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I would never accuse disaster master Roland Emmerich of possessing nuance, or even style, for that matter, but he who gave us Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow sure knows how to put on a show. I mean, in 2012, his latest end-of-the-world extravaganza, he destroys the White House with nothing less than an [...]

Although a certain esteemed colleague of mine would vehemently disagree with my opinion, I think my favorite character in The Informant! would probably have to be the hilariously Laugh-In inspired, assorted Americana-flavored score by national treasure/composer Marvin Hamlisch. I found the music served to keep a consistently absurdist tone throughout what might otherwise have been [...]

I never much cared for director Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko, with its trippy time travel and cryptic-creepy rabbit, and liked his nonsensical Southland Tales even less. His seeming need for his films to be illogical eventually plagues The Box, too, turning what starts out as an intriguing and easy-to-grasp sci-fi parable into yet another mind-bending [...]

Every time I’ve chopped wood or watched anyone else do it, the basic motion is the same. The axe hangs slack, then swings back and behind the body in a sweeping arc over the head and down, splitting the log in two and embedding itself slightly on the block. It is a movement that mixes [...]

The latest film from Pusher director Nicolas Winding Refn, Bronson tells the story of Michael Peterson (aka Charles Bronson) the “most violent man” in British prison history. In what could be the best performance of the year, Tom Hardy plays Bronson, a lost soul who dreams of celebrity.

Surrogates is a super slick serving of sci-fi nonsense starring Bruce Willis and directed by Jonathan Mostow that tries to sell us on the idea that there ain’t nothin’ like the real thing, baby, when it comes to humanity yet ends up being about as emotionally warm as an iceberg.

The exotic-sounding title of this seriously second-rate spaceship flick starring Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster refers to a fictional but violent psychological condition that sets in after too much time in suspended animation. I experienced some violent feelings of my own as the end credits rolled–and had a few choice words–having plunked down $10 to [...]

Gamer, directed by “visionary” Crank team Neveldine/Taylor, stars Gerard Butler as Kable, a convicted felon “persuaded” to join “Slayers.” “Slayers” is an online multi-player “game” where real people, like Kable, are “controlled” by children, or sweaty fat men in windowless rooms, via Al Gore’s mysterious “internet.” The “slayers” face off in combat using automatic weapons. Things [...]

Lately I’ve been a bit vexed by the phrase “action movie.” Of all the genres into which films are categorized, it might be the most nebulous and perhaps most likely to disappoint those who seek it. What exactly defines an action flick? A cynic might say that an action picture is one that uses violence [...]

From director Karyn Kusama (Girlfight), and writer Diablo Cody (Juno) comes one of the most refreshingly original horror films I have seen in some time, Jennifer’s Body. Think Drop Dead Gorgeous with a dash of Mean Girls, a hint of Heathers, and a whole lot of demonic carnage.