Udo Kier dead at 81

Cult-icon actor Udo Kier passed away just yesterday.

He played in every kind of movie, from horror-schlocks "Mark Of The Devil" (1970) and "Flesh For Frankenstein" (1973), to R. W. Fassbinder's drama "Lili Marleen" (1981), to blockbuster "Ace Ventura" (1994) with Jim Carrey, to "Barb Wire" (1996) with Pamela Anderson, to Rob Zombie's "Halloween" and Dario Argento's "Mother Of Tears" (both 2007), and many, many more. Udo Kier took on many roles, big and small, demanding and trivial, and was never afraid to lend his talent to both very commercial, major productions, as well as low-budget and niche films. Through his varied work, he became a highly respected actor, and beloved cult-icon with a unique screen presence, the successful fusion of personality, independence, art, elegance, skills, and commerce. 

Udo Kier in "BloodRayne" (2005)

Udo Kierspe (Oct. 14, 1944 - Nov. 23, 2025)

R.I.P.

Robert Redford dies at age 89

Legendary actor Robert Redford passed away just two days ago.

Countless colleagues from the film industry, and just as many from every other field of public life, are expressing their admiration, and sadness, in face of the loss. According to reports, he died peacefully in his sleep.

The well known, highly acclaimed, and universally liked actor, who played in timeless classics like "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969), "The Sting (1973)", "Out of Africa" (1985), or "The Horse Whisperer" (1998), which he also directed and produced, and many other great films, will be remembered as one of the originals of US cinema.

Still from "This Property Is Condemned" (1966)

Robert Redford (Aug. 18, 1936 - Sept. 16, 2025)

R. I. P.

 

Sources:
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c07p8yle7pet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Redford

The Toxic Avenger (2023) trailer

In case you've missed it, here's the trailer for Troma's new, rebooting "The Toxic Avenger", filmed in 2023, released in 2025.

Actually it looks pretty cool. The casting, namely Peter Dinklage, Elijah Wood, and Kevin Bacon, seems super adequate to the material, with all three actors having their own sort of cult status in the fantasy and horror community, and it levels up the acting quality quite a bit in comparison to the 1984 original. The appearance of the new Toxie is really convincing, and the poster artwork (see e.g. Wikipedia, link below) very nicely sets its own, gritty, toxic, low-budget tone for the movie. "The Toxic Avenger" is getting good ratings on IMBD - all in all, it looks like this is a fun watch, while keeping the legacy and feel of the original intact. A reboot done right!

Have you watched the full movie? Did you like it?

Watch the official trailer for "The Toxic Avenger" (2025)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKe0pep35gQ

Troma Entertainment

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1633359/ 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Toxic_Avenger_(2023_film)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090190/ (original 1984 film)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Toxic_Avenger_(1984_film) 

The Curse Of Frankenstein (1957) 4K restoration trailer

Hammer Films has just uploaded a trailer for their new 4K restoration release of the classic 1957 Lee-Cushing horror movie.

"The Curse Of Frankenstein" started the Hammer Films lineage of Frankenstein horror films, and an even longer list of great horror films featuring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. If you haven't seen "The Curse Of Frankenstein", you're missing out on some fantastic Frankenstein action, with some outstanding, meticulous acting by Cushing, and really some eye-popping visuals. Upon initial release, like many great films, it was panned by critics, but it was a financial success that spawned six sequels, and today is considered a cult classic, just like "Dracula", that was created just a year later by largely the same crew.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CDF6AyAwvk

https://www.youtube.com/@hammer

"28 Years Later" (2025) trailer released!

In just a couple of hours it got more than 1 million views on YouTube: The trailer for long awaited zombie* movie sequel "28 Years Later" has been released by Sony Pictures Entertainment.

After 28 Days Later (2002), which was a big success and is regarded as one of the best modern zombie horror films, and especially after 28 Weeks Later (2007), which was a satisfying sequel, a lot of people quite naturally were imagining another episode in the series titled "28 Years Later". And, after only 23 years, here it is, set for release in June 2025.

The trailer looks quite decent. It does tap a little bit into horror movie trailer stereotypes, with some fancy editing, trying to create that supposedly "disturbing" mood that has been seen in all trailers from "Jeepers Creepers" to "Insidious" - but overall it keeps things sober and gritty, suggesting a movie experience similar to that of the previous titles in the franchise. The budget of "28 Years Later" is by far the highest of the three films, and with Ralph Fiennes there's a top-class Hollywood actor in it. But with director Danny Boyle, screen writer Alex Garland, and actor/producer Cillian Murphy, "28 Years Later" also has a good amount of DNA from the original "28 Days Later".

Yeah, this could be a great movie!

Watch "28 Years Later" (2025) trailer:

video source:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcvLKldPM08

What do you think? Did you like the trailer?

*

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10548174/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/28_Years_Later

*

*) I know. It's rage, not (un)death.

