Category: Humor

“Last Looks” Starring Charlie Hunnam & Mel Gibson – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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We have the Last Looks poster and trailer.  Both look better than expected.  This will be a streaming view for me.

Charlie Waldo (Charlie Hunnam) is an ex-LAPD superstar who left the force and now lives a life of simplicity and solitude deep in the woods. Alistair Pinch (Mel Gibson) is an eccentric actor who spends his days drunk on the set of his TV show. When Pinch’s wife is found dead, he is the prime suspect and Waldo is convinced to come out of retirement to investigate what happened. The case finds Waldo contending with gangsters, Hollywood executives and pre-school teachers, all in pursuit of clearing Pinch’s name … or confirming his guilt. #LastLooks

IN THEATERS, ON DEMAND AND DIGITAL: February 4, 2022

CAST: Charlie Hunnam, Morena Baccarin, Lucy Fry, Dominic Monaghan, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Clancy Brown with Rupert Friend and Mel Gibson

Batman – “It Was a Dark and Stormy Night” by Snoopy (Charles Schulz), Len Wein & Walt Simonson!

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When I was a kid Peanuts (especially Snoopy) was all the rage.  I know for a fact I’ve read the strips above many times over the years.

I am also a long time comic book and Walt Simonson fan. I read the story below when it was first released (and many more times over the years).

But…

…It wasn’t until last night that (thanks to a Tweet from Blake Scott Ball) that I learned that Len Wein/Walt Simonson actually turned Snoopy’s story into a Batman tale!  I knew the “Dark and stormy night” was Snoopy’s famous first sentence, but I’d forgotten the rest.  Seeing the Peanuts strips alongside the Batman tale brought a smile to my face and made me love ’em both even more.

Click on the art above and below to see them biggie-sized.  Thanks to Blake Scott Ball for his Tweet!

Craig’s 2021 Best Movies, Books, and Posts Lists!

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End of the Year lists are fun and so I decided to compile a few of my own. I hope you enjoy them. Below is my Best Of list for 2021…

Movies and Limited Series

In 2021, I watched 372 movies. Most were streamed. The only film I saw in a theater was Rocky vs Drago, Sly Stallone’s Director’s Cut of Rocky IV. Although the total movies watched was less than last year, it was still nearly double of what I saw prior to retiring.  My favorite films and limited series released in 2021 included:

  • Army of the Dead
  • Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali
  • No Sudden Move
  • Rocky IV: Rocky vs Drago Director’s Cut
  • Midnight Mass
  • Who Killed Malcolm X?

Books

In 2021, I read 39 books (5 more than last year). Prior to retiring I usually read about 20 – 24 per year so the increase is a good sign that I’ll some day make it through my book cases of “to be read” books.  My favorites from this year included:

  • The Revelators by Ace Atkins
  • Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
  • Two in the Head by Eric Beetner
  • She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper
  • Paradise Sky by Joe Lansdale
  • Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby
  • Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
  • The Heathens by Ace Atkins
  • The Driver by Hart Hanson
  • My Darkest Prayer by S.A. Cosby

My Most Popular Posts of the Year

I continue to find some surprises in what became my most popular posts each year. Here are the top ten for 2021 and some thoughts for each…

10. Michael Biehn Talks “Tombstone” – broke into the top ten. I’m not surprised due to the continuing popularity of Tombstone.

09. Jack Benny in “Casablanca” – dropped from the 7th spot to the 9th. I love that Jack Benny is still popular enough to make the top ten for the year since I consider him very under-rated.

08. Gadot & The Rock Strike a Pose – Two of the most popular movie stars in the world together? Yep and that’s why they came in at #8.

07. Top 10 Most Iconic Horror Movie Villains – dropped from #5 to #7 for the year. Horror movie posts remain popular but maybe a bit less this year than last year.

06. The Girl Who Didn’t “Flinch” Trailer is Here! – This one surprised me more than any other post. A crime film from a director and cast I didn’t know and it not only made the top ten most popular posts of the year but also nearly made the top 5.

05. Rare “Batman” Screen Tests: Lyle Waggoner & Peter Deyell and Adam West & Burt Ward – I love that this one got a lot of love this year.

04. Dracula Through the Ages – was our 4th most popular post last year. Horror movies always get love and Dracula counts (see what I did there) as horror.

03. Louis Meyers: Evidence He was the Zodiac Killer – came in the #2 spot last year. Real life horror trumps fictional this time.

02. Schwarzenegger in “King Lear” & Robin Williams in “Jack and the Beanstalk” – was our most popular post last year and clocks in at #2 this year.

01. The TWILIGHT ZONE New Year’s Eve Marathon is Coming and the Full Schedule is Out! – was the most popular post of the year and surprised me almost as much as The Girl Who Didn’t “Flinch” Trailer is Here!

My All-Time Most Popular Posts

There weren’t many changes on the All-Time Most Popular Posts list. One post managed to break through while the others mostly stayed in their same spots. Let’s see how things shook out…

10. Dracula Through the Ages – made it into the top ten!

09. Gadot & The Rock Strike a Pose – was in the 9th spot last year and remained there this year.

08. Real Clown or Horror Movie Clown? – was in the 7th spot last year and dropped to 8.

07. Joel Osteen in Jacksonville – dropped one spot from 6th to 7th.

06. TOP 10 MOST ICONIC HORROR MOVIE VILLAINS! – moved up 2 spots from 8 to 6 this year.

05. Steve Reeves as Superman – was the #5 all-time most popular post last year and continues to be this year.

04. New Billy the Kid Photo Discovered – was the #4 all-time most popular post last year and continues to be this year.

03. Zodiac Killer Code Cracked? – was the #3 all-time most popular post last year and continues to be this year.

02. Louis Meyers: Evidence He Was the Zodiac Killer – was the #2 all-time most popular post last year and continues to be this year.

01. Schwarzenegger in “King Lear” & Robin Williams in “Jack and the Beanstalk” – was #1 last year and continues to be our most popular post of all-time.

It’s always interesting to see which topics resonate with fans and continue to be popular long after their initial post.

“Happy New Year” from Santa with a Gun!

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I meant to share the caricature of me as Santa by Rob Smith, Jr. on Christmas.   Sadly, I forgot.

As I was looking for an image to go along with my Happy New Years post, I thought what better way to say, Have a Happy New Year, than to post Santa with a Gun along with the message.  Think about it: Not many people will argue with Santa and even fewer would not listen to Santa with a gun. So…

Have a Happy New Year!

RIP: Betty White

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Betty White, the beloved comedian, actress and author died today from natural causes at the age of 99.  Betty White’s career began in radio in the 1940s.  She transitioned to television working on local stations in 1949.  From 1952 to 1955, Betty White starred in (and also co-created and co-produced) Life with Elizabeth which was syndicated nationally.  Following Life with Elizabeth, Ms. White would go on to appear in television series, game and talk shows and the occasional feature film.

Betty White’s breakout role came in 1973 when she joined The Mary Tyler Moore Show playing Sue Ann Nivens, a woman in her 50s who was always on the prowl for a man.  She was a hit with critics and fans. Betty White won two (of her 5) Emmys for her efforts as Sue Ann Nivens.  When The Mary Tyler Moore Show ended Ms. White continued to stay busy with her own show (The Betty White Show, 1977-78) as well as guest appearances on television programs and tv movies.  She was so popular she ended up with recurring roles on The Love Boat, Mama’s Family and Empty Nest.

At the age of 63 (when many folks are considering retirement), Betty White landed the role of Rose Nyland on The Golden Girls.  The series ran for seven seasons and Ms. White returned as Rose for the sequel series The Golden Palace (which ran for one season).  Betty White’s portrayal of Rose Nyland won her another Emmy and she was nominated every year of The Golden Girls run!  

