Category: Movies

“One Night in Bangkok” (2020) / Z-View

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One Night in Bangkok (2020)

Directors:  Wych Kaosayananda

Writer: Wych Kaosayananda

Starring:  Mark Dacascos  and Vanida Golten.

Tagline:  Six Hours. Five Hits. Who will survive?

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

One Night in Bangkok is a reworking of the 2004 film, Collateral.  This time the city is Bangkok, Tom Cruise has been replaced by Mark Dacascos and Jamie Foxx by Vanida Golten.  The story is basically the same, a hitman hires a driver for the night.  The driver comes to understand that at each stop her passenger is killing people.  The reason for the hits has changed from Collateral to ONiB, but that’s just details.

The easiest way to describe One Night in Bangkok is to call it Collateral Lite.  Dacascos and Golten are so likeable, that it’s an easy ride. If you enjoy low budget action films where you don’t have too think to hard, then you should enjoy One Night in Bangkok.  I did and for that reason I rate it 3 of 5 stars.

“Rocky” by Liam Proniewicz!

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Liam Proniewicz created the poster for Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky series above.  I like how Proniewwicz took a classic image and made it his own.

Liam Proniewicz is a British artist/designer whose clients have included Netflix, Lionsgate, BBC and Sky.  Proniewicz’s website contains many examples of his work.  Fans will be happy to hear that there are also dozens of prints available.

“Project Power” (2020) / Z-View

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Project Power (2020)

Directors:  Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman

Writer:  Mattson Tomlin

Starring:  Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback, Rodrigo Santoro  and Courtney B. Vance.

Tagline:  What would you risk for 5 minutes of pure power?

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A dangerous new drug has hit the streets of New Orleans.  Those who risk taking it either suddenly die or gain five minutes of a superpower.  The power varies from person to person.  Because of this new drug, deaths and violent crime in New Orleans is escalating.

Frank (Gordon-Levitt) is street cop working with Robin (Fishback), a small-time high school-aged dealer in an effort to follow the drug’s pipeline to it’s source.  This brings them into contact with Art (Foxx) an ex-special forces commando with the same mission.  Frank and Robin find themselves working with Art, unaware that he has an ulterior motive.

I didn’t watch Project Power sooner, because of the terrible title and the synopsis sounded silly.  My mistake.  Project Power has a dumb title, but if you accept the premise, you’ll find a story that takes itself seriously.  That combined with good acting, great action and the right amount of humor makes for an awesome movie experience.  I absolutely loved Project Power and rate it 5 of 5 stars.

“The Night House” (2020) / Z-View

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The Night House (2020)

Director:  David Bruckner

Writer:  Ben Collins, Luke Piotrowski

Starring:  Rebecca Hall, Sarah Goldberg, Vondie Curtis-Hall and Evan Jonigkeit.

Tagline: The truth will surface.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Beth (Hall) is a grieving widow, with no idea why her husband, Owen (Jonigkeit) killed himself.  Alone in the house that they built on a remote lake, Beth begins to have strange dreams.  Going through Owen’s possessions she comes across books about demons, pictures of other women, and more.  Then Beth begins to hear strange sounds in the house and a voice claiming to be Owen.  Is Beth losing her mind or is Owen reaching out to her from beyond?  Or could it be something even worse?

The Night House is held together by the acting of Rebecca Hall.  She’s really good.  The problem I had with the movie is it didn’t seem to know what it wanted to be.  Is it the story of a grieving widow trying to hold on to her sanity?  Is it the tale of a widow who discovers her husband was a serial killer?  Is it a haunted house movie?  When all is said and done, more is said than done.  And for that reason I give The Night House 2 of 5 stars.    

“Mondocane” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Mondocane has a real art poster and the trailer ain’t bad either.  Mondocane is now on my radar.

US Release Date: June 28, 2022
Starring: Dennis Protopapa, Giuliano Soprano
Directed By: Alessandro Celli

In the not-too-distant future on Italy’s southern coast, the city of Taranto has become a toxic wasteland ruled by warring gangs and surrounded by barbed wire, where best friends Pietro (nicknamed Mondocane) and Cristian (nicknamed Pisspants) dream of escaping their hardscrabble existence for a better life in nearby New Taranto. Opportunity knocks when Hothead, the charismatic and dangerous leader of a local gang called the Ants, recruits the two boys and gives them everything they fantasized about: money in their pockets, a family, and a father figure. The friendship begins to splinter, though, as Cristian displays a surprising talent for mayhem and quickly rises through the ranks. With a new female friend pushing them further apart, an obsessed cop hounding the gang, and Hothead becoming increasingly unhinged, the boys barrel toward a confrontation that will determine if their bond is strong enough to survive. Recalling everything from Mad Max to Lord of the Flies, from Oliver Twist to Waterworld, director Alessandro Celli’s thrilling feature debut is a stylish post-apocalyptic vision and an inspiring testament to the power of friendship in an unjust world.

