Meet the free, proud, independent people of Ukraine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzNxLzFfR5w Nothing but reviews. In excess.
From ZERO to 6 ♥s. 100% ad-free. Run on pure love for movies, documentaries and TV-series. June 2025: Countdown to: Top 10: Best horror comedy movies - Upcoming review: There's Still Tomorrow (2023)
A pretty gorgeous poster for Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps
The 39 Steps is a fun escape movie by British master filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock (Rear Window (1954)):
Mr. Hannay (Robert Donat (The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958))) gets into a terrible situation, when a beautiful woman is stabbed to death at his hotel. With foreign agents at his heels, he gets cuffed together with a tiresome woman (Madeleine Carroll (It's All Yours (1937))).
- SPOILER And, of course, it all ends in a characteristically Hitchcockian big 'bang'. The film is entertaining but somewhat overrated: In 1999 the British Film Institute voted it the 4th best British film of the 20th century! Total Film magazine has also voted it among the best British films and best adaptations of all time. 39 Steps is written by Charles Bennett (Balalaika (1939)), with dialog by Ian Hay (Sabotage (1936)), based on John Buchan's 1915 novel The Thirty-Nine Steps. Hitchcock's best, in my opinion, are; Notorious (1946), Rope (1948), Rear Window (1954), The Wrong Man (1956), and North By Northwest (1959) - all absolute masterpieces.
Wonderful artwork on this poster for Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps
Watch an original trailer for the film here
Cost: 60k £ Box office: Unknown = Unknown [The 39 Steps premiered 6 June (London) and runs 86 minutes. 39 Steps was a big British venture at the time: Donat and Carroll were cast because they were actors that enjoyed familiarity in the States.Shooting took place in Scotland and in England, including London. I can't find any box office figures for the film, - if you have found any, please, let me know where in a comment. Hitchcock returned with Secret Agent (1936).Donat returned in The Ghost Goes West (1935); Carroll in The Case Against Mrs. Ames (1936). The 39 Steps is certified fresh at 96 % with a 8.9/10 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]
You want to see Samuel L. Jackson in a kilt? Ronny Yu's Formula 51 is the flick for you then
The 51st State (the film's British title) is one of those Pulp Fiction-wake films that just do not compare in quality to Quentin Tarantino's masterpiece. The gimmicky plot here is:
A Yankee meets a limey in a huge drug deal that goes South.
The script by Stel Pavlou (Rendezvous with Rama (announced)) is light, concocted and the pace is a little bit on the slow side. - Overall, Formula 51 is a very forgettable film. The strong cast includes Samuel Jackson (Pulp Fiction), Robert Carlyle (The Full Monty (1997)), Emily Mortimer (City Island (2009)), Rhys Ifans (Greenberg (2010)) and Meat Loaf (The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)), and they make the film acceptably entertaining if not actually memorable in any meaningful way. I must confess that I don't know Hong Kong-born director Ronny Yu (Fearless/Huo Yuanjia (2006)) well.His Western films are not great, although Bride of Chucky (1998) is at least a more fun watch than Formula 51. Apparently, Jackson, working also as one of the film's executive producers, for some reason recommended him to direct.
