“Leave the World Behind” (2023) starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la and Kevin Bacon / Z-View

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Leave the World Behind (2023)

Director:  Sam Esmail

Screenplay: Sam Esmail based on the novel LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND by Rumaan Alam

Stars: Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la and Kevin Bacon.

Tagline:  There’s No Going Back to Normal

The Plot…

Amanda (Roberts) and Clay Sanford (Hawke) rent a modern isolated house away from the city for a spur of the moment vacation with their two children.  As the weekend progresses strange things happen.  They lose internet access.  Several deer wander onto the property and just stand still.  At the beach an oil tanker loses control and runs ashore as beachgoers scramble for safety.  That evening the wifi is still out and television channels are off the air.

Later that night, Amanda and Clay are awakened by two well dressed strangers.  The man claims to be George H. Scott (Ali).  He says that the young woman with him is his daughter, Ruth (Myha’la).  George says that the house is his and a blackout in the city is the reason for their return home.  Ruth immediately distrusts them.  George cannot prove who he is. He claims to have lost his wallet.  His wife, Ruth’s mother is due back from a business trip later that day.  George is not asking Amanda and her family to leave. He just wants to stay with Ruth in his own home.  Despite reservations, the two families agree to share the house.

The next day, they learn that the United States is under some sort of attack.  Planes are crashing.  GPS and electronics no longer work.  The emergency alert system warns that the US is at war.  Their worst fears have become reality.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Leave the World Behind reminded me of a M. Night Shyamalan movie written by Rod Serling.  In other words, I loved it. It was well written, well directed and well acted.  Sam Esmail who adapted the screenplay and directed made interesting choices that helped build tension as strange things began happening.  Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la and Kevin Bacon are excellent.  I think this may be the first movie where I didn’t care for a Julia Roberts character.

I like movies that make me think, “What would I do”. Once Leave the World Behind kicks in, I did that a lot.  There were no easy answers since no one was sure what was going on.  I’ve seen a few bad reviews and they’re unanimously because the movie doesn’t wrap things up with a definitive answer.  That’s one of the things I enjoyed about it.  So, as always, but with this one a little more, your mileage could vary.

Leave the World Behind (2023) earns 5 of 5 stars.

SYFY’s 2023/2024 Twilight Zone New Year’s Eve Marathon Schedule is Up!

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SYFY’s 2023/2024 Twilight Zone New Year’s Eve Marathon schedule is up!  The Twilight Zone Marathon has been one of our family traditions for decades.  Sometimes we binge watch. Other times we just check in on favorite episodes. Before you click over to check it out, let me suggest some favorite Twilight Zone episodes…

December 30, 2023
8:30am – Time Enough at Last
10:30am – What You Need
11:30am – Third from the Sun
12:00pm – I Shot an Arrow into the Air
2:30pm – The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
11:00pm – The Howling Man

December 31, 2023
12:00am – Nick of Time
4:00am – The Invaders
8:30am – Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?
9:00am – The Obsolete Man
10:20am – The Grave
10:45am – It’s a Good Life
11:35am – The Midnight Sun
1:40pm – The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank

January 1, 2024
3:25am – The Shelter
8:00pm – To Serve Man
9:30pm – Nightmare at 20,000 Feet

January 2, 2024
3:25am – The Shelter

The Twilight Zone and quite a few other folks will be live-Tweeting during the marathon.   If you watch, please join in!

YOU LIKE IT DARKER by Stephen King

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Stephen King has a new book of short stories, YOU LIKE IT DARKER coming out May 21, 2024.  Before we get to the synopsis, how about that cover?  That’s a clever design.  Is it land that looks like an alligator, or an alligator that looks like land?

From legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary new collection of twelve short stories, many never-before-published, and some of his best EVER.

“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in YOU LIKE IT DARKER, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.

“Two Talented Bastids” explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to CUJO, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,” a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man” asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.

King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.

“Guns a Poppin!” (1957) starring The Three Stooges

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Guns a Poppin! (1957)

Director:  Jules White

Screenplay: Jack White, Elwood Ullman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Joe Besser,  Frank Sully, Vernon Dent and Joe Palma.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Moe is on trial for assaulting Larry and Joe.  As Moe explains to the judge what happened we see the story told through flashback.  Moe’s nerves were on edge.  He was deep in debt and had lost his business.  The boys decide a relaxing weekend at a cabin in the woods is just what is needed.  Add in a bear, some outlaws, and our guys’ usual hijinks and you can see why Moe was ready to commit murder!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Guns a Poppin! is a reboot of Idiot’s Deluxe with Joe replacing Curly.  More new scenes were shot for this than you might expect. Reused footage included only Moe in court, as well as the bear and Moe eating breakfast.

Guns a Poppin! (1957) earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Rustin” (2023) directed by George C. Wolfe, starring Colman Domingo, Chris Rock & Glynn Turman / Z-View

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Rustin (2023)

Director:  George C. Wolfe

Screenplay: Julian Breece, Dustin Lance Black from a story by Julian Breece

Stars: Colman Domingo, Chris Rock, Glynn Turman, Aml Ameen, Gus Halper, Johnny Ramey, Jeffrey Wright and CCH Pounder.

