Category: Z-View

“Parlor, Bedroom and Bath” (1931) / Z-View

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Parlor, Bedroom and Bath (1931)

Director:  Edward Sedgwick

Screenplay by:  C.W. Bell, Mark Swan and Robert E. Hopkins (additional dialogue)

Starring:  Buster Keaton, Charlotte Greenwood, Reginald Denny, Cliff Edwards, Dorothy Christy, Sally Eilers and Edward Brophy

Tagline:   You’ve seen great lovers of the screen- but you haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen Buster Keaton doing his stuff- a dozen sweethearts- and every one landed him in more trouble.

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Jeffrey (Denny) wants to marry Gini (Eilers), but Gini refuses until her older sister, Angelica (Christy) marries.  The problem is no man is exciting enough for Angelica.

When Jeffrey accidentally injures mild-mannered Reggie (Keaton), Jeffrey brings Reggie back to the mansion to recuperate.   Angelica thinks Reggie is handsome and that gives Jeffrey an idea.  He will pass Reggie off as a dashing ladies man.  This turns out to be harder than first thought.  Reggie is not only timid around ladies, he’s totally inexperienced with dating them.

So Jeffrey gets one of his lady friends to spread the word about Reggie’s prowess.  Jeffrey then reserves a hotel room where Reggie will be “caught” with a woman and a jealous Angelica will want to marry him.  That’s the plan.  Poor Reggie ends up on the run with multiple women, a jealous husband, a hotel detective and bellmen after him.  If you enjoy farce and/or Buster Keaton, you should get a kick out of Parlor, Bedroom and Bath!

Parlor, Bedroom and Bath earns 4 of 5 stars.

Day Shift (2022) Starring Jamie Foxx / Z-View

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Day Shift (2022)

Director:  J.J. Perry

Screenplay by:  Tyler Tice, Shay Hatten from a story by Tyler Tice

Starring: 
Jamie Foxx, Dave Franco, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Meagan Good, Karla Souza, Steve Howey, Scott Adkins, Oliver Masucci, Snoop Dogg  and Zion Broadnax

Tagline:  Some Jobs Really Go for the Throat

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Bud Jablonski (Foxx) is separated from his wife who plans to move to Florida with their little girl due to mounting bills.  Bud convinces his wife to give him until the end of the week to raise the needed several thousand dollars.  She agrees.

Although his wife thinks he’s a pool cleaner, Bud is actually a vampire killer.  The trouble is, Bud was kicked out of the vampire-killing union due to multiple rules violations.  In order to get a chance at raising the kind of money he needs, Bud gets Big John Elliott (Snoop Dogg), a legendary vampire killer, to vouch for him and is reinstated in the union.  In order to make sure that Bud follows the rules, he’s paired with a nervous union desk clerk (Franco) with no field experience.  Now all Bud has to do is kill enough vampires to raise the needed cash — little does Bud know that a vampire queen has him and his family in her sights.

If you’ve read this far, you might enjoy Day Shift.  It has it’s moments, but is so far from reality that there’s little tension.  We never really fear for the deaths of any of the stars, and when we’re surprised that one does die, the post credits scene reveals what we thought happened, didn’t.  The lack of tension would be okay if the comedy really hit home, but again, there are moments but not enough to make it a laugh fest.  My favorite scenes involved the Nazarian brothers (Howey and Adkins) who are vampire hunters extraordinaire.  Day Shift isn’t terrible, but I was expecting better.

Day Shift earns 2 of 5 stars.

“Master of the World” (1961) / Z-View

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Master of the World (1961)

Director:  William Witney

Screenplay by: Richard Matheson based on two novels by Jules Verne: Master of the World and Robur, the Conqueror

Starring:  Vincent Price, Charles Bronson, Henry Hull, Mary Webster, David Frankham  and Vito Scotti

Tagline:  The fabulous adventures of the man who conquered the earth to save it!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

While investigating a volcanic crater, Prudent (Hall), his daughter Dorothy (Webster), her fiance Phillip (Frankham) and US agent John Strock (Bronson) are taken aboard a flying machine!  Robur (Price), the genius who invented the flying warship, plans to create world peace by destroying all ships of war in every country.  Refusing to release his captives, they watch helplessly as Prudent orders the destruction of war ships and all crew aboard.  Safe in the sky out of range of any weapons from below, Prudent strikes at will.  Despite the odds, the captives decide to try an escape attempt or bring about the destruction of the flying fortress even at the cost of their own lives.

Charles Bronson was still several years away from becoming an international star when Master of the World was made.  Vincent Price is great as the crazy genius who believes to stop wars he must destroy armies.  Vito Scotti provides comic relief for most of the film, but at the end gets to go for a tear or two.

Master of the World earns 3 of 5 stars.

“The Mysterious Island” (1929) / Z-View

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The Mysterious Island (1929)

Director: Lucien Hubbard, Benjamin Christensen (uncredited), Maurice Tourneur (uncredited)

Screenplay by:  Lucien Hubbard based on Jules Verne‘s novel, The Mysterious Island

Starring:  Lionel Barrymore, Jacqueline Gadsdon, Lloyd Hughes and Montagu Love

Tagline:  METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER’S Dramatic Spectale Based on Jules Vern’s Immortal Novel!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Count Andre Dakkar (Barrymore) is a brilliant scientist and beloved ruler of an island kingdom.  Dakkar along with his daughter Sonia (Gadsdon) and her fiance (who is also Dakkar’s right hand man) have invented two ships that can go undersea.  Just as they are about to test the first ship, the island is attacked by the evil Baron Falon’s  (Love) army.  Falon wants the island country and undersea ships for his own!

The attack damages the first ship which sinks to the bottom of the ocean.  The crew realizes they have no way to surface and will die at the bottom of the sea… if they are not killed by the strange creatures and gigantic monsters that live on the ocean floor.  Meanwhile, Sonia hopes to use the second ship to save the crew of the first vessel.  Little does she know the horrors that await…

The Mysterious Island has some cool special underwater effects, but truth be told, I was enjoying the less scifi aspects of the film more.  Still, you cannot go wrong with Lionel Barrymore in a Jules Verne adventure!

The Mysterious Island earns 3 of 5 stars.

“The Nice Guys” (2016) / Z-View

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The Nice Guys (2016)

Director: Shane Black

Screenplay by:  Shane Black, Anthony Bagarozzi

Starring:  Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Margaret Qualley, Keith David, Gil Gerard, Murielle Telio and Kim Basinger

Tagline:  They’re not that nice

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Holland March (Gosling) is a sketchy private eye trying to earn enough dough to support himself and his daughter.  So when he’s offered money by Misty Mountain’s aunt to find Misty, March takes the case (and the cash) even though everyone knows the porn star is dead.  March thinks he’ll spend a couple of days “earning” the advance and then he’ll let the old lady down easy.  That all changes when Jackson Healy (Crowe) puts a beating on March and tells him to drop the investigation.  Rather than take another whoppin’, Healy agrees.

When Healy gets home, two thugs are waiting for him.  They rough him up in an effort to get information about the Misty Mountain case.  Fortunately he has nothing to give them.  After the roughnecks split, Healy goes back to March and convinces him that they should team up to solve the case.  Soon they’ll find that they’re way over their head with hired assassins and government officials wanting them dead.

The Nice Guys has it’s moments.  Crowe and Gosling’s characters are mismatched enough that there’s humor and chemistry in them working as a team.  Angourie Rice is excellent as Gosling’s young, but smart-beyond-her-years daughter.  Basinger has a small but important role.  The plot was a little more convoluted than needed, but that’s a small nit to pick.  I’m surprised The Nice Guys didn’t warrant a sequel.

The Nice Guys earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Wild Oranges” (1924) / Z-View

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Wild Oranges (1924)

Director:  King Vidor

Screenplay by:  King Vidor based on Joseph Hergesheimer’s novel Wild Oranges.

Starring:  Frank Mayo, Virginia Valli, Ford Sterling, Nigel De Brulier and Charles A. Post

Tagline:   She taught him to love her-this world wanderer who sailed the seas to escape women’s lures and the one he couldn’t forget!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

When John Woolfolk’s (Mayo) wife dies in a tragic accident, he sets sail around the world on his small sailboat with no specific port in mind.  One night Woolfolk drops anchor in a remote inlet.  When he goes ashore he meets a Millie (Valli), young woman who lives with her grandfather (De Brulier) in an old house in the woods.  Woolfolk learns that an escaped homicidal maniac lives in the swamp nearby and has been terrorizing them.  Woolfolk plans to get Millie and her grandfather away to safety… but is unaware that the maniac knows of his plan!

