The World In Film Blog-a-Thon

Alan at The Great Movie Project --- who is insane enough to post a movie review every damn day --- set up this challenge:   

Pretend you’re taking a geography class and your instructor wants you to pick a movie that is set (or filmed) in one of each of the seven continents: Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America. The movies do not have to be “authentic” but they should be reasonable facsimiles of the continents. They can be in any language, any country, any genre, and feel free to sub-theme these movies in any way that grabs your fancy. 

 Okay, challenge accepted!  My theme is...drumroll, please...pretty please?...BAD-ASS!

Africa - Casablanca (1942)

Yes, it's a romance.  No, Rick doesn't rough people up.  But Rick is a freedom fighter that put The Cause before his own happiness and took it like a man.  A really, really cool man that didn't need to get physical to fight.

Antarctica - The Thing (1982)

For this continent, I could have picked Alien Vs. Predator or Whiteout --- but they both suck.  And The Thing is awesome.  I don't frequently praise Kurt Russell's acting (aside from the awesomeness that is Big Trouble in Little China), but he is about as macho as you can get here.  First hint that he's a bad-ass: he doesn't crap his pants when the dog monster appears.

Asia - Fist of Fury AKA The Chinese Connection (1972)

Apparently, this movie changed its name and I never noticed.  Bruce Lee is the ultimate martial arts bad-ass, but this is the film where he kicks an entire dojo's ass.  I've always wondered what those last seven or eight guys are thinking: "Well, he beat the hell out of the best of us with his bare hands, and now he has nun chucks flying faster than my eye can follow.  Attack!!!"   Idiots.

Australia - The Road Warrior (1981)

Like American children dream of becoming astronauts and reality televisions stars, I assume all good Australian children want to grow up to be Mad Max.  While the first movie was a pretty sweet B-movie, The Road Warrior is about 30 different types of bad-ass.  To sum up the film, Max defeats a hockey mask-wearing monologuist and a mohawked berserker with assless chaps.  Bad-ass vs. bad (and bare) ass.

Europe - The Third Man (1949)

 

 I know he's not the hero, but Orson Welles is so good in this movie, and his speech on the ferris wheel is chilling.  Bad-ass villain.

North America- In Like Flint (1967)

Flint invents things in his spare time and writes textbooks, and is an adventurer, and maintains a small harem.  He also has learned how to speak to dolphins.  'Nuff said.

South America - Mega Piranha (2010)

Putting the "bad" in "bad-ass," these fish are so bad that they defy logic, science, and common sense.  This movie is so bad (ass) it's nearly perfect.