cult film freak: mel gibson

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Written by James M. Tate / 11/09/2017 / No comments / 2017 , comedy , mark wahlberg , mel gibson , team-up , will ferrell

THURSDAY REVIEW OF 'DADDY'S HOME 2'

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 2017 Rating: ***1/2<br></u></td></tr>
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Ironic that the Godfather of <i>Once Popular</i> <i>Actors Shunned From Hollywood Literally Overnight</i>, Mel Gibson, peaks his head out this weekend following  several male showbiz careers being either wrecked or shamed...<br>
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Also ironic is that his old school blunt tough guy character needed to be much more politically-incorrect in order to ruffle feathers i.e. intentionally screw up the Christmas spirit, which could have wielded more gusto from Mel, and laughs from us: He's a womanizing former astronaut butting heads with estranged son Mark Wahlberg, while super-friendly Will Ferrell cozily bonds with his even more ridiculously saccharine father in John Lithgow...<br>

2017, comedy, mark wahlberg, mel gibson, team-up, will ferrell

THURSDAY REVIEW OF 'DADDY'S HOME 2'

Year: 2017 Rating: ***1/2 Ironic that the Godfather of Once Popular Actors Shunned From Hollywood Literally Overnight , Mel Gibson, pe...

RICHARD DONNER DIRECTS MEL GIBSON AS MAVERICK

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1994 Grade: B–</td></tr>
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When Johnny Depp played THE LONE RANGER, it was basically his endearingly ragged PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN Captain Jack Sparrow in another form. Robert Downey Jr’s smart aleck Sherlock Holmes could very well be IRON MAN Tony Stark roaming through the fog-shrouded Baker Street. And that concept of a popular actor bringing their beloved niche persona from one vehicle to another wasn’t entirely new...<br />
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In the course of the 1990’s when Mel Gibson reigned supreme, his LETHAL WEAPON director Richard Donner decided to reboot an old TV series, a concept that, in itself, hadn't snowballed like it would a few years later. And taking over James Garner’s Bret Maverick was Mel himself, acting just as silly and crazy-brave as Detective Riggs, only he’s not suicidal from the onset: the ironic fact we begin with Maverick about to hang himself, well, it wasn't his choice. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rest in Pace Geoffrey Lewis</td></tr>
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Lead villain Alfred Molina has everything against the roguish gambler, and when we cut back days earlier, Maverick is looking forward to and trying to save up for a half million dollar gambling tournament, serving as a plot-horizon throughout the various cons, most of which are completely farfetched and distractingly banal. Especially one concerning Native American actor Graham Greene, fresh from an Oscar nom in DANCES WITH WOLVES, turning in one of the worst performances ever filmed: pretending to be the typical “racist Indian stereotype” from the old black & white movies, he's not funny enough for a parody or genuine enough to be a worthy sidekick.  <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Original</td></tr>
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But we’re skipping past Maverick’s two main co-stars: first his ingénue, a resilient tart stealing from every man she meets. Herein, Jodie Foster is the most miscast on board (first choice Meg Ryan would have worked better). The edgy character-actress hasn’t much of a mainstream leading lady persona. Thankfully our wily hero prefers to roam alone, and spends most of the time avoiding her and lawman Marshal Zane Cooper, where the original 50's era MAVERICK James Garner has a piece of the action… somewhat.<br />
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Although Garner really sinks his teeth into the only sequence that matters: The river boat tournament led by James Coburn’s Commodore Duvall, harboring a location that's a plush version of the HIGH NOON main street with a neat surge of twists and tricks making up for the banality of the road adventure leading to what (and where) the entire ride is about. And with cameos by character-actors Dub Taylor, Denver Pyle, Paul L. Smith, the recently departed Geoffrey Lewis, Donner’s former Lois Lane, Margot Kidder and a handful of others including a surprise Danny Glover punchline-appearance, MAVERICK not only caters to the built-in fan-base of the original series, but that cop movie franchise where Mel Gibson was able to steal a show he already had in the bag.

con man, james garner, jodie foster, mel gibson, nineties, remake, road movie

RICHARD DONNER DIRECTS MEL GIBSON AS MAVERICK

1994 Grade: B– When Johnny Depp played THE LONE RANGER, it was basically his endearingly ragged PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN Captain Jack Sp...

