Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
How cool is this War for the Planet of the Apes poster by Eric (The Goon) Powell? It is available from Mondo as a limited edition print.
If you’re going to order one, I wouldn’t monkey around too long. My guess is that folks will go bananas over it.
Padraig Cotter and ScreenRant present 15 Movie Twists EVERYONE Missed The First Time Around! The article is well worth a read. It was hard choosing but here are three of my favorites…
11. BUTCH IS THE ONE WHO KEYED VINCENT’S CAR – PULP FICTION
For some reason that’s never really explained in Pulp Fiction, Vincent Vega has a big problem with Butch, with the two briefly squaring off while standing at the bar together. Even Butch seems confused by this, and the encounter does Vincent no favors when he later comes out of the bathroom in Butch’s apartment to find the boxer pointing a machine gun at him; it doesn’t end well John Travolta’s character.
It turns out that Butch got some revenge earlier in the story when Vincent complains that someone keyed his car while he was in the club. The movie doesn’t reveal who did this, but it’s not hard to conclude that it was Butch himself. This was just a fun fan theory for many years, with Quentin Tarantino later confirming during an interview that it was absolutely correct, and that he wanted viewers to make this connection for themselves instead of spelling it out for them.
1. VERBAL ACCIDENTALLY CONFESSED DURING THE INTERROGATION – THE USUAL SUSPECTS
The Usual Suspects is one of the most cleverly constructed thrillers ever, with a script that’s layered with clues and secrets. Watching it again always seems to reveal some little detail fans missed, like Verbal not being able to use a lighter during his interrogation because his hand isn’t steady, yet in flashback, he uses it to fire a gun.
There are lots of clues to Verbal’s real identity when you know what to look for, but the movie flat-out gives away the major twist halfway through; it’s just that no one ever catches it. During the interrogation, Kujan becomes angry with Verbal’s constant stalling, yelling and screaming at him.
Verbal starts stammering nervously under this barrage, accidentally sprouting “I did, I did kill Keaton!” before correcting himself. Since Kujan is shouting over him, the line is hard to catch, and it just sounds like gibberish.
14. CYPHER ALLOWS THE CALL TO BE TRACED IN THE OPENING SCENE – THE MATRIX
It’s no secret that the sequels to The Matrix weren’t well received back in 2003, but if anything, they made the iconic original look even better. The first film was the perfect combination of high concept sci-fi, pitch-perfect casting, stylish action, and quotable dialogue, and it reminded everyone that Keanu Reeves is a national treasure.
While Hugo Weaving’s Agent Smith is the villain everyone remembers, Joe Pantoliano’s Cypher also made an impression. He’s a rebel who grows disillusioned with the fight against the machines and makes a deal so he can return to The Matrix, leading him to murder part of the crew before they can put an end to his plan.
What some viewers probably don’t notice is his slippery nature right from the opening scene, where he talks with Trinity over the phone. Although it seems like an accident, Cypher’s allowing their call to be traced and leading the Agent’s straight to her door. It’s subtle nod for sure, but it’s one many fans may not have noticed.
I first learned about Kristian Rossi through a Kickstarter. Kristian was providing the art for a story written by Justin Ryan called Trespasser which looked pretty cool. I got on board for an autographed copy with a piece of custom art.
Kristian came through with a real winner. He nailed Carter’s look and attitude. I hope this won’t be my last piece from Kristian.
Zoe Delahunty-Light and Gamesradar.com present The Best Cult Movies You Should be Obsessed With. Here are three of my favorites…
22. Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)
The film: Plan 9 dips well below “so bad it’s good” and into “I can’t believe someone has made this on purpose”. The someone in this case being trash king and Burton muse Ed Wood. Plans one to eight having all failed, the alien invaders apparently skip straight to the one where they use plates on string to overcome the Earth.
Join the cult: Plan 9 was redeemed from oblivion when it was sold to TV stations and shown in the late movie slot to audiences who understood its special qualities. Now, it lives forever on the internet where you can download it free.
29. They Live (1988)
The film: Rowdy Roddy Piper finds a pair of sunglasses that show the world how it really is. That is, teeming with skull-face aliens and controlled by a hypnotising television broadcast. You could do a Marxist analysis on the consumer culture stuff, but really you’re in for the “chew bubblegum and kick ass” moment, right?
Join the cult: Everything you need to become an enlightened alien hunter is right there in your petrol station 24-hour market. Bubble gum, shades… actually, you’ll need to cast around a bit for the firearms.
19. The Warriors (1979)
The film: Gritty thriller about the leather-clad, face-painted gangs of New York. When street visionary Cyrus is gunned down The Warriors are blamed, and must escape from the Bronx to their Coney Island home, chased by hundreds of rival urchins.
Join the cult: Recreate every step of The Warriors’ midnight journey with a guide from a New York gang nostalgia site…
+++++
Just wondering… no Escape from New York? The Thing? Highlander?
