Category: Movies

“Die Alone” starring Carrie-Anne Moss, Douglas Smith, Kimberly-Sue Murray & Frank Grillo – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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We have the poster and trailer for Die Alone starring Carrie-Anne Moss, Douglas Smith, Kimberly-Sue Murray, and Frank Grillo.

Deal me in.

Lost in a world reclaimed by nature and overrun by mysterious creatures, a young man with amnesia teams up with an eccentric survivalist to find his missing girlfriend.

Cast: Carrie-Anne Moss, Douglas Smith, Kimberly-Sue Murray, Frank Grillo

In THAEATERS, On DEMAND and On DIGITAL October 18th, 2024

“The Ghost and the Guest” (1943) / Z-View

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The Ghost and the Guest (1943)

Director: William Nigh

Screenplay:  Morey Amsterdam; original story by Milt Gross

Stars: James Dunn, Florence Rice, Anthony Caruso and Sam McDaniel.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Webster Frye (Dunn) and his bride, Jackie (Rice) plan to honeymoon in the old remote house her father bought her.  When Webster and Jackie arrive they are surprised to find Ben Bowron.  Bowron says that the famous jewel thief Honeyboy left him the house in his will.

Before you know it Honeyboy’s coffin is brought to the house.  Then a bunch of criminals show up for Honeyboy’s burial service.  They are followed by some cops and a lawyer.  If this sounds like a great mix for a fun romp, it is.  Unfortunately, the movie doesn’t live up to the potential.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Morey Amsterdam of The Dick Van Dyke Show fame wrote the screenplay.  You’d think it would be funnier.

The Ghost and the Guest (1943) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Curucu, Beast of the Amazon” (1956) / Z-View

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Curucu, Beast of the Amazon (1956)

Director: Curt Siodmak

Screenplay:  Curt Siodmak

Stars: John Bromfield, Beverly Garland, Larri Thomas, Ray Barlow, Sue Bernard, Stuart Lancaster, John Furlong (voice) and Paul Trinka.

Tagline: Actually filmed in the Amazon Jungle in spectacular Eastman Color!

The Plot…

Rock Dean (Bromfield) and Dr. Andrea Romar (Garland) are on an expedition deep into the jungles of the Amazon.  Dean hopes to discover a legendary beast.  Dr. Romar wants to get samples of a drug used by natives to shrink heads.  She believes the drug could be used to reduce cancerous tissue.

As Dean and Dr. Romar venture into areas never seen by white men, they must be prepared for wild animals, head hunters and Curucu, Beast of the Amazon.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Curt Siodmak who wrote and directed Curucu, Beast of the Amazon was a novelist (DONOVAN’S BRAIN; THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS; FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN); screenwriter (The Wolfman; Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman; Tarzan’s Magic Fountain) and director (Bride of the Gorilla; Love Slaves of the Amazon; The Magnetic Monster).

Curucu, Beast of the Amazon was shot on location in the Amazon River in Brazil.  Siodmak shot so much footage that he couldn’t use, he brought back some of the actors.  He created a new screenplay, Love Slaves of the Amazons and used the leftover footage in the new film.

Curucu, Beast of the Amazon uses quite a bit of what feels like stock footage of wild animals.  Except for the final shot, the movie is very run of the mill.

Curucu, Beast of the Amazon (1956) rates 1 of 5 stars.

“Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” (1966) directed by Russ Meyer, starring Tura Satana, Haji, Lori Williams & Sue Bernard / Z-View

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Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1966)

Director: Russ Meyer

Screenplay: Jack Moran; story by Russ Meyer

Stars: Tura Satana, Haji, Lori Williams, Ray Barlow, Sue Bernard, Stuart Lancaster, John Furlong (voice) and Paul Trinka.

Tagline: Go-Go for a Wild Ride with the ACTION GIRLS!

The Plot…

Varla, Rosie, and Billie are three young, wild women living on the edge.  When they’re not working as go-go dancers, they’re on the prowl for thrills.  They race cars… flirt… fight… tease or whatever strikes their mood.

After a desert race goes bad, they kidnap a teenage girl.  Then they hear about a rich old man living alone in a remote house.

The best laid plans…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Although Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! is a low budget exploitation flick that made only a modest profit on its initial release, over the years it has become a cult classic.

The movie feels like it is set in an alternate universe.  Filming it in black and white enhances this.

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1966) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“The Creature from the Black Lagoon” by Greg Luzniak!

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Greg Luzniak created this cool Creature from the Black Lagoon painting.

I’ve been a fan of The Creature from the Black Lagoon since I first saw the movie when I was a young boy.  While the sequels, books, and comics never lived up to the bar set by the original film, legions of fans have continued to show support and love for The Creature.  Now that James Wan is set to helm a new Creature from the Black Lagoon movie, fans are excited again.

“Lone Star” (1996) written & directed by John Sayles, starring Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Kris Kristofferson & Matthew McConaughey / Z-View

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Lone Star (1996)

Director: John Sayles

Screenplay: John Sayles

Stars: Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Stephen Mendillo, Stephen J. Lang, Oni Faida Lampley, Joe Stevens, Richard Coca, Clifton James, Tony Frank, Miriam Colon, Kris Kristofferson, Joe Morton, LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Matthew McConaughey .

Tagline: John Sayles invites you to return to the scene of the crime.

The Plot…

Sam Deeds (Cooper) is Sheriff of Frontera, Texas, a small border town.  When a skeleton, a Masonic ring and Sheriff’s badge are found in a shallow grave just outside of town, Deeds opens an investigation.  The remains appear to be those of Charlie Wade.

Wade was the infamously corrupt Sheriff of Frontera twenty years ago.  Sheriff Wade vanished under mysterious circumstances. At the same time $10,000 of county funds was missing.  To add to the puzzle, Wade’s disappearance happened after a public argument with one of his deputies.  That deputy was Buddy Deeds (McConaughey), Sam’s father.  During the argument each man threatened to kill the other.  Many thought Buddy made good on his promise.  That didn’t stop Buddy from becoming the new Sheriff.

But that was years ago.  Although Buddy is dead, his legend lives on.  And now his son,  Sheriff Sam Deeds is determined to discover the truth.

No one could have predicted the lies and deceptions about to surface.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Lone Star was nominated for one Academy Award…

  • nominee Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen – John Sayles

Kudos to John Sayles who wrote, directed, and assembled an all-star cast to create an interesting mystery with heart.  I loved Sayles’ inventive transitions from present to past done without a cut.

I also get a kick out of the fact that the movie appears to be about solving the mystery of who was in the shallow grave and who killed him.  But neither of those hold the answers to the biggest secrets that will be revealed.

Lone Star (1946) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“The Searchers” (1956) directed by John Ford, starring John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter & Natalie Wood / Z-View

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The Searchers (1956)

Director: John Ford

Screenplay: Frank S. Nugent; based on THE SEARCHERS by Alan Le May

Stars: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond, Natalie Wood, John Qualen, Olive Carey, Henry Brandon, Ken Curtis, Harry Carey Jr., Antonio Moreno, Hank Worden, Patrick Wayne  and Lana Wood.

Tagline: He had to find her… he had to find her…

The Plot…

1868.  The Comanches are on the warpath.  They’ve been attacking homesteads along the frontier.  One of the farms belonged to the Edwards’ family.  The Comanches killed everyone except little Debbie. They kidnapped Debbie to raise as part of their tribe.

Ethan Edwards (Wayne) is Debbie’s uncle.  He’s a former Civil War soldier who hates Indians. (Ethan’s mother was killed by Comanches years earlier.) Ethan learns that his brother’s family was wiped out.  He forms a posse to rescue Debbie.  They trail the Comanches into the badlands.  As time drags on and they move farther into the frontier, some posse members give up.

Refusing to quit, Ethan and Martin Pawley (Hunter) press on.  Martin stays because the Edwards’ family adopted him when he was young.  He wants to bring Debbie safely home.  Ethan plans to kill Debbie.  He cannot stand the thought that she’s now a squaw.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Searchers was John Wayne’s favorite of all the movies he made.  Ethan Edwards was also his favorite of all the characters he ever played.  Wayne even named his youngest son Ethan.

The Mose Harper (Worden) character comes off as half-crazy,  Surprisingly the character is based on a real Indian fighter known as Mad Mose.  And yes, he loved rocking chairs.

Reportedly Buddy Holly’s song “That’ll Be The Day” was inspired by John Wayne’s repeated use in The Searchers.

Natalie Wood’s character when she was small was played by her younger sister, Lana.

The Searchers was in the first group of 25 movies chosen for preservation in The National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

The Searchers has it all.  Adventure, humor, suspense, action and even romance.  It is rightfully considered a classic.

The Searchers (1956) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Day of the Fight” written & directed by Jack Huston, starring Michael C. Pitt, Nicolette Robinson, Ron Perlman, Joe Pesci, John Magaro, Steve Buscemi, and Anatol Yusef – The Trailer is Here!

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Day of the Fight was written and directed by Jack Huston in his first outing as a director.  It stars Michael C. Pitt, Nicolette Robinson, Ron Perlman, Joe Pesci, John Magaro, Steve Buscemi, and Anatol Yusef.

The film follows a once famous boxer as he prepares for his first fight (and contemplates his life) after his release from prison.

Deal me in.

Source: FirstShowing.

“Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told” (2024) / Z-View

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Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told (2024)

Director: P. Frank Williams

Stars: André 3000, The Notorious B.I.G., Big Boi, CeeLo Green.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

How a small black college picnic grew and grew to become an annual event known as Freaknik.  The event started out as a get-together for college students who didn’t have the resources to return home for Spring Break.

Each year the event grew bigger.  It began to attract out-of-towners from all over the country.  Many were not college students.  The event became so large it shut down the city.  Drugs, sex and sexual assaults turned the powers that be against the event.

This is the story of the rise and fall of Freaknik.

Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told (2024) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Shadows Over Chinatown” (1946) starring Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland & Jimmy Yung / Z-View

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Shadows Over Chinatown (1946)

Director: Terry O. Morse

Screenplay: Raymond L. Schrock; based characters created by Earl Derr Biggers

Stars: Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland, Victor Sen Yung, John Gallaudet, Paul Bryar, Mary Gordon, Mira McKinney and Franke Fontaine.

Tagline: Chan follows the trail of a blood-chilling wave of torso slayings!

The Plot…

Charlie Chan (Toler) has been called to San Francisco to investigate a series of murders.  On the way, someone takes a shot a him. Chan is not deterred, but even agrees to help a couple looking for a missing woman.  They’re worried that she has become a victim of the serial killings.

Now that Chan, his number two son, Jimmy (Yung) and faithful assistant Birmingham Brown (Moreland) are on the case, things are about to heat up.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Because Sidney Toler had terminal cancer, but wanted to continue the series, his character is often seated.  Also Mantan Moreland and  Victor Sen Yung were given more to do.

Frankie Fontaine has an uncredited cameo doing his bit as a drunk.  I recognized him from his appearances as Crazy Guggenheim on The Jackie Gleason Show.

Shadows Over Chinatown (1946) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Megaloplis” – The Poster and Deleted Trailer!

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The poster and trailer for Megalopolis are here.  The trailer makes an interesting direction for it’s start.

Lionsgate Deletes Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis Trailer After Unexpected Controversy

Read More: https://www.slashfilm.com/1648225/francis-ford-coppola-megalopolis-trailer-controversy-explained/

MEGALOPOLIS – in theaters & IMAX September 27, 2024. Starring Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Kathryn Hunter, and Dustin Hoffman.

MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKESTEIN STARRING BORIS KARLOFF adapted by Kerry Gammill and El Garing is Coming!

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MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKESTEIN STARRING BORIS KARLOFF adapted by Kerry Gammill and El Garing is coming on October 22, 2024.

Horror fans will want to check this out…

Mary Shelley’s iconic masterpiece is brought to life with the definitive on-screen Frankenstein, Boris Karloff, in this stunning new graphic novel!

Decades before the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Jules Verne, and H.G. Wells, 18-year-old Mary Shelley wrote what many regard as the first work of science fiction when she penned FRANKENSTEIN: or, the MODERN PROMETHEUS, which was published in 1818.

Over one hundred years later, in 1931, a hard-working but relatively unknown actor named Boris Karloff was cast to play Frankenstein’s monster in James Whale’s now classic movie adaptation. The film made Karloff a star and solidified Frankenstein’s monster as an icon of the silver screen.

In 2024, Legendary Comics is proud to bring Shelley and Karloff together for the first time in a faithful adaptation of the novel starring the iconic actor in the lead role of the fully reimagined monster. In partnership with Sara Karloff of Karloff Enterprises, and featuring the artistic talents of Kerry Gammill and El Garing, the team behind the award-winning BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA STARRING BELA LUGOSI, this new graphic novel is certain to delight and terrify old and new fans alike.

“Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos – The poster and trailer are here.

Deal me in.  Badda-bing!

The man behind the cultural phenomenon.

In Wise Guy David Chase and The Sopranos, a new 2-part HBO Original Documentary, #TheSopranos creator offers a unique look into his work on the iconic series. #WiseGuyHBO premieres September 7 at 8 pm ET on ‪@StreamOnMax‬.

“Damaged” starring Samuel L. Jackson and Vincent Cassel – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Here are the poster and trailer for Damaged starring Samuel L. Jackson and Vincent Cassel.

How do you catch a brilliant monster? When a sadistic murderer surfaces in Scotland, terrified local authorities call on a Chicago police detective who investigated a killing spree with the same horrific pattern five years earlier. Samuel L. Jackson and Vincent Cassel star in this shocking thriller about two detectives with tortured pasts trying to stop a merciless serial killer before he claims his next victim.