The Predator Is A Staggeringly And Tragically Inept Feature

The Predator is a movie that feels like it's been put through a meat grinder and then put through numerous cycles in a blender. Good luck keeping track of where characters are or why crucial plot points are even happening amidst the ramshackle editing that renders the whole movie choppy & frequently incoherent. The disastrous editing isn't all that goes wrong here though in this motion picture whose extremely low level of quality is tragic to see. You'd think pairing up Shane Black, the mind behind Iron Man 3 and The Nice Guys, with a new Predator movie (Black had previously appeared in the first Predator film in a support role) would be the easiest recipe ever for surefire entertainment, but The Predator is instead a total waste of potential that rarely feels like a Shane Black movie, and I'm not just saying that because it doesn't take place at Christmastime!

Shane Black's Directorial Career Kicked Off In Amusing Style With Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Robert Downey Jr. has so cemented himself as a modern-day box office titan that it can be difficult to remember that, as Robert Downey Jr. himself would be the first to admit, there was a time in the 21st century where he could star in a movie that barely even got a theatrical release. Such was the case with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, the directorial debut of prolific action movie writer Shane Black A.K.A. the guy who hires sex offenders on his film without alerting his cast & crew. This comedic noir got a tiny theatrical run in the Fall of 2005 (its highest theater count was a mere 226 locations) before it became an acclaimed cult classic and ended up helping Robert secure the Marvel superhero role that would totally transform his career.

Predator Uses Sharp Writing To Make It Such An Absorbing Feature

Predator and Alien have been intertwined for decades now, with a handful of Alien vs. Predator comics released through 1989 and 1990 introducing the concept to the world and the appearance of a Xenomorph skull in Predator 2 solidifying this connection forevermore. Interestingly though, there's something pretty important that connects these two science-fiction franchises beyond just them sharing two cross-over movies together. Both Alien and Predator kicked off their individual sagas with small-scale adventures that heavily kept the titular alien organisms off-screen for much of the runtime. This decision led to Alien being one of the all-time best horror movies while it led to Predator being a smarter than expected action film.

Douglas Laman Returns To The We Love To Watch Podcast To Talk Iron Man 3

The fine folks behind the We Love To Watch podcast invited me back onto their podcast to kick off their A Very Merry Shane Black Christmas month by talking all about Iron Man 3! Prepare for plenty of interesting discussions on the merits and faults of Iron Man 3 and the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole as well as numerous instances of us getting hilariously sidetracked in our discussion of this movie. Click here for the podcast or listen to it on the Soundcloud box below!
 

The Nice Guys Review

Ryan Gosling may be one of the most exceptional leading men in American cinema today. I say that without hesitation, namely due to the guys talent and his versatility, two traits that typically go hand-in-hand. Who else could play a Confident (with a capital C) expert on romance in Crazy, Stupid, Love, a mostly silent driver in Drive and a manic Wall Street heavyweight in The Big Short all with the same level of authenticity and major success? In the new Shane Black effort The Nice Guys, Gosling gets to flaunt his comedic muscles to noteworthy opulence. It's almost not fair to see one of the most chiseled good-looking dudes on the planet also reveal himself to be also be gifted in the areas of slapstick comedy and comedic timing. How'd this one guy get so lucky in his talents??