Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Eddie Money has passed away at age 70. Money was a singer/songwriter best known for his hits Baby Hold On, Two Tickets to Paradise, Shakin’, Think I’m in Love, Take Me Home Tonight and my personal favorite, Maybe I’m a Fool. His hits bring back great memories of good times.
My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.
Franco Columbu died yesterday of an unspecified illness. He was 78.
Columbu was a boxer, weightlifter, bodybuilding champion, actor and chiropractor. Franco met Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1960s and they became lifelong friends, with Columbu serving as Arnold’s best man when he married Maria Shriver in 1986. Columbu is a two-time Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding Champion. He also appeared in Stay Hungry, Pumping Iron, The Terminator, Conan the Barbarian, The Running Man, Big Top Pee-wee, as well as other movies and television shows. In addition, Franco trained many celebrities (including helping Sly Stallone get in shape for Rambo and other films).
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Franco Columbu’s family, friends and fans.
It was announced that Rutger Hauer died on July 19th at his home in Beetsterzwaag in the Netherlands after a short undisclosed illness. Hauer was 75.
Hauer has well over 150 acting credits. He got his start co-starring in Nighthawks, playing a terrorist opposite Sylvester Stallone. Hauer is best known for his role as the android hunted by Harrison Ford in Blade Runner. Rutger also had memorable roles in Ladyhawke, The Hitcher, Sin City and so many other films/tv series.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ruger Hauer’s family, friends and fans.
Stephen Verona died on Saturday after a year and a half long battle with lung cancer. Readers of this site probably know Verona best as the Producer, Co-Writer and Director of Lords of Flatbush, but Verona was much more than that.
Verona got his start creating commercials. He met and became friends with John Lennon which led to Verona getting to animate the Beatles song I Feel Fine. Next came a music short with Barbara Streisand. He went on to work with Natalie Cole, Chicago, Simon & Garfunkel and many others.
Verona was a screenwriter, an award-winning director of feature films, television episodes and specials, an an award-winning painter and photographer. A renaissance man, indeed.
The Hollywood Reporter posted that “When Stallone learned that Verona was ill, he sent him an email saying that his career would not have been the same without him.” The same could be said for many other celebrities.
Had Stephen Verona only been known as the talent behind Lords of Flatbush, it would have been worth noting here, but I hope fans know he was so much more.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Stephen Verona’s family, friends and fans.
Bart Starr, the Hall of Fame quarterback has died at the age of 85. Mr. Starr had been in failing health since 2014 when he suffered a heart attack and two strokes.
Starr was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 1977 after playing for 16 years as a Green Bay Packer, leading them to five NFL Championships and victories in the first two Super Bowls. Personal awards include being picked four times for Pro-Bowl, two times as an All Pro, being selected as the 1966 NFL Most Valuable Player, the Most Valuable Player for the first two Super Bowls and selected to the All Decade Team for the 1960s. The NFL also named an award after him. The Bart Starr Award is given out annually to a player of outstanding character. The Green Bay Packers retired Starr’s jersey in 1973 (as just the third player to ever receive that honor). What a legacy!
I have always been a Chicago Bears fan, but also a Bart Starr fan. I can remember watching Starr dive into the end zone for the winning touchdown with just seconds remaining in the NFL Championship game in 1967! When we played football, all of the kids wanted to be Bart Starr when quarterbacking (myself included — even if he wasn’t a Bear). And could there have been a cooler name for a NFL quarterback than Bart Starr?
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mr. Starr’s family, friends and fans.
Larry Cohen, the writer – director – producer who made his mark in television and feature films, has died at the age of 77.
I first became aware of Mr. Cohen when he wrote and directed the low-budget horror cult classic It’s Alive. After that I saw Cohen’s name pop-up from time to time but it wasn’t until Cohen’s adaption of Mickey Spillane’s I, the Jury that I really began to take notice.
Cohen’s I, the Jury, directed by Richard T. Heffron starred Armand Assante as Mike Hammer. That film really hit a sweet-spot for me. As I learned more about the people behind the making of the film I discovered that Cohen had created two television series that I loved as a kid: Branded and The Invaders!
Cohen broke into the business writing for television creating scripts for The Fugitive, The Rat Patrol, Custer (3 shows I loved as a kid) and many other series. He went on to create Branded and The Invaders. Cohen’s tv work led to theatrical films where he wrote and directed Black Caesar, Hell Up in Harlem, Q and others.
Had Cohen just been known for Branded or The Invaders or I, the Jury, his impact on my youth would have warranted a mention here, but to think that he did those and so much more…
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Larry Cohen’s family, friends and fans.
It was reported today that Jan-Michael Vincent died on February 10th of cardiac arrest in Asheville, North Carolina. Vincent was 74 and hadn’t acted in nearly two decades due to battles with drugs and alcohol and the results of two car crashes (1996 and 2008) that left him with damaged vocal cords and an amputated leg. It was a sad end to a career that started with such promise.
I first took notice of Jan-Michael Vincent when he appeared as Link in the Danger Island segments of The Banana Splits. Vincent then had the starring role in the TV movie The Tribe. A couple of years later Vincent co-starred with Charles Bronson in the theatrical release The Mechanic. He followed that up with a starring role as The World’s Greatest Athlete from Disney.
With his good looks and easy manner, Vincent was on the verge of a long career starring in theatrical films. Sadly, it just wasn’t to be. Still Vincent had a strong presence and starred or co-starred in films such as Baby Blue Marine, White Line Fever, Big Wednesday and Hooper (with Burt Reynolds). His best known television projects included The Winds of War mini-series and a starring role in the tv series Airwolfe.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jan-Michael Vincent’s family, friends and fans.
Peter Tork died today after a long battle with cancer at the age of 77.
Born Peter Thorkelson on February 13, 1942, Peter was, of course, better known as Peter Tork a member of The Monkees.
The Monkees [Peter, along with Davy Jones, Mickey Dolenz, and Michael Nesmith] took the world by storm in 1966. The group was hand-picked by Screen Gems in an effort to create a tv show about a group of young musicians. Lightning struck and the group not only had a hit tv series but became one of the biggest selling bands of the 60’s. In 1967, The Monkees sold more albums than The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined. The Monkees even appeared in a feature film called Head that was co-written by Jack Nicholson!
I was a huge Monkees fan like many kids my age [7]. I collected their albums, trading cards, comic books and magazines. I had a model of The Monkeemobile. I even followed The Monkees after Peter, then later Mike, quit the band. Sadly, I never got to see them perform live when they reunited for several reunion tours.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Peter’s family, friends and fans.
Andrew Vanja, one of the producers behind the Rambo franchise has died at the age of 74. Vanja’s producing credits include many of my favorite films including: First Blood, Rambo, First Blood, Part II, Angel Heart, Extreme Prejudice, Rambo III, Total Recall, Tombstone, The 13th Warrior and many others.
Thanks for the hours of entertainment, Mr. Vanja.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Andrew Vanja’s family, friends and fans.
William Goldman, the two-time Oscar winning screenwriter, has died at age 87. Goldman won his Oscars for Best Original Screenplay (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) and Best Adapted Screenplay (All the President’s Men). Goldman was also the screenwriter for the beloved The Princess Bride (based on his novel), The Marathon Man, Misery and dozens of other movies.
Goldman began his career as a novelist and then moved to writing movies, plays and non-fiction. Goldman won two Edgar Awards, from the Mystery Writers of America, for Best Motion Picture Screenplay (for Harper starring Paul Newman and for Magic which he adapted from his novel). Mr. Goldman also received the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement from the Writers Guild of America.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mr. Goldman’s family, friends and fans.
Scott Wilson, the actor best known for his role as Hershel on The Walking Dead, passed away yesterday reportedly from complications with leukemia. Wilson began his career with the one-two punch of the big screen classics In the Heat of the Night and In Cold Blood.
While most tributes focus on Wilson’s role as Hershel from The Walking Dead, Wilson’s resume features movie and television credits spanning 50 years. Anything Wilson appeared in became at least a little bit better because of him. Some of my favorite Wilson appearances include his roles in…
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Scott Wilson’s family, friends and fans.
I was sad to read that Burt Reynolds died yesterday at the age of 82 from cardiac arrest.
Like most of you reading this, I was a huge Burt Reynolds fan and have many fond memories watching him on television and at the movies. My favorite Burt Reynolds’ films include Sharkey’s Machine; The Longest Yard, The Last Movie Star and of course, Smokey and the Bandit. Keep in mind that’s just the tip of the Reynolds acting iceberg.
Part of Reynolds’ charm was his charm. His appearances on Carson and other talk shows of the era allowed us to see Reynolds as a self-deprecating celebrity who never took himself too seriously. He came off as a guy with a great sense of humor that would be fun to be with. And he was. At least he was every time he’d turn up in a movie or television role.
If you haven’t seen Reynolds in The Last Movie Star, give it a go. He’s really good in it and it serves as a nice capper to his career.
Rest in Peace Burt Reynolds.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mr. Reynolds family, friends and fans.
Koko the gorillia known throughout the world for her ability to use sign language has passed away peacefully in her sleep at the age of 46. Koko was able to understand over 1,000 signs and approximately 2,000 words.
Koko was born at the San Francisco Zoo but lived most of her life in The Gorilla Foundation’s preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California. Koko was a celebrity and made headlines for her love of kittens as well as her meetings with other celebrities such as Robin Williams, Betty White and Mr. Rogers.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Koko’s friends and fans throughout the world.
Clint Walker died yesterday at the age of 90 from congestive heart failure.
Walker was best known as Cheyenne Bodie, the star of the extremely popular Cheyenne tv series which aired on ABC from 1955-61. Cheyenne was the first hour-long western drama. Walker also played Cheyenne Bodie on episodes of Maverick and later Kung-Fu as well as in the tv movie The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw and the theatrical release of Maverick. The Cheyenne series was so popular, in some markets episodes were combined and re-edited for theatrical release.
After the series ended Walker could be found making guest appearances on tv series but his focus became making movies. His best-known theatrical appearances included, None But the Brave; The Dirty Dozen and Grizzly. In 1971, Walker was seriously injured in a fall from a sky lift that caused a ski pole to pierce his heart. He was pronounced dead, but when a faint heartbeat was heard he was rushed into surgery. Two months later Walker was back to work!
Walker went on to star in other theatrical films, as well as made-for-tv movies and the short-lived tv series Kodiak. After voicing Nick Nitro in Small Soldiers, Clint Walker retired.
Clint Walker was one of my first childhood heroes. I loved him in Cheyenne and still do. The series is still one of my favorites and can be seen on various cable channels daily.
Walker is survived by his daughter, Valerie and his wife Susan Cavallari Walker. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Clint Walker’s family, friends and fans.
Dorothy Malone, Oscar winner as best supporting actress for her 1956 performance in Written on the Wind has died at age 92. Malone is probably best known for her starring role in the 1960s TV series Peyton Place. Visitors here might remember her for her last role as Sharon Stone’s friend in Basic Instinct.
Dorothy Malone played in over 100 roles on film and tv, but I’ll always best remember her small role with Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep. In a scene lasting less than 4 minutes, Malone made a huge impact. I’ll bet Bogart returned to the Acme Bookstore after solving the case. I know I would have. Check out the scene and see if you don’t agree.