Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Andrew Charipar is a Florida artist that I met going to conventions throughout the state. Andrew was always friendly. Getting a sketch at any show Andrew attended was mandatory.
In addition to his work as an artist, Andrew owns and manages Misfit Corner Comics in Jacksonville, Florida.
Here we have Andrew’s take on Sly Stallone as the Toymaker from Spy Kids 3D!
Landman: Season 2 – The Trailer is Here.
I cannot wait!
Landman Season 2 Returns Nov. 16 on Paramount+
Set in the boomtowns of Texas, Landman (starring Billy Bob Thornton) is a modern tale of fortune seeking amongst roughnecks and billionaires in the world of oil.
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Ali Larter, Michael Peña, Jon Hamm, Demi Moore
City on Fire (1987)
Director: Ringo Lam
Screenplay: Tommy Sham; story by Ringo Lam
Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Yueh Sun, Danny Lee.
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
Ko Chow is an undercover cop who has infiltrated a group of jewel thieves. When a robbery goes sideways, people are killed. The crooks barely get away. The cops aren’t far behind. The thieves think someone ratted them out. The cops want them all dead or alive.
Ko Chow is in a tight spot… and it’s getting tighter.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
City on Fire provided the inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs.
Chow Yun-Fat and Danny Lee would re-team two years later in John Woo’s The Killer.
City on Fire (1987) rates 3 of 5 stars
Rating:
Kurt Brugel is a freelance artist. When I saw he was taking commissions for quick studies, I jumped on board for a few. Here we have his take on Sly Stallone as Dean “The Dean” Stevens from the underrated movie Shade. Brugel shows Stallone drawing a winning hand. Brugel drew a winner as well.
It was announced that Graham Greene died today after a long illness. Mr. Greene was 73.
Graham Greene was born in in Ohsweken, Ontario on the Six Nations Reserve. Before he began his career as an actor Mr. Greene worked as a draftsman, steelworker, welder and audio technician for rock bands.
In the 1970s, Graham Greene began appearing professionally in plays in both Canada and England. In 1979, Mr. Greene made his television debut appearing in the Canadian series The Great Detective. In 1983, Graham Greene appeared in the feature film Running Brave starring Robby Benson.
Graham Greene’s career included multiple awards for his work. Examples include awards for his work in…
Some of the television projects that feature Graham Greene include: The Great Detective; Read All About It!; Adderly; Street Legal; Captain Power and the Soldiers of Fortune; Spirit Bay (2 episodes); The Campbells (3 episodes); 9B (5 episodes); L.A. Law; Cooperstown; North of 60; The Wild West; Northern Exposure (5 episodes); Spirit Rider; Murder, She Wrote (2 episodes); Lonesome Dove: The Series (3 episodes); 500 Nations (3 episodes); Happily Ever After; Liberty Street; Jake and the Kid; Heritage Minutes; The Outer Limits; Poltergeist the Legacy; Dead Man’s Gun; The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon (17 episodes); PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal; Safe Harbor; First Wave; Trial by Fire; Big Wolf on Campus; Christmas in the Clouds; Cover Me: Based on the True Life of a F.B.I. Family (4 episodes); Canada: A People’s History (3 episodes); Wolf Lake (10 episodes); The New Beachcombers; Skinwalkers: The Navajo Mysteries (2 episodes); Mister Sterling; A Thief of Time; Coyote Waits; Freedom: A History of the U.S. (3 episodes); Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion (2 episodes); A Beachcombers Christmas; The Collector; Into the West; Numbers; The Red Green Show (27 episodes); The War that Made America; This is Wonderland; Tales of an Urban Indian; Living in Your Car; Being Erica (5 episodes); Caution: May Contain Nuts; Family Tree; Defiance (28 episodes); Longmire (12 episodes); Riverdale; Detour (3 episodes); Project Blue Book; Goliath (8 episodes); American Gods (2 episodes); 1883; The Last of Us; Reservation Dogs (3 episodes); Bones of the Crows: The Series; Echo (5 episodes) and Tulsa King.
Some of Graham Greene’s feature film appearances include: Running Brave; Powwow Highway; Where the Spirit Lives; Dances with Wolves; Clearcut; The Last of His Tribe; Thunderheart; Maverick; Die Hard with a Vengeance; The Education of Little Tree; Grey Owl; The Green Mile; Lost and Delirious; Skins; Punch and Judy; Transamerica; Breakfast with Scott; Seattle’s Loch Ness: The Lake Washington Sea Monster; Corner Gas: The Movie; Te Ata; Wind River; Molly’s Game; The Performance; The Great Salish Heist; The Birds Who Fear Death; Sweet Summer Powwow; The Protector; Protectors of the Land and Paige Darcy: Reluctant Detective.
I first saw Graham Greene is his Academy Award-nominated performance in Dances with Wolves. What an impact he made. From that point on whenever Mr. Greene appeared on screen, there was added gravitas. I loved Graham Greene in everything. Some of my favorite performances besides Dances with Wolves include those on Longmire; Die Hard with a Vengeance; Thunderheart; The Last of Us and of course Tulsa King.
Out thoughts and prayers go out to Graham Greene’s family, friends and fans.
Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969)
Director: Burt Kennedy
Screenplay: William Bowers
Stars: James Garner, Joan Hackett, Walter Brennan, Harry Morgan, Jack Elam, Henry Jones, Willis Bouchey, Gene Evans, Walter Burke, Kathleen Freeman, Dick Haynes and Bruce Dern.
Tagline: Our trouble-shooting sheriff always put his finger on it (or in it). No wonder they call him The Fastest Finger in the West.
The Plot…
When gold is discovered in the small settlement of Calendar, it becomes a lawless boom town overnight. Every sheriff the city council hires is either killed or leaves in a hurry. The townsfolk find themselves at the mercy of the Danby family who own the property surrounding Calendar.
When Joe Danby kills a man over a card game, only Jason McCullough is willing to testify that it was murder. McCullough is just passing through, but in need of money. So when he’s offered the sheriff’s job, he accepts.
McCullough is as quick with his wits as he is with a gun. He’ll need to use both since he’s sheriff of a town full of drunken miners, a jail with no bars, a cold blooded murder for a prisoner and the Danby family out for revenge. McCullough’s biggest problem may be the mayor’s daughter Purdy.
Giddy up!
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
I saw Support Your Local Sheriff when it was first released. I was ten. Seeing it again brings back great memories. Support Your Local Sheriff has the right mix of action and humor. James Garner was perfect as the gunslinger who’d rather use his wits than his gun.
Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969) rates 5 of 5 stars
In 2012, I went to MegaCon and my main purpose was to get a sketch from Wilfredo Torres. I was lucky enough to be first on his sketch list. Wilfredo opted to draw Stallone as Cobra.
Finally, in 2025, the stars aligned and I was able to get on Wilfredo’s advance sketch list for HeroesCon. I asked for Stallone from Tulsa King and Wilfredo came through royally.
The Wire: Season 3 (2004)
Created by: David Simon
Teleplay by:
Directed by: Ed Bianchi (ep. 1); Steve Shill (ep. 2); Rob Bailey (ep. 3); Ernest Dickerson (eps. 4, 12); Dan Attias (ep. 5); Leslie Libman (ep.6); Tim Van Patten (ep. 7); Agnieszka Holland (ep. 8); Alex Zakrzewski (ep. 9); Christine Moore (ep. 10); Joe Chappelle (ep. 11)
Stars: Dominic West, Idris Elba, Lance Reddick, Sonja Sohn, Robert Wisdom, Wood Harris, Clarke Peters, Seth Gilliam, Domenick Lombardozzi, J. D. Williams, John Doman, Frankie Faison, Deirdre Lovejoy, Andre Royo, Jim True-Frost, Wendell Pierce, Corey Parker Robinson, Robert F. Chew, Method Man, Michael Potts, Hassan Johnson, Isiah Whitlock, Jr., Jamie Hector, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Felicia Pearson, Glynn Turman, Callie Thorne, Chad Coleman, Maria Broom and Michael K. Williams.
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
The towers are razed for new development. This leaves the Barksdale drug organization without territory. Councilman Tommy Carcetti begins a run for Mayor of Baltimore. Since it is an election year, crime becomes a campaign issue. Pressure is put on the Baltimore PD to get crime statistics down… even if they have to massage them.
Police Major Covin comes up with an unauthorized and controversial plan to actually lower the crime stats by forcing drug dealer to move to low population areas of the city where they can freely sell drugs. Covin knows that higher ups and the mayor would never approve of his idea, but he moves forward anyway.
A new and ruthless drug dealer begins to encroach on Stansfield territory. Omar continues to steal cash and drugs from dealers. Omar is becoming a legend. Brother Mouzone, a ruthless killer, is brought in to find and eliminate Omar.
Meanwhile the major crimes unit deals with political demands and personal issues as they work to bring down the city’s drug traffickers.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Each season of The Wire builds upon the last. The series continues to be well written, well directed and well acted.
The series spends as much time with the criminals as the cops. This season we get political intrigue and the impact politics has on police work. Kudos to the writers for making each character and storyline important.
New recurring characters introduced in The Wire Season 3 that are amazing include Jamie Hector (Marlo Stanfield), Gbenga Akinnagbe (Chris Partlow), and Felicia Pearson (Snoop).
I cannot wait to start season 4.
The Wire: Season 3 (2004) earns 5 of 5 stars.
