Maps to the Stars (2014)

Directed by David Cronenberg
Written by Bruce Wagner
Starring Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska, Robert Pattinson and John Cusack

A tour into the heart of a Hollywood family chasing celebrity, one another and the relentless ghosts of their pasts.

A dark, unapologetic satire on societies obsession with celebrity and the fight for fame, Cronenberg puts his personal twist on the world of Hollywood. Although I'm sure it's exaggerated (at least I hope it is), this film showcases all of the degenerate, self obsessed people that create the movies we love. And it will disgust you.

In true Cronenberg form, he adds an element of psychological thrills to this story. Throughout half of the film, you still find yourself trying to fit the pieces together to figure out exactly what the hell is going on. But unlike his other films, when everything comes together, it's a little underwhelming.

Throughout his career, Cronenberg has given us some of the best psychological thrillers ever made. And this movie wasn't bad, it was just not to par with the rest of his work. It's also just hard for me to enjoy a movie in which I want to get as far from it's characters as humanly possibly. Or give them a swift kick to the throat. But it's a DVD… It doesn't have a throat. Oh, well. It could have been worse.

My Rating: 6/10

JCVD (2008)

Directed by Mabrouk El Mechri
Written by Mabrouk El Mechri, Frédéric Benudis, Frédéric Taddï, Vincent Ravalec and Christophe Turpin
Starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, François Damiens, Zinedine Soualem and Karim Belkhadra

While visiting his family at home in Belgium, Van Damme is caught in the middle of a robbery, and the cops think the aging star has snapped and pulled the job himself. Now, on top of dealing with financial problems, a nasty custody battle and a waning career, he has to make like a real-life action hero and find his way out of a very tense situation.

The muscles from Brussels finds himself in trouble as the hero becomes the victim in this movie. A more in depth than expected look at the consequences of fame and fortune, this movie is much more than an action movie. It has a lot to say about societies perception of celebrities.

You can really tell that this is a passion project of Van Damme's. This is by far his best and most relatable performance of his career. Topped with the single best soliloquy in the past ten years and an impressive delivery in said scene, I honestly would not have counted him out of any awards race in 2008. I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing when he started rolling out that monologue.

You guys have no idea how freaking good it was.

This movie is fun, intense and brings an element of humanity you rarely see with action heroes. It was definitely a refreshing change from the formula's that other action movies follow. I highly recommend this film to anyone who want's to be blown away by how good Jean-Claude Van Damme actually is.

My Rating: 9/10

Alex Harmon is the biggest TF in the world.