Category: Crime

Tom Reilly Teams Jack Carter and John Wick!

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I usually don’t post any of my Stallone commissions until I’ve received them, but Tom Reilly sent me a scan of the Jack Carter/John Wick piece he did for me and I like it so much I just couldn’t wait!

Tom Reilly is an artist from Mount Desert Island, Maine. He is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, with a BFA in Illustration. Tom’s work has been included in exhibits such as the Society of Illustrators Student Scholarship Exhibition, the Rhode Island School of Design Illustration Triennial Exhibition, and the 2017 MoCCA Arts Festival.

You can check out more of Tom’s art at his website or follow him on Twitter.

The Best Noir Comics

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Eddie Muller (Host of TCM’s Noir Alley) and Michael Kronenberg (Designer/Artist for the Film Noir Foundation) posted their choices for the Top Ten Noir Comics.  Their list is a good one as you can see above.

I’ve read 8 of their top 10 only missing out on Crime Suspense Stories (their first choice!) and Blacksad.   I’ve heard great things about both and plan to check them out at some point.

My top three (in alpha order) would be:

  • Chandler by Steranko
  • Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson
  • Richard Stark’s Parker adapted by Darwyn Cooke.

If you’re a fan of crime fiction/noir, then check them out.  I’d also add one more.  That would be Frank Miller’s Sin City yarns and I’d start with The Hard Goodbye.

‘John Wick’ Franchise Director Chad Stahelski Interview

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Jack Giroux at /Film has an interesting interview with John Wick 3 director, Chad Stahelski.  It’s worth a read and here are a couple of tidbits to whet your appetite before you click over…

They call it the curse of the sequel. They love the first movie because it’s original, but by its very nature, the sequel can’t be original in the same way as the first one is because it’s a sequel [Laughs]. So how do you become original, how do you keep the audience invested in what they love and at the same time, show them something new? They want to see it again, but they don’t want you to repeat exactly.

Same with backstory. Halle [Berry] can look at John with the anger, the love, and the look and stoicism and still agree to help, and that should tell you there’s something there. I don’t need her to say, “I love you. We were together for five years.” If you’ve gotta say that, you got the wrong cast or you’ve gotta drop the writers.

Click over and get your John Wick 3 fix!

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) / Z-View

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John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum (2019)

Director: Chad Stahelski

Screenplay: Derek Kolstad and Shay Hatten and Chris Collins & Marc Abrams from a story by  Derek Kolstad

Stars: Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, Mark Dacascos, Asia Kate Dillon, Lance Reddick and Anjelica Huston.

The Pitch: “It’s time for the sequel”

Tagline: “Tick Tock, Mr. Wick”

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

John Wick [Reeves] is on the run after killing a member of the High Table on neutral ground.  With a $14 million bounty on his head, there’s danger at every turn.  Wick has a plan, but for it to work, he’ll have to fight his way out of the city and to the one person who can provide a possible option for his life.  The odds are against any of it working, but then again, this is John Wick we’re talking about.

The John Wick series is the best movie franchise in years.  Each new chapter (film) really feels like an extension of the previous films.  In other franchises each film often feels like a step up or slightly different world.  John Wick 3 raises the bar for action and provides a broader view of Wick’s world.  The new cast members (Berry, Dacascos and Dillon) are perfectly cast.

If you liked John Wick 1 and 2, you’ll dig Chapter 3.  They’ve already set a release date for John Wick 4 and that’s May 21, 2021.

Rating:

27 Things We Learned from Brian Helgeland’s ‘Payback’ Commentary

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Rob Hunter and Film School Rejects present 27 Things We Learned from Brian Helgeland’s ‘Payback’ Commentary.  But first some background…

Payback is one of the very rare films that has more than one version available.  Brian Helgeland was fired from the film when he refused to make changes ordered by the studio.  The studio then ordered additional scenes changing the tone and ending of the film.  That version was released to great success both theatrically and on video/dvd.  And thanks to the video/dvd market, Helgeland was able to have his version released and it was also successful.  I have both versions in my collection and like both.

