Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Runner starring Alan Ritchson & Owen Wilson – The Final Trailer and a New Poster are Here!
Deal me in!
Runner Is In Theaters Sep 11, 2026
A former soldier is thrown into a race against time as a medical delivery makes him the target of a ruthless cartel.
Starring Alan Ritchson (Reacher) and Owen Wilson (The Royal Tenenbaums, Wedding Crashers).
The Patriot was Rory Martinez favorite movie when he was growing up. Now, as an adult, Martinez has created an alt poster that represents!
“I’m a parent. I haven’t got the luxury of principles.” – Benjamin Martin
The Round Up (1920)
Director: George Melford
Screenplay: Tom Forman; adapted from the play by Edmund Day
Stars: Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, Wallace Beery and Buster Keaton.
Tagline: Nobody loves a fat man.
The Plot…
Slim Hoover is the Sheriff of the frontier town Lonesome Pine. Although adept with a gun, Slim often uses his quick wit to get the drop on the bad hombres.
Dick Lane is almost ready to head back to Lonesome Pine after success prospecting alone in the desert. Once home Dick plans to marry Echo Allen. Unfortunately, that is not to be. Mexican bandits led by the “half-breed” Buck McKee shoot, rob and leave Dick for dead.
When Dick doesn’t return, Jack Payson tells Echo he will ride out and find him. As Jack is about to go Buck McKee rides up. Buck says he was prospecting with Dick when they were attacked by Mexican bandits. He says that he and Dick put up a fight, but there were too many. Dick was shot. Before he died, Dick asked Buck to escape and bring word to Echo.
What Buck doesn’t know is that although Dick was near death, Mexican Federales saved him. It will take years for Dick to recover enough to return home. Meanwhile Jack and Echo fall in love. After three years pass, Echo agrees to marry Jack.
On the night Echo and Jack are to be wed, Dick returns. It turns out the bandits didn’t get all of Dick’s gold. Dick has enough cash to pay Jack the $3,000.00 he owes him. Jack and Dick meet. Jack accepts the $3,000.00. Dick learns that Echo and Jack are about to be wed. Since no one else has seen him, Dick leaves.
Meanwhile, Buck McKee decides the wedding will provide cover to rob the express agent’s office which is full of cash. The robbery goes sideways when Buck kills the express agent. Buck takes the money. He then heads to the wedding so he will have an alibi.
The robbery and murder are discovered. The wedding guests are shocked. Buck falls under suspicion. But Buck has seen the large amount of cash Jack has hidden. Buck tells everyone about it. Suddenly Jack becomes the number one suspect. Jack can’t explain the cash without admitting that Dick is still alive. That could cost him Echo.
Buck incites the crowd to get justice NOW. The mob gets worked up for a necktie party.
It will be up to Sheriff Slim to save Jack and see justice is served.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
The Round Up was Fatty Arbuckle’s first feature film. Arbuckle had made over 120 comedy shorts prior to this film.
The Round Up was first a successful Broadway play that starred Fatty’s cousin Macklin Arbuckle. Tom Forman adapted the play and co-starred as Jack. Because Fatty’s next comedy wasn’t ready, he was tapped to play Sheriff Slim. The role earned him some of the best reviews of his career.
The Round Up was the first film to be shot in Lonesome Pine, California. Over 300 more westerns would use the location.
Buster Keaton appears (uncredited) in two scenes as one of the attacking Indians.
The Round Up (1920) rates 4 of 5 stars.
The Train to Busan 10th Anniversary Poster (by Oliver Barrett) and Trailer are Here!
It’s hard to believe Train to Busan is ten years old. It is the film that helped redefine the zombie genre and introduced Don Lee to a worldwide audience. Train to Busan remains one of my favorite horror/zombie films. Getting a chance to visit (or revisit) Train to Busan on the big screen is something that shouldn’t be missed.
Deal me in.
TRAIN TO BUSAN | 10th Anniversary Official Trailer | In Theaters August 14
Board the train. Face the nightmare.
The modern zombie masterpiece returns for its 10th Anniversary, only in theaters August 14. 🎟️ Tickets on sale now: https://bit.ly/TrainToBusan-Tickets
Yeon Sang-ho’s global phenomenon Train to Busan arrives back in theaters to celebrate its 10th Anniversary. What begins as a simple birthday trip for a father and daughter turns into a high-octane fight for survival when a zombie outbreak ravages South Korea. Trapped on a speeding train, they must navigate a landscape of terror to reach safety. Experience the relentless action and heart-wrenching drama on the big screen like never before.
