Category: Crime

WRECKED: AN IQ NOVEL by Joe Ide

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WRECKED: AN IQ NOVEL by Joe Ide

First sentence…

“Do you know what Abraham Lincoln said after a six-day drunk?” Jimenez said.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Isaiah Quintabe, who everyone calls IQ because of his superior intellect, is back.  IQ was in high school when his brother was killed in a hit and run.  It was at that point that IQ began earning money from neighborhood folks needing help. After IQ found a a runaway young girl word spread. Soon he was getting requests for assistance with “cases the police couldn’t or wouldn’t touch.” The cases didn’t pay much and sometimes the reward was food or a service IQ needed.

But that was over a decade ago.  Now IQ is famous in the neighborhood for the “cases” he’s resolved.  IQ’s the go-to guy when folks need a detective or issue resolved.  IQ became so busy that he brought on his childhood friend, Dodson to assist.  If IQ is the brains of the outfit, Dodson is the one with street smarts. Dodson used to run with a rough crowd, but those days are over.  Now he’s married with a young daughter.  His job is to make IQ a legitimate detective.  One with a social media presence.  One who gets paid with cash instead of new tires or a carpet cleaning.

When IQ meets a local artist named Grace, he begins to fall for her.  She needs help.  Grace hasn’t seen her mother in decade.  Grace wants IQ to find mom and fast.  Her mother has something that could get some bad men sent to prison for a very long time.  These guys are killers and will stop at nothing to get what they want.

To complicate matters, Seb, the African gangster responsible for IQ’s brother’s death has IQ in his crosshairs.

The race is on to find Grace’s mother.  Even IQ gets there first, how can he protect her from the killers closing in?

+++++

Joe Ide has another winner.

Rating:

“Making Manson” – The Trailer is Here!

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The trailer for Making Manson is here.  I’m glad this is a series since there will be access to all of those original recorded interviews.

Deal me in.

Making Manson is streaming November 19 on Peacock: https://pck.tv/45hBP6q

Synopsis: An explosive series offering unfiltered insights into America’s most notorious killer, Charles Manson. Through 20 years’ worth of never-before-aired conversations, those closest to the case have their views challenged as Manson talks openly about his part in the infamous crimes, as well as his upbringing, criminal youth and his true feelings about “The Family.”

Manson reveals the cruelty he suffered in reform school and the childhood experiences that made him who he was. Former “Family” members listen to the exclusive conversations and are taken back to the time when they “would do anything for Charlie.” Manson recounts the early crimes that led to the murder spree in the summer of ‘69, laying out an explanation of loyalty and brotherhood that pushes against the accepted motive: his desire to incite Helter Skelter. In the final moments before his death, Manson reflects on his life in prison and shows rare tenderness for the man who spoke to him across the decades.

“The Eichmann Trial” (2023) directed by Elliott Levitt / Z-View

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The Eichmann Trial (2023)

Director: Elliot Levitt 

The Plot…

Fifteen years after the end of World War II, Nazi Adolf Eichmann was captured where he was living in Argentina.  Eichmann was then transported to Jerusalem to stand trial.  Eichmann was charged with crimes against humanity, war crimes, crimes against the Jewish people, and membership in a criminal organization.

The trial lasted 56 days and garnered world-wide coverage.  Over 100 witnesses were called.  There were thousands of pages of documents.  Eichmann admitted that he didn’t like Jews and viewed them as the enemy.  Eichmann further admitted he made the statement: “I will leap into my grave laughing because the feeling that I have five million human beings on my conscience is for me a source of extraordinary satisfaction.”  Eichmann claimed his statement was about the Soviets.  Eichmann’s defense was that he hadn’t personally killed anyone and he was just following orders.

Eichmann was found guilty on 15 counts of crimes against humanity, war crimes, crimes against the Jews, Poles, Slovenes, and Roma, and membership in three criminal organizations (the Gestapo, the SD, and the SS).  The judges ruled that Eichmann had not simply been following orders but had been a Nazi true-believer and one of the key principals in genocide.  Eichmann was sentenced to death by hanging.

