| Syd Lexia wrote: |
| Tebor wrote: |
| My question is: What under appreciated 90's action film deserves to be the next cult classic? Something hated by adults when it was first released, but beloved by children? |
In response to your question, here are some possibilities:
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Escape From LA
Soldier
Eraser
Bulletproof
The Game
The Shadow
Brain Smasher: A Love Story
Starship Troopers |
All good choices. I'd like to add
Hard Rain - I was told this was the worst movie of whatever year it was and didn't see it until Speed had a 5 star collection DVD. I finally rented it and LOVED IT! Christian Slater was good, as he usually is, Morgan Freeman plays a bad guy (always welcomed!), but best of all, Randy Quaid of "Brokeback Mountain" shows up as the uber villain. Great fun, great cast, great action.
The Last Boy Scout - Bruce Willis teams up with Damon Wayans in a Tony Scott film? Action, action, action? Checkmate.
The Glimmer Man - It's simply "Rush Hour" before "Rush Hour" with Steven Seagal as Jackie Chan. Surprisingly better than "Rush Hour", but not "Rush Hour 2".
Predator 2 - Yes, the first was a classic, but I saw this movie first so my bias tends to lean me this way. Great direction from future "24" director Stephen Hopkins (also A Nightmare on Elm Street 5). Danny Glover vs. drugs? Gary Busey vs. a meat factory? Predator vs. Bill Paxton? Sign me up!
Speaking of Bill Paxton...
"Tombstone" and "True Lies" seems to be dying in popularity to me. Tombstone was a big movie back in the day, but I rarely see/hear references to currently. Even the Vista Series DVD couldn't bring it back... "True Lies" I know that most, if not all, of our generation loves this film and that certain "adults" think it's too long and schizophrenic in genre. Neither "True Lies" nor "Tombstone" should be on this list (due to overwhelming success), but I know I want more people talking about "Tombstone" than I see right now.
Now some percentages of what I think are the chances of the film coming back:
The Long Kiss Goodnight - 86% Not quite the action packed movie people will hope it to be, it does have an impressive cast. Samuel L. Jackson and Geena Davis are a great pair. With Davis on "Commander and Chief" people may feel an urge to watch/rewatch this film. Also, in favor of a comeback is Shane Black's very funny script. However, counting against it is the strong mean spirited tone and sheer audacity of the plot.
Escape From LA - 90% Already loved by Snake Plissken fans, the film needs a reissue badly. With the coming of an animated Snake Plissken movie, the movie is waiting to be rediscovered by the masses. With politics the way they are, the political messages in the film may appeal to people more. Going against it are the bad special effects and that most of the film is a remake of "Escape From New York" with a better ending and Bruce Campbell.
Soldier - 59% Paul Anderson has never been more hated than he is right now. However, "Soldier" is a pretty good intelligent movie... up until the last third of the movie. The beginning is good with a better, dramatic middle, but then falls apart completely in the final minutes throwing away character development completely. The film is also hurt by the low budget. However, people may feel more open to Kurt Russell's amazing portrayal of a soldier who says about 100 words in the whole film.
Eraser - 88% The scene to show people is the scene of Arnold leaping out of a plane, going through a burning engine, catching a parachute in midair, getting trapped in it after releasing, having the plane he escaped from come charging at him, and finally getting his spare chute to open fifty feet above the ground just in time to break a car with his back but not badly enough to really hurt him. If the person who've showed this sequence to doesn't want to love this film forever, they should probably be shot. The film has great action sequences going for it, but is hurt by a fairly predictable plot. Also, not to many people like Arnold the Gov-inator which will inevitably create a bias.
Bulletproof - 73% Most of the action scenes are ripped from John Woo films, but the cast is wonderful. Almost too wonderful to warrent few laughs. The movie is the closest Adam Sandler has come to making an action film, which alone makes it a film to be seen.
The Game - 84% David Fincher makes a thriller which breaks expectations. People who haven't seen it yet will probably enjoy it, but may not come back for a second and third viewing.
The Shadow - 91% Forgotten by most people, the film turned out as a wonderful homage to both the radio show and 1920s films. While the emphasis is on action over style, there is some great filmmaking behind the movie. Tim Curray is the wildcard of the film, which audiences will either love or hate. The villain has a good reason for world domination (descendent of Genghis Khan), but may be weak compared to the star power of Alec Baldwin. Peter Boyle is a character that cannot be disliked.
Starship Troopers - 98% There's a fairly large fanbase for the movie, which seems to grow everyday. Most people I've talked to about the film refer to "Triumph of the Will" comparisons more than comparisons to other war movies. Whether you like action, comedy, political satire, or self parody, you'll probably like this movie more than you'd think.
Hard Rain - 61% Terrible title and press about the movie will continue to get people to stay clear of it. A strong supporter of the movie needs to come forward before a trend can develop.
The Last Boy Scout - 74% Highly mean spirited and formulaic plot have kept audiences from fully embracing the film (and the funky title). The film is already infiltrating message boards, but the word of mouth needs to become stronger.
The Glimmer Man - 30%. Nobody likes Seagal.
Predator 2 - 80% Most people hate the movie because critics, fanboys, and internet nerds told them to. Someone will actually need to watch the movie without an expectation of "Predator" before the film gets the credit it deserves.
