“The Searchers” (1956) directed by John Ford, starring John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter & Natalie Wood / Z-View

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The Searchers (1956)

Director: John Ford

Screenplay: Frank S. Nugent; based on THE SEARCHERS by Alan Le May

Stars: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond, Natalie Wood, John Qualen, Olive Carey, Henry Brandon, Ken Curtis, Harry Carey Jr., Antonio Moreno, Hank Worden, Patrick Wayne  and Lana Wood.

Tagline: He had to find her… he had to find her…

The Plot…

1868.  The Comanches are on the warpath.  They’ve been attacking homesteads along the frontier.  One of the farms belonged to the Edwards’ family.  The Comanches killed everyone except little Debbie. They kidnapped Debbie to raise as part of their tribe.

Ethan Edwards (Wayne) is Debbie’s uncle.  He’s a former Civil War soldier who hates Indians. (Ethan’s mother was killed by Comanches years earlier.) Ethan learns that his brother’s family was wiped out.  He forms a posse to rescue Debbie.  They trail the Comanches into the badlands.  As time drags on and they move farther into the frontier, some posse members give up.

Refusing to quit, Ethan and Martin Pawley (Hunter) press on.  Martin stays because the Edwards’ family adopted him when he was young.  He wants to bring Debbie safely home.  Ethan plans to kill Debbie.  He cannot stand the thought that she’s now a squaw.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Searchers was John Wayne’s favorite of all the movies he made.  Ethan Edwards was also his favorite of all the characters he ever played.  Wayne even named his youngest son Ethan.

The Mose Harper (Worden) character comes off as half-crazy,  Surprisingly the character is based on a real Indian fighter known as Mad Mose.  And yes, he loved rocking chairs.

Reportedly Buddy Holly’s song “That’ll Be The Day” was inspired by John Wayne’s repeated use in The Searchers.

Natalie Wood’s character when she was small was played by her younger sister, Lana.

The Searchers was in the first group of 25 movies chosen for preservation in The National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

The Searchers has it all.  Adventure, humor, suspense, action and even romance.  It is rightfully considered a classic.

The Searchers (1956) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Day of the Fight” written & directed by Jack Huston, starring Michael C. Pitt, Nicolette Robinson, Ron Perlman, Joe Pesci, John Magaro, Steve Buscemi, and Anatol Yusef – The Trailer is Here!

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Day of the Fight was written and directed by Jack Huston in his first outing as a director.  It stars Michael C. Pitt, Nicolette Robinson, Ron Perlman, Joe Pesci, John Magaro, Steve Buscemi, and Anatol Yusef.

The film follows a once famous boxer as he prepares for his first fight (and contemplates his life) after his release from prison.

Deal me in.

Source: FirstShowing.

“Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told” (2024) / Z-View

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Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told (2024)

Director: P. Frank Williams

Stars: André 3000, The Notorious B.I.G., Big Boi, CeeLo Green.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

How a small black college picnic grew and grew to become an annual event known as Freaknik.  The event started out as a get-together for college students who didn’t have the resources to return home for Spring Break.

Each year the event grew bigger.  It began to attract out-of-towners from all over the country.  Many were not college students.  The event became so large it shut down the city.  Drugs, sex and sexual assaults turned the powers that be against the event.

This is the story of the rise and fall of Freaknik.

Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told (2024) rates 3 of 5 stars.

EERIE Archives Volume 8 featuring Ernie Colón, Mike Ploog, and Dave Cockrum, as well as fan-favorite Eerie creators Doug Moench, Don Glut, Tom Sutton, Sanjulian, Esteban Maroto, and Steve Skeates!

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EERIE Archives Volume 8 will be released on October 22, 2024.  This bad boy will clock in at 312 pages! Here’s what we get…

The first name in sci-fi, fantasy, and horror continues its spectacular run, now in an affordably priced, oversized paperback! Warren Publishing’s outlet for everything fantastic, sinister and otherworldly travels into the early ‘70s at light speed!

Eerie Archives Volume 8 collects issues #37-#41 of the original Eerie magazine series. This excursion features the work of comic book luminaries Ernie Colón, Mike Ploog, and Dave Cockrum, as well as fan-favorite Eerie creators Doug Moench, Don Glut, Tom Sutton, Sanjulian, Esteban Maroto, and Steve Skeates.

Collects Eerie magazine #37–#41.

  Deal me in.  Pre-Orders are available now.

“Shadows Over Chinatown” (1946) starring Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland & Jimmy Yung / Z-View

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Shadows Over Chinatown (1946)

Director: Terry O. Morse

Screenplay: Raymond L. Schrock; based characters created by Earl Derr Biggers

Stars: Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland, Victor Sen Yung, John Gallaudet, Paul Bryar, Mary Gordon, Mira McKinney and Franke Fontaine.

Tagline: Chan follows the trail of a blood-chilling wave of torso slayings!

The Plot…

Charlie Chan (Toler) has been called to San Francisco to investigate a series of murders.  On the way, someone takes a shot a him. Chan is not deterred, but even agrees to help a couple looking for a missing woman.  They’re worried that she has become a victim of the serial killings.

Now that Chan, his number two son, Jimmy (Yung) and faithful assistant Birmingham Brown (Moreland) are on the case, things are about to heat up.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Because Sidney Toler had terminal cancer, but wanted to continue the series, his character is often seated.  Also Mantan Moreland and  Victor Sen Yung were given more to do.

Frankie Fontaine has an uncredited cameo doing his bit as a drunk.  I recognized him from his appearances as Crazy Guggenheim on The Jackie Gleason Show.

Shadows Over Chinatown (1946) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Megaloplis” – The Poster and Deleted Trailer!

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The poster and trailer for Megalopolis are here.  The trailer makes an interesting direction for it’s start.

Lionsgate Deletes Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis Trailer After Unexpected Controversy

Read More: https://www.slashfilm.com/1648225/francis-ford-coppola-megalopolis-trailer-controversy-explained/

MEGALOPOLIS – in theaters & IMAX September 27, 2024. Starring Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Kathryn Hunter, and Dustin Hoffman.

MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKESTEIN STARRING BORIS KARLOFF adapted by Kerry Gammill and El Garing is Coming!

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MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKESTEIN STARRING BORIS KARLOFF adapted by Kerry Gammill and El Garing is coming on October 22, 2024.

Horror fans will want to check this out…

Mary Shelley’s iconic masterpiece is brought to life with the definitive on-screen Frankenstein, Boris Karloff, in this stunning new graphic novel!

Decades before the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Jules Verne, and H.G. Wells, 18-year-old Mary Shelley wrote what many regard as the first work of science fiction when she penned FRANKENSTEIN: or, the MODERN PROMETHEUS, which was published in 1818.

Over one hundred years later, in 1931, a hard-working but relatively unknown actor named Boris Karloff was cast to play Frankenstein’s monster in James Whale’s now classic movie adaptation. The film made Karloff a star and solidified Frankenstein’s monster as an icon of the silver screen.

In 2024, Legendary Comics is proud to bring Shelley and Karloff together for the first time in a faithful adaptation of the novel starring the iconic actor in the lead role of the fully reimagined monster. In partnership with Sara Karloff of Karloff Enterprises, and featuring the artistic talents of Kerry Gammill and El Garing, the team behind the award-winning BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA STARRING BELA LUGOSI, this new graphic novel is certain to delight and terrify old and new fans alike.

CURTAIN CALL by Lupano Wilfrid & Rodolphe Guenoden / Z-View

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CURTAIN CALL by Lupano Wilfrid (writer) and Rodolphe Guenoden (artist)

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Vinent and Gaby Rocket are unlikely partners in crime.  At least they plan to be.  Their get rich scheme is to knock over an armored truck.  The thing is neither of them are criminals.  The only reason they’d dare such an outrageous crime is they need the money.

Gaby needs the cash to get off the booze and finally live a better life.  Vincent plans to use his cut to return to Senegal, the home of his true love and their baby that he’s never seen.  Vincent also wants to give a share of the loot to armored truck’s driver.  The guy isn’t in on the robbery.  He’s just a down on his luck schmo that Vincent feels sorry for.  Gaby’s not sure he’s okay with that.

Despite the best laid plans, things go sideways in ways no once could imagine.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Lupano Wilfrid and Rodolphe Guenoden have created an unconventional crime story.  The characters are flawed and their motivations are real.  The twists are not those expected in a crime story, but are believable thanks to the set-up of Wilfrid’s story.  Guenoden’s art is on the mark.  I love how he has just the right touch of cartoony-ness.

CURTAIN CALL by Lupano Wilfrid (writer) and Rodolphe Guenoden (artist) rates 4 of 5 stars.

Rating:

“Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos – The poster and trailer are here.

Deal me in.  Badda-bing!

The man behind the cultural phenomenon.

In Wise Guy David Chase and The Sopranos, a new 2-part HBO Original Documentary, #TheSopranos creator offers a unique look into his work on the iconic series. #WiseGuyHBO premieres September 7 at 8 pm ET on ‪@StreamOnMax‬.

“Damaged” starring Samuel L. Jackson and Vincent Cassel – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Here are the poster and trailer for Damaged starring Samuel L. Jackson and Vincent Cassel.

How do you catch a brilliant monster? When a sadistic murderer surfaces in Scotland, terrified local authorities call on a Chicago police detective who investigated a killing spree with the same horrific pattern five years earlier. Samuel L. Jackson and Vincent Cassel star in this shocking thriller about two detectives with tortured pasts trying to stop a merciless serial killer before he claims his next victim.

“Long Gone Heroes” starring Frank Grillo & Andy Garcia – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster and trailer for Long Gone Heroes starring Frank Grillo with Andy Garcia is here.

Gunner, a special forces soldier who has witnessed the darkest side of country and combat, is forced back into the field of battle to save his niece, who is being held in South America. As the fight intensifies, Gunner and his team discover that her disappearance is part of a corrupt private operation that hits way too close to home. Acclaimed actors Andy Garcia, Melissa Leo, Josh Hutcherson and Frank Grillo star in a non-stop action thriller that will leave you breathless.

Long Gone Heroes – Watch the trailer now! In Select Theaters, on Digital, and On Demand September 20. Starring Frank Grillo, Josh Hutcherson, Eden Brolin, Mekhi Phifer, Melissa Leo, and Andy García.

“Open Range” (2003) directed by Kevin Costner, starring Robert Duvall & Kevin Costner / Z-View

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Open Range (2003)

Director: Kevin Costner

Screenplay: Craig Storper; based on THE OPEN RANGE MEN by Lauran Paine

Stars: Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner, Diego Luna, Abraham Benrubi, Annette Bening, Michael Gambon, Michael Jeter, James Russo, Peter MacNeill, Cliff Saunders, Julian Richings, Ian Tracey, Diego Diablo Del Mar and Kim Coates.

Tagline: No place to run. No reason to hide.

The Plot…

“Boss” Spearman (Duvall) and Charley Waite (Costner) are cattlemen driving their herd across country.  Along with them are Mose and Button, two young hired hands.  They decide to bed down for a few nights.  Mose is sent into a nearby town for supplies.

When Mose doesn’t return, Boss and Charley ride into town.  They find Mose in jail and badly beaten.  It turns out that rancher Denton Baxter (Gambon) doesn’t tolerate cattlemen crossing his land.  Baxter has the Sheriff on his payroll and the town afraid to do anything.  Baxter and the Sheriff release Mose with the warning to Boss and Charlie to be gone by nightfall.

That ain’t going to happen.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Kevin Costner got the project going, starred in and directed it.  Touchstone gave him top billing until he requested that Robert Duvall be credited first.

Open Range is just about perfect.  Great story, cast, acting, and direction.  Robert Duvall is a national treasure.  I rank Open Range higher than Dances with Wolves.  It’s that good.

Open Range (2003) rates 5 of 5 stars.