action movie freak    
 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

 

 

Everything you love about ACTION MOVIES!
The
Good and Bad Action Movies, plus your favorite Action Figures. The Essentials that make a great Action Movie.
The gotta-have-it
Trash Talking of the Action Movie BAD ASS.

Looking for something specific? It's on the
Hit List, and . . .
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE! Instagram


Aliens starring Bill Paxton as Private Hudson in Game Over moment after landing craft crashes
"Game over, man. Game over!"


HOW TO TELL . . .
Are you a FREAK
or just a
FAN?

Action Movie Fans can watch
other genres in comfort.
Action Movie FREAKS will start shifting in their seats 10 minutes into a movie where nothing has crashed or been blown up yet . . .


Action Movie Fans
can quote
a few one-liners from a few
 popular action movies.
"I'll be back!" 
"Make My Day!"

Action Movie FREAKS try to work
their favorite quotes into
conversation all the time! 
"God has his tricks, but getting
[paper jams out of copiers],
that's one of mine.*"

Action Movie Fans
have watched their favorite action movies
a handful of times.
Action Movie FREAKS can recite
the entire opening scene
word-for-word from at least 2 movies they're obsessed with!

"The Hovitos are near, the poison is still fresh—3 days, they're following us . . . "

"They are an army, unlike any other, crusading across the stars toward . . . "


And if you can easily finish
this entire quote: 
"I know what you're thinking,
did he fire 6 shots,
or only 5 . . . "


.44 magnum 

just admit it now,
you're an Action Movie
FREAK!
(That quote should be required memorization if you're going
to call yourself an

Action Movie FREAK
!)

Action Movie Fans can stomach
most movie violence.
Action Movie FREAKS will clap when the action reaches its gross-out best! Remember the incredible opening of Ninja Assassin . . . 
What's that? You didn't see
"Ninja Assassin"?
Then you're an
Action Movie Fan.
Let's start again.

Remember the incredible opening of Ninja Assassin, which ended when the blood splatter becomes the title 
 Ninja Assassin blood splatter title
you knew it was coming, but you clapped anyway! (Yes, true Action Movie FREAKS clap when the violence is really good like horror movie fans laugh when it gets really gross)  If, right about now, you're shaking your head or laughing,
you're an Action Movie Fan.
If you're all fired up . . . 
"HELL YEAH!"
"Welcome to the Jungle!"

You're an
Action Movie FREAK!

*from CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK
"God has his tricks, but gettin' outta places no one else can, that's one of mine."

 

Dwayne Johnson as Hercules

Aliens one of the greatest ever Action Movies

michael jai white action movie actor and director

Dina Meyer as Dizzy Flores from Starship Troopers bad ass action movie chick

The Terminator one of the greatest ever Action Movies

Doomsday warrior girl bad ass action movie chick

Chris Hemsworth as Thor comic book action movie

Action Movie Bad Ass Chick Jennette Goldstein as Vasquez in Aliens

Terminator Salvation Action Movie Sequel

bad ass action movie chick Kate Nauta in Transporter 2

Rambo one of the greatest ever Action Movies

Andrea James Lui bad ass action movie chick in close space fight in Bail Enforcers

Robocop Action Movie Classic

Milla Jovovich as Alice in Resident Evil Apocalypse bad ass action movie chick

Dolph Lundgren Universal Soldier Action Movie Classic

Olga Kurylenko as Etain from Centurion bad ass action movie chick

Die Hard one of the greatest ever Action Movies

Bad Ass Action Movie character Sarah Connor

Mission:Impossible III starring Tom Cruise

Michelle Yeoh action movie actress from Tomorrow Never Dies

arnold in predator

chocolate kick to the head

Steven Seagal holding a machette in Above the Law

Gina Carano in Haywire

Scott Adkins as Boyka

Ronda Rousey in The Expendables 3

 

Closing out 2014 . . .
and looking forward to the next few years:

Dec 28 2014

What stayed with me most from 2014 was Lone Survivor, Murph the Protector, and The Raid 2 Berandal, plus the stuntwork by Heidi Moneymaker for Scarlett Johansson and the fight between Cap (Chris Evans and/or his stunt doubles Chris Brewster/Daniel Hargrave/Sam Hargrave?) and George St-Pierre in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

For 2015 and beyond, there is so much to look forward to—these are in order by release date, and then alphabetical by year where there is no release date other than the year—including my favorites in orange . . .   And these are just a fraction of the movies (check out the full list of Action Movies By Year from IMDb).  Some I'd heard of, some I picked just because the title or plot was intriguing. Most link to their IMDb page. And I skipped War movies and Westerns. They are their own thing. It bothers me when people count them as Action Movies. They are not. They are movies with action in them.  Disagree? Check out my Action Movie Essentials :)

2015

January

  • The Night Crew action thriller January 13
    ("Centers on a group of hard up bounty hunters who must survive the night in a desert motel against a horde of savage border runners." Danny Trejo movie :D)

February

  • Jupiter Ascending action adventure fantasy February 6
    (Ah, another great movie by Writer/Directors Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski. It stars Channing Tatum and Sean Bean, and David Leitch of 87eleven is the Stunt Coordinator.)

March

April

  • Furious 7 action crime thriller April 13
    [HOLY CAST! They've added Jason Statham. This is his character's revenge for the killing of his brother played by Luke Evans in Fast & Furious 6. Plus, Kurt Russell, and Djimon Hounsou, Tony Jaa, Johnny Strong (rumored), and Lucas Black is back. The movie will be bittersweet over the real-life tragedy of the death of Paul Walker. Paul Walker's brothers Cody Walker and Caleb Walker helped complete his role.  On a lighter note, Noel Gugliemi is in it. You know him, the guy who always has a monkey come out of his butt LOL]

May

  • Avengers: Age of Ultron action adventure fantasy May 1
    (Another much-anticipated Joss Whedon project, written with Stan Lee. The villain looks incredible! It's one of the top three Boys Clubs cooler than The Expendables (along with The Fast and Furious cast).

  • Mad Max Fury Road May 15
    (Self-proclaimed—it ain't bragging if it's true—"Visionary" Writer/ Director George Miller revisits his epic triology after a 20-year break and takes us for a 4th wild ride. The trailer is the most exciting thing I've seen in years! The inspiration came from artwork and a script by Brendan McCarthy)

  • THE KICKBOXER: City of Blood  May 15
    (Sounds hard core—but never heard of any of the stars . . .)

June

  • Cowboys vs Dinosaurs  June 12
    ("After an accidental explosion at a local mine, dinosaurs emerge from the rubble to terrorize a small western town. Now, a group gunslingers must defend their home if anyone is going to survive in a battle of cowboys versus dinosaurs.") [laughing]

  • Jurassic World  June 12
    (This movie needs no introduction. We'll all be there to see if they use any of the new giant dinosaurs discovered since the last one and how they are going to kick it up a notch this time.  For me, Christ Pratt is very Jeff-Goldblum and should bring the same sense of fun. I'm so excited about this movie, I am not even watching the trailer. Don't want to spoil anything for myself.  It seems from the cast list like there's another "moveable feast".)

July

  • Terminator Genisys  July 1
    (They still aren't giving us the Judgement Day war. This is a lead-up movie, so, maybe next time?! How long must we wait?!  The greatest news is that Byung-hun Lee is the T-1000!)

  • Ant Man 17 July Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly. Huh. Why don't they use strong men instead of actors?

August

  • The Fantastic Four  August 7
    (New cast. Described as a re-imagining. I'm game. "Four young outsiders teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe, which alters their physical form in shocking ways. Their lives irrevocably upended, the team must learn to harness their daunting new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.")

September

  • Zero Tolerance   September 1 (UK)
    ("Two former para-military operatives, Johnny and his police detective friend Peter, search Bangkok to find the killers of Johnny's beautiful daughter Angel - Leaving carnage and retribution throughout city." Starring Dustin Nguyen, Scott Adkins)

November

  • SPECTRE  November 6
    [Sam Mendes, who is an amazing Director (American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Jarhead) is back. Since Skyfall was so visually stunning and so very Bond, I am thrilled! It was really cool seeing how much he gets it. The latest photos from Spectre were on location in the snow. Such a throwback and, again very cool. Some of the best stunts in the Bond movies were in snow.]  

  • Blood Reef  November 11
    (subtitled Tropical Hell "A former black ops soldier is kidnapped by a corrupt intelligence agency looking to create the ultimate killing machine." Starring Ving Rhames and Luke Goss. Should be "great crap".)

  • The Kingsman

December

  • Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens  December 18
    (Writer/Director J. J. Abrams with Lawrence Kasdan. The original cast is back:  Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill. They are joined by Oscar Isaac (he blazed his way through Sucker Punch, eclipsing everything but the stuntwork), Lupita Nyong'o, The Raid's Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian (holy shit!), and many other cool choices! It's sure to produce some superstars. John Williams will be doing the music again. Nothing could be better.)

  • Mission Impossible 5  December 25
    (Christopher McQuarrie—He wrote Edge of Tomorrow, Jack Reacher, Valkyrie, and The Usual Suspects (his first script, which won an Academy Award for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen—impressive! He also directed Jack Reacher and The Way of the Gun, so MI5 will be only his 3rd film! Guess when you're that good, you get the cherry assignments.  Tom Cruise must love him! The Stunt Coordinator is Wade Eastwood. His career is incredibly impressive so this movie's action should be—as all the Mission Impossible movies have been—off the chart and ahead of their time!)

____________

  • Andròn-The Black Labyrinth (Leo Howard makes it an Action Movie, Alec Baldwin and Danny Glover makes it weird.)

  • Boyka: Undisputed IV (We have been waiting and hoping for this! Boyka! Boyka! Boyka!)

  • Checkmate ("Six people are thrown together during an elaborate bank heist where any move can alter the outcome. Is it coincidence, or are they merely pawns in a much bigger game." Starring Vinnie Jones, Johnny Messner, James Remar, Michael "Eddie and the Cruisers" Paré, as well as Danny Glover, Sean Astin . Three of these stars appear also in . . . )

  • Close Range ("A rogue soldier turned outlaw is thrust into a relentless fight with a corrupt sheriff, his obedient deputies, and a dangerous drug cartel in order to protect his sister and her young daughter." Starring Scott Adkins, directed by Isaac Florentine)

  • Cyborg X Half Man. Half Machine. No Mercy. ("After X-Corp, a radical weapons manufacturer, is taken over by a Cyber Virus, a group of survivors must fight to save humanity from the army of Machines the Virus now controls." Another Danny Trejo movie #hardestworkingmaninshowbusiness More "great crap"!)

  • Daylight's End (Zombie movie starring Johnny Strong! Watch the trailer. Directed by Sinners and Saints Writer/Director William Kaufman.)

  • Decommissioned ("A retired agent's life is turned upside down when he discovers he's the patsy for an impending CIA planned presidential assassination."  Retired being the key word. Was thinking anybody but Bruce Willis please, and preferably someone whose physique is impressive even if they are older. Someone tough, like a Fighter or Wrestler—Yay! They picked Vinnie Jones. Also stars Johnny Messner and Michael Paré.)

  • Division 19 ("2039. Jails have been turned into online portals where the public gets to choose what prisoners eat." Wait, what?!  I smell sick AWESOMENESS . . .)

  • Gunned Down ("Armed robber and career criminal Jack Cregan seeks to discover the truth behind his father's murder" . . . wait for it . . . starring James Woods!)

  • Isolation (A movie that's sure to be bad, but we'll watch it anyway. Stars Vinnie Jones, Dominic Purcell, and Tricia Helfer who says she "would change the push for women to look like Playmate Barbie dolls, that is just ridiculous" and yet her profile photo has cleavage in a tank top. Let's see if she walks the walk in this movie or if she's just eye candy.)

  • Juarez 2045 ("It's the year 2045. War on drugs in Mexico has escalated as a ruthless drug Cartel use robots to enforce their operations." Starring Danny Trejo! Sounds like "El Terminador".)

  • Max Steel ("The adventures of teenager Max McGrath and alien companion Steel, who must harness and combine their tremendous new powers to evolve into the turbo-charged superhero Max Steel.")

  • Mercury Plains ("Facing a bleak future, a young man runs away to Mexico where he is recruited by the mysterious captain." Scott Eastwood!)

  • Noodle Man action ("A cop-turned-noodle shop owner finds a new lease on life in New York's Chinatown when a Chinese drug lord—responsible for the death of the former's partner during a botched mission 15 years ago— walks into his life." Stars Donnie Yen and Michelle Yeoh.)

