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.
Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties. It gave me an allergic reaction. I suppose if I had cared anything for the original live-action Garfield (based on Jim Davis’ once-popular comic strip, from 2004), I would have liked this one better. Suffice it to say, however, if you have children, there are certainly worse movies you…
The Battle of Iwo Jima was fought mainly between United States Marines and the Empire of Japan during February and March of 1945, during the Pacific Campaign of World War II. As a result of the battle, the United States gained control of the island, and the airfields located there. The battle is most famous,…
After a fine first effort in the action/adventure department with “Transformers,” the series ran into major writer’s block (as well as a writer’s strike) with the horrid second installment, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” And while still not up to the inaugural’s standard, the newest release, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, is a decent addition…
One has to balance the several fine performances with the most depressing screenplay of the year if one is to gain any kind of satisfaction from Running With Scissors, the debut directorial effort from Ryan Murphy (TV series Nip/Tuck) about a dysfunctional — with a capital “D” — family. In fact, it’s like American Beauty…
Lightning McQueen: Mater, you ARE the bomb. Never have truer words been spoken in a movie, and never have I had the displeasure to pronounce a Pixar film a failure — until now. Cars 2, the sequel to the 2005 runaway animated hit “Cars,” misfires on so many cylinders, it becomes a huge lemon long…
You know a movie, where the main plot line is skipping school, is bad when the main character tells the audience there are “rules” to such activities. And unless that character is Ferris Bueller, the viewers — for the most part — should just ignore those guidelines. I’ll even go a step further. The Art…
Just because a film is made for children does not mean it needs to be childish; just because a film stars Heather Graham does not mean it has to be awful; just because a film attempts to salute the nostalgic summers of our past youth does not mean a person should want to put a…
