Conan by Simon Bisley!
What do you think of Simon Bisley’s Conan? I love it. If you’d like to see more of Simon Bisely’s art, click over to the Simon Bisley Fansite!
“Tassels in the Air” (1938) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View
Tassels in the Air (1938)
Director: Charley Chase
Writer: Al Giebler, Elwood Ullman
Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Symona Boniface, Vernon Dent and Bud Jamison
Tagline: They’re Nuthouse Painters!
The Plot…
When Moe is mistaken for the famous painter, Omay, the boys are hired to paint and redecorate a rich woman’s mansion. What could go wrong?
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
The gag that “Curly goes crazy” whenever he sees/smells something is used again in Tassels in the Air. This time whenever Curly sees tassels, he goes loco until he’s tickled under the chin. This gimmick was used in three previous Stooges shorts (in Punch Drunks, Horses’ Collars and Grips, Grunts and Groans).
The director, Charley Chase directed and acted in hundreds of shorts and features. In one scene Vernon Dent appears dressed like Oliver Hardy. Some wonder if this was Chase’s influence as a nod to the comedy great.
Tassels in the Air (1938) rates 5 of 5 stars.
“George A. Romero’s Resident Evil” – The Trailer is Here!
It’s unfortunate that Romero’s Resident Evil didn’t happen. At least we get this documentary.
In 1998, Constantin Film set out to adapt the greatest horror video game franchise of all time, hiring legendary film director George A. Romero. Now, Key 13 Films, in association with Point Five Films and director Brandon Salisbury set out to uncover the mystery behind why Romero’s vision was never produced.
George A. Romero’s Resident Evil is a stylized documentary, utilizing archived footage, unearthed documents, and newly filmed interviews with a wide variety of personalities. The documentary combines elements from Capcom’s hit video game series and the raw, visceral style of George A. Romero to full immerse the audience in a cinematic horror aesthetic.
Now, audiences everywhere will experience the “darkest day of horror the world will never know”, as they uncover the unrequited vision of… George A. Romero’s Resident Evil.
Twilight Zone: “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” & “Eye of the Beholder” by Erik J. Kreffel
Twilight Zone fans are gonna love these posters created by Erik J. Kreffel. You can see more of Kreffel’s art at his website or on Twitter.
QUENTIN BY TARANTINO by Ameziane Amazing!
Quentin Tarantino fans are gonna love this!
TAKE A DIVE INTO THE BRAIN OF MASTER AUTEUR QUENTIN TARANTINO, AS AMÉZIANE AMAZING TAKES US ON A JOURNEY THROUGH HIS RISE TO INDIE BLOCKBUSTER FAME THROUGH ICONIC DIALOGUE, MARTIAL ARTS, AND STYLISH VIOLENCE.
“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men.”
Just like that, fans of Quentin Tarantino are transported into his iconic films, but here is a deeper dive into the man himself, the story of Quentin by Tarantino!
In a first-person account, Améziane Amazing, leads us through the life story of this iconic auteur, from his humble beginnings as a video shop clerk, to his rise through iconic indie blockbusters, all the way to global superstar.
Discover the influences, opinions, and history of one of the world’s most iconic filmmakers, unmistakable in his style and talent.
This looks interesting. Pre-orders are available now.
“Pop Goes the Easel” (1935) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View
Pop Goes the Easel (1935)
Director: Del Lord
Writer: Felix Adler
Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard and Phyllis Crane
Tagline: Help! Help! They’re loose again!
The Plot…
The boys on the run from the law, take refuge in an art studio. There they take on multiple disguises in an effort to not get caught. What could go wrong?
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Pop Goes the Easel features several Stooges’ firsts:
- It is the first Stooges’ short directed by Del Lord who would go on to helm more than three dozen.
- It features the first eye poke
- It has the first multiple face slap
- It ends with a big clay fight, which would morph into pie fights in future shorts
There’s a quick scene of two little girls playing hopscotch as the boys run by. The girls were the daughters of Moe and Larry.
Pop Goes the Easel (1935) rates 4 of 5 stars.
“Hypnotic” – A Robert Rodriguez Film starring Ben Affleck & Alice Braga – The Trailer is Here!
A detective becomes entangled in a mystery involving his missing daughter and a secret government program while investigating a string of reality-bending crimes.
RELEASE DATE: May12, 2023
CAST: Ben Affleck, Alice Braga, JD Pardo, Hala Finley, Dayo Okeniyi, Jeff Fahey
“Extraction 2” starring Chris Hemsworth – The Teaser Trailer is Here!
Did you say you like action movies? Then take a gander at the teaser for Extraction 2.
Chris Hemsworth returns as Tyler Rake in EXTRACTION 2 – only on Netflix, June 16.
