80's Action Attack!: American Ninja 2

My American Ninja 2 Laserdisc

1987
Directed by: Sam Firstenberg
Category: Action

American Ninja 2: The Confrontation is the perfect example of why I love Cannon Films so much. Its like a bunch of grown men got together and began playing army men and ninja's. That's how absurd and ridiculous this film is, and it's fucking amazing.

Somehow I never got to these American Ninja films, even though logically, I should have been all over them. They were films about ninja's, in America, directed by Sam Firstenberg (Ninja III: The Domination, Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo), and produced and released by Cannon Films. I mean, it's a no-brainer really. It's like these were tailor made just for me. I grew up on this stuff! Yet, I kind of just bypassed these films altogether somehow. Well, if this film is any indication, I need to rectify that pronto.

I will be honest, I have seen the first one, about a year ago, and it didn't blow me away. It was pretty basic stuff, and didn't really have anything in it that made it stand out. It was entertaining, so I'll give it that, and Dudikoff and James are such a fantastic team, no matter what film they appear in together. But it didn't knock my socks off the way I hoped it would, so I was in no rush to get to this sequel, which I just happen to have on laserdisc, collecting dust on my shelf. It was a random pickup from a local secondhand store that I knew I would eventually get to. And that day finally arrived.

Army Rangers Armstrong (Dudikoff) and Jackson (Steve James) are sent to a Caribbean Island to investigate a series of mysterious disappearances of Marines, only to uncover a plot to turn these missing men into superhuman ninja's.  

I wish you could have seen my face while watching this film. I don't know, there's something very special and magical about the entire thing, which is kind of weird since it seems to be of less quality than the first film. Yet, this film is full of a laundry list of wonderful surprises, which I'll get to in a bit. I felt like a kid again, and I could only imagine everyone involved did too. In fact, it almost feels like a bunch of men got together to play kids again, and it's a blast.

Michael Dudikoff returns to the role that made him famous 2 years earlier. He's been acting since the late 70's, but outside of his turn in Albert Pyun's cult favorite Radioactive Dreams in '85, he really wasn't a household name by this point. That is until the Cannon Films release of American Ninja that same year in 1985 changed all that. He would go one to become one of the most recognizable and busiest Direct-To-Video action stars of the 80's, who would often costar with his good friend Steve James, another busy bit player who would get his big break with this film, but who would never receive the big roles he so richly deserved. I've always considered Steve James to be one of the most underrated badasses to ever work in film, and it's such a shame he never made it big in the way he should have.

This film is so ridiculous, but so terribly entertaining at the same time. It's very much a product of it's time, and time has not been kind to this film, but that's what makes it so enjoyable too. It's cheesy to the highest degree, but it's not on purpose. It's from a time when films were made this way legitimately, without any knowledge of it being silly. And as I watched this film in disbelief, I was constantly struck by how amateur everything looked and felt, especially the fight sequences, which were laughably terrible. I mean, these are some of the worst fights you have ever seen in your life, and these supposed superhuman mutant ninja's are hands-down the worst ninja's who have ever graced the screen. AND IT'S AMAZING!!!

Director Sam Firstenberg really became the go-to guy for low-budget ninja films back in the 80's, and especially for Cannon Films. Beginning with the excellent and highly enjoyable Revenge of the Ninja in 1983, he would go onto do Ninja 3: The Domination (a Bad Movie Night masterpiece) in 1984, American Ninja in '85, Avenging Force in '86 (not a ninja film, I know, but still has a lot of kung fu-ness to it) in '86, this entry in '87 and then going onto American Samurai in '92. Let's not also forget he directed Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo for the Cannon cousins in 1984 in the middle of all this ninja craze. While he's never been a stylish director, he's always been able to deliver competent "looking" films, if that makes sense. But surprisingly, I found AJ2 to look and feel extremely rushed. Lots of handheld camerawork, which I loathe, and a lot of inept fight choreography really make this one stand out for reasons that it shouldn't.

Does it sound like I'm complaining? Because I'm not. It's one of the things that make this easily a far superior film compared to the first one in terms of entertainment. Just the story alone is absurd, but the execution takes it so much further than you expect. So much of this film looks and feels like it was made up on the spot, but everyone's having such a grande time doing it, most importantly Steve James, who really delivers the goods in the film's highly enjoyable final act. I won't spoil it for you, but man, I really wish he became a bigger star. He delivers the goods tenfold.

One of the things that surprised me about this, other than it's absurdly fun vibe, is that it's written by Gary Conway, the guy who plays the villain known as The Lion. He was a steady actor in television before this, and somehow decided to write this film and play it's main bad guy. He would also go onto write the sequel American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt in '89. Oh, and he came up with the story to Over The Top too. In a strange twist, he wouldn't do anything else except for writing/directing/starring in something called Woman's Story in 2000 that I can't seem to find any info on before dropping out of sight entirely.

I really can't praise this film enough, or my enjoyment of it. It's the perfect example of why Cannon Films were so good at what they did back in the 80's, and why their legacy continues to hold strong today. It's cheap, fast, sometimes sleazy low-budget fun that always managed to deliver the goods in a way that so few films or studio's were able to. Just look at their track record. Sure there are some duds - which studio or director doesn't have those? - but look at the sheer output they put out, the amount of genuine raw love for the genre and for films in general. Of course they bit off more than they could chew, which would ultimately be their downfall, but man what a crazy fun and wild ride it was.

