Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Flight of the Phoenix premieres this Friday. And although I won’t be able to see it opening day, I am planning to catch it on the big screen.
If you haven’t heard about it or seen the trailer check it out.
Doesn’t it look like a fun movie?
Dennis Quaid isn’t usually one of the first actors I think of when talking about favorite actors, but he probably should be. Quaid has a habit of picking good projects and I think Flight of the Phoenix will be another to add to his list!
Chuck Zito.
If you know the name, it might be because Chuck is a co-star on Oz.
Then again, it could be because Zito has worked as a bodyguard to the stars (Michael Jackson, Sylvester Stallone [note the chain that he’s wearing], Liza Minelli and many others).
Maybe you know him as the guy who knocked out Jean Claude Van Damme with one punch. Or it could be because Chuck is a member of the Hell’s Angels.
Chuck Zito is a legitimate tough guy. Note I didn’t say “good guy.”
Check out his website and you’ll get to know a bit about Chuck Zito. He’s lived an amazing life and he covers it [warts and all] in his excellent autobiography Street Justice.
Read it and to know him any better you’d have to meet him. : )
I’ll be picking up the unrated dvd of “The Riddick Chronicles” when it’s released tomorrow. I’m hoping that this expanded version will be even better than the theatrical release and that the dvds sell enough to bring about at least one more Riddick adventure.But even if that doesn’t happen, Vin is staying pretty busy.
Close, who won an Emmy for “Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story,” will appear in all 13 episodes. Production is set to start in January with new epsiodes airing by May.
Close will play the new captain [What about Aceveda?] who will probably butt heads with Detective Vic Mackey (Emmy-winner Michael Chiklis).
Early this morning, while on my way to work I heard that Christopher Reeve had died.
It was like a gutshot.
Christopher Reeve’s death was so unexpected … despite the fact that he had been a quadriplegic for the last nine years of his life. Yet, it was in these last nine years, when Chris’ health was at his worst that he was at his best.
Christopher Reeve is most famous for his role as Superman. And rightly so. Although a virtual unknown actor when chosen for the part, Reeve vaulted to the ranks of one of the most identified stars in the world once the movie was released.
Reeve was the perfect choice. And not just because he looked like Superman when in the suit. Christopher Reeve not only understood the difference between Clark Kent and Superman but had the chops to make the difference come alive with just a pair of eyeglasses and his acting ability.
Christopher Reeve went on to other starring roles, but none had the impact of him playing Superman. But how could they, Reeve and Superman were such a perfect fit.
Then nine years ago when Christopher was injured he took on another role, that of role model. Christopher Reeve dealt with his paralysis with grace, dignity and determination. He became the focal point of hope, not for just those who sufffered from spinal cord injuries, but for anyone who thought about feeling sorry for him/herself. How could you, if Christopher Reeve could face his troubles with such a positive outlook.
Christopher Reeve will always be remembered for his role as Superman, but I believe that the true super man was Christopher Reeve.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
Rodney Dangerfield passed away this afternoon. Man, I really enjoyed Rodney‘s comedy. Most people really became aware of Rodney Dangerfield after he appeared [and got the best laughs] in Caddyshack.
But I remember him first from his standup comedy on variety shows in the 60’s that I used to watch with my grandparents. Rodney’s trademark line, “I don’t get no respect” was always followed by several great one-liners.
“I don’t get no respect. When I was born I was so ugly the doctor slapped my mother.”
“I don’t get no respect. I was in a bar and a guy asked me if I had any naked pictures of my wife. I said, ‘No.’ He asked me if I wanted to buy some.”
After Caddyshack, Rodney graduated from co-star to star status and headlined several movies. But it was always his standup that appealed most to me.
Now Rodney’s gone. I’m going to miss seeing him pop up from time to time with another spin on his “I don’t get no respect” lines. But I’ll always have great memories of watching Rodney perform and all of the laughs he gave us.
And you have to respect that.
Mike Tyson, once the most feared fighter in the world, and a 9-1 favorite was knocked out in the fourth round by British heavyweight Danny Williams.Yeah, Tyson‘s 38 years old. And yes, Williams outweighed Tyson by over thirty pounds. And it’s true that Tyson won the first three rounds on ALL of the judges‘ score cards. Tyson‘s people are already blaming the loss on a knee twisted in the first round.
I was pulling for Tyson. I always seem to be pulling for him. Sometimes I’m not sure why.
Mike Tyson had it all and blew it. From what I’ve read and seen of Mike, I doubt if I’d like to hang around with him for very long. Still he intrigues me. Tyson has a vast knowledge of boxing and a love for the sport and it’s history. He WAS the baddest man in the world until he hooked up with Don King. It’s like the storybook tale of a kid born with everything against him who overcomes it all… and then loses it
I guess I just keep hoping for a happy ending.
About a year ago I had the good fortune to attend a special screening of Equilibrium, written and directed by Kurt Wimmer. Mr. Wimmer was in the audience and took questions afterwards. One of the questions was about his next project.
