2012 (2009)

When I first saw the previews for this movie, I rejected it because it reminded me of the Nicolas Cage movie KNOWING, which scared the hell out of me. And If went to see this movie, it would be the same thing. But I started to have a change of heart. I finally saw 2012, and I really liked it. This film had very little terrifying moments including some moments involving some of the characters losing their loved ones. The first time I saw the scene when Los Angeles gets completely destroyed on YouTube, it freaked the hell out of me. But when I saw it again from the finished film, it added some comedic humor to it. John Cusack (Jackson Curtis), Amanda Peet (Kate Curtis), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Dr. Adrian Helmsley), Thandie Newton (Dr. Laura Wilson), Danny Glover (U.S. President Thomas Wilson), Oliver Platt (U.S. Chief of Staff Carl Anheuser), Tom McCarthy (Gordon Silberman), Morgan Lily (Lilly Curtis), Liam James (Noah Curtis), Zlatko Buric (Yuri Karpov), Beatrice Rosen (Tamara), Blu Mankuma (Harry Helmsley), and George Segal (Tony Delgatto) were all terrific in their performances as the survivors who struggle to survive against a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world. And as for Woody Harrelson, his performance as the Yellowstone radio host Charlie Frost was both funny and terrific. The visuals of this movie, from the Los Angeles earthquake sequence to the tidal waves over Mount Everest, were all incredible to watch. Especially the Yellowstone Caldera eruption, I thought that was really incredible. The song “Time for Miracles” by Adam Lambert was very good. Like Irwin Allen’s THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE and THE TOWERING INFERNO, Roland Emmerich, the man who brought us INDEPENDENCE DAY and THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, directed the ultimate disaster movie for the 21st Century. And Like ARMAGEDDON, I regret not seeing this movie in theaters when I had a chance.

Speed (1994)

All Right, Pop Quiz: a 90’s Hollywood movie that’s like DIE HARD on wheels, directed by a Dutch cinematographer, and starring two future movie stars, one a future Academy Award winner, and set in Los Angeles, California. What do you do? … WHAT...DO…YOU…DO? Watch the 1994 action/thriller SPEED. Written by Graham Yost (Broken Arrow, Hard Rain), the film tells the story about Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves), a young rebellious L.A.P.D. SWAT specialist who must save a group of passengers, including a feisty woman name Annie Porter (Sandra Bullock), from a city transit bus that a revenge-driven bomb extortionist (Dennis Hopper) rigged to explode if it drops below 50 m.p.h. I can still remember the first time I heard about this movie was watching one of the film’s TV Spots and it was also the first movie I ever heard of both Reeves and Bullock. The film also features Joe Morton (Terminator 2: Judgment Day) as L.A.P.D. SWAT Lt. ‘Mac’ McMahon, Alan Ruck (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) as the annoying bus passenger Doug Stephens, Beth Grant (Donnie Darko) as the terrified fellow passenger Helen, Glenn Plummer (The Day After Tomorrow) as Jaguar owner Maurice, and Jeff Daniels (Dumb & Dumber) as veteran L.A.P.D. SWAT Officer Harry Temple. I think the best scene would have to be the famous jump from a 50 ft. gap on the freeway. Coming off cinematography from such hits: DIE HARD, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, LETHAL WEAPON 3, and BASIC INSTINCT, This was Jan de Bont’s first feature film as Director and would later go on to direct the hit 1996 movie, and one of my personal favorites: TWISTER. The role of Jack Traven was turned down by a lot of big actors at that time; such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Jeff Bridges, and Johnny Depp. It was also the same thing with the Annie Porter role; it was offered to Julia Roberts, Jodie Foster, Demi Moore, Halle Berry, Diane Lane, Winona Ryder, and even Ellen DeGeneres. Reeves did 90% of his own stunts, including the jump from a Jaguar onto the bus. Released on June 10, 1994 in 2,138 theaters, the little action film debuted at the number one spot at the box office, grossing $14.5 million on its opening weekend. It went on to gross $121.3 million domestically and $229.2 million internationally for a worldwide total of $350.5 million. Next to DIE HARD and LETHAL WEAPON, SPEED is one of the greatest action movies of all time and is a true classic to all movie lovers.

The Negotiator (1998)

This is one of those of those movies I wish I saw in theaters, but I was nine years old when it came out in the summer of 1998, and that movie is THE NEGOTIATOR. Directed by F. Gary Gray (Friday, The Italian Job, Law Abiding Citizen), The film tells the story about Danny Roman (Samuel L. Jackson), a top notched Chicago Police negotiator, accused of corruption and his partner's murder. In a desperate attempt to prove his innocence, Roman takes Internal Affairs Division Inspector Niebaum (J.T. Walsh); his personal assistant Maggie (Siobhan Fallon Hogan); his own police Commander Grant Frost (Ron Rifkin); and a two-bit con man Rudy Timmons (Paul Giamatti) hostage in a government office building, and asks for another top notched negotiator name Chris Sabian (Kevin Spacey) to gain time so he can find out the truth of what’s happing. The performances of both Jackson and Spacey, who both appeared together in one of my favorite Joel Schumacher films "A TIME TO KILL", as the two police negotiators from opposite sides were sensational. The movie was originally written for Sylvester Stallone playing Sabian and Spacey himself as Roman. After Stallone turned down the role, Spacey took over and his original role was recast to Jackson, who both co-starred in Joel Schumacher’s 1996 film A TIME TO KILL. I thought they were both sensational in this film. F. Gary Gray directed an incredible supporting cast of actors; not just Rifkin (TV’s ALIAS), Walsh (Breakdown), Fallon Hogan (Men in Black), and Giamatti (in one of his earlier supporting roles); but David Morse (The Rock) as Chicago SWAT Police Cmdr. Adam Beck and the late John Spencer (TV’s The West Wing) as Chicago Police Chief Al Travis. On a minor sad note, this was J.T. Walsh’s final film. Three months after he finished working on this film, He died from a heart attack on February 27th, 1998 at the age of 54; this is one of the three movies, along with PLEASANTVILLE and HIDDEN AGENDA that was dedicated to him. Filled with action, suspense, and an incredible ending, THE NEGOTIATOR is one of the best movies I have ever seen.

The Terminator (1984)

Way before his scored big with TITANIC and AVATAR, Canadian born James Cameron was a struggling filmmaker who had a nightmare he had about an invincible metal skeleton robot coming out of a fire and was going to kill him, and it gave him the idea of creating a 70’s horror slasher type action/sci-fi movie called THE TERMINATOR. Set in 1984 Los Angeles, a human looking but unstoppable cyborg assassin (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is sent back thru time from the year 2029 to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton, whose future son is the leader of the human resistance against the machines, while another being, a human resistance soldier name Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn), is also sent back thru time to protect her. T2 was the 1st one I saw, but I would never see T1 till I was probably nine years old. Although I liked the action, I think of this movie as more of a horror film than an action film because of the look of the movie and the way Arnold Schwarzenegger played the Terminator was creepy but awesome. What’s interesting is that he was originally offered the role of Kyle and Cameron almost picked a fight with Arnold about the role, but he immediately changed his mind and thought he was much better suited for Terminator. I'm a sucker for old fashion movie making because I love how they made this movie by using stop motion control for the climax of the film. And that the great Stan Winston took Cameron's idea and make it come to life. I love Terminator 2, but I do like The Terminator. It is an 80's classic!