After barely surviving the events of the first movie, Rake is back as the Australian black ops mercenary, tasked with another deadly mission: rescuing the battered family of a ruthless Georgian gangster from the prison where they are being held. Hemsworth reunites with director Sam Hargrave, with Joe and Anthony Russo’s AGBO producing and Joe Russo writing. Golshifteh Farahani reprises her role from the first film, with Daniel Bernhardt and Tinatin Dalakishvili also co-starring.
This is a sequel to the first film that was based on the graphic novel ‘Ciudad’ by Ande Parks, from a story by Ande Parks, Joe Russo & Anthony Russo, with illustrations by Fernando León González. EXTRACTION 2 is produced by Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Mike Larocca, Chris Hemsworth, Patrick Newall and Sam Hargrave, with Angela Russo-Otstot, Jake Aust, Benjamin Grayson, Steven Scavelli, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely as executive producers.
Sly Stallone as Superman by Adam Hughes!
When I got my first sketch from Adam Hughes, I simply told him I wanted Sylvester Stallone and he could pick the character he wanted to draw. Adam surprised me with his knowledge that there was talk of Sly playing Superman. I love the art (how could I not, it’s Adam Hughes!) and the quote with the caption is icing on the cake!
“Fistful of Yen” Character Posters by Renton Hawkey!
The other day I shared the Fistful of Yen poster that Renton Hawkey created to promote his new FREE comic on Substack. It blew up (and rightly so) as more people became aware of the story that he is creating. Hawkey recently shared these two character sketches and gave some back story on Fistful of Yen. This is gonna be fun!
“Brideless Groom” (1947) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View
Brideless Groom (1947)
Director: Edward Bernds
Writer: Clyde Bruckman
Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Christine McIntyre, Virginia Hunter and Emil Sitka
Tagline: Gold-diggers mob the Stooges for their money!
The Plot…
Shemp learns that he will inherit $500,000 if he is married by 6pm. The trouble is he has no girlfriend and no prospects. Luckily, Shemp is joined by Moe and Larry in an effort to find him a wife before the deadline arrives. What could go wrong?
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Emil Sitka, a Stooges regular, gets his best-remembered line “Hold hands, you lovebirds!” in this one. Believe it or not, the line is on Sitka’s headstone!
Christine McIntyre, another Stooges regular, has a scene where she is to repeated hit Shemp. Despite repeated takes, the punches didn’t look convincing. The story goes that Shemp told Christine to really let him have it, explaining that a lot of repeated half-hearted slaps hurt more than a few good ones. On the next take Christine cut loose with a punch that broke Shemp’s nose. The take was used. As Christine apologized, Shemp told her, it was okay, he told her to cut loose and she sure did!
Clyde Bruckman, the writer of Brideless Groom, was the co-writer on the film Buster Keaton’s Seven Chances (1925) which had a similar plot.
Brideless Groom (1947) rates 3 of 5 stars.
10 Major Roles Sly Stallone Turned Down/Didn’t Get and Craig’s Thoughts on Each!
Zac Wenzel at MovieWeb posted 10 Major Roles Sylvester Stallone Didn’t Get or Turned Down. Before you click over, here are my thoughts on each role listed…
10. Star Wars (1977) – I don’t think Han Solo would have been a good fit for Sly. Plus it may have impacted Sly’s directorial debut with Paradise Alley. I know I’m in the minority, but give me Paradise Alley over Star Wars.
09. Witness (1985) – While I think Sly would have made a good John Book, it would have impacted Rambo: First Blood, Part II which came out the same year. I’ll take Rambo over Witness (although I am a fan of both.). It’s funny to note that these first two roles that could have starred Sly, instead went to Harrison Ford.
08. Face/Off (1997) – Sly was originally supposed to star with Arnold Schwarzenegger. John Woo would direct. While I would have loved to see Sly in a John Woo film, it wasn’t to be. Sly instead went on to star in Cop Land, a movie many consider to feature Sly’s best acting. I thought Face/Off was good, but Cop Land much, much better.
07. Jackie Brown (1997) – Wenzel says Sly was up for the role of Louis Gara that was ultimately played by Robert DeNiro. I had always read that Sly was up for the Max Cherry role that was played by Robert Forster. I would have loved to see Sly work with Tarantino. Of the two roles mentioned for Sly in Jackie Brown, I think that Max Cherry would have been the better pick. Again, things probably turned out for the best. Sly went on to do Cop Land and Robert Forster got his comeback role.
06. Beverly Hills Cop (1984) – Everyone knows this story. Sly departed from Beverly Hills Cop and turned his screenplay into Cobra. Eddie Murphy starred in Beverly HIlls Cop. Both movies went on to be successful.
05. Die Hard (1988) – While I would have loved to see what Sly would have done with the role of John McClane, Bruce Willis was perfect for the role. Die Hard brought Willis back to the “A” list – remember when Die Hard was first advertised they didn’t play up Willis! Sly went on to do Rambo III.
04. The Godfather: Part III (1990) – It would have been interesting if Sly had accepted Paramount’s offer to write, direct and star in Godfather III. At the time there was talk that John Travolta would co-star. Not accepting was a smart move on Sly’s part. No matter what he did, it would have been unfavorably compared to the first to Godfather films. Heck, even when Francis Ford Coppola came back to do the third, it was savaged by critics. Sly went on to do Rocky V. It is the consensus weakest in Sly’s Rocky franchise. BUT, and this is a (pardon the expression) big but, had there not been a Rocky V, Sly might not have had the burning desire to do Rocky Balboa!
03. Batman & Robin (1997) – I am soooooo happy Sly didn’t get involved with this mess.
02. Pulp Fiction (1994) – I would have loved to have seen Sly in Pulp Fiction. He would have directed by Tarantino. If he accepted the role that went to Samuel L. Jackson, he would have been paired with Travolta. They would have made an interesting hit man team. However, Samuel L. Jackson owned that role and it shot him to the “A” list. It would have also been interesting to see Sly play Vincent Vega (Travolta’s role) or Butch (Willis’ role). Sly went on to do The Specialist with Sharon Stone.
01. Superman (1978) – According to Wenzel, Brando had final say on the casting of Superman. Brando rejected Sly as being too Italian. I always thought that picking an unknown to play Superman was the right way to go. Christopher Reeve was perfect as Clark Kent/Superman. I’m glad Sly would later work with Superman director Richard Donner when they did Assassins. Superman came out in 1978. Sly had both Paradise Alley and FIST that year. I love Superman, but I’ll take Sly’s two for the one.
RIP: Sharon Acker
It was reported yesterday that actress Sharon Acker died on March 16, 2023. Ms. Acker was 87.
Sharon Acker appeared in both television and feature film roles in a career that lasted over 35 years. She is best known for her role as Lee Marvin’s double-crossing wife in Point Blank. Although Ms. Acker appeared in a few other feature films she was in great demand for television roles and appeared in most of the major hits for decades.
Some of Sharon Acker’s television appearances include: On Camera; Anne of Green Gables; Lucky Jim; Macbeth; Encounter (8 episodes); Quest (3 episodes); The Serial (5 episodes); Wojeck (2 episodes); The Wild, Wild West; Festival (8 episodes); Star Trek; Get Smart; It Takes a Thief (3 episodes); Lancer; A Clear and Present Danger; The Bold Ones (4 episodes); Alias Smith and Jones; Gunsmoke; Cade’s County; The FBI: Love American Style; Mission Impossible (2 episodes); Mod Squad; McMillan & Wife; Hec Ramsey (2 episodes); Marcus Welby (2 episodes); The New Perry Mason (15 episodes); Harry O; Cannon (3 episodes); Barnaby Jones (3 episodes); Executive Suite (18 episodes); The Streets of San Francisco (2 episodes); The Love Boat; The Rockford Files (2 episodes); Police Story; The Incredible Hulk; Quincy (3 episodes); Texas (62 episodes); Matt Houston; Trapper John MD; Simon & Simon (2 episodes); Knight Rider; Murder She Wrote; Days of Our Lives (7 episodes); Rin-Tin-Tin K9 Cop (3 episodes) and The Young and the Restless (4 episodes).
I probably first saw Sharon Acker in The Wild, Wild West. She would go on to appear in many of the shows I tuned in to weekly to see. What an amazing career she had.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sharon Acker’s family, friends and fans.
Marv from SIN CITY by Seth Damoose!
If I was forced to pick my all-time favorite comic character it would probably be Marv from Frank Miller’s Sin City. I love seeing other artists’ riff on Marv. Above we have Seth Damoose’s take. I could get behind a Seth Damoose Sin City tale. If you’d like to see more of Seth Damoose’s art, check out his Instagram page.
“Pals and Gals” (1954) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View
Pals and Gals (1954)
Director: Jules White
Writer: Clyde Bruckman, Jack White
Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Christine McIntyre, Stanley Blystone, Heinie Conklin, Vernon Dent and Blackie Whiteford
Tagline: Round up a herd of howls Out West!
The Plot…
When the doctor explains that Shemp is suffering from an enlarged vein in his leg, it is recommended that Shemp head out west where the climate will do him good. So our boys end up in a rough cowboy town. When the crook, Doc Barker overhears Shemp talking about his large vein, he thinks Shemp has a gold mine. As Barker makes moves to steal the mine, our guys learn that Barker is holding three sisters prisoner. Larry, Moe and Shemp plan to free the girls and fall in love. What could go wrong?
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Pals and Gals uses footage from previous Stooges shorts: Goofs and Saddles (1937) and Out West (1947). Because of careless editing, Doc Barker dies in one scene and then reappears briefly later in a group shot.
Shemp has a funny scene playing cards with two cowboys trying to cheat.
Pals and Gals (1954) rates 3 of 5 stars.
