Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
I’ll bet these thugs from pre-production art for the animated opening credits to the Batman tv show are instantly recognizable to anyone old enough to be a television-watching child in 1966.
Source: Big Glee!
David Gallaher recently got a chance to talk about High Moon, the supernatural/western graphic novel that he created with artist, Steve Ellis. The interview (and High Moon) are worth a look.
Source: Monster Library.
Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949)
Director: Charles T. Barton
Screenplay: Hugh Wedlock Jr. & Howard Snyder
Stars: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Boris Karloff
The Pitch: “It’s time for Bud and Lou to meet Boris!”
Tagline: MORE GHOULISH GLEE THAN WHEN THEY MET FRANKENSTEIN
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
When the bellboy (Costello) becomes the prime suspect of a murder in a remote hotel full of shady characters, only the hotel dick (Abbott) believes his innocence. The race is on to find the killer before he kills again… and the bellboy is in the killer’s sights!
I was surprised that Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff didn’t hold up as well as I remembered it. I was sure it would get a “B” rating or higher. As a kid, it would have gotten an “A” — yet it is still fun with some good laughs.
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Feast your eyes on Steranko’s recreation of one of his classic Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD covers. You can see a space-sized version at Bendis!
Blood Simple (1984)
Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen (uncredited)
Screenplay: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Stars: John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya and M. Emmet Walsh
The Pitch: “Let’s make a noir!”
Tagline: Breaking up is hard
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
When a vengeful husband (Hedaya) learns that his wife is cheating on him, he hires a sleazy PI to kill them. What follows is a classic throwback film noir that jumpstarted the Coen brothers’ career.
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It was just about a year ago that I posted about the extremely cool character designs that Kevin Nolan created for The Batman Animated Series.
Recently Dan Greenfield spoke with Kevin Nolan about his Batman animated designs. The interview is well worth a read.
Source: 13th Dimension.
Rio Bravo (1959)
Director: Howard Hawks
Screenplay: Jules Furthman and Leigh Brackett based on a short story by B.H. McCampbell
Stars: John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson, Walter Brennan, Ward Bond, John Russell and Claude Akins.
The Pitch: “The Duke wants to make Rio Bravo.”
Tagline: You’ve seen nothing like ’em together… and in the heat and hate of Rio Bravo nothing can tear ’em apart!
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
When Sheriff John T. Chance (Wayne) refuses to let a rich rancher’s brother walk after committing a murder, Chance finds himself up against nearly 2 dozen hired guns. Coming to Chance’s aid is an old man, a drunk who used to be a gun fighter and a kid with a fast draw.
The basis of Rio Bravo was used to a comedic effect in Blazing Saddles.
Rating:
You can say this about the life of Stanley Dance: he did it his way. Unfortunately, his way never took getting old into account. Now, the former boxer is on his last legs, looking for redemption … but he’ll settle for going down swinging.
Roll the dice with artist/writer Dan Panosian as he creates, in his new series Slots, a bold and breathtaking vision of Las Vegas, where everything old can become new, and superstition influences how the chips fall.
Dan Panosian talks Slots with Byron Brewer at Dynamic Forces. What are ya waitin’ for? Click Over!
Kate Erbland and Film School Rejects present 33 Things We Learned from the Conan the Barbarian Commentary. Here are three of my favorites…
The narration at the beginning of the film was intended to be for Schwarzenegger. Milius points out that certain executives at Universal – he doesn’t name any names – didn’t trust Schwarzenegger, and there were concerns about his accent. “I said, ‘Of course, he has an accent. That’s why he’s Arnold.’,” says the director.
Milius hired actors to play against Schwarzenegger specifically based on their size, as he didn’t want many of Conan’s enemies to be smaller than he was. The director felt it helped build Conan as this iconic hero if he continuously took on and bested men who were much larger. “To have an opponent for Arnold, the guy has to be huge,” says Milius. Even James Earl Jones and Max Von Sydow are taller than the 6’2″ Schwarzenegger.