Written by James M. Tate / 8/15/2014 / No comments / 2014 , action , arnold schwarzenegger , ensemble , harrison ford , jason statham , mel gibson , sylvester stallone

SYLVESTER STALLONE HEADS UP THE EXPENDABLES 3

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>year: 2014</u></td></tr>
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It wasn’t long ago when Jason Statham, Randy Couture and Terry Crews were the young EXPENDABLES… But now it seems, they’re all old timers…<br />
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Thanks to Mel Gibson’s dirty rotten Stonebanks, a founding member of the titular mercenary team who went rogue in a bad way. Following a gallant introduction of a jailbreaking Wesley Snipes, the group, blundering a mission intruded upon by our new lead villain, is considered sloppy and over the hill. So Sylvester Stallone’s Barney Ross seeks out a whole new group of gung-ho dynamos, all kids in comparison to the old (but some still kinda young) familiar faces. <br />
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It’s always fun seeing characters being introduced in this sort of drawn-out montage fashion: With the help of Kelsey Grammer’s soldier-salesman, Barney hires the young warriors, all taking part in various fights and exercises, visually pronouncing each member’s skill... <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr>
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This leads to the first of two missions to kill and/or capture a lecture-spouting Mel Gibson, thriving with energetic dialogue to make up for his initial lack of hands-on action… Most of that goes to Barney and the kiddos, wherein Statham, Dolph Lungren and the newly resurrected Snipes take a reluctant, shortlived sabbatical.<br />
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Filling out the elder positions are Harrison Ford as a benign CIA head 
who winds up getting dirty along with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s passive 
coordinator, and yet another pointless Jet Li walk-on. Meanwhile, a 
motormouth Antonio Banderas, trying way too hard for comic relief 
status, winds up even more annoying than he’s supposed to be. And yet, despite the surrounding ensemble, Ross, given his personal vengeance for Gibson's heavy, seems more in it for himself... Rambo would be proud!  <br />
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The action sequences are involving enough, and between gunplay there’s the usual pulpy banter rooted in 80’s action nostalgia when sarcastic one-liners, limitless ammo and tons of testosterone meant pretty much everything. So if mindless doesn't matter, you won't be disappointed. But anyone expecting a fleshed-out espionage thriller, which this attempts to be, should have known better.

2014, action, arnold schwarzenegger, ensemble, harrison ford, jason statham, mel gibson, sylvester stallone

SYLVESTER STALLONE HEADS UP THE EXPENDABLES 3

year: 2014 It wasn’t long ago when Jason Statham, Randy Couture and Terry Crews were the young EXPENDABLES… But now it seems, they’re ...

Written by James M. Tate / 10/11/2013 / 1 Comment / charlie sheen , danny trejo , exploitation , mel gibson , robert rodriguez , sequel , walton goggins

MACHETE KILLS

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2013 cast: Danny Trejo, Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen, Amber Heard, Walton Goggins rating: *</td></tr>
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Director Robert Rodriguez, who, along with Quentin Tarantino in other projects, revamps exploitation cinema to younger audiences while rekindling the drive-in genre for older folks, really wants Danny Trejo, the muscular Latino tough guy usually cast as villains or henchman/side characters, to be a big star… In fact, MACHETE KILLS is the second attempt: Trejo plays Machete Cortez, a Mexican police officer turned lethal spy wielding the titular weapon. He can <i>never  </i>bite the dust and is more Jason Voorhees from FRIDAY THE 13th than a worthy, vulnerable action hero protagonist...<br />
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Without fearing death, and from being able to survive just about everything thrown his way, we’re stuck with a grimacing "wraith" ambling from one dire situation to the next and, being fully aware he simply cannot be stopped, any and all suspense is gone: Not only that, but Machete’s not even the main character… Well not really… Saddled with a thoroughly annoying Mexican agent turned bad guy with a bomb strapped to his heart, there’s so much vapidly rambling/wannabe Tarantino dialogue that Machete gets lost in the mix… He stands around with a dull scowl as a plethora of banal characters take over, from sexy sirens to a face-altering hit man/woman. Added to that is Mel Gibson’s completely unoriginal world-dominating villain Luther Voz, who has the same ultimate plan as the James Bond MOONRAKER heavy – destroy the earth with a nuclear bomb, rocket into space with a group of pretty people to create a new, perfect world with him as ruler…<br />
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What really makes MACHETE KILLS so tediously awful is the over-abundance of characters being shot and killed in a matter of seconds. Several folks actually have a speck of potential and are gunned down before being fully realized. Meanwhile, scores of innocent bystanders are pointlessly slaughtered, an obvious attempt to thrill a targeted cult audience that, whether it’s clear to Robert Rodriquez or not, yearns for an intentionally bad "b-movie" that, like the ones we grew up on, had an actual plot to follow and worthy characters, real enough to relate with and root for.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Possibly the worst action movie/exploitation film ever, ever, ever made</td></tr>
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charlie sheen, danny trejo, exploitation, mel gibson, robert rodriguez, sequel, walton goggins

MACHETE KILLS

year: 2013 cast: Danny Trejo, Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen, Amber Heard, Walton Goggins rating: * Director Robert Rodriguez, who, along wit...

