The John Wick films have been a surprising success of the 21st century. Ultra-violent action movies that have improved with each episode, culminating in the fourth entry, which features a spectacular fight sequence in Montmartre, Paris, that has taken the action flick to a whole new level. It’s a world that could be expanded, and…
Tag: action
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
I wonder if Tom Cruise wakes up in the morning with a thought of doing something dangerous, then goes and tells his production team to put it in a movie, because, once again, the 8th and, possibly, final episode in the hugely successful Mission: Impossible series, The Final Reckoning, has the Cruise doing things that…
Thunderbolts*
Marvel Studios and the Cinematic Universe have not had the best times since Avengers: Endgame. A series of films underperforming at the box office, new characters that many didn’t care too much about, a chief villain who would be the franchise’s future that had to be dumped due to the actor’s personal activities and a…
The Acountant 2
In 2016, a middle-tier action thriller called The Accountant hit the screen, about a man on the autistic spectrum who doubled as an accountant and a hired killer. It was hardly remarkable, and while it wasn’t a box office bomb, it didn’t ignite it either. It does seem strange, however, that it has been given…
The Amateur
If you were to describe a typical action hero from the movies, you’d probably say something like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Bruce Willis or a James Bond type. You might even say Jason Bourne, although that is not quite the norm Hollywood would produce. Now we have an action hero who doesn’t fit any previous categories…
Captain America: Brave New World
There was a time when Marvel was almost untouchable for making enjoyable, exciting blockbusters. Nearly every film before Avengers: End Game was of a very high standard in storytelling, world creation and the film’s general look. Ever since then, however, things haven’t gone their way, and the wheels started coming off the Marvel wagon, from…
Kraven The Hunter
When Marvel Studios found their brand was dropping in quality, they decided to halt productions and take stock of how to get back on track. This is why this year saw only one release, Deadpool and Wolverine, which was a winner. On the other hand, Sony Pictures, which owns the rights to the Spider-Man universe,…
Red One
I will admit it: I’m not a fan of Christmas movies. It’s always been an issue for me to find the balance between sentimentality and schmaltz. It’s a Wonderful Life is a giant in the genre, as is Die Hard, Elf and a small handful of others. The rest seem lazy, trite, or even apparent…
Gladiator II
Back in 2000, Dreamworks took a chance on an epic sword-and-sandal adventure from Ridley Scott. No one believed the film would be successful, but after winning five Oscars and becoming a box office smash and now regarded as one of the cinematic greats, Scott has decided it’s time for a long-awaited sequel. While it’s not…
Transformers One
Let’s face it: Michael Bay’s live-action versions of the popular toys of the 80s were a mess. Loud, incoherent and most of the time confusing, especially for those who are not familiar with the mythology of the series. The series picked up when he walked away from behind the camera to just producing. Bumblebee was…
Alien: Romulus
Ever since Ridley Scott’s 1979 game-changing Alien hit our screens, which managed the hybrid of horror and sci-fi so successfully, the movie has spawned seven other films, with only one getting close to the brilliance of the original, the 1986 James Cameron direct sequel, Aliens. The rest may have been flawed but fascinating or down-right…
Borderlands
Going into Borderlands, I knew very little. I knew it was based on a video game, but that was about it. I have never played the game or even seen the game. I knew it was directed by Eli Roth, who is usually associated with very gory horrors and was responsible for the torture porn…
Stu Loves Film 