#he is not that dumb and may i repeat he FLATLINED

[nightmareonfilmstreet]

Let's Revisit 1990's FLATLINERS, Shall We?

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Let's Revisit 1990's FLATLINERS, Shall We?

The upcoming sequel/reboot to Flatliners is due in theatres any day now. Despite not being a huge sequel buff, we’ll likely be front-and-center opening weekend; covering the film for an upcoming episode of our podcast; Nightmare on Film Street.

Before we dive headfirst into reboot territory, I always try to re-visit the original film beforehand. This time around, I figured I’d invite you all to join me. So, while we wait for Ellen Page to give us her best Julia Roberts impression, let’s head back to 1990, with Flatliners OG!

  Meet Cute

Flatliners is a hybrid of sub-genres. It sits nestled between psychological Horror and Science Fiction. The film is directed by Joel Schumacher (The Lost Boys, Phonebooth, The Number 23), and written by Peter Filardi (The Craft).  The film boasts a pretty all-star cast by the 90’s standards, including many up-and-comers on their way to becoming household names. Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, William Baldwin, Oliver Platt, and Kevin Bacon make up the core death-defying team.

The film was shot in Chicago in 1989 and released theatrically on August 10, 1990, by Columbia Pictures. It received one Academy Award nomination for Best Sound Editing in 1990 (Charles L. Campbell and Richard C. Franklin). The film currently holds a 49% Not-So-Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Synopsis:

An edgy, eerie supernatural thriller about medical students using their skills to try crossing over to the “other side.” After they’re revived, the students are haunted and consumed by what they’ve seen, as their fears, guilt and old memories take root in the physical world. This star-studded film may be remembered more for the tabloid frenzy, upon the film’s release, surrounding actors Julia Roberts and ditched beau Kiefer Sutherland.

  Assembling the Team

Flatliners opens with Nelson Wright (portrayed by a mostly post-mulleted Kiefer Sutherland a la Lost Boys) bellowing the haunting first word of the film;

Today is a good day to die.

Hello trailer soundbite. Oozing a kind-of-threatening cool, Nelson convinces his team of fellow medical students to try some Frankenstein worthy experiments; causing medically induced brain death and reviving the lifeless candidate. For some reason, Joe Hurley (William Baldwin), David Labraccio (Kevin Bacon), Randall ‘Randy’ Steckle (Oliver Platt), and Rachel Manus (Julia Roberts) are all on board after some mild protesting.

These grave experiments intend to prove one thing; the existence of life after death. With Randy as their comedic videographer, they intend to replicate first-hand accounts of auditory and visual hallucinations of those that experienced a more naturally induced temporary state of death.

We as the audience are asked to suspend our disbelief a bit. We can either disregard the fact that an official scientific study requires thousands upon thousands of case studies and examples to even be remotely considered worthy of publishing as verifiable evidence.. Or, the film may intend us to be completely aware what they are doing is only under the guise of a ‘science experiment’. An experiment that serves as an umbrella for which they may hide the death-defying stroking of several young egos. I’m in the camp of the latter.

  Flatiners Flatline

One after another, our smart-enough-to-induce-death but dumb-enough-to-try heroes all invoke a taste of the afterlife. Each experience something unique and personal to their characters. Nelson sees the vision of a boy he bullied as a child, Billy Mahoney. Joe experiences a more erotic afterlife. David sees Winnie Hicks, who he also bullied when younger. Each time they flatline, our team of medical students get more brazen. They increase the time before they attempt revival. The thrill of the task becomes almost an addiction. The more they defy death, the less they care of the consequences; increased chances for brain damage, expulsion from school, and oh yeah – DEATH.

New candidates hit the gurney. All the while, the previously flatlined begin experiencing very real paranormal encounters. Still a impossibly a child, Billy Mahoney taunts Nelson; finding him in street corners, appearing in his car. He grows more and more real each encounter, able to physically assault and attack him. Joe has an affinity for sexually assaulting women by videotaping them without their consent. His punishment is those very women from his past appearing in impossible places, taunting him while his Fiance remains unawares.

