Category: Z-View

“Cry Terror!” (1958) written & directed by Andrew L. Stone, starring James Mason, Rod Steiger, Inger Stevens, Neville Brand, Angie Dickinson, Kenneth Tobey & Jack Klugman / Z-View

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Cry Terror! (1958)

Director: Andrew L. Stone

Screenplay by: Andrew L. Stone

Starring: James Mason, Rod Steiger, Inger Stevens, Neville Brand, Angie Dickinson, Kenneth Tobey, Jack Klugman, Jack Kruschen, Carleton Young, Barney Phillips, Chet Huntley, Jonathan Hole, Mae Marsh and William Schallert.

Tagline: TERRIFYING…as the time-triggered explosive of a mad bomber ticking-ticking-ticking!

The Story:

Jim Molner (Mason) is sickened to discover that his old army buddy, Paul Hoplin (Steiger) duped him.  Molner created a small, but powerful bomb design.  He was told it was for the U.S. army.  Hoplin instead used it to extort money from an airline.  He had one of the bombs placed on a airplane where it would be found with a note demanding $500,000.00.  The note said there were other bombs on other planes and gave a deadline for payment.

Now Jim, his wife, Joan (Stevens) and their small daughter are being held by Hoplin’s crime partners.  Molner and his daughter are captives of Vince (Klugman) and Eileen Kelly (Dickinson).  Joan is at the mercy of Steve (Brand), a convicted rapist.  Jim and Joan realize that they and their daughter are going to be killed even if the money is delivered.  It will be up to them to figure a way to survive.  The clock is ticking.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers

Cry Terror! features an awesome cast:

  • James Mason, who had earned a Best Actor Oscar nomination three years prior was the star.
  • Rod Steiger, who also earned an Oscar nomination three years prior, for Best Supporting Actor, co-starred. Steiger is great as the nerdy, creepy but dangerous mastermind.
  • Inger Stevens in only her second feature film played Mason’s wife.  Her life would end tragically by suicide when she was just 35.
  • Neville Brand is excellent as a pill-popping sexual predator.
  • Angie Dickinson plays a woman as tough as the men and even more cold-hearted.  She’d hate to kill a kid, but she’d despise losing the payoff even more.
  • Jack Klugman as a bad guy!
  • The rest of the cast features many familiar faces: Kenneth (The Thing From Another World) Tobey, Jack (The War of the Worlds) Kruschen, Carleton (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance) Young, Barney (The Twilight Zone) Phillips, Chet (The Huntley – Brinkley Report) Huntley, Jonathan (The Twilight Zone) Hole and William (The Patty Duke Show) Schallert.

Kudos to Cry Terror! writer and director Andrew L. Stone for writing/directing a movie that still holds up. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. The year before Cry Terror! was released, Stone wrote and directed a film called Julie.  It starred Doris Day as a woman who learns that her insanely jealous husband intends to kill her.  Julie featured many of the same actors (Barney Phillips, Jack Kruschen, Carleton Young, Harlan Warde and Mae Marsh) as Cry Terror! Andrew L. Stone received a Best Writing, Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination for Julie.

“The Killer” (2023) directed by David Fincher, starring Michael Fassbender / Z-View

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The Killer (2023)

Director: David Fincher

Screenplay by: Andrew Kevin Walker based on The Killer by Alexis “Matz” Nolent, Luc Jacamon

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, Charles Parnell, Arliss Howard, Sala Baker, Endre Hules and Monique Ganderton.

Tagline:  None

The Story:

When a professional assassin misses his target, his employers mark him for death.  The assassin realizes in order to survive he will have to kill his way up the chain of command to get the hit on him called off.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers

This movie is based on the graphic novel The Killer written by Alexis “Matz” Nolent and  illustrated by Luc Jacamon.

Fans of 1970s sitcoms will get a kick out of the aliases the Killer uses: Felix Unger (The Odd Couple), Archibald Bunker (All in the Family), Oscar Madison (The Odd Couple), Howard Cunningham (Happy Days), Reuben Kincaid (The Partridge Family), Lou Grant (The Mary Tyler Moore Show / Lou Grant), Sam Malone (Cheers), George Jefferson (The Jeffersons), and Robert Hartley (The Bob Newhart Show).

