Bernie Wrightson’s “Angry” Superman!
Yesterday’s Bernie Wrightson Superman post got a lot of love on the message board and a request to see his angry Superman. So here it is!
“Welcome to Sudden Death” / Z-View
Welcome to Sudden Death (2020)
Director: Dallas Jackson
Screenplay: Dallas Jackson, Gene Quintano
Starring: Michael Jai White, Michael Eklund and Gary Owen.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
The biggest problem with Welcome to Sudden Death was the marketing. No, really. Hear me out.
Welcome to Sudden Death was advertised as an action-packed remake of the Jean Claude Van Damme movie, Sudden Death. And it is, but… and this is a big but… the reboot is a comedy with action. Folks went into the Michael Jai White version thinking that they were getting a straight up serious action movie. They didn’t and they were rightly disappointed. If Welcome to Sudden Death had been sold as a comedy/action film then audiences wouldn’t have judged it so harshly. Sure, they may have felt it wasn’t funny enough or the mix of action/comedy wasn’t right, but they would have gone in with different expectations.
I had read that the original Sudden Death was supposed to be more of a comedy, but that aspect was toned down when JCVD came on. Welcome to Sudden Death was going to play up the yuks along with the action, I was interested.
While Welcome to Sudden Death isn’t the funniest movie or the best action film you’ll ever see. If you go in knowing that, you shouldn’t be disappointed. The tone is less serious than the original, but not as far out as say, The Naked Gun. Michael Jai White does a good job as the hero. I loved Gary Owen as the reluctant sidekick. The bad guys are over the top, the plot is what you’d expect, but if you want a few laughs and to see Michael Jai White kick butt, then I say, Welcome to Sudden Death.
I liked Welcome to Sudden Death as well if not better than the JCVD original I rate it 3 of 5 stars.
Rare Bernie Wrightson Superman Art!
Bernie Wrightson is best known for his horror art – Frankenstein, Swamp Thing, werewolves, witches and more. Truth be told, Bernie Wrightson could draw anything because of his immense talent. Look at Wrightson’s take on Superman! Bernie Wrightson was a wonderful human being who left us far too soon.
Blood Stained Teeth by Christian Ward, Patrick Reynolds and Heather Moore is Coming!
Blood Stained Teeth is a new ongoing comic series by Christian Ward (writer), Patrick Reynolds (artist) and Heather Moore (colorist). Launching on April 27th from Image Comics, Blood Stained Teeth…
…follows Atticus Sloane—misanthrope, criminal, ass****, and vampire—who lives in a world where blood isn’t the only thing vamps crave. And for the right price, he’ll make you a vampire too. After all, immortality isn’t cheap.
The idea for Blood Stained Teeth is a new spin on vampires and I like it. The preview ad above and preview art below has me sold. If you’re on board as well be sure to let your local comic shop know to order you a copy. If you’d like to read more about the series and see more preview art, you can at AIPT.
RIP: Louie Anderson
Louie Anderson, born Louis Perry Anderson, died today at the age of 68, from blood cancer. Louie was a stand-up comedian, actor, author and game show host.
Louie Anderson began his career as a stand-up comedian but soon began making appearances with small roles in movies. A comedy special led to more acting roles, his own animated television show (Life with Louie which ran for three seasons and won two Emmys) and a live action series (The Louie Show). Louie continued to act on television, in feature films, as well as doing stand-up comedy and game show hosting throughout his career. Along the way he found time to author four books!
Louie Anderson was such a likeable person that his appearances on talk shows, tv guest spots and movie roles were always welcome. Louie’s stand-up comedy put him in a league with the very best. He will be missed.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Louie Anderson’s family, friends and fans.
RIP: Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf, born Marvin Lee Aday, but who later changed his name to Michael, has died at the age of 74. No cause of death was announced. Although best known for his record-breaking best selling album Bat Out of Hell, Meat Loaf was also an accomplished actor. He appeared on Broadway, had notable roles in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Black Dog and Fight Club.
