Those who care anything about the latter-day Mummy franchise have had some trying times lately. The director’s chair has passed from Stephen Sommers (bad, but enjoyable so) to Rob Cohen (so very much worse, and dull to boot). The latest installment is being written by the feeble scribes behind Smallville. They’re shifting the focus of … Continue reading
Of all of the recent animated DC shows to hit the small screen, I liked Superman the least. It had none of the stylish ambience of Batman and it only rarely had the widescreen kick-butt action of Justice League Unlimited. But one thing it had going for it over the other shows was its spot-on … Continue reading
For me, it’s always kind of odd to refer to Mary Lynn Rajskub as 24’s Mary Lynn Rajskub. I know that’s her signature now, but I’ve never bothered watching the show. To me, she’s the comedy chick from Mr. Show and The Larry Sanders Show, and she always will be. Great for her that she’s … Continue reading
1. WIZARD – APRIL ’07 The comic book industry has their glossy, all encompassing magazine and it is this one. They tend to have their formula and stick to it, but sometimes they’ll surprise you. This issue’s strong points: LOVED the secret history of Black Lightning. Had no idea the creators were that attached to … Continue reading
You may or may not remember that back in 2005, there was an impending thriller with a lot of star power attached called Lonely Hearts. The film – starring John Travolta, James Gandolfini, Jared Leto, Salma Hayek, and Laura Dern – was a 40s set true crime story about murderous lovers (Leto and Hayek) who … Continue reading
Amy Berg’s documentary Deliver Us From Evil was about as frank and cutting as an indictment of the child abuse that has occurred within Catholic Priesthood could be. The patterns of pedophilia and the cover-ups by Catholic authorities are well-known now, but as with any large-scale tragedy, it’s sometimes tough to fully grasp the damage … Continue reading
In 1999, there was huge drug bust in the small, rundown town of Tulia, Texas. 46 people were arrested based solely on the testimony of one officer, Tom Coleman. What stood out about this series of arrests, however, is that almost all of the men, 40 to be exact, were black. In fact, this was … Continue reading
Ethan Hawke’s one of those guys who seems to have little trouble moving back and forth between big time studio pics and indies without compromising himself much for either. His low-key, laidback style makes him a pliable presence that works for a lot of material, especially ensemble films. Although he has a number of them … Continue reading
I’ve never been a big fan of the teacher/coach-changes-his -students’-lives-magically genre of films because they usually take real life stories of genuine inspiration and apply such a saccharine sheen to them that they become nigh unrecognizable. And the framing of most of these with well-meaning whites helping unfortunate minorities has an unpleasant stench of condescension … Continue reading
I missed the Asian Horror Movie train completely. I didn’t buy a ticket. I didn’t show up at the station. I didn’t even check the schedule. I can understand why the more cerebral thrills of these movies stood out amidst the lackadaisical traditional teen horror flicks coming from the US several years back. But surely, … Continue reading