Retro Review: They Live (1988)

They Live

1988

Cast: Roddy Piper, Keith David, Meg Foster, Raymond St Jacques

Genre: Science Fiction

Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $13 million

Plot: Nada, a wanderer without meaning in his life, discovers a pair of sunglasses capable of showing the world the way it is 

'Reasonable, Yet Underwhelming'

If Mars Attacks meets aspects of Total Recall and throws in a sunglasses gimmick, we would get something such as this. Set in Los Angeles shortly, the rich have got richer whilst the poor and lower class get poorer and become desolate; a construction worker/drifter in John Nada dons a pair of sunglasses after stumbling upon them and through its lenses, he sees subliminal and anti-societal messages and slogans and what they are truly saying about the state of 1980s western society. 

Retitled Invasion Los Angeles, it was produced on a budget of $4 million and grossed U.S $13 million; much like John Carpenter's 1986's Big Trouble in Little China, in recent years They Live has attained a strong, cult following. Based on a short story whilst the concept sounded promising, I found it lacked the subversive irony of Dead Heat, a stronger, memorable villain as Lo Pan in 'Big Trouble...' and Carpenter played things too straight here. Roddy Piper is supposed to be charismatic as the lead Nada but his character's persona isn't well developed; he seemed to have come alive somewhat in the 1990s B-movie action scene by teaming up with the likes of Billy Blanks in some of their offerings. 

The major issue I had with this film was it clings so hard on the premise but it didn't sell it well. There wasn't anything meaningful to say about it, through the main character, whom as the audience, we are supposed to turn to for that. Oddly, then-WWE wrestler Roddy Piper,- who was a hot property in the heydays of the 1980s generation alongside the likes of Hulk Hogan - as Nada seems muted for pretty much the entirety of the run-time and Keith David was okay. The twist with Holly at the end was unexpected and happened too late. It kept banging on and on about capitalism and Reaganomics but the action, and horror aspects could have been more compelling and fully emphasised.

It had a lot of potential and I do see the appeal it has with certain fans and audiences, but with this, it just didn't catch on with me; it's not just the pacing issue but it was so bogged down with a lot of stuff that was, forgettable. There just wasn't enough action sequences to justify it and to keep me invested in the story. 

Had John Carpenter given it as much effort as he did with Big Trouble in Little China, it would have been another cult classic worth remembering as a great and entertaining film. Yet again, we have a movie where it was a case that the concept was better than its execution. 

Final Verdict:

In today's political and socio-economic climate, perhaps They Live is relevant in that sense and playing it off as a cynical piece as a drama which has something to say. Its lack of balance of action, which it could have done a lot more with, characterisation, as straightforward as it is, bland and no- personality characters really ran this movie to the ground. It is a low-key effort; it is not bad but as mentioned I didn't love it as I wanted it to, given how nostalgic it is and how much it has been lauded as a cult classic. 

We could have had something along the lines of Big Trouble in Little China, Dead Heat, The Thing; at least I liked Roddy Piper's mullet in this. 

A-B-movie They Live is for sure. 

Overall: 

image credit: Bakemon

Movie Review: Skyscraper (2018)

Skyscraper

2018

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Neve Campbell, Chin Han, Roland Moller, Noah Taylor, Byron Mann

Genre: Action Thriller 

Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $304 million 

Plot: A security expert must infiltrate a burning skyscraper, 225 stories above ground, when his family is trapped inside by criminals 

'Oh So Seen-It All-Before Actioner, Which Will Be Forgotten About'

Skyscraper was developed in China in 2016 when Legendary Entertainment won a bidding war for an action-adventure flick, set in Hong Kong and China. It under-performed, grossing over $300 million on a $125 million on the production. 

Will Sawyer is a former FBI hostage Rescue Team Leader and U.S war veteran who currently analyses security for skyscrapers. Whilst on assignment in Hong Kong, Will finds out he is being framed for an arson that took place at the tallest and safest building in the world, and thus, has to find those responsible, to clear his name AND to rescue his family who are trapped.  

Johnson was all right, but his charms were nowhere to be seen, the villain was forgettable and nothing worth shouting about; plus, despite the production, it had the feel of an action B-movie deemed for Netflix status, as opposed to the big screen, despite the millions spent on the special FX. Neve Campbell's character, whilst she had her moments, I feel like she was more on the sidelines and Campbell wasn't given much to do.

Nowhere as good as Die Hard, slightly better than Rampage, but that isn't saying much. If you take away Dwayne Johnson, I wouldn't have shown much interest that this would be a film you can easily pass up. It averages between mediocre and meh I couldn't choose between the two; not completely unwatchable -, rather the premise worked so much better in the late 1980s, early to mid-1990s when these types of plots in action films had a bit more substance and charm going for them. 

