John’s Desert Island Movies
John’s 10 Desert Island Movies
By John Leavengood
As Mark wisely professed, the movies I’d want to have with me if stranded on a desert island wouldn’t necessarily be the greatest movies, but rather those which I enjoy watching again and again. Fight Club was amazing. So good, in fact, that everyone wanted—or needed—to see it a second time right away and it felt like a different movie! But after two times, it’s just another amazing movie which I’d love to watch once a year, while once a week would test my patience. So which movies would I pick?
I’ll respectfully exclude Evolution since Mark included it in his list. I also avoided heavy romance…I don’t need to be reminded of that on my lonely, but hopefully gorgeous, island. I should also give a strong nod to The Boondock Saints. That movie was in my original list but got shoved out like a Mo’Nique hip-check during a full contact round of musical chairs. I tried to stick to comedy and action, but you’ll see that in the #1 slot is a sentimental pick. So here they are: my desert island picks based on how I felt one day. I’m certain any other week they’d be very different.
10. A Knight’s Tale (2001)
A fun, nostalgic soundtrack and a story about someone “changing their stars” make this a perfect pick. What better story to help me forget that I’m stranded on an island? It boasts a great cast (Mark Addy, Paul Bettany, Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon) worthy of more than just laughs.
9. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
Another good laugher. If you haven’t seen Steve Martin play Ruprict the monkey boy then you’ve missed out! I’d say this is Martin at his best and Caine at his standard greatness.
8. Gangs of New York (2002)
DUDE! If you didn’t think Bill the Butcher was the most awesome villain then you’re packing some issues. This movie features all of the meanest moves that I’ve ever wanted to pull on someone during a blind road rage attack. This one will help you vent your frustrations with three square-meals-a-day of coconut on your island.
7. The Replacements
This movie is for the misfit in all of us. It’s a feel-good movie with awesome football scenes, great humor, and a cast so perfect it had to be an accident—Hollywood never gets things this good, right? The soundtrack is awesome, Keanu and Hackman are great, and watching this reminds me of my own embarrassing rookie-failures in life…followed by my kickass redeeming comebacks!
6. 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002)
I may get some strong disagreement on this one.
This is a chick flick designed for men. There are not a lot of these out there. Shannyn Sossamon, Josh Hartnett and a hilarious Paulo Costanzo will remind me of the sexual conflict that is the liveliness and misery of my twenties. In similar vein, I should give an honorable mention to Buying the Cow, which also has some great bro-lines about women and sleeping around. Also, to Hollywood Homicide. I don’t know why I like that movie so much, but I can watch it over and over again.
5. The Birdcage (1996)
I’ve never seen any actors other than Robin Williams, Nathan Lane and Hank Azaria make it look quite so fun to be gay. And Gene Hackman playing the clueless straight guy while politely socially wooing a Nathan Lane in drag? Perfection. This movie is pure fun and constantly hilarious. In mentioning the oddity of Hackman playing the straight guy, honorable mention to Runaway Jury.
4. The Fifth Element (1997)
Guns, the ever-cynical MacClaine-esque Bruce Willis, spaceships, ugly aliens, Gary “best-villain-actor” Oldman, war, a wicked future techno-funk soundtrack, and—ah yes—Milla Jovavich as Leeloo. You may have the fire, water, earth and air that you need to survive on your island prison, but Leeloo is the element that will get you through the night.
3. Tombstone (1993)
Badassery is the best path to forgetting our problems. When we are wowed we don’t reminisce. We simply tell ourselves “Oh my damn…that just happened!” All of the main players in this movie are different flavors of tough. Kurt Russell is the gangsta’ that don’t flex none. Val Kilmer is the one that runs his mouth—Val also has the hot hooker girlfriend from The Kiss. Since Bill Paxton is in this one, it’s a good time to give an honorable mention to Aliens. Also, a nod to Kurt Russell from The Thing. But we don’t want any scares when we’re alone in the dark on our island, do we?
2. Troy (2004)
For my daily dose of awesome, this movie is loaded with great quote badassery! “If they should ever tell my story, let them say that I walked with giants. I lived in the time of Hector, tamer of forces. Let them say–I lived–in the time of Achilles [–Sean Bean].” I don’t care what kind of flack this movie got from some. The fight between Alagrius and Achilles was brief, but jaw-dropping, and the duel of Hector and Achilles (Eric Bana and Brad Pitt) was nothing short of legendary. “You will not have eyes tonight. You will not have ears or a tongue. You will wander the Underworld blind, deaf and dumb and all the dead will know: this is Hector, the fool who thought he killed Achilles [–Brad Pitt].”
