Most action franchises, if they go on long enough, eventually stray so far from their source material that it's sometimes hard to even see the connective tissue under all the nonsense. Think about the chasm between the first Lethal Weapon and the farcical Lethal Weapon 4, or how Die Hard and whatever the fifth one is called aren't even in … Continue reading The RAMBO Revisit: RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II (1985)
ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD is a Heartfelt, Hangout Masterpiece
Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood delivers everything you would expect from the pop pastiche auteur. That is to say you have no idea where he is headed, or how he's going to get there. This masterfully-constructed, melancholy ode to a city in which he grew up - a city that has longe since disappeared … Continue reading ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD is a Heartfelt, Hangout Masterpiece
The RAMBO Revisit: FIRST BLOOD (1982)
Sylvester Stallone, upon seeing the rough cut of his new action picture First Blood, wanted to buy the rights to the film from producers Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna, because he wanted to destroy all evidence of its existence. The first cut was a long-winded, unwieldy behemoth running over three hours, which is almost impossible … Continue reading The RAMBO Revisit: FIRST BLOOD (1982)
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM Goes Beyond 11
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum has everything, and then some. And then some more. It has mixtures of mythologies, even more world building, balletic violence, humor, stakes, a tactile palette of neon, dedicated performances, swords, knives, guns, horses, dogs, a book with a sturdy spine, hints of horror and fantasy amid the chaotic Hong Kong-inspired … Continue reading JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM Goes Beyond 11
Transcending Tragedy: THE CROW at 25
Before seeing a trailer, a press release, or any proper media buzz for Alex Proyas's adaptation of The Crow, James O'Barr's comic-book series, there was the shocking tragedy. On March 31, 1993, Brandon Lee, son of the legendary martial artist and international movie star Bruce - and a blossoming action star in his own right - … Continue reading Transcending Tragedy: THE CROW at 25
UNDER THE SILVER LAKE’s Long, Strange Trip
The first trailer for Under the Silver Lake, director David Robert Mitchell's L.A. neo-noir follow up to his nifty horror picture It Follows, landed on YouTube in March of 2018. It was headed for a summer release, and it appeared to be at least an interesting, esoteric indie that should find its audience. Then it stumbled at Cannes; that's … Continue reading UNDER THE SILVER LAKE’s Long, Strange Trip
Karyn Kusama’s DESTROYER Starts Weird, Finishes Strong
It seemed like those Nicole Kidman set photos from Karyn Kusama's stark LA crime noir Destroyer had been around for years, before the film itself was granted an uber-limited theatrical release and quickly pushed aside at the end of 2018. Kidman, looking haggard and sallow and baked to a crisp by the unforgiving SoCal sun, plays … Continue reading Karyn Kusama’s DESTROYER Starts Weird, Finishes Strong
DRAGGED ACROSS CONCRETE is a Cold Rush of Nasty and Subversive Noir
There is no time to spare once the curtain opens on Dragged Across Concrete, S. Craig Zahler's latest gritty genre opus, his most intentionally provocative yet, slyly, his most subversive. It's a challenging, prickly, heavy mood piece soaked in shadow and light, and it jumps right into the seedy underworld of these lost souls. Every frame seems … Continue reading DRAGGED ACROSS CONCRETE is a Cold Rush of Nasty and Subversive Noir
Larry Taylor and The Movies 