This is the second teaming of David Fincher and Andrew Kevin Walker.  Their first was Se7en.

The Killer features an awesome fight scene between The Killer and a huge guy.

“A Haunting in Venice” (2023) directed by Kenneth Branagh, starring Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Yeoh &Tina Fey /Z-View

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A Haunting in Venice (2023)

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Screenplay by: Michael Green based on Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie

Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Riccardo Scamarcio.

Tagline:  Death is just the beginning.

The Story:

The year is 1947.  The world famous detective Hercule Poirot (Branagh) is retired and living in Venice.  Because of Poirot’s fame, people from all over the world attempt to hire him.  Poirot turns down every offer.

When Poirot’s old friend, mystery author Ariadne Oliver (Fey) visits, she tells Poirot about psychic Joyce Reynolds (Yeoh).  Poirot scoffs.  All psychics are frauds.  Ariadne agrees, but says that she couldn’t figure out how Joyce Reynolds pulls off her readings.  Ariadne says that if the smartest person she knows (herself) can’t figure it out, perhaps the second smartest (Poirot) can.

Ariande invites Poirot to attend a Halloween séance.  It will be held in a building that was once an orphanage.  It is now said to be haunted by orphans who were locked in and left to die during a plague.  Joyce Reynolds will lead the séance.  Poirot agrees to come along.  Ariande figures Poirot will either expose Reynolds as a fraud or not.  Either way she will have a story.

Everyone invited arrives for the séance. Reynolds while channeling a spirit says that one of the people in attendance is a murderer!  In short order, Joyce Reynolds is found impaled on a statue.  Periot locks everyone in. One of them is the killer.

Hercule Poirot is out of retirement.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers

Kenneth Branagh filmed on location in Venice.  He also didn’t tell the actors in advance about things like doors slamming, lights suddenly going out, etc.  He wanted to get their actual responses to startling events.

This was Tina Fey’s first appearance in a feature film or television production that wasn’t a comedy.  She was excellent as Ariadne Oliver.

This is Kenneth Branagh’s third outing as Hercule Poiroit.  He starred and directed Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Death on the Nile (2022) as well as A Haunting in Venice (2023).  I hope he does more.

BLOOD STANDARD (An Isiah Coleridge Novel) by Laird Barron / Z-View

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BLOOD STANDARD (An Isiah Coleridge Novel) by Laird Barron

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Hardcover: ‎336 pages

First sentence…

As a boy, I admired Humphrey Bogart in a big way.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Isiah Coleridge had been a hit man and enforcer for the mob.  Working out of Alaska (yeah, the mob wets their beak there too), Coleridge was the gold standard.  He was a big, tough half-Maori, half-Caucasian, able to handle himself.  And he had more brains than you’d expect.

If Coleridge had given it any thought, he wouldn’t have punched Vitale Night, a mob captain, in the throat. Normally that would be a death sentence. Even if the jabroni deserved it.  Which Night did. But Coleridge got lucky when his boss went to bat for him.  Coleridge was exiled from the mob and Alaska.  He was told to lay low because Vitale Night still wanted revenge.

Living in upstate New York, Isaiah Coleridge begins to adjust to a quiet life.  Keeping a low profile isn’t so bad.  Coleridge begins to make new friends.  All is going well until a teenage girl disappears and Coleridge agrees to look into it.  As the big man digs deeper, he begins to make waves and attract the kinds of attention that can be dangerous.

BLOOD STANDARD is stylish, brutal, witty, and fun.

Laird Barron is as adept at storytelling as Isaiah Coleridge is at handling a violent situation.  Both Barron and Coleridge have jumped to the top of my must-read list.

