It’s intriguing that a film with an all-star cast and plenty of sex, drugs and rock and roll (along with copious amounts of blood, gore and monsters) can run out of steam in the second half. Ah, hell, it’s really just sad because it results in one of the least favorably-rated Tim Burton-Johnny Depp collaborations [...]

Who knew Tarsem Singh Dhandwar had a sense of humor? Well, apparently not me. So color me pleasantly surprised that the imagery-obsessed filmmaker behind such stony-faced pictures as “The Cell” and last fall’s “Immortals” has finally revealed a different side of himself with the playful fairy tale movie Mirror Mirror. A lighthearted interpretation of the [...]

Forget the Gods — a cool concept soured by poor writing is enough to make this movie critic angry! Such was the case with 2010′s “Clash of the Titans,” a remake of the 1981 film of the same name. Yet, while critically-panned (deservedly so), the fantasy based on Greek mythology still managed to gross $493 [...]

Santa Claus brings more than gifts to kids during Christmas. The Easter Bunny offers up more than jelly beans and eggs at Easter. The Tooth Fairy does more than swap teeth for cash. They, among others (Sandman, Jack Frost), are the immortal Guardians whose purpose is to the protect the beliefs and imaginations of the [...]

All good things must come to an end. In the case of The Twilight Saga, even bad things end. It’s ending, for which the first, albeit short, theatrical trailer has been released by Summit Entertainment, comes in the form of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2. I’m not a fan of the series, [...]

One of my friends has a problem with lying. His popular tall tale is claiming his father, John Carter, has worked as an astronaut, sports coach, and lucrative businessman. In response, the rest of us had invented an origin series for the man who became notable for fighting the good fight as part of America’s [...]

Of all the problems you want in your village, probably the last one would be having dragons destroying your crops and livestock. In How to Train Your Dragon, a wonderful animated film from DreamWorks Animation studio based on a novel by Cressida Cowell, these pesky creatures ignore the no-fly zone and create havoc in the [...]

Orange is the new green in Chris Renaud and Kyle Balda’s eco-friendly, family flick The Lorax. Based on a Dr. Seuss book of the same name, it’s the latest offering from Illumination Entertainment — the studio behind 2010′s “Despicable Me.” Released on what would been the author’s 108th birthday, the animated feature explores the topic [...]

What normally happens to weird kids who proclaim to see and talk to ghosts? They get ignored, ostracized and/or bullied. Which is exactly what happens to little Norman in Focus Features’ claymation pic ParaNorman, that is until the town needs his peculiar gift. For reasons unknown (the trailer hints to a 300th anniversary of a [...]

A second trailer for Marvel’s The Avengers has gone viral. More in the way of how and why the team is formed can be found within, with, surprisingly, special attention being paid to the growing pains associated with so many super-egos sharing the stage. But for those longing for some explosions, don’t fret, there are [...]

The final trailer for John Carter is here and it couldn’t come any sooner — I for one am tired of the media blitz behind this. That being said, it is impressive to look at. The story may be derivative at this point, but Disney spared no expense in the effects department. The CGI rendering [...]

It still looks like a winner for Disney/Pixar even if the latest trailer for their adventure Brave doesn’t offer up any more information about the movie. In this impressive clip Princess Merida, in Robin Hood fashion, outdoes those competing for her hand in marriage via an archery competition. It’s worth a check as great detail [...]

As a film critic, I’ve realized that, despite being an industry built on self-expression, there are things we best not admit. Among them is saying that you’ve never seen (or worse, didn’t enjoy) a movie considered a classic. In this review, I’m airing out such a secret: I haven’t seen any installment of the Star [...]

In Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) often speeds down roadways like a bat out of hell. However, in this case, the idiom should be taken literally. Following a pact with Satan, this once renowned stunt motorcyclist becomes tormented by a demonic entity which, on a mission to punish and consume the [...]

He wore a stovepipe hat, had an awesome beard, ended slavery and was ultimately assassinated. Can you think of a better way to make the 16th President of the United States any cooler? Well I suppose hunting vampires in between his ratifying the laws of the land would make him more awesome. This fantastical alternate [...]

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is back in his latest kid friendly flick, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. He takes on the role of buff stepfather to Sean, the teenaged kid involved in the “Journey to the Center of the Earth” adventure. (Brendan Fraser couldn’t be bothered to make the sequel apparently). This adventure takes the [...]

It is rare for a movie franchise to make it to a fourth film and be good. The Star Wars and Harry Potter franchises had it easy, hell, Star Wars technically started on its fourth installment and Harry Potter had its beloved stories directly handed to them. The Die Hard series had to work for [...]

It’s doubtful that any Christmas stories are as omnipresent as Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Since cinema’s very inception, there have been tons of motion picture adaptations of this 1843 novella, as well as spoofs and updated variations (the Muppets, Mickey Mouse and even Mr. Magoo have all tackled this Yuletide morality tale). In addition, [...]

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the precursor to one of the best movie trilogies ever made (referring to The Lord of the Rings) has, after many restarts and hype, finally debuted its trailer. Many of the cast — Gandalf, Legolas, Elrond, Bilbo, Frodo — are back, this time to face off with the evil dragon [...]

This is certainly a step in the right direction. I’m speaking about the trailer to Wrath of the Titans, the follow-up to the much maligned Clash of the Titans remake. It looks as though Warner Bros. Pictures may have listened to the gripes of movie goers and come out with something with more action and [...]

“The world’s darkest hero rides again.” I’m not sure if the Ghost Rider is the darkest hero per se, but he’s definitely got a dark streak running through him. In the second trailer for Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, he shows some of it off. Why? Well much to his chagrin, while “vacationing” in Europe, [...]

The teaser trailer for John Carter was light on pretty much everything but this full theatrical trailer for the movie released by Disney yesterday has got much more meat on its bones. Too bad, it looks so much like Avatar though. Finding himself on an alien planet, human John Carter is hailed as a savior [...]

There’s a lot of hoopla surrounding Martin Scorsese’s latest, Hugo, which is the director’s introduction to family films, and the only one to utilize 3D technology. Not run-of-the-mill praise, I’ve heard phrases like “timeless,” “a masterpiece,” and “one of the best movies about filmmaking ever made,” being thrown about. And because I have no life [...]

It’s a curious situation when so many people get a kick at the same cinematic can and none of them can get it right. Is the material to blame? The filmmakers? The whole bloody idea? Let’s call it a three-way tie. Following in the footsteps of occasionally decent (but you wouldn’t know it from this [...]

Since the teaser, which was released in June, didn’t delve much into the story of Brave (choosing to instead focus on artistry and mystery), Disney-Pixar has finally released a full theatrical trailer which presents more of the story arc for their latest animated adventure. Denied allowance into the trials of the first borns because she [...]

It seems just like yesterday, a trailer for an updated take on a fairy tale was released. Oh wait, it was and for the same fairy tale too (Snow White and the Huntsman)! This adaptation from the imaginative mind of Tarsem Singh has more comedy and a family fun flair to it, and to be [...]

Tarsem Singh Dhandwar, known sometimes as Tarsem Singh or merely Tarsem (maybe just “T” one day), certainly has an affinity for pretty, shiny things. His third and shiniest film to date, the plodding, silly, wake-me-when-it’s-over Greek mythology pic Immortals has its fair share of impressive images. Well, more than its fair share, really. Every shot [...]

The world has changed a great deal in 12 years. Humans have learned of the existence of werewolves and vampires and are on a crusade to eradicate them. In the second trailer for Underworld: Awakening, Screen Gems gives a closer look at the key to the war — a hybrid child. Selene must use her [...]

The high-pitched singing sensations Alvin and the Chipmunks, and The Chipettes are back to fill our ears with squeaky versions of today’s popular songs in Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (I’m not sure that is such a good thing, but nonetheless it’s going to happen). This time, after Alvin screws around on a well-needed vacation [...]

The second trailer for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 was dropped late last night, causing kids to stay up past their bedtime and make a mad dash to pc screens around the world (I was sleeping peacefully). This trailer delves deeper into Bella’s pregnancy — she can’t safely carry the rapidly growing [...]

Some bud, a couple of drunken girls, and a bass-heavy soundtrack seem to be the inspiration behind the sophomoric Conan the Barbarian, a remake of an equally bad 1982 motion picture of the same name. It’s a film that was probably scribbled on a memo pad by a frat boy who had one too many [...]

