Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
This is the tribute poster created by Nick Levy for the 40th anniversary of Aliens: July 18, 1986. Levy calls it “One of the greatest sequels ever made and arguably the greatest sci-fi action film of all time.” When you’re right, you’re right and Nick Levy is right.
“That’s it, man. Game over, man. Game over!” – Private Hudson
Widow’s Bay: Season 1 (2026)
Created by: Katie Dippold
Director:
Screenplay:
Stars: Matthew Rhys, Kate O’Flynn, Kevin Carroll, Dale Dickey, Kingston Rumi Southwick and Stephen Root.
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
Tom Loftis is Mayor of the small island town called Widow’s Bay. Tom, now a widower and single parent, moved to the island to marry his wife. As mayor, Tom’s major goal is to turn Widow’s Bay into a tourist town. Some of the residents are all for the idea. There are others who feel the island is cursed and bringing more folks to the island will create major problems.
Tom sees the naysayers as silly and superstitious. But when strange things begin to happen, Tom tries to find rational reasons for them. Soon enough Tom and the islanders are dealing with ghosts, a killer clown, time warps, a Sea Hag, a serial killer and more.
Welcome to Widow’s Bay!
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Widow’s Bay received 19 Prime-Time Emmy award nominations. Results will be announced September 4th.
As you can tell from the award nominations above, critics and viewers overwhelming like Widow’s Bay. I enjoy it, but not as much as most folks. I feel a bit of inconsistency due to the monster of the week format. There are overarching storylines, but they take a back seat to dealing with each week’s ghost/sea hag/serial killer, etc.
Congrats to Matthew Rhys, Kate O’Flynn and Stephen Root for their well deserved Prime-Time Emmy acting nominations.
As always your mileage may vary, but for me Widow’s Bay rates a three.
Widow’s Bay: Season 1 (2026) rates 3 of 5 stars.
Man on Fire (1987)
Director: Elie Chouraqui
Screenplay: Elie Chouraqui, Sergio Donati, Fabrice Ziolkowski; based on MAN ON FIRE by A. J. Quinnell.
Stars: Scott Glenn, Brooke Adams, Danny Aiello, Joe Pesci, Paul Shenar, Jonathan Pryce and Jade Malle.
Tagline: For an ex-CIA agent, the job of bodyguard for a twelve-year old girl should have been a breeze…
The Plot…
Christian Creasy is a burned-out ex-C.I.A. agent. Creasy used to be one of the best. That was before the deaths that Creasy has seen (and been a part of) as a soldier and C.I.A. agent finally took their toll.
Creasy reluctantly accepts the job of bodyguard for a wealthy Italian family. His job will be to protect their twelve-year-old Samantha. By the nature of his job Creasy spends a lot of time with Sam. Her parents are often too busy, so Creasy takes their role. As time passes, Sam gets Creasy to drop his tough exterior.
Creasy is gravely wounded during Samantha’s kidnapping. Despite life-threatening injuries, Creasy knows that every passing hour, makes it less likely Samantha will be returned alive. Creasy is determined to get her back alive… even if it kills him.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Tony Scott was considered to direct, but ultimately Elie Chouraqui was selected. Scott would direct the 2004 (and vastly superior) adaptation. If Scott had made the film in 2007, he hoped to get Marlon Brando or Robert De Niro to star.
Brooke Adams, Danny Aiello, Joe Pesci and Jonathan Pryce get very little screen time.
Man on Fire (1987) clocks in at 92 minutes but seems longer. The supporting cast could have been put to better use. Come to think of it so could the stars.
Man on Fire (1987) rates 2 of 5 stars.
The Long Walk is one of the best movie adaptations of a Stephen King tale ever. Thomas Walker has created an alt poster worthy of it.
” Just walk with me a little longer.” – Raymond Garraty #4
THE LAST GOOD GUY by T. Jefferson Parker
First sentence…
There’s this scene in old detective movies where the investigator sits in his office, waiting for someone to come in and hire him.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Roland Ford realizes that a beautiful woman with secrets who hires a private investigator to find a missing family member is cliche. But that’s exactly what happens when Penelope Rideout enters Ford’s office to hire him to find her missing little sister. Ford’s definitely attracted to Penelope, and that helps his decision to take the case.
Daley is Penelope’s fourteen year old sister. Penelope has been her guardian since their parents died.
Ford discovers that Daley was seen with a twenty-something man later found murdered. Ford also learns Daley is somehow mixed up with Reggie Atlas, a charismatic Christian nationalist preacher. Atlas owns a secluded compound that is heavily guarded. A ten-foot tall fence, multiple security cameras and armed guards indicate something sinister.
Ford’s instincts tell him that Penelope has lied to him… but he isn’t sure where the truth ends and the lies begin. He just knows a child is missing and he may be her last hope.
+++
Rating:
The Valley of Gwangi (1969)
Director: Jim O’Connolly
Screenplay: William Bast, Julian More, Willis H. O’Brien
Stars: James Franciscus, Gila Golan, Richard Carlson, Laurence Naismith, Freda Jackson, Gustavo Rojo.
Tagline: Cowboys Battle Monsters in the Lost World of Forbidden Valley.
The Plot…
Tuck Kirby, a stuntman working in a traveling Wild West Show ventures into the Forbidden Valley. There he discovers a world that never changed. Dinosaurs and other creatures thrive there! Kirby and other cowboys from the show decide to capture an allosaurus called Gwangi. They figure once they have the monster in the show, they’ll become rich.
What could go wrong?
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Willis O’Brien, the genius behind the stop-motion animation effect in King Kong, had an idea for a follow-up film. It was to be called Valley of the Mists. Cowboys would discover a world of dinosaurs and bring one back to civilization. World War II, budget constraints and changes in studio leadership brought about the demise of the project. Years later, Ray Harryhausen (Willis’ mentee who went on to great success in stop-motion animation) brought forth the idea which became The Valley of Gwangi.
The Valley of Gwangi was adapted into a comic book published by Dell and released in December 1969.
The Valley of Gwangi was in production for one and a half years due to the extensive use of stop-motion animation. The dinosaur roping sequence alone took two and a half months to complete. During the production of Gwangi, the studio management changed. The new regime didn’t have faith in the film and released it with little publicity.
I saw The Valley of Gwangi at a drive-in when it was first released. I was ten or eleven. The perfect age for a cowboys and dinosaurs movie. I loved it. Viewings as an adult are still fun, but some of the luster is gone.
The Valley of Gwangi brought its star James Franciscus to my attention. I next saw him the following year in Beneath the Planet of the Apes and the year after that in the tv series Longstreet (with occasional guest star Bruce Lee!).
The Valley of Gwangi (1969) rates 3 of 5 stars.
The Raid: Redemption (2011)
Director: Gareth Evans
Screenplay: Gareth Evans
Stars: Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Donny Alamsyah, Yayan Ruhian, Pierre Gruno, Ray Sahetapy and Tegar Sathya.
Tagline: 1 Ruthless Crime Lord, 20 Elite Cops, 30 Floors of Hell
The Plot…
Rama, a rookie cop is part of a squad sent in to take down the notorius crime lord Tama Riyadi. Riyadi along with his crime bosses Andi and Mad Dog have made a large apartment building their headquarters. Although some law-abiding citizens live in the building, many of the apartments are rented by Riyadi’s drug dealers and crooks.
The raid starts off well… until one of Riyadi’s lookoouts sounds an alarm. Riyadi calls in reinforcements and announces to all of the residents the police are there. Anyone who kills a cop will get to live rent-free forever.
Rama hopes to survive to get home to his pregnant wife. Outumbered and outgunned, Rama and the police squad are in a battle for their lives.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Although the tagline says “30 Floors of Hell” the apartment building has just 15 stories.
Gareth Evans originally wanted to film in a prison, but the budget wouldn’t allow it. So Gareth changed the location to an apartment building. The success of the film allowed the sequel to be set in a prison.
The Raid: Redemption is a favorite of action fans. It felt as if Gareth Evans took the plot of Bruce Lee’s Game of Death and said, “Let’s go bigger.” Coincidentally, The Raid: Redemption and Dredd starring Karl Urban share a similar plot and were released within months of each other.
The Raid: Redemption (2011) rates 4 of 5 stars.
Luiz Tavares presents Sly Stallone and Sharon Stone in The Specialist.
Killing is his profession. Revenge is her goal.
Together they take on the battle against the underworld of Miami.
At HeroesCon 2026, I commissioned Mark Stegbauer for two sketch cards: Sly Stallone as Marion Cobretti from Cobra and Stallone as Stanley Kowalski from Lords of Flatbush. This (obviously) is the Cobra card. Sweet, right?
I will post the Lords of Flatbush card commission in the near future.
Each August Mark does an Action Against Alzheimer’s art campaign. It’s a great way to pick up cool art and at the same time help a wonderful cause.
“I don’t deal with psychos. I put ’em away.” – Marion Cobretti
Alien Nation (1988)
Director: Graham Baker
Screenplay: Rockne S. O’Bannon
Stars: James Caan, Mandy Patinkin, Terence Stamp, Kevyn Major Howard, Leslie Bevis, Peter Jason, Jeff Kober, Roger Aaron Brown and Brian Thompson.
Tagline: Los Angeles, 1991. They have come to Earth to live among us. They’ve learned the language, taken jobs, and tried to fit in. But there’s something about them we don’t know.
The Plot…
Three years ago aliens landed. Since then these “Newcomers” have intigrated into society. In L.A., Newcomer Sam Francisco has just been promoted to Detective. Francisco is teamed with veteran cop Matthew Sykes. It’s an uneasy alliance.
Francisco and Sykes’ first case is to look into the murder of Newcomer Warren Hubley. Their investigation uncovers a conspiracy between wealthy politicans and influential newcomers. At the heart of the cabal’s scheme is a newcomer secret that changes everything.
Prepare yourself… the aliens are here and all is not as it seems.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Sam Francisco’s name in the original script was George Jetson. That changed when Hanna-Barbera refused to license the rights. Sykes’ calling Sam “George” was a in-joke.