How to see it:
At this point, it's not hard at all to get your hands on this from any number of sources. It's been relentlessly released and re-released numerous times on VHS, Laserdisc, DVD and now Blu ray. This particular entry is easily available on several compilation DVD packs, or as a solo DVD for just a few bucks. If you want to get an upgrade, Olive Films recently released all 4 films on both DVD and Blu ray, if you're into that format. The picture quality is a big improvement over previous releases, and it's in widescreen with some bonus features like commentary and a "making of". You can find these from virtually any online retailer like eBay, Amazon, Target, Walmart, Best Buy and Deep Discount for around $15-$20 on the low end. Personally, I don't feel it's the kind of film I must have on Blu ray. Seeing a much more cleaner image isn't really all that necessary for this kind of film, or this film in particular. It's not visually impressive, and honestly, the dead format "look" really gives it a bit of extra spice in my humble opinion. All that is to say is that I'm fine with my old Laserdisc. But I do understand that most people like collecting Blu's and upgrading their existing collection. So luckily for them, Olive Films did a decent service to the film and you can get it fairly cheap.

James Bond: The Pierce Brosnan Years

If you're a James Bond fan, then I'm sure you're aware of how important it was for Pierce Brosnan to finally get the role after years of legal wrangling. You see, at the time he was the star of a hit tv series called Remmington Steele, and though he was a top pick and natural fit for the role of James Bond, the company and producers behind Remmington Steele did not want to let him go, even when it looked like he was finally going to be able to at one point, the show producers decided to pull a dick move and keep Remmington Steele on for another season, which ruined his chances at starring in The Living Daylights. As it turns out, Remmington Steele didn't even end up completing that full season as it ended up being cancelled halfway through. When it was time to recast Bond once again after the abysmal performance of License to Kill in 1989 (not entirely the films fault!!), Brosnan got his chance when they brought the character back after a 6 year hiatus.

Goldeneye (1995)
Directed by: Martin Campbell

While I've been immersing myself into every James Bond film made, and not in any kind of logical order, I noticed an interesting theme found in nearly every single one. They start off with a big impressive action sequence, give us a tedious hour or so of lots of political exposition, double crosses and espionage talk, and then deliver an impressive final act with an even bigger action sequence to close out the film. Goldeneye is no exception and follows this theme religiously.

This particular Bond entry seems to be a lot of people's favorite, so I went in with some high expectations, only to find it mildly amusing and fairly bland for the most part. I did enjoy it, but not as much as I had hoped, and not nearly as much as I did the 2 previous Bond films that starred Timothy Dalton.

Pierce is just tailor made for the role of 007. Back in the 80's when they were really trying to get him on board, everyone just assumed it would eventually happen because it's just such a natural fit for him. Of course the powers that be wouldn't let that happen until 1995, but considering how difficult it was to actually make it happen, especially when the Bond franchise took a big hit with License to Kill, thus sending the series into limbo for 6 years, I think we're damn lucky we were able to eventually get him at all. In regards to his portrayal of the character, I kind of like the way they went back to the Roger Moore style of Bond; womanizing to a fault and full of cheesy puns. As much as I enjoyed Dalton's dead serious take on the character, I did miss the chuckle a bad pun would elicit.

Bringing Martin Campbell on board as director really added a touch of class to the film. I've always loved Campbell's work, and often consider him an underrated director. While I haven't seen all of his films, the ones I have seen I consider successful because of his involvement as a very talented and visually competent director. I'd always enjoyed No Escape, but it wasn't until I recently saw Cast A Deadly Spell for the first time that I really took notice of how great he was at putting a picture together, and of how he can really tackle any genre and make it look good. Like any director, his output has been hit or miss throughout his career, but his highlights include Criminal Law (1988), Cast A Deadly Spell (1991), Goldeneye (1995) and The Mask of Zorro (1998). Of course, he would also go on to direct the painful and dreaded Green Lantern live action film in 2011, and he's never really been able to recover since then. But hey, they loved his work so much in this one that they hired him again to reignite the franchise once again with Daniel Craig 4 in Casino Royale in 2006.

For me, I found Goldeneye to be a bit boring. It does excel in character development though, but the big reveal that comes later as to the identity of the villain was no big surprise. When the action takes center stage though, the film delivers the goods. Ultimately I enjoyed it, but it's not one I would probably revisit often.

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Directed by: Roger Spottiswoode

Whatever issues I had about the pacing of Goldeneye were completely turned on it's head with this next installment, making it easily my favorite Bond film after The Living Daylights, which totally threw me for a loop because I just was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did.

The Brosnan era of Bond films never seem to get much love. People agree he's a great Bond, but the films themselves never get the love or reception that other Bond films do. Except, at the time, his Bond films were the most successful and profitable, so you have to wonder where all the negativity came from?

In the middle of all these Brosnan films is one that never gets any real recognition period, and that's Tomorrow Never Dies, released 2 years after Goldeneye. For me, this particular entry was a blast from start to finish. Why? Because it's literally a nonstop action-fest with one insane action sequence after another. I can't remember the last time a Bond film had so much action! Are there even any that can compare? Not only that, it's meticulously and beautifully directed by Roger Spottiswoode, a director I've grown to love more and more after his brilliant 80's thriller Shoot to Kill just floored me. In fact, I consider this the best looking James Bond film of all those I've seen to date.

Now let's get to the heart of the film, and in this case, it's the action. And let me tell you, there is a ton of it in here. Essentially, it's really just one long action sequence after another, and with the inclusion of Michelle Yeoh, who is easily the most badass Bond Babe I've ever seen in one of these, ups the anty significantly. In fact, because of her inclusion, they felt it only right to try and give her something worth participating in, especially with her skills, So you can expect a lot of hand to hand martial arts fights, along with some mightily impressive stunts. In the end, though she does end up being needing to be rescued on a regular basis herself, she comes off as being one of the best and most badass Bond Babes ever.

Terri Hatcher makes a small but surprising appearance here, and really does wonders with the limited screen time she's given. The guy who ultimately steals the show though is an actor by the name of Gotz Otto, who plays the villains right hand man. A big hulking bad guy with bleach blond hair who just exudes classic bad guy machismo. His character is a bit of a throwback to the type of henchman/villain that you really don't see anymore, much less in a James Bond film. He carries almost a superhuman strength and doesn't question anything. He just does what his boss tells him to do, not once caring whether anyone else dies in the process.

I really can't praise this installment enough. It's a never-ending roller coaster ride of nonstop action and stunts on a grande scale. Everything works amazingly well in here, from Spottiswoodes' direction, to the addition of a kick ass sometime adversary, sometime partner in Michelle Yeoh, to the hammy and righteously clever performance from Jonathan Pryce (Brazil) as the villain, and lest we not forget the always reliable one-liners, of which there are plenty. Tomorrow Never Dies ranks as one of my all-time favorite Bond films to date.

The World is Not Enough (1999)
Directed by: Michael Apted

With 2 solid entries into the Bond franchise during Pierce Brosnan's tenure, they keep up the tradition with this one, another great 007 film. What I liked about this one was that it took all the great espionage elements of Goldeneye, and combined it with all the great action of Tomorrow Never Dies, and gave us a film that caters equally, with great effect, to both sides of the spectrum. For those that are not fans of a lot of action, this film offers up equal amounts of undercover espionage, and for those that find the espionage stuff boring, this film will give you a lot of action set pieces to even it out.

Of all the Brosnan Bond films, I think Tomorrow Never Dies is still my favorite, but this one comes in a very close second. This is such a great entry all around. It reminded me a lot of the vibe and tempo of The Living Daylights, only they took the Bond character and took him back to his Roger Moore roots by giving him ample amounts of cheesy puns, and of course, plenty of women to bed. In fact, it's kind of gotten ridiculous how much time he puts into trying to score with women when he should be focusing on the job at hand. Which brings me to an interesting bit of casting in this film. I'm of course referring to Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist by the name of Christmas Jones. Yes, you read all of that correctly. I guess I can understand her reasoning in wanting the role, since it would be a drastic departure from the roles she's usually known for, but that doesn't mean she's right for the part, and guess what? She isn't. In fact, she's pretty terrible. You just don't believe her as a nuclear physicist, I'm sorry. And it's not me being someone who thinks of her as a dimwit or bimbo, it's in her delivery and it's just not believable. In fact, it's laughably unbelievable. Yet it doesn't make her the worst Bond babe of the series. That honor would go to an actress in the next installment.

Robert Carlyle makes a formidable villain in this film. Though I'm typically used to him playing crazy and playing it well, he delivers a much more restrained performance here and it works. Here he plays a villain who's slowly dying from a brain injury that while killing him slowly, also makes him feel no pain, which is kinda cool since he's pretty much invincible. I've seen more memorable villains in these, but I've also seen worse. John Cleese was a surprisingly awesome and welcome addition to the franchise as Q's understudy and lackey R. His particular sense of humor and dry wit fits the role well and so good is he in the role that you imagine that that's what he's like in real life, so it wasn't even like it was much of a stretch at all. Ultimately Cleese would go on to be the official Q in the next installment after the sudden passing of longtime Q Desmond Llewelyn.

This was easily the most classy of the bunch in my opinion. It's a clever film, highly engaging, explosive and full of thrills that so many of the Bond films in any era sorely miss. I think a lot of what makes this work so well can be attributed to director Michael Apted, who cut his teeth with dramas and thrillers, only to discover he had a knack for and be a natural fit for this kind of stuff. While most Bond films have that "one" thing that makes them stand out from any of the others, that single element whether it be a villain, actor, moment, stunt; when it comes to this film, the first word that comes to mind is "quality".

Die Another Day (2002)
Directed by: Lee Tamahori

And then we get to this last film in Pierce Brosnan's reign as James Bond. I don't even know where to begin. I should have known right from the start with the laughably awful theme song sung by Madonna, easily the worst Bond theme song I've ever heard. But that's just the beginning of this nightmare. Die Another Day was just terrible. It's so bizarre, so over the top, and so lazy that it almost comes off as a sort of parody on the James Bond films. Nothing makes sense, nothing is at any level plausible, and the amount of absurdity found from start to finish will make your head spin. The bad puns and jokes don't even land. They end up being cringe-inducing more than anything. Literally everything that made these James Bond films so fun during Pierce Brosnan's run completely falls apart with this final entry before rebooting the series yet again years later.

It's pretty sad that they had to send off Brosnan in such a spectacularly awful film. Unlike Roger Moore's final Bond film A View To A Kill, which was mainly bad in that it was terribly dull and boring, this one is legitimately bad in nearly every sense of the word. Too bad too, since Brosnan had a very fine run with every previous film before this being a very solid and entertaining 007 film.

Bringing Halle Berry on board didn't help matters much either. You'd think she would be a natural fit for a Bond babe, but to my surprise, she was pretty terrible. I wish I could say that it was because of the dreadful dialogue, but the sad truth is that her delivery was mostly at fault. She comes off as someone who hasn't acted much in films before, which couldn't be farther from the truth. I don't know, it's hard to explain why or how she ended up being terrible in this when she was actually nominated and won an Oscar, which was just around the same time this was released.

One of the staples of any 007 film is of course, the action and stunt sequences. Really, if a James Bond film didn't have any action then it wouldn't be any good. A View To A Kill is a great reminder why. Die Another Day does offer a lot of action, there's no denying that. But the action jumps so far into parody that it's just dumb. And because of the specific location and storyline involved, a lot of effects work, both practical and CGI is utilized, and it's terrible and shoddy looking low-grade effects work that I find shocking and confusing to be in a James Bond film. The entire invisible car idea is the topper.

I will admit though that the film does at least start strong with a very cool action sequence. Hell, I found the villains to be interesting too, but everything else is just so underwhelming and over-indulgent to the point of it being farcical. I struggle to imagine a script being approved with everything in here and that it passed through so many hands and so many departments and levels of authority before getting the okay. And that it "still" got greenlit into production just kind of blows my mind. What kind of film did they think they were going to make? Was the high level of absurdity on purpose? I don't know if I even care to know at this point. I can go on and on, like for example, why are there samurai warrior statues on a plane at the end of the film? Is it just so that Bond and the villain can each have an excuse to grab a sword in the middle of a fight?

