Category: Movies

The Girl on the Train (2016) / Z-View

Posted on by

The Girl on the Train (2016)

Director: Tate Taylor

Screenplay:  Erin Cressida Wilson based on the novel by Paula Hawkins

Stars: Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson, Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Allison Janney and Lisa Kudrowan.

The Pitch: “Let’s make a movie based on The Girl on the Train!”

Tagline: What you can see can hurt you.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

It’s rare for a movie to have as many unlikable characters as The Girl on the Train.  Get this, we have…

  • An alcoholic, out of work, ex-wife who rides a train daydreaming when she’s not showing up at her ex-husband’s house and scaring his wife.
  • An ex-husband who is cheating with every woman he can get his, uh, hands on.
  • A wife who gained her husband by cheating with him while he was still married.
  • A woman who is living with a man but is cheating on him with a married man.
  • An abusive man with a hair-trigger temper who is living with a woman.
  • A psychologist who is crossing the line with the sexual behavior of one of his clients.
  • Two detectives investigating a murder who seem to have no interest in solving it.

 There’s a murder.  Some red herrings are given.  What you see is not what you think you’re seeing.  The murder is solved.  One of those unlikable characters did it and gets his/her just reward.  The end.

Based on the best-selling book.

Rating:

Spook Busters (1946) / Z-View

Posted on by

Spook Busters (1946)

Director: William Beaudine

Screenplay: Edmond Seward and Tim Ryan

Stars: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Douglass Dumbrille and Bobby Jordan.

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s put the East Side Kids in with a mad scientist and an ape!”

Tagline: The Fun’s Getting FEAROCIOUS! MAD DOCTORS! HAUNTED HOUSES! GORILLAS!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The Bowery Boys find themselves in another creepy, old house with a mad scientist who kidnaps Satch [Hall] to place his brain in a monster ape!  Wha- what?

The boys start a pest exterminating business and find themselves in a haunted house with a mad scientist looking to put Satch‘s brain in a gorilla.  Guess he wants to dumb-down the monkey.  The usual hi-jinks ensue when the Boys set out to rescue Satch.

It is almost as if the writers put the screenplays for Spooks Run Wild and Ghosts Run Wild in a blender.

Rating:

Master Minds (1949) / Z-View

Posted on by

Master Minds (1949)

Director: Jean Yarbrough

Screenplay: Charles R. Marion and Bert Lawrence (additional dialogue)

Stars: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Garbriel Dell, Alan Napier and Glenn Strange.

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s put the East Side Kids in with a mad scientist and a monster!”

Tagline: THE CHILLS WILL ELECTRIFY YOU When The Bowery Boys Meet The Monster.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The Bowery Boys find themselves in another creepy, old house when a mad scientist kidnaps Satch [Hall] because of his extraordinary brain!  Wha- what?

When a bad tooth gives Satch the power to predict the future, Slip [Gorcey] puts him in a sideshow in order to make some fast cash.  Mad scientist, Dr. Druzik [Napier] sees first-hand Satch’s ability and decides that Satch’s brain would be perfect for a transplant into his monster [Strange].   The usual hi-jinks ensue when the Boys set out to rescue Satch.

Master Minds is a cut above the previously reviewed East End Kids/Bowery Boys movies!

Rating:

Ghosts on the Loose (1943) / Z-View

Posted on by

Ghosts on the Loose (1943)

Director: William Beaudine

Screenplay:  Kenneth Higgins

Stars: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bobby Jordan, Bela Lugosi and Ava Gardner.

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s put the East Side Kids in a creepy deserted mansion with a killer ghosts on the loose.”

Tagline: You’ll yell with glee when these happy-go-lucky hooligans invade the shivery domain of the Man of a Thousand Horrors! It’s Chill-arious!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The East Side Kids (who would later grow into The Bowery Boys) find themselves in another creepy, old house with strange things going on.  When the boys decide to surprise newlywed friends by fixing up their new house, they get confused on the address and end up in a haunted house.

If you’ve seen Spooks Run Wild you’re in for more of the same.  I expected more from a horror comedy with Bela Lugosi, a spooky old house, Ava Gardner and the East Side Kids.  Perhaps because I’ve seen the same gags done better with The Three Stooges and Abbott & Costello, my sights were set too high.

Rating:

Some Like It Hot (1959) / Z-View

Posted on by

Some Like It Hot (1959)

Director: Billy Wilder

Screenplay: Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond

Stars: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, George Raft, Pat O’Brien and Joe E. Brown.

The Pitch: “Hey, Billy Wilder has an idea for a Marilyn Monroe comedy with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon!”

Tagline: The movie too HOT for words!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When musicians Joe [Curtis] and Jerry [Lemmon] witness a gangland execution and are seen by the killers, they know their days are numbered.  The mob has placed a price on their heads and they have to get out of town.  So Joe becomes Josephine, Jerry becomes Daphne and they join an all girl band headed for Florida by train.

Things become even more complicated when Joe falls for Sugar [Monroe] and millionaire Osgood Fielding the third, goes ga-ga for Daphne.  The only way things could get worse is if the gangsters find them and guess what?  Yep.  The gangsters find them.

Monroe looks great. This is my favorite Jack Lemmon role.  You won’t be disappointed.

Rating:

Spooks Run Wild (1941) / Z-View

Posted on by

Spooks Run Wild (1941)

Director: Phil Rosen

Screenplay: Carl Foreman & Charles R. Marion …  Jack Henley (additional dialogue)

Stars: Bela Lugosi, Leo Gorcey, Bobby Jordan, Huntz Hall and Angelo Rossitto.

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s put the East Side Kids in a creepy deserted mansion with a killer on the loose.”

No Tagline

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The East Side Kids (who would later grow into The Bowery Boys) find themselves sent to a rural summer camp.  When the boys sneak out one night looking for some fun they find themselves in a creepy old house where the sinister looking Nardo (Lugosi) and his diminutive servant Luigi [Rossitto] live.  They will soon learn that a killer is on the loose and closer than they can imagine.

I expected more from a horror comedy with Bela Lugosi, a spooky old house and the East Side Kids.  Perhaps because I’ve seen the same gags done better with The Three Stooges and Abbott & Costello, my sights were set too high.

Rating:

George Romero, the NOTLD Restoration and His Thoughts on The Walking Dead, World War Z and More!

Posted on by

Yesterday The Hollywood Reporter posted Aaron Couch’s interview with George Romero.  Here’s a taste then click over and read the whole thing…

  • Night of the Living Dead is getting a restoration by the Museum of Modern Art and Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation, which brings it back to pristine condition!
  • When asked about the future of his Living Dead franchise, Romero said: “I think really Brad Pitt killed it. The Walking Dead and Brad Pitt just sort of killed it all. The remake of Dawn of the Dead made money. I think pretty big money. Then Zombieland made money, and then all of a sudden, along comes Brad Pitt and he spends $400 million or whatever the hell to do World War Z.”
  • Romero:  “It’s not about the gore, it’s not about the horror element that are in them. It’s more about the message, for me. That’s what it is, and I’m using this platform to be able to show my feelings of what I think.”

 

I’m looking forward to seeing the restored Night of the Living Dead.  I hope that the restoration doesn’t take away from the film’s horror.  If it is too clean looking it may feel more like a movie.

While I can see where Romero is coming from, I don’t think that the bigger budget zombie movies are a bad thing… as long as they’re done well.  ; )

All of the Universal Classic Monsters Ranked!

Posted on by

Spencer Perry and ComingSoon.net present All of the Universal Classic Monsters Ranked!

Some thoughts about Perry’s rankings…

  • I agree the Mummy movies are the weakest in the series.
  • While it’s hard to argue the greatness of Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, I sometimes feel that The Creature from the Black Lagoon should be #1.
  • It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized how good The Invisible Man is.
  • While I love the idea of The Wolf Man, the movies always fell a bit short for me.
  • I’d rank Dracula closer to #1 on the list.
  • I love that Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein made the top 10.

Tim Truman’s Scout Optioned for Theatrical Release!

Posted on by

I’m excited to report that Tim Truman’s creation Scout has been optioned by Studio 8 with Chris MacBride (The Conspiracy) set to write and direct.  Truman will serve as a creative consultant for the character he created, wrote and directed in a long-running comic series.

Scout is…

…an Apache ex-Army Ranger who, while on a personal/spiritual mission, investigates the disappearance of young women and in the process uncovers a far-reaching conspiracy involving local gangs, human slavers, oil companies and corrupt government officials.

Source: Deadline.com.

The 5 Greatest One Man Movies (3 That Aren’t Plus 3 That Should Be)

Posted on by

Danny Bowes and Film School Rejects present The 5 Greatest One Man Movies.   The idea is that… 

One Uniquely Talented Man is the only thing standing between paradise and the void.

No superheroes.  No James Bond.

Ok.  I agree with John Wick.  Lock Out is an excellent choice.  But the other three selections?

Really?

C’mon, man.

Here’s what should have been added in their place.

  • Enter the Dragon.  Sure, you’ve got John Saxon and Jim Kelly in addition to Bruce Lee, but Lee is the uniquely talented man sent in to get the goods on Han.  Saxon and Kelly are nice additions to Lee’s story but it is Lee’s story.
  • Escape from New York.  How was Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken not on the list???  No explanation needed for why he should have been.  Right?
  • Rambo, First Blood Part II, Rambo III, or Rambo.  Dealer’s choice or in this case writer’s choice but you HAVE to include Sylvester Stallone as Rambo on any Greatest One Man Movies list.