Living for the Cinema

Chances are if that you were watching some action thriller in the '90's featuring an airplane being hijacked, there was a strong likelihood that it starred Wesley Snipes....as this would be one of three (the others being U.S. Marshalls and Passenger 57) released during that time period with such a sequence.  And amazingly of all three, this would be the one to feature him most up in the air as Snipes stars as U.S. Marshall Pete Nessip who after suffering a tragedy on one such hijacking early in the movie decides to track down said hijackers whom he believes were able to escape via parachutes?? :o Yup it's a crazy theory but it turns out to be true as these hijackers are actually professional sky-divers lead by the nefarious Ty Moncrief (Gary Busey) who has plans to use the convicted master-hacker Earl Leady (Michael Jeter) to utilize his hacking skills for nefarious purposes.  So what does our hero decide to do to apprehend these guys?  Why to infiltrate the insular world of sky-divers of course! ;) And his most important ally/mentor turns happens to be master-skydiver Jessie Crossman played by Yancy Butler (Hard Target, Witchblade).  So yes we get to see SNIPES Up In The SKY during his '90's peak....and directed by John Badham (WarGames, Saturday Night Fever, Bird On A Wire), one of the more underappreciated genre filmmakers of the era. 

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Following up starring in a string of big budget genre epics (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Blade Runner, Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi) in the early part of the '80's, Harrison Ford decided to detour just a bit with this smaller-scale suspense thriller directed by the legendary Peter Weir (Dead Poet's Society, The Truman Show).  Here he plays John Book, a Philadelphia police detective investigating a local murder where the ONLY witness is a young Amish boy (Lucas Haas) who happened to be travelling through the area with his mother at the time.  As it turns out, this murder investigation goes up the chain of the local police department and after an attempt is made on Book's life, he flees to the nearby Amish Country where the young boy lives with his mother Rachel (Kelly McGillis).  There as they help nurse John back to health, he not only becomes involved with the local Amish community but develops a forbidden romance with Rachel.  And what results is one of the best thrillers of the decade as it also was eventually nominated for eight Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, and what has remained the ONLY Oscar nomination for Ford, Best Actor.   

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Big Nick is BACK!  And so is Donnie the Driver....as played by Gerard Butler and O'Shea Jackson Jr. respectively, they are the only significant hold-overs from the first first Den of Thieves which came out five years.  That original LA-based crime thriller directed by Christian Gudegast (who also returns to direct this sequel) ended up being a bit of a sleeper hit and has garnered a significant following since then via streaming and/or cable.  So how do they continue the story this time around?  By bringing the overall action to both France and Belgium where Donnie (O'Shea Jackson Jr.) is now deeply involved in an ambitious heist to steal gems from the World Diamond District.  And guess who suddenly travels to Nice to find him AND potentially join him?  Why it's Nick (Gerard Butler) who is a now a disgraced former LAPD cop as a result of the events of the previous film.....and now he wants IN? :o 

In other words.....The Cop Goes Gangster and The Heist Goes Global.  Also included among the international cast are Evin Ahmad, Salvatore Esposito, Orli Shuka.....

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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In the small, isolated Nevada town of Perfection, two aimless handymen Val (Kevin Bacon) and Earl (Fred Ward) were just minding their own business working their latest gig when they suddenly discover strange things occurring....including the inexplicable death of some one who has hidden way up on a light pole in the middle of nowhere.  What were they afraid of....something on the ground....or underground perhaps? :o Well as it turns out, this town has been invaded by large, strange creatures travelling underground....and what results is a wild adventure which might be described as "Jaws on Land." Ron Underwood (City Slickers, Heart and Souls) directed this now beloved cult classic which first under-performed in theaters back in 1990 but has since spawned several sequels and even a TV spin-off.  It also starred Michael Gross, Reba McEntire, Finn Carter, Victor Wong, and....some very nasty sand-worms?

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Wilson (Terrance Stamp) is a career criminal from the UK who is now coming to Los Angeles to find out about what happened to his daughter (Melissa George) who just tragically died in a car accident....or did she?  Her father suspects that she might have been murdered and he suspects that it might have been her wealthy, older record executive boyfriend Terry played by the late, great Peter Fonda.  Along the way, Wilson recruits help from two local actors (Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzman) who were friends with his daughter and what results is a stylish, somewhat time-bending revenge thriller which received significant acclaim when it was first released twenty five years ago.  Directed by Oscar-winning legend Steven Soderbergh at the peak of his powers (right between Out of Sight and Erin Brockovich), just tell them that WILSON IS COMING!!!!

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Taking place within a future apocalyptic wasteland, Denzel Washington plays the titular Eli and he's traversing through this wasteland with an all-important book (hence the title)...along with a super-sharp machete blade, shotgun, killer instincts, and car battery-powered IPod Classic.  Things get hairy once he arrives in the wrong town where the local villain Carnegie (Gary Oldman) wants to take possession of this mysterious book.  And what results is an increasingly violent stand-off between Eli and Carnegie's small army of marauders lead by Redridge played by the late, great Ray Stevenson.  Along the way, Eli takes in a sort-of-protégé Solara played by Mila Kunis.  Directed by Allen and Albert Hughes (Menace II Society, Dead Presidents), this bleak action thriller borrows a LOT from The Mad Max Saga but it has a strong enough cast to keep things interesting....   

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Twenty years ago, Two-time Oscar winner Oliver Stone (Platoon, JFK, Wall Street) finally had the opportunity to direct the grand-scale historical epic which he and several of his directing peers (Scorsese, Kubrick) had been trying to helm for decades.....the story of Alexander the Great who once lead a MASSIVE Macedonian Empire which at one point comprised around half of the land mass in the Eastern Hemisphere during ancient times.  He lived one hell of a life conquering much of the ancient world and here he is played by Colin Farrell (In Bruges, The Banshees of Inisherin, The Penguin) whose casting DID raise some eyebrows at the time of release....especially given that he portrayed this character with his heavy Irish accent.  And beyond that, Oscar-winner Angelina Jolie (Girl Interrupted, Salt, Mr. & Mrs. Smith) was cast as his mother Olympias....even though she was only one year older than Farrell at the time.  Beyond that, the stellar cast also includes Val Kilmer, Rosario Dawson, Anthony Hopkins, and the late, great Christopher Plummer among several others.  Also co-written by Oliver Stone, this would also be THE last big budget film he would helm as the $150 million production was not only a commercial flop but also destroyed by critics at the time of release.

And yet....a few years later, Stone was able to release his own extended "Director's Cut" on DVD (and eventually Blu-Ray) which is considered by many (himself included) to be a far superior version of this story as it includes 40 additional minutes of footage including some extended action sequences.  So in reviewing THAT version of this film, let's find out if Alexander DID in fact live up to his title. ;) 

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Acclaimed independent filmmaker Sean Baker (The Florida Project, Tangerine) both wrote and directed this dramedy about a Brooklyn sex worker/exotic dancer named Ani (Mikey Madison) who one night meets a wealthy young Russian named Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn) at her club.  She dances for him and apparently they hit it off SO well that within a few days, they decide to get married in Vegas.  They soon return to Ivan's enormous waterfront mansion to begin married life when suddenly, some unexpected guests (Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, Yura Borisov) come calling.  Well not exactly guests....they actually work for Ivan's father who is VERY powerful and none too pleased about his son getting impulsively married like this.  At the request of Ivan's father, they also begin to take steps towards ending this short-lived marriage....and needless to say, Ani has some things to say about that.  And from there, things just get crazier and crazier....

Ever since unexpectedly winning the highly prestigious "Palme d'Or" award back in May, this film has received a steady stream of acclaim and additional awards attention to the point where it is now considered one of the front-runners for this year's Oscar race, especially Mikey Madison (Once Upon a Day In Hollywood) who is very likely to win Best Actress at the Oscar's next year for a performance which has many convinced that she is on her way towards becoming a movie star!  Let see if it lives up to the hype...... 

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon
 

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The Griswalds Are Back!  Only this time, they're staying home for Christmas in this third entry of the highly popular "National Lampoon's Vacation" which started in the early '80s.  Chevy Chase once again returns as the enduringly hapless Clark Griswald while Beverly D'Angelo also returns as Ellen Griswald, his long-suffering wife.  And for the third film in a row, their children Audrey (Juliette Lewis) and Rusty (Johnny Galecki) are played by ENTIRELY different actors.  They also have loads of extended family visiting including in-laws played by Randy Quaid, Doris Roberts, EG Marshall, Diane Ladd, William Hickey, John Randolph, and Miriam Flynn.  Of course with a full house, loads of holiday chaos ensues including rogue squirrels, dried-out turkeys, and super-charged cats!  Celebrating its 35th Anniversary, let's revisit this beloved holiday comedy directed by Jeremiah Chechick and both written and produced by the late great John Hughes. 

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Coming out more than sixteen years after its beloved predecessor (2001: A Space Odyssey), this might have been the very first "Legacy Sequel."  Also whereas the first film was directed by the late great cinema legend Stanley Kubrick, this one was helmed by journeyman director Peter Hyams (Running Scared, Capricorn One, Timecop) who in tandem with the author (Arthur C. Clarke) of the original source material was determined to craft a more conventional story as opposed to the ground-breaking 1968 classic which was much more abstract in it structure and tone.  

Picking up nine years after the events of that first film, we follow Dr. Heywood Floyd (Roy Scheider) who planned that previous mission of the USS Discovery to Jupiter where those onboard discovered the mysterious "Monolith."  Dr. Floyd is determined to find out what exactly transpired so he hitches a ride with a Soviet mission there commanded by Captain Tanya Kirbuk (Helen Mirren).   And what they eventually encounter and discover is...."something wonderful?"  Also along for the ride are John Lithgow, Bob Balaban, and Elya Baskin in an epic sci-fi adventure which might not approach the majesty of its predecessor but actually holds up better as pure entertainment, now forty years after it was first released in theaters. 

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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