December Movies - Week 3

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Happiest of holiday to you all as we dive into this week's viewing pleasure...

Dec 17 – Point of No Return (1993)
 
For January, we’re diving into Female Assassin Movies and this American remake of “Le Femme Nikita” starring Bridget Fonda, Gabriel Byrne, Dermut Mulroney & Harvey Keitel and I hadn’t seen it since around the time it came out on video. You probably know the story: Good girl hooked on drugs, does stupid sh*t with stupid people, ends up “dead” and property of the government, trained to be an assassin, hijinx ensue. It’s not as action-y as you might hope for… and definitely not as R-rated as it apparently is (about two seconds of boobs and/or man ass) but it’s pretty entertaining. I also had a lot of questions about when/where this was taking place… and I’m going to say the dystopian future of 1998.
 
Rating – 9/10 – Definitely worth a watch if you’re into the genre.
 
Dec 18 – Colombiana (2011)
 
Another one for January’s theme… and it’s from Luc Besson (like Le Femme Nikita) but this one has Zoe Saldana as a girl who’s orphaned at 7 years old and is raised by her uncle to be get revenge. I like this movie a lot better than the critics did but it’s definitely one of those movies where you kind of have to be a fan of the genre or the “Taken” or “Transporter” sequels to be a fan (same director).

Rating – 8/10 – Not the greatest but there are definitely some great scenes and imagery… just don’t think about it too much.
 
Dec 19 – Matrix (1999)
 
With the 4th installment of the Matrix franchise coming out later in the week & Izzy not seeing the sequels, I thought it’d be a great idea to watch all three with her on HBO Max to gear up for the premiere! Now… I’ve seen the Matrix easily a hundred times probably as the trilogy (along with LOTR) was probably my dad’s favorites when I was living with him in my early college days around the same time they were new. That being said… the original is fantastic! It was a revolutionary movie with regards to special effects, fight choreography, basically turning the digital world into a psychology 101 class look at everything around you & as a stand-alone movie is damn near perfection for what it is from casting to aesthetic to soundtrack.
 
Rating – 10+/10 – The stuff of legend, even on rewatching the only thing that bugs me is the hammy dialogue… which I also LOVE
 
Dec 20 – Matrix Reloaded (2003)
 
After the incredible success of the original came the sequel, which picks up shortly after the original (like ten minutes) and introduces new characters (remember Roy Jones jr?), the before unseen city of Zion, concepts like vampires, werewolves & ghosts being real in the sense of “rogue programs” and basically expanded this already extensive world. Fight scenes & special effects still pretty top of the line… but there was a LOT more drama than I remembered watching it this time… and then there are the truly EPIC action scenes scattered throughout… and an Empire Strikes Back kind of cliffhanger ending!
 
Rating – 9/10 – It’s a divisive movie but I’m obviously on the fan side of the divide!
 
Dec 21 – Matrix Revolutions (2003)
 
This is where the story kind of goes out the window & gets really abstract with even more talking about concepts than doing anything about it. I loved seeing friend of the podcast Bruce Spence as the Train Man (check out our interview with him on your favorite podcatcher) but this along with the 3rd act of Reloaded is basically a superhero movie where it gets a little convoluted and all the slow motion makes this feel a little long in the tooth.
 
Rating – 7/10 – That being said, if you’ve taken the ride this far, it’s not a horrible ending. Just leaves you with a lot of questions…
 
Dec 22 – Matrix Resurrections (2021)
 
So to answer these questions, comes the next chapter in the saga!!! Or does it?!? Well, to find out answers… since you’re checking out our interview with Bruce Spence anyway, check out our new Mini Episode where you can hear how Izzy felt about watching the movies without the history that I did… and how the new movie works into it as well! That’s Everything I Learned From Movies on your favorite podcatcher…
 
Rating - ???/10 – Check out the episode… or watch it on HBO Max… or in theatres… or the bowels of the internet.
 
Dec 23 – Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990)
 
Our friends Hanae & Jayson wanted to watch a Christmas movie virtually with us… so obviously we went with Die Hard 2, since Hanae had never seen it… and I wanted to get her into the mix immediately with William Sadler’s bare-assed yoga routine in like minute four. Yes, the story is John McLaine on vacation and waiting at Dulles Airport to meet up with his wife… and hijinx ensue when terrorists take over in a pre-9/11 world. This movie is action & one-liners personified.
 
Rating – 10/10 – Great cheesy action flick! Not quite a 10+ but a lot of dumb fun! Merry Christmas!

So once again, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Krazy Kwanzaa, Hilarious Hanukkah and everything else! Hope to see you again at least one more time before 2022 rolls around... but just in case, a fantastic new year to you as well!

Onward & upward,

Steve