Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Sam Banchard aka Shlepzig had a unique style. I loved it. In addition to being an artist, Sam was a teacher, a fencer, a husband and so much more. I met Sam in 2022 at HeroesCon. I got the commission above, went back for another and introduced my friends to his art. They got pieces and all commented on how humble and nice Sam was.
Sadly Sam passed away at the end of 2024. He was way too young. Thankfully his art will live on.
The Third Man (1949)
Director: Carol Reed
Screenplay: Graham Greene
Stars: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Paul Birch, Martin Boddey and Bernard Lee.
Tagline: HUNTED…By a thousand men! Haunted…By a lovely girl!
The Plot…
World War 2 is over. Vienna is divided into five occupation zones—one zone for each of the Allied powers and one international zone. The black market thrives.
Holly Martins (Cotten) comes to Allied-occupied Vienna. Martins has been promised a job by his good friend, Harry Lime (Welles). Martins is shocked to learn that Harry was killed crossing the street when he was hit by a car. Still reeling from the news, Martins attends Harry’s funeral.
Afterwards, Martins talks to different people and their stories don’t add up. Martins then goes to the Allied Authority, Major Calloway (Howard) and demands an investigation into Harry’s death. Major Calloway informs Martins that Harry Lime was involved in the black market. Lime was behind the theft of penicillin from military hospitals. Lime diluted the medicine until it had to curative effect. Lime then sold it on the black market at outrageous prices. Because of the dilution, dozens of people, many children died. If Lime had lived he was about to be arrested.
At first Martins doesn’t believe Major Calloway… but the evidence is there. His childhood friend, Harry Lime had become a despicable person responsible for the death of many including little children. That night as Martins walks a deserted street across the way he sees Harry Lime. Martins calls out, but Harry runs away.
Determined to get to the bottom of this Martins makes it his mission to find Harry… even if it kills him.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
The Third Man was nominated for three 1951 Academy Awards and won one…
Orson Welles was concerned that filming in real sewers would make him sick. His close-ups were done in a studio with long shots in a sewer feature a body double.
Welles was offered a straight salary or a percentage of the profits. He opted for a straight salary. Because the film was so successful, Welles would have made much more with a percentage of profits.
The film was popular during it’s initial release, was nominated for three Academy Awards and remains popular to this day. It currently has an 8.1/10 score on IMDb. At RottenTomatoes it has a 99% rating from reviewers and 93% from all users.
Although Orson Welles is the film’s star, he finished his part in one week of filming. He doesn’t show up in the movie until the movie is 2/3 over.
The Third Man is a classic. Well written, well directed, well cast and well acted. Well… what do you expect, I said, “It’s a classic.”
I love the final scene when Holly Martins waits for Anna to catch up to him. He’s hoping they have a chance at romance. She walks by without even looking his way.
The Third Man (1949) rates 5 of 5 stars.
“Shadow of the Wolf” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!
Deal me in.
Shadow of the Wolf – Watch the trailer now!
On Demand and On Digital March 25. Starring Raniero Monaco Di Lapio, Marianna Di Martino, Elisabetta De Vito, Fabrizio Vona, Simone Riccioni, Ettore Belmondo, Massimiliano Vado, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, and Christopher Lambert.
Christopher Lambert and Maria Grazia Cucinotta star in a chilling tale of horror. When Nico returns from overseas to say farewell to his ailing mother, he discovers something monstrous is happening in the small town he once called home. As the list of grizzly murder victims begins to grow and the authorities fear the killer is a beast unlike anything they have ever seen, Nico senses a savage transformation within himself and uncovers the terrifying secret his family could never reveal.
The Accountant was surprisingly good. Today we have two posters and a trailer for The Accountant 2. It looks even better.
Deal me in/
Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal are back in The Accountant 2. Watch the new trailer now and see the movie only in theaters April 25. #Accountant2
Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) has a talent for solving complex problems. When an old acquaintance is murdered, leaving behind a cryptic message to “find the accountant,” Wolff is compelled to solve the case. Realizing more extreme measures are necessary, Wolff recruits his estranged and highly lethal brother, Brax (Jon Bernthal), to help. In partnership with U.S. Treasury Deputy Director Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), they uncover a deadly conspiracy, becoming targets of a ruthless network of killers who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried.
