Filtering by Category: action

Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)

What do Mortal Kombat,  Rocky IV,  Wayne's World , and The original Crow  have in common? They all share actors with this movie! This bad boy is definitely not for the kids, however, containing some language, a bunch of nudity, and even more violence. For the adults in the audience who are fans of classic 80's and 90's action flick, you are going to find yourself right at home with this one.

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Singham (2011)

Subtitles aside, this movie is a complete blast. I understand that I probably lost some of you with the disclosure that it has subtitles, but for those of you who are still present you already probably now that each foreign place has a specific charm to its movies - China has Kung Fu, Japan has a lot of weirdness, and India has Bollywood for example. Well, in this case we are stepping more into Bollywood, which opens up a couple of avenues that aren't usually there for the walking when I go into the review step (such as a bit more playful and intentional use of musical numbers), so it's really like a double-stage level of enthusiasm for this one. The only real thing that makes me not  want to do this review is the inevitable horrible butchering of the poor actor's names I'm about to put forth...

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Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)

I may be a young adult male, but there's still something to be said of the charm of family-oriented movies. From the get-go, Journey 2  lets you know that it aims to please in what one expects of a family film - a whimsical plot filled with imaginative visuals and eccentric characters, as well as the deep touching undercurrents of topics that some younger folks may not get. It rather much delivers on its promise to deliver as well, even if as I sit and watch it, I can't help but feel that the flick was oriented towards a 3-D experience over the simple 2-D plane I was watching it on.

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Shark Week (2012)

Taking the spirit of Discovery 's Shark Week into heart, I'd like to spin you a cautionary tale of knowledge about a misunderstood creature: B-movies are a much enthused genre of movies for folks looking for all manner of fun - be it stupid and grotesque, or intellectual and unique - but made on a (normally) less-than stellar budget. Over the years, these films have developed their own set of cliches and styles, which is sometimes emulated by producers who have a bit more money to throw at it than others (such as SyFy channel's notorious strings of original movies), while still retaining the low brow humor and fun often associated with them. Many are even made mockingly of more well known of higher budget films. However, in the existence of all these films, one groups stands aside as hands down the worst  movies I have ever seen (seriously, they'd be as bad as Uwe Boll if it wasn't for the fact that I think they try to be bad intentionally) - and thy name is Asylum.

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Every Which Way But Loose (1978)

 Clint Eastwood, a pretty girl, country music, fistfights, and an orangutan. If any of these things sound like they are up your alley, then you have got to catch this movie. Built for a generation of filmgoers who cared more about having a good time and enjoying themselves then those looking for spot-on realism and super-gritty takes on the world, this movie delivers every bit as much nonsense as it infers on the cover. Read on, fellow person, and I'll tell you exactly what I thought about this foray into a seemingly lost art.

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Iron Man: Rise of Technovore (2013)

Insert some Black Sabbath  and say "I am Iron Man." I mean, really, that's the first thing to come to mind when anyone thinks of Iron Man, right? Well, he's back in animated form (the character, not the actor) with a small scale assortment of known heroes and some distinctly Japanese-flavored new ones in this animated adventure. If you're a bit pressed for time, let me assure you that if you enjoyed his live-action romps, then you should find yourself a happy place for this one.

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Smokey and the Bandit II (1980)

All the crew from the original is back in town for this sequel. The nice part about this is there are a lot of familiar faces, and characters that we get to see some new tidbits about. Will the road runner (Bandit) escape that devoted coyote (Justice) yet again, or will the law finally have it's day? Either way, it ought to be a real hoot.

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Pacific Rim (2013)

 I've been a fan of the mech genre for years now - mostly thanks to anime and video games - to the extent that I've actually seen Robot Jox, and I don't want to think of how many Gundam  shows, so I at first really didn't want to review this one (I mean, if you are a fan of something it can be pretty hard to distance yourself from it and place a solid level-headed judgement upon it) on the grounds of that and the fact that it still doesn't exist in an own-able form. Literally the only way you could see it is in theaters, until it's run is out, and then you'd have to wait till DVD release day - an unknown time that could be a horrendous drag - but what it comes down to is that I was impressed by the reactions of others  who had seen the movie so much that I just couldn't resist.

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Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

Do you like cars? Do you like Burt Reynolds? Do you like chase scenes, trucker lingo, and cops that aren't very good at their job? Well, then you are in for the ultimate movie to suit your tastes! If you don't like any of those things, I guess you might not be as enthused about this movie as the others, but you might want to pick up on the finer points before casting final judgement. 

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The Monster Squad (1987)

"Wolfman has nards!" If you know that line already chances are you, like me, are a fan of this movie. Feeling almost like a spiritual successor to The Goonies , with much higher stakes, it wasn't till many years after it's release that Monster Squad  started to get a heavy cult following. I personally was introduced to it via my mother, who had seen it earlier on and liked it enough to pick up a DvD of it when she came across it, and it wasn't much longer till I ended up using that DvD more than she did. That I'm a fan is one thing, but to deliver proper wealth of opinion here I won't simply just gloat over how you should feel like a lesser-person for having not seen it, because that's just my character. Seriously though, you should feel bad for not knowing anyone awesome enough to make you watch this movie.

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Interstella 5555 (2003)

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. On the same page, if a person were to look at that same picture with some form of music playing in the background, they might find that not only are those words changing more freely, but also that the picture is starting to generate feelings  within the viewer that might not be found otherwise.  It is in this vein that the band Daft Punk  decides to experiment, generating what some might consider a waste of time, and yet others will appreciate for long to come as a new spin on story telling, where the imaginative visuals combine with the music to form a whole new beast

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Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (2013)

Batman is one of those characters that despite what medium he happens to be appearing in, it's gonna be a blast. Comics, novels, live action movies, animations, and even games, the Bats has a way of making people want more and enjoy getting it. This movie is actually the second part (as the title would apply) in a pair, the earlier of which I had watched some time ago before I started doing these little reviews, so I feel at least a little bit awkward when it comes to doing this one. In that respect, I'm grateful that they both feel a bit functional as stand alone things - that is to say I enjoyed this one even forgetting most of the last movie (as I have a terrible memory span). Enough about me though, you came here to learn about the movie didn't you?

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Miami Connection (1987)

What did I just watch? From what you can gather from the box art and the blurb, you still really don't get an idea of what exactly it was that I just watched. I'm pretty sure that it was good, although it was also pretty bad, and at the very least I can say that whatever it was  I enjoyed it. It has heart, it has soul, and it has taekwondo. Why don't we all step back from trying to understand that  sentence and I'll get on with trying to make this a bit more understandable than it sounds already, but I will tell you that if any of you are at all familiar with how goofy 80's Far Cry: Blood Dragon was, then you might be able to make a few connections of your own.

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Forbidden Planet (1956)

There's a certain charm to older movies, before everything was CG this and cookie-cutter that. Visions of the future in comparison to today seemed as though they where far more out there in relation to the times, with flying saucers and more grandiose thoughts of technology. Forbidden Planet  has this charm and imaginative wealth, and it really is a nice change of pace from the modern science fiction where everything seems so functional and slightly modern. Back in the 1950's the future looked so alien .

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Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011)

I'm not gonna lie to you all and say I know the source material comics of Ghost Rider all that well - yeah, I own one, but its not exactly a starter or anything like that. I have seen the first movie, which like most superhero flicks was an origin take and I thought was relatively decent (if not very goofy). I mean, for a guy that's power literally came from a pact with the devil that causes him to turn into a flaming leather-clad skeleton biker at night in the presence of evil and kill them with their own sins , it seemed maybe a little out of place (all that humor). I tell you what, the Rider at the start of this movie? Holy cow, that escalated quickly!

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Over the Top (1987)

The 80's are home to some of the most entertaining movies ever made. You can try to prove me wrong here, but if those movies weren't as good as I claim, why does the current generation of filmmakers find the incessant urge to "remake" said films? A glorious time when action movies were filled with cheesy one liners, explosions, and macho men and yet still friendly enough that the entire family could tune in and watch. I've been told numerous times by Netflix that I should take the time to watch this, and upon urging of my reviewing compatriot TPB, I finally got off my duff and watched it - and since I watched it I figured I'd drop off a review, because I'm nice like that.

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Men in Black 3 (2012)

 The third installment of the Men in Black series, this one adds in the complex theory of time travel. The aliens, the agents, the adventure and world-saving all return, but the humor feels less frequent than the first two movies - even if most of the second movie's jokes where crude puns if anything (ballchinian?). Does the tag team duo of Agent K and J suit up for another thrilling film, or is this one more ho-hum than the last?

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The Man with the Iron Fists (2012)

Usually, you watch a movie based off of a simple premise that draws you in, and normally for most people that would be a genre that matches their mood. When this film originally hit theaters, I was pretty stoked because it had been a while since I had seen a good kung fu flick and this looked like it should be a pretty good kung fu flick. I never got around to watching it in theaters, however, as almost every reliable movie-opinion friend I had that happened to have seen it elaborated to me that quite frankly it wasn't very good.  Well, to quote the Dude , "That's like, your opinion man." You came here to find out my opinion though, and by the pillars of Kung Fu you are gonna get it!

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John Carter (2012)

Discovers a lush planet? I sure as heck hope you aren't talking about plant life description, because I think you could find more plant life in the middle of a crowded city! Aside from a description that is slightly misleading as to the color palette you will be feasting your eyes upon for the entirety of the movie, this little guy received very little box-office presence, but was it rightfully lost in a crowd of movies or just another casualty of a nit-picky audience that refuses to enjoy something made for entertainment? You may not have some cute space-dog to guide you like the wind, but stay with me and find out.

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