Denzel is on Fire

"Man on Fire" looks to be a winner. Denzel Washington stars as an ex-government operative who reluctantly agrees to bodyguard a child. When she's abducted, his rage is unleashed on those responsible...

Works for me... especially since the screenplay was written by Brian Helgeland ["Mystic River," "Payback," "L.A. Confidential"], directed by Tony Scott ["Revenge," "The Last Boy Scout," "True Romance"] and co-stars Mickey Rourke and Christopher Walken. Check out the trailer and let me know what you think.

Keep An Eye Out

Every now and again a movie will sneak up on me.

I just discovered the "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow". Check out the trailer and I'll bet you'll agree - this movie looks to be a cross between the old Fleischer Superman cartoons, The Iron Giant, The Shadow, The Rocketeer and all of those old movie serials that Bill Black loves!

The movie is written and directed by Kerry Conran [the name's new to me] and stars Jude Law as the Sky Captain, Gwyneth Paltrow as reporter Polly Perkins, Angelina Jolie as the eyepatch wearing Capt. Franky Cook, and Giovanni Ribisi as Dex.

I'm, let's hope Angelina Jolie will excuse the phrase, keeping my eye out for more info on the film and will post it as I get it!

That Kind of Scary

Most of the you regular ZONE readers know that I love a good MONSTER movie. Obviously the key to a great monster movie is, well, a great monster. The really cool monsters are the ones that scare the crap out of ya before they actually get their paws, claws, or mitts on you.

The creatures from "The Lord of the Rings" movies are that kind of scary.

Maxim Goes to the Movies

If you love movies, then you owe it to yourself to try and find tthe latest issue of Maxim Goes to the Movies, which is on newstands now. I picked up a copy and enjoyed nearly every article in it! It features a nice interview with Billy Bob Thorton, a sneak peak at "Spider-Man 2," pieces on the new "Starsky and Hutch," "Big Fish," "Paycheck," "The Alamo," interviews with Uma Thurman and Quentin Tarantino about "Kill Bill Volume II;" "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King," a Michael Madsen interview, a long "Hellboy" preview, and so much more. Why are you still reading this? Go out and get the magazine... you won't believe how good it is!

Sleeping With the Champ

Chuck Wepner has received a bit of press lately since he filed a lawsuit against Sylvester Stallone for a percentage of the profits made off of the "Rocky" movies. While the lawsuit is laughable, it's not as funny as this true story...

Wepner fought Ali in 1975. Before the fight Wepner, known as the "Bayonne Bleeder" told his wife. "Go out and buy some expensive lingerie because after the fight you'll be sleeping with the Champion of the World!" Ali won the fight. A bloodied Wepner walked back to his dressing room...

... where his wife asked, "So, do I go to Ali's room or does he come to mine!"

Fairplay Works

The season finale of Survivor is on tonight. Although I normally watch Alias, I'll pass on it to find out who gets the million bucks.

I really don't care who wins this one. If I had to guess I'd say it'll be Darrah. After Ruppert got booted few weeks ago I said, anyone but "Johnny Fairplay." The guy is so annoying. Yet, the more I thought about it and watched him work... although he's still very irritating, he has played the game well. He's not the smartest or the strongest, but has been the best at working others. To think that he planned to pull the "grandma's dead" scam long before he went to the islands... well, maybe he does deserve the million bucks.

Meet Ben Templesmith

If you're a regular reader of my ZONE posts, then you know I'm a huge Steve Niles fan. I first discovered Niles through his novels and then his comics. Niles' classic 30 Days of Night is being prepped for the big screen.

Since I've talked so much about Steve Niles, I think it's time I give some time to Ben Templesmith the artist who helped make 30 Days such a runaway hit. Templesmith has an interview here and his personal website here. If you enjoy them you should give his comics a try!

QT Has a Plan

Michael Madsen is one of those under-rated actors who makes a movie better every time he shows up. For nearly a decade fans have been hoping that Madsen, Quentin Tarantino and John Travolta would get together and make "The Vega Brothers" based on their characters from "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction."

As the years passed the project seemed doomed to never happen. In this interview Madsen says that Tarantino has a plan to make it work...

Riddick Returns!

One of the movies coming out next year, that I'm really looking forward to, is "The Riddick Chronicles." This sequel to "Pitch Black" [a movie that I loved] reteams Rob Cohen and Vin Diesel.

