Moreno’s “Rambo: Last Blood” Poster!
Reader readers are familiar with Gerardo Moreno’s art. So they won’t be surprised at how cool his latest piece is. Impressed, yes, but not surprised.
Category: Celebs
Justin Bieber vs Tom Cruise + Conor McGregor vs Mark Wahlberg – Craig’s Thoughts
So Justin Bieber issued a challenge to fight Tom Cruise in a cage match.
Any way you look at this…
If Bieber did it for free publicity…
If Bieber thinks Tom Cruise is a real fighter because of his movies…
If Bieber believes he is a tough guy and wants to prove it by fighting Tom Cruise, an actor who is more than twice as old as Bieber…
…it is just plain stupid.
If Bieber wants to prove he’s a tough guy, then he should challenge someone known for fighting like say, Nate Diaz. Nate would probably show up at any location for free if Bieber called him out.
How could this get any dumber?
Oh, boy. I shouldn’t have asked.
So Conor McGregor, the former UFC Champion and now also a sports and entertainment promoter has offered to promote/host the Bieber vs Cruise fight should it ever happen. If it wasn’t for the fact that McGregor is already known for saying outrageous things and looking for free publicity where he can get it, I’d say he should know better than to get involved in something so stupid.
Well, at least McGregor didn’t go full on stupid and challenge an actor to a cage fight.
Are you kidding me?
So McGregor has upped the ante and challenged actor Mark Walhberg to a cage fight? For my thoughts on this please refer back above to “Any way you look at this…” and substitute McGregor’s name for Bieber and Wahlberg’s name for Cruise.
I also offer the same suggestion as to an alternate fight — McGregor should challenge Nate Diaz to a cage match. They’ve already fought twice with each man winning once, so a third time would make sense.
Hey! I’ve got an idea: How about Bieber and McGregor fight each other? McGregor could promote it and each of them would get what they want. Bieber would get a chance to prove he’s a tough guy. McGregor would get to fight a celebrity.
The reality is of course that Bieber would get knocked out. McGregor would be ridiculed for taking the fight and hardly anyone would tune in.
You know I started by saying that Bieber challenging Cruise was stupid. I still think it is, but I will say this, Bieber is sure getting the publicity. The news of his challenge is blowing up everywhere. Heck, in all my years of blogging, I’ve never mentioned Bieber even once. Yet today I’ve devoted a long post to him.
Well played, Justin Bieber. Well played.
“Alfred Hitchcock Presents” Trivia
Jake Rossen and Mental Floss present 10 Facts About Alfred Hitchcock Presents. I love AHP… especially the half hour episodes. Here are my top three facts from a very good list…
5. IT COULD HAVE BEEN TITLED HENRY SLESAR PRESENTS.
Alfred Hitchcock Presents drew primarily from published short stories it optioned from writers. One such author, Henry Slesar, was a frequent contributor to Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, the monthly short story collection that had the director’s endorsement. When producer Norman Lloyd realized the prolific Slesar and three other authors had a story in the magazine every month, he invited all four of them out to California for a meeting about writing teleplays based on their stories. According to Lloyd, only Slesar showed up. This was because the other three writers were all his pseudonyms. Slesar ended up writing 55 scripts for the series, the most of any contributor.
3. HITCHCOCK’S DIRECT INVOLVEMENT IN THE SERIES WAS VERY LIMITED.
In style and substance, Alfred Hitchcock Presents shares a lot in common with Hitchcock’s films, particularly the scheming characters with murder on the mind in 1948’s Rope and 1951’s Strangers on a Train. Despite the Hitchcock aesthetic, his direct involvement in the show was limited. Because he was so busy with his movie career, he was convinced by MCA executive Lew Wasserman that lending his name and likeness to the series would not take up much of his time. Producers and frequent Hitchcock collaborators Joan Harrison and Norman Lloyd handled most of the production chores, though Hitchcock did direct 17 episodes over the course of the series. The director later said his supervision of the show extended to delivering “fatherly words of advice without trying to usurp their position.”Viewers, however, seemed to infer he wrote and directed much of what they saw, sending fan letters to the director stating as much. While his effort was not as significant as they believed, it proved to be lucrative. Hitchcock drew a reported $129,000 per episode from CBS and sponsor Bristol-Myers.