Appeals for clemency were heard by the Israeli Supreme Court and Israeli President Yitzhak Ben-Zvi to no avail.  Adolf Eichmann was executed by hanging on June 1, 1962.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Eichmann Trial is an excellent documentary.  Kudos for director Elliott Levitt for his use of trial, news and other vintage footage to not only cover the trial but to place its importance in a historical context.

The Eichmann Trial (2023) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Man on Fire” (2004) written by Brian Helgeland, directed by Tony Scott, starring Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning & Christopher Walken / Z-View

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Man on Fire (2004)

Director: Tony Scott

Screenplay: Brian Helgeland based on MAN ON FIRE by A. J. Quinnell

Stars: Denzel Washington, Christopher Walken, Dakota Fanning, Radha Mitchell, Marc Anthony, Giancarlo Giannini, Rachel Ticotin, Jesús Ochoa and Mickey Rourke.

Tagline:  You don’t need a saint… You need a savior.

The Plot…

Ex-CIA operative John Creasey (Washington) is in a bad way.  He’s burnt out, out of shape and drinks too much.  Creasey’s guilt over past missions makes him question living.  Then an old CIA buddy, Paul Rayburn (Walken) throws Creasey a lifeline.

Samuel Ramos (Anthony), a wealthy Mexican, needs protection for his young daughter Pita (Fanning). Kidnappings in Mexico are on the rise.  Ramos’ insurance policy requires a full time bodyguard.  Creasey is reluctant to take the job, but needs the work.  Initially cold and professional to Pita, she slowly wins him over.  Creasey stops drinking as much.  His attitude towards life improves.

Then the unthinkable happens.

As two crooked Mexican Federales block the street kidnappers come for Pita.  Creasey kills four but is shot repeatedly as Pita is kidnapped.  Negotiations for Pita’s return go on as Creasey recovers.  Ten million dollars is the demand for Pita’s return.  When the ransom drop goes sideways, the money is taken, but Pita isn’t returned.

The family gets a call from the kidnappers.  Because of the ambush, Pita will be lost forever.

Still not fully recovered, Creasey promises to kill everyone involved in Pita’s kidnapping.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Screenwriter Brian “LA Confidential” Helgeland was in a video store.  He asked the clerk to recommend a good movie. “Man on Fire” (1987) was suggested.  The clerk who suggested the film was Quentin Tarantino.

For filming in Mexico, bodyguards were provided for the stars.  Tony Scott had been warned his production had been targeted.  Several crew members ended up being robbed at gunpoint.  Mexico City’s Chief of Police served as a consultant.  It was his hope the movie would raise awareness about the rash of kidnappings.

The novel takes place in Italy, but when this version was being made, Mexico had become infamous for kidnappings.  So the location was changed.

If you enjoy noir, then Man on Fire is for you.

Dakota Fanning is amazing in this role.  Watching her and Denzel Washington in their scenes is like viewing a masterclass of acting.

Christopher Walken has a great line when he says about Denzel’s character: “A man can be an artist… in anything, food, whatever. It depends on how good he is at it. Creasy’s art is death. He’s about to paint his masterpiece.”

Man on Fire (2004) rates 5 of 5 stars.

SANCTION by Ray Fawkes, Mark Irwin, Antonio Fuso, Emilio Lecce and Dave Sharpe!

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Dan Panosian’s cover for Sanction caught my eye.  So I took a closer look. Here’s the lowdown…

Sanction is by Ray Fawkes (Author, Creator), Mark Irwin (Creator), Antonio Fuso (Illustrator), Emilio Lecce (Colorist) and Dave Sharpe (Letterer).  

To catch a rampaging serial killer in Soviet era Leningrad, two detectives must match wits with the murderer while battling the oppressive rules of their own police force and a greater, hidden enemy.

Leningrad, 1987. When a woman’s corpse is discovered on New Year’s Day, a hungover Detective Pavel Smirnoff hands off the case to his partner, Detective Boris Dimitrovich, hoping he’ll close it without fuss. Instead, Dimitrovich uncovers a connection to an old, unsolved crime, dragging them both into an investigation that puts their careers – and possibly their lives – at risk.

