80s Movie Review - Top Gun

Director: Tony Scott
Genre: Action/ Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 1986
Starring: Tom Cruise, Anthony Edwards, Kelly McGillis, Tom Skerritt, Val Kilmer, Michael Ironside, Tim Robbins, Meg Ryan,

Description: As students at the united States Navy’s elite fighter weapons school compete to be best in the class, one daring young pilot (Tom Cruise) learns a few things from a civilian instructor (Kelly McGillis) that are not taught in the classroom.

Review: Lt. Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell and his wingman and friend Lt. Nick ‘Goose’ Bradshaw are among the best fighter pilots in the Navy. Despite their reckless, dangerous behavior and failure to follow orders, they are sent to Top Gun: an elite school for the Navy’s best fighter pilot, who receive extra-heavy training here.

Maverick is also a great charmer, throwing all his charms into the fray the first night to get attention of an attractive lady. The next day she turns out to be the instructor Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Blackwood. Charlie is particularly interested in Maverick because he and Goose are the only ones who have been in contact with a Mig-28 in the air. But gradually, Charlie and Maverick fall in love with each other.

“Top Gun” is the epitome of a delightfully macho, cheesy eighties popcorn flick. A film that, many years later, isn’t as great as in the 80s. The film is impressive though because of two elements: the stunning flight scenes and the soundtrack.

When I first saw this movie, in the 90s probably, I was madly in love with Tom Cruise’s Maverick. Now, I realize that he is kind of a dick and that Val Kilmer’s character Iceman, who is portrayed as the antagonist, is absolutely right about Maverick. And the fact that Charlie is very clear with her statement of not dating students, she falls in love with Maverick fairly quick. They’ve only had like three conversations.

But that’s just me nitpicking. I still enjoy watching this film and this is pure 80s fun.

Rating: 3/ 5

90s Movie Review - Starship Troopers

Director: Paul Verhoeven
Genre: Action/ Science Fiction/ Adventure
Runtime: 129 minutes
Year: 1997
Starring: Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards, Jake Busey, Clancy Brown, Neil Patrick Harris, Michael Ironside, Patrick Muldoon, Eric Bruskotter, Seth Gilliam

Description: Humans in a fascist, militaristic wage war with giant alien bugs.

Review: Sometimes you’re just in the mood for a fun 90s action/ sci-fi flick. The Paul Verhoeven directed film is then a perfect choice for that. The Dutch director managed to impress audiences in his early years with strong and extremely violent action/ sci-fi films “RoboCop” and “Total Recall”, but lost confidence of American audiences with “Showgirls”. The film was labeled tasteless and pulp. Two year later, Verhoeven came back strong with “Starship Troopers” a movie that ridicules American patriotism. I have always loved this film.
Whether or not is sent a clear message to the Americans, the film was received with open arms by many fans of science fiction and explicit action. In the more than two-hour feature film we see how young students Johnny Rico, Carmen Ibanez and Dizzy Flores enlist in the army of the galactic government and fight a murderous race of alien insects species, called Arachnids. The computer-animated and powerful adversaries of humanity are imposing characters who tear apart an consume subordinate humans with great regularity and brutality while the Earth is constantly threatened by approaching meteorites coming from their home planet.
The film relies mainly on strong special and visual effects and excessive violence and bloodshed. The acting is not so great. Casper Van Dien got the role of Johnny Rico, an action hero with the looks, who signs up for the army when his girlfriend has a clear preference for men who join the resistance against the Arachnids. The role of the charming lady is played by Denise Richards, who clearly has to rely on her looks.
The filmmaker shift the focus on the acting to the background by cramming his film full of explicit scenes full of blood and gore, and he alternates the chilling visuals with a good dose of humor. Clancy Brown is the perfect choice to portray the hilarious and ruthless drill instructor Zim (I think a nod to his chilling role in “The Shawshank Redemption”), while Michael Ironside steps in to take on the incisive school teacher and Squad leader of the infantry Jean Rasczak. These are characters that give the film some extra, but underscore the fact that “Starship Troopers” is nothing more than a highly entertaining no-brainer full of excessive violence and cheesy one-liners. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 130: A Fighting Man

Director: Damian Lee

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 85 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Dominic Purcell, Louis Gossett Jr., Famke Janssen, James Caan, Adam Beach, Freddie Roach, Kim Coats, Michael Ironside

 

Description: An aging fighter (Dominic Purcell) is in search of redemption. He steps into the ring with a hungry young pugilist (Izaak Smith) with something to prove.

 

Review: The boxing veteran Sailor O’Connor has never been knocked out in over sixty matches he has fought. Still he’s a broken man, haunted by a tragic past. When Sailor gets one more chance in the ring, he takes the opportunity. His opponent is young and much faster. With the help of his old coach, Sailor prepares for what is probably going to be his last fight.

Boxing is a source of inspiration for Hollywood and many great movies about boxing have been made already. The heroic feel and the controversy are perfect for a movie.

The constant factor in the film is the fight between Sailor O’Conner and King Solomon. In between we see flashbacks, from both perspectives. Everything that happened before the fight. This way of storytelling works pretty good. Most questions you have as a viewer, are answered at the end of the movie. For instance the story of Diane Schuler. “A Fighting Man” isn’t just a boxing movie, but also a film filled with symbolic. The punches Sailor receives in the ring symbolize the rough life he has lived.

Visually the shaky shots and quick montage fit the character and the feel of the film. And the story isn’t told chronologically, which really works and doesn’t make it a standard boxing movie with the big fight at the end of it. The movie does have some clichés and some storylines that have loose ends.

All in all “A Fighting Man” is a pretty good film, definitely worth your time.

Rating: 3/ 5