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24 Hours to Live (2017)
24 Hours to Live (2017)
Ethan Hawke in a shoot ‘em up, no holds barred action thriller is just the type of movie that I would want to see. So I did. It appeared like it would have a lot of similarities to Crank (2006). Crank is off the hook in all senses of the word, so 24 Hours to Live sparked my interest.
The film is about a hired killer out for revenge after he is brought back to life after being shot. The medical treatment he received is only keeping him alive for 24 hours, so he must seek his revenge in a hurry.
The movie was directed by Brian Smrz and the noteworthy cast includes Ethan Hawke, Liam Cunningham, Rutger Hauer, Paul Anderson, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Tanya van Graan, Qing Xu, and Jenna Upton.
The movie was fun, but convenient at times. The action was sometimes a little choppy. Lots of good ruthless ideas. Some worked and some fell flat. Not enough follow through. The film was a bipolar rollercoaster of really good sometimes, followed by a sort of fizzle and then back to better again. In a strange way, the film felt like a financial rollercoaster also. Sometimes it felt a little cheap and B-rated, while other times really expensive and classy. It just could not hold its momentum. Along with that problem, it was occasionally a bit hard to follow. Overall, it just felt like it was lacking something.
Hawke is dual-wielding and he’s got nothing to lose. His role was awesome and he pulled it off well. He is the same old slick, and smooth likable guy. His character developed well, but the supporting cast, not so much.
Cunningham was very enjoyable, but could have been better. He just was not used enough.
The film was reminiscent of Crank (2006), minus the extreme intensity throughout and not near the same caliber film.
24 Hours to Live was a fun concept. It was an entertaining flick, but a bit disappointing because it did not reach its full potential. However, it was nice to see Ethan Hawke carrying an action movie by himself again.
I rate this movie a 6.5 on a scale of 1-10.
If you liked this film then you might also enjoy:
Crank (2006)
Crank: High Voltage (2009)
Running Scared (2006)
Shoot ‘Em Up (2007)
Training Day (2001)
Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)
Getaway (2013)
Getaway (2013)
I was very skeptical about whether or not I would like Getaway before watching it. I normally enjoy Ethan Hawke’s films, and recently he has made some good choices, i.e. Sinister (2012) and The Purge (2013). However, Getaway appeared a little sketchy to me. I held off seeing the movie in theatres because I was very unsure about it, but I had to at least give it a chance on DVD.
The film is about an ex-racecar driver (Ethan Hawke) whose wife has been kidnapped. In order to try to get her back, he is forced by the kidnappers to drive and do whatever he is told while leaving a trail of destruction and evading cops all over the city. He is given missions with time limits attached. Along the way, he gets caught up with a young woman whose car he was required to steal. The two of them are in for a wild ride that will hopefully help him get his wife back.
The movie was directed by Courtney Solomon and the rest of the noteworthy cast includes Jon Voight, Selena Gomez, Rebecca Budig, Paul Freeman, and Bruce Payne.
The film gets your attention immediately. It sort of has a Taken (2008) meets The Transporter (2002) feel to it, at first, but that quickly diminishes. The high-speed car chases start out flashy and exciting set to the tone of dramatic car chase music. Eventually the whole movie turns into one big car chase that will not end soon enough.
Getaway is actually pretty decent until the appearance of Selena Gomez. Her character enters and the movie slams on the breaks and crashes. Gomez brought nothing to her role in the film except for very poor acting skills and utter annoyance. I found myself quickly hoping that her character would just die off. However, I’m not even sure if her poor performance was her fault. Everything about the character that she played seemed unbelievable. The writers really dropped the ball when they came up with her part in the story. This sort of had a snowball effect.
The whole movie spun out of control. It stopped being fun and entertaining. Instead it just felt tacky and fake. The car chases were nothing new and the story stopped making sense. Things became too far out and predictable. Even though he still was, it felt like Hawke was no longer in the driver’s seat. There was nothing that he could do to steer the film into the right direction.
I thought that Getaway would at least be a fun ride to get distracted on for a little while. Instead, I wanted to get off before the ride was over.
