The X-Men series has been one of a handful of comic book-to-silver screen adaptations that I have truly been able to get into. Perhaps it’s because of the human traits inherent in each “mutant” character, or maybe it’s that the franchise uses the word “mutant” with such seriousness. Regardless, the… Continue reading
Whether intentional or not, the original “Poseidon” (1972’s The Poseidon Adventure) was a cheesy good time. Star-studded and over-the-top, the film virtually invented the “who’s going to die next?” way of thinking that dominates so many of today’s films. I’m surprised that a remake has taken this long to surface… Continue reading
Horrors of War may be fiction, but in dealing with Hitler’s human experiments during WWII, nothing seems too far-fetched. The film is a pleasantly ambitious smörgåsbord of genres. Filmed entirely in the state of Ohio (a fact I note because this is a very rare occurrence), the film dishes up… Continue reading
It’s now official: The Mission: Impossible movie franchise has to be comprised of three of the most mediocre big budget films I’ve ever seen. Brian De Palma stayed true to the TV show’s form in 1996’s original, but the labyrinthine plot frustrated many moviegoers. So Honk Kong explosion master John… Continue reading
How the era of computer animated films has changed in just the past few years. When the original Ice Age was released back in 2002, the genre was virtually unstoppable. Every offering was not only a box office cash cow, but also quite inventive and fun. I was not a… Continue reading
V for Vendetta, directed by James McTeigue and written by the Wachowski Brothers (of The Matrix fame), is an endlessly ballsy comic book adaptation that is sly and smart – something that more and more comic book films are becoming these days. The film is bound to offend those sensitive… Continue reading
16 Blocks is a film run ragged from simply trying to accomplish too much. Part lean thrilling machine and part overdone drama, the film is probably the longest 105 minutes in recent memory. The usual aberrations creep into the picture as it uncoils from its intriguing setup, and those include… Continue reading
Perhaps the genre of joyously absurd action films isn’t dead quite yet. Underworld: Evolution borders on taking itself too seriously from a narrative standpoint, but the marriage of a complete disregard for science as we know it and kooky overacting by Bill Nighy saves the film from a grisly F-grade… Continue reading
If we’re lucky we get one film a year that has the action, humor, heart, and colossal appeal of King Kong. The story and message are both timeless, and it’s likely that many audiences worldwide will leave the theater exclaiming that they’ve never seen anything like this before. Of all… Continue reading
Halle Berry in Catwoman, Jennifer Garner in Elektra, and now Charlize Theron in Aeon Flux. They’re dropping like flies to this wild and crazy genre of female superheroes, a genre which has produced films that are so truly, god awfully bad that one can only gaze into the night sky… Continue reading