With all that said, here are my three favorites from Helgeland’s commentary:

12. He was in post-production on this film the night of the Academy Awards, and having been nominated for his L.A. Confidential (1997) script he really hoped he would be named the winner. “I knew that they were getting close to finally removing me off this movie,” and he thought winning the Oscar would mean they couldn’t fire him. He won, Sean Connery tussled his hair backstage while congratulating him, and that was his Sunday night. “And on Tuesday I got fired. So much for the magic of an Academy Award.”

13. Walter Matthau handed him his Oscar. Matthau starred in Charley Varrick (1973). The restaurant scene at 32:53 was filmed in a place called Varricks.

17. An early teaser strung together the film’s funnier scenes, and both audiences and the studio responded favorably. He protested and was told by the marketing department that “what it is is one thing, and selling it is another thing.” The studio clearly wished the movie “was more like our trailer, and I didn’t know it at first but it became this struggle for what the heart of the movie was about.” Re-shoots began leaning heavily toward the teaser’s tone, and the writing was on the wall.

Sly Talks “Rambo V,” New “Rocky” and New “Cobra” Series

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Sly Stallone was a guests a the Cannes Film Festival where he talked about Rambo: Last Blood and two potential projects:

Rambo: Last Blood –  “We pick it up, he’s out in this storm, a horrible storm. He’s trying to rescue people… He’s still dealing with survivor guilt, b/c he couldn’t save his friends in Vietnam. A result of PTSD. He has a hard time. He has a beautiful ranch, but he lives underground… He has an adopted family there. His father has passed on. The housekeeper who is 70 has a granddaughter. He’s her surrogate father… Bad things happen…There’s going to be some serious vengeance in this movie. A lot of people getting hurt.”

Cobra – “That (conceit) was what if Bruce Springsteen had a gun? That was rock n’ roll meets drama. That should have been another franchise because that character was so cool. And I blew it. My personal life got in the way. But we’re trying to bring it back as a streaming TV series. Bring out the zombie squad. I’m long gone, but the idea is really good…”

Rocky (Not Creed III): “I have a great idea for Rocky. He finds this fella in the country illegally and it becomes a whole thing…”

Sly talks about more in the article but there were two quotes I want to share:

“Failures just make you smarter. Sometimes success makes you dumber.”

“Never stop punching.  That’s how I roll. You always have something to prove.”

The one project I wish we’d hear more about is Hunter based on James Byron Huggins best-selling novel written for Sly!

Source: Deadline.

“Breaking In” / Z-View

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Breaking In (2018)

Director: James McTeigue

Screenplay: Ryan Engle from a story by Jaime Primak Sullivan

Stars: Gabrielle Union, Billy Burke, Richard Cabral, Ajiona Alexus, Levi Meaden, Seth Carr and Mark Furze.

The Pitch: “Let’s turn Tim Lebbon’s novel into a movie.”

Tagline: Payback is a Mother.

The Overview:

After her father is killed in a hit-and-run, Shaun (Union) and her two children travel to his secluded house to prepare it to be sold.  Shortly after their arrival four criminals looking for a safe containing four million in cash show up.  The thugs take her children hostage, but Shaun is able to escape.  With no means of contacting anyone and the nearest help miles away, Shaun realizes she is her children’s only hope.

Gabrielle Union is extremely likable and believable as a mother looking to protect her children.  I was glad to see that they didn’t provide her with a martial arts, military or some other background with “special skills.”  She’s just a ticked off mom.

Breaking In is predictable in the broad strokes but there are a couple of unexpected surprises which make it a good way to spend an hour and a half.

Rating: 

The “Deputy” Trailer is Here!

