![]() Wrapping up the Cornetto Trilogy, and representing mint chip is Edgar Wright's sci-fi flick, 'The World's End' (by the way, I forgot to mention 'Hot Fuzz' representing vanilla). When I first checked this out, I considered it Wright's weakest work, even though I still really enjoyed it. However, it has grown on me significantly over the years as perhaps the most relatable of all three movies. The film starts out describing a pub crawl that took place in lead character Gary King's (Simon Pegg) youth. He and his four companions, Andy Knightley (Nick Frost), Steven Prince (Paddy Considine) Oliver Chamberlain (Martin Freeman), and Peter Page (Eddie Marsan) attempt the "Golden Mile" after the last day of high school - 12 pubs, 12 pints, and the sun rising on one of the greatest nights ever... that was incomplete, as they missed several pubs. Years later, Gary wants to recreate that night, so gathers all of his old friends who have since moved on with their lives - Andy even having had fallen out with Gary quite significantly. Long story short, they do all agree to head back into their old town to try that Golden Mile again. But upon reaching town, it seems that things have changed quite a bit. Before they know it, the group finds itself in the midst of what seems to be a robot (but maybe don't use that word) invasion, and things go bizarrely off the wall. But, if you do pay close attention and follow along, there's something deeper to this movie than meets the eye. On a personal level, it's easy for me to relate to Gary in that he really wants to recreate an awesome night he once lived in his past. I have tried that a few times with trips, parties, etc. But the important takeaway from this is that the lightning in a bottle that you caught on those particular awesome nights will never really be recaptured the way you remember. The simple reason is that the first time you do something cool is often the best experience you have with it because it's something new. The really important thing is that the friends you make along the way are still around, hopefully to one day be there to dethrone that awesome night you're trying to recreate with something even better. This is also one of Wright's best films for his various formulas. For one, he puts a lot of imagination behind his work, and this is probably his most imaginative film on his resume. It's an interesting combination of "what the hell did I just see?" and "actually that makes a lot of sense". But I would beg any viewer to throw any sense of reality out the window, because some things about this make no damn sense. The biggest one being Gary NEEDING to finish a pint for each pub, which leads to things like him drinking while fighting - although it's actually pretty funny. This film reminds me a lot of my friends an I and our nights out together in our youth. We weren't exactly pub crawlers, but we really enjoyed the pool hall, and would tend to grab a couple of brews while there - this is just out of high school and barely drinking age (19 up here in Canada, baby!) But it also does a good job at making me take a look at myself, and that's one of the reasons I love Wright's work - it'll do that. No matter what movie he's made, I'm willing to bet if one went through them all, they'd find something/someone to relate to. Anyway, this completes Wright's famous Cornetto trilogy, which remains my all-time fave trilogy (yes, even above the original 'Star Wars'). There is something about Wright that speaks to me, and probably always will. He's loaded with imaginative ideas, plays to his audience while getting positive critical reviews, never sells out (he dropped out of directing 'Ant-Man', a freakin' Marvel movie, due to creative differences - though he still gets writing credit), and he stays far away from anything typical. if you wanna see Wright at his most bizarre, definitely check this one out!
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![]() 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. ![]() 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. ![]() 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. ![]() 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. ![]() 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. ![]() To close off this exploration into some of Carrey's best dramatic performances, I went with one of my favorite love stories, 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'. It's an interesting and imaginative look at how our minds work while in the midst of a bad break-up. That includes things like lashing out about something, but not meaning it, and of course, the willingness to erase someone from your memory altogether at the time. As the film opens, we meet the shy and introverted Joel Barish (Carrey), who impulsively boards a train to Montauk one chilly Valentine's Day. By chance, she meets the whimsical and free-spirited Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet), and they form a relationship just before the opening credits introduce us to the tale of tragedy ahead. After a rough break-up, Joel comes home to a surprise - some card reading that Clementine has erased him from her memory. As