Category: Celebs

“The Time Machine” (1960) directed by George Pal, starring Rod Taylor, Alan Young and Yvette Mimieux / Z-View

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The Time Machine (1960)

Director:  George Pal

Screenplay: David Duncan based on THE TIME MACHINE by H.G. Wells

Stars: Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Yvette Mimieux, Tom Helmore, Whit Bissell, Doris Lloyd, Paul Frees and Sebastian Cabot.

Tagline: You Will Orbit into the Fantastic Future!

The Plot…

New Year’s Eve 1899… George Wells (Taylor) has created a time machine that works!  Wells decides to go into the future.  He wants to see what kind of utopian society awaits.  Wells is disappointed to learn that instead of paradise, World Wars await.  Wells decides to go far into the future hoping for something better.

Wells lands in the year 802,701.  What at first seems like a perfect world turns out to be anything but.  Humans are treated like cattle by creatures called Morlocks.  Making things worse, Wells’ time machine is now in their possession.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Time Machine won one Academy Award for Best Effects, Special Effects – Gene Warren, Tim Baar

Alan Young (best known as Wilbur on the Mr. Ed television series) is the only actor to appear in this film and the 2002 remake.

The Time Machine features the first starring role in a feature film for both Rod Taylor and Yvette Mimieux.

The Time Machine (1960) rates 3 of 5 stars

“Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze” (1975) starring Ron Ely / Z-View

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Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975)

Director:  Michael Anderson

Screenplay: Joe Morhaim, George Pal based on THE MAN OF BRONZE by Kenneth Robeson

Stars: Ron Ely, Paul Gleason, William Lucking, Eldon Quick, Darrell Zwerling, Paul Wexler, Robyn Hilton, Pamela Hensley, Bob Corso, Alberto Morin, Victor Millan, Michael Berryman and Carlos Rivas.

Tagline: His body…a physical phenomenon. His mind…a mental marvel. His fight…to right all wrongs. His name…enough to strike terror into the hearts of the most hardened criminals!

The Plot…

Doc Savage returns from his Fortress of Solitude at the Artic Circle and learns that his father has died.  Doc believes his dad was murdered and decides to investigate.  He will be joined by his team, “The Amazing Five”, and it’s a good thing since they will be going up against Captain Seas and “the green death”.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Ron Ely directed some of the second unit scenes.

Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze was the last completed film for director/producer George Pal.

Although the film is pretty faithful to the Doc Savage tales, the feel of the movie is off.  It’s not played straight which is fine.  But it falls flat when it should shine.  Getting the balance of humor, camp and action isn’t an easy task.  At times I was reminded of The Great Race or the Batman television show of the 1960s.  They got it right.

The movie starts with Doc Savage alone at his Fortress of Solitude at the artic circle.  He gets up from sitting in the lotus position wearing just shorts (a towel?).  Doc heads to his New York City apartment high atop a skyscraper.  When Doc arrives, his five team members are there.  Doc said he picked up the feeling (from the Artic Circle!) that they were upset and so he rushed home.  They inform Doc his dad has died.  Doc is stunned.  Ok.  So Doc picked up on the team being upset but totally missed the feeling that his dear old dad had died?

That is just one of the things that started to bug me.  Others include when everyone piles into the car and Doc jumps on the sideboard and points straight ahead as the car takes off.  Before the team gets on the plane Doc gives a motivational speech that doesn’t motivate.  I tapped out when it showed Doc’s nemesis in a giant cradle rocking back and forth.   Your mileage could vary, but Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze just didn’t work for me.

Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975) rates 1 of 5 stars

“Riffraff” (1947) starring Pat O’Brien, Walter Slezak and Anne Jeffreys / Z-View

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Riffraff (1947)

Director:  Ted Tetzlaff

Screenplay: Martin Rackin

Stars: Pat O’Brien, Walter Slezak, Anne Jeffreys, Jerome Cowan, George Givot, Marc Krah, William Alland, Bobby Barber and Percy Kilbride.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

A plane leaves Peru for Panama with just two passengers.  The plane lands with just one.  His name is Charles Hasso (Krah).

Hasso immediately hires Dan Hammer (O’Brien) to be his bodyguard for two days.  Before Hammer can start, he gets a call from Walter Gredson (Cowan), a big shot oil executive.  Gredson says that a man, with a map of wildcat oil wells was coming to meet him.  The man got on the plane in Peru but never made it to Panama.  Charles Hasso was the other passenger.  Gredson believes Hasso now has the map.  Gredson offers Hammer a lot of money to find Hasso and the map.

Dan Hammer is a tough guy who is known as a man who can get things done.  This time he may be in over his head.  Especially when Eric Molinar (Slezak) gets in the mix.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Riffraff opens with six and a half minutes of scenes without dialogue.  It is considered one of movies’ classic openings/sequences.

Pat O’Brien doesn’t look like a typical tough PI, but more than holds his own in that department.

Riffraff (1947) rates 4 of 5 stars

“Three the Hard Way” (1974) starring Jim Brown, Fred Williamson and Jim Kelly / Z-View

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Three the Hard Way (1974)

Director:  Gordon Parks Jr.

Screenplay: Eric Bercovici, Jerrold L. Ludwig

Stars: Jim Brown, Fred Williamson, Jim Kelly, Sheila Frazier, Jay Robinson, Richard Angarola, Marian Collier,
Alex Rocco, Corbin Bernsen and Howard Platt.

Tagline: Action explodes all over the place when the big three join forces to save their race!

The Plot…

When Jimmy Lait’s (Brown) friend unexpectedly shows up with a gunshot wound, Lait gets him to a hospital.  Almost delirious and dying, Lait’s friend says “they’re going to kill us all… just us”.  Later that night, Lait’s friend is executed.

Lait does some digging and learns that a white supremist group plans to poison the water supply of Detroit, Washington, D.C. and LA.  The poison is fatal only to African Americans.  Lait recruits two of his friends, Jagger Daniels (Williamson) and Mister Keyes (Kelly) to help him take down the Neo-Nazis before they can wipe out thousands.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

When I was in ninth grade my girlfriend and I went to see Three the Hard Way.  It was playing as part of a double feature with Return of the Dragon.  When my girlfriend (now my wife) realized the plot of Three the Hard Way, she whispered, “We’re the only white people in here.”  I said, “We’ll be alright.”  And of course we were.  I liked Three the Hard Way a lot better seeing it in a theater in the ninth grade.

Three the Hard Way features Corbin Bernsen’s first credited feature film role.  Corbin’s father was co-producer of the film.

If you’re a fan of kung fu and blaxploitation movies, you should enjoy Three the Hard Way.

Three the Hard Way (1974) rates 2 of 5 stars

“1923”: Season 2 (2025) written by Taylor Sheridan, directed by Ben Richardson, starring Helen Mirren, Harrison Ford, Brandon Sklenar, Julia Schlaepfer, Jerome Flynn and Timothy Dalton / Z-View

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1923: Season 2 (2025)

Written by: Taylor Sheridan (Eps. 1-7)

Directed by: Ben Richardson (Eps. 1-7)

Stars: Helen Mirren, Harrison Ford, Brandon Sklenar, Julia Schlaepfer, Jerome Flynn, Darren Mann, Isabel May, Brian Geraghty, Aminah Nieves, Michelle Randolph, Timothy Dalton, Caleb Martin, Robert Patrick, Sebastian Roché, Michael Spears, Jamie McShane, Madison Elise Rogers, Brian Konowal, Jeremy Gauna, Jennifer Carpenter, James Healy Jr. and C. Thomas Howell.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Season 2 picks up where season 1 left off.

1923 follows three main storylines:

  • John Dutton is trying to hold the ranch together.  One of the most brutal winters in memory has set in.  Cattle prices are down. The bank won’t loan enough money to buy hay to feed the heard.  The sadistic and super rich landowner Donald Whitfield (Dalton) has moved forward with plans to steal the Dutton spread.  Since he couldn’t buy the land, Whitfield has recruited a motley group of gun thugs to kill everyone on Dutton land.  Whitfield will then get the land for the cost of back taxes.
  • Spencer Dutton (Sklenar), a decorated War hero and big game hunter meets multiple challenges (that’s an understatement) as he travels home.  Spencer became separated from his new bride Alexandra.  She’s also on a journey to meet Spencer at the Dutton ranch in Montana.  For all the setbacks hindering Spencer, Alexandra is running into even more.  If Spencer doesn’t make it home in time, all will be lost.
  • Teonna Rainwater (Nieves) is still on the run.  She killed in self-defense, but the Marshall and Priest chasing her just want her dead.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Kudos to series creator (and writer of each episode) Taylor Sheridan.  There is no sophomore slump with 1923.  Each storyline remains compelling with characters that you love or hate.  It’s so well written, acted and directed that when the storyline shifts from one to the next, you don’t mind.  In addition to the three main intertwined stories, there are additional characters with side stories.

1923 continues to be perfectly cast from the starring roles to the smallest guest appearances.  The direction, editing and music jell to create one of the best shows on television.  Although I’m sad to see it end, the story has been told and it’s epic.

1923: Season 2 (2025) earns 5 of 5 stars.

“Black Belt Jones” (1974) starring Jim Kelly / Z-View

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Black Belt Jones (1974)

Director:  Robert Clouse

Screenplay: Oscar Williams, story by Fred Weintraub, Alexandra Rose

Stars: Jim Kelly, Gloria Hendry, Scatman Crothers, Alan Weeks, Andre Philippe, Eddie Smith, Alex Brown, Earl Jolly Brown, Marla Gibbs, Ted Lange, Robert Wall  and Eric Laneuville.

Tagline: Enter Jim ”Dragon” Kelly. He clobbers the mob as BLACK BELT JONES.

The Plot…

When the mafia learns of a new civic center set to be constructed, they buy up all of the land except for one building.  It is owned by “Pop” Byrd and houses his karate dojo.  When “Pop” refuses to sell out, they send in a local drug dealer and his crew.  They figure after a beating or two, “Pop’ will happily sell out.

They didn’t know “Pop” was friends with Black Belt Jones.  Their mistake.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

 Warner Bros. made Black Belt Jones after the success of Enter the Dragon (and death of Bruce Lee).  Black Belt Jones reteams Enter the Dragon‘s director, Robert Claus and co-star Jim Kelly.  The film was marketed to make sure fans wouldn’t miss the connection.

If you’re a fan of kung fu and blaxploitation movies, you should enjoy Black Belt Jones.

Black Belt Jones (1974) rates 3 of 5 stars

“A Southern Yankee” (1948) starring Red Skelton / Z-View

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A Southern Yankee (1948)

Director:  Edward Sedgwick

Screenplay: Harry Tugend, written by Melvin Frank, Norman Panama; based on  Buster Keaton‘s The General.

Stars: Red Skelton, Brian Donlevy, Arlene Dahl, George Coulouris, Lloyd Gough and  John Ireland.

Tagline: HE’S A SPY FOR BOTH SIDES!

The Plot…

The year is 1865.  The Civil War is winding down, but spies are still a danger. Especially in a Union Army town. Aubrey Filmore (Skelton) is a hotel bellman who dreams of catching a rebel spy.  Problem is, Aubrey struggles to be an effective bellman.  He just isn’t soldier material.

When word arrives that the rebel spy known as The Grey Spider is coming to town, Aubrey goes on full alert.  Totally by accident, Aubrey discovers The Grey Spider’s identity and plans.  When The Grey Spider discovers Aubrey, Aubrey accidentally knocks him out.  Aubrey then turns The Grey Spider over to Colonel Baker.  Because nobody knows what The Grey Spider looks like, it is decided that Aubrey should impersonate him and go behind enemy lines.

It’s a suicide mission, but as Colonel Baker, “What do we have to lose.”

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

 A Southern Yankee is loosely based on Buster Keaton’s The General.  Buster Keaton was on set some during filming of A Southern Yankee and helped come up with the gags.

A Southern Yankee (1948) rates 3 of 5 stars

“Raging Bull” (1980) directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Robert DeNiro, Cathy Moriarty and Joe Pesci / Z-View

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Raging Bull (1980)

Director:  Martin Scorsese

Screenplay: Paul Schrader, Mardik Martin; based on RAGING BULL: MY STORY by Jake LaMotta, Joseph Carter, Peter Savage

Stars: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent, Nicholas Colasanto, Theresa Saldana, Mario Gallo, Frank Adonis, Bernie Allen  and Charles Scorsese.

