Category: Movies

“Lethal Weapon 2” directed by Richard Donner, starring Mel Gibson & Danny Glover / Z-View

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Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)

Director: Richard Donner

Screenplay:  Jeffrey Boam; story by Shane Black, Warren Murphy; based on characters created by Shane Black

Stars: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Joss Ackland, Derrick O’Connor, Patsy Kensit, Darlene Love, Traci Wolfe, Steve Kahan, Mark Rolston, Jeanette Goldstein, Nester Serrano, Grand L. Bush and Dean Norris.

Tagline: The magic is back!

The Plot…

LA Detective Martin Riggs and his partner, Detective Murtaugh are tasked with keeping Leo Getz alive long enough to testify in a federal case.  When an attempt is made on Getz’s life, Riggs and Murtaugh discover that Arjen Rudd, a South African diplomat, has put together a crime organization using “diplomatic immunity” to further his enterprise.

Without hard evidence Riggs and Murtaugh can’t move forward with an arrest.  When Arjen Rudd discovers that Riggs and Murtaugh are inquiring about him, Rudd uses his politcal influence to get them ordered to back off.

Any bets on if that will happen?

The magic is back!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Lethal Weapon 2 was nominated for one Academy Award for Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing – Robert G. Henderson, Alan Robert Murray

Lethal Weapon 2 earned more money at the box office than the original film which is unusal for a sequel.

Shane Black’s original script for Lethal Weapon 2 was a much darker and more action-oriented film than what was made.  In the end of Black’s script Riggs is killed saving Murtaugh.  The studios wanted Riggs to live because they wanted more sequels.  So Jeffrey Boam was brought in to write the screenplay.

Lethal Weapon 2 features a reunion of sorts – Jenette Goldstein (Meagan Shapiro) and Mark Rolston (Hans) also appeared in Aliens (1986), as Vasquez and Drake.

Joe Pesci is perfect as Leo Getz.

Lethal Weapon 2 leans much more into comedy than the original.

Lethal Weapon (1987) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Bury Me Twice” (2022) / Z-View

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Bury Me Twice (2022)

Director: Steven LaMorte

Screenplay:  Flip Kobler, Cindy Marcus

Stars:  Danny Hansen, Lelia Symington, Chase Mullins.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

A detective is hired to find a reporter’s missing sister.  Along the way he finds the source of a zombie outbreak.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Bury Me Twice looked like something I’d like.  A stylish, mix of detective mystery and zombie horror.  Unfortunately for my taste it was trying too hard.  Much of the movie is obviously done with CGI sets.  There (again for my taste) were too many repeated effects.  Scenes were overly “foggy”.  A photo of someone would be shown and then the person in the picture would move.  Etc.  Etc.  Etc.

I think if this is something you’d like, you might like it.  Right now on IMDb it has a 5.8/10 rating with 50% rating it a 9 or 10.  As for me, I tapped out after 25 minutes.

Bury Me Twice (2022) rates 1 of 5 stars.

“Hope” – The Behind-the-Scenes Teaser is Here!

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I am so psyched for Hope.  Here is a short behind-the-scenes teaser.

Deal me in.

In the remote South Korea village of Hope Harbor, police chief Bum-seok (Hwang Jung- min) and officer Sung-ae (Hoyeon) are called to find a mysterious creature that has wreaked havoc on the village.

In the nearby forest, a coterie of hunters, including Sung- ki (Zo In-Sung) set out to track the beast and find themselves hunted instead. But all is not as it seems, and perceptions can be misleading. What begins as ignorance plants the seed of disaster, escalating through human conflict into a tragedy of cosmic proportions.

“House of Numbers” (1957) starring Jack Palance / Z-View

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House of Numbers (1957)

Director: Russell Rouse

Screenplay:  Don Mankiewicz, Russell Rouse; based on HOUSE OF NUMBERS by Jack Finey.

Stars:  Jack Palance, Harold J. Stone, Barbara Lang, Edward Platt and Timothy Carey.

Tagline: The Most Fascinating Puzzle a Man Ever Faced…and his love depended on the solution!

The Plot…

Arnie Judlow is serving a life sentence for murder.  When Arnie throws a guard over the third floor railing during an altercation, he realizes he may get the gas chamber.  Authorities are waiting to see if the guard recovers or dies.

Arnie comes up with a daring plan.  There is a construction area in the prison. It is off limits to prisoners. Guards just make casual checks there.  Arnie realizes if he can get into the construction zone overnight, he could do “something” that would get him over-the-wall.  The only problem is that during the night count, he would be discovered missing.  The guards would then search every square inch of the prison until they found him.

