“Nobody” / Z-View

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Nobody (2021)

Director: Ilya Naishuller

Screenplay: Derek Kolstad

Starring:  Bob Odenkirk, Aleksey Serebryakov, Connie Nielsen, Christopher Lloyd, Michael Ironside and RZA.

Tagline:  Never underestimate a nobody.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Hutch Mansell lives a mundane life.  He has a wife (they are drifting apart), a son and daughter.  His job is routine and he’s in a rut.  Things get worse when burglars break into his house to rob it and Mansell does nothing to stop them.  His son sees him as a coward, and the rest of the family looks at him with pity.  What they don’t know is that Mansell used to worked as a CIA “auditor” who was sent in as a last resort to “clear the books”.

As Mansell’s anger builds he goes looking for the two thieves.  When five thugs on a bus begin to terrorize a young lady, Mansell takes out his rage on the would-be tough guys, hospitalizing all of them.  Unfortunately one of the mooks is the brother of a crazy Russian crime boss who will bring the full weight of his organization down on Mansell and his family.

Let the good times roll!

Nobody can be described as John Wick light.  Bob Odenkirk is surprisingly effective as the former CIA auditor and Nobody shows how talented he is.  To go from Sal Goodman to Hutch Mansell is more than a stretch.  The scene on the bus is fun and surprisingly violent.  I referred to Nobody as John Wick light and the humor is what takes it down a notch.  Plus when Mansell’s dad (Lloyd) starts blowing away a Russian hit squad you know we’re in a different universe.

I really enjoyed Nobody.  It was a fun ride with plenty of action and humor.  It rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Alter Ego” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I like the looks of Alter Ego, but I think the poster might give away a bit too much.

Detective DiBiasse (Eric Roberts) goes to his last crime scene at the Mansion of a wealthy, paranoid recluse named Alan Schaeffer (Dylan Walsh). He brings with him a new detective and starts explaining the strange story of Alan Schaeffer. A man who recently insisted that one of his creations was coming to kill him, but had no evidence to back up his claim. Surrounded by security that reportedly sees nothing, nobody can help Alan Schaeffer and so the police moved on. Now the Detective is back at this mansion with a horrible, brutal crime scene and no suspect in sight.

“Hellblazers” (2022) / Z-View

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Hellblazers (2022)

Director: Justin Lee

Screenplay: Justin Lee

Starring:  Adrienne Barbeau, Greg Beaton, Crash Buist, Bruce Dern, Meg Foster and Billy Zane.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When a satanic cult summons a demon the residents of a very small southwestern town must band together to survive.

Hellblazers is a low, low budget film set in the 1980s.  It would have fit right in on a drive-in triple feature from the same time period.  If you go in knowing you’re going to get a chance to see older stars in a film that requires you to put your brain on hold to enjoy the ride, you just might (enjoy the ride).  Hellblazers makes attempts at humor but never totally commits to comedy.  There are a couple of jump scares but isn’t really scary despite being about a satanic cult and a demon from hell killing off the population of a small town.

With that said, I watched with my wife and we found it an okay way to pass the time.  Therefore Hellblazers rates 2 of 5 stars.

Fronteras (2018) / Z-View

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Fronteras (2018)

Director: Andrew Dean

Screenplay: Andrew Dean

Starring:  Cortez Chappell, Steven Sean Garland and Wade Everett

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Shane Estes, a Hispanic Border Patrol Agent, is recruited to join an effective Strike Force team brought in to wipe out the local drug trade. If the team is successful, Estes will get a promotion, but he finds the Strike Force’s methods immoral and illegal.  Estes’ boss wants Estes to finish the assignment.  As the pressure mounts Estes finds himself at the point of no return.

Fronteras has the set-up for an excellent movie.  Sadly the execution falls short.  Fronteras rates 2 of 5 stars.

“The Endgame” Directed by Justin Lin – The Trailer is Here!

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The Endgame trailer looks like it was made for a feature film.  Maybe it is because Justin (Star Trek Beyond; F9: The Fast Saga) Lin is directing.  Morena Baccarin and Ryan Michelle Bathé star. The Endgame premieres February 21st.  Deal me in.

Morena Baccarin and Ryan Michelle Bathé star in the ultimate high-stakes showdown between criminal mastermind Elena Federova and FBI Agent Val Turner. When they play Elena’s game, deadly truths are revealed… and everyone bows to the queen.

Boise Longpig Hunting Club by Nick Kolakowski / Z-View

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Boise Longpig Hunting Club by Nick Kolakowski

Trade Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Down & Out Books

First sentence…

We came home from the movies to find our front door kicked open, both floors ransacked, half the food in our fridge missing.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Jake Halligan comes home to find his house ransacked and a naked, dead woman in his gun safe.  Jake’s never seen the woman before, and has no idea who killed her.  The list of thugs, gangbangers, and assorted criminals Jake has tracked down (he’s a bounty hunter) is just too large.  Then Jake learns that the woman wasn’t the only murder victim.  As he gets closer to the killer(s), Jake, his ex-wife and sister are kidnapped. Soon they find themselves involved in what can only be called The Most Dangerous Game.

