Congo (1995) / Z-View

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Congo (1995)

Director: Frank Marshall

Screenplay: John Patrick Shanley based on the novel by Michael Crichton

Stars: Laura Linney, Tim Curry, Dylan Walsh, Ernie Hudson, Joe Don Baker and Stuart Pankin.

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s turn Michael Crichton’s Congo into a movie!”

Tagline: Where you are the endangered species.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A ragtag group joins forces in an effort to get into the Congo.  Two members are young guys who want to take a gorilla from the US back to her birthplace.  The other members are on a search and rescue mission to find what happened to an earlier team that discovered a rare diamond and was wiped out.  Neither group was expecting to find killer gorillas.

Rating:

Executive Action (1973) / Z-View

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Executive Action (1973)

Director: David Miller

Screenplay: Dalton Trumbo from a story by Donald Freed and Mark Lane

Stars: Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan, Will Geer, Ed Lautner and Dick Miller.

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s make a movie on the Kennedy assassination.”

Tagline: Their Goal…Assassination. November 22, 1963…Accomplished!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Think Oliver Stone’s JFK only not as stylish.

 

Rating:

Ken Meyer Jr.’s Ink Stains 5: Gulacy, Byrne, Vosberg, Trimpe and More!

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If you’re a fan of fanzines, then you’ve got to check out Ken Meyer, Jr.’s monthly column Ink Stains.  Each month Ken (who is an amazing artist) posts… well, let’s let Ken explain…

I have a collection of over 200 fanzines from the 60’s-80’s that I plan to scan and talk about, one at a time. I hope to have some of the participants answer a few questions. Many of those participants are established comics professionals now, while some have gone on to other things. I will show a few snippets from each zine and give you a link to download a pdf of the whole thing, which I hope all of you will do!

For Ink Stains 5, Ken took a look at CPL #12 from 1975 published by Robert Layton (who later went on to fame as comic book artist, writer and publisher) and edited by Roger Stern (who became a popular comic book writer).

CPL #12 features a beautiful [NSFW] cover by Paul Gulacy, a front piece by Syd Shores, an interview and art from Mike Vosburg, full page pieces from John Byrne and Dennis Fujitake, a humorous centerspread by Herb Trimpe of the Hulk, Steven Grant [who also went on to fame as a writer] comic reviews, a profile of Darkseid by John Byrne and more.

This is the first fanzine that Ken profiled that I actually owned.  Ah, the memories of the glory days of fanzines.  Thanks to Ken Meyer, Jr. for making these available!

Borderland (2007) / Z-View

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Borderland (2007) / Z-View

Director: Zev Berman

Screenplay: Eric Poppen and Zev Berman

Stars: Brian Presley, Jake Muxworthy and Rider Strong

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s make a scary movie”

Tagline: Inspired by a true story.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Three college students head south of the border for a weekend of fun and end up on the wrong side of a Satanic drug-dealing cult.

 

Rating:

House on Haunted Hill (1959) / Z-View

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House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Director:  William Castle

Screenplay:  Robb White

Stars:  Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Richard Long and Elisha Cook, Jr.

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s make a scary movie”

Tagline: First Film With the Amazing New Wonder EMERGO: The Thrills Fly Right Into The Audience!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Fredrick Loren [Price] offers five people $10,000 to stay the night in a mansion that legend has is haunted.  Despite their fears and needing the money, they group is locked in with no way out except death…

 

Rating:

The Haunting (1963) / Z-View

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The Haunting (1963)

Director: Robert Wise

Screenplay:  Nelson Gidding based on Shirley Jackson‘s novel The Haunting of Hill House

Stars:  Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson and Russ Tamblyn.

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s The Haunting of Hill House!”

Tagline: You may not believe in ghosts but you cannot deny terror!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Dr. Markway [Johnson] and three companions in an effort to prove the existence of ghosts go to Hill House – a remote mansion with a long history of violent deaths.

The Haunting has beautiful cinematography and director Robert Wise builds the tension and terror.  While there are a couple of great scares the movie relies on pace and an increasing sense of doom to ramp up the fear factor.  They don’t make them like this any more.

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He Ran All the Way (1951) / Z-View

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He Ran All the Way (1951)

Director: John Berry

Screenplay: Dalton Trumbo and Hugo Butler based on the novel by Sam Ross

Stars: John Garfield, Shelley Winters and Wallace Ford.

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s make a crime romance movie!”

Tagline: DYNAMITE hits the screen with their kind of love!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Nick Robey [Garfield] is a dumb, weak-willed middle-aged man living with his abusive, alcoholic mother.  Nick reluctantly joins in on a payroll heist that goes bad.  Nick’s partner and a cop are killed but Nick gets away with the cash.

Nick hides out at a swimming pool and meets Peg Dobbs [Winters].  She’s as stupid as Nick so you know she’s going to fall for him.  Nick walks her home and before long he’s hiding out in the family apartment.  The police are closing in and Nick’s not sure Peg really loves him.  What’s a fella to do?

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Spy Chasers (1955) / Z-View

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Spy Chasers (1955)

Director: Edward Bernds

Screenplay: Jerome S. Gottler and Bert Lawrence 

Stars: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bernard Gorcey and Leon Askin.

The Pitch: “Hey, what if the Bowery Boys found a magic lamp?”

Tagline: They’re in the Underground with a Beautiful Spy!… in a laffdaffy riot of cloak-and-dagger adventure!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The Bowery Boys are recruited to help an European King regain his throne.

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The 15 Most Groundbreaking Covers of All Time

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Michael Edward Taylor and ScreenRant present The 15 Most Groundbreaking Covers of All Time.

There are some excellent choices in there — Steranko’s Nick Fury [of course], the Iron Man alcohol cover, Neal Adams’ Green Lantern/Green Arrow drug abuse cover, even Shatter Special #1 with the first comic cover entirely created digitally.  Limiting the choices to just 15 makes it tough… otherwise we might have seen…

  • At least one cover from the Byrne/Austin X-Men run
  • some love for a Marshall Rogers’ Batman cover
  • a Chaykin American Flag cover
  • a Master of Kung Fu cover by Paul Gulacy
  • a Zeck cover for The Punisher
  • one of the Dark Knight Returns covers by Miller
  • a Sin City cover by Miller
  • any cover by Darwyn Cooke
  • any cover by Michael Golden
  • and so many more…