Category: Z-View

Black Rain (1989) / Z-View

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Black Rain (1989)

Director: Ridley Scott

Screenplay: Craig Bolotin, Warren Lewis

Stars: Michael Douglas, Andy Garcia, Ken Takakura, Kate Capshaw, John Spencer and Luis Guzman.


The Pitch: “Hey, let’s make a movie with American cops caught up in a Japanese gang war.”

Tagline: An American Cop in Japan. Their country. Their laws. Their game. His rules.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A detective [Douglas] under investigation for an ethics violation and his young clean cop friend [Garcia] accidently witness a Japanese gangland killing on US soil.  When they capture the Asian murderer, they are tasked with taking him back to Japan.  Once there they find themselves teamed with a straight-laced and uptight Japanese cop and in the middle of a gang war.

Michael Douglas in arguably his best role.  Andy Garcia is perfect as Douglas’ partner.   Ken Takakura is a joy.  Kate Capshaw has never been more attractive.  Yûsaku Matsuda as Sato is creepy evil.  And they’re all directed by Ridley Scott.  Black Rain is a winner!

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Dig That Uranium (1955)

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Dig That Uranium (1955)

Director: Edward Bernds

Screenplay: Bert Lawrence, Elwood Ullman

Stars: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall and Bernard Gorcey


The Pitch: “Hey, let’s have the boys go out west!”

Tagline: HE TAME WEST GOES WILD WITH LAUGHTER!…When They Go Huntin’ Uranium!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Tricked into buying a worthless uranium mine, the boys head out west to seek their fortune.  Once there they have to deal with claim jumpers, wild indians and a pesky old miner.

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Crossfire (1947) / Z-View

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Crossfire (1947)

Director: Edward Dmytryk

Screenplay: John Paxton adapted from the novel by Richard Brooks

Stars: Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan and Gloria Grahame


The Pitch: “Hey, let’s make a novel based on the novel Crossfire.”

Tagline: Hate Is Like A Loaded Gun!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Homicide Detective Finlay [Young] investigates the murder of a man.  Evidence points to one of a group of soldiers on leave but something just doesn’t feel right…

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Knock Knock (2015) / Z-View

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Knock Knock (2015)

Director: Eli Roth

Screenplay: Eli Roth & Nicolás López & Guillermo Amoedo

Stars: Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, Ana de Armas and Aaron Burns


The Pitch: “Hey, let’s remake Death Game.”

Tagline: ONE NIGHT CAN COST YOU EVERYTHING

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Evan [Reeves] decides to stay home alone while his wife and two young children go away for the weekend so he can get caught up on work.  Working late, Evan is surprised when two young women show up at his door.  They were dropped off for a party, had the wrong address and are soaked.  Evan calls a cab but it will be forty-five minutes.

He allows them to wait inside.  Despite his best efforts one thing leads to another and Evan learns that all is not what it seemed and “one night can cost you everything.”

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Jail Busters (1955) / Z-View

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Jail Busters (1955)

Director: William Beaudine

Screenplay: Edward Bernds and Elwood Ullman

Stars: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall and Bernard Gorcey

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s put the boys in prison.  That ought to be funny!”

Tagline: It’s Real Stir-Crazy!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When a reporter friend of the boys gets put in the hospital by the mob, the boys decide to get the scoop by getting sent to prison to sort out the corruption.

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Cabin Fever 3: Patient Zero (2014) / Z-View

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Cabin Fever 3: Patient Zero (2014)

Director: Kaare Andrews

Screenplay: Jake Wade Wall

Stars: Sean Astin, Currie Graham and Ryan Donowho

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s make another Cabin Fever movie!”

Tagline: The BIRTH OF FEAR.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A group of young friends get dropped off on a remote island for a weekend of fun.  Sadly, a flesh-eating virus has escaped from the island research facility.  And they thought sun burn was the worst of their worries.

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The Blob (1958) / Z-View

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The Blob (1958)

Director: Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. and Russell S. Doughten Jr. (uncredited)

Screenplay: Theodore Simonson and Kay Linaker

Stars: Steve McQueen, Aneta Corsaut and Earl Rowe

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s make a monster movie that will appeal to teenagers!”

Tagline: The management of this theatre disclaims any responsibility for heart attacks or damage to nerves.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When a couple of teenagers discover that a blob-like alien life form has landed on Earth and is consuming people, no one in town believes them… until it is too late.

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The Great Race (1965) / Z-View

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The Great Race (1965)

Director: Blake Edwards

Screenplay: Arthur A. Ross from an original story by Blake Edwards & Arthur A. Ross

Stars: Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk, Keenan Wynn, Arthur O’Connell, Vivian Vance, Larry Storch, Ross Martin and Denver Pyle.

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s make a big budget comedy that’s a throwback to the old comedies!”

Tagline: THE GREAT LAUGH SHOW OF ALL TIME!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When the popular daredevil, The Great Leslie [Curtis] proposes a global car race, he finds himself pitted against his arch-rival the evil Dr. Fate [Lemmon].

The Great Race is a classic comedy that works.  There are sight gags, pie fights, slapstick and just good fun.  It’s a joy to watch and re-watch.

