The Daily Beasts
For theme projects (like #Kaijuly, #Mocktoberfest, and #SeasonsBeatings—for example),
a new film/show is profiled every day by a different writer.
Fred Olen May: Boggy Creek -The Bigfoot Series
A Fred Olen Ray-produced series about Bigfoot?!? Derek Smith provides an overview and interviews its director, Henrique Couto.
Fred Olen May: CYCLONE (1987)
A super bike, a Re-Animator, an Oscar winner and more come together in this delightful action flick.
Fred Olen May: EVIL TOONS And Its Many, Many References
A look at a favorite Fred Olen Ray film, bursting with nods to other works.
Fred Olen May: BEVERLY HILLS VAMP (1989)
Fred Olen Ray’s zany look with Eddie Deezen at bloodsuckers in Hollywood…and also vampires.
POLICE STORY Is The Best Story
Jackie Chan’s 1985 opus still reigns supreme almost 40 years later thanks to skill, sincerity, silliness, and stunts.
The Art Of Stunts And Being Yourself
Throughout his storied career, Jackie Chan innovated stunts simply by being himself.
Shanghai Surprise
Chan’s had many on-screen partners, but his best in American productions is Owen Wilson in SHANGHAI NOON and SHANGHAI KNIGHTS.
When Jackie Chan Ruled Sundance
Michael Scott recounts what it was like being there when Jackie Chan conquered the 1996 Sundance Film Festival.
ROCKY IV (1985)
ROCKY IV’s Christmas boxing match to end the Cold War was the main event—but it overshadows the real drama occurring within the wives of the fighters.
LETHAL WEAPON (1987)
Heather Wixson on how Richard Donner’s direction and Shane Black’s writing helped redefine the action hero in the 1980s.
ABRAXAS, GUARDIAN OF THE UNIVERSE (1990)
This blundering action/sci-fi movie starring Jesse Ventura (and found in the public domain) is incredibly inept, but has its charms and its lessons to teach.
DIE HARD 2 (1990)
In celebration of the Christmas sequel to the Christmas action film, Mary Kay McBrayer looks at the Top 5 Bureaucratic Heroes of DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER.
SANTA WITH MUSCLES (1996)
Hulk Ho-Ho-Hogan Spreads Holiday Cheer In This Much Maligned Children’s Holiday Movie.
DIE HARD (1988)
Or, 7 Ways to Improve Your Corporate Holiday Party—According to DIE HARD (1988)
HOME ALONE (1990)
HOME ALONE endures not just due to nostalgia and madcap violence, but also its embrace of the fantastic and moods of the holidays.
RENT-A-COP (1987)
A trainwreck of genres and ideas, Jerry London’s holiday-set film feels like everyone is in their own movie—no matter how it clashes with those around them.
TOKYO GODFATHERS (2003)
A beautiful Christmas tale of family and forgiveness, with the proper amounts of car chases, parkour sequences, and other madcap action sprinkled throughout.
ROBOCOP 3 (1993)
Fred Dekker’s third entry in the series has so much promise, but mistakes were made. But hey, Kiley wrote a poem about it—so it all works out!
BETTER WATCH OUT (2016)
An adventure in babysitting combines action and horror with enough seasonal psychosis and holiday hilarity to keep folks glued to the screen.