Reviews

REVIEW: HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE

How many masterpieces does one filmmaker get in a lifetime? Is there a finite store of incredible genius that can be burned through? Too many careers show that maybe this is the case, and Quentin Tarantino has said that filmmaking is a young man’s game. And while he may not be working in exactly the … Continue reading

TAG TEAM REVIEW: BATMAN BEGINS

While Devin’s official review of Batman Begins arrives next week, we wanted to voice our opinions on the film, as there’s been some incredible hyperbole out there on the web clouding what might be a really unique theater experience for some of you out there. I really liked the film, so did Micah, but we … Continue reading

REVIEW: HIGH TENSION

It may be hard for teens of today to realize that once upon a time horror movies were not feel-good rollercoaster rides of thrills. There was a time when horror films were just as nasty as the killers and monsters they were about – small, grimy films that were looking to put the audience through … Continue reading

REVIEW: LORDS OF DOGTOWN

I have met many people who lament that the documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys already covered the first days of skateboarding, so why do we now need a narrative feature version? Besides the fact that almost no one sees documentaries, there’s an important reason for the existence of the new film Lords of Dogtown – it’s … Continue reading

REVIEW: KONTROLL

2005 is shaping up as the year of the great foreign film. Which is sort of ironic, since most of the great foreign films I’ve been seeing hit their home countries at least a year ago and are only just now getting some play in the States. But who cares when a movie comes from … Continue reading

REVIEW: RING TWO, THE

Samara, the evil ghost from The Ring, hasn’t upgraded. At the beginning of The Ring Two she’s still getting passed around (cleverly) via videotape – at this point that seems about as worrisome as an 8mm film reel. But that’s OK because The Ring Two, outside of the opening scene, isn’t interested in Samara-as-viral-meme anymore. … Continue reading

REVIEW: MAIL ORDER WIFE

The idea of a documentary following a guy who orders a wife through the mail is a good one. There may even be one on the subject – the whole thing is so fascinating. But a documentary like that might have a hard time getting a Jose Canseco cameo, unlike the mockumentary Mail Order Wife. … Continue reading

REVIEW: BE COOL

Ten years ago, the Travolta resurgence continued with Get Shorty. I don’t remember much about the film — seems like it was an entertaining piece of fluff, maybe little else. Of course, I do remember the Travolta picture from the year before. The one that kicked off the mess that eventually became Michael and The … Continue reading

REVIEW: DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN

Tyler Perry is a superstar. Maybe not to most of the readers of CHUD.com, but in the urban theater world (once known disparagingly as the “chitlin’ circuit”), Perry’s plays have grossed upwards of 75 million dollars in the last few years. With those kinds of numbers it’s no surprise that one of his plays has … Continue reading