Tagline: Own Your Power

The Plot…

Most everyone knows about the 1963 March on Washington which brought together 250,000 people to protest for civil rights.  Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his I Have a Dream speech at this event.  Bayard Rustin was the man who came up with the idea and against all odds (even the NAACP was against the idea at first) was able to build support and bring the idea to reality.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Rustin (2023) has been nominated for two Critics Choice Awards: Best Actor – Colman Domingo and Best Song -Lenny Kravitz – “Road to Freedom”

Rustin (2023) has been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards: Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama – Colman Domingo and Best Original Song, Motion Picture – Lenny Kravitz – “Road to Freedom”

Director George C. Wolfe who last directed Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is back with another winner.

Colman Domingo gives an amazing performance as does his supporting cast.  Glynn Turman also deserves special recognition for his powerful performance.

Rustin isn’t a documentary, so I’m not clear what liberties were taken with the story.  Bayard Rustin isn’t shown as simply a heroic figure. There are shades to his character as well as other better known figures from history. Rustin, the film, works as a biographical drama with strong performances and direction.

Rustin (2023) earns 4 of 5 stars.

“A Merry Mix-up” (1957) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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A Merry Mix-up (1957)

Director:  Jules White

Screenplay: Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Joe Besser and Diana Darrin.

Tagline: Hilarious?  Better Than Ever!

The Plot…

Three sets of triplets (played by Larry, Moe and Joe) lose track of each other after the war.  Moe, Larry and Joe are single.  Morris, Luke and Jeff are engaged and soon to be married.  Max, Louie and Jack are all happily married.  None of the brothers have told their girls about the brothers that they haven’t seen in years.

As luck would have it, all the brothers and their girls show up at the same nightclub at different times.  Unfortunately when the girls arrive they mistake the wrong set of brothers as their guys.  All of the girls think their guys are cheating and the guys have no clue what is going on.

Let the hijinks begin.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The one-sheet poster for A Merry Mix-up lists the Stooges as Shemp, Larry and Joe!

Most of the shots when there is more than one set of twins was accomplished with doubles for each Stooge.  The final shot with a 9 brothers in the same scene was accomplished with a matte shot using a triple exposure.

A Merry Mix-up (1957) earns 4 of 5 stars.

“Naked Alibi” (1954) starring Sterling Hayden, Gloria Grahame & Gene Barry / Z-View

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Naked Alibi (1954)

Director:  Jerry Hopper

Screenplay: Lawrence Roman based on the story Cry Copper by Gladys Atwater, J. Robert Bren

Stars: Sterling Hayden, Gloria Grahame, Gene Barry, Max Showalter, Billy Chapin, Stuart Randall, John Alvin, Dee Carroll  and Chuck Connors.

Tagline: The Cop, The Killer and the Border Town Woman!

The Plot…

Albert Willis (Barry) is brought in for questioning about some recent robberies.  Although drunk, Willis has no record, is married and owns a local bakery.  Willis becomes more and more angry as the questioning continues.  He ends up hitting a cop.  In retaliation, they work him over.  Willis, vows to get even with the cops who beat him.

Willis’ lawyer gets him released with no charges.  This only angers Chief Joseph E. Conroy (Hayden), who has no doubt Willis is guilty.  That evening one of the cops who beat Willis is murdered.  Chief Conroy is sure WIllis is the killer.  Conroy and a couple of his buddies begin tailing Willis everywhere he goes.  When Conroy is told to back off, he refuses.  Conroy is then fired.

Now, more than ever Conroy is determined to prove that Albert Willis is a thief and murderer.  Willis tells his wife he needs to get away from the publicity and to clear his head.  He decides to go to Border City for the weekend.  Little does he know Conroy is close behind.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Naked Alibi doesn’t play out at all like I thought it would.  I like that.  Who’s the “good guy” or better yet, who’s the bad guy?

Gloria Grahame is always good.  It’s fun seeing a young Chuck Connors years before The Rifleman fame.

Naked Alibi (1954) earns 4 of 5 stars.

“Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.” starring Eddie Murphy – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Deal me in.

Detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is back on the beat in Beverly Hills. After his daughter’s life is threatened, she (Taylour Paige) and Foley team up with a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and old pals Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) to turn up the heat and uncover a conspiracy.

From Producers Jerry Bruckheimer, Eddie Murphy, Chad Oman, and Director Mark Molloy.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. Only on Netflix, Summer 2024.

“Muscle Up A Little Closer” (1957) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Muscle Up A Little Closer (1957)

Director:  Jules White

Screenplay: Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Joe Besser and Maxine Gates.

Tagline: Hilarious?  Better Than Ever!

The Plot…

Joe, Larry and Moe plan to propose marriage to their girls.  Joe discovers that the ring he bought for his sweetheart is missing.  The boys believe that a bully from work stole it.  Our guys decide to confront the lug in the company gym.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

In Muscle Up A Little Closer Larry and Moe wear more conservative haircuts for the first time in the series. The new haircuts would appear from time to time in the Stooges’ shorts with Joe Besser (he suggested the new style do’s).  The problem was that most of the new shorts contained footage from previous Stooges’ outings and the hairstyles wouldn’t match.

Muscle Up A Little Closer (1957) earns 3 of 5 stars.