John Cusack was in a great action comedy called Grosse Pointe Blank where he played a hitman having a midlife crisis right before he decides to go to his high school reunion. Lots of action, lots of comedy-it’s my best friend’s favorite film so I’ve seen it 40-50 times.
Yes! Pretty sure I've recommended Grosse Point Blank in the comments before. (Or maybe "begged" is a better word...) Fun fact: some talk show interviewed Danny Trejo about this movie and asked if any of the actors were actually hardcore, and he said John Cusack is the only person in Hollywood who actually scares him.
@@joemason6319 Quite right. He basically has been kickboxing ever since Say Anything… and I heard for this movie went full Tom Cruise and did all the stunts/fights himself. Granted, there wasn’t anything nuts like Mission: Impossible sequences but you wouldn’t expect a guy like Cusack to be committed to putting himself in harm’s way for the shot. But Grosse Pointe Blank definitely has some fun fight scenes and gunplay sequences.
When they said they didn't relate Nick Cage as a action movie actor it was the first thing I thought too, that and gone in 60 seconds was massive in my childhood
My Holy Trinity of Cageism: Face / Off, The Rock and Con Air. If I can add Gone 60 seconds and National Treasure. That´s all I need for perfect Cagexperience.
"Has John Cusack ever been in any movie as the action guy?" YES! One of my all-time favorite movies, and one I strongly recommend you watch sometime: Grosse Pointe Blank! It has it all. Action. Comedy. Drama. Love story.
Cage's buddy is the same actor as Bubba. The best comment I've heard about this was "Poor guy, twice in a few years he had to die in the arms of a simple minded southern man"
But Poe wasn't simple minded at all... He's one of the smartest characters in the movie. And Baby-O didn't die in this movie. Don't get how you'd think that was the best comment you've heard.
@@William_Sk it was on a comedy podcast making fun of bad/corny movies. didn't think i was going to defend this comment like my PhD dissertation..jesus christ
This is the most 90's movie ever made, the cast, the premise, one liners, Nic Cage's hair, the soundtrack, the ridiculous, over the top finale, it's just so much fun.
I love so much how you guys really wanted Steve Buscemi's character to have somehow gotten over his psychosis, but never once questioned HOW he got the new clothes or the money to gamble in Vegas. 😂❤
I assumed he stole it and the jacket contained a wallet. It's possible someone left their jacket on the back of a chair and the aftermath of the plane crash gave Garland Greene the chance to snatch it in the chaos. He was still wearing the prison whites underneath.
I also second and third and fourth Grosse Pointe Blank as others in the comments have suggested. Probably my favorite John Cusack movie! I also suggest High Fidelity with John Cusack and Jack Black.
@@RickLeMon She couldn't follow the plot, as bizarre as that sounds. That was the day that I realised that she was blonde in every sense of the word! 😄
Nicolas Cage may appear in utter dreck, but no matter the budget, he's always the highlight. Only when he's up against people like Jon Malkovitch does he ever approach normal.
Love or hate the movies he's in or acting choices he makes, you can never accuse Nic Cage of being lazy. I've never seen him put less than 100% into any role he's played, no matter how stupid. I respect it.
Its almost kind of sad how his career is viewed now, because up until 2005 or so he was well regarded and had a very respectable filmography. Him being "good" is seen as such a joke now that people forget the guy literally has an Oscar.
In case you wanted to know, the 'poundey thing' in the construction site was a pile driver. They are used to drive the steel into the ground that will form the foundation of the building.
That's why they showed the guy removing the knife, to cast doubt on his claim of self-defense. And also, the US has a history of leaving their troops high-and-dry after they return from deployment. Probably why he had such a crud lawyer giving him bad advice.
There's a marine in New York in the 'similar' situation now. Lot of people all over the country have very different definitions of 'self defense' or even if 'self defense' in any form should be legal, whether it results in death or not. I've talked to a lot of people who 100% believe if someone is trying to murder you or someone else and you stop them but kill them in the process, you should be charged with the harshest possible level of murder and spend the rest of your life in prison with no chance of parole or get the death penalty. Some of them because taking a life is always 100% immoral and criminal. Others because they believe only police should have the right to use force in any context. I live in the south and I've talked to people who say if they are on a jury with a trial of a guy whose accused of killing who was beating him or someone else to death on the street, they'd vote him guilty no matter what as a matter of principle.
@@Wrencher_86 I'd say any situation where someone claims self-defense is similar to other cases of self-defense. Whether it actually is self-defense depends on what someone feels self-defense is.
@@Fordo007 That is a catastrophically stupid take. I'm not wasting my time arguing with someone who doesn't understand the concept of "context". Piss off.
My recommendation for John Cusack movie are: 1. Grosse Pointe Blank 2. 1408( 2007) ( This one is a bit weird because there are four endings to this film. In addition to the ending that appears in the theatrical release (also the default ending of the DVD), three other alternative endings were shot. 3. Identity (2003) 4.High Fidelity (2000)
Check out "In the Line of Fire" for a great John Malkovich performance alongside Clint Eastwood. Also, for more Colm Meaney, check out Steven Segal's only good film, "Under Siege."
This is what I have dubbed a totally rewatchable movie! It's on TV all the time and you're checking the listings and you see "Con-Air" and you watch it, no matter where it is, beginning, middle or end!
Now I want her to slowly, one by one, replace every item in the room she films in with a proportionally larger version, until she full on looks like the hobbits in The Prancing Pony.
Nic Cage went straight from filming this, like immediately afterwards into filming Face Off (which you'd FRIKKIN LOVE !) The legend that is Danny Trejo was once asked who on Con Air was the baddest bad-ass IRL, and he said without missing a beat "John Cusack. There is something behind his eyes that just screams maniac."
"Define irony. A bunch of idiots, on an airplane, dancing to a song sung by a band that died in a plane crash." -Garland Greene. My favorite quote from the movie. Also, I freaking love this movie! Whenever it's on TV, I'm watching it.
Nicolas Cage released The Rock, Con Air and Face/Off between June 1996 and June 1997 (and filming was about that amount of time as well). That's 3 action film total and timeless classics in one year. Nobody has those credentials, that trio would have make Cage a legend alone, but he has done so much more before and since. Those three movies can be understood as a trilogy based around Cage persona although there are 3 different directors and completely different films. It is a subject in it on itself. You should definitely watch Face/Off specially because, accidentally, you watched in the order they were released. It is an amazing feat.
From 1980 to '85, Harrison Ford released The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Blade Runner, Return of the Jedi, Temple of Doom, & Witness.
Remember Johnny 23 - Danny Trejo, also known as Machete - fun to watch, since you liked Sin City. And to think about it, who would allow an out of control plane to land on the Las Vegas strip
THIS is how you make an amazingly dumb action movie. Nobody is going to call it high art but it is incredibly entertaining, with good action scenes, entertaining characters, a simple but interesting plot and best of all super memorable dialogue with perfect material for memes. This is the type of "cinema" that I love.
I always enjoyed the 'I'm dead in four hours if I don't get my insulin shot" It doesn't work that way. You CAN overdose on insulin and die rather quickly, but lack of insulin puts the person into a sugar coma which takes much longer to be fatal. It's why they taught us in our training "If you can't remember the difference between the symptoms of lack of insulin or too much insulin, *always give the patient sugar"*
@@AdhamOhm Yeah....you would think that the script writer, director, an actor, SOMEBODY would figure this out and fix the issue, but apparently not. It's even worse in some movies when it comes to computers. In Jurassic Park, a 12-year old kid was able to hack into the security system of a multi-billion dollar theme park, secured by the disgruntled IT guy who built the system from the ground up, that couldn't even be hacked by the other techs who worked on it, in just a few minutes because "she knows Unix". In the theater, I rolled my eyes so hard at that the breeze it created blew off the wig of the woman in the row in front of me.
As mentioned in other comments, ‘GrossePointeBlank’ is a great action movie with John and Joan Cussack, killer soundtrack too! ‘High Fidelity’ is another classic with him!
John Cusack has played a number of roles as the main protagonist in an Action movie. My favorite with an excellent hand to hand fight scene is Grosse Point Blank
I love the fact Simone said “Obrien” 😊 when she saw Colm Meaney! Miles would never act like this guy haha. And yes the construction site at the end makes no sense at all.
It is my headcanon now that the friendly professional O'Brien is just for show and the absolute psycho O'Brien was necessary to keep DS9 operational. Just imagine Sisko going below just to find O'Brien absolutely TEARING a bunch of low-level techs TO SHREDS because they just don't get that this Cardassian hunk of junk is only a few mistakes away from utter failure.
in those days the laws for self-defense were much stricter. also, the machine that mashed Cyrus is a pile driver, a huge hammer for driving large "piles" logs into the ground to make foundations. even today they are still used, mostly for piers.
For tall buildings, pile drivers are essential because the weight of the building would cause it to sink or even collapse without reinforcement of the foundation.
I think the authorities' logic behind Poe's conviction is that they expect that, based on the level of his skill and training, he should have been able to end the altercation without killing anyone. Since that isn't what happened, he allowed his emotions to get the better of him and drive him to kill, which is no longer self-defense.
To answer Simone's question. John Cusack was in the movie called Grosse Pointe Blank. He was trained as an assassin but he goes back to his high school reunion. Check it out when you have time.
Steve Buscemi's character Garland Green in the movie was an interesting addition. Green being free at the end of the movie was a disturbing moment much like Hannibal Lecter calling Clarice at the end of Silence of the Lambs. We don't learn much about him except from exposition but his interactions with others show him to be a quiet, highly intelligent individual that sees the stupidity in human beings and has been known to murder them lavishly for it. The little girl was never in danger from him, but was used to make us fear for her because of the impressions made on us about Green by the movie to that point. At least that's what I think. Who knows, maybe their was a potential to make Con-Air II: the Hunt for Garland Green, and they would drag Poe back in to hunt him down because they had a Rapport.
I genuinely thought the girl was in his imagination ....the whole scene seemed to play that way. I was surprised when she appeared a bit later to show she was real.
Man driving the Volvo was the late Don S. Davis, he's best known for portraying Dr. Fleischer in Look Who's Talking (1989) & Look Who's Talking Too (1990), Charlie Collins in A League of Their Own (1992), and Major General George Hammond in Stargate SG-1 (1997-'07).
The big hammer thing at the end is a pile driver used to hammer foundation supports deep into the ground for the construction of buildings, bridges, etc.
I will add one thing to your ending discussion: the hero won. Evil (aka) Cyrus died and was "punished," but the way I read the ending is that even if the hero wins, evil never really dies. As for the little girl, I always assumed he left her alive as she gave him his "mantra," which is why he sings "he's got the whole world in his hands" during the crash. Still, I love this move. It is pure grill cheese, and I'm always here for it.
from doctor who "You let one of them go but that’s nothing new. Every now and then a little victim’s spared because she smiled, ’cause he’s got freckles. ‘Cause they begged. And that’s how you live with yourself. That’s how you slaughter millions. Because once in awhile-on a whim, if the wind’s in the right direction-you happen to be kind."
Garland didn't just slaughter people willy nilly, so the girl was perfectly safe - plus he had to catch the plane and they were not going to have a kid killed in an action film.
One of my pet peeves about movie posters/dvd covers is when the put the actors names on there above characters heads but they dont match up with who they each play.
I noticed that as well. My guess is that some contractual clause related to star prestige forced them to re-sequence the names and they didn't have time to re-do the image, only to change the text.
I heard that Garland Green was supposed to die but test audiences loved the character so much, that the epilogue was added to show he survived. I actually saw this at the cinema and must confess, I still quote it now.
I'm an old guy who' been a movie fan for over 60 years. That means I spot many actors in the movies you watch that appear more than once. In ConAir the old man Cage finds under the truck is an actor named Dabbs Greer, who also played the older Tom Hanks character in Green Mile. Ving Rhames, who played Nathan Jones, is a Mission Impossible staple.
That "slamy thing" on the construction site is a machine they use to hammer pylons into the ground, it's used when constructing tall buildings when the ground underneath it is not great for holding up a building or to just make the ground better for holding up the building. You could totally see such a machine on a construction site, now whether buildings in Vegas would need them or that the machine would be ran during the day on the other hand, that's a different story.
The hotel/casino the plane crashes into at the end, was set for demolition, production asked if they could crash a plane into it, they said yes (it was cheaper getting the studio to demolish it, than paying for a proper demo team/set up). This, The Rock & Face/Off were probably Nicks best roles before he took bad role one after the other, & were all action movies.
Funnily enough I can enjoy the older action movies a lot more than the new ones. Part of it is everything including backgrounds and extras being CGI now, but the older movies just got plot, heart or laughs or a combination of those. I miss that.
Also as others have mentioned John Cusack is great as a hitman with a mid life crisis of sorts in the movie Grosse Pointe Blank, well worth a watch with quite a bit of action. Oh and for more Nick Cage action do watch Face Off with John Travolta, another bonkers but very enjoyable 90's action classic directed by John Woo.
Yep. I knew the thumbnail for this one was gonna be good, but this might be your best one yet! Simone, you asked in a recent reaction about an actor's performance getting nominated for both an Oscar and a Razzie; dunno about that, but the song "How Do I Live" did get both noms! The script went through a lot of changes during filming and it's not exactly the posterboy for coherence. Malkovich was frustrated by it, but he's still fun as hell. I agree with George here: you could take out every single scene with Steve Buscemi and it'd probably change nothing. John Cusack apparently hated it (and prefers smaller indie stuff); not a surprise, really, seeing how he's outshined by literally everyone in the movie.
@@TimoRutanen Wait, that schmalzy piece of crap won an Oscar??? 😄 I loved the way she turned a huge guy from a trash footballer into a star footballer by looking at some kind of psych evaluation that showed his protectiveness score as being really high and telling him the quarterback was his buddy who he needed to protect... atrocious movie!
This is definitely the high point of 90's action flicks. I remember watching it in the theater, and thinking it was the greatest thing ever. It's the perfect movie for a 16-year-old. 😂 I'll also add to the cauphony for Gross Pointe Blank, and High Fidelity.
This is one of those movies that was way better than it had any right to be, as when I saw the trailer, I was like no way that's a good movie. How wrong I was, as it was well filmed, great acting, decent enough story, and a killer action scenes.
I'd like to think that when the little girl suggested singing "Got the whole world in his hands", it taught Garland that the world is your oyster, you can make choices in life to make you happy. He decided that he can change for the better and enjoy life a lot better by not killing anymore but we never really got the confirmation on what happened to him after he got away. But he is most likely gonna remain a criminal on the loose because the authorities would realize that he's missing from the group of remaining cons who are dead or alive.
It's interesting reading some of the comments in here about Garland, because I thought the ending of the film was suggesting that he had not changed and was still a threat. I think he did not kill the little girl because (1) he enjoyed their conversation, and (2) he was never said to be a child killer -- that is a specific type of criminal psychosis.
@@Johnny_Socko He makes me think of a line from doctor who where a villain talked about someone they let live. "You let one of them go but that’s nothing new. Every now and then a little victim’s spared because she smiled, ’cause he’s got freckles. ‘Cause they begged. And that’s how you live with yourself. That’s how you slaughter millions. Because once in awhile-on a whim, if the wind’s in the right direction-you happen to be kind."
Nicolas's southern accent has me expecting to see Forrest Gump have a walk on cameo asking "Bubba! I thought you died in Vietnam!?" Have you seen Lt. Dan by the way?".😂
I ran into a member of Sister Slegde at the pool and she gave me free tickets to KC and the Sunshine Band(they opened) at the Hard Rock in August 2006. I believe it's The Virgin Hotel now, sold in 2018
Fun fact: The song, "How Do I Live," which was written for this movie, was the first song to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song and a Razzie for Worst Original Song. The only other song to do this is Aerosmith's "Don't Wanna Miss A Thing." Funnily enough, both songs were written by Diane Warren. Neither song took home either award.
I always asumed that Greene escaping is to say he's so quiet that no one ever misses him, so they didn't notice he wasn't there. as fro the little girl, I always took it as she wasn't his type of victim.
Him letting her go always reminds me of a doctor who quote "You let one of them go but that’s nothing new. Every now and then a little victim’s spared because she smiled, ’cause he’s got freckles. ‘Cause they begged. And that’s how you live with yourself. That’s how you slaughter millions. Because once in awhile-on a whim, if the wind’s in the right direction-you happen to be kind."
"Grilled cheese movie" is a great way to put it and I wish they wouldn't get talked down about as much. Glad you guys enjoyed it! Not every movie needs to be some spectacular masterpiece or give us some deep philosophical point or be perfectly crafted. Sometimes it's just nice to have fun for a couple hours, you know? : ) "The Warrior's Way" (2010) is my favorite action grilled cheese movie of all time. Hopefully it'll make the reactor rounds soon, but if not, I'll just have to bump up some Patreon donations in the future :P
I haven't started the reaction yet but your discussion about Nic Cage being in a lot of trash movies is great. If yall haven't reacted to it yet, you need to watch his movie, the unbearable weight of massive talent, that came out last year. It's hilarious and it references how nic cage just says yes to any movie and how he's just stuck inside of his roles.
Fun Fact: Actor John Cusack has trained in kickboxing for over 20 years and is a sixth-degree black belt. Also I always assumed hes a short guy dont know why he seemed like that to me but I've seen him listed as 187-190cm which was surprising to me didnt think hes that tall.
What a freaking cast! And gotta love the song playing at the end, How Do I Live by Tisha Yearwood. What better way to top off a balls-out action film, haha.
More movies need to do the showing pictures of the cast and who they played in the credits thing. First time I remember it was in Predator and it's always been a neat thing. It was especially good in Coming To America because Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall played multiple roles and most people wouldn't have even known it was them.
If you want a newer Cage movie I'd recommend The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022). An amazing action comedy starring Nicolas Cage as Nicolas Cage, in an absolutely amazing action comedy (with a really great script!). And Pedro Pascal for Simone to fawn over 😅
Other than "Grosse Pointe Black", John Cusack starred in another action/romantic movie called "Hot Pursuit". It's kinda cheesy, but I personally love it. And with Ben Stiller and his father Jerry Stiller playing the bad guys!
OK. Now that you’ve seen this and The Rock you absolutely *must* check out THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT. It is Nicolas Cage’s best film in years.
If you want John Cusack in an action role, try grosse point blank. I think the idea behind Steve buscemi's character is that he isn't actually a monster. He just had a psychotic break. That's why he didn't touch the girl and that's why he got away at the end.
John Cusack's been in a lot of action movies, he's however had more success in his romance and comedy movies. I love him in the 1997 comedy/romance/action movie Grosse Pointe Blank! If you haven't watched it, I highly recommend it =D The romance movie American Sweethearts (2001) is also a good laugh.
What they are trying to imply with Steve Buscemi's character is that he has a revelation when speaking with the little girl which reforms him and that's why he spares her. He's no longer going to kill anymore and the ending is his second chance at life, the "Feel lucky" line is him being optimistic about his future.
I wanna take his face... OFF. No more drugs for that man lol rumor has it Nick still has one of the anodized gold Springfield 1911s made for the movie Castor carried.
In my opinion, this is one of the greatest movies ever made. I love every single thing about it. Perfect cast, perfect story, perfect amount of comedy and action, and the good guys come out on top! Who could ask for more than that?
Guard: Oh man! It smells like someone shit in your mouth! Dave Chappelle: He told me he loved me. Best lines in the movie right there, and that's saying something with the cast we have here.
John Cusack was in a great action comedy called Grosse Pointe Blank where he played a hitman having a midlife crisis right before he decides to go to his high school reunion. Lots of action, lots of comedy-it’s my best friend’s favorite film so I’ve seen it 40-50 times.
Yes! Pretty sure I've recommended Grosse Point Blank in the comments before. (Or maybe "begged" is a better word...) Fun fact: some talk show interviewed Danny Trejo about this movie and asked if any of the actors were actually hardcore, and he said John Cusack is the only person in Hollywood who actually scares him.
@@joemason6319 Quite right. He basically has been kickboxing ever since Say Anything… and I heard for this movie went full Tom Cruise and did all the stunts/fights himself. Granted, there wasn’t anything nuts like Mission: Impossible sequences but you wouldn’t expect a guy like Cusack to be committed to putting himself in harm’s way for the shot. But Grosse Pointe Blank definitely has some fun fight scenes and gunplay sequences.
War Inc as a follow up
I LOVE that movie...‼️
No. I have it on good authority that you saw it only 14.3 times.
you guys should DEFINITELY watch FACE/OFF. This, face/off, and the rock in my opinion make the perfect nic-cage action trifecta.
100% this!!!!
When they said they didn't relate Nick Cage as a action movie actor it was the first thing I thought too, that and gone in 60 seconds was massive in my childhood
Holy Trinity of CAGEISM.
@@thomasgriffiths6758 don't forget Wild at Heart.
My Holy Trinity of Cageism: Face / Off, The Rock and Con Air. If I can add Gone 60 seconds and National Treasure. That´s all I need for perfect Cagexperience.
"Has John Cusack ever been in any movie as the action guy?" YES! One of my all-time favorite movies, and one I strongly recommend you watch sometime: Grosse Pointe Blank!
It has it all. Action. Comedy. Drama. Love story.
This! 1000 times THIS!
I really want them to do High Fidelity too, it's one of my favorite movies.
I agree...Great film
His fight scene in the hallway in that film is one of the best ever
Popcorn 🔫🔫🔫
Cage's buddy is the same actor as Bubba. The best comment I've heard about this was "Poor guy, twice in a few years he had to die in the arms of a simple minded southern man"
That's fantastic! 😄
@Danny Corbitt that's right --- he was shown that God does exist (guitar riff)
But Poe wasn't simple minded at all... He's one of the smartest characters in the movie. And Baby-O didn't die in this movie.
Don't get how you'd think that was the best comment you've heard.
@@William_Sk Because it's funny, despite not technically being correct.
@@William_Sk it was on a comedy podcast making fun of bad/corny movies. didn't think i was going to defend this comment like my PhD dissertation..jesus christ
This is the most 90's movie ever made, the cast, the premise, one liners, Nic Cage's hair, the soundtrack, the ridiculous, over the top finale, it's just so much fun.
One liners are an 80s thing really.
Nah. Clueless, Reality Bites, Boyz in Da Hood scream 90s more. Among other movies.
@@laurenherda2415
Face/Off is good, but Con Air is amazing
most 90s movie? i'll see your con air and raise you Blade.
Don't forget random guitar riff in the middle of fights.
Watching this film chopped into little vignettes for a reaction video really drives home how deeply mental it is.😂
Its ridiculous 😂😂 but I love it.
I love so much how you guys really wanted Steve Buscemi's character to have somehow gotten over his psychosis, but never once questioned HOW he got the new clothes or the money to gamble in Vegas. 😂❤
Probably stole someones luggage - it's a Bruckheimer film, you don't question that stuff.
I assumed he stole it and the jacket contained a wallet. It's possible someone left their jacket on the back of a chair and the aftermath of the plane crash gave Garland Greene the chance to snatch it in the chaos. He was still wearing the prison whites underneath.
Simone might have been talking over it, but "On any other day that might seem strange..." is my favorite line. I love Cage's dry southern delivery.
I also second and third and fourth Grosse Pointe Blank as others in the comments have suggested. Probably my favorite John Cusack movie! I also suggest High Fidelity with John Cusack and Jack Black.
High Fidelity is so good. Maybe not one of my top five, but it should be just on general principle
@@RickLeMon I get that reference.
@@RickLeMon I watched that movie once with a girl who "didn't get it". I didn't even realise that was possible.
@@korganrocks3995 Thats...um, yeah. (I kinda want to know what was confusing about it)
@@RickLeMon She couldn't follow the plot, as bizarre as that sounds. That was the day that I realised that she was blonde in every sense of the word! 😄
Nicolas Cage may appear in utter dreck, but no matter the budget, he's always the highlight. Only when he's up against people like Jon Malkovitch does he ever approach normal.
Love or hate the movies he's in or acting choices he makes, you can never accuse Nic Cage of being lazy. I've never seen him put less than 100% into any role he's played, no matter how stupid. I respect it.
Its almost kind of sad how his career is viewed now, because up until 2005 or so he was well regarded and had a very respectable filmography. Him being "good" is seen as such a joke now that people forget the guy literally has an Oscar.
didnt know dreck is even used in english. another german word used in english
@@jordancharles8598 im surprise people dont respect this man anymore. He is an amazing actor no matter what role his put in
what about when his costar is a large psychotic animatronic weasel and he is mute?
Simone with the O'Brien callout! awesome
I tried to google what you and Simone meant but found nothing. So... who's O'Brien? Do you both mean Duncan Malloy?
@@pedroquedas8369 Colm Meaney, played O'Brien in star trek next gen series, a**hole cop in this movie
@@pedroquedas8369 Colm Meaney played the character of Miles O'Brien who is the transporter chief / engineer on Star Trek TNG and DSN.
@@digsumdirt Oh, of course. And I knew that... Just slipped my mind. Thanks :)
In case you wanted to know, the 'poundey thing' in the construction site was a pile driver. They are used to drive the steel into the ground that will form the foundation of the building.
“Maybe it doesn’t matter, it’s just an action movie?” That’s a good way to take this movie.
The fact that he was sent to prison, for self-defense, in the South, is one of the most unbelievable parts of the movie.
That's why they showed the guy removing the knife, to cast doubt on his claim of self-defense.
And also, the US has a history of leaving their troops high-and-dry after they return from deployment. Probably why he had such a crud lawyer giving him bad advice.
There's a marine in New York in the 'similar' situation now. Lot of people all over the country have very different definitions of 'self defense' or even if 'self defense' in any form should be legal, whether it results in death or not. I've talked to a lot of people who 100% believe if someone is trying to murder you or someone else and you stop them but kill them in the process, you should be charged with the harshest possible level of murder and spend the rest of your life in prison with no chance of parole or get the death penalty. Some of them because taking a life is always 100% immoral and criminal. Others because they believe only police should have the right to use force in any context. I live in the south and I've talked to people who say if they are on a jury with a trial of a guy whose accused of killing who was beating him or someone else to death on the street, they'd vote him guilty no matter what as a matter of principle.
@@Fordo007 In no way shape or form is that situation "similar".
@@Wrencher_86 I'd say any situation where someone claims self-defense is similar to other cases of self-defense. Whether it actually is self-defense depends on what someone feels self-defense is.
@@Fordo007 That is a catastrophically stupid take. I'm not wasting my time arguing with someone who doesn't understand the concept of "context". Piss off.
It does my heart good to hear Simone refer to Colm Meaney as 'O'Brien'. 🖖🏻
"Chief O'Brien at Work."
Not just a hero, but a union man.
I saw this in the theater; when the little girl showed up alive after the plane took off, the audience let out a loud cheer.
I think it's pretty obvious they weren't going to kill a kid for an action movie, but it was a wonderfully creepy moment.
"Best friends! "
That was adorable.
My recommendation for John Cusack movie are:
1. Grosse Pointe Blank
2. 1408( 2007) ( This one is a bit weird because there are four endings to this film. In addition to the ending that appears in the theatrical release (also the default ending of the DVD), three other alternative endings were shot.
3. Identity (2003)
4.High Fidelity (2000)
This movie is so badass. Probably my favorite ‘even the movie knows how dumb it is’ type of action film.
This is definitely one of my top 10 action films purely because it seems like the villains are winning at every turn but they fail eventually
One thing I think we've all learned from this is...
when Nicolas Cage says put the bunny back in the box...
You do it.
Check out "In the Line of Fire" for a great John Malkovich performance alongside Clint Eastwood. Also, for more Colm Meaney, check out Steven Segal's only good film, "Under Siege."
Simone is the only person who has recognized Chief O'Brien in ALL the Con Air reactions I've watched. Great job!! 🤓
This is what I have dubbed a totally rewatchable movie! It's on TV all the time and you're checking the listings and you see "Con-Air" and you watch it, no matter where it is, beginning, middle or end!
“Two people finishing…” immediately after, “Best Friends!” in unison 😂 Alanis is laughing! 31:14
Fun fact: Simone's mug is regular size, she's just really small.😀
The ramekin design and the proportion to the microphone says otherwise. It's not a regular sized coffee mug.
@@SMAAAASHTV yeah I have the same mug and it's a 24oz mug meant for soup etc.
Boy, these two above must be fun at parties.
@@AutoPilate I dunno about the other guy, but I'm a regular Buster Keaton.
Now I want her to slowly, one by one, replace every item in the room she films in with a proportionally larger version, until she full on looks like the hobbits in The Prancing Pony.
Nic Cage went straight from filming this, like immediately afterwards into filming Face Off (which you'd FRIKKIN LOVE !)
The legend that is Danny Trejo was once asked who on Con Air was the baddest bad-ass IRL, and he said without missing a beat "John Cusack. There is something behind his eyes that just screams maniac."
Trejo also said in the same interview that Cusack trained kickboxing under Benny The Jet and he definitely wouldn’t want to fight that guy.
@@shatteredking2774 How Did This Get Made :)
"Define irony. A bunch of idiots, on an airplane, dancing to a song sung by a band that died in a plane crash." -Garland Greene.
My favorite quote from the movie. Also, I freaking love this movie! Whenever it's on TV, I'm watching it.
My favorite line too.
My favorite quote too!
oh why didn’t you put the bunny back in the box
Nicolas Cage released The Rock, Con Air and Face/Off between June 1996 and June 1997 (and filming was about that amount of time as well). That's 3 action film total and timeless classics in one year.
Nobody has those credentials, that trio would have make Cage a legend alone, but he has done so much more before and since.
Those three movies can be understood as a trilogy based around Cage persona although there are 3 different directors and completely different films. It is a subject in it on itself. You should definitely watch Face/Off specially because, accidentally, you watched in the order they were released.
It is an amazing feat.
jim carrey released dumb and dumber, the mask, and pet detective in 1994. not action but every bit as impressive
@lobachevscki, It's incredibly impressive, but one can't leave Bad Lieutenant: Port, etc., out of his noteworthy oeuvre, amongst others, of course.
From 1980 to '85, Harrison Ford released The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Blade Runner, Return of the Jedi, Temple of Doom, & Witness.
@@jp3813 impressive admittedly but much more than a year. ford i don't believe ever had as impressive a year as cage or carrey did
@@jp3813 Yeah but I said in 1 year, dude. Ford is a legend, he doesnt need defense in any case.
dont you dare call this movie trash, it is amazing.
One mans trash is the other mans treasure. This movie is awesome. Just brainless enjoyment
Ross didn't cheat on Rachel. THEY WERE ON A BREAK!!!!
Remember Johnny 23 - Danny Trejo, also known as Machete - fun to watch, since you liked Sin City. And to think about it, who would allow an out of control plane to land on the Las Vegas strip
THIS is how you make an amazingly dumb action movie. Nobody is going to call it high art but it is incredibly entertaining, with good action scenes, entertaining characters, a simple but interesting plot and best of all super memorable dialogue with perfect material for memes. This is the type of "cinema" that I love.
I always enjoyed the 'I'm dead in four hours if I don't get my insulin shot"
It doesn't work that way. You CAN overdose on insulin and die rather quickly, but lack of insulin puts the person into a sugar coma which takes much longer to be fatal.
It's why they taught us in our training "If you can't remember the difference between the symptoms of lack of insulin or too much insulin, *always give the patient sugar"*
Did you not know that the prisons always force feed you a pound of M&M's and a pitcher of Kool-aid before any transfers?
I have type 1 diabetes and you are correct, sir.
@@tmntman3086 I had forgotten that.
Damn the luck! ;)
It would have been more plausible if BabyO was hypoglycemic. Being that is much more dangerous and acutely fatal than being hyper.
@@AdhamOhm Yeah....you would think that the script writer, director, an actor, SOMEBODY would figure this out and fix the issue, but apparently not.
It's even worse in some movies when it comes to computers.
In Jurassic Park, a 12-year old kid was able to hack into the security system of a multi-billion dollar theme park, secured by the disgruntled IT guy who built the system from the ground up, that couldn't even be hacked by the other techs who worked on it, in just a few minutes because "she knows Unix".
In the theater, I rolled my eyes so hard at that the breeze it created blew off the wig of the woman in the row in front of me.
As mentioned in other comments, ‘GrossePointeBlank’ is a great action movie with John and Joan Cussack, killer soundtrack too! ‘High Fidelity’ is another classic with him!
John Cusack has played a number of roles as the main protagonist in an Action movie. My favorite with an excellent hand to hand fight scene is Grosse Point Blank
Fighting against Benny 'The Jet' Urquidez no less!!
I love the fact Simone said “Obrien” 😊 when she saw Colm Meaney! Miles would never act like this guy haha.
And yes the construction site at the end makes no sense at all.
It is my headcanon now that the friendly professional O'Brien is just for show and the absolute psycho O'Brien was necessary to keep DS9 operational.
Just imagine Sisko going below just to find O'Brien absolutely TEARING a bunch of low-level techs TO SHREDS because they just don't get that this Cardassian hunk of junk is only a few mistakes away from utter failure.
in those days the laws for self-defense were much stricter. also, the machine that mashed Cyrus is a pile driver, a huge hammer for driving large "piles" logs into the ground to make foundations. even today they are still used, mostly for piers.
For tall buildings, pile drivers are essential because the weight of the building would cause it to sink or even collapse without reinforcement of the foundation.
The guy that Cameron fights outside the bar played Waingro in Heat.
I think the authorities' logic behind Poe's conviction is that they expect that, based on the level of his skill and training, he should have been able to end the altercation without killing anyone. Since that isn't what happened, he allowed his emotions to get the better of him and drive him to kill, which is no longer self-defense.
To answer Simone's question. John Cusack was in the movie called Grosse Pointe Blank. He was trained as an assassin but he goes back to his high school reunion. Check it out when you have time.
Steve Buscemi's character Garland Green in the movie was an interesting addition. Green being free at the end of the movie was a disturbing moment much like Hannibal Lecter calling Clarice at the end of Silence of the Lambs. We don't learn much about him except from exposition but his interactions with others show him to be a quiet, highly intelligent individual that sees the stupidity in human beings and has been known to murder them lavishly for it. The little girl was never in danger from him, but was used to make us fear for her because of the impressions made on us about Green by the movie to that point. At least that's what I think. Who knows, maybe their was a potential to make Con-Air II: the Hunt for Garland Green, and they would drag Poe back in to hunt him down because they had a Rapport.
Instead he changed his name and became Donny in Big Lebowski
I genuinely thought the girl was in his imagination ....the whole scene seemed to play that way. I was surprised when she appeared a bit later to show she was real.
Man driving the Volvo was the late Don S. Davis, he's best known for portraying Dr. Fleischer in Look Who's Talking (1989) & Look Who's Talking Too (1990), Charlie Collins in A League of Their Own (1992), and Major General George Hammond in Stargate SG-1 (1997-'07).
Loved Simone's emotion at the end when they reunited. : )
The big hammer thing at the end is a pile driver used to hammer foundation supports deep into the ground for the construction of buildings, bridges, etc.
I will add one thing to your ending discussion: the hero won. Evil (aka) Cyrus died and was "punished," but the way I read the ending is that even if the hero wins, evil never really dies. As for the little girl, I always assumed he left her alive as she gave him his "mantra," which is why he sings "he's got the whole world in his hands" during the crash. Still, I love this move. It is pure grill cheese, and I'm always here for it.
from doctor who "You let one of them go but that’s nothing new. Every now and then a little victim’s spared because she smiled, ’cause he’s got freckles. ‘Cause they begged. And that’s how you live with yourself. That’s how you slaughter millions. Because once in awhile-on a whim, if the wind’s in the right direction-you happen to be kind."
Garland didn't just slaughter people willy nilly, so the girl was perfectly safe - plus he had to catch the plane and they were not going to have a kid killed in an action film.
Most serial killers have a preferred type of victim and most don't kill kids.
When Simone said O'Brien I think I fell in love.
33:15 they were on a break !!
One of my pet peeves about movie posters/dvd covers is when the put the actors names on there above characters heads but they dont match up with who they each play.
I noticed that as well. My guess is that some contractual clause related to star prestige forced them to re-sequence the names and they didn't have time to re-do the image, only to change the text.
I heard that Garland Green was supposed to die but test audiences loved the character so much, that the epilogue was added to show he survived. I actually saw this at the cinema and must confess, I still quote it now.
The old guy under the truck who had to take a piss was old Paul Edgecombe in The Green Mile.
I'm an old guy who' been a movie fan for over 60 years. That means I spot many actors in the movies you watch that appear more than once. In ConAir the old man Cage finds under the truck is an actor named Dabbs Greer, who also played the older Tom Hanks character in Green Mile.
Ving Rhames, who played Nathan Jones, is a Mission Impossible staple.
Ving Rhames was also in Pulp Fiction
That "slamy thing" on the construction site is a machine they use to hammer pylons into the ground, it's used when constructing tall buildings when the ground underneath it is not great for holding up a building or to just make the ground better for holding up the building. You could totally see such a machine on a construction site, now whether buildings in Vegas would need them or that the machine would be ran during the day on the other hand, that's a different story.
It's a pile-driving machine, which is how the namesake wrestling move got the name.
@@forkless ah yeah, thanks for the extra information.
The hotel/casino the plane crashes into at the end, was set for demolition, production asked if they could crash a plane into it, they said yes (it was cheaper getting the studio to demolish it, than paying for a proper demo team/set up).
This, The Rock & Face/Off were probably Nicks best roles before he took bad role one after the other, & were all action movies.
George asking "what is the budget for this film?"
Me, in my best Cameron Poe impression, "I'd have to say: a lot".
5:15 Love that you recognized him as Chief O'Brien!
This movie had an A-list 90s indie cast. Weird for a blockbuster action movie.
Funnily enough I can enjoy the older action movies a lot more than the new ones. Part of it is everything including backgrounds and extras being CGI now, but the older movies just got plot, heart or laughs or a combination of those. I miss that.
Also as others have mentioned John Cusack is great as a hitman with a mid life crisis of sorts in the movie Grosse Pointe Blank, well worth a watch with quite a bit of action. Oh and for more Nick Cage action do watch Face Off with John Travolta, another bonkers but very enjoyable 90's action classic directed by John Woo.
Both excellent suggestions!
Only Malkovitch can pull off the "Cy..." "Onara!" line 🤣🤣🤣
Yep. I knew the thumbnail for this one was gonna be good, but this might be your best one yet!
Simone, you asked in a recent reaction about an actor's performance getting nominated for both an Oscar and a Razzie; dunno about that, but the song "How Do I Live" did get both noms!
The script went through a lot of changes during filming and it's not exactly the posterboy for coherence. Malkovich was frustrated by it, but he's still fun as hell. I agree with George here: you could take out every single scene with Steve Buscemi and it'd probably change nothing. John Cusack apparently hated it (and prefers smaller indie stuff); not a surprise, really, seeing how he's outshined by literally everyone in the movie.
Sandra Bullock won an Oscar (The Blind Side) and a Razzie (All About Steve) in the same year (2010). Different movies, of course, but worth noting.
@@TimoRutanen Wait, that schmalzy piece of crap won an Oscar??? 😄
I loved the way she turned a huge guy from a trash footballer into a star footballer by looking at some kind of psych evaluation that showed his protectiveness score as being really high and telling him the quarterback was his buddy who he needed to protect... atrocious movie!
John Cusack played a hit man doing a job at his high school reunion in the movie (Grosse Pointe Blank) back in 1997.
I adore this film, it knows exactly what it is and isn’t afraid to be it…Malkovich is sublime as Cyrus the Virus
"Grosse Pointe Blank" is an action comedy starring John Cusack. Cage was also in Face/Off Kick-Ass, and the 2 Ghost Riders
If you like Malkovich in this one as a bad guy, then you have to see In the Line of Fire. It is really good performance by Eastwood as well.
Simone's face (7:41) @ Johnny 23's into story is gold and justified at the same time 😆
This is definitely the high point of 90's action flicks. I remember watching it in the theater, and thinking it was the greatest thing ever. It's the perfect movie for a 16-year-old. 😂 I'll also add to the cauphony for Gross Pointe Blank, and High Fidelity.
Love the reaction
I’ve always understood it that the little girl somehow cured him by asking the right question
The problem with the ending of Speed 2 was the fact that there was a beginning-lol.
The song in this movie makes me nostalgic for the '90's, my birth decade.
This is one of those movies that was way better than it had any right to be, as when I saw the trailer, I was like no way that's a good movie. How wrong I was, as it was well filmed, great acting, decent enough story, and a killer action scenes.
I'd like to think that when the little girl suggested singing "Got the whole world in his hands", it taught Garland that the world is your oyster, you can make choices in life to make you happy. He decided that he can change for the better and enjoy life a lot better by not killing anymore but we never really got the confirmation on what happened to him after he got away. But he is most likely gonna remain a criminal on the loose because the authorities would realize that he's missing from the group of remaining cons who are dead or alive.
It's interesting reading some of the comments in here about Garland, because I thought the ending of the film was suggesting that he had not changed and was still a threat. I think he did not kill the little girl because (1) he enjoyed their conversation, and (2) he was never said to be a child killer -- that is a specific type of criminal psychosis.
@@Johnny_Socko He makes me think of a line from doctor who where a villain talked about someone they let live. "You let one of them go but that’s nothing new. Every now and then a little victim’s spared because she smiled, ’cause he’s got freckles. ‘Cause they begged. And that’s how you live with yourself. That’s how you slaughter millions. Because once in awhile-on a whim, if the wind’s in the right direction-you happen to be kind."
Nicolas's southern accent has me expecting to see Forrest Gump have a walk on cameo asking "Bubba! I thought you died in Vietnam!?" Have you seen Lt. Dan by the way?".😂
I ran into a member of Sister Slegde at the pool and she gave me free tickets to KC and the Sunshine Band(they opened) at the Hard Rock in August 2006. I believe it's The Virgin Hotel now, sold in 2018
Grosse Pointe Blank for Cusack as a hitman.
you gotta add other flavors. Carrots and celery are just a base of a soup!
Fun fact: The song, "How Do I Live," which was written for this movie, was the first song to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song and a Razzie for Worst Original Song. The only other song to do this is Aerosmith's "Don't Wanna Miss A Thing." Funnily enough, both songs were written by Diane Warren. Neither song took home either award.
I always asumed that Greene escaping is to say he's so quiet that no one ever misses him, so they didn't notice he wasn't there. as fro the little girl, I always took it as she wasn't his type of victim.
Him letting her go always reminds me of a doctor who quote "You let one of them go but that’s nothing new. Every now and then a little victim’s spared because she smiled, ’cause he’s got freckles. ‘Cause they begged. And that’s how you live with yourself. That’s how you slaughter millions. Because once in awhile-on a whim, if the wind’s in the right direction-you happen to be kind."
"Grilled cheese movie" is a great way to put it and I wish they wouldn't get talked down about as much. Glad you guys enjoyed it! Not every movie needs to be some spectacular masterpiece or give us some deep philosophical point or be perfectly crafted. Sometimes it's just nice to have fun for a couple hours, you know? : )
"The Warrior's Way" (2010) is my favorite action grilled cheese movie of all time. Hopefully it'll make the reactor rounds soon, but if not, I'll just have to bump up some Patreon donations in the future :P
I haven't started the reaction yet but your discussion about Nic Cage being in a lot of trash movies is great. If yall haven't reacted to it yet, you need to watch his movie, the unbearable weight of massive talent, that came out last year. It's hilarious and it references how nic cage just says yes to any movie and how he's just stuck inside of his roles.
Fun Fact: Actor John Cusack has trained in kickboxing for over 20 years and is a sixth-degree black belt. Also I always assumed hes a short guy dont know why he seemed like that to me but I've seen him listed as 187-190cm which was surprising to me didnt think hes that tall.
You were right, that was Bubba from Forrest Gump - Mykelti Williams
This movie is the reason why I ALWAYS cry when I hear How Do I Live 😅
I mean, how can you NOT cry at that final scene? 😭😭
What a freaking cast!
And gotta love the song playing at the end, How Do I Live by Tisha Yearwood. What better way to top off a balls-out action film, haha.
Always like Leanne Rimes version better.
@@beandean23 - That's fair; just don't tell Nic Cage or the bunny.
Welcome to the glory that are 90s Nic Cage movies! :D
More movies need to do the showing pictures of the cast and who they played in the credits thing. First time I remember it was in Predator and it's always been a neat thing. It was especially good in Coming To America because Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall played multiple roles and most people wouldn't have even known it was them.
Top Gun did it too.
Honestly I like it too. And it wasn't strictly an 80s or 90s thing, movies have done it throughout history (just sporadically).
As per usual you have outdone yourself with the thumbnail. Also I have to say, bald George works 😁
If you want a newer Cage movie I'd recommend The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022). An amazing action comedy starring Nicolas Cage as Nicolas Cage, in an absolutely amazing action comedy (with a really great script!). And Pedro Pascal for Simone to fawn over 😅
That construction equipment is essential. It's called a Malkovizer.
I'm 100% that was not Monica Potter on Friends as the hot copy girl. Simone whoever told you that was telling you porky pies
Other than "Grosse Pointe Black", John Cusack starred in another action/romantic movie called "Hot Pursuit". It's kinda cheesy, but I personally love it. And with Ben Stiller and his father Jerry Stiller playing the bad guys!
OK. Now that you’ve seen this and The Rock you absolutely *must* check out THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT. It is Nicolas Cage’s best film in years.
If you want John Cusack in an action role, try grosse point blank. I think the idea behind Steve buscemi's character is that he isn't actually a monster. He just had a psychotic break. That's why he didn't touch the girl and that's why he got away at the end.
So hoping this finally leads to the Grosse Pointe Blank reaction we all so desperately need :)
I agree. They need to watch it.
Sooo good. Most underrated movie of the 90's a true classic. Fun, entertaining and full of good characters. How IRONIC.
John Cusack's been in a lot of action movies, he's however had more success in his romance and comedy movies. I love him in the 1997 comedy/romance/action movie Grosse Pointe Blank! If you haven't watched it, I highly recommend it =D The romance movie American Sweethearts (2001) is also a good laugh.
What they are trying to imply with Steve Buscemi's character is that he has a revelation when speaking with the little girl which reforms him and that's why he spares her. He's no longer going to kill anymore and the ending is his second chance at life, the "Feel lucky" line is him being optimistic about his future.
You've done The Rock and Con-Air, now you *have* to complete the 90's Nic Cage action Trilogy by watching Face-Off!
I wanna take his face... OFF. No more drugs for that man lol rumor has it Nick still has one of the anodized gold Springfield 1911s made for the movie Castor carried.
And the body falls right on General Hammond of Texas' car?! Man I forgot about so many small things in this movie.
The thumbnails never disappoint 😂👌
In my opinion, this is one of the greatest movies ever made. I love every single thing about it. Perfect cast, perfect story, perfect amount of comedy and action, and the good guys come out on top! Who could ask for more than that?
Guard: Oh man! It smells like someone shit in your mouth!
Dave Chappelle: He told me he loved me.
Best lines in the movie right there, and that's saying something with the cast we have here.
Man, sometimes I forget Chappelle used to be funny!