Category: Z-View

Badlands (1973) / Z-View

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Badlands (1973)

Director:  Terrence Malick

Screenplay: Terrence Malick

Stars: Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek, Warren Oates and Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen and Terrence Malick.

The Pitch: “Let’s make a movie based on the killing spree of Charles Starkweather and Caril Fugate.”

Tagline: “In 1959 a lot of people were killing time. Kit and Holly were killing people.”

 

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Kit [Sheen] is a twenty-something garbage man with a lot of swagger.  Holly [Spacek] is a fifteen year old school girl who falls for Kit.  They see each other secretly until her father  [Oates] discovers the affair and forbids Holly to see Kit again.

Kit comes to take Holly away and ends up killing her father.  Holly decides to run away with Kit.  This begins their cross-country killing spree.

Rating:

Tell (2014) / Z-View

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Tell (2014)

Director:  J.M.R. Luna

Screenplay: Timothy Williams

Stars: Milo Ventimiglia, Katee Sackhoff, Jason Lee and Robert Patrick.

The Pitch: “Let’s make a crime movie with supporting players!”

No Tagline.

 

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Ethan Tell [Ventimiglia] reluctantly joins in on a big heist and ends up in possession of a million dollars.  Now that he has the money, how will he keep his crime partner, his wife [Sackhoff], his parole officer and a couple of corrupt cops from killing him and taking the money.

I was expecting more.

Rating:

House of Horrors (1946) / Z-View

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House of Horrors (1946)

Director:  Jean Yarbrough

Screenplay: George Bricker from a story by Dwight V. Babcock

Stars: Rondo Hatton, Martin Kosleck, Robert Lowery, Virginia Grey and Alan Napier.

The Pitch: “Let’s make a crime movie!”

Tagline: “Meet…The CREEPER!”

 

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Martin [De Lange] is a near broke artist who saves and befriends the infamous serial killer, The Creeper [Hatton].  Martin then gets The Creeper to begin killing all those who have wronged him.

When artist, Steven Morrow [Lowery] becomes the number one suspect for the killings, his girlfriend Joan Medford [Grey] begins her own investigation and that puts her on the Creeper’s kill list.

This is the second of three Creeper films starring Rondo Hatton.

Rating:

American Heist (2014) / Z-View

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American Heist (2014)

Director:  Sarik Andreasyan

Screenplay: Raul Inglis

Stars: Hayden Christensen, Adrien Brody, Jordana Brewster and Akon.

The Pitch: “Let’s make a crime movie!”

No Tagline

 

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

James Kelly [Christensen]’s older brother, Frankie [Brody], just got out of prison for a crime they did together.  Now Frankie’s back in town just at the time James was making a real go of things with his business and girlfriend.

Despite his best efforts, James gets pulled into a bank heist that could cost him everything.

Rating:

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) / Z-View

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10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

Director:  Dan Trachtenberg

Screenplay: Josh Campbell & Matthew Stuecken and Damien Chazelle.

Stars: John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr. and Bradley Cooper (voice).

The Pitch: “JJ Abrams wants to make a film in the Cloverfield Universe.”

Tagline:  Monsters come in many forms.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Michelle [Winstead], after leaving her boyfriend, is involved in a terrible car wreck.  When she wakes up she is in an underground bunker with two men;  Howard [Goodman] and Emmett [Gallagher].  Michelle is told that she was saved by Howard who saw the wreck and brought to the bunker for her protection.  Howard further explains that the United States is under attack.  He’s not sure if it’s another country or aliens.  Communications are down.  The air outside is poisonous.

Emmett confirms Howard’s story and claims he forced his way into the bunker when the attack was just getting underway.  Because they are deep underground and the attack is on-going there is no way for Michelle to verify their story.  But why would they lie…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

10 Cloverfield Lane is a throwback to movie-making that relies on an excellent script and great acting.  I really, really enjoyed this movie and would love to see more Cloverfield yarns. (And this is coming from someone who did not like the original Cloverfield!)

Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Goodman are amazing in their roles.

Michelle’s fiance is never seen, but she does get a message from him on her cell.  His voice is Bradley Cooper’s.

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) rates 5 of 5 stars.

Rating:

“Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” (2014) / Z-View

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Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)

Director:  Kenneth Branagh

Screenplay: Adam Cozad and David Koepp based on characters created by Tom Clancy

Stars: Chris Pine, Kierra Knightley, Kevin Coster and Kenneth Branagh.

The Pitch: “Maybe Chris Pine is the right guy to bring back Tom Clancey’s Jack Ryan!”

Tagline: Trust No One.

 

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Let’s call this Jack Ryan: Year One.

