Sounds like this is another rare case where the Asylum knockoff is a better movie: http://www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/ae- … earth-2013

It walks a fine line. I acknowledge its stupid and ridiculous (the story makes 0 sense), but it does it with just enough self-awareness that it makes it feel like you're laughing with the movie instead of at it. And they don't go too far either, they still treat the characters and macho dialogue sincerely, which I think is crucial. The vibe I get from the last 2 is "we both know this is dumb, but you know this scene is going to be awesome enough for it to be worth it". I think its the closest I've seen modern big-budget hollywood come to replicating the best of the ridiculous 80s action movies. You can watch Commando and say "its dumb and illogical" too, but that doesn't make it not super entertaining and re-watchable (certainly a staple of my childhood). I think tone is key, and I think Justin Lin has really nailed the right balance of humour, sincerity, and ridiculousness to make it all work (excluding Fast 4, which just sucks).

I think the fact that they land in that sweet spot is why they're getting so much attention lately, probably coupled with the fact that American action movies have been dead for like a decade now, burned to the ground by Michael Bay's aesthetics, comic-book movies, and CGI. If a studio is gonna spend 150 million on a dumb action movie, I want it spent on driving a real tank into real oncoming cars instead of Giant computer robots (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwgnqPhna_I)

I am a huge proponent of the Fast series as a brilliant action franchise. The mythology and world-building they've managed to do with these movies is kind of crazy (the wraparound elaborate timeline from 3-6 is a stroke of genius). I would say this is one of the great unheralded movie series, except the last 2 have gotten huge praise from critics and audiences, so its not exactly a secret anymore.

This series has also grown to be extremely progressive and good-natured with the last few entries. The team is very multi-racial, there are several tough female protagonists, who don't get objectified by the film-maker,  and all get good character beats. 

Unlike a Michael Bay movie, the action is built around the character dynamics, so there's always stakes involved. Its also extremely well shot, Fast 6 in particular has some of the most impressive action filmmaking I've seen in years. Justin Lin is juggling a dozen characters, all in different cars, criss-crossing through these elaborate action scenes that just build and build, and you always know where everyone is spacially relative to eachother. Really exciting stuff, and done almost entirely practically (look up some behind the scenes online, it is INSANE how much stuff was done for real on this movie).

More than anything, I think this series really understands the expectations of the audience, and plays to them without insulting them. People really sell the screenplay short, when I think its actually pretty great about setting up and paying off multiple character relationships throughout this movie, while also paying off and mirroring things from the past 5 films, AND on top of that retroactively improving previous films in the series by filling in extra character motivations and plot points. In many ways, Fast 6 is the Avengers of the Fast and Furious series, and this movie has hands down the best post-credits tease I've ever seen, simultaneously setting up an awesome sequel, while retro-actively making Part 3 way cooler.

The thing that's great about Predator (aside from EVERYTHING), is that its the only time Arnie has been up against a bad guy that's so formidable that you as the audience are thinking he's completely outmatched and is going to die. Terminator 2 is the only other example of this, but in that one he's a robot, so the "pain" aspect is less impactful. In this he's just a guy, and gets the absolute shit beat out of him, which is super rare and makes him an under-dog in the movie.

But ya, Last Action Hero. I actually really, really like that Title. If you think about it, it was weirdly prescient, as the 80s style of action movie would be completely dead in less than 10 years, completely replaced by comic book movies and Michael Bay destructo-flicks.

And not to harp on this, but Iron Man 3 follows from a series of light-hearted, light-on-story action comic-book movies, while STID follows a series with a long history of interesting and original sci-fi storytelling

I thought its 1PM Chicago time, isn't that 10AM West Coast? Bah, figures I got it off by an hour.

You disappoint me Dave

Your great work on Eddie's documentary proves you have what it takes to make an awesome album, we're all behind you on this.

Facts of life, US is pretty much always at war with someone, at least this time we're using technology to minimize the collateral damage. I'll take drone strikes any day of the week over ground invasion, where you're looking at massive civilian casualties, not to mention ripple effects that can cause instability and civil war.
Morally right it may not be, but we never really have been.

Are we doing just TNG, or TNG and the abrams movies, or ...?

Speaking of which, between pissed off Danny Glover, crazy Gary Busey, and asshole Bill Paxton, Predator 2 is totally worth doing as well. I heartily endorse a double episode of Predator and Predator 2.

Nope, didn't happen. I think we'll record it at whenever the next regular podcast is