 It has been quite some time since I've seen this movie, so there were a few things that I didn't take into account. Once again, we have a late 70s classic that has unfortunately dated itself for any newcomers. But, laying my cards on the table, I have to say that despite any aged issues it may have, I still think it's a lot of fun. But one's viewing of it needs to sort of fit a particular scenario. More on that later.
Before I go forward with this one, though, a few things one really should know. First off, this was filmed before 'Dukes of Hazzard' aired. Therefore, do not be too shocked at the presence of a Confederate flag on the Bandit's '77 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am's license plate. Also, akin to the film's time is a lot of the humour involved. In fact, I laughed extra hard at one line in particular because it's so incredibly over the top offensive (or at least probably is to the average person. I tend to have a pretty dark sense of humour). Bo "Bandit" Darville (Burt Reynolds) is approached by a wealthy Texan named "Big" Enos Burdette (Pat McCormick), along with his tiny son, "Little Enos" (Paul Williams). They offer him $80,000 to haul 400 cases of Coors (yeah, this is a big beer commercial, too) from Texarkana to Atlanta in the span of 28 hour. Even though this sounds like a fairly natural process, one must understand that this film is dated in another way - at the time, in certain locations of America, there was prohibition. So to make a long story short, our man the Bandit here is taking part in bootlegging. As for why the Enos' want this Coors; they are sponsoring a racer in Atlanta's Southern Classic, and want to celebrate in style when their car wins. The Bandit accepts the task, recruiting his partner, Cledus "Snowman" Snow (Jerry Reed) to do the truck-driving. Bandit's role in this operation is to be a "blocker"; someone who will divert the attention of law enforcement away from illegal cargo. Said law enforcement comes in the form of Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason) and his bumbling son, Junior (Mike Henry). They inadvertently begin chasing Bandit by chance after Junior's runaway bride, Carrie (Sally Field) hitches a ride with him. So much of what we have here is a bit of a Wyle E. Coyote/Roadrunner situation. And I think it's also safe to say that this one is a bit of a time capsule of a film, considering the laws of the time and a few other details about it I already mentioned. But speaking of going back to things I mentioned, I was talking about viewing this in a particular scenario. Aside from just watching it for yourself, I would recommend that this is a bit of a "dude" film, and therefore needs to be seen with a "dude" frame of mine. This is a movie where you get your buddies together, crack open some Coors (or other beer that suits your taste a bit better) and go along for the ride without overthinking any of the potentially offensive things that might be in it. It's definitely a product of its time, but I do think that with the right frame of mind, this can still be a lot of fun.
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 This is a fine example of a movie that one might not necessarily see as a "good movie", and I might have to admit to some of the material contained within to be somewhat dated (which I may just have to start referring to as the "General 80s/90s Comedy Warning" (it feels like I have to do that a lot with movies from those eras). However, this is a fascinating example of an all-star cast movie, as it covers a sort of all-over range of performers.
The film is as simple as a cross-country race that starts in Connecticut, and all the humour that ensues, as celeb vs celeb vs celeb races for the finish line. Our "mains" in this include a race car driver named JJ McClure (Burt Reynolds) and his mechanic, Victor Prinzi (Dom DeLuise) who choose do disguise themselves as paramedics and drive an ambulance fitted with a NASCAR engine, as that can cut through traffic like butter. Along for the ride with them is Doctor Nikolas Van Helsing (Jack Elam) who they kind of need for the whole operation. As the race begins and progresses, we meet a group of colourful characters. This is a large cast, so I'll try to keep things simple. First, former F1 racer, Jamie Blake (Dean Martin) and his teammate, Morris Fenderbaum (Sammy Davis Jr.) in their Ferrari 308 GTS 1979, dressed as priests. Second, the lovely, but manipulative Jill Rivers (Tara Buckman) and Marcie Thatcher (Adrienne Barbeau) in their Lamborghini Countach. Third, Seymour Goldfarb Jr. (Roger Moore), who's a "Roger Moore look-alike" and even drives an Aston Martin DB5. Fourth, a couple of hilariously stereotypical southerners named Terry (Terry Bradshaw) and Mel (Mel Tillis), driving a replica of Donnie Allison's Hawaiian Tropic-sponsored NASCAR Winston Cup Series Chevrolet stock car. Now, where the movie will probably really get offensive for viewers involves our fifth racer, Sheik (Jamie Farr), driving a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow, and that's all I probably need to say about him. Remembering this was 1981, we still hadn't quite hit that point where "race face" wasn't acceptable anymore. However, speaking of multiculturalism, Lastly, we have Jackie Chan and Michael Hui, seemingly playing themselves, driving a computerized Subaru GL 4WD. That's right, 1981 Jackie Chan, in only his second American movie (the first being 'The Big Brawl', only just the previous year). I'm pretty sure there are several other characters I haven't even mentioned yet, but as far as the main cast goes, that's pretty much it - two whole paragraphs worth. But despite some of these character perhaps being a little too much at times, there's a lot of real fun to be had with this movie. In many ways, it reminds me of 'Rat Race', which is practically the 'Cannonball Run' for the next generation - a race featuring an all-star cast, and it's much more fun than serious all the way through. I have to say, I got quite a few genuine laughs from this, but I also have to say, there was a lot of it (especially when it comes to the character Shiek) that I had to cringe at. I think this film is perfectly enjoyable IF you can accept the leeway of its time. Having said that, I would probably suggest that this is far more made with my generation, or even the previous generation in mind, considering its cast. While a lot of those names will jump off the page to some readers, other younger readers will no doubt be asking "who?" So I recommend this mostly as a sort of Sunday afternoon comedy for anyone who knows and enjoys all (or almost all) of these performers. And they really do cover a wide range, from dramatic actors, to singers, to athletic talent, I think there's at least one character here for anyone to route for. Not for everyone, but if you like a good race featuring colourful characters, I might suggest checking it out if you can.  Those who know me well know that this is definitely one of my all-time favourite movies. I haven't actually watched it in a couple of years though, so when I set it up for this time around, I wondered if it would hold up for me. Thankfully, for yours truly, the answer is an enthusiastic "yes". But I will suggest that while I can highly recommend this one to the right people, it will not be for everyone.
For those who are unfamiliar, Scott (Michael Cera) is a young man living in Toronto, Canada, with his cool, gay roommate, Wallace Wells (Kieran Culkin). Scott dates a 17-year-old named Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), and plays in a band called Sex Bob-Omb with friends Steven Stills (Mark Webber), Young Neil (Johnny Simmons) and Kim Pine (Alison Pill). Scott dates Knives largely for the simplicity of it all, but his friends and sister, Stacey (Anna Kendrick) can see that he's clearly stringing her along for his own convenience. One day, however, Scott meets the literal girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), which complicates things. Not only does he need to break it off with Knives in order to pursue something more real, but all of Scott's woman issues interfere with his band's success. But of course, that's not even the worst of it. In order for Scott to date Ramona, he must fight and defeat Ramona's seven "evil exes"; mystical hipster, Matthew Patel (Satya Bhabha), movie star Lucas Lee (Chris Evans), successful band member, Todd Ingram (Brandon Routh), experimental-phase partner, Roxy Richter (Mae Whitman), the incredible Katayanagi Twins (Keita Saitou and Shôta Saitô) and club owner, and Scott's biggest threat, Gideon Graves (Jason Schwartzman). His journey is generally about needing to be better than everyone before him in order to win Ramona's heart. However, things are also personal, as a lot of it is about Scott overcoming his own insecurities as well. The story here is simple enough, but there is a lot about the way it's done that may be confusing to some. For example, Ramona talking about the subspace highway that runs through Scott's head... I mean, are you lost yet? But the key thing to note about this movie is its overall style. This (as well as the graphic novels it's based on) is stylized as though someone took comic book superheroes, 80s video games and anime, and threw it all into a blender. And the style of this movie is one of the biggest selling points in my opinion. This is something that has been referred to as one of the best video game movies of all time, but it's not based on a video game at all (although, there is a great 'Double Dragon'-style beat 'em up game out there). But the film is loaded with all sorts of old school video game sound effects one may recognize (especially in my age range), has a lot of comic-like aspects to it, like text that runs across the screen, and a lot of the fight scenes are quite anime-like. It goes to unrealistic extremes on purpose, and things get super fun. On top of everything, at this point I see this one as a bit of a time capsule. Released in 2010, I was 27, going on 28, so felt like I was still somewhat in the appropriate age group (everyone in the movie is in their 20s, except Knives) for its target audience. I also live very close to Toronto, so there's a certain sense of Canadian pride I have about that part. Wright pulled no punches, either - the whole thing is filmed in town, AND includes landmarks that are in the comics. I will admit that I wonder how well this will hold up for other fans who haven't seen it in quite some time. It was awesome for the time, but sadly outdone that weekend by 'Eat, Pray, Love', and 'The Expendables', which both cover a lot of ground for their respective target audiences. However, being a fan of the graphic novels (recommended to me by an estranged friend who I will nevertheless thank here), I saw it three times in theaters, and still consider it one of the best done adaptations of anything out there. People are bound to disagree, but this is one I hold close to my heart, and highly recommend to anyone with an open mind.  The truth of the matter is, when it comes to the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy, I'm not entirely sure which would be the one I'd deem to be my favourite of the bunch. However, I would probably argue that 'Hot Fuzz' is the overall best-done. 'Shaun of the Dead' does still play on fairly typical zombie horror elements, 'The World's End' takes a particular appreciation for Wright's imagination, but this - this is just all sorts of brilliance in its execution.
