Category: Movies

RIP: Meat Loaf

Posted on by

Meat Loaf, born Marvin Lee Aday, but who later changed his name to Michael, has died at the age of 74.  No cause of death was announced.  Although best known for his record-breaking best selling album Bat Out of Hell, Meat Loaf was also an accomplished actor.  He appeared on Broadway, had notable roles in The Rocky Horror Picture Show,  Black Dog and Fight Club.  

Meat Loaf’s musical career started right after high school when his bands opened for acts such as Van Morrison, Janis Joplin and The Who.  For the next 50 plus years, Meat Loaf did what he loved best – entertaining.  He alternated between touring, putting out new music and acting.

In a time when disco was king, Bat Out of Hell became an international best seller.  It was an album that everyone knew about and most owned.  It was odd that this guy who appeared in The Rocky Horror Picture Show could sing.  And, boy, could he sing!  It was always a pleasure to see Meat Loaf pop up in television and film roles.  One of my favorites is The Salton Sea with Val Kilmer. 

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Michael Lee Aday’s family, friends and fans.

“The Tender Bar” (2021) / Z-View

Posted on by

The Tender Bar (2021)

Director: George Clooney

Screenplay:  William Monahan (based on the memoir by J.R. Moehringer)

Starring:  Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Daniel Ranieri, Lily Rabe, Christopher Lloyd, and Briana Middleton.

Tagline:  Publishing is heading towards memoir

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The Tender Bar is a coming of age story of a little boy named JR (no periods) being raised by his single mom and an assist from his cool Uncle who owns a bar.  Affleck plays the Uncle while Ranieri and Sheridan play the boy/man.  The movie is well cast and that helps keep interest up as the subplots come and go.  Will JR graduate high school?  Will he get into Yale?  Will he get a good job?  Will it work out with his love interest?  Will he become a writer?  Will he and his dad ever reconcile?

As I said, The Tender Bar is well cast.  Standouts include Affleck and Sheridan.  Rabe, Middleton and Max Martini as JR’s deadbeat dad aren’t given a lot to do but are very good.  The bar patrons are also fun even if they’re mainly there to order the next round.  “Back ’em up!”

The Tender Bar isn’t a great film, but it’s not a bad movie to watch with your better half.  I rate it 3 of 5 stars.

Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka / Z-View

Posted on by

Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka

Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams

First sentence…

Tokyo station is packed.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Bullet Train is an international best seller about five assassins on a Japanese bullet train trying to retrieve a mysterious suitcase before one of the others can get to it.  Descriptions of the book that compared it to a stylish modern day yakuza film directed by Quentin Tarantino got my interest.  When I learned that Bullet Train was being made into a action thriller directed by  David (John Wick franchise) Leitch starring Sandra Bullock, Brad Pitt and Zazie Beetz.  I was sold.

I went into Bullet Train with high expectations for a fast moving, exciting tale with interesting characters and action.  What I got was far from that.  The assassins are on the train.  They have names like The Prince, Tangerine and Lemon.  There’s a subplot about a hospitalized boy in danger.  Instead of action we get tons and tons of talk.  Some of the assassins (and the main psychopath) are school children.  Two that work together (Tangerine and Lemon) spend pages and pages talking about Thomas the Train.  The dialogue often seemed forced at best.

I seldom quit a book before finishing it.  I’m usually a pretty good judge of what I’ll like.  Bullet Train sounded like exactly the type of story I’d love.  Sadly it wasn’t.

Rating:

Heat 2 by Michael Mann & Meg Gardiner – Sequel/Prequel Novel to “Heat” – Info & Pre-Orders are Here!

Posted on by

That’s the cover to Michael Mann’s prequel/sequel novel to his crime classic film Heat.  Cowritten with Meg Gardiner, Heat 2 will be released on August 9, 2022.  Here’s the synopsis…

Michael Mann, four-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker and writer-director of Heat, Collateral, Thief, Manhunter, and Miami Vice, teams up with Edgar Award-winning author Meg Gardiner to deliver Mann’s first crime novel — an explosive return to the world and characters of his classic film Heat — an all-new story that illuminates what happened before and after the iconic film.

Described by Michael Mann as both a prequel and sequel to the renowned, critically acclaimed film of the same name, HEAT 2 covers the formative years of homicide detective Vincent Hanna (Oscar winner Al Pacino) and elite criminals Neil McCauley (Oscar winner Robert De Niro), Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer), and Nate (Oscar winner Jon Voight), and features the same extraordinary ambition, scope, rich characterizations, and attention to detail as the epic film.

This new story leads up to the events of the film and then moves beyond it, featuring new characters on both sides of the law, new high-line heists, and breathtakingly cinematic action sequences. Ranging from the streets of L.A. to the inner sancta of rival Taiwanese crime syndicates in Paraguay to a massive drug cartel money-laundering operation just over the border in Mexico, HEAT 2 illuminates the dangerous workings of international crime organizations and the agents who pursue them as it provides a full-blooded portrait of the men and women who inhabit both worlds. Operatic in scope, HEAT 2 is engrossing, moving, and tragic — a masterpiece of crime fiction from one of the most innovative and influential filmmakers in American cinema.

Pre-orders are available now!  Deal me in.

Rare “Apocalypse Now” Poster by Bob Peak!

Posted on by

The rare (and beautiful) Apocalypse Now poster by Bob Peak is being offered as a limited edition print from Mondo.  The fine folks at Mondo worked with Bob Peak’s son, Matthew, to create this print.

Fun fact: Bob Peak’s signature is backwards on the artwork. We asked Matthew if we should correct that for the screenprinted version and he said “No”, and that his dad would want people to know his preferred orientation of the work. We were happy to oblige.

“Last Looks” Starring Charlie Hunnam & Mel Gibson – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

Posted on by

We have the Last Looks poster and trailer.  Both look better than expected.  This will be a streaming view for me.

Charlie Waldo (Charlie Hunnam) is an ex-LAPD superstar who left the force and now lives a life of simplicity and solitude deep in the woods. Alistair Pinch (Mel Gibson) is an eccentric actor who spends his days drunk on the set of his TV show. When Pinch’s wife is found dead, he is the prime suspect and Waldo is convinced to come out of retirement to investigate what happened. The case finds Waldo contending with gangsters, Hollywood executives and pre-school teachers, all in pursuit of clearing Pinch’s name … or confirming his guilt. #LastLooks

IN THEATERS, ON DEMAND AND DIGITAL: February 4, 2022

CAST: Charlie Hunnam, Morena Baccarin, Lucy Fry, Dominic Monaghan, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Clancy Brown with Rupert Friend and Mel Gibson

“Catch the Fair One” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

Posted on by

Catch the Fair One is a crime story with a unique spin.  I like the simplicity of the poster and the looks of the trailer.  Premieres in select theaters and video on demand on February 11th.  Deal me in.

Director: Josef Kubota Wladyka
Starring: Kali Reis, Lisa Emery, Kimberly Guerrero, Kevin Dunn

A Native American boxer embarks on the fight of her life when she goes in search of her missing sister.

“Indemnity” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

Posted on by

I like the poster and trailer for Indemnity.  It premieres February 27th in select theaters and video on demand.  Deal me in.

A traumatized ex-firefighter in Cape Town wakes up next to his wife’s murdered corpse, with no recollection of what transpired. Labelled as the prime suspect, he goes on the run and is soon hunted by a notorious police chief, and an unknown third party. He must now fight for his life and find out who killed his wife, before a conspiracy changes the course of a nation forever.

Starring Jarrid Geduld, Gail Mabalane and Andre Jacobs
Written and directed by Travis Taute
Produced by Bradley Joshua and Benjamin Overmeyer

“The Godfather” 50th Anniversary Trailer for Special Theatrical Showing!

Posted on by

In honor of its 50th anniversary, one of the greatest movies of all-time, The Godfather is making a return to select theaters for a special showing.  Check out the trailer below.

