Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Andrew Vanja, one of the producers behind the Rambo franchise has died at the age of 74. Vanja’s producing credits include many of my favorite films including: First Blood, Rambo, First Blood, Part II, Angel Heart, Extreme Prejudice, Rambo III, Total Recall, Tombstone, The 13th Warrior and many others.
Thanks for the hours of entertainment, Mr. Vanja.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Andrew Vanja’s family, friends and fans.
William Goldman, the two-time Oscar winning screenwriter, has died at age 87. Goldman won his Oscars for Best Original Screenplay (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) and Best Adapted Screenplay (All the President’s Men). Goldman was also the screenwriter for the beloved The Princess Bride (based on his novel), The Marathon Man, Misery and dozens of other movies.
Goldman began his career as a novelist and then moved to writing movies, plays and non-fiction. Goldman won two Edgar Awards, from the Mystery Writers of America, for Best Motion Picture Screenplay (for Harper starring Paul Newman and for Magic which he adapted from his novel). Mr. Goldman also received the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement from the Writers Guild of America.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mr. Goldman’s family, friends and fans.
Scott Wilson, the actor best known for his role as Hershel on The Walking Dead, passed away yesterday reportedly from complications with leukemia. Wilson began his career with the one-two punch of the big screen classics In the Heat of the Night and In Cold Blood.
While most tributes focus on Wilson’s role as Hershel from The Walking Dead, Wilson’s resume features movie and television credits spanning 50 years. Anything Wilson appeared in became at least a little bit better because of him. Some of my favorite Wilson appearances include his roles in…
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Scott Wilson’s family, friends and fans.
I was sad to read that Burt Reynolds died yesterday at the age of 82 from cardiac arrest.
Like most of you reading this, I was a huge Burt Reynolds fan and have many fond memories watching him on television and at the movies. My favorite Burt Reynolds’ films include Sharkey’s Machine; The Longest Yard, The Last Movie Star and of course, Smokey and the Bandit. Keep in mind that’s just the tip of the Reynolds acting iceberg.
Part of Reynolds’ charm was his charm. His appearances on Carson and other talk shows of the era allowed us to see Reynolds as a self-deprecating celebrity who never took himself too seriously. He came off as a guy with a great sense of humor that would be fun to be with. And he was. At least he was every time he’d turn up in a movie or television role.
If you haven’t seen Reynolds in The Last Movie Star, give it a go. He’s really good in it and it serves as a nice capper to his career.
Rest in Peace Burt Reynolds.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mr. Reynolds family, friends and fans.
Koko the gorillia known throughout the world for her ability to use sign language has passed away peacefully in her sleep at the age of 46. Koko was able to understand over 1,000 signs and approximately 2,000 words.
Koko was born at the San Francisco Zoo but lived most of her life in The Gorilla Foundation’s preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California. Koko was a celebrity and made headlines for her love of kittens as well as her meetings with other celebrities such as Robin Williams, Betty White and Mr. Rogers.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Koko’s friends and fans throughout the world.
Clint Walker died yesterday at the age of 90 from congestive heart failure.
Walker was best known as Cheyenne Bodie, the star of the extremely popular Cheyenne tv series which aired on ABC from 1955-61. Cheyenne was the first hour-long western drama. Walker also played Cheyenne Bodie on episodes of Maverick and later Kung-Fu as well as in the tv movie The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw and the theatrical release of Maverick. The Cheyenne series was so popular, in some markets episodes were combined and re-edited for theatrical release.
After the series ended Walker could be found making guest appearances on tv series but his focus became making movies. His best-known theatrical appearances included, None But the Brave; The Dirty Dozen and Grizzly. In 1971, Walker was seriously injured in a fall from a sky lift that caused a ski pole to pierce his heart. He was pronounced dead, but when a faint heartbeat was heard he was rushed into surgery. Two months later Walker was back to work!
Walker went on to star in other theatrical films, as well as made-for-tv movies and the short-lived tv series Kodiak. After voicing Nick Nitro in Small Soldiers, Clint Walker retired.
