RIP: Johnny Crawford

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Johnny Crawford, best known as one of the original Mouseketeers and for his role on The Rifleman, died yesterday at the age of 75.  Mr. Crawford had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, COVID-19 and pneumonia, but his cause of death was not specified.

Crawford first rose to fame as one of Walt Disney’s original Mouseketeers.  He would then go on to play roles on The Lone Ranger, The Frank Sinatra Show, Have Gun – Will Travel, The Danny Thomas Show, Wagon Train and many other popular television shows before getting his co-starring role on The Rifleman with Chuck Connors.  At the age of 13, Johnny Crawford was nominated for a Prime Time Emmy for his portrayal of Mark McCain, on The Rifleman.  Crawford and Connors developed a friendship that would continue throughout their lives.  When The Rifleman ended, Crawford appeared on an episode of Connor’s follow-up series, Branded.  Johnny Crawford even spoke at Chuck Connors’ funeral decades later.

Johnny Crawford had a brief career as a singing star.  He had four top forty Billboard hits on Del-FI records.  Throughout his life Crawford acted in television and feature film roles, and in 1992, he formed the JCO (Johnny Crawford Orchestra) which performed at festivals and special events.  Johnny Crawford was an extremely talented individual with a career that spanned over 60 years of performances on stage, television and silver screen.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Johnny Crawford’s family, fans and friends.

“Stowaway” (2021) / Z-View

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Stowaway (2021)

Director: Joe Penna

Screenplay: Joe Penna, Ryan Morrison

Stars:  Anna Kendrick, Daniel Dae Kim, Shamier Anderson.

The Pitch: “Let’s update Lifeboat, but do it in space!”

Tagline: Millions of miles from home, survival comes with sacrifice.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

About 12 hours into (and past the point of no return of) a two year mission to Mars, the three person astronaut team discovers a man unconscious and badly bleeding.  The accidental stowaway is a launch support engineer who was making last minute preflight checks before liftoff when he was injured.  In order to make the journey to Mars, the ship was equipped with just the essentials to ensure the safety of the three astronauts.  Now with four on board, the question of survival of all comes into play.

Shamier Anderson is excellent as Michael Anderson, the accidental stowaway.  His realization that he is the odd man out on a journey he hasn’t been trained for, nor wanted plays out beautifully though his facial expressions and body language.  Toni Collette plays Marina Barnett, the ship’s Captain who will have to make the ultimate decisions about who lives or dies.  Daniel Dae Kim is the team’s biologist, David Kim and most pragmatic/logical of the team.  Anna Kendrick plays Zoe Levenson, the ship’s doctor and medical researcher.

Initially, they believe that by rationing and conservation of supplies, the trip can be made by four instead of three.  Then they discover that their carbon dioxide scrubber isn’t working. They will be pushing it to have enough oxygen for three.  Now, faced with decisions that will effect not only the mission, but the lives of every person on board, the four must come to grips with the reality of the situation.  Not everyone will survive the journey and as things worsen, the question becomes not of who will survive, but will any of them survive.

Stowaway is well acted and contains excellent special effects.  The tension mounts as the movie progresses and presents itself as more of a morality drama then action/adventure.  As for me, I liked it and rate it 3 out of 5 stars.

“The Misfits” Starring Pierce Brosnan – The Trailer is Here!

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Pierce Brosnan is back and The Misfits have him.  They’ve got Tim Roth, too.  After seeing the trailer below, they’ll have me at some point as well.

A band of modern-day Robin Hoods known as “The Misfits”, recruit renowned thief Richard Pace (Pierce Brosnan) to help them pull off the heist of the century. The prize: millions in gold bars stashed underneath one of the world’s most secure prisons. Hold on tight for a globe-trotting, action-packed thriller from the Director of Die Hard 2.

Featuring: Pierce Brosnan, Rami Jaber, Hermione Corfield, Jamie Chung, Mike Angelo with Tim Roth and Nick Cannon

“The Tomorrow War” Starring Chris Pratt – The Teaser is Here!

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The teaser for The Tomorrow War starring Chris Pratt is here.  Sign me up, deal me in.

