absolutebadasses

Two years after being left for dead, a retired hitman sets in motion a carefully crafted revenge plan against the killer : I remember watching Daniel Benmayor‘s Tracers back in 2015 and being a little underwhelmed, it was an average movie with very little to write home about apart from some promising action sequences, roll on 6 years and we have the latest from the Spanish filmmaker XTREMO and HOLY BALLS this movie totally gave me a white knuckle ride, it’s pure guilt free entertainment and although the story is similar to those that’s come before there’s just something about the films star Teo García who plays Máximo that gives Xtremo that extra bite, the intensity and cruel nature of those bone crunchin, sword fighting, nail gun tooting action scenes are reminiscent of John Wick and The Raid but stamped with Benmayor‘s own filmmaking flare and so much fun to watch : along with Garcia’s Maximo Xtremo has a whole bunch of badass characters including Sergio Peris-Mencheta’s Finito a real nasty son of a bitch who gives us the audience someone to hate during those early parts of the movie, Óscar Jaenada’s Lucero who grew up with Maximo but turns all power hungry by attempting to kill everyone in his path, and then we have the kickass Maria played by the beautiful spaniard Andrea Duro who works for Lucero, that scene with Maria and Maximo on the training matt is a delight, we get to witness their undoubted connection, their passion & energy burns through the screen : so if your a fan of these high tempo, high body count action movies that are well choreographed & filmed in the most beautiful of places (in this case Barcelona), even containing bits of humor in the midst of all the violence (such as Lucero handing a delicious looking cake to one of his henchman and returning 5mins later to find it’s been eaten) then Xtremo will fit the bill and may give you a new hero to root for…. let’s hope the movie’s a success and Benmayor gets to film a sequel : EXPLOSIVE FUN ★★★★

A criminal mastermind unleashes a form of justice that will terrify in a new chapter from the book of Saw : Let’s dive straight in and get to the nitty gritty… DON’T listen to anybody who says that SPIRAL is like Fincher’s Se7en or that the movie is shifting in a new direction NO it is not : Darren Lynn Bousman’s movie is NOT a new beginning it’s just a pure and evil continuation of the dark & gory horror franchise that I love with every insane horror bone in my body : Bousman himself is a veteran of the SAW movies directing Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, so let’s be honest Lionsgate wasn’t about to change the formula were they? and can you blame them…. yes Spiral is a tad predictable, but the writing is sharp with it’s focus on police corruption, it’s pace is quick and it’s creativity in setting up those grizzly murders is top draw and kept my butt clenched throughout… the cast ain’t too shabby either with stand out roles from Chris Rock who actually suits playing a lead detective, Samuel L Jackson, Max Minghella and Marisol Nichols who all fuel to this well oiled horror franchise : so if you’ve been a fan since 2004 and love your horror to contain plenty of blood and twisted carnage then SPIRAL will fill that 90min void with it’s own cruel blend of sick entertainment ★★★½

Nick Bannister, a private investigator of the mind, navigates the darkly alluring world of the past by helping his clients access lost memories. Living on the fringes of the sunken Miami coast, his life is forever changed when he takes on a new client, Mae. A simple matter of lost and found becomes a dangerous obsession. As Bannister fights to find the truth about Mae’s disappearance, he uncovers a violent conspiracy and must ultimately answer the question: how far would you go to hold on to the ones you love?

From the co-creator of Westworld and directorial debut of the Lisa Joy comes Reminiscence a movie that looks insanely familiar yet mind blowingly cool in a Christopher Nolan kinda way : I love the imagery, futuristic film noir setting and love story vibes and the cast is not too shabby either with Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson and Thandiwe Newton taking central roles : check out the trailer below, the movie lands on August 20th 2021

Clint Eastwood : 91 Today

Posted by absolutebadasses on May 31, 2021

Posted in: Views. Tagged: actor, bluray, cinema, cinephile, clint eastwood, cop thrillers, director, dirty harry, dollars trilogy, dvd, eastwood movies, film star, happy birthday clint eastwood, harry callaghan, high plains drifter, hollywood, movies, photography, the stranger, western. Leave a comment

“I love every aspect of the creation of motion pictures and I guess I am committed to it for life”

Born in San Francisco, California in 1930 and with over 50 acting roles, 40 directorial credits, a whole bunch of original music and 4 Academy Awards CLINT EASTWOOD is the epitome of the word LEGEND : he’s 91 today, he’s still working & his latest film Cry Macho lands in October……… (Happy Birthday Clint)

