I grew up with two kinds of movie fans. One (my mom) was a hardcore horror buff, and the other was an unabashed action buff (my dad), so for most of my life before I sought out various genres, all I sat and watched were sleazy action flicks and gory horror films. “The Expendables,” while not a perfect movie, is a call back to the classic action films of the seventies and eighties when men were buff, grizzled, hairy and fired off huge guns while also getting the woman in the end, it’s a traditional action film that is also director Sylvester Stallone’s own version of “The Wild Bunch” about old cowboys who have one last stand to reclaim their dignity and self-respect. They do the missions because they feel as if they have to, and they don’t take in to caution their own well beings.
Tag Archives: War
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War [Hardcover]
I’m one of the few horror buffs across the board who have yet to read the 2003 cult book “The Zombie Survival Guide.” So back in 2006 when author Max Brooks released his highly publicized and promoted sequel entitled “World War Z,” I jumped at the chance and actually shelled out the dough to read his latest tome rather than borrow it from a friend or from a library as I typically did in the past. As a rule I don’t usually read zombie fiction because most of the time it’s usually just material that attempts to drastically re-invent the zombie sub-genre by reducing them to nothing but monsters, or more so turning them in to gimmicky creatures easily forgotten. Sue me but I grew up on Romero’s zombie films and admittedly I’ve been spoiled by his films.
For about as far back as I could remember I have been absolutely horrified of zombies. From horror comedies to zombie masterpieces, no matter what form they were in, I shuddered at the mere thought of them. My imagination did more than fill in the holes with the zombie movies I’ve heard of before I actually copped to watching them. I spent many a late nights thinking about zombies creeping up from beside my bed or pulling me down in to my mattress, and I avoided them for a long time. They petrify me. So as my resistance to them grew stronger, I managed to embrace the fear, and after a while I began to seek out all forms of zombie media, even indulging in some zombie fiction of my own.
Avatar (2009)
Watching “Avatar” is like watching a magic show. There’s lights, and sounds, and smoke, and hand waving and it’s mesmerizing if you watch without caution, but if you manage to go back stage and see what’s really happening, you’ll find that what show there is is all just an illusion, it’s all just razzle dazzle with an empty center. That’s what James Cameron’s phenomenon is like sitting through. An exhausting two and half hours basically amounts to nothing more than a carnival ride, an experience that’s interesting sure, but easily forgotten once you’ve decided to move on to the next light show waiting for you. I’m not one to besmirch Cameron for giving us this movie because no matter what I say the general consensus has been that American audiences and movie goers around the world have accepted it, but I’m one of the few who see behind Cameron’s smoke and mirrors and just craved more.
Planet Hulk (2010)
I, for one, have never been much of a fan of the Hulk. Even when I was highly invested in Marvel Comics collecting them and rushing to newsstands every week with sheer excitement I always opted for something other than the green behemoth. Hell, I chose to buy Darkhawk and Super Pro over an Incredible Hulk comic. Apparently I’m in the minority again because Marvel seems to love the big guy. Ever since his introduction the Hulk has been included in practically every animated series, animated movie, live action movie, and comic series in some form. He’s even guest starred on series’ centered on the X-Men and Fantastic Four and somehow always manages to steal the spotlight. So it’s no surprise the Hulk is given yet another chance at the center stage with “Planet Hulk.” I never read the graphic novel, but as always Marvel squeezes in the entirety of the tale in to a movie that barely makes it past eighty minutes.
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Tarantino is often touted as a filmic sensation, a director who understands film and the art of storytelling and despite the backlash he gets from some, the man simply knows how to tell a damn story. In a world where blockbusters and animated films shake us down for cash in exchange for a movie that only acts as an amusement park ride (experienced now, easily forgotten later), Tarantino opts instead to give us bang for our buck with films that surpass their genres and provide us with the old fashioned art of storytelling. With his flair for dialogue and his mastery of the film camera, Tarantino is always performing at his best regardless of his film’s quality (erm–“Death Proof”) and “Inglourious Basterds” is one of his best works yet.
The Hurt Locker (2008)
I honestly think that given enough time, Hollywood is going to understand how to create a great film about the Iraq War. In the eighties we observed the sixties and its impact on society and given another five or six years we’ll get the right film about the Iraq war that chronicles its impact on civilization. Few movies have done it successfully (“In the Valley of Elah” was excellent, though). That is until now where Kathryn Bigelow has managed to capture the chaotic fervor and flat out insanity of the occupation of a foreign land told through the eyes of three soldiers, one of whom happens to be a bomb specialist who takes risks time and again to ensure the safety of his platoon.
Terminator: Salvation (2009)
Trust me, if I were asked to watch McG’s treatment of the Terminator franchise I wouldn’t turn it down. Is it one of the best the franchise has ever offered? No. In fact it’s one of the lamest simply because it takes every advantage to flex its PG-13 rating and make sure that everyone but the humans suffer a wicked death. In this version every human is given a bloodless death by robots we’re assured are vicious, merciless, and willing to make their victims suffer a long and painful death. All ounce of suffering we’ve seen at the hands of the machines in previous films is bypassed in exchange for interchangeable special effects and ho-hum action sequences.