Category: Z-View

CHARLIE OPERA by Charlie Stella

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Charlie Opera by Charlie Stella

First sentence…

Donna Bella, a twenty-six foot cabin cruiser, was anchored directly under the Marine Park Bridge in Jamaica Bay.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Charlie Pellecchia took his wife to Vegas for a nice little getaway.  He had no idea she was about to leave him.  Or that he’d get mugged and a broken nose.  And who knew that the guy’s jaw he broke belonged to New York mobster Nicky Cuccia?

Now Charlie has been marked for death.  A professional killer and his muscle-bound wannabe plus some Vietnamese gangbangers look to cash in.  The FBI, the DEA and Las Vegas’ finest want Charlie too.  Who gets to him first is yet to be seen!

Rating:

“One False Move” (1992) starring Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Cynda Williams & Michael Beach / Z-View

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One False Move (1992)

Director: Carl Franklin

Screenplay: Billy Bob Thornton, Tom Epperson

Stars: Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Cynda Williams, Michael Beach, Jim Metzler, Earl Billings, Natalie Canerday, Robert Ginnaven and Kevin Hunter.

Tagline:  There was no crime in Star City, Arkansas. No murder. And no fear. Until now.

The Plot…

Ray (Thorton), his girl Fantasia (Williams) and Lane ‘Pluto’ Franklin (Beach) went on a crime spree.  They committed six brutal murders in two locations in one night.  Now they’ve got several thousand dollars and a big bag of cocaine.  They plan to sell the cocaine for $200,000 to a buyer in another state.  The three pack the car and leave LA.

Cops investigating the murder scenes figure out who the killers are and where they’re heading.  LAPD detectives Dud Cole (Metzler) and his partner John McFeely (Billings) head to Star City, Arkansas.  There they meet their liaison Police Chief Dale ‘Hurricane’ Dixon (Paxton).  Hurricane has never had to draw his gun in six years as Chief of Police.  He’s excited to be part of a “big city” task force.  The LA cops see that Hurricane is in over his head.

The bodies pile up as Ray, Fantasia and Pluto make their way to star city.  Hurricane’s past will come back to haunt him.

This will not end well.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

One False Move was originally made to go straight to video.  It won several awards in film festivals and then was given a limited release.  Word spread and it went into a wide theatrical release.

Billy Bob Thorton and Cynda Williams played lovers in the movie.  They were married after filming ended.  Sadly, they were divorced a couple of years later.

Carl Franklin’s direction is top notch.

Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton and Cynda Williams are excellent.  Michael Beach steals every scene he’s in.  He’s THAT frightening as the genius level sociopathic killer.

One False Move (1992) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“The Royal Hotel” (2023) starring Julia Garner and Jessica Henswick / Z-View

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The Royal Hotel (2023)

Director: Kitty Green

Screenplay: Kitty Green, Oscar Redding based on Hotel Coolgardie by Pete Gleeson

Stars: Julia Garner, Jessica Henwick, Toby Wallace, James Frecheville and Hugo Weaving.

Tagline:  A fun adventure is all they wanted

The Plot…

Hannah (Garner) and Liv (Henwick) are backpacking across Australia.  When their money runs low, the only job the employment agency offers is bartending at a remote pub in a mining town hours from civilization.  They are warned that the place gets wild.  The girls are looking for adventure, so they take the job.

The pub is in the middle of nowhere.  No wifi.  Hot water is a luxury.  The pub is full of drunken men.  Miners letting off steam party hard.  The dirty jokes, sexism and rude behavior disturbs Hanna.  She’s ready to leave after the first night.  Liv plays it off as boys being boys.  Besides there isn’t a bus for several days.  So Hannah agrees to tough it out.

Big mistake.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Hotel Royal was inspired by the documentary Hotel Coolgardie (2016).

Julia Garner and Jessica Henwick are, as The Hollywood Reporter says, “superb”.  Sadly the film doesn’t live up to their performances.

The Royal Hotel (2023) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Blood for Dust” (2023) starring Scoot McNairy, Kit Harington & Josh Lucas / Z-View

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Blood for Dust (2023)

Director: Rod Blackhurst

Screenplay: David Ebeltoft, story by Rod Blackhurst, David Ebeltoft

Stars: Scoot McNairy, Kit Harington, Josh Lucas, Nora Zehetner, Stephen Dorff, Algin Mendez and Ethan Suplee.

Tagline:  Breaking Bad Meets Fargo.

The Plot…

Cliff (McNary) is  paying the price for his past bad choices.  He had an affair with his boss’ wife.  Cliff also convinced his boss to go in on a scheme to embezzle money from the company.  When the theft came to light, Cliff’s boss took the fall.  His boss then committed suicide.  Cliff was fired.

Cliff got work as a traveling salesman, but then his new boss heard the rumors.  Cliff was fired again.  The word was out. Cliff couldn’t find a job anywhere.  With bills piling up and a son with cancer, Cliff became desperate.  So when Ricky (Harington), an old buddy, offered him a job running drugs and guns, Cliff took it.

Cliff is hoping for one big score and to get out clean.  That ain’t happening.  There’s two double crosses that will make sure of that.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The tagline is Breaking Bad Meets Fargo.  That’s a close description.  I’d just add, “without the humor.”

Blood for Dust (2023) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Three Days of the Condor” (1975) directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson & Max von Sydow / Z-View

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Three Days of the Condor (1975)

Director: Sydney Pollack

Screenplay: Lorenzo Semple Jr., David Rayfiel based on SIX DAYS OF THE CONDOR by James Grady

Stars: Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, Max von Sydow, Addison Powell, Walter McGinn, Tina Chen, Michael Kane, Jess Osuna,  Patrick Gorman, Hansford Rowe, Hank Garrett, Ed Crowley, James Keane and John Houseman.

Tagline:  The CIA knows him as Condor. What he knows about them has just made him an Endangered Species.

The Plot…

Joe Turner (Redford) works for the CIA… as a research analyst.  He’s part of a small team.  Their cover is the American Literary Historical Society in New York City.  They read and analyze books and magazines from around the world.  They’re looking for hidden messages, ideas for operations… anything useful. Typed reports are sent to CIA headquarters.

The job is very mundane.  Usually the biggest excitement is “what’s for lunch” and whose turn is it to get it?  As it happens, today Joe is up.  He heads out the backdoor since it’s raining and runs over to the deli.

Joe returns with the sandwiches to find everyone in the office murdered.  Joe is shocked.  No one in the office was a field agent.  Who would want them dead?  And why?

Joe quickly leaves.  He finds a phone booth and reports the hit to CIA headquarters.  Joe is given instructions that will bring him in.  When he shows up at the arranged location, Joe is almost gunned down.

On the run, unsure of who he can trust, Joe must figure out why he’s marked for murder.  Even if he does, what chance does a research analyst have against trained killers?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Three Days of the Condor was nominated for one Academy Award

  • 1976 Nominee Oscar for Best Film Editing:  Fredric Steinkamp, Don Guidice

Kudos for using Hank Garrett as an assassin.  He doesn’t look like a stereotypical movie hitman. But he sure fought like one.

Three Days of the Condor (1975) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Don’t Move” (2024) starring Kelsey Asbille & Finn Wittrock / Z-View

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Don’t Move (2024)

Director: Adam Schindler, Brian Netto

Screenplay: TJ Cimfel, David White

Stars: Kelsey Asbille, Finn Wittrock, Moray Treadwell and Daniel Francis.

Tagline:  You can hide, but you can’t run.

The Plot…

Iris (Asbille) had gone to the site of her young child’s death in a remote wilderness park. One the way back to her car, Iris was kidnapped and drugged by a serial killer (Wittrock).  She escaped, but the narcotic is slowly paralyzing her.

Before long she won’t be able to move at all.  Her time is running out in more ways than one.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Finn Wittrock is believable as he transforms from nice guy to grieving husband to loving father to heartless serial killer.

Don’t Move (2024) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End” (2024) / Z-View

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Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End (2024)

Director: Carles Torrens

Screenplay: Ángel Agudo based on Apocalipsis Z 1. El principio del fin by Manel Loureiro

Stars: Francisco Ortiz.

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

A year has passed since Manel’s wife was killed in a terrible car crash.  Manel lives alone with just the cat he and his wife shared.  Manel’s only family, his sister, her husband and his niece live in another city.

When a zombie outbreak begins spreading across the continent, Manel’s sister’s family is evacuated to the Canary Islands.  Manel decides to hunker down in place.  But when his supplies dwindle, Manel is forced to take his cat and venture out.  He hopes to find a way to the Canary Islands where (he hopes) safety awaits.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End is based on the first book in a trilogy of novels by Manel Loureiro.

This is more of a character study that all out horror film.

Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End (2024) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Body Double” (1984) directed by Brian DePalma, starring Craig Wasson, Melanie Griffith & Gregg Henry / Z-View

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Body Double (1984)

Director: Brian De Palma

Screenplay: Brian De Palma, Robert J. Avrech story by Brian De Palma

Stars: Craig Wasson, Melanie Griffith, Gregg Henry, Deborah Shelton, Al Israel, Douglas Warhit, Russ Marin, Lane Davies, Larry Flash Jenkins, Monte Landis, Brinke Stevens, Steven Bauer and Dennis Franz.

Tagline:  You can’t believe everything you see.

The Plot…

Jack Scully (Wasson) is a struggling actor going through a rough patch.  He just lost his role in a low-budget horror film.  He came home to catch his girlfriend in bed with someone else.  Jack needs a new place to live until things get back on track.

Things are looking up when Sam Bouchard (Henry), an actor Jack met at auditions, offers a place to stay.  Sam’s rich friend needs a house-sitter.  Sam shows Jack the place.  It’s in an upscale neighborhood.  Very modern.  Plus, there’s a bonus.  Every night at a specific time, a lady neighbor does a strip tease as she changes into night clothes.  She’s easy to watch through the telescope focused on her window. Jack is skeptical until he sees for himself.  She’s beautiful.

Jack agrees to house sit.  Watching the woman across the way becomes a nightly activity.  He’s becoming obsessed with her.  Then one night Jack sees a scary looking hombre across the way, also watching the woman strip.

Jack wants to warn her.  But how can he without making himself look like a creeper?  The next night as he’s watching her, Jack sees the scary man hiding in her apartment.  He races over to warn her, but is too late.  Jack finds her murdered.

And that makes him the key suspect.  Jack begins to suspect he was set up.

He was.  But NOT to be the murderer.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Body Double is a love letter to the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Brian De Palma and Robert J. Avrech are both fans of Hitch.  They screened Vertigo and Rear Window for inspiration.

Deborah Shelton’s voice was dubbed by actress Helen Shaver.

Melanie Griffith was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for this film for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture.

Body Double is a fun ride.

Body Double (1984) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Grotesquerie”: Season 1 (2024) starring Niecy Nash / Z-View

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Grotesquerie: Season 1 (2024)

Created by: Ryan Murphy, Jon Robin Baitz, Joe Baken

Director: Max Winkler (Eps. 1-2; 5-7); Ryan Murphy (Ep. 3); Alexis Martin Woodall  (Eps. 4; 9-10;); Elegance Bratton (Ep. 8)

Teleplay: Ryan Murphy & Jon Robin Baitz & Joe Baken (Eps. 1-10)

Stars: Niecy Nash, Courtney B. Vance, Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Micaela Diamond, Raven Goodwin, Lesley Manville, Joshua Bitton, Jay Alan Christianson and Brooke Smith.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

A serial killer is murdering multiple people at a time.  The killer then poses the bodies into elaborate scenes.  Detective Lois Tryon (Nash) is assigned the case.  Lois’ plate is already full.  She’s drinking too much.  Her husband remains hospitalized in a coma.  Lois and her daughter’s relationship is strained and not getting better.

When the killer strikes again, Lois is introduced to Sister Megan Duval (Diamond).  Sister Megan sees religious symbolism that the killer leaves behind.  Her insights into the case are helpful.  Lois brings Sister Megan on board.

As Lois works the case she begins to sense that something isn’t right.

And, boy, is she correct.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Grotesquerie: Season 1 starts off well enough.  A brutal serial killer that murders multiple victims each time out.  A detective who drinks too much and has family problems.  An unconventional nun who may provide the key to the investigation.  This is a great combination for a fun/creepy/scary tale.  The actors are excellent.  The direction is as well done.

But… (You could feel that coming, couldn’t ya?)

As the series progresses we get the feeling that something is off kilter.  Then so does Detective Lois Tryon.  We are both proved right.  Ok, things to a turn but this can work as long as the writers stick the ending.

They don’t.  The ending didn’t resonate with me.  While this ending could lead into a season two (that we may or may not get), it leaves me dissatisfied.  I’m glad I took the journey, but the trip was more fun than the destination.