I rate this movie a 4 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Run.
Movie Picture of the Day 8/15/13
Ethan Hawke is starting to wonder what he has gotten himself into with Denzel Washington in the gritty thriller Training Day (2001).
The Purge (2013)
The Purge (2013)
The main concept in The Purge is a controversial one. The film takes place in the not too distant future where America has become a safer place to live because annually there is a 12 hour period of time where all forms of crime are legal. During this 12 hour period of time, you can get away with murder and the police will not be there to stop you. Hospitals also close down during this time. This 12 hour period of time where crime is legal is called “The Purge” because it allows citizens to rid themselves of all of the hatred and pent-up anger that they hold inside all year long. They purge themselves of all of the bad and all that they are left with is the good.
As I said, it is a very controversial concept but let me talk about the film first before I discuss my views on the topic.
The film is about a family doing there best to stay safe at home during “The Purge.” The father (Ethan Hawke) is a top-of-the-line security system salesman who has ensured that his house is as safe as it can be. In a world where crime is legal for half of a day every year, you better have a good security system to protect yourself and your loved ones. An unfortunate turn of events finds the family with a man in their home who is being sought after by a violent group of people who intend on murdering him. The family is given the choice to give up the wanted man or become the new targets of the group.
The Purge is written and directed by James DeMonaco.
The rest of the notable cast includes Lena Headey, Max Burkholder, Adelaide Kane, Rhys Wakefield, Edwin Hodge, Tony Oller, Arija Bareikis, and Chris Mulkey.
The world that is created in The Purge would be a frighteningly dreadful one to live in. We already know that basically anything insane can happen in our world, but at least we have law enforcement and hospitals to help us when it does. If you take those services away, then you take away order and are only left with chaos. The film successfully depicts chaos in America.
The movie is vicious. The intensity of the film will keep your heart racing throughout as you try to anticipate what will happen next.
I felt that the entire cast did an excellent job with their parts of the film, but the standout performances were those of Ethan Hawke and Rhys Wakefield.
Hawke’s role was a great follow-up to Sinister (2012). If you enjoyed Sinister, then you will most likely enjoy The Purge.
This is the first movie that I have seen Wakefield in, and I have to say, he did an outstanding job being creepy. His character was tailor made for him.
Once you get past the holes in the main concept of the film, the movie is overall a very solid thriller/horror. I say that there are holes because it is hard for me to believe that America would ever allow its citizens to live in chaos and anarchy. Once you allow chaos, how do you bring back order? I don’t think it is as simple as putting a timetable on chaos and expecting people to actually follow it.
If there actually was “The Purge”, I think that all it would do is allow evil people to kill or commit crime and get away with it. How would that be good for anybody? I don’t believe that the crime rate would go down either. I think that there would probably be a lot of crimes and murder strictly out of retaliation for what happened during “The Purge”. It would almost be like encouraging people to do bad things. America would not be a better place to live in.
Those are just some of my thoughts on the topic. I’m sure that you have your own idea of what would be wrong with the idea of “The Purge” and I would be curious to hear what you have to say about it.
I rate this movie an 8 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Buy.
Trailer for The Purge (2013)
The Purge (2013) (click on the title for my full review)
I’m not sure that I agree with this concept, but it will definitely be a controversial movie. It will be interesting to see how this movie pans out. How could you end a movie like this?
The film looks like it will probably be pretty brutal. It would really be a scary world to live in if all crime was legal for one day out of the year. I don’t think that would solve any of the world’s problems.
I’m not sure if this would be classified as a horror movie or a thriller. Probably a thriller.
Ethan Hawke continues to choose eerie and gritty roles.
The movie looks intense, but I’ll totally have to see it.
Lena Headey co-stars. You might recognize her as the bad woman from Dredd (2012)
The rest of the cast is hardly worth noting. It seems like the majority of the cast includes actors who have had very small roles in movies and are not popular. You probably would not know who I am talking about if I listed anybody else in this movie.
It is written and directed by James DeMonaco and produced by the people that brought you Paranormal Activity (2007) and Sinister (2012).
