Category: Books

“Night of the Hunter” (1955) directed by Charles Laughton; starring Robert Mitchum, Lillian Gish, Shelley Winters, Billy Chapin and Sally Jane Bruce / Z-View

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                                  Night of the Hunter alt poster by Laurent Carbonelle

Night of the Hunter (1955)

Director:  Charles Laughton

Screenplay: James Agee; based on THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER by Davis Grubb

Stars: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, James Gleason, Evelyn Varden, Don Beddoe, Billy Chapin, Sally Jane Bruce, Gloria Castillo, Corey Allen, Paul Bryar and Peter Graves.

Tagline: The scenes…the story…The stars BUT ABOVE ALL – THE SUSPENSE!

The Plot…

The Great Depression has a stranglehold on the country.

Harry Powell is the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing.  Powell claims to be a traveling preacher.  In truth Powell is a psychotic serial killer.

Powell’s hatred for women consumes him.  He says to himself, “There are things you do hate, Lord. Perfume-smellin’ things, lacy things, things with curly hair…There’s too many of them. I can’t kill the world.”  Powell travels the countryside taking advantage of the weak.  He steals and kills without regret.  Then moves on to find the next victim.

Powell is caught in a stolen car.  Sent to prison, he is celled with Ben Harper.  Harper and a friend, unable to find jobs become desperate enough to rob a bank.  Two men and Harper’s friend were killed in the theft.  Harper made it home to hid the bank’s $10,000.  As the police came to arrest him, he told his two small children where the money was hidden, and made them swear to never tell.

Harry Powell learns of the $10,000 robbery and attempts to get Harper to tell where he hid the loot.  Harper takes the secret to his grave when he is hanged for his crimes.  When Powell is released from prison he decides to call on Harper’s widow.

Powell plans to woo and wed widow Harper.  Once he finds the hidden cash, he’ll kill the woman and her little children too.

“It’s a hard world for little things.”

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Night of the Hunter is based on Davis Grubb’s novel THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER.

Night of the Hunter is sadly the only film ever directed by Charles Laughton.

When Mitchum’s character is seen in silhouette in the distance riding a horse, it is actually a dwarf on a pony.  The scene was filmed in forced perspective.

Robert Mitchum said that Charles Laughton was his favorite director and Night of the Hunter was the favorite film that he starred in.

The Harry Powell character was based on a real serial killer named Harry Powers.  Powers found his victims through “lonely hearts” advertisements.  Powers killed women and their children then stole their money and valuables.  When Powers was caught, police found many letters from women wanting to meet him.  Powers was convicted and hung for his crimes.

There’s a shot of Winters that is haunting.  It will stay with you forever.

Stephen King has called Night of the Hunter the scariest film of all time.

Night of the Hunter is a classic.  Everyone should watch it at least once.

Night of the Hunter (1955) rates 5 of 5 stars

THE BOUNCER by David Gordon / Z-View

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THE BOUNCER by David Gordon

First sentence…

When the drunken football player went berserk and tried to steal a stripper, everyone yelled to get the bouncer.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Joe Brody was expelled from Harvard.  So he joined the military.  Joe was calm under pressure and had brains.  So it’s not surprising his path led to Special Forces.  Once out of the service, Joe got into contact with his childhood friend, Gio Caprisi.  Caprisi gave Joe a job bouncing at one of his strip joints.

On the surface, Caprisi is a family man who runs a few clubs.  Dig deep enough and you’ll find Caprisi is the crime boss of one of the New York families.  Dig deeper and you’ll find Caprisi has even darker secrets.

When the FBI raids one of Caprisi’s strip clubs, Joe is brought in for questioning.  Joe’s arresting officer is Agent Donna Zamora.  No denying there’s chemistry between the two.  Joe is released in short order.  Still the club is going to be shut down until the feds finish their investigation.

So when Joe is offered good money to drive on an arms deal, he accepts.  Things go sideways almost from the start.  Joe is able to make it out taking a thug named Clarence with him.  Clarence is impressed with Joe’s coolness under pressure.

