Category: Celebs

Sly Stallone is the “Tulsa King” by Thomas Boatwright!

Posted on by

A couple of months ago I was going through the Zablo vault, and I came across a watercolor of Cobra by Thomas Boatwright that I’d never posted.

At that time I said that Boatwright used to regularly livestream art and for a few years was a guest at HeroesCon.  Getting art from Thomas Boatwright was always a joy.  Sadly, that was years ago.

Well, just this week Boatwright posted in his newsletter that he was taking a limited number of watercolor digital commissions.  I usually am not interested in digital art for my collection, but getting another from Thomas Boatwright was just too sweet to pass on.  I asked for his take on Sly as Dwight Manfredi from “Tulsa King” and Boatwright came through royally.

“Sean Combs: The Reckoning” (2025) / Z-View

Posted on by

Sean Combs: The Reckoning (2025)

Executive Producer: Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson

Director: Alexandria Stapleton

Cast: Sean Combs, Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., Janice Combs, Mark Curry, Kirk Burrowes, Aubrey O’Day, Suge Knight, Andre Harrell, Kalenna Harper, Al B. Sure!, Kim Porter, Cassie Ventura and Snoop Dogg.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Sean Combs: The Reckoning uses archival footage/interviews from the early 1990s to present day to cover the rise of Sean Combs from a college student intern to hip hop mogul to industry powerhouse able to put his name on a variety of products and make them best-sellers to a convicted felon doing several years in prison.

The four part documentary, through the use of archival news reports, court verdicts and interviews with accusers and those who claim to witnessed the events, details Sean Combs’ proven and or/alleged…

  • longterm sexual and emotional abuse of women
  • sexual assault and drugging of women… including rape, videotaping sexual assaults and playing the tapes for friends
  • sexual assault and harrasment of men
  • drugging men and women in order to take advantage of them
  • using intimidation and threats to regularly take advantage of business partners, cheating them out of money due or simply not paying them.
  • questions about Combs’ involvement in the murders of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.
  • infamous “freak off” parties where people were secretly videotaped having sex, coerced or drugged for sex
  • involvement as co-promoter of the 1991 “first annual Heavy D and Puff Daddy Celebrity Charity Basketball Game” where dozens of people were injured and nine people died when nearly 5,000 people pushed to get in a gym with a capacity of 2,730.  No criminal charges were filed, but Combs settled with families in civil court.
  • involvement in a 1999 shooting incident while dating Jennifer Lopez.  Combs was arrested on a weapons and bribery charge.  He was acquitted of all charges. Still there are those who say Combs should have been found guilty.
  • and more.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)… 

If only some of the allegations are true (and we know many are), Sean Combs is perfect example of how power can corrupt.

I am not a huge hip-hop fan, but I found the documentary compelling.

Sean Combs: The Reckoning (2025) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Uncontained” (2025) written, directed by and starring Morley Nelson / Z-View

Posted on by

Uncontained (2025)

Director: Morley Nelson

Screenplay: Morley Nelson

Stars: Morley Nelson, Peter O’Meara, Brett Zimmerman.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

When a zombie-like apocalypse began, most people sought shelter from the spread of the virus.  Now, several years later, even the most remote havens are in danger.

Dan, a former soldier, lives in the wilderness.  He is capable and feels safer on his own, never staying in one place for long.  Then Dan comes across a remote home.  He discovers two children, a boy and his sister living there.  There mother ventured out and never returned.  Dan knows the children cannot survive on their own.

Reluctantly, Dan becomes their caregiver unaware that danger is closing in.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)… 

Morley Nelson, a former police officer, wrote, produced, directed and played the lead in Uncontained.

Don’t go in expecting a typical low-budget zombie gore fest.  Uncontained is more of a character study with an unexpected twist. I give Nelson props for having the guts to make a slower placed zombie flick.

I’ll be interested to see if Morley Nelson continues to write, direct and star in his own productions or if he’ll get an opportunity in Hollywood.

Uncontained (2025) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Rocky” Legacy by Leo Leibelman!

Posted on by

Leo Leibelman is a freelance artist who has provided art for comics, trading cards, novels, instructional materials, film storyboards and more.  Leo Leibelman takes commissions.

Hope you dig his Rocky painting as much as I do.

“It ain’t about how hard you can hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward.” – Rocky Balboa

“The Strip” (1951) starring Mickey Rooney and Sally Forrest / Z-View

Posted on by

The Strip (1951)

Director: László Kardos

Screenplay: Allen Rivkin

Stars: Mickey Rooney, Sally Forrest, William Demarest, James Craig, Louis Armstrong, Tom Powers, Vic Damone, Monica Lewis, Don Anderson  and Tommy Rettig.

Tagline: Torchy romance tingling with mystery and throbbing with the rhythm of Dixieland along the glamorous avenue of night clubs!

The Plot…

When Stanley Maxton is released from a long hospital stay due to injuries sustained in the Korean War, he heads for LA..  He dreams of becoming a successful drummer and owning his own club some day.

A chance encounter earns Stanley a high-paying job working for mobster Sonny Johnston. In no time Stanley has money, a fine car and flashy clothes.  Then he meets Jane Tafford.  She’s a nightclub dancer who dreams of becoming a movie star.  Stanley falls hard.

So hard, he quits working for Sonny and takes a lower paying job as a drummer at the club where Jane is a dancer.  But it’s no go.  Jane is only interested in becoming a star and a nightclub drummer can’t help her with that.

Stanley takes Jane to meet Sonny.  Stanley figures Sonny’s mob connections can get Jane an audition.  Problem is, even though he’s married, Sonny falls for Jane.  This puts Stanley and Sonny at odds.

So when a woman is murdered, and evidence points to Stanley, he knows who set him up.  Time is running out to prove his innocence.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)… 

The Strip earned one 1952 Academy Award nomination…

  • Nominee for Best Music, Original Song – For “A Kiss to Build a Dream On” – Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, Oscar Hammerstein II

The Strip is as much (if not more) a musical than a crime noir. The film features songs performed by Vic Damone, Monica Lewis, Jack Teagarden, and Louis Armstrong, floor show routines by Sally Forrest as well as drum solos by Mickey Rooney.

The film features an unexpected dark (for a musical featuring Mickey Rooney) twist.

Louie Armstrong, Vic Damone and Monica Lewis play themselves.

The Strip (1951) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Crime 101” starring Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, and Halle Berry – A New Poster and Trailer are Here!

Posted on by

Crime 101 starring Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, and Halle Berry – A New Poster and Trailer are Here!

Get an inside look at the making of #Crime101 starring Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, and Halle Berry. Experience it in theaters and IMAX on February 13.

Set against the sun-bleached grit of Los Angeles, Crime 101 weaves the tale of an elusive jewel thief (Chris Hemsworth) whose string of heists along the 101 freeway have mystified police. When he eyes the score of a lifetime, his path crosses that of a disillusioned insurance broker (Halle Berry) who is facing her own crossroads. Convinced he has found a pattern, a relentless detective (Mark Ruffalo) is closing in, raising the stakes even higher. As the heist approaches, the line between hunter and hunted begins to blur, and all three are faced with life-defining choices–and the realization that there can be no turning back.

Adapted from Don Winslow’s acclaimed novella of the same name, the film is written and directed by Bart Layton (American Animals, The Imposter). Barry Keoghan, Monica Barbaro, Corey Hawkins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Nick Nolte round out the cast.

“Prisoners of the Ghostland” starring Nicholas Cage, Sofia Boutella and Bill Mosley / Z-View

Posted on by

Prisoners of the Ghostland (2021)

Director: Sion Sono

Screenplay: Aaron Hendry, Reza Sixo Safai

Stars: Nicolas Cage, Sofia Boutella, Nick Cassavetes, Bill Moseley, Tak Sakaguchi.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

In an apopalyptic future, a bank robber known as Hero is saved from execution by the Governor of Samurai Town.  Samurai Town is a settlement that is a mixture of Japanese and cowboy cultures.  Outside of Samurai Town lies a barren wilderness known as Ghostland.  Those that live in Ghostland are crazed outcasts who kill intruders.

The Governor offers Hero the option to survive.  All Hero has to do is venture into the wasteland, find the Governor’s grown “granddaughter” (sex slave) who has run away, and safely return her to Samurai Town.  Hero will have five days to complete the mission.

Hero will wear a specially designed suit that contains explosive charges.  Should he violate one of the rules explained by the Governor, a charge will explode.  Should Hero fail to return in five days with the Governor’s “granddaughter” all of the explosives in the suit will detonate.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)… 

When I saw the trailer for Prisoners of the Ghostland, I thought it would be either a fun Escape from New York type movie or something just too weird for me.  Sadly it was the latter.  I tapped out at about 35 minutes when one of Hero’s test-e-quels is blown off.

Not even Sofia Boutella was enough to make me want to continue.

Nicholas Cage has been quoted as saying that Prisoners of the Ghostland “might be the wildest movie I’ve ever made, and that’s saying something.” Indeed.

As always, your mileage may vary.

Prisoners of the Ghostland (2021) rates 1 of 5 stars.