Something About Faster…

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That’s the poster for Faster.  While I like the concept and, if push comes to shove, would have to say that I like the poster, something seems off.  Something about the Rock’s arm is bugging me… I think.  I really can’t put my finger on it and THAT is bugging me.

Let’s just hope the movie doesn’t bug me.  You wouldn’t like me when I’m grumpy.  ; )

Want to see a bigger version of the poster? Sure you do.  So go over to IMPAwards and check it out.

Boris Karloff’s Thriller

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If you’ve read the ZONE for any length of time, then you know about my love of monster movies, drive-in theaters, horror movie hosts like Sammy Terry, as well as scary [well at least they were when I was a kid] tv shows like The Twilight Zone, The Night Gallery, The Outer Limits, and The Invaders.

One show that fits into the horror genre but you’ve never heard me talk is Thriller. Hosted by the legendary, Boris Karloff, Thriller ran for 67 episodes from 1960 to 1962. From all accounts Thriller featured episodes that had some of the best scares and creepy stories that could be found anywhere. Stephen King called it,

“Probably the best horror series ever put on TV.”

Yet, for some reason it never showed up in reruns and only appeared with sporadic episodes on VHS and laser disc. That’s changed now that Thriller -The Complete Series is available on DVD with tons of extras.

If you’re like me, you’re hesitant to plunk down your hard-earned bucks without knowing more. Well, we’re in luck because at A Thriller a Day, one episode of the series is reviewed, you guessed it, each day. Even if I end up not purchasing the series, I’m going to enjoy reading about it. The two guys running the site have a good banter going, they’re refreshingly honest {they’ll call a clunker story, just that] and yet they also have an obvious love for the genre. If I was to make any suggestions to them it would be to change their rating system. Now they rate each episode from one to four Karloffs like this…

Perhaps it would be more horrific if they rated the episodes like this…

Apocalypse Now Again

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On October 19th, Apocalypse Now comes to blu-ray and will be presented [for the first time since its theatrical release in 1979] in the original [2.35:1] aspect ratio.  Also included on the two disc set will be:

  • Apocalypse Now – The 1979 Cut and Apocalypse Now Redux are presented for the first time in Hi-Def!
  • New 1080p transfers supervised by Francis Ford Coppola – first time ever in original theatrical aspect ratio (2.35:1) in home entertainment release!
  • New “A Converation with Martin Sheen” interview by Francis Ford Coppola
  • New “An Interview with John Milius” by Francis Ford Coppola
  • Never-before-included Complete 2001 Cannes Film Festival: Francis Ford Coppola interview by Roger Ebert
  • Audio Commentary by Francis Ford Coppola
  • Monkey Sampan “lost scene”
  • Additional Scenes
  • “Destruction of the Kurtz Compound” – with audio commentary by Francis Ford Coppola
  • “Heart of Darkness” – 1938 Mercury Theatre audio recording with Orson Welles
  • “The Hollow Men” – video of Marlon Brando reading T.S. Eliot’s poem
  • “The Birth of 5.1 Sound” featurette
  • “Ghost Helicopter Flyover” sound effects demonstration
  • “A Million Feet of Film: The Editing of Apocalypse Now” featurette
  • “The Music of Apocalypse Now” featurette
  • “The Synthesizer Soundtrack” article by Bob Moog
  • “Heard Any Good Movies Lately? The Sound Design of Apocalypse Now” featurette
  • “The Final Mix” featurette
  • “Apocalypse Then and Now” featurette
  • “PBR Streetgang” interviews with the boat crew actors
  • “The Color Palette of Apocalypse Now” featurette

Die hard fans of Apocalypse Now will probably instead opt for the three disc set they call Apocalypse Now: Full Disclosure.   It will include everything on the two disc set plus:

  • Hearts of Darkness, the feature-length making-of documentary with optional audio commentary from Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola
  • 48-page printed collectible booklet with letter from Francis Ford Coppola, never-before-seen archives from the set, behind-the-scenes photos and more!
  • 52-page John Milius script excerpt (onscreen) with handwritten notes from Francis Ford Coppola
  • Storyboard Gallery
  • Marketing Archives

The Not So Last Days of American Crime

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It’s hard to believe that I first posted about Rick Remender’s The Last Days of American Crime nearly seven years ago.  At that point it was just an idea that RIck had for a cool crime comic.  Nearly seven years later came the addition of artist Greg Tocchini and a company interested in publishing it.  The rest is, as they say, just the start.

Although The Last Days of Crime is coming to an end, there are still more stories to tell.  As Rick Remender told CBR.com:

“Once you read the first trade, you see how those rules work. The API broadcast is a ticking clock that everyone is going to be reacting to in the United States. People who have bad things they need to get out of their systems of revenge trips or whatever they need to take care of, they’re going to be out doing those things and people who are just regular family folk are going to be inside their houses with doors boarded up and a shotgun pointed at the window. In America, there’s 500 million potential stories for what’s happening the two weeks before American Crime is put to a halt. To that end, I’ve got a revenge story that I like quite a bit. I want the next volume to be quite a bit different from this one…”

If you’ve been reading the comic series, my guess is you’ve enjoyed the ride.  If you somehow missed it, check with your local comic shop to see if back issues are available or pre-order the trade paperback now!

Oh, and don’t miss the interview with Rick conducted by the fine folks at CBR.com.

Famous GPS Voices

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My buddy, John Beatty, was the first person I knew to have a GPS for his car.  He took me for a test drive and showed me how the system worked.  I thought it was the coolest device going and loved how it “spoke” real time, turn-by-turn directions.  John and I got to talking about how wicked it would be if famous voices were giving the directions.   Wouldn’t it be wild to hear John Wayne, Bugs Bunny, Humphrey Bogart, Marlon Brando, Elmer Fudd, Droopy or any of a gazillion other celebs helping you find your destination?

As for me, I’m still holding out for the day when I’m driving and hear from my GPS, “Yo! Turn left at the next light” and then when I make the turn, we’ll hear, “Yo!  Adrian!  He did it!”

Cully Sees a Whole Lot of Red

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Recently Cully Hamner posted the cover above that he did as one of the four Red movie prequel comics.   While I’m happy [especially for Cully] that Red was turned into a movie and that it has Bruce Willis [Bruce Willis!] in the title role; I was really hoping that the film would be a faithful adaptation of the comic series.  Instead, we’re going to get a movie inspired by the comic series.  And while the comic was more action/adventure, the film looks to be action/comedy with an emphasis on the comedy.

The movie may work.  But work or not, it won’t change how the Red graphic novel rocks.