Comedies these days can often fall into the dumb, teen humor that involves lots of drinking and fart jokes. And comedies with kids in them can often be insipid or have too much of the sugary sweet, cute factor. But now we have one that is actually funny, and has some edge, without being laden…
Sometimes a movie comes along and you really want to see it because the premise is almost too good to be true. Yeah, I know; as if that’s unusual these days. But “Little Big Top” is a movie I wanted to like more than I actually did. Sid Haig (“House of 1000 Corpses,” “The Devil’s…
Something unique happened to me. It’s a little disconcerting and yet wholly wonderful and a cause for great hope: I actually saw a film with originality. That’s right, you heard it here, folks. Despite its’ awkward title, “Let the Right One In”, is a film that offers something new. Or shall I say, it takes…
It’s one thing to have low expectations of a movie, it’s something else entirely when the movie practically greets you at the door with a shit-eating grin and welcomes you with a hearty kick in the nuts. Watching this “movie” was very much like the worse option between that and gnawing my hand or foot…
Hey look, another movie based on a video game! Uh, yeah, don’t assume you should read that as excitement. It could be a statement full of astonishment or derision. Well, ok, maybe not derision – in this case. But I didn’t love it. “Max Payne”, based on the video game of the same name, isn’t…
I suppose I’m sort of the horror movie fan around here, so it seems somehow fitting that I attended the 8th Annual Shriekfest Horror/Sci-Fi Film Festival this year. I know I certainly was happy about it and hope to make it yearly event. First of all, I find the horror genre one that is often…
Just when you think zombies have been done to undeath, how could anyone manage to make another zombie movie with any level of success? I don’t know, but someone has. I’ve often said that the horror genre is interesting because, these days, it’s really hard to make an original horror film, and yet it’s still…
I chose to see this movie because I didn’t want to tax my brain. Well, I got what I asked for. It occurs to me that there will always be room in this industry for mediocre films. They aren’t going to go away as long as they keep making money. Sure, I like a good…
I like a good western. They don’t seem to come along as often as they once did, but I think “The Unforgiven” started a resurgence of them; at least that’s what it feels like. Last year’s remake of “3:10 To Yuma” was great. So when I hear about a western with Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen…
Part I: The Recent Stuff and the Good Stuff, Not the Same Thing Well, another summer has come and gone. Labor Day 2008 had the lowest box office takings this holiday has seen in seven years. Of course, even for regular Joe’s like me, it was no surprise. I mean, seriously, let’s look…