Donna: Welcome to the newest addition of "Five
Favorites" with Michael Siegel! This month we decided to take on our
"Five Favorite Action Films released since 2000". For this list we
wanted to focus as much as possible on pure action films. For that reason we
decided to exclude the vast majority of superhero, sci-fi, or martial arts
films, as we were really trying to focus on pure action. However, if we felt that
the action in a excluded movie was just too good we agreed that we would allow
its inclusion. We capped the release date for this at 2000 - anything released
before that year was also excluded. We wanted to focus on what the genre looks
like today and not be tempted to fill our lists with old favorites.
We pooled our thoughts and came up with a short list of 30
films. Narrowing that down to just five was tough for me and I found myself
unable to not pick one sci-fi film for my final list. Honorable mentions for me
go out to "Valhalla Rising", "Machete",
"Unstoppable", and "Kick Ass".
Mike: This was tough for me, as most of the action movies I
watch slide into science fiction or superhero categories. Maybe it’s my
perception, but we don’t seem to be getting the kind of pure action movies we
did twenty years ago when Schwarzeneggar and Stallone ruled the box office.
Almost everything these days is part of genre franchise.
Nevertheless, here is my list, with only a little bit of
rule-bending. I do want to make an honorable mention of “Kill Bill”. Kill Bill is a great action movie. Unfortunately, that great movie is wrapped up
a bloated 2-volume package. If you
edited them down to one movie and cut the total run time by about 40 minutes,
it would probably be near the top of this list. Its action scenes are excellent,
the acting is great and the dialogue solid. But it is a prime example of what
I’ve disparaged as action movie bloat. I
also decided, at the last moment, to drop “Master and Commander” from my list
because it is as much drama as action and I’ll hold it back for a post on
criminally-underrated films.
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Donna's #5: "Death Race" - Yes, this is a totally
cheesy film with a flimsy plot and some questionable acting. But the action?
It's non-stop and totally adrenaline filled. Jason Statham is quite good but
it's Ian McShane that sells the film with his swarmy humor. The racing scenes
are just incredible and the film is filled with wonderfully gruesome violence.
If you're looking for a solid plot and well-drawn characters along with your
action this isn't for you. But if you're just looking for a good hundred
minutes of speed and death and slickly filmed action scenes then go no further
- this is the film for you.
Mike’s #5: “300” - My
first pick is also cheesy and ridiculous but still an adrenaline-fueled ride.
None of the actors tries to pretend he’s in anything other than a ridiculous
action movie and that makes it work. The visual style is stunning, the dialogue
suitably overblown, the action clear and the stakes high. I initially did not
like this film a lot because I wanted something more serious about the Battle
of Thermopylae. But over time, I’ve come
to like it for what it is.
Donna's #4 - "Act of Valor" - Filmed by actual
Navy SEALS and based on actual events, this action thriller broke new ground in
cinema. It was quite well received and with good reason - the action is
wonderful and terribly realistic because it's performed by real, highly trained
soldiers. However, the reason for its success is also the reason for its
downfall. Because these are soldiers and not actors the acting is truly weak,
enough so as to be distracting. When the action stops the movie falls apart
quickly, but the quality of the action sequences is so damn good and well
filmed that, in the end, it really doesn't matter. This is a must see for
action fans as it will give you a new appreciation of what real combat looks
like.
Mike’s #4 – “V for Vendetta” – Another comic book
adaptation, one disparaged by some of the fans. But this is another movie that
succeeds because of excellent visuals and great action sequences as well as
Hugo Weaving’s excellent voice work. The sense of momentum in the final act is
palpable.
Donna's #3 - "Battle: Los Angeles" - As
"Battle: Los Angeles" is a sci-fi/action flick this is my one real
conceit from the rules of this list. However, I was so taken with it that I
couldn't imagine my list not including this really amazing film. Both the
sci-fi elements and the action in this film are tremendously strong. The film
is perfectly paced, not too long, and has a plot that is really quite
believable and solid. The direction is just outstanding, particularly in the
long, elaborate battle sequences that make this film truly outstanding. There
really wasn't a weak spot in this film, and it is so adrenaline filled that I felt
it had to take the #3 spot on my list.
Mike’s #3: “Hot Fuzz” – Really, you could put all three of
the “Cornetto Trilogy” movies on this list. All three are good, but Hot Fuzz is
my favorite. It is wickedly satirical, darkly hilarious and absolutely mind-bogglingly
over-the-top bloody in its action. What elevates this movie to greatness and
garnered a spot on this list is that while it’s mocking action movies, it’s
also a fun action movie in its own right. The fight scenes are delivered with
skill and energy, it never loses its sense of fun, it never loses track of
what’s going on and it has a really slimy villain. Ironically, it’s a better
action movie than the hordes of overlong joyless movies it is satirizing.
Donna's #2 - "White House Down" - The first thing
I thought when I saw this film was that we finally had a true successor to the
"Die Hard" legacy. That's tall praise but I stand by it as this is a
truly solid film from top to bottom. Channing Tatum is the perfect action star,
possessing the needed charisma to truly command a screen. The plot, while
far-fetched at times, was actually believable and sold so well by the stars
that I bought it hook, line and sinker. The direction was also very strong with
well edited and perfectly paced action sequences throughout. I can easily see
this becoming a franchise like "Die Hard" did - that's how strong I
felt it was. A true standout.
Mike’s #2 – “Pacific Rim” – This would not make a list of my
best science-fiction movies. But it does make a list of my best action movies
because it is more of an action movie than a science fiction one. As I said in my initial review, imagine
Transformers, but, you know, good. Pacific Rim is silly and over-the-top and
wonderful. It has a tremendous sense of fun. We see absolutely every beat of
the script coming, but enjoy them because it does such a bang-up job with them.
And the action scenes -- especially the long middle sequence through the
streets of Hong Kong --deliver more adrenaline, more drama and more thrills
than all three Transformer movies combined.
Donna's #1 - "Chronicle" - Maybe it's because I
really love these through-the-eye-of-the-camera films when they're done right.
Maybe it's because telekinesis is my own power of choice. Maybe it's because I
understood, related to, and totally got every character's motivation throughout
the film. Maybe it's because the action is so incredible I got totally sucked
in. In the end, it's all these things and more. "Chronicle" captured
me from the very beginning and never let me go. I spent the entire end of the
film on the edge of my seat with my hands over my mouth is awe. This is a
tremendous film with some of the coolest action I've ever seen, and it's one of
my favorite films in recent history. For me, there was only one choice for the
top of this list, and "Chronicle" owns it.
Mike’s #1 – “Kick-Ass” - While we excluded most superhero
films, this really isn’t a super-hero film.
It’s a send-up of superheroes, action movies and original stories (and
yes, that makes three comic book adaptations and two parodies in my list). As I
said in my initial review, if I took the movie seriously, I would be horrified
by the sight of a pre-teen girl hurling profanities and brutally slaughtering
rooms full of bad guys. But the movie is so ridiculously over-the-top, so
obviously satirical that I found myself grinning through the cursing and
bloodshed. It helps that the script sands off the more cynical and darker
corners of the graphic novel. Like “Hot Fuzz” this a better action movie than
the movies it is mocking.
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Thanks for joining us for another addition of "Five "Favorites" and we'll see you again next month!
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