  • SPL 2: Rise of Wong Po (With so much fighting talent, it can't fail. Hoping for another classic. Stars Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, Jacky Wu, Tony Jaa, Andy On. Action Coordinator is Dion Lam.)

  • Stan Lee's Annihilator (Hmmm . . . "A Chinese expatriate and practicer of Qijong and martial arts receives additional training in a secret U.S. program. Now armed with remarkable powers, he looks to take down a villain bent on destroying everything he knows and loves.")

  • Terror Island ("A fight-to-survive thriller about a couple and their teenage children who live reasonably well on a desolate island, until they are haunted by a serial killer." Reminds me of the game Dead Island.)

  • The Rogue ("Recruited from an elite military unit, CIA officer Mike Cutler carries out a dangerous mission to track and trace Al Qaeda leaders, only to find himself at the center of a deadly political standoff." Starring Scott Patterson, Luke Goss, and Costas Mandylor.)

  • The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner)

  • Tomorrowland??

  • Transformers: Robots in Disguise

  • VANish (NO. "A kidnapped young woman is forced on a road trip full of murder and mayhem that takes place entirely in her captor's getaway van." Another Danny Trejo movie. Why do they keep making these movies?! We're—I'm speaking for all women—sick to death of movies where the only way for a woman to be a hero is to be a degraded victim first, or the only way for her to be powerful is half naked! Enough already!

 

2016

  • 1421: The Year China Discovered the World
  • 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Any underwater movie, I want to see it. Been too long since The Abyss)
  • A Ticket to Die
  • Avatar 2 (James Cameron is already over promising. He better deliver!!)
  • Badass Muthers (Love the title . . .)
  • Batman Infinite (?)
  • Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (Sorry fanboys, I'm going with Superman!)
  • Beverly Hills Cop 4 (The casting will be everything for this movie . . .)
  • Blood Money
  • Broad Daylight ("When an ex-US Army Ranger is brutally killed at the hands of a shadowy private military contractor his old military unit re-teams stateside to expose the contractor's corruption and avenge his death.")
  • Captain America: Civil War (What an excellent series. This should be the best yet!)

  • Chemical Cowboys
  • Cloudveil (now there's an intriguing title!  why isn't it cloud veil?)
  • Cranium Intel ("The President wants a military/scientist dead after he discovers the Gateway Arch in St. Louis is actually a portal to the real Planet >X<." Sounds like a so-bad-it's-good movie.)
  • David & Wally: Buddy Cops  (I'm a sucker for a Buddy Movie but isn't this 21 Jump Street? "Two stupid cops from Boston, seeking action, go undercover as high school students to take down a drug operation that could destroy their lifelong friendship." Gotta get a better title!)
  • Deadpool (Wondering if this is a remake?)
  • Death Race 4 (Always worth it for the cars)
  • Die Fightin' the Domination (is this a women's lib movie? #funnynotfunny)
  • Dragon and Phoenix
  • El Patron (John Leguizamo plays  Pablo Escobar—A must see!)
  • Emerald
  • Extinction
  • Extreme Combat (yes, please!)
  • Eye of War
  • Girl Samurai
  • Going Rogue
  • Gun Play
  • Guns, Hookers & a Pound of Coke (pass, unless the hookers are men)
  • Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 2
  • Head Smash
  • Hour of Vengeance
  • IDF Girls
  • Jason and the Argonauts: The Kingdom of Hades (BIG SHOES to fill!)
  • Jump
  • Koyakatsi ("A young scientist and a military doctor team-up to investigate a series of unidentifiable, non-biological attacks. What they discover is a threat far greater than they could have ever imagined.")
  • L.A. Atlantis
  • Legend of Black Lotus
  • Lone Wolf
  • Lowlifes ("Troubled teens in a 2nd chance 'bootcamp' program encounter a group of terrorists trying to take out a rural nuclear power plant.")
  • Mechanic: Resurrection (I'll see anything with Jason Statham in it!)
  • Mind-Bender 3
  • Mission 9
  • Moana (starring everyone's favorite demi-god Dwayne Johnson "A young woman uses her navigational talents to set sail for a fabled island. Joining her on the adventure is her hero, the legendary demi-god Maui.")
  • Night of the Hell Hunters
  • No Fear
  • Own3d
  • Overdrive (is this based on the Stephen King story?)
  • Panzer Dragoon  (another game-based movie)
  • Police Cops (and the winner for worst title goes to . . . )
  • Power Rangers
  • Red 3 (I'm game: Red 2 got the old-school action so right!)
  • Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (Oh, I doubt that, but . . . WHY?!)
  • Ride Along 2
  • Rise of Spider (Now where have I heard this before . . . "A teenager is bitten by a spider and turns into a hero and facing new and old enemies.")
  • Semi-Super Heroes (Gonna be bad. Just depends who's in it.)
  • Six Hot Chicks in a Warehouse OH HELL NO. Action Horror. Why are they still making this crap?!
  • Skin Traffik (It's got Eric Roberts, Mickey Rourke, Michael Madsen . . . )
  • Space Racer (hope it's not for kids—want it to be for adults :D)
  • Spectral ("A sci-fi/thriller story centered on a special-ops team that is dispatched to fight supernatural beings that have taken over New York City.")
  • Star Trek 13
  • Steel Man
  • Steele Aces
  • Suicide Squad (Much-anticipated DC event! Here is the cast from SuperHeroHype.com:)

  • Tarzan  (Alexander Skarsgard is Tarzan?  Nooooo)
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2
  • The Brutes
  • The Courier
  • The Huntsman (sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman but what could it possible be about?!)
  • The Junior Squad ("A group of superhero teenagers are hired by the president to take down and bring down an army of villains and bring them to justice."  Because putting children in harm's way is our only hope?)
  • The Last Warlord
  • The Mummy
  • The Six Billion Dollar Man (starring Mark Wahlberg This is from FilmFad.com "The story is loosely based on Martin Caidin's 1972 bestseller, Cyborg. The book inspired the film's television-based predecessor, ABC's Lee Majors led The Six Million Dollar Man as well as spin-of series The Bionic Woman. The homage to classic tech centric sci-fi favorites . . . will likely draw in fans of the old series as well as target the younger generation of special effects craving sci-fi movie goers." )

  • Thunder Lord
  • Top Fuel
  • Transformers 5 (not by Michael Bay. WHEN will they ever do BEAST WARS?!)
  • Tremors 5: Bloodline
  • Uncharted (always interested in any "El Dorado" story)
  • Uncommon Honour
  • Unearthed
  • Untitled Jeremy Renner/Bourne Sequel
  • Untitled Matt Damon/Bourne Sequel
  • Untitled Planet of the Apes Sequel
  • Untitled Star Wars Project
  • Untitled Teenage Cop Project (Teenage Cops? What?!)
  • Vengeance II
  • Virtua Cop
  • Warcraft (Have to see this at an off time so I don't have to hear the complaints on how it doesn't match the game)
  • X-Force
  • X-Men: Apocalypse
  • Xombie


 

2017

  • Avatar 3

  • Black Panther

  • Guardians of the Galaxy 2

  • High Rise

  • Kong: Skull Island (All this movie needs to be totally bad ass is MUSCLE. It could be Predator with an ape!)

  • Necrosis: Colony 10

  • Pacific Rim 2

  • Star Wars: Episode VIII

  • The Fantastic Four 2 (Loved the first one but the Silver Surfer didn't measure up)

  • The Justice League Part One

  • The Legion of Super-Heroes

  • The Lego Batman Movie (If this is a little satirical like he was in The Lego Movie, it should be hilarious!)

  • Thor: Ragnarok

  • Untitled Female Superhero Spider-Man Movie

  • Untitled Terminator 2

  • Untitled Wolverine Sequel (always down for that!)

  • WONDER WOMAN (at last!)

     

2018

  • AQUAMAN

  • Avatar 4

  • Avengers: Infinity War - Part I

  • Captain Marvel (the female version)

  • Godzilla 2

  • The Amazing Spider-Man 3

  • The Flash

  • Untitled Terminator 3
     

2019

  • Avengers: Infinity War - Part II

  • Justice League Part Two

  • Shazam

  • Star Wars: Episode IX

 

2020

  • Cyborg (not a remake . . .)

  • Green Lantern
     


Top 10 Action Movie Scenes
Dec 12 2014

YouTuber @John Flickster sent me a video of his Top 10 (LIONSGATE) Action Movie Scenes. His delivery was great and his excitement contagious. It got me to pick which scenes I think are best, so here are both: his choices and mine (his video is at the bottom, or click the link above).

The scenes I chose were the most enjoyable based on those most talked about with fellow Action Movie Freaks—all indelible scenes that raised the bar.  (These are in chronological order):

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Lupito with the whip and idol from Raiders of the Lost Ark

  • (12 June 1981)  The opening credits are all part of the build up to the scene where Indiana Jones runs from the giant boulder in Raiders of the Lost Ark. We follow Dr. Jones from behind for a while never seeing his face, until he hears the sound of a gun being cocked behind him. As he turns to use his whip to disarm the assailant, his face goes from shadow to light, and that moment is what great direction is all about. Enter the Bad Ass in an epic Big Dog Entrance (an Action Movie Essential). Then, from the moment he enters the place "Where Forrestahl cashed in" until the end where Reggie tells him "Show a little backbone will ya?!" it's the best opening sequence of an Action Adventure movie ever, and is easily  one of everyone's TOP FIVE most enjoyable Action Movie Scenes. (Here is just a portion of it . . .)


       

Predator

The Predator flashes his eyes before he runs off into the jungle

  • (12 June 1987) When Dutch's men fire into the jungle at the retreating creature in Predator and mow down an acre, but think they hit nothing, what a #holycrap moment! We'd never seen so many Big Manly Men with such big 'guns' use such big guns, and still they're afraid. A side view of Arnold's bicep was a cinematic event all its own. From then on, all we wanted was BIG! If there's one scene in movie history that contributed to America's love of guns—look no further than this one.
     

 

Out For Justice

Steven Seagal in Out For Justice asks Anbody Seen Richie

  • (12 April 1991) The Trash-Talking bar fight in Out For Justice where Steven Seagal tries to find out if "Anybody seen Richie?" and takes everyone down is Action Movie bravado at its best. As trash talking goes (another Action Movie Essential), you can't top Seagal, he's the master.




Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Arnold as the terminator in Terminator 2: Judgment Day aims his shotgun back at the crashed semi driven by the T1000  

  • (3 July 1991) The CHASE SCENE that begins when Arnold as The Terminator comes to John Connor's rescue in a shopping mall in Terminator 2: Judgment Day and ends when the T1000 walks out of the flaming wreck intact—talk about unstoppable—is seared in our minds! Just when we think the T1000 has finally been destroyed . . . wrong! The line I associate with this scene is one someone from the audience I saw it with yelled out in amazement: "Unscathed!"

     

 



Heat (1995)

Val Kilmer shooting in the streets in 1995's Heat

  • (15 December 1995) The GUN BATTLE in the streets from 1995's Heat ("Where's the van?") was so memorable, it made it into comedian Dane Cook's act. When the shit hits the fan, just throw thousand of bullets into the mix. Action Movie Freaks all secretly want to pull off an armored car Heist and get away with it. (Remember when Val Kilmer was the coolest thing on the planet?)

 


  The Matrix

Keanu Reeves as Neo in The Matrix shoots while doing a cartwheel

  • (31 March 1999) The success of John Wick harkens back to Keanu Reeves' performance in The Matrix and the invention of "bullet time". When Neo dodged bullets, it was an indelible moment in Action Movie History that was kicked up a notch when Trinity ended it with "Dodge this!" It played with the elements of time and space—something that made this movie fascinating, and that worked well in the ending of The Chronicles of Riddick. However, the real killer scene in this movie begins when Neo and Trinity gear up to rescue Morpheus. From the rows and rows of WEAPONS they take so much stuff, there's no need to reload. Then they shoot their way through the lobby. (Love the reaction when he opens his coat at the scanner.) Everything about this scene is the epitome of cool: The music, their outfits, the acrobatics, even and especially the sound of the spent casings on the marble (something to own Surround Sound for!). The two of them shoot the shit out of the place.




SPL: Kill Zone

The merciless Jacky Wu waits to fight Donnie Yen in SPL Killzone

  • (18 November 2005) What a fight scene in SPL: Kill Zone when Donnie Yen takes on Wu Jing (aka Jacky Wu)!  In a movie full of great fight scenes (it takes 3 people to bring Sammo down), it's so fast, there's just nothing like it. [This video is age-restricted.]

