RIP: Piper Laurie

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Piper Laurie, born Rosetta Jacobs, died today.  Ms. Laurie was 91.

In 1949, Piper Laurie was awarded a contract with Universal Studios.  She changed her name to Piper Laurie and used it from then on.  Throughout her career Piper Laurie acted on television, feature films and on stage.

Ms. Laurie was nominated for three Academy Awards: 1962 – Best Actress in a Leading Role for The Hustler; 1976 – Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Carrie; 1987 – Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Children of a Lesser God.

Piper Laurie was nominated for nine Primetime Emmy Awards, winning in 1987 for her role in Promise.

Some of Piper Laurie’s television appearances include: The Best of Broadway; Studio One; Playhouse 90 (2 episodes); Play of the Week; General Electric Theater (3 episodes); Naked City; The United States Steel Hour (2 episodes); Ben Casey; Skag (6 episodes); The Thorn Birds (3 episodes); St. Elsewhere (3 episodes); Hotel; Murder She Wrote; The Twilight Zone (2 episodes); Matlock; Beauty and the Beast; Twin Peaks (27 episodes); ER (2 episodes); Diagnosis Murder; Touched by an Angel; Frasier (2 episodes); Will & Grace; Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and MacGuyver.

Some of Piper Laurie’s feature film appearances include: Louisa; Francis Goes to the Races; Has Anybody Seen My Gal; Ain’t Misbehavin’; The Hustler; Carrie; Ruby; Children of a Lesser God; The Crossing Guard; The Faculty and White Boy Rick.

I first became aware of Piper Laurie in Carrie. For that role she earned a well deserved Academy Award nomination. A few years later I saw her in another Academy Award nominated performance in The Hustler.  That’s probably my favorite Piper Laurie performance, but I always enjoyed seeing her name in the credits for any production.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Piper Laurie’s family, friends and fans.

RIP: Mark Goddard

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It has been announced that Mark Goddard (born Charles Harvey Goddard) died from pulmonary fibrosis on October 10, 2023.  Mr. Goddard was 87.

Mark Goddard played on state championship baseball and basketball teams in high school.  Mr. Goddard thought he might have a career as a professional basketball player.  While in college he turned to acting.  After moving to Los Angeles he quickly got the co-starring role on the television series Johnny Ringo.  It was at this time he changed his name to Mark Goddard.  Mr. Goddard would continue to work on television and feature films for the rest of his acting career.  After 30 years, Mark Goddard returned to college to get his degree.  He then worked as a special education teacher while occasionally taking on acting roles.

Some of Mark Goddard’s television appearances include: Johnny Ringo (38 episodes); The Rebel; The Detectives (64 episodes); The Rifleman (2 episodes); Burke’s Law; The Beverly Hillbillies; The Virginian; Gunsmoke; Perry Mason (2 episodes); The Fugitive; Many Happy Returns (26 episodes); Lost in Space (84 episodes); Mod Squad (2 episodes); Adam 12; Switch; Petrocelli (2 episodes); The Streets of San Francisco; Quincy; Benson; B.J. and the Bear; Barnaby Jones (4 episodes); One Life to Live (10 episodes); The Doctors (6 episodes); The Fall Guy; General Hospital (11 episodes) and Jake and the Fatman.

Some of Mark Goddard’s feature film appearances include: The Monkey’s Uncle; A Rage to Live; Play It Again, Sam; Roller Boogie; Strange Invaders and Lost in Space.

The first role that comes to mind when I think of Mark Goddard is that of Major Don West on Lost in Space.  I watched that show from the premiere episode.  I was six years old and loved it.  I also think it’s cool that Mr. Goddard became a special education teacher.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mark Goddard’s family, friends and fans.

“Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” starring Kurt Rusell & Wyatt Russell – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Deal me in!

Some secrets cannot be contained. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters premieres November 17 on Apple TV+

Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco, and the shocking revelation that monsters are real, “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” tracks two siblings following in their father’s footsteps to uncover their family’s connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch.

