Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
That’s the new Army of the Dead poster and it’s my favorite one yet.
TO GET $200 MILLION OUT, THEY’RE GOING ALL IN.
I can’t wait for to see Army of the Dead! If you’d like to see a Vegas-All-In-Sized version of the poster, you can at IMPAwards.
Stowaway (2021)
Director: Joe Penna
Screenplay: Joe Penna, Ryan Morrison
Stars: Anna Kendrick, Daniel Dae Kim, Shamier Anderson.
The Pitch: “Let’s update Lifeboat, but do it in space!”
Tagline: Millions of miles from home, survival comes with sacrifice.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
About 12 hours into (and past the point of no return of) a two year mission to Mars, the three person astronaut team discovers a man unconscious and badly bleeding. The accidental stowaway is a launch support engineer who was making last minute preflight checks before liftoff when he was injured. In order to make the journey to Mars, the ship was equipped with just the essentials to ensure the safety of the three astronauts. Now with four on board, the question of survival of all comes into play.
Shamier Anderson is excellent as Michael Anderson, the accidental stowaway. His realization that he is the odd man out on a journey he hasn’t been trained for, nor wanted plays out beautifully though his facial expressions and body language. Toni Collette plays Marina Barnett, the ship’s Captain who will have to make the ultimate decisions about who lives or dies. Daniel Dae Kim is the team’s biologist, David Kim and most pragmatic/logical of the team. Anna Kendrick plays Zoe Levenson, the ship’s doctor and medical researcher.
Initially, they believe that by rationing and conservation of supplies, the trip can be made by four instead of three. Then they discover that their carbon dioxide scrubber isn’t working. They will be pushing it to have enough oxygen for three. Now, faced with decisions that will effect not only the mission, but the lives of every person on board, the four must come to grips with the reality of the situation. Not everyone will survive the journey and as things worsen, the question becomes not of who will survive, but will any of them survive.
Stowaway is well acted and contains excellent special effects. The tension mounts as the movie progresses and presents itself as more of a morality drama then action/adventure. As for me, I liked it and rate it 3 out of 5 stars.
Unhinged (2020)
Director: Derrick Borte
Screenplay: Carl Ellsworth
Stars: Russell Crowe, Caren Pistorius, Gabriel Bateman.
The Pitch: “It’s Spielberg’s Duel crossed with the scariest monster you can imagine!”
Tagline: He can happen to anyone.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Rachael is having a bad day. She’s going through a rough divorce. Her mom has just been moved into an assisted living home that Rachael can’t afford, her out of work brother and his “fiancé” have moved in with her and her teenage son. To make this bad day even worse, Rachel overslept. She’s got to drive her son to school, herself to work and both will be late. Yeah, Rachel is having a bad day.
It’s about to get worse.
At an intersection Rachael finds herself behind a big truck that just sits when the light turns green. She’s already late and this guy isn’t moving. So she lays on the horn. Still no movement. She lays on the horn again and then pulls around him. As she passes the truck she gives the driver a gesture letting him know she’s pissed.
As it turns out, the guy in the truck is having a worse day. His wife was divorcing him, going after his house and all his assets, and having an affair with her attorney. I say was divorcing him because she (nor her attorney-lover) are now in a position to do anything. Yeah, this guy is having a real bad day and Rachael’s actions have pushed him to the limit.
He pulls up beside her and gives her a chance to apologize. This just infuriates her and she says things to make it worse, not realizing that she’s dealing with a man who is about to come unhinged. And he does.
To tell more would be to tell too much. Suffice it to say, Unhinged delivers thrills and continues to ratchet up the tension until the very satisfying climax. Crowe is perfect as the man who is on a mission to destroy Rachael by killing everyone dear to her before he is killed. What makes Crowe so scary is he knows he’s going to die, probably at the hands of the police, and he is alright with that. For him it is just a question of how much damage he can do before they get him.
