
The Daily Beasts
For theme projects (like #Kaijuly, #Mocktoberfest, and #SeasonsBeatings—for example),
a new film/show is profiled every day by a different writer.
Fourths Of July: INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (2008)
Is the fourth big screen Indiana Jones adventure…actually a good movie?
Fourths Of July: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL (2011)
At the IMF’s darkest hour, a team starts to solidify and unifying narrative begins for the franchise.
Fourths Of July: SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE (1987)
Slashed budgets and a botched production effectively ends a franchise.
Fourths Of July: BOYKA: UNDISPUTED (2016)
This fourth film finds series’ villain-turned-protagonist in a new fight for his soul.
Fourths Of July: THE CROW: WICKED PRAYER (2005)
The (so far) last installment of THE CROW franchise leaves a sour taste in the mouth.
Fourths Of July: FAST & FURIOUS (2009)
This fourth entry is the true birth of a massive global franchise.
Fourths Of July: PUPPET MASTER 4 (1993)
This fourth installment of the Full Moon classic series is a delightful genre mash-up.
Fred Olen May: CYCLONE (1987)
A super bike, a Re-Animator, an Oscar winner and more come together in this delightful action flick.
POLICE STORY Is The Best Story
Jackie Chan’s 1985 opus still reigns supreme almost 40 years later thanks to skill, sincerity, silliness, and stunts.
The Art Of Stunts And Being Yourself
Throughout his storied career, Jackie Chan innovated stunts simply by being himself.
Shanghai Surprise
Chan’s had many on-screen partners, but his best in American productions is Owen Wilson in SHANGHAI NOON and SHANGHAI KNIGHTS.
ROCKY IV (1985)
ROCKY IV’s Christmas boxing match to end the Cold War was the main event—but it overshadows the real drama occurring within the wives of the fighters.
LETHAL WEAPON (1987)
Heather Wixson on how Richard Donner’s direction and Shane Black’s writing helped redefine the action hero in the 1980s.
ABRAXAS, GUARDIAN OF THE UNIVERSE (1990)
This blundering action/sci-fi movie starring Jesse Ventura (and found in the public domain) is incredibly inept, but has its charms and its lessons to teach.
DIE HARD 2 (1990)
In celebration of the Christmas sequel to the Christmas action film, Mary Kay McBrayer looks at the Top 5 Bureaucratic Heroes of DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER.
SANTA WITH MUSCLES (1996)
Hulk Ho-Ho-Hogan Spreads Holiday Cheer In This Much Maligned Children’s Holiday Movie.
DIE HARD (1988)
Or, 7 Ways to Improve Your Corporate Holiday Party—According to DIE HARD (1988)
HOME ALONE (1990)
HOME ALONE endures not just due to nostalgia and madcap violence, but also its embrace of the fantastic and moods of the holidays.
RENT-A-COP (1987)
A trainwreck of genres and ideas, Jerry London’s holiday-set film feels like everyone is in their own movie—no matter how it clashes with those around them.
TOKYO GODFATHERS (2003)
A beautiful Christmas tale of family and forgiveness, with the proper amounts of car chases, parkour sequences, and other madcap action sprinkled throughout.