Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
I like that the Nightdrive poster uses artwork and has a cool color scheme. I’m not sure the poster best represents the movie though. I like the Nightdrive trailer and want to see more!
Directed by Bradford Baruh & Meghan Leon
A ride share driver’s life is turned upside down after an unexpected series of misfortunes.
Today we have a poster and trailer for Suicide Squad.
Normally Suicide Squad wouldn’t be something that would be on my must-see list. What changes that is a few things:
1. Sly Stallone voices the King Shark character.
2. It has a great cast: In addition to Stallone we have Idris Elba, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Michael Rooker, Viola Davis, Nathan Fillion and more!
3. It’s directed by James Gunn.
4. It’s written by James Gunn and John Ostrander (who wrote the comics).
5. I can see it for free on opening day on HBOMax.
Our only hope to save the world is a bunch of supervillains — what could go wrong? Check out the new trailer for James Gunn’s #TheSuicideSquad, in theaters and streaming exclusively on HBO Max* August 6.
*Only available on the Ad-Free plan. Available for 31 days from theatrical release. Films and release dates subject to change.
First there was the screenplay for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino. Then the trailer for the movie was released. Then we got the movie.
Then Tarantino decided to adapt his screenplay/movie into a novel. Today we get a trailer for the novel. Then on July 29th Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the novel, by Quentin Tarantino will drop. Until then, the trailer…
Hollywood 1969… You shoulda been there! Based on his Academy Award-winning film, Quentin Tarantino’s first novel is here! Buy and read #OnceUponATimeInHollywood today!
Quentin Tarantino’s long-awaited first work of fiction — at once hilarious, delicious, and brutal — is the always surprising, sometimes shocking new novel based on his Academy Award-winning film.
Daniel Kurland at CBR.com came up with his list of the 10 Best Female-Led Action Movies. Kurland’s list is a good one, so I thought I’d compare my rankings (using his choices) to his. Here is how things shook out:
|
Kurland |
Zablo |
|
10/10. Aliens |
*** Hanna |
|
9/10. Kill Bill, Volumes 1 & 2 |
|
|
8/10. Underworld |
8/10. V For Vendetta |
|
7/10. Terminator 2: Judgment Day |
7/10. Underworld |
|
6/10. V For Vendetta |
06/10. Kill Bill, Volumes 1 & 2 |
|
5/10. Hanna |
05/10. The Resident Evil Series |
|
4/10. Atomic Blonde |
4/10. Atomic Blonde |
|
3/10. Alita: Battle Angel |
3/10. Aliens |
|
2/10. Mad Max: Fury Road |
2/10. Terminator 2: Judgment Day |
|
1/10. The Resident Evil Series |
1/10. Mad Max: Fury Road |
I hadn’t seen Hanna or Alita, so I didn’t rank them.
My top four could possibly change spots depending on my mood. I believe them to be the cream of the crop.
I would have found a spot in my top ten, probably at #5 for Gena Davis and The Long Kiss Goodnight and at #6 Gina Carano for Haywire.
I like the poster for Hollywood Bulldogs but think that the movie will be better than the trailer presents. I’ll check Hollywood Bulldogs out when I can.
Hollywood Bulldogs tells the rough-and-tumble story of the small community of British stunt performers who went on to dominate Hollywood in the 1970s and 80s.
They created and performed the iconic action sequences of 007, Indiana Jones, Superman, Rambo, Star Wars, Conan, the Alien films and pretty much everything since.
The poster for Settlers is just okay at best, but I like the trailer. I’m also a fan Sofia Boutella so I plan to check out Settlers.
Director: Wyatt Rockefeller
Starring: Sofia Boutella, Jonny Lee Miller, Brooklynn PrinceMankind’s earliest settlers on the Martian frontier do what they must to survive the cosmic elements and each other in this science-fiction thrill ride.
Today we have a poster and two trailers for Twist. I think the poster is okay. The US trailer is first with the UK following. I like both trailers but give the nod to the US version. I’m a fan of parkour, it’s good to see Michael Caine and Lena Headey. I’ll check out Twist at some point.
I was extremely happy to read that Shelton Drum, the man behind Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find and HeroesCon, announced that there would be a Giant-Size Charlotte Mini-Con on November 6th and 7th. Here’s the lowdown:
Coming to the Charlotte Convention Center:
Saturday, November 6: 10AM-6PM and Sunday, November 7: 10AM-4PM.
This show will feature 80,000 Sq Ft of the BEST COMIC BOOK DEALERS in the country, as well as a curated Artist Alley hosting some of the industry’s greatest!
This event will be a Comic-Book Collector’s DREAM!! A room FILLED with comic books from every generation of the medium!
This show is a “GIANT-SIZE” version of our long-running CHARLOTTE MINI-CON, and we will not be hosting panels or additional programming during this event. We will return with incredible panels and additional programming for the 40th Anniversary Heroes Convention, returning next June 2022.
The GIANT-SIZE CHARLOTTE MINI-CON is all about the COMIC-BOOKS! We hope you will join us for this GIANT-SIZE “old-school” Comic-Convention!
—
TICKETS:
There are TWO TICKET OPTIONS for the Giant-Size Charlotte Mini-Con:$10.00* – SATURDAY (includes BONUS SUNDAY admission!)
$5.00* – SUNDAY ONLY
KIDS 18 & UNDER = FREE (must register for ticket)
*Tickets are non-refundable
—
ATTENTION HEROESCON 2020 & 2021 TICKET HOLDERS!!
If you purchased a ticket for the 2020 or 2021 Heroes Convention before April of 2021, your HeroesCon ticket will automatically get you into both days of the GIANT-SIZE CHARLOTTE MINI-CON as an extra added bonus! You will NOT need to purchase an additional ticket for the Giant-Size Charlotte Mini-Con, this event is included with your existing HeroesCon 2022 ticket!We appreciate your continued support over the past year and hope that you will come out and enjoy this exciting bonus event!
It is awesome that Shelton is giving free admission to those of us who had purchased tickets to HeroesCon 2020 or 2021 since those shows had to be cancelled due to Covid.
I’m looking forward to the GIANT-SIZE CHARLOTTE MINI-CON. It will be great to see old friends and meet new ones.
Below we have the final trailer for The Tomorrow War. At the very least The Tomorrow War should be a fun couple of hours. I’m looking forward to it!
THE TOMORROW WAR premieres July 2, 2021 globally on Prime Video
In The TOMORROW WAR, the world is stunned when a group of time travelers arrive from the year 2051 to deliver an urgent message: Thirty years in the future mankind is losing a global war against a deadly alien species. The only hope for survival is for soldiers and civilians from the present to be transported to the future and join the fight. Among those recruited is high school teacher and family man Dan Forester (Chris Pratt). Determined to save the world for his young daughter, Dan teams up with a brilliant scientist (Yvonne Strahovski) and his estranged father (J.K. Simmons) in a desperate quest to rewrite the fate of the planet.
Directed by Chris McKay
Written by Zach Dean
Produced by David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Jules Daly, David Goyer, Adam Kolbrenner
Executive Produced by Rob Cowan, Chris Pratt, Brian Oliver, Bradley J. Fischer
Starring Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, J.K. Simmons, Betty Gilpin, Sam Richardson, Edwin Hodge, Jasmine Mathews, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Keith Powers
George Marston at GamesRadar posted his choices for 1970 – 1979: Each Year’s Best Marvel Character’s Debut. Comparing his choices to mine looks like this:
|
Year |
Marston |
Zablo |
Other Options |
1970 |
Valkyrie |
Conan the Barbarian: How could any of these characters be picked over Conan? He seemed the obvious choice to me and by a wide margin. | Agatha Harkness, Howard Stark, Red Wolf, Kull the Conqueror |
| 1971 |
Man-Thing |
Morbius the Living Vampire: was my choice but Man-Thing would be in my 2nd slot for 1971. | Mockingbird, Doc Samson, |
| 1972 |
Luke Cage |
Luke Cage: We agreed on this choice. That first issue blew me away. I’d have gone with Werewolf by Night in my 2nd slot. | Werewolf by Night, Adam Warlock, Dracula, Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze), Night Nurse, Shuma-Gorath, Tigra, Shanna the She-Devil |
| 1973 | Howard the Duck | Shang-Chi: started good and got better when Moench and Gulacy arrived. (And don’t discount the Moench & Mike Zeck run!) | Moondragon, Drax the Destroyer, Thanos, Mantis, Blade, Brother Voodoo (Doctor Voodoo), Daimon Hellstrom, Killmonger |
| 1974 | Wolverine | Wolverine: The obvious choice and we both agree. I’d put the Punisher in my 2nd slot. | Jackal, Punisher, Iron Fist, Deathlok, Colleen Wing |
| 1975 | Storm | Misty Knight: This was a tough choice for me. I like the Misty Knight character just a tad more and feel she has even greater potential to become a major player. | Korvac, Jamie Madrox (Multiple Man), Colossus, Krakoa, Nightcrawler, Gamora, Moon Knight, Moira MacTaggert |