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Mr. Majestyk (1974) / Z-View

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Mr. Majestyk (1974)

Director: Richard Fleischer

Screenplay: Elmore Leonard

Stars: Charles Bronson, Linda Cristal and Al Lettieri.

The Pitch: “Hey, Charles Bronson wants to be Mr. Majestyk!”

Tagline: He didn’t want to be hero… until the day they pushed him too far.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Vince Majestyk [Bronson] just wants to get his watermelon crop harvested.  When a run-in with a local hood lands him jail, Majestyk stops a hitman’s escape.  Now the hitman and the mob are out to kill Majestyk.

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Mission: Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015) / Z-View

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Mission: Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015)

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Screenplay: Christopher McQuarrie

Stars: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Jeremy Renner,  Simon Pegg,  Ving Rhames and Alec Baldwin.

The Pitch: “Hey, it’s time for another Mission Impossible!”

Tagline: Desperate Times. Desperate Measures.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When a senate committee moves to disband the IMF, Ethan Hunt [Cruise] and his team go rogue in an effort to bring down a secret organization known as The Syndicate.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation has the right mix of action and humor.  Special props to Tom Cruise for the plane stunt.

 

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Dirty Grandpa (2016) / Z-View

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Dirty Grandpa (2016)

Director: Dan Mazer

Screenplay:  John Phillips

Stars: Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Zoey Deutch and Dermot Mulroney.

The Pitch: “Hey, Robert DeNiro wants to play the Dirty Grandpa!”

Tagline: This is Jason. He’s a little worried about his grandpa.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A young, soon-to-be-married preppy agrees to drive his recently widowed grandfather to Florida.  Lowbrow vulgar humor that’s not very funny ensues.

 

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The Leopard Man (1943) / Z-View

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The Leopard Man (1943)

Director: Jacques Tourneur

Screenplay: Ardel Wray and additional dialogue by Edward Dein based on the novel by Cornell Woolrich

Stars: Dennis O’Keefe, Margo and  Jean Brooks

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s get Jacques Tourneur to direct The Leopard Man!”

Tagline: A shriek in the night–another victim torn to pieces by claw and fang! Is it man-like beast or beast-like man that picks only beauty as prey–and why?.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When a sideshow leopard escapes women begin turning up bitten and clawed to death… but evidence starts to suggest it might not be the leopard.

 

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Black Sabbath (1963) / Z-View

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Black Sabbath (1963)

Director: Mario Bava

Screenplay: Mario Bava and Alberto Bevilacqua

Stars: Michèle Mercier, Lidia Alfonsi and Boris Karloff

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s have Mario Bava direct Boris Karloff!”

Tagline: This is the night of the nightmare…

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Boris Karloff introduces a trio of horror tales and stars in one.  In the first, a woman preparing a corpse for burial steals the dead woman’s ring… and comes to regret it.  In the second a young woman receives terrorizing phone calls from a man watching her.  In the third Boris Karloff plays an old man returning home from battle with vampire… but did he win?

 

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Mark of the Vampire (1935) / Z-View

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Mark of the Vampire (1935)

Director: Tod Browning

Screenplay:  Guy Endore and Bernard Schubert

Stars: Lionel Barrymore, Elizabeth Allan and Bela Lugosi

The Pitch: “Hey, Tod Browning wants to make Mark of the Vampire!”

Tagline: Undead…yet living on the Kisses of Youth!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Mark of the Vampire had the potential to be a great vampire movie.  Tod Browning directing, Bela Lugosi as the vampire with Lionel Barrymore!  Mark of the Vampire has mood, setting and starts off with great promise.

Sir Karell Borotin is found dead drained of his blood.  All evidence points to a vampire or vampires that must be found and destroyed.  The film is off and running and it’s a great experience.  There’s a scene with Lugosi changing from a bat to human form and then running down a hall to catch and kill a victim and it’s terrifying!

Then in the last act the film changes gears and becomes a murder mystery with no real vampires!  Check out this trivia from IMDB:

The actors all played their roles as though they were in a conventional horror movie, unaware of the twist-ending until the last few days of shooting.Director Tod Browning deliberately kept them in the dark because he wanted authenticity.

When director Tod Browning revealed late in the filming process that the plot dictated that the vampires were really just actors pretending to be vampires, he met with much resistance from the cast and crew. Nobody was more incensed than Bela Lugosi, who pleaded with Browning to let him play a real vampire.

Mark of the Vampire is still worth watching but sadly isn’t near the movie it could have been.

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Congo (1995) / Z-View

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Congo (1995)

Director: Frank Marshall

Screenplay: John Patrick Shanley based on the novel by Michael Crichton

Stars: Laura Linney, Tim Curry, Dylan Walsh, Ernie Hudson, Joe Don Baker and Stuart Pankin.

The Pitch: “Hey, let’s turn Michael Crichton’s Congo into a movie!”

Tagline: Where you are the endangered species.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A ragtag group joins forces in an effort to get into the Congo.  Two members are young guys who want to take a gorilla from the US back to her birthplace.  The other members are on a search and rescue mission to find what happened to an earlier team that discovered a rare diamond and was wiped out.  Neither group was expecting to find killer gorillas.

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