“Interview with the Vampire” Season 1 (2022) starring Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, Eric Bogosian, and Bailey Bass / Z-View

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Interview with the Vampire Season 1 (2022)

Directors:  Alan Taylor (episodes 1-2); Keith Powell (episodes 3-4); Levan Akin (episodes 5-6); Alexis Ostrander (episode 7)

Teleplay: Rolin Jones (episode 1); Jonathan Ceniceroz & Dave Harris (episode 2); Rolin Jones & Hannah Moscovitch (episode 3); Eleanor Burgess (episode 4); Hannah Moscovitch (episode 5); Coline Abert (episode 6); Rolin Jones & Ben Philippe (episode 7)

Stars: Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, Eric Bogosian, Assad Zaman, Bailey Bass, Rae Dawn Chong and Dana Gourrier

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Interview with a Vampire is an adaptation of Anne Rice’s novel, Interview with a Vampire.

In 1910, Louis de Pointe du Lac (Anderson) is a successful black business man.  He owns several brothels and rubs shoulders with many of the city’s civic leaders.  Louis meets and befriends  Lestat de Lioncourt (Reid).  Lestat is handsome, charismatic and somewhat mysterious.  He’s also a vampire! As Louis and Lestat spend time together, their friendship grows.  Ultimately, Lestat turns Louis into a vampire.

Louis is shocked and sickened by what he’s become.  He vows to never see Lestat again… but that doesn’t last.  Lestat teaches Louis how to hunt, the things that will kill a vampire, and how to blend in among humans.  Louis makes Lestat agree to some concessions.  They will prey only on the worst humans.  Lestat agrees, but he’s a remorseless killer.  The promise is a sham. There is more that Lestat keeps secret.

When a fire breaks out in a poor part of town, Louis pulls Claudia (Bass), a young girl, from a burning building.  Claudia is on the verge of death.  Louis saves Claudia by turning her.  Louis and Lestat become her “uncles” and the three vampires live together.

Over time Claudia sees the differences between Louis and Lestat. Louis is compassionate and caring.  Lestat is self-centered and heartless.  A rift forms.  Louis and Lestat are already having issues with their toxic relationship.  Problems increase with Claudia’s need for independence. Plus rumors are growing about strange goings on in Louis and Lestat’s mansion…

All of this is relayed in flashbacks as Louis is interviewed by Daniel Malloy (Bogosian), a cynical writer planning a book on Louis’ life.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Interview with the Vampire Season 1 is a tour de force.  Well written with extremely well cast actors joined by top notch direction results in a wonderful viewing experience.

Jacob Anderson (Louis) and Sam Reid (Lestat) have chemistry.  I knew Anderson from his impressive role on Game of Thrones.  I had seen Reid a decade ago in the mini-series Hatfields & McCoys, but didn’t remember him until looking up his credits.  Reid makes an impact here! Baily Bass as Claudia is an actress to watch.  I’d never seen her before, but imagine she’ll be a household name soon.  She’s that talented.  Eric Bogosian is great as the cynical writer.  I’ve never been a big fan of Bogosian’s but he’s perfect here.

Interview with a Vampire isn’t your typical vampire tale.  These vampires have more desires than just drinking blood. It’s interesting how different aspects of a vampire’s life are explored.  First there’s the loneliness. A vampire is a rare creature that if discovered by humans would be killed.  All of a vampire’s relationships change.  Family and friends know something is different.  Vampires never age.  They are rarely seen during the day.  How  to get rid of the bodies they feed on?  How long before missing people are linked to the vampire?

Interview with a Vampire Season 1, like Anne Rice’s novel, doesn’t shy away from the homosexual aspects of Louis and Lestat’s relationship.  Nothing graphic is shown.  Louis was a closeted homosexual in 1910.  Lestat was uninhibited and took whatever he desired whether it was a woman or a man.  Who’d think that a toxic vampire relationship would make great television.

I loved every episode of Interview with a Vampire Season 1.  There’s a lot of ground to cover between 1910 and 2022.  While many questions were an answered even more were not.  I look forward to Season 2.

Interview with the Vampire Season 1 earns 5 of 5 stars.

“Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise” (1939) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise (1939)

Director:  Jules White

Screenplay: Andrew Bennison, Mauri Grashin

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard and Dorothy Comingore

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

The boys (Larry, Curly and Moe) are hobos.  After a run-in with a farmer who catches our guys stealing eggs, Curly makes a wish… and it comes true.  Then every time Curly makes a wish, something happens to make it come true.

The boys meet a farm lady with three daughters.  The lady was just swindled out of her land for the oil it contains.  Will the boys be able to make things right?  I’d bet on it!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise is the only Stooges’ short where Moe never hits Larry!  There’s some funny business with the boys trying to work off their debt to the farmer.  The real laughs occur when Larry, Curly and Moe try to get the farm lady’s pump to work.  Although you might think that Curly got the worst of it (and he does in the film); it was Moe who really got an eye injury during that scene.

Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise earns 5 of 5 stars.

“Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery” (2022) starring Will Arnett, Jason Bateman & Maya Rudolph / Z-View

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Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery (2022)

Director:  Laura Murphy

Screenplay: Krister Johnson

Stars: Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Pete Davidson, Maya Rudolph, Sean Hayes and Dennice Cisneros

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Detective Terry Seattle (Arnett) and his new partner in training, Jason Bateman, have an easy shift. They’re providing security for a photo op at city hall with Santa, the mayor and some orphans.  It’s a cakewalk assignment until the lights go out and Santa is killed.  Seattle and Bateman have until sunrise to solve the crime.  Luckily there are two surprise guests coming to help…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Murderville has a great set-up.  The guests on the show don’t ever see a script.  They don’t even get to see the sets until filming starts.  Then there is a murder. The guest stars try to solve who did it using real clues as they adlib their way through the episode.  At the end, each guest star is given three suspects.  The star then picks the suspect he/she believes is the killer as well as the clues that led to the decision.  It’s fun to play along as a viewer.

Jason Bateman, Maya Rudolph and Pete Davidson are the guest stars.  It’s hilarious that not one of the stars thinks a provided suspect is the killer.  At one point Pete Davidson does something unexpected and Arnett quickly adlibs to keep the bit working.  Oh and Sean Hayes as Santa cannot stop cracking up… even after he’s been murdered!

Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery earns 3 of 5 stars.

SYFY’s 2022/2023 Twilight Zone New Year’s Eve Marathon Schedule is Up!

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SYFY’s 2022/2023 Twilight Zone New Year’s Eve Marathon schedule is up!  The Twilight Zone New Year’s Eve Marathon has been one of our family traditions for decades.  Sometimes we binge watch. Other times we just check in on favorite episodes.  Shadow & Substance (an excellent Rod Serling fan site) has this year’s full schedule.  Before you click over to check it out, let me suggest some favorite Twilight Zone episodes…

December 31, 2022
9:00am – Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
11:30am – The Shelter
2:30pm – Eye of the Beholder
6:30pm – To Serve Man
9:30pm – The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street

January 1, 2023
1:30am – Five Characters in Search of an Exit
7:00am – The Obsolete Man
+++++
This year SYFY is mixing in three episodes from the 2019 series.  I’ve never seen ANY of those episodes, so I plan to check these three out.  You may want to as well.

8:00pm – Meet in the Middle (2019 series)
9:00pm – The Wunderkind (2019 series)
9:57pm – The Who of You (2019 series)
+++++

January 2, 2023
12:30am – The Howling Man
4:30am – The Midnight Sun
6:30am – Third From the Sun
10:00am – Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?
5:30pm – Time Enough At Last

January 3, 2023
2:30am – The Invaders
3:00am – The Silence

The Twilight Zone and quite a few other folks will be live-Tweeting during the marathon.   If you watch, please join in!

“Troll” (2022) / Z-View

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Troll (2022)

Director:  Roar Uthaug

Screenplay: Espen Aukan from a story by Roar Uthaug

Stars: Ine Marie Wilmann, Kim Falck, Mads Sjøgård Pettersen and Billy Campbell

Tagline: Mountains Will Move

The Plot…

A drilling operation accidentally sets of a large explosion in the Norwegian Dovre mountains.  Something huge is unleashed. Whatever was set free is destroying everything in it’s path.  Surprisingly there is little evidence left behind the destruction.

The government brings in a diverse group of military leaders and scientists to brainstorm next steps.  Nora Tidemann (Wilmann), after studying blurring camera images and evidence comes to believe the monster could be a giant troll.  She’s nearly laughed out of the room.

By the time it’s understood that Nora is right, the giant mythological beast is heading for the nation’s capital destroying all that gets in it’s way.  While the city evacuates, Nora and Captain Kristoffer Holm (Pettersen) put together a plan that may stop the creature. If it doesn’t kill them first.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Troll is so much fun!  If someone came to me with the idea of a giant troll movie, I would have passed.  It’s a great thing I wasn’t in charge of greenlighting this movie.  Everyone plays it straight which sets up both comedic and scary scenes.  The troll design is awesome.  If you’re a fan of King Kong and Godzilla, you should love Troll.  Keep an eye out for Billy Campbell of Rocketeer fame in a small role!

Troll earns 4 of 5 stars.

“Dizzy Pilots” (1943) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Dizzy Pilots (1943)

Director:  Jules White

Screenplay: Clyde Bruckman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard and Al Thompson

Tagline: Dog-Gone Good Fun!

The Plot…

The boys (Larry, Curly and Moe) claim that they have invented an airplane that will revolutionize flight.  Military and Government inspectors are coming to test their claims.  If the plane is all they say, the boys will get a deferment from joining the military.  If the plane falls short of their claims, the boys will be in the army now.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

In Dizzy Pilots Moe gets the worst treatment, which is rare in any Stooges’ short.  There is extended business when Moe falls into a trough of kick drying rubber that forms around his body.  Larry and Curly shoot air into the gunk and Moe is in danger of floating away.  Larry and Curly’s attempts to get him down are priceless.  Curly gets the most laughs when his Drill Sargent shows the proper way to “present arms” and Curly follows his Sarge’s every movement.

Dizzy Pilots contains about 5 minutes of footages from their Boobs in Arms short, but the scenes fit right in.

Dizzy Pilots earns 5 of 5 stars.

“Clean” (2021) starring Adrien Brody / Z-View

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Clean (2021)

Director:  Paul Solet

Screenplay: Paul Solet, Adrien Brody 

Stars: Adrien Brody, Glenn Fleshler, Mykelti Williamson, John Bianco and RZA, 

Tagline: Revenge is a Dirty Business

The Plot…

Clean (Brody) is a city garbage collector.  After a day picking up trash, Clean works repairing broken equipment he found on the route. Clean is haunted by memories from his past. Divorced and guilty over his baby daughter’s death, Clean is trying to change the man he used to be.  There’s a young girl who lives in the neighborhood.  She reminds Clean of his daughter.  When the girl is brutally attacked by a mob boss’ son, Clean takes revenge. Now the boss plans to have his gang kill the girl, her mother and Clean…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Clean isn’t a bad film.  It’s got a time-tested plot. A former bad man suffering from guilt is trying to make amends.  Adrien Brody is an excellent actor.  The film has a gritty look which you want for this type of film.  What stops it from being better is it is so generic.  We know the beats to expect and there are no surprises.

Clean earns 2 of 5 stars.

“Calling All Curs” (1939) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Calling All Curs (1939)

Director:  Jules White

Screenplay: Elwood Ullman, Searle Kramer from a story by Thea Goodan

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard

Tagline: Dog-Gone Good Fun!

