“Rocky” by Andrew Peña!
Andrew Peña created the joyful Rocky art above. It makes me smile every time I look at it. You can see more of Andrew Peña’s art at his website.
Source: SLY – A Sylvester Stallone Fan Group.
Category: Celebs
RIP: Arthur Schmidt
Arthur Schmidt, the two-time Academy Award winner for Best Film Editing, died on August 5, 2023. Mr. Schmidt was 86.
Arthur Schmidt followed in his father, Arthur P. Schmidt’s footsteps and became a film editor. His father edited films such as Sunset Boulevard; Ace in the Hole and Some Like It Hot.
Arthur Schmidt’s filmography includes films such as: The Last Remake of Beau Geste; Jaws 2; The Jericho Mile (TV movie); Coal Miner’s Daughter; The Idolmaker; Back to the Future; Ruthless People; Who Framed Roger Rabbit; Back to the Future II; Back to the Future III; The Rocketeer; The Last of the Mohicans; Adams Family Values; Forrest Gump; Tales from the Crypt (TV); The Birdcage; Contact; What Lies Beneath and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Arthur Schmidt’s two Oscars for Best Film Editing were for his work on Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Forrest Gump.
What an amazing resume Arthur Schmidt cultivated. If I had to pick just one favorite from his credits it would be Last of the Mohicans. The truth is I loved so many of his films. Two of his lessor known films that are really good are The Idolmaker and The Jericho Mile. I also think that Contact and What Lies Beneath are both underrated. It’s hard to go wrong with anything that Arthur Schmidt edited.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Arthur Schmidt’s family, friends and fans.
RIP: William Friedkin
William Friedkin died today from complications of heart failure and pneumonia. Mr. Friedkin was 87.
After his high school graduation, William Friedkin got a job in the mail room at WGN-TV. Within two years, he began working on live shows and documentaries. William Friedkin would go on to have a career primarily as a director of television productions and feature films. He occasional took on the role of producer and/or writer of some of his projects. In 1972, William Friedkin won an Academy Award for Best Director for his work on The French Connection. He was nominated again for an Academy Award for Best Director in 1974 for The Exorcist.
Some of William Friedkin’s television projects include: The People vs Paul Crump; The Bold Men; The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; Pro Football: Mayhem on a Sunday Afternoon; The Thin Blue Line; The Twilight Zone; C.A.T. Squad; Tales from the Crypt; 12 Angry Men and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2 episodes).
Some of William Friedkin’s feature films include: The Night They Raided Minsky’s; The Boys in the Band; The French Connection; The Exorcist; Sorcerer; The Brink’s Job; Cruising; The Deal of the Century; To Live and Die in LA; Jade; Rules of Engagement; The Hunted; Killer Joe and The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.
My favorite William Friedkin movie is The Exorcist. If that was the only film he ever directed, William Friedkin would still be famous for it.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to William Friedkin’s family, friends and fans.
“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” (2023) directed by Christopher McQuarrie, starring Tom Cruise / Z-View
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Screenplay: Christopher McQuarrie, Erik Jendresen based on Mission: Impossible created by Bruce Geller
Stars: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Frederick Schmidt, Mariela Garriga, Cary Elwes, Charles Parnell and Indira Varma.
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team have accepted a mission to retrieve a two part key that will ultimately help them control/destroy artificial intelligence that has become sentient. The AI is known as Entity and all world governments hope to find the keys. Also in the race to get the key is Gabriel (Morales) who is using Entity to predict Ethan’s moves before he makes them.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)
If you’re a fan of Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible films, Dead Reckoning Part One should not disappoint. Cruise is back doing what he does best. The rest of the team also returns, although all may not survive. We also get the tropes we’ve come to expect: chases, fights, crazy stunts, perfect disguises from masks that come off with a single pull and more.
A lot has been made of Tom Cruise’s motorcycle leap/parachute jump. Perhaps too much has been shown in advance, but my favorite stunts involved the train scenes at the end. It was also announced that a team member doesn’t survive. There were several scenes where it could have been different characters.
I enjoyed Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. I’m not a fan of two-part movies, but there is a resolution of sorts to hold us until Part Two opens.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) rates 4 of 5 stars.
“Justified: City Primeval” | Season 1, Episode 5 Trailer – The Fall of Jericho
Carolyn’s past becomes Raylan’s present. Mansell puts a plan into action. Watch new episodes of Justified: City Primeval Tuesdays on FX. Stream on Hulu.