a result, Joel seeks out Dr. Howard Mierzwaik (Tom Wilkinson), inventor of this technology, to undergo the same process. However, as his memories of Clementine begin to disappear, he starts to realize that fond memories are something that come out of every relationship, and might not be something to throw away as though it was yesterday's trash. Through a secondary story arc, we are introduced to a few of Mierzwaik's employess who "oversee" the whole process. Stan (Mark Ruffalo) is the expert, so to speak, until he brings in his coworker, Mary (Kirsten Dunst), leading to a bit of unprofessionalism. But helping Stan is the creepy Patrick (Elijah Wood) whose pretty much playing Frodo the pervert here. As the film rolls on, we learn that he intends to take over Joel's identity as Clementine's love interest, using her memories with Joel as a reference point. I will be the first to admit that there's not a whole lot of straightforwardness to this one. The execution is an artsy one, and you might find yourself a bit confused as to what exactly is going on. But I will say that you kinda have to sit through that confusion to get your head together as the film comes together, nearing the end. I'd say it's a bit worse than something like 'Inception' for that, so if the whole "in the mind" thing isn't for you, you might stick with 'Truman Show' or 'Man on the Moon' as your best Carrey Drama. With that said though, I tend to lean towards this type of imaginative material, and I'm always fascinated by dream-associated material. Truth be told, I confuse much more easily with things like political thrillers and, you know, real life stuff. So I may be a bit bias in my opinion about how good this is. But if you are in the midst of a rough breakup, or having some kind of problem, wanting to forget about someone, I recommend trying this out. While it's confusing for a while, just pay attention. It ends in such a way that allows the viewer to embrace the chaos of a situation as opposed to keeping things straight and narrow, which can still lead to problems. It all ends with one word, and to me, it's one of the most powerfully emotional words to end something on. Some may not agree, but the same word is used in a certain super famous story-based game, and it was strong there, too. But check it out for yourself, and see if you agree or disagree. ![]() Back in the days before 'Black Mirror', this was a film that sort of toyed with the idea of an alternate reality that uses accessible (or almost accessible) technology. It further toyed with a "big brother" sort of idea, but instead of all of us being watched, one of us is being watched, and it's all part of an elaborate, long-running TV show. The show's concept is to take a child from birth named Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) and air his entire life on TV. His life takes place in a massive sound studio, providing artificial everything it takes to convince Truman that it's all real. However, when a stage light falls from the sky, it sets into motion a series of strange occurrences that suggest to Truman that something truly bizarre is happening in his life. That's really all there is to it, in a nutshell, and despite a few odd CG effects (for 1998), the film still totally holds up. It gets us thinking, and the idea that such a thing could be real is sort of brought to the forefront, although it probably worked better in 1998 than 20-plus years later. Nowadays we have shows like 'Black Mirror' that we compare things like this to, as it sits at the top. But unlike 'Black Mirror', this isn't really a cautionary tale. To me, this is much more of a metaphor about the escape from our everyday, strange reality. Despite the set-up, Truman is just an average, everyday, normal guy. He's married, he works for an insurance company, and his daily life is altogether similar to most. However, the idea of free will is often questioned here, as the show's creator and executive producer, Christof (Ed Harris), essentially plays God through all of this. As he mentions in the beginning, Truman has complete control over his actions and decisions, but things are also controlled. If he's not "meant" to do something or go somewhere, Christof gets his crew to stop him. This is best illustrated by instilling the fear of the ocean inside him in a truly traumatizing way (which also makes him stay put). A lot of people didn't know what to make of 'The Truman Show' upon its release, as it was Jim Carrey's first real step away from his comedic antics. The year before, 'Liar Liar' was released, though, which was a solid combination of his comedic and dramatic skills, so speaking for myself, I never minded him stepping forward to try something new. Nowadays, however, the film has seemingly gained a bit of a cult following, and is seen as a better story now than it was before. Also, One thing I didn't realize (so I'll share it here) was that this was inspired by a 'Twilight Zone' episode from the late 80's called 'Special Service', so that may very well be worth checking out. My humble opinion is that it's one of Jim Carrey's finest films. We get a fair share of comedy from him here, but he also shows us that he can take things seriously. In retrospect, it's hard to picture anyone else in the role. Despite a few nay-sayers back when it was released, it currently has extremely positive reviews and has become a classic of sorts. I'd probably say that it was ahead of its time, but now is the perfect time to watch it. ![]() 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! ![]() 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. ![]() I thought I'd cover another month full of fun action, and I figured I'd go with sequels, or "part 2s" that, according to many, manage to outweigh their predecessors. Combined with a replay through of PS4's 'Spider-Man', I really wanted to revisit 'Spider-Man 2', which many consider the best of the original, or Raimi trilogy. If I'm perfectly honest, I still lean towards the first one, myself. But the idea that this is a sequel that does a better job than the origin story is completely understandable, and I recognize I'm in a minority. I kinda see the two films as equals, but each delivering something making me appreciate them individually. I would say that as far as getting things to feel like a 'Spider-Man' comic book unfolding on the big screen, this one nails it the best. The first one did a better job of making things feel like an epic movie version of 'Spider-Man'. As far as the third one goes, we're gonna pretend that it doesn't exist because it's pretty much the 'Batman & Robin' of the 'Spidey' franchise altogether. Of course, this is all just humble opinion, so one might not view them in the same differing lights that I do. But again, if this one nails the comic book feel the best, shouldn't that be the best reason to appreciate it as still one of the best comic book movies of all time? The story picks up where the first one left off, which can be read about here. Two years have passed, and Peter Parker's (Tobey Maguire) still trying to use his great powers for great responsibility. But it's interfering with his day-to-day life because crime never sleeps. He's falling behind in school, and can't commit to his friends, namely Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) who just wants him to attend her new play, as she's since become a Broadway actress. Meanwhile, Harry Osbourne (James Franco), now head of Oscorp's genetic and scientific research division, sponsors a project on fusion power, headed by Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina). During a demonstration using mechanical arms with an artificial intelligence, an accident occurs, breaking the arms' inhibitor chip, which gave Octavius control over them. Now, the arms controlling him, he becomes Doctor Octopus, hellbent on funding another experiment, hoping to show the world that one can create a self-sustaining fusion reaction. Most of this one represents that first example of the superhero trying to balance his two lives. Does he do what's right for him, or does he do what's right for everyone else? At the time, it was a fascinating take on a comic book movie, bringing in some real world problems instead of having it a simple good vs evil story. Yeah, the first film did that too, but so much of that was already familiar. There's even a great scene in here where it's Peter talking to an imaginary Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson) about the downside of what his superhero life has become. He has no time for the other people in his life that he loves. Even with Mary Jane aside, he still has to take care of Aunt May (Rosemary Harris), and try to be responsible with things like jobs, which we see him struggle with as the film opens. The film is well-balanced, keeping the deeper side of it contrasted with the fun comic book action we came to see. It's slow in parts, but when the action picks up, it's a lot of fun. Perhaps the most memorable fight takes place on a speeding subway train, and it was enough to earn the film an Oscar for its visual effects, against films like 'Prisoner of Azkaban'. As a whole, this is a great follow-up to its predecessor, and to this day has one of my favourite endings - before post-credit stingers were a thing. It's truly sad that the studio had to put their hands so deeply into the third film though, because the ending here still represents a whole lot of promise lost. In this day and age, we have a new, very much appreciated Spider-Man in Tom Holland, who plays the perfect combo of Pete and Spidey, and has pretty much been embodied in the role now. It's fun looking back on Tobey, but it's not the same now. You see someone who was in his late 20s at the time instead of the teenager that Holland eventually made him. Also, the dated melodrama of some of the dialogue here can be a little tough to get around at times. But at the same time, that's just Raimi's Spider-Man, which at the time I DID consider awesome. I guess with so many different incarnations, this has just become kinda dated. Nevertheless, if you find yourself curious about looking back at the 'Spider-Man' of the early '00s, it still totally holds up for what it is. While today's 'Spider-Man' is very much its own thing, these first couple of movies will give the hardcore comic book fans something a little closer to what they might want to see. For my money, the new Spidey has been the best Spidey, but if that's not quite the Spidey you want, this is where you want to look. ![]() Before I get into this, the format in which I credit the cast for this film is "voice/guy in suit", as each main character here has one of each, including Tatsu for whatever reason... moving on, however. Going way back to being about 6, I was introduced to these guys through a handful of close friends. For me, it was word of mouth at school. I checked out the cartoon, was instantly hooked, and got quite the haul of Turtle toys over the next few years. It can't be explained, but there was just something about them we all loved. This particular movie is about as close as things get to the original source material. Not the cartoon, I'm talking the old, black and white comic book that made these guys dark, totally badass, and every one of them wore red bandanas, not just Raph. Instead, they were really only distinguishable by their weapons. However by the time this movie came along, the cartoon and the toys were what we were focused on. So the film combined the efforts of the comic book with the cartoon to give us kids everything we deserved. To this day, I still claim this as the end all, be all of 'TMNT' films. Okay, so basic plot - a backstory within the film tells us a brief origin of the characters, and those taking the time to read this probably already know it. Hell, you probably know it from today's material anyway. These guys never really went away or took a break. Basically, lost ooze in sewer = 1 mutant rat named Splinter (Kevin Clash) and 4 mutant turtles named after Renaissance artists, Leonardo (Brian Tochi/David Forman), Michaelangelo (Robbie Rist/Michelan Sisti), Donatello (Corey Feldman/Leif Tilden) and Raphael (Josh Pais). They find themselves up against a gang of ninja thieves known as the Foot Clan, headed by Shredder and his lackey, Tatsu (Michael McConnohie/Toshishiro Obata). These guys are going all around the city of New York, robbing it blind. Their paths cross with news reporter April O'Niel (Judith Hoag) who is doing a story on the whole situation. The turtles get involved when Raph finds her in the subway, having been attacked in an attempt to keep her lips sealed. He takes her back to their lair for recovery, but is unknowingly followed. Shit really hits the fan when their master, Splinter, is soon kidnapped by the Shredder, who holds him captive, trying to get answers from on how the turtles know how to fight like they do. April ends up helping them out, and caught in the middle of it all are one runaway teenager named Danny (Michael Turney), who's caught between helping the turtles and working for the Foot, and Casey Jones (Elias Koteas) who's kind of a random addition to everything, but makes for some decent comedy relief and is a great help in a fight. It might sound crazy, but this is one of those childhood films that I don't only love due to nostalgia, but love because it actually does tell a good story about characters I care about. You can watch this as an adult and see it as a sort of coming of age movie, as the Turtles have to learn to work as a team, have to come into their own to rescue Splinter, and have to take Splinter's teachings seriously in order to do it. While Leo and Don are doing pretty well, we do get that Mike and Raph have a bit of growing to do - Mike with his immaturity and Raph with his temper. I could always find myself empathizing with those two characters the most, especially after the bonfire scene, which I'm not ashamed to admit manages to move me when I see it these days. I mean, while it's a fun movie, one may argue "for kids", it actually does get pretty deep at points. It's not just some action movie where you see these turtles kicking ass and taking names. They take the time to get some messages across subtly, and a big part of it all is how important family is - remembering that family can also mean friends! Anyway, as I mentioned before, the 'Turtles' never really went away or took a break. They simmered down here and there, but have pretty well remained a constant in pop culture. But I can probably say with all sincerity that they were never, ever as big as they were in the late 80's and early 90's. They were everywhere back then! If the cartoon didn't give us enough (which was already an overload), the movie pretty much marked their taking over of the world (at least in my head). So, if you're a fan who hasn't taken a look at this 1990 classic, I strongly urge you to do so. Parts may be a bit dated, but everything that made this movie great is still there, and that includes the master puppetry of Jim Henson's Creature Shop when the man was still alive and kicking! ![]() In the world of film, we have our film ratings that range from "G" to "R", covering pretty much all of your bases from impressionable children to adults who act like children. But then we have the extremely rare, often relatively pornographic "NC-17" rating that goes to a very small handful of movies. The most famous title that hold this rating is probably 'Showgirls', but