Category: Celebs

“Emily the Criminal” (2022) starring Aubrey Plaza / Z-View

Posted on by

Emily the Criminal (2022)

Director:  John Patton Ford

Screenplay:  John Patton Ford

Stars: Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi, Bernardo Badillo, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Jonathan Avigdori, Victor Manso and Roman Arabia

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

Emily cannot catch a break.  She works for a food catering company and barely makes enough money to stay afloat.  Emily’s saddled with student debt for a degree she never completed.  An aggravated assault and a DUI conviction keep her from getting better paying jobs.  So when Emily gets the opportunity to make $200 for an hour’s work, she jumps at it.

The job is illegal.  Using a fake credit card to purchase a big ticket item will get her a $200 kickback.  Emily does the job and is good at it.  So she takes another riskier gig.  Before long Emily is into a relationship with Youcef (Rossi) as she learns more about this illegal business.  She learns too late that Youcef’s boss, Javier (Badillo) isn’t happy with Emily’s quick advancement or her relationship with his partner.  Javier has plans of his own that don’t bode well for Youcef or Emily…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

What an impressive debut for John Ford Patton who wrote and directed Emily the Criminal.   He was fortunate to get Aubrey Plaza and Theo Rossi to star.  They have chemistry.  The pair also make people who do unlikeable things likeable.  I wish that Emily didn’t create so many of her own problems.  The things that hold her back are all because of her bad decisions in the past.  Then she compounds them with an attitude that prevents her from even getting through interviews for better positions.

I look forward to John Ford Patton’s next feature.  He’s shown here that he knows how to write a crime film with a flawed (anti)hero.

Emily the Criminal earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Hold That Lion” (1947) starring The Three Stooges with a Cameo by Curly! / Z-View

Posted on by

Hold That Lion (1947)

Director:  Jules White

Screenplay:  Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Curly Howard, Kenneth MacDonald, Emil Sitka, Dudley Dickerson, Heinie Conklin and Blackie Whiteford

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

The boys are after a crooked lawyer who is on the run with their inheritance.  Add in a loose lion and what could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Hold That Lion marks the only time that four Stooges appeared together on screen.  It was also the only time that the three Howard brothers appeared on screen together.  The scene takes place when the boys come upon a sleeping man in the train.  The sleeping man is Curly!

Curly had since retired due to the problems caused by his multiple strokes.  Curly came to visit the set.  Director, Jules White had no idea Curly was coming.  White spotted a man on set reading a newspaper.  The man slowly lowered the paper and waved.  The man was Curly!  White was inspired and asked Curly if he’d like a cameo.  The rest is history.

For me, the funniest scenes are when Larry, Moe and Shemp individually enter Icabod Slipp’s office to confront him. Slipp (MacDonald) acts as if he just entered the office and accuses each Stooge of being Slipp!  He then attacks them for stealing his money.

Hold That Lion earns 4 of 5 stars.

“Glass Onion” (2022) starring Daniel Craig / Z-View

Posted on by

Glass Onion (2022)

Director:  Rian Johnson

Screenplay:  Rian Johnson

Stars: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Dallas Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Hugh Grant, Stephen Sondheim, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Serena Williams

Tagline: A Rian Johnson Whodunit.

The Plot…

Miles Bron (Norton), one of the world’s richest men, has invited five friends to his private island.  They will play a murder mystery game while staying in his mansion, the Glass Onion.  His five friends are Bron’s head scientist Lionel Toussaint (Odom), Connecticut governor Claire Debella (Hahn),  fashion designer Birdie Jay (Hudson), social media influencer Duke Cody (Bautista), and ousted Alpha co-founder Cassandra “Andi” Brand (Monáe).

Each guest received a special invitation that would be impossible to copy.  Surprisingly, the world famous detective, Benoit Blanc (Craig) also received an invitation. He has arrived with the other guests.  Bron has no idea how Blanc could have received an invite, but allows him to stay.

Before the weekend concludes there will be multiple murders and only a world class detective will be able to peel back the layers to solve them.  Luckily, Benoit Blanc is there…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Glass Onion is the second film to feature Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc.  Rion Johnson, creator, writer and director of both films, was upset that Netflix required Glass Onion to be titled Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.  In each film, Benoit Blanc solves a complicated murder with multiple suspects.  The set-up is time tested (Nero Wolfe, Charlie Chan, Columbo, etc.) and it is wonderful that Johnson continues the tradition.

