Moviefone Editorial

Tag: road-house

  • Matt Damon and Casey Affleck in First ‘The Instigators’ Images

    Hong Chau, Casey Affleck and Matt Damon in 'The Instigators'.
    (L to R) Hong Chau, Casey Affleck and Matt Damon in ‘The Instigators’. Photo: Apple TV+.

    Preview:

    • Matt Damon and Casey Affleck are thieves in the first images from ‘The Instigators’.
    • Doug Liam directed the crime thriller.
    • The movie will land on Apple TV+ on August 9th.

    We might most famously think of ‘Good Will Hunting’ in terms of Matt Damon and Casey Affleck sharing the screen (then alongside the latter’s brother Ben), but they were also both in ‘Oppenheimer’ last year.

    But later in 2024, we’ll see them in meatier roles for a new crime thriller called ‘The Instigators’, in which they play two thieves pulling off a desperate robbery.

    Apple TV+ was quick to snap this one up and has the first images from the movie online.

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    What’s the story of ‘The Instigators’?

    Rory (Damon) and Cobby (Affleck) are reluctant partners: a desperate father and an ex-con thrown together to pull off a robbery of the ill-gained earnings of a corrupt politician. But when the heist goes wrong, the two find themselves engulfed in a whirlwind of chaos, pursued not only by police, but also backwards bureaucrats and vengeful crime bosses.

    Completely out of their depth, they convince Rory’s therapist (Hong Chau) to join their riotous getaway through the city, where they must put aside their differences and work together to evade capture –– or worse.

    Related Article: 10 Things We Learned at the ’Air’ Press Conference with Cast and Crew

    Who is making ‘The Instigators’?

    Casey Affleck, director Doug Liman and Matt Damon on the set of 'The Instigators'.
    (L to R) Casey Affleck, director Doug Liman and Matt Damon on the set of ‘The Instigators’. Photo: Apple TV+.

    Affleck co-wrote the script with Chuck MacLean, and Doug Liman is in the director’s chair.

    Here’s what Affleck told Entertainment Weekly about his inspirations:

    “The inspiration for this was definitely ‘Midnight Run’ and ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’. I’ve always wanted to do a buddy action comedy.”

    And for Damon, this was a chance to reunite with his ‘Bourne Identity’ director. This is what he said:

    “I absolutely love working with Doug. I can’t believe it took us 20 years to find something else to do together. Doug is one of the most creatively tenacious people I’ve ever met. He just won’t stop until the movie is as good as it can be, and that is the best possible thing you can feel from a director. I trust him completely.”

    Who else is in ‘The Instigators’?

    The movie also stars Michael Stuhlbarg, Paul Walter Hauser, Ving Rhames, Alfred Molina, Toby Jones, Jack Harlow and Ron Perlman.

    Here’s Affleck on how some of the cast fit in:

    “‘The Instigators’ is about two strangers who are hired for a heist. They become frenemies and then become friends while Jack Harlow yells at us, Paul Walter Hauser insults us, Ving Rhames hunts us, and Hong Chau keeps us alive.”

    When will ‘The Instigators’ land on Apple TV+

    Apple TV+ will start streaming the new movie on August 9th. Hopefully Liman is already aware it’ll be going directly there; we don’t need another ‘Road House’ protest.

    Matt Damon and Casey Affleck in 'The Instigators'.
    (L to R) Matt Damon and Casey Affleck in ‘The Instigators’. Photo: Apple TV+.

    Other Movies Similar to ‘The Instigators’:

    Buy Matt Damon Movies on Amazon

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  • Movie Review: ‘Road House’

    Jake Gyllenhaal stars in 'Roadhouse.'
    Jake Gyllenhaal stars in ‘Roadhouse.’ Photo: Laura Radford © Amazon Content Services LLC.

    Premiering on Prime Video March 21st is ‘Road House,’ which is a remake of the classic Patrick Swayze action movie. The new film was directed by Doug Liman (‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith,’ ‘The Bourne Identity’) and stars Jake Gyllenhaal (‘Spider-Man: Far From Home,’ ‘Ambulance’) as Dalton.

