“Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man” (1951) / Z-View

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Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951)

Director:  Charles Lamont

Screenplay:  Robert Lees, Frederic I. Rinaldo, John Grant from a story by Hugh Wedlock Jr., Howard Snyder based on 1897 novel The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells

Stars: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Arthur Franz, Sheldon Leonard, William Frawley, Sam Balter, John Daheim and Milt Bronson

Tagline: You’ll shiver… You’ll shudder… You’ll shout with laughter!

The Plot…

Bud (Abbott) and Lou (Costello) are setting up shop after graduating from Private Detective school.  In comes middleweight prize fighter Tommy Nelson (Franz).  He’s on the lam.  Nelson escaped jail after being accused of killing his manager.  Nelson wants Bud and Lou to convince his fiancée’s scientist uncle to inject him with a formula to make him invisible.  Nelson thinks this will get him into places where he can find the true killers!

Bud and Lou reluctantly agree.  Soon they’re in over their heads. The cops and the crooks are after them.  If they don’t find the real killer, they may end up next to Nelson’s manager in the morgue!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Laughs come from Bud not knowing when the Invisible Man is in the room and Lou being mistaken for a prizefighter with a punch so fast you can’t see it!  Of course you can’t see the punch when it’s thrown by the invisible man.  The funniest scenes involve Lou in a boxing match with the invisible man doing the heavy lifting, er, punching.  This isn’t Bud and Lou’s best, but is still fun.

Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951) earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Yes, We Have No Bonanza” (1939) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Yes, We Have No Bonanza (1939)

Director:  Del Lord

Screenplay:  Searle Kramer, Elwood Ullman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Dick Curtis and Vernon Dent

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

The boys are singing waiters in a saloon run by a crook in the wild west.  In order to get out of debt and married, the boys decide to try prospecting.  Surprisingly they decide to dig in the exact same spot their boss hid bank robbery loot!  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Filming on this one began with no specific title in mind.  When Curly adlibbed, “Yes, we have no bonanza” (a wordplay on  the song, “Yes, We Have No Bananas”) the title was born!

Yes, We Have No Bonanza earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Disquiet” starring Jonathan Rhys Myers – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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It took me a second to see the creature’s shadow behind Jonathan Rhys Myers in the poster.  Well played.  The trailer is interesting as well.  I just hope that Disquiet doesn’t turn out to be one of those it was all in his head movies.

Available on Digital and on Demand February 10

Jonathan Rhys Meyers stars in the terrifying, edge-of-your-seat thriller. After a near-fatal car accident, Sam (Meyers) wakes to discover he is trapped in an abandoned hospital by mysterious and sinister forces that have no intention of letting him leave…

Featuring: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Rachelle Goulding, Elyse Levesque, Lochlyn Munro, Garry Chalk, Trezzo Mahoro, Anita Brown, Bradley Stryker

BELOW THE LINE by Steven Jankowski

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Anthony Neil Smith posted The Independent Fiction Alliance’s choices for the best books of 2022 published by small independent presses or independent writers.

Below The Line by Steven Jankowski is one of them.  Here’s the lowdown…

In between gigs as a Hollywood movie Teamster, self-proclaimed sailing bum Mike Millek moonlights as a freelance, armed chauffeur to the stars. When Mike arrives one night to pick up his deadbeat client, rap music producer Pays Lee, at his private jet Mike finds him freshly murdered with a satchel full of cash. Mike makes the critical decision to take what is owed him before reporting anything to the police.

More money than he ever expected, this turns out to be Mike’s biggest payday in his life, but not without consequences. Opening this Pandora’s box not only costs him his best friend’s life and leads him down a road of deception with his newly found love Molly, but thrusts them both into a dangerous conspiracy entrenched in the sordid underbelly of the Hollywood power elite.

Primal: Season 1 (2019 – 2020) / Z-View

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Primal: Season 1 (2019 – 2020)

Written and storyboarded by: Genndy Tartakovsky (episodes 1-2, 9); David Krentz (episodes 3, 7, 10); Don Shank & Genndy Tartakovsky (episode 4); Bryan Andrews & Genndy Tartakovsky (episode 5); Bryan Andrews (episode 6); Nagisa Koyama & Genndy Tartakovsky (episode 8);

Story: Genndy Tartakovsky (episodes 1);  Darrick Bachman & Genndy Tartakovsky (episode 2, 9); Bryan Andrews, Darrick Bachman, David Krentz & Genndy Tartakovsky (episodes 3, 7, 10); Bryan Andrews, Darrick Bachman & Genndy Tartakovsky (episodes 4-6, 8);

Stars: Aaron LaPlante, Laëtitia Eïdo, Fred Tatasciore, Imari Williams

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

A caveman who saw his family devoured by a pack of Tyrannosaurs, develops a friendship with a dinosaur who survived an attack by the same T-Rex pack.  Together Spear and Fang (as we come to know them) travel through a primordial world working together to survive.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I was late to the Primal party.  Yeah, I’d heard how awesome Primal was.  But, come on.  A cartoon about a caveman and a dinosaur who are friends?  “Maybe if I was seven,” I thought.  Finally, I gave it a chance.  I should have checked out Primal sooner.

Yes, it is about a caveman and a dinosaur who become best friends.  But this ain’t no kiddie cartoon.  There is no spoken dialogue.  There is plenty of cartoon violence.  The violence has “real” repercussions.  People and animals die.  And you will find yourself caring more about the cartoon characters in this world than in most movies or television shows.

Hats off to Genndy Tartakovsky.  Primal contains stories with heart that are beautifully animated.  Each episode is a standalone tale, but builds to tell a bigger story.  Season 1 ends with a cliffhanger and I cannot wait to get to Season 2.

Primal won three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation: Stephen DeStefano (character designer) (for “A Cold Death”); Genndy Tartakovsky (storyboard artist) (for “Spear and Fang”); and Scott Wills (art director) (for “Spear and Fang”).

Primal: Season 1 (2019 – 2020) earns 5 of 5 stars.

“Woman Haters” (1934) starring The Three Stooges & Marjorie White / Z-View

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Woman Haters (1934)

Director:  Archie Gottler

Screenplay:  Jerome S. Gottler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Marjorie White, Walter Brennan, Bud Jamison, Tiny Sandford and Fred ‘Snowflake’ Toones

Tagline: Music! Laughter! Girls!

The Plot…

Tom (Moe), Jim (Larry) and Jack (Curly) are traveling salesmen  and members of the Woman Hater’s Club.  They vow to never get romantically involved with a woman.  Not long after, Jim falls in love with Mary (White).  On a train to their honeymoon Jim and Mary run into Tom and Jack.  Jim tries to play it off, like he’s not married, but Mary is on to him.  Mary decides to get Jim jealous by flirting with Tom and Jack.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Woman Haters is the first Three Stooges Short.  They weren’t even called Stooges yet.  Curly was billed as Jerry Howard.  It is one of the rare Stooges shorts where the boys’ characters don’t go by their Stooge names.

Marjorie White had top billing during Woman Haters original release.  Sadly it was White’s last film as she was killed in an automobile accident the following year.

Woman Haters wasn’t originally considered a Three Stooges film.  It was actually part of Columbia’s “Musical Novelty” series where all dialogue is spoken in rhyme with musical accompaniment.  Woman Haters wasn’t a favorite of Larry, Curly or Moe.

Look for Walter Brennan playing the train’s conductor.

Woman Haters earns 3 of 5 stars.

MIDNIGHT DRIVE by Kenneth Price

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Anthony Neil Smith posted The Independent Fiction Alliance’s choices for the best books of 2022 published by small independent presses or independent writers.  This is one of them…

Midnight Drive by Kenneth Price is the first novel in the Logan Claybourne series.  Here’ the lowdown…

Kenny Prince enjoyed the finer things in life – namely cocaine, strippers, and a 1976 Corvette Stingray. But Kenny wound up dead on his couch with two bullet holes in him and a QR code slapped onto the wall above his body. So now it’s up to Logan Claybourne to find who did it. Not that Logan gives a rat’s ass. He’s not a detective. He’s a repo man. And if he wants money to fund his unhinged gambling addiction, he’s going to have to find the Stingray before the police do. The mystery will take him around the cold and unforgiving streets of Edmonton, Canada’s northernmost city, where everyone seems to know Logan’s secrets and answers can only be found in the middle of the night.

Midnight Drive is the first book in the Logan Claybourne series by Kenneth Price. Set in a world of pawn shops, casinos, and hardscrabble people trying to get by, this novel peeks down the dark alleys we instinctively look away from. Questions around fate and the gears operating in the background of our lives weave through its pages while throughout the rough and tumble streets of Edmonton are tooled into a tale of high-octane crime fiction.

This is noir with a V8 engine under the hood.

So get in. Shut up. And hold on!

“The Sitter Downers” (1937) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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The Sitter Downers (1937)

Director:  Del Lord

Screenplay:  Ewart Adamson

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Charles Dorety, and James C. Morton

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

When the father of sisters that the boys want to marry refuses to allow it, what to do?  They decide to go on a sit down strike!  As the strike continues the boys become famous. Money and gifts pour in.  Finally the girls’ father allows them to be married!

Moe, Larry and Curly along with their new wives, Florabell, Corabell, and Doorabell head off to start their new lives.  First order of business is for the boys to build their dream house.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The boys decide which sister to marry by pulling their names out of a hat.  Larry gets Florabell.  Moe gets Corabell.  Curly gets Stetson.  Wait, what?

The names of the Stooges’ fiancées change throughout the short.  They are introduced as June Gittelson playing Corabell, Marcia Healy as Florabell, and Betty Mack is Dorabell.  When their names are drawn from the hat, June is suddenly Florabell, Betty is Corabell, and Marcia is Dorabell.  Then when Marcia is knocked out, Curly calls her Corabell.  Things could get dicey come bedtime.

The Sitter Downers earns 4 of 5 stars.

“Top Gun: Maverick” (2022) starring Tom Cruise / Z-View

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Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Director:  Joseph Kosinski

Screenplay:  Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie from a story by Peter Craig, Justin Marks based on characters created by Jim Cash, Jack Epps Jr.

Stars: Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Val Kilmer, Bashir Salahuddin, Ed Harris, Jon Hamm, Charles Parnell, Lewis Pullman, Danny Ramirez, Glen Powell, Jack Schumacher, Kara Wang, Greg Tarzan Davis, and Raymond Lee

Tagline: Feel the need… The need for speed.

The Plot…

Over thirty years into his military career, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is still pushing limits… as a test pilot and the tolerance of his superior officers.  By now, Maverick should have been a two-star admiral or better.  Maverick’s love of altitude and his attitude have hindered advancement.  If not for Maverick’s friendship with Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Kilmer), the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Maverick might have been discharged.

Now Maverick is tasked with training a team of the very best Top Gun pilots for a nearly impossible suicide mission.  Four U.S, Super Hornets will fly below radar to slip into an enemy area guarded by surface to air missiles and the latest enemy fighter jets.  The U.S. pilots will have one shot at taking out an underground bunker that will house a nuclear arsenal.

The mission is on a strict timeline.  Maverick needs to devise a plan, train the pilots and pick four for a mission they likely won’t survive.  To complicate matters, Maverick’s superior officer disapproves of Maverick’s methods and one of the trainees is Lt. Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw (Teller), the son of Maverick’s best friend, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw.  Rooster blames Maverick for his father’s death and for slowing his Naval advancement.  If Maverick picks Rooster for the mission, he may be responsible for his friend’s son’s death.  If he doesn’t pick him, Rooster will blame Maverick for again hindering his career.

The clock is ticking…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Top Gun: Maverick‘s writers have created a plausible reason for Maverick to still be a test pilot.  Their storyline creates a logical rationale for Maverick to lead the mission instead of a younger Top Gun pilot.  There are several great call backs to the original film.

Having Rooster feel Maverick is responsible for his dad’s death isn’t surprising.  It adds drama to the situation.  The added twist of Maverick slowing Rooster’s career advancement is a nice touch.  Most movies would have Maverick explain to Rooster that Rooster’s mother requested it.  Maverick say why he doesn’t, “Rooster would always resent me for what I did. Why should he resent her too?”  That is gold.

Making sure that Val Kilmer was in the film was a no-brainer.  Having his character suffer from cancer (as Kilmer did in real life) adds gravitas to his character.  Having Kilmer’s character be Maverick’s “protector” takes things to a whole other level… and then when Kilmer’s character dies, all bets are off.

Giving Maverick a love interest rounds out his character.  This whole subplot was well done.  It adds context and broadens Maverick’s universe.

The training and mission is full of exciting and tense moments (with just the right amount of humor).  Getting Maverick and Rooster together behind enemy lines was inspired.  As was their method of escape.

Kudos to director Joseph Kosinski.  He had the chops to handle a $170 million production starring one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.  Plus Kosinski had to deal with a large cast giving each their moment to shine.  There was also pressure to make a sequel to a beloved film from 36 years ago.  Kosinski succeeded all on counts.

Top Gun: Maverick features a great cast.  Cruise and Kilmer were essential.  It would be hard to find a better love interest than Jennifer Connelly.  Miles Teller is excellent and looks like he could be Anthony Edwards’ son. Jon Hamm and Ed Harris are welcome additions to the cast.

I saw Top Gun on it’s initial release.  I liked Top Gun, but didn’t love it.  Top Gun: Maverick exceeded my expectations.  It works on every level.  You don’t need to see the original film to enjoy Maverick, but if you have seen it, viewing the sequel should be an even better experience.

Top Gun: Maverick earns 5 of 5 stars.

“Ants in the Pantry” (1936) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Ants in the Pantry (1936)

Director:  Preston Black

Screenplay:  Al Giebler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Charles Dorety, and Bud Jamison

Tagline: Three assorted nuts…driving you bugs with laughter!

The Plot…

The boys are going to lose their jobs as pest exterminators if they don’t get some business soon!  So they sneak into a mansion and distribute ants, assorted bugs and mice.  Then they get hired by the mansion’s owner to exterminate the pests.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Clarence Nash, who voiced Donald Duck for Disney, provided the sounds needed for cats in the piano.

In a scene where ants were supposed to be crawling all over Moe, actual ants were!  The bottle of the critters broke in his pocket and Moe didn’t realize until too late.  Everyone on set was cracking up thinking Moe was really into acting it out.

Ants in the Pantry earns 4 of 5 stars.

“The Ark” – The Poster and Trailer for the New Series is Here!

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Here we have the poster and trailer for the new series The Ark.  While not an original concept, it is an interesting one.  I’ll give the series a chance.

A lot of things can go wrong in outer space. The Ark takes place 100 years in the future when planetary colonization missions have begun as a necessity to help secure the survival of the human race. The Ark premieres on SYFY on February 1, 2023.

About The Ark:
THE ARK takes place 100 years in the future when planetary colonization missions have begun as a necessity to help secure the survival of the human race. The first of these missions on a spacecraft known as Ark One encounters a catastrophic event causing massive destruction and loss of life. With more than a year left to go before reaching their target planet, a lack of life-sustaining supplies and loss of leadership, the remaining crew must become the best versions of themselves to stay on course and survive.

The series stars Christie Burke, Richard Fleeshman, Reece Ritchie, Stacey Read, and Ryan Adams.

Dean Devlin (Independence Day, Stargate) and Jonathan Glassner (Stargate SG-1) are co-showrunners and executive producers alongside Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan-Wilson of Electric Entertainment. Jonathan English of Balkanic Media and Steve Lee serve as producers.

Starring Gilles Lellouche, Joanna Kulig
Directed by Jérôme Salle

“Kompromat” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I like the poster and trailer for Kompromat.  It’s refreshing to see that the lead isn’t a former soldier/cop/spy.  Deal me in.

Based on incredible true events, Jérome Salle’s gripping new espionage thriller depicts the remarkable story of a French public servant who unwittingly finds himself in conflict with one of the modern era’s most powerful and dangerous forces: Russia’s FSB. Gilles Lellouche stars as Mathieu, a gregarious and dedicated diplomat who accepts a posting to Irkutsk as the head of Siberia’s Alliance Francaise. He hopes the change will be good for his family and struggling marriage, but before long Mathieu’s staging of cultural events and support of artistic expression sees him fall afoul of local authorities. Accused of a terrible crime, he soon realises someone has fabricated a case with Russia’s Federal Security Service – he has been framed. Arrested, imprisoned and isolated, Mathieu has nowhere to turn. Defending himself is impossible, the French authorities are helpless – it seems he has no choice: to try and escape.

Starring Gilles Lellouche, Joanna Kulig
Directed by Jérôme Salle