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Recent Posts Tagged With 'movie reviews'
‘Don’t You Forget About Me’ - John Hughes, remembered
Reporters weren’t the only ones clamoring to speak with hermit-like director John Hughes over the last decade. Four young filmmakers spent more than two years trying to track down the elusive teen comedy king. “Don’t You Forget Abo...
‘Avatar’ - Plenty of spectacle between ideological rumblings
James Cameron’s “Avatar” is a slow simmering smash. The film is earning mostly raves for movie audiences, even though some on the right aren’t too happy with its political subtext. Or, just plain text. Cameron is not a subtle...
‘Disney’s A Christmas Carol’ - All Scrooged out
What the world needs now is … well, one thing we sure don’t need now is another variation of “A Christmas Carol.” Yet every other year we get a re-imagining/remake/reboot/retelling of the Charles Dickens’ story, and d...
‘The Fourth Kind’ - Is it live, Memorex or gobbledygook?
Milla Jovovich finally talks to me … me! in the new thriller “The Fourth Kind.” The lovely actress speaks to everyone in the audience when the movie opens, letting us know parts of what we’re about to see are absolutely true. Our...
‘Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant’ - As overstuffed as its title
Can we call a moratorium on vampire projects? Please? “Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant” is the latest attempt to draw fresh blood from Dracula’s preferred genre. Based on a series of British novels, the new film simu...
‘Amelia’ - Biopic gets lost in the clouds
What took so long to make a biopic about legendary aviatrix Amelia Earhart? Maybe Hollywood was waiting for a two-time Oscar winner like Hilary Swank to swoop in and commandeer the role. Swank, a fine physical match for Earhart, finally gets her cha...
WWTW Rewind: ‘Sssssss’ (1973)
Horror movies from the ’70s had a lock on creepy. The uncertain soundtracks. The clumsy effects which still made your skin crawl. And the acting, often amateurish but with just a touch of reality that proved unnerving. “Sssssss” ha...
‘Zombie Girl: The Movie’ - Has Romero met his match?
Twelve year old Emily Hagins of Austin, Texas doesn’t dream of unicorns, boy bands or Hannah Montana. She dreams of flesh-eating zombies. So the auteur-in-training decided to make her own zombie film. Hagins’ quest became the inspiration...
‘One Fast Move or I’m Gone: Kerouac’s Big Sur’ - And the beat goes on
One’s enthusiasm for Jack Kerouac’s deeply personal prose will determine your reaction to a new documentary on the short-lived legend. “One Fast Move or I’m Gone: Kerouac’s Big Sur” manages to capture the fire, pe...
‘Where the Wild Things Are’ - Beloved story Maxed out
Turning books into screenplays often means slicing away key supporting characters, subplots and other sections in order to winnow down the story to a manageable two hours. For the screen version of “Where the Wild Things Are,” the problem...
This week’s DVD release slate
Will Ferrell found himself in a strange land over the summer - the bottom of the box office basement. The comedian’s “Land of the Lost,” out this week on DVD, fell flat during its initial release, and rightly so. The tired gags and ...
WWTW Rewind - ‘King Kong’ (1976)
The original “King Kong” is a classic untouched by time and now antiquated special effects. The 2005 remake by Peter Jackson delivered dizzying visuals but suffered from a serious case of bloat. So where does that leave the 1976 version, ...
‘Paranormal Activity’ - This spare niche project lives up to hype
What better way to honor the 10th anniversary of “The Blair Witch Project” than by creating another no-budget, single-cam horror movie guaranteed to scare audiences silly. “Paranormal Activity,” riding a wave of buzz sparked b...
‘Couples Retreat’ - Vaughn, Favreau stop swinging
The first time Vince Vaughn teamed up with Jon Favreau they created the guy’s guy classic “Swingers.” In “Couples Retreat,” the pair have more pressing things on their minds - carpooling, potty training and divorce proce...
‘Eden’ - A marriage in its death throes
The Irish drama “Eden” sets you up for a sucker punch right on the DVD packaging. “From the producers of “Once,” the DVD jacket cries, but there’s precious little connecting that 2007 gem with this agonizing roman...
Mini reviews: ‘The Objective,’ ‘Triangle’
Sometimes, all that’s required to reboot the horror genre is to switch up the settings. Goodbye haunted houses and Camp Crystal Lake, hello Afghanistan. “The Objectice, the new-to-DVD horror film (Oct. 13), starts by relocating the horro...
‘The Invention of Lying’ - Where’s Jim Carrey when you need him?
What’s Ricky Gervais doing in a Jim Carrey comedy? The film’s trailer won’t tell you, but Gervais’s “The Invention of Lying” is a full on assault against religion. Guess “Bruce Almighty” himself might ...
‘Zombieland’ - This undead comedy has brains, brawn
Do we really need another zombie comedy after the sublimely silly “Shaun of the Dead?” If it involves a rompin,’ stompin’ Woody Harrelson … you betcha. “Zombieland” strips away the social commentary weighing...
‘Surrogates’ - Streamlined sci-fi fun
Consider “Surrogates” a CliffsNotes version of a science fiction feature. We’re still waiting for the full-length treatment of what seems to be a rock solid genre entry. The new film, which opened with a respectable $15 million ove...
‘Deadgirl’ - Horror hits new low
Horror films today must go out of their way to shock audiences. You can thank torture porn franchises like “Saw” for that cold reality. Along comes “Deadgirl,” an indie thriller which proudly wears its offensiveness on its DVD...
‘Dark Woods’ - Stranger shakes up couple’s cabin retreat
The married couple at the heart of the new indie drama “Dark Woods” just want to be left alone. The introduction of a young, attractive stranger into their lives shatters their isolation, and then some, in this alternately original and un...
‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ - The Blu-ray extras
The most telling quote in the extras-laden Blu-ray release of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” comes from the man who gave birth to the hirsute hero. “The less you know about a character, the more interesting they are,” says Len Wei...
‘Love Happens - Not here, it doesn’t
Jennifer Aniston’s role in “Love Happens” is the kind she would have jumped at after “Friends” first season aired. Yes, she’s the co-star in a major motion picture, but the film affords her little more than that br...
‘Jennifer’s Body’ - Crazy like a Fox
Even some of the better horror films make do with scripts you’d be embarrassed to read as a school assignment. The same can’t be said for the new horror comedy “Jennifer’s Body,” penned by newly minted Oscar winner Diabl...
‘Ghosts of Girlfriends Past’ - Dickens haunts rom-com
Seeing Matthew McConaughey’s name attached to a romantic comedy is akin to seeing a road construction sign on the highway. Proceed with extreme caution and take another path if at all possible. Yet the actor didn’t come this far based sol...
WWTW Rewind: ‘An American Werewolf in London’ (1981)
Few movies had blended horror and comedy as masterfully as “An American Werewolf in London” did back in 1981. And it’s safe to say the film’s irresistible mix has yet to be matched nearly 30 years later. “London,” ...
‘Whiteout’ - Chills overcome cliches
The first time you see Kate Beckinsale in the new thriller “Whiteout” you’d swear you were watching a late-night Cinemax “masterpiece.” The fetching actress, for no reason of narrative importance, strips down to her unde...
‘World’s Greatest Dad’ - Goldthwait grows up … a bit
It seems like only yesterday Bobcat Goldthwait was shrieking his way through comic mediocrities like “Police Academy 2″ and “Hot to Trot.” Now, he’s a wannabe auteur, a man who makes uncompromising features that put audi...
‘9′ - Fantasy not fit for kiddies
Pity the parents who buy tickets for “9″ thinking it’s another animated tale tailored for the kiddie set. The new movie, directed by Shane Acker and co-produced by Tim Burton, proves anything but family friendly. It’s a dark, ...
WWTW Rewind: ‘What Lies Beneath’
Horror films are many things - gross, outrageous and button pushing - but it’s rare to find one that screams “class.” It’s one reason 2000’s “What Lies Beneath” stood out from the genre pack. What’s a...