Written by James M. Tate / 1/29/2013 / 1 Comment / 2012 , action , mel gibson , prison

MEL GIBSON IN GET THE GRINGO

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2012 cast: Mel Gibson, Kevin Hernandez, Bob Gunton rating: ***</td></tr>
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Mel Gibson, remember him? That really good actor most of Hollywood despises... So without using the corny adage “He’s back!” let’s just say there’s half a great ride here for the man to shine once again. <br />
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The famous line from STAR WARS describing that seedy port harboring “scum and villainy" has got nothing on a unique Mexican prison Mel’s character, named Driver, is sent after robbing two million bucks and getting caught (after an introductory car chase) across the border: twenty some odd yards on the Mexican side.  <br />
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At first he's sent to the type of sardine can jail with men all cramped together. With an abundance of intentionally nerve wracking mariachi music, and Driver’s glib narration, there lacks any real suspense or impending threat behind those dilapidated walls. And yet this ten minute “bridge” also lets the audience know that Driver’s gonna do alright no matter what hell he’s sent to.  <br />
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From this typical jail the cons are dispersed into a prison that’s like nothing you’ve ever seen on film. More of a grungy/seedy outdoor mall, the place has just about everything: ranging from ratty taco stands to tattoo parlors to men (and women) shooting heroin in the street. Driver takes to this purgatory with several tricks up his sleeve: the best moments involve him stealing money to pay for cigarettes by any means possible.   <br />
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Then he meets a ten-year-old kid named Kid, whose mother and father were sent to the prison years before. Through this character we learn a lot of exposition that carries through the rest of the movie. Without giving too much away, Kid has a blood type and liver that fits the prison's head honcho (also an inmate), living the good life in his own plush quarters – added to that, the cash Driver stole (that he was initially arrested for) is being sought after by a bevy of mobsters on the outside. Sound confusing? <br />
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After the prison story runs out of steam, the movie gets too complicated for its own good. Especially when Driver is given limited freedom to kill a crooked mobster...<br />
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There are so many powerful people mentioned we hardly even see, the third act of the film (while providing explosive gun fights and Peckinpah inspired slow mo) lacks the claustrophobic, cunning edge of that original prison movie, exceeding the far fetched action film it unfortunately morphs into. <br />
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Yet, despite the flaws, Driver is a worthy character that could probably work again – if not on film then a graphic novel or even an R-rated video game. Just make sure it's Mel Gibson's image: Even though he’s noticeably aged and gained a few pounds, there remains a world-weary expression like he’s seen just about everything.

2012, action, mel gibson, prison

MEL GIBSON IN GET THE GRINGO

year: 2012 cast: Mel Gibson, Kevin Hernandez, Bob Gunton rating: *** Mel Gibson, remember him? That really good actor most of Hollywood ...

Written by James M. Tate / 8/17/2011 / No comments / courtroom drama , diane keaton , eighties , matthew modine , mel gibson , prison , romance

MRS. SOFFEL

courtroom drama, diane keaton, eighties, matthew modine, mel gibson, prison, romance

MRS. SOFFEL

year: 1984 cast: Diane Keaton, Mel Gibson, Matthew Modine, Terry Quinn rating: *** Somewhere between BADLANDS and DEAD MAN WALKING li...

Written by James M. Tate / 5/16/2011 / 3 Comments / drama , jodie foster , mel gibson , tens

THE BEAVER

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIU_TmI3tAGz4sXsbrTmCuwfsfkvPj1Kt8M_72ggGJvkwPb53SsUH-8HorBdF5Kf9UxwMCpEvgGLKpoPcbrjD7iR5-C4Dtyi-d2JEPknNxehUtBIr8LQr0t35kmqvDMRqeoeN9M9ajgtc/s1600/The_Beaver_movie_stills_7.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607210299815466274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIU_TmI3tAGz4sXsbrTmCuwfsfkvPj1Kt8M_72ggGJvkwPb53SsUH-8HorBdF5Kf9UxwMCpEvgGLKpoPcbrjD7iR5-C4Dtyi-d2JEPknNxehUtBIr8LQr0t35kmqvDMRqeoeN9M9ajgtc/s200/The_Beaver_movie_stills_7.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 188px; height: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">title:</span> THE BEAVER<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">year:</span> 2011<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">cast: </span>Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">rating:</span> *<br /><br />The story of a depressed family man, played by Mel Gibson, using a beaver hand puppet to cope with everyday life – allowing it to talk for him with a voice resembling Michael Caine – spends little time setting up what drove him to this strange behavior for it to seem either shocking or humorous to his family, employees, or the audience. All we get is five minutes of the main character looking sullen, drinking, and waking up hungover: then he's using the puppet for no explained, or even creatively unexplained, reason whatsoever. The painfully melodramatic acting from Gibson and director Jodie Foster is nothing compared to an extremely useless, and horrendously pretentious, subplot of their oddball high school son courting a pretty girl who practices the “art” of graffiti. And the puppet itself fails both as a quirky comedic devise or, when Gibson’s psychosis mounts to self-inflicted violence, an effective symbol of mental illness. An incredibly bad film, almost beyond description.

drama, jodie foster, mel gibson, tens