In Select Theatres February 25 and on 4K Ultra HD and Digital March 22.

No movie changed Hollywood more than THE GODFATHER. From the bestselling novel by Mario Puzo to box-office blockbuster, its influential legacy endures to this day. Starring Marlon Brando in his Oscar®-winning performance as the patriarch of the Corleone family, this first installment in the three-movie saga paints a dramatic portrait of the Sicilian clan’s rise and near fall from power in America. Balanced between the Corleone’s commitment to family and the ugly crime business in which they are engaged, it features career-making performances by Al Pacino, James Caan, Talia Shire, Diane Keaton and Robert Duvall. This searing and brilliant masterpiece garnered ten Academy Award® nominations, and won three, including Best Picture.

Featuring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, John Cazale, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Sterling Hayden, Richard Conte, Talia Shire, Al Lettieri

Universal Monsters Trivia!

Posted on by

Mark Mancini at Mental Floss came up with 11 Facts About The Universal Monster Movies.  If you’re a fan of the Universal Monsters you probably know all eleven.  (Is there anyone who isn’t a Universal Monsters fan? Ah, but I digress.)  Before you click over, here are my top three and thoughts on each…

LON CHANEY JR. BECAME THE ONLY ACTOR IN THE FRANCHISE TO PLAY DRACULA, WOLF MAN, FRANKENSTEIN’S MONSTER, AND A MUMMY.  (Lon Chaney, Jr. is often considered one of the lessor actors to star in Universal Monster movies, yet he is the only actor to play the big four!  – Craig)

FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN ARGUABLY INVENTED THE IDEA OF A “CINEMATIC UNIVERSE.”  (What a genius idea! I can remember the excitement I had as a kid when one of the monster team-up movies was set to appear on Sammy Terry’s Nightmare Theater! – Craig)

BELA LUGOSI WAS BURIED IN HIS DRACULA CAPE.  (Dracula was the role that made Lugosi a star.  It’s interesting that Bela Lugosi only played Dracula twice (Dracula and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein)!

Al Hirschfeld, Sly Stallone and the Stars!

Posted on by

Earlier this week I watched The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story, a documentary on arguably the great world’s greatest caricaturist.  I wondered if Mr. Hirschfeld had ever drawn Sly Stallone.  As it turns out, Hirschfeld did at least twice.  Below are the images I found with Sylvester Stallone.  If you’d like to see more art, signed books, lithographs and more, click over to the Al Hirschfeld Foundation Shop.

Marlon Brando, Cybill Shepherd, Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Dolly Parton, Dustin Hoffman, Sally Field, Richard Pryor, Sean Connery and Gene Wilder.

Christie Brinkley, Billy Joel, Cher, Claus von Bülow, Don Johnson, John Irving, Hulk Hogan, Princess Diana, Sly Stallone,  Grace Jones, Ronald Reagan and Madonna. 1985

RIP: Sidney Poitier

Posted on by

Sidney Poitier, actor, director, and writer died last night at the age of 94. 

Mr. Poitier was the first Black to win an Academy Award for Best Actor.  In 1967, had a year most actors only dream about; he starred in three hits (To Sir, with Love; In the Heat of the Night and Guess Who is Coming to Dinner)!  In 1972 he directed his first feature film (Buck and the Preacher).  In 1977, after a career that saw him with over 40 acting and/or directing credits in 30 years, Sidney Poitier took a break that lasted eleven years!  When Sidney Poitier returned he alternated between acting in feature films and television movies. 

In 2001, Mr. Poitier retired from acting/directing.  He wrote a well-received memoir The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography.  In 2009, Mr. Poitier was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

My favorite Sidney Poitier film is In the Heat of the Night. It’s because the character he played was a calm man of intelligence and dignity… and he resonated “cool”.  Cool, not as in hip, but cool as in control of himself and every situation.  I was always impressed when I heard Sidney Poitier in interviews.  We’ve lost a legend.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sidney Poitier’s family, friends and fans.