“Riff Raff” (2024) starring Jennifer Coolidge, Ed Harris, Gabrielle Union, Lewis Pullman, Pete Davidson and Bill Murray / Z-View

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Riff Raff (2024)

Director:  Dito Montiel

Screenplay:  John Pollono

Stars: Jennifer Coolidge, Ed Harris, Gabrielle Union, Miles J. Harvey, Lewis Pullman, Pete Davidson, Scott Michael Campbell, Roger Guenveur Smith, Angelic Zambrana and Bill Murray.

Tagline: Crime is a family affair.

The Plot…

Vincent Gauthier’s life is good.  He quit a life of crime.  He’s reached an age most in his former line of work never do.  Vincent is married to Sandy.  She’s a beautiful much younger woman.  Vincent and Sandy along with DJ (his stepson) are spending winter break at their vacation cabin.

Yes, life is good.

Then in the middle of the night Vincent’s oldest son shows up.  Rocco’s brought his pregnant girlfriend along… and his mom.  Vincent’s first wife.  They’re on the run.  Rocco killed a mobster’s son.

And now the mobster and a hitman are closing in.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Bill Murray and Pete Davidson have good on-screen chemistry.

I was expecting more laughs.

Riff Raff (2024) rates 3 of 5 stars.

THE GUNMAN JACKSON SWAGGER by Stephen Hunter!

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Like  a lot of folks, I’m a fan of Stephen Hunter’s Swagger tales.  THE GUNMAN JACKSON SWAGGER looks to be another winner.  Here’s the synopsis…

Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Hunter, “a true master at the pinnacle of his craft” (Jack Carr), returns with a classic Western — gunfights, horses, saloons, and looming above, the ominous presence of the railroad — about a Civil War veteran investigating the dark reality of a prosperous ranch.

In the frying pan of a drought-scorched 1890s Southwest, an old man shows up at the region’s only prosperous spread, the Callahan ranch, seeking work. Jack is flinty, shrewd, tough, and a natural with a gun. As an incentive to be taken on at his age, he shows the foreman an uncanny skill with one of Mr. Winchester’s latest models. He knows a sharpshooter would be valuable to Colonel Callahan and head gun man Tom Voth.

But he has his own mission. Aware that a young cowboy on the ranch has died mysteriously, Jack begins to investigate. He soon realizes that the death and the source of the Callahan wealth are dangerously entwined and that many of the dark forces of the American West are at play on the ranch. Soon enough, it’s the season of the six-gun and its fastest shootist.

THE GUNMAN JACKSON SWAGGER becomes available on October 14, 2026.  Pre-orders are available now.

THE GUNMAN JACKSON SWAGGER hardback

THE GUNMAN JACKSON SWAGGER Kindle

THE HADACOL BOOGIE (A Dave Robicheaux Novel) by James Lee Burke is Coming!

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A new Dave Robicheaux novel is coming from James Lee Burke!  It’s titled THE HADACOL BOOGIE.  Here’s the lowdown…

Dave Robicheaux, James Lee Burke’s iconic detective, returns to investigate the death of an unidentified woman, pulling him into a vortex of corruption and violence in the Louisiana bayou

When a cloaked, disfigured man leaves a dead woman in a garbage bag on Dave Robicheaux’s property, he knows his world and family are about to change.

With Valerie Benoit, a detective new to the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Department who is grappling with sexist and racist harassment from their colleagues, and the volatile but fiercely loyal Clete Purcel, Dave embarks on an investigation that brings him into the most dangerous moments of his career and threatens the lives of Valerie and his daughter Alafair.

He encounters a local handyman who leaves cryptic notes and warns of the ghosts who roam the shores of the bayou and is targeted by a vicious New Orleans button man and gangsters from the north.

Through brilliant prose and a quintessential cast of characters, James Lee Burke weaves a portrait of a gritty, violent Louisiana at the turn of the 20th century. Visceral, atmospheric, and wholly original, THE HADACOL BOOGIE brings to life Dave Robicheaux’s fierce determination to confront evil both past and present.

Pre-orders are available now for a February 10, 2026 release.

THE HADACOL BOOGIE  Harback

THE HADACOL BOOGIE  Kindle

KING OF ASHES by S.A. Cosby / Z-View

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KING OF ASHES by S.A. Cosby

First sentence…

He dreams of his mother.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When Roman Carruthers gets the call that his father was in a terrible car accident, he heads home.  Well, where he grew up anyway.  Jefferson Run hasn’t been his home for years.  But the small town is where he grew up.

Roman arrives to find his dad hospitalized in a coma.  His sister Nevah is exhausted.  Taking care of dad (even before the accident) and running the family business – Carruthers Crematorium – has worn her down.  Their younger brother, Dante, now a young man, should be helping.  But he’s doing the opposite.  Dante’s been a mess since their mother disappeared years ago.  Rumors that their dad may have been behind her disappearance haven’t helped.

Roman figures he’ll quickly get things straightened out.  Then it’ll be back to the big city and his thriving financial business.  Roman has a knack for making his clients rich. And him too in the process.

What Roman hadn’t counted on was Dante’s trouble.

The young fool went into a drug deal with his buddy.  They thought they’d buy some dope cheap, sell it at a profit and make quick cash.  Dante didn’t count on his partner blowing through the product by using it himself and giving it to friends.  Now Dante owes some very bad people a very lot of money.

Roman figures that he has the cash to clear Dante’s ledger with the gangbangers.  He was wrong.

Dante owes the money to Torrent and Tranquil Gilchrist.  They’re the crazy twins who run the Black Baron Boys.  At this point, Dante is worth more to them dead.  It would send a message to others who don’t pay up on time.  When they meet, Roman tries to smooth things over with his charm and money.  It nearly costs him his life.  The only thing that saves him is his promise that he can make the twins rich legally and quickly though his financial dealings.

This promise saves his life.  Instead of being murdered, Roman is given a terrible beat down.  He’s left bloody and with the knowledge that he’s now in debt to the Gilchrist twins.

Roman knows that no matter how much money he makes them, dealing with Torrent and Tranquil Gilchrist can only end with his death.

But Roman has a plan.  A crazy long shot of a plan.

+++

S.A. Cosby has another winner.

Rating:

Rocky vs Clubber Lang with Guest Referee Alfred E. Neuman by Tom Richmond!

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When Tom Richmond of MAD magazine fame opened up his commission list and I jumped on with a request for Rocky (Sly Stallone) and Clubber (Mr. T) from Rocky III.  Mr. Richmond added guest referee Alfred E. Neuman!  As you can see Mr. Richmond came through with a knockout, which is no surprise.

This was my first commission from Tom Richmond. It is larger than my scanner and the photo doesn’t do it justice.

If you’re a sketch collector, I highly recommend Tom Richmond.  He creates great art, has wonderful communication and packages the art securely.

“The Last Frontier” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The Last Frontier – the poster and trailer are here!

Deal me in.

A lone U.S. marshal leads the hunt for escaped convicts in the Alaskan wilderness.

Starring Jason Clarke, Dominic Cooper, Haley Bennett, and Alfre Woodard. The Last Frontier premieres October 10 on Apple TV+ https://apple.co/_TheLastFrontier_

The Last Frontier follows Frank Remnick (Clarke), the lone U.S. marshal in charge of the quiet, rugged barrens of Alaska. Remnick’s jurisdiction is turned upside-down when a prison transport plane crashes in the remote wilderness, setting free dozens of violent inmates. Tasked with protecting the town he’s vowed to keep safe, he begins to suspect the crash wasn’t an accident, but the first step of a well-crafted plan with far-reaching and devastating implications.

