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“Public Enemies” (2009) directed by Michael Mann; starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard / Z-View

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Public Enemies (2009)

Director:  Michael Mann

Screenplay: Ronan Bennett, Ann Biderman, Michael Mann; based on PUBLIC ENEMIES: AMERICA’S GREATEST CRIME WAVE AND THE BIRTH OF THE FBI, 1933–34 by Bryan Burrough

Stars: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Christian Stolte, Jason Clarke, Stephen Graham, David Wenham, John Judd, Stephen Dorff, James Russo, Giovanni Ribisi, Wesley Walker, Channing Tatum, Casey Siemaszko, Billy Crudup, Domenick Lombardozzi, Don Frye and Stephen Lang.

Tagline: America’s Most Wanted

The Plot…

1933.  The Great Depression is raging.  Gangsters such as John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and others have been robbing banks with impunity.  Despite killing cops and the occassional bystander, these criminals are becoming folk heroes.  J. Edgar Hoover, the Director of the FBI has ordered Agent Melvin Purvis to put together a task force.  Purvis’ orders are to bring in these gangsters dead or alive.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Although Public Enemies isn’t a documentary, it is very close to the real life stories.

Michael Mann filmed John Dillinger’s famous escape from Crown Point Jail at the real jail.  Although it had been turned into a historical museum, it was redressed along with the store fronts on the square to how they would’ve appeared in 1933. Mann also filmed the Little Bohemia shoot-out at the real lodge and in the same room Dillinger stayed in.

During a getaway scene Johnny Depp drives a 1932 Studebaker that was actually used by Dillinger as a getaway car following a bank robbery in Greencastle, Indiana. The car was on loan from an auto museum.

Public Enemies (2009) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” – Season 1 (2023) starring Norman Reedus / Z-View

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The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – Season 1 (2023)

Created by: David Zabel

Director:  Daniel Percival (Eps.1 – 2, 5 – 6); Tim Southam (Eps. 3 – 4)

Teleplay by:  David Zabel (Ep. 1); Jason Richman & David Zabel (Ep. 2, 5); Coline Abert (Ep. 3); Shannon Goss (Ep. 4); Dani Parker (Ep. 5); Jason Richman & Laura Snow (Ep. 6)

Starring:  Norman Reedus, Clémence Poésy, Louis Puech Scigliuzzi, Blanc-Francard, Anne Charrier, Romain Levi, Adam Nagaitis, Eriq Ebouaney, Dominique Pinon and Melissa McBride.

Tagline: Hope is not lost.

The Plot: 

Daryl Dixon finds himself in France when he wakes up on a deserted beach.  How he got there will become clear as the season progresses.  His goal is to get back home.  Unable to speak the language and with no one he can contact for help, Daryl begins his journey.

Daryl is injured after encounters with a walker with corrosive blood and killers who are part of a paramilitary group.  When Daryl comes across a fortress held by nuns, he is given aide.  There Daryl meets Sister Isabelle (Poésy) and a young boy named Laurent (Scigliuzzi).  The nuns and others throughout France have heard of Laurent.  Many, for reasons that will become clear, believe that Laurent will be the savior of humanity.  He will lead France to a new golden age.  Sister Isabelle tells Daryl that it was prophesied that a warrior would come who would safely take Laurent to Paris where followers await.

Daryl ain’t buying it.

But when Sister Isabelle promises that she has people in Paris who could help Daryl get back to America, he agrees. Cue the walkers.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

It’s neat seeing Daryl as a stranger in a strange land.  It is cool how quickly people/groups came to realize how dangerous/resourceful Daryl is.

I like the idea of the nun with a past and how she is working to receive redemption.  I also got a kick out of what became of the man she left behind.

Seeing zombies we are familiar with as well as new “strains” of zombies is something that needs to continue in small doses.  I like the “explanation” for the new fast and strong walkers.

Except for Norman Reedus, (and a cameo by Melissa McBride) all of the actors/actresses were new to me except for one.  I couldn’t figure out where I’d seen him before.  So I looked up Dominique Pinon.  He was Vriess in Alien: Resurrection!

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – Season 1 features some of the best Walking Dead episodes in recent memory.  Bring on Season 2.

“Windfall” (2022) / Z-View

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Windfall (2022)

Director: Charlie McDowell

Writers: Charlie McDowell &Jason Segel and Justin Lader & Andrew Kevin Walker

Starring: Jason Segel, Lily Collins, Jesse Plemons and Omar Leyva.

Tagline:  Every Kidnap is a Compromise.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A man (Segel) breaks into one of a young billionaire’s vacation homes intent to steal whatever cash and goods he can.  Things go south when the billionaire (Plemons) and his wife (Collins) show up.

Windfall starts off feeling like a Hitchcock thriller.  Then switches to comedy and finally drama. This just didn’t work for me.  It was like we’re in the comedy section now.  Ok, time for the drama.  The decisions the characters made didn’t feel real.  I felt like I was watching actors in a play doing what the writers wanted, not like people in a real-life hostage situation.

It is cool how the title of the film ties in to the ending.  I just wish the entire movie was that clever.

Windfall earns 2 of 5 stars.

New Romero Zombie Film and Web Series!

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Tina Romero, George Romero’s daughter, has two horror-related projects in the works…

The first is a web series she is creating in collaboration with horror icon, Tom Savani and Robert Tinnell (who wrote and produces the series).  Actor Jason Baker described the web series by saying…

“Imagine Oldboy shot as a silent film starring Lon Chaney Sr. It’s violent…”

This sounds interesting.  More info about the web series can be found at Bloody Disgusting: First Details On Horror Web Series Directed By Tom Savini and George Romero’s Daughter.

Tina’s second project is a feature titled Queens of the Dead.  Here’s Tina…

“Queens of the Dead is a fusion of two huge parts of my world: zombies and Gay nightlife. It’s a tribute to my father as well as my entrée into the genre he grandfathered. I can’t say too much yet, but what I can tell you is that this film will have all the hallmarks of a George A. Romero classic: farce, politics, heroes, ********, and most importantly, herds of silly and slow moving walkers that you can’t help but love. But I’m doing it Tina-style, and bringing the glitter, choreography, queers & queens.”

For more details check out Bloody Disgusting: Tina Romero, George Romero’s Daughter, Directing Queens of the Dead.

As we’ve previously reported, Cameron Romero, George Romero’s son is working on his own zombie feature, Rise of the Dead.