“The End” (1978) starring Burt Reynolds & Dom DeLuise / Z-View

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The End (1978)

Director: Burt Reynolds

Screenplay: Jerry Belson

Stars: Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Dom DeLuise, Strother Martin, David Steinberg, Joanne Woodward, Norman Fell, Myrna Loy, Kristy McNichol, Pat O’Brien, Robby Benson and Carl Reiner.

Tagline: “After all, what are friends for?”

The Plot…

Sonny Lawson (Reynods) learns that he’s got a fatal blood disease.  There is no cure. He will die a slow painful death.  So Sonny decides to end his life.  But first he visits his girlfriend, family members and a priest.  When Sonny fails at his suicide attempt, he ends up in a mental institution. There Sonny befriends a fellow patient named Marlon Borunki (DeLuise).  Borunki is happy to help his new friend die… even after Sonny changes his mind and wants to live!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The End doesn’t really come alive (see what I did there?) until Dom DeLuise shows up.  There are some truly funny scenes from there on.  Most are with DeLuise and Reynolds, but Burt has a funny extended solo scene where he bargains with God to stay alive.

Reynolds plays a very unlikeable character.  If he were more likeable, the audience would want him to live.  The End features a great cast, but there are so many characters that they aren’t given much to do.  Robbie Benson as a young priest gets the most laughs (outside of Reynolds and DeLuise).  Sally Field is always a welcome addition.  I wish The End started in the mental institution with DeLuise wanting to help Reynolds by killing him. Then Reynolds learns that he’s not really dying, but DeLuise doesn’t know or care… he’s on a mission.  Give me an hour and a half of that!  But that would be another movie.

The End (1978) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Drive-Away Dolls” directed by Ethan Coen – The Trailer is Here!

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I like the trailer for Drive-Away Dolls.  It looks like a fun ride.  Deal me in!

Written by Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke, this comedy caper follows Jamie, an uninhibited free spirit bemoaning yet another breakup with a girlfriend, and her demure friend Marian who desperately needs to loosen up. In search of a fresh start, the two embark on an impromptu road trip to Tallahassee, but things quickly go awry when they cross paths with a group of inept criminals along the way. Directed by Ethan Coen.

A TURKEY DANCED DEATH: Another Rock Cobbler Case by Whiskey Leavins is Coming!

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Great news for Whiskey Leavins and Rock Cobbler fans – A Turkey Danced Death: Another Rock Cobbler Case — Coming in early August!

Usually I like my crime fiction to be hardboiled and serious. But there are times when a bigger helping of humor is a nice change of pace.  Last year Whiskey Leavins’  Murder in Grease Paint filled the bill.  Someone described it as “equal parts Chandler, Christopher Moore, Bozo, and Bourbon.”  I wouldn’t argue that.  I gave Murder in Grease Paint 5 of 5 stars (the same rating that Leavins’ The Devil’s Own Piss and Other Stories‘ earned!) So you can imagine that I’m psyched to have another Rock Cobbler Case in the pipeline.

“Knock at the Cabin” (2023) directed by M. Night Shyamalan starring Dave Bautista / Z-View

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Knock at the Cabin (2023)

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Screenplay: M. Night Shyamalan, Steve Desmond, Michael Sherman based on The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul G. Tremblay

Stars: Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rupert Grint, Abby Quinn and Kristen Cui.

Tagline:  Save your family or save humanity. Make the choice.

The Plot…

Eric (Groff),  Andrew (Aldridge) and their little daughter Wren (Cui) are vacationing at a remote cabin deep in the woods.  When four people with weapons take them prisoner, Eric and Andrew are told if they don’t willingly kill a member of their family, all humanity will die.  The clock is ticking.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

M. Night Shyamalan has a cameo in a commercial for an air fryer that plays on a tv in the background of a scene.

The four people who show up at the cabin represent the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

I continue to be impressed with the variety of roles that Dave Bautista takes on and excels at.

As you watch Knock at the Cabin, you can’t help, but wonder what you would do in the same situation.

Knock at the Cabin (2023) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Mulholland Falls” (1996) starring Nick Nolte, Melanie Griffith, Chazz Palminteri, John Malkovich & Treat Williams / Z-View

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Mulholland Falls (1996)

Director: Lee Tamahori

Screenplay: Pete Dexter from a story by Pete Dexter, Floyd Mutrux

Stars: Nick Nolte, Melanie Griffith, Jennifer Connelly, Chazz Palminteri, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Treat Williams, Daniel Baldwin, Andrew McCarthy, John Malkovich, Kyle Chandler  and Ed Lauter.

Tagline:  This isn’t America, this is Los Angeles

The Plot…

A special four-man team of LA Detectives consisting of Lieutenant Maxwell Hoover (Nolte), Ellery Coolidge (Palminteri), Eddie Hall (Madsen), and Arthur Relyea (Penn) have been granted authorization to take aggressive actions when dealing with criminals.  Gangsters have taken to calling them The Hat Squad.

When a prostitute named Allison Pond (Connelly) is found dead in the desert with every bone in her body broken, the case is assigned to The Hat Squad.  A piece of radioactive glass is found embedded in Pond’s foot.  Soon the detectives receive a film of Pond having sex with various men… including Detective Hoover and  retired General Thomas Timms (Malkovich).  Following leads puts the team at odds with each other and the US Military.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Hat Squad was based on a team of detectives that was truly empowered to take more drastic measures to fight crime.

Mulholland Falls features an amazing cast.  Standouts include Nolte, Palminteri, Malkovich and Williams.

I liked the reveal and subsequent action scene after the murderer is known.  Also the final scene between Nolte and Griffith is handled in a non-Hollywood way.

Mulholland Falls (1996) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Justified: City Primeval” | Teaser – Specially Requested

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Starring Timothy Olyphant, Aunjanue Ellis and Boyd Holbrook. Raylan Givens left the hollers of Kentucky and is balancing life as a U.S. Marshal with being a part-time father. A chance encounter sends him to Detroit and on a collision course with a violent sociopath and a formidable defense attorney.

The hat is back. FX’s Justified: City Primeval premieres 7.18 on FX. Stream on Hulu.

“300” (2006) /Z-View

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300 (2006)

Director: Zack Snyder

Screenplay: Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad, Michael B. Gordon based on 300 by Frank Miller, Lynn Varley

Stars: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham, Dominic West, Vincent Regan, Michael Fassbender, Andrew Pleavin, Rodrigo Santoro  and Eli Snyder.

Tagline:  Spartans, tonight, we dine in hell!

The Plot…

Based on Frank Miller’s classic graphic novel, 300 tells the story of King Leonidas (Butler) who led an army of 300 Spartans against a Persian force of over 100,000.  Persian King Xerxes (Santoro) planned to rule the world. His army was decimating every country in his path.  King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans would meet the Persians in the mountain pass of Thermopylae known as “the Gates of Hell”.  There they would make their stand.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

There has never been a movie adaptation that follows the source material as well as 300.  Zack Snyder’s respect for Frank Miller’s graphic novel is evident in every scene.  That’s not to say that Snyder didn’t have an impact on what we see.  Using Miller’s panels as storyboards, Snyder has created a stylized film that is  a thing of beauty.

300 (2006) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“The Locksmith” (2023) starring Kate Bosworth & Ryan Phillippe / Z-View

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The Locksmith (2023)

Director: Nicolas Harvard

Screenplay: John Glosser, Joe Russo, Chris LaMont

Stars: Kate Bosworth, Ryan Phillippe, Ving Rhames and Noel Gugliemi.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Miller Graham (Phillippe) was just released from prison.  Graham is determined to go straight and get back with his wife, Beth (Bosworth) and daughter.  The crooked cops who set Graham up have other ideas and when a friend needs help, Graham finds himself on the wrong side of the law.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I hoped The Locksmith would be better.  I like Bosworth, Phillippe and Rhames.  Unfortunately, the decisions that Phillippe’s character makes are so stupid that I couldn’t muster much sympathy for him.  Just a few of his bad decisions: He agrees to rob a mansion that has armed security. He never cases the joint or makes a plan.  He parks his truck right outside the fence of the property.