Caren Pistorius is excellent as Rachael. What I liked about her character is that she creates most of her issues and it is her actions that sets everything in motion. This is a nice change from the innocent woman in the wrong place at the wrong time. Pistorius is believable as Rachael. Kudos also to Gabriel Bateman who plays her son, Kyle. He comes off as sympathetic and likeable.
Crowe deserves special praise for his portrayal of the nameless man who becomes Unhinged. He isn’t just a one-dimensional psycho killer, and perhaps that is what makes him scarier than Jason, Michael Myers or any of the other monsters we’re used to seeing.
If you’re looking for a action-thriller, then you should consider Unhinged. I really liked it!
Before we get into my review of Tax Collector, let me say that I’m a David Ayer fan and after seeing the poster and trailer for Tax Collector back in July, I posted them both saying that I looked forward to seeing the movie.
ComingSoon.net recently had a contest for a free DVD of Tax Collector. I entered and won a copy. That copy is what I am reviewing.
Tax Collector (2020)
Director: David Ayer
Screenplay: David Ayer
Stars: Bobby Soto, Cinthya Carmona, Shia LaBeouf, Jose Conejo Martin, Cheyenne Rae Hernandez, George Lopez and Brian Ortega.
The Pitch: “David Ayer is ready to make another movie!”
Tagline: From the Creator of “Training Day” and “End of Watch”
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
David Cuevas (Soto) and his crime partner, Creeper (LaBeouf) are tax collectors for a crime lord known as The Wizard. They collect a 30% tax on all illegal gang activity in the city. If the money isn’t on time or the count comes up short, Cuevas and Creeper resolve the issue so it doesn’t happen again.
Cuevas is living a double life of sorts. He has a beautiful wife and two children. He wants to be a good husband and father. The life Cuevas lives has given him a nice house, lots of money and respect, but the things he does to earn them are hard to justify. While Cuevas is a religious man, his partner, Creeper has come to terms with who they are and what they do.
Things go smoothly until a Conejo (Martin), a rival gang lord, returns to the city with intent to take over the Wizard’s operation. Conejo meets with Cuevas and offers him a choice: join Conejo or Cuevas and his family will be killed.
To tell more would be to give away too much. The movie contains more than a few twists, but it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone going to see Tax Collector that there are scenes of brutal violence. If you’re a fan of David Ayer, then you know what to expect.
As a screenwriter, Ayer got my attention with Training Day. As a director, it was with Street Kings. Then as a writer/director he brought us Harsh Times, End of Watch, Sabotage (one of Arnold’s best), and Fury just to name a few. Ayers’ films take us into a world where men are placed in violent situations and there are consequences to their actions.
I’ve never been a big Shia LaBeouf fan, but man, he owns every scene he is in. His character, Creeper, is a stone cold killer, and LaBeouf was perfect for the part. Remember No Country for Old Men and the character Anton Chigurh played by Javier Bardem? Remember the universal praise Bardem rightly received? I’d rate LaBeaouf’s performance at the same level.
Other standout performances include Cheyenne Rae Hernandez as Gata and Jose Conejo Martin as Conejo. It was also cool to see George Lopez playing against character and Brian Ortega from the UFC in a supporting role.
I really liked the Tax Collector. If you’re a David Ayer fan, you probably will as well.
The Unholy Wife (1957)
Director: John Farrow
Screenplay: Jonathan Latimer (based on a story by William Durkee)
Stars: Diana Dors, Rod Steiger and Tom Tryon.
The Pitch: “We’ve got Diana Dors, let’s star her as a femm fatale in a film noir!”
Tagline: HALF-ANGEL……HALF-DEVIL, she made him HALF-A-MAN! …she flaunted his hopes, taunted his dreams, turned his peaceful valley into a volcano of seething passions that even murder could not stem!