Skyscraper tries, but, as with so many traditional Hollywood action films of the non-Marvel & DCU franchises, released in the post-1990s, it is relatively tame and clunky; no big surprises or twists and it takes a long time for the film to get going. 

It's heavy on emotional drama and is not creative or inventive enough when it comes to ideas. There is nothing new and the fights weren't meaty enough. Seems like this was made to cater towards the Chinese market and less so to Western audiences, and seeing the production values it shows. 

It never tries to step out of the shadows of other action flicks that have the same formula, although one thing it does do is the script allows Dwayne Johnson to act a little more. Sandwiched in between a disaster movie and an all-around actioner, 2018's Skyscraper is too cliched and predictable, but this would have been offset had the story had plenty of weight. 

Final Verdict: 

It's one of those efforts that had the potential to emerge as one of the best and most entertaining action films of the 21st century, but only when it is executed flawlessly. When the director's previous credits include comedies such as Johnson's Central Intelligence, We're the Millers and Dodgeball, sadly, Thurber's efforts do not go far enough.  

It delivers as a cheap rental or something you'd watch on TV, possibly once. 

After seeing this on Channel 4 for the first time, I will probably skip this one. 

Overall: 

Movie Review: The Expendables 3 (2014)

The Expendables 3

2014

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Antonio Banderas, Jet Li, Wesley Snipes, Dolph Lundgren, Kelsey Grammer, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Kellan Lutz, Ronda Rousey, Victor Ortiz, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, Arnold Schwarzenegger

Action

Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $214 million

Plot: Barney augments his team with new blood for a personal battle: to take down Conrad Stonebanks, the Expendables co-founder and notorious arms trader who is hell-bent on wiping out Barney and every single one of his associates 

'Weakest of the Series But Passable, Just'

A film that was built on the premise of a bunch of old fogeys coming together to defeat the villains is shelved in favour of new blood. A throwback to the 1980s action films, Expendables 3 is somewhat watchable but substandard at best. The premise is the same one as the first two films with notable action stars of yesteryear as the good guys squaring off against an antagonist who tends to be a B-list actor or one that has fallen off the map, to match. The second Expendables movie was bigger than the first and the furthest it had went with the series.  

The film opens up with the Expendables team meeting up with another crew member (Terry Crews) to intercept an arms dealer, who turns out to be a former comrade in Conrad Stonebanks, whom Barney finds out is not dead. When Stonebanks kills Barney's teammates, Barney seeks revenge. Admitting that the current Expendables team is no more, he walks away and the team disbands. Barney heads off to Las Vegas and meets a recruitment expert (Kelsey Grammer) to seek some new fresh blood. 

Antonio Banderas and Kelsey Grammer divided audiences with their cameos with some questioning his appearance here (the latter plays the role of a talent scout, the former as a motormouth, Galgo, who comes across as the human form of Puss in Boots from the Shrek franchise). At this point in his career, Banderas had starred or appeared in straight-to-DVD action fare, though I'm assuming the director opted for him because of the Desperado and the Zorro movies. Jet Li was nowhere to be found, but to see him stand alongside Arnie without a single punch or kick, is disappointing. Dolph Lundgren has 1 or 2 scenes where he kills the bad guys & utters a few lines, but that is mainly it. Harrison Ford only had a little to do but say a few lines and fly a plane. Wesley Snipes was long overdue perhaps but he was, alight. He was not bad but not great: he starred opposite Sly Stallone in Demolition Man in 1993 - by far and large the much superior action flick to this effort, which came out 21 years prior. Mel Gibson is Conrad Stonebanks; after making the headlines the previous decade for all the wrong reasons in real life, he revelled in his tarnished public image by taking on the role of the film's main adversary. 

It's not a great film; it repeats the same formula, the same narrative without a major spark. But the new blood tries their best; I thought the story could have benefited from having the young guys working with the old guard more often onscreen. The recruits, comprised of MMA fighters- then WWE's Ronda Rousey, pro-boxer Victor Ortiz and Twilight's Kellan Lutz, didn't make that much of an impression to the extent that they were memorable - though it didn't help that they were marginalised and left hanging for much of the story. Given most of the recognizable name-list performers, it should have amounted to a lot more fun. The PG-13 rating didn't affect my enjoyment of this movie.

