Over the last few weeks I’ve seen Superbad more than once and had innumerable conversations about it. The dialogues all start the same way: ‘is it actually funny?’ When I emphatically assure friends, enemies and Republicans that it is fucking hilarious, not merely ‘funny’, I’m always met with the same rebuttal: ‘really?’ I can see … Continue reading
What divides a disaster from a fiasco, artistically speaking? What is the line between a failure and a complete pants shitting? Whatever separates just plain fucking a movie up from inflicting pain on audiences, The Invasion lands firmly on the worst side of it. A terrible movie by any reasonable standards, The Invasion is a … Continue reading
Whenever a documentary breaks life down into a battle of good versus evil, it’s usually an indication that the filmmaker has plunged headlong into not only subjectivity, but prejudice. This has been especially true of the recent spate of political documentaries; in the absence of an overriding, absolute truth or a smoking gun, many documentarians, … Continue reading
Put yourself in Oliver Hirschbiegel’s shoes. You’ve made several films, two of which broke out of Germany to international success: das Experiment and Downfall. You’re presented with a major studio opportunity to rework Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but with a script that casts the alien invasion as the sort of fascist takeover you’ve already … Continue reading
This year has dealt a serious blow to my ability to claim any one film is the ‘best’ anything of this year, especially when it comes to comedies*. 2007 has been bafflingly rich in comic gold, and if you had told me back in February that Hot Fuzz might not be the best comedy of … Continue reading
The Kingdom is one of the most remarkable and extraordinary movies of 2007; smart and thoughtful while never sacrificing tension, excitement or teeth-shattering action, Peter Berg has made a current events thriller that will stand in the years to come as a cinematic snapshot of our fucked up moment in time. Berg has proven himself … Continue reading
I hope Alan Moore goes to see Stardust. His work has never been treated with such reverence as Matthew Vaughn shows Neil Gaiman, but the film instills hope that it might be. Whether or not Moore buys a ticket, you definitely should. Not to make the point too directly, but it’s a wonderful piece of … Continue reading
There’s nothing wrong with the dreadful Skinwalkers that couldn’t be fixed, which is why I hate it so much. I knew it was headed in the wrong direction when Cronenberg was no longer listed as an executive producer, and never did have faith that Jason Behr could project depth beyond his shaving commercial stubble to … Continue reading
There’s a moment about halfway into Rush Hour 3 that sums it up nicely. Having evaded goons in the Parisian sewer system, Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) and James Carter (Chris Tucker) arrive at their fancy hotel stinking of shit. In the elevator, reeking and dripping, also rides the French actress Silvie Laguna. (You might remember … Continue reading
Publisher: William MorrowPages: 280Buy from Amazon! Author Website Why the hell didn’t we get A-Game Ellis with his prose debut? This is just barely his B-Game. Warren Ellis is one of my favorite writers, and Transmetropolitian, flaws and all, is one of my top five comic series ever. I just wanted to get that out … Continue reading