Here’s a cool International poster for Nighthawks starring Sylvester Stallone, Rutger Hauer. and Billy Dee Williams. Lindsay Wagner, Persis Khambatta and Joe Spinell also are featured. Nighthawks was Rutger Hauer’s first US film.
If you haven’t seen Nighthawks you should consider giving it a view, it is more than worth your time. You’ll find Nighthawks was ahead of the curve in regard to terrorism on US soil (I remember some folks saying it would never happen here) and buddy cop movies. Click on the photo to see a bigger version of the poster.
One of my favorite movies (it gets my highest recommendation) is The Big Heat. Released the year I was born (1958), The Big Heat was directed by Fritz Lang and starred Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, Jocelyn Brando, Alexander Scourby and Lee Marvin.
I probably watch The Big Heat at least once a year. TCM was showing it the other night. I was checking out Twitter when the drawing above came into view. Yes! Patrick Zircher aka Patch must have been watching! How cool is Patch’s take on Glenn Ford as Dave Bannion? Too cool not to share!
Patch is pretty active on Twitter. His posts are thoughtful and his art is wonderful. Often we get both in a single helping.
Mark Mancini at Mental Floss came up with 13 Facts About Boris Karloff and they’re worth a look. Before you click over, here are my three favorite…
BORIS KARLOFF WAS IN THE ORIGINAL SCARFACE. (When we think of Karloff, we think of horror movies, but he played in all types of movies. It is strange seeing him show up in Scarface though. – Craig)
VAL LEWTON’S HORROR MOVIES WERE A BREATH OF FRESH AIR FOR BORIS KARLOFF. (Karloff loved acting and felt that the roles that Lewton provided allowed his to showcase his talents. I like that Karloff gave credit to Lewton for the opportunities. – Craig)
BORIS KARLOFF POKED FUN AT HIS OWN CAREER IN THE HIT PLAY ARSENIC & OLD LACE. (I love this bit of trivia. Karloff played the role on Broadway, but due to his lack of experience had to be convinced. I’ll let Mark Mancini take it from there —
“You have just murdered a man,” (Producer) Crouse said (to Karloff), setting the scene. “[And] when questioned about it, you say ‘I killed him because he said I looked like Boris Karloff.’” Karloff loved the idea of ribbing himself on stage and took the part.
I love that Boris Karloff had a sense of humor. Can you imagine the audience’s reaction when he said that line? It’s too bad that Boris Karloff was unable to play the role when Arsenic and Old Lace was turned into a feature film (no discredit to Raymond Massey intended).
I’m not sure what to make of this one. Is the poster a nod to Breaking Bad? At first glance Digging to Death appears to be a comedy. Watching the trailer I still wonder… is it a comedy? a psychological thriller? Even with all that said, I’m interested in checking out Digging to Death.
David Van Owen moves into a mysterious house and discovers a box buried in his backyard, filled with 3 million dollars and a fresh corpse. David hides the money in the house, only to be stalked by the buried body. Directed By: Michael P. Blevins Cast: Richard Riehle, Ken Hudson Campbell, Rachel Alig, Ford Austin, Clint Jung, Tom Fitzpatrick, Michael P. Blevins, Debbie DeLisi, Bryan Dodds, Sumeet Dang
This rarely seen Bernie Wrightson riff on The Creature from the Black Lagoon is one of my favorite Wrightson and Creature drawings. Thanks to the Estate of Bernie Wrightson for sharing it.
When I was a kid, Equal Standard would have been advertised as “Ripped from the Headlines”. I like the poster and trailer for Equal Standard, but wish that they hadn’t shown us one of scenes in the trailer because it looks to be a big spoiler. Oh, and the tagline, It’s never as simple as black and white, is a good one.
New York City police officers lives collide in interweaving stories of race, rank, loss, and betrayal.
Death in Texas hits my sweet spot. The poster ain’t bad, but that trailer pulled me in. Ronnie Gene Blevins, Lara Flynn Boyle, Bruce Dern and Stephen Lang and look to deliver the goods. Deal me in for this crime flick.
