Category Archives: Action Packed April

Youngblood (1986)

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I have a history with “Youngblood” as I do with a lot of movies from the eighties. It was one of those movies that always played on local television and all I remembered about it was the idea that hockey involved a lot of fist fighting, and methodical fist fighting at that. “Youngblood” was always that really entertaining sports movie that was more about the idea of the male spirit than the sport of hockey itself. It’s not the most sports oriented movie, but more a coming of age action flick with a hefty amount of romance, bromance, and typical eighties homoeroticism. And I still find it to be a raucous action drama, regardless of its age.

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300: Rise of an Empire (2014) [Blu-Ray/DVD/Ultraviolet]

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One of the biggest mistakes that “300: Rise of an Empire” makes is that it insists on imitating Zack Snyder’s style of filmmaking. Whether if by choice or by the order of the studios, director Naom Murro spends more time in the movie trying to copy Zack Snyder’s excessive slow motion and blurry flourishes, rather than actually trying to help this sequel stand out from its predecessor. Murro is so focused on convincing audiences that it’s legitimate extension of the original film, that he can never solve the movie’s biggest problem: The fact that it’s so utterly mind numbingly dull. The movie spends a lot of time in the first twenty minutes reminding us of the first film that it can never really build momentum for its own narrative.

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Agency of Vengeance: Dark Rising (2014)

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Surely, “Agency of Vengeance” is a silly movie, but one that’s often really indecisive about itself. Sometimes it aims for a straight forward horror actioner, and then other times it seems to mock its own premise, with goofy meta-storytelling. When a character is confronted with an evil minion asking “Why are you doing this?” he responds “Because. I’m the bad guy.” In either case, I wasn’t aware this is a sequel of a 2007 movie called “Dark Rising: Bring Your Battle Axe” which seemed more fantasy oriented. Thankfully you don’t have to track down that film, to see this one, as there are flashbacks and a lot of exposition to play catch up with.

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A Low Down Dirty Shame (1994)

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In the nineties everyone was taking a shot at becoming an action star, even Keenan Ivory Wayans. At the time Wayans was known primarily for comedy, after directing the hilarious “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka!” and the (then) very popular sketch comedy show “In Living Color.” But oddly enough, Wayans began starring in action vehicles that were much more straight-faced and intent on pushing him as a gun toting good guy who could take down crime and make us laugh at the same time. In the end, he just feels like a pseudo-John Shaft. “A Low Down Dirty Shame” is a respectable effort, but one that’s woefully misguided, if only for the story’s inability to decide on a tone.

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Turtle Power: The Definitive History of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

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I’d be very hesitant to call “Turtle Power” the definitive history of the Ninja Turtles franchise since it’s only ninety minutes, covers only the nineties portion of the series history, and feels like a glorified DVD extra, but all in all it’s still a worthwhile documentary. Director Randall Lobb composes an entertaining history of the series teeming with excellent nostalgia that chronicles the origins of TMNT from their introduction as an independent comic book, to their inevitable domination of the world in the eighties and nineties. “Turtle Power” definitely has some interesting tidbits and trivia about the franchise and the series in general, while the producers are slick to feature some of the 2014 TMNT posters in a few timeline graphics.

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The Last Starfighter (1984)

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My love for “The Last Starfighter” was cultivated through late night cable television in the early nineties, where I was oblivious to its existence for many years. Yes, it’s a major rip off of “Star Wars: A New Hope,” but that’s what’s so entertaining about it. It embraces its derivative functions, and runs with it to deliver a fun kids space opera that’s simple, but exciting. Director Nick Castle’s “The Last Starfighter” has rapidly become one of my favorite action films of all time as it twists the silliness in to a riveting and rousing fight between an underdog and a galactic force of evil.

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Lost in Space (1998)

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It takes a special kind of talent to screw up a remake of “Lost in Space.” It’s basically just the Swiss Family Robinson lost in the universe, and finding new worlds and fantastic adventures. They cast Gary Oldman as Dr. Smith, Robot B-9 is given a bold new re-imagining, and yet “Lost in Space” still manages to be so putrid and terrible.I fondly remember anxiously wanting to see “Lost In Space” when I was a teen to the point where I even had a dream about it. After finally seeing it upon its release, it’s kind of sad that the trailer seems to embrace the spirit of the series more than the movie itself.

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