Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Pursuit starring Emile Hirsch and John Cusack has all the makings of a fun drive-in movie. I’d watch.
John Cusack and Emile Hirsch star in this action thriller about a troubled cop’s hunt for a ruthless hacker, who’s committing savage violence as he searches for his kidnapped wife.
I like the poster, the tagline and the trailer for Blacklight starring Liam Neeson. Deal me in.
In the tense action thriller BLACKLIGHT, LIAM NEESON stars as Travis Block, a freelance government operative living on the fringes and coming to terms with his shadowy past. When he discovers an undercover team that’s targeting U.S. citizens, Block finds himself in the crosshairs of the FBI director (AIDAN QUINN) he once helped protect. But as Block attempts redemption by enlisting a journalist (EMMY RAVER-LAMPMAN) to get the truth out, his daughter and granddaughter are threatened — and a danger that has existed on the margins.
Kali by Daniel Freedman (writer) and Robert Sammelin (artist) sounds like something I’d like…
From Daniel Freedman (Raiders) and Mondo and DICE artist Robert Sammelin comes an original graphic novel that’s a nonstop, high-octane existential action spectacle, perfect for Mad Max: Fury Road fans!
Stabbed in the back, poisoned, and left for dead by her own biker gang, Kali sets off on a one-way road of vengeance across a war-torn desert battlefield. With impending death coursing through her veins and a fascist army hot on her tail, Kali will stop at nothing to get her revenge, even if it’s the last thing she ever does. A nonstop high-octane existential action spectacle from writer Daniel Freedman and artist Robert Sammelin!
I’ll keep my eye out for preview art but if you’ve seen enough, pre-orders for Kali are available now.
Lady Mayhem by Jenna Lyn Wright and Karl Slominski looks and sounds like my kind of fun. Here’s the synopsis…
After her father passes away under suspicious circumstances, a mysterious woman returns to the crime-ridden city she fled decades before, only to discover that he was the bookkeeper for a nefarious enterprise that’s risen to power while she was away. The government, the police, the city is theirs. But now she knows their strengths, their weaknesses, and their secrets, and bloody vengeance will be hers.
LADY MAYHEM is a bombastic, over-the-top, thrill ride for the reader that demands more gonzo-ridiculous action in their comics. This is a no-holds-barred love letter to VHS revenge thrillers of the 80’s, big gun bravado of 90’s comics, and that hyperactive buzz you used to get while playing SNES and housing super-caffeinated sodas all night long as a kid. This is the comic book you’d have to hide from your parents (y’know, the dangerous days, before cinematic universes & vinyl figurines).
Lady Mayhem is on Kickstarter now through February 2nd. If you’re interested jump on board for a copy of your own. I did.
End of the Year lists are fun and so I decided to compile a few of my own. I hope you enjoy them. Below is my Best Of list for 2021…
Movies and Limited Series
In 2021, I watched 372 movies. Most were streamed. The only film I saw in a theater was Rocky vs Drago, Sly Stallone’s Director’s Cut of Rocky IV. Although the total movies watched was less than last year, it was still nearly double of what I saw prior to retiring. My favorite films and limited series released in 2021 included:
Books
In 2021, I read 39 books (5 more than last year). Prior to retiring I usually read about 20 – 24 per year so the increase is a good sign that I’ll some day make it through my book cases of “to be read” books. My favorites from this year included:
My Most Popular Posts of the Year
I continue to find some surprises in what became my most popular posts each year. Here are the top ten for 2021 and some thoughts for each…
10. Michael Biehn Talks “Tombstone” – broke into the top ten. I’m not surprised due to the continuing popularity of Tombstone.
09. Jack Benny in “Casablanca” – dropped from the 7th spot to the 9th. I love that Jack Benny is still popular enough to make the top ten for the year since I consider him very under-rated.
08. Gadot & The Rock Strike a Pose – Two of the most popular movie stars in the world together? Yep and that’s why they came in at #8.
07. Top 10 Most Iconic Horror Movie Villains – dropped from #5 to #7 for the year. Horror movie posts remain popular but maybe a bit less this year than last year.
06. The Girl Who Didn’t “Flinch” Trailer is Here! – This one surprised me more than any other post. A crime film from a director and cast I didn’t know and it not only made the top ten most popular posts of the year but also nearly made the top 5.
05. Rare “Batman” Screen Tests: Lyle Waggoner & Peter Deyell and Adam West & Burt Ward – I love that this one got a lot of love this year.
04. Dracula Through the Ages – was our 4th most popular post last year. Horror movies always get love and Dracula counts (see what I did there) as horror.
03. Louis Meyers: Evidence He was the Zodiac Killer – came in the #2 spot last year. Real life horror trumps fictional this time.
02. Schwarzenegger in “King Lear” & Robin Williams in “Jack and the Beanstalk” – was our most popular post last year and clocks in at #2 this year.
01. The TWILIGHT ZONE New Year’s Eve Marathon is Coming and the Full Schedule is Out! – was the most popular post of the year and surprised me almost as much as The Girl Who Didn’t “Flinch” Trailer is Here!
My All-Time Most Popular Posts
There weren’t many changes on the All-Time Most Popular Posts list. One post managed to break through while the others mostly stayed in their same spots. Let’s see how things shook out…
10. Dracula Through the Ages – made it into the top ten!
09. Gadot & The Rock Strike a Pose – was in the 9th spot last year and remained there this year.
08. Real Clown or Horror Movie Clown? – was in the 7th spot last year and dropped to 8.
07. Joel Osteen in Jacksonville – dropped one spot from 6th to 7th.
06. TOP 10 MOST ICONIC HORROR MOVIE VILLAINS! – moved up 2 spots from 8 to 6 this year.
05. Steve Reeves as Superman – was the #5 all-time most popular post last year and continues to be this year.
04. New Billy the Kid Photo Discovered – was the #4 all-time most popular post last year and continues to be this year.
03. Zodiac Killer Code Cracked? – was the #3 all-time most popular post last year and continues to be this year.
02. Louis Meyers: Evidence He Was the Zodiac Killer – was the #2 all-time most popular post last year and continues to be this year.
01. Schwarzenegger in “King Lear” & Robin Williams in “Jack and the Beanstalk” – was #1 last year and continues to be our most popular post of all-time.
It’s always interesting to see which topics resonate with fans and continue to be popular long after their initial post.
Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer has at it’s core the story of a serial murderer who tortured, sexually abused and butchered school-age girls and prostitutes. How the police came to understand that they were dealing with a serial killer (he reportedly killed between 80-100 women) in a time when police departments from different cities didn’t coordinate information, didn’t have access to the internet or DNA makes for an interesting documentary.
Sadly that is not the focus of Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer.
Unfortunately more time is given to the pornography in Times Square aspect. The pornography tie-in to the case is that several of the serial killer’s victims were prostitutes who worked Times Square. So we learn how Times Square in the 70s and 80s morphed from movie houses to porn shops and peep shows. We hear from folks in the porn industry who have no direct ties to the murders. Short shrift is given to how police captured the killer, the trial or events that led to learning there were many other unsolved murders that he committed.
As I said, Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer has at it’s core an interesting story of the capture of a serial killer, there’s just too much filler you have to go through to get there.
Andrew Vachss died yesterday at the age of 79. No cause of death was given.
Andrew Vachss led an interesting life. He was at different times a social-services case worker, an attorney who only represented children and adolescents, and an author. Mr. Vachss wrote 33 novels, 3 short story collections, many graphic novels/comic books, as well as essays on child protection (which was an underlying theme in much of his work). Andrew Vachss loved dogs and under-dogs. His passion was to bring abusers to justice and this theme ran throughout his work without ever coming off as preachy.
Andrew Vachss jumped to my favorite authors list with his 1988 novel Blue Belle, his third Burke novel. Vachss had a unique voice and Burke (and his crew) were unlike any other crime fiction characters I’d read. I quickly sought out the first two Burke books and anxiously awaited the publication of each new tale. Along the way I followed Andrew Vachss to comics/graphic novels and other tales which always entertained.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Vachss. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Andrew Vachss’ family, friends and fans.
Regular readers know that I’m a huge fan of The Black Terror: Seduction of Deceit mini-series written by Beau Smith & Chuck Dixon with art by Dan Brereton. I’ve been calling for a nice trade reprint of the original series for years.
Consider this today’s reminder. ; )
Deathcathlon is already available for purchase and I just found out about it. How did that happen? I’m a Kyle Baker fan and am surprised I’m late to the party. Here’s the synopsis…
So what if nobody likes her and everyone wants her to fail? Detective Shakuntala Mahoney, the Last Honest Cop in the Most Corrupt Precinct is poised for a career-defining bust that will demolish the sports-rigging mafia in the city of Los Serafines. So what if her own team is sabotaging her and helping the bad guys? She’d rather be right than liked. Rules are rules and cheaters are cheaters. Only her obsession matters: Destroying the mafia.
She never counted on the brooding sinewy stranger with a haunted past who shatters the detective’s brilliant plans in an instant. An intriguing broad-muscled rogue who slaughters all of Mahoney’s suspects using sports equipment then vanishes into the night like a chiseled rugged ghost with a secret torment locked away in a hardened heart.
Someone’s wiping out the mafia, and it isn’t Mahoney. She’s finally found the only other person in this crooked town who shares her obsession, and he’s a damned serial killer. A damned hot serial killer doing the job she dreams the broken system would allow her to do. It definitely shouldn’t matter that he’s a world-famous athlete worth a fortune. The Last Honest cop will not tolerate vigilantism, especially if it screws up her promotion.
Rules are rules. Cheating is cheating. But the heart wants what the heart wants.
If Deathcathlon sounds like something you’d like, why deny yourself a little pleasure?
I like the looks of Borrego staring Lucy Hale and will keep an eye out for it.
Lucy Hale stars as Elly, a young botanist on a research mission gone awry. After witnessing a drug mule’s plane crash in the Borrego desert, she is kidnapped and forced on a dangerous journey to a remote drop off point. With limited essentials and alone in the desert with her captor, desperation for survival takes hold as Elly risks her life to escape from his clutches before the trip turns deadly.
Featuring: Lucy Hale, Leynar Gómez, Olivia Trujillo, Jorge A. Jimenez, Nicholas Gonzalez
While I’m not a fan of the Clean poster, I do like Adrien Brody, crime movies and the trailer. Deal me in.
US Release Date: January 28, 2022
Starring: Adrien Brody, Glenn Fleshler, Richie Merritt
Directed By: Paul Solet
Synopsis: Tormented by his past, a garbage man named Clean attempts a quiet life of redemption. But, soon finds himself forced to reconcile with the violence of his past.
Meredith Danko at Mental Floss came up with an interesting list that she simply calls 23 Facts About the Witness Protection Program. Before you click over, here are three of my favorites with thoughts on each…
WITNESSES MAKE SOME UNUSUAL REQUESTS. (One guy wanted to take his girlfriend with him… and leave his wife behind! Ha! I’d love to see an article about more of the unusual requests. – Craig)
THE WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM USED TO PROVIDE PLASTIC SURGERY FOR WITNESSES. (This was stopped in the 1990s. Prior to that a mobster going into the program was able to get his wife a facelift and a boob job. One mobster, and I’m not kidding, requested penis surgery to give his self-esteem a boost. THAT was denied. – Craig)
SOME WITNESSES HAVE BROKEN WITSEC’S RULES. (Daniel LaPolla broke rules to return to his home city to attend a funeral. Sadly the next funeral he attended was his own — he was killed by a boobytrap set for him. – Craig)
It’s been announced that the next Reckless graphic novel by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips has been announced. It is titled Reckless: The Ghost in You. That’s the cover above. Here’s the synopsis…
The fourth book in the best-selling Reckless series is here!
Bestselling crime noir masters Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips bring us yet another original graphic novel starring troublemaker-for-hire Ethan Reckless.
Except this time it’s the winter of 1989 and Ethan is out of town, so Anna must tackle this job on her own. When a movie scream queen asks her to prove the mansion she’s renovating isn’t haunted, Anna will stumble into the decades-long mystery of one of Hollywood’s most-infamous murder houses… a place with many dark secrets, some of which might just kill her.
Another hit from the award-winning creators of RECKLESS, PULP, MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES, CRIMINAL, and KILL OR BE KILLED — and a must-have for all Brubaker and Phillips fans!
Reckless: The Ghost in You will be released on April 26, 2022. Preorders are available now.
Nick Bartlett came up with his list of Our 15 Favorite Underrated Film Noirs. I’m a huge film noir fan and Bartlett’s list is a good one. Before you click over, using just his list, here are my top three and thoughts on each.
1. The Set-Up. While I wouldn’t classify this film as underrated, since it is on Bartlett’s list and is my favorite of the bunch. I place it in the top spot. If you haven’t seen The Set-Up, you should. It is a classic.
2. The Breaking Point. I didn’t see this film until the last year or so and wonder why I waited so long. Definitely underrated and definitely worth a watch!
3. Elevator to the Gallows is another film I just came to see in the last few years. What a cool concept. After killing his lover’s husband the killer becomes trapped in an elevator. His lover begins to have doubts when he doesn’t show up for their getaway… add in a cool Miles Davis score and you’ve got an underrated noir!
Adrian Sharp at Listverse came up with 10 Crazy Stories about Silent Film Stars. It’s a good read that includes video to back up the chosen tales. Before you click over…
I’m a silent movie fan. When I watch a silent film, I look up information about the people who created it. I’ve often been surprised at the lives they lead and how many ended with tragic or even mysterious deaths. Sharp brings us the stories of ten silent film stars. Here are my three favorite from his picks and my thoughts on each…
Stunt Pilot Ormer Locklear. This is the one star I wasn’t aware of. When you click over check out the video of Locklear’s stunts – wing walking, hanging by a knee, doing flips, climbing above and below the wings of a plane flying hundreds, if not thousands, of feet in the air… and WITHOUT A PARACHUTE. Fearless or crazy – you decide. Sadly, Locklear died performing an airplane stunt for a film.
Jean Harlow in “Kill and Be Killed”. Jean Harlow was discovered by Howard Hughes who cast her in Hell’s Angels, Harlow would go on to work with Chaplin, Gable, Cagney to name just of a few of her leading men. Fay Wray said that Harlow was the original choice for King Kong. She was a close friend of gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel. She married MGM executive Paul Bern, who two months into their marriage was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head. His death was ruled a suicide, but some believe Bern was murdered due to some unusual circumstances and the fact that the police were called AFTER Louis B, Mayer had a chance to get to the crime scene. Harlow died at the young age of 26 under what some consider mysterious circumstances as well.
Thelma Todd’s Impossible Suicide. Todd ruled the silver screen making over 100 shorts and feature films, appearing with Buster Keaton, The Marx Brothers and Laurel & Hardy. Todd was found dead inside her car that was in the garage of her lover’s ex-wife. There were conflicting reports of injuries to her body, she left no suicide note and had appeared to be in good spirits in the time preceding her death. Although her death was considered a murder by many, it was ruled a suicide by a grand jury.
Although not on Sharp’s list, the story of Louise Brooks is another sad tale of a silent era star. Brooks quickly rose from being an uncredited extra to getting contract offers from both MGM and Paramount. At the start of her career she worked with top directors and stars and by the end she left Hollywood and worked as a high priced call girl.
