Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Paul Mann created the Bounty Law painting for the inside cover of Quentin Tarantino’s hardcover edition of Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. You already may know this if you have visited Mr. Mann’s website (or follow his Instagram page). If you haven’t or don’t, then you should.
Liam Gaughan, at /Film, came up with his list of The 12 Best Neo-Noir Films Ranked. It is a solid list. Before you click over, here are my top three in alphabetical order. All are well written, well cast and well directed. If I were to pick four films, I’d have included Se7en since it meets the same criteria. ; )
Dean Stockwell, the actor best known for his role on Quantum Leap, died yesterday at the age of 85.
With over 200 acting roles on his resume, Stockwell successfully transitioned from child, teenager, young adult, adult to mature actor. He performed on Broadway, television and in feature films. Mr. Stockwell’s first role came in 1945 and he was put under contract with MGM. As a child actor he stayed busy and worked with everyone from Abbott & Costello to Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Gregory Peck.
Interestingly enough from 1951 to 1956, Dean Stockwell took a break from acting. When he returned Mr. Stockwell alternated between television and feature films. In 1957, he also had an acclaimed run on Broadway as Judd Steiner in Compulsion. He later reprised the role for the 1959 feature film and it earned him and his Compulsion co-stars Orson Welles and Bradford Dillman the Cannes Best Actor Award. .
Dean Stockwell took another break from acting taking no roles in 1966 – 1967. When he returned in 1968, Mr. Stockwell took role in both television and feature films. His signature role as Admiral Al Calavicci on the Quantum Leap series ran from 1989 – 1993. Dean Stockwell continued to act until his retirement in 2015.
I always enjoyed seeing Dean Stockwell show up in the credits of any television show or movie. My favorite Dean Stockwell performance is as Judd Steiner in Compulsion. He shares the screen with Orson Welles and more than holds his own.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dean Stockwell’s family, friends and fans.
The staff at Paste magazine came up with their list of The 100 Best Film Noirs of All Time. It’s a great list. I’ve seen 80 of them. Normally I’d come up with my top three, but there are too many amazing films to choose from. Click over and see how many you’ve seen. Are there any films that you’d have included that they didn’t?
Rob Hunter, at Film School Rejects, presents 26 Things We Learned from Kurt Russell’s ‘Breakdown’ Commentary. Before you click over, here are three of my favorites and thoughts on each…
Russell says J.T. Walsh might just be his favorite American actor. He also recalls how both he and Mostow (CO-Writer & Director) had independently decided on who should play the trucker and were pleased to discover they were both thinking of Walsh. “He’s flawless. Nothing fake, nothing phony.” (JT Walsh isn’t an actor most folks think of when talking the best actors. I love it when big name celebrities recognize and promote lesser known actors. – Craig)
Russell had hesitated on signing on to the film as he had just finished a movie and wanted to be home every night, so De Laurentiis worked some extra magic to make it happen. “You were picked up every morning, taken to a private airstrip, flown by jet then there’d be a helicopter waiting to fly you to the makeup trailer,” says Mostow, “we’d finish somewhere around 4:30 in the afternoon and we’d hear the helicopter coming back.” (That is amazing that they wanted Russell so bad that they worked this out to get him! – Craig)
“When you’re an actor, you act,” says Russell after Mostow asks if he ever doubted the character or his portrayal. He references Dakota Fanning in Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds, saying “She screams as much as she talks in that movie, but she’s got fifteen different screams.” His point is that “you’re playing the same beat, but you can’t play it the same way.” (Again, Russell recognizing a fellow actor, this time a child, and praising their acting abilities. Gotta love Kurt Russell.)
This weekend I’ll be at the Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find Giant-Size Charlotte MiniCon. The convention is put on by Shelton Drum and his team (the same folks behind HeroesCon). This will be the first big gathering that I’ve attended in over a year and a half. I feel good about going, since the following will be required:
After much consideration, paying close attention to state and local guidelines, and in an effort to make our event safe and enjoyable for everyone in attendance, we will be requiring masks, as well as proof of an authorized Covid-19 vaccination, or a valid negative test result within 72 hours of entry. (Rapid tests and at-home tests are OKAY! You can also show proof of vaccination on a smart phone, with a photo, or a print-out copy of your vaccination card.)
While there won’t be a Drink & Draw on Friday Night, multiple panels running hourly or a Saturday Night Art Auction (all staples of HeroesCon), I am looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones and maybe getting a new Stallone sketch (or two) for my collection. If you’re in the area, come on by and have some fun!
Tom Richmond, best known for his wonderful work on MAD Magazine has started a free newsletter that he calls The Inkstained Wretch. If you subscribe you get a peek behind the curtain to see what Tom’s working on, blasts from the past (projects), advance looks at art, questions & answers from the mail bag and more. Tom still updates his blog weekly (as opposed to weakly) and is worth checking out — there’s a treasure trove of past posts with art and fun stories — but the newsletter is the way to go.
I like the Swan Song trailer and the dilemma it presents. It will be interesting to see the twists this plot takes. Mahershala Ali and Glenn Close are a bonus!
Set in the near future, Swan Song is a powerful, emotional journey told through the eyes of Cameron (Mahershala Ali), a loving husband and father diagnosed with a terminal illness who is presented with an alternative solution by his doctor (Glenn Close) to shield his family from grief. As Cam grapples with whether or not to alter his family’s fate, he learns more about life and love than he ever imagined. Swan Song explores how far we will go, and how much we’re willing to sacrifice, to make a happier life for the people we love.
This Apple Original Film stars two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali, Academy Award nominee Naomie Harris and eight-time Academy Award nominee Glenn Close. The film also features Golden Globe winner Awkwafina and Golden Globe nominee Adam Beach. Swan Song is written and directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Benjamin Cleary and produced by Adam Shulman, Jacob Perlin, Jonathan King, Rebecca Bourke, Mahershala Ali and Mimi Valdés.
Song: “Doomed” by Moses Sumney https://apple.co/Doomed_MosesSumney
Yesterday we were talking about Anthony Neil Smith’s new book The Butcher’s Prayer. Today we have a link to The Col’s Library for a fun and informative interview with ANS. It’s worth a read even if you’re not already a fan. Check out QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH ANTHONY NEIL SMITH. I’ll be here when you get back. ; )
Drew Struzan sent out the following Tweet today with the rare Rocky IV art above (plus a very cool Masters of the Universe piece)…
Wishing a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to
@Dolph_Lundgren
! 🎂#RockyIV #MastersOfTheUniverse #ComprehensiveArt #80s #Birthday
If you don’t follow Drew Struzan on Twitter, you should!
Anthony Neil Smith has a new book out! The Butcher’s Prayer sounds like something that fans of crime noir (Me! Me!) are going to love…
Called to a crime scene when a terrified woman raises the alarm on a horrifying murder, Detective Hosea Elgin finds the victim’s body has been dismembered with professional precision.
Very quickly, two small-time drug dealers are identified as the probable assailants and a manhunt is launched to bring them into custody.
With the two suspects on the run, the consequences of their actions continue to spiral out of control and it becomes clear that while one of them is focused on survival, the other wants only revenge.
As the net begins to tighten on the fugitives, Detective Elgin finds that the case begins to move very close to home and what began as just another murder investigation is developing into something much more personal.
The decisions he makes and the actions he takes may well solve the case and bring the criminals to justice, but in the process he might just tear his family and his church to pieces.
With The Butcher’s Prayer, Anthony Neil Smith shows once again he’s a writer at the very top of his game. This immersive piece of Southern Gothic Noir certainly isn’t for the faint-hearted but with the skill and nuance we’ve come to expect from Smith he dazzles with writing that is precise, measured and never gratuitous.
The Butcher’s Prayer is getting great advance praise and to ANS’ regular readers, that shouldn’t be a surprise…
“The Butcher’s Prayer is wine-dark noir, with a hammering and bloody heart. This is Smith at his bleak and soulful best.” — Laura Benedict, Edgar-nominated author of The Stranger Inside
“Anthony Neil Smith is a massive talent. One of the very best crime writers I’ve ever read.” — Allan Guthrie, author of Kiss Her Goodbye and Hard Man.
“Visceral, propulsive writing that cuts like a razor. Think Elmore Leonard with an injection of Southern Gothic. Heady stuff.” — Dan Fesperman, author of Safe Houses.
“Crime-fiction veteran Anthony Neil Smith wields a smooth yet serrated style that’s carved him two decades worth of fierce material, now being re-discovered by a younger upstart audience of modern noir enthusiasts. He possesses such an acute, vivid feel of time and place in his subjects, his stories immediately burrow into my memory and remain long, withstanding the static storms of our contemporary attention-deficits. It’s challenging stuff, yet wholly accessible; with spiking dark humor that confirms sure you still have a pulse.” — Gabriel Hart, author of Fallout From Our Asphalt Hell
I put my order in today. If The Butcher’s Prayer sounds like something you’d like, you should too!
I am diggin’ the look of both the poster and trailer for Morbius! Deal me in.
US Release Date: January 21, 2022
Starring: Jared Leto, Michael Keaton, Matt Smith
Directed By: Daniel Espinosa
Synopsis: Biochemist Michael Morbius tries to cure himself of a rare blood disease, but he inadvertently infects himself with a form of vampirism instead.
Sly Stallone has an official Youtube Channel. It features Sly taking us behind the scenes on his latest projects and items in his SlyStalloneShop. What’s really cool is they just posted an hour and a half documentary: The Making of ROCKY VS. DRAGO by Sylvester Stallone (with John Herzfeld behind the camera)!
.
Liam Gaughan, at /Film, came up with his list of The Twenty Best Western Movie Actors and it is a good one. As I thought about my choices the top two were easy. The tough part was deciding which order for the top two and who would get the third spot. After some deliberation here are my top three…
#3. Kurt Russell comes in at the third spot based on two strong lead performances in Tombstone and Bone Tomahawk. It’s a shame Russell hasn’t made more westerns because the genre suits him.
#2. Clint Eastwood was my choice for the number two spot and I really considered putting him in at #1. Eastwood’s westerns always score well with fan and critics. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Josey Wales and Unforgiven are considered classics. I wouldn’t argue too hard against Eastwood in the number one spot, but this time out I gave it to…
#1. John Wayne. My first place spot goes to the man that most folks think of first when they think of cowboy movie stars. Wayne’s career spanned 50 years and he made so many popular westerns: Stagecoach, Angel and the Badman, Fort Apache, Red River, Hondo, The Searchers, Rio Bravo, True Grit, The Cowboys and The Shootist are some of my favorites.
The Comic Art of Mike Zeck is the subject of a Gallery Showing currently running in the LOIS + DAVID STULBERG GALLERY at Ringling College in Sarasota, Florida. The Mike Zeck exhibition is scheduled from OCTOBER 18, 2021 – MARCH 25, 2022.
I planned to go down and see the Mike Zeck Gallery the week of Thanksgiving, but (thankfully) checked on the hours of operation only to discover that the gallery will be closed the entire holiday week. That just means I need to find another time to visit.
I’ve known Mike Zeck for over 40 years. Mike is as talented as he is nice and that’s saying a lot. I met Mike through my best bud since junior high, John Beatty. Beatty started out as a fan of Mike’s art, became his friend and later collaborated with Mike on many high profile projects. It’ll be cool to see all of the Mike Zeck art on display. I’m sure it will be strange to see original art that I once held 4o years ago now under the spot light.
If you can make it to Mike Zeck’s Gallery showing, you should. Either way, here’s a video to give you a taste.
