Masterminds (1997)
It’s Die Hard…
in a school.
Is the main character an average Joe?
He’s a whizkid. So he’s your basic average kid, he just knows how to work computers pretty good.
Sidekick?
He’s alone on his quest. At one point he does have help from a whizkid buddy but that’s only at the end of the film.
Any personal problems?
His mom ran off and he has constant arguments with his new stepmom and sister. He is exiled from the school that is taken over.
Is the lead character there by coincidence?
He is there to drop his stepsister off. Since he was expelled he isn’t even welcome there.
Are there any friends or family in danger?
His stepsister. The kids are all told a lie that there is a security drill going on. His sister happens to be friends with a girl who has rich parents and thus is on the list of the takeovers. She demands to stay with her and so she is one of the primary hostages.
What’s at stake and why aren’t the authorities doing anything?
Money. The kids with rich parents are taken hostage for ransom. The authorities try to get in but get fired at at every attempt. Entering would by the way endanger the lives of the children.
Any charismatic villains?
Patrick Stewart carries the movie and chews the scenery.
Is it any good?
It received negative reviews and everybody seemed to dislike it. Though not perfect I thought this movie was entertaining. A bit of an A-Team version of Die Hard. You can read my review here.
They are planning a remake, I would go for Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Joe Manganiello, Milo Ventimiglia, Tom Welling, Chris Evans, Chris Pine, Chadwick Boseman, Anthony Mackie, Jeremy Runner, Derek Theler, or D.J. Cotrona as Gabe Walker; and Billy Zane, Kevin Spacey, Dominic Pace, Alec Baldwin, Gil Banks, Hugo Weaving, Robert Knepper, Brian Van Holt, Travis Fine, Skeet Ulrich, or Dash Mihok as Qualen.
I think there is a way to improve The Taking of Beverly Hills, like instead an undercover Fed helped crippled a militia group and imprisoned many members including their leader. But the leader’s brother and a few members of the group plant bombs all over Beverly Hills, and threaten to set them off if the leader is not released, and the undercover fed seeks out the bombs while his partners buy him time.
Blast is good, but it would be worthwhile to note that, Agent Lisa Reed (Vivica A. Fox) finds out that Michael Kittridge (Vinnie Jones) is actually a mercenary named Skyler Talbot and had killed the real Kittridge and stole his identity to throw off authorities.
I would like to see Christmas Rush. Anyone know where to find it?
There are some sites that list it as streamable, but I don’t know how legit they are. If you own an XBMC player I would advise you to look on that network.
What is an XBMC Player? I have never heard of one.
In most cases they are mediaplayers running Android. Because they run Android they can download an app named XBMC from Google’s Play Store. XBMC allows you to search and stream movies
Don’t forget the other scenarios like Terminal Rush, Interceptor, Crash Dive, Counter Measures, 12 Rounds: Reloaded, 12 Rounds: Lockdown, Project: Shadow Chaser, Command Performance, Demolition University, Cyberjack/Virtual Assassin, Final Voyage, and Air Rage.
For Speed 2: Cruise Control, it should have been Direct to Video, and not a sequel to Speed. The lead villain should have been a pirate instead of soft ware designer turned mad bomber trying to blow up a ship.
Every time I see “Air Force One” I remember that in the Tom Clancy novels, the character of Jack Ryan becomes president. This film could have been part of the saga starring Harrison Ford, if he had continued it.