Remarkable action movies : Matrix Reloaded (2003)

Why : Too much philosophy didn’t mar Wachowski brothers’ second movie in the Matrix trilogy of its additional selling point – breath-taking action. The Matrix introduced us to revolving cameras, strobe effects, bullet times, detailed slow motion, cutting edge special effects and a fine display of Wire-fu.

Reloaded took all these to the next level. This was the perfect action movie as it had the best of every genre of action. Martial arts, shootouts, car chases, explosions, guns, knives, swords, cars, characters with real purposes for their acts, visual effects and all packaged into a coherent unit with a strong plot.

The most memorable moments include Neo’s one-man battle with hundreds of copies of Agent Smith and the $50 million dollar car chase which was shot on a specially constructed freeway. Trinity racing against the traffic on the Ducati superbike was an armrest grabber in all rights. Neo took to the skies and beat Superman in the frequent fliers race.

The movie had a huge impact on popular culture and film making. The cinematography style is still a favourite among directors. Same goes for the all-black costumes. Black became the most desirable colour for dress code. Black shades, black tux, black shoes and special edition Neo goggles sold like pizzas. We haven’t seen a movie creating a fashion statement like this in recent times and it still goes on.

The Matrix was a better movie, but Reloaded was a better action movie.

Remarkable action movies : Backdraft (1991)

Why : The best monster movie of the early nineties was Backdraft. Don’t be surprised and don’t be confused. Fire was put across as a character, almost equivalent to a creature in the movie. The way it crawled across the floors, sprang up from nowhere on Kurt Russell and William Baldwin, consumed everything in its path, all these elements would feel at home in a creature feature. The writers could have done away with the dialogue on it being a living thing though.

Ron Howard’s action drama on Chicago’s firefighters did attract criticism from both sides. But it still is a classic inferno movie with the most spectacular explosions and fire sequences. Pyromaniacs swear by it and they can’t be blamed. Backdraft was probably the last of the movies in which special effects were not used to replicate fire. So all that destruction that you see in it was shot in the middle of controlled incineration in sets. Controlled is not the right word, if you ask the crew.

Warner Brothers Studios has a popular theme park ride inspired by a major blaze in the movie and the ride is still on top of the crowd-pullers list.

Backdraft raised the status of a fire fighter to that of a knight who fought a dragon which didn’t just breathe fire. It was fire itself.

Oh, and it starred Robert De Niro in an extended cameo.

Speed breaker : Radiator Springs...a surprise

A blown radiator, an over-heating engine, wayward wipers, unprecedented rains, all these pretty much summed up this year’s trip to Vagammon on Good Friday. Life has never been so much cruel to us. It was midnight; barely half way into the journey, the radiator gave up. The war veteran Amby, all of 40 years of age had given us all signs of retirement way back in the past. This was the final nail on that well deserved coffin.

We have climbed the Kurishumala peak before with the same car dropping us off at the foot of the hill. Not so trust worthy even then. Some how the clockwork functioned in miraculous ways to allow us to visit this famous pilgrim centre.

Situated on the foothills of the Western Ghats, the place is an anthill during the holy week. Thousands flock in for the Way of the Cross climb. The 2 hour ascend is an experience in itself. Add a bit of rains and mist; you have the semi-tough guy trek at hand.

They say that when everything else on the car makes more noise than the horn, then it’s time to ditch the car in the dumpster. Words of wisdom. But sometimes they fall on deaf ears. Moving on, there were times in this trip when the engine bay emitted more smoke than the tailpipes of an entire fleet of State maintained buses. Frequent stops to cool the engine kicked the timeframe of the journey from 2 hours to 5 hours. Serious thoughts of retrofitting a water tank in addition to the diesel tank crossed our minds. Rain Gods blessings came in the form of strong showers. With wipers which had the obedience of a kindergarten kid, night-driving turned into Marco Polo mode. In simple words, no idea of what lay ahead of us.

But for a visual feast like the ones in the images, was it worth it? Totally!!! If the images don’t impress you, then that’s probably because my expertise in photography isn’t exceptional. Sometimes, images just don’t do justice to the beauty of the subject. J

Photography Tips : The Twist of the Wrist

Ohoi! SLR rookies...got a new tip for you all. I call it "the twist of the wrist". Check out the three images and the specs.

Image 1 was shot in automatic mode
Shutterspeed : 1/80 second
F-number : F/9
ISO : 100

Image 2 and 3 were shot with the following adjustments.
Shutterspeed : 1/4 second
F-number : F/22
ISO : 100

It doesn't require a second glance to note that pic 3 stands out among the lot. Fact admitted that it's not clear. However, it's catchy. I have tried a bit of a controlled blur in this image. The result was acheived without using any image editing softwares.

So here is how it's done. Switch to manual mode. Choose a slower shutterspeed. Zoom out as much as you can and focus on the subject. In this case, it's the top of the tower. Once the subject is locked on, press the button down. Along with that, give the lens ring a gentle twist. In short, zoom in as the shot is being made.

I won't specify any particular speed as you'll have to figure that out based on the availabilty of light. The speed and intensity of the twist may have to be judged as per this factor. Try it out by yourself and you'll get a hang of it in a while. All that is required is the twist. :)

Best movie cars : 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T (Vanishing Point)

The epitome of a cult classic, Vanishing Point is worshipped by road movie fanatics even decades after its release in 1971. Many may have forgotten the name of the lead actor, Barry Newman. But the car is unforgettable - 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T. The visual impact of the movie was as impressive as its interpretations. A catastrophical transformation of a routine car delivery to a high octane inter-state car chase.

The Challenger raced past police cruisers for a reason which many movie critics found too lame to believe. Without any modifications in the looks, the car was still eye-catching in the frames. The makers picked the Challenger for two marked reasons. One, as a token of gratitude to Chrysler for providing 20th Century Fox with cars for their transportation needs. Two, as the car was sturdy and powerful. The muscle car didn't take a breather while filming and except for the modded suspension, the rest of the car was pure stock. In what can only be defined as a rare instance in movie circles, all the five cars which Chrysler had loaned for the production of the movie were returned to the company after the completion of shooting.

Fox TV aired a remake starring Viggo Mortensen with a 1970 Dodge Challenger in 1997. Surprisingly the remake was a fine movie. Relief.

TF2 : latest info on the robot cast

Transformers fans…lend me your ears. Here is one more list of the robots who have made the cut for Transformers : Revenge of the Fallen. The credibility of this list is one aspect which remains in the shadows. But here it goes anyway.

The heroic Autobots will be led by Optimus Prime with the Peterbilt truck alternate mode. Bumblebee continues to be the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro with a little bit of face lifting. New age cowboy, Ironhide will reprise his role as the weapons specialist of the team. The vehicular mode of the all-brawn tough guy is that of a GMC Topkick. Medical officer Ratchet, roams around in the Emergency vehicle look of the Hummer H2. Arcee and her two sisters form the flower power as the first feminine robots and they are the first two wheelers in the film. Not much of a scoop is at hand regarding the alternate modes. Expect heavily modified superbikes on duty for the roles.

Sideswipe is another new entrant to watch out for as his role is played by a special concept car from Chevrolet called the Corvette Centennial concept. Jetfire, who is in fact one of the characters to watch out for, is an SR-71 Blackbird aircraft. The Decepticon who shifts allegiance to the good guys will be an attention grabber in the movie.

A similar development can be seen in the character of Wheelie, a radio controlled monster truck as he leaves the Decepticons in order to join the Autobots. Chevrolet Volt gives life to the character Jolt. Skids and Mudflap a.k.a The Twins, will roam through crowded streets as Chevrolet Beat and Trax respectively. Expecting a bit of laughs from those guys.

