Category: Movies

The 10 Best 70s Action Movies

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Guy Vizard and ComingSoon present The 10 Best 70s Action Movies.  First of all hats off to Vizard on his list.  Usually I have to create my own Top 3 photo for the top of the post.  My top three matched Vizard’s photo perfectly.  With that said, using just Vizard’s list, here are his comments (and mine) for my top three:

Dirty Harry (1971)

When a crazed sniper attacks random citizens in San Francisco, Inspector “Dirty” Harry Callahan is charged with bringing the madman to justice. Between this role, and his Western roles, it’s easy to see why Clint Eastwood is the bad-ass who inspired generations of bad-asses to come. Callahan is the original tough-guy cop who carries a big gun. He doesn’t need words. He just understands that scum breeds more scum, and a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. Dirty Harry offers some extreme violence for the time, and brings up very realistic fears which are still relevant to this day. This movie, along with The French Connection, laid the ground work for every cop movie and TV show that followed.

Craig’s comments:  Dirty Harry is a classic.  I was 13 when I saw it on its initial theatrical release.  I don’t know how many times I’ve seen DH over the years, but it hasn’t lost any of its luster.  Vizard is on point when he says Dirty Harry “laid the ground work for every cop movie and TV show that followed.”

Enter the Dragon (1973)

Enter the Dragon is one of the most important martial arts movies of all time. This was the first time Hollywood had produced this type of film, and it brought Bruce Lee into the mainstream American cinema. The story follows a secret agent who must go undercover at a madman’s martial arts competition on an isolated island to uncover a secret opium-selling operation. Bruce Lee choreographed the amazing fights and stunt work. There are some truly notable fights in this movie, including the scene where Lee single-handedly takes on 50 men. The importance of this movie for both Chinese and American cinema, plus video-games and cartoons, cannot be overstated. There would be no Mortal Kombat without this movie.

Craig’s comments:  Enter the Dragon is probably the movie I’ve seen more times than any other outside of Rocky.  It was the first VHS movie I ever owned and I watched it repeatedly.  Enter the Dragon was Bruce Lee’s tour de force and is THE best martial acts movie of all time.

The Warriors (1979)

Based on a novel by Sol Yurick and directed by Walter Hill, The Warriors is a taut little action flick about a tough street gang wrongfully accused of killing the most powerful gang leader in the city. They must fight their way back to their home turf while avoiding every other gang that’s out for blood. Walter Hill brings such a cool style to this story about rival thugs, capturing some of the most fun characters and fistfights of the time. The music, lingo, and clothing are all fantastic. This is a fun, funky ride with crazy street warfare, all wrapped up in a colorful bow with a nice quick run time. Can you dig it?

Craig’s comments: Like Dirty Harry and Enter the Dragon, The Warriors is a classic action film.  No matter how many times you view The Warriors you can’t help but get sucked into the film as they battle their way back to safe ground.

The Top 20 Underrated Action Movies

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Riley Jones and Goliath present The Top 20 Underrated Action Movies.  Using just Jones’ list, here are his comments (and mine) for my top three:

The Last Boy Scout (1991)
Released in the early 90s, The Last Boy Scout features the unlikely duo of Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans. The story follows an LAPD detective (Willis) investigating a murder surrounding a football team. With the help of the victim’s former boyfriend (Wayans), the two embark on an action-packed adventure filled with explosions, gunfights, and hilarious one-liners.

Considering how popular Willis was as an action star at the time following the wildly successful Die Hard and its sequel, it’s surprising that The Last Boy Scout only grossed a mere $59.5M at the box office. Despite Wayans being relatively new to the scene, the film featured an entertaining and equally ridiculous story full of laughs and excitement that will keep you hooked from start to finish.

Craig’s comments: I think two things hurt The Last Boy Scout: 1) Many viewed it as more of a comedy than action film and 2) The opening scene of the football player running down the field and then pulling out a gun to shoot opposing players turned people off.   I loved The Last Boy Scout.  I felt it was the right mix of action and comedy with many memorable scenes including two of my favorites: “If you touch me again, I’ll kill you” and the scene in the alley when Bruce Willis is about to get killed and survives because of a, pardon the expression, “killing joke.”

