Category: Z-View

“Loco Boy Makes Good” (1942) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

Posted on by

Loco Boy Makes Good (1942)

Director:  Jules White

Writer:  Felix Adler, Clyde Bruckman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Symona Boniface, Heinie Conklin, Vernon Dent, Charles Dorety and Bud Jamison

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

When the boys learn that an old woman is going to lose her hotel, they decide to help her raise money to save the place.  Our guys help her spruce up the joint (with their usual success).  They then put on a big show with Curly accidentally ending up wearing a magician’s coat.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Four years after Loco Boy Makes Good‘s release, Harold Lloyd, the silent film star, sued Columbia Pictures for copyright infringement.  Lloyd won.  Clyde Buckman, the director of Loco Boy Makes Good also directed Lloyd’s film Movie Crazy.  Both featured the same magician’s coat sequence.

Loco Boy Makes Good earns 4 of 5 stars.

“Quiz Whizz” (1958) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

Posted on by

Quiz Whizz (1958)

Director:  Jules White

Writer:  Searle Kramer

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Joe Besser, Greta Thyssen and Emil Sitka

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

When Joe is scammed out of $15,000 of quiz show winnings, the boys go to get back the cash.  The scammers convince our guys to pose as children for a rich couple.  What the Stooges don’t know is that the rich couple was in on the scam and plan to kill our guys!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Quiz Whizz features Joe Besser as one of the Three Stooges.  Many fans don’t appreciate his comedy, but I’m not one of them.  While I prefer Curly and Shemp, I don’t mind Joe Bessor joining the team.  I like that he had his own persona and didn’t try to copy what had been done before him.

Quiz Whizz earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Goof on the Roof” (1953) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

Posted on by

Goof on the Roof (1953)

Director:  Jules White

Writer:  Clyde Buckman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard

Tagline: The Fix-It Boys…Out-Foxed Again!

The Plot…

When the boys learn their roommate is getting married, they decide to save him some money and install a television antenna themselves.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Goof on the Roof’s story has the boys destroying a house to install a tv antenna.  There’s not much we haven’t seen before and without a cast to interact with, it becomes a bit redundant.  My favorite part is probably the “glug-glug-glug” sounds made when a bucket of water ends up on a Stooge’s head.

Shemp, who had replaced Curly due to his declining health caused by strokes, suffered a mild stroke himself with two weeks of completed filming of Goof on the Roof.

Goof on the Roof earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Rhythm and Weep” (1946) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

Posted on by

Rhythm and Weep (1946)

Director:  Jules White

Writer:  Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard and Jack Norton

Tagline: None

The Plot…

When the boys are unable to find work for their vaudeville act, they decide to end it all.  They go to the roof of a skyscraper prepared to jump.  Once there, our guys are surprised to find three woman dancers with the same idea.  It’s love at first sight.  The boys and the women decide to put together a comedy/dancing act.  And just like that a millionaire offers to sponsor the show.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Sadly, due to a series of strokes, Rhythm and Weep would be Curly’s second to last Stooges’ feature. Accommodations had to be made on set for Curly’s scenes due to his inability to remember lines.  That could also be one of the reasons there is an emphasis on dancing in Rhythm and Weep.  Despite his health, Curly still provides laughs, especially when he pulls a Michael Jackson Smooth Criminal move while on the ledge of a skyscraper.

Larry breaks the fourth wall with a funny comment when after hugging a girl, looks directly into the camera and says, “This I like! And I get paid for it, too!”

Rhythm and Weep earns 4 of 5 stars.

“Horses’ Collars” (1935) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

Posted on by

Horses’ Collars (1935)

Director:  Clyde Bruckman

Writer:  Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard

Tagline: The 3 lunatics are on the loose again!

The Plot…

Our guys are detectives in the wild west.  They are sent to a frontier town to help a young woman get her farm back from the ruthless killer Double Deal Decker.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Curly has a condition where every time he sees a mouse, he goes insane attacking anyone near him.  The only cure is for Larry and Moe to feed him cheese.  What brought about this condition, you ask?  “Because Curly’s father was a rat.”  Curly also has a unique way of getting through a boring meeting.

Horses’ Collars earns 5 of 5 stars.

“1883” (2021 – 2022) created by Taylor Sheridan, starring Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Isabel May & LaMonica Garrett / Z-View

Posted on by

1883 (2021 – 2022)

Teleplay by: Taylor Sheridan

Directed by: Taylor Sheridan (episode 1); Ben Richardson (episodes 2, 6, 8-9, 10); Christina Alexandra Voros (episodes 3 – 5, 7)

Stars: Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Isabel May, LaMonica Garrett, Marc Rissmann, Audie Rick, James Landry Hébertrson, Gratiela Brancusi, Anna Fiamora, Malcolm Stephenson, Eric Nelsen, James Jordan, Martin Sensmeier, Neal Kodinsky,  Dawn Olivieri, Taylor Sheridan, Billy Bob Thornton,  Rita Wilson, Graham Greene and Tom Hanks

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

1883.  Fort Worth, Texas.

Captain Shea Brennan (Elliott) and Sergeant Thomas (Garrett) served together in the Civil War.  They have been hired to lead a wagon train of immigrants across the frontier.  They’ll pass through deserts, hostile Indian territory and badlands full of rustlers and killers.

James Dutton (McGraw) is waiting to meet his family coming in on the train from Tennessee.    Dutton plans to take his family (his wife, 17 year old daughter and 5 year old son, his sister and her teenage daughter) across the frontier to find farmland.

After Shea and Thomas see Dutton handle himself in a tough situation, they offer him a job on their wagon train.  Dutton declines, but knows there’s safety in numbers.  A single covered wagon has virtually no chance to make the journey.  Dutton says he’ll join the wagon train, but not as an employee.  Shea reluctantly agrees since they need every gun they can get.

The wagon train leaves.  Most won’t survive the journey and those that do will be forever changed.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

1883 is one of the best westerns I’ve ever seen.  Taylor Sheridan’s attention to detail, and superb writing provide the foundation for an amazing tale.  Sheridan wrote every episode and directed the first.  The other directors for the series include Ben Richardson and Christina Alexandra Voros, who have directed episodes of Sheridan’s other shows.

1883 features a strong cast.

Sam Elliott is at home in any western.  He’s perfect as the former Civil War Captain who mourns the loss of his wife and daughter as he attempts to lead the wagon train.

LaMonica Garrett has nearly 60 credits on his acting resume.  I’ve seen Garrett in other roles, but he was born to play Sgt. Thomas.

Tim McGraw is better known as a singer than actor.  McGraw has three Grammy Awards and has sold over 40 million albums.  I was surprised by his performance. Thanks to McGraw, James Dutton is one of my all-time favorite Cowboys.

Taylor Sheridan handpicked Isabel May for the role of Elsa Dutton.  Elsa is the lynchpin to the entire series.  Ms. May is someone to watch.  She is definitely a star in the making.

Even the smaller 1883 roles feature outstanding actors/actresses.  Special mention to James Landry Hébert, Gratiela Brancusi, Eric Nelsen, Martin Sensmeier, Billy Bob Thornton,  Rita Wilson, Graham Greene and Tom Hanks.

I cannot stress enough how great 1883 is.

1883 (2021 – 2022) earns 5 of 5 stars.

“True Lies” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger & Jamie Lee Curtis / Z-View

Posted on by

True Lies (1994)

Director:  James Cameron 

Writer:  James Cameron based on La Totale! by Claude Zidi, Simon Michaël, Didier Kaminka

Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere, Art Malik, Eliza Dushku, Marshall Manesh and Charles A. Tamburro

Tagline: When he said I do, he never said what he did.

The Plot…

Harry Tasker (Schwarzenegger) is a fairly boring computer salesman.  At least that’s what his wife, Helen (Curtis) thinks.  She’s a straight-laced secretary.  The reality is Harry is a United States secret service agent fighting terrorism.  And Helen, well, she’s a straight-laced secretary.

Things get turned upside down when Helen gets conned by Simon (Paxton) a used car salesmen, passing himself off as a secret agent to Helen.  Simon has Helen convinced he needs her help to save the country. In reality, Simon just wants to score with her.  When Harry learns Helen is going to meet Simon, Harry thinks she’s having an affair!

Things get worse when Harry learns that the Crimson Jihad plan to set off a nuke in the US.  He’s assigned to lead the team to find and take out the terrorists, but first there’s the thing with his wife…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

True Lies is sometimes referred to as an action/comedy.  A better description is comedy/action.  Fans of each are going to get plenty of both, but the emphasis is on comedy.  That’s not a bad thing.

Arnold is great as the ultra cool, always in control government agent.  Jamie Lee Curtis is perfect as both the straight-laced housewife and the sexy (yet still klutzy) wanna be secret agent.  This is probably Tom Arnold’s best role.  He makes a good sidekick for Arnold.  Bill Paxton has a small but impactful part as the smarmy used car salesmen who hits on the wrong guy’s wife.

