Mar
11
“The Evil Dead” Review
Filed Under Movies
Sam Raimi’s debut film, 1981’s “The Evil Dead,” went largely unseen during its initial release. Though championed by horror novelist Stephen King as well as “Fangoria” magazine, gorehounds and general audiences alike passed on the movie, and it disappeared from theaters without much fanfare. The film still made enough green to justify a remake/sequel, 1986’s [...]
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8
“Meteor” Review
Filed Under Movies
With the recent non-news that an asteroid killed the dinosaurs and not HIV-AIDS, I thought I’d watch a forgotten gem of the disaster genre, the 1979 Ronald Neame film, “Meteor.” The film stars Sean Connery, Natalie Wood, Karl Malden, Martin Landau and Henry Fonda. I know, right. What a cast! This being a disaster picture, [...]
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5
The Greatest Spoiler I Have Ever Read
Filed Under Spoilers
There are billboards up all over town for a flick called “Remember Me.” As it happens, the marketing campaign is completely forgettable. That said, anything starring Robert Pattinson, who looks like a less butch version of Rachel Maddow, is something that’s off my radar. Someone asked me the other day if I’d seen “Twilight: New [...]
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2
Where Have All the Tough Guys Gone?
Filed Under Culture
Driving to work this morning, I saw billboards for “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and “She’s Out of My League,” the kind of toothless, sissy-Mary pap that passes for adolescent power fantasies these days. Yeesh, what’s happened to young men? As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that adolescence isn’t a phase for males; it’s perpetual. [...]
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26
“The Crazies” Review
Filed Under Movies
I went into this one cold, having not seen any trailers or TV commercials. In high school, my buddies and I made it through about five or 10 minutes of the original, George A. Romero-directed version. I had no idea what to expect from the new film. But the reviews seemed surprisingly positive for a [...]
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25
A Bunch of Tools Are Up for “Captain America”
Filed Under Movies
The first question Marvel Studios should be asking themselves in casting “Captain America” isn’t, “Does this guy look the part?” but “Can he hold the screen with Robert Downey Jr.?” Judging from the list of interchangeable pretty boys who are up for the role, Marvel’s clearly looking to put a relative unknown into the costume [...]
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24
Superman Lives?
Filed Under Movies
The last time an excellent Superman film was made I hadn’t been born yet. I think the second film, released shortly after I came into the world, is good but not great and I still maintain that the third is not irredeemably bad. No, movie four holds the honor of being atrocious. “Superman Returns” ultimately [...]
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23
I Think I’ll Pass on “Alice in Wonderland”
Filed Under Movies
A few weeks ago, I had to convince my girlfriend that Tim Burton’s latest living nightmare, “Alice in Wonderland,” is a sequel to and not a remake of the animated film. I can understand her confusion, since there’s no numerical designation in the title. In fact, the name of the sequel is identical to the [...]
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22
“Human Centipede: First Sequence” Review
Filed Under Movies
How do you review a film like Tom Six’s “Human Centipede: First Sequence?” The premise alone is enough to make the average movie-goer dry heave. But those are the kinds of films I actively seek out. Horror fans like me are never content with whatever level of desensitization they’ve reached. Instead we have to keep [...]
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19
“Shutter Island” Review
Filed Under Movies
In every book about screenwriting I’ve ever read, and probably in every one I haven’t, it says you should avoid flashbacks and dream sequences at all costs. And so, it came as a surprise to me that “Shutter Island” is teeming with flashbacks and dream sequences. I’m almost surprised the damn thing didn’t have tons [...]
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