Lady Mayhem by Jenna Lyn Wright and Karl Slominski!

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Lady Mayhem by Jenna Lyn Wright and Karl Slominski looks and sounds like my kind of fun.  Here’s the synopsis…

After her father passes away under suspicious circumstances, a mysterious woman returns to the crime-ridden city she fled decades before, only to discover that he was the bookkeeper for a nefarious enterprise that’s risen to power while she was away. The government, the police, the city is theirs. But now she knows their strengths, their weaknesses, and their secrets, and bloody vengeance will be hers.

LADY MAYHEM is a bombastic, over-the-top, thrill ride for the reader that demands more gonzo-ridiculous action in their comics. This is a no-holds-barred love letter to VHS revenge thrillers of the 80’s, big gun bravado of 90’s comics, and that hyperactive buzz you used to get while playing SNES and housing super-caffeinated sodas all night long as a kid. This is the comic book you’d have to hide from your parents (y’know, the dangerous days, before cinematic universes & vinyl figurines).

Lady Mayhem is on Kickstarter now through February 2nd.  If you’re interested jump on board for a copy of your own. I did.

“Janet” Jackson – The Poster and Extended Trailer are Here!

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I like her music/videos and am interested in seeing the Janet Jackson documentary.

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Night one of #Janetdoc premieres Friday, January 28th at 8/7c.

The four-hour event, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Janet’s first album, Janet Jackson (1982), is set to simulcast on Lifetime and A&E, two of the flagship channels of the A+E Networks portfolio. With full, unprecedented access to the global icon, JANET is an intimate, honest and unfiltered look at her untold story. Producers Workerbee have been filming the incredible documentary for over three years and were granted exclusive access to archival footage and Janet’s never before seen home videos, along with star-studded interviews.

This will be the definitive story on Janet Jackson. One of the best-selling and highest-earning artists in music history, Janet has enjoyed immense levels of success, experienced incredible tragedy, and endured a tumultuous private life in the face of extraordinary public scrutiny. With no stone left unturned, JANET lifts the lid on her private life for the very first time and reveals some of her most intimate moments ever caught on camera.

Keanu Reeves’ List of Movies Everyone Should See!

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Keanu Reeves is the focus of a cover story in the Winter issue of Esquire magazine.  In the piece Keanu Reeves Shares His List of the Movies Everyone Should Watch.  It’s an interesting list with some surprising picks.  Here are the movies the chosen one chose (and my thoughts on each):

The Neon Demon: Stars Elle Fanning, Christina Hendricks and Keanu Reeves.  I’ve not only never seen The Neon Demon, I don’t remember hearing about it.

A Clockwork Orange: is a classic.

Rollerball:  There are two versions.  I prefer the original starring James Caan (and I’ll bet Keanu does too).

The Bad Batch:  Here is another film I haven’t heard of. It stars Suki Waterhouse (?) and Jason Mamoa.  Here’s the synopsis – In a desert dystopia, a young woman is kidnapped by cannibals.  I’m going to put The Bad Batch on my list of movies to be seen.

Dr. Strangelove: is a classic that gets better with every viewing.  Must see.

Seven Samurai: is also a classic that influenced movies worldwide.

Amadeus:  I saw Amadeus years ago and liked it.

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead:  I’ve never seen this one.

The Evil Dead:  I’ve seen The Evil Dead and it didn’t like it as much as most folks.

Raising Arizona: is a truly funny movie that just writing about makes me want to watch it again.

The Big Lebowski: is another film I’ve never seen.  (I know, I know.  I need to correct that.)

La Femme Nikita (the French version):  I’ve never seen the French version.

The Professional: is an excellent film that kickstarted Natalie Portman’s career.

Young Frankenstein: A classic that should be seen as part of a double feature with the film below.

Blazing Saddles: A classic that should be seen as part of a double feature with the film above.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail: I’ve seen MPatHG and it had its moments but it doesn’t rate as high with me as it does with most folks.

The Outlaw Josey Wales:  Arguably Eastwood’s best western.  (Ok.  I won’t argue it, but let’s agree The Outlaw Josey Wales is one of his best movies.)

The Road Warrior: Mad Max 2: is an excellent choice for movies everyone should see.  Make it a part of a double feature with Mad Max: Fury Road and make an evening of it!

Neal Adams’ Vintage Conan Art!

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Neal Adams.  When you think of Adams, you probably think of Batman, or Green Lantern & Green Arrow or any number of other characters because Adams drew them so well.  When I think of Neal Adams, I think of his Conan.

A Neal Adams’ Conan had a distinctive look that separated him from other Conan artists.  An Adams’ Conan was muscular but in a more athletic way than some other artists drew him.  I also think that a Neal Adams’ Conan looked more intelligent than when drawn by some other artists.

I say these things not to slight John Buscema, Barry Smith or any other “Conan artist” (because I love their versions as well).  It just surprises me a bit that more folks don’t think of Neal Adams sooner when talking about Conan.

Craig’s 2021 Best Movies, Books, and Posts Lists!

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End of the Year lists are fun and so I decided to compile a few of my own. I hope you enjoy them. Below is my Best Of list for 2021…

Movies and Limited Series

In 2021, I watched 372 movies. Most were streamed. The only film I saw in a theater was Rocky vs Drago, Sly Stallone’s Director’s Cut of Rocky IV. Although the total movies watched was less than last year, it was still nearly double of what I saw prior to retiring.  My favorite films and limited series released in 2021 included:

  • Army of the Dead
  • Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali
  • No Sudden Move
  • Rocky IV: Rocky vs Drago Director’s Cut
  • Midnight Mass
  • Who Killed Malcolm X?

Books

In 2021, I read 39 books (5 more than last year). Prior to retiring I usually read about 20 – 24 per year so the increase is a good sign that I’ll some day make it through my book cases of “to be read” books.  My favorites from this year included:

  • The Revelators by Ace Atkins
  • Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
  • Two in the Head by Eric Beetner
  • She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper
  • Paradise Sky by Joe Lansdale
  • Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby
  • Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
  • The Heathens by Ace Atkins
  • The Driver by Hart Hanson
  • My Darkest Prayer by S.A. Cosby

My Most Popular Posts of the Year

I continue to find some surprises in what became my most popular posts each year. Here are the top ten for 2021 and some thoughts for each…

10. Michael Biehn Talks “Tombstone” – broke into the top ten. I’m not surprised due to the continuing popularity of Tombstone.

09. Jack Benny in “Casablanca” – dropped from the 7th spot to the 9th. I love that Jack Benny is still popular enough to make the top ten for the year since I consider him very under-rated.

08. Gadot & The Rock Strike a Pose – Two of the most popular movie stars in the world together? Yep and that’s why they came in at #8.

07. Top 10 Most Iconic Horror Movie Villains – dropped from #5 to #7 for the year. Horror movie posts remain popular but maybe a bit less this year than last year.

06. The Girl Who Didn’t “Flinch” Trailer is Here! – This one surprised me more than any other post. A crime film from a director and cast I didn’t know and it not only made the top ten most popular posts of the year but also nearly made the top 5.

05. Rare “Batman” Screen Tests: Lyle Waggoner & Peter Deyell and Adam West & Burt Ward – I love that this one got a lot of love this year.

04. Dracula Through the Ages – was our 4th most popular post last year. Horror movies always get love and Dracula counts (see what I did there) as horror.

03. Louis Meyers: Evidence He was the Zodiac Killer – came in the #2 spot last year. Real life horror trumps fictional this time.

02. Schwarzenegger in “King Lear” & Robin Williams in “Jack and the Beanstalk” – was our most popular post last year and clocks in at #2 this year.

01. The TWILIGHT ZONE New Year’s Eve Marathon is Coming and the Full Schedule is Out! – was the most popular post of the year and surprised me almost as much as The Girl Who Didn’t “Flinch” Trailer is Here!

My All-Time Most Popular Posts

There weren’t many changes on the All-Time Most Popular Posts list. One post managed to break through while the others mostly stayed in their same spots. Let’s see how things shook out…

10. Dracula Through the Ages – made it into the top ten!

09. Gadot & The Rock Strike a Pose – was in the 9th spot last year and remained there this year.

08. Real Clown or Horror Movie Clown? – was in the 7th spot last year and dropped to 8.

07. Joel Osteen in Jacksonville – dropped one spot from 6th to 7th.

06. TOP 10 MOST ICONIC HORROR MOVIE VILLAINS! – moved up 2 spots from 8 to 6 this year.

05. Steve Reeves as Superman – was the #5 all-time most popular post last year and continues to be this year.

04. New Billy the Kid Photo Discovered – was the #4 all-time most popular post last year and continues to be this year.

03. Zodiac Killer Code Cracked? – was the #3 all-time most popular post last year and continues to be this year.

02. Louis Meyers: Evidence He Was the Zodiac Killer – was the #2 all-time most popular post last year and continues to be this year.

01. Schwarzenegger in “King Lear” & Robin Williams in “Jack and the Beanstalk” – was #1 last year and continues to be our most popular post of all-time.

It’s always interesting to see which topics resonate with fans and continue to be popular long after their initial post.

“Happy New Year” from Santa with a Gun!

