Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Ben Bussey over at What Culture takes a look at Sylvester Stallone’s 15 Biggest Movies – Ranked Worst To Best.
The list is based on box-office not adjusted for inflation which may cause some surprises — the original Rocky doesn’t make the cut. The list makes for fun reading so have at it.
Last September, I posted Hell’s Club is the coolest thing on the net right now. The editing choices on this video are amazing. Join me as we travel to…
… a place where all fictional characters meet. . Outside of time, Outside of all logic, This place is known as HELL’S CLUB, But this club is not safe…
Join me once again as we return for Hell’s Club 2: Another Night…
Dee Fish gave me her very cool take on Sly as Barney Ross at HeroesCon 2015. Gotta love it! You can see more of Dee’s art here.
Twilight Zone: “Once Upon a Time” [Season 3, Episode 13]
Original Air Date: December 15, 1961
Director: Norman Z. McCleod
Writer: Richard Matheson
Starring: Buster Keaton, Stanley Adams and James Flavin.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
In 1890, Woodrow Mulligan [Keaton] is a janitor cleaning up a scientist’s lab when he tries on a time-machine helmet and is transported to 1962.
Rating:
Andrew LaSane and Mental Floss present 10 Hardcore Facts About New Jack City. Here are three of my favorites…
1. IT WAS MARIO VAN PEEBLES’S DIRECTORIAL DEBUT.
Mario Van Peebles—an actor and the son of filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles—has admitted that making his debut as a feature director with New Jack City was tough. He had directed episodes of shows like 21 Jump Street and Wiseguy, but the film was a different beast, especially in terms of the tone. “It’s tricky,” he told The Morning Call. “New Jack is a dangerous movie to make, I didn’t want to do a direct glorification of the Tone-Loc lifestyle. I had to be careful about that. I thought about the old Scarface movie, which was probably meant as a deterrent to crime because it depicts all the violence of that kind of lifestyle. But for kids who don’t have any way out, ‘Live Fast and Die Young’ is like a motto. For people with no opportunities, gangsters become role models.”
5. ICE T WAS LUKEWARM ON THE IDEA OF PLAYING AN UNDERCOVER NEW YORK CITY COP.
After he was given the script and realized that his character, Scotty Appleton, was a cop, Ice T was hesitant. His lifestyle and his music represented the exact opposite of what he would have to play on screen. “I started to survey all the people around me, people whose opinions I trusted the most,” Ice T wrote in Ice. “‘Yo, I got offered this movie role,’ I said over and over. ‘But here’s the thing: they want me to be the man. I thought my old crime partners might start laughing. Or snap my head off. But they all had the same response. They got these puppy faces, turned real quiet for for a moment, then asked me, ‘Word? Ice, could I be in the movie?'”
6. MARTIN LAWRENCE WAS THE ORIGINAL POOKIE.
Chris Rock’s portrayal of the drug addict Pookie earned him praise from Roger Ebert and other reviewers, but he was not the first choice for the role. In a recent interview about the legacy of New Jack City, screenwriter Barry Michael Cooper revealed that comedian Martin Lawrence had the better audition and had secured the part. “He’ll admit it himself, his audition wasn’t great, at all,” Cooper said of Chris Rock. “Martin Lawrence, he came in and killed that audition. The person taping had to shut the camera off; everybody was on the floor [laughing].”But shortly before production began, Lawrence’s mentor and fellow comedian Robin Harris passed away. “He didn’t take it well,” Cooper said. “He stepped out of the movie, and that’s when they gave the role to Chris Rock.” Lawrence later referenced the film in an episode of his sitcom, Martin, dressing like and quoting Snipes’ Nino Brown character while dragging around a stuffed dog.
Jennifer M. Wood and Mental Floss present 14 Flesh-Eating Facts About Cabin Fever. Here are three of my favorites…
6. THE SAME STUDIOS THAT PASSED ON PRODUCING THE FILM ENGAGED IN A BIDDING WAR FOR THE FINISHED PRODUCT.
Though Roth’s original plan for the film was to sell the script and have a studio produce it, no one was interested in buying it (hence the aforementioned eight-year process of getting it made). But a successful showing at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival changed all that: the film sparked a bidding war, with Lionsgate ultimately emerging victorious. Roth was paid $3.5 million for the film, and promised $12 million in prints and advertising. Of the many studios competing to acquire Cabin Fever, most had already passed on producing it.
8. PETER JACKSON WAS A FAN.
After hearing about Cabin Fever from several of his The Lord of the Rings collaborators, Peter Jackson requested that a print be sent to him in New Zealand, where he was filming The Return of the King. Impressed by what he was seeing, Jackson shut down production on his own film—twice!—to screen Cabin Fever for his cast and crew. Eventually, Jackson invited Roth to The Lord of the Rings set, where he offered to supply Roth with a quote about the film for his production materials. It read: “Brilliant! Fantastic! Horror fans have been waiting years for a movie like Cabin Fever. I loved it!”
