The excellent Gina Carano takes her shot at her own version of “Breakdown,” and “Frantic,” with an action thriller that delivers on all fronts. If you loved Ms. Carano in “Haywire,” you’ll really enjoy the turn Carano takes here. “In the Blood” features a very respectable supporting cast along with Carano, playing a honeymooner with a tortured past who discovers her husband Derek has suddenly disappeared during their Caribbean getaway after a zip lining accident. Has he been kidnapped? Murdered? Is it a ruse from his over protective wealthy family to end the marriage?
Tag Archives: Crime
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
One of the main aspects about “The Wolf of Wall Street” that I loved is that through and through Jordan Belfort is an unapologetic amoral hedonist. When we see him in the opening, right until the final moments of the film, he’s barely apologetic and really misses the days when he swam in money, women, and recreational drugs. Because deep down he felt be earned what he sewed, and right until his downfall, he loves the man he was. Deep down no matter how much he changes, he’s still the same Jordan Belfort, a man who is addicted to satisfying his base pleasures no matter who he hurts.
Hidden Horror: A Celebration of 101 Underrated and Overlooked Fright Flicks [Paperback]
There’s nothing more annoying than books and lists that promise movie fans movies they’ve never seen or should see, only for you to find a list of the same old titles. The good thing about “Hidden Horror” is that it promises 101 movies you likely never saw, and surely enough as someone whose seen it all, I found some interesting gems in this book. To make things better, the underrated films really are some of the most under appreciated films I’ve seen in a long time.
Out of the Furnace (2013)
Much of Scott Cooper’s revenge drama is based heavily around themes that set our characters down a path where they’re doomed from the moment we meet them. Harlan DeGroat, played Woody Harrelson who is terrifying in the role, is a man that stains everyone that he runs in to. And he becomes especially a stain on the pair of brothers, both of whom struggle to find some way out of their pitiful go nowhere lives. Everything in “Out of the Furnace”: leads right in to DeGroat, who isn’t just a villainous scum, but also revels in being a violent monster.
Boiler Room (2000)
It’s a shame to see a movie filled with so much talent all to add up to absolutely nothing. “Boiler Room” trots out a who’s who of really good actors, many of whom were in vogue performers that eventually got their due. I’m especially a fan of Nicky Katt. That said, “Boiler Room” is a crummy retread of “Glenngarry Glenn Ross” sans the plays on “Death of a Salesman.” Ben Affleck appears twice to give a really raucous and loud speech to perspective stock brokers, and really you can’t help but think that Alec Baldwin did it better.
Pacing the Cage (2014)
The moment Max Lyons steps out of prison and enters in to the world, not only is his life on the line, but his soul is too. He’s still a very weathered prisoner who is a victim to his drug addiction, and his grasp for a normal life is hopelessly out of his reach. Lyons is one of the many poor ex-convicts hanging on by a thread, and director E.B. Hughes’ crime drama about a man fighting for his soul is a brilliant take on what is typically a tired sub-genre of dramas.
Sparks (2013)
For me, “Sparks” was an easy sell. I’m someone who loves serials, and classic pulp heroes that used their fists and fell for dames while fighting crime. Though “Sparks” is obviously an indie production, it garners the spirit of classic pulp heroes through and through. From a murder mystery, hard boiled cops, masked heroes, and the like, “Sparks” is an entertaining throwback to pulp heroes that, while flawed, is still worth a watch. If only for the great cast. Directors Todd Burrows and Christopher Folino leave no stone unturned in their ode to classic forties comic books, even featuring characters that smoke like it’s going out of style.