“Halloween” True Life Crime Trailer!
I really like this Halloween trailer made to look like a true crime expose!
Nick Fury by Steranko!
©Jim Steranko All rights reserved
Today we have a sweet Nick Fury piece by the legendary Steranko!
Throwback Pic – Ready, Wrestle!
This “Take You Back” photo is from my 10th grade year. I was a sophomore and, as you probably guessed, on the wrestling team. Man, that was a great year. Our coach, Ron Pinnell, was the most inspiring leader. I learned a lot from him in just the one year he was my coach (for football and wrestling). We all did.
Coach Pinnell took photos of every team member and gave each of us our picture. You’re looking at mine. (Oh, and those are his wrestling shoes I’m wearing.)
Rare “Rocky” Photo!
While going through the Zablo vault I came across this rare shot of Rocky and Adrian from the original Rocky. It’s one of my favorites. You can see a larger version by clicking on it.
George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” Special 50th Anniversary Event
George Romero’s remastered and restored Night of the Living Dead is returning to life in a theater near you!
To commemorate Night of the Living Dead‘s 50th anniversary, on October 24th and 25th theaters around the country will present special showings of the restored and remastered classic. George Romero oversaw the restoration through a collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art and the George Lucas Family Foundation.
I plan to attend a showing near me. It’ll be the first time seeing NOTLD in a theater and I’m looking forward to the audience experience.
To find a theater near you showing Night of the Living Dead, visit the Fathom Events website.
5 Leroy Neiman Rocky Paintings and a Mystery!
Leroy Neiman, the world famous sports artist, made cameo appearances in Rocky 3, 4, 5 and Rocky Balboa. Neiman’s art could also be seen in several of the Rocky movies. The most famous Neiman Rocky art is the painting shown above. You’ll see copies hanging in many sports bars and man caves throughout the world. I own one of the original release prints that my wife surprised me with when I was in college.
The painting above is the second most known Neiman Rocky painting. It appeared at the very end of Rocky III. To the best of my knowledge it was never released as an official Neiman print although there are many knock-offs and other artists’ copies out there.
Neiman created the painting above for Rocky V. My understanding is that it was released as a limited edition print for a fundraiser. The print above was signed by Tommy Morrison.
The Neiman watercolor study above was offered up for auction and hopefully won by a Stallone fan.
And now for the mystery. The very bad image above is of a Neiman Rocky piece that sharp-eyed fans spotted during a vintage Barbara Walters interview with Sly Stallone. The art was/is in Sly Stallone’s personal collection. Here’s the mystery — was the piece ever released as a print or shown anywhere else? Are there any good copies of it around? If anyone knows, please forward the information and I’ll be sure to share it.
The Monster Art of Basil Gogos!
If you’re a fan of classic horror films and/or amazing art, then you’ll want to check out The Monster Art of Basil Gogos. This will be a beautiful compilation that will contain…
… page after page of unpublished sketches, illustrations and exquisite full color paintings by the monster master…
The Kickstarter has already met goal and now is on overdrive to create stretch goals. I’m on board. Check it out and you may be as well.
Thomas Boatwright Makes a “F.I.S.T.
I really like Thomas Boatwright’s riff on Sly from F.I.S.T. Hopefully, you do as well.
Over the years I’ve gotten several Stallone pieces from Thomas. Click on the link to see what has been posted so far… there are more to come.
If you’d like to see more of Thomas Boatwright’s art check out his blog and his instagram. Send him some love.
If you get commissions, you should consider a piece from Thomas. He keeps you totally in the loop on his progress, finishes his commissions on or ahead of schedule, has very reasonable prices, is a fantastic artist and always gives you more than you’re expecting! – Craig
Sly Stallone’s Personal Note to Burt Reynolds
Here’s a gem from the Zablo vault. A few years ago, Burt Reynolds held an auction to thin out his personal collection. One of the items for bid was this personal letter from Sly Stallone to Burt. I think it’s cool that Sly and Burt were hanging out and that Burt thought enough of Sly to keep the note. Click on the photo to see a much bigger version.
PS – I agree with Sly’s assessment of Sharkey’s Machine. It’s a favorite!
22 Things We Learned from Lexi Alexander’s “Punisher: War Zone” Commentary
Rob Hunter and Film School Rejects present 22 Things We Learned from Lexi Alexander’s Punisher: War Zone Commentary. Here are three of my favorites…
11. The mental hospital sequence was filmed partly in a facility that didn’t allow visitors with a criminal record. “Half of our crew couldn’t come in.”
14. She recalls walking into a market set during re-shoots in Vancouver and taking a couple candy bars for a snack, and the production assistant ran after her yelling that she wasn’t allowed to do that. “He really almost peed his pants when he found out he was yelling at the director.”
18.The skull visible behind the Punisher and Paul (Colin Salmon) at 54:26 was unintentional luck and a combination of lighting and an existing chandelier.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 5 Best Non-Terminator Films
Over at Syfy.com, Tim Grierson and Will Leitch posted their choices for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 5 Best Non-Terminator Films. Let’s cut to the chase. Here’s their selections:
5. The Running Man
4. Kindergarten Cop
3. True Lies
2. Total Recall
1. Predator
Here’s mine.
5. Sabotage
4. True Lies
3. Conan
2. Commando
1. Predator
How could they leave off Conan and Commando?
The New “Overlord” Poster is Here!
I think this Overlord poster is pretty clever. Don’t know if it’ll sell the movie or not, but it is clever.
The 50 Best Final Shots in Movie History
Meg Sheilds and Film School Rejects present The 50 Best Final Shots in Movie History. Using just their choices, here are my top three picks and two that didn’t make the list, but should have.
47. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
The Shot
Oh good. For a moment there, I thought we were in trouble. Wild West outlaws Butch Cassidy and his bromantic partner Harry “Sundance Kid” Longabaugh find themselves surrounded. In a pinch, musing about a trip to Australia they’ll never take, they charge out, and the shot freezes on our duo, guns blazing, surrounded by the lingering pops of gunfire. And, as the shot leeches into sepia, the plucky pair return to their place in history.
15. Casablanca
The Shot
Redeeming his soul, Rick makes a sacrifice and watches his beloved Ilsa walk off into the fog with her revolutionary husband, Victor. Riding the personal growth kick, Rick and Renault affirm their burgeoning beautiful friendship and trudge off together, in search of a better future. And probably some coffee.
11. Planet of the Apes (1968)
The Shot
A peaceful horse ride on the beach is spoiled when our two human heroes discover the alien world they’ve been trapped on was earth all along. The closing shot sees a curled up Charlton Heston (pooped out from chewing the scenery) doubled over in front of the Statue of Liberty, half-sunk in the sand, corroding in the tide. It’s a great gotcha moment and one that further complicates the line between civilization and savagery.
I know I’m biased but how could the final shot from Rocky not have made the list?
Photo From My Past Turns Up
The picture above was recently sent to me by my buddy, Bill Black. That’s me and my lovely wife, Doralya at OrlandoCon 1980. What’s interesting is that until this week, I’d never seen the whole photo before.
“Wait, what? The whole photo?” you ask.
Let me explain. At the show Bill was taking photos. For this picture he said something to me like, “Look excited.” I guess I opted for look crazy. Anyway, Bill used a cropped version of my face on the inside front cover of Bill Black’s Fun Comics #1. It looked like this…
So I did see the cropped version that appeared in the comic (and so did you if you read this post from 2007) but never the whole version until recently. It’s weird seeing a photo of yourself from years ago that you’d never seen before.
21 Cancelled Shows Netflix Should Bring Back.
Leon Hurley and GamesRadar present 21 Cancelled Shows Netflix Should Bring Back. Using just their choices, here are my top three picks and two that didn’t make the list, but should have.
11. Almost Human
The TV show: While at times hit-n-miss, Almost Human braved the cold of Monday nights on Fox and sadly didn’t survive. A sci-fi police procedural about a belligerent cop (Karl Urban) and his android partner (Michael Ealy) the show struck out into some unique territory with its gritty genre storytelling.
Why Netflix needs to bring it back: For Karl Urban’s sanity. Between this and Dredd, the guy needs a break when it comes to steady work.
9. Deadwood
The TV show: As the drunken, bristling Al Swearengen, Ian McShane delivers his finest role to date in HBO’s uber-violent western. Being set shortly after the Civil War in a period of lawlessness allows for the series to fly off the rails. Interestingly enough, the crazy activities taking place in the small town of Deadwood, South Dakota are based on actual people who lived there.
Why Netflix needs to bring it back: Oh man, have you not seen the fan petitions for this one? Word is that HBO caved and agreed to wrap up the dangling plots with a movie – but this was arguably the cable network’s best genre show. Why not keep it serialised? Oh well, there’s always Westworld season 2…
2. Firefly
The TV show: You knew this was going to be at number one. Joss Whedon’s cowboys in space serial only squeezed out one season. And boy, is it a corker. Taking the typical Whedon tropes (ragtag bunch of misfits, genre setting, punchy dialogue) he spins a great blend of sci-fi and action following the crew of the Serenity across the universe. The cast’s at the top of their game and the storylines feel fresh.
Why Netflix needs to bring it back: Let’s pretend the wrap-up movie Serenity doesn’t exist. Netflix would score MAJOR points for reviving this series. Even if the amount of fans who’ve petitioned for its return aren’t in the millions, the word-of-mouth and social media activity would generate tons of free press for them. But really, they need to bring it back for this one reason: *spoiler alert*… to correct Wash’s fate.
I almost left Deadwood off the list since HBO is bringing it back as a movie, but then decided that it should be left on because I’d really love to see it return as a series.
Two that should have been included on the list but weren’t are: 1. Justified and 2. The Shield.
