And so, as was inevitable, Stallone and Schwarznegger are together again and starring in their trademark (putatively) action flick, ESCAPE PLAN. These titans of trashy genre flicks are not stupid. They know what their fans expect of them, and they are also know what bodies that were in their prime more than two decades ago… Read More »
HUNGER GAMES — CATCHING FIRE
The thing to keep in mind about THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE is that it suffers from being the middle installment of an established trilogy. Which is not to say its bad. Far from it. Its a dynamic and genuinely exciting adventure flick. Yet, for those who are unfamiliar with either the first installment, or… Read More »
OLDBOY
I cant pretend that I havent seen the original Korean version of OLD BOY, the one that blew away an international audience and earned cult status. Yet, even knowing the twist, nicely rearranged for this remake by screenwriter Mark Protosevich, is not enough reason to dismiss this flick. Despite Josh Brolins committed performance as a… Read More »
THE LEGEND OF HERCULES
Renny Harlin makes his bid for a comeback with THE LEGEND OF HERCULES, a film that reminds us all why Mr. Harlin is in need of making a comeback, and why all such notions should be nipped in the bud. This may be easier than it sounds in an industry that humors the likes of… Read More »
I, FRANKENTSTEIN
I, FRANKENTEIN is the brainchild, via the Darkstorm Studios graphic novel, of Stuart Beattie, the driving force behind the improbably successful UNDERWORLD franchise. I say improbably because if you have seen one UNDERWORLD flick, you have by extension seen them all. I, FRANKENSTEIN is all but indistinguishable from its cinematic sibling, right down to the… Read More »
ROBOCOP
ROBOCOP is a laudable rethinking of the 1987 original. Told in broad thematic strokes, it still harbors in its soul a fine dialectic on identity, humanity, and even the reality (or lack thereof) of free will. Sure, its an action flick with shoot-em-up and blow-em-up sequences, but thanks to a grounding performance by Joel Kinnaman… Read More »
POMPEII
POMPEII doesnt break a sweat until Vesuvius erupts. This is odd because so much of the story involves the sort of nasty, brutish hand to hand combat prevalent during the early Roman Empire. Perhaps the story seems static and stale because it is a rehash of so many, many other flicks, including but not limited… Read More »
7 BOXES (7 CAJAS)
7 BOXES is a film full of piquant revelations. Steeped in the seamy underbelly of Paraguay urban culture, it is a suspenseful noir with absurdist overtones sharply defined by filmmakers Tana Schembori and Juan Carlos Meneglia. Wonderfully original and wildly unpredictable, it will make more than one viewer ask why there arent more films from… Read More »
THE RAID 2: BERENDAL
Anyone can film violence for violences sake. Few filmmakers can film violence and make it not just part of the story, but also a metaphor for the brutality of life, and, beyond that, a disturbingly beautiful work of art. Gareth Evans is the latter, and his latest, THE RAID 2: BERANDAL is not just as… Read More »
SABOTAGE
I can’t fathom why when END OF WATCH was so dynamic, David Ayers directorial follow-up, SABOTAGE, is so inert. Where END OF WATCH had depth and energy, SABOTAGE is is rambling, and at times incongruous, as it unspools a set of stock characters dithering about in a cesspool of rubbery ethics and dogged determination. Perhaps… Read More »
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