Movie

Tremors 2: Aftershocks (1996)


Tremors 2: Aftershocks (1996)

Director:

S.S. Wilson

Starring:

Fred Ward

Chris Gartin

Helen Shaver

Michael Gross

Plot:

Battling a life depression, Earl Bassett is offered a job as a mercenary to help a Mexican oil company with a Graboid epidemic that’s killing more people each day. However, the humans aren’t the only ones with a new battle plan..

Review:

Fred Ward had it all. He should have been set for life after discovering the Graboids in the previous movie. Fame. Fortune. It was all his, but after a series of horrible investments he lost it all.

Back in Paradise, trying to make a living with an emu farm, alone and depressed, he’s propositioned by a Mexican Oil company that has developed a Graboid problem. Initially, he says no, but the draw of $50k per dead monster is enough to draw him back in.

Older and wiser and with the backing of the Mexican military he is properly armed this time. Those Graboids didn’t stand a chance. Still, their numbers start to overwhelm him and his new sidekick, Chris Gartin, so they call in the big guns of Michael Gross. A doomsday prepper and himself depressed after the excitement of the Graboid situation and destruction of his marriage, Gross hops at the chance.

Things are going easy, too easy, when they get thrown a curveball. The Graboids have evolved. Bursting from their hideous bodies are a new creature, easier to kill, but just as vicious and rapidly multiplying.

Death! Destruction! Mayhem!

With quick thinking and tons of explosives they manage to survive and the Graboids are once again destroyed and this time Fred Ward has more responsible aims for his money.

4/5

Tremors (1990)


Tremors (1990)

Director:

Ron Underwood

Starring:

Kevin Bacon

Fred Ward

Finn Carter

Michael Gross

Reba McEntire

Plot:

Natives of a small isolated town defend themselves against strange underground creatures which are killing them one by one.

Review:

It is mind boggling that I love this movie. Seriously, I hate horror, monster movies scare me, but I’ve loved this movie since I was a kid.

Anyway, Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward are handymen that do all the odd jobs in the little town of Paradise. They live beer can to beer can and who knows when they bathed last. After one too many shit jobs they decide to leave and head to the big town of Bixby where they will surely find new glamorous lives in no time.

On their way out of town they find the town drunk dead high up on an electrical tower. That sucks. Oh well, they are newly inspired to leave because what if they wind up like him? They find more bodies and more bodies and holy shit is there a serial killer on the lose? Nope! It’s GRABOIDS!!

Such a stupid name lol

They realize that giant worms under the ground are eating everyone and if the rest of the town wants to survive they need to get out of there. That is easier said than done. More people die, but eventually some of them make it out alive.

This movie is ridiculously entertaining and spawned several sequels. There were even talks about a TV series on SyFy recently with Kevin Bacon set to reprise his role. The trailer looked incredible, but sadly it was not picked up.

Every few years I watch this and I’m always entertained and I marvel over that fact considering how much I normally dislike this type of movie.

5/5

Power Rangers (2017)


Power Rangers (2017)

Director:

Dean Israelite

Starring:

Dacre Montgomery

Naomi Scott

RJ Cyler

Ludi Lin

Becky G

Elizabeth Banks

Bryan Cranston

Plot:

A group of high-school students, who are infused with unique superpowers, harness their abilities in order to save the world.

Review:

This movie really benefited from me recently watching some episodes of the original series as well as some episodes from one of the newest series. I didn’t have the show completely covered in nostalgia so I was more receptive to it.

Power Rangers are teenagers that are given devices that allow them to morph into armor that puts them on the same strength level as galactic monsters bent on destroying them and the universe. Why you would give teenagers that power, who knows? But there you have it.

I appreciated that they weren’t racist like the original series was with color choices. I liked that the yellow ranger was unsure of her sexuality. I liked that the blue ranger was autistic, at least I believe he was. Red ranger was eh, but he’s never been my favorite. Pink ranger was a mean girl that was redeemed because she’s hot? I’m really not sure about her and hope there’s more to her story. Hopefully, the next movie introduces a hot green ranger.

I hate teenage angst, but it’s very much part of the Power Rangers formula so it wasn’t out of place in this movie. The only thing that I really thought they could have done better with was the action scenes and the revelation of the Megazord. Power Rangers is great when it comes to action and this movie was seriously lacking. Two car crashes, but you could barely see them kicking butt.

I’m interested in what the next movie will be like and hope they’re able to improve on this one, but keep in the same vein on everything else.

3/5

CHIPS (2017)

CHIPS (2017)

Director:

Dax Shephard

Starring:

Michael Pena

Dax Shephard

Vincent D’Onofrio

Plot:

A rookie officer is teamed with a hardened pro at the California Highway Patrol, though the newbie soon learns his partner is really an undercover Fed investigating a heist that may involve some crooked cops.

Review:

This movie was a lot funnier than I expected. It’s actually kind of sad that it bombed and won’t get a sequel.

Dax Shephard is an ex-BMX rider or something and is basically stitched together. Michael Pena is an FBI agent that can’t resist yoga pants and is a loose cannon. They become friends and catch bank robbers. It’s hilarious. Also, boobs.

3.5/5

9 to 5 (1980)


9 to 5 (1980)

Director:

Collin Higgins

Starring:

Dolly Parton

Lily Tomlin

Jane Fonda

Plot:

Three female employees of a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot find a way to turn the tables on him.

Review:

This movie made me mad, then sad, then mad all over again. Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin, and Jane Fonda are amazing women. Seeing them all together was so great.

Dolly Parton is a secretary for a sexist, bigoted, pig that doesn’t deserve his job and is a walking, talking sexual harassment case. He tells everyone that he’s sleeping with her, even though she is very happily married. She has some of the best lines in the movie.

Lily Tomlin knows everything about the company and keeps everything working dispite the bosses best efforts. She’s a single mom, has put in all kinds of time, and keeps getting passed up for a promotion, passed up by people that she’s trained. It’s infuriating.

Jane Fonda is a recent divorce who gets her first job and discovers that her ex-husband was not the only asshole man out there.

They bond over their horrible boss, there are some hijinks, and then they kind of win. They get eighty percent of a win. Which is bittersweet and really drives home the reality of what women have to put up with. We can’t even get the win in a movie.

Their boss gets recognition for all the shit they did, a bonus, and a promotion. A promotion to Brazil, which he doesn’t want, but his wife loves him even more and he’s getting recognition and money. Lily Tomlin finally gets the job that was owed her. Dolly Parton quits and becomes a country music star, and Jane Fonda gets married to a better man.

It was depressing.

4/5