Glass Onion features quirky characters with each part well cast. A special shout out to Janelle Monáe who gets the biggest opportunity to show her acting chops.  She shines.

Rion Johnson has created another winner.  I hope he has more Benoit Blanc whodunits in our future.

Glass Onion earns 4 of 5 stars.

“Pamela, a love story” – The Pamela Anderson Documentary – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

Posted on by

Here we have the poster and trailer for Pamela, a love story.  I wasn’t the biggest Pamela Anderson fan.  I never watched Baywatch.  I did  watch her Barb Wire movie (mainly because it was based on a comic by Chris Warner).  And of course I know her from her Playboy appearances and the sex tape.  Surprisingly since I’m not a big fan, this documentary does have me interested.

Pamela Anderson defined a decade. Now she will define herself.

Pamela, a love story is only on Netflix January 31.

In her own words, through personal video and diaries, Pamela Anderson shares the story of her rise to fame, rocky romances and infamous sex tape scandal.

“Disquiet” starring Jonathan Rhys Myers – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

Posted on by

It took me a second to see the creature’s shadow behind Jonathan Rhys Myers in the poster.  Well played.  The trailer is interesting as well.  I just hope that Disquiet doesn’t turn out to be one of those it was all in his head movies.

Available on Digital and on Demand February 10

Jonathan Rhys Meyers stars in the terrifying, edge-of-your-seat thriller. After a near-fatal car accident, Sam (Meyers) wakes to discover he is trapped in an abandoned hospital by mysterious and sinister forces that have no intention of letting him leave…

Featuring: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Rachelle Goulding, Elyse Levesque, Lochlyn Munro, Garry Chalk, Trezzo Mahoro, Anita Brown, Bradley Stryker

“Woman Haters” (1934) starring The Three Stooges & Marjorie White / Z-View

Posted on by

Woman Haters (1934)

Director:  Archie Gottler

Screenplay:  Jerome S. Gottler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Marjorie White, Walter Brennan, Bud Jamison, Tiny Sandford and Fred ‘Snowflake’ Toones

Tagline: Music! Laughter! Girls!

The Plot…

Tom (Moe), Jim (Larry) and Jack (Curly) are traveling salesmen  and members of the Woman Hater’s Club.  They vow to never get romantically involved with a woman.  Not long after, Jim falls in love with Mary (White).  On a train to their honeymoon Jim and Mary run into Tom and Jack.  Jim tries to play it off, like he’s not married, but Mary is on to him.  Mary decides to get Jim jealous by flirting with Tom and Jack.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Woman Haters is the first Three Stooges Short.  They weren’t even called Stooges yet.  Curly was billed as Jerry Howard.  It is one of the rare Stooges shorts where the boys’ characters don’t go by their Stooge names.

Marjorie White had top billing during Woman Haters original release.  Sadly it was White’s last film as she was killed in an automobile accident the following year.

Woman Haters wasn’t originally considered a Three Stooges film.  It was actually part of Columbia’s “Musical Novelty” series where all dialogue is spoken in rhyme with musical accompaniment.  Woman Haters wasn’t a favorite of Larry, Curly or Moe.

Look for Walter Brennan playing the train’s conductor.

Woman Haters earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Top Gun: Maverick” (2022) starring Tom Cruise / Z-View

Posted on by

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Director:  Joseph Kosinski

Screenplay:  Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie from a story by Peter Craig, Justin Marks based on characters created by Jim Cash, Jack Epps Jr.

Stars: Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Val Kilmer, Bashir Salahuddin, Ed Harris, Jon Hamm, Charles Parnell, Lewis Pullman, Danny Ramirez, Glen Powell, Jack Schumacher, Kara Wang, Greg Tarzan Davis, and Raymond Lee

Tagline: Feel the need… The need for speed.

The Plot…

Over thirty years into his military career, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is still pushing limits… as a test pilot and the tolerance of his superior officers.  By now, Maverick should have been a two-star admiral or better.  Maverick’s love of altitude and his attitude have hindered advancement.  If not for Maverick’s friendship with Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Kilmer), the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Maverick might have been discharged.

Now Maverick is tasked with training a team of the very best Top Gun pilots for a nearly impossible suicide mission.  Four U.S, Super Hornets will fly below radar to slip into an enemy area guarded by surface to air missiles and the latest enemy fighter jets.  The U.S. pilots will have one shot at taking out an underground bunker that will house a nuclear arsenal.

