Speak of the Devil, and he’ll come (or something to that effect) because the new Poltergeist trailer has dropped, and it’s a whole bunch of “Meh.” There’s a workman-like sheen to things, which may owe more to Paranormal Activity than the original movie, but if the trailer has shown me anything, it’s how unnecessary a remake it is. […]
“”Kingsman: the Secret Service” Is More Fun Than It Has Any Right To Be.” Honestly I didn’t go into Kingsman: The Secret Service expecting all that much. It’s directed by Matthew Vaughn, who did X-Men: First Class, Stardust, Kick-Ass, and Layer Cake. Luckily my reticence wasn’t necessary because it’s a pretty good time. The movie takes […]
Alexandre Aja is one of the most consistently interesting horror directors working today. His Maniac remake–which he wrote with his writing partner, Grégory Levasseur–was excellent, and the work he did direct, such as High Tension (a fascinating movie that irritates the Hell out of me–in an Usual Suspects kind of way. It’s a long story), The Hills Have Eyes […]
Some people might call William Girdler’s The Manitou a ripoff of The Exorcist, and in a sense they’d be right in that both involve possession of a sort. Then’s there’s the fact that Girdler’s film came five years afterwards, though other than that it’s a whole other animal and deserves revisiting. The movie, based on the novel […]
Trace Slobotkin‘s 2004 movie, Serial Killing 101 (otherwise known as Serial Killing 4 Dummys) is a shockingly–”shockingly” because it looks relatively cheap– entertaining movie. Visually, the problems are due to the cinematography of John P. Tarver, who’s lighting seems to wash out virtually everything it touches. Which is a pity because once you get beyond that, the movie […]
“”Frank” Is Thematically Reminiscent Of “Boyhood,” Except Stuff Happens.” Lenny Abrahamson‘s Frank in some ways reminded me of Boyhood, in the sense that both movies are about change and growing up, but what I find most interesting how the former film is at times touching, sad, funny and irritating, as opposed to the latter, which–particularly after […]
John Schlesinger’s Marathon Man–arguably one of the best thrillers ever made–has turned up on Netflix! If you haven’t seen it, it’s definitely worth a look. It has stars like Roy Scheider, Laurence Olivier, William Devane and Dustin Hoffman playing roles that careers are made from, in a story that involves international intrigue, danger (you’ll never look at dentistry […]
“Jarhead 2 would be a better movie if it weren’t called “Jarhead.”” Don Michael Paul‘s Jarhead 2: Field Of Fire is a fascinating movie–which shouldn’t be mistaken for good, though it’s by no means terrible–that revolves around a platoon in Afghanistan and a mission circumstance forces them to undertake. What makes the movie so interesting is […]
I caught the Ant-Man trailer–for some reason it’s still being called a “teaser”–and I have to say, it looks awesome. You’ve got Paul Rudd in his Ant-Man costume, running about, riding an ant and looking bulked-up. As I said, it’s pretty awesome. You also see Corey Stoll strolling down a corridor, and I have to say […]
Before I begin I think that I should acknowledge that Benedict Cumberbatch is a good actor. That being said, I don’t necessarily think that he’s a good choice for Marvel Studios upcoming Doctor Strange. For awhile Ethan Hawke was in the running–and I get the feeling that if the choice were entirely Scott Derrickson’s he’d […]
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