“The Last Voyage of the Demeter” Alt Poster by Mike Posters aka Mickaël Journou!
Mike Posters aka Mickaël Journou created this nice alt poster for The Last Voyage of the Demeter. You can see more of Mike Posters’ art here.
KRAJ the ENFORCER: STORIES by Rusty Barnes
I’ve never read anything by Rusty Barnes. That’s about to change. I’m going to put in my order for KRAJ the ENFORCER: STORIES. Check out the synopsis below, It may be something you’d like as well.
Meet Kraj—pronounced krai—a low-level errand boy and hitman masquerading as a bouncer for Tricky Ricky Gutierrez, nefarious owner of the Twist, a club in upstate Elmira NY. A place that has both a LGBTQIA night and a cowboy country night, this cockeyed corner bar in northern Appalachia supports Ricky’s illegal schemes, and serves as a rural balm for Croatian-war refugee Kraj.
Kraj plies his trade over a short span, moving from petty theft to strong-arming tips from people at the door, breaking up redneck fights, protecting the club’s nubile female staff and collecting gambling debts owed Tricky Ricky. Kraj eventually gets sucked further and further into Ricky’s underworld plans, where he wants to be seen as a man on the come-up, but he has problems moving up in Ricky’s organization will never solve. His sister Ana, missing since the Croatian War for Independence, never strays far from his mind.
Kraj, together with his sometime girlfriend Cami, newly become manager of a franchisee McDonald’s, and his manager Mikael. negotiates his way through underground fight clubs, prostitution rings, drug deals, petty thievery, and of course, murder. Tricky Ricky gives Kraj a great deal of rope and autonomy to operate.
Will he hang himself with it or swing?
TOO MANY BULLETS (Nathan Heller) by Max Allan Collins!
Max Allan Collins’ Nate Heller series is one of my favorites. Collins takes famous murders, thoroughly researches them and then sticks Nate Heller in the middle of things. It’s cool seeing Heller (who ages in real time through the series) interacting with famous people in cases and often with an ending not quite like what we’ve come to believe. Collins always includes an afterward with insights and a bibliography.
Collins latest Nate Heller yarn is TOO MANY BULLETS. Here’s the lowdown…
Acclaimed “True Crime” detective Nathan Heller, whose cases have sold more than 1 million copies, returns to uncover the secrets behind Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 assassination in this brand-new novel from bestselling ROAD TO PERDITION author Max Allan Collins.
In 1968, Nate Heller is there when Robert Kennedy is shot at the Ambassador Hotel. Heller takes it upon himself to investigate the murder when a friend of his and Bobby’s raises doubts about the LAPD’s investigation. Heller strongly suspects the involvement of Jimmy Hoffa (currently imprisoned), but Hoffa seems to be in the clear as the private eye looks into the possible presence of CIA enemies of RFK’s on the murder night, the apparent manipulation of Sirhan Sirhan into a Manchurian Candidate-style assassin, and a probable second shooter.
“The Batman” Print by Steranko!
Fans are going to be excited to see and maybe even get their mitts on the new prints Steranko created for conventions he’ll attend this year. The Batman art above is one of those. I love Steranko’s graphic design.
If you get a chance to meet Steranko, don’t sleep on it. The man is a natural storyteller. Plus, how often do you get to meet a legit legend?
“Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” starring Kurt Russell & Wyatt Russell – The Trailer is Here!
The trailer looks cool. Add in Kurt and Wyatt Russell and I’m sold. Deal me in!
When monsters emerge, secrets follow. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters premieres November 17 on Apple TV+ https://apple.co/_Monarch
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. The dramatic saga — spanning three generations — reveals buried secrets and the ways that epic, earth-shattering events can reverberate through our lives.
“Fences” (2016) written by August Wilson, directed by Denzel Washington, starring Denzel Washington & Viola Davis / Z-View
Fences (2016)
Director: Denzel Washington
Screenplay: August Wilson based on his play Fences
Stars: Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby,
Mykelti Williamson, Saniyya Sidney, Christopher Mele, Lesley Boone and Rachelle Beinart.
Tagline: Some people build fences to keep people out – and other people build fences to keep people in.
The Plot…
Troy Maxson (Washington) is a bitter, angry, 56 year old black man. Once a talented baseball player, Troy was never given a chance to play in the big leagues due to his race. Then World War II came. Now that Troy is older, the color-barrier in baseball has broken. But Troy is too old to play. So he makes his living as a garbage collector. Even there Troy see discrimination. All the drivers are white. All the workers doing the heavy lifting are black.
Troy’s wife, Rose (Davis) sees times are starting to change. Cory (Adepo), Troy and Rose’s son, is a bright student and talented football player. A college is interested in giving Cory a scholarship, but Troy won’t sign the paperwork. He wants Cory to get educated in a job that will always provide an income.
