I have spent the past several years crowing about how the action genre is dead and has been taken over by sci-fi and comic book adaptations. The days of the “body count movie” were thought to be over (mainly due to increasing similarities between reality and fiction), but along comes… Continue reading
Rush Hour 3 is the reeling definition of a cash grab. 1998’s original was fun enough, but since it went on to make untold millions we’re now subjected to the sequel machine, which started with 2001’s dismal and largely unfunny Rush Hour 2. This third offering blatantly breaks my sequel… Continue reading
It’s always a frustrating predicament when the performances in a film are so unabashedly superior to its script that, on acting alone, it’s almost recommendable. Director Gregory Hoblit’s Fracture is such a specimen; a film whose lead performances, by Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling, are engaging and chock full of… Continue reading
Ah, another blown opportunity for a Michael Jordan documentary. After all, isn’t that what most people think of when they hear the number twenty-three? Do they really think about how that single number could be the key to unlocking every evil deed done in this world? If the number is… Continue reading
Ah, January: the twinge of cold in the air, football playoffs, snow days for the kids, and hands down the worst month of the year for movies. The annual dumping ground for all studios, January is traditionally a month of low returns and how-is-that-movie-number-one weekends. Fitting right in is Code… 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
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
Only Terrence Malick could get away with this. The legend of Malick is one I partially understand, but the holier-than-thou critical reputation he seems to revel in is completely overblown. The man has directed five films since 1969 but really made a name for himself with Badlands (1973) and Days… 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
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