Leave it to the Coen Brothers to provide movie audiences with a crime heroine that we’d never really see coming at some of the worst criminals around. Marge Gunderson is not your typical gumshoe and probably never really desired to be one growing up. She’s a small town simple woman who is about to give birth to a baby, and only really works until she is able to head off to the hospital. But things go from mundane to extraordinary when what seems like a random series of homicides on a snowy road side turns in to a very disastrous plot to extort and embezzle money out of a car dealership.
Tag Archives: Crime
Scooby-Doo: Wrestlemania Mystery (2014) [DVD/Blu-ray/Digital]
The Scooby gang have come across almost every popular star since they were introduced on television. From the Harlem Globetrotters to Batman and Robin, no one was off limits to them. Surely enough with WWE ruling the sports world currently, their crossover with the Scooby gang was not only inevitable but it makes perfect sense, when you consider it. They met The Harlem Globetrotters. Mike Piazza. KISS. This was a long time coming.
Veronica Mars (2014)
The movie that Kickstarter gave us is finally here, and it’s pretty great to see Veronica Mars back and in action. I fondly recall following “Veronica Mars” during season two after I grabbed a hold of season one and tore through the entire freshman year in one sitting. Like many series before it, “Veronica Mars” is one of the more under appreciated crime dramas that never got its due, despite a loyal fan following and critical acclaim. Thankfully creator Rob Thomas is finally able to put his love child to bed, and give fans the sign off we’ve been pleading for, for years.
Kindergarten Cop (1990)
Back in the eighties and nineties, Arnold Schwarzenegger was larger than life. With his large build and thick Austrian accent, his rough exterior was contradicted by his sweet personality. This carries over more than successfully in Ivan Reitman’s “Kindergarten Cop,” one of his many efforts to connect with younger audiences. His transformation in to kids film star is nearly seamless, as he’s able to connect with his primarily younger cast surprisingly well, and garners a strong chemistry with just about everyone in the film.
Last Action Hero (1993) (DVD)
I know a lot of people argue that “Last Action Hero” was ahead of its time, but I’d wager a bet we’ll likely never see a time where it’d be considered genius. Director John McTiernan matched with Arnold Schwarzenneger bring movie fans an action movie that never knows what it wants to be. It’s too straight faced to be considered satire, too silly to be taken as an action movie, too menacing to be a kids film, and too juvenile for hardcore Schwarzenneger fans. Yes, even more juvenile than “Kindergarten Cop.”Most of “Last Action Hero” can never decide on putting Schwarzenneger’s character in to the background. Considering he’s mostly just a fictional character that young Danny Madigan worships whenever he visits the theaters, it’s jarring the film basically begins on Jack Slater and his adventures.
Blank Check (1994)
The early to mid-nineties were filled with movies that really wanted some of that sweet “Home Alone” cash, thus many movie studios pumped out their own versions. You could almost call these rip offs but they were given enough of a twist to where they felt original. “Blank Check” only had about a movie’s worth of story to it, but it tried very hard for the “Home Alone” audience, and really was just a mediocre to abysmal kids film that barely made a ripple upon its release. It’s yet another film about a child that drops in to an extraordinary situation and runs afoul hard nosed criminals that eventually confront him and are put through punishment through his own series of gags, quick thinking, and devices.
Ri¢hie Ri¢h (1994)
I’d say the reason why Harvey Comics’ adaptation of “Casper” is so great, while the adaptation of “Richie Rich” (or “Ri¢hie Ri¢h”) is so terrible is simple. We can relate to a poor child that lost his life and now lingers as a ghost looking for love. We can’t relate to an obscenely rich child whose life is only difficult because he can’t make friends. “Richie Rich” has always been a one note character filled with really boring jokes, and I’m not too surprised the movie is so terrible and unfunny when all is said and done. It’s not even very appealing to kids. Sure, you can make the argument that it’s every kids fantasy to be rich, but I think “Blank Check” covered that fantasy. Not well, mind you, but it covered it wholesale.




