“Predator” may just seem like another macho, shoot ‘em-up movie but it is actually skilfully made. Parts of it are really engaging and so it really makes it stand tall among other 80s action films. It is also responsible for giving the world the Predator creature.

In “Predator”, a team of commandos, led by Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger “Commando”, “The Terminator”), embark on a mission in a Central American jungle. After their mission is completed they are hunted down one-by-one by an elite killer known as the ‘Predator’ (Kevin Peter Hall). Now, they need all their wits about them if they are going to survive because the Predator won’t give up.

The commandos are quite memorable for the most part but Dutch is easily the best. Towards the end of the film, he discovers a way to beat the Predator with using the weapons available to him and it shows he is a lot smarter than your average action movie hero. The Predator is actually a fascinating villain. Despite the fact that “Alien” is a much better movie, there is no real reason for the creature to kill the people. However, the Predator does it for sport and only kills if they are armed, he even likes to battle hand-to-hand if he thinks it will make it fair. The best thing as well is that he collects and preserves the skulls of his victims and has them as some form of trophy.

“Predator” starts off as your standard tough guy picture but as it progresses there are plenty of well-done moments that really are impressive. Armed with macho good guys, ridiculous phrases such as ‘sexual tyrannosaurus’, an intriguing villain (as far as aliens go) and some wonderful special effects, “Predator” surprised me. “Predator” stills remains one of the most popular action films of all-time and that’s because it actually turns out to have more brains than it first appears.

The original “Predator” was a really fun action movie that pitted jungle commandos against a surprisingly good foe. This time, the film is set in a rough future filled with crime and it lacks the survival element of the first film.

I love the crime-filled, futuristic setting in “Predator 2” where a tough policeman, named Mike Harrigan (Danny Glover “Lethal Weapon”, “Be Kind Rewind”), is in the middle of taking down drug lords on the streets of Los Angeles. Suddenly, a ton of the bad guys are murdered by the unseen Predator (Kevin Peter Hall). With a pushy federal agent (Gary Busey “Under Siege”) getting in the way, it is going to be hard to get this monster.

Danny Glover is actually really good as Harrigan. As good as he is, his performance will no doubt get overlooked by the fact it’s an action movie and it isn’t a fun as the performance by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the first film. Gary Busey sadly does a mediocre job. The Predator himself isn’t as cold and calculating as he was before. This time, he just bursts in and starts killing people left right and centre. He just is not the calculating adversary that he was in the first movie.

“Predator 2” isn’t very suspenseful but it has some really fun moments with its unoriginal but interesting future and it is a real action movie throughout. Fans will no doubt love the fact a Xenomorph (from “Alien”) skull can be seen in the Predator’s trophy collection. The movie is ruined by the fact that it lacks the suspense of the original as there are not any moments when you are on the edge of your seat (something that the first one had). “Predator 2” isn’t a bad film but it’s an average sequel at best.

“Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie” is unfortunately only running on cutesy action scenes. There is no well-developed storyline or coherent characters so sadly, it’s a bland run-of-the-mill kids’ movie.

In this movie, teenagers Tommy (Jason David Frank), Adam, Billy, Kimberly, Aisha and Rocky find themselves losing their special Power Ranger powers when their master Zordon (Nicholas Bell “Shine”) is injured by an evil alien mastermind, named Ivan Ooze (Paul Freeman “Double Team”). The menace tries to conquer Earth after being released by other villains. Therefore, it seems it’s up to the six teens to stop him so they travel across the galaxy seeking a cure for their master and a way to beat the evil Ivan Ooze before it’s too late.

The people who play the Power Rangers are hilarious as they spout unbelievably pathetic and just generally dumb dialog. Even worse is when they can’t deliver their own lines properly making you chuckle a lot. The villain is also pretty funny too for a villain. I know this is a kids’ movie but really you should be intimidated by a villain and this guy is just ridiculous. Most Disney villains at least send a shiver down your spine out of disgust of their evil but in this case, you’ll get a shiver out of how disgustingly stupid the character is.

“Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie” could have tried to reach a young and possibly older audience by giving us an interesting plot but sadly the only positive element is its action scenes. The film isn’t as horrible as it could have been but you’ll just wonder why they didn’t try and do more with this because I saw some real missed opportunities that could have turned this laughable mixture of great action but nothing else into a fun and enjoyable kids’ adventure film with some decent action.

“Spawn: The Animated Series” makes “Batman: The Animated Series” look like “The Wizard Of Oz”. This is a dark, dark, dark cartoon that really brings you into the ugly, grim and disturbing world it creates. It’s interesting just how good this series is considering how woeful the live-action film adaptation of “Spawn” was.

Al Simmons (Keith David “The Thing”, “The Princess and the Frog”) is a government agent, who is killed by his own agency while on an assignment. After making a pact with Malebolgia (the overlord of the eight plane of Hell), Simmons returns to Earth years after his death as ‘Spawn’. He tries to avenge his death and protect the wife he left behind but must also try to escape his demonic destiny.

Keith David does a superb job at voicing Spawn. He manages to sound sinister while still retaining an element of humanity as he is a tortured soul. Spawn looks absolutely fantastic here as he lurks in the shadows with those bright green eyes often being the first thing his enemies notice. The villains are definitely not as memorable as Batman’s foes but some of them are interesting. We never really do get to see Malebolgia though. The other characters are entertaining. The animation on all the characters is tremendous.

Whether or not this show is better than “Batman: The Animated Series” is debatable but what is clear is that they are both excellent 90s superhero cartoons. Please do not mistake this for a kids’ show as it is full of gore, nudity and has many disturbing themes such as racial violence, prostitution and child molestation. It’s sad that this show ended when it did because we never got much of a resolution. If you haven’t seen “Spawn: The Animated Series” then make sure you do and ignore the truly awful live-action film.

“Ocean Waves” is a rather mild film from Studio Ghibli. It lacks the creative imagery of “Spirited Away” or “My Neighbour Totoro” and instead feels closest to “Only Yesterday”. “Ocean Waves” was not a theatrical film and was actually a tv film and the main purpose of it was to give some of the younger staff at Studio Ghibli some experience. Given these constraints, it’s actually pretty good.

In this film, we follow Taku Morisaki, a Japanese university student as he returns home after his first year studying. He reminisces about his final year of high school and a girl from Tokyo by the name of Rikako Muto, who had a big impact on him.

There are of course no whacky creatures or anything like that in this film so instead our focus is on a small group of very relatable characters with very relatable problems. The main character has feelings for the big city girl but so does his best friend. The interactions between Taku and Rikako are very believable and engaging. The animation on the characters does look good but not as polished as the other Studio Ghibli films, which is understandable given that this one had a smaller budget.

Like “Only Yesterday”, I question whether or not this really needed to be an animated film. What is on offer is still very good but the movie did not massively impress me. The problem is that many of the other Studio Ghibli pictures are so good that it’s easy to overlook something more mundane such as “Ocean Waves”. If you are a big Studio Ghibli fan then I think you will like this movie but don’t expect it to be as creative or interesting as some of their other movies. For those looking for a gentle coming of age film then this might fit the bill.

The third and hopefully final film in the abysmal “BloodRayne” series from Uwe Boll (“Postal”, “Alone In The Dark”). Boll is so self-obsessed that even shot the parody film “Blubberella” while making this one and utilising many of the same cast members and the sets. “BloodRayne: The Third Reich” (also known as “The Blood Reich – BloodRayne 3”) is so bad that you’ll wish you were doing almost anything else.

This instalment takes place during WWII and apparently, this one comes closer to following the videogames than the previous entries in the series. However, I’ve never played the games and I have no desire to after seeing any of the movies. We follow Rayne (Natassia Malthe “Elektra”, “Lake Placid”) as she wages war on the Nazis.

Rayne is a vampire that shows off plenty of cleavage as she cuts her way through countless Nazi soldiers. The character is so unlikeable as boring that you won’t care about the cleavage or how many Nazis she murders. Clint Howard (“Little Nicky”, “Carnosaur”) is used to appearing in bad films so fits right in here. The other characters are so boring that it becomes very hard to find anything even remotely engaging in this complete disaster of a movie.

It’s like “Underworld” but somehow even worse. Boll is from Germany and seems to love doing films about Nazis as he’s also directed other films about them including “Auschwitz”. Nazis are often used as a cheap way to get audiences interested as they are so controversial. The film also contains lots of gore and nudity. It is so clear that Boll is all about reeling in the audiences with shock value but has no skill to make anything worth actually watching. The first “BloodRayne” movie was truly bad so this is flogging a horse that was never alive.

“History Of Swear Words” is a documentary series looking at the origins of swearing and their impact on culture. It definitely has an intriguing concept yet I was ultimately left very disappointed by it. I can’t help but think that folks like Bill Maher (“Religulous”) or the guys behind “South Park” could have done a better job.

Nicolas Cage (“Ghost Rider”, “Honeymoon In Vegas”) hosts this series looking at the history of profanity. Each episode deals with a different word as we learn about the word’s beginning and how it has been used through the years with info from linguistic and sociological experts as well as opinions from comedians.

Whoever hired Nicolas Cage for this made a terrific choice. Besides Samuel L. Jackson (“Snakes On A Plane”), I cannot think of a better celebrity suited for this role. The scenes with Cage are usually quite funny and the highlight of the show. Some of the experts are a little bland but some do provide useful insight. The comedians though are just awful. Jim Jefferies is okay but Sarah Silverman (“Wreck-It Ralph”, “School Of Rock”) and London Hughes are terrible. I hadn’t even heard of most of the comedians and a lot of them were really nauseating. They were very politically correct and when you’re doing a show about swearing, it just doesn’t feel right.

