Cashier’s Corner:
Virtuosity (1995)
The futuristic tech in 90s movies can be so quaint. It’s the coupling of the practical design and the bad CGI effects. It’s the dozen bulky 90s desktop computers suspended from the ceiling and the blue, tendril-like glass eating appendage of the snake and then later SID 6.7 (Russell Crowe). It’s Parker Barnes (Denzel Washington) pulling a fiberoptic cable out of his metal arm and SID 6.7 hatching from a blue egg. All of this and more make this picture an enjoyable watch. Why is it that, time and again, law enforcement are so inept, the only person who can save them is someone they locked away? But the real kicker for this flick is that, as always, it’s the desire for sexual pleasure (or as I’ve been saying in my head: horned up to get porned up) that ultimately brings about technological advances, or in this case unleashes an attention-hungry serial killer. A moment to watch for is the Ka-Pow! chant at the MMA arena.
Shelter (2026)
I’m disappointed, although maybe I shouldn’t be. Jason Statham is on a run of about two movies a year (sometimes more) and his hit rate for a while, for me at least, was around 80%. Unfortunately, that rate has dropped a bit recently to closer to 50% and this movie was no exception. It had all the ingredients that could have made it a hit - situations for his close combat, acrobatic brawler style fighting, a car chase sequence, instances of one against many - but in each case, whether due to his age or writing, it just felt like it pulled its punches (and I couldn’t stop thinking about how traumatized this young girl must be). I know the Statham I love is still in there just waiting to be unleashed, until then I’ll just wait around for the Beekeeper 2.
Recently Consumed:
Shelter (2026) - This one could have been so much better
Cold Storage (2026) - I don’t think Liam’s voice could get any gruffer
Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989) - James Spader and the original goon cave
Killer Heat (2024) - JGL sure does love a role with voice-over narration
Deep Cover (2025) - It wasn’t terrible if you like action comedies?
! - Virtuosity (1995) - VR plus IRL equals VRL and only Denzel can save us
[! - worth your time]
[? - maybe worth your time?]
[x - stay away it’s rotten]
In the Cart:
Arlington Road (1999) - Professors, FBI, paranoia, oh my!
Sphere (1998) - This one’s been buried just like the spaceship they uncovered
The Thirteenth Floor (1997) - The 90s loved virtual reality
Conspiracy Theory (1999) - They are always up to something
Suspect Zero (2004) - Go from suspect zero to suspect hero
