"One man can make a difference," intones a dying millionaire-well, one man and a superduper car, backed with millions of dollars! Welcome to the deliciously ridiculous world of Knight Rider, the early '80s TV series that launched the career of David Hasselhoff and his magnificent coif (both later seen in the insanely popular Baywatch). After being shot in the face, detective Michael Long is revived as Michael Knight (Hasselhoff) and partnered with an indestructible talking car called K. I. T. T. (voiced by William Daniels). The duo travel around the country solving crimes-basically, it's The Lone Ranger with the car as Silver and Tonto combined. Supported by finicky British executive Devon Myles (Edward Mulhare, actually an Irishman) and sexy engineer Bonnie Barstow (Patricia McPherson), Knight and K. I. T. [+]

Tremors didn't actually break any new ground (even though its tunnelling worm monsters certainly did), but it revved up the classic monster-movie formulas of the 1950s with such energetic enthusiasm and humour that it made everything old seem new again. It's also got a cast full of enjoyable actors who clearly had a lot of fun making the film, and director Ron Underwood strikes just the right balance of comedy and terror as a band of small-town rednecks battles a lot of really nasty-looking giant worms. The special effects are great, the one-liners fly fast and furious between heroes Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward (and yes, that's country star Reba McEntire packin' awesome firepower), and it's all done with the kind of flair one rarely associates with goofy monster flicks like this. -Jeff Shannon, Amazon. com.

Fans of Armageddon might see one or two resemblances between that 1998 box office hit and Hellfighters, a 1968 action film by Andrew V. McLaglen, one of John Wayne's favourite directors in his late career. (Their joint ventures included Chisum, Cahill: United States Marshal, and McLintock!) Wayne plays an oil well firefighter in the mold of Red Adair, turning up anywhere in the world where a geyser of fire is shooting up from a once-profitable gusher. His right-hand man (Jim Hutton) has questionable judgment about safety matters and is a scoundrel with the ladies-and neither fact is lost on Wayne when Hutton's character marries his long-lost daughter (Katharine Ross, a mere year after The Graduate). The film is an early entry in the disaster-meets-soap-opera genre that flourished in the '70s with such titles as The Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure. McClaglen gets a lot of crackle out of his action scenes (many of the firefighting sequences are still startling in their intensity) and turns twin love stories (Hutton and Ross, Wayne and Vera Miles) into frothy studies of adult manners, with equal hints of Howard Hawks and Sidney Sheldon. -Tom Keogh.

X-Men 2 picks up almost directly where X-Men left off: misguided super-villain Magneto (Ian McKellen) is still a prisoner of the US government, heroic bad-boy Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is up in Canada investigating his mysterious origin, and the events at Liberty Island (which occurred at the conclusion of X-Men) have prompted a rethink in official policy towards mutants-the proposed Mutant Registration Act has been shelved by US Congress. Into this scenario pops wealthy former army commander William Stryker, a man with the President's ear and a personal vendetta against all mutant-kind in general, and the X-Men's leader Professor X (Patrick Stewart) in particular. Once he sets his plans in motion, the X-Men must team-up with their former enemies Magneto and Mystique (Rebecca Romjin-Stamos), as well as some new allies (including Alan Cumming's gregarious, blue-skinned German mutant, Nightcrawler). The phenomenal global success of X-Men meant that director Bryan Singer had even more money to spend on its sequel, and it shows. Not only is the script better (there's significantly less cheesy dialogue than the original), but the action and effects are also even more stupendous-from Nightcrawler's teleportation sequence through the White House to a thrilling aerial dogfight featuring mutants-vs-missiles to a military assault on the X-Men's school/headquarters to the final showdown at Stryker's sub-Arctic headquarters. Yet at no point do the effects overtake the film or the characters. Moreso than the original, this is an ensemble piece, allowing each character in its even-bigger cast at least one moment in the spotlight (in fact, the cast credits don't even run until the end of the film). And that, perhaps, is part of its problem (though it's a slight one): with so much going on, and nary a recap of what's come before, it's a film that could prove baffling to anyone who missed the first instalment. But that's just a minor quibble-X-Men 2 is that rare thing, a sequel that's actually superior to its predecessor. -Robert Burrow.

Among a plethora of recent Asian "street movies", most of them little more than action sequences with MTV-like backdrops, Bangkok Dangerous stands out. Its harsh amalgam of guns, sex and crime is typical of the genre, but Danny and Oxide Pang have put together more than just a filmed video game. The comradeship between Kong, deaf mute and quick-witted hit man, and Joe, accident-blighted marksman turned mentor, is strong enough to withstand whatever the city can throw at them. The love element, in which Kong falls for the wide-eyed chemist's assistant Fon, hardly detracts from the violence and mayhem, but is enough to make Kong face up to his existence on the margins of society and his inability to choose another course. As high-impact as the visuals are, it's the balance between stasis and dynamism-with virtuoso camera work and editing-that makes for compulsive filmmaking. On the DVD: Bangkok Dangerous has an anamorphic widescreen picture that gives the visuals a garish immediacy. English subtitles are included, as are a selection of promo pictures and filmographies for the Pang brothers and star Pawalit Mongkolpisit. Mark Wyatt's film notes set the background succinctly, but an interview with either or both of the Pangs, or a location feature would have been even more welcome as context. As it is, those drawn to the idea of hard-hitting action with substance will not be disappointed. -Richard Whitehouse.

John Lasseter and his gang of high-tech creators at Pixar create another entertainment for the ages. Like the handful of other great movie sequels, Toy Story 2 comments on why the first one was so wonderful while finding a fresh angle worthy of a new film. The craze of toy collecting becomes the focus here, as we find out Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) is not only a beloved toy to Andy but also a rare doll from a popular 60s children's show. When a greedy collector takes Woody, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) launches a rescue mission with Andy's other toys. To say more would be a crime because this is one of the most creative and smile-inducing films since, well, the first Toy Story. Although the toys look the same as in the 1994 feature, Pixar shows how much technology has advanced: the human characters look more human, backgrounds are superior, and two action sequences that book-end the film are dazzling. And it's a hoot for kids and adults. The film is packed with spoofs, easily accessible in-jokes and inspired voice casting (with newcomer Joan Cusack especially a delight as Cowgirl Jessie). But as the Pixar canon of films illustrates, the filmmakers are storytellers first. Woody's heart-tugging predicament can easily be translated into the eternal debate of living a good life versus living for forever. [+]