“Vampyr” (1932) directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer / Z-View

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Vampyr (1932)

Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer

Screenplay:  Christen Jul, Carl Theodor Dreyer;  based on the story In a Glass Darkly by Sheridan Le Fanu

Stars: Julian West, Maurice Schutz, Rena Mandel, Jan Hieronimko, Sybille Schmitz and Henriette Gerard.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Allan Gray, a drifter walking through the countryside takes a room at an inn.  Late that night he is awakened from his sleep by a stranger in his room.  The man leaves a note, “To Be Opened Upon My Death” and quickly leaves.  Gray attempts to follow the man and arrives at a castle.  Looking in he sees an old woman and shadows of people although no one else is seen.  The shadows appear to move on their own.

As Gray investigates further he will find the old man shortly before the gent is murdered.  Gray opens the note which speaks of demons called vampyrs.  Gray believes that the old man’s young daughter is becoming a vampyr.  

Can she be saved?  Must she be destroyed?  Gray must decide.  The clock is ticking.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Many consider Vampyr a classic.  For whatever reason it didn’t resonate with me.  Your mileage, as always, may vary.

Although it was created when sound films had arrived, it still presents much information in title cards used in silent films.

Most of the characters in this film were not played by professional actors.

Vampyr (1932) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Apartment 7A” starring Julia Garner, Dianne Wiest & Kevin McNally – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I’ve been looking forward to the poster and trailer for Apartment 7A starring Julia Garner, Dianne Wiest and Kevin McNally.  I’m not disappointed.

Deal me in.

An ambitious young dancer Terry Gionoffrio (Julia Garner, Ozark) dreams of fame and fortune in New York City, but after suffering a devastating injury, an older, wealthy couple (Dianne Wiest, I Care a Lot, and Kevin McNally, Pirates of the Caribbean film series) welcomes her into their home in the luxury apartment building the Bramford.

When fellow resident and influential Broadway producer (Jim Sturgess, Across the Universe) offers her another chance at fame, it seems that all her dreams are finally coming true. However, after an evening she can’t fully remember, disturbing circumstances soon have her second-guessing the sacrifices she’s willing to make for her career as she realizes that something evil is living not only in Apartment 7A, but in the Bramford itself.

Additional supporting cast includes Marli Siu (Everything I Know About Love), Andrew Buchan (All the Money in the World), Rosy McEwen (Blue Jean) and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Wonka).

Apartment 7A is streaming on Paramount+ on September 27 in the U.S. and Canada, Latin America and Brazil and on September 28 in the U.K., France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Australia. Availability in additional international Paramount+ markets to come at a later date. The film will also be available for purchase on digital beginning Friday, September 27.

“Atomic Blonde” (2017) directed by David Leitch, starring Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman & Sofia Boutella / Z-View

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Atomic Blonde (2017)

Director: David Leitch

Screenplay:  Kurt Johnstad based on The Coldest City by Antony Johnston, Sam Hart

Stars: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Toby Jones, James Faulkner, Bill Skarsgård, Sam Hargrave, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Til Schweiger, Declan Hannigan and Sofia Boutella.

Tagline:  Talents can be overrated.

The Plot…

1999.  The cold war rages.  When a MI6 agent is executed and microfilm containing The List of every active secret agent is stolen, Lorraine Broughton (Theron) is sent undercover to Berlin.  Her mission is to recover The List at all costs.

Lorraine is warned that a KGB double agent only known as The Satchel is active in the area.  Immediately after arriving in Berlin, an assassination attempt on Loraine is attempted.  She barely survives. Loraine then meets her contact David Percival (McAvoy), an MI6 deep undercover agent.  As Loraine works to find The List, she encounters Delphine Lasalle (Boutella) who claims to be a French agent.

Not sure who she can trust, Lorraine must find The List before it falls into enemy hands.  Failure to do so will cost the lives of dozens of agents… including her.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

David Leitch co-directed John Wick.  He decided to do this film rather than John Wick Chapter 2.

Charlize Theron and Keanu Reeves trained together.  Reeves was getting in shape for John Wick Chapter 2.

There is a fight scene that moves up/down stairs and through several rooms that last about ten minutes.  It appears (thanks to clever editing) to be done in one continuous shot.

Charlize Theron, James McAvoy and Sofia Boutella are perfect.  The supporting cast is amazing.

David Leitch has created an action classic.

Atomic Blonde (2017) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Die Alone” starring Carrie-Anne Moss, Douglas Smith, Kimberly-Sue Murray & Frank Grillo – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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We have the poster and trailer for Die Alone starring Carrie-Anne Moss, Douglas Smith, Kimberly-Sue Murray, and Frank Grillo.

Deal me in.

Lost in a world reclaimed by nature and overrun by mysterious creatures, a young man with amnesia teams up with an eccentric survivalist to find his missing girlfriend.

Cast: Carrie-Anne Moss, Douglas Smith, Kimberly-Sue Murray, Frank Grillo

In THAEATERS, On DEMAND and On DIGITAL October 18th, 2024

“The Ghost and the Guest” (1943) / Z-View

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The Ghost and the Guest (1943)

Director: William Nigh

Screenplay:  Morey Amsterdam; original story by Milt Gross

Stars: James Dunn, Florence Rice, Anthony Caruso and Sam McDaniel.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Webster Frye (Dunn) and his bride, Jackie (Rice) plan to honeymoon in the old remote house her father bought her.  When Webster and Jackie arrive they are surprised to find Ben Bowron.  Bowron says that the famous jewel thief Honeyboy left him the house in his will.

Before you know it Honeyboy’s coffin is brought to the house.  Then a bunch of criminals show up for Honeyboy’s burial service.  They are followed by some cops and a lawyer.  If this sounds like a great mix for a fun romp, it is.  Unfortunately, the movie doesn’t live up to the potential.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Morey Amsterdam of The Dick Van Dyke Show fame wrote the screenplay.  You’d think it would be funnier.

The Ghost and the Guest (1943) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Daytime Revolution” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Here we have the poster and trailer for Daytime Revolution.

Deal me in.

For one extraordinary week beginning on February 14th, 1972, the revolution was televised. Daytime Revolution takes us back in time to the week that John Lennon and Yoko Ono descended upon a Philadelphia broadcasting studio to co-host the iconic Mike Douglas Show, at the time the most popular show on daytime television with an audience of 40 million viewers a week.

What followed was five unforgettable episodes of television, with Lennon and Ono at the helm and Douglas bravely keeping the show on track. Acting as both producers and hosts, Lennon and Ono handpicked their guests, including controversial choices like Yippie founder Jerry Rubin and Black Panther Chairman Bobby Seale, as well as political activist Ralph Nader and comic truth teller George Carlin.

Their version of daytime TV was a radical take on the traditional format, incorporating candid Q&A sessions with their transfixed audience, conversations about current issues like police violence and women’s liberation, conceptual art events, and one-of-a-kind musical performances, including a unique duet with Lennon and Chuck Berry and a poignant rendition of Lennon’s “Imagine.”

A document of the past that speaks to our turbulent present, Daytime Revolution is a time capsule reminding us of art’s power to break down barriers, and the bravery of two artists who never took the easy way out as they fought for their vision of a better world.

“Curucu, Beast of the Amazon” (1956) / Z-View

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Curucu, Beast of the Amazon (1956)

Director: Curt Siodmak

Screenplay:  Curt Siodmak

Stars: John Bromfield, Beverly Garland, Larri Thomas, Ray Barlow, Sue Bernard, Stuart Lancaster, John Furlong (voice) and Paul Trinka.

Tagline: Actually filmed in the Amazon Jungle in spectacular Eastman Color!

The Plot…

Rock Dean (Bromfield) and Dr. Andrea Romar (Garland) are on an expedition deep into the jungles of the Amazon.  Dean hopes to discover a legendary beast.  Dr. Romar wants to get samples of a drug used by natives to shrink heads.  She believes the drug could be used to reduce cancerous tissue.

