Category: Crime

“A History of Violence” / Z-View

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I finally got around to seeing “A History of Violence” and it totally lived up to my high expectations. If you haven’t seen it yet, and plan to, then by all means avoid the rest of today’s post since it will contain spoilers.I was impressed with all aspects of the film. In fact, “A History of Violence” now ties “The Dead Zone” as my all time favorite David Cronenberg film. The cast was equally impressive [Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bella and the always excellent Ed Harris].

I’d also like to give special mention to William Hurt. Hurt is not one of my favorite actors, and since “Body Heat” I can’t think of any of his roles that I’ve really liked… that is until now. He was perfect as Richie Cusack. Absolutely perfect! [And if you happened to catch Hurt‘s role as the hitman in TNT‘s recent adaptation of Stephen King’s Nightmares and Dreamscapes, he was just as good, if not better!]

The thing that kept staying on my mind after watching “A History of Violence” was the dual nature in all of us. All of the major characters in the film displayed a duality that was interesting, but it was Viggo’s character that set everything in motion. So… was Viggo really Tom Stall or Joey Cusak? The things that Joey did made him a crazy killer, but the same actions made Tom Stall a hero.

Tom’s wife thought he was the greatest man in the world until she saw what he was capable of. Then she was repulsed and attracted to him. How does that work? And why?

“A History of Violence” works on so many levels. I guess even movies have a dual nature.

If you saw the movie, I’d love to hear your thoughts. “A History of Violence” rates an A+

Atomic Pulp and Other Meltdowns [2006]

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Tonight I want to tell you about a blog run by Chris Mills. It’s called “Atomic Pulp and Other Meltdowns” and it’s definitely worth bookmarking. Chris writes about pop culture as well as occasional glimpses into his life as a struggling writer.

The fact that Chris is “struggling” speaks volumes about how hard it is to make it as a writer. You see, in 2004, Chris wrote a universally well-received one shot, Gravedigger: The Scavengers [which remains my favorite single issue comic of the last 2 years].

Chris was also the editorial director on Mickey Spillane’s Mike Danger [where he worked with Spillane and Max Allan Collins]. Chris was also the editorial director on Neil Gaiman’s Lady Justice. Chris wrote a year-long run on Leonard Nimoy’s Primortals comic series.

Chris was also the creator and editor of Noir, an illustrated crime fiction magazine that featured art and stories from some of the biggest names in both the comic and mystery fields. I could continue to list Chris‘ credits, but you’d probably prefer me to shut up so you can check out his blog.

But one more thing before I close… if you ever get the opportunity to pick up a copy of Gravedigger: The Scavengers [with art by Rick Burchett], please do. I first wrote about the one shot here and then again here.

I love this comic and would love to see more Gravedigger stories by Mills and Burchett. If after reading it, you feel the same way, please let your local comic dealer know… and it wouldn’t hurt to drop Chris a line as well!

A Dangerous Man

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Tomorrow, the third [and last] book in Charlie Huston‘s Hank Thompson trilogy [Caught Stealing; Six Bad Things; A Dangerous Man] becomes available. And while I can’t wait to read it, I am sad that the series will come to an end. I do applaud Huston for having the integrity to say, the story has been told and that’s that. Still, the fan in me hopes that if Hank’s still alive at the end of A Dangerous Man, there may be more story to tell.I’m also looking forward to the second book in Huston’s Joe Pitt series, No Dominion. It’ll be out this December.

The Shield: One Last Season

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This is the best news I heard all day:

Variety reports that:

FX has greenlit The Shield for a final batch of 13 episodes, which will premiere in early 2008.

The sixth season is currently in production and will begin airing early next year.

At this point it looks like the episodes in 2008 will be it for the show. FX president-general manager John Landgraf has said, “Shawn (Ryan — creator of The Shield) and I have been discussing how it will end.. I know what the arc is of the final season, almost through the last episode, and this is definitely the end of it.”

I’ll be sad to see The Shield end, but I do like the idea of it following it’s course to a definite conclusion. [Hopefully Lost will do the same.]

Rumble in La Rambla

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As I was going through my Previews order this week, I came across a new comic mini-series that you might want to check out.

It’s called Rumble in La Rambla from IDW Publishing. I wasn’t familiar with the writer [Felipe Ferreira] or the artist [Rafael Albuquerque] so I went to the Rumble in La Rambla website and learned enough to know that I’m pre-ordering it.

Check it out, you may want to order it too.

It’s Not Your Dad’s Running Scared

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Up until a few minutes ago I don’t think I’d ever even heard of Running Scared. No,. it’s not that old Billy Crystal movie, this “Running Scared.” is being released on February 24th and stars Paul Walker.

It’s not that I’m a big Paul Walker fan [although I did like him in The Fast and the Furious].

It’s not that I’m a big Wayne Kramer fan [although The Cooler did get very good reviews].

What it is, is… I thought the trailer looked pretty interesting and the website even better. Let’s hope that the movie doesn’t let us down.

Who is Keyser Soze?

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The February 10, 2006 issue of Entertainment Weekly is a special double-sized issue which looks at the Academy Awards. That’s not why I’m suggesting that you check it out though. The reason that I think that you might want to pick it up is for the article that tells the story behind the making of “The Usual Suspects.”

Chris Nashawaty‘s excellent article takes us back to the very origins of the screenplay and then sheds light on the process that brought it two Academy Awards. Part of the fun is Nashawaty provides us with little tidbits that fans of the movie will love. [Did you know that Keyser Soze‘s name was based on a real person? That Christopher Walken, Tommy Lee Jones, Jeff Bridges, Charlie Sheen, James Spader, Al Pacino and Johnny Cash [Johnny Cash!] turned down role offers?]

Reading Nashawaty‘s piece not only reminded me how much I enjoyed “The Usual Suspects” but makes me want to pull it off the shelf and watch it again. “The Usual Suspects” rates an A+.

Conscience is a Killer

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The Shield returns for its fifth [5th!] season, this Tuesday at 10pm on FX. And I can’t wait. The tag line for The Shield this season is “Conscience is a killer.”

While The Shield isn’t for everyone, it’s definitely my cup of tea. It has characters that you care about [and not always in a good way], stories that have twists, and actors [and writers] that are at the top of their game.

Emmy award-winning actor, Forrest Whitaker joins the cast this season as a tough internal affiars agent out to bring down Mackey [Michael Chiklis].

You just know that the screen will sizzle when Chiklis and Whitaker collide. [Anyone remember the great acting in True Romance when Dennis Hopper verbally jousted with Christopher Walken? My guess is that Chiklis and Whitaker will take it to that level.]

Tune in on Tuesday at 10. You won’t be disappointed.

Mike Zeck’s Damned Graphic Novel

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While we’re on the subject of Mike Zeck, have you seen his Damned graphic novel? No, I’m not cursing, that’s the name of it.

Written by Steven Grant and pencilled by Mike, it was originally going to be called Lawless. The hitch was that a new tv series starring Brian Bosworth [anyone remember him?] was in the works and they had dibs on the Lawless title. So Grant and Zeck decided to go with Damned.

Here’s what Mike said when asked about how it all came together. “DAMNED is probably as personal as a project can get. Grant and I got together and posed the question “What would we do if we could do just what we wanted, without any outside pressure or direction?” Damned was a result of that. We both prefer the crime genre, and without costumed characters populating it. I hand-picked Denis Rodier (inker) and Kurt Goldzung (colorist) and it became something of a labor of love for all of us.”

Damned is a great crime comic.  Give it a try and I’ll bet you agree.

I Love It, So I Don’t Want It

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For those of you who may have tuned in late, I love Frank Miller’s Sin City stories. I thought the movie that he did with Robert Rodriguez was the BEST comic to film adaptation yet. The fact that Miller, Rodriguez and their perfectly chosen cast are returning for another Sin City movie excites me to no end.

So you’d probably think that talk of a weekly Sin City tv series would have me doing cartwheels.

Well, you’d be wrong.

Even though the discussion of a Sin City weekly tv series is just in the very first stages [and most tv show ideas never make it to the small screen]; my vote, unless Miller is going to be directly involved with a weekly series, is to pass. Even on HBO, FX or a channel that was willing to let Sin City be Sin City, a weekly series, by it’s very nature would water down the concept.

