“Psycho” Alt Poster by Paul Mann!
Psycho is a classic Alfred Hitchcock movie. Paul Mann has created a poster worthy of it. Of course Mann’s art is always exemplary. You can see more of it here.
Category: Crime
“Bad Boys: Ride or Die” starring Will Smith & Martin Lawrence – The Trailer is Here!
The trailer for Bad Boys: Ride or Die is her and looks to be a fun ride.
Deal me in.
This Summer, the world’s favorite Bad Boys are back with their iconic mix of edge-of-your seat action and outrageous comedy but this time with a twist: Miami’s finest are now on the run.
RELEASE DATE: June 7
CAST: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens
Marv by kundo krunch!
Marv from Frank Miller’s Sin City is one of my all-time favorite characters. I love seeing artists do their “take” on the big lug. Today we have Marv by kundo krunch.
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“Number 17” directed by Alfred Hitchcock / Z-View
Number 17 (1932)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenplay: Alfred Hitchcock, Alma Reville, Rodney Ackland based on Number Seventeen by Joseph Jefferson Farjeon
Stars: Leon M. Lion, Anne Grey, John Stuart and Ann Casson.
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
A detective enters an old, dark house late one evening. Clues from a diamond necklace robbery have led him there. Once inside the detective discovers a man who claims he’s homeless and was looking for shelter for the evening. The two discover the body of a man who was recently murdered. Suddenly a woman falls from above! As they question her, two additional men and a woman enter the house. Some, maybe eveand ryone is involved in the diamond necklace theft. Expect twists and not all will survive to the end.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Alfred Hitchcock wasn’t a fan of Number 17. It wasn’t a film that he wanted to make. Number 17 was adapted from a stage play. Although conceived as a comedy-thriller, the end result fell short of expectations. Although Hitchcock considered it a “disaster” it’s not as bad as that.
Hitchcock has no cameo in this one.
Number 17 (1932) rates 3 of 5 stars.
“Darkness of Man” starring Jean-Claude Van Damme – The Poster and Trailer are Here!
The poster and trailer for Darkness of Man looks like the best Jean-Claude Van Damme movie in a while!
Marv by Denis Medri!
Marv from Frank Miller’s Sin City is one of my all-time favorite characters. I love seeing artists do their “take” on the big lug. Today we have Marv by Denis Medri.
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“The 39 Steps” (1935) directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Robert Donat & Madeline Carroll / Z-View
The 39 Steps (1935)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenplay: Charles Bennett, Ian Hay based on THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS by John Buchan
Stars: Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll and Alfred Hitchcock.
Tagline: HANDCUFFED TO THE GIRL WHO DOUBLE CROSSED HIM!
The Plot…
Richard Hannay (Donat) is watching an act called Mr. Memory in a crowded London theater. When a gunshot goes off in the crowd, the audience stampedes for the exits. Hannay is surprised when a woman he doesn’t know says she’s frightened and asks to leave with him. They end up in Hannay’s apartment where the woman claims to be a government agent. She admits to firing the shots to escape enemy spies who had found her. She claims to have information that is vital to the nation’s security. Hannay isn’t sure what to believe.
Later that night the woman bursts into Hannay’s bedroom. She has been stabbed. As she dies she warns Hannay he needs to escape. In her hand is a map with with a building named “Alt-na-Shellach” circled. Soon Hannay finds himself on the run. The police think he killed the woman and the enemy agents know he has information to bring them down.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Alfred Hitchcock claimed that The 39 Steps was one of his favorite movies that he directed.
Hitchcock’s cameo comes around the 7 minute mark. He is the man walking by the bus who throws litter to the ground.
Richard Hannay shows ingenuity in escaping from his apartment (disguised as a milk man) and later at a political rally.
Hannay (Donat) and Pamela (Carroll) spend several scenes on the run while handcuffed to each other. In a rehearsal Hitchcock had them handcuffed together for several hours since he had lost the key. In reality, he hadn’t lost the key, but wanted them to get used to being joined by the cuffs.
The 39 Steps (1935) rates 5 of 5 stars.
Dwight Manfredi is The “Tulsa King” by Ryan Cody!
That’s Ryan Cody’s riff on Sly Stallone as Dwight Manfredi from The Tulsa King. When Ryan ran his Kickstarter for Old Man Thunderpunch, I jumped on board for a sketch option and the result is what you see.
Ryan is a comic creator (writer, penciler, inker, colorist) and podcast host with Scott Godlewski on The Illustrious Gentlemen. You can see more of Ryan’s art here.
Marv by RAFAEL DANTE CIOCI!
Marv from Frank Miller’s Sin City is one of my all-time favorite characters. I love seeing artists do their “take” on the big lug. Today we have Marv by RAFAEL DANTE CIOCI.
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“Marlowe” (2022) starring Liam Neeson / Z-View
Marlowe (2022)
Director: Neil Jordan
Screenplay: William Monahan, Neil Jordan based on THE BLACK-EYED BLONDE by Benjamin Black
Stars: Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, Jessica Lange.
Tagline: Los Angeles, 1939. Outside the spotlight lies a city of secrets.
The Plot…
Phillip Marlowe (Neeson), a LA Private Eye, is hired by the heiress Clare Cavendish (Kruger) to find her missing lover. Marlowe quickly learns that the absent Romeo was drunk in the gutter when he was run over by a boozed up driver. While making his report to Cavendish, she informs Marlowe that she’s seen her lover after the date he was supposedly killed.
Marlowe decides to dig deeper and soon uncovers corruption that runs deep into the movers and shakers of the city.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
In Raymond Chandler’s novels, Phillip Marlowe’s age ranges from 33 to 42. Liam Neeson was 70 for this role. That makes him the oldest actor to play Marlowe by nearly ten years. Robert Mitchum was 58 and 61 when he played the part. At one point in this film, Marlowe (Neeson) says to himself, “I’m too old for this shit.” I agree.
Neil Jordan does an excellent job of making the film feel like it is 1939 in LA. One goof that jumped out at me is when Marlowe tips a hatcheck girl $20. That is equivalent to almost $450 today.
I’m a fan of most movie adaptations of Phillip Marlowe, but this one was just okay. The film moved slowly, and Neeson just didn’t work as Marlowe for me.
Marlowe (2022) rates 2 of 5 stars.
“Devil in a Blue Dress” (1995) directed by Carl Franklin, starring Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle & Tom Sizemore / Z-View
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
Director: Carl Franklin
Screenplay: Carl Franklin based on DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS by Walter Mosley
Stars: Denzel Washington, Tom Sizemore, Jennifer Beals, Don Cheadle, Maury Chaykin, Terry Kinney, Albert Hall, Lisa Nicole Carson, Jernard Burks, John Roselius, Beau Starr, L. Scott Caldwell and Barry Shabaka Henley.
Tagline: In a world divided by black and white, Easy Rawlins is about to cross the line.
The Plot…
The year is 1948. Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins (Washington) has just been laid off and has a house payment coming due. He needs money, so when a white PI named DeWitt Albright (Sizemore) offers him a job, Easy accepts. All he has to do is find a missing white woman involved with some political heavyweights.
When another woman ends up murdered, Albright turns on Easy. To make matters worse crooked cops give Easy 24 hours to find the real killer or they’ll frame him. Easy brings in his friend Raymond “Mouse” Alexander (Cheadle) to help him. Mouse is a stone-cold killer, but sometimes it take one to catch one.
The clock is ticking…
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Devil in a Blue Dress, the novel and the movie get my highest recommendation.
Carl Franklin’s adaption and direction are first rate. Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle were perfect as Easy and Mouse. Tom Sizemore was excellent as DeWitt Albright. It’s a shame that Franklin, Washington and Cheadle didn’t reteam to film more of Mosley’s stories. At least one got this one.
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) rates 5 of 5 stars.
“American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders” (2024) / Z-View
American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders (2024)
Director: Zachary Treitz
Stars: Christian Hansen
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
Danny Casolaro was a freelance writer obsessed with a story that he had worked on for years. Casolaro believed he’d uncovered evidence of a powerful international cabal of eight individuals involved in everything from government spyware, manipulating Iran to hold hostages to ensure Ronald Reagan became President, the Iran-Contra scandal and more. Casolaro referred to this cabal as The Octopus.
In 1991, Casolaro was found in the bathtub of a hotel room. His wrists had been cut multiple times and blood covered the bathroom walls and floor. One of the first paramedics on scene didn’t believe it to be a suicide because Casolaro’s tendons were cut in the multiple slices across his wrists and the blood everywhere. Still, his death was ruled a suicide.
Christian Hansen gained access to all of Casolaro’s journals, notes and interviews. Hansen then re-interviewed people Casolaro had identified as having knowledge of the cabal. This documentary explores the results of Hansen’s investigation.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
While we’re given much information, there is no “aha moment” where we get a definitive answer. Casolaro did uncover several shady characters and dealings. But was there enough evidence to make the leap to an international cabal?
One of the people providing evidence said she was shown a film of President Kennedy’s assassination where the driver of his limo turned and shot him. She believes the film she saw was unedited and the word has only seen a cover-up version.
When Casolaro died he was deep in debt and his house was about to be lost in foreclosure. Was this enough to push him over the edge to commit suicide? But how could he cut himself so many times (and still hold the blade) if his tendons were severed?
After viewing American Conspiracy, I was left with more questions than answers. It was an interesting ride, if you value the ride more than the destination.
American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders (2024) rates 3 of 5 stars.
Marv by Mirko Fascella!
Marv from Frank Miller’s Sin City is one of my all-time favorite characters. I love seeing artists do their “take” on the big lug. Today we have Marv by Mirko Fascella.
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“Death and Other Details” (2024) starring Violett Beane & Mandy Patinkin / Z-View
Death and Other Details (2024)
Created by: Heidi Cole McAdams & Mike Weiss
Director: Marc Webb (ep 1); David Petrarca (ep.2); Alrick Riley (eps. 3 – 4); Yangzom Brauen (eps. 5 – 6); James Griffiths (eps. 7 – 8); Dinh Thai (eps. 9 – 10)
Teleplays: Heidi Cole McAdams & Mike Weiss (ep. 1); Ryan Maldonado & Eduardo Javier Canto (ep.2); Nick Bragg (ep. 3); Mike Weiss (ep. 4); Jess Kimball Leslie (ep.5); Louisa Levy & Paul Alan Cope (ep.6); Myung Joh Wesner (ep. 7); Heidi Cole McAdams & Angela Zhou (ep. 8); Louisa Levy (ep. 9); Heidi Cole McAdams & Mike Weiss (ep.10)
Stars: Violett Beane, Lauren Patten, Angela Zhou, Hugo Diego Garcia, Pardis Saremi, Linda Emond, Mandy Patinkin, Jack Cutmore-Scott, Danny Johnson, Karoline, Jayne Atkinson and Jere Burns.
Tagline: All suspects aboard.
The Plot…
When Imogene (Beane) was a young girl, her mother was killed in a car explosion. Although Rufus Cotesworth (Patinkin), who many consider the world’s greatest detective, investigated, the killer was never found.
Now Imogene finds herself along with Rufus and a luxury cruise liner full of wealthy guests. When a murder at sea takes place, Rufus is tasked with finding the murderer. The problem is that everyone has secrets and possible motives for the killing,
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Death and Other Details starts off well enough. It has a nice cast, an interesting backstory and a mystery or two to solve. As the series continues it spirals out more characters, more backstories, and nothing is as it seems. My interest in Death and Other Details dwindled as the storyline became more outlandish.
Death and Other Details (2024) earns 2 of 5 stars.
“Black Dragons” starring Bela Lugosi & Clayton Moore / Z-View
Black Dragons (1942)
Director: William Nigh
Screenplay: Robert Kehoe, Harvey Gates
Stars: Bela Lugosi, Clayton Moore and Keye Luke
Tagline: See him pit his terror against Japan’s treacherous agents in the U.S.A.!
The Plot…
Prior to World War II Japan and Germany secretly killed and replaced six top US business leaders. They did this by murdering the men and replacing them with Japanese agents who had facelifts performed by a Nazi doctor. The Japanese agents could destroy the USA’s war efforts and provide information to assist the Axis. When one of the spies is killed, Detective Dick Martin (Moore) is assigned to the case and discovers the evil plan. It is up to Detective Martin and an unknown ally to bring down the foreign agents.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Filming on Black Dragons began about one and one half months after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor making it one of the first movie responses.
If you buy the fact that the plastic surgery made the Japanese spies look exactly like the men they replaced, you still have to believe that they had perfect voice matches and knew each man’s personal history (including secrets) so they could fool friends and family.
It’s cool to see The Lone Ranger (Clayton Moore) paired with Dracula (Bela Lugosi).
Keye Luke who played Charlie Chan’s son in several films (and went on to a long Hollywood career) has a small role as one of the agents that Bela Lugosi operates on.
Black Dragons (1942) rates 2 of 5 stars.
