A Fistful of Dynamite AKA Duck, You Sucker.

What is considered to be Sergio Leone's final western, Juan and John meet each other in Mexico and form an unlikely friendship. Juan is a Mexican bandit while John is wanted for terrorist strikes in Ireland and has a love for dynamite. On their way to America, Juan and John are drawn into the Mexican Revolution of 1913 and during their journey they learn to have respect for each other.

While I don't consider this a western, it's set too late for that, this was a pretty good movie. Maybe not as classic as Leone's actual Westerns like the Dollars trilogy or Once Upon A Time In The West in all this is a pretty good action/adventure film with great special effects. The explosions are better then any CGI-explosions I have ever seen. John's background is explained through flashbacks but are not always clear and about forty minutes were cut of an already 2,5 hour long movie which at some points got me lost along the way. Though you get back into very easy. Interesting this movie got a PG-rating despite all the F-bombs and other profanity. Anyway 4 stars.

While I was at Dad's, we watched IT (2017), Ghostbusters (2016) Stand By Me and Top Gun.

Stand By Me is such a great film. Probably the best one out of all the movies we watched. lol

You mean, IT?

Black Rain.

Officers Nick and Charlie witness a gang killing while they're having lunch in a restaurant between the Mafia and the Yakuza. They succeed in arresting the killer after a vicious fight. Their superiors orders them to deliver the killer to the Japanese authorities. However, on arrival in Japan they were set up by his men and the killer Sato escapes. Along with the Japanese police who abide by different rules they have to learn to cooperate to catch the cruel Sato.

I think Black Rain is the last real 80's action buddy film. Released in 1989, two months after Lethal Weapon 2 with Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia in the lead, this is one gritty and violent action film directed by Ridley Scott and possibly has the very first action score Hans Zimmer ever did at least in Hollywood. This one breaths the 80's while Tony Scott's The Last Boy Scout breaths the 90's, a film released only two years later. Anyway with Black Rain the action film goes out of the 80's with a bang, therefore: 4 stars.

Hard Rain.

The town of Huntingburg is being flooded. The citizens are being evacuated with most of their belongings and the town is almost fully deserted when the last ones are leaving. Armored truck drivers Tom and his Uncle Charlie are tasked to take out the bank's vault and bring the money to safety which is about 3 million dollars. When they're almost out of town, they get stuck in the flood. Charlie calls dispatch for an evac and they have to wait for a few hours. Help arrives but it's no one dispatch send. It's Jim and his gang of robbers who are interested in the money. Only Jim is no the only one who is interested in the money.

This is a small, nearly an indie-movie yet it has names from stars like Christian Slater, Morgan Freeman and Randy Quaid. Despite the movie may be smalltime, it's a fun little action movie where it's all about the money. I really like these one night adventures where nearly the whole movie and all the action sequences are set at night. Also a great and very intense score by Christopher Young. It really gives the movie strength and uses a rather big orchestra for a small film. This really is the kind of movie you would watch if you have like 90 minutes time. 3,5 stars.

Judgment Night.

Four guys: Frank, John, Mike and Ray are going out one night to see a boxing match. While getting stuck in traffic, Ray decides to find a short cut by going through a poor neighborhood. Cruising through dark streets they hit someone who is injured and is on the run. Trying to help the man out they discover he's in possession of money covered in blood. They see a cop car coming by and drive after it but they can't keep up and gets hit by another car which causes their RV to get stuck between two brick walls. Soon after, the men from the car break into the vehicle dragging the wounded man out. They threaten the foursome they stay put when their leader Fallon arrives and kills the man in cold blood. In his policy there can be no witnesses so Fallon and his guys starts to chase Frank and his friends through the night in order to kill them all.

I remember this movie seeing for the first time as an 11-year old kid and I was very impressed with the final and brutal fight between Frank and Fallon in the swap meet. Again one of my favorite action films but it's also something different than the typical buddy cop films. This is about four regular guys who witness a killing in an area with a high crime rate. They are unable to call the police so they have the keep running and the bad guys are not just some lowlife bums. They're very nasty and determined to kill them all. Just like Hard Rain, a movie set only during the night.

