Tuesday is upon us- which means it's time or me to lock and load again as I chase Riggs and Murtaugh across Los Angeles in another action packed " Lethal Weapon " movie... A routine drug bust by Riggs and Murtaugh goes awry- hinting that things are a bit deeper than they think. Smuggled krugerrands, an FBI witness, and the South African consulate all collide with the two cops as they they lock sights on the biggest case of their careers... " Lethal Weapon 2 " isn't as intensely emotional as the first one.  As the two partners further cement their partnership and friendship, things lighten up a bit between the two- which is fitting as it echoes Rigg's growth from the angry, suicidal personality he was in the first movie into a more "stable" person learning to deal with his grief, and open up to Murtaugh as a friend.  It's a nice adjustment. While Riggs gets a lot of development in this movie, Murtaugh, sadly- doesn't get as much.  He...

  After taking a short break after my " Run, Bandit, Run " series, I'm back.  This time, I'm taking aim... with a " Lethal Weapon "... 50 year old Sergeant Murtaugh has a nice home, a lovely family, a new fishing boat, and a fairly safe career... Sergeant Rigs has a motor home, memories of his deceased wife, a risky career... and a "special" bullet for a "special" occasion... When they get partnered up, it becomes a question of who'll get the "special" bullet in the end... 1987's " Lethal Weapon " helped to transform the Buddy Cop movie from a genre that was generally comedic to one that had action, humor, and depth of character. The story is pretty 1980's in that it consisted of drug cartels- which was the real hot topic back then due to Nancy Reagan's " Just Say No " campaign.  But it's really only the bones from which hangs the real "flesh" of the movie- the relationship betwe...

Witness isn't the kind of movie we usually tackle here in The Basement, be it retro or otherwise. But I was feeling nostalgic for some vintage Harrison Ford, and wasn't in the mood for Star Wars or Indiana Jones. I hadn't watched Witness in a quarter of a century, so pushing play was almost like doing so for the first time. And boy, am I glad I did. Witness is a great movie. It's one part thriller, another part drama, with a fine sense of humour and a beautiful, quiet love story at its heart. You read that right; I liked the love story as much as I did the thriller and dramatic elements! This is a quiet movie, despite a few scenes of rough violence. It's about people and their place in the world. It's about clashing ways of life and falling in love even though you know it's never meant to be. And yes, there's the crime element, which puts Ford's detective on the run from crooked cops who want to silence the witness to a murder -- a young Am...

That's it. Stop the world. We want off! But first, let's lob giant grenades of apocalyptic death on the creative void that is Hollywood as the remake train keeps rolling in favour of taking the time to come up with new and interesting ideas to turn into money making products. Arguably the best of the buddy-cop genre, 1987's Lethal Weapon starred Mad Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in a fun, violent and trashy tale of cops versus drug dealers. It featured great performances by the leads and had a wit and style that set the stage for a whole generation of action films. There's no way to improve upon the film, so why bother remaking it other than it's 25 years old and ripe for a cash in? Guess I just answered my own question. I'm getting to old for this shit. Also up for a remake are such greats as The Wild Bunch, The Dirty Dozen and Westworld, which could benefit from some new special effects. Why not ask George Lucas to CGI the shit out of the original instea...