The film is set to release on 5/31/13.
Top 13 Current Redbox Movies Vol. 2
Top 13 Current Redbox Movies Vol. 2
If you are thinking about renting a movie from the Redbox, you might want to read this list to help you decide exactly which movie to rent.
Here is another edition of my top 13 current Redbox movies, back by popular demand.
Click on this link to read Current Redbox Movie Reviews September 2013
Click on this link to read Current Redbox Movie Reviews August 2013
Click on this link to read Current Redbox Movie Reviews July 2013
Click on this link to read Vol. 1 from 2/10/13.
Click on this link to read Vol. 3 from 4/21/13.
Click on this link to read Vol. 4 from 5/9/13.
I have updated the list based on all the movies that are currently available to rent at the Redbox as of 3/14/13. They will change some of the titles weekly, but the list should still be pretty accurate for a while and hopefully be able to help you find a good movie to rent. I have included the DVD covers and previews. If a movie doesn’t have a cover or preview above it, simply click on the title for my full review of the movie along with the poster artwork and preview.
I do not claim to have seen all of the movies that are currently available at the Redbox, but I have seen 67 of them. Of those 67 movies, here is the list of my top 13 Current Redbox movies:
1. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) My Rating: 10
3. Ted (2012)
4. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) My Rating: 9
5. The Raid: Redemption (2011)
8. Looper (2012) My Rating: 8.5
9. Titanic (1997) My Rating: 8.5
11. Flight (2012)
12. Sinister (2012)
13. Moneyball (2011) My Rating: 8
You really can’t go wrong with any movie on this list. Next time you’re going to the Redbox, I recommend consulting this list. They are in my opinion, the best current Redbox movies.
Now that you have seen my recommended Redbox movies, check out my list of movies to stay away from. Click on the link below:
Top 13 Disappointing Current Redbox Movies
Are you a fan of Netflix? Click on the following links below for Netflix related material:
Netflix Watch Instantly Movie Reviews September 2013
20 Best Drama Movies Based on Real Life Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
20 Best Classics Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
13 Best Mind-bending Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
13 Best Comedy Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
13 Best Romantic Comedy Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
13 Best War/Military Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
13 Best Gritty Action/Thriller Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
Sinister (2012)
Sinister (2012)
Sinister is a very dark film. It is unique because the tension in the movie never really dissipates. Most horror movies have an attention grabber in the beginning, and then they have a few scenes that lighten the mood throughout the film. Sinister takes a firm grip on your mind and then twists. At best lightening the mood in the movie is slightly loosening the grasp that it holds on you.
Ethan Hawke plays a true crime author who moves his family to a property where an unspeakable murder has taken place. His goal is to write a book about what happened and hopefully find evidence in order to solve the crime in the process.
The film has all of the necessary elements that a great scary movie possesses. It has a solid main character portrayed by a very capable actor. There are disturbing images, and spine chilling spookiness. A number of surprises are thrown into the mix to keep you on the edge of your seat and sometimes catapult you somewhat above that edge. The villain is totally wicked, and the movie will stay with you long after it actually ends.
Sinister is Ethan Hawke’s best movie since Lord of War (2005).
James Ransone, Fred Dalton Thompson, and Vincent D’Onofrio all have very minor supporting roles. Ethan Hawke does a tremendous job of carrying the majority of the film on his shoulders.
One thing that I did notice is that the film was a bit scarier on the big screen and obviously that will probably always be the case. When I watched it at home, it was not as horrifying as I remembered. I did not jump as much during the jumpy scenes. This was not because I knew that they were coming, I just think that it was because the film was tailor-made for a larger screen. If you are going to watch it, then watch it on the biggest screen in your house, preferably at night and with the lights off to get the full effect.
Sinister means suggesting or threatening evil. The title fits the film like a glove. Although the movie was very well-made, it was hard to like it more than I did because of the subject matter. It is the best scary movie that I have seen in a long time.
I rate this movie an 8 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Buy.
If you liked Sinister (2012), then you will probably like The Purge (2013).
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