Stargate SG-1 (1999) – The Fifth Race, and A Matter of Time

Poor Jack (Richard Dean Anderson). O’Neill becomes infected with an alien database when they travel to one of the possible ally worlds of the five races allied against the goa’uld system lords. Written by Robert C. Cooper, The Fifth Race first debuted on 22 January, 1999. He begins to speak in an alien tongue, and…

Monkey Man (2024) – Dev Patel

Dev Patel directs and stars in Monkey Man, an action revenge film that makes sure to add in emotion, trauma, as well as some commentary on religion and politics. It’s all done without losing the driving, pulse-pounding action sequences that make this film incredibly enjoyable and watchable. As the nameless hero of the film, known…

TIFF24: I, the Executioner dir. Ryoo Seung-wan

I, the Executioner is the follow-up to Seung-wan’s Veteran. I hadn’t seen it, and I loved this one. So don’t let that hold you back from checking this one out. South Korean action films and police thrillers are always engaging, and they aren’t afraid to get dark. Veteran cop, Do-cheol (Hwang Jung-min) works in the…

Stargate SG-1 (1997) – Children of the Gods

I loved the sense of wonder and adventure that the original Stargate film made me feel when I watched it, but I was reticent to dive into the series until well after the first season was released to DVD. My friend Dennis loved it, and swore by it and said I should give it a…

2 Guns (2013) – Baltasar Kormakur

Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg star in 2 Guns, based on the comic series of the same name, a fun little actioner where everyone seems intent on betraying every one else over forty-three million dollars. Posing as buyers, Bobby (Washington) is actually a DEA agent, Stig (Wahlberg) is in the Office of Naval Intelligence, and…

The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017) – Patrick Hughes

Ryan Reynolds leads a pretty solidly packed cast in a fairly paint-by-numbers action film that despite its predictability is a lot of fun, largely in part because of the casting. Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Gary Oldman, Richard E. Grant, and Joaquim de Almeida. That’s some pretty top-drawer talent, and they all look…

The One (2001) – James Wong

Sci-fi fans know the name James Wong from his work on The X-Files, and Space: Above and Beyond, and eagle-eyed fans will recognize more than a few faces as Wong delivers this sci-fi actioner that he shot in Vancouver. Trotting out the idea of the multiverse several years before the MCU made it mainstream, he…

6 Underground (2019) – Micheal Bay

Micheal Bay films can be very hit-and-miss, and when you factor in his almost seizure-inducing editing style you know the film is going to have a certain look and pacing, To be fair, there are Bay films I do enjoy, but unfortunately even with Ryan Reynolds exuding as much charm and humour as he can,…

The Gray Man (2022) – Joe and Anthony Russo

The Russo Brothers, who made an indelible print on the MCU, gather a fun cast to deliver a fast-paced action film that features fantastic kinetic camera work, but is held back by some cardboard characters. Six (Ryan Gosling) is a career criminal that gets recruited by a CIA handler, Fitzroy (Billy Bob Thornton). He’s incredibly…

Lone Wolf McQuade (1983) – Steve Carver

With a musical score by Francesco De Masi and an opening credits sequence that feels very much in line with a Sergio Leone western, expectations surrounding Lone Wolf McQuade on my initial viewing went up a little. Despite the fact that I know Chuck Norris isn’t a very good actor. Norris plays the titular McQuade,…