“All the Old Knives” (2022) / Z-View

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All the Old Knives (2022)

Director:  Janus Metz

Writer:  Olen Steinhauer based on his book

Starring:  Chris Pine, Thandiwe Newton, Laurence Fishburne and  Jonathan Pryce.

Tagline:  None

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Eight years ago terrorists hijacked an airplane with over 200 men, women and children aboard.  A C.I.A. team came together to create a plan to save the passengers.  As negotiations with the terrorists continued it appeared that they were getting information from a mole within the C.I.A. team.  The terrorists ended up killing everyone on board the plane including themselves.

Now, new information has surfaced that there was indeed a mole feeding the terrorists intel.  Henry Pelham (Pine), a CIA operative and member of the original team is sent to interview the others to determine the mole.  He is then to terminate the traitor.  Complicating matters is that one of the main suspects is the woman (Newton) he loved and who suddenly left him after the plane tragedy.

All the Old Knives introduces the suspects while taking us through their roles in attempting to thwart the terrorists.  This allows us to try to determine the mole along with Pelham.  I’m proud to say I figured out the mole’s identity but then there was a twist which made the movie even better.   All the Old Knives rates 4 of 5 stars.

“The Last Victim” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The Last Victim looks like a winner.  Deal me in.

The Last Victim follows a group of modern-day outlaws (led by Ineson), pursued by an aging sheriff (Perlman), who deal with the fallout of a crime gone wrong in the harsh landscape of the American Southwest. When a young professor (Larter) and her husband cross paths with the gang, they are drawn into a chain of vengeance where morality is ambiguous and survival is the only priority. DECAL will release The Last Victim in theaters and on VOD on May 13th.

“The Northman” – The Poster and 2nd Trailer are Here!

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The Northman is getting a ton of positive buzz and from the looks of the trailer, the buzz is well deserved.  I’m moving The Northman to my movies to watch list.

From visionary director Robert Eggers comes THE NORTHMAN, an action-filled epic that follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father’s murder. With an all-star cast that includes Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe.

Only in theaters April 22nd.

“The Takedown” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Despite the generic poster, The Takedown looks like a fun ride.  Since it is on Netflix, it’s a no-brainer to check it out.

Ousmane Diakité (Omar Sy) and François Monge (Laurent Lafitte) are two cops with very different styles, backgrounds and careers. The unlikely pair are reunited once again for a new investigation that takes them across France. What seemed to be a simple drug deal turns out to be a high scale criminal case wrapped in danger and unexpected comedy.

Watch The Takedown, only on Netflix May 6

“The Bolt Connection” – Animated Robot Noir Short!

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The Bolt Connection features stylish animation with a futuristic, noir feel.  Bravo!

After a heist that goes wrong, a frail robot who was the driver of a robot mafia ends up being in possession of some loot he shouldn’t have, a human heart. Tempted by the opportunity of being like his bosses, he grafts the heart to himself and discovers the feeling of being alive. But those brief instants of life have a price.

It is a CGI animation film made by six students of Supinfocom Valenciennes in France during their Graduation Year. The Directors are Nicolas Lebas, Mathilde Dourdy, Maurine Lecerf, Shih-Hui Pan, Claire Cartier and Thibault Grunenberger. It’s a violent film largely inspired by Film Noir and Gangster movies.

Source: GeekTyrant.

“Frank & Penelope” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Frank & Penelope may not be for everyone.  Heck, it may not be for me, but I like the poster’s design and the trailer looks like drive-in fun.  Who doesn’t like a good crime/horror mashup.  The question is: Will Frank & Penelope be good?

I’ll let you know.

While on the run from the law, Frank and his stripper girlfriend Penelope come upon a small motel and diner and decide to rest for the night. The next day, after robbing the diner, they become immersed in a hellish nightmare when the proprietor — a psychotic, cannibalistic Bible-thumper with a sadistic family — take them on a life and death journey, where escape is just a heart-pounding breath away.

CAST: Kevin Dillon, Billy Budinich, Caylee Cowan, Sean Patrick Flanery, Donna D’Errico, Johnathon Schaech, Sonya Eddy, Lin Shaye

DIRECTOR: Sean Patrick Flanery

“Find Her” – Written, directed and starring Nick McCallum – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I like the poster and trailer for Find Her.  Deal me in.

When an ex-cop arrives in a small town searching for answers to a murdered ranch owner and his missing daughter, it slowly becomes clear he has his own personal agenda to finding the truth.

Written, directed and starring Nick McCallum.  Also starring Richard Gunn, Anais Lilit, Stelio Savante and John James.