Category: Movies

“The Show” (1927) directed by Tod Browning, starring John Gilbert, Renee Adoree & Lionel Barrymore / Z-View

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The Show (1927)

Director: Tod Browning

Written by: Joseph Farnham, Screenplay by Waldemar Young, based on THE DAY OF SOULS by Joseph Farnham

Starring: John Gilbert, Renée Adorée, Lionel Barrymore, Edward Connelly.

Tagline:  Strange were these figures in the show the crowds gaped at. But stranger by far the drama of underworld life they played back of the scenes! An amazing romance, a lurid tale of a rogue, torn between baser passions and a girl’s redeeming love.

The Story:

Cock Robin (Gilbert) is the star of a sideshow.  Robin is a handsome ladies man.  He has a charisma about him that he puts to use drawing in crowds to see the human oddities.  Robin also participates in the acts.  After the shows are over, Robin always has female admirers waiting for the chance to pay for his dinner and spend the evening with him. Robin’s behavior doesn’t endear him to other members of the sideshow.  The women are disappointed and the men jealous.

One of Robin’s admirers is a young woman named Lena.  Robin learns that Lena’s father is wealthy.  Perhaps, it is time to settle down.  Perhaps not.

When Lena’s father is killed in an attempted robbery, Robin becomes the main suspect. Someone in the show has set him up.  But who?  And is there anyone who will help him clear his name?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Tod Browning who would go on to direct Dracula and (the more closely related to The Show) Freaks. Browning was the perfect person to direct this.

John Gilbert displays the charisma needed to play the lead.  The great Lionel Barrymore as the villain.  What more could we want?

“Abandoned” (1949) starring: Dennis O’Keefe, Gale Storm, Jeff Chandler, Raymond Burr with Mike Mazurki / Z-View

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Abandoned (1949)

Director: Joseph M. Newman

Screenplay by: Irwin Gielgud, William Bowers (additional dialogue)

Starring: Dennis O’Keefe, Gale Storm, Jeff Chandler, Raymond Burr, Jeanette Nolan, Steve Darrell, Frank Cady and Mike Mazurki.

Tagline:  NO NAME FOR HER BABY…only a PRICE! 

The Story:

Paula Considine (Storm) goes to L.A. in search of her missing sister.  Her sister left their small town because she was pregnant and not married.  It’s late when she arrives at the missing person’s bureau.  There she meets Mark Sitko (O’Keefe), a newspaper reporter.  When Sitko notices a shady character following Paula, he intervenes.  Soon Sitko and Paula discover that Paula’s sister was murdered and her baby stolen by child traffickers.  As they dig deeper, Sitko and Paula become marked for murder!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

The film uses a semi-documentary style popular at the time.

Gale Storm had been making movies for close to a decade when she got the co-starring role in Abandoned.  A few years later Ms. Storm would become a tv star in her own series, My Little Margie which ran for four seasons.  She followed that with another starring television role in The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna.  It also ran for four seasons.

Jeff Chandler has a supporting role.  He would soon break out into leading roles.

Raymond Burr is cast as a heavy.  He played a lot of those type roles in those days because he was good at it.  Mr. Burr would go on to become a bigger star playing a good guy.  Perry Mason ran for 9 seasons, earned Raymond Burr two Best Actor in a Leading Role Emmys and earned him world-wide fame.Years after Perry Mason went off the air, it returned with Mr. Burr starring in 26 television movies.

Mike Mazurki appears as a thug which was par for the course.  I love it when Mazurki appears in any production.  He had an interesting life.  Mr. Mazurki played football and basketball in college and professionally,  He earned a law degree from Fordham.  Then he decided to become a professional wrestler because he could earn more money!  He also worked as a bodyguard before being discovered and cast in movies.

Abandoned was ahead of it’s time.  The topic of black-market babies and child trafficking could be pulled from today’s headlines.  The film also faced aspects being censored.  Still, if you read between the lines it becomes pretty clear that Paula’s dad was probably the baby’s father.

“A Murder at the End of the World” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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This has a Glass Onion or Hercule Poirot feel to it.  So far, I like what I see.  Deal me in!

A Murder at the End of the World is a mystery series featuring a Gen Z amateur sleuth and tech-savvy hacker “Darby Hart.” Darby and eight other guests are invited by a reclusive billionaire to participate in a retreat at a remote location. When one of the other guests is found dead, Darby must use her skills to prove it was murder before the killer takes another life.

A mystery of epic proportions. Watch OFFICIAL TRAILER 2 for FX’s A Murder at the End of the World streaming 11.14. Only on Hulu.