Clint Walker was one of my first childhood heroes. I loved him in Cheyenne and still do. The series is still one of my favorites and can be seen on various cable channels daily.
Walker is survived by his daughter, Valerie and his wife Susan Cavallari Walker. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Clint Walker’s family, friends and fans.
Dorothy Malone, Oscar winner as best supporting actress for her 1956 performance in Written on the Wind has died at age 92. Malone is probably best known for her starring role in the 1960s TV series Peyton Place. Visitors here might remember her for her last role as Sharon Stone’s friend in Basic Instinct. 
Dorothy Malone played in over 100 roles on film and tv, but I’ll always best remember her small role with Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep. In a scene lasting less than 4 minutes, Malone made a huge impact. I’ll bet Bogart returned to the Acme Bookstore after solving the case. I know I would have. Check out the scene and see if you don’t agree.
Bobby Heenan passed away today surrounded by his family. My guess is even if you’re not a fan of professional wrestling, you know of Bobby Heenan.
Bobby Heenan was a WWE Hall of Famer, but he transcended the sport. Of course when you’re considered to be the greatest manager of all time as well as the best color commentator to ever call a match your popularity shouldn’t be surprising.
Heenan spent over 40 years in the world of pro wrestling. He wasn’t your typical wrestler. He wasn’t gigantic. He wasn’t musclebound. He didn’t fly through the air [unless being thrown by Dick the Bruiser or some other good guy]. Bobby Heenan started out as manager “Pretty Boy” Bobby Heenan. He was a heel. As a little kid, Heenan was the first person to make me root for the “bad” guy.
Fans loved or hated him, but no one was neutral about Bobby Heenan. Sometimes Heenan would even get involved in matches [usually against his will]. He could “rassle” with anyone and make them look better. No one could work a crowd like “the Brain.” And Bobby Heenan was witty. His one-liners and off-the-cuff comments were at times more entertaining than the matches themselves.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Bobby Heenan’s family, friends and fans.
Glen Campbell has passed on. From his official website:
It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and legendary singer and guitarist, Glen Travis Campbell, at the age of 81, following his long and courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Glen is survived by his wife, Kim Campbell of Nashville, TN; their three children, Cal, Shannon and Ashley; his children from previous marriages, Debby, Kelli, Travis, Kane, and Dillon; ten grandchildren, great- and great-great-grandchildren; sisters Barbara, Sandra, and Jane; and brothers John Wallace “Shorty” and Gerald.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Glen Campbell Memorial Fund at BrightFocus Foundation through the CareLiving.org donation page.
I was and continue to be a Glen Campbell fan. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.
George Romero passed away today at the age of 77 from a “brief but aggressive battle with lung cancer.” I was shocked and saddened to read those words. Romero is one of my movie heroes.
Most of you know that Romero co-wrote (with John Russo) and directed Night of the Living Dead, the movie that redefined zombies and created a horror sub-genre. Romero always did things his way and followed NOTLD with several other “…of the Dead” zombie films. He was currently working to get financing for Road of the Dead, which was set to become the next feature in his zombie franchise.
Although Mr. Romero was a bit older, I was truly surprised by his passing. Just last weekend I listened to Jonathon Maberry talking about the joy of working with George Romero on Nights of the Living Dead: An Anthology. I couldn’t wait to order my copy. Now I want to get it in my mitts even more. I have a post scheduled to go live in a couple of days about Mr. Romero working on financing for Road of the Dead. There was no hint that he’d been ill.
Romero died peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by his family while the score of one his favorite films, 1952’s “The Quiet Man,” played in the background. I can’t think of a much nicer way to go. Thanks to George Romero for not only all of the movies he created but also for those his work inspired.
My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.
Source: Los Angeles Times.
I am sad to report that John Avildsen died today at the age of 81.
I first became aware of John Avildsen’s work with W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings in 1975. Lightning struck when Avildsen directed Rocky to 10 Oscar nominations (winning three including Best Picture, Best Editing and Best Director for Avildsen). The success of Rocky led to Rocky II but an agreement to return couldn’t be reached. Avildsen later said the decision was “one of my greatest mistakes.” Avildsen’s star ascended again when he steered all three Karate Kid movies to box office success.
John Avildsen was known as the King of the Underdogs, but I will always be grateful for his part in making my all-time favorite movie, Rocky.
My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, his friends and his fans.
Adam West passed away last night after short battle with leukemia surrounded by his family.
West, known as tv’s Batman, is (along with Leonard Nimoy as Spock) perhaps the best example of the danger of typecasting. Chosen to play the Caped Crusader for television, West shot to such fame that he had trouble finding new leading roles when Batman ended. Yet he persevered and in later years did very well on the convention circuit meeting fans who couldn’t wait to get an autograph and photo with Batman.
I was seven years old when Batman premiered. Adam West instantly became one of my childhood heroes. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.
It was announced today that Bernie Wrightson has passed away after a long battle with brain cancer. Mr. Wrightson was 68.
Known best for his drawings and paintings in the horror genre, Mr. Wrightson was a humble and soft-spoken man who appreciated his fans. Wrightson was an artist’s artist. Not only was his work loved by fans, but professional artists were also in awe of his talent. Best known as the co-creator (with Len Wein) of Swamp Thing, Wrightson was also known for…
I was fortunate enough to meet Berni Wrightson a couple of times at HeroesCon. He was kind and humble and appreciative of the praise fans (myself included) gave him. On the first occasion, when my wife learned that Mr. Wrightson was a guest at the con she came into the show to meet him. She wasn’t a real comics fan, but she did love Mr. Wrightson’s art, appreciated his talent and wanted to meet him. When she spoke to him, he seemed genuinely touched. As we were leaving his area other fans were coming over to share their appreciation. I’m glad Bernie Wrightson was aware of how much his art positively impacted so many people.
My thoughts and prayers go out to Berni Wrightson’s family, friends and fans.
Bill Paxton died today from complications from surgery. Mr. Paxton was just 61.
I first took notice of Bill Paxton in his role as Chet in Weird Science. Not long after that I realized that I’d seen Paxton in small but memorable roles in Streets of Fire and The Terminator. Paxton followed Weird Science with a small role in Commando. He then landed his breakout role as Private Hudson in Aliens.
Paxton went on to a have a career that spanned over 40 years appearing tv shows and movies. A few of my favorite Bill Paxton performances include:
Paxton also appeared in Miami Vice, Next of Kin, Navy Seals, Predator 2, One False Move, Trespass, Apollo 13, Titanic, Mighty Joe Young, U-571, Spy Kids 2 & 3, Frasier and so many other shows and movies. He was currently starring in the tv series Training Day. Anything Mr. Paxton appeared in, he made better.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Bill Paxton’s family, friends and fans.
George Michael died yesterday. He was 53.
Like most folks, I first became aware of George Michael when “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” hit the charts back in the 1980s. At the time Michael was part of the duo Wham. The song was an upbeat, fun tune and featured Michael dancing as he sang giving us no insight into the artist we were viewing.
It wasn’t until Michael left Wham and began recording on his own that we would see his true talents emerge. Michael sold more than 100 million records worldwide, had seven number one singles in the UK and eight number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. Billboard ranks him the 40th-most successful artist to ever live.
Michael was a generous man performing in many concerts with the proceeds designated for charities, donating all of the proceeds from the single “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” among ten different charities for children, AIDS and education. Michael also supported the Elton John AIDS Foundation and gave to other charities anonymously.
George Michael always seemed to me the perfect example of a troubled artist. A good looking guy, who wanted to be seen as more than just another handsome face. A man who appeared to have it all but struggled with private issues. A generous man with talent and financial resources that he shared with the world.
Rest in Peace, George Michael. Your music and memory will live on.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to George Michael’s family, friends and fans.
