“Haymaker” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!
I don’t care for the Haymaker poster above, but the trailer below was interesting. I wouldn’t run out to see it, but wouldn’t (at least right away) turn the channel if it was on tv.
“Pulp Fiction” Trivia
Pulp Fiction is arguably Quentin Tarantino’s best film. I’ve been thinking it’s about time for another viewing of it. Paul Schrodt’s 12 Things to Look for While Watching Pulp Fiction makes me want to watch it even more. Before you click over to Schrodt’s piece, here are three of my favorites and my thoughts on each.
SAMUEL L. JACKSON’S FAVORITE BIBLE VERSE DOESN’T EXIST. (I was surprised when I first learned that Tarantino basically made up Jackson’s biblical quote. Jackson really sold it for that scene and I wonder how many people believe the quote is right from the bible. – Craig)
JACK RABBIT SLIM’S IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS. (I remember when there was talk of Jack Rabbit Slim’s being turned into a real chain of joints. I was excited about the idea and thought it would work. I know I would have patronized them. Sadly the venture never became reality. – Craig)
NO ONE FULLY UNDERSTANDS PULP FICTION’S “GIMP” SEQUENCE. (I vividly remember seeing this scene for the first time and just being blown away. What the – ? Did we cross over into another film? Another dimension? I’ve come to like the unexpected, unexplainable aspect of it. Sometimes things happen that don’t make sense, that we couldn’t have predicted and that can have terrible consequences. – Craig)
Source: Mental Floss.
“Shadow in the Cloud” – Better Poster & Full Trailer!
Ok, this is more like it. Here’s a new poster and the full trailer for Shadow in the Cloud starring Chloe Grace Moretz. I like this poster and the trailer is much better than the previous. I now am sure I’d like to see this movie. It’s going to be pure drive-in fun.
In the throes of World War II, Captain Maude Garrett (CHLOË GRACE MORETZ) joins the all-male crew of a B-17 bomber with a top-secret package. Caught off guard by the presence of a woman on a military flight, the crew tests Maude’s every move. Just as her quick wit is winning them over, strange happenings and holes in her backstory incite paranoia surrounding her true mission. But this crew has more to fear…lurking in the shadows, something sinister is tearing at the heart of the plane. Trapped between an oncoming air ambush and an evil lurking within, Maude must push beyond her limits to save the hapless crew and protect her mysterious cargo.
Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Beulah Koale, Taylor John Smith
Directed by: Roseanne Liang
“Nobody” Trailer is Here!
The trailer for Nobody are starring Bob Odenkirk is here and looks awesome. Nobody just moved up to my must-see list.
Sometimes the man you don’t notice is the most dangerous of all. Emmy winner Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad) stars as Hutch Mansell, an underestimated and overlooked dad and husband, taking life’s indignities on the chin and never pushing back. A nobody.
When two thieves break into his suburban home one night, Hutch declines to defend himself or his family, hoping to prevent serious violence. His teenage son, Blake (Gage Munroe, The Shack), is disappointed in him and his wife, Becca (Connie Nielsen, Wonder Woman), seems to pull only further away.
The aftermath of the incident strikes a match to Hutch’s long-simmering rage, triggering dormant instincts and propelling him on a brutal path that will surface dark secrets and lethal skills. In a barrage of fists, gunfire, and squealing tires, Hutch must save his family from a dangerous adversary (famed Russian actor Aleksey Serebryakov, Amazon’s McMafia)-and ensure that he will never be underestimated as a nobody again.
Nobody is directed by acclaimed filmmaker Ilya Naishuller (Hardcore Henry), from a script by Derek Kolstad, the narrative architect of the John Wick franchise, and co-stars legendary Emmy winner Christopher Lloyd as Hutch’s father and multi-hyphenate musician-actor RZA as Hutch’s brother, whose own hidden talents aid Hutch in his quest for vengeance.
The film is produced by Kelly McCormick and David Leitch, the filmmakers of Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Deadpool 2 and Atomic Blonde, for their company 87North, by Braden Aftergood (Hell or High Water, Wind River) for his Eighty Two Films, and by Bob Odenkirk and Marc Provissiero (Hulu’s PEN15) for Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment. The film is executive produced by Derek Kolstad, Marc S. Fischer, and Tobey Maguire.
Zeck/Beatty Vintage Punisher Piece!
I was digging through the Zablo Vault this morning and came across this vintage Zeck/Beatty Punisher piece. Look at that beauty. This is just one reason Zeck/Beatty are one of the finest teams to ever work in comics.
“Shadow in the Cloud” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!
The poster and trailer for Shadow in the Cloud are here. The poster doesn’t do much for me. The trailer looks pretty dumb. The question is will it be dumb FUN? If so, I’d give it a go. Who doesn’t like a good drive-in movie?
WRITE IT IN BLOOD is Coming!
Write It In Blood by Rory McConville (writer), Joe Palmer (artist) and Chris O’Halloran (artist) along with Declan Shalvey (cover artist) is set to premiere on March 2, 2021. After seeing the preview pages, I’ve already placed my pre-order. Click on the preview pages below to biggie-size them. Then if you’re so inclined, you can too by using the link above.
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“The Minimalists” – The Poster & Trailer. (I Think I Need to See This. Do You?)
The poster and trailer for The Minimalists are here.
This documentary really interests me. I have a collector’s mentality. I collect movies (VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray, Laser Disc), comic books, novels, Stallone-related items, original art and stuff. It’s sometimes hard to let things go.
I have trimmed my comic collection waaay down. These days I keep very few and trade the others in. I do have 6 book shelves of graphic novels (some of which I still haven’t read).
A few years ago my wife and I began to trade in novels that we didn’t think we’d want to re-read. With that said, thanks to the COVID pandemic, we currently have 8 packing boxes of novels to trade in. I have 7 book cases of novels that I am keeping (including dozens of books still to be read) and my wife has another 2 book cases.
I got rid of all my laser disc movies. In the garage I have storage bins of VHS movies that I haven’t watched in years. I have a bin of record albums. I got rid of my album cassettes. I have quite a few music cds and dvds / Blu-ray movies.
I have many photo albums of Stallone articles, press kits and boxes of memorabilia including movie scripts, books, sculptures and other collector’s items.
Yeah, I think I better watch The Minimalists.
They’ve built a movement out of minimalism. Longtime friends Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus share how our lives can be better with less. Directed by Matt D’Avella.
Want to See the Original Cut of Sly Stallone’s “Cobra”?
Cobra poster by Salvador Anguiano
Would you like to see the original cut of Sly Stallone’s Cobra? J.D. Harlock would and he’s started a petition to get it.
Many Stallone fans know that there was initially a much longer and more violent version of Cobra than the one that ended up being released. Click over to J.D. Harlock’s RELEASE THE X CUT OF STALLONE’S COBRA to get the full details and if you’re so inclined, sign the petition.
I’m not usually one for petitions, but if we can get another version of Cobra, then deal me in.
Lee Weeks’ Batman!
Lee Weeks created the iconic Batman art above. It was just too cool not to share. You can see more of Lee Week’s art on his Instagram!
LeRoy Neiman’s Rarely Seen “Rocky” Movie Art!
Mike Kunda is a super Rocky fan, the #1 Rocky impersonator in the world and the owner of the Yo Philly! Rocky Film Tour. Recently Mike posted several seldom seen LeRoy Neiman sketches from behind the scenes filming of Rocky movies. They were too good not to share.
LeRoy Neiman is considered the most famous sports artist in the world. His painting of Rocky used in Rocky III is without a doubt his most famous Rocky art, but it isn’t the only Rocky art Neiman created. In addition, to finished paintings, Neiman created preliminary sketches like the ones above of Drago slugging Rocky and Rocky in a defensive stance.
I love this sketch that Neiman labeled, Face Hit Two, Rocky II, c. 1980. It was created using felt pen, acrylic, ink and pencil.
Neiman titled this Round XV, Rocky IV created in Vancouver, BC. May 1, 1985.
As you can see above, even the movie call sheet was material for a quick sketch of Carl Weathers as Apollo Creed!
LeRoy Neiman was always a dashing figure (and seldom seen without a cigar). Here he is seen creating more prelim sketches for Rocky IV art.
The photo above was turned into a Neiman Rocky IV painting that is rarely seen!
I love the amount of details that appear in this loose LeRoy Neiman prelim that he labeled: Sylvester Stallone in Rocky IV, May 1, 1985. felt, pen and acrylic on paper. 20 1/4 x 26 in. 51.4 x 66 cm.
Above is a Neiman sketch he titled, Sly, Rocky II, March 13, 1990.
Thanks again to Mike Kunda for sharing these finds. If you’d like to see more of LeRoy Neiman’s amazing artwork, please check out his official site.
Samuel L. Jackson Trivia!
Samuel L. Jackson is an actor that always makes a movie better. Michele Debczak posted 10 Fascinating Facts About Samuel L. Jackson at Mental Floss. Before you click over, here are three of my favorites with my thoughts on each…
SAMUEL L. JACKSON WAS AN USHER AT MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.’S FUNERAL. (This surprised me because I didn’t think Jackson would have been old enough to be an usher at Martin Luther King, Jr.’s funeral. – Craig)
SAMUEL L. JACKSON WAS A STAND-IN ON THE COSBY SHOW. (Oh, from such humble beginnings… – Craig)
SAMUEL L. JACKSON IS THE HIGHEST GROSSING ACTOR OF ALL TIME. (This also surprised me. I would have guessed Tom Cruise, Stallone, Schwarzenegger or the Rock would have been ahead of SLJ. – Craig)
“Kolchak: The Night Stalker” Trivia
Let me take you back to the days when there was no cable tv, no streaming services and except for the rare local channel or two, your choices were CBS, NBC and ABC. There were no DVRs, heck there weren’t even VHS machines yet. (And stay off my lawn!)
In those days a new tv movie that you really wanted to see was a big deal. You had to make sure you were home to watch it! As a kid growing up in those times, Kolchak: The Night Stalker was one of those must-see tv movies.
The Night Stalker premiered in January 1972. I was 13 and fit the perfect demographic for a modern day vampire tale. I wasn’t the only one. When the ratings came in, it turned out that most of the viewing audience that night was watching! This led to another Kolchak tv movie and an on-going tv series.
And that brings us to Me-TV’s 11 Reasons ‘Kolchak: The Night Stalker‘ is the Coolest, Creepiest Show on 1970s Television. Sadly the post is no longer available. But here are three of my favorite trivia items from the article and a thought on each.
There was an unmade third TV movie, ‘The Night Killers.’ (I really liked the first movie and can’t remember much about the second. I’d like to see both again. – Craig)
Horror and sci-fi legend Richard Matheson wrote the two TV movies… but was skeptical of the series. (I wasn’t a fan of the tv series. The monster of the week idea just didn’t work for me at the time. I would have rather seen a series of Kolchak movies or story arcs that would involve a monster(s) for a longer period of time. – Craig)
Darren McGavin did a little bit of everything for the show. (According to the piece, McGavin assisted in every way possible to make the series work, but became frustrated and was excused from his contract early. Seems like Matheson was right that the “monster of the week” idea just wouldn’t work. – Craig)
“The Marksman” Starring Liam Neeson – The Trailer is Here!
Liam Neeson is back as The Marksman. I like the looks of this one. Check out the trailer and see if you agree.
Hardened Arizona rancher Jim Hanson (Liam Neeson) simply wants to be left alone as he fends off eviction notices and tries to make a living on an isolated stretch of borderland. But everything changes when Hanson, an ex-Marine sharpshooter, witnesses 11-year-old migrant Miguel (Jacob Perez) fleeing with his mother Rosa (Teresa Ruiz) from drug cartel assassins led by the ruthless Mauricio (Juan Pablo Raba). After being caught in a shoot-out, a dying Rosa begs Jim to take her son to safety to her family in Chicago. Defying his cop daughter Sarah (Katheryn Winnick), Jim sneaks Miguel out of the local U.S. Customs and Border Patrol station and together, they hit the road with the group of killers in pursuit. Jim and Miguel slowly begin to overcome their differences and begin to forge an unlikely friendship, while Mauricio and his fellow assassins blaze a cold-blooded trail, hot on their heels. When they finally meet on a Midwestern farm, a fight to the death ensues as Jim uses his military skills and code of honor to defend the boy he’s come to love.
The All-Time Best Gangster Movies!
Todd Gilchrist at Mental Floss posted his choices for the 20 Best Gangster Movies of All Time. I’ve seen 14 of the 20, so his list has added to my future viewing plans.
Of Gilchrist’s picks my top three would be:
1. Godfather
2. Godfather II
3. Carlito’s Way
My first two slots were easy choices (although a case could be made to reverse their order). The third slot was tougher and I also gave strong consideration to Bonnie and Clyde, The Untouchables, Goodfellas and Miller’s Crossing. It has also made me want to give Eastern Promises another viewing. The original Get Carter made Gilchrist’s list. If it had been the Stallone version, it would have made mine.
