Now playing in theaters is The Purge: Anarchy, James DeMonaco’s ambitious follow up to last summer’s surprise hit The Purge. For the sequel DeMonaco takes to the streets with more action, a bigger cast of characters, and a deeper exploration of the world established in the first film. As “Sergeant”, the taciturn anti-hero, Frank Grillo is an old-school “man’s man”. A good guy with big guns, a cool car, and a bad agenda. See, while our other protagonists are stuck outside fighting for their lives, he’s there on purpose. He’s there to purge, to exact vengeance. But “Sergeant” is thrust into the role of reluctant hero when he stumbles across a group of innocent survivors and realizes that he can’t just stand by and let bad things happen to good people. The Purge: Anarchy also stars Carmen Ejogo, Zach Gilford, Kiele Sanchez, Zoe Soul and Michael K. Williams.

I recently sat down with Grillo for an exclusive video interview. We talked about how the film harkens back to the action thrillers of the 1970′s, creating a character in that tradition, his love for making action films, and more. He also talked about the upcoming remake of The Raid and why he won’t make it if it’s not up to par. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Now in theaters is The Purge: Anarchy, James DeMonaco‘s ambitious follow up to last summer’s surprise hit The Purge. For the sequel DeMonaco takes to the streets with more action, a bigger cast of characters, and a deeper exploration of the world established in the first film. In the film Zach Gilford stars as Shane, a middle class everyman stranded outside on Purge night with his wife (played by Gildford’s real-life bride Kiele Sanchez). Their odds of surviving until morning look pretty grim until the couple joins forces with a mysterious, well-armed man (Frank Grillo) and a mother/daughter pair intent on survival (Carmen Ejogo and Zoe Soul). Together, the team struggles to evade the deadly forces all around them and find a place of sanctuary.

At the recent LA press day I joined a group of journalists to talk with Gilford about the film. He talked about producerJason Blum‘s method of filmmaking, why he loved working with director James DeMonaco, fun times on the set, the film’s socio-political commentary, the deleted scene that explains why his character is out on Purge night, and more. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Available now on VOD and arriving in select theaters this week is Beneath, a claustrophobic thriller centered on a group of coal miners as they struggle for survival following a catastrophic cave-in. Things go from really bad to even worse when the survivors start hearing mysterious noises and suffering horrifying visions. With bodies piling up and the cave’s air supply growing more toxic by the minute they must figure out who or what is after them. Beneath stars Jeff Fahey, Joey Kern, Kelly Noonan, Brent Briscoe and Eric Etebari.

I recently had the opportunity to jump on the phone for an exclusive interview with Jeff Fahey. He talked about what attracted him to the project, shooting on a dirty, cramped sound stage, and the challenge of playing a character with a physical ailment. He also talked about the joy of being a character actor, bouncing between film and stage productions, and if he prefers one format over the other. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Now in theaters is The Purge: Anarchy, writer/director James DeMonaco‘s follow up to last summer’s surprise hit The Purge, which presented a horrific dystopian vision of a near-future America.  In 2022, under the guidance of the New Founding Fathers, every American is entitled to a yearly twelve-hour anything goes crime spree.  It’s an intriguing concept, rife with possibilities, and for the sequel DeMonaco expands on the most interesting ideas of the first film by leaving behind the relative safety of suburbia and focusing on class warfare in the blood-soaked streets of downtown Los Angeles.

I recently jumped on the phone for an exclusive interview with producer Jason Blum.  We talked about the endless possibilities of the film’s concept, making the world (and production) bigger for the second film, casting Frank Grillo, and how cinema’s rapidly evolving technological landscape is changing the way Blumhouse Productions makes films.  We also had a chance to catch up on a ton of his upcoming projects, which you can check out here.  Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

Jason Blum is one seriously busy guy.  Over the last few years Blum has established himself as a force in the horror genre, turning out high quality microbudget films and setting up franchises with impressive constancy.  So far his major releases of 2014 include Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, Oculus - he even had a hand in HBO’s The Normal Heart.  Next up is The Purge: Anarchy, which hits theaters this Friday.

While speaking with Blum about The Purge: Anarchy earlier this week I had a chance to catch up with him about a number of projects he has on the docket.  We talked about how Leigh Whannell is faring as a first time director on Insidious: Chapter 3, Scott Derrickson‘s involvement in Sinister 2, what he saw on the set of Ti West‘s In a Valley of Violence, bringing a new approach to Amityville, why he wanted to make Jem and the Holograms, and more.  He also talked about getting into the world of television with Ascension and what attracted him to the television format.  Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

Arriving in theaters this weekend is The Purge: Anarchy, James DeMonaco‘s ambitious follow up to last summer’s surprise hit The Purge. For the sequel DeMonaco takes to the streets with more action, a bigger cast of characters, and a deeper exploration of the world established in the first film. In the film Zach Gilford stars as Shane, a middle class everyman stranded outside on Purge night with his wife (played by Gildford’s real-life bride Kiele Sanchez). Their odds of surviving until morning look pretty grim until the couple joins forces with a mysterious, well-armed man (Frank Grillo) and a mother/daughter pair intent on survival (Carmen Ejogo and Zoe Soul). Together, the team struggles to evade the deadly forces all around them and find a place of sanctuary.

I recently sat down for an exclusive video interview with Gilford. He talked about what attracted him to the world of The Purge, why he thinks the idea resonates with audiences, the joy of working on a film with his wife, how they ended up in the film together by pure luck, and more. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

From executive producer Eli Roth, the Netflix original series Hemlock Grove is now available for the entirety of its second season run, featuring plenty more blood, guts, and betrayal. The supernatural thriller centers on the mysterious happenings of a small Pennsylvania town where vampires, werewolves, and genetically engineered Frankenstein monsters roam the streets side by side. Season two gets darker, sexier and scarier as Peter (Landon Liboiron) and Roman (Bill Skarsgard) face the responsibilities of adulthood and deal with the fallout from the first season’s brutal climactic massacre.

Earlier this year I joined a small group of journalists on set in Toronto where we had a chance to talk with Madeline Brewer (Orange is the New Black) about what to expect from her new character Miranda. She talked about how Miranda ends up in Hemlock Grove, working with the practical effects, Miranda’s relationships with Peter and Roman, shooting in Toronto, and More. Check out what she had to say about Hemlock Grove Season 2 after the jump.

From executive producer Eli Roth the Netflix original series Hemlock Grove returns July 11th for a second season that promises more blood, guts and betrayal.  The supernatural thriller centers on the mysterious happenings of a small Pennsylvania town where vampires, werewolves, and genetically engineered Frankenstein monsters roam the streets side by side.  Hemlock Grove Season 2 looks to get darker, sexier and scarier as Peter (Landon Liboiron) and Roman (Bill Skarsgard) face the responsibilities of adulthood and deal with the fallout from the first season’s brutal climactic massacre.

Earlier this year I joined a small group of journalists on set in Toronto where we had a chance to talk with Skarsgard.  He talked about returning for Hemlock Grove Season 2 with new showrunner Chic Eglee at the helm, working with the practical effects, how Roman is coping with his newfound bloodlust, his strained relationships with Peter and Olivia (Famke Janssen), and a lot more.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

From executive producer Eli Roth the Netflix original series Hemlock Grove returns July 11th for a second season that promises more blood, guts and betrayal.  The supernatural thriller centers on the mysterious happenings of a small Pennsylvania town where vampires, werewolves, and genetically engineered Frankenstein monsters roam the streets side by side.  Season two looks to get darker, sexier and scarier as Peter (Landon Liboiron) and Roman (Bill Skarsgard) face the responsibilities of adulthood and deal with the fallout from the first season’s brutal climactic massacre.

Earlier this year I joined a small group of reporters on set in Toronto where we had a chance to talk with Liboiron during a break in filming.  He talked about what to expect from Hemlock Grove season 2, the state Peter and Roman’s friendship, his transformation scenes, a possible new love interest this season, and more.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

From executive producer Eli Roth the Netflix original series Hemlock Grove returns July 11th for a second season that promises more blood, guts and betrayal.  The supernatural thriller centers on the mysterious happenings of a small Pennsylvania town where vampires, werewolves, and genetically engineered Frankenstein monsters roam the streets side by side.  Hemlock Grove Season 2 looks to get darker, sexier and scarier as Peter (Landon Liboiron) and Roman (Bill Skarsgard) face the responsibilities of adulthood and deal with the fallout from the first season’s brutal climactic massacre.

Earlier this year I joined a small group of journalists on set in Toronto where we had a chance to talk with Famke Janssen during a break in filming. She talked about why she loves playing Olivia, what’s new for Olivia in season two, what she likes about working on a longform series, why she works in genre so often, treating every role with respect, and more. Check out what she had to say after the jump.