Director Lee Tamahori has never really made a film that stood out among his filmography, unless you count Once Were Warriors, which was actually pretty good. But nothing he'd made prior to this film would indicate he was capable of handling such a property, and when you watch the final product, that grounded suspicion is confirmed. He can't. Every director has that one bad film in their resume, and this one is most definitely his.

There is so much about this particular entry that just blows my mind. For example, it's written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who not only wrote the excellent previous installment The World is Not Enough, but would later go on to write some of the franchise's best with Casino Royale and Skyfall. What happened?! During it's release, it was the largest earning Bond film to date, making it the most successful. It currently carries a 6.1 on IMDB and a 59% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which are far more charitable than it deserves.

What I learned from watching these 4 films is that the Pierce Brosnan Bond films are the most profitable (at the time) and some of the best James Bond films out of the entire franchise, except for the last one. I don't know how these haven't gotten more love and praise than they have, because it's richly deserving. Each film only got better and stronger, but even beginning with Goldeneye, they were leaps and bounds better than some of the previous installments with other actors portraying 007. Sadly, all that hard work falls apart with Die Another Day, a disaster of mega proportions for the franchise. 

From this point on I will move onto the Daniel Craig era before heading back to finish the Roger Moore 007 films, of which I've only seen 3 to date. Stay tuned....

Street Fighter: The Movie - What Went Wrong; A Look Behind A Trainwreck

Back in 2015, Chris Plante wrote a fascinating article for Polygon on the troubled production of the now infamous Street Fighter movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. By now, most of us know that it was just a huge mess right from the get-go, and that there was a whole lotta trouble brewing behind the scenes, but I don't think most of you know just how screwed up things really were.

We can all agree that Street Fighter was not the film we were hoping for. In fact, it's just awful, yet it's still fun because it's awful in a very cheesy way. One thing is for sure, it's never boring. Yes it's highly cheesy and unintentionally silly, but damned if it isn't also entertaining in it's very own "it's a disaster that I can't take my eyes off of" kinda way. Unfortunately the film didn't mirror the awesomeness of the Street Fighter games. Though I feel that only "some" of the characters were represented fairly decently, a vast majority were not, and that was only one of the many, many innumerable problems with this.

Legendary action film screenwriter Steven E. de Souza was set to make his feature film directorial debut, after being a hit-maker for others having written Commando, 48 Hrs., Another 48 Hrs. Die Hard 1 & 2 and Ricochet by this point. He wanted to transition to director as well, and what better way than with a live action Street Fighter film that would also be starring Jean-Claude Van Damme? Well, let's just say it was a nightmare right from the start, albeit a fascinating one. Plante delivers a fantastic and thoroughly engrossing article that delves deep into what went wrong during the production of this ill-fated disaster. It's so entertaining in fact that I hope someone turns this into a feature length documentary. That would just be amazing. In the meantime, enjoy this highly entertaining article from Chris Plante HERE.

Revisiting Roland Emmerich's Stargate

1994
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Category: Sci-Fi

You might be surprised to learn that I literally haven't seen this since it first came out in theaters. Gasp! I know. I have no excuse really. If you know me, then you know that these kinds of films are the ones I am usually a big fan of, yet for some reason I kind of just forgot about this one. But recently my wife and I had gotten into a discussion about Egypt, and it reminded me of this, and I thought it would be a fun film to revisit for myself, and to get to show to her for the very first time. Though there have been several releases of this on DVD and Blu Ray, I "unwisely" decided on the Extended Cut 2007 Blu Ray release since it was insanely cheap, a decision I ultimately regret. So let's dig in.

What can I say? This was a blast from start to finish. It's easily one of the best examples of these types of films, and best of all, it's aged tremendously well since it's 1994 release. And that really says a lot, especially these days. The idea that this film was made 23 years ago using a host of practical effects before CGI had completely taken over, yet does the job far better says a lot about the state of effects work today. And this is one of the charming things about this film and why it works so well. For a film that relies so heavily on effects work, it's done superbly well in an old school way, and it never comes off as looking or feeling cheap. In fact, so impressed was I with everything that my first thought was how the world of film really missed a great opportunity in putting a Dune remake in Roland Emmerich's hands back in the mid 90's. That would have been the prime time to do it cheaply and effectively, and Emmerich was really hitting his groove with practical effects work on a grande visual scale.

As I sat back and absorbed this highly enjoyable 90's sci-fi tale, I was also struck by how fantastic everything looked aesthetically. Emmerich definitely had a very specific modus operandi back then, which is clearly evident in his early films like Moon 44, Universal Soldier, Stargate and Independance Day. It began to alter a bit with Godzilla in 1998, only for him to go back to the former with The Patriot in 2000. But it didn't last, as he adopted a less impressive and less "trademark" methodology with his big budget effects heavy disaster pics The Day After Tomorrow, 10,000 B.C. and 2014. But it's with these earlier efforts that he really displayed an incredible eye for framing and structuring a scene. Even with the sequences that take place out in the desert, which you would think would be difficult without much of anything to work with, his ability to composite a shot is impeccable. What blew my mind even more were these same moments outside, on the desert planet during a battle, with mini ships flying overhead while shooting lazers at our protagonists. It was practically done, and looked real. How did he do that?!

I was worried that time would not be kind to this film, especially knowing that this was pre-CGI. I mean, there is a bit of that in here, like when the Egyptian masks come off by way of folding away, but it's not overly done, and what is in here isn't terrible. But they are dated. Luckily the CGI is kept to a minimum, and the majority of them are done utilizing old school model work, camera tricks and composite shots, and it looks fucking amazing. Even when you take the effects and visual aspect of this out, it's still a very fun and engaging film. It never skips a beat and never takes itself too seriously, which tends to put a damper on films when they think they're too smart and take all the fun out of the experience. It tends to happen more often than you think.

