“A Calculated Man” – New Crime Series from Paul Tobin & Alberto Alburquerque is Coming!

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A Calculated Man is a new crime series coming this June from Aftershock Comics and creaters Paul Tobin (writer), Alberto Alburquerque (artist), Mark Englert (colorist) and Taylor Esposito (letterer).  Here’s how Aftershock Comics describes the series…

A verifiable math genius, Jack Beans used to run the numbers for the Pinafore crime family, until one day he ran them too well and concluded that the only way out of this life was in a casket or Witness Protection. So, he turned state’s evidence and ran.

Now, the Pinafores are out to end their favorite accountant. Little do they know that Jack’s skills with math and his perfect memory have made him a better killer than they ever could have realized. What follows is a journey full of murder, mayhem and mathematics.

Here’s writer Paul Tobin’s synopsis…

“It’s John Wick mixed with A Beautiful Mind when ex-mobster / math genius Jack Beans decides three years in the witness protection program is more than enough, and that all he needs to do to safely return to his old life is…kill every last member of the Pinafore crime family. It’s a tall order, but Jack Beans is no ordinary man. First, he’s GOOD at math. Not just “What’s the square root of nine?” good, but “prove the existence of three differently-sized infinites by use of the Continuum Hypothesis” good. He literally sees the world as a math problem, and was born with synesthesia: he sees numbers as colors, and his memory is absolute. It’s these skills Jack will have to use to make his hopes of staying alive add up to anything other than zero!”

Deal me in.

“Lockdown” Starring Michael Paré & Bai Ling – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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From time to time you hear read me lamenting about the loss of drive-in theaters and the types of movies often shown there.  While drive-ins have gone the way of flip phones, the genre of movies they featured still thrive.  Lockdown starring Michael Paré and Bai Ling is a prime example. For many drive-in movies, the poster is often as good or better than the film.   That may be the case with Lockdown.  At any rate, deal me in.

In this action thriller staring Michael Paré (Gone) and Bai Ling (The Crow), hell on earth erupts as three savage criminals take over a prescinct and hold the police force hostage.

“Master” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster is pretty bland, but the trailer to Master creates a subtle, creepy atmosphere.  Deal me in.

In writer-director Mariama Diallo’s debut feature, Master, three women strive to find their place at a prestigious New England university whose frosty elitism may disguise something more sinister. Professor Gail Bishop (Regina Hall) has recently been promoted to “Master” of a residence hall, the first time at storied Ancaster College that a Black woman has held the post. Determined to breathe new life into a centuries-old tradition, Gail soon finds herself wrapped up in the trials and tribulations of Jasmine Moore (Zoe Renee), an energetic and optimistic Black freshman. Jasmine’s time at Ancaster hits a snag early on when she’s assigned a dorm room that is rumored to be haunted. Things get worse when Jasmine clashes in the classroom with Liv Beckman (Amber Gray), a professor in the middle of her own racially charged tenure review. As Gail tries to maintain order and fulfill the duties of a Master, the cracks begin to show in Ancaster’s once-immaculate facade. After a career spent fighting to make it into Ancaster’s inner circle, Gail is confronted with the horrifying prospect of what lies beneath, her question ultimately becoming not whether the school is haunted, but by whom.

“Bullet Train” Starring Brad Pitt & Directed by David Leitch – The Trailer is Here!

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While I didn’t care for the book, I am looking for Bullet Train starring Brad Pitt and directed by David Leitch.  Check out the trailer and see if you agree.

Getting back on the job is never as easy as you think… especially with the world’s deadliest assassins on board. Take a ride with Brad Pitt in #BulletTrainMovie, exclusively in movie theaters July 15. Visit our site: https://www.bullettrainmovie.com

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An original movie event, Bullet Train is a fun, delirious action-thriller from the director of Deadpool 2, David Leitch. Brad Pitt headlines an ensemble cast of eclectic, diverse assassins – all with connected yet conflicting objectives – set against the backdrop of a non-stop ride through modern-day Japan.

Directed by: David Leitch
Screenplay by: Zak Olkewicz
Based upon the book Maria Beetle by: Kotaro Isaka
Produced by: Kelly McCormick David Leitch Antoine Fuqua
Cast: Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Benito A Martínez Ocasio.

61 HOURS by Lee Child / Z-View

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61 Hours by Lee Child

Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press; 1st edition (May 18, 2010)

First sentences…

Five minutes to three in the afternoon.  Exactly sixty-one hours before it happened.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Reacher finds himself stranded in the small town of Bolton, South Dakota.  The roads are snowed in and the temperature is well below freezing.  The weather is scheduled to turn even worse with a savage snowstorm bearing down.   The small Bolton police force is on edge and the Chief is in over his head.  They’ve received word a deadly assassin is coming to Bolton to kill a witness (70 year old Janet Salter) they’re protecting.

