Category: Books

“Interview with a Vampire”: Season 2 – “Start the Tape Teaser” is Here!

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Interview with a Vampire: Season 2 – “Start the Tape Teaser” is Here!

What really happened in Paris?

ABOUT INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE
A luxury apartment covering an entire single floor of a high rise. Where the Vampire has granted the interview with the man he once judged to be unworthy. And where the journalist Daniel Molloy has hustled, for a second shot at the interview that got away from him 40 years earlier…

Based on Anne Rice’s iconic novel, Interview with The Vampire follows Louis’ epic story of love, blood and the perils of immortality, as told to the journalist Daniel Molloy. Chafing at the limitations of life as a black man in 1900’s New Orleans, Louis finds it impossible to resist Lestat’s offer of the ultimate escape: joining him as his vampire companion.

But Louis’s intoxicating new powers come with a violent price, and the introduction of Lestat’s newest fledgling, the child vampire Claudia, soon sets them on a decades-long path of revenge and atonement. A sensuous, contemporary reinvention of Anne Rice’s revolutionary gothic novel.

Start the Tape | Interview with the Vampire Season 2 | Premieres May 12 | AMC+

“Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire” – Exclusive Clip (2024) Jacob Anderson from IGN Fan Fest 2024 and Season 2 Poster!

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I’m looking forward to Season 2.  Hopefully it will be as good as the first.

Jacob Anderson, star of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, gives us an exclusive sneak peek at Season 2 with this clip as part of IGN Fan Fest 2024. Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire premieres on May 12, 2024 on AMC and AMC+.

THE ENFIELD GANG MASSACRE by Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips is Coming!

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THE ENFIELD GANG MASSACRE by Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips is coming.  We can get it on April 9th.  Here’s the lowdown…

A Western that is as haunting as it is thrilling, THE ENFIELD GANG MASSACRE tells the dark origin of THAT TEXAS BLOOD’s Ambrose County as only Jacob Phillips and Chris Condon can!

Montgomery Enfield and his gang of outlaws find themselves in the crosshairs of an aging Texas Ranger and a newborn county that’s hungry for law – by any means necessary.

Collects THE ENFIELD GANG MASSACRE #1-6

CANARY by Scott Snyder and Dan Panosian is Coming!

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The CANARY trade paperback by Scott Snyder and Dan Panosian is set to premiere on June 25th.  Here’s the synopsis…

In 1884 a mine collapsed into itself. What was the dark substance found 666 feet underground?

Blending modern horror, historical fact and Western lore, Scott Snyder and Dan Panosian have created a uniquely terrifying thriller with Canary.

During the final days of the Gold Rush, one mining company in Utah pulled up radioactive Uranium, and then the mine then collapsed in on itself. Legends sprung up about the mine being cursed or even haunted.

Now the Frontier is closed and the gold and silver mines have dried up. The country is becoming “civilized,” and yet, in one stretch of the Rocky Mountains, a terrifying, new kind of violence is suddenly emerging. Random killings. People going mad and murdering neighbors and classmates without real cause. When a schoolboy kills his teacher with a hatchet, a famous federal marshal named Azrael William Holt is called in to investigate the killings. What he and a brilliant young geologist uncover is stranger and more horrifying than anything they could have ever imagined.

BRUCE LEE: IN MY OWN PROCESS by Bruce Lee is Coming!

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Bruce Lee fans are going to love this.  BRUCE LEE: IN MY OWN PROCESS by Bruce Lee is set to premiere on April 23rd.  Here’s the synopsis…

‘Many of you know that I am a martial artist by choice, an actor by profession, and, by daily actualizing my potentiality through soulful discoveries and daily exercising, I hope to become also an artist of life.’ – Bruce Lee

‘I venture that 95% of people have heard of Bruce Lee. They might not know everything about him, but they know his name. Isn’t that just incredible? And what excites me about this book is that it’s an opportunity for the reader to have a better understanding of why you continue to know his name.’ – Shannon Lee

