Category: Movies

Z-View: Bullet to the Head #1 by Matz and Wilson

Posted on by

Bullet to the Head is a six issue mini-series from Dynamite Comics. Originally printed in France as Du plomb dans la tête (which roughly translates to Lead in the Head), the story was later optioned and adapted into a Sylvester Stallone movie.

Written by Matz
Art by Colin Wilson
Colors by Chris Blythe
Letters by Colin Wilson

Two cops. Two killers. A political scandal. One beautiful corpse. And a city gripped with fear. Dynamite Entertainment proudly presents Bullet to the Head – a classic crime noir tale of violence and revenge from writer Matz (Killer) and artist Colin Wilson (Star Wars Invasion)!

*** Beware – spoilers may be found below *** The Good

  • The art by Colin Wilson and colors by Chris Blythe work well together.
  • Nice set up by Matz – a pair of hitmen hired to kill a senator with mob ties and a pair of cops assigned to investigate the Senator’s murder are about to find out that things aren’t what they seem.
  • Page 14 — awesome writing, art and colors.  Excellent page.
  • “This ******** about buying ourselves some time by withholding everything from the press… I don’t like it, so I’m going to do things my way, just in case.”
  • “I sense trouble.”

The Bad:

  • Stepping into dog mess wearing two thousand dollar shoes.
  • Wrong place, wrong time for a young girl.
  • “… They want everything to remain secret.  For now, officially, the Senator had a heart attack, and we have one body in this room.  Is that clear?”

The Ugly:

  • Being the dog that left the mess that a hitman steps in.

is for mature audiences due to violence, adult language and situations.  

Rating: 4 out of 5

38 Things We Learned from the “John Wick” Commentary

Posted on by

Rob Hunter and Film School Rejects present 38 Things We Learned from the John Wick  Commentary.

Here are my top five…

3. Their first “director’s cut” was two hours and twenty minutes. That’s thirty nine minutes longer than the film’s theatrical cut.

4. They acknowledge that in the real world a retired assassin probably would have changed his name, but they like they idea of this world being similar to that of a comic book.

13. They were heavily influenced by the style of graphic novels and attempted to capture some of that in the colors, framing and angles.

20. They love seeing people’s reactions to the gold coins, the cop (Thomas Sadoski) at the front door and other unexplained sequences. “A lot of people don’t give their audiences credit,” says Leitch. “You can leave it a little mysterious. They can think about it.”

18. They credit Reeves’ dedication and talent with their ability to do long takes during the fight scenes. “I think we really only cut for impact,” says Stahelski. “We didn’t really cut to get around moves, we didn’t cut to speed things up. We wanted you to see what happens before, during and after.” “You’re not using long lenses to hide bad action,” adds Leitch.

20 Things You Might Not Know About “National Lampoon’s Vacation”

Posted on by

Here are  20 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About National Lampoon’s Vacation:

Here are my three favorites…

1. In Hughes’ original story “Vacation ’58,” initially published in National Lampoon magazine in 1979, it’s Disneyland that’s closed and Walt Disney who gets taken hostage by the irate dad. The story’s memorable first line: “If Dad hadn’t shot Walt Disney in the leg, it would have been our best vacation ever!” Warner Bros. snapped up the movie rights almost immediately.

10. Chase claims that no one ever spots the gag early in the film, when Ellen and Clark are doing the dishes and the dishes don’t actually get washed. Ellen scrapes the food off of them, and Clark dries them and puts them back in the cabinet.

25. A reboot has been in the works that would star Ed Helms (“The Hangover”) as the grown Rusty, taking his own wife (Christina Applegate) and family on vacation to Walley World, with Chase and D’Angelo to return as his parents. So far, however, the project has yet to make it off the drawing board.

Z-View: Escape from New York #2 by Selba and Barreto

Posted on by

Escape From New York is an on-going series published by Boom Studios.

Writer: Christopher Sebela

Artist: Diego Barreto

Colorist: Marissa Louise

Letterer: Ed Dukeshire

Between the escalation of World War III and being Number One on America’s most wanted list, Snake Plissken jumps borders and finds himself in the seceded nation of Florida. While he may have escaped the USPF, Snake finds himself in the middle of a whole new level of political corruption.

*** Beware – spoilers may be found below ***

The Good

  • Dan Panosian’s variant cover [see bottom of this post] rocks!
  • “That’s not him.  Look how short he is, Erick.”
  • “Morrell, Look under the eye patch.”  “How much you give me Rip?”
  • “What happens after that?”  “Ask someone who cares.”

The Bad:

  • I’m not a fan of the cover at the top of this post.
  • I have no interest in Romulus and Remus.  I realize EFNY characters are always extreme but the characters in this series seem to be written for little kids.
  • Being held prisoner in four submarines welded together.

The Ugly:

  • Meemaw.

 

Escape from New York #1 should appeal to fans of the movie, Escape from, oh, you know.

Rating:

Romero’s Night of the Living Dead “Origins” Moves Forward

Posted on by

Variety reported earlier this week that Cameron Romero [George Romero’s son]  zombie movie Origins is moving forward!

The movie has his dad’s blessing and the elder Romero will serve as an executive producer of the film which will be a prequel to Night of the Living Dead.

I like the idea that Cameron has taken up the mantle and plans to carry on the Romero zombie tradition.

 

Sly Stallone and “The Drawings of Bob Peak”

Posted on by

The Bob Peak drawing above is of Sylvester Stallone from Paradise Alley!

I discovered the piece as part of an advertisement for a new book of Bob Peak drawings being put together by Thomas Peak through Kickstarter.  Here’s the book’s description…

“THE DRAWINGS OF BOB PEAK”.  This new 160 page oversized soft cover book (14″ x 11″) curated collection of his best drawings is a comprehensive look into a rarely viewed side of Bob Peak with never before seen charcoal, graphite, art marker, pen, ink, pencil, and pastel drawings from the maestro himself.  This oversized book will take on the look and feel of the actual artwork with drawings large enough to study and admire the mastery of the artist Bob Peak.  A “Collectors Edition” of (100 copies only) is also available.  Produced by Art Works Fine Art Publishing which also produced the original “The Art of Bob Peak” book, this new book will be of the same high quality that you expect and I require.  I will produce nothing surrounding the legacy of my father Bob Peak that does not meet with the highest standards.  I appreciate your support.  You will NOT be disappointed.

I’ve backed the project and the book was well worth the bucks.  If you missed out, you can still find copies on Amazon.

Houdini’s Lost Film, “The Grim Game” Restored and Premieres in March!

Posted on by

The Grim Game,  a film once thought lost will premiere at the TCM Classic Film Festival in March.

The Grim Game, made in 1919 was Harry Houdini‘s first starring role and considered by many his best film.  I look forward to see The Grim Game when it makes its fully restored way into rotation on the TCM network.

For the full story on the film and restoration, check out this piece at Deadline.com.