“TMZ Presents: UFO Revolution”: Season 1 (2024) / Z-View

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TMZ Presents: UFO Revolution: Season 1 (2024)

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Jeremy Corbell is at the forefront of a movement to get the government to admit they know that aliens have and are visiting the earth.  Corbell is in regular contact with government and military whistleblowers who want the truth to come out.

A government hearing concludes there is no evidence of aliens.  Corbell says the committee is lying and the whistleblowers have been put at risk.

Video footage of “new” UFOs, including a “jellyfish” type flying object are discussed as well as theories about what these things could be.

Thoughts…

There is a lot of filler in the three episodes in season 1.  Opinions differ widely about Jeremy Corbell.  Is he a huckster or someone truly passionate about getting the truth out.  There seems to be a lot of “I’ve been told this and when it comes out it will change everything.”  Why not just tell it now?

The most interesting thing in the three episodes is the “jellyfish” UFO.  I would have liked to have heard an in-depth discussion from “experts” on what it could be.

There are three more episodes in season 2.  I hope they’re better.

TMZ Presents: UFO Revolution: Season 1 (2024) rates 3 of 5 stars.

HIT: COMPLETE COLLECTION by Bryce Carlson & Vanesa Del Rey is Coming!

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The HIT: COMPLETE COLLECTION by Bryce Carlson (Author), Vanesa Del Rey (Illustrator) will appeal to crime fiction fans.  Here’s the downlow…

To combat the organized crime rings threatening to overwhelm 1950s Los Angeles, the LAPD sends in Harvey Slater, a detective authorized off-the-books to take care of “untouchable” criminal problems…

Los Angeles in the 1950s is a place of contrast. It’s home to the bright lights and movie stars of Hollywood’s golden age… and a hotbed of organized crime muscling in on Mickey Cohen’s turf. But LAPD has a plan—Harvey Slater, a detective authorized off-the-books to take care of “untouchable” criminal problems.

The criminals aren’t the only untouchable thing Slater’s going after, though. When his captain’s absent daughter returns, Slater quickly finds himself entangled in the trouble she brings with her… and her ties to his other cases!

From writer Bryce Carlson (Zombie Tales) and artist Vanesa Del Rey (The Creeping Below), experience the entire dark, violent, and sensual look into corruption on both sides of the law, inspired by the true history of LA and collected into one volume for the first time!

Collects Hit: 1955 #1-4 and Hit: 1957 #1-4.

HIT: COMPLETE COLLECTION drops May 20, 2025.

“Zero Day” starring Robert DeNiro, Jesse Plemons with Matthew Modine and Angela Bassett – The Second Trailer is Here!

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The second trailer for the limited series, Zero Day starring Robert DeNiro, Jesse Plemons with Matthew Modine and Angela Bassett is here!

Deal me in.

How can you seek the truth when you can’t even trust your own mind? In the wake of a devastating cyber attack, a former President (Robert DeNiro) is tasked with finding the perpetrators and seeking truth amid the chaos.

Premieres February 20th.

“What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” (1962) directed by Robert Aldrich; starring Bette Davis & Joan Crawford / Z-View

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What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

Director:  Robert Aldrich

Screenplay: Lukas Heller; based on WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE by Henry Farrell

Stars: Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Victor Buono, Wesley Addy, Anne Barton, Marjorie Bennett, Bert Freed, Anna Lee, Maidie Norman, Dave Willock, Russ Conway, Maxine Cooper, Robert Cornthwaite, Michael Fox and Barbara Merrill.

Tagline: Things you should know about this motion picture before buying a ticket: 1) If you’re long-standing fans of Miss Davis and Miss Crawford, we warn you this is quite unlike anything they’ve ever done. 2) You are urged to see it from the beginning. 3) Be prepared for the macabre and the terrifying. 4) We ask your pledge to keep the shocking climax a secret. 5) When the tension begins to build, try to remember it’s just a movie.

The Plot…

1917.  Baby Jane Hudson is a national treasure.  The child actress/singer is in such demand that vaudeville stages across the nation are sold out for every performance when she’s in town.  Baby Jane dolls are all the rage.  Unfortunately success has spoiled the little girl.  Little Jane realizes that she’s the family money-maker. She has the power to call the shots.  That means bossing her father/manager around, ignoring her mother and mistreating her slightly older sister Blanche.

