The Warriors (1979)

4 / 5  Jun '11
Tagline:  They are 60,000 strong.
Directed by:  Walter Hill
Written by:  Sol Yurick, David Shaber,
Actors include:  James Remar, Dorsey Wright, Michael Beck
Genre:  Action, Adventure, Crime
Length:  92 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:
This really was a fun little underground classic that starts out with a bang and manages to keep up the excitement level throughout.  The production is actually rather impressively epic and the details, lighting and costumes are quite something too.  It's highly stylized and the little cartoonish touches make it seem all the more creative.  It's about a bunch of Gangs who have a meeting about uniting, but when someone kills the Head Honcho the blame is wrongly placed on a group called The Warriors.  From that point on it's a thrillingly violent mad dash through the other Gang territories (as everybody is looking to kill them).  It's pretty neat that a cast of nearly unknowns did such a fantastic job, and well there aren't many Gang films quite like this that is for sure.  Definitely worth checking out, it's lots of fun and it seems like the sort of thing I'll be watching again very soon.

Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray

X-Men: First Class (2011)

3.5 / 5 Jun '11
Tagline: Witness the origin
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Written by: Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz
Actors include: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure
Length: 132 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I wouldn't say I'm a big fan of the series, though I've barely explored it. I saw the first X-Men movie back when it came out, thought it was alright but never bothered with any of the sequels. Luckily for me this is filmed in such a way that seeing the first film was all I really needed. It goes back to the '60s when Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr were friends and learning to use their powers together. Together they recruit other mutants and start teaching them to use the power within to try to stop a missile crisis that could blow destroy everything. Be prepared for a ton of neat action sequences, some cheesy montages, and of course some neat mutant activity. They also did a rather good job of tying it into the first movie (heck even Wolverine makes a cameo which is the best part of the film) and yet it didn't feel like they were retreading. I did feel it went on a little long, and a bit of trimming from the beginning wouldn't have hurt, but for the most part it was satisfying and it covered a lot of territory. It's made me curious what I've missed with the other sequels, that is for sure.

Availability:  Still in theatres currently

Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia (1974)

4.5 / 5 Dec '09
Tagline: It's got guts!
Directed by: Sam Peckinpah
Written by: Frank Kowalski, Sam Peckinpah
Actors include: Warren Oates, Isela Vega, Robert Webber
Genre: Crime, Thriller, Adventure, Western, Drama
Length: 112 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
At first I wondered what the heck was up with this movie as it shows some awful strange things that characters do that seem like they should have explanations but they don't. Once I came to accept and just appreciate the events that were unfolding in front of me I really enjoyed the heck out of it. It sort of gives off a Pulp Fiction vibe though the two share nothing plot wise. The story is about a young girl who is impregnated by a man named Alfredo Garcia. Since her family has money and power they offer a million dollar bounty on his head (hence the title). We meet up with a bartender and his prostitute girlfriend who go on a road trip together to try and get that head for they really need the money. The characters are given real depth to their personalities and are extremely well acted and believable which makes this all the more interesting. This is an extremely violent and depressing in many ways picture, but it's always exciting and beautiful to watch. It's shocking to see just exactly how much goes down all over one simple pregnancy. Definitely one of those films that I think just about anyone could enjoy, it really does have everything from romance to thrills.

Availability:  On DVD

The Most Dangerous Game (1932)

5 / 5 Feb '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Irving Pichel, Ernest B. Schoedsack
Written by: James Ashmore Creelman, Richard Connell
Actors include: Joel McCrea, Fay Wray, Leslie Banks
Genre: Adventure, Thriller, Horror,
Length: 63 minutes
Banned: Finland

Review:
This truly was an experience one won't soon forget, it's filled with excitement, danger and it has one heck of a story! The really amazing thing is that the film is just over an hour long and it was from 1932...it's pretty evil considering. After a boat capsizes a man swims to safety who just happens to be a big game hunter (his companions were mainly eaten by sharks). He ends up on this deserted island well deserted except for the large castle of Count Zaroff...another hunter who has found a new game he loves to hunt. Also involved here are two others who were shipwrecked their earlier including the charming Fay Wray and her brother. It seems that when folks are shown the Count's trophy room they never seem to come back! This really has just about everything in it and never a dull moment to be had.  Highly recommended for anyone, one heck of a high quality flick that is easy to love and has most definitely been highly influential to many.

Availability:  On DVD

Shoot To Kill (1988)

4 / 5 Jun '10
Tagline: It's about staying alive.
Directed by: Roger Spottiswoode
Written by: Harv Zimmel
Actors include: Kirstie Alley, Sidney Poitier, Tom Berrenger
Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Length: 110 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This was a pretty exciting little adventure thriller that really did try to incorporate something for everyone. It's about a cunning serial killer who uses hostages for protection then shoots them in the eye when finished. He manages to escape and hide within a group of adventurers led by Sarah (Kirstie Alley) out in the mountains. Sarah's pro-adventurer boyfriend Jonathan (Tom Berenger) is forced to team up with determined a determined FBI agent (Sidney Poitier) to track them down in the mountains. Lots of things go wrong and the scenery is spectacular! It's got graphic violence, danger, surprise, dare devil stuff, many chases in various vehicles and even a laugh or too. The cast is very recognizable and they all do a good job (okay Berrenger is a little over the top), it's a pretty entertaining flick. Probably one of the most well rounded thrillers I've seen, most should like this I'd think.

Availability:  On DVD

Massacre In Dinosaur Valley (1985) aka Stranded In Dinosaur Valley aka Nudo E Selvaggio

2.5 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Michele Massimo Tarantini
Written by: Michele Massimo Tarantini
Actors include: Michael Sopkiw, Suzane Carvalho, Milton Rodríguez
Genre: Action, Adventure, Horror
Length: 88 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Extremely lackluster and halfassed "cannibal" movie (though there is very little cannibalism. There is however a ton of nudity if that is your thing you might enjoy this? A fellow who acts much like McGuyver wants to go to Dinosaur Valley (which is dangerous what with the cannibals and man eating fish etc) so he manages to catch a plane ride with some models. When the plane crashes down off course they must struggle for survival despite clashing personalities and everything attacking them. They did try a little with blood near the beginning but it became clear that it was nothing more than a jungle porn really as it raged on. It's cheesy but not enough to really be funny, so it is probably one of the least entertaining of it's kind, yet I was still able to sit through it. At least the scenery is nice right? Oh well, another failure but for super big fans of this sort of thing it might be worth a gander.

Availability:  On DVD