Category: Crime

“Desperation Road” (2023) starring Garrett Hedlund, Willa Fitzgerald, Ryan Hurst, Woody McClain and Mel Gibson / Z-View

Posted on by

Desperation Road (2023)

Director: Nadine Crocker

Screenplay:  Michael Farris Smith; based on DESPERATION ROAD by Michael Farris Smith.

Stars:  Garrett Hedlund, Willa Fitzgerald, Ryan Hurst, Woody McClain and Mel Gibson.

Tagline: The Road to Redemption is Twisted.

The Plot…

Maben, a homeless single mother, is traveling with her young daughter.  Maben thought she had hit rock bottom.  She’s about to find out how wrong she can be.  Now Maben and her child are on the run from the law.

Russell Gaines was recently released from prison after seven years. Russell, while driving drunk, caused an accident that killed a man named Jason.  Jason’s brothers feel seven years in prison wasn’t enough.  Russell killed their brother and they will have their revenge.

Russell and Maben cross paths.  Russell feels sorry for Maben and her daughter (although he doesn’t know Maben’s full story).  Russell offers them a place to stay until they get back on their feet.

Russell’s troubles and Maben’s problems are on a collision course.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Don’t let the movie poster fool you.  Mel Gibson’s role is more of a glorified cameo.

Desperation Road (2023) rates 3 of 5 stars.

PUSH THE WALL by Frank Miller / Z-View

Posted on by

PUSH THE WALL by Frank Miller Hardcover: 224 pages Publisher: S&S/Saga Press First sentences…
How to start a story? At the ending. Know your ending. I repeat: Know your ending.
The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

If you know of Frank Miller, it could be for any number of reasons.  Perhaps it was because of the comics he took to new heights (Daredevil; The Dark Knight Returns; Batman: Year One) or those groundbreaking comics that he created (Ronin; Sin City; 300) to name just a few.  Maybe you know Miller from his work as a writer and/or director on feature films (Sin City; 300; Robocop 2 and Robocop 3; The Spirit).  Miller revolutionized comics.  Then he went to Hollywood.  He’s considered a living legend.

PUSH THE WALL is Miller’s memoir.  Through stories and remembrances he takes us back to his childhood in Vermont.  Wanting to be a comic artist from an early age.  Coming to New York City and discovering he’s not ready.  Getting work.  Getting lucky.  Honing his craft.  Getting better and wanting to be better still.  Success that took him to the stratosphere.  Expectations that rose as well.  Falling short.  Going to Hollywood.  Again success… and failure.  Getting back to what he loves… comics.  With more stories to tell.

Miller set the book up as a series of lessons.  These are lessons that he learned and can be used by other writers/artists to improve their craft.  Miller’s anecdotes are both entertaining and enlighting.  We get a glimpse behind the curtain of Miller’s thought processes, as well as the artists, comics, books and movies that influenced him.  All told in a writing style that makes you feel as he’s talking to you.

The more of a Frank Miller fan you are, the more you will like the book.

Rating:

Jack Carter/John Wick by Steven Sanchez – From Prelim to Finished Art!

Posted on by

When Steven Sanchez announced that he was taking on double headsketch commissions, I jumped on board.  As you can see I requested Sly Stallone as Jack Carter (from Get Carter) and Keanu Reeves as John Wick.  I couldn’t be happier with Sanchez’s finished art.

What made it even cooler is that Sanchez sent a prelim rough for approval.  In the rough he used a photo from Lock Up for Stallone reference.

I pointed out that I wanted Stallone as Jack Carter and Sanchez made the change with a new prelim for approval.  He then created the prelim piece above.  I loved it.

Sanchez then moved on to another marker prelim before tackling the finished pencil art.

This is my second commission from Steven Sanchez. I cannot recommend him highly enough to sketch collectors.

“Enter the Dragon” (1973) starring Bruce Lee, John Saxon and Jim Kelly / Z-View

Posted on by

Enter the Dragon (1973)

Director: Robert Clouse

Screenplay:  Michael Allin; Bruce Lee (uncredited)

Stars:  Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Ahna Capri, Bob Wall, Shih Kien and Jim Kelly.