Grotesquerie: Season 1 (2024) rates 3 of 5 stars.

POSTCARD FROM HELL by Rex Dancer

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POSTCARD FROM HELL by Rex Dancer

First sentence…

It was the slowest, deadest part of the night, when time itself was barely moving, and Andre Derain was wide awake – again.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Andy Derain was once a famous New York City fashion photographer.  Fame is fleeting.  And so was Andy.  He fled to New Orleans.

Now Andy is getting by with whatever photo gigs he can get.  Even if it means selling pics from time to time to a sleazy tabloid.  When Andy gets called to a potential crime scene, he takes photos.  Turns out the dead man is Crayfish Joe Coquin’s son.  Crayfish Joe is much more dangerous than his name implies.  It’s a risk, but Andy needs the money.  He sells the pics to the sleaze rag.

About the same time that Andy learns the gangster is looking for him, Andy gets a postcard from Astrid Montebello.  Astrid was a model Andy worked with and cared for.  Astrid is in the Caymen Islands. She may be in trouble.  When Andy gives her a call, there is no answer.

With Crayfish Joe and his goons closing in, Andy decides a trip to the Caymen Islands is just what the doctor ordered.  He will hang with Astrid until Crayfish cools down.

Only problem is, Astrid is nowhere to be found.  And Andy now has the attention of drug dealers and the F.B.I.   Andy is in way over his head.

And Crayfish Joe is waiting in New Orleans if Andy survives.

Rating:

“My Forbidden Past” (1951) starring Robert Mitchum & Ava Gardner / Z-View

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My Forbidden Past (1951)

Director: Robert Stevenson

Screenplay: Marion Parsonnet, Leopold Atlas (adaptation) based on CARRIAGE ENTRANCE by Polan Banks

Stars: Robert Mitchum, Ava Gardner, Melvyn Douglas, Lucile Watson, Janis Carter, Gordon Oliver, Steve Carruthers and Will Wright.

Tagline:  SHE’s the kind of woman that made NEW ORLEANS famous!

The Plot…

Dr. Mark Lucas (Mitchum) and Barbara Beaurevel (Gardner) are in love.  They plan to elope on the ship Mark is taking to South America. They plan to meet at the ship.  When Barbara is unable to leave, she gives a note to her cousin to take to Mark.  The cousin doesn’t deliver the message, but acts as though he did.

When Mark returns from South America, Barbara is excited to greet him.  She’s shocked when Mark introduces his wife!  Mark, thinking Barbara left him, married a beautiful woman.  Mark comes to learn that Barbara still loves him.  What Mark doesn’t know is his wife, married him for his money.

When Mark’s wife is found murdered, Mark is the #1 suspect.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

My Forbidden Past is a strange mix.  There’s a murder, but there is no mystery to who did it.  There’s a love triangle, but it’s pretty tame.  Mark is set up for the murder, but at pre-trial he’s proven innocent.  Fade out.

My Forbidden Past (1951) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Horror of Dracula” (1958) starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee / Z-View

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Horror of Dracula aka Dracula (1958)

Director: Terence Fisher

Screenplay: Jimmy Sangster based on DRACULA by Bram Stoker

Stars: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough, Valerie Gaunt.

Tagline:  Important Note!! Don’t Confuse This Picture With the Other DRACULA Movies! This is the NEWEST and BEST One and the ONLY ONE in TECHNICOLOR!

The Plot…

Doctor Van Helsing (Cushing) is shocked to discover his friend Jonathan Harker has been turned into one of Dracula’s (Lee) vampire slaves.  Van Helsing realizes it is up to him to end Dracula’s reign of terror.

What chance has one man against Dracula?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Christopher Lee as Dracula has only 16 lines of dialogue in the entire film.  And they are all within the first ten minutes.

The title was changed to the Horror of Dracula for its U.S. release.  This was to avoid confusion since the original 1931 Bela Lugosi film was still available for theater showings.

When I first saw Christopher Lee as Dracula, I wasn’t a fan.  I was too sold on Lugosi as the Count.  Over the years I’ve grown to appreciate Lee’s take on the king of vampires and the movies that feature him.

