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introvertguide · 3 years

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15 Badass Movies for a Fun Time at Home or with Friends

There is a buzz in the air as COVID-19 vaccines are rolling out and the hope of having a movie night with friends is again becoming a reality. Watching alone isn’t as fun because I want to talk to somebody about what I have just seen. A full theater does not agree with my introvert nature because somebody screaming or laughing or talking on their phone will ruin it for me. Watching with a fellow cinephile or two is perfect. But what to watch first? People have been stuck inside, so fantasy and alternative worlds have been overly popular. All I do is talk over zoom for a living. I think what I need most right now is a movie about realistic people with realistic skills that go into a situation and just wreck house. I need a badass movie. What is this “badass” movie you might say? Well, here are some basic criteria: 1) There must be a tough lead character who kicks butt while spouting one liners and doesn’t need superhuman powers (high levels of peak skill with speed, aim, or strength is OK if they are plausible in the real world), 2) most of the characters (good and bad) must be likable, admirable or at least memorable, 3) the lead must face and defeat overwhelming odds against them, and 4) extra points for memorable one liners. Also, I am only dealing with human protagonists (sorry Terminator), but slightly superhuman opposition is acceptable. This list is by no means exhaustive, it is just an example of some badass movies. So in no particular order:

1) Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

To start off the list, I want to mention the most well known American badass. Indiana Jones is a smart guy with a gun and a whip. He is rugged and punches guys in the face. He has weaknesses but works through them to get the job done. Harrison Ford was in his early 40s for this role and had this tough-as-nails and seen the world kind of feel while still being young enough to fight hand to hand. Any of the first three films featuring Indiana Jones would work here, but this is the original and it started the fun. Easy to watch. Easy to cheer for. Great movie. You can’t really go wrong with any age or group with this one.

2) 13 Assassins (2010)

This movie is extremely badass but not for everyone. This is one of the goriest films I have ever seen as 13 warriors kill off a couple of hundred soldiers and the evil leader that they guard. The movie was directed by Japanese extreme horror icon Takashi Miike if that means anything to you (hey made Audition and Ichi the Killer). The movie has gallons of blood, but also an amazing story of redemption and honor. There are tons of scenes of a single warrior taking on dozens of soldiers and managing to overcome. Not for everyone, but still very much a badass movie.

3) The Raid (2011)

This is an Indonesian action thriller with the word action in bold. The film is directed by Gareth Evans and stars Iko Uwais as part of a small police force that tries to take down an old building that houses a drug lord and his violent gang. It has a lot of what I like in badass movies: one-on-one fights between the lead and almost superhuman villains, long well-choreographed scenes, a banging soundtrack, ridiculous weapons, and ridiculous gore. The fight scenes in tight places and the use of the environment for weaponry is amazing and the sound design makes sure you can feel every punch. The lead character should have no chance, but he makes up for it with skill and being a pure badass. This movie is one of the few that I would describe as having non-stop action.

4) Jon Wick (2014)

When did Keanu Reeves become so cool? I grew up with him being part of the Bill and Ted duo. He decides to learn martial arts and play a god-like being in the Matrix movies and then becomes a one man wrecking crew? I guess he is a badass because he does it so well. Keanu plays a retired hitman who is wronged and decides to go back to work for vengeance. He just won’t stop coming and seems to constantly survive out of pure hatred alone. There are 3 films in the series and any one of them will impress. Pure fun too watch.

5) Casino Royale (2006)

When I was asking around, there were many people who thought that James Bond was the ultimate badass. I disagree in that many of the older films show Bond as overconfident with the assistance of many people. In fact, Q is more of a badass in many ways than James Bond. However, when the series was taken back to its roots with the last book that had not been made into a serious film and made darker, it reached badass levels. From the parkour chase to a poisoning to an extreme torture scene, this was not like any James Bond movie before it. Roger Craig plays a much colder lead who gives no quarter, much more like what the greatest secret agent would have to be. Heavy on violence but light on gore, this film is more for all audiences than other films on this list.

6) Desperado (1995)

What makes this movie is not all about Antonio Banderas and Selma Hayek. It is that every other character is memorable and badass as well. The street standoff with Bucho’s men versus El Mariachi, Quino, and Campo is iconic. El Mariachi murders everyone in a bar with precise skill. The rogue assassin Navajas with all the knives played by Danny Trejo. Nothing but extreme shoot outs and fight scenes with a ridiculous variety of guns and explosives. I think what makes this movie so amazing is that all these amazing assassins are incognito and, when they suddenly produce an arsenal out of nowhere, it is always a pleasant surprise. Quino and Campo are amazing when they bring their guitars.

