Category: Z-View

“Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman”  (1943) / Z-View

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Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman  (1943)

Director:  Roy William Neill

Writers:  Curt Siodmak

Starring: Lon Chaney Jr., Ilona Massey, Patric Knowles, Lionel Atwill, Bela Lugosi and Dwight Frye.

Tagline:  All New Thrills as Frankenstein meets the Wolf Man

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Four years after the events of The Wolf Man, grave robbers break into Larry Talbot’s crypt.  When light of the full moon hits Talbot’s corpse he comes back to life as the Wolf Man!  Two days later Talbot (Chaney) awakens in a hospital. Talbot remembers killing people in his werewolf form, but is unable to convince Dr. Manning that he is a wolf man.  Thinking Talbot crazy, he is restrained.  Talbot escapes and goes in search of a cure.

Although Dr. Frankenstein is dead, Talbot believes the doctor’s journals may provide an answer.  As he searches for the notes, Talbot frees Frankenstein’s monster, who is buried in ice below the castle.  Posing as a potential buyer of the Frankenstein estate, Talbot meets Dr. Frankenstein’s daughter, Elsa. With the aide of Elsa, Dr. Frankenstein’s journals and laboratory, Dr. Manning believes he can drain the Monster and the Wolf Man of their life energy.  What could possibly go wrong?

The Frankenstein Monster and the Wolf Man in the same movie!  What kid didn’t love that?  Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man was another of our favorites when it appeared on Sammy Terry’s Nightmare Theater.  Although the Monster and the Wolf Man don’t fight until the climax (we wanted more!), their battle destroying the laboratory as flood waters rushed in was always exciting.  Every time I re-watch Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man it takes me back to being a kid excited to see two of our favorite monsters in the same movie!.

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Hotel Artemis” (2018) / Z-View

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Hotel Artemis  (2018)

Director: Drew Pearce

Writers: Drew Pearce

Starring: Jodie Foster, Sofia Boutella, Dave Bautista, Sterling K. Brown, Jeff Goldblum, Brian Tyree Henry and Zachary Quinto.

Tagline: Los Angeles 2028. A secret hospital for criminals with three simple rules: No guns. No cops. No killing the other patients.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The tagline for Hotel Artemis perfectly sets up the story.  In the near future LA is a war zone.  Riots are raging.  Brothers Sherman (Brown) and Lev (Henry) use the riots to provide cover for their bank robbery.  Things go sideways and Lev is shot.  Cops are killed.  The brothers make a getaway and head for the Hotel Artemis.

The Hotel Artemis would easily fit in the John Wick Universe.  It’s like the Continental, but instead of being a hotel, it is actually a secret hospital for criminals who have membership.  All guests, prior to entry, must give up their weapons and receive a code name.  The Hotel Artemis is run by an older nurse (Foster) who is a stickler for the rules.  She’s assisted by Everest (Bautista) and they make a great team.

When Sherman and Lev arrive, there are two other “guests” at the hotel.  One is there on a secret mission to commit murder.  To complicate matters, Sherman learns that in their heist Lev stole diamonds belonging to  Orian “The Wolf King” Franklin (Goldblum) and he is now in route to the hotel!

I’m surprised that Hotel Artemis didn’t do better at the box office.  The characters are well written, it has a great cast, seems like a natural for the John Wick crowd and has a great mix of action, drama and comedy.  Getting Jodie Foster to play the Nurse was a win.  She’s great.  Sterling K. Brown is also a standout.  I’d love to see him in another action or heist film.  Dave Bautista is perfect as Everest, the nursing assistant who takes his job very seriously.  The camera loves Sofia Boutella (who can blame it?) and she’s believable when the action gets rough.

Hotel Artemis is a movie that I will enjoy revisiting because it’s so much fun.  It easily rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Wait Until Dark” (1967) / Z-View

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Wait Until Dark (1967)

Director:  Terence Young

Writers:  Robert Carrington (screenplay), Jane-Howard Hammerstein (screenplay), based on the play by Frederick Knott

Starring:  Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Jack Weston and Samantha Jones.

Tagline:  The blinds moving up and down. . .the squeaking shoes. . .and then the knife whistling past her ear. . .

