Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Black Knight looks like a good “drive-in” movie and you know I like a good “drive-in” movie. Deal me in.
In a world without air
A rebel knight delivers hopeThe one hope to overturn the world
Black Knight | May 12, only on Netflix
Deal me in!
VENGEANCE IS A MOTHER. After years of hiding out in the Alaskan wilderness, a deadly assassin returns to rescue the daughter she loved from afar. This Mother’s Day – watch THE MOTHER starring Jennifer Lopez, Joseph Fiennes, Lucy Paez, Omari Hardwick, Paul Raci, and Gael Garcia Bernal. Only on Netflix May 12th.
Al Jaffee, the award-winning cartoonist best known for his work with MAD magazine died yesterday from organ failure. He was 102.
Al Jaffee attended the High School of Music & Art in New York City. There he met Will Elder, Harvey Kurtzman, John Severin, and Al Feldstein all of whom would go on to work for MAD magazine and become noted cartoonists.
Mr. Jaffee’s career began in 1942 when he began getting work from Joker Comics, Timely Comics, Atlas Comics and other publishers. During World War II, Al Jaffee worked as an artist in the military. After his service, Mr. Jaffee became editor for Timely Comics humor and teenage comics. In 1957, Mr. Jaffee created the Tall Tales syndicated strip. It ran for six years.
Al Jaffee’s art first appeared in MAD Magazine in 1955. In 1964 Al Jaffee created MAD Magazine’s longest-running feature, the fold-in. Jaffee would create a full page illustration with text that when folded vertically in half would present a new illustration with text that served as a punchline to the original drawing. The fold-in appeared in every issue of the magazine from 1964–2020 except for two. One issue in 1977 lacked a fold-in although Mr. Jaffee provided a back cover illustration. One issue in 1980 had a unique Jaffee presentation: the inside back cover and back cover illustrations when held up to a light source merged to create a third image. Al Jaffee also created MAD’s popular and long-running series “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions.”
In 1971 and again in 1975, Mr. Jaffee won the National Cartoonists Society Special Features Award.
In 1973, Al Jaffee won the National Cartoonists Society Advertising and Illustration Award.
In 1979, Mr. Jaffee won the National Cartoonists Humor Comic Book Award.
In 2008, Jaffee was honored by the Reuben Awards as the Cartoonist of the Year.
In October 2011, Al Jaffee won the Comic Art Professional Society’s Sergio Award.
In July 2013, Mr. Jaffee was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame.
In April 2014, Al Jaffee was elected to the Society of Illustrators’ Hall of Fame.
On March 30, 2016, Mr. Jaffee was awarded the Guinness World Record for the longest career as a comic artist.
In June 2020, Al Jaffee announced his retirement. MAD Magazine published a tribute issue that same month.
Al Jaffee’s sense of humor and artistic talent translated into decades of smiles for countless children and adults. What better legacy could one hope for?
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Al Jaffee’s family, friends and fans.
The Night Agent: Season 1 (2023)
Teleplay by: Shawn Ryan (ep. 1 & 2); Munis Rashid & Shawn Ryan (ep. 3); Seth Fisher (ep. 4 & 10); Corey Deshon (ep. 5); Imogen Browder (ep. 6); Tiffany Shaw Ho (ep. 7); Rachel Wolf (ep. 8); Munis Rashid (ep. 9)
Directed by: Seth Gordon (ep. 1 & 2); Guy Ferland (ep. 3 & 5); Ramaa Mosley (ep. 4 & 6); Adam Arkin (ep. 7 & 8); Millicent Shelton (ep. 9 & 10)
Stars: Gabriel Basso, Luciane Buchanan, Fola Evans-Akingbola, Sarah Desjardins, Eve Harlow, Phoenix Raei, Enrique Murciano, D.B. Woodside, Hong Chau, Christopher Shyer, Kari Matchett, Jessie Liang, Andres Collantes, Philip Prajoux, Greyston Holt, Robert Patrick, Tim Kelleher and Paolina van Kleef
Tagline: Heroes Aren’t Born. They Answer the Call.
