Ah Nazisploitation, one of my favorite sub-genres of the Grindhouse niche. After watching the “Ilsa” movies last year, I found the subset to be a very fascinating and varied area with titles attempting social relevance and failing immensely. “Blitzkrieg” is the incredible ambitious and sophisticated dip into the nazi exploitation gallery with a very unusual and original story that hearkens back to Jess Franco and Don Edmonds. “Blitzkrieg” sets down on 1955, a little over a decade after the holocaust where a secret group of officers are busting ex-Nazi death camp owners and arresting them.
Tag Archives: Action
Shark Swarm (2008)
I would love to say that this is one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen, I really would, but when all is said and done, it’s really just a typically awful television movie with a three hour run time that is about as necessary as another killer shark movie. When I finished “Shark Swarm” I blamed myself for sitting through it, and I completely forgot about it once the credits rolled. Boring as piss, “Shark Swarm” is one of the most derivative of the killer animal movies with elements that don’t try to break the mold and instead just follow along with clichés incessantly bringing us through the motions until the finale. Sharks are traveling in swarms because well… we’re never given a real explanation.
Kick-Ass #2
With the morbid sense of humor Mark Millar puts on the page with “Kick Ass,” and his propensity for punishing Dave Lizewski at every turn for generally being a complete moron worthy of an early grave, I think this series will finally end with someone shooting Dave in the face and killing him in that stupid costume. And damn it if he doesn’t deserve every thing he gets for being such a brainless imbecile. Sorry, people but Millar’s writing sucks me in so much, I just want to call Dave a stupid whipper snapper and smack him with my cane. I want to kick his ass, as it were.
Ring of Death (2008)
“Death Warrant,” “Undisputed,” and “Enter the Dragon.” If you’ve seen those films then there’s a good chance you won’t need to see the oddly titled “Ring of Death” which is a simultaneous nod and derivation of the aforementioned with none of the charm of either of them. “Ring of Death” is a movie with every such potential to be a fun guy’s action film, and fails to be nothing more than a sub-par television movie with the illusion of edge embedded into its rather predictable story. The writers never really provide us with the slightest bit of originality, opting instead to rely on our familiarity with the action genre.
Speed Racer (2008)
The Wachowskis aspire for something unusual and awfully contradictory with “Speed Racer.” They want an intentionally animated live action film, but a film that also looks as realistic as possible. They want a family film, but this is a film that may not be appealing to all children, and they want a story that simple but also quite complicated. Just when you think you’ve seen all of Spritle and his monkey, there’s an unusual tale about corporate corruption. Maybe it’s because of all the contradictions and hapless surrealism that I responded to “Speed Racer” with such enthusiasm. I know it won’t be for everyone, and it definitely has its own flaws present, but speaking as someone willing to meet the Wachowskis halfway, everything involving Speed and Racer X made for some interesting drama.
Jumper (2008)
Doug Liman’s “Jumper” is the type of action fare that you come to see for the dazzling effects and interesting battles, and then… nothing more, after that. The common complaint is that the film doesn’t fully touch on the concept of jumping, and while that’s true, it does indeed explore how this power would be every man’s fantasy. To be able to jump everywhere, to be able to be anywhere you want without restrictions, and to be able to do whatever you want is something “Jumper” pulls off in emphasizing. And the character of David personifies this idea by often working on motives that are never clear. A firm anti-hero, David is that very wealthy young man that everyone worships and wants to be, and he’s turned into someone working for a cause by accident once he gets the psychotic Paladins on his tail.
Iron Man (2008)
Director John Favreau commits a fantastic feat with “Iron Man”: He makes the character interesting. Iron Man has always been a second tier character of the Marvel Comic Universe who was never taken too seriously by avid comic fans. He was boring, and more often than not, lame. Stark was always a very unsympathetic figure of the Marvel mythos, and his ability to be taken down by almost anyone who ripped through his armor to get to the man, rendered him rather forgettable and often satirized. So what does Favreau do? He takes the character and turns him into a hero we want to see. Every adaptation of the character has been bland. Until now that is, where with pitch perfect casting and sharp writing, the character of Iron Man becomes an amazing presence on screen, and even better, Tony Stark becomes an alter ego we can care about, laugh with, and root for.