Category: Movies

Night Monster (1942) / Z-View

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Night Monster (1942)

Director: Ford Beebe

Screenplay: Clarence Upson Young

Stars: Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Leif Erickson and Irene Hervey.

The Pitch: “How can we go wrong with people stranded in an old, creepy house with mysterious murders?”

Tagline: “NIGHT MONSTER with Mystery’s Greatest Thrill Team: Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill.”

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Dr. King [Atwill] gets three doctors out to his secluded, remote mansion under false pretenses.  King has been left paralyzed and blames the doctors he invited.  Dr. Lynn Harper  [Hervey] is also there but for another reason.  When one-by-one doctors begin turning up strangled, Harper and her new friend, Don, must figure out who is doing the killing and how they’re able to do it before they become the next victims.

Craig says: This one just didn’t work well for me.  Low on humor, suspense and when all is said and done, not that convincing of a killer aka Night Monster.  It was fun seeing Leif Erickson at such a young age.  It seemed to me that Bela was there just to throw suspicion his way.  I may be in the minority on this one…

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Step Brothers (2008) / Z-View

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Step Brothers (2008)

Director: Adam McKay

Screenplay: Will Ferrell & Adam McKay from a story created by Will Ferrell & Adam McKay & John C. Reilly.

Stars: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Mary Steenburgen, Richard Jenkins, Adam Scott, and Kathryn Hahn.

The Pitch: “What if Ricky Bobby and Cal Naughton, Jr. were middle-aged losers who didn’t race and were forced to become stepbrothers?”

Tagline: “They grow up so fast.”

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When Brennan Huff’s [Farrell] mom [Steenburgen] marries Dale Doback’s [Reilly] dad [Jenkins] the two boys become stepbrothers and are forced to share a room.  Of course the “boys” are actually middle-aged men who have never been forced to grow up.  That all is about to change…

Craig says:  Ferrell and Reilly are spot on.  If you go with the set-up and you don’t mind that it is Rated R for crude and sexual content, and pervasive language then you’re in for a fun ride.

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Aurora’s Monster Scenes Scandal!

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When I was growing up most boys went through a model building phase.  Some kids liked cars others planes or ships, but I was always a fan of comic, movie, tv characters and monster models.

Aurora was the main company producing the model kits and in an effort to promote their product Aurora would hold…

…contests for custom kits, highlighting winners in monster magazines. By the 1960s, they had started noticing that a lot of submissions revolved around expansive, morbid scenarios: a mad scientist’s laboratory, or an execution motif. To Aurora, it was a clear indication that their consumers wanted context for their models… They began developing a line dubbed Monster Scenes. Using generic characters like the Victim, designers concocted elaborate scenarios that put the unfortunate captives in mortal peril.

What followed was a series of missteps…

  • Models featuring torture scenes
  • A Vampirella model that shipped unpainted and appeared nude
  • Labeling each box “Rated X for Excitement!”
  • and more

The model kits began shipping in 1971 and were an instant hit with kids, but parents and activist groups were up in arms even leading to a California law prohibiting the sale of torture toys.

If you’ve read this far you might want to check out Jake Rossen’s Nabisco’s X-Rated Toy Scandal of 1971 at Mental_Floss which provides a more in-depth look.

 

Heist (2015) / Z-View

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Heist (2015)

Director: Scott Mann

Screenplay: Stephen C. Sepher

Stars: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Robert De Niro, Gina Carano, Dave Bautista, Kate Bosworth, Morris Chestnut and D.B. Sweeney. 

The Pitch: “Oceans 11 meets Speed.”
Tagline: “Never make a bet you can’t afford to lose.”

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Vaughn [Morgan] is a dealer in his old crime partner’s casino.  They separated ways when Vaughn went straight.  Now his old buddy [Deniro] is an infamous gangster known as The Pope.

When The Pope refuses to loan Vaughn enough money for a life-saving treatment for Vaughn’s daughter, Vaughn risks it all by joining in on a robbery of The Pope’s casino.  Things go from bad to worse when Vaughn and crew find themselves trapped on a bus with The Pope’s crew and the cops hot on their trail.

Craig says:  Excellent cast in a throwback action movie with a couple of nice twists.

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Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) / Z-View

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Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933)

Director: Michael Curtiz

Screenplay: Don Mullaly & Carl Erickson from a story by Charles Belden

Stars: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray and Glenda Farrell

The Pitch: “If you liked Dr. X…”

Tagline: “Another Lovely Woman Vanished from the Earth!…Another Beauty Molded to His Desire!”

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Sculptor Ivan Igor [Atwill] was nearly burned to death when an arsonist destroyed his London wax museum years earlier.  Now living in New York, Igor is ready to open a new wax museum.  Although badly burned and confined to a wheelchair Igor has trained his apprentices to create masterpieces close to his abilities before the fire.

When a spunky reporter notices how much one of Igor’s wax statues looks like a missing model, she decides to sneak back into the museum and see what gives.

If you liked Dr. X, then you should enjoy Mystery at the Museum since it is almost the same movie made with the same director and stars.

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Star Trek Beyond (2016) / Z-View

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Star Trek Beyond (2016)

Director: Justin Lin

Screenplay: Simon Pegg & Doug Jung based on the Star Trek television series created by Gene Roddenberry 

Stars: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba and Sofia Boutella.

The Pitch: “It’s time for a new Star Trek movie!”

No Tagline

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The Enterprise crew is ready for a little well-earned R& R when they are chosen to respond to an SOS.  The SOS turns out to be a terrible trap.  The Enterprise is destroyed.  Kirk and crew (those that are left alive) find themselves separated and stranded the planet of those that attacked them.

Their mission now becomes a way to get back to Federation territory to warn of the coming invasion, to stop the coming invasion or both… but first they will have to survive.

Of the new Star Trek films I rate this the second best.  I loved the new Jaylah character, was extremely happen with the expansion of McCoy’s [Urban’s] role and was impressed with the new and unique way the attacking aliens boarded the Enterprise.

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Doctor X (1932) / Z-View

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Doctor X (1932)

Director: Michael Curtiz

Screenplay: Robert Tasker & Earl Baldwin based on a play by  Howard Warren Comstock & Allen C. Miller

Stars: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray and Lee Tracy

The Pitch: “How about a horror-comedy set in a creepy mansion?”

Tagline: “Mightier than words can describe!”

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A sadistic cannibalistic murderer known as The Moon Killer has been busy earning his name.  When the trail leads to Dr. X [Atwill], the cops give him 48 hours to figure which of the scientists working at creepy mansion is the killer.  Wisecracking reporter Lee Taylor [Tracy] sneaks into the mansion and is soon part of the story.

Dr. X is one of the few films shot in two-strip Technicolor which registers colors in only shades of red and green. [Check out Nitrate Diva’s review to learn more about the process and Dr. X.]  This process along with the sets really give the film a unique feel and adds to the atmosphere.

If you like your horror with a bit of comedy, hidden rooms, panels that open to reveal eyes watching or hands reaching to strangle, then Dr. X is for you!

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Blood Ties (2013) / Z-View

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Blood Ties (2013)

Director: Guillaume Canet

Screenplay: Guillaume Canet & James Gray 

Stars: Clive Owen, Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup,  Mila Kunis, Zoe Saldana, James Caan and Noah Emmerich.

The Pitch: “How about a gritty crime movie set in the 70’s — one brother’s a cop and the other is an ex-con?”

Tagline: “Crime runs in the family.”

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Chris (Owen) is a recently released ex-con who’d been in for murder.  Frank (Crudup), his brother is a New York City detective who places his job on the line to help Chris make a new start.

Chris gives it a go, but soon enough circumstances have him involved in crimes that will place him at odds with his brother (who has another man out to kill him).

An excellent cast in a gritty crime story set in the 1970’s.  What’s not to like?

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Cloverfield (2008) / Z-View

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Cloverfield (2008)

Director: Matt Reeves

Screenplay: Drew Goddard

Stars:  Mike Vogel, Jessica Lucas, Lizzy Caplan and Theo Rossi.

The Pitch: “Blair Witch in the City with Monsters!”

Tagline: “Some Thing Has Found Us”

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

An explosion in the city that isn’t too far away interrupts a going-away party.  When the guests go outside to investigate it becomes clear that there are monsters in the city.  Five friends from the party join together in an effort to survive.

I first saw Cloverfield in a theater in 2008.  As my review here shows I left the theater disappointed.  I hated the shaky camera work and the fact that you never got a clear view of the monster(s).

I recently watched Cloverfield at home.  I liked it much better.  The shaky camera work didn’t bother me as much and the smaller screen made the monster’s appearances clearer.  It also didn’t seem to take as long to get to the action.  I’m revising me rating to…

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The Lineup (1958) / Z-View

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The Lineup (1958)

Director: Don Siegal

Screenplay: Stirling Silliphant

Stars: Eli Wallach, Robert Keith and Richard Jaeckel.

The Pitch: “Hey, if it works on tv…?”

Tagline: “The Manhunt They Had To Put on the Giant-Sized Movie Theatre Screen!”

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A criminal organization gets heroin into the US by hiding it in tourists’ luggage (without the tourists’ knowlege).  A psycho hitman and his partner then retrieve the heroin (by whatever force needed).

Two police detectives investigating a murder discover what is going on.  As the bodies pile up they learn that a woman and her little daughter are next on the psycho’s list!

I was expecting a lot more than a by-the-numbers police procedural from director, Don [Dirty Harry] Siegal, writer and Sterling [Route 66] Silliphant.  There’s a lot of potential here but only Eli Wallach rises above the material given. 

Perhaps my rating is a bit tough because I was expecting so much more.

 

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A First Look at the Training Day TV Series!

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I’m a huge fan of the original Training Day movie and I think the Training Day series has a lot of potential.

Based on the hit feature film, this crime thriller begins 15 years later when an idealistic young police officer is appointed to an elite squad of the LAPD and he is partnered with a seasoned yet morally ambiguous detective. Starring Bill Paxton and Justin Cornwell, Training Day. Coming soon to CBS.