“The 39 Steps” (1935) directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Robert Donat & Madeline Carroll / Z-View

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The 39 Steps (1935)

Director:  Alfred Hitchcock

Screenplay: Charles Bennett, Ian Hay based on THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS by John Buchan

Stars: Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll and Alfred Hitchcock.

Tagline: HANDCUFFED TO THE GIRL WHO DOUBLE CROSSED HIM!

The Plot…

Richard Hannay (Donat) is watching an act called Mr. Memory in a crowded London theater.  When a gunshot goes off in the crowd, the audience stampedes for the exits.  Hannay is surprised when a woman he doesn’t know says she’s frightened and asks to leave with him.  They end up in Hannay’s apartment where the woman claims to be a government agent.  She admits to firing the shots to escape enemy spies who had found her.  She claims to have information that is vital to the nation’s security.  Hannay isn’t sure what to believe.

Later that night the woman bursts into Hannay’s bedroom.  She has been stabbed.  As she dies she warns Hannay he needs to escape.  In her hand is a map with with a building named “Alt-na-Shellach” circled.  Soon Hannay finds himself on the run.  The police think he killed the woman and the enemy agents know he has information to bring them down.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Alfred Hitchcock claimed that The 39 Steps was one of his favorite movies that he directed.

Hitchcock’s cameo comes around the 7 minute mark.  He is the man walking by the bus who throws litter to the ground.

Richard Hannay shows ingenuity in escaping from his apartment (disguised as a milk man) and later at a political rally.

Hannay (Donat) and Pamela (Carroll) spend several scenes on the run while handcuffed to each other.  In a rehearsal Hitchcock had them handcuffed together for several hours since he had lost the key.  In reality, he hadn’t lost the key, but wanted them to get used to being joined by the cuffs.

The 39 Steps (1935) rates 5 of 5 stars.

Dwight Manfredi is The “Tulsa King” by Ryan Cody!

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That’s Ryan Cody’s riff on Sly Stallone as Dwight Manfredi from The Tulsa King.  When Ryan ran his Kickstarter for Old Man Thunderpunch, I jumped on board for a sketch option and the result is what you see.

Ryan is a comic creator (writer, penciler, inker, colorist) and podcast host with Scott Godlewski on The Illustrious Gentlemen.  You can see more of Ryan’s art here.

“Valley of the Dead” (2020) / Z-View

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Valley of the Dead (2020)

Director:  Javier Ruiz Caldera, Alberto de Toro

Screenplay: Jaime Marques Olarreaga, Alberto Fernández Arregui, Cristian Conti

Stars: Miki Esparbé, Aura Garrido, Luis Callejo

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

During  the Spanish Civil War, rival soldiers must join forces when they encounter zombies created by Nazis.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I’m a sucker for zombie movies.  Valley of the Dead isn’t terrible.  In fact it’s better than a lot zombie flicks these days.  If you’re looking for some mindless entertainment with a touch of humor, Valley of the Dead should fit the bill.

Valley of the Dead (2020) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“The Veil” starring Elisabeth Moss – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster and trailer for The Veil starring Elisabeth Moss worked well enough that I’ll tune in to check it out.

FX’s The Veil – Official Trailer | An international spy thriller starring Elisabeth Moss. Premieres April 30 only on Hulu.

Starring Elisabeth Moss, FX’s The Veil is a spy thriller that explores the surprising and fraught relationship between two women who play a deadly game of truth and lies on the road from Istanbul to Paris and London. One woman has a secret, the other a mission to reveal it before thousands of lives are lost. In the shadows, the CIA and French DGSE must work together to avert potential disaster.

“Marlowe” (2022) starring Liam Neeson / Z-View

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Marlowe (2022)

Director:  Neil Jordan

Screenplay: William Monahan, Neil Jordan based on THE BLACK-EYED BLONDE by Benjamin Black

Stars: Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, Jessica Lange.

Tagline: Los Angeles, 1939. Outside the spotlight lies a city of secrets.

The Plot…

Phillip Marlowe (Neeson), a LA Private Eye, is hired by the heiress Clare Cavendish (Kruger) to find her missing lover.  Marlowe quickly learns that the absent Romeo was drunk in the gutter when he was run over by a boozed up driver.  While making his report to Cavendish, she informs Marlowe that she’s seen her lover after the date he was supposedly killed.