Roland Emmerich and writing/producing partner Dean Devlin really needed a breakout hit; something that would really put them on the map. Their previous film, Universal Soldier, while solid and technically profitable, didn't really blow audiences away and wasn't the big runaway action hit they were banking on. Still, it wasn't a flop either and opened the doors for the duo to continue making bigger and better films, which would in fact bring them to Stargate just 2 years later. Stargate not only opened those doors for them, but it blew them wide open and literally created an entire new franchise. While there weren't anymore Stargate sequels (surprisingly), there were plenty of television series such as Stargate: SG1, Stargate: Atlantis, and Stargate: SGU. So the Stargate franchise has been continuously busy and lucrative since this first entry into the Stargate universe. 2 years later Emmerich and Devlin would indeed have that mega-blockbuster they had always wanted with Independence Day in 1996, which would simultaneously create a box office star out of Will Smith.

I really can't praise this film's fun factor enough. Engrossing, sometimes funny, sometimes exciting, and all around fascinating, combined with a stellar cast, a spirited script by Emmerich and Devlin, and Emmerich's stylish direction elevate this to superior levels of awesome. These type of films were plentiful back in the 90's, with a good majority of them just being okay. Not a lot of them are so good that they ended up creating a whole new franchise, or better yet, leave a lasting impression and legacy the way this one has. Don't get me wrong. It's not a masterpiece by any means. In fact, I know people who feel it's not all it's cracked up to be, or that it hasn't aged well, and I can see how they would feel that way. It's a very valid sentiment. For my personal taste though, I find it an exceedingly well made and fun film. It's better than you remember it being and it's far more entertaining than it has any right to be.

Which Blu Ray To Choose:
As I mentioned before, I watched this on the 2007 Extended Cut Blu Ray release. I got this release because it was insanely cheap. I'm talking under $5, and the product itself is a reflection of that cheap price. There are no extra's included, making it as bare-bones as could possibly be. The picture quality is decent, until it gets to the moments that take place inside the dark pyramid. Suddenly the quality drops by major degrees and it becomes frustratingly grainy for the most part. Any other scene is fine, it's only noticeable when it comes to these specific moments in the film. I would strongly recommend picking up the 2009 15th Anniversary Edition on Blu Ray, which I intend to do when I upgrade eventually. This edition comes with a plethora of extra's including commentaries, trailers, documentary's and more, and the picture quality should be an improvement over the previous release.

Ben Wheatley's Free Fire Looks To Be A Return to Form For The Director

I find Ben Wheatley to be a hit or miss filmmaker for me. He never really sticks to a particular style or even genre, but generally delivers an interesting film, except for High Rise, which was just a huge mess all around. I'm not even sure if it was entirely his fault, or if the book was just too difficult to translate to the screen. Either way, it was bad, which is a shame because it had potential.

But while Kill List was just alright, I enjoyed A Field In England so much that I'm always willing to give the guy another chance. I know he has it in him and well, it looks like maybe his next film, Free Fire may very well be that film I've been waiting for. Sure it's not all that original an idea, and I'm sure a lot of people will start comparing it to other similar films, but hey, when you come off an experience like High Rise, maybe he just wanted to do something more easy and fun, and Free Fire certainly looks to be that.

Some of you may have already seen this trailer by now, as it's been out for months and I'm only now becoming aware of it, but when it played before my recent rental of The Monster, I was kind of floored by it's frenetic pace and energy, and when I saw it was a Ben Wheatley film, I was pretty much sold. I'm not expecting anything but a good time, so I hope it can deliver.

Robocop 2 Coming to Blu Ray

Wow. Since deciding to dedicate more time and energy into my passion, which is films and talking about them, I have been on a nonstop roll since December, with January being one of the most productive months on here for as long as I can remember. These past few days have been difficult though. I've seen a lot of stuff, but have been finding it difficult to sit down and finish a review on any of them. So I thought I'd share some exciting news about a new release that I'm all for. And that is Shout! Factory releasing Robocop 2 on Blu Ray.

Why is this a big deal? Well it's because aside from a lackluster previous release that was part of a Blu Ray set released back in 2014, we've never actually gotten a legitimate standalone Blu Ray release of this underrated sequel. Weird right? You'd think it would be one of those random titles that constantly gets cheap and plentiful Blu Ray releases that you would find at any big box department store like Best Buy, Target and Walmart. Yet it hasn't, until now.

Shout! Factory will be releasing this for the very first time as a standalone Blu Ray release with a street date of March 21st. And as with most of their releases, if you pre-order it early, you get a FREE 18 X 24 inch poster featuring brand new artwork and even cooler, you get it 2 weeks early. As it's technically a Collector's Edition, you can be sure there will be some nifty extra's in the Special Features section. However, none have been listed as of this posting. Details are sure to come soon though.

This is also going to be a significant improvement compared to that previous release in terms of quality. Any person who purchased that Blu Ray trilogy will tell you the picture quality isn't any better than the previous DVD editions, which is a shame. The main reason to have purchased it at all was because it was a bargain price that you couldn't pass up, especially if you were a Robocop fan. Yea, you might not have bothered watching the 3rd one, but to have the first 2 was worth the price alone. So finally getting a chance to own it in a vastly improved edition will really be a welcome addition to your collection.

