Tombstone

Only took 800+ reviews to finally get around to Tombstone.

No need to even review it, 10/10, bye. I don't even care if it's romanticized or dramatized, 10/10. I've just been informed by the producer (El Duderino) the review must continue. So yeah Tombstone, probably one of the most loved and classic westerns in cinema, made at a time where there was this tiny resurgence of the genre in the 90s with other examples like Unforgiven and Dances With Wolves, and while granted I have not seen Unforgiven I will go out on a limb for now and say Tombstone is the best of the 90s westerns. And why that is, is surprisingly hard to articulate, it very much is a case of you just need to see it. The plot like most westerns is fairly simple, Wyatt Earp and his brothers, along with his good friend Doc Holliday have just moved to the town of Tombstone to start a new life but get caught up in this gang called the Cowboys who have come to do two things, drink and f*** shit up. This eventually leads Wyatt to pretty much going on this crusade to wipe the gang out completely, and yeah there is quite a bit more to the story than that but it really is hard to explain it when it can only be experienced. The production is excellent, with massive sets, great costumes, the cast is top notch and I seriously could not ask for better, and I feel the big draw and the love this movie has garnered over the years is down to these characters and the cast. You give me Kurt Russell as a badass leading man, I will praise your movie. I don't make the rules, I just follow them. And the problem is, I can go on for considerable time about these characters and the performances given, but there is a limit to how much text I can put on a page and I only have so much time. Val Kilmer is the stuff of f***ing legend in this film, everyone and I do mean everyone who has seen this movie claims Doc as their favorite character and for good reason. Of course I gotta give some major love to Sam Elliot and Bill Paxton, how could I not when they give a very strong familial bond with Wyatt and bring a lot of likability. Even the bad guys in this are super memorable and really enjoyable, Powers Boothe is having a wild time with this role and Michael Biehn I feel gets the worst death out of everyone in the film I mean holy gotdamn! Nothing but A-game acting here. For a more than 2 hour movie the pacing is great, and regarding the fact the film is more about the historical life of Wyatt Earp it doesn't feel school history video, or slow, or boring. Even the big gunfight at the O.K. Corral isn't made a huge deal of, despite the tension and action being executed perfectly, it's not trying to be the best western movie, it's just trying to be a good movie, but all the elements here propels it to being one of the best. There's a lot to unpack from quotable dialogue, character interaction, metaphors to the literal Four Horsemen, heavily dramatic scenes that are so fullblown you still love them, romance that while very old fashioned is still really nice, just go watch the damn movie. I ain't suggesting, I'm telling. 4 stars, 10/10, I'm out! See you tomorrow.

Predator 2

Honestly I couldn't tell you which one I like better, the first or the second.

Predator 2 seems a logical sequel because it increases the stakes, references the original, and most importantly builds upon the mythos and lore of the Predators. The film takes place in Los Angeles, already an interesting and cool setting for the film to take place in where we meet a group of cops led by our good friend Danny Glover, as they encounter mutilated bodies of gang members and slowly piece together that the killer may be something more than human and has pinned Danny as a special target. Already, a fantastic setting cause you know some guy was like, "Dude, what if a Predator got loose in like New York City, that would be wild!" so it's a logical progression to go from a jungle to an urban jungle and honestly Los Angeles from the 80s to the late 90s was a pretty crazy scene to be sure and this film almost exaggerates it with massive gang member shootouts, pedestrians locked and loaded, and cops barely able to hold the city together. Now it may actually be like that so the film could even be a time capsule of Los Angeles in 1990! But the movie does so much more than that, it's still just as engaging as the first movie and the body count is ridiculous with the gore cranked up big time, our new cast though not as memorable and cool as Arnold's is still really good and come on if Bill Paxton is in your entourage you got something good. Speaking of Bill, I noticed a very Aliens scene in this movie which I never noticed before and yes this is the film that sparked Alien Vs. Predator and yes it is awesome how they do it. But what I especially love is how much Predator action we get, with new gadgets, a new look, we get glimpses into their culture and beliefs through actions, architecture, customs, and even how long the Predators have hunted here on Earth. It's very fascinating stuff that I hope we see more of in the new movie. So yes I am very torn on which film is better, the first was an action movie with a sci-fi twist and the second is like a crime suspense movie with good chunks of horror goodness. So I guess it all depends on what appeals to you more. I may say I like Predator 2 more, but we gotta wait till Friday to know which is the best. Check back for that and we shall see which is truly superior

Aliens (1986)

Is this movie better than the first? Well it all just depends, do you like horror or action more?

