Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Hell Creek is an excellent short film that’s well worth a watch.
A time traveler is hunted by a dinosaur.
“Hell Creek”
Written and Directed by Danny Donahue
Starring Danny Donahue
Cinematography by Paul Houston
Visual Effects by Danny Donahue
Music by Paleowolf
Special Thanks to Casey Fichtner, Michael Matzur, Ryan Godoy
Master of the World (1961)
Director: William Witney
Screenplay by: Richard Matheson based on two novels by Jules Verne: Master of the World and Robur, the Conqueror
Starring: Vincent Price, Charles Bronson, Henry Hull, Mary Webster, David Frankham and Vito Scotti
Tagline: The fabulous adventures of the man who conquered the earth to save it!
The Overview: Beware of spoilers…
While investigating a volcanic crater, Prudent (Hall), his daughter Dorothy (Webster), her fiance Phillip (Frankham) and US agent John Strock (Bronson) are taken aboard a flying machine! Robur (Price), the genius who invented the flying warship, plans to create world peace by destroying all ships of war in every country. Refusing to release his captives, they watch helplessly as Prudent orders the destruction of war ships and all crew aboard. Safe in the sky out of range of any weapons from below, Prudent strikes at will. Despite the odds, the captives decide to try an escape attempt or bring about the destruction of the flying fortress even at the cost of their own lives.
Charles Bronson was still several years away from becoming an international star when Master of the World was made. Vincent Price is great as the crazy genius who believes to stop wars he must destroy armies. Vito Scotti provides comic relief for most of the film, but at the end gets to go for a tear or two.
Master of the World earns 3 of 5 stars.
I am so stoked for Tulsa King. Everything that we see makes the show look great.
TULSA KING follows New York mafia capo Dwight “The General” Manfredi (Sylvester Stallone), just after he is released from prison after 25 years and unceremoniously exiled by his boss to set up shop in Tulsa, Okla. Realizing that his mob family may not have his best interests in mind, Dwight slowly builds a “crew” from a group of unlikely characters, to help him establish a new criminal empire in a place that to him might as well be another planet. The series also stars Andrea Savage (“I’m Sorry”), Martin Starr (“Silicon Valley”), Max Casella (“The Tender Bar”), Domenick Lombardozzi (“The Irishman”), Vincent Piazza (“Boardwalk Empire”), Jay Will (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), A.C. Peterson (“Superman & Lois’) with Garrett Hedlund (“The United States vs. Billie Holiday”).
The series will be executive-produced by Sheridan, Winter, Stallone, David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, David Hutkin and Allen Coulter. Braden Aftergood is also set to executive-produce.
Stream the new series on November 13, exclusively on Paramount+.
The Mysterious Island (1929)
Director: Lucien Hubbard, Benjamin Christensen (uncredited), Maurice Tourneur (uncredited)
Screenplay by: Lucien Hubbard based on Jules Verne‘s novel, The Mysterious Island
Starring: Lionel Barrymore, Jacqueline Gadsdon, Lloyd Hughes and Montagu Love
Tagline: METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER’S Dramatic Spectale Based on Jules Vern’s Immortal Novel!
The Overview: Beware of spoilers…
Count Andre Dakkar (Barrymore) is a brilliant scientist and beloved ruler of an island kingdom. Dakkar along with his daughter Sonia (Gadsdon) and her fiance (who is also Dakkar’s right hand man) have invented two ships that can go undersea. Just as they are about to test the first ship, the island is attacked by the evil Baron Falon’s (Love) army. Falon wants the island country and undersea ships for his own!
The attack damages the first ship which sinks to the bottom of the ocean. The crew realizes they have no way to surface and will die at the bottom of the sea… if they are not killed by the strange creatures and gigantic monsters that live on the ocean floor. Meanwhile, Sonia hopes to use the second ship to save the crew of the first vessel. Little does she know the horrors that await…
The Mysterious Island has some cool special underwater effects, but truth be told, I was enjoying the less scifi aspects of the film more. Still, you cannot go wrong with Lionel Barrymore in a Jules Verne adventure!
The Mysterious Island earns 3 of 5 stars.
The Nice Guys (2016)
Director: Shane Black
Screenplay by: Shane Black, Anthony Bagarozzi
Starring: Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Margaret Qualley, Keith David, Gil Gerard, Murielle Telio and Kim Basinger
Tagline: They’re not that nice
The Overview: Beware of spoilers…
Holland March (Gosling) is a sketchy private eye trying to earn enough dough to support himself and his daughter. So when he’s offered money by Misty Mountain’s aunt to find Misty, March takes the case (and the cash) even though everyone knows the porn star is dead. March thinks he’ll spend a couple of days “earning” the advance and then he’ll let the old lady down easy. That all changes when Jackson Healy (Crowe) puts a beating on March and tells him to drop the investigation. Rather than take another whoppin’, Healy agrees.
When Healy gets home, two thugs are waiting for him. They rough him up in an effort to get information about the Misty Mountain case. Fortunately he has nothing to give them. After the roughnecks split, Healy goes back to March and convinces him that they should team up to solve the case. Soon they’ll find that they’re way over their head with hired assassins and government officials wanting them dead.
The Nice Guys has it’s moments. Crowe and Gosling’s characters are mismatched enough that there’s humor and chemistry in them working as a team. Angourie Rice is excellent as Gosling’s young, but smart-beyond-her-years daughter. Basinger has a small but important role. The plot was a little more convoluted than needed, but that’s a small nit to pick. I’m surprised The Nice Guys didn’t warrant a sequel.
The Nice Guys earns 3 of 5 stars.
Wolfgang Petersen, the German filmmaker who gained international fame with Das Boot (which he wrote and directed), died August 12, 2022 from pancreatic cancer. Mr. Petersen was 81.
Das Boot aka The Boat told the story of a WWII, German U-boat crew. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards (including Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay). After that Hollywood called and Wolfgang Petersen would go on to direct crow-pleasing movies for the rest of his career. Some of his feature films include: The Never-Ending Story; Shattered; In the Line of Fire; Outbreak; The Perfect Storm and Troy.
My favorite Wolfgang Petersen films are In the Line of Fire and Shattered (which he wrote, directed and produced!).
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Wolfgang Petersen’s family, friends and fans.
Gotta love Art Adams take on The Creature from the Black Lagoon!
Wild Oranges (1924)
Director: King Vidor
Screenplay by: King Vidor based on Joseph Hergesheimer’s novel Wild Oranges.
Starring: Frank Mayo, Virginia Valli, Ford Sterling, Nigel De Brulier and Charles A. Post
Tagline: She taught him to love her-this world wanderer who sailed the seas to escape women’s lures and the one he couldn’t forget!
The Overview: Beware of spoilers…
When John Woolfolk’s (Mayo) wife dies in a tragic accident, he sets sail around the world on his small sailboat with no specific port in mind. One night Woolfolk drops anchor in a remote inlet. When he goes ashore he meets a Millie (Valli), young woman who lives with her grandfather (De Brulier) in an old house in the woods. Woolfolk learns that an escaped homicidal maniac lives in the swamp nearby and has been terrorizing them. Woolfolk plans to get Millie and her grandfather away to safety… but is unaware that the maniac knows of his plan!
King Vidor created a silent film with modern sensibilities. Charles A. Post plays the homicidal maniac, but his character isn’t just a mustache-twirling villain. I won’t go so far to say that his character is misunderstood, but I did like that there were layers to Post’s performance. Wild Oranges has one of the most realistic, brutal and extended fight scenes I’ve ever seen in a movie from that era. While there is silent movie melodrama and exaggerated poses in some scenes, Wild Oranges turns the corner into more realistic filming/acting choices.
Wild Oranges earns 4 of 5 stars.
The poster and trailer for End of the Road looks better than I thought it might. Since it is on Netflix, it’ll be a no-brainer to check it out!
Queen Latifah and Chris Bridges star in this road trip thriller about a mom of two kids who relocates across the country with her kids and brother. The family’s move to the southland is thrown into complete chaos when they witness a murder on their road trip. Now, the murderer will stop at nothing to find them.
GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S “CABINET OF CURIOSITIES” – The Trailer is Here!
Guillermo Del Toro – The master of horror – gives a First Look at some of the twisted nightmares and violent delights from his new anthology series.
Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities is a collection of sinister stories, told by some of today’s most revered horror creators – including the directors of The Babadook, Splice, Mandy, and many more.
The poster and trailer for Bandit starring Josh Duhamel, Elisha Cuthbert and Mel Gibson are here!
