Mike Lynch Gets Carter!

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Check out Sly Stallone as Jack Carter by Mike W. Lynch!  This was Mike’s first time drawing Sly and he nailed the likeness.

Mike Lynch had a contest for a free drawing and my buddy, Ron Wendt aka
Darth_Rawn won.  Instead of getting a piece for himself, he asked for the Stallone piece above to gift to me!  Ain’t friends great?

You can see more of Mike’s art using the two links above (Instagram and Twitter).   Thanks to Mike and Ron for a sweet addition to my Stallone art collection.

“I’m Your Woman” – Crime Drama Poster and Trailer

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Here are the poster and trailer for I’m Your Woman.  I like the looks of both and plan to check out the movie!

In this 1970s set crime drama, a woman is forced to go on the run after her husband betrays his partners, sending her and her baby on a dangerous journey.

Starring: Rachel Brosnahan, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Arinzé Kene, Frankie Faison, Bill Heck
Written By: Julia Hart
Directed By: Julia Hart
Produced By: Jordan Horowitz, Rachel Brosnahan

“O.I.” – Some Ideas are Dangerous! Check Out this Fun Short!

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O.I. is one of the best short films I’ve seen in a while.  Hats off to all involved!

Barry has a unique problem. He came up with a truly original idea. And sharing it has consequences.

Chris revisits the Tiki bar where he made his first ever deal. He wants to celebrate the biggest deal he’s ever made by drinking down memory lane. It is early morning and there is only one other customer, Barry, and the Barman.

Barry is drinking to forget and is in no mood to celebrate anything. Only Chris’ offer of free drinks for a week if he can’t solve Barry’s problems makes Barry change his mind. Barry has a unique problem. He came up with a truly original idea. And he is the only one immune to it. Chris doesn’t believe a word of it and is determined to prove Barry a liar and win the bet.

Written & Directed by N’cee van Heerden

Tax Collector (2020) / Z-View

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Before we get into my review of Tax Collector, let me say that I’m a David Ayer fan and after seeing the poster and trailer for Tax Collector back in July, I posted them both saying that I looked forward to seeing the movie.

ComingSoon.net  recently had a contest for a free DVD of Tax Collector.  I entered and won a copy.  That copy is what I am reviewing.

Tax Collector (2020)

Director: David Ayer

Screenplay: David Ayer

Stars:  Bobby Soto, Cinthya Carmona, Shia LaBeouf, Jose Conejo Martin, Cheyenne Rae Hernandez, George Lopez and Brian Ortega.

The Pitch: “David Ayer is ready to make another movie!”

Tagline: From the Creator of  “Training Day” and “End of Watch”

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

David Cuevas (Soto) and his crime partner, Creeper (LaBeouf) are tax collectors for a crime lord known as The Wizard.  They collect a 30% tax on all illegal gang activity in the city.  If the money isn’t on time or the count comes up short, Cuevas and Creeper resolve the issue so it doesn’t happen again.

Cuevas is living a double life of sorts.  He has a beautiful wife and two children. He wants to be a good husband and father.  The life Cuevas lives has given him a nice house, lots of money and respect, but the things he does to earn them are hard to justify.  While Cuevas is a religious man, his partner, Creeper has come to terms with who they are and what they do.

Things go smoothly until a Conejo (Martin), a rival gang lord, returns to the city with intent to take over the Wizard’s operation.  Conejo meets with Cuevas and offers him a choice: join Conejo or Cuevas and his family will be killed.

To tell more would be to give away too much.  The movie contains more than a few twists, but it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone going to see Tax Collector that there are scenes of brutal violence.  If you’re a fan of David Ayer, then you know what to expect.

As a screenwriter, Ayer got my attention with Training Day.  As a director, it was with Street Kings.  Then as a writer/director he brought us Harsh Times, End of Watch, Sabotage (one of Arnold’s best), and Fury just to name a few.  Ayers’ films take us into a world where men are placed in violent situations and there are consequences to their actions.

I’ve never been a big Shia LaBeouf fan, but man, he owns every scene he is in.  His character, Creeper, is a stone cold killer, and LaBeouf was perfect for the part.  Remember No Country for Old Men and the character Anton Chigurh played by Javier Bardem?  Remember the universal praise Bardem rightly received?  I’d rate LaBeaouf’s performance at the same level.

Other standout performances include Cheyenne Rae Hernandez as Gata and  Jose Conejo Martin as Conejo.  It was also cool to see George Lopez playing against character and Brian Ortega from the UFC in a supporting role.

I really liked the Tax Collector.  If you’re a David Ayer fan, you probably will as well.


Rating:

RIP: Conchata Ferrell

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Conchata Ferrell passed away yesterday as a result of complications following a cardiac arrest.  She was 77.

Best known as Berta on Two and a Half Men, this is just one of her 131 acting credits!  Check out all the appearances.  What a career, but even if Conchata had only been on Two and Half Men, her career would have been made.  She was perfect in that role.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Conchata Ferrell’s family, friends and fans.

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

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I like the poster but REALLY like the trailer for The Informer.  I’ll be looking forward to seeing it!

An ex-convict working undercover intentionally gets himself incarcerated again in order to infiltrate the mob at a maximum security prison.

Starring: Joel Kinnaman, Ana de Armas, Rosamund Pike, Common and Clive Owen
Directed by: Andrea Di Stefano

“Rouge City” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster and trailer for Rouge City look pretty good, definitely worth a Netflix viewing.  Even though the poster is a photograph, I like the look and layout.  

In Rogue City, a complex case of rivalry between gangs and a group of cops unfolds in Marseille, where the border between personal and professional justice is blurred. A dark and intense thriller directed by Olivier Marchal.

Caught in the crosshairs of police corruption and Marseille’s warring gangs, a loyal cop must protect his squad by taking matters into his own hands.

The All-Time Best Final Horror Movie Scares

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Valerie Ettenhofer at Film School Rejects came up with The 10 Best Final Scares in Horror Movie History.  I looked at her list at came up with my top three:

  • Carrie (1976):  I saw Carrie at a midnight movie with my girlfriend.  I thought the movie was over except for the credits when Carrie’s hand reached out of the grave and grabbed her friend.  I came out of my seat and am pretty sure I let out a yell.  Not my most macho moment.
  • Friday the 13th (1980): Another late night movie, but this time I was watching alone.  My wife was in bed asleep and I was on the couch and it was well past midnight.  I thought the movie was over, again except for the credits.  I walked over to turn off the tv (no remote in those days – at least for us) and the kid/monster came out of the water to grab the girl.  I backed up so fast you’d have thought it was reaching through the tv for me.
  • Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978): I saw this on cable and thought it was ok.  I like the original a lot better, but I have to give credit to the final scare.  It still gives me chills to think about it.

The All-Time Best TV Bromances

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The fine folks at Me-TV decided to take a look at The 10 most timeless TV bromances that all friends should aspire to.   Their list was a good one.  Sadly it is no longer available. 

But we still have three favorites from their list (and my thoughts), followed by some that didn’t make the cut but should have.

  • James T. Kirk and Spock – ‘Star Trek‘ came in at number 8.  I would have put them in the #1 spot.  Kirk and Spock’s friendship was never in doubt despite them often having different points of view.  Probably the most “equal” friends on the list.
  • Andy Taylor and Barney Fife – ‘The Andy Griffith Show‘ came in at #4 and would have gotten my #2 spot.  Another great example of male friendship.
  • Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton – “The Honeymooners”  got the top spot on the Me-TV list.  Ralph and Ed were great friends although Ralph wasn’t above taking advantage of Ed when it served him best.

Here are some bromances that I would have included…

  • James West and Artemus Gordon – “The Wild, Wild West” would have been in my #1 or #2 spot.  
  • Matt Dillion and Festus Hagen – “Gunsmoke“.
  • Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza – “Seinfeld“.
  • Walter White and Jesse Pinkman – “Breaking Bad“.
  • Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter – “The Big Bang Theory“.
  • Howard Wolowitz and Raj Koothrappali – “The Big Bang Theory“.

Who did I miss?