Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
The poster and trailer for Black Knights is here. Since Black Knights is on Netflix, watching is a no brainer. Deal me in.
In a peninsula that has gone dry, survival is not permitted to all. With only 1% of humanity left The Black Knights remain their last hope to overturn the world. A Netflix Series Black Knight | May 12, only on Netflix.
What’s the Matador? (1942)
Director: Jules White
Writer: Jules White, Saul Ward
Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Suzanne Kaaren and Al Thompson.
Tagline: World’s Champion Bull Throwers!
The Plot…
Larry, Curly and Moe are comedians headed to Mexico. After a few chance encounters with a beautiful woman, and her very jealous husband, our boys are in for it. Then when suitcases get mixed up, our guys decide to sneak into the woman’s house to get theirs. What could go wrong?
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
There’s a scene with Moe, Curly and Larry trying to get directions from a Mexican citizen that’s not typical Stooges’ humor, but is funny.
What’s the Matador? (1942) rates 4 of 5 stars.
Nutty But Nice (1940)
Director: Jules White
Writer: Clyde BruckmanFelix Adler
Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Vernon Dent, Lynton Brent, Charles Dorety, Ned Glass, Ethelreda Leopold and Harry Wilson.
Tagline: Calling all laugh lovers!
The Plot…
Larry, Curly and Moe are bumbling waiters. Their antics amuse two doctors having a meal. The docs think that our boys might be able to bring a little girl out of her depression. The girl’s father was kidnapped while delivering a huge sum of money. When our guys are unable to change the girl’s mood, they vow to find her father. After a few false starts our boys find her father. To free him they will have to go against a rough group of gangsters. What could go wrong?
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
The boys perform an extended scene in drag. It didn’t bring the girls out of her depression, but it almost put me in one. Our guys do NOT make good looking dames.
Saved by the Belle (1939) rates 3 of 5 stars.
Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.), the singer, actor and activist died today from congestive heart failure. Mr. Belafonte was 96.
After graduation from high school Mr. Belafonte served in the Navy. Following his time in the service he got work as a janitor’s assistant. It was during this period that Harry Belafonte attended the American Negro Theater and decided he wanted to be a performer. It was also when he developed a friendship with Sidney Poitier.
Harry Belafonte began singing in nightclubs to help pay for his acting classes. Along the way he performed with Charlie Parker and Miles Davis before getting a record contract.
Harry Belafonte began taking acting classes at The Dramatic Workshop of the New School. There he studied along with future stars such as Marlon Brando, Sidney Poitier, Tony Curtis and Walter Mathhau.
In 1954, Harry Belafonte received a Tony Award for his part in the Broadway revue John Murray Anderson’s Almanac. In 1956, Mr. Belafonte’s album Calypso became the first to sell one million copies in a year. Harry Belafonte would go on to released 49 albums.
In 1953, Harry Belafonte appeared in the feature film Bright Road. The following year he appeared in his breakout role in Carmen Jones. For the rest of his career, Mr. Belafonte would perform on stage, recording or performing live and acting in feature films or on television.
Some of Harry Belafonte’s feature film performances include: Bright Road; Carmen Jones; Island in the Sun; The World, The Flesh and the Devil; Odds Against Tomorrow; Buck and the Preacher and Uptown Saturday Night.
Some of Harry Belafonte’s television appearances include: Front Row Center; The Ed Sullivan Show (10 episodes); The Steve Allen Show; Tonight With Belafonte; The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour; The Tonight Show; The Flip Wilson Show; The Muppet Show; Grambling’s White Tiger and An Evening with Harry Belafonte and Friends.
Throughout his life, Harry Belafonte was an humanitarian activist. He supported Civil Rights causes. Harry Belafonte became a friend and confidant to Martin Luther King, Jr. Harry Belafonte helped to bring together artists to perform on We Are The World, the Grammy Award-winning song used to raise funds for Africa. He served as an UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for over 35 years, the American Civil Liberties Union celebrity ambassador for juvenile justice issues, the cultural advisor to the Peace Corps
Harry Belafonte won three Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award (1960 for Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Musical Program or Series for “Tonight with Belafonte”), a Tony Award (1954 for Best Featured Actor in a Musical), a Kennedy Centers Honors Award (1989 for lifetime contributions to the performing arts); a National Medal of Arts Award (1994, highest honor given to artists and patrons of the arts by the United States government), the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (2014, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for an individual’s “outstanding contributions to humanitarian causes”), and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2022 as an Early Influencer).
Harry Belafonte’s talent was unsurpassed and may only be matched by his dedication to humanitarian efforts.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Harry Belafonte’s family, friends and fans.
The poster and red band trailer for The Equalizer 3 starring Denzel Washington is here. Equalizer 3 looks to possibly be the best of the series. Deal me in.
Since giving up his life as a government assassin, Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) has struggled to reconcile the horrific things he’s done in the past and finds a strange solace in serving justice on behalf of the oppressed. Finding himself surprisingly at home in Southern Italy, he discovers his new friends are under the control of local crime bosses. As events turn deadly, McCall knows what he has to do: become his friends’ protector by taking on the mafia.
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Written by: Richard Wenk
Based on the television series created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim
Produced by: Todd Black / Jason Blumenthal / Denzel Washington / Antoine Fuqua / Steve Tisch / Clayton Townsend/ Alex Siskin / Tony Eldridge
Executive Producer: David Bloomfield / Tarak Ben Ammar / Andy Mitchell
Cast: Denzel Washington / Dakota Fanning / David Denman
Here we have the cover to Cracked 145 from October 1977. Rocky impresses Laverne & Shirley at the expense of The Fonz. ; )
It’s interesting to note that Sly Stallone and Henry Winkler were unknowns just a few years before when they co-starred in Lords of Flatbush. Now they were the hottest stars in movies and on television.
