 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.
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 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.  Before we get started, I should probably point out that the Adam Sandler version of this is the one I'm more familiar with. This comes as a Screening Suggestion to fans of that version, as it's essentially the same exact movie, beat for beat, but was released 30 years earlier. It's kind of amazing how identical the two are, while the differences are very little. So, if you know the Sandler version, you know the plot. But for those unfamiliar, I'll play fair.
Ex football player, Paul Crewe (Burt Reynolds) starts to lose his grip after he's caught shaving points from a game, and booted from the league. After a few bad decisions, which include getting drunk behind the wheel of his girlfriend's car and leading the police on an awesome car chase, he eventually goes too far and finds himself arrested. When Crewe is sent to prison, the warden, Hazen (Eddie Albert), picks him to coach the prison's semi-pro team of guards. He's face with a double-edged sword though, and refuses, upon the secret demands of the head guard, Captain Knauer (Ed Lauter), which lands him in the prison work force. One day, Crewe and Warden Hazen have a chat about the prison football team. Hazen takes Crewe's suggestion of a "tune-up game" to heart, setting Crewe on a mission to recruit a convict team for the guards to knock around, while he plays quarterback. The hitch is as simple as early parole for Crewe. While recruiting his team, Crewe meets an arrangement of colorful convicts; primarily, Caretaker (James Hampton) - a man who can get anything, and helps a great deal with assembling the team. Alongside them is another ex football player, Nate Scarborough (Michael Conrad), who knows a thing or two about recruiting a good team. Then there's Pop (John Steadman); a kind of father figure - an aged convict with decades of experience, who may or may not also have the role of Crew's guide. It always used to fascinate me that the '05 Sandler version was so lowly rated while the '74 version was rated so high. If you're looking at the Tomatometer, '74 has a rating of 79% while '05 is only 31%. I never could wrap my head around that low rating, rather than perhaps a few dated racial bits. But I finally discovered that the real reason was that it's a simple carbon copy of this film, 30 years later. Probably to bring the story to a new generation. But the thing is, to make a remake work, you've gotta do something different. I promise, if you've seen the '05 version, you've already seen this version. But with that said, I still say it's worth taking a look at the original. Some of the more racy stuff is a little more acceptable for the time period (though both contain a few stereotypes that may just be for no one), but beyond that, it's just seeing the original. Try to imagine if the only version of 'Psycho' you saw was the 1998 carbon copy of it, starring Vince Vaughn, or the only version of 'A New Hope' you saw was 'The Force Awakens' - you just need that original in your life at some point, if only to decide which version you might like more. For me, while the Sandler version has its moments, It may very well be this one that takes the cake on being the better movie, if only for the reason that the '05 version just stole it, altogether.  Back in February of 1991, this film was released to mass praise from audiences and critics alike. It struck a chord with audiences as a very intense thriller that borders on horror (much like 'Seven', which would come later, and owe a lot to this film). Meanwhile critics couldn't deny how good it was with its twists, turns, atmosphere and incredible acting.
It went on to receive 7 Oscar nominations, winning 5, including Best Picture, Director, Lead Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Lead Actress (Jodie Foster) and Adapted Screenplay - a clean sweep of the top 5 categories, which, at the time, had only gone to a couple of dramas in the past; 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' ('75) and 'It Happened One Night' ('38). This was unprecedented for a movie of this type, as most fans ultimately consider it a horror movie of sorts. So what gave such a twisted movie such praise? The film opens up with FBI trainee, Clarice Starling (Foster) as we see her tackling an obstacle course in a creepy forest, giving us a nice visual portrayal of her character without saying a damn thing. You can tell from the get-go that she's independent, tenacious, and on-guard, but knows she can hold her own. This and the fact that she doesn't spook easily are pretty much cemented when she is assigned to a particularly creepy project. She is assigned to interview former psychologist and cannibalistic killer, Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins) to try to get into the mind of an on-the-loose killer known as "Buffalo Bill" (Ted Levine). Bill has been going around, abducting young women, and cutting the skin off their bodies. Much like Leatherface of 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre', he is also based on real-life serial killer Ed Gein. Anyway, FBI Special Agent Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) believes that Lecter will be able to divulge information about Bill that will help the FBI track him down and capture him. The catch to these interviews is that Lecter often ends up playing mind games with Clarice, having her divulge some of her personal life information in exchange for information that may lead to Bill. This makes for some of the more intense moments of the film, and it's easy to see in both Hopkins and Fosters cases why the won those acting awards. Hopkins showed an incredibly dark but sophisticated side, pretty much forever turning Hopkins into Hannibal the same way Robert Downey Jr. is basically just Iron Man now by default. Foster on the other hand gave horror/thriller fans another strong female protagonist, strong for her mind and determination more than anything else. Foster's character was somewhat refreshing in that sense. My humble opinion is that she's probably the best female protagonist since 'Alien' (but that's perfectly debatable). Even by today's standards, one can't really deny that she's well-established in the hall of fame for best female protagonists. This is one of those movies that I would recommend to anyone who's a fan of horror, thrillers and intense murder mysteries, as this is a sort of crown jewel. Horror fans see it as being an immense leap forward, and Hannibal Lecter is widely considered one of the best villains out there, let alone horror villains. On the other hand, if you're a fan of crime thrillers, and looking for something a little more intense, this is a great watch. Even if you know all that happens without seeing it, you should still give it a look, because there's more than just good story and acting here. The film was further nominated for Best Sound and Film Editing, and it really shows. But it could easily further qualify for categories like Original Score with its ominous overtones; Cinematography, as the overall atmosphere of this film is so genuinely dark and creepy; Production Design based on the asylum scenes alone. This really is a gem of a film overall, and it lends itself to multiple viewings based more on its entertainment value than the idea of looking for clues. If you haven't checked it out yet, give it a shot. Just be weary that some of the asylum scenes can be a little intense if you're sensitive.  For our first title of suspense, I thought I'd take a look back to one of my first little toe-dips in the macabre. I rented this one with a friend when I was around the age of 13, once it was released on video. At this point in my life, a lot disturbed me, but for some reason I really wanted to see this movie. I did NOT do horror back then, but for me, this just kinda teetered on what I considered horrific.
'Seven' actually marks a pretty big jump in personal growth for me, as the first film I wanted to see, knowing that I might get freaked out by it. I did watch 'Freddy's Dead' a few years prior, but the choice to watch that was based on peer pressure. This had the premise of using the Seven Deadly Sins in its plot, which morbidly interested me. It made me finally want to take a peek behind the veil of morbid curiosity. This one features two homicide detectives; Somerset (Morgan Freeman) is on the edge of retirement, and Mills (Brad Pitt) who strangely transfers to the film's setting - a dark, bleak, unnamed city that is a perfect reflection of the dark subject matter of the film. Together, they work on tracking down a serial killer who only goes by John Doe (Kevin Spacey) whose M.O. is to use the Seven Deadly Sins against his victims. One by one, Doe's victims are tortured and killed in some truly gruesome and memorable ways. The kills are done off-screen, and all we really see is a variety of silhouettes and shadows, pretty much always faceless. Yet the memory of what you don't see, and how horrible it must actually look, really sticks with you. It's something I'd use as a prime example of less being more. The Sloth victim was a touch of nightmare fuel at the time, and we get to see a lot of him... but he's still kinda faceless. Maybe I'm reading too deeply into it, but I find keeping the victims faceless lends itself to allowing the audience to take a look at themselves. Could they have been one of John Doe's victims in this situation? It's very impressive film making from director David Fincher, who we now probably know best for 'The Social Network' and 'Fight Club'. Fincher excels in the gritty, and this film is absolutely no exception. It's the kind of film I'd say you might feel like you need a shower after watching. In some ways, this is a lot like the 'Saw' movies, but without the torture porn aspect. Instead of seeing the torture, we imagine the torture - again, so much more potent. A lot of themes are similar as well, having to do with self-reflection. If you're watching this, knowing nothing about it, it'll probably make you think. Fair warning though, the ending is not a happy one!  Wherever you might stand as a DC fan on the current DC Universe, most fans would agree that the 'Dark Knight' trilogy was Batman in his prime. These films were well-cast, well-acted, and provided us with countless hours comedy on YouTube. Christian Bale's Batman was cool but, let's just accept at this point, pretty goofy at the same time. His voice speaks for itself (pun intended). But nevertheless, it never stopped these movies from being one of the most solid trilogies out there.
'The Dark Knight', itself, stands as not only one of the best 'Batman' movies, not only one of the best comic book movies, but one of the best movies out there in general. Winner of two Oscars and a Golden Globe, Rotten Tomato critic and audience ratings of an equal 94%, a Metacritic rating of a must-see 82, and it currently stands at #4 between 'The Gadfather: Part II' and '12 Angry Men' on IMDb's Top 250. So its done pretty damn well for itself over the past 10+ years. 'Batman Begins' is essentially a long, drawn out and really well-made origin story, but 'Dark Knight' is where things take off. Lawyer Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) has recently been elected as Gotham's new District Attorney with a plan to take down the city's organized crime syndicate. However, Batman (Christian Bale) kinda interferes with his plans, taking things into his own hands as the vigilante he is. Along comes the real star of the show, The Joker (Heath Ledger); a criminal mastermind with very little empathy, plotting to take the rug out from under Dent with a series of crimes, using money he has stolen from the mob, who he has under his thumb in no time. These crimes are primarily aimed at both Harvey Dent and Batman to see what kind of people they are, as two head figures of the city - a DA with a plant to clean up the mob for the "good of Gotham", and the masked vigilante who has so recently been dubbed a mysterious "hero". The film works great whether or not your a fan of Batman, as it's a story that leans heavily on human attributes and having to make difficult choices. I feel that the feel of the movie is something relatable to anyone. It gives us both sides of the coin that we crave between Batman and the Joker as well, seeing Batman as a "knight" for good and justice and Joker as the essence of chaos and, pretty much just evil. As mentioned before, the real star of this movie really is Heath Ledger's Joker. At the time, Jack Nicholson simply couldn't be touched for that role, at least as far as movie Jokers went. Along comes the guy we've pretty much only seen in teen movies, the late Heath Ledger, fully delivering on his performance and departing us on the highest of notes. This Joker has that perfectly profound dark sense of humor we wanna see, perhaps the prime example being his "pencil trick", which you may very well know even if you're one of the few people who may not have seen this one. At the same time, however, when he wants to get creepy, he really does manage to get creepy, reminding us full well that he's still a psychopath. He's just a really smart, really charismatic one. I think that in the grand scheme of things, this is perhaps the most recent "part 2" that truly outdoes its predecessor, which is already awesome in its own right. This really is a solid trilogy altogether, and if you're somehow a Batman fan who hasn't gone through it yet, you should fix that. I dunno what else to say about it, it's one of the best comic, crime, action, drama, suspense movies in existence. Even if you can't get past some of the more extreme moments, the story is fantastic, and it remains a personal favorite.  It's a wonder that I haven't covered this one yet, since starting this site up a couple of years ago. This is an all-time favourite of mine; probably well within my Top 5. So yeah, I'm kinda one of those culty "Dudes" in my own way. In all honesty, above all else, what does it for me is largely the dialogue. For my money, this is probably the most quote-worthy movie since 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'. That may also be because I've seen this so many times with so many people on the same fan-level as me, but I digress. The point is, like it or hate it, the dialogue is memorable.
Here we meet The Dude; real name Jeff Lebowski (Jeff Bridges). He enjoys spending his spare time bowling (no pun intended) with his friends, Vietnam veteran, Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) and kindly runt of the trio, Donny (Steve Buscemi). One day, the Dude comes home to find a couple of angry thugs looking for a pile of money, but having the wrong Jeff Lebowski in mind. During the hastle, one of them urinates on the rug, and looking for compensation, the Dude visits the other Jeff Lebowski (David Huddleston); a wealthy overachiever, playing contrast to the Dude's almost "hobo-esque" way of living - a comfortable house coat, unemployment, and White Russians as far as the film can see. He's technically unlucky with the compensation. Later on, the Dude gets a call from the Big Lebowski's assistant, Brandt (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) asking him to come back to speak with Lebowski over the matter of his kidnapped and significantly younger wife, Bunny (Tara Reid). He puts her life in the Dude's hands, and what starts as whats should be a simple ransom hand off escalates into all sorts of fun chaos, until we reach the end, which is where it will ultimately leave you very satisfied, or very disappointed (satisfied, for me, but I'll be honest, it took a few viewings). I find that there's a steady balance between this movie's haters and lovers, but it's definitely a situation where there seems to be two extremes. I seldom find anyone meeting this one in the middle. Of course, I'm a solid lover of this movie, but there are things about me to bear in mind with that. For example I love unusual and random comedy, and this is most definitely unusual and random. On top of that the overall near-realism of how some of these lines are