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Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
The Last Action Hero
Starring Arnold Schwarzenagger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, Earl Boen, Joe Morton, Castulo Guerra, S. Epatha Merkerson, Danny Cooksey, Jennette Goldstein, Xander Berkeley, Michael Edwards, and introducing Edward Furlong.
In the year of 2029, John Connor has become a rebel. He has tried to protect humans from Skynet, a computer fighting human resistence. Skynet sends a terminator, different from T-800, out to kill a younger John Connor in the 90's. At that same time, John Connor sends a reprogrammed T-800 to protect him.
After saving John from T-1000 in the 90's, John and the Terminator go to to free Sarah Connor, John's mother, from a state mental institution. Sarah has been held there for years because of the events of "The Terminator". When they free her, they go to see Miles Dyson, the leader of Cyberdyne, the same company as Skynet, who has no idea of what it is becoming. All of them go to Cyberdyne and try to destroy it before T-1000 gets ahold of them.
Filmed with amazing special effects and an interesting storyline, "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" scores a pretty high rating in my book. This feature ends up being pretty than the original.
The acting was very good in this film. The acting from Arnold Schwarzenagger, Linda Hamilton, and Robert Patrick was all good, as for Edward Furlong, a fair performance. I didn't expect much from him, after all, this was his pre-"American History X" performance.
The special effects in the film are top-notch. They were very well done and even helped the movie win an Academy Award.
"Terminator 2: Judgement Day" is one of my favorite Action movies ever made. The special edition DVD makes it even more fun to watch, with the picture and sound remastered. You won't be disappointed with the ending, the emotion between The Terminator and John cannot be missed. You cannot miss out on this movie, or "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines", releasing this year.
John's Evaluation-3.5 out of 4.
My IMDB Rating: 8.2/10.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)
The Man Who would be King
Featuring voices from: Ray Liotta, William Fichtner, Tom Sizemore, Philip Michael Thomas, Dennis Hopper, Burt Reynolds, Luis Guzman, Robert Davi, Gary Busey, Lee Majors, Fairuza Balk, and Danny Dyer.
In the year of 1986, you play Tommy Vercetti, a crime man who is sent from Liberty City to Vice City in Florida to deliver money from Sonny Forelli. I ends up that thugs set Tommy up, and steal the money. Sonny gets really angry when he finds out that the money was stolen. Tommy promises that he will get it back, even if it means taking over the city himself.
This game was really great. it even improves a few elements from Grand Theft Auto III. The graphics were great, and so was the voice acting.
The improvements were that you get to ride on motorcycles, more missions, ride in better airplanes, helicopters, more cars, bigger locations, better radio, and much more. Also listen far that great 80's music!
9 out of 10.
Genre: Action; Crime; Adventure; Thriller
Rating: M
Format: PlayStation 2
007: Agent Under Fire (2001)
Fire and Water
Featuring Voices from: Adam Bicknell, Adam Blackwell, and Caron Pascoe
James Bond is assigned to rescue Special Agent Zoe Nightshade who is being held captive in a terrorist's submarine station. He leaves with her as they drive by to retrieve a stolen, classified briefcase. They bring it back to R, Bond's gadget man, and it isn't before long when an assassin comes and steals the briefcase and gets away. But not for long. Bond gets in his new BMW and pursues her and gets it back. After that, he is assigned to go to Romania, to find information on a cloning operation. He travels all over Europe in order to foil a terrorist's, Nigel Bloch's, plan to clone politicians from all over the world.
Fair Bond game. Not as good as Goldeneye, but is an improvement over TWINE for Playstation. This may not be very realistic, but it is filled with Action and Adventure. Although, the worst thing is that this barely has a plot. The lack of realism is pretty high. It is your average James Bond adventure, where he saves the world, as usual, in the end. I do recommend Agent Under Fire, however, I do recommend that you also play Goldeneye and Nightfire.
6 out of 10
Genre: Action; Adventure; Sci-Fi; Spy
Rating: T
Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
The Game That Redefined "Crime"
Featuring voices from: Joe Pantoliano, Frank Vincent, Michael Madsen, Michael Rapaport, Debi Mazar, Kyle MacLachlan, Robert Loggia, Lianna Pai, Les J.N. Mau, and The Guru as "8-Ball".
You play a gangster, who's name is never revealed, who has just been left for dead. He is arrested and is transfered to the local prison. He is lucky and gets a jailbreak, with a gap in the bridge. He and his buddy, 8-Ball, go to a place to change clothes, then go to the hideout for the mafia, where they explore adventure as they get revenge on the people who left them for dead.
A great gaming experience! It might have been the best game of 2001, with it being the best Crime game of its time. It is practically a mix between Driver 2, Scarface, Speed, The Godfather, and many other great experiences. Not only that, it is a HUGE improvement over Grand Theft Auto and GTA 2, which were very difficult games, which had horrible graphics and gameplay.
The voices are great, so are the gameplay and the graphics, especially since they are in 3-D. You get various weapons and automobiles. Maybe anything that you can imagine to do is in this game, except for swimming.
9 out of 10
Genre: Action; Crime; Adventure; Thriller
Rating: M
Die Hard Trilogy (1996)
Die Harder
***spoilers***
Die Hard plot: On Christmas Eve, NYPD Cop John McClane comes to see his estranged wife in L.A. at the Nakatomi Corporation building. On that night, terrorists, lead by Hans Gruber and his henchman, Karl, take the building over. John escapes to the basement, kills a few terrorists, and works his way up to the top. From head to toe, basement to roof, McClane starts his own one man war with the terrorists.
Die Hard 2 plot: One year later, John McClane plans to meet his wife at Washington's Dulles Airport on Christmas Eve. He now works for the LAPD. John notices that terrorists have taken over the airport, planning to break a drug lord out and escape. When McClane hears their plan, he decides to put his own plan into action.
Die Hard with a Vengeance plot: Years after the events of Die Hard 2, John McClane is back working for the NYPD. A mysterious caller who he says to call him "SIMON", calls the NYPD and tells them that McClane must diffuse bombs planted all over New York City. McClane, with the help of a shopkeeper named Zeus, must co-operate with a terrorist, who is the brother of Hans Gruber, in his game of revenge.
A good game. A good way of playing the part of John McClane and having it based on the game. Also see the whole movie trilogy. I didn't like the Die Hard with a Vengeance game, mostly because it was too hard. Play only Die Hard and Die Hard 2, I guess that mostly why this game gets a:
6 out of 10
Genre: Action; Crime; Thriller; Adventure
Rating: M
Dead to Rights (2002)
Dead to Live
Featuring the voices of: Chris Bruno, Patrick Dollaghan, Christopher Bay, Jeannie Elias, Greg Eagles, Jennifer Griffin, Granville Van Dusen, and John Di Crosta.
Jack Slate is K-9 cop in the hardest place on earth, Grant City. He is out one night, investigating a crime scene, and finds him father, Frank Slate, murdered. He investigates in a strip club if anyone had anything to do with it. He finds some thugs, but no leads. He follows a thug to an apartment, and is framed by an assassin.
Slate is in prison for seven months, and is put on death row. He hears that a few boys have planned to break out. Jack breaks out with them, and escapes from the sewers. He hunts after the triads, who are now the main leads. After a plane crashes, Jack, with the help of the TV Reporter, Waterman, and your dog, Shadow, pursue the person who really deserved to die.
With the same style as Max Payne had, Dead to Rights is a very entertaining game. Some features of this are even better than Max Payne(automatic aim, longer slow motion, etc). This game not only is good, but a good entry in comparision with other Action games.
7 out of 10. Format: Playstation 2.
Dead to Rights (2002)
Dead to Live
Featuring the voices of: Chris Bruno, Patrick Dollaghan, Christopher Bay, Jeannie Elias, Greg Eagles, Jennifer Griffin, Granville Van Dusen, and John Di Crosta.
Jack Slate is K-9 cop in the hardest place on earth, Grant City. He is out one night, investigating a crime scene, and finds him father, Frank Slate, murdered. He investigates in a strip club if anyone had anything to do with it. He finds some thugs, but no leads. He follows a thug to an apartment, and is framed by an assassin.
Slate is in prison for seven months, and is put on death row. He hears that a few boys have planned to break out. Jack breaks out with them, and escapes from the sewers. He hunts after the triads, who are now the main leads. After a plane crashes, Jack, with the help of the TV Reporter, Waterman, and your dog, Shadow, pursue the person who really deserved to die.
With the same style as Max Payne had, Dead to Rights is a very entertaining game. Some features of this are even better than Max Payne(automatic aim, longer slow motion, etc). This game not only is good, but a good entry in comparision with other Action games.
7 out of 10. Format: Playstation 2.
Road Trip (2000)
Hit the Road, Jack!
Starring Breckin Meyer, Seann William Scott, Amy Smart, Paulo Costanzo, DJ Qualls, Tom Green, Fred Ward, Anthony Rapp, and Andy Dick.
A tour guide named Barry who is very familiar with Ithaca College tells the story to visitors about a wild adventure. A boy named Josh Parker has been best friends with a girl named Tiffany for many years, and they are very disappointed that they have to spilt up when they go to college, but they try to keep a long distance relationship. Tiffany goes to the University of Texas. In college, Josh meets the beautiful Beth, who starts to hit on Josh. In one of Josh's classes, he must get a B+ on his mid-term in order to stay in college. His best friend in college, besides Beth is E.L., the guy who acts cool about anything. He has a party that nights and he invites Josh. Josh meets Beth at the party and they go to Josh's bedroom. Beth decides to videotape Josh telling what he likes in a girl. It ends up that he does it with Beth on the camera, and the next morning it is accidentally mailed to Tiffany by Josh's roommate, Rubin. Josh plans to hit the road in search of the tape, with the help of E.L., Rubin, and his geeky friend Kyle. Barry stays around because he wants to feed Rubin's snake.
The movie had many laughs in it. Tom Green is really entertaining and fun, although he can be a bit boring at times. It isn't as good as American Pie or Animal House, but this can be a funny movie. And even if it does have some sick humor in the movie, it can be hilarious.
2.5 out of 4. My IMDB Rating: 6.6/10.
American Pie (1999)
American Heroes
***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** Starring Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Shannon Elizabeth, Alyson Hannigan, Tara Reid, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Seann William Scott, Mena Suvari, Jennifer Coolidge, Chris Owen, and Eugene Levy as Jim's Dad.
The story is about four friends, Jim, Oz, Kevin, and Finch, who are seniors and about to go to college. When they find out that their geeky classmate, Sherman, has sex at one of Stifler's parties, they make a pact by sticking together and planning to lose their viginity on prom night. Jim and Kevin are your average teenagers, while Oz, whose real name is Chris Ostreicher, is a sports jock who joins the school choir. Finch, is more like the character who stands out. Jim's dad talks about sexual situations the most in Jim's life during this movie. He brings sexual magazines and talks to Jim about masturbation. And in which, it makes Jim very uncomfortable.
Then Jim comes up with an idea of posting his web cam to Kevin, Finch, and Stifler of a foreign girl coming to his house and "changing her clothes". Unfortuntely, Jim's plan backfires when he accidently mails it to every one in the school. Everyone is amused to see Nadia nude on the screen, but when they see that Jim blows his chance, they think he is a total loser. Kevin's girlfriend, Vicky, wants to have sex with Kevin, and gets advice from her friend Jessica, who has already done it. The girls start to fall for Finch now, and Stifler, after having his girlfrind dump him, embaresses him in front of the whole school with a "bathroom incident". Watch the movie to find out the rest.
Kevin and Oz seem to have good relationships, while Jim and Finch, seem to be going nowhere in a relationship, although Jim had a chance, but blew it. Kevin is on a "third-base" relationship with Vicky, and Oz is just getting to know Heather.
There is a bunch of sick humor in the movie, but there is also some normal, comical humor in the movie. It was funny to see Seann William Scott in the movie. He and Finch were problably my favorite characters, and the co-incidence is, that both are against each other in the movie. And in which Finch falls for Stifler's mom.
"American Pie" is better than your average teen sex Comedy, and surpasses "Porky's" by a mile. "American Pie" is an above average Comedy, filled with humor. But your younger brother/kids to bed before you watch this.
3 out of 4. My IMDB Rating: 7.7/10.
Pearl Harbor (2001)
The Most Under Rated Movie of 2001
Starring Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, Kate Beckinsale, Alec Baldwin, Jon Voight, Cuba Gooding Jr., William Lee Scott, Ewn Bremner, Michael Shannon, Greg Zola, Colm Feore, James King, Mako, Catherine Kellner, Jennifer Garner, and Tom Sizemore as Earl.
Two best friends named Rafe McCawley and Danny Walker, who have known each other since childhood, grow up to be pilots. Rafe, is offered to go to war, and he accepts. He tells his girlfriend, Evelyn, who is a war nurse, goodbye as he leaves. Now, Danny, along with his friends Billy, Red, and Anthony are transfered to Pearl Harbor for air training. The nurses also go along. Then, Danny finds out that Rafe has crashed his plane and tells Evelyn the bad news.
Three Months Later, Danny starts to fall for Evelyn. He takes her to see Pearl Harbor at sunset from the air. Then they end up hiding in the parachute hangar, and so on. Then a couple of days later, Danny and Evelyn find out that Rafe is alive. Rafe comes to visit Evelyn, but finds out that his best pal has taken his girl. The next day, December 7, 1941, the Japanese attack, sinking the USS Arizona first. Rafe, Danny, Red, Anthony, Gooz, and Joe go to Earl's airfield and lay off some cover fire with the .50 Caliber. Rafe, Danny, and Joe go to the last planes that are "good to go", and Joe doesn't make it off the runway. Rafe and Danny fly into the air and play a game of chicken with the planes, making the Japanese accidentily crash. After the attack, Col. Doolittle, one of Rafe's previous superiors, offers Rafe, Danny, Red, Gooz, and Anthony to be a part of his group, The Doolittle Raid, which is to invade Japan.
The most under rated movie of 2001. People hate this movie mostly because it is based on Pearl Harbor. I actually like the movie. I was surprised that this was PG-13 because of a lot of violence, and language.
The acting was good. Ben Affleck was okay, but Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale gave solid performances, as did Cuba Gooding Jr., Alec Baldwin, Jon Voight, and Tom Sizemore. Most of the supporting cast was good also. There are also bits of humor scenes delivered by Michael Shannon and Tom Sizemore, like when Gooz says that women "cloud the mind" or when he says that he has a girlfriend and no one responds for 10 seconds.
People might hate me, but I thought that this movie was really good. It is filled with Action, Dramatic moments, and some romantic scenes. I recommend Pearl Harbor by all means, but I also recommend other War movies even more.
3 out of 4. My IMDB Rating: 7.2/10.
Hannibal (2001)
Dr. Lecter is Back for Another Visit
Starring Anthony Hopkins, Julianne Moore, Giancarlo Giannini, Ray Liotta, Frankie Faison, and Gary Oldman.
Ten years after Clarice Starling caught Jame Gumb, she recieves a letter from Dr. Hannibal Lecter once again. He says that he is in Rome, Italy and greets her well. Clarice meets one of Lecter's victims, Mason Verger, who Dr. Lecter gave him drugs, made Mason feeds his face to the dogs, and broke Verger's neck. Verger survived, in which Lecter is now his enemy. While Clarice is searching the streets of Rome, Verger puts his own plan of revenge into action.
This movie was pretty good. Possibly the worst of the Hannibal Lecter Series. That's right "Series", not trilogy. I still include Manhunter. I found this movie pretty Thrilling, but not as much as The Silence of the Lambs or Red Dragon. Another good performance from Anthony Hopkins, and Julianne Moore is pretty good. If you loved Manhunter or The Silence of the Lambs, then you'll love Hannibal almost as much.
2.5 out of 4. My IMDB Rating: 6.5/10. Rated R for Graphic Violence and Gore, Language, and some Nudity.
Scary Movie (2000)
A Very Funny Spoof
Starring Anna Faris, Shawn Wayans, Jon Abrahams, Marlon Wayans, Shannon Elizabeth, Regina Hall, Cheri Oteri, Lochlyn Munro, Dave Sheridan, Kurt Fuller, and Carmen Electra.
What a hilarious movie this was. I don't really need to explain the plot, just combine Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer with humor. My favorite character was Doofy, he was hilarious. So were Shawn and Marlon Wayans. This is a spoof that you will not want to miss. Watch Scary Movie 2 if you loved this movie.
2.5 out of 4. My IMDB Rating: 6.3/10.
Rated R for Strong Language, Sexual Content, Gross Humor, and some Violence.
Scream (1996)
Screaming For More
Starring Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courtney Cox-Arquette, Skeet Ulrich, Jamie Kennedy, Rose McGowan, Matthew Lillard, W. Earl Brown, Henry Winkler, Joseph Whipp, and Drew Barrymore.
On one night in the town of Winnsboro, California, a girl named Casey was called numerous times by a person with a disguised voice. Then, the person attacked her and gutted her with a hunting knife. After that the killer hung her from a tree limb. The next day, the school was like a circus. A girl named Sidney and her friends kept talking about the murders since they knew the girl. Then that night, Sidney is called and attacked by the killer. When the killer leaves, her boyfriend Billy come through the window to see if she was okay. Then a cell phone falls out of his pocket, leaving him as the prime suspect. The police arrests Billy, but they find that he didn't make the calls. One of Sid's friends has a party at his house that night, and in which nosy reporter Gale Weathers has planted a secret camera in the house. Sidney realizes that the murders are starting to occur exactly one year after her mother was murdered. Who is committing these murders? There's only one way to find out.
This movie was more than I expected. A very good Horror movie. Jamie Kennedy was hilarious, and so was David Arquette in a way. Problably the best Horror movie since A Nightmare on Elm Street, which was also Directed by Wes Craven.
3 out of 4. My IMDB Rating: 7.5/10. Rated R for Graphic Violence, Language, Substance Abuse, and some Sexual Content.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Wonderful
Starring Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Anthony Heald, Frankie Faison, Brooke Smith, Kasi Lemmons, Charles Napier, Roger Corman, and Ted Levine.
*SPOILERS*
A Serial Killer who people call "Buffalo Bill", has skinned five women. FBI Chief Jack Crawford selects FBI trainee Clarice Starling to ask Dr. Hannibal Lecter, an imprisoned former psychiatrist, about the case and see what he thinks of it, same as he did with Will Graham. Dr. Lecter asks Clarice about her personnal life. During that time, Buffalo Bill captures his next victim. Clarice offers Dr. Lecter a transfer if he helps her. When he gets his transfer, Dr. Lecter asks Clarice about her childhood. She says that she lived with her uncle on a farm and tried to escape one night when she had a dream about lambs being slaughtered. She tried to run away with one of them. She says that when they finally catch Buffalo Bill that the lambs would stop screaming in her head. When Clarice leaves the prison, Dr. Lecter esapes, killing two attendents, and escaping in an ambulance. Clarice finally tracks down and kills Buffalo Bill, but she will never forget her confrontation with Hannibal Lecter.
One of the best psychological Thrillers ever made. Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins were excellent. Hannibal is an unforgetable character. Follows Manhunter very well, since Manhunter was good, and had two more sequels, Hannibal was okay, and Red Dragon was almost as good as Manhunter. This movie was a winner of 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture. You can't miss this movie. One great film!
4 out of 4. My IMDB Rating: 8.7/10. Rated R for Strong Graphic Violence, Language, Grisly Images, and Some Nudity.
Red Dragon (2002)
Bringing Back the Doctor Once Again
Starring Edward Norton, Anthony Hopkins, Ralph Fiennes, Harvey Keitel, Emily Watson, Mary Louise-Parker, Anthony Heald, Ken Leung, Frankie Faison, Tyler Patrick Jones, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
The films starts with Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who is visited by FBI Agent Will Graham at his office. The moment that Graham finds something in one of Dr. Lecter's cook books, Lecter guts Will in the stomach. Graham grabs his handgun and shoots Lecter two times in the chest. Hannibal is captured by the police. Several years later, a psychopathic killer who calls himself the "Tooth Fairy/Red Dragon", has murdered two families in Atlanta and Birmingham. Chief Jack Crawford asks Will if he would come from retirement and help solve the case. As Graham helps with the investigation, he must find information from Dr. Hannibal Lecter. If Will Graham enters the mind of a psychopathic killer again, will he ever be able to escape.
I thought that this remake of the extremey underrated Manhunter was surprisingly good. I wasn't better than The Silence of the Lambs or Manhunter, but was better than Hannibal. Edward Norton wasn't as good as William Petersen, but Anthony Hopkins delivers another good performance, as Ralph Fiennes and Emily Watson do. One of the best Thrillers of 2002.
3 out of 4. My IMDB Rating: 7.6/10.
Psycho (1998)
A Major Letdown!
Starring Vince Vaughn, Julianne Moore, Viggo Mortensen, William H. Macy, Phillip Baker Hall, Robert Forster, and Anne Heche as Marion Crane.
It's just the same exact plot of Psycho(1960). If you've seen the original before this, then there is no point of watching this. You know who the killer is, you know whats going to happen. Although, I'd rather watch this than Psycho III. If I were you, I would at least watch the original first then watch this and compare the two.
1.5 out of 4. My IMDB Rating: 4.6/10
Rated R for Graphic Violence.
Die Hard 2 (1990)
Well, what did you expect? The Godfather Part II?
Starring Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, William Atherton, William Sadler, Reginald VelJohnson, Franco Nero, John Amos, and Dennis Franz as Carmine Lorenzo. Directed by Renny Harlin.
One or two years after McClane's first experience, John McClane is forced to battle terrorists once again, this time in Washington's Dulles Airport on Christmas Eve! As McClane struggles to outwit terrorists and save his wife and passengers, who are trapped on a plane circling overhead, he realizes it's time to put his own plan into action.
A good entry to the Die Hard series, but lacks Director John McTiernan and replaces him with Renny Harlin. And I didn't expect The Godfather Part II. The supporting cast is good, even though Al Powell is only in it for 5 minutes. William Atherton, who plays the TV Reporter Thornburg, is also back. This movie is a whole lot more expanded more than Die Hard. Based on the novel "58 Minutes" by Walter Wager. If you loved the original Die Hard, then you'll love Die Hard 2.
3 out of 4. My IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
Rated R for Strong Language and Violence
The Karate Kid Part II (1986)
What Honor is All About
Starring Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Danny Kamekona, Tamlyn Tomita, Nobu McCathy, Yuji Okumoto, and Martin Kove.
Taking place where Part 1 left off, Daniel LaRusso has just won the Karate Tournament and has won the title from Johnny Lawrence. 6 Months Later, Daniel breaks up with Ali and tries to move on. Meanwhile, Mr. Miyagi recieves a letter from Okinawa saying that his father is very ill. Daniel and Mr. Miyagi plan to stay there for the Summer. When they get there, they are met by Sato, Miyagi's old friend. Sato still wants to fight Miyagi after all these years. Daniel makes a new enemy of his own, Chozen, Sato's Nephew. Daniel also makes friends with Kumiko. When Sato starts to threaten to destroy Miyagi's old home town, Miyagi accepts to fight him. But later on, Sato realizes that he is wrong and turns to Miyagi, while Chozen, stays the way he is. The town has a traditional O-Bon dance held in the abandoned castle, where Chozen challenges Daniel to a fight to death, and Daniel realizes that he must have the fight of his life once more.
This sequel was above average. I really liked it. This is the only sequel in the series that is good. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for the song "Glory of Love". The Karate Kid Part II is sucessful.
3 out of 4. My IMDB Rating: 6.5 out of 10
The Karate Kid (1984)
The Superfight of The Century
Starring Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, William Zabka, Randee Heller, and Martin Kove.
The story is about Daniel LaRusso, a senior in High School who moves to Reseda, California from New Jersey. When he moves there, he gets into his first fight on the beach at a party by the head Karate student of the Cobra Kai. When Daniel seems to get beaten pretty badly, he becomes friends with the Handyman, Mr. Miyagi. After a Halloween Party at school, the Cobras attack Daniel again, which brings Mr. Miyagi to Daniel's defense. The next day, Mr. Miyagi and Daniel go to the Cobra Kai dojo to discuss the problem. The Sensei, Kreese, will not let them get by without a fight. Miyagi makes a suggestion for the Karate Tournament. Kreese accepts. That gives Daniel two months to train for the fight that will change his life forever.
One of my favorite 80's movies. I think that it did better than 6.5 out of 10. If you were to watch any sequels, watch Part II. This movie has one of my favorite endings in Motion Picture History. Director John G. Avildsen did a great job, afterall he did direct Rocky. Pat Morita did such a good job at acting, that he was nominated for an Academy Award.
3.5 out of 4. My IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
Jaws 2 (1978)
Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go Back into the Water.....
Starring Roy Scheider, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Joe Mascolo, Jeffery Kramer, Mark Gruner, Ann Dusenberry, and Colin Wilcox.
*Spoilers*
Four Years after the shark attacks on Amity, The beaches are getting ready to open again. Scubadivers go to investigate the sunken Orca. They are killed underwater by something. There has been an "boating accident" on the beach that a woman has witness. Chief Martin Brody is concerned again for the town. Two teens notice that a whale has been massively attacked. Chief Brody goes to Mayor Vaughn again to warn him, but once again, Vaughn tries to ignore it. Because of Chief Brody's actions, he has been fired from the Amity Police, without his kids knowing. The next day, his kids go sailing with they're friends. Mike sneaks out along with Sean without his father knowing. When they are in the middle of the sea, a Great White Shark attacks them, killing one of the friends. When Martin Brody finds out that his kids are out sailing, he gets on a rescue Police Boat and comes across a girl in a sailboat. She says that a shark killed her boyfriend. Now Brody knows that there is a shark, and he must get to his kids before the shark gets to them first.
I rented this and when I finished, I was pretty surprised. This was surprisingly good. This movie would've worked well with Steven Spielberg and with Richard Dreyfuss as a co-star. The very inferior sequels, Jaws 3 and Jaws: The Revenge, were horrible. Stay far away from those, but this one is pretty good. If you loved the original, then you'll love Jaws 2.
2.5 out of 4. My IMDB Raing: 6.0/10
Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
Not as Bad as Everyone Makes it Out
Starring Bianca Kajlich, Busta Rhymes, Sean Patrick Thomas, Ryan Merriman, Katee Sackhoff, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Luke Kirby, Tyra Banks, Daisy McCrackin, Brad Loree, and Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode. 2 out of 4 My IMDB Rating: 5.1/10 Rated R for Strong Graphic Violence, Language, Brief Nudity, and Sexual Content.
HALLOWEEN meets MTV's Fear in this eighth sequel to John Carpenter's groundbreaking slasher picture. Like HALLOWEEN H20, it ignores all the post-HALLOWEEN II sequels and hews to a chronology in which unstoppable killer Michael Myers vanished following his 1978 rampage, reappearing 20 years later to further torment his traumatized sister, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). Here, six college students are recruited for a live, online reality show called "Dangertainment." Outfitted with mini-camera packs, they'll spend Halloween night in the old Myers house in Haddonfield, Illinois, poking around dusty corners and looking for clues about Michael Myers' dark past. What they don't realize is that opportunistic producer Freddie Harris (Busta Rhymes) and his assistant have rigged the place into a haunted funhouse guaranteed to prompt the panicky reactions that keep viewers interested. Five of the group think the whole experience will be fake. Jen and Rudy hope the exposure will jump-start their careers, skeptics Donna and Jim figure it will give them something to sneer at and Bill is just on the make. Only thoughtful psych student Sara (Bianca Kajlich), the archetypal "final girl," is at all rattled by the house's bloody history, and it's giving nothing away to reveal that history is about to repeat itself. The film does its best to tie up loose ends - it opens with a prologue that severs forever the bloody tie between Michael and Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis, again gamely reprising the role that made her famous) - and put a fresh spin on familiar material without straying too far from the fan-tested formula. I'm highly surprised that Busta Rhymes was not nominated for a Razzie Award. The cameras in the Myers house are very similar to homemade movies. It sort of reminds me of a BLAIR WITCH PROJECT rip-off, but it's a good way to get the victims-to-be into the Myers house and keep them there once spooky stuff starts happening. But director Rick Rosenthal (HALLOWEEN II) seems to have forgotten everything he ever knew about generating suspense, relying on cliched shadows and grainy, handheld images supposedly shot by the increasingly terrified students.
Rush Hour (1998)
One of my Favorite Action/Comedy Movies
Starring Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Elizabeth Pena, Tom Wilkinson, Tzi Ma, Ken Leung, Mark Rolston, Phillip Baker Hall, Rex Lin, and Chris Penn. 3 out of 4. My IMDB Rating: 6.9/10. Rated PG-13 for Language, Violence, and Some Drug Content
Entertaining, Funny and watchable, this picture throws together a smart-mouthed African-American charmer and an older, by-the-book, white authority figure so they can bicker, spar and solve some crime that more conventional law-enforcement types can't crack. Now the straight man is martial-arts legend Jackie Chan, playing Hong Kong cop Inspector Lee. He's summoned to L.A. by his old pal Consul Han to investigate the kidnapping of Han's young daughter, Soo Yung. But the FBI doesn't want Lee's help, so they press-gang arrogant LAPD screwup James Carter (Chris Tucker) into pretending to work with him while actually keeping Lee out of the way. Needless to say, neither Carter nor Lee is into this babysitting gig, and after they're done playing adolescent tricks on each other they get down to the business of finding Soo Yung. Now, the thing that made Lethal Weapon such an exhilarating, unpredictable ride was that it took all its elements seriously: The crime stuff was tough and bloody, while the mismatched buddy comedy was edgy and razor-sharp. Some 15 years down the line, the formula has gotten soft: The crime story here is lazily constructed, mostly an excuse for the give-and-take between Tucker and Chan, which is shrill and raucous without being especially clever. That said, the movie skims along at a pretty decent clip -- though the climax comes about 15 minutes too late -- and gives Chan (who's concentrating very hard on his English-language lines) ample opportunity to demonstrate both his trademark skills: lightning-fast martial-arts action and graceful physical humor in this hilarious Action/Comedy.
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
The Rebirth After Halloween III, 5, and 6!
Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Josh Hartnett, Adam Arkin, Michelle Williams, Adam Hann-Byrd, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, Janet Leigh, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Nancy Stephens, Chris Durand, and LL Cool J as Ronny. 2.5 out of 4. My IMDB Rating: 5.7/10. Rated R for Graphic Violence, Language, Sex-Related Material, and some Substance Abuse.
When bad sequels happen to good movies, they look like HALLOWEEN III; fortunately, you can pretty much forget that it ever happened, along with HALLOWEEN 4, HALLOWEEN 5 and HALLOWEEN: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS. For the purposes of this picture, from the third sequel on (except for an isolated fact interpolated from HALLOWEEN IV). Laurie Strode, who at age 17 escaped the clutches of a knife-wielding psycho who turned out to be her older brother, did not actually die in a car crash, as HALLOWEEN IV intimated. She faked her own demise, changed her name and tried to get on with her life, eventually becoming the high-strung headmistress of a gated Northern California prep school. She has a 17-year-old son (Josh Hartnett) from a failed marriage, she drinks too much, doesn't care for Halloween parties, has a medicine cabinet full of mood-altering pharmaceuticals and regularly wakes up screaming. And now her brother is back, looking to wrap up the unfinished family business. Brought back to life by director Steve Miner, who cut his teeth on FRIDAY THE 13TH sequels, and executive producer Kevin Williamson, whose SCREAM goosed the moribund stalk-and-slash genre to money respectability (but not by John Carpenter, the man who started it all), this efficient fright machine features a knowing cameo by Curtis's mom, PSYCHO's Janet Leigh, a couple of bloody good scares and a genuinely affecting performance from Curtis. The body count is surprisingly low (A+), Carpenter's instantly recognizable minimalist score is heavily orchestrated(A-), and the ending is about as satisfying as it could be.
Jaws (1975)
One of the Best Movies Ever Made!
Starring Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Jeffery Kramer, Carl Gottlieb, and Susan Backlinie. 4 out of 4. My IMDB Rating: 8.8/10. Rated PG/PG-13 for Graphic Violence and Language.
A great, terrifying catch of the day, JAWS was the summer mega-hit that established Steven Spielberg. This is the most cynically manipulative movie he's ever made (although it's deepened by some telling points about the tensions of contemporary masculinity), and it must be seen for its unexpected editing, driving score, and careful build toward shock images so big they feel like they're jumping into your lap.
An East Coast resort, Amity Island, is plagued by attacks on swimmers by a 25-foot Great White shark. Although Mayor Larry Vaughn would like to keep the whole thing quiet--he doesn't want to ruin the summer tourist season--the brutal attacks soon cannot be ignored, so Police Chief Martin Brody, marine biologist Matt Hooper, and grizzled old fisherman Quint go after the monstrous creature, winding up in a desperate fight for their lives.
Now, everybody into the water!
Psycho (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho
Starring Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, Simon Oakland, and Janet Leigh as Marion. 4/4, My IMDB Rating: 9.0/10. Rated R for Violence and Brief Nudity.
The now familiar plot concerns Norman Bates, a nervous, bird-like motel proprietor who lives under the domineering influence of his aged invalid mother. Norman takes care of Mother and, in return, she protects the disturbingly boyish man from temptation and corruption, particularly in the form of attractive single women who come to stay at the motel. Marion Crane stops at the Bates Motel after impulsively fleeing from her workplace with a large sum of stolen money. She had hoped this cash would allow her married lover, Sam Loomis, to marry her. After chatting with Norman, Marion appears to resolve to return the money. However, someone intervenes, leaving a bloody mess for Norman to clean up. After he's scrubbed down the bathroom, the dutiful son places the corpse in the trunk of Crane's traded car and sinks all the evidence in a nearby swamp. The situation gets tense for Norman when Marion's sister, Lila, Marion's lover, Sam, and private investigator Milton Arbogast arrive to ask some questions.
This movie is an all-time classic. Horror at it's finest. Mystery also at it's finest. Anthony Perkins was so good that I think that he should have been atleast nominated for an Academy Award. Although I thought that Psycho II was surprisingly good, I felt that Psycho III, IV, and Psycho(1998) were very inferior. Perhaps no other film changed Hollywood's perception of the horror film so drastically as did PSYCHO. Nowadays, when any psychological thriller featuring a loony with a knife is designated "Hitchcockian" in some quarters, it's easy to forget just what a dramatic change of pace this was for Hitchcock. A great catch of the day!