Mr. Wimmer said it would be called “Ultrviolet,” and it would star Milla Jovovich. The story involves a woman who finds herself the protector of a boy targeted for death against the backdrop of a civil war between humans and vampires. Mila is a vampire!
This is another project worth watching.
That’s right! Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, and Carl Reiner, stars of the original “Dick Van Dyke Show” have reunited for the show’s “159th Episode,” which will air May 11th on CBS. Series regulars Larry Mathews (Richie) and Ann Morgan Guilbert (Millie Helper) will also return. Sadly, Morey Amsterdam, who played Buddy, died in 1996.
Although the “Dick Van Dyke Show” remains a favorite, the last original episode appeared in 1966! That will all change when the new episode airs on May 11th. In the new episode, Rob, who’s still married to Laura, gets a phone call from his old boss, Alan Brady who wants Rob and Sally to write his eulogy.
Ray Ramano (Everybody Loves Raymond) will host the episode which will feature clips from the original “Dick Van Dyke Show” episodes.
Who knows, maybe if this new episode is well received, they’ll come back in another 40 years and do another!
One of the many movies that ZONErs have been looking forward to opens this week. That’s right, Hellboy comes blasting into theaters across the country this Friday.
Chud.com has a nice interview with Hellboy director, Guillermo Del Toro, who talks about changes he had to make to get Hellboy to the screen, why he sees Hellboy as an emotional teenager, and much more.
Ron Pearlman gets the interview treatment over at JoBlow.com. Pearlman talks about Guillermo, the hardships of playing Hellboy, what his next project will be and more.
If this movie is half as good as the comics, then we’re in for a real treat!
The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Gabriel Byrne and Brian Dennehy have joined stars Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne for the remake of John Carpenter’s “Assault on Precinct 13.”
The script has been changed slightly. It’s still set in a police precinct building that’s about to be shut down. Only now it’s New Year’s Eve, and a mobster (Fishburne) has been temporarily incarcerated there. As a rogue gang tries to free him, a cop (Hawke) must take command of a few policemen and prisoners to defend the station. Byrne plays a cop who has his own agenda, while Dennehy is a cop on the verge of retirement.
I’ve always liked Mel Gibson. I’m talking about Mel Gibson, the actor.
Gibson could have went the easy route after the runaway worldwide success of The Road Warrior. But he didn’t. Instead he took chances… movies like Hamlet, The River, and The Year of Living Dangerously.
Then Mel Gibson, the actor, took an even bigger chance and became Mel Gibson the director. He soared to even greater heights with Braveheart and The Patriot. Gibson hedged his bets somewhat since he was the star of both of these megahits. But with The Passion of Christ he has put it all on the line.
Gibson co-wrote, directed and funded [to the tune of $30 million or more of his own money] The Passion of Christ. The movie is subtitled since the actors speak the original languages. And Gibson‘s face never appears on screen. Talk about taking chances. All of this has added to my admiration of Mel Gibson.
Last night after watching his interview on ABC’s Primetime I was even more impressed. Gibson spoke openly and honestly about his crisis of faith and how his beliefs have saved… even redeemed him. He answered the charges that he was anti-Semitic. And he refused to answer anything about his father other than to say that he loved him. Mel says that message of The Passion of Christ is “faith, hope, love and forgiveness.” It was refreshing to see a celebrity be so open and revealing. And while I may not believe everything in the same way as Mel I can honestly say that I’ve never liked him more.
I’m talking about Mel Gibson, the man.
The last ZONE piece that I did on Mel Gibson brought in a lot of e-mail, so I thought that many of you would be interested in another Mel Gibson update.Mel is featured on the cover and is the subject of a lengthy article in the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly. Mel will also sit for an interview that will air on ABC’s Monday “Primetime.” Mel also has an interview in the March issue of Reader’s Digest.
Finally, the Ransom Special Edition dvd will be released on March 23rd. It’ll have a commentary track by director Ron Howard, extensive deleted scenes, a “What Would You Do” making-of featurette, and more.
If you have a passion [sorry, I couldn’t resist] for Mel Gibson movies, then February and March are going to be a lot of fun!
I‘ve been a Mel Gibson fan since I first saw The Road Warrior at a drive-in movie theater over twenty years ago. It’s been cool following Mel’s career… and even cooler to discover what a talented director he is. Braveheart and Lethal Weapon are two of my all-time favorite movies.Mel‘s been taking a lot of heat for his latest movie, The Passion of Christ, but I have a feeling that, while it may not be a crowd-pleaser on the level of The Patriot, it is going to be very well done, moving and impressive.
I loved him as Snake Plisken in Escape From New York and Escape From LA.
And while not every Kurt Russell movie has been a favorite, I can truly say that even the bad ones have been made better because of him.
Kurt‘s latest is Miracle. And while it’s not high on my must-see list, I’ll bet it will be better because Russell is in it.