Cost: 27 mil. $ Box office: 14.4 mil. $ = Huge flop (returned 0.53 times the cost) [Formula 51 was released 7 December (UK) and runs 92 minutes. Writer Pavlou, who conceived the plot in 1994, had envisioned a 1 mil. £ production.Shooting took place in England and in Los Angeles, California, wrapping in September 2000. It opened #12 in North America, its peak there, where it grossed 5.2 mil. $ (36.1 % of the total gross). Yu returned with Freddy vs. Jason (2003). Jackson returned in The Comeback (2002, short) and theatrically in Changing Lanes (2002); Carlyle in Once Upon a Time in the Midlands (2002). Formula 51 is rotten at 26 % with a 4.3/10 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]
The dark, mysterious poster for Terry Gilliam's 12 Monkeys
12 Monkeys is a mystery science fiction movie based on Chris Marker's (The Koumiko Mystery (1967)) still photography-comprised short La Jetée (1962). David Webb Peoples (Blade Runner (1982)) and Janet Peoples (The Day After Trinity (1981)) wrote the screenplay. A prisoner in a future Philadelphia gets sent back in time to learn the particulars concerning a virus unleashed upon humanity in the late 1990s, which killed off nearly everyone. Dealing with time travel, 12 Monkeys takes time's relativity to new heights. - So if you like being confused, you might love it. The quizzical plot is mixed with psychedelic elements and imagery that is its British master filmmakerTerry Gilliam's (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)) directorial watermark. Bruce Willis (Die Hard (1988)) is really good in the lead, but it was Brad Pitt (Fight Club (1999)) who got Oscar-nominated as Best Supporting Actor for his loony performance in the film. (But lost to Kevin Spacey for his performance in The Usual Suspects.) 12 Monkeys was also Oscar-nominated for its costume design, losing to Restoration (1995). It is a film that seems tailor-made for several views, (if one has the interest and patience for it.) It is not as good as Gilliam's best, Time Bandits (1981), masterpiece Brazil (1985) The Fisher King (1991) and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), but it is certainly a fascinating film. It has recently spun a SyFy TV-series also entitled 12 Monkeys (2015-), which has been renewed for a second season.
Brad Pitt was Oscar-nominated and won the Golden Globe for his supporting performance as a radicalized lunatic in Terry Gilliam's 12 Monkeys
The trailer amply informs of the unintelligible structure of 12 Monkeys
Cost: 29.5 mil. $ Box office: 168.8 mil. $ = Huge hit (returned 5.72 times the cost) [12 Monkeys was released 29 December and runs 129 minutes.It was shot mostly in Baltimore, Maryland and in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania under difficult circumstances from February - May 1995, but Gilliam managed to stay within budget, despite getting injured in a horseback riding accident during production. 12 Monkeysopened to an impressive 184k $ first weekend in 3 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #1, which it held for two consecutive weeks and spent another 2 weeks in the top 5 (#3-#4), grossing 57.1 mil. $ (33.8 % of the total gross). Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, equal to its rating here. The film also had high attendances in many European countries like Germany and France. Gilliam returned with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998). Willis returned in Last Man Standing (1996), Pitt in Sleepers (1996), and Madeleine Stowe (Tropical Snow (1988)) in The Proposition (1998). 12 Monkeys is certified fresh at 88 % with a 7.4/10 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes]
+ Best London Movie of the Year + Best Zombie Movie of the Year
The ominous poster for Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later
28 Days Later is an energetic, exciting Danny Boyle-directed (127 Hours (2010)) zombie horror, written by Alex Garland (Ex Machina (2015)).
The film presents an original spin on a zombie plague and has a nice London-set section. - Zombies are of the new, fast-as-hell kind here. The span between artsy, alone-in-the-world-thematic scenes and bloody terror in 28 Days Later is sometimes too contrasted for my taste, although some audiences and critics have embraced the film wholeheartedly for this reason in particular. Cillian Murphy (Girl With a Pear Earring (2003)) and Brendan Gleeson (Calvary (2014)) are good here, but otherwise the performances are not too strong, and parts of the film look like they were shot on an amateur camera.