The best character in the movie is played by Ving Rhames.  He doesn’t get much to do except tell Phillippe to get his act together, play with Phillipppe’s daughter and then be murdered.  Don’t worry though, there’ s a little scene to wrap up the film to show he’s gone but not forgotten.  (Unlike the movie which will soon be.)

The Locksmith (2023) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Rebel Moon” Behind the Scenes Video & Poster!!

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How about some behind the scenes footage from Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon?  I’ll be honest, initially I wanted more Army of the Dead.  I still do, but the more I hear and see of Rebel Moon, the more excited I am for it.  I love the cast which includes Sofia Boutella, Charlie Hunnam, Anthony Hopkins, Cary Elwes and Djimon Hounsou.  I’m fully on board for Rebel Moon.  Deal me in!

Only on Netflix December 22.

From Zack Snyder, the filmmaker behind 300, Man of Steel, and Army of the Dead, comes REBEL MOON, an epic science-fantasy event decades in the making.

When a peaceful colony on the edge of a galaxy finds itself threatened by the armies of a tyrannical ruling force, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a mysterious stranger living among the villagers, becomes their best hope for survival. Tasked with finding trained fighters who will unite with her in making an impossible stand against the Mother World, Kora assembles a small band of warriors — outsiders, insurgents, peasants and orphans of war from different worlds who share a common need for redemption and revenge. As the shadow of an entire Realm bears down on the unlikeliest of moons, a battle over the fate of a galaxy is waged, and in the process, a new army of heroes is formed.

“Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo” (2019) / Z-View

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Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo (2019)

Director: Brett Harvey

Writers:  Scott Dodds, Brett Harvey

Stars: Danny Trejo, Cheech Marin, Michelle Rodriguez and Robert Rodriguez.

Tagline: I owe a debt. A debt to society

The Plot…

The life and times of Danny Trejo.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Danny Trejo is one of the most easily recognized stars in Hollywood.  Trejo has over 445 acting credits on his resume.  With that said, it was an amazing journey to get to his current status since Trejo spent much of his childhood addicted to drugs and in juvenile detention.  As a young adult Danny Trejo served time at San Quentin for drug and robbery convictions.

Yet despite all that, Danny Trejo turned his life around.  Now when he’s not on location filming for his latest project, Danny Trejo spends his time speaking at prisons, youth centers and giving back to the community that used to fear him.

Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo (2019) rates 3 of 5 stars.

Charlie Chan in “Black Magic” (1944) starring Sidney Toler / Z-View

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Black Magic (1944)

Director: Phil Rosen

Screenplay:  George Callahan based on characters created by Earl Derr Biggers

Stars: Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland, Frances Chan and Frank Jaquet.

Tagline: Weirdest case of the screen’s top sleuth!

The Plot…

Charlie Chan (Toler) is ready to head home to Honolulu when he gets called to investigate a murder that occurred during a seance attended by his daughter. The occultist was killed by a gun that cannot be found and a bullet that didn’t go through his body but also cannot be found!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

This is the only Charlie Chan film where he is assisted by his daughter instead of one of his sons.  Also his daughter, Frances Chan is played by an actress named Frances Chan!

Mantan Moreland is back to provide comedy relief.

When Charlie is asked a question about his investigation, Chan asks the man, “Can you keep a secret?”  The man responds, “Of course.”  Charlie says, “So can I” as he walks away.

Black Magic (1944) rates 3 of 5 stars.