Is the 1995 action flick Assassins a great movie? Absolutely not. Is it a god-awful, terrible movie? Not really. It falls somewhere in between these polar opposite feelings.

Assassins was the first high-profile screenplay by Matrix creators Andy and Larry Wachowski. Unlike the Matrix, however legend Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon, Goonies) was at the directing helm. With Donner being no slouch to action-drama films, one has to wonder while viewing this movie what was happening during production with some of these story lines.

It is rumored that production brought in writer Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential, Payback) to rewrite the script; much to the Wachowski brothers' dismay. The brothers petitioned to have their names removed from the credits, but were denied by the Writer's Guild of America (WGA).

Whatever the issues were, it resulted in ho-hum and often times absurd plot holes that will leave you yelling at your TV, "Why not just use the back door?!"

If you enjoyed this episode, check out our Extended Thoughts blog on this movie.

• Release Year: 1995
• Genre: Crime
• Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Banderas, and Julianne Moore.
• Trailer
• Summary: Professional hit-man Robert Rath wants to fulfill a few more contracts before retiring but unscrupulous ambitious newcomer hit-man Miguel Bain keeps killing Rath’s targets.

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Cool World posits that humans and cartoons can exist within the same universe and freely travel between them. Who Framed Roger Rabbit has a different, but similar premise, however "Roger Rabbit" gets so much more right. Cool World's adult themes are executed so poorly to the aforementioned film that they are agonizing to view.

There is a rumor that the original script of Cool World was much more violent, R-rated, and had more of a horror movie mystique about it, but Paramount Pictures' studio execs wanted to "soften" the film up to be more accepting to a general audience. We almost wonder if this would have been a better film if it crept into the R-rated/horror genre.

If you enjoyed this episode, check out our Extended Thoughts blog on this movie.

• Release Year: 1992
• Genre: Animation
• Starring: Gabriel Byrne, Kim Basinger, Brad Pitt, and Janni Brenn.
• Trailer
• Summary: When Jack Deebs was behind bars he found escape by creating Cool World, a cartoon series featuring a vixen named Holli Would. The flesh proves weaker than ink, however, as Holli takes human form in Las Vegas.
• Blog Post: Cool World (1992) - Extended Thoughts Blog

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From French horror writer-director Pascal Laugier, who is most noted for his 2008 breakout film Martyrs, brings us his latest flick that should delight lovers of the scary movie genre. Though not as graphic as his previous film, Incident in a Ghostland's jump scares aren't unique and are easily predictable, but the way Laugier builds tension between characters should be taught in a Masterclass.

If you enjoyed this episode, check out our Extended Thoughts blog on this movie.

• Release Year: 2018
• Genre: Horror
• Starring: Crystal Reed, Mylene Farmer, and Anastasia Phillips.
• Trailer
• Summary: A mother of two who inherits a house is confronted with murderous intruders on the first night in their new home and fights for her daughters’ lives. Sixteen years later when the daughters reunite at the house, things get really strange.
• Blog Post: Incident in a Ghostland - Extended Thoughts Blog

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The Wheel of Fate landed on John and his genre was War. For his movie pick, he chose “1917,” a beautifully crafted war from from 2019.

If you enjoyed this episode, check out our Extended Thoughts blog on the movie.

• Release Year: 2019
• Genre: War
• Starring: Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, and Daniel Mays.
• Trailer
• Summary: April 6th, 1917. As a regiment assembles to wage war deep in enemy territory, two soldiers are assigned to race against time and deliver a message that will stop 1,600 men from walking straight into a deadly trap.
• Blog Post: 1917 - Extended Thoughts Blog

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The Wheel of Fate landed on Eddy and his genre was Wildcard, which means he could pick from any genre he wanted. For his movie pick, he chose “Leon: The Professional,” an action film from 1994.

• Release Year: 1994
• Genre: Wild Card
• Starring: Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, and Natalie Portman.
• Trailer
• Summary: Mathilda, a 12-year-old girl, is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes his protégée and learns the assassin’s trade.

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