“Untamed” (2025) starring Eric Bana / Z-View

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“Untamed” (2025)

Created by: Mark L. Smith & Elle Smith

Teleplay by:

  • (eps. 1-6) Mark L. Smith & Elle Smith

Directed by:

  • Thomas Bezucha (eps. 1-2)
  • Nick Murphy  (eps. 3-4)
  • Neasa Hardiman (eps. 5-6)

Stars: Eric Bana, Sam Neill, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lily Santiago, Wilson Bethel, Josh Randall, Joe Holt, Iris Quinn, Jonathan Whitesell, J.D. Pardo and Raoul Max Trujillo.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Kyle Turner, a Special Agent for the National Parks Investigative Services Branch is called to look into the death of a woman who fell or was thrown off El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.  Turner’s head is in a bad space.  He’s still dealing with his divorce caused by a tragedy involving his young son.  Although good at his job, Turner’s social skills have suffered since the incident.  So his pairing with a rookie on the murder investigation is the last thing he wanted.

Or so he thought.

The clues in the murder lead to the possibility of a serial killer working in Yosemite and an unsolved case that has tormented Turner for years.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Lily Santiago is excellent in her role as the rookie investigator.  J.D. Pardo shows up in a small but impactful part.

Kudos to Eric Bana for playing a character who is often a jerk because of how he’s dealing with a personal tragedy.  Most stars would want their character to be more likeable.

I enjoyed Untamed and look forward to season 2.

“Untamed” (2025) earns 4 of 5 stars.

“The Last Samurai Standing” – The Poster, the Trailer and the Teaser are Here!

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The Last Samurai Standing – The Poster, the Trailer and the Teaser are Here!

Deal me in!

One point per life.

The curtain rises on an epic battle royale between brave warriors who lived through an uncertain era.

In the late 19th century during the Meiji period, 292 warriors, including Shujiro Saga (Junichi Okada), gather at Tenryuji Temple in Kyoto at nightfall, lured by the promise of a huge cash prize. Each given a wooden tag, they join a vicious game in which they must steal the tags of their fellow participants and reach Tokyo to win the prize money. Under the veil of night, the temple grounds are filled with unease and the presence of bloodthirsy warriors. When the signal is given to begin the game, the combatants launch into their relentless battle for survival.

“You fools who live without meaning: kill each other, until just one remains.”

The Netflix Series “Last Samurai Standing” starts streaming on Thursday, November 13, 2025, only on Netflix.

 

“A Single Shot” (2013) starring Sam Rockwell, Jeffrey Wright, Kelly Reilly, Jason Isaacs & Willam H. Macy / Z-View

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A Single Shot (2013)

Director:  David M. Rosenthal

Screenplay: Matthew F. Jones; based on A SINGLE SHOT by Matthew F. Jones

Stars: Sam Rockwell, William H. Macy, Kelly Reilly, Jason Isaacs, Joe Anderson, Jeffrey Wright, Ophelia Lovibond, Amy Sloan, W. Earl Brown, David Flannery, A.C. Peterson and Ted Levine.

Tagline: One mistake.  One secret.  One chance.

The Plot…

John Moon has lost a lot.  First it was the family farm.  Then his wife and child.  His work at the factory doesn’t pay enough.  Times are tough.

It’s not hunting season, but John decides to risk it. He needs the meat.  John hikes deep into the woods.  He spots a big stag and takes a shot.  The wounded beast runs off.  John doesn’t want the buck to suffer and tracks it.  Deeper in the woods, John bends down to check the trail.  He hears movement and looks up to see a flash of brown and white.  John fires and hears the animal fall.

John pushes through the brush to where he heard the animal fall.  It’s a young woman.  She’s dead.  Killed by John. John considers his options.  Turning himself in won’t change anything for the girl.  It’ll destroy his family.  And put him in prison.  Why was she out here anyway?

John decides to bury her.  He looks around for a spot and John discovers a box full of money.

John makes another decision.  It’s an easier one.  He takes the money. Then does his best to remove any evidence he was there.  Finished, John hikes out.

John is paranoid as the days pass.  Bad men have a way of finding what’s theirs.  And soon they will.

