The Blood Brothers Mother #1 by Brian Azzarello & Eduardo Risso / Z-View

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That’s one of the covers to The Blood Brothers Mother #1 by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso.  I say one of the covers, because there are variants available.  I selected the Eduardo Risso cover, since I’m a huge Risso fan and he did the art for the series.

Anything Azzarello and Risso team to create is worth more than a glance.  Best known for the award-winning series 100 Bullets, Azzarello and Risso should clear out more space on their mantles.  The Blood Brothers Mother is off to that great of a start.

Carter Cain is an outlaw.  Recently released after a five year stint in a Mexican prison, Carter has one thing on his mind.

Anna.

Carter’s gang is there to meet him when he’s released.  They’re ready to take up their old ways.  Easy money to be had by robbin’ and killin’.  But Carter has other plans.  They’ll get Anna and then return to the life.

The fact that Anna’s married with three young boys means nothing to Carter.  She’s his and he’ll have her.

Issue one of The Blood Brothers Mother starts as Carter Cain’s story.  But it’s not.  If anything it is the prologue to Anna’s boys’ story.

Azzarello and Risso’s first issue perfectly sets up a story of adventure and revenge.  The oversize format is justified by Risso’s stunning watercolors.

The Blood Brothers Mother #1 by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso rates 5 of 5 stars.

THE LEGEND OF MAD MAX: THE COMPLETE SAGA FROM MAD MAX TO FURIOSA by Ian Nathan

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THE LEGEND OF MAD MAX: THE COMPLETE SAGA FROM MAD MAX TO FURIOSA by Ian Nathan sounds like a winner.  Here’s the lowdown…

The Complete Story from Mad Max to Furiosa.

The Legend of Mad Max is the ultimate guide to the high octane post-apocalyptic film series, directed by visionary filmmaker George Miller.

This comprehensive history delves into the making of each film, exploring the unique vision and groundbreaking live action and special effects that have made Mad Max a cultural touchstone for over five decades. From the unforgettable characters and thrilling action sequences to the complex themes and deep mythology, this stunningly illustrated book provides an in-depth look at the world of the iconic road warrior from Mad Max to Furiosa.

Buckle up and get ready for a wild ride through The Wasteland as you discover the full story behind this classic film franchise.

With detailed production information, behind-the-scenes stories, and stunning photography, The Legend of Mad Max, is a must-read for fans of this celebrated series.

THE LEGEND OF MAD MAX: THE COMPLETE SAGA FROM MAD MAX TO FURIOSA by Ian Nathan will be released on June 18, 2024.

“Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) directed by Neil Jordan, starring Tom Cruise & Brad Pitt / Z-View

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Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)

Director: Neil Jordan

Screenplay: Anne Rice based on INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE by Horace McCoy

Stars: Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas, Kirsten Dunst, Christian Slater, John McConnell, Bellina Logan, Thandiwe Newton, Indra Ové, Helen McCrory, Roger Lloyd Pack and Stephen Rea.

Tagline: Drink From Me And Live Forever

The Plot…

Daniel Molloy (Slater) is a writer looking for a story.  After a chance meeting with Louis de Pointe du Lac (Pitt), he may have found it.  Louis claims to be a vampire.  Although Molloy is skeptical at first, Louis quickly proves he is what he says.

As Molloy records and takes notes, Louis tells his story. In 1791 Louis was a young, wealthy Louisiana plantation owner.  That changed the evening the vampire, Lestat (Cruise) turned him.  No longer human, Louis and Lestat moved through the night.  Undead but living.  Forced to leave Louisiana, when folks began to suspect Louis and his new friend were behind many disappearances, Louis and Lestat head to New Orleans…

Louis’ tale spans 200 years.  New Orleans.  A new vampire joins them.  Betrayal.  A journey to Europe where they discover the Théâtre des Vampires.  True Vampires putting on plays where they pretend to be humans playing vampires! The victims are real.  To tell more of Louis story would be to say too much.

But I will leave you with this… can an interview with a vampire end well?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles was nominated for two Academy Awards

  • Best Art Direction-Set Decoration: Dante Ferretti Francesca, Lo Schiavo
  • Best Music, Original Score: Elliot Goldenthal

Anne Rice was not initially happy when Tom Cruise was cast as Lestat.  When Rice wrote the novel she envisioned Rutgar Hauer in the role.  She thought of Alain Delon when writing the screenplay.  Then when it was time to cast the role she suggested John Malkovich, Peter Weller, Jeremy Irons or Alexander Godunov.  When Cruise and Pitt were selected for the two leads she suggested that Pitt play Lestat.  That wasn’t to be.  When the film was released, Rice had come around to the Tom Cruise casting.  She said he brought something to the role that she had not foreseen.

While I’m a fan of many of Tom Cruise’s movies and I do really like Interview with a Vampire, I think he was miscast as Lestat.

River Phoenix was set to play Daniel Malloy before his untimely death.  Christian Slater then got the part.  Slater donated his salary from the film to two of River Phoenix’s favorite charities.

The initial scene Stephen Rea shares with Brad Pitt is both funny and a bit scary.  It’s a favorite of mine.

Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) rates 4 of 5 stars.

CLETE: A DAVE ROBICHEAUX NOVEL by James Lee Burke!

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We are less than a week away from the release of CLETE: A DAVE ROBICHEAUX NOVEL by James Lee Burke!  Here’s the synopsis…

In the latest installment in his famous Detective Dave Robicheaux series, New York Times bestselling author James Lee Burke brings Dave’s partner and friend Clete Purcel to the forefront for the first time as Clete and Dave attempt to stop ruthless smugglers of a dangerous new drug

Clete Purcel – private investigator, ex-member of the New Orleans Police Department, and war veteran with a hard shell and just a few soft spots – is Dave Robicheaux’s longtime friend and partner in detective work. But he has a troubled past. When Clete leaves his car at the local car wash, only to return to find it ransacked by a group of thugs tied to the drug trade from Mexican cartels to Louisiana, it feels personal – his grandniece died of a fentanyl overdose, and his fists curl when he thinks of the dealers who sold it.

Just as Clete starts to trail the culprits, Clara Bow, a woman with a dark past hires Clete as a detective to investigate her scheming, slippery ex-husband, and a string of brutal deaths all link back to a heavily tattooed man who seems to lurk around every corner. Clete is experiencing shockingly lifelike hallucinations and questioning Clara’s ulterior motives when he and Dave start to hear rumors of a dangerous substance with potentially catastrophic effects. The thugs who destroyed his car might have been pawns in a scheme far darker than they could’ve imagined.

Gripping, violent, yet interlaced with Clete’s humor and consistent drive to protect those he loves, Clete brings a fresh perspective to a truly iconic series. James Lee Burke proves yet again that he is the “heavyweight champ” and “great American novelist whose work, taken individually or as a whole, is unsurpassed” (Michael Connelly).

Hardcover
Kindle

“Killer’s Game” – The Trailer is Here!

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This morning we got the poster.  This afternoon, the trailer.

US Release Date: September 13, 2024
Starring: Dave Bautista, Ben Kingsley, Sofia Boutella, Terry Crews
Director: J. J. Perry
Synopsis: In the new action-comedy THE KILLER’S GAME, when top hitman Joe Flood (Dave Bautista) is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he decides to take matters into his own hands – by taking a hit out on himself. But when the very hitmen he hired also target his ex-girlfriend (Sofia Boutella) , he must fend off an army of assassin colleagues and win back the love of his life before it’s too late.

“The Convert” starring Guy Pearce – Two Posters and a Trailer are Here!

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Two posters and a trailer for The Convert starring Guy Pearce and I’m on board.

Lee Tamahori’s action-filled historical epic stars Guy Pearce as Thomas Munro, a newly arrived preacher in a colonial town in early 19th-century New Zealand who finds himself at the centre of a long-standing battle between two Māori tribes.

Directed by Lee Tamahori
Starring Guy Pearce, Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne, Antonio Te Maioha, Jacqueline McKenzie, Lawrence Makoare

“Alien: Romulus” – The Trailer is Here!

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The more I see for Alien: Romulus, the more I want to see it.

“Alien: Romulus” takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.

The film stars Cailee Spaeny (“Civil War”), David Jonsson (“Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy”), Archie Renaux (“Shadow and Bone”), Isabela Merced (“The Last of Us”), Spike Fearn (“Aftersun”), Aileen Wu.

Fede Alvarez (“Evil Dead,” “Don’t Breathe”) directs from a screenplay he wrote with frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues (“Don’t Breathe 2”) based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett.

“Alien: Romulus” is produced by Ridley Scott (“Napoleon”), who directed the original “Alien” and produced and directed the series’ entries “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant,” Michael Pruss (“Boston Strangler”), and Walter Hill (“Alien”), with Fede Alvarez, Elizabeth Cantillon (“Charlie’s Angels”), Brent O’Connor (“Bullet Train”), and Tom Moran (“Unstoppable”) serving as executive producers.

“The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst” – Season 1 (2015) / Z-View

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The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst – Season 1 (2015)

Created by: Andrew Jarecki, Marc Smerling, Zac Stuart-Pontier

Director: Andrew Jarecki (Eps. 1-6)

Written By: Andrew Jarecki, Marc Smerling and Zac Stuart-Pontier (Eps. 1-6)

Tagline: The confession was just the beginning.

The Plot…

Andrew Jarecki directed All Good Things, a film inspired by Robert Durst’s life.  All Good Things is the fictional tale of David Marks, a real estate tycoon suspected of killing his wife Katie, who disappeared in 1982.  Robert Durst is an heir to the Durst family fortune made in real estate.  Robert Durst’s wife, Kathie disappeared in 1982.

After seeing All Good Things, Robert Durst reached out to Andrew Jarecki and proposed a series of interviews so that Durst could tell his side of the story.  In addition to being suspected of killing his wife Kathie, Durst had also admitted to killing and dismembering Morris Black and was also suspected of killing his friend Susan Berman.  Robert Durst gave Jarecki almost unlimited access to personal family photos/videos, court transcripts and depositions.  Jarecki performed extensive research prior to the interviews and uncovered previously unseen evidence.

Durst did the interviews to give his side of the story and to clear his name.  Little did Durst know that decision would lead to his arrest for murder.  Admitting his guilt on a hot mic didn’t help his side of the story.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Jinx was nominated for six 2015 Primetime Emmys and won two: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series and Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming.

Robert Durst’s story is stranger than fiction.  A multi-millionaire who many think got away with killing his first wife goes on the run because he thinks the police are going to arrest him.  He leaves New York and travels to Galveston, Texas.  He disguises himself as a mute woman.  While in Galveston he kills and dismembers a man.  The body parts are found floating in plastic bags.  They have Durst’s fingerprints, a receipt where he paid for the bags and saws.  He is caught with the saw used to dismember the man.  Durst admits to the killing.

And his defense attorney gets him off!  I won’t spoil the way it is done.

Now Durst has gotten away with murder (potentially murders).  You’d think he’d take his multi-millions and lay low for the rest of his life.  Nope.  He becomes the main suspect in the killing of Susan Berman.  Durst’s brother hires bodyguards and takes out a restraining order — he fears he could be next.

What does Durst do?  He agrees to a series of interviews in which he inadvertently admits his guilt.  This leads to his arrest for murder.

Kudos to Andrew Jarecki, Marc Smerling and Zac Stuart-Pontier.  Their research a dedication to finding the truth made for compelling television.  The Jinx deserves every accolade it has received.  I look forward to season two.

The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst – Season 1 (2015) rates 5 of 5 stars.