Clues lead them into the world of monsters and ultimately down the rabbit hole to Army Officer Lee Shaw (played by Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell), taking place in the 1950s and half a century later where Monarch is threatened by what Shaw knows.

Based on the Monsterverse from Legendary, and starring Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell, Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett and Elisa Lasowski, this dramatic saga — spanning three generations — reveals buried secrets and the ways that epic, earth-shattering events can reverberate through our lives.

“The Stone Killer” (1973) starring Charles Bronson / Z-View

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The Stone Killer (1973)

Director: Michael Winner

Screenwriter: Gerald Wilson based on A Complete State of Death by John Gardner

Cast: Charles Bronson, Martin Balsam, Jack Colvin, Paul Koslo, Norman Fell, David Sheiner, Stuart Margolin, Ralph Waite, Alfred Ryder, Walter Burke, Kelley Miles, Eddie Firestone, Charles Tyner,  Byron Morrow, Frank Campanella and Robert Emhardt.

Tagline: Take away his badge and he’d top the Ten Most Wanted list!

The Plot…

Detective Lou Torrey (Bronson) killed a 17 year old hood who fired first.  Torrey’s shooting is justified, but the heat is on.  Torrey is quick with a gun and pushes past what is legal to get the guilty.  So Torrey leaves the New York City to become a member of the LA police force.

When Detective Torrey comes across clues that the Mafia is planning something big, no one believes him.  As he digs deeper, Torrey discovers that mercenaries are working with the mob bosses.  Soon Torrey is in their sights.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Charles Bronson and Michael Winner hit gold with The Mechanic.  Unfortunately, lightning didn’t strike again with The Stone Killer.  It would however, when they teamed the following year with Death Wish.

The Stone Killer is definitely a ’70s movie.  Detective Torrey is made in the mold of Harry Callahan, but The The Stone Killer is at best a poor man’s Dirty Harry.

If you’re a fan of character actors, you’ll enjoy all of the faces popping up throughout The Stone Killer.  You’ll see Martin “Psycho” Balsam, Norman “Three’s Company” Fell, Stuart “The Rockford Files” Margolin, Ralph “The Waltons” Waite, Alfred “Star Trek” Ryder, Charles “The Outlaw Josey Wales” Tyner, Robert “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” Emhardt to name just a few.

The Stone Killer isn’t one of Bronson’s best, but it does have more high falls than a John Wayne western and a car chase worthy of It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

The Stone Killer (1973) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Interview with the Vampire”- Season 2: First Look Teaser

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I am looking forward to season 2!

ABOUT INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE
A luxury apartment covering an entire single floor of a high rise. Where the Vampire has granted the interview with the man he once judged to be unworthy. And where the journalist Daniel Molloy has hustled, for a second shot at the interview that got away from him 40 years earlier…

Based on Anne Rice’s iconic novel, INTERVIEW with the VAMPIRE follows Louis’ epic story of love, blood and the perils of immortality, as told to the journalist Daniel Molloy. Chafing at the limitations of life as a black man in 1900’s New Orleans, Louis finds it impossible to resist Lestat’s offer of the ultimate escape: joining him as his vampire companion.

But Louis’s intoxicating new powers come with a violent price, and the introduction of Lestat’s newest fledgling, the child vampire Claudia, soon sets them on a decades-long path of revenge and atonement. A sensuous, contemporary reinvention of Anne Rice’s revolutionary gothic novel.

First Look at Interview with the Vampire Season 2 | Premieres 2024 | AMC+

“Whiplash” (1948) starring Dane Clark, Alexis Smith and Zachary Scott / Z-View

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Whiplash (1948)

Director: Lewis Seiler

Screenwriter: Harriet Frank Jr., Maurice Geraghty, adaptation by Gordon Kahn from a story by Kenneth Earl

Cast: Dane Clark, Alexis Smith, Zachary Scott, Eve Arden, S.Z. Sakall, John Daheim  and Alan Hale.

Tagline: “Sure I know you’re a two-timer!…but I’m going to kiss the two-timing out of you!”

The Plot…

When Michael Gordon (Clark) learns that he’s sold his first painting, he wants to meet the person who bought it.  So he tracks down Laurie Durant (Smith) and invites her to dinner.  There’s an instant attraction between the two.  Dinner leads to an evening swim. Then breakfast the following morning.  When Laurie spots a thugish looking man entering the cafe, she quickly leaves.

Michael learns that she has returned to New York City. He follows.  Mike finds Laurie singing in a nightclub. When she finishes, he goes to her dressing room.  There Mike gets into a fight and knocks out a hood.  Turns out the hood was a middleweight contender who works for Rex Durant (Scott), the owner of the nightclub.  Rex is also Laurie’s husband.  Rex tells Michael he’s got the makings of a champion prize fighter.  Soon Michael is climbing up the ranks and trying to put Laurie out of this mind.

But we all know that’s not going to happen.  Let the love triangle roll…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Whiplash works better than it should.  It’s got the sensitive artist who’s also a championship caliber fighter.  Two lovers who cannot be together because of a sadistic man.  A mob boss surrounded by thugs to protect him.  Some of the most unrealistic boxing scenes outside of The Three Stooges.  A fighter who refuses to “stay down”.  A secret revealed.  And a mob boss who gets his in the end.  (“Did someone call a taxi?”)

Dane Clark projects just the right amount of cockiness.  While I find him more believable as a sensitive artist, than a tough guy, for some reason he does a fine job playing both here.  The camera likes Alexis Smith and so do I. Zachary Scott is a villain audiences love to hate.  Kudos also to S.Z. Sakall.  His scenes are a joy.

Whiplash (1948) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“The Ledge” (2022) starring Brittany Ashworth / Z-View

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The Ledge (2022)

Director: Howard J. Ford

Screenwriter: Tom Boyle

Cast: Brittany Ashworth, Ben Lamb, Louis Boyer, Nathan Welsh, Anaïs Parello and David Wayman.

Tagline: Don’t Lose Your Grip.

The Plot…

The night before a climb, Kelly (Ashworth) and Sophie (Parello) meet four guys in the cabin across the way.  The guys, less experienced climbers, are going up an easier path of the mountain in the morning.  When the fellas invite the girls over for a drink, they agree to “just one”.  After some small talk and the drink Kelly is ready to head back to their cabin.  Sophie decides to stay longer.

After a few more drinks, Sophie is ready to call it a night.  On the way to her cabin she is attacked by one of the guys.  He tries to rape her.  She scratches his face, In their fight he kicks Sophie. She falls twenty feet onto rocks.  When the other guys show up, they are forced to come up with a cover story.  Sophie was drunk. She fell while showing the guys her climbing skills.  Once they have their alibi, the guys throw Sophie off the side of the mountain.

Kelly had heard Sophie’s cries and arrives in time to see Sophie thrown to her death. The men see Kelly and begin to chase her.  Realizing that there is no help around, Kelly begins to free climb the mountain.  Her only escape is up.  The guys grab gear and head up an easier path.  The rock face is too sheer for Kelly to climb down.  They get ahead of her, trapping her on a ledge just below them.  It’s just a matter of time now…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

The Ledge is an okay way to spend a little less than an hour and a half.  Much of that credit goes to Brittany Ashworth.  She’s believable as a climber and likeable as the character.

What keeps the movie from a 3 star rating are the clichés.  Kelly’s lover, also a climber, fell to his death trying to retrieve her engagement ring.  Now she’s climbing in his memory.  The rapist character is a psycho who has been bullying his three friends since elementary school.  Now as adults they continue to hang with him because they fear him.  He’s so bad that he’s been having sex with one of his friend’s wife on a regular basis for years.  The other friends knew but were so afraid they never told.

Still, the situation of being stuck on a mountain top ledge with a psycho right above you provides an interesting scenario.  If there’s nothing better on, give The Ledge a go.

The Ledge (2022) rates 2 of 5 stars.

Sterling North – New Comic Series from Don Lee, Christopher Priest & Jae Lee!