Cillian Murphy runs for his life in Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later
Watch the trailer for this modern zombie classic here
Cost: 8 mil. $ Box office: 82.7 mil. $ = Mega-hit (returned 10.33 times the cost) [28 Days Later was released 1 November and runs 113 minutes. It opened #4, behind fellow new release Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, and holdover hits Hulk and Finding Nemo, to a 10 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it then left the top 5 and grossed 45 mil. $ (54.4 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were production country the UK with 9.7 mil. $ (11.7 %) and Spain with 6.5 mil. $ (7.9 %), where reportedly almost 1.2 mil. people paid admission to see it. Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire (2008)) won the Best Cinematographer award at the European Film Awards for his work here. The film has so far spun a 2007 sequel, a graphic novel and a comic book. A 3rd film is in the works. Boyle returned with Millions (2004). Murphy returned in Intermission (2003). 28 Days Later is certified fresh at 87 % with a 7.4/10 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]
Look! Someone once offered you to see Pietro Francisci's Hercules Unchained in a cinema for just 10 cents! ... boy, those must have been the days!
Here's a movie for you:
Hercules goes on a diplomatic adventure with his pal Ulysses and wife Iole and quickly lands in deep trouble, as he drinks from a well of forgetfulness and therefore forgets everything the mission and himself are all about!
Director Pietro Francisci (Hercules/La Fatiche de Ercole (1958)) has a long list of tall adventure films to his name, and he is probably a good exponent for the kind of filmmaker that Italian cinema's prominent newcomers at the time, like Luchino Visconti and Roberto Rosselini, rebelled against in their neo-realist films of the 40s and early 50s. Those films are generally better than this kind, just to make that clear. But here we are, still, with good old Hercules, undoubtedly the silver screen's favorite Greek god. This is the second of 19 (!) Italian Hercules movies made from 1958-65, which are part of the Italian peplum tradition. - The genre, also known as the swords-and-sandal movie, derives its name from the scant tunic-style Greek/Roman garment often worn by the heroes of the films. Hercules Unchained is good fun, if you have an interest in film history and/or can enjoy a big costume adventure film that obviously doesn't compare to what is possible in the genre today in terms of scope or effects. There is in its very beginning a very bizarre song sung by Hercules' wife Iole, (Sylva Koscina (The House of Exorcism (1975))), who obviously just lip-syncs some other singer with a much deeper voice's recording. It looks bizarre, and Koscina's mouthing is very off. The script, by Ennio De Concini (Taras Bulba, il Cosacco (1963)) and Francisci, based on two old-Greek plays based on Greek myths and Francisci's story idea, and tone of the film has the flexibility and predictability of a wood log, but Hercules Unchained still manages to stay entertaining; through its many oiled bodies, (Steve Reeves (War of the Trojans/La Leggenda di Enea (1962)) playing Hercules is in quite spectacular shape himself), homo-erotic scenes of massaging, long dances and fights, - even a few quite well-made ones with live tigers, - and also simply due to the pompous scale of it all. The costumes, make-up and hair of Unchained are all very over-the-top and, in effect, very Italian. If you can handle lines like, "By the way, what is my name?" (coming, of course, from the amnesia-stricken title hero), and you generally lust for myths and corny adventure, Hercules Unchained will not disappoint you. The film's cinematography, some effects and second unit directing work was done by Mario Bava (Black Sabbath/I Tre Volti Della Paura (1963), director), who soon after became the 'Baron of Blood' and one of the great Italian horror filmmakers of all time. The Eastman colors of Unchained look vibrant and alive. - Unfortunately, the version I saw was not restored, and I am not sure that a better version even exists. In probably the film's best fight scene, Hercules battles Anteo the giant played by Primo Carnera (Mighty Joe Young (1949)), the real life heavy weight boxing champ, in his last of 21 short, TV and film acting credits. Reeves has later told of his experience with director Francisci that in one instance, where Reeves refused to swing the apparently real chains (!) hard enough over his enemies so as not to hurt them, Francisi had said; "If they don't get hurt, they don't get paid!" - Not surprisingly, hunky Reeves didn't do any more Hercules films after this one.