Clarence offers Joe the opportunity to come in on a job that’s about to kick off.  If Joe joins in, five guys will split a million bucks.  All they have to do is steal a vial… of perfume.  A very special well guarded vial indeed.  Joe decides to join in.  The payoff is worth the risk.

Meanwhile Caprisi is dealing with the feds and problems with other crime families.  Thinking he’s a step or two ahead Caprisi makes a secret deal.

+++

THE BOUNCER is the first in the series.  I enjoyed the ride and look forward to more.

Rating:

BURN TO SHINE: A JOE LEDGER AND ROGUE TEAM INTERNATIONAL NOVEL by Jonathan Maberry / Z-View

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BURN TO SHINE by Jonathan Maberry

First sentence…

“You’re going to want to take that call,” I said.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Joe Ledger is an ex-Army Ranger and ex-Baltimore police detective.  Ledger was recruited into the United States’ several-levels-above-top-secret Department of Military Sciences.  This organization dealt with threats to the US,.  Most of their missions involved stopping terrorists using advanced technology to create bio-weapons.  Some of Ledger’s assignments ventured into the realm of the supernatural… and while Ledger might not believe in that “stuff” — his team had to deal with it.  Ultimately because of threats to the world, Rogue Team International was formed.

The man calls himself Mr. October.  He’s been known by other names.  Mr. October is fine… for now.  Mr. October has plans to change the world.  Chaos will reign.

She should be dead. She was dead.  She remembers that much.  Slowly her memory is coming back.  Mr. October calls her Mother Mary.  Mother Mary’s IQ is on a genius level scale that is off the charts.  As intelligent as she is, Mary is just as insane.  She wants to see the world burn.  It has to burn to shine.

Mr. October has the financial resources to get Mary whatever she needs to make a virus strain more potent than ever seen before.  The virus will infect people across the country.  The infected will become “bombs” spreading the plague.   The US… and then the world will fall.

Joe Ledger and his team are sent to Pine Deep.  From past experience Ledger knows to count on strange things.  Groups of heavily armed men, gearing up for battle, usually indicate a militia.  The “soldiers” look like skinheads.  But the mission they’re preparing for is much more sinister.  And even the “soldiers” have no idea how they’re being used.

It’s been said it’s impossible to stop an assassin willing to die.  How do you stop an army of those assassins?

Joe Ledger and his team are going to find out.  Or die trying.

+++

Fans of Jonathan Maberry’s Pine Deep series/characters will get a kick out of their inclusion in BURN TO SHINE.

Jonathan Maberry has another winner!  I love the Joe Ledger tales.

Rating:

“She Rides Shotgun” (2025) starring Taron Egerton & Ana Sophia Heger – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster and trailer are here for She Rides Shotgun starring Taron Egerton and Ana Sophia Heger.  The film is based on Jordan Harper’s novel.  I’ve read the book. It gets my highest recommendation.  I cannot wait for the movie.

Deal me in.

She Rides Shotgun – Watch the trailer now! In Theaters August 1.

Starring Taron Egerton, Ana Sophia Heger, Rob Yang, and John Carroll Lynch.

Where can you run when there’s nowhere to hide? Taron Egerton stars as newly released ex-con Nate in this gritty, explosive action-thriller. Marked for death by unrelenting enemies, Nate must now protect his estranged 11-year-old daughter, Polly (Ana Sophia Heger) at all costs.

Shy, precocious, and wary of her father, Polly is swept up in Nate’s dangerous plight as they flee to evade the corrupt sheriff and brutal leader of a gang who will stop at nothing to protect his criminal interests. With scant resources and no one to trust, Nate and Polly form a bond forged under fire as he shows her how to fight and survive — and she teaches him what unconditional love truly means in this intense, moving story about loyalty, strength, and redemption.

“Get Carter” (2000) directed by Stephen Kay; starring Sylvester Stallone, Rachael Leigh Cook, Miranda Richardson, Alan Cumming, Mickey Rourke & Michael Caine / Z-View

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Get Carter (2000)

Director:  Stephen Kay

Screenplay: David McKenna; based on JACK’S RETURN HOME by Ted Lewis.

Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Rachael Leigh Cook, Miranda Richardson, Rhona Mitra, Johnny Strong, John C. McGinley, Alan Cumming, Gretchen Mol, Tom Sizemore, John Cassini, Mickey Rourke, Mark Boone Junior, Darryl Scheelar, Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe, Tyler Labine, Stephen Kay, Frank Stallone and Michael Caine.

Tagline:  The Truth Hurts

The Plot…

Jack Carter, a Vegas mob enforcer, returns to Seattle for his estranged brother, Ritchie’s funeral.  Ritchie was killed in a car crash after drinking.  Problem is Ritchie never drank.  As Jack digs deeper, he starts to believe Ritchie was murdered.

But why?

Clues point in several directions.  Ritchie’s death could have something to do with the club he managed.  Cliff Bumbry, the owner of the club has his fingers in other pies.  Did Ritchie have dirt on Cliff?

Rumor is Ritchie was having an affair.  Could that have led to Ritchie’s murder?

Some leads point to tech millionaire Jeremy Kinnear.  How were he and Ritchie linked?

Worse still, Cyrus Paice may be involved.  Paice was a rival of Jack’s when Jack was coming up.  There’s still bad blood.

As Jack digs deeper he will discover the truth.

The truth hurts.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Get Carter (2000) is a remake of Get Carter (1971) which starred Michael Caine. Caine co-stars in the remake.  Stallone and Caine also appeared together in Victory (1981).  Caine was originally only supposed to appear in a one scene cameo.  The scene scored so high with test audiences, the film was adjusted to give Caine a bigger role.

When producers were hesitant to hire Mickey Rourke (because of his past behaviors), Stallone guaranteed a portion of his salary, to cover any delays caused by Rourke.  Rourke was on-time and ready every day.

Gretchen Mol plays an important role but is not listed in the film’s credits.

Tom Sizemore’s voice (also uncredited) is heard when Carter talks to his Vegas boss.

Director Stephen Kay appears uncredited as a party guest.  Get Carter features Stephen Kay’s second outing as a feature film director.  Kay would go on to direct multiple highly rated episodes of The Shield; Sons of Anarchy; Yellowstone; Mayor of Kingstown; Lioness and Landman.

Frank Stallone appears uncredited in the funeral scene.

Get Carter (2000) is one of my all-time favorite films.  The movie and especially Stallone’s character resonates with me.  In it you’ll see some of Stallone’s best acting (especially the roof top scene with Rachael Leigh Cook).  The film isn’t perfect or a classic, but it remains one of my go-to movies.  Your mileage may vary (a lot on this one).

Get Carter (2000) rates 5 of 5 stars

PUT YOUR LIFE IN THE POT by James Maxwell

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I love good great crime stories.  I don’t care if they are told in novel, comic, movie or episodic television form.  Just make ’em great.  James Maxwell’s PUT YOUR LIFE IN THE POT just might fit the bill.  Here’s the downlow…

This neo-noir tale renders San Jose, California, as a stage for crime, corruption, and the hope of getting that American dream you’ve always been denied. Recommended for fans of Dennis Lehane, Jim Thompson, and films like Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead.

You wanna go all in with me?

Tristian Sloan is a young man frustrated with his minimum wage job and dead-end life. Why hasn’t he made anything of himself? How come he always gets a raw deal? He just wants a way out. The plan is simple, and nobody’s supposed to get hurt.

Tristian and his so-called friend, Joey Patrone, are a pair of codependent liquor store monkeys who hate each other almost as much as they hate their boss. They work their days away for minimum wage and blow their money on booze and call girls.

Now they’ve had enough. Joey comes up with a plan to get rich quick by ripping off the mob who owns the liquor store. He just needs Tristian’s help to cover his neck. But Tristian doesn’t like how reckless his friend has gotten – the guy’s totally psycho, and no longer cares who gets hurt.

Tristian sabotages Joey’s plan to take the money for himself, but everything spins into bloodshed when the wrong people catch wind of the money. Now, he is caught between a vicious gang, a psychopathic schemer, and his own failures as a man.

PUT YOUR LIFE IN THE POT is sitting with a 4.8 Amazon rating.

Deal me in.

THE LONG LAVENDER LOOK: A TRAVIS MCGEE NOVEL by John D. MacDonald / Z-View

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THE LONG LAVENDER LOOK by John D. MacDonald

First sentences…

Late April.  Ten o’clock at night.  Hustling south on Florida 112 through the eastern section of Cypress County, about twenty miles from the intersection of 112 and the Tamiami Trail.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

At night on a deserted Florida back road after a long day, Travis McGee and his buddy Meyer are making good time. Eighty miles an hour good time.  Suddenly a scantily clad woman runs across the road.  McGee is able to avoid hitting her but his car goes off the road.  It hits hard and begins sinking.

McGee and Meyer are bruised and battered but nothing is broken.  They make it out and to the shore.  Then watch as the car sinks in swamp water.

With no options but to walk to the nearest town, they begin their trek.  There’s little hope of a passing car so late at night on a deserted road.  McGee and Meyer are happy to see a truck with a burly driver approaching.  They feel their luck has turned.

Then the driver starts shooting at them.

+++

THE LONG LAVENDER LOOK features Travis McGee at his best.  (John D. MacDonald too.)

Rating:

“Carlito’s Way” (1993) directed by Brian De Palma; starring Al Pacino & Sean Penn / Z-View

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Carlito’s Way (1993)

Director:  Brian De Palma

Screenplay: David Koepp; based on CARLITO’S WAY and AFTER HOURS by Edwin Torres 

Stars: Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, John Leguizamo, Ingrid Rogers, Luis Guzmán, James Rebhorn, Richard Foronjy, Frank Minucci, Adrian Pasdar, John Ortiz, Al Israel, Rick Aviles, Jaime Sánchez  and Viggo Mortensen.

Tagline:  In his world, you got to shoot your way out. He wanted out. He’d do anything to get there.

The Plot…

The year is 1975.  When Carlito Brigante gets released from prison after serving just five years of a thirty year stretch, he is determined to leave a life of crime behind.  Carlito hopes to get back with his ex-girlfriend Gail.  Once he has the cash, they’ll retire to the Caribbean.

How hard should it be to walk the straight and narrow?

Carlito’s cousin, Guajiro, asks Carlito to accompany him on a drug deal. Guajiro just wants Carlito there for moral support.  It will be an easy exchange.  Of course things go south.  Guajiro is killed.  Carlito shoots his way out with the cash from the drug deal.

Carlito’s buddy Dave Kleinfeld, is the lawyer who used a legal technicality to get Carlito out of prison.  Now Dave wants Carlito’s help with some thing not exactly legal.  How can Carlito turn him down?

Plus Benny Blanco, a young hotshot gangster wanna-be wants to go into “business” with Carlito.  Carlito turns Benny down repeatedly.

Carlito’s dream of a life free of crime in paradise with Gail is put at risk with every move he makes.

Will Carlito’s way become a dream or nightmare?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Carlito’s Way is based on two novels (CARLITO’S WAY and AFTER HOURS) by Edwin Torres.  Torres also wrote the novel Q&A which was the basis for the movie of the same name.  Torres, in addition to being a novelist, was a New York State Supreme Court Judge.

Carlito’s Way is based on two novels.  Most of the film comes from the second book, AFTER HOURS.  The title of the first novel was kept as the title of the movie, mostly to void confusion with Martin Scorsese’s movie After Hours.

When folks think of Al Pacino’s greatest films, they think Godfather I & II, Heat and Dog Day Afternoon.  Carlito’s Way should be on that list.

Carlito’s Way (1993) rates 5 of 5 stars

“Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” (1964) directed by Stanley Kubrick; starring Peter Sellers and George C. Scott / Z-View

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Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Director:  Stanley Kubrick

Screenplay: Stanley Kubrick, Terry Southern, Peter George; based on RED ALERT by Peter Bryant (pseudonym of Peter George)

Stars: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Slim Pickens, Peter Bull, James Earl Jones, Tracy Reed, Jack Creley, Robert O’Neil, Glenn Beck, Shane Rimmer, Hal Galili and Keenan Wynn.