Gilbert Galvan Jr (Josh Duhamel), a charming criminal, escapes from prison and assumes a new identity. After falling in love with Andrea (Elisha Cuthbert), a caring social worker he can’t provide for, he turns to robbing banks and discovers that he’s exceptionally good at it. Addicted to the rush and money, he turns to loan shark and gangster Tommy Kay (Mel Gibson) for bigger opportunities.
Based on the true story of The Flying Bandit.Cast: Josh Duhamel, Mel Gibson, Elisha Cuthbert
Available in THEATERS, on DIGITAL and ON DEMAND, September 23rd, 2022
Ethan Pro’s alt movie poster for The Rock does exactly what it should. It makes me want to see the movie (again). Check out Ethan Pro’s Instagram page for more of his awesome art!
Nick Kolakowski’s Hell of a Mess is dropping soon and the fact that it’s a Love & Bullets Hookup makes my smile even bigger. Here’s the synopsis…
The heist should have been a simple one: infiltrate the top floor of a luxury New York City penthouse, steal a server with compromising data from under the noses of the unsuspecting guards, and slip back out. Fiona, master thief and occasional assassin, has pulled off similar jobs dozens of times. But with a massive hurricane bearing down on the East Coast, the timing is tight and the escape routes are limited-and that’s before she discovers something horrific in the penthouse’s master bedroom.
Now Fiona’s on the run, trying to stay one step ahead of rising floodwaters and an army of hired assassins. Her husband Bill, the finest hustler between Florida and Maine, can’t help her: he’s been kidnapped by a group of dirty cops who want the secret millions left by his former employer. The night will take the two of them from the heights of money and power in Lower Manhattan to a haunted island in the East River where no secrets stay buried forever.
It’s going to be one hell of a night… and one hell of a mess.
If this sounds like something you’d like, pre-orders are available now. I’m in.
Hell of a Mess Trade Paperback
Hell of a Mess Kindle
Once a week Joblo.com posts Awesome Art We’ve Found Around the Net. As you can imagine, they post awesome art that they, well, you get the idea.
I always enjoy seeing what JoBlo has found because with each post they list the artist’s name and a link to more of his/her art. If you check it out you’ll discover amazing artists like Nate Gonzales who did the piece above.
Ivan Gene Lebell, martial artist, actor, stuntman, professional wrestler, and real life tough guy passed away in his sleep on August 9, 2002, at the age of 89.
Gene Lebell began training in wrestling and judo before the age of ten. After earning his black belt, Mr. Lebell went to Japan to further his training. When he returned to the US, he competed in the Amateur Athletic Union National Judo Championships, winning the heavyweight title at the age of 22. In 1963, Mr. Lebell agreed to fight a boxer who claimed he could beat any martial artist. Gene Lebell choked him out in the fourth round. Using his martial arts training it was easy for Gene Lebell to transition into professional wrestling where he often was used as an enforcer during big matches.
Gene Lebell’s reputation as a martial artist brought him to the attention of Hollywood where he got work as both a stuntman and actor. With over 250 stunt credits and over 150 acting credits on his resume, odds are you’ve seen Gene Lebell on television or feature films.
Television appearances include: The Jack Benny Program; The Munsters; Gomer Pyle; The Man from UNCLE; Mission Impossible; The Green Hornet; Batman; The Wild, Wild West; Mannix; The Rockford Files; Kung Fu; Kojak; The Six Million Dollar Man; Starsky & Hutch; Knight Rider; The Fall Guy; Walker, Texas Ranger; Married with Children; The X FIles; More Wild, Wild West and The Shield.
Feature Films include: Blacula; Walking Tall; Earthquake; The Towering Inferno; The Killer Elite; Rocky; Every Which Way But Loose; The Jerk; Raging Bull; Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid; City Heat; Remo Williams; Rush Hour; Runaway Train; Rocky IV; Die Hard 2; Marked for Death; The Last Boy Scout; Waterworld; Strange Days and Spider-Man 2.
There’s a famous story that when Gene Lebell was working on a Steven Seagall film, the star said that due to his martial arts training, no one could choke him out. Mr. Lebell took exception to the statement. Seagall allowed Gene Lebell’s to place him in a chokehold to prove his point. Steven Seagall not only lost consciousness but also control of his bowels. While Steven Seagall denies this ever happened, there are others who claimed to have been there and seen it happen.
Gene LeBell was a man’s man, a 10th degree Black Belt; and appeared in some of my all-time favorite movies and television shows.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.
