RIP: Joyce Randolph

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Joyce Randolph died yesterday in her sleep.  Ms. Randolph was 99.

After high school in Detroit, Joyce Randolph auditioned for a part in a touring company of Stage Door. She earned the role and finished the tour.  She then moved to New York City to pursue an acting career.  Joyce Randolph began getting roles on Broadway and television.  When Jackie Gleason offered her the role of Trixie on The Honeymooners, she became a household name.

Some of Joyce Randolph’s television appearances include: Gander Sauce; Rocky King, Detective; Buck Rogers; The Ed Sullivan Show; The Plainclothesman (5 episodes); The Jack Benny Program; The Honeymooners (39 episodes); The Jackie Gleason Show (79 episodes); Hi Honey, I’m Home and Everything’s Jake.

Because Joyce Randolph became so typecast from her role on The Honeymooners, it became hard for her to get roles.  She turned to acting in summer stock, commercials and the occasional television guest spot.  Joyce Randolph was the last surviving cast member of what many consider the best television comedy ever made.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Joyce Randolph’s family, friends and fans.

“The Underground: Director’s Cut” (2021) / Z-View

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The Underground: Director’s Cut (2021)

Director:  Darcy Weir

Stars: Darcy Weir

Tagline: A hidden reality and the true story of Phil Schneider.

The Plot…

In 1995, Phil Schneider made a splash at UFO conventions.  Schneider claimed his father was a former German U-boat commander who came to the US after the war. Schneider said his father worked as part of the Philadelphia Experiment. According to legend the US did an experiment to make a US destroyer disappear.  The ship was teleported briefly from the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard to Norfolk, Virginia.  When the ship returned some members of the crew had disappeared, while others were melded into the ship and some went insane.

Phil Schneider said that he worked for the government as part of the team making Deep Underground Military Bases across the United States.  Schneider claimed that on one of the deep digs he and marines became involved in battle with aliens.  Schneider said he was gravely wounded, and that a marine died saving his life.  Schneider said the US government knows that we have aliens among us and some have evil intent.

Phil Schneider died in 1996.  The official result was suicide although some conspiracy theorists believe he was murdered.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Underground: Director’s Cut presents video footage of Schneider speaking at a UFO convention.  Most of the film is stock footage and anecdotal theories.  If you’re looking for solid evidence of aliens or government coverups, this isn’t the place.

The Underground: Director’s Cut (2021) earns 2 of 5 stars.

“World War II: From the Frontlines” (2023) / Z-View

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World War II: From the Frontlines (2023)

Director:  Rob Coldstream

Stars: John Boyega (narrator)

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Using remastered archival footage and interviews with participants from all sides, this six episode docuseries presents an overview of World War II.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

You will want to watch World War II: From the Frontlines for the remastered, colorized footage and interviews.  Although there are six episodes, this is more of a Cliff Notes version of World War II.  There is often a lack of context, some facts are mistaken and major events ignored.  I was disappointed that Iwo Jima wasn’t even mentioned.

World War II: From the Frontlines (2023) earns 3 of 5 stars.

“Lights Out” starring Frank Grillo, Mekhi Phifer, Jaime King, Dermot Mulroney and Scott Adkins – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster and trailer for Lights Out starring Frank Grillo, Mekhi Phifer, Jaime King, Dermot Mulroney and Scott Adkins is here.

Deal me in.

A drifting ex-soldier turns underground fighter with the help of a just released ex-con, pitting them both against corrupt cops and hired killers gunning for them and all those they care about.

CAST: Frank Grillo, Mekhi Phifer, Jaime King, Dermot Mulroney and Scott Adkins

“Badland Hunters” starring Don Lee – The Trailer is Here!

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The full trailer for Badland Hunters starring Don Lee is here.

Hunt or die.
Welcome to the badlands.

Don Lee from《Train to Busan》《The Roundup》 and《Eternals》 is now a tough hunter in the dystopian world, who fights for survival and salvation.

Will hunters save us all?
or will villains take us all?

2024 Netflix action blockbuster film
Badland Hunters | January 26, only on Netflix

“The Creator” (2023) / Z-View

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The Creator (2023)

Director:  Gareth Edwards

Screenplay: Gareth Edwards, Chris Weitz; story by Gareth Edwards

Stars: John David Washington, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Gemma Chan, Allison Janney, Ralph Ineson and Ken Watanabe.

Tagline: Humanity evolves.

The Plot…

When a nuclear warhead is exploded over Los Angeles, Artificial Intelligence is blamed.  In turn, most Western nations declare war and move to exterminate all A.I. “beings”.  One of the end goals is to exterminate Nirmata, the genius behind recent A.I. advancements.

Former U.S. Army sergeant Joshua Taylor (Washington) is called back to duty.  Taylor had worked undercover and was married to Nirmata’s daughter.  She was thought to have been killed in a US military strike.  Recent video has surfaced and she may be alive.  Taylor is led to believe that if he participates in the mission, he may find his wife is still alive.  The mission is to destroy the next generation of A.I. before it reaches full power.

Taylor agrees.  The team is dispatched.  Taylor discovers that there has been an advancement in AI.  It is in the form of a young girl.  Taylor also learns that he and the world have been lied to.  Now, Taylor and the “girl” are on the run.  The fate of the world could hang in the balance.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

For a film dealing with artificial intelligence, it has a lot of heart.

Allison Janney may surprise a lot of folks in her role as a hardened military commander.  She’s excellent.

The Creator (2023) earns 4 of 5 stars.

“Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1953) starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello & Boris Karloff / Z-View

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Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953)

Director:  Charles Lamont

Screenplay: Lee Loeb, John Grant; story by Sid Fields, Grant Garett;inspired by The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Stars: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Boris Karloff, Helen Westcott, Reginald Denny, John Dierkes, Harry Cording and Craig Stevens.

Tagline: The Laughs Are Twice as MONSTER-OUS as Ever Before!

The Plot…

A maniacal serial killer stalks the streets of London.  Slim (Abbott) and Tubby (Costello), American cops sent over to study England’s police methods, are pulled into the case.

Let the good times roll!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

In this version, Dr. Jekyll isn’t such a nice guy.  In most outings, it isn’t until he becomes Mr. Hyde that he becomes evil.

Boris Karloff appeared with Abbott and Costello four years earlier in Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer.

Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953) earns 5 of 5 stars.

“3 Body Problem” – The Trailer is Here!

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This looks interesting.  I want to see more.

There’s someone behind everything. You just have to dig.
3 Body Problem premieres on Netflix March 21st, 2024.

From multiple Emmy Award-winning creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (Game of Thrones), and Emmy-nominated Alexander Woo (The Terror: Infamy, True Blood) comes 3 Body Problem, a thrilling story that redefines sci-fi drama with its layered mysteries and genre-bending high stakes. Based on the acclaimed, international bestselling book trilogy, The Three-Body Problem.

A young woman’s fateful decision in 1960s China reverberates across space and time to a group of brilliant scientists in the present day. As the laws of nature unravel before their eyes five former colleagues reunite to confront the greatest threat in humanity’s history.

THE BIG BUNDLE by Max Allan Collins / Z-View

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THE BIG BUNDLE by Max Allan Collins

Publisher: Hard Case Crime

First sentence…

A middle-aged man taking stock of his life is to be expected.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When Nate Heller is called in to assist authorities, he has reason for concern.  Six-year-old Bobby Greenlease was kidnapped nearly a week ago.  The kidnappers demanded $600,000 (a record ransom at that time) for the little boy’s safe return.  The ransom amount isn’t the concern.  Bobby’s daddy is a millionaire.  He can easily afford the demand.  Further he’s more than willing to pay for his son’s safe return.  Heller’s concern is the kidnappers are idiots.  They’ve already bungled a drop-off.  Stupid criminals make stupid mistakes.  Heller fears that Bobby is already dead.

Bobby’s dad insists on no F.B.I. or police interference when the cash is dropped off.

I won’t give away the outcome of the case other than to say, when the ransom money is recovered, $300,000 is missing.

Five years later, Heller is called back to revisit the case.  Who ended up with the missing $300,000?  As Heller digs into the evidence he discovers that both Bobby Kennedy and Jimmy Hoffa are interested in his findings.  And not for the same reasons.  People are murdered as Heller get closer to the truth.  He could be next.

+++++

I’m a huge fan of Max Allan Collins’ Nate Heller series.  Heller is a fictional detective who finds himself in the middle of real crimes.  Heller ages in real time as the series progresses. His tales are fiction based on extensive research and historical fact. Heller has been in the mix on everything from the Lindbergh baby kidnapping/murder to the suspicious death of Marilyn Monroe, to the Kennedy assassinations (both Jack and Bobby) and more. It’s fun watching Heller interact with famous (and infamous) folks right out of our history books. Equally enjoyable is Collins’ take on the crimes and what may have really happened.

I’m usually familiar with Nate Heller’s cases.  I wasn’t with this one.  Not knowing how the kidnapping would turn out (and Collins’ excellent writing) kept me turning pages.  Then once the kidnapping is resolved, the mystery of the missing $300,000 comes into play.  THE BIG BUNDLE is like two Nate Heller yarns in one.  It doesn’t get any better.

THE BIG BUNDLE is another great addition to the Nate Heller legacy.  It gets my highest recommendation.

Rating:

“Lawson” – The Poster and 1st Teaser are Here!

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Here we have the first poster and teaser for Lawson.  I don’t know much about this film but it has me interested.

This is the first official movie teaser for LAWSON, a covert operative for a race of living vampires, as he battles a sinister conspiracy to resurrect an ancient god and an old enemy who resurfaces from his shadowy past in this supernatural espionage film based on the bestselling novel Lawson Vampire series by Jon F. Merz.

Starring Brandon S. Stumpf as Lawson, Shahjehan Khan as Wagner, Liz Eng as Atara, Steven Triebes as Niles, Jose Gonsalves as Arthur, Jam Murphy as Lilith, Jay Street as Newby, Morgan Barnsley as Quinn, Pamela Jayne Morgan as Sari, Logan Raposo as Grom, Christian Carrigan as Welch, Thomas Goze as Stefan, Brian McDonald as the Assassin, and Jon F. Merz as Crawford.

Proteus Entertainment presents: LAWSON, coming in 2024.