Sly Stallone Interviewed on the Unwaxed Podcast by Sophia and Sistine Stallone!

Posted on by

Sly is interviewed by Sophia and Sistine on their Unwaxed podcast!

The moment you’ve all waited for… To celebrate our 50th episode, we decided to bring our most requested guest. For the first time ever, Sophia and Sistine interview their dad Sylvester Stallone. From his childhood, career, raising daughters- the girls cover it all. This episode shows a different, funnier, softer side of Sly and untold stories from the man himself.

HOLE by Gerry Brown with Eduardo Risso – A Novella of Crime and Mayhem!

Posted on by

Hole by Gerry Brown with illustrations by Eduardo Risso is something that I’ve got to get my hands on!  Hole is a crime novella. The fact that it has art by Risso is what got me first interested  Then I read the synopsis…

It was the perfect shakedown.

Moundsville State Prison was rotten to the core. The guards were almost as crooked as the cons. Gangs ruled the jail, and Davie Ingram ruled the gangs.

The way it worked was Davie and his boys would isolate an inmate with no one to back him up. Hurt him, hurt him bad, on camera. Then send the video to the inmate’s loved ones.

They wouldn’t ask for much. Five, maybe ten thousand.

The first time.

Because if you didn’t want your son, your nephew, your brother to play punching bag for the meanest motherfuckers in Moundsville, you had to pay again and again and again.

But this time Davie’s crew picked the wrong man to shake down.

He’s a man who won’t take kindly to seeing a video of his brother being stomped by half a dozen vicious goons. A man who’s a professional in the art of making people pay. Not with money, but with blood.

A man named…HOLE.

I’d be interested in the novella based on just the synopsis, but the fact that Risso did illustrations has me sold! 

You can see some of Risso’s art for the story here.  

Risso also did a brief interview about Hole with Joe Gruenwald at ComicsBeat.

It looks like Hole is only available on Kindle and you can order a copy here.

“The Harder They Fall” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

Posted on by

I love the poster and trailer for The Harder They Fall.  I’ll take the plunge when it premieres on November 3rd!

This ain’t your grandaddy’s Western! Check out Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, LaKeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Edi Gathegi, Danielle Deadwyler and Deon Cole in this action-packed thrill ride that injects New Blood into the Old West. The Harder They Fall is directed by Jeymes Samuel and produced by Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carter James Lassiter, Jeymes Samuel and Lawrence Bender.

“Cowboy Bebop” Starring John Cho, Mustafa Shakir & Daniella Pineda – The Teaser is Here!

Posted on by

I love this opening sequence for Cowboy Bebop.  I’m not familiar with the anime series, but I will be checking out the live action Cowboy Bebop when it premieres on Netflix on November 19th.

It’s time to blow this scene. Who’s in? Cowboy Bebop arrives Nov. 19.

COWBOY BEBOP is an action-packed space Western about three bounty hunters, aka “cowboys,” all trying to outrun the past. As different as they are deadly, Spike Spiegel (John Cho), Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), and Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda) form a scrappy, snarky crew ready to hunt down the solar system’s most dangerous criminals — for the right price. But they can only kick and quip their way out of so many scuffles before their pasts finally catch up with them.

Based on the beloved anime series, COWBOY BEBOP is executive produced by André Nemec, Jeff Pinkner, Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg of Midnight Radio, Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements of Tomorrow Studios, Makoto Asanuma, Shin Sasaki and Masayuki Ozaki of Sunrise Inc., Tim Coddington, Tetsu Fujimura, Michael Katleman, Matthew Weinberg, and Christopher Yost. Nemec serves as showrunner. Original anime series director Shinichirō Watanabe is a consultant on the series, and original composer Yoko Kanno returns for the live-action adaptation. The series also stars Alex Hassell and Elena Satine.

Watch Cowboy Bebop, a live-action series, only on Netflix.

“Army of Thieves” – The Trailer is Here!

Posted on by

The Army of Thieves trailer is here and it looks like fun.  I will admit I wouldn’t be so excited for Army of Thieves if it wasn’t in the Army of the Dead universe.

In this prequel to Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead, small-town bank teller Dieter gets drawn into the adventure of a lifetime when a mysterious woman recruits him to join a crew of Interpol’s most wanted criminals, attempting to heist a sequence of legendary, impossible-to-crack safes across Europe.

Watch Army of Thieves on Netflix globally October 29

Alfred Hitchcock’s Most Iconic Scenes!

Posted on by

Nick Bartlett at /Film came up with an interesting list of The 14 Most Iconic Alfred Hitchcock Scenes Of All Time.  Bartlett’s list is a good one.  It includes my top five which are below…

The shower scene — Psycho (1960).  I was pretty sure that this would be Bartlett’s number one Hitchcock iconic scene (and it is). It is my #1 as well.  Bartlett goes on to say:  “Not only is this the most iconic scene of Hitchcock’s career, but arguably the most impactful single scene in cinema history.”  I’m not sure I would go that far, but maybe that scene is the most iconic in cinema history.  (Sounds like another list for Bartlett to post!)

Crop dusting — North by Northwest (1959).  When people talk about North by Northwest, this is the scene that gets the most attention.  And rightly so.

Crows on the playground — The Birds (1963).  This scene is so frightening thanks to Hitchcock.  The first thing he did was compress time.  There is no way that many birds could get to the playground in so short a time.  Also his non use of sound of the birds arriving, makes the sound of their wings flapping all that scarier when they begin their attack.

The diner scene — The Birds (1963).  The birds-eye view of the town below is ALWAYS a scene that people mention when they talk about The Birds.

Lisa gets caught — Rear Window (1954).  This scene is chilling.  A wheelchair bound Jimmy Stewart is watching from across the courtyard when his girlfriend is caught in the apartment of a man who killed and cut up his wife!  Not only is Stewart helpless to do anything, but when his girlfriend secretly signals to Stewart she is caught by the killer… who then realizes he is being watched by Stewart.  Hitchcock breaks an unwritten rule of directing: actors are not to look straight into the camera.  When the killer does it appears he is looking directly at us.  Chills every time!

RIP: Jay Sandrich

Posted on by

Jay Sandrich has died at the age of 89.  Mr. Sandrich was an award-winning director (5 Emmy Awards, 3 Director’s Guild Awards) best known for his work on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Cosby Show.

Jay Sandrich began his career as an Assistant Director working on I Love Lucy, The Red Skelton Show, The Untouchables, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, The Dick Van Dyke Show and many others.  Once Mr. Sandrich moved into the director’s chair he stayed busy working on The Danny Thomas Show, That Girl, Get Smart, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Here’s Lucy, The Odd Couple, and The Bob Newhart Show just to name a few.   Often Mr. Sandrich would be hired to direct multiple episodes.

In 1970, Mr. Sandrich directed the pilot of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.  He would go on to direct 119 of the show’s 168 episodes!  Jay Sandrich also directed episodes of the MTMS spin-offs: Rhoda, Phyllis and Lou Grant. After the MTMS ended Mr. Sandrich continued to direct some of the most popular shows on television including: Welcome Back Kotter, WKRP in Cincinnati, Benson and Soap.

In 1980, Jay Sandrich directed the feature film Seems Like Old Times starring Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn and Charles Grodin.  Mr. Sandrich then returned to directing television shows including Night Court and The Golden Girls. Mr. Sandrich was then chosen as director for The Cosby Show.  He not only directed the pilot but went on to direct 100 of the 197 episodes made! 

Jay Sandrich continued to direct television projects that interested him, even adding episodes of The Office and Two and a Half Men to his resume.  Jay Sandrich was named to the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2020.

It’s hard to imagine just how many hours I’ve enjoyed of programs directed by Jay Sandrich.  He directed some of the funniest episodes of several classic series.  That doesn’t happen by accident.  If you haven’t seen his lone feature film: Seems Like Old Times.  You should consider giving it a go.  I remember seeing Seems Like Old Times when it was first released and really enjoying it.  Jay Sandrich knew how to bring out the best in the performers he worked with.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jay Sandrich’s family, friends and fans.

  

“The Spore” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

Posted on by

The poster for The Spore gets an “A” for effort.  I like the use of art, but don’t think the poster excels at making me want to see the movie.  The trailer works for me though.  I plan to check out The Spore.

Lionsgate’s horror film THE SPORE will be arriving on Digital, on Demand and DVD November 9.

“Fleeing from civilization as a horrific plague ravages mankind. Meadow gets a lift from a stranger. When she sees that the driver is gruesomely infected, Meadow escapes and takes refuge in a cabin that’s abandoned…or is it? The apocalypse started days earlier when an evil spore, long dormant beneath an ancient ice field, was awakened by global warming. Now, as ten strangers try to evade the madness, some must succumb to the hideously mutating fungus and claim the survivors as their bitter prey.”

Harrison Ford’s All Time Best Movies!

Posted on by

Liam Gaughan decided to come up with a list of The 14 Best Harrison Ford Movies.  Before you click over, here are my top three using just the movies on Gaugham’s list.  I’ve also included a few that didn’t make Gaugham’s list that would have made mine.

Raiders of the Lost Ark:  Not only did Raiders give Ford his second franchise, but it cemented his place as one of the top stars in the world.

Witness:  Perhaps Ford’s best character that he never returned to play in a sequel.

Blade Runner:  There have been so many different versions and decades later a sequel so it’s hard to believe that Blade Runner was NOT a blockbuster when first released.

Movies that didn’t make Gaugham’s list but would have made mine…

  • Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
  • Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
  • What Lies Beneath
  • Expendables 3

“Night Teeth” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

Posted on by

I can usually tell pretty quickly watching a trailer if it is going to be my kind of film.  Not so with Night Teeth.  I started out thinking it wasn’t going to be for me, but the more I watched the more I liked what I was seeing.  Night Teeth looks like Collateral with vampires.  I plan to go along for the ride.

Benny’s entire world is turned upside down after picking up two mysterious girls who expose him to a secret world he never knew existed. He is suddenly hurled into their cryptic underworld on a mission to save his city from dripping in blood.

“Invasion” – The 2nd Trailer is Here!

Posted on by

Invasion looks like it could be a fun ride.

We are not alone. Extraterrestrial beings have made their way to Earth from across the universe. Civilization could collapse. And survival is up to you. Feel what it’s like to live through an alien invasion starting October 22 on Apple TV+ https://apple.co/_Invasion

Invasion follows a global cast – including Sam Neil, Golshifteh Farahani, Shamier Anderson, Billy Barrett, and Shioli Kutsuna – as they try to navigate a terrifying new reality infested by lethal aliens.

Song: “This Bitter Earth (Heavy Duty Remix)” by The Seshen

Clint Eastwood’s Greatest Performances

Posted on by

Yesterday we took a look at Clint Eastwood’s best roles.  Today, thanks to Brent Lang at Variety, we’ll take a shot at listing Clint Eastwood greatest performances.  Using just Lang’s list, here are my top five…

Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry.  Eastwood was perfect in the role that had us cheering for a cop in a movie that would probably make Harry the villain in today’s world.

Blondie aka The Man with No Name in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.  Eastwood’s most iconic role in which he perfected the man of few words but quick guns.

Will Munny in Unforgiven.  Eastwood’s performance anchored an Oscar-worthy (9 nominations) and Oscar-winning (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Best Film Editing) film.

Dave in Play Misty for Me.  It was a first time for me.  Seeing a big, tough guy terrorized by a woman.  And who wouldn’t be?

Frankie Dunn in Million Dollar Baby:  For me this was the first time Eastwood was playing an old man.  The other roles came off as a guy getting older… on the brink of old age.  I loved that being old didn’t mean life was over.

“Vengeance is Mine” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

Posted on by

I like the poster for Vengeance is Mine.  It’s also interesting that Harry’s wife and child were accidentally killed by murdering thieves making a getaway.  Deal me in.

Harry is a broken man, struggling to come to terms with the murder of his wife and daughter 5 years previously. When he discovers the whereabouts of the killers he awakens from his grief and, filled with vengeance, seeks to destroy those who destroyed his life.

Directed by Hadi Hajaig
Starring Con O’Neill, Sarah Jane Potts, Anton Saunders