Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Bravo to whoever cut the trailer for Paul McCartney x Rick Rubin. It has made me want to see this documentary series now!
Paul McCartney x Rick Rubin – A forthcoming documentary event
Coming Soon
The Twilight Zone New Year’s Eve Marathon has been a tradition for years at the Zablo house. We’ve alternated binge watching to checking in on favorite episodes depending on our mood. Shadow & Substance (an excellent Rod Serling fan site) has the full schedule. Before you click over to check it out, let me suggest some favorite Twilight Zone episodes…
Thursday, December 31, 2020
6:00pm – Time Enough At Last
7:30pm – The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
9:30pm – The Howling Man
10:00pm – Eye of the Beholder
11:30pm – The Invaders
Friday, January 1, 2021
2:00pm – The Shelter
3:30pm – The Grave
6:30pm – Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?
8:00pm – The Midnight Sun
9:00pm – To Serve Man
10:00pm – Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
Below is a rare performance by The Beatles on Shindig (in stereo and color)! Unless you were alive when the Beatles hit big, you cannot imagine their impact.
Rob Hunter at Film School Rejects presents 32 Things We Learned from the ‘Blade‘ Commentary. As always, before you click over, here are my three favorites and thoughts on each…
“I’ve found that American action films rely more on spectacle,” says Snipes, “but action films from other countries don’t do it that way.” He adds that international action is often embedded into “the emotional state and intent of the character.” (Snipes is right. Too many of our movies these days rely on big special effects. I prefer a movie that focuses on, as Snipes said, “the emotional state and intent of the character.” – Craig)
A deleted conversation from the script explained how Blade’s sword originally belonged to Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) who himself was part of a long line of vampire hunters. (It was smart to drop that. The “long line of vampire hunters” bit is just too cliche. – Craig)
Norrington wanted Kristofferson for the role as he was “the cool grandfather, grungy type of fighting, jolly type of a guy.” Goyer actually wrote the character, though, with Samuel Fuller in mind. (I’m not a big fan of Blade but loved Blade II. With that said, Kristofferson was a great addition to the movie and one of the things I liked best about it. – Craig)
Pulp Fiction is arguably Quentin Tarantino’s best film. I’ve been thinking it’s about time for another viewing of it. Paul Schrodt’s 12 Things to Look for While Watching Pulp Fiction makes me want to watch it even more. Before you click over to Schrodt’s piece, here are three of my favorites and my thoughts on each.
SAMUEL L. JACKSON’S FAVORITE BIBLE VERSE DOESN’T EXIST. (I was surprised when I first learned that Tarantino basically made up Jackson’s biblical quote. Jackson really sold it for that scene and I wonder how many people believe the quote is right from the bible. – Craig)
JACK RABBIT SLIM’S IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS. (I remember when there was talk of Jack Rabbit Slim’s being turned into a real chain of joints. I was excited about the idea and thought it would work. I know I would have patronized them. Sadly the venture never became reality. – Craig)
NO ONE FULLY UNDERSTANDS PULP FICTION’S “GIMP” SEQUENCE. (I vividly remember seeing this scene for the first time and just being blown away. What the – ? Did we cross over into another film? Another dimension? I’ve come to like the unexpected, unexplainable aspect of it. Sometimes things happen that don’t make sense, that we couldn’t have predicted and that can have terrible consequences. – Craig)
Source: Mental Floss.
The poster and trailer for The Minimalists are here.
This documentary really interests me. I have a collector’s mentality. I collect movies (VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray, Laser Disc), comic books, novels, Stallone-related items, original art and stuff. It’s sometimes hard to let things go.
I have trimmed my comic collection waaay down. These days I keep very few and trade the others in. I do have 6 book shelves of graphic novels (some of which I still haven’t read).
A few years ago my wife and I began to trade in novels that we didn’t think we’d want to re-read. With that said, thanks to the COVID pandemic, we currently have 8 packing boxes of novels to trade in. I have 7 book cases of novels that I am keeping (including dozens of books still to be read) and my wife has another 2 book cases.