Jack Ryan (Pine) is an economic major in college when 9-11 hits.  Ryan enlists in the service and is severely injured when his chopper is shut down in Afghanistan.  Ryan earns the attention and (affection of his female doctor – Knightley) as well as the attention (but no so much affection) from CIA agent Thomas Harper (Costner) for Ryan’s strong will in rehab.  Costner secretly recruits Ryan to become a CIA analyst.

Several years pass with Ryan secretly working for the CIA (not even his longtime girlfriend and former nurse know).  Ryan uncovers a Russian’s (Branagh) plot to destroy the US economy.  Harper sends Ryan to Russia strictly as a behind-the-scenes agent to dig into financial reports — things go south and Ryan finds himself in 007-land.  Before it’s over Ryan has to save his wife and the good ole USA.

Rating:

Maggie (2015) / Z-View

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Maggie (2015)

Director:  Henry Hobson

Screenplay: John Scott 3

Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin and Joely Richardson.

The Pitch: “Let’s make a zombie movie with Arnold!”

No Tagline.

 

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A viral outbreak is causing people to turn into zombies.  Wade Vogel’s [Schwarzenegger] daughter, Maggie [Breslin] has been bit.  She will slowly turn into a zombie.  There is no cure.

Rather than take her to quarantine, Vogel brings her back to his farm much to the dismay of Maggie’s stepmother.  Vogel elects to stay by her side to protect her until she turns.  Schwarzenegger and Breslin turn in heart-wrenching performances as the father helpless to save his daughter, and the young daughter who has had her future stolen.

If a zombie character study is your cup of java, then you’ll love Maggie.

Rating:

Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932) / Z-View

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Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)

Director:  Robert Florey

Screenplay: Robert Florey from a story by Edgar Allan Poe

Stars: Sidney Fox, Bela Lugosi, Leon Ames (aka Leon Waycoff) and Arlene Francis.

The Pitch: “Horror movies sell.  Let’s combine Edgar Allan Poe and Bela Lugosi.”

The Tagline: “Innocent Beauty – this was her wedding eve. On the wall a shadow . . the beast was at large grinning horribly-cruelly. What was Her Fate?”

 

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Bela Lugosi is the insane scientist, Dr. Mirakle who secretly experiments with blood transfusions from his circus ape to women he kidnaps.  Despite the fact that each woman dies, Mirakle continues his experiments. (Hey!  Isn’t that the definition of insanity – doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result?)

When the ape takes a liking to a woman in the audience, she becomes his next victim… Camille L’Espanaye [Fox] is up for the next Apefusion unless her fiance can convince the police what the madman is doing.

If you’re a Bela Lugosi fan, then you’ll enjoy this more than those who aren’t.

 

Rating:

San Andreas (2015) / Z-View

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San Andreas (2015)

Director: Brad Peyton

Screenplay: Carlton Cuse from a story by Andre Fabrizio & Jeremy Passmore

Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario and Paul Giamatti.

The Pitch: “Let’s make a movie with the Rock.”

The Tagline: “ A rescue pilot survived an earthquake, this is what happens next…”

 

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The San Andreas fault has triggered a series of major earthquakes causing buildings to fall, tsunami waves and an ever-increasing series of dangerous situations.  Think collapsing super-structures, electrical fires, panicked crowds and more.  Ray Gaines is a rescue pilot trying to get to his estranged wife and teenage daughter and nothing is going to stop him.

San Andreas takes us back to a time when disaster movies were the rage – think The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake, The Towering Inferno, well, you get the idea.  Now add in modern special effects and The Rock and I think you smell what I’m cooking.

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Triple 9 (2016) / Z-View

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Triple 9 (2016)

Director: John Hillcoat

Screenplay: Matt Cook

Stars: Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Woody Harrelson, Aaron Paul, Kate Winslet, Gal Godot and Norman Reedus.

The Pitch: “Let’s make a gritty crime movie — look at the cast we have lined up!”

The Tagline: “A deadly heist needs a killer distraction”

 

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A crew of dirty cops are being blackmailed.  In order to get out from under, the cops plan a huge heist during a Triple 9 (that they will manufacture).  A triple 9 is code for “cop down” and the cop going down is the rookie not in their crew.

I was hoping for more [look at that cast!], but I did like Triple 9.

Rating:
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The Revenant (2015) / Z-View

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The Revenant (2015)

Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Screenplay: Mark L. Smith & Alejandro G. Iñárritu (based in part on Michael Punke‘s novel)

Stars: Leonardi DiCaprio and Tom Hardy.

The Pitch: “Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Leonardo DiCaprio want to make a movie together.’”

The Tagline: “Revenant: (n. One who has returned, as if from the dead.)”

 

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

An 1820 expedition into the frontier for beaver finds itself under attack by Indians.  While making their escape, scout Hugh Glass is savagely mauled by a bear.  Fearful that they will be found by the marauding Indians, the Captain of the expedition leaves Glass and his young son in the care of John Fitzgerald [Hardy] who promises to stay with Glass until Glass dies.  Fitzgerald will then catch back up to the expedition.

