THE FINE ART OF ROCKY: AN ARTISTIC TRIBUTE FROM THE SCREEN TO CANVAS by John Rivoli with a foreward by Sylvester Stallone is coming soon!  

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Rocky and Sly Stallone fans are in for a treat.  THE FINE ART OF ROCKY: AN ARTISTIC TRIBUTE FROM THE SCREEN TO CANVAS by John Rivoli with a foreward by Sylvester Stallone is coming soon!

THE FINE ART OF ROCKY is an immersive exploration and celebration of an iconic character — in time for his 50th anniversary.

Part art book and part retrospective of the first six Rocky films, this one-of-a-kind book invites fans to revisit the iconic franchise through artist John Rivoli’s collection of large-scale original paintings and iconic posters, showing this beloved character in a whole new light.

THE FINE ART OF ROCKY, readers follow Rivoli on his journey to portray Rocky through the lens of fine art and seeks to prove, once and for all, that Rocky is an art film worthy of being called a masterpiece. Rocky takes center stage in more than 70 paintings, posters, and other unique artworks, highlighting unforgettable moments from the Rocky franchise presented in original and unique perspectives as well as art collaborations with Sylvester Stallone.

UNIQUE GIFT FOR FANS & COLLECTORS: A fitting tribute to a landmark franchise and a great way to return to the ring, this art book offers a detailed account of the importance and meaning of each piece as well as an exploration into the techniques used, historical influences, and sources of inspiration that shaped each work.

SIDE-BY-SIDE ART: Experience an iconic scene from each of the six Stallone Rocky films that inspired each painting, including four exclusive paintings to this book.

OWN A PIECE OF ROCKY HISTORY: A celebration of a one-of-a-kind cinematic icon on his 50th anniversary milestone, this art book showcases Rocky in all his glory in multiple mediums and art forms.

PERFECT GIFT: Officially licensed by MGM/Amazon and with foreword from Sylvester Stallone, this is a special gift for Rocky fans, cinephiles, museum lovers, pop culture fans, and art educators.

THE FINE ART OF ROCKY: AN ARTISTIC TRIBUTE FROM THE SCREEN TO CANVAS will be released October 6, 2026.

Pre-orders are available now!

Deal me in!

“Wild Angels” (1966) directed by Roger Corman, starring Peter Fonda, Nancy Sinatra, Bruce Dern & Diane Ladd / Z-View

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The Wild Angels (1966)

Director: Roger Corman

Screenplay:  Charles B. Griffith, Peter Bogdanovich (uncredited)

Stars: Peter Fonda, Nancy Sinatra, Bruce Dern, Diane Ladd, Buck Taylor, Norman Alden, Gayle Hunnicutt, Dick Miller and Michael J. Pollard.

Tagline: Their credo is violence…Their God is hate…and they call themselves ‘The Wild Angels’

The Plot…

When “Loser’s” motorcyle is stolen, his Wild Angels’ brothers head down to Mexico to get it back.  A run-in with another gang and the cops leaves Loser in bad shape.  When Loser dies, the Wild Angels decide to give him a grand send-off.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Roger Corman used real Hell’s Angels as extras.

The Wild Angels features Diane Ladd’s feature film debut.

The Wild Angels (1966) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“I.S.S.” (2023) / Z-View

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I.S.S. (2023)

Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite

Screenplay:  Nick Shafir

Stars:  Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina, John Gallagher Jr., Masha Mashkova, Costa Ronin and Pilou Asbæk.

Tagline: The war on Earth will be decided in space.

The Plot…

Kira Foster and Christian Campbell are American asatronauts who just arrived to the I.S.S. (International Space Station).  There they meet American Commander Gordon Barrett and Russian cosmonauts Weronika Vetrov, Nicholai Pulov and his brother Alexey Pulov.

Kira and Christian are happy to discover the comradery among the group.  Everyone works as a team with no political rifts.  The astronauts and cosmonauts are truly friends.

Kira is in awe of Earth seen from the ISS.  Awe changes to terror as Kira witnesses nuclear explosions appear across the planet.  The rest of the ISS crew stares in disbelief as the explosions light up the Earth.   Attempts to contact ground support fail.

Commander Gordon recieves a secret coded message from US ground control.  Russia initiated an attack on the US and nuclear war commenced.  Gordon is told take control of the ISS “by any means necessary”.  Gordon secretly informs the US astronauts of their orders.  He is sure that the cosmonauts have received the same message from their government.

The war on Earth will be decided in space.  

Blast off.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

 I love the concept of American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts aboard the ISS when a nuclear war breaks out.  While the movie is good, it fell short of my expectations.

I.S.S. (2023) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Little Big Man” (1970) starring Dustin Hoffman / Z-View

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Little Big Man (1970)

Director: Arthur Penn

Screenplay:  Calder Willingham; based on LITTLE BIG MAN by Thomas Berger

Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Martin Balsam, Jeff Corey, Chief Dan George, Faye Dunaway, Aimee Eccles, William Hickey, James Anderson, Alan Oppenheimer, Thayer David, Annette O’Toole and Richard Mulligan.

Tagline: Little Big Man Was Either The Most Neglected Hero In History Or A Liar Of Insane Proportion!

The Plot…

Jack Crabb is 121 years old.  A historian records Jack as he recounts his life story.  According to Jack, his parents were killed by Indians.  Jack and his sister were taken captive.  His sister escaped, and Jack was raised for a few years by the Indians.  Jack was given the name Little Big Man.

While still in his teens, Jack is “rescued” and sent to live with Reverend Silas Pendrake and his young sexually unfulfilled wife.  From there Jack’s life took unexpected twists and turns including…

  • Jack’s time with a traveling snakeoil salesman
  • Jack’s adventures as a feared gunslinger known as the Soda Pop Kid
  • Jack’s time as Wild Bill Hickok’s close friend
  • Jack’s married life as a partner in a general store
  • Jack’s travels west, attacked by Indians (again) and reunited with his Indian family
  • Jack’s troubles with a Contrary brave
  • Jack’s run-ins with General George Armstrong Custer
  • Jack’s claim to be the only white man who survived the Battle at the Little Big Horn
  • and even more

Jack aka Little Big Man is Either The Most Neglected Hero In History Or A Liar Of Insane Proportion!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Chief Dan George was a 1971 Academy Award Nominee for the Best Actor in a Supporting Role.  This was the first time a Native American received an Academy Award nomination.

There was an actual historical figure named Little Big Man.  He was an Oglala Lakota warrior who did fight at the Battle of Little Big Horn.

When Dustin Hoffman’s character is adopted, Faye Dunaway plays his new mother.  Hoffman is four years older than Dunaway in real life.

Little Big Man features Annette O’Toole’s film debut.

Little Big Man (1970) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Pitch Black” (2000) directed by David Twohy, starring Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Keith David & Cole Hauser / Z-View

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Pitch Black (2000)

Director: David Twohy

Screenplay:  Ken Wheat, Jim Wheat, David Twohy; story by Ken Wheat, Jim Wheat

Stars:  Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Lewis Fitz-Gerald, Claudia Black and Keith David.

Tagline: Don’t be afraid of the dark. Be afraid of what’s in the dark.

The Plot…

A transport spaceship crashlands on a remote planet.  Only a handful survive:

  • Carolyn Fry – ship’s pilot
  •  Imam Abu al-Walid – an Islamic holy man, escorting three students to a New Mecca
  • Ali, Hassan and Suleiman – students traveling with Imam Abu al-Walid
  • Jack – a young person traveling alone
  • Shazza and Zeke – a couple
  • Paris – a wealthy man
  • William J. Johns – a bounty hunter/cop traveling with his prisoner
  • Riddick – a dangerous killer in the custody of Johns

The survivors come together in an attempt to assess their situation and chances of survival.  Their ship is beyond help.  When they discover a deserted outpost, their hopes rise…

But they soon discover that the planet is about to enter a prolonged eclipse.  The planet will be in complete darkness the entire time.  On this planet when the sunlight fades, dangerous creatures return to the surface.

Don’t be afraid of the dark. Be afraid of what’s in the dark.  It’s about to get very dark.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The ship’s crash landing is amazing — especially seen on a theater screen.

Pitch Black is the film that made Vin Diesel a star.

In the original Pitch Black screenplay Riddick dies at the end.  Diesel and Twohy liked the character and thought they could make more films about him.  So far we’ve gotten The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury (an animated video) which bridges Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick film. Another feature film, Riddick, was released in 2013.

Pitch Black (2000) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Lethal Weapon 2” directed by Richard Donner, starring Mel Gibson & Danny Glover / Z-View

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Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)

Director: Richard Donner

Screenplay:  Jeffrey Boam; story by Shane Black, Warren Murphy; based on characters created by Shane Black

Stars: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Joss Ackland, Derrick O’Connor, Patsy Kensit, Darlene Love, Traci Wolfe, Steve Kahan, Mark Rolston, Jeanette Goldstein, Nester Serrano, Grand L. Bush and Dean Norris.

Tagline: The magic is back!

The Plot…

LA Detective Martin Riggs and his partner, Detective Murtaugh are tasked with keeping Leo Getz alive long enough to testify in a federal case.  When an attempt is made on Getz’s life, Riggs and Murtaugh discover that Arjen Rudd, a South African diplomat, has put together a crime organization using “diplomatic immunity” to further his enterprise.

Without hard evidence Riggs and Murtaugh can’t move forward with an arrest.  When Arjen Rudd discovers that Riggs and Murtaugh are inquiring about him, Rudd uses his politcal influence to get them ordered to back off.

Any bets on if that will happen?

The magic is back!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Lethal Weapon 2 was nominated for one Academy Award for Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing – Robert G. Henderson, Alan Robert Murray

Lethal Weapon 2 earned more money at the box office than the original film which is unusal for a sequel.

Shane Black’s original script for Lethal Weapon 2 was a much darker and more action-oriented film than what was made.  In the end of Black’s script Riggs is killed saving Murtaugh.  The studios wanted Riggs to live because they wanted more sequels.  So Jeffrey Boam was brought in to write the screenplay.

Lethal Weapon 2 features a reunion of sorts – Jenette Goldstein (Meagan Shapiro) and Mark Rolston (Hans) also appeared in Aliens (1986), as Vasquez and Drake.

Joe Pesci is perfect as Leo Getz.

Lethal Weapon 2 leans much more into comedy than the original.

Lethal Weapon (1987) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Bury Me Twice” (2022) / Z-View

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Bury Me Twice (2022)

Director: Steven LaMorte

Screenplay:  Flip Kobler, Cindy Marcus

Stars:  Danny Hansen, Lelia Symington, Chase Mullins.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

A detective is hired to find a reporter’s missing sister.  Along the way he finds the source of a zombie outbreak.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Bury Me Twice looked like something I’d like.  A stylish, mix of detective mystery and zombie horror.  Unfortunately for my taste it was trying too hard.  Much of the movie is obviously done with CGI sets.  There (again for my taste) were too many repeated effects.  Scenes were overly “foggy”.  A photo of someone would be shown and then the person in the picture would move.  Etc.  Etc.  Etc.

I think if this is something you’d like, you might like it.  Right now on IMDb it has a 5.8/10 rating with 50% rating it a 9 or 10.  As for me, I tapped out after 25 minutes.

Bury Me Twice (2022) rates 1 of 5 stars.

“Hope” – The Behind-the-Scenes Teaser is Here!

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I am so psyched for Hope.  Here is a short behind-the-scenes teaser.

Deal me in.

In the remote South Korea village of Hope Harbor, police chief Bum-seok (Hwang Jung- min) and officer Sung-ae (Hoyeon) are called to find a mysterious creature that has wreaked havoc on the village.

In the nearby forest, a coterie of hunters, including Sung- ki (Zo In-Sung) set out to track the beast and find themselves hunted instead. But all is not as it seems, and perceptions can be misleading. What begins as ignorance plants the seed of disaster, escalating through human conflict into a tragedy of cosmic proportions.

“Mobland” Season 2 starring Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan and Hellen Mirren – The Trailer is Here!

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Season 1 was awesome.  From the looks of the trailer for Mobland Season 2, looks like we’re in for more of the same.

Deal me in.

Season 2 of MobLand premieres September 18 only on Paramount+.

The Harrigans struggle to show a unified front as rising rivals threaten their criminal empire. Harry Da Souza, their street-smart and formidable ‘fixer’, must walk a dangerous tightrope when tensions within the family intensify. As violence spills into every corner of their lives, loyalties snap, safety proves temporary and the battle for power leaves no room for mercy.