“Peacemaker”: Season 1 (2022) written by James Gunn, starring Jon Cena / Z-View

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Peacemaker: Season 1 (2022)

Created by: James Gunn;  based on characters from DC Comics

Director:  James Gunn (Eps. 1-3, 6, 8), Jody Hill (Ep. 4), Rosemary Rodriguez (Ep. 5); Brad Anderson (Ep. 7)

Teleplay by:  James Gunn

Starring:  John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Dee Bradley Baker, Chukwudi Iwuji, Elizabeth Faith Ludlow, Crystal Mudry, Elizabeth McCarthy Meek, Lenny Jacobson, Kevin O’Grady, Natalia Safran, Darryl Scheelar, Christopher Heyerdahl, Ryan Jefferson Booth and Robert Patrick.

Tagline: They Give Peace a Bad Name

The Plot… (beware of spoilers)

Chris Smith aka Peacemaker wants to be a hero for peace.  He doesn’t care how many people he has to kill to achieve it.  Smith is recruited to join Task Force X and is given a support team to assist with his missions.

When things go sideways, it appears there is a mole on the team.  But who?  When Vigilante and Judomaster show up, things get even crazier.  And that’s before Smith’s father who is prison attempts to sell out his son and the team.  Oh, and did I mention that there’s an alien invasion brewing?

Thoughts 

Peacemaker received one 2022 Primetime Emmy nomination for  Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Comedy Series or a Variety Program – Wayne Dalglish (stunt coordinator), Gaston Morrison (stunt coordinator)

James Gunn wrote all episodes on spec!

Each episodes features a post-credits scene.

The series takes place in Charlton County as an Easter Egg to fans.  Peacemaker was first published by Charlton Comics.

Peacemaker is a fun show… even more so for comic fans.  Bring on season 2.

RIP: Joe Don Baker

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It was announced today that Joe Don Baker died on May 7, 2025.  No cause of death was given.  Mr. Baker was 89.

Joe Don Baker was a high school standout in football and basketball.  He attended North Texas State College on a sports scholarship.  Mr. Baker graduated with a BA in Business Administration.  Joe Don Baker then served two years in the US Army.  After his enlistment, Mr. Baker moved to New York City to attend the Actors Studio.

Joe Don Baker began getting stage work as well as guest appearances on television shows.  Mr. Baker’s big break came when he played Buford Pusser in Walking Tall.  By this point, Joe Don Baker was alternating between feature films and television roles, but Walking Tall was the film that made him famous.

Some of the television projects that feature Joe Don Baker include: Honey West; Iron Horse; Judd for the Defense; The Felony Squad; Bonanza; Gunsmoke (2 episodes); The Big Valley; Mod Squad; Bracken’s World; Lancer (3 episodes); The F.B.I.; The Most Deadly Game; The High Chaparral; Mission Impossible; Welcome Home Soldier Boys; Ironside; That Certain Summer; Doc Elliott; The Streets of San Francisco; To Kill a Cop; Power; Eischied (13 episodes); Edge of Darkness (6 episodes); In the Heat of the Night (4 episodes); Citizen Cohen; The Wild West; Traps; The Siege at Ruby Ridge; George Wallace; Poodle Springs and The Cleaner.

Some of Joe Don Bakers’ feature film appearances include: Cool Hand Luke; Guns of the Magnificent Seven; Wild Rovers; Junior Bonner; The Valachi Papers; Walking Tall; Charley Varrick; The Outfit; The Natural; Fletch; The Living Daylights; Cape Fear; Reality Bites; Congo; Goldeneye; Mars Attacks!; Tomorrow Never Dies; Joe Dirt; The Commission; The Dukes of Hazzard and Mud.

It’s impossible for me to pinpoint when I first saw Joe Don Baker because he appeared in so many of the shows I watched as a kid.  I do remember how much buzz he got for starring as Buford Pusser in Walking Tall.  I always enjoyed seeing Joe Don Baker show up in a show or movie, because he made everything he was in better.

Out thoughts and prayers go out to Joe Don Baker’s family, friends and fans.

“Count the Hours” (1953) directed by Don Siegel, starring Teresa Wright & Macdonald Carey / Z-View

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Count the Hours (1953)

Director:  Don Siegel

Screenplay: Doane R. Hoag, Karen DeWolf; story by Doane R. Hoag

Stars: Teresa Wright, Macdonald Carey, Dolores Moran, Adele Mara, Edgar Barrier, Ralph Dumke and Jack Elam.

Tagline: Strange things happen in the night!

The Plot…

Late one night, Fred Morgan and his live-in housekeeper are killed during a home invasion/robbery.  The next morning the bodies are discovered and the police arrive.  George and Ellen Braden are the first to be questioned.

George and Ellen Braden live in a small house on the farm and assist with the chores.  George says they didn’t hear anything.  His wife says she heard gunshots and told George.  This makes the police suspicious. The couple are brought in for more questioning.  Sixteen hours later George says he’ll sign anything to get them to let up on his wife.

George is charged with the murder of Fred Morgan and his housekeeper.  Doug Madison is assigned to serve as George’s defense counsel.  Doug starts out believing George is guilty.  Slowly as Doug digs into the case, he changes his mind.  With all the evidence pointing to guilt and George’s life on the line, the clock is ticking.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Count the Hours is a low budget thriller made in just 9 days!

John Alton, the Director of Photography, was given a budget of $4,000.00 for all of the equipment for rigging (overhead lighting, cables, brackets, piping, etc.).  Alton told the Producer that if he was given a raise of $2,000.00 to his salary, he would do it without rigging.  The lack of traditional studio lighting greatly contributes to the film’s atmosphere.

Director Don Siegel’s sixth outing as a feature film director.  His excellent direction (along with John Alton’s lighting) help make this low budget thriller a winner.

Count the Hours (1953) rates 3 of 5 stars

“Brawl in Cell Block 99” (2017) written & directed by S. Craig Zahler, starring Vince Vaughn and Don Johnson / Z-View

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Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)

Director:  S. Craig Zahler

Screenplay: S. Craig Zahler

Stars: Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Carpenter, Don Johnson, Victor Almanzar, Willie C. Carpenter, Mustafa Shakir, Clark Johnson, Michael Medeiros, Jonathan Lee and Tom Guiry.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Bradley Thomas is a 6’5″ bruiser with an anger problem.  When Bradley is laid off and unable to get work, he turns to dealing drugs.  Things go well for a while.  Then Bradley’s boss gets a new partner named Eleazar.  When Bradley is sent on a delivery with two of Eleazar’s thugs, things go sideways.  After a shootout with the police, Bradley is arrested, tried and sentenced to seven years in a medium-security prison.

Eleazar reaches out to Bradley.  Eleazar threatens to kill Bradley unborn child unless Bradley kills another inmate.  The problem is the other inmate is in Redleaf, a maximum security prison reserved for the worst of the worst.

Bradley does what he must to get transferred to Redleaf.  Once there, Bradley is the target of Warden Tuggs and the guards.  Worse still, Bradley learns that Eleazar and his gang on inmates of the prison.  Bradley has been set up for execution.

With no options and only a desire to save his wife and unborn child, Bradley prepares for what comes next.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

If you only know Vince Vaughn from comedies, check out Brawl in Cell Block 99.  You’ll believe he’s a thug.  He put on 15 pounds of muscle working out for the role.

Don Johnson is excellent.

S. Craig Zahler wrote Brawl in Cell Block 99 before Bone Tomahawk.

Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017) rates 5 of 5 stars

“Bad Times at the El Royale” (2018) written/directed by Drew Goddard, starring Jeff Bridges, Cynthis Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman and Chris Hemsworth / Z-View

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Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

Director:  Drew Goddard

Screenplay: Drew Goddard

Stars: Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Mayo Methot, Jon Hamm, Chris Hemsworth, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman, Nick Offerman, Mark O’Brien, Charles Halford and Shea Whigham.

Tagline: Seven strangers. Seven secrets. All roads lead here.

The Plot…

1959.  The El Royale used to be THE place to stay.  Now it’s luster is gone.  Felix O’Kelly checks in and hides a bag of money under the floorboards of a room.  Not long after, O’Kelly’s partner shows up.

And kills O’Kelly.

Ten years pass.  The El Royale is a dump.

One night four strangers arrive separately and check into separate rooms.   The four are: a priest named Daniel Flynn, a singer named Darlene Sweet, a salesman named Laramie Seymour Sullivan and a free spirit who calls herself Emily Summerspring.  Some of the four are not as they appear.  Among them is an FBI agent on a mission for J. Edgar Hoover.  One is looking for the missing bag of money.  The night will also involve a kidnapping, a cult and murder(s).