Riddick is a role that Diesel was born to play and I have high hopes for the proposed trilogy. Unfortunately the movie doesn't open until next year... still there's the trailer coming out Monday and several cool things happening before the movie is released!

Mad At You

The last issue of MAD magazine that I bought featured a Frank Frazetta cover for the parady of Judge Dredd starring Sylvester Stallone.

In other words it's been years.

That'll probably all change in January when Mad #438 hits the stands. It features the work of Arthur Adams, Michael Allred, John Byrne, J. Scott Campbell, Dave Gibbons, Jim Lee, Frank Miller, and John Romita, Jr. Here's a link to more info.

You may not buy it, but you'd be, uh... mad not to at least give it a look!

Meet Rick Remender

Rick Remender.

You know, the award winning animator who created Swingtown. He worked on the classic Iron Giant. Titan AE. The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle.Still not sure? OK, maybe if I list some of his comic work. The Avengers. The Terminator. Doll and Creature. Black Heart Billy. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Ok.

Granted, Rick Remender is not a household name. But he should be. The guy has a gazillion cool ideas. He writes. He draws. He animates. The dude is a natural born creator. Rick is pencilling and Big Beatty is inking a 48 page Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles book and I gotta tell ya, the art is amazing. It's black and white with really sweet tones thrown in. I've never bought a Turtles book before. Ever. But I may have to break down and get this bad boy.

But back to Rick. Check out his website. The new school design rocks. Plan to spend a while. Be sure to check out his Swingtown animations, his sketchbook [I want to see more of The Last Days of American Crime], heck order a book or two if the spirit grabs ya, and drop him a line and tell him I sent ya!

Meet Bill Black

Bill Black has been publishing comics since 1969. He's outlasted every other independent comic company and is still going at it. Want to know how Bill got to where he is today? Then check out this interview!

Bill has is best known for writing and drawing his own creations but has also published the work of big name artists such as Mike Zeck, Dave Dorman, Dick Ayers, Erik Larsen, George Perez, Greg Horn, Jerry Ordway, Pat Broderick, Paul Gulacy and Wm. Michael Kaluta to name just a few. Bill even gave Big Beatty his first professional job in comics...
...and believe it or not Beatty pencilled, Jerry Ordway inked and I scripted a story which appeared in the comic to the left!

Meet Tim Bradstreet

If you like moody, photo-realistic art then you owe it to yourself to check out the work of Tim Bradstreet.

I first discovered Tim's work when he was inking Tim Truman's Dragon Chiang. It wasn't long after that that Bradstreet was doing his own stuff. Really cool black and white pinups, covers for just about everyone and giving us glimpses of his Red Sky Diaries.

Want to know more about Tim Bradstreet? Then check out this interview [HERE] and his web site [HERE].

It Was 40 Years Ago Today...

Forty years ago today... I was five years and one month old and President Kennedy was assassinated. Like everyone old enough to remember, I know exactly where I was when I first learned of it.

I was in a grocery store in Miami with my grandfather. He and my grandma had taken me with them on vacaction to Florida. It's probably the one vacation that I can tell you specifically where I was on a given day.

I remember a man saying that the President had been shot and all of the adults looking scared. I'd never seen that before and it caused me some concern. My grandfather assured me things would be ok, but I remember us hurrying back to the hotel. I was only five years old but I followed the details as they became clear. President Kennedy was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald while visiting Dallas, Texas. Oswald acted alone and was caught after killing a police officer named Tippett. Oswald in turn was killed [in a police station of all places] by Jack Ruby. I remember adults saying that Ruby should be given a medal for killing Oswald and that he saved the country even more grief.

It wasn't until I was older that I began to learn that maybe there was more to the Kennedy Assassination than we had been led to believe. I read the Warren Commission Report. I watched and read every related item that I could get my hands on. As the years have passed I have continued to read and search out new information. I hope that someday we will definitively know exactly what happened.

But as each year passes, I find the only thing that I am truly sure of in relation to the Kennedy Assassination is where I was when I first heard of it.

Rupert Bounced

It just had to happen. Rupert was voted off Survivor.

Rupert was just too strong... too smart. I can't say blame them. If Rupert stuck around much longer he would have probably won it all.
Now Burton hopes to go to the finals with Jon. At first glance this seems a wise move. Since Jon irritates everyone, Burton's a cinch to win, right?

Not necessarily. Once the judges learn that Burton set up the ousting of Rupert [coupled with the fact that Burton was already kicked off once] and Jon might win the million bucks. And you know Rupert will be on the jury!

Britney Bares No More

MSNBC Entertainment reporter Jeannette Walls posted an item that says Playboy has offered Britney Spears a seven-figure deal to pose nude in their magazine. Britney's camp had no comment and Playboy didn't have much to say either. But then again if it happens, a picture will be worth well more than 1,000 words!

Everybody Loves Walking Dead

On Sunday I told you about Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore's comic "The Walking Dead."

Seems I wasn't the only one who liked it. Despite printing nearly twice what was ordered, both issue #1 and issue #2 are nearly sold out! And advance orders for #3 are even higher than for #2!

Still not convinced? Check out this interview with Robert Kirkman and then check out the comic!

Risso Rocks

Eduardo Risso is a genius. His work on 100 Bullets is astounding. What makes Risso even more unique is that although he's been honored with the top awards the industry has to offer, and he's admired by fans and pros alike, he continues to work on the regular monthly title 100 Bullets. There've been six trade paperback compilations and I highly recommend them all! [ONE / TWO / THREE / FOUR / FIVE / SIX]

Risso and Azzerello have recently teamed to produce a six issue arc of Batman. The first issue is #620 and is on stands now. The first printing sold out from the publisher, but you may find a few still around. It's great stuff, so it'd be worth your effort to find a copy. In the meantime, here's an interview with Risso to tide you over until Batman 621 comes in!

Sleepy Time for Riggs

I'm a huge fan of the Lethal Weapon series. Part of the joy has to be that Richard Donner has returned to direct Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in each of the entries. The fact that Richard Donner has expressed interest in one more movie to "put the franchise to bed properly" has me hoping!

All-Star Survivor

Survivor is "must-see tv" at the Zablo house. The whole family sits down to watch [and cheer or boo] the antics as players compete for a million bucks. You can imagine how excited we'll be when an All-Star line-up goes head to head next season!

Ain't It Cool News posted that CBS announced the all-star version of “Survivor,” featuring players from previous competitions, will launch right after the Super Bowl on Feb. 1. Although it wasn't yet announced who will compete I'm hoping to see Rupert, Richard Hatch and Rudy trying to become the sole survivor!

Sale Starts Here

Tim Sale didn't become a professional comic book artist until he was 29 years old. That's pretty old to just be entering the profession.

The cool thing is that Tim didn't give up on his dream and now he is one of most in-demand artists around, able to pick and choose the projects that HE wants to do.

Tim doesn't have a website, but HERE's a link to a recent interview. Tim talks about his influences, his art and what he plans to do next. Tim has worked on all of the classic characters. Batman. Daredevil. Wolverine. Spider-Man. Superman. The Hulk. He's even drawn a really cool on-line Matrix story.

Pretty impressive for such a late bloomer, eh?

The Walking Dead!

I love a good end of the world, small band of survivors fighting to survive against all odds story. You know, like Stephen King's The Stand... "28 days later" and the clasic "Night of the Living Dead."

Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore's comic "The Walking Dead" can now join the list! I'm not kidding. It's really that good. Don't believe me? Then check out this review. And this one. Better yet, read it yourself. I did and I've added it to my monthly must buy list.

I really wasn't familiar with Robert Kirkman before reading "The Walking Dead." If you're like me and want to know more about him, you can check out this interview. If you want to know a bit more about Tony Moore, here's a link to his site.

I'd like to hang around and tell you more about "The Walking Dead" but I think I'll go back and re-read it again.

It's really THAT good!

Tampa Con & More

I'm looking forward to this weekend. Big John Beatty and I will be motoring down to Tampa for Tim Gordon's Tampa Comic Book and Toy Convention. Big Beatty is a guest but before I get to that...

Saturday night Beatty and I are going to attend a little get together put on by Randy Martin. Randy is an avid art collector whose theme happens to be Edward Scissorshands. How cool is that? John Higashi will be there with his Star Wars theme [which includes are from just about anyone who is ANYONE. How many collections do you know that feature Drew Struzan originals [note the "s" as in many]? John Dell and other artists will be attending as well. It's going to be a lot of fun.

The next day is Tampa Con. John is a guest [which makes me a guest of a guest, I suppose]. Other real guests include MARTY NODELL [creator of the original GREEN LANTERN], ETHAN VAN SCIVER [X-Men], ALEX SAVIUK [Spider-Man], JIM FERN [Scion, Wolverine], AUSTIN JANOWSKY [Superman], DICK KULPA [artist and publisher of CRACKED], MARK and STEPHANIE HEIKE and others.

If you happen to be in the area, stop in and say, "Hi." I'll be the guy in the StalloneZone shirt angeling for more Stallone sketches!

Hellboy Will Be Cool

I'm really looking forward to the "Hellboy" movie. I've been talking up the comics for years and I really think that the movie is going to be a cool adaptation.

Don't believe me? The check out these cool Hellboy pics posted at mysan.de.

Cool & Fun

I'll bet that the new "Punisher" movie does pretty well at the box office. I say this for two reasons:

1] The Punisher is a pretty cool character and

2] the trailer makes it look like the movie will be fun.

So yeah, I think that it'll do well even though the guy playing the Punisher doesn't look like the "bad mofo" I've come to know and love. Mike Zeck's Punisher... now that's the real Punisher!

What Does The Day After Tomorrow Hold?

I just saw the coolest trailer for "The Day After Tomorrow." I don't know anything about the movie other than what I just saw, but it's enough to make me want to know more!

Interview & Transporter Too

One of my favorite movies last year was the very under-rated The Transporter starring Jason Stratham. It had a cool soundtrack and just the right mix of action and comedy. It's made a great addition to my dvd collection and everyone that I'veshown it to has really liked it.

I'm happy to say that CHUD.com posted an interview with Jason Stratham and that he and director, Corey Yuen are returning for The Transporter 2!

Too Old Harry

According to an item at Dark Horizons, Warner Brothers wants to do another "Dirty Harry" movie with Clint Eastwood.

Eastwood thinks he's too old to play Harry Callahan chasing criminals [and I'd have to agree]. Still Warner Bros. really wants another "Dirty Harry" movie. One suggestion that might work would be to start with a new person playing Dirty Harry. Eastwood could even direct!

Now that might make my day!

ABC News Knows

One of the biggest mysteries of our time is: Who Killed JFK? Ask ten different people and you could get ten different answers. ABC News thinks that they have the definitive answer.

"ABC News has conducted an exhaustive investigation of the Kennedy assassination, complete with a computer-generated reconstruction, which irrefutably confirms that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, the network said Monday. A two-hour special on the event is scheduled to air Nov. 20, two days before the 40th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's killing."

Over the years, I've read just about every theory on the assassination of JFK and watched too many "documentaries" to even begin to count... I'm sure that I'll tune in to see what ABC News has to say, but I doubt that it'll have the DEFINITIVE answer.

Britney Bares No More

Britney Spears appeared topless on the cover of Rolling Stone and British Elle magazines and even bottomless on the cover of Esquire. But now she says she going to keep her clothes on in future photo sessions.

Did I just hear the sound of males around the world sobbing?

Some Scary Facts

I don't know which surprised me more: that "Scary Movie 3" opened in first place [beating out "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "Mystic River," "Runaway Jury," etc.], that it earned $48.1 million in it's opening weekend [$48.1 MILLION!} or that it posted the best first weekend ever for a movie opening in October.

One thing that won't surprise me is that with numbers like that, there WILL be a "Scary Movie 4!"

Halloween Fun!

Man, I love Halloween!

As we get closer to the big night, I find myself drawn to scary books and movies. For some reason even more so than usual this year. Maybe it's because there are so many good ones available.

I just finished reading Steve Niles' Dial M for Monster. Dial M is a book of short stories featuring his monster hunter, Cal McDonald. You've heard me praise Niles' work before and this book is no exception. I love everything about the world Niles has created for Cal [and I'm especially glad I can safely visit without fear of vampires, werewolves, fiends or other creatures coming after me!]. I'd suggest that you start with Guns, Drugs and Monsters [the first novel in the series] and then follow it up with Savage Membrane [the second].

If you'd like to get a taste of Niles' work before commiting to a novel, then by all means check out 30 Days of Night. This award winning comic series [with art by the extremely talented Ben Templesmith] is being developed into a feature film produced by none other than Sam Raimi! Why wait for the film? The graphic novel is available now and well worth every penny!

Changing gears just a bit... on Tuesday, one of my two favorite movies so far this year, becomes available! That's right 28 Days Later is available Tuesday! Man, I can't wait!

If you've read this far, then you're probably a real horror fan. You probably already know that a Dawn of the Dead remake starring Ving Rhames is coming out next March. But did you know that the trailer is available now? At first I didn't think that a re-make of Dawn of the Dead was a good idea since the original trilogy [Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead] by George Romero are considered cult classics. But I did like the remake of Night of the Living Dead ]... plus Ving Rhames is starring... so why not? Plus, it'll give me one more thing to love about Halloween!

Kill Bill Disappoints

I'm a huge fan of Quentin Tarintino's work. Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction are two of my favorite movies. From Dusk till Dawn is as well. [And yes, I know that Robert Rodriguez directed it!] I loved everything about the original trailer for "Kill Bill." The look. The music. The stars. How could it miss?

Let me tell you how. [Minor spoilers ahead.]

"Kill Bill" starts off well enough. It begins with a scratchy, cheesy "Now For Our Feature Presentation" intro straight out of the drive-ins that I loved as a kid. There's also the retro "Presented in Shaw-Scope" title card, the "Revenge is a dish best served cold" Klingon quote, and the Sonny Bono song, "Bang, Bang" playing over the credits. Yeah baby, Quentin was tapping in to everything that we loved about this genre from our childhood.

Then the movie starts with a bang. Literally. Uma Thurman is shot in the head and left for dead. But she's not really dead... just in a coma for four years. And when she wakes up she must have her revenge. Great set-up.

The action is over-the-top and brutal. The first payback that we see is really well done. It has the right mix of Tarantino heightened reality, humor and action. Then we have a flashback to the hospital and this is where the movie starts to loose me. There are a couple of scenes with a red neck and Buck the orderly that just really push the envelope. And for some reason everything after that seemed truly excessive and redundant.

How many arterial sprays do we need to see? How many limbs chopped off? But before we get to that gore we have to sit through an anime cartoon [which is pretty well done but again, very gory], a boring dialogue about tea, and discussion about why Uma needs a specific man to make her sword.

When I left the theater, I was disappointed. I had been hoping to see a really fun, really exciting revenge film. To make matters even worse, we don't get to see how everything turns out, since "Kill Bill, Volume 2" doesn't come out until February. The funny thing is, I didn't hate the movie. I'm not sure I even disliked it. I was disappointed... but disappointed enough not to see the rest?

I guess we'll know in February.

"Kill Bill" rates a C+

Underworld

I saw Underworld today [which fits right in with our monster movie theme of late].

Underworld tells the story of a centuries old war between vampires and werewolves. It has tons of action and effects but feels like it could have been shortened a bit. Also, with Underworld, the more you think about it, the more you find to question. It's fun while it's going on, but doesn't hold up under examination. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, yet if you like this sort of thing, then it's probably the sort of thing that you'll like. ; )

On another note, the trailer for the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre played before Underworld. I haven't seen the orginal in years [and didn't really care for it when I saw it], but this remake looks interesting... As does Gothica with Halle Berry [both of which also fit our continuing horro theme].
"Underworld" rates a C

House of the Dead

Well, it seems I'm not alone in my love of horror movies. That being the case, I thought I'd tell you about another monster movie that you may be interested in.

It's called House of the Dead and looks like something that I'd have caught as the second feature back in the day of drive-ins. [Man, how I miss those days!]

House of the Dead has an interesting trailer and a classic plot. A group of young people find themselves stranded on an island with a group of zombies that want to kill / eat them.

If I go to see it, am I expecting a classic? No. An award-winning film? No. A scary good time? Yeah. And what more should you ask from a drive-in movie?

Frankenstein, Wolfman & Dracula: Together Again!

As most of you know, I love a good horror movie. I'll watch most any kind of horror film from the giant bug movies of the 50's to the unstoppable serial killers of recent days. But my favorite type of horror movies are ones with great monsters.

Especially the classic monsters.

Frankenstein.

Dracula.

The Wolfman.

These are the big three. The kings of the hill. The monsters that other monsters aspire to be.
And next summer they'll all be in the same movie!


Van Helsing stars Hugh Jackman as the famed vampire killer, Dr. Abraham Van Helsing.

In the screenplay, written and directed by Stephen Sommers, Van Helsing goes to Transylvania to hunt down and kill Count Dracula, and finds himself up against the Wolf Man and Frankenstein's monster as well. How cool does that sound?

Cool enough that even though the movie doesn't come out until May of next year, they're already planning a tv series "based" on the idea and leaving the door open for sequels.

And that's just great news for horror movie fans like me!

I am Spartacus!

Entertainment Weekly has a "First Look" at USA Networks' upcoming Spartacus mini-series which stars ER's Goran Visnjic in the title role. It's always adanger to remake a classic like Spartacus. There's no way it can be as good as the original, but I'll bet that I'll be watching in April. Will you?

J-Ville Trip Report

Last Saturday, John Higashi, John Beatty and I drove up to Jacksonville, Florida to attend a benefit for the Tourette Syndrome Association sponsored by Big City Comics. Several comics pros were to be on hand signing autographs and sketching. There were a lot of other activities scheduled and John Higashi had his eye on a couple of pieces in the art auction.

The drive up was great. John H. was at the wheel, Beatty was in the back seat doggin' John H's amazing collection, and I got to ride shotgun, laughing at all of the nonsense. We made it up in record time, or maybe time just flew by because we were laughing so much.

When we arrived things were just getting set up. A couple of tables had been set up inside, so we joined Don Perlin (Marvel Comics), Duck Edwing (MAD Magazine), Ed Hall (political cartoonist), and Jason Sobel (Fuzzy Dice Studios). Robert Smith was out in the crowd set up to do caricatures.

John H. wanted to speak to Mr. Perlin about a Star Wars comission, but told me that I should try to commission him up for a Stallone sketch first. Unfortunately for both of us, Mr. Perlin had a line already. But sitting directly in front of me was Ed Hall. I really enjoy his work and so I approached him about doing a Stallone piece. He agreed and the result was really cool. I'll post it with next weekend's update. Ed was amazing in that he was able to draw so many caricatures of famous people without any reference.

Seeing that I had popped for a piece, John H. approached Duck for a Spy vs Spy commission. John asked for a panel gag and offered four times the going rate for a sketch. Duck agreed and then to our surprise said, "You know I'm the writer for the strip, not the artist, right?" To John's credit, he said, "that's cool" and went ahead with the commission. Duck drew him a funny seven panel Spy vs Spy strip. John then kicked in an extra $20 toward the charity so Duck came back and drew him a large executioner!

The crowd was constant throughout the day. "Soft Spike" jokes were flying from everyone. Big Beatty did some really nice sketches. He started off with a nice Captain America and Deathlock. He also did cool sketches of Iron Man, Green Goblin, and others!

Jason Sobol was sitting in front of me with his portfolio and a great sense of humor [especially when I called him Josh a couple of times]. At any rate, he didn't soft spike me [you'd had to have been there] and drew me a cool Sly as a young Judge Dredd. I'll post that this weekend.

As the show wound down it was time for the auction. John H. had his eye on two pieces, the Kubert "Sgt. Rock" and a Beetle Bailey Sunday page. It came down to the wire between John and another guy for the Kubert piece, but I'm happy to say that John won! Man, the Sgt. Rock is even more impressive in person. It could be the cornerstone of ANY collection! [John also won the Beetle Bailey page!]

I was happy that I had been able to get two new sketches for my Stallone theme, and John H. had won the two pieces in the auction that he was after... but we weren't done yet. After a short discussion, we approached Mr. Perlin about doing commissions for us. He agreed! So in two weeks John and I plan to drive back up to J-ville and pick up our Don Perlin originals! [We'd go next weekend but John H. will be in Baltimore getting even more art!]

All in all it was a great little event that raised a fair amount of money for a very good cause. I hope that they're able to put it on again next year. If they do and you live within driving distance, you should plan to attend... you'll get to meet some really nice people, possibly pick up a sketch or orignal art and maybe, just maybe, find out what it means to be soft spiked!

Once Upon... Mexico

I saw Robert Rodriguez's "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" today. I'd really been looking forward to it. I first saw "El Mariachi" years ago and became a Rodriguez fan. Then came "Desparado," and "Dusk Til Dawn" and Rodriguez was on the "A" list. So when Rodriguez decided to create an epic "Mariachi" film, he was able to get Johnny Depp, Mickey Rourke, Reuben Blades, and Willem Dafoe, to join the returning Antonio Bandaras, Salema Hayek, and Danny Trejo.

With a cast like that and Rodriguez at the helm, it just had to be good, right? Yeah, but I was really hoping it would be so much better. Bandaras is back as THE Mariachi but this time he's gonna save Mexico.

Ok, cool. An epic film should have a huge story and what could be bigger than saving your country? [Yeah, Bond would save the world but this isn't Bond.] So the story idea works.

Next there are a bunch of characters. Johnny Depp steals every scene as a rogue CIA agent. Mickey Rourke has an interesting role as American criminal who has escaped to Mexico and has joined Willem Dafoe's cartel. Both Rourke and Dafoe are under-used. Dafoe plans to take over Mexico by bankrolling a coup using an evil General. The General killed Bandaras'... hey!

Wake Up!

Yeah, now I see the problem. Although there's a huge storyline and a lot of interesting characters, the story kind of bottoms out. Still, it was fun and ya gotta love the action... and did I mention that Johnny Depp absolutely rules in this movie?

"Once Upon a Time in Mexico" rates a "C."

On a side note - there was a preview for a movie starring Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. Jack Nicholson's line, "We're not all doctors, baby" left me laughing out loud. You have to see it, since telling it wouldn't be as funny, but when you do see it, make sure you're not drinking anything!

Bale is Bruce

Christian Bale has been cast as Bruce Wayne in Warner Bros. Pictures' upcoming Batman movie, to be directed by Christopher Nolan ["Momento"].

Principal photography is expected to begin in early 2004. The movie is written by David Goyer and Nolan, and will follow the early career of The Dark Knight.

Christopher Nolan is quoted as saying, "What I see in Christian is the ultimate embodiment of Bruce Wayne. He has exactly the balance of darkness and light that we were looking for."

I totally agree.

New "Must See TV"

As the new tv season draws near, these are the shows that interest me the most:

MONDAY* Everybody Loves Raymond: Believe it or not, I had never watched an episode until this summer. I found it to be one of the best comedies going and am looking forward to the new season.* Vegas: This is a new show and I may find myself checking it out even though it goes up against Everybody Loves Raymond

TUESDAY* 24: The third season looks to come back as strong as the first two. 24 was one of my top two favorite shows last year. [Unfortunately The Shield won't return until January!]

WEDNESDAY* The West Wing: Always in my top three "must see tv" shows... but this season could be different with the lose of it's creator. Still the last season's finale left me wanting more.* Karen Sisco: Based on the Elmore Leonard's character [from the book and movie], this is the new show that I'm most looking forward to.

THURSDAY* Survivor: This is a family viewing event each week which makes it a lot of fun.* ER: Although not as good as it once was [few shows are], it still makes it to the "must see tv" weekly list.

FRIDAY* Boston Public: Moving the show to Friday's isn't going to help. I'm just hoping that it hasn't jumped the shark.

SATURDAY* I usually watch a bad sci-fi movie on, oddly enough, the SciFi channel or maybe even rent a dvd since there's not much on except Cops and that's not "must see."

SUNDAY* Alias: Yeah, I'm coming back for more... who can blame me?* The Lyon's Den: I saw a preview of this before "28 days later" and was sold!

Well, at least it looks like there's a little something every night worth checking out. Have I missed anything?

Rundown the Most...

Over the next two months at least one movie premieres each week that I really want to see. The one I'm most looking forward to is The Rundown.

Yeah, I'm as surprised about that as you.

With all of potentially cool movies during this time period, [Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Underworld, Cold Creek Manor, The Human Stain, Out of Time, Kill Bill Volume 1, Mystic River... well you get the idea], I want to see the movie starring The Rock!

Actually, The Rock is a talented performer and this movie looks to fit him perfectly. The trailer rocks. [Yeah, I know, bad pun.] There's action, comedy, and a great supporting cast. This could be a real surprise hit. And speaking of surprises, one of the worst kept secrets is the surprise cameo by... well, if you don't know I don't want to ruin it for you. It might make you mad enough to throw an egg at me! ; )

Egging on Arnold!

Did you happen to see the video of Arnold Schwarzenegger getting hit by a egg? If not, I've posted a pic of the incident. At any rate, the egg came flying from the crowd, and hit Arnold splattering his coat with egg and yolk.

Arnold looked down, saw the mess, and as he continued walking, shaking hands and greeting fans, took his jacket off without missing a beat.

