Category: Celebs

RIP: John Aylward

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John Aylward, a character actor who is best known for his roles on The West Wing and ER, died on May 16th at the age of 75.  No cause of death was given.

John Aylward graduated from the University of Washington’s Professional Actor’s Training Program in 1970.  The biggest majority of his career until the mid-1980s when he started getting roles on television and in movies.  For the rest of his career Mr. Aylward alternated between feature films and television.  His best known roles were as Dr. Donald Anspaugh on 74 episodes of ER and The West Wing where he played former DNC Chair, Barry Goodwin.  Other notable television appearances include the series: Ally McBeal, The X-Files, The Practice, Law & Order, Boston Legal, Alias, The Mentalist,  CSI, Mad Men, Fringe, American Horror Story, Yellowstone and Briarpatch.  Some of Mr. Aylward’s feature film appearances include: Armageddon, The Crazies, Water for Elephants, Gangster Squad and The Way Back.

John Aylward was a character actor that would have found work in any era.  Like most character actors, you might not recognize his name, but you knew his face.  You also knew that John Aylward’s appearance in any movie or television show meant it was going to get a little better because he was in it.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to John Aylward’s family, friends and fans.

“Mr. Wu” (1929) Starring Lon Chaney! / Z-View

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Mr. Wu (1929)

Director:  William Nigh

Screenplay:  Adapted by Lorna Moon, Titles by Lotta Woods, based on the play by Maurice Vernon and Harold Owen, from the book by Louise Jordan Miln

Starring:  Lon Chaney, Renée Adorée, Ralph Forbes, Louise Dresser  and Anna May Wong 

Tagline: SHE WAS GUILTY OF LOVE AND THE UNWRITTEN CODE OF THE EAST CRIED FOR VENGEANCE!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Mr. Wu (Chaney) is a wealthy and powerful man raised to follow the ancient traditions of China.  Although he is a traditionalist, Wu knows “the West is coming to the East.”  To that end, Mr. Wu interacts with diplomats from other countries.  That is how Wu’s adult daughter, Nang Ping (Adorée) meets and begins secretly seeing Basil Gregory (Forbes), the son of a British diplomat.

Nang Ping becomes pregnant at the same time she learns that Basil is about to return to England.  A gardener learns of Nang Ping’s pregnancy and informs Mr. Wu.  Wu is despondent, torn between love for his daughter and what tradition requires of a father whose daughter has dishonored the family.  Mr. Wu will comply with tradition and then extract revenge on the Diplomat’s family!

Lon Chaney plays two roles in this silent film.  Chaney created his own makeup making him unrecognizable as both Grandfather Wu (100 year old man) and Mr. Wu.  Mr. Wu provides an excellent example of why Lon Chaney is my favorite silent movie star.  He plays a full range of emotions and they all come alive through his facial expressions.  Anna May Wong appears in just a few scenes but she shines.  Renée Adorée is okay as Mr. Wu’s daughter, but it’s interesting to think what Wong would have done in the role.

Mr. Wu’s plan to extract vengeance on the diplomat’s family forces an impossible decision and a surprising conclusion to the film.  Mr. Wu rates 4 of 5 stars

“The Marksman” (2021) / Z-View

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The Marksman (2021)

Director: Robert Lorenz

Screenplay:  Robert Lorenz, Chris Charles, Danny Kravitz

Starring:  Liam Neeson, Jacob Perez, Katheryn Winnick, Juan Pablo Raba and Teresa Ruiz.

Tagline:   Justice comes down to him.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Jim (Neeson) is a rancher living on the Arizona / Mexico border.  Jim should be living the American dream, but life has been rough.  Recently, the woman he loved died.  The economy is tanking and Jim may lose his ranch.  Jim served his country as a marine and still loves it, but he needs to catch a break.

Instead Jim catches a woman (Ruiz) and her son (Perez) illegally crossing into the US through his land.  Jim calls the border patrol as vehicles speed to the Mexican side of the fence.  Several rough-looking cartel thugs demand the return of the woman and her son.  When Jim refuses, a shootout ensues.  Jim kills the cartel boss’ brother, but the boy’s mother is wounded.  Jim escapes with the mother and child.  The mother has been fatally wounded but before she dies, she gets Jim to agree to get her son safely to a relative in Chicago.