Rating:

“The Wolfman” (2010) starring: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt & Hugo Weaving / Z-View

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The Wolfman (2010)

Director: Joe Johnston

Written by: Andrew Kevin Walker, David Self based on The Wolf Man by Curt Siodmak

Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving, Art Malik, David Schofield, Roger Frost, Geraldine Chaplin, Rick Baker and Clive Russell.

Tagline:  The legend is alive.

The Story:

The year is 1891.  Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro), the famous actor, received word that his brother has disappeared.  By the time Lawrence arrives at the family estate, his brother’s mutilated body has been found in the woods.

Some townsfolk believe that a wild animal did the deed.  Others blame a group of gypsies that have moved into the area.  A few believe that a werewolf has returned.  When Lawrence visits the gypsy camp, a wild animal attacks killing several people and badly wounding Lawrence.

When Lawrence makes a unnatural recovery from wounds that should have been fatal, people believe that he was bitten by a werewolf.  Anyone who survives such a bite, becomes a wolfman when the moon is full.  Now Lawrence is marked for death.  They believe he will turn into a werewolf at the coming full moon.

The truth is  much worse.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

The Wolfman won Rick Baker and Dave Elsey the 2011 Academy Award for Best Achievement in Makeup.  Their werewolf design looked like a cross between the monsters in The Wolf Man (1941) and Curse of the Werewolf (1961).

Benicio Del Toro and Emily Blunt would reteam five years later for Sicario.  I’m a fan of both.  Kudos also to Hugo Weaving for his performance as Inspector Francis Aberline.

Danny Elfman did the score.  When the film was recut for release, Elfman was already at work on another movie and couldn’t return to adjust his music.  Ultimately other composers were brought in to reshape Elfman’s work.

The Wolfman has an excellent cast.  Rick Baker created a great looking werewolf.  I wish Art Malik, as Singh, got more to do.  He was an interesting character.  You can never go wrong with Del Toro and Blunt.  Getting Hopkins was a bonus.

“Rebel Moon – Part One”: A Child of Fire – The Official Trailer is Here!

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Rebel Moon has Zack Snyder and an excellent cast.  Looking forward to this.

From Zack Snyder, the filmmaker behind 300, Man of Steel, and Army of the Dead, comes REBEL MOON, a 2-part movie event decades in the making.

After crash landing on a moon in the furthest reaches of the universe, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a stranger with a mysterious past, begins a new life among a peaceful settlement of farmers. But she soon becomes their only hope for survival when the tyrannical Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee) and his cruel emissary, Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein), discover the farmers have unwittingly sold their crops to the Bloodaxes (Cleopatra Coleman and Ray Fisher) — leaders of a fierce group of insurgents hunted by the Motherworld.

Tasked with finding fighters who would risk their lives to defend the people of Veldt, Kora and Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), a tenderhearted farmer naive in the realities of war, journey to different worlds in search of the Bloodaxes, and assemble a small band of warriors who share a common need for redemption along the way: Kai (Charlie Hunnam), a pilot and gun for hire; General Titus (Djimon Hounsou), a legendary commander; Nemesis (Doona Bae), a master swordswoman; Tarak (Staz Nair), a captive with a regal past; and Milius (E. Duffy), a resistance fighter. Back on Veldt, Jimmy (voiced by Anthony Hopkins), an ancient mechanized protector hiding in the wings, awakens with a new purpose. But the newly formed revolutionaries must learn to trust each other and fight as one before the armies of the Motherworld come to destroy them all.

“The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” – Season 1 (2023) starring Norman Reedus / Z-View

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The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – Season 1 (2023)

Created by: David Zabel

Director:  Daniel Percival (Eps.1 – 2, 5 – 6); Tim Southam (Eps. 3 – 4)

Teleplay by:  David Zabel (Ep. 1); Jason Richman & David Zabel (Ep. 2, 5); Coline Abert (Ep. 3); Shannon Goss (Ep. 4); Dani Parker (Ep. 5); Jason Richman & Laura Snow (Ep. 6)

Starring:  Norman Reedus, Clémence Poésy, Louis Puech Scigliuzzi, Blanc-Francard, Anne Charrier, Romain Levi, Adam Nagaitis, Eriq Ebouaney, Dominique Pinon and Melissa McBride.

