Geez, talk about a slow burn. It’s been 23 years since Carrie White torched her prom and made life a living nightmare for classmate Sue Snell. 23 long years. A lot can happen in 23 years, but not if you’re trapped in movie hell. Read the rest of this entry »

Every year I make a compilation of my favorite dialogue from that year’s films. Writer-director Don Roos’ audacious comedy “The Opposite of Sex” would fill the list and then some. It’s a film filled with some of the most biting and wittiest dialogue I have heard in some time. Read the rest of this entry »

A cautionary tale for men who can’t keep it in their pants, Derailed feels like yesterday’s news. Despite strong performances and a current of urgency, this contemporary thriller derails even before it leaves the station. Anyone who sat through Unfaithful Attraction or a decade worth of Law and Order will beat the plot to the punch. Read the rest of this entry »

Tales of family disintegration have been around since man first threw Mammoth blood on a cave wall. This devolution has been the basis of great literature, inspiring everyone from Shakespeare to Sontag. Dysfunctional families serve as reminders how fragile and vulnerable love and relationships can be, and their presence in movies allow us to look into the window without fear. Read the rest of this entry »

“Clay Pigeons” takes place in small Montana town where everyone knows everyone else’s business. That’s why it should come as a no surprise to Clay (Joaquin Phoenix) when his best friend accuses him of having an affair with his wife. Read the rest of this entry »

You know you’ve reached a new plateau in maturity when Hollywood starts remaking movies that were popular when you were young. Excuse me, younger. That trend, everything old is new again, continues with the make over of 1979’s The Amityville Horror, a marginal shocker which proved there is no such thing as a good deal in real estate.
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It’s Christmas in Los Angeles, and even though the weather outside isn’t frightful, what’s going on inside the sparkling Nakatomi high rise is downright scary. A group of International terrorists have taken over a high profile high rise in Century City, and there’s only one man who can stop them. He’s New York cop John McClane (Bruce Willis), who becomes a reluctant hero when terrorist Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and his group take over the building. Poor McClane. Read the rest of this entry »

I like it when Woody Allen is in a playful mood. While I enjoy all of his films, I like the ones that make me smile. “Curse of the Jade Scorpion” made me smile. It wasn’t one of those knee- slapping smiles, but a smile nonetheless. Read the rest of this entry »

Infinitely better than “Pac Man: Deadly Fruit of the Amazon,” the latest “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” film “Cradle of Life” still feels like a souped-up version of the popular video game. This testosterone-heavy action-adventure is a big improvement over the first film, but that’s more of a left-handed compliment than an endorsement. Read the rest of this entry »

Generally speaking, with the exception of “The Incredible Mr. Limpet” and those battery- operated singing bass wall plaques, fish are not funny. Maybe it’s because they spend so much time in school. Or maybe it’s because we just don’t understand fish humor.
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