Yvan Quinet’s Limited Edition “Escape from New York” Print!
Yvan Quinet created this cool limited edition Escape from New York print. It will go on sale today at his website. Click over for full details.
“Highlander” (1986) / Z-View
Highlander (1986)
Director: Russell Mulcahy
Writers: Peter Bellwood and Larry Ferguson (screenplay) from a story by Gregory Widen
Starring: Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown, Roxanne Hart, Beatie Edney and Jon Polito.
Tagline: There can be only one.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Highlander is an example of catching lightning in a bottle. Everything, the director, the cast, the editing, the locations and music came together to create a fun ride. In the wrong hands, Highlander could have crashed and burned, but the original (avoid the sequels!) takes flight.
The opening scene finds Russell Nash (Lambert) in the audience at a professional wrestling match. While Nash could have been at any other event, picking pro wrestling sends a signal to the audience. Professional wrestling is about bigger than life personalities who represent good and evil. While the bad guy often seems to be bigger and stronger, good usually prevails! Highlander follows that formula.
From the beginning of time they have walked among us. Immortals who can only be killed by beheading. When two immortals meet they fight to the death for when there is only one left alive in the world, that immortal will receive the prize. That time is upon us!
This is Russell Mulcahy’s finest film. Sean Connery may have been born to play James Bond, but I cannot think of anyone who could have done a better job as Ramirez (and the two characters are vastly different). This was Clancy Brown’s breakout role – he’s big, terrifying and perfect as Kurgan. Christopher Lambert is the star and this is his finest role. Queen was hired to provide one song for the film, but after seeing a rough cut wrote two more. Honestly, I had my doubts how well Queen would work with the story, but I was wrong. The music helps make the movie so good.
If you’ve never seen Highlander, give it a go. It’s definitely a film of the 80s, but still holds up. Avoid the sequels. As for the original Highlander, with me it rates 5 of 5 stars.
“Cop Land” (1997) / Z-View
Cop Land alt poster created by Andi Ewington
Cop Land (1997)
Director: James Mangold
Writer: James Mangold
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Peter Berg, Janeane Garofalo, Robert Patrick, Michael Rapaport, Annabella Sciorra, Noah Emmerich, Cathy Moriarty, John Spencer, Frank Vincent, Malik Yoba, Arthur J. Nascarella and Edie Falco.
Tagline: No One Is Above The Law.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
James Mangold brought together an all-star cast to create a modern day western. Freddy Heflin (Stallone) is the Sherriff of Garrison, New Jersey. Garrison is a small town where a high percentage of the folks who live there are New York City police officers. They work in the city and then drive over the bridge to their nice safe little town. Most residents don’t know that a small group of the cops living in Garrison have mob connections.
Freddy Heflin always wanted to be a New York City cop, but hearing loss in one ear made him un-hirable. Hefflin owes his job as Sherriff of Garrison to Ray Donlan (Keitel). Heflin admires Donlan and the New York cops that live in Garrison. They have a camaraderie that he wants to be part of.
An Internal Affairs investigation involving Ray Donlan and several other police officers leads to Garrison, Although Heflin doubts the legitimacy of the complaints, he later discovers the concerns are legit and the corruption goes much deeper than anyone knew. Heflin wants to do the right thing but finds himself alone and outgunned.
When you look at the cast that Mangold brought together for this relatively low budget film, you know it goes back to the screenplay. Mangold created a rich story with multiple characters, all having an integral part in the tale. Many folks who thought Rocky was Stallone and doubted his acting ability were surprised to see him hold his own against heavyweights like De Niro and Keitel. Ray Liotta also shines in his role as Freddy’s lone cop friend who is intent on getting out of Garrison.
Cop Land is a film that gets better with every viewing. I loved it and rate it 5 of 5 stars.
“The Northman” Red Band Trailer is Here!
The Northman red band trailer is below. Heads will roll.
From visionary director Robert Eggers comes THE NORTHMAN, an action-filled epic that follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father’s murder. With an all-star cast that includes Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe.
“Corrective Measures” Starring Michael Rooker and Bruce Willis – The Trailer is Here!
Below is the trailer for Corrective Measures starring Michael Rooker and Bruce Willis. With the recent news about Bruce Willis’ health, watching this will be bittersweet.
CORRECTIVE MEASURES takes place at San Tiburon, an Ubermax prison hidden in the Great Northwest, resided by monsters, cyborgs and supervillains, all equipped with 24-hour power inhibitors and shock-collars. The overseer, Warden Devlin (Michael Rooker, “Suicide Squad”) is as corrupt as his charges. His sole interest is in getting his hands on Julius Loeb’s (Bruce Willis, “Die Hard”) untraceable fortune. But Julius Lobe, AKA “The Lobe,” is the most notorious prisoner, and a super genius who may not be so willing to part with his riches. The already fragile peace of the prison descends into chaos with the arrival of Payback (Dan Payne, “Watchmen”), a murderous vigilante with red intentions, and Diego Diaz (Brennan Mejia, “Power Rangers”), a driver on a trumped-up sentence. As tensions between the inmates and staff heighten, “The Conductor” (Tom Cavanagh, “The Flash”) sends shocks through the prison system and order is officially turned upside down. CORRECTIVE MEASURES is the story of an everyman’s journey into darkness. The film also stars Kat Ruston (“The 100”), Kevin Zegers (“Rebel”), and Hayley Sales (“Deadpool 2”).
“Jaws” by Alistair Little and “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” by Vance Kelly!
Today at noon, Bottleneck Art Gallery will release two new prints. The one above is the Jaws print by Alistair Little and the second is The Creature from the Black Lagoon by Vance Kelly. You can click on the art above and below to see bigger versions. Click over to Bottleneck Art Gallery for details if you’re interested in either (or both)!
HEAD WOUNDS: SPARROW is Coming!
Head Wounds: Sparrow is a graphic novel written by Brian Buccellato from a story by Robert Johnson & John Alvey. The art is by Christian Ward. Here’s the synopsis…
Tangled up in the battle between Good and Evil, a crooked Louisiana detective with a higher purpose must psychically suffer the wounds of those he’s sworn to protect until he brings their assailants to justice.
No one would call Leo a good person – much less a good cop. But when his best friend is shot in front of him, he wakes up with a hole in his own head that only he can see, and a host of mysterious strangers calling on him for action.
Most people go about their daily lives ignoring or unable to see the divine battle for Good and Evil raging around them, but it has just become very very real for Leo. As angels and demons vie for the fate of humanity, he must choose a side or risk seeing everyone and everything he has ever known destroyed as the stakes get higher and higher.
As Leo sees the true faces of the people around him he must decide – will he do what’s best for him alone, or follow a higher purpose?
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If Head Wounds: Sparrow sounds/looks like something you’d like, pre-orders are available now. The graphic novel premieres on August 9, 2022.
COMICS for UKRAINE: SUNFLOWER SEEDS – An Amazing All Star Book to Support Ukraine Relief!
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These are just two of the covers available for the benefit book, Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds. The cover on the left is by Alex Ross and the right is by Dave Johnson. Click on either to see them biggie-sized.
Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds features an incredible roster of comics talent united under the mission of providing relief to the war-torn Ukraine, which has suffered attacks from neighboring Russia since late February.
“Like everyone, I have been sickened by the atrocities perpetrated on the Ukrainian people for nearly two months,” said Scott Dunbier, editor of the anthology, “and I had to do something, anything, to try and help. The comic-book community is full of good and caring people who have stepped up to say, ‘I stand with Ukraine,’ and to contribute to this book.”
With the exception of hard costs (printing, credit-card fees, marketing) all of the funds raised by Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds will benefit the relief efforts in Ukraine in partnership with Operation USA. Since time of of the essence, once the campaign concludes and payments have been collected by Zoop, all funds will be sent to Operation USA immediately.
“We at OpUSA are so grateful for the support of Mr. Dunbier and all artists and writers involved with this project” says Mary Dolan, Director of Communications. “Operation USA is entirely privately funded, so projects such as Comics for Ukraine play a vital role in building our capacity to provide critical relief where needed most. Proceeds from this project will have a direct impact on the lives of those deeply affected by the ongoing war—improving conditions for Ukrainian refugees in Poland and other nearby countries via the provision of emergency grants and in-kind material aid. We thank all those involved in this meaningful project.”
Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds includes,,,
- Covers by Alex Ross, Dave Johnson, Art Adams, Bill Sienkiewicz
- A brand new Astro City short story by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson
- A brand new Chew short story by John Layman and Rob Guillory
- A brand new Star Slammers short story by Walt Simonson
- A brand new American Flagg short story by Howard Chaykin
- A brand new Usagi Yojimbo short story by Stan Sakai
- A brand new Grendel short story by Matt Wagner
- A brand new Groo short story by Mark Evanier and Sergio Aragones
- A brand new Scary Godmother short story by Jill Thompson
- The Cost of War short story by Louise Simonson and June Brigman
- Hardrada short story by Dave Gibbons and Chris Sprouse
- A short story by Mark Waid and Gabriel Rodriguez
- Bombings short story by Emil Ferris
- And More…
Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds features an amazing array of talent including many more folks than I’ve listed above. Plus with “the exception of hard costs (printing, credit-card fees, marketing) all of the funds raised by Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds will benefit the relief efforts in Ukraine in partnership with Operation USA” makes supporting the project a no-brainer.
Click over to get full details. If you’re not a comics fan, but want to donate to the cause, there’s a place for that as well. It’s a tough choice on which variant to get, but I’ve settled on the Dave Johnson cover. Sound off with your choice if you’re in!
“Ecco” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!
The poster and trailer for Ecco are here. The poster gets an “A” for effort, but falls a bit short of making me want to know more. The trailer on the other hand does the job. I’ll keep an eye out for Ecco.
ECCO is available on digital May 17th, 2022!
Michael is a ghost. Living in the shadows with his new family, years away from his former life as a nomadic, covert assassin. His peace and anonymity are shattered when his old employers return to bury their last surviving operative. With his truth exposed, Michael must protect his family and pursue his only chance at redemption when he hunts those behind the organization where all his sins were born.
