“Hotel Artemis” (2018) / Z-View

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Hotel Artemis  (2018)

Director: Drew Pearce

Writers: Drew Pearce

Starring: Jodie Foster, Sofia Boutella, Dave Bautista, Sterling K. Brown, Jeff Goldblum, Brian Tyree Henry and Zachary Quinto.

Tagline: Los Angeles 2028. A secret hospital for criminals with three simple rules: No guns. No cops. No killing the other patients.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The tagline for Hotel Artemis perfectly sets up the story.  In the near future LA is a war zone.  Riots are raging.  Brothers Sherman (Brown) and Lev (Henry) use the riots to provide cover for their bank robbery.  Things go sideways and Lev is shot.  Cops are killed.  The brothers make a getaway and head for the Hotel Artemis.

The Hotel Artemis would easily fit in the John Wick Universe.  It’s like the Continental, but instead of being a hotel, it is actually a secret hospital for criminals who have membership.  All guests, prior to entry, must give up their weapons and receive a code name.  The Hotel Artemis is run by an older nurse (Foster) who is a stickler for the rules.  She’s assisted by Everest (Bautista) and they make a great team.

When Sherman and Lev arrive, there are two other “guests” at the hotel.  One is there on a secret mission to commit murder.  To complicate matters, Sherman learns that in their heist Lev stole diamonds belonging to  Orian “The Wolf King” Franklin (Goldblum) and he is now in route to the hotel!

I’m surprised that Hotel Artemis didn’t do better at the box office.  The characters are well written, it has a great cast, seems like a natural for the John Wick crowd and has a great mix of action, drama and comedy.  Getting Jodie Foster to play the Nurse was a win.  She’s great.  Sterling K. Brown is also a standout.  I’d love to see him in another action or heist film.  Dave Bautista is perfect as Everest, the nursing assistant who takes his job very seriously.  The camera loves Sofia Boutella (who can blame it?) and she’s believable when the action gets rough.

Hotel Artemis is a movie that I will enjoy revisiting because it’s so much fun.  It easily rates 4 of 5 stars.

RIP: Ron Galella

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Ron Galella, one of the world’s most famous photographers, died on April 30, 2022, as a result of congestive heart failure.  Mr. Galella was 91.

Ron Galella was an Air Force photographer in the early 1950s.  After leaving the Air Force, Mr. Galella received a degree in photojournalism from the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles.  Ron Galella always enjoyed snapping photos of celebrities and would often find a market for those pictures at publications like The National Enquirer or in movie magazines.  As Mr. Galella’s photos became more in demand, he began selling to better publications such as Time, The New York Times, Vogue, Vanity Fair and many, many others.

Ron Galella become one of the first and best known paparazzi.  Mr. Galella’s style was to take candid photos of celebrities by approaching them at very close range.  Often he would hide or surprise the celebrities, catching them off-guard.  Several celebs took exception to Ron Galella’s methods:

  • Jackie Onassis won a restraining order that Mr. Galella couldn’t get within 25 feet of her. (Mrs. Onassis also ordered her bodyguards to smash his camera!)
  • Marlon Brando broke Ron Galella’s jaw and knocked out 5 of his teeth!  Mr. Galella sued and won $40,000.  The next time Mr. Galella approached Marlon Brando for photos,  Galella wore a football helmet!
  • Richard Burton’s bodyguards badly beat Ron Galella.  Mr. Galella unsuccessfully sued Mr. Burton.
  • Ron Galella was spit on and punched (Sean Penn), had his tires slashed (Elvis’ bodyguards), was sprayed with a hose (Bridget Bardot’s security) and more.

The negative publicity created a greater demand for Ron Galella’s photos.  His run-ins with celebrities continually made news.  Remember, these events took place when most celebrity photos were planned shots used to put the celeb in the best light and promote their latest movie, book or show. Ron Galella’s photos were to show celebs in in a light that they couldn’t control.

Ultimately Ron Galella had several books dedicated to his pictures, and his photos have been shown in museums!

Ron Galella became a celebrity because of his photos of celebrities.  He also inspired a generation of photographers in an era where there was no internet or TMZ.   Mr. Galella really leaned into his bad-boy image and it helped make him famous. Still, it is important to remember that if his photos were terrible, none of that other stuff would have mattered.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ron Galella’s family, friends and fans.

“Wait Until Dark” (1967) / Z-View

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Wait Until Dark (1967)

Director:  Terence Young

Writers:  Robert Carrington (screenplay), Jane-Howard Hammerstein (screenplay), based on the play by Frederick Knott

Starring:  Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Jack Weston and Samantha Jones.

