The superhero genre has become so dark and self-serious, not to mention over-saturated, that it’s rapidly becoming a parody of itself. Guardians of the Galaxy seems aware of this and succeeds as a largely character and script-driven experience. Hardly any of the story is original, right down to the MacGuffin that… Continue reading
Writer/director Bobcat Goldthwait has become quite the daring and provocative filmmaker in his post-acting years. His God Bless America and World’s Greatest Dad are both biting satires and pitch black social commentaries on contemporary America. With Willow Creek, Goldthwait switches gears completely and explores the found footage horror sub-genre. It’s one… Continue reading
Given that it seems like a blank screen and a couple of loud roars would make any Godzilla movie superior to 1998’s Roland Emmerich debacle, one would think the cards would be stacked in director Gareth Edwards’s favor to bring the iconic monster back to the big screen with success.… Continue reading
Released in February of 1996 and grossing a respectable $70 million domestically, Broken Arrow is a true 90’s action film. Filled with bizarrely comedic dialogue, an over-the-top villain in John Travolta, and a whole lot of stuff blowing up real good (helicopters, hummers, trains, people), it’s best remembered as a… Continue reading
If you’ve been watching movies for any length of time, there’s no doubt you’ve heard the work of Hans Zimmer. One of the most prolific and popular musical score composers ever, Zimmer’s work dates back to the 1980’s but really took off in the 1990’s. More recently, he has scored… Continue reading
Pompeii may have razor-thin characters and the least-convincing romance of the past few years, but one thing it is not is boring. As sort of a cross between Dante’s Peak, Gladiator, and Titanic, it blows up people and ancient architecture as efficiently as any disaster movie could. There are plenty of… Continue reading
Kellan Lutz gets first billing in The Legend of Hercules, but it should probably go to the green screen instead. Looking dark (all the worse with 3D glasses), muddled, and ugly, the film is a total mess from both a story and acting standpoint. Only some unintentional (I think?) humor… Continue reading
Captain Richard Phillips: There’s got to be something other than being a fisherman or kidnapping people. Muse: Maybe in America, Irish, maybe in America. Captain Phillips is an astonishingly well-made thriller, and that’s saying something considering the majority of the audience already knows the ending. Perhaps the most suspenseful and… Continue reading
Frozen contains all of the timeless ingredients of Disney’s wildly successful past: royalty, magical powers, familial drama, and visual splendor. All of these elements feel familiar, but Frozen puts enough energy and witty spin on them to create something new and memorable. It won’t get any bonus points for breaking… Continue reading
Humans in peril has been a big theme at the movies this year, and the most bare-bones and frustrating survival story comes in the form of All Is Lost. Featuring virtually no dialogue other than a few guttural swear words and a character that we know very little about, All… Continue reading