Category Archives: Mayhem

2013, Acceptable Trash, B-movie, Car Chase, CIA, Conspiracy, Crude Talk, Mayhem, Nothing special, Suspense, Violent

A Good Day To Die Hard (2013)

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From IMDB:

John McClane travels to Russia to help out his seemingly wayward son, Jack, only to discover that Jack is a CIA operative working to prevent a nuclear-weapons heist, causing the father and son to team up against underworld forces.

What can I say? You will see the usual car chase mayhem. Possibly the father and son theme adds a little (very little) something.

Jai Courtney, who plays the son Jack, played Varro in “Spartacus: Blood and Sand”.

There are at least two plot twists as a reward for actually sitting through this B film.

2007, Chase film, Computer geeks, Conspiracy, Crude Talk, FBI, Frenetic, Mayhem, Suspense, Thriller, Violent, Vulgar

Live Free or Die Hard(2007)

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From NetFlix:

John McClane (Bruce Willis) is back and badder than ever, and this time he’s working for Homeland Security. He calls on the services of a young hacker (Justin Long) in his bid to stop a ring of Internet terrorists intent on taking control of America’s computer infrastructure. Fear not, the information-age plot still boasts plenty of good old-fashioned gunfights, smash-ups and explosions.

Just a short review:

  • Die Hard (1988)
  • Die Harder (1990)
  • Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
  • Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
  • A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)

So why bother since they are all more or less the same ? Well, the car wrecks and car chases and exploding buildings and gun fights sometimes are all my aging immature mind can handle.

Let’s just hope that the movie is just fiction and it is not all that easy to take the country down using computer hacking. Maybe I’ll just keep my money in my mattress.

2012, Cowboy, Gangs, Mayhem, Nudity, Quentin Tarantino, Race Relations, Revenge, Sadism, Satirical ultra-violence, Slavery, Torture, Violent, Western

Django Unchained (2012)

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From NetFlix:

Accompanied by a German bounty hunter, a freed slave named Django travels across America to free his wife from a sadistic plantation owner. Quentin Tarantino directs this modern-day spaghetti Western.

Excuse the horrible pun, but this film is just too black and white. At least you know who the bad guys are (hint: they are white). However, there is at least one bad black guy Samuel L. Jackson (who plays the black-hating black house master). Today in public life we still have blacks who hate blacks (hint: think Supreme Court).

As usual violence is spelled “Quentin Tarantino”. During the entire film Django never misses a shot and each shot produces something like a giant tomato exploding. Additionally the dynamite is lots of fun. By the end not one white man or woman has survived.

Even the satire is not so subtle. There is a somewhat funny scene involving KKK sheets reduced to unsuccessful white hoods. In Candyland the white women are obvious stereotypes.

Just 165 fun minutes of exploding body parts.

2012, Acceptable for children, Based on a Book, Chase film, CIA, Mayhem, Medical Theme, Motorcycles, Violent

The Bourne Legacy (2012)

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From NetFlix:

Following the Jason Bourne debacle, the CIA finds itself dealing with a familiar threat when another estranged operative surfaces. Jeremy Renner stars alongside Edward Norton, Rachel Weisz and Joan Allen.

Cars chase motorcycles. Motorcycles chase motorcycles. At least this film is a notch better than Premium Rush.

We all cheer for the two real-life friends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. But in my opinion Jeremy Renner (who played Sergeant First Class William James in The Hurt Locker) fits the role better than Matt Damon who strikes me as the nice kid next door. Notice in one quick moment we get a glimpse of a photo that is supposed to be a younger Renner. Of course the photo is of Matt Damon. There is no way Renner could be an older Damon.

Don’t worry if all those blue and green pills confuse you in the somewhat boring beginning of the film. Just hold tight and all will be explained.

Renner and Weisz play off one another quite well. This film was acceptable for kids because there is absolutely no sex, just tons of violence.

Seeing an older Edward Norton return to being the bad guy (remember him in “Primal Fear”?) worked for me. He is one cold fish. Why is the CIA often the villain in today’s new films?

If nothing else the special effects eye candy and the motorcycle stunts could be worth the price of admission. Once again I wonder how the stunts were filmed. Even the Wikipedia article does not talk about this aspect of the filming.

Let your inner kid just enjoy all the fun.

2012, B-movie, Car Chase, Conspiracy, Could be boring, Mayhem, Mediocre, Sci-Fi, Violent

Total Recall (2012)

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FromNetFlix:

Bursting with mind-blowing action sequences and spectacular visual effects, Colin Farrell stars as Douglas Quaid, a man on the run after a mind-bending procedure at Rekall goes horribly wrong. Co-starring Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel.

As much as I hate to say it, I preferred the 1990 version by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Granted the special effects of this 2012 version with Colin Farrell were worth seeing. But that is just about all you get. Chase follows chase. Shooting follow shooting. You have already seen this film in different disguises many times before.

Thank goodness Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel wore different outfits. Bad guys always wear black. Otherwise the two women were hard to differentiate. Is it me, or do many of today’s young female stars tend to look alike? You could say the same for the young men.

Good luck understanding the many sequences in which our hero knows just what button to push or which lever to pull. Just enjoy the ride.

Ho-hum. If you enjoy mayhem, this is the film for you.

2012, Clever Plot, Complicated, Crime, Gangs, Imperfect, Mayhem, Plot Twist, Sci-Fi, Violent

Looper (2012)

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From NetFlix:

In the year 2042, Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a Looper, a hired assassin for the mob who kills people sent from the future. But what will he do when the mob decides to “close the loop,” sending back Joe’s future self (Bruce Willis) for assassination?

Bruce Willis should not attempt to cry in a film. In a B-film this is probably not the end of the world. In no way does Joseph Gordon-Levitt suggest a young Bruce Willis. Never mind the acting.

“Looper” tells a potentially complicated story about time-travel, although it lets its narrator looper explain slowly and carefully what looping is all about. If you need help with the details you could read the Wikipedia explanation.

What adds interest to the film is not so much two instances of the same person trying to kill each other, but the human interest involving Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) the narrator: Is his life really pointless? Will he find love?

For me the most fascinating part involved Sara and her son Cid. Pierce Gagnon is one of the best child actors I have ever seen. IMDB does not give his age. At times I could not believe that so seemingly young a child could express so much in a role. His vacillations between rage and a childlike composure were something to watch.

Just suspend disbelief and enjoy the plot.

2011, Acceptable Trash, B-movie, Frenetic, Horror, Imperfect, Mayhem, Mediocre, Occasional gore, Plot Twist, Satirical ultra-violence, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Unusual, Violent, Zombies

The Cabin In The Woods (2011)

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From NetFlix:

In this twisted thriller from Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, five friends arrive at a secluded cabin with clear instructions for their anticipated mountain getaway. But when the rigid rules are broken, punishment is swift — and everyone will pay. Kristen Connolly, Jesse Williams, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Chris Hemsworth and Brian J. White star with Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford in this surprising spin on a classic horror setup.

At some point while watching this acceptable piece of horror trash you will probably wake up and say “This is really stupid”. But hold on … Granted that I do not watch many horror films, as in “seen one, seen all of them”, this almost-stinker is probably one of the most original horror flicks I have seen. Following the usual script of “a bunch of friends travel together to a secluded location when all of a sudden …” in fact ALL OF A SUDDEN the film takes an unexpected turn which caused me to say “Wait a minute: is this really a horror film or some sort of a satiric prank?” Lo and behold there stand Richard Jenkins (the father ghost in “Six Feet Under”) and Bradley Whitford (Josh Lyman in “The West Wing”) in a different setting. You will spend the rest of the film trying to figure out what is happening. Along the way you get to see the usual assemblage of zombies, slashers, creepy monsters, nightmares come to life, etc. That part (the ghoul parade) is the ho-hum part. Rather the interesting part is the juxtaposition of two seemingly disparate story threads. In addition, the dialog is tongue-in-cheek and sometimes funny.

Sigourney Weaver must really need the money. Her walk-on towards the end of the story is ludicrous. In fact, the hypothesis of the entire film is ludicrous. Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford must also be desperate for acting work. Chris Hemsworth plays Chris Hemsworth.

Because I am retired, I can waste the time watching this silly but somehow intriguing farce. Can you afford to waste your time?

2009, Acceptable Trash, FilmReview, Mayhem, Occasional gore, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Vampire, Violent

Daybreakers (2009)

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From NetFlix:

Earth’s population is up against a vicious plague that’s transforming everyone into vampires and draining the world of an increasingly precious resource: blood. As the human race count nears zero, could science hold the key to a solution?

Do you remember Ethan Hawke in Gattaca? Here also he stars in an intelligent, better than average sci-fi plus vampire theme film. However this particular film is very violent, or (to make a bad pun) should I say very bloody. As the villain in the plot Sam Neill again plays a smarmy, soft-spoken and unscrupulous blood merchant.

Be warned, some scenes are ugly: humans are farmed for their blood; bodies tend to explode in the sun; blood-starved vampires feed on humans; the fun never stops.

Toward the end of the film the plot confused me a bit. Even the Wikipedia article is a little vague about the final scene with the soldiers.

No, this is not an adult film. But for those of us who love trash, it could be entertaining.

1985, Acceptable Trash, B-movie, British, Mayhem, Not Recommended, Nudity, Sci-Fi, Sex Scenes, Vampire, Zombies

Lifeforce (1985)

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From NetFlix:

American and British astronauts on a joint mission exploring an alien spacecraft discover that the vessel contains several seemingly human bodies. But after they’re brought back to Earth, they come alive and start turning Londoners into zombies.

Here is a true example of a film that is so bad that it is “good”. This bomb will certainly become, if it is not already, a cult film. Blame my son Mike for suggesting the film to me.

And who would risk their careers appearing in such a B-film ? Patrick Stewart was 45 when he made this stinker. Two years later he started as Captain Picard in the Star Trek series and the rest is history. Peter Firth was a slender 32 year old during the filming. He started to play Harry Pearce in the MI-5 British TV series in 2002.

With its tongue firmly in cheek, this adventure offers us among other rewards: well-endowed Matilda May appears totally naked for most of the film; you get to see humans get their life force sucked out by space vampires after which the human bodies are desiccated; Patrick Stewart lies on a slab in his best suit and speaks with a woman’s voice because he has been inhabited by Matilda May. Fortunately Patrick Steward does not appear naked.

To be fair, sometimes the dialog or events are so stupid or far-fetched that you might actually laugh out loud.

By now you should have appreciated that only if you have the time to waste should you consider watching this screen gem.

2012, Conspiracy, Grim, Mayhem, Mediocre, Prison, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Violent

Lockout (2012)

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From NetFlix:

A former government agent wrongly accused gets a shot at freedom — if he can engineer a high-risk mission to outer space in order to rescue the president’s daughter from a facility where the inmates are in control.

Because this is typical Guy Pearce you have probably already seen more or less the same plot in many other films. If you enjoy somewhat futuristic, violent, super male versus the bad guys films with lots of cynical side banter, then proceed.

Some of the impossibilities caught my eye: Of course the president’s daughter knows how to stitch a wound; of course all the prisoners on the ship understand the complicated ship controls; of course our hero never gets shot. Never mind, just keep watching.

In many respects this 2012 film is in tune with politics current for that year. Listen to the cynical side comments. For example our hero at one point predicts that once again “congress will screw the pooch”. If you need to stay awake during the film, try and catch some of these wry observations.

What really did make me feel uneasy was the idea of the giant prisoner warehouse floating in space in which the prisoners are put in a sleep stasis (that can produce psychosis) and kept in pods. Some prisoners are used for sometimes fatal experiments. Lest you think this is just Hollywood, take a look at the Wikipedia article on “Incarceration in the United States”. The United States has the highest documented incarceration rate in the world (743 per 100,000 population). Stays in US prisons are longer than elsewhere. Now the push is for privatization of prisons (“profitable prisons”). Does this sound like the profitable facility that is the scene for the film? An article in the Economist (for which I do not have the reference) explained that sheriffs’ returns depend on maintaining a certain number of prisoners in county jails (possibly with the cooperation of judges).

Maggie Grace (the president’s daughter) was Shannon Rutherford in the TV series “Lost”.

Why would such an ordinary action flick cause such ruminations? Is it because popular pseudo-sci-fi predictions are sometimes a bit too imminent?