Tagline:  The blinds moving up and down. . .the squeaking shoes. . .and then the knife whistling past her ear. . .

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Mike Talman (Crenna) and Carlino (Weston) are small-time crooks waiting for their partner, Lisa (Jones).  Instead they are greeted by the very creepy Harry Roat (Arkin).  Roat explains that Lisa secretly passed the heroin she was bringing them to a a man she met on the plane.  The man, Sam Hendrix, wasn’t aware the object he was asked to hold contained heroin.  The unknown object is somewhere in Hendrix’s apartment.  Roat wants to hire Talman and Carlino to help him find the drugs.

Talman and Carlino aren’t interested, until they learn that Roat killed Lisa and has set-up them up to take the fall.  If they help Roat find the drugs, he’ll help them dispose of Lisa’s body and the evidence against them.  Talman and Carlino reluctantly agree.

The plan involves getting into Sam Hendrix’s apartment.  Sam’s blind wife, Susy (Hepburn) will be home alone.  To get in, Talman will play an old friend of Sam’s.  Carlino will play a cop and Roat will play a couple of different roles.  Roat believes that since Susy is blind, conning her will be easy. If it comes to killing her, even easier.  Way too late Talman and Carlino learn that they’ve partnered with a sadistic sociopath.  Even if they find the heroin will Roat kill Susy… and them?

I was fortunate to see Wait Until Dark during its original release.  It made a huge impact on me.  Over the years I’ve watched Wait Until Dark repeatedly and it still holds up. 

If you only know Alan Arkin for his comedies, you’re in for a treat.  Arkin plays one of the creepiest killers ever to show up in a thriller.  Richard Crenna is excellent as the ex-cop turned criminal who still retains a certain sense of decency.  Jack Weston is surprisingly believable as Crenna’s tough crime partner.  This is my favorite Audrey Hepburn film.  She smart, strong and vulnerable.  Credit should also be given to director Terrence Young.  If you only know Young as the director of big-budget 007 films like Thunderball, Dr. No and From Russia with Love, you might be surprised at how well he adapts a play with just five main characters. 

Wait Until Dark is a film I like to share with others.  Most haven’t seen it and end up being surprised at how good Wait Until Dark is.  If you fall into the “haven’t seen it” category, you might want to give it a go.  And don’t blame me if during a couple of scenes you let out a scream.  I still do.

Wait Until Dark earns 5 of 5 stars.        

Force of Nature (2020) / Z-View

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Force of Nature  (2020)

Director:  Michael Polish

Writers:  Cory M. Miller

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Mel Gibson, David Zayas and Kate Bosworth.

Tagline:  When the Perfect Crime Meets the Perfect Storm

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Two young cops (Hirsch and Bosworth) are sent to evacuate some older folks who refuse to leave their condo before a hurricane hits.  As the cops try to convince the folks to leave, an armed group of thieves attack and plan to leave no witnesses.

Force of Nature is entertaining to a point.  It could have been so much better.  Gibson and Zayas are standouts. Two poorly executed scenes and the ending lowered my rating.  So Force of Nature gets 2 of 5 stars.

Rambo by Casey Edwards!

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Casey Edwards did the Rambo drawings above.  You can see larger versions of the drawings by clicking on the pic above.  Better yet swing over to Casey Edwards’ Instagram and check out all of his cool art.  Here’s what he had to say about the pieces…

“Live for nothing or die for something”
Put this on the list of “things I never thought I would draw for any official capacity!”
– art for @roguecompanygame x @rambomovie

*special thanks to Nate Rose and Stu Harrington on painting assists!

Thanks to @officialslystallone for well…everything.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Casey Edwards (@basicnoir)

“Here Come the Marines”  (1952) / Z-View

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Here Come the Marines  (1952)

Director:  William Beaudine

Writers:  Tim Ryan, Charles R. Marion, Jack Crutcher

Starring: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Hanley Stafford and Bernard Gorcey.

Tagline: THEY’RE LOADED FOR LAUGHS…WITH BOMBS AND BLONDES!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When Satch is drafted, the rest of the gang joins the marines too.  While on a training march, the boys discover the body of a dead marine.  The only clue is a playing card that leads to an illegal gambling house.  Mobsters are running the place.  Further investigation shows the games are rigged to cheat soldiers out of their pay and the mobsters did kill the soldier.  Have no fear Satch, Slip and the gang are on the case.