What I love about it is that it seems to cover all grounds of action movies, while on the surface basically being a farce on police action movies. But really, you get the buddy cop movie, you get the creepy murder mystery, you get the Brit-com ensemble of colourful characters at the precinct, and you get the over-the top Michael Bay-like action flick. The film centers on Police Constable Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg); a highly skilled, high-ranking officer in the London PD. He is promoted to Sergeant, but due to him making everyone else look bad, he is reassigned to the small village of Sandford, Gloucestershire. Here, he meets his team of laugh-inducing fellow "policeman officers"; his new supervisor, Inspector Frank Butterman (Jim Broadbent), his new partner and Frank's son, PC Danny (Nick Frost), the "Andy's" (Paddy Considine and Rafe Spall), Sergeant Tony Fisher (Kevin Eldon), PC Doris Thatcher (Olivia Colman) PC Bob Walker (Karl Johnson), Sergeant Turner (Bill Bailey) and their K9 Dog, Saxon (Sampson). Sanford is largely considered "perfect", winning "Village of the Year" several years in a row. On the surface, things seem entirely peaceful, but there's definitely something off about some of the other villagers. While Angel can't seem to "switch off", and slowly starts noticing sinister things unfold, the rest of the police force is relatively ignorant, suggesting accidents happen. While the rest of the precinct are a little less apt to do their job, Angel tries his best to convince Frank that crimes are happening right under their noses. The film's three acts are relatively separate from each other in more ways than one. The first act probably has the most laughs, and acts very much as a buddy cop comedy with Angel playing the "fish out of water". The second act darkens the humour, and things take a more mysterious turn once Angel starts to really click in on something going wrong in town. The third, and probably best act, is the result of Danny showing Angel a couple of balls-to-the-wall action flicks; specifically 'Point Break' and 'Bad Boys II', so the film takes the humour to more of a farce on those hardcore action movies we love so much. It could be argued that this is a film that basically has everything. It even features a scattering of well-known British faces, such as Timothy Dalton as Simon Skinner, owner of the local supermarket, and Martin Freeman and Bill Nighy as Angel's superiors in London. I would have to say that as far as all of Edgar Wright's movies go, this is probably the one I'd recommend to anyone who wants to see what Edgar Wright's style is all about. He does a tremendous job as set-ups and call-backs through his movies, and this may be the best example of it. On top of that though, just take everything I mentioned about this movie before into consideration. It's arguably one of the most fun movies out there (at least in my humble opinion).  To wrap up a month of Summer blockbusters, one that certainly bears mentioning is 'Jurassic Park'. It's interesting to consider the fact that CG was so brand-spanking new at the time that filmmakers were still utilizing it as not much more than really good looking special effects. The primary example predating this was probably 'Terminator 2', two years prior with the T-1000. And while 'Toy Story' was the first full-length CG film in 1995, I tend to consider 'Jurassic Park' to be what really, truly brought CG into the spotlight. While the T-1000 still looks great, this brought dinosaurs to life for us dino-obsessed kids at the time, and before this the best we could do was stop-motion.
This movie had such an impact that when a contest was held to name Toronto's basketball team in '94, it was narrowed down to eleven names; two of which were dinosaur references - "T-Rex" and "Raptors". Of course, we all know what we landed on, but considering "Towers" was the runner up, it's probably a good thing. The film spawned all sorts of merchandise as well, some of which I had, including a massive colouring mural that took up about 4-6 feet of wall space. I was 10 going on 11 when this was released, so I wasn't after a lot of the toys and such. But I was still very much into it, because even then I understood that this was a ground-breaking film. Sequel after sequel would follow, but none of them to this very day can hold a torch to the awesomeness that is 'Jurassic Park'... well, except maybe the improved quality of the CG effects, but dammit, this was 1993, so for the time it looks incredible. The story of course involves wealthy industrialist John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) inviting paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and paleobotanist Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) to an island he owns, off the coast of Costa Rica - Isla Nublar. Here, he hopes to have the two experts analyse what he has created and approve his attractions for opening his park. This is influenced by the park's investors insisting on a thorough inspection to ensure the park's safety. The investors' representative lawyer, Mr. Gennaro (Martin Ferrero) comes along as well, inviting mathematician and chaos-theorist, Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum). Although the group is blown away by what Hammond has created (an interactive "zoo" that holds cloned dinosaurs as opposed to everyday animals), all manage to see the inherent danger that lies within the park. Soon, the group is sent on a tour along with Hammond's grandkids, Tim (Joseph Mazzello), a young dinosaur geek, and Lex (Ariana Richards), a young computer geek (though she prefers to be called a "hacker"). Meanwhile, the park's head programmer, Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight) has plans to steal fertilized dinosaur embryos and deliver them to Hammond's corporate rival based on a bribe. This will involve shutting down the park's security system and racing against the clock as a bad storm is rolling in and he needs to collect the embryos as well as get to the last boat. As a result, the park's security grid shuts down, dinosaurs escape, chaos ensues. This separates them into groups; while Ellie, Malcolm, Hammond and others (techie, Mr. Arnold - Samuel L. Jackson, and raptor expert, Muldoon - Bob Peck) work on restoring power and communications to the island, Grant, Tim and Lex find themselves having to maneuver through a dangerous array of should-be-extinct wildlife - half of which is out for a good meal. At this point, 'Jurassic Park' has become one of the most repetitive franchises out there, and it's so stale that after 'Fallen Kingdom' in 2018, I have no real drive to go to another one. The premise is more or less always the same - in some form, it's generally "ignore what people say is dangerous and get into a situation that's potentially gonna kill us anyway". It's always people making dumb decisions and paying the price, while Ian Malcolm remains to this day the voice of reason that no one listens to - still the smartest character in 'Fallen Kingdom' if you ask me. Anyway, the bottom line is that in this original film, it all makes sense for that first time around, and the cautionary tale of "playing God" is established along with some decent character development, especially with Grant and Hammond. Seeing this as a 10-year-old kid on the big screen, I can remember it being a hell of an experience. I remember being totally on-edge when the T-rex got out, as well as the kitchen scene with the raptors. But I also remember being in total awe of what I was seeing. Remember when 'Avatar' came out and we were all totally mind-blown by how awesome the 3D was? This was that for 1993. It was a film that gauged every emotion, and to this day I enjoy watching it as a good slice of nostalgia. It doesn't quite look as good now as it did back then, considering how far we've come with technology. But it's probably the best overall story between all of the films, regardless. That said, I can actually still recommend Netflix's 'Camp Cretacious' where we see something else happening during the events of 'Jurassic World'. As far as I'm concerned, it's the best 'Jurassic' thing that has been released since this original film - but this is still the golden child of the collection.  Nowadays, this movie carries a whole conspiracy behind it in which the film is to be interpreted as Maverick's struggle with his homosexuality. The writers say they didn't write it that way, but don't seem to have any sort of problem with that interpretation. They further suggest that part of it may have had to do with director Tony Scott's style. The 80s was an era of imagination, open-mindedness, and to be flamboyant was considered pretty cool. So 'Top Gun' was probably really just a film that fits into its time better than it fits with things now.
Having said all that, I was just a kid when I got into this movie, and all my fragile little mind saw it as was one of my first real doses of action. I didn't get any of the jokes, really, or what the extremely tonguey sex scene was all about, but it was just a fun movie to me. I was only 4 when this was released theatrically, so I might estimate I was about 7 or 8 when I first saw this (recorded from TV). The whole supposed subtext thing was something I grew up without, and nothing ever clicked until I saw that Tarantino clip from 'Sleep With Me' just a few years ago. It's an interesting thought, but the closing line on that clip is all wrong, and any real 'Top Gun' fan knows that. F-14 Tomcat pilots Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) and Nick "Goose" Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards) are offered the chance to train at the Naval Fighter Weapons School in Miramar, known to pilots as "Top Gun"; a school for the elite in Naval Aviation by CAG "Stinger" (James Tolkan). This is due to the top contender, "Cougar" (John Stockwell) quitting after an incident involving two MiG-28 aircraft. Maverick was second in line, and therefore takes his place. Upon arrival, they meet the likes of a few colourful characters, namely his biggest contenders, Tom "Iceman" Kazansky (Val Kilmer) and "Slider" (Rick Rossovich), and his instructors; Mike "Viper" Metcalf (Tom Skerritt), Rick "Jester" Heatherly (Michael Ironside) and Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood (Kelly McGillis) who also becomes Maverick's love interest. Throughout the film, we learn a few things about Maverick; namely that he flies by the seat of his pants, and his flying dangerously is part of what makes him one of the best pilots. We further learn details of his past, largely involving his father, who was also a pilot, and whose death has been a mystery to Maverick his whole life. It deals with his attraction to his instructor, his attitude in wanting to be the "best of the best", and an incident (which I won't spoil) that makes him question whether or not he's really worthy of being there. So a lot of it is sort of "internal struggle" as it is, which gives the subtext theory a bit of leeway. But I'd have to say it's open to interpretation. Personally, I've never looked that deep into it. Anyway, this is another fine example of a totally 80s movie. As I mentioned before, there is a part of this that's sort of stuck in time, but it has gone on to become a classic for many, despite quite a few critical responses to it. Perhaps the best thing about this movie is its soundtrack, which is almost a soundtrack to the 80s on its own. You'd probably recognize a few songs on it, but none more so than 'Danger Zone' (which 'Archer' totally resurrected). This was one of those albums we played a lot of in the house, and I used to take it with me in my Walkman (what iPods used to be) for bike rides because, hell, it was a good one for the road. As far as recommendation goes, it's probably not going to be for everyone. But I would suggest a viewing if you're into 80s culture in any way, or, if nothing else, to get some background for the upcoming 'Maverick' movie (now slated for November, 2021). Speaking personally, this is one I have very fond memories with, and I might throw it on the odd time for a good dose of nostalgia. This viewing still gave me a fun time, and subtext or not, I can still manage to interpret things the way I did as a kid, although I have to admit that I understand where Tarantino is coming from... all except for that closing line.  When it comes to the genre of 80s action/sci-fi, odds are, even if you haven't seen them before, the titles of 'Terminator' and 'RoboCop' are often the first things to spring to mind. In fact, some in my age bracket may even remember the 'RoboCop vs Terminator' video games released for NES, SNES and Genesis, or the comic book series of the same name. Now there's a "vs" title that never made it to the big screen, and by now, it's too little too late. But I digress. We're here to talk about the 1987 classic that boasted a "hard-R" rating that looks kind of "mild-R" by today's standards.
Taking place in the near-future to 1987 (so probably our past by now) in the mean city of Detroit, the city is tearing itself apart. The city grants Omni Consumer Products (or OCP) control over its police force, leading Senio Vice President, Dick Jones (Ronny Cox) to demonstrate something new to a room full of executives - a law enforcement droid called ED-209. The idea is to have something mechanical to alleviate some of the brutal realities cops have to go through in this town. The demonstration is an epic fail, however, as ED-209 offs one of the executives upon losing control of its functions. This is where junior executive Bob Morton (Miguel Ferrer) asks to introduce an idea he has been thinking up in the meantime; the "RoboCop" project. Enter Alex Murphy (Peter Weller); a new transfer to the Metro West precinct. He's partnered with badass woman cop, Anna Lewis (Nancy Allen), and together, they are immediately pushed into action in trying to take down one of Detroits most notorious criminals, Clarence Boddicker (Kurtwood Smith). That's right folks, there was an evil Clarence before 'Deadpool', and he was played by Red Foreman from 'That 70s Show'. Having said that, he is awesome in this movie. He plays the kind of villain who you really have fun with, especially if you're more familiar with his uptight Red Foreman performance. He's a bit of an opposite here; a little more loose and even kind of sadistic. He might be one of my favourite classic movie villains. Anyway, getting back to the point, this takedown of Clarence and his gang; Emil Antonowsky (Paul McCrane), Leon Nash (Ray Wise), Joe Cox (Jesse D. Goins), Steve Minh (Calvin Jung) goes awry. While Lewis is pretty badly beaten up, Murphy gets it much worse. This would later become one of Hollywood's great famous gore scenes that stuck with audiences in a big way. Perhaps it's a bit tame by today's standards; I can definitely say I've seen worse. But I do remember kids on the playground who would talk about how brutal that scene was, and it would give them nightmares more than someone like Freddy Krueger did. Of course, I was too busy watching Disney and comedy movies at the time though, so I was never effected either way. Anyway, getting back to the point again, this massacre kills Murphy. He is, however, soon resurrected in cyborg form to become RoboCop, thanks to Morton. He is programmed with three prime directives - serve the public trust, protect the innocent and uphold the law. There is, however, a classified fourth directive as well, which remains a mystery until later on in the film. Just to sort of wrap it up, RoboCop becomes a huge success, but because it's a cyborg movie, there's a part of his humanity that comes into play as he begins to remember things like his family, his final moments, and just who killed him in the first place. The film does a good job with blending the concept of both badass machine and the human being inside. This is done with 'T2' to an extent as well, but here, it means more, as the Terminator as basically all machine when you get right down to it. I've surprisingly only actually seen this movie a few times in my life. It doesn't have the same nostalgic tie to it for me that the 'Terminator' movies have. Having said that, I can definitely suggest that if you're brushing up on your 80s action movies, you must add 'RoboCop' to the list. You've got a cop movie, you've got a cyborg movie, you've got what was once considered a hard-R, you've got charming stop motion effects, and you've got what is perhaps the single funniest fall from a building you've ever seen (everyone had to fall off a building back then, it was a just a standard action movie thing). It may not be something I'd suggest to just anyone, but if you have any interest in 80s culture, this is just a prime example of what we considered awesome back then.  We all have a few titles that are on our radar, but if ever brought up to anyone, are met with something along the lines of "what in the Hell are you talking about?". One of these for me, is 'Son of Rambow'. Generally, if I mention it, people wonder if I've ever even SEEN any bit of the 'First Blood/Rambo' series (which I basically haven't, but at least I can make it a project for the site). Moving on, perhaps it might interest newcomers that this is where both Will Poulter ('We're the Millers'/'Maze Runner'/'The Revenant') and Bill Milner ('X-Men: First Class'/'Dunkirk') got their respective starts as kids.
The film follows the young and innocent Will Proudfoot (Milner) who belongs to the Plymouth Brethren church along with his mother (Jessica Hynes). The religion comes with the strictest of rules, one of which involves never watching any form of entertainment. One day, in class, he's sent out to the hall, as the class is about to watch a documentary. Here, another trouble-making, bad influence of a boy, Lee Carter (Poulter) gets thrown out of class, and the pair meet, only to break a fish bowl, getting them both into trouble. Lee makes a deal that he will take the punishment and "torture" for Will's dead father's watch, and Will acting as stunt man for the film Lee wants to make for the Screen Test Young Film-Makers' Competition. One day, when Lee brings Will to his house, he makes him hide from his brother, Lawrence (Ed Westwick). While in hiding, Will ends up watching 'First Blood', and becomes inspired to help Lee with his film. The pair form an unlikely friendship, but with the catch that Will has to keep this friendship hidden from his mother. This reminds me of some of my old friends, although they weren't nearly as bad as Lee Carter. I was a pretty innocent kid, but still managed to get into trouble with these other kids. Sometimes they weren't allowed over, and I got introduced to things like smoking, and other rebellious, boyish things, and none of it was particularly "good". But despite these guys being bad kids, we still had deep conversation, and fun times. Somehow, this brings a sort of dark nostalgia to the table. Back to the film, the main focus is the friendship between Will and Lee, but there are some of other sides to this story. In their home lives each boy is dealing with a very deep personal matter. Will has to deal with the irritating Brother Joshua of the Brethren, who has an obvious thing for his mother, and seems to be slowly replacing his father. Meanwhile, Lee has to deal with his ignorant brother, Lawrence, but is completely misguided with the thought that Lawrence is the only person in his life who really cares for him. I appreciate how the film takes the time to delve into these personal problems, as those are what make for the best conversation between two unlikely friends. It's so easy to brush off a kid you don't like, but you might empathize with their story if you just take the time to listen. Last and, honestly, probably least, there's the French exchange student, Didier Revol (Jules Sitruk). This kid rolls up to the school, becomes instantly popular (based on 80s punk/pop/WTF fashion), and it feels like he got lost on his way to another movie but decided to stick around and see the sights. Eventually, we get that he has this whole other side story about the toxicity that popularity can bring, and it does eventually blend into Will and Lee's story as he wants to help them with the movie. Of course this also leads to rivalries and such, which may or may not get in the way of the project Lee wants to do. Didier serves his purpose, and a valuable lesson is learned through him, but there was still something about him that felt altogether unnecessary (in other words, the film totally could have still worked with his absence, unless there was something vital I missed). This is another one of those movies I have a soft spot for based on the subject matter of imagination going towards filmmaking. Another such example is 'Be Kind, Rewind' or 'Brigsby Bear'; films that aren't necessarily golden in quality, but definitely show an appreciation for film and creativity while adding a healthy does of friendships and just plain good old warmth. This also takes place somewhere in the 80s, so the soundtrack is pretty full with nostalgic pop hits. If nothing else, it's pretty interesting to see these kids (namely Poulter) in their beginnings, both actually delivering really good performances. I consider this a feel-good movie as a whole, and well worth checking out... that is, if you can find it.  Sometimes when I do these Screening Suggestions, the review will be on a movie I haven't seen yet, but has been highly recommended to me. In these cases, my readers can take the "suggestion" to come from my peers rather than me, but I won't post unless it's something I'm fairly certain I'll agree about. The point of Screening Suggestions is to suggest titles one might enjoy, while at the same time being sure it's something I'd recommend based on my own tastes.
In the case of '9', it seems people understand what it is I look for in movies. I went into it fairly blind, but all in all really liked it by the end. This one is fueled by the wondrous imagination of director Shane Acker, whose short film of the same name was nominated for an Oscar in 2005. This is essentially the "full version" of what he was going for, assisted by screenwriter Pamela Pettler, best known for movies like 'The Corpse Bride', 'Monster House' and the more recent animated 'Addams Family'. Together, they make a pretty good team. Even though this was pretty well met in the middle, as far as critics were concerned, it's just otherworldly and interesting enough of an idea that it didn't take much to rope me in. We start things off with a brief monologue about how "life must go on", and are soon introduced to 9 (Elijah Wood); a sort of mechanical sack doll, brought to life through a scientist (Alan Oppenheimer). It turns out the scientist has made 8 others as well, making up a pretty star-studded cast; the frail but friendly 2 (Martin Landau); the cycloptic engineer, 5 (John C. Reilly); the mentally unstable oracle, 6 (Crispin Glover); the stubborn leader, 1 (Christopher Plummer); two scholarly but silent twins, 3 and 4; and the somewhat mysterious and rebellious female, 7 (Jennifer Connelly). To make a long story short, the general plot has to do with their survival against machines that have wiped out mankind. While most wish to hide, 9's idea is to go on the offensive. There's a pretty deep setup to the film that is revealed more than half-way through, giving an explanation as to these sac people's existence. Things end up being a bit of a stretch, considering it's an alternative version of the 1930s and could just be "near future" for its general purposes. In the end, the message is essentially the idea that in the wrong hands, technology can be disastrous to mankind. In many ways, it's reminiscent of 'WALL-E', but this time around there's use of alchemy and magic, and it takes place in a war-torn past rather than the distant future. It's an interesting fantasy, and a sort of "what if" story, but you certainly need a fair share of imagination to get yourself through it. One thing I really liked about this one was just in how dark things tended to get. They've got such concepts in here as soul-sucking, death, what might lie beyond death, and I have to admit that it really earns its PG-13 rating. It's a decent title for anyone looking for a fun, animated adventure that has a sense of edginess and even a certain darkness to it. It's not at all long, so it's a very easy watch, and its atmosphere really brings you into its post-apocalyptic world - you're very much on this adventure with these sac people (or "Stitchpunks" as they have become otherwise known), and it does tug on every little emotion, even if only for a second. While the film isn't entirely what I'd call a masterpiece, it's very well done for what it is, gets its message across quite plainly, and even if you don't like this, there's always the Oscar-nominated short. Speaking for myself, the main draws lie in the all-star cast, the atmosphere and the overall adventure. Although It's perhaps something darker and edgier, complete with a scary scene or two, it's still something the whole family can watch and enjoy. Opinions will vary, but I for one loved it, and I can see it as something I may keep coming back to in the near future if I really need an escape. If you want to be transported to another world, it's a good place to look.  Here we have another fun title that seems to have split people right down the middle. Speaking for myself, I find it to be one of those titles I can just have some dark, twisted fun with; much like 'Gremlins'. This is fitting, considering this comes from same director Joe Dante. He seems to know how to hit that note just right, where something cute and/or fun has the potential to be pretty scary. Despite what it looks like in its marketing, this is a PG-13 flick, and it takes advantage of that. If you can put a lot of the cheesy dialogue aside, it works pretty well in answering the question; "What if we made 'Toy Story' really dark?"
Things start off pretty over the top when GloboTech; a top defense contractor acquires the Heartland Toy Company. Toy designers, Larry Benson (Jay Mohr) and Irwin Wayfair (David Cross) are given the job of developing fully interactive toys that will "play back" by Globotech CEO, Gil Mars (Denis Leary). Mars goes with Benson's "Commando Elite"; a group of tough-guy Army soldiers, and Wayfair's "Gorgonites" to be their enemies. Benson jumps the gun on providing the product with its "playability", and activates the toys with a very special microprocessor, which ultimately brings the toys to life, and gives them all a personality of their own. We soon meet Alan Abernathy (Gregory Smith), who signs off on a shipment of these toys for his family's toy store. Along with a friendly delivery driver named Joe (Dick Miller), they activate Archer (Frank Langella); leader of the Gorgonites and Chip Hazard (Tommy Lee Jones), not quite realizing what they were about to unleash. Chip is purchased by Christy Fimple (Kirsten Dunst), the object of Alan's affection, as a present for her little brother, Timmy (Jacob Smith), and Archer goes back to Alan's house in his backpack, where Alan realizes he's actually sentient. The lot of them soon learn what's really happening as the Chip activates the rest of the Commando Elite to hunt down and kill all of the Gorgonites, who they see as their sworn enemy. Meanwhile, the reality is that their roles are reversed, and Archer and the rest of his monster friends are the "good guys". Looking at it today, it's certainly one of those movies where you have to let the CG slide a bit. This was 1998, and CG was just getting good enough to get away with animation that looked a lot like plastic toys. This was one of those things that looked really good for its time, but we've also come a long way since '98, so I could see that being something viewers wouldn't appreciate as much today. On top of that, as mentioned before, there's a lot of dialogue here that's just corny and seems to cater to a younger audience, while some of the violence and action caters to the older, teenage crowd. In that sense, one might consider that it doesn't really know who it's for. From my perspective, however, this is one of those movies kids can watch that has a darker side to it. Again, comparing it to 'Gremlins', it's a good bit of a toe-dip into something that, while fun, is taken a bit more seriously. These soldiers actually do kill more than just a few Gorgonites. I don't see a lot of confusion in who it's catering to. Back when it was released, I considered it one for the kids looking for a darker side. 'Monster Squad' is another example I could throw out there where it's got some language and some violence, but it's something your parents would still let you watch. This doesn't come in as a super high recommendation, considering it seems very clear that this title has just as many disliking it as liking it. I would recommend indulging in your curiosity though, if you've always wondered what this one is like. You may be pleasantly surprised at some of the stuff it has to offer. I haven't even brought up some of the other appearances in this, which include Kevin Dunn and Ann Magnuson as Alan's parents and Phil Hartman and Wendy Schaal as Christy's parents. Hartman's probably the best part of this movie, honestly - his performance is very 'Simpson'-esque. While there are still a few cringe-worthy moments here and there, if you can just manage to make that part of the fun of it all, it works as something outlandishly fun and entertaining.  To put a cap on this Schwarzenegger-themed Month, I figured I'd end things on a light note. Any real fan of Arnold will tell you that the man has a sense of humor about himself, and can be the epitome of a "gentle giant". This is a movie that shows it in a way that balances his action hero side with his sensitive side almost perfectly. This one's also directed by Ivan Reitman; director of my all-time favorite film, 'Ghostbusters', so I may have a slight bias leaning towards it. But at the same time, I just can't do a Schwarzenegger month without covering a bit of comedy. This film is proof that the man can be hilarious if given the chance.
As the movie opens, we're introduced to Detective John Kimble (Schwarzenegger), chasing a drug dealer he's been tracking for years, Cullen Crisp (Richard Tyson). Kimble makes a successful arrest for murder after a witness, Cindy (Alix Koromzay) sees him kill an informant after gaining information on his ex-wife, Rachel's (Penelope Ann Miller) whereabouts. She evidently left him ages ago, taking with her a large sum of money as well as their son. Partnered with an ex-teacher, Phoebe (Pamela Reed), Kimble goes undercover in Astoria, Oregon. The job is to find Rachel and offer her immunity in exchange for testifying against Crisp in court, thus finally closing the case on him. Phoebe is to act as a kindergarten teacher for Astoria Elementary, and try to locate Rachel as well as Crisp's son. Without the names to go by, with the mother and son being in hiding, it could already be difficult. But things are almost immediately made worse by Phoebe getting sick, and Kimble having to take her place as the kindergarten teacher. Hilarity ensues as the big, tough guy is overwhelmed by the mouths, attitudes and hyperactivity of these 5-6-year-old kids. He can't even swap-out with Phoebe when she gets better, as it'll blow his cover. On top of all that, authorities let Crisp go too soon, and he heads straight for the location of his son in hopes to reunite with him via custodial kidnapping (which, by the way, does not mean "stealing a janitor"). While Schwarzenegger is best-known for being an action-hero, or even THE action hero, this is a good way of showing that he can be flexible for light-hearted stuff the whole family can watch. He has done other comedies like 'Twins', 'Junior' and 'Jingle All the Way', but I'd strongly consider this his quintessential comedy role. The plot sounds pretty dark, but this carries with it so many great Arnold moments when it comes to his interactions with these kids. One of the funniest images of Schwarzenegger I can think of is when he's dressed up as a country farmer singing 'Old MacDonald had a farm', using a ukulele. But this also has such great Arnold-one-liners as "I'm the party pooper.", "There is no bathroom!", and of course "It's not a tumor!" Even after all these years, this is a great, light-hearted, feel-good flick with just the right amount of dark plotline. It really delivers the laughs and the naive innocence of all these kids, but at the same time delivers a typical Schwarzenegger action movie in its background, which all comes to a head during an admittedly pretty intense climax. This was pretty much the start of the "tough guy with kids" subgenre, followed up with films like 'The Nanny', 'The Pacifier', 'The Spy Next Door' and the very recent 'My Spy'. It's safe to say that just about all of those titles took influence from this movie, and out of all of them, this still remains an untouched classic of sorts. It's just the right balance of light and dark, and it makes sure to teach kids who are watching a thing or two about "stranger danger". On a final note, I'd like to point out that this time around I kept a sharp eye on the kids and their behavior in the background, and I have to say it's worth re-watching to pick up on a few reactions and such. For example, the scene where he yells "SHUT UP!" and makes them all cry (it's funnier than it sounds, trust me) there's a girl by the classroom sink who must not have known how to fake cry, so she makes a "Duh!" face (as in someone saying "duh" sarcastically). That's just one example, but keep your eyes open, a lot of it is pretty funny. Either way, it deserves a re-watch for Schwarzenegger fans who just need a bit of cheering up from time to time.  In one of the manliest of mannish films, we have the action hero's take on a creature feature. What calls for popcorn more than that of a mysterious alien from a distant planet who comes to Earth to hunt, only to go toe to toe with our favorite action star? This is a prime example of the subgenre that is action horror with a sci-fi twist. To this day, in my humble opinion, it stands as the second best "Alien/Predator" movie in existence ('Aliens' being in my top spot), if only because the plot of it is so simple, and it delivers exactly what we want. Maybe it's just me, but I'd say it's almost a perfect action movie.
Army Special Ops soldier and Vietnam Veteran, "Dutch" (Schwarzenegger) and an elite rescue team are given a quick in-and-out mission by Dutch's former commanding officer, General Philips. Among the team are Mac (Bill Duke), an expert tracker named Billy (Sonny Landham), the testosterone-fueled Blain (Jesse Ventura), Poncho (Richard Chaves) and the company's resident jokester, Hawkins (Shane Black). With them, comes CIA officer Dillon (Carl Weathers) - an old friend of Dutch's. As the mission gets underway, the team finds such strange things as three skinned corpses with no sign of approach from any side. After carrying out their mission, and without getting into too much spoiler territory, the team comes across a surviving guerrilla named Anna (Elpidia Carrillo). She's shaken up, and claims things like the forest coming alive to kill people. As they head to their extraction point, they soon they realize they are going up against something that poses a much bigger threat than they signed up for; something that hunts them from the trees using heat vision and the ability to become transparent with its camouflage. As one can imagine, things go pretty much how you'd expect with a look of pretty violent kills in the process. Predictable however it may be at this point, however, it all leads to one of the greatest showdowns in cinematic history. By now, we're all pretty familiar with the Predator. He's become a pop culture icon who sits alongside the Alien. He's the Jason Voorhees to Alien's Freddy Krueger. But this was back in a time before anyone understood what the Predator was, and Schwarzenegger was the real draw. At the time of its release, it looked like it was gonna be another 'Commando', and though the trailer offers brief glimpses of what the Predator looked like, it just wasn't the main focus. Here we have what one might call "dude porn" - a cast of "manly" men doing "manly" things like violence and mayhem and killing. It really delivers on that aspect right down to making the Predator itself throw down his arms just to have a one-on-one fight with Schwarzenegger. It was a unique way to have the world's strongest man meet his match in brawn for once. A line here and there is perhaps a bit dated, but honestly, not enough to ruin things. This is still one of the best action movies ever made, as far as I'm concerned. I have seen it a bunch of times, and I'm still just as entertained by it as ever. It carries some special effects with it that still look great by today's standards, and further go to show that CG doesn't necessarily have things on the same level as practical effects. This one was even nominated for an Oscar for these effects, losing to 'Innerspace', and at the time, it was only between those two films. However, as far as I can see, 'Predator' still stands as a sort of landmark in the action genre, and it introduced a character who would live on for decades. I could watch this movie in my 90s and still think it's great, no holds barred entertainment.  Although this month takes a look at some of the titles I personally consider "essential Schwarzenegger" titles, I do heavily consider this particular title to be the one and only king of them. I would say 'True Lies' is my favorite, but if you want full Arnold, this is definitely the place to go. To put it another way, I'm fairly convinced this was the movie that really inspired the Rainier Wolfcastle character on 'The Simpsons'. Yes, he was obviously based on Arnold, but I think it's this particular Arnold they were going for.
For a quick plot synopsis, we open the film, and are eventually introduced to former Colonel John Matrix (Schwarzenegger). He is living a happy, retired life with his daughter, Jenny (Alyssa Milano). It's interrupted quickly, however, when his former superior Major General Franklin Kirby (James Olson) informs him that the members of his former unit have been killed by unknown mercenaries. Said mercs raid John's home and kidnap Jenny, lead by Bennett (Vernon Wells); an ex-member of John's team that was discharged for excessive violence. John is eventually overpowered and captured, but this ends up being a big mistake. With his daughter's life on the line, John Matrix eventually manages to escape, and enlist the help of random off-duty flight attendant named Cindy (Rae Dawn Chong). Now John will stop at nothing to rescue his daughter, and put an end to Bennett and his henchmen. So basically what we have here is a no holds barred revenge plot involving the biggest action hero of the 80s in his prime. If someone was to ask me who Schwarzenegger is, I would tell them watch 'Commando', as I find it to be the quintessential Schwarzenegger movie. If we think of him in a stereotypical light, I'd say this is the role that really shows it. He's muscle-bound, powerful, full of guns and ammo, shoots but never gets shot, he's got the accent, and above all else, some of the best one-liners of his career. That alone is what makes this movie so damn fun. it's not just a stereotype of an Arnie flick, it's a stereotype of an early action movie. It's got to be within the top 10, or maybe even top 5 action flicks of the 80s, and with good reason. This isn't something that keeps you on the edge of your seat so much as it makes you laugh along with it as well as cheer him on. It's cheesy, but it's what 80s action movies were all about. It would be fairly easy for someone to be new to this today and find that it hasn't aged well - but one should also know that's what makes it so good. In many ways, it captures the cheesy awesomeness that was 1980s action. Things were off the wall and dammit, we liked it like that. These are the same reasons I appreciate franchises like 'Fast & Furious' nowadays - yes, it's ridiculous, but sometimes reality isn't really asked for in these types of flicks. There's insulting the audience, but then there's just having fun with them, and that's what this does so incredibly well. It's an era of filmmaking I think a lot of us miss. They can get away with it now, sure, but it's not quite as tolerated as it used to be. This kind of thing, along with a lot of the corny 80s slashers, was just something to lose our minds and eat popcorn to. Well, it's a short review, but there's not much more to say about it than what I keep saying about it already. It's just awesome, mindless fun, and a good laugh. If you're on the lookout for almost definitive films of the 80s, I would highly recommend this title as a place to turn. It is pure Schwarzenegger through and through, and the man might as well have been a golden statue back in the 80s representing the action genre. If that statue had to hold the film that best represented him, this would be my pick.  When we look at Schwarzenegger nowadays, I daresay, we may see him as perhaps a bit of a has-been for film, especially considering he has reached the age of 73 and simply isn't in his prime. Having said that, one can't deny the legacy he's left behind, helping form the modern action movie, and becoming THE name in 80s and early 90s action. I strongly consider him to be the name who made action movies much more fun than serious. Arnold gave us a big brute to route for with an unforgettable accent, and this month we're here to celebrate some of his best titles that I, surprisingly, haven't even looked at yet. We start with 'The Terminator'.
I think by now, most know the general story here, but just in case, a short plot synopsis: We go way back to 1984 (before continuity of the series suffering could possibly be a thing) where a Terminator (Schwarzenegger - a cyborg assassin carrying out orders) arrives from 2029, and we see how violent he is right away in how he steels clothes and guns. A human soldier arrives as well, but we don't really know why either of them are here until the Terminator starts to seek out and kill anyone with the name Sarah Connor in the area. We soon meet the Sarah Connor he's after (Linda Hamilton), and learn that the human soldier, Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) was sent to protect her from this Terminator by her own future son, John (here played by no one). John is, of course, the man who leads the uprising against the machines in the future who try to destroy the human race. If the Terminator is successful in his mission to kill John's mother, that will eliminate John's existence, and the machines will take the planet with no problem. It's up to Kyle to protect her now, but it's also up to her to rise to the occasion - and if you've seen 'Terminator 2', you know she figures out how to go from innocent to badass in a short amount of time. Of course, with any time travel movie there's a bit of a paradox to think about, but don't rack your brain too hard. This is 1984, and the film is among the most famous titles of the decade with good reason. It's interesting to recall that this was often seen as a horror movie, considering it plays with elements like blood, gore, fear, and even boiling it right down to an unstoppable killing machine no dissimilar to Jason Voorhees (who just had his apparent "Final Chapter" earlier that year). Hell, it was even released a few days before Halloween. They play around with a lot of cringe-worthy practical effects here, and while a lot of it looks pretty rough by today's standards, it still makes once wince. For example at one point the Terminator is fixing himself up and takes out his eye with an Exacto knife. But much like with a movie like 'Poltergeist', you sort of toss that off to the side because you're enjoying the rest of the movie too much. Maybe it even adds to what makes it fun. I think the big problem here now is that, when going back to watch this, you have to do a bit of rearranging in your head. Somewhere along the line, the whole story gets skewed, and timelines get confusing, but all you really need to know about the 'Terminator' movies is that you sincerely only need the first two. Yes, the second one ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but it leaves you deep in thought and, once again, doesn't feel the need to spoon-feed its audience. I appreciate having to use my imagination, and even this one ends in a similar way. Anything beyond is hit or miss (mostly miss) and is generally the same formula time and time again (except for 'Salvation' which at least had the balls to change it up a bit). So, if you're looking to see some of the legendary films that helped make the 80s what they were, this is a very good place to look - especially if you're any sort of 'Terminator' fan and haven't actually watched it yet. Some of the effects are a bit dated and don't quite hold up, but one must bear in mind that we weren't quite there with CG yet in 1984, AND its follow-up would really help usher in the CG era. All in all, 'T2' is certainly the better movie, but no one can really deny this movie's place in the history books either. I generally compare the 'Terminator' series to the 'Alien' series in terms of quality by chapter - first one is classic, but the second is amazing, and anything beyond is either just okay or bad. It might not quite have the punch it used to, but it's still an essential watch for Schwarzenegger AND 'Terminator' fans, in my humble opinion.  While I consider 'ParaNorman' my favorite title in the LAIKA collection, 'Kubo and the Two Strings' provides that potential coin-flip for yours truly, in that I might consider it the best LAIKA film. It's my opinion that a "best" and "favorite" are separate entities - the "best" being the film you'd recommend anyone watching, and "favorite" being the one that you have a personal attachment with. I think this one gets overlooked far too much, and it's powerful stuff for those of us who don't tend to hide the emotion we get from a good story.
The directorial debut of one, Travis Knight ('Bumblebee'), 'Kubo' is the story of a 12-year-old boy named, well, Kubo (Art Parkinson), whose left eye was taken from his grandfather, the Moon King (Ralph Fiennes), Setting the stage for what's to come, the film lets you know right away that it's not messing around. Kubo takes care of his Mother through the nights, who is evidently suffering from Alzheimer's. He makes a living for them, playing his two-stringed shamisen (a Japanese string instrument, similar to a guitar) for the local villagers, and creating origami magic from his music. The paper and his words tell the tale of a samurai warrior named Hanzo; his father. He never finishes, however, as his Mother warns him not to stay out after dark due to the Moon King, and her two sisters, Karasu and Washi (both Rooney Mara) will get him and take his remaining eye. Kubo learns of the Bon Festival, where the living pay their respects and speak to the dead. Kubo goes to try to communicate with his father, and find out who he really was without all of his warrior glory. This keeps him out late, and Kubo is attacked by the two aforementioned sisters. With the sisters and his grandfather hot on his heels, going after his other eye (it is eventually explained why), Kubo ends up living out his own story, finding himself on a journey to find his father's magical armor, and fighting alongside a protective Monkey known as "Monkey" (Charlize Theron) and a bumbling samurai beetle known as "Beetle" (Matthew McConaughey). I know, unoriginal names, but wait until the end because there's even a reason for that. While 'Coraline' is the obvious fan favorite, I still consider this one to probably be the best overall. There's so much imagination and magic with so many underlying grown-up themes, it's one I feel the whole family could watch and get something out of, quite easily. Although, as LAIKA goes, I have to warn that there's some petty creepy stuff going on in this film - like a kid whose grandfather took his damn eye when he was a baby, and wants his other one for whatever the hell reason (again, explained eventually). So, like the whole "button eye" thing in 'Coraline', I could see things getting uncomfortable for the young ones. Still, that creepy plot-line aside, there's plenty of really beautiful animation, and awesome set pieces (including an underwater eye garden... Jesus, what's with LAIKA and eye stuff?), plus this has a really catchy soundtrack, using the shamisen. There's even a half-decent cover of 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' during the end credits. It earned two Oscar nominations, including Best Animated Feature and Best Visual Effects, losing them to 'Zootopia' and 'The Jungle Book', respectively (both well-earned). Finally, it's the highest-ranked LAIKA film on Rotten Tomatoes with a whopping 97%. So maybe all of that means very little nowadays, but one can still look at that and say that the film is, overall, well-liked. Accolades aside, I personally love it based on how much imagination was put into it. I consider it the idea of an anime-style film, but using LAIKA's stop-motion model. While that idea might turn a few people off, I just think it adds to the creativity of it all. Watching this film, at least for myself, is kinda like sitting through someone else's dream. It's beautifully shot, the characters are fantastical, the sets themselves are incredibly dream-like at times, and when it's all over, that cover song sends you off with a bit of a lullaby tone. It's a wonderful film, it gets deep, and I highly recommend checking it out if you're in the mood for a really cool adventure.  Looking back, 1999 was actually a pretty solid year for movies. It brought us some disappointments (I'm looking at you, 'Episode I'), but we also got things like 'The Sixth Sense', 'Fight Club', 'Office Space', 'The Iron Giant', 'The Green Mile', the list goes on.
Some of these were also revolutionary films, paving the way for more films like them, and some of them did this to a fault. The best example is probably 'The Matrix'. Although 'The Blair Witch Project' comes close, with the concept of "found footage", 'The Matrix' launched the whole "bullet time" thing which has become a primary action movie cliche since (especially with Zack Snyder on the job). However, to this day, one of the most fun bullet time movies out there is the one that got the ball rolling. It has since become iconic in cinematic history, also giving us the stereotypical black leather of the early 00's, and the one and only Keanu Reeves as an action hero. We just thank God that he has since graduated to being John Wick, because as awesome as this movie is, it's hard to say the same about the ever-confusing and almost too deep sequels. The first one just gives us the core concept, leaves the ending open, and I can honestly say from the get-go that I never actually expected a sequel. For my money, the best of what follows is 'The Animatrix', because in retrospect, the sequels kinda go off the rails. But it's all worth at least one watch-through. We are introduced to Tom Anderson (Keanu Reeves), an average, everyday computer programmer by day, but hacker by night, doing things under his alias, "Neo". Getting straight to the point, since about 90% of everyone has probably seen this, he eventually meets Morpheus who gives him the option to return to his reality, or go deep down a rabbit hole. Choosing the latter, Neo finds himself "awoken", in a dull, dark, nasty looking world that has been taken over by machines. The Matrix was the false reality that Neo was plugged into. After some further explanation, a team of freedom fighters consisting of Morpheus, Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), Cypher (Joe Pantoliano), and a variety of others start to wonder if Neo could possibly be "The One" - someone with uncanny abilities within The Matrix - which they all have, but this "one" is extra special, and will be able to take on the Agent Smiths (Hugo Weaving) of the Matrix - computer programs built for the purpose of crushing the rebellion. I think the most appealing thing about this movie is the idea of making the impossible completely possible. This is scene in cool scenes like the building-to-building jump scene, and perhaps best portrayed with the film's bullet-time. But my favourite bit is actually when Neo just plugs into something and learns Kung-Fu in about 3 seconds. Imagine being able to do something that. You'd never have to look for work again! But I digress. I'm happy to say that 'The Matrix' is actually still a ton of fun to watch. You get Keanu, a lot of cool concepts, a lot of great effects besides bullet-time, a cool, dark, sci-fi atmosphere, and I'd even say a film that really makes you think. I mean, it triggered a whole theory that this whole idea of being plugged into a sort of extreme virtual reality could actually be a thing, and upon death, that's where we find out. Take that with a grain of salt though, it's not quite what I believe. But you have to admit, it's interesting to think about!  I tend to find for the most part that director Michael Bay is very hit or miss with audiences and critics alike. He embodies a hell of a lot of, what we could call, "dude porn" stereotypes. This is car chases, explosions, gunfire, women in skimpy clothing, the list goes on. For my money, this one represents Michael Bay at his best, embodying all of these stereotypes, but giving us a pretty interesting story all the same. In other words, it's not just noise.
A disillusioned war General, Francis Hummel (Ed Harris), and a few of his followers, plan to unleash a deadly chemical on the city of San Francisco. They set up shop when they take over the famous Alcatraz prison - famous for being inescapable. Their demands are for $100 Million in reparations to the families of his fallen army companions, or they otherwise launch nerve gas over the city. Meanwhile, FBI chemist, Stanley Goodspeed (Nicholas Cage) is called in to team up with John Patrick Mason (Sean Connery), a former Alcatraz inmate, known as the only person to successfully escape the inescapable prison, and has since had his identity swept under the rug. They must break into the prison with their combined expertise, and put a stop to Hummel's plans, and hopefully escape with their lives. The film has all the proper Bay-isms that you'll be looking for, so any action buffs out there won't be too disappointed. But it adds some flavor to his usual, with the lovingly crazy Nicholas Cage (who's actually kinda toned down here from his usual), and the just plain awesome and we all know it, Sean Connery - the original James Bond, himself. Truth be told, growing up, this was probably only the second thing I had seen Connery in, first knowing him as the little old man who was Indiana Jones' father. So I was pleasantly surprised at his badassery here. This is a good example of why I kind of enjoy Michael Bay. I get the same fun, popcorn action movie feeling I do from this than I do with the 'Bad Boys' movies, or to a lesser extent *cough* 'Armageddon' (go ahead and put that one with my guilty pleasures). There's still a few I haven't seen yet, but I feel that for the most part, Bay fails when he's trying to adapt something. If he can do something no one is familiar with, and make it his own, you can have a fun time with it. In my eyes, he's the last of a generation, and the torch has kinda been passed to... I dunno, Chad Stahelski ('John Wick')? This is another one that's just a lot of fun to put on if you want a taste of intense action, but with a villain you might be able to relate to. It's always interesting to come to an understanding as to why the bad guy is doing what he's doing. It's always very refreshing when films veer away from the scenarios of "because I can", and "I must rule this place" (not that I don't enjoy 'Batman' villains). Ed Harris does a great job here, and between the three lead actors, he's almost the most human aspect of the whole story. So, if you're in search of some good action from the 90's, with a few Cage-isms here, or a few Connery accents there, this one's for you. When you think Michael Bay, you think of a lot of things, but somehow this one manages to fit all of his cliches in a nice little package, and I find it quite possibly his best work next to the 'Bad Boys' movies. Give it a whirl, you might just have a fun ride.  before getting hit.Now, this is a film that hasn't gone down in cinematic history as any sort of critical hit. But at the same time, the audiences who do appreciate it, like it for the simple "popcorn" factor of it all. It's a movie about an alien invasion, reminiscent of 'War of the Worlds', most likely not to be taken as seriously as people tend to To each their own, but I do feel like this one gets a bad rap for no super good reason.