I've always loved this film, even if it gets shit on pretty regularly. I know it's not great, and it always feels like it could have been better, like it's lacking something, I don't know; structure? Maybe some better editing? But it doesn't take away from the fact that it's a fun experience for me overall. Just the talent involved is enough to warrant a revisit. Directed by Irvin Kirshner (The Empire Strikes Back), written by legendary comic book writer/illustrator Frank Miller (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns), and costarring Tom Noonan (Manhunter) as Kane, the villain. I mean, what a lineup! And it's also one of the last films to utilize a large variety of practical effects/model work extensively before CGI began to take over. These are all fundamentally great things at it's core, yet it doesn't always work. Again, there's just something "off" about the whole thing, yet it's still not bad. I can certainly understand the flack it gets. It has a sort of cheesy/bizarre vibe that keeps you hooked from the get-go. They try, to a degree, to emulate the sort of satire-ish sense of humor that the first film did so well, but they don't succeed nearly half as well. Of course, I do realize I'm in the minority on this one. I probably love it for all the reasons other's don't, but that's usually how it goes with films I adore.

If you know anything about the production or history of this particular entry, then you know that initially Frank Miller delivered an insane and over-the-top script. I'm talking balls-to-the-walls insanity. Of course, the powers that be made some drastic changes and what we ended up with is only a shell of what was originally intended. And you can feel it constantly throughout the film. Miller ultimately ended up turning his original idea's and script into a superb graphic novel, with some incredibly detailed art by the amazing Juan Jose Ryp. Seriously, it's pretty fucking awesome and if you call yourself a Robocop fan, you need to get this in your hands.

You can put your pre-order in directly from Shout! Factory via their official website for $24.93.

The Monster (2016) Film Review

2016
Directed by: Bryan Bertino
Category: Horror

It's rare when a film like this comes out and makes waves the way it has. Normally a film of this type comes and goes without much of a whimper, yet this one is different for a number of reasons. It's been attracting a lot of buzz for a DTV flick, and after finally seeing it, I can see why. For starters, you just don't see a monster movie that spends just as much time with the dysfunctional family drama as it does with the creature feature aspect to the film. It's a very well made film too, something that kind of took me by surprise. But it's also a painfully slow one, which I'll get more into later.

I'm pretty divided over this one because there were things I liked and didn't like about it. Let's start with the positives. It's an exceptionally sharp looking film, I'll give it that. And the monster design was really great. I'm kind of sick of every design for every monster or alien these days. They all seem to follow the same exact formula, and they're very boring. Here though they take more of an old school approach and it works really well. When the film is dealing with the creature feature aspect of the story, it's solid. I also need to give major props to the young actress who plays the daughter. I can't remember the last time I was impressed by a child actor the way I was with her. I mean, the amount of torment she was subjected to emotionally was sometimes hard to watch, but damned if she didn't handle it like a pro.

Now on to the negatives. I really wasn't into the drama, especially when I went in thinking it was a creature feature, which it is, but only in part. The dysfunctional family stuff seems to always catch you off guard because most of it is done through out-of-nowhere flashbacks, and it's really these parts that always took me out of the experience. It doesn't help that the mother is also a terrible human being and I found her utterly annoying. So much so that I hoped that she would just die already. Which I guess when you think about it the films title The Monster could refer to both the mother and the actual beast.

It's a painfully slow film. Seriously, it takes it's time setting things up and crawls at a snails pace, and that's been a complaint of a lot of people. The creature feature moments are great, but the back and forth between riveting monster mayhem and dysfunctional family drama wears itself thin pretty quickly. On one hand, the acting is great; you really feel for the little girl and absolutely hate the mother, which is what the film is supposed to do, but then on the other you're kind of just waiting for the beast to return so you can get back to the film you thought you were supposed to be watching.

Overall all it's a good film, but not a great one. It could have been though, if only writer/director Bryan Bertino (The Strangers, Mockingbird) had just stuck to the Creature Feature genre and strayed away from the family drama. It's competently made, which scores it some major points, and the acting is top notch. The creature design and effects were understated but effectively awesome. If they used CGI for any of it, I couldn't tell, which is pretty amazing for a low-budget feature. It kind of all falls apart because of the dramatic elements, which really paints a depressing picture all around. And that's what this film is, exorbitantly depressing, and it didn't really need to be.

The Return of Swamp Thing; Camp Done Right

1989
Directed by: Jim Wynorski

"He's Got a Grudge 'Cos They Turned Him To Sludge!"

I have no hangups admitting that I'm a pretty big fan of Jim Wynorski's stuff from around this time. For me, his 80's and going into the 90's ouput is pretty much his best work. While it's not necessarily "quality" work, I do enjoy some of it and his specific way of making films works well for some of them. Like Chopping Mall for example. Yes, it's very cheesy, dated, and a bit unintentionally silly. But those are also reasons why it's so great and fun. So when I learned that he was responsible for the Straight-to-Video sequel of Swamp Thing, it was only a matter of time before I got my hands on it. Other than Wynorski being at the helm, the only other thing I knew going in was that this sequel would take a much lighter and more campy approach to the material, pretty much doing a 180 from Wes Craven's dark and serious tone in the original years earlier. So let's dig in.

First thing you'll notice immediately is that this is a very different take on the character and franchise. But you know, I enjoyed it. It never strays too far into cheese or camp. It kind of just teeters on it without becoming too annoying. Yes, it's campy. There's no way around that, but it's never done in an overindulgent way. It's actually a bit charming. I don't think I ever rolled my eyes once, which says a lot. I also feel compelled to let you know that the movie itself isn't anywhere near as funny or silly as this poster leads you to believe, and that's a good thing.

I'm not going to gloat over this thing and say that it's amazing, because it's not. What it is though is fun, and if you can handle the huge shift in tone from the first film's starkly dark nature, you'll have a good time with this one. It doesn't take itself too seriously, but it doesn't stray too far into cheese or camp either. It just kind of dips it's toes in it, straddling that fine line just long enough to make it campy fun without becoming obnoxiously cheesy. But come on, just look at that cover. You have to expect a bit of that going in.

There are a few things this film does well though that will make it passable for most of you. For starters, Swamp Thing looks fucking awesome. I'm talking leaps and bounds better than his look in the first film, which comes courtesy of the Todd Masters Company, who did the effects work on this film. In fact, it's hard to take your eyes off of him whenever he's on screen because he just looks so amazing. Though it's the same stunt guy playing Swampie from the first film, Dick Durock, they made him bigger and much more muscular. Durock is already a big guy, but they really went all out to make him larger than life, including the other monsters he ends up battling throughout the film.

Louis Jourdan once again returns as the villain Dr. Arcane, but we're also treated to the always enjoyable baddie Sarah Douglas as Arcane's sidekick. Heather Locklear is the headliner here though, and well, she does fine with the material she's given, which isn't saying much. Personally, I find her kind of annoying, mostly due to her delivery, but her lines don't help either. In the film she plays a sassy and tough step-daughter to Dr. Arcane who comes for a visit in hopes of proving he was responsible for her mother's death years ago. She runs into Swamp Thing, and naturally falls in love with him. Together they join forces to defeat Arcane and put a stop to his monstrous experiments. See? Doesn't that sound like fun?

Wynorski's direction style suits the material well, and while he won't win any awards, the way he effectively shoots it and puts it all together works far better than most others who would have tried to tackle this project. What can I say? I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff when it's done well, and Return of Swamp Thing is done well. I could have done without the 2 annoying kids that pop up from time to time, but as a whole, it's a fun time.

I should also note that it's produced by Benjamin Melniker and Michael Uslan, who also ended up producing Tim Burton's Batman this very same year, which would go on to make history. So there is some legitimate talent here and it shows. Sure people will always mention the fact that it's low-budget and cheesy, which is true, but it's also a very solid film from beginning to end, fun, campy and everyone brings their best to the table. It never overstays it's welcome and proves that if you have just the right combination of talent at just the right time, you can deliver a film that truly captures the spirit of that very niche genre.

Director Spotlight: Peter Hyams

This is a new series I will begin to devote some time to in the future. Oftentimes I get on a tangent about a director I just absolutely love while doing a review and end up spending more time talking about the director rather than the actual film itself. So here I will spotlight directors I feel don't get the credit or love they deserve.

Peter Hyams is a tremendously underrated director. He's tackled nearly every genre, nearly hitting the mark every time. He's directed films you may not even realize he was responsible for, and there may be several of his that you like, but never knew they were from the same director because he shifts genre's so often that you'd never put two and two together. But one thing is certain, he never wavers from his very specific visual style. They all "look" the same, and in an industry where directors constantly shift their approach and style, it's pretty refreshing. When he's on fire, he displays a very specific look to his films, an aesthetic that is awesomely consistent, and when you look at his career and track record, it's hard to believe that with so many films and so many different genre's, he's never changed his visual style in all that time. It's also important to note that he's one of the very few directors who also acts as his own Director of Photography/Cinematographer, meaning he has full control over every single shot.

I'm not going to bore you by naming every single film he's ever done, rather I'll touch on the ones I personally enjoy and love. I guess you can say I'd always been a fan of his without ever really knowing it. I love his films, and when I sit back and list them all, I can now understand why.

Outland (1981)
This is probably the first film I saw of his that really stood out and made me take notice of who actually directed it. It's a shockingly underrated science fiction thriller that delivers the goods tenfold. Visually, it's some of his best work, and the fact that it was made in the early 80's only adds to the films incredible overall aesthetic. It's been referred to as a sort of High Noon set in space, and I can see that. For me, it's pretty much a great thriller that just happens to be set in space, offering some outstanding effects work and a great cast. There isn't a single thing lacking in this film that I would add. It boasts a pretty great cast led by Sean Connery as a by-the-book officer newly assigned to a space station where a new drug is killing people. Incredible practical effects and a constant sense of tension elevate this above most of the sci-fi films of this time. It's just a great film all around and the blu ray is absolutely worth a purchase.

2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984)
Here's another highly underrated sci-fi tale that I would go so far as to call a masterpiece. When I revisited this one recently, I was immediately enthralled by how strong it was as a film, and while a sequel to an already certified classic, still manages to live up to that reputation. You can't really compare the genius of Kubrick to the genius of Hyams, but as it's own film, it's pretty spectacular, offering up ample amounts of intensity as a thriller, and copious amounts of intelligence as a smart science fiction film. Of course, I think the best thing this film has going for it is it's incredible visuals, and again, being the early 80's, the design of everything is just amazing, but one thing that 2010 does and does well is make sense. As a sequel to a film that most people found utterly confusing, Hyams and author Arthur C. Clarke do a fantastic job of explaining the events of the first film so that it makes actual sense, and allows the events of this film to unfold in a more comprehensible manner. Another one of his films you can get very cheaply on blu ray and a must have for your collection.

Running Scared (1986)
After 3 consecutive thrillers, Hyams dipped his toes into the comedy genre with this highly successful and underrated action comedy. There are a lot of reasons why this one works so well. For starters, the script is pretty sharp, and does a fine job mixing action and thriller elements into the mix. The duo of Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines really make the film as successful as it is; they really play off each other exceedingly well. But what really puts it all together so well for me is Peter Hyams' solid direction. He infuses the film with a grittiness that you wouldn't normally expect from an action/comedy, but does it in a way that it works effectively well. One of the things I liked about this was seeing Billy Crystal semi-serious and handling the action like a seasoned pro. Seeing him shooting a gun, doing stunt-work and pretty much not being funny was refreshing. Running Scared is also a ton of fun from beginning to end, and if you're as old as I am, then Michael McDonald's "Sweet Freedom" theme song will make your day.

