Posts by Jeremy Butler

Not sure if this film will go down in history for any real significant impact. However, there is one important gem to take away from this film: this is the movie where the king of cool found his queen. That’s right, The Experts is the movie in which John Travolta met Kelly Preston, and the rest, I suppose, is history, as the two went on to have a nearly thirty-year marriage until her tragic death in 2020. In the film, it is quite fitting that the two served as each other’s love interests, despite some clear geopolitical differences. I’d say that is putting it mildly given that Preston is a Russian sleeper agent and Travolta is the unwitting American who is teaching her to pass for American.

I was expecting a stereotypical action movie chock full of cheesy one-liners. Not quite what I got. There were one or two cheesy one-liners, such as “cleanup on aisle 3.”  However, for the most part, I’d say Stone Cold holds its own in the entertainment category. Serving as the acting debut for former NFL linebacker Brian Bosworth, I’d say the film served as a solid opening to an on-and-off acting career. In this showing, Bosworth stars as a cop with a reputation for excessive force and maverick-like methods for getting the job done. After his latest stunt lands him a three-week suspension, he finds himself at the mercy of the FBI, who want to use him for a undercover operation, which many others would consider a suicide mission. Rounding out the cast are William Forsythe of Sam McMurray, Richard Gant, and Lance Henriksen serving as the film’s big bad. For a 30-year-old movie, I’d say that the film held up well in regards to action and dialog.

“Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!”

That is all that was heard when George Foreman won his first heavyweight championship. He entered that match an underdog despite his superior size and reach, and he shocked the world when he knocked the then-undefeated Frazier down six times on his way to TKO victory. However, that is just where he journey begins. Thanks to Big George Foreman, we get to see his journey in its entirety, in one of the most accurate and faithful biographical adaptations that I’ve ever seen. Key thing to know about me: I am a big boxing fan, so any opportunity I have to enjoy a movie about a boxing legend is a good day. This is no exception, as my knowledge about this hall-of-famer, such as his hard upbringing and the fact that he gave all his sons the same name, was limited; Big George Foreman, at least for me, shone a light on a boxing figure who probably doesn’t get the recognition he deserves.

I kind of felt like I was brought in at the middle of the story. The story is intriguing nevertheless. I’m a sucker for a good fashion heist movie or con movie. In some respects, Righteous Thieves is both. However, I would have appreciated greater context before being dropped in the middle of things. As the film opens up, we are brought into a flashback featuring a younger version of our main character, Annabel, as she attempts to steal a valuable painting. She is discovered by the painting’s owner, who instead of turning her in, takes her in. Based on this introduction, I was expecting the owner, Josef, to be a prominent member of the film. I suppose in spirit he is, but this is the only interaction we get with him, which to my mind was not enough to make the needed lasting impression. In my opinion, we could have benefited from more inclusion of this character, even if it was simply in flashback form. It would have gone miles towards connecting more with the Annabel character played by Lisa Vidal. Vidal isn’t the only familiar face, as the film also features Twilight’s Cam Gigandet, as well as Station 19’s Jaina Lee Ortiz and Carlos Miranda.