There were a lot of ways that he could have handled it. Panic is one. Anger is another. Yet, the way Arnold dealt with the situation was very calm and cool. Impressive even.

I usually don't deal with politics in my blog, but I felt that this really deserved a mention. I'm not sure how the election will turn out, but win or lose, I'll bet Arnold doesn't end up with egg on his face!

Playmakers Scores!

Have you checked out ESPN's new original series, Playmakers? If not, you should. So far two epsiodes have aired and they were both great!

Playmakers features an ensemble cast, with all of the characters played to perfection by mostly little known actors. The production values are first rate, but special mention should be given to the writing and direction. What could be a typical tv series about a football team is instead a compelling drama about the intertwining lives of characters who happen to play football for a living. But don't get me wrong, the professional football backdrop is almost a character itself. I'm actually surprised at how real it all looks, sounds, and feels.

Playmakers is on Tuesdays at 9PM on ESPN. I give it my highest recommendation. Check it out... even if you don't like football, I'll bet you'll like Playmakers.

Thinking About "Jerry's Kids"

For 38 years Jerry Lewis has hosted an annual telethon for muscular dystrophy and I've always had mixed feelings about it.

I like the idea of people opening their wallets to help those less fortunate. It's fun to see the variety of acts. You know, stuff that would't have a chance on tv since the days of Ed Sullivan. And I always have the hope that this year, with the money the telethon raises, a cure will be found.

Then there are the other parts. Like when the handicapped are rolled out and talked about as if they're just to be pitied. Or when they're referred to as "Jerry's Kids." That title, at least in my mind, conjures up images of handicapped children thrown out of society only to be saved after becoming one of "Jerry's Kids."
Jerry's telethon raised a record $60,505,234 this weekend. No doubt that outweighs any negative thoughts I may have about it... at least until next year.

Charles Bronson - RIP

Charles Bronson has passed on.

I don't remember the first time that I saw Charles Bronson in a movie. It may have been in "The Dirty Dozen," or "The Magnificant Seven," but more likely than not it was in the horror film, "The House of Wax." When I was a little kid, it seems as if Bronson was always popping up in a co-starring role and making a bigger impact that the stars of the films. And for a period of time in the 70's, Charles Bronson was my favorite actor.
Charles Bronson starred in some great movies. "Hard Times," "The Mechanic," and of course "Death Wish" are my personal favorite Bronson staring roles. You knew any movie he was in, was worth the price of admission. What more can you ask from a star?

Charles Bronson has left us. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.

Gibson, Wyle & More

• Mel Gibson spent nearly $30 million of his own money to produce, co-write and direct "The Passion." Some say it is a classic, while others hate it. Before I form my opinion, I think I should at least see it.
  
• Noah Wyle will be taking a break this season from NBC's top-rated drama ER. Wyle is not leaving for good but will take a break this season to spend more time with his wife, and their nine-month-old son. I'll miss him but family has to come first!
  
• Eighty-four prisoners escaped from a maximum security prison in northeastern Brazil early on Saturday through a 50-yard tunnel they dug to the jungle outside, police said. Colonel Klink is said to be shocked!
  
• A burglar who took a nap after breaking into an elderly woman's house in Amsterdam was arrested after she found him asleep on her couch. He's hoping that he's assigned to the prison in the item above!
  
• A Japanese expedition equipped with infrared cameras will scour the Nepali Himalayas for six weeks starting Sunday in search of the legendary Yeti, or abominable snowman. I don't know who will be happier if they find proof... them or Jazz!

Shutter Island & More

• Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane is one of the best novels I've read this year. Publisher's Weekly said it best: Shutter Island "carries an ending so shocking yet so faithful to what has come before, that it will go down as one of the most aesthetically right resolutions ever written."
  
• Gregory Hines, the award-winning tap-dancing actor who starred on Broadway and film died yesterday at the age of 57. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends, and fans.
  
• German producers who backed Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" said there could be another sequel even if he succeeds in becoming Governor of California. Does this sound like a good idea to anyone?
  
• After a six year absence, James Cameron has signed on to helm a film about the extreme sport of free diving. Does this sound like a good idea to anyone?
  
• Britney Spears is in talks to executive produce [but not host] her very own syndicated talk show. Does this sound like a good idea to anyone?
  
• Quote of the Day: "Anybody can win unless there happens to be a second entry." - George Adel