Jim turns the boy over to the border patrol telling them about the kid’s family in Chicago.  When Jim learns the cartel thugs have made it across the border and the boy is going to be turned over to them, Jim escapes with the boy.  With the police and cartel after them, Jim is determined to get the boy to his family no matter the cost.

The Marksman is an excellent vehicle for Neeson.  He is convincing as the older rancher who believed in a system that has let him down.  It’s no surprise that Neeson can play a man who can handle tough situations.  Hats off to Jacob Perez as the kid.  He’s in almost every scene and holds his own.  Katheryn Winnick is wasted in a role that gives her little to do.  Robert Lorenz’s direction is solid but not flashy.  His time as 2nd Unit Director for Clint Eastwood has paid off.

The Marksman is full of action and suspense.  It would have rated higher except for a few choices near the end of the movie.  The decision that Jim and the kid make in regard to cartel money doesn’t ring true.  The same with the final showdown with the cartel thugs.  Not all movies have to have a happy ending, but man, Jim just can’t catch a break.

The Marksman rates 3 of 5 stars.

“White Elephant” Starring Michael Rooker, Bruce Willis, Olga Kurylenko & John Malkovich – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Although the poster for White Elephant uses photos of the stars, at least it didn’t go for the giant heads approach.  The trailer isn’t bad.  I’ll give this a look on streaming.

When an assassination attempt is witnessed by two cops, Gabriel Tancredi, an ex-marine turned mob enforcer (Michael Rooker), is ordered by his ruthless mob boss (Bruce Willis) to eliminate any and all threats. With an eager underling out to prove himself, rival gangs making moves, and a rising body count, every step Tancredi makes threatens lives…including his own.

White Elephant is directed by Jesse V. Johnson (Avengement, The Debt Collector) from a script by Johnson and Erik Martinez (Kung Fu Pho). The film also stars Olga Kurylenko, Vadhir Derbez, and John Malkovich.

RLJE Films will release the action film White Elephant in theaters and streaming on AMC+ on June 3, 2022.

“The Old Man” Starring Jeff Bridges – The Trailer is Here!

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I like the looks of the trailer for The Old Man.  Glad to see Jeff Bridges is back.

Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Thomas Perry, The Old Man stars Jeff Bridges, John Lithgow and Amy Brenneman. The Old Man centers on “Dan Chase” (Bridges), who absconded from the CIA decades ago and has been living off the grid since. When an assassin arrives and tries to take Chase out, the old operative learns that to ensure his future he now must reconcile his past.

“Invaders from Mars (1986)” / Z-View

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Invaders from Mars (1986)

Director:  Tobe Hooper

Screenplay: Dan O’Bannon, Don Jakoby based on a screenplay for the 1953 film by Richard Blake

Starring:  Karen Black, Hunter Carson, Timothy Bottoms, Laraine Newman, Louise Fletcher and Jimmy Hunt.

Tagline: He knows they’re here.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

One night young David Gardner (Carson) wakes to see a spaceship landing beyond the hill behind his house.  He wakes his parents (Bottoms, Newman), they come to his window, but everything seems normal.  The next day the boy discovers that his teacher (Fletcher) and one of his classmates have become possessed by aliens.

Of course no one believes him… except the school nurse (Black).  Now it is up to the young boy and the school nurse to save the world.

Invaders from Mars is not a good movie. I kept watching trying to figure out how much was a wink at the original 1953 film and how much was just an updated misfire.

If you take Invaders from Mars as a dream the boy had, it kind of makes more sense.  It explains how the kid is the real star of the film and why he has more brains than the adults, including military leaders.  It also explains the goofy (and far from scary) aliens.  It doesn’t explain the famous final scene though.

Invaders from Mars has good actors that don’t prove it with this movie.  Hunter Carson is Karen Black’s son and maybe Tobe Hooper got a two-fer;  Black would do the movie if her son got to play the kid.  Sadly, all poor Carson gets to do is repeatedly look scared and run flailing his arms.  Louise Fletcher’s most memorable scene is when she turns around with a frog hanging from her mouth.  I do applaud that Jimmy Hunt (who played the kid in the original film) is brought back to play a small role in this remake.

Invaders from Mars is one of those rare movies that I make it all the way through and then decide, it’s not for me.  Invaders from Mars rates 1 of 5 stars.

“The Horde” (2016) / Z-View

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The Horde (2016)

Director:  Jared Cohn

Screenplay:  Paul Logan

Starring:  Paul Logan, Tiffany Brouwer, Sydney Sweeney, Nestor Serrano, Vernon Wells, Bill Moseley, Costas Mandylor, Thomas Ochoa and Don Wilson.

Tagline: Fight back or die.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

John Crenshaw (Logan), an ex-Navy SEAL accompanies his girlfriend (Brouwer) and some of her photography students into the deep woods for a class assignment.  When the group is attacked by a family of inbred mutants, it will be up to Crenshaw to save them.

The Horde wants badly to be  Rambo Meets The Hills Have Eyes.  That would seem to be an achievable goal.  They’ve got a star who is believable when it comes to fight scenes.  They have several actors known for their work in horror films.  The plot is simple.  It takes place in the woods at night; sets shouldn’t be a problem.  So what went wrong?

Everything is so bad.  Navy SEAL tough guy at a loss for words with his girl because he’s so in love.  Spoiled, rich student who insults everyone, but is still part of the group.  Two students in the back seat who make-out for the entire hours long trip to the deep woods — with their teacher fully aware.  A female student falling for one of the male students on the trip and casually discussing sexual advice with her teacher.   They’ve been driving for hours and in the background it looks like they are still in the neighborhood.  The dialogue is terrible.  The acting only slightly better.  (Thomas Ochoa is the exception — he is funny/irritating/believable as the spoiled rich brat.)

Fans of low-budget horror/action may like The Horde.  It just wasn’t for me.  The Horde rates 1 of 5 stars

RIP: Fred Ward

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Fred Ward’s publicist announced today that Mr. Ward died on Sunday, May 8, 2022, at the age of 79.  No cause of death was given.  

Before Fred Ward began his career as an actor he spent time in the Air Force, as a boxer and a lumberjack!  No wonder Mr. Ward was often cast as a tough guy!  Fred Ward’s earliest roles were small parts, often uncredited in movies and television.  His first big break came when he played one of the convicts who with Clint Eastwood was able to Escape from Alcatraz.  

Fred Ward continued to get bigger parts in features such as Southern Comfort, The Right Stuff, Silkwood and Uncommon Valor.  Then in 1985, Fred Ward starred in the film that was supposed to make him a megastar, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins.  Unfortunately, the film fizzled at the box office.  The adventure began and ended there.  Luckily for movie-goers, Fred Ward’s career didn’t.

For the rest of Fred Ward’s life he continued to alternate between television and feature films.  Some of his best known television parts came in Cast a Deadly Spell, Invasion Earth, Grey’s Anatomy, ER and True Detective.  Fred Ward’s best known feature films include Tremors, Miami Blues, Henry & June, Thunderheart, The Player, Tremors II: Aftershock and 2 Guns.

I first saw Fred Ward in Escape from Alcatraz.  But it was when he appeared in Carny, Southern Comfort and Uncommon Valor that I really took notice.  Mr. Ward had a tough guy charisma and I was pulling for him with Remo Williams.  Sadly, that film just didn’t work. But Fred Ward continued to  Whenever Fred Ward’s name was in the credits, you knew the film/show would be better because of him.  Although Andrew Vachss’ Burke character was never developed for movies or tv, I always thought that Fred Ward would have perfect.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Fred Ward’s family, friends and fans.

“10 Minutes Gone” Starring Bruce Willis and Michael Chiklis (2019) / Z-View

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10 MInutes Gone (2019)

Director:  Brian A. Miller

Writers:  Kelvin Mao, Jeff Jingle

Starring:  Bruce Willis, Michael Chiklis and Meadow Williams.

Tagline:  Keep your enemies close.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Rex (Willis) is a mastermind who brings together a crew of thieves to rob a bank.  When the robbery goes sideways, it’s every man for himself.  The robbery team make their escape going separate ways.  As Frank (Chiklis) and his brother head down an alley to their getaway car, someone jumps from the shadows and knocks Frank unconscious.  Ten minutes later Frank wakes up to find his brother has been killed.

When Rex learns that the robbery is a bust, he brings in a professional killer to take out anyone with knowledge that could lead to him.  Frank knows that time is running out. He needs to find who killed his brother and sabotaged the heist.

