ROCKETS and RAYGUNS by Dan Boultwood!

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Rockets and Rayguns by Dan Boultwood is a blast (pun intended).  It’s a throwback to old movie serials and comic books where brave men and women save the galaxy from evil.  Boultwood’s web comic is more entertaining in just three than many 28 page comics.


I love the art style Boultwood chose for Rockets and Rayguns.  It reminds me of Bill Pressing’s Rex Steele, Nazi Smasher (and that’s a very good thing). Boultwood isn’t just an excellent artist, he also shows writing chops by moving the story along with just the right amount of dialogue and a heaping helping of humor.

I hope that Dan Boultwood is able to keep Rockets and Rayguns going for a long time. I’d also be down for trade compilations once enough strips are created. Rockets and Rayguns can be found at: tapas.io/series/Rockets and here: instagram.com/rocketsandrayg and even here: rocketsandrayguns.space/?webcomic1=roc

The Ten Best “Twilight Zone” Episodes!

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Howard Waldstein, at CBR.com, posted his choices for the Ten Best Twilight Zone episodes.  I decided to compare my Twilight Zone top ten to his.   We ended up choosing five of the same episodes.  Below are how our choices shook out.

Waldstein

Zablo
10. “I Shot An Arrow Into The Air” 10. The Eye of the Beholder
09. “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” 09.The Howling Man
08. “The Howling Man” 08. Time Enough at Last
07. “Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up?” 07. The Invaders
06. “Mirror Image” 06. The Midnight Sun
05. “To Serve Man” 05. The Shelter
04. “Nick Of Time” 04. Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?
03. “Third From The Sun” 03. To Serve Man
02. “Time Enough At Last” 02. The Monsters are Due on Maple Street
01. “The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street” 01. Nightmare at 20,000 Feet

“Invaders from Mars (1986)” / Z-View

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Invaders from Mars (1986)

Director:  Tobe Hooper

Screenplay: Dan O’Bannon, Don Jakoby based on a screenplay for the 1953 film by Richard Blake

Starring:  Karen Black, Hunter Carson, Timothy Bottoms, Laraine Newman, Louise Fletcher and Jimmy Hunt.

Tagline: He knows they’re here.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

One night young David Gardner (Carson) wakes to see a spaceship landing beyond the hill behind his house.  He wakes his parents (Bottoms, Newman), they come to his window, but everything seems normal.  The next day the boy discovers that his teacher (Fletcher) and one of his classmates have become possessed by aliens.

Of course no one believes him… except the school nurse (Black).  Now it is up to the young boy and the school nurse to save the world.

Invaders from Mars is not a good movie. I kept watching trying to figure out how much was a wink at the original 1953 film and how much was just an updated misfire.

If you take Invaders from Mars as a dream the boy had, it kind of makes more sense.  It explains how the kid is the real star of the film and why he has more brains than the adults, including military leaders.  It also explains the goofy (and far from scary) aliens.  It doesn’t explain the famous final scene though.

Invaders from Mars has good actors that don’t prove it with this movie.  Hunter Carson is Karen Black’s son and maybe Tobe Hooper got a two-fer;  Black would do the movie if her son got to play the kid.  Sadly, all poor Carson gets to do is repeatedly look scared and run flailing his arms.  Louise Fletcher’s most memorable scene is when she turns around with a frog hanging from her mouth.  I do applaud that Jimmy Hunt (who played the kid in the original film) is brought back to play a small role in this remake.

Invaders from Mars is one of those rare movies that I make it all the way through and then decide, it’s not for me.  Invaders from Mars rates 1 of 5 stars.

HELL CHOSE ME by Angel Luis Colón / Z-View

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Hell Chose Me by Angel Luis Colón

240 pages
Publisher: ‎ Down & Out Books (February 2, 2019)

First sentence…

Charlie Ryan’s head cracks against the bar top with a satisfying thud and snaps back up like a rubber ball – blood gushing from the shiny new gash at the bridge of his nose.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Bryan Walsh is a hit man.  Which is a strange profession for someone with a conscience.  Walsh justifies his kills by saying, “The bad choices his targets made put them in his sights.”  Walsh uses the contract money to provide life support for his comatose brother.  The medical bills are crushing.

Each hit pushes Walsh further to the edge,  After each kill, Walsh is visited by his victim’s ghost.  The ghosts fade in and out, haunting Walsh.  Is his mind playing tricks or are the ghosts are real?

When his contact for a hit lowballs him,  Walsh thinks something’s up… or maybe he’s just paranoid.  Then he’s immediately offered another job (violating the rule to never work back to back hits).  Walsh is sure something’s not right,  but he needs the money so…  

It was a simple hit until someone unexpected showed up.  Now Walsh is on the run with the knowledge that he and his brother are marked for death.  Unsure of who he can trust, Walsh must figure out why things went south and who he needs to kill to fix them.

