In 2007 superstar directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez decided to take a big gamble. They each made a film. Each film was in the style of a specific genre and made to seem like something from an earlier era. Tarantino created Death Proof and Rodriguez made Planet Terror. Instead of releasing their movies separately, they turned them into a double feature. To add more flavor, they enlisted other writers and directors to craft trailers for movies that didn’t exist. The two films, trailers and some fun logos were combined and released theatrically as Grindhouse. The film was a flop. Grindhouse grossed $25 million against a budget of $67 million.   And yet, those fake trailers have ended up being not so fake.   So far we have Grindhouse spin-off films made for the trailers Machete (followed by Machete Kills. Many of us are still waiting for Machete Kills again), Hobo with a Shotgun, and now Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving.   Tarantino and Rodriguez have created their own,

  The Living Dead Legacy: A Comprehensive Exploration of the Franchise and Its Offshoots Guest Post by B. D. Latham Introduction The impact of  George A. Romero's  "Night of the Living Dead," released in 1968, extends far beyond its initial impact on the horror genre. Not only did the film redefine zombies, but it also gave birth to a vast and intricate franchise that includes sequels, remakes, spin-offs, and inspirational works. This essay delves into the evolution of the "Living Dead" franchise, analyzing its sequels, remakes, spin-offs, and related series such as "Return of the Living Dead," "Zombi," "Contagion," and more. We will also examine the influence of the franchise on broader media culture. The Original "Night of the Living Dead" (1968) Romero's original film set a new standard for horror cinema. Its story of a disparate group seeking refuge from a zombie apocalypse resonated deeply with audiences. Th

  Disney, the behemoth that owns Marvel, Lucas film, Pixar, 20 th Century Fox, Buena Vista and more, is trying to kill physical media.   They will no longer release any of their films on Blu-ray, 4k HDR, or DVD in Australia. This is likely a test run to see if they can get away with ditching disks worldwide.   People with long memories won’t be surprised by this. In the early days of DVD (a format agreed upon by film distributors and electronics companies in order to avoid the sort of mess created by the VHS vs Betamax wars of the 80s) Disney went all in on a competing format, DivX.                 DivX was designed to take ownership of media from the consumer. The player had to be hooked to an active phone line to function. The consumer would buy a disk (Cinderella, for instance). The disk would play the first time it was inserted in the machine. Then each additional time it was played, your credit or debit card would be charged a rental fee. You could also try to play your copy of