Arnold Schwarzenegger has always been the quintessential larger-than-life action star, commanding the screen with explosive charisma and iconic one-liners in films like Commando (1985), Predator (1987), and The Terminator (1984). With Sabotage (2014), however, Schwarzenegger steps into murkier territory—an ultra-violent, morally ambiguous crime thriller that trades the fun, over-the-top escapism of his earlier films for gritty realism and nihilistic brutality. Directed by David Ayer (End of…
By 2013, the golden era of ’80s action heroes was long gone, but Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger had found ways to keep their legendary names alive in modern Hollywood. Escape Plan serves as a team-up vehicle for these two titans, promising a prison-break thriller that capitalizes on their combined star power. Directed by Mikael Håfström, the movie offers a handful of fun moments and a…
The Last Stand marked Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first starring role after his tenure as the Governor of California, and it seemed designed to reintroduce him as the action hero fans loved in The Terminator (1984) and Commando (1985). Directed by South Korean filmmaker Kim Jee-woon, the movie mixes high-octane shootouts, small-town charm, and a touch of humor. Throw Johnny Knoxville into the mix as comic relief, and…
By the time The Expendables 2 hit theaters in 2012, the idea of reuniting every major action star of the ‘80s and ‘90s had lost some of its novelty. The first Expendables (2010) was a fun but flawed celebration of testosterone-fueled mayhem, weighed down by tonal inconsistency and a meandering plot. With The Expendables 2, director Simon West doubles down on the nostalgia, leaning hard into…
Check out a preview from the book ASIA: You can download the iBook version for the iPhone and iPad free of charge right here: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/533526/Asia-by_Jakob_Montrasio.epub You can download the book directly if you open the link from an iPhone or iPad. If you download it with a computer, just import it into iTunes afterwards and sync it to your device. You can also order a beautiful…
Nowadays it's rare that you miss out on something, thanks to the internet and its many sudden notification systems. The more stunned I was when I stumbled upon "Empire Avenue", which is an awesome stock market simulation. The twist is, you are a stock, and so are you friends. Those mentioned achievements are lots of fun, and keep the game interesting. After a while, you don't…
I've been so busy in the last months that I even forgot to post this music "Kiss You Again" video which we shot. It was finished in the beginning of August, days before I flew to Japan to shoot Souls of Zen, so I completely lost track of everything due to the jetlag, shoot and unavailable internet connection in Japan. We shot it with two Canon…
Since Monday, I've been working while standing. No more seat for me. There are various reasons for this, among the top ones are my (over-)weight as well as the back pain that I had in Japan from shooting handheld and with a six kilogram heavy steadistick so much. I've read about the benefits of working while standing some month ago and wondered all the time if…
Check out the teaser trailer to my upcoming documentary "Souls of Zen - Ancestors and Agency in Contemporary Japanese Temple Buddhism": You can visit the official website at www.soulsofzen.com and stay updated through our Facebook page.
