“The Tender Bar” (2021) / Z-View

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The Tender Bar (2021)

Director: George Clooney

Screenplay:  William Monahan (based on the memoir by J.R. Moehringer)

Starring:  Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Daniel Ranieri, Lily Rabe, Christopher Lloyd, and Briana Middleton.

Tagline:  Publishing is heading towards memoir

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The Tender Bar is a coming of age story of a little boy named JR (no periods) being raised by his single mom and an assist from his cool Uncle who owns a bar.  Affleck plays the Uncle while Ranieri and Sheridan play the boy/man.  The movie is well cast and that helps keep interest up as the subplots come and go.  Will JR graduate high school?  Will he get into Yale?  Will he get a good job?  Will it work out with his love interest?  Will he become a writer?  Will he and his dad ever reconcile?

As I said, The Tender Bar is well cast.  Standouts include Affleck and Sheridan.  Rabe, Middleton and Max Martini as JR’s deadbeat dad aren’t given a lot to do but are very good.  The bar patrons are also fun even if they’re mainly there to order the next round.  “Back ’em up!”

The Tender Bar isn’t a great film, but it’s not a bad movie to watch with your better half.  I rate it 3 of 5 stars.

Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka / Z-View

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Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka

Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams

First sentence…

Tokyo station is packed.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Bullet Train is an international best seller about five assassins on a Japanese bullet train trying to retrieve a mysterious suitcase before one of the others can get to it.  Descriptions of the book that compared it to a stylish modern day yakuza film directed by Quentin Tarantino got my interest.  When I learned that Bullet Train was being made into a action thriller directed by  David (John Wick franchise) Leitch starring Sandra Bullock, Brad Pitt and Zazie Beetz.  I was sold.

I went into Bullet Train with high expectations for a fast moving, exciting tale with interesting characters and action.  What I got was far from that.  The assassins are on the train.  They have names like The Prince, Tangerine and Lemon.  There’s a subplot about a hospitalized boy in danger.  Instead of action we get tons and tons of talk.  Some of the assassins (and the main psychopath) are school children.  Two that work together (Tangerine and Lemon) spend pages and pages talking about Thomas the Train.  The dialogue often seemed forced at best.

I seldom quit a book before finishing it.  I’m usually a pretty good judge of what I’ll like.  Bullet Train sounded like exactly the type of story I’d love.  Sadly it wasn’t.

Rating:

Love & Bullets Megabomb Edition by Nick Kolakowski / Z-View

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Love & Bullets Megabomb Edition by Nick Kolakowski

Trade Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Shotgun Honey Books

First sentence…

Listen.  At some point, a poor sap will look at you and say, “This is the worst day of my life.”

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Bill is a conman on the run from the Rockaway Mob.  They want Bill dead and the two million dollars that he stole from them back.  Lucky for Bill, his girlfriend, Fiona is on the lam with him.  Fiona’s got brains and can handle herself.  As this modern day “Bonnie and Clyde” try to stay alive they find themselves at odds with crocked cops, hired assassins, other criminals, an Elvis impersonator, a government hit man and more.

The Love & Bullets Megabomb Edition is actually a reworking of three novellas featuring Bill and Fiona (A Brutal Bunch of Heartbroken Saps; Slaughterhouse Blues and Main Bad Guy), but thanks to some clever re-editing and additional material, it reads like one rollicking adventure.  I absolutely loved the characters, plus the right mix of violence, humor and heart.  Kolakowski has the ability to make all of his major characters not only unique in voice and look, but the feel that any of them could be the “star” of their own tale.  I blazed through Love & Bullets Megabomb Edition loving every page.  I was so impressed by Nick Kolakowski that I immediately ordered three more of his novels.   

Rating:

A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance is Coming!

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A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance, Volume 1 by Rick Remender (writer), André Lima Araújo (artist) and Chris O’Halloran (artist) takes place when…

…an unassuming man stops a vicious dark web contract assassin from killing their target, he turns himself into one. A quiet, atmospheric slice of life story with sudden bouts of unique and brutal violence―part THE PROFESSIONAL part ROAD TO PERDITION, writer RICK REMENDER (Seven to Eternity, Deadly Class) and artist ANDRÉ LIMA ARAÚJO (Generation Gone, The Wicked + The Divine: 455 AD) present the story of an unlikely surrogate to a boy hunted by powerful men who are used to getting away with everything.

Collects A RIGHTEOUS THIRST FOR VENGEANCE #1-5

Deal me in.

Heat 2 by Michael Mann & Meg Gardiner – Sequel/Prequel Novel to “Heat” – Info & Pre-Orders are Here!

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That’s the cover to Michael Mann’s prequel/sequel novel to his crime classic film Heat.  Cowritten with Meg Gardiner, Heat 2 will be released on August 9, 2022.  Here’s the synopsis…

Michael Mann, four-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker and writer-director of Heat, Collateral, Thief, Manhunter, and Miami Vice, teams up with Edgar Award-winning author Meg Gardiner to deliver Mann’s first crime novel — an explosive return to the world and characters of his classic film Heat — an all-new story that illuminates what happened before and after the iconic film.

Described by Michael Mann as both a prequel and sequel to the renowned, critically acclaimed film of the same name, HEAT 2 covers the formative years of homicide detective Vincent Hanna (Oscar winner Al Pacino) and elite criminals Neil McCauley (Oscar winner Robert De Niro), Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer), and Nate (Oscar winner Jon Voight), and features the same extraordinary ambition, scope, rich characterizations, and attention to detail as the epic film.

This new story leads up to the events of the film and then moves beyond it, featuring new characters on both sides of the law, new high-line heists, and breathtakingly cinematic action sequences. Ranging from the streets of L.A. to the inner sancta of rival Taiwanese crime syndicates in Paraguay to a massive drug cartel money-laundering operation just over the border in Mexico, HEAT 2 illuminates the dangerous workings of international crime organizations and the agents who pursue them as it provides a full-blooded portrait of the men and women who inhabit both worlds. Operatic in scope, HEAT 2 is engrossing, moving, and tragic — a masterpiece of crime fiction from one of the most innovative and influential filmmakers in American cinema.

Pre-orders are available now!  Deal me in.

Rare “Apocalypse Now” Poster by Bob Peak!

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The rare (and beautiful) Apocalypse Now poster by Bob Peak is being offered as a limited edition print from Mondo.  The fine folks at Mondo worked with Bob Peak’s son, Matthew, to create this print.

Fun fact: Bob Peak’s signature is backwards on the artwork. We asked Matthew if we should correct that for the screenprinted version and he said “No”, and that his dad would want people to know his preferred orientation of the work. We were happy to oblige.

John Byrne’s Vintage Wolverine Art

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There was a time when John Byrne was THE man in comics.  He could write and draw.  Often John Byrne art graced multiple comic covers AND interiors each month.  John Byrne is known for his work on Iron Fist, The X-Men. The Fantastic Four, The She-Hulk, Batman, Superman and more.  Byrne created Alpha Flight, The Next Men and Danger Unlimited.

I followed John Byrne from the X-Men to each new series he picked up.  His unique style was well suited to comics and he made characters look good.  Byrne’s Wolverine is one of my favorites.  When John Byrne started on the X-Men, Wolverine was unlike other Marvel/DC characters.  His origin was a mystery and he wasn’t built like other heroes.  Wolverine was short and stocky.  He liked to smoke cigars, drink and scrap.  Byrne’s Wolverine reminds me of a great period of comic collecting.  I miss those days.

“Last Looks” Starring Charlie Hunnam & Mel Gibson – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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We have the Last Looks poster and trailer.  Both look better than expected.  This will be a streaming view for me.

Charlie Waldo (Charlie Hunnam) is an ex-LAPD superstar who left the force and now lives a life of simplicity and solitude deep in the woods. Alistair Pinch (Mel Gibson) is an eccentric actor who spends his days drunk on the set of his TV show. When Pinch’s wife is found dead, he is the prime suspect and Waldo is convinced to come out of retirement to investigate what happened. The case finds Waldo contending with gangsters, Hollywood executives and pre-school teachers, all in pursuit of clearing Pinch’s name … or confirming his guilt. #LastLooks

IN THEATERS, ON DEMAND AND DIGITAL: February 4, 2022

CAST: Charlie Hunnam, Morena Baccarin, Lucy Fry, Dominic Monaghan, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Clancy Brown with Rupert Friend and Mel Gibson

Dusty Star by Andrew Robinson Week – Day Seven!

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It’s Dusty Star by Andrew Robinson Week – Day Seven!  Dusty Star…

It’s a different time and a strange place. It’s burlesque shows and all-night poker games, robots and flying ships, tattooed horses and new wave cowboys and cowgirls with bad attitudes. This is the world of Dusty Star, a tough-as-nails gunslinger with a steely-eyed gaze and a draw as fast as greased lighting! An appealing blend of western, science fiction, adventure and humor.

This brings us to a close on Dusty Star by Andrew Robinson Week.  I hope you’ve enjoyed it.  If you’re a Dusty Starr fan, or like what you’ve seen, spread the word.  Maybe we’ll get some new Dusty Star stories or that compilation trade.  Until then, I’ll be like Dusty in these two drawings… waiting.

“All of Us Are Dead” – The New Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I like the new poster and trailer for All of Us Are Dead.   Deal me in.

“All of us will die. There is no hope.”
The school turned into a bloody battleground and our friends into worst enemies.
Who will make it out alive?

Will you kill
Or let yourself be killed

School’s out for the Apocalypse
All of Us Are Dead | Coming January 28, only on Netflix

Dusty Star by Andrew Robinson Week – Day Six!

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It’s Dusty Star by Andrew Robinson Week – Day Six!  Dusty Star…

It’s a different time and a strange place. It’s burlesque shows and all-night poker games, robots and flying ships, tattooed horses and new wave cowboys and cowgirls with bad attitudes. This is the world of Dusty Star, a tough-as-nails gunslinger with a steely-eyed gaze and a draw as fast as greased lighting! An appealing blend of western, science fiction, adventure and humor.

“Catch the Fair One” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Catch the Fair One is a crime story with a unique spin.  I like the simplicity of the poster and the looks of the trailer.  Premieres in select theaters and video on demand on February 11th.  Deal me in.

Director: Josef Kubota Wladyka
Starring: Kali Reis, Lisa Emery, Kimberly Guerrero, Kevin Dunn

A Native American boxer embarks on the fight of her life when she goes in search of her missing sister.