delivered can't help but make me laugh out loud. It's especially hilarious whenever Walter loses his temper. Beyond that, there are just a lot of interesting and memorable characters throughout this movie. Although we don't necessarily get to know a whole lot about them, they end up leaving a lasting impression, and everyone acting here does a solid job of it whether it be a slightly bigger role, like Sam Elliot's Stranger, or a simple big-named cameo, like David Thewlis' Knox Harrington. This is a title that certainly won't be for everyone, nor would I recommend it to just anyone. You'll have to appreciate the random and strange side of comedy here, and not be afraid of F-shots because there's a total of 260 of them (seriously, Google actually had the answer to "how many f*cks in Big Lebowski") in 120 minutes, averaging around 2 f*cks per minute. I do hold this one close to my heart, personally. I even find the Dude to be a sort of role model of sorts. Not that he should be, but I speak more of his mellowed out personality more than anything. He's not particularly shy, he embraces the little things in life, he doesn't lose his temper when he gets angry, and above all doesn't give a damn what people think of it all. It's mentioned that he's in no way a good role model or hero, but in some ways, I beg to differ. I hope that as I recommend this, others can find the same charm that I managed to get out of it. But fair word of warning, it did take a few viewings for me to get to this point. So it's definitely one of those multiple-view-worthy movies.  My final movie for Action Month is, in my humble opinion, one of the best all out action movies of the last decade... and NOBODY went to see it!
The idea was to bring back something no one was really asking for in 'Judge Dredd'. The original Stallone film had its fans, but for the most part, it was seen as pretty bad. Therefore, when this was coming up, no one seemed to pay much attention to it. However, once it was released on home video (all too quickly), word got around that this was actually a really cool action flick. This one takes place in a dystopian future where the metropolis' police force have been given the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner due to the massive increases in the cities violence and overall crime. Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) has been teamed up with a rookie named Anderson (Olivia Thirlby); a mutant with psychic abilities. Together, they are sent to take down a gang leader and drug lord named "Mama" (Lena Headey). The drug in question is "slo-mo", a narcotic that makes it seem like time slows down to super slow motion, and the effects make everything look sparkly and shiny. It's very often portrayed throughout the film, almost to a fault, unfortunately. But, it's a neat effect when it's all put together. With that said, though, that's pretty much your plot in a nutshell. From there, it acts as another "non-video game movie" (the concept I brought up when talking about 'John Wick' in which a movie feels like it could be based on a video game) It's quite literally an hour and a half of nonstop action, only pausing to fit in the necessary dialogue. And for as quick as it moves, there's actually plenty of character development going on as we go, namely in the character of Anderson. If I was to compare this to anything, I'd probably compare it most closely with something like 'The Raid: Redemption' with hints of 'Die Hard'. It's just one of those movies that brings back the idea of action for the sake of action, but while having a good, simple story going on. It's even complete with one-liners, reminiscent of Schwarzenegger's work... okay, maybe that's a stretch, but still, enjoyably cheesy and bad ass. If you've ever watched 'Judge Dredd' and thought to yourself "hey, this is rated R but feels like PG-13", this is a movie that absolutely lends itself to its R rating. It's brutally violent, often in slow motion, the language is nice and Headey's character can very well be compared to her Cersei Lannister. Mama is a little more quick and to the point though. Either way, I have to hand it to Lena Headey for doing such a good job with her villains. But what about Karl Urban as Judge Dredd? To be frank, it's not like I really know how the character is supposed to be portrayed, but for my money, he does a good job with what he has. It makes me think of Christian Bale's Batman. It's a great series with great storytelling and great characters, but there's still something kinda goofy about the lead character. And that's not necessarily a bad thing in this case, 'cause I think there's a part of this movie that's self-aware. It knows how the last movie did, so it's allowed to be a bit silly here and there. In any case, it's a nice and short, shoot-'em-up good time of a movie. Just bear in mind that the violence can get a little over the top, and to have some patience with the slo-mo scenes. If I have one complaint at all, it's that those went on far too long. But I mean, that's about it.  Going back to 2011, this was a title that several people considered a snub at the 2012 Oscars. Although it received a nomination for Sound Editing, one of biggest surprising upsets was Ryan Gosling for Best Actor, being that so much of this movie was acted with his expressions and his emotions as opposed to dialogue. When he does speak, it's brief and to the point. And, I'll be honest, this was what solidified Gosling as a good actor to me for all of those same reasons. It was just impressive.
The movie in question has to do with a nameless stunt driver (Ryan Gosling) who also works as a mechanic for a man named Shannon (Bryan Cranston) and does the odd "job" as a getaway driver in his spare time. He befriends his neighbor, Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her kid, Benicio (Kaden Leos), but things get complicated when her husband, Standard (Oscar Isaac) comes home from prison, owing large sums of prison protection money. Whether he's clean or not, the Driver decides to help him out however he can after finding out that Irene and Benicio may very well be in danger due to his stacking debt. This is one of those films that takes a little while to get going, but once it does, it seems to take right off. It has this dark film-noir feel to it, and there's not really a doubt in my mind that this was the role they probably looked at when they put Gosling in 'Blade Runner 2049'. Comparatively, there are similar atmospheres between 'Drive' and 'Blade Runner'. Not as in the movie as a whole, but as in the mood that's set. The film has a certain intensity to it that contrasts interestingly enough with a relatively odd soundtrack, consisting mostly of synth wave music that totally helps set the mood. It seemed they were really going for 80's LA here, although I believe (and correct me if I'm wrong) that this takes place more or less present day, being that it's based on a 2005 novel of the same name. This is also a dark film. Yes, it's dark as in violent, creepy, etc, but also just physically dark. The majority of this movie has this sort of late night theme going. If I may compare the movie to something completely random, it's kind of like experiencing a jazz cafe late at night with stunt drivers on the TV screens, and a fight breaking out in the middle of it all. But hey, that's just me. This is one of those fun experience films that may have been largely inspired by former material, but remains it's own thing quite nicely. Opinion is usually split on this movie, I find, as a lot of it has to do with the emotions doing the acting as opposed to the dialogue. Some may accuse it of being very slow, and to some degree, it is. But if you can appreciate the subtle acting along with the overall setting, it should be a good time. I personally really enjoy it for what it is, and hope you do to!  This title is up for two reasons this week. The first being that 'Straight Outta Compton' put me in the mood to revisit it, and the second being that this also ties in with those Oscars, going back to the 1992 ceremony. Writer/director, John Singleton, was nominated for two Academy Awards that year, losing them to 'Thelma and Louise's screenplay, and the director of 'Silence of the Lambs'. It's completely arguable that those Oscars were well-deserved for such titles, but I think this movie got a fair share of snubbery all the same.
The story is basically about a kid named Tre (Desi Arnez Hines II, but eventually Cuba Gooding Jr.) who gets in trouble at school and, as a result, goes to live with his father, Furious (Lawrence Fishburne), in South Central L.A. There, his father teaches him about what it is to be a responsible man, especially growing up in such a bad neighborhood. Meanwhile, Tre hangs out with his best friends; two brothers who I always took as being there to play Tre's overall conscience. It's interesting to think about. Ricky (Morris Chestnut) is a successful student, applying to go to college to play football, and essentially plays the "light side" of things, inspiring Tre to succeed in life as well. However, Dough Boy (Ice Cube), is much more of a bad influence, being the bad seed, not afraid to start some shit, and just an all-around tough guy with a smart mouth. Essentially, he's playing the "dark side" of things, and there to show us the seemingly standard flow of things in the hood. If you remember 'Straight Outta Compton', there's a scene where Ice Cube says to Eazy E that he called 'Boyz n the Hood' an "after school special". In so many ways, it can be seen as just that, but an R-rated one that isn't afraid to show a few things in order to grasp your attention. Much like something like 'Detroit' was last year, at the time of this title's release, it was kind of a big eye-opener for people. It had impact enough that John Singleton, at the time he received his nominations, was both the youngest person and, more importantly, the first black man to be nominated for the Best Director award. So it was a good step in the right direction, but I also brought up snubbery, so let's get into that. Mostly, it's in the performances. Cuba Gooding Jr. does do a great job here in what I'd probably consider his break through role. He does a good job at tugging on the heartstrings when the time is right. But it doesn't stop at him. Lawrence Fishburne was a very likable character here, and he played the role of a concerned and relatable father very well. Ice Cube and Morris Chestnut are both great as well. I'm not too sure if I'd land on "Oscar-worthy", but they're both very convincing in their roles - especially Ice Cube, who was all too familiar with the hood, himself. Hell, he helped form a whole rap group around it! This isn't a recommendation for just anyone and everyone though. This is kind of just one of those titles I think doesn't get enough attention. Perhaps its a bit dated, but the issues expressed within this movie haven't completely gone away either, so in a roundabout way, there's a timelessness to it. Or, if you like, you can watch it as something historical, covering a time in the late 80s and early 90s. Either way, it's a solid title.  Sometimes one is just in the mood to watch something a little over-the-top and ridiculous. But the question is, do you want it to be a comedy like, or an action movie? I say... Is it too much to ask for both?
A few years ago, there was talk about an upcoming 2012 movie reboot of '21 Jump Street'. Collectively, many of us rolled our eyes at yet another concept from the 80s coming back. But to be fair, I had never actually seen the show before. I just knew it was about cops and starred Johnny Depp before he got super famous. Although at that point he'd have at least been known. A little while later, we got to see who would star in this feature; Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum of all combinations of people. It was hard to say if it would work. At this point Jonah Hill was flexing his acting chops with his Oscar nomination for 'Moneyball', and Channing Tatum wasn't quite awesome to the dudes yet, known best for roles in 'Step Up 2' and 'Dear John'. Who knew if this would work? Continuing on, one does his or her research on whether a movie may be good or not based on who is writing and/or directing. In this case, it was being directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, known best at the time for directing 'Clone High'. And the writers? Michael Bacall (story/screenplay) and Jonah Hill (story). At this point I was all set to check it out because Bacall was also responsible for penning the script to an all-time favourite of mine, 'Scott Pilgrim vs The World', which came out a couple of years earlier. So, eventually I decided I kinda had to check out '21 Jump Street', and man, did it deliver. Jonah Hill was always pretty funny, but Tatum genuinely surprised a lot of us with his sense of humor. The pair actually ended up contrasting incredibly well. But the goodness does not stop there. Added to the cast is Ice Cube, who plays Captain Dickson, and is probably the funniest character in the movie. Why? Well, let's just put it this way. '21 Jump Street' did for Ice Cube what 'Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle' did for Neil Patrick Harris; it completely resurrected him. Up until now, Ice Cube was mostly known for family pictures. This was to such an extent there's an outright joke about it in an episode of 'The Boondocks'. But 'Jump Street' brought him back, made him the N.W.A. Ice Cube we always used to love, and gave him the funniest lines throughout the whole movie. So, other than the cast and good writing and direction, there's one more thing about this movie that will probably sell you on it. If I'd have known about it way beforehand, I'd have been all over it from the get-go. The movie is straight up fourth wall-breaking. One doesn't really know that going in, but when Schmidt (Hill) and Jenko (Tatum) are talking to Deputy Chief Hardy (Nick Offerman), they make it very obvious that the movie is totally self-aware. For me, it almost always makes a movie better if it is self-aware. Even if it's still a bad movie, it can make it more forgivable. But '21 Jump Street' was actually all-around good, and easily one of my favorite movies of 2012. But then they were gonna come out with a sequel, which could have gone either way. The good news was that the entire team behind the first one got behind the second one. Amazingly enough, '22 Jump Street' practically parallels the first movie in terms of how funny, action-packed and self-aware it is. The funniest thing about it is that in it's self-awareness, it even practically attacks itself for doing the same thing they did in the first one and that it's actually pretty lame. It pretty much makes fun of itself for even existing. But we are able to eat it up because it's saying "Yeah, I exist, love me or hate me, I don't care". Turns out, most of us loved it just as much, if not more than the first. Going back to the team behind it, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller also directed the pilot episode of 'Brooklyn Nine Nine', 'The LEGO Movie' and are slated to direct the upcoming Han Solo story for the 'Star Wars' universe! After realizing that they've worked on so much of what I've ended up loving, I'm greatly looking forward to how they tackle a 'Star Wars' story! So, in closing, if you're looking for a couple of easy-to-watch goofy action comedies that break the fourth wall and AREN'T 'Deadpool', these two hilarious titles are a great place to start! |
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