David Morrell – Missile Test

Do Not Enter

I’m a sucker for urban exploration. And I’m a sucker for horror flicks. Put the two together and I will watch it. Mostly, these kinds of movies have been disappointing, but that could be said for any subgenre of film. For every good movie, there are three dogs.

Today’s dog is Do Not Enter, based on the novel Creepers by David Morrell. It was helmed by prolific music video director Marc Klasfeld, from a screenplay by Dikega Hadnot, Spencer Mandel, and Stephen Susco. The story is simple, which is a plus for a movie like this.

The Paragon, a luxury hotel on the Jersey Shore, has been abandoned for decades. Rumors are that Meyer Lansky, the infamous gangster, had a secret stash of millions of dollars in the hotel, and it is still there waiting for someone to find it. This catches the attention of The Creepers, a group of urbexers trying, and failing, to get internet famous. But, The Paragon has been a well-known and unattainable get amongst the urban exploration community, so they think doing a proper exploration, and finding the money, to boot, would get them the views they crave. Continue reading “Do Not Enter”

Rambo

2008 was another treat for Sylvester Stallone fans. After the success of Rocky Balboa, it was time to resurrect Sly’s second most popular alter ego. It had been 20 years since the last Rambo movie, and it was a sad end to the series. In the intervening years the Cold War came to a fortuitous close, and Rambo’s Mujahideen buddies from the third flick became America’s enemies. Never mind all that, though. Rambo doesn’t bother with any of America’s bugaboos, past or present. The bad guys in this flick are from Burma. Continue reading “Rambo”

Rambo III

In the review for Rambo: First Blood Part II, I lamented that the film marked the end of a budding First Blood franchise, and the start of the Rambo franchise. Indeed, demoting, and then finally excising, the First Blood string from the title is as much a sign of the creative direction in these films as it was a marketing decision to promote the character of John Rambo, and the man who played him. Continue reading “Rambo III”

Rambo: First Blood Part II

What a gloriously stupid movie. First Blood, the 1982 film about a disturbed Vietnam vet taking on a county sheriff with a bloated sense of self-importance, was a surprisingly impressive film. It was gritty and low-rent, despite having a big star in the lead. It was an action film that had real world reasons for the action. It was ridiculous and believable at the same time. But today’s film is just a blood and guts cartoon. Continue reading “Rambo: First Blood Part II”

First Blood

It’s a trying time in American politics, what with the White House having fallen under the control of the Orange Menace. But, even though this Trump situation is beyond all bounds, political tension is nothing new in the United States. Without it, a film like First Blood wouldn’t exist. That’s right. The progenitor of the Rambo film franchise, films that became icons of the mad, excess-filled action film style of the 1980s, was as much a political film as it was an action film. Continue reading “First Blood”