Arnie knows his plan would work if he could work out a fix for the night count.  And it dawns on him.  If Bill, Arnie’s twin, could sneak into the prison and take his place for the night count, Arnie could setup his escape plan.

Arnie convinces his brother, if the guard dies, Arnie will get the death penalty. The only way to save him is to take Arnie’s place overnight.  Bill realizes, the plan has little hope to succeed, but it is Arnie’s only chance.

Bill agrees to take Arnie’s place overnight.  If all goes well, Bill will get out the next day and Arnie will escape that night.

The best laid plans…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Jack Palance plays both Arnie and Bill.

Much of the movie was filmed in San Quentin.

Arnie’s escape plan is so over the top, I was lured in just to see if it would work.

Timothy Carey who is always interesting to watch has a small part.

House of Numbers (1957) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“By Any Means” starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II & Mark Wahlberg – The Final Trailer is Here!

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The final trailer for By Any Means is here!

Deal me in.

Fight fire with fury, by any means necessary.

Based on a true story, watch the Final Trailer for #ByAnyMeansMovie, only in theaters September 4.

Inspired by a true story, a young Black FBI agent (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is sent into 1960s Mississippi to investigate a wave of brutal killings targeting civil rights leaders. Forced to work alongside notorious mafia hitman Greg Scarpa (Mark Wahlberg), he finds himself pulled into a deadly hunt where justice and vengeance begin to blur.

When the system is broken, two men divided by everything agree on one thing: the law has limits. They don’t.

“Man on Fire” (1987) starring Scott Glenn / Z-View

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Man on Fire (1987)

Director: Elie Chouraqui

Screenplay:  Elie Chouraqui, Sergio Donati, Fabrice Ziolkowski; based on MAN ON FIRE by A. J. Quinnell.

Stars:  Scott Glenn, Brooke Adams, Danny Aiello, Joe Pesci, Paul Shenar, Jonathan Pryce and Jade Malle.

Tagline: For an ex-CIA agent, the job of bodyguard for a twelve-year old girl should have been a breeze…

The Plot…

Christian Creasy is a burned-out ex-C.I.A. agent. Creasy used to be one of the best.  That was before the deaths that Creasy has seen (and been a part of) as a soldier and C.I.A. agent finally took their toll.

Creasy reluctantly accepts the job of bodyguard for a wealthy Italian family.  His job will be to protect their twelve-year-old Samantha.  By the nature of his job Creasy spends a lot of time with Sam.  Her parents are often too busy, so Creasy takes their role.   As time passes, Sam gets Creasy to drop his tough exterior.

Creasy is gravely wounded during Samantha’s kidnapping.  Despite life-threatening injuries, Creasy knows that every passing hour, makes it less likely Samantha will be returned alive.  Creasy is determined to get her back alive… even if it kills him.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Tony Scott was considered to direct, but ultimately Elie Chouraqui was selected.  Scott would direct the 2004 (and vastly superior) adaptation.  If Scott had made the film in 2007, he hoped to get Marlon Brando or Robert De Niro to star.

Brooke Adams, Danny Aiello, Joe Pesci and Jonathan Pryce get very little screen time.

Man on Fire (1987) clocks in at 92 minutes but seems longer.  The supporting cast could have been put to better use.  Come to think of it so could the stars.

Man on Fire (1987) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Valley of Gwangi” (1969) starring James Franciscus / Z-View

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The Valley of Gwangi (1969)

Director:  Jim O’Connolly

Screenplay: William Bast, Julian More, Willis H. O’Brien

Stars:  James Franciscus, Gila Golan, Richard Carlson, Laurence Naismith, Freda Jackson, Gustavo Rojo.

Tagline: Cowboys Battle Monsters in the Lost World of Forbidden Valley.

The Plot…

Tuck Kirby, a stuntman working in a traveling Wild West Show ventures into the Forbidden Valley.  There he discovers a world that never changed.  Dinosaurs and other creatures thrive there!  Kirby and other cowboys from the show decide to capture an allosaurus called Gwangi.  They figure once they have the monster in the show, they’ll become rich.

What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Willis O’Brien, the genius behind the stop-motion animation effect in King Kong, had an idea for a follow-up film.  It was to be called Valley of the Mists.  Cowboys would discover a world of dinosaurs and bring one back to civilization.  World War II, budget constraints and changes in studio leadership brought about the demise of the project.  Years later, Ray Harryhausen (Willis’ mentee who went on to great success in stop-motion animation) brought forth the idea which became The Valley of Gwangi.

The Valley of Gwangi was adapted into a comic book published by Dell and released in December 1969.

The Valley of Gwangi was in production for one and a half years due to the extensive use of stop-motion animation.  The dinosaur roping sequence alone took two and a half months to complete.   During the production of Gwangi, the studio management changed.  The new regime didn’t have faith in the film and released it with little publicity.