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
The Unholy Wife is a little known, under-rated film noir released in 1957 staring Diana Dors and Rod Steiger. Steiger plays Paul, a war vet who runs the gigantic family vineyard. A chance encounter with a beautiful woman leads Paul to fall in love with her. And that love sends him down the path to death and ruin.
Sound familiar? It should because its the outline for all great film noirs. Double Indemnity? Check. The Postman Always Rings Twice? Check. Now, I’m not saying that The Unholy Wife meets the gold standard of those two classics, but it’s definitely coming from the same mine.
Dors plays Phyllis a bleach-bottle blonde bombshell (say that three times fast) that steals Paul Hochen’s heart. Despite the warning signs (some from Phyllis herself), Paul marries her. He then brings Phyllis and her young son home to live on his huge vineyard estate. It isn’t long before Phyllis is having an affair and plotting to set her husband up for murder.
The Unholy Wife reminds me of a lesser known Gold Medal book you’d find on the paperback racks back in the 50s. I say that as a good thing. Even The Unholy Wife movie poster looks like it could have served as a Gold Medal cover!
I like everything about The Unholy Wife. Dors is excellent as the beautiful, heartless seductress. Steiger is convincing (and doesn’t overact) as the nice guy led astray. Tom Tryon doesn’t have much to do, but is just right as Dors’ lover. The movie was made in Technicolor and the process and colors make it look like a lurid paperback cover come to life.
If you’re a fan of film noir then you should really enjoy The Unholy Wife. I did.
Of Mice and Minestrone: Hap and Leonard: The Early Years by Joe R. Lansdale
Trade Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Tachyon Publications
First sentence…
I must have been six or seven at the time, and it was an event that went on for years, this gathering of relatives.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Of Mice and Minestrone: Hap and Leonard: The Early Years contains five short stories about Hap and Leonard during their, you guessed it, early years. As an added bonus, there’s a section titled Good Eats: The Recipes of Hap and Leonard by Kasey Lansdale (Joe’s daughter). Let’s take a quick look at each…
The Kitchen is, as Lansdale says in the intro to the book, more of a vignette than short story. Reading it you get a sense of where Hap got his moral foundation and why family is important to him. If you’re lucky it will also bring back memories of another time when things moved slower and family get-togethers were special events.
Of Mice and Minestrone is divided into two parts. In part one, Hap (a 16 year old high school student) has a run-in with a thugish man at a gas station. Hap apologizes for his part, but the bully wants a fight. When the thug’s wife tries to calm her husband by saying, “He’s just a kid. He didn’t mean nothing -” it’s obvious she has overstepped. The gas station owner comes out and the man and his wife leave.
Later, when Hap unexpectedly sees the woman in town he can tell that she’s been beaten up. Hap wants to help her, but she’s afraid and Hap is just a kid. Together they devise a plan to save her. Part II Of Mice and Minestrone deals with the fallout from their plan and as you can guess things don’t end up all sunshine and roses.
The Watering Shed was a dive bar located a ways from town. It was a rough place where you could get a drink even if you were under-age, if you had the cash. Hap and Leonard had some coin and a hankering for a beer. Had Leonard not been black, there wouldn’t have been a problem. But he was and there was and it led to two murders.
In The Sparring Partner Hap and Leonard are offered some easy money to assist a promoter in getting his new fighter ready for his next match. Unfortunately the promoter isn’t on the level and his fighter is in waaay over his head. Hap and Leonard could take their sparring partner money and walk away but we know that won’t happen.
The Sabine was High takes place when Leonard arrives home from Viet Nam and Hap has recently gotten out of prison (for refusing to be drafted). They go on an overnight fishing trip and share stories about the hell each of them has been through.
Good Eats: The Recipes of Hap and Leonard is exactly what you’d imagine, recipes for preparing food from the stories.