The mission is on a strict timeline.  Maverick needs to devise a plan, train the pilots and pick four for a mission they likely won’t survive.  To complicate matters, Maverick’s superior officer disapproves of Maverick’s methods and one of the trainees is Lt. Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw (Teller), the son of Maverick’s best friend, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw.  Rooster blames Maverick for his father’s death and for slowing his Naval advancement.  If Maverick picks Rooster for the mission, he may be responsible for his friend’s son’s death.  If he doesn’t pick him, Rooster will blame Maverick for again hindering his career.

The clock is ticking…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Top Gun: Maverick‘s writers have created a plausible reason for Maverick to still be a test pilot.  Their storyline creates a logical rationale for Maverick to lead the mission instead of a younger Top Gun pilot.  There are several great call backs to the original film.

Having Rooster feel Maverick is responsible for his dad’s death isn’t surprising.  It adds drama to the situation.  The added twist of Maverick slowing Rooster’s career advancement is a nice touch.  Most movies would have Maverick explain to Rooster that Rooster’s mother requested it.  Maverick say why he doesn’t, “Rooster would always resent me for what I did. Why should he resent her too?”  That is gold.

Making sure that Val Kilmer was in the film was a no-brainer.  Having his character suffer from cancer (as Kilmer did in real life) adds gravitas to his character.  Having Kilmer’s character be Maverick’s “protector” takes things to a whole other level… and then when Kilmer’s character dies, all bets are off.

Giving Maverick a love interest rounds out his character.  This whole subplot was well done.  It adds context and broadens Maverick’s universe.

The training and mission is full of exciting and tense moments (with just the right amount of humor).  Getting Maverick and Rooster together behind enemy lines was inspired.  As was their method of escape.

Kudos to director Joseph Kosinski.  He had the chops to handle a $170 million production starring one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.  Plus Kosinski had to deal with a large cast giving each their moment to shine.  There was also pressure to make a sequel to a beloved film from 36 years ago.  Kosinski succeeded all on counts.

Top Gun: Maverick features a great cast.  Cruise and Kilmer were essential.  It would be hard to find a better love interest than Jennifer Connelly.  Miles Teller is excellent and looks like he could be Anthony Edwards’ son. Jon Hamm and Ed Harris are welcome additions to the cast.

I saw Top Gun on it’s initial release.  I liked Top Gun, but didn’t love it.  Top Gun: Maverick exceeded my expectations.  It works on every level.  You don’t need to see the original film to enjoy Maverick, but if you have seen it, viewing the sequel should be an even better experience.

Top Gun: Maverick earns 5 of 5 stars.

“Resurrection” (1999) starring Christopher Lambert / Z-View

Posted on by

Resurrection (1999)

Director:  Russell Mulcahy

Screenplay:  Brad Mirman based on a story by Christopher Lambert, Brad Mirman

Stars: Christopher Lambert, Leland Orser, David Cronenberg, Jayne Eastwood, David Ferry, Rick Fox, Karen Glave, Rothaford Gray  and Robert Joy

Tagline: Be afraid. For he is coming.

The Plot…

Detectives Prudhomme (Lambert) and Hollinsworth (Orser) are assigned a murder case.  The victim’s arm was sawed off and taken.  At the crime scene, they find written in blood, “He is coming”.  Soon other victims are found. Each is missing a body part.  The victims are all 33 years old and have biblical names (Matthew, Peter, etc.).  They discover the madman is taking the parts in an effort to recreate Christ’s body.  More people will die, if Prudomme and Hollinsworth don’t crack the case.  But how do you catch a madman?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I watched Resurrection hoping that director, Russell Mulcahy and star, Christopher Lambert would be able to catch lightning in a bottle.  The pair meshed perfectly in Highlander.  Could they do it again?

The short answer is, “No.”

In Highlander, Mulcahy’s direction provided amazing camera movements, inventive scene transitions and creative framing.  In Resurrection we don’t get that.  Christopher Lambert was the exact right choice to play Connor MacLeod. Lambert’s character in Resurrection is so generic that anyone could have played him as long as they could run and scream… a lot.

The serial killer’s motive is insane.  That should have been played up more.  There was shock because of the brutality of the murders, but the movie, for the most part lacked tension.  I had hoped for better, but it’s near impossible for lightning to strike in the same place twice.

Resurrection earns 2 of 5 stars.

