Somewhere in the middle of the Iraqi Desert, four American soldiers have taken leave from the Gulf War in a quest to find Saddam Hussein’s private stash of stolen Kuwait gold. Their plan seems foolproof. A quick in and out and they can give up their day jobs after the war. Read the rest of this entry »

The James Bond franchise is 38 years old and 18 films strong. During that time, five men have played British Secret Service Agent James Bond, 007: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan. Like all series, the James Bond franchise has had it’s highs (“Goldfinger,” “Thunderball”) and lows (“A View to a Kill,” “Moonraker”). Read the rest of this entry »

“From Dusk Till Dawn,” the slam-bang action-horror from director Robert Rodriguez and writer Quentin Tarantino, is one of my favorite vampire films. The film’s combination of cutthroat action and wicked humor made it much more than just your run-of-the-mill, fangs-for-the-memory film. Read the rest of this entry »

Marginally engaging thriller from director Tobe Hooper. Chad Lowe plays a psychology student who leaves school for a steady job managing an old apartment complex in Hollywood. Are there any other kind? What starts off as a promising new career turns into a nightmare as strange events begin to plague his days. His suspicions are raised when the corpse of the former manager is discovered, leading him to believe that something evil is at work. He’s right, but director Hooper fails to connect all of the dots. There are some moments that generate genuine chills, but overall the film is sluggish and predictable. Read the rest of this entry »

Hot on the tail of “Blade,” “John Carpenter’s Vampire” comes at the perfect time of year, Halloween. Unfortunately, this anemic horror-thriller is less than perfect, a vampire film that suffers from iron poor blood. Read the rest of this entry »

As a former video retailer, I was fortunate enough to attend a local Video Software Dealer’s Association event in Malibu, California. It was a regional event, where members and their families enjoyed an afternoon of food and fun, courtesy of several studios and the VSDA. These events are always a lot of fun, and beneficial. You learn a little about the industry, you mingle with people in the same boat as you, and you get to take home some neat promotional items from the studios. Read the rest of this entry »

When we first meet screenwriter Steven Phillips (Albert Brooks), he’s on top of the world. He’s just received a humanitarian award for his body of work, which includes seventeen films, an Oscar nomination, a beautiful wife and family, and a comfortable home with a guest cottage. He also a three-picture deal with Paramount, and is anxiously awaiting word on his latest project. Read the rest of this entry »

CROW, THE: SALVATION (R)

“The Crow” franchise continues with this third entry starring Eric Mabius (“Cruel Intentions”) as a man wrongly accused of his girlfriend’s death. After his execution, Alex Corvis (Mabius) is resurrected by a mysterious crow. Read the rest of this entry »

Martin Scorsese is such an important director that with each new film comes a certain amount of expectation. That is why his latest film, “Bringing Out The Dead,” is such a major disappointment. Read the rest of this entry »

Riding high in the saddle, Viggo Mortensen leaps from one epic adventure (The Lord of the Rings) to another, and while there may be initial interest in this larger-than-life tale of heroism and survival, most audience members will experience a case of Deja Vu. That’s because “Hidalgo” borrows more than it births, creating an exciting yet extremely familiar film. Read the rest of this entry »