‘Bruce draws you in with his martial strength and prowess, fascinates you with his aggression and superlative masculinity, and then you go deeper and learn about his philosophy, his depth as a thinker and a scientist, and that really hooks you.’ – Ang Lee

‘Bruce Lee exemplified discipline and finding your own path to success while committed to doing something you love.’ – Tony Hawk

‘Every time he spoke I would shudder because it was like poetry. He was like the first Asian rapper without a beat!’ – Steve Aoki

Bruce Lee’s blockbuster movies, pioneering martial arts practice and motivational philosophy continue to inspire millions worldwide. Published in the fiftieth year of his passing, In My Own Process celebrates Lee’s legacy as a martial artist, actor and philosopher, offering readers the definitive book of his spectacular career.

Collating rare photographs, drawings and writings, In My Own Process opens up the Bruce Lee family archives. A wealth of fascinating items are shared, including handwritten poems; personal affirmations and diary entries; movie scripts; workout regimes; teaching notes; martial arts drawings and philosophical observations. Hundreds of photographs reveal Bruce Lee in action, starring in classic movies such as Enter the Dragon, as well as during private moments away from the spotlight.

Reflecting on key areas of his life, in 1973 Bruce Lee wrote a series of letters titled ‘In My Own Process’. Lee’s writings introduce the chapters of his career, from developing his philosophy of Jeet Kune Do, to his first screen test, to his big Hollywood breakthrough.

Alongside an extensive commentary in Lee’s own words, contributions from today’s leading figures in music, film, and sport examine Lee’s work and legacy, including Oscar-winning movie director Ang Lee, prolific actor and martial artist Jackie Chan, world-renowned skateboarder Tony Hawk, basketball superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and more. Exclusive interviews with Lee’s associates and family members, such as his close friend and training partner, Dan Inosanto, add further personal insight.

In partnership with the family of Bruce Lee, Genesis Publications is proud to present In My Own Process, the official book documenting the life and work of one of the most significant cultural icons of all time.

“The Strain”: Season 4 (2017) / Z-View

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The Strain: Season 4 (2017)

Created by:  Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan

Directors:  J. Miles Dale (eps. 1 – 2, 10); Kevin Dowling (eps. 3 – 4); Norberto Barba (eps. 5 – 6); Thomas Carter (ep. 7); Paco Cabezas (ep. 8); Jennifer Lynch (ep. 9)

Screenplay: Carlton Cruse, Chuck Hogan (ep. 1, 10); Liz Phang (ep. 2, 8); David Weddle, Bradley Thompson (ep. 3, 9); Chuck Hogan (ep. 3); Mickey Fisher (ep. 4); Jeff Wadlow (ep. 5); Paul Keables (ep. 6); Andy Iser (ep. 7)

Stars: Corey Stoll, David Bradley, Jim Watson, Kevin Durand, Jonathan Hyde, Richard Sammel, Natalie Brown, Miguel Gomez, Max Charles, Ruta Gedmintas, Rupert Penry-Jones, Samantha Mathis, Joaquín Cosío, Adriana Barraza.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Nine months have passed since the bombs went off.  A nuclear winter envelopes the world.  The strigoi have formed a “partnership” with surviving humans.  Humans donate blood to feed the strigoi.  Despite people disappearing most humans feel the partnership is their only hope.

Setrakian, Fet, Mr. Quinlan, Gus and the others continue to work separately and together to find a way to kill the Master.  If they can do that, the strigoi will be mindless and easier to destroy.  When the group comes up with a suicide plan, there is little doubt that all will not survive… the real question is will the Master be killed.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan have created a modern day vampire tale with a backstory that extends not just decades, but centuries.  The vampires aren’t the classic creatures of the night seen in countless movies.  And the stakes aren’t just a beautiful woman’s soul.  Here the fate of the world is at risk.

The writers should be commended for creating a huge cast of interesting characters with wonderful backstories.  In different episodes, different characters get the spotlight but viewers don’t get the feeling that it is by the numbers.  David Bradley as Professor Abraham Setrakian, Kevin Durand as Vasiliy Fet and Miguel Gomez as Augustin “Gus” Elizalde continue to shine.  Jonathan Hyde as Eldritch Palmer and Richard Sammel as Thomas Eichhorst, the Nazi vampire acolyte continue to be great villains.  Rupert Penry-Jones as Quinlan makes a great anti-hero.

Although Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan wrote a Strain trilogy of novels, the series doesn’t follow them exactly.

The Strain: Season 4 (2017) earns 5 of 5 stars.

SUGAR ON THE BONES, the 13th Hap & Leonard novel by Joe R. Lansdale, is Coming!

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SUGAR ON THE BONES, the 13th Hap & Leonard novel by Joe R. Lansdale is coming!  Here’s what to expect…

PI Duo Hap & Leonard investigate the untimely death of a woman whose family stood much to gain from her passing. It’s a holy mess of a case for the “perpetual bad boy” (New York Times) sleuths in this beloved series.

Minnie Polson is dead. Burned to a crisp in a fire so big and bad it had to be deliberate. The only thing worse is that Hap and Leonard could have prevented it. Maybe. Minnie had a feeling she was being targeted, shaken down by some shadowy force. However, when she’d solicited Hap & Leonard, all it took was one off color joke to turn her sour and she’d called them off the investigation. Wracked with a guilty conscience, the two PIs—along with Hap’s fleet-footed wife, Brett—tuck in to the case. As they look closer, they dredge up troublesome facts: for one, Minnie’s daughter, Alice, has recently vanished. She’d been hard up after her pet grooming business went under and was in line to collect a whopping insurance sum should anything happen to her mother. The same was due to Minnie’s estranged husband, Al, whose kryptonite (beautiful, money-grubbing women) had left him with only a run-down mobile home. But did Minnie’s foolish, cash-strapped family really have it in them to commit a crime this grisly? Or is there a larger, far more sinister scheme at work?

Irreverent, wise-cracking, and full of atmosphere and bite, Sugar on the Bones is not to be missed.

SUGAR ON THE BONES drops July 16, 2024.

THE LAST FEW MILES OF ROAD: A CARTER MCCOY NOVEL by Eric Beetner is Coming Soon!

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THE LAST FEW MILES OF ROAD: A CARTER MCCOY NOVEL by Eric Beetner will premiere on February 27th! Here’s the lowdown…

When Carter McCoy learns he hasn’t got long to live, it’s time to take care of something he has wanted to do for years–kill the man responsible for his daughter’s death. But Carter has no experience killing and isn’t even sure he can do it.

Breanna needs to escape her toxic home life or end up living a life of regret. When she happens upon the old man with a rifle, she sees a light at the end of her dark tunnel. Carter may be the answer to her problems, if he lives long enough to help her.

Carter is a man on borrowed time, and what he does with the rest of it could change who he has been his whole life. With the police closing in one step ahead of death, Carter has the opportunity to change Breanna’s life and give her the chance his daughter never had. With his trusty dog, Chester, at his side, Carter’s last act will be the one that defines who he is.

“The Strain”: Season 3 (2016) / Z-View

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The Strain: Season 3 (2016)

Created by:  Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan

Directors:  GJ. Miles Dale (eps. 1 – 2); Ken Girotti (eps. 3 – 4); Deran Sarafian (eps. 5 – 6); T.J. Scott (eps. 7 – 8); Vincenzo Natali (ep. 9); Carlton Cruse (ep. 10);

Screenplay: Carlton Cruse, Chuck Hogan (eps. 1, 10); David Weddle, Bradley Thompson (eps. 2, 6); Chuck Hogan (ep. 3); Regina Corrado (ep. 4); Liz Phang (ep. 5); Chuck Hogan, Glen Whitman (ep. 7); Regina Corrado, Liz Phang (ep. 8); Vincenzo Natali (ep. 9)

Stars: Corey Stoll, David Bradley, Jim Watson, Kevin Durand, Jonathan Hyde, Richard Sammel, Jack Kesy, Natalie Brown, Miguel Gomez, Max Charles, Ruta Gedmintas, Rupert Penry-Jones, Samantha Mathis, Joaquín Cosío, Adriana Barraza.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

The battle with the strigoi is in full effect.  Police, military and citizens have united.  The virus is spreading across the country and throughout the world.  Eldritch Palmer considers joining Eph, Fet and Setrakian against the Master.

