“The Virtuoso” (2021) starring Anson Mount, Abbie Cornish & Anthony Hopkins / Z-View

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The Virtuoso (2021)

Director: Nick Stagliano

Screenplay: James C. Wolf, Nick Stagliano

Stars: Anson Mount, Abbie Cornish, Anthony Hopkins, David Morse and Richard Brake. 

Tagline: Every betrayal begins with trust.

The Plot…

To repay a debt, an assassin known as The Virtuoso (Mount) is given the time (5pm) and location (a small town diner) where he will find his target (who is also a hitman), but no other information.  When he arrives at the diner, there are several possible targets: a couple eating dinner, a lone man having a meal, the waitress and a Deputy Sheriff.

Not everyone is who they seem to be.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I thought the plot was interesting.  But truth be told, would a “virtuoso” assassin take an assignment knowing only the time and location of his target?  There are other things that his character does that brings into question his talent as a master assassin.

The Virtuoso features a first person narration that just doesn’t work.  A little of that goes a long way and there’s a lot of that.

The Virtuoso (2021) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Blacklight” starring Liam Neeson / Z-View

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Blacklight (2022)

Director: Mark Williams

Screenplay: Nick May, Mark Williams from a story by Nick May, Brandon Reavis

Stars: Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn

Tagline: They’re gonna need more men

The Plot…

Travis Block (Neeson) is a government agent who has done a lot of shady things in his past.  Now, he wants to retire to spend time with his granddaughter.  When Travis finds out that his boss is authorizing hits on citizens, Travis finds himself in the fight of his life.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I can usually make it through a Liam Neeson action film.  I tapped out of Blacklight after 44 minutes.  I’m not alone.  Blacklight currently has a 4.8 rating on IMDb.  On Rotten Tomatoes Blacklight has an 11% favorable rating.  Your mileage may vary.

REBEL MOON by V. Castro – Novelization of Zack Snyder’s “Rebel Moon” is Coming!

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It’s been years (decades?) since I bought a movie novelization.  I may have to break that streak with REBEL MOON by V. Castro.  It drops December 26, 2023.  Here’s the downlow…

Embark on an interstellar adventure like no other in V. Castro’s thrilling official novelization of Zack Snyder’s epic new film.

Zack Snyder’s epic new science fiction blockbuster Rebel Moon novelized by V. Castro, two-time Bram Stoker Award-nominated author. Experience Rebel Moon on the page in this pulse-pounding novelization.

RIP: Julian Sands

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Yesterday the remains found earlier this week were positively identified as Julian Sands.  Mr. Sands had been missing since January after hiking near Mount Baldy about 50 miles northeast of Los Angels.  Julian Sands was 65 years old.  No cause of death has been determined.

Mr. Sands worked in television, feature films as well as live theater.

Some of Julian Sand’s television appearances include: Play for Today; Chicago Hope; Jackie Chan Adventures (26 episodes); Stargate SG; Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; Law & Order: Criminal Intent; 24 (11 episodes); Smallvile (2 episodes); Dexter and Gotham (2 episodes).

Some of Julian Sand’s feature films include: Oxford Blues; The Killing Fields; A Room with a View; Warlock; Arachnophobia; Boxing Helena; Warlock: The Armageddon; Leaving Los Vegas; The Million Dollar Motel; Ocean’s 13 and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. 

My favorite Julian Sands role was as Vladimir Bierko during Season 5 of 24.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Julian Sand’s family, friends and fans.

“The Collective” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Here we have the poster and trailer for The Collective.  The poster is pretty generic, but the trailer gives hope for a better than average film.  Fingers crossed.

A group of righteous assassins called The Collective take aim at a highly sophisticated human trafficking ring backed by a network of untouchable billionaires. With their backs against the wall, The Collective has no choice but to put their most important mission in the hands of rookie assassin Sam Alexander.

Cast: Lucas Till, Ruby Rose, Mercedes Varnado, Paul Ben-Victor, Tyrese Gibson, and Don Johnson

In Theaters, On Demand and Digital: August 4, 2023

“Elysium” (2013) written/directed by Neill Blomkamp, starring Matt Damon & Jodie Foster / Z-View

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Elysium (2013)

Director: Neill Blomkamp

Screenplay: Neill Blomkamp

Stars: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga, Diego Luna, William Fichtner, Faran Tahir and Adrian Holmes.

Tagline: Rebel Against.

The Plot…

The year is 2154.  The Earth’s rich have moved to a giant orbiting space station named Elysium.  There things are great.  The air is fresh, they have the best food, even parks with trees and grass.  The advances in medical technology make it possible to cure most disease on Elysium.  On Earth it is a different story.  The population lives in poverty.  The air is tainted, the food bad.  A job, if you’re lucky to get one, pays poorly.

When Max Da Costa (Damon) is exposed to a lethal dose of radiation while at work, he is told he has five days to live and then fired.  Da Costa, with nothing to lose, joins a rebel group planning a coup on the Elysium government,

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I liked Elysium.  It is filled with a cast of great actors.  Matt Damon, the always-amazing Jodie Foster and William Fichtner are standouts.  The story isn’t bad, but perhaps writer/director Neill Blomkamp hit the nail on the head when he said,

“I feel like I executed all of the stuff that could be executed, like costume and set design and special effects very well. But, ultimately, it was all resting on a somewhat not totally formed skeletal system, so the script just wasn’t there; the story wasn’t fully there.”

If Elysium sounds like something you’d like, you probably will.  It’s not a bad way to spend a little less than two hours.

RIP: Nicolas Coster

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Nicolas Coster died yesterday at the age of 89.  Mr. Coster was an Emmy-winning (2017 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting or Guest Actor in a Digital Daytime Drama Series, The Bay) actor who appeared on television and feature films throughout his career.

Some of Nicolas Coster’s television appearances include: The Secret Storm; The Green Hornet; The Blue Knight; Charlie’s Angels; Little House on the Prairie; Baretta; The Amazing Spider-Man; The Rockford Files; One Day at a Time; Wonder Woman; The Incredible Hulk; Mrs. Columbo; Buck Rogers; Dallas (3 episodes); The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (15 episodes); Hart to Hart; Police Squad!; Quincy; Simon & Simon (3 episodes); Magnum PI; Nine to Five (3 episodes); Hardcastle & McCormick; TJ Hooker; Knight Rider; One Life to Live (5 episodes); LA Law; The Facts of Life (5 episodes); All My Children; Thirtysomething; Murder She Wrote; Who’s the Boss; Hunter; Star Trek: The Next Generation; MacGyver; Jake and the Fatman; Beverly Hills 90210; Santa Barbara (599 episodes); Law & Order (2 episodes); As the World Turns (11 episodes); Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman; 3rd Rock from the Sun; The Bay (63 episodes) and American Crime Story.

Some of Nicolas Coster’s feature films include: Titanic (1953); All the President’s Men; The Big Fix; Golden Girl; Just You and Me, Kid; The Concorde… Airport ’79;  The Electric Horseman; Stir Crazy; The Pursuit of DB Cooper and Reds.

What an amazing career Nicolas Coster had.  He was an actor that I recognized and enjoyed in so many different different productions over the years.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Nicolas Coster’s family, friends and fans.

The Price We Pay (2022) starring Emile Hirsch, Stephen Dorff & Gigi Zumbado / Z-View

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The Price We Pay (2022)

Director: Ryuhei Kitamura

Screenplay: Christopher Jolley

Stars: Emile Hirsch, Stephen Dorff, Gigi Zumbado, Vernon Wells, Tyler Sanders and Erika Ervin.

Tagline: Reap what you sow.

The Plot…

A pawn shop robbery goes sideways when Alex (Hirsch) gets gun crazy and kills the owner.  Grace (Zumbado), an innocent bystander, is forced to drive the crooks away in her car.  Although Cody (Dorff) assures Grace she’ll be released unharmed, she isn’t sure Alex feels the same.  Hours later when Grace’s car breaks down on a country road, Grace, Cody and Alex walk to the only house around.  They convince a teenager to allow them to stay in his grandfather’s barn.  Grandpa should be home soon.  What Cody and Alex don’t realize is they are no longer are the ones to be feared…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I’m a fan of the crime/horror genre. The Price We Pay has a nice set-up with an interesting cast.  Stephen Dorff is always good. The more I see of Emile Hirsch, the more I like his crazy characters. Gigi Zumbado is new to me, but I expect we’ll be seeing more feature roles in her future.  Vernon Wells is scary as the crazy Grandpa.  Erika Ervin as Jodi is even more frightening.

With all this praise so far, you may be wondering why did I only give  The Price We Pay a “2” rating.  It’s because the director goes way over the top with gore.  Of that I’m not a fan.  Some gore is okay, but I prefer the worst of it be left to the imagination.  So, if you’re a gore-hound adjust your expectations accordingly!

Samuel Fuller’s “The Big Red One” (1980) starring Lee Marvin / Z-View

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The Big Red One (1980)

Director: Samuel Fuller

Screenplay: Samuel Fuller

Stars: Lee Marvin, Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine, Bobby Di Cicco and Kelly Ward.

Tagline: The real glory of war is surviving.

The Plot…

A battle-tested Sergeant (Marvin) leads a squad into battle after battle throughout World War II.  Although new recruits are added to the team, the four soldiers with the Sarge from day one are the focus of the story.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Samuel Fuller, who wrote and directed The Big Red One, actually served in World War II in the 1st Infantry Division known as The Big Red 1.  Fuller received the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart over the course of his military career.  Many of the events that happen in the film, are from Fuller’s experiences.

Samuel Fuller’s initial cut for The Big Red One was four hours.  It and a two hour cut were both rejected.  I’d be interested in seeing a longer version.  It felt like we moved from battle to battle with little over-all meaning to the outcome of the war.  Also, the new recruits added to the unit as the film progressed were basically Star Trek red shirts.

The Big Red One (1980) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Notorious” (1946) directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant & Ingrid Bergman / Z-View

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Notorious (1946)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Screenplay: Ben Hecht

Stars: Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains and Louis Calhern.

Tagline: “The screen’s top romantic stars in a melodramatic masterpiece!

The Plot…

Alicia Huberman (Bergman) is the daughter of a convicted Nazi spy.  Although she didn’t agree with her father’s politics, she has been painted with the same brush.  Upset with her life, Alicia has taken to drinking and partying.  When she is recruited to become a spy by US Government agent, T. R. Devlin (Grant), Alicia accepts.  Her assignment is to infiltrate a group of Nazis in Rio de Janeiro with Devlin as her contact.  She must attempt to seduce Alex Sebastian (Rains), one of the top ranking Nazis.

As time passes, Devlin and Alicia fall in love.  As the demands of her seduction of Sebastian increase, so does the strain on Devlin and Alicia’s relationship.  When Sebastian asks her to marry him, Alicia must make a decision that will put her relationship with Devlin as well as her life in danger.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Grant and Bergman have great chemistry.  In the original script Bergman’s character was a call girl.  In the filmed version it is obvious that she’s a loose spirit with a liberal attitude.  Quite risqué for the time.  Grant and Bergman have an extended scene where they kiss.  At the time the Hayes Code required kisses to last no more than three seconds.  Hitchock got around this by having them barely separate to talk as they kissed.

Hitchcock knows how to work a movie.  Grant wants to stop Bergman from doing what needs to be done, but he wants her to stop of her own accord so he says/does nothing.  Bergman wants Grant to tell her not to do what needs to be done, but when he says, nothing, she thinks he doesn’t care.  They both fail to do what both want to be done…

I love the ending.

Notorious (1946) rates 5 of 5 stars.

RIP: Frederick Forrest

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Frederick Forrest died yesterday at the age of 86 after a long illness.  Mr. Forrest appeared acted in both television and feature films.  In 1972, Frederick Forrest was nominated for a Golden Globe Actor Award for New Star of the Year.  Mr. Forrest was also nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award and Golden Globe Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in The Rose.

Some of Frederick Forrest’s television appearances include: Dark Shadows; Ruby & Oswald; Mrs. Columbo; Quo Vadis? (6 episodes); The Deliberate Stranger (2 episodes); 21 Jump Street (5 episodes); Lonesome Dove (4 episodes); I Know My First Name is Steven (2 episodes); Die Kinder (6 episodes); The Young Riders (2 episodes) and Murphy Brown.

Some of Frederick Forrest’s feature films include: When Legends Die; The Conversation; The Missouri Breaks; It Lives Again; Apocalypse Now; The Rose; Hammett; Tucker: The Man and His Dream; The Two Jakes; Falling Down and All the King’s Men.

My favorite Frederick Forrest role was as Chef Hicks in Apocalypse Now.  He always appeared to me as an actor who wasn’t interested in being a star, but who cared for his craft.  What a wonderful career he had.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Frederick Forrest’s family, friends and fans.

“The End” (1978) starring Burt Reynolds & Dom DeLuise / Z-View

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The End (1978)

Director: Burt Reynolds

Screenplay: Jerry Belson

Stars: Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Dom DeLuise, Strother Martin, David Steinberg, Joanne Woodward, Norman Fell, Myrna Loy, Kristy McNichol, Pat O’Brien, Robby Benson and Carl Reiner.

Tagline: “After all, what are friends for?”

The Plot…

Sonny Lawson (Reynods) learns that he’s got a fatal blood disease.  There is no cure. He will die a slow painful death.  So Sonny decides to end his life.  But first he visits his girlfriend, family members and a priest.  When Sonny fails at his suicide attempt, he ends up in a mental institution. There Sonny befriends a fellow patient named Marlon Borunki (DeLuise).  Borunki is happy to help his new friend die… even after Sonny changes his mind and wants to live!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The End doesn’t really come alive (see what I did there?) until Dom DeLuise shows up.  There are some truly funny scenes from there on.  Most are with DeLuise and Reynolds, but Burt has a funny extended solo scene where he bargains with God to stay alive.

Reynolds plays a very unlikeable character.  If he were more likeable, the audience would want him to live.  The End features a great cast, but there are so many characters that they aren’t given much to do.  Robbie Benson as a young priest gets the most laughs (outside of Reynolds and DeLuise).  Sally Field is always a welcome addition.  I wish The End started in the mental institution with DeLuise wanting to help Reynolds by killing him. Then Reynolds learns that he’s not really dying, but DeLuise doesn’t know or care… he’s on a mission.  Give me an hour and a half of that!  But that would be another movie.

The End (1978) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Drive-Away Dolls” directed by Ethan Coen – The Trailer is Here!

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I like the trailer for Drive-Away Dolls.  It looks like a fun ride.  Deal me in!

Written by Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke, this comedy caper follows Jamie, an uninhibited free spirit bemoaning yet another breakup with a girlfriend, and her demure friend Marian who desperately needs to loosen up. In search of a fresh start, the two embark on an impromptu road trip to Tallahassee, but things quickly go awry when they cross paths with a group of inept criminals along the way. Directed by Ethan Coen.