“Out of the Blue” – The Trailer is Here!

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The trailer for Out of the Blue has a definite Body Heat vibe and that’s a good thing.  Deal me in.

After spending time in prison following an assault charge, Connor Bates now works in a library and spends his free time running, swimming, and trying to piece his world back together. When he meets Marilyn Chambers, the wife of a wealthy businessman, they collide into an intense physical and emotional relationship that quickly escalates into idle talk about her husband’s murder.

Cast: Diane Kruger, Ray Nicholson, Hank Azaria, Chase Sui Wonders

Killer Joe (2011) Starring Matthew McConaughey / Z-View

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Killer Joe (2011)

Director:  William Friedkin

Screenplay by:  Tracy Letts (based on his play of the same name)

Starring:  Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Thomas Haden Church, Gina Gershon and Marc Macaulay

Tagline: A totally twisted deep-fried Texas redneck trailer park murder story.

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Chris Smith (Hirsch) is debt to Digger Soames (Macaulay) to the tune of $6 grand.  If Chris doesn’t raise the cash soon, he’s a dead man.  Then Chris gets the idea to have his mother killed for her life insurance.  Chris talks to his dad, Angel (Church), who quickly comes on board. He has no love for is ex-wife, but plenty of love for the idea of quick cash.  Likewise, Angel’s wife (Gershon) is in.  The tough sell is going to be Dottie (Temple), Chris’ sister.  They’re right, it takes about a minute for Dottie to like the idea.

Chris and Angel know of a hitman called Killer Joe (McConaughey).  Killer Joe agrees to the hit, for $25,000 paid up front.  When Chris and Angel can’t come up with the money, Killer Joe agrees to keep Dottie as a retainer.  As the time for the hit gets closer, Joe’s relationship with Dottie takes a turn.  Chris begins to have doubts about the plan, but it’s too late… too late for a lot of folks.

Killer Joe is a surprisingly dark, violent, funny (at times) tale of murder for hire. It is well written, well cast and well directed.  Thomas Haden Church plays the stupidest man in one of the stupidest families I’ve ever seen.  I like the twist in regard to who started the idea of the hitman murder.  With that said, I’m rating Killer Joe just 2 of 5 stars.  There’s a scene involving Angel’s wife, a fried chicken leg and Killer Joe that goes way over the line.  Killer Joe was released with an NC-17 rating for “graphic disturbing content involving violence and sexuality, and a scene of brutality.”  This is a movie that divides audiences.  I can see why people would really like it, and also why people would be turned off to it.  That’s not a bad thing, just be aware that your mileage may vary.

Killer Joe rates 2 of 5 stars.

RIP: David Warner

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David Warner died yesterday from a cancer-related illness.  He was 80.

David Warner was an actor who worked on the stage, television and in feature films.

Some of David Warner’s television appearances include: Holocaust, Hart to Hart, A Christmas Carol, Frankenstein, Murder She Wrote, Twin Peaks, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Larry Sanders Show, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Babylon 5 and The Alienist.

Features films on Mr. Warner’s resume include: Tom Jones. The Ballad of Cable Hogue, Straw Dogs, The Omen, Cross of Iron, Time After Time, The Island, Time Bandits, Tron, The Man with Two Brains, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, In the Mouth of Madness and Titanic.

When I think of David Warner, I think first of his role in Time After Time.  His played his role as Jack the Ripper perfectly,  Of course, David Warner was an actor that could play any role to perfection whether it was heroic, villainous, serious or comedic.  I always knew that he would make a show or movie better.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to David Warner’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: Bob Rafelson

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Bob Rafelson died yesterday at the age of 89 from lung cancer.

Mr. Rafelson was best known as a writer, director and producer.  Mr. Rafelson began his career in 1959 as a story editor on the tv series Play of the Week.  In 1962, Bob Rafelson began working as an associate producer for various movie and television production companies.  In 1965, Mr. Rafelson became friends with producer Bert Schneider and they formed Raybert Productions.  The first show that they sold was The Monkees!