Billy Walker is finally let out of prison after serving a seven-year sentence for manslaughter, only to find out that the only person who stuck by him during the entire ordeal, his mother, is now dying of liver failure. After visiting her doctor, Billy learns that he must break a few more laws in order to get his mother to the top of the transplant list in order to save her life.
Starring: Ronnie Gene Blevins, Lara Flynn Boyle, Bruce Dern, Stephen Lang
Director: Scott Windhauser
Wow! The Protege has a lot going for it. The poster works (I didn’t see the Maggie Q image the first couple of looks at it), and the trailer makes me want to see more., Martin Campbell knows how to direct action and the three leads, Michael Keaton, Maggie Q. and Samuel L. Jackson put butts in seats. I think The Protege is going to be a winner.
On a side note, I like Michael Keaton better as a bad guy and why don’t we see Maggie Q. in more stuff?
Rescued as a child by the legendary assassin Moody (Samuel L. Jackson) and trained in the family business, Anna (Maggie Q) is the world’s most skilled contract killer. But when Moody – the man who was like a father to her and taught her everything she needs to know about trust and survival – is brutally killed, Anna vows revenge. As she becomes entangled with an enigmatic killer (Michael Keaton) whose attraction to her goes way beyond cat and mouse, their confrontation turns deadly and the loose ends of a life spent killing will weave themselves even tighter.
Directed by Martin Campbell and written by Richard Wenk, the film is produced by Arthur Sarkissian, Moshe Diamant, Rob Van Norden, Yariv Lerner, and Chris Milburn.
Lionsgate and Millennium Media present, a Millennium Media / Fourteen Films / I Road production, in association with Campbell Grobman Films / Ingenious Media.
Norman Lloyd, actor, director and producer with a career that spanned over 70 years, died yesterday in his sleep at the age of 106.
Mr, Lloyd began his career as a spy in Alfred Hitchcock’s Saboteur. He acted in Charlie Chaplin’s classic Limelight. Throughout his career Norman Lloyd alternated between acting in feature films and television, directing and producing.
In addition to Saboteur and Limelight, some of my other favorite Norman Lloyd roles could be found on Alfred Hitchcock Presents, St. Elsewhere, and Wiseguy. In addition Mr. Lloyd could be found acting in Night Gallery, Audrey Rose, Kojak, Dead Poets Society, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Modern Family just to give you an idea of the range he played. What a career. What a life!
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Norman Lloyd’s family, friends and fans.
I was the perfect age to enjoy The Monkees. They already had a #1 single (Last Train to Clarksville) when their series premiered in September 1966. I was a month away from turning 8. The Monkees were instant stars. In 1967, The Monkees sold more records than The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined.
Little did fans know that behind the scenes there was turmoil. The Monkees had some of the best song writers (Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart, Neil Diamond, Carole King to name a few) and studio musicians (Glen Campbell!) playing on their songs, but The Monkees weren’t allowed creative control or even allowed to play instruments for their records. They were told what to sing, and when to sing. Of course this didn’t sit well with them. Tensions grew after The Monkees went on a sold out tour where they did sing and play their own instruments.
Despite a popular television show, a feature film, and three number one albums in a row things were about to come off the rails.
The Monkees: Behind the Music is an extremely well done short documentary that looks at the rise and fall of The Monkees. It’s interesting to note the number of comebacks the group has made over the years with different combinations of Davy, Mickey, Mike and Peter… as well as one outing with Davy, Mickey and song writers Boyce & Hart (who wrote some of the Monkees’ biggest hits).
The Monkees (Mickey and Mike, Davy died in 2012, and Peter passed in 2019) are doing a farewell tour that starts in September 2021, runs for over 30 performances and concludes on November 14th. I just might have to see them live. I know that would thrill the 7 year old in me.
Candra Hope is a Scottish artist who created the Snake Plissken piece above. She not only captured Kurt Russell’s likeness, but also I love how she turned his cigarette smoke into a snake. You can check out more of Candra’s art on Twitter. Candra also sells prints of her art here.
