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Sylvester Stallone has had a few franchises over the years – Rocky, Rambo, The Expendables – but he also has a film that should have been a franchise starter, but never received any of the sequels it deserved. That’s the 1986 classic Cobra (watch it Here), which also happens to be the movie The Arrow in the Head Show hosts John “The Arrow” Fallon and Lance Vlcek are talking about in the new episode of the series. To find out what they had to say about Cobra, check out the video embedded above!

Directed by George P. Cosmatos from a screenplay by Sylvester Stallone (which was apparently loosely based on the novel Fair Game by Paula Gosling), Cobra has the following synopsis: Los Angeles policeman Lt. Marion “Cobra” Cobretti finds himself at the center of a spate of murders carried out by a secret society called New Order: killers who select...

We are big fans of the 1986 Sylvester Stallone action slasher Cobra (watch it at This Link) here on JoBlo and Arrow in the Head, so it’s cool to see that a sixth scale figure of Stallone’s Cobra character Marion Cobretti is now available for pre-order through Sly Stallone Shop. This officially licensed figure, endorsed by Stallone himself, looks awesome… and it should, considering it’s going for the price of 290! An image of the figure can be seen at the bottom of this article, and more can be seen at the Sly Stallone Shop link.

The figure, which stands approximately 12 inches tall, has the following features: – Ultra-realistic head sculpt (Hand painted) – Over 28 Points of articulation (Approx 30 cm / 12 Inches) – 6 posable gloved hands – Black Jacket – Black shirt – Jeans – Boots – Weapon holster – Colt Gold Cup National Match (Custom) – Machinegun Jatimatic Smg with 4 magazines and laser optic – Two hand grenades – Police badge...

Who will be included for the special “In Memoriam” segment for Sunday night’s Oscars 2021 ceremony? With last year’s Academy Awards happening over 14 months ago, it means an even larger number of film veterans have died. Producers will hopefully be offering a longer remembrance and not leaving out people for the sake of time.

Superstar actor Chadwick Boseman died late last summer and is a nominee as Best Actor for his role in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Previous Oscar winners from acting categories show who will likely be honored include Sean Connery, Olivia de Havilland, Cloris Leachman and Christopher Plummer. Past acting nominees include Hal Holbrook, Ian Holm, Shirley Knight, George Segal, Cicely Tyson, Max von Sydow and Stuart Whitman.

SEE2021 Oscars presenters: Last year’s winners Renee Zellweger, Joaquin Phoenix, Laura Dern, Brad Pitt returning

Almost all of the near 100 people on the list below were Academy members.

Even though Sunday’s SAG Awards ceremony will be shortened to just one pre-taped hour on TNT and TBS, the special In Memoriam segment will still be a highlight. Since the 2020 event aired on January 19, it will be over 14 months until the one on April 4. That means even more actors, actresses and members of SAG/AFTRA will hopefully be honored than the 40 people in the tribute last year.

Chadwick Boseman died last August and is a four-time nominee for the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday. The two individual nominations are for his leading role in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and his supporting performance in “Da 5 Bloods.” Those two films also are nominated for the top ensemble category.

Oscar winners who have died in the past 14 months include Sean Connery, Olivia de Havilland, Cloris Leachman and Christopher Plummer. Academy Award nominees include Boseman, Kirk Douglas, Hal Holbrook, Ian Holm,...

Many TV legends and contributors were included for the “In Memoriam” segment on Sunday’s Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony for ABC. But producers are always forced to omit some of the 100 insiders who died since the last ceremony. Who was left out of the group that was honored?

With dozens of television veterans having died since last year’s mid-September ceremony, people certainly included were these six TV Academy Hall of Fame members:

Diahann Carroll

Leonard Goldberg (executive at 20th Century Fox and ABC; producer of “Charlie’s Angels” and more)

Jim Lehrer (anchor/reporter of “MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour)

Regis Philbin

Carl Reiner

Fred Silverman

SEECelebrity Deaths 2020: In Memoriam Gallery

Even though he wasn’t known for his TV work, blockbuster film actor Chadwick Boseman was featured in the final slot. NBA Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant was not mentioned, even though the event was being held in the Staples Center.

