Darren Ashley
@darrenashley.bsky.social
Bleeding heart liberal, genre film nerd, full time basket case, sometime film-maker. Frightfest, LAFF and gym goer. He/Him.
Took a trip to the IMAX yesterday! Wasn’t a fan of Dead Reckoning but I’ve seen all of them on the big screen 1st run over the years - had to finish out strong! Liked it a lot more than I thought I would, rank it in the lower half of the saga but still a cut above most modern Hollywood blockbusters
June 7, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Took a trip to the IMAX yesterday! Wasn’t a fan of Dead Reckoning but I’ve seen all of them on the big screen 1st run over the years - had to finish out strong! Liked it a lot more than I thought I would, rank it in the lower half of the saga but still a cut above most modern Hollywood blockbusters
Revisited a classic today - worth every second of that 3hr+ runtime. Masterpiece! (And a welcome palette cleanser after Megalopolis). Beautiful chaos, looked incredible in 4K (last time I saw this was the theatrical cut on VHS over 20 yrs ago)
May 25, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Revisited a classic today - worth every second of that 3hr+ runtime. Masterpiece! (And a welcome palette cleanser after Megalopolis). Beautiful chaos, looked incredible in 4K (last time I saw this was the theatrical cut on VHS over 20 yrs ago)
Jack Quaid hitting 2 for 2 so far this year - fucking LOVED this wild, fun and surprisingly sweet ride! 🖤 Some strong late 90s vibes, great gore gags and Amber Midthunder continues to steal my heart. Didn’t even recognise Ray Nicholson in this (was introduced to him in Borderline)! Total win 🤘
May 10, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Jack Quaid hitting 2 for 2 so far this year - fucking LOVED this wild, fun and surprisingly sweet ride! 🖤 Some strong late 90s vibes, great gore gags and Amber Midthunder continues to steal my heart. Didn’t even recognise Ray Nicholson in this (was introduced to him in Borderline)! Total win 🤘
Wow! Didn’t think it would live up to the hype (what could, TBH?) but this more than surpassed expectations! Reshuffling my schedule next week to see it on Imax - Coogler and co fucking smashed it… am still on a dopamine high from last night and feeling pretty damn inspired!
April 26, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Wow! Didn’t think it would live up to the hype (what could, TBH?) but this more than surpassed expectations! Reshuffling my schedule next week to see it on Imax - Coogler and co fucking smashed it… am still on a dopamine high from last night and feeling pretty damn inspired!
REALLY impressed with this one! Went in with high expectations based on the talent and they were fully exceeded! 🤘 Appreciated the character build, was fully invested in the relationship by the time the shit hit the fan. Would have totally paid out for an Imax screening of this!
February 17, 2025 at 1:24 PM
REALLY impressed with this one! Went in with high expectations based on the talent and they were fully exceeded! 🤘 Appreciated the character build, was fully invested in the relationship by the time the shit hit the fan. Would have totally paid out for an Imax screening of this!
Haven’t revisited this one in a while-but this got a LOT of play back in the day. It’s Woo-lite but CYF shines, just flawless charisma and grace. Noticed a lot more Fuqua this time round, and Mira’s performance has grown on me. The action was less polished than I remember but that climax goes HARD!!
February 13, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Haven’t revisited this one in a while-but this got a LOT of play back in the day. It’s Woo-lite but CYF shines, just flawless charisma and grace. Noticed a lot more Fuqua this time round, and Mira’s performance has grown on me. The action was less polished than I remember but that climax goes HARD!!
First cinema trip of the year! Definitely slacking, gutted I waited too long for Nosferatu and Wolfman. Takes a lot to get me to a first day of release screening (hitting the 2pm showing for a reason! Fingers crossed it’s quiet in there) but this looks like it could be a LOT of fun!
January 31, 2025 at 1:50 PM
First cinema trip of the year! Definitely slacking, gutted I waited too long for Nosferatu and Wolfman. Takes a lot to get me to a first day of release screening (hitting the 2pm showing for a reason! Fingers crossed it’s quiet in there) but this looks like it could be a LOT of fun!
Happy Chinese New Year! Miss my old martial arts days - Shifu used to put on a GREAT celebration each year. On my own tonight with a takeaway and a kick ass fighting femmes double bill. (Hong Kong pre 97 admittedly) Another win from a franchise I’ve recently fallen for and a new recommendation! 🤘
January 29, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Happy Chinese New Year! Miss my old martial arts days - Shifu used to put on a GREAT celebration each year. On my own tonight with a takeaway and a kick ass fighting femmes double bill. (Hong Kong pre 97 admittedly) Another win from a franchise I’ve recently fallen for and a new recommendation! 🤘
Mind = blown! Had somehow managed to convince myself I’d seen this years ago - who knows what I got it mixed up with cos I accidentally ended up with a first time watch here of a well deserved HK classic! 🤘 Ferociously paced, action packed and surprisingly emotional. Captivated from start to finish.
January 26, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Mind = blown! Had somehow managed to convince myself I’d seen this years ago - who knows what I got it mixed up with cos I accidentally ended up with a first time watch here of a well deserved HK classic! 🤘 Ferociously paced, action packed and surprisingly emotional. Captivated from start to finish.
Will there EVER be a documentary on George A Romero that won’t leave me in tears? Just the fucking Man, the OG indie filmmaker who inspires me to this very day. Can see why his version wouldn’t have been what the moneymen wanted, but damn, that tantalising tease of a commercial got me intrigued!
January 12, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Will there EVER be a documentary on George A Romero that won’t leave me in tears? Just the fucking Man, the OG indie filmmaker who inspires me to this very day. Can see why his version wouldn’t have been what the moneymen wanted, but damn, that tantalising tease of a commercial got me intrigued!
Huge improvement on the original (part one just didn’t connect with me, sadly. One of those times where I’m like “what am I missing here? Everyone is raving about it” times). Still suffers from some writing issues but brilliantly executed, great performances and a killer ending. Enjoyed it!
January 12, 2025 at 10:53 AM
Huge improvement on the original (part one just didn’t connect with me, sadly. One of those times where I’m like “what am I missing here? Everyone is raving about it” times). Still suffers from some writing issues but brilliantly executed, great performances and a killer ending. Enjoyed it!
Took me WAY too long to get around to this - and kicking myself cos it was fucking brilliant! Everything I love 70s cinema - beautifully drawn characters, gritty street level violence, incredible film making craft and totally absorbing. Under appreciated classic.
January 10, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Took me WAY too long to get around to this - and kicking myself cos it was fucking brilliant! Everything I love 70s cinema - beautifully drawn characters, gritty street level violence, incredible film making craft and totally absorbing. Under appreciated classic.
3.5k views! 🤯 My little #shortfilm homage to 80s DTV vigilante/revenge movies is finding an audience! So grateful that people are forgiving my amateur-hour mistakes and responding to SOMETHING-I really tried to inject some emotion in it. Have a look youtu.be/lSfeRwQE0rI?... and see if I succeeded!
December 29, 2024 at 11:44 AM
3.5k views! 🤯 My little #shortfilm homage to 80s DTV vigilante/revenge movies is finding an audience! So grateful that people are forgiving my amateur-hour mistakes and responding to SOMETHING-I really tried to inject some emotion in it. Have a look youtu.be/lSfeRwQE0rI?... and see if I succeeded!
Bank holiday Bond mood! While Casino Royale is objectively a better film, and there are many awesome entries in the franchise - this one still ranks as my personal favourite. Packed with fun 90s action and Brosnan fully settled into the role. One of the GOAT 007 pre credits sequences too!
December 26, 2024 at 2:04 PM
Bank holiday Bond mood! While Casino Royale is objectively a better film, and there are many awesome entries in the franchise - this one still ranks as my personal favourite. Packed with fun 90s action and Brosnan fully settled into the role. One of the GOAT 007 pre credits sequences too!
Finally got to catch this one on the big screen (the only place to watch a Ridley Scott epic IMO)
My god! Absolutely blown away, that opening battle is up with Scott’s best, characters had me gripped (made me cry 3 times!) and one of Denzel’s best performances. Peak cinema, loved every minute!
My god! Absolutely blown away, that opening battle is up with Scott’s best, characters had me gripped (made me cry 3 times!) and one of Denzel’s best performances. Peak cinema, loved every minute!
December 22, 2024 at 3:08 PM
Finally got to catch this one on the big screen (the only place to watch a Ridley Scott epic IMO)
My god! Absolutely blown away, that opening battle is up with Scott’s best, characters had me gripped (made me cry 3 times!) and one of Denzel’s best performances. Peak cinema, loved every minute!
My god! Absolutely blown away, that opening battle is up with Scott’s best, characters had me gripped (made me cry 3 times!) and one of Denzel’s best performances. Peak cinema, loved every minute!
Went and made a short film - A homage to 80s DTV Vigilante flicks. Drops on YouTube Saturday.
Bonus points to any fellow nerd that recognises where I got the title from! 😜
Bonus points to any fellow nerd that recognises where I got the title from! 😜
December 18, 2024 at 8:35 AM
Went and made a short film - A homage to 80s DTV Vigilante flicks. Drops on YouTube Saturday.
Bonus points to any fellow nerd that recognises where I got the title from! 😜
Bonus points to any fellow nerd that recognises where I got the title from! 😜
Been a while (ok, it’s been 12 months 😜) Time for one of my favourite Xmas season traditions (in addition to one my favourite films of all time 🤘) 🎵Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock!🎵
December 15, 2024 at 5:48 PM
Been a while (ok, it’s been 12 months 😜) Time for one of my favourite Xmas season traditions (in addition to one my favourite films of all time 🤘) 🎵Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock!🎵
Finally got round to this one - I liked it better than 3! Action was more memorable with some great stunts and vehicular mayhem woven in. Cynthia Kahn rocks it, looking more confident than the last one and is joined by Donnie fucking Yen doing his thang, what more could a Hong Kong action fiend want
November 28, 2024 at 11:30 PM
Finally got round to this one - I liked it better than 3! Action was more memorable with some great stunts and vehicular mayhem woven in. Cynthia Kahn rocks it, looking more confident than the last one and is joined by Donnie fucking Yen doing his thang, what more could a Hong Kong action fiend want
November 25, 2024 at 2:11 PM
After the excitement of getting back into 80s/90s Hong Kong Action on Saturday-yesterday I braved the loft and dug these out! Yeah, Bey Logan turned out to be a massive POS, but growing up in a small town - these were a lifeline for this movie geek. First time I’d read the genre taken seriously.
November 25, 2024 at 12:15 PM
After the excitement of getting back into 80s/90s Hong Kong Action on Saturday-yesterday I braved the loft and dug these out! Yeah, Bey Logan turned out to be a massive POS, but growing up in a small town - these were a lifeline for this movie geek. First time I’d read the genre taken seriously.
Remember as a youth reading about this in Impact magazine and thinking “that looks cool, I’d like to check it out”… has taken over 35 years for me to source a copy!
FINALLY watching this tonight! Never seen a Cynthia Kahn flick before… anticipation is at fever pitch!
#actionsky
FINALLY watching this tonight! Never seen a Cynthia Kahn flick before… anticipation is at fever pitch!
#actionsky
November 23, 2024 at 5:18 PM
Remember as a youth reading about this in Impact magazine and thinking “that looks cool, I’d like to check it out”… has taken over 35 years for me to source a copy!
FINALLY watching this tonight! Never seen a Cynthia Kahn flick before… anticipation is at fever pitch!
#actionsky
FINALLY watching this tonight! Never seen a Cynthia Kahn flick before… anticipation is at fever pitch!
#actionsky
Was all about the “widescreen editions” of VHS in it’s death throes. MI-2 was only available in scope on DVD so being the John Woo fiend that I am, it was time to upgrade! A great Xmas receiving this and a player - was very ill that year and spent the day on my own going through EVERY single extra!
November 23, 2024 at 11:26 AM
Was all about the “widescreen editions” of VHS in it’s death throes. MI-2 was only available in scope on DVD so being the John Woo fiend that I am, it was time to upgrade! A great Xmas receiving this and a player - was very ill that year and spent the day on my own going through EVERY single extra!