    Related Article: Jake Gyllenhaal and Director Doug Liman Working on ‘Road House’ Remake

    Initial Thoughts

    Despite being beloved now, the original ‘Road House’ was not a great movie. Really, it was a “so bad its good” movie and has since become a nostalgic classic thanks mostly to Patrick Swayze’s bizarrely serious performance in a film that didn’t deserve that much effort. So, what happens when you remake an essentially bad movie? You just get another bad movie!

    Removing all the mystery behind the character of Dalton, his Eastern philosophy, and the unintentional humor, the result is a paint-by-numbers action film that never really works on any other level. Despite some unique direction in the fight scenes from filmmaker Doug Liman, and a charming and strong performance from Jake Gyllenhaal, ‘Road House’ will leave viewers unsatisfied and longing for the silliness of the original.

    Story and Direction

    On the set of 'Road House.'
    On the set of ‘Road House.’ Photo: Laura Radford. Copyright: © Amazon Content Services LLC.

    The movie begins by introducing us to the character of Elwood Dalton (adding a new first name for the remake), played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Dalton is a down-on-his-luck ex-UFC fighter who accidentally killed an opponent in the ring, and now cannot get anyone to fight him. He soon meets Frankie (Jessica Williams), who owns a bar in the Florida Keys called “The Road House.” (Yes, that’s now the name of the bar and its never really explained why.) Some locals are causing trouble, and she hires Dalton, who unlike the original has no experience bouncing, to clean up her establishment.

    Upon his arrival, Dalton befriends a young girl named Charlie (Hannah Love Lanier) and her father, as well as some of the other Road House employees and a local doctor named Ellie (Daniel Melchoir), who he begins a relationship with. After expelling some of the riff raff from the bar, Dalton discovers that rich businessman Ben Brandt (Billy Magnussen) is behind the trouble and is trying to get Frankie to sell him the bar so he can tear it down and build a luxury hotel. Having his hands full with Dalton, Brandt hires a madman named Knox (played by real UFC fighter Conor McGregor) to take him out.

    The updates to the story only work to eliminate any of the humor and charm of the original movie and make this a more standard action movie. Dalton’s UFC background is an interesting 2024 addition, but completely strips Dalton of the mystery that made the character interesting in the first place. In 1989’s ‘Road House,’ Patrick Swayze’s Dalton was a professional bouncer, and had a philosophy (“Be Nice”) that formed his personality. He was also a mysterious character, with no first name, no home to call his own and a sorted past. The new film tries to establish itself as a modern Western but fails on many levels.

    Conor McGregor stars in 'Road House.'
    Conor McGregor stars in ‘Road House.’ Photo: Laura Radford. Copyright: © Amazon Content Services LLC.

    While I liked the idea of adding the UFC background, it doesn’t work and strips the character of everything that made him unique in the original. If director Doug Liman wanted to make a movie about an ex-UFC fighter troubled by what happened in the ring, he should have just made that movie and left the ‘Road House’ franchise alone. Again, it’s not like the original was some great movie no one should touch, but if you are going to remake it, try to include some of what made the first movie popular over the decades.

    I will give Liman credit for some fun and exciting fight sequences, both in the ring and out. For Dalton’s UFC flashback scenes, (and again, we don’t want to know about Dalton’s past, we want it to be a mystery, but I digress) Liman wisely shot during a real UFC fight and those scenes were excellent. Liman has the camera right in the ring and you feel every punch and kick. The fight scenes in the bar are great too, especially when Dalton and Knox face off. Liman uses a Steadicam for those sequences and rarely cuts, giving off the illusion of one long take. But there are other fight sequences that seemed more contrived, like when Dalton first fights the bikers, in a very ‘Jack Reacher,’ “Are you sure you want to do this” type of way.

    Jake Gyllenhaal’s Transformative Performance

    Lukas Gage and Jake Gyllenhaal star in 'Road House.'
    (L to R) Lukas Gage and Jake Gyllenhaal star in ‘Road House.’ Photo: Laura Radford. Copyright: © Amazon Content Services LLC.

    This movie belongs to Jake Gyllenhaal, as he’s the only one giving a decent performance. While I don’t agree with many of the changes that they made to the character and the story, you can’t help but root for Gyllenhaal’s Dalton. The actor captures much of the charm and charisma that Swayze had in the original, while also being physically believable.

    We’ve seen the actor physically transform before, playing a boxer in the excellent ‘Southpaw,’ so his action scenes are completely believable. Now, I expect that in real life Gyllenhaal would be no match for Conor McGregor, but you do think that while outmatched, Dalton does have a chance against Knox, and that is because Gyllenhaal is so believable in the role.

    Other Performances

    Conor McGregor stars in 'Road House.'
    (Right) Conor McGregor stars in ‘Road House.’ Photo: Laura Radford. Copyright: © Amazon Content Services LLC.

    Speaking of McGregor, he’s also fun in the movie thanks to his wild character and performance. Physically, he is exactly the type of person you need in a movie like this, and he is clearly having fun playing his cartoonish yet dangerous character.

    Daniela Melchior plays Ellie, Dalton’s love interest, a role played by Kelly Lynch in the original. Melchior is a great actress and was excellent in ‘The Suicide Squad,’ but is let down here by the screenplay. She has nice chemistry with Gyllenhaal, but is never really allowed to explore it, not in the way Swayze and Lynch did in the original and their relationship is never established enough to work when the script needs it to in the final act.

    Daniela Melchior stars in 'Road House.'
    Daniela Melchior stars in ‘Road House.’ Photo: Laura Radford. Copyright: © Amazon Content Services LLC.

    In fact, all the female roles are underwritten, which was disappointing to say the least. The role of Frankie the bar owner was gender-swapped from the original, but Jessie Williams is given almost nothing to do but recruit Dalton and seems to disappear halfway through the film. They hint at an attraction between Dalton and Frankie, but that is never explored.

    Even Hannah Love Lanier’s Charlie is not given enough to do. Dalton makes a connection with her early in the film only to give the bad guys leverage against him in the third act. She basically disappears through the course of the movie as well, and I would have liked to have explored that character and her relationship to Dalton more.

    Billy Magnussen’s Villain

    Arturo Castro and Billy Magnussen and Jake Gyllenhaal star in 'Road House.'
    (L to R) Arturo Castro and Billy Magnussen and Jake Gyllenhaal star in ‘Road House.’ Photo: Laura Radford. Copyright: © Amazon Content Services LLC.

    ‘No Time to Die’s Billy Magnussen plays Ben Brandt, which is the remake’s version of Brad Wesley, the villain in the original played by legendary Hollywood actor Ben Gazzara. I have to say that I don’t understand the need to make this a younger character. Brandt never gets into a physical fight with Dalton (although even Gazzara and Swayze had a fight scene in the original), so why the character was made younger, I have no idea? But it doesn’t work.

    Instead of playing an older former mob boss who controls the town with his power, Brandt is instead the son of an imprisoned mob boss, trying to run his father’s crime family how he sees fit while still looking for daddy’s approval. The result is a crybaby of a villain that you neither fear nor care about. Magnussen does his best with the poorly written role, chewing up some scenery, but it never really amounts to much on screen.

    Final Thoughts

    Conor McGregor and Jake Gyllenhaal stars in 'Roadhouse.'
    (L to R) Conor McGregor and Jake Gyllenhaal stars in ‘Roadhouse.’ Photo: Laura Radford © Amazon Content Services LLC.

    To be fair, ‘Road House’ is at times just as dumb and fun as the original, but that’s not saying much. Gyllenhaal’s performance is solid, but the actor deserved a better script. The action sequences are good, thanks to Liman’s camera work and Gyllenhaal and McGregor’s performances, but the poor script, focus on the UFC, and nonsensical changes from the original, strip the movie of any originality, mystery or silly fun that we may expect from the franchise.

