As a film, “The General’s Daughter” is as conflicted as its characters.
At first glance, the film looks like another one of those John Grisham Southern thrillers. It’s images are soaked in a golden honey hue, and you can literally feel the humidity and smell the sweat that permeates each and every scene. Read the rest of this entry »
“The Exorcist” is my favorite film of all time, a jarring, seamless exercise in horror that still works its voodoo 27 years after its original release. Currently haunting theater screens is a new edition of the film, an expanded version championed by writer William Peter Blatty. Read the rest of this entry »
When Lawrence Kasdan made the leap from screenwriter (“Raiders of the Lost Ark”) to writer-director (“Body Heat,” “The Big Chill”), Hollywood gained a double-hyphenate that would entertain us for years to come. Little did we know that waiting in the wings was a second-generation Kasdan, son Jake. Read the rest of this entry »
After scoring cult success with “Maniac,” director William Lustig tackled the “Death Wish” formula with “Vigilante.” It’s been sixteen years since its release, and “Vigilante” definitely shows its age. Robert Forster (“Jackie Brown”) stars as a family man who turns his back on his friends (including Fred Williamson) when they form a vigilante squad to rid the streets of gangs. Read the rest of this entry »
Imagine a reggae production of “Robin Hood: The Prince of Thieves,” with John Travolta playing the Alan Rickman role of the Sheriff as the Frankenstein monster. Imagine “Blade Runner” with iron poor blood. Imagine a film so undeniably bad that it’s not even funny. Read the rest of this entry »
Anyone who has ever lost a child to the welfare system knows the frustration and bewilderment of trying to get them back. In extreme cases, the children are better off, but the system does make mistakes, unjustly separating families who are nothing more than victims of circumstance. At least we have a judicial system that allows wrongs to be righted.
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