Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
One of the cool things about social media is finding something that you’ve never seen. For example, this Barry Windsor-Smith piece above. Was it an unused cover/painting concept? Is the character Conan? I don’t know, but I am happy to see it.
Source: Shane M. Bailey
The final trailer for NOPE is here.
“What’s a bad miracle?”
Oscar® winner Jordan Peele disrupted and redefined modern horror with Get Out and then Us. Now, he reimagines the summer movie with a new pop nightmare: the expansive horror epic, Nope.
The film reunites Peele with Oscar® winner Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Judas and the Black Messiah), who is joined by Keke Palmer (Hustlers, Alice) and Oscar® nominee Steven Yeun (Minari, Okja) as residents in a lonely gulch of inland California who bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery.
Nope, which co-stars Michael Wincott (Hitchcock, Westworld) and Brandon Perea (The OA, American Insurrection), is written and directed by Jordan Peele and is produced by Ian Cooper (Us, Candyman) and Jordan Peele for Monkeypaw Productions. The film will be released by Universal Pictures worldwide.
The Unforgivable (2021)
Director: Nora Fingscheidt
Screenplay: Peter Craig, Hillary Seitz, Courtenay Miles based on Unforgiven, a British limited series by Sally Wainwright
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Viola Davis, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jon Bernthal, Aisling Franciosi, Richard Thomas, Tom Guiry, Emma Nelson and Will Pullen.
Tagline: No one walks free of their past.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Ruth Slater (Bullock) has just been released from prison after serving twenty years for the murder of a sheriff. She has two goals. The first is to make sure that her younger sister, Katie (Franciosi) is doing alright and the second is to get on with her life. Neither goal is going to be easy.
After Ruth’s imprisonment, Katie was adopted. Katie has splotchy memories of a traumatic incident, but no idea of her life before adoption. Katie’s adoptive parents do not want Ruth to have any contact with Katie.
When Keith (Guiry), one of the sons of the murdered sheriff, sees that Ruth Slater has been released from prison he is enraged. He blames Ruth for all of the crappy things in his life that began with the murder of his dad. Keith plans to kill Ruth.
Ruth’s refusal to back down from meeting with Katie, and Keith’s plans to kill Ruth are going to play out in unpredictable ways.
I was impressed with how good The Unforgivable is since it could have easily gone the Lifetime Movie route. The Unforgivable is a dark story that is well written, well directed featuring an excellent cast. Kudos to Sandra Bullock for starring in a movie where she doesn’t look like a movie star and is believable as an ex-con.
Viola Davis has a small, but pivotal role. Vincent D’Onofrio plays an attorney married to Davis’ character. I loved the interactions between these two amazing actors.
Jon Bernthal is one of my favorite actors. He has a small role as a potential love interest for Ruth. Their scene in the diner is heartbreaking… especially later when we learn more.
Richard Thomas is excellent as Katie’s adoptive dad. It’s good to see Thomas in more roles.
I figured out The Unforgivable early on, and had most of it right. The ending did surprise me though. I really liked The Unforgivable so of course it rates 4 of 5 stars.
Check out this very cool poster of Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry Callahan by Tony Stella. It is available as a print from Tony Stella!
The second trailer for The Terminal List starring Chris Pratt is here!
Wow! Black Bird. Deal me in.
When serving time, you’ll do anything for a chance at freedom—even if that means facing a suspected killer. Inspired by true events, Dennis Lehane’s newest Apple Original Series stars Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser. Black Bird arrives July 8 on Apple TV+ https://apple.co/_BlackBird
Inspired by actual events, when high school football hero and decorated policeman’s son Jimmy Keene (Taron Egerton) is sentenced to 10 years in a minimum security prison, he is given the choice of a lifetime — enter a maximum-security prison for the criminally insane and befriend suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser), or stay where he is and serve his full sentence with no possibility of parole. Keene quickly realizes his only way out is to elicit a confession and find out where the bodies of several young girls are buried before Hall’s appeal goes through. But is this suspected killer telling the truth? Or is it just another tale from a serial liar? This dramatic and captivating story subverts the crime genre by enlisting the help of the very people put behind bars to solve its mysteries.
Ensemble cast includes Taron Egerton, Paul Walter Hauser, Sepideh Moafi, Greg Kinnear and Ray Liotta.
Black Bird is developed and executive produced by Lehane. The first three episodes are directed by Academy Award nominee Michaël R. Roskam (“Bullhead,” “The Drop”), who also serves as executive producer. Lehane, Egerton and Roskam executive produce alongside Richard Plepler through his EDEN Productions; Bradley Thomas, Dan Friedkin and Ryan Friedkin executive produce through Imperative Entertainment; Alexandra Milchan and Scott Lambert executive produce through EMJAG Productions; and Kary Antholis also executive produces, along with the book’s author James Keene. Jim McKay and Joe Chappelle also direct. The limited series is produced for Apple TV+ by Apple Studios.
