Despite its shortcomings, there is fun to be had with Keanu Reeves making his sudden comeback to the action genre (he recently co-starred in the martial arts flick Man of Tai Chi). He actually seems to be getting better with age. The actor who has so often been mocked for his relatively wooden acting is turning out to be a rather interesting leading man in modestly budgeted action movies.
So yeah….I’d say I’m back….for a sequel. It seems like more badass Keanu Reeves is on the way as Forbes announced on Monday that Lionsgate has greenlit John Wick 2. The project will bring back Reeves as well as directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, and screenwriter Derek Kolstad. The first film was a surprise hit after grossing $43 million …
Keanu Reeves is a Hollywood name that has been around for much longer than most realize. Believe it or not, his breakout role in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure dates back to 1989, a shocking 26 years ago. He witnessed his star rise to soaring heights during the 1990s and early 2000s, especially when the massively successful Matrix films were released.
Keanu Reeves in a new action franchise? It may not go to that level, but the directors of one of his most recent films is thinking sequel already. Speaking with Movies.com on Wednesday, John Wick directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch confirmed that they are currently working on story ideas for a sequel to the …
Some years are just great for certain genres, and this year was a great one for action. All across the board were films within different subgenres stepping up and delivering great action set pieces and characters. Consider the shot on the revolving tank gun revealing the totality of carnage in Dawn of the Planet of …
Most filmgoers don’t know Richard Linklater’s name but his effect has been felt through the American independent film scene since the debut of Slacker in 1991. For the star-studded cast of commenters sitting down for some insights into Linklater, it’s hard to imagine a world without him. He is the unicorn who managed to build an entire career of passion projects that most filmmakers never get to, or let toil in production hell.
John Wick is a beautiful ballet of death and destruction. It combines the brutal hand-to-hand combat of Jason Bourne with Ridley Scott’s visual sensibilities to create the perfect vehicle for Keanu Reeves. Here, Reeves struts his physicality and underrated comic timing to ratchet up the fun while he amasses a huge body count. It’s an ultra-slick, violence-worshipping extravaganza that will have you eating from the palm of its bloodstained hand.
Remember before Keanu Reeves was a badass in The Matrix he was that doofus in a ’80s comedy about time travel that probably isn’t as good as you remember it? You know, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure! It was totally excellent and featured life lessons to live by like “Be Excellent to Each Other” and …
Even before it saw the light of day, The Matrix Revolutions was let down by being positioned atop the most diminutive of pedestals. It is a film that was destined to be an overwhelmingly epic endgame but failed to fulfill itself, badly in need of ironing out.
There was a withering backlash against The Matrix Sequels that still exists to this day. Watching them will reveal that criticisms made in retrospect are symptoms of a bigger problem: Reloaded and Revolutions are damned by avoidable narrative problems
If you couldn’t tell from the title of today’s report from Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, the theme of Day Three for me could be boiled down into one word: subtitles. And if it wasn’t for one of the five films I watched today–not counting Cheap Thrills, which has its own, fuller review elsewhere in the …
There are just two—count ‘em, two—days until Fantastic Fest 2013 kicks off in Austin , Texas, at the Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline. In case you hadn’t been keeping track, I’ll be there for the majority of the festival covering as many movies as possible. (I will be a movie-watching/reviewing machine, just you watch.) If you’ve been …
Each and every month, we here at Sound On Sight dedicate the entire month to a specific theme. Sometimes we follow an event, an actor, a filmmaker and so on, as decided by our readers who vote on our monthly poll. February of 2013 was dedicated to actor Keanu Reeves. When the results came in, …
Recently, the intrepid co-hosts of Sound on Sight radio asked me to help host a podcast devoted to Keanu Reeves. I had been hoping for a long time that they would have just such a podcast, and I wanted to take this opportunity to explain a little bit more about why I find Reeves to …
Johnny Mnemonic Written by William Gibson Directed by Robert Longo Canada/USA, 1995 Perhaps the greatest gift of 1999’s The Matrix wasn’t its revolutionary effects work but its contemplative subject matter at the peak of Y2K insanity. Of course it has some obvious stoner philosophy, and its two sequels get bogged down in their own convoluted mythology, but …
For an actor so enigmatically blessed with sensitive leading man looks, Keanu Reeves has an uncanny dexterity within the action genre. Hampered by the effortlessness of his airhead turn as Ted in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Reeves spent years shedding his pretty boy persona in more arthouse and mainstream dramatic fare, only to find it right …
Speed Directed by Jan de Bont Written by Graham Yost 1994, USA For nearly two hours, the pulse-accelerating, Keanu Reeves vehicle, titled Speed, rarely taking a second to slow down. With a story by debuting screenwriter Graham Yost (of Justified fame), this high-adrenaline, nonstop roller-coaster ride is really three pictures rolled into one. Speed is …
Dracula Directed by Francis Ford Coppola Written by James V. Har 1992, USA In 1992 director Francis Ford Coppola returned to Bram Stokers source novel as the primary source of inspiration for his gothic chiller Dracula, evading the numerous cinematic translations that have haunted cinema screens over the previous century, giving the classic tale a …
Point Break Written by W. Peter Iliff Directed by Kathryn Bigelow USA, 1991 Here’s the thing about Point Break, it’s not nearly as bad as you might have heard. For all of its ridiculous qualities like the presidential masks, a climax that involves skydiving, and Keanu Reeves playing a former college football star turned FBI …
Bram Stoker’s Dracula Directed by Francis Ford Coppola Written by James V. Hart 1992, USA There was a time where horror films were not all about torture porn, found-footage or demonic possessions – this was a time when the genre was less indulgent in killing people. Francis Ford Coppola is known for his epic productions, …
River’s Edge Directed by Tim Hunter Written by Neal Jimenez USA, 1986 River’s Edge is probably best known as a bewildering showcase for some of the strangest performances of 1980s cinema. Featuring Keanu Reeves, Crispin Glover and Dennis Hopper in an already puzzling film about the murder of a teenage girl and the apparent apathetic …
My Own Private Idaho Written by Gus Van Sant Directed by Gus Van Sant USA, 1991 Though he has made his share of more conventional dramas like Good Will Hunting and Milk, and received Oscar nominations by doing so, Gus Van Sant always seems to fall back to a more sedate style, such as that …
Speed Directed by Jan de Bont Written by Graham Yost & Joss Whedon (Uncredited) US, 1994 Despite his tortured artist demeanor and frustratingly enigmatic career form which is more akin to Vincent Gallo than Bruce Willis, Keanu Reeves is an actor who’s strangely potent potential can be compared to the unpredictable success of what you’d …