Category: Movies

RIP – Peter Falk

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Peter Falk, best known as tv’s legendary Detective Columbo, died last night at the age of 83.

My first memory of Peter Falk is in his role as Maximilian Meen from The Great Race.  Truth be told, I’d probably seen Mr. Falk earlier in one of his guest appearances on tv shows like Have Gun Will Travel, Alfred Hitchcock Presents or The Twilight Zone.  I know that I saw him in It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World before I ever saw The Great Race, but it was his role as Maximillian Meen that made the first big impact and brought him to my attention.  I would have been all of seven years old.

My next big memory of Peter Falk is in his role of Columbo.  He first appeared as Columbo in the tv movie Prescription Murder [1968].  Then from 1971 to 2003, Mr. Falk reprised the role in 68 more tv movies.  Peter Falk was perfect in the role and fans loved him.  I can remember watching the movies with mom or my grandfather.  They enjoyed the series as much as me… maybe more.

In 1979, my girlfriend [later to be my wife] and I went to movies every week.  One of the films we decided to see was The In-Laws.  I thought it would be okay.  I was wrong.  The In-Laws turned out to be a comedy classic.  We left the theater talking about how great it was and laughing about it long after the film was over.

Peter Falk appears in another of my favorite films, The Princess Bride which we [my wife and I] watched with our sons when they were young.  It’s pretty cool that I was able to enjoy Mr. Falk’s movies with the significant people throughout my life.  I guess that’s the sign of a true star, he/she is able to continue to find good roles throughout their lives.  Mr. Falk was such a star.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.

Mike Torrance: Send a Maniac…

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Mike Torrance aka The Krayola Kidd knows what the three shells are for and so he decided that it was time for Sly as John Spartan aka The Demolition Man.

You can see more of Mike’s art at The Daily Sketch with The Krayola Kidd and his Deviant Art site. Mike is available for commissions and his prices are very reasonable. You’re also going to be happy to know that once a month Mike has a contest for someone to win a free sketchcard! That is how I came to own this cool sketchcard. I won the contest and told Mike to pick a Sly character. He chose Spartan and I couldn’t be happier.

Paolo Rivera’s Captain America Poster

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This Captain America poster by Paolo Rivera is perfection.  Paolo absolutely nailed it.  Marvel liked it so much that they turned it in to a limited edition print to be given to the cast and crew of the movie.  How cool is that?  Very cool says I.

The great thing about the attention that the poster is getting is that it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.  I’ve been following Paolo’s art blog for some time and we’ve exchanged a few e-mails here and there.  Paolo has always been quick to respond and humble about his talents.  When I asked Paolo if I could do a post about his Captain America poster he said he’d be “honored.”  It’s always great to see a local talent score big and it’s especially exciting when it’s someone as nice and talented as Paolo.


RIP – James Arness

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I was sad to hear that James Arness died on Friday, June 5, 2011, at the age of 88 of natural causes.  Most fans know Mr. Arness as Marshall Matt Dillon from the long-running tv series Gunsmoke which aired from 1955 to 1975 and then returned in the form of five made-for-television movies.  If Matt Dillon was the only role that James Arness was known for, it’d still be enough reason to post about his passing.  I spent many hours watching Gunsmoke with my grandfather and those are memories I’ll always treasure.   [It was my grandfather who informed me that James Arness and Peter Graves [Mission Impossible] were brothers.  LOL.  The things that we remember.]

James Arness was also an important part of my childhood because he played roles in two of my favorite monster movies.  Mr. Arness was the thing in the classic The Thing from Another Planet.  He also played the romantic lead in another sci-fi classic, Them! You can also find James Arness in the John Wayne classic, Hondo!    One of my favorite James Arness‘ roles was as the mountain man Zeb McCahan [a role that he played in a made-for-tv movie and two mini-series].

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and fans of James Arness.

Vincent Price: 100 for his 100th

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On Friday, May 27, 2011, if he was still alive, Vincent Price would have celebrated his 100th birthday.  Zach Bellissimo decided to honor the milestone by creating 100 Vincent Price drawings of the horror legend in the roles that made him famous.  What a cool idea!

Well done, Zach.  I’m sure Vincent Price would have gotten a kick out of them!

Billy Fowler Got Carter

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I met Billy Fowler at Heroes Con last year. I hadn’t seen Billy’s art prior to the show, but I really liked the sketches that he was doing. Luckily, I was just able to get on Billy’s sketch last. He worked up this really great take on Sly as Jack Carter.

Billy is scheduled to be at Heroes Con again this year. I wonder if lightning can strike twice. You can see more of Billy’s art at his blog.

Mike Torrance Takes a Shot at Barney Ross

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Mike Torrance aka The Krayola Kidd created the art above earlier this week. It’s his take on Sly as Barney Ross from The Expendables.

Mike Torrance can do it all – pencils, inks and colors. You can see more of Mike’s art at The Daily Sketch with The Krayola Kidd and his Deviant Art site. Mike is available for commissions and his prices are very reasonable. You’re also going to be happy to know that once a month Mike has a contest for someone to win a free sketchcard!