Meat Loaf’s musical career started right after high school when his bands opened for acts such as Van Morrison, Janis Joplin and The Who. For the next 50 plus years, Meat Loaf did what he loved best – entertaining. He alternated between touring, putting out new music and acting.
In a time when disco was king, Bat Out of Hell became an international best seller. It was an album that everyone knew about and most owned. It was odd that this guy who appeared in The Rocky Horror Picture Show could sing. And, boy, could he sing! It was always a pleasure to see Meat Loaf pop up in television and film roles. One of my favorites is The Salton Sea with Val Kilmer.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Michael Lee Aday’s family, friends and fans.
“The Tender Bar” (2021) / Z-View
The Tender Bar (2021)
Director: George Clooney
Screenplay: William Monahan (based on the memoir by J.R. Moehringer)
Starring: Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Daniel Ranieri, Lily Rabe, Christopher Lloyd, and Briana Middleton.
Tagline: Publishing is heading towards memoir
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
The Tender Bar is a coming of age story of a little boy named JR (no periods) being raised by his single mom and an assist from his cool Uncle who owns a bar. Affleck plays the Uncle while Ranieri and Sheridan play the boy/man. The movie is well cast and that helps keep interest up as the subplots come and go. Will JR graduate high school? Will he get into Yale? Will he get a good job? Will it work out with his love interest? Will he become a writer? Will he and his dad ever reconcile?
As I said, The Tender Bar is well cast. Standouts include Affleck and Sheridan. Rabe, Middleton and Max Martini as JR’s deadbeat dad aren’t given a lot to do but are very good. The bar patrons are also fun even if they’re mainly there to order the next round. “Back ’em up!”
The Tender Bar isn’t a great film, but it’s not a bad movie to watch with your better half. I rate it 3 of 5 stars.
Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka / Z-View
Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
First sentence…
Tokyo station is packed.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Bullet Train is an international best seller about five assassins on a Japanese bullet train trying to retrieve a mysterious suitcase before one of the others can get to it. Descriptions of the book that compared it to a stylish modern day yakuza film directed by Quentin Tarantino got my interest. When I learned that Bullet Train was being made into a action thriller directed by David (John Wick franchise) Leitch starring Sandra Bullock, Brad Pitt and Zazie Beetz. I was sold.
I went into Bullet Train with high expectations for a fast moving, exciting tale with interesting characters and action. What I got was far from that. The assassins are on the train. They have names like The Prince, Tangerine and Lemon. There’s a subplot about a hospitalized boy in danger. Instead of action we get tons and tons of talk. Some of the assassins (and the main psychopath) are school children. Two that work together (Tangerine and Lemon) spend pages and pages talking about Thomas the Train. The dialogue often seemed forced at best.
I seldom quit a book before finishing it. I’m usually a pretty good judge of what I’ll like. Bullet Train sounded like exactly the type of story I’d love. Sadly it wasn’t.
Rating:
Love & Bullets Megabomb Edition by Nick Kolakowski / Z-View
Love & Bullets Megabomb Edition by Nick Kolakowski
Trade Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Shotgun Honey Books
First sentence…
Listen. At some point, a poor sap will look at you and say, “This is the worst day of my life.”
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Bill is a conman on the run from the Rockaway Mob. They want Bill dead and the two million dollars that he stole from them back. Lucky for Bill, his girlfriend, Fiona is on the lam with him. Fiona’s got brains and can handle herself. As this modern day “Bonnie and Clyde” try to stay alive they find themselves at odds with crocked cops, hired assassins, other criminals, an Elvis impersonator, a government hit man and more.
The Love & Bullets Megabomb Edition is actually a reworking of three novellas featuring Bill and Fiona (A Brutal Bunch of Heartbroken Saps; Slaughterhouse Blues and Main Bad Guy), but thanks to some clever re-editing and additional material, it reads like one rollicking adventure. I absolutely loved the characters, plus the right mix of violence, humor and heart. Kolakowski has the ability to make all of his major characters not only unique in voice and look, but the feel that any of them could be the “star” of their own tale. I blazed through Love & Bullets Megabomb Edition loving every page. I was so impressed by Nick Kolakowski that I immediately ordered three more of his novels.
Rating:
A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance is Coming!
A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance, Volume 1 by Rick Remender (writer), André Lima Araújo (artist) and Chris O’Halloran (artist) takes place when…
…an unassuming man stops a vicious dark web contract assassin from killing their target, he turns himself into one. A quiet, atmospheric slice of life story with sudden bouts of unique and brutal violence―part THE PROFESSIONAL part ROAD TO PERDITION, writer RICK REMENDER (Seven to Eternity, Deadly Class) and artist ANDRÉ LIMA ARAÚJO (Generation Gone, The Wicked + The Divine: 455 AD) present the story of an unlikely surrogate to a boy hunted by powerful men who are used to getting away with everything.
Collects A RIGHTEOUS THIRST FOR VENGEANCE #1-5
Deal me in.
Heat 2 by Michael Mann & Meg Gardiner – Sequel/Prequel Novel to “Heat” – Info & Pre-Orders are Here!
That’s the cover to Michael Mann’s prequel/sequel novel to his crime classic film Heat. Cowritten with Meg Gardiner, Heat 2 will be released on August 9, 2022. Here’s the synopsis…
Michael Mann, four-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker and writer-director of Heat, Collateral, Thief, Manhunter, and Miami Vice, teams up with Edgar Award-winning author Meg Gardiner to deliver Mann’s first crime novel — an explosive return to the world and characters of his classic film Heat — an all-new story that illuminates what happened before and after the iconic film.
Described by Michael Mann as both a prequel and sequel to the renowned, critically acclaimed film of the same name, HEAT 2 covers the formative years of homicide detective Vincent Hanna (Oscar winner Al Pacino) and elite criminals Neil McCauley (Oscar winner Robert De Niro), Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer), and Nate (Oscar winner Jon Voight), and features the same extraordinary ambition, scope, rich characterizations, and attention to detail as the epic film.
This new story leads up to the events of the film and then moves beyond it, featuring new characters on both sides of the law, new high-line heists, and breathtakingly cinematic action sequences. Ranging from the streets of L.A. to the inner sancta of rival Taiwanese crime syndicates in Paraguay to a massive drug cartel money-laundering operation just over the border in Mexico, HEAT 2 illuminates the dangerous workings of international crime organizations and the agents who pursue them as it provides a full-blooded portrait of the men and women who inhabit both worlds. Operatic in scope, HEAT 2 is engrossing, moving, and tragic — a masterpiece of crime fiction from one of the most innovative and influential filmmakers in American cinema.
Pre-orders are available now! Deal me in.
Rare Drew Struzan “Escape from New York” Art!
Drew Struzan is on Twitter. He regularly shares art that he created for movies, television and print. Often Mr. Struzan provides rare art from behind-the-scenes like these Escape from New York pieces above. If you’re not following Drew Struzan on Twitter, you’re missing out.
Rare “Apocalypse Now” Poster by Bob Peak!
The rare (and beautiful) Apocalypse Now poster by Bob Peak is being offered as a limited edition print from Mondo. The fine folks at Mondo worked with Bob Peak’s son, Matthew, to create this print.
Fun fact: Bob Peak’s signature is backwards on the artwork. We asked Matthew if we should correct that for the screenprinted version and he said “No”, and that his dad would want people to know his preferred orientation of the work. We were happy to oblige.
“Enter the Dragon” Poster by Sanjulián
This sweet Enter the Dragon poster was created by Manuel Pérez Clemente better known as Sanjulián. You can see more of Sanjulián’s art at his Instagram page.
Source: Ron Salas.
“In from the Cold” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!
In from the Cold, I like both the poster and trailer. The new Netflix series will premiere on January 28th. Deal me in.
Exposed as an ex-Russian spy, an American single mom must juggle family life and unique shape-shifting skills in a battle against an insidious enemy.
