I read up on what the plot was about a long time ago and was immediately intrigued, even though, truth be told, I haven't actually enjoyed a single film starring Van Damme up to this point.
Exactly...🙄
I used to think the same way when I tried telling people this might be different... I mean, if a movie sounds interesting and the reviews say it's a masterpiece worth watching, why not just give it a shot? Even if Van Damme isn't your usual type, right?!
I bet at least 50%—maybe even 30%—of the people who saw The Dark Knight only watched it because of all the hype and glowing reviews, not because they were genuinely interested from the jump or because they're huge fans of Nolan's work...🤷
goldenhound32 said:How exactly is one supposed to recoil or laugh if they haven't even seen the movie? 😕
Trust me... there are people who write this movie off with a laugh before it even starts just because it stars Van Damme. They assume he’s incapable of actually acting or making anything decent.😉
Here’s some more killer news for Van Damme and J. C. V. d. that’ll probably have half you guys rolling your eyes or laughing... apparently, according to Time, Van Damme’s performance in this flick landed him the number two spot for the best male acting performances of the year, right behind Heath Ledger as Joker in The Dark Knight!
goldenhound32 said:Yeah, Kilmer absolutely kills it here. Look, I know this is splitting hairs, but if my memory serves, he isn't some mass murderer.
Well... that's just how the guard labels him... because like he tells Dorff later Spoilerhe wiped out entire families of those two guys who killed and raped his wife and daughter [SPOILER]...[/SPOILER]
Felon (2008)5/5 - TRAILER Another killer prison flick... honestly, I could put this right up there with the heavy hitters like "Escape from Alcatraz", "The Shawshank Redemption", "Cool Hand Luke", or "Papillon". "Felon" is a crime drama about what happens when an average guy—someone we can actually relate to—makes one massive mistake and how that choice completely reshapes him, breaking him down or hardening him up. The directing is solid and the acting is top-tier. To be fair, I haven't seen much Stephen Dorff, mostly just remembering him as the bad guy in "Blade", which wasn't exactly Oscar bait. But here? He nails it. And Val Kilmer is just as good, if not better; in my book, this is his career-defining role. He’s brilliant as this calm, calculated, philosophical killer who always has an ace up his sleeve. Shout out to Harold Perrineau as Lieutenant Jackson, too... a family man who seems decent enough outside those walls, but inside, he’s a straight-up monster using the inmates as an outlet for all his real-world baggage. Director and writer Ric Roman Waugh spent two years digging into prison life, talking to guards and inmates to make sure this felt real. Even some veteran guard I saw venting online, who's watched every prison movie under the sun, claimed this was the closest thing to reality he's ever seen. Overall, one of the best movies this year... a high-quality prison drama that won't let you down. Highly recommend.
So... watched it yesterday. Aja is actually great at building dread and atmosphere; he’s one of those young directors who focuses on the vibe first, rather than just relying on gore and cheap thrills to call itself "horror" (like Hostel and stuff). And that's how this went down... Aja nailed the atmosphere, the pacing was solid, and the acting worked... but the movie is packed with clichés, mostly in the form of dialogue you've heard a thousand times before, plus those annoying jump scares that cheap horror flicks love to use (you know, the guy walking slowly and then suddenly a bird flies by or a cat jumps out). Not to mention the plot holes... like the main guy firing a gun in the middle of the street and none of the neighbors even blink, and the cops don't hear a thing. Or his buddy cop investigating his sister's death doesn't find it suspicious at all that he's constantly digging up massive amounts of data on people... yeah, whatever. Overall though... it's an okay flick, pretty atmospheric... I'd give it a 3-3.5/5.
"Killshot" is based on a novel by Elmore Leonard, the guy behind hits like "Jackie Brown", "get Shorty", and "Mr. Majestyk", plus that whole debate over the original and the remake of "3:10 to Yuma". It's directed by John Madden, who gave us "Shakespeare in Love" and "Captain Corelli's Mandolin", featuring a heavy-hitting cast including Diana Lane, Mickey Rourke, Thomas Jane, Rosario Dawson, and a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt (from "3rd Rock from the Sun"). More details below...
TRAILER - quality is trash, but it's all we've got for now...
PLOT
Plot Quote: Beautiful Carmen Colson and her ironworker husband Wayne are placed in the Federal Witness Protection Program after witnessing an "incident". Thinking they are at last safe, they are targeted by an experienced hit man and a psychopathic young upstart killer. The ensuing struggle will test Carmen to the limit.
Maybe I'm off base here... or maybe it was just edited that way for the web, but both clips feel way too fast-paced and the camera work is just kind of wild...
Quote : set in the era of King Henry VIII, Tien, a man who was born into nobility but had it stripped from him after his parents were brutally murdered. During his childhood Tien learned Khon, a form of dance which is usually reserved for royalty. Although he didn't know it yet, Khon would later prove to be an invaluable aide to him. After seeing his parents murdered AT the tender age of 10, Tien is forced to live on the streets where he is eventually captured by a group of thieves who take him in and teach him how to steal and fight. Tien's expertise as a thief and fighter grows and it isn't long before he is made head thief. Then Tien sees something that makes his stomach churn. A competition is being held to find the best knights to serve under the very man who had killed Tien's parents all those years ago. Tien passes the tests easily and is made Lord Rachasana's 2nd Knight. Now, he has his opportunity to strike but he will have to use all his skill and ingenuity if he is going to get his revenge on the man who killed his parents.
So, the "sequel" is actually a prequel set before the original movie...it doesn't follow the first one chronologically.
David Price5 said:Is it just me, or are most of these mostly dramas?
Kathryn Bigelow mostly sticks to action movies—more like action dramas ("Blue Steel", "Point Break", "K-19: The Widowmaker")... same goes for Mimi Leder ("The Peacemaker", "Deep Impact")... and then there's Lexi Alexander, who still needs to prove herself after "Punisher: War Zone"...