MeTV presents 11 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT REALIZE ANDY GRIFFITH DID BEYOND ‘THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW’! Here are three of my favorites…
HE TAUGHT HIGH SCHOOL.
After graduating from the University of North Carolina, Griffith hopped from Chapel Hill to Goldsboro, North Carolina, where he taught drama at Goldsboro High School for a few years. Go Mighty Cougars!
HE PLAYED SHERIFF ANDY TAYLOR ON FOUR DIFFERENT TV SERIES.
Okay, we are going to spend a little time talking about Andy Taylor. The Sheriff pulled off the rare feat of appearing on four different shows — The Danny Thomas Show, The Andy Griffith Show, Mayberry R.F.D. and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
HE WAS NOMINATED FOR TWO TONY AWARDS FOR HIS WORK ON BROADWAY.
Griffith took to Broadway in 1955, starring in Ira Levin’s comedic drama No Time for Sergeants. Roddy McDowell, seen here hanging from his leg, played Griffith’s buddy. The Tony Awards honored Griffith with a nomination for Distinguished Supporting or Featured Dramatic Actor at the 1956 ceremony. He lost to Ed Begley. Four years later, he earned a nomination for Distinguished Musical Actor for his lead role in Destry Rides Again.
Baby Driver (2017)
Director: Edgar Wright
Screenplay: Edgar Wright
Stars: Ansel Elgort, Jon Bernthal, Jon Hamm, Eiza González, Lily James, Kevin Spacey and CJ Jones.
The Pitch: “Hey, Edgar Wright has this cool idea for a crime love story wrapped around a killer soundtrack!”
Tagline: All you need is one killer track.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Baby is a young getaway driver working off a debt to a crime boss. Baby has one more heist to drive and he’s out debt-free. Then Baby meets the girl of his dreams and things get complicated, not because of her but because preparation for the job goes sideways. People die and Baby finds himself on the run from his team and the cops.
Edgar Wright has created a cool, action-packed love story wrapped around bigger than life characters all moving through life to their own internal soundtrack. The more I think about Baby Driver the more I like it. Wright’s story is a fable or yarn that has all of the characters you’d want, played by people you’d cast. Yeah, Baby Driver deserves an “A”.
Rating:
He Walked by Night (1948)
Director: Alfred L. Werker (as Alfred Werker), Anthony Mann (uncredited)
Screenplay: Crane Wilbur and John C. Higgins with additional dialogue by Harry Essex
Stars: Richard Basehart, Scott Brady, Roy Roberts, Whit Bissell and Jack Webb
The Pitch: “Hey, let’s do a crime docu-drama”
Tagline: From the Homicide Files of the Los Angeles Police.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
When an off-duty cop stumbles onto a robbery, the thief, an intelligent cold-blooded killer (Basehart) guns him down. With no real leads, LA police Sgt. Marty Brennan (Brady) leads a unit to catch the killer. Told in a psuedo-documentary style.
Rating: 3 of 5 stars.
This amazing watercolor was created by Joshua Greathouse. When I saw that Greathouse was taking pre-show commissions for HeroesCon, I contacted him about a Get Carter piece. Man, did he nail it!
The funny thing is, when I picked up the art, Greathouse told me it was the second piece he’d ever done for me. I was sure it was the first. Greathouse went on to say he’d done a Rocky sketch for me at another show several years ago. That night I checked my online posted art and there was nothing by Greathouse. Of course I have many pieces that have not been scanned and posted yet. When I returned home I found the piece Greathouse was talking about. You won’t believe his growth as an artist. I’ll post the Rocky piece soon.
In the meantime, if you’re a sketch collector, check out Greathouse on the web. You can find him here and here.
Kill Me Three Times (2014)
Director: Kriv Stenders
Screenplay: James McFarland
Stars: Simon Pegg, Teresa Palmer, Alice Braga, Luke Hemsworth and Bryan Brown
The Pitch: “Hey, let’s do a crime comedy!”
Tagline: Once is never enough
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
When hitman Charlie Wolf (Pegg) fails to kill his target, he finds himself drawn into three interwoven cases of infidelity, revenge, blackmail and murders!
Rating:
A new tv series based on Dracula is in the work. Seems there has been a lot of grumbling from fans worried about the potential success of a new series based on the infamous Count…
…these concerns aren’t unjustified — Dracula-centered television shows are notoriously short-lived, and while there are a multitude of shows centered around the supernatural, there aren’t that many dedicated to the main vamp himself. NBC took a stab at it in 2013 with “Dracula,” a British-American horror drama… Though promising, the series only lasted one season.
