“The Creature from the Black Lagoon” by Andrew Robinson!
Andrew Robinson takes us to the Black Lagoon! And I’m here for it.
“Emperor of the North” (1973) directed by Robert Aldrich; starring Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine and Keith Carradine / Z-View
Emperor of the North (1973)
Director: Robert Aldrich
Screenplay: Christopher Knopf
Stars: Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Keith Carradine, Charles Tyner, Malcolm Atterbury, Simon Oakland, Harry Caesar, Hal Baylor, Matt Clark, Joe Di Reda, Liam Dunn, Robert Foulk, Jim Goodwin, Sid Haig, Karl Lukas and Elisha Cook Jr.
Tagline: You can ride Shack’s train and live you will be Emperor of the North
The Plot…
The Great Depression is in full swing. A sub-culture of hobos travel the country by freight-hopping. That is, they jump on trains without paying and hide in freight cars. These vagabonds would often help themselves to whatever was being transported.
In an effort to keep the drifters off their trains, the railroad companies hired thuggish conductors. These de facto enforcers would throw the hobos off the trains usually after a good beating. If the bums were lucky they lived with just bruises or broken bones.
The meanest and toughest of all railroad conductors was a brute known as Shack. No hobo ever was able to ride the #19. Most didn’t even try. Shack carried a hammer as a matter of course. He also had other tricks he used to maim or kill anyone who dared try to ride his train. His reputation was perfect.
Then A-#1 came along. Word was A-#1 got the best of Shack and rode the #19. Of course no one was sure. Especially since a young drifter, who called himself Cigaret was claiming it wasn’t A-#1 who outsmarted Shack. It was him.
Now A-#1 has put out word that he’s going to ride the #19 all the way to Portland. Shack’s heard. He and his hammer will be waiting.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Emperor of the North was originally titled Emperor of the North Pole. The title was changed because studio execs thought people would think it was a Christmas movie. Emperor of the North Pole was a hobo term explained in the movie.
Some posters for the movie had the tagline “Lee Marvin & Ernest Borgnine meet in the fight of the century”. Their fight lives up to the tagline. It is one of the most brutal movie fights up to that time.
Emperor of the North is underrated.
Emperor of the North (1973) rates 4 of 5 stars
Barry Windsor Smith’s Beautiful Cover Art for Conan Saga #1!
This is the cover art (without the cover dressing) used for Conan Saga #1 by legendary Conan artist Barry Windsor Smith. Here’s what part of what Smith said about the piece:
“I consider this work my definitive Conan. The strange background edifice and the mystical decoration are hallmarks of my early Conan comics stories…”
You can see the rest of the quote (and a larger version of the art) here.
“Deadsight” (2018) / Z-View
Deadsight (2018)
Director: Jesse Thomas Cook
Screenplay: Liv Collins, Kevin Revie
Stars: Liv Collins, Adam Seybold.
Tagline: You’ll never see them coming.
The Plot…
A man with no memory how he got there, wakes up handcuffed to a gurney in an ambulance. No one else is in the vehicle. Worse still, the man’s eyes are bandaged. When he pulls back the wraps, his vision is practically nothing.
The man works himself lose although still handcuffed to a rail of the gurney. He’ll have to use it for a cane. When he exits the ambulance, he discovers that a zombie apocalypse has started. Through sheer luck the man comes across a deserted (he hopes) farm house.
Meanwhile, pregnant police officer Mara Madigan is looking for shelter. She spots a deserted (she hopes) farm house.
Soon a pregnant woman and blind man will join forces in an effort to survive the zombie apocalypse.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
I tapped out after about thirty minutes. Your mileage may vary.
Deadsight (2018) rates 1 of 5 stars
“UNReal” – The Poster & Trailer are Here!
The poster and trailer for UNReal is here! I love behind-the-scenes look and this one takes us behind the curtain of the WWE.
Deal me in.
When I was a kid, I loved pro wrestling. I grew up in Terre Haute, Indiana. The Bruiser and Wilbur Snyder were my favorites. They were the good guys. Going to pro matches with my dad and grandpa was awesome. When I was in 5th grade, I wanted to be a pro wrestler. I thought my cousin and I would become a tag team.
Then a little later, Bobby “The Brain” came along. He managed The Blackjacks (Mulligan and Lanza) and even though they were bad guys, my allegiance changed.
When we moved to Florida, I didn’t care for pro-wrestling as much. These guys had a different style. And I now knew pro-wrestling wasn’t real. But pro wrestlers and those promoting pro wrestling swore it was real – nothing was predetermined. I stopped watching. Interestingly enough, I wrestled all through high school.
When my kids were growing up, they took an interest in pro wrestling, so I started watching again with them. I even took them to live matches. The wrestlers were more spectacular and the sport had never been more popular. Then it become known and accepted that the matches were pre-determined. THAT didn’t hurt the sport one bit. The wrestlers were athletes. They put on a great show and often suffered injuries to entertain their fans.
And now we get to go behind the curtain. As I said…
Deal me in.
In an unprecedented turn, WWE takes us behind the scenes – into the writer’s room and the homes of their greatest Superstars – to show the year-round work it takes to execute one of the most secretive shows in the world week over week. And when the curtain falls down, the business of getting a show to air is just as compelling as the Main Event.
“Alien Earth” – Trailer 2 – Greener Earth is Here!
Alien Earth – Trailer 2 – Greener Earth is Here!
FX’s Alien: Earth. OFFICIAL TRAILER 2: GREENER WORLD.
Prepare. Before it’s too late.
Premieres August 12 on @FXNetworks | @hulu and with #HuluOnDisneyPlus.
When the mysterious deep space research vessel USCSS Maginot crash-lands on Earth, “Wendy” (Sydney Chandler) and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat.
FX’s Alien: Earth is created for television and executive produced by Noah Hawley.
Catwoman by Lee Weeks!
I love this drawing of Catwoman hiding from police in a museum. It’s by Lee Weeks who can draw anything well. Oh, and did you notice the Batman: Year One cover art hanging in the gallery background?
Source: Heroic Haven.
“The Woman in the Yard” (2025) starring Danielle Deadwyler / Z-View
The Woman in the Yard (2025)
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Screenplay: Sam Stefanak
Stars: Danielle Deadwyler, Okwui Okpokwasili, Peyton Jackson, Estella Kahiha, Russell Hornsby and Chad Pitter.
Tagline: Don’t Let Her In
The Plot…
Ramona is still recovering from an auto accident that killed her husband. Ramona is barely holding it together. If not for her teenage son Taylor, Ramona would be in a much worse situation. Taylor is making sure that mom and Annie are fed and the house is in order. Still, life on a remote farm is difficult in the best of times. Then the power goes out.
How could things be worse?
Then one morning a woman veiled in black from head to toe shows up. The woman is seated in a chair in the front yard. When Ramona approaches, the woman will only say, “Today’s the day.”
Unable to call for help, the car unusable because of the wreck that killed her husband, and Ramona still on crutches, the family is worried about the woman in the yard.
Then the woman begins to move closer.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
The Woman in the Yard has an interesting set-up and a creepy factor. At the start. Sadly, as the movie progresses it loses both momentum and creepiness.
The Woman in the Yard (2025) rates 2 of 5 stars
“Dead Zone” (2022) starring Michael Jai White / Z-View
Dead Zone (2022)
Director: Hank Braxtan
Screenplay: Michael Klug, Tim Ogletree; story by Michael Lurie, Jeffrey Giles
Stars: Michael Jai White, Antuone Torbert and Jeff Fahey.
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
A squad of soldiers are sent into a zombie-infested town. Their fate of humanity depends on their success.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
I was hoping for a much better film. I barely made it through so I will barely rate it 2 stars.
Dead Zone (2022) rates 2 of 5 stars
Batman by Jorge Jimenez!
It’s a hard to beat a well done black and white drawing. Batman by Jorge Jimenez proves it. I love the starkness.
Source: Comic Crusaders.
“Hollywood Grit” starring Max Martini, Tyrese Gibson, Linda Purl and Patrick Duffy – The Poster & Trailer are Here!
Here’s the poster and trailer for Hollywood Grit starring Max Martini, Tyrese Gibson, Linda Purl and Patrick Duffy. It’ll hit selected theaters on August 22nd.
Deal me in.
When his daughter vanishes from a scandalous Hollywood jazz club, a disgraced detective must battle mobsters, starlets, and his own demons to unearth the sinister truth lurking behind LA’s neon lights.
Starring Max Martini, Tyrese Gibson, Linda Purl, Patrick Duffy, Nikki Howard, Linc Hand, David B. Meadows, Caylee Cowan, and Benito Martinez.
“Red Eye” – One Poster & Two Trailers are Here!
One poster and two trailers for Red Eye have me interested in watching the new series. They’re already working on season 2.
Deal me in.
A red eye flight from London to Beijing becomes a thrilling journey after Dr. Matthew Nolan (Richard Armitage) is arrested and accused of murdering a woman. Despite protesting his innocence, London Police Officer, DC Hana Li (Jing Lusi), is tasked with escorting Dr. Nolan back to Beijing to face charges — but after an incident occurs on-board, she finds herself embroiled in an escalating conspiracy.
All episodes are streaming July 22 on Hulu.
There’s no escape at 35,000ft.
“A Savage Art: The Life and Cartoons of Pat Oliphant” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!
A Savage Art: The Life and Cartoons of Pat Oliphant – the poster and trailer are here!
Deal me in.
In theaters September 5.
https://asavageart.com/Patrick Oliphant was a giant slayer. In addition to being a fearless stunt pilot, executing dangerous maneuvers just to blow off a little steam, he bravely took on presidents, popes and the American corporate class with his mighty pen.
An Australian transplant, Oliphant was America’s most renowned and feared political cartoonist for five decades. With his biting wit and masterful drawing skills he attacked individual and institutional corruption, collusion, greed, hypocrisy and arrogance, no matter the size or status of his enemies.
A Savage Art is the story of Oliphant’s life and celebrated career, told in interviews with Pat, his family, friends and colleagues, in archival footage, and featuring hundreds of his cartoons.
A Savage Art also outlines the history of political cartoons, showing how important and impactful political cartoonists have been throughout the ages, and how, in our current climate of political partisanship and corporate control of the media, political cartoonists like Oliphant are critical to checking the powers that be.
Directed by Bill Banowsky
“Heads of State” (2025) starring Idris Elba, John Cena and Priyanka Chopra Jonas / Z-View
Heads of State (2025)
Director: Ilya Naishuller
Screenplay: Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec, Harrison Query; story by Harrison Query
Stars: Idris Elba, John Cena, Carla Gugino, Jack Quaid, Sarah Niles, Katrina Durden, Ingeborga Dapkunaite, Sharlto Copley, Steven Cree and Stephen Root.
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
British Prime Minister Sam Clarke and Will Derringer, the newly elected US President, don’t like each other. Unfortunately their disdain becomes obvious during a joint press conference. In order to present solidarity, the two decide to fly together to the NATO summit on Air Force One.
When terrorists attempt to kill Clarke and Derringer, they found themselves forced to trust each other in order to survive.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Heads of State was a better film than I was expecting. I attribute much of that to the chemistry between Elba and Cena.
Heads of State (2025) rates 4 of 5 stars
Marv & Nancy by Dalibor Talajic!
Marv from Frank Miller’s Sin City is one of my all-time favorite characters. I love seeing artists do their “take” on the big lug. Today we have Marv & Nancy by Dalibor Talajic.
Source: John Bamber.
