Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Elliott Fernandez makes his first, but not last appearance in our Stallone Sketch Gallery with his take on Sly as Jack Carter.
You can see more of Elliott’s art here and here. If you want to keep up with Elliott’s latest, you can follow him on Twitter.
Sabotage starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed by David Ayer opens today. By all accounts Sabotage is very, very violent. While I don’t mind a “R” rated film, some reviews indicate that Sabotage goes too far. I plan to see Sabotage today and judge for myself, but too much violence will keep away viewers and is really unnecessary.
IMPAwards has several Sabotage character posters on display… and not a single one is overly violent.
The jury is really out on this one. I want to like it. I’m a Hercules fan. I’m a Rock fan. The fact that I’m not totally on board with this disappoints me. Am I wrong?
This Friday and Saturday I spent time at MegaCon with my buddy John Beatty. While I was at the show hanging with Big John, my wife, Doralya was relaxing at the hotel.
On Friday afternoon Doralya sent me a text that Steven Yeun (who plays Glen on The Walking Dead) was staying in our hotel and she saw him getting into a limo. I could tell from her text and the number of exclamation points that she was excited to see a celebrity up-close.
At dinner that night Doralya told me of an encounter that she had with Bryan Johnson, one of the stars of Comic Book Men. Doralya was sitting outside reading when Bryan Johnson walked by.
They made eye-contact and Doralya said, “I know you! I watch you on tv every week!” Bryan smiled and replied, “You do?” He was probably surprised since my wife doesn’t look like someone who would watch Comic Book Men.
A few minutes later Bryan walked back through the area and made a point to say, “Good-bye” to Doralya.
I teased Doralya a bit that the only thing she could think to say was, “I know you” to a complete stranger. We laughed and headed back to the hotel.
Doralya was standing in front of me as the elevator doors opened and I heard her say in a surprised voice, “Well, hello!” I heard a voice say, “Hello.” It was Ming Chen of Comic Book Men. As he left the elevator we made eye contact…
… and the only thing I could think to say was, “Well, hello.” Ming replied, “Hello” as he continued to wherever he was going.
As we got on the elevator I expected Doralya to return the teasing I gave her. At least her comment to a celebrity was original. All I could think to say was to repeat what Doralya had said. She didn’t tease me though. I guess she understood that I wasn’t as used to celebrity encounters as she was.
This Friday and Saturday I’ll be in Orlando. My buddy, John Beatty will be there Friday through Sunday. We’ll be hanging out with several thousand other like-minded folks. Yep, it’s time for MegaCon.
John is going as a guest of the show. That means while John is sketching for fans, I’ll either be hanging at his table keeping the fun at it’s maximum level or I’ll be visiting with other artists/friends looking to get a sketch or two for my Stallone Sketch theme collection.
If you’ve never been to MegaCon, you’re missing out. There’s something for everyone. There are celebrity guests, comic book creators, dozens of artists sketching for fans, panels, gaming, and more.
If you’re in driving distance of the show, come on down. If not, there’s always next year. Hope to see you there!
Last week I posted about Puddles the Sad Clown with the Golden Voice. Since then I have watched all the Puddles’ song videos I could find. I’ve also shared them with family and friends.
This morning a friend sent me a link to an excellent profile of Puddles that appeared at Grantland. The article is Let Me Live That Fantasy, by Justin Heckert [illustration by Tim McAuliffe] and while it answers a lot of questions about Puddles, it definitely leaves me wanting to know more.
Cully Hamner was the first artist I approached when I started getting sketches again. Cully was up for the task and was so cool about it (and did such a bang-up job) that I can’t think of a better artist to start me down the path of collecting art again.
I’ve been a fan of David “Brohawk” Williams’ art from the moment I first laid eyes on it. Most folks become fans that quickly because Brohawk is THAT great.
When I had a chance to meet David at HeroesCon in 2012, I was thrilled when he agreed to do a Stallone Rambo sketch for me. Awesome, isn’t it? And that’s just from a photo. The actual art is too big for my scanner!
Jeremy Treece has created art for comic books, trading cards, animation and independent films. Last week I posted Treece’s take on Sly Stallone.
Today I want to share the quickie sketch that Jeremy drew on one of the backing boards sent to protect the art. Gotta love it!
You can see more of Jeremy’s art here… and hopefully again here at the SZ in the future.
On February 24, 2014, The Playlist ran an article by Gabe Toro titled 12 Action Stars Who Still Kicked Butt After 60. The nicely written piece features Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood, Lee Marvin, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steven Seagal, Takeshi Kitano, Samuel L. Jackson, Danny Trejo, Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Christopher Lee and Sylvester Stallone.
Here’s a bit of what Toro had to say about Sly…
His Career Pre-60: Stallone rose to fame as the Italian Stallion, achieving immortality as “Rocky,” using the underdog sports story to launch an unmatched career in action films…
As Rocky, Stallone is slipping on a warm coat, and this is easily his most touching, low-key performance.
Emboldened by the success of “Rocky Balboa,” Stallone jumped at the chance to return to the world of leading men, uniting the shiniest action stars of yesterday by kick-starting “The Expendables” as a franchise, where Stallone would rub shoulders with legends like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris.
Stallone remains in improbable action hero shape, ready to impress once again in this summer’s “The Expendables 3.”
I really enjoyed Toro‘s article and my only question is, “Why No John Wayne?”
Did you happen to catch Puddles: The Sad Clown with the Golden Voice when he sang on the Headline News Network?
You know there aren’t many performers I’d care to watch in concert, but Puddles’ show is one I’d go to.
Jeremy Treece has created art for comic books, trading cards, animation and independent films. Today we have Treece’s take on Sly Stallone.
Who directed the Psycho shower scene?
Most folks would say, “Alfred Hitchcock” since Hitchcock is the director credited with directing Psycho. Add to the fact that Hitchcock says he directed the scene and it would seem like case closed.
Ah, but things are seldom that easy, are they?
You see Hitchcock hired Saul Bass, the famous graphic artist, to storyboard the shower scene. And Bass was on the set for the seven days it took to shoot the scene. And Bass claims he directed the scene.
Vashi Nedomansky lays out a case to show that whether or not Bass directed the scene…
…it’s quite clear that the Saul Bass storyboards were followed explicitly to create the indelible images that made this spectacular scene.
Nedomansky’s Who Directed the PSYCHO Shower Scene? should be required reading for all movie fans.
Well done, Vashi.
The February 21, 2014 issue of Entertainment Weekly presented a First Look at Adrian Brody as Houdini. Brody will play Houdini in a four hour mini-series that will premiere in May on the History Channel.
I’m looking forward to this. I like Houdini (who doesn’t) and Brody is an interesting actor. Brody is also a Houdini fan (who isn’t) and said Houdini is…
“…probably the original superhero. Nobody (else) dared to do the things he dreamed up.”
Sources: Entertainment Weekly and Wild About Houdini
Jerry Gaylord aka The Franchize returns with his take on Sly from Demolition Man.
I highly recommend Jerry to all sketch collectors. He quickly responds to e-mails, his turnaround time is quick and he packages the art to ensure it arrives safely.
To check out more of Jerry’s art, head here. – Craig