the guys who did 'South Park' have one under their belt as well, with 'Orgazmo'. Joe Young (Trey Parker) is a simple, young Mormon man who is going door to door, constantly attempting to share his love of Jesus to no avail. Anyone he approaches seems to just rudely slam the door in poor Joe's face. Meanwhile, pornographic director Maxxx Orbison (Michael Dean Jacobs) is trying to direct a superhero themed adult film called, well, 'Orgazmo', also to no avail. The man who's playing his superhero figure ends up being a bit of a wimp, when he really needs to be able to fight and be a bad ass, even if it is just a pornographic movie. When Joe rings Maxxx's doorbell, he gets the bouncer treatment. However, Joe manages to defend himself, using what he knows from studying martial arts. This is seen by Maxxx, and before Joe knows it, he's roped into the world of pornography, as Maxxx's leading man. This happens to hilariously conflict with Joe's interests, in that anything and everything pornographic goes against his Mormon beliefs. But with the need to save up for a wedding to his beloved Lisa (Robyn Lynne Raab), he finds himself with very little choice. Soon enough, the whole thing goes from porn parody to superhero movie as Joe and his newfound actor friend Ben "Choda Boy" Chapleski (Dean Bachar) find themselves in hot water with a mob gang who is going after their Sushi shop owner friend G-Fresh (Masao Maki). Without so much more exposition, yes, they use the whole idea of Orgazmo and Choda Boy for their alter-egos (as if it wasn't obvious). In the crazy world of Trey Parker's imagination, this is probably the one of the four titles that holds the weakest link among them. However, at the same time, one REALLY has to know what their getting into with this whole thing. This is nothing but a fun, throw-your-brain-out-the-window parody of a porn parody (if that makes any damn sense). Being that it's a farce on adult films, I'll also add that good acting isn't something one should be looking for here either. Treat is AS an adult film, and you'll get through it so much easier. Usually Trey has something intelligent to say within the subtext of his creations (often along with Matt Stone). However, this just seemed like a goofy project he wanted to have a good time with. I suppose it could be seen as his take on how harsh the whole industry can be, with crooked directors and whatnot. However when real adult film actors and actresses are featured throughout the film (not the least of which is Ron Jeremy, himself) it's a bit hard to understand where it's all coming from. Once again, if you have the hour and a half to waste in front of the idiot box with this one, I say go for it. Sometimes you just need to put things on hold and have fun with something, and this is most definitely a film that falls into that category. I suppose that's what makes it the weakest of his films for me. This one came out just as Trey and Matt were gaining very newfound 'South Park' fame, so it floated below the radar for a whole lot of people, and still kinda does. So it's that neat little project he's got under his belt that's worth checking out at least once, if you're a fan of his work. Unlike the other three main titles, however, this one gets a bit stale upon several re-watches. Still though, it's worth checking out if you haven't yet. Just be 17 years or older if you're gonna view it. Or at the very least, mature enough to handle pornographic themes. Actually, in all honesty, this probably could have just been a solid R, but there we have it. ![]() Imagine giving the "puppet supervisor" from 'Team America' / "creature fabricator" from 'Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie' / "stop motion animation supervisor" from 'Elf' and give that guy and his brothers some creative control with their own product. This here, is the end result - however, predating all said movies. This one comes from the Chiodo brothers, Edward, Stephen and Charles, and boasts one of the most fun oldschool horror titles in existence. One could think of it as a sort of fully self-aware "good/bad" movie. I mean, shit, look at the title! The basic story involves a circus tent from outer space landing on Earth. Of course, this is the vessel these Killer Klowns take to invade our home planet. The plan pretty much involves going around, zapping human beings with a gun that wraps them in a cotton candy cocoon, and taking them on board their ship for, well, reasons. This is one I would probably classify as more of a comedy than a horror movie, and even the worst coulrophobes might not have that bad a time with it. It's pretty damned silly altogether. But that said, it's not like aspects of strange and unusual horror aren't still there to give you a few shivers. In a movie so seemingly silly, that must sound odd, but there are things like what the victim inside the cotton candy cocoons looks like, and even the way the Klowns communicate and laugh has an odd sort of creepiness to it. And lets not forget one scene where some creepy clown is trying to lure a child outside while holding a mallet behind his back. It's not the mallet that's creepy though, it just the