Catching Up On Cinema

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It's October, so that means it's once again time for Catching Up On Cinema's annual, “Kyle's Killer October” event month!

All month long, Catching Up On Cinema's resident horror enthusiast, Kyle, will be taking creative control of the program, offering up new reviews for a wide variety of horror flicks from week to week.

This week, Kyle and Trevor review Alexandre Aja's, Haute/High Tension (2003)!

An early film in the unofficial, “New French Extremity” movement of the 2000's, Alexandre Aja's Haute/High Tension (2003) is a slickly produced, beautifully shot, and exceptionally brutal home invasion thriller with a novel twist.

Best experienced without spoilers, the film is nevertheless a very taut and immediate experience, such that it proves a worthwhile horror experience, even divorced from its twists and gimmicks.

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It's October, so that means it's once again time for Catching Up On Cinema's annual, “Kyle's Killer October” event month!

All month long, Catching Up On Cinema's resident horror enthusiast, Kyle, will be taking creative control of the program, offering up new reviews for a wide variety of horror flicks from week to week.

This week, Kyle and Trevor review Adam Green's, Frozen (2010)!

A streamlined and well-acted isolation thriller about 3 young folks (Shawn Ashmore, Emma Bell and Kevin Zegers) trapped high above the ground on a ski lift at night, Frozen (2010) is writer-director Adam Green's most mature and mainstream friendly film.

Shot “on location,” high above the ground and amid the elements, Frozen's minimalist presentation and concept in no way hinder the quality of its cinematography and editing, with varied camera angles, scenarios, and sincere performances doing much to prevent the film from becoming as boring or repetitive as one might expect given its simple concept.

Novel, and just clever enough to get quite a lot of mileage out of its core premise, Frozen is a quaint, but quite enjoyable little horror thriller.

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It's October, so that means it's once again time for Catching Up On Cinema's annual, “Kyle's Killer October” event month!

All month long, Catching Up On Cinema's resident horror enthusiast, Kyle, will be taking creative control of the program, offering up new reviews for a wide variety of horror flicks from week to week.

First up, Kyle and Trevor review the Universal horror classic, George Waggner's, The Wolf Man (1941)!

Featuring horror legend Lon Chaney Jr. as the titular Wolfman, as well as featuring fellow horror icon and frequent co-star, Bela Lugosi, The Wolf Man (1941) is a handsome and briskly paced monster flick whose stellar reputation is well deserved.

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Join Trevor and his buddy Brad from the Cinema Speak podcast, as they chat about "An Ensemble of E's" e.g. movies from their collections that begin with the letter "E"!

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It's once again time for Catching Up On Cinema's monthly Catching Up On Blu-Ray episode!

Join Trevor and Brad from the Cinema Speak podcast as they take a look at the blu-ray releases for September 2023!

Check out Brad's podcast, Cinema Speak on Libsyn at ⁠Cinema Speak⁠, or on ⁠Twitter⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠.

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This September is Masterclass month at Catching Up On Cinema!

September is the anniversary month of Catching Up On Cinema, and this year we're celebrating the completion of 5 years of weekly podcasting.

For this year's Masterclass, Trevor and Kyle will be reviewing all 4 films in Richard Donner's Lethal Weapon series of films.

This week, Trevor review the last in the series, Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)!

After the massive box office success of Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), the series would go on extended hiatus for the first and only time in the history of the franchise, with the series finale, Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) not arriving in theaters until July of '98.

Historically known to be a somewhat troubled, and extraordinarily rushed production, Lethal Weapon 4 is a cluttered, but confidently constructed and agile film that skillfully allocates its screen time to giving series fans their money's worth.

Much like LW2 and 3, LW4 leans heavily on improvisation, with much of the cast apparently riffing and playing off of Richard Donner's various on-set prompts, though to the credit of the actors and the army of overworked writer's that apparently rewrote the script on the daily, the material feels tighter, more heartfelt, and ultimately more fun than in the previous film.

Featuring the most impressive and crisply executed fight choreography and stunt work in the history of the franchise, the film features Jet Li (in a rare villainous turn) in his Hollywood film debut as Wah Sing Ku, as well as host of familiar Asian American stunt and acting talent, with many scenes partially choreographed by Hong Kong legend, Corey Yuen.

As was the case with the transition from Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) to Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 4 swaps cinematographer's, this time trading out Jan de Bont, for Andrzej Bartowiak, who had served as de Bont's DP on his feature film debut, Speed (1994), and would go on to direct films himself, many of which featured Jet Li.

In addition to the aforementioned Jet Li as the chief antagonist, Wah Sing Ku, LW4 also introduces Chris Rock as Lee Butters, comedic foil for Joe Pesci's returning Leo Getz, and son-in-law to Danny Glover's Roger Murtaugh.

Frequently hilarious, and featuring far and away the most energetic, violent, and dynamic action in the series, Lethal Weapon 4 is an excellent sequel, and an exceptional and heartfelt finale to a remarkable franchise.

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This September is Masterclass month at Catching Up On Cinema!

September is the anniversary month of Catching Up On Cinema, and this year we're celebrating the completion of 5 years of weekly podcasting.

For this year's Masterclass, Trevor and Kyle will be reviewing all 4 films in Richard Donner's Lethal Weapon series of films.

This week, Kyle and Trevor review Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)!

Debuting in theaters in May of 1992, Richard Donner's Lethal Weapon 3 (1992) pulls double duty as being far and away the most profitable of in the franchise, while perhaps also being the least cohesive and satisfying film in the series.
On par with Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) in terms of the scale and quality of its action and production design, Lethal Weapon 3 subs in Jan De Bont for Stephen Goldblatt as cinematographer for the production, resulting in silky smooth action shots, and anamorphic lens flares aplenty.

The first in the series to be completely divorced from Shane Black's pen, Lethal Weapon 3 is more focused on further crystallizing the characterizations developed over the previous 2 films than actually evolving them.

While not lacking for interesting situations for Riggs and Murtaugh to get into, the film very much represents a shift in the priority of the franchise from keeping the plot moving, to providing setups and premises for our immensely affable cast to riff off of.

Continuing the trend of growing the Lethal Weapon “family” of characters, the film once again features Joe Pesci, (somehow dialed up beyond the 11 that his character of Leo Getz debuted at in the previous film) and adds Rene Russo to the cast as Lorna Cole, Martin Riggs' high-kicking new love interest.

Additionally, Lethal Weapon 3 also features a largely wasted Stuart Wilson as its chief antagonist, as well as a host of familiar genre film favorites such as Sven-Ole Thorsen and Nick Chinlund in generic goon roles.

Often very funny, and packed with just enough action and stunts to never be boring, Lethal Weapon 3 is a fine sequel in a remarkably consistent series, however it is often lacking in focus, earning brownie points for featuring social commentary and earnest dramatic elements, but stumbling somewhat in its soggy attempts to tie it all into a cohesive whole.

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This September is Masterclass month at Catching Up On Cinema!

September is the anniversary month of Catching Up On Cinema, and this year we're celebrating the completion of 5 years of weekly podcasting.

For this year's Masterclass, Trevor and Kyle will be reviewing all 4 films in Richard Donner's Lethal Weapon series of films.

This week, Kyle and Trevor review the bombastic first sequel in the series, Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)!

Arriving in theaters in July of 1989, one of the more memorable and profitable summers in Hollywood history, Richard Donner's Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) is often regarded as the finest entry in the series.

Upping the ante in terms of the scale of its action and quickness of its pace, Lethal Weapon 2 is a fantastic sequel that does all that a studio could hope an action sequel could accomplish.

Though Shane Black does not return as screenwriter, Lethal Weapon 2 looks every bit of its $30 million budget, but more importantly, it honors the legacy of the characters presented in the first film, carrying their characterizations forward in meaningful and interesting ways.

While virtually all of the familiar faces introduced in the first film return here in Lethal Weapon 2, the film features Joe Pesci, making his franchise debut as comic relief character, Leo Getz.

Additionally, Lethal Weapon 2 features Joss Ackland and Derrick O'Connor in delightfully slimy villainous roles, and well Patsy Kensit as a pivotal new love interest for Mel Gibson's character of Martin Riggs.

Exceeding the first films intensity and scope of action, and tuning up the volume and tempo of its comic antics, Lethal Weapon 2 is a fantastic sequel that is, at the very least, equal to its predecessor; though by all rights it very well may be the very best in a truly outstanding series.

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This September is Masterclass month at Catching Up On Cinema!

September is the anniversary month of Catching Up On Cinema, and this year we're celebrating the completion of 5 years of weekly podcasting.

For this year's Masterclass, Trevor and Kyle will be reviewing all 4 films in Richard Donner's Lethal Weapon series of films.

First up this month is a solo review from Trevor of the first film in the series, Lethal Weapon (1987)!

Directed by Richard Donner, written by Shane Black, and produced by Joel Silver, the first Lethal Weapon (1987) is a somewhat darker and moodier experience than the more colorful and energetic sequels, however the chemistry of cast and crew alike are very much evident from minute one of this, the very first in what would become one of the most beloved of buddy cop film franchises.

Starring Mel Gibson as Martin Riggs, and Danny Glover as Roger Murtaugh, Lethal is far from the first buddy cop/odd couple films, however many are quick to point out that while it may not have pioneered the genre, it very well may have perfected it.

Despite occasionally dipping into seriously dark subject matter, Richard Donner's direction, and the ever growing cast of immensely affable characters throughout the Lethal Weapon series, exhibit a precious, familial warmth that feels wholly genuine and proves to be the series calling card.

While not as bombastic or violent as John McTiernan's, Die Hard (1988), or indeed any number of other 1980's action films, Lethal Weapon sets itself apart from the rest by squarely placing its focus on characterization and character development.

While Lethal Weapon is a great film in and of itself, it is the first, necessarily darker chapter, in a story that spans 4 films and 10 years, and as a result, this reviewer feels it ultimately benefits greatly from the existence of characterization and story beats contained in its sequels.

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It's once again time for Catching Up On Cinema's monthly Catching Up On Blu-Ray episode!

In this episode, Trevor takes a look at the physical media releases for the month of August 2023.

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