Angel Luis Colón has created an interesting character in Bryan Walsh.  He’s far from the genre hitman.  I liked the supernatural aspect of Walsh interacting with the ghosts of those he’s killed.  Was it his mind playing tricks?  Walsh has an interesting backstory and we see how his decisions led to his current situation (just as he blamed his targets for their decisions putting them in his path).  This was my first book by Angel Luis Colón, but it won’t be my last.

Hell Chose Me rates 4 of 5 stars.


Hell Chose Me Trade Paperback
Hell Chose Me Kindle

“Endangered Species” (2021) / Z-View

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Endangered Species (2021)

Director:  M.J. Bassett

Screenplay:  M.J. Bassett, Isabel Bassett based on a story by Paul Chronnell

Starring: Rebecca Romijn, Philip Winchester, Isabel Bassett, Michael Johnston, Chris Fisher and Jerry O’Connell.

Tagline:  Far from home. Far from safety. Far from over.  (“Far from Over!”  Cue Frank Stallone! )

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Jack (Winchester) and Lauren (Romijn) take their son (Johnston), daughter (Bassett) and her boyfriend (Fisher) on a long-planned dream vacation to a wilderness park in Kenya.  Looking to get close to wild animals, the group leaves without filling out proper paperwork or getting guides,  They then venture off-road into the Kenyan wilderness.  When their vehicle is totaled by an irate rhino, things become desperate.  Without food, water and with a pack of hyenas closing in, their chances of survival are slim.  Things are about to get worse.

Endangered Species is irritating.  The characters do nothing but argue and make stupid decisions. They leave the camp without letting anyone know.  They go on a “safari” drive without a guide.  They leave the designated road and travel into the wilderness.  They don’t bring enough water and the water they do bring is in glass bottles which easily break.  They decide to get closer to a wild rhino.  They let someone who doesn’t know how to drive, take them to the rhino.  Even the poachers who capture the family are stupid.  Like bad James Bond villains, they tell the family that they are going to kill them. Then they leave the family unattended so they can drink around the campfire.  What?

I made it through Endangered Species and it has a couple of scenes that work. I’ll give it the benefit of my kind heart (or am I, like everyone in the movie, also making a stupid decision) by rating it 2 of 5 stars.

“The Horde” (2016) / Z-View

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The Horde (2016)

Director:  Jared Cohn

Screenplay:  Paul Logan

Starring:  Paul Logan, Tiffany Brouwer, Sydney Sweeney, Nestor Serrano, Vernon Wells, Bill Moseley, Costas Mandylor, Thomas Ochoa and Don Wilson.

Tagline: Fight back or die.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

John Crenshaw (Logan), an ex-Navy SEAL accompanies his girlfriend (Brouwer) and some of her photography students into the deep woods for a class assignment.  When the group is attacked by a family of inbred mutants, it will be up to Crenshaw to save them.

The Horde wants badly to be  Rambo Meets The Hills Have Eyes.  That would seem to be an achievable goal.  They’ve got a star who is believable when it comes to fight scenes.  They have several actors known for their work in horror films.  The plot is simple.  It takes place in the woods at night; sets shouldn’t be a problem.  So what went wrong?

Everything is so bad.  Navy SEAL tough guy at a loss for words with his girl because he’s so in love.  Spoiled, rich student who insults everyone, but is still part of the group.  Two students in the back seat who make-out for the entire hours long trip to the deep woods — with their teacher fully aware.  A female student falling for one of the male students on the trip and casually discussing sexual advice with her teacher.   They’ve been driving for hours and in the background it looks like they are still in the neighborhood.  The dialogue is terrible.  The acting only slightly better.  (Thomas Ochoa is the exception — he is funny/irritating/believable as the spoiled rich brat.)

Fans of low-budget horror/action may like The Horde.  It just wasn’t for me.  The Horde rates 1 of 5 stars

“Rosemary’s Baby” Alt Poster by Ciarán O Donovan!

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Ciarán O Donovan has hit another home run with his alt poster for Rosemary’s Baby.  That shouldn’t be a surprise to regular readers here.  O Donovan’s first appearance here came in 2019 with his alt poster for Escape from New York.  That was followed up with his alt Maltese Falcon poster.  Then last December we got a look at O Donovan’s alt Sin City: The Hard Goodbye alt poster.

I’d love to see an The Art of Ciarán O Donovan book.  Until that time, we can make do with Ciarán O Donovan’s Instagram or Twitter!

RIP: Fred Ward

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Fred Ward’s publicist announced today that Mr. Ward died on Sunday, May 8, 2022, at the age of 79.  No cause of death was given.  

Before Fred Ward began his career as an actor he spent time in the Air Force, as a boxer and a lumberjack!  No wonder Mr. Ward was often cast as a tough guy!  Fred Ward’s earliest roles were small parts, often uncredited in movies and television.  His first big break came when he played one of the convicts who with Clint Eastwood was able to Escape from Alcatraz.  

Fred Ward continued to get bigger parts in features such as Southern Comfort, The Right Stuff, Silkwood and Uncommon Valor.  Then in 1985, Fred Ward starred in the film that was supposed to make him a megastar, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins.  Unfortunately, the film fizzled at the box office.  The adventure began and ended there.  Luckily for movie-goers, Fred Ward’s career didn’t.

For the rest of Fred Ward’s life he continued to alternate between television and feature films.  Some of his best known television parts came in Cast a Deadly Spell, Invasion Earth, Grey’s Anatomy, ER and True Detective.  Fred Ward’s best known feature films include Tremors, Miami Blues, Henry & June, Thunderheart, The Player, Tremors II: Aftershock and 2 Guns.

I first saw Fred Ward in Escape from Alcatraz.  But it was when he appeared in Carny, Southern Comfort and Uncommon Valor that I really took notice.  Mr. Ward had a tough guy charisma and I was pulling for him with Remo Williams.  Sadly, that film just didn’t work. But Fred Ward continued to  Whenever Fred Ward’s name was in the credits, you knew the film/show would be better because of him.  Although Andrew Vachss’ Burke character was never developed for movies or tv, I always thought that Fred Ward would have perfect.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Fred Ward’s family, friends and fans.

Monopoly: “The Godfather” 50th Anniversary Edition!

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I don’t play many board games.  One I do enjoy is Monopoly.  Just in time for The Godfather‘s 50th Anniversary is  the new Godfather: Monopoly Edition.  With everything from tokens to board locations geared to The Godfather, it brings a whole new meaning to “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.”  And when a player can’t decide which token to be, you can say, “Leave the gun, take the cannoli.”

Source:  GeekTyrant.

“10 Minutes Gone” Starring Bruce Willis and Michael Chiklis (2019) / Z-View

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10 MInutes Gone (2019)

Director:  Brian A. Miller

Writers:  Kelvin Mao, Jeff Jingle

Starring:  Bruce Willis, Michael Chiklis and Meadow Williams.

Tagline:  Keep your enemies close.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Rex (Willis) is a mastermind who brings together a crew of thieves to rob a bank.  When the robbery goes sideways, it’s every man for himself.  The robbery team make their escape going separate ways.  As Frank (Chiklis) and his brother head down an alley to their getaway car, someone jumps from the shadows and knocks Frank unconscious.  Ten minutes later Frank wakes up to find his brother has been killed.

When Rex learns that the robbery is a bust, he brings in a professional killer to take out anyone with knowledge that could lead to him.  Frank knows that time is running out. He needs to find who killed his brother and sabotaged the heist.

As I watched 10 Minutes Gone, it was tough to get through Bruce Willis’ scenes knowing what he has been dealing with in regard to his health.  Willis speaks one or two lines at most in his scenes and then the camera cuts away.  Michael Chiklis is always good, but even Chiklis isn’t enough to raise this film from an “OK” rating.  It’s worth reading the IMDB trivia on 10 Minutes Gone to understand why it wasn’t better.

10 Minutes Gone rates 2 of 5 stars.

Phil Tippett’s “Mad God” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Mad God looks crazy.  Maybe crazy great, crazy good or just plain crazy.  I’ll have to check it out to be sure.  Dig that poster.  Deal me in.

Follow The Assassin through a forbidding world of tortured souls, decrepit bunkers, and wretched monstrosities forged from the most primordial horrors of the subconscious mind. Directed by Phil Tippett (Star Wars, Jurassic Park), the world’s pre-eminent stop motion animator, every set, creature, and effigy in this macabre masterpiece is hand-crafted and painstakingly animated using traditional stop-motion techniques.

Premieres June 16

“Darc” (2018) / Z-View

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Darc (2018)

Director:  Julius R. Nasso

Writers:  Tony Schiena, Dennis Venter

Starring:  Tony Schiena, Armand Assante and Shô Ikushima.

Tagline:  None.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

An Interpol agent named Lafique (Assante) arranges for the early release of a convict known as Darc (Schiena). Lafique then recruits Darc to bring down a Yakuza human trafficking ring. When Darc was a small boy he witnessed the leader of the Yakuza gang kill his mother.  Darc will use all of his martial arts skills in an attempt to avenge his mother and bring down the gang… but will they be enough?

Shaky camera work on several of the fights diminish their effectiveness.  Schiena comes off as a cross between Karl Urban (a good thing) and early Steven Seagal (used to be a good thing).  It would be interesting to see him in a better film.  It’s always good to see Armand Assante.  I wish the movie was as good as the poster.

Darc rates 2 of 5 stars.