‘Tis the season to be Taken.
By Troy-Jeffrey Allen
Neeson’s greetings!
When is Neeson Season? Anywhere Liam Neeson points his gun. And with the arrival of Taken 3 it just so happens that Northern Island’s favorite son has January in his crosshairs.
Ever since the Taken franchise reinvigorated the tough guy genre, other studios seem to be strategically building their male-focused releases around Liam Neeson vehicles. So much so that 2014 saw “Neeson Season” happen in the winter (starting with Non-Stop) and the fall (starting again with A Walk Among Tombstones). Whether or not this is a winning scheduling strategy (or just a pure coincidence) is debatable. Regardless, Neeson Season is a trend, one that the action-mongers here at AAGG can totally get behind.
With Taken 3 dropping this week we are being greeted by an impressive number of movies about men and for men. Depending on where you live, every week of January has something to offer in the “guy flick” category. Just see for yourself…
✔Taken 3
Directed by Olivier Megaton
Starring Liam Neeson and Forest Whitaker
Release date: January 9th
The lazy IMDB synopsis: Ex-government operative Bryan Mills is accused of a ruthless murder he never committed or witnessed. As he is tracked and pursued, Mills brings out his particular set of skills to find the true killer and clear his name.
Why you should be down to see it: You can’t spell Neeson Season without “Neeson,” and the Taken series is where it all began. Bryan Mills’ war on kidnappers may be getting a little long in the tooth, but as long as the series delivers some inventive action and relentless vengeance we are on board.
✔Son Of A Gun
Directed by Julius Avery
Starring Brenton Thwaites and Ewan McGregor
Release date: January 16th
The super-detailed IMDB synopsis: Locked up for a minor crime, 19 year old JR quickly learns the harsh realities of prison life. Protection, if you can get it, is paramount. JR soon finds himself under the watchful eye of Australia’s most notorious criminal, Brendan Lynch. But protection comes at a price. Lynch and his crew have plans for their young protegee. Upon release, JR must help secure Lynch’s freedom, staging a daring prison break. As a reward, he’s invited to join the crew as they plan a gold heist that promises to deliver millions. However, as things start to go wrong, a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues. JR finds himself unsure of whom he can trust and on a collision course with his former mentor.
Why you should be down to see it: Between the Hemsworth family and The Babadook, it seems like the film industry better start bracing for an Australian invasion. Now, Pemberton’s Julius Avery directs his first full-length feature. The thing we like about t Son Of A Gun the most is that it is a clean slate. Avery has only directed short films at this point, but the trailer displays the flick’s potential to reinvigorate the heist movie genre (last good heist movie we saw was Trance, which only kind of classifies). It also helps that McGregor is always reliable in everything he is in. Fingers crossed.
✔Black Sea
Directed by Kevin Macdonald
Starring Jude Law and Jodie Whittaker
Release date: January 23rd
The lazy IMDB synopsis: In order to make good with his former employers, a submarine captain takes a job with a shadowy backer to search the depths of the Black Sea for a submarine rumored to be loaded with gold.
Why you should be down to see it: Submarines typically make great settings for on screen suspense, and director Kevin Macdonald (State of Play) seems to have every intention of delivering on that premise. The sometimes documentarian knows how to get into intense situations, and if you don’t believe us check out his mountain climbing doc Touching The Void. This guy knows all about edge of your seat filmmaking.
✔Against The Sun
Directed by Brian Falk
Starring Tom Felton and Garret Dillahunt
Release date: January 23rd
The lazy IMDB synopsis: A WWII pilot, bombardier, and radioman find themselves adrift on a lifeboat without food or water after being forced to ditch their plane during a scouting mission.
Why you should be down to see it: While the premise kind of reminds us of Open Water, we actually really liked Open Water so…whatever. Against The Sun is another promising thriller from another relatively new talent. This time it’s Brian Falk who is in the director’s chair, and the fact that he’s making a movie on water (which is friggin’ difficult as hell) shows that the guy has some serious cojones. Here at ActionAGoGo.com, we tend to get excited about potential, so we are hopeful that the former producer turned director will sink this landing.
✔Alien Outpost
Directed by Jabbar Raisani
Starring Adrian Paul and Reiley McClendon
Release date: January 30th
The lazy IMDB synopsis: A documentary crew follows an elite unit of soldiers in the wake of an alien invasion.
Why you should be down to see it: Admittedly this is a bit of a wild card entry. After looking at the trailer, I couldn’t help but notice that Alien Outpost has all the things we typically steer clear of: Found footage, stock dialogue (“We take the fight to them!”), and an overall feel of been there done that (Battle: Los Angeles much). Regardless, the joke could be on us. If director Jabbar Raisani and company play this right, Alien Outpost could be total b-movie styled fun. We will reserve judgment until January 30th.
✔Blackhat
Directed by Michael Mann
Starring Chris Hemsworth and Viola Davis
Release date: January 16th
The lazy IMDB synopsis: A man is released from prison to help American and Chinese authorities pursue a mysterious cyber criminal. The dangerous search leads them from Chicago to Hong Kong.
Why you should be down to see it: Chris Hemsworth has been on fire, delivering barrels of charisma in everything he touches. While the native Avengers star is quickly becoming our favorite leadactor, its director Michael Mann who is the biggest selling point. The filmmaker behind such indisputable classics as Heat and Collateral is a master of action-thrillers. Experiencing his take on cyber terrorism is guaranteed to be equally thought-provoking and exciting.
✔American Sniper
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Starring Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller
Release date: January 16th
The lazy IMDB synopsis: Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle’s pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and turns him into a legend. Back home to his wife and kids after four tours of duty, however, Chris finds that it is the war he can’t leave behind.
Why you should be down to see it: Admittedly, we were more excited about American Sniper when Steven Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan, Munich) was attached, but it’s not like Clint Eastwood (Mystic River) being in the director’s chair is something to scoff at. If anything, Eastwood and Bradley Cooper are committed to taking the complex life story of Chris Kyle and keeping it packed with plenty of emotion (we still get in our feelings thinking about Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby) and moral quandaries. Grisly war dramas are a dime a dozen but if anyone can do it…it’s Clint.
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Troy-Jeffrey Allen writes about action/adventure for Action A Go Go. He is a comic book writer whose works include BamnComics.com, The Magic Bullet, Dr. Dremo’s Taphouse of Tall Tales, and the Harvey Award nominated District Comics. In addition, Allen has been a contributing writer for ComicBookBin.com, OfNote Magazine, and ForcesOfGeek.com. His work has been featured in the City Paper, The Baltimore Sun, Bethesda Magazine, The Examiner, and The Washington Post. Yes, he wrote this bio.