Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Here’s the Top Gun: Maverick poster and trailer. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Top Gun. I liked it but it doesn’t come up in my list of favorite movies, or even my favorite Tom Cruise movies. But I have to say, I really like the Top Gun: Maverick poster and trailer!
The painting above is from one of Howard Chaykin’s Cody Starbuck portfolios. Hard to believe that this portfolio was released 40 years ago, and I’ve been a Chaykin fan for even longer.
If you’d like to see the complete Chaykin portfolio and some of his other portfolios and art posts check out Ungoliantschilde.
The Killerman poster is here and I like it. Hope the movie is as good or better!
The Far Empty by J. Todd Scott
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
First sentence…
My father has killed three men.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
J. Todd Scott pulls us in from the first sentence and proceeds to unfold his story from the perspective of believable characters with a slow burn to a dramatic conclusion that leaves us satisfied and yet hoping for more. (Rest easy, more stories are coming about those who survive.)
The Far Empty is a modern day western-noir wrapped around a mystery (mysteries) with enough action and suspense to satisfy the most critical reader.
When Chris Cherry, a new deputy in Murfee, Texas, finds the handcuffed, skeletal remains of a body in a remote area not far from the Mexico/Texas border, he starts an investigation. It’s an investigation that will uncover secrets best left hidden and may cost him his life.
The Far Empty hooked me from the first sentence. I loved every page and give it my highest recommendation. J. Todd Scott is the real deal.
Rating:
Stephen Verona died on Saturday after a year and a half long battle with lung cancer. Readers of this site probably know Verona best as the Producer, Co-Writer and Director of Lords of Flatbush, but Verona was much more than that.
Verona got his start creating commercials. He met and became friends with John Lennon which led to Verona getting to animate the Beatles song I Feel Fine. Next came a music short with Barbara Streisand. He went on to work with Natalie Cole, Chicago, Simon & Garfunkel and many others.
Verona was a screenwriter, an award-winning director of feature films, television episodes and specials, an an award-winning painter and photographer. A renaissance man, indeed.
The Hollywood Reporter posted that “When Stallone learned that Verona was ill, he sent him an email saying that his career would not have been the same without him.” The same could be said for many other celebrities.
Had Stephen Verona only been known as the talent behind Lords of Flatbush, it would have been worth noting here, but I hope fans know he was so much more.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Stephen Verona’s family, friends and fans.
If a zombie apocalypse breaks out, are you living in a state that provides a good chance of survival? If you want to find out, CableTV.com has the answers. They looked at each “state’s agriculture, weapon ownership, solar energy, and climate.” They then ranked states from 1 (most likely to survive) to 4 (least likely to survive).
Since I live in Florida (ranked a 2), my odds are pretty good. If I went back to my birth state of Indiana (ranked a 1), they’d be even better.
If you click over to The 10 Best States for Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse at Mental Floss, you’ll get even more info.
Here’s the trailer to The King’s Man.
In 2020, they will become kings. Watch the new teaser trailer for The King’s Man now. See the film in theatres February 14, 2020.
As a collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop them. Discover the origins of the very first independent intelligence agency in The King’s Man.
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Based on the Comic Book “The Secret Service” by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons
Produced by: Matthew Vaughn, David Reid, Adam Bohling
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, with Djimon Hounsou, and Charles Dance
In honor of the mission to put the first man on the moon’s 50th anniversary, Mental Floss posted 50 Facts About the Apollo 11 Moon Landing. Here are three of my favorites…
3. THE APOLLO 11 ASTRONAUTS WERE ODDLY CALM DURING LIFTOFF.
The average resting heart rate of an adult human is somewhere between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm), depending on the individual’s age, size, heart conditions, and other factors. Throw a little excitement into the mix and one’s heart is likely to beat much faster. Yet the Apollo 11 astronauts, whose heart rates were monitored throughout the expedition, remained surprisingly normal. At liftoff, Armstrong was the most excited of the bunch with a rate of 110 bpm. Collins, meanwhile, was clocked at 99, while a clearly calm Aldrin logged a rate of just 88 bpm.32. ARMSTRONG AND ALDRIN HAD TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO LOCK THEMSELVES OUT OF THE MODULE.
