I have been a movie fan for most of my life and a film critic since 1986 (my first published review was for "Platoon"). Since that time I have written for several news and entertainment publications in California, Utah and Idaho. Big fan of the Academy Awards - but wish it would go back to the five-minute dinner it was in May, 1929. A former member of the San Diego Film Critics Society and current co-host of "The Movie Guys," each Sunday afternoon on KOGO AM 600 in San Diego with Kevin Finnerty.
The question wasn’t why it took so long to make Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, the unanticipated sequel to 2009’s “Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” as much as why waste the time, money and effort to make one at all. The original was a mediocre comedy at best and at worst was the indirect inspiration for…
Nicholas Sparks, who has probably put more words to paper than William Shakespeare (although none as memorable) has graced us with his yearly obligatory salute to misogyny, perfect abs and beautiful white people with problems we WISH we could have in his latest tearjerker, The Longest Ride. Sparks, the creator of such books/films as “The…
Besides the sophomoric sauciness to the title, Get Hard has both new phenom Kevin Hart and old pro Will Ferrell to bring in the crowds. Whether or not that is a recommendation or an indictment is difficult to tell. I prefer to let history decide. As for the former star, however, I like my Kevin…
Kurt Russell (“Grindhouse: Deathproof”) leads a cast of con men (and a woman), including Jay Baruchel (“This Is the End“), Matt Dillon (“Armored“), Chris Diamantopoulos (“The Three Stooges“), Katheryn Winnick (“Stand Up Guys“) and Kenneth Welsh (“Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer“) in The Art of the Steal, a complicated, mildly entertaining heist picture…
It isn’t likely one will recognize any members of the cast of Cement Suitcase, a film written and directed by J. Rick Castaneda (whose resume includes just a few short features, including “Math and Other Problems”). Yes, a person may have a fleeting bit of acknowledgement, but will most likely say, “Oh, he/she just looks…
There’s nothing more disappointing than a sequel that does not live up to the original film it came from, therefore, my cinematic experiences over the years dealing with such efforts have certainly been tragic. Yes, there have been second films that have equaled or surpassed the original (“The Empire Strikes Back,” “Superman 2,” “The Godfather:…
During a press conference promoting the newest release, Ender’s Game, directed by Gavin Hood (“X-Men Origins: Wolverine“), veteran actor Harrison Ford (“Paranoia”) compared the special effects technology from the “Star Wars” franchise in 1977 to this current production. “Back then, we would put together a plastic model out of car and boat parts, put it…
