Cinema Basement

 A retrospective by Chris Lee If you’re going to follow up Ridley Scott, don’t just follow up Ridley Scott. Take his original concept, put it on a pedestal, shine it, and then give it a big fucking machine gun so the other ideas know what the fuck the deal is. There really wasn’t anything like Aliens before James Cameron took Ridley’s original horror masterwork and turned it into a bonafide action flick. The Space Marine crew of the Sulaco that accompanied Ellen Ripley back to the planet of the original film was an awesome change of direction from the blue-collar cargo crew of the first. Cameron knew that escalation was key to pulling off action, and what better way to make the alien fierce again than to pit it against a completely loaded military outfit that it could chew through.  Again, Cameron was able to pull performances from his actors that other action films wish they could pull. There is a gravitas and sincerity to the characters in Aliens. You believe they are ...

A retrospective by Chris Lee Following up his horror-action success in Terminator (1984) was no small feat for Cameron. He was given the reigns to the Alien franchise from visionary great, Ridley Scott, and produced the high-octane, special-effects heavy “Aliens”. Between these two films, Cameron was able to build the foundation upon which he would construct his greatest work in T2. Terminator 2 is the movie that all other action movies want to be. A mile-a-minute blockbuster with an action star in their absolute prime, full of incredible in-camera stunts, an award-worthy acting performance from its co-lead, sound and special effects that punched like never before, and a story that refused to hold its audience's hand, all without talking down to them either. From the opening Robot Apocalypse sequence to the biker bar, to the Mall fight, to the canal chase, to the hospital escape, to the assault on Cyberdyne, to the final battle amongst the molten steel factory from Hell, Ter...

A retrospective by Azzam Abdur-Rahman Can we talk about how insane Titanic is? As a movie it is absolutely insane. How does an action and Sci-Fi director make a sweeping romantic epic? How does it feel end up being a film that took over the ending zeitgeist of the 90’s. How does that same film sweep the Oscars and end up making an assload of money? How?! How?! To be fair to this film I shit on it forever and it’s easy too! It’s a movie that doesn’t feel like a marvel or masterpiece on its face value but when you talk about what is in order what it took to pull that film off that fact that it was a success is wild. One of the world's greatest known tragedies as a grand epic for an hour and half then a disaster film for the second hour and a half? Apparently, we as a nation said sign me up!  What is most fascinating about this film is its powerful release and how much it impacted the film world at large. This movie changed blockbusters, it’s changed the Oscars and it gave Cameron ...

A retrospective by Azzam Abdur-Rahman The Abyss is a dad movie. In Cameron’s filmography, it stands out like a sore thumb in the sense that it is equal parts a beautiful blend of its blue-collar sci-fi and the man’s obsession with the unknown. The Abyss stars Ed Harris is probably his least menacing role. He is a member of a team of scientists in a deep-sea lab. During their stay, they discover that beneath them in the “abyss” something is amiss. With that being said to give you any more detail would ruin this film. Cameron feels like a man who is confident enough to look out into the universe and ask is there more. The Abyss is that question in the form of a movie about being in a place humans are not meant to go but are and keep asking “why!” It is action-packed but it is also the most patient and caring of his films. Cameron is known for bombast and while that is here it is surrounded by a character drama that feels warm.  It’s also his most forgotten film. One that deserves ...

 A review by Brooks Rich True Lies is a throwback to '80s action from 1994. Cameron and Schwarzenegger collaborate for the third time to make this fun and action-packed film. It wasn't the end of the apex of Schwarzennger's career but that was right around the corner. Still, this is a solid film and actually one of my favorite Schwarzenegger performances.  Schwarzenegger is Harry Tasker, a suburban husband, and father whose wife and daughter think is a boring computer salesman. In reality, he's a secret agent for the US government. When his wife Helen, played wonderfully by Jamie Lee Curtis, gets roped into one of his missions, the two of them begin to rekindle their marriage while also trying to save the world.  The strongest part of this film I think is the chemistry between Schwarzenegger and Curtis. It's almost like their a couple from a screwball comedy dropped into an action film. Curtis plays well with almost anyone though and I feel she never gets the credit...

 A review by Brooks Rich This is going to be a quick write up as this is a film about con men and grifters and I don't want to spoil anything. Confidence came out in 2003 and it's a film heavily inspired by the works of Quentin Tarantino, Ocean's Eleven, and the film The Boondock Saints, which was an atom bomb of a film that inspired a wave of unorthodox and quirky crime filmes. I think Confidence is a much stronger film than Boondock Saints and yet sadly is a completely forgotten film. I'm not even sure it had a huge following when it was released.  Edward Burns, a perpetual almost star in Hollywood, plays Jake Vig, the leader of a group of con men in Los Angeles. They unintentionally steal money from a major crime figure and in order to save them, Jake formulates a plan to rip off a rival of the crime figure. That's all the summary this film needs. It's a film about cons. No story beat should be spoiled.  For some reason, Edward Burns never really broke out. P...

