‘The Cabin in the Woods’ The Horror Film to End All Horror Films
‘The Cabin in the Woods’ comes from the minds of Joss Whedon (‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, ‘Firefly’ The upcoming ‘Avengers’) and Drew Goddard (‘Buffy’, ‘Angel’, ‘Cloverfield’) and if the movie is any indication their minds are a fun place to be, as well as a bit screwed up. I feel I must start with a warning: the movie is more fun if experienced with... Read More
Review: Project X
The first thing one should know about ‘Project X’, a new teen comedy in theaters which hit theaters last week, is that it’s produced by Todd Philips, director of ‘The Hangover’ and it’s remake sequel. That alone will tell you if you have any desire to see this film. Like those movies ‘Project X’ is a comedy fueled by alcohol and drugs,... Read More
Review: Act of Valor
Most of the time a movie lives or dies by the level of acting that is brought to the picture. It can have the best story and most amazing action pieces, but if the actors involved don’t convey the emotions their characters are feeling authentically, then the audience doesn’t care and the movie falls apart. Of course there are exceptions to this rule, just look at the Transformers... Read More
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” 180 Degrees From Burton’s
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” is one of the best movies of the summer and delivers everything that Tim Burton, Mark Wahlberg couldn’t in 2001’s “Planet of the Apes”, and characters we care about. James Franco plays Will Rodman, a genetic researcher who is obsessed with pushing for a drug to get to human trials that will repair brain cells and lead to a cure for Alzheimer’s. ... Read More
How Transformers Got Their Groove Back
I did not see “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” for almost two weeks after its release. I saw the first two films on opening day. I loved the first one. “Revenge of the Fallen” was such a colossal disappointment on almost every level. There’s no way a film that made billions of dollars is going to retool to make a better third film right? Wrong. “Dark of the Moon”... Read More
Super 8 is a Throwback to the Spielbergian 80s!
As a child of the 80s I grew up on a steady diet of films directed or produced by Steven Spielberg, with E.T., Gremlins, The Goonies, and Back to the Future among them. One of the things all of these films had in common were that they all featured protagonists that were either kids or teens. So when I heard J.J. Abrams (Lost, Fringe, Cloverfield) was working with Spielberg... Read More
J.J. Abrams’ Throwback To Childhood Gives us “Super 8″: Best Served with Friends
“Super 8″ has been shrouded in secrecy during its whole production and marketing campaign. This is unconventional for Hollywood that loves to give you the Cliff Notes in the trailer. Director J.J. Abrams and Executive Producer Steven Spielberg bet big that people would see this movie if you showed them less. Abrams with “Super 8″ has made a touching... Read More
Vaughn’s “X-Men: First Class” is Kick-Ass
In the early 1960s, before the rise and explosion of mutants, Charles Xavier and Eric Lehnsherr were just beginning to discover their powers. Eric is a child of the Holocaust and is introduced to Sebastian Shaw, a man who is interested in his powers. Charles Xavier grows up in New York and finds little Raven (Mystique) stealing food out of his kitchen. He takes her in and... Read More
X-Men: First Class Receives Top Marks
Fan made poster by Jeffrey Zhang Comic book movies seem to fall into one of three categories: 1) the flop, usually a bad idea which leads to disappointment to both the general audience and to the fanboys at large, see Catwomen, Ghost Rider, The Watchmen. 2) The origin story, which is usually pretty good, but has to spend a lot of time setting up things for the next films in the... Read More
The Beaver: Brilliant Yet Box Office Blunder
“The Beaver” is a brilliant portrayal of a man who tries to salvage himself through a puppet. Walter (Mel Gibson) is depressed and lacks the ability to go on. His wife Meredith, played by Director Jodie Foster, kicks him out. Walter comes across a beaver puppet in a dumpster and takes it home. Walter wakes up and is talking to himself through the beaver. He tells everyone... Read More