Nick Kolakowski has taken a classic tale and modernized it.  The Boise Longpig Hunting Club is full of memorable characters, action and humor.  Kolakowski provides situations that we’ve seen before, but he puts an unexpected twist on them that leaves us shocked and/or smiling.  I like Jake Halligan, his supporting characters and look forward to the follow-up, Rattlesnake Rodeo (which is already sitting in my to be read pile).  As for the  Boise Longpig Hunting Club, it rates 5 of 5 stars.

Rating:

“Hellblazers” – The Trailer is Here!

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From time to time you hear read me talking about drive-in movies.  They feature c-level celebrities or stars from the past in low budget films usually in the horror genre.  Even when they’re not great (which is often) they can be fun. Hellblazers looks like it qualifies as a drive-in movie.

Stars from the past?  Tony Todd, Adrienne Barbeau, Bruce Dern, Meg Foster, Billy Zane.  Check.

Low budget?  Check.

Horror genre?  Check.

Fun?  I’ll get back to you after I watch it.  So deal me in.

Focused on unleashing hell on earth, a satanic cult conjures up a demon and sets to the task of feeding it the populace of a nearby southwestern town.

CAST: Tony Todd, Adrienne Barbeau, Bruce Dern, John Kassir, Meg Foster, Edward Finlay, Ed Morrone, Billy Zane

DIRECTOR: Justin Lee

“Murderville” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I love the idea behind Murderville the Netflix limited series that premieres on February 3rd.  Will Arnett plays a detective who is joined by celebrity guest stars each week to solve a crime.  The catch is the guest stars aren’t given a script and have to adlib their way through the episode!.  Murderville sounds like fun!  Deal me in.

Solving crimes is hard. Improv comedy is harder. All 6 episodes of Murderville starring Will Arnett stream February 3rd, only on Netflix.

“The French Connection” / Z-View

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The French Connection (1971)

Director: William Friedkin

Screenplay:  Ernest Tidyman (based on the book by Robin Moore)

Starring:  Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Fernando Ray and Tony Lo Bianco.

Tagline:  The time is just right for an out and out thriller like this.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Let me say from the start most folks like The French Connection much more than me.  The French Connection was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won five (Best Picture, Best Actor – Hackman; Best Director, Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium and Best Film Editing – Gerald B. Greenberg).  When a movie gets that many awards, is the number three box office champ for the year and a reviewer only gives it 3 of 5 stars, your mileage will probably differ.

My biggest problem with The French Connection is the lead characters.  Detective Buddy Russo (Scheider) isn’t given much to do other than be Detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle’s reluctant sidekick.  ‘Popeye’ Doyle (Hackman) is a loud, unlikeable screw-up.

Let me count some of the ways Doyle irritates me.  When following the drug importing mastermind, Popeye gets made and played on the subway.  Doyle “commandeers” a citizen’s car to chase a sniper making a getaway on an El-train.  During the chase he causes multiple wrecks, nearly runs over a lady pushing a baby carriage, and destroys the car he “borrowed”.  When Doyle gets into a footrace with the sniper he ends up shooting the guy in the back.  The movie culminates with Doyle accidentally shooting an FBI agent and the drug importing mastermind getting away.

Despite the nits I picked, The French Connection has its moments.  It features one of the most popular car chases in movie history.  Friedkin’s documentary feel influenced filmmakers and it is an excellent example of 70s films (anti-heroes, gritty city settings, good guys don’t always win).

The French Connection rates 3 of 5 stars (but again I stress, your mileage may vary!).

“Welcome to Sudden Death” / Z-View

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Welcome to Sudden Death (2020)

Director: Dallas Jackson

Screenplay:  Dallas Jackson, Gene Quintano

Starring:  Michael Jai White, Michael Eklund and Gary Owen.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The biggest problem with Welcome to Sudden Death was the marketing.  No, really.  Hear me out.

Welcome to Sudden Death was advertised as an action-packed remake of the Jean Claude Van Damme movie, Sudden Death.  And it is, but… and this is a big but… the reboot is a comedy with action.  Folks went into the Michael Jai White version thinking that they were getting a straight up serious action movie.  They didn’t and they were rightly disappointed.  If Welcome to Sudden Death had been sold as a comedy/action film then audiences wouldn’t have judged it so harshly.  Sure, they may have felt it wasn’t funny enough or the mix of action/comedy wasn’t right, but they would have gone in with different expectations.

I had read that the original Sudden Death was supposed to be more of a comedy, but that aspect was toned down when JCVD came on.  Welcome to Sudden Death was going to play up the yuks along with the action, I was interested.

While Welcome to Sudden Death isn’t the funniest movie or the best action film you’ll ever see.  If you go in knowing that, you shouldn’t be disappointed.  The tone is less serious than the original, but not as far out as say, The Naked Gun.  Michael Jai White does a good job as the hero.  I loved Gary Owen as the reluctant sidekick.  The bad guys are over the top, the plot is what you’d expect, but if you want a few laughs and to see Michael Jai White kick butt, then I say, Welcome to Sudden Death.

I liked Welcome to Sudden Death as well if not better than the JCVD original  I rate it 3 of 5 stars.