116 - Sushi Girl

Connection To KABOOM - James Duval.

It's fair to see this film features some of the cream of the crop of the b-movie genre - this is not mean't as a slight at them, but just it's a collection of cool actors - many often will appearing in awesome stuff but you could accuse them of signing on for any old shit (bills got to be paid!)

And I don't actually think most of the actors where here to get the bills paid I think at some point there was a modicum of potential to be pretty good at one point that is just lacking from the finished project. The film is a crime-movie come torture porn...

Which brings me to torture porn - and maybe reason why other people could like this more then I did - it's a sub-genre (whatever you want to call it) that just had zero appeal to me, me I'm not squirmish to gore, it's just your Hostels and Saws where not the sort of horror I was after - so take this into consideration from now on on here (and the blog).

It's not a film I particularly cared for, it wasn't really dragging me into the torture porn element started to come into the mix, Mark Hamill was fairly entertaining in his role, and you can't fault some of the other guys - awesome performers like Sonny Chiba and Danny Trejo are basically cameos honestly - one scene of torture involving teeth got me just because of my fear of dentists, which will get a lot of people though we do get the benefit of the camera not showing it.

Overall I could see some people like this film honestly because it will give them exactly what they want - it's 2 movie genre for the price of 1 and it might be two genres somebody loves, but for me it was not a film I liked very much.

35 - Con Air

Connection To ALAN PARTRIDGE: ALPHA PAPA - Colm Meaney

What I view here is the extended version, which I ain't seen before but I've probably seen the "original cut" possibly close to double figures by now.

It's hard to hate a film like Con-Air - awesome action, characters and one-liners - the movie is a joy from start to finish, I've actually heard it being described as a guilty pleasure but for me that's wrong because there is absolutely no shame in enjoying this movie. I'm trying so hard to not do plane/flying related puns so apologizes if I end up doing it.

For me this was one of Nicolas Cage's terrific trio of action movies in the late 90's which also included The Rock and Face/Off (which some people dislike) in which this one he plays ex-Army Ranger Cameron Poe who in defending his pregnant wife and gets in a fight with some bar drunks killing one of them, he ends up in prison for 8 years which he is paroled for good behaviour.  He is eager to see his wife and his daughter (who he never met) and he is to be flown back home on the Jailbird plane where he will be released on landing. Another of other prisoners including his diabetic friend Baby-O (Mykelti WIlliamson) as well as the dangerous Cyrus The Virus (John Malkovich) and Diamond Dog (Ving Rhames) are being transported to another penitentiary. But shortly after takeout Pinball (Dave Chappelle) ends up inciting a riot and released Cyrus and Dog from their separate containers allowing them takeover the plane.

The thing I always like about many Jerry Bruckheimer produced films is the casting, they always get some good names - Malkovich as Cyrus is a brilliant main villain, bring his Malkovichiness (I know that's not a real word to the role and Steve Buscemi as Garland Greene, the psychopath killer is also another stand out, his scene of playing with the little girl is probably one of the most famous and tense. We also get to enjoy actors like Danny Trejo, Chappelle and Colm Meaney among others.

As for Cage is Forrest Gump accent in this just adds to the charm, he's a great action hero here - sort of a shame that they mostly shot their load here and a sequel would have been pushing, his co-star John Cusack his also great in a rare-action role for him.

Speaking of the extended edition for a bit - I'd say only a few months really got added here and there, Greene killing a guard was not in it before (am I right or did I just forget) and it feels most of the time additional dialogue at the end of scenes.

Criticism time - it's so, so minor you'll feel me stupid for even mentioning it - at the end after the plane as landed in the Vegas strip and the three bad guys escape on a fire engine, Cusack and Cage jump police bikes and chase after them, this part I have no problem with (except maybe the fact Poe is still technically a prisoner at this point) it's a touch into when the fire engine goes past two other police bikes parked we only see them from behind but guess what drops from to the road from the bike - yes two doughnuts - you get it because they are cops... just thought it was a minor thing that was a bit dumb.

Overall extremely enjoyable even after multiple viewings - the entire package is cool (even the syrupy LeAnn Rimes ballad oddly fits in) so I'll just say strap yourself in for one hell of a ride... (damn it)