Category: TV

“The Family Stallone”: Season 2 (2024) / Z-View

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The Family Stallone: Season 2 (2024)

Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Jennifer Flavin-Stallone, Sophia Rose Stallone, Sistine Rose Stallone, Scarlet Rose Stallone, Frank Stallone, Jon Lovitz, Dolph, Henry Winkler, Frank Grillo and Pope Francis

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

The Family Stallone gives us a peek at the life of, you guessed it, the Stallone family: Sly, Jennifer, Sophia, Sistine and Scarlet.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Season 2 features ten episodes…

S2.E1 ∙ Say Goodbye to Hollywood: Now that they are empty-nesters, Sly & Jen decide to move from California to Florida.  Sly puts Sistine and Sophia through a self-defense mini-boot camp.

S2.E2 ∙ My Fair Louis: Scarlet’s boyfriend, Louis, comes for a visit.  Sophia feels Jen is pressuring her to settle down.

S2.E3 ∙ Matchmaker, Matchmaker: Sophia encourages Sistine to start dating.  Jen sets Frank up with a date closer to his age.

S2.E4 ∙ Back Aches and Blind Dates: Sly has to have another surgery to repair an injury caused by a movie stunt. Sistine goes on a blind date podcast.

S2.E5 ∙ Uncle Frank is Coming to Town: Frank heads to New York City to spend some quality time with Sistine and Sophia (in their apartment).

S2.E6 ∙ Keep Punching: The Family Stallone heads to Philadelphia where Sly is honored on Rocky Day. (I can be seen in three crowd scenes if you don’t blink.)

S2.E7 ∙ A Stallone Family Reunion: The Family Stallone journey to the small town in Italy where Sly’s grandfather lived before immigrating to the US.  They meet family members for the first time in a huge gathering.

S2.E8 ∙ Citizen Sly: Sly is honored by the town where his grandfather used to live.

S2,E9 ∙ When in Rome: Love is in the air!

S2,E10 ∙ That’s Amore: The Stallone Family meets the Pope.  Sly and the family honor Jen.

I’m not a fan of most reality shows.  Truth be told if this wasn’t about Sly and his family, my interest level would be zero,  Frank deserves his own reality show.  It would be a hoot.  I’d love a chance to tour Frank’s house — he has some many cool collectibles.

Bring on Season 3!

The Family Stallone: Season 1 (2023) earns 5 of 5 stars.

“True Detective: Night Country” (2024) starring Jodie Foster & Kali Reis / Z-View

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True Detective: Night Country (2024)

Director:  Issa López (eps. 1- 6)

Teleplays: Issa López (eps. 1 – 2, 6); Issa López and Alan Page Arriaga (ep.3); Namsi Khan and Chris Mundy and Issa López (ep. 4); Katrina Albright & Wenonah Wilms and Chris Mundy & Issa López (ep. 5)

Stars: Jodie Foster, Kali Reis, John Hawkes, John Albasiny.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Ennis, Alaska is about to enter their season of night.  Police Chief Liz Danvers (Foster) is called to the Tsalal Research Station. The eight researchers working at the station have disappeared. Alaskan State trooper Evangeline Navarro (Reis) also arrives on scene.  Danvers and Navarro have an uneasy alliance due to something from their past.  The researchers’ bodies are found, away from the station, naked and frozen together.  A woman’s severed tongue is located nearby.  Despite their differences, Danvers and Navarro are determined to resolve the mystery.  No matter the cost.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The first episode sets up an interesting mystery with a horror aspect.  The great cast and remote location add to the production.  Unfortunately, I’ve never seen a series with so many hard to like characters.  I would have preferred a tighter focus on the mystery of how/why the researchers were killed.  The fifth and sixth episodes (along with the first) were my favorites.

True Detective: Night Country (2024) earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Fallout” – Three Posters and a Trailer are Here!

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I’ve never played the game, but the posters and the trailers for Fallout look like fun.  Walter Goggins is always a plus.

Deal me in.

Based on one of the greatest video game series of all time, Fallout is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have. 200 years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind — and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird and highly violent universe waiting for them. From executive producers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, the creators of Westworld, starring Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Walton Goggins and more. All episodes arrive April 11 on Prime Video.

“Sugar” starring Colin Farrell – The Trailer is Here!

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Deal me in.

Los Angeles. Private investigator. Missing person. Mystery person. Colin Farrell is John Sugar. Sugar premieres April 5.

“Sugar” is a contemporary, unique take on one of the most popular and significant genres in literary, motion picture and television history: the private detective story. Academy Award nominee Colin Farrell stars as John Sugar, an American private investigator on the heels of the mysterious disappearance of Olivia Siegel, the beloved granddaughter of legendary Hollywood producer Jonathan Siegel. As Sugar tries to determine what happened to Olivia, he will also unearth Siegel family secrets; some very recent, others long-buried.

The series also stars Kirby (“The Sandman”), Amy Ryan (“The Wire”), Dennis Boutsikaris, Nate Corddry (“Mindhunter”), Alex Hernandez (“Invasion”), and James Cromwell (“Succession”), with guest stars Anna Gunn (“Breaking Bad”) and Sydney Chandler (“Don’t Worry Darling”).

“Sugar” is created by Mark Protosevich who also executive produces. Audrey Chon and Simon Kinberg executive produce for Genre Films, marking their second series with Apple TV+ under Kinberg’s overall deal following “Invasion.” Colin Farrell, Sam Catlin, Scott Greenberg and Chip Vucelich also serve as executive producers. The series was directed by Fernando Meirelles (“City of God,” “Two Popes”), who also executive produces, and Adam Arkin (“The Offer”), who also co-executive produces.

RIP: Richard Lewis

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Richard Lewis, the stand-up comedian, actor, writer and producer, died of a heart attack on February 27th.

Mr. Lewis began his stand-up career in 1971 while working at an advertising agency during the day.  David Brenner saw Richard Lewis’ act and helped to promote him.  By the mid-70s, Lewis was becoming well-known thanks to his appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and publications such as the New York Daily News.  Richard Lewis made his acting debut in Diary of a Young Comic.  He would go on to act on television, in feature films and stand-up for the remainder of his career.

Some of Richard Lewis’ television work includes: Diary of a Young Comic; The 416th; House Calls; Riptide; Harry (7 episodes); Anything But Love (56 episodes); The Larry Sanders Show; Daddy Dearest (13 episodes); Tales from the Crypt; Hiller & Diller (13 episodes); Rude Awakening (6 episodes); Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm; Alias; Two and a Half Men; 7th Heaven (9 episodes); The Dead Zone; Las Vegas; George Lopez; The Simpsons; Everybody Hates Chris; Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; The Cleaner; ‘Til Death (3 episodes); Blunt Talk (6 episodes) and Curb Your Enthusiasm (41 episodes).

Some of Richard Lewis’ feature film work includes: The Wrong Guys; That’s Adequate; Once Upon a Crime; Robin Hood: Men in Tights; Wagons East; Leaving Las Vegas; The Maze and Vamps.

I was a fan of Richard Lewis.  It was always cool to see him show up in a television show or movie. ‘

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Richard Lewis’ family, friends and fans.

“Interview with a Vampire”: Season 2 – “Start the Tape Teaser” is Here!

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Interview with a Vampire: Season 2 – “Start the Tape Teaser” is Here!

What really happened in Paris?

ABOUT INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE
A luxury apartment covering an entire single floor of a high rise. Where the Vampire has granted the interview with the man he once judged to be unworthy. And where the journalist Daniel Molloy has hustled, for a second shot at the interview that got away from him 40 years earlier…

Based on Anne Rice’s iconic novel, Interview with The Vampire follows Louis’ epic story of love, blood and the perils of immortality, as told to the journalist Daniel Molloy. Chafing at the limitations of life as a black man in 1900’s New Orleans, Louis finds it impossible to resist Lestat’s offer of the ultimate escape: joining him as his vampire companion.

But Louis’s intoxicating new powers come with a violent price, and the introduction of Lestat’s newest fledgling, the child vampire Claudia, soon sets them on a decades-long path of revenge and atonement. A sensuous, contemporary reinvention of Anne Rice’s revolutionary gothic novel.

Start the Tape | Interview with the Vampire Season 2 | Premieres May 12 | AMC+

“MLK: The Assassination Tapes” (2012) / Z-View

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MLK: The Assassination Tapes (2012)

Director:  Tom Jennings

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

The assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. is documented using primary sources, some never seen/heard from television and radio reports as well as police communications.  Director Tom Jennings does an amazing job of setting up the events that brought Dr. King to Memphis as well as his assassination and aftermath.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

MLK: The Assassination Tapes gets my highest recommendation.

MLK: The Assassination Tapes (2012) earns 5 of 5 stars.

“A Murder at the End of the World” (2023) starring Emma Corrin and Clive Owen / Z-View

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A Murder at the End of the World (2023)

Created by:  Brit Marling, Zal Batmanglij

Directors:  Brit Marling (eps. 1, 5 – 6); Zal Batmanglij (eps. 2 – 4, 7)

Teleplays: Brit Marling & Zal Batmanglij (eps. 1, 4, 6 – 7); Brit Marling & Zal Batmanglij and Melanie Marnich & Rebecca Roanhorse (ep. 2); Brit Marling & Zal Batmanglij & Melanie Marnich (ep. 3); Brit Marling (ep. 5)

Stars: Emma Corrin, Brit Marling, Harris Dickinson, Louis Cancelmi, Clive Owen, Joan Chen and Alice Braga.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Darby Hart (Corrin) is an amateur detective and author of a book detailing how she solved a cold case where a serial killer had murdered several women.  Darby accepts an invitation from billionaire Andy Ronson (Owen) to attend a retreat being held in a remote location in Iceland.  Ronson has invited nine people from different walks of life who think out of the box.

When Darby arrives, she is surprised to discover that Ronson has used his billions to create a home that is like a fortress from the future.  Artificial Intelligence responds to commands throughout the mansion. Even more surprising is that her former boyfriend, Bill Farrah (Dickinson) is there.  Bill was her partner when she followed clues to solve the cold case. They haven’t seen each other in six years.

Ronson explains that the guests are there to brainstorm ideas to make the future better.  The guests mingle and begin to get to know each other.  After everyone has retired for the night, Darby decides to go to Bill’s room.  Through the window Darby sees Bill on the floor bleeding and taking his last breaths.  By the time Darby gets help, Bill has died.

It’s obvious Bill was murdered.  Since no one else could have gained entrance to Ronson’s estate, the murderer is one of them.  Will Darby figure who before the killer strikes again?  Who can she trust?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

A Murder at the End of the World is a clever whodunnit.  Emma Corrin is outstanding as Darby, the socially awkward amateur sleuth.  I love that the story takes place in a rarely used location.  If you’re a fan of Nero Wolfe, Benoit Blanc and/or Hercule Poirot then give this one a shot.

A Murder at the End of the World (2023) earns 4 of 5 stars.

“Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire” – Exclusive Clip (2024) Jacob Anderson from IGN Fan Fest 2024 and Season 2 Poster!

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I’m looking forward to Season 2.  Hopefully it will be as good as the first.

Jacob Anderson, star of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, gives us an exclusive sneak peek at Season 2 with this clip as part of IGN Fan Fest 2024. Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire premieres on May 12, 2024 on AMC and AMC+.

“Lincoln’s Last Day” (2015) / Z-View

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Lincoln’s Last Day (2015)

Director:  Molly Hermann

Writer: Molly Hermann

Cast: William Frasca, Tuesday Beebe, Fritz Klein and William Mark McCullough

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Everyone knows that John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln.  What many don’t know is that Booth was in a conspiracy that as he killed Lincoln, his associates would also kill Secretary of State William H. Seward and Vice President Andrew Johnson.  Lincoln’s Last Day details the plot as well as an almost hour by hour movement of all involved.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Lincoln’s Last Day is extremely well done.  Seeing actual artifacts worn by Lincoln on his last day as well as the derringer Booth used to kill the President add gravitas.

Lincoln’s Last Day (2015) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Tommy” (2017) / Z-View

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Tommy (2017)

Directors:  Gentry Kirby, Erin Leyden

Tagline: His Toughest Fight Was Outside the Ring

The Plot…

Tommy Morrison rose from poverty and a broken home to co-star in Rocky V, and become a World Champion Boxer.  Morrison was on top, but his inability to control his addiction to drugs, partying and women led to his downfall.  Morrison made repeated comebacks, but sabotaged himself every time.  Finally he received news that ended his career and ultimately his life.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Tommy Morrison’s story is a sad one.  This is especially true since Morrison’s own behavior caused his downfall.  I give him credit for his initial press conference when he announced he had HIV.  Sadly, his behavior went south after that.  He had a doctor give him bicep implants, he claimed he no longer had HIV and he began getting in trouble with the law (DUIs, drugs and weapons convictions, etc.).  He continued to lie and cheat on the two women he truly loved him.

Tommy Morrison with better self-control could have had a career in boxing and maybe even movies or television.  I thought it was funny that Tommy’s boxing nickname was “The Duke” because John Wayne was a distant relative.  It’s funny because it wasn’t true and Morrison was surprised no one ever checked.

Tommy (2017) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“The Day Hitler Died” (2016) / Z-View

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The Day Hitler Died (2016)

Directors:  Craig Collinson

Writers: Craig Collinson

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

In 1948, U.S. Navy Captain and Nuremberg Judge, Michael Musmanno, filmed interviews with members of Adolph Hitler’s inner circle who were with him in his bunker in his final days.  These interviews provide a first hand look at Hitler’s spiraling mental health as he realizes all is lost.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

These interviews were only rediscovered in 2013 and had not been seen by the public.

The Day Hitler Died (2016) rates 4 of 5 stars.