Neo-Noir Watch: Gloria (1980)

Watched:  04/19/2026

Format:  Video on Demand/ YouTube

Viewing:  First

Director:  John Cassavetes

For some reason the algorithm has been asking me to watch this movie for years.  

I'm not really sure why the algo does this, but my YouTube TV will find a movie that it decides it wants to recommend, and then the movie will follow me around.  First among these has been Gloria (1980), and because I don't think I've ever seen Gena Rowlands be anything less than great and because Cassavetes' movies are, at minimum, interesting, I wanted to check it out eventually.  So, I guess, thanks, data?

On paper, the movie is deceptively simple.  An accountant for the mob (Buck Henry) has been skimming (and maybe doing other things) and is found out.   Knowing the enforcers are coming, he's trying to leave, but everyone in his family of five is scared and doesn't know what to do - his wife, their two kids and his mother-in-law.  All are resorting to their comfort and security measures instead of just getting the f out.

When neighbor Gloria (Gena Rowlands) comes by to return the sugar she borrowed in the middle of all this, they make her take the boy - aged 6 or 7 - back to her apartment.  Almost immediately, the mob shows up and kills the rest of the family.  Gloria tries to flee the scene with the kid, but the press is outside and snaps her picture with the son.  

Con Watch: The Sting (1973)

Watched:  04/18/2026

Format:  DVD from the Library

Viewing:  Second

Director:  George Roy Hill

The Sting (1973) reunites the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid team of Robert Redford, Paul Newman and director George Roy Hill for a 1930's period piece film about a small-time grifter who - when a grift leads to seeing the mob kill a friend - teams up with Paul Newman's veteran conman in order to pull one over on a mob boss played by Robert Shaw.

It's a clockwork script that has a steel-trap ending that's tough to beat.  The closest I can point to in structure from movies I was around for is probably the 2001 remake of Ocean's 11.  

There's not a ton of character building in the movie, the runtime spent on the execution of the long con - we don't even see the planning, just the Rube Goldberg plan in motion.  And that's plenty.  Redford gets the most screentime and characterization, but even that isn't exactly a script that makes you wonder how his character grew and changed.  What we see of who he really is feels a little thin, but that's not really the point of the film.  But Redford's charm and Newman's charisma can pretty much carry anything.

Disney Watch: The Journey of Natty Gann (1985)

Watched:  04/17/2026

Format:  Disney+

Viewing:  First (that I can remember)

Director:  Jeremy Kagan

The other day I watched a bit from Colbert where he and Patton Oswalt discussed a dog actor named "Jed".  The connection was that Jed was the dog from the start of John Carpenter's The Thing, and he was a major character in The Journey of Natty Gann (1985) which stars Oswalt's wife, Meredith Salenger, who was in the movie at age 15.  

I've seen The Thing plenty, but had vague memories of seeing The Journey of Natty Gann once, when teachers wheeled in TV's as we prepared for our fifth-grade graduation at Spicewood Elementary in 1986.  My memory of *that* is everyone talking while I wanted them to shut up so I could watch the movie.  But it was not to be - and I don't think we ever finished it.

Anyway, I *did* remember the movie was not exactly a Pollyanna-type story, but it was well produced and Salenger was good.  Plus it had John Cusack, who I knew from comedies at the time.

Superman Day is April 18th

Saturday April 18th is Superman Day!

I'll be honest and say "I do not really think this is for me".  Because at League HQ, every day is Superman Day.  Something Jamie just has to live with.  

Superman Day is a promotion for people with an interest in Superman where DC and Warner Bros make available some neat things like comics, t-shirts and more.  

You can find those things at your Local Comic Shoppe.  Or hit up the DC Shop.  

With Supergirl coming to theaters this summer, of course it's a promotion not just for Super comics - the day is also a promo for the forthcoming movie.  

Look, I love me some Superman - and I hope you figure out how to enjoy the day.  But I also am kind of aware it's not exactly a holiday.  It would be nice if DC figured out how to do something aside from just sell some things with an extra stamp on the cover.  

Mostly it feels like they're saying "buy a thing" while they alert 99% of the world nothing special is happening for them locally.  Amazing this is the best WB can do.  Even a plastic Superman ring for the kids would be something.

Spaceballs Sequel En Route

 

Spaceballs is getting a sequel - 40 years later.

In late June 1987, I went to the Showplace 6 with a pal or two for a weekday matinee of Spaceballs.  And by the time Spaceball 1 finished passing by the camera, I was laughing so hard I was crying.  And I think it let up sometime about a week later when I quit saying "Lonestaaaaar...!" to myself.  And "because 'good' is dumb."

Since, it's probably my most-watched Mel Brooks movie alongside Blazing Saddles.  I mean, I was twelve.  I loved Star Wars and silliness.  

Everyone in the cast was on fire during that movie.  It made me a fan of Bill Pullman and Daphne Zuniga, I already thought John Candy and Rick Moranis were two of the funniest people on Earth, and it gave me respect for Joan Rivers, George Wyner and Mel Brooks.  Heck, it's the first time I ever saw generally-all-around-good-idea Brenda Strong.

In college, I got a Sharpie and wrote "Mr. Radar" on my "Mr. Coffee" individual coffee pot.  And, for my birthday Freshman year, we rented Spaceballs and watched it in the dorms.

It's just one of the greats in my book, and quotes from it fill my head as much as any other Mel Brooks movie.  "They've gone to plaid...!" is something I'll still say in my head when someone whips past me on the freeway.  When waiting for things to finish, I still whisper "come on, Schwartz...!"

Mel Brooks is 99 and has retained everything.  How involved he is with this new version, I don't know. He's involved, though.  Imagine having a career so long a movie you made in the 1980's is getting a sequel with the very grown child of  one of the original stars.  Yeah, Lewis Pullman is in this.

Will it be good?  I am sure.  Is it a little sad we've lost John Candy and Joan Rivers in the interim?  Absolutely.  But I think we can still have a great movie with new characters.  And, hey, we have so many more Star Wars movies and TV shows to spoof. Plus 40 more years of other sci-fi.

how *you* doin', Princess Vespa?

It's for the best Spaceballs didn't suffer the fate of so many 80's comedies that tried for sequels at the time - it was always diminishing returns.  But I'm glad we can take a new swing.  

And, hey, if I can have Zuniga *and* Rick Moranis back?  That's a very good thing.

  

Disney Watch: Zootopia 2 (2025)

Watched:  04/16/2026

Format:  Disney+

Viewing:  First

Director:  Jared Bush/ Byron Howard

I'm on record as a Zootopia stan.  I watched it initially on a plane to Helsinki and lost my mind when we landed and it cut off the last ten minutes and I couldn't watch the end til I got back home a week later.  I loved the ideas and characters, the world they built and the imagination and thinking that went into the jokes.  And, I liked the character arcs for Judy and Nick and how they played off of each other.  Good stuff.

Do I want to see the Zootopia-land in Shanghai? Yes.  Yes, I do.

Godzilla Minus Zero Teaser Trailer

 

Godzilla Minus Zero - First Look Teaser Trailer is GO!!!

that's muh boi

No idea what the story is, but so glad to see our heroes from Godzilla Minus One return.  I very much like these characters and am happy to spend more time with them.

Coming out in November.  Plan accordingly.

Noir Watch: Down Three Dark Streets (1954)

Watched:  04/12/2026

Format:  Amazon

Viewing:  First

Director:  Arnold Laven

We're just going to slowly make our way through the Ruth Roman filmography, I guess.  

I had no idea what this was about, but it's a bit of 1950's pro-FBI propaganda.  It makes sure we, the citizens and tax-payers, understand how the FBI is working tirelessly on crimes big and small.  

When an FBI agent, a family man, is killed, Broderick Crawford is asked to pick up all three of his open cases to figure out which case was the one that got his pal murdered.  And, much as in real life, things move a lot faster now that one of their own was the victim.

The three cases are:

Canon Watch: Conan The Barbarian (1982)

Watched:  04/12/2026

Format:  BluRay

Viewing:  I have no idea

Director:  John Milius 

Conan the Barbarian (1982) is not for everyone.  And were it released now, it would have social media film people absolutely up in arms.  

I confess I've never read any Robert E. Howard, and maybe I need to fix that.  He is a Texas boy, after all.  But since the last time I watched the movie, I did read both the Prose and Poetic Eddas.  And what Howard was up to, and what this movie was up to - and what a lot of heroic fiction of the past was doing - all feels much more part of a lineage.  

The movie exists in a world far removed from a 2020's concept of "heroes act thusly" - something I am obviously behind as someone who felt like 2025's Superman and the TV show Superman and Lois finally got the character right on screen.  But that doesn't make me naive as a reader or person - that's just one type of character in one type of story.  

Canon Watch: RoboCop (1987)

buy this poster here

Watched:  04/10/2026

Viewing:  ha ha ha ha ha

Format:  BluRay (Arrow Deluxe)

Director:  Paul Verhoeven

For some reason my Threads.com algorithm kept showing me people discussing RoboCop (1987), and I realized that it had been some time since I'd actually watched the movie.  Not that I have to.  It's one of the movies I've seen so many times I have recall of every scene in the movie - if not the exact dialog, I have the imagery of each scene locked in my brain.  

Why RoboCop?  I know I've mentioned this, but when I was 12, we were visiting my grandparents and my mom wanted us out of the house to talk about something with my grandparents, so we were taken to a one-screen theater in Ishpeming, Michigan where my brother and I watched the movie. 

Comedy Watch: The Naked Gun (2025)

Watched:  04/09/2026

Format:  Amazon

Viewing:  Second

Director:  Akiva Shaffer

This is the second time I'd seen this.  Holds up.  I laughed.

New Chabert for the Holidays? (I'm predicting July)

what the hell are they looking at?

 

I have a suspicion that Hallmark is going to release this Christmas movie during Christmas in July.

I don't know, obviously.  But it's still early April and today Lacey Chabert released the poster for this movie that Hallmark very loudly announced they were producing back in December.  And it *is* exciting.  A Disney/ Hallmark collab?  Like peanut butter and Nutella.  

So, it struck me...  Disney is likely making this movie to convince people to come to the parks/ resorts for Christmas.  And if you tell people to book a vacation for December in October, it's way too late.  But during the summer?  Still time to book that trip.  And sell your house so you can afford it.

Now, maaaaaybe Disney is all in on Christmas and wants to release this during the holiday season, but... ha ha ha... no.  This is probably going to be 3 parts Hallmark movie, 2 parts travel brochure.  And that's fine!  

So let's have a watch party

When they announce the release date, whenever it is, I'll organize something.  We'll have cocktails, toast Chabert, Mickey and Hallmark.  Just be ready to use Google Chat.

Wise Noir Watch: The Captive City (1952)

Watched:  04/06/2026

Format:  Amazon Prime

Viewing:  Second

Director:  Robert Wise

So, this is the second time I watched this particular film.  Here's the first.  Apparently just before COVID hit.  

A lot of what I'd say is in that first write-up.  But to recap:

The story is about an editor at a small-ish town newspaper figuring out that (a) the mob has moved in on his town and taken over the penny ante gambling operation bringing it into a combination and (b) the people of his town are maybe way more invested in a bit of low-stakes gambling than who gets the house cut.  

Our hero, John Forsythe, is pulled in when a private detective who tried to tell him about the racketeers is killed.  Then, a key witness is murdered and its made to look like a suicide.

The power of the press is quashed when local business interests pull their advertising, threatening the paper's financial stability.  

However, good 'ol real-life Senator Estes Kefauver has established an anti-mob task force, and Our Hero sees this as his salvation.  Kefauver, a ridiculous publicity hound, signed on *after* the movie had been shot, and added himself to the movie.

I think in 2026, the movie is a curious artifact, and not just because it reminds you Kefauver may be remembered beyond his expiration date thanks to his publicity stunts.  But also, in the past decade apparently we have up on making gambling illegal and sports books exist very profitably online.  There's even sports books right inside many professional sports facilities.  

Anyway, really excited about the epidemic of sports betting that's out there ruining lives.  (We really need to take a hard look at our weirdo culture of 24/7 sports talk and sports books available at the touch of a button.)

As a Robert Wise movie, first - it's from his production company, Aspen Pictures.  The budget isn't what Wise was playing with at the major studios, but his ability as a director is still absolutely there.  He's getting the most out of the talent on hand (most of whom you won't know) and there's some great cinematography that really leans into the tension. 

It really is interesting as it sort of refuses to have a single heavy at the center of the story, and instead is more of a crippling realization that when crime gets its hands into the right places and everyone wins, rooting out the problem is incredibly hard.  Who do you even go for?  If even the clergy thinks it's impossible to get their parishioners to quit the gambling or turn away from what they make on book?  Seems bad.  And I'm not sure if the Federal Government really is the magic bullet solution the movie presents. 

Hitchcock Watch: Rope (1948)

Watched:  04/02/2026

Format:  BluRay

Viewing:  First

Director:  Hitchcock

This was my first time watching Rope (1948).  For some reason I have massive gaps in my Hitchcock viewing, and I do a poor job of just getting over myself and putting the movies on.  

From even back when I was in film school, I came to believe that this movie was mostly just one big technical trick, but that the movie itself wasn't very good - which is why I never bothered watching the film.  The description was always that it was a lesser movie.  But I literally don't know what the @#$% those people are talking about.  Rope slapped.

Yes, it is several long takes stitched together - and a technical trick trying to do something novel where the technology just wasn't there.  Film reels were only so long in 1948, and camera equipment was hefty.  And I'm kind of left to wonder if Hitchcock watched Lady in the Lake and thought "that's not the trick.  The trick is to let the camera be the camera but keep it running - let the audience feel they're in the room."

And, especially in the third act, I found all of that incredibly effective.  

It doesn't hurt that the movie has a few things I like in general:

90's Superhero Watch: The Rocketeer (1991)

Watched:  04/01/2026

Format:  Disney+

Viewing:  Unknown

Director:  Joe Johnston

I can't put my finger on why, but I just felt like watching a movie where someone blew up a bunch of Nazis trying to operate on American soil.  

So, I saw The Rocketeer in the theater back in 1991.  Even 16-year-old me was thrilled it was going to have airplanes and a guy from a comic book and pre-1960's styling.  And it was going to have that girl from Labyrinth!  

Watching it now is a completely different experience but no less joyful.  Back then I didn't get all the references and nods which the movie crams in left and right, using the movie almost as an excuse to reward Hollywood nostalgia nuts.

However, I recall being very *aware* of The Rocketeer as a comic property before the movie came out because comic fan mags and catalogs featured Dave Stevens' Bettie Page inspired art that was used to promote the property.  However, I couldn't find the actual comics.  And, a bit like some pics of P'Gell from The Spirit, it gave me some very wrong ideas about what the comic book was when I finally read it.  

Supergirl (2026) Trailer is Up

Heyyyy!!!  The second Supergirl trailer is up.

You can watch the trailer from YouTube here:

Here's that Teaser Trailer from earlier:

I mean, so far, so good.  It's a very particular take, and very far from her first appearance in 1959.  Which, you know, is fun...  but would never work in a million years as a movie now.  The closest we'll get to that is Helen Slater, and then some of what Melissa Benoist brought to the screen.

I don't mind the traumatized refugee take - it absolutely makes sense.   And, frankly, the comic they're using as the bones for this movie is a gorgeous, memorable story (Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow).  

So far, I like Milly Alcock.  The look and feel all feels spot on.  So, sure!  Looks like a blast.

Do I have qualms?  No, man.  I don't.  I am not here to outsmart a trailer that looks perfectly nifty.  At this point in my life I just say "is this for me?"  And I think this is.  Sometimes I'm right, sometimes I'm wrong.

Totter Noir Watch: Under the Gun (1951)

Watched:  03/29/2026

Format:  Sketchy Russian Site/ Archive.org

Viewing:  First

Director:  Ted Tetzlaff

So, because the studios are dumb and don't make their older movies easily available, I watched this on a sketchy Russian site (link above).  And I wanted to watch this movie. In fact, I would have paid real American dollars to watch this movie.  

"Why watch this one?" you ask.  It has (in order of interest) Audrey Totter, Richard Conte, Sam Jaffe and John McIntire.  And was a crime flick I'd not seen discussed anywhere except for one still I saw go by on social media a couple of months back.

Conte plays a mobster who has gone to Miami from NYC, and while there found singer Audrey Totter,* who he plans to bring back to New York and make a star.  Totter is wary, but knows this could be her big break, and so jumps in a car with Conte and his two heavies.

Apeman Watch: Tarzan and the She-Devil (1953)

Watched:  03/28/2026

Format:  TCM

Viewing:  First

Director:  Kurt Neumann

I wasn't planning to watch Tarzan and the She-Devil (1953), but had it on, and Cheetah the Chimp was carrying a rifle and I was like "yeah, okay...  I'll finish this movie".  

This isn't Johnny Weissmuller, it's Lex Barker* as Tarzan and Joyce MacKenzie as Jane.  It also co-stars Raymond Burr(!) as a Great White Hunter-type, Tom Conway as a cuckold and Monique van Vooren as Lyra, the titular She-Devil.  

Lyra is mostly just a woman of means who knows her own mind and doesn't let men dictate her life, which makes her a She-Devil.  She also would like to be on Tarzan, but that's par for the course in these movies.  

Wise Sci-Fi Watch: The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)

Watched:  03/23/2026

Format:  YouTubeTV

Viewing:  3rd or 4th

Director:  Robert Wise

Hey!  Happy 75th birthday, Gort!

The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) is a landmark for science fiction, especially in cinema, and would help launch a thousand imitators in the years to come (thanks, Ed Wood!).  It's also an A picture, which for Sci-Fi in the post WWII era must have been something.  We're still five years before Forbidden Planet would launch the notion that would birth Star Trek.   Notably, it was released the same year as the doomsday epic, When Worlds Collide.  

A flying saucer arrives and circles Earth, eventually settling on the lawn across from the White House.  The whole world knows this is happening, and we get international news reports (is this the first use of this trope in a scifi movie?).  Hours after landing, the craft opens and a man in a space suit emerges, who a soldier waits all of about 45 seconds to shoot for no reason.  A giant, metallic robot emerges, threatening everyone with weapons - atomizing guns, tanks, cannons, etc... with a beam from its face.

Our hero, Klaatu the space man, turns out to be Michael Rennie - He looks and speaks just like a normal man.  When world leaders refuse to meet to hear him out, he becomes frustrated, steals some clothes and bolts from Walter Reed.  With great luck, he winds up in a boarding house where Patricia Neal is dwelling with her son, and he uses the name "Carpenter".

Valerie Perrine Merges With the Infinite

Our beloved Miss Teschmacher from Superman: The Movie, one Ms. Valerie Perrine, has passed.  She was 82.

Perrine starred in movies like Slaughterhouse-Five, Lenny and Can't Stop the Music.  She was such a fan favorite in Superman: The Movie that, despite being an original character for that movie, the character has shown up over and over in other Superman adaptations, from Smallville (Tess Mercer) to  Supergirl to the 2025 Superman film, played by Sara Sampaio.

Perrine had been ill for some years, but had maintained a presence online, seeming cheery despite her condition.

We'll miss knowing she's out there.

You can assist with funeral expenses by going to this gofundme.