Executive producer Dino De Laurentiis wanted Milius to take out the scene with Conan, Valeria, and Subotai getting drunk in an inn, because he didn’t think it was dignified enough for the characters, particularly Conan. “The idea is that it’s great. They aren’t dignified. They have money, and they’re totally drunk and excited with power,” explains Milius. De Laurentiis especially didn’t like the shot where Conan passes out in his soup. “It’s like an Alka-Seltzer commercial,” says Schwarzenegger.
20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)
Director: Nathan Juran
Screenplay: Robert Creighton Williams (as Bob Williams) & Christopher Knopf from a story by Charlotte Knight (as Charlott Knight)
Stars: William Hopper, Joan Taylor, Thomas Browne Henry
The Pitch: “Let’s make a monster movie!”
Tagline: Greatest Monster Since King Kong Ravishes the Earth!
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
When the first spacecraft returning from Venus crash-lands in the ocean it releases a small creature that quickly grows to gigantic proportions and terrorizes Rome!
Rating:
Me-TV took a look at their choices for The Most Underrated Episodes of the Twilight Zone. The article is no longer posted but here are their choices and my ratings for each.
“THE SHELTER” Season: 3 Episode: 3 My Rating: A+
“SHADOW PLAY” Season: 2 Episode: 26 My Rating: C
“THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD” Season: 3 Episode: 37 My Rating: C
“AN OCCURRENCE AT OWL CREEK BRIDGE” Season: 5 Episode: 22 My rating: B
“THE HOWLING MAN” Season: 2 Episode: 5 My Rating: A+
“A WORLD OF HIS OWN” Season: 1 Episode: 36 My Rating: A
“THIRD FROM THE SUN” Season: 1 Episode: 14 My Rating: A
“BLACK LEATHER JACKETS” Season: 5 Episode: 18 My Rating: C
“IN HIS IMAGE” Season: 4 Episode: 1 My Rating: C
“VALLEY OF THE SHADOW” Season: 4 Episode: 3 My Rating: B
Mister Roberts (1955)
Director: John Ford, Mervyn LeRoy , Joshua Logan (uncredited)
Screenplay: Frank S. Nugent and Joshua Logan based on the play by Thomas Heggen and
Joshua Logan from the novel by Thomas Heggen
Stars: Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell, Jack Lemmon, Betsy Palmer, Ward Bond, Nick Adams, Ken Curtis, Harry Carey, Jr. and Patrick Wayne
The Pitch: “Let’s turn the Broadway Play ‘Mister Roberts’ into a movie!’”
Tagline: The Six-Year Stage Smash on the Screen!
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Easy-going Lt. Roberts (Fonda) has done such a great job acting as a buffer between the tyrannical Captain Morton (Cagney) and his men that every attempt to get into the action of WWII has been stopped. Yet the fallout from the men’s last leave may finally get Roberts his wish.
Mister Roberts is one of those movies that most folks like better than me, so as always, your mileage may vary.
Rating: 3 of 5 stars.
Here’s the international trailer to The Snowman. Lookin’ good.
Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody makes a better short crime movie than you might think. Give the link below a go and see if you don’t agree.
Journey Into Fear (1943)
Director: Norman Foster, Orson Welles (uncredited)
Screenplay: Joseph Cotten from the novel by Eric Ambler
Stars: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dolores del Rio and Agnes Moorehead
The Pitch: “Let’s bring back Welles and Cotten and try for another ‘The Third Man!’’”
Tagline: Welles and Del Rio together! as Terror Man vs. Leopard Woman–for possession of a mysterious stranger in the powder-keg Middle East…a man with a military secret worth more than his love and his life!…It’s menace melodrama thrilled with mighty mystery and suspense…SEE IT!
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Howard Graham (Cotten) finds himself pursued by Nazi agents out to kill him. In an effort to shake them, Graham ends up on an old frieghter heading out to sea… and discovers that the Nazis are also on board.
Welles has a small but important role. Cotten is more than capable of carrying the film. The cat and mouse chase on the high ledge during a torrential downpour is classic.
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