Category: Books

“300” (2006) /Z-View

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300 (2006)

Director: Zack Snyder

Screenplay: Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad, Michael B. Gordon based on 300 by Frank Miller, Lynn Varley

Stars: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham, Dominic West, Vincent Regan, Michael Fassbender, Andrew Pleavin, Rodrigo Santoro  and Eli Snyder.

Tagline:  Spartans, tonight, we dine in hell!

The Plot…

Based on Frank Miller’s classic graphic novel, 300 tells the story of King Leonidas (Butler) who led an army of 300 Spartans against a Persian force of over 100,000.  Persian King Xerxes (Santoro) planned to rule the world. His army was decimating every country in his path.  King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans would meet the Persians in the mountain pass of Thermopylae known as “the Gates of Hell”.  There they would make their stand.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

There has never been a movie adaptation that follows the source material as well as 300.  Zack Snyder’s respect for Frank Miller’s graphic novel is evident in every scene.  That’s not to say that Snyder didn’t have an impact on what we see.  Using Miller’s panels as storyboards, Snyder has created a stylized film that is  a thing of beauty.

300 (2006) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Rebel Moon” Behind the Scenes Video & Poster!!

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How about some behind the scenes footage from Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon?  I’ll be honest, initially I wanted more Army of the Dead.  I still do, but the more I hear and see of Rebel Moon, the more excited I am for it.  I love the cast which includes Sofia Boutella, Charlie Hunnam, Anthony Hopkins, Cary Elwes and Djimon Hounsou.  I’m fully on board for Rebel Moon.  Deal me in!

Only on Netflix December 22.

From Zack Snyder, the filmmaker behind 300, Man of Steel, and Army of the Dead, comes REBEL MOON, an epic science-fantasy event decades in the making.

When a peaceful colony on the edge of a galaxy finds itself threatened by the armies of a tyrannical ruling force, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a mysterious stranger living among the villagers, becomes their best hope for survival. Tasked with finding trained fighters who will unite with her in making an impossible stand against the Mother World, Kora assembles a small band of warriors — outsiders, insurgents, peasants and orphans of war from different worlds who share a common need for redemption and revenge. As the shadow of an entire Realm bears down on the unlikeliest of moons, a battle over the fate of a galaxy is waged, and in the process, a new army of heroes is formed.

“Dark Winds” – The Season 2 Trailer is Here!

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I was a fan of the first season of Dark Winds.  From the looks of the trailer, season 2 will be even better.  Deal me in.

For Lieutenant Leaphorn, this is about more than just uncovering the truth. This is personal.

Follows Leephorn and Chee, two Navajo police officers in the 1970s Southwest that are forced to challenge their own spiritual beliefs when they search for clues in a double murder case.

Starring: Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, Jessica Matten, Noah Emmerich

Dark Winds Season 2 Premieres July 30 | AMC+

WHERE THE BODY WAS by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips!

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Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have announced WHERE THE BODY WAS, a new original graphic novel that drops December 12, 2023.  Here’s the lowdown…

A boarding house full of druggies. A neglected housewife. A young girl who thinks she’s a superhero. A cop who wants to be left alone. And a Private Detective looking for a runaway girl. These stories collide one fateful summer in WHERE THE BODY WAS, a tale of love and murder in the suburbs, told from a dozen different points of view. All the neighbors on the block have an opinion about the murder and how it happened, but which of them is telling the truth?

WHERE THE BODY WAS is a tour-de-force from grandmasters Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Starting with a map of the crime scene, this murder mystery follows the ripples of this killing as they echo through decades of love and loss and passion and violence. Like a true crime podcast crossed with a long-lost diary, WHERE THE BODY WAS is unlike anything Brubaker and Phillips have ever done, and a must-have for all their avid fans!

WHERE THE BODY WAS is available for pre-orders now.

LUSH AND OTHER TALES OF BOOZY MAYEHM by Duane Swierczynski!

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Lush and other tales of Boozy Mayhem by Duane Swierczynski just came out.  It’s Swierczynski’s first book of short stories.  Here’s the lowdown…

Cimarron Street Books is pleased to bring you the first collection of short stories from Duane Swierczynski!

If you’re in the mood for mayhem, you’ve come to the right place, pal. Cozy up to the bar and let Duane Swierczynski spin you a yarn. I’ll warn ya, though; these eighteen tales aren’t for the faint of heart. You’ll find crime, science fiction and plenty of horror in these pages . . . and rest assured, he isn’t afraid to serve up the hard stuff.

As Duane notes in his introduction: “Stories have always been an escape for me, just like a couple of stiff drinks at the end of the day. Both are methods of altering your personal reality, even just for a little while.” We invite you to escape into Duane’s wild world of high-octane (and high-proof) short fiction, where you’ll experience . . .

A journalist landing an interview with Philadelphia’s last hardboiled P.I., the hunt for a pulp writer’s lost manuscript, the downside of finding out that death isn’t the end, the dangers of ignoring a Polish death curse, a new twist on serving time for crimes committed, a cross-country trek under the watchful eye of a killer, a particularly dangerous film print, lawbreakers in a future where technology has tamed the L.A. freeway system, and a whole lot more . . .

Gird your brain and your liver . . . it’s time for Lush and Other Tales of Boozy Mayhem.

If this sounds like something you’d like, you know what to do.

JOHN TIFFANY by Stephen Desberg and Dan Panosian!

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On July 19th, John Tiffany Vol. 1 by writer, Stephen Desberg and artist, Dan Panosian becomes available.  Here’s the lowdown…

John Tiffany Vol. 1 collects and updates this raucous action-adventure. Filled with car chases, intrigue, and beautiful women, John Tiffany is exactly the sort of gut punch that fans of international spy stories love.

John Tiffany is one of the best bounty hunters in the world. Given his precarious line of work, he has found that he can only truly trust four people: Pastor Lovejoy, an unorthodox priest; Wan Chao, an underworld geek; Dorothy, his conservative teammate; and Magdalena, a sex worker he has foolishly fallen in love with. But it seems that one of them has turned against him and now he’s the one with a bounty on his head. It’s a race against time as he tries to survive being a high-priced target and find out which of his confidantes is the traitor.

If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, you know what to do.

“Killers of the Flower Moon” directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro – The Trailer is here!

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The trailer for Killers of the Flower Moon co-written and directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro is here!

Killers of the Flower Moon. In theaters October 6.

Based on David Grann’s broadly lauded best-selling book, Killers of the Flower Moon is set in 1920s Oklahoma and depicts the serial murder of members of the oil-wealthy Osage Nation, a string of brutal crimes that came to be known as the Reign of Terror.

Directed by Martin Scorsese and Screenplay by Eric Roth and Scorsese, the film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, and Jillian Dion.

Hailing from Apple Studios, Killers of the Flower Moon was produced alongside Imperative Entertainment, Sikelia Productions and Appian Way. Producers are Scorsese, Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas and Daniel Lupi, with DiCaprio, Rick Yorn, Adam Somner, Marianne Bower, Lisa Frechette, John Atwood, Shea Kammer and Niels Juul serving as executive producers.

RIP: Doyle Brunson

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Doyle Brunson, known as the Godfather of Poker died yesterday at the age of 89.

Mr. Brunson played professional poker for over 50 years.  He is in the Poker Hall of Fame after a career that included him being the first person to win $1 million in poker tournaments, back-to-back World Series of Poker tournament championships (1976 & 1977) and ten World Series of Poker tournament lifetime wins.  Doyle Brunson wrote two books on how to win at poker, Super/System and SuperSystem2.  These books are considered required reading for anyone who plays poker for money.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Doyle Brunson’s family, friends and fans.

“God is a Bullet” starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Maika Monroe and Jamie Foxx – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Here’s the poster and trailer for God is a Bullet starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Maika Monroe and Jamie Foxx.  The poster looks old-school and the trailer does it’s job.  Not only do I want to see the movie, I’ve put the book on my list for future purchase.

Inspired by true events and based on the best-selling novel GOD IS A BULLET written by Boston Teran, the film follows detective Bob Hightower (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), who finds his ex-wife murdered and his daughter kidnapped by an insidious cult. Bob takes matters into his own hands and infiltrates the secretive cult to try to save his daughter. With the help of the cult’s only female victim escapee, Case Hardin (Maika Monroe), Bob and Case go down the rabbit hole with The Ferryman (Jamie Foxx) to save his daughter and find closure for Case from the cult – and its maniacal leader (Glusman) – that took so much away from her.

RELEASE DATE: July 11, 2023

CAST: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Maika Monroe, Jamie Foxx

Jason Copland’s FULL TILT is Live on ZOOP!

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Jason Copland’s FULL TILT is finally ready for pre-orders on ZOOP!  My order is in. Here’s a preview…

After five years of hard work, passion and sacrifice, the epic indie crime-scifi-noir comic by Jason Copland is FINALLY being collected here for the first time!

FULL TILT is a perfect book for those that love gritty noir tales, dystopian future realities and kinetic black and white art. Think Sin City meets The Godfather in the setting of Blade Runner.

This soon-to-be modern day classic is presented in a slick 320-page oversized 7.8″ x 12″ hardcover.

Here’s the synopsis…

New Manhattan, once the gleaming, state-of-the-art city of the 23rd-century, is now in the throes of social and moral decay. Its despondent citizens lose themselves in narcotics and hi-tech toys. Corrupt law enforcement agencies terrorize the populace. Bloodthirsty fans cheer as indentured gladiators fight deathmatches to gain their freedom. It’s the end of civilization… and the five crime families control it all.

Massimo Miller, the fiercely loyal consigliere of the Chessa family, narrowly survives an attack that wipes out all five of New Manhattan’s crime-syndicate bosses. As the massacre’s lone survivor, the new bosses accuse him of the assassinations and gather their armies to hunt him down.

Injured and alone, Miller must battle his way homeward through enemy territory to discover the party responsible for the death of his mentor… and make them pay.

The choice between love and loyalty brought Massimo Miller to this moment. To make it right, he’ll have to go FULL TILT.

THE WIND BEGAN TO HOWL by Laird Barron is Coming!

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Regular readers have heard me sing the praises of Laird Barron’s Isaiah Coleridge tales.  Barron has a new one coming soon.  THE WIND BEGAN TO HOWL premieres on Kindle on May 16th and paperback on June 16th.  My preorder is in.  Here’s the synopsis…

Laird Barron’s acclaimed crime saga makes a triumphant return in THE WIND BEGAN TO HOWL, an all-new story set after the events of Worse Angels. A seemingly benign case gradually pulls mob enforcer-turned-P.I. Isaiah Coleridge into a chilling mix of music, movie magic, mayhem, and madness.

This time, Coleridge’s dark journey forces him to confront a brutal truth: For some who try to escape the past, there is no way out.

“Hardboiled and trippy at the same time, THE WIND BEGAN TO HOWL by Laird Barron is a twisted ride through the darker recesses of the mind complete with conspiracy theories, ex-government operatives, movie madness, and possibly a portal into another dimension. Read at your own risk.” – Alma Katsu, author of THE FERVOR

“Isaiah Coleridge hits back hard in this bare-knuckle novella that’s equal parts Hollyweird fiction and conspiracy-laden Catskills noir.” – Clay McLeod Chapman, author of GHOST EATERS

FIXIT by Joe Ide is Coming!

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If you’re a fan of Joe Ide’s IQ novels, you probably know that there’s a new one dropping on May 9th.  Here’s the lowdown…

In the latest installment in Joe Ide’s “superb” series (Washington Post), the relentless, hard-bitten PI, Isaiah Quintabe, is faced with a nightmarish scenario when the love of his life is kidnapped by a maniacal hitman who bears a grudge against him.

Danger has always followed IQ, a reality he’s keenly aware of as he’s laid up in a hospital bed, recovering from injuries sustained in his last case. Isaiah cannot help himself from being the hero, and any misery he’s suffered as a result—wounds from a knife fight, gnawing paranoia—he’s suffered alone. Yet as IQ recovers, five hundred miles from East Long Beach, he’s unaware that Grace has been abducted by his sworn enemy, the professional hitman Skip Hanson. Skip is savage and psychotic, determined to punish Isaiah for sending him to prison and destroying his life. Now, Isaiah and his sometimes partner, ex-hustler Juanell Dodson, must track scant clues through L.A.’s perilous landscape as Grace’s predicament grows more uncertain.

A complication arises in the form of Winnie Hando, a homicide detective with something to prove. Stubborn and effective, Winnie sees Isaiah’s efforts as an obstruction to the investigation and a possible embarrassment: an unlicensed PI can’t be seen doing the department’s job better than the department. Winnie tries to stop Isaiah while pursuing the case herself, their struggles clashing and slowing their progress. As the desperate hunt winds on, Isaiah fears that even if he can bring Grace home alive, things between them will never be the same. This latest series installment is an explosive collision of drug dealers, thieves, maniacs, shotguns, vicious dogs, stampeding horses, and Ide’s signature energy, grit, and profundity.

Rambo by Tim Shinn!

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Tim Shinn is a freelance artist. He’s known for his storyboarding, advertising and comic work. Tim’s done art for Hasbro, Disney, Dark Horse and Fun Publications. Tim takes commissions and regularly posts art for sale. When I saw this sketch of Sly Stallone as Rambo,  I didn’t hesitate. Hopefully there will be more Tim Shinn art in my future.  You can see more of Tim Shinn’s art on his Instagram page and his Twitter feed.

Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe & Archie Goodwin: An Overview by David Bordwell!

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David Bordwell at CrimeReads has written an excellent overview of Rex Stout and his long-running detective/mystery series featuring Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin.

Wolfe was a 285 pound genius who leaves his brownstone home only in the most extreme emergencies.  He “breeds orchids, reads, drinks vast quantities of beer, and dines on meals of rare delicacy.”  To support his life’s luxuries, Wolfe works as a private detective.  Since he detests venturing away from his sanctum, Archie Goodwin serves as Wolfe’s assistant. “Slender and strong, reasonably handsome, Archie is attractive to and attracted by women of many ages… Archie fetches clients, witnesses, and suspects to meetings.”

I am a, pardon the pun, huge fan of Nero Wolfe mysteries. If you are as well, check out David Bordwell’s “HOLMES AND WATSON IN MANHATTAN”: MUSINGS ON THE CREATION OF NERO WOLFE AND ARCHIE GOODWIN.  If you’re not a fan, give the piece a look as well.  You might become one.