QUARRY’S REUNION by Max Allan Collins is Coming Soon!

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Max Allan Collins’ Quarry returns November 10th in QUARRY’S REUNION.  Here’s the scoop…

The hitman hero of the acclaimed Cinemax series comes out of retirement for another nail-biting suspense thriller from the New York Times best-seller, MWA Grandmaster and award-winning author of Road to Perdition, Max Allan Collins.

YOU’RE CORDIALLY INVITED TO CELEBRATE 50 YEARS OF MURDER…

Since his first appearance in 1976, Max Allan Collins’ quintessential killer-for-hire, Quarry, has starred in 17 novels, two films, a graphic novel, and a Cinemax TV series — and with QUARRY’S REUNION, he reaches a milestone never before achieved by any character in American crime novels: a series that has continued for 50 years.

To celebrate, MWA Grand Master Collins is taking Quarry somewhere he’s never gone before: back home, to the town in Ohio where he grew up, before his tour of duty in Vietnam and his even bloodier experiences Stateside. An old high-school girlfriend summons Quarry for his 50th reunion – but old times take a back seat when bullets start to fly. Thrilling, moving, and revealing, this new installment in Quarry’s Edgar and Shamus Award-nominated saga delivers a powerful capstone to the killer’s career – and a perfect entry point for readers new to Quarry’s story.

Pre-orders are available now.

“King Kong” (1933) directed by Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack, starring Faye Wray, Robert Armstrong & Bruce Cabot / Z-View

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King Kong (1933)

Director: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack

Screenplay:  James Creelman, Ruth Rose; story by Edgar Wallace, Merian C. Cooper

Stars: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot, Frank Reicher and Noble Johnson.

Tagline: A Monster of Creation’s Dawn Breaks Loose in Our World Today!

The Plot…

Carl Denham, known for his wildlife films, has plans to create his greatest movie yet!  With his small film crew and Ann Darrow, a struggling actress he just discovered, they set sail for a mysterious uncharted island.

On this strange land dangers abound.  There are natives, prehistoric beasts and KONG!  Kong is a giant ape that the natives worship.

Denham gets a brainstorm.  They will capture Kong, bring him to New York City and make a fortune.  People will pay good money to see… KING KONG.

Of course Denham doesn’t consider what would happen should Kong escape in New York City.

He should have.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Kong’s fur appears to move.  This was caused when animators held the figure in order to change its position.

King Kong co-stars Fay Wray and Robert Armstrong also co-starred in The Most Dangerous Game released the previous year. King Kong re-used some of the jungle sets of The Most Dangerous Game.

King Kong is an undisputed classic.

King Kong (1933) rates 5 of 5 stars.

Jack Carter and Marv Meet at Kadie’s by Marc Lapierre!

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Every year the Cartoon Art Museum does a fundraiser.  Artists take on commissions with the funds raised going to support the Museum.  It’s a great cause supported by exceptional artists who share their talents in an effort to support the Museum.

This year I commissioned Marc Lapierre again.  Last year Marc created one of my favorite comissions of the year.  I asked for Stallone as Jack Carter with Keanu Reeves as John Wick.  Here is the beauty Marc produced.  Not only did Marc nail the likenesses (which is always a plus), but the captions were the icing on the cake.  I hoped this year lightning would strike again.

As you can see, I asked for Stallone from Get Carter and gave Marc a choice of three characters to choose from to add to the scene.  The characters were, in no particular order: Seth Gecko (Geore Clooney) in From Dusk Till Dawn, Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) from Justified and Marv from Frank Miller’s Sin City.

Marc liked all of the choices, but knew immediately which he was going to draw.  He came through with another great in-joke and wonderful drawing.  I hope to add another to the collection the next time.  I also suggested  with his drawing talent and sense of humor, that a book of “bar interactions” between pop culture icons would be a cool thing!

I cannot thank Marc Lapierre enough for this sweet addition to my Stallone art collection.

CHAIN REACTION: A REACHER NOVEL by Lee Child and Andrew Child is Coming Soon!

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The new Jack Reacher novel, CHAIN REACTION by Lee Child and Andrew Child drops on October 20th.  Here’s the lowdown…

The heart-pounding new Jack Reacher thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling authors Lee Child and Andrew Child.

Jack Reacher is hard to find. It’s not easy to track him down. And he likes it that way. But General Susan Turner, based deep inside the Pentagon, has the means and the motive. She needs his help. A member of her team has been brutally murdered on covert duty. She can’t trust anyone she works with, not even her deputy. She needs someone from the outside. Someone who solves problems and disappears without a trace.

Reacher heads to Summertown, Colorado. A town as remote and bizarre as it gets. One diner, one motel, five massive data centers, two giant solar farms humming away in the dust. Total population: four people. And one of them is watching him. But Reacher isn’t built to run. He’s built to finish things. General Turner knows that if they come for Reacher, they’ll regret it—all the way to the top of the chain.

Preorders available now.

“The Manchurian Candidate” (1962) directed by John Frankenheimer, starring Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh & Angela Lansbury / Z-View

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The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

Director: John Frankenheimer

Screenplay:  George Axelrod; based on THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE by Richard Condon.

Stars:  Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh, Angela Lansbury, Henry Silva, Leslie Parrish, John McGiver, Khigh Dhiegh, James Edwards, Barry Kelley, Lloyd Corrigan  and James Gregory.

Tagline: If you come in five minutes after this picture begins, you won’t know what it’s all about! When you’ve seen it all, you’ll swear there’s never been anything like it!

The Plot…

Captain Ben Marco and Sergeant Raymond Shaw are returned to the US, along with other surviving members of their platoon.  The soldiers had been captured by Soviet and Chinese forces during the Korean War.

Once home Marco repeatedly has nightmares where he and fellow US soldiers are on a stage.  They sit calmly as enemy soldiers see a presentation about new mind control techniques.  In the dream  Sergeant Shaw is ordered to kill one of the US soldiers on stage.  Shaw takes the weapon walks over to the identified soldier who calmly sits as Shaw blows his brains out.

Since their arrival back to the States, Shaw has been awarded the Medal of Honor for saving fellow soldiers in Korean Combat.  Shaw’s father is a US Senator, his mother guides his father’s career.  A Presidential run is in his father’s future.  The family is through and through “red, white and blue”.  Yet, Marco can’t shake the feeling something is not right with Raymond Shaw.

And he’s right…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Manchurian Candidate was nominated for two Academy Awards…

  • Nominee for Best Film Editing – Ferris Webster
  • Nominess for Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Angela Lansbury

The Manchurian Candidate is famous for a blurred scene with Marco.  It is out of focus and shows Shaw’s confused perspective.  Director John Frankenheimer was greatly praised for his creativity.  Years later Frankenheimer admitted it was accidentally shot out of focus.  When he called Frank Sinatra for a re-shoot, Sinatra refused.  The out of focus scene had to be used… and became a happy accident.

Angela Lansbury (who is excellent) plays Laurence Harvey’s mother.  She was only three years than Harvey in real life.

Truth is stranger than fiction.  Robert Kennedy, who was running for President, was assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan.  Sirhan later claimed that he had been brainwashed to commit the murder.  The Manchurian Candidate‘s director, John Frankenheimer drove Robert Kennedy to the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles where the assassination took place.

The Manchurian Candidate (1962) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“I, The Jury” (1982) starring Armand Assante, Barbara Carrera, Laurene Landon, Alan King, Paul Sorvino and Geoffrey Lewis / Z-View

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I, the Jury (1982)

Director: Richard T. Heffron

Screenplay:  Larry Cohen; based on I, THE JURY by Mickey Spillane.

Stars:  Armand Assante, Barbara Carrera, Laurene Landon, Alan King, Paul Sorvino, Judson Scott, Jessica James and Geoffrey Lewis.

Tagline: He’s charming, he’s sexy, he’s tough, and he’s too hot to cool down! He’s “The Hammer”.

The Plot…

PI, Mike Hammer gets word that Jack Williams, an old army buddy, was murdered.  Jack lost his arm saving Mike during the war.  Despite being warned off by the cops, Hammer decides to look into Mike’s murder.  Hammer hopes to find the killer before the cops.  That way he can make sure justice is served.

The leads point to a sex clinic, the C.I.A., mobsters and a psycho killer.

The movie is I, the Jury and court is in session.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I, the Jury features Armand Assante in his first feature film starring role.  Assante makes a great Mike Hammer.

Larry Cohen, the screenwriter also started as the film’s director.  He was replaced after six days of shooting since he was already $100,000 and a day over budget.

I, the Jury is based on Mickey Spillane’s classic novel.  Changes to the film include setting it in the 1980s, adding the CIA/Mafia subplot and more.  Thankfully Hammer’s final line in the novel was kept for the movie.

Larry Cohen planned to do a trilogy of Mike Hammer films since he had the rights to two other Hammer novels by Spillane.  Sadly, this never happened.

Laurene Landon is excellent as Hammer’s secretary Velda.

I, the Jury features one of my all-time favorite movie posters.  It was created by Drew Struzan.