10 years of film blogging!

Wow, it's been ten years since the first half-hearted posts on this blog.

I hope you find something on this blog that you enjoy. It began as "filmtipps" ("movie recommendations"), a loose collection of recommendations, news, and other stuff. I only recently started writing "serious" reviews, but it's something that has been on my mind for a very long time. Similarly, the "Streaming Kino" series is the result of decades of watching films, and finally starting to put them in some sort of order - recommending and sharing the actual movie, if possible.

Thanks everyone, for stopping by and spending some time! :-D

If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment - here, on facebook, or on reddit.

Twilight of the Dead - a new George A. Romero zombie movie?

There might be a seventh George A. Romero "...of the Dead" movie!

Looking back at 2021, when Romero's previously almost unknown, near lost "The Amusement Park" got restored and released, it stirred up some talk about the director's legacy, and brought into light some of his unfinished ideas and plans:

'Now Suzanne Romero, widow of the filmmaker, is opening up about Twilight of the Dead and sharing her plans to take it to the screen. She has been developing the script with three screenwriters for the past few years and is ready to meet with directors on the project, which has this tantalizing logline: “The story is set in a decimated world. Life has all but disappeared. But there still may be hope for humanity.” [...] George A. Romero wrote a treatment for Twilight of the Dead with Paolo Zelati. After the director’s death, Zelati asked Suzanne Romero for permission to continue with the script. He brought on screenwriters Joe Knetter and Robert L. Lucas to help. [...] “It is no secret that Diary and Survival were not the way he envisioned the series ending, and George knew it very well,” notes Zelati. “Twilight of the Dead was his goodbye to the genre he created and wanted to go out with a powerful film.” [...] Suzanne Romero is now ready for meetings to find the right director to complete George A. Romero’s zombie saga. “This is the film he wanted to make. And while someone else will carry the torch as the director, it is very much a George A. Romero film,” says Suzanne Romero.'

Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/twilight-of-the-dead-george-a-romeros-final-zombie-movie-in-the-works-4175965/ (as of 2023-09-15)

It has been quiet for some time, but these days we're receiving (quite exciting) news that there's actual progress.

According to the news, Brad Anderson will direct the new movie, claiming it to be "...about social transformation, one that asks the question: What is it to be human?" 

That sounds a bit blunt, but it fits well into the Romero-ian film universe, exploring social interaction and what drives an individual, or holds one back.

"Twilight of the Dead" is said to be produced and financed by Roundtable Entertainment, and filming is planned to start this year.

Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/brad-anderson-direct-george-a-romero-twilight-of-the-dead-1235585266/ (as of 2023-09-15)

Wow, that's really good news - "Twilight of the Dead" is NOT vaporware!

Interestingly, the Internet Movie Database lists "Twilight of the Dead" among "Land of the Dead" (2005) working titles. This now makes obvious sense, but we can only speculate about the ideas George A. Romero originally had in mind for "Land of the Dead", and if he was able - or unable - to implement them.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418819/releaseinfo

Also note that "Paura nella citta dei morti viventi" (1980, Lucio Fulci, "City of the Living Dead", "The Gates of Hell") has a US pre-release title "Twilight of the Dead". Pictures of the movie poster can be found on the internet, but this movie is clearly unrelated to George A. Romero's "Twilight of the Dead".

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081318/releaseinfo

Additional sources:

https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/george-a-romero-twilight-of-the-dead-in-development/

https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/movies/2021/06/08/george-romero-the-amusement-park-new-movie-lost-film-horror-west-view-lincoln-maazel-shudder-suzanne-desrocher/stories/202106080004

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/twilight-of-the-dead-george-a-romeros-final-zombie-movie-in-the-works-4175965/

"Dawn Of The Dead" and "Trauma" uncut in Germany!

Great news for German horror fans: giallo shocker "Trauma" (1993) by Dario Argento, and zombie uber-classic "Dawn Of The Dead" (1978) by George A. Romero have been removed from German "Index", now allowing legal uncut releases in Germany.

These movies have been around for some time, and especially "Dawn Of The Dead" has seen many releases in Germany. "Trauma" never got that much attention, but especially with "Dawn Of The Dead" the legal situation regarding depictions of violence has led to many cuts and recuts of the film, trying to avoid a ban in Germany. As a result many different versions are available, some of which differ noticeably in content and running time, but none are close to the pace and impact of the original cuts.

Finally, the legal ban for "glorification of violence" which puts a film on the so-called "Index", was lifted from both movies. Uncut releases are soon to be expected, finally German horror fans can enjoy these two great films by two of the fathers of modern horror cinema.

Dawn Of the Dead (1978) trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd-z5wBeFTU

Trauma (1993) trailer 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqiX9KemYmg

Sources:
https://www.schnittberichte.com/news.php?ID=14425
https://www.schnittberichte.com/news.php?ID=14629
https://www.schnittberichte.com/news.php?ID=14608