The men opt to keep these strange after-effects to themselves, and Rachel decides to go next. Because they’ve decided to set up shop in what is practically an abandoned warehouse; the power surges. They are unable to revive Rachel with the defibrillators. Time ticks by, and she heads dangerously close towards definitive brain damage. At the last moment they are able to bring back a heartbeat and Rachel survives.  Her near-death experience is the most intimately personal. She experiences a vague re-enactment of witnessing her father’s suicide. These visions continue to haunt her even after she leaves the table.

  Confront Your Demons

David decides to confront his demons in an effort to put an end to the hallucinations. He tracks down a grown Winnie Hicks and musters up a long overdue apology. David is freed from the taunting visions, a weight lifted. Joe is forced to come clean about his perversions to his fiance Anne, after she comes across his disgusting stash of videotapes. After Anne leaves him, Joe too is freed from his macabre visions. Rachel, consumed by visions of her father’s death, discovers he was addicted to heroin. She is then also freed in learning she wasn’t at fault in some way.

We learn Billy Mahone died as a child. It was directly a result of Nelson’s bullying; he and his chums chased Billy up a tree, where he accidentally fell to his death. In order to make his amends, Nelson flatlines for a second time. He has to apologize to Billy Mahone in the afterlife, for there is no other way to contact him. Alone, Nelson flatlines for 9 minutes as the team race to revive him. In one final attempt, David shocks Nelson – and the machines beep to life. Nelson’s eyes flutter, and he utters “Today wasn’t a good day to die.”

  Thoughts on the Film

Flatliners is enjoyable in the nostalgic sense. We don’t get movies like quite like this anymore. (disregard the sequel, people.) The gritty, silly genre-warping films of the 1990’s soon made way for Action Adventure epics like Superhero films and ..are Transformers superheroes? Can they just be lumped into that category? Whatever, point made. Moving on.

Though a successfully executed story from beginning to end, the film has never been among my favorites. It straddles too close to the line of teasing something dark, and being lighthearted and funny. The tone is muddled. And because of that, this film never rose to cult status. It was as if after seeing David Cronenburg’s The Fly, the studio threw The Lost Boys into Telepod 3. Flatliners is the Brundlefly that came out.

Still, after not seeing this film for twenty years, the re-watch was enjoyable. All of the budding actors are climbing to the top of their game, and it’s a role unlike any other Julia Roberts has ever portrayed. Kevin Bacon is also surprisingly not an asshole in it? Which is a nice change after growing up with the weird and slightly-rapey Hollow Man.

  A New Generation of Death Defy-ers

In just a few days, a new team will hit the cold slab of death. They will be joined by Kiefer Sutherland, lucidly reprising his role as a doctor – probably providing the young medical students with some ominous (and unheaded) warnings about playing with death. He may even utter an iconic phrase, should the franchise want to retain its iconic level of cheese.

The official synopsis reads:

In Flatliners, five medical students, obsessed by the mystery of what lies beyond the confines of life, embark on a daring and dangerous experiment: by stopping their hearts for short periods of time, each triggers a near-death experience — giving them a firsthand account of the afterlife. But as their experiments become increasingly dangerous, they are each haunted by the sins of their pasts, brought on by the paranormal consequences of trespassing to the other side.

Does that synopsis sound like it could be for the 1990 film to you? It sure does to me. I’ll be interested to see what more they bring to the operating table this go around. They’re going to need to pull something original out of that magician’s cap if this film is going to survive long enough to hit DVD shelves. Without seeing the film, it’s currently sitting on my 2nd most unwarranted film of 2017 list (behind The Mummy, of course). It’ll have to pull some major stunts to top my not-so-negative charts.

But, I wouldn’t hold my breath. (I seriously hope you’re getting all of the Flatline puns in this article.) My best guess is this film is designed with a younger generation in mind. They’re aiming to fill the seats with an audience that has heard of the original, but never watched it. It is likely the studios will throw those of us ‘Loyalists’ a bone with updated CGI effects during the lucid afterlife and the creepy, paranormal spooks afterwards. At it’s core though, I’m expecting the plot to repeat beat for beat. Lets all plan for a bit of a snoozer.

