Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Whoa!
John Wick (Keanu Reeves) uncovers a path to defeating the High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes.
One Body Too Many (1944)
Director: Frank McDonald
Writer: Winston Miller, Maxwell Shane
Stars: Jack Haley, Bela Lugosi, Douglas Fowley and Fay Helm
Tagline: You’ll SH-SH-SHIVER with SUSPENSE…and SH-SH-SHAKE with LAUGHTER!
The Plot…
Albert L. Tuttle (Haley), a nervous insurance agent arrives at Cyrus J. Rutherford’s mansion for an appointment to sell Rutherford life insurance. Upon his arrival Tuttle learns that Rutherford recently died. His family has arrived for the reading of the will. The will states that until the body is buried in a vault on the property, the beneficiaries will not be known, Further, if the body isn’t interred as directed, the order of the beneficiaries will be reversed with those scheduled to get the least amount now getting the most.
Since it is in the best interest of some to make sure the body isn’t buried as required, Tuttle is hired to guard the body until buried. As the night progresses, the hijinks begin. Expect hidden passages, secret wall panels, and Bela Lugosi as a creepy butler.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
I wanted more from One Body Too Many. There are many movies made with a creepy mansion, hidden passages, killers and comedy that find the right mix. Sadly One Body Too Many isn’t one of them. Haley and Lugosi deserved better.
One Body Too Many earns 2 of 5 stars.
Invitation to Murder should appeal to fans of The Glass Onion. I like the looks of it. Deal me in.
In this homage to Agatha Christie, set in England, an amateur detective finds herself caught up in a real-life whodunit! Miranda Green (Mischa Barton, “The O.C.”) is summoned to the remote mansion of billionaire Lewis Findley along with five mysterious strangers. What do they all have in common? What’s become of their absent host? And who just murdered one of the guests in cold blood? Now Miranda must hunt for hidden clues, interview witnesses, and find the killer — before she becomes the next victim!
Rory Doherty at Paste recently posted Every Philip Marlowe Performance, Ranked. Before you click over, here’s a comparison of our rankings and my thoughts on each.
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Doherty |
Zablo |
9. Robert Montgomery,
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* George Montgomery, The Brasher Doubloon (1947) |
8. George Montgomery,
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* James Caan, Poodle Springs (1998) – Haven’t seen yet. |
7. James Caan,
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* Liam Neeson, Marlowe (2023) – Haven’t seen yet. |
6. Liam Neeson,
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6. Elliot Gould, The Long Goodbye (1973) – This didn’t work for me. Gould wasn’t my idea of Marlowe and the film just didn’t resonate with me. |
5. Robert Mitchum,
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5. Robert Montgomery, Lady in the Lake (1947) – An experiment that failed. Shot so that the audience sees everything from Marlowe’s perspective, it plays like a modern video game with little action. |
4. Dick Powell,
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4. James Garner, Marlowe (1969) – Garner isn’t a bad Marlowe plus we get Bruce Lee too! I’d have like to have seen Garner play Marlowe again. |
3. James Garner,
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3. Robert Mitchum, Farewell, My Lovely (1975) & The Big Sleep (1978) – Mitchum plays an “older” Marlowe. He’s not in his prime, but Mitchum at any age is a winner. Plus we get Sly Stallone in Farewell, My Lovely. |
2. Humphrey Bogart,
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2. Dick Powell, Murder, My Sweet (1944) – Powell was best known for lighthearted musicals prior to this. Surprisingly he makes a cool Marlowe! |
1. Elliot Gould,
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1. Humphrey Bogart, The Big Sleep (1946) – Bogart is easily my favorite Marlowe. If only he had made more |
Although Doherty limited his rankings to the movie Marlowes, I want to make mention of Philip Marlowe, Private Eye (1983 – 1986), a series that ran for 3 years on HBO. Powers Boothe played Marlowe. It’s been decades since I saw the series, but I remember it fondly. I need to revisit it. |
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The Golden Eye (1948)
Director: William Beaudine
Writer: Scott Darling based on the character by Earl Derr Biggers
Stars: Roland Winters, Mantan Moreland, Victor Sen Yung, Tim Ryan and Ralph Dunn
Tagline: Death lurks at every step…as your oriental super-sleuth stalks a desperate killer — below the surface of the earth!
The Plot…
Mr. Manning, the owner of a gold mine wants to secretly meet with Charlie Chan (Winters). So Chan, his son Tommy (Yung) and valet, Birmingham (Moreland) pose as tourists at a nearby dude ranch. Before they can meet, Mr. Manning is found murdered. Charlie Chan aided by Tommy and Birmingham soon discover there are multiple suspects. As they get closer to the killer, he plots their deaths.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
The Golden Eye is a typical Charlie Chan film. It runs just over an hour. Mantan Moreland provides comedy relief. Charlie Chan has multiple suspects, but discovers the true murderer (and it’s not who you think)!
The Golden Eye earns 3 of 5 stars.
One Way (2022)
Director: Andrew Baird
Writer: Ben Conway
Stars: Colson Baker, Travis Fimmel, Kevin Bacon, Drea de Matteo, Storm Reid and Thomas Francis Murphy
Tagline: Kill. Fuck. Play. One Way.
The Plot…
Freddy has been shot. He’s on the run with a satchel of money. Killers are following. Freddy boards a bus as it’s pulling out. Other passengers include a troubled young girl and a few others who might become problems. If Freddy doesn’t get help soon, he’ll bleed out. Plus the killers are closing in…
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
One Way is a film that I kept watching, hoping it would get better. That’s because One Way has an interesting plot, some good actors and looked stylish enough. Sadly, at least for me, the payoff never came. I felt like I was stuck on a bus with no way off and the same things kept happening.
Kevin Bacon appears as Freddy’s worthless father. It’s a small but important role. Dre de Matto has an even smaller role as the drug queenpin that Freddy ripped off. Both are good at playing bad. Storm Reid is a young girl headed for big trouble. Her subplot has a twist you’ll see coming from the start.
One Way earns 2 of 5 stars.
Vengeance (2022)
Director: B.J. Novak
Writer: B.J. Novak
Stars: B.J. Novak, Boyd Holbrook, Ashton Kutcher, Louanne Stephens, John Mayer, Clint Obenchain, Rio Alexander, Sarah Minnich and Ben Whitehair
Tagline: Find the story before it finds you
The Plot…
Late one night, Ben Manalowitz (Novak) receives a call. Ben’s girlfriend, Abby has died. As Ty (Holbrook) explains his sister died of a drug overdose, Ben struggles to remember Abby. Just as it comes to Ben that Abby was a one-night stand months ago, Ty invites him to her funeral. Ben tries to get out of going but Ty insists.
When Ben arrives to attend the funeral of a girl he barely remembers, he learns that Abby told everyone that she and Ben were in a serious relationship! Ty informs Ben that he believes Abby was murdered. He and Ben will search out the killer(s) and get vengeance for her death. Ben doesn’t think Abby was murdered, but believes that Ty’s search for the killers could mean ratings for Ben’s podcast. He agrees to stick around and assist with the investigation. Ben begins interviewing people about Abby’s death… he’s a fish out of water, but the deeper he gets, the more he begins to believe Abby may have been murdered. If that’s the case, he could be next.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Ben is a New York City boy deep in the heart of Texas. He barely remembers the woman that he was supposed to marry. Kudos to B.J. Novak for coming up with an interesting plot with tons of comedic opportunities. The movie is well cast. I was surprised in a good way by Ashton Kutcher’s performance.
Vengeance plays like a comedy and has plenty of laughs until it doesn’t. There’s an unexpected 180 near the end that just didn’t work for me. Your mileage may vary.
Vengeance earns 2 of 5 stars.
I like the looks of Braek. Check out the trailer and you might as well.
The McCabe family’s weekend getaway was never meant to be a life-changing experience. Governor William McCabe (Nick Baillie), a respected politician, was looking forward to some rest and relaxation. His beautiful wife Lauren (Melissa Anschutz) and distant step daughter Erin (Alix Lane) strain to enjoy their time together, as the facade of the trophy family has worn dangerously thin. Things take a severe turn for the worse when a charismatic stranger (Kevin Interdonato) knocks on their door and triggers an unexpected chain of events.
CAST: Kevin Interdonato, Nick Baillie, Melissa Anschutz, Alix Lane, Danilo Rocha, John Fallon
I don’t care for the poster, but the trailer for Confession has me sold. Deal me in.
An up-and-coming district attorney takes on the case of a young woman who has accused three men of sexual assault, putting her career and her life on the line in the process.
Starring: Clark Backo, Sarah Hay, Michael Ironside
Directed by: Dayna Hanson
Release Date: 3/10/23
Deal me in!
In Luther: The Fallen Sun — an epic continuation of the award-winning television saga reimagined for film — a gruesome serial killer is terrorizing London while brilliant but disgraced detective John Luther (Idris Elba) sits behind bars. Haunted by his failure to capture the cyber psychopath who now taunts him, Luther decides to break out of prison to finish the job by any means necessary. The film also stars Cynthia Erivo, Andy Serkis and Dermot Crowley, who returns as Martin Schenk.
The Chinese Ring (1947)
Director: William Beaudine
Writer: Scott Darling based on the character by Earl Derr Biggers
Stars: Roland Winters, Mantan Moreland, Victor Sen Yung and Paul Bryar
Tagline: None
The Plot…
When a Chinese Princess is murdered while visiting Charlie Chan, she leaves behind a note which reads “Captain K”. As the police work to find the killer, Chan follows the clues as well. With multiple suspects, and the clock ticking more people will die if the murderer isn’t found.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
The Chinese Ring was Roland Winters first outing as Charlie Chan. He would play the character 5 more times.
Mantan Moreland provides comedy relief as usual. I wish he was given more screen time.
The Chinese Ring earns 3 of 5 stars.
The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker (2023)
Director: Colette Camden
Writer: Colette Camden
Stars: Kai Lawrence, Jessob Reisbeck
Tagline: None
The Plot…
In 2013, an interview with Caleb Lawrence McGillvary. who called himself Kai, went viral. A reporter had interviewed Kai after he stopped a man from attacking a woman.
Kai had been hitchhiking. When Jett McBride suddenly drove into a pedestrian pinning him to another vehicle, a passing woman came to the man’s aide. McBride attacked her. Kai, sensing the woman would be killed, grabbed a hatchet from his backpack. Kai repeatedly struck the man in the back of the head, incapacitating him. The police arrived and took McBride into custody. They questioned and released Kai.
A reporter interviewed Kai at the scene. When the interview aired Kai came off as a free-spirited hero. The interview was placed on Youtube. It received millions of views. Suddenly everyone wanted a piece of Kai. He was on Inside Edition and Jimmy Kimmel Live. On the surface, Kai appeared to be a fun-loving nonconformist. He didn’t have a job, a driver’s license or a social security number. Kai didn’t consider himself homeless, he referred to his situation as homefree. Kai’s appearances were off-the-wall and funny. But beneath the surface of Kai’s easy-going exterior lurked a killer…
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
At first glance Kai seemed to be harmless. A modern day hippie just getting by and having fun. Yet anyone who spent a little time with Kai would realize his mental issues. But who would think that Kai would be a cold-blooded murderer?
The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker earns 4 of 5 stars.
I like the looks of Liaison starring Vincent Cassel and Eva Green,
Stop at nothing to save everything. Liaison premieres February 24 on Apple TV+ https://apple.co/_Liaison
Vincent Cassel and Eva Green star as agents—and former lovers—who must work together to combat international cyberattacks threatening the UK while also confronting the buried secrets of their destructive relationship.
Solace (2015)
Director: Afonso Poyart
Screenplay: Sean Bailey, Ted Griffin
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Abbie Cornish, Colin Farrell, Matt Gerald, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Marley Shelton, Xander Berkeley, Kenny Johnson, Joshua Close, Janine Turner and Jordan Woods-Robinson
Tagline: How do you stop a killer who can read your mind?
The Plot…
FBI agents Merriwether (Morgan) and Cowles (Cornish) are coming up empty while working a serial killer case. Out of desperation, Merriweather reaches out to his friend, Dr. John Clancy (Hopkins). Clancy reluctantly agrees to assist with the case. Agent Cowles is skeptical even after Clancy begins to display abilities that assist with the case.
Soon enough Clancy’s paranormal skills alert him to two things: 1) the serial killer is a more powerful psychic; 2) both Agent Merriweather and Agent Morgan have tragic futures. People will continue to be murdered unless Merriwether, Cowles and Clancy unless they figure how to catch the psychic killer… but there is no changing the future.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Solace has a cool concept – a psychic serial killer who is able to stay a step ahead of the FBI, despite them also having a clairvoyant of their own. There are a couple of unexpected twists and a killer with a rationale that will keep you thinking.
Solace earns 4 of 5 stars.
Eric Beetner ventured into The Thriller Zone hosted by David Temple. If you like crime fiction, this is for you!
