Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Sergio Toppi is one of the Italian masters that people like Frank Miller, Bill Sienkiewicz, Mike Mignola, Walt Simonson, Mike Zeck, and many others go crazy for. Big John Beatty was raving about how nice this piece is when he saw it. And who could disagree?
– Craig Zablo (April 28, 2002)
Artwork © Sergio Toppi
I just finished reading my second “Dirk Pitt” adventure by Clive Cussler. Sahara is being considered for a major motion picture… can you say franchise?
Excerpts from Simon and Schuster:
1996.. a disease is driving thousands of North Africans into madness, cannibalism, and death. The suspected cause of the raging epidemic is vast, unprecedented pollution that threatens to extinguish all life… Racing to save the world from environmental catastrophe, Pitt and his team… run a gauntlet between a billionaire industrialist and a bloodthirsty West African tyrant. In the scorching desert, Pitt finds a gold mine manned by slaves and uncovers the truth behind two enduring mysteries — the fate of a Civil War ironclad and its secret connection with Lincoln‘s assassination, and the last flight of a long-lost female pilot….Now, amidst the blazing, shifting sands of the Sahara, DIRK PITT will make a desperate stand — in a battle the world cannot afford to lose!
Hellboy is one of the few comics that I buy EVERY time it comes out. Mignola never disappoints. Here are a couple of trade paperbacks that could help you get up to speed if you’ve missed out…
I’m really excited about the prospects for the movie Hellboy. Del Toro is a fan of the comic, Mignola is working closely with him and Pearlman completes the trio. This could be really cool. I’ll keep ya posted!
We had just finished watching “Survivor” and I was heading in to check my e-mail when I got a call. “Turn on CNN. They’re getting ready to arrest Robert Blake for the murder of his wife.”
I can’t say that I’m shocked or surprised. Although I wouldn’t be willing to say that he’s guilty, it doesn’t look good. I read quite a bit about the murder (how could you avoid it at the time?) and none of his explanations ever seemed to really make sense.
I’ve always liked Robert Blake‘s acting. “Baretta” was an enjoyable series and he’s been in several very good movies. It’s too bad that this doesn’t look to have a happy ending.
Although Mr. Urich appeared on many television shows, he was probably best known for his role as Spenser on the series “Spenser for Hire” based on the popular series of novels by Robert B. Parker.
Robert Urich also appeared in other television series including “Soap,” “Vega$,””The Lazerus Man,” and “Lonesome Dove.”
He was extremely active in supporting cancer research. With his wife he created the Heather and Robert Urich Fund for Sarcoma Research. He is survived by his wife; three children; two brothers; a sister; and his mother. A memorial service is scheduled for Friday in Los Angeles.
I was barely five years old and yet the memory of that day is burned in my mind. I remember everyone being glued to their television sets for the latest news. The nation seemed to breathe a sigh of releif when the lone gunman was captured… but did he act alone?
I’ve always been intrigued by the various conspiracy theories. In high school I read the Warren Commission report and followed the latest findings. There have been hundreds of books written on the subject, several movies, and many documentaries. “The Men Who Killed Kennedy” is one of the best summaries of the different theories that abound. Chock full of interviews, photos, film and speculation, even if you don’t buy into any of it, you’ll still be impressed by the sincerity of those that do.
I read today that it is unlikely that UC: Undercover will be brought back next season and that’s really too bad. If you never happened to catch the show, then you really missed a good and potentially great series.
UC: Undercover was created by Shane Salerno. Oded Fehr, Jon Seda, Vera Farmiga, Bruklin Harris, and Jarrad Paul made up the cast. Guest stars such as William Forsythe, Ving Rhames and Steven Bauer were regularly featured!
If the series isn’t renewed, I hope that we’ll get an occasional tv movie.
I finally got an opportunity to see “Training Day” — what a powerful movie. No doubt, if you’re a movie fan, you’ve heard the hype. This is one movie that lives up to it.
Denzel Washington turns in a truly Oscar-worthy performance (his best yet, in my humble opinion). Ethan Hawke is excellent as well. While this movie isn’t for everyone, it is for my money one of the best movies that I’ve seen in months.
If you’ve seen it, I’d love to hear your thoughts… if you haven’t, consider it on your next trip to the video store. As for me, this baby is gonna end up in my personal collection!
Earlier this week Variety reported that Dominic Sena (“Gone in 60 Seconds”) will direct the 1952 pulp fiction classic “The Killer Inside Me” by Jim Thompson. While I didn’t care much for “Gone in 60 Seconds” because of the story, I am fairly excited about the prospects for “The Killer Inside Me.”
First of all, it’s an excellent book, considered by many to be Jim Thompson‘s best. Stanley Kubrick called it “the most chilling and believeable first-person story of a criminally warped mind that I have ever encountered.” I agree.
But who to play the main character, Lou Ford, a sheriff’s deputy with a psychopathic side? My vote would be for someone totally unexpected… someone like Sylvester Stallone! Fans have been wanting to see him play a bad guy… well, this could be the role. Whoever is chosen should be playing totally against character… someone that everyone would NEVER suspect is a psychopathic murderer… if not Sly then maybe Harrison Ford? At any rate… check out the book!
I’ve been going through some old files lately and came across the picture above. It’s from a movie, directed by John Carpenter, called “Assault on Precinct 13.” Although a real low-budget film, it is one of Carpenter‘s best. The story concerns a small group of cops, office workers and convicts fighting for their lives in an abandoned police station under siege by a street gang.
The picture above is of Darwin Johnston who played a real hard case named Napoleon Wilson. I was surprised that Johnston didn’t do more of these types of roles. Tony Burton from the “Rocky” movies co-starred. The movie is worth a look if you enjoy action/adventure.
The Matrix: Reloaded will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 15th which is the same day the film will be released worldwide. Man, I am so stoked for this movie. Still, I don’t see how there is any way that it can be as good as the first… and to think that before the end of the year we’ll also get to see The Matrix: Revolutions.
And while we’re on the topic of movies I am really looking forward to… did you hear that Karl Urban, [The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers] has joined the cast of the Chronicles of Riddick, which stars Vin Diesel? Thandie Newton [Mission Impossible 2, Shade] is also in negotiations to join the cast. Thandie and Vin could make for a very interesting pair!
Now let’s see… Two Matrix movies released before the year is over… and a Riddick trilogy which begins filming in June. Ah… life is good!
According to Countingdown.com, director Guillermo Del Toro said “I hope Hellboy is my next movie… It’s difficult for me to get a $60 million dollar movie financed with Ron Perlman as the star, but I’m not giving up, since Mike Mignola and I think he is perfect for the part. If you want to know what the movie will look like, just go get the comic book. I will be as faithful as I can…Abe Sapien is such a characteristic figure, that we will basically have to do him completely artificial through puppetry and CG, to make him *exactly* as Mignola drew him. But I think his voice could either go the Kevin Spacey way or the Steve Buscemi way. Two total opposites that would nevertheless make the character interesting”.
Countingdown posted an item from director Guillermo Del Toro who said…
“I hope Hellboy is my next movie… It’s difficult for me to get a $60 million dollar movie financed with Ron Perlman as the star, but I’m not giving up, since Mike Mignola and I think he is perfect for the part. If you want to know what the movie will look like, just go get the comic book. I will be as faithful as I can…Abe Sapien is such a characteristic figure, that we will basically have to do him completely artificial through puppetry and CG, to make him *exactly* as Mignola drew him. But I think his voice could either go the Kevin Spacey way or the Steve Buscemi way. Two total opposites that would nevertheless make the character interesting”.
Thanks also to Dark Horizons.
Although there was some speculation early on that Vin Diesel would get the role of Hellboy, I think that Pearlman is also an excellent choice. He won’t bring in the inital crowd that Diesel. would, but if the movie rocks, the audience will find it!
I received word from an old buddy that I hadn’t heard from in nearly 30 years… back when I was 8th grade in Terre Haute, Indiana. [He found me through classmates.com.] At any rate, as we fondly remembered the “good old days,” we began to talk about tv wrestling.
My favorite wrestler was a huge Texan named Blackjack Mulligan. Yeah, that’s him pictured above. He was usually teamed with Blackjack Lanza [they held the “world title” on a couple of occasions and were managed by Bobby Heenan]. I used to watch pro wrestling on tv several times a week, and would go to see it live when it came to town or when my dad would take us to Indianapolis to see the “big” matches. I was a die hard wrestling fan until 9th grade. As I grew older I would occasionally catch it on the tube… later, as my sons got into it I found myself watching it more often as they enjoyed it. Still, the Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin and the rest of today’s “Superstars” would have had their hands full facing Mulligan and Lanza managed by “Pretty Boy” Bobby Heenan!
