My exploration of B-movie 80s action movies continues with American Ninja. And what a surprise this one came from Canon and Golan and Globus as well. I think they must’ve made out alright in the 80s with all the goofy little low budget action movies they were making. It may be hard to believe but…
Tales of the Gold Monkey
1982. The year after Raiders of the Lost Ark came out, a couple of television series tried to cash in on the action period piece serial vibe, there was Bring Em Back Alive with Bruce Boxleitner, and then there was Donald Bellisario who has gave me two of my favorite television shows Quantum Leap and Magnum P.I. and…
Notorious (1946) – Alfred Hitchcock
Of all the Hitchcock films, and it is a pretty amazing body of work, my favorites are the ones starring Cary Grant. Suspicion, To Catch A Thief (featuring the gorgeous Grace Kelly), my favorite – North By Northwest and Notorious. I decided to revisit Notorious the other night. A taut spy thriller with a heart-wrenching…
Stephen King’s It
I’ve been revisiting Stephen King books, and then when I’m done a title, I like to take a look at the accompanying film, or mini-series. I recently finished King’s epic book It. I haven’t read that since I was a teen, probably 13 or 14. I used to make sure that my Mom got King’s…
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) – Ken Hughes
Ian Fleming. His name is synonymous with James Bond. But that wasn’t the only fantastic character he brought to life. He also wrote the original story Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. In 1968 Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, who had overseen the James Bond series of films from the beginning, brought Fleming’s other famous creation to the big screen, with a lot of…
First Blood (1982) – Ted Kotcheff
I came across First Blood when I was a kid, it showed up on my television screen on the now defunct but never forgotten First Choice or Super Channel. I was still a little squeamish at that age, and the film had already started, so the first thing I saw was a man (with a…
Sick (2012) – Ryan M. Andrews
There’s a new film festival in town called Blood In The Snow. Organized by Festival Director Kelly Michael Stewart, of Fangoria magazine, the festival spotlights Canadian talent and Canadian film, specifically, Canadian Indie Horror films. Nice. Sadly, Sue and I didn’t learn about this in time, and missed the media window, but I did get…
The Devil’s Backbone (2001) – Guillermo del Toro
There are secrets here, in this boys’ orphanage. And there are truths. Guillermo del Toro is one of those filmmakers that I will watch his films no matter what he does. He’s masterful, and makes poignant emotive pieces that seem to transcend genres, but I’m glad this ghost story, set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil…
Act of Valor (2012) – Micke McCoy & Scott Waugh
Act of Valor is an interesting little experiment of a film. The very things that make it awesome are also the same things that make it a bad as well. It’s a film that feels equal parts action flick, documentary and Call of Duty: Black Ops (right down to the first person shooter view-point)….
Invasion U.S.A. (1985) – Joseph Zito
I decided to take a bit of a break from the Sci-Fi and Horror films (though there are films on both fronts I can’t wait to see or re-watch) and just indulge myself in some 80s action cheese. Which brings me to the Golan-Globus production of Invasion U.S.A., a shoot-em-up romp starring the one and only Chuck…
The Mind Reels 