Tagline: “Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the War Room!”

The Plot…

Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper is mentally unstable.  Nobody realizes this until Ripper has put his plan into motion.  Ripper believes the Soviets are poisoning Americans through the use of fluoride in the water supply.  Ripper’s solution is to put his base on a condition red alert (so no one can get in or out).  Armed guards with shoot to kill orders will ensure this.  Ripper also confiscated all personal radios and shut down outside communication.  Ripper then ordered two Bombers carrying nuclear weapons to drop them on cities in Russia.  Since they can only communicate with him, the pilots believe the US is under attack.  They fly towards Russia intent on dropping their payload.

Once Merkin Muffley, the US President, gets word of what is happening, there is little time before the bombs drop.  President Muffley knows Russia will respond in kind.  That would trigger an all-out war.  Mutually assured destruction.

President Muffley brings General Buck Turgidson, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other officials into the War Room to formulate a plan.  Included in the group is a former Nazi, now a US scientist named Dr. Strangelove and Soviet Ambassador Alexi de Sadesky.  They get  Soviet Premier Dimitri Kisov on the hotline.  Kisov promises if a single bomb is detonated on Russian soil, they will unleash their doomsday device!

The clock is ticking.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Dr. Strangelove was nominated for four 1965 Academy Awards…

  • Nominee for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium – Stanley Kubrick, Peter George, Terry Southern
  • Nominee for Best Director – Stanley Kubrick
  • Nominee for Best Actor in a Leading Role – Peter Sellers
  • Nominee for Best Picture – Stanley Kubrick

George C. Scott as General Turgidson trips in the War Room and then quickly gets up and continues talking.  Scott really tripped but didn’t break character.  Kubrick thought he was just acting.  The accident stayed in the film.

Peter Sellers was paid $1 million or 55% of the film’s budget.  In the film Sellers plays three characters so maybe the producers got a bargain.

Peter Sellers improvised most of his lines including the classic he yelled as Dr. Strangelove, “Mein Führer! I can walk!”  Peter Bull as the Soviet Ambassador can be seen breaking character when Sellers says it.

James Earl Jones thought that Slim Pickens stayed in character even off camera.  It wasn’t until later that Jones leaned that Pickens always talked like that.  Speaking of James Earl  Jones, Dr. Strangelove was his feature film debut.

Dr.  Strangelove is a classic.  Everyone should see it at least once.  (And it gets better with each repeated viewing.)

Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) rates 5 of 5 stars

THE TURNAROUND by George Pelecanos / Z-View

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THE TURNAROUND by George Pelecanos

First sentence…

He called the place Pappas and Sons Coffee Shop.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

1972.  When Alex’s plans to hangout with his girlfriend get cancelled, he decides to go riding with his buddies, Billy and Pete.  Cruising with the guys and some beer isn’t as fun as he’d have had with Karen, but it’s something to do.

As they drive aimlessly, trading jokes and insults, the boys end up near Heathrow Heights.  The black kids at their school were bussed in from Heathrow.  Billy, behind the wheel, starts talking about driving through Heathrow Heights.  Alex is ready to go home, but to say so now would mark him as “chicken”.  Instead Alex asks, “What are we gonna do when we get in there?”  “Raise a little hell” is the answer.  Alex doesn’t want to, but keeps quiet.

When they see a few black kids near the street, Billy slows the car.  Pete hits one with a Hostess pie as he yells racial slurs.  Billy guns the car.  He thinks a turnaround is straight ahead.

It’s a dead end.

One of the boys jumps out of the car and runs.  The other two see the black kids angry and coming toward them fast.  Each are punched.  Then a shot rings out.

Thirty-five years later.  Everyone involved in the incident has been affected.  One kid was killed.  One kid sent to prison.  Thirty-five years later and they’re no longer kids.  One of the survivors contacts another he hasn’t seen since the incident.  If they meet would it be for revenge or healing?  Does it have anything to do with the boy, now a bitter man, that was sent to prison?  Are they aware he’s now out?  Do they even know that the ex-con plans on getting restitution, one way or another?

George Pelecanos has written another winner.

