Bug is an extremely unpleasant movie. Not necessarily gross, although there’s some stuff in there that made me wince. What makes Bug so unpleasant is the grimy immediacy of its environments, the inexorable downward trajectory of its story and the shocking emotional intimacy it creates with its deranged characters. What makes Bug so special is … Continue reading
I’ve had it with anime. I’ve had it with sitting through modestly well-animated movies that make no sense, that feature juvenile stories and characters and that I’m supposed to judge on a different level than I would judge any other film from any nation. It isn’t like live action Japanese films are regularly baffling in … Continue reading
Angel-A is one of the most gorgeous movies I have ever despised. Luc Besson’s black and white photography makes love to Paris, highlighting not just the beautiful architecture and geography of the city, but also the very soul of it. Angel-A does for Paris what Woody Allen’s Manhattan did for that city. But all of … Continue reading
Though perceived as the front runner for the 2007 Palme d’Or headed into today’s Cannes Film Festival awards ceremony, The Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men was clothes-hangered by Cristian Mungiu’s rapturously received abortion drama 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. Terminating the Coens’ hopes was festival president Stephen Frears, backed up by … Continue reading
There’s been a lot of talk these last few days about the 30th anniversary of Star Wars – a perfect storm of the modern obsession with nostalgia and George Lucas’ self-perpetuating hype machine. Many of the people going on and on about the Star Wars anniversary have been talking the film up as the opening … Continue reading
For almost a year now I’ve been doing weekly appearances on Playboy Radio on Sirius (website), discussing the new releases, chit-chatting with the hosts and Playmates, and on one occasion in studio, not touching the exposed beautiful breast of a naked cover girl. Pussy be thy name. It’s been a lot of fun working without … Continue reading
Happy Anniversary, Star Wars! Here’s how we repay you. Nick on Star Wars Episode One – The Phantom Menace:Yes, it’s the biggest disappointment in film history when it comes to hype, expectations, and the singular film franchise of all time. I’m one of the folks who now have a different view about this film due … Continue reading
Welcome to the next CHUD List. We’ve tackled our essentials list and the continued revelation of our Kills List from 2003, and now that we’ve begun the beguine, we must continue. Behold: The CHUD.com Top 50 Disappointments. A quick word on the criteria. We could very easily have spent this whole article discussing sequels and … Continue reading
The Untouchables: Capone Rising has been dealt a significant setback: due to a scheduling conflict, Nicolas Cage has turned down the opportunity to play Al Capone opposite Gerard Butler’s Jimmy Malone. This is a big problem. Cage’s casting lent the prequel legitimacy; now, the Brian De Palma-directed prequel is in desperate need of a name … Continue reading
The announcement that Fox is going to make a feature film – presumably live action – based on The Sims video game is just the latest example of what the real purpose of optioning properties is (ABC picking up the Cavemen sitcom is another example): it’s all about name recognition. Rod Humble, head of the … Continue reading