Screen Rant

Padraig Cotter-Senior Staff Writer

Padraig Cotter

Senior Staff Writer

February, 2017
Western, Horror, James Bond
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About Padraig Cotter

Padraig is a Senior Features Writer and has been part of Screen Rant since 2017. Padraig is a writer, editor and retired Game of Thrones extra who has been writing about movies and TV online for over a decade. He has also written for The Irish Times, Den Of Geek, Little White Lies and many more. It's pronounced Paw-rick, BTW.

Industry Focus

Padraig's main areas of expertise include the horror, action, sci-fi and spy genres. For Screen Rant, he tends to write about the Bond and Alien franchises, Resident Evil, Halloween, The Expendables, Rick And Morty, Yellowstone, Frasier, 24, Reacher, in addition to the enduring works of Sylvester Stallone, Clint Eastwood, Arnold Schwarzenegger and John Carpenter.

Favorite Media

A child of the '90s, Padraig has an almost bottomless list of favorite movies, TV shows, books and video games. Things were never the same after watching Jaws, and other beloved works include The Thing, Ghostbusters, Batman, Die Hard, Red Dwarf, Terminator, Alien, Halloween, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, the Bond series, the films of John Woo and so on.

Latest

Jason Statham as Luke pointing a gun at the camera in Safe
This Underrated Jason Statham Thriller Contains A Prototype John Wick Action Scene

A forgotten Jason Statham action thriller from the 2010s featured an early example of John Wick-style "Gun Fu" during a major fight scene.

Jamie Lee Curtis being attacked by a ghost in The Fog's poster
"It Was Terrible": How John Carpenter Saved This Classic 1980 Ghost Story With Massive Reshoots

An early cut of a classic John Carpenter horror movie was so bad that it inspired the filmmaker to reshoot a large portion to rescue it.

Michael-Clarke-Duncan-as-Coffy-in-The-Green-Mile-1
The Best Stephen King Adaptations Aren't Actually Horror Movies

Stephen King might be the King of Horror, but it's bizarre that the best movies adapted from his novels tend to be based on his dramas.

Gabriel Luna as Rev 9 in Terminator Dark Fate
I Can't Forgive Terminator For Wasting The Movies' Most Powerful Villain

The Terminator movies have had some great villains, but I'm still annoyed by how much the most powerful foe was totally wasted on this sequel.

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Josh Hartnett as Eben next to burning cars in 30 Days of Night
This Fan-Favorite Vampire Movie Wasn't Originally A Hit With Critics: "If Your Movie Is A Joke, At Least Be Intentionally Funny"

A bloody vampire movie from 2007 is held in high regard now, but it was slammed by critics upon release for being too violent and serious.

Jonathan Groff as Agent Smith in a poster for The Matrix Resurrections
The Matrix Franchise's Worst Movie Is Made Clear By One Specific Scene

The Matrix Resurrections has many flaws, but there is one deeply underwhelming action sequence that underlines the sequel's biggest issue.

John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn on his horse in True Grit
"We Ought To Do A Movie, Kid": Why Clint Eastwood ed On The 1969 Western That Won John Wayne His Only Oscar

John Wayne was once very eager to work with Cilnt Eastwood, only for the younger star to reject one of Wayne's best Westerns from 1969.

Jean Claude Van Damme on the poster for Sudden Death
Jean-Claude Van Damme Got His Own Die Hard Movie With This Must-Watch 1990s Action Film

The 1990s saw many action stars trying their own version of Die Hard, and an underrated Jean-Claude Van Damme action movie is one of the best.

Donald Pleasence on the poster for John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness
John Carpenter Called This 1980s Fantasy Horror His Most Underrated Movie, And I Have To Agree

John Carpenter has labeled this 1987 horror movie as his most underrated, and I think this film is among the director's most terrifying.

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Sylvester Stallone holds his wounded shoulder in Rambo (2008)
Sylvester Stallone Called This 2008 Film "The Best Action Movie I've Ever Done"

Sylvester Stallone has labeled this 2008 sequel as the best action movie he's ever made, but his choice may come as a surprise to fans.

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This-Failed-Sylvester-Stallone-Franchise-Starter-Is-An-Unofficial-Remake-Of-Clint-Eastwood's-1971-Classic
This Failed Sylvester Stallone Franchise-Starter Is An Unofficial Remake Of Clint Eastwood's 1971 Classic

A hyperviolent action movie that Sylvester Stallone was hoping would launch a franchise also quietly remade Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry.

3
Campbell-Scott-as-Dodgson-in-Jurassic-World-Dominion
The Lost World Set Up A Jurassic Park Villain Twist That Took 25 Years To Pay Off

The Lost World dropped a certain Jurassic Park villain from the story, which only set up their eventual return to the series nearly 30 years later.

A composite image of Atlas holding up a card in front of Atlas, Henley, and Merritt standing together in a promo image for Now You See Me
Now You See Me: Now You Don't - Release Date, Cast, Story, Trailer & Everything We Know

Now You See Me 3 was announced in 2016 and though news was silent for a long time, exciting updates are finally pouring in about the threequel.

Predator timeline prey naru royce predators
Predator Complete Movie Timeline Explained

The Predator movie franchise covers five main entries and two crossover films, and here's its tangled timeline and continuity explained.

Why-Anna-Kendrick-Isn't-In-The-ant-2
Why Anna Kendrick Isn't In The ant 2

While most of the original cast is returning for The ant 2, Anna Kendrick's Dana is noticeably absent but there's a story reason for that.

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A custom collage image of three stills from The Place Beyond The Pines - created by Tom Russell
The Place Beyond The Pines Soundtrack: Every Song In The Movie

The Place Beyond The Pines is a 2013 drama with an all-star cast, and here's a rundown of every song featured on the movie's soundtrack.

insidious ghost bride in black
Every Appearance By Insidious' "Bride In Black" Ghost

Insidious' "Bride in Black" was one of the scariest villains of the original movie, and here's how many times the spirit has appeared in the series.

Ana de Armas in action pose in Ballerina with Mel Gibson as Cormac O'Connor from The Continental
Ballerina Can Finally Deliver On The Exciting Action Brawl John Wick's Forgotten Prequel Failed To

Ballerina will see Ana de Armas' Eve fight a town of assassins, and it can deliver on an action concept the franchise's prequel failed to.

 Tom Cruise looking angry as Jack Reacher and Alan Ritchson smirking as Reacher
It Took 3 Seasons, But The Reacher TV Series Has Now Fully Eclipsed Tom Cruise's Movie Version

Tom Cruise's Jack Reacher movie used to have two big advantages over Amazon's Reacher - until the third season beat it in those areas, too.

1
Liam Neeson from Naked Gun 2025 with Mike Myers as Austin Powers
Liam Neeson's Legacy Sequel 32 Years In The Making Can Finally Resurrect A Hollywood Genre We Could Use More Of

An Liam Neeson action-comedy legacy sequel can revive one of Hollywood's oldest subgenres, which has fallen on hard times in recent years.

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