Category: Trivia

Who is the All-Time Best Dracula?

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Kayleigh Donaldson created a ranking of her choices for the best movie Dracula in her post BATTLE OF THE DRACULAS: WHO IS KING OF THE VAMPIRES? at Syfy.com.   Her list is a good one although our top three choices are different.  Christopher Lee did make both of our lists (coming in second on her list and third on mine).

Here are our top three with my final thoughts following…

Kayleigh Donaldson

Craig Zablo
1. Gary Oldman – Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) 1. Claes Bang – Dracula (2020)
2. Christopher Lee – Dracula (1958) 2. Bela Lugosi – Dracula (1931)
3. Zhang Wei-Qiang – Dracula: Pages From a
Virgin’s Diary (2002)		 3. Christopher Lee – Dracula (1958)

1. Claes Bang – Dracula (2020):  Until this year Bela Lugosi was the definitive Dracula for me.  Claes Bang changed all of that with his performance in Dracula (2020).   Bang’s Dracula is truly terrifying, seductive and powerful.  Like Lugosi’s Dracula, it’s a movie that I will enjoy revisiting.

2. Bela Lugosi – Dracula (1931):  Lugosi was perfectly cast as Dracula and until this year his performance had risen above all others in playing the Count.  I still love his performance and find it sad that he was never able to shine so brightly in another movie.

3. Christopher Lee – Dracula (1958):  It’s only been in recent years that I’ve come to appreciate Lee’s Dracula.  The Hammer films didn’t resonate with me when I was younger.  I guess I was spoiled by the Universal Monsters.  Christopher Lee’s Dracula is the favorite of many folks and it’s hard to argue against him because he was great in the role.

Click over and check out how your favorite Draculas faired in BATTLE OF THE DRACULAS: WHO IS KING OF THE VAMPIRES?.

Ranking John Carpenter’s Movies

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The folks at Film School Rejects decided to Rank The Movies Directed By John Carpenter.  This sounded like fun, so I decided to play along.  Below are my rankings and thoughts…

The Ward (2010)
Village of the Damned (1995)
Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
Prince of Darkness (1987)
In the Mouth of Madness (1994)

The films above I haven’t seen.

15.  Dark Star (1974)  I don’t know if I have ever seen the whole thing.  It just didn’t resonate with me.  Most folks really like it.

14.  The Fog (1980)  I saw this on its theatrical release and it left me flat.  Which surprised me because I was expecting a lot.

13.  Someone’s Watching Me! (1978)  Watched this before I knew who John Carpenter was.  It was good.

12.  Vampires (1998)  I thought James Woods was miscast.

11.  Elvis (1979)  Who knew Kurt Russell could impersonate Elvis (and later Clint Eastwood)?

10.  Christine (1983)  Saw this at the theater and thought it was well done.

9.  Ghosts of Mars (2001)  Sci-fi action directed by Carpenter.  What’s not to like?

8.  Escape from L.A. (1996)  I was so excited about the return of Snake Plissken under the creative team of Carpenter and Russell.  Sadly the film played up the camp more than I would have liked.

7.  Big Trouble in Little China (1986)  My wife and I along with another couple saw BTiLC on its opening weekend.  I really liked it.  No one else in the group did.  Kurt Russell steals the show.

6.  They Live (1988)  Surprisingly good.  Roddy Piper was the perfect lead.  I felt the ending was a bit off but not enough to really matter.

5.  Starman (1984)  Big budget and big stars.  Perhaps my wife’s favorite Carpenter flick because it’s a good one.

4.   Halloween (1978)  Another Carpenter classic.  I first saw it in a drive-in and had sound problems through part of the film.  The movie still worked.  That is a sign of great direction!

3.  The Thing (1982)  I saw it on it’s initial theatrical release in a nearly empty theater.  Reaction from fans and critics wasn’t good.  Over the years that has all changed.  I thought it was a mistake remaking a classic but Carpenter pulled it off.

2.   Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)  This is the movie that made me a John Carpenter fan.  Thank God for VHS.  Low budget but man, does Carpenter make it work.  Darwin Joston was perfect casting.  I always thought we’d see more from him.

1.  Escape from New York (1981)  I saw EfNY several times on it’s first theatrical release and loved it.  I still do.

“Rocky” vs “First Blood” in Joblo’s Face/Off!

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Joblo.com brings Rocky and First Blood to their Face/Off feature where they rate each movie in several categories and determine a winner.  Do you agree with their outcome?