Of Mice and Minestrone: Hap and Leonard: The Early Years provides a look at events that shaped Hap and Leonard into the men they would become. You don’t have to be a H&L fan to enjoy the book, but if you are you’ll enjoy it all the more. My favorite story gave the book it’s title. Lansdale sets up a classic situation and then throws in twists along the way (doesn’t he always) that will leave you smiling at his storytelling ability and sad at the situations the characters are in. There’s not a weak story in the book and even though I’m not much of a cook, I think I’ll give a recipe or two a shot.
Rating:
Arkansas (2020)
Director: Clark Duke
Screenplay: Clark Duke and Andrew Boonkrong (based on the novel by John Brandon)
Stars: Liam Hemsworth, Clark Duke, Michael Kenneth Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Eden Brolin, Chandler Duke, John Malkovich and Vince Vaughn.
The Pitch: “Clark Duke wants to turn Arkansas the book into Arkansas the movie!”
Tagline: Kyle and Swin are working their way to the top…but the top has other plans.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Kyle (Hemsworth), a low level drug courier, finds himself working with Swin (Clark) on a delivery. Neither would have never chosen the other to be a partner, but it’s what the boss wants. And the boss is a ruthless, mysterious Arkansas drug kingpin known only as Froggy.
Things go smoothly for Kyle and Swin until they don’t… and then the deadly retribution spiral begins.
I loved Arkansas. Great cast – Hemsworth has never been better – and Duke impressed me with his acting/directorial debut. Malkovich and Vaughn make everything better and this is no exception. I also enjoyed seeing Michael Kenneth Williams and Vivica Fox in supporting roles. Eden Brolin (Josh Brolin’s daughter) is an actress I hadn’t seen before and she was excellent. Brad William Henke and Jeff Chase have small but impressive, important roles. Arkansas has the right mix of tension and humor.
Arkansas may be too quirky for some, but I loved it.
Negan Lives! is a one-shot published by Image Comics.
*** Beware – spoilers may be found below ***
Spurned by a slowly rebuilding society, Negan lives a life of desperate isolation… or does he? In the tradition of Here’s Negan, this all-new story in Negan Lives #1 gives readers a glimpse into what has happened to one The Walking Dead’s most popular characters in the time since his last appearance in The Walking Dead #174.
The Walking Dead is one of the few (and easily the longest-running) series that I bought from issue one and went on to buy every single issue published. I’m a big fan.
When Negan Lives! was announced, I initially thought it was a bad idea. The tale had been told. Time to move on. Then I read that Negan Lives! would be made available to comic shops for free to help store owners recover revenue lost during the Covid pandemic. My opinion changed: it was a cool idea for shops, but not so much for readers.
I was wrong.
Negan Lives! is a fun story that answers some questions from The Walking Dead and actually could pave the way for more Negan stories.
Kirkman creates a situation that is obvious to the reader but in most stories would be oblivious to the main character. Not so, here. Negan is right there with us wondering if he is being set up. I won’t give anything away. It’s a fun story.
I’ve always enjoyed the team of Adlard and Rathburn and Negan Lives! is a great example of their abilities. Man, this one-shot reminded me of how much I missed that monthly Kirkman/Adlard/Rathburn fix.
Negan Lives! and we’re better off for it.
Rating:
Lost Soldiers #1 is part of a five-issue mini-series published by Image Comics.
*** Beware – spoilers may be found below ***
Vietnam, 1969. Juarez, forty years later. Three men tied by the war they left behind—on collision course with a new one.
Lost Soldiers isn’t your typical war comic. It’s more Sicario than Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos, more Platoon than Our Army At War. Issue 1 lays the groundwork for the series, alternating between flashbacks of three young soldiers who first met in the jungles of Viet Nam and are now older career vets prepping for a mission into Juarez against a highly armed and motivated cartel.
When talking about Lost Soldiers, Alex Kot said, “The world needs bad men willing to do bad things so the world can stay good. Lost Soldiers is what happens when you buy into that idea so much that it becomes a curse… it is unflinching about the consequences of our actions. It spells them out in blood and pain and loss. And maybe, if you’re lucky, a sliver of hope.” Kot in this first issue bridged the 40 year gap between Nam and now by choosing scenes that move the story forward and give insight into his characters.
Lucas Casalanguida’s art adds to the gravitas of the story. Like the best comic artists Casalanguida hits the right blend of realism and exaggeration. I love his bold art in this issue. Check out that splash on page 12.
Heather Marie Lawrence Moore’s color choices enhance the mood of the story. I applaud her choices. She’s not afraid to back off color, use one bright color on a muted page or let her hues run like a watercolor. Awesome.
Lost Soldiers #1 is a winner.
Rating:
That Texas Blood #2 is part of an on-going series published by Image Comics.
*** Beware – spoilers may be found below ***
“A BROTHER’S CONSCIENCE,” Part One The first five-part story arc BEGINS HERE! Los Angeles-based writer Randy Terrill returns to his abandoned home of Ambrose County, Texas after the sudden and mysterious death of his brother Travis.
If you missed the sold out first issue of That Texas Blood you’re in luck. Second printings should be available and issue 2 starts a new story arc.
Randy Terrill has bad memories of Ambrose County, Texas. He and his brother, Travis, used to drink, party, and well, do other things that Randy wants to put behind him. He moved to LA and gave up his wild ways. It wasn’t easy and the bad memories linger.
When Randy receives word that Travis has died Randy knows, despite all misgivings, he has to return home. Things can’t get any worse.
No one is happy to see Randy back in town or unhappy that his brother died. And then Sheriff Joe Bob Coates tells Randy something that makes things a lot worse.
That Texas Blood maintains the quality from Condon and Phillips that earned issue 1 universal rave reviews. That Texas Blood continues to earn my highest recommendation.
Rating:
Dead Body Road: Bad Blood #2 is part of a six-issue mini-series published by Image Comics.
*** Beware – spoilers may be found below ***
Hunter Hale is on the run from Monk Sinclair, boss of everything underground in their county…at least until Bree Hale declares war on him to defend her brother.
Dead Body Road: Bad Blood 2 picks up where issue one left off. The chase is on. Hunter Hale is scared and on the run with Monk Sinclair’s woman. Monk is following leads and growing more enraged with each passing moment. Bree (Hunter’s sister) doesn’t know what Hunter has gotten himself into, but she knows if she doesn’t reach him first, Hunter won’t live to tell her.
Justin Jordan, Benjamin Tiesma, Matt Lopes and Pat Brosseau are back with another great issue. And let’s not forget the cover by Matteo Scalera and Moreno Dinisio.
Dead Body Road: Bad Blood continues with a story that should entertain all crime / action fans.
Rating:
The Breaking Point (1950)
Director: Michael Curtiz
Screenplay: Ranald MacDougall (Based on Ernest Hemingway’s novel To Have and Have Not)
Stars: John Garfield, Patricia Neal, Phyllis Thaxter, Juano Hernandez and Wallace Ford.
The Pitch: “Let’s redo To Have and Have Not but make it closer to Hemmingway’s novel!”
Tagline: There’s nothing more deadly than a gentle man pushed too far!
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Harry Morgan was a war hero, but that doesn’t mean much any more. Times are tough. Now Morgan is a charter boat captain with a wife, two little girls and a stack of bills he needs to take care of. When a sleazy lawyer offers Morgan a chance at some easy money, he turns it down. Morgan knows something legal will come along.
And it does. Morgan gets a week’s rental from a business man wanting a fishing trip to Mexico. Things start to go sideways when the man unexpectedly brings along his sexy, flirtatious girlfriend. The woman is trouble and she knows it.
In Mexico, the man decides to cut his trip short and agrees to pay Morgan in the morning before they head back. The next day Morgan learns that the man skipped out and flew back to the states. Morgan is stuck in Mexico with no money, the guy’s girlfriend and no way home.
