Category: Movies

The Twilight Zone: “It’s a Good Life” Trivia

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The Twilight Zone is one of my all-time favorite shows.  Some of the original TZ episodes rate with the best television has ever had to offer.  One of the most popular Twilight Zone episodes is “It’s a Good Life” which starred Billy Mummy as a little boy who could read minds and would destroy anyone or anything that displeased him.

MeTV posted 9 Little Details You Never Noticed in the Twilight Zone Episode ”It’s a Good Life”.  I was surprised by some of the facts listed.  Here are three and my thoughts on each before you click over.

It has the longest opening narrative in Twilight Zone history.  (Serling’s intro clocks in at 2 minutes which doesn’t sound like much, but when you consider that is 10% of the episode’s running time, it is quite a bit.  Still I wouldn’t change a word. – Craig)

They made a sequel in 2003. (The sequel appeared on the rebooted Twilight Zone tv series.  Both Billy Mummy and Cloris Leachman, as his mother, returned to reprise their roles.  I had no idea that there was a sequel!  I need to find and watch it. – Craig)

Rod Serling was working on a feature film adaptation when he died. (Sadly, Rod Serling died at such a young age.  I wonder if there is a surviving script?  It would be cool to at least know how he planned to handle the story for a feature length film. – Craig)

“Spiral: From the Book of Saw” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I like both the poster and trailer for Spiral: From the Book of Saw.  The trailer is especially good.  I like the cast led by Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson.  I really liked the first Saw movie, but hardly remember those that followed it.  Perhaps Spiral will raise the bar.

A criminal mastermind unleashes a twisted form of justice in Spiral, the terrifying new chapter from the book of Saw. Working in the shadow of his father, an esteemed police veteran (Samuel L. Jackson), brash Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks (Chris Rock) and his rookie partner (Max Minghella) take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city’s gruesome past. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer’s morbid game.

Spiral stars Chris Rock, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols, and Samuel L. Jackson, and is produced by the original Saw team of Mark Burg and Oren Koules. The film is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Josh Stolberg & Pete Goldfinger.

A Lionsgate release, Twisted Pictures presents, a Burg/Koules production.

“Wrath of Man” Directed by Guy Ritchie & Starring Jason Statham – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The Wrath of Man poster and trailer are here.  I’m disappointed in the poster.  For me, it doesn’t give the feel of the film.  Ah, but the trailer, I do love it.  Guy Ritchie directs a great cast that includes Jason Statham, Holt McCallany (we need to see more roles for this guy!) and Josh Harnett.

Deal me in.

Jason Statham and director Guy Ritchie are back in action. Watch the WRATH OF MAN trailer now and see it in theaters on MAY 7.

A mysterious and wild-eyed new cash truck security guard (Jason Statham) surprises his coworkers during a heist in which he unexpectedly unleashes precision skills. The crew is left wondering who he is and where he came from. Soon, the marksman’s ultimate motive becomes clear as he takes dramatic and irrevocable steps to settle a score.

Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Screenplay by: Guy Ritchie and Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies
Cast: Jason Statham, Holt McCallany, Jeffrey Donovan, Josh Hartnett, Laz Alonzo, Raúl Castillo, Deobia Oparei with Eddie Marsan and Scott Eastwood

RIP: Jessica Walter

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Jessica Walter, star of stage, television and movie screen for over 60 years died in her sleep on March 24th at the age of 80.  No cause of death was given.

I probably saw Jessica Walters for the first time in the premiere episode of Flipper.  I would have been five.  After that she appeared with regularity, guesting on many shows that I enjoyed: The Fugitive, The FBI, The Name of the Game, Mannix, The Immortal, Love American Style, Mission Impossible, Alias Smith & Jones and Medical Center — and those are just the shows I regularly watched, she appeared in many others.

Then in 1971, Jessica Walter appeared in the role that always comes first when I think of her.  She played Evelyn Draper, the psycho woman who becomes obsessed with Clint Eastwood in Play Misty for Me.  That role and that movie was well ahead of it’s time.  There’s a scene (and if you’ve seen the movie or the poster you know the one) where Walter literally caused me to yell out loud.  Thankfully, we were at the drive-in with just my family.  Walter was nominated for a  Best Actress Golden Globe for her performance.

