“Cold Pursuit” (2019) starring Liam Neeson / Z-View

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Cold Pursuit (2019)

Director: Hans Petter Moland

Screenplay:  Frank Baldwin based on In Order of Disappearance by Kim Fupz Aakeson

Stars: Liam Neeson, Laura Dern, Micheál Neeson, Tom Bateman, Domenick Lombardozzi, Jim Shield, Aleks Paunovic, Glenn Ennis  and Emmy Rossum.

Tagline: Revenge is best served cold.

The Plot…

Citizen of the Year, Nels Coxman (Neeson), is a mild-mannered Colorado snowplow driver.  When Coxman learns that his son was murdered by members of a drug cartel, he decides to take out as many members of the cartel as he can.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Cold Pursuit is one of those movies that gets better as it goes along.  That’s because it doesn’t take itself too seriously, provides interesting characters and more plot twists that expected in a “revenge flick”.

Liam Neeson is always good.  Standouts in the supporting cast include…

  • Tom Bateman as Trevor “Viking” Calcote, the unhinged drug lord
  • Emmy Rossum as Kim Dash, a young, eager police officer
  • Domenick Lombardozzi as Mustang, one of Calcote’s enforcers
  • William Forsythe as Brock “Wingman” Coxman, a retired hitman

Stick around for the end credits — there’s not another scene but the credit design adds to the fun.

Cold Pursuit (2019) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Blacula” (1972) / Z-View

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Blacula (1972)

Director: William Crain

Screenplay:  Joan Torres, Raymond Koenig, Richard Glouner

Stars: William Marshall, Vonetta McGee, Denise Nicholas, Thalmus Rasulala, Elisha Cook Jr. and The Hues Corporation.

Tagline: Blacula! – Dracula’s Soul Brother!

The Plot…

In 1780, Dracula turned Prince Mamuwalde (Marshall) into a vampire and mockingly gave him the name Blackula.  Dracula then sealed Prince Mamuwalde in a coffin where he remained a prisoner for nearly 200 years.  When the coffin is opened in 1972, Blackula is released to terrorize modern day LA.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I had avoided watching Blackula for decades because I thought it was going to be all-out comedy.  I was wrong.  Blackula, despite the funny title, is a straight up horror film.  Before William Marshall accepted the title role, he demanded that the character be treated with dignity.  Changes were made to the character’s background and the movie is played straight.  Blackula is the first black vampire to appear on film!

It was cool to see Elisha Cook, Jr. in a small role as well as the singing group, The Hues Corporation, best known for the hit Rock the Boat.

Blackula (1972) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Dark Winds” – The Season 2 Trailer is Here!

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I was a fan of the first season of Dark Winds.  From the looks of the trailer, season 2 will be even better.  Deal me in.

For Lieutenant Leaphorn, this is about more than just uncovering the truth. This is personal.

Follows Leephorn and Chee, two Navajo police officers in the 1970s Southwest that are forced to challenge their own spiritual beliefs when they search for clues in a double murder case.

Starring: Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, Jessica Matten, Noah Emmerich

Dark Winds Season 2 Premieres July 30 | AMC+

“What We Do In The Shadows” – The Season 5 Trailer is Here!

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Here’s the trailer for What We Do In The Shadows: Season 5.  I’ve watched every season, so let’s go!

It’s an afterlife crisis. Watch the Official Trailer for FX’s What We Do in the Shadows. Returns 7.13 on FX. Stream on Hulu.

What We Do in the Shadows, based on the feature film by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, documents the nightly exploits of vampire roommates Nandor (Kayvan Novak), Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou) and Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) as they navigate the modern world of Staten Island with the help of their human familiar, Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), and their vampire bureaucrat acquaintance, The Guide (Kristen Schaal).

“Beneath the Planet of the Apes” (1970) / Z-View

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Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

Director: Ted Post

Screenplay: Paul Dehn from a story by Paul Dehn, Mort Abrahams based on characters created by Pierre Boulle

Stars: James Franciscus, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, Linda Harrison, Paul Richards, Victor Buono, James Gregory, Jeff Corey, Natalie Trundy, Thomas Gomez, Gregory Sierra and Charlton Heston.

Tagline: The bizarre world you met in ‘Planet of the Apes’ was only the beginning… What lies beneath may be the end!

The Plot…

A spaceship sent on a rescue mission crashes on an unidentified planet.  Brent (Franciscus), the sole survivor, realizes he has somehow gone forward in time.  As he explores his new surroundings, Brent comes across Nova (Harrison) a beautiful, but mute woman.  Nova is wearing Taylor’s dogtags.  Taylor is one of the astronauts his crew was sent to rescue.

Brent soon sees that the planet is populated by intelligent apes and humans are speechless savages.  Hunted by apes, Brent and Nova hope to escape into the Forbidden Zone where something even more dangerous than apes awaits them.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I loved (and still love) Planet of the Apes.  I had such high hopes for Beneath the Planet of the Apes.  Charlton Heston was set to return.  This time Heston would be joined by James Franciscus (who I liked in Valley of Gwangi and various guest spots on tv).  How could this go wrong?

Let me count the ways… Heston’s role amounts to a glorified cameo.  The ape civilization is made less threatening when we see young apes protesting the war (shades of Viet Nam).  The whole subplot with disfigured humans who worship a nuclear bomb seems like it was cribbed from a bad episode of Star Trek. Other than Highlander to Highlander 2, I’ve never been as disappointed in a sequel.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Justified: City Primeval” | Teaser – New Beginnings

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The anticipation builds…

“Marshal, welcome to Detroit.” FX’s Justified: City Primeval premieres July 18 on FX. Stream on Hulu.

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.

RIP: John Romita

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John Romita Sr. died on June 12, 2023.  Mr. Romita was 93.

John Romita began his career in 1949 providing art for Timely Comics.  From 1958 through 1965, Mr. Romita created art for DC Comics.  In 1965, John Romita moved to Marvel Comics where he worked on the Daredevil comic series.  When an artist was needed to replace Steve Ditko on Spider-Man, John Romita was chosen. In 1973, John Romita was named Marvel’s Art Director.  In this role, he influenced the look of all Marvel Comics.  He designed covers as well as the look of new characters such as the Punisher, Wolverine and Luke Cage.

John Romita was inducted into he Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2002, and the Inkwell Awards Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame in 2020.

I was and remain a big fan of John Romita’s amazing art.  By all accounts Mr. Romita was just as nice a human being as he was an outstanding artist.  We’ve lost a legend.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to John Romita’s family, friends and fans.

“Mob Land” starring John Travolta, Stephen Dorff and Kevin Dillon – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I’m a sucker for a good crime story.  Mob Land starring John Travolta, Stephen Dorff and Kevin Dillon looks to fit the bill.  Deal me in.

A young father gets in over his head after a robbery goes wrong. Some debts can’t be repaid with money.

MOB LAND Official Trailer (2023) John Travolta, Stephen Dorff, Ashley Benson, Kevin Dillon

“Se7en” (1995) / Z-View

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Se7en (1995)

Director: David Fincher

Writer: Andrew Kevin Walker

Stars: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, Gwyneth Paltrow, John Cassini, Peter Crombie, Reg E. Cathey, R. Lee Ermey, George Christy, Hawthorne James, Richard Roundtree, John C. McGinley, Mark Boone Junior, Leland Orser, Richard Schiff, Charles S. Dutton and Andrew Kevin Walker.

Tagline: Seven deadly sins. Seven ways to die.

The Plot…

Just one week from retirement, veteran detective William Somerset (Freeman) is teamed with young rookie detective,  David Mills (Pitt).  Their styles and personalities are at odds from the start.  Somerset is even-keeled, patient and methodical.  Mills is short-tempered, eager and prone to rush in.

Somerset and Mills are assigned a murder investigation where the killer mutilated the victim before slowly murdering him.  When another body turns up, Somerset and Mills realize that they’re dealing with a serial killer who is using the seven deadly sins to determine his victims and method of murder.  The killer is intelligent, but insane… and he knows that Somerset and Mills are on the case.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

What could have been a very generic and exploitive serial killer movie is anything but.  Andrew Kevin Walker created a story that is compelling and clever.  The old cop just a week from retirement teamed with a young hotshot is so played out.. but not in the hands of Walker.  The situation is what it is, and adds to the personalities of Somerset and Mills. The finale is one of the best ever.

