“No Sudden Move: Trust is a setup” – The Poster is Here!
I like the simplicity of this No Sudden Move poster.
Snyder School: Making the Cut!
I love these Snyder Film School insights. More directors should do this.
In ‘Snyder School,’ Zack Snyder takes us on a four episode journey into his creative process as a filmmaker. In Episode 3, Zack explains his philosophy on color, how he finds the final cut with his editor, and how music and sound design complete the emotional experience of watching his films.
“Blood Red Sky” – The Trailer is Here!
Blood Red Sky – The Trailer is Here! Free on Netflix? Yeah, deal me in.
A woman with a mysterious illness is forced into action when a group of terrorists attempt to hijack a transatlantic overnight flight. In order to protect her son she will have to reveal a dark secret, and unleash the inner monster she has fought to hide.
Watch Blood Red Sky, only on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/BloodRedSky
“No Sudden Move” – The Trailer is Here!
Deal me in.
In 1955 Detroit, a group of small-time criminals are hired to steal emerging car technology. When their plan goes horribly wrong, their search for who hired them – and for what ultimate purpose – weaves them through all echelons of the race-torn, rapidly changing city. From Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh and starring Don Cheadle, Benicio del Toro, David Harbour, Ray Liotta, Jon Hamm, Brendan Fraser, Kieran Culkin and Amy Seimetz and Julia Fox. #NoSuddenMove streaming on HBO Max July 1.
“The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” (2021) / Z-View
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
Director: Michael Chaves
Screenplay: David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (story: James Wan & David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick; based on characters created by Chad Hayes & Carey W. Hayes)
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ruairi O’Connor, Sarah Catherine Hook and John Noble.
Tagline: The Demonic Case That Shocked America
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is a change of pace in that the Warrens are working to save a man from death row by using the “he was possessed by the devil” defense. Talk about a Hail, Mary!
So, there’s a lot of courtroom action? No, just two brief scenes. But you have to understand this isn’t about that. It’s about finding out why the man was possessed and curing that. But, we know why he was possessed, he asked the devil to take him instead of the boy. Yes, but as we learn, he wasn’t possessed by the devil, he was cursed by a Satanist! But, the title is “The Devil Made Me Do It”? Yes, but it wasn’t through the Devil directly. But, the movie is scary and full of tension like the other “Conjuring” movies, right? Well… not really.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is all over the place. There are exorcisms, a cold case murder mystery, a story of young love, old love, a possession, a curse, a demonic/satanic controlled murder, there’s ESP, raising the dead, a hospital drama, and keeping a man off death row. For me, it was a bit too much.
I like the chemistry between Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. The nod to the original Exorcist when the priest arrives for the exorcism of the little boy is a nice touch. The set-up with the little boy and the waterbed was creepy. John Noble was a nice addition but needed more to do.
Nits to pick: It wasn’t as scary or filled with tense scenes as past Conjuring films. The lighting in every indoor scene was as if to remind us “this is a horror movie” and something scary could be in the shadows.
The set-up of Patrick Wilson’s heart problems were well done but then for the rest of the film the threat of a heart attack looms despite his constant running, straining to lift his wife as she goes over a cliff, etc. I didn’t think that the whole “Here’s Johnny” with a sledge hammer instead of an axe scene worked. We know he’s not whacking his wife with it.
I didn’t buy at all that a man in jail for murder and who is using the devil made me do it defense would be allowed out of a cell to mop floors in a semi-dark (spooky, huh?) room. That he would be come possessed, levitate off the floor, windows would be blown out and not a single cop or orderly shows up?
Overall, I found The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It to be an okay viewing experience. So it gets 2 of 5 stars.
RIP: Clarence Williams III
Clarence Williams III, the actor best known for his role as Linc Hayes on The Mod Squad, died on Friday, June 4th from colon cancer.
Mr. Williams began his acting career in 1959 with an uncredited role in Pork Chop Hill. The following year he appeared on Broadway in The Long Dream. Clarence Williams III then alternated between stage and television roles until he was cast in his signature role, as Linc Hayes on The Mod Squad. When the series ended after five seasons, Mr. Williams alternated between movie and television roles.
Some of his best known television appearances were in The Return of Mod Squad, Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice and Twin Peaks. Clarence Williams III’s feature films include Purple Rain, I’m Gonna Git You, Sucka, The Genreral’s Daughter and Reindeer Games.
I wasn’t a big fan of The Mod Squad, but when I did watch I always thought Clarence Williams III was the best part of the show. It was always nice to see him show up in other television and movie roles.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Clarence Williams III’s family, friends and fans.
Al Capone: Interesting Trivia You May Not Know!
Sean Hutchinson at Mental Floss recently posted 17 Facts About Al Capone. You know the drill, before you click over, here are three of my favorites and my thoughts on each…
AL CAPONE GOT THE NICKNAME SCARFACE FROM A BARROOM FRACAS. (It’s not surprising to note that Capone hated the nickname Scarface. Even more interesting is that he preferred friends to call him Snorky. Somehow Snorky doesn’t seem as threatening as Scarface, and you can be sure if Capone was around and he wanted to be called Snorky, Snorky it would be. – Craig)
AL CAPONE’S “CHICAGO OUTFIT” MADE A LOT OF MONEY. (Reportedly Capone’s outfit made $100 million in 1920. Today the equivalent would be $13,352,700,000.00. That’s 13 Billion plus dollars! Wowzers! – Craig)
AL CAPONE RAN A SOUP KITCHEN DURING THE DEPRESSION. (You’d think that this showed that Capone had a good heart. Remember this was the same guy who beat to death three men with a baseball bat after serving them dinner, and the same guy who killed or had killed many, many people. The soup kitchen was done to win public good will for his upcoming trial! – Craig)
Jack Carter and John Wick by Tom Richmond!
Tom Richmond of MAD magazine fame opened up his commission list and I jumped on with a request for Jack Carter (Sly Stallone) and John Wick (Keanu Reeves). As you can see Mr. Richmond came through with a winner, which is no surprise.
This is my second commission from Tom Richmond, the first was a Rocky (Stallone) and Clubber Lang (Mr. T.). I’ll post it once I get it scanned. It is larger than my current scanner and a photo doesn’t do it justice.
If you’re a sketch collector, I highly recommend Tom Richmond. He does great art, has wonderful communication and packages the art securely.
“Five: A Tenet Short Film”
This short film becomes even more impressive when you learn it was filmed in one night on a $300.00 budget. Stephen Ford is a guy to keep an eye on.
Starring: Josh Han, Brennan Mejia, Kasey Landoll, JB Tadena, Colton Eschief Mastro, Romeo Armand and @Cerberusarms .
Written & Directed by: Stephen Ford
Editing, VFX, Cinematography, Costumes by: Stephen Ford
Produced by: Jennifer McDonnell, Daniel “D” Kim, Jeremy Scott, Stephen Ford
Stunt Coordinator: Brennan Mejia
Military Advisor: Michael Lieberman
The Art of Aurelio Lorenzo
Aurelio Lorenzo is the artist who created these cool portraits. If you’d like to see more of his art, you can here!
The Best 21st Century Zombie Movies!
Daniel Kurland over at CBR.com listed his choices for the 10 Best Zombie Movies Of The 21s Century (So Far). I decided to play along so here are Kurland’s and my choices (using just his list) and some thoughts at the end.
|
Kurland |
Zablo |
10. Overlord |
*** Anna And The Apocalypse (Haven’t seen) |
9. #Alive |
*** One Cut Of The Dead (Haven’t seen) |
8. Dawn Of The Dead |
8. Rec |
7. Dead Snow |
7. Dead Snow |
6. Anna And The Apocalypse |
6. Alive |
5. Shaun Of The Dead |
5. Shaun of the Dead |
4. One Cut Of The Dead |
4. Overlord |
3. Train To Busan |
3. Dawn of the Dead |
2. [REC] |
2. Train to Busan |
1. 28 Days Later |
1. 28 Days Later |
If I was creating my own list I would include World War Z and Army of the Dead.
“The Twilight Zone” by Brett Parsons
As a fan of The Twilight Zone and good art, you can imagine how much I like Brett Parson’s The Twilight Zone poster.
“Army of the Dead” – Two New Posters that Might be the Best Yet!
Today we have two new Army of the Dead posters and they just may be the best yet. Anyone know who did the art for them? If so, let me know so I can give proper credit. Click on the images to see biggie-sized versions.
RIP: BJ Thomas
Billy Joe aka B.J. Thomas died yesterday at the age of 70 from lung cancer.
B.J. first came into the public eye with his million-selling cover of the Hank Williams’ classic I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry. His second gold record came two years later with the pop hit, Hooked on a Feeling.
The following year, Mr. Thomas was chosen to sing Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head which was featured in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The song earned the Academy Award as Best Original Song and and hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 with sales of over one million copies. This earned BJ Thomas his third gold record.
BJ Thomas had another top ten hit that year with I Just Can’t Help Believing. In 1975, BJ Thomas earned his fourth gold record with (Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song. From the very start of his career, Mr. Thomas dealt with alcohol and drug dependence. In 1976, BJ Thomas became a Christian and released his first (of several) gospel albums. It became the first gospel album to go platinum.
Unless you were alive in 1970, you cannot imagine how popular Keep Fallin’ on My Head was. It was all over the radio and tv. That song along with I Just Can’t Help Believing are my favorite songs by BJ Thomas. As impressive as his career was, it is equally as impressive that he was able to kick his dependency on drugs/alcohol and spoke freely about it. I’m sure he gave hope to others caught up in the same out of control spiral.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to BJ Thomas’ family, friends and fans.
RIP: Gavin MacLeod
Gavin MacLeod, best known to fans as either the the loveable Captain Stubing of The Love Boat, or the witty Murray Slaughter from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, died yesterday at the age of 90. MacLeod, who was born Allan George See, but changed his name for show biz.
Gavin MacLeod began his acting career in 1957 and he alternated with smaller roles in television and movies. In 1962, he became a regular on McHale’s Navy. After two seasons he left the series and took a role in The Sand Pebbles staring Steve McQueen. MacLeod followed that role with guest appearance on many popular television shows including (but not limited to): The Munsters, Rawhide, Gomer Pyle, The Man from UNCLE, The Andy Griffith Show, The Rat Patrol, Ironside, Hawaii 5-0, Hogan’s Heroes, Love American Style. Along the way Mr. McLeod also appeared in feature films including his role in Kelly’s Heroes with Clint Eastwood.
In 1970, Gavin MacLeod began playing Murray Slaughter when The Mary Tyler Moore Show premiered After the show ended, he accepted the lead as Captain Merrill Stubing in The Love Boat. That series ran for ten years as well as a tv movie and a spin-off series: The Love Boat: The Next Wave. Gavin MacLeod continued to act until 2014.
I was a huge fan of Gavin MacLeod’s Murray Slaughter. Often he was the funniest on a show full of talented comedians. I always love when he turns up in any show or movie that I’m watching and perhaps my favorite surprise appearance is in Compulsion (an under-rated movie) where he plays an assistant to the DA.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Gavin MacLeod’s family, friends and fans.
