Sudden Death- 90s Die Hard knockoff produced as a Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle. Callous in its utter disregard for human life in the name of entertainment only to play on Spielberg-style sentimentality and family drama. It’s the sort of big-budget spectacle that dominated movie screens in the 80s and 90s before the CGI revolution led to the superhero wave of today. None of the suspense or characterization necessary to make a solid thriller, it’s a diverting action picture with some impressive stunts to fill up it’s big finale. Fun if you like this sort of thing (and I do), but far from a top-tier example of what it is. A little too long too.
Skyscraper- What was the pitch here? Die Hard in a building? Buoyed by the reliably charismatic presence of Johnson, it’s more disaster picture than action movie. The Hong Kong setting also calls to kind many an action classic it comes nowhere near measuring up to, but on its own terms, it’s a solidly diverting little thriller. A few sequences make good use of vertigo-inducing heights, and it’s nice to have a damsel-in-distres who’s useful and kids who aren’t too annoying. Serviceable genre fare, but not impressive enough.
Upgrade- Solid, appropriately nasty little B-movie revenge thriller that’s like Ghost in the Shell meets Death Wish. Nothing Earth-shattering, but a nifty little exploitation film with the good sense not to overstay it’s welcome, it has a lean runtime and enough cheap thrills to sustain it. Knows exactly what it is and what it’s supposed to do, and does it well.
Saw- The original torture movie that launched a dozen sequels and knockoffs is, surprisingly, not that brutal. Doesn’t play for gruesome gore, but it’s still nasty and in the end it’s just an exploitation film. That’s not terrible by any means, just limited in function, but it knows what it, and does what it does well too. A solid example of a grungy thriller that tries to get some mileage out a limited budget and high-concept premise.
I need three-disc Blu-ray cases the size of single disc ones like I get from the store when I buy new discs. Do they exist commercially and is there a place I can get them?