Category: Z-View

“Plane Nuts” (1933) starring Moe Howard, Larry Fine & Curly Howard / Z-View

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Plane Nuts (1933)

Director:  Jack Cummings

Screenplay: Ted Healy, Matty Brooks, Moe Howard

Stars: Larry Fine, Moe Howard, Ted Healy, Curly Howard.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Ted Healy and His Stooges perform vaudeville routines with MGM dancers performing between acts.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Three Stooges before they became famous as The Three Stooges.  For die-hard Stooges fans only.

Plane Nuts (1933) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“The Killer That Stalked New York” (1950) / Z-View

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The Killer That Stalked New York (1950)

Director:  Earl McEvoy

Screenplay: Harry Essex based on Smallpox, the Killer That Stalks New York by Milton Lehman (1948 Cosmopolitan article)

Stars: Evelyn Keyes, Charles Korvin, Dorothy Malone, Lola Albright, Barry Kelley, Carl Benton Reid, Ludwig Donath, Art Smith, Whit Bissell, Roy Roberts, Harry Shannon  and Jim Backus.

Tagline: One woman brings terror to 8,000,000 people!

The Plot…

Sheila Bennet (Keyes) ha just returned to New York City from Cuba.  What the authorities don’t know is that she has smuggled in $50,000.00 in diamonds.  What Sheila doesn’t know is that her partner-in-crime, her husband, has been cheating on her with her sister.  Another thing that Sheila doesn’t know is that she has contracted small pox.

The disease spreads fast and soon citizens are dying.  Although the authorities are doing their best to track down the unknown carrier of the disease, the city begins to panic.  How many more will die?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Killer That Stalked New York (1950) is a docudrama based on Milton Lehman’s article about a real small pox outbreak in 1947.

The Killer That Stalked New York (1950) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“The Black Raven” (1943) / Z-View

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The Black Raven (1943)

Director:  Sam Newfield

Screenplay: Fred Myton

Stars: George Zucco, Charles Middleton and Glenn Strange.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

A terrible thunderstorm is raging when five people arrive at The Black Raven motel seeking shelter.  A gangster, a young couple planning to elope, the girl’s father who plans to stop the wedding, and a bank employee (with $50,000.00 that he embezzled).  In short order, the girl’s father is murdered.  The hotel’s owner, Amos Bradford (Zucco) works to solve the crime aided by his not-too-bright employee, Andy (Strange).  Andy is a huge man afraid of his own shadow.  When the Sheriff arrives looking for an escaped convict, he learns of the murder and is ready to bring in anyone to resolve the case.

Can Mr. Bradford find the killer before he strikes again?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Black Raven is an old spooky house-type story popular at the time.  It’s supposed to be a thriller/comedy.  Unfortunately it’s not that thrilling or funny.  I will give Glenn Strange (who would later play Frankenstein and even later play the bartender in the long-running series Gunsmoke) credit for giving it his all as Andy.

The Black Raven (1943) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Payback” (1999) starring Mel Gibson & Gregg Henry / Z-View

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Payback (1999)

Director:  Brian Helgeland

Screenplay: Brian Helgeland, Terry Hayes based on THE HUNTER by Richard Stark aka Donald Westlake

Stars: Mel Gibson, Gregg Henry, Maria Bellor, Bill Duke, Deborah Kara Unger, John Glover, William Devane, Lucy Liu, Jack Conley, Kris Kristofferson, Kwame Amoaku, James Coburn and David Paymer.

Tagline: Get ready to root for the bad guy.

The Plot…

Porter is a career criminal.  After ripping off a Chinese gang for $140,000.00, Porter is betrayed by his crime partners.  Shot repeatedly in the back and left for dead, Parker doesn’t die.  Once he recovers, Parker is determined to get his cut of the job back.  Parker doesn’t care that he’s up against the Outfit or that the Chinese gang is gunning for him.  Parker wants his $70,000.00.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Payback (1999) is based on Richard Stark’s novel, THE HUNTER.  The novel was first filmed as Point Blank directed by John Boorman and starred Lee Marvin.

Brian Helgeland’s adaptation came to Mel Gibson’s attention who wanted to star in the movie.  Helgeland wanted to direct and it would be his first feature film.  He didn’t think Gibson would want to work with a first-time director.  But Gibson did.