Gabrielle Kiss and IndieWire came up with ‘Dracula’: 7 Things A Series About the World’s Most Famous Vampire Should Have. Here are the three that I think are most important…
5. Make Dracula a Bit Ruthless
Rumor has it that Dracula was based off of Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, better known as Vlad the Impaler. It’s said that Vlad Dracula (meaning son of the dragon, or son of the devil) would dip chunks of bread into buckets of blood drained from the people he killed, usually after he invited them to a feast and then immediately impaled them at the dinner table (he always finished his dinner afterwards, bodies and all, in case you were wondering). So it would be nice if that same sense of ruthlessness could be brought to the new adaptation of “Dracula.” There’s no rule that states you can’t be suave and merciless (just ask Klaus Mikaelson of “The Vampire Diaries” and “The Originals”). (I agree. Dracula didn’t become King of the Vampires and live as long as he did without being ruthless. He’s a vampire!)
6. Give Him a Sense of Humor
Speaking of “The Originals,” let’s bring in some of that dark humor and wit that makes characters like Klaus Mikaelson a baddie that we love to hate (but just can’t). That same natural charisma and use of offhanded sardonic remarks should be applied to our newest Dracula, because that’s what the audience connects to. It’s also what keeps people coming back for more, everyone needs a tension breaker once in awhile. (His sense of humor should arise from the fact that he’s amusing himself. Saying things and making jokes not for others but his own amusement. He believes himself to be above mere humans. So it will be very interesting when a human catches his innuendo and responds. Dracula will know he’s perhaps met his match.)
3. Tell the Original Story
While a lot of vampire stories have spawned from the original “Dracula,” there haven’t been nearly as many that actually tell Dracula’s story. Bring back characters like Jonathan Harker and Van Helsing! They don’t have to share the spotlight with Dracula, but they’re relatively new characters to the younger generation, and they would help inspire interesting plot points for the new show (something the previous “Dracula” series lacked). (While I go back on forth on the era – modern or 1890’s, I do believe that the original story, even if slightly modified should be the basis for the series.)
They Live by Night (1948)
Director: John Boorman
Screenplay: Charles Schnee and Nicholas Ray based on the novel by Edward Anderson
Stars: Cathy O’Donnell, Farley Granger and Howard Da Silva
The Pitch: “Hey, let’s do a crime love story about a young couple in a doomed relationship!”
Tagline: “We’re in a Jam!”
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
A young escaped convict who hopes to prove his innocence falls in love with a woman helping to hide and nurse him back to health. Persuaded to assist in a couple of robberies by the cons who helped him escape only draws more heat to catch them. When the young couple attempt to get away and start a new life, they find the cops closing in.
Rating:
Point Blank (1967)
Director: John Boorman
Screenplay: Alexander Jacobs and David Newhouse & Rafe Newhouse based on the Donald E. Westlake novel written as Richard Stark
Stars: Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, Keenan Wynn, Carroll O’Connor, Lloyd Bochner, John and James B. Sikking
The Pitch: “Hey, let’s get Lee Marvin to star in a crime movie!”
Tagline: There are two kinds of people in his up-tight world: his victims and his women. And sometimes you can’t tell them apart.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Walker (Marvin) is double crossed and left for dead after helping his friend steal money to pay off his friend’s mob debt. Walker recovers and vows to get revenge and his share of the money.
Rating:
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Screenplay: Stanley Kubrick & Michael Herr & Gustav Hasford from the novel by Gustav Hasford
Stars: Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey, Vincent D’Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey, Dorian Harewood, Kevyn Major Howard, Arliss Howard and Ed O’Ross.
The Pitch: “Hey, Kubrick wants to make a war movie!”
Tagline: One rifle, one gun. One for killing, one for fun.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Full Metal Jacket follows a bunch of young, raw recruits from boot camp to war in Viet Nam. One of Kurbrick’s best movies with special props to R. Lee Emey and Vincent D’Onfrio.
Rating:
Cat People (1942)
Director: Jacques Tourneur
Screenplay: DeWitt Bodeen
Stars: Simone Simon, Tom Conway, Kent Smith
The Pitch: “Hey, let’s make a sensual monster movie!”
Tagline: A Kiss Could Change Her Into a Monstrous Fang-and-Claw Killer!
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Kent Smith meets, falls in love and quickly marries Irena Dubrovna only to discover that Irena believes she is cursed to turn into a panther when her passions rise. I kid you not.
As with all reviews, your mileage may vary, but I think that most people will like Cat People better than me. I found it to be slow and silly (but not funny). Meow.
Rating:
Rob Hunter and Film School Rejects present 55 Things We Learned from The Rock Commentary with Michael Bay and Nicolas Cage. Here are three of my favorites…
20. Sean Connery suggested that Bay “needed to rehearse more and just slow down in the morning,” and the director took the advice.
33. Cage was concerned that he “looked like a little Japanese schoolboy” in his SCUBA gear while the other actors all looked cool. Bay admits to intentionally making him look ridiculous.
39. It took a while for Bay to convince both Cage and Connery to go underwater while flames blasted above the surface at the 1:22:40 mark, but both actors eventually agreed. There are safety divers immediately outside of frame during the sequence. “It was very frightening,” adds Cage. “And Sean wasn’t happy about it.”
