Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on June 11th, 2014
“You’re not just an analyst anymore. You’re operational now.”
Witness the birth of -- actually make that rebirth of --one of the most popular action heroes in literature. Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan has been a character of many jobs and many faces over the years. Baldwin, Ford, and Affleck have all stepped into the role of the man who has been a soldier, an analyst, an operative, and a president. Now Chris Pine looks to fill the shoes left behind by some of Hollywood’s heaviest hitters
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on June 3rd, 2014
What makes us human? That is the primary theme of Robocop, the remake of the 1987 film of the same name. The 1987 film was a huge blockbuster success, spawning two sequels, and no doubt that is the hope for the remake at the very least. Joel Kinnaman steps into the suit made famous by Peter Weller, and he is not the only big name to grace the film: Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Abbie Cornish, and Jackie Earle Haley, as well as the great Gary Oldman playing the doctor who made Robocop possible: with such a top-notch cast, how could the project fail?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on March 31st, 2014
What would you do if you found out that you fathered 533 kids? Better yet, how would you handle that news on top of the news that the children you fathered are petitioning the courts to have your identity revealed? Well, that is the dilemma that Vince Vaughn is faced with in his new comedy Delivery Man. As you can figure out from the funny premise, this is a comedy, but it is not just hapless jokes without any real substance; Delivery Man actually has another side to it, a side that tugs on the heartstrings a bit.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on February 24th, 2014
“My name is Michael Westen. I used to be a spy…”
How fitting that this single statement be both the introduction and conclusion of a momentous series. If you can’t tell, I’ve been a fan of the show since the very first episode, but it’s actually much more than that. I’ve been a fan of Jeffrey Donovan since his first USA network Touching Evil. More to the point, in my opinion Burn Notice was the series that made it possible for the flurry of original programming that came after it. Perhaps I give the show too much credit.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on February 19th, 2014
“There is something seriously wrong with this sorority.”
Well, well what would life be without its little mysteries? It was only just yesterday that I found myself watching old episodes of Kevin Sorbo in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and now here I am reviewing one of his movies. Coincidence or fate, you tell me? Albeit the man of god-like strength is not the focus of the film, but, of course, with a title like Sorority Party Massacre, I trust you will have no trouble figuring out what takes place in this movie. And if you do have trouble, I would recommend another movie altogether.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on February 14th, 2014
It is never an easy thing to have to pick up the pieces to a former life that was believed perfect, especially when you are completely blindsided by that life’s destruction. That is the circumstance that both leads Garcelle Beauvais and Brian White find themselves in And Then There Was You. The film features a couple of familiar faces including Leon, Lynn Whitfield, as well as Greg Vaughn, who I haven’t seen since his short stint on Charmed.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on February 7th, 2014
“A successful breakout depends on three things: Layout, Routine, and Outside Help.”
You know, there was a time when the public could only dream of an Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone team-up. Now thanks to a little film called The Expendables, when it comes to the realm of action star team-ups, anything is possible. Case in point: Escape Plan. When this film was first announced, I figure it would be devoid of any real substance and just another attempt to capitalize on the success of Expendables
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on February 5th, 2014
It can never be said that there is not a certain allure to living dangerously; whether it be skydiving (something I will be becoming very familiar with in the near future), bungee jumping, skiing, snowboarding, or deep sea scuba diving, it is well known and accepted that each one of these activities carries an inherent risk to them, but as I said, there is a certain allure to living dangerously. Shane McConkey was the embodiment of that belief.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on January 30th, 2014
Aw, another tale of biochemical-induced zombies on the verge of causing an apocalypse; it’s good to see that the film industry’s recycle mill is still in working order. This time around the focus is seventy years after the battle of Stalingrad. (Well, at least the focus isn’t on Nazis this time; I guess we can consider that a small victory.) An outbreak of a nerve gas contagion has resulted in the creation of mutated men best characterized as zombies. By now you can probably assess that going into this film, my expectation for the success of the film were not that high, and now that the credits have rolled, I can say nothing has changed.
Posted in: The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on January 16th, 2014
“You’re not just an analyst anymore. You’re operational now.”
Witness the birth of-- actually make that rebirth of --one of the most popular action heroes in literature. Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan has been a character of many jobs and many faces over the years. Baldwin, Ford, and Affleck have all stepped into the role of the man who has been a soldier, analyst, an operative, and a president. Now Chris Pine looks to fill the shoes left behind by some of Hollywood’s heaviest hitters and try his hand at a retelling of the legendary character which also stars Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley, along with Kenneth Branagh who doubles as the film’s director.