Lots of familiar faces again in this movie: Emilio Estevez as Frank, a young Stephen Dorff as John, Cuba Gooding Jr. (yes, Billy Colton) as Mike, Jeremy Piven as Ray (Ari Gold in a very different role) Denis Leary as Fallon and Peter Greene (the guy from The Mask) as Sykes. I do have to say that especially Leary is noticeable in his role as Fallon. To me there is a certain resemblance with RDA though he is 7 years younger. Maybe it's his build, he must be around the same size or maybe it's their common interest in hockey. In the movie he had Mac-like hair, a style he still keeps today. What if only RDA got the role of Fallon in this movie? It is a vicious bad guy, yes but I think this role could've launched his career into stardom. And it would've been perfect too since Judgment Night was released a year after MacGyver ended.

Directed by Stephen Hopkins with another great score of Alan Silvestri, this movie gets 4 stars.

Speed.

I guess we all know this movie. "Pop quiz, hotshots. There's a bomb on a bus. When the bus hits 50 miles per hour, the bomb is armed, when it goes below 50 it'll blow up. What do you do?"

Also one of the movies I saw as 10-year old. During the height of action movies in the 90's this is a near classic. One that I have seen over and over again and it just gets better and better. Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Dennis Hopper and a fantastic score of Mark Mancina. 4,5 stars.

Fair Game.

Lawyer Kate McQuean is being hit by a stray bullet while jogging down the beach. Max Kilpatrick is set on the case. It turns out McQuean became a target while trying to seize a freighter ship in a divorce settlement from the ex-wife of a Cuban criminal. However ex-KGB members want to have the ship as well an intend to kill McQuean for it. Max is dragged into the situation while returning some belongings of Kate and needing a signature. Together they go on the run without being able to trust anyone.

This is a rather short movie in the action genre that thrived in the 90's. Hardly 88 minutes long. This movie has bombed at the box-office. Maybe even the worst in the genre of that decade. It starred William Baldwin and Cindy Crawford (who initially refused before doing it) as the screen couple and also a couple of other familiar faces as Steve Berkoff, Jenette Goldstein (Rachel from Prometheus Syndrome) Christopher McDonald and Salma Hayek in the beginning of her career. Also keep an eye for Miguel Sandoval as the Cuban criminal. We might recognise him as the guy we saw at the beginning of Jurassic Park who was talking to Donald Gennaro.

This really is a mindless movie but a real guilty pleasure at that. Also a movie scored by Mark Mancina. Real pity he doesn't do action scores anymore. The opening theme of Fair Game is a real treat for the ears combined with great opening shots. This however was the only movie ever directed by Andrew Sipes. I guess his experience must've been real bad. According to Crawford Sipes stopped talking to everyone after three weeks. This also is the second adaptation of the book the movie is based on. The first adaptation we know as the Stallone movie: Cobra. In fact Stallone was attached to this movie for a while and demanded the movie was to be set in Miami but eventually he backed off.

Though it may have flopped terribly, this is also movie that breaths out the 90's. That's why this movie gets a well deserved 2,5 stars.

Speed 2: Cruise Control.

Annie Porter now has a new boyfriend named Alex. A cop like her ex-boyfriend Jack. After she finds out he likes to live as dangerously as her ex, Alex takes her on a cruise in the Carribean to show her he's serious about their relationship. Their trip goes rather well until a disgruntled former employee of the company that build the cruise takes revenge for shoving him aside.

This was probably the inevitable sequel to the first Speed but it flopped big time and makes people wonder was it necessary? For starters, the big absence here is Keanu Reeves, who declined on the movie. But this is the kind of movie that grows on you even though it's nowhere near as good as the original Speed. Different hero, slower paced... Yet this movie grew on me. Maybe it's because of the score. Very often bad movies have great scores and Mark Mancina delivers again, maybe an even better score than in the first one. I give Speed 2: Cruise Control, 3 stars but the scores deserves 4 stars.

