“Murder Among Mormons” – The Trailer is Here!

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Murder Among Mormons looks to be another interesting documentary on Netflix.  I plan to tune in.

Murder Among the Mormons is the first comprehensive look at one of the most shocking crimes to have ever taken place among the Mormon community and the criminal mastermind behind it all. The three-part documentary series directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) and Tyler Measom (An Honest Liar), examines a trio of bombings in 1985 that killed two people and shocked Salt Lake City. The murders send further shockwaves through the community when a trove of early Mormon letters and diaries are found destroyed in the vehicle of the third victim, a renowned collector of rare documents, including the infamous White Salamander Letter — an artifact whose contents threatened to shake the very foundations of Mormonism. As he fights for his life, investigators race to uncover the truth.

“The Penthouse” Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I like both the poster and trailer for The Penthouse.  Michael Pare and Nicholas Turturro may have a winner.  This looks like a pretty good film.

This dark, gripping thriller shows that evil lurks where we least expect it. In sunny Carolina Beach, Peter and Amanda’s new penthouse condo has a perfect view of the marina. One day they notice a couple bickering aboard a docked sailboat. Amanda befriends frightened Tess, but soon afterwards Tess vanishes without a trace. After Peter confronts her boyfriend Charles (Michael Paré, GONE), Charles vows to make the nosy couple’s life a living hell, stopping at nothing until he gets revenge.

The Dichotomy Philosophy Quiz

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I recently took a Dichotomy Philosophy quiz and my results are posted above.  You can see an easier to read version by clicking on the photo.  

  • My rating for Spiritualism (69.2%) was over twice as much as Materialism (30.8%), and while that is not a big surprise, my guess is that the leaning towards Spiritualism has increased with my age.  I think that’s probably a pretty natural progression.
  • Altruism (79.5%) vs Egoism (20.5%) – I was almost exactly four times higher on Altruism over Egoism.  I’m sure that has also increased as I’ve gotten older.  “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.”  – Spock
  • Idealism (54.7%) vs Pragmatism (45.3%) resulted in my second closest ratings.  This doesn’t surprise me.  I’m a believer in doing things for the right reason and I am also pretty pragmatic.
  • Hedonism (27.7%) vs Asceticism (72.3%) – This one is perhaps the most surprising.  I see nothing wrong with doing things that are pleasurable, legal and don’t hurt others.  Perhaps the scores are due to the fact that I am a big believer that to just go after instant gratification can lead to problems.  I have put off owning things or spending money now so that I can insure a better future.  The cool thing is since I did that in the past, the future is now.  ; )
  • Nihilism (30.8%) vs Moralism (69.2) – This one would create some interesting debates.  We know that meaning and morality can have different perspectives depending on the culture or situation.  But from my perspective there are certain things that we as a society should all agree on.
  • Rationalism (49.1%) vs Romanticism (50.9%) – These two had the closest scores.  Truthfully, I surprised that Rationalism (intellect and logic) didn’t score higher.  Again, it probably would have with a younger me.  I definitely don’t discount Romanticism (passions and the heart), and they definitely influence decisions and make life better.
  • Skepticism (22.9%) vs Absolutism (77.1%) – were the scores that surprised me most.  I’ve always been pretty skeptical and have wanted to see evidence.  Again, as I’ve gotten older, I think I am more willing to take things at face value.  

I really wish I had taken this test when I was fresh out of college and then again after my sons were out of high school to compare with the scores I have now.  It would be interesting to see which of my perspectives had changed.

Winston Churchill – The Things I Just Learned

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I don’t know as much about Winston Churchill as I’d like.  Sure, I know he was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II, but aside from a few quotes and broad strokes about his life, I don’t know much else.  That’s why I found Carla Delgado’s 7 Fascinating Facts About Winston Churchill at Mental Floss very interesting.  Before you click over, here are my three favorites and my thoughts on each.

THE ABBREVIATION “OMG” WAS FIRST USED IN A LETTER TO WINSTON CHURCHILL.  I don’t know why I find this piece of trivia so appealing.  I guess because it is so random.  I wonder what possessed John Fisher to use the abbreviation. How did Churchill know what the letters stood for? (Context, I guess.) And why did it take so many decades for the abbreviation to catch on?  OMG – so many questions.

WINSTON CHURCHILL LIVED WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS.  Churchill suffered from “long periods of despair and lethargy” which some have diagnosed as bi-polar disorder.  I’m surprised at the high percentage of “great” people from history who had to overcome things that cripple others.  I guess that is part of what makes them great.

WINSTON CHURCHILL WAS AN HONORARY AMERICAN.  I didn’t know that Churchill’s mother was American and that he was granted honorary citizenship.  I like that fact a lot.  We can always use more good Americans.  ; )

“Dutch” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I like both the poster and trailer for Dutch.  This is one I look forward to seeing..

It is the urban-lit cult classic from the Teri Woods series Dutch that breaks all the rules. It introduces a player who will use any means necessary to dominate the streets-and beyond. There isn’t an angle he can’t work or a woman he can’t seduce and it’s taken Bernard James, Jr. aka Dutch, no time at all to turn an African drug lord’s stolen heroin business into the East Coast’s most feared drug empire. And there’s no shortage of enemies vowing to take him down, including a vengeful Mafia heir, an ambitious DA and a conscience-stricken former friend. But none of his enemies can stop what they can’t see. With his life on the line, and the face of the enemy in everyone he sees, Dutch plays the game and scores a winning hand in the face of all that betrayed him. But, there is one woman Dutch just can’t resist who will shake his ice-cold control to its core. And it will be the one betrayal that he never sees coming that will put more than he ever imagined at risk.

KEY CAST: Lance Gross, Jeremy Meeks, Macy Gray, Gunna, Natasha Marc, Tyrin Turner, Melissa Williams, Markice Moore, Michael Blackson

“Debris” – The Full Trailer is Here!

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We saw the Debris teaser trailer here.  Now we have the full length trailer.  Yep, Debris looks interesting and I’ll give it a shot.

Every piece holds the power to change our world. Jonathan Tucker, Riann Steele, Norbert Leo Butz and Scroobius Pip star in Debris, a new mystery premiering Monday, March 1 at 10/9c on NBC.

“The Creature from the Black Lagoon” and “Frankenstein” by Juan Ramos!

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The Creature from the Black Lagoon is one of two prints by Juan Ramos that sold out on the first day that they were launched!  The other print is an alternate poster for the original Frankenstein. The prints were released by Bottleneck Gallery and it is worth a click over to see both The Creature and Frankenstein in slightly larger versions (plus all the other cool stuff on site).

“Conan: The Animated!”

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Before you click on the Conan animation below, be aware that it contains realistic cartoon violence.  I realize that’s an oxymoron, but it applies.  The animation is NOT a type you would see on Saturday morning.  It is more along the lines of what you might see in an “R” rated Conan feature film.  The action is extremely well directed and I would love to see a full-length Conan film done like this.

Hats off to Mostapha Dhaouadi and everyone involved.

Marlon Brando in “Rambo III” – The Offer was Made!

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Here’s something you don’t see everyday.  It’s a letter that along with a copy of the Rambo III script sent to Marlon Brando from Mario Kassar back in 1987 in an effort to get Brando to play Russian Colonel Zaysen! 

While it would have been interesting to see Sly playing against Brando, I think it would have created a much different film. 

The letter and script sent to Brando is currently for sale with an asking price of $1,500.00 from CFMemorabilia. 

“The Lost Pirate Kingdom” Trailer is Here!

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The Lost Pirate Kingdom trailer is below.  Honestly, it doesn’t look great, but there is something about it that makes me want to see the documentary series.  I’m not sure why.  I’m not overly fond of Pirates.  I’ve seen the Johnny Depp movies (most of ’em, anyway… I think).  I guess it is the documentary aspect that appeals to me.  I want to know more about how pirates really were.

The real-life pirates of the Caribbean violently plunder the world’s riches and form a surprisingly egalitarian republic in this documentary series.

Sybil Danning / Paul Gulacy / Bill Black and Me

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The Black Diamond comics shown above each feature a cover drawn by Paul Gulacy.  A fan of the series and actress Sybil Danning recently posted the covers on Twitter with this response…

I responded to his Tweet with, “Funny story – I was Bill Black’s connection for both Paul Gulacy & Sybil Danning!”

I thought I had told that story here before but a search of the site indicates I didn’t… until now.  Let me take you back to 1980…

It’s about 10 at night and I’m watching tv.  The phone rings and I answer.  The voice on the other end asks to speak to “Mr. ZAB-blow.”  Dead giveaway that he doesn’t know me since he mispronounces my name. (For the record it sounds like ZAY-BLOW.)  I think he’s a nervy sales guy and am ready to hang up when he says, he got my name from a Bill Black publication that listed me as an editor.  The guy wants to get in touch with Bill Black.

Little does this guy know, my editing amounted to either putting Bill in touch with artists or copies of convention sketches.  My biggest contribution in this area was that I introduced Bill to Paul Gulacy.  Paul was my favorite artist, we talked fairly regularly and I had commissioned a few pieces from Paul.  Bill wanted to get Paul to do some art for him.

Ah, but back to the Sybil Danning phone call.

The guy says that he couldn’t find any phone number for Bill, but he was able to locate mine.  I tell the guy, that I can’t give out Bill’s number but would be glad to take a message for him.  The guy proceeds to tell me he is Sybil Danning’s manager.  He asks if I know who she is.  I do.  He says that they want to do a comic with Sybil as the main character.  They want Bill to publish it.  I take his number and tell the guy I’ll pass Bill the info.  We hang up and I go back to watching whatever I was watching.

I’m pretty sure it was the next day that I reached out to Bill to let him know that I had received a call from a guy saying he was Sybil Danning’s manager and they wanted to do a comic with him.  If you know Bill, you know how enthusiastic he gets.  Bill begins rapid fire asking questions, “When did he call – do I have his number – why didn’t I call him last night to tell him – etc.”  I explain to Bill it was late, I don’t know if the guy is on the level, etc.

Needless to say, Bill was able to contact Danning’s manager and the rest is history.

The Jaffee Project!

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Here’s a cool opportunity to make someone who probably brought you at least a smile or two over the years very happy.  Al Jaffee, award-winning cartoonist, inventor of Mad Magazine’s beloved fold-in page as well as Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions, turns 100 on March 13th.  Sam Vivano, former MAD Art Director and friend of Al’s is putting together a surprise to help Al celebrate…

…(T)he legendary Al Jaffee will celebrate his 100th birthday on March 13. You are invited to send him greetings at the post office box shown in the graphic (above).

Please be sure to put your full name and address on the envelope. This will help me keep track of everything that comes in.

The box is active for the next six months, so don’t worry if you think your greeting won’t arrive by the 13th. I’m sure Al will be happy to continue celebrating his birthday even after it’s passed!

Although the project will run even after Al’s birthday, it would be cool to have Al’s party flooded with messages from fans around the world on his birthday.  Please consider sending in a card.

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