As for the Decepticons, most of them will be making a return after their defeat at the hands of Autobots. We saw some of them fleeing from the climatic battle, some of them being completely destroyed and dumped in the ocean. Decepticon leader, Megatron is back in the form of Cybertronian battle tank. Not sure what exactly that looks like. Starscream, the treacherous air commander of the Decepticons comes back in full force after his retreat in the first movie. No new looks for the ruthless bad guy as he looks kickass in the F-22 Raptor guise. Soundwave finally made his way into the casting list after his rejection from the first film. Guess what, he can fly. A spider-like robot called The Doctor takes care of the medical duties of the Decepticon team.

After his unexplained exit before the final battle in transformers, Barricade will be reclaiming his position as the group’s hunter. An Audi R8 is in the role of Sideways, who is basically a non-warrior member. Ravage, as the name suggest is about wrecking havoc. But the mechanical Jaguar is an aggressive fighter who would have felt a lot better if the name was Savage. The mechanical scorpion, Scorpnock is back in action too. But the Decepticon juggernaut to watch out for will be the Devastator. The combined form of seven robots, this behemoth will give the Autobots some real workout. There’s also a rather surprise package in the form of Alice, played by Isabel Lucas. Alice is a pretender or in simpler terms a robot which is in a human form.

The biggest baddie is The Fallen, one of the first thirteen Transformers. The Fallen shape shifts into a Cybertronian jet.

So, there you go. Give or take a few from here and that’ll be the best calculated guess in terms of the virtual cast of the most anticipated movie of the year.

Best movie cars : 1964 Aston Martin DB5 (Goldfinger and Thunderball)

"The name is Martin…Aston Martin..."

Had the car been given a voice instead of the growl, Aston Martins would have delivered as charismatic a line as the super spy.

If there is one movie car which has the panache to take movie buff by the heart, then this is it - the Aston Martin DB5. The most recognized Bond car ever and a beauty from headlight to taillight, the car is a favourite with Bond movie directors. It has made appearances in Goldfinger, Thunderball, GoldenEye Tomorrow Never Dies and Casino Royale. While it was the Bond’s ride in the first two movies, the roles in the other three were guest appearances.

In Goldfinger and Thunderball, the audience was treated to a wide array of gadgetry which this car was home to. Revolving number plates, smoke screen, oil slick, armour plate to block bullets, ejector seat and the Benhur-inspired blades in the wheels which tore apart the tyres of the not-so-friendly road users were the jaw dropping then. The arrival of more advanced Bond cars haven’t stolen the DB5 of its position as the car which is as identifiable as Bond himself even decades after the first time it came on screen.

Best movie cars : General Lee 1969 Dodge Charger (Dukes of Hazzard)

Based on the CBS TV series which aired between 1979 and 1985, Dukes of Hazzard was a modestly budgeted movie directed by Jay Chandrasekhar. The exploits of the Duke cousins who evaded the corrupt count cops in their souped-up Dodge Charger (General Lee) was neatly carried forward to the movie with similar flair and energy that made the series popular back in the early eighties.

General Lee was the car to have if your daily schedule included leaving cop cars in the dust, jumping over practically anything which blocked your path and the frequent brushes with fellow road users. Giving the car ahead a nudge had never been easier and fun filed before the arrival of Lee.

Fortunately the makers of the movie didn’t mess with the car much. A few minor changes were there, but not so much to mar the Lee of its trademark look. The boys still had to jump into the car via the windows, had that massive roll cage and had the Confederate flag on the roof. The movie had some really outrageous and at times ridiculous chase scenes. To be honest, the car spent as much time airborne as it stuck to tarmac. Regardless of the mindless nature of the stunts, they were thrilling by all means. A total of 24 cars were used while filming. The cast comprised of Seam William Scott, Johnny Knoxville, Burt Reynolds and Jessica Simpson

The movie was panned by critics and was nominated for the Raspberry Awards in seven categories. Who cares!

Happy Birthday to Me

Today the blogger celebrates his 23rd year on this wonderful planet. A moment of prayer.

Dear Lord,

Bless the good men and women at Google and Blogger who work the hell out so that we may post in peace. Let the coming year be enriched with more and more cars and entertaining movies. Give good health to Michael Bay, Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg. May Zack Snyder recover from the heart attack that Watchmen gave him. Enlighten Tom Cruise with humility and bless American cars with more power. Protect the manufacturers and the movie makers from the tentacles of recession so that we get our share of machinery and entertainment. Keep my senses intact for the experiences which lie ahead and to pass them on to the less fortunate or the more privileged.

And do make some one gift me a Batmobile Tumbler, or even a scale model, the closest I'll ever get to owning one.

Amen

Best movie cars : 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback (Bullitt)

Bullit was as much about the car as it was about Steve McQueen. Each mention of Mcquenn is followed up by a mention of the character of Frank Bullitt and the legendary car chase filmed in San Francisco.

The high speed pursuit in the streets of San Francisco with McQueen behind the wheel of the iconic "Highland Green" Ford Mustang fastback and the bad guys in a louder Dodge Charger R/T 440 Magnum is one for the ages. The Bullitt mustang with its distinct understated look attained instant idolization at the hands of mustang enthusiasts. In 2001 and 2008, Ford released special Bullitt edition Mustangs commemorating the movie and the car.

The best thing about the car chase was that it was shot at a time when the abbreviation "CGI" was not even heard of. This was the real chase with real cars on real roads. No controlled enviornments, no virtual worlds, no graphic wizardry. It was all about skilled driving. Even McQueen, a talented driver that he was, drafted himself in for the stunts.

It had its own share of flaws. The Academy Award winning editing was not upto the mark in the chase. However, the Academy Award nominated Sound effects were marvellous. The car chase sequence had no background score. It was the growl of two all American muscle cars which made all the music. Pure, unadulterated, brawny - Bullitt was for men and not for riceboys.

Hyundai Genesis was shown the door in Fast and Furious

As Fast and Furious races past records in the box office, Korean manufacturer Hyundai is in a less jubiliant mood. Hyundai's recent talk-of-the town sports car, Genesis was slated to make an appearance in the movie. To make the car the showstar, Hyundai had prepared a special edition red Genesis too. But later on the car's part was edited out of the movie's script.

Rumour has it that another manufacturer had played the strings in making sure that Genesis was out of the movie. Though Hyunadi refuese to comment on the rival's identity, it has acknowledged the fact that foul play had taken place. Not to fret Hyundai. Ggiven the huge response that FF4 has received, we know that FF5 is on the cards. Hush.....

Best movie cars : Batmobile Tumbler (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight)

Let a Hummer military vehicle stay overnight with a Lamborghini Countach and you’ll get this mean machine – the Batmobile Tumbler. A far cry from the batmobile concepts that we are used to through comic books, TV series and in live action films, Tumbler is by far the most purposeful batmobile in the caped crusader's fictional universe.

Christopher Nolan’s realistic treatment of Batman Begins also translated into a believable version of the batmobile. Production designer, Nathan Crowley did a fantastic job in his role and that resulted in the creation of this machine.

The rugged and brutally fast version of the batmobile was very much required. With battle tank-inspired armour plating in place of the sleek panels of its predecessors, Tumbler is the right vehicle to gatecrash mob meetings, gangster dens, joker's hideout and may be the occasional celebrity party at Gotham city.

Unlike the flimsy looking batmobiles from Batman Forever and the notorious Batman & Robin, the design did away with the loud wings and overhangs. Early versions of batmobiles were merely Chevrolet Corvettes with redesigned bodies and interiors.

The design is one of its kind and the engineering behind it, impeccable. Tumbler was built from scratch and it was built to endure all the abuse thrown at it. The best part is that we can actually believe that Tumbler is a plausible vehicle. This monster was meant for Batman and met his requirements so well. Jumping over roof tops, crashing through walls, running over obstacles, enduring showers of bullets to name a few. And it took the beating like a piece of cake.

