Search Results for: dave johnson

Mr. McMahon (2024) / Z-View

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Mr. McMahon (2024)

Director: Chris Smith

Stars: Vince McMahon, Lou Albano, Muhammad Ali, Tony Atlas, Steve Austin, Bob Backlund, Richard Belzer, Eric Bischoff, Mark Calaway, Johnny Carson,  John Cena, Bob Costas, Bret Hart, Jimmy Hart, Paul Heyman, Hulk Hogan, Dwayne Johnson, Cyndi Lauper, King Kong Bundy, Linda McMahon, Shane McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, Dave Meltzer, Bruce Prichard, Scott Hall, Owen Hart, Booker Huffman, Paul Levesque, Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Peter Fanene Maivia, Rocky Johnson, Jerry Lawler, Kurt Angle and Anderson Cooper.

Tagline: Mastermind. Madman.

The Plot…

Vince McMahon, the CEO and driving force behind World Wrestling Entertainment, was cooperating with a docuseries on his life.  Mr. McMahon gave access to hours of interviews and access to vintage footage.  Wrestlers, promoters and others who worked with and/or competed against Vince McMahon were interviewed.

During the production of this documentary, multiple allegations against Vince McMahon came to light.  These allegations included payoffs, sexual abuse and more.  Once the news of the charges became public knowledge, Vince McMahon broke off all cooperation with the docuseries.  The producers continued and completed the series without McMahon’s assistance.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Mr. McMahon does an excellent job of showing an overview of the history of professional wrestling and how Vince McMahon changed the business forever.

If you’re a fan of professional wrestling, this docuseries is required viewing.  It is informative and entertaining.

Vince McMahon deserves credit for taking professional wrestling into the mainstream, for making the WWE a billion dollar company and for his ability to bounce back from setbacks.  With that said, Vince McMahon does not come off as a good person.  If the allegations are true, he’s even worse.

Mr. McMahon (2024) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Mayor of Kingstown”: Season 3 (2024) starring Jeremy Renner / Z-View

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Mayor of Kingstown: Season 3 (2024)

Created by: Taylor Sheridan, Hugh Dillon

Director: Christoph Schrewe (Eps. 1-2, 9-10); Nina Lopez-Corrado (Eps. 3-4); Paul Cameron  (Ep. 5-6); Guy Ferland (7-8)

Teleplay: Dave Erickson (Ep. 1-10); Regina Corrado (Ep. 2); Wendy Riss (Ep. 3); Aalia Brown (Ep. 4); Christian Donovan (Ep. 5); James Arcega Tinsley (Ep. 6); Wendy Riss & Molly Forman (Ep. 7); ; Regina Corrado & Dave Erickson (Ep. 10)

Stars: Jeremy Renner, Hugh Dillon, Tobi Bamtefa, Taylor Handley, Emma Laird, Derek Webster, Hamish Allan-Headley, Michael Beach, Yorick van Wageningen, Nichole Galicia, Necar Zadegan, Lane Garrison, Mark Ivanir, Denny Love, Derek Basco, Gratiela Brancusi, Richard Brake, Paula Malcomson, Nona Parker Johnson, Dylan Kenin, Rob Kirkland, Matthew Del Negro and Kenny Johnson.

Tagline: You can’t bury the past.

The Plot…

The prison riot left gangs without leadership.  As they battle to determine their status, a Russian mob moves into town.  Each gang jockeys to get Mike to assist their rise to the top.  Mike and Bunny’s relationship is pushed to the breaking point.  As the body count rises, Mike comes up with a plan…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Mayor of Kingstown continues to be well written, well directed, well acted with production values that rival those of feature films.

Jeremy Renner is perfect as the no-nonsense Mike McClusky.  Other standouts in the acting department include Hugh Dillon, Emma Laird, Nichole Galicia, Tobi Bamtefa and Hamish Allan-Headley.  Actually, I should probably list every supporting actor/actress because they are all perfectly cast.

The surprises, twists and ever building tension make each episode must-see tv.  I hope we get a season four.

Mayor of Kingstown: Season 3 (2024) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Mayor of Kingstown”: Season 2 (2023) starring Jeremy Renner / Z-View

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Mayor of Kingstown: Season 2 (2023)

Created by: Taylor Sheridan, Hugh Dillon

Director: Stephen Kay (Eps. 1-3, 7-10); Tasha Smith (Eps. 3-4); Guy Ferland (Ep. 5-6)

Teleplay: Dave Erickson and Taylor Sheridan (Ep. 1); Taylor Sheridan (Ep. 2); Keli Goff (Ep. 3); Evan Ball (Ep. 4); Leon Hendrix III (Ep. 5); Christian Donovan (Ep. 6); Regina Corrado (Ep. 7); Hugh Dillon & Stephen Kay (Ep. 8); Christian Donovan & James Arcega Tinsley (Ep. 9); Regina Corrado & Dave Erickson (Ep. 10)

Stars: Jeremy Renner, Dianne Wiest, Hugh D illon, Tobi Bamtefa, Taylor Handley, Emma Laird, Derek Webster, Hamish Allan-Headley, Aidan Gillen, Michael Beach, Nichole Galicia, Necar Zadegan, Lane Garrison, Gena Shaw, Frank Licari, Dylan Kenin, George Tchortov, Sandrine Holt, Gratiela Brancusi, Matt Gerald, Nona Parker Johnson, Sandra Holt, Dom Kegel, Jimmy Star and Kenny Johnson.

Tagline: You can’t bury the past.

The Plot…

The prison riot is over but the ramifications will be long-lasting.  The major gangs are without leadership.  Gangs, like the universe, hate a void.  Power struggles in the prison spill over into gang wars in the streets.  Mike comes up with a plan to return to status quo, but there will be a cost.  Since the riot, no one trusts anyone.  To complicate matters, Iris is missing and Milo may be alive.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Mayor of Kingstown continues to be well written, well directed, well acted with production values that rival those of feature films.

Jeremy Renner is perfect as the no-nonsense Mike McClusky.  Other standouts in the acting department include Dianne Wiest, Hugh Dillon, Emma Laird, Nichole Galicia, Tobi Bamtefa and Hamish Allan-Headley.  Actually, I should probably list every supporting actor/actress because they are all perfectly cast.

The surprises, twists and ever building tension make each episode must-see tv.  I look forward to season 3 and beyond.

Mayor of Kingstown: Season 2 (2023) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Hang ‘Em High” (1968) starring Clint Eastwood / Z-View

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Hang ‘Em High (1968)

Director:  Ted Post

Screenplay by:  Leonard Freeman, Mel Goldberg

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Inger Stevens, Pat Hingle, Ed Begley, Ben Johnson, Charles McGraw, Ruth White, Bruce Dern, Alan Hale Jr., Arlene Golonka, James Westerfield, Dennis Hopper, L.Q. Jones, Joseph Sirola, James MacArthur, Bert Freed, Mark Lenard and Bob Steele.

Tagline: The hanging was the best show in town. But they made two mistakes. They hung the wrong man and they didn’t finish the job.

The Story: 

Jed Cooper (Eastwood), a former lawman, is found with a dead man’s cattle.  Despite a bill of sale, the six vigilantes don’t believe Cooper.  The put a noose around his neck, hang him and ride off.

Marshall Dave Bliss (Johnson) saw what was happening from a distance.  He rides in and cuts Cooper down.  Although he’ll carry a scar on his neck for the rest of his life, Cooper will live.  Marshall Bliss turns Cooper over to Hanging Judge Fenton (Hingle).  Fenton checks out Cooper’s story.  When he finds it to be true, he offers Cooper a job as a Marshall.

Cooper accepts.  His first order of business will be to track down the men that tried to hang him.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Hang ‘Em High was Clint Eastwood’s first starring role in a Hollywood movie.  It was also the first film Eastwood produced through his Malpaso production company.

Ted Post was handpicked to direct Hang ‘Em High by Clint Eastwood. Post had directed 24 episodes of Rawhide and the two had a good relationship.  Post and Eastwood would reteam for Magnum Force.

The supporting cast is made up of well known character actors (Pat Hingle, Ed Begley, Charles McGraw, Ruth White, Bruce Dern, Alan Hale Jr., Arlene Golonka, James Westerfield, Dennis Hopper, Joseph Sirola, James MacArthur, Bert Freed and Mark Lenard) and former cowboy stars (Ben Johnson, Alan Hale, Jr., L.Q. Jones and Bob Steele).

Although it was sometimes advertised with the tagline: A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good the Bad and the Ugly…NOW The Man With No Name is back!, Eastwood’s character in Hang ‘Em High is NOT The Man With No Name.

“Glass Onion” (2022) starring Daniel Craig / Z-View

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Glass Onion (2022)

Director:  Rian Johnson

Screenplay:  Rian Johnson

Stars: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Dallas Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Hugh Grant, Stephen Sondheim, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Serena Williams

Tagline: A Rian Johnson Whodunit.

