Short Attention Span Review: The Predator (2018)

Short Attention Span Review: The Predator (2018)

I am probably the last guy on the planet you could sell a comedic reboot of this material to.  I treasure the first entry from 1987, and I think the sequel was a lesser film but a worthy follow-up nonetheless.  The later crossovers with those other extraterrestial fiends we all know and love so well were average at best, but I found them to be guilty pleasures.  Well, I liked the first one anyway.  All things considered, this is a franchise that I have strong feelings for, particularly when it comes to that original classic, a testament to manliness and gruesome thrills.  So, yeah, the very idea of a comedic reboot makes me cringe.  And yet . . . I guess it's a good thing I'm a big fan of Fred Dekker's filmography, with both Night of the Creeps and The Monster Squad registering as personal favorites.  Make no mistake, this quirky chiller/thriller has his fingerprints all over it.  He may be playing in Shane Black's sandbox (and Black's raunchy humor is on display throughout), but The Predator feels more like Dekker's take on the first two features.  As such, it is a lot of fun.  In addition to being chock full of laughs, it also has some heart, it's gory as all get out, and it has several rollicking action set pieces.  Now, many will not share my affection for Dekker's wit, and thus the shift in tone will drive them up the wall.  It is surely a departure, and not a minor one.  Yet it offers numerous callbacks to the first two outings and assembles a badass* team of its own.  In terms of casting, Black nailed it, with Boyd Holbrook showing serious promise as a leading man while Thomas Jane gives one of his most unique performances to date as a loose cannon with Tourette's syndrome.  The rest of the gang manages to deliver big on the humor front while also holding it down when it's time to throw down.  I'm relatively certain that this one sports the biggest body count of the series by a hefty margin.  The frequent forays into bloody mayhem that litter the screen with corpses should ensure that those who find the absurdist approach bothersome are able to wring some joy out of a viewing.  We're dealing with a different breed of predator, no doubt about it, but I had a blast with this wonky creature feature that bombards viewers with jokes, bullets, and body parts.

*Certifiable, but badass.

Final Grade: B

Boyd Holbrook, leading man? This movie shows that he can do the job.

Top 20 Horror Movies - #17) Alien (1979)

One of the things that I'm doing this month as I celebrate Halloween here in the Land of Way is taking the time to rank my Top 20 Horror Movies and my Top 20 Horror Novels.

Note:
I want to be clear that I'm basing these choices on my own humble opinion.  I'm not trying to rank these movies in accordance with their place in pop culture, but I'm offering up my take on the best horror films that I have ever watched and enjoyed.  There are some familiar candidates that I consider to be great pictures that didn't make the cut because there wasn't room, and there are some films that are widely regarded as great pictures that didn't make the cut because I feel that they are overrated.  There are also a few instances where it was difficult to determine whether or not a movie belonged to the horror genre (I said "no" to Aliens but "yes" to Jaws), and it may also be worth noting that this is largely a modern list (as long as you're okay with my classification of modern as anything after 1960) that only features one lonely creature from the so-called "Classic Monsters" films produced by Universal Studios.

Thus far, the list includes:

#20) The Fly (1986) 
#19) The Howling (1981)
#18) Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Now, we turn our attention to space as I unveil the next movie on my list.

  
Top 20 Horror Movies - #17) Alien (1979)

First off, I want to say that I do believe that Alien is a stellar horror film.  Secondly, I will acknowledge that I think that this film's sequel, Aliens, is a much better picture.  However, Alien made my list and Aliens will not.  Why?  Well, Alien is a horror film, but I think Aliens is a bit more like Predator.  Is it a science fiction movie?  Is it an action movie?  I'm not sure, but despite the presence of some horrifying content, Aliens just doesn't feel like a horror movie to me.  Alien, on the other hand, is most certainly worthy of a spot on this list.  It's not a thrill ride with guns blazing, it's a subdued tale of terror that relies more on escalating tension and big scares than escalating machismo and big explosions.  The mood and the sets are incredible, the effects are totally convincing, and the cast is superb.  Sigourney Weaver's work here made her a star, and she is backed by talented performers like Tom Skerrit, John Hurt, and Yaphet Kotto, among others.  There isn't a wealth of gore, but the scene where the alien bursts out of John Hurt's chest is one of the most disturbing sequences that the horror genre has ever produced.  The design work by H. R. Giger is one of the picture's biggest assets and Ridley Scott's direction is splendid.  Alien is bolstered by one of Jerry Goldsmith's finest scores and the sceenplay from Dan O-Bannon is terrific.  In short, Alien is a gripping horror film that fires on all cylinders thanks to the presence and the efforts of a first-rate cast and crew.  It remains the best horror film set in space (though Event Horizon is pretty damn scary too) and I am pleased to include it on my list.

In addition to being a great flick, Alien also boasts one of the most
gut-wrenching scenes in the history of horror movies.

The Top 5 Schwarzenegger Movies c/o RVA Magazine is Up!

You can check out My Top 5 Schwarzenegger Movies piece for RVA Magazine here.  I had a lot of fun with this one as the big dude's work is near and dear to my heart.  Please scope it out and I would love it if you were to share your thoughts--everybody loves Arnold!

The Last Stand

I finally sat down to watch The Last Stand a few days ago, and I had a good time with it.  I was born in '78, which is a lot like being a child of the 80s, and therefore it probably goes without saying that I'm a Schwarzenegger fan.  I'm American after all, and Conan the Barbarian was practically my godfather.  Having said that, Arnold's last few movies before his foray into politics were a bit lacking.  I did enjoy his cameo in The Expendables and his extended cameo in The Expendables 2, but I was still unsure of just what to expect from The Last Stand.  The previews led me to believe that it was going to be a bit too silly for me, but the film itself was a pleasant surprise.

Now, let's be real, it is a bit silly, and that shouldn't come as a shock given that Johnny Knoxville and Luis Guzman (a couple of personal favorites of mine) are in the supporting cast, but it's also surprisingly slick.  The action was tight, the pace was relentless, and Arnold was game.  Yes, the big guy still has it.  Sure, he's getting old, and he's certainly slowing down, but he still has a presence that's hard to match.  I think the biggest reason The Last Stand was a winner, however, was the direction c/o Kim Jee-Woon.  What should have been a lesser vessel with some big names and big explosions in the mix become an exercise in style and a frantic race toward a nifty conclusion.

There were flaws, to be sure, but The Last Stand was a lot of fun and I'm going to recommend it to anyone who enjoys Arnold or a solid action film.  It probably doesn't need to be stated here, but obviously this one is nowhere near as good as classic Schwarzenegger fare like Conan, Predator, or The Terminator, but it was head and shoulders above his most recent offerings.  Additionally, I found it to be far more entertaining than most of the action films clogging up the cinema these days.  Of course, I dig throwbacks, and I don't mind it when my action films are a bit tongue-in-cheek.