In lieu of a proper trailer, which isn't currently on Youtube, watch a wonderful excerpt from the movie here
Cost: Unknown Box office: 2.5 mil. $ (North America only) = Uncertain (but likely a big or huge hit) [Hercules Unchained was released 14 February (Italy) and runs 97 minutes. Shooting took place at the Titanus Appia Studios in Rome, Italy. The film was almost certainly a big hit. Besides its substantial American run, Unchained was also the third biggest film at the British box office in 1960. Film critic Howard Hughes, who has chronicled Italian cinema in his book Cinema Italiano - The Complete Guide From Classics to Cult (2011), has stated that this film is better than Francisci's predecessor from the year before, because it has a better script, "punchier action" and more convincing acting. Francisci returned with Siege of Syracuse/L'Assedio di Siracusa (1960). Reeves returned in The White Warrior/Agi Murad il Diavolo Bianco (1959). Hercules Unchained has a 2.6/5 audience score, based on 1,737 ratings on Rotten Tomatoes.] Greek myths in movies, - what is your favorite? What do you think of Hercules Unchained? If you locate a restored version of Hercules Unchained, shoot me a comment with a link to it, - thanks!
The attractive poster for Lone Scherfig's Italian for Beginners
The Danish Dogme manifesto of 1995 was a set of pious rules that meant hand-held photography, low budgets, no stunts, no extra-diegetic music, no unreal violence, etc. etc. etc., and together, Lars Von Trier's The Idiots/Idioterne (1998), Thomas Vinterberg's The Celebration/Festen (1998) and Lone Scherfig's Italian for Beginners are above question the finest films that came out of the successful wave.
Italian for Beginners is the story of a priest that temps in a broken down parish; two sisters that find each other when both their parents pass away; and a soccer stadium restaurant manager who gets fired. They all attend an evening course in Italian and end up going to Venice together.
This film is a liberating watch for many reasons: It is filled with weighty drama, (joggling themes of death, impotence and loneliness), and none of the heavy parts of life are slighted here. But they are balanced in an incredibly sensitive and funny script (also by Scherfig (An Education (2009))), and combined with tender romances. It all bears the risk of becoming sentimental, but the Dogme realism luckily keeps the film from that pitfall. Much of the ironic humor of the film lies in the special Danish language, intonations and national quirksand will therefore likely not be picked up by foreigners, but much of it still will, I suspect, and the film should prove a great enjoyment to all in any case. There are exceedingly charming performances from the female actors; Annette Støvelbæk (Speed Walking/Kapgang (2014)) as the clumsy Olympia, Ann Eleonora Jørgensen (The Killing/Forbrydelsen (2007), TV-series) as the assured hairdresser, and Sara Indrio Jensen (No Time for Love/Simon & Malou (2009)) as the Italian waitress. Anders W. Berthelsen (Mifune/Mifunes Sidste Sang (1999)) is wonderful as the troubled priest, and in his perhaps finest work of all, Peter Gantzler (Copenhagen Dreams (2013), short) shines and acts with all of his great talent as the cautious, good-willed Jørgen Mortensen. The wonderful supporting cast builds the pleasure of Italian for Beginners up even higher; especially Jesper Christensen's (The Debt (2010)) performance has garnered national notoriety (and is commonly quoted), but also Bent Mejding (We Shall Overcome/Drømmen (2006)) as the disillusioned priest is formidable, and Lars Kaalund (In a Better World/Hævnen (2010)) as the temperamental Halfin is an asshole, but fun.
A film about the passions of the self-effacing, the weak, the arrogant, and the ridiculous, and about the tremendous gift of love, Italian for Beginners turned out to be recognized and appreciated the world over, and is said to have been the most profitable Scandinavian film in history to date, (which may or may not be true.) Though the cast never withdrew much career-wise (internationally, anyway) from this placement, - only Christensen has since then developed a strong international career with performances in films such as The Interpreter (2005), Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Melancholia (2011) etc. - Scherfig has build a strong path for herself, especially through films in the UK, but has never since made such a masterful film, though especially her great An Education (2009) received much praise, three Oscar-nominations, and served as the breakthrough for Carey Mulligan (Drive (2011)). Scherfig's current project is an Oxford-set university thriller with the title The Riot Club to come out in 2014.
