Showing posts with label Kurt Russell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kurt Russell. Show all posts

Escape From L.A. (1996) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_330" align="alignright" width="220"]Official Score = 2 1/2 Devils Official Score = 2 1/2 Devils[/caption]

The first movie that I ever saw that Kurt Russell (Soldier), had ever done was the movie, Backdraft (1991). When I saw that movie I found that everyone in that movie had done a great job, but I found that I liked the role that Kurt Russell had played the most!

In that movie Kurt Russell played a veteran fire fighter who was divorced, but was great at his job... And I suspect was really torn up about being separated from his family, and had never quite been the same when he witnessed his fireman father die when he was a kid... And his unhappy life gets even more complicated when the little brother that left behind his brother and the family business to make it on his own comes back to take on the mantle of, 'Fire Fighter' with his older brother!

I personally suspect that because of Kurt Russell's amazing performance in 'Backdraft', that in some way that it was the inspiration for the character of, 'Tommy Gavin' (played by: Denis Leary), in the hit TV series, Rescue Me!

Anyway after that though I hadn't seen much of the work that he did, until I saw the movie, Escape From L.A. (1996)! And you know what? I gotta say that the role that he played of, 'Snake Plissken' was truly awe inspiring for some one like me who at the time was aspiring to become a writer and an actor!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="243"] Snake Plissken is back in the kick ass thrill ride![/caption]

I mean I hadn't seen the predecessor to this movie, Escape From New York (1981) at that time, so I hadn't seen where all of this began, but I gotta say that the work that Kurt Russell put in to this role was so awesome that it started my interest in the movies that he has done... And you know what? I haven't been disappointed since!

Now I know I haven't said why I like this character so much... I will let you see this movie to understand better, but trust me when I say that if you like biker movies, or outlaw movies (which I really do), then I think you might find that you really like, 'Snake Plissken'!

As far as the movie goes, there are some truly amazing talent that did a great job, including: Stacy Keach (Galaxy Hunter), Steve Buscemi (Fargo), Peter Fonda (Ghost Rider), Pam Grier (Scream Blacula Scream), Bruce Campbell (The Evil Dead), Michelle Forbes (Star Trek: The Next Generation), A.J. Langer (The People Under The Stairs)... As a matter of fact, the only character I really didn't like or believe as legitimate was, 'The President' but I don't think that it was the actors fault, I think Cliff Robertson (Spider-Man) is an amazing actor, I just think that it was a poorly written character!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="509"] Snake, as he is making his way to the, 'Magic Kingdom' to see a man about a box...[/caption]

I also liked the vision that John Carpenter brought to the big screen in bringing Snake Plissken back for one more attempt to go in to a dystopian waste land and for one more mission for the President...

The only problem that I had between the writing and directing (and this seemed to be something that became a problem in the 90s, and has since become a real problem with some sequels in the new millennium,) that is that sometimes more explosions are not always better, and although I am a fan of special effects and big explosions, I found the over use of explosions and special effects out shadowed what I still thought was a great story!

In the end, this movie is fun, and it was well worth my time to watch it again recently, and if you check it out you might find the same thing as well!

http://youtu.be/drOdRwD1JF0

Stargate (1994) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_385" align="alignright" width="353"]Official Score = 2 Devils Official Score = 2 Devils[/caption]

When I was a kid I was like a lot of Science Fiction geeks, I liked just about everything that the Science Fiction genre had to offer, including: Star Trek, Star Wars, Planet Of The Apes, Dune, and even Stargate!

Of course at this point I am sure that with the exception of the truly diehard fans that are out there, most people think that I am talking about, 'Stargate SG1' and it's subsequent spinoffs, in this case I am not... I am talking about the original movie!

I will be honest with you guys and say that probably comparatively speaking that, 'Stargate' is a pretty tame compared to the subsequent TV show adventures that were based on this movie...

Well this movie which was written by: Dean Devlin (Godzilla), Roland Emmerich (The Noah's Ark Principle) & also Directed by: Roland Emmerich, and which stars, Kurt Russell (Escape From LA), James Spader (Lincoln), Jaye Davidson (The Crying Game), Viveca Lindfors (Creepshow), Alexis Cruz (Drag Me To Hell) & Mili Avital (Dead Man) told the story of a secret government project that has been going on for decades and the ramifications of what this object that they have been studying really does!

What I mean by this is that a round circular device is discovered in Egypt, an object that goes all the way back to the ancient Pharoahs, and it had been buried... Well when archaeologists dig it up, it will remain dormant for decades... That is until decades later when the government finally gets the device work...

