Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Gabriel Hardman recently posted the art above. I absolutely love the idea of Creatures from the Black Lagoon! Talk about potential. If you’d like to see more of Hardman’s art, you can at his Instagram page. Oh, and be sure to click on the art above to see it biggie-sized!
A Pain in the Pullman (1936)
Director: Jack White
Writer: Jack White
Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Phyllis Crane, Bud Jamison, Ethelreda Leopold and James C. Morton.
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
Larry, Curly and Moe are small time performers who get a job that requires them to travel by train with their pet monkey. What could go wrong?
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
A Pain in the Pullman is the longest Stooges’ short. It clocks in at 19 minutes, 46 seconds.
Moe gets to say his classic: “Wake up and go to sleep!”
Moe was allergic and disliked shellfish. He’s not acting and his aversion becomes evident in the scene where the boys are eating crab. And how about Curly pulling the meat out and then eating the shell!
A Pain in the Pullman (1936) rates 4 of 5 stars.
Sharky’s Machine is an under-rated gem. Starring and directed by Burt Reynolds, it features an amazing cast and soundtrack. Check out this documentary and then (re)watch the film. You can thank me later. ; )
Gator McKlusky examines the 1982 film “Sharky’s Machine” with a focus on the amazing career of Burt Reynolds. Taken from the documentary “The Burt Reynolds Story” available on this channel. Be sure and check out the other segments and chapters for this in-depth series, documented in the unique way that has helped make this a fan favorite.
Written by Al Glasgow & Craig Cefola
Video by Craig Cefola
Open Music by Wheelhouse Junction
Ending Music by New Messiah
John Wick by Seung Eun Kim was just too cool not to share. You can see more of Seung Eun Kim’s art at his Instagram page.
Yvan Quinet created this cool alt poster for Heat. It is available as a very limited print. If you’d like to see more of Quinet’s art, check out his website or his Instagram.
Pardon My Scotch (1935)
Director: Del Lord
Writer: Andrew Bennison
Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, James C. Morton, Symona Boniface, Alec Craig and Billy Gilbert.
Tagline: They’ll KILTIE you with laughter!
The Plot…
Larry, Curly and Moe are carpenters working on a drugstore project. When the owner (who sells bootleg hooch) has to leave, he puts our boys in charge. That’s when a customer asks for a “prescription” drink. Our guys go in the back and mix up a cocktail that knocks the man for a loop… and he loves it! The man hires the boys to provide their “Breath of Heather” for a big party at his boss’ house. What could go wrong?
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
There’s a scene where a table Moe is standing on is cut in half. Moe crashes to the ground and actually broke his ribs. To Moe’s credit he finished the scene and then collapsed in pain. He was rushed to the hospital. The scene we see is what actually happened.
Pardon My Scotch features a Stooge classic. Moe facing Curly says, “Point to your right”. Moe and Curly point in opposite directions. Curly also briefly recreates the “dancing bread” bit made famous by Charlie Chaplin.
Pardon My Scotch (1935) rates 4 of 5 stars.
/Film recently posted Bee Delores’ list of The 15 Best Horror Franchises, Ranked. So I thought I’d play along. Before you click over to see Delores’ rationale, here are how our rankings stacked up. Also, I would have found spots on my list for Dracula, Frankenstein and The Creature From the Black Lagoon.
|
Delores |
Zablo |
| 15. Hannibal Lecter | 15. Child’s Play |
| 14. Saw | 14. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre |
| 13. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre | 13. A Nightmare on Elm Street |
| 12. A Nightmare on Elm Street | 12. Paranormal Activity |
| 11. Halloween | 11. Friday the 13th |
| 10. Paranormal Activity | 10. The Evil Dead |
| 9. Alien | 9. Final Destination |
| 8. Friday the 13th | 8. Scream |
| 7. Psycho | 7. Saw |
| 6. The Conjuring | 6. The Conjuring |
| 5. Final Destination | 5. Psycho |
| 4. The Living Dead | 4. Hannibal Lecter |
| 3. Child’s Play | 3. Halloween |
| 2. The Evil Dead | 2. Alien |
| 1. Scream | 1. The Living Dead |
Easy Street (1917)
Director: Charles Chaplin
Writer: Charles Chaplin, Vincent Bryan, Maverick Terrell
Stars: Charles Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Eric Campbell, Albert Austin, Lloyd Bacon and Henry Bergman
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
When a tramp (Chaplin) meets a mission worker, he is inspired to get a job and win her over. The only job that he can find is as a policeman on Easy Street. The folks living on Easy Street are terrorized by a huge bully. He beats and robs at will. The police that have been sent in before have had no luck in bringing him in. What chance does the little tramp have against a giant?
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
The scene with Chaplin using a street lamp to fight the bully is inspired.
Easy Street (1917) rates 3 of 5 stars.
I loved the first season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The teaser for the second season looks great. Cannot wait!
The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise boldly returns for new adventures full of new life and new civilizations, and, of course, exploring strange new worlds.
Not a big fan of the FUBAR poster, but I do like the trailer below better than the previous teaser.
Heroes don’t retire. They reload. Arnold Schwarzenegger is starring in his first series ever!
When a father and daughter learn that they’ve each secretly been working as CIA Operatives for years, they realize their entire relationship has been a lie and they truly don’t know one another at all. Forced to team up as partners, FUBAR tackles universal family dynamics set against a global backdrop of spies, fantastic action and humor.
Also starring Monica Barbaro, Milan Carter, Fortune Feimster, Travis Van Winkle, Jay Baruchel, Andy Buckley, Aparna Brielle, Barbara Eve Harris, Fabiana Udenio and Gabriel Luna.
The Yoke’s on Me (1944)
Director: Jules White
Writer: Clyde Buckman
Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard and Al Thompson.
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
When our boys are determined to be unfit for military service, they decide to aide the war effort by becoming farmers. They buy a run-down farm and hope to make a go of it. One day the sheriff warns our guys to be on guard. A group of Japanese-Americans have escaped from a “relocation center”. Later the escapees show up on the farm. Let the hijinks begin.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
The Three Stooges shorts, like many films of the era, sometimes featured things that modern audiences find distasteful. And rightly so. The Yoke’s on Me (1944) is often considered to be the worst offender. For many years The Yoke’s on Me was never shown on television rebroadcasts. The antagonists aren’t Japanese soldiers, spies or criminals. They are American citizens who were rounded up and put in prison camps.
With that said, there are still some funny bits in The Yoke’s on Me. It’s unfortunate that they are over-shadowed by the choice of “bad guys”.
The Yoke’s on Me (1944) (1944) rates 3 of 5 stars.
Here’s the poster and trailer for Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me. Since it will be on Netflix watching is a no-brainer.
From director Ursula Macfarlane (Untouchable) and producer Alexandra Lacey comes an unflinching and humanizing examination of the life, death, and secrets of Vickie Lynn Hogan – better known as model and actress Anna Nicole Smith. From her first appearance in Playboy in 1992, Anna Nicole’s dizzying ascent was the very essence of the American dream, brought to a tragic halt with her untimely passing in 2007. With access to never-before-seen footage, home movies, and interviews with key figures who have not spoken out until now, this film reveals new insights into the story of the quintessential blonde bombshell hardly anyone really knew.
Nope (2o22)
Director: Jordan Peele
Writer: Jordan Peele
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Michael Wincott, Steven Yeun, Wrenn Schmidt, Keith David, Terry Notary, Donna Mills, Eddie Jemison, Sophia Coto and ‘Snub’ Pollard.
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
The Haywood Family trains horses for use in movies and television productions. Unfortunately the business is struggling. There’s not much need these days for horses. Things take a turn for the worse when Otis Haywood, Sr. (David) is stuck and killed by metallic coins, watches, etc. raining from the sky. The only explanation is the objects fell from a plane.
In an effort to keep the business alive, OJ sells some of the family’s horses to Ricky ‘Jupe’ Park (Yeun). Park was a child actor who survived a terrible on-set rampage by a monkey that killed/maimed many of his co-stars, but left Park unharmed. Now Park runs a small old west theme park.
One night, during a terrible electrical storm OJ and his sister Emerald (Palmer) see something in the clouds. It appears to be a UFO. Later they notice a strange cloud that never moves… and provides cover for the mysterious UFO. OJ and Emerald figure if they can prove the UFO’s existence by videoing the UFO, they will make a fortune. When they discover that the UFO might have been behind the events that cause their father’s death, they realize that their lives are in danger.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
I’m a Jordan Peele fan. I gave both his previous films, Get Out and Us 5 star ratings. He’s an excellent writer and director. Peele creates interesting characters in unbelievable situations and makes them believable. He knows how to provide tension and genuine scares. We get some of that in Nope, but for me it didn’t rise to the level of his previous films.
Nope features a wonderful cast. Daniel (Sicario) Kaluuya, KeKe Palmer, Michael (Strange Days) Wincott, Steven (The Walking Dead) Yeun and Keith (The Thing) David would make any movie better just by showing up. I’d never seen Keke Palmer before, but I’ll be watching for her in the future. The camera loves her. Michael Wincott and Keith David don’t have big roles, but their impact is huge. I always enjoy seeing them. Donna Mills gets a nice cameo!
There’s a lot going on in Nope. We have the whole story with the Haywoods, there’s Ricky Park with his western theme park and rampaging monkey backstory, the UFO that may not be a UFO at all and more. Peele loves his characters and he’s created a bunch for Nope. I wish we’d got to know them better. It feels like the story is a mile wide and an inch deep. But Peele may have wanted the audience to fill in the blanks. The other aspect that fell short for me was the ending. I don’t want to give away much so I’ll just say that the ending seemed a bit too pat for my taste.
Nope is a movie that most people liked better than me. So keep in mind, your mileage (as always) could vary. I look forward to whatever Jordan Peele cooks up next.
Nope (2o22) rates 2 of 5 stars.
Jack Hawkins at /Film came up with a list of the 14 Best Sylvester Stallone Films, Ranked. Before you click over, here’s how I’d rank Hawkins’ picks. Also, some Sly Stallone movies that didn’t make Hawkins’ top picks, but would have made mine include: Get Carter; Paradise Alley; FIST and Rocky III.
| Hawkins | Zablo |
| 14. Over the Top | 14. Over the Top |
| 13. Tango & Cash | 13. Escape Plan |
| 12. Escape Plan | 12. Tango & Cash |
| 11. Creed | 11. Demolition Man |
| 10. Cliffhanger | 10. Creed |
| 09. Expendables 2 | 09. Expendables 2 |
| 08. Rocky IV | 08. Cliffhanger |
| 07. Rocky Balboa | 07. Rocky IV |
| 06. Rambo | 06. Rocky Balboa |
| 05. Demolition Man | 05. First Blood |
| 04. Nighthawks | 04. Nighthawks |
| 03. Cop Land | 03. Cop Land |
| 02. Rocky | 02. Rambo |
| 01. First Blood | 01. Rocky |
Here’s a blast from the past! Sly Stallone as Rocky makes a cover appearance on National Lampoon’s December, 1985 cover by Boris Vallejo.