Here Come the Marines rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Day of the Dead” (1985) / Z-View

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Day of the Dead  (1985)

Director: George A. Romero

Writers:  George A. Romero

Starring: Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Joseph Pilato, Sherman Howard and Gary Howard Klar.

Tagline: First there was “Night of the Living Dead” then “Dawn of the Dead” and now the darkest day of horror the world has ever known.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The zombie apocalypse is well under way.  A small group of soldiers, scientists and civilians have found safety in an underground military bunker.  Isolation and increasing hordes of zombies are wearing on the groups’ nerves/sanity.  When the group learns that one of their scientists has been using soldiers in experiments, the breaking point is reached. The living become as dangerous as the dead.  Will anyone survive?

Day of the Dead was George Romero’s favorite of his “…of the Dead” movies.  I wish I could say the same.  I prefer my zombies as unthinking killing machines.  In Day of the Dead, not only are the zombies learning but one uses a gun!  I also didn’t care for any of the living characters.  Still, it is a Romero zombie film and even if I don’t prefer his vision, I respect it.

Day of the Dead gets 2 of 5 stars.

“White Men Can’t Jump” by Eddie Holly

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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 enjoy seeing what JoBlo finds because they list the artist’s name and a link to more of his/her art.  Click the links and you’ll discover amazing artists like Eddie Holly, who did the White Men Can’t Jump piece above.

Fighting Fools (1949) / Z-View

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Fighting Fools (1949)

Director:  Reginald Le Borg

Writers:  Bert Lawrence, Gerald Schnitzer, Edmond Seward

Starring: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall and Bernard Gorcey.

Tagline:  None,

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Frankie Darro was a one-time boxing challenger for the title.  Now he’s a drunk.  When Darro’s brother is killed is killed in the ring, Slip (Gorcey), Satch (Hall) and the boys help Darro get back in fighting shape to once again challenge for the title and avenge his brother’s death.  Along the way, the boys learn that mobsters are behind Darro’s brothers death and so they work to take the gangsters down.

In Fighting Fools we get more drama than usual in a Bowery Boys movie.  It feels out of place to see alcoholism and death in one of their comedies, but they gloss over the issues so quickly the scenes seem out of place.  I have a strange affection for Bowery Boys movies, perhaps because I watched them often when I was a child at my grandparent’s house.  Most are OK at best, but I still enjoy them.  Keep this in mind when you consider watching.

Fighting Fools rates 2 of 5 stars.

SAFE AND SOUND by J.D. Rhoades / Z-View

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Safe and Sound by J.D. Rhoades

Hardcover: ‎ 288 pages
Publisher: ‎ Minotaur Books; First Edition (July 10, 2007)

First sentence…

“You’re lucky one way, you know,” the man said.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Jack Keller is in his girlfriend Marie’s office as she is talking to a potential client.  A young girl is missing and presumed to be kidnapped by her divorced father who happens to be AWOL from the Special Forces.  When the client learns that Keller is also former military she asks Marie to bring him on to assist.  Marie and Keller reluctantly agree.  Soon enough Keller and Marie find themselves at odds with a group of AWOL Special Forces soldiers, the FBI and a sadistic mercenary named DeGroot who is putting together a team of his own.  Keller has no idea what they’re all after but knows that even if he figures it out, all his training may not be enough to keep Marie and her son alive.

J.D. Rhoades has created a fast paced action thriller.  A hero is only as good as the villain he is up against and DeGroot is one of the best (meaning he is one of the worst).  Safe and Sound rates 4 of 5 stars.

Safe and Sound Hardcover

Safe and Sound Kindle

Safe and Sound Mass Market Paperback

Rating:

RIP: Neal Adams

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Neal Adams died yesterday as result of a sepsis infection.  Mr. Adams was 80.

These days the word “legend” is used pretty loosely, but Neal Adams is a true legend in the comic book field.  He is known for both his art and his passion for creator’s rights.  

Neal Adams is best known for his Batman comics with Denny O’Neil and his Green Lantern/Green Arrow run, again with Denny O’Neil.  Often Neal Adams was asked to draw covers for comics that didn’t have his art inside.  A Neal Adams’ cover alone could increase sales.

Neal Adams opened Continuity Studios which took on comic and commercial art assignments.  Neal Adams’ art appeared in magazines, movie posters, book covers and more.

Neal Adams is in the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame (1998), the Harvey Awards’ Jack Kirby Hall of Fame (1999) and the Inkwell Awards Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame (2019).  