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Mike Talman (Crenna) and Carlino (Weston) are small-time crooks waiting for their partner, Lisa (Jones).  Instead they are greeted by the very creepy Harry Roat (Arkin).  Roat explains that Lisa secretly passed the heroin she was bringing them to a a man she met on the plane.  The man, Sam Hendrix, wasn’t aware the object he was asked to hold contained heroin.  The unknown object is somewhere in Hendrix’s apartment.  Roat wants to hire Talman and Carlino to help him find the drugs.

Talman and Carlino aren’t interested, until they learn that Roat killed Lisa and has set-up them up to take the fall.  If they help Roat find the drugs, he’ll help them dispose of Lisa’s body and the evidence against them.  Talman and Carlino reluctantly agree.

The plan involves getting into Sam Hendrix’s apartment.  Sam’s blind wife, Susy (Hepburn) will be home alone.  To get in, Talman will play an old friend of Sam’s.  Carlino will play a cop and Roat will play a couple of different roles.  Roat believes that since Susy is blind, conning her will be easy. If it comes to killing her, even easier.  Way too late Talman and Carlino learn that they’ve partnered with a sadistic sociopath.  Even if they find the heroin will Roat kill Susy… and them?

I was fortunate to see Wait Until Dark during its original release.  It made a huge impact on me.  Over the years I’ve watched Wait Until Dark repeatedly and it still holds up. 

If you only know Alan Arkin for his comedies, you’re in for a treat.  Arkin plays one of the creepiest killers ever to show up in a thriller.  Richard Crenna is excellent as the ex-cop turned criminal who still retains a certain sense of decency.  Jack Weston is surprisingly believable as Crenna’s tough crime partner.  This is my favorite Audrey Hepburn film.  She smart, strong and vulnerable.  Credit should also be given to director Terrence Young.  If you only know Young as the director of big-budget 007 films like Thunderball, Dr. No and From Russia with Love, you might be surprised at how well he adapts a play with just five main characters. 

Wait Until Dark is a film I like to share with others.  Most haven’t seen it and end up being surprised at how good Wait Until Dark is.  If you fall into the “haven’t seen it” category, you might want to give it a go.  And don’t blame me if during a couple of scenes you let out a scream.  I still do.

Wait Until Dark earns 5 of 5 stars.        

Force of Nature (2020) / Z-View

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Force of Nature  (2020)

Director:  Michael Polish

Writers:  Cory M. Miller

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Mel Gibson, David Zayas and Kate Bosworth.

Tagline:  When the Perfect Crime Meets the Perfect Storm

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Two young cops (Hirsch and Bosworth) are sent to evacuate some older folks who refuse to leave their condo before a hurricane hits.  As the cops try to convince the folks to leave, an armed group of thieves attack and plan to leave no witnesses.

Force of Nature is entertaining to a point.  It could have been so much better.  Gibson and Zayas are standouts. Two poorly executed scenes and the ending lowered my rating.  So Force of Nature gets 2 of 5 stars.

“Here Come the Marines”  (1952) / Z-View

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Here Come the Marines  (1952)

Director:  William Beaudine

Writers:  Tim Ryan, Charles R. Marion, Jack Crutcher

Starring: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Hanley Stafford and Bernard Gorcey.

Tagline: THEY’RE LOADED FOR LAUGHS…WITH BOMBS AND BLONDES!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When Satch is drafted, the rest of the gang joins the marines too.  While on a training march, the boys discover the body of a dead marine.  The only clue is a playing card that leads to an illegal gambling house.  Mobsters are running the place.  Further investigation shows the games are rigged to cheat soldiers out of their pay and the mobsters did kill the soldier.  Have no fear Satch, Slip and the gang are on the case.

Here Come the Marines rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Day of the Dead” (1985) / Z-View

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Day of the Dead  (1985)

Director: George A. Romero

Writers:  George A. Romero

Starring: Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Joseph Pilato, Sherman Howard and Gary Howard Klar.

Tagline: First there was “Night of the Living Dead” then “Dawn of the Dead” and now the darkest day of horror the world has ever known.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The zombie apocalypse is well under way.  A small group of soldiers, scientists and civilians have found safety in an underground military bunker.  Isolation and increasing hordes of zombies are wearing on the groups’ nerves/sanity.  When the group learns that one of their scientists has been using soldiers in experiments, the breaking point is reached. The living become as dangerous as the dead.  Will anyone survive?

Day of the Dead was George Romero’s favorite of his “…of the Dead” movies.  I wish I could say the same.  I prefer my zombies as unthinking killing machines.  In Day of the Dead, not only are the zombies learning but one uses a gun!  I also didn’t care for any of the living characters.  Still, it is a Romero zombie film and even if I don’t prefer his vision, I respect it.

Day of the Dead gets 2 of 5 stars.

Fighting Fools (1949) / Z-View

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Fighting Fools (1949)

Director:  Reginald Le Borg

Writers:  Bert Lawrence, Gerald Schnitzer, Edmond Seward

Starring: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall and Bernard Gorcey.

Tagline:  None,

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Frankie Darro was a one-time boxing challenger for the title.  Now he’s a drunk.  When Darro’s brother is killed is killed in the ring, Slip (Gorcey), Satch (Hall) and the boys help Darro get back in fighting shape to once again challenge for the title and avenge his brother’s death.  Along the way, the boys learn that mobsters are behind Darro’s brothers death and so they work to take the gangsters down.

In Fighting Fools we get more drama than usual in a Bowery Boys movie.  It feels out of place to see alcoholism and death in one of their comedies, but they gloss over the issues so quickly the scenes seem out of place.  I have a strange affection for Bowery Boys movies, perhaps because I watched them often when I was a child at my grandparent’s house.  Most are OK at best, but I still enjoy them.  Keep this in mind when you consider watching.

Fighting Fools rates 2 of 5 stars.

SAFE AND SOUND by J.D. Rhoades / Z-View

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Safe and Sound by J.D. Rhoades

Hardcover: ‎ 288 pages
Publisher: ‎ Minotaur Books; First Edition (July 10, 2007)

First sentence…

“You’re lucky one way, you know,” the man said.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Jack Keller is in his girlfriend Marie’s office as she is talking to a potential client.  A young girl is missing and presumed to be kidnapped by her divorced father who happens to be AWOL from the Special Forces.  When the client learns that Keller is also former military she asks Marie to bring him on to assist.  Marie and Keller reluctantly agree.  Soon enough Keller and Marie find themselves at odds with a group of AWOL Special Forces soldiers, the FBI and a sadistic mercenary named DeGroot who is putting together a team of his own.  Keller has no idea what they’re all after but knows that even if he figures it out, all his training may not be enough to keep Marie and her son alive.

J.D. Rhoades has created a fast paced action thriller.  A hero is only as good as the villain he is up against and DeGroot is one of the best (meaning he is one of the worst).  Safe and Sound rates 4 of 5 stars.

Safe and Sound Hardcover

Safe and Sound Kindle

Safe and Sound Mass Market Paperback

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“Death on the Nile” (2020) / Z-View

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Death on the Nile (2020)

Director:  Kenneth Branagh

Writers:  Michael Green (screenplay) based on the novel by Agatha Christie

Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Armie Hammer, Gal Gadot, Ali Fazal, Dawn French, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders and Leticia Wright.

Tagline:  The Funk don’t Quit.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Death on the Nile is a throwback film, and it should be since it is based on the Agatha Christie classic novel.  While traveling down the Nile in a huge riverboat, a newlywed bride is murdered.  Who would want to kill her is a mystery.   Other than the boat employees the only people on board are invited members of the wedding party.  Hercule Poirot will sort through the few clues and use his superior powers of deduction to bring the guests together in a locked room and identify the killer!

Branagh is excellent as Hercule Poirot.  He is supported by a wonderful cast.  Standouts include Gal Godot, Emma Mackey, Leticia Wright and Sophie Okonedo.  It’s fun to play along and try to come up with the murderer before Poirot announces him/her.  If you’ve read the book, be aware that there are some changes.  I also enjoyed that Death on the Nile shows Poirot before he became a detective and why he wears such an unusual mustache.

Death on the Nile was a fun trip and rates 3 of 5 stars.

Death on the Nile Blu-ray
Death on the Nile DVD
Death on the Nile 4K
Death on the Nile Prime Video

“Get on Up” (2014) / Z-View

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Get on Up  (2014)

Director:  Tate Taylor

Writers: Jez Butterworth (screenplay),  John-Henry Butterworth (screenplay), Steven Baigelman (story)

Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Nelsan Ellis, Dan Aykroyd, Viola Davis, Lennie James, Craig Robinson and Octavia Spencer.

Tagline:  The Funk don’t Quit.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The life story of The Godfather of Soul, James Brown.  If all you know is his music, this biopic will take you from Brown’s very humble beginnings in a broken home with parents that didn’t want him to being one of the best known performers in the world.   Along the way we get hints of both the genius and the self-destructive tendencies of James Brown.

