Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
What do you think about the poster and trailer for Cosmic Sin starring Frank Grillo and Bruce Willis?
I like the poster okay, but Willis’ suit looks a bit wonky with the placement of his “belt”. The trailer is okay as well. I was a bit surprised that Grillo got top billing since it looks like Willis is in the film for more than a cameo. I’ll watch once Cosmic Sin comes to a streaming service I get.
I love everything about this rare Creature from the Black Lagoon photo. I hope you do as well.
Source: @shiigeeboo.
Above we have a poster for Faceless and below the trailer. I’m interested in seeing more thanks to the trailer — the poster doesn’t do much for me.
Marcel Sarmiento, director of Deadgirl, V/H/S Viral and Totem, is back with his next horror film, Faceless, which releases on Digital February 16 and on DVD March 2.
In the film…
“After waking up disoriented and frightened in a hospital room, George (Brendan Sexton III, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie) discovers that he has received a full face transplant.
“Following the initial shock of an unfamiliar face, George becomes plagued by vivid, unexplainable flashbacks. He is soon released from the hospital and expected to fend for himself without any recollection of his previous life. With no end in sight and nobody to turn to but a mysterious woman named Sophie (Alex Essoe, “The Haunting of Blye Manor”), George must overcome his flashbacks, unexplained daily occurrences and a persistent, masked stalker to put the pieces together before it’s too late.”
I like the poster and trailer for Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel. I’ll be watching come February 10th.
From housing serial killers to untimely deaths, the Cecil Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles is known to many as LA’s deadliest hotel. The latest chapter in the Cecil’s dark history involves the mysterious disappearance of college student Elisa Lam. Check in to the Cecil Hotel on February 10, only on Netflix.
I’m not a fan of the poster, but the trailer for A Ghost Waits has won me over. I want to see this film. It appears to be a mash-up of Beetlejuice (confirmed in the synopsis) and Ghost (speculation by me). Check it out!
YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
An ingeniously unique and unpredictable combo of horror, humor and heart, A Ghost Waits is a DIY labor of love years in the making from first-time writer/director Adam Stovall and producer/star MacLeod Andrews.
Tasked with renovating a neglected rental home, handyman Jack (MacLeod Andrews, They Look Like People, Doctor Sleep) quickly finds out why the tenants keep leaving in droves – this house is haunted. The ghost in question is Muriel (Natalie Walker), herself employed from beyond the veil to keep the home vacant. Against the odds, Jack and Muriel find they have a lot in common… pulse notwithstanding. Having found a kindred spirit in an otherwise lonely existence, they must fight for their newfound affection as pressure mounts for them each to fulfil their “cross-purposes”.
From its opening spectral assault to its achingly poignant conclusion – as well as a witty depiction of afterlife bureaucracy in the vein of Beetlejuice and A Matter of Life and Death – A Ghost Waits has shocked and surprised audiences around the world, and now makes its home video debut stacked with insightful bonus features that take you inside the process of creating this phantasmagorical monochrome marvel.
I love this alternative Dracula poster. Everything about this is right, from the colors, to the use of Lugosi’s likeness, to the female vampires bowing to the Count as he brings in his latest victim.
Sadly, the artist isn’t known to me or Neil Vokes. (I first saw the image on Neil’s Facebook page. If you’re a fan of horror, Neil is as well, plus he’s a fine artist in his own right.)
If anyone knows/discovers the name of the artist who created this poster, let me know so I can update this post.
One of my favorite horror movies is Creature from the Black Lagoon. Nicholas Furnal at CBR.com recently posted 10 Things Everyone Missed In Creature From The Black Lagoon. I’m proud to report that I only missed one, but it is a doozy. Before you click over, I’ll tell you the one I missed plus two others that are favorties.
Telephone Pole In The Amazon. I’ve watched Creature from the Black Lagoon dozens and dozens of times (once as recently as last week). I never noticed the telephone pole. Of course I am usually watching in the 1.37:1 screen ratio. Well, now I have an excuse for another viewing.
No Visible Air Bubbles. I applaud that director Jack Arnold made sure that no air bubbles were present for the Creature’s underwater scenes. It made the monster all that more realistic. Hats off to Ricou Browning for being able to hold his breath underwater during several minutes of filming!
Two Separate Creature Suits. It would have been easier and cheaper to just create one suit, but the folks behind the movie made two (one for land and one for underwater) that varied in flexibility and color. It’s attention to details like these that make Creature from the Black Lagoon a classic.
Click over to check out the other trivia items and see if any are new to you!
