Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Chris Mills made my day when he posted the cover above to Darwyn Cooke’s adaptation of Richard Stark’s novel The Hunter. If anyone is more excited about Cooke’s plans to adapt Stark’s work than me, it’s probably Chris Mills. He is not only an author himself, but also an expert in the crime genre… and do I have to remind any ZONErs how much I dig Chris’ character Gravedigger?
Variety has reported that Mickey Rourke has signed on to co-star in Sly Stallone’s action flick, “The Expendables.” Rourke will join Sly, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren and Forrest Whitaker in what many are calling the can’t miss movie of the coming year. The National Post even published an article today with the title: “Early Prediction: Stallone’s The Expendables will be the greatest action movie of all time.”
The Defamer.com also has an interesting [and positive] article on “The Expendables.” Here are a few quotes:
The Second Coming of Mickey Rourke owes itself in part to Stallone’s faith in him a decade ago, when he recommended Rourke for a minor role in the remake of Get Carter. Their brooding, mangle-faced chemistry was about the only thing that clicked while the film imploded around them. We wanted more, and we’ll get it.
…Sir Ben Kingsley rumored to have an eye on the project…
Unless you count Denzel Washington (we don’t) and his Where the Wild Things Are voice work for Spike Jonze, Forest Whitaker hasn’t worked with a real director since Kevin Macdonald shepherded him to an Oscar in 2006.
You gotta love it. Rourke and Stallone together again on the big screen. Yeah, we did want more. And, yeah, we’re getting it. It’s also interesting to note that the author of the piece must consider Sly a “real director.”
Now if we can just get Kurt Russell and Bruce Willis on board and a cameo for Arnold, I say let the filming begin!
Ed Hall recently sent in the piece above that he created for his portfolio. Ed is an award-winning political cartoonist who has decided to branch out into other areas. As he journeys into these new waters, Ed regularly posts his thoughts and art on his blog. Check it out and let him know your thoughts.
I was hoping for a perfect score on this logic test. The one I missed was the “controversial” one. Bah!
I’m a huge Kyle Baker fan. [No wisecracks, Beatty!] Baker is a talented artist and writer. So you probably think I’m going to link to some of his art or a page from one of his comics.
Nope. Instead I’m linking to Kyle Baker’s review of “The Spirit” movie. Don’t you just love how he gets his point across.
If you have any interest at all in “The Watchmen” then you owe it to yourself to check out this featurette of Zack Snyder talking about his movie adaptation. It runs just a bit over 4 minutes and when it’s over you’ll wish it wasn’t. Thanks to the fine folks at CBR.com for the link.
I hadn’t heard of “Give ‘Em Hell, Malone” until I saw this trailer today. Thomas Jane and Ving Rhames directed by Russell Mulcahy. I’m in.
Because I don’t see that many movies in theaters anymore, I’m much more selective about what I choose to see on the big screen. Most of the time I’m confident that the movie I’m seeing deserves the big screen treatment or is something so good that I don’t want to wait for the dvd release. I saw “Seven Pounds” last night at a theater, and left really disappointed. Stop reading now if you’re concerned about spoilers — although I won’t give away specifics, I will give my reasons for not liking the film.
Before we go into why I didn’t like it, let’s talk about why I thought I might. First of all, the cast — Will Smith is good in everything he does, including “Seven Pounds” — Rosario Dawson is one of my favorite actresses and she does a fine job here — Woody Harrelson beautifully plays a small but important role — Barry Pepper also has a small role and although he does what is asked, closer examination would reveal that his character’s actions don’t ring true. The second thing that the movie had going for it was that it was supposed to be a mystery that made the audience think as it slowly revealed why the events were unfolding in the manner shown. This is where the movie fell apart for me.
Will Smith plays a character that we’re supposed to care about. A man tortured by some past event who is now trying to make amends by granting life altering wishes to strangers. It just didn’t work for me. Instead of coming off as a sympathetic, hurting, kind-hearted person, Smith’s character was more of an egotistical, self-centered, short-sighted man who did things for his own benefit [although his actions did help some others] without thought to the feelings of those who knew and loved him most. Every thing that his character did, was done in an effort to make himself feel better. Sure, he helped others, but he did so more for himself than them. And let’s think for a minute about those that he hurt through his efforts. If you do, it would be more than his character did.
The tragic event that sets the stage for everything that is to come happens because of Smith’s character. Then we are led to believe that his character is tortured by the destruction that he caused. Is it because of the loss of his loved one? Not really, he seems to have gotten over her pretty quickly [of course Rosario could have that effect]. Perhaps he is mourning for the others whose lives he destroyed. If so, why doesn’t he do things to help their survivors? No, he instead determines that he will help strangers. He will determine if these strangers are worthy. I guess his character believes that kindness should only be shown to those we believe deserve kindness. The movie’s theme seems to be that stealing, lying, and hurting those closest to you, so you can provide the ultimate sacrifice to strangers is admirable.
I should have waited for the dvd.
If, like me, you’re looking forward to the new mini-series, Incognito by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, then you’ll probably want to check out “7 Things to Know About Incognito” brought to us by the good folks at Newsarama.com.
It just came over the wires that Donald Westlake has died at the age of 75 from an apparent heart attack. Mr. Westlake was one the most successful, popular and prolific authors of our time. Not only did he write over 100 novels under various names [ Richard Stark, Tucker Coe, Samuel Holt, Edwin West as well as his own], but he also won three Edgar awards and an Academy Award nomination for his screenplay for “The Grifters.”
My favorite Westlake stories were his crime novels written under his pen-name of Richard Stark. I wasn’t alone in their enjoyment. Not only were they fan favorites, but they were also turned into movies several times with the likes of Lee Marvin, Robert Duvall and Mel Gibson playing the lead. If you like crime stories, then you probably love the Parker novels.
My thoughts and prayers go out to Mr. Westlake’s family, friends and fans.
Hey, you made it! Thanks for making the switch with me.
The Overview: Hancock [Will Smith] is a super hero with a bad attitude. Of course you’d probably be a bit grumpy if you didn’t have any friends or relatives, didn’t know anything about your past, didn’t know how you got your powers and felt unappreciated for your good deeds. All of that changes when Hancock meets Ray [Jason Bateman] and his wife, Mary [Charlize Theron]. To say more would be to say too much.
The Good: Will Smith, isn’t he always? Jason Bateman. The story had some interesting plot twists — some which you can see coming and others that surprise.
The Bad: The advertising for “Hancock” — I had no desire to see this when it was at theaters, but heard some good things later from those who’d seen it on dvd. There is much more to this movie than the trailers would have you believe!
The Ugly: What happens to the two guys in prison who push Hancock just a bit too far. Yeech!
The Summary: “Hancock” isn’t a great film, but it’s much better than I thought it would be and there‘s a lot worse ways to spend an hour and a half.
I love traditions. The family get-togethers on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. Watching fireworks on the Fourth of July. Bears games in the fall. Trips to see family members in the summer. One of my oldest traditions is watching the ball drop on New Year’s Eve.
That tradition started many years ago when I was a youngster. I was spending the night with my grandparents — my Nanny and Happa as I called them. We ended up watching Guy Lombardo’s orchestra [well, I mostly listened and played with my action figures]. Everything stopped as midnight and the New Year approached. We all watched the ball drop with the countdown to the New Year. That began a tradition that continues to this day.
In the early 70’s, I started watching Dick Clark’s Rocking New Year’s Eve. I thought it was cool to see all the hot bands of the day kicking out their latest jams… and then the cut to Times Square in New York to watch the ball drop with the countdown to the New Year. As the years passed Dick Clark continued to host his Rocking New Year’s Eve show. I grew up… finished high school… went to college… got married and Dick Clark was still bringing in the New Year from Times Square. I got a job teaching…. we had kids.. and Dick Clark continued to Rock in the New Year. When the boys were younger we would have their cousins for a sleepover on New Year’s Eve. We’d make a day of it and then as the night settled in ‘d set off fireworks. We’d watch some good tv [Twilight Zone Marathon] or movies and then it’d be time for Dick Clark to take us to Times Square for the drop of the ball.
My kids are grown now and it’s been a few years since we’ve had the sleepovers with the cousins. But all over us, no matter where we are still tune in to check out the ball dropping in Times Square. Dick Clark suffered a stroke in 2004, and turned the main hosting job over to others — the first year it was Regis Philbin and since then Ryan Seacrest. The stroke left Dick Clark with limited use of his right arm and some trouble speaking and yet he still appears on the show. You have to admire that. I guess Dick Clark loves traditions too.
Last night’s UFC 92 had a few surprises.
Quentin “Rampage” Jackson (28-7) vs Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva (32-8). Because Rampage had met Silva twice before and lost both times, I thought that the third time would likely end with another win for Silva. Boy, was I wrong, Rampage won via a devastating KO in the first round. Rampage is back and although you might think that he’d want a shot at getting his title again, he’s said that he’d rather get the chance to avenge his loss to Forrest Griffin. Now that’s a fighter talking!
Antonio “Big Nog” Nogueira (31-4-1) vs Frank Mir (11-3). Mir had less experience and did not sound confident in pre-fight interviews. That, coupled with the fact that Big Nog gets stronger as a fight goes on [and Mir isn’t known for his conditioning] led me to belive that Big Nog would probably come out the winner. Boy, was I wrong again. Not only did Mir dominate the first round, he continued to dominate in the second and knocked Big Nog out before the 2 minute mark. Mir KO’d a man who had never been knocked out before and he made it look fairly easy.
Forrest Griffin (16-4) vs “Sugar” Rashad Evans (16-0-1). I picked Griffin to win, but was worried that Evans would once again find a way earn the victory. He did. Griffin had a great fight plan which kept the fight off the mat, and Evans at bay with solid leg kicks. Griffin won both rounds one and two and appeared to be on his way to winning the third as well. That’s when Evans was able to catch Griffin’s leg and land a hard shot which put Griffin down. Evans followed up with repeated head strikes until the ref was forced to call it.
So congratulations to Rampage, Mir and Evans.
The Overview: Mr. Brooks [Kevin Costner] has just been named Portland’s Man of the Year. He is a rich, successful business man with a beautiful wife and a lovely college aged daughter. Life would be perfect if he wasn’t overcome with urges to kill. You see, Mr. Brooks is a serial killer. After his last double-murder, his first in two years, the demon in him is loose again. But Mr. Brooks’ days may be numbered. He’s being blackmailed by a man [Dane Cook] who accidentally stumbled on to the truth and there’s that determined police detective [Demi Moore] hot on his trail.
The Good: The cast. The story. I especially enjoyed all the subplots. Dane Cook trying to control the situation in which he is out of his league. Demi Moore and the escaped killer after her. Mr. Brooks’ daughter’s terrible secret that was slowly unfolding. The way that Mr. Brooks was torn between his urge to kill and the knowledge that it was terribly, terribly wrong. The plot twists. How everything wraps up. And Mr. Brooks’ relationship with Marshall [William Hurt].
The Bad: What happens to those who fall into the path of Mr. Brooks.
The Ugly: The dreams of a serial killer.
The Summary: “Mr. Brooks” is definitely worth a look — you’ll have a killer good time.
