GI Joe: Retaliation

Some times nostalgia will make one do bad things. I know this as I have seen many a movie purely for nostalgic reason. The first GI Joe movie is just such an act. I went to see it in the hopes of conjuring up those feeling from childhood of watching the cartoon and reading the comic books. In the end, I was disappointed. It shared very little in common with the these things other than the name the likeness of the characters.

When they announced that they would be doping a sequel, I swore that I would not be that guy. They would not be getting my money this time. As time passed and news of who would be in the movie was released, my resolve wavered. I find it difficulty to resist an action movie that features Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. When the trailers finally hit the interwebs, I was sold. There were tantalizing hints that the vehicles would actually resemble toys that I had as a child. Fuck Yeah!

Last night; I paid my money, bought my bag of popcorn and tub of Coke Zero, and watched a damn entertaining movie. I will be honest, this is not high cinema. You will not come away with a greater appreciation for the human condition or weeping for the fine craft that is presented on the screen. What you will get are explosions, gun battles, and ninja fights. Really, what more could you ask for a movie entitled GI Joe: Retaliation.

Unlike the first movie, Retaliation opts for a much simpler set of stories to pursue. The main plot revolves around Zartan replacing the President of the United States of America. The “B” plot follows up on the relationship between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. The “C” story line deals with Lady J and her relationship with her father. Each of these was entertaining alone but were interwoven well throughout the movie making for a damn fine action adventure movie. The explosions and ninja fights were all spectacular but the part that I liked the most was the little tertiary story involving Lady J. After a tense investigative sequence, we get to learn a little back story on her character. She is from a military family, three generations deep. She was to be the fourth but had the misfortune of being born a woman and her father didn’t approve of women in the military. She joined the military and strove hard to attain the rank necessary to make him salute her. He died before she could achieve the goal. Instead of leaving this as a piece of fan service, the writer turns it into a nice bow to wrap up the ending of the movie. Not unexpected but certainly well appreciated.

All the actors, save RZA, turn in respectable performances. There are no points that stood out as stellari my mind but nothing was horrible either. The promise here was an action adventure movie with a some entertaining character interactions. On this GI Joe Retaliation delivers. To top it off, it made sure to include the things that the first movie lacked namely the vehicles and staff that one expects from GI Joe. When a random Cobra trooper was explaining the development of the HISS Tank, I sqee’d.

I really enjoyed this movie. It was the GI Joe movie that I wanted. I’m only sad that it took the sequel to deliver it though. Definitely worth a matinee viewing.

Written on March 28th, 2013 , Action Adventure, Movies & TV Tags:
Parker

When I heard that there was a new Jason Statham movie coming out, I was filled with glee. I am huge fan of Statham and have seen most of the movies he has done, even the ones by Uwe Boll. Yes, I am that much of a fan. There was no question that I would be seeing this film in theaters when it was released. The thing that was in doubt was whether this would be a good movie or something that benefited from the Halo effect due to Jason Statham’s presence.

The interwebs were not much help in this regards. The guys here at Ideology of Madness pretty much came down on the side of it being craptastic whereas John Wick was very excited to see an actual Parker movie getting made instead of the Mel Gibson star vehicle that was Payback. The presence of J-lo in the movie was not something that inspired confidence despite my unwavering fan boy nature.

Before I proceed, I have a confession to make. I am unfamiliar with the source material as I have never read the book upon which this movie is based. I am aware, that in some circles, this is a horrible sin and can only hope for forgiveness. I only have so much free time and have not been overly fond of the crime genre outside of Andrew Vachss.

I rather enjoyed Parker. The story itself is very much a modernized Robin Hood tale. Parker is a thief with a particular set of morals. He doesn’t steal from those that can’t afford it, doesn’t harm those that don’t deserve it, Always does what he says, and expects others to do as they promise. Being the sole Arbiter of who meets these criteria allows Parker great leeway while still lending him the air of a righteous outlaw. After completing a successful heist at the Ohio State Fair, he is betrayed by the crew he is working with a left for dead. What follows is Parker’s recovery and pursuit of setting this right.

The plot is a by-the-numbers action movie. The opening scenes illustrate how much  of a bad ass Parker is while giving a small glimpse of the life he has created for himself. Things go all pear shaped and he is forced to catch up to his erstwhile compatriots to get what he has coming to him. The path to vengeance is littered with stolen vehicles and dead bodies as the villains tried to thwart him interfering in a large jewelry heist. All the beats that you expect in an action movie are present. Their execution is solid and well done but nothing that is not expected of this type of movie. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed the action pieces throughout the movie. It just that they were not the biggest draw for me. Learning more about Parker was the most interesting thing to me. From his interactions with a hyperventilating security guard to how he ends up working with J-lo’s character all paint him as a very neat character that I would like see more of in the future.

