Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Master of Kung Fu #29 by Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy.
Master of Kung Fu was my favorite comic when I was a kid and for years after. This page is one that lives rent free in my head. And I don’t mind a bit.
Midday Music Day 28. Seasons in the Sun by Terry Jacks.
The last few songs have been about breaking up. Pretty sad stuff, but not as sad as dying. Yeesh.
Seasons in the Sun. 1974. 9th grade at Holly Hill Junior High. Good times.
Jake Rosen lists 14 Things You Might Not Know About Se7en. Here are three of my favorites…
1. From the Mind of a Record Store Employee
Screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker was a graduate of Penn State’s film program. Several years later, however, he was no closer to achieving his goal of working in the industry. Making ends meet at a New York City Tower Records store, Walker was so depressed that he wrote a bleak and oppressive script about the hunt for a killer who uses the seven deadly sins as inspiration for his crimes.
Satisfied with the outcome, he sent it to professional writer David Koepp, and then followed up with a phone call. Koepp agreed to send it to his agent, who found a buyer in New Line Cinema. (After reading it, Koepp also advised Walker that he “needed professional help.”)
3. Brad Pitt Worked Himself to the Bone
During a scene in which Pitt’s character, Detective David Mills, is chasing the killer through a perpetually rainy backdrop, Pitt slipped and drove his arm through a windshield. The resulting injury (a severed tendon) was so deep it went down to the bone. Pitt had to wear a cast for the rest of filming, which was written into the script; for scenes that had to be shot that took place earlier than the chase, the actor had to conceal his arm as best he could.
4. Kevin Spacey Got No Credit
When Fincher hired Kevin Spacey to portray killer John Doe, Spacey thought it would be more interesting to keep his involvement a secret, figuring that if he were to be billed then it would be obvious who the “mysterious” antagonist was. As a result, Spacey—who had just become a hot commodity for his work in The Usual Suspects—did not appear in any advertising, nor was his name included in the opening credits. While the studio disliked the idea, the part was late to be cast and, in Spacey’s words, “I was either going to be on a plane to shoot the movie or I wasn’t.” He got his wish.
Source: Mental_Floss.
Midday Music Day 27. Sad Eyes by Robert John.
Breaking up is tough, but it sure makes for great songs.
The Arkansas Times has posted a nice profile of Jake Hinkson written by Matt Baker.
Midday Music Day 26. I’m Not in Love by 10cc.
I’m pretty sure he is.
Writer David Michelinie [Iron Man, The Avengers, Spider-Man] recently sat down to discuss his classic stories [including Iron Man: Demon in a Bottle; Armor Wars and more].
Source: Comic Book Resources.
Midday Music Day 25. We Don’t Talk Anymore by Cliff Richard.
An upbeat song about breaking up. Teenagers eat this stuff up. We sure did.
Esquire recently posted Ryan Bort’s 10 Things We Learned About Evel Knievel from Being Evel, the New Documentary About the Daredevil’s Unbelievable Life. Here are three of my favorites…
2. He was a legendary insurance salesman.
Knievel’s success was due just as much to his ability to sell himself as it was to his fearlessness. And if he could sell the appeal of a guy running his motorcycle off of ramp, you could damn well bet he could sell some insurance, which he did while still living in Butte, where he famously went into a mental hospital and sold 271 policies. But when he asked the president of the company if he could be the VP if he broke every sales record and the president said no, Knievel quit and moved to Moses Lake, Washington, to sell motorcycles.
4. There’s a story behind his name.
This may come as a shock, but “Evel” is not Knievel’s real name. Born Robert Craig Knievel, the future daredevil once found him in jail with a man named Knofel, where together they became known as “Awful Knofel and Evil Knievel.” The nickname stuck, and Knievel changed the “i” in evil to an “e” because he didn’t want it to sound too evil.
5. He conned his way into his famous jump at Caesar’s Palace.
Before Knievel could jump over the fountains at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, he was going to have to convince the casino to let him make a spectacle of the death-defying feat on their property. Because at this point no one had heard of him, this was going to be difficult. Before even pitching the event to Caesar’s, Knievel called every news outlet he could think and told them that he’d be jumping the fountains and to make sure they came out and covered the event. Once he had the media interested, he called the casino owner repeatedly, pretending to be a different person clamoring to see the jump each time. Word spread to such a degree that Caesar’s had to let Knievel attempt the jump. He didn’t make it, of course, but in the long run it was for the best; the cringeworthy footage of his body tumbling across the concrete made him famous.
Mad Max: Fury Road New Trailer with New Footage!
Midday Music Day 24. Fooled Around and Fell in Love by Elvin Bishop.
This is a song that will always improve my mood. It takes me back to the summer of ’76… drive-in movies, a little money in my pocket, good friends… good times.
Film School Rejects recently posted Rob Hunter’s 15 Things We Learned from The Breakfast Club Commentary. Here are three of my favorites…
5. Nelson had improv’d the bit where he spits a “loogie” into the air and catches it back in his mouth during rehearsal, and Hughes loved how much it grossed out Ringwald so he added it to the scene.
12. The hallway montage where the kids try to avoid Vernon (Gleason) strikes them as a combination of M.C. Escher and Scooby-Doo in the way the angles, near-misses and obvious playfulness lacks any semblance of logic.
9. Hall and Ringwald were the only two of the five who had to attend actual classes during production.
Midday Music Day 23. I Go Crazy by Paul Davis.
I was lucky enough to see Paul Davis in a couple of concerts at Disney World back in the early 80’s. Great concerts with wonderful songs by another performer who left us too soon.
Superman’s message to 1950’s school kids is still relevant.
Diversions of the Groovy Kind is a regular stop on my daily website visits. You’ll always find something cool like this post of Marvel covers featuring team ups which is called: Please As Punch to See You or Marvel Heroes Hit It Off!
