Category: Crime

“Get Fast” starring Lou Diamond Phillips and James C. Clayton – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster and trailer for Get Fast scream fun drive-in movie.

Deal me in.

US Release Date: November 15, 2024

Starring: Lou Diamond Phillips, Bradley Stryker, Alisha-Marie Ahamed, Fei Ren

Synopsis: After a heist goes wrong, a thief and a troubled orphan must rescue his kidnapped partner from a ruthless drug lord and her charming hitman. With guns, cars, and explosions, their escape is a high-stakes race against time.

THE WIDENING GYRE: A SPENSER NOVEL by Robert B. Parker

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THE WIDENING GYRE by Robert B. Parker

First sentence…

I was nursing a bottle of Murphy’s Irish Whiskey, drinking it from the neck of the bottle sparingly, and looking down from the window of my office at Berkeley Street where it crosses Boylston.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Spenser is hired to find who is blackmailing Meade Alexander.  Meade is a congressman running for the Senate. He’s happily married. Meade’s a law and order guy.  The most important thing in his life is he’s  a Christian.  Meade’s as All-American as apple pie and baseball.  Meade’s also being blackmailed.  But not because of anything he’s done.

Ronni, Meade’s wife caused the problem.  There’s video of her having sex with college boys.  Lots of video.  And she’s into it.

Meade wants the problem to go away.  If the video gets out, his campaign is finished.  Spenser agrees to take the job, not so much for Meade, but because of Ronni.  As Spenser digs deeper he discovers so heavy hitters in the Boston underworld are involved.

Yikes!

+++++

Robert B. Parker’s Spenser novels have always been required purchases for me.  Parker and Spenser never disappoint.

Rating:

“Aftermath” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster for Aftermath is okay, but the trailer has me interested.

Deal me in.

US Release Date: November 1, 2024
Starring: Dylan Sprouse, Megan Scott, Nick Apostolides
Director: Patrick Lussier
Synopsis: A returning war veteran, stricken with PTSD, gets trapped with his teenage sister on Boston’s Tobin Memorial Bridge as a heavily weaponized group of ex-military revolutionists takes everyone hostage.

“The Order” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Definitely on board for the poster and trailer for The Order.

Deal me in.

Based on a true story, an alarming surge in violent bombings and bank robberies in the Pacific Northwest leads a weathered FBI agent into a deadly cat-and-mouse game with a charismatic domestic terrorist plotting to overthrow the US government.

Starring: Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan and Jurnee Smollett
Directed by: Justin Kurzel
Release Date: Exclusively in Theaters, December 6th

“The Stranger” (2020) created by Harlan Coben / Z-View

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The Stranger (2020)

Created by: Harlan Coben

Directors: Daniel O’Hara (eps. 1-3, 7-8); Hannah Quinn (eps. 4-6)

Screenplay: Danny Brocklehurst (eps.1, 4, 7-8); Mick Ford (ep. 2, 6); Karla Crome (ep. 3); Charlotte Coben (ep. 5)

Stars: Richard Armitage, Siobhán Finneran, Jennifer Saunders, Shaun Dooley, Paul Kaye, Dervla Kirwan, Kadiff Kirwan, Jacob Dudman, Ella-Rae Smith, Anthony Head, Stephen Rea and Hannah John-Kamen.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

A stranger stops happily married Adam Price and tells him that his wife faked her recent miscarriage.  The woman also implies that Adam’s two teenage boys may not be his.  The woman then quickly leaves.  Adam begins to wonder if the information is true.  To complicate matters that night Adam’s son, Thomas, attends a party that gets out of hand.  The police find a classmate of Thomas’ naked and barely alive.  It is only a matter of time until Thomas is questioned.

When Adam’s wife disappears, the mystery deepens.  The stranger then begins to approach others.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I thought the series had an interesting premise.  It almost lost me when everybody had secrets coming to the surface.  My wife liked it more than I did.  Your mileage may vary.

