Archive for May, 2005

The Weather Man

When thick chunks of ice turn Lake Michigan into a frozen wasteland, and blankets of snow pummel the Chicago pavement, everyone turns to local weatherman Dave Spritz. What Spritz does isn’t rocket science. The people of Chicago know it’s cold and miserable. Spritz, as his Pulitzer-prize winning author father reminds him, just reads the weather. He doesn’t create it, and quite frankly, doesn’t understand it. Read the rest of this entry »

Shadow of the Vampire

Filled with great conceit and whimsy, director E. Elias Merhige’s “Shadow of the Vampire” is the perfect marriage of fact and fantasy. Genuinely creepy, “Shadow of the Vampire” is scarier than anything else out there. Read the rest of this entry »

Rounders DVD

Set in dark, smoky rooms bathed in harsh flourescent and neon lights, “Rounders” is a somber, moody character study. It’s about good people who have bad habits, and how their compulsive behavior dictates their destiny. Read the rest of this entry »

Paparazzi

In order to understand my review of Paparazzi, you first need to know how I feel about them.
In all of the layers of hell, Paparazzi occupy the basement. Actually, they’re the scum on the floor, making it easier for the basement dwellers to poop on them. I understand being a celebrity comes with restrictions, but freedom to live their private life, out of the spotlight, shouldn’t be one of them. Read the rest of this entry »

Changing Lanes

Ever have one of those days. You know, one that begins in the toilet and only gets worse as the day drags on?

That’s what happens to Wall Street lawyer Gavin Banek (Ben Affleck) and insurance salesman Doyle Gipson (Samuel L. Jackson). Two diversely different men whose mid-morning collision on the FDR Expressway in New York is about to turn them into the same animal. Read the rest of this entry »

From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money

“From Dusk Till Dawn” was the perfect example of what happens when all the right talent comes together to make an explosive film. “Texas Blood Money,” the direct-to-video sequel, is the perfect example of what happens when lesser talent tries to duplicate that formula. Read the rest of this entry »

The Forgotten

The death of a child, no matter under what circumstance, is a traumatic thing. The loss can be so devastating a grieving parent will do anything to hold on to what little piece of the past remains.
Read the rest of this entry »

Cold Creek Manor

The decisions we make as individuals define who we are. Using that hypothesis, Cooper Tilson (Dennis Quaid) is an idiot and favored contender for worst parent and husband of the year. Most people see a red flag warning. Cooper must be color blind. How else can you explain the actions of a man who would move his Big Apple family into an old, decrepit country mansion? Read the rest of this entry »