The Monkees became an instant hit selling millions of records and won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series!  Mr. Rafelson wrote, directed and produced many episodes of the series.  When the show ended, Bob Rafelson wanted to make a feature film with the group.  Mr. Rafelson and his friend, Jack Nicholson, co-wrote Head which starred The Monkees with appearances from Victor Mature, Teri Garr, Annette Funicello, Frank Zappa, Sonny Liston, Ray Nitschke, and Dennis Hopper.

Bob Rafelson’s next project was to produce Easy Rider starring Jack Nicholson and Dennis Hopper.  Mr. Rafelson followed that by producing and directing Five Easy Pieces. Bob Rafelson would go on to produce and direct for the remainder of his career.  Some of the films Bob Rafelson directed include: The King of Marvin Gardens, Stay Hungry, The Postman Always Rings Twice and Black Widow.

I was a huge Monkee fan and although I didn’t know it at the time, without Bob Rafelson, The Monkees would have never happened.  By all accounts, Bob Rafelson was a man who did what he wanted and was willing to take risks to see things done according to his vision.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Bob Rafelson’s family, friends and fans.

The Flying Ace (1926) / Z-View

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The Flying Ace (1926)

Director:  Richard E. Norman

Screenplay by:  Richard E. Norman

Starring:  Laurence Criner, Kathryn Boyd, Boise De Legge, Harold Platts,  Lions Daniels, George Colvin, Sam Jordan, R.L. Brown and Steve Reynolds

Tagline: SIX SMASHING REELS OF ACTION!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

When a $25,000 railroad payroll is stolen under mysterious circumstances, Captain Billy Stokes (Criner), a World War I flying ace who has returned to his job as a railroad detective, is assigned to solve the mystery.  Captain Stokes, with the able assistance of his one-legged partner, Peg (Reynolds) are up to the task.

The Flying Ace features an all African-American cast.  I love The Flying Ace poster above.  The movie has humor, thrills, mystery with a subtle love story subplot.  If you enjoy silent movies, you should give The Flying Ace a go.  It earns a 4 of 5 star rating!

“Interview with the Vampire” -The Poster and Trailer for the New AMC/AMC+ Series is Here!

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I like the look of the poster and especially the trailer for Interview with the Vampire.  Since I have AMC, this is a no-brainer.  Deal me in.

A modern, unforgettable retelling of Anne Rice’s best-selling novel, Interview With The Vampire. Starring Jacob Anderson (Game of Thrones), Sam Reid (The Newsreader), Bailey Bass (Avatar: The Way of the Water) and Eric Bogosian (Succession). Premieres October 2nd on AMC and AMC+.

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966) / Z-View

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The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966)

Director:   Alan Rafkin

Screenplay by:  James Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum and Andy Griffith (uncredited)

Starring:  Don Knotts, Joan Staley, Liam Redmond, Dick Sargent,  Skip Homeier, Reta Shaw and Charles Lane

Tagline: G-G-GUARANTEED! YOU’LL BE SCARED UNTIL YOU LAUGH YOURSELF SILLY!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Luther Heggs (Knotts) is a typesetter for the local newspaper.  He dreams of being a reporter.  Luther also dreams of having Alma Parker (Staley) as his girl.  Unfortunately Luther becomes an easy target for jokes when his reports of a murder turn out to be just a drunk knocked unconscious by his wife.  Ollie Weaver (Homeier) a reporter for the newspaper is especially cruel to Luther and to make matters worse, Ollie is dating Alma!

Luther gets a chance at redemption when his boss assigns him a story — Luther will spend the night in a haunted house where a brutal murder occurred years ago.  Despite his fears, Luther spends the night.  Strange things happen that could lead to solving the murder mystery… if anyone will believe Luther!

Don Knotts starring in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken is a natural.  Knotts was built to play Luther.  Luther’s dream girl, Alma was played by Joan Staley and she was also built — she was a Playboy playmate of the month!  Fans of The Andy Griffith Show will recognize the similarities between The Ghost and Mr. Chicken and an episode of the tv show.  It was Andy Griffith who suggested that the episode would make a great feature film starring Knotts if the idea was expanded for a new character.  Knotts recruited James Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum, writers on The Andy Griffith Show to come up with a screenplay.  Knotts also suggested Alan Rafkin (who directed several episodes of the tv show) to helm the feature.  There are also cast members in the movie who appeared on the tv series.