I got rid of all my laser disc movies. In the garage I have storage bins of VHS movies that I haven’t watched in years. I have a bin of record albums. I got rid of my album cassettes. I have quite a few music cds and dvds / Blu-ray movies.
I have many photo albums of Stallone articles, press kits and boxes of memorabilia including movie scripts, books, sculptures and other collector’s items.
Yeah, I think I better watch The Minimalists.
They’ve built a movement out of minimalism. Longtime friends Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus share how our lives can be better with less. Directed by Matt D’Avella.
Mike Kunda is a super Rocky fan, the #1 Rocky impersonator in the world and the owner of the Yo Philly! Rocky Film Tour. Recently Mike posted several seldom seen LeRoy Neiman sketches from behind the scenes filming of Rocky movies. They were too good not to share.
LeRoy Neiman is considered the most famous sports artist in the world. His painting of Rocky used in Rocky III is without a doubt his most famous Rocky art, but it isn’t the only Rocky art Neiman created. In addition, to finished paintings, Neiman created preliminary sketches like the ones above of Drago slugging Rocky and Rocky in a defensive stance.
I love this sketch that Neiman labeled, Face Hit Two, Rocky II, c. 1980. It was created using felt pen, acrylic, ink and pencil.
Neiman titled this Round XV, Rocky IV created in Vancouver, BC. May 1, 1985.
As you can see above, even the movie call sheet was material for a quick sketch of Carl Weathers as Apollo Creed!
LeRoy Neiman was always a dashing figure (and seldom seen without a cigar). Here he is seen creating more prelim sketches for Rocky IV art.
The photo above was turned into a Neiman Rocky IV painting that is rarely seen!
I love the amount of details that appear in this loose LeRoy Neiman prelim that he labeled: Sylvester Stallone in Rocky IV, May 1, 1985. felt, pen and acrylic on paper. 20 1/4 x 26 in. 51.4 x 66 cm.
Above is a Neiman sketch he titled, Sly, Rocky II, March 13, 1990.
Thanks again to Mike Kunda for sharing these finds. If you’d like to see more of LeRoy Neiman’s amazing artwork, please check out his official site.
Samuel L. Jackson is an actor that always makes a movie better. Michele Debczak posted 10 Fascinating Facts About Samuel L. Jackson at Mental Floss. Before you click over, here are three of my favorites with my thoughts on each…
SAMUEL L. JACKSON WAS AN USHER AT MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.’S FUNERAL. (This surprised me because I didn’t think Jackson would have been old enough to be an usher at Martin Luther King, Jr.’s funeral. – Craig)
SAMUEL L. JACKSON WAS A STAND-IN ON THE COSBY SHOW. (Oh, from such humble beginnings… – Craig)
SAMUEL L. JACKSON IS THE HIGHEST GROSSING ACTOR OF ALL TIME. (This also surprised me. I would have guessed Tom Cruise, Stallone, Schwarzenegger or the Rock would have been ahead of SLJ. – Craig)
Let me take you back to the days when there was no cable tv, no streaming services and except for the rare local channel or two, your choices were CBS, NBC and ABC. There were no DVRs, heck there weren’t even VHS machines yet. (And stay off my lawn!)
In those days a new tv movie that you really wanted to see was a big deal. You had to make sure you were home to watch it! As a kid growing up in those times, Kolchak: The Night Stalker was one of those must-see tv movies.
The Night Stalker premiered in January 1972. I was 13 and fit the perfect demographic for a modern day vampire tale. I wasn’t the only one. When the ratings came in, it turned out that most of the viewing audience that night was watching! This led to another Kolchak tv movie and an on-going tv series.
And that brings us to Me-TV’s 11 Reasons ‘Kolchak: The Night Stalker‘ is the Coolest, Creepiest Show on 1970s Television. Sadly the post is no longer available. But here are three of my favorite trivia items from the article and a thought on each.