Horror of Dracula aka Dracula (1958) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Black Cat” (1941) starring Basil Rathbone, Hugh Herbert, Broderick Crawford & Bela Lugosi / Z-View

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Black Cat (1941)

Director: Albert S. Rogell

Screenplay: Robert Lees, Frederic I. Rinaldo, Eric Taylor, Robert Neville based on The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe

Stars: Basil Rathbone, Hugh Herbert, Broderick Crawford, Bela Lugosi, Anne Gwynne, Gladys Cooper, Cecilia Loftus, John Eldredge and Alan Ladd.

Tagline:  Even Ladd Is Scared!

The Plot…

Rich, old, Henrietta Winslow (Loftus) is dying.  She called her family to her big, creepy remote house. While still alive, Henrietta wants everyone to know what they’re getting once she’s dead.

The family members arrive along with realtor Gil Smith and antiques dealer Mr. Penny.  Smith and Penny were invited by a family member anticipating the sale of Henrietta’s home and valuables.

The family members learns what each will get. There is one surprise. No one will get anything until Henrietta’s housekeeper dies!  Surprise turns to shock when Henrietta is found murdered!

Who is the killer?  Who will be next to die?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Another in the “old, dark house” genre with a group of people trapped with an unknown murderer in a creepy old isolated house full of secret passageways.

This one had potential to be much better.  For some reason it just didn’t resonate with me.

Black Cat (1941) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Fort Apache” (1948) directed by John Ford, starring John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple & Pedro Armendáriz / Z-View

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Fort Apache (1948)

Director: John Ford

Screenplay: Frank S. Nugent based on Massacre by James Warner Bellah

Stars: John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple, Pedro Armendáriz, Ward Bond, Victor McLaglen, Anna Lee, Dick Foran, Guy Kibbee, Movita, Mary Gordon, John Agar, Hank Worden, Ben Johnson and Grant Withers.

Tagline:  John Ford’s Masterpiece of the Frontier!

The Plot…

Lieutenant Colonel Owen Thursday (Fonda) has been assigned the command of Fort Apache, a remote post located deep on the frontier.  Thursday sees this as an insult.  He feels he was on track for greater things.  Thursday is arrogant, overbearing and sees himself as a class above the men he commands.  He thinks even less of Native Americans.

Arriving at Fort Apache at the same time as Lieutenant Colonel Owen Thursday is his daughter, Philadelphia (Temple) and West Point graduate Lieutenant Michael O’Rourke (Agar).  Michael’s father, Sergeant Major Michael O’Rourke (Bond) also serves at Fort Apache.

From the moment he arrives, Lieutenant Colonel Thursday puts himself at odds with the well liked Captain York (Wayne) and Sergeant O’Rourke.  The friction intensifies when Cochise stirs unrest among the Apache.  Captain York explains the government’s Indian Agent, Silas Meacham has been shorting the tribe’s food allocations.  Meacham has also been providing the Apache with cheap whiskey and repeating rifles.  Thursday downplays this.

Colonel Thursday intends to round up the Apache or kill them if they refuse to return to the reservation.  Captain York warns that the Apache outnumber the local soldiers four to one.  Thursday ignores York.  He sees an opportunity to enhance his reputation.

This will not end well.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Shirley Temple and John Agar’s characters fall in love.  The two were a married couple in real life.

Actor/stuntman Ben Johnson appears in the film, as a stuntman for Henry Fonda.

Fort Apache’s culminating battle is loosely based on Custer’s Last Stand and how Custer’s mistakes were downplayed to create a legendary hero.

Fort Apache (1948) rates 4 of 5 stars.

The Strangler (1964) starring Victor Buono

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The Strangler (1964)

Director: Burt Topper

Screenplay: Bill S. Ballinger

Stars: Victor Buono, David McLean, Diane Sayer, Davey Davison, Baynes Barron, Russ Bender, Jeanne Bates, Byron Morrow, James Sikking, Selette Cole, Fred Aldrich and Ellen Corby.

Tagline:  Based on the terror that has shocked the nation!

The Plot…

A serial killer has strangled several women in a short amount of time.  Police have few clues and no good leads.  Little do they know that in one of their roundups, they had the killer.  He’s a mild mannered overweight lab technician.  He offered to take a lie detector test and passed with flying colors.

How many more women will die at his hands?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Strangler was inspired by the serial killer known as The Boston Strangler.  The police had not caught the Boston Strangler when The Strangler went into production.  At one point, the producers were going to call the movie, The Boston Strangler.  They decided to go with the shorter title and not name the city in the film.

The Strangler (1964) rates 3 of 5 stars.