Category: Z-View

It Follows (2014) / Z-View

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It Follows (2014)

Director:  David Robert Mitchell

Screenplay: David Robert Mitchell

Stars:    Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, and Olivia Luccardi.

The Pitch: “Let’s make a low budget horror movie – they almost always make money!”

Tagline: “It doesn’t think. It doesn’t feel. It doesn’t give up.”

 

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

After having sex with a boy she really likes, Jay [Monroe] learns that he has passed a curse on to her. [Great choice in guys, Jay.]

“It” [the thing of the curse] will follow her, always walking but able to take different human forms and if it catches her, it will kill her.

Suddenly everyone walking towards her seems to have evil intent.  And at least one does!

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Lone Survivor (2013) / Z-View

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Lone Survivor (2013)

Director:  Peter Berg

Screenplay: Peter Berg based on the book by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson

Stars:    Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster and Eric Bana.

The Pitch: “Let’s make a movie based on the best-selling book Lone Survivor.”

Tagline: “Based on True Acts of Courage”

 

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A Navy Seal team sent behind enemy lines on a mission to capture or kill a Taliban leader is accidentally discovered by a goat herder and his teenage son.  The soldiers faced with a dilemma, kill innocent people [and face military prison] or let them go and take their chances on being discovered.

The soldiers let them go and then find themselves outnumbered and under attack by superior numbers.  The movie’s title doesn’t leave much room for a real happy ending, does it?

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Submerged (2015) / Z-View

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Submerged (2015)

Director:  Steven C. Miller

Screenplay: Scott Milam

Stars:   Jonathan Bennett, Talulah Riley, Rosa Salazar and Mario Van Peebles.

The Pitch: “What about a movie with a group of 20-somethings stuck in a submerged car with people waiting to kill them above?”

Tagline: “You can’t scream and hold your breath at the same time.”

 

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Late one evening after a night of partying, a group of 20-somethings are traveling home in a limo when it is forced off a bridge.  The limo sinks to the bottom of the river and water slowly begins to fill the car.  When one of them tries to escape and get help, he is killed.  The trapped kids realize that there are people topside waiting to kill them.

As the water level rises they try to figure out why they are targets and if there is any way to survive.

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Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) / Z-View

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Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Director:  George Miller

Screenplay: George Miller and Brendan McCarthy and Nick Lathouris

Stars:  Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult and Zoë Kravitz.

The Pitch: “George Miller has written and will direct a NEW Road Warrior movie!”

Tagline: “THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THE MAD”

 

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Max Rockatansky [Hardy], a loner, surviving in an apocalyptic waste land is captured by a cult who plan to drain his blood for their warriors.  Max finds him teamed with Furiosa [Theron] and five women slaves in their escape across the desert.

Miller creates an amazing action adventure that is insanely mesmerizing to watch — the crazy action, the insane stunts, the beautiful cinematography, and unique world — I love this film!

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Terminator Genisys (2015) / Z-View

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Terminator Genisys (2015)

Director:  Alan Taylor

Screenplay: Laeta Kalogridis & Patrick Lussier

Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney,  J.K. Simmons and Courtney B. Vance.

The Pitch: “Schwarzenegger will come back for another Terminator movie!”

Tagline: “The rules have been reset.”

 

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

We all know the story, right?  In the future Kyle Reese is sent back to the present to protect Sarah Connor so that her yet unborn son will one day grow up to save humankind from machines.

Now see the tagline.  The rules have been reset.  Things happen as before only slightly differently… or in some cases very differently.  While this is fun for a while for fans of the series; it creates the same problems that all movies/shows with diverging timelines have.  What’s it matter?

You like Kyle Reese better in the original?  Different timeline.  You don’t like this Sarah Conner?  Different timeline.  Which time line should we care about?  Ultimately, I lose interest because things can be forgotten, changed or wiped out — just move to a new timeline.

Still, Terminator Genysis was fun enough if taken as a standalone story.  As for me, Terminator and Terminator 2 are the “real” Terminator timelines.  End of story… until the next sequel.

 

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The Car (1977) / Z-View

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The Car (1977)

Director:  Elliot Silverstein

Screenplay: Dennis Shryack & Michael Butler & Lane Slate from a story by Dennis Shryack & Michael Butler.

Stars: James Brolin, Kathleen Lloyd, John Marley RG Armstrong and Kim Richards.

The Pitch: “Let’s make a horror movie about a murderous car that may be possessed!”

Tagline: “There’s nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, no way to stop… The Car.”

 

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A mysterious black car is running down town folk in a small western town and it’s up to the sheriff to figure out a way to stop it!

The Car would have been the third or fourth feature at a Drive-In.

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Hush (2016) / Z-View

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Hush (2016)

Director:  Mike Flanagan

Screenplay: Mike Flanagan and Kate Siegel

Stars: Kate Siegel, John Gallagher Jr., and Michael Trucco.

The Pitch: “Let’s make a woman in isolation stalked by a mad killer movie, but with a twist — the woman is deaf!”

Tagline: “Silence can be killer.”

 

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Maddie is a deaf writer who decides to head up to her cabin to do some writing.  She believes the isolation will help.  Of course she wasn’t counting on a mad serial killer deciding to make her his next victim.

Clever twist on what could be a played out genre.  Contains some truly creepy scenes.

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West of Zanzibar (1928) / Z-View

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West of Zanzibar (1928)

Director:  Todd Browning

Screenplay:  Elliott J. Clawson

Stars: Lon Chaney, Lionel Barrymore and Mary Nolan .

The Pitch: “Let’s make a movie with Lon Chaney directed by Todd Browning!”

Tagline: “A story of love and revenge in the African jungles!”

 

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A magician named Phroso [Chaney] discovers his wife has been having an affair with a man named Crane [Barrymore].  Phroso confronts Crane, and during their fight is thrown over a rail, breaking his back and leaving him paralyzed and alone.

Later his wife returns only to die a short time later.  Before she dies Phroso learns that she had a daughter and Crane is now an ivory dealer in Africa.  Phroso heads to Africa with the child and plots his revenge.  First his makes sure that his wife’s daughter is raised in a brothel so that she grows up to be a drug-addicted prostitute.  Then he  takes on the persona “Dead Legs” and over the course of nearly two decades builds his criminal empire.

Once the time is right, Phroso brings the grown daughter to him so that he can extract his final revenge on her and Crane.  Dark stuff, indeed and with a twist [although easily seen coming] worthy of the Twilight Zone.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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“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.

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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.

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