When Glass doesn’t die, Fitzgerald decides to help things along.  He is caught by Glass’ son burying Glass alive.  Fitzgerald kills Glass’ son and leaves Glass for dead.  Glass slowly recovers and must make his way across the frontier fighting Indians, and the elements with his goal of revenge giving him a reason to live.

I liked The Revenant quite a bit, but probably not as much as most.  The action scenes were amazing.  The cinematography was beautiful.  No complaints with the acting or direction.  I did feel that a bit too much time was spent looking up a trees and with Glass’ visions.  The ending was unexpected and didn’t quite ring right with me.  Still, I really liked The Revenant and all the awards it won may be an indication that I’m picking nits.

Awards Won:

  • Academy Award: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role – Leonardo DiCaprio
  • Academy Award: Best Achievement in Directing – Alejandro G. Iñárritu
  • Academy Award: Best Achievement in Cinematography – Emmanuel Lubezki
  • Golden Globe: Best Picture [Drama]
  • Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama – Leonardo DiCaprio
  • Golden Globe: Best Director – Motion Picture – Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Another 70 wins & 156 nominations.

Rating:

Bone Tomahawk (2015) / Z-View

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Bone Tomahawk (2015)

Director: S. Craig Zahler

Screenplay: S. Craig Zahler

Stars: Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Richard Jenkins, Lili Simmons, David Arquette, Sid Haig, Michael Pare, and Sean Young.

The Pitch: “S. Craig Zahler is a writer/director to watch.  Let’s give him the 1.8 million he needs to make ‘Bone Tomahawk.’”

The Tagline: “May the Lord have mercy and grant you a swift death.”

 

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A raiding party of cannibalistic Troglodytes are led to farm on the outskirts of a small western town.  The cannibals kill some settlers and kidnap others.  The town folk are too frightened to go after them except for the Sherriff [Russell], the injured husband [Wilson] of the woman kidnapped [Simmons],  the old deputy [Jenkins] and a gunfighter [Fox].

What begins as almost a character study turns into one of the most tense, frightening and violent movies in recent history.  The characters are so well written/played that I loved their interactions and the pace leading up to the action.  It was also fun seeing name actors in smaller roles.  Jenkins as the old deputy is a joy!

S. Craig Zahler moved to the must-watch list with Bone Tomahawk.

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Werewolf of London (1935) / Z-View

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Werewolf of London (1935)

Director: Stuart Walker

Screenplay: John Colton (based on a story by Robert Harris)

Stars: Henry Hull, Warner Oland and Valerie Hobson

The Pitch: “Monster movies are making dough.  Let’s make a werewolf movie!”

The Tagline: “Beware the Stalking Being – Half-Human – Half-Beast!”

 

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

While on a expedition to Tibet, botanist Dr. Glendon [Hull] is attacked and bitten by a strange beast.  Although he survives and returns to his home in London, Glendon turns into a werewolf each night of a full moon.

Will Gelndon find a cure before he kills again or he is discovered to be the werewolf terrorizing the city…

Rating:

Kill Switch by Jonathan Maberry

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Kill Switch by Jonathan Maberry

What do you do when the power goes off?

 

  • Terrorists have acquired a terrible new weapon that can crash the power grid and plunge America into a new dark age. A coordinated attack is planned to shut out all lights and emergency services to ten major cities. Planes will fall, hospitals will go dark, no help will come.
  • And in that terrible darkness, a dreadful plague will be released. If the lights go off, nothing can stop the bioweapon from killing millions.
  • At the same time, the intelligence services are being torn apart from within by a plague of betrayal, murder, and suicide. Even the Department of Military Sciences is stumbling in its response to the growing threat.
  • Time is running out, and Joe is being hunted by a terrifying new kind of assassin. A team of remote viewers have the ability to take over any person and turn ordinary citizens into killers. Where can you turn when there’s nobody left to trust?
  • Joe Ledger faces his deadliest challenge as friends and allies become enemies and all of the lights begin to go out…

Maberry puts the DMS in the worst place yet against perhaps their toughest adversaries.  The clock is ticking down to an bio-weapon attack on ten cities.  The terrorists have the ability to take over the minds of anyone to do their bidding and the DMS has been ordered to stand down by the President.

You know that’s not going to happen.  Sadly people we have grown to know and care for are going to die trying to save our country.  Maberry creates characters that feel real so when we lose them (and we do throughout the course of the series) it hurts.

Kill Switch mixes just the right amount of actions (tons), suspense (much), and humor (as needed) to propel you to the bloody climax.  I can’t wait for Ledger’s next mission!