9. QUENTIN TARANTINO DECLARED ROTH “THE FUTURE OF HORROR.”
In a 2004 interview with Premiere, Quentin Tarantino talked at length about his admiration for Cabin Fever, and called Roth “the future of horror.” The admiration was mutual. Tarantino and Roth would go on to become good friends and regular collaborators. In addition to directing Thanksgiving, one of the fake trailers in the middle of Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s Grindhouse, and playing Dov in the film, Roth had a major role as Sergeant Donny Donowitz in Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds (2009).
Eddie Deezen and Mental Floss present 11 Last Meals of the Rich and Famous [and 9 Honorable Mentions]. Using just the meals presented, here are the three I would pick…
8. ERNEST HEMINGWAY
By the time he reached his 60s, Hemingway was suffering from severe depression. Several electroshock therapy treatments had left him in a frazzled condition. After a failed suicide attempt in the spring of 1961 at his home in Idaho, Hemingway tried again on July 2 by putting a shotgun to his head. First, though, he ate his favorite meal: New York strip steak, baked potato, caesar salad, and a glass of Bordeaux.
Marilyn Monroe Selections from a Mexican buffet that had been delivered to her Brentwood home
Frank Sinatra A grilled cheese sandwich
Andrew LaSane and Mental Floss present 10 Timely Facts About 48 Hrs. Here are three of my favorites…
3. NICK NOLTE AND EDDIE MURPHY WERE NOT THE STUDIO’S FIRST CHOICES.
According to The Telegraph, several actors turned down the roles of Detective Jack Cates and Reggie Hammond before Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy signed on. Mickey Rourke, Clint Eastwood, and Jeff Bridges were reportedly offered the detective role, while Gregory Hines, Richard Pryor, Howard E. Rollins Jr., and Denzel Washington all ultimately passed on playing the convict.
5. MURPHY’S PERFORMANCE WAS INSPIRED BY BRUCE LEE.
Having never been in a serious role, Eddie Murphy did not know how to be angry on camera, so he mimicked actor and martial artist Bruce Lee. “There’s a scene in 48 Hrs. where I’m coming down the alley and there’s all this neon and I’m supposed to be intense, but I had no reference,” Murphy told Byron Allen in an interview for the 25th anniversary edition DVD ofEddie Murphy: Delirious. “So I was doing my Bruce Lee impression, and I still do it until this day. When I’m mad on screen if I pull my gun out, it may not look like Bruce Lee because I look nothing like him, but on the inside, my face, all the sh*t I’m doing with my eyes … it’s all my Bruce Lee impression.”
9. 48 HRS. LED TO ANOTHER SNL MILESTONE FOR MURPHY.
Having already been the youngest cast member years prior, Eddie Murphy was also the first Saturday Night Live cast member in history to host the show while he was still on it, but that was not the plan. On December 11, 1982, Nick Nolte was supposed to host, but he was sick and had to back out at the last second. “When Nick got here, and got off the plane, he vomited on my shirt,” Murphy said in his opening monologue, “and we realized Nick was too sick to do the show. And that’s too bad, because Nick was gonna be in some real great stuff tonight.” He added that because the audience came to see someone from the film, he was going to be the host, and he famously kicked off the episode with the line: “Live, from New York, it’s The Eddie Murphy Show!”
Twilight Zone: “It’s a Good Life” [Season 3, Episode 8]
Original Air Date: November 3, 1961
Director: James Sheldon
Writer: Rod Serling from a story by Jerome Bixby
Starring: John Larch, Cloris Leachman, Don Keefer and Billy Mumy.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Little Anthony Fremont [Mumy] has extraordinary mental powers. Anthony has made all of the world outside of his small farming town disappear. He’s done the same or worse to anyone of anything that displeases him.
Anthony demands that everyone think happy thoughts. The town people live in fear that they will displease Anthony and they will be next.
Tonight is Anthony’s birthday. Let’s hope he’s not disappointed.
Rating:
Twilight Zone: “The Grave” [Season 3, Episode 7]
Original Air Date: October 27, 1961
Director: Montgomery Pittman
Writer: Montgomery Pittman
Starring: Lee Marvin, James Best, Strother Martin, Elen Willard and Lee Van Cleef.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Late one night Bounty Hunter, Conny Miller rides into town. At the tavern he learns from several men that the outlaw he had been tracking for months has been gunned down and buried by the town folk.
When Conny expresses displeasure that he had wasted months tracking the outlaw, one of the town men says that Conny only acted as if he wanted to meet up with the outlaw but the truth was that Conny was afraid. Arguments with the men lead to a twenty dollar bet that Conny hasn’t the courage to go to the outlaw’s grave and stick a knife in it.
This is episode would work even without the all-star cast, but is even better because of them.
Rating:
I’ve been a Christopher Mitten since I first discovered his art. When I saw Christopher was going to be at HeroesCon last year, I hoped I would be able to get a Stallone sketch from him. As you can see I was and I couldn’t be happier with it. I love the attitude and toughness Chris gave Carter.
You can see more of Chris’ art here, here, here and follow him on Twitter here.
Clyde Lovellette passed away yesterday at the age of 86 from cancer.
If you’re a die-hard basketball fan, you probably know that Hall of Famer, Clyde Lovellette was the first player to win an N.C.A.A. championship, an Olympic gold medal and an N.B.A. title. That puts Clyde Lovellette in the same stratosphere as Bill Russell, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan… of course Mr. Lovellette got there first.
