“Intruder in the Dust” (1949) / Z-View

Posted on by

Intruder in the Dust (1949)

Director: Clarence Brown

Screenplay: Ben Maddow; based on INTRUDER IN THE DUST by William Faulkner

Stars: David Brian, Claude Jarman Jr., Juano Hernandez, Porter Hall, Elizabeth Patterson, Charles Kemper, David Clarke, David Clarke, Elzie Emanuel, Lela Bliss and Will Geer.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

In the 1940s in a small Southern town, Lucas Beauchamp, a man of color, is falsely arrested for the murder of a white man.  It will be up to a teenage boy, his lawyer uncle and an old woman to find the true killer before a lynch mob loses control.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The film was shot on location in Oxford, Mississippi.  William Faulkner, who wrote the source novel grew up in Oxford.

William Faulkner won the Nobel Prize for literature for his novel INTRUDER IN THE DUST.

Intruder in the Dust (1949) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Predator: Badlands” (2025) directed by Dan Trachtenberg; starring Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi / Z-View

Posted on by

Predator: Badlands (2025)

Director: Dan Trachtenberg

Screenplay: Patrick Aison; story by Patrick Aison, Dan Trachtenberg; based on characters created by Jim Thomas, John Thomas

Stars: Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi.

Tagline: First hunt. Last chance.

The Plot…

The creatures we know as Predators are actually named Yautja.  The Yautja are raised by a code: Yautja are prey to none. Friend to none. Predator to all.  The weak are killed rather than bring shame to their clan.

Dek is a Yautja reaching adulthood.  He is considered a runt.  Dek’s father, the clan leader has decided Dek will bring shame to the clan.  In order to prove his worth Dek travels to Genna, a place so dangerous it is called the “Death Planet”.  There Dek plans to hunt and kill a Kalisk, one of the few creatures feared by Yautja.

On the planet Dek will face multiple dangers he couldn’t imagine.  He will also learn that the Yautja code isn’t always true…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Elle Fanning is excellent as the andriod Thia.  The character could have come off as irritating, but Fanning’s performance had the right balance.  Dek gets irritated (as he should) but the scenes provide the right amount of humor.

Predator: Badlands has a different tone from other films in the franchise.  There is a “cute” creature that shows up.  If it was just “Disney” cute, it would have not worked (for me).  But there is something about it that we don’t see at first that adds another layer and I liked it.  There is also a scene involving Thia (well, part of her) that gets a laugh and may have gone a bit too far… but why nitpick about a fun change of pace?

Terminator 2: Judgment Day gave Dan Trachtenberg the inspiration to turn the antagonist of the original film into the protagonist of the sequel.

The logo that appears on the back of Thia’s eyes are the classic Weyland-Yutani logo that was featured on the synth Andy’s eyes in Alien: Romulus.

I had my doubts about making a Predator the hero of a film but hats off to Trachtenberg, he did it.  I enjoyed Trachtenberg’s Prey as well.  I wonder what he will do in going for a trifecta.

Predator: Badlands (2025) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“WWE: Unreal” – Season 2 (2026) / Z-View

Posted on by

WWE: Unreal – Season 2 (2026)

Director: (Eps. 1-5) Terrell Riley, Steve Trout

Stars: John Cena, Michael Coulthard (Michael Cole), Aoife Cusack (Lyra Valkyria), Walter Hahn (GUNTHER), Paul Levesque (‘Triple H’), Colby Lopez (Seth Rollins), Pat McAfee, Stephanie McMahon, Bruce Prichard, Rebecca Quin (Becky Lynch), Demi Bennett (Rhea Ripley), Mark Calaway (The Undertaker), Shane Helms, Paul Heyman, Brian James (Road Dogg).

Tagline: It’s More Real Than You Think

The Plot…

WWE Unreal gives fans unprecedented access behind-the-scenes at how professional wrestling works.  Cameras are allowed into the writers’ room as the executives on the creative team prepare for the WWE next big events.

This season…

  • Seth Rollins agrees to a SummerSlam storyline that will fool even friends and family.
  • Becky Lynch works to get in shape for her WrestleMania comeback.
  • Pat McAfee works to move from behind the mic to in the ring competitor.
  • R-Truth is fired (for real) but his fans have a different plan.
  • Naomi agrees and works towards moving from babyface to heel.
  • Anything that can go wrong does with Becky Lynch and Lyra Valkyria’s match.
  • John Cena competes in his last SummerSlam.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

When I was a kid everyone involved in professional wrestling worked to make sure that it was thought of as “real”.  Then in 1989, Vince McMahon announced professional wrestling  wasn’t a legitimate sport, but instead was sports entertainment.  The bumps and injuries are real, but the match outcomes are predetermined.  Pro wrestling fans didn’t care.

I haven’t watched pro wrestling in years, but I was interested in the behind-the-scenes access.  I wasn’t disappointed.  In fact, WWE Unreal got me interested in watching again.

WWE: Unreal – Season 21 (2026) rates 5 of 5 stars

“Navajo Joe” (1966) starring Burt Reynolds / Z-View

Posted on by

Navajo Joe (1966)

Director: Sergio Corbucci

Screenplay: Piero Regnoli, Fernando di Leo; story by Ugo Pirro

Stars: Burt Reynolds, Aldo Sambrell, Fernando Rey.

Tagline: There’s no escaping his one-man vendetta of unrelenting violence!

The Plot…

When a gang of outlaws murders his entire village for scalps, Navajo Joe vows revenge.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

When Burt Reynolds was offered the chance to go to Italy to film Navajo Joe, he reached out to Clint Eastwood.  Eastwood had achieved fame for A Fistful of Dollars and A Few Dollars More.  Eastwood said it was a good experience and raved about director Sergio Leone.  Reynolds thought Navajo Joe was going to be directed by Sergio Leone.  He was mistaken.  The director was Sergio Corbucci.  Reynolds tried to walk away, but the contracts had already been signed.

To make matters worse, Corbucci thought Marlon Brando was going to be the star of the film.  Needless to say, Reynolds and Corbucci didn’t get along.  Making the film wasn’t a fun experience for either man.

Burt Reynolds said in interviews it was the worst professional experience he ever had and “the film was only shown in prisons and airplanes because the audience couldn’t leave.”

Who am I to argue with Burt Reynolds.

Navajo Joe (1966) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Naked Ambition” (2023) starring Bunny Yeager / Z-View!

Posted on by

Naked Ambition (2023)

Director: Dennis Scholl, Kareem Tabsch

Writer: Dennis Scholl

Stars: Bunny Yeager, Dita Von Teese, Larry King.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Bunny Yeager started her career as a model.  She transitioned to behind the camera and became one of the most popular cheesecake photographers working.  Bunny’s work with Bettie Page sent both into the popular culture stratosphere.

This is her story.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Bunny was one of the first photographers for Playboy and even discovered Playboy’s first Playmate of the Year.  Bunny then went on to have her photos in more mainstream magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Esquire and Redbook to name a few.  Bunny’s photos of Ursula Andress exiting the water on the beach for the James Bond film Dr. No are perhaps her most famous shots.

When magazines became more graphic, Bunny refused to follow the trend and her photos became less in demand.  Bunny Yeager’s photos saw a resurgence of popularity in the 1990s.

Naked Ambition (2023) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Night of the Hunter” by Mat Peg!

Posted on by


I love Mat Peg’s art.  Look at the thought put into this Night of the Hunter poster.

It’s in the style of an old time photograph.  Mitchum, the serial killer preacher has his love/hate finger tats in view.  He’s holding both his knife and the little girl he threatens with it.  She’s holding the doll that secretly carries the money Mitchum’s character is willing to kill for.  The title of the movie and stars’ names are scratched in as if with the knife.

 Brilliant.

“Bad Faith” aka “Bad Faith: Christian Nationalism’s Unholy War on Democracy” (2024) / Z-View

Posted on by

Bad Faith aka Bad Faith: Christian Nationalism’s Unholy War on Democracy (2024)

Director: Stephen Ujlaki, Chris Jones

Written by: Alec Baer, Chris Jones, Stephen Ujlaki

Narrated by: Peter Coyote

Tagline: Christian Nationalism’s Unholy War on Democracy

The Plot…

Bad Faith explores the history of Christian Nationalism in the United States from it’s start as the Moral Majority to the current Make America Great Again movement.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

It’s interesting to see how the Religious Right movement has morphed and how the long game was played.  Abortion wasn’t initially THE issue used to galvanize the movement.  Years after Roe vs Wade it was seen to be advantageous to make THAT the number one issue.  It was also interesting to chart how more political the movement became, how and why they were able to attract millionaires / billionaires to the cause.

The long term game plan was to frame the politics as good vs evil.  They wanted to take control of 7 areas: Family, Religion, Entertainment, Media, Education, Business and Government.  Then they would weaken, tear down and destroy these institutions and then rebuild to fit their mindset.

Bad Faith aka Bad Faith: Christian Nationalism’s Unholy War on Democracy (2024) rates 5 of 5 stars.

Mike Mignola’s “Blade 2” Storyboards!

Posted on by

Blade 2 is my favorite movie of the Blade franchise.  It’s also one of my favorite horror movies.  Most folks know it was directed by Guillermo del Toro.  Not as many realize that del Toro’s artist on the storyboards was none other than Hellboy creator, Mike Mignola.  Below are some examples.

Guillermo del Toro and Mike Mignola would reteam two years later for the movie adaptation of Hellboy.

A book of Mignola’s storyboards would be a welcome addition to my book shelf.

Click on the photos to see biggie-versions or each.  If you want to see even bigger versions check out our source for this post — Marco Foderà.

“Tura!” (2024) starring Tura Santana / Z-View

Posted on by

Tura! (2024)

Director: Cody Jarrett

Screenplay: Cody Jarrett

Stars: Tura Satana, John Waters, Margaret Cho, Dita Von Teese and Pamela Des Barres.

Tagline: How One Woman’s Quest for Revenge Changed Hollywood and the World Forever

The Plot…

Tura Satana, the actress best known for her role as Varla in the cult classic Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! had a life that is hard to believe.  Raped as a child, Tura learned the martial arts in order to get revenge on the men who abused her since justice was denied in the courts.  As an adult, Tura got revenge on each individual who had assaulted her.

But that would come later in life.

At fifteen, Tura ran away to California.  She lied about her age and began working as a burlesque dancer.  Soon Tura was making big money as a stripper.  This led to a friendship with Harold Lloyd (yes, THAT Harold Lloyd of silent movie fame).  Tura became a nude model for Lloyd (and others).

Then came her acting career with roles in Irma la Douce staring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine and Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed? starring Dean Martin and Elizabeth Montgomery.  Television roles on Burke’s Law and The Man from UNCLE followed.  Then came Tura’s breakout role in Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!.  After that Tura appeared in just four more films and one television appearance before retiring from acting.

After the filming of The Doll Squad, Tura was shot by a former lover.  Her acting career was finished… for now.  Over the years Tura earned a living working in a hospital and later as a dispatcher.  When Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! gained new popularity as a cult hit, Tura Santana’s popularity also surged.  She began to occassionally act and make appearances at fan conventions.

Tura is her life story.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

It’s hard to believe Tura’s life story… even the parts that are easily proven.  So we’ll go with the famous saying, (and I’m parphrasing), “When the legend is better than the truth, go with the legend.”

Tura! (2024) rates 4 of 5 stars.