Great Movie Re-Watch

Speed(1994)

Great Movie Re-Watch

Speed(1994)

Director:

Jan De Bont

Writer:

Graham Yost

Starring:

Keanu Reeves

Dennis Hopper

Sandra Bullock

Jeff Daniels

Blurb:

A young police officer must prevent a bomb exploding aboard a city bus by keeping its speed above 50 mph.

Thoughts:

Speed is an obvious movie that I would own. I honestly remember where I was the first time I watched it. I was thirteen or fourteen and I watched a TV recording of it on my grandmother’s little 19 inch TV/VCR. The rest of the summer I went around telling people they were crazy, freakin crazy. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I found out that is not exactly what was said there.

At the time I loved the movie because Keanu Reeves was freaking hot. Now I love it because he’s freaking hot and it’s a legitimately good action movie. It’s the first 90s action movie I’ve watched, that I own, that has that 90s action movie feel. If that makes sense.

You’ve got the explosions and the need to not slow down. You’ve got a pretty boy that isn’t too muscular. You’ve got an attractive and capable woman, who does become a damsel in distress at some point. You’ve also got an unsaturated/filtered look at LA. Putting on my old lady hat for a second, but movies nowadays are all about that blue/brown/green filter and I’m over it.

Speed has a psych-out ending, where it comes to what you’d think is the logical conclusion, but nope there’s even more. You get automobiles and trains, maybe we’ll get an airplane in the sequel (you do not, it’s not worth owning, but I still occasionally watch it).

In conclusion, Speed is a great 90s action movie.

Groundhog Day (1993)

The Great Movie Re-Watch

Groundhog Day (1993)

Director:

Harold Ramis

Writers:

Danny Rubin

Harold Ramis

Starring:

Bill Murray

Andie MacDowell

Chris Elliot

Stephen Tobolowsky

Blurb:

A weatherman finds himself inexplicably living the same day over and over again.

Thoughts:

I didn’t realize until my recent re-watch that I have this entire movie memorized. It would be one of the easier movies to memorize since so much is repeated, but I hadn’t known I could do it before.

Groundhog Day is a fun movie and I can easily see myself doing just about everything he did, although, having this happen while single and with kids is clearly the way to do it. I don’t even want to think about what this could be like with kids.

The humor in the movie is dark, understandably so, and Bill Murray’s sarcastic humor adds to it. I could do without the “romance” in the plot. Rita is boring on so many levels and him trying to be a better person to deserve her rubs me the wrong way. I like to think that she’s the catalyst that gets him on the path but that he ultimately does it for himself and not her.

This is a film I can come back to over and over and I enjoy it each time I do. Groundhog Day is definitely a classic and most years I’m not content to watch it just once. Obviously, not getting rid of this one, and highly recommend it.

Demolition Man (1993)

The Great Movie Re-Watch

Demolition Man (1993) 

Director: 

Marco Brambilla 

Writers: 

Daniel Waters 

Robert Reneau 

Peter M. Lenkov 

Starring: 

Sylvester Stallone 

Wesley Snipes 

Sandra Bullock 

Nigel Hawthorne 

Blurb: 

A police officer is brought out of suspended animation in prison to pursue an old ultra-violent nemesis who is loose in a non-violent future society. 

Thoughts: 

Demolition Man is one of my favorite movies. I wouldn’t say top ten, but it’s one that I love to go back and watch frequently. It’s so entertaining. You’ve got action, it’s set in the future, and it’s funny. So often, the balance of comedy and action isn’t done well, like in Tango and Cash, but Demolition Man nails it.  

Wesley Snipes is perfectly cast. He nails the manic energy of Simon Phoenix. It was surprising to find out he turned down the role multiple times until the director and a producer visited him on the set of another movie. Stallone also initially turned done the role before he accepted. He wanted Jackie Chan to play Phoenix, but Chan knew better. He’s not a villain.  

We’ve got eleven years yet to reach this “utopian” paradise with no murder where Taco Bell won the franchise wars. I can agree that no murder would be incredible, but I’m not sure if I’m willing to live with everything else. The loss of exchanging bodily fluids would be a big no for me.  

I love how consistent the movie is. Whenever they’re in a building or near tech, they get fined credits anytime one of the characters curses. There is also unique music that plays when Phoenix is on screen. It’s all just so fun.  

Sandra Bullock was another excellent casting choice. She does seem a bit young for Stallone. I’m also side-eyeing him and how quick he is to jump into a relationship with her. His first question when he wakes up is about his wife. The memory that sticks with him the most is her hammering on the block of ice he was jailed in. Yet, a couple of days later, he’s fine to get down with Bullock. My least favorite trope in action movies.  

Last year Stallone said a sequel was in the works. I have no idea what could be done, and I’m hesitant to see what they would do. I find it difficult to believe that they could capture what makes Demolition Man so fun. If it happens, I guess we’ll see. 

Passenger 57 (1992)

The Great Movie Re-Watch

Passenger 57 (1992)

Director:

Kevin Hooks

Writers:

David Loughery

Dan Gordon

Starring:

Wesley Snipes

Bruce Payne

Tom Sizemore

Alex Datcher

Elizabeth Hurley

Blurb:

An airline security expert must take action when he finds himself trapped on a passenger jet when terrorists seize control of it.

Thoughts:

Cutter: “Always bet on black.”

Chief Biggs: In my position, what would you do? If you were me, what would you do?
Cutter: Kill myself.”

Apart from having some great quotes, Passenger 57 is an entertaining action movie. There isn’t as much action as, say, Commando, but there’s still a lot of kicks. The villain is a psycho, and we’ve got two women in it. Sadly, one does end up with the hero, but I can’t have it all.

The film aided in the launch of Wesley Snipes’s career, so for that, we’ll always be indebted to it. He’s a welcome addition to the action movie genre, and it’s kind of a bummer that he came along as the genre started its downward decline. We’ve still got a few years before that happens, though.

Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)

The Great Movie Re-Watch

Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)

Director:

Peter Hewitt

Writers:

Chris Matheson

Ed Solomon

Starring:

Keanu Reeves

Alex Winter

William Sadler

Joss Ackland

Blurb:

A tyrant from the future creates evil android doubles of Bill and Ted and sends them back to eliminate the originals.

Thoughts:

I almost didn’t watch Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. Like Excellent Adventure I’ve watched it pretty recently and it’s not my favorite in the series. I put it off while I debated, but ultimately decided since I’d already written a post for the first one it wasn’t fair not to do one for the second.

So here we go. Bogus Journey is the darkest of the trilogy, even with the end of the world happening in the third movie. Bill and Ted actually die and there’s a scene in hell where they deal with their worst nightmares. The nightmares aren’t scary, but they are a little trippy.

The movie as a whole is a bit out there and adds a supernatural element to the series that wasn’t there. We had time travel, but it was assumed to be science based. Now we’ve got Death playing bass and losing Battleship. There’s even a conversation with God and an alien species. They went all out.

It still ends fairly positive, but it doesn’t have that same upbeat feeling throughout. In the original the stakes weren’t as high and death certainly wasn’t involved. Death was the best addition to the movie, though. His scenes were always funny and I’m glad he returned in the last movie.