Rebel Ridge (2024) – Jeremy Saulnier

Jeremy Saulnier wrote and directed this tense little thriller that retreads familiar territory, but does it in a very entertaining way. Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) has cashed out of his job and heading to a small-town to bail out his cousin, and then buy a truck so the pair of them can start their own…

Man on Fire (2004) – Tony Scott

I love Tony Scott films; the saturated colours, the moving cameras, the tight pacing, the visual shorthand he used in his storytelling style. I don’t think I ever met a Tony Scott film I didn’t like. Sure I like some more than others, but all of them have his indelible print on them. Man on…

Never Dream of Dying (2001) – Raymond Benson

James Bond returns in Raymond Benson’s Never Dream of Dying, and this time around things get emotional for Ian Fleming’s 007 as he goes after Le Gerant, the leader of the notorious Union organization that has been causing him so much trouble over the past few novels. With his adventures taking him across the continent…

The Substitute (1996) – Robert Mandel

Its action sequences are flawed, and don’t look anywhere as near as cool, and sharp as they could, but 1996’s The Substitute (which spawned three increasingly bad direct-to-video sequels) is packed with familiar faces. The cast is led by Tom Berenger, and includes Raymond Cruz, Luis Guzman, William Forsythe, Rodney, A. Grant, Ernie Hudson, Marc…

Extraction II (2023) – Sam Hargrave

So despite the crap shape Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) is at the end of the first film, he gets rescued, saved, and rehabilitated. In fact, Nik (Golshifteh Farahani) retires him to Austria in a little cabin by the lake, but when an unnamed man (Idris Elba) shows up and offers him a job, one with…

Bad Boys II (2003) – Micheal Bay

I dig into another title in Ten Bad Dates With De Niro, this time from a list of films it’s painful to admit you like. I’ve reviewed others on the list before, but hadn’t had a chance to watch Bad Boys II in forever. It’s exactly as I remember it. Maximum Bayhem, but with some…

The Hurt Locker (2008) – Kathryn Bigelow

Kathyrn Bigelow’s war drama, The Hurt Locker is the next big title in DK Canada’s The Movie Book, with an all-star cast, Guy Pearce, Anthony Mackie, Ralph Fiennes, Evangeline Lily, David Morse all led by a stellar, captivating performance by Jeremy Renner as Staff Sergeant William James. James is serving in Iraq as part of…

Hellboy (2004) – Guillermo del Toro

del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth is the next big recommendation from DK Canada’s The Movie Book, and the What Else to Watch list is filled with his titles as well, all of which I’ve had the opportunity to watch and review prior to this. And then I saw Hellboy listed in there as well and had…

Elysium (2013) -Neill Blomkamp

  So I decided to take in the next Neill Blomkamp movie in the Sci-Fi Chronicles book, and I’m glad I did, because watching Elysium and District 9 back to back, it’s very easy to buy into the possibility that both films (and probably Chappie as well, which is not on the list) take place…