Maybe if the selection of comedians had included the likes of Eddie Murphy (“Beverly Hills Cop”) and Bob Saget then we might have got some opinions that were actually vaguely interesting. As it is, this is a program all about being offensive with people that don’t want to offend. It’s amazing that a show about swearing with Nicolas Cage hosting could be so bland and underwhelming. I cannot recommend this show but those very interested in the origins of swear words may learn a few things.

The first “House of the Dead” film was a true abomination because not only was it a completely horrendous film but it had next to nothing to do with the games. “House of the Dead 2” is a more generic bad movie that at least feels like the makers were at least vaguely trying to capture a few elements of the games.

A team comprised of scientists and soldiers is sent to a university campus to hunt zombies and rescue survivors after a terrible outbreak. As the team make their way through the corridors and blast through endless hordes of the undead, they find what may potentially be the means of developing a cure for the virus.

The acting in the first movie was truly horrifying while the acting here is more conventionally underwhelming. Probably the worst performance in the whole film comes from Sticky Fingaz (“Flight of the Phoenix”, “Next Friday”) as Dalton. Sid Haig (“House Of 1000 Corpses”, “The Devil’s Rejects”) has a small role as Professor Curien, who you may remember as the villain in the first game. The zombies are very generic and unimpressive. Thankfully, they don’t repeat the issue from the first film where they kept flashing up images from the games to remind us how the zombies looked nothing like the ones from the arcade games.

“House of the Dead 2” is just another bad zombie movie. It blends in with the endless sea of 2000s zombies films such as “Land of the Dead”, “Against The Dark” and the “Resident Evil” movies. Maybe it was a good thing that director Uwe Boll (“House of the Dead”, “BloodRayne”) did not return for this sequel because it is undeniably better than the first. If you really love zombie films then maybe you’ll get a few kicks out of this but that’s it.

“Mandy” is a seriously strange film because it has a very simple premise yet somehow meanders along and takes us into some very weird territory. It’s like a David Lynch film crossed with “Evil Dead II”, “Hellraiser” and the “Mad Max” movies. Every shot in every scene is uncomfortable as it lingers for too long.

Red Miller (Nicolas Cage “Lord Of War”, “Kill Chain”) is a lumberjack living in a secluded cabin with Mandy (Andrea Riseborough “Oblivion”). Their peaceful life together is destroyed when a hippie cult and a biker gang kidnap and kill Mandy. Now, Red is out for revenge and he will not stop until he has annihilated all those that took everything from him.

Nicolas Cage is a great actor but his performance is shrouded in the film’s weirdness. His crazy antics take a backseat to the excessive use of colour filters, random animated sequences, extreme gore and nonsensical philosophical babble. Andrea Riseborough barely gets anything to do. The main villain is a cult leader (Linus Roache “Batman Begins”), who becomes obsessed with Mandy. He’s just absolutely atrocious. Many of the other bad guys talk with synthesised voices and it makes no sense whatsoever. Bill Duke (“Predator”, “Commando”) has a small role.

Every part of this movie is unpleasant and unexplainable. Some people seem to love this picture but this is a movie like “Eraserhead”, “Videodrome”, “Blade Runner” or “Naked Lunch” where you can either be sucked into it and adore it or feel totally alienated and despise it. I had mixed expectations going into this but I never imagined I would dislike it this much. Every vaguely interesting moment is stretched out for so long that all the energy and life is drained from it. Films can be saved or killed in the editing room. Maybe there was a good 80-minute film here but at two hours, this is an unbearable marathon.

Nicolas Cage (“Snake Eyes”, “The Rock”) stars in “211”, a surprisingly entertaining thriller. It’s obviously not as captivating as films such as “Heat” and “Inside Man” but it’s satisfying.

While on a routine patrol with a ride-along teen (Michael Rainey Jr.), police officers Mike Chandler (Cage) and Steve MacAvoy (Dwayne Cameron) find themselves battling for survival when they stumble upon a bank heist. However, these are no ordinary criminals as the place is being robbed by a team of skilled mercenaries. Not only must the cops ensure their own survival but they must do their best to save the lives of the many hostages inside the bank.

It’s always fun to see Cage even when he is in a more restrained role than we have become accustomed to. He doesn’t get much of a chance to start screaming and acting crazy here but he does get to be at the heart of an exciting action flick. While the bad guys are not especially memorable, it is more interesting having them be mercenaries than just regular bank robbers. It also makes it more believable that they can put up a real fight against the police. The ride-along character felt rather unnecessary. The other characters are okay but nothing particularly special.

If you like films such as “Heat”, “Inside Man”, the 2005 remake of “Assault On Precinct 13” and “Training Day” then you will probably get a kick out of this movie. It’s certainly no classic but it does deliver some thrilling action sequences and I was reminded of the shootout in “Heat”. Nicolas Cage fans may be a little gutted that he doesn’t get to be too crazy here but he gives a good performance. Some sources cite this film as being based on the 1997 North Hollywood shootout but when I read the details of that incident, it seemed to have little in common with the events of the film. This is an underrated film that is worth checking out.