KING OF SPIES by Mark Millar, Matteo Scalera & Ogur Yildrim is Getting a Library Edition!

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KING OF SPIES written by Mark Millar with art by Matteo Scalera and colors by Ogur Yildrim is getting a library edition (152 pages, 8″ x 12.1875 hardcover)!  Here’s the scoop!

The world’s greatest secret agent has six months to live…now it’s time to go after the REAL bastards.

Regarded as Millar’s comics masterpiece, KING OF SPIES left jaws on the floor as he and artist Matteo Scalera took the classic tropes of the spy genre and subverted everything as Britain’s greatest secret agent, now in his sixties, discovers he has six months to live.

He has a choice between gentle decline or going after everyone he thinks deserves to die.

His worldview has changed since he retired from the service and as he looks around at the mess the world’s in, he has a long list of people he blames. Politicians, royalty, journalists and celebrities, Sir Roland King wants to root out as much of the corrupt status quo as he can before he goes, and a lifetime of experience makes him almost impossible to catch. Who is the one man who might be able to take him down? His estranged son, eager to destroy him after Roland abandoned both he and his mother many years ago.

This book is for fans of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Kingsman, Unforgiven and Kill Bill. It’s an elegant revenge thriller you won’t be able to put down.

I read KING OF SPIES as the individual issues came out and loved it.  Highly recommended!

IN TOO DEEP: A REACHER NOVEL by Lee Child and Andrew Child

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A new Reacher novel, IN TOO DEEP by Lee Child and Andrew Child drops on October 22, 2024.  It sounds great…

The gripping new Jack Reacher thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling authors Lee Child and Andrew Child

Reacher had no idea where he was. No idea how he had gotten there. But someone must have brought him. And shackled him. And whoever had done those things was going to rue the day. That was for damn sure.

Jack Reacher wakes up alone, in the dark, handcuffed to a makeshift bed. His right arm has suffered some major damage. His few possessions are gone. He has no memory of getting there.

The last thing Reacher can recall is the car he hitched a ride in getting run off the road. The driver was killed.

His captors assume Reacher was the driver’s accomplice and patch up his wounds as they plan to make him talk.

A plan that will backfire spectacularly . . .

Deal me in!

“Wolf Man” starring Julia Garner – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Wolf Man starring Julia Garner, the poster and trailer are here!

Deal me in.

What if someone you loved became something else? #WolfManMovie only in theaters January 17.

—
From Blumhouse and visionary writer-director Leigh Whannell, the creators of the chilling modern monster tale The Invisible Man, comes a terrifying new lupine nightmare: Wolf Man.

Golden Globe nominee Christopher Abbott (Poor Things, It Comes at Night) stars as Blake, a San Francisco husband and father, who inherits his remote childhood home in rural Oregon after his own father vanishes and is presumed dead. With his marriage to his high-powered wife, Charlotte (Emmy winner Julia Garner; Ozark, Inventing Anna), fraying, Blake persuades Charlotte to take a break from the city and visit the property with their young daughter, Ginger (Matlida Firth; Hullraisers, Coma).

But as the family approaches the farmhouse in the dead of night, they’re attacked by an unseen animal and, in a desperate escape, barricade themselves inside the home as the creature prowls the perimeter. As the night stretches on, however, Blake begins to behave strangely, transforming into something unrecognizable, and Charlotte will be forced to decide whether the terror within their house is more lethal than the danger without.

The film co-stars Sam Jaeger (The Handmaid’s Tale), Ben Prendergast (The Sojourn Audio Drama) and Benedict Hardie (The Invisible Man).

Wolf Man is directed by Whannell, whose previous films with Blumhouse include The Invisible Man, Upgrade and Insidious: Chapter 3. The screenplay is written by Leigh Whannell & Corbett Tuck, Lauren Schuker Blum & Rebecca Angelo (Dumb Money).

The film is produced by Blumhouse founder and CEO Jason Blum and is executive produced by Ryan Gosling, Ken Kao, Bea Sequeira, Mel Turner and Leigh Whannell. Wolf Man is a Blumhouse and Motel Movies production.