Troy sees barriers everywhere and is bitter about how life has treated him, never realizing that he is building barriers for himself and his family as well. Despite Troy’s flaws, Rose loves him. Sadly Troy’s choices are going to have terrible consequences for his family and friends.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)
Fences (2016) was honored at the Academy Awards:
Academy Award Wins:
- Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Viola Davis
Academy Award Nominations:
- Best Motion Picture of the Year: Todd Black, Scott Rudin, Denzel Washington
- Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Denzel Washington
- Best Adapted Screenplay: August Wilson
“Fences” was first a Broadway play. It opened in 1987 and went on to win Tony Awards for Best Play, Best Actor (James Earl Jones), and Best Featured Actress (Mary Alice). “Fences” was revived in 2010. It won Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Play, Best Actor (Denzel Washington), and Best Actress (Viola Davis). All five adult actors from the revival reprise their roles in the film.
Although August Wilson is the only credited screenwriter for the film, Denzel Washington, Spike Lee and Tony Kushner did uncredited work. They didn’t want their names on the credits to insure that Wilson alone received any writing honors or awards.
Denzel Washing and Viola Davis were rightfully nominated for Academy Awards. Their roles in Fences may be their best performances ever. Everyone in the supporting cast is wonderful.
It was fun to see Saniyya Sidney as a very young girl. Sidney would go on to co-star in The Passage a few years later.
Fences (2016) rates 5 of 5 stars.
The Forest Wind by Goran Parlov
The Forest Wind by Goran Parlov. I want more of this, please.
“Vindicta” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!
The poster doesn’t do much for me, but the trailer has my attention!
DIRECTED BY: Sean McNamara
STORY BY: Steven Paul
SCREENPLAY BY: Ian Neligh
STARRING: Elena Kampouris, Sean Astin and Jeremy Piven
EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY: Scott Karol and Charles Cooper
PRODUCED BY: Steven PaulAbout Vindicta: When a city is terrorized by a sadistic serial killer, a seasoned detective and a newly recruited paramedic are forced into a deadly game of vengeance, only to discover the key to stopping the bloodshed lies in unlocking the truth of their own haunted pasts. Elena Kampouris (Children of the Corn), Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings franchise), and Jeremy Piven (Entourage) star in this edge-of-your-seat thriller from the director of On a Wing and a Prayer.
“The Burial” starring Jamie Foxx & Tommy Lee Jones – The Trailer is Here!
Deal me in.
Check out the official trailer for The Burial, in theaters October 6 and coming to Prime Video on October 13.
Inspired by true events, when a handshake deal goes sour, funeral home owner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones) enlists charismatic, smooth-talking attorney Willie E. Gary (Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx) to save his family business. Tempers flare and laughter ensues as the unlikely pair bond while exposing corporate corruption and racial injustice in this inspirational, triumphant story.
Song: GOLDEN by Aloe Blacc & Tim Myers
“Blood & Gold” (2023) / Z-View
Blood & Gold (2023)
Director: Peter Thorwarth
Screenplay: Stefan Barth, Peter Thorwarth
Stars: Robert Maaser, Jördis Triebel, Alexander Scheer, Marie Hacke, Connor Long and Roy McCrerey.
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
The end of the war is close at hand. Von Starnfeld, a disfigured SS Commandant, leads his unit into a small German village. Von Starnfeld knows there’s gold hidden somewhere in the town. He just doesn’t know where. Von Starnfeld is willing to torture or kill anyone and everyone if it will get him the gold. Only a German deserter and young woman are willing to take a stand against Von Starnfeld and his Nazis. Let the fun begin.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)
Blood & Gold contains all of the things you’d want in a World War II movie:
- It starts off with a bang.
- A handsome hero
- A woman willing to risk her life to help our hero
- A disfigured, evil SS Leader
- An evil, sadistic Second-in-Command to the SS Leader
- Nazis who enjoy their power and use it to do bad things
- Plenty of hand-to-hand fights
- Plenty of shootouts
- A couple of twists and a surprise or two
Blood & Gold isn’t a great movie, but it is a good one. If it sounds like something you’d like, give it a shot.
Blood & Gold (1972) rates 3 of 5 stars.
“The Bikeriders” – The Trailer is Here!
From writer-director Jeff Nichols (“Loving,” “Midnight Special,” “Mud”), 20th Century Studios and New Regency, “The Bikeriders” is a furious drama following the rise of a fictional 1960s Midwestern motorcycle club through the lives of its members, starring Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve,” “The Last Duel”), Austin Butler (“Elvis”) and Tom Hardy (“Mad Max: Fury Road,” “The Revenant”). “The Bikeriders” opens in U.S. theaters on December 1.
Mike Flanagan’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” – The Poster is Here!
This poster for Mike Flanagan’s The Fall of the House of Usher series was just released. Yeah, baby. Deal me in.
“In the Land of Saints and Sinners” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!
Love the poster and the trailer looks good. Deal me in.
First movie trailer for In the Land of Saints and Sinners starring Liam Neeson.
“NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!
I like the looks of No One Will Save You. Deal me in.
From 20th Century Studios, “No One Will Save You” is an action-packed face-off between Brynn and a host of extraterrestrial beings who threaten her future while forcing her to deal with her past.
CAST: Kaitlyn Dever
DIRECTOR: Brian Duffield