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

When I watch the 1st one, I think of it as more of a horror movie. But For T2, I think of it more like a kick ass action movie. In 1984, Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) was originally targeted for termination but failed. Eleven years later, her son John (Edward Furlong), who is ten years old, is now the new target when Skynet sends a much more advanced Terminator called The T-1000 (Robert Patrick), that’s composed with “a mimetic polyalloy” liquid metal that can take shape or appearance from anything it touches, while the future John sends a reprogrammed T-800 Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), identical to the one that tried to kill Sarah, to protect his younger self and attempt to prevent Judgment Day. I was two years old when it came out in July 1991 and it was first out of all the films I saw when I was probably eight years old. I would sometimes have to imagine Christian Bale, who later goes on to play John Connor in TERMINATOR SALVATION, watching this movie when he saw it on the big screen when he was seventeen years old. Robert Patrick’s T-1000 is one of my favorite movie villains, next to Jeremy Irons’ Scar and Jim Carrey’s Riddler. I remember almost everybody from my high school preferred T2 than T1 and T3, and this were before T4 came out; maybe it’s because of Arnold playing the ‘good’ Terminator. The 1st one is a classic, but TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY is, hands down, the best out of all the Terminator movies.

Terminator Salvation (2009)

Unlike the first 2 Terminator films, I was very disappointed of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003). I thought they were finished making these movies. Christian Bale himself said the same thing. But this is the one we haven’t seen and it involves John Connor (Bale) leading a group of survivors for the war against the machines in the year 2018. As he struggles to find his father Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin), Connor comes across a mysterious stranger name Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), who all he remembers was being on Death Row in 2003. They both embark on a dangerous journey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they will uncover the terrible secret behind the possible end to mankind. I thought McG’s version of The Terminator was very awesome and entertaining to watch. I thought Bale’s performance as John Connor was pretty bad-ass, Worthington’s (Avatar, Clash of the Titans) performance as Marcus was good, and Yelchin’s (Star Trek) performance as the teenage Kyle Reese was also good. Director McG (Charlie’s Angels) directed a very incredible cast of actors that includes Bryce Dallas Howard (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) as Connor’s wife Kate Brewster, Common (Smokin’ Aces) as Connor’s right hand man Barnes, Moon Bloodgood (Eight Below) as the “no-nonsense but battle-hardened” pilot Blair Williams, Michael Ironside (Total Recall) as General Ashdown, and Helena Bonham Carter (Fight Club, Planet of the Apes) as Dr. Serena Kogan. I love how some of the scenes were references from T1 and T2, that includes a T-800 walking upstairs, the Guns N’ Roses song “You Could Be Mine”, and John Connor’s PIN Number computer. I also loved how some scenes makes you feel like you’re also running along with the characters away from the machines. On a sad minor note, Stan Winston, the man who made the Terminators come to life in the trilogy, passed away while filming on June 15th, 2008 and it was dedicated to him. I loved how Danny Elfman was chosen to do the music for the film to turn original composer Brad Fiedel’s themes with a Wagnerian quality to them. With Incredible action sequences and great special effects, I add TERMINATOR SALVATION to the Sci-Fi/Action movie classics next to The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

National Lampoon's Senior Trip (1995)

The first time I heard about this film is when I saw the film's theatrical trailer on my VHS tape of THE MASK: The Animated series when I was seven years old and I’ve been wanting to see it ever since, and I finally did at age 18 and I thought it was Laugh out loud funny. The actors who played the high school misfits and slackers, such as Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker, S.W.A.T.) in his feature film debut as the drug addicted underachiever Mark ‘Dags’ D’Agastino, Eric 'Sparky' Edwards (Problem Child 2, Sgt. Bilko) as the overweight slob Miosky, and Tara Strong (who plays the voices of Dill Pickles in RUGRATS and Timmy Turner in THE FAIRLY ODDPARENTS) as the provocative and promiscuous Carla Morgan were great. However, I thought Michael Blake who plays the death obsessed Herbert Jones was kind of creepy, and Kay Tremblay as Moss’s assistant Mrs. Winston was annoying. Matt Frewer (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Watchmen), whose performance as the nerdy and unassertive high school principal Moss was hysterical and I liked him in this movie. I’m not a fan of Tommy Chong, who plays the constantly stoned, drug addict bus driver Red, but I thought he was all right. And let’s not forget Kevin McDonald's performance as the idiosyncratic, STAR TREK fanatic Travis was both creepy and very funny. This one of the funniest comedies I’ve ever seen and when you see it, you'll laugh your ass off. I guarantee it!

Metro (1997)

I love all of Eddie Murphy's action movies, from his feature film debut as the cool, wisecracking convict Reggie Hammond in 1982’s 48 HRS to best role as Detroit Police Detective Axel Foley the BEVERLY HILLS COP trilogy. And his 1997 action-comedy METRO is my favorite film of his. This movie came out when I was in third grade at age eight and I never saw it till it was on TV many years later and I liked it. I thought Eddie's performance as the wisecracking San Francisco Police negotiator Scott Roper, who seeks revenge against a dangerous jewel thief who killed his best friend, was very good. Almost as good as Axel Foley, only he was more serious than what we usually see him in the B.H.C. films. However, he did bring some laughter to the role. What’s interesting about this movie is that when he was working on this film in the summer of 1996, he was getting huge reviews for his previous performance in the hit comedy THE NUTTY PROFESSOR. I also loved Michael Wincott’s performance as the psychotic Michael Korda. This movie along with THE CROW and THE THREE MUSKETEERS are my favorite performances of his. All the other actors: Michael Rappaport (Higher Learning) as Roper’s sharpshooting new partner Kevin McCall, Carmen Ejogo (What’s the Worse That Could Happen?) as Roper’s girlfriend Ronnie Tate, Art Evans (Die Hard 2) as S.F.P.D. Lt. Sam Baffert, and Denis Arndt (Basic Instinct) as S.F.P.D. Captain Frank Solis were good. However, I thought Paul Ben-Victor’s performance as Korda’s mentally retarded cousin Clarence Teal was disappointing for me. Thomas Carter, who brought us SAVING THE LAST DANCE and COACH CARTER, directed a very gritty, action-packed popcorn movie that I really enjoyed and is one of my favorite action movies.

L.A. Confidential (1997)

I've heard about this movie almost all my life since it first came out when I was in the 4th grade and I’ve would never see it till I was nineteen, ten years after it came out in theaters, and thought it was really good. Released in September 1997 and based on James Ellroy’s 1990 crime fiction novel, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL tells the story about three very different 1950’s Los Angeles Police Officers: the slick and likable Hollywood Sgt. Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey); the violent and most feared Officer Wendell ‘Bud’ White (Russell Crowe); and a by the book golden boy Det. Lt. Edmund Exley (Guy Pearce), who all investigate an all night diner shooting that becomes a mystery involving heroin, prostitution, and corruption. I loved both performances by Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce. When the filming of this movie was underway in the early summer of 1996, the execs at Warner Bros. Studios and the film’s producer Arnon Milchan were against the director’s idea of casting two non-American actors (who both Crowe and Pearce in real life are Australians) for the roles of Bud White and Ed Exley, but they were both unknowns at the time and Milchan was worried about the idea but later got over it. I also thought Spacey, along with Danny DeVito as the sleazy tabloid journalist Sid Hudgens; James Cromwell (Babe) as the Irish-American L.A. Police Captain Dudley Smith; David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck) as billionaire Pierce Morehouse Patchett; and Kim Basinger, in her Academy Award winning performance for Best Supporting Actress, as the Veronica Lake lookalike call-girl Lynn Bracken, were all fantastic in their roles. Director Curtis Hanson (8 Mile, Wonder Boys, The River Wild) directed a damn good crime thriller that's filled with lots of twists, surprises, and some good action that make it a true Hollywood movie classic.