7) Pulp Fiction (1994)

Truly the role that made Samuel L. Jackson into the ultimate badass. He and his partner Vincent are hitman that keep running into the worst situations. The thing about the film is that everybody is so cool. The characters are cool, the music is cool, the dialogue is cool, hell even the diner featured in the movie is cool. The movie only spans a couple of days (in completely separate segments shown out of order) but packs in 7 distinct situations that are all berserk. From the mind of Quentin Tarantino, this movie is dripping with the best characters traveling through the best story. Highly recommend.

8) Leon: The Professional (1994)

Also known simply as The Professional in the U.S., this film features the debut of Natalie Portman. It is directed by Luc Besson at his best period, right between La Femme Nakita and The Fifth Element. The lead is actually a quiet hitman who reluctantly takes a little 12-year-old girl on as an apprentice to become a paid assassin. Her parents were killed by a corrupt cop and she wants Leon to help her exact revenge. He is an absolute badass and somewhat of a caring surrogate father to the girl. Unlike a lot of the films on this list, the premise is not simply kicking butt in a bad situation. There is serious character growth. Apparently you can be a caring parent and a cold-blooded murderer...and that is badass.

9) Kill Bill (2003)

Being a badass is not exclusive to men and The Bride is a prime example of this. She survives a shot to the head, kills deadly assassins, slaughters a gang, and takes on a crazy school girl bodyguard. She is tougher then any lead I can think of and she has the bad attitude and sense of vengeance that makes for a badass. Combine this with the soundtrack and beautiful cinematography associated with director Quentin Tarantino and you have a beautifully violent movie in which the hits keep coming. Even on this list, the fight scene between the bride and Gogo Yubari is insane. Also note the nod to Bruce Lee with the bright yellow motorcycle suit. Beautifully badass film.

10) Aliens (1986)

In nature, there are few things more dangerous than a mother protecting their young. A mother will fight you to the death and make sure that, at the very least, you won’t be able to go after her kids. Now imagine an alien planet covered with hostile beings created in the mind of James Cameron and Stan Winston and you have a setting made to create a real badass. In the beginning, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is just desperate to survive and barely knows how to use a weapon. She meets a little survivor named Newt and then has a real reason to become aggressive. She and a group of marines fight through a station filled with super destructive xenomorph aliens made straight from nightmares to save this kid. The transformation is truly amazing and culminates in a mech suit versus a giant queen alien and it is extremely badass.

11) Army of Darkness (1992)

Far and away the funniest movie on this list, this is the third film stemming from Evil Dead and again stars Bruce Campbell taking on the deadites that were raised by reading from the Necronomicon. The opposition is the undead evil that faces the world which makes the violence very unrealistic. This was early work from Sam Raimi and features a variety of different shots done to the extreme. What really makes this film stand out is how Bruce Campbell is amazing at delivering a one liner. His classic quips have been used as fun Easter eggs in video games like Duke Nukem and World of Warcraft for decades. The quintessential horror comedy and a perfect example of a badass.

12) Die Hard (1988)

Apparently, I am a big fan of single characters that need to work their way through a building of villains using mostly intelligence and the element of surprise. Throw in some one liners and I am all for it. That is exactly what this is with Bruce Willis crawling barefoot around a 40 story building and fighting off a gang of villains. The movie also has Alan Rickman as the main bad guy and he is chewing the scenery. This is a great example of being a badass, but it is too bad that the follow up sequels were so poor. Definitely stick to the original and let the rest pass by.

13) The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (1966)

An OG of the badass movie genre, this is some of the best of Sergio Leone and the spaghetti western. Instead of one badass, this movie has three different leads that are all amazing. You have the good, Clint Eastwood, who is an amazing shot and a heart of gold under a rough exterior. You have the bad, Lee Van Cleef, playing an conniving assassin that will kill anyone that he doesn’t have a use for. Finally, you have the ugly, Eli Wallach, as a desert rat that will do anything to survive. They all gain information about a gold stash and need to work together to get it, but this creates a vortex of cheating, undercutting, and straight up murder. Clint Eastwood is more of the classic badass with his cigar, hat, and poncho, It is an iconic look on an iconic character in an iconic movie. That is what I call badass.

14) Ong-Bak (2003)

This less of a badass movie and more houses some of the most amazingly badass fight scenes that can only be described as badass. This movie introduced the great Tony Jaa to the western world and showed the high flying nature of Thai boxing and Muay Thai in general. The main character is entered into a street fighting tournament and the moves include a flying double knee drop and a full splits kick. If the whole movie was the tournament, it would be the best movie that ever existed. The variety of opponents makes the fighting even better and the cinematography is top notch. Tony Jaa is truly badass in this film.

