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Showing posts from May, 2023

Cinematic Deaths, No One Saw Coming!

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Okay, it's that time again, where we honor those who fought and died for our country, by gouging Hot dogs and burgers while sunbathing at the beach. Why, I’m referring to Memorial Day holiday of course and on this very day, PN will be listing deaths in cinema that we didn't see coming! Now mind you, this list refers to either main protagonists or top supporting cast members. Most Horror films have been omitted because of the constant tropes that feature our final gals and guys, getting whacked, ergo no surprise.  However, let's get our first mention out of the way.. Ben (Night of the Living Dead) The first black protagonist in a horror film, was no "yessir" trope in fact, Ben played by Duane Jones, was the last man standing while fending off hordes of zombies....er, I meant "ghouls" Ironically, when looking out the window to signal help, poor ol Ben the last survivor, was "mistaken" for a ghoul, and shot through the dead from what would be, his

Failure to Launch! Billionaire Troll Elon Musk's Twitter Takeover, is a Joke!

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Now that tech savvy Elon Musk has become arrogant to the extent of purchasing Twitter, as a means for expressing "free speech," or in his rather warped ulterior motive to combat what he refers to as the. "Woke virus," let's take a very quick look at how this asperger "AfriCon artist" utilized the social platform as its new landlord. His first order of business is to offer a blue check subscription rate to verify legit Twitter followers.  Those who previously had the blue checks as in celebrities, politicians, etc. were either asked to pay, or have the icons removed. Already that's a bad start as anyone with a credit card can and has, impersonated famous people to the extent of damage control. But that pales compared to his blatant hypocrisy.  Rapper Ice T who is unfortunately one of Musk's followers, once stated, "You have the freedom of speech, just watch what you say.."  That's true in the case of a tweeter who often made dispa

Attack of the Doc (2023) Review

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If you were alive and well during the early 2000's you might be aware of G4TV's most popular program called Attack of the Show! Airing from 2004 to 2013, and hosted by Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn, "Attack" or rather AOTS for short, was a live cable television program that aired segments on Pup culture, videogames,  movies, comics and other geek related content. In between these segments, were skits and stunts that reeked of sophomoric i.e., juvenile humor like Olivia Munn landing in a pool of pudding in a French maid's outfit or having a few hot dogs in her mouth all at once! I think they were one of the first shows to give full coverage of the comic con, as well as put Tokyo Game Show, on the map. AOTS was smart to take advantage of the console wars between PS3 and the Xbox 360 via coverage. The archived footage shown throughout this documentary is a testament of how G4TV had successful coverage making the network more of a viable platform. AOTS had its share o

Tina Turner 1938-2023 RIP Queen

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Back in the day when I was a regular commentator at AICN's comment threads, there was a familiar saying, "Death comes in groups of threes." This was true when it came to celebrity deaths. Not only did we lose Jim Brown , Ray Stevenson , but now iconic R&B sensation and Queen of Rock n Roll, Tina Turner. Born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939, in. Tennessee Tina who started her career as a lead singer for her then husband, Ike Turner's band "Kings of Rhythm " prior to disbanding in 1976, The duo Ike & Tina Turner had released hits such as "It's Gonna Work Out Fine", "River Deep – Mountain High", and most significantly, "Proud Mary.” After 16 years of a tumultuous marriage, the couple divorced. However, Tina made a big comeback in 1984 with hits like "Private Dancer" and "What's love got to do with it” which I fondly remember being used as the end credits for a Miami Vice two parter, Calderon's Re

Ray Stevenson 1964-2023 Man of Action!

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As if Jim Brown's passing wasn't enough, news about another action star's passing has spread fast! Ray Stevenson best known for films, such as Punisher War Zone, Thor, Kill the Irishman, and G.I. Joe Retaliation among others, has died at 58. "58" WTF! As of this writing, the cause of Stevenson's death is undisclosed. Gregory Raymond Stevenson was born in Northern Ireland, who then migrated to England as a child. Ironically, Stevenson was set to star in the upcoming Star Wars television spinoff Ashoka who he expressed excitement "getting to wield the light saber is just the best feeling in the world.” The actor previously voiced Gar Saxon in “Star Wars: Rebels” and episodes of “Star Wars: Clone Wars” in 2020. While most may remember Stevenson as Titus Pullo in the BBC/HBO series “Rome,” it was his role as the Marvel antihero Frank Castle in 2013's Punisher War Zone, that was my first introduction to the actor who went on to star in more action-oriented

Remembering Jim Brown 1936-2023

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NFL Hall of Famer, activist, and actor Jim Brown has made the transition at 87. Brown was one of the greatest players in NFL history, who retired at the top of his game, leaving the Cleveland Browns in order to pursue an acting career.  Aside from the ensemble action film The Dirty Dozen, which was the archetype of the Expendables films, Brown broke barriers by having the first interracial love scene with Raquel Welch in 1000 Rifles.  In 1967, Brown organized “The Cleveland Summit,” which comprised of the nation’s top Black athletes, including Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to support boxer Muhammad Ali’s refusal to serve in Vietnam. While Sidney Poitier had gravitas, Jim Brown eschewed Black machismo on cinema courtesy of Blaxploitation films like Slaughter, Black Gunn and especially the iconic Three the Hard Way costarring Fred Williamson and Martial arts legend, Jim Kelly. Which in my opinion, is the best Blaxploitation movie ever!  Brown has done much for the black community

ABC 7’s Ken Rosato gets fired after calling his Co-anchor the "C-word!"

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Okay, this isn't some gossip column, but it sure as shit, both newsworthy and noteworthy! Anchor Ken Rosado from ABC's New York affiliate was caught on "hot mic" calling Eyewitness News anchor Shirleen Allicot the infamous C-word as in cunt that most people especially women, deem highly offensive.  Rosato was immediately terminated followed by an email that was also sent out to the staff implying that he was 'no longer with WABC. We thank him for his years of service.'  Rosato joined ABC New York in 2003 as a freelance reporter for the network's signature brand Eyewitness News. In 2007, Rosato was assigned to the anchor desk hosting This Morning alongside Shirleen Allicot, Heather O'Rourke and Sam Champion. Following his abrupt firing, Rosato's presence has been scrubbed from ABC New York's website and social media. Although his comment has not been made public, Rosato's representative vehemently denied the possibility of it being a racial

A Man Called Otto Review (“Goodbye, cruel world"indeed.)

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So, tell me if you haven't seen this before, a recent retiree who is a Widower, is bitter, resentful and has OCP, yet has a change of "heart" when his new neighbors move in. In case you haven’t, 2022's Dramedy "A Man Called Otto" starring Tom Hanks serves as a refresher for those who forgot about the various tropes seen from plenty of drama-based films. Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino is but one example.  Based on a 2012 Swedish novel, and a 2014 film, this adaptation follows Tom Hanks as the titular curmudgeon, who is retired with no consent of his own, and while picking fights with fellow tenants around his suburban complex be it leaving a bike near his garage, or not putting recyclable trash in the correct bin, Otto not for lack of trying, fails to commit suicide for one reason or another, be it faulty ceilings, or sudden interruptions as in the case of new neighbors: Marisol, Tommy, and their two daughters, having difficulty parking a U-Haul, Otto begru

Bill Mantlo: Triumph and Tragedy!

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While some of you may be familiar of writer Bill Mantlo as the creator of Rocket Raccoon, there is more to this unsung Comics legend. Mantlo was an accomplished writer since the early years at Marvel during the seventies from a brief stint as co-writer and writer of Deathlok the Demolisher , Deadly Hands of Kung Fu, and other Marvel projects However, his signature claim to fame was introducing Marvel to the first comic based on an action figure toyline. In 1978, Mantlo's son received a Christmas present from his grandmother which she mistakenly referred to the toys as "Megoloids" well close, Micronauts a space themed toyline from Japanese toy manufacturer Takara was localized to America by Mego and became a successful product long before Kenner's Star Wars. Mantlo studied the toys with fascination to the extent of pitching a concept to then Marvel's Editor and Chief Jim Shooter. A comic book loosely based on Mego's toy line, and by the definition of "loos

Guardians of the Galaxy vol 3 Reactionary talk.

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Now that I have collected my thoughts after watching Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, here's my overall opinions, not necessarily a review, but more like a reaction. Director James Gunn's swan song begins with the all too familiar Marvel Title card however, in place of your regular flagship heroes like Iron Man, Captain America, Black Panther,  etc. in their place is that dysfunctional family from space with Radiohead's "Creep" playing as we see how Peter Quill aka Star Lord is still feeling heartbroken from losing Gamora, in a drunken stupor due to the events from Avengers Endgame Yeah, Gamora is back, but she is from an alternate timestream, meaning Peter's love interest is still dead after dear ol dad, Thanos sacrificed her for the time stone. Talk about "bad parenting." But I digress. The gang is now settling on knowhere, a satellite that was originally an alien head, now a refuge for misplaced individuals throughout the confines of space. While e