Category: Celebs

“Highlander” (1986) / Z-View

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Highlander (1986)

Director:  Russell Mulcahy

Writers:  Peter Bellwood and Larry Ferguson (screenplay) from a story by Gregory Widen

Starring:  Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown, Roxanne Hart, Beatie Edney  and Jon Polito.

Tagline: There can be only one.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Highlander is an example of catching lightning in a bottle.  Everything, the director, the cast, the editing, the locations and music came together to create a fun ride.  In the wrong hands, Highlander could have crashed and burned, but the original (avoid the sequels!) takes flight.

The opening scene finds Russell Nash (Lambert) in the audience at a professional wrestling match.  While Nash could have been at any other event, picking pro wrestling sends a signal to the audience.  Professional wrestling is about bigger than life personalities who represent good and evil.  While the bad guy often seems to be bigger and stronger, good usually prevails!  Highlander follows that formula.

From the beginning of time they have walked among us.  Immortals who can only be killed by beheading. When two immortals meet they fight to the death for when there is only one left alive in the world, that immortal will receive the prize.  That time is upon us!

This is Russell Mulcahy’s finest film.  Sean Connery may have been born to play James Bond, but I cannot think of anyone who could have done a better job as Ramirez (and the two characters are vastly different).  This was Clancy Brown’s breakout role – he’s big, terrifying and perfect as Kurgan.  Christopher Lambert is the star and this is his finest role.  Queen was hired to provide one song for the film, but after seeing a rough cut wrote two more.  Honestly, I had my doubts how well Queen would work with the story, but I was wrong. The music helps make the movie so good.

If you’ve never seen Highlander, give it a go.  It’s definitely a film of the 80s, but still holds up.  Avoid the sequels.  As for the original Highlander, with me it rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Cop Land” (1997) / Z-View

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Cop Land alt poster created by Andi Ewington

Cop Land (1997)

Director:  James Mangold

Writer: James Mangold

Starring:  Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Peter Berg, Janeane Garofalo, Robert Patrick,  Michael Rapaport, Annabella Sciorra, Noah Emmerich, Cathy Moriarty, John Spencer, Frank Vincent, Malik Yoba, Arthur J. Nascarella  and Edie Falco.

Tagline:  No One Is Above The Law.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

James Mangold brought together an all-star cast to create a modern day western.  Freddy Heflin (Stallone) is the Sherriff of Garrison, New Jersey.  Garrison is a small town where a high percentage of the folks who live there are New York City police officers.  They work in the city and then drive over the bridge to their nice safe little town.  Most residents don’t know that a small group of the cops living in Garrison have mob connections.

Freddy Heflin always wanted to be a New York City cop, but hearing loss in one ear made him un-hirable. Hefflin owes his job as Sherriff of Garrison to Ray Donlan (Keitel). Heflin admires Donlan and the New York cops that live in Garrison.  They have a  camaraderie that he wants to be part of.

An Internal Affairs investigation involving Ray Donlan and several other police officers leads to Garrison, Although Heflin doubts the legitimacy of the complaints, he later discovers the concerns are legit and the corruption goes much deeper than anyone knew.   Heflin wants to do the right thing but finds himself alone and outgunned.

When you look at the cast that Mangold brought together for this relatively low budget film, you know it goes back to the screenplay.  Mangold created a rich story with multiple characters, all having an integral part in the tale.  Many folks who thought Rocky was Stallone and doubted his acting ability were surprised to see him hold his own against heavyweights like De Niro and Keitel.  Ray Liotta also shines in his role as Freddy’s lone cop friend who is intent on getting out of Garrison.

Cop Land is a film that gets better with every viewing.  I loved it and rate it 5 of 5 stars.

“Corrective Measures” Starring Michael Rooker and Bruce Willis – The Trailer is Here!

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Below is the trailer for Corrective Measures starring Michael Rooker and Bruce Willis.  With the recent news about Bruce Willis’ health, watching this will be bittersweet.