A review by Brooks Rich This is one of the more prestigious films to be featured on Forgotten Film Friday. Reversal of Fortune is critically acclaimed and made some waves during award season. Jeremy Irons won an Academy Award for Best Actor, deservedly so, and the director also received a nomination. It is a fascinating legal drama presented in an unorthodox way The film is based on the book by high profile Harvard law professor and defense attorney Alan Dershowitz, played by the immortal Ron Silver, about his defense of Claus von Bulow, who was convicted of murder after his wife, Sunny, slipped into a mysterious coma. Dershowitz is hired after von Bulow is granted a retrial. The odds are against him but he likes a challenge. So Dershowitz assembles a team of his law students and begins building a defense.  In most legal dramas and thrillers the action takes place in the courtroom, with showdowns between lawyers being the highlight of the film. Reversal of Fortune mainly focuses on...

  A ranking by Brooks Rich I have been meaning to do this forever. James Bond is my favorite film series. I have been watching them steadily since I was about seven or eight and have seen every new Bond film in the theater since Goldeneye. I know them all by heart and most of them have at least something I can enjoy. Most. The series has evolved over the years, even managing to survive after the Cold War ended.  Ranking the films seems the best way to break the series down. I don't need to rank the actors, Connery wins. So fix a martini and strap in. This is a long ranking.  Note: I do not count Never Say Never Again, the unofficial Bond movie made by Connery that was a remake of Thunderball. Also, these are not the most in-depth write-ups but some of them will get a deeper analysis later on.  24. Diamonds Are Forever (1971) This is one of the two films in the series that I despise. Sean Connery returns to the role after George Lazenby's one and done outing and ...

 A review by Forrest Humphrey So I commented on how “Alien” was a film that intimidated me due to its influence and pop culture icon status. I'm reviewing another film like it for James Cameron Month, right down to being preserved in the Library of Congress as a culturally significant film. This time, I'm covering 1984's “The Terminator”, a blend of science fiction and horror that launched several careers.  Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn, with smaller roles played by stars such as Lance Henriksen and a very young Bill Paxton,“The Terminator” stands as one of the most beloved movies of the last few decades, one of the highlights of the 1980s; and you can certainly tell that's the decade it hails from with its big muscle man lead, brutal action scenes and a fantastic synthesizer score by Brad Fiedel. Its special effects, courtesy of the legendary Stan Winston, hold up extraordinarily well between the stunts, gunfights and of course, t...

 A review by Azzam Abdur-Rahman What the fuck did I just watch? Often a statement I exclaim after watching anything related to the work of Charlie Kaufman. The man has made a career being the surrealist force in Hollywood. That being said his works as a directors have been challenging to say the least. I’m thinking of ending thing is perfect for Netflix but hard on the soul. It is a movie that veils it’s point inside of a surreal nightmare so much it took me watching three YouTube videos to truly understand it and I feels dumb still. Is it about suicide? Is it about existing being pain? What is it about? The film is beautifully shot and it’s square framing was fascinating but that plot kept screaming at me making me wonder what the hell I am watching. For every arresting shot I would end up staring at a paused screen wondering why! That being said you should watch this. In the hellish time frame having a dream of what we could be is the right story explore.

 An intro by Azzam Abdur-Rahman Few filmmakers make the highest-grossing movie of all time, even fewer do it twice but only one has created one of the most beloved franchises of all time, arguably the best sequel ever made and blown the box-office up like he would in his action masterpieces. I speak of none other than James Cameron. Now, his films are enjoyable popcorn affairs made by a man I often say sold his soul to the devil. No matter if I am right or wrong his filmography is worth discussing because every one of his films has an air of madness that few are able to replicate. So sit back relax and watch us nerd out about someone who we also argue about often.

 A review by Brooks Rich Sometimes you watch a movie that is kind of forgotten and you think, how has this been forgotten? This cast is insane. 1993's Dave is a charming political comedy that has a serious cast for a film I don't think many people have seen. Directed by Ghostbuster director Ivan Reitman, this is a totally charming film that is worth a watch if you've missed it. It's not going to set the world on fire and I wouldn't call it a totally forgotten comedy classic, but it deserves to be more of a household name than it is. Kevin Kline plays dual roles here as the titular Dave, a good-natured average man, and as President Bill Mitchell, who is cold and kind of an asshole. Dave is hired to be a stand-in for the president at a public event so the president can have an extramarital affair. When the president suffers a stroke and slips into a coma, Dave is given the stand in position permanently.  There's a lot more going on and at times Dave has the beats ...