Posted 12:28 PM by Blah blah

Classic Action Movies

To counter my thoughtful and sensitive nature, I've decided to forcefeed myself with testosterone-filled action movies. I rented all classics and all ones I have not seen.

So far, I've seen Top Gun (1986) and Speed (1994), and these are absolutely breathtaking! Complete joyrides. I feel like I've just bungee-jumped off of a bridge and want to go back for more!

I usually don't think of guys as "hot" or "sexy," but I make an exception for Tom Cruise in Top Gun. This was the role that catapulted him to world fame. He is incredibly sexy in this movie, and I found myself taking notes on his technique (hehe...) Yeah, it's a blindly patriotic film for the U.S. Air Force, and yeah, Cruise himself tried to counter this film by starring in the anti-war Born on the Fourth of July. Anthony Edwards (of ER) actually had hair here, and Val Kilmer looks like such a stud too. Top Gun is an eye candyshop for gay men and straight women. I also love the infectious music which continuously feeds the movie and causes the hairs to stand on your skin. Flowing effortlessly, this is a joyride of a fairy tale in the same way as Pretty Woman.

Speed is one of THE best pure action movies I've ever seen. Perfection. I liked but didn't love The Matrix. But THIS is the role for which the laconic Keanu Reeves was made. I now see why he became a star. Speed grabs you by the throat from the first few minutes and never lets go till the end. Incredibly well choreographed action sequences. It is simple, was made for only around $30 million, and feels more like an indie film too, instead of a star-driven studio vehicle. It makes me want to see Die Hard next.

From E! Online: Speed is based on a 1975 Japanese film, Shinkausen Daibakuha, directed by Junya Sato. A terrorist seeking a huge ransom places a bomb on a bullet train that will detonate if the train goes below 80 km/h.

Other movies rented: The French Connection (Gene Hackman), In the Line of Fire (Clint Eastwood), and The Jackal (Bruce Willis and Richard Gere). I loved Frederick Forsyth's thriller The Day of the Jackal, which is based loosely on the actions of Carlos, who was the world's most famous terrorist.