The New “Midway” Trailer is Here!
The new Midway trailer is here. This screams to be seen on the big screen.
Category: History
Where Zombies Come From – a Video History
These days zombies are the most popular of all monsters.
There was a time however when zombies were only in movies and zombie movies weren’t ever seen on tv, except for a late night showing on pay cable movie channels. Back then, NO ONE would have considered a tv show (let’s make that multiple tv shows) featuring zombies.
All of that changed with The Walking Dead. But before The Walking Dead, there was George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. Romero forever changed the concept of zombies.
Surprisingly, zombies have only been around in popular culture for less than 100 years. Check out the video below and you’ll see how they entered popular culture, how Romero accidentally changed the concept of zombies and more.
Do No Harm (A Nate Heller Thriller) by Max Allan Collins is Coming!
Max Allan Collins returns with a new Nate Heller novel, Do No Harm, in March!
Heller is Collins’ fictional detective who finds himself involved with famous murder cases. Heller has been in the mix on everything from the Lindbergh baby kidnapping/murder to the suspicious death of Marilyn Monroe and so much more. Along the way, Heller meets, fights and sometimes gets involved with famous and infamous celebrities. As the years go by Heller ages, creating a unique reading experience. Here’s an impressive timeline of Heller’s life and cases thus far.
Ah, but I digress; back to Do No Harm. Here’s the synopsis…
Do No Harm is the latest mystery in the Nathan Heller series by New York Times bestselling author Max Allan Collins.
It’s 1954 and Heller takes on the Sam Sheppard case―a young doctor is startled from sleep and discovers his wife brutally murdered. He claims that a mysterious intruder killed his wife. But all the evidence points to a disturbed husband who has grown tired of married life and yearned to be free at all costs. Sheppard is swiftly convicted and sent to rot in prison.
Just how firm was the evidence…and was it tampered with to fit a convenient narrative to settle scores and push political agendas? Nathan’s old friend Elliot Ness calls in a favor and as Nathan digs into the case he becomes convinced of Sheppard’s innocence. But Nate can’t prove it and has to let the case drop.
The road to justice is sometimes a long one. Heller’s given another chance years later and this time he’s determined to free the man…even if it brings his own death a bit closer.
Each new Nate Heller is like a visit with an old friend who takes me behind the scenes on real life murder mysteries. At the end of each Heller tale, Collins provides a detailed bibliography and explains where his novel deviated from the facts (if at all). I can’t wait for our next visit.
The “D-Day” Trailer is Here!
The D-Day trailer is here!
Some people called it a suicide, but for the Rangers of the 2nd Battalion, that’s another word for #mission. When an elite group of American #soldiers are ordered to take out a series of German machine gun nests, they find themselves blindly venturing into hostile territory. Outnumbered and outgunned they must risk life and limb as they cross treacherous terrain, never knowing where the enemy might be hiding.
Area 51 Trivia
Claudia Dimuro and Mental Floss present 10 Out of This World Facts About Area 51. Here are three of my favorites…
10. IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO SNEAK INTO AREA 51 WITHOUT BEING SPOTTED—AND USE OF DEADLY FORCE IS AUTHORIZED IF ANYONE TRIES TO EVADE SECURITY.
Given the intense nature of its secrecy, it comes as no surprise that Area 51 is heavily guarded. Pilots who purposefully fly into the restricted air zone can face court-martial, dishonorable discharge, and a stint in the can. The land is patrolled by “cammo dudes,” men wearing camouflage that have been seen driving around the area keeping an eye out for pesky civilians looking to break into the area. But truth-seekers, beware: Signs placed outside the area warn that Area 51 security is authorized to use deadly force on anyone looking to sneak onto the property.
7. FORMER AREA 51 EMPLOYEES WHO WERE SWORN TO SECRECY ARE OPENING UP ABOUT THEIR WORK THERE.
Some former employees who were once sworn to secrecy about what happened at Area 51 are now free to share their stories. One Area 51 veteran, James Noce, recalled handling various mishaps that were accidentally exposed to the public eye—for example, the crash of a secret aircraft that was witnessed by a police officer and a vacationing family. The family had taken photos; Noce confiscated the film from their camera and told the family and the deputy not to mention the crash to anyone.Noce recounted how there was no official documentation stating he worked at Area 51, and that his salary was paid in cash. He also confirmed that he never saw any alien activity at the site.
1. AREA 51’S EXISTENCE WASN’T OFFICIALLY ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT UNTIL 2013.
Although it was chosen as a site to test aircraft in 1955, the government did not acknowledge that Area 51 even existed until 2013. According to CNN, maps and other documents created by the CIA were released thanks to Jeffrey T. Richelson, a senior fellow at the National Security Archives, who was granted access to the documents under the Freedom of Information Act. Unfortunately, the papers made no mention of little green men running around the facility.
Behind the Scenes and On the Rails with Buster Keaton!
Today we have a couple of rare videos that are interrelated. The first is The Railrodder starring Buster Keaton.
This short film from director Gerald Potterton (Heavy Metal) stars Buster Keaton in one of the last films of his long career. As “the railrodder”, Keaton crosses Canada from east to west on a railway track speeder. True to Keaton’s genre, the film is full of sight gags as our protagonist putt-putts his way to British Columbia. Not a word is spoken throughout, and Keaton is as spry and ingenious at fetching laughs as he was in the old days of the silent slapsticks.
The video below, Buster Keaton Rides Again takes us behind the scenes as Keaton makes The Railrodder. We get not only a behind-the-scenes look but also some great Keaton anecdotes and excerpts from his silent slapstick classics.
The “Mindhunter” Season 2 Trailer is Here!
The firsts season of Mindhunter was surprisingly good. Season 2 looks to be even better.
“Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” / Z-View
Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood (2019)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Margaret Qualley, Kurt Russell, Zoe Bell, Timothy Olyphant, Julia Butters, Dakota Fanning, Bruce Dern, Mike Moh, Luke Perry and Al Pacino.
The Pitch: “Quentin Tarantino’s 9th Film!”
Tagline: The 9th Film from Quentin Tarantino.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is an interesting film that isn’t easily summarized because it doesn’t follow the traditional three act format of most films. Instead Tarantino focuses on three main characters, fading movie/tv star Rick Dalton (DiCaprio), his best friend and stunt double, Cliff Booth (Pitt) and Dalton’s next door neighbor and rising star, Sharon Tate (Robbie). Dalton and Booth are fictional characters interacting with fictionalized versions of real Hollywood celebrities of the era. And since this is a fairy tale (Once Upon a Time), liberties are taken.
Dalton is a mash-up of Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood with a bit of Steve McQueen thrown in. A former tv star of a popular western bounty hunter series from a decade earlier, Dalton now makes his living guest starring as the bad guy on other folks’ tv shows. He knows his star is fading and worries that his career is over.
Booth is Dalton’s best friend and stunt double. He’s a mash-up of stuntman Hal Needham and Robert Wagner (due to the rumors that he killed his wife on a boat).
Robbie is Sharon Tate, the beautiful young starlet who was just gaining fame when she (along with several of her friends) were brutally murdered by members of the Manson family.
As we follow Dalton & Booth and Robbie, we know that they’re on a trajectory that in the real world leads to brutal murders. The journey Tarantino takes us on is a fun one. The world looks, feels and sounds like 1969. The real joy of the movie is the journey but be advised there are moments of suspense and shocking brutality. As expected, the movie doesn’t have the expected real-world outcome. (How’s that for an oxymoron?)
DiCaprio is excellent in his role as Rick Dalton displaying perhaps his best acting ever which is ironic considering he’s an actor worrying about his career. Pitt is perfect in his role as the best bud, cool sidekick. Margaret Qualley and Julia Butters were especially good in the roles. And it’s always cool to see Kurt Russell and Timothy Olyphant.