Chadwick Bosman becomes James Brown — you forget he’s acting.  Special mention for Viola Davis, Lennie James and Octavia Spencer whose impact is felt long after they are off screen.  James Brown’s music is always a plus!  Get on Up was a fun ride and rates 4 of 5 stars.  

AT THEIR OWN GAME by Frank Zafiro / Z-View

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At Their Own Game by Frank Zafiro

Trade Paperback: ‎ 282 pages
Publisher: ‎ Code 4 Press

First sentence…

So far, I’ve been to jail three different ways.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Jake Stankovic should have known better.  After all, Jake was a cop.  He knew the trouble sleeping with another man’s wife could cause.  But Helen was worth the risk.  She was sexy, seductive and Jake was in over his head before he found out Helen was married to Kyle Faulkner, a hard-case detective from his precinct.  When Helen stops seeing Jake, divorces her husband and leaves town without a goodbye, Jake plans to move on with his life.  Detective Faulkner has other plans.

When Jake gets into an off-duty fight, Faulkner uses his pull to get the charges trumped up.  Jake’s forced to take a plea that costs him his job and jail time.

But that was a few years ago.  Since then Jake has run a two-man crew dealing in stolen goods.  Matt and Brent look to Jake for jobs and have agreed to his rules.  They work only with Jake.  They don’t deal in drugs. They don’t do anything on or off a job that would draw attention.  They keep a low profile.  Things have worked out well for the three… until recently.  With the country in an economic downturn, folks aren’t buying their goods.  Jake and his crew need money, and when a great opportunity falls into their lap, they agree to break their rules.  Just one time… for a big drug deal.

The drug deal goes sideways and the crew’s money is taken. Getting the cash back will mean going up against a motorcycle gang.  Then Detective Faulkner makes it clear he has Jake in his sights again.  Jake fears one of his crew might have turned rat.  Any one of these things would be trouble enough.  Could it get any worse?

And that’s when Helen returns with a simple favor…

At Their Own Game is one of my all-time favorite books.  It totally resonated with me.  Zafiro has created realistic characters and placed them in a story that moves.  The plot takes unexpected twists while still following the tropes expected in a classic noir.  The dialogue is realistic.  I flew through the story both wanting to see how it would end and not wanting it to end.  At Their Own Game is a novel that I will want to read again.  It’s that good.

At Their Own Game rates 5 of 5 stars.

At Their Own Game Trade Paperback

At Their Own Game Kindle

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“The Stronghold” (2020) / Z-View

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The Stronghold (2020)

Director: Cédric Jimenez

Writers:  Audrey Diwan, Cédric Jimenez

Starring: Gilles Lellouche, Karim Leklou, François Civil and Adèle Exarchopoulos.

Tagline:  None.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A three man police strike force is directed by their Captain to clear out the drugs, using whatever means necessary, from one of the most dangerous areas of Marseille.  The gangs there have cordoned off an area so that they control who enters or leaves.  When police attempt to get in, the gangs have notice and the fire power to stand up to them.  Strike Force Team Leader, Greg Cerva (Lellouche) and his team change their methods, sometimes crossing the line of what is legal and get results… until their actions get them arrested.

The Stronghold is almost like two different films in one.  The first 2/3 or so deals with the strike force attempting to clean out the drug stronghold and the last part is them trying to prove they were ordered to bring down the drug dealers by whatever means needed.

The Stronghold gets 4 out of 5 stars.

“Uncut Gems” (2019) / Z-View

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Uncut Gems  (2019)

Director:  Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie

Writers:  Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie

Starring:  Adam Sandler, Julie Fox, Idina Menzel, Keith William Richards, Tommy Kominik, LaKeith Stanfield  and Kevin Garnett.

Tagline:  None.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Howard Ratner (Sandler) is a big time gems dealer who should be on top of the world.  He has a successful business and a beautiful wife and kids. He brings in enough money to support a lifestyle most can only dream of.  Ratner’s self-destructive behavior has his business on the verge of collapse, his marriage near divorce.  He understands what is happening and yet continues to make the worst possible choices.

Ratner’s a degenerate gambler in debt to bookies and he keeps gambling — hocking items from his store to get enough for the next sure thing.  He’s having an affair, paying for an expensive apartment for a woman he knows loves his lifestyle and not him.  And when Ratner is lucky enough to get a chance to get out from under it all he screws that up… repeatedly.

