Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Alex Maidy and JoBlo.com recently took a look at the Top 10 One on One Movie Fights.
I would have found spots for Lee Marvin vs Ernest Borgnine in Hard Times, Bruce Lee vs Chuck Norris in Return of the Dragon, Sly Stallone vs Mr. T in Rocky 3, Lee Marvin vs Robert Tessier in Hard Times.
This Allied teaser looks pretty good.
Spectre (2015)
Director: Sam Mendes
Screenplay: John Logan and Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and Jez Butterworth based on character created by Ian Fleming
Stars: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Monica Bellucci, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris and Dave Bautista.
The Pitch: “Hey, I’ve got an idea on a new James Bond movie!”
Tagline: “The dead are alive”
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Bond [Craig] discovers SPECTRE, a mysterious worldwide organization behind many terrorist activities. As Bond follows clues in the field, the new head of National Security in England has decided to shut down the MI6 division of National Security. Bond is alone and without backup when SPECTRE turns their sights to Bond.
I really like Daniel Craig as Bond and much of Spectre was fun, but I found myself wanting more — more from the opening action sequence and more from the main fight between Craig and Batista. Perhaps Casino Royale just set the bar too high…
Rating:
Fan favorite artist, Arthur Adams created six variant covers for The Walking Dead. When the covers are connected they make one large scene!
Invisible Agent (1942)
Director: Edwin L. Marin
Screenplay: Curtis Siodmak based on a character created by HG Wells
Stars: Ilona Massey, Jon Hall and Peter Lorre.
The Pitch: “Hey, I’ve got an idea on a new Invisible Man movie!”
Tagline: “Today’s most amazing sensation!”
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Frank Raymond [Hall], grandson of the man who created the invisibility formula is approached by Nazi and Japanese agents who want to buy the formula. Raymond refuses and escapes. Soon enough Raymond is an Invisible Agent for the US of A behind enemy lines!
Invisible Agent is more of a comedy than horror film and works well enough. Who doesn’t love to see Nazi’s looking foolish?
Rating:
Eric D. Snider and Mental_Floss present 13 Nostalgic Facts About American Graffiti. Here are three of my favorites…
3. CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, THERE IS NO ACTUAL CONNECTION BETWEEN AMERICAN GRAFFITI AND HAPPY DAYS.
Happy Days premiered five months after American Graffiti was released. It was set in the ’50s, had Ron Howard playing a teen very similar to his American Graffiti character, used “Rock Around the Clock” as its theme song, and even borrowed the American Graffiti font for the credits. You’d think that Happy Days was somehow a spin-off of the movie, but you’d be wrong. It actually began as an unsold pilot in 1971 and aired in 1972 as part of the anthology series Love, American Style. (Lucas watched it at some point when he was considering casting Howard in American Graffiti.) After the movie took off, and with ’50s nostalgia in high gear (Grease was burning up Broadway), ABC reconsidered the Happy Days pilot, ordered a series, and did everything they could to make it remind people of American Graffiti. It ran for 10 years and was one of the most popular sitcoms in TV history.
8. THE PRODUCER HAD TO BECOME MACKENZIE PHILLIPS’ LEGAL GUARDIAN FOR THE SHOOT.
Mackenzie Phillips was just 12 years old when she arrived to make the film, and though she had showbiz experience (her father, John Phillips, was in The Mamas & the Papas), neither she nor her parents realized that California law required her to have a guardian present. “They were almost going to have to recast me, but Gary Kurtz”—a producer on the film—”and his family said, ‘We’ll take her,'” Phillips said in 1999. ” So they went to the courts in San Francisco and got guardianship of me.” Phillips lived with the Kurtzes for the duration of the shoot and described it as a happy experience.
2. IT WAS SAVED FROM BECOMING A TV MOVIE BY THE GODFATHER.
Universal Pictures gave Lucas a budget of $600,000, or about $3.5 million in 2016 dollars, to make the movie—in other words, not very much. When Coppola came onboard as a producer shortly after the release of The Godfather, Universal gave Lucas another $175,000. Later, when the film was finished and had test-screened positively, Universal inexplicably wanted to drastically re-edit it and release it as a TV movie. Lucas objected but had no clout. Coppola, on the other hand—by this time an Oscar-winner—could make studio executives listen. He convinced them to do only a little bit of trimming (the deleted scenes were reincorporated for home video release) and to release the film theatrically.
Today we have a new Jack Reacher: Never Go Back poster and teaser. If you liked the last ones, you’ll like these as well.
Takers (2010)
Director: John Luessenhop
Screenplay: Peter Allen & Gabriel Casseus and John Luessenhop & Avery Duff
Stars: Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen, Matt Dillon, Michael Ealy, Idris Elba, Paul Wakler and Zoe Saldana.
The Pitch: “Let’s make a movie about a pair of cops after a gang of thieves and will put in two twists at the end!”
Tagline: “Everyone’s after something.”
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
A very successful group of thieves finds a huge score suddenly placed before them by a team member who just go out of prison. The short time for prep before the score is going to be as much of an issue as the pair of cops that they don’t know are on their trail.
There are a couple of nice twists near the end of the film.
Rating:
Last week we took a visit to Guilermo Del Toro’s Bleak House.
If you’d like to see some of Guillermo del Toro’s personal collection of movie props, original art and other collectibles, you can if you live within traveling distance of The Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
The exhibit is called Guillermo del Toro: At Home with Monsters.
This Arrival teaser has my attention!
When mysterious spacecrafts touch down across the globe, an elite team – lead by expert linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) – is brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers – and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life, and quite possibly humanity. In theatres Nov 11, 2016
Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Official Movie Site: WhyAreTheyHere.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/ArrivalMovie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/arrivalmovie
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
Director: J.J. Abrams
Screenplay: Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman & Damon Lindelof based on characters created by Gene Roddenberry
Stars: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Peg, John Cho, Benedict Cumberpatch, Bruce Greenwood and Peter Weller.
The Pitch: “Isn’t about time for a new Star Trek movie?”
Tagline: “Beyond the darkness, lies greatness.”
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
After a super-powered genius leaves Star Fleet in shambles and Earth in crisis, Kirk and crew track him to Klingon territory. Before it’s over Kirk and his Enterprise team will face off against the terrorist, Klingons and Star Fleet.
Rating:
Sicario was one of the best movies in recent memory. Naturally, a sequel is planned with Taylor Sheridan returning to write the screenplay which will focus Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro) and Matt Graver (Josh Brolin).
To read more about Sicario 2 and how Taylor Sheridan describes it check out Jack Giroux’s “Sicario” Screenwriter Says the Sequel Is The First Movie on “Steroids” at /Film.
The Legend of Tarzan (2016)
Director: David Yates
Screenplay: Adam Cozad and Craig Brewer based on the Tarzan stories created by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Stars: Alexander Skarsgård, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, Margot Robbie and Djimon Hounsou.
The Pitch: “Isn’t about time for a new Tarzan movie?”
Tagline: “Human. Nature.”
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
John Clayton aka Tarzan [Skarsgård] is living a wealthy life in England with his beautiful wife Jane [Robbie] when they are lured back to Africa under false pretenses. Jane is kidnapped and Tarzan goes to save her. Soon Tarzan finds himself pitted against a native tribe [he did kill the chief’s son] and an army. Of course Tarzan isn’t called the King of the Jungle for nothing.
Rating:
ComingSoon.net recently posted their choices for The Top Ten Toughest Heroines in Horror and SciFi.
Using just their list I would say the top three are Ripley from Aliens, Furiosa from Mad Max: Fury Road and Sarah Conner from Terminator 2.
My question is how could they not include: Lornetta “Mace” Mason from Strange Days, Charly Baltimore from The Long Kiss Goodnight and Michonne from The Walking Dead??
Dark Was the Night (2014)
Director: Jack Heller
Screenplay: Tyler Hisel
Stars: Kevin Durand, Lukas Haas and Steve Agee.
The Pitch: “Hey, anybody remember the movie ‘Prophecy’?”
Tagline: “Evil’s Roots Run Deep”
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Strange things are happening and the townspeople are on edge. Giant cloven hoof prints going through town, pets and livestock turning up missing or mutilated, strange sounds at night have people jumpy. Some think that a legendary creature is back.
They’re not far off.
Bonus points for the ending. Minus points for the CGI.
Rating:
