A note to readers in screening cities:As I spent the better part of four hours today going through envelopes sent in from various cities, the realization sunk in for the millionth time in the past several years. This needs to change.When I was the guy supplying the envelopes and stamps and hours to get the … Continue reading
Curtis Hanson used to be a name to fear back in the day. Now his name alone justifies the decision to see a movie on its merits alone. That’s what happens when you uncork the trifecta of LA Confidential, Wonder Boys, and 8 Mile. Yeah, he’s a long way from hands rocking cradles and the … Continue reading
Master multitasker Robert Rodriguez’s 3-D flick The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl came and went early this summer, briefly stopping to hurl random CGI creations at audiences, but now here’s another chance to see what Rodriguez slapped together based on ideas from his own young son’s mind. The movie revolves around a misfit lad whose … Continue reading
Keira Knightley. Mickey Roarke. AT LAST! Domino is Tony Scott’s latest film, a super stylish action thriller set against the sorta true-life story of ass kicking bounty hunter Domino Harvey. You can count on a few things when Mr. Scott is behind the lens. It’ll look good. It’ll feature great character work. It’ll grow on … Continue reading
While I was out in Los Angeles this past week I had a couple of beers with Mr. Beaks, late of Aint It Cool, now of Collider. The topic of Noah Baumbach’s new film, The Squid and the Whale, came up, and while it turns out I liked it more than Beaks (who had problems … Continue reading
Before The Deer Hunter, Bobby DeNiro was only known for small overlooked films like Taxi Driver and The Godfather Part II. An unflinching look at Vietnam and its impact on a group of small-town friends, this powerful drama won all sorts of awards and helped propel the careers of DeNiro, Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken and John … Continue reading
Though it’s usually a favorite destination, I wasn’t that wild about Las Vegas when I recently got stuck there overnight in 117 degree heat while on a layover from LA, but walking away from a poker table nearly $1,000 heavier made the unanticipated delay more tolerable. Vegas has so much going for it: the accessibility of … Continue reading
Here’s how this works: When the prizes arrive and sufficient time has passed, I send them. When enough prizes and contests have ended, I run the winner son the site so it’s public. Usually by the time I run these, the winners all know they’ve won. Still, I get accusatory emails acting as if I’m … Continue reading
You lucky sons of bitches. I have a stack of Mindhunters DVDs and they’re meant for you! That’s right, Renny Harlin’s long-delayed guilty pleasure starring Christian Slater, Val Kilmer, LL Cool J, Clifton Collins Jr., Johnny Lee Miller, and many more is not only here in a surprisingly apportioned DVD but it’s here with a … Continue reading
Evil Dead 2 made me want to be a filmmaker. Sure, Jaws and Star Wars and all the other major films that influenced my early life had a hand in it but no flick overnight changed not only the fact I wanted to be a filmmaker but HOW I wanted to be a filmmaker. Things … Continue reading