I've Totally Seen That Movie Before

The Running Man (1987) Director:  Paul Michael Glaser Writers:  Stephen King (novel), Steven E. de Souza (screenplay) Cast:  Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Kotto, Jim Brown, Jesse Ventura, Erland van Lidth, Marvin J. McIntyre, Gus Rethwisch, Professor Toru Tanaka, Mick Fleetwood, Dweezil Zappa, Richard Dawson Synopsis: In the near future of 2019, the world economy has collapsed, and the U.S. has sealed its borders and become a militarized police state. All art has been censored, with the cadres controlling all forms of media. Hunger and disease are rampant. When police officer Ben Richards (Schwarzennegger) refuses to fire on unarmed civilians during a protest, he is framed for their massacre and sent to prison. Following a daring jailbreak, Richards is recaptured and forced to participate in the country's most popular reality TV show, The Running Man, hosted by the sadistic Damon Killian (Dawson). With the help of two other convicts, Loughlin (Kotto...

X-Men (2000) Director:  Brian Singer Writers:  Tom DeSanto (story), Brian Singer (story), David Hayter (screenplay) Cast:  Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, Hugh Jackman, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Tyler Mane, Ray Park, Rebecca Romijn, Bruce Davison Synopsis: In the near future, mutants are real, and they have extraordinary abilities. However, the existence of mutants is feared by the rest of humanity, resulting in a proposed law requiring these individuals to register with the government. Amid all of the fear and bigotry, the young mutant Rogue (Paquin) runs away from home after discovering her powers cause her to absorb the life force of anyone she touches. She meets the grizzled Wolverine (Jackman) in a remote tavern in Northern Canada, who agrees to let her travel with him. While on the road, the pair are attacked by a group of mutants loyal to Magneto (McKellan), a mutant who believes that a war is coming between mutants and humans. Rogue an...

Predator 2 (1990) Director:  Stephen Hopkins Writers:  Jim Thomas, John Thomas Cast:  Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Kevin Peter Hall, Rubén Blades, Maria Conchita Alonso, Bill Paxton, Robert Davi, Adam Baldwin, Kent McCord, Morton Downey Jr., Calvin Lockhart Synopsis: While trying to stop an ongoing drug war in a decaying late 90s Los Angeles, LAPD lieutenant Mike Harrigan (Glover) and his team of detectives discover that someone or something is killing off members of rival gangs. As the killer makes his way through the ranks of LA's most violent drug gangs, a shadowy federal agent named Keyes (Busey) is brought on to investigate the matter further, much to Harrigan's chagrin. It's soon discovered that the murderer (Kevin Peter Hall) is not of this world and has chosen Harrigan as his next target. Violence ensues.  First Impressions:   This film came out when I was around 14, and I didn't get to see it in theaters because it was Rated R and my parents weren't cool. ...

Thirteen Days (2000) Director:  Roger Donaldson Writers:  David Self (screenplay), Ernest R, May (book), Philip D. Zelikow (book) Cast:  Kevin Costner, Bruce Greenwood, Frank Wood, Steven Culp, Dylan Baker, Bill Smitrovich, Henry Strozier, Ed Lauter, Michael Fairman, Tim Kelleher, Dan Ziskie, Len Cariou, Kevin Conway, Christopher Lawford Synopsis: In October 1962, U.S. spy planes discovered evidence that the U.S.S.R secretly placed nuclear missiles in Cuba. These missiles have the potential to wipe out most of the Eastern and Southeastern United States. President John F. Kennedy (Greenwood) must develop a plan to prevent the missiles from becoming operational. It's not so simple, as Kennedy must protect the U.S.'s interests while ensuring that any action that he does take won't result in a Soviet response in Europe. To make matters worse, Kennedy's military advisors strongly push for military action as they look to save face after the Bay of Pigs fiasco.  First Impre...

The Fugitive (1993) Director: Andrew Davis Writers:  Jeb Stuart (screenplay), David Twohy (screenplay), Roy Huggins (characters) Cast:  Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward, Julianne Moore, Joe Pantoliano, Andreas Katsulas, Jeroen Krabbé, Daniel Roebuck, L. Scott Caldwell, Tom Wood, Ron Dean, Joseph F. Kosala Synopsis:  Prominent vascular surgeon Dr. Richard Kimble (Ford) is wrongfully convicted of his wife Helen's (Ward) murder. After the prison bus he was being transported in crashes following another prisoner's escape attempt, Kimble manages to free himself and goes on the lam. With his newfound freedom, Kimble sets out to not only prove his innocence but to uncover the identity of his wife's killer. Making things more difficult is Deputy U.S. Marshall Sam Gerard (Jones), who is determined to bring Kimble in at any cost. First Impressions: I missed this one in the theaters but caught it months later on home video. I was drawn to the film, partly because it was a p...

A Fish Called Wanda (1988) Directors: Charles Chrichton, John Cleese (uncredited) Writers:  John Cleese, Charles Chrichton Cast: John Cleese, Michael Palin, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Maria Aitken, Tom Georgeson, Geoffry Palmer, Patricia Hayes Synopsis:   British gangster George Thomason (Georgeson) and his lackey Ken Pile (Palin) recruit two Americans, con-woman Wanda Gershowitz (Curtis) and ex-CIA operative Otto West (Kline), for a lucrative diamond heist. However, in an attempt to take the loot for themselves, Wanda and Otto betray George and rat him out to the police causing him to be arrested. Unfortunately for the turncoat crew members, George had the presence of mind to hide the diamonds before being taken into custody. Wanda attempts to seduce George's uptight lawyer, Archie Leach (Cleese), hoping that he knows where the diamonds are hidden. Silliness ensues. First Impressions: I didn't see this film on its release. I was 12 years old and didn't really have any ...

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) Director:  Rupert Wyatt Writer:  Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Pierra Boulle (novel) Cast:  James Franco, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo, Tyler Labine, Jamie Harris Synopsis: After his mother was treated with an experimental Alzheimer's drug while pregnant, the chimpanzee Caesar (Serkis) gains human-like intelligence and emotions. He is raised by the drug's creator, Dr. Will Rodman (Franco), but is eventually taken from him after an altercation with one of Rodman's neighbors. While held at a primate rehab facility, Caesar and the other ape residents are subject to abuse by the facility's workers. Seeking justice for his fellow apes, he steals vast quantities of the drug that altered his brain chemistry and exposes the other apes to it. Finally, with a simian army at his back, Caesar escapes the facility and rampages through downtown San Francisco as they try to escape to the Redwood forest...