| 1976 | Rocket Raccoon | Star-Lord: would be my pick in a tough year without any real standouts. I almost went with Nova so he’d get my 2nd slot. | Hellcat, Bullseye, Jack of Hearts, Black Tom Cassidy, Union Jack, Nova (Richard Rider), Captain Britain, Eternals |
| 1977 |
Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) |
Sabretooth: gets my vote. | Arnim Zola, Corsair, Machine Man, Godzilla King of the Monsters, Deathbird, Gladiator (Kallark), Henry Peter Gyrich |
| 1978 |
Mystique |
Ben Urich: A non-superpowered character gets my top slot for 1978. | Arcade, Paladin, Quasar (Wendell Vaughn), Moon-Boy and Devil Dinosaur, H.E.R.B.I.E. |
| 1979 |
Northstar |
Ant-Man (Scott Lang): easily gets my top spot for 1979. My 2nd slot would go to James Rhodes. | Shadow King, Justin Hammer, Cassandra Lang, Black Cat, Rom the Spaceknight, James Rhodes |
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If you’re old enough to remember Burger Chef restaurants, you probably miss them. I used to be surprised at how much love the fast food joints had built up with those that ate there. The first Burger Chef opened in 1954 in Indianapolis, Indiana. By their peak year in 1973, there were over 1,000 locations throughout the US and Canada. Less than 15 years later the last Burger Chef closed.
The fine folks at MeTV posted 10 Reasons We Really Miss Burger Chef Restaurants. Before you click over, here are thoughts on three of my favorites…
The Works Bar. Burger Chef was the first to come up with the idea of a works bar. It contained all the items you could want for your sandwich – lettuce, pickles, onion, tomato, as well as condiments. This allowed customers to customize to perfection. We had customers who would come in, order a sandwich and drink then would go to the works bar and make a salad using the items for sandwiches.
Star Wars Posters. Burger Chef was ahead of the other fast food joints when they began including Star Wars posters with the purchase of a meal. If you don’t know my Mike Kott/Burger Chef/Star Wars posters story, it’s worth a click over.
The Big Shef (and Fun Meals). The Big Shef was Burger Chef’s signature sandwich. It was basically a Big Mac without sesame seeds, pickles, onions or special sauce (Thousand Island dressing). What was their true claim to fame were Fun Meals. geared towards kids. Each Funmeal came with a sandwich, small fries, small drink and a toy! Five years later McDonalds started serving Happy Meals using the same concept.
I worked at Burger Chef for a couple of years while in college. Those were fun times. Yeah, I miss Burger Chef restaurants.
Ned Beatty, 83, passed away in sleep this morning from natural causes. Mr. Beatty who was equally adept in both comedic and dramatic roles, alternated between feature films and television roles making whatever production he was in better.
Ned Beatty began his career in John Boorman’s highly regarded adaptation of James Dickey’s novel Deliverance starring Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight and Ronny Cox. Mr. Beatty then went on to have a career in feature films and television that lasted over 40 years and packed his resume with 166 acting credits. He was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for his role in Network.
Ned Beatty was one of this character actors who was good in any role he took on and that kept him in demand. Mr. Beatty’s feature film highlights include six films with Burt Reynolds, Superman and Superman II with Christopher Reeve, as well as Nashville, Network, 1941 and Back to School. His television credits include: Gunsmoke. The Execution of Private Slovik, MASH, Hawaii 5-0, The Rockford Files and so many more.
Ned Beatty was always a welcome addition whenever he appeared on screen. The enormity of his resume would make any actor proud. What a career!
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ned Beatty’s family, friends and fans.
I’m always on the look out for a great crime story whether it is a novel, movie, graphic novel or comic book. Originally written as a novel by William Christopher Baer, Kiss Me, Judas came to my attention thanks to a Kickstarter for the graphic novel adaptation by Baer and artist Jefferson Costa.
Check out the synopsis and a couple of pages of art from the book below. Who knows, maybe you’ll want to jump on board the Kiss Me, Judas Kickstarter. I did.
