Basically, if you’re into really well-made sci-fi-action-zombie-post-acopalyptic-action-gorefests, this one’s for you.
All in Action
Kevin Macdonald's “THE EAGLE”
Swords, grit, shields, alien lands, culture clashes, honor, heroism, and a cruel empire. Mix wisely with colorful photography, human scale action, crisp editing, and intelligent dialog, and you have THE EAGLE.
Daniel Barber's HARRY BROWN
In my book, Michael Caine can do no wrong — this vigilante movie is another example.
Wilson Yip's IP MAN
It is 1937 in Foshan China, a city dominated by rival martial arts academies that constantly test who is the best. Over all lords the wealthy but humble merchant Ip Man whose fighting technique is acknowledged by all as superior.
Sometimes I’m in the mood for something absurd but interesting.
Je-gyun Yun's TIDAL WAVE (HAEUNDAE)
As disaster movies go this one is pretty good. We get to know an odd group of people and wonder, of course, which will survive When The Big One Hits.
Sylvester Stallone's THE EXPENDABLES
Team of over the hill mercenaries rescue damsel in distress in a tiny corrupt island based military dictatorship. In the process the island is reduced to smoking rubble and piles of corpses.
Fumihiko Sori's VEXILLE
This movie has plot holes galore, the graphic concepts and technologies are derivative, and the characters are oddly un-engaging. Still, it moves along at a very fast clip, the story itself is unusual, and some of the action sequences are spectacular.
The Hughes Brothers' “THE BOOK OF ELI”
This film breathes life (of sorts) into the post-apocalyptic-road-warrior genre. Denzel Washington is one seriously cool dude as he slashes his way West on foot through a blasted landscape with his secret personal cargo.
Enki Bilal's IMMORTAL
Next time someone says, “Yeah, Avatar was great, but the story sucked,” suggest this film instead. The story doesn’t suck.
Noboru Iguchi's THE MACHINE GIRL
Japanese school girl goes on rampage to wreak revenge on the murderers of her little brother, gets fitted with prosthetic arm/machine gun, ensuing action consumes more artificial blood and gore than any film in recent memory.
Timur Bekmambetov's DAY WATCH
I see elements from The Matrix, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and Resident Evil. And vampires, of course.
Brian DePalma's “MISSION TO MARS”
I rented MISSION TO MARS expecting a camp classic, a howler, a real dud.
Pierre Morel's TAKEN
This movie is silly, prepostrous, nonsensical, and the plot has more holes than the strainer I use Sunday mornings to defrost frozen blueberries when I bake muffins.
I loved it.
Alex Proyas' KNOWING
In KNOWING director Proyas (Dark City, I, Robot, Garage Days) takes disparate elements (end of world, numerology, randomness vs. determinism, single father raising son alone, calamity, Nicolas Cage, and some of the most visceral and amazing special effects I’ve seen since Benjamin Button) and weaves them into a mix you’ll either love or hate.
Tony Scott's “THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123”
This is an enjoyable Summer action vehicle that’s held together by Scott’s taught action direction, witty dialog, and effective performances by Washington, Travolta, and Gandolfini.
McG's TERMINATOR SALVATION
This is a worthy continuation of the Terminator franchise. There’s enough new stuff here to keep your attention, the action is spectacular, and the characters are sufficiently differentiated to create some dramatic tension despite being frequently out-staged by the savage action sequences.
Although visually arresting, I thought Tarsem Singh’s THE CELL was inuman, inhumane, and tawdry. THE FALL is also visually gorgeous. It’s also clever, imaginative, and touching.
Mamoru Oshii's “THE SKY CRAWLERS”
Wonderfully animated, this moody anime adventure combines elements of 1984 (perpetual warfare), Blade Runner (androids with fuzzy memories), Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise (alternate history and retro-futuristic aircraft), and Dark City (constant recycling of character experiences and events).
J.J. Abrams' STAR TREK
I wasn’t a big fan of the original Star Trek TV series, but I did enjoy the movies and subsequent TV shows. Having a new Star Trek movie that reinvents original series and charcater premises is a welcome event, escpcially when you see and hear the results on a huge IMAX screen, which I just did.