If you like your action movies with a good chunk of characterization, I would recommend giving Parker a shot. It is a solid movie well worth a matinee trip to the movies.

Written on February 13th, 2013 , Action Adventure, Movies & TV Tags: , ,
Madness at the Movies: Universal Soldier – Day of Reckoning

You know, the first Universal Soldier isn’t a half bad flick. Essentially, it’s a cat-and-mouse chase between Dolph Lundgren and Jean Claude Van Damme (both at the top of their games) and features some pretty dark backstory to the Dolph Lundgren character. It’s popcorn entertainment, but it always had a dark undercurrent to it, in my opinion. I never saw the two direct to video sequels that didn’t feature the original cast, (Brothers in Arms and Unfinished Business), but I’d imagine they’re as awful as you’d expect from direct to video sequels based on a movie that wasn’t particularly stellar to begin with. Of course, I can’t imagine they’d be any worse that Universal Soldier: The Return, which FELT like a direct to video movie, featured Van Damme and swapped out Lundgren for Goldberg (yes, the wrestler) and threw in a soundtrack featuring metal tracks, since that was all the rage around that time.

Then something happened. Jon Hyams, son of Peter Hyams (director of End of Days, Timecop, The Relic, and more) directed a direct to DVD sequel, Regeneration. Featuring Van Damme and Lundgren back against each other, Regeneration took the series much darker. Though people feel it’s a direct sequel to the original, really, there’s no reference to any of the previous films. Storywise, there’s not much to grasp other than that Lundgren and a group of UniSols have taken over a facility, and Van Damme is sent in to kick some ass. What the film lacks in story, though, it makes up for in unique direction. Hyams showed some great skill in Regeneration, producing some fantastic set pieces, and some of the best hand-to-hand combat that American cinema has seen in years. Not only that, the series seemed to decide it would embrace its violence – not only are the battle brutal, they are BLOODY.

So with him returning to the director’s chair with the newest release Day of Reckoning (available now on Blu-Ray and DVD), would lightning strike twice?

Well…kinda. Read the rest of this entry »

Written on January 26th, 2013 , Action Adventure, Movies & TV
Skyfall

The weekend is upon us.  For some of us, this presents a variable amount of free time with which to indulge ourselves.  The options that are available can seem somewhat dizzying at times and I want to help by telling you about one thing that you might enjoy.  If you are of a cinematic bent, allow me to recommend Skyfall.

If you read my post about Night’s Black Agents, it will come as no surprise to you that I went and saw this new Bond movie on opening weekend.  It is a fitting way to mark the 50th anniversary of James Bond. Once again Daniel Craig takes up the mantle of 007. The movie opens up in the middle of an operation.  Bond and another agent are frantically searching for a hard drive.  He arrives to the room of another agent just a few seconds to late to retrieve the hard drive but with enough time to save a wounded agent. He can only save the agent at the cost of losing the fleeing thief.  M makes the call to catch the thief and we are allowed to see the regret of following this order across Bond’s face as he takes off.  What follows is a chase across the exotic city of Istanbul as Bond and his partner are constantly just out of reach of the fleeing agent.  The tension ratchets up as Bond is able to finally engage the enemy on the roof of a speeding train and the other agent is able to set up a one-time only shot at killing the thief but there is no clear shot.  M once again intervenes and orders the shot and Bond goes plummeting off of the roof of the train to the waiting river below.

Cut to the requisite psychedelic musical montage for which all Bond movies are known.

The movie that follows is an exploration of the choices made by M throughout her career.   We are shown the results of these choices through the eyes of two agents that have survived them as well as those on the outside that question the necessity and cost of her path.  M is embattled on all sides.  She is hounded by a bureaucratic over-site committee that is angered by the loss of life and important data as well as an enemy that is making the fight personal.  Skyfall careens between these large action set pieces as Bond searches out the villain at the heart of the attacks on M and the quiet character moments that explore the harsh costs of the decisions made both in the past and during this current adventure.

I loved this movie.  It delivers what I want out of a Bond movie and more.  As I mentioned above, It delivers the action.  There are stunning gun battles, thrilling chases, and exotic locales aplenty.  The difference with Skyfall is that these pieces are given more emotional punch through the slower, more personal character moments.  You get to see the strength of M despite being harried on all sides.  you get to see the loyalty and caring center of Bond despite being at his lowest point throughout the movie.  I can’t really say anymore without spoiling the movie and I don’t want to do that.  I want you to go see it and enjoy it as much as I did.

What are you waiting for?  Go see it and let me know what you think.

Written on November 16th, 2012 , Action Adventure, Movies & TV, Thriller Tags: , , ,
Taken 2

I am a fan of vengeance and rescue movies.  One of my favorites in this genre happens to be Taken staring Liam Neeson and written by Luc Besson.  I was overjoyed to hear that they would be doing a sequel but terrified that it would be horrible.  Taken 2 released over the weekend and I made the trek to my local cinema with friends to see Liam Neeson kicking much ass.  I was not disappointed.

I was very happy to see that the three main characters were all played by the original actors.  One of my worries with sequels is that they will not bring back all the original actors which made the first movie so good.  I’ve seen it happen before and it never really makes for a good return to the well.  I was delighted to see that Famke Janssen and Maggie Grace both return reprising their original roles.  Though neither of these actresses played a major role in the film, they provided a humanizing factor to Neeson’s character which made the movie better.  In Taken 2, both have much larger parts to play.

The movie picks up not long after the end of the first.  We are given a scene of the families of all the men that Mills had killed to recover his daughter.  There is a long line of graves with much weeping from those in attendance.  An older gentleman, looking a bit to much like the most interesting man in the world, swears vengeance for the loss of all these men.  The scene jumps back to Bryan Mills as he is continuing his journey to repair his relationship with his daughter.  As with any Father/Daughter  relationship, it is still strained.  Thankfully what has gone before is not ignored and we get a poignant scene where Kim describes to her father that she is desperately trying to return to normal.  Into this mix, we learn that Lenore’s current marriage is on the rocks and Bryan sees a possibility for repairing the damage done in the past.

Bryan makes the arrangements for Kim and Lenore to visit him in Istanbul when a job is finished completely unaware that he is being tracked by the gang that had captured his daughter originally.  The true action in the movie does not begin until all the players are in Istanbul.  Besson flips the script on us by having Kim be the only one not captured.  This does not mean that Neeson’s character is unprepared.  It just means that he now has to be badass by proxy at first.  What follows is a stretch of action that is both subdued yet over-the-top at the same time.

As I mentioned above, I am a fan of Taken and I really enjoyed Taken 2.  I can admit that their are some gaping plot holes throughout the movie.  They are just easily overlooked by me as I am wanting to watch Liam Neeson smite evil-doers with furious vengeance.  This is delivered in just the way I was hoping.  If you are not a big fan of Neeson’s, I would recommend waiting for this to hit Netflix.  If you are a fan though, it is well worth a matinee with a big bucket of popcorn and a barrel of diet soda.

Written on October 9th, 2012 , Action Adventure, Movies & TV Tags: , , ,
Madness at the Movies: Total Recall

Brief summary:

Total Recall is a visually exciting film, clearly inspired by Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report, where everyone in the world lives in England or Australia, but speak with American accents.  While spectacular to look at and quick-paced, the one thing the film lacks that the original had is a sense of humor, instead focusing on spectacle over adventure.  Still, for those who like their action loud and full of kablooie, it’s worth checking out at the local multiplex.

Full review after the jump!

Read the rest of this entry »

Written on August 6th, 2012 , Action Adventure, Movies & TV, Science Fiction
Safe

I may not have mentioned it, but I have a penchant for action movies.  Hell, I’ve seen every Transformers movie despite them being wretched.  Michael Bay may not be able to keep a plot together with a hammer and nails but he damn well knows how to blow shit up.  When I saw that Jason Statham had a new movie coming out, I knew that I would be heading to the cinema to see it.

Safe is a an action movie in the vein of Man on Fire.  Statham plays Luke Wright, a broken man with a dark past.  This is nothing new in the action genre but it is a character I enjoy seeing portrayed on the screen.  Safe takes a different direction than one would expect for an action movie.  Instead of beating you over the head with the action from the very beginning of the movie, you are given a peak into what has brought the two main character to this point.  The movie gives a nod to Hitchcock with the true thrust of the movie starting on a subway platform with the chance meeting of our two main characters.  Wright, despite being wrapped in despair, spies the frantic flight of eight year old Mei from her pursuers.  Instead of following this thread to its violent end, we are taken back in time and introduced to the two protagonists.

Mei is a seven year old mathematical genius in China.  She is kidnapped by the Chinese mafia and coerced into being their living computer.  We are shown that her mother is deathly ill and that she has no other family on whom she can depend.  This is the lever that is used to convince a scared young girl to cooperate.  The flashes forward are used to show how they use her gift to keep track of all of the business in New York City and how she is exposed to the nature of the Mafia’s practices.  We are also introduced to Luke Wright.  We are shown that he is fighting in low-rent MMA bouts though he is easily better than any of the opponents that he faces.  His actual job is to put on a good show then throw the bout so that the Russian Mafia can make money betting against him.  When he is placed in a bout with someone who should have never been in the ring everything begins to fall apart for Wright.  The depth of his descent is illustrated through his various interactions leading up to the strangers on a train scene in the subway.

I really enjoyed how this drop back into the past of the two main characters works.  It is an interesting way of delivering exposition as well as providing a stronger connection to both characters.  In addition to these departures from the standard action movie formula, I appreciated the strength that was demonstrated by Mei throughout the movie.   Instead of a child in constant need of rescue, she seizes opportunities when they are presented without sacrificing that vulnerability inherent in a child out of their depth.

I would certainly recommend checking out a matinee of this movie.  You will enjoy it.

Written on May 2nd, 2012 , Action Adventure, Movies & TV Tags:
Lockout

I was looking for a new movie that fell in line with my theme of badassery and noticed that Lockout came out over the weekend.  From the description on IMDB and the trailers, it certainly seemed to fit the bill.  One of the writers for the movie was Luc Besson.  I am a big fan of The Fifth Element, The Professional, and Taken so it did not seem like a big risk to go give this movie a shot.

Lockout is the story of Ex-CIA agent Snow.  In the course of trying to help a friend protect US military secrets, He is accused of the murder of his friend and selling those same secrets to enemies of the US.  During Snow’s arrest and trial, The President’s daughter is on a fact-finding mission to the super-max space station prison.  Due to a series of mistakes by security personnel on all sides, all of the prisoners in stasis are released and the President’s daughter is put at risk.  In order to save the President’s daughter, a one man assault seen as the safest means of assault.  Who better for a crazy rescue attempt than a highly skilled ex-CIA agent?  Violence does ensue.

I will freely admit that this movie is pretty much Die Hard in space.  I do not see this as a downside.  I really enjoyed Die Hard and I am a big fan of science fiction.  So,the juxtaposition of the two seems like and easy combination to me.  One of the problems that could have plagued this movie is that it might have taken itself seriously.  This does not happen, thankfully.  Guy Pearce plays Snow and channels the same energy that was a hallmark of John McClane in Diehard.  Instead of coming off as tired and overdone, it feels like a warm homage to a well-loved character.  Pearce easily chews up the scenery, interspersing his characteristic acerbic wit into the ubiquitous bouts of violence. The villains of the piece are a bit of a departure from Hans Gruber.  Now this is not to say that they do not chew the scenery as well, as they do.  Instead of the witty banter between the villain and the hero, we are given a power struggle between the two villains.  The struggles between Alex and Hydell are a refreshing change in the action movie formula.  The twist, though predictable, was also a welcome change to this tried and true set-up.

The science fiction elements in the story take a backseat to the action for the most part.  While on earth, there is one chase scene where Snow attempts to escape using a futuristic motorcycle.   This ends up being the weakest action piece of the movie as it involves very little of snark that makes Snow entertaining and the CGI is very weak .  Luckily, the action easily takes place outside of the need for many effects and moves along at a rapid pace.  There is one major set piece battle at the climax of the movie which is rendered well.  It  serves both to enhance the personal nature of what is happening on the space station and further highlight the skills of Snow.

I am a fan of action movies and Lockout is a movie that embraces the nature of the genre.  It is a light popcorn movie filled with explosions and snappy banter to provide a nice two hours of entertainment.  Well worth a matinee if you are a fan of the genre.

Written on April 18th, 2012 , Action Adventure, Movies & TV, Science Fiction
The Avengers Trailer!

The official Avengers trailer is now online…and pretty badass.  I’ll save snarky nitpicks until after the trailer.

So…it does bug me a little that the first 30 seconds of the trailer make this seem a lot like a Transformers movie.  I was hoping for a better look at the Hulk, but I guess we’ll see more in the next trailer.  I mean, we’re still a while away from the film being released.  Oh, and the song selection, despite being a great song…really could have been something a little more recent.

Nitpicks aside, I’m actually pretty impressed by the trailer.  High hopes for this one.  Watch in HD at Apple.

Written on October 11th, 2011 , Action Adventure, Movies & TV, Superhero Tags:
The trailer for UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING!

I actually really enjoy the Underworld movies. I mean, sure, they’re poorly written and are a little silly, but they appeal to the kid in me who likes to see cool looking people shooting cool looking vampires and werewolves. Really, they’re for the type of comic fan who likes fun comics, and is willing to believe that yes, vampires can make sunlight-filled bullets because, you know, it’s just cool.

Well, it’s been some time since we last saw Kate Beckinsale in the leather get-up, and I for one have missed her.

The movie opens in 3D and 2D theaters on January 20, 2012. Directed by Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein, it stars Kate Beckinsale, Stephen Rea, Michael Ealy, Theo James, India Eisley and Charles Dance.

I’d expect to see this trailer this weekend if you watch Conan in 3D. FYI … I also hear that you may see a new trailer for Ghost Rider with that flick too.

Written on August 18th, 2011 , Action Adventure, Movies & TV
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