1. A River Runs Through It (1992)
Touching moments of brotherhood, fatherhood, family and a simpler time…This one makes me miss my family, especially my father, but only in the best of ways. Since I live 700 miles away from them it’s very much as if I am on a desert island. Robert Redford’s direction and wisely prosaic narration spin a soothing tale rich with quoteworthy lines.
This movie exudes beauty both emotionally and in its cinematography. Not to mention great performances by Brad Pitt, Tom Skerritt, and perhaps Craig Scheffer’s best performance ever. I only watch this movie with my father, and only about once a year. But if he asked, I’d watch it with him every day. I’d never feel alone on my island even if this was the only movie I had. Not for a moment.
I love you, Dad.
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Bad Movie Tuesday: Priest Vs. Legion
With the football season readily approaching I’ve decided to pit two bad movies against each other. Two movies both starring Paul Bettany and directed by Scott Stewart. They both have unlikable monotone characters, plot centering around the church and unintenntional laughs. The winner is the film that stinks the least.
Here is how they match up!
Priest Scouting Report.
I know this movie was covered by co-writer John Leavengood but I had to include my views of the film. https://moviesfilmsandflix.com/2011/05/19/priest/
Strengths: Short, Laughable dialogue and in Priest’s short running time it manages to steal from 170 different films (Matrix, Van Helsing, Tron, Blade 2, House Party 2, Equilibrium, Batman Begins, Dune, The Searchers, Troll 2…etc…)
Weaknesses: Dialogue so bad I was able to call out ten lines before they were ever spoken. Also, everyone seems depressed that they are in this film. This picture says everything you need to know about Priest.
The tagline for this picture: “Vampires, Kung Fu, Fast Bikes……Depression.”
The dude is on a bike going 300 mph while hunting vampires and he looks depressed. JCVD would never look bored on a motorcycle. Check out this pic.
Tagline: “Mullets, Guns, Sweet Rides and Spin Kicks…..Bliss”
The biggest problem is that the vampires live in hives that can be seen from space. Why not drop a bomb on them? One bomb and BOOM. Lots of dead vampires. Why train hundreds of warrior priests when one large explosive can do a more efficient job? Also, you don’t have the risk of a priest turning evil and wearing a funny hat.
The vampires capture a young girl who looks 14 yet is still dating the town Sheriff. The problem is that you only meet the girl once and you never get a chance to like her….Thus, you never care what happens to her. It is like the director ignored directing 101, skipped Cliff’s Notes and read half of the synopsis for The Searchers.
Legion Scouting Report
Strengths: Two decent monsters, Short running time, Makes you a stronger person for enduring the film.
Weaknesses: The woman carrying the magical baby is probably the least likable female in history. The first time you meet her she is smoking a cigarrette while pregnant and attempting to cheat on her boyfriend. She is the kind of lady who will drink and smoke while pregnant then complain that her kid is messed up.
Also, why send legions to kill somebody when they could just shoot rocket launchers at the gas station? If I was one of the angels/demons/zombies I would suggest to my bosses that if they gave me a large rocket I could save everybody a lot of time.
Also, why are the first two demons insanely tough but the rest are slow zombies. The first two were kinda neat. A creepy ice cream man and spider like old lady. It would have been so much cooler if the people have to survive an escalating number of tough bosses. This never happens. The final evil people are more like zombies who like to loiter closely to extremely flammable items.
The main weakness of this film is that it is boring. There is a lot of dialogue. Paul Bettany has decided that a tough guy angel speaks in a monotone voice. The film couldn’t handle action well so it is no surprise that the monotone dialogue is soul hurting……Maybe the demons could have used a loud speaker and read the script to the people in the building. Instant death!
Who wins?
Nobody wins. But, if you have to watch one of them watch Priest. It is shorter and never boring.
An added bonus!!
I’m thinking this is the director’s face after he watched the first cut of Legion.
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John’s Horror Corner: Lo
Hello all. Mark here.
I too was intrigued by the poster for this film. I never watched it and I’m glad I didn’t. Thanks John for saving me from this flick! Enjoy the review.
