Fans have wanted a sequel to “Stake Land” since its premiere in 2011, and while the conditions of it being a TV movie aren’t ideal, thankfully the follow up is just as good as the original. Dan Berk and Robert Olsen continue what Jim Mickle started delivering a sequel that’s just as bleak and complex as the original. “Stake Land 2,” once known by the superior title “The Stakelander,” takes off six years after we met the dynamic team of Martin and his enigmatic mentor Mister. Fans of the original will be happy to know that original stars Connor Paolo and Nick Damici return as the characters of Martin and Mister, with the sequel placing a greater emphasis on Martin as an adult. Writer Nick Damici also returns to progress the characters further and does a bang up job opening up this world even further and unfolding a narrative that transforms in to a whole other tale of survival and revenge by the second half.
Tag Archives: Action
Dragon Wars: D-War (2007)
Shim Hyung-rae’s action film is a great concept with many possibilities that is never realized in to a watchable movie. While it’s not the worst movie of 2007, it’s an ill conceived film better suited for more forgiving Kaiju buffs. Shim Hyung-rae’s “D-War” is a confusing, poorly written, convoluted mess that only exists to host average CGI monsters, all of which are the actual stars here. Shim Hyung-rae’s film seems much better suited for cable, as its jumbled storyline tends to snuff out any momentum of action or suspense; it does sport one of the most droning prologues in cinema history, after all. “D-War” tends to fall in to repetition as a sloppy bit of fantasy filmmaking that it can never really decide what story it wants to tell. This meandering narrative does nothing but foreshadow future events, and the almost endless flashbacks hoping to bind the story into coherence fail and collapse in on themselves.
Dragonheart (1996)
Rob Cohen’s “Dragonheart” is a film that was admittedly a favorite of mine when I was growing up. When it first premiered on cable, I recorded it on VHS and would watch the movie at least five times a week. Years later, “Dragonheart” is still a fun and rollicking bit of family fantasy fare. It’s by no means a masterpiece, but if you’re in the mood for a nice and breezy fantasy adventure with a hint of menace to it, you might enjoy what Cohen brings to the table. This is also one of the very few buddy action movies involving a human and a dragon, both of whom make up a bickering pair of friends that find common ground and a common enemy.
Karate Kill (2016) [Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival 2016]
Kenji, a karate master who keeps to himself, learns of his little sister’s disappearance so he flies to the US to find her and kill anyone who gets in his way. Writer/director Kurando Mitsutake builds a crazy fun action film. His film not a character study and that is perfectly fine. It’s build like an 80’s action film on steroids which mean the characters are okay, the bad guys are really bad and the good guys are not so numerous. However, the fight scenes are many and highly entertaining. The film is built to showcase the fighting and the action, the kidnapping of the little sister is only a reason for the lead to go nuts and fight everyone in his path to get her back. The film is in both Japanese and English adding an angle to Kenji’s travel to the US as he does not speak English and must rely on other Japanese people for most of his communications. The cultural differences are there from that but also seem to be exaggerated for the sake of entertainment.
The Wraith (1986)
“The Wraith” is goofy nonsensical eighties fun and it’s a childhood favorite that hasn’t aged much at all. The mix of punk rock and Mad Max gear head aesthetic has worked in the favor of “The Wraith” for a long time, making it a really unusual oddity of the mid eighties that embraces its absurdity. It has a good time as a revenge thriller with a supernatural bent that uses cars as a means of inspiring some chills. Whenever our avenging angel or “Wraith” comes rolling up in his supernatural black hot rod, it’s a surefire indication that no one is going to come out of the experience alive. I’ll be the first to admit that not a lot of “The Wraith” makes too much sense.
Bloodrayne (2006)
Look at those… sharp swords…?
Crushing every bit of potential for a great movie under the weight of his own abysmal vision, “Bloodrayne” is yet another video game adaptation that fails to deliver to its audience. “Bloodrayne” doesn’t attempt to appease the intelligent movie-goers, yet Boll aims for the young teenagers and utter dimwits by transforming his adaptation from a horror fantasy about a female heroine in to pure exploitation. Prepare for a ton of blatant nudity and sex that has no relevance to the narrative, or any real point, for that matter. Bloodrayne is yet another leather-clad fetishized Goth whose character emphases is based on her line “I have no family, I am an orphan.”
They Call Me Jeeg Robot (Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot) (2015) [San Diego Italian Film Festivale 2016]
A small time criminal, Enzo, jumps in the Tiber River to escape his pursuers. Little does he know, the river hides a secret and he gains super strength. With this new power, he starts off looking out only for himself until he gets to know his neighbor Alessia. Written by Nicola Guaglianone and Menotti and directed by Gabriele Mainetti, They Call Me Jeeg Robot is an interesting take on the superhero myth and how a person who is at the basis bad would take the powers and run with them. The characters built here are majorly flawed people, starting with the hero, Enzo Ceccotti who finds himself with this super strength while also being completely broke and in need of something to get him out of the hole he dug for himself.