Directed by: Yeon Sang-ho
Starring: Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Don Lee, Choi Woo-sik, An So-hee, Kim Eui-sung, Kim Su-an
Synopsis: The film that redefined the zombie genre celebrates its 10th Anniversary. Experience Yeon Sang-ho’s Train to Busan on the big screen as a father and daughter fight to survive a nightmarish outbreak trapped on a speeding train.
I Play Rocky starring Anthony Ippolito – The Trailer is Here! It is a winner. If the film is as good as the trailer we are in for an amazing film.
His whole life was a million-to-one shot.
I Play Rocky, based on the incredible true story, starring Anthony Ippolito – only in theaters this November.
Reggy The Marker Artist. presents Thunderlips vs Rocky Balboa!!
“To all my love slaves out there: Thunderlips is here. In the flesh, baby. The ultimate male versus… the ultimate meatball. Ha, ha, ha.” – Thunderlips
A Day’s Pleasure (1919)
Director: Charlie Chaplin
Screenplay: Charlie Chaplin
Stars: Charlie Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Jackie Coogan.
Tagline: “A DAY’S PLEASURE”. You’ll say so!
The Plot…
Charlie just wants to take his family out for a day’s pleasure. And he will if…
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Way back in 1919, Charlie Chaplin does the “leaning” move that Michael Jackson would make famous in his Smooth Criminal video.
A Day’s Pleasure (1919) rates 4 of 5 stars.
When I saw the poster for Mayday, I had negative feelings. I’m not a big Ryan Reynolds fan. I initially thought he and Kenneth Branagh were making snow angels. Ah, another dumb buddy comedy.
I think I was wrong.
Yeah, Mayday is a comedy… but it is an action comedy. The trailer makes it look like the right mix of action and comedy. Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh (who I didn’t recognize) look to have good chemistry. And Branagh makes for a tough guy! (Who’d have thought that?) Oh, and in the poster, they’re not making snow angels, they are sliding down a mountain!
Deal me in!
Kenneth Branagh’s steely eyes alone could’ve ended the Cold War.
Mayday on @AppleTV.
Here are the poster and trailer for The Whisper Man starring Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan and Adam Scott.
Deal me in.
The deadliest killers can’t be silenced.
Based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Alex North. When his eight-year-old son is abducted, a widowed crime writer looks to his estranged father, a retired former police detective, for help, only to discover a connection with the decades-old case of a convicted serial killer known as “The Whisper Man.”
The final trailer for The Dog Stars directed by Ridley Scott; starring Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Allison Janney, Benedict Wong, and Guy Pearce is here.
Deal me in.
The world that was doesn’t exist. THE DOG STARS, a Ridley Scott film, starring Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, and Margaret Qualley, arrives in theaters and IMAX August 28.
Based on Peter Heller’s captivating bestseller, “The Dog Stars” features a critically acclaimed ensemble, including Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Allison Janney, Benedict Wong, and Guy Pearce.
The screenplay is by Mark L. Smith, based upon the novel by Peter Heller, and the producers are Ridley Scott, p.g.a., Michael Pruss, p.g.a., Mark L. Smith, and Cliff Roberts, p.g.a., with Lily Brooks-Dalton, Brandon Scott Smith, Peter Heller, Aidan Elliott serving as executive producers.
The film tells the story of Hig (Jacob Elordi), a young pilot who, together with a military survivalist, Bangley (Josh Brolin), has carved out an efficient but isolated homestead in a brutal post-apocalyptic world. But when Hig receives a mysterious radio transmission, he ventures into the unknown in search of the hope and humanity he still believes exist.
An Eastern Westerner (1920)
Director: Hal Roach
Screenplay: Frank Terry, H.M. Walker
Stars: Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Noah Young.
Tagline: A Riot of Rollicking Fun!
The Plot…
Harold is the son of wealthy parents. Harold parties all night and sleeps during the day. In an effort to toughen up his son, Harold is sent to his Uncle’s ranch out west. Harold arrives in the frontier town of Piute Pass.
Almost immediately Harold becomes smitten with a beautiful woman. The girl, along with her father are seeking work from Tiger Lip Tompkins. He’s the hardcase that runs the town. When the girl refuses Tiger Lip’s advances, he kidnaps her father.
Meanwhile Harold is literally dealing with cardsharps, roughnecks and gunslingers. When Harold learns of the girl’s problem, he decides to win her over, by saving her dad.
Mount up!