Unfortunately, Gibson and Helgeland didn’t see eye-to-eye on how the film was shaping up.  Two days after winning an Academy Award (Best Screenplay Adaptation for LA Confidential), Gibson had Helgeland fired.  About one third of the movie was reshot.  Paul Abascal is credited with directing the reshoots.  Helgeland still got director’s credit.  This became the theatrical release reviewed here.

A director’s cut was released on DVD in 2007. It features a darker tone (more in line with noir), Kris Kristofferson isn’t in this version, but Sally Kellerman’s voice (as a female version of Kristofferson’s character) is. Some of the characters killed in the theatrical version survive in the director’s cut.

Gibson felt that Helgeland’s version was making his character less assessible to the audience.  After the release of the director’s cut (years later), Helgeland said he could now appreciate the theatrical, audience-friendly cut, but he was shooting a grittier noir film with a less than happy ending.  I think that both films work.

Gibson is excellent as Parker.  He is supported by an amazing cast.  Gregg Henry as Val Resnik is a scene-stealer.  Kudos also to Bill Duke, Deborah Kara Unger, William Devane, Lucy Liu, James Coburn and David Paymer.

Payback (1999) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“The Ring” (1927) written & directed by Alfred Hitchcock / Z-View

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The Ring (1927)

Director:  Alfred Hitchcock

Screenplay: Alfred Hitchcock, Eliot Stannard (uncredited)

Stars: Carl Brisson, Lillian Hall-Davis, Ian Hunter and Forrester Harvey.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

“One Round” Jack Sander (Brisson) is a carnival fighter.  Sander takes on all-comers and has never been beaten.  Then one day, a big man enters the ring.  The fight is brutal and tough, but in the end the big man wins.  It turns out the huge challenger is none other than Bob Corby, the Australian Heavyweight Champ.

Corby is impressed with Sander’s fighting ability and offers to help make him a pro. Truth be told, Corby is more interested in helping himself to Sander’s fiancée.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Hitchcock made no cameo appearance in this film.

The Ring (1927) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“The Samurai” (1967) directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, starring Alain Delon / Z-View

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The Samurai (1967)

Director:  Jean-Pierre Melville

Screenplay: Jean-Pierre Melville, Georges Pellegrin

Stars: Alain Delon, François Périer, Nathalie Delon and Cathy Rosier.

Tagline: There is no solitude greater than that of the samurai.

The Plot…

Jef Costello (Delon) is a contract killer for the mob.  As Costello walks away from a hit on a nightclub owner, he is seen by the club’s pianist (Rosier).  Soon Costello is brought in for a police line-up.  Rosier and a few other potential witnesses fail to identify Jef as the killer.  Although the police don’t have enough evidence to hold him, the commissaire still believes Jef is the killer.

When Jef goes to collect his fee for the hit, he is almost killed by the mob.  They believe that Jef is now compromised.  They believe that if the police bring Jef in for the killing, it will put them at risk.  Their plan is to kill Jeff.  Meanwhile the police are closing in.

Alone and without friends or resources, what chance does one man have against the mob and the police?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Jean-Pierre Melville wrote the screenplay specifically for Alain Delon to star.  This, of course, made Alain Delon the perfect choice for the role.  Kudos also to Cathy Rosier.  I wish we got to see her in many more roles.

The Samurai is one of the most influential films in the history of cinema. John Woo’s The Killer and Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai are two examples of films that can be traced back to The Samurai.  Other directors similarly influenced include Walter Hill, John Frankenheimer, Michael Mann, Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, David Fincher and many others.

The film is included on Roger Ebert’s “Great Movies” list and THE 1001 MOVIES YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE, edited by Steven Schneider and Ian Haydn Smith.

When The Samurai was released in the US, it was titled The Godson to cash in on the success of The Godfather.

The Samurai has an almost dream-like feel at times.  Hats off to Jean-Pierre Melville for having the vision and talent to bring everything together to make a classic film.

The Samurai has an 8.0 rating on the IMDb.  At Rotten Tomatoes it has an 100% rating with critics and 94% with audiences.

