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Showing posts with label action. Show all posts
Showing posts with label action. Show all posts
Micro Review: Unknown
Rethink the impossible
Tom Cruise is great at these kinds of roles and it looks like Jeremy Renner, who is rumoured to be taking over the series after this film, will kick some ass. And who doesn't like to look at Paula Patton?
Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol is due out in December. Brad "The Incredibles" Bird directs.
Micro Review: Battle Los Angeles
Statham, De Niro and Owen oh my!
Even Matt Bellamy agrees Killer Elite looks like an action fan's wet dream. The film, due out in September, features Statham as a former special-ops agent lured out of retirement to save his mentor (De Niro) from an evil Brit (Owen). Cue mayhem.
I'm a huge Statham fan and seeing De Niro kick ass puts a big ole smile on my face. Owen seems perfectly cast. Throw in some 80s power metal and we're good to G-O. But enough jibber jabber, check out the fun trailer below and judge for yourself.
Conan gets a red band trailer
Does this mean the latest version of Robert E. Howard's barbarian will be any good? I seriously have my doubts. But at least my bloodlust will be satiated. Jason Momoa is certainly giving the role his all, but he has a long way to go to best Ah-nold.
We'll know more when Conan hits theatres Aug.19. Until then, watch the blood spill!
Expendables 2 has its director
To be honest, we all know Sly Stallone is the driving force behind this sequel to his 2010 hit. And does it really matter who directs with him writing and returning along with fellow cast members Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews and Mickey Rourke? No. It doesn't. The awesome has already been brought.
The film begins shooting this summer. The plot, as we've reported before, is as follows: The Expendables are back and this time it's personal! After Tool (Mickey Rourke), the heart and soul of the Expendables, is brutally murdered on a mission, his comrades swear to avenge him. They're not the only ones who want blood. Tool’s beautiful young and wild daughter Fiona embarks on her own revenge mission, complicating matters when she is captured and ransomed by a ruthless dictator plotting to destroy a resistance movement. Now Barney and the Expendables must risk everything to save her and humanity.
Micro Review: The Mechanic
Plot details for The Expendables 2
But first . . . SPOILER ALERT! Don't say we didn't warn you:
The Expendables are back and this time it's personal! After Tool (Mickey Rourke), the heart and soul of the Expendables, is brutally murdered on a mission, his comrades swear to avenge him. They're not the only ones who want blood. Tool’s beautiful young and wild daughter Fiona embarks on her own revenge mission, complicating matters when she is captured and ransomed by a ruthless dictator plotting to destroy a resistance movement. Now Barney and the Expendables must risk everything to save her and humanity.
So what do yah think? Sound decent? Rumour has it Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger will be back. As the villains perhaps? We'll find out some time between now and movie's release next summer. Stick with us!
Jason and Shawn review: Lemmy and Deaden
Jason: It took me a while to get into this documentary, but once I did, I was hooked. Hearing all that metal music and listening to those fascinating interviews was a great way to spend a couple of hours with a beer or three. I loved the Metallica sequence and the stories from Lemmy's former band members, especially those from Hawkwind, were a blast. Lemmy himself is at once a sad but cool character. I want to watch it again and crank it during the music sequences. Lemmy is a Good for sure.
Shawn: This kind of documentary is right up my alley. Here is a story about the pioneer of heavy metal, punk and all those spinoffs. Lermmy is the big dog, period! At times this feels more like a love fest than a documentary, with some crazed fan tasked with following Lemmy around. That said, I loved it! I will even watch it again. It's a good documentary and great entertainment for my metal soul. A Good from the Bad Man.
Jason: Filmmakers who piss and moan about not being able to make a good movie on a low budget need to shut the fuck up and watch Deaden. This is a low, low budget action flick that delivers. It's got nudity, graphic violence, awesome kills and, for the most part, decent acting. Lead man and screenwriter John Fallon might not have the hard look of the old-school action star, but he's got the physical presence and acting chops to do the job. And his script doesn't let him down. A Good from this Basement Dweller.
Shawn: This movie was fantastic! Sure the budget was smaller and some of the actors weren't awesome, but that didn't detract from it being entertaining, violent and full of action. Pull any punches? Fuck no! I can't believe how far this movie actually went. Good for you Fallon. Fuck Hollywood's pretentious asses. Too bad the industry hasn't grown a set of ball and given you what you need to do this kind of thing more often. A Good from me!
The Season Finale: Lemmy and Deaden
Lemmy is about the life and times of Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister. Anyone who loves metal will want to catch this film featuring appearances by Alice Cooper, Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield. Is the documentary about Lemmy as bad ass as his life? Stick with us!
And you have to stick around for Deaden, written by and starring Basement fave John Fallon, The Arrow of Arrow in the Head. Fallon has been good to The Basement this season and was our first feature interview. His action flick, made on a low budget, is slowly making the rounds around the globe and Shawn and I are anxious to see it. Will it be Good, Bad or Ugly? Tune in tonight and find out.
When we're not reviewing movies, we're spinning another video game review by Greg, playing four kick ass songs and keeping you up to date on the latest movie news. We want to say we're saving the best for last, but we're back on the air Oct 7 for another season . . . so you know we'd be full of poop!
Tune in tonight at 10 p.m. PST at www.thex.ca, Shaw Cable 106.1 and 92.5FM CFBX Kamloops.
A preview of tonight's films:
Lemmy
Deaden
Statham guaranteed to kick ass at least one more time
Which is why it's always good news when a new Statham flick is announced. The Transporter/Expendables star is set to be the lead in Parker, which is based on the hero from 24 novels written by Donald Westlake. The books are about a thief with a code of honour who isn't afraid to put foot to ass from time to time.Sounds like an ideal role for Statham.
No word yet on the plot, but Statham follows Lee Marvin, Mel Gibson, Robert Duvall and Jim Brown as actors who've played the character before, although none have carried the moniker of Parker.
Ray director Taylor Hackford directs the film, which is shopping for a distributor.
Jason and Shawn review: Enter the Dragon and Running Scared
Jason: Watching this again, for the first time in 25 years, I realized I had forgotten how great Bruce Lee was. He didn't need wire work, fancy camera tricks or CGI to make his mastery of the martial arts impressive. All a director had to do was turn the camera on and Lee delivered. No one, not Tony Jaa, Jackie Chan or Jet Li had moves like Lee. He's still is the master. And Enter the Dragon is still a lot of fun. A Good for sure.
Shawn: Here is a movie that's older than I am, and everything I've done in my life in terms of martial arts has stemmed from this movie. Whether YOU hate it or love it, you can't go without seeing it at least once, especially if you call yourself a movie fan. Not just for broadening your cinematic horizons, but for the straight-up legitimate kung fu action! Bruce Lee at his finest. A Good from me!
Jason: This isn't a movie that goes over the top, it resets the bar for kinetic energy and audacity. There's more profanity and blood spilled in the first six minutes than mainstream Hollywood delivers in a year. The pedophile/child killer sequence is super creepy and disturbing and they don't show you anything. The film is a modern Grimm's Fairy Tale for people who like gritty crime thrillers, and it's cool! Even Paul Walker is good in it. A Good for those you like something different.
Shawn: I can see why Jay picked this movie. I was actually surprised he didn't pick the original Halloween or The Strangers. This is also one of my favourite movies. I haven't watched it a billion times, but I've enjoyed it every single time I've watched it. It takes a lot of twists and turns and is filled to the seams for the full two hours . . . and there isn't one part that isn't awesome. Nice pick, Jay. A Good here too!
Episode XXVII: Movies You Need To See Vol. 1
Tonight, Shawn and I are going to share two movies we think you need to see. Perhaps you already have, perhaps not, but we're going to put out a suggestion each for films we think NEED to be a part of every movie fan's collection.
Coming up with our selections wasn't easy. There's a lot of great films out there and picking just one took a lot of effort, which is why we will revisit the subject from time to time, building the ultimate Basement movie library.
Being a martial artist, Shawn went with Bruce Lee's 1973 classic Enter the Dragon, the first martial arts film produced by a major Hollywood studio. It's been ages since I've watched it, and I look forward to hearing why Shawn thinks it's required viewing.
As for me, I went with 2006's Paul Walker action flick Running Scared. Some might find it hard to believe that Walker made a solid film outside of The Fast and The Furious franchise, but you better believe it. Tonight I will tell you why!
We've also got the usual mix of music, movie news and our thoughts on the Top 5 best movie kills of all time. We promise if you tune in tonight at 10 p.m. PST at www.thex.ca, Shaw Cable 106.1 or 92.FM CFBX Kamloops it will be an hour of radio you won't regret.
And now, a look at tonight's feature presentations:
Enter the Dragon
Running Scared
The apes rise again
Below is the first teaser for Rise, due out in August. Most of the carnage in the trailer doesn't happen until towards the end of the movie. The rest is supposed to be a drama. I'm cool with that, but there's nothing in this preview that gets the blood pumping. It does, however, look slick.
I have an interest in another Apes movie like a do in another Three Musketeers movie, which is also slated for release this year. I think it's the lack of originality in Hollywood right now that is keeping us in The Basement from theatres. Try coming up with a new idea once in a while guys. Bah! I'm tired of preaching to dead air.
Watch the preview and judge for yourselves.
Maggie Grace back for Taken 2
The follow up to the 2009 box office hit is once again penned by co-producer Luc Besson. No word yet on what it's about but one can hope it isn't just a rehash involving Neeson saving Grace from bad guys. Although one would complain less if the level of ass kicking, which was already awesome, is pumped up even more for the sequel.
Transporter 3 director Olivier Megaton will direct, with production set to start in late 2011/early 2012. And I'm excited, as we here in The Basement loved the first film. Don't screw it up guys!
Micro Review: Sucker Punch
Jason and Shawn review: The Next Three Days and The Last Lovecraft
Jason: Yawn! You call this is a thriller? It doesn't thrill, entice or make one's heart skip a beat.When Crowe is told what he will have to give up in order to break his wife out of prison, I expected there would be a price to be paid. In the end, there wasn't. This is a play-it-safe Hollywood movie, and it's boring. Good acting? Sure. Well made? Yup. But boring! And it rates an Ugly because of it.
Shawn: This would probably be exciting if they had packaged it better and cut out about an hour. It looked good. The acting was great. But it just went on, and on, and on, and on. Another case of The Girl With The Terrible Titties? No. I didn't hate on this, and it was nice to see the Canadian quarter make a cameo, but I'm still giving it an Ugly.
Jason: Here's a no-budget film that tries hard to please and almost succeeds. This is highly enjoyable for those who know their H.P. Lovecraft mythology, and there's enough oddball humour, gore and monster effects for those who don't. Sure, this would have been better, and funnier, if Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Zach Galifianakis were in it, but they aren't. The cast does try hard, and it's the effort put into this that edges it into the Good.
Shawn: This movie was everything it promised it would be: funny, dark, and there's a merman living in a pool in an RV in the middle of the freakin' desert. I was happy to see all that gore right off the bat, but wish they would have kept it up. Some of it was pretty funny, but other jokes missed the mark. While I did enjoy this more than The Next Three Day, I didn't enjoy it enough to watch it again. It's a Bad for me.
Next on the chopping block: The Steve Alten interview, The Next Three Days and The Last Lovecraft - Relic of Cthulhu
Alten's the mind behind Meg, the original giant shark tale that inspired The Asylum's Mega Shark movies. The novel has been circling Hollywood for years as it waits to hit the big screen. Alten talks about his battles with Hollywood, his other novels Domain and The Loch, and the world's fascination with the pending Mayan apocalypse. Its a half hour of talk you won't want to miss.
Do any of you remember when Russell Crowe was a big deal? Remember Gladiator? Master and Commander? L.A. Confidential? Hell, how about Virtuosity?
Well, the moody actor's glory days are likely behind him if the box office returns for The Next Three Days are any indication. But a final domestic gross of just $21 million doesn't mean the action/thriller isn't any good. It's just that no one seems to care about Russell Crowe anymore. Nor do Shawn and I really, but that doesn't mean we object to watching his movies and sharing our thoughts on them, which we do for you tonight.
Once we're done with Crowe, we aim the executioner's axe on the ancient ones. Yes, those evil beings from beyond are back in a new horror comedy inspired by the imagination of H.P. Lovecraft. The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu looks like the kind of quirky mix of horror and comedy that made Shaun of the Dead so good. But that doesn't mean that it is. What do we think? Stick with us!
So tune in tonight at 10 p.m. PST on 92.5FM CFBX Kamloops, Shaw Cable 106.1 and www.thex.ca. Oh yeah, that's the good stuff!
And now for some previews of coming attractions:
The Next Three Days
The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu
Will Stallone direct Expendables 2?
The LA Times’ 24 Frames blog has heard from an unnamed source that Sylvester Stallone is still "very much involved" with The Expendables 2, which is in development at Millennium Films, but doesn’t intend to direct action sequel. The Italian Stallion is on the hunt for someone to take over those chores on the film, but no one has been selected yet.
As for the script, Stallone has turned the reigns over to David Agosto and Ken Kaufman. Remember, Sly wrote and directed the first film, which became a surprise hit last summer. Because it kicked ass.
One can't blame the man for wanting to spend more time in front of the camera than behind. Stallone has written, directed and starred in every film during his latest comeback.
Word also has it that former Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger is looking to play a bigger role in the sequel, and Stallone wants The Bruce back as well, this time to play the villain. Sounds like a plan to me.
Diesel promises hard-R rating for third Riddick movie
Sure, XXX was only OK and the Chronicles of Riddick unnecessarily bloated, but he has yet to make a complete failure. Hell, I even kinda liked The Pacifier. There. I said it.
And I'm super jazzed for another outing with Diesel's signature character. Sure, many fans believe Dominic Toeretto of The Fast and the Furious to be his biggest role, but it was Riddick that made Diesel a star. And a down and dirty third entry in the Riddick cannon is on its way.
Diesel announced on his Facebook page that he and writer/director David Twohy are fighting hard to keep the third film R-rated and small in scale, much like Pitch Black. I say that's good news. Pitch Black worked because it was simple. Chronicles of Riddick was good, but Diesel and Twohy opened the character's universe up too quickly and I think that turned fans off.
No word yet on when the film starts rolling or when it will be released. But we in The Basement will keep you posted.
