Category: Celebs

M. Knight Shyamalan’s “Trap” – The Trailer is Here!

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Usually M. Knight Shyamalan’s twists come late or even at the end of his movies.  We learn this one in the trailer… unless there are more.  Trap looks pretty interesting.

A new M. Night Shyamalan experience. #TrapMovie only in theaters this summer.

Listen to original songs from Saleka as Lady Raven: www.ladyravenmusic.com

Warner Bros. Pictures presents a new experience in the world of M. Night Shayamalan —“Trap” —featuring performances by rising music star Saleka Shyamalan.

A father and teen daughter attend a pop concert, where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, “Trap” stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

The director of photography is Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (“Call Me by Your Name”). The production designer is Debbie de Villa (“The Hating Game”). It is edited by Noëmi Preiswerk and the music is by Herdĭs Stefănsdŏttir (“Knock at the Cabin”). The music supervisor is Susan Jacobs (“Old”); the costume designer is Caroline Duncan (“Old”). The casting is by Douglas Aibel (“Asteroid City”).

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents A Blinding Edge Pictures Production, An M. Night Shyamalan Film: “Trap.” The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, in theaters only nationwide on August 9, 2024 and internationally beginning on 1 August, 2024.
Transcript

“Bowery at Midnight” (1942) starring Bela Lugosi / Z-View

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Bowery at Midnight (1942)

Director: Wallace Fox

Screenplay: Gerald Schnitzer

Stars: Bela Lugosi, John Archer, Wanda McKay, Tom Neal, Vince Barnett, John Berkes, ‘Snub’ Pollard and Bernard Gorcey.

Tagline: BELA LUGOSI CHILLER! WEIRD! THRILLING!

The Plot…

Karl Wagner (Lugosi) runs a soup kitchen that serves as a front for his many criminal enterprises.  Wagner recruits ex-cons and those who are down-and-out to perform robberies and worse.  Wagner then kills them. He disposes of their bodies in a secret room that leads underground.  His accomplice, a doctor who is also an addict, performs experiments on the cadavers.

As the cops close in, Wagner will go to any extreme to escape.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

At the end the undercover cop played by John Archer is shot and presumably killed.  He is taken by the doctor who we discover has perfected the ability to bring the dead back to life as zombies.  Lugosi’s character is attacked by the zombies when he goes into the basement.  Then the final scene of the movie is John Archer’s character with his love interest.  He appears to be totally recovered from being dead and isn’t a zombie.  Huh?

Bowery at Midnight (1942) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Civil War” (2024) written & directed by Alex Garland, starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny & Stephen McKinley Henderson / Z-View

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Civil War (2024)

Director: Alex Garland

Screenplay:  Alex Garland

Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Nick Offerman, Jefferson White, Nelson Lee, Evan Lai, Stephen McKinley Henderson and Jesse Plemons.

Tagline: Welcome to the frontline

The Plot…

In the near future the United States is deeply involved in a civil war.  A third-term President controls the military of the loyalist states.  Texas and California have formed an alliance called the Western Forces.  Florida along with several southern states are part of the Florida Alliance.  Despite the President’s assurances to the nation that victory is near, rumors float that the rebels are close to bringing down the current administration.

Lee (Dunst), a famous war photographer, and her reporter partner Joel (Moura) plan to get to Washington, D.C. to cover the end of the President’s regime.  They end up bringing along Sammy (McKinley Henderson), an older reporter friend, and Jessie (Spaeny), a young woman who dreams of being a war photographer.

As the four travel from New York City to DC, we see first hand the effect the war is having on citizens and soldiers.  Not all will survive…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

It’s interesting that although writer/director, Alex Garland worked to keep the story politically neutral, some viewers are assigning their political beliefs to the film.  Although the President is serving a third term, we don’t know what led to that.  The President is described in the film as a fascist, which is a term that has been applied to leaders of both US political parties.

Often in the film, it’s hard to tell if the soldiers are loyalists or rebels.  In one particular scene, two soldiers and our foursome are pinned down by a sniper.  We never learn the affiliation of the sniper or soldiers.  We only know that someone is trying to kill them before they can kill him.

I believe that Garland’s goal is to get people talking about the film and to show that war is hell. At one point in the film, Dunst’s character says something to the effect that her job is to get the shot and the viewer’s job to ask the questions.  That’s a great way to describe Garland’s outlook with the film.  He made the movie and it is the audience’s job to ask questions to get to the answers.

There are several tense scenes both in and out of battle. We see the best and worst in people from both the loyalists and the rebels.  There are several scenes that will stick with the viewer long after the movie has ended.  Hopefully it will also leave the viewer with thoughts / questions.  Some that came to me were…

  • Were the secret service agents guarding the President there because they believed in him and the things that he did or were they there because of their oath to protect him.
  • What was the cause of the civil war?  We are “told” the President is a fascist and that he used the military to kill some US citizens.  We don’t know enough about these things to determine their truth.  If true, what was tried to bring about justice before resorting to civil war?
  • The President is killed at the end of the film.  He was unarmed and begging for his life. He could have been captured and brought to justice.  Simply executing him sounds like something a fascist regime would do.  Are the rebels the good guys? If not, did the bad guys win?  Or maybe, just maybe labeling people as good or bad is just too simplistic.
  • War brings out the best and worst in people.  One could point out several examples of heroism on both sides of the battle.  Also on both sides we see people who enjoy the killing.
  • Civil War is extremely well acted.  The four leads, Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, and Stephen McKinley Henderson are excellent.  Jesse Plemons is always good and here, in a small scene, he’s never been better.  Kudos to Alex Garland for making an exceptional film.

Civil War (2024) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Chamber of Horrors” (1966) starring Patrick O’Neal, Cesare Danova & Wilfrid Hyde-White / Z-View

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Chamber of Horrors (1966)

Director: Hy Averback

Screenplay: Stephen Kandel, Ray Russell

Stars: Patrick O’Neal, Cesare Danova, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Jeanette Nolan, Marie Windsor, Wayne Rogers, Charles Seel, William Conrad (voice) and Tony Curtis.

Tagline: The motion picture with the Fear Flasher and the Horror Horn

The Plot…

Jason Cravatte (O’Neal) was convicted of killing a young woman and then forcing a Justice of the Peace to perform a marriage ceremony for Cravatte and his victim.  While being transported to prison, Cravatte escaped by cutting off his own hand.

Now fully healed, Cravatte has replaced his hand with a covering that can hold a hook, a long blade and more.  Cravatte plans to get revenge on everyone responsible for his capture.  That includes the judge who sentenced him, the police officer who caught him, Anthony Draco (Danova) and Harold Blount (Hyde-White) who assisted in the capture.

Draco and Blount own a wax museum with a focus on famous gruesome murderers.  Wouldn’t that be the perfect place for Cravatte to take his final revenge?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I first saw Chamber of Horrors as a kid.  I was probably 9 years old.  I loved the film then and am still a fan.

Chamber of Horrors was originally filmed as a pilot for a tv series.  The network thought it was too violent, so it received a theatrical release.  Sadly no television series was ever produced.  I still think it would make a fun series.

Tony Curtis appears in a cameo that has no bearing on the plot.  When it was decided to release the film as a feature, additional time was needed so the scene with Tony Curtis was added.  Also added were the gimmicks of The Fear Flasher and The Horror Horn which were seen and heard before the most intense scenes.  William Conrad also recorded the warning before the start of the film.

Wayne Rogers plays the young police officer intent on re-capturing Cravatte. This is years before he became famous on M*A*S*H.

Chamber of Horrors (1966) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Homicidal” (1961) directed by William Castle / Z-View

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Homicidal (1961)

Director:  William Castle

Screenplay: Robb White

Stars: Glenn Corbett, Patricia Breslin, James Westerfield, Gilbert Green, Joan Marshall, Ralph Moody, ‘Snub’ Pollard, Hope Summers and William Castle.

Tagline: SPECIAL “FRIGHT BREAK” * There will be a special FRIGHT BREAK during the showing of “Homicidal.” Can your heart stand the challenge when the clock starts the COUNTDOWN?

The Plot…

A woman claiming to be Miriam Webster offers a bellman $2,000.00 to marry her.  She says that they can annul the marriage right after the ceremony.  The bellman agrees.  The next night they go to a Justice of the Peace.  After he performs the ceremony the woman pulls out a long knife and repeatedly stabs him to death.  The woman then runs off into the night.