Terminal Velocity (1994)

This is one of those movies I grew up watching since I was seven years old and I would consider this film as one of those action movies that are entertaining to watch about a daredevil maverick skydiver name Richard ‘Ditch’ Brodie (Charlie Sheen), who takes a skydiving instruction for a beautiful new client name Chris Morrow (Nastassja Kinski), who apparently dies from her first jump. Ditch discovers that Morrow faked her own death and is really a Russian spy. The two unlikely team up to stop a mafia of Russian criminals from stealing a shipment of Russian gold. Sheen had some funny moments during the film. Like for example: seeing his 1970 white Dodge Charger being totally shot by the bad guys was hilarious. For the film’s cast: Christopher McDonald (Happy Gilmore) plays an aggressive, blonde haired Russian who loves his 1993 red Cadillac Allanté. And James Gandolfini, in one of his earlier roles, plays an interesting performance as a seemingly mild-mannered deputy district attorney from Tucson, Arizona. The first time I saw this movie, I had no idea that was Gandolfini till later over years I would hear about him in The Sopranos. This movie has two incredible action sequences, like when Sheen and Kinski ride a 350 mile per hour jet engine thru the desert and when Sheen drives McDonald’s car out of a plane while it’s in the air. I can still remember watching a behind the scenes glimpse on how they shot the car jump sequence by using 23 of the same Cadillac Allantés and completely destroyed nine of them. With incredible action sequences, from either the sky or the ground, TERMINAL VELOCITY is one of those action movies (from the 90’s) that are entertaining to watch.

The Boondock Saints (1999)

I am a fan of revenge/vigilante films and I've have heard about this movie all my life since it first came out when I was in the 6th grade. I saw half of it during my senior year in high school and I never saw it again. Three years later, I watched the whole thing and I enjoyed it. I thought both Sean Patrick Flannery and Norman Reedus' performances as the vigilante brothers Connor and Murphy McManus were both funny and brilliant. David Della Rocco was also good. And let me not forget about both Willem Dafoe, as FBI Special Agent Paul Smecker, and Billy Connolly, as “ll Duce”, was terrific in their performances. One of the minor characters: Doc, played by Irish actor Gerard Parks, I thought he was hilarious. I think the best scene for me would have to be when the Saints say a speech that they intend to eradicate evil wherever they find it, recite their prayer and kill the mob boss Papa Joe Yakavetta. Troy Duffy directed a very brilliant action/crime/thriller with a twist of comedy and it should be watched to every movie lover everywhere.

The Boondock Saints: All Saints Day (2009)

I wanted to see this film when it came out but I never did. And now, I regret it. I saw this and unlike the first one, I loved it. It was a lot funnier and awesome to watch Sean Patrick Flannery and Norman Reedus as the Irish vigilante McManus brothers Connor and Murphy return to bring justice to those responsible for the murder of a beloved priest. It was great that director Troy Duffy brought back a lot of the actors from the first one, Like David Ferry (Dolly), Brian Mahoney (Duffy), Bob Marley (Greenly), Gerard Parks (Doc), and David Della Rocco. And as for the new characters: Clifton Collins Jr. (Star Trek) as the wild and emotional Mexican sidekick Romeo, Julie Benz (Rambo) as Smecker’s FBI southern replacement Eunice Bloom, Judd Nelson (The Breakfast Club) as Don Yakavetta’s son Concezio, and Peter Fonda (Easy Rider) as Louie “The Roman” were all terrific. And I thought Billy Connolly, who returns as “ll Duce”, was a lot better than he was in the first one. I loved the action, the comedy is hysterical, and there were some sad moments, THE BOONDOCK SAINTS II: ALL SAINTS DAY is one of the greatest sequels I’ve ever seen.

Iron Man (2008)

I've seen X-MEN, SPIDERMAN, HULK, DAREDEVIL, FANTASTIC FOUR, and THE PUNISHER and thought they were good. But I thought IRON MAN was the best one and I loved it. Based on the Marvel comic book, Industrious genius and playboy Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) invents a technologically advanced powered exoskeleton and becomes a red and gold colored armored superhero to fight against evil. I'm glad Jon Favreau chose Robert Downey Jr. for the role of Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man, which made him a born again movie star. I thought he was both funny and awesome. Jeff Bridges I thought was very good in his performance as Obadiah Stane. Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Terrence Howard (Lt. Colonel James “Rhody” Rhodes), Faran Tahir (Raza), Shawn Toub (Yinsen), and Leslie Bibb (Christine Everhart) was also good. Jon Favreau, who appears in the film as Tony’s chauffer Happy Hogan, directed a kick ass comic book movie that’s got great action scenes and amazing special effects.

Iron Man 2 (2010)

I really enjoyed 2008’s Iron Man. And it also made me become a fan of Robert Downey Jr. Two years later, Downey returns to the role that made him a born again movie star as billionaire inventor Tony Stark aka Iron Man. In this installment, Stark, who has revealed himself to the press he’s IRON MAN, faces pressure as he refuses to hand over the Iron Man technology to the U.S. Government, a rival weapons business manufacturer (Sam Rockwell), his friendship with Lt. Colonel James “Rhody” Rhodes (Don Cheadle), and the son of a brilliant Russian physicist (Mickey Rourke) who has built himself his own but deadly arc reactor-based weapon to exact revenge on Tony Stark. I thought this movie was a continuing part of the first Iron Man but I really enjoyed the action sequences of the film. Downey and Gwyneth Paltrow were terrific together. Scarlett Johannson’s performance as Natalie Rushman / Natasha Romanoff was good. I thought Don Cheadle as Rhody aka War Machine was a lot better than Terrence Howard did in the first one. Sam Rockwell as the cocky Justin Hammer was good. But I thought Mickey Rourke’s performance as Ivan Vanko was both badass and brilliant. Although I’m not a fan of Rourke and I saw very little of The Wrestler, but I have to say that this is the best performance of his I’ve ever seen. It was nice to see Leslie Bibb return making a small appearance as Christine Everhart, Samuel L. Jackson as S.H.E.I.L.D. director Nick Fury, Garry Shandling as Senator Stern, Kate Mara as a U.S. Marshall, and the late Adam Goldstein aka DJ AM as himself. Being that Jon Favreau is the film’s director, he was good as he reprises his role as Tony’s chauffeur Happy Hogan. The music is this film with songs from AC/DC, Queen, and Tupac Shakur was great. One minor note that I think is great is that Robert Downey Jr.’s wife Susan Downey, who works for Joel Silver, is one of the executive producers of the film. IRON MAN 2 is one of the best sequels I have ever seen that’s got great action and great entertainment all rolled into one.

15 Minutes (2001)

Filmed in the early summer of 1999 and was slated to be released in the spring of 2000 but pushed back to March 2001 by unknown reasons. Written and Directed by John Herzfeld (2 Days in the Valley), 15 MINUTES is an action crime thriller about a celebrity N.Y.P.D. detective (Robert De Niro) and a young, media-naive F.D.N.Y. Fire Marshall (Edward Burns) who team up to track down two sociopathic eastern European killers (Karel Roden and Oleg Taktarov) – who are filming their sadistic murderous crime spree so they can spin into their own stardom. Herzfeld got the idea for this movie as a study of the country’s fascination with celebrity, thus the title’s reference to Andy Warhol’s famous quote about “15 minutes of fame”. This movie features a cast of familiar faces from Television’s greatest shows: Kelsey Grammar (Frasier), Melina Kanakaredes (CSI: NY), Avery Brooks (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Darius McCrary (Family Matters), and Kim Cattrall (Sex and the City) to Small appearances from David Alan Grier (In Living Color), Anton Yelchin (Star Trek), and Charlize Theron (who made her film debut in 2 Days in the Valley). The last part of the cast list that I should point out is Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, The Departed), in one of her earlier film roles who plays as a Czech immigrant working as a hairdresser who witnesses the killers murder a couple. I thought both De Niro and Burns were terrific together, as have Roden (Hellboy, RocknRolla) and Taktarov (National Treasure, Predators). Kelsey Grammer played the same kind of character who reminded me of William Atherton’s DIE HARD character Richard Thornburg, but I thought he was good though. The most intense scene would have be when the killers kidnapped De Niro and the best is when Burns takes Roden to the abandoned warehouse threatening to kill him. I would have to say that 15 MINUTES is one of the most intense but entertaining movies I have ever seen.

Showtime (2002)

Robert De Niro, Academy Award winning actor in such classic films: The Godfather: Part II, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Heat, and Analyze This. Eddie Murphy, one of Hollywood's box-office hit comedians in such classic films: Beverly Hills Cop, 48 Hrs., The Nutty Professor, Shrek, and Dreamgirls. Who would have thought that "Shanghai Noon" director Tom Dey brought two of Hollywood's greatest actors to star in the action-comedy-buddy cop movie SHOWTIME. A buddy cop movie spoof about two very different L.A.P.D. police officers: Mitch Preston (De Niro), a hard-nosed detective who cares only about his job and nailing crooks. Trey Sellars (Murphy), a wannabe actor who would rather play a cop on television than be an actual one. After a drug bust that goes sour, A TV producer (Rene Russo) pairs the two unlikely cops for a new reality show, kind of like COPS, that follows them through the streets of Los Angeles. And while their chasing bad guys, they begin to track down a dangerous criminal who has created a much more dangerous gun than anyone has ever heard or seen before. The first time I heard about this movie was looking thru an Entertainment Weekly magazine and seeing a photograph of De Niro and Murphy handcuffed to each other while hanging on the top of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in L.A. I went to see this movie on the day of 74th Academy Award show on March 24th, 2002, nine days after its release. This movie has some funny moments, a cast of familiar faces from Frankie Faison, Mos Def, De Niro's real life daughter Drena, Judah Friedlander, Kadeem Hardison, and the legendary William Shatner. Showtime wasn't a big hit at the box office, but it's a movie that's enjoyable to watch if you like Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy.

A League of Their Own (1992)

For Years, I watched a lot of movies that's dramatic, action-packed, or funny but I do watch a few chick movies. One of those movies is 1992's A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN. Based on a true story and set during the Second World War, It’s the story about the first All American Girls Baseball League while the greatest male Baseball players of that time go off to war. I've been watching this movie since I was four years old. As years went by, I would have no idea that Director Penny Marshall picked an incredible group of actors and actresses, who I would later see in other movies: Geena Davis (Thelma & Louise), Rosie O’ Donnell (Sleepless in Seattle), Lori Petty (Free Willy), Jon Lovitz (City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly’s Gold), David Strathairn (L.A. Confidential), Bill Pullman (Independence Day), Téa Leoni (in her first movie role), Megan Cavanagh (Robin Hood: Men in Tights), Penny Marshall’s daughter Tracy Reiner, Wayne Gretzky’s wife Janet Jones, and Pop Music Icon Madonna. It’s nice that Garry Marshall appeared in this movie as Harvey Candy Bar owner and A.A.G.P.B.L. Founder Walter Harvey. After all, he’s Penny’s brother. And as for Tom Hanks, his performance as the loud mouth alcoholic coach and former baseball great Jimmy Dugan was the best and I think, one of his greatest performances. It’s weird for me to see Madonna in this movie as she plays man-loving center fielder ”All the Way” Mae Mordabito, but I thought she was great. The best scene is when Tom Hanks does the famous “There’s No Crying in Baseball” sequence. I love the song that Madonna sings at the end of the movie “This Used to Be My Playground”. Filled with Comedy, Drama, and of course Baseball, A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen and I would definitely recommend this movie for everyone to see.

Tears of the Sun (2003)

I’ve heard about this movie for many years since it came during my freshman year in high school. I finally saw Director Antoine Fuqua’s 2003 action war thriller TEARS OF THE SUN and thought it was very entertaining. TEARS OF THE SUN is about a group of United States Navy S.E.A.L.S., led by loyal veteran Lt. A.K. Waters (Bruce Willis), who get sent to into the African jungles of Nigeria to rescue U.S. citizen Dr. Lena Fiore Kendricks (Monica Bellucci, THE MATRIX RELOADED and THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS), but she refuses to leave the refugees in her care. But when Nigeria’s democratic government collapses and gets taken over by a ruthless military dictator, Waters must choose between following orders from his captain (Tom Skerritt) or agreeing to Kendricks about getting the refugees to safety as they are being pursued by a rebel militia group who only have one goal in mind: assassinate Waters, his men, Lena, and the refugees. I thought Bruce Willis was fantastic in his performance as Waters, along with Monica Bellucci’s performance as Lena. The actors who played Willis’ unit; such as Cole Hauser (Good Will Hunting), Eamonn Walker (HBO’s Oz), Johnny Messner (Anaconda: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid), Paul Francis (Pearl Harbor), and Nick Chinlund (Con Air) were all terrific in their roles. I think the best scene out of the whole movie would have to be when Waters and his fellow S.E.A.L.S., along with Kendricks and her refugees, race to the Nigerian boarder in Cameroon while the rebels are on their trail. This movie was filmed entirely on location in the jungles of Hawaii to make it look like Africa and it was also the first time for the Nimitz –class nuclear aircraft carrier, The USS Harry S. Truman, to be filmed on their ship. I’m happy that Hans Zimmer (Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, The Dark Knight) was chosen to compose the music for the film and it was fantastic. Antoine Fuqua, the director of TRAINING DAY, directed an incredible military action thriller and I consider TEARS OF THE SUN one of my favorite Bruce Willis movies.

12 Monkeys (1995)

This film came out when I was in second grade and I finally saw it at age 19 and I loved it. This is one of Bruce Willis’ best performances as he portrays James Cole, a sociopathic convict from the year 2035, who goes back thru time to 1996 to gather information about an unknown but lethal virus that wiped out most of the human population from the earth. Brad Pitt’s performance as mental patient with animal rights and anti-consumerist Jeffrey Goines was fantastic. This was the third movie I ever saw that was directed by Terry Gilliam, being that I saw "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "The Brothers Grimm", and he directed a hell of a great Sci-Fi movie and it is one of my favorite Bruce Willis movies.

The Book of Eli (2010)

I've heard of Menace II Society, seen Dead Presidents and From Hell, but THE BOOK OF ELI is the best of the Hughes Brothers movies I have ever seen. Set in a post-apocalyptic America, a mysterious lone man name Eli (Denzel Washington) walks west along the Highway of Death on a mission he doesn’t fully understand, but knows he must complete. While on his journey thru the savage wastelands, He carries a backpack filled with guns, a machete, ammo, a bow and arrow, and an I-Pod. But most importantly, he carries the last copy of a sacred book, which holds secrets of saving mankind that he must protect from falling into the wrong hands of a resourceful warlord named Carnegie (Gary Oldman), who dreams of building more towns and controlling the people with the book’s power. This movie to me was an awesome, well crafted film that Allen and Albert Hughes directed. When I watched this movie, it was like looking at a painting because the colors in this movie were amazing. I thought both Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman's performances as Eli and Carnegie were each one of the best performances of theirs I've ever seen. The fight sequences, that Denzel himself did, was awesome to watch. I loved the fact that during the preparation of the film is that he trained in Martial Arts from Danny Inosanto, a former student and protégé of the legendary Bruce Lee himself. I thought the Hughes brothers picked a great stunt and fight coordinator in that of Jeff Imada, who did work on the movies FIGHT CLUB, THE BOURNE IDENTITY 2 & 3, and my two favorite movies: RAPID FIRE and THE CROW. As for the other actors: Mila Kunis (TV’s That 70’s Show) as Solara, Jennifer Beals (TV’s The L Word) as Solara’s blind mother Claudia, Ray Stevenson (Punisher: War Zone) as Carneigie’s enforcer Redridge, Michael Gambon (the Harry Potter trilogy) as George, musician Tom Waits as the Engineer, Frances de la Tour (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) as Martha, and Malcolm McDowell (Rob Zombie’s Halloween)as Lombardi were all great in their roles. With incredible performances by two amazing actors and some awesome action sequences, THE BOOK OF ELI is one of the greatest movies I’ve ever seen.

Edge of Darkness (2010)

I saw Mel Gibson in M. Night Shymalan's "Signs" in theaters when I was thirteen. And now, Eight years later, I finally saw EDGE OF DARKNESS and I loved it. Mel Gibson's performance as Boston Police Homicide Detective Thomas Craven was one of his best performances I've ever seen. There were scenes in this movie that were very intense but awesome. I loved the part when he finally kills the bad guys who killed his daughter. I also loved the performances by Danny Huston (30 Days of Night) as the shady Jack Bennett, Bojana Novakovic (Drag Me to Hell) as Craven's daughter Emma, and Ray Winstone (The Departed) as the mysterious Jedburgh, originally supposed to be played by Robert De Niro but dropped out due to creative differences while being on the set before filming started. That would have been cool if De Niro stayed on to work alongside Gibson. Gibson's line "You had better decide whether you're hangin' on the cross... or bangin' in the nails" is now one of my favorite movie quotes. EDGE OF DARKNESS is a hell of a great movie directed by Goldeneye and The Mask of Zorro director Martin Campbell. It is a definite must see!

Batman (1989)

I've went to see 1995's Batman Forever and 1997's Batman & Robin on the big screen when I was in elementary school. And just after I saw Batman & Robin, I was at home having dinner with my family, watching TV, and my Dad puts on the 1989 movie Batman. I never even knew about this movie, being that the 1st one I heard was Batman Returns. I watched the original Batman and thought it was very creepy, but I had no idea that years later that I found out that Tim Burton was the man who directed it. This movie was shot at Pinewood Studios in London and began filming a month after I was born. Over the years, I started to get use to this movie and it's one of my favorites. I loved how Tim Burton made this movie his own way like he does in his other movies. Jack Nicholson's version of The Joker was both funny and a little bit scary. I don't care which version is way better, I think both Nicholson and Heath Ledger are brilliant in their own way. The music by Danny Elfman, who did the score, and Prince, who wrote the songs, was fantastic. I loved how the movie ends with the music when we see Batman on top of a building and in the sky is his bat signal. That music is featured in the previews of the other Batman films. I've never read any of the comics growing up but I'll watch the films. Tim Burton's Batman is one of the best movies I've ever seen and it's a true classic to all movie fans.

Batman Forever (1995)

My Dad took me and my brother to see this movie when I was six years old and I loved it. The only thing I like about this movie is because of Jim Carrey. He was one of the reasons why I went to see this movie. His performance as The Riddler is one of his best. I used to have action figures and t-shirts of The Riddler, and even dressed up like him for Halloween that year when I was in elementary school. That's about it.

Batman & Robin (1997)

I went to see this movie with my family and this was the first movie I have ever heard and saw of both Uma Thurman and George Clooney, who was working on his 3rd season of "ER" and filming this movie at the same time in the same studio (Warner Bros.). What's funny about is that he wore his Batman costume while visiting his ER co-stars. I thought he made a good impression as Batman. And seeing Arnold as Mr. Freeze, that was really cool. Critics and Fans say this movie is bad, but I just liked the action. I consider this is only Batman movie that’s more family friendly that the other Batman movies.

The Dark Knight (2008)

I didn't like BATMAN BEGINS but I loved THE DARK KNIGHT. Christopher Nolan directed such an incredible and darker Batman movie than I have ever seen in the original Batman movies before. Christian Bale (Batman/Bruce Wayne), Michael Caine (Alfred Pennyworth), Gary Oldman (Jim Gordon), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Rachel Dawes), and Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox) were good. Aaron Eckhart's performance as Harvey Dent/Two-Face was very good. The only actor I loved in this movie is not only but the late, great Heath Ledger. His performance as The Joker, as said in his own words "sociopathic, psychotic, mass-murdering clown", was brilliant. When I first saw Ledger in his joker make-up, he reminded me of Brandon Lee in THE CROW. This is such an awesome movie and I'm very proud I saw it and of course seeing Heath in his final but brilliant performance. R.I.P Heath Ledger (April 4th, 1979 – January 22nd, 2008) you will be missed.

