Category: Z-View

“The Woman King” (2022) starring Viola Davis / Z-View

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The Woman King (2022)

Director:  Gina Prince-Bythewood

Writer:  Dana Stevens from a story by Maria Bello, Dana Stevens

Stars:  Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, John Boyega and Angélique Kidjo

Tagline: Inspired by true events.

The Plot…

Nanisca (Davis), leads an army of women warriors.  She also has the ear of Dahomey’s King Ghezo (Boyega) as he prepares for a potential war with the Oyo.  As Nanisca trains a new group of warriors, she also encourages King Ghezo to get out of the lucrative slave trade business with the Porteguese.

When Nanisca and a group of her warriors free women abducted by the Oyo, it is the spark needed to set the war in motion.  The Oyo outnumber the Dahomey and as the tension escalates, the new warriors will have to be ready for the battles to come.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Woman King is extremely well done.  It was nominated for two Screen Actors Guild Awards (Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture and Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role – Viola Davis); won the American Film Institutes Movie of the Year award; was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture: Drama – Viola Davis; nominated for 5 Hollywood Critics Association awards: Best Action Film, Best Director, Best Cast Ensemble, Best Actress (Viola Davis), Best Picture to name just a few of the honors The Woman King has earned.

Viola Davis is convincing as a woman who could lead woman and battle men.  Her women warriors went through rigorous training to get in shape for months prior to filming and it paid off on screen.

The Woman King earns 4 of 5 stars.

“The Scarlet Clue” (1945) starring Sidney Toler & Mantan Moreland / Z-View

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The Scarlet Clue (1945)

Director:  Phil Rosen

Writer:  George Callahan based on the character by Earl Derr Biggers

Stars:  Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland, Ben Carter, Benson Fong, Virginia Brissac, Robert Homans and Leonard Mudie

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Charlie Chan (Toler), aided by his valet Birmingham (Moreland) and his son Tommy (Fong) are working for the US Government tracking down spies trying to steal radar secrets.  The trail leads to a radio station where one of the many suspects is murdered… with no visible cause for the death!  As Charlie gets closer to solving the murder, the more at risk he, his son and Birmingham become!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Scarlet Clue features a murder that’s pretty shocking for a Charlie Chan film made in 1945.

Mantan Moreland and Ben Carter recreate two of their nightclub acts for the film. The more screen time a movie gives Mantan, the better the film will be.

At one point Charlie, his son and Birmingham are learning about the dangers of some of the radio station equipment.  In the scene it appears that Sidney Toler was actually shocked!

The Scarlet Clue earns 4 of 5 stars.

“Stone Age Romeos” (1955) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Stone Age Romeos (1955)

Director:  Jules White

Writer:  Felix Adler, Zion Myers

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard and Emil Sitka 

Tagline:  Sanity takes to the hills, as The Three Stooges achieve new heights of buffoonery!

The Plot…

The boys have a plan to collect a $50,000 prize by proving that cavemen still live in the deepest unexplored jungles.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Stone Age Romeos is an adaptation of the Stooges short I’m a Monkey’s Uncle from 1948.  A new opening and closing was filmed with the middle using ample footage from the earlier film.

Stone Age Romeos earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Gypped in the Penthouse” (1955) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Gypped in the Penthouse (1955)

Director:  Jules White

Writer:  Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Jean Wiles, Emil Sitka and Al Thompson

Tagline: Goofs vs. gold-digger!

The Plot…

The boys are all in love with the same gold-digger.  She’s playing each of them, and they are unaware of her other suitors.  But they’re about to find out.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Although Larry and Shemp are members of The Woman Hater’s Club, this 1955 short is not a remake of the Stooges 1934 outing Woman Haters.

In the scene where Moe is thrown out of bed he can clearly be seen hitting his head on the nightstand.  This wasn’t in the script.

Loco Boy Makes Good earns 4 of 5 stars.

“No Holds Barred” (1952) starring The Bowery Boys / Z-View

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No Holds Barred (1952)

Director:  William Beaudine

Writer:  Tim Ryan, Bert Lawrence, Jack Crutcher

Stars: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Marjorie Reynolds, Bernard Gorcey, Henry Kulky, David Gorcey, Benny Bartlett, Sandra Gould, Tim Ryan, Murray Alper and Ray Walker

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

When Slip (Gorcey) discovers that Sach (Hall) has different body parts that feel no pain and give him super-strength, he turns Sach into a professional wrestler.  Although the super-strength body part changes from time to time, they are able to take advantage of this.  Sach is winning all his matches and this draws the attention of a crooked manager and the former champ.  Soon Sach will have to face manager’s wrestler in the ring… what could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

No Holds Barred is a fun Bowery Boys outing.  The outfit Sach wears in his final match is actually Klaatu’s  (Michael Rennie) spacesuit from The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).

Each time the power would move to a different body part (head, elbow, toes, etc.) Slip would change Sach’s wrestling moniker.  When the power moved to the last body part Slip started to give Sach a new wrestling name, but Sach breaks the fourth wall and says, “You say it and we’re out of pictures!”

No Holds Barred earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Creature from the Black Lagoon” (1954) starring Richard Carlson, Julia Adams & Richard Denning / Z-View

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Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

Director:  Jack Arnold

Writer:  Harry Essex, Arthur Ross from a story by Maurice Zimm

Stars: Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno, Whit Bissell, Ricou Browning, Ben Chapman, Perry Lopez and Rodd Redwing

Tagline: Not since the beginning of time has the world beheld terror like this!

The Plot…

When a huge fossilized hand containing webbed fingers/claws is found on the banks of the Amazon, an expedition is formed to look for the rest of the skeleton.  The mission consists of Dr. Carl Maia (Moreno), Dr. David Reed (Carlson), David’s girlfriend Kay Lawrence (Adams) and Dr. Edwin Thompson (Bissell).  They are piloted by Captain Lucas on his small steamer into the depths of the Amazon.

Far out of contact with civilization, in an area known as the Black Lagoon, the group discovers a living gill-man. When they attempt to capture the creature, they learn it is strong, smart and now hunting them.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Creature from the Black Lagoon is one of Universal’s Classic Monsters.  I’ve watched this film as many times as any other horror movie.  It never loses its effectiveness.

Jack (The Incredible Shrinking Man) Arnold helms another horror classic.  He’s smart to allow the audience to see the creature’s huge webbed claw a couple of times before we see the full gill-man.  Richard Carlson and Richard Denning are at home in science fiction/horror films.  Has there ever been a prettier female lead in a horror film than Julie Adams?  Kudos to  Henry Mancini (!), Hans J. Salter and Herman Stein for the music.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon earns 5 of 5 stars.

“Kiss the Blood Off My Hands” (1948) starring Burt Lancaster & Joan Fontaine / Z-View

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Kiss the Blood Off My Hands (1948)

Director:  Norman Foster

Writer:  Leonardo Bercovici (screenplay),Walter Bernstein, Ben Maddow (adaptation), Hugh Gray (dialogue), Philip MacDonald (uncredited) based on the novel Kiss the Blood Off My Hands by Gerald Butler

Stars: Joan Fontaine, Burt Lancaster, Robert Newton, Jay Novello and Reginald Sheffield

Tagline: “A Hunted Man! A Love-Haunted Woman! Caught! With Every Kiss More Reckless, More Dangerous Than the Last”

The Plot…

Bill Saunders (Lancaster) is a former POW suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. He’s on the run for accidentally killing a man.  In order to escape the police, Bill enters a window. Jane Wharton (Fontaine) wakes to find a stranger in her room.  Jane believes Bill that the man’s death was an accident.

Bill and Jane slowly develop a relationship.  All is going well until, Harry Carter (Newton) a local hood, recognizes Bill from the fight that killed a man.  Carter says he will go to the police unless Bill helps him with a planned robbery.  Bill wants no part of the deal, but knows if he goes to jail he’ll lose Jane.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Kiss the Blood Off My Hands was ahead of it’s time in the portrayal of PTSD.  Yet, the love affair and ending of the film is right out of the 40s.

Kiss the Blood Off My Hands earns 3 of 5 stars.

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.