"This car is 100% death proof. Only to get the benefit of it, honey, you REALLY need to be sitting in my seat."

There is rarely a time, when Quentin Tarantino makes a  bad film, unless you count Kill Bill. Then when you include other good directors like Robert Rodriguez, Eli Roth, Edgar Wright and Rob Zombie, nothing bad can come from it. All of these directors brought us the extravaganza Grindhouse. This movie includes two movies in one, Planet Terror and Death Proof.
Planet Terror is about a lethal chemical that gets released into the air and turns people into zombies. El Wray (Freddy Rodriguez), a truck driver and outlaw, runs into his ex-girlfriend Cherry (Rose McGowan) and the two are attacked by zombies. Cherry gets her leg ripped off and El Wray brings her to the hospital, where there are tons of patients coming in with bites and infections. El Wray runs into Sheriff Hague (Michael Biehn), who's been looking for Wray. He's about to take Wray away, when all hell breaks loose. Wray saves Cherry and they and the police, all meet at Hague's brother J.T.'s (Jeff Fahey) restaurant. With a lot of people working together, they try and fend off the zombies. Wray makes a Cherry a new leg, which turns out to be a machine gun. As the group is escaping they are captured by the army. What El Wray and the others don't know is that the soldiers are infected too. They must all work together to infected army and the swarms of zombies.
This the perfect horror/action movie for a Saturday night or any night. The gore and effects on the zombies and infected people looks gross, but great. This movie is also filled with tons of cameos, including: Bruce Willis, Tom Savini, Josh Brolin, Naveen Andrews, Nicky Katt and Marley Shelton. This movie is super-fun to watch and has that kind of cheese, that is the best kind of cheesy.
The second film is Death Proof. The story is about a stuntman named Stuntman Mike, who kills five women after meeting them all at a bar. He does his killing with his "death proof" stunt car. Soon after his injuries heal, he is out stalking his next victims. They turn out to be three girls working on a film in town and their good friend professional stunt woman Zoe Bell. The girls: Abernathy (Rosario Dawson), Kim (Tracie Thoms), Lee (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Zoe, go looking for a 1970 Dodge Challenger, which is exactly like the one from the movie "Vanishing Point". When they get to the farm that has one, they leave Lee with the owner and take it for a test run. Zoe wants to play a stunt game called "Ship's Mast" and convinces Kim to do it. While driving down the back-roads with Zoe on the hood, Stuntman Mike and his Death Proof car come out of nowhere. He starts playing and scaring the girls, by smashing his car into them and nearly knocking Zoe off the hood. Mike thinks it's all fun and games, until the girls hit back. Soon enough it turns into Stuntman Mike being the hunted and he's scared, just as the girls were. It all ends in a big crash and the girls get their revenge.
This movie is my favourite of the two. Its car chases are amazing, they just don't make them like they used to, but this movie stays true to the old style. The final, long chase scene has no CGI used, just stunt-drivers. It looks so perfect, compared to watching something that has used CGI to enhance the chase. This movie has everything else a great movie needs. The perfect amount of comedy, sexy girls and great writing, which Tarantino, is always good for. This movie has the feel of all those 60's and 70's car movies and makes you brain have an overdose of nostalgia. Kurt Russell was definitely the right pick for the role of Stuntman Mike. He's got that half nice guy and half evil killer, down packed.
Other than the two films, this Dvd also has the fake trailers that were shown, during it's theatrical release. Those being; "Don't", directed by Edgar Wright, "Thanksgiving", directed by Eli Roth, "Werewolf Women of the S.S.", directed by Rob Zombie and "Machete", also directed by Robert Rodriguez. These are all hilarious and well made, for movies that weren't even real. The trailer for "Hobo with a Shotgun", that was shown in theatres, is not on the Dvd for some reason. Since Grindhouse was released, two of the trailers have been made into great films. Those being, Machete and Hobo with a Shotgun. This special edition is a treat to own for any Dvd collector.
Grindhouse was released in 2007 and directed by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. Released by Alliance Films, Dimension Films and Troublemaker Studios.

Collection#:
Grindhouse: #407

"I think I ran over a wookie back there on the expressway..."

Anyone, who is a fan of the Star Wars series, knows of the movies director, George Lucas. Those fans would know of the famous films he wrote, like Willow, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark and Temple of Doom. What most fans don't know is Lucas' first full length feature film was the cult classic sci-fi THX 1138. I only first heard of this movie about two years ago and bought it on Dvd last year. The movie is about society in the future, where everyone's mind and body are controlled by a government and everyone's names are composed of letters and numbers. Robert Duvall plays THX 1138 a man who works in a factory and lives with a woman, who he is not to become intimate with. Duvall begins to fee trapped in this life that he doesn't want and begins to rebel. He and a "hologram" escape from the city and try to find the way to freedom.
This movie is for a true sci-fi film lover. At first it is hard to get into, but after you see the beautiful visuals and how the story develops, it will get more and more interesting. The film includes other good performances by Donald Pleasence, Don Pedro Colley and Maggie McOmie. Also my favourite characters have to be the robot police (who you can also see in Three Days Grace's video for "Just Like You". And the "wookies" that roam the outskirts of the city (who also appear in Star Wars.....everyone should know this). The Dvd is the "George Lucas Director's Cut" and is another one of my coolest looking Dvds. It has slide-in cover with Robert Duvalls bald head, and name tag, clipped to his ear. The director's cut is a double-disc and on the inside cover there is a little introduction written by Lucas himself. Definitely a film to own for any sci-fi geek, but hopefully in the future we won't all be bald, like they are in the film. "Extraordinary. Visually hypnotic," says Vincent Canby from The New York Times. THX 1138 was released in 1971 and directed by George Lucas. Released by Warner Bros. and American Zoetrope.

Collection#:
THX 1138: #381

My Cult Characters: #4 David Wooderson

Today Matthew McConaughey is a household name. An actor on the A-list in hollywood and a favourite in the minds of many women. Even though is movie role choices aren't always the greatest, he still shines, once in a while. Dazed and Confused is where his career first blossomed, with the character David Wooderson. His character in Dazed and Confused became one of the most popular in the whole movie. Wooderson, an older guy, who has graduated years ago and still hangs with high school students. Wooderson also hits and dates younger high school girls, to him it's the perfect life.

Wooderson: "That's what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age."

Even though the film didn't do that well at the box office, it was a hit with critics and fans. Roger Ebert gaves the movie 3 out of 4 stars and said the film was "art crossed with anthropology with a painful  underside." This movie became a cult classic very quickly and highly ranked on some cult lists. It was ranked #17 on Entertainment Weekly's "Top 50 Cult Films" and #6 on their "The Cult 25: The Essential Left-Field Movie Hits Since '83" list.

McConaughhey's character became a popular cult fav among fans, this was proven in a few cases.

In the 2003 movie Grind, there is a character much like David Wooderson. Joey Kern plays Sweet Lou, a guy that has graduated already, but keeps coming back for the teenage girls. He acts and talks like Wooderson, this was an obvious tribute to McConaughey's character. Kern did a great job paying tribute the character and boosted the cult status of David Wooderson.

Another example Wooderson's popularity would be, when McConaughey was asked to reprise the role in a music video. The band, Butch Walker and the Black Widows released a song on January 20th, 2012 called "Synthesizers". The video featured McConaughey reprised his role as Wooderson in the video. He wore the same costume and hairstyle, as he did in the 1994 film. In the video, McConaughey shows up at a nightclub with some girls, obviously younger than him. He goes around the club smoking a joint, singing along with the song and at one plays a trumpet and mini-piano. The video is very comical and the song is actually pretty good.

All of this just shows how popular the David Wooderson character has become.

Wooderson: "Say, man, you got a joint?

Mitch: "No, not one me, man."

Wooderson: "It'd be a lot cooler if you did."

Grandma: "Who would want to rape me?"........Hesher: "Fucked if I know."

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is slowly becoming one of the biggest actors in the movie bizz. His comeback started in movies like The Lookout and 500 Days of Summer. Then he started doing even bigger movies and even bogger roles, in films like Inception, 50/50 and this summers Looper and The Dark Knight Rises. A movie that flew under most peoples radar, that has become a hit among movie buffs is Hesher.
Hesher is about a boy named TJ (Devin Brochu), who has recently lost his mother in a car accident. It is hard for him to cope with life, and also hard for his dad, Paul (Rainn Wilson), who can't seem to get off the couch. They both live in TJ's grandma's house, who is played by Piper Laurie. On his way to school one day TJ has a run in with a squatter, who's name is Hesher (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). After their meeting, Hesher begins to follow TJ around and get him into trouble. Then all of sudden Hesher shows up in TJ's house and asks to use the laundry room. TJ asks him to leave, but Hesher chokes TJ and tells him to go along with it. Hesher begins living at the house and no one says much or does much about it.
Another problem of TJ's is a bully at school. Luckily, before TJ is about to be beaten up, a women named Nicole (Natalie Portman) comes to his aid. TJ begins to like Nicole, and follows her around and watches her at work. Hesher notices this and thinks he can make some fun out of it. The three of them have a strange hangout day in somebodies backyard. TJ and Nicole both notice that Hesher is a weird, but funny guy. One day Hesher finds grandma, dead, in her bedroom and then later that day TJ finds Nicole and Hesher in bed together. He snaps on both of them and runs away. He goes after the bully that's been picking on him and then goes to the junkyard, where his mom's car was taken. When he gets home the next morning him and his dad have to go to his Grandma's funeral. During the funeral, Hesher shows up and makes a speech about his left nut. From this speech Paul and TJ realize, why they can't seem to get their lives back in order. Hesher ends up being a blessing in disguise.
Before I had bought this movie, I had seen the trailer and had heard so many good things about it. I found it in the five dollar bin, some how, and knew I had to get it. I was glad I made that decision. It turned out to be a funny, dramatic and touching film. Hesher is one of, if not the best, role Joseph Gordon-Levitt has done so far in his career. The way his character acts, makes you think that Levitt acts like this on a regular basis. Pretty much every one, of the main characters in this film, did a fine job in their roles. From Rainn Wilson to Natalie Portman to Piper Laurie and the young even Devin Brochu. This movie has the right amount of comedy in between the right amount of drama. Also, the metaphors this movie uses are easy to understand and are presented in strange, but beautiful ways. Hesher is a great indie film for anyone who loves a great and enjoying watch.
The Dvd has Levitt, Wilson and Portman pictured on the front and the "Hesher" title is spelled out using Metallica font. (which I thought was cool. It also has a lot of great reviews, on the front and back. "HILARIOUS!," says Eric Vespe from Ain't It Cool News; "Refreshingly original," says Kyle Smith from the New York Post; " Raw destruction and aggro comedy punctuated with a blast of crunching metal," says Amy Nicholson from Boxoffice Magazine and "4 stars. Headbangs straight into your heart!," says Grae Drake from movies.com.
Hesher was released in 2010 and directed by Spencer Susser. Released by Alliance Films, Corner Store Entertainment, Lionsgate and The Last Picture Company.

Collection#:
Hesher: #533

My Cult Characters: #3 Karl Ruprecht Kroenen

When people think of superhero movies, Spider-Man or Batman, usually come up. A superhero, that fell under the radar, but gain a major amount of cult fans, is Hellboy. There are two Hellboy films and both are top-notch superhero films, but it's the first film where this Cult Character comes from.
Karl Ruprecht Kroenen, a villain in the Hellboy comics and a surprise fan favourite, when the film was first released.
According to Dark Horse comics, Kroenen, is a German scientist working for the Nazis and a member of the Thule Society. He became one of the top scientists for Project Ragna Rok and a close disciple of Rasputin. He was present with Rasputin at the secret ritual that brought Hellboy to earth. He has many powers and abilities, including: a mystical clockwork heart which is mentally linked to his brain, which allows him to slow or speed up his heartbeat, fake his death and live longer than usual; Superhuman strength, which helps him lift over two tons and cut through steel or stone; Superhuman speed; Superhuman stamina; Superhuman reflexes; Superhuman Agility; Superhuman Durability; Superhuman longevity. His abilities, include: Inventive genius, Master surgeon, Master swordsman, Master martial artist, Weapons specialist and also, Kroenen revels in pain and can keep going long after pain would stop a normal human.
In the first Hellboy film, it was pure excitement to watch Kroenen. His moves were so fast and his attacks were so devastating. I loved the character and always thought he was the best bad guy, in any of the films. Many fans had the same feelings I did and his popularity has been noted to be higher than almost any character in the films. He wields a pair of Katara-like daggers, which he does most of his damage with. He meets his demise near the end of Hellboy, at the hands of Hellboy. Until after the credits, it shows a segment of Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor), in Kroenen's lair and there is a ear-piercing screech. Me and many fans thought and hoped this meant Kroenen, would be back from the dead in the second film. Unfortunately, this did not happen and fans weren't very happy with the movie maker's decision. Kroenen is still a fan favourite today and always will be.
Kroenen was played by Ladislav Beran, who has also played minor characters in Blade 2 and the newest Mission Impossible. His portrayal of Kroenen, was a ruthless and deadly one. His scenes and character will not soon be forgotten. I remember watching this movie in the theatre for the first time and I liked him almost instantly. I loved the fact that he just had to wind-down or up is heart, to slow is heartbeat or even revive his health. That night I gave him a nickname, for some reason, it was "The Nazi Nipple-Winder" (because of the placement of his winding key)

"Now, who wants to go home... and who wants to go with me?!"

It is one of the best video game series of all time and then it was made into one of the best video game movies. Street Fighter has been given a bad rap, by most movie viewers, which doesn't make sense to me. It has a 3.4 out of 10 on IMDB, way too low of a score for this film. It may not have Oscar worthy acting, but this film is more fun to watch then most movies and has nostalgia through the roof.
The story is about a war in Thailand between the Allied Forces and M.Bision. The Allied Forces are lead by Colonel Guile (Jean-Claude Van Damme), with his Lieutenant Cammy (Kylie Minogue), T.Hawk (Gregg Rainwater) and Captain Fei-Long Sawada (Kenya Sawada). They are trying to stop Bison and his men, and save the hostages they have taken. Bison (Raul Julia) has recruited many men to help him conquer the world, including: Zangief (Andrew Bryniarski), Dee Jay (Miguel A. Nunex Jr.) and Dr. Dhalsim (Roshan Seth), who is forced to work. Bison has also joined forces with Victor Sagat (Wes Studi) and his partner Vega (Jay Tavare).
While all this is going on, Ryu Hoshi (Byron Mann) and Ken Masters (Damian Chapa), are trying to get away from debts to Sagat and all the fighting going on. They get recruited by Guile, who says he will give them  their freedom when they are finished helping. Also Chun-Li Zang (Ming-Na), Balrog (Grand L. Bush) and E. Honda (Peter Navy Tuiasosopo), are using their reporters disguise to infiltrate Bison's camp. The three of them are then caught, trying to blow up the camp, and brought to Bison's lair.
While Ken and Ryu are secretly undercover in Bison's lair, Guile and the rest of the Allied Forces are on their way with an attack. Guile is also worried about his best friend Carlos Blanka (Robert Mammone). Blanka is being changed into a wild monster, by Bison's scientists and Guile doesn't know it. The battle ensues, bullets and bodies are flying everywhere and final showdowns commence. Guile versus Bison, E.Honda versus Zangief and Ryu, and Ken versus Sagat, and Vega. Who will come out victorious?
For lovers of the Street Fighter franchise, this movie is awesome and so much fun to see your favourite characters come to life.The only let down in the character section, is Fei-Long. The character that is "supposed to be" him, is only in a few scenes and doesn't act like Fei-Long at all. Other than that, this movie has pretty much everything. The fight scenes, although not being as good as any kung-fu movie, are still well done. This is definitely one of Van Damme's best movies, he is no top-notch actor, but he can deliver a great line or kick someone's ass when he needs to. One line in this movie, is one of my favourite movie lines of all time (check the title). Raul Julia plays a perfect Bison, probably the best acting in the film and best portrayal of any of the characters. Pretty much every actor does a well thought out job on the characteristics of their character, Wes Studi being another that did an excellent job. Obviously, there are some cheesy or lame moments, but the action and overall excitement of this movie, overcome them. Sadly, Raul Julia died before the movie was released, but the movie was dedicated to him at the end credits.
My Dvd is the Collector's Edition, which is also Widescreen. It also comes with a nice foldout booklet. This has many pictures from the film, a chapter list and the films production notes. There is one review, "Street Fighter has the perfect combination of elements to put the magic back into Saturday matinees," says Joseph B. Mauceri, World of Fandom Magazine.
Street Fighter was released in 1994 and directed by Steven E. de Souza. Released by Universal Pictures and Capcom Co.

Collection#:
Street Fighter: #295

My Cult Characters: #2 Lois the Robot

To know this character and love the movie, you have to be a big-time cult movie watcher or old enough to watch it in 1984. Runaway stars Tom Selleck and Gene Simmons, in a futuristic sci-fi, about robots that kill and the man that's out to stop them. Selleck plays Jack Ramsay, a police officer specializing in malfunctioning robots, who goes after Charles Luthor, the creator of these killer robots. The movie is a gem and a fun, action watch, but there's one character who stands out and probably wasn't meant to. In the movie, Ramsay has a nanny-like robot named Lois, who takes care of his son Bobby. She kinda looks like an 80's stereo system that was given arms and a voice-box. Voiced by Marilyn Schreffler, who has done voice work in movies like Explorers and The Golden Child. The thing that makes Lois so awesome is her scene stealing dialogue. The lines are obvious unintentionally hilarious, but that makes it even more funny. Take this back and forth between Ramsay and Lois:

Lois: "Bobby is eating a chocolate bar. His dinner, too, was nutritionally inadequate."

Ramsay: "Well what did you feed him?"

Lois: "Hot dogs!"

Ramsay: "Lois, you can't always give him hot dogs!"

Lois: "It was all he would accept!"

Lois is like ratting herself out. When you watch this scene you can tell shes not supposed to be funny, but she is. Pretty much every scene she is in, there is some kind of laughable moment. In one scene, Ramsay first brings his new partner, Thompson (Cynthia Rhodes), over to his house. When Thompson is leaving, Lois repeats the line "May I show you to the door?", and even this brings a few laughs out. There is not much info on the internet on Lois the Robot, but on the many blogs about Runaway, pretty much everyone talks about how funny and likeable her character is. I'm a big fan of this movie and I'll always remember Lois, especially when she was busted by Luthor.
"Bobby, Bobby, Bobbyyyyyyy"

"Who broke your balls?"

If your into Asian movies, like me, then you have an acquired taste for film. Some can be so dramatic and take you to the edge of greatness and some can make you cry, while making you cringe at the fantastic gore. To me there is none better than Oldboy, but the movie that comes in a close second, is the powerful revenge tale I Saw the Devil.

The film stars Byung-hun Lee as Kim Soo-hyeon, a police detective, who's fiancee is killed by a notorious serial killer. Kyung-chul (Min-sik Choi), a violent and smart serial killer, has been killing girls for a long time, but this time he picked the wrong one. After finding out that his fiancee has been killed, Kim immediately takes two weeks vacation and goes after any suspect he can get his hands on. When he finally comes to the home of Kyung-chul, Kim does some looking around and finds a cabinet full of women's shoes, bras and other accessories. Then he finds a room that looks like a dungeon, which is the room where Kyung-chul does most of his killing. Kim finds his fiancee's engagement ring and knows that Kyung-chul is the man that killed her.
He wants revenge, but a different kind of revenge. When Kim locates Kyung-chul for the first time, they attack each other almost immediately. Kim beats Kyung-chul severely, but doesn't kill him, instead he just leaves him where he is and plants a bug on him. When Kyun-chul awakes he doesn't get what happened and why Kim didn't kill him. The two enemies get into many violent scuffles and Kyung-chul is left barely alive each time. Kyung-chul starts becoming very angry and realizes Kim is the fiancee of the one woman he killed.
Keeping Kyung-chul alive turns out to be a big mistake because he goes after Kim's fiancee's Father, who is the Chief of Police, and her sister. With two more people who were close to him, dead, Kim goes after Kyung-chul one last time. It all ends at Kyung-chul's house, with an ending that you won't believe and won't soon forget.
This movie packs a huge punch. It never lets up and keeps you interested in the madness, all the way through. Directed by a great Asian filmmaker Jee-woon Kim, this movie has it all. Gripping acting from Byung-hun Lee and Min-sik Choi, they take this film to levels that you wouldn't expect. Byung-hun lee makes you care for his character so much, that it can even bring on tears. Min-sik Choi plays such a great villain, so violent and genius, this role might even be better than his in Oldboy. The gore and violence aren't for noobs. This is definitely one of the more violent of the best Asian films, but that doesn't take away from the movie. It knows when to be gory and violent, and doesn't overdo at all. With the amazing twists thrown in, this movie is easily a 10 out of 10. If you haven't seen it yet, run and get it, before you miss out on its brilliance.
My Dvd, which I just recently got, is the Uncut version and has Byung-hun Lee pictured. The movie has great reviews, that cover the front and back of the Dvd. "A Masterpiece of its Genre....You Won't Soon Forget It," says The New York Post. "This is Film Making on a Whole New Level.....A Masterpiece," says CHUD. "Absolutely Fantastic," says Bloody Disgusting.
I Saw the Devil was released in 2010 and directed by Jee-woon Kim. Released by Showbox, Magnet Releasing, SoftBank Ventures Korea, Peppermint & Company, Finecut, D Films and Maple Pictures.

Collection#:
I Saw the Devil: #561

My Cult Characters: #1 Les Grossman

In the comedy hit Tropic Thunder there were many hilarious performances. From Robert Downey Jr. to Ben Stiller to Jack Black, but one that stood out as an unexpected fav was Tom Cruise's character. Les Grossman is the studio executive in the film and is the tough and demanding boss of Damien Cockburn.
Tom Cruise hasn't been doing very well in popular lately. He hasn't had a better than decent film since Collateral in 2004. At first glace you might not even know it's Tom Cruise in that makeup and bodysuit. Then at second glance you might think "Tom Cruise? Oh god why is he in this movie? That is until he starts talking and acting like the total ass that Les Grossman is. That's when the hilarity begins. Pretty much every sentence Cruise spits out is comedy gold and makes you laugh constantly. Even when he dances to Get Back by Ludacris, it still is a really funny moment. Cruise played this character perfectly and was the second funniest character in the movie, next to Robert Downey Jr.'s Sergeant Lincoln Osiris.
Any fans of this movie will tell you that Les Grossman is one of their favourite characters in the movie. The characters popularity grew so much that he reprized his role at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. Also in 2010 it was announced that a spin-off film would be developed centering on Les Grossman.
Tom Cruise was initially set to cameo as Stiller's character's agent Rick Peck, but Cruise suggested instead they should add a studio head character. Stiller and Cruise worked together to create the new character, as a middle-aged businessman. The role required Cruise to wear a fatsuit , large prosthetic and a bald cap. Stiller's idea was to keep Cruise's character a secret until the release, but pictures appeared on Inside Edition. Cruise's attorneys made a lawsuit against anyone who published the photos.
Many people have speculated that Cruise based his performance of Les Grossman on Sumner Redstone, with whom Cruise had a public falling out after Redstone had Paramount terminate their development deal with Cruise. Grossman's physical appearance is more than likely based on Tropic Thunder producer Stuart Cornfeld.
The reason I believe Les Grossman is a Cult Character is because of how different the role is compared to Cruise's other roles. Usually Cruise is in some action movie or a drama role, but this shows that once in a while Tom Cruise can actually give us something really unique. Les Grossman was vulgar, mean, absurd and hysterically funny.
"Now I want you to take a step back... and literally fuck your own face"

New Posts Coming Soon: My Cult Characters

Yesterday when I was looking around on Google I came across a different kind of blog, which intrigued me. It was on the website empireonline.com and was written by Nick de Semlyen. He wrote only four of them, but they were very interesting. They were blogs about characters from movies that were not meant to be popular, but have became "cult" favourites among himself and other fans. Unfortunately, he has not written any other blogs like since 2008, which saddens me, but there is a plus to this.
I have decided to continue what he started and start writing my own "My Cult Character" blogs that will appear on this blog page. So look out for these new blogs coming soon and also my regular Dvd collection blogs.

Mahina: "You know, I also have killed a lion."......Angus Starling: "How many shots did you need?".......Mahina: "I used my hands.".

On Monday, I acquired a few new Dvds one of them being a great film, based on a true story, The Ghost and the Darkness. The story is about 2 African lions, who attacked and killed 130 people in a nine month period, in Tsavo, Africa.
The film stars Val Kilmer as John Patterson, who is a colonel and an engineer, sent to Africa to build a bridge across the Tsavo river. He is sent by Robert Beaumont (Tom Wilkinson) and leaves behind his pregnant wife Helena (Emily Mortimer). His job is supposed to take him five months, the perfect amount of time to get home when his baby is born.
When he arrives in Africa, he is met by Angus Starling (Brian McCardie) and they take a train ride to Tsavo. When they arrive they are greeted by Samuel (John Kani), who is in charge of most of the construction workers. They get to work almost immediately and things are going fine, until Dr. David Hawthorne (Bernard Hill) tells Patterson that someone has been attacked by a lion. Patterson decides he will kill it and that night he does kill a lion, but it was a lioness. A week goes by and everything has been moving along perfectly. Until another lion attack happens and then another. They realize it's two lions that have been attacking them and Starling gets killed in one of the attacks. When Beaumont shows up and isn't in a good mood, he says he is going to get ahold of the famous hunter Charles Remington (Michael Douglas).
After more attacks and deaths happen, the construction workers believe that it is because of Patterson that these lions are attacking. In the nick of time, Remington shows up, just as the workers were going to turn on Patterson.
Remington comes up with an idea to trick the lions. He gets the workers to build and new hospital, and then he and Patterson will hide in the old one, while its covered in the smell of blood. This plan backfires and the lions end up killing half of the people from the new hospital, even Dr. Hawthorne. The next day the rest of the workers leave and its only Samuel, Patterson and Remington left at the bridge camp. Patterson and Remington go after one of the lions, after they wound it and Remington shots it as it jumped right for him. That night the three men celebrate. Patterson wakes up to find Remington's tent a mess and Samuel finds his bloody body in a field.
Now it's up to Patterson and Samuel to kill the last lion, so the bridge can be finished, Patterson can see his new baby and they can keep their lives.
What a fun and thrilling watch this movie is. A top rate thriller/adventure flick, that actually gets you a little afraid of the "man-eater" lions. With lots of high-action scenes and great special effects, for 1996, during the lion attacks. The film also has adequate acting from Val Kilmer, Michael Douglas and even John Kani. This movie gives you the feeling and look of an adventure movie, with the terror and chills of a horror movie.
My Dvd has the original picture of Douglas and Kilmer on the front, with the shadow of a lion over top of them. The back has one good review: "Breathtaking.....Thrilling!," says Bob Thomas from the Associated Press.
The Ghost and the Darkness was released in 1996 and directed by Stephen Hopkins. Released by Constellation Films and Paramount Pictures.

Collection:#
The Ghost and the Darkness: #560

"Disturbing the peace? I got thrown out of a window! What's the fuckin' charge for getting pushed out of a moving car, huh? Jaywalking?"

Eddie Murphy's career has been going downhill for a long time now and so far it doesn't seem to be getting better. When he was in his prime, he was always funny and always in good comedies. His best movie, by far, is the hilarious Beverly Hills Cop.
It stars Murphy as Axel Foley, a crafty Detroit cop, who's best friend is killed by drug dealers from Beverly Hills.
Foley tells his captain he's taking his vacation, but really he is going to Beverly Hills to investigate. When he gets there he meets up with his friend Jenny (Lisa Eilbacher) and tells her the bad news. He finds out that his friend worked for a man named Victor Maitland (Steven Berkoff). Foley goes over to his office, but is immediately thrown out and arrested.
At the police station he meets two cops named Taggart and Rosewood, and Lt. Bogomil. Foley is told not to bother Mr. Maitland anymore or he'll be sent back to Detroit. He continues to investigate Maitland, but is tailed by his new police friends. Foley finds ways to outsmart them and go on with his business. Soon enough Foley finds out that Maitland and his crew are smuggling drugs and other stuff. But when he and Jenny get caught snooping in Maitland's warehouse, Jenny is kidnapped and Foley is about to be killed. Rosewood comes in and saves Foley and they both call for backup, as they head to Maitland's house.
Taggart meets them there and they enter a warzone, between themselves and all of Victor Maitland's men. It's up to Axel, Taggart, Rosewood and the rest of the police force, to save Jenny and stop Victor Maitland.
It's a shame that Eddie Murphy doesn't make movies like this anymore. Instead we get horrible movies like Norbit and Meet Dave. This movie was hilarious when it was first released and still is today. Murphy uses his old style of comedic delivery, it's perfection. His delivery on his lines, the way he uses his voice in different tones, all this and more makes this a comedy classic. This movie even has some good action, with some good car chases and gun fight scenes. I think Eddie Murphy's problem nowadays is that he has been taking the easy and nice way out, making family friendly movies. He needs to swear and he needs to be crude, to be the old Eddie Murphy. One of the reasons why I wanna see Tower Heist because it seems in that movie, Eddie is back to his old ways.
I just recently acquired this movie, on Dvd and was glad to finally have it. The Dvd is part of Paramount's Widescreen Collection and is also a Special Collector's Edition. The cover features Eddie Murphy sitting on a Mercedes Benz and the back shows a list of the many special features. Surprisingly there are no reviews.
Beverly Hills Cop was released in 1984 and was directed by Martin Brest. Released by Paramount Pictures.

Collection#:
Beverly Hills Cop: #559

"Long live the new flesh!"

My third favourite David Cronenberg film and a movie that reveals something different every time you watch it, is Videodrome. This movie makes you think and makes you love every minute of it.
The story is about Max Renn (James Woods), a cable-TV programmer, who is trying to find a new and fresh kind of program for his station. He looks for anything to do with sex, violence and anything to find new interest in viewers. When he and his hacker friend Harlan (Peter Dvorsky) finds a broadcast of snuff tv called "Videodrome", Max does what he can to find out information on it. Harlan finds out it's being broadcasted from Pittsburgh and after this Max meets a girl named Nikki Brand (Deborah Harry). They watch Videodrome together and both of them, especially Max, begin to hallucinate.
Soon it becomes apparent, to Max, that Videodrome is something that was created by a company called "Spectacular Optical". It was made as a mind control device and created by Barry Convex (Leslie Carlson), head of Spectacular Optical.
Max finds out that his friend Harlan isn't really his friend, but a spy sent in from Spectacular Optical and that Videodrome was never broadcasted, but Harlan played it for him on a tape. Everything then begins to spiral out of control, Max hallucinates more and it is hard for him to tell what's real and what isn't.
This movie is one of the smartest and one of the best "thinker" movies out there. For this reason, it is difficult to tell the whole synopsis and exactly what is going on. It is more fun and more interesting to let the viewer figure out the twists and turns in the film. When you do have a good grasp at the story, it makes the ending that much better.
James Woods does a fine job in this movie. To me he is an underrated actor, who never gets his dues.
A surprisingly decent role comes from Deborah Harry, not known for acting more for singing. She is another standout actor in this film.
It is surprising that Cronenberg made this movie with a budget just under 6 million. The special make-up effects and gore effects in this movie look amazing. Everything from Wood's open gut wound, to the TV that comes alive, to the flesh-videotape and the flesh-gun, look outstanding. All of this and more, done on a small budget. This movie is great from top to bottom, and is easily in my Top 100 movies.
My Dvd is the Widescreen edition and has a super-cool front cover. Weirdly there are no reviews, even though I've seen them on other editions of this movie, on Dvd. It does say that the Dvd is the "Complete Uncut Version, including footage never shown in theatres, which is usually a good thing.
Videodrome was released in 1983 and directed by David Cronenberg. Released by Universal Pictures.

Collection#:
Videodrome: #432

 

Cherie Currie: "I think I'm gonna wear it".....Joan Jett: "Where? To the strip club?"

Biopics about bands and singers don't come around too often. There have been some well made films like The Doors, Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story and Great Balls of Fire. So far, from what I've seen, the best of these kind of Biopics has been The Runaways.
The Story is mainly about Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) and Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning), the two leaders of the Punk-Rock group The Runaways. It starts off with showing both girls, before they even started the band. Cherie was in family, who seemed like they didn't want her. Her mom was moving away and her dad was a drunk, and never around. Joan was just trying to reinvent herself and wanted to start a band. Joan meets famous manager Kim Flowley (Michael Shannon) and tells him that she wants to start an all girl band. When Joan and Kim find Cherie, everything starts falling into place and the band starts to write songs. Joan and Kim come up with the song Cherry Bomb, which would be their first hit, and they started to play some shows.
Even though they weren't making much money and weren't playing very big gigs, they were still getting popular. Kim lands the girls a tour, and the band goes to Japan. The bigger the band gets, the bigger Cherie gets in popularity and it starts to overshadow the rest of the girls. Drugs and issues start to get in the way and Cherie begins to lose touch of everything.  Just as soon as The Runaways became huge, that's just as fast as they split. Joan goes her separate way and starts her own solo career, Cherie tries to start acting, but it doesn't go well. The rest of the band goes and does their own thing, like Lita Ford, who became bigger than she was when she was in The Runaways.
For the main two actors in this film, to me, it is the best roles of their careers, so far. Kristen Stewart hasn't stepped up big, until this film. In the Twilight movies, she overacts and doesn't show much. In The Runaways she doesn't a near perfect job at playing Joan Jett. To research and get ready for the role Stewart followed the real Joan Jett around for a week, to get the feel of the woman she was gonna play.
To me, Dakota Fanning did an even better job then Stewart. She has been doing an on par job in her other roles before this, but this is a definite step up. Fanning played Cherie Currie amazingly and added extra dramatics to the film. Her part stood out above the rest and it makes this movie even more exciting to watch. Michael Shannon also did a good job in his role, as the weird and eccentric Kim Fowley. His portrayal is comedic and different, but is fun to watch.
The movie has all the famous music from The Runaways career, their great songs like Hollywood, Cherry Bomb, California Paradise, Queens of Noise, Dead End Justice, I Like Playing with Fire and I wanna be where the Boys Are. Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning even sing their own versions of 2 of the songs, Dead End Justice was really well done. (To me even better than the original).
My Dvd pictures Stewart and Fanning on the front and it also has some good reviews. "I love Rock n Roll and I love this Movie!," says Jan Wahl, KCBS AM/FM and KRON-TV, San Francisco. "Rock n Roll Fans Of Every Gender And Generation Will Identify With This," says A.O. Scott, The New York Times.
The Runaways was released in 2010 and directed by Floria Sigismondi. Released by Apparition, River Road Entertainment and E1 Entertainment.

Collection#:
The Runaways: #396