LETHAL WEAPON 4 (1998)

Directed By: Richard Donner 
Written By: Channing Gibson 
 Story By: Jonathan Lemkin, Alfred Gough & Miles Millar 
Based On Characters Created By: Shane Black 
Cinematography: Andrzej Bartkowiak 
Editor: Dallas Puett, Kevin Stitt, Eric Strand & Frank J. Urioste 


Cast: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Jet Li, Joe Pesci, Chris Rock, Rene Russo, Kim Chan, Steve Kahan, Darlene Love, Richard Riehle, Mary Ellen Trainor, Ebonie Smith 


With personal crises and age weighing in on them, LAPD officers Riggs and Murtaugh must contend with deadly Chinese triads that are trying to free their former leaders out of prison and onto American soil.

DRAGGED ACROSS CONCRETE (2019)

Written & Directed By: S. Craig Zahler 
Cinematography: Benji Bakshi 
Editor: Greg D’Auria 


Cast: Mel Gibson, Vince Vaughn, Tory Kittles, Jennifer Carpenter, Michael Jai White, Thomas Kretschmann, Don Johnson, Udo Kier, Laurie Holden, Fred Melamed, Justine Warrington, Myles Truitt, Vivian Ng 


The script centers on two policemen, one an old-timer, the other his volatile younger partner, who find themselves suspended when a video of their strong-arm tactics become the media's cause du jour. Low on cash and with no other options, these two embittered soldiers descend into the criminal underworld to gain their just due, but instead find far more than they wanted awaiting them in the shadows.

CONSPIRACY THEORY (1997)

Directed By: Richard Donner 
Written By: Brian Helgeland 
Cinematography By: John Schwartzman 
Editor: Kevin Stitt & Frank J. Urioste 


Cast: Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts, Patrick Stewart, Cylk Cozart, Troy Garity, Sean Patrick Thomas, Peter Jacobson, Thomas McCarthy, Rick Hoffman 


Jerry Fletcher is a man in love with a woman he observes from afar. She works for the government. Fletcher is an outspoken critic of that government. He has conspiracy theories for everything, from aliens to political assassinations. But soon, one of his theories finds itself to be accurate. But which one? Some dangerous people want him dead and the only person he trusts is that woman he loves but does not know.

HACKSAW RIDGE (2016)

Directed By: Mel Gibson 
Written By: Robert Schenkkan & Andrew Knight 
Cinematography By: Simon Duggan 
Editor: John Gilbert

Cast: Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Vince Vaughn, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Griffiths, Teresa Palmer, Luke Bracey 

The true story of Desmond T. Ross, the conscientious objector who, at the Battle of Okinawa, won the Medal of Honor for his incredible bravery and regard for his fellow soldiers. We see his upbringing and how this shaped his views, especially his religious view and anti-killing stance. We see Doss's trials and tribulations after enlisting in the US Army and trying to become a medic. Finally, we see the hell on Earth that was Hacksaw Ridge

BLOOD FATHER (2016)

Directed By: Jean-Francois Richet 
Written By: Peter Craig & Andrea Berloff 
Based On The Novel By: Peter Craig 
Cinematography By: Robert Gantz 
Editor: Steven Rosenblum 


Cast: Mel Gibson, Erin Moriarty, Diego Luna, Michael Parks, William H. Macy, Dale Dickey, Miguel Sandoval, Richard Cabral, Raoul Trijillo, Thomas Mann 


An ex-con reunites with his estranged wayward 17-year old daughter to protect her from drug dealers who are trying to kill her.

LETHAL WEAPON 4 (1998)

Directed By: Richard Donner
Written By: Channing Gibson
Story By: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar & Jonathan Lemkin
Based on characters Created By: Shane Black
Cinematography By: Andrzej Bartkowiak
Editor: Dallas Puett, Kevin Stitt, Eric Strand & Frank J. Urioste

CAST: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Chris Rock, Jet Li, Rene Russo, Richard Riehle, Kim Chan, Darlene Love, Traci Wolfe, Ebonie Smith, Damon Hines

MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME (1985)

Directed By: George Miller & George Ogilve
Written By: Terry Hayes & George Miller
Cinematography By: Dean Semler
Editor: Richard Francis-Bruce

CAST: Mel Gibson, Tina Turner, Bruce Spence

RANSOM (1996)

Directed By: Ron Howard
Written By: Richard Price & Alexander Ignon;
Story: Cyril Hume & Richard Maibaum
Cinematography By: Piotr Sobocinski
Editor: Dan Haley & Mike Hill

Cast: Mel Gibson, Gary Sinise, Delroy Lindo, Rene Russo, Dan Hedaya, Donnie Wahlberg, Lili Taylor, Liev Schrieber, Brawley Nolte, Jose Zuniga, John Ortiz

This film is the type of event film they would have made in the 1950’s Starring a huge matinee idol where they give him a paint by numbers plot but really the film is for the audience to watch the actor play to his strengths in a series of scenes and make him look like a icon. That is this film.

