Category: Crime

“24” – Surprising Facts That You May Not Know!

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When we talk tv shows on the message board, 24 continues to be one of the most popular.  And for good reason.  The series ran for nine seasons, with 204 episodes and earned the 2004 Golden Globe for Best Drama Series and the award for Outstanding Drama Series at the 2006 Primetime Emmy Awards. 

Scott Beggs at Mental Floss must be a fan as well.  He recently posted 25 Surprising Facts About 24.  Before you click over, here are three of my favorites with my thoughts on each… 

24‘S PRODUCERS ALMOST SCRAPPED THE REAL-TIME FORMAT AFTER SEASON 1. (I’m glad that Keifer Sutherland lobbied to keep the real-time format.  It not only made sure that tension was ever-present but it made the show unique. – Craig)

THERE’S A NOD TO STAND BY ME IN 24. Milo Pressman is a character in Stand By Me who owns a junkyard (and a mean junkyard dog). Milo Pressman is also a character in 24. (I did not know this.  I love little Easter Eggs in movies and shows. – Craig) 

THERE WAS ALMOST A 24/DIE HARD CROSSOVER.  (It is interesting that this is listed as a fact.  I posted about this earlier this year in John McClane & Jack Bauer – “Die Hard 24/7” (Proposed Film or Fan’s Dream Team-Up? – Craig)

 

“Nighthawks” Overseas Poster

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Here’s a cool International poster for Nighthawks starring Sylvester Stallone, Rutger Hauer. and Billy Dee Williams.  Lindsay Wagner, Persis Khambatta and Joe Spinell also are featured.  Nighthawks was Rutger Hauer’s first US film.

If you haven’t seen Nighthawks you should consider giving it a view, it is more than worth your time.  You’ll find Nighthawks was ahead of the curve in regard to terrorism on US soil (I remember some folks saying it would never happen here) and buddy cop movies.  Click on the photo to see a bigger version of the poster.

Poster Source: Brian Stooss.

“The Big Heat” – Dave Bannion by Patrick Zircher!!

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One of my favorite movies (it gets my highest recommendation) is The Big Heat.  Released the year I was born  (1958), The Big Heat was directed by Fritz Lang and starred Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, Jocelyn Brando, Alexander Scourby and Lee Marvin. 

I probably watch The Big Heat at least once a year.  TCM was showing it the other night.  I was checking out Twitter when the drawing above came into view.  Yes!  Patrick Zircher aka Patch must have been watching!  How cool is Patch’s take on Glenn Ford as  Dave Bannion?  Too cool not to share! 

Patch is pretty active on Twitter.  His posts are thoughtful and his art is wonderful.  Often we get both in a single helping.   

“Digging to Death” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I’m not sure what to make of this one.  Is the poster a nod to Breaking Bad?  At first glance Digging to Death appears to be a comedy.  Watching the trailer I still wonder… is it a comedy?  a psychological thriller?  Even with all that said, I’m interested in checking out Digging to Death.

David Van Owen moves into a mysterious house and discovers a box buried in his backyard, filled with 3 million dollars and a fresh corpse. David hides the money in the house, only to be stalked by the buried body. 
Directed By: Michael P. Blevins
Cast: Richard Riehle, Ken Hudson Campbell, Rachel Alig, Ford Austin, Clint Jung, Tom Fitzpatrick, Michael P. Blevins, Debbie DeLisi, Bryan Dodds, Sumeet Dang

 

 

“Equal Standard” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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When I was a kid, Equal Standard would have been advertised as “Ripped from the Headlines”.  I like the poster and trailer for Equal Standard, but wish that they hadn’t shown us one of scenes in the trailer because it looks to be a big spoiler.  Oh, and the tagline, It’s never as simple as black and white, is a good one.

New York City police officers lives collide in interweaving stories of race, rank, loss, and betrayal.

Director: Brendan Kyle Cochrane
Writer: Taheim Bryan
Stars: Ice-T, Jules Willcox, Robert Clohessy

“Death in Texas” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Death in Texas hits my sweet spot.  The poster ain’t bad, but that trailer pulled me in.  Ronnie Gene Blevins, Lara Flynn Boyle, Bruce Dern and Stephen Lang and  look to deliver the goods.  Deal me in for this crime flick.

Billy Walker is finally let out of prison after serving a seven-year sentence for manslaughter, only to find out that the only person who stuck by him during the entire ordeal, his mother, is now dying of liver failure. After visiting her doctor, Billy learns that he must break a few more laws in order to get his mother to the top of the transplant list in order to save her life.

Starring: Ronnie Gene Blevins, Lara Flynn Boyle, Bruce Dern, Stephen Lang
Director: Scott Windhauser

“The Protege” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Wow!  The Protege has a lot going for it.  The poster works (I didn’t see the Maggie Q image the first couple of looks at it), and the trailer makes me want to see more., Martin Campbell knows how to direct action and the three leads, Michael Keaton, Maggie Q. and Samuel L. Jackson put butts in seats.  I think The Protege is going to be a winner.

On a side note, I like Michael Keaton better as a bad guy and why don’t we see Maggie Q. in more stuff?

Rescued as a child by the legendary assassin Moody (Samuel L. Jackson) and trained in the family business, Anna (Maggie Q) is the world’s most skilled contract killer. But when Moody – the man who was like a father to her and taught her everything she needs to know about trust and survival – is brutally killed, Anna vows revenge. As she becomes entangled with an enigmatic killer (Michael Keaton) whose attraction to her goes way beyond cat and mouse, their confrontation turns deadly and the loose ends of a life spent killing will weave themselves even tighter.

Directed by Martin Campbell and written by Richard Wenk, the film is produced by Arthur Sarkissian, Moshe Diamant, Rob Van Norden, Yariv Lerner, and Chris Milburn.

Lionsgate and Millennium Media present, a Millennium Media / Fourteen Films / I Road production, in association with Campbell Grobman Films / Ingenious Media.

Ranking the Films of Stanley Kubrick

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Robert Vaux at ComicBook.com decided to look at the Rotten Tomatoes ranking of every film by Stanley Kubrick.  I enjoy this kind of thing and decided to see how I would rank Kubrick’s films..  Here’s how the rankings compare.

Rotten Tomatoes

Craig

13. Fear And Desire

*** Fear And Desire

*** Lolita

*** Barry Lyndon

I haven’t seen the above films so my rating will be for my top 10 Kubrick films.

12. Eyes Wide Shut

11. Killer’s Kiss

10. The Shining

10. 2001: A Space Odyssey: I’ve watched this several times over the decades, but it is just not for me.

9. A Clockwork Orange

9. Eyes Wide Shut: I didn’t care for it. I plan to give it another shot some day to see if my opinion changes.

8. Lolita

8. Killer’s Kiss: I liked it. Another viewing might even move it higher on my Kubrick list.

7. Barry Lyndon

7. Paths Of Glory: I liked Paths of Glory, but not as much as most folks. Perhaps a new viewing will give me a new opinion.

6. Full Metal Jacket

6. The Shining: I think the, uh, shine has come off this one over the years. I still like it although it is more Kubrick than King.

5. 2001: A Space Odyssey

5. A Clockwork Orange: Such a strange film. I look forward to seeing it again since it has been a while.

4. Spartacus

4. Full Metal Jacket: One of my favorite war films.

3. Paths Of Glory

3. Spartacus: Perhaps the greatest epic of them all!

2. The Killing

2. The Killing: If you like crime/noir, The Killing is for you (and me, too).

1. Dr. Strangelove

1. Dr. Strangelove: I love Dr. Strangelove. The perfect mix of humor and drama.

“Cuddles – A Last Chance Crime Story” by Jed McPherson, Marco Perugini and Shan Bennion is on Kickstarter Now!

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Cuddles – A Last Chance Crime Story by JED MCPHERSON (writer/ letterer), MARCO PERUGINI (artist) and SHAN BENNION (colorist) is running on  Kickstarter through June 6th.  CUDDLES is an oversized crime comic one-shot that will run 44 pages (32 page story plus additional content).  Here’s the synopsis…

Cuddles’ life ain’t too difficult. He’s got a cushy job collecting protection money for a local crime boss, but after he’s partnered up with the boss’ son, things start to go sideways. First, he finds out that his partner has been skimming off the top. Even worse, the FBI are hot on their trail. Cuddles quickly finds that he has to play all sides against each other in order to survive.

The Cuddles’ Kickstarter offers digital and physical options, prints, and add-ons which include other comics.  Below you can click on the images to see a page from Cuddles as well as the Deadbeat crime comic I added on for my order.  If you use the Cuddles’ Kickstarter link, you can check out more pages and get the full picture.  I love crime comics and am happy to support Cuddles – A Last Chance Crime Story by JED MCPHERSON, MARCO PERUGINI and SHAN BENNION.

“The Penny Black” – Poster and Trailer for the Documentary Noir!

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I like both the poster and trailer for The Penny Black.  At first I didn’t realize that this a documentary.  Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.  I look forward to seeing The Penny Black.

The Penny Black is a non-fiction investigative thriller that begins with Will, the estranged son of a conman, his mysterious neighbor, and a million-dollar stamp collection. A provocative exploration of Will’s fear and integrity, the documentary follows a hunt to find the owner of the collection. When a significant piece of the stamp collection goes missing, the filmmakers are forced to reexamine Will’s capacity for honesty.

Eric Beetner Drops a Dime to Jason Bovberg

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I learned about Eric Beetner through his book reviews.  Beetner (and I) share a love of crime fiction, His reviews, for books that I’d read, were directly in line with my thoughts. So, I picked up some of Beetner’s recommendations.  I liked them.

Then I learned Eric Beetner was a writer of crime fiction and his books earned great reviews. I ordered one and never looked back.  Beetner quickly moved to my must-read author list.  His latest, Two in the Head, is my favorite Beetner tale yet.

Jason Bovberg is an Eric Beetner fan as well.  He recently interviewed Beetner and says, Eric Beetner Has Been Flying Under Your Crime-Fiction Radar … but Not Anymore.  I hope he’s right.

  

“Feral State” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I like both the poster and trailer for Feral State and it is on my watch list now.

Tucked far away from the white sandy beaches and amusement parks is a Florida that few outsiders ever see. Nestled alongside the gator infested swamps and rundown trailer parks lives a charismatic grifter and self-proclaimed ‘father of the forgotten’ named Mack Monroe (Ronnie Gene Blevins.) He takes in orphans and runaways as his own, giving them the only semblance of a home they’ve ever known… but at what cost? Mack trains his ragtag gang in the art of thievery and crime, filling their vulnerable minds with vigilante gospels and together they knock off drug dealers and meth labs. Hot on their tail is Detective Ellis (AnnaLynne McCord), a tough-as-nails cop with demons of her own. Mack and the gang’s world is flipped upside down with the arrival of a mysterious young girl, who at first seems like the perfect new recruit but turns out being something far more dangerous than anyone could have imagined.

Starring: AnnaLynne McCord, Ronnie Gene Blevins, Octavio Pisano
Directed by: Jon Carlo

“Rogue Hostage” Starring Tyrese Gibson & John Malkovich. The Trailer is Here!

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The Rogue Hostage trailer is here.  Tyrese Gibson and John Malkovich star in Die Hard in a hardware store.  I’ll check it out when it comes to a streaming service I get.

PLOT: Rogue Hostage follows single father and former Marine Kyle Snowden (Tyrese Gibson), who is struggling to adjust to life with PTSD. On a routine stop for his job in Child Protective Services, Kyle finds himself and a group of innocent customers trapped inside his stepfather’s store during a hostile take-over by militant maniac Eagan Raize. Disturbing details emerge about Eagan’s violent vendetta against Kyle’s stepfather, Congressman Sam Nelson (John Malkovich), threatening the lives of everyone inside, including the Congressman and Kyle’s young daughter. In a race against time, Kyle must battle against the terrorists as well as his personal demons to secure the store and save everyone. #RogerHostage​

CAST: Tyrese Gibson, John Malkovich, Holly Taylor

Release Date: 6/11/21

Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? by Eric Powell and Harold Schechter is Coming!

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It seems that everyone has heard of Charles Manson, The Boston Strangler, Jack the Ripper, Ted Bundy, The BTK Killer, and other infamous psychos.  Not as many folks have heard of Ed Gein.  Gein is a true life wacko who inspired Psycho (the book and film), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and even The Silence of the Lambs (book and film).  Eric Powell is teaming with Harold Schechter to tell Ed Gein’s story.  Here’s the synopsis from Amazon:

One of the greats in the field of true crime literature, Harold Schechter (Deviant, The Serial Killer Files, Hell’s Princess), teams with five-time Eisner Award-winning graphic novelist Eric Powell (The Goon, Big Man Plans, Hillbilly) to bring you the tale of one of the most notoriously deranged serial killers in American history, Ed Gein.

Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? is an in-depth exploration of the Gein family and what led to the creation of the necrophile who haunted the dreams of 1950s America and inspired such films as Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Silence of the Lambs.

Painstakingly researched and illustrated, Schechter and Powell’s true crime graphic novel takes the Gein story out of the realms of exploitation and gives the reader a fact-based dramatization of these tragic, psychotic and heartbreaking events. Because, in this case, the truth needs no embellishment to be horrifying.

If this sounds like something you’d like, you can use this link to pre-order Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done?

Here’s an interview with Eric Powell on the killer behind the monster in DID YOU HEAR WHAT EDDIE GEIN DONE?