Category: Movies

“Pop Goes the Easel” (1935) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Pop Goes the Easel (1935)

Director:  Del Lord

Writer:  Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard and Phyllis Crane

Tagline:  Help! Help! They’re loose again!

The Plot…

The boys on the run from the law, take refuge in an art studio.  There they take on multiple disguises in an effort to not get caught.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Pop Goes the Easel features several Stooges’ firsts:

  • It is the first Stooges’ short directed by Del Lord who would go on to helm more than three dozen.
  • It features the first eye poke
  • It has the first multiple face slap
  • It ends with a big clay fight, which would morph into pie fights in future shorts

There’s a quick scene of two little girls playing hopscotch as the boys run by.  The girls were the daughters of Moe and Larry.

Pop Goes the Easel (1935) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Extraction 2” starring Chris Hemsworth – The Teaser Trailer is Here!

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Did you say you like action movies?  Then take a gander at the teaser for Extraction 2.

Chris Hemsworth returns as Tyler Rake in EXTRACTION 2 – only on Netflix, June 16.

After barely surviving the events of the first movie, Rake is back as the Australian black ops mercenary, tasked with another deadly mission: rescuing the battered family of a ruthless Georgian gangster from the prison where they are being held. Hemsworth reunites with director Sam Hargrave, with Joe and Anthony Russo’s AGBO producing and Joe Russo writing. Golshifteh Farahani reprises her role from the first film, with Daniel Bernhardt and Tinatin Dalakishvili also co-starring.

This is a sequel to the first film that was based on the graphic novel ‘Ciudad’ by Ande Parks, from a story by Ande Parks, Joe Russo & Anthony Russo, with illustrations by Fernando León González. EXTRACTION 2 is produced by Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Mike Larocca, Chris Hemsworth, Patrick Newall and Sam Hargrave, with Angela Russo-Otstot, Jake Aust, Benjamin Grayson, Steven Scavelli, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely as executive producers.

“Brideless Groom” (1947) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Brideless Groom (1947)

Director:  Edward Bernds

Writer:  Clyde Bruckman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Christine McIntyre, Virginia Hunter and Emil Sitka

Tagline: Gold-diggers mob the Stooges for their money!

The Plot…

Shemp learns that he will inherit $500,000 if he is married by 6pm.  The trouble is he has no girlfriend and no prospects.  Luckily, Shemp is joined by Moe and Larry in an effort to find him a wife before the deadline arrives.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Emil Sitka, a Stooges regular, gets his best-remembered line “Hold hands, you lovebirds!” in this one.  Believe it or not, the line is on Sitka’s headstone!

Christine McIntyre, another Stooges regular, has a scene where she is to repeated hit Shemp.  Despite repeated takes, the punches didn’t look convincing.  The story goes that Shemp told Christine to really let him have it, explaining that a lot of repeated half-hearted slaps hurt more than a few good ones.  On the next take Christine cut loose with a punch that broke Shemp’s nose.  The take was used.  As Christine apologized, Shemp told her, it was okay, he told her to cut loose and she sure did!

Clyde Bruckman, the writer of Brideless Groom,  was the co-writer on the film Buster Keaton’s Seven Chances (1925) which had a similar plot.

Brideless Groom (1947) rates 3 of 5 stars.

10 Major Roles Sly Stallone Turned Down/Didn’t Get and Craig’s Thoughts on Each!

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Zac Wenzel at MovieWeb posted 10 Major Roles Sylvester Stallone Didn’t Get or Turned Down.  Before you click over, here are my thoughts on each role listed…

10. Star Wars (1977) – I don’t think Han Solo would have been a good fit for Sly. Plus it may have impacted Sly’s directorial debut with Paradise Alley.  I know I’m in the minority, but give me Paradise Alley over Star Wars.

09.  Witness (1985) – While I think Sly would have made a good John Book, it would have impacted Rambo: First Blood, Part II which came out the same year.  I’ll take Rambo over Witness (although I am a fan of both.).  It’s funny to note that these first two roles that could have starred Sly, instead went to Harrison Ford.

08. Face/Off (1997) – Sly was originally supposed to star with Arnold Schwarzenegger.  John Woo would direct.  While I would have loved to see Sly in a John Woo film, it wasn’t to be.  Sly instead went on to star in Cop Land, a movie many consider to feature Sly’s best acting.  I thought Face/Off was good, but Cop Land much, much better.

07. Jackie Brown (1997) – Wenzel says Sly was up for the role of Louis Gara that was ultimately played by Robert DeNiro.  I had always read that Sly was up for the Max Cherry role that was played by Robert Forster.  I would have loved to see Sly work with Tarantino.  Of the two roles mentioned for Sly in Jackie Brown, I think that Max Cherry would have been the better pick.  Again, things probably turned out for the best.  Sly went on to do Cop Land and Robert Forster got his comeback role.