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The Deputy trailer is up there and the synopsis is down there…

From writer/executive producer Will Beall (“Aquaman,” “Gangster Squad”) and director/executive producer David Ayer (“Training Day,” “End of Watch”), DEPUTY brings the spirit of a classic Western and a gritty authenticity to the modern cop drama. When the Los Angeles County’s Sheriff dies, an arcane rule forged back in the Wild West thrusts the most unlikely man into the job: a fifth-generation lawman (Stephen Dorff, “True Detective”), more comfortable taking down bad guys than navigating a sea of politics, who won’t rest until justice is served. DEPUTY also stars Yara Martinez (“Jane the Virgin,” “True Detective”), Brian Van Holt (“Cougar Town”), Siena Goines (“Andi Mack”), Bex Taylor-Klaus (“Arrow”), Shane Paul McGhie (“What Men Want”) and Mark Moses (“Mad Men”).

I’m a huge fan of Will Beall’s novel L.A. Rex and David Ayer’s movies.  Deputy has huge potential.

The “Prodigal Son” Trailer is Here!

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The Prodigal Son trailer is here and so is the synopsis.

PRODIGAL SON is a fresh take on a crime franchise with a provocative and outrageous lead character and a darkly comedic tone, from Emmy Award-nominated executive producers Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter (“Riverdale,” “The Flash”) and writers Chris Fedak (“Deception,” “Chuck”) and Sam Sklaver (“Deception,” “Bored to Death”). The series stars Tom Payne (“The Walking Dead”) as the son of a convicted serial killer (Emmy Award and Golden Globe nominee Michael Sheen, “Masters of Sex,” “Frost/Nixon”), who has made hunting murderers his life’s work. The series also stars Bellamy Young (“Scandal”), Emmy Award and Golden Globe nominee Lou Diamond Phillips (“Longmire,” “Stand and Deliver”), Halston Sage (THE ORVILLE), Aurora Perrineau (“The Carmichael Show”), Frank Harts (“The Path”) and Keiko Agena (“Dirty John”)

The “Stumptown” Trailer is Here!

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The Stumptown trailer is here and the synopsis is below.

Based on the “Stumptown” graphic novel series, follows Dex Parios (Cobie Smulders) as a strong, assertive, and sharp-witted army veteran with a complicated love life, gambling debt, and a brother to take care of in Portland, Oregon. Her military intelligence skills make her a great P.I., but her unapologetic style puts her in the firing line of hardcore criminals and not quite in alliance with the police.

Brubaker & Phillips Have a Bad Weekend

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Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have been killing it with their Criminal stories.  Coming on July 16th…

… JUST IN TIME FOR CONVENTION SEASON-the ultimate comic con crime tale!

Comics won’t just break your heart.

Comics will just kill you.

Hal Crane should know, he’s been around since practically the beginning. Stuck at an out-of-town convention, waiting to receive a lifetime achievement award, Hal’s weekend takes us on a dark ride through the secret history of a medium that’s always been haunted by crooks, swindlers, and desperate dreamers.

BAD WEEKEND – the story some are already calling the comic of the year from its serialization in CRIMINAL #2 and 3-has been expanded, with several new scenes added and remastered into a hardcover graphic novel, in the same format as BRUBAKER and PHILLIPS’ (KILL OR BE KILLED, FATALE, CRIMINAL) bestselling MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES. This gorgeous package is a must-have, an evergreen graphic novel every true comics fan will want to own.

Collects CRIMINAL #2-3 with expanded content.

Criminal: Bad Weekend is available for pre-order now!

Sly Stallone to Remake South Korean Thriller ‘The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil’

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The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Sly Stallone will team with Don (Train to Busan) Lee to remake the South Korean thriller The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil.

Stallone and Lee will be joined by Braden Aftergood and Jang Won-seok to produce the remake through Stallone’s Balboa Productions.  Lee will reprise his role from the original film…

In the film, Lee plays a gangster who survives a lethal attack by a serial killer. He forms an unlikely partnership with a cop (Lee Mu-yeol) to help track down the murderer (Kim Seong-gyu).

The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil is set to premiere at the  Cannes Film Festival and then we go worldwide in 104 territories later in May.