Sylvester Stallone’s two most popular cinematic characters, Rocky Balboa and John Rambo, debuted in between 1976 (Rocky) and 1982 (First Blood) and went on to generate a number of sequels (and even spinoffs in Rocky’s case with the Creed films) that have lasted for decades. But, one of the most common debates is which was the best of the original iterations of these characters, Rocky or First Blood?

In this series we explore the pros and cons of each, while taking a look at things like box office, awards accolades, most-quotable lines, supporting cast and so much more to determine which film is the winner in the never-ending debate when two movies Face/Off!

Edited by Damion Damaske

Hidden Details You May Have Missed in Jordan Peele’s “Us”

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Jordan Peele’s Us displays a master attention to detail at a nearly unparalleled level. Like his previous horror film, Get Out, there is much more to be discovered on repeat viewings, especially in the production design. In this case, his book choices all align with the film’s themes, and are great additions to the movie. For this video essay, I point out some of the hidden books, as well as other clues and details hidden in plain sight you may have missed when you saw the movie. Edited by H. Nelson Tracey http://www.hnelsontracey.com/

“Creature from the Black Lagoon” Trivia!

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Christopher Fudiccia and ScreenRant posted 10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Creature from the Black Lagoon.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon is one of my favorite horror films and perhaps the one that is most deserving of an new movie. Fudiccia presents ten fun and informative facts.  Below are three of my favs and my thoughts on each.  Click over the article for all the facts and the full details.

The Film Was Originally Presented In 3D. (I’ve seen Creature from the Black Lagoon many times, but never in a theater and never in 3D.  There’s money to be made if Universal ever decides to do a 3D re-release! – Craig)

Glenn Strange Almost Played The Creature (I did not know this.  Given the fact that Strange played Frankenstein in several movies, he seems like a natural choice… if he was a better swimmer.  Ha! – Craig)

The Gill-Man Wasn’t Really A Monster (This is an argument I’ve heard from fans.  See the rationale Fudiccia presents.  I’d agree except for the fact that the Creature kills two native workers at the start of the film.  – Craig)

“Rocky” Franchise Trivia!

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Ben Sherlock and ScreenRant posted Yo, Adrian!: 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About The Rocky Franchise. 

Most regular readers here will know the majority of the trivia posted, but there may be a few that surprise you.  Below are three of my favs and my thoughts on each.  Click over the article for all the facts and the full details.

Thanks To Rocky, Sylvester Stallone Has An Oscars Record Tied With Charlie Chaplin And Orson Welles.  (Sly was the third person to ever receive Academy Award nominations for writing and acting in the same film!  Since Sly earned this honor, Woody Allen, Warren Beatty, Billy Bob Thornton, Matt Damon and Roberto Benigni have joined this elite group. – Craig)

Rocky Balboa Was The First Rocky Film To Use Real Punches As Sound Effects.  (Most folks know Sly and his co-stars traded real punches at times during the fight scenes, but how many knew that the real punch sounds weren’t used until Rocky Balboa? – Craig)

The Original Film’s Script Was Tweaked To Accommodate Production Errors.  (While not technically a production error, the skating scene with Rocky and Adrian originally was supposed to take place with the skating rink full of people.  The budget wouldn’t allow it, and I think the film is better for it! – Craig)

Surprising Cary Grant Trivia!

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Jake Rossen and Mental Floss present 8 Surprising Facts About Cary Grant.  Grant appeared in over 75 films (including two of my favorites, Arsenic and Old Lace and North by Northwest).

Cary Grant lived an interesting life.  Here are my three favorite facts and my comments on each.  Click over to the article to get all the details.

3. CARY GRANT WAS OFFERED THE ROLE OF JAMES BOND.  (While I really like Grant’s acting, I can’t see him as James Bond.  Well, maybe he’d have pulled off a Roger Moore-type Bond if he had been younger.  All in all — good pass.)

8. CARY GRANT RETIRED EARLY.  (Grant did something that many stars talk about doing but don’t.  Most stars retire and then make a comeback.  Grant did it right.  He retired from acting and never came back.)

4. CARY GRANT REALLY LOVED LSD.  (I include this fact not because I like Grant’s drug use, but because it is so surprising.  It goes to show, you never know about people.  Who’d have thought Cary Grant would be into LSD?  Not me.)

The Twilight Zone’s Most Shocking Twist Endings

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Phil Pirrello at Syfy Wire posted his choices for The Twilight Zone’s 10 Most Shocking Twist Endings.  His list is a good one.

I’ve posted how I’d rank his top ten below.  Click on the link above to get the entire Pirrello piece.  If you click on the links in my ratings, you’ll get my Z-View for the individual episodes.

