As someone who frequently travels back and forth through time, I immediately learned what ever I tampered with in the past affected my present. Corey Feldman? Totally my fault. The unfortunate result of too much tequila and an attempt to own a freshly minted first edition of Mad Magazine. Don’t ask. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s hard to imagine the Pink Panther films without Peter Sellers, whose fumbling Inspector Clouseau ranks as one of the funniest film creations in memory. Other have tried to imitate Sellers, yet he was so perfect as Clouseau that any one else pales by comparison. Read the rest of this entry »

Elmore Leonard is such a great pulp writer it’s a shame when Hollywood mangles his words. Every now and then they get it right, but for every “Get Shorty” and “Out of Sight” there’s a “52 Pick-Up” and “Stick” hanging around like a lead weight. Read the rest of this entry »

From the mind of Stephen King comes “Secret Window,” a psychological thriller starring Johnny Depp as a King-sized burnt-out writer looking for inspiration for his next novel. If anyone knows about writers-on-the-brink it’s King, whose novels include “The Shining” and “Misery.” Read the rest of this entry »

Writer-director Neil LaBute has never attempted a horror film, although most of his films feature horrible people doing horrible things to each other. Often categorized as misogynist and cruel, LaBute’s films routinely feature men being the worst possible men they can be, with women written and cast as objects of vilification and humiliation. Read the rest of this entry »

The characters in “The Whole Nine Yards” come from opposite worlds, yet share one distinct trait. They’re despicable. They’re loathsome. They’re heartless. They’re also pretty funny. Read the rest of this entry »

Like a crystal ball, the first scene in Kevin Costner’s western “Open Range” predicts what is to transpire. From a distance, we see a herd of cattle kicking up a thin blanket of dust as they amble through a beautifully framed and backlit valley. Read the rest of this entry »

An act of desperation if ever there was one. Realizing that their “Superman” franchise had run out of gas, producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind turned their attention to the man of steel’s pretty cousin, “Supergirl.” Read the rest of this entry »

Like most kids my age on my block, I found myself glued to my television set on Sunday evening at 7:30 p.m. for “My Favorite Martian.” It was my parent’s antidote to “The Wonderful World of Color” on NBC. I grew up watching and enjoying shows like “My Favorite Martian” and “Bewitched,” so whenever Hollywood gets the notion to turn them into big screen entertainment, I usually cringe. Read the rest of this entry »

Because of its proximity to Earth, man has always held a fascination for the planet Mars. Great works of fiction have been written about it. Hollywood has embraced Mars as its own. Astronauts dream one day of walking on its surface. Read the rest of this entry »