Reviews by BAMF

Thoughts Before Watching This:
1. I like these kinds of stories.
2. Hopefully it has a lot of war.
3. There are tons of movies classified as war where basically nothing but drama happens.
4. The cast here is pretty interesting with Keri Russell and Sean Bridgers being the most unusual choices in my opinion.
5. I hope Matthew McConaughey is as great as he was in Interstellar.
6. Gary Ross has written and directed many well known films.
7. Of his I have only seen Pleasantville and The Hunger Games. The latter being the better of the two.
8. This is the only notable work out of two that Leonard Hartman has written for.
9. I really hope this isn't a slow burning talk it out all the time kind of movie.

Thoughts While Watching This:
1. Well it starts off with quite a bang.
2. Let's hope it doesn't stray too far from this momentum.
3. Man there is some serious chaos going on.
4. This kind of reminds me of the new Andrew Garfield movie coming where he didn't agree with violence.
5. Man this has no holds barred.
6. I wonder what will happen with them when the rebellion happens.
7. Ah man that has to be heartbreaking.
8. Oh wow that was a creative use of a time jump.
9. Dang some laws are just insane.
10. Okay that's a pretty cool scene.
11. This is really a unique way of telling such a story.
12. Poor girl.
13. I always like to think I would be a guy like Newt if I had been born in such times.
14. The dogs are not safe in this one.
15. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is just so lovely.
16. It's crazy seeing two people who have played pretty bad people playing good here.
17. This actually kind of reminds me of The Patriot (although I never fully finished this one) and Braveheart.
18. Of course he is afraid.
19. Yeah you put that man in his place.
20. There ain't no room for racism in the Free State of Jones!
21. Lord Farquaad is trying to take Shrek's swamp again.
22. Sorry time to be serious.
23. He really is right about them fighting a war that isn't really theirs.
24. Aww no that's sad!
25. Okay that just made my jaw hit the floor!
26. That was pretty savage!
27. Things are getting quite intense.
28. It looks like Joe Chrest is becoming more than just a background actor.
29. I hate people like that Chester fella.
30. Well that was sweet.
31. I swear racists are always trying to find a way around things.
32. Screw the KKK!
33. Why can't people just let others be happy?
34. Oh no please don't!
35. It was even worse than I expected...
36. Okay that's a small but beautiful moment.
37. That right there is why I will never trust the voting system.
38. If they voted today or in recent elections would they have stuck with the same?
39. I adored that ending.
40. That's how I would have been.

Thoughts After Watching This:
1. It's pretty long, but I was never bored.
2. The action was brutal when it happened and sometimes would happen without warning.
3. Matthew McConaughey was great and I really liked his character.
4. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is stunning as well as being a wonderful actress.
5. I couldn't believe the laws that they tried to create in those days.
6. I liked some actors that I never really cared for before.
7. Everything here is just so well done.
8. I definitely think it's worth the watch.

So basically the reason I wanted to check this out is simply because Anna Kendrick is in it. I will watch anything for her haha. Hopefully it will be funny as well. So it looks like the director Jake Szymanski mostly directs silly little shorts. So I'm curious how he will handle a feature length story. It's written by the same exact guys from the Neighbors films which I thought were pretty funny. Aubrey Plaza seems like she is insane on and off screen. I liked seeing Anna Kendrick taking on a different kind of role than usual. I liked Adam Devine a lot more here than I usually do. It's hard to make me laugh out loud. I don't know why that is. That being said I didn't laugh although I still thought it was pretty funny. It has a lot of pretty awkward moments throughout which makes sense given the type of comedy it is and who wrote it. It's crazy to think that this is loosely based on a real story. If you like Neighbors type humor you will probably like this. If you don't then this isn't the movie for you.