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I meant to share the caricature of me as Santa by Rob Smith, Jr. on Christmas.   Sadly, I forgot.

As I was looking for an image to go along with my Happy New Years post, I thought what better way to say, Have a Happy New Year, than to post Santa with a Gun along with the message.  Think about it: Not many people will argue with Santa and even fewer would not listen to Santa with a gun. So…

Have a Happy New Year!

RIP: Betty White

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Betty White, the beloved comedian, actress and author died today from natural causes at the age of 99.  Betty White’s career began in radio in the 1940s.  She transitioned to television working on local stations in 1949.  From 1952 to 1955, Betty White starred in (and also co-created and co-produced) Life with Elizabeth which was syndicated nationally.  Following Life with Elizabeth, Ms. White would go on to appear in television series, game and talk shows and the occasional feature film.

Betty White’s breakout role came in 1973 when she joined The Mary Tyler Moore Show playing Sue Ann Nivens, a woman in her 50s who was always on the prowl for a man.  She was a hit with critics and fans. Betty White won two (of her 5) Emmys for her efforts as Sue Ann Nivens.  When The Mary Tyler Moore Show ended Ms. White continued to stay busy with her own show (The Betty White Show, 1977-78) as well as guest appearances on television programs and tv movies.  She was so popular she ended up with recurring roles on The Love Boat, Mama’s Family and Empty Nest.

At the age of 63 (when many folks are considering retirement), Betty White landed the role of Rose Nyland on The Golden Girls.  The series ran for seven seasons and Ms. White returned as Rose for the sequel series The Golden Palace (which ran for one season).  Betty White’s portrayal of Rose Nyland won her another Emmy and she was nominated every year of The Golden Girls run!  

Betty White continued to make guest appearances (often in recurring roles) for the remainder of her career.  Her popularity continued to grow with each passing year.  Betty White’s 100 birthday was less than three weeks from today.  A big celebration that was to be filmed to mark the occasion will go on as planned and is tentatively titled “Betty White: 100 Years Young — A Birthday Celebration.“

Although she was 99 years old, Betty White’s passing came as a surprise. I loved how her popularity grew as she got older.  It was always a pleasure to see her guest appearances and who didn’t love her as Sue Ann Nivens or Rose Nyland?  From all accounts Betty White was as wonderful a human being as she appeared to be. The world is a little less fun now that she is gone.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Betty White’s family, friends and fans.

 

Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer (2021) / Z-View

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Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer (2021) Director: Joe Berlinger The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer has at it’s core the story of a serial murderer who tortured, sexually abused and butchered school-age girls and prostitutes.  How the police came to understand that they were dealing with a serial killer (he reportedly killed between 80-100 women) in a time when police departments from different cities didn’t coordinate information, didn’t have access to the internet or DNA makes for an interesting documentary.

Sadly that is not the focus of Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer.

Unfortunately more time is given to the pornography in Times Square aspect.  The pornography tie-in to the case is that several of the serial killer’s victims were prostitutes who worked Times Square.  So we learn how Times Square in the 70s and 80s morphed from movie houses to porn shops and peep shows.  We hear from folks in the porn industry who have no direct ties to the murders.  Short shrift is given to how police captured the killer, the trial or events that led to learning there were many other unsolved murders that he committed.

As I said, Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer has at it’s core an interesting story of the capture of a serial killer, there’s just too much filler you have to go through to get there.

“Don’t Look Up” / Z-View

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Don’t Look Up (2021) Director: Adam McKay Screenplay: Adam McKay

Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ryan Reynolds, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchette, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Tyler Perry,  Timothée Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande, Michael Chiklis  and Paul Guilfoyle.

Tagline: Based on truly possible events. The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When a grad student (Lawrence) and her professor (DiCaprio) discover a huge comet on a collision course with Earth they bring the information up the chain of command to the President (Streep).  Unfortunately the information about the possible end of the world comes at a bad time — the mid-term elections are just around the corner.  Although sworn to secrecy, Lawrence and DiCaprio take the information to the media.  Now that the world knows action will be taken… or not.

A satire about an apocalyptic disaster with this all-star cast had so much potential.  Sadly, Don’t Look Up is a bit heavy-handed and long.  Lawrence and DiCaprio come off as neurotic worriers needing medication to get through the day (even before the discovery of a planet-killer comet on collision course with us).  Streep and her followers are in denial (Hence, the Don’t Look Up title) and more interested in ratings, money and being re-elected.  This set-up could have worked if we had some likeable characters and tighter editing.

There are funny scenes and set-ups.  Lawrence and DiCaprio are forced to wait for hours and hours to see the President with perhaps the most important information ever. Then when they finally do get in, the President and her staff downplay the danger because of ratings.  There’s potential laughs in how both conservatives and liberals react to the knowledge that the comet is coming.  It’s interesting that both groups find ways to make money off the comet – a concert for the libs and a rally for the President’s followers.  The way the media delivers the message to the masses and makes stars of some and ignoring others is ripe for laughs.  And we do get a few, but not enough to get better than a 2 star rating.

Concept Art for “Rebel Moon” from Zack Snyder!

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Zack Snyder posted this concept art for Rebel Moon, the next feature that is on the fast-track for Snyder to direct.  Sofia (Hotel Artemis, Atomic Blonde) Boutella is set to star in the feature co-written by Snyder, Shay (Army of the Dead) Hatten and Kurt (300) Johnstad.  In Rebel Moon, which some have dubbed “Seven Samurai in Outer Space” Boutella plays a woman…

…who seeks out warriors from nearby planets to protect her peaceful home colony from an army of vicious invaders…

Deal me in.

For more information check out Rebel Moon Concept Art Revealed By Director Zack Snyder by Sandy Schaefer at /Film.

RIP: John Madden

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John Madden, the Super Bowl winning NFL coach (who never had a losing season), the 12-time Emmy Award winner for sports broadcasting, and the namesake for one of the all-time best-selling video games died unexpectedly yesterday at the age of 85.  No cause of death was given.

John Madden was an all-conference college football (offensive tackle) and baseball (catcher) player.  Although he suffered a knee injury during his senior year, John Madden was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1958.  A second knee injury during training camp ended his pro career before he ever played a game.  From 1960 – 1966, Madden excelled as a college football coach which brought him to the attention of Al Davis, the owner of the Oakland Raiders.  Davis hired Madden as a Linebacker Coach in 1967.  In 1969, John Madden was named the Head Coach of the Raiders (making him the youngest Head Coach in the NFL).  Mr. Madden served as the Raiders Head Coach for ten years, winning one Super Bowl, never finishing below 2nd place in their division and never having a losing season.

After retiring as Head Coach of the Raiders, John Madden turned to television where he quickly became one of the most popular and respected sports broadcasters of all time.  John Madden’s popularity was so great he was sought after for commercials as well as television & movie appearances and the ever-popular Madden video game from EA Sports.

Watching John Madden’s Raiders was always fun, but watching a John Madden sports broadcast was even better.  John Madden knew the game and made his analysis fun.  Mr. Madden came off like the guy you’d like to hang out with at the family bar-b-que.  You knew he’d have great stories to share, and would enjoy the food, talk and fellowship. 

Our thoughts and prayers go out to John Madden’s family, friends and fans. 

RIP: Andrew Vachss

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Andrew Vachss died yesterday at the age of 79.  No cause of death was given.

Andrew Vachss led an interesting life.  He was at different times a social-services case worker, an attorney who only represented children and adolescents, and an author.  Mr. Vachss wrote 33 novels, 3 short story collections, many graphic novels/comic books, as well as essays on child protection (which was an underlying theme in much of his work).   Andrew Vachss loved dogs and under-dogs.  His passion was to bring abusers to justice and this theme ran throughout his work without ever coming off as preachy.

Andrew Vachss jumped to my favorite authors list with his 1988 novel Blue Belle, his third Burke novel.  Vachss had a unique voice and Burke (and his crew) were unlike any other crime fiction characters I’d read.  I quickly sought out the first two Burke books and anxiously awaited the publication of each new tale.  Along the way I followed Andrew Vachss to comics/graphic novels and other tales which always entertained.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Vachss.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to Andrew Vachss’ family, friends and fans.

The 100 Best TV Series of the 21st Century!

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Recently BBC.com came up with the 100 Best TV Series of the 21st Century.  To get their rankings they polled…

206 TV experts – critics, journalists, academics and industry figures – who came from 43 countries, from Albania to Uruguay. Of these voters, 100 were women, 104 were men, and two were non-binary. Each voter listed their 10 favourite TV series of the 21st Century, which we scored and ranked to produce the top 100…

Before you click over, here are my top ten (in alphabetical order) using just their list…

  • 24 (2001-2010)
  • Better Call Saul (2015-2022)
  • Big Bang Theory (2007-2019)
  • Breaking Bad (2008-2013)
  • Deadwood (2004-2006)
  • Fargo (2014-)
  • Game of Thrones (2011-2019)
  • Mindhunter (2017-2019)
  • Office, The (US) (2005-2013)
  • Shield, The (2002-2008)

And I have to ask… how did Justified not make the top 100???  It would have been in my top ten for sure.