The clock is ticking and with no help coming, Reacher offers his assistance.  Unknown to Reacher or the police, a vicious drug cartel kingpin and his handpicked hit squad is on the way to Bolton as well.

61 Hours is Jack Reacher’s 14th outing and perhaps his best yet.  Reacher is alone, out of his element dealing with an unknown assassin, a drug cartel hit squad and a handful of police officers unsure of who he can trust.  The tension ratchets up as the clock clicks down.  I loved 61 Hours and rate it 5 of 5 stars.

Rating:

“Code 8” (2019) / Z-View

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Code 8 (2019)

Director:  Jeff Chan

Screenplay:  Chris Pare  (from a story by Jeff Chan)

Starring: Robbie Amell, Stephen Amell and Sung Kang.

Tagline:   Fear is the most dangerous power.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

In the future a small percentage of the population have special powers.  Conner Reed (Robbie Amell) is one of the few.  Because his mother needs an expensive medical procedure, Reed falls in with a group of criminals who have use for Reed’s special abilities.  Will Reed’s special abilities be enough when he has cops and criminals after him?

Code 8 features a pretty straight forward story with ambitious special effects for a low budget film.  This is especially impressive considering that Code 8 was made thanks to crowdfunding dollars! Watch the credits for an amazing list of backers.  Code 8 was a fun ride and earns 3 of 5 stars.

“All of Us Are Dead” Season 1 / Z-View

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All of Us Are Dead: Season 1 (2022)

Creator :  Chun Sung-il,  Lee Jae-kyoo,  Kim Nam-su (based on the webtoon Now at Our School by Joo Dong-geun)

Directors:  Lee Jae-kyoo,  Kim Nam-su

Writers:  Chun Sung-il

Stars:  Park Ji-hu, Yoon Chan-young, Cho Yi-hyun, Lomon, Yoo In-soo, Lee Yoo-mi, Kim Byung-chul, Lee Kyu-hyung and Jeon Bae-soo.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

With All of Us Are Dead we get the zombie apocalypse from the perspective of high school students trapped in their school surrounded by the walking (and running) dead!  There are subplots involving a father trying to get to his daughter, and the political/military aspects of dealing with the crisis, but the main story is how the students work together to survive.

All of Us Are Dead provides plenty of action with a large cast of characters (many who will not live through the season),  This adds to the tension and raises the stakes of the series.  Another interesting aspect is when a zombie variant appears.  Is the virus mutating?

It seems like a real nit to pick when I say a little less high school drama would improve a zombie series set primarily in a high school. I enjoyed All of Us Are Dead and hope we get a season 2.  All of Us Are Dead rates 3 of 5 stars.

Sam Peckinpah’s “The Westerner” Starring Brian Keith / Z-View

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The Westerner: Season 1 (1960)

Creator :  Sam Peckinpah

Directors:  Sam Peckinpah (Eps. 1; 3; 6; 12;13); André De Toth (Ep. 2; 8); Bernard L. Kowalski (Ep. 4); Don McDougall (Ep. 5); Ted Post (Ep. 7); Bruce Geller (Ep. 9); Tom Gries (Ep. 10); Elliot Silverstein (Ep. 11)

Writers:  Robert Heverly (Ep. 1-2);  Sam Peckinpah (Ep. 1-2; 4; 8); Bruce Geller (Ep.3; 6; 12; 13); John Dunkel (Ep. 4), E. Jack Neuman (Ep. 5); Cyril Hume (Ep. 7); Jack Curtis (Ep. 8); Milton S. Gelman (Ep. 9); Tom Gries (Ep. 10); Jack Curtis (Ep. 11)

Stars:  Brian Keith

Guest Stars:  Warren Oates; R.G. Armstrong; John Dhener; Arthur Hunnicutt; Sam Jaffe; Slim Pickens; Robert Culp; Michael Ansara

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The Westerner is an under-rated series that ran for just one season.  It was created, produced, written (or co-written) and often directed by Sam Peckinpah,  Brian Keith starred as Dave Blassingame, a cowboy who drifted from town to town with his dog, Brown.

The Westerner wasn’t your typical cowboy show.  Peckinpah demanded authenticity in the look of the sets, wardrobes and stories.  When Blassingame rode into town, he looked like he had spent miles in he saddle.  The saloons weren’t brightly lit with beautiful showgirls waiting to dance.  No, these were frontier towns where tough men and women fought to survive.  Peckinpah was offered a second season if he toned down the series to make it more like the other westerns of the time.  Peckinpah declined.

Here are my favorite episodes from the series…

Jeff (Episode 1):  Blassingame has been searching for his old flame, a sweet girl he called “Jeff”.  When he finds her she is working in a frontier town tavern as a prostitute.  Her pimp is an ex-prize fighter who doesn’t plan to give her up.

School Days (Episode 2):  Blassingame hears screams and rides to the house to find a man who has just killed a school teacher.  Blassingame shoots the man in self-defense.  In an effort to contact the authorities and get the man first aide, Blassingame takes him to the nearest farmhouse… which happens to be where the man lives with his two brothers!

Hand on the Gun (Episode 12):  Dave is working with other men catching wild horses to sell.  A young man new to the frontier asks to join them.  The kid wears his gun low like a gunfighter.  When asked about it, he shows that he is a quick draw artist and teases the men spinning his gun, pointing it at them.  Blassingame says he’ll take on the kid to show him the ropes if he keeps his gun holstered.  The kid agrees even though we all know that’s a promise he won’t keep…

Brown (Episode 3); The Courting of Libby (Episode 6); The Painting (Episode 13):   Reoccurring character Burgundy Smith (John Dhener) shows up in three episodes.  Smith is a con man, card cheat who is always looking for a quick buck.  At times he’s Blessingame’s partner although just as often his nemesis.  These three episodes were humor heavy.

Overall I really liked The Westerner.  It is available on dvd and through streaming.  I rate it 4 of 5 stars.

EW Presents “An Oral History of THE SHIELD” is a Must Read for Any Fan of the Show!

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Derek Lawrence at Entertainment Weekly has put together a must-read piece for any fan of The Shield.  An Oral History of The Shield features recollections from Shawn Ryan (series creator), Michael Chiklis, Walton Goggins, Kurt Sutter,  Glenn Close as well as other cast regulars, guest stars, writers, directors, and FX executives.

Take a bow Mr. Lawrence! 

“When We Were Kings” (1996) / Z-View

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When We Were Kings (1996)

Director:  Leon Gast

Starring:  Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Don King, James Brown, B.B. King, Spike Lee, Norman Mailer, George Plimpton, The Spinners and Howard Cosell..

Tagline:  The untold story of the Rumble in the Jungle.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When We Were Kings is the Academy Award-winning documentary of the championship fight between the undefeated (40-0) Heavyweight Champion of the World, George Foreman and his challenger, Muhammad Ali, who was a 4-1 underdog.  Promoter, Don King had contracts that paid each fighter $5 million and the backing of Mobutu Sese Seko, President of Zaire, who saw the fight as an opportunity to shine a positive light on his country.  To that end, the fight became a culminating event of a festival that included performances by The Spinners, B.B. King and James Brown.

Leon Gast, using archival footage and interviews does an excellent job in presenting the backstories of Ali and Foreman as well as the fight’s historical significance.  Ali had refused to enter the draft, became a Muslim and had changed his name from Cassius Clay.  While many Americans had developed a dislike for Ali, he was dearly loved by the population of Zaire.  George Foreman, was an Olympic Gold Medalist who proudly represented the USA, was the undefeated Champion of the World and the man who many thought would destroy Ali. The stage was set for what many thought would be the fight to end Muhammad Ali’s career… and yet, Ali once again shocks the world!

When We Were Kings is one of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen.  It pulls you in, sets the historical context of the events, provides backstories on the key players while at the same time being entertaining.  When We Were Kings rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Catching Killers” Season 2 / Z-View

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Catching Killers: Season 2 (2022)

Produced by :  Simon Dekker and Diana Sole Walko

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Catching Killers is a documentary series focused on the capture of notorious killers as told by the actual investigators who caught them.  There are four episodes in season 2.

Season 2, Episode 1: Bind, Torture, Kill: BTK.  Although I  knew the story of the BTK killer, this episode was exciting and engrossing.  Over the course of nearly two decades the BTK killer violently tortured and then murdered ten people including an entire family of 4.  After the murders BTK w0uld send taunting letters to the media and police describing his kills and threats of more to come,  Despite leaving few clues during his 17 year murder spree, it was a stupid mistake that led to his capture.

Season 2, Episode 2: Thrill Kills: The Phoenix Serial Shooter.  In 2005 through 2006, a pair of serial killers were stalking the streets of Phoenix, Arizona.  These shotgun killers would find people on deserted sidewalks and blast as they drove by.  The final victim count included six fatalities and several dozen people wounded.

Season 2, Episodes 3 & 4: The Toronto Village Killer.  Talk about creepy!  This case involved men who were missing and thought to be the victim of a cannibal killer!  These two episodes produced the most suspense of the series.  The police actually saved a man who was about to become the latest victim.  Unfortunately, there’s a denouncement at the end of the episode that takes a little luster off the capture.