I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer

A group of inconsiderate teens stage a big prank at their town's annual Fourth of July Carnival, faking an attack by the North Carolina Fisherman killer. But something goes wrong and one of the participants dies. The surviving teens decide to keep their involvement in the stunt a secret. One year later, they begin to receive threatening notes from someone who knows the truth about what they did the previous summer. I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer is textbook 2000s horror: muted colors, shaky cam, jittery editing, nu metal soundtrack, the whole nine yards. There isn't anything in the movie that ties it back to the previous Last Summer films, other than the use of the Fisherman killer. The basic structure of the movie works but none of the characters are particularly likeable and the reveal of the killer's identity at the end of the movie is pretty dumb.

Rating: 52%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Cliffhanger

After a rescue mission goes wrong, Gabe Walker tries to put the mountaineering life behind him. But Gabe's skills are put to the test after he's forced to help international thieves recover three suitcases full of cash that were lost over the Rockies. It's Die Hard on a mountain. But, then again, since Renny Harlin directed it, it's more like Die Hard 2 on a mountain. Cliffhanger is easily one of Stallone's best films from the 90s. The setting really helps differentiate Cliffhanger from similar movies. Michael Rooker and John Lithgow are both great in the film as well.

Rating: 75%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Red Dawn

The Cold War gets hot in Red Dawn. When the Soviets invade, a small band of plucky teens take to the woods and form the Wolverines. A guerilla fighting force hell-bent on taking back their country. Starring Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, Jennifer Grey, Powers Boothe and Harry Dean Stanton. Red Dawn is not a subtle movie in any way. It's over the top explosions and gunfights from beginning to end. And while some might choose to see Red Dawn as nationalistic Cold War propaganda, I choose to see Red Dawn as a simplistic 80s gem.

Rating: 76%

(Image from Wikipedia)

When S.A.V.A.G.E. Stole Santa

For some reason, in 1986, they made a cartoon based on Rambo. It was, apparently, the first children's cartoon to be based on a series of R-rated films. I have to assume that it was also one of the only children's cartoons to be based on a series of R-rated films. They made 65 episodes. It was a nutty show. It featured a lot of A-Team style action, with tons of shit getting blown up and people constantly shooting guns, though no one ever got hurt or killed. Jack Kirby, the king of comics, is listed as a creative consultant on the show. It also featured a decent voice cast, including Frank Welker, James Avery, Peter Cullen and Alan Oppenheimer. The Christmas episode, "When S.A.V.A.G.E. Stole Santa," finds Rambo and his trusty sidekick Turbo in Colorado. They're there to visit Rambo's friend Kris, a former rocket scientist who's given up the weapons game to make toys for orphans. Unfortunately for Kris, General Warhawk and the forces of S.A.V.A.G.E. have other plans for him. It's up to Rambo and one plucky orphan to rescue Kris and save Christmas.

Rating: A quiver of exploding arrows%

(Image from A Cartoon Christmas)