8. ONE EPISODE WAS DEEMED TOO GRUESOME TO AIR.
While none of the criminal deeds depicted in Alfred Hitchcock Presents were explicit, one episode in season 7 written by Psycho author Robert Bloch inferred something so disturbing that it was kept off the air by NBC. (Spoilers follow.) In “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” a boy who dreams of becoming a magician is coerced into murdering his stage idol by the performer’s cheating spouse. She convinces him to do it by telling the boy—who is none too quick of mind—that he will absorb her husband’s “powers” once the deed is done. He believes it, and proceeds to saw her in half despite not having much of an idea about how the illusion is actually supposed to work. At the conclusion, Hitchcock makes a characteristically grim observation that the scheming widow must be “beside herself.” The episode later ran in syndication.
Sly Stallone Cancels Keystone Comic Con Appearance
Sly Stallone was scheduled to be a guest at the Keystone Comic Con, August 23rd – 25th at the Philly Convention Center. Unfortunately Sly has had to cancel. See the announcement from Keystone Comic Con below.
Thomas Boatwright, Cobra and Pizza!
Today we have a video of Thomas Boatwright creating a watercolor Stallone as Cobra sketch for me. I was surprised at how much Boatwright knew about Sly and Cobra. As always, I love the Boatwright’s art. You can see more of it here.
Sly Stallone Starring in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” Video!
Most fans of this site have probably seen the poster for Stallone in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. (You definitely did if you saw Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Last Action Hero.) Now, thanks to Ctrl Shift Face we can see what the Stallone Terminator 2 movie would have looked like.
Oh, and if you like the Stallone Terminator 2: Judgment Day poster, click on it to see a apocalyptic-sized version.
Shot by Shot with the “Rambo: Last Blood” Trailer!
Samantha Olthof at Film School Rejects takes us through Shot by Shot with the Rambo: Last Blood Trailer. I did catch something I missed in the trailer – Rambo coming up out of the ground during the attack on his property. Check and out and see if there’s anything you missed.
‘John Wick’ Franchise Director Chad Stahelski Interview
Jack Giroux at /Film has an interesting interview with John Wick 3 director, Chad Stahelski. It’s worth a read and here are a couple of tidbits to whet your appetite before you click over…
They call it the curse of the sequel. They love the first movie because it’s original, but by its very nature, the sequel can’t be original in the same way as the first one is because it’s a sequel [Laughs]. So how do you become original, how do you keep the audience invested in what they love and at the same time, show them something new? They want to see it again, but they don’t want you to repeat exactly.
Same with backstory. Halle [Berry] can look at John with the anger, the love, and the look and stoicism and still agree to help, and that should tell you there’s something there. I don’t need her to say, “I love you. We were together for five years.” If you’ve gotta say that, you got the wrong cast or you’ve gotta drop the writers.
Click over and get your John Wick 3 fix!
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) / Z-View
John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum (2019)
Director: Chad Stahelski
Screenplay: Derek Kolstad and Shay Hatten and Chris Collins & Marc Abrams from a story by Derek Kolstad
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, Mark Dacascos, Asia Kate Dillon, Lance Reddick and Anjelica Huston.
The Pitch: “It’s time for the sequel”
Tagline: “Tick Tock, Mr. Wick”
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
John Wick [Reeves] is on the run after killing a member of the High Table on neutral ground. With a $14 million bounty on his head, there’s danger at every turn. Wick has a plan, but for it to work, he’ll have to fight his way out of the city and to the one person who can provide a possible option for his life. The odds are against any of it working, but then again, this is John Wick we’re talking about.
The John Wick series is the best movie franchise in years. Each new chapter (film) really feels like an extension of the previous films. In other franchises each film often feels like a step up or slightly different world. John Wick 3 raises the bar for action and provides a broader view of Wick’s world. The new cast members (Berry, Dacascos and Dillon) are perfectly cast.
If you liked John Wick 1 and 2, you’ll dig Chapter 3. They’ve already set a release date for John Wick 4 and that’s May 21, 2021.
Rating:
Check Out This Marshall Rogers’ Batman Gallery!
It’s no secret that Marshall Rogers was (and remains) one of the best Batman artists ever. What may be a secret is that Black, White and Bronze recently posted a Marshall Rogers Batman Gallery that is worth a look.
RIP – Leon Redbone
Leon Redbone, the singer-songwriter known for his sense of humor and songs performed in the musical styles of the 1920’s has died at the age of 69.
Redbone’s website announced his passing with the following…
“It is with heavy hearts we announce that early this morning, May 30th, 2019, Leon Redbone crossed the delta for that beautiful shore at the age of 127. He departed our world with his guitar, his trusty companion Rover, and a simple tip of his hat. He’s interested to see what Blind Blake, Emmett, and Jelly Roll have been up to in his absence, and has plans for a rousing sing along number with Sári Barabás. An eternity of pouring through texts in the Library of Ashurbanipal will be a welcome repose, perhaps followed by a shot or two of whiskey with Lee Morse, and some long overdue discussions with his favorite Uncle, Suppiluliuma I of the Hittites. To his fans, friends, and loving family who have already been missing him so in this realm he says, ‘Oh behave yourselves. Thank you…. and good evening everybody.’”
I first became aware of Leon Redbone from his performance on Saturday Night Live. I loved that he was so willing to do his own thing in a style no one else (at least to my knowledge) was doing. Redbone went on to create albums, provide songs for movies and do voice work for movies and television.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.
The “Rambo: Last Blood” Poster and Teaser Trailer are Here!
The poster and trailer for Rambo: Last Blood are here.
Check ’em out and let me know what you think. As for me, I like what we’re seeing today and have been seeing on Sly’s Instagram. Rambo: Last Blood seems like a natural progression from the previous Rambo movies. I can’t wait for September 20th.
The “47 Meters Down: Uncaged” Poster and Trailer are Here!
The 47 Meters Down: Uncaged poster and trailer are here. Stallone fans should note that Sistine Stallone is one of the stars of the movie.
27 Things We Learned from Brian Helgeland’s ‘Payback’ Commentary
Rob Hunter and Film School Rejects present 27 Things We Learned from Brian Helgeland’s ‘Payback’ Commentary. But first some background…
Payback is one of the very rare films that has more than one version available. Brian Helgeland was fired from the film when he refused to make changes ordered by the studio. The studio then ordered additional scenes changing the tone and ending of the film. That version was released to great success both theatrically and on video/dvd. And thanks to the video/dvd market, Helgeland was able to have his version released and it was also successful. I have both versions in my collection and like both.
With all that said, here are my three favorites from Helgeland’s commentary:
12. He was in post-production on this film the night of the Academy Awards, and having been nominated for his L.A. Confidential (1997) script he really hoped he would be named the winner. “I knew that they were getting close to finally removing me off this movie,” and he thought winning the Oscar would mean they couldn’t fire him. He won, Sean Connery tussled his hair backstage while congratulating him, and that was his Sunday night. “And on Tuesday I got fired. So much for the magic of an Academy Award.”
13. Walter Matthau handed him his Oscar. Matthau starred in Charley Varrick (1973). The restaurant scene at 32:53 was filmed in a place called Varricks.
17. An early teaser strung together the film’s funnier scenes, and both audiences and the studio responded favorably. He protested and was told by the marketing department that “what it is is one thing, and selling it is another thing.” The studio clearly wished the movie “was more like our trailer, and I didn’t know it at first but it became this struggle for what the heart of the movie was about.” Re-shoots began leaning heavily toward the teaser’s tone, and the writing was on the wall.