David Fincher is an amazing director and Se7en is a masterpiece.  The film stars Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt, but the supporting actors/actresses are just as amazing.  It’s cool seeing familiar faces before they were “known” popping up throughout the film.  Everything from the opening credits to the final shot are perfection.

Se7en (1995) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Joe Pickett”: Season 1 (2021) / Z-View

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Joe Pickett: Season 1 (2021)

Written by: Drew Dowdle, John Erick Dowdle (ep. 1 -2; 7; 10); Samir Mehta (ep. 3; 5); Stacy Chbosky (ep. 4; 8); Sarah Marie Masson (ep. 6); Jada Nation (ep. 9)

Directed by: John Erick Dowdle (ep. 1 – 2; 8 – 10); Everardo Gout (ep. 3 – 4); Drew Dowdle (ep. 5); Jennifer Morrison (ep. 6 – 7)

Stars: Michael Dorman, Julianna Guill, Sharon Lawrence, Paul Sparks, Mustafa Speaks, Skywalker Hughes, Kamryn Pilva, David Alan Grier, Chad Rook, Aadila Dosani, Jacqueline and Joyce Robbins, Patrick Gallagher and Firass Dirani

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Joe Pickett (Dorman) is a new game warden who has just moved his wife and daughters to the small town of  Saddlestring, Wyoming.  Right out of the gate Joe has a run-in with a local hunting out of season.  The situation escalates before Joe gets the upper hand.  The man later is later found dead on Joe’s property. Joe then finds himself at odds with the local police investigating the case.  Soon enough, the police have a suspect in custody and are ready to close the case… but Joe’s investigation reveals a corruption that runs deep and puts he and his family at risk.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Joe Pickett: Season One is surprisingly good.  I really like the relationship between Joe and his wife.  There are some great twists as the story unfolds.  It’s well acted and well directed.  I look forward to season 2.

Joe Pickett: Season 1 (2021) earns 4 of 5 stars.

RIP: Treat Williams

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Treat Williams died yesterday, the result of a motorcycle accident.  Mr. Williams was 71.

Treat Williams was an actor who performed on stage, television and in feature films.  Mr. Williams appeared in several off-Broadway and Broadway productions including Grease; Stephen Sondheim’s Follies (which won him a Drama League Award); The Pirates of Penzance and David Mamet’s Oleanna.

Treat Williams began his feature film career in 1975’s Deadly Hero.  Four years later Mr. Williams’ earned a Golden Globe nomination for his role in Hair.  Then two years later, Treat Williams was nominated for his second Golden Globe award for his starring role in Prince of the City.  In 1984, he earned his third Golden Globe nomination for the television production of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Some of Treat Williams’ television appearances include: Dempsey; A Streetcar Named Desire; J. Edgar Hoover; Drug Wars: The Camarena Story; Eddie Dodd (6 episodes); Tales from the Crypt; Batman: The Animated Series (2 episodes); Good Advice (19 episodes); Journey to the Center of the Earth; UC Undercover; Everwood (89 episodes); Brothers & Sisters (4 episodes); Heartland (9 episodes); Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; The Simpsons; Eve of Destruction (2 episodes); Hawaii 5-0 (2 episodes); CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; American Odyssey (10 episodes); Confirmation; Chicago Fire (16 episodes); The Christmas House; The Christmas House 2; We Own This City (2 episodes); Chesapeake Shores (53 episodes) and Blue Bloods (6 episodes).

Some of Treat Williams’ feature film appearances include: Deadly Hero; Marathon Man; The Eagle Has Landed; Hair; 1941; The Empire Strikes Back; Prince of the City; The Pursuit of DB Cooper; Once Upon a Time in America; Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead; Mulholland Falls; The Phantom; Deep Rising; The Substitute 2; The Deep End of the Ocean; The Substitute 3 and Deadfall.

My favorite Treat Williams performance is in Prince of the City.  I recently watched him again in Mulholland Falls.  It is always a, uh treat, to see Treat Williams’ name in the credits.  I thought it was pretty daring when he played Stanley Kowalski in a television movie of A Streetcar Named Desire.  Not only was he following Marlon Brando, but to do it on television seemed risky at the time.  What a great actor and what a great career!

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Treat Williams’ family, friends and fans.