Neal Adams’ RIP write-up is one of the toughest I’ve written.  Neal Adams was a huge part of my childhood.  When I think Neal Adams, I think of his take on Batman, Superman and Conan.  I think about the many times I saw Neal Adams at conventions.  He was always smiling.  If I had the talent of Neal Adams, I’d always be smiling too.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Neal Adams’ family, friends and fans.

“Death on the Nile” (2020) / Z-View

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Death on the Nile (2020)

Director:  Kenneth Branagh

Writers:  Michael Green (screenplay) based on the novel by Agatha Christie

Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Armie Hammer, Gal Gadot, Ali Fazal, Dawn French, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders and Leticia Wright.

Tagline:  The Funk don’t Quit.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Death on the Nile is a throwback film, and it should be since it is based on the Agatha Christie classic novel.  While traveling down the Nile in a huge riverboat, a newlywed bride is murdered.  Who would want to kill her is a mystery.   Other than the boat employees the only people on board are invited members of the wedding party.  Hercule Poirot will sort through the few clues and use his superior powers of deduction to bring the guests together in a locked room and identify the killer!

Branagh is excellent as Hercule Poirot.  He is supported by a wonderful cast.  Standouts include Gal Godot, Emma Mackey, Leticia Wright and Sophie Okonedo.  It’s fun to play along and try to come up with the murderer before Poirot announces him/her.  If you’ve read the book, be aware that there are some changes.  I also enjoyed that Death on the Nile shows Poirot before he became a detective and why he wears such an unusual mustache.

Death on the Nile was a fun trip and rates 3 of 5 stars.

Death on the Nile Blu-ray
Death on the Nile DVD
Death on the Nile 4K
Death on the Nile Prime Video

“Get on Up” (2014) / Z-View

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Get on Up  (2014)

Director:  Tate Taylor

Writers: Jez Butterworth (screenplay),  John-Henry Butterworth (screenplay), Steven Baigelman (story)

Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Nelsan Ellis, Dan Aykroyd, Viola Davis, Lennie James, Craig Robinson and Octavia Spencer.

Tagline:  The Funk don’t Quit.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The life story of The Godfather of Soul, James Brown.  If all you know is his music, this biopic will take you from Brown’s very humble beginnings in a broken home with parents that didn’t want him to being one of the best known performers in the world.   Along the way we get hints of both the genius and the self-destructive tendencies of James Brown.

Chadwick Bosman becomes James Brown — you forget he’s acting.  Special mention for Viola Davis, Lennie James and Octavia Spencer whose impact is felt long after they are off screen.  James Brown’s music is always a plus!  Get on Up was a fun ride and rates 4 of 5 stars.  

“Jurassic World Dominion” – The Poster and Second Trailer are Here!

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Jurassic World Dominion – The poster and second trailer look great.  I’ll need to see this on the big-screen!

This summer, experience the epic conclusion to the Jurassic era as two generations unite for the first time. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are joined by Oscar®-winner Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill in Jurassic World Dominion, a bold, timely and breathtaking new adventure that spans the globe.

From Jurassic World architect and director Colin Trevorrow, Dominion takes place four years after Isla Nublar has been destroyed. Dinosaurs now live—and hunt—alongside humans all over the world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine, once and for all, whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history’s most fearsome creatures.

Jurassic World Dominion, from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, propels the more than $5 billion franchise into daring, uncharted territory, featuring never-seen dinosaurs, breakneck action and astonishing new visual effects.

The film features new cast members DeWanda Wise (She’s Gotta Have It), Emmy nominee Mamoudou Athie (Archive 81), Dichen Lachman (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Scott Haze (Minari) and Campbell Scott (The Amazing Spider-Man 2). The film’s returning cast includes BD Wong as Dr. Henry Wu, Justice Smith as Franklin Webb, Daniella Pineda as Dr. Zia Rodriguez and Omar Sy as Barry Sembenè.

Jurassic World Dominion is directed by Colin Trevorrow, who steered 2015’s Jurassic World to a record-shattering $1.7 billion global box office. The screenplay is by Emily Carmichael (Battle at Big Rock) & Colin Trevorrow from a story by Derek Connolly (Jurassic World) & Trevorrow, based on characters created by Michael Crichton. Jurassic World Dominion is produced by acclaimed franchise producers Frank Marshall p.g.a. and Patrick Crowley p.g.a. and is executive produced by legendary, Oscar®-winning franchise creator Steven Spielberg, Alexandra Derbyshire and Colin Trevorrow.

Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment present, in association with Perfect World Pictures, a Colin Trevorrow film. jurassicworld.com