If their heart rates were any indication, Armstrong and Aldrin were pretty calm, cool, and collected when they landed on the Moon. And it’s a good thing: Had they been overwhelmed by the cosmic wonder of it all, they could have easily locked themselves out of their lunar module, as Eagle’s door had no outer handle.45. ARMSTRONG, ALDRIN, AND COLLINS WERE QUARANTINED FOR MORE THAN TWO WEEKS UPON THEIR RETURN TO EARTH.
On July 24, the Apollo 11 crew reentered Earth’s atmosphere and splashed down into the Pacific Ocean after more than a week in space. In order to ensure the men hadn’t brought back any sort of weird Moon diseases or other microbes, Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins were quickly placed into a mobile quarantine unit, which was then transported to the NASA Lunar Receiving Laboratory at Houston’s Johnson Space Center. They were released from quarantine on August 10, 1969.
Here’s the poster and trailer for Another Life starring Katee Sackhoff. I don’t much care for the poster. The trailer is okay, but I think the movie has potential. We shall see.
Far Out put together a list of 22 of Stephen King’s All-Time Favorite Films. The list is a mixed bag. I’ve seen 15 of the 22. My top three from the list are:
I really like this Cobra poster by Ryan Bullard. It’s not photo-realistic, but there’s no doubt about who the characters are and it definitely displays Ryan’s style. Bravo!
Trigger Mortis is a 64 page Zombie Western Hardcover Graphic Novel from Derec Donovan that’s on Kickstarter now. I jumped on board and I thought it would appeal to some of our readers. Here’s the synopsis…
EXCLUSIVE to Kickstarter! Trigger Mortis is a 64 page Hardcover thrill-ride combining the action and human drama of Spaghetti Westerns, and the tension and horror of Zombie films.
1876: on the eve of Colorado gaining statehood, rancher Sarah Mc’Clintock has hired a pair of Pinkertons to protect her family’s ranch from the ever present threat of Cattle Rustlers.
She soon finds herself caught in a love triangle between her old flame, Deputy Dylan Hawkes, and mysterious Gunhand Seamus O’Donnell.
Until a zombie plague comes crashing to Earth, spreading like wildfire and threatening the unsuspecting citizens.
Can the living band together to defend the town of Devil’s Lantern from the army of the walking dead?
*Trigger Mortis is intended for Mature Audiences.
ComingSoon posted their choice for The 10 Best Vampire Movies. I’ve only seen four of the ten (Dracula; Nosferatu; The Lost Boys and What We Do in the Shadows), but my Top Ten Vampire Movies would be (in alphabetical order)
And while we’re at it, I’d also suggest the following vampire tv series:
Arsenic and Old Lace is one of my all-time favorite movie comedies. Made in 1944, Arsenic and Old Lace was directed by Frank Capra and starred Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey, Jack Carson, Peter Lorre, Josephine Hull, Jean Adair and John Alexander.
Arsenic and Old Lace got its start on Broadway running from January 1941 to June 1944. The popular play starred Josephine Hull, Jean Adair and Boris Karloff. When it was time to make the movie, the play’s producers wouldn’t give Karloff the time off fearing that losing him would hurt the play’s attendance. Raymond Massey took over Karloff’s part for the film.
Although Massey did an excellent job, I’d have loved to have seen Karloff in the movie.
Another thing I’d have loved to have seen is Bela Lugosi in the stage play of Arsenic and Old Lace. As you can see from the ad above, Lugosi played the part originated by Karloff (and later Masey) when the show went on the road!
Source: Barnabas Collins.
Today we have something pretty clever (and well done). It’s a fan made trailer for Batman (1989) as if Tim Burton made the film in 1945. Without further adeu, I present a trailer for The Bat-Man!