 

 


Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Wingsuit flyers drop out of a plane in Transformers: Dark of the Moon

  • (29 June 2011) The last :45 minutes of Transformers: Dark of the Moon delivered the most incredible eye-popping 3D. Here is just a piece of it, and what a piece it is. The wingsuit scene (yes, people really did that) had me awestruck (1:08-1:19). And the action just keeps going and going and going . . .

 


  The Raid: Redemption

The final fight scene first half in The Raid: Redemption

  • (13 April 2012) There has never been anything like the final fight in The Raid: Redemption. Part of it was that the final fight in the first movie was also incredible. We root for the main character and feel for his situation.  When he finally gets to this point, we don't know how much more he can really do/take on, but these fuckers are fighting! And just when you think it's over, think again. I really don't know how it can ever be topped. Wouldn't that be something.  The videos keep getting deleted, so, here's another  . . . 

 





Iron Man 3

  • (3 May 2013) This nail biting scene Iron Man 3 was as incredible for its conception as for its execution. All the stuntplayers in this won awards. Yeah, we love Iron Man!

 

 

Here is John Flixster's Top Ten Action Movie Scenes for LIONSGATE UNLOCKED



JOHN WICK sets it on fire . . . 
"Yeah, I'm thinking Action Movies are back!"
Nov 11 2014

I couldn't stop going to see John Wick over and over long enough to finish writing about it. I've paid to see it five times and I am going to fit in one or two more! It more than satisfied most of my Action Movie Essentials, and Keanu Reeves and 87eleven blew the roof off 'cool'. I even love the soundtrack! Once we get past the sad part (I mean ass-kicking excuse), the rest is a rush. Read more . . .

John Wick


The Six Million Dollar Man: '70s gold is getting repaid in the Billions!
Nov 6 2014

The 70s were awesome. Proof? The Six Million Dollar Man. He was Superstar material. (Speaking of Superstars, when are they going to bring back that show? It was great watching the biggest stars/athletes compete over at Crandon Park. They would surprise you because they had different skill sets and the varied events kind of leveled the playing field.)  Deadline.com has confirmed that Peter Berg will direct Mark Wahlberg in the re-make movie. I'm thrilled.

They just gotta have this sound . . . you know which one I mean. Here's the running theme with that sound effect of when he used his bionic powers.

 

I think Mark Wahlberg is perfect for the role, and there's nobody who could treat the material better and make more of it than Peter Berg.  Peter Berg KNOWS Action Movies. He hits ALL the right notes. After this, The Bionic Woman can't be far behind! Then the two of them will pair up. PLEASE let it be Ronda Rousey . . .

 


The 100 Best Action Movies
from Time Out New York
Nov 3 2014

It was an honor (and fun) to be asked to be a contributor to this survey.  Time Out New York compiled a great list based on many recommendations (over 50 experts): "We went straight to the experts and polled people who have created some of the greatest action films ever made. People like John McTiernan (Die Hard [and Predator]), Luc Besson (La Femme Nikita, Lucy) and Danny Trejo (Machete). We spoke to actors, directors, stunt performers, film critics and other experts."

The contributor lists are varied to say the least. Lots of lists have a random movie or two I've never heard of (my Action Movie taste is very mainstream). Lots of lists are full of Martial Arts movies (I like the mix, but I think of them as their own thing). And, there seems to be lots of kowtowing to 'film' choices (movies you think you have to like because they're 'important'—but you'd never watch them again). Unsurprisingly, many, many movies that have action in them but they are not Action Movies.  Every time someone complains about Action Movies or mentions "action movie cliches", they clearly don't get it.  They deign to make an Action list but their choices don't include the movies that made the genre as popular as it is.

The biggest shocker to me is that John McTiernan, who directed Die Hard and Predator, make a list that includes only one Action Movie! Why didn't someone tell him: "Hey Guy, make a new list."  Here's his WTF list (in alphabetical order):

  • Alien (1979) Horror/SciFi

  • Avatar (2009) Action/Adventure/SciFi

  • Chinatown (1974) Drama/Mystery/Thriller

  • A Clockwork Orange (1971) Crime/Drama/SciFi

  • Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) Comedy/War

  • The Duellists (1977) Drama/War

  • The Grapes of Wrath (1940) Drama

  • Fargo (1996) Crime/Drama

  • The Horse Soldiers (1959) Adventure/War/Western

  • The Hour of the Wolf (1968) Drama/Horror

    The Grapes of Wrath?! . . . The Grapes of Wrath. Is the man on drugs?
     

Time Out New York
  1. Die Hard (1988)

  2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

  3. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

  4. Hard Boiled (1992)

  5. Mad Mad 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

  6. Enter The Dragon (1973)

  7. Police Story (1985)

  8. The Wild Bunch (1969)

  9. Seven Samurai (1954)

  10. Aliens (1986)

 

Outlaw Vern

  1. Die Hard (1988)

  2. Hard Boiled (1992)

  3. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)

  4. The Way of the Dragon (1972)

  5. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

  6. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

  7. Kill Bill (2003/2004)

  8. Out for Justice (1991)

  9. The Protector (2005)

  10. First Blood (1982)

The closest to my list (less 'film' influence, more purely Action Movie) is

Action Elite Eoin Friel

  1. Die Hard (1988)

  2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

  3. Predator (1987)

  4. RoboCop (1987)

  5. Lethal Weapon (1987)

  6. The Raid (2011)

  7. Enter the Dragon (1973)

  8. Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)

  9. Ip Man (2008)

  10. The Rock (1996)

(They published mine in alphabetical order, so here is my list in order)

Action Movie Freak

  1. Predator (1987)

  2. Aliens (1986)

  3. Rambo III (1985)

  4. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

  5. Mission: Impossible (1996)

  6. The Matrix (1999)

  7. Die Hard (1988)

  8. The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)

  9. The Rock (1996)

  10. Commando (1985)

 


 

Captain Marvel movie . . . oh yeah! 
Black Panther too, but it's not Michael Jai White?!
Oct 29 2014

So excited that they are making Black Panther. Congratulations to Chadwick Boseman! He might not be an Action Figure but he's a talented actor. I really cannot believe it's not Michael Jai White, though. The Hollywood Reporter says that the character will debut in 2016's Captain America: Civil War. Superheroes in the Civil War—there's something I never thought I'd say. The Black Panther movie is scheduled for November 3, 2017. GOTTA be happy about this. It's ALL good! Hope he trash talks the hell out of it. (Here is concept art by Ryan Meinerding.)

black panther concept art by Ryan Meinerding

 

Captain Marvel might be cool as well. I hope it's the fully clothed version of her. (So many versions of that character.)  The date is set for July 6, 2018.

Captain Marvel Carol Danvers


Box Office Mojo posted this list of the upcoming Marvel movies:

  • Avengers: Age of Ultron  |  May 1, 2015
  • Ant-Man  |  July 17, 2015
  • Captain America: Civil War  |  May 6, 2016
  • Doctor Strange  |  November 4, 2016
  • Guardians of the Galaxy 2  |  May 5, 2017
  • Thor: Ragnarok  |  July 28, 2017
  • Black Panther  |  November 3, 2017 (starring Chadwick Boseman)
  • Avengers: Infinity War Part 1  |   May 4, 2018
  • Captain Marvel  |  July 6, 2018
  • Inhumans  |  November 2, 2018
  • Avengers: Infinity War Part 2  |  May 3, 2019

 


"Leaked" (yeah right) . . . 
Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer is great!
Oct 22 2014

 

 

And there is a rumor . . . 
Oct 22 2014

SandwichJohnFilms.com reported that Robin might be Jena Malone in the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It's great to have another female superhero, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt was the best thing about The Dark Knight Rises and it was so perfectly set up for him to be Robin, so I hope they don't do that. I'd love to see a female Robin, hell, I'd love to see a female every superhero, but don't switch horses midstream! I hate it when they do that. YES, we want to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Robin.  Of course, Jena Malone could be something else, you know, sideline-ish—girlfriend, victim (all we ever get to be)—but hopefully, not for long!  She is so NOT what comes to mind when I think superhero. Here she is from Sucker Punch. And the hits just keep on coming . . .

scrawny Jena Malone in her Sucker Punch outfit next to a picture of a super strong comic book girl version of Robin

 


So easy to see Marko Zaror as Zambo Dende
Oct 20 2014

Twitch Film reported that Marko Zaror will be playing Zambo Dende: The Slave Avenger. A Colombian comic book by Nicholas Rodriguez, Latino Daily News from August 7, 2013 said "The film 'The Games Maker' will tell the story of Zambo Dende" and would be released in April 2014 . . . It also said they were teaming with deep-pockets Disney, so what happened? This Film Combat Syndicate article doesn't say, but it does mentioned a projected 2014 release, and that "it looks like it will begin production sometime next year" and is scheduled for a 2016 release.  They also mention "Mad Dog" Yayan Ruhian is co-starring.

Marko Zaror will play Zambo Dende, Colombian comic book hero

 

 


Elizabeth Pena in Rush HourR.I.P. Elizabeth Peña
Oct 15, 2014

So sad to hear that Elizabeth Peña has passed away at the age of 55. She was wonderful in RUSH HOUR.

There's few movie situations I enjoy more than a girl in an all-guy situation holding her own and getting the better of them.

 

UPDATE from Variety Magazine:  Elizabeth Peña, the Jacob's Ladder and La Bamba actress who died Oct. 14 at the age of 55, died due to complications from alcohol abuse, according to a new report from TMZ.

Per the report, her death certificate reads that her passing was the cause of cirrhosis of the liver due to alcohol abuse. Gastrointestinal bleeding hours before her death caused her heart to stop.

The actress reportedly suffered from the disease for months, but it became more severe leading up to her death.

Peña was also known for roles in Rush Hour, Blue Steel, and Batteries Not Included, along with a recurring guest role on Modern Family. She also recently wrapped work on the first season of El Rey Network's Matador.

 


PAYBACK action movie magazine issue 3 is up!
Oct 15, 2014

Here is issue 3 of PAYBACK action movie magazine featuring super stuntwomen Heidi Moneymaker and Zoë Bell!  Please take a look :) 

 


"No Touching"  . . . Please donate!
Oct 14, 2014

The final 24 hours is upon us! The project ends Wednesday at 3:00 PM.

 


"No Touching"  . . . Did you donate yet?
Oct 7, 2014

You have just about a week left, so please watch this video and participate!

 

"No Touching"
A kickstarter project for a short film starring STUNTWOMEN

Heidi Moneymaker and Zoë Bell
Oct 1, 2014

When someone offers you a chance to participate in a really cool project, it's an easy Yes!  So, here's your chance to join me in supporting "No Touching", an action movie short film starring stuntwomen/actresses Zoë Bell and Heidi Moneymaker. 

movie poster for action movie short film No Touching

SYNOPSIS:  Michelle and Jackie begrudgingly agree to go to a haunted house attraction in downtown L.A. where they are required to sign a waiver that allows the performers to touch them but prevents them from touching back. Once inside, the performers cross the line and these ass-kicking women remind them how ladies should be treated!

Media Contact: Eliot Lehrman at notouchingfilm@gmail.com for more information.
Writer-Directors:  Will Corona Pilgrim & Adam Davis

No Touching is supported by the members of the 87eleven Action Design team (in my opinion Action Movie GODS), led by owners/directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch (whose feature film John Wick comes out on October 24th). Chops! Doesn't get any better than that!

If you can, please DONATE NOW to the Kickstarter campaign.  It ends on October 15th, so don't wait to show your support. Shoot date is November 5th. They need to raise a total of $30,000 for production costs, including permits, location fees, cast and crew payments, equipment rentals, and film completion costs. The production will be looking to add additional cast members in the coming weeks.

“Zoë and I have both been kicking ass for a living for a long time,” Heidi Moneymaker said.  Zoë Bell added “We've known each other for ages and have kept talking about working together and we figured it's about time we combined our ass-kicking skills and make something badass.” 

Writer-Directors  Will Corona Pilgrim and Adam Davis are excited about the project: “We've been writing kickass female characters for as long as we can remember, and who's more kickass than Zoë and Heidi? No one.”
 

 Zoe Bell Heidi Moneymaker

This project marks a TURNING POINT for women in Action Movies in two ways.

