Thursday Movie Picks: Holiday Action Films

 

In the 52nd and penultimate week of 2020 for Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We go into the subject of holiday action films as Christmas and action movies seem to go hand-in-hand. Here are my three picks that all involve screenwriter Shane Black and none of them are… THE GREATEST XMAS MOVIE EVER MADE in… Die Hard:

1. Lethal Weapon

Shane Black’s screenplay for Richard Donner’s action-buddy cop film is set around the holidays with an aging veteran detective who is investigating the death of a young woman as he’s teamed up with a troubled and suicidal detective that is still reeling from the death of his wife. Yet, they find themselves dealing with someone really evil in the form of Gary Busey as these two unlikely partners work together and kick some ass while making the holidays safe for everyone with three more films to follow as who couldn’t enjoy the pairing of Mel Gibson and Danny Glover with the latter often saying “I’m getting too old for this shit”?

2. The Long Kiss Goodnight

From Renny Harlin is a film that gets more underrated as the years go on despite Harlin’s spotty track record as a filmmaker. Still, he manages to take Black’s script and add a dose of fun as it revolves around a schoolteacher who survives an accident where she suddenly remembers she used to be an assassin. Teaming up with a private investigator in Samuel L. Jackson, Geena Davis brings a lot of charisma to her role as the former assassin who is forced to confront her past as well as be home in time to be with her daughter during the Christmas holidays and save the world.

3. Iron Man 3

With Black on board as the director in the first entry of the second phase period of the MCU!!!! The film revolves around Tony Stark dealing with some PTSD issues as well as some secrets in the past as he is confronted by a mysterious villain known as the Mandarin. Much of it takes place during the holidays as Stark and his pal Rhodey/War Machine have to fight the Mandarin and his forces while Pepper Potts gets her first chance in wearing an Iron Man suit as she gets on board during the film’s climax. It is a fun action that features a lot of Black’s humor but also gives the Iron Man story a proper ending as he would take on a bigger role for the rest of series in the MCU!!!!!

© thevoid99 2020