Mr. McMahon (2024) / Z-View

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Mr. McMahon (2024)

Director: Chris Smith

Stars: Vince McMahon, Lou Albano, Muhammad Ali, Tony Atlas, Steve Austin, Bob Backlund, Richard Belzer, Eric Bischoff, Mark Calaway, Johnny Carson,  John Cena, Bob Costas, Bret Hart, Jimmy Hart, Paul Heyman, Hulk Hogan, Dwayne Johnson, Cyndi Lauper, King Kong Bundy, Linda McMahon, Shane McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, Dave Meltzer, Bruce Prichard, Scott Hall, Owen Hart, Booker Huffman, Paul Levesque, Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Peter Fanene Maivia, Rocky Johnson, Jerry Lawler, Kurt Angle and Anderson Cooper.

Tagline: Mastermind. Madman.

The Plot…

Vince McMahon, the CEO and driving force behind World Wrestling Entertainment, was cooperating with a docuseries on his life.  Mr. McMahon gave access to hours of interviews and access to vintage footage.  Wrestlers, promoters and others who worked with and/or competed against Vince McMahon were interviewed.

During the production of this documentary, multiple allegations against Vince McMahon came to light.  These allegations included payoffs, sexual abuse and more.  Once the news of the charges became public knowledge, Vince McMahon broke off all cooperation with the docuseries.  The producers continued and completed the series without McMahon’s assistance.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Mr. McMahon does an excellent job of showing an overview of the history of professional wrestling and how Vince McMahon changed the business forever.

If you’re a fan of professional wrestling, this docuseries is required viewing.  It is informative and entertaining.

Vince McMahon deserves credit for taking professional wrestling into the mainstream, for making the WWE a billion dollar company and for his ability to bounce back from setbacks.  With that said, Vince McMahon does not come off as a good person.  If the allegations are true, he’s even worse.

Mr. McMahon (2024) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Werewolves” starring Frank Grillo – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster and trailer for Werewolves screams “Drive-In Movie!” and I’m here for it.

Deal me in.

Described as The Purge with werewolves, Steven C. Miller‘s (Silent Night) Werewolves will be unleashed in theaters December 6, 2024.

From Briarcliff Entertainment and The Solution Entertainment Group, Steven C. Miller’s Werewolves stars Frank Grillo.

In Werewolves, “a supermoon event triggers a latent gene in every human on the planet, turning anyone who entered the moonlight into a werewolf for that one night. Chaos ensued and close to a billion people died. Now, a year later, the Supermoon is back.”

Katrina Law (NCIS), Ilfenesh Hadera (Godfather Of Harlem), James Michael Cummings (City On The Hill) and Lou Diamond Phillips (Prodigal Son) also star.

Werewolves is rated “R” for “Violence, some gore, and language.”

“Apartment 7A” (2024) starring Julia Garner / Z-View

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Apartment 7A (2024)

Director: Natalie Erika James

Screenplay: Natalie Erika James, Christian White, Skylar James; story by Skylar James; based on ROSEMARY’S BABY by Ira Levin

Stars: Julia Garner, Dianne Wiest, Kevin McNally, Jim Sturgess, Rosy McEwen, Anton Blake Horowitz, Patrick Lyster and Andre Lillis.

Tagline: Rosemary was not the first.

The Plot…

Terry Gionoffrio (Garner) is a dancer who came to New York with big dreams.  Terry has a lead role on Broadway when she badly breaks her ankle during a performance.  When her ankle heals, Terry struggles during auditions.  Her bright future seems over.  Terry’s reputation precedes her.  She has become known as “the girl who fell”.

Unable to get a job dancing and with her bills piling up, Terry is running out of options. Then Terry meets a nice older couple named Minnie (Wiest) and Roman Castevet (McNally).  A friendship between the three develops.  Minnie and Roman offer to help Terry get back on her feet.  They live in the Bramford apartment building and say she can live in Apartment 7A rent-free.

How could Terry refuse such a generous offer?  The Castevets are godsend!

Terry will come to learn that the Castevets are the farthest thing from a godsend.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Apartment 7A is a prequel to Rosemary’s Baby.  If you haven’t seen the original film, it won’t hurt your enjoyment of Apartment 7A.  You will get a bigger kick out of the final scene if you have.

If you only know Julia Garner from Ozark, you may not recognize her.  She does an excellent job here as well as in Ozark.

Apartment 7A (2024) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes”- The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster and trailer for Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes are here.  I’m a Bogart fan and look forward to see this one.

Narrated in his own words, the first official documentary to explore the remarkable life and legacy of Hollywood legend and cultural icon Humphrey Bogart. Framed around the five key women in his life, the film intricately weaves together his most important relationships against a backdrop of world events giving a fresh and captivating perspective on one of Hollywood’s most revered stars.

