Moviecritic1990's Movie Commentary

 Cliffhanger is a 90's cult action classic. Stallone needed a hit after bombing with his comedy, Oscar, and he found it with Cliffhanger. The movie is in my opinion, the best of Stallone's 90's films. I could go on and on about why I love this film but I don't want to be too mushy. All I'm going to say is it's a good film with great performances especially from John Lithgow who plays the main villain. At the time of this writing, there's a sequel in development. I personally think it's not needed as the film is perfect as is, but, that's Hollywood for you. 5/5

In the 1980's, action movies were on the rise thanks to Sylvester Stallone & Arnold Schwarzenegger. You know going into any of their movies what to expect. But there was one man who also rose in the action genre and that was Chuck Norris. While Stallone & Schwarzenegger were making action films that were bang bang shoot 'em up types. Chuck brought something a little different into his action flicks. He was more of a philosophical type and didn't need to use violence to get out of a situation. Invasion U.S.A. however, is your typical action flick set on Christmas (Yes, it's a Christmas flick) and it's a fun one. It's crazy, violent and just as entertaining as Missing in Action. Once the 1990's came, Chuck made a couple more flicks and took a back seat once Seagal & Van Damme entered. Invasion U.S.A. an entertaining action flick that doesn't hold any punches. 3/5   

I think I can speak for a lot of movie fans when I say Die Hard is the best Christmas movie of all time. I'll even add Die Hard 2 to the list as they would make a great double feature at Christmas time. Over the years, there have been countless action flicks attempting to replicate it's success with the same plot but in a different setting. Some have succeeded while others have failed. In my 20's, I used to search out and find every A & B action flick that had similar plot to Die Hard. I still own quite a bit of them to this day. But, I'm not here to talk about Die Hard & it's 90's clones. I'm here to talk about Netflix's new action flick "Carry-On". Carry-On is a really good action flick, a fun flick I might add with a great cast and awesome action set pieces. I've heard people compare this to Die Hard and how it's better. I disagree on both counts. There is no action flick in my mind that comes close to the original Die Hard a...

 Krazy House is a movie that's been on my radar for a bit. I expected to be a weird & bizarre with it's premise and it totally delivered on that. It plays out as a typical 90's sitcom with all the tropes and messaging that they would shoehorn in. Nick Frost plays your stereotypical bumbling but good hearted father, Alicia Silverstone is the serious mom and the kids are just what you are used to seeing in a sitcom. Once the main villains arrive is when the weirdness goes all up all the way to eleven. A little slow in some parts getting to the action but I forgive all that just for the weirdness. I will end this by saying it was what I expected it to be. One more thing, what's up with that accent that Nick Frost was using? 3/5

Before I begin the review of Clint Eastwood's latest film, I would like to say how appalled I am that Warner Bros would dump his film into limited theatres & streaming. Since 1971, Clint has made his home with Warner's and has made millions of dollars for the studio and they have the audacity to dump his film onto streaming. If this is Eastwood's final movie, then shame on Warner Bros for disrespecting him like this. The movie itself is very good. A slow-burn drama that really gives you an insight into the American justice system. Great performances from everyone in the cast and again, if this is Clint's last movie, then he went out with a bang. 5/5   

John Frankenheimer has gone on record saying that Paramount forced him to cut Prophecy down from a R-rating to a PG which he says hurt the film. I disagree. Prophecy is not a horror movie as people make out to be, but a thriller.  A thriller that relies more on the scare then blood. It's message about the dangers of chemicals and messing with the environment are relevant in this day and age. The special features may feel hokey by today's standards, but it was good for it's time.   3/5

 Jack Palance was one of the great actors of his time. He can play a twisted character so well that it makes you think he's that character. In the 1974 film Craze, he's a devilish antiques dealer who performs rituals which makes him believe that in turn he will be bestowed wealth. As the old man that I am, I sat there watching and really appreciating more of old cinema. They don't movies like this anymore and I can tell you I had a good time with this "B" flick from Europe. 3/5

I must confess, I've only seen bits of, but never seen Rosemary's Baby fully. I should probably change that after writing this review. I hope it's not a slow burn as Apartment 7A as the film started out good but slowed down as soon as the character of Terry got the apartment. There's this trend in Hollywood where they're making sequels & prequels to classic films which I find to be very lazy as there isn't a shred of originality anymore. Again, I haven't seen Rosemary's Baby yet, but I will say that some movies should be left alone and Apartment 7A is nothing but a forgotten memory. 1/5  

Lately, there's been a trend in Hollywood where they make sequels to classic films that have done well in the past. This is done in the hopes that audiences who weren't around when the original film came out are hopefully able to see it. I personally think it's not necessary as there are certain films that do not need a sequel. Twisters is a film that didn't need a sequel as the first film is good as is but it was fun. As I was watching with my wife, I could see a bunch of similarities to the original Twister from the  characters themselves, their actions and the vehicles they were driving. Heck, I was hoping for a cameo from Helen Hunt or a member of her original team to show up but nope. Overall Twisters is a fun flick but not needed. 3/5  

  Pop quiz, hotshot, Speed 2: Cruise Control is a forgettable sequel to the hit 1994 movie. I wouldn't even consider it a so bad, it's good type of movie. One of the reasons I think this movie didn't work for me was Jason Patric. He doesn't come off as the hero to me. He plays the lead role very wooden. Dafoe plays his villain role over the top and hammy while Bullock just looks like she doesn't want to be there. Another reason is the script itself. Now, I do enjoy bad movies for it's cheesiness, but, this was just bad altogether. No cheese, no redeeming qualities, just a bad sequel. 2/5

  Pop quiz, hotshot, Speed is in my opinion one of the best action flicks of the 1990's. There are so many action movies that came out of the era and left a mark on the genre and Speed is one of them. Keanu Reeves at the time was coming of Point Break another action vehicle and also had Bram Stoker's Dracula which I think hurt his career a little bit so Speed came in and brought him back. Dennis Hopper makes a great villain with his witty catch phrase "pop quiz, hotshot". Who could forget the likeable Sandra Bullock as the love interest.  Everyone is great here. I've always been an action movie guy and every time I come across something whether it's old or new. I have to sit there and watch it.  5/5