Flatliners, the sequel/reboot stars Ellen Page, Diego Luna, Nina Dobrev, James Norton, Kiersey Clemons . It opens wide in theaters on September 29th.

#ellen page #flatliners 1990 synopsis #flatliners reboot #flatliners recap #flatliners review #flatliners revisited #flatliners revisted #flatliners sequel #flatliners synopsis #horror news #horror review #julia roberts #kiefer sutherland #new horrro #nina dobrev

[acephysicskarkat]

2016 SONG WRAP-UP: 10 WORST

I REALISE NOBODY HAS ACTUALLY ASKED FOR THIS OR EXPRESSED ANY ACTUAL INTEREST, BUT WHAT THE HELL, I HAVE OPINIONS AND I WANT TO SHARE THEM BECAUSE I FUCKING CAN.

SOME BASIC RULES:

1) I AM MOSTLY GOING OFF THE BILLBOARD YEAR-END HOT 100, BUT I GIVE MYSELF FREE REIGN TO BREAK THIS RULE WHENEVER I PLEASE.

2) MY MUSIC THEORY IS BASICALLY LIMITED TO REMEMBERING WHAT THE NOTES ARE CALLED AND OCCASIONALLY GETTING AN INSTRUMENT’S NAME RIGHT. THIS IS ENTIRELY DRIVEN BY EMOTION.

3) REMEMBER THAT BIT ABOUT HOW I HAVE OPINIONS? YEAH, THIS LIST IS JUST OPINIONS.

AND NOW, THE LIST:

#10: THIS IS WHAT YOU CAME FOR, CALVIN HARRIS FT. RIHANNA

NO IT FUCKING ISN’T.

#9: H.O.L.Y., FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE

IT TURNS OUT THAT WHEN FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE STOP MAKING DUMB BRO-COUNTRY SLEAZE, THEY BASICALLY BECOME RIDICULOUSLY BLAND.

#8: WORK, RIHANNA FT. DRAKE

THE SECOND-WORST SONG BUILT AROUND REPEATING THE WORD “WORK” THIS YEAR!

#7: SUCKER FOR PAIN, EVERYONE FT. EVERYONE ELSE

I’M NOT SURE WHAT DOESN’T WORK ABOUT THIS SONG, ACTUALLY. I JUST KNOW I DON’T LIKE IT.

#6: WORK FROM HOME, FIFTH HARMONY

I HAD NO EXPECTATIONS FOR FIFTH HARMONY AND THEY STILL MANAGED TO DISAPPOINT ME. HOW’S THAT FOR ZEN?

#5: B.O.B, FLATLINE

RAMPANTLY ANTISEMITIC CONSPIRACY DRIVEL. DID NOT CHART, FOR GOOD REASON. MOST NOTABLE FOR THE BIZARRE FLAT-EARTH TWITTER RANT THAT ACCOMPANIED ITS RELEASE.

#4: TREAT YOU BETTER, SHAWN MENDEZ

ATROCIOUSLY BAD NICE-GUY ANTHEM THAT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN WRITTEN BY A SAPIENT, TALKING FEDORA.

#3: LIKE I’M GONNA LOSE YOU, MEGHAN TRAINOR FT. JOHN LEGEND

WHILE I’M NOT A MEGHAN TRAINOR FAN, EXACTLY, I DIDN’T OBJECT TO MOST OF HER EARLY STUFF, AND I COULD EVEN STAND “DEAR FUTURE HUSBAND” AS LONG AS I PRETENDED THE LYRICS WEREN’T THERE. THIS, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAS A LEVEL OF SOPORIFIC TEDIUM THAT IMMEDIATELY MAKES IT WAY WORSE THAN THE REST OF HER WORK THIS YEAR (WHICH AT LEAST HAD A LEVEL OF ENERGY TO IT).

#2: ONE CALL AWAY, CHARLIE PUTH

AND ON THE SUBJECT OF TEDIOUS CRAP, CHARLIE PUTH TRIES TO PRESENT HIMSELF AS SOMETHING OTHER THAN SLEEP-INDUCING AND FAILS.