Starring Timothy Olyphant, Aunjanue Ellis and Boyd Holbrook. Raylan Givens left the hollers of Kentucky and is balancing life as a U.S. Marshal with being a part-time father. A chance encounter sends him to Detroit and on a collision course with a violent sociopath and a formidable defense attorney.
“Being There” (1979) starring Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine & Melvyn Douglas / Z-View
Being There (1979)
Director: Hal Ashby
Screenplay: Jerzy Kosiński based on Being There by Jerzy Kosiński
Stars: Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden, Richard Dysart, Richard Basehart and David Clennon.
Tagline: A story of chance
The Plot…
Chance (Sellers) is a simpleminded man who never learned to read or write. Chance has lived his whole life without ever leaving the property of the old man who raised him. Although Chance is an excellent gardener, he has learned most of what he knows from watching television (which he dearly loves). When the old man dies, Chance is forced to leave the old man’s property.
For the first time he ventures out into the world. When Ben Rand’s limousine accidentally strikes Chance, Rand’s wife, Eve (MacLaine) demands that Chance is brought back to their mansion. On the ride back, Eve mishears “Chance the gardener” and thinks that Chance’s name is Chauncey Gardiner.” Eve introduces Chauncey to her much older and sickly husband, Ben. Ben takes a liking to Chauncey. Ben misunderstands Chauncey and thinks that he’s a businessman who has fallen on hard times. As they discuss business, Ben is impressed with Chauncey’s straight talk and comparisons of the economy to taking care of a garden.
Ben is a close advisor to the President of the United States. He plans to introduce Chauncey to the leader of the free world. What could go wrong. (And here’s a hint, nothing!)
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)
Being There is Hal Ashby’s highest rated film according to the IMDb. It’s also my favorite Hal Ashby film. Ashby is supported by a great cast. Peter Sellers is wonderful as Chance. He received a nomination for a Best Actor Oscar for his role. Melvyn Douglas also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor (and he won)! Shirley MacLaine, Jack Warden, Richard Dysart and Richard Basehart (in his last feature film role) are all excellent.
Being There is a comedy with heart that also comments on modern life. There’s an underlying message that may be different for each viewer, but the film leaves the audience with something to think about. I first saw Being There in 1980 and wondered how it would hold up. I’m happy to report it’s as wonderful as I remembered.
Being There (1979) rates 5 of 5 stars.
RIP: Mark Margolis
Mark Margolis, the actor best known for his portrayal of Hector Salamanca in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, died yesterday after a short illness. Mr. Margolis was 83.
After high school Mark Margolis moved to New York where he was a student at the Actors Studio. He worked in both television and feature films throughout his career. In 2012, Mr. Margolis was nominated for a Prime Time Emmy Award as the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama series for his portrayal of Hector Salamanca in Breaking Bad.
Some of Mark Margolis’ television appearances include: Kojak; Muggable Mary, Street Cop; Rage of Angels; Crime Story; The Equalizer (16 episodes); Quantum Leap; Columbo Cries Wolf; Star Trek: The Next Generation; Jake and the Fatman; Tales from the Darkside; Santa Barbara (13 episodes); Guiding Light; Prince Street (6 episodes); Law & Order (3 episodes); Oz (10 episodes); Ed (2 episodes); Sex and the City; Law & Order: Criminal Intent; Crossing Jordan; Waterfront (4 episodes); Kings (2 episodes); Blue Bloods; Breaking Bad (8 episodes); The Good Wife; Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; Person of Interest (3 episodes); Fairly Legal (2 episodes); American Horror Story (3 episodes); Elementary; Gotham (2 episodes); The Affair (3 episodes); The Blacklist; Snowpiercer; Prodigal Son; Better Call Saul (22 episodes) and Your Honor (5 episodes).
Some of Mark Margolis’ feature film appearances include: The Opening of Misty Beethoven; Short Eyes; Short Eyes; Going in Style; Dressed to Kill; Arthur; Eddie Macon’s Run; Scarface; The Cotton Club; The Secret of My Success; Glory; Ace Ventura: Pet Detective; Absolute Power; The Thomas Crown Affair; End of Days; Requiem for a Dream; Hannibal; Daredevil; Gone, Baby, Gone; The Wrestler; Stand Up Guys and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.
