RoboCop (1987)

Genre: Science-Fiction / Action
Directed by: Paul Verhoeven
Cast: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Ronny Cox
Time: 102 minutes

 

Detroit police officer Alex Murphy gets murdered by a group of criminals while on duty. Megacorporation OCP then proceeds to bring him back to life as part of project to create a new cyborg police officer called RoboCop.

I remember digging this film as a kid, having it on VHS in my collection. Looking at it today, I see the campiness of it a lot more. The acting is decent enough, albeit a little over-the-top, which fits with the genre. This remains a fun and entertaining movie, with loads of action, very bad people, and a perfect hero.

Rating: «««

I Am Sam Kinison (2017)

Genre: Documentary
Directed by: Adrian Buitenhuis
Cast: Bill Kinison, Sherry Kinison, Bob Saget
Time: 98 minutes

 

This brilliant documentary looks at the life of Sam Kinison, who started out as a Pentecostal preacher, like his father and two older brothers, but then moved on to stand-up comedy, taking that unsure profession by storm with his wild energy and the demons that fueled his addictions. We hear from family and friends of the late comedian, who share their insight into the man who had a short but memorable career.

As a big fan of Sam Kinison, I loved this documentary. It is a story of addiction, of redemption and of tragedy. It made me want to rewatch the man at work on stage. He was so good. It made me so sad to see how it ended.

Rating: «««««

F is for Family (2015-2021)

 Genre: TV / Comedy / Animated
Cast: Bill Burr, Laura Dern, Justin Long
Number of seasons: 5

 

Set in the 70’s, this animated comedy show focuses on Frank Murphy, a Korean War veteran, his wife Sue, and their kids. Frank is a short-tempered man with a dead-end job at the airport. Having had a complex relationship with his own father as a kid, he sees fatherhood and family life as a massive pressure.

This series was inspired by Bill Burr’s comedy act. Burr co-created it, finding inspiration in his own relationship with his dad. F is for Family has a lot of strong, funny moments, and some touching ones. Father-son relationships offer great possibilities for humor and serious discussions. There were also some weaker episodes. Overall, I much prefer Burr’s stage act, as he is right now my favorite living stand-up comic. Some of the magic was lost in the animated series, but I was still entertained.

Rating: «««

After Life (2019-2022)

Genre: TV / Comedy / Drama
Directed by: Ricky Gervais
Cast: Ricky Gervais, Tom Basden, Tony Way
Number of seasons: 3

 

Tony Johnson is a newspaper journalist in the fictional UK town of Tambury. After his wife Lisa dies of breast cancer, Tony falls into a deep depression. He decides to make his entourage as miserable as he is. His back-up plan, if it all turns bad, it to just commit suicide.

I am a big fan of Ricky Gervais, and, with After Life, he has created his project that shows the most depth. Sure, there are the typical Gervais crudeness. But, there is also some very moving scenes all through the three seasons. I laughed, I was moved, I smiled. The whole gamut of emotions.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the whole arc of Tony Johnson’s story, some of the side characters, like the postman and Brian, were annoying distractions that took away from the whole thing. Nonetheless, the parts I enjoyed were strong enough to compensate highly.

Rating: ««««

Don't Look Up (2021)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Adam McKay
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep
Time: 138 minutes

 

Two astronomers realize that a giant comet is coming towards the Earth, meaning mass destruction for humanity. They try to warn the world, but political and monetary considerations interfere with their plans to save the world.

This is a great black comedy delivered on screen by a talented director and a solid ensemble cast. It offers a great metaphor for the world’s reaction to the climate crisis, but there is more than that. There is the cult of money and celebrity, the political situation in the US and much more. Some of the targets being “parodied” are less than subtle. While it may come off as preachy at times, Don’t Look Up is a movie we needed at this point in time. The problem is that the people that should, won’t get it.

Rating: ««««

350 Days (2018)

 Genre: Documentary
Directed by: Fulvio Cecere
Cast: Bret Hart, Billy Graham, Greg Valentine
Time: 118 minutes

In this documentary, we hear from a various former pro wrestlers who discuss the hectic schedule of life on the road in professional wrestling back in the day. We hear from such names as Bret Hart, Billy Graham, Greg Valentine, Tito Santana, Jimmy Snuka and many more. Here are tales of blood, injuries, drugs and sex.

This was a very interesting documentary film offering a glimpse on a subject matter that has interested me for years. Though the film came out in 2018, some of the stuff felt dated since the participants had died years prior. The archive stuff could have been put in context a little better, especially when it comes to Jimmy Snuka. But, overall, this was still a very good documentary.

Rating: ««««

The Negotiator (1998)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: F. Gary Gray
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, David Morse
Time: 140 minutes

 

Lieutenant Danny Roman is an experienced and skilled hostage negotiator with the Chicago Police Department. After getting framed for the murder of his partner, over an embezzlement matter, Roman takes a few hostages and demands that Lieutenant Chris Sabian, the city’s other top hostage negotiator, leads the negotiations with him as he tries to prove his innocence.

The quality of this film relies greatly on the shoulders of Jackson and Spacey, who both offered great performances. The story itself is compelling, though some twists and turns were a bit overly stretched. The story dragged a bit and the movie felt a little long at times, but, overall, thanks to the acting performances, this was quite good.

Rating: ««««