Category: Humor

“They Cloned Tyrone” (2023) starring John Boyega, Jamie Foxx & Teyonah Parris / Z-View

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They Cloned Tyrone (2023)

Director: Juel Taylor

Screenwriter: Tony Rettenmaier, Juel Taylor

Cast: John Boyega, Jamie Foxx, Teyonah Parris, Kiefer Sutherland and David Alan Grier.

Tagline: Damn…

The Plot…

Fontaine (Boyega) is a small time drug dealer.  When he goes to collect money from a pimp known as Slick Charles (Foxx), Fontaine is ambushed.  He’s shot several times and left for dead. Slick Charles and one of his girls, Yo-Yo are shocked to witness the murder.

They are even more amazed the next day.  Fontaine comes back to collect the debt.  He has no recollection of being shot.  He has no wounds.  As Slick Charles and Yo-Yo discuss what they saw, some memories come back to Fontaine.  The three end up following clues that lead them to discover a widespread government conspiracy.

Fontaine, Slick Charles and Yo-Yo have to figure out a way to quickly expose the powerful cabal behind the conspiracy, If they can’t, well… we all know what happens to people who discover the truth behind big time deceptions.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

This is the second film I’ve seen with John Boyega. He was excellent in The Woman King and is even better here.  Jamie Foxx is always good.  I loved seeing Keifer Sutherland and David Allan Grier pop up in supporting roles.

My simple description of They Cloned Tyrone is cross Three the Hard Way with Invasion of the Body Snatchers minus the aliens. Add a touch of humor.

I liked They Cloned Tyrone but think it could have gotten to the conspiracy a bit faster.  I also wish that they had leaned into the humor a bit more.

A lot of the film reminded me of a 70s blaxploitation movie.  I thought that maybe the film should have been set in that time period.  Another thought then occurred, perhaps the folks behind the film wanted us to see the situation as though it takes place now because the issues are still relevant.

They Cloned Tyrone (2023) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“The Mystery of the 13th Guest” (1943) / Z-View

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The Mystery of the 13th Guest (1943)

Director: William Beaudine

Screenwriter: Tim Ryan, Charles R. Marion, Arthur Hoerl based on THE 13TH GUEST by Armitage Trail

Cast: Helen Parrish, Dick Purcell, Bill Pullman, Dean Norris, Mik Scriba, J.T. Walsh, Herb Mitchell and Bill Nunn.

Tagline: IT’S MURDER! An Unseen terror holds an entire family in fear!

The Plot…

When Marie Morgan was eight years old she attended a gathering called by her dying grandfather.  In attendance were Marie’s aunts, uncles, cousins and her grandfather’s lawyer.  Grandfather tells everyone that Marie is to return on her 21st birthday by herself to read his will.  It’s clear that Grandpa doesn’t much care for any of them except Marie.

Thirteen years have passed.  Marie returns to the old house.  It hasn’t been lived in for over a decade.  As Marie thinks back she remembers that there was an empty seat next to her grandpa.  Twelve people were in attendance.  She wonders who the empty seat was for.  Marie opens the sealed will.  As she does someone enters the house and a gunshot is fired.

When the police arrive they find Marie dead… but not from a gunshot.  But wait, that’s not really Marie.  And now another person who was at the original meeting is found in his seat murdered!

How many will die before the Mystery of the 13th Guest is discovered?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

The Mystery of the 13th Guest is a low budget quickie typical of many “B” pictures of the era.  It’s directed by William “One Shot” Beaudine who knocked out over 400 films during his career.  They didn’t call him “one shot” for nothing.  If you’ve seen a Bowery Boys flick, odds are you’ve seen his work.

If you know what you’re getting going in, and you have an hour to kill, you won’t be disappointed.

The Mystery of the 13th Guest (1943) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“American Dream” Written & Directed by Cord Jefferson, Starring Jeffrey Wright – The Trailer is Here!

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The American Dream trailer has me sold.  I’m a fan of Jeffrey Wright and Sterling K. Brown.  Deal me in.

Watch the official trailer for #AmericanFiction, starring Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, and Sterling K. Brown. From Writer/Director Cord Jefferson. Only in theaters this December.

AMERICAN FICTION is Cord Jefferson’s hilarious directorial debut, which confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish “Black” book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.

RIP: Suzanne Somers

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Suzanne Somers, born Suzanne Mahoney, died today the result of cancer.  Ms. Somers was 76. Suzanne Somers was a model, actress, singer, author and business woman.

When Suzanne Mahoney was 19, she married Bruce Somers.  They had one child and the couple divorced three years later. Suzanne Somers’ career began with her getting modeling gigs and small, often uncredited parts in television shows and movies.  Her big break came when she landed the role of Chrissy Snow on Three’s Company.  The show was an instant hit and made Suzanne Somers a household name.  Ms. Somers stayed with the series through four seasons.

For the rest of her career Suzanne Somers would act in movies and television.  She became a commercial spokesperson for the exercise product Thighmaster.  Suzanne Somers also authored two autobiographies, a book of poetry as well as four diet books.  In 2001, Ms. Somers was diagnosed with breast cancer.  She elected to have a lumpectomy and radiation.  She declined chemotherapy and instead used alternative cancer treatments.  Although criticized by the American Cancer Society and many doctors, Suzanne Somers became a proponent of alternative treatments to chemotherapy.

Some of Suzanne Somer’s television appearances include: The Rockford Files; Sky Heist; One Day at a Time; The Love Boat; Starsky & Hutch (3 episodes); The Six Million Dollar Man; Zuma Beach; Three’s Company (100 episodes); The Ropers; Hollywood Wives (3 episodes); She’s the Sheriff (44 episodes); Sisters; The Larry Sanders Show; The Simpsons and Step-By-Step (160 episodes).

Some of Suzanne Somer’s feature film appearances include: Bullit; Daddy’s Gone A-Hunting; American Graffiti; Magnum Force; Billy Jack Goes to Washington; Nothing Personal and The Nutty Professor.

I first remember seeing Suzanne Somers in a magazine ad.  She was a hot babe on a beach.  Of course I remember her best from Three’s Company.  Although I didn’t regularly watch the show, her fame brought her magazine covers, feature stories and appearances on other shows.  For a while Suzanne Somers was everywhere!  It’s funny because I probably saw her on The Rockford Files, Starsky & Hutch or The Six Million Dollar Man before Three’s Company ever hit the air waves.  But it’s Chrissy Snow that first comes to mind when I think of Suzanne Somers.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Suzanne Somers family, friends and fans.

“Hard Boiled Mahoney” (1947) starring Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Dan Seymour & the Bowery Boys / Z-View

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Hard Boiled Mahoney (1947)

Director: William Beaudine

Screenplay: Cy Endfield, Edmond Seward, Tim Ryan

Stars: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Gabriel Dell, William ‘Billy’ Benedict, David Gorcey, Dan Seymour, Pierre Watkin, Bernard Gorcey, Patti Brill and Noble Johnson.

Tagline: DEFECTIVE DETECTIVES!

The Plot…

A woman mistakenly thinks that Slip (L. Gorcey) and Satch (Hall) are detectives.  She hires them to find her sister.  The clues lead to Dr. Rolfe Carter (Watkin).  Slip and Satch arrive at Dr. Carter’s office just as he’s being murdered.  Slip is knocked unconscious.  He awakens to find that he’s been set up to take the fall.

Slip escapes.  Now Slip, Satch and the rest of the Bowery Boys need to find the real killer.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

This is one of the Bowery Boys better outings.

Dan Seymour is a welcome addition to the cast.  He plays the main bad guy.  You may know Seymour from his appearances in To Have and Have Not, Key Largo, The Big Heat, or another of his over 100 acting credits.

Patti Brill is in only a few scenes as Slip’s girl, but she makes an impact.

Heads up: There is a scene where two of the Bowery Boys are disguised as a shoe shiner and customer.  The shoe shiner is in blackface.

Hard Boiled Mahoney (1947) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Why Worry?” starring Harold Lloyd / Z-View

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Why Worry? (1923)

Director: Fred Newmeyer, Sam Taylor

Screenplay: Sam Taylor (story), H.M. Walker (titles)

Stars: Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, John Aasen, Wally Howe.

Tagline: Come and See the Enormous Giant, 8ft. 9in. high, who helps Harold Quell a Revolution in Six reels of the cleverest and funniest humor imaginable.

The Plot…

Harold Van Pelham (Lloyd) is a wealthy hypochondriac.  Pelham decides to go to the South American island of Paradiso for his health.  There Pelham finds himself in the middle of a revolution… winds up rooming with men who are to be shot at dawn… befriends a giant… takes on an army… and finds true love!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Why Worry really takes off when Lloyd befriends the giant with a toothache.  Repeated attempts to remove the giant’s tooth bring laughs.

The funniest scene has Lloyd repeatedly jumping on a commandant and hitting him until the soldiers he was leading (from the rear) realize what is happening.  Lloyd then runs off with the soldiers after him and the Captain again leading from behind.  Lloyd then knocks the Captain down and starts beating him again.  This happens several times with Lloyd using some inventive means to get his licks in.

It’s hard to believe Why Worry premiered 100 years ago.

Why Worry? (1923) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Argylle” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Deal me in!

Don’t let the cat out of the bag. #ArgylleMovie, in theaters February 2, 2024.

Argylle Only In Theaters February 2 https://www.argyllemovie.com/

— The greater the spy, the bigger the lie.

From the twisted mind of Matthew Vaughn (Kingsman franchise, Kick-Ass) comes Argylle, a razor-witted, reality-bending, globe-encircling spy thriller.

Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World franchise) is Elly Conway, the reclusive author of a series of best-selling espionage novels, whose idea of bliss is a night at home with her computer and her cat, Alfie. But when the plots of Elly’s fictional books—which center on secret agent Argylle and his mission to unravel a global spy syndicate—begin to mirror the covert actions of a real-life spy organization, quiet evenings at home become a thing of the past.

Accompanied by Aiden (Oscar® winner Sam Rockwell), a cat-allergic spy, Elly (carrying Alfie in her backpack) races across the world to stay one step ahead of the killers as the line between Elly’s fictional world and her real one begins to blur.

The top-flight ensemble cast features Henry Cavill (The Witcher), John Cena (Fast X), Oscar® winner Ariana DeBose (West Side Story), Grammy winning pop superstar Dua Lipa (Barbie), Emmy winner and Oscar® nominee Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Emmy winner and comedy icon Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek), Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service), and the legendary Samuel L. Jackson. Alfie is played by Chip, the real-life cat of supermodel Claudia Vaughn (née Schiffer).

Argylle is directed and produced by Matthew Vaughn, from a screenplay by Jason Fuchs (Wonder Woman). The film is produced by Matthew Vaughn, Adam Bohling (Kingsman franchise), Jason Fuchs, and David Reid (Kingsman franchise). The executive producers are Adam Fishbach, Zygi Kamasa, Carlos Peres and Claudia Vaughn.

Apple Original Films presents, in association with MARV, a Cloudy production. Argylle is distributed by Universal Pictures.

“The Out-Laws” (2023) starring Adam Devine, Nina Dobrev, Pierce Brosnan & Ellen Barkin / Z-View

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The Out-Laws (2023)

Director: Tyler Spindel

Screenplay: Evan Turner, Ben Zazove

Stars: Adam Devine, Pierce Brosnan, Ellen Barkin, Nina Dobrev, Michael Rooker, Richard Kind, Julie Hagerty, Lauren Lapkus, Lil Rel Howery, Dean Winters and Mo Gallini.

Tagline: None

The Plot…

Owen Browning (Devine) is about to marry the love of his life, Parker McDermott (Dobrev).  The plans are set when Owen and Parker learn that Parker’s estranged parents are going to be able to attend after all.  While there can be difficulty when two families come together, the greater the differences, the more likely the problems.  Owen’s parents are straightlace, a bit out of touch and like Owen, a bit nerdy.  Parker’s parents are hip, cool and thrillseekers.

Things are complicated when Owen’s bank (he’s the manager) is robbed by the famous Ghost Bandits duo.  Unfortunately for Owen he begins to believe his future in-laws are out-laws.  And he ain’t wrong!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

The Out-Laws is a high concept film.  Think Meet the Parents meets Bonnie and Clyde.  It has an excellent cast with Adam Devine, Pierce Brosnan, Ellen Barkin, Nina Dobrev, Michael Rooker, Richard Kind and Julie Hagerty. And they help make The Out-Laws an okay way to spend an hour and a half.  The truth is the cast deserved better… as did the audience.

The Out-Laws (2023) rates 2 of 5 stars.

A TURKEY DANCED DEATH: ANOTHER ROCK COBBLER CASE by Whiskey Leavins is now available!

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Great news for Whiskey Leavins and Rock Cobbler fans – A TURKEY DANCED DEATH: ANOTHER ROCK COBBLER CASE is now available!

Most times I like crime fiction to be hardboiled and serious. But once in a while a bigger helping of humor is what the bartender offers.  You know, books like Whiskey Leavins’  MURDER IN GREASEPAINT (described as “equal parts Chandler, Christopher Moore, Bozo, and Bourbon”) or Leavins’ THE DEVIL’S OWN PISS AND OTHER STORIES‘.  I’ve read ’em both and each earned a 5 star rating – my highest recommendation.

Now Whiskey Leavins is back. A TURKEY DANCED DEATH: ANOTHER ROCK COBBLER CASE is out.  Here’s the lowdown…

Early morning. A wooded clearing. The body surrounded by a conga line of head-bobbing wild turkeys. Then Detective Rock Cobbler’s Thursday really starts to get weird. Before he can begin to dig into this turkey-murder, his attention is diverted by a soft-spoken young woman filing a run-of-the-mill missing person report. Santa Lacrimosa PD’s crack detective knows he should focus on the murder, but unexplainably finds his interest being drawn towards the routine case. The dual investigations will lead Cobbler through seedy residential motels, close encounters with local burlesque royalty Caramel Slice, and on to interactions with a bizarre mountain cult, its charismatic leader, and his bulldog-like henchman. Will the bourbon-loving Cobbler get to the bottom of both cases? Will he figure out the turkey angle? Or will he wind up getting stuffed?

A TURKEY DANCED DEATH combines equal parts Chandler, Christopher Moore, Carl Hiaasen, and a dash of Jim Jones into a quirky, tawdry, Whiskey’d up cocktail.

My order is in,

Fargo | Installment 5 Teaser is Here! – Dot Lyon (Juno Temple) is a Homemaker

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It’s about to get saucy. Installment 5 of FX’s Fargo premieres 11.21 on FX. Stream on Hulu. 

| Visit Official Site https://fx.tv/Fargo

The latest installment of Fargo is set in Minnesota and North Dakota, 2019. After an unexpected series of events lands “Dorothy ‘Dot’ Lyon” (Juno Temple) in hot water with the authorities, this seemingly typical Midwestern housewife is suddenly plunged back into a life she thought she had left behind.

“Steamboat Bill, Jr.” (1928) starring Buster Keaton!

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Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)

Director: Charles Reisner, Buster Keaton (uncredited)

Writer: Carl Harbaugh

Stars: Buster Keaton, Ernest Torrence, Marion Byron and Joe Keaton.

Tagline: What a thrill! Worth the price of admission alone to see what happened to Buster when the twister hit the town.

The Plot…

William “Steamboat Bill” Canfield is a big, rugged man’s man.  Bill owns and operates the Stonewall Jackson which is an old paddlewheel tourist ship.  J. J. King, a rich business man, has brought in a new steamer and plans to put Steamboat Bill out of business.

Bill’s son (who he hasn’t seen in years) just graduated college and has arrived for a visit. Steamboat Bill is shocked to discover his son is small, awkward and wimpy.  Bill Sr. is determined to make a man out of his son. To complicate matters, Bill Jr. has a budding romance with Kitty, who has also returned from college.  The rub is Kitty is J.J. King’s daughter!

Let the good times sail!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Steamboat Bill, Jr. is considered a classic.  It’s in the National Film Registry.

Steamboat Bill, Jr. features one of the most famous and copied stunts of all time.  If you haven’t seen the movie, you’ve probably seen a clip of the stunt.  As a tornado hits the town, Keaton is standing in the street.  The front of an entire house falls down on Keaton.  Luckily, the upstairs window is open and Keaton fits through perfectly.  Many movies and television shows have recreated this stunt, but Keaton was the first!

Steamboat Bill, Jr. was also the inspiration for Mickey Mouse’s debut in Walt Disney’s Steamboat Willie!

Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“The Burial” starring Jamie Foxx & Tommy Lee Jones – The Trailer is Here!

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Deal me in.

Check out the official trailer for The Burial, in theaters October 6 and coming to Prime Video on October 13.

Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral home owner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E. Gary (Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx) to save his family business. Tempers flare and laughter ensues as the unlikely pair bond while exposing corporate corruption and racial injustice in this inspirational, triumphant story.

Song: GOLDEN by Aloe Blacc & Tim Myers

Things Have Been Coming Up “Kolchak” Lately!

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Things have been coming up Kolchak around here lately.  I recently saw the above Kolchak art on Facebook.  It brought back memories of the two Kolchak tv movies, The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler from when I was a kid in junior high.  Great memories.

I decided to find out more about the art.  Turns out it was the cover for KOLCHAK: The Night Strangler Files.  The tv movie was written by Richard Matheson. Chris Mills (writer) and Amin Amat (artist) adapted it into the graphic novel.  I’m not sure who the cover artist is, but I sure do like that art.

Then Svengoolie announced that he would be getting the two Kolchak movies in the near future.  THAT is awesome news.

And that’s your Kolchak update for the day.

A TROLL WALKS INTO A BAR: A Noir Urban Fantasy Novel (Alexander Southerland, P.I.) by Douglas Lumsden

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I usually like my crime fiction to be hardboiled and realistic.  Well, as realistic as hardboiled fiction usually is.  Still, sometimes it’s fun to venture off into some crazier territory. A TROLL WALKS INTO A BAR: A Noir Urban Fantasy Novel (Alexander Southerland, P.I.) by Douglas Lumsden looks to fit the bill.

When a troll speaks–listen up! Hardboiled P.I. Alexander Southerland just wants to enjoy a quiet drink when a 500-pound troll walks into the bar. Next thing he knows, Southerland is navigating his way through rogue cops, a gang war, beautiful nymphs from the ocean depths, a were-rat, the mayor’s corrupt fixer, the sleaziest (and cleverest) gnome in Yerba City, and creatures right out of legend. At the center of it all is a mysterious locked box. Can Southerland discover its explosive secret–and survive long enough to pay his rent on time?

I read the Amazon sample and liked what I saw.  Check it out.  You may as well.

“Blazing Saddles” (1974) directed by Mel Brooks, starring Cleavon Little & Gene Wilder / Z-View

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Blazing Saddles (1974)

Director: Mel Brooks

Screenplay: Mel Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Andrew aBergman, Richard Pryor, Alan Uger story by Andrew Bergman

Stars: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens, Harvey Korman, Madeline Kahn, Mel Brooks, Burton Gilliam, Alex Karras, David Huddleston, Liam Dunn, John Hillerman, George Furth, Jack Starrett, Richard Collier, Dom DeLuise, Richard Farnsworth, Sally Kirkland, Hal Needham, Rodney Allen Rippy  and Count Basie.

Tagline:  Mel Brooks and the West! Together for the last time!

The Plot…

Quicksand forces the new railroad to change its route.  When the dastardly Hedley Lamarr (Korman) learns the railroad will have to go through the town of Rock Ridge, he sees an opportunity to get rich.  If Lamarr can get the town’s citizens to leave, he will become owner of all the land.

Lamarr sends his thugs to scare the people into leaving.  Instead, they wire the Governor that they need a Sheriff to protect them.  Lamarr tricks the Governor into sending an African American who was about to be hung.  Lamarr figures that a black Sheriff won’t be much protection and will upset some town folk enough to leave.

Boy, was Lamarr wrong.

Let the fun begin!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Blazing Saddles was nominated for six Academy Awards:
Nominated for
Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Madeline Kahn)
Best Film Editing (John C. Howard, Danford B. Greene)
Best Music, Original Song (John Morris – music, Mel Brooks – lyrics, for the song “Blazing Saddles”)

Blazing Saddles wouldn’t be made today.  It almost wasn’t in 1973.  John Wayne turned down the Waco Kid role.  Wayne thought it would tarnish his image.  Gig Young was hired but collapsed during the first scene.  It was later discovered Young suffered from alcohol withdrawal.  Gene Wilder was brought in to replace Young.  Richard Pryor was the first choice to play Bart.  The studio wouldn’t hire Pryor due to previous drug arrests.  Cleavon Little got the role.

The film makes fun of classic western troupes, breaks the fourth wall, features sight and verbal gags.  It is all over the place.  Everything is fair game.  Blazing Saddles isn’t for those easily offended.  Everyone else is in for a comedy guaranteed to entertain.

Blazing Saddles (1974) rates 5 of 5 stars.