There was an unmade third TV movie, ‘The Night Killers.’ (I really liked the first movie and can’t remember much about the second. I’d like to see both again. – Craig)
Horror and sci-fi legend Richard Matheson wrote the two TV movies… but was skeptical of the series. (I wasn’t a fan of the tv series. The monster of the week idea just didn’t work for me at the time. I would have rather seen a series of Kolchak movies or story arcs that would involve a monster(s) for a longer period of time. – Craig)
Darren McGavin did a little bit of everything for the show. (According to the piece, McGavin assisted in every way possible to make the series work, but became frustrated and was excused from his contract early. Seems like Matheson was right that the “monster of the week” idea just wouldn’t work. – Craig)
Liam Neeson is back as The Marksman. I like the looks of this one. Check out the trailer and see if you agree.
Hardened Arizona rancher Jim Hanson (Liam Neeson) simply wants to be left alone as he fends off eviction notices and tries to make a living on an isolated stretch of borderland. But everything changes when Hanson, an ex-Marine sharpshooter, witnesses 11-year-old migrant Miguel (Jacob Perez) fleeing with his mother Rosa (Teresa Ruiz) from drug cartel assassins led by the ruthless Mauricio (Juan Pablo Raba). After being caught in a shoot-out, a dying Rosa begs Jim to take her son to safety to her family in Chicago. Defying his cop daughter Sarah (Katheryn Winnick), Jim sneaks Miguel out of the local U.S. Customs and Border Patrol station and together, they hit the road with the group of killers in pursuit. Jim and Miguel slowly begin to overcome their differences and begin to forge an unlikely friendship, while Mauricio and his fellow assassins blaze a cold-blooded trail, hot on their heels. When they finally meet on a Midwestern farm, a fight to the death ensues as Jim uses his military skills and code of honor to defend the boy he’s come to love.
The poster and trailer for Stallone: Frank, That Is, is here. I’m looking forward to seeing this one. My guess, is you are as well.
The official trailer for Stallone: Frank, That Is.
An inside look into the fascinating life, career and survival of the most unknown famous entertainer in Hollywood
Frank Stallone has seen it all. Frank Stallone has done it all. But, who is Frank Stallone?
You know the name, now discover the Grammy and Golden Globe nominated singer, songwriter, musician and actor who has been entertaining audiences for over fifty years, all the while living in a giant shadow.
Often regarded as “Rocky’s brother” and long living in Sylvester Stallone’s giant shadow, Frank Stallone has spent more than 50 years carving out a career as a multi-faceted entertainer.
This is one of the best (and most inspired) DeepFake videos yet. Hats off to Brian Monarch.
Thanks to StalloneZoner, Steve Reeves for the heads-up!
For more deepfake videos, please follow on insta at BrianMonarch 🙂
They did make a movie before The Expendables and Escape Plan! Haha… Check out Arnold and Sly in this classic scene from Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times!
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published in the United States between 1925 and 1977, inclusive, without a copyright notice.
Fig Leaf Rag – distressed by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/…
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-…
Artist: http://incompetech.com/
Evan Saathoff at /Film ranked all of the Rocky/Creed movies in his post Butkus to Punchy: Ranking All 8 ‘Rocky’ Movies from Worst to Best. Here is a comparison of his order with my rankings and thoughts about each.