#1: ALL OF DRAKE’S OUTPUT, DRAKE

I DON’T THINK ANY OF MY FOLLOWERS HAVE MUCH CONTACT WITH DRAKE, BUT IF ANYONE DOES, COULD YOU DO ME A FAVOUR AND CHECK HIS VITAL SIGNS? I THINK HE MAY HAVE DIED AND HIS AGENT JUST DIDN’T NOTICE.

#MUSIC

[londontheatre]

On October 22nd at the Harold Pinter Theatre, a host of stars will gather to perform scenes from Shakespeare’s plays in response to modern-day refugee video stories. The evening will be directed by Jamie Lloyd. All profits go to the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR.

A cast including such luminaries as Bertie Carvel, Lee Evans, Martin Freeman, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Wunmi Mosaku, James Norton, Jack Whitehall, Olivia Williams & many more will join together to create a one-night-only, never-to-be-repeated gala event in support of the millions of forcibly displaced people around the world. The evening includes a special guest performance by actor Jay Abdo, himself a refugee of his native Syria.

Inspired by Shakespeare’s ‘refugee’ speech from ‘The Book of Sir Thomas More’, written as a plea for tolerance during the London riots of May 1517 (500 years ago this year), ‘Whither Would You Go?’ pairs scenes from Shakespeare, read by stars of stage and screen with genuine refugee stories from around the world.

Jamie Lloyd says ‘Whither Would You Go? uses the words of William Shakespeare to highlight our shared humanity. When we focus on what we all have in common, we can start a conversation. With more than 65m forcibly displaced people in the world – the highest levels ever recorded – we should be talking and we should be acting.‘

Stephen Fry, who participated in the inaugural event in LA said ‘Shakespeare has always been a friend to the marginalised. Who better to champion the needs of refugees worldwide?’

Olivia Williams, LA event alumni & London cast member said ‘Contributing to Whither Would You Go? is the answer to the question, ‘what can I do to help?’

‘Whither Would You Go’ is the creation of Ella Smith & Emma West, both actors & producers who wanted to harness the power of storytelling to bring tangible help to refugees. Their inaugural production took place in Los Angeles in March and sold out. Further productions are now planned for New York & Sydney.

We are now witnessing the highest levels of displacement on record. An unprecedented 65.6 million people around the world have been forced from home. Among them are nearly 22.5 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18.

  Cast of WWYG LA Photo by Mark Brown

Often the first on the ground to help those forcibly displaced by conflict or persecution, UNHCR is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions. All profits from ‘Whither Would You Go?’ go directly to UNHCR – the UN Refugee Agency.

Best known for his work with his eponymous theatre company (The Jamie Lloyd Company) for Trafalgar Transformed at the Trafalgar Studios, Jamie Lloyd has been credited with drawing new people to the theatre and introducing plays to a wholly diverse audience. He is a proponent for affordable theatre for young and diverse audiences and has been credited with ‘redefining West End theatre’ (Nick Curtis, Evening Standard – ‘Jamie Lloyd: The Playmaker‘). He has an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre for ‘The Pride’ at the Royal Court – and has been nominated a further four times. His production of ‘Passion’ during his associate directorship at the Donmar Warehouse won an Evening Standard award for Best Musical. He has also worked at the National Theatre, the Old Vic and in the West End.

A refugee of his native Syria, actor Jay Abdo’s career was cut short in 2011. During a trip to Beirut where he spoke to a reporter from the Los Angeles Times, Abdo spoke out against the Assad government and how they were “responsible for killings within their borders”. After returning to Syria, Abdo began to receive threats and was intimidated and criticized for his lack of patriotism. As a result, he moved to the United States in October 2011 to escape persecution. He joined his wife in Minnesota, where she was studying as a Humphrey fellow at the Fulbright Program and the couple later moved to Los Angeles so he could start acting again. After working several odd jobs, including delivering pizzas for Domino’s Pizza and driving an Uber, he finally began to land major roles again, including QUEEN OF THE DESERT with Nicole Kidman, A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING with Tom Hanks & most recently 1ST BORN with Val Kilmer & William Baldwin.

Bertie Carvel is currently starring as Rupert Murdoch in INK at the Duke Of York’s Theatre in the West End, and on screen as Simon in the BBC’s hit drama DOCTOR FOSTER. Previously he starred in JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL, COALITION, BABYLON and as Miss Trunchbull in MATILDA, THE MUSICAL in Stratford-Upon-Avon, the West End and on Broadway (Olivier award for Best Actor in a Musical).

Over the past decade Lee Evans has received rave reviews for his West-End theatre roles including; Samuel Beckett’s ENDGAME alongside the legendary Michael Gambon, Mel Brooks’ musical THE PRODUCERS with Nathan Lane plus Harold Pinter’s THE DUMB WAITER, with Jason Isaacs – for which he received the London Theatregoers’ Choice Award – and Clive Exton’s BARKING IN ESSEX. Lee has won many accolades in the comedy world including ‘Special Contribution To Comedy’ Award at The British Comedy Awards 2011, the highly coveted ‘Perrier Award’ and the Time Out Award for Comedy. He has experienced huge success as an international film star with major starring roles in FREEZE FRAME THE MEDALLION, THE MARTINS, THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, MOUSE HUNT, THE FIFTH ELEMENT and FUNNY BONES. He has also starred in several television series and television films; DOCTOR WHO, THE DINNER PARTY and THE HISTORY OF MR. POLLY.

Currently treading the boards of London’s West End in Jeremy Herrin-directed ‘Labour of Love’ for the Michael Grandage Company, Martin Freeman was most recently seen reprising his role of ‘Dr. John Watson’ in the much anticipated fourth series of SHERLOCK on both BBC One in the UK and PBS in the US. Martin is currently filming Ryan Coogler’s sci-fi drama BLACK PANTHER, alongside Danai Gurira, Michael B. Jordan, Andy Serkis, Forest Whitaker and Lupita Nyong’o. Martin takes on the role of ‘Everett K. Ross’ in a story concerning the story of new ruler ‘T’Challa’ defending his land from being torn apart by enemies from outside and inside the kingdom of Wakanda. The film will be released in February 2018.

Prior to this, Martin was seen in Crackle’s new drama STARTUP, alongside Adam Brody and Edi Gathegi. The series TX’d in September 2016 and ran for 10 episodes. Martin will also be seen in the big screen adaptation of Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman’s GHOST STORIES. The thriller also stars George MacKay and Andy Nyman and is due to be released later this year. 2017 will also see Martin in the feature film adaptation of award nominated short CARGO. The post-apocalyptic thriller also stars Anthony Hayes, Caren Pistorius and Susie Porter.

Kobna Holdbrook-Smith’s theatre credits include: DEATH & THE KING’S HORSEMAN, ANTIGONE, EDWARD II & Guildenstern in ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD (NT 50th Anniversary show) for the National Theatre; A RESPECTABLE WEDDING, JOE TURNER’S COME & GONE, THE CHANGELING & FEAST for the Young Vic; THE LOW ROAD for the Royal Court and HAMLET for the Barbican.

His film credits include: THE DOUBLE, DOCTOR STRANGE, JUSTICE LEAGUE, PADDINGTON 2 & MARY POPPINS RETURNS. Kobna’s TV credits include the BBC’s LITTLE BRITAIN, PULLING, SILK, FATHER BROWN, CLASS, WAGSTAFFE & THE SPLIT, as well as PHONE SHOP & MIDSOMER MURDERS.

Wunmi Mosaku’s theatre credits include: Jeremy Herrin’s THE VERTICAL HOUR, Debbie Tucker Green’s TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION & Vicki Featherstone’s CYPRESS AVENUE for The Royal Court; MR. BURNS for The Almeida & TIGER COUNTRY for Hampstead Theatre.

