On Friday I went after work to see Alien vs. Predator. It’s not a great film, but I had fun with it. I’d say I mostly liked it. My screening of AVP was very much a communal activity, with applause at the end of the film (something I’ve only experienced twice) and some pretty sharpContinue reading “Alien vs. Predator”
Category Archives: Film
A Tale of Two Films
Steve Roby reflected briefly upon last year’s film Paycheck in his blog yesterday. He wrote, “Paycheck had everything it needed to be a much better film than it ultimately turned out to be. Another disappointing movie based on a Philip K. Dick story? Who’d’ve guessed? (Well, Blade Runner and Minority Report turned out okay, evenContinue reading “A Tale of Two Films”
The "Favorite Beatle" Question
I watched A Hard Day’s Night yesterday, the Miramax two-disc DVD version released a few years ago. I hadn’t watched one of the Beatles’ films in a while, and my VHS tapes are packed away, so I had little choice but to go with AHDN. It’s a great film. I can’t fault anything of it.Continue reading “The "Favorite Beatle" Question”
I, Robot
I wasn’t expecting much from I, Robot. The trailer was attached to damn near every movie released since last fall, which didn’t strike me as a positive sign. I had no expectations for Van Helsing, and came away totally disappointed. I had no expectations for Troy, and, save for Brad Pitt’s incongruous accent, enjoyed theContinue reading “I, Robot”
Fever Pitch
I noticed today in Entertainment Weekly a little blurb about Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon looking at Fever Pitch as a possible film vehicle. My question is, Why? No, the Colin Firth/Ruth Gemmell film isn’t particularly well known, but it’s adequate, it hits its notes, and it’s, well, English. I’m having a hard time picturingContinue reading “Fever Pitch”
That Thing You Do!
I was arranging my CD collection recently and came across the soundtrack album for Tom Hanks’ 1996 film, That Thing You Do! TTYD! tells the story of the Wonders, sometimes spelling Oneders, pronounced o-Need-ers, an Erie, Pennsylvania garage band of 1964 who write a hit song, hit the big time, and then break up. TheContinue reading “That Thing You Do!”
Van Helsing
Friday afternoon I asked people, several times over, what they thought of Van Helsing as they left the theatre. “Better than Hellboy!” some said. “Better than LXG!” others said. I loved Hellboy, enjoyed LXG for the most part. It seemed, then, that my fears that Van Helsing would reveal itself as a disaster were unfounded.Continue reading “Van Helsing”
Van Helsing – The Short Review
What a stupid fucking piece of shit. A longer review will follow in a day or two, once I’ve had the time to digest the colossal monstrosity that is Van Helsing.
A Recent Acquisition – Arthur Wontner as Sherlock Holmes
Alpha Video released over the past few months onto DVD several Sherlock Holmes films made in the 1930s starring Arthur Wontner—The Sign of Four, The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes, and Murder at the Baskervilles. I chanced across The Sign of Four at Suncoast Video a few weeks ago, then ordered the other two direct fromContinue reading “A Recent Acquisition – Arthur Wontner as Sherlock Holmes”
Hellboy on the silver screen
I saw the Hellboy movie a few days ago. I liked the film, though it’s not without some problems. The film’s greatest flaw is also, I think, it’s greatest strength–its fidelity to the source material. A person who knows the Hellboy comics will have a ball with this film, identifying which story which little throwawayContinue reading “Hellboy on the silver screen”