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Saathoff |
Zablo |
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8. Rocky IV: “…is silly fun, a skeleton of a film held together through a series of montages. Candy is cool, but you shouldn’t make a meal of it.” |
8. Rocky V: I totally agree that binging Rocky back to the street level was a good idea. Fans hated Rocky has to lose everything to get him there, so it was a tough needle to thread. I also think that Sly’s Rocky mannerisms go to over the top in spots. |
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7. Rocky V: “…Bringing Rocky back to the street level is a good decision, though much of the film feels like a superfluous dry run for both Rocky Balboa and Creed (if you love those films, Rocky V is kind of a necessary beast).” |
7. Rocky IV: is very much a product of the 80s with the music and montages. I’ve grown to appreciate Rocky IV even more because it sets up the return of Drago in Creed II and we get to see the results of Rocky’s win in IV from Drago’s perspective. |
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6. Creed II: “ …the film runs through a mild remake of Rocky II and leads to a good training montage.” |
6. Rocky II: Rocky II is a worthy follow-up to Rocky. Sly in the director’s chair! |
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5. Rocky II: “…Rocky II is special for other reasons. It’s the last bit of “human” Rocky Balboa we’ll see for a while. “ |
5. Creed II: Some fans were upset that an altercation between Rocky and Drago that was filmed didn’t make the final cut of the movie. I may be in the minority, but I don’t think the scene was needed. |
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4. Rocky III: “…He’s transformed from a street-level thug to full-on Stallone megastardom. He’s still Rocky, but you have to use your imagination. |
4. Creed: Saathoff’s summary of Creed is perfectly stated. I couldn’t agree more. |
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3. Rocky Balboa: “…In 2006, the idea of making an old man Rocky movie was a joke. Yet here comes Stallone, visibly aged and hurting from a long string of flops, delivering the second best film to wear the Rocky title.” |
3. Rocky Balboa Never under-estimate or doubt Sly Sallone. Despite all odds, Sly brought back Rocky and showed that there was more to his story! |
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2. Creed: “…the greatest thing happened: a creative handoff to a young and hungry talent capable of seeing the character through new eyes. Ryan Coogler managed the impossible with 2015’s Creed, which simultaneously started a new franchise while offering a deeply respectful seventh entry to Stallone’s. Creed is very much a sequel to Rocky Balboa and yet yields Balboa to a main character who seems his opposite: cocky, smart and brash.” |
2. Rocky III Rocky is transformed from a street-level, journeyman fighter into a world champion celebrity and I loved it! |
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1. Rocky: “…No number of decades or sequels can dull the feeling of triumph Rocky delivers in its final moments. It’s one of those rare films that make you cry because you’re happy rather than upset.“ |
1. Rocky I’m simply going to go with Saathoff’s quote: “No number of decades or sequels can dull the feeling of triumph Rocky delivers.” |
Happy Thanksgiving! Greeting above created by John Rivoli of Icons In Art!
Rob Hunter at Film School Rejects posted 31 Things We Learned from Michael Mann’s ‘Collateral‘ Commentary. Before you click over, here are three of my favorites…
One of the big reasons why he chose to make Collateral was the way Stuart Beattie’s script captures an entire story in a very short period of time. The whole movie is “like the third act of a traditional drama.” He likes how it doesn’t go backward to offer more detail into these characters’ lives, and instead we’re just catching them at this moment. (I like movies that movie in real time or that all the action takes place during a short, specific time frame. Movies with those parameters seems to really move and probably because of necessity to get the story told. – Craig)
Vincent is being intentionally rude upon first entering Max’s cab, but it’s not because he’s a jerk — he’s testing Max to see if he’s a man with an aggressive streak. Had he been, Vincent would have quickly changed cabs. (And we just thought Vincent was rude. It’s these little touches that make viewing a movie repeatedly fun. – Craig)
He and Cruise worked out where exactly Vincent came from, and while nearly none of it is mentioned in the film their collaborative backstory is pretty detailed. “If he was in a foster home for part of his childhood, and he was back in public school at age 11, that would have been sometime in the 70s. He would have been dressed very awkwardly. He would’ve probably been ostracized ’cause he’d have looked odd. We postulated an alcoholic, abusive father who was culturally very progressive, he was probably part of Ed Sadlowski’s Steelworkers Local, he was a Vietnam veteran, he had friends who were African-American on the South side of Chicago. The Checkerboard Lounge is thirty minutes away on the Calumet Skyway. The father was probably an aficionado of jazz. There was a great jazz scene on the South side of Chicago, but it’s almost as if the father blamed the son for what happened to the mother. The father never tutored the boy in jazz…” And so on. (Look at the attention to detail! Funny thing is there are other actors who’d be like, let’s do the scene, I don’t need the background stuff. – Craig)