First, I have added these two Stuntwomen to the BAD ASS list on this website. (Click these links to see their profiles: Heidi Moneymaker and Zoë Bell). These two women are the very first stuntpeople (as opposed to Actors) I have featured.  This is something I have wanted to do since I saw the outtakes in old Burt Reynolds movies: make the stunt people the stars!  THIS is what Action Movie Freaks really want:  To know who did which stunt. All Action Movies should show the stuntperson at the end and give their names as we watch them do the stunt (raw footage) and/or outtakes, after every movie. We don't go to Action Movies for the Acting. We go for the Action. So, while I started with actresses on the REGULAR JANES list, and everywhere else/all the other categories, from now on I will focus on finding out more about who does the Stuntwork and add them instead of, or in addition to, the actor/actress who represented their work (wherever that applies). OR, even better, maybe now more Stuntpeople, especially women, will begin to be the stars of the movie.  [I need to put in all the amazing people either honored or that I learned about at the 3 years of Nancy Schreiber Director of Photography for No TouchingActionFest I attended, like Buddy Joe Hooker, and Henry Kingi, Sr.]  I am excited that this might be the start of a trend.

Second, and this is EVEN COOLER (saved the best for last), we are now getting WOMEN to be the lead in Action Movies, and in this case two Stuntwomen/Actresses. Granted, this is a short film, but it's a start. It's something I have been wishing for since before I can remember. I have always identified with the male hero and not the two-dimensional female characters who need rescuing. The first movie that I felt the women took over in was American Dreamer (a silly romance, but still, she took charge!). And then came Lt. Ellen Ripley.  Anytime anyone is a naysayer about Women and Action Movies, there is Ripley. So now we have Heidi and Zoë breaking that actress/stunwoman barrier and making an Action Movie for women—for everyone, really, but a movie that marks, hopefully, the start of many more!  We just need the other key creative players involved to also be women: writers, director, 2nd unit director, etc.

UPDATE: They have hired Nancy Schreiber, ASC as the Director of Photography. (She did Your Friends & Neighbors "Is it me?" which was funny as hell) . . .

 

 

 


The Equalizer one for the GOOD column, and
A Walk Among the Tombstones one for the BAD.
Sept 30, 2014

A Walk Among the Tombstones movie posterI saw these two movies as a double feature tonight and there were similarities, but they were like opposites: Good and Evil.  Both were avenging characters, but the movies are so different.

First, the Evil: A Walk Among the Tombstones.  Maybe America has gotten so used to seeing women beaten and tortured on TV shows and in movies, especially horror, that it's now NORMAL to see a woman being raped during the credits, but not for me!  This movie was horrible.  Liam Neeson should be taken to task for doing this movie.

Bottom Line:  Do not see this movie if you're a woman. Don't give them any money for this. Read my full take under Bad Action Movies


The Equalizer movie posterSecond, the Good: The Equalizer.  Denzel Washington plays a kind of secret agent/widow in mourning. The opening quote for the movie is from Mark Twain: "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why."  We get to find out why Denzel's character Robert was born. "One day somebody does something unspeakable to someone you hardly knew and you do something [about it] because you can. Because that's who you are."

Denzel Washington looking soft in The EqualizerI was afraid this movie would exploit little Miss Chloë Grace Moretz, but they didn't! Nor the other prostitute role. It's a kind of guide on how to live your life (violence aside). Denzel Washington's character "Robert McCall" is a true friend. He's popular where he works and helps people realize their true potential, taking time to give words of encouragement or lending a helping hand. Or iron fist as the case may be. He states: "You gotta be who you are in this world, no matter what." And he advises: "Don't doubt yourself, son. Doubt kills." And "Change your world." One person really can make a difference. It's a Christian principle to speak out over people's lives and to offer encouragement. The fact that Robert's some kind of mad-skills Avenging Angel is really entertaining to watch.  As they put it: A guy who thinks he's a knight in shining armor even though "knights don't exist anymore". After he kills a bad guy, he says "I'm sorry." And he is. 

This movie satisfies many of my Action Movie Essentials. Although Denzel is not as muscular as this type of fanatical and disciplined character would be (at one point it's clear his chest muscles are soft and he has a bit of a gut, plus they never show him shirtless—sorry Mr. D. but there are men killing themselves to look Action-Figure-ready and it's that kind of role, plus we want big, buff actors!). On the plus side, he's tall, being bald's a little scary, he pulls off the action scenes with speed, agility, and Skills, and with the strut, he owns being a Bad Ass. There are lessons to be taught and learned—He's definitely on the Right Side. There are LOTS of improvised weapons, Gnarly Kills galore, and massive explosions! He even treats his own wounds, like Rambo. There's a Whiner, some Camaraderie, and lots of Dominance. They save the Big Dog Entrance for the end, and as Action Movies should, it pumps you up and it has a 'happy' ending: They brought it back to the girl and made it all mean something.

Overall, it's enjoyable. The massive beating to the face in the trailer is a little hard to watch, but the gnarly kills at the end would do Final Destination proud.

 


Jupiter Ascending trailer 3 is incredible!
Sept 28, 2014

spaceship from Jupiter Ascending

I'm excited about this movie the way that everyone else seems to be excited about Interstellar (meh!). Love Sean Bean (back when, I had hoped he would have been the next James Bond, the first blonde Bond—no slight to Daniel Craig intended). I also love movies that take you to a completely different world (like The Chronicles of Riddick). We have to wait only 4 more months for this (release date 6 February 2015). Hope the Wachowskis aren't stingy with the cheesy one-liners and that Channing Tatum's characters is a wise ass.
 

 



Keanu Reeves as John Wick shooting in a church

John Wick sorts some stuff out
Sept 12, 2014

Can't get enough Keanu Reeves or John Leguizamo. Put 'em together in an Action Movie and it's got to be good.

 

 



Falcon Rising starring Michael Jai White
Sept 11, 2014

Talk about  your underappreciated Action Movie Stars! Michael Jai White reigns supreme in this payback movie. Should be fun watching him wipe the floor with the Brazilian Yakuza. And it also stars the always awesome Neal McDonough who might have taken over for Eric Roberts. You know, good looking but always a co-star/bad guy/character actor, and in tons of Action Movies (like he's addicted to Action Movies—who isn't). Director: Ernie Barbarash Writer: Y.T. Parazi 

NOW SHOWING in Miami at Palace 18.





Liam Neesons is my shi . . .
Sept 10, 2014

Key & Peele must be over the moon at this trailer: A Walk Among the Tombstones (Action, Crime Mystery) September 19th. Writer/Director: Scott Frank. Based on the book by Lawrence Block.

 



A Walk Among the Tombstones movie poster


Black Adam The Rock 'Goes Dark'
Sept 5, 2014

We thought for sure The Rock was going to announce he was Shazam but, surprise surprise
 . . . electrifying!  Below the picture, AMC speculates about his role as #TheAntiHero as he tweeted about. I think he seems psyched for the role and he always has fun with it (to our benefit). They're wrong about no muscly men though. Hello, SUPERHERO. Film people just don't get #ActionMovies! It's all about the physical.

Black Adam comic

 

 


Avengers Assemble: WOMEN!
Female Superhero Costumes

Aug 31, 2014

Clevver Movies puts out a lot of videos on YouTube. They're always entertaining and always on top of the latest movie news. Although the headline of this one is a little misleading . . .
"Avengers 2 End Credit Scene Revealed?"
, once you watch it, you'll see what they did.

 

In the video, Clevver Movies states "As for Ms. Marvel, sources are saying that Marvel is having cold feet about introducing her in an end-credit scene as a fully developed character. Recent reports have suggested that Marvel is no longer interested in origin stories, but they aren't sure introducing such a major character in this way is the right move either."

I had to wonder, what is the hesitation in introducing female superheroes (as far as women are concerned, they are long overdue), and why are they no longer interested in origin stories1? It may be that audiences are a little bored with male superhero origin stories already (in my opinion they are Batman-ing, Wolverine-ing, and Spider-Man-ing us to death), but we haven't scratched the surface with female superheroes. So, what are they afraid of? Didn't Lucy dominating Hercules in the box office prove anything?

I think I know. They might not know how to portray female superheroes.  In all seriousness,  when you look at the majority of the source material, you should shudder. Are they afraid of backlash? They should be, although they did much better than expected with the character of Black Widow (and it has been well received), giving us a more realistic, respectful, and largely less sexual treatment:

This  versus This:

Black Widow costume in the movies versus the comic book

We need to keep moving farther away from the ridiculously sexualized poses and revealing male-fantasy inspired costumes that are prevalent in comic books, like these examples:

Black Widow costume like body paintin sexualized pose inappropriate female comic book costume

Too often, men are the ones making the decisions on female superhero movies. Women really should be writing and directing these movies. According to this article "How female superheroes could address Hollywood's gender pay gap" only 2% of directors are women. It seems so obvious to me to have women at the helm of a female superhero movie, but if not, at least consult a woman for Pete's sake—but it's got to be a 'liberated' woman (a Feminist) and NOT a 'Man Pleaser' (a woman who dresses to please men).  Since this is new territory, we should do it right, and not ignore the potential for harm, nor squander the potential for gain.

We are at an important crossroads here that impacts the future of all women. Who we hold up as an example of a superhero to young girls should be someone admirable, and the importance of it cannot be overstated.

In this screencap (below, left) from the video above, it shows the line up of superhero costumes—They're all male superheroes except Black Widow, but her costume fits right in (Hulk being a special case LOL). Showing what that might that look like if there was a clothing rack with all female-comic-book-character costumes is the perfect illustration of the problem (and the solution):

male versus female superhero costumes

Too often female superhero costumes are like underwear or worse, body painting (a soul-sucking trend I abhor as a woman). Sadly, wearing underwear as clothing is commonplace now in nightclubs and at music festivals. This leads to disrespect, rape, and violence against women. It is irresponsible and dangerous to dress this way, and it's unforgivable to teach the objectification of women to impressionable young minds (male and female) in the form of role models dubbed "superheroes".

It's time to ignore the state of undress of the female costumes in the source material (comic books), and put male and female superheroes on an equal footing. It's time for men to grow up and think of the peril it places women in just for the sake of male pleasure. It's time to think, if she was my daughter, what would I do? And if you are a woman and dress this way, think about the harm you are causing. Stop worrying about what people will think if you don't conform, and stop fitting yourself into a male-pleasure-centric mold. Be your own hero and free yourself from the degrading social constraints of our popular culture.

So, who are Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel (aka Monica Rambeau)? and more importantly, who could they be? At least in the more modern versions of the comics, they could be physically strong or appropriately attired, but not both it seems—they really need to be both!

Captain Marvel with properly attired costume Ms. Marvel comic cover with strong female

To do the right thing, we need to end some of the MALE FANTASY FEATURES, like:

>>Ridiculously large breasts. Female super heroes do not need to have large breasts that feed the insecurities of less busty women or set some kind of achievable-only-by-surgical-distortion standard in as-yet undeveloped girls, like this image at left. No nipple-revealing-body-paint-like liquid skin looks either. The Mystique movie 'costume' in X-Men is WAY wrong. Personally, I find it downright disgraceful. And just because a woman is attractive or "proud" of her body does not mean it's harmless putting it on display this way.  It's not like the men are doing it too (two wrongs wouldn't make a right anyway). This is a case where the movie is worse than the comic.

Ms Marvel from Age of Ultron with ridiculously large breastsMystique comic book costume versus naked movie version

>>Ass-out short shorts or thong-ish outfits, and crotch shots. These are wrong.

 Ms. Marvel doll with open ass Ms. Marvel crotch shot
crotch shots from comic book characters

Michael Bay as much as I love him is not helping either with the scantily clad, too-young damsel in distress, and the worshipful, below-crotch-level, slow-mo shots. Will he ever make an equally strong female character? Considering he did a Playboy video centerfold, it's doubtful. Still, everyone can change, and if he wants to go in a different direction, I challenge him to take on positive roles for physically strong women, instead of these nonthreatening age-inappropriate 'dolls'.

Michael Bay's crotch shots from Transformer movies

Please let's cover up our female superheroes as much as the men are, and be battle appropriate. Since they felt free enough to stray from the source material by taking the comic-book costume off Mystique, they should feel free to put more clothes on other female characters. Our female superheroes need to be role models of something other than the male fantasy of beauty and sexuality. We need to make them properly attired superheroes that young girls can look up to. From these early comic-book superhero bodies (below) that were mainly voluptuous in skimpy costumes, comic books got more muscular—if only that were the case in movies.

early Ms. Marvel comic book costume Stan Lee's original Ms. Marvel costume
Muscular pictures of She Hulk comics

>>Portrayal of superheroes by waify, model-thin actresses . . . What are we afraid of here?  Now that we have movie stars like fighters Gina Carano and Ronda Rousey, maybe we can finally see more of truly strong women in movie roles as superheroes and not just skinny actresses like Gal Gadot faking it. The movie studios need to realize men are not the only audience for Action Movies!

Ronda Rousey showing strong arms with boxing gloves>>Letting ourselves be portrayed as 'sex objects' in real life. Who will be that female version of the sensation that Arnold Schwarzenegger was in Pumping Iron? Some girl/woman will step up and be that breakthrough person. Someone with strong arms like Ronda Rousey's, who is the real deal.

How it has to work is that she has to be the exception. All that she has accomplished in real life by breaking the mold, means that she has to step up to be a role model and not allow herself to be portrayed like this photo spread in, of all places, ESPN2. Everything Ronda has achieved is undone here. She'll be disregarded by men like every other woman. Women have to stop doing this. (please read my footnote before you dismiss me)

 Ronda Rousey naked pictorial from Sports Illustrated

>>Sexualized poses. After Marvel seemed to get it right with Black Widow's more sedate costume, they made a misstep in exploitative posing for only the female character that was mocked—rightly so:

Sexualized pose from The Avengers and its send up mocking it

In this article covering the panel "Reimagining the Female Superhero: Gail Simone, Amy Reeder, Marguerite Bennett, & More Discuss Comics" at Special Edition NYC,  Emanuela Lupacchino wonders if we were ever given the message that "superhero comics were not for girls." Yes, we were, but the funny thing is, we liked them anyway and imagined we were the male superheroes and related to them, not just to the women there for set dressing and masturbatory fodder.

>>Unrealistic costumes. They had free reign to recreate Wonder Woman's costume considering how many varieties there were in the original . . .

pictograph of all the Wonder Women original costume variations

or at least to get the colors right. Instead we got this burgundy/brown leather thing ?!

 

Xena is pissed they copied her costume for Woman Woman

Lynda Carter says Aw Hell No over the new Wonder Woman costume
Wonder Woman TV show with Lynda Carter and red white and blue cape

 

Women have waited so long for Wonder Woman to be in a movie. How could the costume not be red, white, and blue?! To hell with the whole "Christopher Nolan darker thing"! This is Wonder Woman for most of us—Lynda Carter from the TV show. I was really hoping for a stronger version of her and more skin to be covered. And nothing like an impractical, strapless bathing suit.

What's wrong with comic books, and with the male creation and movie portrayal of female superheroes can be summed up by these connected-image Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel covers.  They look like boy toys. They might as well be inflatable dolls. There's nothing heroic about being a sexed-up dick accessory. These men are just flying off with their playthings. As the 4-year-old son of a friends says "Super Zeroes"!

Ms Marvel and Captain Marvel female superheroes

When I heard they were going to make a female Thor, I was happy, but I didn't really think she'd have Thor-like, Mjolnir-weildable arms, but she should. Don't think it would be popular? Think again. Remember how bad ass Alien's Vasquez was?  Oh yeah!

Female Thor

 

So Marvel has cold feet (or do they?), Sony doesn't. Maybe DC will jump in and take off with Batgirl. In any case, we won't see a Sinister Six, Wonder Woman, or Black Widow movie before 2016-17. And so we wait, despite the proven box-office success of female-driven Action Movies! But why?!

To paraphrase The Rock In G.I. Joe: Retaliation (and it takes on poignant meaning in light of recent events), "[Girls aren't saving themselves]", and in the words of Aliens' Private Vasquez "Let's rock!"

 

Private-Vasquez-by-Paul-Milligan

_________________

 

1 The debate over whether comic book character movies need an origin movie is dumb. Of course, they need an origin movie. Otherwise, it's like starting in the middle, and, of course, we want to see them!

2 This really irritates me. She achieves that status that she did in fighting but then it's taken away by trivializing it.  And of all places, ESPN in their "Bodies We Want" section.  Sure they have other people, men, 'handicapped', naked as well, and yes, it's clearly a celebration of athleticism and the human form, and, if all was right with the world, it would be fine but it's not. And on the web, it is not viewed in context.  How can we ever be taken seriously if we're always ready to take our clothes off?  Why isn't being beautiful and fit enough?


The Expendables 3 new crew
Aug 14 and 22, 2014

I couldn't wait to see The Expendables 3, so I went to the first showing on Thursday night. It delivered and then some on the Action! I enjoyed every minute of it, loved the lines, and will watch it again and again. It was spread a little thin on the screen time for all those roles because there were so many stars (at first I thought too many), which is kind of a waste because they don't really get to shine. But, it's like complaining there's too much food on the buffet while your mouth is full and you're filling 2 plates. Speaking of shining, Wesley Snipes had a big intro (the scene reminded me of Sucker Punch), but then he took a backseat (literally and figuratively) after that. He was great! I loved seeing him in Action, where he should be, in this Ultimate Boys Club.

The Expendables 3 cast at Cannes

I was a little puzzled at the way they decided to add the younger team members. (I didn't watch the trailer.) <<SPOILERS everywhere . . . >> I guess I thought they would just recruit more people and add them to the mix, not decide to get rid of the existing team!  WTH?! [[But when I saw it the second time, it gave me the warm fuzzy feeling at the end when they are all back together. And even though I predicted the original crew would be on the runway, it was really great to see them show up, ready to go.  Ronda's line about family was perfect.]]

At first I also thought plot wise, they really could have left out Jet Li, Randy Couture, Antonio Banderas (great comic relief though), Victor Ortiz, Dolph Lundgren, and Terry Crews, except for the final scene where there are ridonkulously outnumbered anyway so what's 5 more against hundreds? [[But, again, that was my first reaction. The second time I watched I really liked seeing ALL of them even for just a few minutes. The fact that they're all 'in the club" is part of the great feel of The Expendables. I also thought even though they were outnumbered they did a great job of killing TONS of the bad guys. Can't wait for someone to do a killcount.]]

Every time I see an ensemble cast of Bad Asses like this, I go back to the introductions in The Rundown. It's a device that's like a shorthand to give you their strengths but I loved it and it would have worked really well here. They're super Action Figures. They should be hyped. Ronda Rousey's scene was the closest, but I hated that she was in a dress and heels (sigh).  Still the "heels" line was funny.  When it came to her becoming an Expendable, I wanted her to be in long sleeves and a crew neck like the guys, instead of something with cut-outs and a low-cut zipper..

The Expendables 3 the young crew

The one liners kept me chuckling. Antonio Banderas was amusing (how was he not named "Chit Chat"? but he doesn't belong in this Action Bad Asses and Fighters group). Mel Gibson was oily and intense, but I needed more back story to hate Mel Gibson (other than real life . . . ZINGER!), so it would be more satisfying at the end when they take him out. 

Kellan Lutz

The building/ruin scene at the end (reminded me a little of Saving Private Ryan and The Raid) and my first impression was it a little unrealistic because there was very little cover and the numbers were too crazily overwhelming. I remember thinking The Expendables crew might be good, but there's no way they would have enough ammo. I also found it improbable that they would just walk together in a tight little group like that, so exposed. It was like there was no military training at all. Don't send a scout, don't take cover . . . ? [[On the second viewing, it seemed they kind of knew that Mel had something in mind. It was too easy so they just went with it.]]

Kellan Lutz shone here with his (his stunt double's) motorcycle hijinks (I liked that there was a creative payoff for him being a motorcycle rider), but you know even as a moving target, with that many soldiers, he would have been shot. [[On second thought, they would have been thinking he was one of theirs. The scene where he rides up the tail of the downed helicopter was incredible.]] (The credits don't list who did the motorcycle riding—they should! When will that ever change?). Kellan has unquestionable star power and he and Barney have a conversation about him taking over The Expendables . . . It will be cool to see if they go that way (young crew in charge) for The Expendables 4. I hope they start it with a bad guy we can get behing hating so the ending is more satisfying.  Also, some things for the young Expendables to overcome so we get to know them better and root for them.

At first I thought Arnold Schwarzenegger and Harrison Ford were a little bit of a waste as well. Still, it was cool to see Harrison Ford there (and I loved the "he's no longer in the picture" line about Bruce Willis). It gave you that 'crossover' rush. Like they were playing cards and a King trumps a Jack.

[[As I re-read the next bit, I was just wrong:]] I thought the story seemed like it was written around some of the stars rather than for them. For it to work, we have to be invested in the mission (finding/killing Mel Gibson). I didn't feel like I was rooting for Barney Ross to 'win' against the bad guy. They needed some personal history up front.  It's nitpicking but the paper file seemed old tech.

In the end, I feel like these are comic-book type characters and we don't get their individuality The Expendables 3 planeenough. Mainly because there are too many of them, and partly because The Expendables' back story has never been defined. They also need/needed to be hyped by someone. What makes them (the crew) so good? What brought them together to create this band of brothers?

Visually, I love the whole look of The Expendables and that really shone here. The black they wear, the cool vehicles and planes, the weapons, and the signature tattoo! Even their off-duty casual clothing and the setting of where they hang out.  We still really enjoy seeing our old-school Action heroes hanging out together. It sells itself.  Can't believe we almost lost Jason Statham in that on-set accident. Where was everyone that nobody dove in to help him?!
 

Whatever criticism/suggestions given here, let the last words be what I said at the beginning: "I enjoyed every minute of it!"
 


Expendables vs. Expendabelles
Aug 6, 2014

I was thrilled to watch the video down below.  Please keep reading to find out what The Expendabelles has to do with Aliens . . .

First, the great news is that The Expendables will not stop with 3.

Second, and I've said this before but it's worth repeating, I hate the wife/divorce idea for The Expendabelles. The only way, THE ONLY WAY female Expendables work is if they are no different than the men.

What? YES! Trust me on this. ALL THE CENTURIES of being less than, of being weaker, of being judged just on looks, of being kept 'in our place', of being beat up and abused, of being raped, and tortured, and sold into sexual slavery, all the crimes against women cry out for EQUAL TREATMENT. This idea of 'women' as separate as other than people is so WAY overdue for a death.  We want to be treated as equals. WE ARE EQUAL. Women should wear the same clothes for battle and have the same agenda.  We are not 'playing at solider'. Women who dress provactively for combat are a joke and should be laughed at. You can't have that male fantasy thing where she's hot because she's half naked.  It's DEGRADING! And it's dangerous.  And it's time for a change!  [[Attention Mr. Stallone: Think of this it way, you are making the world a better, safer place for your daughters.]]

female soldier with children


In this Q & A, Sylvester Stallone broaches the subject of "uncharted waters" in casting "some women that are actually really known to be tough", and how the movie could "hold its own".  The movie will hold its own only as well as the women can. Now you get my point. Also, young girls will never believe they can fight back until they see someone doing it!

The women who are not too old for change, the ones who are not too afraid to be themselves and not care about their looks, the ones with enough going for them that they don't have to fall back into the comfort zone of being cared for, the ones who don't hide behind religion and dogma, these women make up the vast majority. We want to see ourselves as heroes. WE LIKE ACTION MOVIES because we identify with the hero not the damsel in distress! We want to see truly, physically strong women kicking ass. You want excitement? We want PAYBACK!  Have them form an all-female mercenary group to get the Nigerian schoolgirls back. It's right up Stallone's alley to re-write history.  Just write it like they are men and then cast big strong women. WHY NOT a group of women who fight the battles for all women? (I've said this many many times: We teach our sons to defend themselves but not our daughters, and our daughters are more at risk.)

I only wish we had a real-life an all-female mercenary Army who could FIGHT BACK and police the globe!  Sexual Slavery is a $32 Billion Dollar Business. What's wrong with this picture? Women who objectify themselves or allow others to objectify them harm all women. Think about the harm you are causing before the next time you wear something low cut, or see-thru, or a thong!  To add a gun to that scenario is just ludicrous to me. Yes, I'm a radical feminist and what that means is that DAMMIT! I'm a person first.

tough female soldiers

There could be so many lessons inherent in changing the stereotypes we've suffered under all these years, or using them to the advantage of the soldiers—the Expendabelles (<-hate that name too).  What the PUNCHline (there's a title) will be is that they are strong and skilled and take no shit and no prisoners, like the stupid Grindhouse movies but with some fucking respect and a whole lot of anger!! #paybacksabitch (another title). 