A prequel feature following a young Cruella de Vil : Craig Gillespie directs CRUELLA like Joel Schumacher directed his Batman movies with passion & enthusiasim, using the screen as his canvas by splashing color throughout his sets and giving us some of the most exciting and vibrant costumes I’ve seen put to film : I love Dodie Smith’s novel and of course the 60s animated gem The Hundred and One Dalmatians and yes I even have a soft spot for the Glenn Close‘s 1996 movie but if I’m honest neither compare to watching Emma Stone transform herself into this excitingly fresh, refreshing edgy Cruella de Vil, there’s a bubbly confidence that oozes from Stone, an actress who just keeps getting better and better with each role so watching her take on this iconic Jekyll and Hyde persona, dressing in the coolest of clothes, pulling her trademark faces and filling the screen with so much energy was an absolute delight : there’s so many crazy good scenes in Cruella like the Baroness party where the team try and steal the necklace, the prison break, those early childhood moments captured giddly by the maestro that is Nicolas Karakatsanis and each and every time Cruella sabotages one of the Baroness’s fashion shows : it’s over two hours of joyous cinema that lifts you up and puts a smile on your face, with characters such as Jasper & Horace played by Joel Fry and the brilliant Paul Walter Hauser respectively, Estella’s side-kick the adorable Buddy (and of course the master of disguise Wink), a bouncy soundtrack that matches it’s 70s setting and a Disney Villain in Baroness von Hellman done justice by the wonderfully delicious Emma Thompson : so if you fancy a giggle then take yourself to the cinema and watch CRUELLA you’ll have a wickidly good time ★★★★½

A chilling true story of the supernatural, a violent murder and an unknown evil that shocked even the experienced paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren : If like me your a fan of The Conjuring franchise and invested in it’s characters and the horror universe it plays out in then Michael Chaves movie will get under your skin and deliver plenty of knee jerks, shivers and chewing of finger nails, yes of course I was disappointed to hear James Wan wasn’t returning to the franchise he started but after watching Michael Chaves brilliant directorial debut The Curse of La Llorona I was more than happy to enjoy another chapter of Conjuring : the third film of course sees the return of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren a real life husband and wife team of paranormal investigators who are now looking into the possession of David a young boy from Connecticut and the alarming events that followed : I watched this movie on the big screen, allowing the darkness of the movie theatre to consume me I was ready…. or so I thought…. in typical Conjuring fashion those sudden ear bursting moments of screaching SOUND really caught me off guard, especially at the beginning of the movie when David is being tormented by some evil entity and Ed & Lorraine with the help of some family members & a local priest are trying to perform an exorcism really startled me…. and AGAIN when David goes all Regan on the dining room table the SOUND matching the horrific intensity of the scene, really standing my hair on end : loved the nod to The Exorcist early on as Father Gordon arrives standing outside the Glatzel house looking up at the window, so poetic, Ed & Lorraine’s love story arch with it’s emotion and early flashback are beautifully handled (that gazebo scene had me like niagara falls), the supporting cast that includes Fringe’s John Noble (when is he not great eh?) & Ruairi O’Connor who I last seen in Teen Spirit are excellent and along with the well worked screenplay written by Aquaman’s David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick it’s the chemistry of it’s two stars Wilson and Farmiga that once again deliver believable and emotional characterisation of the Warren’s, this third film has more backstory allowing both stars to grow their respective roles even further : overall THE CONJURING 3 is a superb entry into the franchise and one that has everything you’d want from a horror movie : it’s super SCARY, has a COMPELLING and facinating story and the ATMOSPHERE you could cut with a knife ★★★★

A woman wakes in a cryogenic chamber with no recollection of how she got there : Oxygène is yet another example of why I’m bonkers over French filmmaker Alexandre Aja, he’s currently in My Top 10 filmmakers directing horror/scifi, I mean his debut is still one of the scariest slasher movies in the last 20 years in High Tension, he’s directed good remakes of The Hills Have Eyes and Piranha 3D, the supernatural Mirrors that starred Kiefer Sutherland certainly had it’s moments, the brilliant Daniel Radcliffe led Horns just blew me away and 2019’s Crawl made my best of list that year, an aligator pic that’s delicious on every level, fast paced, inventive and downright scary……. now it’s 2021 and I’ve just watched the magnificent Frenchman’s latest Oxygène and WOW it’s bloody good : shot during last year pandemic and starring Inglourious Basterds Mélanie Laurent this is one helluva nerve shredder, from those opening ten minutes your sucked into a claustrophobic mind melt trying to find out answers to what’s going on as you discover the main character has just woken up in a medical cryo chamber, her oxygen levels are dangerously low and she has to first find out how she ended up in this cryo whilst trying to preserve as much oxygen as she can whilst trying to deal with the internal workings of the chamber that’s only assisted by a rather creepy AI named Milo : Christie LeBlanc’s screenplay debut and the acting by Laurent are what makes Oxygène such a facinating (I still can’t stop thinking about it), utterly engrossing (watching the change of emotion from Laurent as she discovers that little bit more about herself and her where-abouts as her Oxygen decreases) and it’s disturbing reveal (it’s crushing yet hopeful depending on which side of the fence you sit) : overall Oxygène is another hugely enjoyable nail biter from Alexandre Aja and one I can’t wait to revisit ★★★★½

Two Sightseers charter a seaplane and it’s experienced crew to fly to a remote part of the Australian coast called Hells Reef when their fun turns into a real nightmare after a man-eating shark wants them for lunch : there’s been many imitators since Spielberg released his classic 1975 movie JAWS, some have relied on poor CGI with no story, others have decided on the gore route with cheese-o-rama dialogue often with actors that the studio have found dossing around some local shopping mall or the like but on the odd occassion a film comes out that takes elements from those good ones that have come before, giving the viewer an enjoyable ride and Martin Wilson’s film debut GREAT WHITE is one of them movies : I really love the way the film starts with Luke and Tracy enjoying as couples do the beauty of their surroundings then boom, the attack comes from nowhere, a circling predator, the sail mast and the chilling last moments of Tracy floating, unconcious in the waters depths : The films cast is led by The Bold and the Beautiful’s Katrina Bowden and Aussie actor Aaron Jakubenko who was last seen in Tidelands, Kaz & Charlie run their own business, owning a seaplane and taking passengers to some of the scenic spots in the country, I loved Katrina & Aaron’s energy, their chemistry and both are believable in their respective roles, their joined by the talented trio of Tim Kano, Kimie Tsukakoshi who play the tourists out to see the beauty of the area and Te Kohe Tuhaka’s Benny a likeable part of the crew stealing many of the scenes with his humor and deadpan stares, some of the film was shot just north of Brisbane on the Redcliffe Peninsula and the photography by Tony O’Loughlan really captures the fear, mystery and beauty above and below the surface of the ocean, I was also impressed by Tim Count’s haunting music that seemed to fit each scene of Wilson’s movie so well : So if your looking for one of those Syfy Shark movies with a bloodbath and cheap thrills such as Sharknado or Trailer Park Shark then don’t waste your time with Martin Wilson’s Great White a film that’s much more polished, much more of a tension driven, white knuckle ride that slowly builds in it’s first and finishes with an exciting, pulse racing climax, a film that overall I thoroughly enjoyed and I expect in years to come with multiple viewings it will garner it’s own fan base ★★★★

Harvey Keitel : 82 Today

Posted by absolutebadasses on May 13, 2021

Posted in: Views. Tagged: bad lieutenant, film collector, film nerd, film website, films, Harvey Keitel, harvey keitel images, like, love movies, mean streets, movie fan, movies, new yorker, reservoir dogs, taxi driver. Leave a comment

Happy Birthday to the GREAT New Yorker HARVEY KEITEL : in my eyes he’s up there in the top 20 actors of all time, displaying passion & energy in some of my favorite films of all time : I remember watching Harvey give a powerhouse of a display for a young Scorsese in Mean Streets alongside De Niro and after watching realising this guy is gona be the new Brando, of course his collaborations with Marty are incredible and some of his best work but for me My top two Keitel performances both came in 1992 and both exploded from the screen like a stick of dynamite, Mr White in Quentin Tarantino’s debut Reservoir Dogs and of course his raw and disturbing LT in Abel Ferrara’s no nonsence Bad Lieutenant : for me Keitel stands tall with the greats of film, his performances have been varied and most of all consistently GREAT : Happy 82nd Legend !!

Frank McRae (1941 – 2021)

Posted by absolutebadasses on May 6, 2021

Posted in: Views. Tagged: 007, 1941, 48hrs, Batteries Not Included, character actor, film blog, film characters, film collection, film geek, films, frank mcrae, frank mcrae rip, license to kill, like, loaded weapon, love, love movies, movie website, movies, red dawn, rock films, the last action hero. Leave a comment

sad news the badass Frank McRae has died aged 80 : although he wasn’t a huge star and quite often found himself in smaller roles Frank managed to put his own stamp on the movie world, giving us character’s we fondly remember, with eye catching performances such as Harry in *batteries Not Included, Ogden Jones alongside Dan Aykroyd in 1941, Mr Teasdale in the 1984’s cult classic Red Dawn, Dekker in The Last Action Hero, and Haden in 48hrs, he also starred in other films such as 007’s Licence to Kill, 1973’s gangster film Dillinger and not to mention his collaboration’s with Sylvester Stallone on film’s such as F.I.S.T., Paradise Alley, Lock Up and Rocky II : as I look around my film library and spot some of the film’s mentioned I’m sad at his loss but I also smile reminiscing at the many delightful performances this wonderful character actor has given us….

The Virtuoso (2021) : Movie Thoughts

Posted by absolutebadasses on May 3, 2021

Posted in: Movie Reviews, Reviews. Tagged: Abbie Cornish, anson mount, Anthony Hopkins, assassin, David Morse, Eddie Marsan, film website, films, hitman, like, love, love these movies, mentor, movie, movie website, Nick Stagliano, photography, Richard Brake, the virtuoso, the virtuoso movie, the vituoso 2021, the waitress, thriller, white rivers. Leave a comment

Danger, deception and murder descend upon a sleepy town when a professional assassin accepts a new assignment from his enigmatic boss : It’s been 10yrs since a movie directed by Nick Stagliano has hit our screens, and for me that’s way too long for a guy of his talent : The Virtuoso was also written by Stagliano and hosts a selection of top line performers including Anthony Hopkins, Abbie Cornish, David Morse, Eddie Marsan, Richard Brake and of course the leading star of the movie Cullen Bohannon himself the Irresistible Anson Mount : once the movie starts and I hear Anson’s sleepy narration as he describes his job, a paid killer living in isolation I just knew I was going to love the hell out of this cleverly written, character driven gem that splashes the screen with violence, mystery and twists and turns like the Le Castellet : the cemetery scene with Hopkins Mentor discussing the war with Anson Mount’s Virtuoso is quite breathtaking, haunting and delivered in typical commanding & at times scare style by the legendary Welshman, each character in the film has their own agenda, each has a part to play and the scenes in Rosie’s cafe when the Virtuoso rolls in to town to find his next target is so reminiscent of Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight with filmmaker Stagliano shifting gear leaving you along with the Virtuoso guessing who is white rivers? Once again Abbie Cornish steals each and every scene she’s part of, I just love her work and her character the waitress at Rosie’s Cafe really does help the film’s shift, she injects a purpose and a link to each of the characters and what happens to her is one of the reasons why a sequel/prequel would be awesome to watch : the cafe & motel scenes are effectively shot, the violence is to point considering the film’s storyline and a hitman movie without a dog these days would suck so if you like your thriller’s to contain a devilishly good story, some fine acting and a terrific pay off then please check out Nick Stagliano‘s The Virtuoso you’ll thank me later ★★★★

Weekly Badass : Glenn Ford

Posted by absolutebadasses on May 1, 2021

Posted in: Views. Tagged: 310 to yuma, actors, actress, badass of the week, blackboard jungle, cinema, cinephile, cowboy, film nerd, film noir, films, gilda, glenn ford, glenn ford botd, hollywood, hollywood greats, love films, movie jam, movies, noir, photography, photos, rita hayworth, Superman, the big heat, western. Leave a comment

Born in Canada on this day in 1916 this wonderfully gifted actor is the first in what will become a regular feature here at Absolute Badasses : the 40s, 50s & 60s was dominated by the western or gritty noir picture that fell nicely for Glenn Ford the son of a railroad executive who moved to Santa Monica when he was eight years old : before his acting career took hold Glenn worked as a barkeep in Santa Monica earning $5 a week, became an expert plumber and installer of plate glass windows : in 1939 Glenn’s life changed when he made his movie debut in Heaven with a Barbed Wire Fence for director Ricardo Cortez and so his journey was underway : in a long career Glenn Ford starred in over 100 movies, unbelievably he never appeared in a film nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award and was often credited as the fastest gun in the movie industry (even faster than John Wayne & James Arness) : my own personal favorites are seen in the pictures above, 3:10 to Yuma where he starred as gunslinger Ben Wade alongside Van Heflin, in 1946 came Ford’s huge break appearing alongside the gorgeous Rita Hayworth in Gilda, he would become great friends with Hayworth even becoming one of the pallbearers at her funeral in the late 80s, in 1953 he starred in one of Fritz Lang’s finest, the gritty film noir The Big Heat opposite Gloria Grahame, Marlon Brando’s sister Jocelyn Brando and Lee Marvin, then of course in 1978 he played Pa Kent in Richard Donner’s Superman : sadly due to ill health Ford retired from acting aged 75 and died in 2006 aged 90, he was born to entertain and some of his other note worth performances include: Pocketful of Miracles, The Fastest Gun Alive, Blackboard Jungle, Lust for Gold and so many more…

