Five Favorite Fictional Movie Stars

This year’s “The Fall Guy” is not just an action picture that adapts the classic Lee Majors series, but it also triples as a fun satire of Hollywood and an ode to the noble profession of stunt performers. In “The Fall Guy” Colt Seavers is attached to major movie star Tom Ryder, a bloated, obnoxious super star who shows little respect to Colt. When he suddenly goes missing, it’s up to Colt to find him and hopefully bring him back to his job in one piece.

In honor of Tom Ryder, I thought I’d list five of my favorite fictional movie stars, these are five people that are absolute Hollywood nightmares.

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Navy SEALS (1990)

Now Available at Vinegar Syndrome and Amazon.

Lewis Teague’s action thriller feels a lot like one of the last vestiges of the Reagan Era, where movies marketed on promoting military and America, and “Navy SEALS” feels like too little, too late. Even for the eighties, “Navy SEALS” is corny jingoistic propaganda that teams a slew of great movie stars to deliver what is basically a middling attempt to recapture some of the “Top Gun” glory of the eighties. Even star Michael Biehn didn’t like “Navy SEALS” explaining that it was one of his worst movie making experiences of his career.

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The Fall Guy (2024): The Extended Cut [Digital]

Now Streaming on Digital.

It’s such a damn shame that audiences weren’t more receptive to “The Fall Guy” because this has the potential to really blossom in to a big franchise if it were given the chance. David Leitch produces not only a great action comedy, but also a movie that simultaneously satirizes Hollywood and pays tribute to stunt performers across the world. “The Fall Guy” knows its premise and uses the opportunity to paint the picture of being a stunt worker in film as a noble profession that is often dismissed and ignored. “The Fall Guy” first and foremost is a great action picture, one filled with great talent that helps keep the admittedly convoluted premise afloat.

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Shinobi [Limited Edition] 

Available on May 28th, 2024, from Radiance Films 

In these first three films from the Shinobi series, the story of Goemon Ishikawa leads the viewer on a path with one of the most influential and earliest cinematic takes on the ninja genre, helping fans see what happened in the early days, through stories that feel as old as time and, somehow, new. The stories here are focused on Goemon Ishikawa, a young ninja who gets stuck in the middle of something much bigger than himself with stakes that become more and more important from film to film.  

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Jericho Ridge (2024)

Now in Select Theaters and on VOD.

If you’re looking for a tightly packed and well-constructed classic siege action thriller than “Jericho Ridge” might be the cure that ails you. I was frankly very surprised with how well Will Gilbey was able to compose such a tense and well-crafted picture on what looks like a pretty small budget. The flaws reveal themselves in small increments, but they thankfully never hinder what is a movie so worthy of experiencing. “Jericho Ridge” owes a lot to “Assault on Precinct 13” where Gilbey pits one lone Sheriff against a skilled group of criminals, all of whom are trying to infiltrate her only strong hold.

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