The Presidio (1988)
Here's one that I only barely got around to for the first time just about a year or so ago, and honestly, I kinda loved it. It's a very simple and straight-forward thriller about an investigation into a series of murders and a detective (Mark Harmon) and a colonel (Sean Connery) who do not get along but must work together to try and solve them. Like I said, pretty straight-forward stuff, and it is, but it's also pretty riveting and highly entertaining if you're in the mood for this kind of stuff. And me, I'm always down for a solid 80's thriller, and The Presidio does not disappoint. Again, it's all anchored by Hyams' solid direction and ability to give the film a consistent style that's both slick and gritty. On the surface, this could easily have been passed over to Made-for-TV territory, but Hyams delivers a thriller with all the bells and whistles, in effect, delivering a film that looks and plays out bigger than it actually is. Today it probably wouldn't be a film that would make it into theaters, only because we live in such a different era and unless they know for a fact that it's going to make them money, then they usually just pass these off to the DTV market or streaming sites. The Presidio is worthy of your time. There's nothing remarkable about this film in general, but sometimes that's okay.

Stay Tuned (1992)
Man, there's just not enough praise I can give this obscure hidden gem. It's so bizarre, and yet it's so awesome at the same time. Sure it helps that it's set in the 80's, but it's also highly clever, even if the story is a bit bonkers. When a lazy tv-obsessed family man is sucked into the tv by servants of hell, he must try and find his way back home. Through his journey we see a plethora of random and popular television shows and movies that have been spun with an evil twist, which are just hilarious. There's really no other way to describe this other than it's just a lot of fun, spirited, and very endearing. Seeing John Ritter in a starring role was icing on the cake, and a sad reminder of how we lost a real talent and legend. I think what will surprise a lot of people that surprisingly, this also works as one of Hyams' most visually impressive films. I know, strange since it's a comedy that didn't do very well or even hit theaters, but trust me, it's full of really clever sight gags and inventive camerawork that keep it refreshing throughout. I really can't get enough of this film. It's remarkable in such a quirky and unconventional way. You really just can't "not" have a great time with this one.

Timecop (1994)
Timecop would be the first of his one-two punch of Van Damme films back to back, and 2 of Van Damme's better films I might add. Based on a comic from Dark Horse Comics, Hyams takes the action/sci-fi story and adds a touch of class to the entire thing. Sadlly, this was around the beginning of Van Damme's downward spiral both in his personal life and box office appeal due to constant drug use and personal problems. There are films around these years where it's painfully evident, but luckily doesn't show up here. Though the film is enjoyable, it never really achieves the level of awesome it could, and that's largely due to an uneven script. Hyams once again delivers a great looking film, and Van Damme does a fine job in a film that relies less on his physical abilities this time around. Not a standout per say, but a very entertaining film, and one of Van Damme's better and more competent films.

Sudden Death (1995)
Of the 2 collaborations between these two, I love Sudden Death the most. It's nothing outstanding or remarkable or anything, but if you're in the mood for a solid Die Hard style action flick, then you just can't go wrong with this highly underrated Die Hard clone. In fact, of all the "Die Hard in a..." style films out there, of which there are plenty, I found this to be one of the best ones. I'm still not really sure why it doesn't get much love. It's a pretty badass and fun "terrorist takes siege of an arena" action film that has ample amounts of solid action, thrills, stunts, and once again, Hyams delivers some outstanding visuals that gives the film a professional look that most of these types of films are sorely missing. There really were so many of these films around this time, so I guess I can see how some just got lost in the mix. I actually think it's one of Van Damme's best films, and one that oftentimes gets overlooked. It's a great action film if you give it a chance.

The Relic (1997)
Surprisingly, this was a film I only barely saw for the first time just a few months ago. I'm not really sure why either. I love Hyams, and the fact that he's doing a monster film should have been the clencher, but I guess something about the whole thing just didn't click with me, so I never really actively sought it out. Too bad too because it's actually a very good film, and a big departure from most of his other films. Taking place primarily in a museum, the film utilizes it's dark setting to great effect. It always seems like there are never enough lights on, so the film is literally really dark. Lots of work with shadows and empty voids of darkness heighten the thrills and intensity significantly. Plus, seeing Tom Sizemore in a lead role as the grumpy, moody, smartass detective investigating a series of murders in the museum is always a thrill. The film itself is solid, and a welcome entry into the monster movie genre. What works for the most part is that Hyams combines both practical and digital effects, rather than just sticking with CGI, which is what most people would have done. He also keeps the beast in the shadows, so you never get a clear look at him till the end, which works really well for both the story and effects work. Had the monster been front and center for the entire ride, then you'd see some very 90's looking CGI that don't hold up very well today. Even still, that's kept to a minimum, thankfully, and the film as a whole is pretty fun, dark, violent, and thrilling.

1997 And Beyond

Sadly, this was Hyams' last great film in a stellar career. While he continued to direct up until 2013, nothing after The Relic ever matched his diverse and quality output from earlier in his career. Films like Schwarzenegger's lackluster and sometimes odd End of Days, the odd kung fu/swashbuckling The Musketeer, and a few more that no one remembers. He took a 4 year break before reteaming with Van Damme again for Enemies Closer in 2013. Though it would ultimately go straight to home video and streaming, I was pretty excited when I learned he would be coming back to the action genre, and also be reteaming with JCVD. However, once I actually saw the film, I found it a very bland and tedious film with no substance. What's worse, Hyams very specific way of shooting is virtually non-existent in here. Had the film at least looked good, that would have scored some points with me, but here he seems to fall prey to the lazy handheld camerawork that is so prominent in these films today. And while I always enjoy JCVD as a villain, it's just not very interesting here, making Enemies Closer a pretty forgettable film overall and his last directing gig.

Surprisingly enough, I saw Peter Hyams recently in the fascinating ESPN documentary OJ: Made In America. He had directed OJ Simpson in Capricorn One back in the 70's when he was trying to break out into films and had continued a long and lengthy friendship with the athlete and sometime actor until the murder of his wife made headlines. 

I hope that if anything, this will get some of you more familiar with his work, or in the least, will get you to revisit some of his films. He's a surprisingly versatile filmmaker, sometimes writing the screenplays himself, such as with 2010: The Year We Make Contact, where it was nominated for several Academy Awards in 1985. I've always considered him a favorite, and I hope you will too.