Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
The Making of a Murderer, Part 2 premieres on October 19th and I’m really looking forward to it. The first part caught me off guard with how good it was. If the second part even comes close to the original we’re in for an excellent series.
Eric Beetner has a new novel coming out in January and I can’t wait. Beetner writes crime novels and I’ve never been disappointed by any of ’em. All the Way Down sounds like a pulp classic. Here’s the Amazon description:
Dale is a crooked cop. It started slow, but grew like a cancer and now he can’t get out from under the thumb of Tat, a would-be kingpin in every vice he can turn a profit with.
And now Dale’s number is up – the top brass knows. But instead of getting busted, Dale gets an offer. The mayor’s daughter is being held by Tat in his fortress built from an abandoned office tower. They want her back but if they storm the gates, Lauren is as good as dead. So they’re sending Dale on what could very likely be a suicide mission: infiltrate Tat’s fortress and bring her out alive.
If the Mayor even really wants her alive…
Floor by floor Dale and Lauren have to fight off an increasingly difficult and dangerous set of obstacles.
Meanwhile, Dale’s wife has her own troubles and some of the drug kingpin’s goons are only adding to an already rough day.
The clock is ticking down along with the floors of the building and escape is looking less and less likely. But to save her, and to save himself, he must make it all the way down.
If it sounds like something you’d like then you can be dealt in by clicking on this link and ordering from Amazon.
Today we have a rarely seen barbarian drawn by the master, Barry Windsor Smith. You can see a larger version at The Beauty of Black Lines.
Riley Jones and Goliath present The Top 20 Underrated Action Movies. Using just Jones’ list, here are his comments (and mine) for my top three:
The Last Boy Scout (1991)
Released in the early 90s, The Last Boy Scout features the unlikely duo of Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans. The story follows an LAPD detective (Willis) investigating a murder surrounding a football team. With the help of the victim’s former boyfriend (Wayans), the two embark on an action-packed adventure filled with explosions, gunfights, and hilarious one-liners.Considering how popular Willis was as an action star at the time following the wildly successful Die Hard and its sequel, it’s surprising that The Last Boy Scout only grossed a mere $59.5M at the box office. Despite Wayans being relatively new to the scene, the film featured an entertaining and equally ridiculous story full of laughs and excitement that will keep you hooked from start to finish.
Craig’s comments: I think two things hurt The Last Boy Scout: 1) Many viewed it as more of a comedy than action film and 2) The opening scene of the football player running down the field and then pulling out a gun to shoot opposing players turned people off. I loved The Last Boy Scout. I felt it was the right mix of action and comedy with many memorable scenes including two of my favorites: “If you touch me again, I’ll kill you” and the scene in the alley when Bruce Willis is about to get killed and survives because of a, pardon the expression, “killing joke.”
The Rundown (2003)
This little known 2003 buddy comedy, directed by Peter Berg (Hancock) and starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Sean “That Guy Who Played Stiffler” William Scott, is an absolute hoot to watch. One of our personal favorites, The Rundown isn’t a great movie by any stretch; it features a fairly predictable plot and some pretty corny moments, but damn if it isn’t just a whole lot of fun to watch. Great cast chemistry can often elevate an average film, and that’s most definitely the case here, as Johnson and Scott play well with each other, while Christopher Walken’s villain is also a surprisingly organic contribution to the film. Is it going to win any Oscars? Definitely not, but it’s the kind of movie we’ll never turn off if we stumble upon it when we’re scrolling through the channels late at night. Also starring Rosario Dawson, it’s a nifty little movie with some really great fight scenes.Craig’s comments: If The Rundown had been made a little later in Dwayne Johnson’s career, I believe it would have been a hit. The Rundown is a great, fun buddy-movie. What’s equally surprising to me (that it wasn’t a hit), is that there was never a sequel.