Betty White continued to make guest appearances (often in recurring roles) for the remainder of her career.  Her popularity continued to grow with each passing year.  Betty White’s 100 birthday was less than three weeks from today.  A big celebration that was to be filmed to mark the occasion will go on as planned and is tentatively titled “Betty White: 100 Years Young — A Birthday Celebration.“

Although she was 99 years old, Betty White’s passing came as a surprise. I loved how her popularity grew as she got older.  It was always a pleasure to see her guest appearances and who didn’t love her as Sue Ann Nivens or Rose Nyland?  From all accounts Betty White was as wonderful a human being as she appeared to be. The world is a little less fun now that she is gone.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Betty White’s family, friends and fans.

 

“Don’t Look Up” / Z-View

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Don’t Look Up (2021) Director: Adam McKay Screenplay: Adam McKay

Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ryan Reynolds, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchette, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Tyler Perry,  Timothée Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande, Michael Chiklis  and Paul Guilfoyle.

Tagline: Based on truly possible events. The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When a grad student (Lawrence) and her professor (DiCaprio) discover a huge comet on a collision course with Earth they bring the information up the chain of command to the President (Streep).  Unfortunately the information about the possible end of the world comes at a bad time — the mid-term elections are just around the corner.  Although sworn to secrecy, Lawrence and DiCaprio take the information to the media.  Now that the world knows action will be taken… or not.

A satire about an apocalyptic disaster with this all-star cast had so much potential.  Sadly, Don’t Look Up is a bit heavy-handed and long.  Lawrence and DiCaprio come off as neurotic worriers needing medication to get through the day (even before the discovery of a planet-killer comet on collision course with us).  Streep and her followers are in denial (Hence, the Don’t Look Up title) and more interested in ratings, money and being re-elected.  This set-up could have worked if we had some likeable characters and tighter editing.

There are funny scenes and set-ups.  Lawrence and DiCaprio are forced to wait for hours and hours to see the President with perhaps the most important information ever. Then when they finally do get in, the President and her staff downplay the danger because of ratings.  There’s potential laughs in how both conservatives and liberals react to the knowledge that the comet is coming.  It’s interesting that both groups find ways to make money off the comet – a concert for the libs and a rally for the President’s followers.  The way the media delivers the message to the masses and makes stars of some and ignoring others is ripe for laughs.  And we do get a few, but not enough to get better than a 2 star rating.

RIP: John Madden

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John Madden, the Super Bowl winning NFL coach (who never had a losing season), the 12-time Emmy Award winner for sports broadcasting, and the namesake for one of the all-time best-selling video games died unexpectedly yesterday at the age of 85.  No cause of death was given.

John Madden was an all-conference college football (offensive tackle) and baseball (catcher) player.  Although he suffered a knee injury during his senior year, John Madden was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1958.  A second knee injury during training camp ended his pro career before he ever played a game.  From 1960 – 1966, Madden excelled as a college football coach which brought him to the attention of Al Davis, the owner of the Oakland Raiders.  Davis hired Madden as a Linebacker Coach in 1967.  In 1969, John Madden was named the Head Coach of the Raiders (making him the youngest Head Coach in the NFL).  Mr. Madden served as the Raiders Head Coach for ten years, winning one Super Bowl, never finishing below 2nd place in their division and never having a losing season.

After retiring as Head Coach of the Raiders, John Madden turned to television where he quickly became one of the most popular and respected sports broadcasters of all time.  John Madden’s popularity was so great he was sought after for commercials as well as television & movie appearances and the ever-popular Madden video game from EA Sports.

Watching John Madden’s Raiders was always fun, but watching a John Madden sports broadcast was even better.  John Madden knew the game and made his analysis fun.  Mr. Madden came off like the guy you’d like to hang out with at the family bar-b-que.  You knew he’d have great stories to share, and would enjoy the food, talk and fellowship. 

Our thoughts and prayers go out to John Madden’s family, friends and fans. 

The TWILIGHT ZONE New Year’s Eve Marathon is Coming and the Full Schedule is Out!

