Category: Movies

Joel Carroll and Jack Carter

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I’ve known Joel Carroll for several years.  Whenever I would talk to Joel about a Stallone sketch Joel would beg off because he felt he wasn’t good at capturing likenesses.

Recently Joel was sketching for charity and I hit him up again.  It was for charity so how could Joel refuse?  He didn’t and you can see the end result above.  I really like it!

You can see more of Joel’s art on twitter.

Z-View: “Brick Mansions”

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The Pitch: ”Hey, let’s do an Americanized remake of the cult classic action film District B13!”

“Let’s do it!”

The Tagline:  “Their Streets.  Their Rules.“

The Overview:   *** Beware –  spoilers are found below ***

The year is 2018.  Because of out of control crime [think The Purge on a daily basis], a part of Detroit called Brick Mansions has been walled off from the rest of the city with military police guarding the few exits in or out [think Escape from New York with two Snake Plisskens].

Paul Walker [the first Snake Plissken] is an undercover cop whose dad was killed in Brick Mansions.  David Belle is an ex-con [and the second Snake Plissken] who lives in Brick Mansions and works against the crime lord [played by Rza].

Walker and Belle find themselves as unlikely partners when a stolen neutron bomb is hijacked, armed and aimed at a US city.

The Good

  • Brick Mansions begins with a great extended action-scene with Belle doing his parkour!
  • The cast: Paul Walker [in his final completed role], David Belle [should be making more American movies], RZA, Ayisha Issa, Carlo [24] Rota,  Andreas [Riddick] Apergis, and  Robert [300, Sherlock Holmes] Maillet.
  • Every scene with Belle doing parkour is fun.
  • Ayisha Carlo and Robert Mailet were especially well cast.

The Bad:

  • The aim of almost everyone with a weapon.
  • Ayisha Carlo and Robert Mailet .
  • Characterization and rationale thought are left with the coming attractions.
  • Making RZA a “good guy” at the end.  Rza played an interesting bad guy, but let’s not lose sight that he was a really bad guy, a drug king pin who killed people without a second thought.  Yeah, he make a great mayor!
  • Cartoon violence.

The Ugly:

  • How Belle deals with crooked cops.  How Walker deals with giants.

 

Rating: 3 out of 5

Scott Quick Draw Jack Carter

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One of the things I love about going to comic book conventions is meeting new artists… or at least artists that are new to me.  When I was at MegaCon this year, I met Scott Quick.

Scott does the web strip Camden Bottoms.  I took a look at Scott’s sketchbook and decided to see if he’d be interested in doing a Stallone sketch.  He was.  I ended up getting two.  This is the second.  I’ll post the first next week.  In the mean time check out Scott’s Camden Bottoms!

 

Z-View: “Soylent Green”

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The Pitch: ”Hey, what about Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson in a big screen scifi film?”

“Let’s do it!”

The Tagline:  “What is the secret of Soylent Green?”

The Overview:   *** Beware –  spoilers are found below ***

The year is 2022.  The world is overpopulated and (thanks to climate change and pollution) without resources to house or feed most of the population.  The divide between the haves and have-nots has never been worse.  Most of the poor survive on rations provided by the Soylent corporation.

Charlton Heston plays a cop assigned the murder of a wealthy man with connections to the Soylent corporation and important politicians.  When Heston refuses to stop his investigation he becomes marked for death.

The Good

  • The state of the world without food, water, shelter and resources for any but the wealthiest is well done.
  • Leigh Taylor-Young as Shirl.  Chuck Conners vs Charlton Heston!
  • Edward G, Robinson in his final role.
  • The scene of Robinson and Heston enjoying a real meal of food Heston had confiscated.
  • Heston going to save Robinson and becoming mesmerized at the video playing.
  • The last line of the movie is a classic.

The Bad:

  • The state of the world.
  • The cops are crooked… including Heston.
  • How much people like Soylent Green.
  • The movie has a bit of a 1970’s futuristic vibe to it, but overall still holds up well.

The Ugly:

  • When your best choice is to check out.

 

Rating: 4 out of 5

“The Last Stand” / Z-View

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The Pitch: ”Hey, what do you think about having Arnold as the police chief of a small town up against a Mexican cartel? “

“Let’s do it!”

The Tagline:  “Not in his town.  Not on his watch.”

The Overview:   *** Beware –  spoilers are found below ***

When a Mexican drug cartel kingpin busts out of custody and makes a break for the border surrounded and supported by his hired killers, the only thing standing between him and freedom is a small town sheriff and a couple of green deputies.

The Good

  • I like the premise.
  • It is always great to see Forrest Whitaker, Luis Guzman and Harry Dean Stanton.  Arnold is Arnold!
  • The kingpin’s escape is well done.  The magnet was a nice touch as were the orange suited running men. [I really liked Forrest Whitaker’s interrogation scene with the Dutch soccer fan.]
  • There is plenty of action.

The Bad:

  • Some of the humor felt out of place [Arnold telling the diner people to leave, the “schmuck” line at the beginning and end of the movie, etc.].  Let Johnny Knoxville be the comedy relief and let everyone else play it straight.

The Ugly:

  • What happens when Arnold dives into you knocking you both off a two-story building.  And landing on a car with Arnold on top of you will be the least of your worries.

Rating: 3 out of 5