Uma Thurman : Absolute Top Four

Posted by absolutebadasses on April 29, 2021

Posted in: Views. Tagged: actress, beautiful, cinema, cinephile, film, films, hollywood, jennifer eight movie, kill bill, kill bill 2, mia wallace, photography, pulp fiction, quentin tarantino, sexy, talented, uma thurman. Leave a comment

Happy 51st Birthday to the MAGNIFICENT, MYSTERIOUS and incredibly TALENTED Bostonian UMA THURMAN : Born on this day in 1970, Uma has played a big part in my facination and love for cinema, and since her big film break in 1988 with Dangerous Liaisons she’s gone from strength to strength, on a personal level she married & divorced acting royalty in Gary Oldman & Ethan Hawke, starred alongside a true legend of the screen in Robert De Niro in Mad Dog and Glory, became Quentin Tarantino’s muse for Pulp Fiction and his two Kill Bill movies, and even had a role in a comic book movie, the forgettable yet fun Batman & Robin alongside Drew Barrymore and action superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger : although her career has been a mixed bag, her beauty and screen presence that she delivered in her top tier movies will always be on repeat in my cinema : here’s my absolute top four : 2003’s Kill Bill, 1994’s Pulp Fiction, 2004’s Kill Bill 2 and finally 1992’s underrated serial killer gem Jennifer Eight :

Director : Gabriel Carrer & Reese Eveneshen : Stars : Lora Burke, Nick Smyth & Colin Paradine : FOR THE SAKE OF VICIOUS is completely BONKERS and lives up to its name : the film was shot over 15 days on a lower than low budget with some terrific actors who keep the flow flowing, there’s an intriguing buildup as we get introduced to the film’s characters and then all shit hits the fan and it’s certainly NOT for the faint hearted, this is a BRUTAL pulsating home-invasion pic with hammer weilding, gun shooting, knife sinking CRAZINESS right the way through : what a ride !! ★★★★

Director : Aaron Sorkin : Stars : Joseph Gordon Levitt, Sacha Baron Cohen, Frank Langella, Eddie Redmayne & Yahya Abdul-Mateen II : as movies go I tend to shy away from the courtroom drama, it’s not really my type of jam but Sorkin’s latest THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 is some exceptional film making that’s inventive and grips you from the getko with it’s compelling, humerous & moving dialogue, incredible editing and a cast ensemble that nails each & every scene : everything about the case was corrupt, Langella’s performance as the Judge was astonishing and the 2hr runtime flew by : SUPERB ★★★★½

Director : Florian Zeller : Stars : Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss, Olivia Williams : THE FATHER is one of them movies a bit like The Pianist that I put off watching due to it’s sensitive narrative but when I finally took the time to watch it I was blown away, transfixed and not just by some outstanding acting by Anthony Hopkins but for it’s purposefully confusing method of storytelling : here’s a guy in his 80s, at first all seems perfectly normal until you quickly discover he has dementia and the film’s director/writer wants you to feel what he’s feeling, his moods, his surrounding and state of mind are thrown at you like a missile, you don’t know which way to turn, what to believe and Florian Zeller’s clever deliverance of The Father did a number on me, it’s bold approach certainly helped shine a light on this terrible illness and gave me a rather sad yet enjoyable movie experience ★★★★½

Another Round (2020) : Movie Thoughts

Posted by absolutebadasses on April 22, 2021

Posted in: Movie Reviews, Reviews. Tagged: binge drinking, cinema, cinephile, danish cinema, druk, film geek, films, Lars Ranthe, Mads Mikkelsen, Magnus Millang, movies, school, Sturla Brandth Grøvlen, teachers, Thomas Bo Larsen, thomas vinterberg. Leave a comment

Four school teachers consume alcohol on a daily basis to see how it affects their social and professional lives : For anybody who’s looking for a quick introduction into the raw Danish talent that is Thomas Vinterberg before watching his latest then check out Submarino and The Hunt, two superb utterly different movies that I would highly recommend : onto his latest and in my opinion his finest work to date DRUK aka: Another Round is a wonderfully sincere picture that manages to make you smile, keep you engaged & allows you to laugh when it’s really not appropriate : I loved the scene in the restaurant with Martin talking to the guys “the plan was to hold each others hands when we get old…. we’ll just have to see” WOW what a moment, tears were falling and not just on screen, and the “fresh cod” and cocktail drinking session had me rocking with laughter so whether it be the cracks in a relationship or the buzz of teaching a class whilst under the influence Vinterberg handles the power of emotion superbly well, he get’s it and the cast executes each of their roles with aplomb : Another Round is an intoxicating, thought provoking masterclass and through it’s grief and heartache, the laughter and the tears the end result is perfection ★★★★½