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Twilight Zone: The Very Best of the Series

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Thanks to last year’s SYFY Twilight Zone Marathon which ran every episode in order, I can now say with complete certainty I’ve seen every Twilight Zone episode.  Rod Serling deserves all the praise he’s received for creating not only the best television anthology series but one of the overall best tv series ever.  Sure, there were some episodes which didn’t quite work, but overall the excellent episodes outweighed those that fell short.

There were eleven episodes that earned my top rating.  These are the episodes that can be watched repeatedly without losing their impact.  Here they are…

  • Time Enough at Last [Season 1, Episode 8]
    Poor little, nearsighted, henpecked Henry Bemis [Meredith] loves to read.  Reading is his passion but sadly life deprives him of it.  A twist of fate provide Bemis with time enough at last to read to his heart’s content… until another twist of fate proves this is The Twilight Zone.

 

  • The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street [Season 1, Episode 22]
    It’s a beautiful summer afternoon until a strange sound and vibration brings neighbors outside.  Paranoia soon takes over as the thought of an alien invasion takes hold.  Who among them isn’t human?

 

  • The Howling Man [Season 2, Episode 5]
    David Ellington [Wynant] while on a long hike alone in the woods in Europe becomes ill.  Ellington stumbles across a monastery.  Initially told he cannot stay, Brother Jerome [Carradine] allows him to stay until he is well enough to travel.While recuperating, Ellington hears a man howling in pain.  The screams lead to a cell where a man is being held prisoner.  Before Ellington can release him, Brother Jerome arrives and explains that the thing in the cell is not a man, but the devil!

    How could the devil be held in a cell?  Are the monks insane?  If so, Ellington is in danger as well.  Isn’t his duty to help the man escape?  These are the thoughts that race through Ellington’s mind before he makes a decision that will haunt him for the rest of his life.

  • Eye of the Beholder [Season 2, Episode 6]
    Janet Tyler [Stuart] is lying in her hospital bed, her head and face totally covered by bandages.  Tyler nervously waits for her doctor to remove the bandages hoping that her latest (and last) surgery will make her look normal.Sadly Tyler is hideously ugly and lives in a society where the less desirables are sent away.  As the bandages are removed her worst fears are revealed.
  • Nick of Time [Season 2, Episode 7]
    While driving through a small town heading for their honeymoon, Don [Shatner] and Pat [Breslin] Carter’s car breaks down.  The mechanic says it will take a few hours to repair, so the newlyweds head into a small cafe for lunch and to pass the time.Don is nervous to hear about a possible promotion but is afraid to call his boss.  There’s a little penny fortune-telling machine at their table, so Don jokingly puts in a penny to get the answer.  When it appear that the machine got the answer correctly, Don asks more and more questions and the machine answers with startling accuracy… or does it?
  • The Invaders [Season 2, Episode 15]
    An old woman who lives alone in a rural shack with no modern conveniences finds herself under attack when small visitors from another planet land on her roof.  Contains one of the best Twilight Zone twist endings of all.

 

  • Will the Real Martian, Please Stand Up? [Season 2, Episode 28]
    On a dark, snowy night, two deputies respond to a call about a crashed spaceship.  Tracks lead to a remote dinner where seven bus passengers and the diner’s owner are waiting out the storm.  The funny thing is there were only supposed to be six passengers on the bus and strange things are starting to happen at the dinner.  Coincidence or is there an alien among them?

 

  • The Shelter [Season 3, Episode 3]
    Several families from the neighborhood have come together to celebrate a birthday.  Just as toasts are made with everyone expressing their friendship, an emergency warning announcing an imminent nuclear attack is broadcast.As each family prepares for the incoming bombs, they realize that one of the families has a bomb shelter.  Sadly it is not big enough to hold everyone.

 

  • It’s a Good Life [Season 3, Episode 8]
    Little Anthony Fremont [Mumy] has extraordinary mental powers.  Anthony has made all of the world outside of his small farming town disappear.   He’s done the same or worse to anyone of anything that displeases him.
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    Anthony demands that everyone think happy thoughts.  The town people live in fear that they will displease Anthony and they will be next.Tonight is Anthony’s birthday.  Let’s hope he’s not disappointed.

 

  • To Serve Man [Season 3, Episode 24]
    Aliens come to earth promising peace and shared technology. They seem to be making good on their promise to turn earth into a paradise, yet some doubts linger…  This is one of the best Twilight Zone episodes made.

 

  • Nightmare at 20,000 Feet [Season 5, Episode 3]
    Bob Wilson [Shatner] and his wife are flying home.  Wilson has just recovered from a nervous breakdown and a storm is making the flight less than comfortable.  Wilson becomes alarmed when he sees a creature on the wing of the plane tearing at wires.  His wife and others think Bob is suffering a relapse but he’s not…