2017 Movie #128: Johnny Mnemonic (1995)

2017 Movie #128: Johnny Mnemonic (1995)

Johnny Mnemonic is bad. Almost incoherently bad. Keanu Reeves, for one thing, does not have the range to pull this particular role off. Reeves, at his best, is capable of being an action star, but this film demands more from him and he’s unable to deliver.

There’s a kernel of a good idea at the core of this film, which is unsurprising given its origins as a William Gibson short story. But this film is almost impossibly bad; perhaps the only redeeming quality of Johnny Mnemonic is a small appearance by Henry Rollins, who appears as a semi-skeezy doctor specializing in implants; it’s a memorable appearance.

Not much of this film has aged well, but nothing has aged worse than its almost comically ridiculous depiction of the internet.

It’s hard to imagine this being remade, but I’d be curious to see this concept re-imagined within a modern context and put in the hands of a capable creative team.

2017 Movie #106: Point Break (1991)

2017 Movie #106: Point Break (1991)

Despite being over a quarter of a century old, and despite some major plot issues, Point Break is a pretty kickass movie. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, in what I would consider to be her first great movie, Point Break blends action sports with crime thriller, with a dash of transcendentalism thrown in for good measure.

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2017 Movie #24: Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)

2017 Movie #24: Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure is not a very good movie. In fact, it’s pretty bad – but that doesn’t mean it’s without certain charms. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure stars a young Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter as the titular characters, two comically idiotic slackers who need some serious help to pass their history class. Luckily for them, that help comes in the form of Rufus (the late, great George Carlin, woefully underutilized), an emissary from the future who brings with him a time travelling phone booth (frankly, I’m surprised the BBC didn’t sue for this).

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2017 Movie #19: John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

2017 Movie #19: John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

Action sequels are hard. Really hard. For every great action sequel (Terminator 2: Judgment Day), there are at least a dozen Jack Reacher: Never Go Backs and Robocop 2s and Batman and Robins. For an action sequel to even capture an iota of the quality of its predecessor is a small achievement on its own merits.

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