I saw The Valley of Gwangi at a drive-in when it was first released.  I was ten or eleven.  The perfect age for a cowboys and dinosaurs movie.  I loved it.  Viewings as an adult are still fun, but some of the luster is gone.

The Valley of Gwangi brought its star James Franciscus to my attention.  I next saw him the following year in Beneath the Planet of the Apes and the year after that in the tv series Longstreet (with occasional guest star Bruce Lee!).

The Valley of Gwangi (1969) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“The Raid: Redemption” (2011) written & directed by Gareth Evans, starring Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Donny Alamsyah, Yayan Ruhian / Z-View

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The Raid: Redemption (2011)

Director:  Gareth Evans

Screenplay: Gareth Evans

Stars:  Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Donny Alamsyah, Yayan Ruhian, Pierre Gruno, Ray Sahetapy and Tegar Sathya.

Tagline: 1 Ruthless Crime Lord, 20 Elite Cops, 30 Floors of Hell

The Plot…

Rama, a rookie cop is part of a squad sent in to take down the notorius crime lord Tama Riyadi.  Riyadi along with his crime bosses Andi and Mad Dog have made a large apartment building their headquarters.  Although some law-abiding citizens live in the building, many of the apartments are rented by Riyadi’s drug dealers and crooks.

The raid starts off well… until one of Riyadi’s lookoouts sounds an alarm.  Riyadi calls in reinforcements and announces to all of the residents the police are there.  Anyone who kills a cop will get to live rent-free forever.

Rama hopes to survive to get home to his pregnant wife.  Outumbered and outgunned, Rama and the police squad are in a battle for their lives.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Although the tagline says “30 Floors of Hell” the apartment building has just 15 stories.

Gareth Evans originally wanted to film in a prison, but the budget wouldn’t allow it.  So Gareth changed the location to an apartment building.  The success of the film allowed the sequel to be set in a prison.

The Raid: Redemption is a favorite of action fans.  It felt as if Gareth Evans took the plot of Bruce Lee’s Game of Death and said, “Let’s go bigger.”  Coincidentally, The Raid: Redemption and Dredd starring Karl Urban share a similar plot and were released within months of each other.

The Raid: Redemption (2011) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“I Don’t Deal with Psychos.” by MARK Stegbauer!

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At HeroesCon 2026, I commissioned Mark Stegbauer for two sketch cards: Sly Stallone as Marion Cobretti from Cobra and Stallone as Stanley Kowalski from Lords of Flatbush.  This (obviously) is the Cobra card.  Sweet, right?

I will post the Lords of Flatbush card commission in the near future.

Each August Mark does an Action Against Alzheimer’s art campaign.  It’s a great way to pick up cool art and at the same time help a wonderful cause.

“I don’t deal with psychos. I put ’em away.” – Marion Cobretti

“Alien Nation” (1988) starring James Caan & Mandy Patinkin / Z-View

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Alien Nation  (1988)

Director:  Graham Baker

Screenplay: Rockne S. O’Bannon

Stars:  James Caan, Mandy Patinkin, Terence Stamp, Kevyn Major Howard, Leslie Bevis, Peter Jason, Jeff Kober, Roger Aaron Brown  and Brian Thompson.

Tagline: Los Angeles, 1991. They have come to Earth to live among us. They’ve learned the language, taken jobs, and tried to fit in. But there’s something about them we don’t know.

The Plot…

Three years ago aliens landed.  Since then these “Newcomers” have intigrated into society.  In L.A.,  Newcomer Sam Francisco has just been promoted to Detective.  Francisco is teamed with veteran cop Matthew Sykes.  It’s an uneasy alliance.

Francisco and Sykes’ first case is to look into the murder of Newcomer Warren Hubley.  Their investigation uncovers a conspiracy between wealthy politicans and influential newcomers.  At the heart of the cabal’s scheme is a newcomer secret that changes everything.

Prepare yourself… the aliens are here and all is not as it seems.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Sam Francisco’s name in the original script was George Jetson.  That changed when Hanna-Barbera refused to license the rights.  Sykes’ calling Sam “George” was a in-joke.

James Cameron was credited as one of the writers in an Alien Nation early draft, but his name doesn’t appear in the movie’s credits.

Alien Nation spawned a tv series that ran for one season.  There were also five television movie spin-offs, comic books and novelizations.

Brian “Cobra” Thompson is the only actor to appear in both the feature film and the television series.

I like the poster for the film.  It doesn’t feature the movie’s stars.  Instead we get a tagline that sets up everything and cool art that looks like it could be a crime thriller (with aliens).

Alien Nation is a fun film.

Alien Nation  (1988) rates 4 of 5 stars.