06. Beverly Hills Cop (1984) – Everyone knows this story.  Sly departed from Beverly Hills Cop and turned his screenplay into Cobra.  Eddie Murphy starred in Beverly HIlls Cop.  Both movies went on to be successful.

05. Die Hard (1988) – While I would have loved to see what Sly would have done with the role of John McClane, Bruce Willis was perfect for the role.  Die Hard brought Willis back to the “A” list – remember when Die Hard was first advertised they didn’t play up Willis!  Sly went on to do Rambo III.

04. The Godfather: Part III (1990) –  It would have been interesting if Sly had accepted Paramount’s offer to write, direct and star in Godfather III.  At the time there was talk that John Travolta would co-star.  Not accepting was a smart move on Sly’s part.  No matter what he did, it would have been unfavorably compared to the first to Godfather films.  Heck, even when Francis Ford Coppola came back to do the third, it was savaged by critics.  Sly went on to do Rocky V.  It is the consensus weakest in Sly’s Rocky franchise.  BUT, and this is a (pardon the expression) big but, had there not been a Rocky V, Sly might not have had the burning desire to do Rocky Balboa!

03. Batman & Robin (1997) – I am soooooo happy Sly didn’t get involved with this mess.

02. Pulp Fiction (1994) – I would have loved to have seen Sly in Pulp Fiction.  He would have directed by Tarantino.  If he accepted the role that went to Samuel L. Jackson, he would have been paired with Travolta.  They would have made an interesting hit man team.  However, Samuel L. Jackson owned that role and it shot him to the “A” list.  It would have also been interesting to see Sly play Vincent Vega (Travolta’s role) or Butch (Willis’ role).  Sly went on to do The Specialist with Sharon Stone.

01. Superman (1978) – According to Wenzel, Brando had final say on the casting of Superman.  Brando rejected Sly as being too Italian.  I always thought that picking an unknown to play Superman was the right way to go.  Christopher Reeve was perfect as Clark Kent/Superman.  I’m glad Sly would later work with Superman director Richard Donner when they did Assassins.  Superman came out in 1978.  Sly had both Paradise Alley and FIST that year.  I love Superman, but I’ll take Sly’s two for the one.

RIP: Sharon Acker

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It was reported yesterday that actress Sharon Acker died on March 16, 2023.  Ms. Acker was 87.

Sharon Acker appeared in both television and feature film roles in a career that lasted over 35 years.  She is best known for her role as Lee Marvin’s double-crossing wife in Point Blank. Although Ms. Acker appeared in a few other feature films she was in great demand for television roles and appeared in most of the major hits for decades.

Some of Sharon Acker’s television appearances include: On Camera; Anne of Green Gables; Lucky Jim; Macbeth; Encounter (8 episodes); Quest (3 episodes); The Serial (5 episodes); Wojeck (2 episodes); The Wild, Wild West; Festival (8 episodes); Star Trek; Get Smart; It Takes a Thief (3 episodes); Lancer; A Clear and Present Danger; The Bold Ones (4 episodes); Alias Smith and Jones; Gunsmoke; Cade’s County; The FBI: Love American Style; Mission Impossible (2 episodes); Mod Squad; McMillan & Wife; Hec Ramsey (2 episodes); Marcus Welby (2 episodes); The New Perry Mason (15 episodes); Harry O; Cannon (3 episodes); Barnaby Jones (3 episodes); Executive Suite (18 episodes); The Streets of San Francisco (2 episodes); The Love Boat; The Rockford Files (2 episodes); Police Story; The Incredible Hulk; Quincy (3 episodes); Texas (62 episodes); Matt Houston; Trapper John MD; Simon & Simon (2 episodes); Knight Rider; Murder She Wrote; Days of Our Lives (7 episodes); Rin-Tin-Tin K9 Cop (3 episodes) and The Young and the Restless (4 episodes).

I probably first saw Sharon Acker in The Wild, Wild West.  She would go on to appear in many of the shows I tuned in to weekly to see.  What an amazing career she had.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sharon Acker’s family, friends and fans.

“Pals and Gals” (1954) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Pals and Gals (1954)

Director:  Jules White

Writer:  Clyde Bruckman, Jack White

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Christine McIntyre, Stanley Blystone, Heinie Conklin, Vernon Dent and Blackie Whiteford

Tagline: Round up a herd of howls Out West!

