21 Eyes is an independent film experiment of the do-or-die nature. Had the film gone awry, it would just be classified as a gimmick-gone-wrong. Since it succeeds for the most part, it is an innovative take on the sparsely populated mystery genre. When you sit back and think about all… 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
As some faithful readers may recall, director Alexandre Aja’s big studio feature film debut, 2003’s High Tension, had me bug-eyed for several days after the screening. I cautiously rounded the corners of my apartment, as if I was waiting for the guy with hamburger meat for a face to attack… Continue reading
Many people are afraid of death and that’s likely the reason so many also like to laugh about it. Laughing at things to which we are afraid is a defense mechanism, and perhaps no movie franchise in the history of film has played up that response more effectively than the… Continue reading
Something New doesn’t entirely live up to its title, but as yet another fish in the sea of romantic comedies, often the most misfired films in Hollywood, it gets the job done for couples in search of a Valentine’s Day cinema fix. It doesn’t resort to idiotic and poorly executed… Continue reading
I love family films that are not condescending. Today’s kids are subjected to, for the most part, recycled tripe that probably even seems old to them by now. Nanny McPhee contains all of the key ingredients of a successful family film as well as some off-the-wall and edgy British humor.… Continue reading
The underdog sports film is the most dependable of all. Whether based on true events or simply a tale of a ragtag team who wins the big game, the genre seemingly has crowds standing an applauding no matter how clichéd and tired it gets. Basketball has been the sports flavor… Continue reading
Johnny Slade’s Greatest Hits is a thoroughly entertaining mob satire that is joyously campy. That’s welcome in my book since we have had some fairly rotten entries into this genre over the past few years. The story is one that could have run dry and overstayed its welcome in a… Continue reading
Oh, those crazy snowboarders. How vividly I remember joining the sixth grade ski club, having never worn a ski in my life, and being terrorized by their kind. They seemed bound and determined to bury me alive in snow, and I made it all the easier since the only way… Continue reading
Just Friends is the first film in recent memory where literally every scene ends with someone sustaining an injury that, if it wasn’t just a movie, would land them in the hospital for weeks, maybe months. The film is loaded with slapstick and a surprisingly mean demeanor, but it’s edgy… Continue reading