The Commando Starring Michael Jai White & Mickey Rourke – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

The poster is pretty boring but the trailer for The Commando shows promise.  If you’re looking for a drive-in movie, then The Commando will fit the bill.  I’d watch.

ComingSoon is debuting the exclusive trailer, key art, and new photos for the upcoming action crime thriller The Commando. Starring Michael Jai White (Spawn, The Dark Knight, Black Dynamite) and Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler, Sin City, Iron Man 2) Saban Films will release the film in theaters, on Digital, and On Demand on January 7, 2022.

“In this edge-of-your-seat crime thriller, an elite DEA agent (White) returns home after a failed mission when his family makes an unexpected discovery in their house – a stash of money worth $3 million,” reads the official synopsis. “They soon face the danger and threat of a newly released criminal (Rourke) and his crew who will do whatever it takes to retrieve the money – including kidnap the agent’s daughters. Stakes are high and lives are at risk in this head-to-head battle as the agent stops at nothing to protect his family against the money-hungry criminals.”

The All-Time Best Movie Fight Scenes!

Andrew Gestalt at Listverse posted his choices for the 10 Best Fight Scenes in Movies.  Choosing the best movie fight scenes is an interesting task. Gestalt’s choices are hard to argue against.  With that said here are my thoughts on some of them…

Rocky vs Apollo (from Rocky):  Gestalt placed Rocky’s first fight against Apollo in the #2 spot.  He choose it for emotional reasons (Rocky loses the fight but achieved his goal) as much as the fight itself being awesome.  There’s no doubt that a fight scene from the Rocky series deserves to be listed as an All-Time Best Movie Fight, but is THAT the fight you would have chosen?

Sly probably would go with Rocky’s battle against Drago.  I’ve always loved Rocky’s return fight against Clubber.  The Rocky / Apollo rematch would be hard to argue against.  

Lee vs Han (from Enter the Dragon):  is another excellent choice, but it is not the Enter the Dragon fight that I would have picked.  I would have gone with Lee’s fight with the guards.  As Han himself said, “The battle with the guards was magnificent.”  Who can argue with that?

John Wick vs Too Many To Name (John Wick 1 -3):  Agreed… but which fight from the Wick franchise is the best?  I love ’em all.

#1 vs Shack (Emperor of the North): Lee Marvin vs Ernest Borgnine.  This fight didn’t make Gestalt’s list but should have.

Indiana Jones vs German Soldier (Raiders of the Lost Ark): Tell me a more memorable fight scene.  I’ll wait.  ; )

Robert B. Parker’s BYE BYE BABY (A Spenser Novel) by Ace Atkins is Coming!

Sometimes you only see family or friends once a year, but as the meeting date draws closer you begin to anticipate the fun you’re going to have.  Robert B. Parker’s Spenser is one of those friends.  Thanks to Ace Atkins, Spenser will be coming around again on January 11th with Bye Bye Baby!

Boston PI Spenser takes on a new case in this installment in Robert B. Parker’s iconic New York Times bestselling series.

Carolina Garcia-Ramirez is a rising star in national politics, taking on the establishment with her progressive agenda. Tough, outspoken, and driven, the young congresswoman has ignited a new conversation in Boston about race, poverty, health care, and the environment. Now facing her second campaign, she finds herself not only fighting a tight primary with an old guard challenger but also contending with numerous death threats coming from hundreds of suspects.

When her chief of staff reaches out to Spenser for security and help finding the culprits of what he believes to be the most credible threats, Garcia-Ramirez is less than thrilled. Since her first grassroots run, she’s used to the antipathy and intimidation women of color often face when seeking power. To her, it’s all noise. But it turns out an FBI agent disagrees, warning Spenser that Garcia-Ramirez might be in real danger this time.

It doesn’t take long for Spenser to cross paths with an extremist group called The Minutemen, led by a wealthy Harvard grad named Bishop Graves. Although Graves is a social media sensation, pushing an agenda of white supremacy and toxic masculinity, he denies he’s behind the attacks. As the primary nears and threats become a deadly plot, it’s up to Spenser, Hawk, and a surprise trusted ally to ensure the congresswoman is safe. This is Spenser doing what he does best, living by a personal code and moral compass that can’t ever be broken.

Pre-orders are available now!

“Mr. Saturday Night” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

I don’t think the poster or the trailer for Mr. Saturday Night are all that great, but Saturday Night Fever and that era hits a sweet spot for me.  If you’re old enough to remember how the film and soundtrack exploded you’ll understand.  Saturday Night Fever quickly began to influence everything from the way we dressed to clubs we hung out in.  I’ll tune in to Mr. Saturday Night just to get a taste of that bygone time and if the documentary is good that will be a bonus.

#MrSaturdayNightHBO, an HBO original documentary and #MusicBoxHBO film about Robert Stigwood’s gamble that turned Saturday Night Fever into a cultural touchstone, premieres December 9 on HBO Max.

The All-Time Best Noir Films Ranked!

Fiona Underhill at /Film came up with her list of The 14 Best Noir Movies Ranked.  Underhill’s choices are excellent examples of the genre.

We both placed Double Indemnity in our top two (#1 for Underhill and #2 for me).  Coming in first for me was The Postman Always Rings Twice (#7 for Underhill).  My third spot went to The Big Sleep which surprisingly Underhill listed at 14th on her list.

One movie that didn’t make Underhill’s list and would have easily made mine was The Big Heat. (And now that I think about it, I would have also found a spot for Body Heat.)

“Run & Gun” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

I’m not a big fan of the Run & Gun poster, but since it is art and not Photoshopped heads I won’t complain too loudly.  The trailer isn’t great but by the end it had grown on me.  I think Run & Gun might be an okay way to spend a late night when nothing was popping.

After leaving a life of crime and violence, Ray is a reformed good guy, enjoying a quiet family life in the ‘burbs. But when his past is discovered, Ray is blackmailed into one last job to collect a mysterious package. After a deadly double-cross, he finds himself wounded and on the run from ruthless assassins who will stop at nothing to get what he has. Now, with the lives of his loved ones hanging in the balance and danger at every turn, Ray’s only hope is to draw upon his violent past to survive.

Featuring: Ben Milliken, Brad William Henke, Janel Parrish, Mark Dacascos, Celestino Cornielle, Angela Sarafyan, Alison Thorton, Hudson Yang, Michelle Campbell, Ari Barkan, Rafael Cebrián, Richard Kind

Jonathan Maberry’s JOE LEDGER: SECRET MISSIONS Volumes 1 & 2 Now Available!

I don’t know how it happened but two Jonathan Maberry books almost slipped by me.  To make it even worse they both contain Joe Ledger tales!

Joe Ledger is back!

JOE LEDGER: SECRET MISSIONS collects some of Ledger’s most dynamic and bizarre short story adventures – classic reprints as well as exciting new material! From the icy wastes of the Antarctic to the Gate of Hell in Turkmenistan, Ledger and his team are the last, best hope that stands between the unsuspecting public and unimaginable dangers!

Stories include crossovers with Maberry’s many fictional and bestselling worlds including V-WARS (Netflix), the Pine Deep Trilogy, the Sam Hunter Case Files, Dead of Night, and Rot & Ruin. Even if you’ve never read a Joe Ledger tale, this is a great jumping-on point; and if you’re a longtime fan, you’ll encounter old friends and enemies – Mr. Church, Echo Team, Havoc Team, Malcolm Crow and Mike Sweeney, Violin, Toys, and more!

And there are special treats! An insightful introduction by bestseller Peter Clines (The Fold, 14); a collaboration with author Marie Whittaker; and a brief glimpse into Mr. Church as he takes a rare day off, penned by the ‘voice of Joe Ledger, ‘ audiobook reader Ray Porter.

So buckle up, lock and load, and go rolling into action with Joe Ledger! Hooah!

Pick your poison…

RINGSIDE CINEMA: Boxing Movie Posters: How Hollywood Sold the Sweet Science is Coming!

RINGSIDE CINEMA: Boxing Movie Posters: How Hollywood Sold the Sweet Science is a book that will appeal not only to movie and boxing fans but also to Sylvester Stallone and Rocky fans.

Ringside Seat magazine presents Ringside Cinema, the first book dedicated to boxing movie posters and lobby cards from the past 100 years. Rarely seen international posters are also represented here. This beautiful, 170-page book includes an introduction by TCM host and author Eddie Muller and foreword by Steve Kronenberg, Noir City magazine’s managing editor and frequent contributor to Ringside Seat magazine. From Alfred Hitchcock’s The Ring to film noir’s The Set-Up to 2010’s Creed, it’s all here and a feast for the eyes. Ringside Cinema is essential for every boxing fan and movie aficionado’s bookshelf.
“Kudos to Ringside Seat and designer Michael Kronenberg for creating a book that combines three of my great passions: boxing, movies, and poster art. This one’s a keeper.” – Eddie Muller

Check out the video preview below.  Once it hits 1976, Rocky movie posters dominate all the way through!

RINGSIDE CINEMA: Boxing Movie Posters: How Hollywood Sold the Sweet Science comes in two versions: