In the aftermath of Aliens, but before Die Hard came a film that combined the iconic alien killer with the tough as nails action hero to create a cult classic action film. The story of the Predator, it is claimed, began properly on a plane flight to Japan. Artist Stan Winston was working on the design of a creature created by script-writing brothers John and Jim Thomas and to … [Read more...]
Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995) review by That Film Guy
When John MacClane (Bruce Willis) battled the legendarily villainous and perfectly coiffured Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) in the original Die Hard, it was a battle between two of the most charismatic characters in action film history. Two sequels later and have defeated Gruber and his sub-par follow-up Col. Stuart (William Sadler) in Die Hard 2, MacClane is taken back to his … [Read more...]
First Blood (1982) review by That Film Guy
War is hell. It is unimaginable now to a have a war film that doesn't somehow incorporate a soldier's personal hell ideal into its narrative. Yet there was a time when soldiers were portrayed as pro-Government, 'doing their duty and loving it' role-models, exploited by the real military as poster boys for why you should sign up. Nowadays, 'War is Hell' and those fighting in any … [Read more...]
Speed (1994) review by That Film Fatale
1994 was a year that saw many big films being released, some of those now permanent fixtures in the ˜Best Films of All Time' collection. Rewinding back to the past, Speed enters the action film arena with Sandra Bullock, Keanu Reeves and Dennis Hopper leading the cast. With fresh faced, attractive, young actors, Speed appealed to both men and women globally meaning success was … [Read more...]
The Fifth Element (1997) review by That Film Guy
When The Fifth Element was released in 1997, Luc Besson was one of the hottest directors in Hollywood. Much like fellow action-junkie Michael Bay, he had one commercial hit under his belt in the form of Leon and film-going audiences wondered where he'd go next. Bay followed Bad Boys with his best film to date in The Rock, Besson couldn't quite live up to the dramatic quality of … [Read more...]
Review: The Rock (1996)
1996 was a younger more naïve time for the film-going audience. Transformers was still a cool kids toy from the 1980s, Nicholas Cage had some acting credibility and no one had really heard of an up-and-coming director called Michael Bay. His first film, Bad Boys had kindly introduced the world to the next big superstar in Will Smith. There was some excitement about where this … [Read more...]
Review: RoboCop (1987)
Paul Verhoeven is something of an anomaly in the directing world. None for making exploitation films, he managed to string together a series of surprising commercial successes. He will likely be remembered for being the man to take Saved by the Bell's Jessie and taking away her clothes in the universally condemned Showgirls, but it shouldn't be forgotten that this is the same … [Read more...]
Review: Iron Man 2 (2010)
When Iron Man burst onto cinema screens in 2008, it represented a something of a gamble. Lacking the cultural popularity of Spider-Man or Batman, 'ol' shellhead' was a B-List character and casting Robert Downey Jr. in the role seemed like just as much of a gamble. Fortunately for Marvel and director Jon Favreau it paid off and Iron Man became a huge hit. Cue sequel. Reuniting … [Read more...]
Review: The Running Man (1987)
The Running Man, released in 1987 is an Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle loosely based on a novel by Stephen King released in 1982 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. After a slow start at the box office, The Running Man just took its $25m budget back ending with $38m. While initially receiving a lukewarm critical reception, it has since become something of a cult classic after … [Read more...]
Review: Resident Evil (2002)
Ask yourself, did anyone really think this was ever going to be a good film? It's a video game adaptation, for one thing. I have never seen a decent video game adaptation (and no, the two Final Fantasy films do not count, as one is a sequel to the game, and one has zero relation to any game in the series). And second, it's directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. Before this film, he … [Read more...]