The Rundown (2003)
This little known 2003 buddy comedy, directed by Peter Berg (Hancock) and starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Sean “That Guy Who Played Stiffler” William Scott, is an absolute hoot to watch. One of our personal favorites, The Rundown isn’t a great movie by any stretch; it features a fairly predictable plot and some pretty corny moments, but damn if it isn’t just a whole lot of fun to watch. Great cast chemistry can often elevate an average film, and that’s most definitely the case here, as Johnson and Scott play well with each other, while Christopher Walken’s villain is also a surprisingly organic contribution to the film. Is it going to win any Oscars? Definitely not, but it’s the kind of movie we’ll never turn off if we stumble upon it when we’re scrolling through the channels late at night. Also starring Rosario Dawson, it’s a nifty little movie with some really great fight scenes.

Craig’s comments: If The Rundown had been made a little later in Dwayne Johnson’s career, I believe it would have been a hit.  The Rundown is a great, fun buddy-movie.  What’s equally surprising to me (that it wasn’t a hit), is that there was never a sequel.

The Way of the Gun (2000)
Before he was directing the aforementioned Jack Reacher, Christopher McQuarrie was best known for both writing The Usual Suspects (1998) and directing this cult classic starring Ryan Phillippe, Benicio Del Toro, Juliet Lewis, Taye Diggs and James Caan. Following two ill-advised career criminals as they kidnap the surrogate mother of a strange and mysterious man, The Way of the Gun was the subject of many a lukewarm film review upon its release; however, like a fine wine its reputation has gotten much better with age. Now considered an underrated film in the action genre, The Way of the Gun features a particularly strong turn from the savvy veteran Caan.

Craig’s comments:  I love The Way of the Gun.  Admittedly, it’s not for everyone.  At times it’s profane, not politically correct and gory.  Still, The Way of the Gun is so unlike most Hollywood movies, with characters (and a great cast) in a story that’s so compelling, it draws me in any time it’s on or I pull out the dvd.

Craig’s additional comments: There were two Stallone movies (Demolition Man and Cliffhanger) that made Jones’ list that I almost put in my top three.  The reason I decided against including them is because, they’d be obvious choices for me and I think these other three films deserve greater notice as well.  I also didn’t include John Wick because I don’t think it is underrated.  Doesn’t everybody love John Wick?

11 Fascinating Facts About Sam Elliott

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Jake Rossen and Mental Floss present 11 Fascinating Facts About Sam Elliott.  I actually met Sam Elliott before he made the big time.  He was in Daytona Beach during Spring Break to promote Lifeguard.  Mr. Elliott was extremely down-to-Earth and easy to talk with.  Who knew that Lifeguard would lead to the career he’s had?  (And if you click over to the original post, you’ll learn it almost didn’t.)  At any rate, here are three of my favorites…

HE PLAYED EVEL KNIEVEL IN AN UNSOLD TV PILOT.
After moving to Hollywood in the late 1960s, Elliott scored a small role in a big film: 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. (He’s glimpsed only fleetingly during a card game.) In 1974, he had the opportunity to be the featured star, portraying daredevil legend Evel Knievel in a CBS television pilot. The series never went into production but wound up airing as a one-off special that March. Elliott went on to guest star in several series, including Hawaii Five-0 and Gunsmoke, before landing a lead role in a feature, 1976’s Lifeguard.

HE GOT PROPOSITIONED. A LOT.
Going from audition to audition early in his career, Elliott told syndicated columnist Rex Reed in 1980 that the proverbial casting couch was real. “You cannot believe the casting couch stories I could tell you, man,” he said. “The clichés are all true. I’ve had propositions from men and women, and I’ve turned them all down. It’s probably hurt me, but I’m the one who has to live with that guilt. My conscience is clear, even though my career is still not setting the world on fire.”

HE DOESN’T REALLY GET THE FASCINATION WITH HIS MUSTACHE.
For most of his roles, Elliott sports a soup strainer of a mustache: Thick, plush, well-weathered. When he goes without—as in his turn as a villain on FX’s Justified—it can be a little disarming, in the same way Superman looks a little odd without his cape. But Elliott doesn’t quite understand the cult of hair around his facial style choices. “The whole mustache thing is a mystery to me,” he told Vanity Fair in 2017. “I’m working on this thing now, A Star is Born—somebody showed me on their cell phone one day that there was this contest online between me and [Tom] Selleck about who had the best mustache. It’s so bizarre.” (For the record, Elliott won’t comment on who has the better lip warmer.)

RIP – Scott Wilson

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Scott Wilson, the actor best known for his role as Hershel on The Walking Dead, passed away yesterday reportedly from complications with leukemia.  Wilson began his career with the one-two punch of the big screen classics In the Heat of the Night and In Cold Blood.

While most tributes focus on Wilson’s role as Hershel from The Walking Dead, Wilson’s resume features movie and television credits spanning 50 years.  Anything Wilson appeared in became at least a little bit better because of him.  Some of my favorite Wilson appearances include his roles in…

  •  The Tracker: An HBO movie directed by John Guillermin and written by Kevin Jarre;  starring Kris Kristofferson and Scott Wilson.
  • Judge Dredd: starring Sylvester Stallone and with an uncredited appearance of Scott Wilson as Pa Angel.
  • The Way of the Gun written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie.
  • In Cold Blood written, produced and directed by Richard Brooks, based on Truman Capote’s book. Starring Robert Blake and Scott Wilson.

 

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Scott Wilson’s family, friends and fans.

Rocky by Moritat

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The Rocky drawing above was created by the guy in the photo below.  He goes by Moritat but his given name is Justin Norman.  I met Moritat at The Infinity Toy and Comic Con in Kissimmee earlier this year.  I was hanging out with John Beatty (who was also set up at the show) and Moritat was at the next table.  I saw the fantastic art Moritat was creating and enjoyed talking with him, so it was only natural I asked for a sketch.  If we hadn’t had to leave the show early, I’d have gotten another.

The 3 Best Comic Book Horror Movies

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Brad Gullickson and Film School Rejects present The 10 Best Comic Book Horror Movies.  (Sadly the original post is no longer available.) Using just Gullickson’s list, here are his comments (and mine) for my top three:

30 Days of Night (2007)
Most vampire movies leave me cold, so color me surprised to find one of my favorites set in the freezing wasteland of Alaska’s eternal night. In addition to a brilliant premise — a tribe of vamps arriving in Barrow, AK just as the town settles into month-long seasonal darkness — the film delivers with some truly brutal and terrifically designed creatures and kills, engaging characters, and memorable cinematography. It’s a tight, visceral horror film that breathes life into the undead the same way 28 Days Later did with “zombies,” and it ends with a legitimately touching emotional beat. Now where’s my goddamn sequel?! (he said, knowing full well a lesser follow-up came and went in 2010). – Rob Hunter

Craig: I was a big fan of Steve Niles work, so his (and Ben Templesmith’s) 30 Days of Night comic series set the bar pretty high.  I loved the concept of an isolated city in Alaska about to go through its annual 30 days of night.  Of course vampires would want to go there.  And they do, with the intent to wipe out the town during a month of excessive feasting.  Just writing about this movie makes me want to view it again.

The Crow (1994)
From page to screen, the legacy of The Crow is synonymous with tragedy. The original graphic novel was created as a form of catharsis for writer James O’Barr after his girlfriend was taken too soon because of a drunk driver. Of course, most of you will know the story of Brandon Lee’s freak death while filming a shootout scene cpurtesy of a real bullet among the blanks. As a result, there’s an air of melancholy to The Crow that few other movies have captured. At the same time, it’s also a highly stylish and entertaining actioner with a rocking soundtrack befitting of the dark gods. The sequels all suck, but the first movie is a bona fide masterpiece of supernatural vigilante storytelling. – Kieran Fisher

Craig:  Like 30 Days of Night, I was familiar with James O’Barr’s The Crow from it’s first published appearance in Caliber comics.  The movie did a great job of adapting the comics and staying true to O’Barr’s vision.  Brandon Lee (Bruce Lee’s son, who died during filming) was a bonus.

Blade II (2002)

I love Wesley Snipes, and I adore the joyful bravado that he injects into his Daywalker. He may pretend he’s brooding, but that’s a cat who (internally) whistles while he works. Slaying vampires has never been more satisfying. But – look. This is not just a Blade film. Guillermo del Toro came off Mimic and The Devil’s Backbone and threw his entire geeky consciousness into Blade II. Each frame is packed with references to Hellboy, Watchmen, The Searchers, Vampire Hunter D, Predator, Nosferatu, etc. For as suave and cool as the vampires were in the original film, del Toro comes at his Reapers with a Richard Matheson “I Am Legend” mentality. These are not pretty creatures that sip blood to the tunes of the children of the night. These are savage animals that threaten to devour the world, and force night and day walkers to unite in a Dirty Dozen team-up. The climax amounts to a vicious series of showdowns between hero and monster: the traitor, the goon, the count, and finally, the beast. After all is said and done, you may even find yourself getting misty over the tragedy of it all. – Brad Gullickson

Craig: I never read comics featuring Blade.  I didn’t care for the original Blade movie at all.  I thought Wesley Snipes was perfect as Blade and as a fan of Guillermo del Toro, willing to give Blade II a chance.  I am so glad I did, because I loved it.  How could you not love Blade going up against the King of all Vampires?  Blade II is going to get another viewing from me soon.

10 Truly Scandalous Horror Movies that Scared Censors…

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Sharon Knolle’s post 10 Truly Scandalous Horror Movies that Scared Censors into the Hollywood Production Code is worth a read by all movie (especially horror movie) buffs.

I’ve seen 9 of the 10 movies Knolle selected and commend her on selecting them.  If you haven’t seen them, I’d recommend:

  • Frankenstein (1931)
  • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
  • Dr. X
  • Island of Lost Souls

 

 

 

Sly Stallone Posts First Two “Rambo 5” Photos!

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Sly: Tonight we start filming…!

These are the first two photos released for Rambo 5 and since they come from Sly himself via his official instagram site, you know they’re legit.

Sly: .. Comes a Horseman Wild and Free. @rambomovie #rambo5

I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to see these photos.  I’ve always thought that it would be cool to see Sly in a western.  Up till now the closest we ever came was Copland.  And that was great.

This is going to be a fun ride.

THE Horror Movie Crossover Fans Want!

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Martin Samoylov at ComingSoon.net posted 5 Horror Crossover Movies We Want to See.  Samoylov’s list was an interesting one.  I particularly liked the idea of A Quiet Place / Cloverfield crossover, but my favorite was Samoylov’s as well… that the big three… Universal’s classic Wolfman, Dracula and Frankenstein appear in a crossover movie.  I 100% agree with Samoylov when he says…

Admittedly, Dark Universe didn’t get off on a great start with last year’s The Mummy, but that doesn’t mean Universal can’t explore its other classic monster properties. Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolfman are some of the most iconic movie characters of all time. And currently Universal owns rights to all three. None of the three icons have faced off with one another in decades. If Universal gets these characters right, they could have some exciting stories to tell with them.

Amen, brother.  And since its now my two cents, I’d throw The Creature from the Black Lagoon into the mix.  Well, Universal, what are you waiting for?

Jack Carter Goes to Sin City by Karl Slominski

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The Jack Carter & Marv (from Sin City) piece above was created as a commission for me at HeroesCon 2018 by Karl Slominski.  I met Karl for the first time at the 2017 Heroes convention when I requested Karl’s take on Jack Carter and John Wick (which will be posted in the near future).

When I picked up the sketch, my buddies LittleJohn and Mike Cross were with me.  They both liked my sketch so much they commissioned sketches of their own.  LittleJohn got John Wick and John McClane, while Mike asked for Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) and Maggie (Adrienne Barbeau).

This encouraged me to go back for another “Jack Carter and…” sketch, this time getting Carter and Raylan Givens from Justified.  I’ll post that in the near future as well. (Yes, I am way behind in posting my sketches.  I do plan to, ah, justify that in the coming weeks.)

If you’d like to see more of Karl Slominski’s art check out…

“Predator” Gets the Cinephilia & Beyond Treatment

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Did you know that Sly Stallone’s Rocky IV provided the spark of inspiration for Predator?  It did.  You’ll learn that and more if you check out Predator: John McTiernan’s First Studio Gig that Became an Epic Action Classic at Cinephilia and Beyond.

Click on the link and you’ll find…

  • Predator‘s original script when it was titled HUNTER (not to be confused with James Byron Huggins’ novel of the same name)
  • John McTiernan Interview
  • An Oral History of Predator
  • Rare Magazine Articles
  • “If It Bleeds We Can Kill It” – The Making of Predator
  • Hand Drawn Storyboards and Creature Designs
  • John McTiernan on Filmmaking Philosophy
  • Rare behind-the-scenes photos
  • and much more!