“The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” (1948) written & directed by John Huston; starring Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston and Tim Holt / Z-View

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The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

Director: John Huston

Screenplay: John Huston; based on THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE by B. Traven

Stars:  Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt, Bruce Bennett, Barton MacLane, Jay Silverheels and Robert Blake.

Tagline: They Sold Their Souls for… “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre”

The Plot…

1925.  Mexico.  Fred C. Dobbs is down on his luck.  He’s had to resort to begging since jobs are few and far between.

Fred’s luck changes when he’s hired to be part of the construction crew on a job that should set him right.  Fred meets Bob Curtin, another American on the crew.  They become friends.  When the job is finished, Fred and Bob go to collect their pay… only to find their boss skipped out with their money.

That night in a flophouse, the boys meet an old miner named Howard.  Howard talks about his adventures mining for gold.  How beautiful life is when you hit a vein.  How he knows there’s gold in the hills just waiting to be taken.  How gold changes a man.  Makes him greedy and suspicious.  Willing to turn on a friend.  Fred and Bob both say that’d never happen to them.  Howard laughs.  He’s seen what gold will do to a friendship.

When Fred and Bob get a little grubstake they go to Howard.  They want to form a three-man partnership and become gold miners.  Howard says, he’s old.  The terrain could kill a man and if it doesn’t the bandits that roam the hills would.  Fred and Bob won’t take no for an answer.  Howard says he’s up for one last adventure.

Fred, Bob and Howard head into the mountain range.  Howard was right.  The terrain and bandits are deadly… but the biggest danger is what happens to friends when they strike gold.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre was nominated for five 1949 Academy Awards and won four…

  • Nominee for Best Picture
  • Winner for Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Walter Huston
  • Winner for Best Director – John Huston
  • Winner for Best Writing, Screenplay – John Huston

Walter Huston won for Best Supporting Actor and John Huston won for Best Screenplay.  This was the first father/son Academy Award win.

Bruno Traven, who wrote the novel THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE was a recluse and B. Traven was his penname.  Traven signed contracts, approved the screenplay and director, all by mail.  He was offered $1,000 a week to go to the set as a technical advisor.  He refused but suggested his friend, Hal Croves, to go in his place.  Croves was paid $150 a week.  Some on the set believed Hal Croves was Bruno Traven.

Screenwriter/Director John Huston shows up in a cameo as the American Bogart repeatedly  hits up for money.

Robert Blake appears uncredited as the young boy who sells Bogart the lottery ticket.

Tim Holt is excellent as are Bogart and of course, Huston.

The Treasure of Sierra Madre is a classic.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Hope” (2026) written & directed by Na Hong-jin / Z-View

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Hope (2026)

Director: Na Hong-jin

Screenplay:  Na Hong-jin

Stars:  Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Ko Bum-seok is the Chief of Police for the small town of Hope Harbor. Ko drives to the outskirts of town to meet with a group of hunters.  They found a badly mutilated cow carcass.  Whatever killed the bovine had great strength and huge claws.  The hunters are concerned.  They speculate that it could have been a bear… or a tiger.  Whatever killed the cow is dangerous and needs to be captured or killed before it gets into town.  Concerns rise when more dead and mutilated livestock are found.

Ko radios for back-up but most of the force is off fighting wild fires.  Ko heads into town to alert the townfolk.  The hunters continue deeper into the woods to see if they can pick up the beast’s trail.

When Ko gets to Hope Harbor he finds a path of destruction.  Something is killing everyone in its way.  The trail is easy to follow due to dead bodies and destroyed building walls.  Ko is alone, with no back-up.  He’s scared but pushes on.

Meanwhile the hunters move deeper into the forest.

Neither Ko or the hunters are prepared for what they will find.  No one could be.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Although it is never specifically mentioned, the film is set in the 1980s.  Writer/director Na Hong-jin used this time period to increase the isolation of the characters.  No cell phones or internet.  It is much harder to reach out for additional suppport once phone lines are down.

The promotion for Hope (trailers and posters) got my interest early on.  I loved that there was a mystery to what was actually happening.  This carries over to a good section of the movie.  The characters, like the audience want to know what is causing the damage.  And then when we find out — whew!

There is a nice mix of humor, action and mystery.  Na Hong-jin is not afraid to show that his characters have fear.  Their fear causes misteps, accidents and unheroic actions.  Yet these situations are caused by bravery and heroics despite fear.  It’s not often we see set-ups like these in action films.

Na Hong-jin wastes no time setting up the mystery and then getting to the action.

I like Hope.  A lot.  There are just three small nits I would pick.

  1. The ending seemed abrupt.  The final scenes are a great set-up for a sequel but I would have liked a bit more closure for Hope.
  2. Something happens near the end of the movie.  It’s a big moment.  Then in a mid-credits scene, the big moment is negated.  It felt like a cheat.  Was the intent to shock the audience and then say, “Not really.”  Or was the plan to **** spoiler alert**** really kill the character, but test screenings changed that idea?  The mid-credits scene fixed that.
  3. In some of the battles, characters survive things that should have killed them.  They came out with no or very superficial injuries.  The stakes could have been raised if there were more negative/serious outcomes.

Hats off to Na Hong-jin.  Hope is a winner.  I, er, hope we get to see more in this universe.

Hope (2026) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Stella Stevens: The Last Starlet” (2025) / Z-View

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Stella Stevens: The Last Starlet (2025)

Director: Andrew Stevens

Screenplay: Andrew Stevens

Stars: Stella Stevens, Andrew Stevens, Jim Brown, Bobby Darrin, Glenn Ford, Michael Landon, Jerry Lewis, John Lithgo and Dean Martin.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Stella Stevens was married at 16.  At the time she lived in Holy Springs, Mississippi.  Within the next six years she would have a child, get divorced, give up her son, move to Hollywood, get a contract with 20th Century Fox, win a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year, be featured in Playboy magazine and fight to regain custody of her son.

She was just getting started.

Stella Stevens would go on to have a career in feature films and television that would last over 5 decades.  Her son, Andrew Stevens, wrote and directed this documentary on his mother’s life.  As you can imagine, there were highs and lows in both her professional and personal life.  This is her story.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

One of the choices made in this documentary was to have an actress appear on screen as Stella Stevens.  The actress voiced Stella Stevens quotes from interviews and articles.  It came off as a bit hokey.

Stella Stevens had an impressive career, always finding a way to stay active in her chosen profession.  She wasn’t afraid of controversial roles.

As much time was given to her off-screen life as her on-screen performances.

Stella Stevens: The Last Starlet (2025) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“The Court Jester” (1955) starring Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone, Angela Lansbury and Cecil Parker / Z-View

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The Court Jester (1955)

Director: Norman Panama, Melvin Frank

Screenplay:  Norman Panama, Melvin Frank

Stars:  Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone, Angela Lansbury, Cecil Parker,
Mildred Natwick, Robert Middleton, Michael Pate, Alan Napier and John Carradine.

Tagline: The Musical Romantic Adventure Of This Or Any Year!

The Plot…

King Roderick usurped the throne by killing the royal family.  Or so he thought.  A baby survived.  There is no doubt that the infant is of royal blood, as he possesses the inherited “purple pimpernel” birthmark on his bottom.  The baby is safely hidden away by The Black Fox and his rebel band.

Hubert Hawkins, a minstrel, joined the rebels.  He wanted to be a warrior fighting to overthrow King Roderick.  Unfortunately, Hubert is small, weak and not overly brave.

Roderick has barricaded himself in the King’s castle.  Unaware that a true heir to the throne survives, the king’s army provides support.  The Black Fox knows that their alliegence will change once they see the royal birthmark on the infant.  If they could only get a key to the king’s secret tunnel that would allow them access to the castle.

By chance, the rebels learn that Giacomo is on his way to the castle.  He will begin his new job as the King’s Jester!  A risky plan is quickly put together.  Hubert Hawkins will assume the role of Giacomo the Jester!  He will gain the king’s confidence, steal the key to the tunnel and The Black Fox and his rebels will take it from there.

Of course there are many things that can go wrong… all of them and more will.

Get it?  Got it?  Good!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Court Jester is one of my all time favorite musical/comedies.  There are so many truly funny scenes.  It is well written, well directed and perfectly cast.

Basil Rathbone was a two-time British Army fencing champion.  He was considered by many to be Hollywood’s best sword fighter. As such Rathbone had many famous on-screen sword fights.  His most famous were against Errol Flynn in Captain Blood and The Adventures of Robin Hood;  versus John Barrymore in Romeo and Juliet;  against Richard Plantagenet in Tower of London; against Tyrone Power in The Mark of Zorro and in his last on-screen battle versus Danny Kaye in The Court Jester.

The Court Jester (1955) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Suspiria” (1977) directed by Dario Argento; starring Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini and Joan Bennett / Z-View

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Suspiria (1977)

Director: Dario Argento

Screenplay:  Dario Argento, Daria Nicolodi; based on Suspiria de Profundis by Thomas De Quincey

Stars:  Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci, Miguel Bosé, Barbara Magnolfi, Susanna Javicoli, Eva Axén, Alida Valli and Joan Bennett.

Tagline: The Only Thing More Terrifying Than The Last 12 Minutes Of This Film. Are The First 80.

The Plot…

Suzy Bannion, a talented American dancer is excited.  She was accepted to study at the prestigious Tanz dance school in West Germany.  Just prior to Suzy’s arrival a student at the academy was murdered.  That was just the start.  As more students turn up dead, the truth of the school will be revealed.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Dario Argento’s (co-writer & director) original idea was the story would take place at a dance school for children.  The producers and studio rejected the idea.  They felt having children experience the violence in the film would result in a banned film.  Argento revised the screenplay to consist of young adults… BUT he didn’t rewrite the dialogue.  This explains why some of the dialogue seems childlike.

Most folks like Suspiria much more than me.  I thought it was slow, predictable and not very scary.  Of course, your mileage may vary.

Suspiria (1977) rates 2 of 5 stars.

The Whisper Man (2026) starring Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, Adam Scott and Michael Keaton / Z-View

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The Whisper Man (2026)

Director: James Ashcroft

Screenplay:  Ben Jacoby, Chase Palmer; based on THE WHISPER MAN by Alex North.

Stars:  Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, Adam Scott and Michael Keaton.

Tagline: If you leave a door half open, soon you’ll hear the whispers spoken.

The Plot…

Tom Kennedy is a widower raising his young son, Jake, by himself.  When Jake disappears, Tom turns to his estranged father, Peter, for help.  Peter is a retired police detective. Tom hopes his dad will have some influence and insight.

Things take a turn for the worse when it becomes clear that Jake was taken by a Whisper Man copycat.  The Whisper Man was a serial killer now in prison serving a life sentence.   If Jake is with the copycat, he will be killed in soon.  The killer’s ritual was to keep his victims alive for a few days before killing them.

The clock is ticking.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Michael Keaton has a small but important role.  

Strange things happen in their house before Jake disappears.  The fact that his father didn’t take certain precautions just didn’t ring true to me.  Also the reveal of the Whisper Man copycat killer seemed a stretch.  As did the ending. 

The Whisper Man (2026) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“The Last House” (2026) starring Greta Lee and Wagner Moura / Z-View

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The Last House (2026)

Director: Louis Leterrier

Screenplay:  Matthew Robinson

Stars:  Greta Lee, Wagner Moura.

Tagline: How long can you survive?

The Plot…

Jason, Ann and their two kids, Graham and Ruth are inside when a powerful storm hits.  After the rain, they discover that their doors and windows are sealed shut.  Worse still, the rain did the same to everyone’s house.  When Jason attempts to break windows, knock down the door or bust through walls, he discovers the rain somehow placed an unbreakable barrier around their house.

At first, they are sure help will come.  But it doesn’t.  They have electricity and water but no phone service or internet.  Inventory is taken.  They begin rationing food.  As a family they prepare for longterm survival — an indoor garden, a water reclamation system, and more.

They’ve done all they can.  But will it be enough?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Last House has an interesting concept: trapped in your house and you have to figure a plan for survival.   For me, it was an interesting ride until the end.  I didn’t care for the ending.  It reminded me of the old saying, “It’s not the destination, but the journey that matters.”

The Last House (2026) rates 3 of 5 stars.

Sly Stallone is Rocky Balboa by David Lapham!

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David Lapham is an Eisner Award-winning​ comic book creator best known for his independent crime series Stray Bullets.  When Lapham offered a headsketch special, I jumped on board for two.

Lampham again quickly responded that he was up for both.  I immediately sent a paypal for the amount requested and a few bucks more.  He emailed a “thank you” and that was the last I heard from him for four years.

Every so often, for the first couple of years, I sent an e-mail to see if he was okay or going to do the sketches.  No response ever came back.  Then in February of this year, I was surprised to get an e-mail from Mr. Lapham apologizing for his lack of communication.  He said that he wanted to get the art to me.  This week (six months later) the sketches arrived.  The first sketch was Sly Stallone as Jack Carter.  This is the second, Sly as Rocky.

I don’t know what the hold-up was.  I’m just happy to have the sketches and hope Mr. Lapham is doing well.

“November 1963” starring John Travolta, Robert Carlyle, Dermot Mulroney, Jefferson White & Mandy Patinkin – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster and trailer for November 1963 is here.  I’ve followed the different Kennedy Assassination theories since I was a child.  Why not one more?

Deal me in.

The JFK assassination, as told by the men who say they were in the room.

Watch the official trailer for NOVEMBER 1963, only in theaters November 20.

From two-time Oscar-nominated director Roland Joffé (The Killing Fields, The Mission), NOVEMBER 1963 unfolds in real time across the 48 hours surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, seen from inside the Chicago Outfit rather than from the official record.

Starring John Travolta as Johnny Roselli, Robert Carlyle as Jack Ruby, Dermot Mulroney as Chuckie Nicoletti, Mandy Patinkin as Anthony Accardo, Jefferson White as Lee Harvey Oswald and Thomas Fiscella as Sam Giancana.

The screenplay comes from Nicholas Celozzi, nephew of Chicago Outfit boss Sam Giancana, who heard the account first-hand as a child from Giancana’s brother Joseph “Pepe” Giancana, one of the men who rode with Sam through those two days. Bonnie Giancana, Sam’s daughter, serves as executive producer.

Directed by Roland Joffé. Produced by Kevin DeWalt of Minds Eye Entertainment and Nicholas Celozzi of Le Monde Productions. The production rebuilt Dealey Plaza from the ground up, with 1,500 extras and more than 75 period vehicles recreating November 22, 1963.

Sixty-three years on, the story comes from the people who say they were there.

NOVEMBER 1963. Only in theaters November 20.

KILLING TOWN: THE LOST FIRST MIKE HAMMER THRILLER by Mickey Spillane & Max Allan Collins / Z-View

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KILLING TOWN by Mickey Spillane, Max Allan Collins

First sentence…

The blonde dame in the sleeper car window was damn near naked in front of the mirror on the back of her closed door, and ready to finish the job.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

World War II is over.  Mike Hammer made it back.  Many of his fellow soldiers didn’t.  Now a civilian, Hammer has a promise to keep.

Which is why he sneaks under a train and rides into Killington on the sly.  As Hammer exits from under the train, through a window in a car across the tracks, he spies a woman undressing.   She’s a looker, but Hammer isn’t a Peeping Tom and wants to get out of there before the railyard cops catch him.

So Hammer scoots.

But it isn’t long before Hammer is picked up for murder.  The murder of the woman he saw in the railyard.  The cops get rough trying to get Hammer to confess.  Things look bad.  He was in the railyard.  He saw the woman.  He has no alibi.

And then the cops turn Hammer loose.  Melba Charles, Senator Charles’ beautiful daughter says that Hammer was with her at the time of the murder.  In fact, she says she and Hammer are soon to be married!

Hammer is happy to be free.  He came to Killington to keep a promise.  That’ll get done after.  Now he needs to find the mystery woman’s killer.  But first he needs to meet his future bride and find out why she provided an alibi for a man she’d never met.

+++

KILLING TOWN takes place before Mike Hammer became a private eye.  It was actually an unfinished novel that Mickey Spillane started but never finished.  Max Allan Collins, Spillane’s friend was selected by Spillane to complete the tale.

KILLING TOWN is my one of my favorite Mike Hammer tales… on par with I, THE JURY.  (And I don’t say that lightly.)

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