Marlowe decides to dig deeper and soon uncovers corruption that runs deep into the movers and shakers of the city.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

In Raymond Chandler’s novels, Phillip Marlowe’s age ranges from 33 to 42.  Liam Neeson was 70 for this role.  That makes him the oldest actor to play Marlowe by nearly ten years.  Robert Mitchum was 58 and 61 when he played the part.  At one point in this film, Marlowe (Neeson) says to himself, “I’m too old for this shit.”  I agree.

Neil Jordan does an excellent job of making the film feel like it is 1939 in LA.  One goof that jumped out at me is when Marlowe tips a hatcheck girl $20.  That is equivalent to almost $450 today.

I’m a fan of most movie adaptations of Phillip Marlowe, but this one was just okay.  The film moved slowly, and Neeson just didn’t work as Marlowe for me.

Marlowe (2022) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE” The Official Teaser Trailer is Here!

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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE | Official Teaser Trailer

The juice is loose! #Beetlejuice #Beetlejuice – Only in theaters September 6.

Beetlejuice is back! Oscar-nominated, singular creative visionary Tim Burton and Oscar nominee and star Michael Keaton reunite for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to Burton’s award-winning Beetlejuice.

Keaton returns to his iconic role alongside Oscar nominee Winona Ryder (Stranger Things, Little Women) as Lydia Deetz and two-time Emmy winner Catherine O’Hara (Schitt$ Creek, The Nightmare Before Christmas) as Delia Deetz, with new cast members Justin Theroux (Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, The Leftovers), Monica Bellucci (Spectre, The Matrix films), Arthur Conti (House of the Dragon) in his feature film debut, with Emmy nominee Jenna Ortega (Wednesday, Scream VI) as Lydia’s daughter, Astrid, and Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe (Poor Things, At Eternity’s Gate).

Beetlejuice is back! After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.

Burton, a genre unto himself, directs from a screenplay by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar (Wednesday), story by Gough & Millar and Seth Grahame-Smith (The LEGO® Batman Movie), based on characters created by Michael McDowell & Larry Wilson. The film’s producers are Marc Toberoff, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Tommy Harper and Burton, with Sara Desmond, Katterli Frauenfelder, Gough, Millar, Brad Pitt, Larry Wilson, Laurence Senelick, Pete Chiappetta, Andrew Lary, Anthony Tittanegro, Grahame-Smith and David Katzenberg executive producing.

Burton’s creatives behind the scenes includes director of photography Haris Zambarloukos (Meg 2: The Trench, Murder on the Orient Express); such previous and frequent collaborators as production designer Mark Scruton (Wednesday), editor Jay Prychidny (Wednesday), Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood (Alice in Wonderland, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Sleepy Hollow), Oscar-winning creature effects and special makeup FX creative supervisor Neal Scanlan (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and Oscar-nominated composer Danny Elfman (Big Fish, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Batman); and Oscar-winning hair and makeup designer Christine Blundell (Topsy-Turvy).

A Warner Bros. Pictures presentation, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will be released only in theaters and IMAX on September 6, 2024 nationwide, and internationally beginning 4 September 2024. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

“Devil in a Blue Dress” (1995) directed by Carl Franklin, starring Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle & Tom Sizemore / Z-View

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Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)

Director:  Carl Franklin

Screenplay:  Carl Franklin based on DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS by Walter Mosley

Stars: Denzel Washington, Tom Sizemore, Jennifer Beals, Don Cheadle, Maury Chaykin, Terry Kinney, Albert Hall, Lisa Nicole Carson, Jernard Burks, John Roselius, Beau Starr, L. Scott Caldwell and Barry Shabaka Henley.

Tagline: In a world divided by black and white, Easy Rawlins is about to cross the line.

The Plot…

The year is 1948. Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins (Washington) has just been laid off and has a house payment coming due.  He needs money, so when a white PI named DeWitt Albright (Sizemore) offers him a job, Easy accepts.  All he has to do is find a missing white woman involved with some political heavyweights.

When another woman ends up murdered,  Albright turns on Easy.  To make matters worse crooked cops give Easy 24 hours to find the real killer or they’ll frame him.  Easy brings in his friend Raymond “Mouse” Alexander (Cheadle) to help him.  Mouse is a stone-cold killer, but sometimes it take one to catch one.

The clock is ticking…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Devil in a Blue Dress, the novel and the movie get my highest recommendation.

Carl Franklin’s adaption and direction are first rate.  Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle were perfect as Easy and Mouse. Tom Sizemore was excellent as DeWitt Albright.  It’s a shame that Franklin, Washington and Cheadle didn’t reteam to film more of Mosley’s stories.  At least one got this one.

Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) rates 5 of 5 stars.

RIP: M. Emmet Walsh

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M. Emmet Walsh, born Michael Emmet Walsh,  the great character actor, died yesterday from cardiac arrest.  He was 88.

Although Mr. Walsh graduated from Clarkson University with a B.A. in Business Administration, his career path led him to acting.  With well over 200 roles on his resume, E. Emmet Walsh alternated between television and feature films throughout his over 55 year career.

Television appearances of M. Emmet Walsh include: The Doctors; Arnie; Julia (2 episodes); All in the Family; The Jimmy Stewart Show; Ironside; Bonanza; The Don Rickles Show; Nichols (5 episodes); The Bob Newhart Show; The Sandy Duncan Show (11 episodes); McMillian & Wife; The Rockford Files; Sarah T. – Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic; The Waltons; Baretta (2 episodes); Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (2 episodes); Starsky and Hutch (2 episodes); James at 16; East of Eden; Little House on the Prairie; AfterMASH; The Twilight Zone; The Deliberate Stranger; The Magical World of Disney; Amazing Stories; The Abduction of Kari Swanson; Brotherhood of the Rose; Unsub (8 episodes); Tales from the Crypt; The Civil War (9 episodes); The Flash (2 episodes); Home Improvement (2 episodes); The Outer Limits; The X-Files; NYPD Blue; Ed; Big Guy & Rusty the Boy Robot (26 episodes); Frasier; What’s New Scooby Doo?; Til Death; Damages (3 episodes); Pound Puppies (46 episodes); Empire; Adventure Time (4 episodes); Sneaky Pete (7 episodes) and The Righteous Gemstones (2 episodes).

Feature film appearances of M. Emmet Walsh include: Midnight Cowboy; Alice’s Restaurant; Little Big Man; Cold Turkey; Escape from the Planet of the Apes; What’s Up Doc?; Kid Blue; Serpico; The Gambler; At Long Last Love; The Prisoner of Second Avenue; Bound for Glory; Nickelodeon; Slap Shot; Airport ’77; Straight Time; The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh; The Jerk; Brubaker; Raise the Titanic; Ordinary People;  Back Roads; Reds; Canary Row; Blade Runner; Silkwood; Blood Simple; The Pope of Greenwich Village; Missing in Action; Fletch; The Best of Times; Wildcats; Critters; Back to School; Raising Arizona; Harry and the Hendersons; The Milagro Beanfield War; Sunset; Clean and Sober; Red Scorpion; The Mighty Quinn; Narrow Margin; White Sands; Free Willy 2; Albino Alligator; Romeo + Juliet; My Best Friend’s Wedding; Twilight; Wild, Wild West; The Iron Giant; Random Hearts; Snow Dogs; Christmas with the Kranks and Knives Out.

Just look at the career M. Emmet Walsh had.  And I didn’t list everything he did. It would be hard to find any actor who worked on more great television shows and feature films.  Or one who worked with so many of the best actors/actresses and directors.

I don’t know when I first saw M. Emmet Walsh act.  It may have been in All in the Family or Nichols or.. well, you get the idea.  My favorite M. Emmet Walsh role is also hard to nail down… because he had so many.  If I had to pick just one, it would be the sleazy Private Eye, Loren Visser in Blood Simple. But truth be told, any role that Mr. Walsh took on became something special.

Out thoughts and prayers go out to M. Emmet Walsh’s family, friends and fans.

“Alien: Romulus” The Teaser Trailer & Poster are Here!

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Deal me in.

The sci-fi/horror-thriller takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.

The film stars Cailee Spaeny (“Priscilla”), David Jonsson (“Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy”), Archie Renaux (“Shadow and Bone”), Isabela Merced (“The Last of Us”), Spike Fearn (“Aftersun”), Aileen Wu. Fede Alvarez (“Evil Dead,” “Don’t Breathe”) directs from a screenplay he wrote with frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues (“Don’t Breathe 2”) based on characters created by Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett.

“Alien: Romulus” is produced by Ridley Scott (“Napoleon”), who directed the original “Alien” and produced and directed the series’ entries “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant,” Michael Pruss (“Boston Strangler”), and Walter Hill (“Alien”), with Fede Alvarez, Elizabeth Cantillon (“Charlie’s Angels”), Brent O’Connor (“Bullet Train”), and Tom Moran (“Unstoppable”) serving as executive producers.

“American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders” (2024) / Z-View

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American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders (2024)

Director:  Zachary Treitz

Stars: Christian Hansen

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Danny Casolaro was a freelance writer obsessed with a story that he had worked on for years.  Casolaro believed he’d uncovered evidence of a powerful international cabal of eight individuals involved in everything from government spyware, manipulating Iran to hold hostages to ensure Ronald Reagan became President, the Iran-Contra scandal and more.  Casolaro referred to this cabal as The Octopus.

In 1991, Casolaro was found in the bathtub of a hotel room.  His wrists had been cut multiple times and blood covered the bathroom walls and floor.  One of the first paramedics on scene didn’t believe it to be a suicide because Casolaro’s tendons were cut in the multiple slices across his wrists and the blood everywhere.  Still, his death was ruled a suicide.

Christian Hansen gained access to all of Casolaro’s journals, notes and interviews. Hansen then re-interviewed people Casolaro had identified as having knowledge of the cabal.  This documentary explores the results of Hansen’s investigation.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

While we’re given much information, there is no “aha moment” where we get a definitive answer.  Casolaro did uncover several shady characters and dealings.  But was there enough evidence to make the leap to an international cabal?

One of the people providing evidence said she was shown a film of President Kennedy’s assassination where the driver of his limo turned and shot him.  She believes the film she saw was unedited and the word has only seen a cover-up version.

When Casolaro died he was deep in debt and his house was about to be lost in foreclosure.  Was this enough to push him over the edge to commit suicide?  But how could he cut himself so many times (and still hold the blade) if his tendons were severed?

After viewing American Conspiracy, I was left with more questions than answers.  It was an interesting ride, if you value the ride more than the destination.

American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders (2024) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Interview with the Vampire: Season 2” – An Extended Trailer is Here!

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Loved the first season. Here’s an an extended look at Interview with the Vampire: Season 2.

Picking up from the bloody events in New Orleans in 1940 when Louis and Claudia conspired to kill Lestat, Louis tells of his adventures in Europe, a quest to discover Old World Vampires, and the Theatre Des Vampires in Paris. It is in Paris that Louis first meets the Vampire Armand. Their courtship and love affair will prove to have devastating consequences both in the past and in the future, and Molloy will probe to get to the truths buried within the memories.

Season 2 of #InterviewWithTheVampire premieres May 12 on AMC and AMC+.

“FURIOSA : A MAD MAX SAGA” The OFFICIAL TRAILER #2 is Here!

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Deal me in!

She will return with a vengeance. Furiosa : A Mad Max Saga – Only in theaters May 24.

Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth star in Academy Award-winning mastermind George Miller’s “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” the much-anticipated return to the iconic dystopian world he created more than 30 years ago with the seminal “Mad Max” films. Miller now turns the page again with an all-new original, standalone action adventure that will reveal the origins of the powerhouse character from the multiple Oscar-winning global smash “Mad Max: Fury Road.”

The new feature from Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures is produced by Miller and his longtime partner, Oscar-nominated producer Doug Mitchell (“Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Babe”), under their Australian-based Kennedy Miller Mitchell banner.

As the world fell, young Furiosa is snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers and falls into the hands of a great Biker Horde led by the Warlord Dementus. Sweeping through the Wasteland, they come across the Citadel presided over by The Immortan Joe. While the two Tyrants war for dominance, Furiosa must survive many trials as she puts together the means to find her way home.

Taylor-Joy stars in the title role, and along with Hemsworth, the film also stars Alyla Browne and Tom Burke. Miller penned the script with “Mad Max: Fury Road” co-writer Nico Lathouris. Miller’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes first assistant director PJ Voeten and second unit director and stunt coordinator Guy Norris, director of photography Simon Duggan (“Hacksaw Ridge,” “The Great Gatsby”), composer Tom Holkenborg, sound designer Robert Mackenzie, editor Eliot Knapman, visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson and colorist Eric Whipp. The team also includes other longtime collaborators: production designer Colin Gibson, editor Margaret Sixel, sound mixer Ben Osmo, costume designer Jenny Beavan and makeup designer Lesley Vanderwalt, each of whom won an Oscar for their work on “Mad Max: Fury Road.”

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents, in Association with Village Roadshow Pictures, A Kennedy Miller Mitchell Production, A George Miller Film, “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.” The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, in theaters only nationwide on May 24, 2024 and internationally beginning on 22 May, 2024.