Clyde Lovellette played 11 seasons in the NBA and was a player on three championship teams [one with the Minneapolis Lakers and two with the Boston Celtics]. Of course before he was in the NBA, Lovellette had a great college career at Kansas… and before that an outstanding high school career at Garfield High in Terre Haute, Indiana.
And that’s where my knowledge of Clyde Lovellette comes into play. When I was a kid, Clyde Lovellette was the Sheriff of Vigo County. Terre Haute is in Vigo County and that is where I was born and grew up. Clyde Lovellette lived one block from me.
We all knew Clyde Lovellette as The Sheriff. He reminded us of Matt Dillon and at 6’9″ he was just an imposing figure. I have just a few memories of interacting with Mr. Lovellette. A couple of times hanging out on the front porch of his house talking to neighborhood kids and another time when he came to a Collett Elementary “fair.” He had a portable “jail” and kids could buy tickets to have other kids put in jail with Sheriff Lovelette keeping guard.
We didn’t know then how famous Mr. Lovelette was or would become. We just knew him as a man who kept us safe and took the time to come to our school to help us raise money.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Clyde Lovellette’s family, friends and fans.
Roger Cormier and Mental_Floss present 10 Law-Abiding Facts About Raising Arizona. Here are three of my favorites…
3. KEVIN COSTNER AND RICHARD JENKINS AUDITIONED FOR THE FILM.
Kevin Costner auditioned three times to play H.I., only to see Nicolas Cage snag the role. Richard Jenkins had his first of many auditions for the Coens for Raising Arizona. He also (unsuccessfully) auditioned for Miller’s Crossing (1990) and Fargo (1996) before calling it quits with the Coens. In 2001, Joel and Ethan cast Jenkins in The Man Who Wasn’t There, even though he had never auditioned for it.
4. KATE CAPSHAW TURNED DOWN THE LEAD.
Kate Capshaw said no to playing Ed in Raising Arizona—and later regretted the decision. She also notably turned down the role of Diane Chambers on Cheers.
9. THE FILMMAKERS GOT EXPERIMENTAL WITH THEIR CAMERA TECHNIQUES.
Wanting to have as many options as possible in the editing room, the Coens and their cinematographer, Barry Sonnenfeld, decided at one point to have Cage run through the house while holding a camera towards himself. After seeing the results, they was decided it was too weird.
I’m looking forward to the return of Daredevil not only because it was an excellent adaptation of the comic series but also because of the addition of Jon Bernthal as The Punisher.
Oh yeah, and there’s that Electra assassin too.
Janet Burns and Mental_Floss present 16 Earth-Shattering Facts About Independence Day. Here are three of my favorites…
2. THE FILM LOST ITS MILITARY SUPPORT DUE TO ITS AREA 51 REFERENCES.
In its roundup of insights from the Independence Day DVD commentary, Film School Rejectspoints out that the U.S. military had initially agreed to support the film’s production by offering greater access to military facilities and consultation from real-life officers, soldiers, and pilots. However, according to the film’s producer and co-writer Dean Devlin, the military withdrew its support after learning about the script’s multiple references to Area 51 being a hub for extraterrestrial projects.
5. THE COMPUTER VIRUS THAT SAVES THE DAY IS ALSO A REFERENCE TO THE WAR OF THE WORLDS.
In both the novel and film versions of The War of the Worlds, mankind’s biggest guns fail to take down Martian attackers. Instead, it’s tiny viruses in our atmosphere—mostly harmless to humans, but foreign to Martian immune systems—that finally do the job. In Independence Day, too, Bill Pullman’s presidential order to “nuke the bastards” doesn’t even make a dent in the aliens’ front, but a cunning (if confusing) computer virus manages to destroy the invaders at last.In the case of Independence Day’s viral “Hail Mary,” fans have raised criticism—and plenty of eyebrows—over the years regarding just how on Earth David Levinson (played by Jeff Goldblum) could have drummed up a computer virus that affects alien technology so quickly. Devlin offered some answers during a 2014 Reddit AMA:
“Okay: what Jeff Goldblum’s character discovered was that the programming structure of the alien ship was a binary code. And as any beginning programmer can tell you, binary code is a series of ones and zeroes. What Goldblum’s character did was turn the ones into zeroes and the zeroes into ones, effectively reversing the code that was sent.”
Cracked notes that there was also a seven-minute scene that would’ve addressed this issue for viewers from the very beginning, and which suggests that modern computers in the Independence Day universe are descended from a reverse-engineered version of recovered alien tech courtesy Area 51. Unfortunately, that scene was cut from the final release of the film, only adding to viewers’ confusion.
11. MATTHEW PERRY DROPPED OUT OF THE FILM. BUT HIS DAD HAD A ROLE.
Film School Rejects reports that the role of Captain Jimmy “Raven” Wilder, which was eventually played by Harry Connick Jr., was originally offered to Matthew Perry. He pulled out before shooting began, though, making his father, John Bennett Perry, who played a Secret Service agent, the only Perry in the film.