As I watched 10 Minutes Gone, it was tough to get through Bruce Willis’ scenes knowing what he has been dealing with in regard to his health.  Willis speaks one or two lines at most in his scenes and then the camera cuts away.  Michael Chiklis is always good, but even Chiklis isn’t enough to raise this film from an “OK” rating.  It’s worth reading the IMDB trivia on 10 Minutes Gone to understand why it wasn’t better.

10 Minutes Gone rates 2 of 5 stars.

Phil Tippett’s “Mad God” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Mad God looks crazy.  Maybe crazy great, crazy good or just plain crazy.  I’ll have to check it out to be sure.  Dig that poster.  Deal me in.

Follow The Assassin through a forbidding world of tortured souls, decrepit bunkers, and wretched monstrosities forged from the most primordial horrors of the subconscious mind. Directed by Phil Tippett (Star Wars, Jurassic Park), the world’s pre-eminent stop motion animator, every set, creature, and effigy in this macabre masterpiece is hand-crafted and painstakingly animated using traditional stop-motion techniques.

Premieres June 16

Apollo Creed & Rocky Balboa by Joel Tesch!

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It’s no secret I’m a fan of Joel Tesch’s art.  Check out his Apollo Creed & Rocky Balboa piece above and you’ll understand.  Click on it and you can check out a championship-sized version.

This is Joel Tesch’s third appearance here.  His first was with his Spider Rico vs The Italian Stallion at the Resurrection Gym.   His second appearance was with his riff on “Yo, Adrian! I DID IT!!”  I hope there’s a fourth Joel Tesch art appearance in our future.

You can see more of Joel Tesch’s art at his website, Twitter and Instagram.

“The Ghost of Frankenstein” (1942) / Z-View

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The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)

Director:  Erle C. Kenton

Writers:  Scott Darling (screenplay), Eric Taylor (original story)

Starring:  Cedric Hardwicke, Lon Chaney Jr., Ralph Bellamy, Lionel Atwill, Bela Lugosi, Evelyn Ankers and Colin Clive.

Tagline:  The King of all Monsters strikes again! No chains can hold him! No tomb can seal him in!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Ygor (Lugosi) discovers Frankenstein’s monster (Chaney) buried under rubble of Dr. Frankenstein’s castle. Ygor and the monster journey to find Dr. Frankenstein’s son, Ludwig (Hardwicke), who is also a doctor. When they arrive in Ludwig’s town, the monster befriends a young girl.  Townspeople fear the monster is going to hurt the child and attack the monster.  Two villagers are killed before Ygor and the monster escape.

Ygor wants Ludwig Frankenstein to use his father’s notes and put Ygor’s brain in the monster.  While Ludwig considers this, he is visited by his father’s ghost (Ha! THAT explains the title) who says to find a good brain for the monster.  As villagers search for the monster, Ludwig prepares to operate, but whose brain will he use?  And what will be the result?

I have many fun memories of watching The Ghost of Frankenstein with my buddy late at night on Sammy Terry’s Nightmare Theater.  It’s a fun movie for kids.  You have Bela Lugosi (Dracula!) as Ygor and Lon Chaney, Jr. (Wolfman!) as the Monster.  You get the monster fighting villagers on a rooftop, chained in a courtroom (What?) and breaking free, plus the mandatory laboratory scene with electrical arcs and rioting villagers.  What’s not to like?

If you see The Ghost of Frankenstein as an adult for the first time, your mileage may vary quite a bit from mine.  I still enjoy The Ghost of Frankenstein even though we have Ygor and the monster as friends. They were bitter enemies before.  Chaney plays the monster as if it is blind, which explains why the monster’s eyes are always closed and it walks with arms outstretched.  This is never really explained in the movie. The Ghost of Frankenstein isn’t as good as Frankenstein or The Bride of Frankenstein (or even Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein) but I like it well enough to give it 3 of 5 stars.

RIP: George Pérez

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George Pérez

We all knew the day would come.  Especially since December 7, 2021.  That’s when George Perez announced that he had surgically inoperable Stage 3 Pancreatic Cancer.  Although offered other options George said,

“… 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 over 40 years, my family, friends and my fans.”

And that is what he did,

George Perez passed away yesterday the result of his pancreatic cancer.  He was 67.  The announcement on his Facebook page read:

George passed away yesterday, peacefully at home with his wife of 490 months and family by his side. He was not in pain and knew he was very, very loved.

