War is Hell, especially if you’re fighting intergalactic, brain-draining, fire-breathing arachnids from another planet. There’s a lot of thought and imagination wrapped up in director Paul Verhoeven’s big-screen war movie “Star Troopers,” but little sense and logic. Read the rest of this entry »

According to macho military commander Denton Van Zan (Matthew McConaughey), there’s only one way to combat dragons: fire with fire. In a blaze of post-apocalyptic glory, “Reign of Fire” burns up the screen with impressive fire-breathing beasts who quickly turn Earth into a ball of cinder. Read the rest of this entry »

Most actors (not movie stars) are fortunate if they’re remembered for one defining moment in their career. Marlon Brando, often christened one of our greatest actors, leaves behind a legacy of defining moments. With Brando’s death last week at the age of 80, history will have a hard time closing the book on an actor who defined cool and took chances. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve read several negative reviews of “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.” Their main gripe was that the sequel was just more of the same. Really? No kidding? You see, that is the beauty of spoofing films like those in the James Bond series. Most of the Bond films were nothing more than mutant versions of themselves. Bigger budgets. Bigger set pieces. Still, it all boiled down to either a madman or criminal genius holding the world for ransom. Read the rest of this entry »

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. I have seen it with Richard Chamberlain as Henry Higgins, and I have seen it with Rex Harrison’s son in the lead. Still, no one does it like Rex Harrison, who originated the role in London and on Broadway. Rex Harrison is Henry Higgins. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s something about Mary, all right. She’s a babe. Not just any babe, but a sweet, good-natured, smart and successful babe. From the moment we meet Mary (Cameron Diaz), it’s love at first sight. You can see why the male characters in “There’s Something About Mary” fall all over themselves trying to be the light in her eyes. In any other film maker’s eyes, “There’s Something About Mary” would be a sweet and innocent romantic-comedy with the emphasis on romance. Lucky for us, director brothers Bobby and Peter Farrelly are not like other filmmakers.
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Somewhere in the middle of the Iraqi Desert, four American soldiers have taken leave from the Gulf War in a quest to find Saddam Hussein’s private stash of stolen Kuwait gold. Their plan seems foolproof. A quick in and out and they can give up their day jobs after the war. Read the rest of this entry »

The James Bond franchise is 38 years old and 18 films strong. During that time, five men have played British Secret Service Agent James Bond, 007: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan. Like all series, the James Bond franchise has had it’s highs (“Goldfinger,” “Thunderball”) and lows (“A View to a Kill,” “Moonraker”). Read the rest of this entry »

“From Dusk Till Dawn,” the slam-bang action-horror from director Robert Rodriguez and writer Quentin Tarantino, is one of my favorite vampire films. The film’s combination of cutthroat action and wicked humor made it much more than just your run-of-the-mill, fangs-for-the-memory film. Read the rest of this entry »