Category: Celebs

“The Bikeriders” starring Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy and Norman Reedus – The Poster & Trailer are Here!

Deal me in.

The Bikeriders, starring Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy and Norman Reedus, follows the rise of a midwestern motorcycle club, the Vandals. Seen through the lives of its members, the club evolves over the course of a decade from a gathering place for local outsiders into a more sinister gang, threatening the original group’s unique way of life.

#TheBikeriders is only in theaters June 21.

“Black Angel” (1946) starring Dan Duryea, June Vincent, Peter Lorre & Broderick Crawford / Z-View

Black Angel (1946)

Director:  Roy William Neill

Screenplay: Roy Chanslor based on the novel THE BLACK ANGEL by Cornell Woolrich

Stars: Dan Duryea, June Vincent, Peter Lorre, Broderick Crawford, Wallace Ford, Robert B. Williams and George Ford.

Tagline: DURYEA! …that fascinating tough-guy of “Scarlet Street”!

The Plot…

Martin Blair (Duryea) wants to see his estranged wife, Mavis Marlowe.  It’s their anniversary and he’s sent Mavis a large ruby brooch in an effort to win her back.  Yet, she’s told the doorman to NOT allow Martin up.  Dejected and rejected, Martin goes to get drunk.  He then stumbles to his room, where a friend locks him in for the night.

Later, Kirk Bennet goes up to see Mavis.  He finds her on the floor.  She’s dead.  Kirk notices she’s wearing a huge ruby brooch.  When Kirk hears a noise in the apartment, he realizes he’s not alone.  As he carefully makes his way through the bedroom, he hears someone running out.  Kirk goes back to find the brooch missing and the front door open.  Kirk realizes he’s in a bad spot and runs to the stairwell.  He’s seen as he flees.

When the cops pick up Kirk, it becomes clear that he was having an affair with Mavis, despite being married.  Kirk’s wife, Catherine (Vincent) doesn’t believe her husband is a killer.  Kirk claims Mavis was blackmailing him. This just gives the cops more reason to think he killed Mavis.

Catherine is grasping at straws to find evidence to clear her husband when she meets Martin.  Catherine believes he could be the killer.  Martin says the police thought so too at first.  Except he couldn’t have killed Mavis since he was knock-down drunk and locked in his room when the murder occurred.  Martin takes pity on Catherine and offers to help her find the killer.

Kirk is on death row and the clock is ticking.  What chance does a housewife and functioning alcoholic have of finding the real murderer?  Tick tock tick toc…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Black Angel is loosely based on Cornell Woolrich’s novel of the same name.  Woolrich is said to dislike the film because of the changes made.  Since I haven’t read the book, I wasn’t hindered by expectations. I thought I knew how it would play out.  Boy, was I wrong.  I was surprised by twist ending.

This was the last film directed by Roy William Neill.  He died shortly after the release of Black Angel.  Neill is best known as the director of several Sherlock Holmes‘ films as well as the classic Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman.

Dan Duryea, on the other hand, had a career that was heating up.  He’s even the subject of Black Angel‘s tagline.  Broderick Crawford has a small but important role.  Four years later Crawford would win an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for All the King’s Men.

Black Angel (1946) earns 4 of 5 stars.

“Leave the World Behind” (2023) starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la and Kevin Bacon / Z-View

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Director:  Sam Esmail

Screenplay: Sam Esmail based on the novel LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND by Rumaan Alam

Stars: Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la and Kevin Bacon.

Tagline:  There’s No Going Back to Normal

The Plot…

Amanda (Roberts) and Clay Sanford (Hawke) rent a modern isolated house away from the city for a spur of the moment vacation with their two children.  As the weekend progresses strange things happen.  They lose internet access.  Several deer wander onto the property and just stand still.  At the beach an oil tanker loses control and runs ashore as beachgoers scramble for safety.  That evening the wifi is still out and television channels are off the air.

Later that night, Amanda and Clay are awakened by two well dressed strangers.  The man claims to be George H. Scott (Ali).  He says that the young woman with him is his daughter, Ruth (Myha’la).  George says that the house is his and a blackout in the city is the reason for their return home.  Ruth immediately distrusts them.  George cannot prove who he is. He claims to have lost his wallet.  His wife, Ruth’s mother is due back from a business trip later that day.  George is not asking Amanda and her family to leave. He just wants to stay with Ruth in his own home.  Despite reservations, the two families agree to share the house.

The next day, they learn that the United States is under some sort of attack.  Planes are crashing.  GPS and electronics no longer work.  The emergency alert system warns that the US is at war.  Their worst fears have become reality.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Leave the World Behind reminded me of a M. Night Shyamalan movie written by Rod Serling.  In other words, I loved it. It was well written, well directed and well acted.  Sam Esmail who adapted the screenplay and directed made interesting choices that helped build tension as strange things began happening.  Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la and Kevin Bacon are excellent.  I think this may be the first movie where I didn’t care for a Julia Roberts character.

I like movies that make me think, “What would I do”. Once Leave the World Behind kicks in, I did that a lot.  There were no easy answers since no one was sure what was going on.  I’ve seen a few bad reviews and they’re unanimously because the movie doesn’t wrap things up with a definitive answer.  That’s one of the things I enjoyed about it.  So, as always, but with this one a little more, your mileage could vary.

Leave the World Behind (2023) earns 5 of 5 stars.

YOU LIKE IT DARKER by Stephen King

Stephen King has a new book of short stories, YOU LIKE IT DARKER coming out May 21, 2024.  Before we get to the synopsis, how about that cover?  That’s a clever design.  Is it land that looks like an alligator, or an alligator that looks like land?

From legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary new collection of twelve short stories, many never-before-published, and some of his best EVER.

“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in YOU LIKE IT DARKER, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.

“Two Talented Bastids” explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to CUJO, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,” a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man” asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.

King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.

“Rustin” (2023) directed by George C. Wolfe, starring Colman Domingo, Chris Rock & Glynn Turman / Z-View

Rustin (2023)

Director:  George C. Wolfe

Screenplay: Julian Breece, Dustin Lance Black from a story by Julian Breece

Stars: Colman Domingo, Chris Rock, Glynn Turman, Aml Ameen, Gus Halper, Johnny Ramey, Jeffrey Wright and CCH Pounder.

Tagline: Own Your Power

The Plot…

Most everyone knows about the 1963 March on Washington which brought together 250,000 people to protest for civil rights.  Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his I Have a Dream speech at this event.  Bayard Rustin was the man who came up with the idea and against all odds (even the NAACP was against the idea at first) was able to build support and bring the idea to reality.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Rustin (2023) has been nominated for two Critics Choice Awards: Best Actor – Colman Domingo and Best Song -Lenny Kravitz – “Road to Freedom”

Rustin (2023) has been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards: Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama – Colman Domingo and Best Original Song, Motion Picture – Lenny Kravitz – “Road to Freedom”

Director George C. Wolfe who last directed Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is back with another winner.

Colman Domingo gives an amazing performance as does his supporting cast.  Glynn Turman also deserves special recognition for his powerful performance.

Rustin isn’t a documentary, so I’m not clear what liberties were taken with the story.  Bayard Rustin isn’t shown as simply a heroic figure. There are shades to his character as well as other better known figures from history. Rustin, the film, works as a biographical drama with strong performances and direction.

Rustin (2023) earns 4 of 5 stars.

“Naked Alibi” (1954) starring Sterling Hayden, Gloria Grahame & Gene Barry / Z-View

Naked Alibi (1954)

Director:  Jerry Hopper

Screenplay: Lawrence Roman based on the story Cry Copper by Gladys Atwater, J. Robert Bren

Stars: Sterling Hayden, Gloria Grahame, Gene Barry, Max Showalter, Billy Chapin, Stuart Randall, John Alvin, Dee Carroll  and Chuck Connors.

Tagline: The Cop, The Killer and the Border Town Woman!

The Plot…

Albert Willis (Barry) is brought in for questioning about some recent robberies.  Although drunk, Willis has no record, is married and owns a local bakery.  Willis becomes more and more angry as the questioning continues.  He ends up hitting a cop.  In retaliation, they work him over.  Willis, vows to get even with the cops who beat him.

Willis’ lawyer gets him released with no charges.  This only angers Chief Joseph E. Conroy (Hayden), who has no doubt Willis is guilty.  That evening one of the cops who beat Willis is murdered.  Chief Conroy is sure WIllis is the killer.  Conroy and a couple of his buddies begin tailing Willis everywhere he goes.  When Conroy is told to back off, he refuses.  Conroy is then fired.

Now, more than ever Conroy is determined to prove that Albert Willis is a thief and murderer.  Willis tells his wife he needs to get away from the publicity and to clear his head.  He decides to go to Border City for the weekend.  Little does he know Conroy is close behind.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Naked Alibi doesn’t play out at all like I thought it would.  I like that.  Who’s the “good guy” or better yet, who’s the bad guy?

Gloria Grahame is always good.  It’s fun seeing a young Chuck Connors years before The Rifleman fame.

Naked Alibi (1954) earns 4 of 5 stars.

“Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.” starring Eddie Murphy – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

Deal me in.

Detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is back on the beat in Beverly Hills. After his daughter’s life is threatened, she (Taylour Paige) and Foley team up with a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and old pals Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) to turn up the heat and uncover a conspiracy.

From Producers Jerry Bruckheimer, Eddie Murphy, Chad Oman, and Director Mark Molloy.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. Only on Netflix, Summer 2024.

“Muscle Up A Little Closer” (1957) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

Muscle Up A Little Closer (1957)

Director:  Jules White

Screenplay: Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Joe Besser and Maxine Gates.

Tagline: Hilarious?  Better Than Ever!

The Plot…

Joe, Larry and Moe plan to propose marriage to their girls.  Joe discovers that the ring he bought for his sweetheart is missing.  The boys believe that a bully from work stole it.  Our guys decide to confront the lug in the company gym.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

In Muscle Up A Little Closer Larry and Moe wear more conservative haircuts for the first time in the series. The new haircuts would appear from time to time in the Stooges’ shorts with Joe Besser (he suggested the new style do’s).  The problem was that most of the new shorts contained footage from previous Stooges’ outings and the hairstyles wouldn’t match.

Muscle Up A Little Closer (1957) earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Civil War” directed by Alex Garland, starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Cailee Spaeny – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

Wow.  Civil War looks intense, terrifying and relevant.  Do we classify it as horror?  Hopefully not a documentary of things to come.

Deal me in.

From writer/director Alex Garland and starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Cailee Spaeny.   CIVIL WAR – In Theaters April 26, 2024.

RELEASE DATE: April 26, 2024
DIRECTOR: Alex Garland
CAST: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Cailee Spaeny

RIP: Andre Braugher

Andre Braugher died on December 11, 2023, after a brief illness.  Mr. Braugher was 61.

Andre Braugher attended Stanford University on a scholarship where he earned a BA in theater.  He matriculated to Juilliard’s School of Drama.  He graduated in 1988.  Mr. Braugher’s first professional television credit was playing Kojak’s partner in the revival movie.  His first professional film role was in Glory.  Many know Andrew Braugher from his two long-running series.  He played Detective Frank Pembleton in Homicide: Life on the Street from 1993–1999 and Captain Raymond Holt in Brooklyn Nine-Nine from 2013–2021.

Andrew Braugher’s honors and awards include 11 Primetime Emmy Nominations with two wins.

Some of Andrew Braugher’s television projects include: Kojak: Ariana; Kojak: Fatal Flaw; Kojak: Flowers for Matty; Kojak: It’s Always Something; Murder in Mississippi; Kojak: None So Blind; The Court Martial of Jackie Robinson; The Tuskegee Airmen; Law & Order; Homicide: Life on the Street (100 episodes); Homicide: The Movie; Jackie Chan: Adventures (3 episodes); The Practice; Gideon’s Crossing (20 episodes); Hack (40 episodes); Salem’s Lot (2 episodes); The Jury (2 episodes); Thief (6 episodes); The Andromeda Strain (4 episodes); Men of a Certain Age (22 episodes); House (4 episodes); Last Resort (13 episodes); Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (6 episodes); New Girl; Bojack Horseman (4 episodes); Brooklyn Nine-Nine (153 episodes); American Experience (4 episodes) and The Good Fight (10 episodes).

Some of Andrew Braugher’s feature film projects include: Glory; Striking Distance; Primal Fear; City of Angels; Frequency; Poseidon; The Mist; Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Salt.

My three favorite Andrew Braugher appearances were in Glory, City of Angels and The Mist.  Mr. Braugher was excellent in every role he played.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Andrew Braugher’s family, friends and fans.

“Hoofs and Goofs” (1957) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

Hoofs and Goofs (1957)

Director:  Jules White

Screenplay: Jack White

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Joe Besser and Joe Palma.

Tagline: The Biggest Wave of Wackiness Yet!

The Plot…

Joe cannot get over the passing of his sister, Birdie.  He believes that she will come back reincarnated.  Larry and Moe think it best to not argue.  In an effort to get Joe out and clear his mind, they convince Joe that they will come across Birdie as they walk through the city.  To their surprise, they discover Birdie has been reincarnated as a horse!  Joe demands they take the horse home.  Let the hijinks begin.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Hoofs and Goofs is Joe Besser’s first outing as a Stooge.  Sadly, this short isn’t one of their finest.  Joe and the boys do the best they can with the material given.  When I was a kid, I didn’t much care for Joe’s act.  As an adult, I’ve grown to like it.

Hoofs and Goofs (1957) earns 2 of 5 stars.

RIP: Jack Hogan

Jack Hogan died on December 6, 2023.  Mr. Hogan was 94.

While in the Air Force during the Korean War, Jack Hogan decided to try acting once he was out of the service.  Jack Hogan’s big break came when he was cast as Kirby in the popular television series Combat!. After the series ended, Jack Hogan continued to take guest roles in television series until he retired to operate a building business.

Some of Jack Hogan’s television projects include: Dr. Christian (4 episodes); Broken Arrow; The Rough Riders (2 episodes); Have Gun – Will Travel (2 episodes); Men of Annapolis (2 episodes); Sea Hunt (2 episodes); Tombstone Territory (2 episodes); Mike Hammer; Laramie; Lock Up (2 episodes); The Rebel; Riverboat; Peter Gunn; Bonanza; Bat Masterson (3 episodes); Cheyenne; Ben Casey; The Rifleman (2 episodes); Lawman (4 episodes); Hawaiian Eye; Combat! (111 episodes); Custer; Garrison’s Gorillas; Tarzan; Ironside; The Name of the Game; Emergency!; Marcus Welby, M.D.; The Six Million Dollar Man; Adam-12 (8 episodes); Sierra (11 episodes); S.W.A.T.; Medical Center (2 episodes); Hawaii 5-0 (6 episodes); Switch (2 episodes); Kojak; Quincy; Magnum, P.I. (2 episodes); Berrenger’s (3 episodes); The A-Team; Airwolf; Jake and the Fatman (12 episodes) and Raven (2 episodes).

Some of Jack Hogan’s feature film projects include: Man from Del Rio; The Legend of Tom Dooley and The Cat Burglar.

Jack Hogan appeared in many television programs that I watched as a kid.  Combat! was must-see tv and Jack Hogan was one of the reasons why.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jack Hogan’s family, friends and fans.