The Samurai (1967) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Number 17” directed by Alfred Hitchcock / Z-View

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Number 17 (1932)

Director:  Alfred Hitchcock

Screenplay: Alfred Hitchcock, Alma Reville, Rodney Ackland based on Number Seventeen by Joseph Jefferson Farjeon

Stars: Leon M. Lion, Anne Grey, John Stuart and Ann Casson.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

A detective enters an old, dark house late one evening.  Clues from a diamond necklace robbery have led him there. Once inside the detective discovers a man who claims he’s homeless and was looking for shelter for the evening.  The two discover the body of a man who was recently murdered.  Suddenly a woman falls from above!  As they question her, two additional men and a woman enter the house.  Some, maybe eveand ryone is involved in the diamond necklace theft.  Expect twists and not all will survive to the end.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Alfred Hitchcock wasn’t a fan of Number 17.  It wasn’t a film that he wanted to make.  Number 17 was adapted from a stage play.  Although conceived as a comedy-thriller, the end result fell short of expectations.  Although Hitchcock considered it a “disaster” it’s not as bad as that.

Hitchcock has no cameo in this one.

Number 17 (1932) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Hitchcock/Truffaut” (2015) / Z-View

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Hitchcock/Truffaut (2015)

Director:  Kent Jones

Screenplay: Kent Jones, Serge Toubiana based on HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT by François Truffaut

Stars: Alfred Hitchcock, François Truffaut, Wes Anderson, Peter Bogdanovich, David Fincher, Paul Schrader and Martin Scorsese.

Tagline: The Greatest Story Hitchcock Ever Told

The Plot.

In 1962, François Truffaut was on a hot streak.  Seen as one of the best young directors of the time, Truffaut  was already a triple Oscar nominee and double-award winner at Cannes.  Truffaut was also a huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock.  So later that year, over the course of a week, Francois Truffaut and Alfred Hitchcock met for eight plus hours daily.  They discussed in detail Hitchcock’s films, his rationale for directing decisions and his thoughts on filmmaking.

Their conversations were recorded and transcribed. In 1966, Truffaut released HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT.  The book reached legendary status among filmmakers.  This documentary explores the interviews and highlights from Truffaut’s interviews with Hitchcock.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

This is a must-see for Hitchcock fans.

Hitchcock/Truffaut (2015) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“The 39 Steps” (1935) directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Robert Donat & Madeline Carroll / Z-View

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The 39 Steps (1935)

Director:  Alfred Hitchcock

Screenplay: Charles Bennett, Ian Hay based on THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS by John Buchan

Stars: Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll and Alfred Hitchcock.

Tagline: HANDCUFFED TO THE GIRL WHO DOUBLE CROSSED HIM!

The Plot…

Richard Hannay (Donat) is watching an act called Mr. Memory in a crowded London theater.  When a gunshot goes off in the crowd, the audience stampedes for the exits.  Hannay is surprised when a woman he doesn’t know says she’s frightened and asks to leave with him.  They end up in Hannay’s apartment where the woman claims to be a government agent.  She admits to firing the shots to escape enemy spies who had found her.  She claims to have information that is vital to the nation’s security.  Hannay isn’t sure what to believe.

Later that night the woman bursts into Hannay’s bedroom.  She has been stabbed.  As she dies she warns Hannay he needs to escape.  In her hand is a map with with a building named “Alt-na-Shellach” circled.  Soon Hannay finds himself on the run.  The police think he killed the woman and the enemy agents know he has information to bring them down.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Alfred Hitchcock claimed that The 39 Steps was one of his favorite movies that he directed.

Hitchcock’s cameo comes around the 7 minute mark.  He is the man walking by the bus who throws litter to the ground.

Richard Hannay shows ingenuity in escaping from his apartment (disguised as a milk man) and later at a political rally.

Hannay (Donat) and Pamela (Carroll) spend several scenes on the run while handcuffed to each other.  In a rehearsal Hitchcock had them handcuffed together for several hours since he had lost the key.  In reality, he hadn’t lost the key, but wanted them to get used to being joined by the cuffs.

The 39 Steps (1935) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Valley of the Dead” (2020) / Z-View

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Valley of the Dead (2020)

Director:  Javier Ruiz Caldera, Alberto de Toro

Screenplay: Jaime Marques Olarreaga, Alberto Fernández Arregui, Cristian Conti

Stars: Miki Esparbé, Aura Garrido, Luis Callejo

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

During  the Spanish Civil War, rival soldiers must join forces when they encounter zombies created by Nazis.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I’m a sucker for zombie movies.  Valley of the Dead isn’t terrible.  In fact it’s better than a lot zombie flicks these days.  If you’re looking for some mindless entertainment with a touch of humor, Valley of the Dead should fit the bill.