15) Dredd (2012)

Not the crappy version with Stallone, this movie is seriously badass. It features Karl Urban who is helmeted for the entire film (as Dredd would be) taking on a 200 story mega slum filled with residents that want to shoot him dead. There is a drug dealer high up in the building and she locks down the entire compound with instructions to kill Dredd, who only has his rookie partner to help. He takes on random resident mobs, groups of gang members, and even a trio of mini guns that have bullets that can rip through walls. He has a smart gun with a bunch of ammo that he uses judiciously to kill everybody. This movie was seriously underrated since it had not been that long since the garbage Judge Dredd came out in 1995. The 2012 is a far superior movie, being much more violent and dark instead of having Rob Schneider as the comedy relief (not badass).

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I know there will be a lot of opinions about what makes a badass film and what movies i didn’t add. Feel free to add your own movies or critique my choices. I will stand by my choices, however, and recommend any of these films for a night of cheers and badass action.

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thedeaditeslayer · 7 years

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TDS Exclusive: Interview with Evil Dead 2 actor Danny Hicks

Below is a transcribed interview done over an internet call with actor Danny Hicks. After starting in theater, Danny started his film career with Evil Dead 2 and went on to star in other Michigan Mafia flicks such as Intruder, Darkman, Spiderman 2, and My Name is Bruce.

A more recent headshot of Danny Hicks (source)

Q: First off, can you tell us what got you into acting and how you got into the profession?

A: Yes I can. It’s a little embarrassing but I’ll tell you anyway since I’m pretty hard to embarrass. Actually I was a heavy equipment operator in the Detroit area and a friend of mine invited me to take part in a little tiny performance on stage in a place called the Farmington Player’s Barn. It wasn’t even a real play. It was called The Still Alarm and I played a British fireman. I think that I had two lines. After the play was over this very attractive woman came up to me and said you know what? I run the YMCA down the street here and we have a beautiful hot tub. What do you say we get naked and get in the hot tub? And I thought you know I can get laid doing this stuff! And that’s how I became an actor. I got on stage that night and I didn’t really get off the stage again for five years.

Q: How did you hear about the audition for Jake in Evil Dead 2?

A: Even though we were all from the Detroit area I’d never met Bruce or Sam or any of those guys. I’ve met Ted Raimi before but I didn’t know much about him. I did cast him in a play one time but that was a couple of years before the audition for Jake. My agent called me one day and said that they’re shooting this movie; a bunch of guys from Detroit, and she gave me the character description which was “Scuzzbucket”. Well I said well I know that I can do scuzzbucket. That might be fun so I got up that morning and opened the hood of my car and combed my hair with grease and smeared gravel all over my face and just got as ugly as I could. Then when I got in front of the camera for the audition I said “Scuzzbucket, how scuzzy do you want this guy” Sam Raimi says as scuzzy as you can make him. So I pulled out my partial plate which made me look incredibly stupid and scuzzy and then said “You want him this scuzzy?” Sam then said “Oh my god. An actor without an ego. I love it!” That’s how I became Jake.

Q: Did you feel excited or nervous after you got the part?

A: It was my first feature film though I’ve been on stage for about five years and I’ve done a ton of television commercials and hundreds upon hundreds of industrial films but I’ve never done a feature film before. So I was really excited about it. And then of course they postponed it for three months which made me think that maybe it wasn’t going to happen. But actually it was very good for me because it allowed me to go back on stage and play the role of George in Of Mice and Men. George is one of the best characters in American literature so I was glad that I got to do that role. It was very challenging. I had a whole week to get ready for it. It almost killed me but it was worth it. When I was finished with that, they were ready to start shooting Evil Dead 2. So I really didn’t have enough time to get nervous about it. Excited, yes. Especially after they said that they were going to start the shoot now. Then I really started to get excited.

Danny Hicks as George in "Of Mice and Men" The Attic Theater, Detroit. 1986. (source)

Q: Supposedly Sam Raimi had the hardest time with casting Jake and was going to do the role if he couldn’t find someone to his liking to do the part. How do you think the movie would have fared if Sam ultimately played Jake instead of you?

A: Well Sam Raimi is probably the best director in the world right now or at least in my opinion. He’s a decent actor. I worked with him as an actor. He was in Intruder with me and I got to kill him which was fun. I got to kill Ted too. I got to kill most of the Raimi family which was enjoyable. I don’t know. That’s a good question. I’m sure that he would have pulled it off but I can’t really imagine the film without me as Jake. It’s pretty hard to do. I think that he would have done a decent job. I don’t know if the movie would have been exactly the same but who knows it might have even been better.

Q: How much input did you have in your character of Jake in Evil Dead 2?

