“The Patient” starring Steve Carell and Domhnall Gleeson / Z-View

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The Patient (2o22)

Directors:  Chris Long (episodes 1,2, 8-10); Kevin Bray (episodes 3-5); Gwyneth Horder-Payton (episodes 6,7)

Teleplay:  Joel Fields & Joe Weisberg

Stars:  Steve Carell, Domhnall Gleeson, Laura Niemi and David Alan Grier.

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

Dr. Alan Strauss (Carroll) is a psychotherapist who one morning wakes up in the basement of a strange house.  A chain is padlocked to his leg and a bolt in the cement floor.  Dr. Strauss soon learns that his captor is Sam Fortner (Gleeson).  Fortner is a serial killer who believes that Dr. Strauss can cure him of the compulsion to kill.

Thoughts (Beware of spoilers)…

What a great setup for a limited series.  If Strauss cures Fortner, Strauss is a liability because of his knowledge of the murders.  If Strauss can’t cure Fortner, there’s no reason to keep him alive.  It’s a game of cat and mouse and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

I was a little hesitant that Steve Carroll was the dramatic lead because of his role as Michael Scott from The Office.  I shouldn’t have worried.  Carroll was excellent, as is Laura Niemi who plays Sam’s mother.  She’s aware that her son is a serial killer, but cannot bring herself to turn him in.  David Alan Grier (another comedian) shows his dramatic chops.

The real surprise to me was Domhnall Gleeson.  What a performance!  Definitely worthy of an Emmy.  While I had seen Gleeson in a few films (True Grit, Dredd and The Revenant), I had no idea of how good an actor he is.

I liked that The Patient was written as series of ten episodes.  Because it was a limited series all bets were off as to who would live or die.  Expect some surprises along the way.

The Patient earns 5 of 5 stars.

“Lucky Ghost” aka “Lady Luck” (1942) Starring Mantan Moreland & F.E. Miller / Z-View

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Lucky Ghost aka Lady Luck (1942)

Director:  William Beaudine

Screenplay:  Lex Neal, Vernon Smith

Stars:  Mantan Moreland, F.E. Miller, Maceo Bruce Sheffield and Napoleon Whiting. 

Tagline:  A Thriller-Diller Laff Sensation Feature!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Washington (Moreland) and Jefferson (Miller) are down-on-their-luck friends looking for an opportunity.  When they meet a couple of rich men standing by a limo, they learn that the driver has gone for gas.  Washington entices the men into a dice game.  By the time the driver has returned, Washington has won all of the men’s money, their fancy clothes and the car!

Washington and Jefferson have the driver take them to a nearby country club.  The club is run by a crook named Dr. Brutus Blake (Sheffield).  Blake invites Washington to play in his private gambling room.  There he plans to swindle Washington out of all his cash using crooked dice.  What Blake doesn’t know is that ghosts are watching and don’t like what they’re seeing.

The movie really takes off once Mantan begins playing craps in the club.  He’s hilarious when he’s forced to roll using dice he knows will cause him to lose.  Lady Luck isn’t as funny as Mr. Washington Goes to Town, but this semi-sequel has its moments.

Lucky Ghost aka Lady Luck earns 3 of 5 stars.

“The Northman” (2022) starring Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman & Claes Bang / Z-View

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The Northman (2o22)

Director:  Robert Eggers

Screenplay:  Sjón, Robert Eggers

Stars:  Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Ethan Hawke, Anya Taylor-Joy and Willem Dafoe.

Tagline:  Conquer your fate.

The Plot…

Amleth (Skarsgård) is a boy destined to become King.  That changes when Amleth’s father, King Aurvandil War-Raven (Hawke) is brutally murdered.  Amleth watches in shock as his Uncle, Fjölnir (Bang) kills his father!  As Fjölnir carries Amleth’s mother (Kidman) away, he orders his men to find and kill Amleth.  Amleth escapes and vows to avenge his father and mother…

Years later Amleth has grown into a strong Viking warrior and is now ready to take his vengeance.

Thoughts (Beware of spoilers)…

The Northman‘s trailer led me to believe it would be a great adventure/revenge film with a little Viking mythology thrown in.  It turned out to be an interesting adventure/revenge film with quite a bit of Viking mythology.  There’s stuff like interactions with a Seeress and he-witch, prophetic dreams, rescue from chains by ravens, and a Valkyrie from Valhalla.  For me, a little of that goes a long way.