Admit, you secretly watch Ghost Rider every time it comes on basic cable (it is a guilty pleasure like eating Bonbons or listening to Celine Dion). Well, guess what? Johnny Blaze is back and so is Nicolas Cage in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance! This time around, he’s battling the devil for the life of [...]

You can’t keep a good vampire down. Especially one that looks so good in a tight fitting leather outfit. In this installment, 12 years have passed and the battle has changed from vampire vs. vampire and vampire vs. werewolf to human vs. vampire and werewolf. The trailer for Underworld: Awakening, released by Screen Gems today, [...]

The third trailer for Relativity’s Greek epic Immortals has been released. In it is a more fleshed out story outlining the reason for the battle between King Hyperion, his army of banished Titans and those who, backed by the all powerful Gods, resist him (led by the warrior Theseus). The trailer is very well put [...]

Finales of this magnitude usually come about once every few years for television shows, but very rarely for feature films. However, this is most certainly the case for the epic conclusion to the Harry Potter series, filled with equal parts fan-servicing closure and genuinely emotive scenes for those less devout followers like myself. Personally, Harry [...]

Talk about culture shock. Imagine waking up decades into the future on a foreign planet surrounded by hostile green aliens. I’d prefer not to, but that’s how John Carter finds himself. Aside from that, we don’t get much else from the teaser trailer of John Carter. From a cinematic standpoint, however, the picture definitely appears [...]

We’ve seen a so-so theatrical trailer and a so-so bloodier red-band trailer; today Lionsgate delivers a new UK trailer for Conan the Barbarian. This one provides more of the backstory as to how Conan became the barbarian that he is — his village is destroyed and his family is murdered at the hands of Khalar [...]

It wasn’t so long ago that Korean/Japanese horror was the fertile hunting grounds for studios looking to make a quick buck. The Ring, The Grudge, The Eye, Mirrors and countless others are all products of the Hollywood makeover spa. Today those hunting grounds have seemingly moved to Scandinavia. Let the Right One In was recently [...]

It’s ancient times and, once again, the survival of humanity hangs in the balance. No, the Gods aren’t leveling the people because of their blasphemies this time, it’s a power-mad king named Hyperion causing the destruction. In his quest for the Bow of Epirus — a weapon that will even make the Gods of Olympus [...]

Shot on every cent of a five million dollar budget and the directorial debut of Duncan Jones (the son of David Bowie, no less), Moon was without doubt the most underrated and underviewed film of 2009. With an underrated film comes an underrated actor in Sam Rockwell (Frost/Nixon, Iron Man 2) who pairs up with [...]

A bloodier red-band trailer for Conan the Barbarian has been released by Lionsgate today. Personally, I’m becoming less enthused about the film — the accompanying music leaves a lot to be desired, the blood effects (of which there are many scenes of) looks hokey and the limited dialogue just seems off. I’m not going to [...]

This is it. What is being touted as the final trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 has been made available by Warner Bros. Pictures. Increasingly darker than its predecessors, the story culminates with the final battle between good and evil, between Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter. I’ll say it again (said [...]

It is no secret that the last decade has not been kind to the great filmmaker, Woody Allen. Whether is it a loss of touch or focus, one could argue that Allen hasn’t made a particularly good film since 1989′s Crimes and Misdemeanors — while he has had minor successes in the past decade, there [...]

The beginning of the end has begun. The first trailer for the highly anticipated The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 has arrived to the squeals of prepubescent girls around the globe. In it, aside from lots of madly-in-love kissing and goo-goo eyes, the teaser of Edward and Bella’s pending nuptials and Bella’s pregnancy [...]

The Uncanny X-Men are back in their best adventure since X2! In X-Men: First Class, we see, in fantastic fashion, what transpired to form them together (and tear them apart), and are fed interesting treats (especially to any hardcore buffs) like how Magneto got his helmet, who the superhero Darwin was, and even how the [...]

There are many people who love the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, although seeing the awfulness that was The Country Bears and knowing that The Haunted Mansion was soon to follow, the film just seemed like a similar ploy for Disney to pillage their old tourist attractions and try [...]