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The Twilight Zone New Year’s Eve Marathon has been one of our family traditions for decades.  Sometimes we binge watch. Other times we just check in on favorite episodes.  Shadow & Substance (an excellent Rod Serling fan site) has this year’s full schedule.  Before you click over to check it out, let me suggest some favorite Twilight Zone episodes…

Friday, December 31, 2021
7:40pm – Time Enough At Last
8:55pm – The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
11:00pm – Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?
11:25pm – The Shelter

Saturday, January 1, 2022
8:30am – Third From the Sun
8:45pm – The Howling Man
9:10pm – Eye of the Beholder
11:00pm – The Midnight Sun

Sunday, January 2, 2022
12:00am – To Serve Man
1:30am – Nightmare at 20,000 Feet

The Twilight Zone and quite a few other folks will be live-Tweeting during the marathon.   If you watch, please join in!

Jim Ivey Christmas Celebration!

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That’s me (in blue) and Jim Ivey (in red).  The photo was taken last Friday at our (now resumed) Jim Ivey Celebrations.  Prior to COVID, about every six months I would invite friends to celebrate Jim Ivey (on either his birthday or Christmas).

Jim Ivey is one of our oldest and dearest friends.  Jim was the owner of The Cartoon Museum in Orlando, Florida. At the same time, Jim also worked as a syndicated cartoonist [The Thoughts of Man], a political cartoonist [The Orlando Sentinel], a publisher [CartooNews], teacher [UCF cartooning class] and comic book convention organizer [OrlandoCon].  Jim made a lot of life-long friends through these activities and many of Jim’s friends became friends.

Getting back to today’s celebration… the line-up included Jim, his caretaker Joy, Rob Smith, Steve Martinez, me, Charlie Moffitt, Santa & Mrs. Claus (Joy Underwood and her husband Dennis).

In the second photo you can see (going left to right) Robert Smith, me, Charlie Moffitt, Mike Kott, Mike Sikes, Cliff Weikal and his wife, Steve Martinez, Joy Underwood and her husband Dennis (Santa & Mrs. Claus) and our Guest of Honor: Jim Ivey.  Bill Black and John Beatty wanted to attend but family obligations kept them away. 

Jim received many Christmas cards, lottery tickets (he loves ’em), homemade cookies (he loves ’em).  Jim gave as good as he got, making sure each person in attendance got a Christmas Card and lottery ticket!  There were so many great stories shared.  It was a wonderful time. 

Our next Jim Ivey Celebration will be for his 97th birthday in April!   

“I Love Lucy” Trivia

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Blake Hawkins at CBR.com came up with what he calls I Love Lucy: 7 Shocking Facts About the Classic Sitcom.  While I wouldn’t call them shocking, Hawkins did come up with interesting trivia for one of America’s most beloved and groundbreaking sitcoms.  Before you click over, here are my favorites from Hawkins’ list and some additional thoughts…

I Love Lucy Made Reruns Possible.  (This fact alone should make I Love Lucy famous.  Despite the additional cost using 35mm film allowed the episodes to be replayed making re-runs possible! – Craig)

Fred And Ethel Couldn’t Stand Each Other Offscreen.  (I learned this years ago and was shocked.  You’d never know this from just watching the show.  I guess that’s why they call it acting. – Craig)

William Frawley Skipped Two Episodes For His Yankees.  (This is new to me.  It’s funny sometimes the things actors put into their contracts.  It payed off for Frawley though. – Craig)

Desi-Lu Productions (Lucy and Desi’s company) were responsible for I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, The Untouchables, Mission: Impossible and Star Trek!

My favorite I Love Lucy episode involves Lucy getting stuck on an upper story ledge in the rain dressed as tv’s Superman for Little Ricky’s birthday.  George Reeves guest stars.

RIP: Michael Nesmith

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Michael Nesmith died today from heart failure at the age of 78. Nesmith was a singer, song writer, actor, producer and novelist!  He was best known for his role as a member of The Monkees.

The Monkees [Mike, as he was called then, along with Davy Jones, Mickey Dolenz, and Peter Tork] took the world by storm in 1966.  The group was hand-picked by Screen Gems in an effort to create a tv show about a group of young musicians.  Lightning struck and the group not only had a hit tv series but became one of the biggest selling bands of the 60’s.  In 1967, The Monkees sold more albums than The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined.  The Monkees even appeared in a feature film called Head that was co-written by Jack Nicholson!

I was a huge Monkees fan like many kids my age [7].  I collected their albums, trading cards, comic books and magazines.  I had a model of The Monkeemobile.  I even followed The Monkees after Peter, then later Mike, quit the band.  Sadly, I never got to see them perform live when they reunited for several reunion tours.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Michael Nesmith’s family, friends and fans.

“Red Notice” / Z-View

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Red Notice (2021) Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber Screenplay: Rawson Marshall Thurber

Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot and Ritu Arya.

Tagline: Pros and Cons. The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

FBI agent, John Hartley (Johnson) is on the trail of Nolan Booth (Reynolds), one of the world’s top art thieves.  What looks like a slam dunk arrest of Booth goes sideways and Hartley is left holding the bag.  In this case the bag is one of three priceless eggs created for Cleopatra.  In order to clear his name, Hartley becomes an reluctant partner to Booth.  They will have to steal back the original egg as well as the other two that are in different exotic locations around the world.  Complicating matters is The Bishop (Gadot), an art thief, also after the priceless relics.

Red Notice is a fast, fun action/caper that doesn’t take itself too seriously.  It is filled with tons of stunts and funny (well, mostly funny) repartee performed by likeable stars.  There are homages to James Bond, the Bourne films, Raiders of the Lost Ark, True Lies and more.  Our heroes fight with each other, Russian prisoners, each other, Interpol agents, each other, a crime lord’s guards, each other and a bull.  They fall off a building, escape from a Russian gulag, are knocked unconscious, have a bridge blown out from under them, suffer electric shock to the groin, survive multiple car crashes, fall off a gigantic waterfall, are shot at with pistols, machine guns, rocket launchers and are never even winged.  In fact thousands of rounds of ammo are spent and NOBODY gets hit.  Even our heroes are terrible shots.

And that is my biggest problem with the film.  Our heroes are put in dangerous situations, but very quickly we get the sense that nothing bad is going to happen to them.  The stakes don’t seem real.

 If that doesn’t bother you, then you’ll probably enjoy Red Notice even more than I did and I liked it.  There are some scenes/lines that made me laugh and even more that made me smile (far outnumbering the few that fell flat).  I appreciated the fast pace, action and stars.  There’s a fun plot twist that I didn’t see coming.    Red Notice has the potential for a sequel and I’d be up for that.

Wes Craven’s “Scream” Trivia You May Not Know!

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Rob Hunter at Film School Rejects shared 31 Things We Learned from Wes Craven’s ‘Scream’ Commentary.  Before you click over, here are three of my favorites and thoughts on each…

Sidney types her distress call out to the online 911 system, and she enters 34 Elm Street as her address — but it was cut for time. (That’s too bad it was cut.  Fans would have loved it! – Craig)

Joseph Whipp plays the sheriff here, and he plays a cop in A Nightmare on Elm Street too. “So the backstory there that I put in is that he was so upset by the events in Nightmare on Elm Street that he moved to a small town in Northern California.”  (That’s funny and probably goes unnoticed by 99% of the viewers. – Craig)

Craven is pleased by his addition to the end credits acknowledgements ending a list of thanks with “No thanks whatsoever to The Santa Rosa City School District Governing Board.”  (Read Hunter’s item #10 and you’ll know why! – Craig)

Tom Richmond’s The Inkstained Wretch – Free Newsletter!

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Tom Richmond, best known for his wonderful work on MAD Magazine has started a free newsletter that he calls The Inkstained Wretch.  If you subscribe you get a peek behind the curtain to see what Tom’s working on, blasts from the past (projects), advance looks at art, questions & answers from the mail bag and more.  Tom still updates his blog weekly (as opposed to weakly) and is worth checking out — there’s a treasure trove of past posts with art and fun stories — but the newsletter is the way to go.