The Plot…

The boys (Larry, Curly and Moe) are veterinarians running a pet hospital.  When a couple of con men steal one of the prize dogs, Larry, Curly and Moe have to recover it before their rich client discovers it is missing!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Although Calling All Curs is a fairly generic Stooges’ short, it was one of Curly’s favorites because of his love of dogs.  Calling All Curs is one of the few Stooges’ shorts where the boys are successful professionals.  They’re usually out of work and struggling to get by.

Calling All Curs earns 4 of 5 stars.

RIP: Mike Hodges

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Mike Hodges, the British writer, director and producer died on December 17, 2022.  Mr. Hodges was 90.

Mike Hodges began his career as a teleprompter operator for British television.  In his down time, Mr. Hodges began writing scripts. His writing was good enough to get him noticed. Mike Hodges directing career began with episodes of British television shows.  He continued writing screenplays.

Suspect (1969) and Rumour (1970) were two scripts that he wrote and directed for Thames Television.  The strength of his work on those two films led to him getting to adapt Ted Lewis’ novel Jack’s Return Home.  Mr. Hodges directed his adaptation which was retitled, Get Carter.  If he never made another film, Mike Hodges would be remembered for this crime classic.

Mike Hodges continued directing, but he also branched out to write stage plays, radio plays and novellas.

Some of Mr. Hodges’ feature films include: Get Carter; The Terminal Man; Damien: The Omen II; Flash Gordon; A Prayer for the Dying; Croupier and I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mike Hodges’ family, friends and fans.

“Door Mouse” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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So far I like what I see from the poster and trailer for Door Mouse.  Deal me in.

In this gritty super-stylish thriller, Mouse (Hayley Law), is an irreverent dancer at a dead-end burlesque club run by Mama (Famke Janssen), a tough, shady club owner. When Mouse’s only friends and fellow club dancers go missing under mysterious circumstances, nobody at the club seems too concerned about them, and the police couldn’t care less. Mouse and her constant sidekick Ugly (Keith Powers) quickly realize that it is up to them to dig up all the dirt and start the hunt for the culprits. Desperate for answers and with time running out, Mouse chooses a very risky play that plunges her further down the rabbit hole and into a sordid underworld, leaving her out in the open. What she discovers is that corruption runs deep, monsters are real, and that sometimes, justice is meant to be taken into your own hands.

“Q & A” (1990) starring Nick Nolte, Timothy Hutton and Armand Assante / Z-View

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Q & A (1990)

Director:  Sidney Lumet

Screenplay: Sidney Lumet based on the novel Q & A by Edwin Torres

Stars: Nick Nolte, Timothy Hutton, Armand Assante, Patrick O’Neal, Lee Richardson, Luis Guzmán, Charles S. Dutton, Jenny Lumet, Paul Calderon, Dominic Chianese, Leonardo Cimino, Fyvush Finkel and John Capodice

Tagline: When the questions are dangerous, the answers can be deadly.

The Plot…

Late one night Al Reilly (Hutton) is awakened by a call from Kevin Quinn (O’Neal), the head of the District Attorney’s Homicide Bureau.  Quinn wants Reilly to investigate a police shooting.  Mike Brennan (Nolte) a decorated NY city cop with a reputation for being tough killed a small-time Puerto Rican hood.  Brennan claims it was self-defense.  Quinn tells Reilly it’s an open-and-shut case.

Reilly, Detective Luis Valentin (Guzmán) and Detective Sam Chapman (Dutton) conduct a Q & A of all the witnesses.  Brennan claims he was following up on an informant’s tip and shot in self-defense.  Bobby Texador (Assante) a Puerto Rican crime boss was there. He says he didn’t see a thing.  It turns out Texador’s wife, Nancy (Lumet) was once involved with Reilly.  She disappeared from Reilly’s life six years ago without a word.  Texador tells Reilly he knows about the relationship and threatens him.

Quinn wants Reilly to wrap up the investigation and clear Brennan.  Reilly and Valentine don’t believe that things went down the way Brennan says.  Chapman warns them that Brennan has connections upstairs and with some shady folks.  Reilly decides to dig deeper.

When Brennan finds out Reilly is still investigating the shooting he threatens Reilly. Now Reilly is feeling pressure from his boss, plus the threats from Brennan and Texador have him on edge.  Many people will die before the truth is known… but will justice win out?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Sidney Lumet pulled together an all-star cast for Q & A.  Nick Nolte, Timothy Hutton and Armand Assante have never been better.  Luis Guzmán and Charles S. Dutton are always solid.  Jenny Lumet (Sidney Lumet’s daughter) is perfect in her role as Assante and Hutton’s love interest.  A special shout out for Fyvush Finkel’s performance as a slimy lawyer.

Sidney Lumet made several great films during his career.  He was nominated for Academy Awards as Best Director five times.  Although Q & A didn’t get the same recognition, it should have.

Q & A is set up so that the audience knows from the start that Brennan is a cold-blooded killer.  We know the danger that Reilly is in before he does.  The tension builds as Reilly digs deeper.  The mystery for the audience isn’t IF Brennan murdered the guy, but WHY he murdered him.  There’s also the subplot of why Reilly’s girl left him all those years ago.  How did she end up with the crime boss Bobby Texador?  And what will Texador do when he finds out Reilly still loves his wife?

Q & A earns 5 of 5 stars.

“Idiots Deluxe” (1945) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Idiots Deluxe (1945)

Director:  Jules White

Screenplay: Elwood Ullman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Vernon Dent and Al Thompson

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Moe is on trial for beating up Larry and Curly.  Moe explains that he was suffering from a bad case of nerves.  Moe’s doctor had prescribed quiet relaxation.  And Moe was trying to rest.  Then Larry and Curly started practicing their “The Original Two-Man Quartet” act!  Once Moe “kindly” explained his situation, Larry and Curly wanted to help.  So they took Moe to the woods to get away from it all.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Idiots Deluxe is probably my favorite Stooges short that doesn’t involve ghosts, monsters, mad scientists or gorillas.  Surprisingly (especially considering the set-up) Moe doesn’t beat up Larry and Curly as much as usual!  Every scene contains laughs and there’s more comic wordplay in this one than usual.  Sadly, this was the last Stooges short made before Curly had his stroke.

Idiots Deluxe earns 5 of 5 stars.

“Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies” (2020) / Z-View

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Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies (2020)

Director:  Danny Wolf

Screenplay: Paul Fishbein, Danny Wolf

Stars: Pam Grier, Amy Heckerling, Mariel Hemingway, Camille Keaton, Diane Franklin, Malcolm McDowell, Angela Landis, Traci Lords, Martine Beswick, Linda Blair, Peter Bogdanovich, Elizabeth Daily, Sybil Danning, Joe Dante, Bruce Davison, Ken Davitian, Kristine DeBell, Sylvia Miles, Rena Riffel, Eric Roberts, Kevin Smith and Sean Young

Tagline: The definitive documentary on the history of nudity in feature films from the early silent days to the present, studying the changes in morality that led to the use of nudity in films while emphasizing the political, sociological and artistic changes that shaped that history.

The Plot…

Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies explores, well, you guessed it, nudity in movies.  By the time the motion picture industry got started, there were already peep shows where you could crank a handle and see nudes in motion.  It was only natural that nudity would appear in mainstream films.  It’s interesting to note the changes that came in with the Hays Code and how studio’s attempted to get around it.

Skin does a good job of taking us through the changes of how film nudity was used and perceived by the public.  The producers of Skin were to smart to get the actual actors and actresses for interviews.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I joked that I watched Skin just for the interviews.  Truthfully, I was interested in the history of nudity in movies, especially the early days.  When I was a kid there wasn’t much nudity in movies, but then in the late 60s through the 80s, there often seemed to be at least one scene (at a minimum) where a woman was topless.  Hearing from the actresses (and actors) as to how they perceived performing in the nude made everything more personal.  Oh, and if you’re just tuning in to see the nude women, be aware the guys aren’t left out.  Well, maybe left “out” wasn’t the right choice of words.

Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies earns 4 of 5 stars.