Charley Varrick (1973)
Director: Don Siegel
Screenplay: Dean Riesner, Howard Rodman; based on THE LOOTERS by John H. Reese
Stars: Walter Matthau, Joe Don Baker, Felicia Farr, Andrew Robinson, Sheree North, Norman Fell, Benson Fong, Woodrow Parfrey, William Schallert, Jacqueline Scott, Marjorie Bennett, Rudy Diaz, Colby Chester, Hope Summers, Craig R. Baxley, Don Siegel, John Vernon, Bob Steele and Charles Matthau.
Tagline: It’s not easy to rob the Mob and stay alive.
The Plot…
Charley Varrick wasn’t always a criminal. At one time he was a stunt pilot. Then a crop duster. When his crop business went south, Charley became a bank robber. He was always careful to pick small banks in remote locations.
When Charlie and his three man crew knock off a bank in a no name town, things go sideways. Two of his crew are killed along with the bank’s security guard. Charlie and Harmon get away with the loot. They’re shocked to discover they have $750,000.00. There is no way that tiny bank should have that kind of cash. Radio reports are that the thieves made off with $2,000.00.
Charlie realizes that the bank was being used by the mob to launder money. He knows that if you steal from the mob, they will find and kill you no matter how long it takes. Charlie tells Harmon they’ll need to sit on the money for a few years. If they’re lucky, they’ll live to slowly spend it. Harmon just wants his cut now — he plans to live it up.
As if that isn’t bad enough, the cops are working the case. Worse still, the mob has hired a stone cold killer to track down the cash and kill the thieves.
It’s not easy to rob the Mob and stay alive.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Walter Matthau’s son, Charlie plays the role of the little boy in front of the bank that gets robbed.
Director Don Siegel plays a character named Murphy.
Surprisingly Walter Matthau wasn’t a fan of the finished film.
Joe Don Baker is perfect as the sadistic killer who dominates every scene he’s in.
Charley Varrick (1973) rates 5 of 5 stars
Deal me in.
The world will take a stand.
The official teaser #2 for NUREMBERG, only in theaters November 7.
The Allies, led by the unyielding chief prosecutor, Robert H. Jackson (Michael Shannon), have the task of ensuring the Nazi regime answers for the unveiled horrors of the Holocaust while a US Army psychiatrist (Rami Malek) is locked in a dramatic psychological duel with former Reichsmarschall Herman Göring (Russell Crowe).
Written & Directed by: James Vanderbilt
Based on the Book: THE NAZI AND THE PSYCHIATRIST By Jack El-HaiStarring: Russell Crowe, Rami Malek, Leo Woodall, and Michael Shannon
The Wire: Season 2 (2003)
Created by: David Simon
Teleplay by: (eps. 1-3, 6, 9, 12) David Simon from a story by David Simon, Ed Burns; (ep.4) Joy Lusco from a story by David Simon, Joy Lusco; (ep. 5, 10) Ed Burns from a story by David Simon, Ed Burns; (ep. 7) Rafael Alvarez from a story by David Simon, Rafael Alvarez; (ep. 8, 11) George Pelecanos from a story by David Simon, George P. Pelecanos.
Directed by: Ed Bianchi (eps. 1-2); Elodie Keene (eps. 3-4); Steve Shill (eps. 5-6); Thomas J. Wright (ep. 7); Dan Attias (ep. 8); Tim Van Patten (ep. 9); Rob Bailey (ep. 10); (ep. 11); Ernest Dickerson (ep. 11); Robert F. Colesberry (ep. 12)
Stars: Dominic West, Chris Bauer, Paul Ben-Victor, John Doman, Idris Elba, Wood Harris, Deirdre Lovejoy, Clarke Peters, Wendell Pierce, Lance Reddick, Amy Ryan, Sonja Sohn, Seth Gilliam, Domenick Lombardozzi, Jim True-Frost, Andre Royo, James Ransone, Pablo Schreiber, Al Brown, Frankie Faison, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Bill Raymond, Hassan Johnson, Delaney Williams, Maria Broom, Callie Thorne, Michael K. Williams, Charley Scalies, Melanie Nicholls-King and Robert Hogan.
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
When one woman is found dead floating in the in the Port of Baltimore, the investigation turns up a shipping container full of dead women. Human traffickers are bringing in young girls on cargo ships along with drugs and weapons. This wouldn’t happen without support from dock workers.
The major crimes unit, is told to change their focus from bringing down the Barksdale crime family to solving the murders on the docks.
But maybe they can work on both… if they don’t mind working out of the chain of command.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
The Wire continues to look and feel real. In fact some of the smaller roles (both police and criminals) are played by real-life police and criminals. Some of the characters are based on real-life people and events.
The series is well written, well directed and well acted. So many of the unknown actors (when the series started) went on to have great careers.
I love that the series spends as much time with the criminals as the cops. It’s interesting to see both groups struggling to stay one step ahead of the other.
Chris Bauer as Frank Sobotka is a great addition to the cast. If Rocky was remade in 2003, Bauer could have played Paulie.
When I saw that the docks were going to be a major location, I was worried. I loved the city beat and the team working to take down the Barksdale family. I shouldn’t have been concerned. The story just got bigger without losing it’s focus. Kudos to the writers for making each character and storyline important.
I cannot wait to start season 3.
The Wire: Season 2 (2003) earns 5 of 5 stars.
I was diggin’ through the Zablo vault and came across this sketch of Sly Stalloneas Rocky at 50 that John Beatty gifted me waaay back in 1998. John was just messing around with no reference. I love the looseness of the lower part of this sketch. Contrast that with the upper piece that John tightened up. It’s cool to see the foundation and thought process as an artist as he/she moves through a piece.
Who knew that eight years later Sly would make Rocky Balboa? Maybe Beatty did!
Chinatown (1974)
Director: Roman Polanski
Screenplay: Robert Towne
Stars: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez, John Hillerman, Darrell Zwerling, Diane Ladd, Roy Jenson, Richard Bakalyan, Joe Mantell, Bruce Glover, James Hong, Jerry Fujikawa, Rance Howard, Burt Young and Roman Polanski.
Tagline: You get tough. You get tender. You get close to each other. Maybe you even get close to the truth.
The Plot…
The year is 1937. It’s been a hot summer and Los Angeles is going through a terrible drought. The heat is putting folks on edge. Especially farmers.
Jake Gittes is a private detective. His bread and butter is getting the goods on cheating spouses. So when Evelyn Mulwray hires Jake to find out if her husband, Hollis, is cheating he does. Hollis is. Jake gives the photos to prove it to Mrs. Mulwray.
When the compromising photos of Hollis and a young woman (definitely not his wife) show up in the paper, the affair is made public. Jake is surprised the pictures were made public, since it wasn’t by him. Jake is even more surprised when the real Mrs. Mulwray shows up at his office threatening legal action. Jake was duped.
But why?
When Hollis Mulwray is found dead in an L.A. reservoir. Jake decides to investigate. That night he heads down to the reservoir. Suddenly water begins rushing through the basin. Jake makes it out only to be confronted by the Water Department Security Chief Claude Mulvihill and a short thug. Mulvihill warns Jake to stop asking questions. The little gangster pulls a knife. He asks Jake if he understands what happens to people who stick their nose where it doesn’t belong. He then shows him.
Jake is even more determined to find answers. Why was he set up? Why was Hollis Mullwray killed? Who killed him? Why are huge amounts of water being wasted nightly in the middle of a drought? Jake wants answers. In his search for the truth, Jake will uncover a sinister secret that had been hidden for years.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Chinatown was nominated for eleven 1975 Academy Awards and won one…
Jack Nicholson actually slaps Faye Dunaway in the movie. They had tried several takes where they faked the slap and they didn’t look real. So Dunaway told Nicholson to really slap her. He did and that is the shot that was used.
Dunaway and director Roman Polanski clashed several times during filming. At one point she asked what her character’s motivation was for a scene. Polanski responded with, “Just say the f***ing words. Your salary is your motivation!”
Ali McGraw was originally scheduled to play Evelyn Mulwray. She lost the role when she left her husband for Steve McQueen. McGraw’s husband was Chinatown‘s producer, Robert Evans.
Phillip Lambro wrote the film’s music score. After a test screening, Robert Evans decided a new score was needed. Jerry Goldsmith was hired with only 10 days to write and record a new score. Goldsmith’s score was nominated for an Academy Award.
Chinatown is a classic. Most reviewers and audiences rate it a 5 out of 5. I liked it a lot, but not as much as most folks. Your mileage may vary.
Chinatown (1974) rates 4 of 5 stars
Rich Hennemann is a freelance artist. A few years ago I picked up his sketchbook and a sketch and I was hooked. Since then I’ve gotten several sketches from Rich. The one above is my most recent.
I requested Sly Stallone as Jack Carter teamed with Massimo Miller from Jason Copland’s FULL TILT (which gets my highest recommendation!). Rich came through like he always does. He absolutely nailed the piece. Great likenesses, atmosphere, attitude and setting. I couldn’t be more pleased.
Freaky Tales (2024)
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Screenplay: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Stars: Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn, Too $hort, Jack Champion and Tom Hanks.
Tagline: In 1987, Oakland was hella freaky.
The Plot…
Freaky Tales features four fictionalized interconnected stories about real events that took place in Oakland, California in 1987.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Freaky Tales has it’s moments, but it was just a little too, freaky for me.
Freaky Tales (2024) rates 2 of 5 stars