12 Angry Men (1957)
Director: Sidney Lumet
Screenplay: Reginald Rose based on his 1954 teleplay for Studio One.
Stars: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam, John Fiedler, E.G. Marshall, Jack Klugman, Edward Binns, Jack Warden, Joseph Sweeney, Ed Begley, George Voskovec, Robert Webber and Rudy Bond.
Tagline: Life Is In Their Hands — Death Is On Their Minds!
The Plot…
On the hottest day of the year, twelve jurors enter the jury room to determine the verdict in a capital murder case. A teenage boy is accused of stabbing his father to death. A guilty verdict results in a mandatory death penalty. Eleven jurors see the accused as guilty. One isn’t sure.
Tempers will flare and motivations bared as deliberations proceed. A young man’s life hangs in the balance.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
12 Angry Men was nominated for three 1958 Academy Awards…
12 Angry Men is considered a classic. It currently has a 9 out of 10 rating on IMDb. It has an 100% reviewers rating and 97% user rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Surprisingly, 12 Angry Men was a box office disappointment. Henry Fonda had deferred part of his salary and the film didn’t earn enough to pay off. Still, Fonda considered 12 Angry Men one of his best films.
12 Angry Men was Sidney Lumet’s feature film directing debut.
An all star cast (although not all were stars at the time), an exceptional screenplay and a director who knew how to film in tight quarters and get the tension on screen from men talking make for a film classic.
12 Angry Men (1957) rates 5 of 5 stars.
The poster and trailer for G20 starring Viola Davis are here!
The target becomes a weapon.
G20 starring Viola Davis is streaming on Prime Video April 10.
When the G20 summit comes under siege, U.S. President Danielle Sutton (Academy Award® winner Viola Davis) becomes the number one target. After evading capture by the attackers, she must outsmart the enemy to protect her family, defend her country and safeguard world leaders in this action-packed thrill ride.
Starring Viola Davis, Anthony Anderson, Marsai Martin, Ramón Rodríguez, Douglas Hodge, Elizabeth Marvel, Sabrina Impacciatore, Christopher Farrar and Antony Starr
Directed by Patricia Riggen
Hold That Ghost (1941)
Director: Arthur Lubin
Screenplay: Robert Lees, Fred Rinaldo, John Grant
Stars: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Richard Carlson, Joan Davis, Evelyn Ankers, Mischa Auer, Marc Lawrence, Russell Hicks, The Andrews Sisters and Shemp Howard.
Tagline: A-HAUNTING WE WILL GO! Your blues won’t stand a ghost of a chance…as they top “Buck Privates” and “In the Navy.”!
The Plot…
Chuck (Abbott) and Ferdinand (Costello) dream of someday owning their own nightclub. Recently they were fired from their jobs as waiters in a high class hot spot. Now the boys are gas station attendants.
While servicing a car, the police recognize the auto’s owner, gangster Moose Mattson. Moose takes off with Chuck and Ferdinand in the car. A high speed shootout takes place. Moose is mortally wounded.
Chuck and Ferdinand are surprised to learn that Moose’s will leaves them all of Moose’s possessions. The will specified that whoever was with Moose when he dies gets everything. Chuck and Ferdinand are now the owners of the Forrester’s Club, a big old spooky rundown tavern. The place was a hotspot during prohibition. It is full of secret rooms and hidden passages.
Chuck, Ferdinand and three others find themselves alone at the creepy joint on a dark, stormy night. Things take a turn for the worse when some of Moose’s gangster friends show up looking for Moose’s hidden loot. These mugs are more than willing to kill to get what they want.
Let the fun times roll!
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Hold That Ghost went into production with the working title Oh, Charlie. Filming was well underway before the release of Abbott and Costello’s Buck Privates. When Buck Privates became a huge hit, the pressure was on. The studio decided to rush into production another service comedy, In The Navy featuring Abbott and Costello. When that film was a hit, the studio decided to rework Oh, Charlie into Hold That Ghost. A new opening and closing featuring The Andrews Sisters was added since they appeared in both Buck Privates and In The Navy. Additional scenes were created and some were reshot. The changes paid off since Hold That Ghost was a hit.
Hold That Ghost (1941) rates 4 of 5 stars.