Expendables 3, however, lacked the gritty energy and appeal that the first two films, but especially the first one had. Aside from the new characters, everything else seemed to be the case of 'been there, done that'. Action-wise, all the scenes were reduced to the camera cutting away when someone got killed. The film tried to be bolder, but, in reality, with the generic and at times run-down action sequences, there wasn't much that was new. By bringing in new and exciting elements this would have given the story (in the hands of 3 different writers), which seemed to be predictable, more impetus and presence that it had desperately lacked. 

The third film could have done with action stars such as Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, and Billy Blanks all getting in on the act as well, probably in place of the younger Expendables tier. If only Stallone went out of his way to get them to appear.

Some of the dialogue is bad (case in point Wesley Snipes: 'I was knifing people when you were still sucking on your daddie's titties, figuring out how to use a spoon'), but if you can bypass that, then it won't be much of a problem sitting through the rest of Expendables 3.

Final Verdict:

The third time without the charm, it was underwhelming, yet still, I sat through the experience and it was watchable. Unambitious when it tries to be overly and inordinately ambitious and to be bigger and better, Expendables 3 is notably bigger, a hyperbole, but that doesn't make it better. 

No doubt it will satisfy the cravings of action movie junkies. It is still dense, unfocused and ho-hum, to be honest, but remains solid at best. You just need to set the bar of expectations not too low.   

Overall: 6.5 

Retro Review: Lionheart (1990)

Lionheart aka A.W.O.L: Absent Without Leave/Leon

1990

Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Harrison Page, Deborah Renard, Brian Thompson, Michel Quissi, Billy Blanks 

Genre: Action Martial Arts

Worldwide Box Office Gross: over £24 million

Plot: An ex-French soldier begins participating in underground street fights to make money for his brother's family

'Bloodsport - Only Better'

Lionheart was Jean-Claude Van Damme's fourth major billing after Bloodsport, Cyborg and Kickboxer, with the story written by Van Damme himself and who plays Lyon Gautier (no relation to Jean-Paul Gautier). Gautier escapes from the Legion in a region in North Africa/France and initially heads off to America to avenge his brother's attack. When he arrives, he helps pay the sister-in-law's bills and support her youngest daughter. He is also on the run from two blokes of the French Foreign Legion who intend to get hold of Lyon. 

Released at the beginning of the 1990s decade, & just before Van Damme hit his peak with 1992's Universal Soldier and a year on Hard Target, Lionheart is directed by Sheldon Lettich. Lettich went on to direct the entertaining Double Impact, Only the Strong and the disaster which is The Hard Corps to name.  

Lionheart is more drama first, action second, & it plays out like a version of Kickboxer meets Rocky IV, but with a fish-out-of-water storyline built-in. It is a lot more earnest than Van Damme's latter flicks. It's light on action but heavy on the story and showcases more of his acting chops - which has been a persistent criticism of his film career. Van Damme humanizes Leon and he comes across as not as invincible, but down-to-earth and modest. He has a conscious. The story itself, whilst argued, is pretty rote, bears some weight and is relatively decent as it progresses.

One thing Lionheart and Van Damme didn't capitalize on was making 80s' action B-movie actor Brian Thompson fight Van Damme in a final battle.

Thompson's sharp-suited character was a sidekick who talked more and fought less and it was a missed opportunity to see them square off in a fight, whilst capitalist rich b**** Cynthia was the villainess (that character appears to be a take on Brigette Nielsen in Rocky IV). 

Also in this movie was Michel Quissi - the original Tung Po of the first Kickboxer film, and Quissi here as his character looks, well, your average guy in a suit as one of the French foreign legion guys. His brother also appears, and he fights Van Damme at the end fight.

Fight scenes look scrappier and rougher and are not the usual flashy shenanigans of Van Damme's '90s efforts such as Double Impact, Hard Target, and Universal Soldier. It is less reliant on kicks. Does this alone make it any more inferior? Absolutely not. However, in the context of the story, Leon takes part in these illegal underground street fights to make money for his sister-in-law, Helene, a single mother and daughter, Nicole, Leon's niece, and to give them a better quality of life. But he is not doing this alone, as he enlists a street hustler Joshua to act as his manager. 

Compared to his other films, including the direct- to- DVD cheapo efforts, this Van Damme film has a lot of heart, and it was a total surprise: I didn't think I would enjoy it, but I ended up feeling the opposite, thanks to the added characters besides Leon. Had it not been for them and for them elevating this film further, I would enjoy it less. The melodrama and family angle also pushes the story forward, and that resonates more than the fights, which act as a backdrop. If the fights are the backdrop to Lionheart, then the family angle is the backbone of this film. 