For Sunday’s Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony on ABC, producers will have the always difficult task of assembling a memoriam segment. Even though the event hosted by Jimmy Kimmel will be virtual, it’s a certainty they will include the popular “In Memoriam” on the show.

With over 100 television veterans having died since last year’s mid-September ceremony, those expected to be honored would include such TV legends and TV Academy Hall of Fame members:

Diahann Carroll

Leonard Goldberg (executive at 20th Century Fox and ABC; producer of “Charlie’s Angels” and more)

Jim Lehrer (anchor/reporter of “MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour)

Regis Philbin

Carl Reiner

Fred Silverman

SEECelebrity Deaths 2020: In Memoriam Gallery

Even though they weren’t known for their TV work, it’s very likely NBA Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant and blockbuster film actor Chadwick Boseman will be honored. Also among the dozens most likely included since they...

Reni Santoni, who played Poppie in Seinfeld and appeared in films like Dirty Harry, Cobra, Summer Rental, and other films and television shows, passed away on Saturday, August 1st. The beloved character actor was 81. Word of Santoni's passing arrived via a Facebook post written by his friend and TV writer-producer Tracy Newman. According to Newman, Santoni had been…...

Reni Santoni, best known by most for playing Poppie in Seinfeld and for appearing in Dirty Harry alongside Clint Eastwood, sadly passed away on August 1 at the age of 81. The news broke via a Facebook post written by his friend and TV-writer-producer Tracy Newman. According to the post, Santoni passed away on Saturday morning and he had been "sick for quite a while.": "Those…...

Reni Santoni, the American film and TV actor who played Clint Eastwood’s young partner in Dirty Harry and recurred as the pizza maker Poppie on Seinfeld, has died after a long illness. He was 81.

TV producer Tracy Newman, a close friend of Santoni, confirmed the news on Facebook.

“He had been sick for quite a while,” she wrote. “Those of you who knew him know how funny he was, what a terrific actor, improviser, performer, etc. So brilliant. I loved him very much and will miss him terribly. Another great one is gone. I have a lot of wonderful pictures of him, and will post them over the next week. My heart goes out to his son, Nick, who has been such a comfort to Reni over that past five years or more.”

Born in New York City in 1939, Santoni began his career in theater before securing his first...

Reni Santoni, who played Poppie in “Seinfeld” and appeared in “Dirty Harry” and other films, died on Aug. 1. He was 81.

According to a Facebook post written by his friend and TV writer-producer Tracy Newman, Santoni died on Saturday morning. He had been “sick for quite a while.”

“Those of you who knew him know how funny he was, what a terrific actor, improviser, performer, etc.,” the post read. “So brilliant. I loved him very much and will miss him terribly. Another great one is gone. I have a lot of wonderful pictures of him, and will post them over the next week. My heart goes out to his son, Nick, who has been such a comfort to Reni over that past five years or more.”

Born in New York City, Santoni built his acting career from off-Broadway theatre, starring in “The Umbrella” and “The Mad Show.” His first significant film...

Reni Santoni, who starred alongside Clint Eastwood in “Dirty Harry,” died this past weekend at the age of 81, TheWrap has learned.

Santoni passed away in hospice care after years of health problems, including cancer.

The New York native starred in Eastwood’s 1971 classic film as Chico Martinez, a rookie detective with a sociology degree, who gets paired up with “Dirty” Harry Callahan despite the surly cop’s resistance to working with inexperienced partners. Chico survives being shot by the amoral killer Scorpio during the film and ends up leaving the force, but not before giving a famous line in the film after Callahan gets the job of delivering ransom money to Scorpio: “No wonder they call him Dirty Harry; [he] always gets the s— end of the stick.”

Prior to “Dirty Harry,” Santoni got his start in acting via off-Broadway theater with his own play, “Raisin’ Hell in the Son” before...

