Category: Crime

“Small Engine Repair” (2021) starring Jon Bernthal, Shea Whigham, John Pollono, Ciara Bravo & Spencer House / Z-View

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Small Engine Repair (2021)

Director: John Pollono

Screenplay: John Pollono

Stars: Jon Bernthal, Shea Whigham, Jordana Spiro, John Pollono, Ciara Bravo, Spencer House, Josh Helman, James Badge Dale and James Ransone 

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

Frank (J. Pollono), Terrence (Bernthal) and Packie (Whigham) have been best friends since high school.  When Frank’s marriage broke up, he kept custody of his daughter, Crystal (Bravo).  Thankfully, the guys stepped in to help raise her.  When Frank had to do some time in prison because of his temper, the guys took custody of Crystal until Frank got out.  Now Crystal is about to go to college and the guys can breathe a little easier…

When Frank asks Terrence and Packie to meet him one night at his small engine repair shop, they have no idea what’s up.  When they learn that it involves something that happened to Crystal, there is no line that they won’t cross to make things right.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I’m surprised that more people aren’t talking about Small Engine Repair.  It is one of the most under-rated movies I’ve seen this year.  John Pollono adapted his play for the screen, directed and also stars.  He’s joined by Jon Bernthal, Shea Whigham (both are always great), Ciara Bravo and Spencer House (who more than hold their own).

Small Engine Repair reminded me of Slingblade in that it’s a small budget film, focused on working class folks with a powerful story that was written and directed by the star of the film.  Small Engine Repair takes time to set everything up and covers a lot of ground.  Then we get to the last act and the tension mounts as we learn what Frank has planned.  Once all cards are on the table there is no turning back… or is there?

I loved Small Engine Repair and hope that more people get a chance to see it.

Small Engine Repair earns 5 of 5 stars.

“Hideout” (2021) Starring Katie Lyons / Z-View

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Hideout (2021)

Director:  Kris Roselli

Screenplay: Kris Roselli

Stars: Katie Lyons, Audrey Kovár, Chris Wolfe, Bryan Enright and Eric Francis Melaragni

Tagline: No One Can Hide Forever

The Plot…

After a botched robbery where Reed (Wolfe) was shot, Sarah, Rick and Kyle need a place to hold up until the heat dies down.  They find a remote farmhouse where an old woman lives with her granddaughter… at least that’s how it appears…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Hideout begins well enough with an interesting premise.  Four violent robbers on the run take shelter at a remote farm unaware that one of their hostages isn’t what she seems.   Unfortunately once it gets going Hideout doesn’t live up to its potential.  It’s slow with quite a bit of overacting by Wolfe and Enright,  Yelling and raising your eyebrows only takes you so far.  Katie Lyons is definitely the star of the show.

If you like low-budget horror, you can do worse, but I was expecting better.

Hideout earns 2 of 5 stars.

Blonde Dynamite (1950) starring The Bowery Boys / Z-View

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Blonde Dynamite (1950)

Director:  William Beaudine

Screenplay:  Charles R. Marion

Stars:  Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Gabriel Dell, Harry Lewis, Murray Alper, Bernard Gorcey, Jody Gilbert, William ‘Billy’ Benedict, John Harmon, Michael Ross and Karen Randle

Tagline:  THE ESCORT BUREAU’S GOOFIEST GIGOLOS! They’re professional Romeos…to a gang of glamorous gun-girls!

The Plot…

When Slip (Leo Gorcey) and Satch (Hall) are unable to get jobs as male escorts, Slip decides to open his own escort service.  Slip convinces Louie (Bernard Gorcey) to take a long vacation.  As soon as Louie is gone, Slip turns the sweet shop into a male escort service using himself, Satch and the rest of the gang as escorts.

Gangsters have a plan to rob the bank next to the sweet shop.  They’ll go in at night since they’ve got the combination to the safe.  The mobsters use some of the women they work with to hire the boys as escorts so they can break through the sweet shop wall into the bank.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Bowery Boys as male escorts has a lot of potential for laughs.  I wish the movie was as good as the premise.

Blonde Dynamite earns 2 of 5 stars.

TROOPER DOWN! by Anthony Neil Smith is Coming!

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Anthony Neil Smith recently shared the cover of his next novel, Trooper Down!  It’s described as a…

Psychological thriller in the Hitchcock tradition told in first person by a South Dakota State Trooper who is shot in the head and tries to redeem himself.

Trooper Down! isn’t available for pre-order yet.  Once it is, I’ll let you know… right after I put in my order.

TOO MANY BULLETS: A Nathan Heller Case by Max Allan Collins is Coming!

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It’s no secret. I’m a huge fan of Max Allan Collins’ Nathan Heller series.  In it, detective Nathan Heller gets involved with famous cases throughout history.  Max Collins does an exhaustive amount of research for each book and provides a solution to each case, that is sometimes at odds with history.  As the series progresses, Heller ages in real time.

Hard Case Crime has announced that a new Heller book will be out in the Fall of 2023.  Titled Too Many Bullets, it will have Heller investigating Robert Kennedy’s assassination.  That’s the cover above, and it’s a beauty painted by Paul Mann.

If you’re a fan of alternative history or detective stories, heck, if you’re a fan of well written books, then you owe it to yourself to check out the Nathan Heller tales by Max Allan Collins.

“The Parallax View” (1974) starring Warren Beatty / Z-View

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The Parallax View (1974)

Director:  Alan J. Pakula

Screenplay:  David Giler, Lorenzo Semple Jr. based on The Parallax View by Loren Singer

Stars: Warren Beatty, Paula Prentiss, William Daniels, Hume Cronyn, Chuck Waters, Earl Hindman, Bill McKinney, Jim Davis, Ted Gehring, Doria Cook-Nelson and Kenneth Mars 

Tagline:  Assassination. Try to see it from their point of view.

The Plot…

Joe Frady (Beatty) is a newspaper man covering presidential candidate Charles Carroll’s press conference. Frady’s girlfriend, television reporter Lee Carter (Prentiss) is also covering the event when a gunman shoots and kills Carroll.  An investigation determines that the gunman acted alone.

Three years later, Joe’s ex-girlfriend, Lee, shows up terrified.  Six witnesses to the Carroll assassination have died under mysterious circumstances. Lee believes that she will be next.  Joe tries to calm her and says that she’s over-reacting.  Yes, the witnesses died and some were in unusual circumstances, but all could be explained.  When Lee turns up dead of an overdose, Joe decides to do an investigation of his own.  Soon enough (and after some attempts on his life), Joe discovers an organization named the Parallax Corporation that he believes recruits assassins.  Joe decides to infiltrate the company and bring them down.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Parallax View is definitely a product of its time.  Director Pakula lets scenes play out.  I enjoyed the long, shots and pace, which may be too slow for many of today’s audience members.  Pakula is joined by a cast of powerhouse actors: Beatty, Prentis, Daniels, Cronyn and McKinney.

I would have liked The Parallax View better if I cared more about Joe Frady.  When his ex-girlfriend comes to him scared out of her mind and convinced she is the next target of professional assassins, Joe displays little sympathy.  Then she turns up dead and Joe’s biggest concern is to take up her story.

Joe’s plan to infiltrate a corporation of professional assassins is pretty weak.  The fact that they’ve successfully completed hits on Presidential candidates and those who know too much doesn’t factor into Joe’s thinking.  I had problems with Joe’s actions when he discovers a bomb is on his flight.  Joe also under-reacts when the “corporation” discovers he’s been lying to them.  There are other things I could nit pick, but the truth of the matter is that the direction by Alan J. Pakula is entertaining enough that I went with the flow,

The Parallax View earns 3 of 5 stars.

“The Last Deal” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster is okay, but the trailer has me interested in seeing The Last Deal.

A black market marijuana dealer tries to make one final score before getting squeezed out of the business when cannabis becomes legal.

#TheLastDeal – In select theaters February 7th. Starring Anthony Molinari, Sala Baker, Mister Fitzgerald, Jeffri Lauren, Mike Ferguson, Audra Van Hees, Connor Floyd, Kenny Johnston, Orion McCabe, Gigi Gustin, April Lang, Tim Willis, Linda Burzynski, Jamil Zraikat

A CALCULATED MAN by Paul Tobin & Alberto Alburquerque is coming!

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The graphic novel, A Calculated Man by writer, Paul Tobin and artist, Alberto Alburquerque is coming!

A verifiable math genius, Jack Beans used to run the numbers for the Pinafore crime family, until one day he ran them too well and concluded that the only way out of this life was in a casket or Witness Protection. So, he turned state’s evidence and ran.

Now, the Pinafores are out to end their favorite accountant. Little do they know that Jack’s skills with math and his perfect memory have made him a better killer than they ever could have realized. What follows is a journey full of murder, mayhem and mathematics.

Writer Paul Tobin (BUNNY MASK, MY DATE WITH MONSTERS) and artist Alberto Alburquerque (The Amazing Spider-Man, Savage Sword) unleash a master of math on a mission to eliminate a criminal empire for good.

A Calculated Man drops February 14, 2023.  Just in time for Valentine’s Day.  If this sounds like something you’d like  pre-orders are available now.

NIGHT FEVER by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips is Coming!

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Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have announced their next graphic novel, Night Fever.  Here’s the lowdown…

Who are you, really? Are you the things you do, or are you the person inside your mind?

In Europe on a business trip, Jonathan Webb can’t sleep. Instead, he finds himself wandering the night in a strange foreign city, with his new friend, the mysterious and violent Rainer as his guide. Rainer shows Jonathan the hidden world of the night, a world without rules or limits. But when the fun turns dangerous, Jonathan may find himself trapped in the dark… And the question is, what will he do to get home?

Night Fever is a pulse-pounding noir thriller from grand masters Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. A Jekyll-and-Hyde story of a man facing the darkness inside himself, this riveting tour of the night is a must-have for all Brubaker and Phillips readers!

Night Fever drops June 20, 2023.  Pre-orders are available now.  Deal me in!

“El Vampiro Negro” (1953) / Z-View

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El Vampiro Negro (1953)

Director:  Román Viñoly Barreto

Screenplay:  Alberto Etchebehere, Román Viñoly Barreto based on the screenplay M by Fritz Lang & Thea von Harbou

Stars:  Olga Zubarry, Roberto Escalada and Nathán Pinzón.

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

A serial killer that the press labeled El Vampiro Negro (The Black Vampire) continues his killing spree of little girls.  Late one evening Amalia (Zubarry), a singer in a less than reputable nightclub, accidentally spies the killer dumping a child’s body in a sewer drain.  Amalia is frightened and afraid to go to the police.  When detectives ask questions of the nightclub’s employees, Amalia lies and says she didn’t see anything.

El Vampiro Negro continues to murder little girls. When police find their bodies, there is no evidence left behind. The killer is both smart and lucky.  As a patron of the nightclub where Amalia sings, the killer comes into contact with Amalia’s young daughter.  She will be his next victim…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

El Vampiro Negro is a re-tooling of Fritz Lang’s M.  Although the title might make you think El Vampiro Negro is a silly horror film, it is far from being silly.  I’m surprised that El Vampiro Negro isn’t better known since it is well written and beautifully directed.  The black and white cinematography by Aníbal González Paz is mesmerizing.  The camera loves Olga Zubarry and she’s excellent in her role.  Peter Lore became an international star after his performance as the killer in M.  Unfortunately Nathán Pinzón didn’t receive the fame, but his performance is just as powerful.

El Vampiro Negro earns 5 of 5 stars.

HELL OF A MESS by Nick Kolakowski / Z-View

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Hell of a Mess by Nick Kolakowski

Trade Paperback: ‎ 234 pages
Publisher: ‎ Shotgun Honey Books (August 25, 2022)

First sentence…

It was the worst possible timing – or maybe the best.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Fiona and Bill are back.

As a major hurricane bears down on New York, Fiona is on a mission to pull off a heist from a bad guy’s luxury penthouse.  She has a plan to get past the security team, grab the item and be gone before they know it’s missing.  What Fiona didn’t count on was what she found in the master bedroom.  Now she’s on the run with redacted due to spoiler.

Bill is riding out the storm in a “borrowed” penthouse.  The place is well-stocked and the owner left for safer regions well before the hurricane was scheduled to hit.  Bill plans to eat and drink, as he waits for Fiona to return.  Suddenly a group of dirty cops bust into the penthouse. They’re looking for redacted due to spoiler  but find Bill instead!  The cops are desperate.  Bill realizes they’ll kill him unless he can convince them he knows of money ripe for the taking.  Bill’s a good con man, but how long can he con these hardcore cops?

Fiona is on the run, slowed down by redacted due to spoiler.  Bill’s a prisoner of rouge cops driving to the promised “treasure”.  The weather’s getting worse.  What else could go wrong?  How about a hitman that Bill and Fiona had left for dead, ain’t.  And he’s back.  Yeah, it’s a hell of a mess and things are about to get worse.

Hell of a Mess rates 4 of 5 stars.  It’s a rollercoaster ride from start to finish.  I hope we’ll see a Love & Bullets Hookup Book 5.

Hell of a Mess Trade Paperback
Hell of a Mess Kindle

Rating:

“John Wick: Chapter 4” – The Trailer is Here!

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Wow!  We’ve seen the poster before, but the trailer for John Wick: Chapter 4 is fire and worth the wait.  I love it! (And yes, it will get me back in a theater.)

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.

Only in theaters & IMAX March 24. Starring Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick, Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins, and Ian McShane.