Tagline: Hope is not lost.

The Plot: 

Daryl Dixon finds himself in France when he wakes up on a deserted beach.  How he got there will become clear as the season progresses.  His goal is to get back home.  Unable to speak the language and with no one he can contact for help, Daryl begins his journey.

Daryl is injured after encounters with a walker with corrosive blood and killers who are part of a paramilitary group.  When Daryl comes across a fortress held by nuns, he is given aide.  There Daryl meets Sister Isabelle (Poésy) and a young boy named Laurent (Scigliuzzi).  The nuns and others throughout France have heard of Laurent.  Many, for reasons that will become clear, believe that Laurent will be the savior of humanity.  He will lead France to a new golden age.  Sister Isabelle tells Daryl that it was prophesied that a warrior would come who would safely take Laurent to Paris where followers await.

Daryl ain’t buying it.

But when Sister Isabelle promises that she has people in Paris who could help Daryl get back to America, he agrees. Cue the walkers.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

It’s neat seeing Daryl as a stranger in a strange land.  It is cool how quickly people/groups came to realize how dangerous/resourceful Daryl is.

I like the idea of the nun with a past and how she is working to receive redemption.  I also got a kick out of what became of the man she left behind.

Seeing zombies we are familiar with as well as new “strains” of zombies is something that needs to continue in small doses.  I like the “explanation” for the new fast and strong walkers.

Except for Norman Reedus, (and a cameo by Melissa McBride) all of the actors/actresses were new to me except for one.  I couldn’t figure out where I’d seen him before.  So I looked up Dominique Pinon.  He was Vriess in Alien: Resurrection!

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – Season 1 features some of the best Walking Dead episodes in recent memory.  Bring on Season 2.

“The Show” (1927) directed by Tod Browning, starring John Gilbert, Renee Adoree & Lionel Barrymore / Z-View

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The Show (1927)

Director: Tod Browning

Written by: Joseph Farnham, Screenplay by Waldemar Young, based on THE DAY OF SOULS by Joseph Farnham

Starring: John Gilbert, Renée Adorée, Lionel Barrymore, Edward Connelly.

Tagline:  Strange were these figures in the show the crowds gaped at. But stranger by far the drama of underworld life they played back of the scenes! An amazing romance, a lurid tale of a rogue, torn between baser passions and a girl’s redeeming love.

The Story:

Cock Robin (Gilbert) is the star of a sideshow.  Robin is a handsome ladies man.  He has a charisma about him that he puts to use drawing in crowds to see the human oddities.  Robin also participates in the acts.  After the shows are over, Robin always has female admirers waiting for the chance to pay for his dinner and spend the evening with him. Robin’s behavior doesn’t endear him to other members of the sideshow.  The women are disappointed and the men jealous.

One of Robin’s admirers is a young woman named Lena.  Robin learns that Lena’s father is wealthy.  Perhaps, it is time to settle down.  Perhaps not.

When Lena’s father is killed in an attempted robbery, Robin becomes the main suspect. Someone in the show has set him up.  But who?  And is there anyone who will help him clear his name?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Tod Browning who would go on to direct Dracula and (the more closely related to The Show) Freaks. Browning was the perfect person to direct this.

John Gilbert displays the charisma needed to play the lead.  The great Lionel Barrymore as the villain.  What more could we want?

“Abandoned” (1949) starring: Dennis O’Keefe, Gale Storm, Jeff Chandler, Raymond Burr with Mike Mazurki / Z-View

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Abandoned (1949)

Director: Joseph M. Newman

Screenplay by: Irwin Gielgud, William Bowers (additional dialogue)

Starring: Dennis O’Keefe, Gale Storm, Jeff Chandler, Raymond Burr, Jeanette Nolan, Steve Darrell, Frank Cady and Mike Mazurki.

Tagline:  NO NAME FOR HER BABY…only a PRICE! 