Then they will come for it.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Both the novel and movie are worth a look.

William H. Macy and Jeffrey Wright are always good.

A Single Shot (2013) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“A House of Dynamite” (2025) directed by Kathryn Bigelow / Z-View

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A House of Dynamite (2025)

Director:  Kathryn Bigelow

Screenplay: Noah Oppenheim

Stars: Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos, Moses Ingram, Jonah Hauer-King, Greta Lee, Malachi Beasley, Brian Tee, Brittany O’Grady, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Willa Fitzgerald, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Kyle Allen, Kaitlyn Dever and Jason Clarke.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

It begins as a normal day.

But that all changes when an intercontinental balistic missle containing a nuclear warhead is discovered in flight towards the United States.  With just minutes to determine a response and who was responsible for the launch, the fate of the world hangs in the balance.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

A House of Dynamite is a rare movie experinece.  It is one of the most tense, thrilling and well made films I have ever seen.  Everything about it works.  It is well written, well directed, well cast and the actors, from the leads to each supporting role are at the top of their game.  With that said, Idris Elba has never been better (and he’s always very good).

The structure of the film is brilliant.  We are taken from a normal day to the absolute most tense moment imaginable and then back to the start of the day from another perpective. Each time this happens we get a bit more information, but that only ratchets the tension.

Obviously this isn’t a documentary, but don’t expect a traditional movie good guy – bad guy resolve.  There is no terrorist wanting to set the world on fire.  There is no government traitor with a grudge.  There is no super villian wanting money.  There is simply an ICBM from an unknown origin on the way to destroy a major US city… and our response could mean the end of our country or worse yet, the end of the world.

A House of Dynamite is the rare movie that will make you think.  Seriously think.  What would YOU do in that situation?

A House of Dynamite (2025) rates 5 of 5 stars.

Sly Stallone as Cosmo Carboni from “Paradise Alley” by John Beatty

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I was going through the Zablo vault and discovered I had never shared this art.  It’s Sly Stallone as Cosmo Carbooni from Paradise Alley by John Beatty. It is one of my many favorite pieces that John has done for me over the years.

John nailed the likeness.  His use of white highlights makes the piece pop.  I absolutely love it.

“Public Enemies” (2009) directed by Michael Mann; starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard / Z-View

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Public Enemies (2009)

Director:  Michael Mann

Screenplay: Ronan Bennett, Ann Biderman, Michael Mann; based on PUBLIC ENEMIES: AMERICA’S GREATEST CRIME WAVE AND THE BIRTH OF THE FBI, 1933–34 by Bryan Burrough

Stars: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Christian Stolte, Jason Clarke, Stephen Graham, David Wenham, John Judd, Stephen Dorff, James Russo, Giovanni Ribisi, Wesley Walker, Channing Tatum, Casey Siemaszko, Billy Crudup, Domenick Lombardozzi, Don Frye and Stephen Lang.

Tagline: America’s Most Wanted

The Plot…

1933.  The Great Depression is raging.  Gangsters such as John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and others have been robbing banks with impunity.  Despite killing cops and the occassional bystander, these criminals are becoming folk heroes.  J. Edgar Hoover, the Director of the FBI has ordered Agent Melvin Purvis to put together a task force.  Purvis’ orders are to bring in these gangsters dead or alive.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Although Public Enemies isn’t a documentary, it is very close to the real life stories.

Michael Mann filmed John Dillinger’s famous escape from Crown Point Jail at the real jail.  Although it had been turned into a historical museum, it was redressed along with the store fronts on the square to how they would’ve appeared in 1933. Mann also filmed the Little Bohemia shoot-out at the real lodge and in the same room Dillinger stayed in.

During a getaway scene Johnny Depp drives a 1932 Studebaker that was actually used by Dillinger as a getaway car following a bank robbery in Greencastle, Indiana. The car was on loan from an auto museum.

Public Enemies (2009) rates 4 of 5 stars.

RIGHTEOUS TRASH by Nick Kolakowski!

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I just ordered a copy of RIGHTEOUS TRASH by Nick Kolakowski.  Here’s the lowdown…

Jake Halligan tried living the quiet life.

After years of war and crime, Jake has settled down with his wife and daughter in rural Idaho. But in a country that pushes people to the brink, Jake soon makes a bet to get ahead that will have disastrous consequences.

Spurred by his sister Frankie, the West’s most dangerous arms dealer, Jake is pulled into a chaotic conspiracy that involves a pregnant teenager, gangs of gun-toting thugs, a wetwork specialist from New Orleans, high-powered politicos, and a backwoods shooting competition just begging to be robbed.

Jake Halligan tried living the quiet life, but when the bullets start flying and everything he knows is at risk, he’ll have to decide who he really is and what he really wants. The wrong choice might kill him and everyone he cares about.

Kolakowski’s tales always entertain and I expect RIGHTEOUS TRASH to be no different.  If it sounds like something you’d enjoy, you know what to do.

RIGHTEOUS TRASH paperback

RIGHTEOUS TRASH Kindle

“Landman” Season 2 starring Billy Bob Thornton, Ali Larter, Demi Moore, Andy Garcia and Sam Elliott – The Final Poster and Trailer are Here!

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“Landman” Season 2 starring Billy Bob Thornton, Ali Larter, Demi Moore, Andy Garcia and Sam Elliott – The Final Poster and Trailer are Here!

“You think you understand how this business works, but you don’t.”

Things are heating up in the final Landman trailer. Season 2 premieres November 16, 2025, only on Paramount+.

#Landman #ParamountPlus

Set in the boomtowns of Texas, Landman (starring Billy Bob Thornton) is a modern tale of fortune seeking amongst roughnecks and billionaires in the world of oil.

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Ali Larter, Demi Moore, Andy Garcia and Sam Elliott

“Crime 101” starring Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, and Halle Berry – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Crime 101 starring Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, and Halle Berry – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

He’s about to break every rule he’s ever lived by.

Watch the trailer for #Crime101 now, starring Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, and Halle Berry. See the movie only in theaters February 13.

Set against the sun-bleached grit of Los Angeles, Crime 101 weaves the tale of an elusive thief (Chris Hemsworth) whose high-stakes heists unfolding along the iconic 101 freeway have mystified police.

When he eyes the score of a lifetime with hopes of this being his final job, his path collides with a disillusioned insurance broker (Halle Berry) who is facing her own crossroads, forcing the two to collaborate.

Determined to crack the case, a relentless detective (Mark Ruffalo) closes in on the operation, raising the stakes even higher. As the multimillion-dollar heist approaches, the line between hunter and hunted begins to blur, and all three are forced to confront the cost of their choices–and the realization that there’s no turning back.

Adapted from Don Winslow’s acclaimed novella of the same name, the film is written and directed by Bart Layton (American Animals, The Imposter). Barry Keoghan, Monica Barbaro, Corey Hawkins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Nick Nolte round out the cast.

“No Way Up” (2024) / Z-View

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No Way Up (2024)

Director:  Claudio Fäh

Screenplay: Andy Mason

Stars: Colm Meaney, Will Attenborough, Phyllis Logan, James Carroll Jordan and Manuel Pacific.

Tagline: The plane crash was just the beginning.

The Plot…

A plane crashes into the ocean killing most of the passengers.  As the plane settles on an undersea ledge an air pocket forms in the back of the split fuselage.  Ava (the daughter of a rich man), Brandon (Ava’s bodyguard), Jed (Ava’s boyfriend), Kyle (Jed’s buddy), Rosa (a child) traveling with her grandparents and Danilo (a flight attendant) make their way to the slowly shrinking area of air.

If the air pocket lasts long enough the survivors hope a rescue team will get to them.  But as the air pocket slowly shrinks, the plane begins to move towards the edge of the ledge… and sharks find their way into the wreckage.

It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

No Way Up (2024) is what would be a classic drive-in movie, if we still had drive-ins.  Low budget. A “B” star in the lead (who dies early on).  A monster (the sharks).  Young people in danger.  Enough in the group that you’re not sure who will live.

No Way Up (2024) rates 2 of 5 stars.