King Vidor created a silent film with modern sensibilities.  Charles A. Post plays the homicidal maniac, but his character isn’t just a mustache-twirling villain.  I won’t go so far to say that his character is misunderstood, but I did like that there were layers to Post’s performance.  Wild Oranges has one of the most realistic, brutal and extended fight scenes I’ve ever seen in a movie from that era.  While there is silent movie melodrama and exaggerated poses in some scenes, Wild Oranges turns the corner into more realistic filming/acting choices.

Wild Oranges earns 4 of 5 stars.

Michael Bublé’s Higher Concert at the Amway Center on August 10, 2022 / Z-View

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Last night my wife and I attended Michael Bublé’s concert at the Amway Center in Orlando.  It was the second stop on his Higher tour.  I knew Bublé was an exceptional singer/song writer who specialized not only in classic songs by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, the Bee Gees, and others, but also hits of his own creation.  Last night we got a great mix of both.

Yes, I knew MIchael Bublé could sing, but I didn’t know he was such a great showman.  Bublé was backed by an exceptionally talented big band orchestra and three amazing back-up singers.  Add to this a multi-media show (big screens projecting Bublé, the band/singers, and audience members – as well as video backgrounds), and a large walkway so he could come way out into the audience to perform.  Michael Bublé is at ease on stage whether he’s singing, dancing, telling jokes or a story.  He’s great at getting the audience to sing along and he loves to interact with fans.

I expected a fun night of great songs, but we ended up getting so much more.  If you’re a fan of this genre of music, then Michael Bublé is not to be missed.

Michael Bublé’s Higher concert at the Amway Center on August 10th earned 5 of 5 stars!

“Carter” (2022) / Z-View

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Carter (2022)

Director:  Byung-gil Jung

Screenplay by:  Byeong-sik Jung, Byung-gil Jung

Starring:  Joo Won, Kim Bo-Min, Sung-Jae Lee and Mike Colter

Tagline:  No Memory, One Mission

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

A man wakes up in a hotel room with no memory of who he is or how he got there.  A voice in his head tells him his name is Carter, a transmitter only he can hear is in his ear, a bomb has been implanted in his head and his mission is to rescue a young girl whose blood is the key to a cure to a virus quickly spreading around the world.  With that we’re off and running.

Carter is an all out action film with a small mix of sci-fi and a touch of zombies.  The movie takes place in real time and features over the top stunts and seldom slows down.  This is the film’s greatest strength and perhaps biggest weakness.  The fight scenes are so over-the-top we quickly understand that Carter is going to be able to take out dozens of attackers without so much as a scratch.

Normally this would be a turn-off, but the fight scenes take place in unique situations (outside of a building stories above the street, on motorcycles, in three side-by-side vans speeding down crowded streets, falling from an airplane without a parachute while engaging in a gun battle to get a chute, on a train, on a helicopter, from a truck to motorcycles, etc.) that it is easy to suspend disbelief.

I really enjoyed Carter, but was in the right frame of mind for an all out action film.  I hope we get a sequel.

Carter earns 4 of 5 stars.

BLOOD and BULLETS by James R. Tuck / Z-View

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Blood and Bullets by James R. Tuck

Trade Paperback: 258 pages
Publisher:  Falstaff Books

First sentence…

Some nights are just destined to go to hell.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Deacon Chalk hunts things that go bump in the night.  Yeah, that’s right.  Monsters.  Chalk didn’t even believe in such things until his wife and daughter were killed by vampires.  Now he’s a monster hunter.

When a young woman tries to hire Chalk to kill someone who calls himself Nyteblade, Chalk gets enough information to warn the wanna-be vampire hunter that he’s been marked for death.  When Chalk shows up for a meeting with “Nyteblade” he finds himself in an ambush.  The most powerful vampire Deacon Chalk has ever heard of plans to make Chalk her slave!

James R. Tuck has created a winner.  Blood and Bullets is the first in the Deacon Chalk series.  I’d never read a Tuck book before, but after reading a few paragraphs of Blood and Bullets, I picked up the Deacon Chalk trilogy. (There are more books coming.)  Tuck’s Deacon Chalk and his supporting cast come across as real people placed in unreal situations.  I had a blast with Blood and Bullets and look forward to more Deacon Chalk adventures.  (Oh, and before I wrap up this review — how about that cool cover by Natania Barron!)

Blood and Bullets rates 4 of 5 stars.

