Category: Celebs

“The Misfits” Starring Pierce Brosnan – The Trailer is Here!

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Pierce Brosnan is back and The Misfits have him.  They’ve got Tim Roth, too.  After seeing the trailer below, they’ll have me at some point as well.

A band of modern-day Robin Hoods known as “The Misfits”, recruit renowned thief Richard Pace (Pierce Brosnan) to help them pull off the heist of the century. The prize: millions in gold bars stashed underneath one of the world’s most secure prisons. Hold on tight for a globe-trotting, action-packed thriller from the Director of Die Hard 2.

Featuring: Pierce Brosnan, Rami Jaber, Hermione Corfield, Jamie Chung, Mike Angelo with Tim Roth and Nick Cannon

“The Tomorrow War” Starring Chris Pratt – The Teaser is Here!

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The teaser for The Tomorrow War starring Chris Pratt is here.  Sign me up, deal me in.

THE TOMORROW WAR premieres July 2, 2021 globally on Prime Video

In The TOMORROW WAR, the world is stunned when a group of time travelers arrive from the year 2051 to deliver an urgent message: Thirty years in the future mankind is losing a global war against a deadly alien species. The only hope for survival is for soldiers and civilians from the present to be transported to the future and join the fight. Among those recruited is high school teacher and family man Dan Forester (Chris Pratt). Determined to save the world for his young daughter, Dan teams up with a brilliant scientist (Yvonne Strahovski) and his estranged father (J.K. Simmons) in a desperate quest to rewrite the fate of the planet.

Directed by Chris McKay
Written by Zach Dean
Produced by David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Jules Daly, David Goyer, Adam Kolbrenner
Executive Produced by Rob Cowan, Chris Pratt, Brian Oliver, Bradley J. Fischer

Starring Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, J.K. Simmons, Betty Gilpin, Sam Richardson, Edwin Hodge, Jasmine Mathews, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Keith Powers

“American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster for American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally is bland, but the trailer presents an interesting story.  Al Pacino is a plus.  I’ll check it out at some point.

Based on the true story, AMERICAN TRAITOR: THE TRIAL OF AXIS SALLY follows the life of American woman Mildred Gillars (Meadow Williams) and her lawyer (Al Pacino), who struggles to redeem her reputation. Dubbed “Axis Sally” for broadcasting Nazi propaganda to American troops during World War II, Mildred’s story exposes the dark underbelly of the Third Reich’s hate-filled propaganda machine, her eventual capture in Berlin, and subsequent trial for treason against the United States after the war.

Starring: Meadow Williams, Thomas Kretschmann, Al Pacino
Directed by: Michael Polish

“Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story” Teaser is Here!

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Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story teaser looks wonderful.  I think the time is right for a film like this – one that will take us to another time and place filled with great music, dancing and a story of forbidden love.   I look forward to seeing Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story.

Directed by Academy Award® winner Steven Spielberg, from a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award® winner Tony Kushner, “West Side Story” tells the classic tale of fierce rivalries and young love in 1957 New York City. This reimagining of the beloved musical stars Ansel Elgort (Tony); Rachel Zegler (María); Ariana DeBose (Anita); David Alvarez (Bernardo); Mike Faist (Riff); Josh Andrés Rivera (Chino); Ana Isabelle (Rosalía); Corey Stoll (Lieutenant Schrank); Brian d’Arcy James (Officer Krupke); and Rita Moreno (as Valentina, who owns the corner store in which Tony works). Moreno – one of only three artists to be honored with Academy®, Emmy®, GRAMMY®, Tony® and Peabody Awards – also serves as one of the film’s executive producers.

Bringing together the best of both Broadway and Hollywood, the film’s creative team includes Kushner, who also serves as an executive producer; Tony Award® winner Justin Peck, who choreographed the musical numbers in the film; renowned Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor and GRAMMY Award® winner Gustavo Dudamel, who helmed the recording of the iconic score; Academy Award®-nominated composer and conductor David Newman (“Anastasia”), who arranged the score; Tony Award®-winning composer Jeanine Tesori (“Fun Home,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie”), who supervised the cast on vocals; and Grammy®-nominated music supervisor Matt Sullivan (“Beauty and the Beast,” “Chicago”), who served as executive music producer for the film. The film is produced by Spielberg, Academy Award®-nominated producer Kristie Macosko Krieger and Tony Award®-winning producer Kevin McCollum. “West Side Story” has been adapted for the screen from the original 1957 Broadway show, with book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and concept, direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins.

From 20th Century Studios, The Walt Disney Company will release “West Side Story” in U.S. theaters on December 10, 2021.

“London After Midnight” – Rare, Creepy Photo!

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I love how creepy this London After Midnight still is.  London After Midnight starred Lon Chaney and was directed and co-produced by Tod Browning!  There is no known copy of the film (the last known print was destroyed in a fire in the 1960s) and is considered to be the most “sought-after” lost film. From WikipediA…

London After Midnight (also marketed as The Hypnotist) is a lost 1927 American silent mystery film with horror overtones directed and co-produced by Tod Browning and starring Lon Chaney, with Marceline Day, Conrad Nagel, Henry B. Walthall and Polly Moran. The film was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and was based on the scenario “The Hypnotist”, also written by Browning.

I truly hope that a copy of the film is found for fans, like me, to see.

“Unhinged” (2020) starring Russell Crowe / Z-View

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Unhinged (2020)

Director: Derrick Borte

Screenplay: Carl Ellsworth

Stars:  Russell Crowe, Caren Pistorius, Gabriel Bateman.

The Pitch: “It’s Spielberg’s Duel crossed with the scariest monster you can imagine!”

Tagline: He can happen to anyone.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Rachael is having a bad day.  She’s going through a rough divorce.  Her mom has just been moved into an assisted living home that Rachael can’t afford, her out of work brother and his “fiancé” have moved in with her and her teenage son.  To make this bad day even worse, Rachel overslept.  She’s got to drive her son to school, herself to work and both will be late.  Yeah, Rachel is having a bad day.

It’s about to get worse.

At an intersection Rachael finds herself behind a big truck that just sits when the light turns green.  She’s already late and this guy isn’t moving.  So she lays on the horn.  Still no movement.  She lays on the horn again and then pulls around him.  As she passes the truck she gives the driver a gesture letting him know she’s pissed.

As it turns out, the guy in the truck is having a worse day.  His wife was divorcing him, going after his house and all his assets, and having an affair with her attorney.  I say was divorcing him because she (nor her attorney-lover) are now in a position to do anything.  Yeah, this guy is having a real bad day and Rachael’s actions have pushed him to the limit.

He pulls up beside her and gives her a chance to apologize.  This just infuriates her and she says things to make it worse, not realizing that she’s dealing with a man who is about to come unhinged.  And he does.

To tell more would be to tell too much.  Suffice it to say, Unhinged delivers thrills and continues to ratchet up the tension until the very satisfying climax.  Crowe is perfect as the man who is on a mission to destroy Rachael by killing everyone dear to her before he is killed.  What makes Crowe so scary is he knows he’s going to die, probably at the hands of the police, and he is alright with that.  For him it is just a question of how much damage he can do before they get him.

Caren Pistorius is excellent as Rachael.  What I liked about her character is that she creates most of her issues and it is her actions that sets everything in motion.  This is a nice change from the innocent woman in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Pistorius is believable as Rachael.  Kudos also to Gabriel Bateman who plays her son, Kyle.  He comes off as sympathetic and likeable.

Crowe deserves special praise for his portrayal of the nameless man who becomes Unhinged.  He isn’t just a one-dimensional psycho killer, and perhaps that is what makes him scarier than Jason, Michael Myers or any of the other monsters we’re used to seeing.

If you’re looking for a action-thriller, then you should consider Unhinged.  I really liked it!

When I first watched Unhinged, I was impressed.  The movie was better than I thought it would be.  Since that viewing, I’ve watched Unhinged a few times.  It holds up with each viewing.  My initial rating for Unhinged was 4 stars, but that changes today with an updated 5 star review.  As always your mileage may vary.

“Werewolves Within” – The Trailer is Here!

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With the Werewolves Within trailer we learn that the movie will be a combination horror – mystery – comedy.  While I’m not expecting great things, I’ll check it out hoping for a fun ride.  Oh, and did you notice that Lilly (Milana Vayntrub) from the AT&T commercials is one of the stars?

Director: Josh Ruben
Starring: Milana Vayntrub, Cheyenne Jackson, Michaela Watkins

When a killer terrorizes the snowed-in residents of a small town, it falls to the new forest ranger to find out who – or what – lurks among them in this hilarious horror whodunnit.

The TCM Classic Film Festival is Coming Soon! Full Line-up is Here!

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The TCM Classic Film Festival runs this year from May 6th through the 9th.  It is totally virtual and this year TCM is teaming with HBO Max to…

…feature more than 100 films, brand new conversations with over 30 special guests, rarely seen gems from the TCM archives and special presentations.

Here are the films/events that I look forward to…

May 6th
11:15pm  TCM  Mean Streets (1973) – A young hood in New York’s Little Italy contends with saving the neck of his hotheaded best friend from the local loan shark and struggles with the religious guilt prompted by his lifestyle.

May 7th
1:30am  TCM  Dr. X (1932) – TCM premiere of recently restored version. The new two-color Technicolor master was restored by UCLA Film and Television Archive and The Film Foundation in association with Warner Bros. Entertainment.

8:00pm  TCM  Plan 9 From Outer Space Table Read (2020) – Television premiere. SF Sketchfest Presents a table read of Ed Wood’s Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959), adapted by comedian Dana Gould and featuring Maria Bamford, Bobcat Goldthwait, Oscar Nuñez, Laraine Newman, Bob Odenkirk, David Koechner, Janet Varney, Jonah Ray, Paul F. Tompkins, Gary Anthony Williams, Baron Vaughn, Deborah Baker Jr. and Kat Aagesen.  (Followed by the original Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959) film at 9:30pm.)

May 8th
3:15am  TCM  let me come in (2021) – World broadcast premiere presentation of Bill Morrison’s experimental short featuring decayed film reels from the lost, German silent film Pawns of Passion (1928). Co-presented by The Los Angeles Opera with composer David Lang and soprano Angel Blue, and in partnership with the Library of Congress Audio Visual Conservation Center.

4:00am  TCM  Underworld U.S.A. (1961) – A bitter young man sets out to get back at the gangsters who murdered his father.

6:00am  TCM  TEX AVERY: THE KING OF CARTOONS (1988) – Documentary about the life and career of animator and director Frederick Bean “Tex” Avery.

7:00am  TCM  TEX AVERY AT MGM (1943-1955) – Compilation of cartoons directed by Tex Avery during his years at MGM. Featured cartoons: Red Hot Riding Hood (1943), Bad Luck Blackie (1949), Deputy Droopy (1955), Screwball Squirrel (1944), King-Size Canary (1947), T.V. of Tomorrow (1953) and Symphony in Slang (1955).

8:00am  TCM  I LOVE TROUBLE (1947) – TCM premiere. A private detective is hired by a politician to check on his wife’s background.

8:00pm  TCM  THEY WON’T BELIEVE ME (1947) – World premiere of a recent 4K restoration from the nitrate film. This restoration returns the film to its original 95 minutes thanks to the return of 15 minutes of original footage cut by RKO at the film’s reissue in the 1950s. A philandering playboy with a wealthy wife and two girlfriends ends up on trial for murder when two of the ladies turn up dead, and he’s the most likely suspect.

10:00pm  TCM  LADY SINGS THE BLUES (1972) –  The story of jazz singer Billie Holiday: from her early life of poverty and abuse, through her successful career and eventual downfall from heroin addiction.
*** Presented in partnership with the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, featuring conversation with Jacqueline Stewart, TCM Host and Academy Museum Chief Artistic and Programming Officer

May 9th
8:00pm  TCM  SO THIS IS PARIS (1926) – World premiere restoration featuring a new score by composer Ben Model. A married doctor falls for a dancer while his wife develops an attraction to the dancer’s husband.

9:30pm  TCM  THE GOODBYE GIRL (1977) –  Paula is a divorced mother and ex-Broadway dancer, who learns that her lover has left her only when aspiring actor Elliot arrives to sublet the apartment in the middle of the night. Their uneasy truce blossoms into love.
*** NEW! Conversation with Richard Dreyfuss

11:45pm  TCM  FAME (1980) –  Five outstandingly gifted students at New York’s High School of Performing Arts are followed as they prepare for careers in show business. A budding singer, two actors, a dancer and a musician polish their crafts as they struggle to excel academically in the demanding school.
*** NEW! Conversation with Debbie Allen

2:15am  TCM – BREATHLESS (1960) – A petty criminal, wanted for the murder of a police officer, returns to Paris where he meets an American girl who hawks newspapers. They become lovers, but eventually the police pressure her into betraying him and revealing his whereabouts.

HBO Max created a TCM hub where “starting at 8pm ET on Thursday, May 6 Festival programming will be presented in specially-crafted themes for you to explore featuring exclusive new interviews with actors and filmmakers, special presentations by notable film experts, rarely seen archival content and a wide selection of beloved classic movies curated by the experts at TCM.”

Click here to view the full TCM schedule and here to view the HBO Max offerings.

RIP: Jim Steinman

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Jim Steinman, lyricist of million-selling hit records, died yesterday at the age of 73.  No cause of death was released.

Steinman is best known for his collaborations with Meat Loaf on the albums Bat Out of Hell (1977) and Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell (1993).  Bat Out of Hell produced two top ten hits: “Two of Three Ain’t Bad” and “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” and became one of the best-selling albums ever.  Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell released one single: “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)” that spent five weeks at No. 1.  Steinman also penned the music and book for Bat Out of Hell: The Musical which ran from February through April in Manchester, England.

Steinman may have been known best for his two collaborations with Meat Loaf, but he composed and produced hits with many other artists including…

  • “Making Love Out of Nothing at All” performed by Air Supply
  • “Total Eclipse of the Heart” (which he also produced) performed by Bonnie Tyler
  • “Nowhere Fast” performed by Fire, Inc. for the Streets of Fire Soundtrack
  • “Left in the Dark” performed by Barbara Streisand
  • “Hulk Hogan’s Theme” for the WWE
  • “Holding Out for a Hero” (which he also produced and co-wrote with Dean Pitchford) performed by Bonnie Tyler
  • “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” performed by Celine Dion
  • and many more.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jim Steinman’s family, friends and fans.

“Truman & Tennessee” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster and trailer for Truman & Tennessee can be found here.  Truman and Tennessee are, of course, Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams.  I don’t know much about either man other than they were considered great writers. They created excellent books (Capote) and plays (Williams) which in turn led to excellent movies.  I didn’t often see either of the men on talk shows because I was too young to be interested, but I have seen the movies made from their work.  I’d like to know more about these creatives and so I look forward to seeing Truman & Tennessee.

A story of two of the greatest writers of the past century examined in a dialogue that stretches from their early days of friendship to their final, unsparing critiques of each other.

Sly Stallone is Posting on the StalloneZone… Now.

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Sly Stallone is posting on the StalloneZone message board.  How this all came about is kind of funny… now.  You see before everything was worked out, I actually blocked Sly’s ability to post here even after he had posted a few messages.

No, I’m not crazy.  Let me explain.

On April 12th a SZ message board member using the screenname “Barney Ross” posted a couple of messages signing off as Sly Stallone.  Over the 25 years since I started the StalloneZone this has happened from time to time.  Someone will come on the message board and claim to be Sly, one of Sly’s personal friends or business partners.  We’ve always blocked these imposters’ posts.

That’s not to say we haven’t had contact with Sly, Frank, Sage or Kevin King.  We have, but they have always made it clear it was them and we verified the info before we posted it.  Heck, I was even asked by Sly’s team to run the Official Rocky Balboa Movie Blog and I gladly did that.

But back to April 12th…

After seeing the posts, I private messaged “Barney Ross” and asked him to not sign off as if he was Sylvester Stallone.  I then see him post again signing off as S. Stallone.  So I checked his profile.  “Barney Ross” had been a member for over a decade and never posted.  There were a few other reasons that made me think he was an imposter.  I sent him another message to not sign off as if he was Sylvester Stallone  or he would be blocked from posting.  “Barney Ross” then posted a public message saying, that he really was S. Stallone and I could ask him anything.”  At that point, I was like, “I’ve been down this road before” and blocked him from posting.

The next morning I see this message from Sly’s Official Twitter account: @craigzablo you blocked me from the site, s stallone???? I was under the name BARNEY ….

You can imagine how I felt.  I also had an e-mail from one of my official Stallone contacts.  He asked why I had blocked Sly from posting.

Of course I unblocked Sly immediately and explained to everyone the situation.

When I started the StalloneZone in 1996 my goal was to create a place for Sylvester Stallone fans to get the latest news and interact. We’ve weeded out the trolls and those who want to be negative.  I’ve made every effort to not post rumors and to verify sources.

And that is why I blocked Sly from posting.  Yeah, I’ve been getting the business from friends and family for blocking the very man I created the site to honor.  But no harm, no foul.

Sly is posting on the StalloneZone… now.  ; )

RIP – Felix Silla

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Felix Silla, whose acting career spanned 55 years, died yesterday after after a battle with pancreatic cancer.  While you may not instantly recognize Felix Silla’s name, you’ll be surprised at the number of roles you saw him play.

One of his most famous was as Cousin Itt in the tv series The Adams Family.  That wasn’t the only popular show that featured an appearance by Felix Silla.  He also had roles on: Bonanza, The Monkees, Petticoat Junction, The Girl from UNCLE and Star Trek.  Sila appeared in the movies Point Blank and Planet of the Apes.  He followed those roles as a regular cast member of HR Puffinstuff.

Other television highlights include: Bewitched, Night Gallery, Mary Hartman, Battlestar Gallactica, a regular role on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Mork & Mindy, and Married with Children.  Movie highlights include: The Black Bird, Demon Seed, Kentucky Fried Movie, Under the Rainbow, The Sting II, Meatballs II, Spaceballs and Batman Returns.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Felix Silla’s family, friends and fans.

Elvis Presley’s Graceland – Facts You Might Not Know!

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I like Elvis Presley’s music and maybe even a few of his movies.  So I’m not what you’d call an Elvis fanatic, but truth be told, I wouldn’t mind visiting Graceland.  There’d be something cool to be able to walk around in Elvis’ mansion (now a tourist hot spot) that has been kept like it was when Elvis lived there.  

Ellen Gutoskey posted 9 Rockin’ Facts About Elvis Presley’s Graceland and it was a fun read.  Before you click over for the full story, here are my three favorites…

ELVIS BOUGHT GRACELAND WHEN HE WAS ONLY 22 YEARS OLD.  (Elvis paid $102,500.00 for the mansion and almost 14 acres of land.  $102,500 in 1957 dollars equals $950,127.58 in 2021.  That shows you how popular and how much dough Elvis was bringing in at such an early stage in his career.  – Craig)

GRACELAND’S JUNGLE ROOM DOUBLED AS A RECORDING STUDIO.  (This is probably the most famous room in the mansion.  Elvis recorded his second to last studio album in the Jungle Room.  It’s cool to know that John Cougar Mellencamp, Kid Rock, and Lisa Marie Presley (Elvis’ daughter) also recorded albums in the Jungle Room. – Craig)

ELVIS KEPT GRACELAND’S KITCHEN STOCKED WITH VERY SPECIFIC ITEMS.  (A lot has been made over the years of Elvis’ love for fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches.  Other items that Elvis wanted to always be available included: banana pudding, ingredients for meatloaf, fudge cookies, fresh orange juice, ice cream, brownies, shredded coconut, hot dogs, ground round steak, biscuits, and gum. 

Looking at that list I’d  say: banana pudding only if it contained Nilla Wafers, meatloaf is a good idea for leftover sandwiches, I’d substitute chocolate chip for fudge cookies, fresh orange juice is good but with Elvis money I would have a McDonald’s Iced French Vanilla Coffee maker installed, ice cream is a must and make sure we have Hershey’s syrup, brownies are a big YES, pass on the shredded coconut, yes to hot dogs (all beef), yes to ground round steak, big YES to biscuits and pass on the gum. – Craig)