“SLY” (2023) directed by Thom Zimny, starring Sylvester Stallone / Z-View

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SLY (2023)

Director: Thom Zimny

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Quentin Tarantino, Frank Stallone, Talia Shire,  Henry Winkler, John Herzfeld, Wesley Morris, Jennifer Flavin-Stallone, Scarlet Rose Stallone, Sistine Rose Stallone, Sophia Rose Stallone and Sage Stallone.

Tagline:  Meet the man behind the hero.

The Story:

Sylvester Stallone takes us behind the scenes for an intimate look at his rise from humble beginnings to international superstardom as well as the ups and downs along the way.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

SLY is as much a personal reflection as it is a documentary.  Director Thom Zimny said that he had full access to tell Sly’s story without interference.  What Zimny did is allow Sly to open up. From these reflections, Zimny created the documentary.

Many of us (especially die hard Stallone fans) know the broad strokes.  Sly came from a broken home. He did poorly in school, He was only getting bit parts as thugs in movies when he wrote ROCKY and refused to sell out. We know the Rocky films led to Rambo films.  There were disappointments along the way.  Cop Land was supposed to bring the big comeback.  It showed Sly had the acting chops to hang with DeNiro and the rest of the all star cast, but it didn’t work as a springboard back to the top.  We know that Sly refused to let Rocky V be Balboa’s swan song.  Against all odds, Sly was able to get Rocky Balboa done and that put him back on top.  Rambo (2008) followed.  Then The Expendables.  We knew that Sly for nearly 50 years has been a movie superstar and shows no signs of slowing down.

Yeah, we knew all that.  Because we are Sly’s diehard fans.  Many moviegoers don’t know these things.

What many of us (even Sly’s biggest fans) didn’t know were the stories and side notes that Sly provides throughout the documentary.  Sure, we knew his dad was tough on Sly and Frank.  Now we learn just how deep that went and the impact it had on Sly’s work.  We learn of Sly’s regrets.  Not just with films chosen or passed on, but in his use of time.  Especially when it comes to family.  Sly says, “Life up to forty is all about addition, after that it is all about subtraction.” If that doesn’t resonate with you, then my bet is you’re still under forty.

We hear from celebrities about Sly – Arnold, Tarantino, his brother Frank, Talia Shire, Henry Winkler and one of Sly’s oldest friends who also made it in Hollywood, John Herzfeld.  Their contributions are excellent.  What really makes the documentary work for me is Sly’s reflections.  Seeing his handwritten early draft scripts.  Getting a glimpse behind the scenes.

SLY is an excellent documentary.  I would love it to be first in a series detailing different aspects of Sly’s life/career.  He’s such a great raconteur. We know he has more stories to tell.  Still, if this is all we get, we got a winner.

“Mother’s Day” (2023) directed by Mateusz Rakowicz, starring Agnieszka Grochowska / Z-View

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Mother’s Day (2023)

Director: Mateusz Rakowicz

Screenplay by: Lukasz M. Maciejewski, Mateusz Rakowicz

Starring: Agnieszka Grochowska, Szymon Wróblewski.

Tagline:

The Story:

Nina (Grochowska), is a NATO Special Operations agent. Years ago she gave up her baby so he could be raised by loving parents in a safe environment.  Although Nina checks in on him regularly (from afar), her son knows nothing about her.  That will change when he is kidnapped by thugs looking to get back at Nina.  Now all bets are off.  Nina will use all her skills to rescue her son.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Mother’s Day exceeded every expectation I had for it.  Everything about Mother’s Day is what action movie fans love.  Mateusz Rakowicz knows how to direct action and keep the quieter scenes interesting.  Co-writers Lukasz M. Maciejewski and (director) Mateusz Rakowicz have created a story full of outrageous characters involved in over the top battles. Thankfully, Agnieszka Grochowska who plays Nina, is more than up to the task.  I hope to see more of her and director Mateusz Rakowicz in the future.

The Death Kiss (1932) starring Bela Lugosi, David Manners, Edward Van Sloan, Adrienne Ames & Vince Barnett / Z-View

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The Death Kiss (1932)

Director: Edwin L. Marin

Screenplay by: Gordon Kahn, Barry Barringer based on THE DEATH KISS by Madelon St. Dennis

Starring: Bela Lugosi, David Manners, John Wray, Adrienne Ames, Vince Barnett and Edward Van Sloan.

Tagline: IT’S FULL OF THRILLS!  IT’S FULL OF FUN!  IT’S FULL OF MYSTERY!  IT’S FULL OF BIG NAMES!

