Zombies are all the rage these days thanks to the success of the TV series The Walking Dead, which follows a long line of other zombie films, TV shows, comic books and books. It all goes back to Night of the Living Dead, but there have been all kinds of interpretations that lead to unique […]
Henry Cavill dons the iconic suit and red cape in the latest incarnation of the story of Superman in the Man of Steel. Superman, as a superhero tale, has never been a favorite of mine. Many of the Baby Boomers grew up with George Reeves‘s TV portrayal in the 1950s. I grew up with the […]
Superman is one of those iconic comic book characters who transcends his origins and adaptations such that he’s one of the most recognized characters in the world up there with Mickey Mouse and Jesus Christ. It’s no surprise that yet another director wanted to take a crack at Superman after the mediocre Superman Returns. Unfortunately, […]
Will Smith costars with his son Jaden Smith as a father and son trapped on a hostile world in the futuristic sci-fi adventure After Earth. A thousands years have passed since humans were forced to leave Earth and establish a new colony on another planet. The problem is that the planet they’ve chosen, called Nova Prime, is […]
There are a few people whom I would kill if given an opportunity, but I’ll keep that to myself just in case the events of The Purge come to pass in another decade. Set in a dystopian future where America treats crime in an entirely different method, this movie tries hard to establish a premise […]
There’s a reason that fan fiction is so enjoyable. When someone who loves an entertainment property creates his own story to add to the canon, it’s likely that it’s as good as if not better than other entries. As a fan of Star Trek, director J.J. Abrams rebooted the series in 2009 and still managed […]
Robert Downey Jr. returns in Iron Man 3, taking on a new villain in the latest installment of Marvel‘s heaviest of heavy hitters. I’m not a comic book guy, and frankly, before I saw the first Iron Man movie, I’d never even heard of the character. However, I loved both the concept and the film. Then came […]
I usually dread sequels of any popular film and superhero sequels in particular. They mostly dilute the original instead of expanding upon it, but there are many notable exceptions like Aliens and The Godfather: Part II. Superhero sequels are another creature entirely. In many such movies, the villains set the tone for the experience — sometimes […]
Tom Cruise stars as a futuristic maintenance man helping to clean up Earth after a devastating war in Oblivion. The year’s 2077 and Earth is a vast wasteland of destruction after an alien race attempted to take it over but ultimately failed. The final battle involved the fateful decision to nuke virtually every square inch […]
I’m always wary when they hold up movies for any reason. Lately, that reason has been to add 3D effects or position a release away from other major films’ release dates. In the case of G.I. Joe: Retaliation, they both added the unnecessary 3D treatment and highlighted Channing Tatum to take advantage of his popularity […]
The epic Dinosaurs of 1993 are back from extinction, yet again saved by technology, and this time it’s 3D to the rescue. Jurassic Park first dawned on movie screens exactly 20 years ago in 1993. Then, it was a stunning example of what technology could do for storytelling in a motion picture format. The effects were at the […]
It’s so very hard to elicit real tension and fear in a movie. When it’s done right, it’s a magical thing. I love and crave those moments. I keep going back to it, but The Orphanage is really a perfect ghost story that way. On the other hand, some films spend a lot of time […]