Pixar changed the game. They’ve set the standard for modern family-friendly entertainment as computer-generated animation that hypnotizes the eyes with artistic seduction while engaging the mind with thought-provoking themes. Any new family-oriented film that lacks the layers of imagination, innovation and intrigue, can be considered a waste of precious time. Sadly, Show Dogs falls into…
I’m a horror fan who teaches high school English, so a side effect of those combined characteristics is my knowledge of young adult (YA) fiction, and usually the darker stuff at that. I’ve read all of the Harry Potter, Twilight, and Hunger Games books like most people, and I’ve come away with mixed reactions (typically,…
When one titles a film using a human emotion or condition (i.e., “Frantic” or “Frenzy” or “Psycho” or “Vertigo“), the bar needs to be set fairly high. In the case of Paranoia, however, that bar could not possibly get any lower. And despite starring several Academy Award-caliber performers (previous nominees Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman,…
I’m told Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters is not the new “Twilight,” although I’m very skeptical of that — the trailer released today by The Weinstein Company to the roar of teenaged girls everywhere tells me I am right. Based on the Richelle Mead novel series, it features young, attractive high school girls (who happen to…
Created in 1977 by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra, Brit cult comic book character Judge Dredd was last seen on the big screen in 1995 for the Disney-produced, campy Sylvester Stallone vehicle simply titled “Judge Dredd.” Although the Stallone picture is fun in a “so bad it’s good” way, it was a total misfire, flopping…
I’m no fan of the abundance of remakes, reboots or re-imaginings plaguing Hollywood these days. That is until word that “Judge Dredd” was finally getting the makeover it deserved with Dredd. For those not familiar with the setup or character, nuclear war has laid waste to the world and Dredd is an elite police officer…
