The mixing of the Western and sci-fi genres is nothing new. It goes back at least as far as when Singing Cowboy Gene Autry descended into the super-advanced underground civilization of Murania in the kooky but fun 1935 serial The Phantom Empire. Over the years, it’s been done with varied success, ranging from the “James [...]
Read MorePlaying writer Robert E. Howard’s fictional warrior convincingly requires one to possess big muscles, skill with a sword and, apparently, a thick Austrian accent. Because while Jason Momoa, who assumes the title role in this new version of Conan the Barbarian, meets the first two requirements, the film suffers immeasurably for his not being Arnold [...]
Read MoreBellflower is not for everyone. If you don’t like violence, forget about Bellflower. If you need a linear narrative, forget about Bellflower. If neither of these is a problem, why haven’t you seen Bellflower yet?
Read MoreThe funny thing about writing movie reviews for DVD releases is that I’ve often read multiple other critics’ take on the film I’m reviewing, usually months before I start composing my own thoughts. I’m not troubled by the possibility of being influenced by them opinion-wise, but sometimes I do see patterns in the way certain [...]
Read MoreWhen I saw Captain America: The First Avenger on opening day last July in a packed theater, forced to sit in the very front row, slouching down in my seat so as to not permanently damage my neck while looking up at the screen, I thought it was very good, but not great. Now, after [...]
Read MoreImagine for a moment that, back in 2002, when Steven Spielberg was tweaking E.T., instead of changing all the guns into walkie-talkies, he added more guns. And maybe more aliens, too, making them considerably less friendly (and presumably rather less intelligent). And set everything at night in an already-sinister London housing block? To top it [...]
Read MoreNeither as mediocre or overlong as the original film, nor as convoluted and overblown as the second and third installments, On Stranger Tides instead rights the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise by finally being as light, funny and wholly entertaining as star Johnny Depp still is while playing Captain Jack Sparrow.
Read MoreThere was a time when people thought Kevin Smith was going to change the face of movies as we know them. He didn’t, and as evidenced by his new film Red State, he never will.
Read MoreThere’s nothing about Fast Five that’s going to change your mind about action movies. If you’re not a fan, don’t approach this box, as the sheer volume of non-stop action will probably upset you just by standing near it. If you are an action fan however, rent this.
Read MoreTransformers: Dark of the Moon, the third entry in director Michael Bay’s trio of colossal, rock ‘em-sock ‘em-blast ‘em action epics about giant shape-changing robots, is much like its predecessors: long, loud and ludicrous. Critics faintly praised it as being a slightly better experience than the first two flicks, but honestly, I don’t know how [...]
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