Posts by briskhound2

The poster feels a bit "B-movie" in its vibe 😁



This one looks a little better, though. Honestly, the budget was sitting around ten million bucks, and it pulled in about 30. Given how much it flew under the radar... you could kind of call it a hit...

YouTube

YouTube trailer 1

YouTube trailer 2

When a director who was almost totally unknown—Bronwen Hughes, whose biggest claim to fame was a rom-com with Sandra Bullock—walks right into a male-dominated genre and delivers a film that Michael Mann probably should’ve watched at least twice before he made Dillinger, and holds her own against someone like Kathryn Bigelow in terms of sheer quality... well, then I have to present this title as its own thing if you haven't seen it yet. To put it simply, it’s been a while since a movie really gripped me, pulled me into the plot, kept me up half the night Googling real-life events and people, and just left me floored. Basically... this one hits all those marks.

After Michael Mann delivered a decent flop—and I mean a total flop—with Dillinger (I usually love movies with that kind of vibe), I stumbled onto a film with a strikingly similar premise by pure accident. Stander tells the story of Andreo Stander, a young police captain in the South African police force who, after being involved in the bloody crackdown of an anti-apartheid uprising in New York City, decides to start robbing banks out of sheer spite—driven by his belief that the justice system is fundamentally racist and that white guys can basically get away with anything (he was pretty well known for those anti-racist views)... and then he starts coming back to the "crime scene" as an investigator. After pulling off about thirty successful heists, his own people finally manage to trap him, sentencing him to 75 years in prison (which is overkill even by today's standards), only for him to pull off a successful escape a few months later. Doubling down on his criminal streak, Stander quickly becomes Public Enemy Number One, winning over the hearts of regular folks while putting massive pressure on police departments nationwide to just take him out via summary execution because the rest of the world is starting to laugh at their pathetic attempts to bring one guy to justice. The story reaches its conclusion, but I won't spoil too much... just watch it.

There are a few things that make this movie interesting. The film is broken into segments: the first part is almost entirely about Stander's palpable frustration with the things he witnesses as a cop and his slow slide toward the criminal side; the middle section is packed with intensity from the bank robberies, the escapes, and the massive ego of the leads; and the finale slowly drifts into that familiar territory where nothing good lasts forever. But the transitions are incredibly smooth—before you even realize you've shifted moods, you're still being carried along by the emotions of the previous segment. The acting is fascinating, especially Thomas Jane, who seems to be proving with roles like this that he should probably stay away from big-budget productions (like The Punisher or Deep Blue Sea) like a vampire avoids a church... but the support from Deborah Kar Unger isn't bad either. It's precisely directed, with a period setting (the 70s and early 80s) that feels so tangible it's almost a miracle the film is buried under such a thick layer of being underrated. And honestly, it's one of those rare films based on true events that actually gets about 97 percent of it right. There are some cosmetic tweaks in the final act (the actual event itself is shortened by a day or two), but nothing more than that. Almost unbelievable.

If you're into solid crime dramas, decent action sequences, top-tier acting, and a backdrop that tackles controversial issues... well, here's my recommendation.

Michael Ortiz68 said:I think we already had a little bit of a good discussion about TDK... 😁
Look, when something hits number one on IMDb—surpassing even The Godfather and Shawshank—man, that's setting the bar incredibly high... seriously...
Man, Batman Begins is such a massive letdown... honestly feels like they just phoned it in for a quick buck... 😛

Good discussions are always appreciated... 😁I mean, I’m kind of with some of the points made about Batman Begins—certain parts just hit harder, you know? The action sequences feel way more tightly paced... and let's be real, that finale absolutely has to be epic. TDK, on the other hand, has a pretty weak ending, even if it did a solid job flipping Batman from a hero to someone much darker. I guess we'll just have to wait for the next installment to see which of these first two films actually carries the weight of the story better...

p.s. please, let's not turn this whole thing into a massive debate about whether we can even trust IMDb's ratings anymore...

Is there actually anything to debate here? Honestly, you can't take critics seriously... they always seem to find a way to trash a movie that ends up totally blowing my mind.

Back to the topic at hand... Avatar. Honestly, I was expecting way more from Cameron than what we actually got. Making a movie that safe—that playing it so incredibly cautious—it’s just unbelievable. But hey, the Box Office is going to carry it regardless of how poorly constructed everything else is, so I fully expect it to snag a perfect five-star rating for "originality" in the years to come... since apparently, how much cash you rake in is the only metric for quality these days. Such a shame...

Anthony Smith3 said:So... just going back through these headlines again...👍

I've already seen just about everything, but thanks for the recommendation anyway... To be honest, unlike Seagal—whom I've unfortunately written off as an actor who could actually surprise us (maybe Rodriguez might pull something off)—van Damme actually has some qualities. At least for B-movie territory. And it’s no small thing that he still has that muscular build, which makes him pretty convincing on screen. *Second in Command* was actually a decent little surprise to sit through—nothing groundbreaking or anything, but a pretty chill watch. Still, the whole thing feels like it's sitting a bit below his previous level... kind of lukewarm and underdeveloped, I guess. Generally speaking, though, his loud, over-the-top movies aren't really my vibe—unless we're talking *Timecop* or *Universal Soldier*, where the directors deserve a lot of the credit—but I'd definitely put *Nowhere to Run* near the top of my list. It's an underrated title, if you ask me, and it suits him perfectly... he even made a genuine effort with the acting there. A satisfying result, all things considered...

I'm telling you... we'll grab him right after the New Year's rush... 😁

So, yeah, there’s a bit of philosophical pondering going on, but it doesn't feel overly heavy-handed or anything. Personally, I think it’s one of the better ones out there—if I had to nitpick, though, keeping with the theme, I felt Dent’s descent into being the villain was a little rushed... maybe a few more scenes could have smoothed out that transition. Other than that... it's a great flick. I respect anyone who thinks it's a bad movie, but it feels like someone always brings that up in threads like this. It would be nice if people actually specified what they were looking for instead, especially since there's so much good material in here—and in some of the other movies mentioned earlier—to really sink your teeth into regarding the acting and everything else.

Michael Ortiz68 said:The Dark Knight 🤷

I was honestly just waiting for someone to bring him up... 😁

Henry Evans3 said:it was about time he shot something new...🙂

Hold up, is he actually filming some biopic now? It’s called JCVD, right?

Look, Van Damme has plenty of movies out there, but most of them—at least his recent stuff—have been total flops, including that Universal Soldier sequel. This JCVD flick was actually finished, I think last year, and honestly... it’s great. It was one of those genuinely pleasant cinematic surprises—if you even know what to expect from him as an actor—that I ended up catching in theaters twice in a row. He basically "strips down" his own persona through this fictional story, and it's a solid recommendation. Honestly, after watching JCVD, I have even more respect for him as a creator...

As for this Soldier thing, I’ve got some good vibes about it since Peter Hymes is involved (and hey, if the director's dad can throw in some advice 🙂), plus Van Damme did two pretty decent movies with him, so it should be at least somewhat decent. And Lundgren and Van Damme... man, those were the glory days.

Henry Evans3 said:Wait, did Van Damme actually die at the end of the first movie? Honestly, I can't quite remember...🙂

Survived. Ended up back at the farm with his folks and that blonde reporter lady. If they’re actually trying to build this on top of the first one, I really hope we get some solid closure on what went down after everything wrapped up... because—judging by the teaser—just digging him out of a grave or unfreezing him again feels a bit lazy. Emmerich's original movie felt like it actually had a proper ending, you know?

Anyway, regarding Van Damme...😁 It’s honestly pretty great to see him finally catching a bit of a break again... feels like his career is actually starting to move in the right direction after all this time.

Max Payne. Look, I wasn't exactly expecting a masterpiece here, but honestly, you should’ve expected even less from certain parts—like, what even was up with those flying fantasy sequences? Total nonsense. Plus, Wahlberg was a pretty huge miss for this role... if they'd just grabbed an actor who actually felt like he stepped out of the game, leaned harder into that gritty noir vibe, and actually showed his family getting killed right at the start—instead of having him wander around for half the movie like Tugomir while the audience has zero clue why he's even miserable—and maybe tossed in some more gunfights... I don't know, it wouldn't have been much longer, but the movie might've actually worked.

Matthew Anderson4 said:From what I can tell, this is just some cheap knockoff of Descent 🤷

...plus Cliffhanger and Wrong Turn. It's honestly pretty pathetic. Hard to say which one of those three they actually ripped off more...

Amanda Nguyen5 said:I’m pretty sure that old bookstore on Broadway near the corner of 42nd Street has that book for maybe 50-$20 bucks. If they don't, check out the shops over in Chelsea.

And those guys on Broadway definitely carry Krakauer's "Understanding Media" volumes 1 and 2—absolute essentials if you care about film. Go grab them right now!

I actually live quite a ways from NYC, 🙂 but we have a copy sitting right there at our local public library—so if I can just swing by and grab it after seeing the recommendation... I haven't been able to make up my mind yet though...

And they definitely carry Krakauer’s "Underflow" volumes 1 and 2—absolute essentials if you care about film theory. Grab those immediately!

Adding those to my "must-read" pile for sure...

Amanda Nguyen5 said:Wait, isn't that the one by Clarkson? If it is, go for it. I wouldn't call it some life-changing masterpiece, but it definitely wasn't total garbage either—unlike "Yellow Subtitle." It’s a solid, readable enough read.

Thanks 👍

QUENTIN TARANTINO: THE BATTLE OF BALBOA Is this actually worth my time? I just can't seem to find the motivation to finally pick it up...

It’s a bit fuzzy what we’re actually supposed to say about him. I mean, did he really make it out of the states and carve out a real name in the American mainstream? Honestly, he’s definitely done more than Goran Višnjić, who basically never moved past his time on ER... though I wouldn't go so far as to say he did it through smart role selection. His parts tend to be pretty formulaic—just a bunch of tired clichés all poured into the same mold—so it's really just his sheer consistency that keeps his name recognizable. When I read stuff about him, even though I think he’s a solid actor—and yeah, I’d love to see him in more diverse roles—I mostly just end up reading about who he hung out with on set or how other big stars behaved, rather than any actual substance regarding his success as an actor. The last thing I remember was him turning down a few more episodes of CSI: Miami because the production was so shallow... his character was so one-dimensional that he could have easily skipped those appearances altogether. It was actually one of the few clear examples of how they handle "our" actors over there—since guys like Caruso and his crowd aren't quite massive enough stars, the American press doesn't bother pushing those stories about hanging out on set as much.

🤦 Honestly, I don't really feel like hunting down anything bigger right now...🙄

Look, it’s not that I don't respect the old-school classics, but The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) is honestly just kind of ridiculous—I mean, you really needed Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman to give it any semblance of actual grit... otherwise, it's basically just a nostalgia trip. Has anyone actually sat through this Robin Hood (1991) version? It was a bit of a bummer coming out at the same time as Zorro, but it’s a decent enough watch...

Anyway, back to the point... Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe... that could actually turn into a pretty solid adventure flick. I'm not a huge fan when they start making stuff up by messing with the original plot, but hey, we'll see how the final cut turns out...

amberfalcon172 said:I haven't a clue, you know? It's such a wild setup in The Matrix—you've got this rogue AI, and then there's even another rogue AI tucked inside the first one (Smith) 😁

😂 Man, that actually cracked me up. I almost choked on my coffee there... seriously. But, all jokes aside, you just have to look at the movie as a whole, and everything clicks—there's really no other way to wrap your head around it.

Lisa Morgan76 said:Hey, I just finally stumbled onto this thread... briskhound2, you're getting coffee and cookies on me... 😍

🙂 Sure, sure...😁

amberfalcon172 said:That’s just the first thing that pops into my head, honestly. Basically, it feels like just another poll trying to bite off way more than it can chew all at once... Bad replicant, briskhound2, Not really feeling this... replicant! 🙂

😬 Ali, look, when it comes to my defense, I guess I’ve covered the major artists... sort of. You can pretty much view my polls more as a testing ground for tossing around recommendations rather than some serious voting process—and now you've gone and thrown a few solid ones at me... "Flight of the Navigator"... man, I haven't sat down to watch that one in ages...😍 But what would even fit from The Matrix here? Like, the Architect or those little Agents... maybe... 🤔

quietdriver3 said:I already cast my vote, but I figured I’d explain myself a bit more.

The first and third ones are both great movies, and honestly, the differences are just minor nuances, but because of Alan Rickman, I’m going with the first one. Though, if they had stuck to that original ending in the third one, it might have been one of the best trilogy finales ever made. 😁

The second one feels a little weaker to me, I guess.

As for the fourth one, it felt like a typical CGI assault on the senses.

Wait, you mean that ending where McClane and Gruber have that weird showdown with rocket launchers and McClane is basically "a little cracked" the whole time? Like, the ultimate series finale 🤣 But, I gotta ask... I notice "the third one" has a pretty massive following... doesn't it feel like the editing after the halfway mark goes totally sideways? Not that the plot is bad, per se, but it gets super cluttered—not even to say rushed, just messy—and personally, every time I try to watch it, I end up with a headache just trying to track what's actually happening on screen.

Mark Wood79 said:briskhound2, the big beast is finally in play. You really put me through the wringer with that one... 👍

Glad to meet you... 😁 It isn't really "voting" if you don't actually sit down and wrap your head around the movie first—but Bloody Sam certainly gives you enough to chew on. As wiredbison82 and Nicholas Walker3 have pointed out, he’s got one of his most powerful works under his belt... there's honestly something in there for everyone...

granitebison262 said:It’s probably worth a look, I guess... but honestly, nothing about it really sticks with me...

First thing regarding that movie—as soon as I track down a copy, I'll drop a comment and let you guys know what I thought of it... Thanks.