The Plot…
After FBI Agent Peter Sutherland (Basso) thwarts a terrorist bombing, he is offered a low-level position in the White House. Sutherland is given the 8pm – 4am shift manning a phone that never rings. The phone is a last-ditch safety line for agents in trouble. The job is tedious and boring. The phone never rings.
Until one night it does.
Rose Larkin (Buchanan) is a civilian who says she was given the number by her Aunt and Uncle after someone broke into their house. She escaped to a neighbor’s place, but someone is coming after her. She thinks her Aunt and Uncle may have been murdered.
With that call Peter Sutherland finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy. Nothing is what it seems. Someone in the White House could be planning the murder of the President. In way over his head, Sutherland doesn’t know who to trust as the conspiracy grows and his superiors begin to distrust him.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
I loved The Night Agent. It’s fast moving, full of action, plays with the troupes of the genre, has twists, likeable leads, and unlikable (but interesting) villains.
Gabriel Basso and Luciane Buchanan are the leads. They have chemistry but don’t (as you might expect) immediately fall for each other. I liked that Buchanan wasn’t just a damsel in distress. Both Basso and Buchanan get many opportunities to display their prowess with action scenes.
The Night Agent is well cast. Supporting the leads are Robert Patrick, Fola Evans-Akingbola, Sarah Desjardins, Eve Harlow, Phoenix Raei and D.B. Woodside. They’re all perfect for their roles. There are two additional actresses stole that deserve special mention. Eve Harlow and Hong Chau owned every scene that they were in.
Part of the fun of The Night Agent is trying to figure out who is behind the conspiracy and why. If you’re a fan of 24, Reacher, Jack Ryan and the like, then this one is for you.
The Night Agent: Season 1 (2023) earns 5 of 5 stars.
Baby Sitters Jitters (1951)
Director: Jules White
Writer: Felix Adler
Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard
Tagline: Howl at the Stooges as Baby-Sitters!
The Plot…
When the Stooges get behind in their rent they agree to become babysitters. What could go wrong?
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Baby Sitters Jitters is one of the weakest of the Stooges outings. It’s not terrible, just not one of their best.
Baby Sitters Jitters (1951) rates 2 of 5 stars.
Michael Lerner died on April 8, 2023. Mr. Lerner was 81.
Michael Lerner knew from an early age that he wanted to be an actor. While in college he performed in several plays. After his graduation from Brooklyn College, Michael Lerner received a scholarship to the University of California, Berkeley. There he earned a master’s degree. Upon graduation he received a Fulbright Scholarship to study theater in London. While in London, Michael Lerner became friends with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. He even appeared in one of Ono’s short experimental films.
In 1968, Michael Lerner returned to California. He began appearing in local stage productions. The following year he began getting guest spots on television shows. In 1970, he appeared in the feature film Alex in Wonderland. For the remainder of his career Michael Lerner would act on stage, television, feature films and even radio. Mr. Lerner was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role in Barton Fink (1991).
Some of Michael Lerner’s television appearances include: Dr. Kildare; The Brady Bunch; The Doris Day Show (2 episodes); The Young Lawyers; That Girl; Thief; Marriage Year One; Banacek; The Bold Ones: The New Doctors (2 episodes); Ironside (2 episodes); Night Gallery; The Streets of San Francisco; The Bob Newhart Show; Emergency; Love American Style; MASH; The Odd Couple; The Missiles of October; Sarah T. – Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic; Starsky and Hutch (2 episodes); Rhoda; Harry O; Police Woman; The Rockford Files (4 episodes); Ruby & Oswald; Kojak; Vegas; Wonder Woman; Barnaby Jones; Hart to Hart (2 episodes); MacGyver; The A-Team; Hill Street Blues (4 episodes); Amazing Stories; The Equalizer; Melba (4 episodes); Tales from the Crypt; Courthouse (11 episodes); Clueless (18 episodes); Godzilla: The Series (3 episodes); Third Watch; Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2 episodes); Entourage; Saving Grace; The Good Wife and Glee (5 episodes).
Some of Michael Lerner’s feature film appearances include: Alex in Wonderland; The Ski Bum; The Candidate; Busting; Newman’s Law; St. Ives; The Other Side of Midnight; Outlaw Blues; Golden Girl; Borderline; Coast to Coast; The Postman Always Rings Twice; Strange Invaders; Eight Men Out; Harlem Nights; Maniac Cop 2; Barton Fink; No Escape; Godzilla; The Mod Squad; My Favorite Martian; Elf and X-Men: Days of Future Past.
I don’t remember when I first saw Michael Lerner. He appeared in several shows that I regularly watched as a kid. Michael Lerner always brought something special to the roles he played. My favorite is probably his Academy Award nominated performance in Barton Fink.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Michael Lerner’s family, friends and fans.
Prospect (2018)
Director: Zeek Earl, Chris Caldwell
Writer: Zeek Earl, Chris Caldwell
Stars: Sophie Thatcher, Jay Duplass, Pedro Pascal and Anwan Glover
Tagline: No One Survives Alone
The Plot…
Damon (Duplass) and his teenage daughter, Cree (Thatcher) are prospectors who’ve just landed on a remote planet full of danger. The atmosphere is toxic. There are rival prospectors who will kill them for their goods. They are on a strict timeline to return to the transport ship that will get them home. To make matters worse, their pod was damaged during the landing.
On the way to their dig, Damon and Cree find an abandoned mine. Damon works an area and comes up with a fleshy substance. He carefully dissects it to reveal a valuable gem worth more than enough to get Damon and Cree home. Cree begs her father for them to take the gem and leave. She’s worried that they will be delayed and miss the transport. Damon refuses. They will continue to the main dig aka the “Queen’s Lair”. He believes that it contains unimaginable riches.
As they head out, Damon takes the lead with Cree trailing behind. Suddenly Damon is stopped by two men holding weapons. They plan to rob him. Cree is out of sight as her father suggests that the men join him in mining the Queen’s Lair. One of the prospectors, Ezra (Pascal) agrees. The other remains silent. Damon sees Cree with her weapon drawn. When she comes into full view, Damon grabs Ezra’s weapon.
With the tables turned, Damon decides to rob the two men. Suddenly the silent one shoots Damon who in turn returns fire killing the man. As her father lies dying, Ezra shoots and kills him. Cree turns and runs back to the pod . Unable to get the it ready to launch, Cree finds herself trapped inside when Ezra shows up. He suggests that they work together to escape from the hostile planet and other mercenaries who would kill them on sight.
With no option but to trust her father’s killer, she allows him into the pod. The clock is ticking and the transport ship won’t wait. Cree and Ezra head out into the wilderness…
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
I’d never seen Sophie Thatcher before. She more than holds her own. Pedro Pascal is excellent. They are the heart and soul of the film.
Zeek Earl and Chris Caldwell, the writers/directors of Prospect came up with very cool ideas. The remote, toxic planet, the young girl and her father’s killer who must team up, the mercenaries and other strange characters that they meet along the way as well as the deadline to get back to the transport ship looms. All of these things play out in the movie. I just wish that each concept was better developed.
Prospect (2018) rates 3 of 5 stars.
A Snitch in Time (1950)
Director: Edward Bernds
Writer: Elwood Ullman
Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Jean Willes, John Merton, Henry Kulky and Emil Sitka
Tagline: None
The Plot…
When wealthy Mr. Goodrich (Sitka) receives a note from a serial killer saying Goodrich will be his next victim, he hires our boys to guard him. When our guys arrive they are greeted by Goodrich’s niece who says her uncle is missing. Little do Larry, Moe and Shemp know, but the niece and her two accomplices are behind this!
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Who Done It? is one of my favorite Shemp shorts. It contains the mansion with hidden panels, a scary looking monster/creep and the hijinks that come when our boys are running for their lives from room to room.
Moe sprained his ankle crashing through a door and so in scenes where he’s limping, the limp is real!
Who Done It? (1949) rates 5 of 5 stars.
The Belko Experiment (2016)
Director: Greg McLean
Writer: James Gunn
Stars: John Gallagher Jr., Tony Goldwyn, Adria Arjona, John C. McGinley, Sean Gunn, David Dastmalchian, Gregg Henry, Michael Rooker, and Abraham Benrubi.
Tagline: This Is Not A Drill
The Plot…
Belko Industries is situated in a remote building on the outskirts of Bogotá, Colombia. It hires people from all over the world to work for them. On for the first day of work an implant is placed in the base of a new employee’s neck in case something happens to them.
One day when Mike (Gallagher) arrives at work, he notices a new squad of security guards telling the Bogotá staff to go home. Mike thinks little of it and checks in. A short time later a voice comes over the intercom. It instructs everyone to stop and listen. They are told that unless two employees are killed within 30 minutes, more will die. Suddenly steel shutters come down on all windows and doors sealing everyone in the building.
Reactions vary, but most believe it to be a terrible prank. When 30 minutes pass and no one is killed the voice returns to the intercom. It announces since the group did not comply, instead of two people dying, four will. Four employees are killed when the implants in their heads detonate. The voice then says that unless thirty employees are dead within two hours sixty will die.
All hell breaks loose.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
James Gunn of The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, Suicide Squad, and Peacemaker fame wrote the screenplay with the intention of directing it. When the film was ready for production, Gunn was going through a divorce and passed on directing. Still, several actors who regularly appear in Gunn’s films were cast including Sean Gunn (his brother), Michael Rooker, Gregg Henry and Stephen Blackehart.
I loved the concept, but felt that we didn’t get to know any of the characters. I would have preferred to care/know more about who lived and died with less emphasis on gore.
The Belko Experiment (2016) rates 2 of 5 stars.
Who Done It? (1949)
Director: Edward Bernds
Writer: Edward Bernds
Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Christine McIntyre and Emil Sitka
Tagline: None
The Plot…
When wealthy Mr. Goodrich (Sitka) receives a note from a serial killer saying Goodrich will be his next victim, he hires our boys to guard him. When our guys arrive they are greeted by Goodrich’s niece who says her uncle is missing. Little do Larry, Moe and Shemp know, but the niece and her two accomplices are behind this!
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Who Done It? is one of my favorite Shemp shorts. It contains the mansion with hidden panels, a scary looking monster/creep and the hijinks that come when our boys are running for their lives from room to room.
Moe sprained his ankle crashing through a door and so in scenes where he’s limping, the limp is real!
Who Done It? (1949) rates 5 of 5 stars.
Watcher (2022)
Director: Chloe Okuno
Writer: Chloe Okuno based on the screenplay by Zack Ford
Stars: Maika Monroe, Karl Glusman, Burn Gorman
Tagline: Evil Wants to be Seen.
The Plot…
Julia (Monroe) and Francis (Glusman) are newlyweds. They’ve just moved to Bucharest, Romania for Francis’ job, While Francis is at work, Julia is alone. She doesn’t know anyone and isn’t able to speak the language. When Julia sees a man in the apartment across the street constantly staring into her apartment, it begins to creep her out. Then she notices a man following her. Julia tells her husband but he thinks it’s just her nerves.
When Julia learns that a serial killer known as The Spider is torturing and beheading women in Bucharest, she is sure that the killer is planning for her to be his next victim.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Maika Monroe is very good in this role. I look forward to seeing more of her in the future.
Chloe Okuno adapted Zack Ford’s screenplay. Ford had originally set the story in Brooklyn. It was a smart move to change the location to Bucharest. It made Julia even more isolated and increased the probability that her nerves were playing tricks on her.
Burn Gorman was excellent as the creepy neighbor.
Watcher is a slow burn. The ending plays with the viewer. Overall there’s a Hitchcock feel to the film and that’s never a bad thing.
Watcher (2022) rates 3 of 5 stars.
Sock-a-Bye Baby (1942)
Director: Jules White
Writer: Clyde Bruckman
Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Vernon Dent, Bud Jamison and Dudley Dickerson
Tagline: None
The Plot…
A crying woman leaves a baby on the boys’ doorstep. So our boys decide to raise the child. Later Larry sees an article about a kidnapped infant. When the woman returns with police to retrieve her baby, our guys mistakenly believe the cops think that they’re kidnappers. What could go wrong?
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
The title, Sock-a-Bye Baby, was first used in a Popeye cartoon!
Pearl Harbor had recently been bombed by the Japanese when this short was made. Curly sings a tune where he says, “What am I sayin’? Poo on the Japanese.”
Sock-a-Bye Baby (1942) rates 5 of 5 stars.
Ok, I’m in. Love the poster. The trailer has the right feel. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny looks to be a good bookend to Raiders.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in theaters June 30.
Harrison Ford returns as the legendary hero archaeologist in the highly anticipated fifth installment of the iconic “Indiana Jones” franchise, which is directed by James Mangold (“Ford v Ferrari,” “Logan”). Starring along with Ford are Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Fleabag”), Antonio Banderas (“Pain and Glory”), John Rhys-Davies (“Raiders of the Lost Ark”), Shaunette Renee Wilson (“Black Panther”), Thomas Kretschmann (“Das Boot”), Toby Jones (“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”), Boyd Holbrook (“Logan”), Oliver Richters (“Black Widow”), Ethann Isidore (“Mortel”) and Mads Mikkelsen (“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”). Directed by James Mangold, the film is produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Simon Emanuel, with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas serving as executive producers. John Williams, who has scored each Indy adventure since the original “Raiders of the Lost Ark” in 1981, is once again composing the score.
Bill Russell: Legend (2023)
Director: Sam Pollard
Stars: Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Satch Sanders, Bill Walton, Jeannine Russell, Jalen Rose, Karen Russell, Lawrence O’Donnell, Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Stephen Curry, Bill Bradley, Shaquille O’Neal, Earl Monroe and Chris Paul.
Tagline: He Changed More Than the Game
The Plot…
Bill Russell: Legend explores Russell’s life on and off the basketball court. Archival news reports as well as interviews with Bill Russell, his contemporaries, current athletes and sportswriters round out this two part series.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Bill Russell is considered by many the greatest basketball player of all time. He made every team he played on the best. Bill Russell led his high school team to two California State High School Championships. In college his team won two back-to-back NCAA titles. As an Olympian, the U.S. basketball team won a Gold Medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. When he went into the NBA his team, the Boston Celtics won 11 championships in his thirteen-year career. The last two were won with Bill Russell playing and serving as the coach! “He has more NBA championship rings than he has fingers.”
Off the court Bill Russell was a man concerned with civil rights and world events. He was a proud man that felt that the things he did off the court were more important. I am not the biggest basketball fan in the world, but I give Bill Russell: Legend my highest recommendation.
Bill Russell: Legend (2023) rates 5 of 5 stars.
Three Missing Links (1938)
Director: Jules White
Writer: Searle Kramer
Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Ray Corrigan and Dudley Dickerson
Tagline: None
The Plot…
The boys are janitors at a movie studio when they are discovered! Curly is perfect to star in the studio’s next feature. He’ll play the missing link. Larry and Moe will get parts. They head to a jungle for location filming. There they have run-ins with a cannibal/medicine man who sells “love candy”, a lion and a gorilla. What could go wrong?
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Three Missing Links (1938) is the first Stooges short to be directed by Jules White. White would go on to produce and/or direct over 130 of the Stooges 190 shorts.
It’s a funny twist that Curly eats the “love candy” and becomes enamored with the gorilla to the point that the gorilla is frightened and runs away.
Three Missing Links (1938) rates 5 of 5 stars.
