ACTION A GO GO's TOP TEN MOVIES OF 2012

Just how hard is it making the list for the TOP TEN ACTION MOVIES of the year? The image below could give you an idea...

http://myloveforyou.typepad.com/my_love_for_you/2009/02/caleb-brown.html

But seriously, it's time to say good-bye to another year, and highlight the best of the best. It's been a wild time at ACTION A GO GO, with many changes and even a few arguments over this very list. Never fear though, we worked through it and here we are! Here are the best action movies of 2012!

Some are obvious, some are out of nowhere, and other are simply best of breed. 

All of them are white knuckle entertainment that get's the blood pumping. 

We hope you enjoy. 

1. AVENGERS

What can we say? In a year of overly-sober blockbusters (Skyfall*cough*Dark Knight Rises*cough*) and incomplete epics (*cough*Prometheus), Marvel's Avengers said "f--- it" and just gave us straight up entertainment.  

Ironically, films like Avengers used to be the standard in Hollywood, but judging by the limp theological lessons of Prometheus, the quivering state of 007 in Skyfall, and the preachiness of Dark Knight Rises, Marvel's superhero gush-a-thon is starting to feel like the exception.

What's so bad about quip-y protagonists, heroes who take on all challenges, and large scale action? Not a damn thing. And, last time we checked, that was the exact same  formula that gave us John McClane, Han Solo,  James Bond, and anything Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Save your half-assed film theories for indie flicks, guys. We'll be fine rewatching our unabashed popcorn movie.

2. THE RAID: REDEMPTION

                      

Every once in a while a movie comes in from overseas and shows us Yanks how it’s done. Last year, that movie was 13 ASSASINS. This year it was THE RAID: REDEMPTION.

The stories simple. The police must infiltrate a tower controlled by a crime lord and filled with criminals hiding from the law. When they are discovered, all hell breaks loose. We’re talking crazy martial arts, crazy shoot outs, and knuckle biting scenes of terror all wrapped up in one amazing package. The cherry on top? Ray Sahetapy as Tama, the crime lord who controls the tower. It’s a performance so cool yet terrifying you can’t take your eye’s off him.

The movie's star Iko Uwais is now the international face of Indonesian action films and director Gareth Evens now has a calling card like no other. Hopefully we will see more of these two because this movie is one for the ages.

3. DJANGO UNCHAINED

                     

We’re still in the thick of Django’s immediate outing, but lets be honest, who didn’t see this coming? A movie directed by Tarantino, a rogues gallery of top notch acting talent, and new take on the western. Yeah, it was destined to be up here somewhere.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson’s  performances as villains are mesmerizing. The scenery is amazing and the action is quality (as always in a Tarantino film). But, what separates it from so many other movies this year is how the film faces the most disturbing parts of American history with open arms and invites you along for the ride. For that, it makes it on the list for best of the best for 2012 and even more importantly one of the best Tarantino movies ever made.

4. DREDD 3D

No movie this year delivered on its promise of 3D like Dredd 3D. 

Riding the comic book movie craze but wisely clearing its own path, Dredd 3D is one of those rare times that style totally wins out over substance. Whatever the film loses with it's supermodel-thin plot (apologies to The Raid: Redemption) it makes up for with its ruthless characters and beefy eye-poping action.

It gets bonus points for being the most hardcore movie of the year and earning its hard R rating. Good form.

5. SKYFALL

Bare bones, tough, and to the point. That’s what has separated the Craig era of Bond from every other, and SKYFALL sticks to that skill set while adding stunning visuals that make this one of the most beautiful movie’s this guy has ever seen. And that’s as a lover film, not just an action junkie.

In the film there is metaphor after metaphor that explores the meaning of Bond, his own strange popularity, and what makes the character who he is. Then, literally, it goes where no Bond film has gone before. It’s a master work of director Sam Mendes. Oh, and let’s not forget how Javier Bardem steals the show as Silva (the main heavy) and how Judi Dench then steals it right back.

It’s (almost) the best Bond film ever and the only reason it sits at number 5 is because this was a very good year.

(BONUS TRACK: Check out loads of fan made posters for the movie HERE: http://geekynerfherder.blogspot.com/2012/10/movie-poster-art-skyfall-2012.html

6. THE GREY

Dismissively calling The Grey "Taken in Alaska" totally undersells what is one of 2012's most taut, intense thrillers. The Grey takes the "man vs. nature" prototype and uses it as a springboard for classic guy flick territory. 
Besides, "Fuck faith...earn it" is one of the hardest one-liners uttered in an action film in years.

7. ACT OF VALOR

                                          

Unlike your average "inspired by events" war flick, Act of Valor uses REAL soldiers from Naval Special Warfare. A fact that is indespensible to the overall enjoyment of the film. 

Because of the exclusion of actors, these Navy Seals do deliver some wooden moments of scripted drama, but those scenes are quickly trumped by sequences of true-blue bad-assery. 

Directors Scott Waugh and Mike McCoy give the film plenty of polish too, managing to hit every action note with sobering visual abruptness. It allows the fictional aspects of it to be exhilarating but the stark reality of it to feel appropriately frightening.

8. EXPENDABLES 2

Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Dolph Lundgren, and Jet Li (for a minute) all in the same movie.

Nuff said.

9. THE HOBBIT:  AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY

Marked with more critical malarkey thrown at it than any other film this year, THE HOBBIT still stands as  incredibly entertaining . Even more so when you factor in it's truly groundbreaking gimmick, 48 fps (we won’t get into the details here, but it’s good.)

Beyond that, what is there not to love about this film? Epic scenery, thoughtful storytelling, solid action, magic  monsters, ghosts...come on, what other movie has half the stuff THE HOBBIT did in 2012?

Not one. So forget the haters. Again, this is one for the ages, and we at ACTION A GO GO cannot wait for more.

10. THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

Let me set the record straight: I feel like Christopher Nolan is a great director. That being said, The Dark Knight Rises is his poorest showing to date. It's bloated, it crumbles under it's own self- importance, and the only person who seems to get that this should be fun is actress Anne Hathaway. It takes all the things I like least about Nolan's films and amplifies them. Exposing his love for mopey characters and his inability to choreograph and execute action sequences.

So why is it on this list? Well, like most of the Internet, Action A Go Go is of two minds on TDKR, making me uncomfortable with putting it on the list but forcing me to compromise with Derek. For that reason, it gets the ten spot.

DEREK’S TAKE:

In other news, it’s incredibly well shot, has a great villian in BANE, manages a twist ending, and makes a brave choice and ACTUALLY ENDS THE F---ING STORY  of  a comic book character in a movie. It has weak spot’s, BUT IT STAYS!

HONORABLE MENTION: ZERO DARK THIRTY

Action A Go Go couldn't wait to see Zero Dark Thirty. Kathryn Bigelow's follow up to to The Hurt Locker was destined to be a welcomed balance of real world politics and white-knuckle military action. Sadly however, we’re still waiting.

With a limited release that has prevented the film from coming to our city (ironically enough, the nation's capitol), we couldn't catch ZD30 in time for this list.

Yes, we are aware of this thing called the Internet and that on this Internet-thing there are torrents. But we aren't keen on seeing big movies on the small screen first. It just ain't right. We're purists. 

So here's to you Zero Dark Thirty. We'll catch you in 2013 with all the other jabronies.

AND BEFORE WE FORGET HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Signed with Big Explosions, Guns, Fast Cars, Speed, Scantily Clad Vixens, and Booze.

Sincerely,

Mr. Derek Scarzella and Mr.Troy Allen. 

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DJANGO UNCHAINED: Shoot White People First, Ask Questions Later...

Quentin Tarantino is back with another of long awaited projects, DJANGO UNCHAINED.  A love letter to Spaghetti Westerns and Blacksploitation films, with the title character himself being a shout out to the original Italian western DJANGO (1966), this is one rip roaring movie that managers to ground itself with such spectacular moments of acting that it boggles the mind how Tarantino is able to pull it off.

But there are some low points.

But let’s get this party going.

THE STORY AND THE PEOPLE WHO GET PAID TO TALK….

Django (Jamie Fox, RAY (2004) is a slave being transported on foot on a cold day and night through the south. He was separated from his wife by his slave masters and sent out into the world to be traded to the lowest bidder. Out of the darkness Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Shultz, INGLORIOUS BASTERDS (2009) appears and shoots the traders and makes Django an offer he can’t refuse. If Django helps find and kill the men who separated him from his wife to collect a bounty he will in turn help Django find his wife and hopefully freedom. 

And they do just that, finding and killing people to collect the bounties on their heads, often in very entertaining ways. So in short, the story itself is sound.

The acting throughout, as to be expected with a Tarantino movie, is top class. One thing you have to give him credit for is his love of just pointing the camera at these actors and letting them ramble and…quote simply….act.

The two standouts throughout the movie are Leonardo DiCaprio as plantation owner Calvin Candie and Samuel L. Jackson as Stephen, the plantations headmaster and caretaker of the Candie family for generations. I don’t recall DiCaprio playing a villain, but here he plays it like he was born to. At times joyfully ignorant but terrifyingly brutal, he’s a character that is now a highlight of DiCaprio’s career.

On the other side you have Jackson as his right hand man, cunning and calculated in the most unsuspecting ways. And funny. Jackson got more laughs than any other, but in no way did it take away from the fear this character manages to elicit throughout the story.

And Kerry Washington as Broomhilda (Also in Ray), Django’s long lost wife gives an amazing, emotive performance that grounds the movie throughout. She takes scenes that could be trivial or, much worse, mishandled and instead serves up subtle and unique emotions. Again, top notch acting right here, and others in the supporting cast step up as well.

Jamie and Christoph? More on them later.

WHAT’S ACTION A GO GO…

Oh, so many things. But what I want to focus on his Tarantino’s overall filmmaking here. With INGLORIOUS BASTERDS there were levels of drama in that movie that I simply thought Tarantino didn’t want, or couldn’t, bring to the screen. Obviously I was wrong, and believe that if the whole movie was played straight and didn’t go out of its way to rewrite history it would have won best picture that year. And this is not me talking out of my a$$ or some BS hyperbole. That Jew Hunter scene at the beginning of the movie belonged in SCHINDLERS LIST (1993), not INGLORIOUS BASTERDS.

Moving on, I believe that’s what Tarantino has done with DJANGO UNCHAINED to a certain extent. A lot of the camp and superfluous style for its own sake has been removed so that the viewer can focus on what is going on in the frame, ponder it, and be ready for what’s coming next. Now, these elements are present, particularly when it comes to the music and some details, but he mostly plays it straight, and to great effect.

Of course, the action is good. I believe at heart he’s an action director, and that’s one of his comfort zones, and it shines here.

The scenery, so integral to any true western, plays a starring role here as well. A few rather important cameos are hidden throughout (bonus points to whoever can list them in the comments) and that adds a little bit of fun to the mix.

Finally, the movie does play with some intense subject matter. It wallows in the inherent racism of the time and doesn’t blink when it comes to violence of any kind. I think he handled this well and it gives the movie a certain authenticity that goes beyond mere chronicling of history. Strangely, the only other movie I can think of that did this as well this year was LINCOLN(2012), another Spielberg picture that deals with these issues from a completely different angle. Wait a minute, is Tarantino a Bizzaro Steven Spielberg? On man, I might be onto something…

But we got to move on….

WHAT’S ACTION A NO NO…

THIS IS HOW WE DEAL WITH BLOATED DIALOGUE!

Some of my Tarantino gripes are still popping up in regards to DJANGO UNCHAINED. The gratuitously long dialogue is one thing that sags down the plot. At best it’s wallowing in the actors’ talent and digging a little deeper into a plot point. At worst it’s rambling that simply drones on and at points narrates what is obviously going on in the frame. It’s superfluous and makes you understand why studios always want to put directors on short leases. But that’s his style, and it is a love or hate thing. I veer towards hate at times, particularly in regards to Dr. King.

A crazy behind the scenes shot from DJANGO UNCHAINED

Also, this movie has a splatter problem. The squib to blood ratio is gratuitous, and managed to take me out of the moment. I know, it’s minor and a bit wimpish to complain about blood on an action movie blog, but I had to say it. Not every hit should produce a Jackson Pollock painting, but that’s just me.

Finally, the two main characters are weak to me this go around. Django doesn’t become an interesting character until the last third of the movie. And Dr. King seems more like an excuse to show off the talents of Christolph Shultz than he is a truly interesting character.

Of course, these aren't deal breakers. These quibbles about the actors are more structural than anything.

THE FINAL VERDICT

My friend, I do believe you need to see this movie...

It’s one of Tarantino’s best films, if not the best. PULP FICTION (1994) is still a cinema defining moment in history, but this film is striving for something more while delivering something unique.

Through its hyperbole it may be one of the best movies about slavery ever made, never mind how it stands as a spaghetti western or action film.

And that just may be what caps off Tarantino’s career as a film maker. A movie that takes America’s darkest secret, racism, and throws it in your face for two and a half hours and entertains you all the way. The ultimate film making hat trick.

Free yourself from the bondage of preconceptions. 

So go see it.

Its one wild blast before a new year begins again and a whole new crop of movies get shoved into theaters.

Good bye 2012. Your list will be here soon. 

P.S Oh wow...look....pictures...just laying here....

HAPPY NEW YEAR KERRY WASHINGTON!!!

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Jack Reacher Review

Stunts and Effects: 70%
Logic: 45%
Soundtrack: 65%
TnA: 70%
Cognitive Decline of Audience: 20% 
Overall Inches on the Action Erection Scale: 6 out of 12

Directed  by Ralph McQuarrie, Jack Reacher is based on a series of books about a former military police officer known for cracking uncrackable cases.

In his first cinematic mystery, Reacher (whose exploits are more John Grisham than Robert Ludlum) is called upon to clear the name of James Barr, an ex-military sniper. Barr is accused of gunning down several civilians in a supposed fit of PTSD. The facts don't line up and Barr has a violent history working against him --- a military homicide that Jack Reacher managed to acquit him of despite Barr's undeniable guilt.

Rosamund Pike's breast should've have been in 48 fps.

Jack Reacher is called in to team up with Barr's bosomy attorney in an attempt to bring the actual criminal to justice. They discover that their inquiries are destined to be halted. Especially when they can't stop themselves from awkwardly walking into each other just so the audience understands that their is some sexual tension (Ugh).

Cruise can do his arrogant swagger for the girls all he wants --- the real star of Jack Reacher is director Christopher McQuarrie. McQuarrie was the Oscar-winning screenwriter behind The Usual Suspects, as well as several other Bryan Singer projects. He also tends to travel in the same filmography circles as Cruise, making Jack Reacher sound more and more like a star vehicle than a loyal adaptation.

Still, McQuarrie doesn't treat this like a demo for the next Mission: Impossible (even if it actually is) The director-screenwriter goes for big drama at every turn and approaches each big moment with  heightened levels of emotion and suspense. Particularly during scenes involving the actual shooting, playing off the sudden confusion and chaos that ensues.

Personally, I've never read the books (apparently, the author describes Reacher as a 6-foot, blonde vet), but it's painfully obvious that director McQuarrie could have a birthed a potential new franchise if not for the miscasting of it's lead actor. Tom Cruise's seems to hold back the talents of McQuarrie and Jack Reacher, sandbagging the film for the sake of vanity.

 Like all your favorite action heroes of yesterday, Tom Cruise might be hitting that inevitable part of his career where he runs the risk of over-staying his welcome. For fans of this particular series novels, that moment might be now.

Oh, and P.S...

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SKYFALL: THE ULTIMATE REVIEW FOR THE ULTIMATE BOND FILM...WAIT, WHAT?

Very few characters in cinema get to come back. Unless it’s something Biblical, a work of Shakespeare, an actual historical figure or Santa Clause odds are the character shows up, has a blast, and then it’s off to the history books. For a generation or two they might be brought up as fond memories from bygone days, but that is it.

Now with that in mind, think of how amazing it is that James Bond has made it through 50 years, 6 different leading men (There’s already whispers of No. 7 cough7cha*Idris Elba*cough), dozens of different leading ladies, many cars, many secret hide outs and the Cold War. Oh, and never mind all the books from Ian Fleming, the creator of everyone’s most favorite secret agent.

The best part? We are still hungry for more.

What makes SKYFALL so special? It dances with Bonds particular tropes and history unlike any Bond before, and is being critically acclaimed from many corners as the best Bond ever (Sir Roger Moore seems to think so….http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20646505,00.html).

But Roger Moore’s opinions are nothing compared to the judgment of ACTION A GO GO (tee hee) so here we go…the review to end all reviews….of SKYFALL!

THE STORY AND THE PEOPLE WHO GET PAID TO TALK….

Directed by Sam Mendes (AMERICAN BEAUTY (1999) and starring Daniel Craig as the everlasting 007, the movie opens up with a bang. 007 goes on a wild chase through Istanbul after an assassin that has stolen a hard drive with the names of all undercover British agents. When it comes down to the wire M (played by Dame Judi Dench) gives the order to shoot the assassin but Bond is collateral damage after his partner, Eve, misses and shoots him in the shoulder.

Shoot the bastard....

Bond survives but is scared by the betrayal and lives a drunken, miserable existence away from his past life. Back home all hell breaks loose as M looses her grip on MI6. An unknown enemy is revealing agent’s identities and getting them killed, all the while slowly tying a noose around M’s neck. That is until Bond comes back into the fold to stop it. But is he still man enough to fight for queen and country or was the best part of him lost after that horrible betrayal?

And it just get’s better from there. This movie get’s down and dirty and takes Bond to places we have never seen on screen. That can work against it at times, but that is for later.

Javier Bardem play’s Silva, the main heavy. Ralph Fiennes plays Gareth Mallory, M’s overseer, and Naomie Harris play’s Eve, the unfortunate agent her takes out one of her own. Ben Whishaw resurrects the role of Q, and Rory Kinnear plays Tanner, M’s trustworthy assistant. Bérénice Marlohe plays Severin, Silva's main squeeze.

All of the acting in this movie is top notch, with some standing out over others.

WHAT’S ACTION A GO GO…

Quote a few things, actually.

First of all, I need to get this off of my chest. This movie is beautiful. I mean, absolutely amazing to watch. Stunning, glorious shot’s fill the screen and it makes the most mundane parts of the movie absolutely enrapturing. When the movie was in Shanghai I felt like I was watching a modern day BLADE RUNNER (1982) or something. If anything you should go see it for the visuals. Also, the opening is one of the best Bond openings ever. At first I thought there were not enough naked ladies (Bond openings have to have naked ladies or the opening sucks cough*CASINO ROYALE*cough) but SKYFALL’s beginning is intense and visually arresting.

Of course, that visual style has to be attributed to Sam Mendes, director of Best Picture winning AMERICAN BEUATY (1999) and the cinematographers he worked with. He brought the Bond franchise, and action movies, to a new visual level with SKYFALL and for that he should be celebrated once again.

The action throughout is intense. SKYFALL was kept in sync with its direct predecessors CASINO ROYALE (2006) and QUANTUM OF SOLACE (2008). The big crazy stuff was perfectly shot and managed to drop my jaw a couple of time. There are car/motorcycle/train chases, copious gunfights, and wild fisticuffs. It’s a visual riot and stands with the best of the best of the Bond films action wise.

And then there is Javier Bardem as Silva. What Bardem is able to do with this role is simply astonishing and proves that the work he did with the Cohen’s was not some fluke of cinema. His acting brings true terror to this role and manages to create the perfect aniti Bond in the process. Lot’s of people are shouting OSCAR, as they should. Truly, this is an epic performance.

But besides all this the best aspect of the movie is how it play’s with James Bond the character. It’s loaded with visual metaphors that make you think about Bonds place in history and film without thinking at all.

My eye's are up here Javier....

For instance, when Bond is trapped by Silva he is tied to a chair surrounded by computer servers and screens. Bond is surrounded by the machines that have truly made spies obsolete. Silva begins to pick him apart using the tech, and the point is made clear.

In the same scene, when asked what his hobby is, Bond say’s “Resurrection.”  With that line it’s made clear that SKYFALL, more than any other Bond film, is reaching for the essence of Bond, peeling back the layers and at once disproving his necessity while at the same time reaffirming his existence. It’s a beautiful dance to watch and convinces this viewer that SKYFALL isn’t trying to be an ordinary Bond film but wants to be a piece of art.

WHAT’S ACTION A NO NO….

Prepare yourselves...the critics are coming...

But all is not well in James Bond land. This movie is dragged down in spaces where it should be surging.

The down and dirty fighting…let me put it this way. James Bourne style was great in CR but managed to play itself out a bit in QOS. In SKYFALL the fighting is intense but overly dramatic and manages to repeat itself, which is something weird to say about an action movie. I hope by the fourth Craig film something changes, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Speaking of repeating itself, while this movie tries to be the most down to earth Bond film it takes itself a bit too seriously at times and stumbles over it’s own feet. For instance, the whole obsolete Bond thing? They Tackled that in GOLDENEYE (1995). As a matter of fact it was Judy Dench who gave the sticks to Brosnan, and to great effect. The whole resurrection thing? YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967) with Sean Connery. While campy, still effective. These aren't damning accusations, mind you, it’s just that the movie, and to a certain extent the whole Craig era, has been trying a bit too hard to be taken seriously and be seen as original. Well, it can’t be. So there.

Oh…and the ending….it’s a tad long. It stretches out for way too long and on one hand it is understandable. It’s an opportunity to reveal aspects of Bond that have been hidden for decades, but it is so drawn out it starts to work against the rest of the movie. It’s not a deal breaker, but it is definitely bloated.

THE FINAL VERDICT

Where does SKYFALL stand in the halls of the greatest Bond films?

Maybe we need a top 10 list to help decide… JUST KIDDING. I can’t give it the best of the best status. At least not yet. At least not now. Time will have to be SKYFALL’s greatest test.

But this movie is a maximal among the action breed. It is beautiful. It is a statement about what Bond is to cinema. It’s an acting tour de force. It is the swan song of one of the franchises most revered characters, M as played by Judi Dench. And it leaves the door open for more Bond movies to come.

In a very impressive year this movie is near the top.  Do yourself a favor and go see it. Even if you aren't a fan of the Daniel Craig run, or James Bourne style, you won’t be disappointed. This is top notch stuff, and it deserves to be savored in the theater.

And here are some great posters of James Bond from around the internet....

http://leangsta.deviantart.com/art/Skyfall-Concept-Poster-321194403

Oh, and just in case you forgot about our little tradition we have around here...if you want to check out the "images" or the latest Bond Girls go here ->: http://actionagogo.blogspot.com/2012/10/top-10-james-bond-car-chases-of-all-time.html

And just to change things up...ladies and gentleman, I present to you DAME JUDI DENCH back in the day.

(BTW- DID YOU LIKE THIS POST? IF YOU DID THEN GO HERE!

http://actionagogo.com/

Wait, how did Raquel Welch slip in there? Whatever...

and....YOU'RE WELCOME!!  Come back soon.

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