As Dean and Dr. Romar venture into areas never seen by white men, they must be prepared for wild animals, head hunters and Curucu, Beast of the Amazon.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Curt Siodmak who wrote and directed Curucu, Beast of the Amazon was a novelist (DONOVAN’S BRAIN; THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS; FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN); screenwriter (The Wolfman; Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman; Tarzan’s Magic Fountain) and director (Bride of the Gorilla; Love Slaves of the Amazon; The Magnetic Monster).

Curucu, Beast of the Amazon was shot on location in the Amazon River in Brazil.  Siodmak shot so much footage that he couldn’t use, he brought back some of the actors.  He created a new screenplay, Love Slaves of the Amazons and used the leftover footage in the new film.

Curucu, Beast of the Amazon uses quite a bit of what feels like stock footage of wild animals.  Except for the final shot, the movie is very run of the mill.

Curucu, Beast of the Amazon (1956) rates 1 of 5 stars.

“Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” (1966) directed by Russ Meyer, starring Tura Satana, Haji, Lori Williams & Sue Bernard / Z-View

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Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1966)

Director: Russ Meyer

Screenplay: Jack Moran; story by Russ Meyer

Stars: Tura Satana, Haji, Lori Williams, Ray Barlow, Sue Bernard, Stuart Lancaster, John Furlong (voice) and Paul Trinka.

Tagline: Go-Go for a Wild Ride with the ACTION GIRLS!

The Plot…

Varla, Rosie, and Billie are three young, wild women living on the edge.  When they’re not working as go-go dancers, they’re on the prowl for thrills.  They race cars… flirt… fight… tease or whatever strikes their mood.

After a desert race goes bad, they kidnap a teenage girl.  Then they hear about a rich old man living alone in a remote house.

The best laid plans…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Although Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! is a low budget exploitation flick that made only a modest profit on its initial release, over the years it has become a cult classic.

The movie feels like it is set in an alternate universe.  Filming it in black and white enhances this.

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1966) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“The Creature from the Black Lagoon” by Greg Luzniak!

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Greg Luzniak created this cool Creature from the Black Lagoon painting.

I’ve been a fan of The Creature from the Black Lagoon since I first saw the movie when I was a young boy.  While the sequels, books, and comics never lived up to the bar set by the original film, legions of fans have continued to show support and love for The Creature.  Now that James Wan is set to helm a new Creature from the Black Lagoon movie, fans are excited again.

“Lone Star” (1996) written & directed by John Sayles, starring Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Kris Kristofferson & Matthew McConaughey / Z-View

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Lone Star (1996)

Director: John Sayles

Screenplay: John Sayles

Stars: Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Stephen Mendillo, Stephen J. Lang, Oni Faida Lampley, Joe Stevens, Richard Coca, Clifton James, Tony Frank, Miriam Colon, Kris Kristofferson, Joe Morton, LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Matthew McConaughey .

Tagline: John Sayles invites you to return to the scene of the crime.

The Plot…

Sam Deeds (Cooper) is Sheriff of Frontera, Texas, a small border town.  When a skeleton, a Masonic ring and Sheriff’s badge are found in a shallow grave just outside of town, Deeds opens an investigation.  The remains appear to be those of Charlie Wade.

Wade was the infamously corrupt Sheriff of Frontera twenty years ago.  Sheriff Wade vanished under mysterious circumstances. At the same time $10,000 of county funds was missing.  To add to the puzzle, Wade’s disappearance happened after a public argument with one of his deputies.  That deputy was Buddy Deeds (McConaughey), Sam’s father.  During the argument each man threatened to kill the other.  Many thought Buddy made good on his promise.  That didn’t stop Buddy from becoming the new Sheriff.

But that was years ago.  Although Buddy is dead, his legend lives on.  And now his son,  Sheriff Sam Deeds is determined to discover the truth.

No one could have predicted the lies and deceptions about to surface.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Lone Star was nominated for one Academy Award…

  • nominee Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen – John Sayles

Kudos to John Sayles who wrote, directed, and assembled an all-star cast to create an interesting mystery with heart.  I loved Sayles’ inventive transitions from present to past done without a cut.

I also get a kick out of the fact that the movie appears to be about solving the mystery of who was in the shallow grave and who killed him.  But neither of those hold the answers to the biggest secrets that will be revealed.

Lone Star (1946) rates 4 of 5 stars.