Had Mrs. Walter’s only role been that in Play Misty For Me, it would have still warranted notice here.  After Play Misty For Me, Jessica Walter continued to alternate between television, feature films and stage roles always making everything she was in better for her being there.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jessica Walter’s family, friends and fans.

“Separation” – The Creepy Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I like the poster and trailer to Separation.  Both do what they should – creep us out and make us want to see the movie!

8-year-old Jenny (Violet McGraw) is constantly caught in the middle of the feuding between her lawyer mother Maggie (Mamie Gummer) and artist father Jeff (Rupert Friend). She leads a lonely but imaginative life, surrounded by puppets called “Grisly Kin”, which are based on the works of her father. When Maggie is tragically killed in a hit-and-run, Jeff and Jenny try to piece together a new life. But when Maggie’s father (Brian Cox) sues for custody, and babysitter Samantha (Madeline Brewer) tries to be the new woman of the house, life in their Brooklyn townhome takes a dark turn. The puppets and frightening characters come to life and Jenny is the only person who can see them. When the motives of the ghoulish creatures become clear, the lives of everyone are put very much in jeopardy.

“Killer Among Us” – The Trailer is Here!

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Killer Among Us looks pretty good.  I want to see more.

After her 4th of July shift ends, Officer Alisha Parks, an idealistic rookie commonly ostracized by her male peers, witnesses a drug-addicted teenager named Ricki being forced into a car by a strange man. She brings the abduction to her superiors who ignore it as just another situation involving a junkie.  But Alisha persists and investigates off duty, eventually enrolling the department’s best, albeit wearily hardened Detective Corbucci to aid in the case. Together they uncover that this wasn’t a lone incident, and that the suspect they’re after is in fact a disturbingly indoctrinated, methodical serial killer. Alisha and Corbucci must race against time in order to save this otherwise “forgotten” woman before it’s too late.

Starring: Yasha Jackson, Imani Lewis, Bruce MacVittie
Directed by: Charlie Scharfman

“The Virtuoso” Poster and Trailer are Here – Starring Anson Mount, Abbie Cornish, Anthony Hopkins & David Morse!

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The Virtuoso poster and trailer are here.  The poster is average, but the trailer looks good.  Anthony Hopkins always does great work.  I’m also happy to see David Morse in the cast — he makes everything better.

Danger, deception, and murder descend upon a sleepy country town when a professional assassin (Anson Mount) accepts a new assignment from his enigmatic mentor and boss (Oscar® winner Anthony Hopkins). Given only where and when along with a cryptic clue, the methodical hit man must identify his mysterious mark from among several possible targets, including a local sheriff (David Morse). Meanwhile, a chance encounter with an alluring woman (Abbie Cornish) at the town’s rustic diner threatens to derail his mission in this noir-style cloak-and-dagger thriller.

“Stowaway” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I like the poster and really like the trailer to Stowaway.  I plan to watch this once it becomes available!

On a mission headed to Mars, an unintended stowaway accidentally causes severe damage to the spaceship’s life support systems. Facing dwindling resources and a potentially fatal outcome, the crew is forced to make an impossible decision. Directed by Joe Penna and starring Anna Kendrick, Daniel Dae Kim, Shamier Anderson and Toni Collette. Coming to Netflix April 22nd.

George C. Romero’s “The Rise” – A “Night of the Living Dead” Prologue

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 George C. Romero (George Romero’s son) is teaming with Diego Yapur (pencils/inks) and DC Alonso (colors) to bring us a comic book prequel to his father’s classic Night of the Living Dead.  The new series will be published by Heavy Metal.  Romero said this about working with Heavy Metal:

“With regard to the comic, I think it’s safe to say that working with Heavy Metal has given me the unprecedented pleasure of not only staying true to my original intentions for the story, but has also given me the freedom to explore the universe and the time period in a much more detailed way than a feature film script ever could.”

I’ll definitely want to check this series out.  Syfy.com has a four page preview and short interview with Romero in their post GEORGE C. ROMERO RESURRECTS ‘NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD’ WITH NEW PROLOGUE COMIC ‘THE RISE’.