The Way of the Gun (2000)
Before he was directing the aforementioned Jack Reacher, Christopher McQuarrie was best known for both writing The Usual Suspects (1998) and directing this cult classic starring Ryan Phillippe, Benicio Del Toro, Juliet Lewis, Taye Diggs and James Caan. Following two ill-advised career criminals as they kidnap the surrogate mother of a strange and mysterious man, The Way of the Gun was the subject of many a lukewarm film review upon its release; however, like a fine wine its reputation has gotten much better with age. Now considered an underrated film in the action genre, The Way of the Gun features a particularly strong turn from the savvy veteran Caan.Craig’s comments: I love The Way of the Gun. Admittedly, it’s not for everyone. At times it’s profane, not politically correct and gory. Still, The Way of the Gun is so unlike most Hollywood movies, with characters (and a great cast) in a story that’s so compelling, it draws me in any time it’s on or I pull out the dvd.
Craig’s additional comments: There were two Stallone movies (Demolition Man and Cliffhanger) that made Jones’ list that I almost put in my top three. The reason I decided against including them is because, they’d be obvious choices for me and I think these other three films deserve greater notice as well. I also didn’t include John Wick because I don’t think it is underrated. Doesn’t everybody love John Wick?
Sylvester Stallone through his Instagram account today posted the photo above with the caption below:
officialslystallone Rambo’s man cave…@rambomovie #rambo5
Jake Rossen and Mental Floss present 11 Fascinating Facts About Sam Elliott. I actually met Sam Elliott before he made the big time. He was in Daytona Beach during Spring Break to promote Lifeguard. Mr. Elliott was extremely down-to-Earth and easy to talk with. Who knew that Lifeguard would lead to the career he’s had? (And if you click over to the original post, you’ll learn it almost didn’t.) At any rate, here are three of my favorites…
HE PLAYED EVEL KNIEVEL IN AN UNSOLD TV PILOT.
After moving to Hollywood in the late 1960s, Elliott scored a small role in a big film: 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. (He’s glimpsed only fleetingly during a card game.) In 1974, he had the opportunity to be the featured star, portraying daredevil legend Evel Knievel in a CBS television pilot. The series never went into production but wound up airing as a one-off special that March. Elliott went on to guest star in several series, including Hawaii Five-0 and Gunsmoke, before landing a lead role in a feature, 1976’s Lifeguard.
HE GOT PROPOSITIONED. A LOT.
Going from audition to audition early in his career, Elliott told syndicated columnist Rex Reed in 1980 that the proverbial casting couch was real. “You cannot believe the casting couch stories I could tell you, man,” he said. “The clichés are all true. I’ve had propositions from men and women, and I’ve turned them all down. It’s probably hurt me, but I’m the one who has to live with that guilt. My conscience is clear, even though my career is still not setting the world on fire.”
HE DOESN’T REALLY GET THE FASCINATION WITH HIS MUSTACHE.
For most of his roles, Elliott sports a soup strainer of a mustache: Thick, plush, well-weathered. When he goes without—as in his turn as a villain on FX’s Justified—it can be a little disarming, in the same way Superman looks a little odd without his cape. But Elliott doesn’t quite understand the cult of hair around his facial style choices. “The whole mustache thing is a mystery to me,” he told Vanity Fair in 2017. “I’m working on this thing now, A Star is Born—somebody showed me on their cell phone one day that there was this contest online between me and [Tom] Selleck about who had the best mustache. It’s so bizarre.” (For the record, Elliott won’t comment on who has the better lip warmer.)