“The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald” (1964) / Z-View

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The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald (1964)

Director: Larry Buchanan

Screenplay: Larry Buchanan

Stars: George R. Russell, George Edgley, Arthur Nations and Bill Thurman.

Tagline:  Not a Newsreel…A Full Length Motion Picture, Filmed Secretly in Dallas

The Plot…

This low budget film simulates/speculates how the trial of Lee Harvey Oswald would have went down had he not been murdered.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

With a running time of 98 minutes we get an abridgement of the “Cliff Notes” version of the trial.

It’s hard to believe that the trial for the murder of the century could be so boring.

The actors who appeared in this film didn’t go on to become big stars.  Bill Thurman appears as a witness.  The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald is the first credit on his resume.  Thurman would go on to appear in films such as The Last Picture Show; The Sugarland Express; Close Encounters of the Third Kind; Places in the Heart and Silverado.

The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald (1964) rates 2 of 5 stars.

ONE SHOT by Lee Child / Z-View

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ONE SHOT: A JACK REACHER NOVEL by Lee Child

First sentences…

Friday.  Five o’clock in the afternoon.  Maybe the hardest time to move unobserved through a city.  Or maybe the easiest.  Because at five o’clock on a Friday, nobody pays attention to anything.  Except the road ahead.

The man with the rifle drove north.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

After a mass murderer kills five people with just six shots the police get lucky.  Evidence accidentally left behind leads to the killer’s capture before the day is done.

James Barr fits the profile.  He’s an ex-military sniper.  He’s had a difficult time adjusting to civilian life.  The police are giving high-fives all around.  This will be an open and shut case.  James Barr says two things: he’s innocent and he will only speak to Jack Reacher.

Reacher is a former military cop.  Now he’s a civilian.  Reacher sees a news report about the shooting.  He remembers James Barr well.  Reacher brought Barr up on charges for a killing spree in Kuwait.  Despite overwhelming evidence, Barr was never charged.  That never sat well with Reacher. Now he plans to inform prosecutors of Barr’s past.

Reacher is shocked Barr requested to see him.  They hate each other.  When Reacher asks to speak to Barr, he discovers that Barr was badly beaten while in custody.  Making things worse Barr cannot remember much about the day of the shooting.  Barr knows Reacher’s an exceptional investigator who won’t rest until the truth is revealed.  Reacher doubts Barr’s innocence, but decides to look at the evidence.

The shots came from just 35 yards out.  Yet, there were six shots and only five kills.  Barr wouldn’t have missed at that range.  Why was one shot a miss?  Then there’s the evidence that led to Barr.  He wouldn’t have left behind a shell casing with a fingerprint.  And what killer would take the time to put a quarter (with another fingerprint) in the parking meter where he was shooting from?  Things weren’t adding up.

As Reacher digs deeper, he becomes the next target.

+++++

Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels are always a fun ride.  ONE SHOT is no exception.

Rating:

Howard Chaykin’s BLACK KISS Omnibus!

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Howard Chaykin’s BLACK KISS is getting an omnibus.  It will be a 7.25″ X 10.875″ hard cover that clocks in at 400 pages.  BLACK KISS was a groundbreaking hardboiled crime/horror series featuring vampires, violence and graphic sexual content.   Here’s the synopsis…

“Poisonous and bitter, an absurdly funny sucker punch demanding to be spat out.” — Matt Fraction (Sex Criminals)

The infamous, hardboiled-erotica series is collected for the first time in a deluxe hardcover omnibus featuring new material.

It’s been a long, long time…one last time.

Collecting for the first time every stop along the way on Howard Chaykin’s transgressively groundbreaking trail, the BLACK KISS OMNIBUS collects the legendary 1988 series, its 2012 sequel BLACK KISS 2, plus the BLACK KISS XXXMAS SPECIAL and, created just for this volume, the all-new 28-page BLACK KISS HALLOWEEN, which will mark Chaykin’s final excursion into this world’s hardboiled erotic noir.

Throw in a look back at the project’s long history of sensationalism and censorship, plus a large assortment of extras from across nearly four decades, and this 400-page collection will be the definitive shelf-filler that once again makes readers ask that vital question…does it have to be so dirty?