Alexander Skarsgård makes a scary, believable Viking… especially in full blown warrior mode.  Ethan Hawke’s role could best be described as a cameo.  A small amount of screen time, but his character’s death sets everything in motion.  Then again, if Ethan Hawke’s screen time amounts to a cameo, I’m not sure what you’d call Willem Dafoe’s role as a fool.  Claes Bang and Nicole Kidman make worthy villains, but are they truly the “bad guys”?

One of the interesting aspects is that for the whole movie, Amleth wants to avenge his mother and father.  He sees his father brutally murdered and his mother carried off by his father’s killer.  When Amleth, as an adult, meets his mother we learn that she was once a slave; that Amleth’s father raped and forced her into marriage.  Further it was she who convinced Fjölnir to kill her husband and take her away,  She wasn’t screaming in fear as Fjölnir carried her off, she was laughing!  Amleth’s father wasn’t the great man he (and we) had been led to believe!  So is it heroic when Amleth kills his mother and her son by Fjölnir?  And when Fjölnir learns of their deaths, and challenges Amleth to battle, isn’t Fjölnir as much of a hero as Amleth?  Just some things to think about…

The Northman earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Angel’s Alley” (1948) Starring Leo Gorcey and The Bowery Boys / Z-View

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Angel’s Alley (1948)

Director:  William Beaudine

Screenplay:  Edmond Seward, Tim Ryan, Gerald Schnitzer

Stars:  Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Gabriel Dell, William ‘Billy’ Benedict, David Gorcey, Nestor Paiva, Benny Bartlett,  John Eldredge and Mary Gordon.

Tagline:  The Bowery Boys Make It Rough On Racketeers!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Slip Mahoney (Gorcey) learns that his cousin is being pressured into stealing cars for Tony Locarno (Paiva), a local crime boss.  Slip decides that the best way to get his cousin out is for Slip to break in… to Locarno’s gang.  Slip will then learn Locarno’s set-up and call the police.  That’s the plan, but since this is a Bowery Boys’ movie, we know how their plans work out…

Angel’s Alley earns 2 of 5 stars.

“Poker Face” – The Trailer is Here!

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Poker Face is a 10-episode “mystery-of-the-week” series following Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie, who has an extraordinary ability to determine when someone is lying. She hits the road with her Plymouth Barracuda and with every stop encounters a new cast of characters and strange crimes she can’t help but solve.

Deal me in.  Check out the trailer below and let me know if we need to save you a seat!

“Vertical Freedom” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster and trailer for Vertical Freedom will freak out anyone afraid of heights.  I’d check this out when it comes to streaming.

Directed by: Doug Lee

Synopsis: Vertical Freedom highlights six diverse tower climbers who overcome personal struggle and everyday danger to perform extraordinary work at very high levels to connect us all. It chronicles the triumphs, challenges, and tragedies of tower climbers Robert Gallegos, Sean Gilhooley, Andrew Lealofi, Ky Nguyen, Kelsey Olson, and Angelo Wiggins as they traverse the country and work at extreme elevations to enable connectivity including breathtaking aerial footage of some of the most hard-to-reach communication towers in the United States.

“Hot Water” (1924) Starring Harold Lloyd / Z-View

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Hot Water (1924)

Director:  Fred C. Newmeyer, Sam Taylor

Screenplay:  Thomas J. Gray, Sam Taylor, Tim Whelan, John Grey

Stars:  Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, Josephine Crowell, Charles Stevenson and Mickey McBan. 

Tagline:  A cyclonic comedy of newlyweds and meddling relatives!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Hubby (Lloyd) is a confirmed bachelor who cannot understand someone wanting to get married.  In his dash to get to a wedding on time, Hubby knocks down a woman (Ralston).  As he helps her to her feet, their eyes meet… and the next thing you know they’re married.  What follows are three vignettes of Hubby’s married life.

As Hubby heads home from work, Wifey asks him to pick up a “few” things from the store. While at the store Hubby wins a live turkey.  Hubby has a tough time making it to the trolley and home with more groceries than he can carry and a live turkey!

When Hubby’s mother-in-law, brother-in-law and nephew show up unexpectedly, Hubby decides to take them for a ride in his new car.  Runs-ins with other autos and the police are just part of the fun.

The third episode involves his sleepwalking mother-in-law, a potential murder and possible ghosts!

The segments were hit and miss for me.  I liked the third episode the best.

Hot Water earns 2 of 5 stars.

“Mr. Washington Goes to Town” (1941) Starring Mantan Moreland & F.E. Miller / Z-View

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Mr. Washington Goes to Town (1941)

Director:  Jed Buell, William Beaudine (uncredited)

Screenplay:  Lex Neal from a story by Walter Weems

Stars:  Mantan Moreland, F.E. Miller, Maceo Bruce Sheffield and Marguerite Whitten. 

Tagline: The First All Colored Cast Feature Comedy Ever Made!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Wallingford (Miller) and Schenectady Jones (Moreland) are buddies serving time in the county jail.  Wallingford sees a newspaper article about a rich man who died and left his hotel to any living relative that he may have had. Since the man’s last name was Jones and he was from the same area as Schenectady, Wallingford asks his buddy if he may have been related to the rich old man.  The two discuss the life of luxury that would come from being a rich hotel owner.  As Schenectady falls asleep he dreams…

Miller and Moreland can be favorably compared to Abbott and Costello.  Both duos are funny.  Miller, like Abbott is the brains of the two and takes advantage of his partner.  The difference is that Miller is more of a true friend.  Mantan Moreland is one of the most under-rated comedians in Hollywood.  He has great timing and his line and non-verbal reactions are priceless.

The set-up of owning a hotel presents great opportunities for gags as different guests arrive.  We get a magician, a Lonesome Ranger, a guest with a gorilla, an invisible man, and more.  Each different arrival provides laughs.  The main storyline involves Brutus Blake (Sheffield) looking for money hidden somewhere in the hotel and hoping that midnight arrives before Moreland can pay the balance owed on the hotel’s mortgage.

Mr. Washington Goes to Town earns 4 of 5 stars.

RIP: Leslie Jordan

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Leslie Jordan, the actor, singer, writer and internet sensation, died this morning, the result of a car wreck.  Mr. Jordan’s car hit the side of a building.  Preliminary results indicate that a medical episode may have led to the crash.  Mr. Jordan was 67.

Leslie Jordan moved to Los Angeles in 1982.  Standing just 4’11”, speaking with a strong Southern drawl, and openly gay, Leslie Jordan was a memorable character.  Although he struggled for a few years, in 1986, Leslie Jordan got his first television role on The Fall Guy.   After that ice-breaking role, Mr. Jordan continued to act on television, in feature films, on the stage and he even branched out into writing and singing!

Some of Leslie Jordan television appearances include: The Fall Guy; Night Court; Murphy Brown; Newhart; The People Next Door (10 episodes); Pee-Wee’s Playhouse;  Top of the Heap (6 episodes); Perfect Strangers; Reasonable Doubts (16 episodes); Bodies of Evidence (16 episodes); Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman; Hearts Afire (27 episodes); Coach; Star Trek: Voyager; Wings; The Pretender; Dharma & Greg; Ellen; Maximum Bob; Nash Bridges; Alley McBeal; Boston Public (5 episodes); Monk; Reba; Boston Legal (6 episodes); Hidden Palms (5 episodes); Sordid Lives: The Series (10 episodes); 12 Miles of Bad Road (6 episodes); Desperate Housewives; Supernatural; Con Man (6 episodes); American Horror Story (10 episodes); Will & Grace (17 episodes); Fantasy Island and Call Me Kat (36 episodes).

Some of Leslie Jordan’s feature film appearances include: Moving; Hero; Jason Goes to Hell; Sordid Lives; The Help; Lost in the Pershing Point Hotel; The United States vs Billie Holiday and Until We Meet Again.

In addition to being an accomplished stage actor; Leslie Jordan was also a playwright.  Some of his plays and stage shows include:  Lost in the Pershing Point Hotel; Like a Dog on Linoleum; Hysterical Blindness and Other Southern Tragedies That Have Plagued My Life Thus Far and My Trip Down the Pink Carpet.

Leslie Jordan was also a singer.  His gospel album Company’s Comin’ was released in 2021.  Mr. Jordan was also a hit on Instagram with 5.9 followers at the time of his death.

Leslie Jordan was probably best known for his recurring role on Will & Grace.  Until his popularity reached the level where he was a well known actor/comedian; Mr. Jordan would appear on the screen and you’d instantly recognize “that funny guy”!  I never saw Leslie Jordan in a role where I didn’t appreciate his performance.  He was especially funny in his many Instagram posts.  He was the kind of Hollywood celebrity that appeared genuine.  I’m going to miss seeing him pop up in new roles, but I am thankful for his many, many performances that will be around forever.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Leslie Jordan’s family, friends and fans.