The Plot…

Miles Bron (Norton), one of the world’s richest men, has invited five friends to his private island.  They will play a murder mystery game while staying in his mansion, the Glass Onion.  His five friends are Bron’s head scientist Lionel Toussaint (Odom), Connecticut governor Claire Debella (Hahn),  fashion designer Birdie Jay (Hudson), social media influencer Duke Cody (Bautista), and ousted Alpha co-founder Cassandra “Andi” Brand (Monáe).

Each guest received a special invitation that would be impossible to copy.  Surprisingly, the world famous detective, Benoit Blanc (Craig) also received an invitation. He has arrived with the other guests.  Bron has no idea how Blanc could have received an invite, but allows him to stay.

Before the weekend concludes there will be multiple murders and only a world class detective will be able to peel back the layers to solve them.  Luckily, Benoit Blanc is there…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Glass Onion is the second film to feature Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc.  Rion Johnson, creator, writer and director of both films, was upset that Netflix required Glass Onion to be titled Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.  In each film, Benoit Blanc solves a complicated murder with multiple suspects.  The set-up is time tested (Nero Wolfe, Charlie Chan, Columbo, etc.) and it is wonderful that Johnson continues the tradition.

Glass Onion features quirky characters with each part well cast. A special shout out to Janelle Monáe who gets the biggest opportunity to show her acting chops.  She shines.

Rion Johnson has created another winner.  I hope he has more Benoit Blanc whodunits in our future.

Glass Onion earns 4 of 5 stars.

“The Conjuring​: The Devil Made Me Do It” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Wow!  I like the poster and love the trailer for The Conjuring​: The Devil Made Me Do It.  The addition of the true crime (although I’ll have to look into how true the crime is) aspect works for me.  I like everything about this so far and it may end up being my favorite of The Conjuring films.

True horror returns. Based on the case files of Ed and Lorraine Warren. #TheConjuring​: The Devil Made Me Do It, in theaters and HBO Max June 4.

“The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” reveals a chilling story of terror, murder and unknown evil that shocked even experienced real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. One of the most sensational cases from their files, it starts with a fight for the soul of a young boy, then takes them beyond anything they’d ever seen before, to mark the first time in U.S. history that a murder suspect would claim demonic possession as a defense.

Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson return to star as Lorraine and Ed Warren, under the direction of Michael Chaves (“The Curse of La Llorona”). The film also stars Ruairi O’Connor (Starz’ “The Spanish Princess”), Sarah Catherine Hook (Hulu’s “Monsterland”) and Julian Hilliard (the series “Penny Dreadful: city of Angels” and “The Haunting of Hill House”).

“The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” was produced by James Wan and Peter Safran, who have collaborated on all the “Conjuring” Universe films. Chaves directed from a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (“The Conjuring 2,” “Aquaman”), story by James Wan & David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, based on characters created by Chad Hayes & Carey W. Hayes. Serving as executive producers were Richard Brener, Dave Neustadter, Victoria Palmeri, Michael Clear, Judson Scott and Michelle Morrissey.

The behind-the-scenes creative team reunited “Conjuring” Universe contributors, including director of photography Michael Burgess, production designer Jennifer Spence, costume designer Leah Butler and composer Joseph Bishara, along with the director’s editor from “The Curse of La Llorona,” Peter Gvozdas, and editor Christian Wagner (“Furious 7”).

“The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” is the seventh film in the “Conjuring” Universe, the largest horror franchise in history, which has grossed more than $1.8 billion worldwide. It includes the first two “Conjuring” films, as well as “Annabelle” and “Annabelle: Creation,” “The Nun,” and “Annabelle Comes Home.”

New Line Cinema presents An Atomic Monster/A Peter Safran Production, “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.” It will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film opens in theatres and IMAX nationwide on June 4, 2021 and will be available on HBO Max for 31 days from theatrical release. The film is rated R for terror, violence and some disturbing images.

HeroesCon 2016 / Z-View

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HeroesCon 2016 was, as are all HeroesCons, a blast.  Read on and I’m sure you’ll agree.

The Pre-Show:

Doralya and I left Thursday morning.  Several of our friends were going up early and so we decided to meet them for dinner the night before the show.  We met at Merts Heart and Soul.  By we, I mean Doralya, John Beatty, Little John and his bride Patricia, Mike Cross, Richard Cox and his wife.  The food was good, but the company was even better.

The Convention Hotels:

This was the first year that we stayed at two hotels.  Usually we can either be found at the Westin or the Hampton Inn Charlotte – Uptown.  This year, depending on the night we could be found at either.  When we decided to go up early the Westin (our main hotel that we had already booked for the con) couldn’t fit us in.  Thankfully, the Hampton came through.

People:

  • Hung with John Beatty at his table on and off throughout the con.  Joined by Doralya, Little John & Patricia and Mike Cross while John sketched in his room on Friday.  A lot of laughs.
  • Went to the start of the HeroesCon auction.  Saw a lot of nice art.  Happy that Little John won a few pieces!  It was cool seeing DMC from RUN DMC take the podium and get the crowd rocking.
  • Even cooler meeting DMC in the hotel gift shop later that night.  What a nice celeb!  Very gracious and willing to pose for photos.

Sketches:

  • Picked up HeroesCon Black Panther by Brian Stelffreeze t-shirts for me, John Higashi, The James and one of his friends.
  • Picked up sketches from Mike Torrance: 1] Jack Carter and Lono from 100 Bullets, 2] Jack Carter and Marv from Sin City, 3] The Specialist Card, 4] Capone (Sly as Frank Nitti) Card and two Sly Artist’s Choice Cards.  Mike came through like a champ and selected Rocky from Creed and Judge Dredd for the Artist’s choice cards.
  • Picked up Jack Carter sketch from Uko Smith.  Iconic.  Second year in a row for an Uko piece!
  • Picked up Jack Carter and Lono piece from Megan Levens.  First time commission from Megan but will not be the last.
  • Picked up Bullet to the Head mugshot by Dave Wachter.  The HeroesCon/Dave Wachter sketch streak stays alive.
  • Picked up Rocky sketch by Shamus Murphy.  Dug it so much, I went back for a bigger sketch by Shamus and he came through with Sly as Jack Carter.
  • Saw Casey Jones, who was drawing for Heroes Initiative, and was able to serve as the middle man to get John Higashi the Audrey Hepburn piece he wanted.
  • Commissioned and got a head sketch from Joe Delgatta.  I love Joe’s art and the Cobra sketch he did for me is a real highlight!
  • Met Reid Beaman and got a Jack Carter sketch from him.
  • Met (after many mail commissions) Thomas Boatwright and got a Rocky and Apollo watercolor sketch from him.
  • After hearing Little John talk about a sketch he got of Gargoyle on Batman on a Gargoyle all weekend, I got Chris Flick to do a Rocky with arms raised in victory on a gargoyle.

Autographs:

  • Danniel Warren Johnson – my Space Mullet trade.  So happy for his success!
  • Eric Bonhomme – his pinup in my The Package trade
  • Vanessa Del Rey – my Hit 1955 and Hit 1957 trades
  • James Harren – my Rumble 1 and 2 trades
  • Jason LaTour – his new sketchbook, my Noche Roja hardcover, my Southern Bastards 1 hardcover, and my HeroesCon 2016 Southern Bastards print.

Panels:

  • The Inkwell Awards (and keeping with tradition, LittleJohn312 and Patricia joined me — or did I join them?) were fun. It is always great to see deserving artists receive recognition.  It’s even better when Steranko is the keynote speaker!
  • Went to the Drink & Draw at Buffalo Wild Wings on Friday.  Got a Chris Flick Sly from Rhinestone sketch.

  • Crime Panel – Joe Rauch talked crime/noir comics, tv and movies with Justin Greenwood (The Fuse), John Lees (And Then Emily was Gone), Rich Tommaso (Dark Corridor), Christopher Sebela and Ibrahim Moustafa (High Crimes).

The biggest surprise is that we only ate at Fuel once. It was good to keep that tradition alive, but not over do it.

In closing:

HeroesCon this year was huge. The wider aisles made movement easier. There were also additional sections this year with chairs and tables for con guests to sit, eat and visit.

Seeing old friends and meeting new ones is always a fun part of the show. I won’t try to list them all because invariably I would leave some out.

This year I was able to talk Doralya into coming into the show on Sunday. We walked the floor and met a lot of artists (new and old friends).

Thanks to Shelton and his crew for another great HeroesCon — see everyone next year!

Heroes More Than Ever!

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I’m always ready for Heroes. It’s my favorite comic con of the year due to it’s laid back atmosphere and the amount of talent that the show attracts. I didn’t think that it would be easy for Shelton to top last year’s guest list, but this year’s is mighty impressive! And I just found out that Dave [100 Bullets] Johnson, Rafael [Conan] Kayanan, and Andrew [Dusty Star] Robinson will be sharing table space alongside my best bud, “Big” John Beatty.

Yeah, I’m always ready for Heroes… and now more than ever!