Phil Pirrello / Syfy Wire

Craig
10. “The Silence” (Season 2) 10. “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (Season 5)
09. “Five Characters In Search of an Exit” (Season 3) 09. “Five Characters In Search of an Exit” (Season 3)
08. “The Masks” (Season 5)  08. “The Masks” (Season 5) 
07. “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up” (Season 2) 07. “The Silence” (Season 2)
06. “The Invaders” (Season 2)  06. “I Shot an Arrow Into the Air” (Season 1)
05. “To Serve Man” (Season 1) 05. “Eye of the Beholder” (Season 2)
04. “I Shot an Arrow Into the Air” (Season 1) 04. “Time Enough At Last” (Season 1)
03. “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (Season 5) 03. “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up” (Season 2)
02. “Time Enough At Last” (Season 1) 02. “The Invaders” (Season 2) 
01. “Eye of the Beholder” (Season 2) 01. “To Serve Man” (Season 1)

The Best Movie Posters of 2019

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ComingSoon posted their choices for The 25 Best Movie Posters of 2019.  My favorite of their picks was the Alex Ross poster for Glass shown above.

Although a John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum poster did make the ComingSoon Top 25, the version they selected wasn’t one of my favorite posters of the year (which probably surprises a lot of you).

I would have also included this poster, this poster, this poster and this poster all for Rambo: Last  Blood.  (Which probably surprises nobody.)

12 Surprising Facts about “The Godfather Part II”

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Scott Beggs and Mental Floss present 12 Surprising Facts about The Godfather Part II.  Here are four (I couldn’t pick just 3!) of my favorite facts presented.  Click on the link to read all of the facts and additional details!

3. MARLON BRANDO AND ROBERT DE NIRO ARE THE ONLY ACTORS TO WIN OSCARS FOR PLAYING THE SAME CHARACTER.

6. AN EXTRA HAD THE GUTS TO IMPROVISE AN IMPORTANT MOMENT IN THE GODFATHER PART II.

11. JAMES CAGNEY TURNED DOWN A ROLE IN THE GODFATHER PART II.

12. FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA WANTED MARLON BRANDO TO REPRISE HIS ROLE AS THE YOUNGER VERSION OF HIMSELF IN THE GODFATHER PART II.

Things Learned from the “Point Blank” Commentary!

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Rob Hunter at Film School Rejects is back with 32 Things We Learned from the Point Blank Commentary.  Here are three of my favorites before you click over…

3. Boorman acknowledges that there are theories that Walker (Marvin) is dying from the opening gun shots and simply dreams the rest of the movie. Soderbergh asks his opinion on that argument but also wonders if it even matters. “I don’t think it does, but… what it is is what you see.”  [I think this is a cool theory, but no more than that.  – Craig]

11. The scene where Walker surprises Lynne, shoots the bed, and then gets information from her was written to have him interrogating her, but when they shot it Marvin chose to stay silent. Acker continued with her side, and Boorman realized the brilliance of Marvin’s choice. “Lee never made suggestions, he would just show you.” They made the alterations and shot it with Lynne providing all of the info responding to his presence rather than his questions.  [What a really cool choice on Marvin’s part.  He’s supposed to be like this force of nature and his presence alone is able to get Lynne to give up all the details of the double-cross.  Well played, Lee Marvin! – Craig]

4. The fractured structure was intended from the start despite it being highly atypical for a studio picture at the time. Marvin actually called a meeting at the studio with the big wigs to confirm that he had final approval over the script, casting, and more. They said yes, and he replied “I defer those approvals to John” and then walked out of the meeting. Boorman adds that once the film was completed the suits watched his cut and immediately began mumbling about re-shoots. It was released as he intended.  [Lee Marvin comes across as one of those folks who if they like you, they’ll do anything for ya.  If they don’t like you, you’ll know it.  A couple other comments support this. – Craig]

The Time Harry Houdini Tricked Theodore Roosevelt

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Ellen Gutoskey posted the true story of The Time Harry Houdini Tricked Theodore Roosevelt.  If you check out Gutoskey’s article, you’ll learn how Houdini laid the groundwork to lure Roosevelt into asking Houdini to perform a seance (Roosevelt thinking it was HIS idea), and how Houdini pulled off the trick.

Well done Houdini and well written Gutoskey.

Top Ten Car Racing Movies

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Alex Maidy at Joblo.com posted his choices for the Top Ten Car Racing Movies.  There are a few surprising choices (Cannonball Run?  Talladega Nights?) and some expected ones.

I’m happy to say that Sly Stallone made the list.  My first thought would have been Driven, but actually it was for Death Race 2000.

Click over and see Maidy’s full list and his comments on each.