    ‘Road House’ receives 4.5 out of 10 stars.

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    What is the Plot of ‘Road House’?

    A former UFC middleweight fighter (Jake Gyllenhaal) ends up working at a roadhouse in the Florida Keys where things are not as they seem.

    Who is in the Cast of ‘Road House’?

    Jake Gyllenhaal stars in 'Road House.'
    Jake Gyllenhaal stars in ‘Road House.’ Photo: Laura Radford. Copyright: © Amazon Content Services LLC.

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    Buy Tickets: ‘Road House’ Movie Showtimes

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  • Jake Gyllenhaal Starring in ‘Road House’ Remake

    Patrick Swayze in 1989's 'Road House.'
    Patrick Swayze in 1989’s ‘Road House.’

    Today has clearly been designated “Remake An ‘80s Movie Day.” With Selena Gomez attached to a new version of 1988 classic ‘Working Girl’, we also have word that Jake Gyllenhaal is on board for a remake of Patrick Swayze vehicle ‘Road House’.

    Talk of this one first emerged in November last year, but it is now official, with Doug Liman directing and Prime Video backing the movie.

    The original, directed by Rowdy Herrington, starred Swayze in the story of a roadside dive called The Double Deuce, a sleazy music joint in the small town of Jasper, Missouri, “the kind of place where they sweep up the eyeballs after closing”.

    The owner, tired of his place being wrecked by muscle-bound “power drinkers” and provocative bimbos, hires the best bouncer in the business (Swayze’s Dalton) to cool things down. Famously, he starts off charming but doesn’t hesitate to take extreme throat-ripping measures when pushed to his limit.

    Anthony Bagarozzi & Charles Mondry have written the new movie which, according to its synopsis, stars Gyllenhaal as a former UFC fighter who takes a job as a bouncer at a rough-and-tumble roadhouse in the Florida Keys, but “soon discovers that not everything is what it seems in this tropical paradise.” The cameras will be rolling this month in the Dominican Republic.

    In the cast alongside Gyllenhaal are the likes of Billy Magnussen, Daniela Melchior, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Lukas Gage, Hannah Love Lanier, Travis Van Winkle, B.K. Cannon, Arturo Castro, Dominique Columbus, Beau Knapp and Bob Menery.

    Jake Gyllenhaal in 2021's 'The Guilty.'
    Jake Gyllenhaal in 2021’s ‘The Guilty.’

    And Joel Silver, who produced the original, is back working on this one alongside JJ Hook, Alison Winter and Aaron Auch.

    “‘Road House’ is a homerun for us. Not only is it a nod to fans of the original, but it is also a big, fun, broad audience movie,” says Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke. “We are thrilled to collaborate with Joel, Doug, and this great cast led by Jake Gyllenhaal, and for them to come together to reimagine the classic MGM film as an action-packed adventure for our global audience.”

    “I’m thrilled to put my own spin on the beloved ‘Road House’ legacy,” Doug Liman enthuses in his own statement. “And I can’t wait to show audiences what Jake and I are going to do with this iconic role.”

    “The original ‘Road House’ has a special place in my heart and I am so excited to bring this newly imagined version to audiences around the world,” Silver says. “Doug and I have each made some big, boisterous action movies and are ready to bring everything we have to this one.”

    Though the original was a modest earner at the box office, it has since gone on to earn cult status and is a favorite among Swayze fans. So, no pressure for the new team, then.

    No release date is on the books yet, but it’ll arrive on Prime Video, probably sometime next year.

    Patrick Swayze in 1989's 'Road House.'
    Patrick Swayze in 1989’s ‘Road House.’
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  • 11 Things You Never Knew About ‘Road House’ on its 30th Anniversary

    11 Things You Never Knew About ‘Road House’ on its 30th Anniversary

    MGM/UA

    It’s been 30 years since “Road House” arrived in theaters and made being a “cooler” seem like the greatest job in the world. This campy action movie’s appeal has only grown over the years, so celebrate this big milestone by learning more about the making  and legacy of “Road House.”

    1. Patrick Swayze injured his knee while filming “Road House,” which forced him to turn down starring roles in both “Predator 2” and “Tango & Cash.”

    2. On the plus side, Swayze’s injury did motivate him to take on a less physically demanding role in “Ghost,” resulting in one of his most iconic movie roles.

    Paramount Pictures

    3. All the actors were trained by accomplished martial artist and stuntman Benny “The Jet” Urquidez. Urquidez was so impressed by Swayze’s natural talent that he tried to convince him to take up a new career as a professional kickboxer.

    4. Though it’s never spoken in the film, Dalton’s first name is James. His full name can be glimpsed on a medical chart in the hospital.

    MGM/UA

    5. The film originally featured the tagline “The dancing’s over. Now it gets dirty.”, a clear callback to 1987’s “Dirty Dancing.”

    6. According to Sam Elliott, the original cut of the film was well over three hours long. Some of the many deleted scenes were included in the theatrical trailers, including a sequence where Dalton trains his bouncers by forcing them to wear ballerina costumes.

    20th Television

    7. The “Family Guy” episode “Brian’s Got a Brand New Bag” features an homage to “Road House,” as Peter Griffin rekindles his obsession with the film. That episode is also dedicated to Swayze, who passed away a few weeks before it aired.

    8. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton earned the nickname “Road House” because he shares a last name with Swayze’s character.

    9. The film received a belated direct-to-video sequel in 2006. “Road House 2” stars  Johnathon Schaech as Dalton’s son Shane, an undercover DEA agent posing as a bar bouncer.

    Sony Pictures

    10. The “Road House 2” character Nate Tanner was originally written to be Swayze’s James Dalton. When Swayze declined to appear in the film, the part was changed and the film was rewritten to reveal that Dalton was gunned down at some point after the events of the first movie.

    11. News broke in 2015 that a “Road House” remake was in the works, with Nick Cassavetes attached to write and direct and Ronda Rousey expected to star. However, the project was later canceled the following year.

  • ‘The Hero’ Star Sam Elliott Knows Why He’s Having a ‘McConaissance’ Right Now

    Sam Elliott‘s played the hero many times on screen, but his performance in the film “The Hero” — where he plays a journeyman actor taking a long, hard look at his life — will likely be remembered as a career-high.

    At 72, Elliott’s already enjoyed a rich and often varied Hollywood career in both film and television, beginning with an early role in “Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid” and a star-making turn in the 1976 beachside drama “Lifeguard.” He went on to have a steady string of TV and film roles throughout the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, including “The Shadow Riders,” “The Quick and the Dead,” “Conagher, “Buffalo Girls,” and “Tombstone“).

    Along the way, Elliott would have opportunities to make a dramatic impact with roles outside the Western box including several that showcased his considerable acting skills, like “Mask” and the Civil War drama “Gettysburg”; rough and rowdy action flicks like “Road House,” and comic book fare like “Hulk” and “Ghost Rider.” And his signature mustache and deeply resonant and distinctive voice were elevated to iconic status with his appearance as the narrating Stranger in the Coen brothers’ cult sensation “The Big Lebowski.”

    Thanks to the final season of FX’s “Justified,” where he played the main baddie, Elliott has found himself with a career renaissance, which he sat down with Moviefone to have a very candid discussion about.
    Moviefone: Obviously, people are going to see what they think is some of Sam Elliott in this guy. Tell me the diversions. Tell me what you related to in Lee Hayden, but what is entirely different from your own experience.