Coming to dimensions and specs, it’s 15 feet long, 9 feet wide and weighs a massive 2.5 tons. A 5 litre Chevy V8 engine with 500 bhp on tap powers this behemoth of a vehicle. The axeless front section is the vehicle’s signature. An impressive acceleration figure of 0-60 kph in 5.6 seconds. When accelerated, it rises up on its front arms posing an aggressive stance. That’s mean!

A jet engine at the rear powers the car to higher speeds in order to jump over obstructions. Two propane tanks are used to fuel this engine. The Super Swamper tyres at the rear are as tall as the vehicle itself. Off-roading and hi-speed chases had never been so much fun.

The fictional specifications include canons, rocket launchers, grappling hooks, stealth mode, caltrops deployer, a system which shifts the driver’s position and the absolute surprise package – an ejectable Batpod. Not to mention the rest of the hi-tech wizardry which are yet to be explored and applied.

The self-destruction of Tumbler in The Dark knight doesn’t stop its admirers from expecting a return in the upcoming sequel. Keeping my fingers crossed too.

Remarkable action movies : Die Hard (1988)

Why : The movie which placed Bruce Willis on par with Sly Stallone and Arnie Schwarzenegger, Die Hard is considered as the best action flick ever made.

Contrary to the usual perception of an action hero, Officer John McClane was reluctant, scared at times and was the typical old-school cop. He was best described as being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Heroism was never a priority for this guy, but somehow the situation took shape in such a manner that he had to put on the shoes of the saviour. In Die Hard, he didn’t even have a pair of shoes! He bled like a tortured slave and wore nothing more than a blood stained vest and trousers. But calling it quits was never his line. It was “Yippee ki yay, motherf@#ker".

Die Hard was 45 storeys of pure, unadulterated excitement. High voltage shootouts, explosions and the presence of one of the most polished villains made this movie a favourite with the movie buffs. Alan Rickman’s portrayal of the smart-suave bad guy, Hans Gruber was totally fabulous. The light dose of humour was another specialty.

The movie achieved the status of an adjective, often used to describe other action movies, like Speed and The Rock. The series of three movies which followed up the escapades of John McClane were equally successful though critical acclaim didn’t reach the heights of the first film.

Fast and Furious reigns in opening weekend

Raking in a total of $72 million in its opening weekend, the fourth film in the street racing tetralogy has silenced critics and has established that there is still life in action flicks. This is by far the best opening weekend collections posted in 2009, beating the the $59 million haul of Monsters Vs Aliens.

A pack of records came down along with that. Pixar's Cars had maintained the best car-movie opening weekend record since 2006. With a $12 million edge over Cars' opening weekend bounty, Fast and Furious will be in the throne from now and if it is able to sustain the excitement among the movie-going crowd, then we could very well be looking at one of the top grossers of 2009.

If you ask me, FF4 will keep the US box office bells ringing till the collections reach $150 million or may be more. As for the rest of the world collections, the fate is yet to be decided. $30 million is in the cash bag from the rest of the world centres. Not too bad for a movie without superstars. The next couple of weeks will be revealing whether the Diesel-Walker vehicle is one meant for a quarter mile drag race or an around the world endurance run.

Fast and Furious : Comes late, kicks butt!

Fast and Furious blasted off to a massive start at the US box office with box office collections of $30 million on its opening day.

The movie surpassed the opening day collections of all its predecessors by a huge margin. To add to its credit, the opening day collections are higher than opening weekend collections of its immediate forerunner, The Fast and the Furious : Tokyo Drift.

By the looks of it, Fast and Furious will prove to be just what Hollywood needs right now - a blockbuster which will revive the box office. The opening weekend collections are expected to cross $ 65 million by sunday. If it manages that feat, then FF4 will be a feather on the entire team's caps. The result will launch it to the top of the opening weekend toppers of car-racing genre beating Pixar's animated film, Cars ($60 million). It will also settle down as the top opening weekend grosser for Vin Diesel and Paul Walker.

On a personal note, FF4 ROCKS!!!

Remarkable action movies : The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

Why : Nausea-inducing shaky camerawork has been the trademark of all Jason Bourne movies and has prompted widespread criticism from reviewers. But that’s probably the only flaw that the critics could ever find in a Jason Bourne movie. Right from The Bourne Identity, through The Bourne Supremacy and all the way till The Bourne Ultimatum, the franchise has maintained exceptional pace and grittiness throughout.

Among the three, the second movie stands out. Paul Greengrass took the director's chair from Doug Liman and Greengrass made an already fine concept even better. Loosely based on Robert Ludlum’s novel, The Bourne Supremacy epitomized gritty look and realism in stunt sequences. Matt Damon gave a fabulous performance as the troubled spy who doesn't know his identity. To add to that, he excelled in the strenuous fights.

The plot functioned, not as an adhesive to fix the action pieces together, but as the frame which held everything as one strong entity. Darker and more complex than The Bourne Identity, with more bone-shattering chases and hand-to-hand combat, Supremacy reigns high up in the action movie chart. The car chase in Moscow was brilliantly coordinated and it shows.

Supremacy went on to inspire two significant reboots in Hollywood – the James Bond sequel, Casino Royale and the Batman movie, Batman Begins. Directors addictively turned to real stunt work instead of special effects and this movie was instrumental in that transition.

Above all, it was the movie which taught us all that a magazine can be used to kill a man. Lesson learnt, not the hard way

Remarkable action movies : Equilibrium (2002)

Why : I didn't know who Christian Bale was when I watched Equilibrium. Men in black attire made me expect something along the lines of The Matrix. But the absence of stars prompted me to expect something less spectacular. But Equilibrium turned the tables in its favour with one watch.

It's definitely not one for the enthusiast who wants to see cars and buildings blowing up. The movie was made on a modest budget of $20 miillion, but all that money was put to real good use.

Equilibrium had arguably, the best gun wielding scenes and the stunt choreography was flawless. Precision was the catchword. The fictional martial art of Gun Kata was the piece of cake. Guns ruled the frames with the characters using it for everything from shooting to delivering a blow. The whole idea of predicting the line of fire and remaining unhurt in a shower of bullets was difficult to believe. But on screen it looked spectacular.

The storyline revolved around Walter Preston, a man of authority in a future society where feelings and emotions are suppressed. The man who was supposed to uphold that autocratic system turns against the very system which appointed him.

Equilibrium failed at the box office as it wasn't distributed on a wide scale. It grossed a meagre $5 million worldwide. Commendable collections for a small release. Now it has been elevated to the status of a cult classic.

Remarkable action movies : Bad Boys 2 (2003)

Why : This was the condemned and criticized sequel to Michael Bay's directorial debut movie, Bad Boys. The director kicked the action quotient up by a huge notch in the second movie with three hearbeat-accelerating car chases.

Michael Bay has always insisted on a judicious mix of action and CGI giving prominence to the former. The guy does know how to blow up stuff in style and Bad Boys 2 was no exception.

It was a hell ride from the word "go". Shootouts and fender bending car chases with trails of destruction were executed in style. The inter-coastal freeway chase is regarded as one among the most thrilling car chases ever filmed. A total of 100 cars, a tractor trailer truck and a boat(!) were totalled during the shooting of this epic car chase. That was Bay's answer to the chase sequence from The Matrix Reloaded. Way to go Bay'os!

The cost cutting editing techniques were much appreciated even by the critics who panned the film. Bad Boys 2 was the action junkie's movie. A movie which had no qualms in admitting the fact that it was a non-brainer.

Remarkable action movies: 300 (2007)

Why : Historical inaccuracies, check. Racial controversies, check. Eight pack abs, check. Adherence to source material, check. Hard rock score, check. End result - a killer action movie.

Zack Snyder’s version of the Battle of Thermopylae stayed true to Frank Miller’s graphic novel of the same name. Even the camera angles and framing were similar to the artwork in the graphic novel.

The legend of 300 Spartans who fought a million Persians was told with abundant creative liberty. Sinister warriors and vicious creatures filled up the screen as the bare-chest flaunting Spartans battled in fury.

300’s uniqueness was in the fact that it was almost entirely filmed indoors. But the CGI was so well executed that it didn’t make much of a difference for the viewer. The treatment turned out to be the USP and the defining feature of the movie.

The movie marked the rise of Gerard Butler as the new poster hunk and Zack Snyder was hailed as a visionary director. Talks of a follow-up movie are underway with Frank Miller working on the sequel novel. Zack Snyder has expressed his desire to direct, but is waiting for Miller to complete the novel.

Remarkable action movies: Mission Impossible 2 (2000)

Why : John Woo loves doves, low pitched vocals and slow motion. With Mission Impossible 2 he got his perfect canvas to paint that picture. Regardless of being a senseless action flick with no skeletal structure to hold things together, MI-2 was a huge hit, raking in $546 million globally.

The action sequences had grace and poise instead of energy and it wasn’t bad at all. Realism took a step back. But nobody complained, as the package was so much glossy. The doves, the slow motion, the vocals, the score, all added up quite well. The theme track was an instant smash hit and remains as one of the best theme tracks ever.

It didn’t have the cinematic brilliance of the first Mission Impossible movie. Weak character development, too much attention on styling and it tried to be too many things at the same time. But MI-2 is the movie which defined Tom Cruise as an international superstar. It was the movie which wannabe action movie directors looked up to when they ran short of ideas.

The movie is still a source of inspiration for film makers around the globe. Different versions of the climatic bike chase, the confrontation between Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott), the presence of doves in the stunt scenes are still being used shamelessly by directors. Not to mention the mask trick, which can be seen in most souped-up slick flicks of today.

Remarkable action movies: Kill Bill Vol 1 (2003) and Vol.2 (2004)

Why : Though these are two movies, I’d like to think of them as one. You must see them back -to-back instead of leaving the second movie for another day. Finest among vendetta movies, Kill Bill placed Uma Thurman in the action heroines list. Kill Bill was all about martial arts, sword fights, and lots of gore.

The fight choreography was one for a century. Limbs, heads, tables, curtains and practically anything which came in the way of Uma’s samurai sword was cut in half in one clean swish. And all these looked so graceful, so much like a dance form.

The homage paid to martial arts legend Bruce Lee was in a class of it own. The yellow jump suit that Uma wore in the first movie was a fitting tribute to the master.

Eccentric director, Quentin Tarantino’s extreme quirkiness was suppressed in these two movies and that made it appealing to a wider audience. The inclusion of animation to depict some of the events was a brilliant idea and the graphic execution of the animation was dead right. The punch line “here comes the bride” echoed admiration and fear, giving it a different meaning on the whole. The arrival of this bride was to be feared as one of the characters says, “that woman deserves her revenge and we deserve to die”.

Remarkable action movies: Robocop (1987)

Why : A police officer who was killed brutally is brought back to life in the form of a cyborg crime fighter. Robocop stretched beyond the realm of the usual sci-fi-meets-action flick and explored the territories which were quite alien to a movie made in the commercial action mould. A satirical take on corporate monopoly, politics, corruption, media and bureaucracy, an imagery of a grim future and the gripping story of man whose mind was trapped inside a machine – Robocop handled all these elements forcefully. Who could forget those fake ads of the products of the future?

Paul Verhoeven made sure that the stunts and the complex themes co-existed in harmony from the opening scene to the closing credits. The duel between Robocop and the ED-209 robot is one of the best face-offs in movies. Christian Symbolism found its way in too, without being preachy – may be for the first and last time ever in an action blockbuster. Crucifixion, resurrection and even the themes of Christ walking on water were included in subtle yet compelling style.

The incapability of the Officer Alex Murphy to even perceive his helplessness was conveyed in a manner which deserves tons of appreciation. Each time he gave the slightest hint of his humanity was a moment of the triumph of the human spirit over the logical rules which governed his actions. At the hands of a seasoned action movie director, the movie would have just been an explosion-car chase-gun fights-laden movie about a half man-half machine cop. Thankfully, that didn’t happen and we have a cult classic at hand.

Remarkable action movies : Speed (1994)

Why : Speed infused tension, action and fear into the most common part of urban life - boarding a bus.

A Los Angeles citybus is rigged with a bomb which will tear the vehicle apart if any of what follows happens. If the speedometer needle goes anywhere west of 50mph, the bus blows up. If anyone tries to get off, the bus blows up. Dennis Hopper’s insane of a villain didn’t mention the clause, if anyone tries to board the bus, the bus blows up. May be he was counting on the the prospective hitchhiker's fear of death. But that didn’t stop Keanu Reeves from getting onboard and what followed was action movie history. Sandra Bullock’s spontaneous act was an absolute delight. Jan de Bont’s directorial excellence was evident in retaining edge-of-the-seat thrills till the moment the bus explodes. Let us choose to forget the concluding moments in the subway.

The movie won Academy Awards for Best Sound and Best Sound Editing and the producers laughed all the way to the banks to count the $350 million it made at the box-office. Its sequel was a dud, though.

Yo Joe!

Right after Transformers, it’s the turn of another major toyline to begin its reel life. GI Joe: The Real American Hero range of action figures which have fascinated kids for a pretty long time is finally reaching a theatre near you. Launched in 1964, the toyline has had an enviable run till date. To add to its credit, a number of comics, spin-offs, animated series, video games, animated movies and merchandise are very much in demand since the day it first saw light.

They had these super cool code names which sounded sound like music to many ears, including that of yours truely. General Hawk, Snake Eyes, Duke, Scarlett, Ripcord, Cobra Commander, Destro, Zartan, Baroness, Storm Shadow and many more of the good guys and the bad guys, whose real names we have no clear idea of. However almost every boy has had a GI Joe once or wished to be one.

To the less initiated, GI Joe is a fictional elite military unit of the US armed forces, frequently engaged in battles with the terrorist organization named Cobra. The live action movie was in the discussion room for a very long time. It was the success of Transformers which sped up the proceedings and the movie, GI Joe : the Rise of Cobra is now all set for release on August 7, 2009.

Made of a massive $170 million budget, GI Joe has ace director Stephen Sommers in the director’s chair. Sommers’ previous movies include, The Mummy, The Mummy returns and Van Helsing. He knows how to make a thrilling action movie on a broad canvas. With slight humour and lots of energy in each scene, all his movies have been popcorn muncher’s delights. The first trailer of GI Joe does offer all the goodies that one expects to find in an out-and-out action bonanza. Chaos and mayhem rule the 33 second trailer. Dennis Quaid, and Sienna miller are the only biggies in the star-starved movie. Sommers’ favourite; Arnold Vosloo (the guy who played the Mummy) is in the role of Zartan, one of the bad guys. To top it off, there is Brendan Frazer who makes a guest appearance.

However, the lack of big stars should not be a reason to panic or to back out. Does it really matter who plays Snake Eyes? He is hidden behind the mask and he does what we want him to, in the best way possible – to kick some serious baddie “posterior”. Same applies in the case of the rest of the characters. But there is a complaint. Why is it that all the characters wear similar looking battle gear? Did the costume designing team run out of ideas after designing one outfit? Most of the characters have the same outfit with slight modifications in the battle gear. Monotony is not appealing. The action figures and the animated series may have a bit outlandish sense of styling when it comes to attire, but giving all of them black armoured gear was a bit dull. Wish the director had put the costume department to better work.