Vibrant filmmaking, - you will not be able to resist it! Italian for Beginners - look it up pronto!
Cost: Reportedly between 0.6 mil.-1 mil. $ Box office: 16.3 mil. $ = Mega-hit (returned at least 16.3 times the cost) [Italian for Beginners was released 8 December (Denmark) and runs 118 minutes. Shooting took place in Zealand, Denmark and in Venice, Italy. The film opened #42 to a 66k $ strong first weekend in 3 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #25 and in 99 theaters (different weeks) and grossed impressive 4.5 mil. $ (27.6 % of the total gross) during its 25-week run there. The film's biggest market was its native Denmark, where it grossed 5.2 mil. $ (31.9 %) from 828,701 admissions, making it the 13th highest attended Danish film in the country ever. North America was the 2nd largest market, and Germany was the 3rd largest with 3.5 mil. $ (21.5 %). The film won 4/5 nominations at the Berlin International Film Festival; it was nominated for a European Film award and won 3/11 Robert noms, Denmark's Oscar, among other honors. In 2010, Zentropa, the production company behind the film, payed an undisclosed sum to Irish writer Maeve Binchy, whose novel Evening Class (1998) Scherfig admitted to have "borrowed from" from for the film. Italian for Beginners is certified fresh at 88 % with a 7.2/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
Thoughts on Dogme and other great romances in cinema history? What do you think of Italian for Beginners?
A stylish, cool, recent, Italian poster made for a re-release of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner
Ridley Scott's (Alien (1979)) Blade Runner is a landmark film and a legendary one which most people have heard of and know to be a great film, even if they haven't actually seen it. This review is based on the 111 minute director's cut version of the film. Let's start with the film's few minuses: 1. Philip K. Dick (Gather Yourselves Together (1950), novel) should rightly have been credited in the opening credits. He wrote the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (1968) that is the basis of the film. Without him there wouldn't have been any Blade Runner. Hampton Fancher (The Minus Man (1999)) and David Webb Peoples (Twelve Monkeys (1995)) wrote the screenplay. 2. Harrison Ford (Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)) is Deckard, no doubt about it, but some of his applied mannerisms, especially in the film's first act, feel (to me) like they belong to an adolescent instead of a 40-year-old man. 3. The pace and feel of the film is cold throughout, maybe nearing living room temperature around the sex scene, but even that scene is difficult to get heated up about. The ambience and slow, almost depressed seriousness of it all feels a little impersonal to me, but Scott has said that Blade Runner is his most personal film, so perhaps he just suffers from the notorious English body temperature, (at least ten degrees lower than regular folks'.) Maybe the slow pacing matters less to others, because the film continues living and breathing due to its stunning visuals and the underlying, impressively original plot. The cinematography is by Jordan Cronenweth (Altered States (1980)). Its mythic power slowly evolves until the point where we gather the thematic implications of the plot:
Deckard is a police detective 'blade runner' whose mission it is to hunt and eliminate robot replicants in the metropolis of Los Angeles in 2019. But the mission leaves him with questions about his own existence.
Fiercely workaholic Dutch actor, Rutger Hauer (Hobo With a Shotgun (2011) is great with his larger-than-life style of acting that is needed to raise the mythical stakes here. SPOILER When he finally meets his maker and decides to squeeze the man's eyes out, - it's powerful stuff. In other great roles are William Sanderson (Deadwood (2004-06)), Daryl Hannah (Casa de los Babys (2003)) and Sean Young (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)). Blade Runner's visual side is brimming with references, and the Ford/Young-characters and their romance is obviously heavily influenced by Bogie/Bacall's (Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, that is) ditto in the old Howard Hawks noirs To Have and Have Not (1944) and The Big Sleep (1946). Young in all her beautiful gloom reminds me a lot of contemporary singer/fashion icon, Lana Del Rey. The LA sets, mysteriously rainy throughout, have distinctive Andrei Tarkovsky qualities, especially his Stalker (1979) must have been an inspiration. Lars Von Trier's The Element of Crime (1984) shares similar fancies. Great American SF and horror writer Ray Bradbury is referenced in a 'Bradbury Café' towards the film's end. And many other references and inspirations could be pointed out. The combination of all these elements makes Blade Runner like no other film, and it is truly worth cherishing as one of those rare, unique film experiences that are not like any other at all, really. Blade Runner looks stunningly fresh and unaged on DVD today. I am a Dick fan and recommend anyone who gets taken in by the thought-provoking story specifics in Blade Runner to look him up. He is actually more fun to read than this movie might make you think. His works are intricate, psychedelic, weird, funny and often downright genius. Of course, numerous films have been made based on his stories, after Blade Runner paved the way, so to speak. Best of them are Paul Verhoeven's Total Recall (1990) and Steven Spielberg's Minority Report (2002). Ford hated the long, wet shooting of Ridley Scott's weird sci-fitale that flopped terribly at the time of its release. - Funny how these things go; today you will have a hard time finding a single person that will contest that Blade Runner is a great film, (although many undoubtedly just nod their heads and go with the flow, and as indicated I personally find it slow going.)
Watch the 30 year anniversary release trailer here
Cost: 28 mil. $ Box office: In excess of 33.5 mil. $ - many foreign markets missing = Big flop (returned at least 1.19 times the cost) [Blade Runner was released 25 June (North America) and exists in several versions, - this review is based on the 111 minute director's cut version. Shooting took place in California, including Los Angeles, and in the UK, including London, from March - June 1981 with one single day's reshoot in July and one in October 1981. It opened #2, behind holdover hit E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, to 6.1 mil. $ in North America, where it spent another week in the top 5 (#5), leaving theaters after just 5 weeks with a 23.4 mil. $ original domestic gross. This has grown to 32.8 mil. $ with re-releases since then. Scott and the producers fought for the film's marketability by releasing no less than 7 different versions of it. Of the few foreign numbers available is that 2 mil. people paid admission to the film in France and 2 mil. in Germany and Spain collectively as well,- but even if the entire gross grew as high as 50 mil. $, the film would still count as a big flop. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch harder than this review, at its 1982 premiere, but later gave the Blade Runner: The Final Cut version a 4/4 star review, translating to a notch higher than this review. It was Oscar-nominated for Best Visual Effects and Art Direction, losing to E.T. and Gandhi, respectively. It was also nominated for a Golden Globe, won 3/8 BAFTA nominations and other honors. It stands at #152 on IMDb's user-generated Top 250, between Warrior (2011) and Wild Strawberries/Smultronstället (1957). Blade Runner is certified fresh at 90 % with an 8.5/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
+ Best Action Movie of the Year + Most Under-Appreciated Movie of the Year
The sleek, very 90s poster for Chuck Russell's Eraser
Arnold Schwarzenegger (Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)) is a name that a lot of people consider camp, outdated and opposed to anything to do with acting. - I am here to tell you; that that's a dirty Commie lie! Arnold is without a doubt the greatest action star this world has ever seen. No other actor in this genre can compare to his stats and amazing body of work that stretches from the Conan films (1982; '84), over the amazing Terminator franchise (1984; '91; '03; '09 (without Arnold); '15), Predator (1987), Red Heat (1988),Total Recall (1990),Last Action Hero (1993), True Lies (1994), The Sixth Day (2000), Collateral Damage (2002), The Expendables franchise (2010; '12; '14), and The Last Stand (2013), - which thank God turned out to be great fun earlier this year. Not even mentioning his comedies, Twins (1988), Kindergarten Cop (1990),Junior (1994) and many other enjoyable films. He is a versatile, highly intelligent and fascinating persona actor of an old-school breed that sometimes makes people think him out of place in our day. Eraser is a perfect example of a fine action movie that we would all have missed, if it hadn't been for for the Austrian hero:
Witness protection Marshall (Arnold) gets assigned a witness (Vanessa Williams (Soul Food (1997))) who is going to incriminate a major weapon's manufacturer. - All hell breaks lose, and it turns out the corruption goes all the way up to the Pentagon!
