“Extraction 2” directed by Sam Hargrave, starring Chris Hemsworth / Z-View

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Extraction 2 (2023)

Director: Sam Hargrave

Screenplay: Joe Russo based on Ciudad by Ande Parks, Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Fernando León González

Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Golshifteh Farahani, Adam Bessa, Idris Elba and Daniel Bernhardt.

Tagline:  Prepare for the ride of your life.

The Plot…

Tyler Rake barely survived his last mission.  For nine months he’s been in physical therapy.  When Rake learns that his ex-wife’s sister Ketevan and her two children are being held in foreign prison, he is determined to break them out.  Ketevan’s husband, Davit Radiani, is a high ranking member of the Nagazi, one of the most powerful crime syndicates in the country.   If Rake can break into the prison and get them out, the Nagazi will go to the ends of the earth to kill Rake and bring them back.

Cue the action!!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Sam Hargrave (director), Joe Russo (writer) and Chris Hemsworth (star) return from the original.  There is talk of them reteaming for a third Extraction film. Fingers crossed.

Although Extraction 2 doesn’t start as quickly with action as the original, there is a “one take” action sequence that runs over 20 minutes in the first act.  Once the action starts, it doesn’t let up.

The extended prison break scene is getting a lot of positive buzz (and rightly so), but my favorite scene is a fight that takes place on the glass overhang of a skyscraper.

I would love to see a third Extraction film.

Extraction 2 (2023) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein” – The Trailer is Here!

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Wow!  Original recordings of Ed Gein interviews.  Deal me in.

Psycho: The Lost Tapes of Ed Gein premieres September 17th, 2023- only on MGM+

This MGM+ original docuseries follows the horrifying grave robber and serial killer Ed Gein whose crimes inspired such iconic films as Psycho and The Silence of the Lambs. With new reveals and never-before-heard recordings, viewers will be transported to late-1950s Middle America and submerged in Gein’s perverse mind. The series explores Gein’s upbringing and twisted relationship with his mother, his early grave robbing and murders, and the police’s discovery of his terrifying house of horrors.

“Rebel Moon” – The Official Teaser Trailer is Here!

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A new universe awaits on Netflix, starting December 22. From Zack Snyder, the filmmaker behind 300, Man of Steel, and Army of the Dead, comes REBEL MOON, an epic science-fantasy event decades in the making. When a peaceful colony on the edge of a galaxy finds itself threatened by the armies of a tyrannical ruling force, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a mysterious stranger living among the villagers, becomes their best hope for survival. Tasked with finding trained fighters who will unite with her in making an impossible stand against the Mother World, Kora assembles a small band of warriors — outsiders, insurgents, peasants and orphans of war from different worlds who share a common need for redemption and revenge. As the shadow of an entire Realm bears down on the unlikeliest of moons, a battle over the fate of a galaxy is waged, and in the process, a new army of heroes is formed.

RICAHRD STARK’S PARKER THE COMPETE COLLECTION by Dawyn Cooke

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Richard Stark’s Parker The Complete Collection by Dawyn Cooke gets my highest rating.  If you’re a fan of great crime fiction, then this is for you!

The groundbreaking and multiple award-winning graphic novels by Darwyn Cooke, collected in their entirety for the first time in one softcover volume.

Collecting the four Parker graphic novels (The Hunter, The Outfit, The Score, and Slayground) as well as two shorts (The Man with the Getaway Face and The Seventh). These stories encompass all Darwyn Cooke’s sequential stories of Parker.

“The Family Stallone”: Season 1 (2023) / Z-View

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The Family Stallone: Season 1 (2023)

Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Jennifer Flavin-Stallone, Sophia Rose Stallone, Sistine Rose Stallone, Scarlet Rose Stallone, Frank Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren, Vincent Piazza and Al Pacino.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

The Family Stallone gives us a peek at the life of, you guessed it, the Stallone family: Sly, Jennifer, Sophia, Sistine and Scarlet.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Season 1 feature eight episodes…

S1.E1 ∙ Meet the Stallones: We get a peak behind the scenes on Tulsa King.  The girls pull a prank on Sly that looks to set him off!

S1.E2 ∙ The Currency of Time: Sly realizes the clock is ticking and nothing is more valuable than time and how you spend it.  The girls visit Uncle Frank’s house.  Any time Frank is on, expect great tv.  I’d love a tour of his house since it contains so much memorabilia.  A reality show with Frank would be out of control.

S1.E3 ∙ Leaving the Nest: The focus is on Scarlet (who is heading off to college) and Jennifer who is suffering from empty nest syndrome.

S1.E4 ∙ The Show must Go On: Scarlet and her boyfriend break up and the girls worry how she’ll take it.  Sly heads to Atlantic City with Frank who will be performing.  Right before showtime, Frank gets unexplained nose bleeds.  (I wish we got more of Sly & Frank in Atlantic City.)

S1.E5 ∙ Unwaxed and Unfiltered: Scarlet and Sly head to Oklahoma for their roles in Tulsa King. I love the behind-the-scenes stuff for the series.  Frank, who admits he’s never watched Sistine & Sophia’s Unwaxed podcast, wants to be featured on an episode.  The girls have some concerns. They don’t know what Frank may say and they don’t want any blowback.  Sly encourages them to have Frank on since he’s family.

S1.E6 ∙ The Stallones Go West: Sophia was born with a hole in her heart and it’s time for her annual check-up. The reality is there are some things that fame and fortune can’t control.

S1.E7 ∙ Green Light Fight: Sophia is working on a novel.  Sistine sells her first script for a horror movie.  Sister drama ensues.

S1.E8 ∙ Philadelphia Story: Sly wants a family trip to Philadelphia, but Scarlet has just started college and doesn’t want to leave for the weekend.

I’m not a fan of most reality shows.  Truth be told if this wasn’t about Sly and his family, my interest level wouldn’t be near as high.  It’s cool to see Sly hanging out for pizza with Al Pacino and Dolph Lundgren, visiting Arnold’s office, Sly’s office and the Stallone house.  The affection that the Stallone’s have for each other is evident.

Bring on Season 2!

The Family Stallone: Season 1 (2023) earns 5 of 5 stars.

The Top 10 Best Action Adventure Movies!

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Josh Keslinger at CBR came up with a list of The Top 50 Greatest Action Adventure Movies.  I decided to play along and using just his list of 50, came up with my top ten.  Below you can see my top ten compared to his, as well as some movies that didn’t make his top 50 that would have made mine.

The Top 10 Best Action Adventure Movies

Keslinger

Zablo

10. Terminator 2: Judgment Day

09. Raiders of the Lost Ark

08. Police Story

07. The Dark Knight

06. The Matrix

05. Leon: The Professional

04. Aliens

03. Gladiator

02. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

01. Die Hard

10. Terminator – Arnold was originally going to be Reese and O.J. Simpson the Terminator!

09. Highlander – There can be only one. All the sequels fell short.

08. Predator – THAT Predator design was so unique!

07. Mad Max: Fury Road – Took “car” movies to a new level.

06. Terminator 2: Judgment Day – A rare sequel that improves on the original.

05. Last of the Mohicans – A movie I can watch anytime.

04. John Wick – Took Keanu Reeves to the next level of stardom and kickstarted a franchise.

03. Aliens – James Cameron did it again. He made a sequel that improved on the original.

02. Enter the Dragon – Bruce Lee’s finest film and the best martial arts movie, by far, of it’s time… or ever.

01. Die Hard – Gets better with every viewing. Spawned a ton of “knock offs”.

Movies That Didn’t Make Keslinger’s Top 50 That Would Have Made Mine Include:
Rambo (2008); World War Z; The Army of the Dead; Extraction; Apocalypto

“Shane” (1953) directed by George Stevens, starring Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur & Van Heflin / Z-View

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Shane (1953)

Director: George Stevens

Screenplay: A. B. Guthrie Jr., Jack Sher based on  Shane by Jack Schaefer

Stars: Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon De Wilde, Jack Palance, Ben Johnson, Edgar Buchanan,
Elisha Cook Jr., Douglas Spencer, John Dierkes, Ellen Corby, Edith Evanson and Leonard Strong.

Tagline:  There never was a man like SHANE. There never was a motion picture like SHANE.

The Plot…

Shane (Ladd), a gunfighter hoping to escape his past, befriends Joe Starrett (Heflin), his wife Marian (Arthur) and their young son Joey (De Wilde) when he stops for water at their small farm.  When Joe invites Shane to stay on, Shane sees the possibility of a quieter life.  But when Rufus Ryker’s men show up trying to run Starrett off, Shane knows that his gunfighter days aren’t over.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Shane was nominated for six Academy Awards: Best Picture; Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Palance); Best Actor in a Supporting Role (De Wilde); Best Director; Best Writing Screenplay; and won for Best Cinematography, Color (Loyal Griggs).

Shane is a classic western.  Everything came together to make it so.  George Stevens’ direction, coupled with a first rate story, and top notch cast make for a film deserving the accolades and love it’s received.

Shane is Alan Ladd’s best film and it reinvigorated his career.  It is Jean Arthur’s final feature film.  She came out of retirement to make it as a favor to director George Stevens.

Shane (1953) rates 5 of 5 stars.

The Greatest TV Shows of All Time…

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Katie Doll at CBR came up with her list of The 10 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.  Before you click over to read her thoughts on each, here are how I’d rank her choices, my thoughts and some shows that would have made my list that didn’t make hers.

The 10 Greatest TV Shows of All Time

Doll

Zablo

10. Mad Men (2007-2015)

09. Succession (2018-2023)

08. Lost (2004-2010)

07. Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

06. Seinfeld (1989-1998)

05. The Simpsons (1989-present)

04. The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)

03. The Wire (2002-2008)

02. Breaking Bad (2008-2013)

01. The Sopranos (1999-2007)

* Mad Men (2007-2015) // Succession (2018-2023) // The Wire (2002 –
2008) // The Simpsons (1989-present) – Never Seen

06. Lost (2004-2010) – Watched every episode. Thought it went off
the rails towards the end.

05. The Sopranos (1999-2007) – Watched every episode. Great show!

04. Game of Thrones (2011-2019) – Watched every episode. Loved it!

03. Breaking Bad (2008-2013) – Watched every episode. Loved it!

02. Seinfeld (1989-1998) – Watched & rewatched. Loved it!

01. The Twilight Zone (1959-1964) – Often imitated, never duplicated!

Shows I would have included: Justified; The Wild, Wild West; The Passage; The Strain; The Shield; Columbo.The English, 1883; Tulsa King

“While the City Sleeps” (1956) directed by Fritz Lang, starring Dana Andrews & Rhonda Fleming / Z-View

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While the City Sleeps (1956)

Director: Fritz Lang

Screenplay: Casey Robinson based on The Bloody Spur by Charles Einstein

Stars: Dana Andrews, Rhonda Fleming, George Sanders, Howard Duff, Thomas Mitchell, Vincent Price, Sally Forrest, John Drew Barrymore, Ida Lupino, Robert Warwick, Mae Marsh, Larry J. Blake and Celia Lovsky.

Tagline:  Sensational LIPSTICK Murderer

The Plot…

The Lipstick Killer has the city on edge.  He continues to murder women and leave taunting messages.  The killings are coming with greater frequency. The news media is having a field day.

Amos Kyne (Warwick) died leaving his son, Walter (Price) in charge of the Kyne News Media conglomerate (newspaper, television, wire service).  Walter has little business sense. He decides his best bet is to create an Executive Director to run the corporation.  Walter offers the job to his top reporter/television commentator, Edward Mobley (Andrews).  Mobley turns him down flat.

Walter then tells the head of each arm of the conglomerate that whoever breaks the story of the capture of The Lipstick Killer will become the new Executive Director of Kyne News Media.  All three men want the job and are willing to go to great lengths to get it.  Although Mobley doesn’t want the position, he agrees to help his friend get it. Mobley goes on live tv and taunts the killer.  This puts Mobley and his fiancé in the killer’s path.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Vincent Price is perfectly cast as the smarmy son placed in charge of a business that he has no idea how to run.

There’s a lot of romance drama at the expense of serial killer drama.

There was a real serial killer dubbed The Lipstick Killer a decade prior to the release of While the City Sleeps!

While the City Sleeps (1956) rates 3 of 5 stars.