“30 Days of Night” (2007) starring Josh Harnett, Melissa George & Danny Huston / Z-View

Posted on by

30 Days of Night (2007)

Director: David Slade

Screenplay: Steve Niles, Stuart Beattie, Brian Nelson based on 30 Days of Night by Steve Niles & Ben Templesmith

Stars: Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston, Ben Foster, Mark Boone Junior, Elizabeth Hawthorne and Nathaniel Lees.

Tagline: They’re Coming!

The Plot…

The remote city of Barrow, Alaska, because of it’s location has a month of darkness once a year.  Most of the city’s inhabitants leave.  Those that stay have to live with “30 days of night”.  This year they will also have to deal with a coven of vampires who have come to Barrow to feast!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Steve Niles conceived 30 Days of Night as a graphic novel.  Although he pitched the idea, there was no interest.  Niles then reworked the idea and pitched 30 Days of Night as a movie.  Again there was no interest.  Niles put the idea on the back-burner until a discussion at IDW Publishing brought 30 Days of Night back from the, uh, dead.  Niles and artist Ben Templesmith’s 30 Days of Night comic was a hit.  This led to several movie studios showing interest in adapting 30 Days of Night.

A picture of Steve Niles can be seen in the attic hideout.

30 Days of Night does a great job of building suspense and ratcheting the tension as the vampires destroy Barlow’s ability to communicate with the outside world.  Then we see vampire attacks to those on the outskirts of the city.  The full-on attack of the city with the overhead shots of the mayhem is still a favorite scene.

Danny Huston is amazing as Marlow the leader of the vampire coven.  Kudos also to Ben Foster.

30 Days of Night (2007) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Mars Attacks” (1996) directed by Tim Burton / Z-View

Posted on by

Mars Attacks (1996)

Director: Tim Burton

Screenplay: Jonathan Gems, Tim Burton (uncredited) based on Topps Mars Attacks! trading cards

Stars: Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Annette Bening, Glenn Close, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Michael J. Fox, Rod Steiger, Lukas Haas, Natalie Portman, Jim Brown, Lisa Marie, Sylvia Sidney, Paul Winfield, Pam Grier, Jack Black, Joe Don Baker, Christina Applegate  and Tom Jones.

Tagline: Nice planet. We’ll take it!

The Plot…

An armada of Martian ships have come to Earth.  At the first meeting between the Martian and US Ambassador and accident makes the Martians think that they are under attack.  The aliens then decide to take over the Earth.

Let the fun begin!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Tim Burton directs an all-star cast.

Tim Burton pitched the idea by showing Warner Bros. the Mars Attacks! trading cards released in 1962.  The cards featured art by Wally Wood and Norman Saunders.  The card set told of a Martian invasion of Earth.  Because the cards were aimed at the kiddie market, many parents felt that the violence was too graphic.  This led to a limited distribution.  The Mars Attacks! cards have become collector’s items.  In the 1980s, Topps revisited the Mars Attacks! by re-releasing the card set, new Mars Attacks! cards and comic books.

Mars Attacks! marks Sylvia Sidney’s final film appearance.

Although Tim Burton co-wrote the film with Jonathan Gems, but gave Gems full credit.  Jonathan Gems wrote the Mars Attacks! novelization and dedicated the book to Tim Burton.

Mars Attacks (1996) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Tango & Cash” (1989) starring Sylvester Stallone & Kurt Russell / Z-View

Posted on by

Tango & Cash (1989)

Director: Andrei Konchalovsky, Albert Magnoli (uncredited)

Screenplay: Randy Feldman

Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Teri Hatcher, Jack Palance, Brion James, James Hong, Marc Alaimo, Philip Tan, Michael J. Pollard, Robert Z’Dar, Lewis Arquette, Edward Bunker, Roy Brocksmith, Susan Krebs, David Byrd, Richard Fancy, Michael Jeter,  Patti Davis, Billy Blanks, Geoffrey Lewis, Benny Urquidez and Clint Howard.

Tagline: Two of L.A.’s top rival cops are going to have to work together… Even if it kills them.

The Plot…

Detectives Ray Tango (Stallone) and Gabriel Cash (Russell) are two of LA’s top narcotic cops. They have a friendly rivalry and different styles.  They don’t work together but their busts have put a dent in drug kingpin, Yves Perret’s (Palance) operation.

Perret has Tango and Cash framed, convicted and sent to prison.  Now he plans to have them murdered.

If they are to survive Tango and Cash will have to work together, escape prison and find evidence to clear their names.  Let the fun begin!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Tango & Cash had two directors.  Andrei (Runaway Train) Konchalovsky helmed most of the film. Producers wanted a lighter, funnier film.  Konchalovsky and Stallone felt a serious film with some humor would work better.  Disagreements were constant, but Konchalovsky refused to give in.  This and the movie going over-budget led to him being fired.  Albert (Purple Rain) Magnoli was brought in to finish the film.

Jeffrey (Lethal Weapon 2 & 3) did uncredited re-writes on the film.

Patrick Swayze was originally cast as Cash.  He dropped out to do Road House.

Sly’s character is asked if he stopped for “coffee and a Danish”.  He replies, “I hate Danish.” This is an in-joke as Sly had recently divorced Danish actress Brigitte Nielsen.

Both Brion James and Robert Z’Dar originally had smaller parts, but they impressed enough folks that their roles were expanded.

Geoffrey Lewis has an uncredited cameo.

Tango & Cash (1989) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Your Lucky Day” (2023) written & directed by Daniel Brown / Z-View

Posted on by

Your Lucky Day (2023)

Director: Daniel Brown

Screenplay: Daniel Brown

Stars: Angus Cloud, Elliot Knight, Jessica Garza, Sterling Beaumon, Mousa Hussein Kraish, Spencer Garrett, Jason O’Mara and Jason Wiles .

Tagline: Cashing in will cost you.

The Plot…

Late night at a small convenience store a customer discovers that he has a winning lottery ticket for $156 million.  He makes a big deal about it and everyone in the store hears he has the big winner.  A drug dealer (Cloud) pulls a gun and demands the ticket.  The two argue. A security guard pulls his gun and tells crook to drop his.

The two exchange shots.  The security guard’s shot kills the ticket holder.  The crook’s shot takes out the security guard.  The thug then gathers everyone in the store.  They include a pregnant woman, her lover, and the store owner.  Fearing that they will all be killed, the store owner tells the thug he will never get to cash the ticket.  He reasons that if thug kills them all, there will be no explaining how he got the winning ticket.  If he doesn’t kill them, they could talk.  BUT if he splits the winnings with him, they can help him get rid of the two bodies and come up with a plausible story about the winning ticket.

The best laid plans…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Angus Cloud was excellent as the drug dealer/robber.  Sadly, he died before the film’s release.

Your Lucky Day (2023) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“TMZ PRESENTS: ARNOLD & SLY: RIVALS, FRIENDS, ICONS” – The Trailer is Here!

Posted on by

Get those DVRs ready!

TMZ exclusively sits down with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone as they discuss for the first time how their once-fierce rivalry led to two Hollywood icons forever being friends and brothers in arms.

ALL-NEW SPECIAL “TMZ PRESENTS: ARNOLD & SLY: RIVALS, FRIENDS, ICONS” PREMIERES TUESDAY, APRIL 23 @ 8/7c ON FOX AND THE NEXT DAY ON HULU

M. Knight Shyamalan’s “Trap” – The Trailer is Here!

Posted on by

Usually M. Knight Shyamalan’s twists come late or even at the end of his movies.  We learn this one in the trailer… unless there are more.  Trap looks pretty interesting.

A new M. Night Shyamalan experience. #TrapMovie only in theaters this summer.

Listen to original songs from Saleka as Lady Raven: www.ladyravenmusic.com

Warner Bros. Pictures presents a new experience in the world of M. Night Shayamalan —“Trap” —featuring performances by rising music star Saleka Shyamalan.

A father and teen daughter attend a pop concert, where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, “Trap” stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

The director of photography is Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (“Call Me by Your Name”). The production designer is Debbie de Villa (“The Hating Game”). It is edited by Noëmi Preiswerk and the music is by Herdĭs Stefănsdŏttir (“Knock at the Cabin”). The music supervisor is Susan Jacobs (“Old”); the costume designer is Caroline Duncan (“Old”). The casting is by Douglas Aibel (“Asteroid City”).

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents A Blinding Edge Pictures Production, An M. Night Shyamalan Film: “Trap.” The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, in theaters only nationwide on August 9, 2024 and internationally beginning on 1 August, 2024.
Transcript

“Bowery at Midnight” (1942) starring Bela Lugosi / Z-View

Posted on by

Bowery at Midnight (1942)

Director: Wallace Fox

Screenplay: Gerald Schnitzer

Stars: Bela Lugosi, John Archer, Wanda McKay, Tom Neal, Vince Barnett, John Berkes, ‘Snub’ Pollard and Bernard Gorcey.

Tagline: BELA LUGOSI CHILLER! WEIRD! THRILLING!

The Plot…

Karl Wagner (Lugosi) runs a soup kitchen that serves as a front for his many criminal enterprises.  Wagner recruits ex-cons and those who are down-and-out to perform robberies and worse.  Wagner then kills them. He disposes of their bodies in a secret room that leads underground.  His accomplice, a doctor who is also an addict, performs experiments on the cadavers.

As the cops close in, Wagner will go to any extreme to escape.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

At the end the undercover cop played by John Archer is shot and presumably killed.  He is taken by the doctor who we discover has perfected the ability to bring the dead back to life as zombies.  Lugosi’s character is attacked by the zombies when he goes into the basement.  Then the final scene of the movie is John Archer’s character with his love interest.  He appears to be totally recovered from being dead and isn’t a zombie.  Huh?

Bowery at Midnight (1942) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Civil War” (2024) written & directed by Alex Garland, starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny & Stephen McKinley Henderson / Z-View

Posted on by

Civil War (2024)

Director: Alex Garland

Screenplay:  Alex Garland

Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Nick Offerman, Jefferson White, Nelson Lee, Evan Lai, Stephen McKinley Henderson and Jesse Plemons.

Tagline: Welcome to the frontline

The Plot…

In the near future the United States is deeply involved in a civil war.  A third-term President controls the military of the loyalist states.  Texas and California have formed an alliance called the Western Forces.  Florida along with several southern states are part of the Florida Alliance.  Despite the President’s assurances to the nation that victory is near, rumors float that the rebels are close to bringing down the current administration.

Lee (Dunst), a famous war photographer, and her reporter partner Joel (Moura) plan to get to Washington, D.C. to cover the end of the President’s regime.  They end up bringing along Sammy (McKinley Henderson), an older reporter friend, and Jessie (Spaeny), a young woman who dreams of being a war photographer.

As the four travel from New York City to DC, we see first hand the effect the war is having on citizens and soldiers.  Not all will survive…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

It’s interesting that although writer/director, Alex Garland worked to keep the story politically neutral, some viewers are assigning their political beliefs to the film.  Although the President is serving a third term, we don’t know what led to that.  The President is described in the film as a fascist, which is a term that has been applied to leaders of both US political parties.

Often in the film, it’s hard to tell if the soldiers are loyalists or rebels.  In one particular scene, two soldiers and our foursome are pinned down by a sniper.  We never learn the affiliation of the sniper or soldiers.  We only know that someone is trying to kill them before they can kill him.

I believe that Garland’s goal is to get people talking about the film and to show that war is hell. At one point in the film, Dunst’s character says something to the effect that her job is to get the shot and the viewer’s job to ask the questions.  That’s a great way to describe Garland’s outlook with the film.  He made the movie and it is the audience’s job to ask questions to get to the answers.

There are several tense scenes both in and out of battle. We see the best and worst in people from both the loyalists and the rebels.  There are several scenes that will stick with the viewer long after the movie has ended.  Hopefully it will also leave the viewer with thoughts / questions.  Some that came to me were…

  • Were the secret service agents guarding the President there because they believed in him and the things that he did or were they there because of their oath to protect him.
  • What was the cause of the civil war?  We are “told” the President is a fascist and that he used the military to kill some US citizens.  We don’t know enough about these things to determine their truth.  If true, what was tried to bring about justice before resorting to civil war?
  • The President is killed at the end of the film.  He was unarmed and begging for his life. He could have been captured and brought to justice.  Simply executing him sounds like something a fascist regime would do.  Are the rebels the good guys? If not, did the bad guys win?  Or maybe, just maybe labeling people as good or bad is just too simplistic.
  • War brings out the best and worst in people.  One could point out several examples of heroism on both sides of the battle.  Also on both sides we see people who enjoy the killing.
  • Civil War is extremely well acted.  The four leads, Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, and Stephen McKinley Henderson are excellent.  Jesse Plemons is always good and here, in a small scene, he’s never been better.  Kudos to Alex Garland for making an exceptional film.

Civil War (2024) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Chamber of Horrors” (1966) starring Patrick O’Neal, Cesare Danova & Wilfrid Hyde-White / Z-View

Posted on by

Chamber of Horrors (1966)

Director: Hy Averback

Screenplay: Stephen Kandel, Ray Russell

Stars: Patrick O’Neal, Cesare Danova, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Jeanette Nolan, Marie Windsor, Wayne Rogers, Charles Seel, William Conrad (voice) and Tony Curtis.

Tagline: The motion picture with the Fear Flasher and the Horror Horn

The Plot…

Jason Cravatte (O’Neal) was convicted of killing a young woman and then forcing a Justice of the Peace to perform a marriage ceremony for Cravatte and his victim.  While being transported to prison, Cravatte escaped by cutting off his own hand.

Now fully healed, Cravatte has replaced his hand with a covering that can hold a hook, a long blade and more.  Cravatte plans to get revenge on everyone responsible for his capture.  That includes the judge who sentenced him, the police officer who caught him, Anthony Draco (Danova) and Harold Blount (Hyde-White) who assisted in the capture.

Draco and Blount own a wax museum with a focus on famous gruesome murderers.  Wouldn’t that be the perfect place for Cravatte to take his final revenge?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I first saw Chamber of Horrors as a kid.  I was probably 9 years old.  I loved the film then and am still a fan.

Chamber of Horrors was originally filmed as a pilot for a tv series.  The network thought it was too violent, so it received a theatrical release.  Sadly no television series was ever produced.  I still think it would make a fun series.

Tony Curtis appears in a cameo that has no bearing on the plot.  When it was decided to release the film as a feature, additional time was needed so the scene with Tony Curtis was added.  Also added were the gimmicks of The Fear Flasher and The Horror Horn which were seen and heard before the most intense scenes.  William Conrad also recorded the warning before the start of the film.

Wayne Rogers plays the young police officer intent on re-capturing Cravatte. This is years before he became famous on M*A*S*H.

Chamber of Horrors (1966) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Homicidal” (1961) directed by William Castle / Z-View

Posted on by

Homicidal (1961)

Director:  William Castle

Screenplay: Robb White

Stars: Glenn Corbett, Patricia Breslin, James Westerfield, Gilbert Green, Joan Marshall, Ralph Moody, ‘Snub’ Pollard, Hope Summers and William Castle.

Tagline: SPECIAL “FRIGHT BREAK” * There will be a special FRIGHT BREAK during the showing of “Homicidal.” Can your heart stand the challenge when the clock starts the COUNTDOWN?

The Plot…

A woman claiming to be Miriam Webster offers a bellman $2,000.00 to marry her.  She says that they can annul the marriage right after the ceremony.  The bellman agrees.  The next night they go to a Justice of the Peace.  After he performs the ceremony the woman pulls out a long knife and repeatedly stabs him to death.  The woman then runs off into the night.

The police quickly clear the real Miriam Webster (Breslin).  They learn that Miriam and her brother, Warren, are about to inherit a fortune due to their father’s death.  More murders will occur before the secrets that they are hiding will be discovered.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

William Castle was known for his gimmick films.  Three examples include:

  • The Tingler, he had small electric jolts and/or vibrators in some theater seats
  • Mr. Sardonicus, audience members were given glow in the dark cards to vote on the movie’s ending
  • House on Haunted Hill, a flying skeleton flew across the theater

For Homicidal, William Castle had a “Fright Break” prior to the ending of the film.  Audience members too frightened to stay for the end had 45 seconds (a timer appeared on the movie screen) to leave the theater. They would go to the “Coward’s Corner” in the lobby.  There they had to sign a certificate verifying they were indeed a coward.  Very few patrons took up the offer, but it was a great selling point.  THAT wasn’t the best gimmick of Homicidal.  SPOILER ALERT – it will be discussed below.

Homicidal cashed in on the success of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho which was released the year before.

Joan Marshall played both Emily and Warren. Emily was credited as Jean Arless to keep the movie’s gimmick a secret.  In order to convince William Castle she could play both roles convincingly, Marshall showed up dressed as a man for an interview.  She fooled them and won the part.

Homicidal (1961) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Festival of the Living Dead” (2024) / Z-View

Posted on by

Festival of the Living Dead (2024)

Director: Jen and Sylvia Soska

Screenplay: Miriam Lyapin, Helen Marsh

Stars: Camren Bicondova, Ashley Moore.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

A group of teenage friends attend the Festival of the Living Dead which commemorates the 55th anniversary of the original zombie attack.  While at the festivals zombies, you guessed it, attack.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I enjoy a good zombie movie.  I tapped out of this one after 31 minutes.

Festival of the Living Dead (2024) rates 1 of 5 stars.

“Violence” (1947) / Z-View

Posted on by

Violence (1947)

Director:  Jack Bernhard

Screenplay: Lewis Lantz, Stanley Rubin

Stars: Nancy Coleman, Michael O’Shea, Sheldon Leonard, Peter Whitney, Emory Parnell, Pierre Watkin, Frank Reicher, Cay Forester, Fred Aldrich, Frank Cady and John Hamilton.

Tagline: YOU READ ABOUT THESE CASES EVERY DAY!

The Plot…

True Dawson (Parnell) is a corrupt politician preying on working men and military veterans.  Undercover reporter Ann Mason (Coleman) has the goods to bring Dawson to justice.  As Ann makes her escape, she’s injured in a car wreck and develops amnesia.  If Dawson discovers Ann is the source, he’ll have her killed… and the clues are there.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Although Violence is a run of the mill “B” picture, it’s interesting how the politics played out in the film could come from today.

Violence (1947) rates 2 of 5 stars.