Fortunately, not every movie strives to be a major blockbuster. I have a soft spot for small, intense thrillers which go on the attack for 90 minutes in a confined setting and with a straight-forward plot. Movies like PHONE BOOTH or ROPE or NICK OF TIME have their place in the world. PREMIUM RUSH is that sort of a niche thriller. It is about the (apparently) dangerous world of bike messengers in NYC, as one particularly unlucky messenger tries to get an important envelope across town in an hour while being chased by a crazy guy. 
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johnlink ranks PREMIUM RUSH (2012)
•June 19, 2013 • 11 Commentsjohnlink ranks LOOPER (2012)
•June 17, 2013 • 7 CommentsBeen on a bit of a Bruce Willis kick over the last month or so with LAST MAN STANDING and 16 BLOCKS. Finally got to see LOOPER, which is one I really was excited to see. I am all for some time-traveling action if done well.
johnlink bundles his RAMBO rankings
•June 16, 2013 • 2 CommentsI watched these movies at the beginning of the year, so this bundling is some late housekeeping. I should do the ones for Paranormal Activity as well, but I’m probably going to be lazy and wait awhile to do that. Anywho, here are the Rambo rankings put together in one handy place. This series was somewhat better than I remembered it being, and the fourth one was actually a pleasant surprise.
johnlink ranks PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (2012)
•June 14, 2013 • 4 CommentsThrough the first three PARANORMAL ACTIVITY movies, I have had a better time than most. I think the first was actually a bit groundbreaking for the genre (something almost regrettable now with all the copycats), and the second two installments were flawed but decent enough. Nothing extraordinary, nothing terrible. Many people hated the third, but I kind of enjoyed it; so the fact that people dumped on the fourth wasn’t going to keep me away.
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johnlink ranks 16 BLOCKS (2006)
•June 12, 2013 • 3 CommentsBruce Willis as a troubled cop and Mos Def as a fast-talking criminal working together to survive an onslaught of corrupt cops. Doesn’t sound particularly unique in the world of action flicks. 16 BLOCKS, however, attempts to be something slightly more.
johnlink ranks SILENT HOUSE (2011)
•June 10, 2013 • 5 CommentsAnother one I knew precious little about going in. I knew this starred the third Olsen, Elizabeth Olsen, and that this movie and the excellent MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE put her on the map. I knew it was a one-shot, real time horror film and that it had something to do with a house. I’m a sucker for good horror, and I’m going to be seeking out Olsen’s work from now on, so I’m glad to have gotten this in. SPOILERS at the end, but I will give plenty of warning when I get there.
johnlink ranks THE TWELVE CHAIRS (1970)
•June 9, 2013 • 1 CommentAmazon ran a ridiculous price of something like 22 bucks for 9 Mel Brooks movies on Blu-Ray. It was something like three hours between the time the set came in and I watched TWELVE CHAIRS. I’ve heard from years (and not entirely from my father and his friend Paul) that this was a really great comedy, but I was never able to stumble upon a copy of it. I’m a fan of the comedy of Mel Brooks, so I was certainly excited to get a chance to finally see this.
TAKE 5: Movies You Love to Share
•June 2, 2013 • 6 CommentsI asked folks to provide the five movies they love to share with people, be they obscure, under-appreciated, or forgotten. This installment of TAKE 5 is brought to you by the Animaniacs, who frequently would pay homage to the movies they loved (or hated). Here is a picture from their send up of Bergman’s SEVENTH SEAL…
johnlink ranks THE DOUBLE (2011)
•June 2, 2013 • Leave a CommentStraight-to-DVD is not always a horrendous thing. Still, it can’t be good when a movie starring Richard Gere, Topher Grace, Martin Sheen, Vampire Bill, and Stana Katic (of Castle fame) never even crosses your radar in the two years it has been out. But, well, I’m a sucker for spy movies and assassin stories and the ilk, so this seemed worth giving a chance.
johnlink ranks MACABRE (1958)
•May 30, 2013 • 2 CommentsWilliam Castle is well known within horror circles. A B-movie maven, he used clever PR concepts to get people into theaters. These came to be known as gimmick films. MACABRE is considered the first of these. Theatergoers were asked to sign an insurance policy to get into the movie, just in case they suffered ‘Death By Fright’. Something told me that I didn’t need to have such a policy to see a 1958 B-movie in the 21st century…
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