A: It really didn’t need much of my input however Sam is a great director to work with because after he gets what he wants he’ll let you do anything you want. Well at least back in the day back in that time frame. He would let me especially have a take off of my own and just do it anyway I wanted to. To tell the truth with you I don’t know if any of those takes actually ended up in the movie but they might have. I know one particular instance after Ash cuts up Evil Ed with the ax and he’s all over the floor I asked Sam if I could deliver a line. He said, yeah go ahead. I’ve been trying to get this line into movies forever and somehow or another, it’s always been cut out. The line was “I’ve been to three world’s fairs and placed second in a donkey f**king contest and I ain’t never seen nothing like this before!” And they cut it out. Can you believe that?

Q: How would you describe the difference of being a theater actor and being directed for a feature film such as Evil Dead 2? Was it difficult to adapt to the changes?

A: First of all let me answer the last part of that question. No I didn’t find it very difficult mainly because I’ve done so many industrial films and I knew how to work with the camera already. I knew what lenses were and how they affected me and my performance and so I pretty much knew all of that stuff. Though the second that I got on set of a feature film I said that this is what I want to do. I pretty much gave up theatrical acting after that. Not that I don’t miss it occasionally. But it’s an awful lot of hard work and the disciplines are completely different. When you go on stage to do a play you have to have this energy that’s burning bright that lasts for about two hours or usually a little less than two hours. If you try to keep that same attitude onto a feature film, you’re going to be dead after two days. It will literally kill you. The main difference if you have to learn how to turn that energy on and then off. When the camera is rolling, that is when you have to have that fire burning. When the camera is off you better sit down and have a Pepsi or a Coke or even a glass of water or whatever because if you don’t you’re just going to burn yourself out. As soon as I started to work on Evil Dead 2 that’s when I realized that is what I wanted to do with my career.

Danny Hicks as Jake and Sam Raimi on the set of Evil Dead 2. (source)

Q: After Evil Dead 2 your next big role was for Intruder. How would you compare the severity of the Evil Dead 2 shoot to Intruder? Could you tell us more about the shoot?

A: Yeah there’s just about difficulties on any shoot I think. We didn’t necessarily have the hot weather like we did on Evil Dead 2 but we had the confines of the grocery store that had been abandoned. You couldn’t get near the dog food aisle without gagging. I mean the stench was just awful. We had some meat carcasses hanging up in the storage room and that were pretty ripe. Intruder was actually a pretty easy film for me. Scott had done an earlier version of this film and because I worked with him indirectly with Evil Dead 2, he kinda rewrote the script for me. He told me that I would be pretty good in this part and he kind of tweaked it so the character was more so written for me. So as a result it was a pretty easy shoot for me. I didn’t get along with some of the actors, well one actor in particular but I don’t know if I want to get in too deeply into that. But other than that it was just like any other feature film. It was very physically demanding. The hours were just horrible but the movie itself was pretty easy for me.

Q: KNB EFX did an amazing job on Intruder with the death scenes. Supposedly crew members were getting queasy. How well did you fare? Have any memories from the shoot that you’d like to share?

A: Well personally I didn’t feel sick. I just thought that this was amazing! This looks so real! I remember that the band saw effect when it starts going through the teeth, the script supervisor who I think that her name was Pepper because we called her Dr. Pepper, well she was on top of a step ladder so she could look over the heads and shoulders of everybody and see what was going on. When they did that scene and the saw started vibrating in the teeth she actually passed out and fell off the ladder. She didn’t hurt herself seriously, thank God. It was just incredibly believable. They did a marvelous job.

Interesting little side note, there’s a scene where I beat a guy with the head of Danny which was cut off even though you don’t see that and I’m smacking him in the back and beating him with this head. I couldn’t hold on to it because there was nothing to grab. The hair was just glued in there. So I remember talking to Robert Kurtzman and asking if he could drill some holes in this thing so I could hold it like a bowling ball. He really didn’t want to do that because it was actually a work of art but it was also a prop and I had to handle it. So he said yeah so he drilled some holes into the scalp area so I could put in my fingers just like a bowling ball. I then proceeded to beat the hell out of the other actor in the head with it and I’m sure it hurt.You know sometimes you got a suffer a little pain for your art.

Q: After working on both Evil Dead 2 and Intruder how would you compare Scott Spiegel as a director to Sam Raimi?

A: Well they’re both actually the fourth Stooge in The 3 Stooges. That was kinda similar. With Intruder, Scott just kinda let me go and do whatever I wanted to do as long as I stayed kinda close to the script. The script again was so well written that I didn’t have to change a thing. It was just perfect. He had his hands full with a lot of the other actors since they really hadn’t been in front of a camera before. So he just basically said that he was going to concentrate on those people and let me do what I do best. I still don’t know what I do best but that is what Scott wanted of me. He kinda just let me go to do my own thing so that was cool. That was actually one of the reasons why it was such an easy film for me in that regard because Scott trusted me. I think that he got what he wanted out of the film.

Director Scott Spiegel and Danny Hicks goof around on the set of Intruder. (source)

Q: You went on to be a henchman in Darkman alongside the great Larry Drake who passed away last year. Could you tell us what it was like working on a larger budget and with Larry?

A: It was great. Larry Drake was one of the most incredibly gifted actors that I’ve ever worked with. In fact, I don’t know if you remember him from L.A. Law but he played a mentally challenged guy named Benny. He did it so well that people actually thought that he was retarded! I’m sorry that’s an antiquated term but they really thought that he was. The first time that I met him, I’d just come out of work and I was wearing a tie that was pink and black and purple and green and I walked into the makeup trailer and he was sitting there, looking at me through the mirror. I asked the woman who was doing his makeup what she thought about my tie. He answered of course. He said that it was boring, drab, blaaah just about like you. I just looked at him and said “You’re really are f**cking retarded aren’t ya?” That started my friendship with Larry Drake. He had a wonderful sense of humor and he was such an intelligent man. He was one of the smartest people that I had ever known which goes to prove what a gifted and talented actor he was to portray Benny so believably that people actually thought that he was mentally challenged. He was just a great guy. I lost touch with him for many years and then I saw him again at a convention. I believe it was in Indianapolis. It was just so good to see him again. We got to talk a little bit and reminisce which was really great because he died not too long after that. It was just a real shame, a real travesty.

As for the big budget, it just didn’t seem to mean much to me. I mean it really didn’t affect my surroundings or anything like that. It was just work as usual. I can’t really remember now but I’m pretty sure that the catering service was better. One thing with a big budget film like this, everyday they died my hair red every morning and did my nails every morning. At the end of shooting they washed the dye out of my hair and took the nail polish off of my fingers. I guess that I did get pampered quite a bit on that film now that I’ve come to think about it. It was fun to be able to.....well for example we shot a large portion of that in a condemned area of downtown Los Angeles and they actually let us blow shit up. That was really cool. I wasn’t there for the helicopter scenes to which I’m sure that cost a fortune. It sure worked well in the movie. It was a lot of fun to work on a big budget film.

Danny Hicks alongside Larry Drake in Sam Raimi’s Darkman. (source)

Q: My Name is Bruce had a small budget and was filmed on Bruce Campbell’s property. Can you share your experience in getting involved with the film and the shoot as well?

A: Timmy Quill and I went up there together and there was nothing in the script for us. So Bruce just says come up with just whatever you want to do and we’ll do that. We’re getting ready to shoot the first scene that Tim and I are in and this was another Evil Dead type circumstance because it was so hot in there. It was brutal. Timmy and I are sitting there and I had decided that the movie was about Bruce making fun of himself so I thought that it would be great if I make fun of myself. Tim Quill said yeah, I’ll make fun of the blacksmith in Army of Darkness. That’s what we did and we worked on our shtick. Bruce came up to us just before we started shooting and asked us what we’re going to do. We told him and he thought it was great and that it was a good idea but then stated that we’re also a gay couple. Roll cameras!! I tried so hard not to laugh. I was almost peeing myself especially right at the end when Tim leaned over and pinched my leg and goes “I wish that I could quit you”. If you look at me you can see that I’m trying to not laugh. I think that I did pee my pants a little. I was trying so hard not to laugh! That movie was a tremendous amount of fun to work on.

TDS: That was one of my favorite parts of the movie! That and the fact that Ted played multiple roles and also died multiple times.

A: As for Ted Raimi, I don’t know how many times he died in that movie. He was so good. He got a lot of flack too from impersonating the Chinese character. I guess a lot of people took offense to that. Why that is, I don’t know! In fact I was with Ted a couple of weeks ago and we were talking about that and how much flack he got for playing that character. I really don’t know why. He did such a great job with all of the characters. Ted Raimi can do anything. That guy is such an incredibly good actor. He was hilarious. I don’t know why anyone would take offense to anything that he did. In fact my favorite scene in the movie is where he keeps on trying to disappear and he doesn’t and then finally after three or four times, he’s finally gone. I kept on saying look! He’s gone! It was so stupid but it was so funny. If you get the chance, watch the making of behind the scenes for My Name is Bruce. It’s called Heart of Dorkness. It’s directed by a friend of mine called Mike Kallio who also played the sleazy director in the movie. He did the making of Heart of Dorkness. It’s really entertaining so if you get a chance then watch that.

Timothy Patrick Quill alongside Danny Hicks in their roles for My Name is Bruce.(source).

Q: You seem to be paired with Timothy Patrick Quill often now in your newer features. Did co-starring with him in My Name is Bruce and Spiderman 2 open up the door to a new collaboration?

A: No I don’t think so. Although it’s funny that you mention that because we’re working on a feature film in September that shoots in Montana called Blood Hunter and Timmy and I are both in that. I don’t know if that really happened or not though. I’ve known Tim for awhile before we shot My Name is Bruce. I think that we worked on a couple of projects together but we get along really well together. We have a lot of fun working with one another and we’ve done some conventions together. I don’t know how that came about. Perhaps it did come about that way. I’m not really sure.

Q: Are there any roles, projects, or missed opportunities that you’ve been involved with in the past that never came to fruition?

A: I’m sure that there’s a lot of them. I try to not dwell on things that didn’t happen. There is one I was originally supposed to play one of the leading roles in....help me out here. George Clooney ended up playing my role.

TDS: Wow really?!

A: Yeah Quentin Tarantino was in it with George Clooney. It was one of Clooney’s first films.

TDS: From Dusk til Dawn?!

A: Yes! From Dusk til Dawn. And the original cast was supposed to be myself, Robert Englund and Ted Raimi. They actually used our names to raise money in Europe. Then of course Robert Kurtzman didn’t direct it anymore and then one thing led to another and the next thing I know, George Clooney is playing my role and I honestly had to sit back and say ok well look. You have Danny Hicks here and you’ve got George Clooney here. You know what? I would have cast George Clooney too! That’s one of the things that I don’t know if I regretted it or angry about it but I’ve since then forgiven everybody. Actually I’ve forgiven them a long time ago. That was one and I really wish that we could have set Intruder up so it could have had a sequel. I would have really loved to play that role again. Of course that never happened. I kinda regret that one a bit. I think that it would have been fun to play that character again.

George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino as the Gecko Brothers in From Dusk til Dawn. (source)

Q: Have you checked out Ash vs Evil Dead yet and if so what are your thoughts?

A: I have checked it out. I watched the entire first season and then I moved and didn’t get cable television anymore so I’m out of the loop there. I thought that it was fun. I thought that it was way over the top. It was more Army of Darkness than it was Evil Dead. But that’s OK since the fans seem to really enjoy it and they’re eating it up and I know that Bruce is having a good time. Well at least he was the last time that I was talking to him which has been a couple of months. I can’t imagine that they don’t beat him up too much in the third season so yeah I’m really happy for him. The fans seem to really be getting what they want. Although of course they’ll never stop clamoring for an Evil Dead 4. I mean that’s what they really want. Instead they got Ash vs. Evil Dead. I think it’s great.

Q: The show shoots in New Zealand and Ellen Sandweiss has returned in the franchise last season as well as Ted Raimi. If you were offered a role in the show, would you do it?

A: I would be on a plane right now. I would be packing to get to the airport. I would love to do it. If you blinked then you probably missed it but they actually use a clip from Evil Dead 2. I think that it was the final episode of season one where they showed me for like a tenth of a second and then they showed my bones dressed in the overalls down in the cellar. I think that they used a little clip from Evil Dead 2 of me and then they went down to the basement and saw my bones. They paid me for it let’s just put it that way. They couldn’t use it without my permission. I don’t know if that would stop them from bringing me back as a character. I really don’t know but if they asked me then yeah. I would do it in a heartbeat.

Jake’s deceased body in Evil Dead 2. (source)

Q: What got you involved in the horror convention circuit and what is your opinion on it?

A: I got involved probably five years ago or maybe six years ago and the reason why I got involved is because Bruce Campbell called me from a convention that he was doing in New Jersey. He said “Danny, they’re selling your pictures at these conventions and they’re making money from it. If you don’t start doing these then I’m going to kick your ass!” So I looked into it and thought well it might be fun so I started doing them and I love them. I do maybe six or seven a year. I’ve been all over the United States. I’ve been to Germany twice and it’s all basically because of Evil Dead 2. I mean that is what I’m the most famous for although there are a lot of Intruder and a lot of Darkman fans but mostly Evil Dead 2. I’m very thankful for that. The best part about doing these conventions is how excited the fans are to just see you and say hello to you or get a picture taken with you. You know a hug or a kiss or whatever and I think that it’s just wonderful. Even though there’s money involved, I think that the best aspect of it is giving something back to the fans because without them none of us would have jobs. It’s really a good chance to give something back to the fans.

Q: Do you have any projects going on right now that you’d like to share with us?

A: There’s Blood Hunter. They’re shooting that now. It’s a low budget vampire film starring Mr. Timothy Quill and I have a little cameo in it. Well probably a little bit bigger than a cameo. That film is also set up a little for a sequel. I shouldn’t really be talking about it but I am anyway. What are they going to do? Fire me? We’re going to do that and I’m going to shoot my role sometime in September. After that I’m off to Sinister Creature Con in Sacramento, California and that’s in October. Also I might add, I’m happily retired though it doesn’t sound like it does it? I am. It’s kind of neat. In fact I love that as an actor being your job then it’s looking for a job. That’s what you do and you do it seven days a week, fourteen hours a day and I’m glad to not have to do that anymore. A lot of people send me scripts and I read them and it’s any good or if there’s something in it that I like then I take it from there. I don’t actively look for work anymore. That’s what I considered to be retired. I’m really enjoying it and I enjoy playing with my granddaughter.

Q: You’re an associate producer in your latest film Dick Johnson & Tommygun vs. The Cannibal Cop. Is producing, writing, or directing something that you might venture into in the near future?

A: Not producing per say. I don’t know enough about it and I don’t really have much of an interest in that. There are films that I’ve worked on where I’ve taken an associate producer role just to take the credit more than anything else. I may have helped out a little bit with technical advice or something. As for directing, I don’t think that I’m qualified. I’ve had a very good career on the dumb side of the camera. I think that’s where I belong. Although I did direct a few scenes in a movie that Tim Quill and I were in called Elder Island. The director decided that he wanted to play a part in the movie so I directed his scenes and it was kind of fun. Also it made me realize that I didn’t really know enough about it but it was fun to say action and cut but I really don’t know enough about it. In writing that is something that I’ve done quite a lot of but mostly for my own self amusement or amazement I should say. I’m not going to say that I’ll never write anything because I might. I think about it every once in a while.

I’ve also been involved in music in the last four or five years with an incredibly gifted musician named Tim O’ Saben who is in the St. Louis area. He and I have recorded thirty-nine songs now which is taking up quite a bit of time but I have an incredible amount of fun doing it. Basically Tim will write the music and play the instruments and he plays just about everything. I’ll write the lyrics and then we’ll record the music together. We’ve been doing that and having a lot of fun doing it. I actually met Tim at a horror convention and we got to talking about music and horror movies. He decided that the two went hand in hand very well so he wrote The Ballad of Jake & Bobby Joe and asked me if I’d be interested to go to St. Louis and record it and then doing the music video. We did that and it was a blast and after that we recorded another thirty-eight songs. Music was my first love before acting. Unfortunately I can’t play anymore. I have horrible peripheral neuropathy in my hands. Even picking up an instrument is painful. That doesn’t stop me from writing.

Danny Hicks reprises his role as Jake in the music video for The Ballad of Jake & Bobby Joe. (source)

Q: As an actor, is there any type of role that appeals to you the most or that you have the most fun with? Is there any role that you would like to take on in the future?

A: I’ll just do about any kind of role that I think is interesting. In fact the movie that I mentioned earlier Elder Island, they wanted me to play the police chief to which the role went to Tim Quill. I’ve done that before and I said you know I’ve done that role about ten times and I don’t want to do that again but this other guy and I can’t remember the character’s name right now.....Lucas. His name was Lucas. I told him that I would like to play this guy because he has no redeeming qualities. There’s nothing good about this man. I would love to play that role and they let me! It worked out pretty well. To answer your question, I think that I’ve played about every type of role that I would really want to and I’ll play any role that I find interesting.

Q: Thank you so much for your time with us Danny! Anything that you’d like to share with TDS followers?

A: No not really other than pay attention to this site! It has some incredible stuff! I’ve looked at The Deadite Slayer a few times and I always get a kick out of it so congratulations to you and I hope that you continue doing it. I appreciate all of the attention that you’re giving to me. I really do.

From left to right: Ted Raimi, Danny Hicks, Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry and Kassie Wesley DePaiva pose in for a photo taken at Wizard World. (source)

Thank you greatly to Danny Hicks for taking his time to do the interview for The Deadite Slayer!

Visit Danny’s IMDb page here.

Visit Danny’s official Facebook page here.

#Danny Hicks #Interview #Evil Dead 2 #Evil Dead II #Darkman #Intruder #My Name is Bruce

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musicchilton992-blog · 7 years

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Top 25 Films of 1987

It was fun going to the movies 30 years ago. Whether you loved drama, action, horror, or comedy, there was always something to find at the theater, and it was all original, especially when it came to genre films. Veteran filmmakers like Richard Donner, John McTiernan, and Paul Verhoeven were recalibrating the modern action film, while hungry visionaries such as Sam Raimi, Kathryn Bigelow, and Clive Barker were dreaming up new ways to scare audiences out of their seats. It was a very transitional time for the industry, both on the screen and behind the scenes, and this list captures that evolution.

Because really, all the talent behind every film on this list went on to do exceptional things or left a legacy that continues to impact the culture of cinema to this day. There's the debut of young screenwriting champ Shane Black and the penultimate film by Stanley Kubrick. There's a young Christian Bale earning his chops with Steven Spielberg and a wise Sean Connery mentoring a naive Kevin Costner. There's a pair of dancing lovers for the ages and a pair of misfit comics trying to get home for the holidays. In between and all around are movies demanding your attention, your popcorn, and your love.

Welcome to prime time, bitches.

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25. Dirty Dancing

Yeah, yeah, we know. From the clothes to the dancing to Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes' iconic soundtrack duet (I've Had) The Time of My Life, there's virtually nothing aboutDirty Dancingthat fails to positively exude cheese. But we'd be remiss to assemble a list of classic '87 movies without one of the most widely beloved films from that year, one immediately recognizable to even those who don't watch many movies, if any at all. Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey made their names on the dance-centric piece of late-summer escapism, even if their on-set chemistry may have ebbed and flowed dramatically through the film's production, and the climactic lift has become so synonymous with exaggerated romance that it's still known as the move fromDirty Dancingto all who've attempted it. Sure, it's an exaggerated melodrama full of era-specific kitsch and far,farmore time spent on an abortion subplot than you probably remember, but that plot is handled with unusual respect for the era, the onscreen chemistry between the leads smolders, and it's the kind of feel-good movie that stands the test of time for many viewers.

Besides, when it comes to a best-of-the-year list, nobody puts Baby in the corner. -Dominick Suzanne-Mayer __________________________________________________________

24. The Lost Boys

Long before Twilight, one film decided to take a highly logical yet under-explored concept (at the time) and run with it: What if vampires were cool? And we're not just talking about get-the-girl cool. We're talking Jim Morrison poster hanging in your cave, checkin' out shirtless saxophone bands, and bonfires at the beach cool. We're talking about Kiefer Sutherland and Bill from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure cool. But where many of the aspects of The Lost Boys serve as a relic, right down to the casting of both Coreys, Haim and Feldman, the film's joyous blend of horror and humor serve as a roadmap for many of the great genre skirters that would follow. Holding the film together are a number of memorable performances, including the always sturdy Dianne Wiest as a mother dipping her toes into dating and Jason Patric in his star-making turn as vampire protagonist. And while the story of a family that moves to a new town that happens to be the murder capital of the world is inviting enough, really the movie excels when it's resting on its attitude and world-building. It carefully decodes its rules for being a vampire, so when the climactic scenes and big reveals come by the end, the action can speak for itself. Also, bonus points for managing an all-time iconic movie poster. After The Lost Boys, vampires would regularly appear as cool-guy outsiders, but the possibility of joining them rarely felt this attractive. Philip Cosores

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23. The Witches of Eastwick

In a more considered age of criticism, talk of how poorly so many '80s films have aged tends to be a recurrent topic of conversation. The gender politics, the special effects, the frequently more exaggerated performances; you name it, it's derided by someone.The Witches of Eastwick, by contrast, may lean into its campy indulgences and its excessive visual flourishes alike, but George Miller's film about an unwitting coven of friends in Rhode Island is one of the few that may actually play better now than it once did. With Jack Nicholson as Daryl Van Horne, the central devil of the protagonists' dreams, Miller constructs a modern kind of horror: a handsome, silver-tongued man who knows how to get exactly what he wants, whenever he wants it, on little more than a whim. But when he's tasked with taking on Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer at once, as women smart enough to see through his deceptions? He never stood a chance. -Dominick Suzanne-Mayer __________________________________________________________

22. Radio Days

Sandwiched between September and Hannah and Her Sisters, Radio Days doesn't hit as heavy on the grandiose pathos, but delivers a homespun nostalgia that packs just as much of a punch in miniature. In the film, Woody Allen tells of his childhood obsession with radio stars, sharing the vision of his youth for all to see. It helps, of course, that he was able to recruit a cast filled with the likes of Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, Larry David, and Diane Keaton to make it all possible. Though the film tells a relatively small story, Allen makes it feel massive, a living tall tale blown up to fit a screen even larger than the young Allen could have ever imagined. Though he'd done plenty of work exploring his own biography, Radio Days is by far the most powerful and engaging of that subset of the legendary filmmaker's career.Lior Phillips __________________________________________________________

21. Withnail and I

Not long after its release, Withnail and I quickly gained cult status, likely because there are so many people who have both been drunk at some point and laughed at the very fact of existence. The blacker-than-black comedy is the kind of film that can derive as much emotional resonance from a particularly grimy bottle of red wine as it can a hopeless character quoting Hamlet. Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann shine as the title characters, downing glass after glass of alcohol (not to mention a shot of lighter fluid) and making each oppressive day feel a little more gray than the last. Even more insane? The story is largely autobiographical, adapted from a script by director Bruce Robinson. No wonder all the gritty lows, unending benders, and existential inanity come across so naturally. Even better, Grant is allegedly a non-drinker. I guess that's proof of the importance of writing. Lior Phillips __________________________________________________________

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