It's time for a group evening at home watching movies! Break out the flannel pajamas (or choice footie jammies), a very very large bowl of popcorn slathered in all the added cholesterol you can muster, and pop a good show in the DVD player.

We're going to start the evening off with Gone in 60 Seconds...

Randall "Memphis" Raines (Nicolas Cage) used to be the best car thief in the business. He was good at it, he loved it, and had a crew of very talented people to help him get the job done. Then he packed up and left town and left his life of grand theft auto behind.

That is, until his brother Kip (Giovanni Ribisi) gets into the business and takes a job for a very nasty character. Kip and his team of amateurs bungle the job, so Memphis has to be called in for one last job before said nasty character puts his brother in a crusher...he has three days to arrange for the theft of fifty top-end cars, all of which have to be snagged in one night.

Add to the mix detective Roland Castlebeck (Delroy Lindo) who nearly caught Raines previously (and nearly busted the younger Raines as well) and now follows closely on their tails just watching for any suspicious move.

Also starring in this movie are such big names as Angelina Jolie, Robert Duvall, Christopher Eccleston, and many more.

Next we're going to pump up the action a little bit more with Con Air...

Nicolas Cage plays Cameron Poe, a man serving time for accidentally killing a man in defense of his wife (Monica Potter). He just got released and is on his way home to see his daughter for the very first time. Only, in order to get there he'll have to travel with a plane full of cons heading for a new high-security prison.

These are the most violent, most deranged men in all of society...and they have a plan to escape.

Poe is the only man on that plane who has a chance to stop the cons, but in order to do so he has to keep them convinced that he is one of them.

This film features even bigger names than the previous one, including John Cusack, John Malkovitch, Colm Meaney, Steve Buscemi, Dave Chappelle, and Danny Trejo.

So what did we enjoy here?

These are definite action flicks that most guys I know love (throw in Anjelina Jolie and you can't get their eyes peeled off the screen), but there is also some nice eye candy for the ladies...not very often you can get all that into a movie and still have superb acting, but that's the joy of having a budget equivalent to a small country's yearly income.

Personally, I'm one of those that also enjoys the action...high speed chases are great, but all the explosions in Con Air were definitely right up my alley.

For plots, Gone in 60 Seconds is based off an older movie, but the plot has been filled out to please a modern crowd. The ending is fairly predictable, but the details of how we get to that ending tend to surprise at every turn. Con Air's plot was fairly simplistic, but packed with action and the end came as a surprise.

As for the acting, I'm afraid to even hazard a guess about how many millions it cost to get all that great talent into each movie, but it sure paid off. The actors do a very convincing job in their roles, as always Danny Trejo shone in his element as a hardened convict, Steve Buscemi adds to his very wide range of roles, and of course Nicolas Cage was a whole lot of fun to watch.

Both movies have elements that make them inappropriate for children...Gone in 60 Seconds includes mild violence, one sexual scene, and some foul language...Con Air includes a LOT of violence, a LOT of foul language, and descriptions of each man's crimes that could give some kids nightmares for a week.

All in all, if you're looking for a couple of great movies, here they are. You have action, great acting, and well-executed plots for your viewing pleasure. I generally don't purchase two-packs because more often than not there is one movie I don't like or don't want to purchase at a given time...but every once in a while I'll run into a pair of movies I find so irresistible I can't help myself. These two movies have been on my favorites list since shortly after Gone in 60 Seconds came out in theaters (I was too young for Con Air when it was first released in 1997) and my husband loves them too, so this was an easy call to make.

Like good movies? See more in CaptainD's Good Movie Write-Off!

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older