Darkman (1990) – Sam Raimi

I enjoyed Darkman when it first came out. I had it on VHS. But it has been years since I watched it. And I’ll be honest, I liked it much more this time through. I love Raimi as a filmmaker and you can see his always moving camera at work here, as well as his…

Men In Black: International (2019) – F. Gary Gray

The fourth film in the Men In Black franchise is a bit of a letdown. There are no real surprises in the story or reveals, which is too bad, because it opens the world up a touch by introducing us to different branches around the globe, and it’s got a solid cast including Tessa Thompson,…

K-19: The Widowmaker (2002) – Kathyrn Bigelow

K-19 feels like an underrated Kathryn Bigelow film. She once again dives into the pressures of the armed services and war and she has a fantastic cast including Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson, and Peter Sarsgaard. Set at the height of the Cold War in 1961, when Mutually Assured Destruction seemed to be moments away from…

Taken 2 (2012) – Olivier Megaton

Liam Neeson returns as Bryan Mills, a man with a specific set of skills, in Taken 2. Picking up shortly after the events of the first film which saw him rescue his daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace) from traffickers, Mills, his ex-wife, Lenore (Famke Janssen), and Kim find themselves targeted by the deceased’s father, Murad (Rade…

Excalibur (1981) – John Boorman

Like a series of pre-Raphaelite paintings brought to life, director John Boorman infuses the screen with magic and beauty as he delves into the myth of King Arthur and delivers what would become the gold standard for cinematic interpretations of the English legend. Each frame is a work of art as the story follows the…

The A-Team (2010) – Joe Carnahan

Sometimes you just want to relax with a fun action movie, where it seems like the heroes are having a great time, and there’s a lot to watch and enjoy as set pieces roll across the screen. 2010’s update on the classic Lupo/Cannell series The A-Team is very much one of those movies for me….

Love Actually (2003) – Richard Curtis

The most painful title to admit to liking on a list I’m working on in Ten Bad Dates With De Niro is the saccharine sweet Love Actually from writer/director Richard Curtis. Telling a plethora of love stories, the film features a stellar cast of top-notch British actors, and that alone makes the film worth a…