“You People” starring Jonah Hill, Lauren London, David Duchovny, Nia Long, Julia Louis-Dreyfus & Eddie Murphy – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

Posted on by

I love the looks of You People.  We’ve got a great cast starring Jonah Hill, Lauren London, David Duchovny, Nia Long, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Eddie Murphy.  The concept is loaded with opportunities for laughs.  The fact that You People is on Netflix makes it a no-brainer to watch.

A new couple learns that opposites attract but some families don’t when they find themselves confronting their parent’s clashing views of their relationship in this comedy written by Jonah Hill and Kenya Barris. You People starring Jonah Hill, Lauren London, David Duchovny, and Nia Long with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Eddie Murphy comes to Netflix on January 27.

“Gone in the Night” (2022) starring Winona Ryder / Z-View

Posted on by

Gone in the Night (2022)

Director:  Eli Horowitz

Screenplay:  Eli Horowitz, Matthew Derby

Stars: Winona Ryder, Dermot Mulroney, John Gallagher Jr., Owen Teague and Brianne Tju 

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

When Kath (Ryder) and her younger boyfriend Max (Gallagher) arrive at a remote cabin they’d rented, it’s occupied by another couple.  Al (Teague) and Greta (Tju) claim to have booked the cabin as well.  Unable to reach the owner, the four decide to make the best of it and share the cabin for the night.

As the evening wears on, Greta appears to be a wild child.  And attracted to Max.  Kath decides to call it a night and heads to bed.  Max says he’ll be in shortly.  When Kath wakes up the next morning, it’s clear she’s slept alone.  She goes out looking for Max.  Instead she finds Al who is upset.  He says that Greta and Max took off in the night.

Kath is visibly shaken.  She drives home.  She’s done with Max, but obsessed with the girl who stole her boyfriend.  As she follows clues to learn about Greta, Kath finds that the evening at the cabin wasn’t as random as it appeared.  Digging too deep could get her killed.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

It’s interesting that Gone in the Night and Barbarian both have a similar start.  But then Gone in the Night becomes a mystery thriller while Barbarian is straight up horror.

Winona Ryder’s character is obsessed with finding out the truth about the evening / Greta, but also with having a man.  I wish her character was stronger and made better decisions.  The writers did give her a smart move near the end of the movie.  Dermot Mulroney doesn’t have a lot to do, but it’s good seeing him on screen.  The surprise star was Brianne Tju.  She owns every scene she’s in.  I’d seen Tju before in 47 Meters Down: Uncaged, but she didn’t make the impact she does here.  Tju is someone to watch.

The plot twist in Gone into the Night isn’t one you’ll see coming, even if you do kind of figure out what’s going on.  I almost gave Gone into the Night a higher rating, but I don’t do half stars, so…

Gone in the Night earns 2 of 5 stars.

“Bermuda Island” – It’s a Horror Flick – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

Posted on by

Bermuda Island has all the makings of a drive-in movie.  It has a former big name star (Tom Sizemore) along with recognizable faces in a low-budget horror film.  Checks all the boxes.

The marketing on this one is strange.  It’s a horror movie, but the poster makes it look like a disaster flick.  The title, Bermuda Island, doesn’t even hint at what the audience should expect.  Is it a love story? A teen flick? A documentary?  Who can tell from the title?  No one.  The tagline stinks: Stranded in Paradise… Until the Sun Goes Down.  So are they no longer stranded once the sun sets?

With all that said, Bermuda Island looks like something I’d check out late at night for fun.

SYNOPSIS: Passengers on their way to a tropical paradise crash at sea and find themselves on a deserted island. Desperate to survive the elements and infighting between survivors, they find that the island has more in store for them than they could ever imagine.

“Farewell, My Lovely” (1975) starring Robert Mitchum / Z-View

Posted on by

Farewell, My Lovely (1975)

Director:  Dick Richards

Screenplay:  David Zelag Goodman based on Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler

Stars: Robert Mitchum, Charlotte Rampling, John Ireland, Sylvia Miles, Anthony Zerbe, Harry Dean Stanton, Jack O’Halloran, Joe Spinell, Sylvester Stallone, Kate Murtagh, Ted Gehring  and Logan Ramsey

Tagline:  I need another drink … I need a lot of life insurance … I need a vacation … and all I’ve got is a coat, a hat, and a gun !

The Plot…

Moose Malloy (O’Halloran) just finished a seven year prison stretch.  Now the big lug wants to reconnect with his girl, Velma.  He hasn’t heard from her in years, but believes once he sees her all will be as it was.  So Moose hires Marlowe (Mitchum) to find her. Marlowe explains that seven years is a long time, they have little to go on and Velma has probably moved on.  (That last part nearly gets Mitchum’s face rearranged.)

So Mitchum reluctantly takes on the case.  As he digs deeper, people start dying… and Marlowe may be next.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Farewell, My Lovely is a classic tale of love and betrayal.  It’s been adapted as a film three times and all are good.

My first thought was Mitchum (legend that he is) was a bit old to play Phillip Marlowe.  But as the movie progressed, my thinking changed to, “Why not an older world weary take on the PI?”.  Jack O’Halloran (in his first role!) is perfectly cast as the slow thinking mountain of a man determined to find his old flame.  The supporting cast includes many familiar faces including Charlotte Rampling, John Ireland, Sylvia Miles, Anthony Zerbe and Harry Dean Stanton.  Sly Stallone and Joe Spinell have small roles, but would go on to appear in Rocky the following year! Kudos to Kate Murtagh for her take on a tough madam who can take a punch as good as she gives!

Dick Richards does an excellent job of creating a world that feels like LA in 1941.  David Shire’s wonderful soundtrack adds to the feel of the era.

Every version of Farewell, My Lovely is worth a look. This one is no exception.

Farewell, My Lovely earns 4 of 5 stars.

“The English” (2022) starring Emily Blunt & Chaske Spencer / Z-View

Posted on by

The English (2022)

Directors:  Hugo Blick

Teleplay: Hugo Blick

Stars: Emily Blunt, Chaske Spencer, Stephen Rea, Steve Wall, Malcolm Storry, Nicholas Aaron, Tadhg Murphy, Rafe Spall and Julian Bleach

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Years after the Civil War, an English noble woman, Cornelia Locke (Blunt) has come to the western frontier.  She is hunting the man responsible for her son’s death.  Eli Whipp (Spencer), a Pawnee by birth and a former US Calvary Scout, is riding to Nebraska to claim a plot of land.  Their paths cross.  After overcoming a shared “obstacle” Locke and Whipp decide to travel together.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The English easily made my best of 2022 list.  It is well written, well directed and well cast.  I had never seen anything by Hugo Blick, the creator, writer and director of The English.  I’ll definitely search out more of his work.  Emily Blunt picks out interesting projects and is always good in them.  She served as an Executive Producer on The English.  I’d seen Chaske Spencer before, but never in a starring role.  Spencer is perfect as Eli Whipp.  I look forward to seeing him as a lead in future productions.  Kudos to The English‘s cinematographer, Arnau Valls Colomer.  There are so many shots that would make beautiful paintings.

The English at it’s core is a love story/tale of revenge.   But it doesn’t take the expected path.  Having an English noble woman on the western frontier coupled with a Pawnee who isn’t accepted by Native Americans or Whites makes for interesting interactions. There are twists in every episode as we learn more about Locke and Whipp’s past.  When The English ended, I found myself wanting to revisit the characters.  Not because the series had an unsatisfying conclusion (far from that!), but because I enjoyed it so much.

The English earns 5 of 5 stars.

“Love” (1919) starring Fatty Arbuckle / Z-View

Posted on by

Love (1919)

Director:  Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle

Screenplay: Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, Vincent Bryan

Stars: Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle

Tagline: AS A LOVE-MAKER FATTY IS ABOUT THE FUNNIEST EVER SEEN

The Plot…

Fatty and Winnie are in love.  The only problem is Winnie’s father.  He’s ordered Fatty to stay away.  Her father wants Winnie to marry Al.  Al is the son of a rich landowner.  Al’s father has promised to give Winnie’s dad a huge plot of land if he can convince Winnie to marry his dimwit son.

Fatty’s running out of options, so he disguises himself as a maid to get hired as help for Winnie’s upcoming wedding.  Now Fatty has two problems: 1) He needs to stop the wedding and 2) Winnie’s dad is attracted to him!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Love moves at a brisk pace with constant sight gags, pratfalls and slapstick.  Almost everyone gets a shot at falling into the well.  There’s a three-way broom fight that will bring a smile to your face.  Of course the story has a happy ending with Fatty almost getting married twice.

Love earns 5 of 5 stars.