Currently browsing the "action" tag.

Rush

Opie – oops, I mean Ron Howard – doesn’t make bad movies. At least, that’s what I told myself as I dragged myself into Rush, a film about Formula 1 racecar driving – a topic I know less than nothing about. Well, now I’m a fan. Sort of. Because Ron Howard’s movies tend to do that to – and for – the mainstream audience. It all boils down to good characters, good storytelling, and good directing. So yes, I got a rush out of Rush, and left the theater wanting to know more about the true story it’s based on. And yes – the eye candy didn’t hurt. Chris Hemsworth (Thor) is a cutie. But he showed more than his taut backside in this flick. He showed some real acting chops as well. And so did his co-star, Daniel Brühl (Inglourious Basterds).

Olympus Has Fallen

Olympus has Fallen is the movie that the producers of 24 probably wanted to make, eventually, and that a Die Hard 6 may aspire to be, someday. But Jack Bauer and John McClane may want to pack up and go home, ‘cause there’s a new anti-terrorism badass in town. And his name is Mike Banning (Gerard Butler). Olympus Has Fallen is a superficial but satisfying thriller that I really liked when I wasn’t averting my eyes. So, I guess that means I really liked about two-thirds of the movie. Or maybe it was one-third. I’m not really sure. Seriously, I haven’t looked away from a screen so much – and for so long – since the opening sequence of Saving Private Ryan. The carnage is that intense. But strip away the mass amount of destruction, bodies, bullets, bombs and bloodshed, and you’ve got a good ol’ fashioned entertaining action flick. Maybe even a good date movie! Yup, here’s why:

A Good Day to Die Hard

The fifth time is not the charm for the hugely successful Die Hard franchise. A Good Day to Die Hard is, without a doubt, the weakest of the bunch – and I’m not even sure I’ve seen them all. That said, the movie is mindless entertainment that should do well at the box office because, well, it’s Die Hard. Bruce Willis. Action. Good guys. Bad guys. Things going boom. Father-son bonding. Bullets flying. Cars flipping. Helicopters crashing. And more things going boom. Get the picture? If the movie had tried to take itself too seriously, I’d have a much more serious problem with it. Instead, I will simply take exception with the fact that it has no comprehensible plot.

Man on a Ledge

 Man on a Ledge is one of those movies that holds your attention and ultimately entertains, even if it does fade from memory a short time later. The less you know going into it, the more you’ll get out of it. So if you think you may want to see it, skip the more in-depth reviews and stick with this one!

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

Mission Implausible is more like it. But no matter – this movie isn’t really about plot or plausibility. It’s about cool stunts and stunning imagery. So if you’re into the action stuff, go see it (in IMAX) and enjoy the adrenaline rush through Budapest, Moscow, Dubai and Mumbai.

For those actually counting, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is the fourth installment in the franchise starring Tom Cruise as secret agent Ethan Hunt. He leads a black ops team known as the IMF – the Impossible Mission Force (not the International Monetary Fund, though both are equally mysterious to me).

Tower Heist

The trailer for Tower Heist makes it look like an Oceans Eleven-esque comedy ensemble thievery pic. And guess what? That’s exactly what it is, only not as good. On the Oceans scale, I’d give it a six and a half.

Johnny English Reborn

I didn’t see the first Johnny English movie in 2003, so I have no basis for comparison. But I think I can safely say if you liked that one, you’ll probably like the sequel as well. It is, what I like to call, harmlessly stupid entertainment. As you can probably tell from the movie poster, the Johnny English “franchise” is a spoof on the spy genre (especially the iconic James Bond films) so it’s laden with gadgets, gals and gallantry – all gone shamelessly awry.

The Mighty Macs

Weak as it may be dramatically, it’s hard not to appreciate and support The Mighty Macs – mostly because it’s all-too rare that we see a sports movie featuring women beating the odds to become unlikely champions. It’s been nearly 20 years since A League of Their Own – and that one still had a guy at the helm (Tom Hanks). With The Mighty Macs, it’s girl power all the way. It’s Sister Act meets Hoosiers… let me explain:

Drive

What happens when a Hollywood action flick collides with an artsy indie? You get Drive, a movie that will either crash and burn at the box office or earn a cult following, particularly among fans of Pulp Fiction or maybe The Sopranos.

Cowboys & Aliens

If you like westerns and you like sci-fi then trust me, you’ll like Cowboys & Aliens. It really is that simple. This movie is a strange hybrid that somehow works, mostly due to its stars (Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford) and its director, Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Elf) who knows how to make a crowd-pleaser. The best way to describe it is True Grit meets Independence Day. Chew on that for a while.