The Story:

When a movie’s leading man is killed on stage during the filming of a scene, in full view of everyone, the only question is: Who did it?  Evidence seems to point to one person, then another.  Finally it looks like the murder was committed by the leading lady.  Franklyn Drew (Manning) believes she was set up.  Drew begins to follow clues that will lead him to the true killer and maybe get him killed as well.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Three stars (Bela Lugosi, David Manners and Edward Van Sloan) of Dracula, made the year before, return to star in The Death Kiss.

The film’s copyright wasn’t renewed, so the film fell into the public domain.  Beware of poor copies!

David Manners as Franklyn Drew is charming.  Vince Barnett as Movie Studio Police Officer Gulliver is a hoot.  They make the perfect duo as together they investigate the murder.  Barnett in a way is Barney Fife to Manners Andy Griffith.  I would have loved to have seen them in a series of murder comedies.

Although Bela Lugosi gets top billing, it is actually David Manners who gets the most screen time.  He’s never been better.

The gunfight at the end of the movie is hand-tinted.  This produces a cool effect for gunshots and flashlights.

“Sorry, Wrong Number” (1948) starring Barbara Stanwyck & Burt Lancaster / Z-View

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Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)

Director: Anatole Litvak

Screenplay by: Lucille Fletcher based on Sorry, Wrong Number by Lucille Fletcher

Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Burt Lancaster, Ann Richards, Wendell Corey, Ed Begley, Leif Erickson, Jimmy Hunt and William Conrad.

Tagline: The prize-winning radio suspense drama that thrilled 40,000,000 people … now electrifies the screen!

The Story:

Leona Stevenson (Stanwyck) is invalid confined to her bed.  While making a phone call, the lines are crossed and she hears two men discussing a murder that will happen in the next few hours.  Leona frantically contacts the police.  They say there’s nothing they can do with the information provided.  Leona then contacts the telephone company.  They don’t have the ability to figure out where the call originated.  As the minutes tick by, Leona gets more worried that someone is going to be killed.  Soon Leona will realize that she is the intended victim!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Barbara Stanwyck was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 1949 Academy Awards.

It’s interesting that Stanwyck plays an unlikable character and we’re rooting for Lancaster, who plays her husband.  Slowly we learn, he’s not as nice a guy as we thought, but we understand his motives.

Sorry, Wrong Number contains one of the best ending scenes in movies.

“Dracula” (1979) starring Frank Langella, Laurence Olivier, Donald Pleasence & Kate Nelligan / Z-View

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Dracula (1979)

Director: John Badham

Screenplay by: W. D. Richter based on DRACULA by Bram Stoker and Dracula (1924 play) by Hamilton Deane
and John L. Balderston

Starring: Frank Langella, Laurence Olivier, Donald Pleasence, Kate Nelligan and Trevor Eve.

Tagline: Throughout history, he has filled the hearts of men with terror, and the hearts of women with desire.

The Story:

The ship, the Demeter, is found floating just off shore.  All of the crew have been murdered.  Count Dracula (Langella) is the only passenger to survive.  He’s unable to explain what happened.

Dr. Jack Seward (Pleasence) hosts a dinner party to welcome the charming new arrival to their community.  Dracula tells them that he has come to England to partake of all that life offers.  Lucy Seward (Nelligan) finds herself attracted to Dracula, despite being engaged to Jonathan Harker (Eve) who is there with her.  What nobody knows is that Dracula is a vampire with plans to make Lucy his bride.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

I saw Dracula when it was first released in 1979.  I’ve rewatched it a few times since.  I liked it best on the initial viewing.  Since then I’ve found this version’s focus on making Dracula more of a lover weakens the character.

I also find the supporting characters in this version less interesting.  Reinfeld should be pathetic and sometimes scary.  This version’s Renfield is just gross.  The relationship between Harker and Lucy doesn’t have chemistry.  When she shows an interest in Dracula, Harker doesn’t look more than a little peeved.  The audience doesn’t have a lot of, pardon the expression, “stake” in what happens between them.  Finally, Dracula should be menacing.  He should be frightening. When he enters a room, men should get a feeling that a apex predator is among them. Here he looks like he would be more at home in a disco than a castle.

In the play Dracula, the two main females’ names are inverted. Mina becomes Lucy and Lucy, Mina.  Director John Badham also inverted the names.  His rationale?  He “felt like Mina was a dopey name and that Lucy was kind of a nice name.”

Frank Langella is quoted as saying that Sir Laurence Olivier only took the part because he needed the money.  It is also reported that Olivier would only appear in the film if his character was killed.  That way he wouldn’t be brought back for a sequel. Donald Pleasence said in an interview: “We had a really good time but it was an awful film…Larry (Olivier) and I did it for a laugh.”  Sometimes it is hard to love a film that the actors hold in such low regard.