Adam Sandler is excellent as Howard Ratner, one of the most unlikeable screw-ups in movie history. The problem I had with the film is that Ratner is so despicable, there’s no one to pull for.  He moves from one screw-up that he caused to the next.  That became tiresome as did the screaming and threats.  So for me Uncut Gems gets 2 of 5 stars.

“Rattlesnake”  (2019) / Z-View

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Rattlesnake  (2019)

Director:  Zak Hilditch

Writers:  Zak Hilditch

Starring:  Carmen Ejogo, Theo Rossi  and Appy Pratt.

Tagline:  Time waits for no one.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Katrina Ridgeway (Ejogo) and her little daughter Clara (Pratt) get a flat tire on a deserted desert road.  As Katrina changes the tire, Clara wanders a bit and is bitten by a rattlesnake.  With no cars in sight, and no cell service, Clara is fading fast.  Suddenly Katrina hears music coming from a trailer!

Katrina runs Clara to the trailer where she finds an old woman.  Katrina explains what happened.  The woman says she can help.  She tells Katrina to change the tire. There is a hospital ten minutes away.  As Katrina turns to leave, the woman says, “We can talk about payment later.”  Katrina changes the tire and returns to find the old woman gone.  She rushes Clara to the hospital, but doctors can find no evidence of a snake bite.

The doctor suggests Clara spend the night for observation.  Katrina agrees.  A few minutes later a well dressed man enters the room saying he is there to discuss payment.  Katrina tells him she has insurance. The man cuts her off saying, “What was done for your daughter doesn’t come cheap. Her little soul was spared. And now you owe one in return.”

Katrina Ridgeway, “I’m sorry, I thought you said soul.”

“Ms. Ridgeway, you don’t have long to pay your debt. You only have until sunset, which is now only seven hours away. The soul you take can be any one of your choosing, but it must be human. And it must be paid in full and on time.”

Katrina quickly comes to realize that unless she kills a human within seven hours, her daughter will die!

Carmen Ejogo is the glue that holds Rattlesnake together.  Theo Rossi is so good at being bad.  Rattlesnake is like an extended episode of The Twilight Zone.  My favorite scene is in the hospital where Katrina begins to realize the deal she’s made.  Rattlesnake is one of those films where it’s about the journey and not the destination.

Rattlesnake rates 3 of 5 stars.

DEAD DOGS by Manny Torres / Z-View

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Dead Dogs by Manny Torres

Trade Paperback: ‎ 200 pages
Publisher: Moonshine Cove Publishing, LLC (August 14, 2020)

First sentence…

Phobos sat like a derelict Buddha on top of the broken newspaper machine, dusty, a little greasy, a little crusty around the edges. .

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Phobos and Chuck are buddies living on periphery of civilized society.  They’re the guys we see (or look away from) hanging outside the 7-11 or your local bank if the free coffee is better there.  They’ve chosen this life and move through it partying with friends when times are good and finding a way when times are lean.

Phobos and Chuck are in debt to a local crime boss wannabe.  Boots Tumbler’s empire includes dog fighting, drugs, stolen goods and he’s looking to expand.  Tumbler has Phobos and Chuck cleaning up after dog fights and sometimes the bodies they dispose aren’t canine.  When Tumbler orders Phobos and Chuck to drive a couple of Tumbler’s associates on a cross-country trip, it puts them on a collision course with hired killers looking for their own payback.

Torres takes us into a world few of us would want to live in, yet we know exists not far from where we sit.  Where other writers romanticize life below the poverty line, Torres has us experience it without rose colored glasses.  We see, smell and feel what it means to be Phobos and Chuck.  Neither are heroes in the traditional sense, but we pull for them because they come across as real human beings.  Which, perhaps surprisingly, makes the crazy characters they meet more believable.

I wouldn’t want to live the life of Phobos or Chuck, but I enjoyed riding along with them in the Great White.  Torres has created (or perhaps just expertly described) a world where larger than life personalities look to get ahead no matter the cost to others, while some folks just look to get by.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Phobos and Chuck have future adventures (or we learn about some in their past).  El Alacran is ripe for a tale or two as well!

Dead Dogs rates 4 of 5 stars.

Dead Dogs Trade Paperback

Dead Dogs Kindle

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