The Stranger (2020) rates 3 of 5 stars.

Scandals! Then & Now (1998) / Z-View

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Scandal! Then & Now (1998) 

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Scandal! Then & Now explores six scandals that shocked the world…

  • Resurrection in LA: The Disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson.  Aimee Semple McPherson, founder of the Foursquare Church and one of the first evangelists to use radio to spread the word was world famous.  Her sermons and faith healing drew thousands.  When McPherson went swimming one day and disappeared, it was thought she drowned.  The world mourned. Then weeks later, McPherson reappeared saying she had been kidnapped.  But the facts didn’t add up…
    Written and directed by Simcha Jacobovici and David Harel.
  • Silenced Star: The Rise and Fall of Fatty Arbuckle.
    Written and directed by Tim Wolochatiuk
  • Unspoken Lies: George and Viola McMillan and the Windfall Mine Fraud.
    Written and directed by Simcha Jacobovici
  • Brothers in Blood: Leopold and Loeb.
    Written and directed by Tim Wolochatiuk
  • Southern Knights: The Murder of Mary Phagan and the Lynching of Leo Frank.
    Written and directed by Yuval Daniel
  • Crossing the Line: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson, the First Black Champion Boxer
    Written and directed by Roger Pyke

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I enjoyed the series.  I was aware of the Aimee Semple McPherson, Fatty Arbuckle, Leopold and Loeb and Jack Johnson scandals.  Still it was interesting to revisit them.  The Viola McMillan and the Windfall Mine Fraud and the  Murder of Mary Phagan and the Lynching of Leo Frank scandals were new to me.

Scandal! Then & Now (1998)  rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Hypnotic” (2023) directed by Robert Rodriguez, starring Ben Affleck, Alice Braga & William Fichtner / Z-View

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Hypnotic (2023)

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Screenplay: Robert Rodriguez, Max Borenstein

Stars: Ben Affleck, Alice Braga, JD Pardo, Jeff Fahey, William Fichtner, Zane Holtz, Ruben Javier Caballero, Ryan Ryusaki and Jackie Earle Haley.

Tagline: Control is an illusion.

The Plot…

Detective Danny Rourke (Affleck) is on a stakeout with a response team.  They had received a tip on the robbery of bank safe deposit boxes.  Through their monitors they see a suspicious well dressed man.  They will learn later his name is Lev Dellrayne (Fichtner).  Dellrayne speaks to a woman waiting for a bus.  As he walks away the woman begins stripping.  The disrobing woman causes a commotion including vehicles crashing into each other.

Dellrayne then speaks to two police officers.  They turn and walk into the bank following Dellrayne’s commands.  Within seconds, Dellrayne gets into the safe deposit box area, opens the targeted box and escapes.  He appears to just disappear.

Detective Rourke checks out the open safe deposit box.  The only thing left inside is a photo of Rourke’s daughter Minnie.  Minnie has been missing for three years since she was kidnapped.  “Find Lev Dellrayne” is written on the photo.

Obviously his daughter’s kidnapping and the robbery are linked.  If Rourke can capture Dellrayne, there is a chance he will find his daughter alive.

Rourke has no idea what he is about to learn.  Nothing is as it seems.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Rouke visits a BBQ joint called The Bone Shack.  The restaurant has the same name and logo of a BBQ eatery featured in Planet Terror (also directed by Robert Rodriguez).  In Planet Terror, Jeff Fahey played the owner of The Bone Shack.  Although Fahey appears in Hypnotic, he isn’t the owner of this Bone Shack.

Be sure to watch the credits, there is a scene that changes the ending!

I could see Hypnotic as a limited or on-going television series.

Hypnotic (2023) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Armor” starring Jason Patric and Sylvester Stallone – The Trailer is Here!

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Armor starring Jason Patric and Sylvester Stallone – The Trailer is Here!