Rating:

JOE LEDGER: SECRET MISSIONS, VOLUME 2 by Jonathan Maberry / Z-View

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JOE LEDGER: SECRET MISSIONS VOLUME TWO by Jonathan Maberry

First sentence…

The card was tucked into the cleft of a crack in the vinyl of my old Ford Escape’s dashboard.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Joe Ledger is an ex-Army Ranger and ex-Baltimore police detective.  Ledger was recruited and is now an agent for the United States’ several-levels-above-top-secret Department of Military Sciences.  This organization deals with threats not only to the US, but the world.  Most of their missions involve stopping terrorists using advanced technology to create bio-weapons.  Some of Ledger’s assignments have ventured into the realm of the supernatural… and while Ledger might not believe in that “stuff” — his team has to deal with it.

JOE LEDGER: SECRET MISSIONS VOLUME  TWO features six tales.  Five by Maberry and one (Mr. Church’s Day Off) by Ray Porter.

  • Three Guys Walk into a Bar – A serial killer (killers?) has come to Pine Deep.  Police Chief Malcolm Crow and Deputy Mike Sweeney might be a bit put out when a PI named Sam Hunter and Joe Ledger show up.  But before long, they’ll be glad the two have arrived.  A serial killer is a terrible thing.  What’s come to Pine Deep is much, much worse.
  • Alter Boy – Toys was damned.  Things he had done in the past assured it.  Even the name everyone called him, Toys, was a moniker he hated.  But he lived with it.  Just like he lived with memories of acts for which he could never atone.  No matter how much good he did Toys knew his soul would never be saved.  Then Toys met a woman.  And over time as their relationship deepened Toys began to have hope.
  • Dog Days – New recruits to the  Department of Military Sciences (and other US agencies) hear stories about Joe Ledger and his dog partner Ghost.  Their exploits are legendary.  How a warrior and his canine became partners (family?) was born from tragedy.  Dog Days is that tale.
  • Twilight Falls – Over the Sahara desert a jet leaves chemtrails.  Shortly after whatever life below falls over dead.  Men, women, children… even camels.  This has happened several times.  Whoever is behind the jet may be testing efficiency for a mass event.  Ledger, Top and Bunny perform a HALO drop.  Easy in.  Getting out not so much.
  • All the Devils are Here – In 1971 a natural gas field in the desert of Turkmenistan collapsed.  It created a huge crater which filled with methane gas.  Geologists thought it would quickly burn off.  The fire has been raging since.  The locals call it the Gates of Hell.  An insane man with access to The Unlearnable Truths believes the fiery crater is a true door to hell.  And the psycho plans to open it.
  • Mr. Church’s Day Off – When you’re a hands-on leader of an international organization responsible for keeping the world safe, do you ever get time off?

If you’ve never read any of the Joe Ledger novels, this is a good jumping on point.  Don’t let the Volume Two in the title scare you.  You’ll get a nice taste of the kind of tales that feature Ledger along with some crossovers from other characters/situations in the Maberry universe.

Jonathan Maberry has another winner!  Joe Ledger tales are the best!

Rating:

Luc Besson’s “Dracula: A Love Tale” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Luc Besson’s Dracula: A Love Tale – The trailer is here.

Although the poster and trailer leave out “A Love Tale” that is reportedly the official title of the film.  Besson wrote the screenplay which he adapted from Bram Stoker’s novel.  Dracula: A Love Tale stars Caleb Landry Jones, Christoph Waltz and Zoë Bleu.

DRACULA Trailer International (2025) Caleb Landry Jones, Christoph Waltz, Matilda De Angelis, Luc Besson

“The Man in My Basement” – The Trailer is Here!

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The Man in My Basement trailer is here.

It’s based on a novel by Walter Mosley.  Mosley also co-wrote the screenplay.  That alone is enough to get me on board.  I’ve had Mosley’s novel on my to-be-read-bookcase for far too long.  I need to change that.

Down on his luck, Charles Blakey (Corey Hawkins) agrees to rent his basement to a mysterious stranger (Willem Dafoe), unaware he may be letting in a force much darker than he imagined.