And now for something different. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is a marriage of old film noir elements with more modern black comedy techniques, and the result is an occasionally funny and entertaining film that ultimately tries too hard and cannot maintain the breakneck pace that the first act antes up.… Continue reading
Zathura will undoubtedly be compared to 1995’s Jumanji, and for good reason, at least topically. Both stories concern a board game with magical powers and an undeniable gift for dropping unsuspecting youths in a land of very good special effects. But what Zathura has, and what ultimately makes it a… Continue reading
It’s been seven years since The Mask of Zorro was released, thus making The Legend of Zorro an immediate violator of my sequel rule. Just to refresh, the rule says that any sequel that is made more than five years after its original (or previous sequel) is destined for disaster.… Continue reading
Let’s cut to the chase. The video game-film adaptation genre is perhaps the worst in the history of Hollywood. Time after time we are let down by these genre films, so why in the world would Doom, based upon the groundbreaking video game, be any different? We have Andrzej Bartkowiak,… Continue reading
I had this horrible dream the night after I watched Domino. The Earth was being taken out War of the Worlds-style, complete with tripods shooting lasers, turning people and buildings into dust. After the demolition was complete, one of the pesky extraterrestrials descended into the last film vault left to… Continue reading
Into the Blue is that rare breed of bad movie where you can’t laugh at it (at least much), you can’t feel sorry for it, but all you can really do is stare, bug-eyed, at the screen and watch as millions of dollars are hurled at us in the form… Continue reading
The Man is a smörgåsbord of bits taken from infinitely better films, numbering far too many to name here. The only thing keeping its head above water is the presence of two fine actors in Samuel L. Jackson and Eugene Levy. How depressing it is to see them in something… Continue reading
The days of the “good” bad movie are long over, and Stealth serves as a powerful punch to the stomach to remind us of that. This is a film that is decked out with all the trimmings and should have enshrined itself as an eternal laugher for college kids who… Continue reading
Since his mainstream directorial efforts commenced exactly one decade ago, director Michael Bay has hardly been known for his subtlety. With unthinkable budgets and resources at his disposal over the years, Bay has singlehandedly destroyed what has to be the equivalent of two or three large cities in ordinance. Undoubtedly… Continue reading
Ah, Gotham. The city where no one has an umbrella when there’s a torrential downpour. The city of mass corruption. The city in need of a hero, a symbol, and hope. Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins is a masterstroke of creativity, excitement, and sheer cinematic bliss. This is a film that… Continue reading