Pete Jones. The name conjures up reality TV fame for some, a “oh, where have I heard that name before?” from a couple more and a “huh?” from others, but the man will be henceforth known for his own independent, sophomore effort, OUTING RILEY.

The level of din created in the last few weeks by the release of the Special Edition DVDs of George Lucas’s STAR WARS original trilogy was enough to send nerds running up the basement steps to give everyone who will listen a piece of their mind…

It’s been 17 years since the demise of SILVER SPOONS, a good decade plus since his stint on LONESOME DOVE and three years have passed from the last time you’ve seen him on NYPD BLUE. Rick Schroder is far more than the sum of his acting, however. While most stars of Hollywood yearn and pine for their opportunity to direct or produce their own films, usually making these aspirations known at the first opportunity when success finally is bestowed on them, Rick has patiently waited twenty five years to finally take an idea and put it on the screen.

This week I spend some time getting to know a animation artist who has taken great pleasure in exploiting the elderly while, next week, I talk exclusively with Rick Schroder about his struggles and joys in getting his independent movie off the ground. You’ll be surprised what happens when he goes knocking on Hollywood’s door to make his first film. His insights into the movie making process and the battles to get it done DIY style are nothing short of inspirational…

As I sat there in the chair, ready to slit my wrists on a lease agreement, the salesman has the blind audacity to ask one more time: “Are you sure you don’t want that clear coat?”

Ok, I’m about to show you the footage I’ve done for SIN CITY but I must warn you that if I see any of you doing tape recording of any kind, and I have no-neck ex-wrestlers from the Guadalajara province who have been given the green light to trash any of you nerds out there with their jackboots, I am going to take my footage and go back to my very posh hotel room and burn some 20s in my bathroom sink for fun…

Hey all, there’s a backlog of some reader mail I’d like to get printed so I’ll do a little this week by getting through some of the better highlights of weeks past…

This week has been the most thought-out entry into the Trailer Park series….

BOTTLE ROCKET. I trace all my interest in quirky nerd cinema to BOTTLE ROCKET. I believe it was the moment when Dignan, played by Owen Wilson, was being chastised by the bigger brother of Bob Mapplethorpe. Dignan is wearing a bright orange jumpsuit, the uniform for all employees of the Lawn Wranglers landscape business, and Bob’s brother just lays into him about how gimpy he looks. You can see that Dignan really doesn’t stand up to him and there is a look in Luke Wilson’s face that just breaks with sympathy for his misguided and belittled friend…

This was a very good week for trailers. Sometimes the best part of this gig is finding trailers for films I would have never known about had I not been trolling the Internet looking for five discussion-worthy trailers a week. I’ve seen films from our Nordic brothers to the north, our Chinese buddies to the east and, once again, our neighbors across the pond, England…

Catty about Catwoman…

Another week goes by in August and I just happened to find the new trailer for HERO. Some of you may have already had a small taste of it on the television (it’s always good to get exposure of any kind) but I have found a different trailer than the one that’s been making the rounds since March at the official site. Big ups need go out to Quentin Tarantino who probably saved this movie from becoming an obscure blip that would have been detained in the Miramax vaults for who knows how much longer…

The Incredible Hulk…

Another August, another scary portent for films that are usually find their way into the late Summer dumping grounds for all the crap studios want to unload before the fall gets underway at the end of September…

Superman on TV…

What a nerdfest. I have never had to endure so much concentrated geek in one place than I did at this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego. It was great…

Superheroes on TV”¦

Yup, I’ve decided to make trek as a fan of the comic art form in the 20 years or so of actual collecting, I think I’ve amassed a bigger collection than Brodie, and am actually indulging in the spectacle that is the San Diego Comicon. I have no clue what to expect, no idea what I’ll see (if I don’t see someone dressed as a Stormtrooper/X-Men/Lady Death I’ll be sorely upset), and am ramping my anticipations up to finally find a copy of that FANTASTIC FOUR bootleg that seems to be more prevalent in the comic book community than any STD…

Peter wraps up his in-depth look at Spider-Man 2…

One thing I noticed as the Cubs (GO Cubs!) rallied for one win against the Cardinals in last Sunday’s night game on ESPN was the recurring commercial for the new BOURNE SUPREMACY flick. It was great. Every commercial break they had I had the chance to see it again, and again, and again, and again, and again, but I noticed something tacked on to the end of the trailer. Universal was using some time after the trailer finished to pimp its new double dipped DVD edition of the BOURNE IDENTITY…

Peter’s in-depth look at Spider-Man 2…

I absolutely hated having to time my movie-going a few years back to sneak into a theater I knew was playing the new STAR WARS trailer. The movie it was attached to was not what I wanted to spend my money on and I sure as hell didn’t want to completely ruin an evening and be a really sad sack nerdite by seeing the thing and leaving. I did manage to catch it before my intended film started that very same weekend and since then I have noticed studios doing this every so often, attaching anticipated trailers with films that aren’t worth going to see in the first place, which brings me to CATWOMAN…

Peter looks at the men behind Spider-Man…

4th of July Weekend. This is a great time to catch up on all the summer fare that’s out there for your viewing pleasure but I thought I would give a little independent trailer love for those of you who find enjoyment in sitting on your dead ass for a few hours watching a baseball game in the form of UP FOR GRABS…

What’s to say as we get closer to the opening of SPIDER-MAN 2?