“Savages” (2012) directed by Oliver Stone, starring Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Aaron Johnson, John Travolta, Benicio del Toro, Salma Hayek and Shea Whigham / Z-View

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Savages (2012)

Director:  Oliver Stone

Screenplay:  Shane Salerno, Oliver Stone, Don Winslow; based on SAVAGES by Don Winslow

Stars:  Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Aaron Johnson, John Travolta, Benicio del Toro, Salma Hayek and Shea Whigham.

Tagline: Young. Beautiful. Deadly..

The Plot…

Ben (a pacifist) and Chon (ex-military) are best friends who share a thriving marijuana business and a woman named Ophelia. The relationship works as well as their multi-million dollar pot business.

All is paradise until a brutal Mexican cartel (is that redundant?) decides to move in on their pot trade. When Ben and Chon refuse their offer, the cartel kidnaps Ophelia.

Nothing will stop Ben and Chon from getting her back.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Ron Kovic, the subject of Oliver’s Stone’s Born on the Fourth of July, makes a cameo as a wheelchair-bound customer.

The novel by Don Winslow provides a solid foundation. The screenplay by Shane Salerno, Don Winslow and Olver Stone isn’t afraid to make changes to the great source material.

Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, Blake Lively, Salma Hayek, Benicio Del Toro and John Travolta are excellent. Oliver Stone delivers.

Savages (2012) rates 4 of 5 stars.

Sly Stallone is Cosmo Carboni by Rich Hennemann!

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Rich Hennemann is one of the first artists I look to commission each year at HeroesCon (and also a couple of times through the year).

Every October, Rich asks fans to send in their character requests.  They can be from comics, movies, television, novels — anywhere.  He then picks a character for each day to draw.  The person who requested the character gets first option to buy the art.  If that person doesn’t want it, the art becomes available for anyone to purchase.

This year I requested Sly Stallone as Cosmo Carboni from Paradise Alley.  As you can see Rich selected Cosmo for one of the days and I purchased it.  Rich always comes through like a champ.  If you collect art, you deserve a piece or twelve from Rich.

“Signs” (2002) written & directed by M. Night Shyamalan, starring Mel Gibson / Z-View

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Signs (2002)

Director:  M. Night Shyamalan

Screenplay:  M. Night Shyamalan

Stars:  Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix and M. Night Shyamalan.

Tagline: The first sign you can’t explain. The second sign you can’t ignore. The third sign you won’t believe..

The Plot…

Graham Hess, a former Episcopal Priest, is a single father with two young children.  They live on Graham’s farm outside a small town in rural Pennsylvania. Six months ago, Graham’s wife was killed when a car struck her as she was out for a walk.  After his wife’s death, Graham lost his faith in God and quit the church. Graham’s younger brother Merrill, a high school baseball star who washed out of the minor leagues, moved in to help with the kids.

When a large crop circle suddenly appears in his cornfield, Graham blames teenage vandals.  Then get creepy when Graham sees shadows that appear to be people in his cornfield and even his roof.  Next crop circles on other farms start appearing.  This is followed by multiple reports of UFOs over major cities around the world.  Rumors of an alien invasion spread  like wildfire.

And then it happens.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

M. Night Shyamalan said that The Birds, Night of the Living Dead, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers were his main influences for Signs.  He had the cast watch The Birds prior to filming.

M. Night Shyamalan said Sign‘s title has two meanings. “One is the crop signs, but it is also about faith and the existence of signs from above.”

Signs is a fun popcorn movie.  It’s funny, suspenseful, frightening and reaffirming.

***SPOILER*** Some critics of the film point out it was stupid of the aliens to invade Earth since water creates a big problem for them. (And Earth is mostly covered by water.)  This is easily discounted if we assume that Earth, despite it’s issues for the aliens, is the best planet they can get to for their survival.

Signs (2002) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Hangmen Also Die” (1943) directed by Fritz Lang, starring Brian Donlevy, Walter Brennon and Anna Lee / Z-View

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Hangmen Also Die (1943)

Director:  Fritz Lang

Screenplay: John Wexley; story by Fritz Lang, Bertolt Brecht

Stars:  Brian Donlevy, Walter Brennan, Anna Lee, Gene Lockhart, Dennis O’Keefe
and Alexander Granach.

Tagline: Fritz Lang’s masterpiece of intrigue and deception.

The Plot…

World War II rages.  Nazis control Czechoslovakia.  Reinhard Heydrich, the Nazi in charge of the occupation is so brutal he’s been given the nickname “The Hangman of Europe”.  The Czech resistance’s scheme to assassinate Heydrich is a success, but the escape plan goes sideways.

Dr. František Svoboda, the Hangman’s killer goes on the run.  As the Nazis close in, a young woman named Mascha helps hide Svoboda.  Unable to find their leader’s killer, the Nazis begin a door-to-door search.  They also round up civilians for executions.

With the Nazis closing in and the execution of innocents underway it appears all hope is lost…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Hangmen Also Die! was nominated for two 1944 Academy Awards…

  • Nominee for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture – Hanns Eisler
  • Nominee for Best Sound, Recording – Jack Whitney

There really was a Nazi named Reinhard Heydrich nicknamed “The Hangmen”.  Although Heydrich was assassinated, Hangmen Also Die! is a fictionalized account.

Hangmen Also Die! was made during the height of World War II.  Hangmen Also Die! went into production just four months after the death of Reinhard Heydrich.

The Nazi response to the assassination was…

  • to wipe the village of Lidice off the map.  They dynamited and bulldozed buildings and even plowed over the local cemetery.
  • All 173 men and teenage boys over the age of 15 were lined up and shot by an execution squad.
  • Out of 105 children, 82 were murdered in gas vans. A small handful were deemed “racially suitable for Germanization” and given to SS families.
    • The remaining women were sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp.
  • The village of Ležáky was also burned to the ground.  All men and women were killed and the children taken away.
  • The Czech Orthodox Church was banned and its property confiscated.  The Bishop Gorazd, the priests, and church lay leaders were arrested, tortured, and executed by firing squad.
  • The country was placed under martial law.  Executions were held daily with the names of those killed announced on the radio.   It was estimated that approximately 5,000 people were murdered or executed during the Nazi reprisals.

Hangmen Also Die (1943) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Criminal” starring Charlie Hunnam – The Teaser is Here!

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The teaser for Criminal is here and man, does it check all the boxes.  I’ve been a fan of the graphic novel series from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips since issue one.  This series adaptation looks great.  I love that they’re dropping all episodes in each “chapter” at once.

Deal me in!

All you have to do is aim, breathe, and squeeze. From the acclaimed graphic novel series, Criminal comes to Prime Video in two parts on January 13 and 27.

“Shaun of the Dead” (2004) written by Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright, directed by Edgar Wright, starring Simon Pegg / Z-View

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Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Director:  Edgar Wright

Screenplay:  Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright

Stars:  Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Nick Frost, Dylan Moran, Bill Nighy and Penelope Wilton.

Tagline: In a time of crisis a hero must rise…from his sofa.

The Plot…

Shaun is a 29 year-old slacker with a deadend job. Liz, his girlfriend just dumped him. She grew tired of Shaun’s promises to grow up.  Shaun would speak the words then revert back to playing video games or hanging out at the pub with his out of work friend, Ed.

Shaun and Ed are so oblivious that they don’t notice a zombie apocalypse has started until it comes to their front door.

Now Shaun has a plan.  He will rescue his mother.  And Liz.  That’s the plan.  Now all he has to do is figure out how.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

George A. Romero liked Shaun of the Dead so much he asked Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright to cameo as zombies in Land of the Dead. They did and appear as two chained zombies used in a photo stand.

My preference for zombie (and most horror) movies is a serious take.  Shaun of the Dead is the rare exception that works.

Shaun of the Dead (2004) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Mr. T: I Pity the Fool” (2026) / Z-View

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Mr. T: I Pity the Fool (2026)

Director:  Scott Weintrob

Stars: Mr. T, Terry Crews, Dirk Benedict, Dwight Schultz, George Peppard, Cheri Oteri, Eddie Murphy and Hulk Hogan.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Mr. T burst on the scene as Clubber Lang in Rocky III.  He became world famous. A television show (The A-Team) was built around him. So was a cartoon. Feature films followed.  Mr. T became a cultural icon.

The world knows Mr. T, but how many know Laurence Tureaud, the man who became Mr. T?  This is his story.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

From humble beginings, to a career as a bodyguard to the famous, Mr. T was a self-made man.  When Sylvester Stallone gave Mr. T the opportunity, it was T’s preparation that made him a star.

Mr. T: I Pity the Fool is a nice overview.  I wish it was longer and went more in depth.  Still it does a good job through interviews with Mr. T, celebrities who worked with him as well as friends and family of hitting the high (and low) points of Mr. T’s life.

Mr. T: I Pity the Fool (2026) rates 4 of 5 stars.