It’s not a mystery who kidnapped Mel Gibson’s son. It’s how long it will take him to realize it’s someone who is in his midst. This film presents you with Mel Gibson surrounded by a well known cast as you wait for the inevitable fight he is going to have with the main kidnapper and hoping it’s as goon and violent as the one he had with Gary Busey In LETHAL WEAPON

The plot is a rich man’ son is kidnapped and pretty much breaks all the rules his kidnappers set to try and get him back going against what the cops and FBI tell him to do. Showing he is a rebel and loves his son. While endangering his son’s life with every stunt just to be stubborn.

The only two interesting things about this film are the scenes where Mel Gibson confronts a old incarcerated business partner who he feels may be behind the kidnapping as revenge. The other scene is when the villain dispatches his gang including his lover to cut all ties to himself to show just how evil he is. While we are discussing it, Why this person would pick this group as kidnappers is beyond me they are like the gang who couldn’t shoot straight. It’s a miracle they even pulled the kidnapping off. So that goes beyond all reason. Why he would associate and plan to share money with these people but other then that there is nothing noteworthy other then to watch how athletic and heroic Mel Gibson is in the movie, for a man who is only supposed to be a industrialist.

This film is fine to watch on TV, When nothing else is on but no need to seek it out.

This is another Ron Howard film where he tries to have more style due to the genre. He tries his luck here with a little more dark material then he is used to but somehow still manages to make it bland. At least here the direction is a little stronger then usual for him but it is still not quite a home run.

When it comes to Ron Howard films I loved most of them as a kid growing up he somehow makes you feel a nostalgic mood when watching his films. But after this one there was a feeling something wasn’t right so I began watching them with a more critical eye. He is a talented director but he really has no style. He was born too late because his films are more idealistic when it comes to content and character. The films fit right in for the 1950’s type melodrama. He seems a perfect director for the middle aged male demographic with material that is not too harsh and more family oriented more over sentimentalized.

GRADE: C-

PAPARAZZI (2004)

Directed By: Paul Abascal
Written By: Forrest Smith
Cinematography By: Daryn Okada
Editor: Robin Russell

CAST: Cole Hauser, Robin Tunney, Tom Sizemore, Daniel Baldwin, Dennis Farina, Tom Hollander, Kevin Gage, Kelly Carlson, Andi Eystad, Clyde Kusatsu, Sal Lopez, Fay Masterson, Tim Thomerson

Not so much a film as a revenge movie fantasy. It seems this film was either dreamed up by Mel Gibson or he had the idea and gave it to a screenwriter. It could have been just some enterprising screenwriter who saw how celebrities feel about the paparazzi and used it to try and get into the right hands.

The film makes the paparazzi way over the top sure they can be scummy but they literally make them that way in this film unshaved dirty looking one is a biker one is over the tp and acts like he is a drug dealer.

There isn’t too much for me to say about this film because there isn’t too much material here to talk about.

Plenty of celebrities cameo in the film. Which still doesn’t make the film all that interesting.

It has plenty of action sequences that are nothing special and plot-holes that are still gaping and need to be shut.

One of the main problems with the film is that the audience can watch but they can't sympathisize with this film they are not stalked or in the limelight like the stars are so this is more of a movie for the hollywood community to stand up and cheer for the only element we in the audiecne can root for or enjoy is the man pushed way too far and taking justice into his own arms. Even though it is a more upscale less tragic or thought provoking version of DEATH WISH

SPOILERS
The subplot of all the pressure getting to his wife who slowly goes insane, but who miracoulsly gets better soon as the men are dead. And the fact that he commits the murders even though he is a nice guy yet not only has ne reservations about doing it but also feels no guilt about it afterwards at all not even after the first one shows you the type of vapid piece of cinema we are watching I realize I shouldn’t be looking for it in this type of film but I was hoping.
END SPOILERS

It’s a shame too Cole Hauser finally gets a leading man role and it’s in this. Just note that the people associated with this film haven’t really worked since. It should have been obvious this film wasn’t worth it when the leading role was turned down by George Clooney, Tom Cruise. Even Kurt Russell and Vince Vaughn Though Vaughn does cameo. Maybe the film hit to close to home or too much like there dream come true since the first two are notorious for there hatred of the paparazzi.

In the end it feels like a total waste of time. Skip It

GRADE: F