Welcome back, Marty. After trying to score Oscars for Gangs of New York and The Aviator (both solid films, don’t get me wrong), Martin Scorsese is back to the old stomping grounds with The Departed. You know the good stuff: crooks, double-crosses, mafia, brutal violence, corrupt cops, colorful language, the… Continue reading
At last, a film that lives up to the hype. This summer has been bogged down with overblown, effects-driven messes that, frankly, haven’t been that entertaining. By now many folks are familiar with the story behind Snakes on a Plane: the title change, the ridiculous premise, the fans, the rating… Continue reading
Now we’re getting somewhere. Monster House plays like a living, breathing entity: it’s loaded with humor, spirit, scares, and even has an oddly touching side. This is full-fledged get-lost-in-the-story material and it’s easy to do so since nearly everyone grew up with that scary-looking house in the neighborhood that seemingly… Continue reading
“I’m Al Gore and I used to be the next President of the United States.” So it goes every time Gore begins his global warming slide show presentation; a presentation that he has given over one thousand times, according to himself. Global warming has always been Gore’s bread and butter,… Continue reading
There is a scene in DreamWorks Animation’s Over the Hedge when Hammy (voiced by Steve Carell), an already-hyperactive squirrel, chugs a can of the most caffeinated cola on the market. Time literally stands still, everyone else moves in slow motion, and Hammy accomplishes his mission. This scene alone is worth… Continue reading
Redefining a genre is a nearly impossible task these days. With the current state of Hollywood, that which plays it ridiculously safe and treats us all like morons most of the time, one will usually find themselves feeling completely blindsided when a film of true originality comes around. Enter Inside… Continue reading
The World’s Fastest Indian is a treasure of a film; a true rarity in today’s quick cash grabs market. The trailers would lead one to believe that the film is squarely aimed at racing techies preoccupied with souping up their rusted heap in the backyard, but Burt Munro (Hopkins) is… Continue reading
What a beautiful film. That’s what I kept thinking throughout Brokeback Mountain, a film that will stay with you for many days – and for many reasons. Out of all the attempts at realistic love stories we see each year, it’s actually quite a rarity to find one that hits… 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
Is there a day that goes by anymore where we don’t hear about a suicide bombing somewhere in the world? It seems as though this has become a rejuvenated, popular practice, particularly in the Middle East. We read the headlines and shake our heads, moving on to the next depressing… Continue reading