James Cameron was credited as one of the writers in an Alien Nation early draft, but his name doesn’t appear in the movie’s credits.
Alien Nation spawned a tv series that ran for one season. There were also five television movie spin-offs, comic books and novelizations.
Brian “Cobra” Thompson is the only actor to appear in both the feature film and the television series.
I like the poster for the film. It doesn’t feature the movie’s stars. Instead we get a tagline that sets up everything and cool art that looks like it could be a crime thriller (with aliens).
Alien Nation is a fun film.
Alien Nation (1988) rates 4 of 5 stars.
Check out the trailer for The Only Living Pickpocket in New York starring John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Will Price, Tatiana Maslany, Victoria Moroles, Steve Buscemi, and Jamie Lee Curtis.
What a cast! The trailer works.
Deal me in.
A love-letter to New York City.
Watch the official trailer for THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK.
Opens in NY & LA theaters October 23, nationwide October 30.
Directed by: Noah Segan
Starring: John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Will Price, Tatiana Maslany, Victoria Moroles, Steve Buscemi, and Jamie Lee Curtis
Harry Lehman (John Turturro) is an aging pickpocket who plies his trade with ever-diminishing returns in a drastically changed New York. Wallets stuffed with cash have been replaced by easily canceled credit cards, and Harry struggles to make ends meet as he cares for his disabled wife, Rosie. When he unwittingly purloins and fences a valuable USB stick, Harry finds himself in a race against time to return the loot or face the rage of a vengeful crime family.
Lone Samurai (2025)
Director: Josh C. Waller
Screenplay: Josh C. Waller
Stars: Shogen, Yayan Ruhian.
Tagline: Survive by the sword.
The Plot…
In the 13th century, Riku, a samurai, is the lone survivor shipwrecked on an island. Unfortunately, the island isn’t deserted. It is inhabited by a tribe of cannibals.
And they have their sights on Riku.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
I liked Lone Samurai. It’s a flawed film, but it has it’s moments. Unfortunately the film’s reviews have been brutal. I think part of the problem is the marketing of the film. If you’ve seen the trailer, it looks like you’re in for an action fest from start to finish.
That is not what you get.
The film is divided into three sections. The first part is a slow burn character study. We spend time with Riku as he recovers from the injuries sustained in the ship wreck. Riku struggles to survive.
The second section takes place as Riku is captured by the cannibals. Riku isn’t the only prisoner. Riku is shocked at the brutality of his captors and that they eat their captives.
The third is section is all out action as Riku escapes and fights off the cannibals as they attempt to capture/kill him.
Granted, there are some things that happen that could have been set up better (in regard to writing and film editing). But if you’re a fan of movies like The 13th Warrior and Bone Tomahawk, then you might enjoy this one. I did.
Lone Samurai (2025) rates 3 of 5 stars.
Rocky Balboa, His Friends and Foes by Óscar Calibos.
“If I can go that distance, you see, and that bell rings and I’m still standin’, I’m gonna know for the first time in my life, see, that I weren’t just another bum from the neighborhood.” – Rocky
Run, Hide, Fight: Infidels starring Jonathan Majors – The trailer is here.
This one is going to be controversial for a couple of reasons. 1. Jonathan Majors 2. The subject matter presentation.
So… what do you think?
When radical Islamic terrorists hijack a liberal college’s pro-Palestine encampment to enforce barbaric Sharia law on students and execute infidels in a makeshift caliphate, a ragtag band of red-blooded students, a security guard tired of ‘Uncle Tom’ smears, and a Delta Force vet must arm up to save their clueless peers and keep America from surrendering to the enemy on its own soil.
The poster and trailer for High Value Target: The Hunt for Saddam are here. This limited series stars Joel Kinnaman. It premieres September 13th.
Inspired by the memoir DEBRIEFING THE PRESIDENT by CIA Analyst John Nixon, the eight-episode political thriller chronicles one man’s relentless pursuit of truth amid a nation’s complicated quest for justice. The series is co-written and directed by Emmy Award-nominee Leslie Greif and produced by AR Content, who optioned Nixon’s book, and Big Dreams Entertainment.
The first two episodes of HIGH VALUE TARGET: THE HUNT FOR SADDAM will debut Sunday, September 13 at 9pm ET/PT, followed by episode three on Monday, September 14 at 9pm ET/PT on TNT. New episodes will premiere on subsequent Sunday and Monday evenings at 9pm ET/PT, culminating with the finale on Sunday, October 4 on TNT.
For the first time, HIGH VALUE TARGET: THE HUNT FOR SADDAM brings to television screens the story of John Nixon (Joel Kinnaman), the first CIA officer to interrogate Saddam Hussein (Waleed Zuaiter, The Girlfriend) following his capture in December 2003.
Set against the backdrop of one of the most consequential military operations in recent history, the pulse-pounding series explores the high-stakes exchanges between Nixon and Hussein. As Nixon seeks answers from the former Iraqi leader in his search for weapons of mass destruction, he is forced to confront the far-reaching consequences of the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the ramifications that would reverberate around the world for decades to come.
