Showdown at the Grand

Love letter to oldschool cinema and grindhouse against a capitalistic organisation and its henchmen.

Unfortunately even the short running time of app. 90 min doesn't prevent this movie from boredom and at no point the director succeeds in creating tension or suspense.

The movie is ok, the actors have fun, the director celebrates its idols, but for me this love letter doesn't work that well like "Cinema Paradiso" or "Last Action Hero".

Nonetheless, of you like some nostalgia about the old cinemas and some 70s and 80s references, then give this one a try.

Love letter to old school cinema and grindhouse against a capitalistic organisation and its henchmen.

Unfortunately even the short running time of app. 90 min doesn't prevent this movie from boredom and at no point the director succeeds in creating tension or suspense.

The movie is ok, the actors have fun, the director celebrates its idols, but for me this love letter doesn't work that well like "Cinema Paradiso" or "Last Action Hero".

Nonetheless, of you like some nostalgia about the old cinemas and some 70s and 80s references, then give this one a try.

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.

This was pure fun and I had a number of LOL moments (Moses vs. Nazis) that was a mashup of Tarantino and Cinema Paradisio (Best Foreign Language Film 1988) with maybe a shoutout to French "Elvis" Johnny Hallyday? For me the simplicity of the story comes with a warm fuzzy feeling of being a kid watching movies on the big screen on a Saturday afternoon and walking away having been on an adventure. Shout out to Dolph Lundgren who owned his cheesy 70's b-flick character. Pure fun and I think anyone who doesn't enjoy the film is thinking too hard and needs to enjoy the ride and not try to figure out why the roll bar is too tight. I for one love independent film making for this very reason, artists enjoying making films and entertaining audiences. I was entertained.

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!

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!