The Story:

Paula Considine (Storm) goes to L.A. in search of her missing sister.  Her sister left their small town because she was pregnant and not married.  It’s late when she arrives at the missing person’s bureau.  There she meets Mark Sitko (O’Keefe), a newspaper reporter.  When Sitko notices a shady character following Paula, he intervenes.  Soon Sitko and Paula discover that Paula’s sister was murdered and her baby stolen by child traffickers.  As they dig deeper, Sitko and Paula become marked for murder!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

The film uses a semi-documentary style popular at the time.

Gale Storm had been making movies for close to a decade when she got the co-starring role in Abandoned.  A few years later Ms. Storm would become a tv star in her own series, My Little Margie which ran for four seasons.  She followed that with another starring television role in The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna.  It also ran for four seasons.

Jeff Chandler has a supporting role.  He would soon break out into leading roles.

Raymond Burr is cast as a heavy.  He played a lot of those type roles in those days because he was good at it.  Mr. Burr would go on to become a bigger star playing a good guy.  Perry Mason ran for 9 seasons, earned Raymond Burr two Best Actor in a Leading Role Emmys and earned him world-wide fame.Years after Perry Mason went off the air, it returned with Mr. Burr starring in 26 television movies.

Mike Mazurki appears as a thug which was par for the course.  I love it when Mazurki appears in any production.  He had an interesting life.  Mr. Mazurki played football and basketball in college and professionally,  He earned a law degree from Fordham.  Then he decided to become a professional wrestler because he could earn more money!  He also worked as a bodyguard before being discovered and cast in movies.

Abandoned was ahead of it’s time.  The topic of black-market babies and child trafficking could be pulled from today’s headlines.  The film also faced aspects being censored.  Still, if you read between the lines it becomes pretty clear that Paula’s dad was probably the baby’s father.

“SLY” (2023) directed by Thom Zimny, starring Sylvester Stallone / Z-View

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SLY (2023)

Director: Thom Zimny

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Quentin Tarantino, Frank Stallone, Talia Shire,  Henry Winkler, John Herzfeld, Wesley Morris, Jennifer Flavin-Stallone, Scarlet Rose Stallone, Sistine Rose Stallone, Sophia Rose Stallone and Sage Stallone.

Tagline:  Meet the man behind the hero.

The Story:

Sylvester Stallone takes us behind the scenes for an intimate look at his rise from humble beginnings to international superstardom as well as the ups and downs along the way.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

SLY is as much a personal reflection as it is a documentary.  Director Thom Zimny said that he had full access to tell Sly’s story without interference.  What Zimny did is allow Sly to open up. From these reflections, Zimny created the documentary.

Many of us (especially die hard Stallone fans) know the broad strokes.  Sly came from a broken home. He did poorly in school, He was only getting bit parts as thugs in movies when he wrote ROCKY and refused to sell out. We know the Rocky films led to Rambo films.  There were disappointments along the way.  Cop Land was supposed to bring the big comeback.  It showed Sly had the acting chops to hang with DeNiro and the rest of the all star cast, but it didn’t work as a springboard back to the top.  We know that Sly refused to let Rocky V be Balboa’s swan song.  Against all odds, Sly was able to get Rocky Balboa done and that put him back on top.  Rambo (2008) followed.  Then The Expendables.  We knew that Sly for nearly 50 years has been a movie superstar and shows no signs of slowing down.

Yeah, we knew all that.  Because we are Sly’s diehard fans.  Many moviegoers don’t know these things.

What many of us (even Sly’s biggest fans) didn’t know were the stories and side notes that Sly provides throughout the documentary.  Sure, we knew his dad was tough on Sly and Frank.  Now we learn just how deep that went and the impact it had on Sly’s work.  We learn of Sly’s regrets.  Not just with films chosen or passed on, but in his use of time.  Especially when it comes to family.  Sly says, “Life up to forty is all about addition, after that it is all about subtraction.” If that doesn’t resonate with you, then my bet is you’re still under forty.

We hear from celebrities about Sly – Arnold, Tarantino, his brother Frank, Talia Shire, Henry Winkler and one of Sly’s oldest friends who also made it in Hollywood, John Herzfeld.  Their contributions are excellent.  What really makes the documentary work for me is Sly’s reflections.  Seeing his handwritten early draft scripts.  Getting a glimpse behind the scenes.

SLY is an excellent documentary.  I would love it to be first in a series detailing different aspects of Sly’s life/career.  He’s such a great raconteur. We know he has more stories to tell.  Still, if this is all we get, we got a winner.

“Mother’s Day” (2023) directed by Mateusz Rakowicz, starring Agnieszka Grochowska / Z-View

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Mother’s Day (2023)

Director: Mateusz Rakowicz

Screenplay by: Lukasz M. Maciejewski, Mateusz Rakowicz

Starring: Agnieszka Grochowska, Szymon Wróblewski.

Tagline:

The Story:

Nina (Grochowska), is a NATO Special Operations agent. Years ago she gave up her baby so he could be raised by loving parents in a safe environment.  Although Nina checks in on him regularly (from afar), her son knows nothing about her.  That will change when he is kidnapped by thugs looking to get back at Nina.  Now all bets are off.  Nina will use all her skills to rescue her son.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Mother’s Day exceeded every expectation I had for it.  Everything about Mother’s Day is what action movie fans love.  Mateusz Rakowicz knows how to direct action and keep the quieter scenes interesting.  Co-writers Lukasz M. Maciejewski and (director) Mateusz Rakowicz have created a story full of outrageous characters involved in over the top battles. Thankfully, Agnieszka Grochowska who plays Nina, is more than up to the task.  I hope to see more of her and director Mateusz Rakowicz in the future.

The Death Kiss (1932) starring Bela Lugosi, David Manners, Edward Van Sloan, Adrienne Ames & Vince Barnett / Z-View

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The Death Kiss (1932)

Director: Edwin L. Marin

Screenplay by: Gordon Kahn, Barry Barringer based on THE DEATH KISS by Madelon St. Dennis

Starring: Bela Lugosi, David Manners, John Wray, Adrienne Ames, Vince Barnett and Edward Van Sloan.

Tagline: IT’S FULL OF THRILLS!  IT’S FULL OF FUN!  IT’S FULL OF MYSTERY!  IT’S FULL OF BIG NAMES!

The Story:

When a movie’s leading man is killed on stage during the filming of a scene, in full view of everyone, the only question is: Who did it?  Evidence seems to point to one person, then another.  Finally it looks like the murder was committed by the leading lady.  Franklyn Drew (Manning) believes she was set up.  Drew begins to follow clues that will lead him to the true killer and maybe get him killed as well.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Three stars (Bela Lugosi, David Manners and Edward Van Sloan) of Dracula, made the year before, return to star in The Death Kiss.

The film’s copyright wasn’t renewed, so the film fell into the public domain.  Beware of poor copies!

David Manners as Franklyn Drew is charming.  Vince Barnett as Movie Studio Police Officer Gulliver is a hoot.  They make the perfect duo as together they investigate the murder.  Barnett in a way is Barney Fife to Manners Andy Griffith.  I would have loved to have seen them in a series of murder comedies.

Although Bela Lugosi gets top billing, it is actually David Manners who gets the most screen time.  He’s never been better.

The gunfight at the end of the movie is hand-tinted.  This produces a cool effect for gunshots and flashlights.

“Sorry, Wrong Number” (1948) starring Barbara Stanwyck & Burt Lancaster / Z-View

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Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)

Director: Anatole Litvak

Screenplay by: Lucille Fletcher based on Sorry, Wrong Number by Lucille Fletcher

Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Burt Lancaster, Ann Richards, Wendell Corey, Ed Begley, Leif Erickson, Jimmy Hunt and William Conrad.

Tagline: The prize-winning radio suspense drama that thrilled 40,000,000 people … now electrifies the screen!