An impressive production with fine performances from Williams and Arnie, along with James Caan (The Gambler (1974)) who is especially auspicious as the arrogant villain. - There's something about Caan's hunchbacked-like way of carrying himself around as if he has a giant log where normal folks have a flexible spine, that makes him very believable as a mean son of a bitch. The cast even includes great, American actors, James Coburn (Duck, You Sucker/A Fistfull of Dynamite/Giù la Testa (1971)) and James Cromwell (L.A. Confidential (1997)). This is an uncommonly fine cast in an Arnold film and an added delight. The plot is handled very well and the action superbly. SPOILER Among the memorable scenes are one in which Arnold takes his escape from a dangerous airplane by throwing himself out of it and catching a parachute in mid air, (before the plane comes back for more...!!!); and another one in which a confrontation in a zoo turns very spectacular when Arnold destroys the glass holding the alligators, and impressively credible CGI-gators attack left and right. "You're luggage!", Arnold declares triumphantly after shooting one of them in the head. Wonderfully politically incorrect and nostalgic, it sure is. Arnold has 8 slated, upcoming films at the time of writing this, seemingly rebounding tremendously in showbiz after his political career, so despite his 65 years, we have a lot to look forward to from him, and I personally hope that he will know when to say when, and not leave the world stage in an Orson Welles-ian (The Transformers: The Movie (1986)) kind of a way. It is always impressive when a director manages to turn out a truly great movie from a huge budget as with Eraser: Chuck Russell (Bless the Child (2000)) did that and was generally a happening guy in the 90s: Coming out of an extremely successful A Night on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), Russell remade The Blob (1988), blew everyone's expectations with The Mask (1994), and then made Eraser, but then steadily fell out of the Hollywood race. His 2002 The Rock-starring The Scorpion King is Russell's last big feature, a film best forgotten. He is at the moment apparently in pre-production with an Arabian Nights movie that doesn't have any specifics out yet. - Why isn't Russell attached to any of Arnold's coming 8 movies, I wonder... If you are an action lover and/or an Arnold fan as this signature, you will do best in tracking down Eraser, as it's a great action film just the way they should be, right down to the cool guitar riffs that crop up in between important scenes and in the end. Tony Puryear (Street Time (2003), TV-series) and Walon Green (Sorceror (1977)) wrote it, with Michael S. Chernuchin (Marco Polo (2014), TV-series) contributing story elements.
The high-octane, cheesy trailer alone makes me happy
Cost: 100 mil. $ Box office: 242.3 mil. $ = Minor flop (returned 2.43 times the cost) [Eraser premiered 11 June (Hollywood, Los Angeles) and runs 114 minutes. Shooting took place in New York, California, including Los Angeles, Canada, New Jersey, Maryland, and in Washington DC from September 1995 to March 1996. Schwarzenegger performed one of the aerial stunts himself, which involved him free-falling 65 feet while doing a back flip. It opened #1 to a 24.5 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weeks in the top 5 (#3, #5) and grossed 101.2 mil. $ (41.8 % of its total gross.) It came out in a packed summer schedule close to hits The Cable Guy and Independence Day.It was Oscar-nominated for Best Sound Editing, lost to The Ghost and the Darkness. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch harder than this review. Russell returned with Bless the Child (2000). Schwarzenegger returned in Jingle All the Way (1996). Eraser is rotten at 35 % with a 5/10 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of Eraser? What's your favorite Schwarzenegger actioner?