In Select Theaters November 15

“Murder by Death” (1976) written by Neil Simon, starring Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers, Eileen Brennan, Truman Capote, James Coco, Elsa Lanchester,David Niven, Maggie Smith, Nancy Walker, Estelle Winwood and James Cromwell / Z-View

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Murder by Death (1976)

Director: Robert Moore

Screenplay: Neil Simon

Stars: Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers, Eileen Brennan, Truman Capote, James Coco, Elsa Lanchester,
David Niven, Maggie Smith, Nancy Walker, Estelle Winwood and James Cromwell.

Tagline: By the time Eileen Brennan, Truman Capote, James Coco, Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, Elsa Lanchester, David Niven, Peter Sellers, Maggie Smith, Nancy Walker and Estelle Winwood figure out whodunnit, you’ll die laughing.

The Plot…

The eccentric and wealthy Lionel Twain (Capote) invites the five greatest detectives in the world for dinner. The guests include…

  • Sam Diamond (Falk) and his sexy assistant Tess Skeffington (Brennan)
  • Sidney Wang (Sellers) and his son Willie Wang
  • Monsieur Milo Perrier (Coco) and his chauffeur, Marcel (Cromwell)
  • Jessica Marbles (Elsa Lanchester) and her nurse, Miss Withers (Winwood)
  • Dick (Niven) & Dora Charleston (Smith) and their pet pooch, Myron

The guests arrive to Twain’s remote creepy old mansion.  They are  unaware that others were invited.  When everyone sits down for dinner, Twain pushes a button that locks all doors and windows.  He then announces that someone will be murdered at midnight.  Twain says that he will give one million dollars to the detective that solves the crime.

Slightly before midnight the butler is found dead.  Then right after midnight, Twain’s body is discovered.  He’s dead from twelve stab wounds.

Let the game begin.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Murder by Death is a parody of the great “old dark house” and movie detective whodunits of the past.  Sam Diamond is a hardboiled dick from the mold of Sam Spade.  Sidney Wang and his son is based on Charlie Chan and his #1 son.  Monsieur Milo Perrier is modeled on Hercule Poirot.  Jessica Marbles was inspired by Miss Marple. Dick & Dora Charleston are stand-ins for Nick and Nora Charles.

The theatrical film debut of James Cromwell.  It is also the final theatrical film of Nancy Walker.

The animated cartoon drawings of the detectives at the start  of the film were created by Charles Addams, the creator of The Addams Family.

The doorbell screams are Fay Wray’s from King Kong.

If you’re a fan of the type of movies parodied, you should enjoy this.  Everyone gets a moment to shine.

Murder by Death (1976) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Endurance” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The clever poster and compelling trailer for Endurance worked.

Deal me in.

In a legendary feat of leadership and perseverance, polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton kept his crew of 27 men alive for over a year despite the loss of their ship in frigid pack ice. Over a century later, a team of modern-day explorers sets out to find the sunken ship. From National Geographic Documentary Films and directed by Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin and Natalie Hewit, ENDURANCE tells the inspiring stories of these two landmark expeditions, bound by their shared grit and determination.

The 20 All-Time Best Noir Films!

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Christian Blauvelt at IndieWire came up with a list of The 20 Best Film Noir Movies of All Time.  It’s not a bad list.

I’ve seen 16 of the top 20.  The films I haven’t seen are ‘Christmas Holiday’ (dir. Robert Siodmak, 1944); ‘Leave Her to Heaven’ (dir. John M. Stahl, 1945);  ‘The Reckless Moment’ (dir. Max Ophuls, 1949) and ‘Sweet Smell of Success’ (dir. Alexander Mackendrick, 1957).

Using just Blauvelt’s 20, here are my top five (in alphabetical order)…

  • Big Sleep, The (dir. Howard Hawks, 1946)
  • Double Indemnity (dir. Billy Wilder, 1944)
  • In a Lonely Place (dir. Nicholas Ray, 1950)
  • Night of the Hunter (dir. Charles Laughton, 1955)
  • Touch of Evil (dir. Orson Welles, 1958)

There are two noirs that would have made my top five had they made Blauvelt’s list: The Postman Always Rings Twice and The Big Heat.

For some reason I usually don’t consider Night of the Hunter a noir film.  Same goes for The Maltese Falcon.  I love both of them, but they don’t usually come to mind.