The Plot…

When the doctor explains that Shemp is suffering from an enlarged vein in his leg, it is recommended that Shemp head out west where the climate will do him good.  So our boys end up in a rough cowboy town.  When the crook, Doc Barker overhears Shemp talking about his large vein, he thinks Shemp has a gold mine.  As Barker makes moves to steal the mine, our guys learn that Barker is holding three sisters prisoner.  Larry, Moe and Shemp plan to free the girls and fall in love.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Pals and Gals uses footage from previous Stooges shorts: Goofs and Saddles (1937) and Out West (1947). Because of careless editing, Doc Barker dies in one scene and then reappears briefly later in a group shot.

Shemp has a funny scene playing cards with two cowboys trying to cheat.

Pals and Gals (1954) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Transmission” – Amazing One Take Short by Mikhail Parkhomenko!

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Transmission is a short created by Mikhail Parkhomenko.  It’s less than a minute long, tells a story in dramatic fashion in one take all filmed with a drone.  After the video, there is a link to see how Transmission was done.  It’s also worth a look.  I’d love to see Parkhomenko given a big budget action film!

Transmission — a short looped thriller shot in one long take entirely on a fpv drone. Shot on GoPro 11. Part of “Impossible Shot” series.

“Luther: The Fallen Sun” (2023) starring Idris Elba / Z-View

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Luther: The Fallen Sun (2023)

Director:  Jamie Payne

Writer:  Neil Cross (based on characters Cross created for the BBC Television series)

Stars: Idris Elba, Cynthia Erivo, Andy Serkis, Dermot Crowley, Vincent Regan, Ross Waiton and Carl Spencer

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

Detective Chief Inspector John Luther (Elba) is on the case of a serial killer who first kidnaps and blackmails his victims. When the serial killer, David Robey (Serkis) learns that Luther is closing in, Robey uses his use wealth and technology to learn of illegal steps that Luther took in the past to bring criminals to justice.  Luther stands trial and is sentenced to prison.

While in prison, Robey taunts Luther with a video showing Robey committing a recent murder.  Luther works with friends to set up a prison break so that he can track down Robey.  With the police on his trail, Luther closes in on the killer.  Robey knows Luther is coming and has a plan to make Luther his next victim.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

It’s great to see Elba return to the character that made him famous.  I’d love to see more Luther movies.  There was talk that Elba would make a great 007.  The ending of Luther: Fallen Sun makes that unnecessary.

Kudos to Jamie Payne for his direction.  I look forward to seeing what Payne does next.

Luther: The Fallen Sun (2023) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“So Long Mr. Chumps” (1941) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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So Long Mr. Chumps (1941)

Director:  Jules White

Writer:  Clyde Bruckman, Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Vernon Dent, Bruce Bennett, Bud Jamison and Blackie Whiteford

Tagline: NUTTIER THAN EVER!

The Plot…

The boys find an envelope full of bonds and return the it to the rightful owner.  The grateful man offers our guys a $5,000 reward if they can find an honest man to run his business.  After repeated unsuccessful attempts, Larry, Curly and Moe realize that an honest man is being held in jail.  Our boys decide the best plan of action is to get arrested and then get the man out.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Bruce Bennett’s birth name was Herman Brix.  He was an Olympic athlete and actor under his given name.  He also played Tarzan in the movies.  Feeling he was typecast as Tarzan, Brix changed his name and went on to in both low budget features as well as major motion pictures such as Sahara with Bogart, Mildred Pierce with Joan Crawford, Dark Passage with Bogart and Bacall, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre with Bogart, Sudden Fear with Joan Crawford and Gloria Grahame and Strategic Air Command with Jimmy Stewart.

In the last scene Curly breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the audience.

Moe stops Curly from smoking a cigarette, Curly continues to pull out bigger and bigger smokes until he’s finally lighting up a cigar that’s a couple of feet long.

So Long Mr. Chumps (1941) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“No Dough Boys” (1944) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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No Dough Boys (1944)

Director:  Jules White

Writer:  Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Vernon Dent and Christine McIntyre

Tagline: You’ll Go Slap-Happy When the Stooges Go Jap-Happy!

The Plot…

The boys are dressed as Japanese soldiers for a photo shoot. Unfortunately for our guys there are reports that three Japanese soldiers on the loose in the city. While on a lunch break, Larry, Curly and Moe are mistaken for the real thing.  As they run for their lives, our guys end up ducking into an apartment that is a secret Nazi hideout.  The spy who runs things, Hugo (Dent) believes that our boys are the escaped Japanese soldiers… until he doesn’t.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Curly starts to light a cigarette when Moe points to a sign and asks Curly what it says.  Curly responds, “Hey, you! No Smoking!”  Moe: “Well?”  Curly: “It says you, not me. Nyuck, nyuck, nyuck.”

Curly later performs the invisible pipe gag (made famous by Laurel & Hardy in two films: Way Out West and Blockheads).

No Dough Boys (1944) rates 3 of 5 stars.