The Sandlot (1993)

This is one of those movies I grew up watching. It came out when I was four years old and I never saw it till it came out on video. Almost everyody I know, from school or anywhere else, we have all seen this movie and it's a cult classic to all of us. To people who don't know what this movie is, it's about a new kid name Scotty Smalls (Thomas Guiry), who moves into a new neighborhood with his family during the summer of 1962 and joins a baseball team of misfits, led by their hot shot leader Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez (Mike Vitar). During the whole film, they go from one adventure to another. From kissing a beautiful lifeguard at the local pool, playing a 4th of July nightgame and against a snotty rival baseball team, to the travelling fair, and last but not least: A legendary menacing baseball eating dog called "The Beast". I loved seeing Denis Leary (Bill), Karen Allen (Scotty's Mom), Marley Shelton (Wendy Peffercorn), Art LaFleur (Babe Ruth a.k.a The Great Bambino), and James Earl Jones (Mr. Mertle) make small appearences in this movie but I thought LaFleur's performance as The Great Bambino was the best. I love his line that he says to Benny: "Remember kid, there's heroes and there's legends. Heroes get remembered but the legends never die, follow your heart kid, and you'll never go wrong." David Mickey Evans directed an amazing movie about a group of nine kids who do nothing but play baseball in a small field, which they call "The Sandlot". A classic movie to us all.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)

This is one of those movies that I grew up hearing about and never saw, but I finally did see PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES and I loved it. What a movie about an uptight businessman (Steve Martin) trying to get home to Chicago for the holidays with his family, gets paired up with an obnoxious shower curtain ring selling blabbermouth (brilliantly played by the late, great John Candy), who turns his journey into a three day disaster of errors as one transportation problem follows another. My favorite scenes were when Martin frequently snaps and blames Candy for their misfortunes at the beginning and when they scream when their rental car is between the two trucks and you see their skeletons and Candy as the devil. I thought it was cool to see Kevin Bacon make a cameo appearance as he and Martin chase a Taxi in New York and some of the actors who appeared in Ferris Bueller's Day Off make cameos as airport workers. I loved the music that Ira Newborn composed in some of the dramatic scenes. Of all the Hughes Entertainment films I've seen: Home Alone 1 and 2, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Uncle Buck, Baby's Day Out, Weird Science, and Some Kind of Wonderful. PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES is one of the best movies that the legendary John Hughes wrote, produced, and directed of all time.

Face/Off (1997)

I wish to god I saw this movie on the big screen, but I was eight years old when it came out. I never saw it till I graduated high school. FACE/OFF is an action dramatic thriller about a very tough, rugged FBI Agent named Sean Archer (John Travolta) who obsessively pursues a sadistic terrorist-for-hire and criminal mastermind named Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage), who is also responsible for the death of his son. After he captures Troy and is presumed dead, Archer discovers that he has planted a bomb somewhere in the city of Los Angeles. So Archer goes undercover to find out where it's hidden as he undergoes a revolutionary medical transplant by 'borrowing' Troy's face. Suddenly, Troy awakens from his coma and wants revenge by using Archer's face and that's when everything hits the fan. This movie had a great cast of familar faces: Joan Allen (The Bourne Identity II & III), Alessandro Nivola (Jurassic Park III), Gina Gershon (Bound), Dominique Swain (Lolita), Nick Cassavettes (director of The Notebook), Colm Feore (The Chronicles of Riddick), Robert Wisdom (Freedom Writers), Stand Up comedian Margaret Cho, James Denton (TV's Desperate Housewives), CCH Pounder (Avatar), John Carroll Lynch (Zodiac), Danny Masterson (TV's That 70's Show), and Tommy Flanagan (Smokin' Aces). I'm surprised that actor Michael Douglas is one of the producers of this movie and it was originally written for Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone to play the lead characters. The only character that creped me out was Castor's paranoid schizophrenic brother Pollux, played by Nivola. What happens to his character is pretty intense. FACE/OFF is my only favorite John Woo movie that's got incredible action and stars two of Hollywood's amazing actors. It is one of those Action Movie classics that will have you on the edge of your seat and I really like that in movies.

Fight Club (1999)

This is one of those movies that I grew up hearing about. I was about eleven years old and in the sixth grade when this film came out in October 1999, and would later see this movie for the 1st time when I was a senior in high school and I remember one of my teachers reading Chuck Palahniuk's novel during class. I thought the performances of Brad Pitt (Tyler Durden), Edward Norton (The Narrator), Helena Bonham Carter (Marla Singer), Meatloaf (Robert 'Bob' Paulson), and Jared Leto (Angel Face) were all interesting to watch about two guys: an insomniac office employee (Norton) and a slippery soap salesman (Pitt) create a vent male aggression organization that soon becomes global. The only scene of the whole movie, which I thought was most intense, was the part when Norton’s character beats the living hell out of Leto’s character. From the director of Seven, Panic Room and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, David Fincher’s 1999 flick FIGHT CLUB is raw, funny, wild, intense, but entertaining to watch and it’s a Hollywood classic for all movie lovers to see.

Clash of the Titans (2010)

Now the original came out in 1981. I was born seven years later and I never saw it till I was eight years old. The only thing I still remember to this day was seeing Maggie Smith as the sea goddess Thetis. In April 2010 at age 21, I saw Director Louis Leterrier’s version of CLASH OF THE TITANS and I loved it. Unlike the 1981 film, this one is about the mortal son of god Zeus, Perseus, who embarks on a perilous journey to stop Hades from spreading his evil to the earth and as the heavens. Leterrier chose a damn good cast of actors: Sam Worthington (Avatar), Gemma Arterton (Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time), Mads Mikkelsen (007 - Casino Royale), Jason Flemyng (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Alexa Davalos (Defiance), Pete Postlethwaite (The Lost World: Jurassic Park), Nicholas Hoult (About a Boy), Liam Cunningham (The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor), Ashraf Barhom (The Kingdom), and both Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes (Schindler’s List); Who I thought were all fantastic in their roles. This was the first movie I ever saw Worthington in on the big screen, and I think of him to be a young Russell Crowe. I was surprised to see Danny Huston (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Edge of Darkness) make a small appearance as the sea god Poseidon. I also thought both Neeson and Fiennes’ performances as brother gods Zeus and Hades were totally badass. The locations in this movie, from Spain to the U.K., were fantastic to see where the film was taken place. The Kraken was a lot better than what I saw in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. I love how it gets destroyed and if you’re reading this and never saw the film, see it for yourself. CLASH OF THE TITANS is one of the best movies of 2010 I have ever seen. It is an ultimate classic for people of all ages to see.

True Lies (1994)

All I could say about TRUE LIES is that this was the 1st R rated movie that my father took me and my brother to see when I was five years old when it came out in the summer of 1994, the 1st Schwarzenegger movie I saw on the big screen and would later go to see some his other movies in theaters: Eraser, Jingle All the Way, Batman & Robin, and Terminator 3. And the 1st I’ve heard of actors Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Eliza Dushku, Grant Heslov, and Charlton Heston. Next to THE TERMINATOR and TERMINATOR 2, this is my favorite film that was directed by James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar). My favorite scenes are the mall bathroom fight scene and the scenes of Schwarzenegger in the AV-8B Harrier jet plane. I thought Art Malik's performance as the badass terrorist Salim Abu Aziz was good and how he got killed: F**king Awesome. The scene of Jamie Lee Curtis doing the famous hotel room strip dance, I mean hey, I was five years old and I didn't know what that meant. Odd, isn't it? I'm very proud of my dad taking to see this movie because he introduced me to action movies and I have been obsessed with them ever since. For anybody who loves action movies, I highly recommend TRUE LIES for everybody to see.

The Mask (1994)

The year was 1994. Jim Carrey, fresh off his work from the hit 90’s comedy sketch show “In Living Color”, scored with the box-office hit movie Ace Ventura: Pet Detective of that January. Five months later, He returned to the big screen in yet another comedy hit in that of THE MASK. In this film, Carrey plays Stanley Ipkiss, a luckless nice guy who works at a bank and his best friend is a Jack Russell Terrier name Milo, who finds a mysterious wooden mask which transforms him into a wacky, green faced cartoonish superhero. Based on the comic books by Dark Horse Comics, it was very dark and frightening and it was originally supposed to be a horror movie with some sense of humor, but the film’s director Chuck Russell (Eraser, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: Dream Warriors) decided it’ll would be a lot better as an explosive comedy. Thank God he was right. By surprise to me was that Russell wanted Carrey for the main protagonist cause he was a big fan of him on In Living Color, and I think this is one of the best performances of his I’ve ever seen. After this movie came out, it went on to a Saturday morning cartoon spinoff, which I happened to watch and come out with action figures, which also I owned some of them. Carrey became an international movie star with this film and later on with Dumb & Dumber and it would later make him go on to do Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Batman Forever, and so on and so forth. I recognized a lot of the supporting actors in this movie: Peter Riegert (Animal House), Peter Greene (Under Siege 2: Dark Territory), Amy Yasbeck (Robin Hood: Men in Tights), Reginald E. Cathey (S.W.A.T.), the late Denis Forest (Cliffhanger), the late comic Richard Jeni, and of course, Ben Stein (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off). For Riegert’s performance as the slightly cynical Lt. Mitch Kellaway, I thought he was a complete jerk. But Greene’s performance as the main antagonist Dorian Tyrell, I thought he was very good. And last but not least, Cameron Diaz in her feature film debut as the beautiful Tina Carlyle was great. There were a lot of great scenes like Carrey’s first transformation, which at first thought it was kind of scary when I first saw it at age six but later got over it, the balloon animal-carnival scene, and the Cuban Pete musical sequence. With the comedy of Jim Carrey and the visual effects from ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) thrown together, it makes THE MASK into one of the greatest comedies of 90’s and all time. SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSMOKIN'!

The Untouchables (1987)

Brian De Palma, the man who directed such hits as SCARFACE, CARLITO’S WAY, and CARRIE, brings us another hit movie of his in that of THE UNTOUCHABLES. Released in 1987 and set during the Prohibition days, The Untouchables is about four very different law men: Eliot Ness (KEVIN COSTNER), A federal agent/family man; Jim Malone (SEAN CONNERY), An old, Irish-American beat cop; Oscar Wallace (CHARLES MARTIN SMITH), a treasury agent accountant; and George Stone (ANDY GARCIA), an Italian, sharp-shooting police rookie, who all join forces to battle Chicago's notorious crime boss Al Capone (ROBERT DE NIRO) and his empire. I remember my Dad bought this movie on VHS when I was in middle school. I watched it with him for the first time and thought it was okay. Many years later, I started watching this movie again and began to like it and it became one of my favorite movies. There were some scenes that I thought were too extreme like a guy getting beaten to death with a baseball bat and another guy getting thrown off a roof and landing on a car. The music composed by Ennio Morricone, who also worked on one of my favorite horror films THE THING, was fantastic. I loved how the film started with the song “The Strength of the Righteous” and the scenes when The Untouchables stop a raid at the post office and on the U.S.-Canadian border with the song “The Untouchables Theme” playing in the background. The actors’ performances were fantastic, especially Connery, which won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1987. THE UNTOUCHABLES is one the best movies of the 1980's and one the greatest Gangster movies of all time. A+

Midnight Run (1988)

This Film came out two months before I was born and after reading about it in a Robert De Niro biography, I saw it for the first time when I was fifteen years old and it became one of my favorite movies. In MIDNIGHT RUN, De Niro plays Jack Walsh, a tough ex-Chicago Cop turned Los Angeles Bounty Hunter who tracks down Jonathan ‘The Duke’ Mardukas (Charles Grodin), a sensitive accountant who embezzled a Las Vegas mobster name Jimmy Serrano (Dennis Farina) $15 Million Dollars and gave it to charity. Walsh finds The Duke in New York City and transports him back to L.A. to get a $100,000, but it doesn't go so well when FBI Agent Alonzo Mosley (Yaphet Kotto) are after them, Serrano wants them dead, and a resourceful fellow rival bounty hunter name Marvin Dorfler (John Ashton) wants his bounty for the money. The performances of De Niro, Grodin, Kotto, Ashton, Farina, and Joe Pantoliano were brilliant in their roles. There are some great action scenes and both some hilarious and dramatic moments, from shoot-outs to chases, in this classic late 80's action-adventure comedy from Martin Brest, the director of Beverly Hills Cop and Scent of a Woman. MIDNIGHT RUN is to me one of the greatest movies I’ve ever seen and I highly recommend this movie to anybody that's a De Niro fan or Action movie fan.

Die Hard (1988)

Bruce Willis is one of my favorite actors. Hudson Hawk was the 1st movie of his I ever saw and it’s one of my favorite movies. I grew up watching some of his other films: Armageddon, The Jackal, The Whole Nine Yards, Mercury Rising, Striking Distance, and 12 Monkeys. But I did not see the one movie that made him an international movie star when I was nineteen years old, and that movie is DIE HARD. This movie came out two months before I was born and as before, I never saw it till I was nineteen. Just watching him as this tough New York City police officer name John McClane, who flies to Los Angeles to spend Christmas with his estranged wife Holly (Bonnie Bedila) and soon finds himself in a tough situation when a group of European terrorists, led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), seize over an LA high rise, takes everybody from the 30th floor hostage including his wife, and steal $640 million in bearer bonds that are stored in the building’s vaults. Luckily, McClane escapes. Launches a one man war against the terrorists and has to figure out how save the hostages, and his wife, before it’s too late… Was Incredible to watch. I loved the humor of the film, the action, and the quotes: “Welcome to the party, Pal”; “Jesus Christ Powell, he could be an f**king bartender for all we know”, and the performances of Willis, Bedila, Rickman, Alexander Godunov, Reginald VelJohnson, and Paul Gleeson. There were two things I hate about this movie: William Atherton as the scumbag reporter Richard Thornburg and the scene where Godunov’s character shoots glass to trap McClane and ends up getting his feet cut very badly. Die Hard is without a doubt one of my favorite action movies and it’s a true classic for all movie lovers to see.

Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990)

I saw this movie immediately after I saw the 1st one. Once again, Bruce Willis as John McClane takes on a group of military terrorists, led by a psychotic colonel (William Sadler), who take over Washington D.C.'s Dulles International Airport, to rescue a drug baron South American general (Franco Nero) from ever entering trial. I was surprised that Renny Harlin (Deep Blue Sea, The Long Kiss Good Night) was the man who directed this movie that featured a lot of familiar faces from Dennis Franz (TV’s N.Y.P.D. Blue) who plays the inept airport police chief Lorenzo, Fred Dalton Thompson as Trudeau, John Amos as the stubborn anti-terrorist Major Grant, and Robert Patrick (Terminator 2); John Leguizamo (Ice Age); and Vondie Curtis-Hall (TV’s Chicago Hope) as members of Sadler’s terrorist group. I also liked Tom Bower’s performance as the mild-mannered, WWII veteran, airport janitor Marvin. And like the first one, I hated seeing William Atherton as the scumbag reporter Richard Thornburg. Die Hard 2: Die Harder is a very entertaining sequel with lots of great action sequences from start to finish.