Oscar nominee Sylvester Stallone and Jason Patric star in an action-packed, thriller about the lengths one man will go to save what’s left of his family and reclaim his own life. James and his son Casey are armored truck drivers tasked with delivering a suspicious package. After a violent ambush on the road, James and Casey are trapped until they discover the value of what they have been carrying and join forces to outgun and outwit their attackers.

The cast also includes Dash Mihok, Josh Wiggins, Blake Shields, and Erin Ownbey. Lionsgate will release the Justin Routt-directed action film in theaters and on digital and On Demand on November 22, 2024.

“Darker Than Amber” (1970) starring Rod Taylor and William Smith / Z-View

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Darker Than Amber (1970)

Director: Robert Clouse

Screenplay: John D. MacDonald, Ed Waters based on DARKER THAN AMBER by John D. MacDonald

Stars: Rod Taylor, Theodore Bikel, Suzy Kendall, William Smith, Janet MacLachlan, Robert Phillips, James Booth and Jane Russell.

Tagline: Travis McGee is having a conference with one of his clients. Business as usual.

The Plot…

Late one night Travis McGee (Taylor) and his buddy are quietly fishing under a bridge.  Suddenly a woman is thrown off the bridge and quickly sinks below the water.  McGee jumps in.  He is shocked to find the woman’s hands and feet are bound.  A dumbell tied to her ankles is pulling her down.  McGee frees her and gets her to the surface.  She’s in bad shape.

McGee takes her home.  Her name is Vangie.  She refuses to go to the police.  McGee learns that Vangie was almost killed by cold-blooded body builder named Terry (Smith).  Terry uses women to drug lonely men.  Terry then robs and sometimes kills them.  Vangie became a target when she discovered Terry was a killer.  As the days pass, McGee and Vangie fall in love.

Despite McGee’s objections Vangie heads to her apartment to get some things.  Terry has been watching and kills her.

McGee is going to get revenge even if it kills him.  It just might.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The final extended fight scene is considered a brutal classic.  Reportedly it was the reason that Bruce Lee wanted Robert Clause to direct Enter the Dragon.

Darker Than Amber is the last time Jane Russell appeared in a feature film.

Darker Than Amber was scheduled to kick off a franchise.  The plan was for Taylor to star in a series of Travis McGee films based on John D. MacDonald’s novels.  Poor box office for this film killed the idea.

Filmed in 1970, the film is a product of it’s time.  It probably felt hip and cool when it was released.  Now it feels dated.

Darker Than Amber (1970) rates 2 of 5 stars.

THE LAST FEW MILES: A CARTER MCCOY NOVEL by Eric Beetner / Z-View

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THE LAST FEW MILES: A CARTER MCCOY NOVEL by Eric Beetner

First sentence…

Carter McCoy closed the menu and handed it back to the waitress.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Carter McCoy doesn’t have long to live.  Six months give or take a few.  The doctor told him the name of the disease that’s killing him, but does the name really matter at this point?  There’s no cure.  McCoy is 72 years old.  Other than the disease he’s in great shape.  Some might say that’s ironic.

You might think that since McCoy’s wife and daughter are dead, he has nothing to live for.  You’d be wrong.  The man who caused his daughter’s death escaped justice and is still alive.  McCoy has wanted to kill the man for years.  Only thing stopping him was his wife.  Now she’s gone and Carter’s time is running out.

And there’s one thing he’s going to do before his time is up.

+++++

I’m a huge fan of Eric Beetner’s tales.  THE LAST FEW MILES: A CARTER MCCOY NOVEL is another winner.  An old man with just months to live wants to kill the man responsible for his daughter’s death.  The man isn’t a killer, he’s old and he’s dying. In any good writer’s hands that’s a great set-up for a crime novel.  In Beetner’s mits it’s just the kick-off for his yarn.

Soon a young woman in a tragic situation will against odds become Carter’s friend.  She’s in a terrible situation.  Perhaps Carter and a bullet could save her.  Carter’s dying so he has nothing to lose.  And if he’s successful she could have a chance at a good life.

The only thing that could stop him are the police that are getting close and the disease that’s even closer.

THE LAST FEW MILES: A CARTER MCCOY NOVEL is a fast read, with twists, suspense and ever increasing stakes.  I applaud the ending.  It wasn’t what I was expecting but works perfectly.

Rating:

“Lady Without a Passport” (1950) starring Hedy Lamarr and John Hodiak / Z-View

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Lady Without A Passport (1950)

Director: Joseph H. Lewis

Screenplay: Howard Dimsdale, story by Lawrence Taylor; adaptation written by Cyril Hume

Stars: Hedy Lamarr, John Hodiak, James Craig, George Macready, Steven Geray, Nedrick Young, Steven Hill, Robert Osterloh, Trevor Bardette, Charles Wagenheim, Don Garner and Richard Crane.

Tagline: M-G-M THRILLS!

The Plot…

Immigrants refused an entrance visa to the United States have found a smuggling operation through Cuba. A man named Palinov (Macready) who fronts as a cafe owner runs the illegal racket.  Pete Karczag (Hodiak) is an American agent sent undercover to Cuba to get the goods on Karczag.

Once there Pete meets Marianne Lorress (Lamarr).  Marianne is a refugee from a Nazi concentration camp.  She wants to go to the United States to start a new life, but lacks the money to make it happen.  Karczag has other ways she can pay.  Initially Pete plans to use Marianne to get to Palinov. That changes pretty quickly when Pete falls in love with Marianne.

That’s not all that changes.  Palinov discovers that Pete is an American agent.  Palinov knows he’s safer if Pete and Marianne are out of the picture… permanently.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Much of the film was shot on location in Cuba.  Unfortunately, those scenes often come off as outtakes of a travelogue.

Lady Without A Passport (1950) rates 2 of 5 stars.

YOU ARE HERE by Kyle Baker

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YOU ARE HERE by Kyle Baker

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Noel Coleman has it all. He’s a successful artist. Helen, his beautiful fiancée, loves him. He owns an attractive house in the country.   For the past year that Noel and Helen lived together, life has been perfect.

Noel plans to ask Helen to marry him.  It’s just… he has secrets.  Noel wants to come clean.  But how do you tell your future (hopefully) wife that you were a criminal when you met her?  Noel decides he’ll figure out how to tell her when the time comes.

So Noel informs Helen that he’s going into the city to clean the last things out of his apartment. When he gets back, he’ll pop the question.

Noel heads in to the city and runs into his old crime partner.  They decide to have a drink.  The more they talk the more Noel realizes he misses the life.  His partner talks about a job he’s set up. He offers Noel a piece of the action if he wants to come.  Noel is tempted.  He decides once he comes clean to Helen, her reaction will decide the life he’ll live.

Then Noel learns that an infamous serial killer just got released from prison.  The killer has made it known he’s going to kill the bum that slept with his wife.  Noel is that bum!  Noel realizes he needs to get out of the city and quick.  Thank God Helen didn’t come with him.

Noel sees Helen at about the same time as he catches sight of the killer.  Unfortunately the killer has seen them.

Noel will have a lot of explaining to do if they survive.  And odds are they won’t.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The art feels very Disneyish and yet the story is noir.  The combination works.  Baker sets us up to expect one thing and gives us another.  The bathtub scene (in the preview below) is just one example.  I love the cartoony style used in this tale.  I also thought telling the story without word balloons was creative.  Having the serial killer resemble Robert Mitchum was icing on the cake.

This isn’t a story for kids.  There is sex and violence.  Happy endings are for Disney and this is noir.

YOU ARE HERE gets my highest recommendation!

YOU ARE HERE by Kyle Baker rates 5 of 5 stars.

Rating: