“Rocky” Franchise Trivia!

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Ben Sherlock and ScreenRant posted Yo, Adrian!: 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About The Rocky Franchise. 

Most regular readers here will know the majority of the trivia posted, but there may be a few that surprise you.  Below are three of my favs and my thoughts on each.  Click over the article for all the facts and the full details.

Thanks To Rocky, Sylvester Stallone Has An Oscars Record Tied With Charlie Chaplin And Orson Welles.  (Sly was the third person to ever receive Academy Award nominations for writing and acting in the same film!  Since Sly earned this honor, Woody Allen, Warren Beatty, Billy Bob Thornton, Matt Damon and Roberto Benigni have joined this elite group. – Craig)

Rocky Balboa Was The First Rocky Film To Use Real Punches As Sound Effects.  (Most folks know Sly and his co-stars traded real punches at times during the fight scenes, but how many knew that the real punch sounds weren’t used until Rocky Balboa? – Craig)

The Original Film’s Script Was Tweaked To Accommodate Production Errors.  (While not technically a production error, the skating scene with Rocky and Adrian originally was supposed to take place with the skating rink full of people.  The budget wouldn’t allow it, and I think the film is better for it! – Craig)

Going “Full Tilt” with Jason Copland!

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Jason Copland recently sent out a newsletter update on his crime-scifi-noir graphic novel Full Tilt which stars Massimo Miller.  I’ve loved the look of the series from my first reading of the synopsis…

Massimo is the Consigliere for the Chessa Family, a position bestowed upon him by the syndicate’s boss, Russo Chessa. As Consigliere, Massimo acts as advisor and liaison in all matters that pertain to the family business giving him meaningful influence over syndicate affairs. Holding this position of power is all the more remarkable due to the fact that most of Massimo’s life was spent as a slave of a rival crime organization. Chosen for his loyalty and integrity, Massimo is no yes man. He is a heavy smoker, however, much to Russo’s chagrin. Massimo’s preferred brand is Marlboro XXV Kings.

Full Tilt is going to be full of interesting characters such as the gentleman above.  You can swing over to Jason’s site and check out more of mugs, thugs and dames that populate his Full Tilt world.

If you’re so inclined (and I hope you are) after seeing preview art for Full Tilt, that you’ll follow Jason on Twitter and sign up for his newsletter.  If you’re on the newsletter e-mail list, you’ll get Full Tilt updates with behind the scenes art, process discussions and be entered into drawings for free art. (Congrats to this newsletter’s winner, Juan Albarran.)

As you can guess, I’m going to end this post by suggesting that you follow Jason Copland on Twitter and sign-up for Jason’s newsletter.  Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.

The “Hunters” Starring Al Pacino – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Here’s the poster and trailer for the new Amazon Prime tv series Hunters.  Not sure about this one yet, but I will be tuning in to check it out.

Inspired by true events, HUNTERS follows a diverse band of Nazi Hunters in 1977 New York City who discover that hundreds of escaped Nazis are living in America. And so, they do what any bad-ass vigilante squad would do: they set out on a bloody quest for revenge and justice. But they soon discover a far-reaching conspiracy and must race against time to thwart the Nazis’ new genocidal plans.

Surprising Cary Grant Trivia!

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Jake Rossen and Mental Floss present 8 Surprising Facts About Cary Grant.  Grant appeared in over 75 films (including two of my favorites, Arsenic and Old Lace and North by Northwest).

Cary Grant lived an interesting life.  Here are my three favorite facts and my comments on each.  Click over to the article to get all the details.

3. CARY GRANT WAS OFFERED THE ROLE OF JAMES BOND.  (While I really like Grant’s acting, I can’t see him as James Bond.  Well, maybe he’d have pulled off a Roger Moore-type Bond if he had been younger.  All in all — good pass.)

8. CARY GRANT RETIRED EARLY.  (Grant did something that many stars talk about doing but don’t.  Most stars retire and then make a comeback.  Grant did it right.  He retired from acting and never came back.)

4. CARY GRANT REALLY LOVED LSD.  (I include this fact not because I like Grant’s drug use, but because it is so surprising.  It goes to show, you never know about people.  Who’d have thought Cary Grant would be into LSD?  Not me.)

“Skywatch” Short featuring Jude Law!

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Check out this really well done short, Skywatch.

SKYWATCH is a sci-fi proof of concept written & directed by Colin Levy.

This short has been six years in the making, funded via Kickstarter, and crafted by volunteering artists across the world.

Starring young up-and-comers Uriah Shelton (13 REASONS WHY, LOOKING FOR ALASKA) and Zach Callison (STEVEN UNIVERSE, THE GOLDBERGS), the short also features an appearance by Jude Law.

When two outcast teens hack into a ubiquitous drone delivery system to pull a prank on their neighbor, they accidentally crash-land a dangerous prototype – and find themselves entangled in a life-and-death conspiracy.

Source: FirstShowing.

“A Quiet Place 2” Trailer is Here! (Updated with the Poster)

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Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family (Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe) must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.

A Quiet Place was a critical and box office success.  I’m on board with the critics and the crowd.  I love that the trailer for A Quiet Place 2 keeps the focus on the Abbott family and gives us a glimpse of how the invasion started as well as the outside world long after.

And here is the poster!

Ranking the Films of Michael Bay

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Kieran Fisher at Film School Rejects ranked the films of Michael Bay.  I decided I’d play along.  I’ve ranked Bay’s films (that I’ve seen) with a comment on each.

09.  Transformers (2007) – I didn’t care for this at all but then again, I wasn’t in the target audience.

08. The Island (2005) – I saw it, but remember thinking it would be better.

07.  Bad Boys (1995) – I can remember sitting in the theater and thinking, ‘This should be better.’

06.  Pain & Gain (2013) – I wasn’t expecting a lot from this one and so the bar wasn’t that high.

05.  6 Underground (2019) – Put your mind in neutral and go along for the ride.

04.  Pearl Harbor (2001) – I liked this better than most folks.  In fact I almost put it in the third spot.

03.  Armageddon (1998) – A great cast and a fun story.

02.  Bad Boys II (2003) – I didn’t care for the first Bad Boys but really dug the second.

01.  The Rock (1996) – Absolutely loved this one!

Max Allan Collins on Stephen King, Stanley Kubrick and The Shining(s)

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Max Allan Collins posted an excellent piece on The Shining – the book, the movie and the differences that Stephen King and Stanley Kubrick had in regard to their versions.  As a bonus Collins looks at Doctor Sleep and the 1997 TV mini-series of Stephen King’s The Shining.

Max Allan Collins’ blog is always worth reading (as are his novels) and his “Shining” post is just an example of the fun to be had.

The Twilight Zone’s Most Shocking Twist Endings

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Phil Pirrello at Syfy Wire posted his choices for The Twilight Zone’s 10 Most Shocking Twist Endings.  His list is a good one.

I’ve posted how I’d rank his top ten below.  Click on the link above to get the entire Pirrello piece.  If you click on the links in my ratings, you’ll get my Z-View for the individual episodes.

Phil Pirrello / Syfy Wire

Craig
10. “The Silence” (Season 2) 10. “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (Season 5)
09. “Five Characters In Search of an Exit” (Season 3) 09. “Five Characters In Search of an Exit” (Season 3)
08. “The Masks” (Season 5)  08. “The Masks” (Season 5) 
07. “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up” (Season 2) 07. “The Silence” (Season 2)
06. “The Invaders” (Season 2)  06. “I Shot an Arrow Into the Air” (Season 1)
05. “To Serve Man” (Season 1) 05. “Eye of the Beholder” (Season 2)
04. “I Shot an Arrow Into the Air” (Season 1) 04. “Time Enough At Last” (Season 1)
03. “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (Season 5) 03. “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up” (Season 2)
02. “Time Enough At Last” (Season 1) 02. “The Invaders” (Season 2) 
01. “Eye of the Beholder” (Season 2) 01. “To Serve Man” (Season 1)

The Best Movie Posters of 2019

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ComingSoon posted their choices for The 25 Best Movie Posters of 2019.  My favorite of their picks was the Alex Ross poster for Glass shown above.

Although a John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum poster did make the ComingSoon Top 25, the version they selected wasn’t one of my favorite posters of the year (which probably surprises a lot of you).

I would have also included this poster, this poster, this poster and this poster all for Rambo: Last  Blood.  (Which probably surprises nobody.)

12 Surprising Facts about “The Godfather Part II”

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Scott Beggs and Mental Floss present 12 Surprising Facts about The Godfather Part II.  Here are four (I couldn’t pick just 3!) of my favorite facts presented.  Click on the link to read all of the facts and additional details!

3. MARLON BRANDO AND ROBERT DE NIRO ARE THE ONLY ACTORS TO WIN OSCARS FOR PLAYING THE SAME CHARACTER.

6. AN EXTRA HAD THE GUTS TO IMPROVISE AN IMPORTANT MOMENT IN THE GODFATHER PART II.

11. JAMES CAGNEY TURNED DOWN A ROLE IN THE GODFATHER PART II.

12. FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA WANTED MARLON BRANDO TO REPRISE HIS ROLE AS THE YOUNGER VERSION OF HIMSELF IN THE GODFATHER PART II.