Character actor Reni Santoni, who played Poppie the restaurant owner on Seinfeld, has died at the age of 81, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Santoni passed away Saturday while in hospice care in Los Angeles following years of health problems that included cancer.

Born in New York City, Santoni gained fame with film roles like Dirty Harry, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid and Cobra. He also notched TV credits including Hill Street Blues, Moonlighting, Miami Vice and Murder, She Wrote. But he was perhaps best known for his four appearances as Poppie on Seinfeld, beginning with 1994’s “The Pie.”

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Reni Santoni, who starred in Carl Reiner's semi-autobiographical movie Enter Laughing and played the rookie partner of Clint Eastwood's maverick detective in Dirty Harry, has died. He was 82.

Santoni died Saturday in hospice care in Los Angeles of complications from throat and lung cancer, his friend, TV writer-producer and musician Tracy Newman, told The Hollywood Reporter.

The Seinfeld faithful know the Bronx native for his four appearances as Poppie, the unsanitary pizza guy who has a problem with bladder control.

Santoni also portrayed a Mexican-Irish revolutionary in Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969) and Sylvester Stallone's partner in ...

Reni Santoni, who starred in Carl Reiner's semi-autobiographical movie Enter Laughing and played the rookie partner of Clint Eastwood's maverick detective in Dirty Harry, has died. He was 82.

Santoni died Saturday in hospice care in Los Angeles of complications from throat and lung cancer, his friend, TV writer-producer and musician Tracy Newman, told The Hollywood Reporter.

The Seinfeld faithful know the Bronx native for his four appearances as Poppie, the unsanitary pizza guy who has a problem with bladder control.

Santoni also portrayed a Mexican-Irish revolutionary in Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969) and Sylvester Stallone's partner in ...

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Was there ever a better 80s' tagline that 'Crime is a disease. Meet the cure'? Join us in celebrating the 30th birthday of Cobra...

This article contains spoilers for Cobra. We suspect we're the only website to have written those words in recent times....

Had Sylvester Stallone had his way, the now cult classic Beverly Hills Cop would have been a much different film. Before Eddie Murphy was cast in the role that would define his acting career, the part of Axel Foley was offered to Sly. Yet the Italian Stallion had other ideas in mind for what he wanted the film to be, so he took it upon himself to rewrite the script, moulding it to suit his strengths as a white-knuckled mortal terminator. As screenwriter Daniel Petrie Jr told us last year, whilst it was "considered a coup to have written a script to attract...

Part I.

1971 was an incredibly violent year for movies. That year saw, among others, Tom Laughlin’s Billy Jack, with its half-Indian hero karate-chopping rednecks; William Friedkin’s The French Connection, its dogged cops stymied by well-heeled drug runners; Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, banned for the copycat crimes it reportedly inspired; and Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs, featuring the most controversial rape in cinema history. Every bloody shooting, sexual assault and death by penis statue reflected a world gone mad.

It seemed a reaction to America’s skyrocketing crime. Between 1963 and 1975, violent crimes tripled; riots, robberies and assassinations racked major cities. The antiwar and Civil Rights movements generated violent offshoots like the Weathermen and Black Panthers. Citizens blamed politicians like New York Mayor John Lindsay (the original “limousine liberal”), who proclaimed “Peace cannot be imposed on our cities by force of arms,” and Earl Warren’s Supreme Court,...

"Do what you do best."

During the 1980s, Sylvester Stallone's popularity was at an all-time high, with the actor-writer-director having already made four Rocky movies and two Rambo movies and was well on his way to creating another franchise with Beverly Hills Cop. Stallone had written a less comedic, action-oriented script for the movie, but, only a couple weeks before shooting, Stallone was out and Eddie Murphy was in, and the script had a radical rewrite with Murphy in mind. Meanwhile, Stallone took his Beverly Hills Cop script and changed it into 1986's Cobra.

Stallone plays Lieutenant Marion "Cobra" Cobretti, a Los Angeles police officer and member of the "Zombie Squad" division. Along with his partner (Reni Santoni), Cobra must protect a model (Brigitte Nielsen, who was then married to Stallone) from a Neo Fascist group that were causing acts of violence all over town. However, as the poster...

It’s got big hair, car chases, one-liners and, erm, robots. Could Sylvester Stallone’s Cobra be the quintessential 80s action flick…?

Cobra could have been another big franchise for Sylvester Stallone, a third panel in a macho, blockbusting triptych that already included Rambo and Rocky.

A chaotic action thriller that saw Sly reunited with First Blood Part II director George Pan Cosmatos (though legend has it, of course, that Stallone ghost-directed that hit, not Cosmatos), Cobra did respectable business on its release in 1986, earning an estimated worldwide gross of $160m on a $25m budget. That’s less money than the first Rocky movie managed to make, but more than the first Rambo flick, First Blood.

There’s a major difference between Cobra and Rocky or First Blood though: the latter films were largely applauded by critics, while Cobra was torn apart. And unlike some denigrated 80s flicks, Cobra hasn’t,...

One way to beat this year's winter chill is to watch Universal Television's, sun-drenched, "Miami Vice" TV series Complete Collection on DVD, not just for the numerous "Scarface" plot situations involving armed drug cartels, high rollers/exotic women, Jan Hammer's synth background themes, re-mastered 1980's era, classic rock music/stylized visuals, but to spot all the famous actors that got their start on the show.

Recognized as one of the most influential TV series of all time, for its Armani fashions, Dornaus & Dixon stainless steel handguns, 1972 Ferrari Daytona Spyder 365 Gts/4 wheels and 39 foot Chris Craft Stinger 390/Scarab 38 Kv boats, "Miami Vice" also introduced audiences to actor Don Johnson ("A Boy And His Dog") as 'Detective James "Sonny" Crockett', Philip Michael Thomas as 'Detective Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs' and the brooding Edward James Olmos as 'Lieutenant Martin Castillo'.

Throughout its successful 5-season run, "Miami Vice" introduced dozens of up and coming actors including Liam Neeson,...

Hitting movie theaters this weekend:

The Roommate – Minka Kelly, Leighton Meester, Cam Gigandet

Sanctum – Richard Roxburgh, Ioan Gruffudd, Allison Cratchley

Movie of the Week

Sanctum

The Stars: Richard Roxburgh, Ioan Gruffudd, Allison Cratchley

The Plot: An underwater cave diving team experiences a life-threatening crisis during an expedition to the unexplored and least accessible cave system in the world.

The Buzz: This film looks stunning. I’m excited to see it in IMAX 3D. With a cast of relative unknowns (save Richard Roxburgh of Moulin Rouge) the star of this one looks to be cinematographer Jules O’Loughlin.

This is S.O.P. as far as Hollywood marketing is concerned, but I’ve always been annoyed when production credits are used to dupe the cinematically challenged populace. This film is produced by James Cameron, not directed. Direction credits go to Alister Grierson, a relatively untested director; Sanctum being only his second feature,...

Edgar Wright returns to the New Beverly grindhouse in Los Angeles with his resume of flicks along with a boatload of his favorites. This is the second time the fan favorite filmmaker has taken over the retro theater where he will be present for Q & A’s and a raucous good time.

january 14, 15 The Wright Stuff II – Triple Feature! All Tickets $10

Shaun Of The Dead Fri / Sat: 7:30 2004, UK / France / USA, 99 minutes Edgar Wright will appear In Person, schedule permitting, Friday & Saturday to discuss! directed by Edgar Wright; written by Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright; starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran Trailer

Hot Fuzz Fri / Sat: 9:30 2007, UK / France / USA, 121 minutes directed by Edgar Wright; written by Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright; starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Timothy Dalton, Jim Broadbent, Paddy Considine, Bill Nighy

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Fri / Sat: 11:59pm (Midnight) 2009, USA / UK / Canada,...

Well-intentioned and not without moments of insight into the miseries of addiction, "28 Days" nevertheless lets its message swamp its dramatic instincts. The film, which stars Sandra Bullock and concerns an alcohol and drug rehab center, goes for the obvious at every juncture. And just as rehabbers are frequently made to wear signs around their necks that indicate their specific problems, Susannah Grant's screenplay follows suit, forcing her characters to become walking poster children for various psychological and dependency troubles.

Bullock's astute performance as a woman who reclaims her life should attract a sizable female audience to this Columbia release. But the film figures to have had a potentially wider audiences had its makers looked past symptoms and seen flesh-and-blood people instead.

Even Bullock's Gwen Cummings is so sketchily drawn that even by movie's end, we scarcely know her. Supposedly she is a writer, but what does she write and for whom? And why is she with that jerk of a boyfriend (Dominic West) with whom she gets roaring drunk?

All one sees in the movie's opening scenes -- which seriously smack of overkill -- are these two riding liquid waves from Manhattan dance club to bar to bed. But when she flames out at her sister's wedding and joyrides a rented limo, she earns 28 days in court-ordered rehab.

She arrives at idyllic Serenity Glen sullen and resistant. At first, one can hardly blame her. Grant and her director, Betty Thomas, initially portray the other patients virtually as circus freaks, especially Reni Santoni's neurotic doctor and Alan Tudyk's over-the-top gay stripper with a bad German accent.

Gwen shuns the group chanting and sing-alongs until one night she finds herself hanging from a tree outside her upstairs window in a desperate attempt to retrieve a medicine bottle of soothing pills. Following her fall -- and a bad ankle sprain -- Gwen buckles down to the serious business of conquering her addiction.

About this time, the film somewhat (though never completely) overcomes its proclivity for whacked-out behavior more appropriate to a mental institute than a rehab center. Gwen's encounters with Eddie (Viggo Mortensen), a fellow rehabber and big league baseball pitcher, produce romantic sparks. And the painful struggles of her quiet, heroin-addicted roommate Andrea (Azura Skye) serve to remind her of how hard the voyage back to normalcy will be.

That people's lives hang in the balance unquestionably adds to this drama. But if the purpose of drama is to reveal character, "28 Days" steadfastly refuses to deliver.

Most crucially, the film fudges what lies behind Gwen's addiction with all-too-pat explanations. In flashbacks filmed in underlit and out-of-focus video, we learn that her father died at an early age and her mother was a lush -- which doesn't completely explain her self-destructive tendencies any more than they explain why Gwen's sister (Elizabeth Perkins) has managed to overcome these liabilities.

Bullock plays Gwen as a hyperactive individual, so burning up with nervous energy that she is unable to sit still for even a minute. Mortensen is more the strong, silent type, as dedicated to the recovery of his health as he is to the restoration of his fastball.

Thomas has the luxury of a solid cast including two former Oscar nominees -- Diane Ladd and Marianne Jean-Baptiste -- in fairly small roles, as well as Steve Buscemi, who cleverly underplays the role of a counselor whose dark past gives him the voice of experience.

Thomas also has a solid below-the-line crew that has created in Serenity Glen -- shot at a YMCA facility in North Carolina -- a friendly and rural rehab center where one would feel guilty for not getting well.

28 DAYS

Columbia Pictures

A Tall Trees production

A Betty Thomas film

Producer: Jenno Topping

Director: Betty Thomas

Screenwriter: Susannah Grant

Director of photography: Declan Quinn

Production designer: Marcia Hinds-Johnson

Music: Richard Gibbs

Co-producer: Celia Costas

Costume designer: Ellen Lutter

Editor: Peter Teschner

Color/stereo

Cast:

Gwen Cummings: Sandra Bullock

Eddie Boone: Viggo Mortensen

Jasper: Dominic West

Lily: Elizabeth Perkins

Andrea: Azura Skye

Cornell: Steve Buscemi

Gerhardt: Alan Tudyk

Roshanda: Marianne Jean-Baptiste

Bobbie Jean: Diane Ladd

Running time -- 103 minutes

MPAA rating: PG-13...