John’s Horror Corner: Lo
By John Leavengood
MY CALL: For horror fans, this film is the lump of coal you find in your stocking on Christmas morning when you thought you were being such a good little boy. The writer/director had a great plot idea, amazing in fact, and came up with an brilliant twist at the end, however the execution was unforgivably poor. I don’t know what I did to deserve to suffer through this one. [I’ll give it an F…maybe a D for an excellent premise?] IF YOU LIKE THIS, WATCH: Not that the movies are similar, but the love story feels strangely like Night of the Living Dead 3.
This is the one-act play-style story of a man who attempts a conjuration ritual to summon a demon (named Lo), from whom he demands to have the soul (and, I assume, the rest) of his girlfriend returned from Hell. When I read something like that in the product description I thought “cool”. But cool it was not.
An uncreative 12-year old was likely responsible for this stunningly poor screenwriting. Lo’s lines feel out of place as he threatens “I’ll have you in my belly” or “I’m going to eat you” with all of the unseriousness of a cartoon fairy tale. Quite inconsistently, other times Lo speaks more to the tune of a poorly written R-rated demon movie as he uses foul profanity while explaining that he will rape, kill and eat anything, “especially babies”. Sounds like the kind of dialogue a lonely, antisocial preteen horror fan would dream up. The set design and deliberate melodrama of this wanna’-be arthouse horror satire are exhausting. And I offer no forgiveness for the desperate overacting, either. Maybe a drama major or theater junky could appreciate some aspects of this film, but I find the very act of its production deplorable.
This film is a prime example of what happens when a sexually repressed loser who still high-fives and lives in his mother’s basement cashes in his Barmitzphah bonds to chase his dream of being a famous writer/director. This winner probably considers his brilliant film to be about as cool as his 80th level Warlock in whatever online fantasy game that serves as his social life surrogate—you know, where he hangs out with other virgins in their 30s.
This film is complete with a painful musical number. Not surprisingly, the lyrics were poorly written and distastefully off rhyme scheme. Later there was an awful interpretive dance routine with an anthropomorphic rat and Hell’s bartender. I also endured some very long (and boring) asides.
Everything about this film was detestable except for the idea, which was simple, but truly great. I’m also happy that I had become desensitized to the bad acting so that I could take a moment to appreciate a very clever twist at the end. So clever, in fact, that I struggle to believe that the person who developed such a poor script could have also crafted this genius closing nuance. I wouldn’t dare ruin the great ending, nor would I dare suggest that anyone suffer through this film in order to see it. Sort of an ironic statement, huh?
I saw this movie without first seeing the trailer. Honestly, seeing it would have scared me away like a light switch would a cockroach. What caught me was the movie poster. Doesn’t it look tempting?
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Hofmeyer’s 11
Hello all. Mark here.
I just got done watching The Usual Suspects again and I noticed that Safe Men is now on Netflix. Also, I went to watch Cowboys and Aliens and before the movie I saw the preview for Tower Heist. It got me thinking about the dream team of thieves I could put together to make the greatest (in my world) heist film ever.
I’m thinking the 11 will be looking to steal from billionaire/thief/Evil Genius Nicolas Cage and his Henchmen John Leguizamo and Dolph Lundgren. The plot centers around Swayze planning to take 600 million dollars from the Jamaican accented Cage who plans to turn a beautiful Hawaiian surf resort into condos to run his drug business out of.
Of course, police officers will be hot on their tails. Delroy Lindo and Timothy Olyphant from Gone in 60 Seconds will fit in Nicely.
Here is the crew:
Bodhi–Point Break
The perfect leader. Cool, Collected, good with a gun and Cool. He picks the greatest disguises and would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for Johnny Utah. This was Swayze’s best role ever. Plus, there will be gratuitous surfing montages!
Chris Shiherlis–Heat
Perfect second in command. Plus, he could handle himself in any shoot out. The dude was awesome in Heat and with his long hair would make a great one-two punch of flowing hair with Swayze.
Dignan–Bottle Rocket
Any man who will put a piece of tape on his nose to hide his identity needs to be in the crew. What Dignan lacks in intelligence and criminal prowess he makes up in willingness and a love of fireworks. Dignan will be the gopher. The guy will be utility in every aspect. Just don’t expect him to drive…he will lock the keys in the car.
Cindy–Extract
She manipulates everyone she meets…and she does it well. She could steal your guitar and sell it back to you. I don’t see any normal human being able to withstand her verbal attack for long. She could get the team into any place they wanted.
Virginia Baker–Entrapment
Every team needs a gymnast and I think she fits the bill well. Also, I’m pretty certain she is the only reason people went to watch Entrapment.
Brian and Roman–2 Fast 2 Furious
Scott Caan and Casey Affleck were brothers in Ocean’s Eleven. Tyrese and Walker call each other “bro” or “brah” at least 700 times in 2 Fast 2 Furious. They would be the perfect get away drivers and could supply lots of unintentional laughs. These guys survived every thing thrown at them and more. I’d love to see them outrun the two teams of Leguizamo-Lundgren and Olyphant-Lindo.
Sam and Eddie– Safe Men
Two musicians who are mistaken for thieves who love Slo-Gin Fizzes. They could provide the perfect distraction while the real thieves are doing the dirty work. Any movie that has Sam Rockwell dancing cannot be bad. Also, Steve Zahn becomes a master safe cracker. You gotta have one of those.
Fred Fenster– The Usual Suspects
He’ll Flip Ya! I just like hearing him talk. Sure he bails on the team and dies…..But they won’t be stealing from Kaiser Soze.
Peter Gibbons– Office Space
Every team needs a computer guy and who better than Zen Master Livingston. He could design some beautiful computer programs. It is an added bonus that he is the chillest dude ever and dislikes leaving a paper trail (TPS reports).
ENJOY THE MOVIE!!!!
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Final Destination 5
Hello all. Mark here.
A strange thing happened. Final Destination 5 almost got a fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This makes me curious because I’m pretty certain a movie about a fifth final destination could not be almost fresh.
Read John’s review and enjoy!
Final Destination 5
By John Leavengood
MY CALL: Can I get an amen? Wow! Horror fans, if you felt jaded after part 4 of this series, please give the franchise another chance. This time they not only got it right, but got it at least as well as they ever have. Check out the trailer from our August Preview post. I give this a B-horror “A+”. IF YOU LIKE THIS, WATCH: Parts 1-3 of the franchise (2000-2006). But avoid part 4, The Final Destination (2009), like the plague. For methodical kills, I’d also suggest all three movies from the Cube franchise (1997-2004), of course, the Saw and Hostel series, and the very campy and hilarious Piranha 3D and Jennifer’s Body.
I really loved the first three movies in this franchise. Even though they recycled the same plot with different actors and kills scenarios, I always found them to be very fun. The fourth, however, really dropped the ball. I may have enjoyed a few scenes, but there was a noticeable drop in quality and I was left bitterly distrustful of the series. That said, I had high hopes for this fifth installment which was directed by new blood director Steven Quale, who has never been at the helm of a movie, but assisted Cameron on Avatar. I purchased my ticket willingly and with optimism.
Not only did this movie make up for the Shakespearian tragedy of its immediate predecessor, but I enjoyed completely unexpected levels of quality. For one thing, they got some funny actors (David Koechner of Anchorman, Waiting; P. J. Byrne of BET’s The Game, Horrible Bosses) who delivered a degree of inter-kill-scene comedy which the other movies lacked. This comedy did not make the exciting anticipation of the next kill any less intense. In fact, these deaths mixed gasp-inducing red herrings, “oh shit” shocking moments, and comedic 80’s-esque execution with excellent CGI effects.
P. J. Byrne really stole the show. To look at him, he’s clearly no womanizer. But the things he says to woman after woman over the phone remind us of our jackass frat buddies who couldn’t be more rude to the opposite sex. Then there’s Koechner, whose lines are as great as his death scene in the opening act.
Here’s an out-of-left-fielder. I actually enjoyed the 3D. This is the first time EVER that I have seen a movie in 3D without disfavoring it to the standard 2D. My Bloody Valentine was carefully made for 3D enjoyment, but it really seemed second to this. The writing, CGI, kill creativity, tactful cast, humor and production value made for a grippingly funny and overall well-made horror flick. For its high-budget-B-horror genre, the greatness of this movie was almost unwarranted. It reminded me of another movie which truly shocked me with overall quality: Jennifer’s Body. Both movies may have been deliberately campy, but both also had the actors, writers, direction and effects reserved for films of much greater magnitude and far displaced from the realm of modern horror. Also, the ending, following suit with the rest of the movie, was delivered with a twist so clever that I’ll bet no one sees it coming!
If you love horror see this movie. See it in theaters. Even pay extra to see it in 3-D.
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Bad Movie Tuesday: Red Riding Hood
Hello all. Mark here
I asked my girlfriend Megan to write this weeks BMT. I’ve been in Chicago and wasn’t able to write.
Before I left we rented Red Riding Hood. I knew there was a very good chance it would be bad. I was right. It reeks of badness…..in a good way. I has fun time watching this ridiculous film from Twilight director Catherine Hardwick. She really knows how to make a bad film with a decent cast.
Red Riding Hood
By: Megan Arnall
Director Catherine Hardwicke had to persuade her Red Riding Hood star Amanda Seyfried to work with newcomer Shiloh Fernandez, “Amanda had met Shiloh before and did not like him, so when I told Amanda I was going to bring him in to audition, she made a face. But she tried it, and they hit it off.”
Enjoy!
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Everyday
Hello all. Mark here. This is gonna sound weird but I’ve never liked Brian Dennehy as an actor. It is nothing rational but he has always annoyed me. Maybe, after what he did to Rambo all those years ago…..
Enjoy John’s latest review!
Every Day (2010)
By John Leavengood
MY CALL: This is not a feel good movie or a great movie, but it made me think and I enjoyed it a lot…mostly because I like Eddie Izzard, Live Schreiber and Carla Gugino, but also because there were some strong nods/criticisms to how we deal or cope with family drama. I’d say give it a shot. [B]. IF YOU LIKE THIS, WATCH: As Good As It Gets will provide a much better performance from Helen Hunt. Maybe try The Kids Are All Right, too.
Let’s start by pointing out that the DVD cover makes this appear like some light-hearted love-triangle rom-com. It’s not. The trailer suggests this is a family-driven drama with some hard times, but also with a lot of smiles suggesting, perhaps, a lot of warm resolution. If feel like that’s only half right. Here’s the trailer…
If this movie had a mission statement I think it would be to convey that family life is tough. Or that life, in general, is tough. The movie doesn’t do a great job depicting common stressful family scenarios, but it does do very well when it comes to convincing us of how tough these situations are on the characters.
The issues addressed are primarily delivered from the father’s (Live Schreiber) perspective and include struggling with managing his gay teenage son (Ezra Miller), supporting his wife (Helen Hunt) as she copes with her unloving father (Brian Dennehy) who moves in with them, temptations of infidelity with his coworker (Carla Gugino), and balancing the diametric pressures between his deadline pushing boss (Eddie Izzard) and his family responsibilities (often from his wife, specifically).
All actors played their roles well, however I did not find Schreiber and Hunt to be a credible couple. Even though the couple is going through hard times and aren’t being intimate, I still feel comfortable saying that whatever chemistry that should have been there, wasn’t there. This wasn’t an issue that affected my enjoyment of the movie though.
This movie made me stop and think about life for a moment. Seeing the invalid, depressed, suicidal father-in-law struggle and aggressively emote was rough. Seeing the mother try to shield her younger son from the inevitable exposure to this toxic man was tougher. Toughest, was seeing her husband suffer the aftershocks of her anger with her father. Just when I thought I had seen the roughest patch, I listened to the all too familiar condescending lies we pass to the elderly to convince them of how much they will enjoy assisted living facilities. Oh, they have activities. Dad, you love shuffle board. This feels like a good fit. You’re really going to love it here. As if addressing a child or programming a new cult initiate, isn’t it? How sad that this has become a seemingly necessary standard of operation.
Again, tough times and not a lot of smiles, but a serviceable movie that makes some good observations on family drama.
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Outlander
Outlander
- Karl Urban (of RED, Star Trek, LOTR) was originally in talks to be the star of the film…Thomas Jane and Sean Bean were also considered for the part
- Moorwen, the dragon-like alien nemesis in the film was designed after Morlock from H.G. Well’s The Time Machine….it was also designed for free for the movie, WHAT?!?!! Oh did I also mention that this guy, Patrick Tatopoulos, made creatures for Independence Day, Underworld, Pitch Black, 10,000 BC and much more…yea and he did this for FREE
- Old Norse is the language spoken in the beginning of the film, this marks the first time it was used in a movie
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Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
By John Leavengood
MY CALL: The live action actors were mediocre but I simply didn’t care. The apes, both CGI and performance-wise, were EPIC! For a summer blockbuster this gets a solid “A”. IF YOU LIKED THIS, THEN WATCH: This movie had some great qualities to it. Here are some off the wall movies to try out which share some such aspects. For the cruel prison elements try The Experiment. But be warned, that movie really tests its audience’s moral limits—like Sleepers. For awesome CGI apery, how about the recent King Kong? For an amazing emotional performance by another CGI character, you can’t go wrong with Wall-E.