I find it hilarious still that someone complained how violent this PG-13 film was compared to Neon Demon which I watched recently. I mean sure if this was R maybe I would understand. Given all the stuff that happens in Neon Demon though I just don't get it. I have been meaning to watch this for a bit and now I finally can. Jaume Collet-Serra has directed three Liam Neeson driven movies, House of Wax, and Orphan. He has a bit of a mixed record with House of Wax being pretty bad as well as the lackluster Run All Night. His other films are great though. Anthony Jaswinski also wrote the unpopular Vanishing on 7th Street (which I have to say is a major guilty pleasure for me) as well as Kristy which I recommend checking out. Okay that opening was actually pretty creepy. Blake Lively is such a stunning woman. I wonder why it's such a secret. Still Carlos seems like such a nice guy. That ending was pretty impressive. I was curious how it would all end. The cinematography is absolutely incredible. It put me in awe several times. The music is pretty great too. It escalates the intensity of a scene or it's just cool. Blake Lively is wonderful as the lead. She is more than just a pretty face. She really proves her own while almost entirely working here alone. Steven Seagull is absolutely adorable. Who would have thought a bird could be so intelligent. This felt a lot like 127 Hours meets Castaway meets Jaws. I felt the cringiness that 127 Hours made me feel. The sad solitariness that Castaway made me feel. Then of course I felt the amazement of a badass shark like with Jaws. This is probably one of the best shark movies in awhile. I haven't felt that much tension in awhile. Remember the very similar Open Water movie? This utilizes the idea of a small cast and hits it out of the park way better than that did. If you like shark and survival movies I would definitely recommend checking this one out.

I originally thought this was a sequel to the original movie, but sadly it's just a remake. At least JCVD returned for it though. Dave Bautista looks like a way cooler Tong Po than the weird looking original one. This has a great collection of martial artists including the late Darren Shahlavi in his final role. John Stockwell also directed Gina Carano led In The Blood, horror movie Turistas, and Into the Blue which were all good fun. This is the only film by writer Dimitri Logothetis that I've heard of. It's also the only film for writer Jim McGrath. It definitely starts off quite different to the original film. In fact it seems like they took aspects of the first four films for this one. Okay there was a pretty awesome cameo. If you have watched the series I wonder if you will spot them. So I really don't like the main guy as Kurt too much. JCVD isn't a great actor by any means, but this new guy makes him seem Shakespearean. The acting is a bit bland, but the action is where it's at. I would go as far as saying the action is way better than the original. The story here is kind of weak though compared the original. Things are done a lot differently here which I respect. I would have been kind of annoyed had they kept the story basically the same. The scene before the rest of the credits was amusing. Despite the negatives I actually had more fun watching this version. I'm sure people will hate on it, but action wise I would say give it a shot.

Alright so no more Sasha Mitchell this time. Once again our previous lead is killed off and replaced. At least this time it's not some random brother. Still the plot here is pretty silly. This is directed by Kristine Peterson who also directed the first Critters movie. Which was pretty terrible by the way. This is the first film I have heard of written by Rick Filon. Anyways it has a couple recognizable actors like previous installments. Let's just hope it is somewhat entertaining. Well it was by far the worst of the series. The fighting was kind of lame. The acting was pretty bad. Mark Dacascos is at least better than Sasha Mitchell. The only character I really liked was Paul. Bollen was so annoying with his constant awkward laughing. Moon was interesting and I was hoping there would be a unique fight scene with him. That didn't happen though. The whole thing just felt too by the book and lackluster. There was also too much humor in this one. Just skip these after the first one which was even all that impressive itself.

The plot is once again super cheesy. Also I hope they explain how David is just all of a sudden married. The return of Tong Po played by some random. Sadly this entry doesn't have the greatness that is Dennis Chan. Albert Pyun returns to direct for some reason. This is the only movie out of two from writer David Yorkin that I've heard of or seen. I hope the action here is at least decent. As I expected it looks like this marriage came out of thin air. It also seems to ignore the previous installment. I'm glad we got to see the original actors in the archive footage though. The fact that Tong Po moved to Mexico to become a drug lord is hilariously stupid. Although I like that he still manages to be a savage. If you are going to say a character is dead make sure the actor doesn't blink in clear view of the shot. Lando and Mouse were likable new characters. In terms of acting it was pretty bad. Sasha Mitchell being serious was just strange. Another part of his story that came from nowhere is the fact that he was apparently a DEA agent. The story was just plain trash. It actually had two things the others didn't: a good death scene and some unnecessary nudity. It's still more likable than part two for me mainly because it's jam packed full of fights through nearly the entire thing.

I know it's silly to continue a series despite it surely being a bad experience, but I sometimes get surprised. This one however I highly doubt. I mean the plot is so far fetched. A kickboxer takes down an international terrorist lol. I know action plots can be bad, but come on! At least Dennis Chan is back again. I haven't seen anything from Rick King, but he wrote the original Point Break if that tells you anything. Dennis A. Pratt also wrote the dreadful Leprechaun 4: In Space! People in Rio are absolutely stunning. Alethea Miranda is a gorgeous young lady. She is already 40 and still beautiful. So doesn't feel much like the other Kickboxer films. I mean Xian and David use guns in this. It makes for some decent action shootouts though. The kidnapping scene was terribly cheesy looking. The fighter villain wasn't nearly as fun as Tong Po. This time the more interesting villain was the one out of the ring. I thought the kids were actually pretty decent. The kid that played Marcos was a lot better than Sasha Mitchell. It was great to see Dennis Chan actually doing some action for once. It was interesting enough to keep my attention. Despite it being quite a bit different I like it much better than the previous film.

I never knew about this until I was scrolling what Netflix had in September. I know nothing of the story revolving around Ariana Berlin, but I do like the actors. You can definitely tell this is a Canadian film due to the cast which has several past Degrassi stars which is the main reason I wanted to watch this. Plus girls in leotards doing gymnastics definitely gets my attention. This is the first film I have heard of from director Sean Cisterna. As for writer Willem Wennekers I have only heard of some of his other films, but I've never seen them. I thought it would be a pure gymnastics story, but it actually feels a bit like Step Up. A dance off between hip hop and gymnastics was definitely different and interesting. I really enjoyed the characters and liked that they had cameos/roles for the real people. Ana Golja and Sarah Fisher are so gorgeous. I hope they both continue to get roles outside of Degrassi. It's crazy seeing Jake Epstein who has been off the map for awhile since said show. I swear Jennifer Beals looks so much like the real coach they could pass as sisters or so. The dancing wasn't the most unique out of all the dancing movie's I've seen, but you can tell this has heart. If you like gymnastics or dance films I'm sure you will get a kick out of this.

This is the first movie I have seen from Albert Pyun although I have heard of a few. I can't believe this was written by David S. Goyer of all people. I really only remember seeing Sasha Mitchell in Step by Step. So to see him as the action lead is pretty amusing to me. It's too bad that Jean-Claude Van Damme never returned for the original series. Anyways there are a few returnees here including Dennis Chan and Michel Qissi. So I always liked Sasha Mitchell in Step by Step as the bonehead character. It was weird to seem him as a lead action film star. It shows that he clearly cannot act. He also can't hold a whole movie. There were a few moments that were good though. He was at least a likable character. Dennis Chan is wonderful as the Miyagi of this series. Tong Po is as brutal as always and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is his great evil self. The action is a bit mediocre although it's definitely more blood damage. It's not what I was expecting it to be. I find it hilarious the tag says it's better than the first one. It was definitely a lackluster sequel that didn't even require much attention. I would give it a pass.

So since a new Kickboxer movie was just released I figured I would go ahead and check this series out. Out of the current movies JCVD has only been in this one and the new (remake) one. JCVD actually helped come up with the story as well as co-director Mark DiSalle. To which Mark DiSalle isn't known for much else. It seems other director David Worth hasn't done much either. Even the screenwriter Glenn A. Bruce disappeared after the early 90s with nothing much under his belt. Like most of JCVD's work the acting is a bit corny a majority of the time. It looks like everyone had fun making this though. I really liked the characters here, but Winston was definitely a scene stealer. Tong Po was one messed up villain. The action was pretty good. The training montage was pretty good and not even totally ridiculous like most of these types. It has a few dumb moments. It also has some pretty great ones too. There isn't really a lot to say about this one. It was a decent and interesting watch. It wasn't great, but it holds you enough if you like Jean-Claude Van Damme.