Category: Crime

“The Tetris Murders” – The Trailer is Here!

Posted on by

The Tetris Murders looks good.  I may have to check this one out.

The Tetris Murders, is a three-part documentary series, premiering on Monday, December 5 at 9/8c on ID and also available to stream the same day on discovery+.

In the late ‘80s and ‘90s, the puzzle-based video game TETRIS exploded across America and eventually took the rest of the world by storm. To this day, the iconic game’s popularity endures, with people of all ages and backgrounds playing it on their phones or devices. However, unknown to many, one of the minds behind the widely popular global sensation met a very tragic, complex, and deadly end. On September 22, 1998, Vladimir Pokhilko, who was involved with the development of TETRIS, was found dead alongside his wife and their young son in their Palo Alto, California, home. Now, more than two decades later, the Palo Alto Police Department homicide investigators who were first on the scene revisit the haunting crime. Over the course of this gripping three-part docuseries, the investigators unearth new theories and evidence, further unraveling the mystery of this crime. What was once thought to be a murder-suicide in 1998 is now revealed to be something much more sinister. As the investigators revisit the evidence, dark connections to Russia surface.

“Mindcage” starring Martin Lawrence, John Malkovich & Melissa Roxburgh – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

Posted on by

I like the poster and dig the trailer for Mindcage starring Martin Lawrence, John Malkovich and Melissa Roxburgh.  It took me a second to accept Lawrence in a serious role, but this could work.  What do you think?

In this spellbinding thriller, detectives Jake Doyle (Martin Lawrence) and Mary Kelly (Melissa Roxburgh) seek the help of an incarcerated serial killer named The Artist (John Malkovich) when a copycat killer strikes. While Mary searches for clues in The Artist’s brilliant but twisted psyche, she and Jake are lured into a diabolical game of cat and mouse, racing against time to stay one step ahead of The Artist and his copycat.

Starring Martin Lawrence, Melissa Roxburgh, John Malkovich, Robert Knepper, Jacob Grodnik, and Aiden Turner.

“Angel’s in Disguise” (1949) starring The Bowery Boys / Z-View

Posted on by

Angel’s in Disguise (1949)

Director:  Jean Yarbrough

Screenplay:  Charles R. Marion, Gerald Schnitzer, Bert Lawrence (additional dialogue)

Stars:  Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Gabriel Dell, Mickey Knox, Richard Benedict, William ‘Billy’ Benedict, Joe Turkel, David Gorcey, Benny Bartlett, Bernard Gorcey,  Ray Walker andRory Mallinson.

Tagline:  It’s their Funniest Fightin-est Film!

The Plot…

When Slip (Gorcey) and Satch (Huntz) learn that their buddy Gabe, a police officer, was shot, they head to the hospital.  They learn that Gabe will survive, but his partner, who was also shot, has died.  Gabe explains that members of the notorious Loop gang were the killers.  Slip and Satch decide to pose as gangsters to infiltrate the Loop gang and bring them down.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Bowery Boys work best when the drama is kept to a minimum.  Although there is a scene where Leo Gorcey lays it on thick and brings tears to his eyes, Angels in Disguise turns out to be one of the Bowery Boys’ better outings.  Gorcey provides a voice-over and the film has scenes shot like detective/noir films of the era.  The humor is still there and works well with this dynamic.  The best scene is the introduction of Slip’s gang.

Angels in Disguise earns 3 of 5 stars.

“The Man Who Cheated Himself” (1950) Starring Lee J. Cobb, Jane Wyatt & John Dall / Z-View

Posted on by

The Man Who Cheated Himself (1950)

Director:  Felix E. Feist

Screenplay:  Seton I. Miller, Philip MacDonald

Stars: Lee J. Cobb, Jane Wyatt, John Dall, Lisa Howard, Tito Vuolo, Marjorie Bennett, Alan Wells, Morgan Farley, and Howard Negley.

Tagline:  For a woman like this … a man would do anything … even murder.

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Andy Cullen (Dall) newly promoted to Detective is assigned to partner with his brother, Lt. Ed Cullen (Cobb).  Andy is a hot shot looking to prove himself.  Their first case involves the murder of Howard Frazer, found shot dead at the airport.  An older couple witnessed a man driving away from the body.

Ed says the case looks like a robbery gone wrong, but Andy’s not ready to jump to that conclusion.  A few things don’t feel right.  After Ed and Andy talk to the dead man’s wife, Lois (Wyatt), Andy is even more sure something’s not on the level.  What Andy doesn’t know is that Lois killed her husband and Ed moved the body from her house to the airport.  Ed’s in an affair with Lois and thought he could cover up the crime.  But with Andy on the case and digging deeper…

Lee J. Cobb’s Ed Cullen is a cynical cop who knows his affair won’t turn into anything more.  Yet, he feels compelled to help his lover cover up the murder.  The screenwriters do an excellent job of making it look like things can be explained in a way that gets the case moving away from Lois, but then Andy finds another clue that takes it closer.  Kudos to screenwriters Seton I. Miller and Philip MacDonald, as well as director Felix E. Feist for creating a scene where a book’s binding creates tension and suspense.  The final scene with Lois talking to her attorney and then getting a light from Cullen is worth the price of admission.

The Man Who Cheated Himself earns 4 of 5 stars.

“D.O.A.” (2022) – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

Posted on by

I like both the poster and the trailer for D.O.A..  I’m a fan of the genre, the original 1950 film and most likely this 2022 reboot.

Frank Bigelow is a private detective hired to follow the husband of a St. Augustine socialite. It’s a routine assignment until he discovers that he’s been secretly poisoned and has only days to live. With the clock ticking, Bigelow descends into a world of crooks and double-dealers, treacherous women and violent men, slashing through a tangle of conspiracies to figure out who “killed” him and why. Along the way, he must also confront the toxic effects of his own isolation. Can he solve the mystery, exact his revenge, and save his own soul before time runs out?

Houndstooth Films presents D.O.A.
Directed by Kurt St. Thomas
Written by Nicholas Griffin
Story by Kurt St. Thomas & Nicholas Griffin
Based on the story by Russell Rouse & Clarence Greene.

The script for D.O.A. was written by Nicholas Griffin (Matchstick Men, FX’s Terriers). While the story shares a title and premise with the original 1950 movie starring Edmond O’Brien, most of the plot elements are original.

Produced by Kurt St. Thomas, Emma Keating & Nicholas Griffin.
Director of Photography: Peter Berglund
Original Music: Jaimee Jimin Park
Edited by Kurt St. Thomas, Emma Keating & Keaton Bicknell
Production Design by Bonnie Druckenmiller
Casting Director: Lorraine Berglund.
Starring
John Doe (Frank Bigelow)
Paola Duque (Rita)
Matt Pinfield (Det. Parker)
Lucinda Jenney (Grace)
Anne Gaybis (Mrs. Phillips)
Jake La Botz (Chester)
Tony V (Whitey)
Pam Rickard (Kitty)
and John Byner (Arthur Majak).

B&W. Running time: approx. 83 minutes. 2022.

“The Patient” starring Steve Carell and Domhnall Gleeson / Z-View

Posted on by

The Patient (2o22)

Directors:  Chris Long (episodes 1,2, 8-10); Kevin Bray (episodes 3-5); Gwyneth Horder-Payton (episodes 6,7)

Teleplay:  Joel Fields & Joe Weisberg

Stars:  Steve Carell, Domhnall Gleeson, Laura Niemi and David Alan Grier.

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

Dr. Alan Strauss (Carroll) is a psychotherapist who one morning wakes up in the basement of a strange house.  A chain is padlocked to his leg and a bolt in the cement floor.  Dr. Strauss soon learns that his captor is Sam Fortner (Gleeson).  Fortner is a serial killer who believes that Dr. Strauss can cure him of the compulsion to kill.

Thoughts (Beware of spoilers)…

What a great setup for a limited series.  If Strauss cures Fortner, Strauss is a liability because of his knowledge of the murders.  If Strauss can’t cure Fortner, there’s no reason to keep him alive.  It’s a game of cat and mouse and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

I was a little hesitant that Steve Carroll was the dramatic lead because of his role as Michael Scott from The Office.  I shouldn’t have worried.  Carroll was excellent, as is Laura Niemi who plays Sam’s mother.  She’s aware that her son is a serial killer, but cannot bring herself to turn him in.  David Alan Grier (another comedian) shows his dramatic chops.

The real surprise to me was Domhnall Gleeson.  What a performance!  Definitely worthy of an Emmy.  While I had seen Gleeson in a few films (True Grit, Dredd and The Revenant), I had no idea of how good an actor he is.

I liked that The Patient was written as series of ten episodes.  Because it was a limited series all bets were off as to who would live or die.  Expect some surprises along the way.

The Patient earns 5 of 5 stars.

“Poker Face” – The Trailer is Here!

Posted on by

Poker Face is a 10-episode “mystery-of-the-week” series following Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie, who has an extraordinary ability to determine when someone is lying. She hits the road with her Plymouth Barracuda and with every stop encounters a new cast of characters and strange crimes she can’t help but solve.

Deal me in.  Check out the trailer below and let me know if we need to save you a seat!

“Invisible Ghost” (1941) Starring Bela Lugosi / Z-View

Posted on by

Invisible Ghost (1941)

Director:  Joseph H. Lewis

Screenplay:  Al Martin, Helen Martin

Stars:  Bela Lugosi, Polly Ann Young, John McGuire and Clarence Muse, Laurence Criner and Emil Van Horn

Tagline:  THE PHANTOM KILLER STRIKES! Only a terrified woman knows the secret of this ghostly murderer…who strikes in the night and leaves no clues—but his victims!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Dr. Charles Kessler (Lugosi) hasn’t been the same since his wife left him several years ago.  Kessler hasn’t seen or heard from her since.  His grown daughter, Virginia (Young) and Evans (Muse) their butler accommodate Dr. Kessler’s  eccentricities.  When one of the Kessler’s servants is killed, Virginia’s fiancée Ralph Dickson (McGuire) is arrested, tried, sentenced to death and executed in the electric chair!

Soon Ralph’s twin brother, Paul shows up.  He doesn’t believe that Ralph could have committed the murder… but if  Ralph didn’t, who did?  As Paul, Dr. Kessler and Virginia follow the clues, they get closer to the unbelievable truth that could get them all killed!

Surprisingly, Invisible Ghost features no one that’s invisible and not a single ghost.  Perhaps the title is evidence to how much thought was put into the story.  Bela Lugosi deserved better… and so did poor Ralph.

Invisible Ghost earns 2 of 5 stars.

“The Outfit” (2022) Starring Mark Rylance, Zoey Deutch, Dylan O’Brien & Johnny Flynn / Z-View

Posted on by

The Outfit (2022)

Director:  Graham Moore

Screenplay:  Graham Moore, Johnathan McClain

Stars:  Mark Rylance, Zoey Deutch, Dylan O’Brien, Johnny Flynn, Simon Russell Beale, Alan Mehdizadeh, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Chiedu Agborh and Michael Addo. 

Tagline: Every Suspect Fits a Pattern

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

1956.  Chicago.  Leonard Burling (Rylance) is a gentleman cutter.  Some might call Burling a tailor, but they wouldn’t understand his craftmanship or the pride he takes in his work.  Burling’s shop is frequented by men who want tailored suits so they look their best.  What those customers don’t know is that in the back room is a drop box used by the Roy Boyle (Beale) gang to pass along dirty money and messages.

Burling keeps his nose out of who uses the drop box and what may go into it.  He just wants to make the finest suits possible.  All of that changes when Richie (O’Brien), Roy Boyle’s son and Francis (Flynn), Richie’s bodyguard, show up unexpectedly at the shop one evening.  Richie has a brief case and a bullet wound.  He was shot in a confrontation with members of the LaFontaine family. The brief case contains a tape recording that could bring down the Doyle family.

Richie is bleeding out.  Cops are everywhere.  The LaFontaines are still looking for them.  Richie will die unless something is done… and that tape needs to be hidden.  Burling is put in a position where helping or not helping could get him killed.  Richie’s dad and backup is on the way… but so are the cops and the LaFontaine gang.

The Outfit is easily one of the best films of the year.  Screenwriters Graham Moore and Johnathan McClain have crafted a story where every scene intensifies the action and takes the characters in a different direction with the same destination — people are going to die.   First time director (and co-screenwriter) Graham Moore has faith in the story and actors to let scenes go on without quick cuts.  Every actor does an outstanding job and rises to the level of the material given.

I cannot give The Outfit or the folks behind it enough praise.  I was surprised at the revelations that just kept coming and the twists that kept ratcheting up the stakes.  The Outfit is a movie I look forward to sharing and watching again.

The Outfit earns 5 of 5 stars.

“Tulsa King” Starring Sylvester Stallone – Two New Posters and a New Trailer are Here!

Posted on by

Here are two new posters and a new trailer for Tulsa King starring Sylvester Stallone.  Deal me in!

TULSA KING follows New York mafia capo Dwight “The General” Manfredi (Sylvester Stallone), just after he is released from prison after 25 years and unceremoniously exiled by his boss to set up shop in Tulsa, Okla. Realizing that his mob family may not have his best interests in mind, Dwight slowly builds a “crew” from a group of unlikely characters, to help him establish a new criminal empire in a place that to him might as well be another planet. The series also stars Andrea Savage (“I’m Sorry”), Martin Starr (“Silicon Valley”), Max Casella (“The Tender Bar”), Domenick Lombardozzi (“The Irishman”), Vincent Piazza (“Boardwalk Empire”), Jay Will (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), A.C. Peterson (“Superman & Lois”) with Garrett Hedlund (“The United States vs. Billie Holiday”).

The series will be executive-produced by Sheridan, Winter, Stallone, David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, David Hutkin and Allen Coulter. Braden Aftergood is also set to executive-produce.

Stream the new series on November 13, exclusively on Paramount+.