Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 62

January 25, 2024

January 25, 2024: Mid-week Sharky update!

A mid-week Sharky update!  Our boy went in for a much-needed dental this morning to address his few remaining loose and broken teeth.  The vet called with an update, letting us know that they would all have to come out.  Our boy will not only be eyeless, but toothless as well!  Nevertheless, he will apparently be much more comfortable as his teeth were not in very good shape.  So looks like it’s going to be soft food and treats for him.  Also, rather than throw the remaining kibble away, I’m trying to convince Akemi to pre-chew it for him.

Roughly 140 shows into this Crime Binge and I’ve decided to start alternating between shows I can watch in the original languages (English, French, Italian – which I understand) and show I have to watch subtitled (everything else).  140 seems like a lot and, I guess it is.  On the one hand, there are a number that I dropped after the pilot.  On the other hand, there are a number I liked enough to watch through their multi-season run.  At present, I can honesty say I enjoyed 40 of them, roughly 1 out of every 3.  I have another 100 or so shows on my watch list (not including any new seasons of the shows I’ve enjoyed), but always happy to check out your recommendations.  Please, no network or cross-genre or anything pre-2000!

Today’s Yes/No…


Yubari King Melon? Yes/Nohttps://t.co/eg8FPiM2Ef


— Joseph Mallozzi 🏴‍☠️ (@BaronDestructo) January 25, 2024


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Published on January 25, 2024 11:38

January 24, 2024

January 24, 2024: Whither am I bound?

The pieces are falling into place on several potential productions that could see me shooting in one (maybe more?) of several potential locations…

The indie horror movie could take me to Bulgaria

The action-adventure series could take me to Greece

The mystery island series could take me to Portugal

The con man series with Alex could take us to London

The action procedural (also with Alex) could take us to Berlin

The cozy mystery could land me in Ireland

The cosmic horror series could take me back to B.C.

While none of these projects panning out (or maybe something completely different) could well keep me here in Toronto (which, to be honest, feels a lot less troublesome).

So, cast your vote.  Whither am I bound in 2024?

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Published on January 24, 2024 12:33

January 23, 2024

January 23, 2024: Amazing Covers!

A few that caught my eye this week…

G.O.D.S. #4 – cover art by Felipe Massafera

Resurrection of Magneto #1 – cover art by John Tyler Christopher

Superior Spider-Man #3 – cover art by Rafael Grassetti

Red Sonja #7 – cover art by Lucio Parrillo

Red Sonja #7 – cover art by Bjorn Barends

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #9 – cover art by Francesco Mattina

Harley Quinn #36 – cover art by Jenny Frison

Power Girl #5 – cover art by Rahzzah

The Flash #5 – cover art by Mike Deodato Jr.

Crashdown #1 – cover art by David Mack

So, which were YOUR favorites?

 

 

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Published on January 23, 2024 10:55

January 22, 2024

January 22, 2024: The Crime Binge continues!

Braqueurs/Ganglands (2021 – ) Season 1

Mehdi, a qualified robber, and Liana, an apprentice thief, get involved in a turf war between drug dealers, and have to collaborate in order to save their loved ones.

My thoughts: Was really hoping to like this one a lot given the premise but was let down by the dialogue and direction.  The season 1 finale finishes strong but, sadly, that wasn’t enough for me.

3.5/5

Tulsa King (2022) Season 1

Following his release from prison, Mafia capo Dwight “The General” Manfredi is exiled to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he builds a new criminal empire with a group of unlikely characters.

My thoughts: Sly is great and overall the show is entertaining enough in its fairly straightforward and predictable way, but the characters are flat and the performances so glib the narrative loses any sense of real stakes.  The Sopranos it aint.

3/5

Braquo (2009 – 2016)

This crime-drama follows a group of Paris police officers who live at the edge of the law, often using violence and intimidation to get the job done.

My thoughts: One of my favorite shows of this Crime Binge continues to deliver the goods.  Another solid outing, but not quite as strong as its previous season.

4/5

Gangland Undercover (2015 2016) Season 1

A gritty fact based drama series that tells the story of a drug dealer who was arrested then given a desperate ultimatum: serve over 20 years in jail, or go undercover inside one of America’s most notorious biker gangs.

My thoughts: The Voice Overs, dialogue, direction and performances are all pretty cheesy.  Aside from that, its not very memorable.

2/5

The Bad Guy (2022 – ) Season 1

The show revolves around a Sicilian public prosecutor named Nino Scotellaro who devoted his whole life to fighting the Mafia and finds himself accused and condemned of being a mafioso himself.