CORRECTIVE MEASURES takes place at San Tiburon, an Ubermax prison hidden in the Great Northwest, resided by monsters, cyborgs and supervillains, all equipped with 24-hour power inhibitors and shock-collars. The overseer, Warden Devlin (Michael Rooker, “Suicide Squad”) is as corrupt as his charges. His sole interest is in getting his hands on Julius Loeb’s (Bruce Willis, “Die Hard”) untraceable fortune. But Julius Lobe, AKA “The Lobe,” is the most notorious prisoner, and a super genius who may not be so willing to part with his riches. The already fragile peace of the prison descends into chaos with the arrival of Payback (Dan Payne, “Watchmen”), a murderous vigilante with red intentions, and Diego Diaz (Brennan Mejia, “Power Rangers”), a driver on a trumped-up sentence. As tensions between the inmates and staff heighten, “The Conductor” (Tom Cavanagh, “The Flash”) sends shocks through the prison system and order is officially turned upside down. CORRECTIVE MEASURES is the story of an everyman’s journey into darkness. The film also stars Kat Ruston (“The 100”), Kevin Zegers (“Rebel”), and Hayley Sales (“Deadpool 2”).

“One Night in Bangkok” (2020) / Z-View

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One Night in Bangkok (2020)

Directors:  Wych Kaosayananda

Writer: Wych Kaosayananda

Starring:  Mark Dacascos  and Vanida Golten.

Tagline:  Six Hours. Five Hits. Who will survive?

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

One Night in Bangkok is a reworking of the 2004 film, Collateral.  This time the city is Bangkok, Tom Cruise has been replaced by Mark Dacascos and Jamie Foxx by Vanida Golten.  The story is basically the same, a hitman hires a driver for the night.  The driver comes to understand that at each stop her passenger is killing people.  The reason for the hits has changed from Collateral to ONiB, but that’s just details.

The easiest way to describe One Night in Bangkok is to call it Collateral Lite.  Dacascos and Golten are so likeable, that it’s an easy ride. If you enjoy low budget action films where you don’t have too think to hard, then you should enjoy One Night in Bangkok.  I did and for that reason I rate it 3 of 5 stars.

“Rocky” by Liam Proniewicz!

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Liam Proniewicz created the poster for Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky series above.  I like how Proniewwicz took a classic image and made it his own.

Liam Proniewicz is a British artist/designer whose clients have included Netflix, Lionsgate, BBC and Sky.  Proniewicz’s website contains many examples of his work.  Fans will be happy to hear that there are also dozens of prints available.

“The Last Victim” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The Last Victim looks like a winner.  Deal me in.

The Last Victim follows a group of modern-day outlaws (led by Ineson), pursued by an aging sheriff (Perlman), who deal with the fallout of a crime gone wrong in the harsh landscape of the American Southwest. When a young professor (Larter) and her husband cross paths with the gang, they are drawn into a chain of vengeance where morality is ambiguous and survival is the only priority. DECAL will release The Last Victim in theaters and on VOD on May 13th.

“Find Her” – Written, directed and starring Nick McCallum – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I like the poster and trailer for Find Her.  Deal me in.

When an ex-cop arrives in a small town searching for answers to a murdered ranch owner and his missing daughter, it slowly becomes clear he has his own personal agenda to finding the truth.

Written, directed and starring Nick McCallum.  Also starring Richard Gunn, Anais Lilit, Stelio Savante and John James.

“Babylon A.D.” (2008) / Z-View

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Babylon A.D. (2008)

Director:  Mathieu Kassovitz

Writers:  Mathieu Kassovitz & Joseph Simas (screenplay) with Éric Besnard (scenario and dialogue) based on the novel by Maurice G. Dantec.

Starring:  Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh, Mélanie Thierry, Gérard Depardieu and Charlotte Rampling.

Tagline:   Save the World One Child at a Time.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

In the near future, Toorop (Diesel), is an exiled American mercenary living in a dangerous gang-ridden Russian slum.  Toorop is hired to safely transport Aurora (Thierry) and her guardian (Yeoh) across the war torn continent and sneak them into the United States.  Under the best circumstances this would be a tough gig, but the fact that two different organizations have sent armed teams to kidnap Aurora for vastly different reasons makes survival unlikely.

Babylon A.D. is an under-rated and flawed film that I absolutely love.  Bad weather, budget over-runs, problems  between the director and 20th Century Fox all contributed to the end result.  20th Century Fox released a drastically cut (reports range from 15 to 93 minutes shorter than the director’s cut) theatrical version with almost zero publicity.  In 2011, Mathieu Kassovitz released a behind the scenes documentary of the troubled production called Fucking Kassovitz.  I’ve seen the documentary.  It is clear that problems with the production team meeting the director’s vision were enormous.

With that said, I still love Babylon A.D.  It has scope, vision and attempts to rise above the action genre film.  There’s so much to love.  The opening with Toorop in the Russian slum.  Gorsky (Depardieu), the Russian crime lord’s method of getting Toorop on board.  How Gorsky gets Toorop to the convent to pick-up Aurora.  Slowly seeing that there is more to Aurora than meets the eye.  The gradual development of respect and then friendship between Toorop and Sister Rebeka (Yeoh).  The parkour fighters.  Toorop “rescuing” Aurora from the monster cage fighter.  The submarine scene.  Escaping the drones.  The New York showdown and more.

Babylon A.D. is not a great movie.  As I said at the start, it is flawed.  But I love what they did get on film.  I’ve watched Babylon A.D. several times over the years and like it better with each viewing.  This is one where I expect the mileage will differ from mine with many viewers.  Why not give it a shot and see?  As for me, I rate Babylon A.D. five of five stars.

Rarely Told Behind-the-Scenes Facts of the Assassination of President Kennedy!

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If you have any interest at all in the Assassination of President Kennedy, you will want to check out Ten Tales from Dallas’s Parkland Hospital, Where JFK Died by Christopher Dale at Listverse. 

Normally I would pick out my three favorite items from the list.  I won’t this time because each fact/tale of the ten is rare and interesting.  Without giving too much away, Dale’s behind-the-scenes of the Kennedy Assassination tells…

  • Why Jackie Kennedy wouldn’t immediately let the Secret Service take President Kennedy into the emergency room.
  • Why doctors performed procedures that they knew were useless and what Jackie had for them.
  • What a doctor said and immediately regretted.
  • How one of the procedures the doctors performed destroyed potential evidence.
  • Prank calls received at the hospital once it was announced that President Kennedy had died.
  • Why the Last Rites were performed even though the President had died, and how the Priest disobeyed warnings from the Secret Service
  • Why Vice President Johnson delayed an official announcement that President Kennedy had died.
  • Why local authorities struggled with Secret Service agents in an effort to take control of President Kennedy’s body.
  • What happened when President Kennedy’s suspected assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was taken to the same hospital as President Kennedy after being shot.
  • The contents of the self-serving memo released by Parkland Hospital Administrator Charles Jack “CJ” Price less than a week after the murder of President Kennedy.

Hats of to Christopher Dale!

“There Are No Saints” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Ignore the boring poster and instead check out the trailer for There Are No Saints starring Jose Maria Yazpik, Ron Perlman, Tim Roth, Neal McDonough, Tommy Flanagan and Paz Vega with a screenplay by Paul Schrader  directed by Alfonso Pineda Ulloa.

Looking to start a new life, a former hitman nicknamed The Jesuit (Jose Maria Yazpik) is unable to escape the sins of his past. With enemies on both sides of the law, he has nowhere to turn when his only son is kidnapped by a ruthless cartel boss (Ron Perlman). He’ll stop at nothing to save his boy in this gritty action-thriller from the writer of TAXI DRIVER.

“Outer Range” Starring Josh Brolin – The Trailer is Here!

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Outer Range has an interesting premise, a trailer that makes me want more and I’m a Josh Brolin fan, so deal me in.

Outer Range centers on Royal Abbott (Josh Brolin), a rancher fighting for his land and family, who discovers an unfathomable mystery at the edge of Wyoming’s wilderness. A thrilling fable with hints of wry humor and supernatural mystery, Outer Range examines how we grapple with the unknown. At the onset of the series, the Abbotts are coping with the disappearance of daughter-in-law Rebecca. They are pushed further to the brink when the Tillersons (the gaudy owners of the neighboring profit-driven ranch) make a play for their land. An untimely death in the community sets off a chain of tension-filled events, and seemingly small-town, soil-bound troubles come to a head with the arrival of a mysterious black void in the Abbotts’ west pasture. Wild revelations unfold as Royal fights to protect his family; through his eyes, we begin to see how time contains secrets held in the past and unsettling mysteries foreshadowed.

“The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes” – The Trailer is Here!

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Although I doubt there will be any world-shaking revelations, I plan to tune in to The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes.  Like with almost everything these days, there’s a conspiracy theory.  The Marilyn Monroe conspiracy theory is that she was murdered because of her relationship with President Kennedy.

Since I have Netflix, this will be an easy choice to tune in.

Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe’s tragic death spawned conspiracies and rumors for decades, often overshadowing her talent and shrewdness. By piecing together her final weeks, days, and hours through previously unheard recordings of those who knew her best, the film illuminates more of her glamorous, complicated life, and offers a new perspective on that fateful night. Only on Netflix, April 27.