Now we have two posters and a trailer for, I kid you not, Sky Sharks. I would normally say this is doomed to flop, but then I remember there have been about a billion movies about Sharknadoes.
Directed by Marc Fehse
After an arctic research team discovers a long-lost Nazi warship, they inadvertently unleash the Third Reich’s unknown secret weapon: Sky Sharks.
Above we have the Godzilla vs Kong poster and it is a good one. I’m a King Kong fan. Not so much for Godzilla. I did like the most recent versions of the big lizard, so I’m leaning towards seeing Godzilla vs Kong. We’ll know more once we see the trailer which drops this Sunday. In the mean time, feel free to click on the poster above to get a, uh, Godzilla sized version.
John Squires at Bloody Disgusting broke the story that Syfy’s Day of the Dead Series Will Have Some Ties to George Romero’s Original Classic. This is great news for Romero fans. Not only will the 10 episode limited series tie in to Romero’s film, but will focus on…
…six strangers trying to survive the first 24 hours of an undead invasion.
The thing I love about the best zombie (or any apocalyptic) movies is the interplay between strangers trying not only to figure out what is going on, but also how to best survive. As you can guess, I’m looking forward to Day of the Dead.
For more details click over to Syfy’s Day of the Dead Series Will Have Some Ties to George Romero’s Original Classic at Bloody Disgusting.
End of the Year lists are fun and so I decided to compile a few of my own. I hope you enjoy them.
Movies
In 2020, I watched 453 movies. Most were streamed. I usually see a little over 200 movies per year so retirement and the pandemic helped increase my viewing. My favorite films released in 2020 included:
Who’d have thought that two of my favorite films would star the Hemsworth brothers?
Books
In 2020, I read 34 books. I usually read about 20 – 24 per year so retirement and the pandemic also worked to increase my novel consumption. My favorites from this year included:
More Better Deals by Joe Lansdale: A crime noir that is perfection.
Hap & Leonard novels (Jackrabbit Smile, Rusty Puppies, Savage Season, Of Mice and Minestrone, and Honky Tonk Samurai) by Joe Lansdale: If you like your crime with a good bit of humor then give Hap & Leonard a go. They’ve never let me down.
Killfile and Flashmob by Christopher Farnsworth: A bodyguard with a unique ability. I used to complain that I wanted more Cade (President’s Vampire) tales from Farnsworth. Now I also want more John Smith yarns.
Ruler of the Night by David Morrell: The final of Morrell’s Thomas De Quincey (the Opium Eater) trilogy. If there was ever a series that when described to me I’d think I wouldn’t like, but after reading would actually love, it is this trilogy by Morrell.
Quinn Colson novels by Ace Atkins: I read 5 more this year (The Redeemers, The Innocents, The Fallen, The Sinners and The Shameless) and they all get my highest recommendation.
My Most Popular Posts of the Year
I always find some surprises in the most popular posts from the year. Here are the top ten for 2020 and some thoughts for each…
10. David Fincher’s “Mank” – The Poster and Trailer are Here! Fincher is always a fan favorite, and Mank’s poster and trailer were no exception.
09. Facts About Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”. The popularity of this post surprises me since it deals with a short story, but horror is always a favorite subject with many of our readers.
08. Peter Stults’ “28 Days Later” Starring Richard Burton. I love that this remains a top post. Stults’ alternative movie posters are a blast. He chooses great stars to recast in cool movies.
07. Jack Benny in “Casablanca”. This one makes me smile. I love that it made the top ten.
06. Sly Stallone Starring in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” Video! Sly Stallone makes the list!
05. TOP 10 MOST ICONIC HORROR MOVIE VILLAINS! I told you horror posts are popular.
04. Dracula Through the Ages. I wasn’t kidding. Horror posts are popular.
03. Jackie Daytona Commercial for “Lucky Brews Bar and Grill”! The popularity of this post surprised me. Sure, it has the horror connection, but mixed in is a great amount of humor. Add to that it is for an under-rated horror/comedy (that I hope you are watching) and we get our third most popular post of the year!
02. Louis Meyers: Evidence He Was the Zodiac Killer. Any post about the Zodiac Killer always get a lot of views. This one has even racked up the most comments.
01. Schwarzenegger in “King Lear” & Robin Williams in “Jack and the Beanstalk”. This posts gets more hits than any other post on the site. It’s not horror, it’s not about a real life killer or Sly Stallone, but it is our #1 post again this year.
My All-Time Most Popular Posts
I thought it might be fun to close out with a look at our all-time most popular posts. Did any or most of 2020’s greatest hits make the all-time list? Let’s see…
10. The Life and Times of Deputy U.S. Marshall Bass Reeves. I’m glad that this post remains popular. Our post about Marshall Bass Reeves (a true life hero) went up years before a comic series and movie about him were made. Don’t you love it when we’re ahead of the curve?
09. Gadot & The Rock Strike a Pose. Of course two of the most popular movie stars in the world together in a candid would make our most popular list.
08. TOP 10 MOST ICONIC HORROR MOVIE VILLAINS! Our #5 most popular post for 2020 is our all-time #8 most popular post… and of course it’s horror.
07. Real Clown Or Horror-Movie Clown? This is creepy. Normally I don’t have a problem with clowns, but some of those real clowns were downright scary.
06. Joel Osteen in Jacksonville This has been popular one since it first appeared.
05. Steve Reeves as Superman Of course Steve Reeves never got the chance to play the Man of Steel, but if he had, he would have made a good one.
04. New Billy the Kid Photo Discovered This posts hits on crime and history with the chance of a new discovery. That’s a great combination of topics and popular with a lot of folks.
03. Zodiac Killer Code Cracked? Again we have crime, history, a new discovery and I would even argue horror to make for a popular post.
02. Louis Meyers: Evidence He Was the Zodiac Killer This was not only our #2 all-time favorite, but also the #2 favorite for 2020. And it generated quite a few comments and e-mails.
01. Schwarzenegger in “King Lear” & Robin Williams in “Jack and the Beanstalk”.01. Schwarzenegger in “King Lear” & Robin Williams in “Jack and the Beanstalk”. The #1 post for 2020 is also our #1 all-time favorite.
It’s always interesting to see which topics resonate with fans and continue to be popular longer after the initial post. I wonder how many of our all-time favorites will make the list in 2021? Time will tell… and so will I…. next year!
I saw Westworld when it was first released. I was almost 15 and thought the movie was awesome. Living an hour from Disney World made the idea of a futuristic amusement park for adults seem reasonable. I thought it was a surprising plot twist that they guy that appeared to be the sidekick (Benjamin) to the hero (Brolin) turns out to be the movie’s star. Well, sort of. Top billing, of course, went to Yul Brenner, who played a terminator years before Arnold.
I bring this up today because HBO Max just released a modern day (recut) trailer for Westworld. Makes me think it’s time for another viewing. Maybe I’ll do a Westworld and Capricorn One double feature.
A high-tech amusement park for adults features three recreated historical environments – Medieval World, Roman World and Western World – populated by highly realistic androids programmed to indulge the whims of every high-paying guest. The main attraction of Westworld is the Gunslinger – a robot programmed to start duels but who can always be killed by humans packing special guns. John and Peter, two buddies on vacation, wake up in a Westworld bordello after a night of brawls and booze, not yet knowing that a system-wide failure has infected the androids and placed them in mortal danger. Stream the 1973 film, Westworld, on HBO Max today.
I’m a big fan of alternative movie posters. Often they are as good or better than the official posters. The Dracula poster above is an example of what I’m talking about. If I find out the name of the artist who created it, I’ll update this post.
Source: Vic De Leon
The trailer for Night Stalker: The Hunt for A Serial Killer looks good. I’ll definitely watch this one.
LOCK YOUR DOORS. Night Stalker: The Hunt for A Serial Killer is coming to Netflix January 13. Witness the story of one of the most vicious serial killers in American history, a real-life boogeyman that brought California to a standstill.
Rob Hunter at Film School Rejects presents 32 Things We Learned from the ‘Blade‘ Commentary. As always, before you click over, here are my three favorites and thoughts on each…
“I’ve found that American action films rely more on spectacle,” says Snipes, “but action films from other countries don’t do it that way.” He adds that international action is often embedded into “the emotional state and intent of the character.” (Snipes is right. Too many of our movies these days rely on big special effects. I prefer a movie that focuses on, as Snipes said, “the emotional state and intent of the character.” – Craig)
A deleted conversation from the script explained how Blade’s sword originally belonged to Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) who himself was part of a long line of vampire hunters. (It was smart to drop that. The “long line of vampire hunters” bit is just too cliche. – Craig)
Norrington wanted Kristofferson for the role as he was “the cool grandfather, grungy type of fighting, jolly type of a guy.” Goyer actually wrote the character, though, with Samuel Fuller in mind. (I’m not a big fan of Blade but loved Blade II. With that said, Kristofferson was a great addition to the movie and one of the things I liked best about it. – Craig)
