Category: Crime

“Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” A Love Letter to Making Movies – Documentary is Here!

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Quentin Tarantino, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and the filmmakers showcase the artistry that went into creating this story of an enduring friendship in a time of change. A special look at Quentin Tarantino’s acclaimed 9th movie, #OnceUponATimeInHollywood.

Quentin Tarantino’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD visits 1969 Los Angeles, where everything is changing, as TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) make their way around an industry they hardly recognize anymore. The ninth film from the writer-director features a large ensemble cast and multiple storylines in a tribute to the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age.

Who was the All-Time Most Evil Dracula?

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Yesterday we looked at the best movie Dracula.  Today we’ll answer who is the most evil Dracula.  The answer is, of course, the real person Dracula was based on: Vlad III aka Vlad the Impaler, the Prince of Wallachia (now known as Romania).

Most folks know that the real-life Vlad III was infamous for killing his enemies by impaling them, but that’s just one of the many evil things he did.  Eli Nixon at Listverse details much more in 10 Fascinating Facts About The Real Dracula.  Normally, with posts like this, I list my three favorite facts, but here there were no favorites.  Vladd III was truly a horrible human being and much worse than any movie Dracula.

The “Spenser Confidential” Poster and Trailer are Here… with Z’s Thoughts

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Ok.  Above is the poster for Spenser Confidential.  Directed by Peter Berg, Spenser Confidential stars Mark Wahlberg, Winston Duke and Alan Arkin.  Below is the synopsis and trailer.  I’ll be back below the trailer with some thoughts.

When two Boston Police officers are murdered, ex-cop Spenser (Mark Wahlberg) teams up with his no-nonsense roommate, Hawk (Winston Duke), to take down criminals in this action-comedy.

Spenser (Mark Wahlberg) — an ex-cop better known for making trouble than solving it — just got out of prison and is leaving Boston for good. But first he gets roped into helping his old boxing coach and mentor, Henry (Alan Arkin), with a promising amateur. That’s Hawk (Winston Duke), a brash, no-nonsense MMA fighter convinced he’ll be a tougher opponent than Spenser ever was. When two of Spenser’s former colleagues turn up murdered, he recruits Hawk and his foul-mouthed ex-girlfriend, Cissy (Iliza Shlesinger), to help him investigate and bring the culprits to justice. From director Peter Berg, SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL is an action-comedy co-starring Bokeem Woodbine, Marc Maron, and Post Malone. Inspired by Robert B. Parker’s Wonderland, a best-selling novel by Ace Atkins.

As a long-time fan of Spenser (the Robert B. Parker novels, the Ace Atkins novels and the Robert Urich tv show), let me say, this is NOT Spenser… at least the Spenser created by Robert B. Parker and carried on by Atkins and Urich.  If you’re going to make Spenser (or ANY known character) stay true to the source material or create a new one.

“Tread: Desperate Men Do Desperate Things”

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Desperate men do desperate things.  What a great tag line!

On June 4th, 2004, a sixty-three-ton bulldozer, fortified with steel and concrete, systematically destroyed numerous businesses and homes in the small mountain town of Granby, Colorado. The rampage lasted over two hours and resulted in more than eight million dollars in damage. State and local police were incapable of even slowing the machine. Though it was armed with three high-powered firearms, no one but the driver was killed. His name was Marvin Heemeyer. TREAD explores the polarizing perspectives on this man, his motives, and what drove him to the breaking point.

I remember the event but didn’t realize that Heemeyer had fortified the bulldozer.

Ranking John Carpenter’s Movies

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The folks at Film School Rejects decided to Rank The Movies Directed By John Carpenter.  This sounded like fun, so I decided to play along.  Below are my rankings and thoughts…

The Ward (2010)
Village of the Damned (1995)
Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
Prince of Darkness (1987)
In the Mouth of Madness (1994)

The films above I haven’t seen.

15.  Dark Star (1974)  I don’t know if I have ever seen the whole thing.  It just didn’t resonate with me.  Most folks really like it.

14.  The Fog (1980)  I saw this on its theatrical release and it left me flat.  Which surprised me because I was expecting a lot.

13.  Someone’s Watching Me! (1978)  Watched this before I knew who John Carpenter was.  It was good.

12.  Vampires (1998)  I thought James Woods was miscast.

11.  Elvis (1979)  Who knew Kurt Russell could impersonate Elvis (and later Clint Eastwood)?

10.  Christine (1983)  Saw this at the theater and thought it was well done.

9.  Ghosts of Mars (2001)  Sci-fi action directed by Carpenter.  What’s not to like?

8.  Escape from L.A. (1996)  I was so excited about the return of Snake Plissken under the creative team of Carpenter and Russell.  Sadly the film played up the camp more than I would have liked.

7.  Big Trouble in Little China (1986)  My wife and I along with another couple saw BTiLC on its opening weekend.  I really liked it.  No one else in the group did.  Kurt Russell steals the show.

6.  They Live (1988)  Surprisingly good.  Roddy Piper was the perfect lead.  I felt the ending was a bit off but not enough to really matter.

5.  Starman (1984)  Big budget and big stars.  Perhaps my wife’s favorite Carpenter flick because it’s a good one.

4.   Halloween (1978)  Another Carpenter classic.  I first saw it in a drive-in and had sound problems through part of the film.  The movie still worked.  That is a sign of great direction!

3.  The Thing (1982)  I saw it on it’s initial theatrical release in a nearly empty theater.  Reaction from fans and critics wasn’t good.  Over the years that has all changed.  I thought it was a mistake remaking a classic but Carpenter pulled it off.

2.   Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)  This is the movie that made me a John Carpenter fan.  Thank God for VHS.  Low budget but man, does Carpenter make it work.  Darwin Joston was perfect casting.  I always thought we’d see more from him.

1.  Escape from New York (1981)  I saw EfNY several times on it’s first theatrical release and loved it.  I still do.

“Fargo” Season 4 Trailer is Here!

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The fourth installment of Fargo is set in 1950 Kansas City, where two criminal syndicates fighting for a piece of the American dream have struck an uneasy peace. Chris Rock stars as Loy Cannon, the head of the African American crime family who trades sons with the head of the Italian mafia as part of tenuous truce.

The 4th season of Fargo looks like a lot of fun!

The “Ozark” Season 3 Teaser is Here!

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They’re all in. Ozark Season 3 returns to Netflix March 27, 2020. Jason Bateman (Marty Byrde), Laura Linney (Wendy Byrde), and Julia Garner (Ruth Langmore) double down on risky decisions to expand their empire in the next chapter of the thrilling crime drama series.

I was surprised at how good Ozark is!  Looking forward to season 3!

Going “Full Tilt” with Jason Copland!

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Jason Copland recently sent out a newsletter update on his crime-scifi-noir graphic novel Full Tilt which stars Massimo Miller.  I’ve loved the look of the series from my first reading of the synopsis…

Massimo is the Consigliere for the Chessa Family, a position bestowed upon him by the syndicate’s boss, Russo Chessa. As Consigliere, Massimo acts as advisor and liaison in all matters that pertain to the family business giving him meaningful influence over syndicate affairs. Holding this position of power is all the more remarkable due to the fact that most of Massimo’s life was spent as a slave of a rival crime organization. Chosen for his loyalty and integrity, Massimo is no yes man. He is a heavy smoker, however, much to Russo’s chagrin. Massimo’s preferred brand is Marlboro XXV Kings.

Full Tilt is going to be full of interesting characters such as the gentleman above.  You can swing over to Jason’s site and check out more of mugs, thugs and dames that populate his Full Tilt world.

If you’re so inclined (and I hope you are) after seeing preview art for Full Tilt, that you’ll follow Jason on Twitter and sign up for his newsletter.  If you’re on the newsletter e-mail list, you’ll get Full Tilt updates with behind the scenes art, process discussions and be entered into drawings for free art. (Congrats to this newsletter’s winner, Juan Albarran.)

As you can guess, I’m going to end this post by suggesting that you follow Jason Copland on Twitter and sign-up for Jason’s newsletter.  Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.

The “Hunters” Starring Al Pacino – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Here’s the poster and trailer for the new Amazon Prime tv series Hunters.  Not sure about this one yet, but I will be tuning in to check it out.

Inspired by true events, HUNTERS follows a diverse band of Nazi Hunters in 1977 New York City who discover that hundreds of escaped Nazis are living in America. And so, they do what any bad-ass vigilante squad would do: they set out on a bloody quest for revenge and justice. But they soon discover a far-reaching conspiracy and must race against time to thwart the Nazis’ new genocidal plans.

12 Surprising Facts about “The Godfather Part II”

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Scott Beggs and Mental Floss present 12 Surprising Facts about The Godfather Part II.  Here are four (I couldn’t pick just 3!) of my favorite facts presented.  Click on the link to read all of the facts and additional details!

3. MARLON BRANDO AND ROBERT DE NIRO ARE THE ONLY ACTORS TO WIN OSCARS FOR PLAYING THE SAME CHARACTER.

6. AN EXTRA HAD THE GUTS TO IMPROVISE AN IMPORTANT MOMENT IN THE GODFATHER PART II.

11. JAMES CAGNEY TURNED DOWN A ROLE IN THE GODFATHER PART II.

12. FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA WANTED MARLON BRANDO TO REPRISE HIS ROLE AS THE YOUNGER VERSION OF HIMSELF IN THE GODFATHER PART II.

The Lady Killer Library Edition by Jamie Rich & Joelle Jones is Coming!

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I love recommending good books.  I especially love good books that are  bargains.  The Lady Killer Library Edition by Jamie Rich (Author), Joelle Jones (Author & Illustrator) qualifies on both counts.

Josie Schuller is a picture-perfect homemaker, wife, and mother–but she’s also a ruthless killer!

She balances cheerful domestic bliss with coldly efficient assassinations. From the World’s Fair in Seattle to the beaches of Florida, Josie tries to keep her perfect family alive in a bloodstained new vision of the American Dream.

Joelle Jones became an overnight sensation with this gory midcentury series, leading to successful runs on DC’s Catwoman and Batman titles. Now Lady Killer‘s complete story (so far) is together in one oversized hardcover, the perfect showcase for Jones’s phenomenal artwork.

This oversized hardcover collects the original series cowritten by Jones’s longtime collaborator Jamie S. Rich, as well as the followup, which she both wrote and drew solo. Also included are the sketchbooks from both series and previously unpublished art.

Collects Lady Killer TPB volumes 1 & 2.

The Lady Killer Library Edition will become available on May 12, 2020.  Pre-orders are being taken now.