THE TOMORROW WAR premieres July 2, 2021 globally on Prime Video

In The TOMORROW WAR, the world is stunned when a group of time travelers arrive from the year 2051 to deliver an urgent message: Thirty years in the future mankind is losing a global war against a deadly alien species. The only hope for survival is for soldiers and civilians from the present to be transported to the future and join the fight. Among those recruited is high school teacher and family man Dan Forester (Chris Pratt). Determined to save the world for his young daughter, Dan teams up with a brilliant scientist (Yvonne Strahovski) and his estranged father (J.K. Simmons) in a desperate quest to rewrite the fate of the planet.

Directed by Chris McKay
Written by Zach Dean
Produced by David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Jules Daly, David Goyer, Adam Kolbrenner
Executive Produced by Rob Cowan, Chris Pratt, Brian Oliver, Bradley J. Fischer

Starring Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, J.K. Simmons, Betty Gilpin, Sam Richardson, Edwin Hodge, Jasmine Mathews, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Keith Powers

“American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster for American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally is bland, but the trailer presents an interesting story.  Al Pacino is a plus.  I’ll check it out at some point.

Based on the true story, AMERICAN TRAITOR: THE TRIAL OF AXIS SALLY follows the life of American woman Mildred Gillars (Meadow Williams) and her lawyer (Al Pacino), who struggles to redeem her reputation. Dubbed “Axis Sally” for broadcasting Nazi propaganda to American troops during World War II, Mildred’s story exposes the dark underbelly of the Third Reich’s hate-filled propaganda machine, her eventual capture in Berlin, and subsequent trial for treason against the United States after the war.

Starring: Meadow Williams, Thomas Kretschmann, Al Pacino
Directed by: Michael Polish

“Rocky” Poster and Character Portraits by Leonardo Paciarotti!

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Leonardo Paciarotti is a talented illustrator / comic book artist from Valencia, Spain.  Paciarotti created the Rocky poster above and the character pics below.  Paciarotti must be a true fan of the Rocky universe because these aren’t the only Rocky related pieces he created.  You can click on the images below to see them biggie-size and then click over to Leonardo Paciarotti’s Instagram or ArtStation pages to see more of his wonderful art!

Thanks to Brian Stross for the heads-up.

“Don’t Let Her In” – The Trailer is Here!

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“Don’t Let Her In” looks like fun.  Check out the trailer below.

When an attractive young couple rent out a room in their spacious loft to an eccentric, beautiful female artist, they soon live to regret it. Slowly but surely, their seductive new tenant invades their minds, their beds, the very fabric of their lives. A sensual supernatural nightmare from writer/director Ted Nicolaou (TERRORVISION, SUBSPECIES, THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS).

The Best Movies NOT to be Nominated for the Best Picture Oscar!

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Film School Rejects took a look at The 100 Best Movies That Were Not Nominated for Best Picture.  They came up with a good list of films that they feel should have been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar.  Using their list, I came up with my top nine and one that I added that didn’t make their list, but would have made mine.

  • Planet of the Apes (1968)
  • Night of the Hunter (1955)
  • Die Hard (1988)
  • The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
  • The Searchers (1956)
  • Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
  • Touch of Evil (1958)
  • Se7en (1995)
  • Psycho (1960)
    Plus my addition: Cop Land (1997)

“Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story” Teaser is Here!

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Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story teaser looks wonderful.  I think the time is right for a film like this – one that will take us to another time and place filled with great music, dancing and a story of forbidden love.   I look forward to seeing Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story.

Directed by Academy Award® winner Steven Spielberg, from a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award® winner Tony Kushner, “West Side Story” tells the classic tale of fierce rivalries and young love in 1957 New York City. This reimagining of the beloved musical stars Ansel Elgort (Tony); Rachel Zegler (María); Ariana DeBose (Anita); David Alvarez (Bernardo); Mike Faist (Riff); Josh Andrés Rivera (Chino); Ana Isabelle (Rosalía); Corey Stoll (Lieutenant Schrank); Brian d’Arcy James (Officer Krupke); and Rita Moreno (as Valentina, who owns the corner store in which Tony works). Moreno – one of only three artists to be honored with Academy®, Emmy®, GRAMMY®, Tony® and Peabody Awards – also serves as one of the film’s executive producers.

Bringing together the best of both Broadway and Hollywood, the film’s creative team includes Kushner, who also serves as an executive producer; Tony Award® winner Justin Peck, who choreographed the musical numbers in the film; renowned Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor and GRAMMY Award® winner Gustavo Dudamel, who helmed the recording of the iconic score; Academy Award®-nominated composer and conductor David Newman (“Anastasia”), who arranged the score; Tony Award®-winning composer Jeanine Tesori (“Fun Home,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie”), who supervised the cast on vocals; and Grammy®-nominated music supervisor Matt Sullivan (“Beauty and the Beast,” “Chicago”), who served as executive music producer for the film. The film is produced by Spielberg, Academy Award®-nominated producer Kristie Macosko Krieger and Tony Award®-winning producer Kevin McCollum. “West Side Story” has been adapted for the screen from the original 1957 Broadway show, with book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and concept, direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins.

From 20th Century Studios, The Walt Disney Company will release “West Side Story” in U.S. theaters on December 10, 2021.

The Best Prime-Time Line-Ups of All Time!

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In these days of streaming with hundreds of cable channels and options specifically geared to taste, when we look back at the days of three basic network options, it is funny to think of how limited our viewing choices were.  It also brings to mind how difficult it must have been for television programmers to put together that magical line-up that would keep viewers on their network.

The fine folks at MeTV decided to look at all of the line-ups from the dawn of television through our current options to determine What was the Best Network Television Lineup Ever?  Unfortunately Me-TV’s article is no longer available.  But based on their top ten, here are my thoughts and choices for the best line-ups ever.

10. CBS Friday 1979–1980: The Incredible Hulk – The Dukes of Hazzard – Dallas. (I’ve watched a couple of episodes of The Incredible Hulk and have never seen a complete episode of Dukes or Dallas. – Craig)

9. ABC Friday 1971–72:  The Brady Bunch – The Partridge Family – Room 222 – The Odd Couple – Love, American Style. (I’d watch The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family, occasionally The Odd Couple and usually Love, American Style. – Craig)

8. CBS Sunday 1956–57: Lassie – The Jack Benny Program – The Ed Sullivan Show – General Electric Theater – Alfred Hitchcock Presents – The $64,000 Challenge – What’s My Line?  (Since I wasn’t born yet, I didn’t see any of them that season.  I am a fan of The Jack Benny Program and Alfred Hitchcock Presents which I’ve seen in reruns. – Craig)

7. ABC Thursday 1966–67: Batman – F Troop – The Dating Game – Bewitched – That Girl.  (I never missed Batman, occasionally watched F Troup and The Dating Game.  I usually would watch Bewitched and occasionally That Girl. – Craig)

6. ABC Thursday 1972-73:  The Mod Squad – Kung Fu – The Streets of San Francisco. (I always watched Kung Fu but neither of the other two. – Craig)

5. Fox Sunday 1999–2000: Futurama – King of the Hill – The Simpsons – Malcolm in the Middle – The X-Files. (I didn’t watch any of these shows. – Craig)

4. NBC Thursday 1993–94:  Mad About You – Wings – Seinfeld – Frasier – Homicide.  (I always watched Mad About You, Wings, Seinfeld and Frasier.  Homicide was the show that kept this line-up from being a clean sweep for me. – Craig)

3. CBS Saturday 1959–60:  Perry Mason – Wanted: Dead or Alive – Mr. Lucky – Have Gun, Will Travel – Gunsmoke. (I was too young to watch. – Craig)

2. NBC Thursday 1984–85:  The Cosby Show – Family Ties – Cheers – Night Court – Hill Street Blues. (I always watched all of these shows.  This was a perfect line-up for me. – Craig)

1. CBS Saturday 1974–75: All in the Family – The Jeffersons – Mary Tyler Moore – The Bob Newhart Show – The Carol Burnett Show. (I always watched all of these shows.  This was also a perfect line-up for me. – Craig)

So there were two line-ups that I stay tuned to for the entire evening, but which was the best?  I give the nod to CBS Saturday 1974-75.