Amazing Rocky Balboa Art by Ethan Pro!
Ethan Pro created the amazing pencil drawing of Sly Stallone as Rocky. You can see much more of Pro’s art (including more Stallone art) at his Instagram.
RIP: Howard Hesseman
Howard Hesseman, actor and comedian, has died at the age of 81 of complications from colon surgery. Best known for his starring roles on WKRP in Cincinnati and in Head of the Class, Mr. Hesseman has over 150 credits on his acting resume.
Howard Hesseman alternated between roles on television and feature films. In addition to the tv shows mentioned, some of Mr. Hesseman’s major television appearances included roles on The Andy Griffith Show, Sanford and Son, The Bob Newhart Show, Soap, One Day at a Time, The New WKRP in Cincinnati, That ’70s Show, Boston Legal and Fresh Off the Boat. Some feature film appearances include: Billy Jack, The Sunshine Boys, Silent Movie, The Jerk, and Heat.
Surprisingly, I never watched WKRP in Cincinnati or Head of the Class. I still enjoyed seeing Howard Hesseman whenever he appeared in a tv show or movie. I first saw (and remembered him from) Billy Jack. Mr. Hesseman always made whatever show or movie he was in funnier.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Howard Hesseman’s family, friends and fans.
“The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms” / Z-View
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
Director: Eugène Lourié
Screenplay: Lou Morheim, Fred Freiberger (based on a short story by Ray Bradbury)
Starring: Paul Hubschmid, Paula Raymond, Cecil Kellaway, Kenneth Tobey and Lee Van Cleef.
Tagline: They couldn’t believe their eyes! They couldn’t escape the terror! And neither will you!
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
When a nuclear blast frees a prehistoric monster, the terror mounts as the dinosaur makes its way to New York City! The true star of The Beast of 20,000 Fathoms is Ray Harryhausen’s Rhedosaurus.
There are a couple of surprisingly frightening scenes when the dinosaur devours some folks! I was also impressed when a bazooka wounds the Rhedosaurus and its blood releases a prehistoric virus that is fatal to humans! That’s a plot twist I wasn’t expecting in a movie made in 1953. A military sharpshooter (played by Lee Van Cleef) with a radioactive shell is humanity’s last hope. The final scenes at a amusement park’s wooden roller coaster are still pretty impressive.
The Beast from 20,000 has some fun moments and rates 3 of 5 stars.
The Sunshine Boys (1975) / Z-View
The Sunshine Boys (1975)
Director: Herbert Ross
Screenplay: Neil Simon
Starring: Walter Matthau, George Burns, Richard Benjamin, F. Murray Abraham and Howard Hesseman.
Tagline: For the price of a movie, you’ll feel like a million!
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
At one time Lewis & Clark, aka The Sunshine Boys, were the Kings of Vaudeville. Audiences loved their routines and the comedy duo had a long, successful run. Sadly, when Lewis & Clark broke up, they’d reached the point that neither could stand the other. They haven’t talked in years.
Now an opportunity to perform together on television has appeared. Will The Sunshine Boys be able to put aside past differences and catch lightning in a bottle once again?
As I watched The Sunshine Boys I couldn’t help but think how our perception of the elderly has changed. When Lewis got lost, couldn’t open a door and yelled at people, audiences in 1975 probably thought, “This old guy is quite a character.” I couldn’t help but think, I wonder if he has onset dementia.
I was expecting more laughs from The Sunshine Boys. The best scene is when Lewis & Clark first get together to rehearse the routine they’ll perform on tv. Sadly the rehearsal is funnier than the actual performance. Also Lewis comes off as a real jerk. It’s no wonder Clark didn’t want to perform with him any longer.
Still The Sunshine Boys does have it’s moments. George Burns is a joy and it’s no wonder he won an Oscar for his performance (which was the first movie he’d made in over 30 years)! The scene of Lewis auditioning for a potato chip commercial is funny. The interactions of Lewis & Clark are the heart of the movie and I wish we had more of them.
The Sunshine Boys earns 3 of 5 stars.
Howard Chaykin Vintage Conan Art!
When you think of titles associated with Howard Chaykin, names like American Flagg, Cody Starbuck, Dominic Fortune, Black Kiss, The Scorpion and Monark Starstalker probably come to mind fairly quickly. Then Chaykin’s work on comics like Star Wars, Wolverine, Nick Fury, The Punisher and Avengers may be next. You’d have to go pretty far down the list before you get to Savage Sword of Conan. But that’s what we have today.
Howard Chaykin isn’t an artist most folks think of when talking Conan. (Myself included.) Perhaps we should though since Chaykin created the cover to Savage Sword of Conan #31 shown above. I’ve always liked it. I hope you do as well.
“The Cursed” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!
The Cursed has a cool poster and trailer. Deal me in.
US Release Date: February 18, 2022
Starring: Boyd Holbrook, Kelly Reilly, Alistair Petrie
Directed By: Sean Ellis
Synopsis: In rural 19th-century France, a mysterious, possibly supernatural menace threatens a small village. John McBride, a pathologist, comes to town to investigate the danger — and exorcise some of his own demons in the process.
Flu (2013) / Z-View
Flu (2013)
Director: Sung-su Kim
Screenplay: Young-jong Lee, Sung-soo Kim (from a story by Jae-ho Jung)
Starring: Jang Hyuk, Soo Ae, Min-ah Park, Hae-Jin Yoo and Ma Dong-seok.
Tagline: Death goes viral.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
When a fatal airborne virus runs rampant in a suburb of Seoul, a cure must be found before the government resorts to the ultimate solution to end the outbreak. With the clock ticking, a female doctor working on the cure has a personal reason to find it — her daughter is infected.
Ma Dong-seok from Train to Busan fame shows up as a bad guy!
Flu takes time to set everything up, but once the virus begins to spread unrestrained, the stakes are raised. The internment disposal area is mind-blowing. Min-ah Park is an excellent little actress. Although Flu was released in 2013, the subject has never been more relevant. Flu rates 3 of 5 stars.
Jack the Ripper – 10 People Suspected of Being the Killer!
Vince Guerrieri at Mental Floss came up with a list of 10 People Suspected of Being Jack the Ripper. It ranges from the highly unlikely (Lewis Carroll) to the probable (Aaron Kosminski).
Patricia Cornwell has DNA evidence that Jack the Ripper was Walter Sickert.
My guess is that the Ripper was Kosminski or Sickert. I’d be interested in hearing who others think Jack the Ripper may have been.
“Nobody” / Z-View
Nobody (2021)
Director: Ilya Naishuller
Screenplay: Derek Kolstad
Starring: Bob Odenkirk, Aleksey Serebryakov, Connie Nielsen, Christopher Lloyd, Michael Ironside and RZA.
Tagline: Never underestimate a nobody.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Hutch Mansell lives a mundane life. He has a wife (they are drifting apart), a son and daughter. His job is routine and he’s in a rut. Things get worse when burglars break into his house to rob it and Mansell does nothing to stop them. His son sees him as a coward, and the rest of the family looks at him with pity. What they don’t know is that Mansell used to worked as a CIA “auditor” who was sent in as a last resort to “clear the books”.
As Mansell’s anger builds he goes looking for the two thieves. When five thugs on a bus begin to terrorize a young lady, Mansell takes out his rage on the would-be tough guys, hospitalizing all of them. Unfortunately one of the mooks is the brother of a crazy Russian crime boss who will bring the full weight of his organization down on Mansell and his family.
Let the good times roll!
Nobody can be described as John Wick light. Bob Odenkirk is surprisingly effective as the former CIA auditor and Nobody shows how talented he is. To go from Sal Goodman to Hutch Mansell is more than a stretch. The scene on the bus is fun and surprisingly violent. I referred to Nobody as John Wick light and the humor is what takes it down a notch. Plus when Mansell’s dad (Lloyd) starts blowing away a Russian hit squad you know we’re in a different universe.
I really enjoyed Nobody. It was a fun ride with plenty of action and humor. It rates 4 of 5 stars.
Bruce Lee’s “Way of the Dragon” – Marten Go Presents The Entire Cast!