In addition to Clarke, the ensemble cast includes Dominic Cooper (“The Gold”), Haley Bennett (“The Magnificent Seven”), Simone Kessell (“Yellowjackets”), Dallas Goldtooth (“Reservation Dogs”), and Tait Blum (“For All Mankind”), with Academy Award Nominee and multi-Emmy winner Alfre Woodard (“Clemency”).

Hailing from Apple Studios, The Last Frontier is executive produced by Bokenkamp and D’Ovidio, who also serve as writers, alongside Clarke, Laura Benson (“The Big C”), Glenn Kessler (“Bloodlines”), Albert Kim (“Nikita”), and series episodic director Sam Hargrave (“Extraction”).

THE STEPS (A Memoir) by Sylvester Stallone is Coming!

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For years Sylvester Stallone fans have hoped Sly would write his memoir.  And now he has.  It’s titled THE STEPS.  Here’s the lowdown…

A gritty, inspiring, heart-wrenching memoir by the Academy Award-winning legend and icon Sylvester Stallone, about his unlikely path to stardom and the creation of the greatest underdog story ever told.

In the fifty years since Sylvester Stallone ran up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, he and those steps have become symbols of resilience and determination, and have inspired millions from all over the world to pursue their dreams.

In THE STEPS, Stallone recounts how he pursued his own dreams. A culmination of decades of reflection, Stallone shares where he came from — a difficult birth, an even more difficult childhood, years of struggle in school being misunderstood — and he explains how the real story of a successful life is built by facing, embracing, and ultimately overcoming our challenges. It’s found in the distances we are willing to go and the steps we must take to get from where we are to where we want to go.

In a narrative framed between his arrival in New York City in 1969 and the triumph of Rocky at the 1977 Academy Awards, Stallone weaves a vivid and propulsive portrait of struggle, subsistence, and ultimately success. He writes of his early days and later years, too, and the persistence, creativity, and resilience that led not only to the creation of Rocky but to a career filled with remarkably iconic roles. THE STEPS is a testament to Stallone’s extraordinary life and a profound meditation on the importance of vision and willpower and hard work.

THE STEPS will be released on May 5, 2026.  Pre-orders are available now.  If you order from one of the links below, we will get a small percentage of each sale, without increasing the price of the book.  Your support is appreciated.

THE STEPS hardcover

THE STEPS paperback/large print

THE STEPS Kindle

“Sphere” (1998) directed by Barry Levinson / Z-View

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Sphere (1998)

Director:  Barry Levinson

Screenplay:  Stephen Hauser, Paul Attanasio; adaptation by Kurt Wimmer; based on SPHERE by Michael Crichton

Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Coyote, Liev Schreiber, Queen Latifah, Bernard Hocke, James Pickens Jr. and Huey Lewis.

Tagline: A Barry Levinson film

The Plot…

A spacecraft is discovered on the ocean floor under 300 years of coral growth. A team of the best minds in their field was formed. U.S. Navy Captain Harold Barnes will lead the squad that includes astrophysicist Dr. Ted Fielding, psychologist Dr. Norman Goodman, marine biologist Dr. Beth Halperin and mathematician Dr. Harry Adams.

As the team goes down, a vicious storm approaches topside.  Communication will be lost until the weather clears.

The exploration team is surprised to discover that the spacecraft appears to be American.  Further, a huge sphere of unknown make-up is in the craft.  It reflects everything in the room except the people.

The team returns to their craft to recharge.  They are surprised when their computers begin to display encoded messages.  Once deciphered the communication appears to be coming from the sphere.  Everything the crew says or does is known by the sphere.  While they wait for the storm topside to clear, strange things begin happening.  And one member of the crew doesn’t seem to be himself.

And then things go really bad…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Sphere is an interesting film right up until the final resolution.  THAT killed it for me.

Dustin Hoffman was reportedly disappointed in the film.  He felt that some issues could have been corrected had the film not have a hard release date.

Sphere (1998) rates 2 of 5 stars.