When the stigoi begin winning the battle, police force prisoners, even those who committed misdemeanors into battle.  Gus and Angel find themselves in a no-win situation when they are placed in one of the groups forced to go underground into a strigoi stronghold.

The Ancients, who fear the Master’s reach is growing make an uneasy alliance with Quint.  The Master reveals himself as the battle nears the end.  Humanity may not survive.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan have created a modern day vampire tale with a backstory that extends not just decades, but centuries.  The vampires aren’t the classic creatures of the night seen in countless movies.  And the stakes aren’t just a beautiful woman’s soul.  Here the fate of the world is at risk.

The writers should be commended for creating a huge cast of interesting characters with wonderful backstories.  In different episodes, different characters get the spotlight but viewers don’t get the feeling that it is by the numbers.  David Bradley as Professor Abraham Setrakian, Kevin Durand as Vasiliy Fet and Miguel Gomez as Augustin “Gus” Elizalde continue to shine.  Jonathan Hyde as Eldritch Palmer and Richard Sammel as Thomas Eichhorst, the Nazi vampire acolyte continue to be great villains.  Rupert Penry-Jones as Quinlan makes a great anti-hero.

Although Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan wrote a Strain trilogy of novels, the series doesn’t follow them exactly.

The Strain: Season 3 (2016) earns 5 of 5 stars.

“The Andromeda Strain” (1971) / Z-View

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The Andromeda Strain (1971)

Director:  Robert Wise

Screenplay: Nelson Gidding based on THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN by Michael Crichton

Stars: James Olson, Arthur Hill, David Wayne, Kate Reid, Paula Kelly, George Mitchell, Ramon Bieri, Kermit Murdock, Peter Hobbs, Eric Christmas and Mark Jenkins

Tagline: Rated G…But May Be Too INTENSE For Younger Children

The Plot…

Shortly after a US satellite crashes near Piedmont, New Mexico, all of the residents, except for a baby and an old alcoholic are found dead.  The survivors are rushed to a secret underground military facility.  Top scientists are brought in.  They determine that the satellite brought back an alien organism that has been released into the atmosphere.  The clock is ticking as the scientists need to find a way to kill the organism before it spreads throughout the world.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Andromeda Strain is filmed in a serious documentary tone.  Keeping with that idea, the casting is excellent.  Instead of a 1971 superstar we are given solid actors.  I can imagine some directors saying, “For the female scientist we need a Raquel Welch-type”.  Instead they went with a middle-aged, grumpy type.

The Andromeda Strain (1971) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Who Are You, Louis?” – The Teaser for “Interview with the Vampire” Season 2 is Here!

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I’m glad we are getting some more promotional materials for season 2 of Interview with a Vampire.

Deal me in!

Who are you without your past?

ABOUT INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE
A luxury apartment covering an entire single floor of a high rise. Where the Vampire has granted the interview with the man he once judged to be unworthy. And where the journalist Daniel Molloy has hustled, for a second shot at the interview that got away from him 40 years earlier…

Based on Anne Rice’s iconic novel, Interview with The Vampire follows Louis’ epic story of love, blood and the perils of immortality, as told to the journalist Daniel Molloy. Chafing at the limitations of life as a black man in 1900’s New Orleans, Louis finds it impossible to resist Lestat’s offer of the ultimate escape: joining him as his vampire companion.

But Louis’s intoxicating new powers come with a violent price, and the introduction of Lestat’s newest fledgling, the child vampire Claudia, soon sets them on a decades-long path of revenge and atonement. A sensuous, contemporary reinvention of Anne Rice’s revolutionary gothic novel.

Who Are You, Louis? | Interview with the Vampire Season 2 | Premieres May 12 | AMC+

“Reacher”: Season 2 (2024) starring Alan Ritchson / Z-View

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Reacher: Season 2 (2024)

Directors: Sam Hill (Eps.1 – 2); Omar Madha (Eps. 3 – 4); Carol Banker (Eps. 5 – 6); Julian Holmes (Eps.7 – 8)

Teleplay: Nick Santora (Showrunner, Executive Producer, Writer – Ep. 1); Scott Sullivan (Ep. 2, 5, 8); Penny Cox (Ep. 3); Cait Duffy (Ep. 4); Cait Duffy & Michael J. Gutierrez (Ep. 6); Penny Cox & Lillian Wang (Ep. 7)

Starring: Alan Ritchson, Maria Sten, Serinda Swan, Shaun Sipos, Ferdinand Kingsley, Robert Patrick, Domenick Lombardozzi, Luke Bilyk and Malcolm Goodwin.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Jack Reacher, an ex-Military Police Investigator is contacted by, Frances Neagley (Swan) a former member of his team.  Someone is targeting the team for execution.  And it ain’t pretty.  One of the members was dropped from a helicopter after being tortured.  Reacher and Neagley have no idea why they’re being targeted, but they plan to warn the other team members… find out the reason… and then get revenge.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I was glad to see Frances Neagley played by Serinda Swan brought back for season two.  Neagley especially if teamed with Karla Dixon (Serinda Swan) could carry their own series.

Domenick Lombardozzi plays a cop who may or may not be crooked.  Lombardozzi is excellent as always.

It goes without saying, but I’m going to anyway: Alan Ritchson IS Jack Reacher.

Bring on Season 3!

OWNING UP by George Pelecanos

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George Pelecanos has a new one coming out.  Actually four new ones if we want to be accurate.  Here’s the lowdown…

Four blistering novellas, drawn together by themes of strife, violence, and humanity; “Every time I read one of George Pelecanos’s novels, I’m left a little awed.” (Dennis Lehane)

When the son of the Carusos is involved in a hold up, the family home comes under siege in the form of a no-knock warrant. Months after the cops destroyed their home, the Carusos struggle to return to normal. Elsewhere, two former inmates reunite by chance on the set of a TV production. Both have found their way on the straight and narrow path, that is, until one sees the potential for an easy grift. A teenage boy must step into the man he’d like to be as a hostage crisis grips his hometown. A woman adrift meets a man tied to her grandmother’s past, an encounter that awakens her to a bloody history that undergirds the place she grew up.

Pelecanos’ portraits are characterized by shades of grey, resisting the mold of heroes and villains, victims and perpetrators, good and evil. At once streetwise and full of heart, Owning Up grapples with random chance, the bind of consequence, and the forked paths a life can take.

OWNING UP by George Pelecanos drops February 6, 2024.

“The Strain”: Season 1 (2014) / Z-View

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The Strain: Season 1 (2014)

Created by:  Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan

Directors:  Guillermo del Toro (ep. 1); David Semel (eps. 2 – 3); Keith Gordon (ep. 4); Peter Weller (eps. 5 – 6, 11); Charlotte Sieling (eps. 7, 9); Guy Ferland (ep. 8); John Dahl (ep. 10); Deran Sarafian (ep. 12); Phil Abraham (ep. 13)

Screenplay: Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan (eps. 2, 8); David Weddle, Bradley Thompson (eps. 2, 7); Chuck Hogan (ep. 3); Regina Corrado (eps. 4, 9); Gennifer Hutchison (eps. 5, 10); Justin Britt-Gibson (ep. 6); Justin Britt-Gibson, Chuck Hogan (ep. 11); Carlton Cruse, David Weddle, Bradley Thompson (ep. 12); Carlton Cruse, Chuck Hogan (ep. 13)

Stars: Corey Stoll, David Bradley, Jim Watson, Mía Maestro, Kevin Durand, Jonathan Hyde, Richard Sammel, Jack Kesy, Natalie Brown, Miguel Gomez, Ben Hyland, Ruta Gedmintas, Pedro Miguel Arce, Adriana Barraza and Sean Astin.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

A passenger plan lands in New York City.  All but four people on board are dead.  Dr. Ephraim “Eph” Goodweather (Stohl) of the CDC is sent in with a small team to determine the cause.  When his efforts to quarantine the four survivors is refused, Eph believes that they will potentially transmit the unknown virus to to others.

Meanwhile Professor Abraham Setrakian (Bradley), a holocaust survivor, believes the cause is strigoi more commonly referred to as vampires.  Setrakian explains these are nothing like movie vampires.  Of course no one believes the old man.

The truth is strigoi are behind the deaths.  A “Master” strigoi is making his move to bring war on humans. The Master is aided by a sickly billionaire who has been promised eternal life and a former Nazi commandant who has aided the master for decades.  Eph and Setrakian are pulling together a team of people who have seen strigoi in action.

The fate of the world hangs in the balance.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan have created a modern day vampire tale with a backstory that extends not just decades, but centuries.  The vampires aren’t the classic creatures of the night seen in countless movies.  And the stakes aren’t just a beautiful woman’s soul.  Here the fate of the world is at risk.

The writers should be commended for creating a huge cast of interesting characters with wonderful backstories.  Dr. Ephraim “Eph” Goodweather played by Corey Stoll is the lead.  It isn’t often the “star” is given so many character flaws.  Several members of the supporting cast have lived up to the title co-star.  Kudos to David Bradley as Professor Abraham Setrakian, Kevin Durand as Vasiliy Fet and Miguel Gomez as Augustin “Gus” Elizalde for playing characters that make the show sing. Jonathan Hyde as Eldritch Palmer, the sickly billionaire who aides the Master and Richard Sammel as Thomas Eichhorst, the Nazi vampire acolyte who has served the Master for decades deserve kudos as well.

Although Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan wrote a Strain trilogy of novels, the series doesn’t follow them exactly.

The Strain: Season 1 (2019) earns 5 of 5 stars.

“Pickup” (1951) directed by Hugo Haas, starring Hugo Haas & Beverly Michaels / Z-View

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Pickup (1951)

Director:  Hugo Haas

Screenplay: Hugo Haas, Arnold Phillips based on GUARD No. 47 by Josef Kopta

Stars: Hugo Haas, Beverly Michaels, Howland Chamberlain, Art Lewis and Bernard Gorcey.

Tagline: Easy to “pick-up” – but you won’t – if you know what’s good for you!

The Plot…

Jan “Hunky” Horak (Haas) is a middle-aged widowed railroad dispatcher who works alone at an isolated water stop.  When Hunky takes his first day off in a year, he heads in to town.  He’s surprised to find a carnival set up.  As Hunky walks through the amusements, he is targeted by Betty (Michaels), an attractive blonde.

Betty figures to get a free meal and maybe a couple of bucks from the old guy.  Betty is broke and about to be evicted.  When she learns Hunky has several thousand in his savings account she works him into marrying her.  Betty knows that if Hunky dies… or is killed, the money is hers.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Pickup has a classic set-up.  A gold-digger has plans to end her older husband’s life to take sole possession of all he owns.  Along the way we’re treated to an interesting twist that alerts Hunky to his wife’s plans.  Up until the very end it felt like we were getting a poor man’s The Postman Always Rings Twice or Double Indemnity.  The ending isn’t bad, just not quite in line with the noir that had been set up.

Hugo Haas is perfect as Hunky.  Beverly Michaels is also just right as Betty, the girl that’s easy to pick-up at your own risk.  Watch for Bernard Gorcey (of The Bowery Boys fame) in a small role.

Pickup (1951) earns 3 of 5 stars.