The Story:

Leona Stevenson (Stanwyck) is invalid confined to her bed.  While making a phone call, the lines are crossed and she hears two men discussing a murder that will happen in the next few hours.  Leona frantically contacts the police.  They say there’s nothing they can do with the information provided.  Leona then contacts the telephone company.  They don’t have the ability to figure out where the call originated.  As the minutes tick by, Leona gets more worried that someone is going to be killed.  Soon Leona will realize that she is the intended victim!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Barbara Stanwyck was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 1949 Academy Awards.

It’s interesting that Stanwyck plays an unlikable character and we’re rooting for Lancaster, who plays her husband.  Slowly we learn, he’s not as nice a guy as we thought, but we understand his motives.

Sorry, Wrong Number contains one of the best ending scenes in movies.

“Dracula” (1979) starring Frank Langella, Laurence Olivier, Donald Pleasence & Kate Nelligan / Z-View

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Dracula (1979)

Director: John Badham

Screenplay by: W. D. Richter based on DRACULA by Bram Stoker and Dracula (1924 play) by Hamilton Deane
and John L. Balderston

Starring: Frank Langella, Laurence Olivier, Donald Pleasence, Kate Nelligan and Trevor Eve.

Tagline: Throughout history, he has filled the hearts of men with terror, and the hearts of women with desire.

The Story:

The ship, the Demeter, is found floating just off shore.  All of the crew have been murdered.  Count Dracula (Langella) is the only passenger to survive.  He’s unable to explain what happened.

Dr. Jack Seward (Pleasence) hosts a dinner party to welcome the charming new arrival to their community.  Dracula tells them that he has come to England to partake of all that life offers.  Lucy Seward (Nelligan) finds herself attracted to Dracula, despite being engaged to Jonathan Harker (Eve) who is there with her.  What nobody knows is that Dracula is a vampire with plans to make Lucy his bride.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

I saw Dracula when it was first released in 1979.  I’ve rewatched it a few times since.  I liked it best on the initial viewing.  Since then I’ve found this version’s focus on making Dracula more of a lover weakens the character.

I also find the supporting characters in this version less interesting.  Reinfeld should be pathetic and sometimes scary.  This version’s Renfield is just gross.  The relationship between Harker and Lucy doesn’t have chemistry.  When she shows an interest in Dracula, Harker doesn’t look more than a little peeved.  The audience doesn’t have a lot of, pardon the expression, “stake” in what happens between them.  Finally, Dracula should be menacing.  He should be frightening. When he enters a room, men should get a feeling that a apex predator is among them. Here he looks like he would be more at home in a disco than a castle.

In the play Dracula, the two main females’ names are inverted. Mina becomes Lucy and Lucy, Mina.  Director John Badham also inverted the names.  His rationale?  He “felt like Mina was a dopey name and that Lucy was kind of a nice name.”

Frank Langella is quoted as saying that Sir Laurence Olivier only took the part because he needed the money.  It is also reported that Olivier would only appear in the film if his character was killed.  That way he wouldn’t be brought back for a sequel. Donald Pleasence said in an interview: “We had a really good time but it was an awful film…Larry (Olivier) and I did it for a laugh.”  Sometimes it is hard to love a film that the actors hold in such low regard.

“That’s the Spirit” (1933) starring Noble Sissle, Cora La Redd, F.E. Miller & Mantan Moreland / Z-View

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That’s the Spirit (1933)

Director: Roy Mack

Screenplay by:  Unknown

Starring: Noble Sissle, Mantan Moreland, F. E. Miller, Buster Bailey, Cora La Redd

Tagline:  None.

The Story:

F.E. Miller and Mantan Moreland play two night watchmen assigned to a pawn shop rumored to be haunted.  The rumors are true. As Miller and Moreland look on, small figures come alive and perform.  Ghosts make appearances.  Miller and Moreland are supposed to protect the pawn shop… but who will protect them?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

That’s the Spirit is a short featuring an all black cast.  It is thought to be Mantan Moreland’s first film appearance. That alone makes it worth a watch.  That’s the Spirit  also features some of the finest musical / dance performers of the day, No wonder one fan said it was “one of the greatest all-black jazz shorts ever made.”