Beverly Hills Cop.

Everybody remembers Axel Foley. The Detroit cop who goes to Beverly Hills to investigate the murder of his friend. His investigation leads him to an old friend who works for Victor Maitland. An art gallery owner who seems to be interested in German bearer bonds. During his investigation Axel stumbles on the Bevery Hills Police Department who prefers not to have Axel around.

This movie launched Eddie Murphy into stardom and pretty much set the tone for future buddy films. It's a classic. 3,5 stars.

Just finished watching A Quiet Place. Wow... great movie! If you like horror/suspense, definitely a good one to watch.

Seen it now too. But the movie was kinda of flat in my opinion. It lacked the mystery Godzilla had, it lacked the action Kong had and it lacked the scale it should've had.

The movie was not bad but it was far from what it could've been. But I would be willing to talk about a possible sequel to make it bigger and better because Meg deserves it and she belongs in the shared monsterverse with Godzilla and Kong. We have a reptile, an ape, a fish and who knows maybe someday an overgrown bird. Let's just wait and see what Godzilla II can bring us and afterwards the showdown with Kong.

I'll give The Meg, 2,5 stars.

Beverly Hills Cop II.

Ever since they took down the art gallery owner, Axel, Billy, Taggert and Bogomil became good friends and a couple of years have passed now. While Axel is trying to solve a case in Detroit on credit cards, Bogomil is working on the Alphabet Bandit case in Beverly Hills. When he seriously gets injured Bogomil's daughter notifies Axel on what's going on and he takes the first flight to Beverly Hills. Together with Billy and Taggert, they join forces again to bring down the Alphabet Bandit.

While it stays close to the first movie, this one is less spontaneous or exhilerating as the first and the pace is also a bit slower. Just as the first one this is also not very spectacular but in the first movie that is not much of a problem. It was more the comedy that made it work. Directing this time was Tony Scott, shortly after his Top Gun success. Starring as bad guys were Jurgen Prochnow, Brigitte Nielsen and Dean Stockwell. A decent sequel but not as great as it's predecessor. 2,5 stars.

Con Air.

Cameron Poe (Nicholas Cage) is freshly discharged from his Rangers unit and goes out to celebrate with his pregnant wife. On their way home the couple is harassed by thugs from the bar. In the fight that erupts, Poe kills one of his attackers to protect his wife. He is however found guilty on manslaughter and is considered a danger to society because of his skills as a soldier and is sentenced 7 to 10 years in jail. He serves his time and is released on parole but his flight is delayed so he hitches a ride with ten other heavy inmates on a plane. Once the plane is in the air, the inmates take over the plane under leadership of Cyrus The Virus (John Malkovich). While the inmates take over, Poe worries about his cellmate who is in desperate need of insuline and a friendly guard who seems to have caught the attention of Johnny 23 (Danny Trejo), a notorious rapist. In the meantime Vince Larkin (John Cusack) tries to get his plane back in one piece and Cameron's wife and now 7-year old daughter are waiting for him.

This is like mindless action in the highest degree but it's done in such a fun way, you can't do much else then enjoy the ride. To hell with logic and common sense. Cage, Malkovich and Cusack especially seem to be having a good time and again Mark Mancina's score, this time in collaboration with Trevor Rabin delivers. It's a fast paced rock adventure that represents speed, deserts, heat and a whole lot of fun. Keep an eye out for Colm Meany (Good Knight MacGyver). 3,5 stars.

When Danny Ocean's convicted sister, Debbie is freed from prison, she decides to follow in her family's footsteps and devise one of the greatest robberies in history. Assembling a team of talented female cons to assist her,the team finally go after their loot. A $150 million necklace...

I personally feel that another Ocean's film is certainly what we did not need. There is nothing new here and I get the feeling that the cast are wasting their talent on this one. Naturally it was going to start with 8 and probably lead to 10 however the so so box office returns on this one paint a different picture.

Was it bad? No, not at all. Was it good? Not as good as it could have been. I give Ocean's 8 3 stars.

Never liked those kind of heist films. The whole movie they're planning a heist they get away with anyway.

Beverly Hills Cop III.

Axel's superior Todd has been killed in an operation he was leading and trails lead Axel back to Beverly Hills where he reunites with Billy Rosewood and meets newcomer Flint. Axel's investigation brings him to a theme park called Wonder World where he tries to capture Todd's killer.

This one is considered to be the worst entry in the trilogy but I prefer this one over the second one. It has more action in it then the first two combined and a hell lot more fighting too. What does lack is Axel's fast talking side, especially noticeable when he tries to gain access to the park the first time. Instead of bluffing his way in, he looks at the security guards and clearly doesn't even try or bother. I also read Eddie Murphy was very depressed during the making of this movie and this was confirmed by fellow co-star Bronson Pinchot. Still I think Beverly Hills Cop III doesn't get enough credit despite maybe that Murphy was not at his best. The score by Nile Rodgers, his own version of the theme song and a great action theme mixed with the actual theme song makes up for a lot of fun. 3 stars.

A fourth movie has been in the making for years ever since, only it never got made so far. Brett Ratner has been trying for several years. There actually was a tv-movie written by The Shield creator Shawn Ryan but never got fully released. Currently the fourth movie is in development hell and would be directed by two Belgian directors.

Metro.

Another Eddie Murphy film but in my opinion the most serious one he ever made and I think his last one in the action genre. Another buddy film but a straight action film with less comedy in it, yet Eddie seemed to be back on top of his game. The script was pretty solid. Eddie Murphy plays Scott Roper, a negotiator of the San Francisco police, who investigates the murder of his best friend. This leads him to Korda, a psychopatic jewel thief, who tries to clean up the mess his cousin made. During all this Roper has to train a young follow-up to take over his duties as a negotiator and tries to make amends with his ex-girlfriend.

The story is actual pretty decent and the movie's highlight is a high-speed chase in the streets of SF. It takes it's time to work-out the background stories of Roper and his girlfriend Ronnie, there's room for romance and action and Michael Wincott plays Korda with a cold and calm demeanor. This is the kind of rare stand alone action films I used to love when I was younger and I still do. The title however might seem a little odd but it's short for Metropolitan Police. No metro is seen but there is a great cable car chase sequence. Maybe they could've called this movie The Negotiator, because after all that is Roper's job. 3 stars.

Bad Boys.

After a robbery in the Miami PD itself, detectives Mike and Marcus are put on the case to retrieve the drugs back from a French drugdealer named Fouchet. When Fouchet kills one of their contacts witnessed by her best friend, they need to protect the girl by switching identities.

This was Michael Bay's debut film and he delivers big time. Will Smith debuts in the action genre, his first big role and made it between the last two seasons of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I think this is actually the best one of the two movies. The second was grander on scale but less on story. The first movie keeps it simple at 110 minutes and less carnage but the action sequences are great and once more greatly scored by Mark Mancina. Pity Mancina left after creative differences with Bay during the making of the second movie since Mancina wanted to make a big score. He had such an awesome theme, his compositions were fuller and I even think his Bad Boys score is his best score ever. 3,5 stars.

Also I like to point out the use of sunsets or sunrises in these movies: Bad Boys, Fair Game, Beverly Hills Cop II, Black Rain, Con Air... mostly the Simpson/Bruckheimer productions but the orange/yellow glow the skies have in these movies, sometimes in combination with seaviews are downright great. It's like nobody makes those shots anymore. Now I think it adds to the 80's and 90's nostalgia feel.

48 Hrs.

Jack Cates works for the San Francisco Police Department and was asked by colleagues to back up an investigation. A routine-job that turns out in a gunfight in which two of his friends get killed. Blamed for what happened, Cates gets Reggie Hammond out of jail because of his connection to the killer. Together they go look for him because not only he killed two cops he also has Jack's gun.

This movie is considered to be the first buddy cop film ever made. Two opposite characters having to learn to work together. Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy have great chemistry together and it pays off. Nolte plays Jack Cates, a cop who tries to keep his life together while Murphy plays Reggie Hammond. A criminal who spend three years in jail but has every touch of class Cates can only dream of. 4 stars.

On Saturday I saw the Post.

Based on the true story, Meryl Streep plays Katharine Graham, the first female publisher of The Washington Post who tries to keep up with their competition, The New York Times to expose one of the biggest cover-ups in American history.

With the help of New York's editor, Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks), both use their resources and risk almost everything to bring out the truth to the people...

I am quite surprised that this story has never been told. Especially given the light of its topics. Spielberg directed this right before he did Ready Player One and returning to the seat of composing is of course John Williams.

I am further surprised that Spielberg has never worked with Streep before either!

It is a different kind of film to watch in terms of pace and plot but if you sit to watch it, it has many interesting turns. It was good. I give The Post 3 and a half stars.

Ricochet.

Rookie officer Nick Styles apprehends a cold and cruel criminal named Earl Talbott Blake at a carnival on a rather humiliating way for Blake. About seven years later Styles managed to become a succesful lawyer and his career is further on the rise while Blake is brooding on a very vengeful plan. On the day of his parole meeting Blake and a handful of other prisoners manages to escape. Blake then slowly starts to ruin Styles life bit by bit before going to straight torture and to mess with his mind making him lose all credibility with his family, his friends and the media. Blake goes to extreme lengths to destroy Styles in the most violent and even pervertic ways.

This is one of the rare ultra-violent gems I once found for only 2,99 €. I only bought this movie because it had an Alan Silvestri score but I had no idea what I was in for at the time. And what a treat it was. This is an action/thriller in the highest degree. Denzel Washington in his early years, John Lithgow, who plays a far more deranged villain then in Cliffhanger and Kevin Pollak plays Washington's partner. Also keep an eye out for George Kee Cheung and the guy from The Spoilers who got into a fight with Tobermann as drugdealers in the beginning of the film. I give the movie 3 stars but the violence gets 4.

The Bodyguard.

Frank Farmer is a bodyguard and a highly recommended one too. He is tasked to guard famous singer/actress Rachel Marron who is being stalked even though he doesn't like to do celebrities. Unappreciated by her entourage, Frank takes the job to guard Rachel professionally. When a concert ends up in a riot they grow closer and especially Rachel develops feelings for him. Frank however turns her down because he feels he can't protect her if he gets emotionally involved. Rachel's feelings are hurt and she begins to make his job more difficult while the Academy Awards come closer so does her stalker.

Though I've only seen this movie only a few times, I've seen this trailer like a million times. Back when I had Lethal Weapon 3 on VHS, before the movie, this trailer was always shown.



The movie starts off pretty good, but it becomes a bit of a drag towards the end of the movie. The chemistry between Costner and Houston is actually rather cold though the movie is a love story in the first place mixed with action. But I'd give it 2,5 stars only.

The score was done by Alan Silvestri and I do got to say that the theme song sound suspiciously like Ken Harrison's style with the trumpet and use of piano.



Apparently a sequel was planned that would start Princess Diana but that never took off since her death in 1997. However Kevin Costner still seems to be interested in a sequel. However there were plans for a remake but I wonder if that was supposed to be The Hitman's Bodyguard... Anyway besides a remake or sequel I think this is the kind of concept that will also make for a good tv-show. Maybe even by simply watching the movie, it can make you think if it was a movie adaption of an old tv-show. There has been so many things in tv-shows: troubleshooters, cops, PI's, soldiers but never a bodyguard. In a tv-show adaption they could, even now, I think bring back some of the 80's feel. Lead character Frank Farmer, haunted by a feeling of guilt has to take on various assignments of protecting all sorts of people in a series that lasts 7 seasons and has like 140+ episodes. But maybe season length storylines can be interesting too. If they're so hot on make tv-shows of big movies, why not take this one? I do believe this can be interesting to watch.

Collateral.

Max is a cab driver in Los Angeles. During his night shift he meets Vincent. Vincent has several stops to make claiming he is visiting friends. Max agrees even though it is against regulations. While waiting for Vincent to comes back a body drops on his cab and it turns out Vincent is a hitman. Max becomes his hostage to drive him to all his targets. This however was never the plan so Vincent has to start to improvise on his situation. The first victim was a snitch to officer Ray Fanning and he starts his investigations and reports this to FBI agent Pedrosa (Bruce McGill). Together they figure out where one of Vincent's next hits is going to take place.

A great movie by Michael Mann and great performances by Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise. Cruise playing the bad guy for a change and again he goes all the way. The movie could actually be the film-version of the episode Partners. Imagine if Murdoc held MacGyver hostage to ride him to all of his hits with Pete hot on their tail. Great action/thriller. 4 stars.

Watched Doom on Netflix the other night. Probably one of the best live action video game movies ever made. The FPS scene towards the end was always my favorite part. That movie made me a fan of Karl Urban as well.

My sister and I, the gluttons for punishment that we are, are going to see The Nun later tonight. I have a feeling, like with most of the Conjuring universe movies, it'll probably be all bark and no bite. But, we'll see. I'll post later on if I liked it or not.

The Nun wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to be. Still some unanswered questions within the universe, but other than that, it was certainly a lot more creepy than some of the other Conjuring universe movies. The dark, lonely atmosphere helped and the Nun herself is creepy as hell. I'm interested to see how CinemaSins is gonna pick apart this movie. lol

Also, the location is REALLY cool, but I was always a sucker for haunted and/or abandoned castles/mansions.

Though, Lakeside Amusement Park in Silent Hill 3 will alway be my top pick.

I just came back from that one too. It was alright but the crowd was annoying as hell and way too many kids/teens with lit-up phone displays. It was in avant-premiere and there was more people in the theatre then I'm used to for a late-night showing.

As far as the movie goes, it wasn't bad but I think it could've been better. I think I still had Deliver Us From Evil on my mind, I kinda missed some solid directing. Deliver Us From Evil really grabbed your throat. I'd give The Nun, 3 stars.

Yeah, I noticed the crowd here was pretty annoying as well. They mostly laughed through the movie, and there was a baby in the theater that kept screaming until the mother took him/her out.

I mean, what parent take their infant to a rated-R horror movie? Bad parents....

Lack of a babysitter, I guess.

Also I can't stand it when people laugh at movies or make fun of horror movies. I know they're not meant to be taken serious but laughing at it is like laughing at what they're trying to do. Or maybe they laugh because they're scared. If I watch a horror movie, I want to be scared not laugh unless it's part of the movie. I can dig an unintentional joke though. Speaking of jokes, I think this movie had one of the best subtle jokes I've ever seen in a horrorfilm in the beginning.

I may have missed that joke... XD

There was some good moments though, especially with Frenchie. The audience found him rather amusing and laughed pretty much at everything he did and/or said. I think part of the problem too is that James Wan's horror films tend to be a bit ridiculous at times when it comes to character's common sense. It makes the movie more laughable than scary.

But, he's been signed up to produce the upcoming Resident Evil movie reboot, and Tommyknockers, along with a few others.

Those should be interesting....

As always, no matter how much I whine and complain about some of his movies, I'll still watch them because they're at least fun to watch... and, at least he's not Uwe Boll. Uwe Boll ruined Bloodrayne. =/

We've all mistaken one mean of transport for the other.

Apparently The Nun is not doing so bad. It has set a record of 53.5 million dollars in the box office for a horror film. And the review on allmovie wasn't bad either.

James Wan seemed like a one time hit director with Saw to only be as quickly forgotten again, yet he always remained beneath the radar. And then he comes back with The Conjuring. But with The Conjuring 2, he was a bit overzealous. Though his career may have it's ups and downs, I think he's the best choice we have right now for horror films. Either him or Fede Alvarez (from Evil Dead and Don't Breathe). There are no John Carpenter's or Wes Craven's or David Cronenberg's or David Lynch's in today's Hollywood anymore.

As long the movies live up to my expectations I have for these kind of films, they're good in my book.

Running Scared.

Joey Gazelle (Paul Walker) is a low-life working for the Mafia in New Jersey. After a deal went wrong he is tasked to hide a silver-chrome snub-nosed gun that can be used as evidence against them. When Joey goes home he is seen by the kid from next door when he hides the gun. During dinner gunshots are heard next door and Joey goes out to investigate. The kid Oleg has shot his stepfather and fled into the city. Joey finds out Oleg has stolen the gun and is now all alone running scared in a dark and violent city. Joey sets out to look for him because if the cops get the gun he knows he will die.

This is Paul Walker's darkest and most violent film he ever made and writer/director Wayne Kramer pulled all the stops and didn't shy away to expose a young kid like Oleg, about 11 years old, to all the criminal filth that lives in dark alleys. Running Scared is not for the sensitive viewer. It's violent, bloody and twisted. 3,5 stars.

300.

When Persia is about to attack Sparta, King Leonidas sets out to meet the Persian troops at what is called the Hot Gates. While they're only 300 of them they manage to give Persia who is far more superior in numbers (At least one million) quite a beating in a two-day battle.

Based on Frank Miller's comic on the actual battle. It was way too long ago since I've seen this movie and it sure had some interesting surprises when it comes to cast. Gerard Butler, Lena Heady, Dominic West, Michael Fassbender and David Wenham (who at least in that movie looks remarkable like Nicolaj Coster-Waldau. I actually thought it was him). 3 stars.

300: Rise of an Empire.

While Leonidas and his army of 300 are battling the Persians at the Hot Gates, another major battle takes place at sea on the same day: the Battle of Artemisium led by Themistocles with an army of Greeks against Artemisia (Eva Green) and her fleets of Persians.

The story goes about the same way as it's predecessor. It's mostly about the battles told by one of the characters. In this case Queen Gorgo of Sparta (Lena Headey). Eva Green is in one word delightful as the evil Artemisia. 3 stars.

Beowulf.

In the year 507, Beowulf, his friend Wiglaf and his men are on their way to Denmark to meet King Hrothgar. Hrothgar's lands are being terrorized by a troll-like monster called Grendel. Grendel had killed many villagers in an attack and Beowulf is asked to kill the monster. Beowulf manages to kill the monster but is then asked to go after Grendel's mother as well. His decision however may have greater consequences than he ever imagined.

Beowulf was the first 3-D movie I have ever seen in the cinema and I was very impressed. Actually this movie impressed me more than almost any other 3-D movie I had seen afterwards. I don't know why but I think Beowulf was actually shot in 3-D while pretty much everything else afterwards was converted to 3-D when filming was over. Though I found it hard to believe that James Cameron didn't do this for Avatar like Robert Zemeckis did for Beowulf. The coins that were tossed in the beginning of the movie really seemed to come out of the screen as I remember just as Grendel's mother's tail appeared to becoming from behind you. To be honest I don't think I've seen anything good in 3-D since this one and it's been 11 years.

Very good take on the Beowulf story with a great cast: Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Brendan Gleeson, John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn, Crispin Glover and Angelina Jolie and another terrific score by Alan Silvestri. 4 stars.

33 years later and they still hate each other.
"He broke things in me that ain't never been fixed."
Rocky VIII.

Watched Lights Out on Monday night, then as I took a shower on Tuesday morning, the entire power grid for all of downtown went down. I had to walk around the dark church hallways with the flashlight on my phone. That place is creepy as hell in the dark... D:

Anyway, pretty creepy movie! I even checked out the short it was based on.