Obviously, Sin City is Miller‘s baby and if he decides that Sin CIty can work as a weekly series, then I’ll tune in. If the show works, I’ll be the first to admit I was wrong. And if the show stinks, at least we’ll still have all those great comic stories and the Sin City movie to turn to when we need our Sin City fix.

Going Down in November

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“Five years ago, a narcotics cop was sent undercover, down into the criminal structure of the city. Henever came back. He went native. Five years later, he’s running the city’s prime drugs gang.

“Today, a second cop – a woman in the midst of career flameout, having shot down the entirety of the main mob’s only rival gang – is sent undercover, with orders to pull the first one out. In a bodybag if necessary. “

If this sounds like your cup of tea — bitter with no sugar — then plan on checking out Down 1 in November. It’s the first of a four issue mini-series written by Warren Ellis. The art for issue one is by Tony Harris [who provides all 4 covers]. Cully Hamner provides art for issues 2-4.

And be advised, this comic ain’t for kids.

A New Menace in Mackey’s Life

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The Shield is so good that waiting for new episodes to start up is like waiting for Christmas to come when you’re a kid. Actually since The Shield doesn’t start up until January, it’s actually worse than waiting for Christmas!

The great news is that Forest Whitaker is joining the cast as “a new menace in Vic Mackey‘s life.” Whitaker will play an ambitious Internal Affairs agent “who is tasked with investigating rogue cop Mackey.”

Oh man, this should be good. Now if only January would get here.

The Ultimate Sin

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YES! The news that we’ve been waiting for…

The deluxe dvd edition of Sin City [Recut & Extended] will be available starting December 13th at about $39.99. The dvd will include the 124 minute theatrical release and a new 147 minute extended cut with both presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, along with English DTS 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround tracks.

Extras will include three commentary tracks: 1] with directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller; 2] Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino; and 3] the Austin Premiere crowd reaction!

Additional extras include a 15 minute film school with Rodriguez, 17 uninterrupted minutes of Tarantino’s segment, footage of a Sin City cast/crew party, featurettes on the cars, special effects, make-up, costumes, props, how they convinced Miller to assist with the film; casting, Tarantino, plus trailers, bloopers, and an interactive game. Topping it all off will be the complete Sin City graphic novel The Hard Goodbye.

Whew!

I… can…not… wait…

I’m Glad That I Waited

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From the title of this post, you might think that I’m going to talk about the success of “The 40 Year Old Virgin,” but I’m not.

Instead, I’m here to talk down the “bare bones” dvd release of “Sin CIty.” As most of you know, I’m a huge fan of Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller and especially the Sin City series of graphic novels. The mix of Rodriguez and Miller with one of the best casts in recent memory made Sin City a must have for my dvd collection.

I thought long and hard about whether or not to get the current “bare bones” edition and finally decided to wait. I figured that the deluxe edition would be out maybe as soon as Christmas, I’d already seen Sin City twice and would be taking a stand against this kind
of marketing.

Beatty bought his copy and really tempted me to break down and get one as well.

But ultimately I didn’t. And in a weird way I felt like I wasn’t supporting Rodriguez, Miller and Sin City.

Yeah, I felt that way until I read that Rodriguez “openly loathes” the “bare bones” edition. Rodriguez even goes on to say, “I hate it when they do double-dip stuff, so I don’t put any extra **** on there at all so people will hopefully go, ‘Ah, I’ll just wait.’

So how long will we have to wait? “December [or] not too far afterwards” is the word from the man himself.

Now you know why I’m glad that I decided to wait… and four months compared to 40 years is a piece of cake.

Worth a Watch? You Be the Jury!

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A few weeks ago, Chris Mills listed some movies that aren’t on dvd, but should be. I, the Jury starring Armand Assante as Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer was one of them.  I couldn’t agree more. I saw the movie when it was first released and loved it. I wish I was writing to say that Assante’s Hammer has finally made it to dvd, but I’m not.

Instead I’m writing to say that you can see it on the FOX Movie Channel this month. I, the Jury isn’t a classic or for everyone. But if you’re a fan of Spillane, Assante, or Barbara Carrera then… you might want to give it a go.

I know I will. “I, the Jury” rates an A.