Sin City is a cornucopia of violence, grit, and attitude. Many will feel unclean after viewing the film’s stylized and hypnotic ballets of gruesomeness. They don’t call it “Sin City” for nothing. Writer/director Robert Rodriguez has been lobbying to get author Frank Miller’s graphic novel stories to the big screen… Continue reading
I saw Off the Map last night, and what a strange night it was. I had been in a pretty lousy mood all day, but I was looking forward to the screening of the film. While parallel parking at the theater, my passenger side rear view mirror got snagged on… Continue reading
The phenomenal success of 2002’s The Ring confuses me to this day. For the life of me I could not buy into the film’s preposterous story of a video tape that kills people one week after viewing it. During the screening I attended of the film I had to oftentimes… Continue reading
Seeing Bollywood-inspired films make their way into American theaters is a refreshing thing. I was relatively unfamiliar with Bollywood until I saw Edward Jordon and Donald Farmer’s highly enjoyable Bollywood and Vine. Bollywood is a region in India that produces about three times the quantity of cinema product that Hollywood… Continue reading
The Jacket is a terrific exercise in energy, storytelling, and exploring the supernatural. For those viewers who are patient, there is nary a dull moment in this puzzler that successfully meshes elements from all different genres. The outcome is a visceral aural experience coupled with a premise and denouement that… Continue reading
There seems to be a relatively new undeclared law in Hollywood for some films, particularly sequels. These are the movies that have such awful scripts that the studios think they can cover up the whole mess with loads of star power. 2004’s The Whole Ten Yards is a fine example… Continue reading
The degradation of the horror genre through taming it for the teens and pre-teens has to have the horror community at its wits end by now. Gone are the days of mainstream blood-soaked, sleep-with-the-lights-on tales of terror. You know the genre is in dire shape when one of the founders… Continue reading
Ong-bak is a grueling exercise in martial arts style. Proudly touting the absence of stunt personnel, special effects, and safety measures, Ong-bak is one of the most convincing martial arts films I have seen. The fights and chases ooze an authenticity that makes up for the lackluster and ridiculously underdeveloped… Continue reading
Diary of a Mad Black Woman is two different movies in one, with neither working particularly well. On one hand we have a ridiculously heavy-handed drama involving a woman, her rich, abusive husband, and the morally flawless man who wants to be her “knight in shining armor.” Yes, that line… Continue reading
Constantine turns the tables on the comic book adaptations of late that are all show and no substance. Here we have a film that is willing to dress itself up with an interesting and exciting story while at the same time still retaining the incredible special effects that we have… Continue reading