The Bride from “Kill Bill” by Jason Pearson!
Kill Bill’s Bride by Jason Pearson.
Category: Movies
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (2020)starring Viola Davis & Chadwick Boseman / Z-View
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020)
Director: George C. Wolfe
Screenplay: Ruben Santiago-Hudson; based on Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom by August Wilson
Stars: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, Colman Domingo, Jeremy Shamos, Jonny Coyne, Taylour Paige, Joshua Harto and Quinn VanAntwerp.
Tagline: Everything Comes Out in the Blues.
The Plot…
In 1927, Ma Rainey is a radio sensation. Her blues renditions are in demand. Ma Rainey is in demand and is going to make the best of it. Ma suffers no fools. Although black in an age of Jim Crow, Ma Rainey defers to no one.
Ma Rainey has contracted to make a record for white producers. Her regular band members show up early and begin getting ready. As they warm up, Levee Green, the band’s trumpeter arrives. Mel Sturdyvant, the white record producer is getting nervous since Ma isn’t there. Levee sees an opportunity and talks to Mr. Sturdyvant about recording Leeve’s songs. The rest of the band sees that as in insult to Ma. Ma will not be happy if she learns Leeve is trying to undercut her. She’ll be even more upset if she learns Leeve is putting the moves on Ma’s girl, Dussie Mae.
Finally Ma arrives. When Ma sees that some of her requests for performing weren’t honored, she becomes irritated. Mr. Sturdyvant and Ma begin to butt heads. Ma says she won’t perform until she is satisfied. Tensions rise.
Who would have thought that a simple recording session would lead to murder.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom was nominated for five Academy Awards and won two…
- Nominee Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Chadwick Boseman
- Nominee Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Viola Davis
- Nominee Best Achievement in Production Design: Mark Ricker (production design), Karen O’Hara (set decoration), Diana Stoughton (set decoration)
- Winner Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling: Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal, Jamika Wilson
- Winner Best Achievement in Costume Design: Ann Roth
Denzel Washington was one of the film’s producers and had mentored Chadwick Boseman since Boseman’s college days.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is Chadwick Boseman’s final film.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is a rare film where it all comes together. A great screenplay, adapted from a superb play, with an excellent director leading a wonderful cast. I’m surprised Viola Davis didn’t win the Oscar for Best Actress.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) rates 5 of 5 stars.
“The Last Ronin” – One Poster and Two Trailers are Here!
One poster and two trailers for The Last Ronin are here. This one reminds me of a drive-in movie I’d want to see as a kid.
Deal me in.
(Not) distant future. As a result of climate change, which led to a global nuclear war, civilization is practically destroyed: lands are scorched, cities are destroyed. The equipment does not work; gasoline has long lost its properties. The main currency in this world is two cartridges: 9mm and 7.62 from the AK-47.
Haunted by the ghosts of the past, lone traveler Ronin wanders the postapocalyptic wastelands in search of his father’s killer. Over the years, he has been creating a map of the lawless world inhabited by tough survivors. Everywhere he goes, he encounters blood-thirsty head hunters and rogue gangs. One day Ronin meets a wayward teenage girl Maria who offers him a precious bounty for escorting her to her birthplace.
“Hurricane Heist” (2018) directed by Rob Cohen / Z-View
Hurricane Heist (2018)
Director: Rob Cohen
Screenplay: Scott Windhauser, Jeff Dixon; story by Anthony Fingleton, Carlos Davis
Stars: Toby Kebbell, Maggie Grace, Ryan Kwanten, Ralph Ineson, Jamie Andrew Cutler, Ed Birch, James Barriscale, Erik Rondell, Mark Rhino Smith, Brooke Johnston and Ben Cross
Tagline: The storm of the century… the heist of a lifetime.
The Plot…
A well organized group of thieves plan to rob a Federal Reserve money shredding facility in the small town of Gulfport, Alabama. The crooks are going to do so under the cover of a Category 5 Hurricane heading for the evacuated city.
Standing in their way are two individuals: Treasury agent Casey Corbyn (Grace) and a National Weather Service meteorologist named Will (Kebbell). If the thieves don’t kill them, the hurricane might.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Hurricane Heist isn’t as bad as reviews might lead you to believe. It has excellent effects/scenes/stunts, but they get crazier as the movie goes on. Still, I enjoyed it. As always, your mileage may vary.
Hurricane Heist (2018) rates 3 of 5 stars.
“Legend of the Lost” (1957) starring John Wayne & Sophia Loren / Z-View
Legend of the Lost (1957)
Director: Henry Hathaway
Screenplay: Ben Hecht, Robert Presnell
Stars: John Wayne, Sophia Loren, Rossano Brazzi and Kurt Kasznar.
Tagline: Wayne Tangles with Loren…In the Adventure that’s Hotter than 1000 Suns!
The Plot…
Paul Bonnard comes to Timbuktu looking for a guide. Bonnard’s father left him a map to a lost city full of gold and jewels. Bonnard hires Joe January, an experienced guide. The day before they are to leave, Bonnard meets Dita. She’s beautiful, but is willing to steal or use her looks to make money from men. Bonnard and Dita talk through the night. The next day she asks to go with Bonnard and Joe. Both men refuse to take her. The trip is much too dangerous.
Dita finds a way to join Bonnard and Joe. Once she is discovered they are too far into the desert to take her back. There’s no denying the attraction between Joe and Dita. This coupled with low rations and even less water will lead to dangers no one saw coming.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
When director Henry Hathaway was asked why John Wayne’s character dresses like a cowboy, Hathaway replied John Wayne’s characters always dress like cowboys.
Legend of the Lost (1957) rates 3 of 5 stars.
“The Gorge” starring Miles Teller, Anna Taylor-Joy and Sigourney Weaver – The Poster and Trailer are Here!
The poster and trailer for The Gorge starring Miles Teller, Anna Taylor-Joy and Sigourney Weaver have won me over.
Deal me in.
The world’s most dangerous secret lies between them.
Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy star in The Gorge — premiering February 14 on Apple TV+
https://apple.co/_TheGorgeTwo highly-trained operatives (Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy) are appointed to posts in guard towers on opposite sides of a vast and highly classified gorge, protecting the world from an undisclosed, mysterious evil that lurks within. They bond from a distance while trying to stay vigilant in defending against an unseen enemy. When the cataclysmic threat to humanity is revealed to them, they must work together in a test of both their physical and mental strength to keep the secret in the gorge before it’s too late.
An Apple Original Film, “The Gorge” is directed by Scott Derrikson and written by Zach Dean. Hailing from Skydance Media, “The Gorge” is produced by David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger for Skydance, alongside Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill and Sherryl Clark through Crooked Highway as well as Adam Kolbrenner, Zach Dean and Gregory Goodman. Miles Teller executive produces.
It’s the Curse of the Werewolf by Shane Oakley!
It’s no secret I’m a big fan of how Shane Oakley draws werewolves. Will ya just look at that!
“28 Years Later” – The Poster is Here!
Here we have the poster for 28 Years Later. I’m not crazy about it, but that doesn’t change my wanting to see the movie.
Ballerina is set to premiere June 20, 2025.
“Ballerina – From the World of John Wick” – A Poster is Here!
What do you think of this Ballerina poster? While it does have the feel of being From the World of JOHN WICK, I don’t think it makes Ana De Armas look tough enough. Of course we’re not seeing her in action here.
Ballerina is set to premiere June 6, 2025.
“Laws of Man” starring Jacob Keohane & Jackson Rathbone with Dermot Mulroney and Harvey Keitel – Two Posters and a Trailer are Here!
I like the looks of Laws of Man. Two posters and one trailer. January 10, 2025.
Deal me in.
“The Testament of Dr. Mabuse” (1933) directed by Fritz Lang / Z-View
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933)
Director: Fritz Lang
Screenplay: Thea von Harbou, Fritz Lang
Stars: Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Otto Wernicke, Oscar Beregi Sr., Gustav Diessl
Tagline: Fritz Lang’s masterpiece. The most tremendous film of the present.
The Plot…
Hofmeister, a disgraced ex-police detective, uncovers an underworld criminal organization. Barely escaping with his life, Hofmeister calls police Inspector Karl Lohmann. As Hofmesiter lays out what he’s discovered, the connection is cut. When Hofmeister is found, he’s gone insane.
Inspector Lohmann finds clues indicating that Dr. Mabuse is the mastermind behind the underworld criminals discovered by Hofmeister. Lohmann is puzzled to learn that Dr. Mabuse went mad ten years prior. He’s been housed at Professor Baum’s asylum. Dr. Mabuse, locked in his cell with no outside contact, spends his days writing comprehensive plans for heists. Mabuse’s cell is full of them. Making things even stranger, since no one has access to these plans, is that they’re being used to commit crimes.
How can that be?
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
The Nazis banned showing of The Testament of Dr. Mabuse because it might “incite people to anti-social behavior and terrorism against the State”.
Director Fritz Lang said that he was called to a meeting with Joseph Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda for the Nazi Party. Goebbels said that he and Adolph Hitler were fans of Fritz’s earlier movies but his latest films (M and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse) could be interpreted as against the Nazi Party. Goebbels then offered Lang the opportunity to direct films for the Nazis. Lang said he would consider the offer. He left Germany not long after this meeting.
Fritz is a master a direction, use of sound (talkies were still relatively new) and tension building scenes.
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933) rates 5 of 5 stars.
“The Phantom Carriage” (1921) screenplay, directed by and starring Victor Sjöström / Z-View
The Phantom Carriage (1921)
Director: Victor Sjöström
Screenplay: Victor Sjöström; based on Körkarlen by Selma Lagerlöf
Stars: Victor Sjöström, Hilda Borgström, Tore Svennberg
Tagline: Do the Dead Come Back? Can Your Soul Leave Your Body – And Return Again? Is Spiritualism a Reality?
The Plot…
Three drunkards are in a graveyard on New Year’s Eve. One of the boozers, David, explains the legend that the last sinner to die each year is doomed. This unfortunate must spend the next year driving Death’s carriage to collect the souls of the dead. As the clock nears midnight David gets hit on the head with a bottle. He falls to the ground. It appears that David’s soul is seen leaving his body.
A carriage approaches…
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Charlie Chaplin said The Phantom Carriage was the best film ever made.
The special effects for this 1921 film were done mainly through double (or more) film exposures. Filming took place from May to July 1920. Post-production work took five months!
The Phantom Carriage (1921) rates 5 of 5 stars.
“Red 11” (2019) / Z-View
Red 11 (2019)
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Screenplay: Robert Rodriguez, Racer Rodriguez; inspired by REBEL WITHOUT A CREW by Robert Rodriguez
Stars: Roby Attal, Lauren Hatfield
Tagline: THE NEW $7,000.00 FILM FROM ROBERT RODRIGUEZ.
The Plot…
John owes bad people $7,000.00. If they don’t get paid, John will get killed. In order to get the money quickly John joins a clinical study that uses experimental drugs and treatments. Once locked in the treatment center, John discovers he may be in more danger there.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Robert Rodriguez made his first film El Mariachi for $7,000.00. He raised the money, in part, by taking part in medical studies. Rodriguez was inspired by his experiences to come up with this film. He also wanted to see if it was possible to make the film for $7,000.00. It was. Sadly, we didn’t get anything close to a movie as good as El Mariachi.
I’m a Robert Rodriguez fan. Red 11 just didn’t resonate with me. The movie is less than 90 minutes long. I stuck it out for a bit over 50 minutes before tapping out. Your mileage may vary.
Red 11 (2019) rates 1 of 5 stars.
Joker by Rafael Kayanan!
The Joker by Rafael Kayanan. Raf’s take on The Joker is terrifying.
