laugh out loud. There was a little something for everybody this year, and you can check out ten of our favorites below.
10. 'Hot Tub Time Machine' -- There's got to be a place on this list for something truly stupid, and this movie, in which John Cusack travels back in time to the 1980s with the help of an enchanted hot tub, fits the bill. Yes, it's ridiculous, but for someone who grew up on the films of Savage Steve Holland ('Better Off Dead,' 'One Crazy Summer') it feels like an R-rated return to that wacky world.
9. 'Cyrus' -- Surprisingly gentle and low-key considering its two stars (John C.
- 12/27/2010
- by John Gholson
- Cinematical
Karina Longworth interviews Savage Steve Holland at La Weekly, timed to this weekend's double feature of his cult classics "Better Off Dead" and "One Crazy Summer" at the Cinefamily theater. The filmmaker turned kid-show producer claims those movies couldn't be made today, but I have to disagree. I think if any movie proves him wrong, in fact, it's this weekend's hot release, "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World." Before I explain, here's Holland's statement from the interview: I would never get ["Better Off Dead"] made these days, but I just wanted to put in everything I knew about filmmaking — cartoons,…...
- 8/13/2010
- Spout
Nickelodeon’s popular cartoon series The Fairly OddParents is head to the big screen. But not as a cartoon! Nickelodeon are bringing the characters to life in a live-action version of the series dubbed A Fairly Odd Movie: Grown Up Timmy Turner.
As you can see from the pic above – which is of a behind the scenes make-up test and comes to us via CartoonBrew, the film stars Jason Alexander as Cosmo, and Cheryl Hines as Wanda – the two fairy godparents of Timmy Turner, who is played in the fim by Nickelodeon stalwart Drake Bell.
Now I wouldn’t normally get excited by a live-action version of a cartoon – Hollywood hasn’t had that good of a track record with the concept in the past (Rocky & Bullwinkle I’m looking at you), But… and for me this is a major but… the man in the directors seat is in my...
As you can see from the pic above – which is of a behind the scenes make-up test and comes to us via CartoonBrew, the film stars Jason Alexander as Cosmo, and Cheryl Hines as Wanda – the two fairy godparents of Timmy Turner, who is played in the fim by Nickelodeon stalwart Drake Bell.
Now I wouldn’t normally get excited by a live-action version of a cartoon – Hollywood hasn’t had that good of a track record with the concept in the past (Rocky & Bullwinkle I’m looking at you), But… and for me this is a major but… the man in the directors seat is in my...
- 8/3/2010
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Yes, it’s true, The Fairly OddParents are heading to the big screen in the form of a live action movie.
The Nickelodeon film will star Jason Alexander as Cosmo and Cheryl Hines as Wanda, the two fairy godparents of Timmy Turner, played by Drake Bell. The film is entitled A Fairly Odd Movie: Grown Up Timmy Turner. The film is being directed by Savage Steve Holland (Better Off Dead) and is expected to be released some time in 2011 on Nickelodeon.
While I was a huge fan of the show growing up, I am a bit skeptical of the live action adaptation. I feel like a lot of the humor and fun nature of the show might get lost in the conversion process if not well executed. Much of this really comes down to the fact that Drake Bell is playing Timmy Turner. Drake is not a good actor at all and,...
The Nickelodeon film will star Jason Alexander as Cosmo and Cheryl Hines as Wanda, the two fairy godparents of Timmy Turner, played by Drake Bell. The film is entitled A Fairly Odd Movie: Grown Up Timmy Turner. The film is being directed by Savage Steve Holland (Better Off Dead) and is expected to be released some time in 2011 on Nickelodeon.
While I was a huge fan of the show growing up, I am a bit skeptical of the live action adaptation. I feel like a lot of the humor and fun nature of the show might get lost in the conversion process if not well executed. Much of this really comes down to the fact that Drake Bell is playing Timmy Turner. Drake is not a good actor at all and,...
- 8/3/2010
- by Alex DiGiovanna
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Nickelodeon has made a grown-up decision.
The kids channel has greenlighted a live-action/CG adaptation of its hit toon "The Fairly OddParents," starring Drake Bell ("Drake and Josh") as a twentysomething Timmy Turner who's still in the fifth grade because "Da Rules" dictate that godchildren lose their fairies when they grow up.
Set to premiere next year, "A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner!" also stars Daniella Monet as Tootie, Jason Alexander as Cosmo, Cheryl Hines as Wanda and Steven Weber as Hugh J. Magnate. Savage Steve Holland directs a script by "OddParents" creator Butch Hartman and Scott Fellows ("Big Time Rush"), a former writer for the series.
"It's so much fun to see our animated characters come to life," said Marjorie Cohn, president of original programming and development at Nickelodeon/Mtvn Kids and Family Group. "And who better to bring grown up Timmy Turner to life than Drake Bell,...
The kids channel has greenlighted a live-action/CG adaptation of its hit toon "The Fairly OddParents," starring Drake Bell ("Drake and Josh") as a twentysomething Timmy Turner who's still in the fifth grade because "Da Rules" dictate that godchildren lose their fairies when they grow up.
Set to premiere next year, "A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner!" also stars Daniella Monet as Tootie, Jason Alexander as Cosmo, Cheryl Hines as Wanda and Steven Weber as Hugh J. Magnate. Savage Steve Holland directs a script by "OddParents" creator Butch Hartman and Scott Fellows ("Big Time Rush"), a former writer for the series.
"It's so much fun to see our animated characters come to life," said Marjorie Cohn, president of original programming and development at Nickelodeon/Mtvn Kids and Family Group. "And who better to bring grown up Timmy Turner to life than Drake Bell,...
- 7/25/2010
- by By Erik Pedersen
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
I recently plowed through all three seasons of Arrested Development on Netflix, and was surprised to see an episode built around a (stolen) gag from a minor comedy from 1986 -- the fondly remembered Savage Steve Holland comedy One Crazy Summer. The set-up involves Japanese businessmen, a real estate deal, model homes, and a guy in a giant animal costume. You can probably fill in the blanks from those ingredients alone.
In One Crazy Summer, maniacal tow truck driver Egg Stork (Bobcat Goldthwait) is put in charge of a trailer full of movie props and costumes for the upcoming rabid dolphin movie Foam. He can't resist trying on a Godzilla costume, but finds himself trapped inside due to a faulty zipper. Meanwhile, not too far away, evil land developer Aguilla Beckerstead is showing off his new development, in the form of a large model, to interested Japanese investors.
Egg runs over to the Beckerstead's,...
In One Crazy Summer, maniacal tow truck driver Egg Stork (Bobcat Goldthwait) is put in charge of a trailer full of movie props and costumes for the upcoming rabid dolphin movie Foam. He can't resist trying on a Godzilla costume, but finds himself trapped inside due to a faulty zipper. Meanwhile, not too far away, evil land developer Aguilla Beckerstead is showing off his new development, in the form of a large model, to interested Japanese investors.
Egg runs over to the Beckerstead's,...
- 6/17/2010
- by John Gholson
- Cinematical
A couple of our more popular Seriously Random Lists in the past were lists that explored once popular actors and actresses who have seemingly fallen off the face of the Earth (or at least, no longer appear in movies with which we are familiar). People like Rene Russo or Paul Reiser, who were once ever-present, and then just vanished. Today, we're going to do the same with directors. It's more difficult with directors because they work behind the camera and, in many cases, weren't very familiar to begin with. But you knew their movies. Many of the directors below had considerable success before all but vanishing -- some of them still work, on TV or making Direct-to-dvd movies or movies no one has ever heard of. But the fall from their peak has been precipitous and, in some cases, mysterious.
10. Joe Dante
Signature Movies: Gremlins, Gremlins 2, The Howling, Twilight Zone: The Movie,...
10. Joe Dante
Signature Movies: Gremlins, Gremlins 2, The Howling, Twilight Zone: The Movie,...
- 4/18/2010
- by Dustin Rowles
Ok, we don't usually review movies on Fandango. Heck, we're a movie ticketing site, so of course, we hope people will find something at the theater that they want to see, regardless of our opinion. But, I must go out of my way to praise and plead the case of Hot Tub Time Machine. Is it because I'm a child of the '80s and this vastly clever, ingenious, hilarious homage to the '80s teen comedy basically pays tribute to every pop culture signpost, movie and music landmark that I still cherish from my Vcr-tape-and-cineplex intoxicated youth? Perhaps. I am proud to say that I watched hundreds and hundreds of movies during the decade from which I was 7 - 17, and directors John Hughes and Savage Steve Holland hold an equally lofty place in my heart. (sidebar: if you want to know even an inkling...
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- 3/23/2010
- by affiliates@fandango.com
- Fandango
For years, Howard Stern has talked up a remake of the original crude teen flick, 'Porky's' (1982). Now, the redo is a go, slated for a 2011 release with Savage Steve Holland tapped for the script.
Besides being the granddaddy of teen-raunch humor, 'Porky's' remains Canada's top-grossing film (taking inflation into account -- and who doesn't?). It was shot in Florida, directed by an American ... and financed by a Canadian production company. A number of actors from both sides of the border used the film as a launching pad. Let's see where they landed.
Filed under: Where Are They Now?
Continue reading 'Porky's' Cast: Where Are They Now?
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Besides being the granddaddy of teen-raunch humor, 'Porky's' remains Canada's top-grossing film (taking inflation into account -- and who doesn't?). It was shot in Florida, directed by an American ... and financed by a Canadian production company. A number of actors from both sides of the border used the film as a launching pad. Let's see where they landed.
Filed under: Where Are They Now?
Continue reading 'Porky's' Cast: Where Are They Now?
Permalink | Email this | Comments...
- 6/16/2009
- by Moviefone Staff
- Moviefone
Never mind that tacking an S onto the end of the title completely ruins the wordplay, this is just wrong: Elle Woods may have moved upward and onward through law school, but her pink and frilly spirit lives on in her young, adorable cousins Annabelle and Isabelle (Camilla and Rebecca Rosso). Fresh from England, the blond twosome assume their savviness in all things fashion will help them make friends at their new California prep academy in no time flat. One can imagine their frizz-inducing horror, then, when they discover that their new place of learning is run by uniform-loving, junior-capitalist snobs! After the most influential students at school frame Anna and Izzy for a crime they didn’t commit, it’s up to the girls to prove not only their innocence, but their capabilities. Reese Witherspoon presents this spin-off of the beloved franchise that helped make her a superstar. Legally Blondes...
- 4/28/2009
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Savage Steve Holland, the writer-director of 1980s classics like "Better Off Dead", is returning to the genre that made his career with "The Big One 3", his first feature film in more than 18 years.
Warren Zide is producing via his Flipzide Studios along with JB Rogers.
Holland wrote and directed 1985's "Dead" and 1986's "One Crazy Summer", both starring John Cusack, before segueing into television, building a name for himself directing such shows as "Even Stevens", "Lizzie McGuire" and "Phil of the Future".
Zide described the script, which sat on Holland's shelf for a while, as something that will compliment "Dead" and "Summer", making it a trilogy of sorts.
"This is based on a true events in Savage's life," Zide said. "When he was a kid, he had his 13th birthday party and the only one that showed up was a clown, and all that that guy did was hit on his sister."
The family comedy centers on a father who will do whatever he can to make his 13-year-old son's birthday special because his was a disaster.
Warren Zide is producing via his Flipzide Studios along with JB Rogers.
Holland wrote and directed 1985's "Dead" and 1986's "One Crazy Summer", both starring John Cusack, before segueing into television, building a name for himself directing such shows as "Even Stevens", "Lizzie McGuire" and "Phil of the Future".
Zide described the script, which sat on Holland's shelf for a while, as something that will compliment "Dead" and "Summer", making it a trilogy of sorts.
"This is based on a true events in Savage's life," Zide said. "When he was a kid, he had his 13th birthday party and the only one that showed up was a clown, and all that that guy did was hit on his sister."
The family comedy centers on a father who will do whatever he can to make his 13-year-old son's birthday special because his was a disaster.
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