Like most Gen Xers during the Reaganeighties, there was this silly threat that the Soviet Union was going to nuke America and everyone who supported this theory to prove it was the toughest kid on the street. Ironically, by the time Red Dawn premiered in the summer of 1984, the USSR was running on fumes.Continue reading “Futility Of War Buried In Pro-Nationalism Of ‘Red Dawn’”
Category Archives: Movie Flashback
There Are No Small Roles, Only Small Actors
You may not know the name Ned Eisenberg, but you probably remember his face. He was the textbook actor for “that guy who was in that movie that was out last year.” With a resume as long as the Baja Penisula, Ned Eisenberg who passed away on Feb 27 from cholangiocarcinoma, a cancer of theContinue reading “There Are No Small Roles, Only Small Actors”
‘Copshop’ Sells The Best Of Tarantino Wannabe Merchandise
Copshop stars Gerard Butler and Frank Grillo as two criminals facing off against each other and other killers and cops in a movie that seems all to familiar to anyone who remembers the endless crime action thrillers that came out after Quentin Tarantino became a household name more than 25 years ago. Butler and GrilloContinue reading “‘Copshop’ Sells The Best Of Tarantino Wannabe Merchandise”
‘Falling Down’ Is About A Powder Keg That Erupts Before Our Eyes
One of the biggest misunderstood movies of the past few decades is Falling Down, released on Feb. 26, 1993. On the surface, this movie seems to be about a simple man, Bill Foster (Michael Douglas) who gets enough of people’s intimidation and pushes back. Except that’s not what the movie is really about. It’s aboutContinue reading “‘Falling Down’ Is About A Powder Keg That Erupts Before Our Eyes”
‘One False Move’ Was Bill Paxton’s Best Moment
Mention Bill Paxton and most people will think of his role in Aliens in which he was the outrageous Marine Private Hudson. His roles throughout the 1980s had him playing goofy or obnoxious characters in Weird Science and Predator 2. And that’s the way he was heading going into the 1990s until he was castContinue reading “‘One False Move’ Was Bill Paxton’s Best Moment”
‘The Green Knight’ Is A Royal Mess
The Green Knight is an awful movie. I’m not going to be easy. It’s distributed by A24, which should tell you before the credits roll what you’re in for. And I must admit, for a while, it did seem like it was going to be a nice Game of Thrones meets Excalibur type of movieContinue reading “‘The Green Knight’ Is A Royal Mess”
Ivan Reitman Revolutionized Irreverent Comedies
It’s an odd coincidence the same day Ivan Reitman passes away, a Super Bowl commercial airs starring Eugene Levy as an action star. Levy had appeared in Cannibal Girls, a horror comedy that was Reitman’s first movie as a director. Born in Czechoslovakia in the post-WWII era the son of Jewish Hungarians, his mother hadContinue reading “Ivan Reitman Revolutionized Irreverent Comedies”
‘Antlers’ Pokes Through Some Creature Feature/Body Horror Stalemate
When it comes to horror movies, creature features and body horror always seem to be less popular than supernatural or psychological horror. Antlers, released in 2021, after almost a year of sitting on the shelf due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Scott Cooper directs and co-writes a screenplay based on the short story “The Quiet Boy”Continue reading “‘Antlers’ Pokes Through Some Creature Feature/Body Horror Stalemate”
‘Werewolves Within’ Gives Little To Howl About
Werewolves Within wants so badly to be the dark comedic horror flicks that Sam Raimi and especially Edgar Wright made bank on, but I found myself actually rooting for the mostly absent werewolf halfway through. This movie seems like a demo of a far better movie that needed a lot more work and a littleContinue reading “‘Werewolves Within’ Gives Little To Howl About”
How ‘Groundhog Day’ Became A Classic
When Groundhog Day opened in February of 1993, most films released during this time were known as a dumping ground of movies that studios were burning off to fulfill contractual obligations. Or maybe some TV actor had filmed a movie over summer hiatus and this was when it was released to take advantage of FebruaryContinue reading “How ‘Groundhog Day’ Became A Classic”
Zane Says 