Marten Go started out wanting to draw the main characters from Bruce Lee’s Way of the Dragon and ended up drawing the entire cast! Click on the photo to see it dragon-sized!
“Alter Ego” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!
I like the looks of Alter Ego, but I think the poster might give away a bit too much.
Detective DiBiasse (Eric Roberts) goes to his last crime scene at the Mansion of a wealthy, paranoid recluse named Alan Schaeffer (Dylan Walsh). He brings with him a new detective and starts explaining the strange story of Alan Schaeffer. A man who recently insisted that one of his creations was coming to kill him, but had no evidence to back up his claim. Surrounded by security that reportedly sees nothing, nobody can help Alan Schaeffer and so the police moved on. Now the Detective is back at this mansion with a horrible, brutal crime scene and no suspect in sight.
“Hellblazers” (2022) / Z-View
Hellblazers (2022)
Director: Justin Lee
Screenplay: Justin Lee
Starring: Adrienne Barbeau, Greg Beaton, Crash Buist, Bruce Dern, Meg Foster and Billy Zane.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
When a satanic cult summons a demon the residents of a very small southwestern town must band together to survive.
Hellblazers is a low, low budget film set in the 1980s. It would have fit right in on a drive-in triple feature from the same time period. If you go in knowing you’re going to get a chance to see older stars in a film that requires you to put your brain on hold to enjoy the ride, you just might (enjoy the ride). Hellblazers makes attempts at humor but never totally commits to comedy. There are a couple of jump scares but isn’t really scary despite being about a satanic cult and a demon from hell killing off the population of a small town.
With that said, I watched with my wife and we found it an okay way to pass the time. Therefore Hellblazers rates 2 of 5 stars.
Fronteras (2018) / Z-View
Fronteras (2018)
Director: Andrew Dean
Screenplay: Andrew Dean
Starring: Cortez Chappell, Steven Sean Garland and Wade Everett
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Shane Estes, a Hispanic Border Patrol Agent, is recruited to join an effective Strike Force team brought in to wipe out the local drug trade. If the team is successful, Estes will get a promotion, but he finds the Strike Force’s methods immoral and illegal. Estes’ boss wants Estes to finish the assignment. As the pressure mounts Estes finds himself at the point of no return.
Fronteras has the set-up for an excellent movie. Sadly the execution falls short. Fronteras rates 2 of 5 stars.
“The Endgame” Directed by Justin Lin – The Trailer is Here!
The Endgame trailer looks like it was made for a feature film. Maybe it is because Justin (Star Trek Beyond; F9: The Fast Saga) Lin is directing. Morena Baccarin and Ryan Michelle Bathé star. The Endgame premieres February 21st. Deal me in.
Morena Baccarin and Ryan Michelle Bathé star in the ultimate high-stakes showdown between criminal mastermind Elena Federova and FBI Agent Val Turner. When they play Elena’s game, deadly truths are revealed… and everyone bows to the queen.
Boise Longpig Hunting Club by Nick Kolakowski / Z-View
Boise Longpig Hunting Club by Nick Kolakowski
Trade Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Down & Out Books
First sentence…
We came home from the movies to find our front door kicked open, both floors ransacked, half the food in our fridge missing.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Jake Halligan comes home to find his house ransacked and a naked, dead woman in his gun safe. Jake’s never seen the woman before, and has no idea who killed her. The list of thugs, gangbangers, and assorted criminals Jake has tracked down (he’s a bounty hunter) is just too large. Then Jake learns that the woman wasn’t the only murder victim. As he gets closer to the killer(s), Jake, his ex-wife and sister are kidnapped. Soon they find themselves involved in what can only be called The Most Dangerous Game.
Nick Kolakowski has taken a classic tale and modernized it. The Boise Longpig Hunting Club is full of memorable characters, action and humor. Kolakowski provides situations that we’ve seen before, but he puts an unexpected twist on them that leaves us shocked and/or smiling. I like Jake Halligan, his supporting characters and look forward to the follow-up, Rattlesnake Rodeo (which is already sitting in my to be read pile). As for the Boise Longpig Hunting Club, it rates 5 of 5 stars.
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