Her film credits include: STOLEN & MY BABY for the BBC, Stephen Frears’s PHILOMENA, PAN, FANTASTIC BEASTS & WHERE TO FIND THEM, BATMAN VS. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE & MACBETH. Wunmi’s TV credits include: SILENT WITNESS VIII, MOSES JONES, BLACKOUT & Stephen Poliakoff’s DANCING ON THE EDGE for the BBC; FATHERS & SONS, SCOTT & BAILEY & VERA II for ITV and BLACK MIRROR: PLAYTEST for Netflix.

After graduating from Cambridge University, James Norton immediately went on to study at RADA. He is a bright star in the British acting landscape which was confirmed when he was selected by Screen International to be one of their highly prestigious ‘Stars of Tomorrow’.

James can currently be seen in FLATLINERS, the reboot of the hit 1990 sci-fi horror. He stars alongside Ellen Page, Diego Luna and Nina Dobrev as the character of would-be doctor ‘Jamie’. The story follows a group of medical students who conduct near-death experiments in order to explore the afterlife. James has recently completed work on the AMC/BBC One crime drama MCMAFIA, which is anticipated to release in 2018. Written by Hossein Amini and directed by James Watkins, the story follows Alex Godmanthe, English-raised son of Russian exiles with a mafia history, who has spent his life trying to escape the shadow of that criminal past, building his own legitimate business and forging a life with his girlfriend Rebecca.

James is also set to star alongside Imogen Poots in the Donmar Warehouse’s production of BELLEVILLE, penned by Amy Herzog. Directed by Michael Longhurst, the pair play American expatriates whose marriage violently unravels when they move to Paris. Faith Alabi and Malachi Kirby round out the production, which runs from December 7th to February 3rd.

Jack Whitehall is an award-winning comedian, writer and actor. As a successful and much sought-after stand up, actor, writer and presenter, Jack has firmly established himself as one of the UK’s most exciting and successful comedy talents, a status cemented by his People’s Choice Award for the King of Comedy at the 2012, 2013 & 2014 British Comedy Awards.

2017 saw Jack film a new adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s classic novel DECLINE AND FALL for BBC2 alongside David Suchet and Eva Longoria. This autumn sees Jack co-star in a new travel series with his father, Jack Whitehall: TRAVELS WITH MY FATHER which airs on Netflix and his arena tour, JACK WHITEHALL AT LARGE will also air as a Netflix Special later this year. In addition, Jack has co-written a new series for Sky 1 – BOUNTY HUNTERS is a comedy drama and sees Jack co-starring alongside Rosie Perez and Robert Lindsey – which will air this autumn.

Olivia Williams studied English at Cambridge University before training at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Theatre credits include: For the National Theatre; Mosquitoes, Waste, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Richard II. For the RSC; Peer Gynt, The Wives’ Excuse, The Broken Heart, Wallenstein, Misha’s Party. For the West End: In a Forest Dark and Deep. Her TV credits include; Counterpart, The Halcyon, Manhattan, Salting the Battlefield, Playhouse Presents, Case Sensitive, City Hall, Dollhouse, Miss Austen Regrets, Krakatoa, Agatha Christie, Jason and the Argonauts, Friends, Emma, Van Der Valk, Ruth Rendell.

Olivia’s film credits include; Victoria and Abdul, Man Up, Altar, Maps to the Stars, Sabotage, Last Days on Mars, Seventh Son, Hyde Park on Hudson, Anna Karenina, Now is Good, Hanna, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, The Ghost Writer (ALFS award Supporting Actress, NSFC award Supporting Actress), An Education, Flashbacks of a Fool, There for Me, X-Men 3, Tara Road, Valiant, To Kill a King, The Heart of Me (British Independent Film Award, Best Actress), Below, Man from Elysian Fields, Lucky Break, Born Romantic, The Body, Dead Babies, Four Dogs Playing Poker, Sixth Sense, Rushmore, The Postman, Gaston’s War, Wesley, A Brand from the Burning.

Whither Would You Go? Sunday 22 October 7:30pm Harold Pinter Theatre Panton St, London SW1Y 4DN Tickets £50-200 Tickets http://ift.tt/2fPMzon MORE CAST ANNOUNCED SOON…

http://ift.tt/2xXDSOT LondonTheatre1.com

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