Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, directed by Steven Caple Jr, is about to hit home video. The film stars Anthony Ramos, Luna Lauren Velez, Dominique Fishback, and a hilarious voice performance from Pete Davidson as Mirage. And since Mirage usually appears as a Porsche, the publicity team had something special in store for its video release. In honor of the film, several journalists made their way to the Porsche Driving Experience in Carson, California. We drove the Porsche 911 and the 718 Cayman and spoke with the film’s director, Mr. Caple Jr, and second unit director, James Madigan. It was quite a rush, and that’s a massive understatement.

I’ve never driven a Porsche in my entire life. And the second we arrived, we had the fantastic opportunity to get behind the wheel of these two beauties. Firstly, taking off in a car and going zero to sixty is more than a little thrilling. And yes, my stomach dropped when we hit speeds of over 100 MPH while taking on the course. While both cars made for an incredible ride, I may have had the most fun in the 911. And to finish the adventure, we were taken on a solo ride with driving instructor Kyle, who revved up the engines and sped through the course going very freaking fast. When I mentioned this experience to one of my Starbucks barista friends, he noted that driving these cars was a bucket list experience for him. I can see why. It was a thrill on every level.

Coming up next week, we’ll run our chat with Steven Caple Jr. and James Madigan!

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts arrives is now available on digital VOD, and 4K Ultra Steelbook, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on October 10th. Here’s the synopsis: Optimus Prime and the Autobots take on their biggest challenge yet. When a new threat capable of destroying the entire planet emerges, they must team up with a powerful faction of Transformers known as the Maximals to save Earth.

Will you be picking up a copy of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Experience the Ninja Turtle lifestyle and jumpstart your collection just before the movie opens with the special fan event in NY and LA.

The new incarnation of everyone’s favorite pizza-eating, pubescent, crime-fighting reptiles is about to be released. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem will be hitting theaters on August 2, but you don’t have to wait until then if you wanna party with the boys. Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies is inviting fans to celebrate the release of the new animated film with a one-night event called the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Experience. The event is a family-friendly activity that allows fans to invite friends along to explore the famed Sewer Den — the underground dwelling where our heroes in a half-shell grew up, live, and train with their Master Splinter.

From Sunday, July 23 to Tuesday, August 1, starting at 12 pm through 8 pm local time, residents and visitors in New York and Los Angeles will get to participate in an immersive Turtle Lair visit as well as explore the “Sewer Shop” for official Ninja Turtle merchandise, in collaboration with Amazon.
The event will take place at:
New York: 415 West 14th Street NY, NY 10014 

Los Angeles: 1247 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica, CA 90401

You can RSVP now through the website at www.tmntexperience.com. As per the official release:

At the end of the Turtles experience, fans will be able to visit our official “Sewer Shop”, with an interactive product showcase featuring a robust selection of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and TMNT classic toys, apparel, accessories, entertainment, and home décor, all available in the Amazon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles store. On offer are dozens of Amazon exclusives including the Mutant Mayhem Leonardo Plush Toy with Action and 20+ Sounds from Mattel (available for preorder) and the Classic Cohort Collection action figures including Foot Soldier, Mutagen Man, Leatherhead, Wingnut, and Screwloose from Playmates. Fans can also shop the TMNT store for a variety of exciting apparel options for both kids and adults such as the Peace Love and Pizza t-shirt, a new excusive design from Amazon Essentials and Merch on Demand—perfect for wearing to the opening night of the new movie. The Sewer Shop product showcase will include shoppable QR codes that make it easy to order items directly from Amazon. Prime members enjoy fast, free delivery. There is something for every TMNT fan here!

Shop now at amazon.com/teenagemutantninjaturtles.

The official synopsis from Paramount and Nickelodeon reads,
After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O’Neil helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.

The teaser trailer for M.J. Bassett’s Red Sonja, starring Matilda Lutz as the title character, will debut at San Diego Comic Con

A lot of the major studios have decided not to have presentations at the San Diego Comic Con this year. Disney, Marvel Studios, DC Studios, Netflix, Sony, Universal, they’re all sitting this one out. But Millennium Media has now confirmed that they’ll have an SDCC presence, as they’ll be unveiling the teaser trailer for their long-awaited Red Sonja reboot during a panel that will celebrate the title character’s 50th anniversary!

The main focus of this panel will be Red Sonja’s comic book history. A press release notes that Red Sonja, LLC president, executive editor, and film producer Luke Lieberman will be panel moderator, and guests will include franchise contributors Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, Amy Chu, Dan Panosian, Mark Canton, and more. “

Here’s some more information:

In addition to a retrospective discussion on the character’s legacy and past, her future will be looked to with new comics, novels, as well as an exclusive teaser trailer debut for her upcoming blockbuster Millennium Media film starring Matilda Lutz!