Collects Black Kiss #1-12, Black Kiss 2 #1-6, and the Black Kiss XXXMas in July Special

Deal me in.

“Murder by Death” (1976) written by Neil Simon, starring Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers, Eileen Brennan, Truman Capote, James Coco, Elsa Lanchester,David Niven, Maggie Smith, Nancy Walker, Estelle Winwood and James Cromwell / Z-View

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Murder by Death (1976)

Director: Robert Moore

Screenplay: Neil Simon

Stars: Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers, Eileen Brennan, Truman Capote, James Coco, Elsa Lanchester,
David Niven, Maggie Smith, Nancy Walker, Estelle Winwood and James Cromwell.

Tagline: By the time Eileen Brennan, Truman Capote, James Coco, Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, Elsa Lanchester, David Niven, Peter Sellers, Maggie Smith, Nancy Walker and Estelle Winwood figure out whodunnit, you’ll die laughing.

The Plot…

The eccentric and wealthy Lionel Twain (Capote) invites the five greatest detectives in the world for dinner. The guests include…

  • Sam Diamond (Falk) and his sexy assistant Tess Skeffington (Brennan)
  • Sidney Wang (Sellers) and his son Willie Wang
  • Monsieur Milo Perrier (Coco) and his chauffeur, Marcel (Cromwell)
  • Jessica Marbles (Elsa Lanchester) and her nurse, Miss Withers (Winwood)
  • Dick (Niven) & Dora Charleston (Smith) and their pet pooch, Myron

The guests arrive to Twain’s remote creepy old mansion.  They are  unaware that others were invited.  When everyone sits down for dinner, Twain pushes a button that locks all doors and windows.  He then announces that someone will be murdered at midnight.  Twain says that he will give one million dollars to the detective that solves the crime.

Slightly before midnight the butler is found dead.  Then right after midnight, Twain’s body is discovered.  He’s dead from twelve stab wounds.

Let the game begin.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Murder by Death is a parody of the great “old dark house” and movie detective whodunits of the past.  Sam Diamond is a hardboiled dick from the mold of Sam Spade.  Sidney Wang and his son is based on Charlie Chan and his #1 son.  Monsieur Milo Perrier is modeled on Hercule Poirot.  Jessica Marbles was inspired by Miss Marple. Dick & Dora Charleston are stand-ins for Nick and Nora Charles.

The theatrical film debut of James Cromwell.  It is also the final theatrical film of Nancy Walker.

The animated cartoon drawings of the detectives at the start  of the film were created by Charles Addams, the creator of The Addams Family.

The doorbell screams are Fay Wray’s from King Kong.

If you’re a fan of the type of movies parodied, you should enjoy this.  Everyone gets a moment to shine.

Murder by Death (1976) rates 3 of 5 stars.

The 20 All-Time Best Noir Films!

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Christian Blauvelt at IndieWire came up with a list of The 20 Best Film Noir Movies of All Time.  It’s not a bad list.

I’ve seen 16 of the top 20.  The films I haven’t seen are ‘Christmas Holiday’ (dir. Robert Siodmak, 1944); ‘Leave Her to Heaven’ (dir. John M. Stahl, 1945);  ‘The Reckless Moment’ (dir. Max Ophuls, 1949) and ‘Sweet Smell of Success’ (dir. Alexander Mackendrick, 1957).

Using just Blauvelt’s 20, here are my top five (in alphabetical order)…

  • Big Sleep, The (dir. Howard Hawks, 1946)
  • Double Indemnity (dir. Billy Wilder, 1944)
  • In a Lonely Place (dir. Nicholas Ray, 1950)
  • Night of the Hunter (dir. Charles Laughton, 1955)
  • Touch of Evil (dir. Orson Welles, 1958)

There are two noirs that would have made my top five had they made Blauvelt’s list: The Postman Always Rings Twice and The Big Heat.

For some reason I usually don’t consider Night of the Hunter a noir film.  Same goes for The Maltese Falcon.  I love both of them, but they don’t usually come to mind.