Blood and Bullets Hardback
Blood and Bullets Paperback
Blood and Bullets Kindle

“JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass” (2021) / Z-View

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JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass (2021)

Director:  Ibrahim Hamdan, Oliver Stone

Starring: John F. Kennedy, Walter Cronkite, Lyndon B. Johnson, Jacqueline Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, Jack Ruby, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Oliver Stone, Whoopi Goldberg (narration) and Donald Sutherland (narration)

Tagline:  None

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Ibrahim Hamdan and Oliver Stone look at documents and findings declassified by the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 that bring into question the finding that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.  If you’re at all interested in the conspiracy theories behind the assassination of President Kennedy, then JFK Revisited is worth a watch!

JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass earns 4 of 5 stars.

“Ida Red” (2021) starring Josh Hartnett and Frank Grillo / Z-View

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Ida Red (2021)

Director:  John Swab

Screenplay by:  John Swab

Starring:  Josh Hartnett, Frank Grillo, Melissa Leo, Sofia Hublitz, William Forsythe, Deborah Ann Woll, George Carroll, Mark Boone Junior and Nicholas Cirillo

Tagline:  Crime runs in the family

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Ida “Red” Walker (Leo) is the head of her family since her husband was killed in the robbery that put her behind bars.  Red’s two grown sons, Wyatt (Harnett) and Dallas (Grillo) continue to commit crimes under mom’s direction.

When Red learns that she has terminal cancer she makes it her (and her sons’) goal to get her out.  She has a two-pronged plan: 1) Pay off the head of the parole board and 2) commit a dangerous heist that will get them enough money to get the family out of the law’s reach.  Wyatt and Dallas agree to the plan despite the fact that they’re under the watchful eye of FBI Special Agent Lawrence Twilley (Forsythe) and a local cop who has a connection to the family!

Ida Red is a well written, well directed low budget crime film.  It boasts an excellent cast.  Frank Grillo steals every scene (especially memorable is his dance that will bring back memories of Michael Madsen in Reservoir Dogs).  Sofia Hublitz has a subplot that shows the pull of being in a crime family (and a nice plot twist to boot).  It’s nice seeing William Forsythe back in action and I always enjoy it when Mark Boone Junior shows up.

Ida Red earns 4 of 5 stars.

“The Satan Bug” (1965) / Z-View

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The Satan Bug (1965)

Director:  John Sturges

Screenplay by:  James Clavell and Edward Anhalt based on The Satan Bug novel by Alistair MacLean

Starring:  George Maharis, Richard Basehart, Anne Francis, Dana Andrews, Frank Sutton, Edward Asner, Simon Oakland, John Anderson and James Hong

Tagline:  The price for uncovering the secret of the satan bug comes high – YOUR LIFE!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

When a newly developed virus known as The Satan Bug is stolen from a research lab, Lee Barrett (Maharis), a former intelligence agent is brought back to track down the thieves before the bug is released to kill everyone in Los Angeles.

The Satan Bug story was ahead of it’s time.  The idea of a lab-created virus that gets loose seems commonplace today, but in 1965, this was first rate science fiction!

The cast consists of several familiar faces from popular television shows of the era.  George Maharis was the co-star of Route 66.  Richard Basehart starred on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.  Anne Francis was the star of Honey West.  Frank Sutton would soon play Sgt. Carter on Gomer Pyle.  Ed Asner would go on to play Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Lou Grant spin-off series.   If you’re a child of the era, it adds a bit of charm to The Satan Bug, but if you’re not of the right age, the cast won’t give you the same joy.

The Satan Bug has a great plot, but there’s more talk than action.  Then when the action comes, it doesn’t live up to the expectation.  For these reasons The Satan Bug earns 2 of 5 stars.

“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” (2022) / Z-View

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)

Director:  Akiva Goldsman (Ep.1); Maja Vrvilo (Ep. 2); Leslie Hope (Ep. 3); Dan Liu (Ep. 4); Rachel Leiterman (Ep. 5); Andi Armaganian (Ep. 6); Sydney Freeland (Ep. 7); Amanda Row (Ep. 8); Christopher J. Byrne (Ep. 9); Chris Fisher (Ep. 10)

Teleplay by:  Akiva Goldsman (Ep. 1 based on a story by Akiva Goldsman & Alex Kurtzman & Jenny Lumet); Henry Alonso Myers & Sarah Tarkoff (Ep.2); Akela Cooper & Bill Wolkoff (Ep. 3); Davy Perez & Beau DeMayo (Ep. 4); Henry Alonso Myers & Robin Wasserman (Ep. 5); Robin Wasserman & Bill Wolkoff (Ep. 6); Beau DeMayo & Sarah Tarkoff (Ep. 7); Akela Cooper & Onitra Johnson (Ep. 8); Davy Perez (Ep. 9); Henry Alonso Myers & Akiva Goldsman (Ep. 10)

Starring:  Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush, Melissa Navia, Christina Chong, Rebecca Romijn, Celia Rose Gooding, Babs Olusanmokun, Gia Sandhu and Paul Wesley.

Tagline:  None

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is the prequel to the original Star Trek series.  Set ten years prior to Star Trek, Strange New Worlds follows the adventures of the crew of the Enterprise under the command of Christopher Pike (Mount).  Characters from the original series (Spock, Nurse Christine Chapel, Nyota Uhura, T’Pring and Captain James T. Kirk) are joined by new crew members (Erica Ortegas, La’an Noonien-Singh, Una Chin-Riley).

I was a fan of the original Star Trek.  I never watched any of the other Star Trek television series until Strange New Worlds.  So I’m not a die hard fan of everything Star Trek, so believe me when I say that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is exceptional.  Everything from the production values of the sets, the cast, the direction and the music is spot on.  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds isn’t a copy of the original series, but instead a love letter to everything it strived to be.

The series is perfectly cast.  Anson Mount is amazing in his role, but so are Ethan Peck, Jess Bush, Celia Rose Gooding and Melissa Navia.  The series is well written with each major cast member displaying personality and the feel that they have a life beyond the scenes that they’re in.  If you’re a fan of the original series there are things that begin in Strange New Worlds that will reverberate in the original series (the relationship between Spock and Nurse Chapel; seeing Nyota Uhura’s growth into a Star Fleet officer, the romance that will fail between Spock and T’Pring, and more).

I loved every episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and cannot wait for season 2.  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds earns 5 of 5 stars.

“The Gray Man” (2022) Starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans / Z-View

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The Gray Man (2022)

Director:  Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Screenplay by:  Joe Russo, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely

Starring:  Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Billy Bob Thornton and Alfre Woodard

Tagline:  None

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

A man known as Six (Gosling) is a CIA assassin.  When a mission goes sideways, Six gains information about corruption within the CIA.  A team led by Lloyd Hansen (Evans), a sociopathic mercenary is then sent to kill Six.

The Gray Man is a fast paced action thriller that is fun while you’re watching it, but doesn’t have much substance to stick with you later.  Chris Evans steals the show as the crazy ex-CIA hitman.  It’s always good to see Billy Bob Thornton and Alfre Woodard.

The Gray Man earns 3 of 5 stars.

Texas Carnival (1949) / Z-View

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Texas Carnival (1949)

Director:  Charles Walters

Screenplay by:  Dorothy Kingsley, George Wells (story)

Starring:  Esther Williams, Red Skelton, Howard Keel, Ann Miller, Keenan Wynn, Paula Raymond,
Tom Tully and Glenn Strange

Tagline:  FOR THE MILLIONS WHO LOVED “THE GREAT CARUSO” AND “SHOW BOAT” ANOTHER BIG MGM MUSICAL!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Cornie Quinell (Skelton) and his partner, Debbie Telford (Williams) run the dunk tank at the Texas carnival.  When Cornie sees a drunk man (Wynn) being taken advantage of by two of the carnies, Cornie comes to his rescue.  It turns out the drunk is Dan Sabinas, a rich cattleman.  Dan tries to give Cornie several thousand dollars for his help.  Cornie refuses the cash.  The Dan tries to give him his car.  Again Cornie refuses and instead gets drunken Dan into a cab to take him home.  As the cab leaves, Dan invites Cornie to visit the hotel he’s staying in.

Cornie and Debbie drive Dan’s car to the hotel where Cornie is mistaken for the rich cattleman.  Because of Dan’s invite they stay in his hotel suite waiting for Dan to arrive. Cornie meets Sunshine Jackson and a mutual attraction develops, meanwhile Debbie and Dan’s foreman, Slim Shelby (Keel) begin to hit it off.  Cornie ends up loosing $17,000 in a high stakes poker game meant for Dan.

When Dan arrives, he’s sobered up and doesn’t remember meeting Cornie! Cornie has a plan though…

Texas Carnival rates 3 of 5 stars.