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Harold Lloyd made this film after an accident that cost him his right thumb and index finger. For the rest of his career Lloyd wore a flesh-colored prosthetic glove. Despite the loss of fingers, Lloyd was able to continue his acrobatic stunts.
This film is made in 1920, but it’s obvious that Cowboy movies had already established many of the troupes we expect to see: evil gunslinger who runs the town, damsel in distress, saloon card games and card sharks, barroom brawls, etc.
One of the John Wick 2 posters pays homage to the poster for An Eastern Westerner.
An Eastern Westerner (1920) rates 5 of 5 stars.
If you missed out on THE ART OF EDUARDO RISSO Kickstarter, boy are you in luck! THE ART OF EDUARDO RISSO will be released on January 19, 2027. Here’s the lowdown…
Alien Books proudly presents THE ART OF EDUARDO RISSO, a carefully curated hardcover art book celebrating the legendary Argentine comic book artist!
Celebrate award-winning comics artist Eduardo Risso with this glorious new hardcover art book full of sketches, covers, and never-before-seen artwork!
Created in partnership with Eduardo Risso, this must-have volume includes behind-the-scenes looks at many of Risso’s most iconic works from his time at DC and Vertigo, including Batman, Jonah Hex, Flashpoint, Before Watchmen, and 100 Bullets; Marvel favorites such as Spider-Man and Wolverine; Image Comics’ acclaimed noir-horror series Moonshine; Valiant’s Bloodshot; classic adventure icon Zorro and much more!
EVERYBODY KNOWS by Jordan Harper
First sentence…
Los Angeles burns.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Mae Pruett is a “black-bag” publicist working for Mitnick & Associates, the most powerful PR firm in LA. Her job is not to spread positive news about clients. It’s to make sure that harmful, incriminating items about clients don’t get out. Hollywood insiders call her PR firm “The Beast”. Everyone working there is good. Mae is one of the best.
Mae learned early on that it’s not that the truth is unimportant — it’s that the truth doesn’t matter.
Dan Hennigan, Mae’s mentor, gives Mae a cryptic message. Dan wants to meet with Mae away from the firm. Before they can meet Dan is gunned down in a failed car jacking.
Or so it seems.
Mae believes that Dan’s murder was anything but random. If Dan was killed for what he knew, those behind Dan’s murder might believe Dan passed the information on to Mae. Mae needs to know, so she begins an off-the-books investigation.
Chris Tamburro used to be Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department deputy. Chris lost his badge after a controversial shooting. Truth is, Chris and many on his squad could have been fired over other brutal and unethical activities. Chris now works for Black Guard, a security firm that has ties to “The Beast”. Chris is the perfect hire. He’s an ex-cop, unafraid to use his tactical training, knowledge of the law, and willingness to bust heads as needed.
When Black Guard sends Chris to investiage Dan Hennigan’s murder, he crosses paths with Mae. Chris and Mae had history, but it’s been a few years. As Mae and Chris follow leads, they discover they still have chemistry… and Dan’s murder wasn’t random.
Now Mae and Chris have a choice. Walk away and go back to their lives protecting wealthy executives, celebs, politicians and influencers who feel they are above the law. Or follow their leads and try to take down a powerful cabal behind human trrafficking, blackmail, murder and more.
Mae and Chris aren’t going to walk away.
+++
Jordan Harper has another winner. EVERYBODY KNOWS is fast paced and well written. Harper spins a tale that takes us behind the curtain and could have come from today’s headlines. EVERYBODY KNOWS gets my highest recommendation.
Rating:
The Immigrant (1917)
Director: Charlie Chaplin
Screenplay: Charlie Chaplin, Vincent Bryan, Maverick Terrell
Stars: Charlie Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Eric Campbell.
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
Charlie, The Little Tramp, is on a freighter to America. On the journey Charlie sees a young woman traveling with her mother. He’s attacted to her. She seems interested in him. Perhaps a new life together in America is in their future.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
In The Immigrant Chaplin creates a nice mix of humor and romance. Highlights include the Little Tramp in a card game with roughnecks, Charlie helping the woman and her mother by secretly slipping money into her belongings but being caught with his hand in her stuff and then accused of attempting to steal, plus an extended bit coming up short of cash in a restaurant.
Because The Immigrant wasn’t properly copyrighted, many inferior copies are out there. Be aware!
The Immigrant (1917) rates 4 of 5 stars.
One of my favorite scenes from any of the Rambo movies is the stick fight scene in Rambo III. It’s hard to find many photos from it. Above is a rare shot from the scene. Click on the image for a arena-sized version.
