Movie Review: The Octagon (1980, Blu-ray)

Review By: Rob Sibley

Note: This Blu-ray is region B locked, you will need an all region player to view this.

Chuck Norris is a legend of action cinema and maybe action movies biggest joke. Go online and you can find thousands upon thousands of “Chuck Norris facts” that all are indeed quite funny. The humor is even acknowledged in Chuck's brief appearance in Expendables II. But let's face the facts, Chuck was never much of an actor. He's one helluva martial artist, the real deal. So that makes up for his lack of acting chops. But you don't watch a Chuck Norris movie for his thespian skills, you watch one for all the ass kickery that is going to be contained in the films 90 minute run time.

The plot itself is rather convoluted and headache inducing at times. Norris plays Scott James a man haunted by memories and flashbacks during both his waking and sleeping hours. The first is a childhood memory relating to his intense ninja training as a child. The second is a recollection of loss, one that has turned Scott away from his former life. But a wealthy heiress (is there any other kind?) convinces him to enter the fray once more. Scott finds himself dragged into an international terrorist group “The Octagon” consisting of ninjas (always a good thing) and a not so friendly face from Chuck's past.

Movie Review: The Package (2012, DVD/Blu-ray)

Review By: Rob Sibley

“The Package” coming out February 19^th courtesy of Anchor bay is a superior action film then most. A few things to get out of the way before this review starts. Direct to DVD action films are my specialty. I live, eat and breath them. These days Hollywood is so concerned with giant explosions and huge robots that it takes away the fun. Mean while the lower budgets of DTV action films, actually help the films. They feature real tough guys kicking ass and taking names. The heroes are usually anti-hero's and do things that their Hollywood counterparts never would do. This harkens back to the hay-day of action films when real tough guys like Bronson, Lee Marvin would take out anyone who was in their way. With no fear of the consequences of their actions. This take no prisoners attitude has vanished from Hollywood action films. But that spirit is still very much alive in DTV action films. 

Movie Review: The Expendables 2 (2012)

Directed by Simon West
Starring Sylvester Stallone, Liam Hemsworth and Randy Couture
Run Time: 103 minutes

The team from The Expendables is back in action once again and this time they sign on for a mission that looks like an easy paycheck for Barney and his band of old-school mercenaries. But things go sour, and one of their own is killed by a psychotic terrorist-for-hire. Hell bent for payback, they cut a swath of destruction through enemy territory and mow down everything in their path. In the midst of the mayhem, they must also shut down an unexpected threat in the nick of time- preventing five tons of weapons grade plutonium from falling into the wrong hands, as well as save a village that is being tortured and used as slave labor by the mercenaries.

Movie Review: Red Scorpion (1988, Synapse Films)

I feel like I missed the Dolph Lundgren train. After Ivan Drago and He-Man, he went on to play a series of action heroes that included the Punisher himself, Frank Castle. It all blew past me as I focused on Seagal and Van Damme. It seems that I was missing out.

Red Scorpion was only Lundgren's third movie. It followed the previously mentioned films and was only his second time taking the lead role (Masters of the Universe was the first). It's also the second time he played a Soviet Russian, and according to a bonus interview on the Synapse re-release, he pulled heavily from his time on Rocky IV. Red Scorpion is filled with the politics of the time, and apparently, the filming was as harrowing at times as the story itself.

Cinema Head Cheese: The Podcast! #68 - Steve on Steve Action

Kevin and Dave get right to it with Kevin's review of Maximum Conviction, an action vehicle starring Steven Seagal and Steve Austin. They discuss the combining of action stars from different eras and all things Steve in movies.

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