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken rates 4 of 5 stars (and higher if you’re a kid).

Dark Winds Season 1 (2022) / Z-View

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Dark Winds Season 1 (2022)

Director:  Chris Eyre (Eps 1, 2, 5, 6), Sanford Bookstaver (Eps 3, 4)

Teleplay by:  Graham Roland (Ep 1), Anthony Florez (Ep 2),  Maya Rose Dittloff & Razelle Benally (Ep 3), Billy Luther (Ep 4), Erica Tremblay (Ep 5), Maya Rose Dittloff (Ep 6)  // Based on the Leaphorn & Chee novels by Tony Hillerman

Starring:  Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, Jessica Matten, Deanna Allison, Noah Emmerich, Eugene Brave Rock and Rainn Wilson

Tagline:  None

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Sheriff Joe Leaphorn (McClarnon) and his Deputy, Bernadette Manuelito (Matten) are the law for the whole Navajo reservation.  When bank robbers make their escape in a helicopter are last seen flying over the reservation, FBI Agent Whitover (Emmerich) is sent in.  Leaphorn and Whitover don’t like each other, but have worked together in the past to resolve cases.

A new Deputy, Jim Chee (Gordon) joins the team.  Chee is a college educated officer who left the reservation to better himself.  Leaphorn is unaware that Chee is actually an FBI agent sent undercover by Agent Whitover to keep him informed of the investigation.  As Leaphorn, Manuelito and Chee follow the clues, it appears that members of  the Buffalo Society, a group of Navajo radicals may be involved in the bank robbery.  And Chee isn’t the only person who isn’t what he/she seams…

Dark Winds provides a good mystery in a setting that we don’t see too often.  There is a feeling of respect and authenticity to Navajos due to the writers all being Native American.  I was happy to see that Dark Winds was renewed for Season 2.  Dark Winds Season 1 rates 4 of 5 stars.

TROUBLE IS WHAT I DO by Walter Mosley / Z-View

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Trouble is What I Do by Walter Mosley

Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher Mulholland Books; 1st edition (February 25, 2020)

First sentence…

“Mr. McGill?” Mardi Bitterman said over the intercom that connects her desk at the front of our office complex to mine at the far end.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Leonid McGill is a legitimate tough guy.  He’s a former boxer, a full time PI and sometime criminal.  Often his cases are dangerous and involve people you’d cross the street to avoid.  This time the case sounds simple,.  Phillip “Catfish” Worry, a 92-year-old Mississippi bluesman wants McGill to deliver a letter to his granddaughter before her upcoming wedding.  What complicates the situation is Catfish’s granddaughter and her father are unaware that Catfish is her grandfather.  She is from a wealthy white family that runs is social circles that trace their linage back to the Mayflower.

What starts out as a simple case becomes anything but.  McGill can handle himself. Few men give McGill pause.  Stone cold killers, Hush and Eckles, are two who do.  If they want you dead, you better have your will written.  Still McGill presses on.  McGill’s simple case turns into one he may not survive…

I love the Leonid McGill series and Trouble is What I Do rates 5 of 5 stars. 

Trouble is What I Do Hardback
Trouble is What I Do Paperback
Trouble is What I Do Kindle

Tom King & Phil Hester on GOTHAM CITY: YEAR ONE!

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Writer, Tom King and artist, Phil Hester are going to team to bring us Gotham City: Year One from DC Comics.  The series takes place decades before Bruce Wayne became Batman.  It will follow an investigator named Slam Bradley who is looking for a missing child with ties to the Wayne family.

Phil Hester was quoted as saying…

“Night falls quickly in Gotham City. The shadows cut across guilty and innocent alike. I feel lucky to be the artist to show you just how this city got so dark in the first place…Tom has crafted a story that will echo across Batman lore past and present,..”

For more information and preview art https://www.cbr.com/dc-explores-gotham-city-origin-story-new-series/check out CBR.com’s DC Explores Gotham City’s Origin Story in a New Series.

