It’s “Die Hard.” But now it’s set in a private school. And it stars a bunch of child actors now young men that band together to bring down terrorists. You have to love the nineties. Most of it tried to establish its identity, while the rest pretty much cribbed ideas from the eighties. If you can buy that Will Wheaton and Sean Astin are action heroes, “Toy Soldiers” is passable action escapism that mixes “Die Hard” with a touch of “Red Dawn.”
Tag Archives: Thriller
Skinhead Requiem (2013)
Director Jason Victor Everett’s short dramatic thriller “Skinhead Requiem” is a powerful and compelling short look at two men on the cusp of realization in their lives that they will take with them to their graves. Director Jason Victor Everett takes a startling transformation as the ultimate extremist skinhead, while the legendary Tom Noonan plays a priest speaking with him as he prepares to leave for his execution.
Hey Marvel, How About Another Punisher Movie?
We’ve reached that time again where we, the Punisher fans of old and new begin wondering what is happening with Frank Castle also known as The Punisher. Last year Marvel Studios bought back their properties including Daredevil and The Punisher and are now basically just sitting on them. And we’re wondering when we’re going to see another bonafide Punisher movie in theaters. Surely making revenge films isn’t that hard an endeavor since every studio has released their own revenge film over the years. But for some reason you’d think making a revenge film about a stone cold avenger with a skull on his black shirt is something that requires rocket science.
Venom: Truth in Journalism (2013)
With “Truth in Journalism” director Joe Lynch proves that he’s not only a wonderful indie filmmaker, but that he knows how to add flavor and originality to a popular property. This time it’s a comic book property, and one that’s been iconic since the late eighties.
Quicksilver (1986) [Blu-Ray]
In spite of my appreciation for actor Kevin Bacon, I never actually managed to see “Quicksilver.” Even when it was on television, I always actively made a point of not watching it. It just never interested me. Thankfully now with the advent of Kevin Bacon’s 1986 thriller now on Blu-Ray, I’m happy to discover that “Quicksilver” is an entertaining and somewhat underrated action thriller where Bacon thrives once again.
Mortal Kombat (1995)
After cribbing from the Cronenberg filmmaking handbook in “Event Horizon,” director Paul WS Anderson took the reins of the popular fighting game “Mortal Kombat.” A precursor to his handling of another popular genre game “Resident Evil,” director Anderson handles the adaptation of “Mortal Kombat” much in the way studios enjoy it. He takes a controversial, volatile, and violent video game, and transforms it in to a PG-13 action romp for teenage boys. With “Mortal Kombat” director Anderson almost gets it right. Close but no cigar.
Cockneys vs. Zombies (2013)
While we may not have a “Shaun of the Dead” sequel, I like to think of “Cockneys vs. Zombies” as the equally funny, and engaging story that occurred during Shaun’s trek to save his girlfriend. This time around, a construction crew accidentally unearths a mysterious tomb filled with corpses and skulls. When the workers are killed by the still re-animated denizens of the tombs, a zombie plague begins to spread across the East Side of London.