“The Stranger” (2020) created by Harlan Coben / Z-View

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The Stranger (2020)

Created by: Harlan Coben

Directors: Daniel O’Hara (eps. 1-3, 7-8); Hannah Quinn (eps. 4-6)

Screenplay: Danny Brocklehurst (eps.1, 4, 7-8); Mick Ford (ep. 2, 6); Karla Crome (ep. 3); Charlotte Coben (ep. 5)

Stars: Richard Armitage, Siobhán Finneran, Jennifer Saunders, Shaun Dooley, Paul Kaye, Dervla Kirwan, Kadiff Kirwan, Jacob Dudman, Ella-Rae Smith, Anthony Head, Stephen Rea and Hannah John-Kamen.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

A stranger stops happily married Adam Price and tells him that his wife faked her recent miscarriage.  The woman also implies that Adam’s two teenage boys may not be his.  The woman then quickly leaves.  Adam begins to wonder if the information is true.  To complicate matters that night Adam’s son, Thomas, attends a party that gets out of hand.  The police find a classmate of Thomas’ naked and barely alive.  It is only a matter of time until Thomas is questioned.

When Adam’s wife disappears, the mystery deepens.  The stranger then begins to approach others.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I thought the series had an interesting premise.  It almost lost me when everybody had secrets coming to the surface.  My wife liked it more than I did.  Your mileage may vary.

The Stranger (2020) rates 3 of 5 stars.

Scandals! Then & Now (1998) / Z-View

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Scandal! Then & Now (1998) 

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Scandal! Then & Now explores six scandals that shocked the world…

  • Resurrection in LA: The Disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson.  Aimee Semple McPherson, founder of the Foursquare Church and one of the first evangelists to use radio to spread the word was world famous.  Her sermons and faith healing drew thousands.  When McPherson went swimming one day and disappeared, it was thought she drowned.  The world mourned. Then weeks later, McPherson reappeared saying she had been kidnapped.  But the facts didn’t add up…
    Written and directed by Simcha Jacobovici and David Harel.
  • Silenced Star: The Rise and Fall of Fatty Arbuckle.
    Written and directed by Tim Wolochatiuk
  • Unspoken Lies: George and Viola McMillan and the Windfall Mine Fraud.
    Written and directed by Simcha Jacobovici
  • Brothers in Blood: Leopold and Loeb.
    Written and directed by Tim Wolochatiuk
  • Southern Knights: The Murder of Mary Phagan and the Lynching of Leo Frank.
    Written and directed by Yuval Daniel
  • Crossing the Line: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson, the First Black Champion Boxer
    Written and directed by Roger Pyke

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I enjoyed the series.  I was aware of the Aimee Semple McPherson, Fatty Arbuckle, Leopold and Loeb and Jack Johnson scandals.  Still it was interesting to revisit them.  The Viola McMillan and the Windfall Mine Fraud and the  Murder of Mary Phagan and the Lynching of Leo Frank scandals were new to me.

Scandal! Then & Now (1998)  rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Hypnotic” (2023) directed by Robert Rodriguez, starring Ben Affleck, Alice Braga & William Fichtner / Z-View

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Hypnotic (2023)

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Screenplay: Robert Rodriguez, Max Borenstein

Stars: Ben Affleck, Alice Braga, JD Pardo, Jeff Fahey, William Fichtner, Zane Holtz, Ruben Javier Caballero, Ryan Ryusaki and Jackie Earle Haley.

Tagline: Control is an illusion.

The Plot…

Detective Danny Rourke (Affleck) is on a stakeout with a response team.  They had received a tip on the robbery of bank safe deposit boxes.  Through their monitors they see a suspicious well dressed man.  They will learn later his name is Lev Dellrayne (Fichtner).  Dellrayne speaks to a woman waiting for a bus.  As he walks away the woman begins stripping.  The disrobing woman causes a commotion including vehicles crashing into each other.

Dellrayne then speaks to two police officers.  They turn and walk into the bank following Dellrayne’s commands.  Within seconds, Dellrayne gets into the safe deposit box area, opens the targeted box and escapes.  He appears to just disappear.

