THE VAGRANT (1992)

 

Directed By: Chris Walas

Written By: Richard Jefferies 

Cinematography: John J. Connor and Jack Wallner 

Editor: Jay Ignaszewski

Cast: Bill Paxton, Michael Ironside, Marshall Bell, Mitzi Kapture, Colleen Camp, Patrika Darbo, Marc McClure, Stuart Pankin, Teddy Wilson 

The Vagrant tells the story of Graham Krackowski, who moves into his new home only to be terrorized by an unruly vagrant that lives across the street in an abandon lot. What begins as simply an inconvenience to him, escalates into an all out war of head games, wit, and eventually murder.

 The film mixes hard and comedy and the humor though dark is funny and parts, but it never quite land. It always feels like it’s missing a beat. 

The performances are believable and the material you expect a bit more zaniness and can see why this film does have a cult following and it’s fans but personally, it never quite comes alive nor as fun as the premise it presents

It seems to be headed for better and you expect more especially with such a cast. 

The film does seem to treat every female. He comes across as attracted to him, and they are all secondary by nature or props, then actual characters. 

Bill Paxton’s character change of looks later in the film. It also shows the range of Mr. Paxton who is the only reason I saw this movie for.

As I knowingly used to pass the box for this movie and video stores in my youth, all the time always thought it would be more run-of-the-mill and basic one can appreciate that at times it tries to be different and subvert the audience 

The film is a low budget movie that tries and you want to like it. it seems to work against itself never quite finding that right mixture as it feels more comedic when it wants to be horrific, and it feels more horrific when it wants to be comedic finding its groove.

It should be noted that it’s sort of the few times. Michael Ironside has been in an intentional comedy.

The film was directed by Chris Walas, a special effects artist, and whose previous film was THE FLY II. Which was a guilty pleasure in my teens and was hoping this film would end up being a diamond in the rough as this seems to be the last film that Chris Wallace has directed so far it ends up disappointing because the potential had more than anything

Grade: D+

THE EVENING STAR (1996)

 

Written & Directed By: Robert Harling  Based on the novel by: Larry McMurtry Cinematography: Don Burgess Editor: David Moritz and Pricilla Nedd-Friendly 

Cast: Shirley McClaine, Juliette Lewis, Bill Paxton, Miranda Richardson, Mackenzie Astin, Scott Wolf, George Newbern, Jack Nicholson, Ben Johnson, Marion Ross, Donald Moffat, Jennifer Grant, China Kantner 

Continuing the story of Aurora Greenway in her latter years. After the death of her daughter, Aurora struggled to keep her family together, but has one grandson in jail, a rebellious granddaughter, and another grandson living just above the poverty line.

2 GUNS (2013)

Directed By: Baltasar Kormakur Written By: Blake Masters  Based on the boom! studios graphic novels By: Steven Grant  Cinematography: Oliver Wood  Editor: Michael Tronick

Two hardened criminals get into trouble with the US border patrol after meeting with a Mexican drug lord, and then revelations start to unfold.

Cast: Denzel Washington,Mark Wahlberg, Paula Patton,Edward James Olmos, Bill Paxton, James Marsden, Robert John Burke, Fred Ward, Patrick Fischler

BUTCHER BAKER, NIGHTMARE MAKER (1981)

 

Directed By: William Asher  Written By: Stephen Breimer, Alan Jay Glueckman & Boon Collins  Cinematography: Robbie Greenberg  Editor: Ted Nicolaou 

Cast: Jimmy McNichol, Susan Tyrell, Bo Svenson, Julia Duffy, Bill Paxton, Britt Leach, Steve Eastin

Since the death of his parents fourteen years ago, Billy Lynch has been raised by his overprotective aunt Cheryl. But once he turns seventeen, he is soon set on planning his life...without her. He's planning on going on to college and is dating local girl Julie. None of which sits well for his aunt, who's lost everyone else in her life and now with her nephew ready to leave, ensures she starts on a campaign to keep him with her...forever. But as her plans misfire she becomes swept up in a cycle of psychosis and frenzied violence all being blamed on Billy by everyone else...including a homophobic detective, whose anti-gay prejudice is steadily reaching its zenith...leading to an unforeseeable outcome.

JEFF OF THE CINEFILES & UNFINISHED BUSINESS: HALL OF FAME - FILE #0066: WEIRD SCIENCE (1985)

 

Written & Directed by: John Hughes  Cinematography: Matthew F. leonetti Editor: Chris Lebenzon, Scott Wallace & Mark Warner 

Cast: Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Kelly Lebrock, Bill Paxton, Robert Downey Jr. Robert Rusler, Suzanne Snyder, Judie Aronson, Vernon wells, Michael Berryman, Britt Leach, Wallace Langham

Two high school nerds use a computer program to literally create the perfect woman, but she turns their lives upside down.

HAYWIRE (2011)

Editing, Cinematography & Directed By: Steven Soderbergh
Written By: Lem Dobbs

Cast: Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Bill Paxton, Michael Angarano, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas

Freelance covert operative Mallory Kane is hired out by her handler to various global entities to perform jobs which governments can't authorize and heads of state would rather not know about. After a mission to rescue a hostage in Barcelona, Mallory is quickly dispatched on another mission to Dublin. When the operation goes awry and Mallory finds she has been double-crossed, she needs to use all of her skills, tricks, and abilities to escape an international manhunt, make it back to the United States, protect her family, and exact revenge on those that have betrayed her.

TRUE LIES (1994)

Written & Directed By: James Cameron 
Based on The Original  screenplay “La Totale” By: Claude Zidi, Simon Michael & Didier Kaminika 
Cinematography By: Russell Carpenter 
Editor: Conrad Buff, Mark Goldblatt & Richard A. Harris 


Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Bill Paxton, Tom Arnold, Tia Carerre, Art Malik, Charlton Heston, Eliza Dushku, Grant Heslov, Marshall Manesh 


A fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair with a used car salesman while terrorists smuggle nuclear war heads into the United States.

THE LAST SUPPER (1995)

Directed By: Stacy Title 
Written By: Dan Rosen 
Cinematography By: Paul Cameron 
Editor: Luis Colina 


Cast: Cameron Diaz, Courntey B. Vance, Annabeth Gish, Jonathan Penner, Charles Durning, Ron Perlman, Bill Paxton, Ron Eldard, Nora Dunn, Elisabeth Moss, Jason Alexander, Amy Hill, Mark Harmon, Warren Hutcherson

BOXING HELENA (1992)

Written & Directed By: Jennifer Chambers Lynch 
Story By: Philippe Caland 
 Cinematography By: Bojan Bizelli & Frank Byers 
Editor: David Finfer 
Production Design and Art Direction By: Paul Huggins 

Cast: Julian Sands, Sherilyn Fenn, Bill Paxton, Art Garfunkel, Kurtwood Smith, Betsy Clark, Nicolette Scorsese

TWISTER (1996)

Starring: Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt, Jami Gertz, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Alan Ruck, Cary Elwes, Abraham Benrubi, Lois Smith, Todd Field, Jeremy Davies, Joey Slotnick

Directed By: Jan DeBont
Written By: Michael Crichton & Anne-Marie Martin
Director Of Photography: Jack N. Green
Edited By: Michael Kahn

TV weatherman Bill Harding is trying to get his tornado-hunter wife, Jo, to sign divorce papers so he can marry his girlfriend Melissa. But Mother Nature, in the form of a series of intense storms sweeping across Oklahoma, has other plans. Soon the three have joined the team of stormchasers as they attempt to insert a revolutionary measuring device into the very heart of several extremely violent tornados.