In The Spotlight
Doctor Strange
The Marvel Universe, like any universe, can always welcome Benedict Cumberbatch with open arms. He takes the character of Doctor Strange--that's his real name, not just his super hero name--an arrogant, callous, selfish surgeon who is involved in a car crash that nearly destroys his hands. This of course renders him useless as a surgeon; and even though the crash was 100% his fault, he still goes on a quest to try and heal his hands because he doesn't think that maybe he deserves this punishment for being such a mean guy. His love interest, Christine (Rachel McAdams), tries her best ...
The Fighter
Out of all of David O. Russell’s films, which include “Three Kings”, “I Heart Huckabees”, and “Flirting With Disaster”, this may be one of the most accessible to a regular audience. And strangely, it’s one of his most character-influenced. This is a film about people; and more specifically, family. It’s got a boxing background story, but it’s not really about boxing. Maybe that’s why it was called “The Fighter” instead; then again, we already have a film called “The Boxer”. In any event, Russell’s mark isn’t exactly all over this picture--but it’s still very well made, and it’s extremely well ...
Tron Legacy
In 1982 we were introduced to a different kind of science fiction action film: a computer action film. These days, that may sound either common or at least, somewhat exciting. But back in 1982, computers were fairly unknown and computer games were extremely rare. But Disney was willing to shell out for a film called "Tron", which was about computers and computer hackers and computer games. It revolved around very basic colors and designs, but make them look very unique even if the story seemed lethargic and 4-bit. The film gathered some good reviews at the time, and eventually became ...
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1
The Harry Potter series has dominated this past decade in book and film, and it’s finally coming to a close next summer with the concluding part of the final entry, “The Deathly Hallows.” I’ve been a fan of the book series; but the movies have been an up and down thing for me. Some of them, like “Prisoner of Azkaban”, “Order of the Phoenix”, and especially the last film, “The Half-Blood Prince”, have been rewarding movie going experiences. “The Deathly Hallows”, unfortunately, is piled in with the other movies as sloppy, slow, and in this case, overly brooding. The film starts ...
Jackass 3-D
Celebrating their 10th anniversary, the Jackass crew is back. I always find it tricky to actually review a “Jackass” movie because these aren’t really “films”, per se. There’s no storyline or plot or theme or even acting. Just about everything in a “Jackass” movie involves extremely dangerous, extremely stupid, and almost always disgusting stunts and pranks. But as much as they may seem classless and gross, I enjoy the hell out of them. And “Jackass 3-D” is no different. For those who are fans of the series, you will not be disappointed. Everyone gets their turn, including Johnny “Pretty Boy” Knoxville ...
Movies
Halloween (2018)
“Halloween” is now 40 years old, and every generation we’ve had...
A Star Is Born (2018)
Bradley Cooper’s Jackson Maine, a crooning country rock/folk singer, has cold...
Incredibles 2
“The Incredibles” asked the age-old question in the world of superheroes:...
Deadpool 2
Breaking the 4th wall in a film is always a risk. I recall the late great critic...
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Green Day: 21st Century Breakdown
15 years ago, I reluctantly plucked the new Green Day album off the shelves at Venture...
Kaiser Chiefs – “Off With Their Heads”
They’re not blazing a trail. They’re not bringing rock and roll to a...
Ben Folds – Way to Normal
Ben Folds was a nerdy teenager’s best friend and when you’re going through...
Shiny Toy Guns – Season of Poison
I was first introduced to this band through FIFA 07’s soundtrack, featuring...
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Unfriended
Back in 1996, there was an FMV PC video game called “Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle...
The Green Inferno
Eli Roth doesn’t beat around the bush. When he wants to make a statement, social...
Chapter 27
“The first thing you probably want to know is all that stuff about my dad and...
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