Unfortunately, I have fonder memories of Blade II than the reality of how it holds up today. I’m sorry to say that even with Guillermo Del Toro involved, Blade II isn’t as strong an entry as I remember it. The first Blade is so good (especially in comparison) that the sequel just can’t match it. That’s not to say that Blade II isn’t a lot of fun. It totally is and there’s some great moments and ideas here. It’s just that the sum is less than the parts in a lot of cases.

First of all, the CG is pretty shaky in places. It’s also more obvious than ever when Wesley Snipes’ stuntman or stand-in is on screen instead of him. There’s a jokiness about Blade that falls flat where his more ridiculous seriousness from the first film would have been better to provide the comic relief. Also, the story is surprisingly weak in places, with unsound logic and things that absolutely should have been explained (like why Whistler’s not dead) being completely ignored.

Snipes is still solid as Blade though Kris Kristofferson actually steals many of the best scenes. Regardless of it not making much sense, I’m glad they brought him back. The film is better for it. Ron Perlman is great as usual and it was fun to see Norman Reedus (whom everyone knows as Daryl from The Walking Dead these days) with a much younger looking face. The infected vampire creature effects are top notch also (which Del Toro has now perfected in The Strain TV series). Not as good as the first and frankly, should be eve better with Del Toro involved, but overall Blade II isn’t bad and actually pretty fun at times.

I still can’t believe Blade is almost 20 years old. This movie was way ahead of its time. The first use of bullet dodging with bullet time (pre-Matrix), some amazingly iconic vampire scenes that rival anything that’s come out in the past 20 years, and a classic Wesley Snipes performance that’s as cool as as it is ridiculous, I loved every minute of it.

This film still holds up today. Despite the over the top punching sound effects and some of the 1990’s stylistic choices, this could come out today and hold its own as a great little vampire action flick. I guess they don’t make them like they used to. If it’s been a while (or if you’ve never seen it) and you like vampires and lots of hand to hand fights, this is worth checking out.

A love letter to 80’s post apocalyptic movies, Turbo Kid has a killer synth soundtrack, quite a few laugh out loud moments, and some awesome low budget production design. The film is based off of a short film that was later turned into this feature length movie. As one reviewer said, this is basically Mad Max on bicycles. That’s pretty spot on but there’s actually more to it with references to classic video games, comic gore (think the black knight sword battle in Monty Python and the Holy Grail), and even some random android references.

This takes inspiration from films like Mad Max, The Last Starfighter, and Solarbabies. Sometimes, it’s a bit too derivative and works too hard to try and copy those past films. It would have been even better if they had made this more of their own but I get what they were going for. Some of the spraying blood was pretty hilarious but other times it went almost too far away from the movies it was trying to copy and might have been better without it. The best parts were any scenes with the Turbo Kid and his girlfriend. If you love those 80’s post apocalyptic movies, you have to check this out. The soundtrack alone is worth the price of admission.

This movie is better than it had any right to be considering how much the studio interfered with Guillermo Del Toro as he was directing it. Supposedly, the Weinstein’s were constantly on set hassling Del Toro, making ridiculous & sometimes bizarre requests on a daily basis. It got so bad that Del Toro ended up disowning the film upon its release. Later, he was able to come back and put together a director’s cut (although much of the footage from his original vision was didn’t exist) so although the director’s cut is better than the theatrical version, we’ll never see the original vision.

At its heart, Mimic is a creature horror flick, an update on the 1960’s formula of giant bug monsters terrorizing a city. The bug designs are actually pretty cool and most of the CG looks better than you’d expect for a late 90’s film. The story is passable with equally passable performances. It’s not Del Toro’s best but it’s actually one of the better giant bug films (admittedly a limited genre).

Watching a Steven Spielberg film is such an absolute pleasure and Bridge of Spies continues his brilliant filmmaking tradition. Everything here is near perfect with impeccable production values, an excellent script, impressive acting, and an assured pacing that lets the history unfold in a compelling and engaging way.

Tom Hanks is fabulous as the lead. I don’t know how Hanks does it. I know it’s him up there on the screen and yet, within a few minutes of running time, Hanks disappears and his character, James B. Donovan is all that is left. I completely believed Hanks was that guy. He’s amazing in this as usual.

The art direction, costumes, and production design transport you to 1957. This is Oscar-worthy work. The script is brilliant (thanks in part to the Coen brothers). Spielberg has a knack for making important historical moments come to life and Bridge of Spies is no different. See this one.