Dan Gilroy’s directorial debut “Nightcrawler” was released ten years ago this Halloween. While not conventionally a horror film, the incisive story of Lou Bloom’s (Jake Gyllenhaal) foray into the information industry is a dossier on the misanthropic, violent appetite of news media. Until “Nightcrawler,” video acquisition felt like a relatively unthought element of watching the … Read more
Gladiator II finally had its first publc screening, and the buzz from critics suggests it might be an all-timer on par with the original. Over the past few months, buzz has steadily been building for Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II. While various news stories mentioned that the budget for Scott’s Roman epic had spiralled out of … Read more
The horror film Mickey vs. Winnie will see versions of the public domain characters Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh clashing A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book Winnie-the-Pooh and the characters in it lapsed into the public domain at the start of last year, paving the way for the Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey horror franchise, which in turn … Read more
Cheap Public Domain Horror needs to die a quick death and the focus needs to go back to making entertaining films. There’s a pandemic going on right now. It involves filmmakers taking characters that have recently fallen under Public Domain and making a horror film with them. This isn’t an issue on its own, as … Read more
The horror short film The Vanishing of S.S. Willie is inspired by the public domain Mickey Mouse cartoon Steamboat Willie As of January 1st, the earliest versions of Mickey Mouse – seen in the animated shorts Plane Crazy, The Gallopin’ Gaucho, and most famously Steamboat Willie – became public domain. Then director Jamie Bailey and writer/producer … Read more
The earliest version of Mickey Mouse will enter the public domain on January 1st, marking a significant moment in Disney’s history. Mickey Mouse, the iconic fi – oh, you don’t need a refresher on who Mickey Mouse is? Well, the Disney mascot is about to head into the public domain…under certain specifications. In short, you … Read more
For years, one of the laws passed in Congress to extend the term of a copyright on a work of art was referred to as the “Mickey Mouse Protection Act,” because Disney was among the companies that was most invested in maintaining their legal protection over their signature creation for as long as humanly possible. By … Read more
Although no longer an ongoing imprint at DC Comics, the Vertigo Comics line is responsible for some of the most popular and impactful comic book stories of the late 20th and early 21st century. Vertigo gave us Preacher and Y: The Last Man. It became the home of Neil Gaimain’s The Sandman during the later years of its run, and was the … Read more
Oscar winner Jamie Foxx was spotted in public over the weekend and posted on Twitter for the first time in months. Word on Jamie Foxx’s recovery following his “medical complication” has been mostly positive as of late, but now fans can have a little more assurance on his condition, as the actor has stepped – … Read more
If you ever wondered why some popular characters are restricted to one franchise from one studio, while others seem to star in multiple movies or TV shows simultaneously, there is likely a two word answer to your question: Public domain. Works of art, books, movies, and so on are all initially protected by copyright. The … Read more