imagery of something so reminiscent of every child's worst stranger fears. By no means is any of this stuff truly horrific and terrifying or anything, and your dreams will likely be safe when all said and done. However, I can't deny that the creepiness is there, despite the fact that this movie plays out as such a self-aware comedy over horror. It's kinda what makes it so enjoyable. This movie may not be everyone's cup of tea though, and reviews are seemingly split down the middle. So it's kind of a hard one to sell people on, but I'd just ask that you bear this in mind. If nothing else, this makes for some great fun around Halloween to get you into the holiday spirit. That's when I introduced myself to these Klowns. ![]() 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. ![]() Hot on the heels of 'X-Men', I think a lot of us can remember seeing the first teaser for an upcoming 'Spider-Man' movie. After 'X-Men', Spidey was probably the next logical step, and this was when the superhero genre was really coming to fruition. Sadly, after this, almost every Marvel film up to 'Iron Man' was pretty mediocre, with the exceptions of a few sequels, which I'll get to another time. Of course, I don't need to get into how Spidey has gone through the motions when it comes to his movies. It's kinda crazy to think that since the release of this, back in 2002, Spidey is already in his third incarnation. But the character has finally seemingly found his footing with Tom Holland in the role. But that's not to say that the older 'Spider-Man' movies should just be ignored, either. In fact, the first two are still among my favorite superhero movies. Being that Tom Holland's Spider-Man skipped over the origin story, which was frankly a great decision on the studios' part, one might be curious as to the most accurate portrayal of his origin in film. Well, 'The Amazing Spider-Man' didn't do a bad job with things, necessarily, but 2002's 'Spider-Man', with Tobey Maguire in the lead, is probably the better option of the two. If for no other reason, he faces the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) right away, who is probably considered his arch nemesis. It depends on what you wanna see, but I also consider this to be closer to giving out the comic book vibe than 'Amazing' did. That said, 'Amazing' has accuracies like his web shooters (they just kinda come from his wrists here), and a much, MUCH more likable love interest in Gwen Stacey, who is useful, as opposed to Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) here, who is pretty much just someone to be saved who screams a lot. Those things aside though, I'd say this is the superior origin film. Now that I'm on my fifth paragraph, maybe I'll get into the actual movie. Well, Peter Parker (Maguire) gets bitten by a radioactive spider on a field trip, gains superpowers, and uses them to stop crime after the important lesson his uncle gives him - "with great power, comes great responsibility". Meanwhile, Norman Osbourn (Dafoe) becomes the Green Goblin after rushing a lab experiment and having it go wrong. It kinda brings out the evil within him, makes him stronger, and has him going up against his authorities. The catch - he's Peter's best friend Harry's (James Franco) father. Unfortunately, due to time and changing Spider-Man up twice, this one has started to feel kinda old. Where watching 'X-Men' meant watching the first title of a series that just wrapped up last year, watching 'Spider-Man' was more like a nice piece of nostalgia. The movie's still a lot of fun, but it's kinda just the old version of something now. It doesn't help that Holland has become my definitive Spider-Man, and is in the driver's seat now. But Maguire is at least still in the passenger seat while Andrew Garfield is stuck in the back seat - he's a great Spidey, but a lousy Parker. So, if you're looking to see what many consider the definitive Spider-Man origin story, I'd say go for this one. 'The Amazing Spider-Man' works pretty well too, but as I said, it all depends on what kind of 'Spider-Man' movie you wanna see. Personally, I enjoy this one more, but it IS perfectly debatable. Watch for yourself, and find out what Spidey works for you. ![]() Let's hit that rewind button again, and go back to 2000. Largely, this was an era in which movies were trying to find some footing. This was just coming off that era of disaster movies, and the biggest name in movies was pretty much 'Star Wars Episode I', so... yeah. There were a few gems in between it all, but for the most part, there weren't a lot of great movies during this time. But the superhero era would soon find it's place, following on the heals of R-rated 'Blade', with PG-13-rated and far more popular 'X-Men'. The story here is that mutants are among us, and feared for what they could be capable of. Senator Kelly (Bruce Davidson) tries to pass a "Mutant Registration Act" in congress which would make mutants have to reveal what they can do to the world, taking away their basic freedoms. On one side of the mutant coin is Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), a mutant on the side of peace who has the ability to enter, read and manipulate people's minds. He runs a school for mutants who don't fully understand their abilities, and can learn how to use them to their advantage. They can also get their basic education here, and feel safe among others who are much like them. On the other side of that coin is Eric Lensherr/Magneto (Ian McKellen), a mutant who sees a war in the making based on his experiences in Nazi concentration camps as a child. He understands hatred toward race all too well, and is willing to go to extremes to put an end to things. The main plot, however, revolves around Rogue (Anna Paquin), who has an ability she fears as it doesn't allow her to touch anyone without seemingly sucking the life out of them. But of course, she's only half of it. The obviously more important half being Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), who has since been in every single 'X-Men' movie (except technically 'Deadpool'). Xavier promises to help him to understand his foggy past if he helps out. Truth be told, I haven't gone back and rewatched the 'X-Men' films in quite some time, so one might wonder how it all holds up. I think the funny part of it is that the uniforms are the black leather 'cause it looked cooler than "yellow spandex" at the time, which is an actual joke quote from the movie in which Cyclops references Wolverine's comic/cartoon costume. But nowadays, that's what we want to see. We wanna see what we see in the comics brought to life in a much more physical sense. While the 'X-Men' films have grown that way to some degree, they still seem to like slapping that leather on them for some reason, save maybe 'First Class' and the end of 'Apocalypse'. Costume accuracy aside, however, this movie hasn't dated itself really at all. The effects hold up pretty well, and the roles are nearly perfect casting, but besides the basics, it's a great idea to bring to the screen. The 'X-Men' are mostly compared as a metaphor for homosexuality, how things are confusing, few understand what it means to be in those shoes, and yeah, some of the more ignorant people may even fear you. But I tend to consider it more about prejudices of all sorts, and that's what makes the 'X-Men' so incredibly relatable. You can understand what these mutants are going though if you've ever experienced any kind of prejudice first hand, really. In this particular day and age where movies about that sort of thing are praised ('The Shape of Water'), this is a pretty solid title to go back and check out again. ![]() While everyone in the world was seemingly still preoccupied with the battle of 'Frozen' vs 'Tangled', with 'Frozen' kinda crushing it because of one very annoying song, some of us went the other direction by 2014 and absorbed this movie as our escape from those "Princess Wars". This was just a straight up animated family feature about, for lack of a better term, superheroes. The last time it happened was 'The Incredibles', and we were ready to see what else Disney could pull out of their superhero box. Or at least anything but princesses for once in a few years. The interesting thing about this one was that it was an animated Marvel movie, and thus far the first and only Disney/Marvel animated film to exist on a theatrical scale. That said, this movie is NOT canon in the MCU. The creators have expressed that this is a Disney film over being a Marvel film. 'Big Hero 6' tells the story of a 14-year-old prodigy child named Hiro (Ryan Potter), who's a bit of a genius with technology, and upon seeing his brother, Tadashi's (Daniel Henney) school decides he wishes to go there. When it's discovered that someone has stolen the technology that Hiro uses to wow the school's recruiters, Hiro assembles a team of talented teens to get it back. Joining the cast here are the voice talents of T.J. Miller, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans Jr, Genesis Rodriguez, and Scott Adsit as the real star of this movie, Baymax; a medical assistance robot that Tadashi creates with the desire to help people in need. This is just such a great movie, through and through. Without spoiling anything, I can admit that this is one of those titles that manages to engage my every emotion, and it pulled me in very quickly. The truth of the matter was this was only my second viewing of it. I somehow managed to miss this one in theaters, saw it in the summer of 2015 for the first time, and just watched it recently to see if I liked it more or less. The answer is clearly more. Although it may be more effective the first time around considering all that happens, there's something to be said about revisiting it with your love for these characters, particularly Hiro, Baymax and Tadashi. This is a title well-worth checking out without having to be a Disney or even a Marvel buff. It's good fun for the whole family, and even remains a bit tough, focusing on deeper issues to do with separation, friendship and even revenge. I'll have to see about it's watchability over the years, but there's a very solid chance this MIGHT be my all-time favorite Disney animated film... MIGHT be. Either way, it's pretty damn good. |
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