My thoughts: Fitfully funny but ultimately too far-fetched to be taken seriously.

3/5

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Published on January 22, 2024 11:20

January 21, 2024

January 21, 2024: Sharky Sunday!

Curled up in his mansion.  This is his safe spot.

At his comfiest when mom’s around.

Little Bear

Loves his belly rubs

A very dignified doggy

Check out the weird bark…

HIs training is really coming along…

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Published on January 21, 2024 12:00

January 20, 2024

January 20, 2024: My Top 5 Favorite Book Series for Young Readers!

Redwall by Brian Jacques

Redwall Abbey, tranquil home to a community of peace-loving mice, is threatened by Cluny the Scourge savage bilge rat warlord and his battle-hardened horde. But the Redwall mice and their loyal woodland friends combine their courage and strength.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Epic battles between good and evil, fantastic creatures, betrayals, heroic deeds, and friendships won and lost all come together in this unforgettable world, which has been enchanting readers of all ages for over sixty years.

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

George and Martha by James Marshall

Like all best friends, George and Martha do everything together—go to the movies, play at the beach, and just hang around not doing much of anything. George and Martha teach each other (and adoring readers) that even in a close friendship, privacy is important, practical jokes can sometimes backfire, and among other things, pouring split pea soup into your loafers to spare the chef’s feelings is not the best-laid plan.

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

The books follow the turbulent lives of orphaned siblings Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire. After their parents’ death in a fire, the children are placed in the custody of a murderous villain, Count Olaf, who attempts to steal their inheritance and causes numerous disasters with the help of his accomplices as the children attempt to flee. As the plot progresses, the Baudelaires gradually confront further mysteries surrounding their family and deep conspiracies involving a secret society, which also involves Olaf and Snicket, who is also a fictional character who narrated the books series as his investigating documentation about the Beaudelaires’s whereabouts, in honor of her late ex-fiancé Beatrice, who revealed to be the Beaudelaires’s late mother.

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Published on January 20, 2024 06:38

January 19, 2024

January 19, 2024: Recent Yes/No’s – Best and Worst!


Hojicha Mochitto Milk Frappuccino? Yes/No
Starbucks Japan releases a sticky rice and roasted green tea Frappuccino for New Year https://t.co/VfD8SsABLO via @RocketNews24En


— Joseph Mallozzi 🏴‍☠️ (@BaronDestructo) December 19, 2023



Dragon Latte? Yes/No
Starbucks releases a dragon latte containing Japanese pepper in Japan https://t.co/hIs7zNzSM6 via @RocketNews24En


— Joseph Mallozzi 🏴‍☠️ (@BaronDestructo) December 20, 2023



Maitake Burger? Yes/No
My oh maitake! Japan’s oldest hamburger chain’s new mushroom burger is like eating a forest https://t.co/zBDKfA6ziS via @RocketNews24En


— Joseph Mallozzi 🏴‍☠️ (@BaronDestructo) December 21, 2023



Barbecue-flavored Whisky? Yes/Nohttps://t.co/ipB73LKuvD


— Joseph Mallozzi 🏴‍☠️ (@BaronDestructo) December 22, 2023



KFC Christmas-only Premium Chicken? Yes/No
Is KFC Japan’s ultra-expensive Christmas-only premium chicken worth it? YES…but also maybe no… https://t.co/qPdSf6bNdv via @RocketNews24En


— Joseph Mallozzi 🏴‍☠️ (@BaronDestructo) December 24, 2023



Drowning in Cheese Fillet Burger? Yes/No
KFC becomes KFCheese with new pie and raclette “drowning” burger in Japan https://t.co/fUAtU1IWJr via @RocketNews24En pic.twitter.com/Mfa7c8kHgx


— Joseph Mallozzi 🏴‍☠️ (@BaronDestructo) December 25, 2023



Chewy Matcha Cake? Yes/No
Starbucks adds new chewy matcha cake to its menu in Japan for New Year https://t.co/vp2e6U6oHl via @RocketNews24En


— Joseph Mallozzi 🏴‍☠️ (@BaronDestructo) December 26, 2023



Grilled Banana Pandan Rice? Yes/Nohttps://t.co/gkR4GMDfgV


— Joseph Mallozzi 🏴‍☠️ (@BaronDestructo) December 27, 2023



Godzilla Burgers? Yes/No
Godzilla vs McDonald’s! King of monsters takes on fast food king’s new Godzilla Burgers【Video】 https://t.co/hCcKJZ9FFX via @RocketNews24En


— Joseph Mallozzi 🏴‍☠️ (@BaronDestructo) December 28, 2023



Birria Grilled Cheese? Yes/Nohttps://t.co/Od7uCc5iaq


— Joseph Mallozzi 🏴‍☠️ (@BaronDestructo) December 29, 2023


Best: I’m going with that maitake burger.

Worst: To be honest, nothing looks all that bad but out of an abundance of caution I’m going with the barbecue-favored whiskey.

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Published on January 19, 2024 12:56

January 18, 2024

January 18, 2024: The Crime Binge continues!

Clark (2022)

This is the incredible story behind Sweden’s most notorious gangster, Clark Olofsson, whose infamous crimes gave rise to the term “Stockholm Syndrome”.

My thoughts: The cutty Snatch schtick gets old fast.

3/5

Dirty John (2018 – 2020) Season 2

Anthology series in which each season is based on a true crime story featuring an epic tale of love gone wrong.

My thoughts: Season 1 was great; season 2 a bit of  drag.

3/5

The Sinner (2017 – 2021) Season 1

Detective Harry Ambrose investigates various atrocious murder cases and tries to analyze the reasons behind ordinary people committing heinous crimes.

My thoughts: The huge twist relies on characters acting illogically.

3/5

Braquo (2009 – 2016 ) Season 3

Rejected by their peers and superiors, Eddy and his renegade team go from hunters to hunted. Caught in the crossfire of a gang war, they can no longer rely on themselves alone to avoid a total fall from grace.

My thoughts: This show continues to go hard.

4/5

The Head (2020 – ) Season 1

Winter has fallen on the South Pole. A small team, known as the Winterers, will remain at the Polaris VI Antarctic Research Station to continue their innovative research, a crucial part in the fight against climate change.

My thoughts: Gets off to a terrific start but then grows increasingly ridiculous.  Perhaps the stupidest group of scientists ever depicted onscreen.

2/5

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Published on January 18, 2024 12:40

January 17, 2024

January 17, 2024: Round and round the projects go. What gets picked up, nobody knows!

Alrighty.  My aim this year is to write six pilots.  That’s one new script every two months!  Just finished up on my first and sent it my agent’s way.  He’ll read it this weekend.  The plan is to go wide with it in the coming months.  Just one more roll of the dice.

My agent also informs me we’re moving forward on the development deal for that monster show.

Meanwhile, movement on that indie horror comedy we’re looking to shoot in Bulgaria.  When the final pieces fall into place, we’ll be heading to Sofia for a 5 weeks of prep and 20 days of shooting.

Got some notes on the horror comic and will look to incorporate them in my rewrite of issue #1, which is next on deck.

An update on my action-adventure series.  We have our lead and our director.  We should be receiving a preliminary budget from a potential production partner this week.  Meanwhile, we’re looking to finally take it out to U.S. buyers.

Circling back on the Kpop/Sci-Fi series and the android murder mystery in the coming weeks.  Looking to nail down those pitch docs so we can finally take those out as well.

Waiting for word on that cosmic horror series that could take me back to B.C.  But I’m tempering expectations as it could all go the way of…

That series proposal I dubbed “Dark Ghostbusters”.  Some great initial discussions but when it became clear that the creator didn’t want to budge from any of his initial ideas, it also become pretty evident that I would not be a good fit.

Zoom discussion next week with that other production company about grounded sci-fi.

Still awaiting word on a possible development deal/rewrite for that small-town mystery.

While I await word about that OTHER small-town mystery.

But the one I’m really, REALLY excited about it the cozy mystery series that has engendered some interest south of the border.  Mom would absolutely love it!

Today’s Yes/No…


Beer Mints? Yes/Nohttps://t.co/tuEfZ6v6pV pic.twitter.com/qE3W3TudJn


— Joseph Mallozzi 🏴‍☠️ (@BaronDestructo) January 17, 2024


 

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Published on January 17, 2024 14:27

January 17, 2024: Amazing Covers!

A few that caught my eye this week…

John Constantine: Hellblazer – Dead in America #1 – cover art by Mark “Jock” Simpson

Wonder Woman #5 – cover art by Julian Totino Tedesco

Army of Darkness: Forever #4 – cover art by Nick Dragotta

Steel of the Celestial Shadows, vol. 1 – cover art by Drama Matsuura

The P.R.I.S.M. #4 – cover art by Tyler Boss

Avengers: Twilight #1 – cover art by Leinil Francis Yu

Fantastic Four #16 – cover art by Alex Ross

Guardians of the Galaxy #10 – cover art by Luciano Vecchio

So, which were YOUR favorites?

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Published on January 17, 2024 12:09

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