From executive producer Eli Roth the Netflix original series Hemlock Grove returns July 11th for a second season that promises more blood, guts and betrayal.  The supernatural thriller centers on the mysterious happenings of a small Pennsylvania town where vampires, werewolves, and genetically engineered Frankenstein monsters roam the streets side by side.  Season two looks to get darker, sexier and scarier as Peter (Landon Liboiron) and Roman (Bill Skarsgard) face the responsibilities of adulthood and deal with the fallout from the first season’s brutal climactic massacre.

Earlier this year I joined a small group of journalists on set in Toronto where we had a chance to talk with Demore Barnes.  He talked about what we can expect from Michael in season 2, his new position of power in Hemlock Grove, how his sister’s death affects him, the unexpected turns he takes on his path to vengeance, and more.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

From executive producer Eli Roth the Netflix original series Hemlock Grove returns July 11th for a second season that promises more blood, guts and betrayal.  The supernatural thriller centers on the mysterious happenings of a small Pennsylvania town where vampires, werewolves, and genetically engineered Frankenstein monsters roam the streets side by side.  Season two looks to get darker, sexier and scarier as Peter (Landon Liboiron) and Roman (Bill Skarsgard) face the responsibilities of adulthood and deal with the fallout from the first season’s brutal climactic massacre.

Earlier this year I joined a small group of journalists on set in Toronto where we had a chance to talk with Chic Eglee.  He talked about stepping in as showrunner for Hemlock Grove Season 2, how the show has evolved from season one, how the Netflix distribution model influences production, introducing a “big bad”, and more.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Hemlock Grove is a hell of a town.  Between the vampires, werewolves, mad scientists, and inseminating angels (okay, so that one turned out not to be real) last year’s finale saw the town awash in the blood of countless characters.  Some of those deaths stuck and some of them didn’t (Did we really think we’d seen the last of Olivia?) and with season two just around the corner it’s looking like Hemlock Grove is about to get even crazier.

Earlier this year I joined a few other online reporters in the creepy corners of the mysterious town – or at least I joined them on a sound stage in Toronto where Netflix built Hemlock Grove’s key sets.  While there we got to tour around many of these sets, including Roman’s new house, the board room of Godfrey Institute, the secretive biomedical labs of the White Tower, and Destiny Rumacek’s apartment.  During breaks in filming we also had a chance to talk with cast members Bill Skarsgard, Famke Janssen, Landon Liboiron, Madeline Brewer, Dougray Scott, Joel de la Fuente, Demore Barnes and Madeleine Martin.  We even got to chat with new showrunner Charles “Chic” Eglee and a few key crew members about what’s coming up in season two and the behind the scenes process of making Hemlock Grove the bloodiest town on TV.  Hit the jump to check out the 30 things I learned on set.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              30

Coming to VOD this week and arriving in theaters July 25th is Beneath, a claustrophobic thriller centered on a group of coal miners as they struggle for survival following a catastrophic cave-in. Things go from really bad to even worse when the survivors start hearing mysterious noises and suffering horrifying visions. With bodies piling up and the cave’s air supply growing more toxic by the minute they must figure out who or what is after them. Beneath stars Jeff Fahey, Joey Kern, Kelly Noonan, Brent Briscoe and Eric Etebari.

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to jump on the phone for a one on one interview with director Ben Ketai. He talked about what he loved about the script, the challenges of shooting in such a confined space, creating a sense of claustrophobia, how the project changed along the way, and more. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Returning to TV screens this week is the Sundance original series Rectify.  At the start of the first season we saw Daniel Holden (Aden Young) released from 19 years on death row thanks to the tireless efforts of his sister Amantha (Abigail Spencer) and newly uncovered DNA evidence suggesting he may not have been responsible for the rape and murder of his high school sweetheart.  However, nothing is cut and dry in Rectify‘s small town of Paulie, Georgia and many bitter residents, including Daniel’s stepbrother Teddy Talbot Jr (Clayne Crawford), still believe Daniel to be guilty.  At the end of season one that bitterness boiled over as a group of vigilantes took justice into their own hands.  Picking up where it left off, Rectify season 2 finds the Holden-Talbot family dealing with the aftermath of yet another tragic act of violence.  Rectify also stars Adelaide Clemens, J Smith-Cameron, Luke Kirby, Bruce McKinnon, and Jake Austin Walker.

Earlier this week I joined a number of other journalists at Fonuts Bakery in Los Angeles where we met with the cast to discuss season two.  They talked about what sets Rectify apart, the tremendous writing of creator Ray McKinnon, Daniel’s mental state following last season’s violent climax, and more.  Check out what Aden Young, Adelaide Clemens, and Bruce McKinnon had to say about Rectify Season 2 after the jump.