Jake Rossen and Mental Floss present 25 Things You Might Not Know About Thomas Jefferson. Here are three of my favorites…
2. HIS GREATEST WORK WAS A STUDY IN CONTRADICTION.
As a member of the Second Continental Congress and the “Committee of Five” (a group consisting of John Adams, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson brought together for this purpose), Jefferson was tasked with writing the Declaration of Independence, an argument against the 13 colonies being held under British rule. While the Declaration insisted that all men are created equal and that their right to liberty is inherent at birth, Jefferson’s plantation origins meant that he embraced the institution of slavery. In any given year, Jefferson supervised up to 200 slaves, with roughly half under the age of 16. He perpetuated acts of cruelty, sometimes selling slaves and having them relocated away from their families as punishment. Yet in a book titled Notes on the State of Virginia (which he began writing during his stint as governor and published in 1785), Jefferson wrote that he believed the practice was unjust and “tremble[d]” at the idea of God exacting vengeance on those who perpetuated it. Though Jefferson acknowledged slavery as morally repugnant—and also criticized the slave trade in a passage that was cut from the Declaration of Independence “in complaisance to South Carolina and Georgia”—he offered no hesitation in benefiting personally from it, a hypocrisy that would haunt his legacy through the present day.
11. HIS WIFE HAD A CURIOUS CONNECTION TO HIS MISTRESS.
Jefferson was married for just 10 years before his wife, Martha Wayles, died in 1782 at age 33 of unknown causes. Curiously, Jefferson’s involvement with his slave, Sally Hemings, was part of Martha’s convoluted family tree. Martha’s father, John Wayles, had an affair with Sally’s mother, Elizabeth Hemings—meaning most historians think Sally and Martha were half-sisters.
18. HE PROBABLY HAD A FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING.
Without today’s methods of addressing the public—radio, television, and Twitter—Jefferson was largely free to succumb to his reported phobia of speaking in public. While working as a lawyer, he found himself unable to deliver orated arguments as eloquently as he could write them. When he did speak, it was apparently with a meek disposition. One listener to his inaugural address in 1801 described Jefferson’s speech as being in “so low a tone that few heard it.”
Scott Wilson, the actor best known for his role as Hershel on The Walking Dead, passed away yesterday reportedly from complications with leukemia. Wilson began his career with the one-two punch of the big screen classics In the Heat of the Night and In Cold Blood.
While most tributes focus on Wilson’s role as Hershel from The Walking Dead, Wilson’s resume features movie and television credits spanning 50 years. Anything Wilson appeared in became at least a little bit better because of him. Some of my favorite Wilson appearances include his roles in…
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Scott Wilson’s family, friends and fans.
The Rocky drawing above was created by the guy in the photo below. He goes by Moritat but his given name is Justin Norman. I met Moritat at The Infinity Toy and Comic Con in Kissimmee earlier this year. I was hanging out with John Beatty (who was also set up at the show) and Moritat was at the next table. I saw the fantastic art Moritat was creating and enjoyed talking with him, so it was only natural I asked for a sketch. If we hadn’t had to leave the show early, I’d have gotten another.
Brad Gullickson and Film School Rejects present The 10 Best Comic Book Horror Movies. (Sadly the original post is no longer available.) Using just Gullickson’s list, here are his comments (and mine) for my top three:
30 Days of Night (2007)
Most vampire movies leave me cold, so color me surprised to find one of my favorites set in the freezing wasteland of Alaska’s eternal night. In addition to a brilliant premise — a tribe of vamps arriving in Barrow, AK just as the town settles into month-long seasonal darkness — the film delivers with some truly brutal and terrifically designed creatures and kills, engaging characters, and memorable cinematography. It’s a tight, visceral horror film that breathes life into the undead the same way 28 Days Later did with “zombies,” and it ends with a legitimately touching emotional beat. Now where’s my goddamn sequel?! (he said, knowing full well a lesser follow-up came and went in 2010). – Rob HunterCraig: I was a big fan of Steve Niles work, so his (and Ben Templesmith’s) 30 Days of Night comic series set the bar pretty high. I loved the concept of an isolated city in Alaska about to go through its annual 30 days of night. Of course vampires would want to go there. And they do, with the intent to wipe out the town during a month of excessive feasting. Just writing about this movie makes me want to view it again.
