Category: Celebs

“Laura” (1944) directed by Otto Preminger, starring Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb & Vincent Price / Z-View

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Laura (1944)

Director: Otto Preminger

Screenplay: Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein, Elizabeth Reinhardt, Ring Lardner Jr. (uncredited) based on LAURA by Vera Caspary

Stars: Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb, Vincent Price, Judith Anderson and Dorothy Adams.

Tagline:  No picture was ever so irresistible as Laura.  No picture was ever so breath-taking!

The Plot…

Laura Hunt (Tierney), an attractive successful young woman, was brutally murdered at the entrance to her apartment.  The shotgun blast to the face destroyed her beauty as it took her life.  Detective Mark McPherson (Andrews) is put in charge of the investigation.

Detective McPherson interviews Laura’s closest friends…

  • Waldo Lydecker (Webb) is a famous newspaper columnist and radio personality.  Waldo gave Laura her start, by endorsing an ad she created and introducing her to movers and shakers.  Waldo is much older than Laura but has great affection for her. Waldo doesn’t care for Laura’s latest boyfriend who is a scam artist.
  • Shelby Carpenter (Price) is Laura’s boyfriend.  She was considering marriage to Shelby despite his past.
  • Ann Treadwell (Anderson) is a rich society dame.  Ann has repeatedly given Shelby money and is in love with him.
  • Bessie (Adams) is Laura’s housekeeper.  She is totally devoted to Laura.

As McPherson learns more about Laura, her beauty and exceptional personality, he becomes infatuated with her.

Then something totally unexpected happens.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Laura was nominated for five Academy Awards and won one…

  • 1945 Nominee for Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Clifton Webb
  • 1945 Nominee for Best Director: Otto Preminger
  • 1945 Nominee for Best Writing, Screenplay: Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein, Elizabeth Reinhardt
  • 1945 Nominee for Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White: Lyle R. Wheeler, Leland Fuller, Thomas Little
  • 1945 Winner Best Cinematography, Black-and-White: Joseph LaShelle

Vincent Price considered Laura the best film he was ever in.

Clifton Webb had a career in silent films.  He then became a theater actor and hadn’t appeared on screen in 15 years.  Otto Preminger wanted him for the role of Waldo.  Studio head Darryl F. Zanuck was against the casting because Webb was a homosexual.  Preminger persisted.  Zanuck said to give Webb a screen test.  Webb said, “If Zanuck wants to see me act, he can come to the theater.”  Preminger filmed Webb in a stage performance.  When Zanuck saw this “screen test” he was upset with how Preminger got the footage, but agreed to the casting.

Otto Preminger put together Laura as a project for him to produce and direct.  However when Darryl Zanuck returned from the service to head the studio, he nixed this.  Zanuck had problems with Preminger in the past. Zanuck said Preminger could serve as a producer, but not director of the film.  Rouben Mamoulian was given the job.  Nobody liked the dailes Mamoulian shot.  Zanuck replaced Mamoulian with Preminger.

Laura provided inspiration for Burt Reynold’s Sharky’s Machine.

Laura (1944) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Jungle Gents” (1954) starring Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall and the Bowery Boys with Woody Stode & Clint Walker! / Z-View

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Jungle Gents (1954)

Director:  Edward Bernds

Screenplay: Edward Bernds, Elwood Ullman

Stars: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bernard Gorcey, Laurette Luez, Harry Cording, David Gorcey, Benny Bartlett, Murray Alper, Pat Flaherty, Joel Fluellen, Roy Glenn, Emory Parnell, Emil Sitka, Woody Strode and Clint Walker.

Tagline:  You’ll Go WILD with LAFFS!

The Plot…

Sach’s new medicine gives him the power to smell diamonds. Slip (L. Gorcey), Satch (Hall), Louie (B. Gorcey), and others are headed to the jungles of Africa to find a diamond mine.  Little do the boys know that a group of crooks are following.  Soon the guys are fighting the gangsters and natives.

Where is Anatta (Luez), the Jungle Girl when you need her?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Clint “Cheyenne” Walker makes his film debut.

Woody Stode appears uncredited as a native.

Jungle Gents (1954) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“The Agency” starring Michael Fassbender, Jeffrey Wright, Jodie Turner-Smith & Richard Gere – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Deal me in!

The Agency: Covert CIA agent Martian is ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London Station. When the love he left behind unexpectedly reappears, their romance reignites, pitting his career, his real identity and his mission against his heart while hurling them both into a deadly game of international intrigue and espionage.

Starring Michael Fassbender, Jeffrey Wright, Jodie Turner-Smith and Richard Gere.

“Den of Thieves 2: Pantera” starring Gerard Butler, O’Shea Jackson Jr. – The New Trailer is Here!

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Deal me in!

Gerard Butler (Plane, Has Fallen series) and O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Straight Outta Compton, Godzilla: King of the Monsters) return in the sequel to 2018’s action-heist hit Den of Thieves.

In DEN OF THIEVES: PANTERA, Big Nick (Butler) is back on the hunt in Europe and closing in on Donnie (Jackson), who is embroiled in the treacherous and unpredictable world of diamond thieves and the infamous Panther mafia, as they plot a massive heist of the world’s largest diamond exchange.

Lionsgate presents, in association with eOne and TT Entertainment, a TT Entertainment production. An eOne Features production. A G-Base and Diamond Film Productions production.

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera – in theaters January 10! Starring Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr

“Tulsa King”: Season 2 (2024) starring Sylvester Stallone / Z-View

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Tulsa King: Season 2 (2024)

Created by: Taylor Sheridan

Director: Craig Zisk (Eps. 1-2; 9-10); Joshua Marston (Eps. 3-4); David Semel  (Eps. 5-6); Kevin Dowling (Eps. 7-8)

Teleplay: Taylor Elmore and Terence Winter & Sylvester Stallone (Ep. 1); Stephen Scaia and Terence Winter (Ep. 2); Terence Winter & Joseph Riccobene (Ep. 3); Terence Winter & Dave Flebotte (Ep. 4); William Schmidt (Ep. 5); Terence Winter (Ep. 6); Dave Flebotte (Ep. 7); William Schmidt & Terence Winter (Ep. 8); Joseph Riccobene (Ep. 9); Terence Winter & Sylvester Stallone (Ep. 10)

Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Martin Starr, Jay Will, Max Casella, Vincent Piazza, Tatiana Zappardino, Annabella Sciorra, Neal McDonough, Frank Grillo, Domenick Lombardozzi, Andrea Savage, Garrett Hedlund, Dana Delany, Chris Caldovino, Dashiell Connery, McKenna Quigley Harrington, Justin Garcia-Pruneda, Michael Beach, Scarlet Rose Stallone, Steve Witting, Rich Ting, Glen Gould, J.D. Walsh, Jelly Roll, Graham Greene and Cash Flo.

Tagline: The Boss Is Back.

The Plot…

Dwight’s see an opportunity to get a wind farm on the cheap.  He’ll use it to power a marijuana farm.  This puts him at odds with Cal Thresher, the biggest medical marijuana supplier in Tulsa (and business partner of Bill Bevilaqua, the organized crime don of the territory).

Dwight learns that a Chinese triad is also involved with marijuana farming in the area and could be a problem.  Chickie reaches out to one of Dwight’s team to set up a doublecross.  Meanwhile Thresher has gets the hook in another on Dwight’s team.  An attempt is made on Dwight’s life.

Tensions mount as Dwight refuses to give Bevilaqua the percentage he wants and offers nothing to Chickie.  People will die and there will be collateral damage.

The season ends with a cliffhanger.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Tulsa King was nominated for one 2023 PrimeTime Emmy Award – Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Comedy Series or a Variety Program: Freddie Poole

As you might have guessed, Tulsa King continues to be my current favorite television show.  Bring on season three!

Tulsa King: Season 2 (2024) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“One False Move” (1992) starring Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Cynda Williams & Michael Beach / Z-View

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One False Move (1992)

Director: Carl Franklin

Screenplay: Billy Bob Thornton, Tom Epperson

Stars: Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Cynda Williams, Michael Beach, Jim Metzler, Earl Billings, Natalie Canerday, Robert Ginnaven and Kevin Hunter.

Tagline:  There was no crime in Star City, Arkansas. No murder. And no fear. Until now.

The Plot…

Ray (Thorton), his girl Fantasia (Williams) and Lane ‘Pluto’ Franklin (Beach) went on a crime spree.  They committed six brutal murders in two locations in one night.  Now they’ve got several thousand dollars and a big bag of cocaine.  They plan to sell the cocaine for $200,000 to a buyer in another state.  The three pack the car and leave LA.

Cops investigating the murder scenes figure out who the killers are and where they’re heading.  LAPD detectives Dud Cole (Metzler) and his partner John McFeely (Billings) head to Star City, Arkansas.  There they meet their liaison Police Chief Dale ‘Hurricane’ Dixon (Paxton).  Hurricane has never had to draw his gun in six years as Chief of Police.  He’s excited to be part of a “big city” task force.  The LA cops see that Hurricane is in over his head.

The bodies pile up as Ray, Fantasia and Pluto make their way to star city.  Hurricane’s past will come back to haunt him.

This will not end well.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

One False Move was originally made to go straight to video.  It won several awards in film festivals and then was given a limited release.  Word spread and it went into a wide theatrical release.

Billy Bob Thorton and Cynda Williams played lovers in the movie.  They were married after filming ended.  Sadly, they were divorced a couple of years later.

Carl Franklin’s direction is top notch.

Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton and Cynda Williams are excellent.  Michael Beach steals every scene he’s in.  He’s THAT frightening as the genius level sociopathic killer.

One False Move (1992) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“The Royal Hotel” (2023) starring Julia Garner and Jessica Henswick / Z-View

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The Royal Hotel (2023)

Director: Kitty Green

Screenplay: Kitty Green, Oscar Redding based on Hotel Coolgardie by Pete Gleeson

Stars: Julia Garner, Jessica Henwick, Toby Wallace, James Frecheville and Hugo Weaving.

Tagline:  A fun adventure is all they wanted

The Plot…

Hannah (Garner) and Liv (Henwick) are backpacking across Australia.  When their money runs low, the only job the employment agency offers is bartending at a remote pub in a mining town hours from civilization.  They are warned that the place gets wild.  The girls are looking for adventure, so they take the job.

The pub is in the middle of nowhere.  No wifi.  Hot water is a luxury.  The pub is full of drunken men.  Miners letting off steam party hard.  The dirty jokes, sexism and rude behavior disturbs Hanna.  She’s ready to leave after the first night.  Liv plays it off as boys being boys.  Besides there isn’t a bus for several days.  So Hannah agrees to tough it out.

Big mistake.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Hotel Royal was inspired by the documentary Hotel Coolgardie (2016).

Julia Garner and Jessica Henwick are, as The Hollywood Reporter says, “superb”.  Sadly the film doesn’t live up to their performances.

The Royal Hotel (2023) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Paradise” starring Sterling K. Brown,  Julianne Nicholson and James Marsden – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster and trailer for Paradise starring Sterling K. Brown,  Julianne Nicholson and James Marsden is here.  This looks great.

Deal me in.

Starring Sterling K. Brown, James Marsden, and Julianne Nicholson.

Paradise is set in a serene, wealthy community inhabited by some of the world’s most prominent individuals. But this tranquility explodes when a shocking murder occurs and a high stakes investigation unfolds. Stream #ParadiseHulu on January 28.

“Back in Action” starring Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster and trailer for Back in Action starring Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz is here.  This looks like fun.

Deal me in.

Years after giving up life as CIA spies to start a family, Emily (Cameron Diaz) and Matt (Jamie Foxx) find themselves dragged back into the world of espionage when their cover is blown.

“The Madness” starring Colman Domingo – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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We have the poster and trailer for The Madness starring Colman Domingo.  I’m a fan.  Plus the supporting cast looks good and the trailer seals it.

Deal me in.

After a media pundit stumbles upon a dead body deep in the Poconos woods, he finds himself framed for the murder of a notorious white supremacist.

Where do you run when you’ve got a bullseye on your back?

You can’t escape The Madness.

Colman Domingo stars in the new conspiracy thriller, coming to Netflix on November 28.

“Don’t Move” (2024) starring Kelsey Asbille & Finn Wittrock / Z-View

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Don’t Move (2024)

Director: Adam Schindler, Brian Netto

Screenplay: TJ Cimfel, David White

Stars: Kelsey Asbille, Finn Wittrock, Moray Treadwell and Daniel Francis.

Tagline:  You can hide, but you can’t run.

The Plot…

Iris (Asbille) had gone to the site of her young child’s death in a remote wilderness park. One the way back to her car, Iris was kidnapped and drugged by a serial killer (Wittrock).  She escaped, but the narcotic is slowly paralyzing her.

Before long she won’t be able to move at all.  Her time is running out in more ways than one.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Finn Wittrock is believable as he transforms from nice guy to grieving husband to loving father to heartless serial killer.

Don’t Move (2024) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Wolf Man” starring Julia Garner – The Second Trailer is Here!

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The second trailer for Wolf Man starring Julia Garner is here!

Deal me in.

What if someone you loved became something else? #WolfManMovie only in theaters January 17.

—
From Blumhouse and visionary writer-director Leigh Whannell, the creators of the chilling modern monster tale The Invisible Man, comes a terrifying new lupine nightmare: Wolf Man.

Golden Globe nominee Christopher Abbott (Poor Things, It Comes at Night) stars as Blake, a San Francisco husband and father, who inherits his remote childhood home in rural Oregon after his own father vanishes and is presumed dead. With his marriage to his high-powered wife, Charlotte (Emmy winner Julia Garner; Ozark, Inventing Anna), fraying, Blake persuades Charlotte to take a break from the city and visit the property with their young daughter, Ginger (Matlida Firth; Hullraisers, Coma).

But as the family approaches the farmhouse in the dead of night, they’re attacked by an unseen animal and, in a desperate escape, barricade themselves inside the home as the creature prowls the perimeter. As the night stretches on, however, Blake begins to behave strangely, transforming into something unrecognizable, and Charlotte will be forced to decide whether the terror within their house is more lethal than the danger without.

The film co-stars Sam Jaeger (The Handmaid’s Tale), Ben Prendergast (The Sojourn Audio Drama) and Benedict Hardie (The Invisible Man).

Wolf Man is directed by Whannell, whose previous films with Blumhouse include The Invisible Man, Upgrade and Insidious: Chapter 3. The screenplay is written by Leigh Whannell & Corbett Tuck, Lauren Schuker Blum & Rebecca Angelo (Dumb Money).

The film is produced by Blumhouse founder and CEO Jason Blum and is executive produced by Ryan Gosling, Ken Kao, Bea Sequeira, Mel Turner and Leigh Whannell. Wolf Man is a Blumhouse and Motel Movies production.

“The Amateur” starring Rami Malek & Laurence Fishburne – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster and trailer for The Amateur starring Rami Malek and Laurence Fishburne is here!  I was also glad to see Jon Bernthal and Holt McCallany listed in the credits.

Deal me in!

Watch the trailer for #TheAmateur starring Oscar® winner Rami Malek (“Bohemian Rhapsody”) and Academy Award® nominee Laurence Fishburne (“What’s Love Got to Do with It”). The all-new espionage thriller opens in theaters nationwide April 11, 2025.

Charlie Heller (Malek) is a brilliant, but deeply introverted decoder for the CIA working out of a basement office at headquarters in Langley whose life is turned upside down when his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack. When his supervisors refuse to take action, he takes matters into his own hands, embarking on a dangerous trek across the globe to track down those responsible, his intelligence serving as the ultimate weapon for eluding his pursuers and achieving his revenge.

The film also stars Rachel Brosnahan, Caitríona Balfe, Jon Bernthal, Michael Stuhlbarg, Holt McCallany, Julianne Nicholson, Adrian Martinez, Danny Sapani, and Laurence Fishburne.

“The Amateur” is directed by James Hawes. The screenplay is by Ken Nolan and Gary Spinelli based on the novel by Robert Littell. The film is produced by Hutch Parker, p.g.a., Dan Wilson, p.g.a., Rami Malek, Joel B. Michaels, with JJ Hook serving as executive producer.

“Body Double” (1984) directed by Brian DePalma, starring Craig Wasson, Melanie Griffith & Gregg Henry / Z-View

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Body Double (1984)

Director: Brian De Palma

Screenplay: Brian De Palma, Robert J. Avrech story by Brian De Palma

Stars: Craig Wasson, Melanie Griffith, Gregg Henry, Deborah Shelton, Al Israel, Douglas Warhit, Russ Marin, Lane Davies, Larry Flash Jenkins, Monte Landis, Brinke Stevens, Steven Bauer and Dennis Franz.

Tagline:  You can’t believe everything you see.

The Plot…

Jack Scully (Wasson) is a struggling actor going through a rough patch.  He just lost his role in a low-budget horror film.  He came home to catch his girlfriend in bed with someone else.  Jack needs a new place to live until things get back on track.

Things are looking up when Sam Bouchard (Henry), an actor Jack met at auditions, offers a place to stay.  Sam’s rich friend needs a house-sitter.  Sam shows Jack the place.  It’s in an upscale neighborhood.  Very modern.  Plus, there’s a bonus.  Every night at a specific time, a lady neighbor does a strip tease as she changes into night clothes.  She’s easy to watch through the telescope focused on her window. Jack is skeptical until he sees for himself.  She’s beautiful.

Jack agrees to house sit.  Watching the woman across the way becomes a nightly activity.  He’s becoming obsessed with her.  Then one night Jack sees a scary looking hombre across the way, also watching the woman strip.

Jack wants to warn her.  But how can he without making himself look like a creeper?  The next night as he’s watching her, Jack sees the scary man hiding in her apartment.  He races over to warn her, but is too late.  Jack finds her murdered.

And that makes him the key suspect.  Jack begins to suspect he was set up.

He was.  But NOT to be the murderer.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Body Double is a love letter to the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Brian De Palma and Robert J. Avrech are both fans of Hitch.  They screened Vertigo and Rear Window for inspiration.

Deborah Shelton’s voice was dubbed by actress Helen Shaver.

Melanie Griffith was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for this film for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture.

Body Double is a fun ride.

Body Double (1984) rates 4 of 5 stars.