“Lake Placid” – “Halloween H2O” director Steve Miner cranks out another horror film that cuts corners whenever possible. Hardly anyone lives on the lake being terrorized by the 30-foot crocodile, so the “dangerous situations” seem […]
“Universal Soldier: The Return” – This stylish but empty sequel pits former Universal Soldier Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme) against the latest crop of power-hungry computerized soldiers, including Michael Jai White and wrestler Bill Goldberg. […]
“The Mummy” – Writer-director Stephen Sommers blends light humor with serious drama in Universal’s bid to start a new “Mummy” franchise. Brendan Fraser leads one of two teams in search of treasure, but Imhotep is […]
John’s “Deep Blue Sea” flashback review, June 21, 2022 *** “Deep Blue Sea” – Director Renny Harlin delivers a masterpiece of gripping action, lush visuals and compelling characters. It’s a thrill ride built upon a […]
“Shaft” – This Y2K take on vigilante hero John Shaft is zippier than the 1970s version but doesn’t live up to its potential. Samuel L. Jackson looks cool in a trenchcoat, Jeffrey Wright and Christian […]
“Hollow Man” – There are two things that make an invisible man movie intriguing – the intellectual aspect and the visual aspect. Screenwriter Andrew Marlowe and director Paul Verhoeven only pay lip service to the […]
“Gone in 60 Seconds” – Typical of a Jerry Bruckheimer production, “Gone in 60 Seconds” is a larger-than-life drama with a sprawling, talented cast. The promised car chases are almost nonexistent until the final act, […]
John’s “X-Men” flashback review, johnvhansen.com, June 14, 2014 “X-Men” – From the opening scenes showing the backgrounds of three main characters to the final epic battle atop the Statue of Liberty, it’s clear that director […]
“The Perfect Storm” – Based on the true story of New England swordfishermen who battle a convergence of three vicious storms in 1991, director Wolfgang Peterson’s adaptation of Sebastian Junger’s book lets the power the […]
Brainerd Dispatch: Completely random slice of pop culture 1998 was the year of ‘Armageddon’ By JOHN HANSEN July 10, 2008 This is going to sound kind of random, but 1998 will always be the year […]