It's earnest, never over-the-top and engaging from beginning to end and the runtime is perfect. The performances are very good, and because of that, it makes the melodrama feel believable, with Van Damme showing some range in his performance. Having him play a character that he wrote that is not one-dimensional but who has a lot to say and having a character that has depth as a human being and person and not just someone who kicks the crap out of people, is interesting to see. 

Van Damme's Rocky, yet way, way superior to The Hard Corps, Lionheart is far more reserved than any of Jean-Claude Van Damme's other films. Many people will look down on this as being silly and too toned down for their liking and prefer a more macho Muscles from Brussels. 

For me, this is much better than it has any right to be. 

Final Verdict:

Bloodsport put Van Damme on the action map alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, but with Lionheart, whilst it isn't as recognised as Universal Soldier and Kickboxer, it is sincere and still works as a crowd-pleaser in the same vein as Rocky. As well as one that I might take over Kickboxer and Bloodsport when it comes to competitive fighting movies, as the fish-out-of-water setting gives it that edge.

Lionheart may not offer much, yet with a simple and effective story and an intriguing set of characters, it turns out to be one of JCVD's best. 

Overall: 

Retro Review: Shaft (2000)

Shaft

2000

Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Vanessa L. Williams, Jeffrey Wright, Christian Bale, Toni Collette, Busta Rhymes, Mekhi Pfifer, Dan Hedaya, Richard Roundtree 

Genre: Action Crime Thriller

Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $107 million

Plot: The nephew of John Shaft, the original 1970s detective, goes on a personal mission to make sure the son of a real estate tycoon, is brought to justice after a racially motivated murder 

'What Is an Enjoyable & Standard Affair That Should Have Been Way Better? (Shaft!)'

Just to be sure: this isn't a remake of Shaft, nor a prequel to the 1970's Shaft, but a different type of Shaft character... he is the nephew of Uncle John Shaft. They share the same first name, but Samuel L. Jackson's Shaft is not his take on the original Shaft character.

Here, John Shaft (Jr) is an NYPD cop who is investigating a racially motivated murder wherein a young Black man named Trey, was fatally killed by a rich White yuppie, Walter Wade Jr., played by Christian Bale (years before he (Bale) took on the mantle of Bruce Wayne & Batman in Christopher Nolan's Batman films). Shaft quits the NYPD and 2 years later, he is now a narcotics cop/agent with leader & partner, Carmen Vasquez (Vanessa L. Williams) at the helm. When Wade gets released years later, he and a Dominican drug lord, Peoples go out of their way to kill the eyewitness, Trey's date, Ivy (Toni Collete). 

In John Singleton's original script, Richard Roundtree would have played a more pivotal role, teaming up with a younger, newer generation to fight social and racial injustice. Yet neither the studios nor Shaft's producer agreed. Reportedly, Samuel L.Jackson & Singleton disagreed during the shooting & they had clashed with producer Scott Rudin & screenwriter Richard Price during the filmmaking process. 

For someone who never saw the original nor was familiar with the Richard Roundtree-led Blaxploitation hit, John Singleton's Shaft was enjoyable, if not mind-blowing. 

I thought the supporting cast did well with the marginally weak script and lent themselves well as their characters: Vanessa L. Williams and Toni Collette were decent, although it was a little odd to see that Williams' character is Latina, and Williams herself is African-American, and Jeffery Wright's surprising turn as the flamboyant Spanish-speaking People's was one of the highlights (I was interested to learn he is part-Latino in real-life), whereas rapper Busta Rhymes, you can either give or take his cameo as Rasaan. Bale's turn as the smug Walter was a follow-up to his breakout role in American Psycho and here, he dials up the nastiness and bravado to a tee.

Yet the film's flaws lie in the lack of character development: the story itself is very routine, one-note and by-the-numbers, which doesn't offer many surprises, but for the two corrupt and not-so-smart cops. It does well with what it has to work with, but this in itself lies in the film biting off more than it can chew.  

Final Verdict:

Regardless, that same story was easy to follow all the way through, the casting worked & the team-up of John Singleton and Samuel L. Jackson was interesting. Other than that, as mentioned, I found 2000's Shaft enjoyable, but it didn't offer more for it to deserve a 9 or 10 out of 10 for me.  

I just wished the story was a little scrappier and were a bit feistier for an R-rated, 18-rated crime thriller; Shaft plays things all too safe and Singleton allows whatever issues that are supposed to be deep and serious to be resolved, in a very simplistic and watered down way. 

It got a mixed reception, yes - subjectively speaking, Shaft isn't great, but I still enjoyed it. 

Overall: