Browse Tag: prison break

RECAP: The Last Samurai

The Last Samurai (2003): Ed Zwick

Tom Cruise. Yeah, he’s on the poster. His face is one of the most recognizable in the world. For several years he topped list after list of the most bankable stars. Cruise is one of a few actors to star in a Best Picture winner and a year’s number one box office success. He’s also 5’7”, four inches shorter than his ex-wife Nicole Kidman, but you would never know that from watching his films. He also does his own stunts. You would know that, at least from the press for his movies. Cruise has worked with Stanley Kubrick, Cameron Crowe, Michael Mann, and Steven Spielberg. He’s as successful as any actor could even hope to be.

The word "is" is not on this poster. That's important.
The word “is” is not on this poster. That’s important.

Cruise is a titan of action films, especially the science-fiction versions. War of the Worlds, Minority Report, Oblivion, Edge of Tomorrow, and the terrific actioners of Mission: Impossible. But today I’m talking about the 2003 samurai drama The Last Samurai. 

ONE SENTENCE PLOT SUMMARY: An American soldier flees America to be a soldier in Japan, and he falls for the samurai culture.  Continue Reading

RECAP: The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises (2012): Christopher Nolan

How do you follow up one of the most successful movies ever made? If you’re Christopher Nolan, you don’t worry about it. You make Batman go away for awhile, maybe retire. Make him vulnerable. You ignore the transcendent greatness of the previous villain. Oh, and you throw in a nuke.

ONE SENTENCE PLOT SUMMARY: A masked villain terrorizes Gotham with a nuclear bomb while an injured Batman tries to stop him.  Continue Reading

RECAP: The Rock

The Rock (1996): Michael Bay

The first of a trio of Nicolas Cage action films, The Rock fell second in a string of four movies that represent the apex of Cage’s career.

Following his Oscar win for Leaving Las Vegas, Cage starred in The Rock, Con Air, and Face Off. That, folks, is called a winning streak.

Sean Connery, long-haired and cagey, appeared in his final great movie. That was 20 years ago, Sean. We need you back!

ONE SENTENCE PLOT SUMMARY: A green G-Man and a gray Brit fight through Alcatraz to stop a Silver Starred general from killing San Franciscans with chemical weapons.  https://www.exploderblog.com/iranian-personal-dating-app/