To Be Or Not To Be (1942)
Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Screenplay: Edwin Justus Mayer, Ernst Lubitsch (uncredited); story by Melchior Lengyel
Stars: Carole Lombard, Jack Benny, Felix Bressart, Lionel Atwill, Stanley Ridges, Sig Ruman, Charles Halton, George Lynn, Henry Victor, Halliwell Hobbes, Rudolph Anders and Robert Stack.
Tagline: We announce the presentation of Carole Lombard’s last picture. An exciting romantic comedy keyed to an ever-mounting tempo of suspense. Jack Benny at his best in a surprisingly different comic role.
The Plot…
1942. World War II rages across Europe. In Poland, Professor Siletsky, a Nazi spy has a list of fighters in the Polish underground. If Silersky gets the list to Nazis, dozens of fighters will die and the Polish war effort will be crippled.
The only hope is a drama troupe led by Joseph Tura (Benny) and his wife Maria (Lombard). The troupe plans to impersonate Nazi leadership and take possession of Siletsky’s list.
What could go wrong?
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
To Be Or Not To Be was nominated for one 1943 Academy Award…
Sadly, this was Carole Lombard’s last film. Lombard, her mother and all on board died in a plane crash on January 16, 1942. Carole Lombard was 33. She was on a war bond tour at the time of the crash.
To Be Or Not To Be was released on March 6, 1942. Jack Benny was so upset that he didn’t attend a preview showing of the film just one week after Lombard’s death. Benny had also cancelled his weekly radio show the week that Carole Lombard died.
Carole Lombard said making To Be Or Not To Be was the happiest experience she ever had making a film. Jack Benny said this movie was the only great film. Ernst Lubitsch felt that To Be Or Not To Be was one of his best films.
Ernst Lubitsch, the film’s co-writer and director wrote the lead with Jack Benny in mind.
To Be Or Not To Be is a classic!
To Be Or Not To Be (1942) rates 5 of 5 stars.
Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)
Director: Christophe Gans
Screenplay: Christophe Gans, Stéphane Cabel
Stars: Samuel Le Bihan, Mark Dacascos, Vincent Cassel and Monica Bellucci.
Tagline: The year is 1766… The hunt for a killer has begun
The Plot…
The year is 1764. A beast, some call it a monster, is killing the people of Gévaudan. Grégoire de Fronsac (Le Bihan) and his Iroquois friend Mani (Dacascos) are sent to find and kill the creature.
They have no idea what awaits them.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Brotherhood of the Wolf has a toe in history. There really was a Beast of Gévaudan. It was described as a wolf-like creature. (It was probably a wolf or wolves.) During the years 1764 to 1767, the beast was blamed for as many as 100 killings.
I saw Brotherhood of the Wolf when it was first released in 2001. I liked it better then (4 of 5 stars). I downgraded it now partly due to the creature effects and the fact that everyone knows martial arts in 1764 France. Mark Dacascos as Mani, is still my favorite part of the movie.
Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) rates 3 of 5 stars.
Here we have the poster for Riff Raff starring Jennifer Coolidge, Ed Harris, Gabrielle Union, Lewis Pullman, Pete Davidson and Bill Murray. I’ve also attached the trailer in case you missed it.
Deal me in.
Riff Raff – Watch the trailer now! In theaters February 28.
Starring Jennifer Coolidge, Ed Harris, Gabrielle Union, Lewis Pullman, Miles J. Harvey, Emanuela Postacchini, Michael Angelo Covino, Pete Davidson, and Bill Murray.
Oscar nominees Bill Murray and Ed Harris star alongside Emmy winner Jennifer Coolidge and Pete Davidson in this darkly comic crime thriller about how far you’ll go to protect the ones you love. Vincent (Harris) and his family plan to share a quiet New Year’s Eve together until his sketchy past catches up with him and the night reveals secrets no one could ever imagine. Gabrielle Union and Emmy nominee Lewis Pullman also star.
Act of Violence (1948)
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Screenplay: Robert L. Richards; story by Collier Young
Stars: Van Heflin, Robert Ryan, Janet Leigh, Mary Astor, Phyllis Thaxter, Berry Kroeger, Taylor Holmes, Will Wright, Rudolph Anders and Barbara Billingsley (voice).
Tagline: He’s the only one that came out alive … and now he wants my life … to atone for the others’
The Plot…
Frank Enley (Heflin) is living the good life. Frank served proudly in the war. Now he has a job he loves. Frank is married to a wonderful woman who loves him. They have a beautiful little girl. Frank is a respected member of the community. Life is great.
Then Joe Parkson (Ryan) shows up.
Parkson was in a prisoner of war camp with Frank. Parkson knows that Frank Enley gave the Nazis information about a planned escape. The Nazis killed all the US soldiers trying to get away except Parkson. Parkson almost died and was left with a permanent limp.
Now that Parkson has found Frank Enley, he’s going to kill him.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Although Act of Violence bombed at the box office it has gained a positive following over the years. It currently has a 7.5/10 rating on the IMDb. At Rotten Tomatoes it scored 94% from critics and 76% from site users.
I’m in the minority on this one. I found it to be just okay.
Act of Violence (1948) rates 2 of 5 stars.
Woman on the Run (1950)
Director: Norman Foster
Screenplay: Alan Campbell, Norman Foster, Ross Hunter (dialogue); based on Man on the Run by Sylvia Tate
Stars: Ann Sheridan, Dennis O’Keefe, John Qualen, Ross Elliott, Joan Shawlee, J. Farrell MacDonald, Steven Geray and Victor Sen Yung.
Tagline: As Startling as Your OWN Scream in the Night!
The Plot…
Frank Johnson (Elliott) is the sole witness to a murder. Just as Johnson sees the murderer, the murderer sees Johnson. In order to save himself, Johnson goes on the run with his wife, the police and the murderer close behind!
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Woman on the Run fell into the public domain. Beware of low-grade copies.
Woman on the Run (1950) rates 3 of 5 stars.
Al Capone (1959)
Director: Richard Wilson
Screenplay: Malvin Wald, Henry F. Greenberg
Stars: Rod Steiger, Martin Balsam, Fay Spain, Nehemiah Persoff, Robert Gist, Lewis Charles, Joe De Santis, Sandy Kenyon, Raymond Bailey, Al Ruscio, Louis Quinn, Ron Soble, Steve Gravers, Fred Aldrich and James Gregory.
Tagline: It was the age of speakeasies and jazz… when everybody sinned, ginned and broke the laws… while a vicious crime lord almost took over the nation!
The Plot…
The fictionalized account of Al Capone (Steiger).
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Rod Steiger and Martin Balsam would go on to become Academy Award winners but not for this one.
Al Capone (1959) rates 2 of 5 stars.
Young Dillinger (1965)
Director: Terry O. Morse
Screenplay: Arthur Hoehl, Donald Zimbalist
Stars: Nick Adams, Robert Conrad, John Ashley, Dan Terranova, Mary Ann Mobley, John Hoyt, Anthony Caruso, Emile Meyer, Frank Gerstle, Wally Rose, Walter Sande, Joy Harmon and Victor Buono.
Tagline: The Big Thrill-Story of the Killer Who Became Public Enemy No. 1!
The Plot…
The fictionalized account of John Dillinger (Adams), Pretty Boy Floyd (Conrad) and Baby Face Nelson (Ashley) joining forces to rob banks throughout the midwest.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Robert Conrad won the role of Jim West for The Wild, Wild West during production of Young Dillinger. Although Conrad plays Pretty Boy Floyd in this one, in 1979 Conrad would play Dillinger in The Lady in Red.
Young Dillinger (1965) rates 2 of 5 stars.
The Devil Rides Out (1968)
Director: Terence Fisher
Screenplay: Richard Matheson; based on THE DEVIL RIDES OUT by Dennis Wheatley
Stars: Christopher Lee, Charles Gray, Leon Greene.
Tagline: The beauty of woman… the demon of darkness… the unholy union of “The Devil’s Bride”!
The Plot…
Duc de Richleau (Lee) discovers that his friend’s grown son is mixed up with aa devil-worshipping coven. It may be too late to save him, but De Richleau is going to try.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
It was Christopher Lee’s idea to adapt the Wheatley novel. Lee has said it is one of his favorite of the Hammer films.
The Devil Rides Out (1968) rates 3 of 5 stars.
