Archive for June, 2004

Robots

Robots is a junkyard joy, a dazzling, gee whiz computer animated tale from the director of Ice Age. Set in a presumably futuristic world inhabited by robots of every shape, size and mechanical appendage, Robots is packed full of satisfying visuals and intricately designed riffs. Read the rest of this entry »

Pi

I was never a big fan of mathematics. Oh sure I learned the basics. I was even forced to take calculus and algebra to get in to college. You know what? I’ve never had the need to square root anything in my life. Never. The only density I worry about is in my butt and gut. Math may have its place in the universe, but my planet has never felt the need to orbit around it. Read the rest of this entry »

Oscar 2004

In this age of political correctness, there are no longer losers, just winners. Don’t believe me? Ask the back-slapping folks who hand out the annual Academy Awards. Actors, writers, directors, editors, all looking for an edge to make the final cut. Campaign advertisements, screeners, talk show appearances. Read the rest of this entry »

My Fair Lady

I was so thrilled with the release of “My Fair Lady” on DVD that I just had to sing. How else could I explain this jubilant feeling I have inside? “My Fair Lady” is one of my favorite musicals. I have seen it countless times, with numerous leads, and I never tire of seeing it over. Read the rest of this entry »

Guess Who

Thirty-eight years after Sidney Poitier chowed down with Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn, guess who’s coming to dinner? Why it’s none other than That 70’s Show Ashton Kutcher and comedian Bernie Mac, proving that interracial relationships are still grist for the mill. Unlike the groundbreaking 1967 comedy, which had something relevant to say about the subject, Guess Who plays the idea strictly for laughs, sidestepping all but superficial social ramifications. Read the rest of this entry »

From Hell

On the surface, “From Hell” may seem like a radical departure for filmmaking twin brothers Albert and Allen Hughes. Upon closer inspection, this marriage of gothic horror and the urban sensibilities of the directors of “Menace II Society” makes perfect sense. Read the rest of this entry »

Sleepy Hollow DVD

Halfway through Tim Burton’s “Sleepy Hollow,” a character is impaled and then dragged to his doom by the headless horseman. Towards the end of “Sleepy Hollow,” the film’s hero, Ichabod Crane, finds himself being dragged by a carriage during a fight with the horseman. Read the rest of this entry »

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer 2-Mask of Sanity

When John McNaughton was hired to direct “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer,” he was a distributor for MPI Home Video. When McNaughton completed “Henry,” Chuck Parello, another MPI employee, was assigned to market the film. Read the rest of this entry »

The End of the Affair

Of all of life’s romantic pleasures, to me the most erotic is passion. A lot of people mistake lust for passion. Real passion goes beyond superficial sex. It totally inhabits the individual, rendering them helpless. Real passion creates a heat wave that sears through everything else. Read the rest of this entry »

The Day After Tomorrow

Global warming. Personally, I blame the big hair bands of the 1980’s. Melting polar ice caps. Unpredictable weather. Severe storms. Biblical floods. Where did they think all of those free- floating fluorocarbons went? A decade of Twisted Sister and Night Ranger in exchange for a new ice age. Sounds like a fair trade to me. Read the rest of this entry »