Despite being an obviously predictable remake, this movie was absolutely not what I expected and it left me quite awestruck. James Franco, John Lithgow, and Freida Pinto brandished nothing but mediocrity. While watching the movie, I realized that I was in no way invested in their characters, their well-being or their relationships. The CGI apes, however, were done perfectly. If you’re old enough to remember how impressed you were when Jurassic Park or, more recently, the latest King Kong came out then you know what I mean. A solid standard is being set in the realm of live actor-driven CGI characters (in this case, by Andy Serkis of Lord of the Rings and King Kong fame).
I could talk about how great the ape scenes were for their dynamic movement, facial expressions and very creative action sequences. But I want you to see it for yourself. Just know that a LOT of work and careful thought and planning clearly went into this.
I was stunned by how well emotion was conveyed through Caesar (Andy Serkis’ role). Caesar had a powerful father-son connection to Franco’s character. When Caesar compared himself to a pet the tension and compassion were palpable. And as Caesar united his fellow apes, choosing them over his previous human family, you feel the sense of loss and conflict. Not since Wall-E have I seen such amazing emotional connections delivered by CGI characters. In fact, the two strongest examples of characters (live or CGI) depicting senses of longing or yearning to belong may just be Caesar and Wall-E. What can I say? Both of these movies really affected me.
So here’s what I wasn’t counting on. Much of this movie is essentially a prison movie. Yeah, like Shawshank prison movie. It shared a lot of the same plot elements: discovering enemies, big fish-little fish hierarchy, abuse, fear, feeling abandoned and alone, forming alliances, insurrection, escape, revenge. I’ll make another reach here. The movie reminded me of The Experiment. However, that Draco Malfoy kid didn’t do as well in this movie as Cam Gigandet and Forest Whitaker did as prison guards. Not by a long shot. Could Hollywood please never give Draco a job again, please? I’d prefer he do something he can do well, like pumping gas, because he surely can’t act!
Despite my harsh criticism of the live-action actors, this movie was jaw-dropping. The slow parts were stimulating and the FX and action were truly summer blockbuster-worthy. Don’t tell yourself that you’re walking into Mark Wahlberg’s Planet of the Apes remake all over again. This movie wipes the floor with it!
Not surprisingly, there’s already talk of the next installment, but I’m certainly not complaining. Click here to check it out
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Bad Movie Tuesday: Men of War
The tagline says it all
“Warriors are paid to fight. Not to think. But that’s about to change.”
With this tagline I expected two great things. Ridiculous action and Dolph thinking.
The movie starts off badly enough. Dolph wearing an ill-fitting hat while chugging whiskey. He has given up with mercenary ways and instead does sit ups and drinks hard liquor in-between sets. In true bad movie fashion he is summoned back for one more mission by the creepy dude who was in Roadhouse.
A strange thing happens though. After all the bad acting, ADR dialogue and bicep flexing the final battle scene is actually pretty badass (by bad movie standards). My guess is that they did the action scene first…ran out of money then had to film the rest in three days before the food ran out.
I’m thinking the producers hoped people would survive the beginning to make it to the end. All the badness is quickly erased when Dolph runs around with a swedish rocket launcher and the largest gun I’ve ever seen. There is even a slow motion scene where he runs with a knife and kills a whole plethora of bad guys.
Of all the 80s-90s Dolph action films I have to say that he tries the hardest in this film. The newest Rambo actually stole its tagline from this movie. “Die for something or live for nothing.” The Expendables is somewhat similar as well. Dolph’s character is Swedish Nick Gunnar….his character in Expendables is Gunnar Jensen. Coincidence?
I’m not saying this is a good film….because there is a whole lot of bad. The dialogue is almost all done by ADR. The editing is choppy and there is an action scene where a woman’s stunt double is obviously a man. Also, in the beginning Dolph wears the worst hat in the history of cinema.
I guess I should talk about the plot. The movie revolves around people wanting to mine Jade from an island. This is evident when the shirtless Australian bad guy is sitting in a boat reading a National Geographic that has Jade written on the front. The Aussie then is badly dubbed saying “Jade.”
In the end, Swedish Nick and his band of loyal mercenaries and villagers defeat a creepy guy, Zeus Lister and a shirtless Australian.
Coud be worse. You are not totally angry at yourself after watching. I recommend you watch in three intervals.
Movies, Films & Flix 