Here’s a horror movie written and produced by Guillermo del Toro (PAN’S LABYRINTH) based on a 1973 TV movie of the same name. It takes place in Rhode Island, though it was shot in Australia. As a Rhode Islander, it was pretty obvious that it was not shot here as soon as they got out into the city. That doesn’t even really matter, so why am I saying it? Yep. Time to start the article…
Continue reading ‘johnlink ranks DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK (2011)’
After watching the first two EVIL DEAD films back in February, here is the third installment (finally). All it took to end up in the Blu Ray player was Liz’s suggestion that we watch something which does not take itself too seriously. If ARMY OF DARKNESS doesn’t fit that bill, I don’t know what does.
I have a bunch of series to finish up. I need to watch the last three original STAR TREK films. I desperately need to get to ARMY OF DARKNESS. I also want to see the new BOURNE flick (just in theaters this week), and MEN IN BLACK 3 since I am a completest. Instead of gathering in one of those options I started up a new series. Hiroshi Inagaki’s SAMURAI trilogy aired on TCM this weekend, and I gobbled them on my DVR. This sprawling story, with Toshiro Mifune in the lead role, is one I’ve always to see.
Continue reading ‘johnlink ranks MIYAMOTO MUSASHI (SAMURAI I) (1954)’
When I chose to give this a watch I had no idea what I was getting into. I knew it starred young actors Freddie Highmore (CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, AUGUST RUSH) and Emma Roberts (SCREAM 4, being Julia Roberts’ niece). I knew it was comedic. What I didn’t know is whether it fell into the sophomoric teen comedy genre like CAN’T HARDLY WAIT, or if it was a more mature look at the Problems Witty Kids Have like CHARLIE BARTLETT. I didn’t really care. I was in the mood for something young and whimsical. This movie absolutely satisfied that mood. And, for the record, it falls into the category of Problems Witty Kids Have.
Continue reading ‘johnlink ranks THE ART OF GETTING BY (2011)’
I can’t believe I never saw this movie. I feel as though I saw nearly every single action/suspense flick which came out during my high school years. I don’t think that’s something I should be putting on my resume, but it’s the truth. So here we go with a late 90s movie in the Big-Rig-Driver-Gone-Bad genre starring JT Walsh as said driver, and Kurt Russell as the victim. Come to think of it, I’ve seen most every Kurt Russell movie as well. How have I not seen this movie before?!?
I put off watching this for a week. After seeing the first three Jack Ryan films, all solid if not perfect pieces of entertainment, I wasn’t looking forward to revisiting this disappointing fourth entry. But, I sacrificed a Tuesday evening in order to get this complete series finished. That’s just the kind of nice guy I am. Maybe I would get lucky and it would be a better movie than I remembered…
Continue reading ‘johnlink ranks THE SUM OF ALL FEARS (2002)’
With Nolan’s trilogy done, his entry into the Batman universe has got to be considered one of the most consistently solid trilogies of the 21st Century. I’ve had conversations with many people over the past couple of weeks, and have heard many arguments as to why each particular film in the trilogy is somebody’s favorite. Some like the origin of BATMAN BEGINS, some the mania of THE DARK KNIGHT, and others the wide scope of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. Truth be told, I could be convinced of any of these as a suitable choice, though my personal pick would still be BATMAN BEGINS. Below are the scores and links to each of my rankings.
Continue reading ‘johnlink bundles his NOLAN BATMAN TRILOGY rankings’
This film is the third Jack Ryan film. It is also the second and final film to star Harrison Ford. The major players from the second film came back, including James Earl Jones, Anne Archer, Thora Birch, some of the CIA operatives (including Ted Raimi!), and Director Phillip Noyce. The scenario is new, the villains are new, and the scope is new. All that said, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER represents the height of the franchise.
Continue reading ‘johnlink ranks CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER (1994)’
While I wouldn’t put ENTER THE DRAGON on the list of movies I’m embarrassed to have not seen, I will say that it’s sort of a shame that I’ve never seen a Bruce Lee movie in its entirety. I’ve never been a fan of the martial arts genre, its peak hitting in the 1970s and long a parody by the time I would have been interested. Certainly, the genre has its place, as Bruce Lee has his place, in the annals of film history. ENTER THE DRAGON was Bruce Lee’s last real movie before his untimely death, and it is widely considered to be his best.
This film marks the debut of Harrison Ford playing a former government operative who later becomes a professor before being launched back into an adventure. Oh wait. There was that whole INDIANA JONES thing. Well, this film marks the debut of Harrison Ford playing a former government operative named Jack Ryan who later becomes a professor before being launched back into action.
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