When movies become all the rage, Baby Jane learns that the magic is gone.  She’s aged out of being the cute little girl performing on stage. The Jane Hudson that shows up on screen isn’t a very good actress.

But Blanche Hudson is.  Audiences love her and studios want her in their pictures.  If her parents were still alive Blanche would be the breadwinner.  Thankfully Blanche treats Jane better than she was treated when their roles were reversed.

That was decades ago.  A terrible accident crippled Blanche and cut short her movie career.  Now it’s just Blanche and Jane living in the big old mansion bought with Baby Jane‘s money.  Thankfully Blanche’s movie career provided the funds for Blanche and Jane to survive.  But those funds are dwindling.  Jane’s drinking and mistreatment of Blanche is getting worse.

Wheelchair bound and confined to the upstairs floor, Blanche is getting worried.  Baby Jane is planning a comeback… but has a few things she plans to do first.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? was nominated for five Academy Awards winning one…

  • 1963 Nominee Best Sound – Joseph D. Kelly (Seven Arts-Warner Bros. Glen Glenn Sound Department)
  • 1963 Nominee Best Cinematography, Black-and-White – Ernest Haller
  • 1963 Nominee Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Victor Buono
  • 1963 Nominee Best Actress in a Leading Role – Bette Davis
  • 1963 Winner Best Costume Design, Black-and-White – Norma Koch

Betty Davis created her own make-up look for the film.  She say her character as never washing her face and each day adding another layer of make-up.  At first, the director and producers felt it was too over-the-top.  When the author visited the set, he said Davis looked just as he imagined Baby Jane.  The studio and director made the right decision to keep Davis’ look.

This features Victor Buono’s feature film debut.  It was also the only time he was nominated for an Oscar.

If the beach house seen at the end of the movie looks familiar, you may be remembering it from director Robert Aldrich’s 1955 film, Kiss Me Deadly where it was also seen at the end of the movie.

Kudos to Robert Aldrich for another excellent film.  More people should be aware of him.

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Becoming Hitchcock: The Legacy of Blackmail” (2024) written & directed by Laurent Bouzereau / Z-View

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Becoming Hitchcock: The Legacy of Blackmail (2024)

Director:  Laurent Bouzereau

Screenplay: Laurent Bouzereau

Stars: Elvis Mitchell (narrator), Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Balsam, Raymond Burr, Anthony Dawson, John Gavin, Cary Grant, Tippi Hedren, Grace Kelly, Martin Landau, Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins, Curtiss Cook, Eva Marie Saint and James Stewart.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Laurent Bouzereau explores how Alfred Hitchcock’s 1929 film Blackmail foreshadows many of the themes and techniques that would make Hitchcock one of the world’s most famous directors.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Blackmail was made right as silent films were transitioning to “talkies”.  Hitchcock made Blackmail to be shown in either format.  To accomplish this some scenes were shot differently.  This documentary showcases the scenes side by side.

If you’re a die hard Hitchcock fan, this is for you.  If not, your mileage may vary.

Becoming Hitchcock: The Legacy of Blackmail (2024) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“1923” – The Season 2 Trailer is Here!

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Check out the trailer for 1923 Season 2.

1923‘s first season was excellent.  Bring on Season 2.

Season 2 of 1923 is streaming February 23 on Paramount+.

A cruel winter brings new challenges and unfinished business to Jacob and Cara back at Dutton ranch. With harsh conditions and adversaries threatening to end the Dutton legacy, Spencer embarks on an arduous journey home, racing against time to save his family in Montana. Meanwhile, Alexandra sets off on her own harrowing trans-Atlantic journey to find Spencer and reclaim their love.

EDENVILLE OWLS by Robert B. Parker / Z-View

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EDENVILLE OWLS by Robert B. Parker

First sentence…

The radio in our living room was about four feet tall.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The year is 1945.  The war is over.  Bobby is in eighth grade.  No longer a kid, but not grown either.  His best friends are Russell, Nick, Billy and Manny.  Oh, and we can’t forget Joan.  She’s been a best friend forever, but that relationship may be changing.

The school doesn’t have a basketball team so Bobby and the boys decide to start one.  They hope to get into the state tournament.  That could be a problem.

A bigger problem is what is going on with their favorite teacher, Miss Delaney.  She’s the pretty new teacher that is a favorite of the gang.  Bobby saw a mean looking man arguing with her.  Then Miss Delaney showed up with bruises on her face.

Bobby and the gang decide to investigate.  What they discover keeps them from going to adults.  It’s dangerous but Bobby and the team decide to help Miss Delaney.

+++++

I’m a huge Robert B. Parker fan.  His Spencer series influenced a generation of writers.  His Cole and Everett westerns were fun.  So when Parker decided to write young adult fiction, I decided to go along for the ride.  Kids should enjoy it even more.

Rating:

“Back in Action” (2025) starring Jamie Foxx & Cameron Diaz / Z-View

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Back in Action (2025)

Director:  Seth Gordon

Screenplay: Seth Gordon, Brendan O’Brien

Stars: Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, McKenna Roberts, Rylan Jackson, Kyle Chandler, Jamie Demetriou, Andrew Scott, Fola Evans-Akingbola, Ben VanderMey, Tobi Bamtefa and Glenn Close.

Tagline: They’re living their best lies..

The Plot…

Fifteen years ago Matt and Emily were CIA operatives… and lovers.  That all changed when they discovered Emily was  pregnant. The left the organization without any goodbyes and changed their identities.  Since then Matt, Emily and their two teenage kids have been living a normal life.

That all changes when foreign factions and the CIA come after Matt and Emily.  On their last mission they kept a device that could change the world.

Now on the run with their children, they have to figure a way out.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I tapped out after 57 minutes.  Your mileage may vary.

Back in Action (2025) rates 1 of 5 stars.

Jack Carter and John Wick by Roy Chang!

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Every year the Cartoon Art Museum does a fundraiser.  Artists take on commissions with the funds raised going to support the Museum.  It’s a great cause by awesome artists who share their talents in an effort to support the Museum.

This year one of the two artists I commissioned was Roy Chang.  As you can see, I asked for Stallone from Get Carter and Keanu Reeves as John Wick.  Mr. Chang came through like a champ!

“Jade” starring Mickey Rourke, Mark Dacascos, Katherine McNamara and introducing Shaina West – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Today we have a poster and trailer for Jade.  This is one I’ll check out on streaming since we have drive-ins around here.

Deal me in.

JADE – Official Trailer | On Digital February 18

Official film page: https://www.wellgousa.com/films/jade

After her brother’s untimely and accidental death at her own hands, Jade swore she’d never pick up another gun. But when she unknowingly comes between powerful businessman “Tork” and her former gang leader in their urgent search for a valuable hard drive that could single-handedly take down Interpol, she may not have a choice. With the guidance of Reese, an old friend at Interpol, Jade must come to terms with all she’s faced in the past and present to safeguard her growing family’s future.

Directed by: James Bamford
Cast: Mickey Rourke, Katherine McNamara, Mark Dacascos, and Shaina West

“A Thousand Blows” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Today we have a poster and trailer for A Thousand Blows.

Deal me in.

From the creator of Peaky Blinders comes a series about Hezekiah (Malachi Kirby) and Alec (Francis Lovehall), two friends from Jamaica, who finds themselves thrust into the criminal underbelly of 1880’s London’s East End. Here they meet Mary Carr (Erin Doherty), Queen of an all-female criminal gang known as the Forty Elephants, and run afoul of Sugar Goodson (Stephen Graham), criminal kingpin and notorious boxer.

All episodes of A Thousand Blows are streaming February 21 on Hulu.

“Shutter Island” (2010) directed by Martin Scorsese; starring Leonard DiCaprio / Z-View

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Shutter Island (2010)

Director:  Martin Scorsese

Screenplay: Laeta Kalogridis; based on SHUTTER ISLAND by Dennis Lehane

Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson, Ted Levine, John Carroll Lynch, Elias Koteas, Robin Bartlett, Nellie Sciutto, Joseph Sikora, Curtiss Cook, Joseph McKenna and Jackie Earle Haley.

Tagline: Someone is missing.

The Plot…

1954.

US Marshall Edward “Teddy” Daniels (DiCaprio) is sent to the Ashecliffe Hospital for the criminally insane.  Only the most violent and mentally ill patients are housed there.  The Ashecliffe Hospital sits on Shutter Island, located just outside of Boston Harbor.  The island rests high above sea level, with sheer cliffs on all sides. The only way in or out is through a number of secured gates attached to the only pier.

Just before departing for Shutter Island Marshall Daniels meets his new partner Officer Chuck Aule (Ruffalo).  Daniels and Aule arrive on Shutter Island just ahead of a hurricane that is rapidly approaching.  Daniels brings Aule up to speed.  They are there to find a missing patient named Rachel Solando.  Solando was there because she drowned her three children.  How she could have gotten off the island is a mystery.  The fact that she cannot be found on the small island seems impossible.  Daniels and Aule are there to resolve the case.

Daniels tells Aule that he asked for the case.  Daniels goes on to say that another of the insane criminals housed on Shutter Island is arsonist Andrew Laeddis.  One of Laeddis’ victims was Daniels wife who died in one of Laeddis’ fires.

As Daniels and Aule speak with the doctors and police officers on staff, Daniels begins to feel that things are not as they seem.  The patient interviews add to Daniels’ concerns.  When Daniels speaks to patient George Noyce privately, Noce informs him that the doctors are lying to him.  Noyce goes on to say that patients are subjected to horrible experiments.  Some are even lobotomized before they can speak out.

With this new knowledge, Daniels plans to leave the island and come back with support.  The only problem is the hurricane keeping all boats away.  Daniels and Officer Aule had been separated.  When Daniels asks about Aule, he is told that he had no partner.

Daniels realizes he’s trapped on the island and nothing is as it seemed. Daniels is outnumbered and outgunned. He’s got to find a way to survive and escape… from a place where escape is impossible.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Shutter Island is based on Dennis Lehane’s book of the same name.  Both the novel and the movie get my highest recommendation.

Shutter Island is an anagram for Truths and Lies.  As Daniels gets deeper and deeper into the mystery, the weather gets worse and the skies darker.  The storm passes and the skies clear, once the mystery is solved.  Unfortunately sunny skies may not mean a happy ending.

There are subtle clues throughout the movie as to what is actually going on.  I won’t give them away, because discovering them as you watch the film is part of the fun.  There’s even more enjoyment watching the film again and seeing how everything is right before our eyes.

Shutter Island (2010) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“American Primeval” (2025) written by Mark L. Smith; directed by Peter Berg; starring Taylor Kitsch & Betty Gilpin / Z-View

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American Primeval (2025)

Created by: Mark L. Smith

Director: Peter Berg

Teleplay: Mark L. Smith

Stars: Taylor Kitsch, Betty Gilpin, Dane DeHaan, Saura Lightfoot-Leon, Derek Hinkey, Joe Tippett, Jai Courtney, Preston Mota, Shawnee Pourier, Kyle Davis, Tokala Black Elk, Mustafa Speaks, Nick Hargrove, Alex Fine, Andrew P. Loga, Irene Bedard, Kim Coates and Shea Whigham.

Tagline:  No one survives alone.

The Plot…

1857.

A wagon train heading into the west is attacked. Isaac Reed, a frontiersman who had been trailing the group manages to get Sara Rowell and her son Devin away to safety.  Abish, a newlywed Morman bride shows courage as the surviving women are killed.  Abish’s life is spared, but she taken captive by one of the Paiutes.  Everyone else is left for dead.

Although badly wounded and partially scalped, Jacob Pratt survives.  Jacob is determined to find his bride Abish.

The attack on the wagon train appeared to be by Native Americans.  Although there were some Paiutes that participated, the massacre was led by a Morman militia.  The Mormans, led by Brigham Young, are determined to make this area of the west, their stronghold.  When it is learned that Abish survived and could identify that Mormans were involved in the raid, a squad is sent to find and kill her.

Bounty hunters are on the trail of Sara Rowell and her son.  Sara is wanted for the murder of a man back east.

As the US calvary prepares for revenge against the Shoshone (thought to have massacred the wagon train), bounty hunters are closing in on Isaac Reed, Sara, Devin, and Two Moon, a young Native American girl who joined their group.  At the same time the Morman soldiers are hunting Abish.

Each group will face more battles with the other groups, wolves, and the elements.  Most will not survive living in American Primeval.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

American Primeval writer Mark L. Smith also wrote The Revenant (2015).

Shea Whigham always raises the bar when he appears in a scene.

Arrows have never appeared so fast and dangerous as they do in this one.

American Primeval (2025) rates 4 of 5 stars.