[caption id="attachment_1917" align="aligncenter" width="480"]Colonel Jack O'Neil (Kurt Russell), and Dr. Daniel Jackson (James Spader), when they make it to the new planet. Colonel Jack O'Neil (Kurt Russell), and Dr. Daniel Jackson (James Spader), when they make it to the new planet.[/caption]

With the help of an Egyptologist by the name of Dr. Daniel Jackson (James Spader), they finally get this device open once and for all... Once done they send Daniel, and a military team lead by Colonel Jack O'Neil (Kurt Russell), a decorated soldier who is a little bit of a loose cannon do to the fact that he just recently lost his son, has been called up and a long with Daniel the military team go tot he new planet.

[caption id="attachment_1919" align="aligncenter" width="480"]The soldiers and the planets inhabitants as they are fighting for their lives! The soldiers and the planets inhabitants as they are fighting for their lives![/caption]

But when the assembled team does finally make it to the other planet, they are absolutely amazed at the wonder of the whole experience of being on another planet, and the fact that the inhabitants of this planet happen to be ancient humans that had been transplanted to this new planet, but there is another darker side to this new planet, and when it arrives for it's tribute, Colonel O'Neil, his team and the rest of the planet will literally have to fight for their lives against this evil before it goes for more tribute!

In the end this movie is truly a fun one, I mean it has a great story line, great cast, great special effects and music... The only problem is that the bad guys seemed to be intentionally dressed scantily, and act in a weird way... Also in the end, really the only other problem that I had with the movie is the fact that the way it was filmed was just not as good as any of the TV shows!

Never the less, if you get a chance, check it out, it is a fun one and well worth your time:

http://youtu.be/kiJtZUPvJxY

Soldier (1998) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"]Official Score = 3 Devils Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

If you are a fan of movies or the theater, and you grew up loving one or the other, then there was at least one actor or actress… or even group of actors or actresses that you would grow up watching either on TV, on the big screen or on the stage… For me, one of those actors that I grew up watching is Kurt Russell (The Thing)!

Now Kurt Russell is one of my favorite actors, and the reason being is that no matter what form of leading role he played, rather it was playing Snake Plissken in such Sci-Fi/Action movies as the, ‘Escape’ movie series, or as R.J. MacReady in, The Thing (1982), or even in the comedy, Overboard (1987)… This guy brings a certain set of sarcastic humor, that will almost have you rooting for him even if he is a bad guy!

And you know what? A great example of this is, Soldier (1998), and that is really saying something… What I mean by that is that this movie which was written by: David Webb Peoples (Twelve Monkeys), and Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil), and which also starred, Jason Scott Lee (Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story), Jason Isaacs (Event Horizon), Connie Nielsen (The Devil’s Advocate), Sean Pertwee (Equilibrium), Michael Chiklis (Fantastic Four), and Gary Busey (Predator 2), told an interesting tale of how, ‘if it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it’ and how, ‘arrogance destroys all…’

What do I mean by this? Well simply put, in the future the American Government creates a band of super soldiers that are able to pretty much easily and exclusively win every war that they fight in…

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] The super soldier program[/caption]

Now with the success of these Soldiers, the government goes ahead builds the next generation of super soldier and arrogantly believes that these soldiers are above and beyond better than their predecessors! So much so that Colonel Mekum (Isaacs) brings his new soldiers over to the barracks that houses the old soldiers…

After they arrive, the Colonel pits one of his soldiers against 3 of his predecessors, and it looks like he may have killed all 3 of them… Or so he thinks…

You see it turns out that Todd 3465 (Russell) was still alive and gets dropped on to a dumpster planet along with some waste refuse… While there he comes across a group of people that had crash landed on the planet and made it their home.

During his time recuperating with the villagers, this super soldier finds more than he ever expected when he discovers his emotions, and that for the first time in his entire life that he actually cares about these people!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="699"] This old Super Soldier finds friendship when he is dumped on a Garbage planet![/caption]

With that in mind though, his old crew comes to the planet for an annual security sweep and to eradicate those that remain on the planet… And it will be up to this antiquated super soldier to go up against the next generation of his brethren, before they destroy the village that he has grown to love!

Another thing that I found that I really like about this movie is that it does show the horrors of war, but besides that, it also shows the power of the human spirit, and that despite the horrors that some people can do to other people, that it only takes the acceptance and love of the right person or people to destroy all of that evil programming!

In the end though, this is an action packed, special effects extravaganza that was definitely worth the experience!

http://youtu.be/AGuwzYN4qAc