My favorite role of Mark Margolis’ is probably most everyone’s, when he played Hector Salamanca in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. I also loved him in Scarface and Oz.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mark Margolis’ family, friends and fans.
“Body Heat” (1981) written & directed by Lawrence Kasdan, starring William Hurt & Kathleen Turner / Z-View
Body Heat (1981)
Director: Lawrence Kasdan
Screenplay: Lawrence Kasdan
Stars: William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Richard Crenna, Ted Danson, J.A. Preston, Kim Zimmer and Mickey Rourke.
Tagline: The called it love. The DA called it murder.
The Plot…
One night in the middle of a brutal Florida heat wave, Ned Racine (Hurt) meets a beautiful woman on the boardwalk. The woman is Matty Walker (Turner). She’s married, but Racine, a notorious womanizer, isn’t fazed. There’s a definite sexual attraction and soon the two are involved in a torrid affair. Matty’s husband is rich, but has an airtight prenup. As Ned and Matty’s affair heats up their thoughts turn to cold blooded murder.
All is not as it seems…
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)
Body Heat is a classic noir. If you’re a fan of Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice, this should light your fire. It made stars of Kathleen Turner and Mickey Rourke. It’s my favorite film written by Lawrence Kasdan. It’s also my favorite film directed by Kasdan. It’s my favorite William Hurt movie.
Body Heat features a twist ending that plays out slowly and adds a whole new layer to everything we’ve seen.
Body Heat (1981) rates 5 of 5 stars.
“The Haunted Strangler” (1958) starring Boris Karloff / Z-View
The Haunted Strangler (1958)
Director: Robert Day
Screenplay: John Croydon (as “John C. Cooper“), Jan Read based on an original story by Jan Read
Stars: Boris Karloff, Anthony Dawson
Tagline: Their wild beauty marked them for death by . . . The Haunted Strangler
The Plot…
James Rankin (Karloff) believes that when the serial killer known as The Haymarket Strangler was executed, they hung the wrong guy. In his efforts to clear the man, Rankin comes into possession of the murder weapon. As he holds the knife Rankin is compelled to kill…
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
To give you an idea of the quality of this one, in order to show Karloff’s transformation from kind old man to sadistic killer, he simply took out his lower dentures and sucked his bottom lip up to show his upper teeth.
For Karloff completists only.
The Haunted Strangler (1994) rates 2 of 5 stars.
“Pulp Fiction” (1994) / Z-View
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avery
Stars: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Phil LaMarr, Frank Whaley, Ving Rhames, Paul Calderon, Rosanna Arquette, Eric Stoltz, Steve Buscemi, Christopher Walken, Harvey Keitel, Julia Sweeney, Peter Greene, Kathy Griffin and Quentin Tarantino.
Tagline: You won’t know the facts until you’ve seen the fiction.
The Plot…
Pulp Fiction is the tale of…
- Vincent Vega (Travolta) an enforcer for Marcellus Wallace
- Jules Winnfield (Jackson) an enforcer for Marcellus Wallace
- Marcellus Wallace (Rhames) a mobster
- Mia Wallace (Thurman) Marcellus Wallace’s wife
- Butch Coolidge (Willis) a boxer paid to take a dive for Marcellus Wallace
- Pumpkin (Roth) a small time crook
- Honey Bunny (Plummer) Pumpkin’s partner and lover
- Mr. Wolf (Keitel) a cleaner
Pulp Fiction unfolds jumping back and forth in time as the characters interact. There are seven sequences. Each section focuses on a different main character(s) with the others either not appearing or taking a secondary role. While this sounds confusing, it’s not.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Pulp Fiction was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Picture, Director, Actor (Travolta), Supporting Actor (Jackson), Supporting Actress (Thurman), Film Editing and won for Best Original Screenplay (Tarantino & Avery).
Pulp Fiction was the film that made Quentin Tarantino a household name and reinvigorated John Travolta’s career.
A lot of credit for Pulp Fiction‘s popularity is given to its unique structure. While that does have a lot to do with the movie’s success, we shouldn’t short the story or cast. Tarantino and Avery came up with great characters. They then beautifully cast each role. The stories at first glance seemed to be traditional tropes for crime/gangster films, but each veered into strange new territory. Pulp Fiction became and remains a touchstone for crime films.
Pulp Fiction (1994) rates 5 of 5 stars.
“First Blood” Poster by Tony Stella!
Here’s a cool Tony Stella poster for First Blood!
RIP: Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens, the actor best known for his character Pee-Wee Herman, died yesterday from cancer. Mr. Reubens was 70.
Paul Reubens began his career as a stage actor and comedian. He developed his Pee-Wee Herman character for a stage show. The Pee-Wee Herman Show proved so popular that HBO picked it up for a special. The special was an instant hit. Reubens was approached to bring the character to the big screen. Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure was directed by Tim Burton. The movie was so successful it spawned a Saturday morning program geared to kids (Pee-Wee’s Playhouse) and a movie sequel (Big Top Pee-Wee). When the series ended, Paul Reubens stepped away from the character and took time off from acting.
When Paul Reubens returned to performing he alternated between television, movies and voice work. Later in his career he would return to his Pee-Wee Herman character for a few videos and guest appearances.
Some of Paul Reuben’s television appearances include: Working Stiffs (2 episodes); The Flintstone Comedy Show (2 episodes); The Pee-Wee Herman Show (movie); Dream On; Mork & Mindy; Madame’s Place; All Star Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Saturday Spectacular; 227; Sesame Street: Put Down the Duckie; Sesame Street (3 episodes); Christmas at Pee-Wee’s Playhouse; Pee-Wee’s Playhouse (45 episodes); Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Murphy Brown (6 episodes); Everybody Loves Raymond; Alley McBeal; Rugrats (2 episodes); Reno 911; 30 Rock; Dirt (3 episodes); WWE Raw (2 episodes); The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway; Batman: The Brave and Bold (4 episodes); Tron: Uprising (17 episodes); The Blacklist (5 episodes); Gotham (3 episodes); What We Do In The Shadows; DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (5 episodes) and The Connors.
Some of Paul Reuben’s movie appearances include: The Brotherhood; The Blues Brothers; Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie; Meatball’s Part II; Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure; Big Top Pee-Wee; Moonwalker; Batman Returns; The Nightmare Before Christmas; Matilda; Doctor Dolittle; Mystery Men; Blow; Pee-Wee Gets an iPad and Pee-Wee Goes to Sturgis.
I’m old enough to remember when Pee-Wee Herman went viral. Pee-Wee was everywhere. I was also impressed with Paul Reuben’s commitment to the character. He wouldn’t do interviews or appear anywhere except as Pee-Wee. It was always fun seeing Mr. Reuben’s non-Pee-Wee appearances later in his career.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Paul Reuben’s family, friends and fans.
Sly Stallone by Juarez Ricci!
If you’re not familiar with the art of Juarez Ricci his riff on Sly Stallone is a great place to start. Then head over to Ricci’s Instagram page and plan to stay a bit!
THE LAST ACTION HEROES: THE TRIUMPHS, FLOPS, AND FEUDS OF HOLLYWOOD’S KINGS OF CARNAGE by Nick de Semlyen
The Last Action Heroes: The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood’s Kings of Carnage by Nick de Semlyen
Hardback: 352 pages
Publisher: Crown (June 6, 2023)
First sentence…
They came from the sky.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
I was sent an advance copy of THE LAST ACTION HEROES: THE TRIUMPHS, FLOPS, AND FEUDS OF HOLLYWOOD’S KINGS OF CARNAGE by Nick de Semlyen. I’d like to thank whoever put me on the list because THE LAST ACTION HEROES is a winner.
Nick de Semlyen takes us back to the time that action heroes ruled movie theaters around the world. Fans eagerly waited for the next outing by Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Willis, Van Damme, Chan, Lundgren and Seagal. The movies (and stars paychecks) kept getting bigger and bigger as each new outing had to outdo the last. de Semlyen focuses on the careers of each of these super stars, taking us behind the scenes to reveal the truth behind the rumors and legends.
de Semlyen did extensive research to create a book that’s easy to read and feels like you’re listening to a conversation. I’m old enough to remember when these action heroes ruled the box office. de Semlyen took me back to that time. He confirmed some stories I’d heard and presented many that were new to me. I love that the book includes an index of sources that were used. Fans will love the behind the scenes stories.
THE LAST ACTION HEROES: THE TRIUMPHS, FLOPS, AND FEUDS OF HOLLYWOOD’S KINGS OF CARNAGE by Nick de Semlyen rates 5 of 5 stars.
Rating:
“Raging Bull” Print by Grzegorz Domaradzki!
Gotta love this Raging Bull print by Grzegorz Domaradzki. You can check out more of Domaradzki’s art here.
