WINTER COUNTS by David Heska Wanbli Weiden / Z-View

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Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Ecco (August 25, 2020)

First sentence…

I leaned back in the seat of my old Ford Pinto, listening to the sounds coming from the Depot, the reservation’s only tavern.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When folks on the Rosebud Indian Reservation need help that the law can’t provide, they go to Virgil Wounded Horse.  Virgil’s solution isn’t always legal, but he gets results. While some view Virgil as a hero, others see him as a half-breed thug who has turned his back on tribal traditions.  Virgil uses the money he receives for “resolving situations” to raise his nephew, Nathan.  Both of Virgil’s parents and his sister are dead.

Virgil is offered a large amount of money to track down the source bringing heroin onto the reservation.  He follows leads that take him to Denver.  There Virgil learns that drug cartels are involved.  When Nathan is almost killed and framed for heroin possession, Virgil realizes that he may have been set up.

David Heska Wanbli Weiden is an enrolled citizen of the Sicangu Lakota nation so it’s no wonder Winter Counts presents such a vivid picture of life on a reservation.  And it’s not often pretty.  Weiden’s setting is unique, as are his characters, but the problems they face are universal.

Winter Counts is one of my favorite novels from last year and I’m far from the only one praising Weiden. Winter Counts won the Macavity Award for Best Novel, the Barry Award for Best Novel, the Anthony Award for Best First Novel, the Thriller Award for Best First Novel and was an Edgar Award Nominee for Best First Novel.  Winter Counts was also selected as a Best Book of 2020 by Publisher’s Weekly, CrimeReads and GoodReads.

I’m looking forward to David Heska Wanbli Weiden’s follow-up.  Winter Counts rates 5 of 5 stars.

Rating:

“Jurassic World Dominion” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Jurassic World Dominion needs to be seen on the big screen in a packed theater.  Check out the poster above and trailer below and see if you don’t agree.  I love that they’ve got so many from the previous movies and the idea of dinosaurs world-wide.  Deal me in.

This summer, experience the epic conclusion to the Jurassic era as two generations unite for the first time. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are joined by Oscar®-winner Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill in Jurassic World Dominion, a bold, timely and breathtaking new adventure that spans the globe.

From Jurassic World architect and director Colin Trevorrow, Dominion takes place four years after Isla Nublar has been destroyed. Dinosaurs now live—and hunt—alongside humans all over the world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine, once and for all, whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history’s most fearsome creatures.

Jurassic World Dominion, from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, propels the more than $5 billion franchise into daring, uncharted territory, featuring never-seen dinosaurs, breakneck action and astonishing new visual effects.

The film features new cast members DeWanda Wise (She’s Gotta Have It), Emmy nominee Mamoudou Athie (Archive 81), Dichen Lachman (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Scott Haze (Minari) and Campbell Scott (The Amazing Spider-Man 2). The film’s returning cast includes BD Wong as Dr. Henry Wu, Justice Smith as Franklin Webb, Daniella Pineda as Dr. Zia Rodriguez and Omar Sy as Barry Sembenè.

Jurassic World Dominion is directed by Colin Trevorrow, who steered 2015’s Jurassic World to a record-shattering $1.7 billion global box office. The screenplay is by Emily Carmichael (Battle at Big Rock) & Colin Trevorrow from a story by Derek Connolly (Jurassic World) & Trevorrow, based on characters created by Michael Crichton. Jurassic World Dominion is produced by acclaimed franchise producers Frank Marshall p.g.a. and Patrick Crowley p.g.a. and is executive produced by legendary, Oscar®-winning franchise creator Steven Spielberg, Alexandra Derbyshire and Colin Trevorrow.

Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment present, in association with Perfect World Pictures, a Colin Trevorrow film. jurassicworld.com

The New Elvis Cole Novel (RACING THE LIGHT) by Robert Crais is Coming!

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As you can see from the photo above Robert Crais has the cover to his next Elvis Cole book.  Racing the Light will drop on November 1, 2022.  Here’s the synopsis…

Private investigator Elvis Cole and his enigmatic partner Joe Pike are back on the case in this brilliant new thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Robert Crais.

Adele Schumacher isn’t a typical worried mom. When she hires Elvis to find her missing son, a controversial podcaster named Josh Shoe, she brings a bag filled with cash, bizarre tales of government conspiracies, and a squad of professional bodyguards. Finding Josh should be simple, but Elvis quickly learns he isn’t alone in the hunt — a deadly team of mysterious strangers are determined to find Josh and his adult film star girlfriend first.

With Elvis being watched and dangerous secrets lurking behind every lead, Elvis needs his friend Joe Pike more than ever to uncover the truth about Josh, corrupt politicians, and the vicious business cartels rotting the heart of Los Angeles from within. And when Elvis Cole’s estranged girlfriend Lucy Chenier and her son Ben return, Elvis learns just how much he has to lose…if he survives.

Written with the heart, humor, and relentless suspense for which Crais is famous, Racing The Light delivers Elvis Cole’s most dangerous case yet.

Pre-orders for Racing the Light are available now! Deal me in!

“It! The Terror From Beyond Space” (1958) / Z-View

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It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958)

Director:  Edward L. Cahn

Screenplay:  Jerome Bixby

Starring:  Marshall Thompson, Dabbs Greer and Ray Corrigan.

Tagline:  It Breathes. It Hunts. It Kills!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A rescue team is returning to Earth from Mars.  With them is Col. Edward Carruthers, the sole survivor of the first Mars landing.  Carruthers claims that his crew was killed by an alien life form.  Most of the rescue team believes that Carruthers killed his crew to insure he would have enough food and water to last until help arrived.  That all changes when crew members turn up brutally murdered and it is discovered the alien is on the ship!

If you’re a fan of low budget, 1950s scifi-horror, then you’ll have a blast with It! The Terror From Beyond Space.  What it (It!) lacks in special effects it (It!) makes up with an excellent fast-paced story and a claustrophobic setting.  Dan O’Bannon is said to have used It! The Terror From Beyond Space as the jumping off point for his Alien (1979) screenplay.  If you’ve watched both films, I’m sure you’ll agree.

I applaud Jerome Bixby and his crew’s ability to make the most of the limited budgets/sets.  A perfect example is when they received the alien suit, the mask didn’t correctly fit the actor (Ray Corrigan) playing the monster.  They couldn’t afford to have another mask made and Corrigan’s chin stuck out the mouth hole!  The solution was to paint his chin to look like the monster’s tongue!  Roger Corman would have approved!

It! The Terror From Beyond Space isn’t a great movie, but is a great example of the genre and a lot of fun.  I rate it 4 of 5 stars.

“Wander” (2020) / Z-View

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Wander (2020)

Director:  April Mullen

Screenplay: Tim Doiron

Starring:  Aaron Eckhart, Tommy Lee Jones, Katheryn Winnick, Heather Graham and Raymond Cruz.

Tagline:  The conspiracy is real.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Arthur Bretnik (Eckhart) has been on the verge of a mental breakdown since his wife and daughter were killed.  He believes their deaths were covered up to hide a vast conspiracy.  Bretnik’s paranoia has increased to the point that he lives in an old trailer out in the desert where he hosts a conspiracy podcast.

When he is hired to investigate a mysterious death in the small town of Wander, Bretnik begins to uncover evidence that his ideas about a conspiracy may not be crazy after all.

Wander does just that.  It wanders.  The story is all over the place.  I kept thinking it would pull together for a satisfying conclusion.  Sadly it didn’t.  Wander has an excellent cast, but even they couldn’t save this film.  Usually I only rate films as NOT FOR ME when I don’t complete watching them (but after allowing plenty of time for the story to develop).  I watched all of Wander but couldn’t give it 2 stars.  Wander rates 1 of 5.

THE DEVIL’S OWN PISS AND OTHER STORIES by Whiskey Leavins / Z-View

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The Devil’s Own Piss and Other Stories by Whiskey Leavins

Trade Paperback: 266 pages
Publisher: Independently published (April 12, 2021)

First sentence…

The Devil, or should I say, a devil, needed a double-thirteen to win.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Let’s start with The Devil’s Own Piss and Other Stories‘ very cool cover.  If you see that cover art and don’t pick up the book for a closer look, then stop reading this now and go get your eyes checked.  Rafael Andres from CoverKitchen. please take a bow!

Thankfully, the stories in The Devil’s Own Piss and Other Stories are worthy of such a cool cover.  There are over 30 tales populated by Lucifestus and other devils, the dangerous Troupe Brothers, movie stars, influencers, space aliens, regular folks, famous folks from history and many others.  You won’t find everyone in every tale, but often the stories overlap.  What they do have in common is humor.

My favorite stories involved Lucifestus.  He’s an honest-to-goodness, well, maybe not goodness, but he is a devil.  Lucifestus is huge, red and barrel-chested.  He sports a pointy goatee and a blue-black slicked back ducktail.  Oh, and he has these huge horns.  You won’t see his real appearance unless he wants you to.  He could be sitting right next to you in a bar and you’d see a dude that looks like Tom Waits.  Lucifestus is a hard-drinker, who loves to gamble so he’s often found in bars or racetracks.  He doesn’t cheat, and offers tempting wagers for everything from something that would humiliate the loser to the loser’s soul.  I loved every tale with Lucifestus and am ready for more.

The other tales are funny and a nice change of pace.  As the cover indicates, The Devil’s Own Piss and Other Stories is definitely an R-Rated Book.  If you’re easily offended, then this isn’t for you.  I loved it.  Whiskey Leavins is the guy you’d want to buy a few beers (and I don’t drink) and wait for the stories to flow.

Rating:

“Nightmare Alley” (2021) / Z-View

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Nightmare Alley (2021)

Director:  Guillermo del Toro

Screenplay:  Guillermo del Toro, Kim Morgan (based on the novel by William Lindsay Gresham)

Starring:  Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, David Strathairn, Holt McCallany and Jim Beaver.

Tagline:  None

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When we first see Stanton Carlisle (Cooper) he has set fire to a house containing a dead body.  Carlisle gets a menial job with a traveling carnival/freak show.  It is there Carlisle learns he has the ability to read and manipulate people.  Working with  mentalist Madame Zeena and her alcoholic husband, Pete, Carlisle learns the tricks of the trade.

Realizing that he has the knowledge needed for a successful nightclub act, Carlisle talks Molly into leaving the carny.  Two years later, Carlisle and Molly have hit the big time.  She loves him and he says he loves her.  All is roses until Dr. Lilith Ritter interrupts the act to prove Carlisle is a fraud.  He is able to salvage the performance.

Ritter invites Carlisle to her office where he learns that she’s a psychologist.  Both realize that with the information Ritter could provide about her rich clients, a fortune could be made using Carlisle’s talents.  Soon they are having an affair and working as partners to fleeces some rich and dangerous people.  But is Carlisle conning Ritter or she playing him?

Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley takes us on a dark journey.  His Nightmare Alley provides more backstory than the 1947 film and doesn’t shy away from the horrific aspects of carnival life in the days before “freak shows” were outlawed.  del Toro’s Nightmare Alley is exceptionally well cast.  Bradley, Blanchett, Dafoe and Mara are the main stars and they shine.  What del Toro did by getting Collette, Jenkins, Perlman, Steenburgen, Strathairn, McCallany and Beaver in supporting roles is make every scene a winner.

In a movie full of amazing performances, Bradley Cooper shines.  Some of his standout scenes include manipulating the Sherriff who has come to shut down the carnival and arrest performers.  This is when Carlisle discovers his gift of reading people.  The surprise lie detector test scene and the final scene of the film (which I won’t spoil) are also memorable.

Nightmare Alley won’t appeal to everyone despite all that it has going for it.  The lead characters are not good people and they make bad choices.  There’s no upbeat ending.  With that said, I loved Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley.  It took me to another time and place.  I was hooked on the mystery; intrigued by the characters and impressed by the cast.  Nightmare Alley stayed with me long after the movie was over.  I rate it 5 of 5 stars.

“So Cold the River” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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So Cold the River has an interesting poster and trailer.  I’m going to keep my eye out for it.

A documentary filmmaker hired to profile a reclusive, dying millionaire becomes obsessed with her subject and uncovers the shocking secrets his hometown wanted buried, unleashing an evil force with devastating consequences. Get swept up with this bone-chilling, supernatural thriller, adapted from “The New York Times” bestselling author, Michael Koryta also author of  Those Who Wish Me Dead.

Bruce Lee by Jason Raisch – Limited Edition Prints to Benefit the Bruce Lee Foundation!

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555Jason Raish created the limited edition print above for a collaboration with Shoe Palace, Bottleneck Gallery to  benefit the Bruce Lee Foundation.

100% of the profits from this print will go directly to the Bruce Lee Foundation.  There is also a variant gold edition.  Both will be on sale starting Friday, February 4th at noon EST through Sunday, February 6th, ending at 11:59 pm EST at Bottleneckgallery.com!

ZERO SAINTS by Gabino Iglesias / Z-View

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Zero Saints by Gabino Iglesias

Trade Paperback: 196 pages
Publisher: Broken River Books

First sentence…

I didn’t hear those pinches cabrones coming.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

In Zero Saints, Gabino Iglesias created one of the most intense opening chapters in memory.   Fernando, a drug dealer/crew leader, is beaten and taken to an abandoned house.  Secured to a chair is Fernando’s friend.  Fernando is forced to watch a heavily tattooed gangbanger (with insane black eyes) slowly torture and behead his buddy. The message is clear: Give up your territory or die.

Fernando knows a war has arrived.  His odds of survival are slim.  So with his back against the wall, Fernando recruits a Russian gun thug (who owes him a favor) and a crazy blood simple buddy to join him in a last ditch chance at payback.

Iglesias takes what could be a simple tale of revenge and peppers it with gangbangers, drug dealers, hitmen and a touch of the supernatural.  Fernando isn’t your typical protagonist. He’s unable to save his friend, others close to him die and he fears the Mara Salvatrucha cartel (especially the one with the black eyes).  Fernando moves through a gritty underworld that exists in many big cities, but is only safely visited in stories like Zero Saints.

Zero Saints was my first book by Gabino Iglesias.  I look forward to reading many more (hopefully including tales of Fernando and his supporting cast… well, those who lived).

Rating: