Action Movie Anatomy

Action Movie Anatomy hosts Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai break down 1997's Anaconda! Anaconda is a 1997 adventure horror film by Peruvian director Luis Llosa, starring Jon Voight, Ice Cube, Jennifer Lopez, and Eric Stoltz. It centers on a documentary film crew who have been taken hostage by a snake hunter who is going after the legendary giant anaconda, which is discovered in the Amazon rainforest. Despite receiving mostly negative reviews from critics, the film was a box-office hit and was followed by a series of sequels and a crossover film with the Lake Placid franchise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Action Movie Anatomy hosts Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai break down 2012's Safe House! Safe House is a 2012 American spy action-thriller film directed by Daniel Espinosa, starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. The film follows Matt Weston (Reynolds), a CIA agent on his first low-level posting in Cape Town who is in charge of a safe house where the CIA is interrogating Tobin Frost (Washington), a veteran operative who has allegedly betrayed the agency. When the safe house is attacked by mercenaries who kill almost all the agents, Weston flees with Frost in his charge, and they end up on the run. As the team of killers, who seem to be one step ahead of the pair, track them throughout Cape Town, Weston begins to wonder whom to trust. The film was released on February 10, 2012, in North America by Universal Pictures. Filming took place in Cape Town, South Africa. The film premiered in New York City on February 7, 2012, and was released in U.S. theaters on Feb Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho

Action Movie Anatomy hosts Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai break down 2017's Logan! Logan is a 2017 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman. The film, distributed by 20th Century Fox, is the tenth installment in the X-Men film series, and the third film focused on Wolverine, following X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) and The Wolverine (2013). It was directed by James Mangold, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scott Frank and Michael Green, from a story by Mangold, and also stars Patrick Stewart, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Richard E. Grant and Dafne Keen. The film follows a past-his-prime Logan embarking on a road trip across America for one final mission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Action Movie Anatomy hosts Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai break down 2001's Swordfish! Swordfish is a 2001 American action crime thriller film directed by Dominic Sena and starring John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle and Vinnie Jones. The film centers on Stanley Jobson, an ex-con and computer hacker who is targeted for recruitment into a bank robbery conspiracy because of his formidable hacking skills. The film was a slight box office success and was negatively received by critics upon release. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Action Movie Anatomy hosts Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai look at the monumental career of Bill Paxton after his untimely passing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Action Movie Anatomy hosts Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai break down 1987's The Running Man! The Running Man is a 1987 American science fiction Technicolor action film in Panavision directed by Paul Michael Glaser and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, María Conchita Alonso, Jesse Ventura, Jim Brown and Richard Dawson. It is very loosely based on the 1982 novel The Running Man, written by Stephen King and published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. The story, set in a dystopian United States between 2017 and 2019, is about a television show called "The Running Man", where convicted criminal "runners" must escape death at the hands of professional killers. Original director Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Action Movie Anatomy hosts Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai break down 2017's John Wick: Chapter 2! John Wick: Chapter 2 is a 2017 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad. A sequel to the 2014 film John Wick, the plot follows hitman John Wick, who goes on the run after a bounty is placed on his head. It stars Keanu Reeves, Common, Laurence Fishburne, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ruby Rose, John Leguizamo and Ian McShane, and marks the first collaboration between Reeves and Fishburne since appearing together in the Matrix trilogy. Principal photography began on October 26, 2015, in New York City. The film premiered in Los Angeles on January 30, 2017, and was theatrically released in the United States on February 10, 2017. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Action Movie Anatomy hosts Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai break down 2004's The Punisher! The Punisher is a 2004 American vigilante action film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, starring Thomas Jane as the antihero Frank Castle / The Punisher and John Travolta as Howard Saint, a money launderer who orders the death of Castle's entire family. The story and plot were mainly based on two Punisher comic book stories; The Punisher: Year One and Welcome Back, Frank along with scenes from other Punisher stories such as Marvel Preview Presents: The Punisher #2, Marvel Super Action Featuring: The Punisher #1, The Punisher War Zone, and The Punisher War Journal. The Punisher was shot on location in Tampa, Florida, and surrounding environs in mid- to late 2003. It was distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment in North America, although Artisan Entertainment, which produced a 1989 film adaptation of The Punisher, financed and co-distributed th Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoi

Action Movie Anatomy hosts Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai break down 2010's Unstoppable! Unstoppable is a 2010 American disaster thriller film directed and produced by Tony Scott in his final film as director before his death in 2012. The film stars Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. The film, loosely based on the real life CSX 8888 incident, tells the story of a runaway freight train and the two men (Washington and Pine) who attempt to stop it. The film was released in the United States and Canada on November 12, 2010. It was received mostly favorable reviews from film critics; it garnered a "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based upon aggregated reviews, and a rating of "Generally favorable reviews" at Metacritic. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Editing at the 83rd Academy Awards, but it was beaten by Inception. Make sure to subscribe to Popcorn Talk! - http://youtube.com/popcorntalknetwork HELPFUL L Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Action Movie Anatomy hosts Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai break down 2004's Collateral! Collateral is a 2004 American neo-noir crime thriller directed by Michael Mann and written by Stuart Beattie. It stars Tom Cruise cast against type as a contract killer and Jamie Foxx as a taxi driver who finds himself his hostage during an evening of the hitman's work. The film also features Jada Pinkett Smith and Mark Ruffalo. Foxx and Cruise's performances were widely praised, with Foxx being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The film's editors, Jim Miller and Paul Rubell, were also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Action Movie Anatomy hosts Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai welcome John Rocha to break down 1998's Armageddon! Armageddon is a 1998 American science fiction disaster film directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film follows a group of blue-collardeep-core drillers sent by NASA to stop a gigantic asteroid on a collision course with Earth. It features an ensemble cast including Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, Owen Wilson, Will Patton, Peter Stormare, William Fichtner, Michael Clarke Duncan, Keith David, and Steve Buscemi. Armageddon opened in theaters only two and a half months after the similar asteroid impact-based film Deep Impact, which starred Robert Duvall and Morgan Freeman. Armageddon fared better at the box office, while astronomers described Deep Impact as being more scientifically accurate. Armageddon was an international box-office success despite generally negative review Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho

Action Movie Anatomy hosts Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai break down 2006's The Departed! The Departed is a 2006 American crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan. It is a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg, with Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Anthony Anderson, and Alec Baldwin in supporting roles. The film takes place in Boston. Irish Mob boss Francis "Frank" Costello (Jack Nicholson) plants Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) as a mole within the Massachusetts State Police; the two characters are loosely based on famous gangster Whitey Bulger and corrupt FBI agent John Connolly, who grew up with Bulger. Simultaneously, the police assign undercover state trooper William "Billy" Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) to infiltrate Costello's crew. When both sides realize the situation, Sullivan and Costigan both attempt to discover the othe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho

Action Movie Anatomy hosts Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai break down 1998's Blade! Blade is a 1998 American vampire superhero film starring Wesley Snipes and Stephen Dorff, loosely based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Snipes plays Blade, a human with vampire traits who protects humans from vampires. The film was directed by Stephen Norrington and written by David S. Goyer. Released on August 21, 1998, Blade became a commercial success by grossing $70 million at the U.S. box office, and $131.2 million worldwide. Despite mixed reviews from film critics, the film received a positive reception from audiences and has since garnered a cult following. It was followed by two sequels, Blade II and Blade: Trinity, both written by Goyer who also directed the latter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Action Movie Anatomy hosts Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai break down 1997's Men In Black! Men in Black is a 1997 American science fiction action comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and produced by Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald. Loosely adapted from The Men in Black comic book series created by artist Lowell Cunningham, the film stars Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith as two agents of a secret organization called the Men in Black who supervise extraterrestrial lifeforms who live on Earth and hide their existence from ordinary humans. The film featured the creature effects and makeup of Rick Baker and visual effects by Industrial Light & Magic. The film was released on July 2, 1997, by Columbia Pictures, and grossed over $589.3 million worldwide against a $90 million budget, becoming the year's third highest-grossing film, with an estimated 54,616,700 tickets sold in the US. It received worldwide acclaim, with critics highly praising its witty, sophistica Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho

Action Movie Anatomy hosts Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai break down 2008's The Dark Knight! The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero thriller film directed, produced, and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Featuring the DC Comics character Batman, the film is the second part of Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins, starring an ensemble cast including Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Morgan Freeman. In the film, Bruce Wayne/Batman (Bale), James Gordon (Oldman) and Harvey Dent (Eckhart) form an alliance to dismantle organised crime in Gotham City, but are menaced by a criminal mastermind known as the Joker (Ledger) who seeks to undermine Batman's influence and create chaos. Nolan's inspiration for the film was the Joker's comic book debut in 1940, the 1988 graphic novel The Killing Joke, and the 1996 series The Long Halloween, which retold Two-Face's origin. The nickname "the Da Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho

Action Movie Anatomy hosts Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai break down 1994's True Lies! True Lies is a 1994 American action comedy film written and directed by James Cameron, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Art Malik, Tia Carrere, Bill Paxton, Eliza Dushku, Grant Heslov and Charlton Heston. It is a loose remake of the 1991 French comedy film La Totale!. The film follows U.S. government agent Harry Tasker, who balances his life as a spy with his familial duties. True Lies was the first Lightstorm Entertainment project to be distributed under Cameron's multi million-dollar production deal with 20th Century Fox, as well as the first major production for the visual effects company Digital Domain, which was co-founded by Cameron. Make sure to subscribe to Popcorn Talk! - http://youtube.com/popcorntalknetwork Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Action Movie Anatomy hosts Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai break down 2007's Shooter! A marksman living in exile is coaxed back into action after learning of a plot to kill the President. Ultimately double-crossed and framed for the attempt, he goes on the run to find the real killer and the reason he was set up. Make sure to subscribe to Popcorn Talk! - http://youtube.com/popcorntalknetwork Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Action Movie Anatomy hosts Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai break down 1995's Braveheart! Braveheart is a 1995 American epic war film directed by and starring Mel Gibson. Gibson portrays William Wallace, a 13th-century Scottish warrior who led the Scots in the First War of Scottish Independence against King Edward I of England. The story is inspired by Blind Harry's epic poem The Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William Wallace and was adapted for the screen by Randall Wallace. The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards at the 68th Academy Awards and won five: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, and Best Sound Editing. Make sure to subscribe to Popcorn Talk! - http://youtube.com/popcorntalknetwork Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Action Movie Anatomy hosts Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai break down 1995's Die Hard With A Vengeance! Die Hard with a Vengeance is a 1995 American action film and the third in the Die Hard film series. It was produced and directed by John McTiernan (who directed Die Hard), written by Jonathan Hensleigh, and stars Bruce Willis as New York City Police Department Lieutenant John McClane, Samuel L. Jackson as McClane's reluctant partner Zeus Carver, and Jeremy Irons as Simon Peter Gruber. It was released on May 19, 1995, five years after Die Hard 2, becoming the highest-grossing film at the worldwide box-office that year, but received mixed reviews. It was followed by Live Free or Die Hard and A Good Day to Die Hard in 2007 and 2013, respectively. Make sure to subscribe to Popcorn Talk! - http://youtube.com/popcorntalknetwork Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Action Movie Anatomy hosts Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai break down 2016's Jack Reacher: Never Go Back! Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is a 2016 American action thriller film directed by Edward Zwick and written by Zwick, Richard Wenk and Marshall Herskovitz. A sequel to 2012 film Jack Reacher, the film stars Tom Cruise, Cobie Smulders, Patrick Heusinger, Aldis Hodge, Danika Yarosh and Holt McCallany. The plot follows Reacher going on-the-run with an Army Major who has been wrongly framed for espionage. Principal photography began on October 20, 2015 in New Orleans and the film was released on October 21, 2016 in IMAX and conventional formats. It received mixed reviews and has grossed $53 million. Make sure to subscribe to Popcorn Talk! - http://youtube.com/popcorntalknetwork Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices