There are times when low expectations lead to films genuinely surprising you in a “Wow, that wasn’t a bad as I thought it would be!” kind of way. And then, there are times when the same expectations lead to films surprising you in a “Wow, this is actually a pretty good flick!” kind of way. … Continue reading
For me, one of the more sketchy descriptions of any film is the label “Hollywood Satire.” It’s not that it can’t be done well, per se. But without the focus of a specific purpose and narrative like Swimming with Sharks or For Your Consideration, they tend to come off as silly, obvious, smug, and well……you … Continue reading
I missed the whole Saw train. Actually, that’s not quite right. That would imply that I ever intended to catch the train, which is most certainly not the case. The concept for the first one seemed somewhat interesting, but the assness of the cast and cheap, grungy, and depressing tone convinced me to stay away. … Continue reading
I was rather indifferent to the idea of Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes production company because for the first few years of its existence, it was simply a horror remake factory churning out slick, yet uninspired films that made lots of money and little sense. It appears that the coffers have been filled enough for Bay … Continue reading
Roger Donaldson is one of those directors for whom the oft-overused description of “solid” is actually perfect. The guy has worked steadily in studio pictures since the early 80’s, and some of my favorite silly genre flicks (Species) and small thrillers (Thirteen Days) come courtesy of this gent. Now, he’s currently shooting a 70’s-set bank … Continue reading
It’s hard for me to get angry about the steady stream of puerile, unfunny flicks that arrive each year courtesy of Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison productions. These movies simply aren’t worthy of notice much less ire, and I think if they’d go ahead and eliminate the middleman by sending them straight to cable and calling … Continue reading
When Epic Movie hit the number one slot at the box office a couple of weeks back, CHUD’s own Andre Dellamorte mentioned that an upside to these ridiculously uninspired and formulaic films getting made is that it opens the door for new talents to get in the Hollywood door on low-budget, low-risk product like this. … Continue reading
This is still in the not-quite-concrete/rumor stage, as the source for this story is gossip haven TMZ.com, but reportedly Tom Cruise looks to do a flick with Ben Stiller tentatively called The Hardy Men, which of course would be based on the Hardy Boys detective novel series. Except that they’re grown-up now, see? What’s interesting … Continue reading
Before 2006, I would have probably ranked Iron Man somewhere in the low 3000s in the list of Marvel characters I cared about, nestled comfortably between The USAgent and Night Thrasher. Aside from the “Armor Wars” storyline, where they explored his crisis of conscience at having inadvertently becoming an international arms dealer, it seemed like … Continue reading
1. FADE IN MAGAZINE – VOL. 9, No. 4 "Entertainment" magazines are well and good for light reads and what have you. But if you really care about film as a medium and want to read magazines that reflect that, one of your best bets is Fade In. Despite a dull, "trade mag"-esque layout, this … Continue reading