Tag Archives: Adventure

Airborne (1993)

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Director Rob Bowman’s 1993 inline skating dramedy “Airborne” is the most nineties-est film of the entire decade, and damn it, I love it. It’s so 90’s, it automatically cancels out “Empire Records” and “Clueless,” combined. I suspect Warner and Bowman expected to begin a brand new nationwide rad inline skating craze with “Airborne,” by pandering to their love for all things extreme and edgy of the sport. Including long hair, surfing, flannel, hockey, and an extreme final race that’s so extreme it’s extra-eme.

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Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

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While director Ron Howard’s “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is by no means as wretched as “The Cat in the Hat,” it’s definitely a grim sign of things to come for the legacy of one of the greatest authors that ever lived. Typical of the Hollywood factory, the studios take a simple and meaningful story and bloat it to obscene proportions, turning it in to a ridiculous facsimile of the source material.

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After Earth (2013)

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You have to give it to Will Smith. For a man prone to taking the spotlight and eating it up like a gluttonous child, he really is comfortable playing second fiddle in “After Earth.” Clearly just nothing but a vanity project for Smith and his son, he literally passes the torch on to his son Jaden to take up the role of the action hero. Smith meanwhile stays in a space ship for the duration of the film as the Maguffin leading his son to the film’s second Maguffin. It’s all for naught though since Jaden Smith has no screen presence, zero charisma, and can’t act to save his life.

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Highway to Heaven: The Complete First Season (DVD)

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There was an unusual rise of Christian based television shows in the mid to late eighties, and my absolute favorite as a child was “Highway to Heaven.” I already was a huge fan of Michael Landon in “Little House on a Prairie,” so as a young boy I tuned right in to see Landon team up with old co-star Victor French in what was one of the best hours of television during my youth. Even as an atheist, “Highway to Heaven” can be appreciated for being an interesting and entertaining drama as Landon plays the enigmatic Jonathan Smith.

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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) (Extended Edition) (Blu-ray/UltraViolet)

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For a movie with the subtitle “An Unexpected Journey,” Bilbo Baggins really does get a huge notice ahead of time. In fact he has enough notice to run away from his home and let the dwarves wait at his door step. Director Peter Jackson really has his work cut out for him, as he has to adapt “The Hobbit” while also trying to remind the audience that this is connected in a large way to “Lord of the Rings.” So, he shoe horns in a cameo from Frodo Baggins, as played by Elijah Wood, and we then enter in to the rather long story afoot.

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Zone Troopers (1985)

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One thing I can say about “Zone Troopers,” is that it definitely wasn’t what I expected. Judging from the film’s poster, you’d probably go in thinking you’re going to see another “Bad Taste.” In reality, “Zone Troopers” is very much like “ET” except with soldiers in place of children. And it’s also directed like a television mini-series, with goofy fade outs, very limited violence, and colorful characters that paint this PG rated story about a group of American soldiers that befriend an abandoned alien.

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KnightRiders (1981) [Blu-Ray]

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It’s obscene how underrated “KnightRiders” is. For a Romero movie, it’s such a departure from the norm that his fans are accustomed to, but it’s also very much a George Romero film. Not only does “KnightRider” garner much of the tropes that Romero is fond of, including the biker aesthetic, journeymen characters anti-heroes, commentaries on the monotony of domestic life, and a meshing of various races, but you can also make a great game out of spotting cast members that have been in Romero films, or will eventually be in one. Hey, there’s Joe Pilato! Look! Scott Reiniger! Patricia Tallman!

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