“The Beauty” starring Evan Peters, Ashton Kutcher and Rebecca Hall – The Poster and Teaser are Here!

This looks like fun.  Check out the poster and teaser for The Beauty starring Evan Peters, Ashton Kutcher and Rebecca Hall.

Deal me in.

Drop. Dead. Gorgeous. FX’s The Beauty. Premieres January 21 on FX | Hulu

In FX’s The Beauty, when international supermodels begin dying in gruesome and mysterious ways, FBI Agents “Cooper Madsen” (Evan Peters) and “Jordan Bennett” (Rebecca Hall) uncover a conspiracy that threatens the future of humanity. The investigation leads them directly into the crosshairs of “The Corporation” (Ashton Kutcher), who will stop at nothing to protect his trillion-dollar empire.

“Rocky” Legacy by Leo Leibelman!

Leo Leibelman is a freelance artist who has provided art for comics, trading cards, novels, instructional materials, film storyboards and more.  Leo Leibelman takes commissions.

Hope you dig his Rocky painting as much as I do.

“It ain’t about how hard you can hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward.” – Rocky Balboa

WISDOM CORNER by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

WISDOM CORNER by David Heska Wanbli Weiden is set to premiere on July 7, 2026.  The novel is Weiden’s follow-up to WINTER COUNTS, which I loved.  Here’s the lowdown…

From the award-winning author of WINTER COUNTS comes a new thriller about life — and death—on the Rosebud Indian Reservation.

Virgil Wounded Horse is desperately trying to escape his past as a hired vigilante on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. But when a legendary figure from the reservation is murdered, he’s forced to return to the job. Making matters more complicated, threats are coming from the Pine Ridge 705 — a street gang from a neighboring reservation who want to expand their reach into Rosebud — and Mitch Gagnon, a shady politician who will stop at nothing to gain more power.

With a heated tribal council election looming, as well as new revelations regarding past injustices at the local Native boarding school, the stakes grow even higher. Will Virgil find the justice he’s seeking before it’s too late?

David Heska Wanbli Weiden, whose writing “melds the gritty realism of Dashiell Hammett with the lyricism of Tommy Orange” (O, The Oprah Magazine),once again brings us a tour de force of crime fiction—and an expansive look at Native American life in a shifting world.

WISDOM CORNER Hardcover

WISDOM CORNER  Kindle

Syfy’s Twilight Zone 2025/2026 New Year’s Marathon Schedule is Up!

Twilight Zone fans are in for a treat.  This year the Syfy Channel is running a Twilight Zone Christmas Marathon and then less than a week later, an even longer Twilight Zone New Year’s Marathon!

The New Year’s Marathon starts at 5am on December 31st with the last episode starting at 6:30am on December 2nd.

The Twilight Zone Marathons have been one of our family traditions for decades.  Sometimes we binge watch. Other times we just check in on favorite episodes. Please allow me to suggest some favorite Twilight Zone episodes…

Wednesday, December 31, 2025
5:ooam – Come Wander with Me  (Kicks off the marathon)
7:30pm – It’s a Good Life
9:30pm – Nick of Time
11:00pm – The Midnight Sun

Thursday, January 1, 2026
3:30am – The Howling Man
6:30pm – Time Enough At Last
7:o0pm – The Monsters are Due on Maple Street
7:30pm – To Serve Man
8:00pm The Invaders
8:30pm – Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?
9:00pm – Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
9:30pm – The Eye of the Beholder

Friday, January 2, 2026
3:00am – The Shelter
3:30am – The Grave

“The Strip” (1951) starring Mickey Rooney and Sally Forrest / Z-View

The Strip (1951)

Director: László Kardos

Screenplay: Allen Rivkin

Stars: Mickey Rooney, Sally Forrest, William Demarest, James Craig, Louis Armstrong, Tom Powers, Vic Damone, Monica Lewis, Don Anderson  and Tommy Rettig.

Tagline: Torchy romance tingling with mystery and throbbing with the rhythm of Dixieland along the glamorous avenue of night clubs!

The Plot…

When Stanley Maxton is released from a long hospital stay due to injuries sustained in the Korean War, he heads for LA..  He dreams of becoming a successful drummer and owning his own club some day.

A chance encounter earns Stanley a high-paying job working for mobster Sonny Johnston. In no time Stanley has money, a fine car and flashy clothes.  Then he meets Jane Tafford.  She’s a nightclub dancer who dreams of becoming a movie star.  Stanley falls hard.

So hard, he quits working for Sonny and takes a lower paying job as a drummer at the club where Jane is a dancer.  But it’s no go.  Jane is only interested in becoming a star and a nightclub drummer can’t help her with that.

Stanley takes Jane to meet Sonny.  Stanley figures Sonny’s mob connections can get Jane an audition.  Problem is, even though he’s married, Sonny falls for Jane.  This puts Stanley and Sonny at odds.

So when a woman is murdered, and evidence points to Stanley, he knows who set him up.  Time is running out to prove his innocence.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)… 

The Strip earned one 1952 Academy Award nomination…

  • Nominee for Best Music, Original Song – For “A Kiss to Build a Dream On” – Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, Oscar Hammerstein II

The Strip is as much (if not more) a musical than a crime noir. The film features songs performed by Vic Damone, Monica Lewis, Jack Teagarden, and Louis Armstrong, floor show routines by Sally Forrest as well as drum solos by Mickey Rooney.

The film features an unexpected dark (for a musical featuring Mickey Rooney) twist.

Louie Armstrong, Vic Damone and Monica Lewis play themselves.

The Strip (1951) rates 3 of 5 stars.

ORPHAN X by Gregg Hurwitz / Z-View

ORPHAN X by Gregg Hurwitz

First sentence…

1

After picking up a set of pistol suppressors froma nine-fingered armorer in Las Vegas, Evan Smoak headed for home in his Ford pickup, doing his best to not let the knife wound distract him.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Evan Smoak was chosen as a child.  He was a perfect candidate.  A child with no family.  Raised in a secret government off-the-books program, Evan and other children like him became known as Orphans.  Evan was Orphan X.

The Orphans were trained to become the ultimate assassins.  As adults, these killers were perfect for black box assignments.  Able to kill with their hands, or any weapon, the Orphans possessed every strategy to covertly and alone complete a mission.  The added bonus was if caught or killed, because they had no family, the government had plausible deniability.

Orphan X excelled in all aspects of his training.  His abilities and mission success became legendary among the Orphans and their handlers.  Outside of the program, Orphan X was someone spoken about in whispers.

Finally, Evan Smoak had enough of the killing.  He used his training to escape the program and disappear.  Smoak set up a new life.  One that he controlled.  He still lived by stict rules – but these rules were self-imposed.  And now instead of taking lives, he was saving them.  Smoak found people in desperate situations, with nowhere to turn and rescued them. Smoak was careful.  Often the beneficiary didn’t know how they were selected or who helped them.

But now, someone with the same skills as Smoak is trying to find and kill him.  You can’t just walk away from the Orphan Program.

+++

ORPHAN X was published in 2016.  Its popularity led to a series of Orphan X novels.  There are currently 10 novels (with an 11th due in February 2026) and several short stories in the series.

ORPHAN X was a page turner.  I loved the characters, and world Hurwitz created.  This is a series that sho to the top of my t0-be-read list.  If you’re a fan of intelligent action, this series is for you.

Rating:

“Crime 101” starring Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, and Halle Berry – A New Poster and Trailer are Here!

Crime 101 starring Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, and Halle Berry – A New Poster and Trailer are Here!

Get an inside look at the making of #Crime101 starring Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, and Halle Berry. Experience it in theaters and IMAX on February 13.

Set against the sun-bleached grit of Los Angeles, Crime 101 weaves the tale of an elusive jewel thief (Chris Hemsworth) whose string of heists along the 101 freeway have mystified police. When he eyes the score of a lifetime, his path crosses that of a disillusioned insurance broker (Halle Berry) who is facing her own crossroads. Convinced he has found a pattern, a relentless detective (Mark Ruffalo) is closing in, raising the stakes even higher. As the heist approaches, the line between hunter and hunted begins to blur, and all three are faced with life-defining choices–and the realization that there can be no turning back.

Adapted from Don Winslow’s acclaimed novella of the same name, the film is written and directed by Bart Layton (American Animals, The Imposter). Barry Keoghan, Monica Barbaro, Corey Hawkins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Nick Nolte round out the cast.