Escape Plan feels like a bit of an action throwback and leans into the escapist (pun intended) entertainment of the 80s and early 90s. And what better way to do that than with two of the biggest stars of the 80s Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger? Stallone plays Ray Breslin, a professional escape artist. He…
Tag: sequels
Logan’s Run (1967) – William F. Nolan, and George Clayton Johnson
I loved the movie when I first saw Logan’s Run, I was too young to really understand what was going on, and while everyone my age was very excited over Farah Fawcett, this was my first introduction to Jenny Agutter, and I had one of my first crushes. I’ve seen the film a number of…
Rocky (1976) – John G. Avildsen
From the horn fanfare created by Bill Conti to the fantastic steadicam work (a revolutionary reveal at the time), to an open, honest performance from Sylvester Stallone, 1976’s Rocky remains an iconic film, and the first ‘sports’ film to win the Best Picture Oscar. Stallone wrote the film and was heavily involved in its making,…
Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972) – Amando de Ossorio
The Spanish/Portuguese horror classic Tombs of the Blind Dead finally found its way into my viewing schedule. It was a fun and interesting watch, with some curious things going on with the treatment of female characters, but the dead Templar zombies are pretty cool. Virginia (Maria Elana Apron) – arguably the most attractive actor in…
Red Notice (2021) – Rawson Marshall Thurber
Despite being weighed down in tons of green screen work, Red Notice, actually serves as a solid piece of popcorn entertainment. There’s a story about three golden eggs originally belonging to Cleopatra, but most of it is trappings for action beats, and for Gal Gadot to look absolutely stunning, and bring her acting chops into…
Scream 4 (2011) – Wes Craven
Kevin Williamson is back with a script that gives the Scream (and Stab) franchise the course correction it needed following the Scream 3 misstep, and right off the bat, the film has the sense of fun, and play that was messing in the third film. In fact the casting seems steps above the third film…
Jeepers Creepers (2001) – Victor Salva
Back in 2001, I was still working in a video store, and I would take home all the new releases before they came out so I could watch them, and, according to the business model of the store, make recommendations. I enjoy my horror movies, and was intrigued by the idea of this one when…
Highlander (1986) – Russell Mulcahy
Highlander. Man I love this movie. I remember the first time I saw it. I had barely heard of it when I went to hang out with some new/old friends (story there for another time) and they put this movie on to wile away an afternoon. I was completely swept up in it, how cool…
Warlock (1989) – Steve Miner
Back in the early 90s, I would occasionally babysit the kids next door to get some extra cash (or any for that matter, as I was trying to find a work/life balance between schooling, job hunting, and friction at home). Amongst their collection of VHS tapes there was a copy of Warlock, and I don’t…
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) – Jay Roach
It’s odd that this one ends up in DK Books’ Monsters in the Movies, but it comes in under the mechanical menaces section of the book because of the dangerous fembots that menace the titular hero. Mike Myers not only stars in this send up of spy films, but he also wrote it, paying homage…
The Mind Reels 