I, the Jury (1982) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Dog Day Afternoon” (1975) directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Al Pacino, John Cazale & Charles Durning / Z-View

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Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Director: Sidney Lumet

Screenplay:  Frank Pierson, story by Thomas Moore, based on The Boys in the Bank article in Life magazine by P. F. Kluge, Thomas Moore

Stars:  Al Pacino, John Cazale, James Broderick, Penelope Allen, Sully Boyar, Carol Kane, Lance Henrikson, Floyd Levine, Dick Anthony Williams, Chris Sarandon and Charles Durning.

Tagline: The robbery should have taken 10 minutes. 4 hours later, the bank was like a circus sideshow. 8 hours later, it was the hottest thing on live T.V. 12 hours later, it was all history. And it’s all true

The Plot…

On the morning of August 22, 1972, three buddies, Sonny, Sal and Stevie, first time crooks, went in to a New York bank.  They intended to rob it.  As soon as Sonny and Sal pulled their guns, Stevie lost his nerve.  As Sonny and Sal held the clerks at bay, Stevie apologized and ran away.

Things went downhill from there.

The bank’s daily cash pick-up had already occurred.  There was barely $1,000.00 in the bank.  Worse still, a silent alarm had been triggered during the commotion.  In no time the bank was surrounded by cops and onlookers.

It was a stand-off.

Because Sonny and Sal were new at this, their actions confused the police.  The cops thought they were dealing with hardcases who would kill their hostages without a second thought.  Their demands though were confusing.  They wanted pizzas for the hostages and themselves, transportation to the airport and a jet to take everyone (hostages included) to an undisclosed location.  When asked why they were robbing the bank, their answer: Sonny wanted to get his lover a sex change operation.

As crazy as this sounds, it is all true.  And would get even crazier before it was over.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Dog Day Afternoon received six Academy Award nominations and won one…

  • Nominee for Best Film Editing – Dede Allen
  • Nominee for Best Director – Sidney Lumet
  • Nominee for Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Chris Sarandon
  • Nominee for Best Actor in a Leading Role – Al Pacino
  • Nominee for Best Picture – Martin Bregman, Martin Elfand
  • Winner for Best Writing, Original Screenplay – Frank Pierson

Director Sidney Lumet was against the casting of John Cazale as Sal.  In real life, Sal was just 18 when the robbery took place. John Cazale was nearly 40, clearly too old for the role.  Al Pacino kept pushing for Cazale, so Lumet brought him in to audition and was won over.

This real life robbery became a model for police to learn how (and how not) to deal with hostage situations and unruly mobs of onlookers.

Sidney Lumet allowed his cast to improvise much of the dialogue.  When Al Pacino incites the crowd by yelling “Attica! Attica!”, Charles During looks confused.  He was.  Pacino improvised the line.  When Pacino asks Cazale, “What country he’d like to fly to” and Cazale responds, “Wyoming” it was another improvisation.  Pacino’s look of surprise was genuine.

Dog Day Afternoon features Chris Sarandon’s feature film debut.  Sarandon won an Oscar for his performance.

Dog Day Afternoon is classic.

Dog Day Afternoon (1975) rates 5 of 5 stars.

RIP: Tim Curry

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Tim Curry passed away last night.  No cause of death was given.  Mr. Curry suffered a serious stroke in 2012 and serious health issues after.

Tim Curry knew from an early age that he wanted to be an actor.  In 1968, he graduated from the University of Birmingham with a BA degree in English and drama.  The same year, Mr. Curry earned a role as part of the original London cast of Hair.    That’s when he met Richard O’Brien who would go on to write The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show theater production became a smash hit.  It played in London, Los Angeles and New York City and made Tim Curry a star.  Following the run of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Tim Curry would work on stage, feature films and television for the rest of his career.  In addition to acting, Mr. Curry also has success as a singer.  He not only sang in some of his film roles but had three solo albums released during his career.

Some of the honors and awards Mr. Curry received include…

  • 1991 Daytime Emmy winner – Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Series – Peter Pan and the Pirates -for playing “Captain Hook”
  • 1994 Primetime Emmy nominee – Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series – Tales from the Crypt – for playing “Mother/Father/Sister/Daughter” in the episode “Death Of Some Salesman”
  • 1995 CableACE nominee for Actor in a Dramatic Series – Tales from the Crypt
  • 1995 Daytime Emmy nominee for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program – Mighty Max – For playing “Skullmaster”
  • 2002 Grammy nominee – Best Spoken Word Album for Children – for “A Series of Unfortunate Events – Book 1: The Bad Beginning (Lemony Snicket)”

Some of Tim Curry’s television performances include: Television Theater From…; Armchair Theater; Napoleon and Love (4 episodes); Play for Today; Three Men in a Boat; Rock Follies ’77; Will Shakespeare (6 episodes); Tim Curry: I Do Rock; Oliver Twist; The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible (2 episodes); The Tracey Ulman Show (2 episodes); Wiseguy (6 episodes); Fantastic Max (4 episodes); Padington Bear (13 episodes); Gravedale High (3 episodes); It (2 episodes); Talespin (2 episodes); Peter Pan and the Pirates (59 episodes); Fish Police (6 episodes); Batman the Animated Series (2 episodes); Darkwing Duck (3 episodes); The Adventures of Don Coyote and Sancho Panda (33 episodes); Roseanne (2 episodes); The Pirates of Dark Water (20 episodes); The Legend of Prince Valiant (64 episodes); Tales from the Crypt; Dinosaurs (7 episodes); Aladin (3 episodes); Mighty Max (4 episodes); The Little Mermaid (12 episodes); Earth 2 (4 episodes); Sonic the Hedgehog (13 episodes); Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad (53 episodes); The Naked Truth (2 episodes); Captain Plant and the Planeteers (27 episodes); Gargoyles (7 episodes); Mighty Ducks (22 episodes); The Mask (14 episodes); Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man (1o episodes); Ahh! Real Monsters (19 episodes); Jumanji (18 episodes); Rude Awakening (3 episodes); Rude Awakening (6 episodes); Tales from the Crypt; Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot (2 episodes); Gary & Mike; Samurai Jack; Monk; Will & Grace (2 episodes); Hey Arnold! (3 episodes); The Wild Thornberrys (90 episodes); Monty Python’s Spamalot; Duck Dodgers; The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (7 episodes); Me, Eloise (13 episodes); Psych; Criminal Minds (2 episodes); Regular Show (2 episodes); Phineas and Ferb (2 episodes); Young Justice (8 episodes); Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja (19 episodes); Star Wars: The Clone Wars (10 episodes); Over the Gaarden Wall; The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again and Rocky Horror Show: Livestream Theater.

Some of Tim Curry’s feature film appearances include: The Rocky Horror Picture Show; Annie; Legend; Clue; The Hunt for Red October; Oscar; Home Alone 2: Lost in New York; Loaded Weapon; The Shadow; Congo; Muppet Treasure Island; McHale’s Navy; Charlie’s Angels; Rugrats in Paris; Scary Movie 2 and Kinsey. 

I first became aware of Tim Curry (like most folks) from his role in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Whenever he popped up in a movie or television show, I always enjoyed his performance.   I have three favorite Tim Curry fim appearances: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Legend and of course, Oscar.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Tim Curry’s family, friends and fans.

“Deep Blue Sea” (1999) directed by Renny Harlin / Z-View

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Deep Blue Sea (1999)

Director: Renny Harlin

Screenplay:  Duncan Kennedy, Donna Powers, Wayne Powers

Stars:  Saffron Burrows, Thomas Jane, LL Cool J, Jacqueline McKenzie, Michael Rapaport, Stellan Skarsgård, Aida Turturro, Samuel L. Jackson and Ronny Cox, Renny Harlin.

Tagline: Bigger. Smarter. Faster. Meaner.

The Plot…

At a remote research facility located on the deep sea, Dr. Susan McAlester leads a small group of scientists working to find a cure to Alzheimer’s disease.   McAlester’s research involves using proteins from the brains of three captured sharks.

When one of the sharks uses an object as a battering ram to bust through an observation window, McAlester admits that she genetically altered the sharks’ brains to make them bigger.  Now the small research team is stranded in a sinking research facilty surrounded by sharks that are…

Bigger. Smarter. Faster. Meaner.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Ronny Cox appears uncredited as an Executive.  Renny Harlin appears uncredited as a worker.

*** SPOILERS – MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW***

In the original cut at the end of the film Saffron Burrows was the hero.  Audiences in test screenings hated it because she was the reason the sharks were changed.  Some of her scenes (that made her more sympathetic) were cut.  Reshot footage had a shark kill her and made LL Cool J’s character the hero.

Suddenly killing off Russell Franklin (Samuel L. Jackson) well before the end of the movie was inspired by Tom Skerritt’s character’s demise in Alien.  Killing the best known actor and lead character put the survivors in more jeopardy.  When I first saw Deep Blue Sea, I was totally shocked when Samuel L. Jackson was killed.  Well played, Renny Harlin.

Deep Blue Sea (1999) rates 3 of 5 stars.