Eli Roth’s Hostel is a movie without any conviction. It’s a horror film that appeals to the middle ground, wades into fear instead of diving in, and relies on the names of other, better directors to sell the package to an audience that should be extremely suspicious. Why suspicious? Just look at the ads, with … Continue reading
There were two things that surprised me about Eli Roth’s Hostel – one was the direction the film took, which I wasn’t expecting from the ads. The other was the fact that I liked it. Both of these surprises hit me about halfway through the film. I won’t spill too much on the film’s plot, … Continue reading
BUY IT AT AMAZON: CLICK HERE!LABEL: RepriseMSRP: $59.98TRACKS: 37MUSIC BY: Howard Shore It’s taken me a while to figure out how I should even approach writing something like this. Mainly because of the sheer length involved, and the greatness of the material that really involves a complete exploration. You can’t do a half-assed job on … Continue reading
2005 is going to go down in history as the year of bloat. Too many movies have gone too long, and Spielberg’s Munich is the latest culprit. Like many of the other bloat films – The New World, or King Kong – it’s a movie that’s not too long because it needs to be, but … Continue reading
The two hours I spent in the theater watching The Producers were the two most fun hours I have had in a movie theater this year. The adaptation of the Broadway musical version of Mel Brooks’ original movie pops, crackling energy from the screen even though it’s completely stagey. The story is simple – Max … Continue reading
This review refers to a cut of the film that may not be seen in theaters in wide release next January. It is the cut that is opening this weekend in selected cities. Watching a Terrence Malick movie, I get the idea the he’s deliberately trying to tear down old mythologies. Whether he’s intentionally replacing … Continue reading
This review refers to a cut of the film that may not be seen in theaters in wide release next January. It is the cut that is opening this weekend in selected cities. Terence Malick’s The New World is a sloppy, messy film that is dragged down by its own sense of profundity. It’s a … Continue reading
Fun With Dick and Jane reminds me of the 1982 film Pieces. No, Jim Carrey doesn’t go around cutting up women to create a composite girl (although if that had been the plot I would surely have liked the film better). Rather, the movie feels like it’s been cobbled together from all over the place … Continue reading
BUY IT AT AMAZON: CLICK HERE!LABEL: Decca/UniversalMSRP: $18.98TRACKS: 21MUSIC BY: James Newton Howard It seems that more often than not, films now are overshadowed by what goes on behind the scenes. Talk of power struggles between director and star have been commonplace since movies began, not to mention the usual talk of studio interference, which … Continue reading
What does a masterpiece look like? Like The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, one of the best movies of the decade so far. Tommy Lee Jones has been treading water for years now. Ever since Men in Black his roles have been a sad spiral of shame, culminating in this year’s horrible Man of the … Continue reading