“Nightmare Alley” (2021) / Z-View

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Nightmare Alley (2021)

Director:  Guillermo del Toro

Screenplay:  Guillermo del Toro, Kim Morgan (based on the novel by William Lindsay Gresham)

Starring:  Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, David Strathairn, Holt McCallany and Jim Beaver.

Tagline:  None

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When we first see Stanton Carlisle (Cooper) he has set fire to a house containing a dead body.  Carlisle gets a menial job with a traveling carnival/freak show.  It is there Carlisle learns he has the ability to read and manipulate people.  Working with  mentalist Madame Zeena and her alcoholic husband, Pete, Carlisle learns the tricks of the trade.

Realizing that he has the knowledge needed for a successful nightclub act, Carlisle talks Molly into leaving the carny.  Two years later, Carlisle and Molly have hit the big time.  She loves him and he says he loves her.  All is roses until Dr. Lilith Ritter interrupts the act to prove Carlisle is a fraud.  He is able to salvage the performance.

Ritter invites Carlisle to her office where he learns that she’s a psychologist.  Both realize that with the information Ritter could provide about her rich clients, a fortune could be made using Carlisle’s talents.  Soon they are having an affair and working as partners to fleeces some rich and dangerous people.  But is Carlisle conning Ritter or she playing him?

Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley takes us on a dark journey.  His Nightmare Alley provides more backstory than the 1947 film and doesn’t shy away from the horrific aspects of carnival life in the days before “freak shows” were outlawed.  del Toro’s Nightmare Alley is exceptionally well cast.  Bradley, Blanchett, Dafoe and Mara are the main stars and they shine.  What del Toro did by getting Collette, Jenkins, Perlman, Steenburgen, Strathairn, McCallany and Beaver in supporting roles is make every scene a winner.

In a movie full of amazing performances, Bradley Cooper shines.  Some of his standout scenes include manipulating the Sherriff who has come to shut down the carnival and arrest performers.  This is when Carlisle discovers his gift of reading people.  The surprise lie detector test scene and the final scene of the film (which I won’t spoil) are also memorable.

Nightmare Alley won’t appeal to everyone despite all that it has going for it.  The lead characters are not good people and they make bad choices.  There’s no upbeat ending.  With that said, I loved Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley.  It took me to another time and place.  I was hooked on the mystery; intrigued by the characters and impressed by the cast.  Nightmare Alley stayed with me long after the movie was over.  I rate it 5 of 5 stars.

“So Cold the River” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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So Cold the River has an interesting poster and trailer.  I’m going to keep my eye out for it.

A documentary filmmaker hired to profile a reclusive, dying millionaire becomes obsessed with her subject and uncovers the shocking secrets his hometown wanted buried, unleashing an evil force with devastating consequences. Get swept up with this bone-chilling, supernatural thriller, adapted from “The New York Times” bestselling author, Michael Koryta also author of  Those Who Wish Me Dead.

Bruce Lee by Jason Raisch – Limited Edition Prints to Benefit the Bruce Lee Foundation!

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555Jason Raish created the limited edition print above for a collaboration with Shoe Palace, Bottleneck Gallery to  benefit the Bruce Lee Foundation.

100% of the profits from this print will go directly to the Bruce Lee Foundation.  There is also a variant gold edition.  Both will be on sale starting Friday, February 4th at noon EST through Sunday, February 6th, ending at 11:59 pm EST at Bottleneckgallery.com!

ZERO SAINTS by Gabino Iglesias / Z-View

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Zero Saints by Gabino Iglesias

Trade Paperback: 196 pages
Publisher: Broken River Books

First sentence…

I didn’t hear those pinches cabrones coming.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

In Zero Saints, Gabino Iglesias created one of the most intense opening chapters in memory.   Fernando, a drug dealer/crew leader, is beaten and taken to an abandoned house.  Secured to a chair is Fernando’s friend.  Fernando is forced to watch a heavily tattooed gangbanger (with insane black eyes) slowly torture and behead his buddy. The message is clear: Give up your territory or die.

Fernando knows a war has arrived.  His odds of survival are slim.  So with his back against the wall, Fernando recruits a Russian gun thug (who owes him a favor) and a crazy blood simple buddy to join him in a last ditch chance at payback.

Iglesias takes what could be a simple tale of revenge and peppers it with gangbangers, drug dealers, hitmen and a touch of the supernatural.  Fernando isn’t your typical protagonist. He’s unable to save his friend, others close to him die and he fears the Mara Salvatrucha cartel (especially the one with the black eyes).  Fernando moves through a gritty underworld that exists in many big cities, but is only safely visited in stories like Zero Saints.

Zero Saints was my first book by Gabino Iglesias.  I look forward to reading many more (hopefully including tales of Fernando and his supporting cast… well, those who lived).

Rating:

“The Changed” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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It’s good to see art on a movie poster.  The Changed definitely has an Invasion of the Body Snatchers vibe (and that’s a good thing).  Deal me in.

Something has taken possession of the hearts and minds of the populace. Kim, Mac, and Jane try to convince themselves it’s paranoia, but before long the city is besieged by the changed. By the time they realize an alien intelligence has merged with their neighbor, Bill, a horde of changed is amassing outside their suburban home.

CAST: Tony Todd, Clare Foley, Jason Alan Smith, Carlee Avers, Doug Tompos, Olivia Freer, Kathy Searle

DIRECTOR: Michael Mongillo

“Project Gemini” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster is not bad.  The trailer for Project Gemini is better.  I’d check this out on streaming.

PROJECT GEMINI: Available on Digital, Blu-ray & DVD beginning March 15, 2022.
After centuries of destroying Earth’s resources, humankind faces the grim reality that its last shot at survival may require creating an entirely new home—in outer space. An international expedition is quickly formed to find a suitable new planet, but when plans go awry, the crew is suddenly stranded without power on a strange planet. Unfortunately, they’ll soon learn that something truly unimaginable has been out there watching, lying in wait for the unwary human scouts.

Humphrey Bogart’s Best Films!

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Humphrey Bogart is one of the world’s most famous actors.  Bogart appeared in over 80 films, was nominated for 3 Best Actor Oscars (winning one).  Bogart wasn’t your typical leading man.  He wasn’t particularly tall (5’8″), or muscular and he didn’t have classical good looks.  Yet, the ladies loved him and he was considered a man’s man.  On screen Bogart held your attention.  Although he was just 57 when he died, Bogart left us with many great films.  Here are my five favorites…

1.  Casablanca  (1942): Many consider Casablanca to be not only Bogart’s best film, but the best film of all time.  It is a classic.  I never tire of watching Casablanca and had this been the only film on his resume, it would have still made him famous.

2.  Key Largo  (1948):  has grown on me over the years.  I’ve always loved it, but Key Largo gets better with each new viewing.  Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Edward G. Robinson and Lionel Barrymore round out the cast.

3.  The Maltese Falcon  (1941): Bogart plays PI, Sam Spade.  The film is based on Dashiell Hammett’s classic novel, with a screenplay and direction by John Huston (his first time directing).  The Maltese Falcon features an all-star cast; joining Bogart are Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, Ward Bond and Elisha Cook, Jr.  

4.  The Big Sleep (1946):  Bogart plays PI, Phillip Marlowe.  Howard Hawks directs this classic that also stars Lauren Bacall and Martha Vickers.  Dorothy Malone has a small role, but what an impact she makes! 

5.   To Have and Have Not (1944):  Howard Hawks again directs Bogart and Bacall who are joined by Walter Brennan in an adaptation of Ernest Hemmingway’s classic novel.       

Bogart made several other films that almost made my top five:  In a Lonely Place, The Caine Mutiny, The African Queen, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The Harder They Fall are also all excellent films.   

“The Last Duel” / Z-View

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The Last Duel (2021)

Director: Ridley Scott

Screenplay: Nicole Holofcener & Ben Affleck & Matt Damon (based on the book by Eric Jager)

Starring:  Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer and Ben Affleck.

Tagline:  The truth has different versions.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The Last Duel is the true story of the last trial by combat officially sanctioned by the King of France.  The battle took place on December 29, 1386, between Knight Jean de Carrouges (Damon) and Squire Jacques Le Gris (Driver).  They had been friends who once fought side-by-side. Over the years de Carrouges felt cheated by Le Gris.  He was also jealous of Le Gris’ friendship with Count Pierre d’Alençon (Affleck), a relative of the King.  The duel was a result of de Carrouges’ wife accusing Le Gris of rape.

The Last Duel is told in three parts, each being the truth as seen by Jean de Carrouges, Jacques Le Gris, and Marguerite de Carrouges.  This is an interesting method of story presentation (a la Rashômon), but adds to the length of the tale, which could benefit from being shorter.

The acting is first rate.

This may be Damon’s best performance ever.  His character is a volatile, angry man who feels (and is) slighted by Count Pierre d’Alençon.  I admired de Carrouges’ willingness to sue royalty, confront Le Gris and the Count to support his wife’s accusation… but also know his abrasive personality caused him many problems.

I was surprised by how good Ben Affleck is in his role as the Count.  His performance here was as good as in The Tender Bar!

The Last Duel rates 4 of 5 stars.

RIP: Bob Wall

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Robert “Bob” Wall, martial artist and actor, died yesterday at the age of 82.  No cause of death was reported.

Bob Wall was a 9th degree Black Belt who began his career as co-owner of the Sherman Oaks Karate Studio in California.  When Mr. Wall’s partner decided to sell his interest in the studio, Chuck Norris became co-owner with Wall.

Bob Wall was also an actor best known for his role as O’Harra in Bruce Lee’s classic Enter the Dragon.  Mr. Wall also had roles with Lee in Way of the Dragon and Game of Death.  Bob Wall also appeared in several Chuck Norris movies (Code of Silence, Invasion U.S.A., Firewalker, Hero and the Terror and Sidekicks) as well as Norris’ Walker, Texas Ranger series.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Bob Wall’s family, friends and fans.

“No Exit” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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That’s a clever poster and enticing trailer for No Exit.  Deal me in.

Trust no one. #NoExit starts streaming on @Hulu February 25.

In “No Exit,” Havana Rose Liu (“Mayday”) makes her feature film leading role debut as Darby, a young woman en route to a family emergency who is stranded by a blizzard and forced to find shelter at a highway rest area with a group of strangers. When she stumbles across an abducted girl in a van in the parking lot, it sets her on a terrifying life-or-death struggle to discover who among them is the kidnapper. Directed by Damien Power (“Killing Ground”) from a screenplay by Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari (“Ant-Man and the Wasp”) based on Taylor Adams’ 2017 novel and produced by PGA Award winner Scott Frank (“The Queen’s Gambit”), the film stars Havana Rose Liu, Danny Ramirez (“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Top Gun: Maverick”), David Rysdahl (“Nine Days”), Dale Dickey (“Winter’s Bone”), Mila Harris (“Young Dylan”) and Dennis Haysbert (“Breakthrough”).

“Vampires vs the Bronx” / Z-View

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Vampires vs the Bronx (2020)

Director: Oz Rodriguez

Screenplay:  Blaise Hemingway (story by Oz Rodriguez)

Starring:  Jaden Michael, Gerald Jones III, Gregory Diaz IV, The Kid Mero, Sarah Gadon, Method Man, Shea Whigham, Chris Redd and Zoe Saldana.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Four young friends discover a vampire nest in their neighborhood.  Who would believe that?  No one.  So it falls to the kids to wipe out the blood suckers.

Vampires vs the Bronx is much better than you might think.  That’s due to a combination of the casting, the direction and right mix of horror/humor.  The four lead kid actors are well written and just plain likeable.  The same can be said for the neighborhood adults.  The kids parents don’t come off as adults typically found in kid comedies.  The director provides some cool touches such as a vampire’s hand slowly reaching unseen for a kid, a vampire slowly rising up behind a victim,  There’s a subplot about people moving out of the neighborhood thanks to a corporation buying up property that works well with the story.

I thought that Vampires vs the Bronx would be fun based on the trailer, but I was surprised at how much I liked it.  If they could get the cast, writer and director back, I’d love to see the kids in a sequel with more monsters.  Vampires vs the Bronx earns 4 of 5 stars.

Letters / Postcards for George Perez!

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On December 7, 2021, the news broke that legendary artist George Perez had inoperable stage three pancreatic cancer.  Mr. Perez, 67, is known for his amazing art on titles such as The Teen Titans, Crisis on Infinitive Earths, The Avengers and so many more.  George Perez released the following at that time:

“I have Stage 3 Pancreatic Cancer. It is surgically inoperable and my estimated life expectancy is between 6 months to a year. I have been given the option of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, but after weighing all the variables and assessing just how much of my remaining days would be eaten up by doctor visits, treatments, hospital stays and dealing with the often stressful and frustrating bureaucracy of the medical system, I’ve opted to just let nature take its course and I will enjoy whatever time I have left as fully as possible with my beautiful wife of 40 years, my family, my friends and my fans.”

Since the announcement, Mr. Perez has posted regular updates on his Facebook page.  George Perez has displayed amazing grace, peace of mind and love of live.  Shelton Drum, owner of the Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find comic store and creator of HeroesCon, is collecting letters/postcards for George Perez that he will personally deliver.  All must be received by February 20th.  If you’d like to participate the address is:

Letters To George Perez
c/o: Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find
PO Box 9181
Charlotte NC 28299