John Avildsen – R.I.P.

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I am sad to report that John Avildsen died today at the age of 81.

I first became aware of John Avildsen’s work with W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings in 1975. Lightning struck when Avildsen directed Rocky to 10 Oscar nominations (winning three including Best Picture, Best Editing and Best Director for Avildsen).  The success of Rocky led to Rocky II but an agreement to return couldn’t be reached. Avildsen later said the decision was “one of my greatest mistakes.”  Avildsen’s star ascended again when he steered all three Karate Kid movies to box office success.

John Avildsen was known as the King of the Underdogs, but I will always be grateful for his part in making my all-time favorite movie, Rocky.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, his friends and his fans.

The Blue Gardenia (1953)

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The Blue Gardenia (1953)

Director: Fritz Lang

Screenplay: Charles Hoffman

Stars: Anne Baxter, Richard Conte, Ann Sothern, Raymond Burr, George Reeves and Nat “King” Cole

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s make a murder mystery with Anne Baxter!”

Tagline: There was nothing lily-white about her!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Norah Larkin (Baxter) is on the rebound having just learned (on her birthday of all days!) that her fiance is leaving her for another woman.  When a man she just met offers to take her to dinner, she accepts.  He proceeds to get her drunk at his apartment and starts to take advantage of her.  When she attempts to leave, they struggle, she hits him with a poker and passes out as well.  She awakens to find him dead.  She quickly leaves believing she’s killed him.

Soon she is the subject of a police hunt… but what she really the murderess?

Rating:

Dracula (1931)

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Dracula (1931)

Director: Tod Browning

Screenplay: Hamilton Deane & John L. Balderston  from the play by Garrett Fort based on characters created by Bram Stoker

Stars: Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners, Dwight Frye and Edward Van Sloan.

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s bring Dracula to the silver screen!”

Tagline: Carl Laemmle Presents The VAMPIRE THRILLER!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

THE classic!  Bela Lugosi is the evil vampire Count Dracula who has journeyed to England with plans to make the lovely Nina is bride!

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Glen Campbell – “Funny How Time Slips Away”

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Not quite three years ago I posted about Glen Campbell’s sad song made even more sorrowful by the knowledge of his battle with dementia.

Today he is no longer able to talk or understand speech. But before slipping into this last stage, he did decide to record one more album…

…Choosing the songs was easy. “It was about helping Glen check off his bucket list,” says Kim, 58. “Any time that Glen picked up a guitar at home, these were the songs he would play for fun: Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right, A Thing Called Love. They were always his go-to songs.

My heart goes out to Glen Campbell, his family and his fans.

Source: USAToday.

“Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman” – Two of the Universal Biggies in One Movie!

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When I was a child I loved horror movies.  I still do.  Back then we’d stay up late on weekends to Sammy Terry (Indiana’s Horror Host) present a monster movie double feature.  It was a great time to be a kid.  Especially when Sammy presented a movie like Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman.  Two of the big Universal monsters in one movie.  Truth be told, I still get a bit of excitement when I cue it up.

 

Matt Wagner and Mage: The Hero Denied

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Matt Wagner has announced that Mage: The Hero Denied, the conclusion to his Mage trilogy will be a 15 issue series coming from Image later this year. Wagner describes Mage as…

… the archetypical Hero’s Journey told as a modern, urban fantasy. Our unlikely protagonist, Kevin Matchstick, is a cynical everyman until he encounters a ragged and beguiling street wizard named Mirth who soon reveals that Kevin is heir to a heroic destiny that he had never imagined. Along the course of his adventures, Kevin gathers a posse of comrades who all aid in his struggle to defeat the dark magic of the villainous Umbra Sprite. At the end of the first volume, The Hero Discovered, Kevin accepts his role and finds himself the wielder of an ancient and mythical power. In the second volume of the Mage trilogy, The Hero Defined, Kevin finds himself paired with a whole new posse of companions, all reborn heroes based on the mythic cycles from a variety of cultures. As they track down and battle supernatural threats together, Kevin is pursued by a befuddled vagrant, Wally Ut, who claims to embody the next stage of Matchstick’s mystical mentorship — his second Mage. Eventually, Kevin’s own arrogance and stubbornness leads to devastating consequences that threaten to undermine his entire struggle against the forces of darkness. The new series, The Hero Denied, is the third and final part of the trilogy. The storyline takes up, as I said, about ten years after the conclusion of the previous series and finds Kevin at a very different place in both his personal life and his role as the reborn Pendragon. The Hero Denied #0 kicks things off in July and is a half-sized issue that features the third “Interlude,” a motif I’ve traditionally used to bridge the gap between the various Books of the trilogy. It’s a great jumping-on spot for new readers and an exciting fresh return to the world of MAGE for longtime fans.

If you’re so inclined you can read a short interview with Wagner and see Mage: The Hero Denied preview pages at Previewworld.

Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)

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Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)

Director: John Sturges

Screenplay: Millard Kaufman

Stars: Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Anne Francis, Dean Jagger, Walter Brennan, Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin.

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s send a one-armed Spencer Tracey into a remote town that wants him dead!”

Tagline: Suddenly you realize murder is at your elbow! – and there’s no way out!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

World War II veteran shows up in the remote town of Black Rock for unknown purposes.  The people of the town want him to move on and when he refuses, he puts his life at risk.  What are the town folk hiding?

Rating:

Adam West – R.I.P.

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Adam West passed away last night after short battle with leukemia surrounded by his family.

West, known as tv’s Batman, is (along with Leonard Nimoy as Spock) perhaps the best example of the danger of typecasting.  Chosen to play the Caped Crusader for television, West shot to such fame that he had trouble finding new leading roles when Batman ended.  Yet he persevered and in later years did very well on the convention circuit meeting fans who couldn’t wait to get an autograph and photo with Batman.

I was seven years old when Batman premiered.  Adam West instantly became one of my childhood heroes.  My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.

Train to Busan (2016)

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Train to Busan (2016)

Director: Sang-ho Yeon

Screenplay: Joo-Suk Park and Sang-ho Yeon

Stars: Yoo Gong, Soo-an Kim, Yu-mi Jung and Dong-seok Ma

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s make a zombie movie!”

Tagline: None

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Passengers on a train to Buscan (including a father and his young daughter, a husband with his very pregnant wife and others) have to come to grips that a zombie apocalypse has begun and there are infected on the train!

Rating:

Them! (1954)

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Them! (1954)

Director: Gordon Douglas

Screenplay: Ted Sherdeman and Russell S. Hughes from a story by George Worthing Yates

Stars: James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon, James Arness, Fess Parker, Richard Deacon and Leonard Nimoy.

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s make a movie about giant ants!”

Tagline: FANTASTIC MONSTERS ATTACK EARTH!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Nuclear testing in the desert has turned ants into gigantic killing machines.  Before the nests are discovered some of the ants make their way to the LA sewer system.  If they’re not all destroyed it could be the end of mankind.

What could have been another silly movie about giant bugs is actually one of my favorite horror movies of all time.  It’s played straight with an excellent cast.  Fans of my age will love that you get Matt Dillon, Davy Crockett and Spock in the same movie!

Rating:

Where Eagles Dare (1968)

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Where Eagles Dare (1968)

Director: Brian G. Hutton

Screenplay: Alistair MacLean (from his novel)

Stars: Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood and Mary Ure

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s turn ‘Where Eagles Dare’ into a movie!”

Tagline: They dare to climb a terrifying new peak in suspense… all the way up to hell!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

During World War II an American General is held captive by the Nazis in a mountain top fortress.  An English Officer (Burton) and American Ranger (Eastwood) are dropped behind enemy lines to rescue the General.  Yet there may be more to this mission than either are aware…

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