Of course the easy money offer is still available…
The Breaking Point is an under-rated gem. If you like noir, then this is for you.
This is Garfield’s best role. Patricia Neal is perfect as the sexy, trouble-making young woman with experience beyond her years. Thaxter is great as the wife trying to keep things together as her husband makes increasingly bad decisions. Juano Hernandez, as Morgan’s best friend, isn’t there with Walter Brennan comic relief.
I can’t believe I waited so long to finally watch The Breaking Point. Part of the problem may be the poster and trailer aren’t good indicators of how great the film is. And that final scene!
Rating:
More Better Deals by Joe R. Lansdale
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Mulholland Books
First sentence…
I folded the check and put it in my shirt pocket and tried not to grin.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Ed Edwards is a used car salesman and a big believer in buyer beware. Ed’s not above rolling back an odometer, telling little lies or flirting with a customer if it means a sale. Ed’s doing okay, but is okay ever enough? Ed dreams of bigger things than being top salesman in a two man used car lot.
When Ed’s boss sends him to repossess a Cadillac, he meets Nancy. At first Ed just wants the caddy, but Nancy is beautiful and flirty. When Nancy invites Ed in for a drink, he doesn’t hesitate. Sure, she’s married, but that’s on her, right? Unhappily married as it turns out. Even better. One thing leads to another and before too long Ed and Nancy’s hot affair turns to thoughts of murder.
See if Nancy’s big, dumb brute of a husband wasn’t in the picture, she and Ed could make some real money with the drive-in and pet cemetery businesses that her husband owns. You can guess the rest… except you can’t because Joe Lansdale is writing this tale!
Joe crafts More Better Deals with the dark humor and memorable characters that we’ve come to expect from this master storyteller. I blazed through loving every page and unexpected twist. If you’re a fan of noir and stories like The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity then More Better Deals is for you. (And don’t say I didn’t warn you about a scene so creepy it will stay with you for days!)
Rating:
Dia de los Muertos is a paperback that collects the three issue mini-series published by Image Comics.
*** Beware – spoilers may be found below ***
Inspired by the Mexican Day of the Dead, artist extraordinaire Riley Rossmo (Debris, Green Wake, Cowboy Ninja Viking) joins forces with nine different writers to tell tall tales from beyond the grave!
Riley Rossmo teams with 9 different writers to present 9 stories set against the backdrop of Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations. There is a supernatural undercurrent running through each tale.
It is interesting how Rossmo changes his art style to compliment each story being told. I enjoyed each of the tales, but I’d the standout for me was Mine by Joshua Williamson and Rossmo. It has a great set-up and leads the reader to a surprise ending. If you’re a fan of Rod Serling’s The Night Gallery, then you should like this collection.
Rating:
Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
Hardcover: 458 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
First sentence…
Benny Imura couldn’t hold a job, so he took to killing.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Rot & Ruin is the first in a five book series geared to teens and young adults. Set nearly a decade and a half after the zombie apocalypse, humanity is still struggling. Most of the surviving humans live in small fortified strongholds fenced away from the “rot and ruin” of the zombie wastelands.
Benny Imura was just 18 months old the night the zombies rose. Both of Benny’s parents were killed. Benny would have been as well if his teenage half-brother, Tom hadn’t saved him. For that Benny has never forgiven Tom. Benny believes Tom is a coward for running away and not trying to save his parents.
Benny spends his days talking with friends (especially Nix, a girl that has a crush on him) and dreaming about life beyond the fences that protect them. He looks up to the bounty hunters that venture into the rot and ruin to find food, supplies and lost souls. Benny thinks that maybe one day he’ll become a bounty hunter.
When it is discovered that a group of bounty hunters have killed two of the townspeople and kidnapped Nix, Tom and Benny head out into the rot and ruin hoping to save her.
Maberry scores again! I look forward to reading the other books in the series. (PS – If I was a younger reader I know I would have scored Rot & Ruin even higher.)
Rating:
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