Die Hard With a Vengence (1995)

This was the 1st out of all the Die Hard movies I ever heard. I even remember watching the ending when it was broadcast on HBO when I was seven years old and I never saw it again till I was a teenager. For this installment, McClane (Bruce Willis) and an unwilling store owner name Zeus (Samuel L. Jackson) play a mysterious bomber’s deadly game of Simon Says while they race around New York City trying to stop him. This movie was originally developed as “Simon Says” that would’ve starred Brandon Lee and later considered the premise for Lethal Weapon 4. John McTiernan, the director of the 1st Die Hard, made this one into an action-packed rollercoaster ride with lots of huge action sequences. The scene where McClane is put into serious jeopardy while he is in Harlem was the most horrible sequence out of the whole movie. I loved the performances of Samuel L. Jackson as McClane’s reluctant partner Zeus and the incredible Jeremy Irons as the mad bomber Simon. I loved how this movie takes place in New York City. I mean hey, that’s why we know that John McClane is an N.Y.P.D. cop. DIE HARD WITH A VENGENCE, along with DIE HARD and DIE HARD 2, are the best ones I like and not including the 4th.

Live Free or Die Hard (2007)

I went to see this movie with my dad when it came out in theaters, only because I wanted to be one of those people who saw a Die Hard movie on the big screen. I didn't like the humor and its plot that has to do with computer hacking. Although, I thought Timothy Olyphant's performance as the terrorist leader Thomas Gabriel was great, I enjoyed seeing Kevin Smith, and liked some of the action sequences like the part when McClane and Farrell escape from the terrorists at the beginning of the film. I didn't like Justin Long; I think he was a bad choice for the computer hacker character Matthew Farrell. I was surprised to see Cyril Raffaelli, who played one of Olyphant's henchmen. He was in the Jet Li movie Kiss of the Dragon and he is an incredible martial artist. Sorry everybody, I'll stick to the first three Die Hard movies.

Lethal Weapon (1987)

Hollywood has made a string of incredible cop movies such as Bullitt, The French Connection, 48 Hrs., Beverly Hills Cop, and Die Hard. But one of those movies that I’m talking about is Lethal Weapon. Produced by Joel Silver (Predator), Directed by Richard Donner (The Goonies), and Released in 1987, the film is about two unlikely Los Angeles Police Officers: Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover), a sensible sergeant veteran and family man. And Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson), loose cannon of a cop with a death wish. They get partnered up, hate each other at first but soon work it out as they go after a gang of drug smugglers led by a ruthless retired U.S. Army general (Mitchell Ryan) and his psychotic enforcer Mr. Joshua (Gary Busey) . I really enjoyed this film; however there were some intense sequences like the opening of the film and the torture sequence. I’d prefer watching the director’s cut version because there is a great scene with Gibson’s character dispatching a sniper who’s was shooting little kids at a school. This was Mel Gibson’s second American role since 1984’s The River and his work as the homicidal Martin Riggs is one of his best performances I’ve ever seen. I also liked Danny Glover’s performance. Both Ryan and Busey were both very creepy but fantastic as the film’s villains. This movie made Donner, Silver, Gibson and Glover to go on to do three more hit sequels from 1989 to 1998 and I enjoyed all of them thoroughly. The song of the same name, performed by Honeymoon Suite, is one of the best movie songs I’ve ever heard. Lethal Weapon is an action movie classic that deserves to watch by every movie lover in the world.

Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)

After the success of the 1st Lethal, Director Richard Donner and Producer Joel Silver reteamed Mel Gibson and Danny Glover for the action-packed Lethal Weapon 2. Released in 1989, Riggs (Gibson) and Murtaugh (Glover) are assigned to protect an irritating federal witness name Leo Getz (Joe Pesci), where in his words “Whatever you need, Leo Getz!”, while they go after South African diplomats, led by Arjen Rudd, a ruthless diplomatic affairs minister (Joss Ackland) and his quiet but deadly enforcer Pieter Vorstedt (Derrick O’Connor), who are hiding behind diplomatic immunity to engage in criminal activities. Pesci got the idea of creating Leo after the employees at Disneyland’s Fantasyland and with his addition to the cast; Donner said it was like adding a third stooge to Gibson and Glover’s characters. This movie was both funny and explosive. The action is awesome. My favorite scene out of the whole movie is when Riggs tries to make a deal with Rudd and his men to leave the U.S. but it ends with a bang. I also loved the fact that Mel Gibson is a real life Three Stooges fan and there’s a scene where he is in his trailer watching a Three Stooges short called “Three Missing Links”. Why, because I too am a Three Stooges fan. One of the songs on the film’s soundtrack “Cheer Down”, performed the late great George Harrison, is great and it is one of my favorite songs. Lethal Weapon 2 is one of the greatest sequels I’ve ever seen.

Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)

Three years after the 2nd one, the boys are back at it again for a third Lethal Weapon. In this edition to the trilogy, Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Murtaugh (Danny Glover) go after an intelligent but ruthless former cop of their own, Lt. Jack Edward Travis (Stuart Wilson), who’s been stealing weapons and ammo from their Police Department depot. Helping them is always the irritating Leo Getz (Joe Pesci) and a beautiful but aggressive Internal Affairs Sgt. Lorna Cole (Rene Russo), who Riggs believes he’s finally met his match. I consider this one my favorite out of all of them because I liked both the story and the action and it was very dramatic in some points where it involved a teenager getting killed. Stuart Wilson, who I’ve seen in such movies like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, Enemy of the State, and The Mask of Zorro, was fantastic as the film’s bad guy. My favorite scene would have to be the film’s climax at the Mesa Verde housing development. Like in Lethal 2, there’s a scene which is only on the Director’s Cut that features Riggs watching a Three Stooges short “Calling All Curs” with his dogs and features a cameo appearance of Jack McGee as Mickey the contractor, who worked on Murtaugh’s Hobby Room in Lethal 2. One of the songs on the film’s soundtrack “Runaway Train”, performed by Elton John and Eric Clapton, is fantastic and like in the 2nd one, it is one of my favorite songs. Great Entertaining three-quell and when you watch this movie, be sure to watch the end credits for one more surprise!

Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)

For L.A.P.D. police officers Sgt. Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Sgt. Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover), they stopped U.S. Army drug smugglers in 1987, corrupt South African Diplomats in 1989, and a ruthless L.A.P.D. officer in 1992. In 1998, they go after Chinese triads, led by a deadly high ranking negotiator name Wah Sing Ku (Jet Li), while dealing with personal problems in the fourth and final installment to the Lethal Weapon trilogy. With them again is the always irritating Leo Getz (Joe Pesci), who is now a private investigator. Sgt. Lorna Cole (Rene Russo), who is pregnant with Riggs’ first child. And a newcomer: the serious but loudmouth L.A.P.D. Sgt. Lee Butters (Chris Rock). This was the 1st Lethal movie I ever heard. I was nine years old when it came out that summer; my parents went to see it while my brother and I went to see SMALL SOLDIERS. There were some great moments like when Riggs chasing one of the thugs through Chinatown, the freeway chase, and the infamous dentist scene. The most intense sequence would have to be the climax between the boys and Li. Speaking of Jet Li, who’s one of Hong Kong’s biggest stars at that time; this was his first American movie was kind of creepy in his performance. In an interview he did while filming, he said He’s big fan of the Lethal Weapon films and was happy to be a part of it. I would have to say that LETHAL WEAPON 4 is the most intense and most entertaining one I’ve ever seen. THE LETHAL WEAPON movies ARE ACTION MOVIE CLASSICS AND YOU WILL LOVE THEM!