“Bathing Beauty” (1944) Starring Esther Williams & Red Skelton / Z-View

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Bathing Beauty (1944)

Director:   George Sidney

Screenplay by:  Dorothy Kingsley &Allen Boretz and Frank Waldman, adaptation: Joseph Schrank,  based on a story by Kenneth Earl & M.M. Musselman and Curtis Kenyon / uncredited George Oppenheimer

Starring:  Red Skelton, Esther Williams, Basil Rathbone, Jean Porter,  Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra, Lina Romay, Donald Meek and Margaret Dumont

Tagline: M.G.M’s Mammoth Technicolor Musical Spectacle!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

New York producer, George Adams (Rathbone) is afraid that he’s going to lose his number one song writer, when Steve Elliott (Skelton) marries Caroline Brooks (Williams).  So Adams hires a woman to show up to the wedding claiming she’s married to Steve.  The woman brings three red headed boys as proof!  The ruse works even though Steve and Caroline both said, “I do.”  Caroline runs out saying that she’s getting an annulment.

Caroline returns to the all-girl college where she was a gym teacher.  Using a technicality to enroll in the all-girl college, Steve plans to prove his innocence.

Bathing Beauty was advertised as M.G.M’s Mammoth Technicolor Musical Spectacle and lives up to it’s billing.  The movie is heavy on song & dance broken up by short comedy scenes highlighting Skelton’s clowning ability.  Bathing Beauty is also the film that features one of the most copied water dance numbers. It’s the one with dozens of bathing beauties doing a side dive into the pool as the camera glides past.  Ester Williams is easy on the eyes (so is Jean Porter) and Red Skelton is just plain likeable.   If you’re looking for light hearted fun, you could do a lot worse than Bathing Beauty which rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Breaking” Starring John Boyega & Michael K. Williams – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I like the poster and trailer for Breaking.  Deal me in.

When Marine Veteran Brian Brown-Easley is denied support from Veterans Affairs, financially desperate and running out of options, he takes a bank and several of its employees’ hostage, setting the stage for a tense confrontation with the police. Based on the true story.

“Brimstone” (2016) Starring Guy Pearce & Dakota Fanning / Z-View

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Brimstone (2016)

Director:   Martin Koolhoven

Screenplay by:  Martin Koolhoven

Starring:  Guy Pearce, Dakota Fanning, Emilia Jones and Kit Harington

Tagline:  Retribution is coming

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Brimstone is the story of Liz (Fanning), the Reverend (Pearce) and their twisted relationship.  The story is told out of order, so when we first see Liz, she is a young married woman.  The Reverend shows up to the wilderness town where she lives and we quickly learn that he means to harm Liz and her family.  As the story unfolds we learn that their relationship goes back to Liz’s childhood and no matter where she runs, the Reverend finds her.

I wanted to like Brimstone.  It has an interesting premise.  I’m a fan of Guy Pearce, Dakota Fanning, Kit Harrington and westerns.  The set up for Brimstone leaves the audience with many questions and as the story unfolds most are answered.  What turned me off was the slow pace, excessive and redundant violence and an ending that left me wishing I’d checked out before the nearly 2 and a half hour run time.

Guy Pearce is an excellent actor and he convincingly plays one of the most despicable characters you can imagine.  Dakota Fanning is Pearce’s equal as far as acting goes, and perhaps it is their talents that kept me watching.  Kit Harrington takes some getting used to with his southern accent, but he isn’t in the film for much more than a glorified cameo.  The film is divided into four parts 1) Revelation 2) Exodus 3) Genesis 4) Retribution and loses me in the last section.  I was having doubts about the film before, but it is when Liz pulls a Riddick in Pitch Black move to escape being tied to a post that I realized my doubts were well founded.

Throughout the movie we believe that the Reverend is out to get retribution.  My interpretation of the ending is that despite it being a downer, Liz is the one to get poetic justice.  If that’s the case the ending just doesn’t work for me.  Everyone but one person in Liz’s life is murdered and Liz commits suicide.  Plus there’s the whole question if the Reverend is a real person or something else.

I wish I liked Brimstone more but I also realize it just wasn’t for me.  For that reason Brimstone gets 1 of 5 stars.