“One Night in Bangkok” (2020) / Z-View
One Night in Bangkok (2020)
Directors: Wych Kaosayananda
Writer: Wych Kaosayananda
Starring: Mark Dacascos and Vanida Golten.
Tagline: Six Hours. Five Hits. Who will survive?
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
One Night in Bangkok is a reworking of the 2004 film, Collateral. This time the city is Bangkok, Tom Cruise has been replaced by Mark Dacascos and Jamie Foxx by Vanida Golten. The story is basically the same, a hitman hires a driver for the night. The driver comes to understand that at each stop her passenger is killing people. The reason for the hits has changed from Collateral to ONiB, but that’s just details.
The easiest way to describe One Night in Bangkok is to call it Collateral Lite. Dacascos and Golten are so likeable, that it’s an easy ride. If you enjoy low budget action films where you don’t have too think to hard, then you should enjoy One Night in Bangkok. I did and for that reason I rate it 3 of 5 stars.
“Rocky” by Liam Proniewicz!
Liam Proniewicz created the poster for Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky series above. I like how Proniewwicz took a classic image and made it his own.
Liam Proniewicz is a British artist/designer whose clients have included Netflix, Lionsgate, BBC and Sky. Proniewicz’s website contains many examples of his work. Fans will be happy to hear that there are also dozens of prints available.
“Project Power” (2020) / Z-View
Project Power (2020)
Directors: Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman
Writer: Mattson Tomlin
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback, Rodrigo Santoro and Courtney B. Vance.
Tagline: What would you risk for 5 minutes of pure power?
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
A dangerous new drug has hit the streets of New Orleans. Those who risk taking it either suddenly die or gain five minutes of a superpower. The power varies from person to person. Because of this new drug, deaths and violent crime in New Orleans is escalating.
Frank (Gordon-Levitt) is street cop working with Robin (Fishback), a small-time high school-aged dealer in an effort to follow the drug’s pipeline to it’s source. This brings them into contact with Art (Foxx) an ex-special forces commando with the same mission. Frank and Robin find themselves working with Art, unaware that he has an ulterior motive.
I didn’t watch Project Power sooner, because of the terrible title and the synopsis sounded silly. My mistake. Project Power has a dumb title, but if you accept the premise, you’ll find a story that takes itself seriously. That combined with good acting, great action and the right amount of humor makes for an awesome movie experience. I absolutely loved Project Power and rate it 5 of 5 stars.
“The Night House” (2020) / Z-View
The Night House (2020)
Director: David Bruckner
Writer: Ben Collins, Luke Piotrowski
Starring: Rebecca Hall, Sarah Goldberg, Vondie Curtis-Hall and Evan Jonigkeit.
Tagline: The truth will surface.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Beth (Hall) is a grieving widow, with no idea why her husband, Owen (Jonigkeit) killed himself. Alone in the house that they built on a remote lake, Beth begins to have strange dreams. Going through Owen’s possessions she comes across books about demons, pictures of other women, and more. Then Beth begins to hear strange sounds in the house and a voice claiming to be Owen. Is Beth losing her mind or is Owen reaching out to her from beyond? Or could it be something even worse?
The Night House is held together by the acting of Rebecca Hall. She’s really good. The problem I had with the movie is it didn’t seem to know what it wanted to be. Is it the story of a grieving widow trying to hold on to her sanity? Is it the tale of a widow who discovers her husband was a serial killer? Is it a haunted house movie? When all is said and done, more is said than done. And for that reason I give The Night House 2 of 5 stars.
“Aliens” Limited Edition Print by Nick Charge!
We’ve been on a roll lately, finding cool alt movie posters. This Aliens print is by Nick Charge and is available in a limited edition from HCGArt.com. If Charge’s name sounds familiar, you might remember he was the artist on the awesome Bride of Frankenstein print we recently shared.
“Mondocane” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!
Mondocane has a real art poster and the trailer ain’t bad either. Mondocane is now on my radar.
US Release Date: June 28, 2022
Starring: Dennis Protopapa, Giuliano Soprano
Directed By: Alessandro CelliIn the not-too-distant future on Italy’s southern coast, the city of Taranto has become a toxic wasteland ruled by warring gangs and surrounded by barbed wire, where best friends Pietro (nicknamed Mondocane) and Cristian (nicknamed Pisspants) dream of escaping their hardscrabble existence for a better life in nearby New Taranto. Opportunity knocks when Hothead, the charismatic and dangerous leader of a local gang called the Ants, recruits the two boys and gives them everything they fantasized about: money in their pockets, a family, and a father figure. The friendship begins to splinter, though, as Cristian displays a surprising talent for mayhem and quickly rises through the ranks. With a new female friend pushing them further apart, an obsessed cop hounding the gang, and Hothead becoming increasingly unhinged, the boys barrel toward a confrontation that will determine if their bond is strong enough to survive. Recalling everything from Mad Max to Lord of the Flies, from Oliver Twist to Waterworld, director Alessandro Celli’s thrilling feature debut is a stylish post-apocalyptic vision and an inspiring testament to the power of friendship in an unjust world.