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is a movie that I think I’m going to grow to like more and more as time goes on. I’ve been thinking about it a lot since I left the theater yesterday. I really liked it. Below the trailer and my rating I’m going to speak about a couple of scenes that give away major plot points. Don’t read on if you don’t like major spoilers.
Rating:
The first scene that I want to discuss is the fight between Bruce Lee and Cliff Booth. In the scene Lee comes off as arrogant and Booth appears to be beating or at the very least holding his own against Lee. Bruce Lee’s daughter has taken offense at the scene saying it puts her dad in a bad light. Initially I one hundred percent agreed with her. Thinking more about the scene I realize that Tarantino set the scene up so we’re seeing it by how Booth remembers it. From Booth’s viewpoint Lee was arrogant and even in this remembered version Booth isn’t beating Lee. From this perspective I don’t have a problem with the scene.
The scenes where Dalton screws up his lines in a scene, goes to his trailer and has a meltdown and then goes up for the next scene and nails it, is some of DiCaprio’s best acting. The payoff is set up in an earlier scene with Julia Butters and it’s a great one.
The most suspenseful scenes occur when Booth goes to the Spahn ranch, then decides to check on old man Spahn and later when Dalton unknowingly confronts members of the Manson family who are ready to kill. Both of these scenes had me fearing that Booth and Dalton were about to die.
I thought that when the Manson followers go in to kill Booth and Dalton’s wife it was excessively brutal and over the top. Looking back, that’s exactly what the Manson murders were — excessively brutal and over the top.
I liked the final scene where Dalton is invited in to meet Sharon Tate. Following the trajectory of the real-life characters I believe that Dalton will go on to become a major movie star and Booth will get a shot directing action movies.
I felt certain going in to the movie that Dalton and Booth would somehow save Sharon Tate and her friends from being murdered. I was surprised when the Manson family members ended up going into Dalton’s house. As the movie progressed I thought maybe Bruce Lee would be at Sharon’s house and he and Booth would have additional words. Dalton would attempt to calm them down when the killers show up. Lee and Booth would save the day and of course Dalton would also get credit and that would get him back into the star light. Kudos to Tarantino for surprising me (and the audience).
I look forward to future viewings of Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.
“The Irishman” Trailer is Here!
Wow! Do I like this trailer for The Irishman? Aye, I do.
The “Mindhunter” Season Two Trailer is Here!
Mindhunter Season Two drops on August 16th and looks to be even more interesting than Season One!
Presenting Sly Stallone’s Balboa Productions
Matt Donnelly at Variety checks in with Sylvester Stallone’s Production Company Wants to Be the Blumhouse of Action Films and it is well worth a read. The piece talks about the goal of Sly creating Balboa Productions…
“My goal is for us to be the go-to place for action,” says Aftergood. He wants Balboa to follow the specialty model of Blumhouse, the company behind “Get Out” and “The Purge.” “I appreciate that statement is grandiose, but Blumhouse has done an extraordinary job owning the horror space,” says Aftergood. “There is no reason why we can’t own the action space in a similar way.”
The rationale behind Sly creating Balboa Productions…
“At one of our first meetings, I asked him why he wanted to do this,” Aftergood recalls. “Starting and running a company is a pain in the ass. I don’t care who you are or how many people are underneath you — at some point you have to answer a question about payroll, about office decor. In Stallone’s case, he seemed to have graduated past all of that.” Stallone answered with one word: legacy.
Balboa Productions that are in the pipeline…
- Arcane, a monster movie from director Corin Hardy
- The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil remake co-starring Sly
- The Bellhop, starring Iko Uwais star of The Raid: Redemption
- Samaritan starring Sly
- Biopic of black boxing legend Jack Johnson produced by Sly
- Nighthawks reboot for USA network based on Sly’s 1981 film
- The Tenderloin, a cop drama for History.
For all the details click over to Sylvester Stallone’s Production Company Wants to Be the Blumhouse of Action Films.
(The only thing missing is Sly’s adaptation of Hunter by James Byron Huggins. Cannot wait to see what Sly does with this great action/horror novel. It is a natural for him and Balboa Productions! – Craig)
50 Facts About the Apollo 11 Moon Landing
In honor of the mission to put the first man on the moon’s 50th anniversary, Mental Floss posted 50 Facts About the Apollo 11 Moon Landing. Here are three of my favorites…
3. THE APOLLO 11 ASTRONAUTS WERE ODDLY CALM DURING LIFTOFF.
The average resting heart rate of an adult human is somewhere between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm), depending on the individual’s age, size, heart conditions, and other factors. Throw a little excitement into the mix and one’s heart is likely to beat much faster. Yet the Apollo 11 astronauts, whose heart rates were monitored throughout the expedition, remained surprisingly normal. At liftoff, Armstrong was the most excited of the bunch with a rate of 110 bpm. Collins, meanwhile, was clocked at 99, while a clearly calm Aldrin logged a rate of just 88 bpm.32. ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN HAD TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO LOCK THEMSELVES OUT OF THE MODULE.
If their heart rates were any indication, Armstrong and Aldrin were pretty calm, cool, and collected when they landed on the Moon. And it’s a good thing: Had they been overwhelmed by the cosmic wonder of it all, they could have easily locked themselves out of their lunar module, as Eagle’s door had no outer handle.45. ARMSTRONG, ALDRIN, AND COLLINS WERE QUARANTINED FOR MORE THAN TWO WEEKS UPON THEIR RETURN TO EARTH.
On July 24, the Apollo 11 crew reentered Earth’s atmosphere and splashed down into the Pacific Ocean after more than a week in space. In order to ensure the men hadn’t brought back any sort of weird Moon diseases or other microbes, Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins were quickly placed into a mobile quarantine unit, which was then transported to the NASA Lunar Receiving Laboratory at Houston’s Johnson Space Center. They were released from quarantine on August 10, 1969.
Ridley Scott Revisits ‘Black Hawk Down’
Ridley Scott Revisits Black Hawk Down in an interview with Geoff Boucher at Deadline and it is worth a read!
Jim Cornette Presents Behind the Curtain: Real Pro Wrestling Stories
I’m really enjoying the Dark Side of the Ring series airing on Viceland. Three episodes in and I remain impressed. The series interviews the wrestlers, referees and behind-the-scenes folks that were actually involved in the events that each episode covers. If you have any interest in the business of old school professional wrestling, then The Dark Side of the Ring is worth checking out.
If you’ve read this far, you also might be interested in Jim Cornette Presents Behind the Curtain: Real Pro Wrestling Stories. Written by Cornette with an assist from Brandon Easton and art by Denis Medri, Jim Cornette Presents Behind the Curtain: Real Pro Wrestling Stories is…
A true-story style anthology, these insider tales will show the lengths that wrestlers went to uphold “kayfabe” (the old carny term for the presentation of legitimate conflict) as well as the noteworthy cultural, racial, and economic effects these events and characters had on society. This is the graphic novel that old school wrestling fans have been waiting their entire lives for: a no-holds-barred representation of the moments that wrestling insiders couldn’t talk about for years.
Featuring appearances by Ric Flair, Jerry Lawler, Andy Kaufman, Sputnik Monroe, The Sheik, Junkyard Dog, the Fabulous Freebirds, the Midnight Express, Bret Hart, and Shawn Michaels.
Behind the Curtain – Real Pro Wrestling Stories present three chapters of tales, personally curated by Cornette and adapted by Brandon Easton (M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) and Denis Medri (Red Hood/Arsenal), the award-winning team behind Andre the Giant: Closer to Heaven.
Jim Cornette Presents: Behind the Curtain – Real Pro Wrestling Stories drops on August 6, 2019 and is available for pre-order now.
Abraham Lincoln’s Last Possessions
Being a history buff, this interests me. I wonder why President Lincoln was carrying two pair of glasses. Also there are a few items I can’t identify. Any of you folks know what all of the items are?
Source: Michael Beschloss.