True Lies is a fun ride.  Both the action and comedy hold up.  In some ways it’s like The Last Action Hero.  Where it differs is, Arnold plays it straight and those around him provide the comedy. This works really well.  Describe some of the scenes and most folks who haven’t watched the film would give you an eye roll…

“Arnold on horseback chases a terrorist escaping on a motorcycle through a crowded hotel.  Arnold on horseback rides an elevator to the roof of a hotel just as the terrorist rides off the edge of the roof to land in a pool several stories below.”

“Arnold is about to be killed by terrorists.  Jamie Lee Curtis drops an uzzi down steps and with each bounce it kills terrorists surrounding Arnold.”

“As a nuclear bomb goes off in the distance Arnold and Jamie Lee Curtis share a passionate kiss.”

“A terrorist jumps on Arnold’s Harrier Jet.  Arnold tilts the plane and the terrorist becomes tangled on a missile.  Arnold launches the missile (along with the man) into a helicopter full of terrorists.”

Surprisingly all of these scenes (and many more) play well.  True Lies is a fun, over-the-top action/comedy, er… comedy/action film that bears repeated viewings.  (And I didn’t even mention Jamie Lee Curtis’ very sexy, very funny seduction scene.)

True Lies earns 4 of 5 stars.

“The Drop” (2014) starring Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace & James Gandolfini / Z-View

Posted on by

The Drop (2014)

Director:  Michaël R. Roskam

Writer:  Dennis Lehane based on his 2009 short story “Animal Rescue”

Stars: Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, James Gandolfini, John Ortiz, Matthias Schoenaerts, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Chris Sullivan, Jeremy Bobb and James Colby

Tagline: None

The Plot…

Bob Saginowski (Hardy) is a mild mannered bartender.  He works in his cousin Marv’s bar.  Well, it used to be Marv’s, back when Marv was the local tough guy.  Everyone knew Marv.  He was into a little bit of everything that made money, but Marv was a big fish in a small pond.  That was then. Now the bar is Marv’s in name only. A  Chechen gang calls the shots.  The Chechens use the bar as a drop spot for illegal money.

When Bob finds an abused puppy, he and Nadia nurse it back to health.  Bob keeps the puppy and begins a relationship with Nadia (Rapace).  Things go south when Eric Deeds (Schoenaerts) shows up.  Deeds is rumored to have killed someone from the neighborhood years ago.  Everyone knows Deeds is a violent nut.  Bob learns that Deeds was Nadia’s former boyfriend and the one who abused the puppy.  Deeds wants money or else…

When the bar is robbed, the Chechens inform Marv and Bob that the stolen money is expected to be returned or heads (and other body parts) will roll.  The Chechens think Marv and maybe Bob were behind the robbery.  Plus time is running out before Eric Deeds shows up for his money.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I read Dennis Lehane’s short story, Animal Rescue, before seeing The Drop.  I loved the story and was happy to see the film live up to my expectations.  This is my favorite Tom Hardy film.  Hardy is usually an imposing figure so it was cool to see him play the mild mannered, somewhat slow of thought, Bob Saginowski to perfection.  This was James Gandolfini’s last film.  His role is totally opposite of Tony Soprano and Gandolfini nails it.

The Drop earns 5 of 5 stars.

“One Body Too Many” (1944) starring Jack Haley & Bela Lugosi / Z-View

Posted on by

One Body Too Many (1944)

Director:  Frank McDonald

Writer:  Winston Miller, Maxwell Shane

Stars: Jack Haley, Bela Lugosi, Douglas Fowley and Fay Helm

Tagline: You’ll SH-SH-SHIVER with SUSPENSE…and SH-SH-SHAKE with LAUGHTER!

The Plot…

Albert L. Tuttle (Haley), a nervous insurance agent arrives at Cyrus J. Rutherford’s mansion for an appointment to sell Rutherford life insurance.   Upon his arrival Tuttle learns that Rutherford recently died.  His family has arrived for the reading of the will.  The will states that until the body is buried in a vault on the property, the beneficiaries will not be known,  Further, if the body isn’t interred as directed, the order of the beneficiaries will be reversed with those scheduled to get the least amount now getting the most.

Since it is in the best interest of some to make sure the body isn’t buried as required, Tuttle is hired to guard the body until buried.  As the night progresses, the hijinks begin.  Expect hidden passages, secret wall panels, and Bela Lugosi as a creepy butler.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I wanted more from One Body Too Many.  There are many movies made with a creepy mansion, hidden passages, killers and comedy that find the right mix.  Sadly One Body Too Many isn’t one of them.  Haley and Lugosi deserved better.

One Body Too Many earns 2 of 5 stars.

“The Kiss of the Vampire” (1963) / Z-View

Posted on by

The Kiss of the Vampire (1963)

Director:  Don Sharp

Writer:  Anthony Hinds

Stars:  Clifford Evans, Edward de Souza, Noel Willman

Tagline: Giant devil Bats…summoned from the caves of Hell to destroy the lust of the Vampires!

The Plot…

When a honeymooning couple become stranded in a small Bavarian village, they are invited to attend a costume ball hosted by Dr. Ravna.  What the couple doesn’t know is that Ravan is leader of a vampire coven.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

In Kiss of the Vampire, the vampires are more like witches in a coven. The movie’s “Van Helsing”  is bitten by a vampire on the arm.  He cures himself by pouring Holy Water on the bite and then setting his arm on fire.  The Vampire Hunter also uses blood to draw a cross on his chest to force vampires to look away.  Finally he uses black magic to get hundreds of vampire bats to attack and kill the Vampires. Ugh.

Kiss of the Vampire earns 2 of 5 stars.

“You People” (2023) starring Jonah Hill, Lauren London, David Duchovny, Nia Long, Julia Louis-Dreyfus & Eddie Murphy / Z-View

Posted on by

You People (2023)

Director:  Kenya Barris

Writer:  Jonah Hill, Kenya Barris

Stars:  Jonah Hill, Lauren London, Eddie Murphy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Sam Jay, Nia Long, David Duchovny, Deon Cole, Andrea Savage, Elliott Gould, Rhea Perlman, Mike Epps and Yung Miami

Tagline: Opposites attract, families don’t.

The Plot…

A chance meeting between Ezra Cohen (Hill) and Amira Mohammed (London) leads to love.  Ezra is broker who wants to be a podcaster.  Amira is a fashion designer.  Ezra is Jewish and Amira is an African-American Muslim.  Despite differences and family issues with their relationship love finds a way… until it doesn’t… or does it?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

You People has a great set-up for comedy. Eddie Murphy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Elliott Gould and Rhea Perlman should signal a chuckle-fest.  There are some good laughs, but much of the comedy is hit and miss.  Which is a shame.  It was cool seeing Andrea Savage (Tulsa King) in a small role.

The romance builds and builds and builds, then there’s an incident that changes everything.  And just as suddenly two supporting characters do a 180 and the movie ends.  My suspension of disbelief can only go so far.

You People earns 2 of 5 stars.

“The Golden Eye” (1948) starring Roland Winters & Mantan Moreland / Z-View

Posted on by

The Golden Eye (1948)

Director:  William Beaudine

Writer:  Scott Darling based on the character by Earl Derr Biggers

Stars:  Roland Winters, Mantan Moreland, Victor Sen Yung, Tim Ryan and Ralph Dunn

Tagline: Death lurks at every step…as your oriental super-sleuth stalks a desperate killer — below the surface of the earth!

The Plot…

Mr. Manning, the owner of a gold mine wants to secretly meet with Charlie Chan (Winters). So Chan, his son Tommy (Yung) and valet, Birmingham (Moreland) pose as tourists at a nearby dude ranch.  Before they can meet, Mr. Manning is found murdered.  Charlie Chan aided by Tommy and Birmingham soon discover there are multiple suspects.  As they get closer to the killer, he plots their deaths.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Golden Eye is a typical Charlie Chan film.  It runs just over an hour.  Mantan Moreland provides comedy relief.  Charlie Chan has multiple suspects, but discovers the true murderer (and it’s not who you think)!

The Golden Eye earns 3 of 5 stars.

“One Way” (2022) / Z-View

Posted on by

One Way (2022)

Director: Andrew Baird

Writer:  Ben Conway

Stars:  Colson Baker, Travis Fimmel, Kevin Bacon, Drea de Matteo, Storm Reid and Thomas Francis Murphy

Tagline: Kill. Fuck. Play. One Way.

The Plot…

Freddy has been shot.  He’s on the run with a satchel of money.  Killers are following.  Freddy boards a bus as it’s pulling out.  Other passengers include a troubled young girl and a few others who might become problems.  If Freddy doesn’t get help soon, he’ll bleed out.  Plus the killers are closing in…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

One Way is a film that I kept watching, hoping it would get better.  That’s because One Way has an interesting plot, some good actors and looked stylish enough.  Sadly, at least for me, the payoff never came.  I felt like I was stuck on a bus with no way off and the same things kept happening.

Kevin Bacon appears as Freddy’s worthless father. It’s a small but important role. Dre de Matto has an even smaller role as the drug queenpin that Freddy ripped off.  Both are good at playing bad.  Storm Reid is a young girl headed for big trouble.  Her subplot has a twist you’ll see coming from the start.

One Way earns 2 of 5 stars.

“Vengeance” (2022) starring B.J. Novak / Z-View

Posted on by

Vengeance (2022)

Director:  B.J. Novak

Writer:  B.J. Novak

Stars:  B.J. Novak, Boyd Holbrook, Ashton Kutcher, Louanne Stephens, John Mayer, Clint Obenchain, Rio Alexander, Sarah Minnich and Ben Whitehair

Tagline:  Find the story before it finds you

The Plot…

Late one night, Ben Manalowitz (Novak) receives a call. Ben’s girlfriend, Abby has died.  As Ty (Holbrook) explains his sister died of a drug overdose, Ben struggles to remember Abby.  Just as it comes to Ben that Abby was a one-night stand months ago, Ty invites him to her funeral.  Ben tries to get out of going but Ty insists.

When Ben arrives to attend the funeral of a girl he barely remembers, he learns that Abby told everyone that she and Ben were in a serious relationship!  Ty informs Ben that he believes Abby was murdered. He and Ben will search out the killer(s) and get vengeance for her death.  Ben doesn’t think Abby was murdered, but believes that Ty’s search for the killers could mean ratings for Ben’s podcast.  He agrees to stick around and assist with the investigation.  Ben begins interviewing people about Abby’s death… he’s a fish out of water, but the deeper he gets, the more he begins to believe Abby may have been murdered.  If that’s the case, he could be next.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Ben is a New York City boy deep in the heart of Texas.  He barely remembers the woman that he was supposed to marry. Kudos to B.J. Novak for coming up with an interesting plot with tons of comedic opportunities.  The movie is well cast.  I was surprised in a good way by Ashton Kutcher’s performance.

Vengeance plays like a comedy and has plenty of laughs until it doesn’t.  There’s an unexpected 180 near the end that just didn’t work for me.  Your mileage may vary.

Vengeance earns 2 of 5 stars.

“The Invisible Man” (1933) starring Claude Rains / Z-View

Posted on by

The Invisible Man (1933)

Director:  James Whale

Screenplay:  R. C. Sherriff based on The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells

Stars:  Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, Henry Travers, Una O’Connor, Forrester Harvey, Holmes Herbert, E.E. Clive, Dudley Digges, Harry Stubbs, Edgar Barrier and Walter Brennan

Tagline:   You’ll hardly believe what your eyes won’t see

The Plot…

Dr. Jack Griffin (Rains) perfects a formula that renders him invisible.  The serum also effects his mind making him power hungry as it slowly drives him insane.  Unable to find a cure, Griffin goes on a killing spree.  How can you find a killer that you can’t see?  Many more will die, if the police don’t figure out a solution.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

When I was a kid, The Invisible Man wasn’t one of my favorites of the classic Universal Monsters.  Years later, watching as an adult, I loved it.  The Invisible Man was directed by James Whale, who also helmed Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein.  These three films assured his place in movie history.

The cast consists of players who would have long and notable careers.  Claude Rains plays The Invisible Man in a role where the star is seldom seen on screen!  Gloria Stewart plays Rains’ love interest.  She would have a career that spans 80 years with perhaps her most famous role (in The Titanic) coming when she was 87!  Other familiar faces include Henry Travers, Una O’Connor, Forrester Harvey, Holmes Herbert, E.E. Clive, Dudley Digges, Harry Stubbs, Edgar Barrier and Walter Brennan!

The Invisible Man was based on a novel written over 120 years ago, the film is 90 years old, yet it still resonates.  That’s because the movie is played straight. It doesn’t have a monster with fangs, or a creature that rises from the dead.  What it does have is a brilliant scientist who goes power crazy.  And that is something we can relate to. It has special effects that were ahead of its time. The Invisible Man is one of the classic Universal Monster movies.  If you didn’t like it as a kid, give the film another shot.

The Invisible Man earns 5 of 5 stars.