Historical Reviews
Some of my favorites
Braveheart (1995)
William Wallace is a Scottish rebel who leads an uprising against the cruel English ruler Edward the Longshanks, who wishes to inherit the crown of Scotland for himself. When he was a young boy, William Wallace's father and brother, along with many others, lost their lives trying to free Scotland. Once he loses another of his loved ones, William Wallace begins his long quest to make Scotland free once and for all, along with the assistance of Robert the Bruce.
​
This was one of my favorite movies of the '90s. Mel Gibson does a fantastic job of telling the story. The movie is graphic but well done. The romantic side is subtle and understated and that was good for me, as I am frustrated by the graphic nature of sex scenes today when they are not needed to advance the story. This is a movie that I feel deserved all the awards it won and I recommend it very highly.
Ranking 9.5/10
Die Hard (1988)
Storyline
NYPD cop John McClane goes on a Christmas vacation to visit his wife Holly in Los Angeles where she works for the Nakatomi Corporation. While they are at the Nakatomi headquarters for a Christmas party, a group of robbers led by Hans Gruber take control of the building and hold everyone hostage, with the exception of John, while they plan to perform a lucrative heist. Unable to escape and with no immediate police response, John is forced to take matters into his own hands.
This is the pinnacle of guys movies. It has a great villain "Hans" it has great one liners, and lots of over the top action. Lets be serious. This movie will not win any awards for best picture, but where lacks of academy performances and story it makes up for in machismo and explosions. This is what all other action movies are ranked against in my mind. John McLane in the guys hero.
Ranking 9.5/10
Super 8 (2011)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpzUCA5i6zY
Storyline
SPOILER: In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth - something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.
This is a great throwback to the wonderful movies in the '80s. I love the mood of this movie and the casting was wonderful to get the sense of the awkward teenage experience mixed with a terrifying ordeal. Some of the special effects could have been polished a little more but the story is strong. This movie is often overlooked for the large blockbusters of late. Definitely worth a watch.
Ranking 8/10
Blade Runner (1982)
In a dystopian 2019 Los Angeles of towering skyscrapers, the grizzled former Blade Runner, Rick Deckard, is called out of retirement when four rogue Nexus-6 replicants steal a spaceship and illegally enter Earth to find their creator, Dr Eldon Tyrell. As the synthetic humanoids become increasingly desperate to locate him, the officious bounty hunter, Deckard, leaves no stone unturned in the futuristic, neon-lit metropolis, trying to track down and "retire" the dangerous androids. However, more and more, Rick finds himself grappling with conflicting emotions. Will he let uncertainty, and even empathy, get in the way of duty?
​
​
The Boondock Saints (1999)
Two Irish brothers accidentally kill mafia thugs. They turn themselves in and are released as heroes. They then see it as a calling by God and start knocking off mafia gang members one by one. Willem Dafoe plays the detective trying to figure out the killings, but the closer he comes to catching the Irish brothers, the more he thinks the brothers are doing the right thing.
​
What a fun surprise of a movie. This is a great film to watch when you want to escape the day to day, and just laugh at how ridiculous an action movie can be, and still be entertaining. There are so many over-the-top characters in this movie and I love them all. There is a lot of swearing in this film so you should prepare yourself for that, but if you can get past it, you will find yourself laughing at some twisted humor. You will know what I mean when you see the cat scene. If you have a weird sense of humor and like a good action flick, give this one a try.
Ranking 8/10
Starship Troopers (1997)
In the 23rd century, while colonizing new planets, humans have encountered a hostile non-technological insectoid species known as Arachnids, but commonly referred to as "Bugs". The Bugs appear to be little more than savage, unrelenting killing machines, though there are suggestions that they were provoked by the intrusion of humans into their habitats.
​
One of my favorite Sci-Fi moves from the '90s still holds up when watching today. The cheesy narration in this movie always makes me laugh, but it harkens back to world war two days when recruitment videos were made in the same style. One of the great subtle things in this movie is the romantic undertones that are visible but do not distract you from the main story of the war against the bugs. I watch this one every few years and always enjoy it. If you have not seen it add it to your list. You will laugh and be entertained by the humor and the action.
Ranking 7.5/10
​
Streaming:
