“Red Eye”: Season 1 (2024) starring Jing Lusi & Richard Armitage / Z-View

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Red Eye (2024)

Created by: Peter A Dowling

Directed by:

  • Kieron Hawkes (eps. 1-6)

Teleplay by:

  • Peter A Dowling (eps. 1-3; 5-6)
  • Jingan Young (ep. 4)

Stars: Jing Lusi, Richard Armitage, Lesley Sharp, Jemma Moore, Dan Li, Thomas Chaanhing and Robert Gilbert.

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

Dr. Matthew Nolan and colleagues have been at a medical conference in Beijing.  On their last night there, Nolan meets an attractive woman named Shen Zhào.  They end up in a nightclub and from there Nolan’s memory gets hazy.

He knows he was in an altercation.  He has a stab wound to prove it.  Nolan remembers escaping and not much else.  He’s glad to arrive back in England after an all-night flight back.  His joy is shortlived.  Nolan is detained and told he must return to Beijing where he will stand trial for the murder of Shen Zhào.  To make matters worse, his colleagues must also return.

MI5 Director-General Madeline Delaney reluctantly agrees to allow Nolan’s extradition, despite his claim of innocence.  Agent Hana Li is assigned to escort Nolan back.  Nolan is adamant in his claims that he has been set up and he didn’t kill anyone.

When it becomes clear that someone on the plane is planing to murder Nolan before they arrive, Agent Li finds herself wondering who she can trust.

Trapped on a plane heading to Beijing, the bodies begin to pile up.  Odds are Nolan and Agent Li will be dead before the plane lands.

Buckle your seatbelts we’re in for a bumpy ride.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)… 

Red Eye ramps up the tension with each passing episode.  Trust no one.

Red Eye (2024) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“First Shift” (2024) written & directed by Uwe Boll / Z-View

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First Shift (2024)

Director: Uwe Boll

Screenplay: Uwe Boll

Stars: Gino Anthony Pesi, Kristen Renton, Garry Pastore, Brandi Bravo, Daniel Sauli, Aaron Berg, Onye Eme-Akwari, Tom Ukah, Cate Bottiglione, Tamara Della Anderson and Willie C. Carpenter.

Tagline:  Day One, Duty Calls

The Plot…

 A hard-nosed NYPD cop is teamed with a new fresh-faced recruit from Atlanta.  They have different styles, but unless they can come together as a team, they won’t survive day one.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)… 

Gino Anthony Pesi and Kristen Renton have enough on-screen chemistry to make this one watchable… if you can’t find something better.

First Shift (2024) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Monster: The Ed Gein Story” (2025) starring Charlie Hunnam and Laurie Metcalf / Z-View

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Monster: The Ed Gein Story (2025)

Created by: Ian Brennan

Directed by:

  • Max Winkler (eps. 1-3; 6-8)
  • Ian Brennan (eps. 4-5)

Teleplay by:

  • (eps. 1-8) Ian Brennan

Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Suzanna Son, Vicky Krieps, Laurie Metcalf, Tom Hollander.

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

Ed Gein was a murderer and grave robber.  In 1957, when a sheriff’s deputy, following up on a missing person’s case went to Gein’s farm he discovered the missing woman’s decapitated body in a shed.  The partial corpse was hung upside down and mutilated.  In Gein’s house some of what authorities found included:

  • Whole human bones and fragments
  • A wastebasket made of human skin
  • Human skin covering several chairs
  • Human skulls mounted on bedposts
  • Bowls made from human skulls
  • A corset made from a female torso skinned from shoulders to waist
  • Leggings made from human leg skin
  • Masks made from the skin of female heads
  • A victim’s face made into a mask in a paper bag
  • A victim’s entire head in a burlap sack
  • A victim’s heart in a plastic bag
  • A belt made from female human nipples
  • A pair of lips on a window shade drawstring
  • A lampshade made from the skin of a human face
  • more

Gein was determined to be mentally incompetent to stand trial.  He was sentenced to a State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, where he lived until his death in 1984.  Ed Gein’s murders and depravity inspired the novel (and later movie) Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and more.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)… 

Charlie Hunnam is almost unrecognizable as Ed Gein.  Kudos to him for taking on such a challenging role.  Laurie Metcalf is perfect as Gein’s mother.

I wish Monster: The Ed Gein Story stuck closer to actual events.  Liberties are taken that I feel weaken the story.  For example, Gein never had a love interest.  Gein never chased down and killed lost hunters with a chain saw.  Gein never had contact with Christine Jorgensen, an American actress famous for being known as the first transexual widely known in the United States.

Because of these fictional additions, it makes me question things when other real life personalitites, like Anthony Perkins and Alfred Hitchcock show up.  I realize Monster: The Ed Gein Story isn’t a documentary.  But it is supposed to be Gein’s story and that was creepy enough.

Monster: The Ed Gein Story (2025) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“40 Acres” (2024) directed by R.T. Thorne, starring Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Greyeyes & Kataem O’Connor / Z-View

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40 Acres (2024)

Director: R. T. Thorne

Screenplay: R. T. Thorne, Glenn Taylor, Lora Campbell

Stars: Danielle Deadwyler, Kataem O’Connor, Michael Greyeyes, Tyrone Benskin, Mimi Côté, Patrick Garrow, John Tench, Derek Barnes and Elizabeth Saunders.

