THE DANMAN CAN

Terrible accents, weird U2 needle drops, slow motion Jeff Bridges in distress, and bizarre Tommy Lee Jones  fashion. Blown Away (1994) is inferior to similar movies like  Speed  (released one month prior) and the previous year's In The Line Of Fire , but it’s competently made, has some fun over the top TLJ scenes, and a good score by Alan Silvestri . There’s some really cool microphotography, genuine tension, some big stunts, and a thrilling fight in the finale set against a Rube Goldberg machine (plus, of course, a big-ass explosion). Also, as a lifelong New Englander, it’s neat to see all the Boston locations (I don't know if I've seen another feature film use the Hatch Shell ) as they were filmed 30 years ago.  Stephen Hopkins Films Ranked

A Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989) was, in this viewer’s opinion, the start of the decline of the  Nightmare On Elm Street  franchise . It's a shame because, even though the series was mostly playing it for laughs at this point, the previous sequel, The Dream Master ,  was still quite good.  The Dream Child  doesn't really attempt to scare its audience, which is a waste because there are certainly dark themes to be found here. ANOES5  has some of the most striking visuals of the whole series—thanks to some excellent production design—yet some shots look really cheap and more than a little cheesy. It's also kind of a dull movie overall with pretty uninteresting characters. Director  Stephen Hopkins  had a hand at another sequel the following year— Predator 2   (my review here )—and that one turned out a lot better. ANOES5  starts out promisingly enough and the kills are very fun and imaginative (even while they...

While not the classic that Predator  (1987) turned out to be, Predator 2 (1990) is a worthy follow-up and a thoroughly enjoyable action/sci-fi flick. Danny Glover  was a bit of an odd choice to square off against the "silent, invisible, invincible, ultimate hunter" but somehow he makes it work in a cast filled with intense /over the top male actors— Gary Busey , Bill Paxton , Robert Davi , and Morton Downey Jr . among them. There's definitely an additional level of comedy added that wasn't present in the first film, but it's also a gorier affair, at times dipping deeper into horror movie territory than its predecessor (or Predacessor? Sorry.) did. Stan Winston 's alien creation gets some nice updates in costume and upgrades in weaponry that are put to great use. Stephen Hopkins was a solid choice to direct Predator 2 . While A Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child  ( review ), which he directed the previous year, is when that series starred to decl...

Judgment Night   (1993) doesn't offer much in the way of plot mechanics, but as a non-stop survival actioner with realistic stakes and a rap/rock soundtrack that still rips, it holds up quite well. The cast is good too, including a mostly passive (until the finale) Emilio Estevez ,  Cuba Gooding Jr. 's manic machismo, a babyfaced Stephen Dorff , smarmy comic relief  by way of  Jeremy Piven , and, of course, Denis Leary at his unhinged, psychotic best. Director Stephen Hopkins  keeps the tension remaining high throughout, and, along with cinematographer Peter Levy , infuses the film with visual flair via some great split diopter shots. For fans of Deliverance (1972), the  Dirty Harry  series, and the Predator  franchise. Stephen Hopkins Films Ranked

1/100 maniacs Baby Freddy Yes, Alice?