The police quickly clear the real Miriam Webster (Breslin).  They learn that Miriam and her brother, Warren, are about to inherit a fortune due to their father’s death.  More murders will occur before the secrets that they are hiding will be discovered.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

William Castle was known for his gimmick films.  Three examples include:

  • The Tingler, he had small electric jolts and/or vibrators in some theater seats
  • Mr. Sardonicus, audience members were given glow in the dark cards to vote on the movie’s ending
  • House on Haunted Hill, a flying skeleton flew across the theater

For Homicidal, William Castle had a “Fright Break” prior to the ending of the film.  Audience members too frightened to stay for the end had 45 seconds (a timer appeared on the movie screen) to leave the theater. They would go to the “Coward’s Corner” in the lobby.  There they had to sign a certificate verifying they were indeed a coward.  Very few patrons took up the offer, but it was a great selling point.  THAT wasn’t the best gimmick of Homicidal.  SPOILER ALERT – it will be discussed below.

Homicidal cashed in on the success of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho which was released the year before.

Joan Marshall played both Emily and Warren. Emily was credited as Jean Arless to keep the movie’s gimmick a secret.  In order to convince William Castle she could play both roles convincingly, Marshall showed up dressed as a man for an interview.  She fooled them and won the part.

Homicidal (1961) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“The Girl in Black Stockings” (1957) starring Lex Barker, Anne Bancroft, Mamie Van Doren & John Dehner / Z-View

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The Girl in Black Stockings (1957)

Director:  Howard W. Koch

Screenplay: Richard Landau, based on the short story “Wanton Murder” by Peter Godfrey

Stars: Lex Barker, Anne Bancroft, Mamie Van Doren, John Dehner, Ron Randell, Marie Windsor, John Holland, Diana Van der Vlis, Richard H. Cutting, Larry Chance, Gene O’Donnell, Stuart Whitman and Dan Blocker.

Tagline: One Will Die Tonight!

The Plot…

When a party girl is found brutally murdered, Sheriff Jess Holmes (Dehner) has no shortage of suspects. They include:

  • David Hewson (Barker), a LA lawyer on vacation
  • Beth Dixon (Bancroft), Ed Parry’s former personal assistant
  • Ed Parry (Randell), the paralyzed, wheelchair-bound lodge owner
  • Julia Parry (Windsor), Ed’s sister and caretaker
  • Norman Grant (Holland), a once-famous actor hoping for a comeback
  • Harriett Ames (Van Doren), Norman Grant’s much younger lady friend
  •  Joseph Felton (O’Donnell), a guest who just recently arrived at the lodge
  • Joe (Chance), an employee of the lodge

Sheriff Holmes has his hands full. More will die before the murderer is revealed!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Girl in Black Stockings was filmed on location at the Parry Lodge in Kanab, Utah.

Top-billed Lex Barker played Tarzan in five movies prior to making this.

Anne Bancroft would go on to be nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actress in a Leading Role five times, winning once in 1963 for her performance in The Miracle Worker.

Stuart Whitman and Dan Blocker appear in small roles.

The Girl in Black Stockings (1957) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Chief of Station” starring Aaron Eckhart – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Here we have the poster and trailer for Chief of Station starring Aaron Eckhart.

After learning the untimely death of his wife was not accidental, a former CIA Station Chief (Aaron Eckhart) is forced back into the espionage underworld, teaming up with an adversary to unravel a conspiracy that challenges everything he thought he knew.

Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Olga Kurylenko, Alex Pettyfer
Directed by: Jesse V. Johnson
Release Date: 5/3/24

“On the Line” (2022) starring Mel Gibson / Z-View

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On the Line (2022)

Director:  Romuald Boulanger

Screenplay: Romuald Boulanger

Stars: Mel Gibson, William Moseley, Alia Seror-O’Neill, Paul Spera and Kevin Dillon.

Tagline: There’s a Killer on the Line

The Plot…

Elvis Cooney (Gibson), late night radio shock jock finds himself with a caller who will kill Cooney’s family if Cooney doesn’t follow his directions on-air.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

On the Line sets up and interesting premise and follows through for the first hour and a half or so.  Then in the final minutes we are left feeling like we just watched the ninth season of Dallas.

On the Line (2022) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Dark Matter” – The Trailer is Here!

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Dark Matter looks like it could be a winner.

There are infinite realities. This is the one where Jason Dessen kidnaps himself. Based on the New York Times bestseller, Dark Matter premieres May 8. https://apple.co/_DarkMatter

Dark Matter is a sci-fi thriller series based on the blockbuster book by acclaimed, bestselling author Blake Crouch. The nine-episode series features an ensemble cast that includes Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Connelly, Alice Braga, Jimmi Simpson, Dayo Okeniyi and Oakes Fegley. Dark Matter makes its global debut on Apple TV+ on May 8, 2024, premiering with the first two episodes, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through June 26.

Hailed as one of the best sci-fi novels of the decade, Dark Matter is a story about the road not taken. The series will follow Jason Dessen (played by Joel Edgerton), a physicist, professor and family man who — one night while walking home on the streets of Chicago — is abducted into an alternate version of his life. Wonder quickly turns to nightmare when he tries to return to his reality amid the mind-bending landscape of lives he could have lived. In this labyrinth of realities, he embarks on a harrowing journey to get back to his true family and save them from the most terrifying, unbeatable foe imaginable: himself.

Crouch serves as executive producer, showrunner, and writer alongside executive producers Matt Tolmach and David Manpearl for Matt Tolmach Productions, and Joel Edgerton. Dark Matter is produced for Apple TV+ by Sony Pictures Television.

“Night of Terror” (1933) starring Bela Lugosi / Z-View

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Night of Terror (1933)

Director:  Benjamin Stoloff

Screenplay: Willard Mack, Beatrice Van, Lester Neilson, William Jacobs

Stars: Bela Lugosi, Wallace Ford, Tully Marshall, George Meeker, Matt McHugh, Dave O’Brien and Oscar Smith.

Tagline: A mad murdering midnight menace!

The Plot…

A serial killer known as The Maniac is on the loose.  He was last seen near the estate where a rich man was murdered.  When the family comes together they learn they are heirs to the fortune left behind.  As family members turn up dead, survivors wonder if the killer is the Maniac or someone in the family attempting to get a bigger share.

How many will have to die before the truth is known?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Although Bela Lugosi gets top billing, he plays a supporting character.

The best part of the film is after the mystery is solved.  The killer is caught. The Maniac is lying dead on the floor.  The family exits and we’re expecting “THE END” to appear.  But instead the Maniac gets up, walks close to the camera and speaks directly to the audience.  He warns them that if any tell how the movie ends he will find and haunt them! (Oh, and the Maniac isn’t the killer!)

Night of Terror (1933) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“The Roundup: Punishment” starring Don Lee – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Don Lee is back and we have the trailer and poster for The Roundup: Punishment.

IN THEATERS MAY 3.

During the investigations of a drug trafficking app, the Monster Cop Ma Seok-do (Don Lee) and his team discover a connection between the wanted app developer, who was killed in the Philippines, and a massive illegal online gambling organization. Meanwhile in the Philippines, Baek Chang-gi, a former elite soldier, has been controlling the Korean online illegal gambling market, terrorizing it with kidnap, assault and murder. His partner, the IT genius CEO, Chang Dong-chul plans an even larger scheme in Korea. To put an end to the escalating threat, Detective Ma expands the operation by proposing an unexpected alliance to Jang, and unfolds the biggest roundup mission to hunt down the criminals, collaborating with the cyber unit and Metro Investigations.

“Apocalypto” (2006) directed by Mel Gibson

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Apocalypto (2006)

Director:  Mel Gibson

Screenplay: Mel Gibson, Farhad Safinia

Stars: Rudy Youngblood, Raoul Max Trujillo, Gerardo Taracena, Jonathan Brewer and Iazua Larios.

Tagline: No one can outrun their destiny.

The Plot…

When Jaguar Paw’s village is attacked, he manages to hide his pregnant wife and young son in a deep hole right outside their jungle settlement.  He then goes back to fight the attackers.  With overwhelming numbers, the attacking Mayans kill or capture every man and woman in the village.  The prisoners will be marched to the Mayan city.  The women then sold into slavery and the men publicly sacrificed.

Jaguar Paw is determined to escape, survive and get back to his family.  Odds are against it.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

When people talk about Mel Gibson’s directing ability they usually mention Braveheart, Hacksaw Ridge and The Passion of the Christ.  Apocalypto should be included in that group.  It’s arguably the best film he ever directed.

Many of the roles in Apocalypto were performed by Mayans who had never acted before.

Apocalypto was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Achievement in Makeup (Aldo Signoretti, Vittorio Sodano); Best Achievement in Sound Mixing (Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell, Fernando Cámara) and Best Achievement in Sound Editing (Sean McCormack, Kami Asgar).

Apocalypto (2006) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Road House” (2024) starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Daniela Melchior & Conor McGregor / Z-View

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Road House (2024)

Director:  Doug Liman

Screenplay: Anthony Bagarozzi, Charles Mondry, story by Anthony Bagarozzi, Charles Mondry, David Lee Henry based on Road House by David Lee Henry, Hilary Henkin

Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Daniela Melchior, Conor McGregor, Billy Magnussen, Jessica Williams, B.K. Cannon, Joaquim de Almeida, Austin Post Malone, Lukas Gage, Dominique Columbus, Beau Knapp, Hannah Love Lanier, Travis Van Winkle and JD Pardo.

Tagline: Take it outside.

The Plot…

Ex-UFC cage fighter, Elwood Dalton (Gyllenhaal) is offered $5,000.00 a week to become head bouncer at the Road House beach bar.  A biker gang has been terrorizing customers.  Dalton reluctantly takes the job.  He then discovers that the bikers are pawns used by a drug runner who wants the Road House for reasons of his own.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Road House is Conor McGregor’s film debut.

Director Doug Liman keeps the action moving and the shots interesting.

Jake Gyllenhaal is great as the “keep it cool” character with a savage dark side once a line is crossed.

Conor McGregor is as over the top in the movie as he is in real life.  Let that sink in.

While not as good as the original, I enjoyed it more than most folks.  Road House (2024) currently has a 6.2 out of 10 rating at IMDb.  At Rotten Tomatoes it has 59% rating among reviewers and a 54% audience rating.

Road House (2024) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Pushover” (1954) starring Fred MacMurray, Kim Novak, Philip Carey, Dorothy Malone & E.G. Marshall / Z-View

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Pushover (1954)

Director:  Richard Quine

Screenplay: Roy Huggins based on THE NIGHT WATCH by Thomas Walsh and RAFFERTY by Bill Ballinger

Stars: Fred MacMurray, Kim Novak, Philip Carey, Dorothy Malone, E.G. Marshall, Allen Nourse, James Anderson, Tony Barrett, Phil Chambers, Alan Dexter, Anne Loos, Marion Ross, Paul Richards and Dick Crockett.

Tagline: HOT-BLOODED BLONDE…COLD-BLOODED GUY…and MURDER!

The Plot…

Detective Paul Sheridan (MacMurray) is sent undercover to befriend Lona McLane (Novak).  Lona is the girlfriend of Harry Wheeler (Richards), the prime suspect in a bank robbery where a security guard was killed and the thieves made off with over $200,000.00.  Paul and Lona hit it off.

The police have placed Lona’s apartment under 24 hour surveillance by Paul, an alcoholic cop named Paddy (Nourse) and Detective Rick McAllister (Carey).  Paul is surprised when Lona shows up at his house when he’s off-shift.  Lona tells Paul that she knows he’s a cop.  That she loves him.  That if Paul will kill Harry, they could run away together with the bank cash.

Paul refuses… at first.  But he’s in love and the temptation is too great.  Paul and Lona come up with a plan, but like the best laid plans…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Although Kim Novak’s credit says, Introducing, this wasn’t her first on-screen appearance.  She was just 21 when Pushover was released.  She definitely comes off as sexier,  older and more world-weary than a 21 year old.

Roy Huggins’s script was based on two books not written by him. Huggins was himself a novelist and screenwriter.  He was also writer, creator and/or producer of television series that include Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip, The Fugitive, Hunter, and The Rockford Files.

Marion Ross of Happy Days fame appears uncredited as Mrs. Crockett.

Fred MacMurray and Kim Novak are excellent.  Kudos also to Philip Carey, Dorothy Malone and E.G. Marshall.

Pushover (1954) rates 4 of 5 stars.