The Perfect Weapon (1991)

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It’s sad that Jeff Speakman was never able to obtain a full fledged career in Hollywood as an action star, because while his style of martial arts isn’t flashy, it certainly is fantastic to watch. Speakman had real charisma and passable acting chops to put him at the league of Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. It just never panned out. As a debut action film, “Perfect Weapon” is a fun and serviceable action film about redemption and revenge that Speakman carries on his own with flying colors. I wish we’d seen much higher budget fare with his later action vehicles, but at least his breakout is entertaining.

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Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014) [Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital]

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It’s about time we return to the basics with Batman and “Assault on Arkham” gets down to the nitty gritty. Batman is a bad ass lone wolf not chasing after a snot nosed brat, his villains are vicious thugs, and the Joker is terrifying. “Assault on Arkham” is an admirably rough and tumble action film focusing on the baddies of the Batman universe, and less on the dark knight. There’s just something about the Suicide Squad I’ve always liked. I enjoyed “Assault on Arkham” mainly because of its sleek and simple storytelling and ode to “The Dirty Dozen.” It also focuses on the demented somewhat perverse nature of Batman’s rogues, all of whom have to work together or die under a clandestine government.

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The Purge: Anarchy (2014)

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I really appreciate how director James DeMonaco has a second chance to fully embrace his absurd premise of the Purge a year later, and now seems to finally get it. The only way a film like “The Purge” could be any kind of fun is if it embraces its exploitation and darkly comic roots, and “Anarchy” achieves just that. DeMonaco also makes a case in the opening that you really don’t need to see the first movie to understand what the film is aiming for. Truthfully, unless you have a real weakness for home invasion films, “The Purge” can be skipped entirely. Director James DeMonaco blames a lot of the first film’s problems on budget constraints and really gets to explore his premise more with a wider scope, and better grasp of his own idea this time around.

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Robot Ninja (1989)

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J.R. Bookwalter‘s movie about a comic book artist that becomes a superhero seems to have had a budget of fifty bucks. Because of that much of the movie’s elements are sacrificed. This includes common sense, continuity, logic, a coherent story, tolerable acting, and even the most fundamental special effects. Somewhere embedded in the seams of this nearly unwatchable farce is a good movie. But the director spends more time trying to get mileage out of the cameos by Linnea Quigley and Burt Ward, than he does trying to elicit a genuinely good narrative. Who can blame him when the movie garners a cast of terrible unknowns? I’m surprised Ron Jeremy doesn’t pop up at some point.

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The Raid 2: Berandal (2014)

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Way too often have I invested time in a martial arts film only to find the sequel is pretty much just a repeat of the same beats from the original. Thankfully “The Raid 2” is a wonderful and seamless extension of the original Gareth Evans’ crime thriller. Evans returns to deliver what is now a much more complex narrative based around deception, the mafia, and a very elaborate revenge ploy that promises to bring down even the most valiant heroes in the story. Evans manages a very fluid timeline that makes “The Raid 2” a very good chaser for the powerful first action entry. Immediately after the massive raid in the first film, we find out that things never quite worked out too well for hero Rama.

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TV Guide Spotlight – Cop Shows of the ’70s (DVD)

For folks that like to collect these kinds of compilations, they’re really cheap best of DVD’s from select Mill Creek series comprised of various subjects. “Cop Shows of the 70’s” is definitely one of the better sets from Mill Creek, featuring various episodes from some of the best cop shows of the decade. I would have loved to see some “Hill Street Blues,” but all things considered this is a fun mixed bag with nine hours of mostly Aaron Spelling led crime thrillers.

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Our Top Five “Batman: The Animated Series” Episodes

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With Batman celebrating his 75th anniversary this year, I thought it’d be a good idea to remember Bruce Timm’s classic animated series about the Dark Knight. No animated series since has gained such acclaim and love from fans of all kinds. Whether you’re a nineties kid, a Batman fan, or an animation buff, there’s no denying “Batman the Animated Series” set the bar high. It was a masterpiece of storytelling, characterization, and mythology, all the while giving Batman a new dimension. It didn’t pander to kids, and often provided mature, complex, and morally gray tales of evil, crime fighting, and Bruce Wayne’s struggle to maintain his humanity under the cape and cowl.

These are our top five favorite episodes of “Batman: The Animated Series,” what are some of your favorites?

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