Category: Crime

“Enforcement” – The Trailer is Here!

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The trailer for Enforcement looks great.  I especially appreciate the shout-out to Walter Hill and John Carpenter.  Yeah, deal me in.

The exact details of what took place while Talib Ben Hassi (19) was in police custody remain unclear. Police officers, Jens and Mike, are on routine patrol in Svalegården’s ghetto when news of Talib’s death comes in over the radio, igniting uncontrollable, pent-up rage in the ghetto’s youth, who lust for revenge. Suddenly, the two officers find themselves fair game and must fight tooth and claw to find a way out.

“Concrete Plans” – The Poster and Trailer!

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How about the poster and trailer for Concrete Plans?  I like the poster and tagline: Some Debts Are Paid in Blood.  The trailer also left me wanting to see the movie, which is exactly what it was supposed to do.

Directed by William Jewell

When their employer tries to cheat them out of a job, a rugged crew of workmen turn first on him then each other, leading to a bloody confrontation.

“Respite” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster and trailer for Respite is here.  Any time there is a down and out private eye, you have my attention.  Add in a serial killer and the interest goes up.  I like (not love) the Respite  poster and the trailer has me wanting to see more.

Down and out private-eye Jimmy Baz reluctantly takes on a case to find a missing college student when the dead bodies of Muslim men start turning up, leading him to believe he is now searching for a serial killer.

Directed by Saro Varjabedian and written by Varjabedian and Ali Abouomar,

RESPITE was produced by Monte Bezell, Julián Juaquín, Ahmet Devran Dayanc, and Karina Bezell.

RESPITE stars Monte Bezell, Julián Juaquín, Ahmet Devran Dayanc, Haythem Noor, Leslie Kalarchian, Baylen Thomas, and Guillermo Iván.

Stephen King’s New Novel BILLY SUMMERS is Coming!

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Stephen King has a new book coming out on August 3rd.  Billy Summers is described as “…a thrilling new novel about a good guy in a bad job.”

Tell me more.

Billy Summers is a man in a room with a gun. He’s a killer for hire and the best in the business. But he’ll do the job only if the target is a truly bad guy. And now Billy wants out. But first there is one last hit. Billy is among the best snipers in the world, a decorated Iraq war vet, a Houdini when it comes to vanishing after the job is done. So what could possibly go wrong?

How about everything.

This spectacular can’t-put-it-down novel is part war story, part love letter to small town America and the people who live there, and it features one of the most compelling and surprising duos in King fiction, who set out to avenge the crimes of an extraordinarily evil man. It’s about love, luck, fate, and a complex hero with one last shot at redemption.

You won’t put this story down, and you won’t forget Billy.

Entertainment Weekly has an excerpt if you’d like to know more.  As for me, I’m in.

“Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I like the poster and trailer for Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel.  I’ll be watching come February 10th.

From housing serial killers to untimely deaths, the Cecil Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles is known to many as LA’s deadliest hotel. The latest chapter in the Cecil’s dark history involves the mysterious disappearance of college student Elisa Lam. Check in to the Cecil Hotel on February 10, only on Netflix.

“The Godfather, Part III” Trivia!

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I imagine that most folks reading this would agree that The Godfather and The Godfather, Part II are two excellent films.  I wonder how many of us would agree that The Godfather, Part III, while not on the same level as I or II is still a good film? 

Todd Gilchrist at Mental Floss presents 20 Facts About The Godfather Part III.  Before you click over, here are my thoughts on three from Gilchrist’s list and one that didn’t make the cut.

ROBERT DUVALL WAS WRITTEN OUT OF THE GODFATHER PART III DUE TO A SALARY DISPUTE.  It was a mistake to not bring Duvall back.  Then they replaced him with George Hamilton as a new character.  It felt wrong and didn’t help the film.

ANDY GARCIA HAD A LOT OF A-LIST COMPETITION FOR HIS ROLE IN THE GODFATHER PART III.  Some of the actors in the running included Alec Baldwin, Nicolas Cage, Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Val Kilmer, Charlie Sheen, and Billy Zane.  I thought Garcia did an excellent job in the role. From those listed my second choice would have been Alec Baldwin.

THE GODFATHER PART III FEATURED MANY FAMILIAR FACES BOTH IN FRONT OF AND BEHIND THE CAMERA.  This helped strengthen the film… and only made Duvall’s absence felt that much more.

A Godfather III fact that didn’t make the list is that at one point when it didn’t look like Francis Ford Coppola was going to return there were discussions of getting Sylvester Stallone to direct and star along with John Travolta.  While that would have been very interesting, critics would have been all over it with negativity… and we’d have never gotten Coppola’s return.

For Gilchrist’s complete list and his thoughts on each, click over.

The “Goodbye, Butterfly” Trailer is Here!

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The Goodbye, Butterfly trailer sets up an interesting movie.  How far would you go to punish the man you believe killed your child… and what if you’ve targeted an innocent man?

After his five-year-old daughter is murdered, a loving family man becomes convinced that the oddball down the street is guilty.

Starring Adam Donshik, Andy Lauer, Marie Burke, Angela Sauer, Addison Ross, Jennifer Adam, Jeremy London. Directed by Tyler Wayne.

Goodbye, Butterfly will be released in theaters, on Digital, and VOD on January 15, 2021.

Joe Dator’s Rediscovering “Columbo”

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Over the last year I’ve posted about my wife’s and my renewed interest and love for Columbo starring Peter Falk.  Because the series is so popular it appears on several networks daily which makes recording episodes easy. My wife and I have been working our way through every episode.  Joe Dator is doing the same thing.

Joe Dator is an accomplished cartoonist whose work can regularly be found in The New Yorker, often be found in Mad Magazine and Esquire and believe it or not, at his personal website.  Joe was a winner of The National Cartoonists Society’s 2018 Silver Reuben Award.

I tell you all of this as a way of introduction into Joe Dator’s Rediscovering “Columbo” in 2020.  The cartoon strip first appeared in The New Yorker last October, but can be seen in full at Joe’s website.  I agree with everything Joe says about the joys of watching Columbo.  The one thing I would add is that while Columbo’s first name is never spoken it does appear to eagle-eyed viewers when Columbo shares his ID in a few episodes.