This night will be full of bad times at the El Royale.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Bad Times at the El Royale is under-rated.  Kudos to writer/director Drew Goddard and his great cast.

Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) rates 4 of 5 stars

The Blood Brothers Mother by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso!

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The Blood Brothers Mother by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso is getting a hardcover treatment.  I bought the comics when they came out, but I’m still springing for this new edition.  The Blood Brothers Mother drops on July 22, 2025.

Here’s the lowdown followed by a few pages of preview art…

NEW GRAPHIC NOVEL DEBUT FROM THE TEAM BEHIND 100 BULLETS!

In the old West, three children set off across the wild Texas frontier to rescue their mother–kidnapped by ruthless outlaws who gunned down their preacher father. Throughout their journey, they’ll face the harsh elements of an unforgiving landscape, deadly animals hungry for blood, merciless bounty hunters, and so much more… all in a relentless quest to rescue their family.

They’ll learn the terrible cost of revenge―not just in lives, but in how it stains a soul. While revenge may be satisfying in the moment, it leaves a yearning behind that lasts a lifetime. And once you taste it, nothing else is ever so sweet.

In the tradition of The Searchers and Blood Meridian comes a brutal new western series from the Eisner award-winning team behind 100 BULLETS and MOONSHINE!

“The Eternaut”: Season 1 (2025) created, co-written & directed by Bruno Stagnaro; based on “The Eternaut” by Héctor Germán Oesterheld, Francisco Solano López / Z-View

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The Eternaut: Season 1 (2025)

Created by: Bruno Stagnaro, based on The Eternaut by Héctor Germán Oesterheld, Francisco Solano López

Director:  Bruno Stagnaro

Teleplay by: Bruno Stagnaro, Ariel Staltari, and Gabriel Stagnaro (Eps. 1-2, 6), Bruno Stagnaro and Ariel Staltari (Eps. 3, 5),  Bruno Stagnaro, Ariel Staltari, and Martín Wain (Ep. 4)

Starring: Ricardo Darín, Carla Peterson, César Troncoso, Andrea Pietra.

Tagline:  None

The Plot… (beware of spoilers)

One summer evening snow begins to fall.  Juan Salvo and some friends move to the window to check it out.  They’re shocked to see anyone outside suddenly drop dead as the snow touches them.  The snow falls though the night.  Juan rigs together a suit with gas mask so that he can venture out to search for his daughter.

As the days go on, it becomes clear that few have survived.  Many of those who did are just as dangerous as the snow.  Then they learn about the arriving aliens.   Juan and his friends will need to band together in order to live.

Thoughts 

The Eternaut is an Argentine television series created by Bruno Stagnaro.  It is based on the comic strip The Eternaut created by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and Francisco Solano López.  The strip ran from 1957 through 1959.  In 1977, Héctor Germán Oesterheld, along with his four daughters were taken into custody by Argentina’s last military dictatorship. Oesterheld’s writings against the military junta made him a target.  He and his daughters were never seen in public again.

I liked the pacing of season one.

Bring on season 2!

 

“Dark Winds” Season 3 (2025) starring Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, Jessica Matten, Deanna Allison and A. Martinez / Z-View

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Dark Winds Season 3 (2025)

Created by: Graham Roland

Director:  Chris Eyre (Eps 1, 4, 8), Michael Nankin (Eps 2, 3), Billy Luther (Ep. 5); Erica Tremblay (Ep. 6); Steven Paul Judd (Ep. 7)

Teleplay by:  John Wirth & Steven Paul Judd (Eps. 1, 5, 8), Rhiana Yazzie (Ep. 2),  Max Hurwitz & Billy Luther (Eps. 3, 6), Thomas Brady & Erica Tremblay (Eps. 4, 7) // Based on the Leaphorn & Chee novels by Tony Hillerman

Starring:  Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, Jessica Matten, Deanna Allison, A Martinez, Tonantzin Carmelo, Alex Meraz, Derek Hinkey, Terry Serpico, Jenna Elfman, Flora Amanda, Raoul Max Trujillo, Christopher Heyerdahl, Carly Roland, Joseph Runningfox, Bodhi Okuma Linton, Robert Knepper, Ryan Begay, Bruce Greenwood and Jeri Ryan.

Tagline:  None

The Plot… (beware of spoilers)

Sheriff Joe Leaphorn (McClarnon) and his deputy Jim Chee (Gordon) are trying to locate a missing Navajo boy.  Leaphorn and Chee learn the missing boy witnessed a murder.  The killer is on the kid’s trail as well.  Matters are complicated when FBI agent Sylvia Washington shows up to investigate a murder case.  Joe Leaphorn is her main suspect.  Leaphorn’s marriage begins to fall apart when Special Agent Washington informs Leaphorn’s wife that her husband may be a murderer.  

Bernadette Manuelito is settling in to her new job as a border patrol cop.  Any job is hard when you’re the rookie. Manuelito is put into a tough situation when she discovers that an influential, rich landowner may be involved with drug running.  Advised to back off, she digs deeper.  Learning that at least one person in her department is on the take, Manuelito doesn’t know who to trust.  Her time is running out, since she’s now a target of a former CIA assassin.

Thoughts 

Dark Winds: Season 3 builds on the actions Joe Leaphorn took in season 2.  It’s not often we see the ramifications of a character impacting others.  The relationship between Joe and Emma seems real.

I liked the dual mysteries presented this season.

Dark Winds provides the best creep/scary villains.  Raoul Max Trujillo as Budge Baca continues the tradition.

Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, Jessica Matten and Deanna Allison have real chemistry.  I look forward to Season 4.

“Marked Woman” (1937) starring Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart / Z-View

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Marked Woman (1937)

Director:  Lloyd Bacon, Michael Curtiz (uncredited)

Screenplay: Robert Rossen, Abem Finkel, Seton I. Miller (uncredited)

Stars: Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Isabel Jewell, Mayo Methot, Eduardo Ciannelli, Raymond Hatton, William B. Davidson, Kenneth Harlan, Robert Strange and Allen Jenkins.

Tagline: A Star Teaming You’ll Never Forget!

The Plot…

Johnny Vanning (Ciannelli) controls all the rackets.  Vanning owns all the city’s hot spots. If  you want a night out with booze, gambling and women, Vanning will be getting a kickback.  Vanning’s latest purchase is a night club he names Club Intimate.  Before the club reopens Vanning meets with the “hostesses” – Mary, Gabby, Emmy Lou, Florrie, and Estelle.  Vanning makes it clear he expects the girls to push the booze, encourage the gambling and give the men whatever they want.

Mary (Davis) doesn’t like the new direction or Vanning.  She needs the money though, since she’s putting her kid sister through college.  One of Mary’s dates drinks waay to much (and orders drinks for the group). He then tops it off by losing big time at the craps table.  At the end of the evening he writes a check for his loses and the booze.

On the way to dropping Mary off, the man laughs, telling her the check will bounce and he’s had a great time.  Mary is shocked.  This rube thinks he’ll catch a plane back home and all will be forgotten.  Mary makes it clear that Vanning has killed for a lot less.  The man’s only hope is to leave right away.  He agrees.

The next morning, the police show up at Mary’s door.  Her “date” was found murdered.  David Graham (Bogart), the District Attorney, knows that Mary could be the witness that finally brings down Vanning.  Mary knows how Vanning deals with snitches.  Plus there’s her sister she needs to worry about.

Mary’s in a tough spot and it’s about to get worse.

 

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

For a hospital scene, Bette Davis’ character is to have been badly beaten.  Her face is bruises and her head bandaged.  The make-up department didn’t want to obscure Davis’ face. So few bandages were used.  When the crew broke for lunch, Bette Davis went to her personal doctor. She described the damage her character was to have.  The doc then put on appropriate coverings.  When Davis returned to the lot, the gate guard saw her and phoned Hal B. Wallis (the film’s executive producer) to say Miss Davis had been in an accident.

Although married, Humphrey Bogart fell in love with  Mayo Methot during filming.  Once Bogart divorced his second wife, he married Methot.  That marriage lasted until 1945 when he fell in love with Lauren Bacall during filming of To Have and Have Not.

Michael Curtiz filmed some scenes when director Lloyd Bacon was on his honeymoon.

Bette Davis shines in this role.

Marked Woman (1937) rates 3 of 5 stars