    Sam Elliott: Number one, if it was me, it’d be a documentary, and it’s not, clearly. There’s four primary elements that are most glaringly not me: one of them is that I’m still married to Katharine [Ross] for 33 years, after knowing her for 39 years. I have a close, loving relationship with my daughter Cleo -– I see her all the time, and was primarily there when she was growing up; I don’t smoke dope; and I don’t have cancer. So beyond those, there’s a lot of similarities.

    What resonated with you about those similarities? As you delved into Lee, what did you have a lot of empathy for?

    I had a lot of empathy, I think, because I understood where he was going after he got the diagnosis in the beginning, and realized that time was going to be short, and he had a big mess to clean up with his family, primarily. Also, to have to deal with the fact that his career was pretty much what it was.

    The rest of it was all in his head, which kept revisiting him in the form of the dreams. He fucked up his career, doing whatever he did, whatever it was that made him lose his connection to his daughter, whatever made him get divorced from his wife, and why ever it was he never went beyond that one film that he talks about -– that’s it.

    I think that at his core, Lee was a decent guy. I think the things that he spoke of at the awards ceremony were from his heart and soul, and that resonated completely with me what he was talking about in there. I happen to believe that he was telling the truth in there.

    From your perspective, what has it taken to survive and to thrive in Hollywood for as long as you’ve been able to?

    Persistence, hard work, being a decent person, treating people right, and doing your job when you get an opportunity to do it.

    You’ve been doing your job pretty well for all these years, and all of a sudden, we’re in this great Sam Elliott Renaissance Period.

    Crazy!

    Did you see it coming? Was it part of a strategic plan?

    No, came totally out of left field. There was a succession of jobs that came, and I’m not sure where it started: whether it was at “Grandma,” whether it was maybe at “Parks and Rec,” could have been at “Robot Chicken,” I don’t know… Then “Justified” came along –- it’s very bizarre!

    Do you feel that you’re a better actor now than you were when you began in Hollywood?

    Yes, no question. No question. I think time and grade is the teacher in any field. I just think the longer you’re there, the better you get. Unless you’re an athlete -– you start wearing out.

    It’s been great to see you in a lot of very different kinds of roles lately, including your first sitcom. What’s been fun about “The Ranch” for you?

    It’s totally different. New ground to plow. At 72, at almost 50 years in the business, to be able to go and do a four-camera show in front of a live audience on Fridays. We pre-tape on Thursdays, Friday’s a live audience. Just that experience alone… But to be working with Ashton Kutcher and Daniel Masterson on the set, Debra Winger as well, and Jim Patterson and Don Reo and these genius writers that are on this writing staff.

    We do a script every week. And from Monday, the table read, we get our new script on Fridays after the taping. Monday we do a table read and a blocking rehearsal. Monday night, they rewrite. Tuesdays we rehearse. Tuesday night, they rewrite. Wednesdays we rehearse. Wednesday night, they rewrite. Thursdays we start shooting, and they’re, at the same time, rewriting. Friday is the taping night in front of the audience. All the writers are on the set — watching it and rewriting between takes. So the learning curve is a monster, and it’s daunting in front of a live audience for me.

    Had it been a while?

    I’ve never worked in front of a live audience. The great reward in front of a live audience is you hear people laughing. That part is a lot of fun.
    Lee had one movie that he was proud of. You, I’m sure, have many. If somebody discovers you for the first time through “The Hero,” what films of yours would you like to point people to if they were interested at looking at highlights from your filmography?

    A lot of my favorite parts are character parts. They’re not like leading roles by any means. Whether it’s “Mask” or “Road House” or “The Big Lebowski,” or “Gettysburg,” there are things about a lot of different films that stand out for me.

    In terms of lead, maybe “Conagher,” something like that. Only because it’s something that I did with Katharine. It was something that Louis L’Amour told me that he thought Katharine and I should do. In fact, we did the adaptation of the book. I produced. It was very successful at the time that we did it with TNT. That probably would be a highlight, for sure.

    When you started out, did you think of yourself as a character actor? Or were you thinking leading man when you got into it?

    I wasn’t thinking about anything other than acting and wanting a good part. I never thought about it in terms of character and leading man. Still don’t.

    What do you love, after all this time? What are the same things that you love about the industry and Hollywood, and what are the sort of new things that even at this stage you’re discovering you love?

    I think just going to work. I think the work of it is the thing I most love. It’s the doing of it. I’m completely amazed from day to day about this whole digital effect that it’s had on the game, that it can move at the pace that it moves.

    It’s like instant gratification. It’s like, “How was it?” “I don’t know -– let’s look.” Everybody’s walking around with their little screens like this, sitting at the monitor, instant playback. No lab to go to. No lab report to wait for. No opening up the can and exposing the film to the light and losing it, and having it come back. Incredible.

    It’s your next frontier.

    It’s incredible. Never going to be my frontier. All I do with my cell phone is answer it and talk on it and I text on it. That’s as deep as I’m going to go.

    “The Hero” opens in select cities Friday.

  • ‘Road House’ Is an R-Rated Piece of ’80s Perfection: Podcast

    Patrick Swayze as Dalton in the greatest movie ever made, ROAD HOUSEGratuitous nudity. Cheesy lines. High-waisted pants. Bonkers violence. More high-waisted pants. Yes, we’re talking about 1989’s impactful ode to coolers, “Road House.” #BouncerLife

    This week, the Moviefone crew (Tim Hayne, Rachel Horner, Phil Pirrello, and Tony Maccio) couldn’t wait to talk about the greatest Patrick Swayze movie ever released on May 19, 1989, including its mysterious bouncer subculture roots, nonsensical fight sequences, and the curious, crime-riddled town of Jasper, MO (which could be a real town, because it has a sign and everything; and it doesn’t look anything like southern California). The movie has a lot of issues, most of which we point out in the process of declaring our love for this R-rate piece of ’80s perfection.

    In addition to unsolicited medical diagnoses, we dreamcast a “Road House” reboot, which could (and does) go in some pretty unexpected directions. Not interested in “Road House”? Fair enough. For you, we offer up a few recommendations to get you through the weekend.

    Next week’s movie is a Tim Hayne pick: the 1992 Curtis Hanson masterpiece “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle.”

    Listen to CAN’T WAIT! A Movie Lover’s Podcast Episode 11: ‘Road House’Total runtime: 1:06:40

    Subscribe to the CAN’T WAIT! podcast:

    Have thoughts/feelings/feedback about the podcast? Have a movie you really, really want us to watch and talk about? Hit us up on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

  • MMA Fighter Ronda Rousey to Star in ‘Road House’ Remake

    UFC 190: Rousey v CorreiaBar brawlers had better watch out — or they might get a beatdown from Ronda Rousey.

    Variety reports that the MMA fighter will star in a reboot of the 1989 cult classic “Road House,” which originally featured Patrick Swayze as a bouncer hired to clean up a rowdy bar in Missouri. Swayze then had to contend with corrupt businessmen threatening the town, all while throwing out memorable (if illogical) lines like, “Pain don’t hurt” and “Nobody ever wins a fight.”

    Rousey reportedly reached out to Swayze’s widow, Lisa Niemi, for her blessing, which Niemi gave. On Twitter, the UFC fighter said it was a “great honor” to be part of the project:

    Rousey has begun dabbling in acting in recent years, appearing in “The Expendables 3,” “Entourage,” and “Furious 7.” Next up is her biopic “My Fight/Your Fight” and the female counterterrorism drama “The Athena Project.”

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  • 6 More ’80s Action Movies The Rock Should Remake Next

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    “Furious 7” star Dwayne Johnson is going from fast cars to the Porkchop Express.

    With the recent announcement that Mr. Movie Franchise Viagra is set to take over for Kurt Russell in the role of truck driver Jack Burton in the “Big Trouble in Little China” remake, we turned to our DVD shelves to find more ’80s classics deserving of The Rock treatment.

    From “Beastmaster” to effin’ “Road House,” here are six remakes that need release dates ASAP.