Valley of the Dead (2020) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Marlowe” (2022) starring Liam Neeson / Z-View

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Marlowe (2022)

Director:  Neil Jordan

Screenplay: William Monahan, Neil Jordan based on THE BLACK-EYED BLONDE by Benjamin Black

Stars: Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, Jessica Lange.

Tagline: Los Angeles, 1939. Outside the spotlight lies a city of secrets.

The Plot…

Phillip Marlowe (Neeson), a LA Private Eye, is hired by the heiress Clare Cavendish (Kruger) to find her missing lover.  Marlowe quickly learns that the absent Romeo was drunk in the gutter when he was run over by a boozed up driver.  While making his report to Cavendish, she informs Marlowe that she’s seen her lover after the date he was supposedly killed.

Marlowe decides to dig deeper and soon uncovers corruption that runs deep into the movers and shakers of the city.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

In Raymond Chandler’s novels, Phillip Marlowe’s age ranges from 33 to 42.  Liam Neeson was 70 for this role.  That makes him the oldest actor to play Marlowe by nearly ten years.  Robert Mitchum was 58 and 61 when he played the part.  At one point in this film, Marlowe (Neeson) says to himself, “I’m too old for this shit.”  I agree.

Neil Jordan does an excellent job of making the film feel like it is 1939 in LA.  One goof that jumped out at me is when Marlowe tips a hatcheck girl $20.  That is equivalent to almost $450 today.

I’m a fan of most movie adaptations of Phillip Marlowe, but this one was just okay.  The film moved slowly, and Neeson just didn’t work as Marlowe for me.

Marlowe (2022) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Devil in a Blue Dress” (1995) directed by Carl Franklin, starring Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle & Tom Sizemore / Z-View

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Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)

Director:  Carl Franklin

Screenplay:  Carl Franklin based on DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS by Walter Mosley

Stars: Denzel Washington, Tom Sizemore, Jennifer Beals, Don Cheadle, Maury Chaykin, Terry Kinney, Albert Hall, Lisa Nicole Carson, Jernard Burks, John Roselius, Beau Starr, L. Scott Caldwell and Barry Shabaka Henley.

Tagline: In a world divided by black and white, Easy Rawlins is about to cross the line.

The Plot…

The year is 1948. Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins (Washington) has just been laid off and has a house payment coming due.  He needs money, so when a white PI named DeWitt Albright (Sizemore) offers him a job, Easy accepts.  All he has to do is find a missing white woman involved with some political heavyweights.

When another woman ends up murdered,  Albright turns on Easy.  To make matters worse crooked cops give Easy 24 hours to find the real killer or they’ll frame him.  Easy brings in his friend Raymond “Mouse” Alexander (Cheadle) to help him.  Mouse is a stone-cold killer, but sometimes it take one to catch one.

The clock is ticking…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Devil in a Blue Dress, the novel and the movie get my highest recommendation.

Carl Franklin’s adaption and direction are first rate.  Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle were perfect as Easy and Mouse. Tom Sizemore was excellent as DeWitt Albright.  It’s a shame that Franklin, Washington and Cheadle didn’t reteam to film more of Mosley’s stories.  At least one got this one.

Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders” (2024) / Z-View

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American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders (2024)

Director:  Zachary Treitz

Stars: Christian Hansen

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Danny Casolaro was a freelance writer obsessed with a story that he had worked on for years.  Casolaro believed he’d uncovered evidence of a powerful international cabal of eight individuals involved in everything from government spyware, manipulating Iran to hold hostages to ensure Ronald Reagan became President, the Iran-Contra scandal and more.  Casolaro referred to this cabal as The Octopus.

In 1991, Casolaro was found in the bathtub of a hotel room.  His wrists had been cut multiple times and blood covered the bathroom walls and floor.  One of the first paramedics on scene didn’t believe it to be a suicide because Casolaro’s tendons were cut in the multiple slices across his wrists and the blood everywhere.  Still, his death was ruled a suicide.

Christian Hansen gained access to all of Casolaro’s journals, notes and interviews. Hansen then re-interviewed people Casolaro had identified as having knowledge of the cabal.  This documentary explores the results of Hansen’s investigation.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

While we’re given much information, there is no “aha moment” where we get a definitive answer.  Casolaro did uncover several shady characters and dealings.  But was there enough evidence to make the leap to an international cabal?

One of the people providing evidence said she was shown a film of President Kennedy’s assassination where the driver of his limo turned and shot him.  She believes the film she saw was unedited and the word has only seen a cover-up version.

When Casolaro died he was deep in debt and his house was about to be lost in foreclosure.  Was this enough to push him over the edge to commit suicide?  But how could he cut himself so many times (and still hold the blade) if his tendons were severed?

After viewing American Conspiracy, I was left with more questions than answers.  It was an interesting ride, if you value the ride more than the destination.

American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders (2024) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“The Abyss” (1989) written & directed by James Cameron, starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio & Michael Biehn / Z-View

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The Abyss (1989)

Director:  James Cameron

Screenplay: James Cameron

Stars: Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn, Leo Burmester, Todd Graff, John Bedford Lloyd, J.C. Quinn, Kimberly Scott, Adam Nelson, Dick Warlock, Jimmie Ray Weeks, J. Kenneth Campbell, Ken Jenkins and Chris Elliott.

Tagline: Deep below the blue surface, there lies a place no one has ever dreamed of…..

The Plot

A United States military nuclear submarine has an encounter with something deep in the ocean and sinks.  The sub comes to rest near the Cayman Trough, the deepest point in the Caribbean Sea.  Soviet Ships are heading to the location to try to salvage whatever they can.  In an effort to beat the Russians, the US sends in a Navy SEAL team to work with Deep Core crew members.  Deep Core is a civilian company developing deep water vehicles for drilling.  To complicate matters a hurricane will hit the area in hours.

The civilian crew and the Navy Seals form an uneasy alliance that begins to fray when they reach the ocean floor.  The Seals have a hidden agenda… and there is something down there that no one was expecting.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

By all account The Abyss was a difficult shoot.  Tensions were high.  The actors did most of the stunts.  Both Ed Harris and James Cameron were in danger of drowning in different situations.  Both Ed Harris and Elizabeth Mastrantonio have not spoken highly about their experience making the film.

Fluid breathing is a real thing.  The rats used in the movie’s scenes actually breathed the specially treated fluid and were not harmed in the process.

The Abyss features an excellent cast from the stars to the supporting actors.  I was surprised by the turn of Michael Biehn’s character.

The Abyss was nominated for four Academy Awards (Best Cinematography: Mikael Salomon; Best Art Direction-Set Decoration: Leslie Dilley, Anne Kuljian; Best Sound: Don J. Bassman, Kevin F. Cleary, Richard Overton, Lee Orloff and won one for Best Effects, Visual Effects: Hoyt Yeatman, Dennis Muren, John Bruno, Dennis Skotak.)

The Abyss (1989) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Death and Other Details” (2024) starring Violett Beane & Mandy Patinkin / Z-View

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Death and Other Details (2024)

Created by: Heidi Cole McAdams & Mike Weiss

Director:  Marc Webb (ep 1); David Petrarca (ep.2); Alrick Riley (eps. 3 – 4); Yangzom Brauen (eps. 5 – 6); James Griffiths (eps. 7 – 8); Dinh Thai (eps. 9 – 10)

Teleplays: Heidi Cole McAdams & Mike Weiss (ep. 1); Ryan Maldonado & Eduardo Javier Canto (ep.2); Nick Bragg (ep. 3); Mike Weiss (ep. 4); Jess Kimball Leslie (ep.5); Louisa Levy & Paul Alan Cope (ep.6); Myung Joh Wesner (ep. 7); Heidi Cole McAdams & Angela Zhou (ep. 8); Louisa Levy (ep. 9); Heidi Cole McAdams & Mike Weiss (ep.10)

Stars: Violett Beane, Lauren Patten, Angela Zhou, Hugo Diego Garcia, Pardis Saremi, Linda Emond, Mandy Patinkin, Jack Cutmore-Scott, Danny Johnson, Karoline, Jayne Atkinson and Jere Burns.

Tagline: All suspects aboard.

The Plot…

When Imogene (Beane) was a young girl, her mother was killed in a car explosion.  Although Rufus Cotesworth (Patinkin), who many consider the world’s greatest detective, investigated, the killer was never found.

Now Imogene finds herself along with Rufus and a luxury cruise liner full of wealthy guests.  When a murder at sea takes place, Rufus is tasked with finding the murderer.  The problem is that everyone has secrets and possible motives for the killing,

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Death and Other Details starts off well enough.  It has a nice cast, an interesting backstory and a mystery or two to solve.  As the series continues it spirals out more characters, more backstories, and nothing is as it seems.  My interest in Death and Other Details dwindled as the storyline became more outlandish.

Death and Other Details (2024) earns 2 of 5 stars.