Frank Frazetta illustrating Edgar Rice Burroughs ~ The Ace Editions
Ain’t it a beaut?
Z-View: The Big Ugly
The Big Ugly by Jake Hinkson.
Ellie Bennett is an ex-corrections officer who has just served a year inside Eastgate Penitentiary for assaulting a prisoner. She’s only been out for a day when she accepts a strange job offer from the head of a Christian political advocacy group. He wants her to track down a missing ex-con named Alexis. Although no one knows where Alexis has gone, it seems like everyone in Arkansas is looking for her—from a rich televangelist running for Congress to the governor’s dirty tricks man. When Bennett finds the troubled young woman, she has to decide whether to hand her over to the highest bidder or help her escape from the most powerful men in the state.
Jake Hinkson writes noir… but always with a twist from expected conventions. In The Big Ugly our protagonist is a wrongly-convicted, tough ex-con who becomes a private-eye of sorts. No twist there, right? Oh, did I mention that our “hero” is a woman?
Ellie Bennett is a tough-talking, rough broad who is all woman. Ellie finds herself dealing with two-competing factions who want to “silence” Alexis – the woman Ellie has been paid to find. If Ellie refuses to cooperate she’ll end up back in prison at best and at worst in an unmarked grave with Alexis.
Ellie is in way over her head. Either Ellie cooperates and still ends up with one of the competing factions after her or she refuses and has both groups after her. Perhaps there is a third option…
The Big Ugly is for mature audiences due to mature language, sex and violence.
Rating: 4 out of 5
54 Fantastic Facts for National Trivia Day
January 4th is National Trivia Day.
If you enjoy trivia then check out 54 Fantastic Facts for National Trivia Day by Jason English.
Source: Mental_Floss.
When Mike Nichols Fired Robert DeNiro
Did you know that one of Neil Simon’s most popular comedies, The Goodbye Girl, might have never been made if Robert DeNiro hadn’t been fired from Bogart Slept Here?
Shawn Levy explains in “When Mike Nichols Fired Robert DeNiro.”
Source: Indiewire.
Z-View: “A Simple Plan”
The Tagline: “Sometimes good people do evil things..“
The Overview: *** Beware – spoilers are found below ***
Hank [Bill Paxton] and Sarah [Bridget Fonda] are living the American Dream. Married and expecting a child, Hank works at the local feed store and Sarah is a librarian. Known and respected by folks in their small town, things seem wonderful for the young couple.
When Hank, his dim-witted brother, Jacob [Billy Bob Thorton] and Jacob’s alcoholic friend, Lou [Brent Briscoe] accidentally stumble across a downed plane buried in the snow, they find their morality tested. The plane contains a dead pilot and over four million dollars cash.
Hank wants to report their find to the police with hope there will be a reward. Lou wants to keep the money and say nothing. Jacob sides with Lou. Ultimately, they decide that Hank will keep the money for the three. If no one comes calling after the plane is found in the spring, they will split the money equally and leave town going their separate ways.
It is a simple plan. What could go wrong?
*** Even More Spoilers Below ***
The Good
- Hank’s simple plan.
- How when the plan begins to almost immediately unravel, the steps taken to correct things leads to worse events.
- The twists along the way.
- Director Sam Raimi creates so many suspenseful scenes.
- Screenwriter Scott B. Smith skillfully adapts his novel of the same name.
- How logical choices lead to unreasonable actions.
- Paxton, Fonda, Thorton and Briscoe are excellent in their roles.
- “That man’s got a gun, Hank. When he sees the plane, he’s gonna shoot you both.”
The Bad:
- The evil that good people will do for money.
- Making a pact with a dimwit and mean drunk.
- When two of the three break their promise not to tell anyone what they found.
- When Lou comes calling for his share of the money.
- When the sheriff comes around asking questions.
- When the FBI agent comes asking about the plane… and is he really FBI?
The Ugly:
- When one bad decision forces worse choices.
- When people don’t die straight away.
- Learning how people talk about you when you’re not there.
- The pain of betrayal.
Rating: 4 out of 5
2014’s Top 100 Comic Book Writers
CBR.com recently polled comic book fans to come up with 2014’s Top 100 Comic Book Writers and Artists. Using just the writers on their list, as difficult as it was, I came up with my top ten..
10. Mike Mignola
09. Robert Kirkman
08. Denny O’Neil
07. Stan Lee
06. Brian Azzarello
05. John Byrne
04. Chris Claremont
03. Alan Moore
02. Ed Brubaker
01. Frank Miller
It is a shame writers like Doug Moench, Steve Niles, Eric Powell and Dan Bereton didn’t make the list.
Z-View: The Cold Kiss by John Rector
The Cold Kiss by John Rector.
Nate and Sara, on the run from their past, are driving to Reno. When they’re approached at a roadside diner by a man offering $500 for a ride into Omaha, they can’t help but see it as a sign of blessings to come.
But in a few hours, that man is dead in their back seat . . . and he’s got a bag of money . . . more than either one of them know what to do with.
Forced off the road by a blizzard and trapped in a run-down motel, Nate and Sara make a life-altering decision that unleashes a nightmare. Before they know it, Nate and Sara are fighting for their lives and forced to confront every bad decision they’ve made along the way.
For two young lovers who may have used up all their chances, this is a final trip down a dark tunnel that might lead them to heaven, but drags them through hell.
First, let me give credit to Eric Beetner whose 60 Second Review turned me on to The Cold Kiss.
Rector takes what could have been cliche – nice young couple stumble on more money than they ever dreamed possible and their decision to keep it costs them more than they could ever have imagined.
In fact their decision to keep the money is just the first of many that take them deeper and deeper into a nightmare that might only end when they are dead.
The Cold Kiss is for mature audiences due to violence.
Rating: 4 out of 5
2014’s Top 100 Comic Book Artists
CBR.com recently polled comic book fans to come up with 2014’s Top 100 Comic Book Writers and Artists. Using just the artists on their list, as difficult as it was, I came up with my top ten..
10. Tim Sale
09. Mike Mignola
08. Neal Adams
07. Bill Sienkiewicz
06. Alex Toth|
05. Barry Windsor-Smith
04. John Byrne
03. Frank Miller
02. Darwyn Cooke|
01. Jim Steranko
The CBR list was created by fans, but I have to wonder how artists like Paul Gulacy, Mike Zeck, Eduardo Risso, Sean Phillips, Brian Stelfreeze, Marshall Rogers, Mike Golden, and Howard Chaykin didn’t make the cut.
Z-View: Code Zero by Jonathan Maberry
Code Zero: A Joe Ledger Novel by Jonathan Maberry.
For years the Department of Military Sciences has fought to stop terrorists from using radical bioweapons—designer plagues, weaponized pathogens, genetically modified viruses, and even the zombie plague that first brought Ledger into the DMS. These terrible weapons have been locked away in the world’s most secure facility. Until now. Joe Ledger and Echo Team are scrambled when a highly elite team of killers breaks the unbreakable security and steals the world’s most dangerous weapons. Within days there are outbreaks of mass slaughter and murderous insanity across the American heartland. Can Joe Ledger stop a brilliant and devious master criminal from turning the Land of the Free into a land of the dead?
The Good
- Jonathan Maberry can tell a story!
- Like all Joe Ledger novels this baby sucks you in and then never lets up.
- The cast: Joe Ledger, Mr. Church, Samson Riggs, Aunt Sallie, Dr. Hu, Junie, and others — not only do they get their scenes but every character gets enough backstory to feel real.
- We lose characters in every Ledger story – the losses hurt because of the great characterization and because Maberry creates a world where the good guys don’t always come out on top. When someone is killed the loss is not only felt but can have ramifications throughout the series.
- Maberry isn’t afraid to create a villain that is smarter than everyone.
- A major scene unfolds at DragonCon.
- Maberry creates a universe where events have ramifications felt throughout the world but he never loses sight of his plot and the writing never feels padded.
- The scene when a team member is bit by a zombie, his suit torn and another team member points his rifle and demands to see the bite… tension, terror and sadness!
- A villain with a unique motivation that doesn’t involve money, world domination or revenge.
- The way Ledger turns a loss into a win.
The Bad:
- Mother Night.
- Zombies.
- Berserkers.
- Those that have to “burn to shine.”
- Vice President, Bill Collins.
- Artemisia Bliss.
- The people close to Ledger who die this time out…
The Ugly:
- What happens when Mother Night’s followers “burn to shine.”
- Getting bitten by a zombie or attacked by a Berserker.
- Trapped on a stalled subway car with one zombie, then two, then four…
- Did I mention the people close to Ledger who die this time?
Code Zero: A Joe Ledger Novel is for mature audiences due to excessive violence and sexual situations.
Rating: 5 out of 5
The Amazing James Randi Exposes Uri Geller and Peter Popoff
The Amazing James Randi exposes Uri Geller and Peter Popoff.
Adventures in Pulp – Four Free Webcomics Worth a Look!
Adventures in Pulp is a cool site where you can find four free web comics:
Dick Ruby and the Little Green Men: DETECTIVE NOIR MEETS INVASION SCI-FI in “Dick Ruby and the Case of the Little Green Men. It’s New York in the 1940s and private investigator Dick Ruby is on the trail of a missing person. A trail that leads to little green men from outer space.
Hawk and a Handsaw: ENTER A SUPERHERO INSANE ASYLUM in “Hawk and a Handsaw!” You’d have to be a little crazy to put on a brightly colored costume and fight crime, but how exactly would you know who is the real deal and who has simply latched onto the delusion of being a super powered being?
The Four Horsemen: THE KING IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE KING! A power-hungry Prince kills his father to steal the crown and kingdom. The only thing that can stop him, the Good Witch of the Dead Lands. Hiding in her place of power, she summons four warriors from across time and space.
Jigsaw World Daniel Gideon is not a hero. His marriage is on the rocks and he is failing at his job. He is not a happy-go-lucky hero ready to step up to save a patchwork planet. But he might be the world’s only chance. This bizarre world where dinosaurs evolved into a predatory sentient species. A world infested by alien parasites and an invading ecology. A world on the edge of war. A world on the edge of extinction. A Jigsaw World.
Brett Harris [writer] and Matthew Childers [artist] are the creative team behind all four strips.
- I’ve read [and enjoyed] Dick Ruby and the Little Green Men.
- Ditto for Hawk and a Handsaw.
- The Four Horsemen wasn’t my cup o’ Diet Coke, but I’m sure many folks will enjoy it.
- Jigsaw World has the potential to be my favorite comic of the four.
Check ’em out. My guess is, especially if you’ve read this far, you’ll find something at Adventures in Pulp that you’ll enjoy.
Man Lifted Thousands of Feet by balloons While in a Lawnchair!
Ok, faithful readers, what would you like to see?
“A man lifted thousands of feet into the air by balloons while sitting in a lawnchair!”
As you wish…
15 Things About “Payback” That You Probably Didn’t Know
Sean Hutchinson and Mental_Floss present 15 Things About Payback That You Probably Didn’t Know.
Here are my three favorite things…
5. HELGELAND WAS INSPIRED BY GRITTY CRIME DRAMAS FROM THE 1970S.
He used films like The Getaway, Dirty Harry, and Charley Varrick for visual references. In fact, the restaurant that Stegman takes Val to is named Varrick’s as a nod to Charley Varrick.
11. HELGELAND WAS FIRED AS DIRECTOR BEFORE THE FILM WRAPPED PRODUCTION.
He and the studio disagreed over the original ending of Payback, and when a consensus couldn’t be achieved, Helgeland was fired. A new director was brought in to reshoot—these new scenes make up about 30 percent of the theatrical cut.
15. IN 2007, HELGELAND WAS ABLE TO RE-CUT THE FILM INTO HIS ORIGINAL VISION.
It was released as Payback: Straight Up—The Director’s Cut.
15 Fun Facts for “Young Frankenstein”
Young Frankenstein, despite turning 40 years old this year, remains one of the funniest movies of all time.
In honor of the 40th anniversary of the release of Young Frankenstein, Mental_Floss presents 15 Fun Facts for Young Frankenstein’s 40th Anniversary by Marc Mancini.
Here are my three favorite facts…
2. STAR AND CO-WRITER GENE WILDER CONVINCED BROOKS TO FORGO HIS USUAL CAMEO APPEARANCE
Like Alfred Hitchcock, Brooks usually gave himself a part in his own films, from Blazing Saddles’ loopy governor to the wine-selling Rabbi of Robin Hood: Men in Tights. These characters regularly broke the fourth wall and “winked” at the audience, something Wilder felt would clash with Young Frankenstein’s tone. So, as a condition of his taking on the lead role, Wilder made Brooks agree to remain off-camera.
However, the director did provide some howling
6. SEVERAL PROPS HAD PREVIOUSLY APPEARED IN THE MASTERFUL 1931 FRANKENSTEIN FILM
Taking his feature-length tribute to the next level, Brooks included much of the faux labequipment used in that earlier picture.
9. GENE HACKMAN SPECIFICALLY ASKED WILDER FOR A PART INYOUNG FRANKENSTEIN BECAUSE HE “WANTED TO TRY COMEDY”
According to the movie’s Blu-Ray commentary, Hackman—who’d been thrice nominated for an Academy Award (and won one in 1971)—learned about Young Frankenstein through his frequent tennis partner Wilder and requested a role. Ultimately, ‘Harold’—the lonely blind character he briefly portrayed—sparked one of the most memorable sequences in comedic history.