So Aliens takes the franchise into an action territory with stellar results. The movie takes place 57 years after the original Alien, with Ripley found by a salvage team still in cryo-sleep. She awakens to find that the original planet that her crew found the alien has been colonized, and they've lost contact. So send in the marines, with Ripley as their advisor to clean house, and rescue as many as people as possible. Yeah right. I can't even explain how the base looks on the planet, it's beyond description. The only thing I can say is, it's bad. But that doesn't cover it. The tension is brought on tenfold from the first Alien movie, since you know there isn't just one alien but hundreds if not thousands. Now the marines are the best part and it shows because even today they have a stallwart and heavily devoted fanbase, each marine brought on the force feels like real soldiers, they badmouth and talk shit to each other, but in the end you still know they are a tight team. Vasquez is one bad ass motherfraker, Hudson is just awesome (Thank you Mr. Bill Paxton for continuing to be awesome!), and the surprising thing is that there isn't tok much action in the movie. We have the initial encounter with the aliens, the fight in the nest which takes out damn near every marine, and then the escape from the planet, and the fight with the queen. And that kind of pisses me off, how easily almost all the marines are wiped out. Now I know the reason why, these guys are way too confident and are over their heads, not even slightly prepared for the threat. Acting wise, leaps and bounds better than Alien, not just with the character interaction with the marines but Ripley herself. I mean after all that crap she put up with in the first movie she is fed up with the bullshit, and she kicks ass! Obviously it goes deeper than that but we got to move on. Sets....whew. The sets, first movie ain't got nothing on this film. You thought they were ipressive before? You don't even know. The design is still the same even though we jumped ahead almost 60 years, which is fine but the less I say about the look of the film the better I think you will enjoy it. A feast to the eyes if I've seen one. The climax is impossible to forget, the action is great, characters are memorable, and many people consider this to be superior than the first. In fact, you could argue more people saw this movie than the first, due to it being a popular VHS rental so more people saw the sequel first. Action is more accesible than horror for most people, which is fine. I get that. I took me until I was about halfway through my teen years to start loving horror movies, I was a pansy as a kid. But interests grew through years and years of slowly being exposed to it, to the point where I greatly enjoy it. And I hope you enjoy these movies too, and look forward to seeing Alien Covenant in theaters tomorrow. I know I certainly am, first Alien movie I'll see in theaters. Well that's it for now, game over man. Game over.

Weird Science

Yeah this is my favorite John Hughes film.

Ah, Weird Science a movie where two young lads create a perfect woman with their computer...and SCIENCE!! And actually while watching this movie again I had a stunning realization, this movie is the prototype of Her. No seriously, it has a woman born of computer technology, has a romantic relationship with somebody, makes sure that their partner has someone with them, and although Weird Science is a comedy and an excellent one at that it still has a lot of emotion and some real heavy hearted stuff. I just love this movie more than any other of John Hughes work, I enjoy the idea of the movie, the characters are hilarious, there is a serious message and it's stated a few times and it really sticks with you, the look of the film is very cool, the humor is very good, and the effects still hold up pretty well. The casting choices are just right, we have Anthony Michael Hall in it and Ilan Michael Smith as two geeks and their chemistry together is what makes the film funny, we have Kelley LeBrock as Lisa their creation and she does kinda steal the show but you still enjoy her nevertheless, Bill Paxton as Chet the very military big brother is friggin' busting my gut funny in this movie he's awesome! The movie is a blast to say the least, I've yet to meet anyone who said they didn't like Weird Science. Every scene you feel belongs like, you really couldn't cut anything out or change the dialogue because it would hurt the movie. But my absolute favorite scene is when they go to this night club and they are the whitest white boys ever but then they cut back and they are like the coolest cats in town, and it's funny as all get out and I can actually relate to that situation, cause I'm as white as it gets but people still say I'm the coolest person to hang out with and it makes me laugh my ass off, cause you wouldn't think that. But, it definitely deserves to be watched because it is a very good film and not too many people know about it, which is kind of a shame! I think you'll really like the movie, so just give it a shot and see what you think.

 Okay, tomorrow you knew we had to review this one. It's John Hughes people, it's inevitable! Everyone says it's his greatest film and if you haven't seen it yet...my God.