Category: Crime

“The Most Dangerous Game” – The Story, the Movie and Tony Stella’s Poster

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Tony Stella created another great poster with his take on The Most Dangerous Game.  You can see a bigger version at Stella’s Twitter.

First published in 1924, The Most Dangerous Game began life as an award-winning short story by Richard Connell.  Over the years The Most Dangerous Game became required reading in schools across the nation.  I was in 9th grade when I first read it.  The Most Dangerous Game was the most popular of all our assigned reading assignments.

Over the years The Most Dangerous Game has been adapted for movies, television and even radio.  Tony Stella’s poster is for the first movie adaption. Made in 1932,  the adaptation starred Joel McCrea, Leslie Banks, Fay Wray and Robert Armstrong with the team of Ernest B. Schoedsack and Merian C. Cooper behind the camera (Schoedsack and Cooper would go on to make King Kong the following year).

I highly recommend The Most Dangerous Game (both the short story, now in public domain, and the 1932 movie).

The Real-Life Horror Hotel of H.H. Holmes, America’s First Serial Killer

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Herman Mudgett took the name Henry Howard Holmes when he moved to Chicago to begin work as a pharmacist.  He took on the new identity because he was on the run from as a suspect in some unexplained murders.  Rather than start a new uneventful life, Holmes instead continued his killing spree, which earned him the title of America’s First Serial Killer.

Holmes famously built a rooming house that has been called a Horror Hotel and Murder Castle.  He hired workers and fired them after they completed sections of the building.  This was so none but Holmes would know the layout and the horrors hiding within.  There were secret passageways, spots to spy on unsuspecting guests and rooms designed for murder.

The year was 1893 and the World’s Fair was in Chicago.  Rooms were at a premium and Holmes had new potential victims arriving daily.  After he was caught Holmes confessed to 27 murders but some folks put the actual number closer to 200.

Cheish Merryweather at Listverse posted 10 Horrifying Facts About H. H. Holmes’ Hotel.  If you’ve read this far, you’ll probably want to click over.

I also recommend The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson.  It’s an award-winning novel chock full about facts about you know who and his horror hotel.

The “2 Graves in the Desert” Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The 2 Graves in the Desert has both a drive-in movie and pulp novel feel to it and that’s a good thing.

When Eric wakes up, tied and gagged in the trunk of a truck, it’s instantly clear he’s been kidnapped. However soon he discovers he’s accompanied by a young woman, Blake, another hostage. Neither can recall how they ended up in this dire situation, and together they desperately try and get any help they can. With no helping coming, and as things become more and more hopeless, it soon becomes fearfully apparent that there is more going on than it first seems. The two kidnappers have their own agenda, and it’s not a pleasant one… Starring Michael Madsen and William Baldwin, 2 Graves In The Desert is a cold thriller set on the blazing road to Las Vegas, provoking the ultimate question – is there any way the hostages can escape alive?

“The French Connection” Trivia!

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Matthew Jackson at Mental Floss posted 14 Fascinating Facts About The French Connection.  Reading some of these facts it becomes clear that The French Connection was a longshot to be made let alone win five Academy Awards including Best Picture.  Here are three of my favorite facts and my thoughts.  Check ’em out and then click over for all the facts and details!

THE FRENCH CONNECTION WAS TURNED DOWN BY ALMOST EVERY STUDIO.  (Dick Zanuck at 20th Century Fox said he’d bankroll the film if it could be done for 1.5 million. Luckily for film fans, it could be. – Craig)

GENE HACKMAN WAS NOT THE FIRST CHOICE FOR POPEYE DOYLE.  (The film’s director, William Friedkin, wanted Jackie Gleason (?) or Jimmy Breslin (??) for the lead.  Another star considered was Rod Taylor.  Ultimately it came down to take Hackman as the lead or risk losing the movie.  Friedkin agreed to Hackman. – Craig)

FERNANDO REY WAS CAST BECAUSE OF A MIXUP. (Friedkin told the casting director  “let’s get that French guy that was in Belle de Jour…”  The casting director thought Friedkin was talking about Fernando Rey — but he wasn’t!  Friedkin signed Rey, sight unseen and it wasn’t until they met on the set that Friedkin realized the mistake and it was too late to make a change! – Craig)

The Best of the All-Time “Worst” Movies

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Megan Summers at ScreenRant posted The 10 Best Razzie Winning Movies (According To IMDb).  I thought this was an interesting idea especially after I found three movies on the list that I really like.

Rocky IV won five Razzies for Worst Actor, Worst Director, Worst Supporting Actress, Worst New Star, and Worst Musical Score.  When R4 was released it was my least favorite of the Rocky films.  Over the years my affection for it has grown, especially since R4 played such an important part in making it possible for Creed.

Con Air won  won a special Razzie for Worst Reckless Disregard for Human Life and Public Property.  I loved Con Air.  It was over the top fun and yeah, the ending did involve a plane crash landing in Vegas but did that deserve a special Razzie?  Oh, why not?  

Interview with a Vampire tied for a Razzie in the category for Worst Screen Couple.  The IwaV couple was Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt.  Who did they tie with?  Sly Stallone and Sharon Stone from The Specialist.  Interview with a Vampire is a movie that I have liked more with each viewing.  I’m not alone in that opinion – the movie was a box-office success and earned Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. 

The Poster and Trailer for “F9” are Here

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Here’s the poster and trailer for F9.  Both the poster and the trailer has exactly what you’d expect — the poster features the characters lookin’ cool with their vehicles and the trailer showcases over the top action, returning cast members, a new “big” star plus a plot twist you (I) didn’t see coming.

It’s crazy to think how the Fast and Furious franchise has morphed over the years.  The action has been amped up so much it almost looks like a super-hero movie.  No, scratch that.  It looks like a super-hero movie.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

No matter how fast you are, no one outruns their past.

Summer 2020 is the time for F9, the ninth chapter in the saga that has endured for almost two decades and has earned more than $5 billion around the world.

Vin Diesel’s Dom Toretto is leading a quiet life off the grid with Letty and his son, little Brian, but they know that danger always lurks just over their peaceful horizon. This time, that threat will force Dom to confront the sins of his past if he’s going to save those he loves most. His crew joins together to stop a world-shattering plot led by the most skilled assassin and high-performance driver they’ve ever encountered: a man who also happens to be Dom’s forsaken brother, Jakob (John Cena, next year’s The Suicide Squad).

F9 sees the return of Justin Lin as director, who helmed the third, fourth, fifth and sixth chapters of the series when it transformed into a global blockbuster. The action hurtles around the globe—from London to Tokyo, from Central America to Edinburgh, and from a secret bunker in Azerbaijan to the teeming streets of Tblisi. Along the way, old friends will be resurrected, old foes will return, history will be rewritten, and the true meaning of family will be tested like never before.

The film stars returning cast members Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel and Sung Kang, with Oscar® winner Helen Mirren and Oscar® winner Charlize Theron. F9 also features Grammy-winning superstar Cardi B as new franchise character Leysa, a woman with a connection to Dom’s past, and a cameo by Reggaeton sensation Ozuna.

F9 is produced by Neal H. Moritz, Vin Diesel, Jeff Kirschenbaum, Joe Roth, Justin Lin, Clayton Townsend and Samantha Vincent. www.thefastsaga.com

“The Wild Goose Lake” Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Another great looking crime film!

In Theaters March 2020! From acclaimed director Diao Yinan, THE WILD GOOSE LAKE is the eagerly anticipated follow-up to his 2014 Berlinale winning neo-noir BLACK COAL, THIN ICE. Toppling box office records in Diao’s native China, THE WILD GOOSE LAKE “cements his status as a master filmmaker with another ingenious crime epic” (Little White Lies).

When small-time mob leader Zhou Zenong (Chinese superstar Hu Ge) accidentally kills a cop, a dead-or-alive bounty is placed on his head, forcing him on the lam from both the police as well as dangerous gangsters out for the reward. Hiding out in China’s densely populated (and deeply divided) Wuhan province, Zhou becomes entangled with a beautiful, enigmatic woman, who has mysterious intentions of her own. Featuring gorgeous, neon-drenched cinematography and bursts of shocking, expertly choreographed action, THE WILD GOOSE LAKE is “spellbinding” (Rolling Stone), “brilliant” (Indiewire) and “downright Hitchcockian” (AV Club).

The “Calm with Horses” Trailer is Here!

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I really like the look of Calm with Horses!

Ex-boxer Douglas ‘Arm’ Armstrong (Cosmo Jarvis, LADY MACBETH, PEAKY BLINDERS) is the faithful and violent right-hand man to the drug-dealing Devers clan, ready to dole out beatings at the whim of his best friend, and the family’s unpredictable protégé, Dympna (Barry Keoghan, DUNKIRK, AMERICAN ANIMALS).
Arm’s struggle to find his place in the world has consequences on his relationship with his ex-girlfriend Ursula (Niamh Algar, THE VIRTUES, THE LAST RIGHT) as she strives to find a better life for herself and their young son Jack. Torn between these two families, Arm’s loyalties are tested when he is asked to kill for the first time.

Directed by BAFTA nominee Nick Rowland, CALM WITH HORSES is based on the gripping novella by Colin Barrett, and executive produced by Michael Fassbender and his production company DMC Film.