Since I have never read a Thor comic book (don’t intend to either), nor do I have much insight into the Norse mythology from which he spawned, I really had no idea as to what kind of story to expect from the heavily hyped Thor (the trailers weren’t much help). But thanks in part to [...]

A second trailer for the grittier and bloodier reboot of Conan the Barbarian has been released by Lionsgate today. It appears to be a closer depiction to what Robert E. Howard wrote, but it still seems to be missing what I want from my Conan movie — the indiscriminate bedding of scantily-clad women, the drinking [...]

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li is not only a compelling contender for the worst film of 2009, but it’s also a contender for the worst film of all time! This second attempt at a screen adaptation of the revered Capcom video game series is unbelievably awful in every aspect. Generic action sequences, atrocious acting, [...]

Finally. Your craving has been satisfied and your Hogwartsian prayers have been answered. The trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 has arrived and, even if I do say so myself (coming from a person who thought Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 was a bit of a letdown), it [...]

What is probably the final trailer for X-Men: First Class, has been made available by 20th Century Fox via Yahoo! today ahead of the film’s highly anticipated June release. This latest extended teaser drops more visuals as to the looks, powers and relationships of the mutant teams and further establishes the philosophical differences between their [...]

Consisting of five main volumes and three supplemental books, Rick Riordan’s popular Percy Jackson series must have been an easy sell for any studio. It contains heroes, villains, monsters, wish fulfilment, and epic feats of magic and courage while also tackling popular Greek mythology. Topping this off, the whole package is reminiscent of Harry Potter. [...]

Remember Judd Apatow’s 2009 project, Funny People? While a lousy and flat film, it at one stage cleverly poked fun at actors who have long renounced their dignity for the sake of a paycheck. Tooth Fairy is exactly the type of noxious family entertainment parodied in Apatow’s flick. It mixes a few recognizable faces with [...]

For a screenwriter, period pieces tend to be difficult — especially if they’re set in medieval times — dialogue being restricted to olden diction isn’t the easiest to write. However, with director David Gordon Green’s latest, which is an awkward mix of stoner comedy and medieval epic, that problem is quickly dispelled. How, you may [...]

In 2010, Clint Eastwood reached the ripe old age of 80, yet the prolific filmmaker still unabatedly continues to make motion pictures on a regular basis; accumulating a cinematic oeuvre that is as diverse as it is excellent. Written by Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon), 2010′s Hereafter is a supernatural drama which re-teams Eastwood with [...]

Why, oh why, do people move into those big Victorian-style homes; you know, the ones with too many rooms and too few lights to illuminate them? It can’t be for the coziness and charm! You’d think by now people would know that 90% of those houses, according to the Horror Convention Law, are conduits for [...]

Zack Snyder just hasn’t made the same impact on me that he apparently has on the rest of the movie going population. I enjoy his work, but it always seems like there’s something to be desired when his films finally fade to black. With Sucker Punch, Snyder isn’t really looking to change the formula his [...]

Ahoy Mateys! The theatrical trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth installment of the highly prized Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, has been released into the wild. The film, starring Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, Ian McShane as the ruthless pirate Blackbeard, Geoffrey Rush as Captain Hector Barbossa, Kevin R. [...]

Just judging on the fact that the story has been interpreted to be an allegory for sexual awakening, Little Red Riding Hood was just asking to be dumbed down and reimaged into a romance for teeny-boppers. So eat your heart out kids, here’s Catherine Hardwicke’s Red Riding Hood, a film that might have been decent [...]

13 years have passed since Alice first visited Wonderland. She was just a little girl back then — a mad, little girl plagued by a nightmare. Now, almost 20, Alice finds herself thrust headfirst into adulthood yet continues to have the same dream for as long as she can remember. On the verge of being [...]

Exploitation films are an acquired taste. Much like fermented tofu, you either love it or find the very idea disgusting (most people fall into the latter category). Fortunately, although the inception of VHS-tapes brought an end to the grindhouses and drive-through theaters that catered to such cinema, there are still filmmakers dedicated to the art-form. [...]

The first scene of Dominic Sena’s new film, Season of the Witch (penned by Bragi F. Schut), a follow-up to his idiotic Whiteout, chronicles the hanging of three accused witches at the hands of a group of religious zealots in Viccah, a fictional town, in 1235 A.D. This scene is meant to make the Catholic [...]

Spike Jonze’s visual retelling of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are chronicles the story of Max (Max Records), a young boy who feels abandoned by his mother (Catherine Keener) and his sister (Pepita Emmerichs). He runs away to a world of his own, which is inhabited by large creatures, which sport large sharp chompers, [...]

If you’ve ever wondered what an East (as in the Orient) meets West (as in the Wild Wild West) meets exaggerated computer effects movie looks like, well then, The Warrior’s Way was meant for you. It’s got ninjas. It’s got gunslingers, both good and bad. And it’s got circus folk. Yep, those wandering entertainers that [...]

It will be 2014 or later when the seventh installment of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia saga finishes up its cinematic run. That’s a long way away and, if I were a betting man, I wouldn’t dare put a wager on seeing that happening. That’s because the third of the series — The Chronicles [...]

The 1997 Canadian sci fi film Cube, by Vincenzo Natali, was one of the great examples of good writing, good acting, and a limited budget making for an excellent, and thought provoking little film. Unfortunately, its financial success led to two mediocre sequels, neither of which had the verve of the original, and neither of [...]

It’s hard to believe that it’s been nine years since the release of Chris Columbus’ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and it’s even harder to believe how much of a cultural phenomenon this big-screen adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s series of novels has become. In fact, Daniel Radcliffe, who has played Harry Potter over the [...]

I can only imagine what went through author Kathryn Lasky’s head when she envisioned her

I don’t consider myself the conventional nerd. I’m not interested in technology; in fact I have trouble finding out how to change the screen resolution on my computer monitor. I don’t read comic books — except for those couple of times where I sat adjacent to the graphic novel section in Borders. To top of [...]

“You are the One.” “No, I’m not.” “Yes, you are. You must believe in your powers.” Bad thing happens. “Oh, okay, I’m the One.” Yes, I’m paraphrasing and no, I’m not regurgitating the dialogue from The Matrix. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, the new Jerry Bruckheimer produced Disney film is. The guy trying to do the convincing [...]

M. Night Shymalagong came to mainstream recognition through his work on The Sixth Sense, which he both wrote and directed. It was nominated for several Academy Awards including: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. Oops, excuse me, before I continue on with this review, I must correct myself — I’ve been informed that [...]

I’m a middle aged guy (balding, beer belly, etc.), so I’ll admit it: I don’t get this whole Twilight phenomenon. Sparkly vampires and bare-chested werewolves fawning over a human, high school girl who isn’t that hot just don’t mix well with my testosterone (I can’t figure out how it mixes well with estrogen either, but [...]

The road to box office success for movies based off of video games is potholed and strewn with broken down, bombed out carcasses (remember BloodRayne and In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale?).That doesn’t, however, stop the mostly concept-bankrupt power brokers of Hollywood from churning them, and films based off of comic [...]

How many of us have thought about how things would be have turned out had we made a different choice? It’s a rhetorical question, of course — we all have at one time or another (you’re only lying to yourself if you say otherwise). And so, seeing as it makes a great plot (made famous [...]

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when I gave up any hope of enjoying this film. Possibly it was the moment I saw Liam Neeson dressed in tin-foil armor. Or maybe it was the image of Sam Worthington riding a giant CGI scorpion through the desert. Regardless, by the halfway mark I was already considering using [...]

I know that remakes or jumper-cable reboots are a necessary, and inevitable evil in the movie business, but I do get so tired of these disproportionately disappointing efforts. Regardless, I do admit I was looking forward to this remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street but only because of the casting of Jackie Earle Haley, [...]

Legion is the second movie in so many weeks with a theme riddled with supposed religious overtones (The Book of Eli being the other). Instead, however, of delving into the way spiritual power can lift the hopes of the downtrodden, first time director Scott Stewart’s vehicle delves into how the power of God can be [...]

Credit, in some form, has to be given to Terry Gilliam for actually getting his much anticipated The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus completed. Anticipated, not necessarily because the world needed another Time Bandits or The Adventures of Baron Munchausen type movie but because Heath Ledger, the film’s lead died halfway through filming. I’m not sure [...]

Blood. Sex. Demons. Director / writer Christopher Di Nunzio mixes these ingredients together and cooks up a curious blend of gangster film and supernatural horror in his first feature-length film, Livestock. If you are a horror fan with a healthy appetite for blood and gore, you just might enjoy Di Nunzio’s effort. It’s chicks’ night [...]

In the not so distant future, mankind is all but eliminated from the face of the Earth. In the similar fashion as the Terminator films, man built machines that ultimately led to his and all of life’s eradication. Man may be gone, however, but in his place are miniature ragdoll-like puppet creatures imbued with the [...]

The already darkening skies encompassing the world of Harry Potter have darkened further in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth installment of the wildly popular movie franchise. Long gone is the baby-faced innocence our would-be wizards once had when they first entered Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There is now deep-seeded resentment [...]

Finally. The only interesting character in the X-Men universe has his own movie. No, I’m not referring to Cyclops (although I wouldn’t mind seeing some footage with him and Jean Grey getting down to business). I’m talking about X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the long awaited Wolverine flick that, whether good or bad, will undoubtedly breathe a [...]

After watching Dragonball Z on Cartoon Network years ago, I became hooked and ended up buying the entire series on DVD. As for the original Dragonball series, I wasn’t such a fan (even though I bought much of it, too). As a consequence, I wasn’t exactly overwhelmed with anticipation to see Dragonball Evolution since it [...]

Let’s all admit it, taking shots at Nicolas Cage’s latest acting gigs has been about as much fun as catching fish in a barrel — it’s fun for a moment, but it’s too damn easy and one quickly gets bored with it. But hey, he deserved it — Bangkok Dangerous and Ghost Rider, to name [...]

In Zack Snyder’s brilliant film version of Watchmen, it isn’t business as usual for a group of rag-tag costumed do-gooders living, working, and laying low in the alternate world of a Nixon-era 1985, a time when masked crime fighters have been outlawed. In much the same way as Chris Nolan did for Batman in the [...]

There are several kisses of death a movie franchise may experience, including, but not limited to: The original writing/directing team deciding to move on to other projects The main actor or actress in the franchise deciding to not be involved in the latest project The decision to make a prequel Casting Paris Hilton to star [...]

The new year is newly upon us and we already have a comic book adaptation thrust upon us in the form of The Spirit. Yes I know what you’re thinking, I have never heard of this “Spirit” character. Don’t worry I hadn’t either. However, after some painstaking research (thanks Wikipedia), I found out that the [...]

Step to the side Krypto, you’re not the only superdog in town. At least that’s what we’re initially led to believe in Disney’s new animated offering Bolt. After all, the dog has powers that enable him to outrun helicopters and motorcycles, lay waste to any objects in his way and incapacitate people with a mere [...]

The conservatives in Hollywood have risen to take a comedic swipe at liberal sentiments in general and the redoubtable, fault-finding, à¼ber -liberal Michael Moore in particular in the An American Carol, starring Kevin P. Farley, brother of the late comedic actor Chris Farley, as documentary filmmaker Michael Malone, Moore’s fictional counterpart. An American Carol is [...]

Not sure about you, but I can barely recollect anything of note from the The Mummy Returns or the original The Mummy that would necessitate a third installment. But I guess that is why I am not a producer of big budget films, because apparently there was something there that absolutely needed to be seen [...]

A demon, code named Hellboy (Ron Perlman), but called Red by his friends, is saved by paranormal investigators when he is very small and raised to be a defender against the forces of darkness. However, as he has grown into a large, bright red mammoth with an attitude, he wants nothing more than to be [...]

Hancock is Los Angeles’ resident alcohol-fueled, low-flying sometimes hero. With all the exciting aspects of an action movie, sparkling comedy and a heartfelt plot, this is the most honest super hero movie I’ve ever seen. When not drunk, John Hancock (Will Smith) flies around Los Angeles, protecting innocent people from criminals and disaster. The rest [...]

The Hulk has arrived and with him comes the first real action blockbuster of the summer. Yeah sure Iron Man made some big waves, but it was short on bone aching action and heavy on sleep inducing backstory. Director Louis Leterrier and screenwriter Zak Penn make the assumption you know who the Hulk is, how [...]

James McAvoy has been a gardener, a heart-broken soldier, a doctor, a lawyer, a student and now in his latest movie Penelope, he’s become a gambling, conflicted boyfriend of a pig. Simply put, I know, but being a fan I feel this role of Max has to be one of McAvoy’s most understated and bravest [...]

Has 1300 years passed already? In the fictional land of Narnia it has and things haven’t been so good for the Narnians since Edmund (Skandar Keynes), Lucy (Georgie Henley), Susan (Anna Popplewell) and Peter (William Moseley) left to return to the real world. Actually, saying things haven’t been so good is a bit of an [...]

Set in ancient China, The Forbidden Kingdom is a mix of cinematic influences. It stops short of tiresome and of brilliance. It is quality cheese. Nerdy Kung-Fu enthusiast Jason Tripitikas (Michael Angarano) spends enough time at the local video store to get chummy with the owner Old Hop (Jackie Chan). When Old Hop is attacked, [...]

Is it me or does it seem like there is a glut of fantasy novels starring children being adapted for the big screen lately? It’s almost as if they’ve become the new hot thing in Tinsletown giving the comic book hero a run for their money (nothing can actually replace them from the top spot). [...]

Small screen starlet, Eva Longoria Parker has found herself in a starring role in Over Her Dead Body, the second major romantic-comedy release of the year (27 Dresses being the first). I can count two possible reasons why she’s in that position: 1.) The more accomplished romance leads were already tied up in other projects [...]

I’m not sure what all the hoopla was surrounding The Golden Compass. I believe it has something to do with the atheistic stance the author of the book from which the movie was adapted from had. Sure there are a few themes that indicate religion is a bad institution, but I don’t recall seeing anything [...]

With time to spare and the need for something lighthearted and cutesy being introduced into my system (I had just reviewed Jack Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door), Enchanted seemed like the perfect choice. And let’s be realistic, has Disney ever led anyone astray when they needed this kind of infusion? The answer is yes, they [...]

On a whole, you’ve got to root for a movie whose sole purpose is to celebrate the inner child so many adults have lost. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium sets out to do this by combining the quirkiness of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and the zaniness of The Cat in the Hat. With such [...]

A Christmas movie in early November? That’s almost like having a Halloween movie released in August. If I didn’t know any better I’d think the Hollywood marketing machine had lost their concept of time. But since I know they haven’t, my guess is that they wanted to start the movie buzz early and get a [...]

Let me start this particular movie review off by saying I’m a big fan of animated movies. I’m an even bigger fan of films starring real, flesh and blood actors and actresses. I am not however, a proponent of the stop-action animation that mixes these two forms of movies together. Apparently, Robert Zemeckis is. One [...]

A few weeks ago on another movie review blog (DC Girl @ The Movies to be exact), I guessed Stardust would be lucky to break into the top ten for weekend gross on it’s opening weekend. I came to that conclusion based on the fact the trailer seemed cheesy and childish — even if it [...]

Here comes Harry Potter for round number five. Will he come out of the corner with the heart of a champion or limp like a homo coming out of a bathhouse? That’s the question I asked as I finally found myself fighting the crowds and going to the cinema last night. It’s a legitimate question, [...]

Transformers the new movie by Michael Bay, is based not on a novel, play or screenwriter’s inspiration but on a line of Hasbro toys that have been hot tickets for young boys such as myself for more than 20 years. I could not think of a greater example of a text book summer blockbuster than [...]

I have to start off by saying that I’m not a huge Fantastic Four fan and hence my review could be partially biased. Having said that, let’s get into the gory details of this movie . . . Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer starts off with our heroes finally settled in with their [...]

Chalk up number three of the summer. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End has arrived in theaters and knocked out the oh-so endearing Shrek the Third from it’s elevated position as the weekend top grosser. But isn’t that what we expected to happen? After all, our lovable ogre lost a great deal of his [...]

I hadn’t heard much about The Last Legion. But what I had heard was that it wasn’t particularly good — it doesn’t follow any true historical events and the action was rather inactive. Now, I certainly wouldn’t call myself a history major (I’ll leave that to my brother), so the possibility of that ruining my [...]

Here it is. The second of the most anticipated movies of the summer is here. No, I’m not talking about Gracie. I’m talking about Shrek the Third. If the title didn’t give it away, it’s the third installment of the animated juggernaught — the first being aptly titled Shrek and the second even more aptly [...]

Has it really been 14 years since the freaky, full-sized, mutant turtles graced us with the presence on the silver screen? Yeppers, the last time I saw them it was in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (I’m not counting television cartoons or straight-to-DVD titles). I’m obviously out of the loop since a great deal of [...]

Preconceived notions are like mother nature – a bitch. Especially to someone who likens themselves to an unbiased critic. So with a heavy heart, I admit, I went into the theater to see Bridge to Terabithia thinking it was going to be a weak runner-up to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and [...]

As a lonely child, I gravitated towards Dungeons & Dragons and have always been intrigued with fantasy worlds and the creatures that inhabit them. So finally, after seeing and hearing all the hoopla surrounding Pan’s Labyrinth or should I say El Laberinto del Fauno (real Spanish title), I finally got up the nerve to get [...]

Flame On! Nicholas Cage character Johnny, blazes the big sceen as the Ghost Rider with some intense visual effects and the fight for the balance of good and evil. Wife and I decided to spend the saturday evening at the movies and of all the choices we had, we decided to go for Ghost Rider [...]

After a hard week of working around the house, I definately needed some downtime. And what better way to enjoy some rest and relaxation than to sit back with an ice cold beer and watch the latest comedy romp starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson – Night at the Museum? The story certainly seemed funny [...]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Johnny Depp is one of the best actors of this generation – even if I have to look past the fact he resides in that shit infested country France. I don’t think there has been a movie starring Mr. Depp that I haven’t found entertaining on [...]

Let’s see – Sunday night, family is asleep and there isn’t anything on the boob tube worth my time. What to do? You guessed it; waste 95 minutes of my time on a spoofy, silly comedy. I figured after a dump truck load of shit has fallen on my head this past week, I could [...]

I want to know what these guys were smoking when they were writing the script for Superman Returns. So what was great about Superman Returns was the possibilities it could have taken with the script. After the beginning credits (which  were a great homage to the 70s/80s version of Superman), the whole film went downhill [...]

It’s been awhile since we’ve reviewed a movie starring Adam Sandler. Been even longer since we’ve actually looked forward to a movie starring Adam Sandler. But believe it or not, I was actually interested in watching Click. Perhaps I was hoping for comedy genius to strike again for him (see Waterboy or Happy Gilmore) – [...]

After watching the first two X-Men films, I was positive this would be amazing, mind blowing visuals, and above and beyond any fan’s expectations. Instead you are left with an overopulated mutant community. The end result, much the same as elsewhere – resources stretched to the breaking point forcing everyone to settle for less. The [...]

Although, I had never actually read the book – “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” (review title shortened, obvioulsy), I had heard a great many good things about it. So, I had high expectations going in to see this movie. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the [...]

I won’t call myself a devoted follower of the Harry Potter phenomenon dreamed up by J.K. Rowling, while she slept on the streets of Edinburgh. I would say, however, that I am a man who enjoyed the first three movies enough to look foward to seeing the latest incarnation: Harry Potter and the Goblet of [...]

There is a point where both video game fanatics and film buffs will want to see that neither the movie will try to be too much like the game nor the game too much like the movie… Or that the movie be too much like the others before it. But sadly, I walked away from [...]

There are few movies that I watch every time they are rerun on TBS. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is one of those movies. So you can understand my initial hesitation when I heard that it was remade and released as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a story [...]

Finally, a rendition of Batman that most fans of the comic book would be proud of. At least that was the hope I had when I finally sat down to watch Batman Begins. Let’s start where the producer’s of Batman Begins got it right. Without a doubt, they nailed the persona of Batman. From the [...]

How is it possible to create a worse movie than Alone in the Dark? Easy, dump out a piling heap of shit and title it Elektra. Now let’s be realistic. I knew the movie was going to be a waste of time and money. I watched this movie for two reasons. One, it was free. [...]

Ok, I’ll admit it, I went into Constantine thinking it was a pile of horseshit. Everyone I knew (and their mothers) claimed this movie sucked ass. “Shit movie,” and “Keanu Reaves can’t act,” are a few of the remarks I’ve heard. Although I can’t argue the latter opinion, I make a case on the first. [...]