We are all very much grieving but, at the same time, we are so incredibly grateful for the joy he brought to our lives. To know George was to love him; and he loved back. Fiercely and with his whole heart. The world is a lot less vibrant today without him in it.

He loved all of you. He loved hearing your posts and seeing the drawings you sent and the tributes you made. He was deeply proud to have brought so much joy to so many.

Everyone knows George’s legacy as a creator. His art, characters and stories will be revered for years to come. But, as towering as that legacy is, it pales in comparison to the legacy of the man George was. George’s true legacy is his kindness. It’s the love he had for bringing others joy – and I hope you all carry that with you always.
Today is Free Comic Book Day. A day George absolutely loved and a fitting day to remember his contributions to comics and to our lives. I hope you’ll enjoy your day today with him in mind. He would have loved that.

Please keep his wife Carol in your thoughts and again, I thank you for respecting her privacy. I remain available through the contact on the page.

George’s memorial service will take place at MEGACON Orlando at 6pm on Sunday, May 22nd. It will be open to all. Details to follow.

We will miss him always.

George Perez entered comics as an assistant to Rich Buckler in the early 1970s.  He quickly graduated to penciling his own series.  It didn’t take long for George Perez to become a fan favorite.  Throughout his career George Perez worked on some of the most popular comic series published: The Avengers, The Fantastic Four, The Justice League of America, The New Teen Titans, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Superman, The Infinity Gauntlet, to name just a few.  Whatever George Perez worked on was worth the price of admission.

Evidence of George Perez’s importance and impact to comics is the number of places his death is quickly being reported.  Sadly, often when we lose comic creators, the only place their passing is noted is comic-related websites.  George Perez’s passing has shown up already in The Hollywood Reporter, The New York Daily News, TMZ and The Daily Mail (England) to name just a few of the mainstream publications. 

George Perez won numerous fan favorite awards of the course of his career.  Here are some of them…

  • 1979: Eagle Award for his role in creating the Best Continued Story for Avengers #167–168 and 170–177.
  • 1980: Eagle Award for Best Comic book Cover for Avengers #185. 
  • 1983: Inkpot Award
  • 1983: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Artist
  • 1984: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Comic Book Story:  “The Judas Contract” in Tales of the Teen Titans #42–44 and Annual #3
  • 1985: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Artist
  • 1985: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Cover Artist
  • 1985: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Comic Book Story:  “Beyond the Silent Night” in Crisis on Infinite Earths #7
  • 1985: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Limited Series: Crisis on Infinite Earths (with Marv Wolfman)
  • 1985: Named as one of the honorees in DC’s 50th anniversary publication Fifty Who Made DC Great.
  • 1985: Jack Kirby Award for Best Finite Series for Crisis on Infinite Earths (with Marv Wolfman)
  • 1986: Jack Kirby Award for Best Finite Series for Crisis on Infinite Earths (with Marv Wolfman)
  • 1986: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Cover Artist
  • 1986: Eagle Award for Favorite Pencil Artist in 1986.
  • 1987: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Penciler
  • 1987: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Cover Artist
  • 1989: Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Awards – Favorite Comic Book Story:  “A Lonely Place of Dying” in Batman #440–442 and The New Titans #60–61 
  • 2022: Inkwell Awards Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award (SASRA) for his lifetime achievement in inking

George Perez was not only one of the most popular artists to ever work in comics, he was one of the nicest.  I first became aware of his art on The Avengers.  Then I went back and found his earlier work.  Following George Perez was easy, because word of his art on a new comic always spread quickly.

I was fortunate to spend time with George Perez at a comic convention in 1980 or 81.  My best friend, John Beatty was inking George on Justice League and was also a guest at the show.  Sitting with John and George was great.  George was wonderful with each fan that came up.  He listened and smiled and exchanged stories.  George had as much fun (if not more) than the fans. 

After the show, George invited John and I to have a bite to eat and hang out.  George drew more sketches as we talked.  I’ve never seen an artist more at ease while drawing.  At one point he even was lying on his back and drawing!

When George Perez announced that he had cancer and most likely only 6 months or so to live, he continued to interact with fans and enjoy the time he had left.  What a great human spirit!  It was an honor to meet George Perez not only because he was a legendary artist, but also because of the great human being we came to know.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to George Perez’s family, friends and fans.