The Crow (1994)
From page to screen, the legacy of The Crow is synonymous with tragedy. The original graphic novel was created as a form of catharsis for writer James O’Barr after his girlfriend was taken too soon because of a drunk driver. Of course, most of you will know the story of Brandon Lee’s freak death while filming a shootout scene cpurtesy of a real bullet among the blanks. As a result, there’s an air of melancholy to The Crow that few other movies have captured. At the same time, it’s also a highly stylish and entertaining actioner with a rocking soundtrack befitting of the dark gods. The sequels all suck, but the first movie is a bona fide masterpiece of supernatural vigilante storytelling. – Kieran FisherCraig: Like 30 Days of Night, I was familiar with James O’Barr’s The Crow from it’s first published appearance in Caliber comics. The movie did a great job of adapting the comics and staying true to O’Barr’s vision. Brandon Lee (Bruce Lee’s son, who died during filming) was a bonus.
Blade II (2002)
I love Wesley Snipes, and I adore the joyful bravado that he injects into his Daywalker. He may pretend he’s brooding, but that’s a cat who (internally) whistles while he works. Slaying vampires has never been more satisfying. But – look. This is not just a Blade film. Guillermo del Toro came off Mimic and The Devil’s Backbone and threw his entire geeky consciousness into Blade II. Each frame is packed with references to Hellboy, Watchmen, The Searchers, Vampire Hunter D, Predator, Nosferatu, etc. For as suave and cool as the vampires were in the original film, del Toro comes at his Reapers with a Richard Matheson “I Am Legend” mentality. These are not pretty creatures that sip blood to the tunes of the children of the night. These are savage animals that threaten to devour the world, and force night and day walkers to unite in a Dirty Dozen team-up. The climax amounts to a vicious series of showdowns between hero and monster: the traitor, the goon, the count, and finally, the beast. After all is said and done, you may even find yourself getting misty over the tragedy of it all. – Brad Gullickson
Craig: I never read comics featuring Blade. I didn’t care for the original Blade movie at all. I thought Wesley Snipes was perfect as Blade and as a fan of Guillermo del Toro, willing to give Blade II a chance. I am so glad I did, because I loved it. How could you not love Blade going up against the King of all Vampires? Blade II is going to get another viewing from me soon.
Rob Hunter and Film School Rejects presented The 10 Best Monster Designs in Horror Movies. Sadly that post is no longer available. Still, here are my top three picks from Hunter’s choices and my selection for the #1 spot and it’s a monster that didn’t make his list!
3. Alien: The design is scary even before you learn about the teeth that extract. But perhaps what makes Alien scariest is that the design doesn’t look like it would work with a person in a suit. What is that thing?
2. The Creature from the Black Lagoon: If you were to find the missing link between fish and man, it would look like The Creature from the Black Lagoon. A perfect design.
1. The Predator: Want to know why Predator got my top spot from Hunter’s list? Watch the scene when the Predator removes his mask and for the first time we get a look at it’s face as it roars.
My choice for best monster design — The Curse of the Werewolf werewolf. THAT is what a wolfman should look like!
This is one of four Universal Monsters trading cards drawn by Mike Mignola and posted by Cool Comic Art. You can see the one above as well as the other 3 Mignola Universal Monsters cards here.
Check out the new Walking Dead Official Season 9 Opening Animated Credits!
Sharon Knolle’s post 10 Truly Scandalous Horror Movies that Scared Censors into the Hollywood Production Code is worth a read by all movie (especially horror movie) buffs.
I’ve seen 9 of the 10 movies Knolle selected and commend her on selecting them. If you haven’t seen them, I’d recommend:
These are the first two photos released for Rambo 5 and since they come from Sly himself via his official instagram site, you know they’re legit.
I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to see these photos. I’ve always thought that it would be cool to see Sly in a western. Up till now the closest we ever came was Copland. And that was great.
This is going to be a fun ride.