Tagline: Their deadly mission: to crack the forbidden island of Han!

The Plot…

Han is a crime lord.  On his private island his word is law.  Han runs a worldwide drug distribution and human trafficking operation.  Each year Han invites the world’s best martial artists to take part in a competition that he hosts on the island.  The winners are potential recruits to his organization.

British Intelligence wants to bring down Han, but they need firsthand evidence. They approach Lee, a martial artist and Shaolin monk.  Lee agrees to go undercover as a participant in the tournament.

Roper, a gambler who loves the good life, is in debt to the mob.  He heads to the island hoping to win money in Han’s tournament.

Williams heads to the island to particpate in the tournament after an incident with racist cops.

Lee, Roper and Williams find themselves under suspicion when Han discovers that someone (but who?) is on his island for reasons other than the tournament.

Whoever it is must die.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Jackie Chan plays one of Han’s henchmen who battles Lee.

Bruce Lee died three weeks before the premiere of Enter the Dragon.

Enter the Dragon is a classic.

Enter the Dragon (1973) rates 5 of 5 stars.

PETRIFIED DREAMS: A HAP & LEONARD NOVEL by Joe R. Lansdale is Coming!

Posted on by

Joe Lansdale, as well as Hap & Leonard fans will be preoccupied on October 6th.  That’s when PETRIFIED DREAMS: A HAP & LEONARD NOVEL drops.  Here’s what the boys are into this time…

With women going missing across the Deep South, dynamic detective duo Hap and Leonard zero in on a horrific, chimerical villain protected and abetted by Texas’ most powerful figures in this thrilling conclusion to the beloved series.

“Joe R. Lansdale is to crime fiction what Willie Nelson is to country music: . . . raw, gritty, soulful, and lastly, timeless.” — May Cobb, author of The Hunting Wives

The sun never sets on justice, but it may finally be setting on the beloved crime fighting duo of Hap Collins and Leonard Pine. The two opposites — brothers from another mother — have called the detecting business quits, but when a prop plane holding the bodies of several kidnapped women crashes into their favorite watering hole, the boys know they’re in for one last effort. With the help of a victim’s sister, they learn that a network of men has stolen vulnerable young women on behalf of a horrifying, charismatic villain known as The Artist, a sculptor of living things, including his own body, and protected by the elite of the South. But the Artist refuses to be found, and every lead brings Hap and Leonard into the crosshairs of something even more dangerous. Finding The Artist is a long shot, and getting out alive is even less likely.

Perhaps the darkest, funniest, and most intense of the Hap & Leonard mysteries, PETRIFIED DREAMS concludes the revered series as audaciously as one would expect from the mojo master of Southern crime and wit.

The series conclusion? Say it isn’t so.

Preorders are available now.

“The 24th” (2020) starring Trai Byers, Bashir Salahuddin, Aja Naomi King, Mo McRae, Tosin Morohunfola, Mykelti Williamson and Thomas Haden Church / Z-View

Posted on by

The 24th (2020)

Director: Kevin Willmott

Screenplay:  Kevin Willmott, Trai Byers

Stars: Trai Byers, Bashir Salahuddin, Aja Naomi King, Mo McRae, Tosin Morohunfola, Mykelti Williamson and Thomas Haden Church.

Tagline: Courage isn’t just fighting the enemy — it’s standing up for justice.

The Plot…

1917.  An all black US army unit is stationed just outside the city limits.  Although the soldiers are trained and want to help in the war effort, because of segregation they’re not allowed.  Worse still, the men face racial discrimination every time they go into the city.  Not only are the local police of no assistance, they often participate in the mistreatment of the soldiers.

Tension and frustration continues to ratchet up.  Soldiers have been beaten and worse.  When word reaches the camp that an armed white mob was headed for the base, the soldiers arm themselves.  The soldiers decide to not wait and take the fight to the mob.  They head into the city and begin shooting locals on site.

It isn’t until after 11 civilians and 5 policemen are gunned down that the soldiers learn that there never was an armed mob coming to the base.

There will be repercussions.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The 24th is the true story of the 1917 Huston riot.  Although I had heard of the riot, I had no idea of the specifics.

The riot lasted two hours.  Nineteen people were killed.  Fifteen were white (including five police officers).  Four were black soldiers killed by friendly fire or suicide.  118 black soldiers were charged and went to trial.  One soldier was found mentally unfit to stand trial.  Eight were acquitted of all charges.  Sixty-three soldiers were sentenced to life in prison.  28 received shorter prison terms or other sentences.  19 were sentenced to death and executed.

The 24th does a good job of dramatizing a terrible time in our history.

The 24th (2020) rates 4 of 5 stars.

QUARRY’S REUNION by Max Allan Collins is Coming Soon!

Posted on by

Max Allan Collins’ Quarry returns November 10th in QUARRY’S REUNION.  Here’s the scoop…

The hitman hero of the acclaimed Cinemax series comes out of retirement for another nail-biting suspense thriller from the New York Times best-seller, MWA Grandmaster and award-winning author of Road to Perdition, Max Allan Collins.

YOU’RE CORDIALLY INVITED TO CELEBRATE 50 YEARS OF MURDER…

Since his first appearance in 1976, Max Allan Collins’ quintessential killer-for-hire, Quarry, has starred in 17 novels, two films, a graphic novel, and a Cinemax TV series — and with QUARRY’S REUNION, he reaches a milestone never before achieved by any character in American crime novels: a series that has continued for 50 years.

To celebrate, MWA Grand Master Collins is taking Quarry somewhere he’s never gone before: back home, to the town in Ohio where he grew up, before his tour of duty in Vietnam and his even bloodier experiences Stateside. An old high-school girlfriend summons Quarry for his 50th reunion – but old times take a back seat when bullets start to fly. Thrilling, moving, and revealing, this new installment in Quarry’s Edgar and Shamus Award-nominated saga delivers a powerful capstone to the killer’s career – and a perfect entry point for readers new to Quarry’s story.

Pre-orders are available now.

Jack Carter and Marv Meet at Kadie’s by Marc Lapierre!

Posted on by

Every year the Cartoon Art Museum does a fundraiser.  Artists take on commissions with the funds raised going to support the Museum.  It’s a great cause supported by exceptional artists who share their talents in an effort to support the Museum.

This year I commissioned Marc Lapierre again.  Last year Marc created one of my favorite comissions of the year.  I asked for Stallone as Jack Carter with Keanu Reeves as John Wick.  Here is the beauty Marc produced.  Not only did Marc nail the likenesses (which is always a plus), but the captions were the icing on the cake.  I hoped this year lightning would strike again.

As you can see, I asked for Stallone from Get Carter and gave Marc a choice of three characters to choose from to add to the scene.  The characters were, in no particular order: Seth Gecko (Geore Clooney) in From Dusk Till Dawn, Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) from Justified and Marv from Frank Miller’s Sin City.

Marc liked all of the choices, but knew immediately which he was going to draw.  He came through with another great in-joke and wonderful drawing.  I hope to add another to the collection the next time.  I also suggested  with his drawing talent and sense of humor, that a book of “bar interactions” between pop culture icons would be a cool thing!

I cannot thank Marc Lapierre enough for this sweet addition to my Stallone art collection.

CHAIN REACTION: A REACHER NOVEL by Lee Child and Andrew Child is Coming Soon!

Posted on by

The new Jack Reacher novel, CHAIN REACTION by Lee Child and Andrew Child drops on October 20th.  Here’s the lowdown…

The heart-pounding new Jack Reacher thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling authors Lee Child and Andrew Child.

Jack Reacher is hard to find. It’s not easy to track him down. And he likes it that way. But General Susan Turner, based deep inside the Pentagon, has the means and the motive. She needs his help. A member of her team has been brutally murdered on covert duty. She can’t trust anyone she works with, not even her deputy. She needs someone from the outside. Someone who solves problems and disappears without a trace.

Reacher heads to Summertown, Colorado. A town as remote and bizarre as it gets. One diner, one motel, five massive data centers, two giant solar farms humming away in the dust. Total population: four people. And one of them is watching him. But Reacher isn’t built to run. He’s built to finish things. General Turner knows that if they come for Reacher, they’ll regret it—all the way to the top of the chain.

Preorders available now.