Guillermo del Toro & Ron Perlman’s Hellboy vs Neil Marshall & David Harbour’s Hellboy

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This shot of David Harbour as Hellboy is making the rounds because of how well it looks to capture Mignola’s Hellboy.

Some folks are upset that Ron Perlman and Guillermo del Toro won’t be coming back to complete their Hellboy trilogy.  I was disappointed as well, but that won’t stop me from seeing Neil Marshall’s darker, rated-R version.

I’ve also seen complaints that Harbour’s Hellboy looks like Perlman’s Hellboy.  Ok.  Let’s think about that for a second.  They’re both playing the same character, so shouldn’t they look similar?

I’m a fan of Perlman and Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy and hope to be of  Marshall & Harbour’s Hellboy as well.

Hellboy directed by Neil Marshall, starring David Harbour, Mila Jovovich, Ian McShane and Daniel Dae Kim premieres January 11, 2019.

Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949) / Z-View

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Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949)

Director: Charles T. Barton

Screenplay: Hugh Wedlock Jr. & Howard Snyder

Stars:  Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Boris Karloff

The Pitch: “It’s time for Bud and Lou to meet Boris!”

Tagline: MORE GHOULISH GLEE THAN WHEN THEY MET FRANKENSTEIN

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When the bellboy (Costello) becomes the prime suspect of a murder in a remote hotel full of shady characters, only the hotel dick (Abbott) believes his innocence.  The race is on to find the killer before he kills again… and the bellboy is in the killer’s sights!

I was surprised that Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff didn’t hold up as well as I remembered it.  I was sure it would get a “B” rating or higher.  As a kid, it would have gotten an “A” — yet it is still fun with some good laughs.

Rating:

Blood Simple (1984) / Z-View

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Blood Simple (1984)

Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen (uncredited)

Screenplay: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Stars:  John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya and M. Emmet Walsh

The Pitch: “Let’s make a noir!”

Tagline: Breaking up is hard

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When a vengeful husband (Hedaya) learns that his wife is cheating on him, he hires a sleazy PI to kill them.  What follows is a classic throwback film noir that jumpstarted the Coen brothers’ career.

Rating:

Rio Bravo (1959) / Z-View

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Rio Bravo (1959)

Director: Howard Hawks

Screenplay: Jules Furthman and Leigh Brackett based on a short story by B.H. McCampbell

Stars:  John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson, Walter Brennan, Ward Bond, John Russell and Claude Akins.

The Pitch: “The Duke wants to make Rio Bravo.”

Tagline: You’ve seen nothing like ’em together… and in the heat and hate of Rio Bravo nothing can tear ’em apart!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When Sheriff John T. Chance (Wayne) refuses to let a rich rancher’s brother walk after committing a murder, Chance finds himself up against nearly 2 dozen hired guns.  Coming to Chance’s aid is an old man, a drunk who used to be a gun fighter and a kid with a fast draw.

The basis of Rio Bravo was used to a comedic effect in Blazing Saddles.

Rating:

Dan Panosian Talks Slots!

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You can say this about the life of Stanley Dance: he did it his way. Unfortunately, his way never took getting old into account. Now, the former boxer is on his last legs, looking for redemption … but he’ll settle for going down swinging.

Roll the dice with artist/writer Dan Panosian as he creates, in his new series Slots, a bold and breathtaking vision of Las Vegas, where everything old can become new, and superstition influences how the chips fall.

Dan Panosian talks Slots with Byron Brewer at Dynamic Forces.  What are ya waitin’ for?  Click Over!

33 Things We Learned from the “Conan the Barbarian” Commentary

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Kate Erbland and Film School Rejects present 33 Things We Learned from the Conan the Barbarian Commentary.  Here are three of my favorites…

The narration at the beginning of the film was intended to be for Schwarzenegger. Milius points out that certain executives at Universal – he doesn’t name any names – didn’t trust Schwarzenegger, and there were concerns about his accent. “I said, ‘Of course, he has an accent. That’s why he’s Arnold.’,” says the director.

Milius hired actors to play against Schwarzenegger specifically based on their size, as he didn’t want many of Conan’s enemies to be smaller than he was. The director felt it helped build Conan as this iconic hero if he continuously took on and bested men who were much larger. “To have an opponent for Arnold, the guy has to be huge,” says Milius. Even James Earl Jones and Max Von Sydow are taller than the 6’2″ Schwarzenegger.

Executive producer Dino De Laurentiis wanted Milius to take out the scene with Conan, Valeria, and Subotai getting drunk in an inn, because he didn’t think it was dignified enough for the characters, particularly Conan. “The idea is that it’s great. They aren’t dignified. They have money, and they’re totally drunk and excited with power,” explains Milius. De Laurentiis especially didn’t like the shot where Conan passes out in his soup. “It’s like an Alka-Seltzer commercial,” says Schwarzenegger.

 

20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) / Z-View

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20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)

Director: Nathan Juran

Screenplay:  Robert Creighton Williams (as Bob Williams) & Christopher Knopf from a story by  Charlotte Knight (as Charlott Knight)

Stars:  William Hopper, Joan Taylor, Thomas Browne Henry

The Pitch: “Let’s make a monster movie!”

Tagline: Greatest Monster Since King Kong Ravishes the Earth!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When the first spacecraft returning from Venus crash-lands in the ocean it releases a small creature that quickly grows to gigantic proportions and terrorizes Rome!

Rating:

The Most Underrated Episodes of the Twilight Zone

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Me-TV took a look at their choices for The Most Underrated Episodes of the Twilight Zone.  The article is no longer posted but here are their choices and my ratings for each.

  • “THE SHELTER”  Season: 3  Episode: 3  My Rating: A+

  • “SHADOW PLAY”  Season: 2  Episode: 26  My Rating: C

  • “THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD”  Season: 3  Episode: 37  My Rating: C

  • “AN OCCURRENCE AT OWL CREEK BRIDGE”  Season: 5  Episode: 22  My rating: B

  • “THE HOWLING MAN”  Season: 2   Episode: 5  My Rating: A+

  • “A WORLD OF HIS OWN”  Season: 1  Episode: 36  My Rating: A

  • “THIRD FROM THE SUN”  Season: 1  Episode: 14  My Rating: A

  • “BLACK LEATHER JACKETS”  Season: 5  Episode: 18  My Rating: C

  • “IN HIS IMAGE”  Season: 4  Episode: 1  My Rating: C

  • “VALLEY OF THE SHADOW”  Season: 4  Episode: 3  My Rating: B

 

Mister Roberts (1955) / Z-View

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Mister Roberts (1955)

Director: John Ford, Mervyn LeRoy , Joshua Logan (uncredited)

Screenplay: Frank S. Nugent and Joshua Logan based on the play by  Thomas Heggen and
Joshua Logan from the novel by Thomas Heggen

Stars:  Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell, Jack Lemmon, Betsy Palmer, Ward Bond, Nick Adams, Ken Curtis, Harry Carey, Jr. and Patrick Wayne

The Pitch: “Let’s turn the Broadway Play ‘Mister Roberts’ into a movie!’”

Tagline: The Six-Year Stage Smash on the Screen!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Easy-going Lt. Roberts (Fonda) has done such a great job acting as a buffer between the tyrannical Captain Morton (Cagney) and his men that every attempt to get into the action of WWII has been stopped.  Yet the fallout from the men’s last leave may finally get Roberts his wish.

Mister Roberts is one of those movies that most folks like better than me, so as always, your mileage may vary.

Rating: 3 of 5 stars.