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Ma Dong-seok aka Don Lee is best known to American audiences for his role in Train to Busan.  Lee, an international movie star is teaming with Christopher Priest and Jae Lee to create a new comic series, Sterling North.  The series will be published through Dynamite Entertainment.  Here’s the lowdown…

The man once known as Jonathon Smith has suffered a horrific accident, and is faced with extensive facial reconstruction surgery and memory loss. What his wife doesn’t know is that he did in fact die, but a top level CIA agent codenamed “Sterling North” has taken his place in order to rout out terrorists and other looming threats. Faced with the challenges of blending into a new life, the complications and conspiracies continue to mount. Sterling North may realize that the true enemies are often those closest to us…

For more details check out Bleeding Cool’s Don Lee, Christopher Priest and Jae Lee’s New Comic, Sterling North.

I’m a Don Lee fan.  Sterling North will be on my pull list for my local comic shop. As for Don Lee movies, in addition to Train to Busan, I highly recommend The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil,

“Encounters” (2023) / Z-View

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Encounters (2023)

Director: Yon Motskin

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

There are many documentaries that explore the idea that humans have had encounters with extraterrestrial beings.  What sets Encounters apart from most of those is that Encounters focuses on situations where several, sometimes dozens, of people experienced the same event.

Encounters is a four episode mini-series.

In the first episode the encounter took place over Central Texas. Dozens of people saw an UFO followed by US aircraft.  Although there were official denials at first, radar data confirmed what people said they saw. The incident was covered in national and international news.  One man became so obsessed it cost him his business and his marriage.

The second episode covers another famous encounter.  In 1994, over sixty children at a  Zimbabwe school claimed to have seen a spaceship and alien.  A prominent psychologist tested the students and said results indicated they were telling the truth.  This episode features interviews with some of the same children who are now adults, dealing with the impact of their encounter.

The third episode details an encounter at a small Welsh village that led to multiple UFO sightings.

The four episode explores the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. There were multiple UFO sightings observed and filmed by many witnesses.  The encounters took on a religious/spiritual aspect for many of those involved.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

I am always impressed by people who seem to have nothing to gain (and often a lot to lose) who come forward with their stories.  Some witnesses are more believable than others.  Encounters presents a mixed bag.

My favorite episodes were the first and fourth.  The first because of the sheer number of folks who came forward.  I would like to know more about the man who lost everything because of his obsession with the encounter.  The fourth episode provided video of the UFOs flying over a nuclear plant that began to have a meltdown due to an earthquake.  After the UFOs appeared, the readings began to change to a safer output.  I’d like to hear more experts weigh in on that.  I also enjoyed the religious/spiritual aspect witnesses in this episode displayed towards the encounters.

Encounters (2023) rates 3 of 5 stars.

John Benteen’s FARGO: HELL on WHEELS graphic novel – adapted by Howard Chaykin

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John Benteen’s Fargo: Hell on Wheels graphic novel – adapted by Howard Chaykin just launched today on Zoop.  I immediately jumped on board.  Here’s the lowdown…

Legendary comic book creator Howard Chaykin launches his first ever crowdfunding campaign!

A 96+ page prestige format, action packed, hardcover graphic novel starring soldier of fortune Neal Fargo, based on the legendary ‘Fargo‘ paperback series by John Benteen! Imagine if Conan was an American in the early 20th century. He still wouldn’t be as hard as Neal Fargo. Adapted, written and illustrated by the inimitable HOWARD CHAYKIN!

Supporters of the campaign are in for massive treats, as there are art contributions to the book by a murderer’s row of artists, including Gary Frank, Butch Guice, Eduardo Risso, Denys Cowan, Mahmud Asrar, Ron Garney and lots more, with a variant cover provided by Dave Johnson!

Here are two sample pages from Howard Chaykin.

Art by Dave Johnson and Walt Simonson!

Pinups by Denys Cowan and Giancarlo Bernal!

Pinups by Dan Panosian and Cully Hamner!

If this hits the right notes, then get on board before the train pulls out.  John Benteen’s Fargo: Hell on Wheels graphic novel – adapted by Howard Chaykin.