The Lawnmower Man (1992)

“Virtual Reality is the key to unlocking the human mind!” I had not watched The Lawnmower Man (1992) from start to finish, but I always felt like I had absorbed it as a teenager through osmosis due to constant repeats on Channel Ten; I also remember boys in high school talking about the sex scenes […]

Narrow Margin (1990)

Gene Hackman’s presence as a thinking man action star occupied video store shelf space in the 1980s with stuff like The Package, Bat 21 and Company Business. Pre-Tom Clancy, Cold War era, Dad movies utilising Hackman’s trademark quality; an affable chuckle that could snap into authoritarian rage. For the film noir remake, Narrow Margin (1990), […]

Turbulence (1997)

When Turbulence (1997) was advertised on release, I dismissed it as trash, particularly another pre-9/11 airplane action-disaster movie in the wake of Die Hard 2, Passenger 57, Executive Decision, Con Air, etc. Though the movie trailer does feature my favourite 1990s trailer cliche, which is using the bridge of White Zombie’s ‘More Human Than Human’ […]

The New Kids (1985)

The New Kids (1985) is a better poster than a movie. Along with the VHS cover to Class Of 1999, this was a poster that I became obsessed with, the teen gang horror vibes, on the level of an illustrated paperback cover, the heightened drama and off-frame implication. The movie itself, which sets its climax […]

Throw Down (2004)

Director Johnnie To said in an interview that he “didn’t want any antagonists” in the Hong Kong film, Throw Down (2004). This is intriguing to hear – no antagonists in a neo-noir martial arts movie set in the backstreets, gambling dens and smoky bars of Hong Kong? And that is specifically about the fighting form […]