Tagline: Get off our land.

The Plot…

In a post-apocalyptic future Hailey Freeman’s family struggles to survive.  They have become self-sufficient by farming and hunting on a remote piece of land.  There are a few other small groups who have created farms or outposts as well.  They stay in contact using shortwave radios.  When a couple of the groups fail to respond, it is learned that a gang of cannibals are killing everyone in the communities.  They feast, steal what they can and move on.

The cannibal tribe is now heading towards the Freeman farm.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)… 

40 Acres was written by R. T. Thorne, Glenn Taylor, Lora Campbell in the screenwriting debut.  It also marks R.T. Thorne’s directoral debut.

Danielle Deadwyler is a force to be reckoned with!

40 Acres deserves a wider-audience.

40 Acres (2024) rates 5 of 5 stars.

Rocky Balboa by Rich Hennemann!

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Rich Hennemann is an amazing freelance artist. A few years ago I picked up his sketchbook and a sketch and I was hooked. Since then I’ve gotten several sketches from Rich.

Rich’s riff on Rocky Balboa is one of the first pieces I got from him.   There will be more art from Rich Hennemann art in my future.  If you’re a sketch collector, you owe it to yourself to get a piece as well.

FIVE GEARS IN REVERSE by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips!

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Crime fiction fans will be excited to learn that Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have a new CRIMINAL graphic novel coming out on June 23, 2026.  It’s titled FIVE GEARS IN REVERSE: A CRIMINAL BOOK.  Here’s the scoop…

A brand new CRIMINAL graphic novel featuring the legendary RICKY LAWLESS and the crazy tale of how he and MALLORY fell in love in the midst of a crime spree.

In one of the wildest, most action-packed books that Brubaker and Phillips have ever done, we delve deep into the life of one of CRIMINAL‘s most complex and tragic characters, Ricky Lawless as he tries to pay off a deep debt to a mobster, while things just keep going from bad to worse.

FIVE GEARS IN REVERSE will have long-time CRIMINAL fans cheering the return of RICKY LAWLESS and new readers will find it a perfect jumping-on-point for the greatest crime comic series of the 21st century.

“Brubaker and Phillips don’t hit a wrong note.” – Shane Black

Pre-orders are available now.

“Among Those Present” (1921) starring Harold Lloyd / Z-View

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Among Those Present (1921)

Director: Fred C. Newmeyer

Screenplay: Hal Roach, Sam Taylor, H. M. Walker

Stars: Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Aggie Herring, James T. Kelley and William Gillespie.

Tagline: A triple barreled comedy shot with laughter.

The Plot…

The O’Brien family are newly rich.  Although Mrs. O’Brien wants to be accepted among society’s elite, her husband and daughter could care less.  In an effort to rub elbows (and hopefully make new friends) Mrs. O’Brien hires a “society pilot” to guide her.  He says she should host a fox hunt.  She invites all the wealthy society elite.

When Mrs. O’Brien learns that Lord Abernathy is in town, she orders the “society pilot” to get him to the party.  Unable to get Lord Abernathy to come, the pilot resorts to hiring a hotel bellboy to impersonate the Lord.  The bellboy is way out of his comfort zone.

Sound the horn.  Start the hunt!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)… 

Two years after the release of Among Those Present, Harold Lloyd and Mildred Davis were married.  The union lasted until her death in 1969.

Among Those Present (1921) rates 3 of 5 stars.

ROCKY: THE COMPLETE FILMS by Sylvester Stallone!

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Sly Stallone and Rocky fans are going to love ROCKY. THE COMPLETE FILMS by Sylvester Stallone and  editor, Paul Duncan.  This 9.84″ x 13.39″ hardback will clock in at 320 pages.

Here’s the lowdown…

Rocky Balboa is the Philadelphian icon who took on the world and won. The original “Italian Stallion,” the gutsy fighter who rose above the odds to boxing glory, and a rags-to-riches legend in the business of making movies.

Ever since Sylvester Stallone unleashed his impassioned title character in 1976, the resilient fighter has earned his place in history as a symbol of tenacity and courage and a legend of cinematic success.

The story of Rocky the movie is as exciting as that of its eponymous boxer. Shot on a tight budget, with the virtually unknown Stallone writing the script as well as taking on the lead role, it became a surprise overnight sensation, generating millions in box-office revenues, notching up three Oscar wins, and transforming Stallone into a global star as an actor, writer, and director.

The Rocky phenomenon developed into a franchise of six films, including Rocky Balboa in 2006. In collaboration with Sylvester Stallone and MGM, this tome brings you all the guts and all the glory of the complete Rocky story.

Copious images, including many on-set pictures from famed sports photographer Neil Leifer, come together with precious archival material from the Academy Library and MGM archive to reveal the making of an enduring action hero as much as a movie masterpiece.

A foreword by Stallone and vintage interviews over the course of his career bring insight into the development of the hero and the franchise, as well as privileged access to the tenacity, spirit, and passion that characterized Rocky behind the scenes as much as on screen.

ROCKY, ROCKY BALBOA, and all related ROCKY Trademarks, Logos and Materials © 1976–2025 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

ROCKY. THE COMPLETE FILMS drops on February 9, 2026.  Pre-orders are available now.