It took writer David Morrell ten years from the publication of his novel “First Blood” to see it leap to the big screen. Little did he know that his creation, Vietnam Vet and former Special Forces Green Beret John Rambo would go on to become an international icon. As a matter of fact, Morrell killed Rambo at the end of the novel. Read the rest of this entry »

If indeed there are 13 levels of hell, the filmmaker’s behind “The Thirteenth Floor” make no apologies for dragging us through each and every one of them. A dull, dreary exercise in futility, “The Thirteenth Floor” is another example of style over substance. Read the rest of this entry »

What do the following things have in common:
» A chainsaw enema…
» Flossing with barbed wire…
» Skinny dipping in lava…
» Sky dive using Ernest Borgnine as a parachute…
» Sit through a live performance of Joan of Arc starring Pia Zadora… Read the rest of this entry »

THE TIME MACHINE (PG-13)

How ironic that a film dealing with a man who literally has nothing but time on his hand end up feeling abridged. That’s just one of the problems with the update of H.G. Wells “The Time Machine,” a grin and bear it remake of George Pal’s far superior 1960 film. Read the rest of this entry »

Little did director Sean S. Cunningham and co-producer Steve Miner realize that their little excursion into horror would become a cult success and spawn a franchise that still lives to this day. Working from a tight, economical script by Victor Miller, Cunningham set out to create what would become the first in a series of horror films where the hero seldom wins. Read the rest of this entry »

There is a scene halfway through David Mamet’s lighthearted “State and Main” where a screenwriter tries to explain to the woman he likes why a nude starlet is standing in his hotel room. As strange as his explanation sounds, the woman seems to understand. He questions her sincerity, saying that even he knows it sounds absurd. Read the rest of this entry »

For an ant, life is no picnic. As part of a colony, there’s a lot of work to be done. Food has to be gathered. Tunnels have to be dug. The queen has to be tended to. There’s no room for individuality. Try telling that to Z, a worker drone who dreams of a better life.
Read the rest of this entry »

Looks can be deceiving. Take popular crime novelist Sarah Morton (Charlotte Rampling), who on the surface seems to have it all. Her series of Agatha Christie-light crime novels have made her popular with middle class and middle-aged readers, providing Sarah with a comfortable nest egg and a certain degree of fame. Read the rest of this entry »

“The Mexican” I saw in a theater this week was not the same movie being advertised on television. The one being advertised on television looks like a typically droll Julia Roberts/Brad Pitt romantic comedy. The one in theaters is a dark comedy in which Roberts and Pitt share only a few scenes together. Read the rest of this entry »

I love banana-nut ice cream. It’s difficult to find. I believe it is a seasonal thing. Even 31-Flavors doesn’t carry it. Several years ago a couple of my friends and I got together and created our very own brand of banana-nut ice cream. Read the rest of this entry »