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.
“Everything they built will fall; and from the ashes of their world we will build a better one.” — En Saben Nuh So, what did we all learn from the newest installment of the 20th Century Fox X-Men franchise (the eighth to be exact, or sixth if we eliminate the two Wolverine offshoots, or ninth…
No one has been a bigger critic of films based on video games than this author, but on the other hand, no one is as appreciative of a decent product than him, as well. And while Angry Birds (directed by Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly, both longtime graphic artists, but each making their directorial debuts)…
Ratchet & Clank. Another more than appropriate film title — well, at least the “Clank” part. I have written in the past that movies inspired by video games usually fall into two categories: Bad (“Doom,” “Super Mario Bros.,” “Tomb Raider”) or terrible: (“Mortal Kombat,” “Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li,” “Max Payne”). Recently, “Hitman: Agent…
For those who believe sequels are and integral part of the filmmaking process, I present the following recent exhibits: “The Hangover Part II,” “Star Trek Into Darkness,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Ted 2.” Yes, I realize there are also other examples where the sequel bested the original, such as “The Godfather Part II,” “Superman…
While it’s hard enough to make a successful comedy when more than half of the country does not understand the premise; it’s just as difficult to do so when the much of that film’s subjects concern gangs, drive-by shootings and murder. Yes, getting killed can sure put the kibosh on one’s funny bone. Still, the…
The problem with modern comedies is, well, most just aren’t funny. They take ridiculous, over-the-top situations (which is not entirely bad unto itself), but add a healthy dose of violence, profanity and toilet humor. In the case of a self-parody or genre-bending tale like “This Is the End,” these ingredients usually work; for something like…
The increasing number of recent films featuring stories of Christian faith or history (“God’s Not Dead 2,” “Miracles from Heaven,” “Risen,” just to name a few) hearken back to the days when Biblical films ruled the motion picture landscape. From 1953’s “The Robe” to 1956’s “The Ten Commandments” and “Friendly Persuasion” to the grand-daddy of…