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

The rise and fall of former middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta.  LaMotta was known as the Raging Bull because of his quick temper and violence in the ring.  Sadly out of the ring, he was just as fast to fly into a rage and get physical with his family and friends. Life is hard on everyone when you’re your own worst enemy.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Raging Bull was nominated for eight 1981 Academy Awards and won two…

  • Nominee for Best Picture – Irwin Winkler, Robert Chartoff
  • Nominee for Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Joe Pesci
  • Nominee for Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Cathy Moriarty
  • Nominee for Best Director – Martin Scorsese
  • Nominee for Best Cinematography – Michael Chapman
  • Nominee for Best Sound – Donald O. Mitchell, Bill Nicholson, David J. Kimball, Les Lazarowitz
  • Winner for Best Film Editing – Thelma Schoonmaker
  • Winner for Best Actor in a Leading Role – Robert De Niro

Robert DeNiro worked for over four years to convince Martin Scorsese to make Raging Bull.  Scorsese was coming off New York, New York, which had failed to live up to expectations, and a cocaine overdose.  Although he didn’t like sports movies, Scorsese gave in.  The movie revitalized Scorsese’s career and shot DeNiro to superstardom.

DeNiro gained sixty pounds to play LaMotta in later life.  They shot the early scenes and then shut down production for a four months to give DeNiro time to add the weight.

Jake LaMotta gave his autobiography to Robert DeNiro with an inscription saying DeNiro was the only actor to play him.  When the film was made LaMotta was often on the set.

Raging Bull features Cathy Moriarty’s film debut.

John Turturro makes his film debut as the man at table at Webster Hall.

When Jake LaMotta saw the finished film, he asked his former wife, Vickie LaMotta, if he was really that bad.  ‘Worse” she replied.  And he really was.  The movie just touches on some of the worst aspects of his life.

Raging Bull (1980) rates 5 of 5 stars

“Havok” (2025) written & directed by Gareth Evans, starring Tom Hardy, Jessie Mei Li, Timothy Olyphant and Forrest Whitaker / Z-View

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Havok (2025)

Director:  Gareth Evans

Screenplay: Gareth Evans

Stars: Tom Hardy, Jessie Mei Li, Justin Cornwell, Quelin Sepulveda, Serhat Metin, Gordon Alexander, Forest Whitaker, Michelle Waterson, Jill Winternitz and Timothy Olyphant.

Tagline: No law. Only disorder.

The Plot…

Lawrence Beaumont is a politician with clout.  Beaumont also has info that he uses to blackmail Detective Walker into doing his bidding.  Beaumont’s only son, Charlie, gets caught up in a drug deal where a cartel leader’s son is killed.  Charlie is blamed and marked for death.  Beaumont tells Walker he’ll never bother him again if he brings Charlie safely home.

Now Walker is looking for Charlie.  So are members of the triad as well as every honest and crooked cop in town.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

 I absolutely loved everything about Havok.  It has a great story and direction.  Kudos to writer/director Gareth Evans.  It is extremely well cast.  Standouts include: Tom Hardy, Jessie Mei Li, Timothy Olyphant, Forest Whittaker, Yann Yann Yeo and Michelle Waterson.  The violence and action are over-the-top without being excessively gory.

I know I will revisit Havok in the future since I’ve already watched it twice!

Havok (2025) rates 5 of 5 stars

Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday by Steve Bryant!

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My favorite Val Kilmer role is Doc Holiday in Tombstone.  It’s a shame that Kilmer didn’t win a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for that performance.  In fact he wasn’t even nominated.  Kilmer’s performance may not have won the Academy Award, but movie fans have not forgotten how amazing he was.

Steve Bryant created the awesome piece above.  You can see more of Bryant’s art here.

“Stand Your Ground” starring Daniel Stisen, Peter Stormare and Eric Roberts – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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https://craigzablo.com/?p=38805

Stand Your Ground is what I affectionately call a “drive-in” movie.  Check out the poster and trailer.  Directed by Fansu Njie, Stand Your Ground stars Daniel Stisen, Peter Stormare and Eric Roberts.

Deal me in.

Former Special Forces operative, Jack Johnson, seeks vengeance after his wife’s murder, igniting a brutal war against a local crime lord’s family.