johnlink ranks COLOMBIANA (2011)

•May 15, 2013 • 3 Comments

Hi friends, it has been too long. I’m not sure I have ever gone nearly two full months without seeing a movie. It’s crazy to think  is even possible to do so. But it was an insane semester at school, the kids had various health issues, and a show I directed ended up running longer than expected. Add that all up, mix in a first viewing of BAND OF BROTHERS (an incredible series!) and I went almost two months without any movie watching. I wish I had a more noble breaking of the fast than a minor action film co-written by Luc Besson, but maybe I needed to get my feet wet before diving into the deep.

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Posted in ~ C ~, ~~~ 2011 ~~~

johnlink ranks THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (2003)

•March 27, 2013 • 2 Comments

Just minutes after finishing Fritz Lang’s master work, M, I moved on to something… different (and I am publishing this very late). The Michael Bay produced TEXAS CHAINSAW isn’t exactly legendary. I remember being indifferent towards it in theaters, but I bought the DVD because, well, back then I bought everything on DVD. This is a bit of a digression, but if any other person in the history of the world has done a double feature of M and THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE I’d be surprised.

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Posted in ~ T ~, ~~~ 2003 ~~~

johnlink ranks M (1931)

•March 17, 2013 • 2 Comments

M is a film I’ve wanted to see for a long time. I am a big fan of Peter Lorre, though most of what I have seen is through his long association with Bogart. Perhaps this is too honest, but I had no idea M was a foreign language film. I knew that director Fritz Lang eventually fled Germany to make movies in America (after a short stop in Paris), and I thought M was made after that happened. Nope. This is the first sound film from Fritz Lang, and it is most definitely German.

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Posted in ~ M ~, ~~~ 1931 ~~~
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johnlink ranks CON AIR (1997)

•March 10, 2013 • 4 Comments

Nominated for 2 Academy Awards, CON AIR is the epitome of grace and nuance in the normally overblown world of prisoners hijacking a US Marshal flight. Kidding, kidding. Well, kidding about everything except the Academy Awards part. This really did get nominated for two Oscars (sound and best song). It is the poster child for overly-silly R-Rated 90s action. And it is fun as shit.

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Posted in ~ C ~, ~~~ 1997 ~~~
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johnlink ranks THE RUNDOWN (2003)

•March 7, 2013 • 2 Comments

I think I’ve finally sorted out this action movie bonanza on my site this year. It’s been a hectic 2013. Baby not sleeping, lots of classes, lots of work responsibility. When Liz and I sit down to watch a movie, there has been a somewhat conscious choice to avoid heavy or serious. This often leads to picking movies we’ve seen and which are easy to absorb (and easy to pause when the baby wakes up). Anyway, THE RUNDOWN falls into the easy to absorb category for sure. No work necessary in taking this thing in.

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Posted in ~ R ~, ~~~ 2003 ~~~
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johnlink ranks WANDERLUST (2012)

•March 5, 2013 • 2 Comments

We interrupt this unmotivated barrage of action movies for a lightly regarded comedy from last year: WANDERLUST. While comedy has not been my go-to genre the past decade or so, I have always found Paul Rudd to be harmless and enjoyable. Jennifer Aniston is capable enough of filling a female lead. Put that together and WANDERLUST is a movie I’m willing to check out when it sails across HBO.

Wanderlust-2012-Cast

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Posted in ~ W ~, ~~~ 2012 ~~~
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FILM 101: The Hays Code

•March 3, 2013 • 2 Comments

For the third installment of Film 101, we will take a look back at The Hays Code and how it both effected and affected film so dramatically for such a long period of time. For previous installments of Film 101, punch the links for Three-Act Structure or Diegetic vs Non-Diegetic Sound.

Motion Picture Code

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johnlink ranks SPEED (1994)

•March 1, 2013 • 6 Comments

I was all set to come in here and talk about how I’ve watched most of the action movies which I had on heavy rotation as a kid. But as I thought about it, many of those movies haven’t made these pages. I haven’t hit up FACE-OFF or CON AIR or DESPERADO, etc. There are a bunch to get to. I find it fascinating to go back and look at a movie which you had a real affinity for, but which you haven’t seen in over a decade. Watching SPEED was a fun experience. I knew when all the jokes were coming, I knew when some action bit was about to hit, I could even remember the cadence of the dialogue as time went on. Yet, somehow, it was as if I was seeing it fresh while getting a new (and more filmicly sophisticated, I like to think) vantage point. I can’t believe it has been so long since I have seen this…

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Posted in ~ S ~, ~~~ 1994 ~~~
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johnlink ranks DIE ANOTHER DAY (2002)

•February 25, 2013 • 7 Comments

With DIE ANOTHER DAY having opened in November of 2002, it has been over 10 years since Pierce Brosnan graced the big screen as James Bond. I revisited one of the weaker efforts in the series last week in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH. Not sure what exactly has inspired this Bond kick of late, or the action kick which has overwhelmed these pages so far this year, but it is what it is. Onto the article…

Die Another Day Bond Girl Fur Coat

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Posted in ~ D ~, ~~~ 2002 ~~~
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TAKE 5: The Embarrassment List

•February 24, 2013 • 22 Comments

Here is the first installment of TAKE 5, in which I ask for folks to give me five things to fill a criteria in no particular order. Here, I will Take 5 movies you are embarrassed to say you have not seen. I got a nice collection of folks to answer, some who are bloggers, some who are not; some who elaborated, and some who did not. I like variety! So here we go with the very first TAKE 5. And since it fits the theme, here is Tommy Lee Jones looking embarrassed about his makeup.

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