“Indemnity” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

Posted on by

I like both the poster and trailer for Indemnity which looks like a fun movie to catch on streaming.

First Trailer for Travis Taute’s (Netflix’s BLOOD & WATER) feature debut INDEMNITY. South African action thriller to World Premiere as part of the Fantasia International Film Festival on August 11, 2021.

Starring SAFTA-award winner Jarrid Geduld (ELLEN: DIE STORIE VAN ELLEN PAKKIES), Nicole Fortuin (FLATLAND), Andre Jacobs (BLACK VENUS), Gail Mabalane (BLOOD & WATER), and Tshamano Sebe (THE SOUL COLLECTOR). The film is produced by Bradley Joshua and Benjamin Overmeyer for Gambit Films.

“Echoes of Violence” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

Posted on by

I like the trailer for Echoes of Violence more than the poster which is more interesting without the photos of the stars at the top.  I’m not 100% sold, but will be on the lookout for more info about the film.

“Echoes of Violence” tells the story of Marakya, found bloody in the Sedona deserts by real-estate agent Alex, and their journey to Los Angeles to find those who have recently wronged her. Alex agrees to help Marakya leave Sedona quickly as they are pursued by the man hired to kill her, Kellin. Kellin, an ex-marine turned driver for a dangerous sex trafficker masked as an immigration lawyer, Anthony, needs money to save his ailing father. To get the money needed for his father Kellin agrees to take a young girl who has been causing Anthony trouble to the desert and kill her. Marakya escapes, and travels back to Los Angeles to kill Anthony so she can be free, once and for all.

DIRECTED BY Nicholas Woods
STARRING Michaella Russell, Sam Anderson, Frank Oz, Heston Horwin, Chase Cargill

RIP: Ron Popeil

Posted on by

Ron Popeil an American inventor, business man and marketing genius.  He died yesterday at the age of 86.  No cause of death was given.

Popeil became famous not only for his inventions but more so in the way he marketed them.  He began with television ads promoting his Chop-O-Matic vegetable slicer calling it “the greatest kitchen appliance ever made.”  Popeil’s claims were over the top but he made them with enthusiasm and likability.  He followed the Chop-O-Matic with the Veg-A-Matic which could “slice a tomato so thin it only has one side.”

His company Ronco continued to put out ads marketing their products: The Pocket Fisherman, Mr. Microphone, The Bedazzler, Hair in a Can Spray, The Kitchen Magician, Mr. Dentist, and The Smokeless Ashtray were just some of the products you could find Mr. Popeil hawking in television ads.  Ronco also branched out to Ronco Records to release compilation albums featuring popular songs from a few years ago now at popular prices.

In addition to his grandiose  product claims, Ron Popeil was the first to use the catch phrase used in most late night television commercials hawking products, “Wait… There’s more!”   Ron Popeil’s enthusiasm for his products and his unabashed hucksterism made him a popular culture celebrity.  He was parodied on everything from Saturday Night Live to the Simpsons.  Even Gallagher’s most popular bit, The Sledge-O-Matic could be traced back to Ron Popeil.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ron Popeil’s family, friends and fans.

“The Gate Way” Starring Shea Whigham, Olivia Munn, Frank Grillo & Bruce Dern – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

Posted on by

The Gateway looks good!  While the poster mostly goes with the big photoshopped heads of the stars, it does have a lower half of art.  The real joy though is the trailer.  It features a compelling story and what a cast!  Deal me in.

Shea Whigham (American Hustle), Olivia Munn (X-Men: Apocalypse) and Frank Grillo (The Grey) star in this edge of your seat, gritty crime thriller. Whigham is Parker, a down on his luck social worker who finds himself in over his head when he tries to protect his client from her recently paroled husband. Can Parker save the family from the violent threat of the maniacal drug dealer and his crew, desperate to reclaim their priceless stash at any cost?

THE GATEWAY – In select theaters September 3rd and on Blu-ray/DVD September 7th- Shea Whigham (Parker), Olivia Munn (Dahlia), Taryn Manning (Corey), Mark Boone Junior (Gary), Taegen Burns (Ashley) with Frank Grillo (Duke) and Bruce Dern (Marcus).

“Untold” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

Posted on by

The poster for Untold is okay, but the trailer makes me want to learn the rest of the stories.  Deal me in.

From the creators of WILD WILD COUNTRY, comes a five-part sports docuseries event that brings fresh eyes to some of the greatest stories in sports. From tennis to boxing to basketball, these stories aren’t the ones you’ve heard before, even if you think you have.

“The Card Counter” Written/Directed by Paul Schrader; Starring Oscar Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan and Willem Dafoe – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

Posted on by

Wow!  I love the poster and trailer for The Card Counter.  Written and directed by Paul Schrader it stars Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan and Willem Dafoe.  Deal me in!

Redemption is the long game in Paul Schrader’s THE CARD COUNTER. Told with Schrader’s trademark cinematic intensity, the revenge thriller tells the story of an ex-military interrogator turned gambler haunted by the ghosts of his past decisions, and features riveting performances from stars Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan and Willem Dafoe.

Reckless: Destroy All Monsters by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips Now Available for Pre-order.

Posted on by

The next graphic novel in Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Reckless series. Destroy All Monsters, is now available for pre-order.

Bestselling crime noir masters Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips bring us a new original graphic novel starring troublemaker-for-hire Ethan Reckless.

It’s 1988 and Ethan has been hired for his strangest case yet: finding the secrets of a Los Angeles real estate mogul. How hard could that be, right? Only what starts as a deep dive into the life of a stranger will soon take a deadly turn, and find Ethan risking everything that still matters to him.

Another smash hit from the award-winning creators of RECKLESS, PULP, MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES, CRIMINAL, and KILL OR BE KILLED — and a must-have for all Brubaker and Phillips fans!

I can’t wait to get my mitts on it.

“Army of Thieves” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

Posted on by

Here are the poster and trailer to Army of Thieves.  I look at the poster as more of a teaser.  The tagline More Safes Less Zombies is cute.  The trailer is pretty good and makes me want to see more.

I’m a huge fan of Army of the Dead and look forward to the animated prequel more than this movie, but I do want to see Army of Thieves.  It is interesting that Army of the Dead was a horror/zombie film while Army of Thieves is a heist movie.  Has there ever been movie sequels/prequels in different genres that carried over one character to both?

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.

Top 10 Hitmen from Movies, Novels & Comics!

Posted on by

I was reading a discussion between Andy Rausch and Michael Gonzales titled HOW TO WRITE A MEMORABLE HIT MAN: A CONVERSATION AMONG CONNOISSEURS.  If you’re a crime fiction fan, especially the sub genre of hitmen, then you’d enjoy the post by Michael Gonzales.

At the end of the article Gonzales listed his Top Ten Hitman List from popular culture.  It’s a good list, so I decided to come up with one of my own (listed in alphabetical order):

  1. Arthur Bishop played by Charles Bronson in The Mechanic
  2. Jackie Coogan played by Brad Pitt in Killing Them Softly
  3. John Rain written by Barry Eisler from his Hitman Series
  4. John Wick played by Keanu Reeves in the John Wick movies
  5. Keller written by Lawrence Block from his Hitman Series
  6. Leon played by Jean Reno in Leon aka The Professional
  7. Luca Torelli from the Torpedo Graphic Novels written by Enrique Sánchez Abulí and drawn by Jordi Bernet
  8. Michael Sullivan played by Tom Hanks in Road to Perdition based on the graphic novel written by Max Allan Collins and drawn by Richard Piers Rayner
  9. Robert Rath played by Sly Stallone in Assassins
  10. Vincent played by Tom Cruise in Collateral

M. Knight Shyamalan’s Films From Best to Worst!

Posted on by

Chris Evangelista at /Film took a swing at ranking M. Knight Shyamalan’s Movies From Worst to Best.  Evangelista took into account all of M. Knight’s films including his newest (Old – which I haven’t seen) and his earliest work (that didn’t see wide release).  I decided to rank Evangelista’s top five to see how we’d compare.  I also included my thoughts on some of M. Knight Shyamalan’s films that didn’t make the top five.

Evangelista

Zablo
5. Split 5. The Village: I liked The Village up until the twist. It just didn’t work for me.
4. Signs 4. Unbreakable: I enjoyed Unbreakable but not as much as most. I need to revisit it.
3. Unbreakable 3. Split: I thought Split was surprisingly good.
2. The Village 2. Signs: I really love Signs, great cast and fun story with scares along the way.
1. The Sixth Sense 1. The Sixth Sense: Absolutely loved it. Proud to say I figured out the twist early on.
  • Lady in the Water: I’ve seen this once and remember liking it better than most folks.
  • Old:  I haven’t seen this and am in no rush to.
  • The Happening:  I had really high hopes for The Happening.  The trailers were creepy and I was excited to get to a theater to experience it.  What a let down The Happening turned out to be. I do remember that the scariest part was the old lady.
  • The Visit: I am a fan of The Visit.  I thought it was pretty good.  The tension builds and builds. It had the M. Knight twist near the end that he is known for.  I’d have included in this in the top five.