Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Great news! Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator behind animation hits such as Primal, Samurai Jack, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Dexter’s Laboratory and the first three Hotel Transylvania movies, is preparing a Conan The Barbarian animated series for Prime.
The poster above was part of the announcement for the series. Although no official premiere date has been set, we’ll watch for future announcements.
The Way of All Pants (1927)
Director: James Parrott
Screenplay: H.M. Walker
Stars: Charley Chase, Edna Marion, Frank Leigh.
Tagline: None.
The Plot…
Charley, who is nervous, especially around women, works in the office for a rich man. Charley is given the task to hire a new “girl” for the office. Several apply. Charley takes a liking to one and it appears she’s interested in him.
It just so happens that Charlie and his boss at first (or even second) glance look alike. Charley is sitting at his boss’ desk when the boss’ wife comes in from a door behind Charley. The woman thinks it is her husband sitting at his desk. She begins rubbing his shoulders. Charley thinks it is the new hire and he reaches up to stroke her.
Then the boss enters the room!
It takes a bit of explaining, but the boss finally believes his wife and Charley. It was simply a case of mistaken identity.
Before she leaves the boss’ wife asks Charley to pick up and deliver a custom made pair of pants she is going to surprise her husband with. When Charley arrives with the pants, the wife asks him to try them on since Charley and her husband are about the same size. Charley reluctantly agrees.
Of course when Charley is out of his pants and not in the new pants, guess who shows up.
Let the hijinks begin!
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Charley Chase was an writer, director and actor. Although he died at a relatively young age (46), his resume includes 282 acting roles, 174 films as a director and 37 as writer.
The Way of All Pants was directed by Charley Chase’s brother.
The Way of All Pants is a play on an Oscar-winning film, The Way of All Flesh, released the same year.
The Way of All Pants (1927) rates 3 of 5 stars.
Greenland 2: Migration (2026)
Director: Ric Roman Waugh
Screenplay: Mitchell LaFortune, Chris Sparling; based on characters created by Chris Sparling
Stars: Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Roman Griffin Davis.
Tagline: 5 years ago, the world ended. That was just the beginning.
The Plot…
Five years ago a massive comet slammed into the Earth. It caused worldwide earthquakes, tsunamis and meteor storms. 75% of the world’s population perished. Even now, the earth’s climate is unstable. There is lingering radioactive fallout. Sudden meteor storms, electromagnetic storms and earthquakes are always a risk.
John Garrity, his wife Alison and their son Nathan survived. They made it to an underground military bunker in Greenland. So did quite a few others. Life in the underground fortress for five years has taken a toll. Supplies are running low. The bunker’s structural integrity is failing.
There are rumors of a safe haven in a volcanic crater in Southern France. The trip there would be fraught with danger.
When an earthquake destroys the bunker and causes a tsunami that will soon arrive, John with his wife and son make the decision to attempt a journey to Southern France. They hope the stories of a refuge are true. They know they will encounter multiple environmental dangers as well as humans willing to kill them to survive.
Let’s go.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
I enjoyed Greenland. I thought it was good — not bad and not great. Greenland 2: Migration is more or less (actually a little less) of the same. Despite multiple dangerous situations, I never felt that the family wouldn’t make it.
Greenland 2: Migration (2026) rates 3 of 5 stars.
Check out this Predator alt poster by Vance Kelly! You can see more of Vance Kelly’s art at his website or his Instagram page.
Check out this sweet Rocky illustration by Riccardo Rosanna. The art was created for a future project. Hmmm. I wonder what the project is and when it will be ready for fans.
Man on Fire: Season 1 (2025)
Created by: Kyle Killen; based on MAN ON FIRE by A.J. Quinnell
Director:
Teleplay by:
Starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Billie Boullet, Scoot McNairy, Alice Braga, Paul Ben-Victor and Bobby Cannavale.
Tagline: None.
The Plot… (beware of spoilers)
John Creasy was a Captain in the United States Special Forces. If a team was needed to go in a high risk-high reward situation, Creasey was the man you wanted in charge. Creasey was formidable in all aspects of military training and second to none as a strategist. When Creasey left the military, the CIA scooped him up. Creasey continued to be the go-to leader who would get the mission accomplished, no matter the odds.
That was then.
A mission led by Creasey resulted in his entire squad wiped out. Creasey became a shell of his former self. He left the CIA. Now he drinks too much and suffers from PTSD.
Paul Rayburn, a friend of Creasey’s, owns a security company. Rayburn flies Creasey to Brazil to offer him a job. While Creasey considers the opportunity, he re-bonds with Rayburn, his wife and their two children.
Tragedy strikes when a terrorist group blows up the building where Rayburn and his family live. Rayburn, his wife and son are three of the approximately six hundred killed in the explosion. Rayburn’s daughter Poe, wasn’t in the building when it detonated. She saw one of the terrorists. Worse still, he saw her.
Poe becomes a target of the terrorists. Creasey now has something to live for – to protect Poe and get revenge for the murder of his friends and 600 others.
Thoughts…
I like that Man on Fire didn’t play out the exact same plot as the excellent Man on Fire movie directed by Tony Scott, starring Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning.
This is the third adaptation of AJ Quinnell’s MAN ON FIRE novel. The first was the 1987 film Man on Fire starring Scott Glenn as John Creasey. The second was the 2004 Man on Fire movie starring Denzel Washington.
A.J. Quinell is the pen name of Philip Nicholson. He wrote five novels about John Creasey.
Kudos to Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Playing a character Denzel Washington made famous is a BIG ask. Abdul-Mateen II did a fine job.
Man on Fire: Season 1 (2025) rates 4 of 5 stars.
THE GIRL WITH THE DEEP BLUE EYES by Lawrence Block
First sentence…
The phone woke him from a dream.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Gallatin County Florida Sheriff William Radburn has information that Lisa Otterbein plans to have her husband killed. A local no-good snitched to Radburn after being approached by Lisa. She was looking for a killer. Someone to murder her wealthy husband.
So Sheriff Radburn decides to set up a sting. If Radburn gets Lisa on tape asking a hitman to murder her husband, she will go to prison and a life will be saved. Radburn approaches Doak Miller. Miller is a retired New York City cop with 24 years of service. Miller recently moved to Gallatin County after his wife divorced him. Miller is new to the area, experienced and could pass as a killer.
Radburn meets with Miller and lays out the plan. Miller will wear a wire, act as the hitman, and record Lisa asking him to kill her husband.
Miller meets with Lisa. She’s beautiful. More than beautiful really. Stunning. With amazing deep blue eyes. Miller is attracted to her. But he has a job to do. Miller says all the right things and gets Lisa’s responses on tape.
Radburn is surprised when he listens to the recording. Lisa doesn’t want a hitman. She doesn’t want her husband killed. Sure, their marriage has hit a rough patch, but kill him? Never. Miller says his experience dealing with criminals and liars tells him Lisa is telling the truth. The sheriff was given bad info.
Except he wasn’t.
Miller told Lisa how to respond. Practiced his questions and her answers until they sounded right. THEN he recorded the exchanges.
Now Miller and Lisa are heading into a red hot affair and planning a cold-blooded murder.
+++
Lawrence Block wrote this in 2015, but it has the feel of the erotic tales he wrote under pseudonyms at the start of his career. If you’re a fan of tales like DOUBLE INDEMNITY and THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE, this one is for you.
Rating:
The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Robinson. Perfection.
I have been a fan of Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith’s 30 Days of Night comic since it first came out. I loved the concept — a vampire clan goes to Barrow Alaska, a small town near the artic circle. Each year Barrow goes through 30 days of night. Cut off from the rest of the world, the town folk find themselves in a fight for survival.
When the 30 Days of Night movie was announced, I had high hopes it would be at least good. And man, was it ever. I like the film better with each new viewing. Much of the reason for that is the performance of Danny Huston. If you haven’t seen the film, give it a go.
“Please, God. Please…” – Woman begging for mercy
“God?… No god.” – Marlow
Source: J. Beers Instagram.
When I saw that Andrew Krahnke was going to be a guest at HeroesCon 2026, I knew I wanted to try to get a sketch from him. I’d never met Krahnke, but I knew his work through his graphic novel BLOODRIK.
I sent Krahnke an e-mail to see if he was taking pre-show commissions. As you can see above, he was. I thought Krahnke would be great for a Rambo piece, and was he ever.
This is my first piece from Andrew Krahnke. I hope there will be more.
Thobias Daneluz has such a cool art style. Check out Thobias’ Instgram to see more of his art. (And plan to stay awhile.)
Leo Leibelman is a freelance artist who has provided art for comics, trading cards, novels, instructional materials, film storyboards and more. Leo Leibelman takes commissions.
Leo Leibelman presents the film that made Russell Crowe a star!
“Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?” – Maximus
Constantine (2005)
Director: Francis Lawrence
Screenplay: Kevin Brodbin, Frank Cappello; story by Kevin Brodbin; based on Hellblazer by Jamie Delano, Garth Ennis
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Tilda Swinton, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Djimon Hounsou, Gavin Rossdale and Peter Stormare.
Tagline: Hell wants him. Heaven won’t take him. Earth needs him.
The Plot (beware of spoilers)…
LA Detective Angela Dodson turns to John Constantine, a occult expert and exorcist, to help her investigate her sister’s suicide. Constantine discovers that demons have a plan to enter the human realm using the Spear of Destiny and Angela’s sister.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
John Constantine was created by writer Alan Moore, during his run on DC Comics’ Swamp Thing. After negative experiences with movie adaptations of his work (From Hell and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), Moore refused to have anything to do with Hollywood. He went as far as to reject any money or credit for movie adaptations of his characters or work.
Constantine just didn’t resonate with me. Most folks like it better than I do. As always, your mileage may vary.
Constantine (2005) rates 2 of 5 stars
Niccolò Fioriti worked up a clever alt Rear Window poster. I like how on point and well done this one is.
“Why would a man leave his apartment three times on a rainy night with a suitcase and come back three times?“ – L.B. Jefferies
From Here to Eternity (1953)
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Screenplay: Daniel Taradash; based on FROM HERE TO ETERNITY by James Jones
Stars: Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra, Philip Ober, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Warden, Claude Akins, Al Silvani and George Reeves.
Tagline: WARDEN… who wouldn’t do it… even for her… PREW… who wanted to be left alone… KAREN… who was looking for a real man… MAGGIO… you just have to laugh at him… LORENE… to look at her you’d never guess…
The Plot…
1941. Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt, a professional boxer who retired after blinding another fighter, is transferred to Fort Shafter in Hawaii. Captain “Dynamite” Holmes is excited to get Prewitt under his command. Prewitt on his boxing team is a sure thing to win the Regimental Boxing Championship. When Prewitt refuses to box, Holmes decides to “break him”.
To that end, Captain Holmes orders his subordinates to make Prewitt’s life miserable. Extra duties. Extreme punishments. Nothing can break Prewitt’s resolve. Company punishments for Prewitt’s “infractions” distance his fellow soldiers from him. Only Private Angelo Maggio is willing to be friendly with Prewitt. This causes friction between Maggio and the sadistic Sergeant Judson.
Sergeant Milton knows Captain Holmes is wrong, but it would be career suicide to disobey him. Of course Milton’s affair with Captain Holmes’ wife would have the same result.
Things are past a breaking point…
… then the morning of December 7th dawns…
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
From Here to Eternity was nominated for thirteen 1954 Academy Awards. It won eight.
From Here to Eternity tied Gone with the Wind with the eight Oscars won by a single film. This record stood for over a decade. The films were also winners of the Best Picture Oscar. Interestingly enough only one actor appears in both: George (Superman) Reeves. Reeves had small roles in both films and is actually uncredited in From Here to Eternity.
Claude Atkins made his film debut in this film.
From Here to Eternity is a classic.
From Here to Eternity (1953) rates 5 of 5 stars.