David Bordwell at CrimeReads has written an excellent overview of Rex Stout and his long-running detective/mystery series featuring Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin.
Wolfe was a 285 pound genius who leaves his brownstone home only in the most extreme emergencies. He “breeds orchids, reads, drinks vast quantities of beer, and dines on meals of rare delicacy.” To support his life’s luxuries, Wolfe works as a private detective. Since he detests venturing away from his sanctum, Archie Goodwin serves as Wolfe’s assistant. “Slender and strong, reasonably handsome, Archie is attractive to and attracted by women of many ages… Archie fetches clients, witnesses, and suspects to meetings.”
I am a, pardon the pun, huge fan of Nero Wolfe mysteries. If you are as well, check out David Bordwell’s “HOLMES AND WATSON IN MANHATTAN”: MUSINGS ON THE CREATION OF NERO WOLFE AND ARCHIE GOODWIN. If you’re not a fan, give the piece a look as well. You might become one.
Saved by the Belle (1939)
Director: Charley Chase
Writer: Searle Kramer, Elwood Ullman
Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Vernon Dent and Al Thompson.
Tagline: Rings the bell for a laughing knockout!
The Plot…
Larry, Curly and Moe are traveling salesmen in a South American country undergoing a civil war and prone to earthquakes. How could it get any worse? They’re trying to sell fur coats! Our boys are jailed for trying to skip out of their hotel bill. While in lockup, they are befriended by a revolutionary. What could go wrong?
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
When the boys are lined up to be shot, Curly thinks it is for a photograph. He says, “I’m gonna send one home to Elaine”. Elaine was Curly Howard’s wife at the time.
Saved by the Belle (1939) rates 3 of 5 stars.
S.A. Cosby fans will want to check out S.A. Cosby Is Finding His Religion. If you’re not a fan read any of his books. You soon will be.
My Darkest Prayer
Blacktop Wasteland
Razorblade Tears
All Sinners Bleed
Nick Kolakowski’s Until the End features eleven stories of terror and wonder. Here’s the synopsis…
A woman moves her family into a house full of spirits… but who’s really haunting who? In the depths of an icy planet, a bored A.I. plots its escape… and it’s willing to kill anyone who stands in its way. The dead return for one big evening, all with their own secret missions.
These are just a few of the 11 tales in Until the End, an anthology of terror and wonder designed to keep you awake well into the night.
If this sounds like your jam, you know what to do.
When Sly Stallone was in college, he and his buddy, John Herzfeld worked on a project together called Horses. It was a film that involved time travel. Sadly it was never completed. Here is a photo from the project that I cleaned up a bit. Sly and Herzfeld stayed lifelong friends and both went on to careers in Hollywood. They worked together on the feature films Reach Me and Escape Plan: The Extractors.
Wee Wee Monsieur (1938)
Director: Del Lord
Writer: Searle Kramer
Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Vernon Dent, William Irving, Bud Jamison, Ethelreda Leopold and John Rand.
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
Larry, Curly and Moe are artists living in Paris. When the landlord calls the police to collect overdue rent, our guys take off. On the lam, the boys accidently sign up for the French Foreign Legion!
When their Captain is captured, Larry, Curly and Moe are sent to infiltrate the fortress. They are to find and escape with the Captain. If they fail, it means certain death. What could go wrong?
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
The Stooges gain entry into the fort by disguising as Santa Claus. They would repeat this gag in Malice in the Palace (1949) with Shemp replacing Curly. Since they are disguised as Santas, they were able to use some of the same footage!
Wee Wee Monsieur (1938) rates 5 of 5 stars.
Graham Humphreys created this cool alt poster for Death Proof. While Death Proof isn’t one of my favorite films, it does feature Kurt Russell and Rosario Dawson directed (and in a screenplay) by Quentin Tarantino. If you’d like to see more of Graham Humphreys’ art, you can at his Instagram page.
Slippery Silks (1936)
Director: Jack White
Writer: Ewart Adamson
Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Loretta Andrews, Symona Boniface, Vernon Dent and William Irving.
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
Larry, Curly and Moe are carpenters who accidently destroy a priceless antique cabinet. The owner of the antique vows revenge. Once away from the danger, our guys learn that they’ve inherited a designer dress boutique. Our guys as fashion designers? Why not?
They are hired to put on a fashion show by a rich woman. During the event they realize that the woman’s husband is the man who owned the priceless antique that they destroyed! What could go wrong?
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Slipper Silks features the Stooges’ first pie/pastry fight. Actually one pie is thrown and the rest are cream puffs.
When the owner of the priceless cabinet asks, “Are you sure this work will be in competent hands?” Curly responds, “Soitenly, we’re all incompetent.”
Slippery Silks (1936) rates 4 of 5 stars.
Brian Shearer is a professional artist/illustrator. He is best known for his art on titles such as G.I. Joe, Transformers, Dr. Who as well as his creator-owned graphic novels, Gunship Thunderpunch and William the Last. When I saw that Brian was doing live-stream sketch sessions, I jumped on board and got his awesome take as Sly Stallone as Jack Carter. You can see more of Brian’s art at his website or his Twitter posts.
