Showdown at the Grand

source: Showdown at the Odessa

If you love cinema and have knowledge of the form you'll love this film. Two titans coming together for a fantastic performance and a fun romp through cinematic history. Anyone who loves movie theaters and the experience of them will get it! Interested to see the next film from this director. We don't get many movies like this anymore No politics besides a criticism of the capitalist nature that has ruined movies in general. It's all action, fun dialogue, and unique characters that inhibit the screen. These are the types of independent films I loved from the 90s and early 2000s. A director with a vision and an agenda to entertain!

A cheeky fun styled film . I could easily see this being a cult classic, with years of creating new fans. It's got fun acting, stylistic scenes , great photography and classic ending. Characters that have a heartwarming fun personality you could relate to and attach herself to. You can easily put it on for a stay in Friday night matinee or end the week with it on a Sunday movie night. It's entertaining, it's fun and a pleasure to watch. I recommend giving it a chance. Great look , fun style , memorable characters , heartwarming scenes and just an overall entertaining film to watch for many years to come.

George Fuller (Terrence Howard) runs an old movie palace, the Warner Grand. He is having a special showing of a 90's post-apocalyptic action thriller with star Claude Luc Hallyday (Dolph Lundgren) making an appearance. Meanwhile, he is being harassed by land developer Lynn (Amanda Righetti) and her thugs who want his theater for a neighborhood rebuild. Action starts too late and ultimately is too little. The movie is obviously setting up for a fight with all the movie prop weaponry. Dolph Lundgren needs to show up sooner. He is a better actor than most give him credit for. At the very least, he can be fun. He needs to be unleashed. This is spending too much time setting things up. The final battle is only the last third of the movie and is rather a bit underwhelming. This is not enough.

I didn't know what to expect when starting the film but quickly found it to be witty, entertaining and even profound. The layers of the themes and subtle nods to cinema are extraordinary. I think this film will become a cult classic in years to come! Excellent writing, directing and acting. Terrance was a joy to watch- his character was full on nuance. Dolph was brilliant as well. Just all around an extremely pleasant surprise. I found myself grinning, laughing, enthralled, moved- the entire spectrum of emotions. I am excited what's next for the director Orson. He is clearly a very talented man!

The film takes place in the American SW, in 2025 said to be 10 years after the great fall. The town of Necropolis has a theater that shows "B" action films from 12:15 PM to Midnight. It is run by George Fuller (Terrence Howard) who is aided by an intern (Piper Curda). He is expecting the arrival of has-been action actor Claude Luc Hallyday (Dolph Lundgren) to help with his box office. Fuller also has a collection of memorabilia from his films. He is approached by a developer (Amanda Righetti) who wants to purchase the Grand and surrounding shops to make an upscale community. Fuller does not want to sell which escalates the method of persuasion. And then Hallady arrives in town. This is done in a grindhouse style but just goes through the motions. Characters were flat. The script and dialogue were bland talking about fictional films. Actors just went through the motion for a paycheck. Guide: No sex or nudity. No swearing as I recall.

source: Showdown at the Odessa

It's entertaining enough but it really doesn't have the budget or imagination to compete with movies like Grindhouse or Mars Attacks as an homage to old B-Movies. Lundgren is perfectly cast as a washed-up action movie star and plays along with the limited material he has to work with. Terence Howard seems to treat it too seriously as if it's making a serious point about independent cinemas closing which the movie seems too arch to be doing. It can just never get the balance between chaos and pathos right for that to happen. There's just a constant feeling that self-refenential B-Movies were so much better in the late 20th Century and that nostalgia ain't what it used to be.

Lighthearted parody of old classic action movies, which are being honored and made fun of, simultaneously. Charming. Amusing. Lots of silly fights. Lots of stolen one liners from classic action movies. Lots of hilarious appearances by Mister Dolph Lundgren himself. And a wonderful performance by the always great actor Terrence Malick. What great men! Highly recommended for the Dolph Lundgren fans and other B-movie action fans, provided they can appreciate a playful parody like this about this B-movie action genre. The story: The mob is pressuring a grand old cinema owner (Terrance Howard) in selling his cinema. He refuses and the heat is on. It just happens though that the owner (Terrence Malick) is a big fan of old action movie star Dolph Lundgren and he puts up a tribute for him at this beautiful theater. And it proves that it is quite handy to have a real action movie star around when the mob is attacking you!