Anyway, at least they are broaching the subject!!! So glad it's finally being talked about.  Really glad Mr. Stallone likes Sigourney Weaver too. Now, if I could only have the time I needed to finish the screenplay that makes Lt. Ellen Ripley realize that the last part of Aliens and everything after (sequels) were just nightmares. She's alive, Newt's alive, Vasquez and Gorman, Hudson, and her husband—yes they got married—Hicks, and even Carter Burke (but he's in jail). Then, we can get back to the Aliens we all wanted to see for the third installment: The Colonial Marines!!!!

[[If Sigourney Weaver were to read this, I would just say two words of something we have in common: Goat Cay :D]]


LUCY turns the tide . . .
Aug 4, 2014

With the announcement of a female version of Thor, and possible future super heroine movies, it seems that Hollywood is accepting that we really do want to see female super heroes.  However, after decades of male-fantasy versions of female superheroes, it's really important that women take over these images and make them truly physically strong, properly attired heroines that will positively influence young girls. Including Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, I really don't want to see waify model types that feed the insecurities of young women. It's just too important—with the epidemic of global violence against women—to not be responsible. These heroines should be strong (Gina Carano or Ronda Rousey strong), believable and skilled, not just prancing around faking it and looking good for men. Sucker Punch taught us that lesson.

Speaking of tides turning, if we could just get The Academy to create Oscars for Best Stunt, Best Stuntman (male or female), Best Stunt/Fight Choreographer, and Best 2nd Unit Director, next year's Oscars could announce these new awards and they could get Sly and Arnold to co-host and make the announcement. Instead of musical numbers, they could have stunts live. Instead of young girls assisting, they could use stuntmen. The fans who speak through Box Office numbers demand a change—Respect for Action Movies is long overdue!!!

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone host the Oscars



Mad Mad Fury Road movie poster

MAD MAX: Fury Road
July 27, 2014

Here's the Comic Con trailer . . . OH HELL YEAH!

 



Hercules Thursday, July 24th
July 21, 2014

You can see HERCULES as early as Thursday at 7:00 PM even though it officially opens on the 25th. Troy Polamalu posted this: "Getting together with family and friends tonight. Get to see Dwayne The Rock Johnson do his thing in his @HerculesMovie".

Troy Polamalu as Hercules


Spartacus on Blu-ray September 16th
July 12, 2014

SPARTACUS: THE COMPLETE SERIES  will be available on Blu-ray™ + Digital HD with Ultraviolet™ on Sept. 16, 2014.  The 13-Disc Set contains all 39 Episodes plus new Bonus Features! Series Creator and Executive Producer Steven S. DeKnight: “Spartacus was a true labor of love for everyone who worked on it and I'm incredibly proud to present all 39 episodes in stunning high-def.”  The perfect gift for the gladiator in your life.


Bonus features include:

Spartacus Fan Favorites: Liam McIntyre

Scoring A Hit: Composer Joseph LoDuca

An Eye Full:: Roger Murray

Spartacus: Paul Grinder

The Last Word: John Hannah

 

 

R.I.P.  Andy Whitfield (1971-2011)

 


@RondaRousey won her @UFC 175 match
in 16 seconds flat!

July 6, 2014

So great to see Ronda Rousey with her @Expendables3 friends after her win! I really hope the Action Movie spirit rubbed off on her while she was around her Action Movie Hero friends. The world REALLY needs STRONG female heroes as role models (no more tarts!) . . .

Snowpiercer movie posterSnowpiercer
is not an Action Movie
. . . or is it?

July 6, 2014

I went to see Snowpiercer because it was labeled  Action/Sci-Fi/Thriller, for the cast, for what I heard about the Director Joon-ho Bong, to see Chris Evans, and because it's a rare mix: Action Movie and critical acclaim.

I confess I was, at first, expecting more Action . . . <<SPOILERS>> . . . when the axe fight scene came up, it should have been so instantly on the moment the doors opened, but they delayed it and that killed the momentum, and therefore the excitement—in retrospect, no doubt this was intentional. At the time, I felt it should have been instant melee, but maybe that would have taken away from the intended emotion of the scene. It's all just so terribly tragic that I think it might have been 'wrong' to have any kind of 'typical' Action scene (who's to say) where you get caught up in the fight. Instead it's just an unending edge-of-the-seat train ride through hell. You will be bothered. It will stay with you. It's a remarkably creative film, full of shocking moments that make us consider what our humanity means, but, afterwards I thought: "It's not an Action Movie and it should not have been labeled as one", but there was plenty of Action, so what it is, I guess, is an Action (ahem!) . . . Film.

Chris Evans is really good in it as the pained hero (his eyes are just deep pools of sorrow), but it's so un-Action Hero, it's hard to watch. There's no strutting, show-off, born-leader aspect. In fact he doesn't want to be a Leader. It's only when we find out why that we understand his reluctance. Of course, he was/is the right man for the job, just not the job they intended, and in the end, he is a Hero of the highest order, giving his life to right all the wrongs, coming full circle to make the sacrifice he couldn't make before. He doesn't stand out so much as the larger-than-life Action Figure, but the representation of the will to fight in everyone.

I would recommend this Action Film highly. The script is quotable, as all great scripts are, and the Writer/Director, Joon-ho Bong, is truly gifted. To have been made to feel so much in such a short time for so many characters who were little more than caricatures is no small feat! I'm a sucker for dystopian society movies, and this was a showcase of the bizarre. The acting was of the highest caliber. I lost count how many times the audience gasped, and ooh-ed and aah-ed. It won't leave you feeling pumped up, like an Action Movie should, but you will feel more alive and grateful.

It was amazing and haunting. So what's to complain about? It's too good? If the shoe fits, wear it!!

snowpiercer shoe

___________________________

Miami Beach Cinemateque @MBCinema is showing 3 other Joon-ho Bong movies the next three Thursdays at 9:00 PM:  Memories of Murder, The Host, and Mother.



Mark Whalberg The Six Billion Dollar ManIf Mark Wahlberg will be
The $6 Billon Dollar Man,
can
The Bionic Woman
be far behind?

July 4, 2014

As a child of the '70s, I would be psyched for both! Such all-American-type roles. He will be great in it. It was reported on Collider.com by a really important reporter, who is apparently too busy to conduct this interview, cause he's "gotta go"—Is it hard to find someone who WANTS to take the time to interview Mark Wahlberg? I'm free.

"We can rebuild him. We have the techonology." It should be great fun to see the advances since the first version.  I loved Lindsay Wagner, but would love to see a real powerhouse, Ronda Rousey, be The Bionic Woman.

 

 


Jason Momoa will be AQUAMAN!!
June 14, 2014

Jason Momoa with surfboard and paddleI was thrilled to learn that Aquaman will definitely be in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (6 May 2016).  

Drew McWeeny @DrewAtHitFix of HITFIX confirms that it will be Jason Momoa. While he is not blonde, that hardly matters—Clearly, he's at home in the water.

Most importantly: MUSCLES . . .

. . . something lacking in many Action Movies (especially comic book movies). Thank goodness for The Expendables and The Rock still giving us old-school Action FIgures in movies, whereas too many Action Movies, like The Amazing Spider-Man and even the new TV Show The Flash, star really skinny guys!

The Flash TV Show star Grant Gustin in costume versus The Flash comic book cover

This article from ScreenRant gives many things to look forward to with an Aquaman movie, and since he's always been my favorite since childhood, I am thrilled.

The article mentions James Cameron @JimCameron and his work with Avatar. If you grew up around the sea you immediately recognized the 'plants' in the forest as undersea creatures. He made no secret of it, but it only made me want to see an underwater movie even more.

I'm a sucker for underwater movies (love Submarine Movies). They don't always show much like Deep Blue Sea (1999) and The Abyss (1989), but when they do, it's beautiful, like in Into The Blue  (2005).

Water always kicks up the danger level, like in Alien: Ressurection (1997). It's the fear of being out of your element (except that it is my element, having grown up in The Bahamas and always being in or around the sea). I think I'm much more excited now for this movie. I'm a Superman fan (over Batman), and it definitely helps with the too-skinny Wonder Woman disappointment.

Aquaman fighting sharks and rescuing a diver


PAYBACK:
action movie
magazine issue 2
June 6, 2014

Here is the 2nd issue. Hope it's an enjoyable read.


I see James Bond
May 20, 2014

David Gandy is so James Bond! Or Dirk Pitt . . . Women will attend any movie in droves!


 David Gandy as James Bond David Gandy as James Bond

 


 


Expendables 3 take Cannes!
May 20, 2014

The party of the century went down, and where were we!? I am sure all the 'cool' people in Cannes simultaneously looked down their nose and wished they could be a part of the ultimate boys' club. 'Film' . . . pah!  Give me an ACTION MOVIE! 

My girl Ronda Rousey was there . . . like a bawse!  Check out all the pictures in the Expendables 3 Facebook photo album, posted on May 19th.

And then today, the news that The Expendables 3 will be PG. I'm fine with it. After listening to Sylvester Stallone's Action Movie Bible on The Making of the Expendabless, I trust him to know Action Movies better than anyone else on the planet, and it he thinks this is the way to grow the Action Movie audience and make future Action Movie Freaks, I'm all for it. We have to do something! 

The Expendables 3 cast on the red carpet at Cannes 2014

Sylvester Stallone dances with Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Cannes 2014 Expendables 3 party

Terry Crews in camo suit



 

2014 13th Annual TAURUS
World Stunt Awards
May 12, 2014

On May 10th, Action Academy covered the 2014 Taurus World Stunt Awards, and posted the nominees and winners.

Read all about it on their site: actionacademy.tv.  

They explained:  "Feature films can be nominated multiple times in the same category because the stunt being nominated is different." (They put the winners in bold *** and I've repeated their list here with clips.  I only wish I had all the names of the stuntmen/women involved.)

"And the Taurus goes to  . . . "

Best Fight
1. ***Fast & Furious 6*** 
(Two fights take place simultaneously in a subway station. One fight features 2 guys taking on a bad guy and the other fight features 2 women. Fights feature hand to hand combat, a crash through a glass pane, and a fall down the subway stairs. )
2. Kick-Ass 2
3. Kick-Ass 2
4. Parker
5. The Wolverine


Best High Work
1. Dead Man Down
2. A Good Day to Die Hard
3. The Hangover Part 3
4. The Host
5. ***Iron Man 3***
(Passengers sucked out of an airplane are saved by Iron Man. Skydivers were ratcheted out of a plane on a green screen stage. They then made parachute jumps from 14,000' by using parachutes rigged as part of their costumes. They used their aerial skills to act out of control until Iron Man caught them.)


Best Stunt Rigging
1. G.I. Joe: Retaliation
2. The Hangover Part 3
3. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
4. ***Iron Man 3***
(After being flung from a plane mid-flight, 13 passengers are dropped safely in the water by Iron Man. The passengers and Iron Man travel from a height of approximately 100' and a distance of 600'. They were dropped on a specific mark into the water at approximately 40 mph.)
5. The Lone Ranger
6. Oz the Great and Powerful


Best Work with a Vehicle
1. Fast & Furious 6
2. Fast & Furious 6
3. Fast & Furious 6
4. Gangster Squad
5. ***A Good Day to Die Hard***
(A MRAP (mine-resistant ambush protected) vehicle chases a van, followed by a Unimog vehicle, through crowded city streets. Highlights of the chase include head on driving, multiple crashes, and 90, 180, and 360 degree spins. The Unimog does a multi roll cannon roll and the MRAP jumps an overpass guardrail to land among live traffic. Chase ends with a Mercedes G Wagon doing a k-rail slide turnover and the MRAP doing a cannon roll, flying off a bridge and t-boning a big rig.)


Best Specialty Stunt
1. Dead Man Down
2. ***Iron Man 3***
(Passengers sucked out of an airplane are saved by Iron Man. Skydivers were ratcheted out of a plane on a green screen stage. They then made parachute jumps from 14,000' by using parachutes rigged as part of their costumes. They used their aerial skills to act out of control until Iron Man caught them.)
3. The Lone Ranger
4. The Place Beyond the Pines
5. This is the End

 


Best Overall Stunt by a Stunt Woman
1. The Conjuring
2. Fast & Furious 6
3. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters
4. The Host
5. ***Identity Thief*** •  Luci Steel Romberg
(A woman is hit by a car in the middle of the street. The car was traveling about 20 mph and stunt woman Luci Steel Romberg landed on concrete. )
6. Iron Man 3
 


Hardest Hit
1. Grown Ups 2
2. Identity Thief
3. The Lone Ranger
4. ***Lone Survivor***
(Four soldiers fall down a cliff. Broken up into multiple falls, each fall averaged about 10' to 15' in height and length. The only location using pads was the initial drop in the 2nd fall. They dropped 50' down a 70 degree rock face to a platform covered with boxes covered with pads. No wires or CGI were used to enhance the sequence.)
5. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones


Best Stunt Coordination and/or 2nd Unit Director1. ***Fast & Furious 6*** | Spiro Razatos, second unit director/stunt coordinator; Troy Robinson, stunt coordinator; Andy Gill, stunt coordinator 2nd unit, Greg Powell, supervising stunt coordinator, and Sarah Franzl, assistant stunt coordinator
2. Gangster Squad
3. A Good Day to Die Hard
4. Iron Man 3
5. Kick-Ass 2

 


Best Action in a Foreign Film Stalingrad



Lifetime Achievement Award Buddy Joe Hooker
(Video from 2011 ActionFest filmed by Robert A. Mitchell)

 


Brick Mansions . . .
April 25, 2014

It was difficult to fairly judge Brick Mansions since I liked District B13 so much, and because we are all so fond of Paul Walker. He really wasn't the type to play this character. The areas it could not compete in were originality, of course, (since it seemed at times frame for frame a copy) we couldn't un-know what was coming. There was no camaraderie between Paul Walker and David Belle like there was between David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli, in fact, their 'relationship' seemed rushed. The timeline was not as urgent either; I don't think they did a good job of conveying the urgency, but then, maybe, again, it's because we can't un-know the plot. The villains were not as freaky, crazy, or nearly as threatening. District B13 was just way cooler there. Maybe Detroit was too familiar to us. The strangeness really helped in the first movie. There was none of that twilight zone/danger feel to the Brick Mansions neighborhood like there was to Banlieue 13. The  trash talking didn't compare at all, either. The first movie is more originally, essentially, an Action Movie. It's intense like Crankk. Brick Mansions was tame and lumbering. 

I was greatly relieved that they didn't do that stupid underwear scene. No girl would do that. It just seemed wrong and out of place (so strange). The actress who played the girlfriend had none of the edge of the sister in the first movie, either. At one point, the villain's henchwoman (also not threatening or strange at all compared to the first movie) is sitting in a law chair in hot pants and heels, while the girlfriend, in a schoolgirl outfit, is chained to the rocket like a dog. Their fights were also nothing special. 


Paul Walker's next-to-last movie:
Brick Mansions
April 23, 2014

How bittersweet it will be to see Paul Walker blaze across the screen doing Parkour with David Belle in Brick Mansions. At last! We get to see District B13 in English! For me, it doesn't take anything away from District B13 that they remade it in this way. If anything, it just will give the original movie a wider audience. District B13 was like Action Movie crack, the music, the wisecracks, the violence.  Aaaah so gooood! 

The trailer looks exciting—can't believe they give so much away as usual . . . as Homer say "Whaddayagonnado?"—but I can't wait to see it tomorrow night! Then I'll run home and watch District B13 again, of course. (I don't think you should watch it beforehand. Give Brick Mansions a chance to be all it can be. Comparisons are inevitable, but there's hopefully enough love to go around for both movies.)



 


The Wild Wild East: The Raid 2
April 11, 2014

Been hearing for months that The Raid 2 was the be-all, end-all Action Movie.  You have to wonder if any movie could live up to that much hype.  Um, YEAH!  It's INCREDIBLE. In every way the Action is sick. So many fight scenes. They do the close quarters fight, myriad weapons, a scene like The Transporter hallway axe fight, and the many-against-one so well that it brought me back to the old TV Show The Wild Wild West and Jim West (the king of kicking multiple ass).  I don't want to ruin anything, and it's gonna take me a little time to write about it. So just go see it. There is NO WAY you will be disappointed. You will, like me, want to see it again ASAP. You're thinking there won't be (can't be) a better fight than the knock-down, drag-out match in the first movie. You'd be wrong.

The Raid 2 car fight


Impressive Stuntwork in Captain America: The Winter Soldier
April 3, 2014

The BEST fight in Captain America was the first between Chris Evans (and one of his 3 stunt doubles Chris Brewster, Daniel Hargrave, and/or Sam Hargrave) vs. Georges St. Pierree.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier Georges St. Pierre vs. Chris Evans fight

Went to see Captain America kicking ass (and he did) but he looked so wan the whole movie that it was sad—Bromance and Romance gone astray. What I came away with was the impressive acrobatic choreography and sheer athleticism of whoever was doubling Scarlett Johansson. So I looked her up. I saw in the credits it was Amy Johnston @amyejohnson, so I tweeted it, but turns out she had two stunts doubles. Heidi Moneymaker is listed further down (guess I didn't scroll enough). Thanks to Film Combat Syndicate @FCSyndicate for telling me so I could give more credit where credit is due.  Check out their amazeballs stunt reels:




Mainlining the EXPENDABLES 3 Trailer!
April 3, 2014

Can't stop watching . . .



PAYBACK: The first ACTION MOVIE magazine
April 3, 2014

Looking at the e-magazines on issuu.com (they have an app for android now), I thought how great it would be to read an Action Movie magazine, et violá!  Introducing "PAYBACK action movie magazine". I am not making a penny off it, but I hope to publish it every month. This inaugural issue honors GINA CARANO. Go see In the Blood to support women in Action Movies (no pirating!)

 



Sabotage: A Full-Blooded Action Movie
Mar 31, 2014

Sabotage is a full-blooded Action Movie and hits all the Action Movie Essentials. Opening on a female torture victim, we then jump right into the Action with a DEA bust on a Mexican drug cartel stash house. Arnold Schwarzenegger's character "John 'Breacher' Wharton" is the head of a DEA Special Operations Team (SOT). They are riding up to a house in a Lenco BearCat SWAT vehicle (love specialized vehicles!). It then moves into camaraderie and dominance, and trash talking . . . Read More.

Lenco BearCat
 


Trailers Trailers Trailers
Mar 27, 2014

THE PROTECTOR 2
Action | May 2, 2014


 

JUPITER ASCENDING
Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi | February 6, 2015


 

HERCULES
Action/Adventure | July 25, 2014

 

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES
Action/Adventure/Comedy   | August 8, 2014


 

THE MAZE RUNNER
Action/Mystery/SciFi | Sept. 19, 2014

 

 


Need for Speed: An All-American Rush!
Mar 16, 2014

What's more American than their love of cars? How about a drive-in? Meet small-town mechanic and local street-racing legend "Tobey Marshall" (Aaron Paul) who lost his girl to 'the bad guy': his high-school football and racing rival turned professional driver. So, this movie ain't just about racing, it's about Revengee. Each major plot point kicks up the revenge motive more and more, but with a twist.

The movie featured a lot of elements we loved in movies like Bullit (1968), American Graffiti (1973), Death Race 2000 (1975), Grand Theft Auto (1977), The Cannonball Run (1981), Thelma & Louise (1991),  The Fast and The Furious series, and Getaway (2013). The movie was directed by Scott Waugh (Act of Valor), and the old-school stunts are the work of Lance Gilbert. Need I say more?  Read more . . .

Need for Speed Movie Poster

 


Costner 'kills' in 3 Days to Kill
Mar 8, 2014

If it says "Luc Besson", I'm there. The best part for me was how perfect Kevin Costner was. It's an Oscar-worthy performance, but because it's Action, and it's understated, it will go unnoticed.  Another great surprise was that it's not just an Action Movie, it's a great movie, period.  The opening gun fight is good. Love when the timing of the re-loads count, and a big explosion is always a plus. His character is experienced, observant, and smart.  Kevin Costner is convincing and competent in how he runs and how he handles a gun. Not only does he seem like an experienced agent, he's damn good. He's a big-name actor but unlike most actors, he's believable in the Action.

Movies where "Dead men have nothing to lose" always bring the tension.  The movie had a lot of surprises. One of the things that made a big difference is that he's a man, not a boy. His daughter in the movie asks her mother "Is Dad a Bad Ass?"  He is a TOTAL Bad Ass. The script is great!  It's a funny balance between parenting and CIA work. All of a sudden the range of themes and the complexity of the movie hit me, in a wave of emotion: the beauty of Life, the preciousness of Time, Love, Death, New Life, Lost Love, Continuity, Reliance, Perseverance, Drama, Family Love, Decency, Crime and Punishment, the Law, and being Outside the Law, Kindness, Mentoring, Compassion. Charity, Honesty, and Starting Over. It made me a bigger fan of McG, but I was already a huge Luc Besson fan, so it's kind of off the charts now.

If you haven't seen it, don't let it leave the theater. It's great fun, and really so worth the ticket price.
 


300: Rise of An Empire fails to inspire
Mar 7, 2014

Tacky. If it wasn't for the epic sea battles, it would have been unbearably boring exposition. And where was the nobility, and the beef? For a men-in-leather-bikinis movie, there was a serious lack of muscle. I would watch parts of it again, but as roles for women in Action Movies go, it's near the bottom. Read more . . .

300: Rise of an Empire, no muscle

 


As if! . . . Oscars ACTION MOVIE Selfie
Mar 6, 2014

The most popular and profitable genre and still we are shunned!  When will they right this INJUSTICE! There should be an Oscar for Best Stuntman, Best Stunt Choreographer, and Best 2nd Unit Director.  But, in the meantime, we know who the real cool kids are . . .

Oscar Selfie Action Movie version
 


What if . . . The Matrix prequel(s) had a Terminator war angle?

Russ Fischer @russfischer writes for Slashfilm.com about a rumor that a new Matrix trilogy is being prepped by the Wachowskis. (He notes the exclusive came from Kellvin Chavez @Latinoreview of Latino-Review.com.) There is lots of speculation in both articles but I like Fischer's question "Could [the origin of the Matrix story] be expanded to create . . . the Wachowskis' own version of the late stages of the Terminator storyline?" 

Regardless of whether the previous animated films have any effect on the live-action movies (Chavez says he was told not, but Fischer uses them as an intriguing jumping-off point), the idea of machines versus Man is what we have been waiting to see. I would rather have a more evil, metal-y robot look than the A.I.s but I think back to Star Trek's version of The Matrix . . . 

All Action Movie Freaks hunger for the movie depicting the war between man and machines that the Terminator movies talk about, which, for some reason, nobody who makes movies has realized is missing and what we REALLY want to see.  (A little while back fellow action movie freak on the ActionMovieFreak.com Facebook Fan Page, Christian Glenn Webb, commented about how long they've been making us wait for a Terminator movie about the war, and I thought HELL YEAH, it's not just me.) So, in my mind I see this scene where they gun us down or round us up and turn us into batteries and then start to make this fake world they can watch and feed off of like that matrix-y 2-part episode of Star Trek we've all also been waiting for them to make a movie of, The Menagerie.   

terminator robots in the war again men

 

 


New The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Trailer has Dubstep!
Feb 27, 2014

Bring on the Dubstep! Loving this new The Amazing Spider-Man 2 trailer, and wondering if they will have any dubstep in the movie. So many times the music in the trailer is not there and you miss it because it seemed so perfect. Starts at 2:58.

   


Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker?
WRESTLEMANIA XXX Sunday April 6, 2014
Feb 24, 2014

Brock Lesnar has to look up at The Undertaker. Oh, the drama. Greatest theme music ever. Wrestlemania XXX, match #22. Tickets on sale now Subscribe to WWE Network.

"Larger than live superheroes and things of that nature . . . "   -Vince McMahon

 

 

What Are the TOP 6 Rumored WRESTLEMANIA 30 Matches? According to F4WOnline.com, the following are the Top 6 WrestleMania 30 matches currently being planned by WWE creative:

  • Batista vs. Randy Orton for the WWE World Heavyweight Title

  • Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker

  • Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena

  • CM Punk vs Triple H

  • Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus

  • Ryback vs The Ultimate Warrior


Robocop Dead or Alive? . . . Dead.
Feb 20, 2014

The movie, like the man, was too much machine. They made him sympathetic but not likeable and definitely not a bad ass. They didn't set up the bad guy enough. Sure we hated him and wanted him to die but it wasn't satifying enough when he did. He got off easy. The biggest thing that was missing beside MOST of the man himself (WTF with the minimal body parts?!), was the over-the-top scrumbag criminals and out of control society we used to justify the violence. Plus, way too much Samuel L. Jacksonn and news show (and we couldn't change the channel). In the end, it was like the best and the worst of America all at once.  We didn't want to see him fighting robots away from the streets. We wanted real world shit. In this case, the sum of the parts was WAY less the whole. So many great parts with so little effect.  Much of it was good except how it was all put together. They missed the mark. Let Screen Junkies explain it to you:

 


The TRANSPORTER will be Ed Skrein
Feb 11, 2014

Ed Skrein on the red carpet

Not only is he 6' 1" and has an English accent, but Game of Thrones heartthrob >Ed Skrein (pronounced Skrine) is also a rapper! aka "Skrein" and has rapped with Foreign Beggers (link to a song of theirs I like). How cool is that?  Love his attitude in this video below, and think it makes him a spot-on choice to be Frank Martin. Somebody get him a suit that fits!

 


YOU CAN'T HEAR ME. YOU CAN'T SEE ME.
(That means they're sneaking up on your ass . . .)
Feb 4, 2014

Andrew Suleiman, part of ZeroGravity Stunt team based in L.A., wrote to say he has an indie project he's shooting in Indonesia: YOU CAN'T HEAR ME. YOU CAN'T SEE ME.  It features Capoeira, Brazilian jujitsu, and other grappling arts in Hong-Kong-Action style.

Here are the teaser trailers: 
Youtube version (also below) or Vimeo version. Please check out their videos and Like them and leave a positive comment. Action Movie Freaks must stick together!


Below is their stunt rehearsal video.  Looks like fun! ("Somewhere over the rainbow", there's an Action Movie that they dream about . . . Hope it comes true.)

At least one of them is on instagram and twitter: Andy Ganda as @doubleandry; also, Verdy bhawanta as @Galo_De_Ouro, and Andrew Suleiman @andrewsuleiman are on twitter.

 


LONE SURVIVOR briefly yet immortally brings Seal Team Ten back to life . . .
Jan 29, 2014

Had to see this movie twice.  It was really moving yet enjoyable, and it sure makes you appreciate the sacrifice they made for us. Peter Berg is an AWESOME Action Movie Writer/Director! Mark Wahlberg must still be pinching himself over how great his career was in 2013, and it's still going strong.  Here's how much I loved it . . .

 


ALIEN: ISOLATION Trailer
Jan 8, 2014

(biting nails)  Yeah Yeah! It looks so cool . . . and will she operate a power loader?  I know, I know it's Alien not Aliens but they just gotta!

 


Terminator War Movie . . .
What are they waiting for?
Jan 5, 2014

A little while back a fan on Facebook Christian Glenn Webb commented about how long they've been making us wait for a Terminator movie about the war. This Crisys 3 trailer really makes me wish they're hurry up and make that movie! Still waiting to visit the Underverse with Riddick. What are you waiting for? Tell me on Facebook (sorry I don't have comments—doesn't mean I don't want to hear from you).

 


Happy New Year! Action Movies for 2014:
Jan 1, 2014

Each year I start a new page, so if you're looking for more content, please click on 2013, or on the links on the right.

First, No Release Dates on these Action Movies (not complete/still working on this . . .)

Bad Boys III Action/Crime/Thriller is moving forward according to Clevver Movies. Love Action Movies set in Miami! Both Will Smith and Martin Lawrence will be back.

I'm wondering will we EVER get a Gears of War movie . . . ? And it's just gotta be Dave Bautista as Marcus Fenix.

 

 

2014 Action Movies by Release Date

Jan 10

Lone Survivor Action/Biography/Drama
Really looked forward to this movie and it more than delivered! I was looking forward to the camaraderie and the Super Soldier-iness, but also because Mark Wahlberg has been incredible lately (always) in everything he does!

Lone Survivor movie-the moment they let the goat herders go

The Legend of Hercules Action/Adventure
Directed by Renny Harlin (also had a writing credit) and starring Scott Adkins and Kellan Lutz. Kellan Lutz is handsome to be sure and popular after the Twilight movies, but for Action Movie Freaks, he's not big enough to be Hercules. He looks like the lite/Frat Boy version.  I will see it for Scott Adkins and because it's Renny Harlin :).

Kellan Lutz fights in The Legend of Hercules

Jan 14

Jai Ho Action/Drama
I have to include any Salman Khan movie—they are so enjoyable!

Jan 17

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Action/Drama/Thriller
Chris Pine
directed by Kenneth Branagh. With Colm Feore (Riddick's Lord Marshall), Kevin Costner, and Nonso Anozie should make up for Keira Knightley. I like Keira Knightley, it's just that she's not really an ‘Action Figure' type. She's a beautiful woman without question and a great actress, but I really want to see more physically strong women in Action Movies.

Ride Along Action/Comedy
Love Ice Cube and Kevin Hart. Hope the script lives up to the talent!

Jan 18

Young Ones Action/Drama/Sci-Fi
Starring Nicholas HoultSet in the future when water is hard to find a teenage boy sets out to protect his family and survive. So much will depend on the script . . . by Writer/Director Jake Paltrow

Feb 1

Treasure Hunters Action/Aventure
“Two teams of treasure hunters go on a illegal dig in Corregidor Island, Philippines to find missing gold buried by the Imperial Japanese during WWII.” Love an expedition movie!!

Feb 4

Android Cop Action

Feb 7

The Monuments Men Action/Biography/Drama
If you like War Movies, this is for you!  I suspect it will be heavy on the heartstrings and light on the Action.  Not a big fan of War Movies unless they are about the Super Soldier.

The Lego Movie Animation/Action/Comedy
How can you not see this?!

Brick Mansions Action/Crime/Drama
Paul Walker's
last movie.  Release date is for Romania (US not listed)

Feb 11

SEAL Patrol Action
Kind of hard to tell from the cast list if this is a team of female SEALs, but there is no such thing (yet). The cast lists two men as “Creature”.  Sounds like a bad movie with great Action. I could be right: just spotted Eric Roberts on cast list—B-Movie Gold! Another hint: previous title:  “BlackJacks”

Feb 12

RoboCop Action/Crime/Sci-Fii
The long-awaited remake! RoboCop hasown niche: Action/Crime/Sci-Fi and it's so all about the weapons: he is one! (click on the link to see the weapons on IMFDB Internet Movie Firearms Database) 

Feb 21

3 Days to Kill Action/Crime/Thriller
Right up Kevin Costner's alley:  “A dying Secret Service Agent trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter is offered an experimental drug that could save his life in exchange for one last assignment.” Directed by McG, Writers Luc Besson, Adi Hasak

Pompeii Action/Aventure/Drama
I will see it for the special effects.  They look breathtaking!

Feb 22

Vengeance (II) Action/Aventure/Drama
Starring Danny Trejo and 50 Cent.  I expect it will be like Faster or Snitch.

 

Mar 7

300: Rise of an Empire Action/Drama/War
Surprise, surprise, Casino Royale's Vesper is the lead in this as Artemisia, a female naval commander in the Persian Empire, under Xerxes I. The naval scenes in the trailer make this a non-to-be-missed movie for me! It is sure to bring lots of slow-motion spectac-u-larity!

 

Mar 21

Divergent Action/Adventure/Romance
I read the books, and it's not an Action Movie.

Mar 28

The Raid 2 Action/Crime/Thriller
aka The Raid 2: Berandal “Mad Dog” is back—Should be bloody awesome!

Apr 10

Fast & Furious 7 Action/Crime/Thriller
. . . bittersweet since we lost Paul Walker, but with the addition of Jason Statham, Michael Jai White, Djimon Hounsou, Kurt Russell, Ronda Rousey, and Bow Wow, it will be an incredible experience. Also, it's rumored Johnny Strong is back (he was in the first movie The Fast and the Furious). We need MORE JOHNNY STRONG in Action Movies!!

Apr 11

Arnold looks large and in charge in Sabotage,  Action/Crime/Drama, and speaking of large: Joe Manganiello is a bad ass in corn rows!

Apr 18

Transcendence Action/Drama/Sci-Fi
“A terminally ill scientist downloads his body into a computer. This grants him power beyond his wildest dreams, and soon he becomes unstoppable.” starring Johnny Depp!? NO. If I heard the special effects are good and I could see it for free, maybe

May 22

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Action/Adventure/Fantasy
Can't wait to see Jamie Foxx stretch his acting muscles! Love Andrew Garfield in this role and Emma Stone is perfect!

May 16

Godzilla Action/Adventure/Fantasy
Somebody knows just what we want in a Godzilla movie. It looks so right!

May 23

X-Men Days of Future Past Action/Adventure/Fantasy
. . . not so much. I'm really X-Men and Wolverine'd out.

Jun 66

Edge of Tomorrow Action/Sci-Fi
Tom Cruise
is saving the world as a soldier fighting aliens (click for video). Two words: Bill Paxton. Say it with me. Here's hoping they're in some "real pretty shit".

Jun 13

22 Jump Street Action/Comedy
The first movie, 21 Jump Street, was great. If this one is half as good, it will be worthwhile. Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill make a great team. Love how they played on all the high-school stereotypes. Jonah we expect to be funny, but Channing knocked it out of the park.

Jun 27

I'm sure everyone wants to see what Mark Wahlberg will bring too
Transformers: Age of Extinction Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi

July 11

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Action/Drama/Sci-Fi

Aug 1

Guardians of the Galaxy

Aug 7 Netherlands

A remake I'm really excited about is Heatnot the "Where's the van?"-1995-Heat —this was from 1986: a Burt Reynolds gem. It's not even listed as Action, although the first one was Action/Crime/Drama, this one is Crime/Drama/Thriller. I have high hopes that Jason Statham will also be perfect. The opening of that movie makes the story, so I hope they keep the twist.  The rest of the casting is good as well. The movie gets to the heart of what courage is, and what it takes to be a hero, a man, and a friend. It's the ultimate Buddy movie for me because it takes the average guy and puts him up against a larger-than-life character and situation. Both men are flawed, and that's what makes it interesting. Plus, I want to see Jason Statham dressed up as a pimp! LOL  The movie changed Directors. I was excited it would be Brian De Palma, but it's now listed as Simon West directing.

Heat is a really great Action Movie with smart and vicious fight scenes, so I highly recommend it if you've never seen it. If you're not a huge Burt fan, this movie will convert you. Guaranteed! (The playlist on YouTube of the movie in pieces is missing an important chunk of the ending.)

Aug 15

The Expendables 3 Action/Adventure/Thriller
This mega cast is so over the top, it can't fail. Just waiting to see how they interact. Sure hope there are lots of wisecracks and insults. I hope Ronda Rousey begins an Action Movie career.

Nov 3

FartZilla Action/Comedy

Nov 7

20,000 Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi
As in Leagues Under the Sea . . . ? 

Nov 20

The Last Duane Action/Thriller/WESTERN
I rarely feel (if I ever have) that a Western is a real Action Movie. IMDB's Top 100 Westernss List bears me out. This one stars Rose McGowan and Danny Trejo, and that should tell you all you need to know as to whether or not it's your kind of movie. It also has Keith David (They Live).  Westerns are Westerns. War Movies are War Movies. You know an Action Movie when you see one.

Nov 27

Inner Circle Action/Thriller
"A CIA Analyst (Hayden Christensen) gets caught up in an alternate government organization's secret operation while trying to investigate his father's disappearance." 

Dec 2

Johnny Two Guns Action/Crime/Thriller
“A failed musician becomes an enforcer for a violent Nashville gangster but soon finds a reason to pick up his guitar once more.”  Starring ??  Johnny Strong?

Dec 10

Momentum Action/Thriller
$20M budget Olga Kurylenko movie with no plot summary. Yeah, I'd see that.

Dec 31

They are re-making All Quiet on the Western Front Action/Drama

ZZZzzzz!  It's a straight War Movie. Pass.

2014

In The Blood Action/Thriller

Starring Gina-should-have-been-Wonder-Woman-Carano!  "When her husband goes missing during their Caribbean vacation, a woman sets off on her own to take down the men she thinks are responsible." Payback's a bitch!";

2015

July 17

Batman vs. Superman Action/Adventure/Fantasy
It has been reported that Jason Momoa might be a villain. The Rock has been hinting as well. They've cast Wonder Woman, and I heard The Flash will make an appearance, so it is really too much to hope for everyone in this picture. I am seeing AQUAMAN every time I look at Stephen Amell as Arrow on the CW.

 


Previous posts moved to 2013 page. Check out 2012, 2011, and 2010.

 

 

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