“Rocky” vs “First Blood” in Joblo’s Face/Off!

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Joblo.com brings Rocky and First Blood to their Face/Off feature where they rate each movie in several categories and determine a winner.  Do you agree with their outcome?

Sylvester Stallone’s two most popular cinematic characters, Rocky Balboa and John Rambo, debuted in between 1976 (Rocky) and 1982 (First Blood) and went on to generate a number of sequels (and even spinoffs in Rocky’s case with the Creed films) that have lasted for decades. But, one of the most common debates is which was the best of the original iterations of these characters, Rocky or First Blood?

In this series we explore the pros and cons of each, while taking a look at things like box office, awards accolades, most-quotable lines, supporting cast and so much more to determine which film is the winner in the never-ending debate when two movies Face/Off!

Edited by Damion Damaske

The Best Teaser Poster for 2019 is…

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IMPAwards is running a survey to determine the best teaser movie poster design from 2019 releases.  Click over and you can select your top five choices.

My first choice would be John Wick 3.  This is one of those rare times that a contest involving Stallone doesn’t come out the winner in my opinion.  I thought the teaser posters for Glass and The Lion King were also so good they should be included.  Of course your mileage may vary.

The Trailer for “Making Apes” is Here!

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The Making Apes documentary focuses on the folks behind the Academy Award-winning makeup for Planet of the Apes.   If you aren’t old enough to remember the buzz when PotA was first released, you can’t imagine the impact that it had.  I was nine years old and seeing it on the big screen during it’s initial release blew my mind.  I look forward to checking out Making Apes!

The Poster and Trailer for “Hunter’s Moon” Starring Thomas Jane is Here!

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Horror veteran Thomas Jane (Deep Blue Sea, The Mist, 1922, Before I Wake, The Predator) will next take on werewolves in Hunter’s Moon, a home invasion film that arrives on DVD, Digital, and On Demand March 24, 2020, from Lionsgate.

In the film, “When their parents leave town, three teenage girls decide to throw a party in their new country home. But when a gang of dangerous local boys with sinister intentions turn up, the women are forced to not only defend themselves from the evil inside of the house, but an unseen bloodthirsty predator that is hunting them one by one outside of the house.”

From an executive producer of Live Free or Die Hard, 16 Blocks, and Hostage, the film also stars Jay Mohr and Sean Patrick Flanery.

Hunter’s Moon – The only thing it needs is to be seen in a drive-in.  Since I don’t have one, my tv room will have to do.

“Fargo” Season 4 Trailer is Here!

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The fourth installment of Fargo is set in 1950 Kansas City, where two criminal syndicates fighting for a piece of the American dream have struck an uneasy peace. Chris Rock stars as Loy Cannon, the head of the African American crime family who trades sons with the head of the Italian mafia as part of tenuous truce.

The 4th season of Fargo looks like a lot of fun!

The Best 2019 Action Movie Poster is…

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IMPAwards is running a survey to determine the best action movie poster design from 2019 releases.  Click over and you can select your top five choices.

My first choice would be Rambo: Last Blood.  Of course it’s hardly ever fair when you ask me a favorite if it includes Stallone.  So for this contest I thought I’d include my other two top favorites: Hellboy and John Wick 3.

Hidden Details You May Have Missed in Jordan Peele’s “Us”

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Jordan Peele’s Us displays a master attention to detail at a nearly unparalleled level. Like his previous horror film, Get Out, there is much more to be discovered on repeat viewings, especially in the production design. In this case, his book choices all align with the film’s themes, and are great additions to the movie. For this video essay, I point out some of the hidden books, as well as other clues and details hidden in plain sight you may have missed when you saw the movie. Edited by H. Nelson Tracey http://www.hnelsontracey.com/

The “Ozark” Season 3 Teaser is Here!

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They’re all in. Ozark Season 3 returns to Netflix March 27, 2020. Jason Bateman (Marty Byrde), Laura Linney (Wendy Byrde), and Julia Garner (Ruth Langmore) double down on risky decisions to expand their empire in the next chapter of the thrilling crime drama series.

I was surprised at how good Ozark is!  Looking forward to season 3!

“Creature from the Black Lagoon” Trivia!

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Christopher Fudiccia and ScreenRant posted 10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Creature from the Black Lagoon.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon is one of my favorite horror films and perhaps the one that is most deserving of an new movie. Fudiccia presents ten fun and informative facts.  Below are three of my favs and my thoughts on each.  Click over the article for all the facts and the full details.

The Film Was Originally Presented In 3D. (I’ve seen Creature from the Black Lagoon many times, but never in a theater and never in 3D.  There’s money to be made if Universal ever decides to do a 3D re-release! – Craig)

Glenn Strange Almost Played The Creature (I did not know this.  Given the fact that Strange played Frankenstein in several movies, he seems like a natural choice… if he was a better swimmer.  Ha! – Craig)

The Gill-Man Wasn’t Really A Monster (This is an argument I’ve heard from fans.  See the rationale Fudiccia presents.  I’d agree except for the fact that the Creature kills two native workers at the start of the film.  – Craig)

“Rocky” Franchise Trivia!

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Ben Sherlock and ScreenRant posted Yo, Adrian!: 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About The Rocky Franchise. 

Most regular readers here will know the majority of the trivia posted, but there may be a few that surprise you.  Below are three of my favs and my thoughts on each.  Click over the article for all the facts and the full details.

Thanks To Rocky, Sylvester Stallone Has An Oscars Record Tied With Charlie Chaplin And Orson Welles.  (Sly was the third person to ever receive Academy Award nominations for writing and acting in the same film!  Since Sly earned this honor, Woody Allen, Warren Beatty, Billy Bob Thornton, Matt Damon and Roberto Benigni have joined this elite group. – Craig)

Rocky Balboa Was The First Rocky Film To Use Real Punches As Sound Effects.  (Most folks know Sly and his co-stars traded real punches at times during the fight scenes, but how many knew that the real punch sounds weren’t used until Rocky Balboa? – Craig)

The Original Film’s Script Was Tweaked To Accommodate Production Errors.  (While not technically a production error, the skating scene with Rocky and Adrian originally was supposed to take place with the skating rink full of people.  The budget wouldn’t allow it, and I think the film is better for it! – Craig)

Going “Full Tilt” with Jason Copland!

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Jason Copland recently sent out a newsletter update on his crime-scifi-noir graphic novel Full Tilt which stars Massimo Miller.  I’ve loved the look of the series from my first reading of the synopsis…

Massimo is the Consigliere for the Chessa Family, a position bestowed upon him by the syndicate’s boss, Russo Chessa. As Consigliere, Massimo acts as advisor and liaison in all matters that pertain to the family business giving him meaningful influence over syndicate affairs. Holding this position of power is all the more remarkable due to the fact that most of Massimo’s life was spent as a slave of a rival crime organization. Chosen for his loyalty and integrity, Massimo is no yes man. He is a heavy smoker, however, much to Russo’s chagrin. Massimo’s preferred brand is Marlboro XXV Kings.

Full Tilt is going to be full of interesting characters such as the gentleman above.  You can swing over to Jason’s site and check out more of mugs, thugs and dames that populate his Full Tilt world.

If you’re so inclined (and I hope you are) after seeing preview art for Full Tilt, that you’ll follow Jason on Twitter and sign up for his newsletter.  If you’re on the newsletter e-mail list, you’ll get Full Tilt updates with behind the scenes art, process discussions and be entered into drawings for free art. (Congrats to this newsletter’s winner, Juan Albarran.)

As you can guess, I’m going to end this post by suggesting that you follow Jason Copland on Twitter and sign-up for Jason’s newsletter.  Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.