Song: “Cuckoo! (Songs From “Friday Afternoons”, Op.7)” by Benjamin Britten https://apple.co/Cuckoo_BenjaminBritten
Bernie Wrightson: The FPG Years is a book that Wrightson fans are going to want. It’s on Kickstarter now, so don’t sleep on this one!
The Fan To Fan (F2F) podcast with hosts Bernie Gonzalez, Peter Charbonneau and Doug Ziegler takes a simple idea and does it well. Each episode of F2F features a conversation between fans. The subject could be movies, comics, TV, video games, toys, cartoons, or anything pop culture! Bernie, Peter and Doug pick a fan with a love and/or knowledge of the episode’s topic and then do a deep dive.
Recently, the F2F team spoke with me about Sly Stallone. When I was approached to be a guest, I explained that there are Stallone fans with greater knowledge and bigger collections than mine. Still, they were interested in how I became a Stallone fan, the creation of StalloneZone and more. I was already a fan of Bernie’s Midnight Mystery, so I checked out F2F and became a fan of it as well.
Talking to Bernie, Pete and Doug was a blast. It was truly fans hanging out. Here’s part one of the conversation. I hope you enjoy it half as much as I did.
The Horn Blows at Midnight (1945)
Director: Raoul Walsh
Screenplay: Sam Hellman, James V. Kern based on an idea by Aubrey Wisberg
Starring: Jack Benny, Alexis Smith, Dolores Moran, John Alexander, Margaret Dumont, Robert Blake and Mike Mazurki
Tagline: Benny’s from Heaven and the laughs are out of this world!!!
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Athanael (Benny), plays third trumpet in the orchestra of a live late night radio show. During a commercial break, Athanael falls asleep. And dreams…
Athanael dreams he’s an angel trumpet player in heaven’s orchestra. He’s given the job to go to Earth and signal it’s destruction by blowing his trumpet at midnight. A woman who wants to commit suicide and two fallen angels are determined to stop Athanael from blowing his horn. Will Athanel sound his trumpet and destroy the earth? Will he fail and become a fallen angel? Do we really care since this is all a dream?
And that is one of the problems with The Horn Blows at Midnight. It’s all a dream. Whatever happens doesn’t matter.
It. Is. A. Dream.
There are some humorous moments when Athanael and several cast members are hanging off a building or when Athanael ends up in and clinging to a gigantic cup of coffee (again high up on a building).
I’m a Jack Benny fan and love his standup comedy and television show. Benny joked for years about how bad The Horn Blows at Midnight is. After seeing it, I realize Benny wasn’t joking..
The Horn Blows at Midnight rates 2 of 5 stars.
Batman (2022)
Director: Matt Reeves
Screenplay: Matt Reeves, Peter Craig, based on Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell, Paul Dano, John Turturro and Andy Serkis
Tagline: Unmask The Truth
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
A sadistic, extremely intelligent psycho killer is murdering political figures in Gotham City. At each murder scene, the killer who has been dubbed The Riddler, leaves a message for Batman (Pattison). Meanwhile Selena Kyle aka Catwoman (Kravitz) is investigating the disappearance of one of her friends. When Batman and Selena realize that their investigations overlap, they form an uneasy alliance. As the Riddler’s body count goes up, it becomes clear that the corruption goes deep… perhaps all the way to the Wayne Foundation and Batman’s father.
The Batman doesn’t feel like a super hero movie. Instead it plays out more like a mystery or a noir thriller. That’s a good thing. Even the music doesn’t scream SUPER HERO. Let’s break it down…
The Story: I liked the story and was surprised that Bruce Wayne’s dad was shown in a different light.
Batman: Robert Pattison makes an excellent Batman. I liked that they played up the “strike fear into the hearts of criminals” aspect. Criminals would hear Batman’s heavy footsteps coming closer in the dark before they could see him. This is a more violent Batman but not (usually) excessively so.
Bruce Wayne: The way they portrayed Bruce Wayne threw me a bit. A times I thought he looked like a young John Cazale or Cesare from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Having Bruce Wayne as a recluse does help to explain why he isn’t seen in public more often.
Selina Kyle aka Catwoman: Zoë Kravitz owns this role. She’s tiny but believable as a tough woman. The screen loves her and she stole every scene she was in.
The Riddler: The new take on this character is money. He was smart, frightening and crazy. The Zodiac Killer on steroids. Paul Dano deserves an ovation!
The Penguin: Colin Farrell is unrecognizable under the make-up and latex, but his character doesn’t look made-up. Farrell did a fine job.
Carmine Falcone: John Turturro was amazing. He had the crime boss / godfather part down pat. Turturro’s role was one of my favorite parts of the movie.
Alfred: I like the new direction they took with Alfred. No longer the old man with amusing quips, this is the Alfred that served as Bruce Wayne’s bodyguard and mentor from childhood to adult. Andy Serkis nailed the part.
Jim Gordon: Jeffrey Wright makes a great Jim Gordon. Wright is such an under-rated actor, I was glad to see him in The Batman.
The Batmobile: Batman’s car didn’t look like any of the previous Batmobiles. It looked like a built up car that could do what needed to be done. I liked that and the fact it was never referred to as “the Batmobile.” I also loved the scene where the criminals could hear the monstrous motor revving, before they saw it. Again playing up the strike fear into the criminals.
The Batcave: I loved the brief look we got at it. All of those bats flying around was a great touch.
The Batman exceeded my expectations. I hope the entire team returns for a sequel. The Batman earned 4 of 5 stars.
Righteous by Joe Ide
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Mulholland Books
First sentence…
Isaiah was seventeen years old when his older brother, Marcus, was killed in a hit-and-run..
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Isaiah Quintabe, who everyone calls IQ because of his superior intellect, is back. Ten years have passed since IQ’s brother, Marcus, was killed. Isaiah gets by taking on “cases the police can’t or won’t touch.” They don’t pay much, but Isaiah doesn’t need much.
Out of the blue IQ gets a call from Sarita Van. Sarita was Marcus’ girlfriend back in the day. IQ and Sarita haven’t spoken in years. Now she needs IQ’s help. Sarita’s sister, Janine and her boyfriend Benny, are degenerate gamblers. Not only are loan sharks closing in, but they’ve done something to get a Chinese crime cartel after them as well. IQ agrees to go to Vegas to rescue Sarita’s sister and try to work out something with the Chinese cartel.
In IQ’s mind, he’ll save Sarita’s sister, come back the hero and maybe have a life with Sarita. If only.
Lucky for IQ, his occasional partner (and former gang banger), Dodson agrees to accompany him. Things are much worse than IQ could imagine. Soon he finds himself at odds with a loan shark and his seven foot enforcer, the Chinese cartel and Seb, a crime lord who uses a cane made from a human femur and whose intellect rivals IQ’s. Janine and Benny are on the run and it is up to IQ to find and save them. He’ll be lucky if he can save himself. Oh, and now he has information that his brother was targeted to be killed. It wasn’t a simple hit-and-run!
Joe Ide has another winner. Righteous rates 5 of 5 stars.
Righteous Hardcover
Righteous Trade Paperback
Righteous Kindle
Jim Seals, one half of the mega-selling recording duo, Seals & Crofts, died yesterday at the age of 80. No cause of death was given.
Jim Seals met Dash Crofts when both were in a Texas band called Dean Beard and the Crew Cats. They later joined Glen Campbell in his band, Glen Campbell and the GCs. After a couple of years the band broke up and everyone went their separate ways. Seals and Crofts met up again when both joined a band called The Dawn-Breakers.
In 1969, Seals and Crofts decided to become a duo. They had moderate success until their fourth album, which contained the single Summer Breeze (also the name of the album). The single shot up the charts selling over a million copies and earning Seals & Crofts their first Gold Record. Hummingbird was another hit song from the album.
Diamond Girl was Seals & Crofts follow-up album and single proving lightning could strike twice. Diamond Girl became their second Gold record. We May Never Pass This Way Again was another chart topper from the Diamond Girl album.
Seals & Crofts had two more big hits, I’ll Play for You and Get Closer. In 1980, Seals & Crofts decided to take a break. In 1991, Seals & Crofts reunited for a one year tour. In 2004, Seals & Crofts came together to create their last album, Traces.
Jim Seals’ brother, Dan was better known as England Dan of the singing duo, England Dan & John Ford Coley! From 2000 – 2008, Jim and his brother Dan toured under the name Seals & Seals.
I am a huge fan of Seals & Crofts (and England Dan & John Ford Coley for that matter). I remember hearing Diamond Girl when I was a little kid out to eat with my grandparents and asking for juke box money to play the song again. We May Never Pass This Way Again was the theme for one of the graduating classes when I was in high school. Jim Seals’ music had a positive impact on my life and the lives of millions.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jim Seals family, friends and fans.
Click on the poster above by Mike Lynaugh and admire the detail that he put in it. Mike captured Rocky’s story from Rocky through Creed. All of Rocky’s opponents are there including Spider Rico and Thunderlips. Butkus is shown. Rocky’s address and Mighty Mick’s gym appear.
Click over to Mike’s Instagram where he writes of the time he spent on the painting. What a true Rocky fan!!
Here are two tv spots for Bullet Train!
Director: David Leitch
Screenwriter: Zak Olkewicz
Cast: Brad Pitt , Joey King , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada , Michael Shannon, Bad Bunny, Zazie Beetz, Logan Lerman , Karen Fukuhara, Masi Oka , and Sandra Bullock
Distributor: Columbia Pictures ( Sony Pictures Releasing )
US Theatrical Release Date: August 5, 2022
