Jim Ivey: A Celebration of Life!

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Jim Ivey died on July 13, 2022, at the age of 97.  Jim led an amazing life which you can read about here.  On October 9, 2022, 25 of Jim’s friends came together to celebrate him.

The photos above are of the front and back covers of a booklet that Charlie Moffitt put together.  It contained photos, drawings and remembrances of Jim by many of his friends.  Thanks to Charlie for putting the booklet together and also Mike Kott & Sue Cornwell who paid for the printing costs so that everyone got a copy.

Our celebration was at an Outback Steakhouse. Twenty-five of Jim’s friends attended. John Beatty wanted to, but his mother passed away two days prior.  I printed a sheet of Jim Ivey caricatures for everyone.  Jim liked to say if 100 artists drew the same person, the drawings would all be different, yet each would capture an aspect of the person.  It reminded me that Jim had friendships with each of us, but like the caricatures, the relationships were all slightly different.

It was great seeing so many of Jim’s friends who were also friends with each other because of Jim.  We shared a meal, and many wonderful memories.  There was a lot of laughter and we kept things low key – just as Jim would have wanted.

Mike Kott shares a Jim Ivey story!

Charlie shows Frank the proper way to hold a baby.

Everyone ignoring the waitress when the bill comes.

Cliff prepares to strangle Doralya.

The All-American Boy (we might have to revisit that nickname) tells the story of Jim Ivey’s slow motion fall during a poker game.

Bill and Rob recreating the Keep on Truckin’ pose.

Rob found Joy’s homemade cookies… so did everyone else!  Yummy!

Joy shares an art book that Jim gave her.

Cliff’s smile means something is up.

Wild Bill Black and me… it looks like my hair had a stroke.

When Jim was approaching his mid-80s, he sent me a letter that contained the full page below.  Jim came up with advice for himself  since he was over 80. I always thought it contained great advice for any age, so I made a copy for everyone attending.

Jim will be missed, but never forgotten.

THE FAFHRD and the GRAY MOUSER OMNIBUS is Coming!

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The Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Omnibus will be released on June 27, 2023.  Here’s the lowdown:

Fritz Leiber ranks among the giants of fantasy and science fiction visionaries, capturing multiple Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards and influencing a generation of writers.

And his most renowned creations are the swashbuckling Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories.

Collected here are adaptations of some of the finest of these tales—including the Hugo and Nebula Award winning “Ill Met in Lankhmar”—by comics legends Howard Chaykin, Mike Mignola, Dennis O’Neil, Al Williamson, and more. Join the hulking barbarian and the diminutive rogue as they battle swordsmen, necromancers, and flagons of strong drink!

Collects Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser and Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser: The Cloud of Hate and Other Stories.

Pre-orders are available now!

“Law of the Jungle” (1942) / Z-View

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Law of the Jungle (1942)

Director:  Jean Yarbrough

Screenplay:  George Bricker, Edmond Kelso (additional dialogue)

Stars:  Arline Judge, John ‘Dusty’ King, Mantan Moreland, Arthur O’Connell, Laurence Criner and Emil Van Horn

Tagline:  A Story to Thrill You and Chill You to the Rhythm of Jungle Tom-toms!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Enemy agents attempt to blackmail Nora Brooks (Judge) into transporting important papers out of Africa.  Brooks refuses instead running into the jungle.  There she meets explorer Larry Manson (King) and his assistant, Jeff Jones (Mantan).  With enemy agents leading hostile natives after them, Manson, Brooks and Jones have little chance for survival…

Not even Mantan Moreland’s comedy relief can save Law of the Jungle.

Law of the Jungle earns 2 of 5 stars.

“Harlem on the Prairie” (1937) Starring Herb Jeffries / Z-View

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Harlem on the Prairie (1937)

Director:  Sam Newfield, Jed Buell

Screenplay:  Fred Myton, F.E. Miller (additional dialogue)

Stars:  Herb Jeffries, F.E. Miller, Mantan Moreland, Consuelo Harris, Maceo Bruce Sheffield and Spencer Williams

Tagline:  KING OF THE JUKE BOX AND RADIO NOW SEEN IN FULL FEATURE!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Jeff Kincaid (Jeffries) is riding to the next town when he comes across Doc Clayburn’s (Williams) medicine show.  Kincaid joins them for dinner and a few songs.  Kincaid and Clayburn’s daughter, Connie (Harris) are obviously attracted to each other.  What no one knows is that outlaws have their eye on Clayburn.  Years ago, Clayburn ran with a group of bank robbers.  Clayburn was the only one who wasn’t killed and the outlaws want the gold he has hidden.  After some more songs and comedy from Crawfish (Miller) and Mistletoe (Moreland) things will come to gunplay when the outlaws attack.

Herb Jeffries was a popular singing radio star who decided to try acting.  Jeffries wanted to play a black singing cowboy leading man along the lines of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry.  Harlem on the Prairie is played straight (with some comedic moments) just like a Rogers or Autry film.  Jeffries riding a beautiful white stallion makes a serviceable lead.  Spencer Williams has great facial expressions telling more of his story without a word.  Mantan Moreland and F.E. (Flournoy Eakin) Miller provide comedy relief.  If you’re a fan of singing cowboy films, then give Harlem on the Prairie a shot.

Harlem on the Prairie earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Black and Tan” Starring Duke Ellington and Fredi Washington / Z-View

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Black and Tan (1929)

Director:  Dudley Murphy

Screenplay:  Dudley Murphy

Stars: Duke Ellington and his Duke Ellington Orchestra, Fredi Washington, Edgar Connor, Alec Lovejoy and Arthur Whetsol

Tagline:  None.

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Duke (Ellington) is an out of work jazz musician struggling to make ends meet.  When his girlfriend, Fredi (Washington) tells Duke that she’s scored them a job – her dancing and him with his orchestra, Duke reminds her that the doctor said she shouldn’t exert herself  because of her heart condition.  Despite the doctor’s warnings, Fredi is determined to perform since they need the money…

For a short, the film employs creative camera work.  We see many of the dances from the view of a mirrored floor.  As Fredi waits to perform and is feeling ill, we see the performers from her perspective.  Black and Tan was the film debut of both Duke Ellington and Fredi Washington.  Black and Tan was inducted to the National Film Registry in 2015.

Black and Tan earns 4 of 5 stars.

“All Quiet on the Western Front” – The Second Trailer is Here!

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Here’s a second trailer for All Quiet on the Western Front.  Deal me in.

All Quiet on the Western Front tells the gripping story of a young German soldier on the Western Front of World War I. Paul and his comrades experience first-hand how the initial euphoria of war turns into desperation and fear as they fight for their lives, and each other, in the trenches. The film from director Edward Berger is based on the world renowned bestseller of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque.

“The Ghost Talks” (1949) Starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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The Ghost Talks (1937)

Director:  Jules White

Screenplay:  Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard and Nancy Saunders

Tagline:  It’s Historical!  It’s Hysterical!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Larry, Shemp and Moe are movers hired to empty out a spooky old castle.  A suit of armor contains the ghost of Peeping Tom.  Tom tells the boys that 1,000 years ago he heard a commotion outside.  When he looked out the window he saw Lady Godiva making her famous ride.  Tom was hit in the face with a pie and his ghost trapped in the suit of armor.  Tom warns the Stooges that if they try to move the armor, bad luck with follow.  You guessed it, they try to move the armor and bad follows… they even are visited by Red Skeleton!

The Ghost Talks earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Today we have the poster and trailer for Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power.  The trailer drew me in and I’m interested in seeing the film.  The line, ““If the camera is predatory, then the culture is predatory,” is a powerful one.  Definitely deal me in.

“If the camera is predatory, then the culture is predatory.” In this eye-opening documentary, celebrated independent filmmaker Nina Menkes explores the sexual politics of cinematic shot design. Using clips from hundreds of movies we all know and love – from Metropolis to Vertigo to Phantom Thread – Menkes convincingly makes the argument that shot design is gendered. Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power illuminates the patriarchal narrative codes that hide within supposedly “classic” set-ups and camera angles, and demonstrates how women are frequently displayed as objects for the use, support, and pleasure of male subjects. Building on the essential work of Laura Mulvey and other feminist writers, Menkes shows how these not-so-subtle embedded messages affect and intersect with the twin epidemics of sexual abuse and assault, as well as employment discrimination against women, especially in the film industry. The film features interviews with an all-star cast of women and non-binary industry professionals including Julie Dash, Penelope Spheeris, Charlyne Yi, Joey Soloway, Catherine Hardwicke, Eliza Hittman, and Rosanna Arquette. The result is an electrifying call-to-action that will fundamentally change the way you see, and watch, movies.

“Dizzy Doctors” (1937) Starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Dizzy Doctors (1937)

Director:  Del Lord

Screenplay:  Al Ray from a story by Charlie Melson

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard and Bud Jamison

Tagline:  None.

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Larry, Curly and Moe are told by their wives if they don’t get jobs, they will be getting divorces.  The boys find work as salesmen of a new potion called Brighto,  They mistakenly believe that Brighto is a polish.  In attempts to make sales they ruin customers, shoes, jackets and cars. When they learn that Brighto is actually a health aide, the Stooges go to a hospital.  Who needs a health aide more than folks in a hospital?  What could go wrong… other than Brighto is as good a health aide as it is a polish.  Wait, there’s more — the hospital Superintendent is one of the customers who had his car ruined by Brighto!

Dizzy Doctors earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Echo 3” Starring Luke Evans and Michiel Huisman – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I don’t care for the poster but the trailer for Echo 3 has me on board.

Luke Evans and Michiel Huisman star in Echo 3, a new series about a brilliant scientist kidnapped in Colombia, and her brother and husband who will stop at nothing to bring her home. Stream Echo 3 on November 23 on Apple TV+ https://apple.co/_ECHO3

Echo 3 is an action-packed thriller set in South America that follows Amber Chesborough (Collins), a brilliant young scientist who is the emotional heart of a small American family. When Amber goes missing along the Colombia-Venezuela border, her brother, Bambi (Evans), and her husband, Prince (Huisman) – two men with deep military experience and complicated pasts – struggle to find her in a layered personal drama, set against the explosive backdrop of a secret war. Echo 3 also stars Martina Gusman as Violetta, a prominent political columnist. The series features James Udom, Maria Del Rosario, Alejandro Furth, Juan Pablo Raba and special guest star, Bradley Whitford. Echo 3 is also based on the award-winning series “When Heroes Fly,” created by Omri Givon, and inspired by the eponymous novel by Amir Gutfreund.

“Creed III” – Two Poster and the First Trailer are Here!

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Above are the two posters and below the first trailer for Creed III.  I’d be more excited if Sly Stallone was involved, even if not appearing in the film.  Creed III doesn’t look bad, but for a diehard Stallone fan like me, it’s missing the magic.

There’s no enemy like the past. From director Michael B. Jordan, watch the official #Creed3 trailer now and see the movie in theaters and IMAX 3/3/23.

CREED III

Directed By: Michael B. Jordan
Screenplay By: Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin
Story By: Ryan Coogler, Keenan Coogler, and Zach Baylin
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors, Florian Munteanu