In Washington, President Whitmore (Bill Pullman), working with his most trusted adviser, Connie (Margaret Colin), receive a message about a mysterious signal, coming from around the distance of the moon. This is soon revealed to be several city-sized spacecraft, headed towards Earth. New Yorker, TV Cable repairman, and computer nerd, David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) eventually decodes this signal to mean a countdown to Earth's destruction. He then gets his Dad, Julius (Judd Hirsch to drive to Washington to try to warn the President before everything goes down. He has a former relationship with Connie, thus making it a little easier (and admittedly convenient) to get past White House security. Of course, if you know anything about this movie at all, you know that this deosn't help. But it does allow our main characters to survive on Air Force One, getting the hell out of there, before getting hit. Meanwhile, in LA Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith) of the U.S. Marine Corps finds himself getting called back into action while on leave. This disrupts his time with a potential new family in a stripper named Jasmine (Vivica A. Fox) and her son, Dylan (Ross Bagley), and eventually he's seen is the most relatable badass of the movie. When everything goes down, he's called into action. This eventually brings our central characters together, and they become the central focus in organizing a counter-attack against the hostile alien species. In the midst of all of this, we have a good range of characters, ranging from redneck crop duster Russell Casse (Randy Quaid) to Steve's wingman, Jimmy Wilder (Harry Connick Jr.), and from the eccentirc Dr. Oken (Brent Spiner) to the President's daughter (a very young Mae Whitman). But the real star of this movie is the wide range of visual effects, blending the practical with a bit of early CG really quite smoothly. Historically speaking, the famous scene from the trailer of citywide destruction involving a massive wall of fire is easily one of the most memorable big screen moments from the 90's. I can still remember being in the theater being pretty blown away by what they managed to do. Now, upon rewatching it damn near 25 years later, most of it still holds up, and it has become a great, fun trip down memory lane. It's obviously not all great, though. There are some scenes in this that are kinda hard to watch, such as the physics of fire vs a dog's run to shelter. The elephant in the room for this has got to be the now infamous "virus", and it makes no damn sense. But I always got what they were attempting, so it never bothered me all that much, even if it's pretty off the wall nuts. As I said before, this is pretty much a modern 'War of the Worlds', and if you know how that ends, the concept is kinda just updated here... although, the original way makes a hell of a lot more sense. You have to take this movie for what it is, and it seems to be a challenge for many. Granted, my taste in movies is pretty widespread and forgiving. But I just never, ever saw this as taking itself very seriously. I recall studying 'War of the Worlds' in school, around the same time, or even a year before. But in knowing that, I went into this, accepting it for what it was right away. Nowadays, if I had to nitpick, I'd just say it's a little overrun with American pride, and some of the effects don't hold up. But even still, I see it as a fun, sci-fi, action, adventure movie, and not something that was aiming for any Academy Awards (although it did win for Visual Effects, and had a nomination for Best Sound). I encourage people to give this another shot with a new set of eyes. Grab your popcorn, sit back, and just have some fun with it.  I figured I'd start 90's Action Month with one of the first of the decade. 'Total Recall' is a hard film to overlook in several categories, ranging from action to sci-fi, and from fantasy to thriller. It covers so much ground, and it has its place in the cinematic history books as an action epic that is widely considered one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's best (which is saying a lot, 'cause there are so many awesome Schwarzenegger films out there).
'Total Recall',based on the Phillip K. Dick short story, 'We Can Remember It for You Wholesale', profiles Douglas Quaid (Schwarzenegger) - an Earthbound construction worker. He has constant dreams of Mars, and a mysterious woman, and it's kinda getting in the way of life. He decides to check out a place called "Rekall", who implant fake memories of great experiences, such as vacations to Mars. During the experience, something goes wrong, and he suddenly remembers fighting as a secret agent, against Mars administrator, Cohaagen (Ronny Cox). Quaid soon finds that his entire life until this point may very well be a false memory, and that the people who implanted it, lead by a man named Richter (Michael Ironside), are now on the hunt for him. With the help of the lovely Milena (Rachel Ticotin), a plethora of Mars-dwelling, mutants and some unexpected characters, Quaid fights to thwart Cohaagen's dark plans, and figure out who he really is along the way. As I mentioned before, the film stands out as a multi-genre hit, mostly leaning towards sci-fi action. This makes it a hell of a lot of fun for the whole ride, as they even give us some mild horror and comedy elements. Some of the practical effects here are downright uncomfortable (pulling out a tracking beacon from a nostril, gasping for oxygen with your eyes and tongue bulging out), but they're downright memorable. They're just another example of the practical outdoing CGI. It might look silly and fake, but dammit, you just would't get that creepy, Muppet-like terror face from Arnold if this was CG. Also, who could possibly forget the ever-famous three-boobed mutant prostitute, Mary (Lycia Naff)? I also mentioned comedy elements, but I do use that somewhat loosely. There are a few mild jokes here and there, sure, but the humor really comes from the overall fun of the movie. There's a lot here we can look back on and laugh at as memorable moments, not the least of which is the struggling Arnold face, which is used quite frequently here. It's also a good one for a few of his famous one-liners, perhaps the best being "screw you!". I won't tell you why it's probably the best, but in context, you'll roll your eyes, but you'll know. I believe that this was the launch of a mild stereotype of Schwarzenegger movies - him trying to figure out his identity. 'MadTV' did a whole thing on it. The only difference being that here, we can see it as being an original concept, at least as far as Arnold playing the lead. He was a little older for movies like 'Eraser' and 'The 6th Day', so this one also takes place during his hayday, which, for my money, ranges from 'Conan the Barbarian' ('82) to 'True Lies' ('94). After that, we got 'Junior', and he started to wane quite significantly. But we still loved him. I'd have to say, as far as recommending this as a good Schwarzenegger film, this would probably at least make my Top 5. It'd be high on the list, too. Even aside from Arnold, there's so much fun going on here. We get awesome practical effects, a great variety of characters, an interesting concept overall, and an ending that is still a personal favorite as far as open-ended endings go. Not everyone likes that, but I admit that I do like to decide for myself how things turn out. Regardless, this is one I'd consider (and I know I'm not alone on this) a staple of Schwarzenegger action films - a must see, if you're going back to check out what he was all about in his prime.  The 'Terminator' franchise is full of ups and downs, but no matter how you feel about any of them, the fact of the matter is that 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day' is the perfect 'Terminator' movie, and no matter how they try, it will never be lived up to by any further sequel. You can watch this on the big screen today, and thanks to its big budget of practical effects, it still, after damn near 30 years, holds up as one of the greatest action films of all time.
Real quick, this is the sequel to the first film, and to me, the pair stand alone. The first film has Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton) running for her life from a Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who has been sent back in time to kill her, therefore killing her chances of one day giving birth to the man who would save humanity - John Conner (Edward Furlong, though not in the first film). All the while, she's protected by a soldier named Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn), who was also sent back. The second chapter, here, finds Sarah Conner in an asylum, due to her proclaiming that the world is gonna end by 1997. The film takes place roughly around 1995, due to John being ten years old here (according to a police record), running around and causing trouble. In the same spirit as the first film, a new Terminator gets sent back, known only as the T-1000 (Robert Patrick), this time targeting John, himself. In response, a T-600 is sent back to protect John - the same type of Terminator who was once sent back to hunt down Sarah. Eventually, the T-600, Sarah and John find themselves working as a team against the T-1000; a liquid metal, shape-shifting Terminator, in order to save humanity from an eventual apocalypse. What more could ever be said about 'T2'? It's simply the pinnacle of everything a good action movie should be. Practical explosions, snappy dialogue and one-liners, and most importantly, it develops its characters very well. Sarah, being the perfect example, is a completely changed character here, making her the bad ass we all love her as today. Even the T-600, a machine, begins to develop things like understanding, and compassion, and you totally buy into it, the way its executed. Of course, the real star of this movie is the special effects though. Imagine the fact that this 1991 movie has CG animation that looks better than a lot of the CG you found when it really blew up (late 90's/early 00's). I'm happy to be able to say that I've actually seen this on the big screen twice now, and it holds up incredibly well. It's the perfect balance of action and drama, and Schwarzenegger in his prime is always awesome on the big screen. It stands among history's action genre as a solid gem, and if you're an oldschool action fan who somehow hasn't seen it yet, you simply must fix that. It's a personal favorite, and I just cannot praise it enough as a God among action movies. |
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