Detective Rourke checks out the open safe deposit box.  The only thing left inside is a photo of Rourke’s daughter Minnie.  Minnie has been missing for three years since she was kidnapped.  “Find Lev Dellrayne” is written on the photo.

Obviously his daughter’s kidnapping and the robbery are linked.  If Rourke can capture Dellrayne, there is a chance he will find his daughter alive.

Rourke has no idea what he is about to learn.  Nothing is as it seems.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Rouke visits a BBQ joint called The Bone Shack.  The restaurant has the same name and logo of a BBQ eatery featured in Planet Terror (also directed by Robert Rodriguez).  In Planet Terror, Jeff Fahey played the owner of The Bone Shack.  Although Fahey appears in Hypnotic, he isn’t the owner of this Bone Shack.

Be sure to watch the credits, there is a scene that changes the ending!

I could see Hypnotic as a limited or on-going television series.

Hypnotic (2023) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Armor” starring Jason Patric and Sylvester Stallone – The Trailer is Here!

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Armor starring Jason Patric and Sylvester Stallone – The Trailer is Here!

Oscar nominee Sylvester Stallone and Jason Patric star in an action-packed, thriller about the lengths one man will go to save what’s left of his family and reclaim his own life. James and his son Casey are armored truck drivers tasked with delivering a suspicious package. After a violent ambush on the road, James and Casey are trapped until they discover the value of what they have been carrying and join forces to outgun and outwit their attackers.

The cast also includes Dash Mihok, Josh Wiggins, Blake Shields, and Erin Ownbey. Lionsgate will release the Justin Routt-directed action film in theaters and on digital and On Demand on November 22, 2024.

“Darker Than Amber” (1970) starring Rod Taylor and William Smith / Z-View

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Darker Than Amber (1970)

Director: Robert Clouse

Screenplay: John D. MacDonald, Ed Waters based on DARKER THAN AMBER by John D. MacDonald

Stars: Rod Taylor, Theodore Bikel, Suzy Kendall, William Smith, Janet MacLachlan, Robert Phillips, James Booth and Jane Russell.

Tagline: Travis McGee is having a conference with one of his clients. Business as usual.

The Plot…

Late one night Travis McGee (Taylor) and his buddy are quietly fishing under a bridge.  Suddenly a woman is thrown off the bridge and quickly sinks below the water.  McGee jumps in.  He is shocked to find the woman’s hands and feet are bound.  A dumbell tied to her ankles is pulling her down.  McGee frees her and gets her to the surface.  She’s in bad shape.

McGee takes her home.  Her name is Vangie.  She refuses to go to the police.  McGee learns that Vangie was almost killed by cold-blooded body builder named Terry (Smith).  Terry uses women to drug lonely men.  Terry then robs and sometimes kills them.  Vangie became a target when she discovered Terry was a killer.  As the days pass, McGee and Vangie fall in love.

Despite McGee’s objections Vangie heads to her apartment to get some things.  Terry has been watching and kills her.

McGee is going to get revenge even if it kills him.  It just might.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The final extended fight scene is considered a brutal classic.  Reportedly it was the reason that Bruce Lee wanted Robert Clause to direct Enter the Dragon.

Darker Than Amber is the last time Jane Russell appeared in a feature film.

Darker Than Amber was scheduled to kick off a franchise.  The plan was for Taylor to star in a series of Travis McGee films based on John D. MacDonald’s novels.  Poor box office for this film killed the idea.

Filmed in 1970, the film is a product of it’s time.  It probably felt hip and cool when it was released.  Now it feels dated.

Darker Than Amber (1970) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Tarzan’s Savage Fury” (1952) starring Lex Barker and Dorothy Hart / Z-View

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Tarzan’s Savage Fury (1952)

Director: Cy Endfield

Screenplay: Hans Jacoby; based on characters created by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Stars: Lex Barker, Dorothy Hart, Patric Knowles, Charles Korvin, Tommy Carlton, Darby Jones, Peter Mamakos and Bill Walker.

Tagline: THIS YEAR’S ALL-NEW TARZAN THRILLER!

The Plot…

Tarzan (Barker) is tricked into leading government agents deep into the jungle land of the Wazuri nation.  Too late Tarzan learns that the men are crooks after Wazuri diamonds.  With Wazuri warriors attacking and the criminals out to kill him, Tarzan must rescue Jane and Joey.

Cue Tarzan’s yell!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Lex Barker played Tarzan in five films.  Tarzan’s Savage Fury was his fourth outing.

Tommy Carlton played Joey, Tarzan and Jane’s adopted child.  It was his first and only film.\

In Tarzan’s Savage Fury, Tarzan isn’t very savage or very furious.

Tarzan’s Savage Fury (1952) rates 2 of 5 stars.

THE LAST FEW MILES: A CARTER MCCOY NOVEL by Eric Beetner / Z-View

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THE LAST FEW MILES: A CARTER MCCOY NOVEL by Eric Beetner

First sentence…

Carter McCoy closed the menu and handed it back to the waitress.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Carter McCoy doesn’t have long to live.  Six months give or take a few.  The doctor told him the name of the disease that’s killing him, but does the name really matter at this point?  There’s no cure.  McCoy is 72 years old.  Other than the disease he’s in great shape.  Some might say that’s ironic.

You might think that since McCoy’s wife and daughter are dead, he has nothing to live for.  You’d be wrong.  The man who caused his daughter’s death escaped justice and is still alive.  McCoy has wanted to kill the man for years.  Only thing stopping him was his wife.  Now she’s gone and Carter’s time is running out.

And there’s one thing he’s going to do before his time is up.

+++++

I’m a huge fan of Eric Beetner’s tales.  THE LAST FEW MILES: A CARTER MCCOY NOVEL is another winner.  An old man with just months to live wants to kill the man responsible for his daughter’s death.  The man isn’t a killer, he’s old and he’s dying. In any good writer’s hands that’s a great set-up for a crime novel.  In Beetner’s mits it’s just the kick-off for his yarn.

Soon a young woman in a tragic situation will against odds become Carter’s friend.  She’s in a terrible situation.  Perhaps Carter and a bullet could save her.  Carter’s dying so he has nothing to lose.  And if he’s successful she could have a chance at a good life.

The only thing that could stop him are the police that are getting close and the disease that’s even closer.

THE LAST FEW MILES: A CARTER MCCOY NOVEL is a fast read, with twists, suspense and ever increasing stakes.  I applaud the ending.  It wasn’t what I was expecting but works perfectly.

Rating:

“Lady Without a Passport” (1950) starring Hedy Lamarr and John Hodiak / Z-View

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Lady Without A Passport (1950)

Director: Joseph H. Lewis

Screenplay: Howard Dimsdale, story by Lawrence Taylor; adaptation written by Cyril Hume

Stars: Hedy Lamarr, John Hodiak, James Craig, George Macready, Steven Geray, Nedrick Young, Steven Hill, Robert Osterloh, Trevor Bardette, Charles Wagenheim, Don Garner and Richard Crane.

Tagline: M-G-M THRILLS!

The Plot…

Immigrants refused an entrance visa to the United States have found a smuggling operation through Cuba. A man named Palinov (Macready) who fronts as a cafe owner runs the illegal racket.  Pete Karczag (Hodiak) is an American agent sent undercover to Cuba to get the goods on Karczag.

Once there Pete meets Marianne Lorress (Lamarr).  Marianne is a refugee from a Nazi concentration camp.  She wants to go to the United States to start a new life, but lacks the money to make it happen.  Karczag has other ways she can pay.  Initially Pete plans to use Marianne to get to Palinov. That changes pretty quickly when Pete falls in love with Marianne.

That’s not all that changes.  Palinov discovers that Pete is an American agent.  Palinov knows he’s safer if Pete and Marianne are out of the picture… permanently.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Much of the film was shot on location in Cuba.  Unfortunately, those scenes often come off as outtakes of a travelogue.

Lady Without A Passport (1950) rates 2 of 5 stars.