The beloved She-Devil With a Sword’s story began in comics in 1973, and now 50 years later she remains the greatest sword-and-sorcery female heroine of them all! She’s hacked and slashed her way into the hearts of fantasy and comics fans all around the world. An incredible range of writers and artists have taken on her stories in her native comics medium, including the likes of Roy Thomas, Frank Thorne, Gail Simone, Mirka Andolfo, Mike Carey, Michael Avon Oeming, Jim Zub, Louise Simonson, Mark Russell, Alex Ross, Mel Rubi, and countless more.

With the first issue launching right in sync with San Diego Comic Con, fans will get to dive right into her latest epic series celebrating the anniversary by Torunn Grønbekk (Thor, Realm of X) and fan-favorite franchise artist Walter Geovani. How this series came together and teases for what comes next will be discussed on the panel. As well as a surprise additional comic series by a top creator!

The panel is scheduled to take place on Friday, July 21 from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM local San Diego time in room 5AB. The teaser trailer won’t be the only video shown, as attendees will also get to watch “a fun tribute video from some of the biggest creators associated with the character.”

The new Red Sonja film has been directed by M.J. Bassett (Solomon Kane) from a screenplay by Joey Soloway (Transparent) and Tasha Huo (Netflix’s Tomb Raider anime). This version of Red Sonja is derived from the sword and sorcery comic books by Dynamite Entertainment, based on the character created by Robert E. Howard and adapted by Roy Thomas. Details on the plot are being kept under wraps. All we know is that Sonja is “a fearsome warrior boasting a high degree of skill with a sword”.

In the cast with Lutz (Revenge) are Rhona Mitra (Doomsday), Wallis Day (Sex/Life) as Annisia, Robert Sheehan (The Umbrella Academy) as Draygan, Michael Bisping (xXx: Return of Xander Cage) as Hawk, Martyn Ford (F9: The Fast Saga) as General Karlak, Eliza Matengu (Thor: Love and Thunder) as Amarak, Manal El Feitury (Code Red) as Ayala, and Katrina Durden (Doctor Strange) as Saevus.

Red Sonja is being produced by Jeffrey Greenstein, Mark Canton, Courtney Solomon, Christa Campbell, Lati Grobman, Andrea Sperling, Yariv Lerner, Jonathan Yunger, Les Weldon, Joe Gatta, and Tanner Mobley. Avi Lerner, Boaz Davidson, Trevor Short, Luke Lieberman, Nick Barrucci, and Dorothy Canton serve as executive producers.

Are you looking forward to Red Sonja, and will you be attending the San Diego Comic Con this year? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Wait for It, a short film set in the world of Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, is now making the festival rounds

A lot of fans have been anxiously waiting for more films set in the world of the 2006 meta slasher Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (watch it HERE) ever since that movie was release. The follow-up Before the Mask: The Return of Leslie Vernon still hasn’t managed to make it into production – but David J. Stieve, who wrote Behind the Mask with Scott Glosserman (and also wrote the Before the Mask script years ago) has made a short film called Wait for It, which is said to be set in the world of Leslie Vernon. That short film is now making the festival rounds and has been screened at a handful of festivals so far, with more festival screenings coming up this fall.

Written and directed by Stieve, Wait for It is said to be a loving deconstruction of the slasher genre, seen from the perspective of survivor girl Darcy, who is living in the aftermath of her own encounter with a psycho-slasher killer. We follow Darcy as she travels home from a night out with friends, always remaining wary of the inevitable return of her tormentor.

Lily Anne Harrison stars as Darcy and is joined in the cast by Ashley London and Nathan Baesel (yes, the actor who played Leslie Vernon himself). The short was produced by Amy Larsen and Dan Czerwonka, with Chris Gierowski, Steve Squillante, Richard Stringham, and Russ Troutt serving as executive producers.

Gierowski provided the following statement: “After its initial announcement, we immediately had festivals reach out to us about submitting to them. We’ve already played at some, including the Portland Horror Film Festival where David participated in a Q&A. It was very well received by an almost packed house! We’re very grateful and looking forward to screening at more festivals we have lined up in the fall that we can’t announce just yet.”

Stieve added that Wait for It is “what I call an ‘Easter basket’ of slasher moments, about how a survivor girl copes with the monotony of day-to-day life after her experience. Always looking over her shoulder, always waiting for something to happen, because she knows that ONE day her boogeyman will eventually return. But most days aren’t THAT day. WAIT FOR IT let me explore this in a way that throws back to classic horror tropes, with a Leslie Vernon style spin on it.”

Gierowski went on to say that “after the WGA strike is over and the writers get a fair contract, we have several ideas of how to spinoff this expansion to make more films in the Leslie Vernon universe. The positive reaction to it has definitively proven there is a loyal following who want more from this world and we want to deliver on that. So contact your local film festivals, especially the horror ones, and tell them you want to see Wait for It playing there.“

I fully agree with the filmmakers that the world needs more movies set in the world of Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, so I hope to see Wait for It lead to more expansions of this franchise.

Are you a fan of Behind the Mask, and are you interested in Wait for It? Let us know by leaving a comment below.