The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

Usually when a film gets shelved for an extended period of time after its completion, it’s not a good sign. More often than not, upon seeing the end result, you can understand why a studio may balk at the idea of releasing the substandard fare that their directors/writers have shat out. Sometimes the elements just […]

Looper (2012)

When I heard that newish director Rian Johnson was directing another film, this time a science fiction flick, with rising star Joseph Gordon Levitt,after collaborating on the under-seen Brick (2005), I knew the styling would be impressive. What I got was actually a little more contemplative than merely an exercise in ‘style over substance’. Sure, […]

Tony Scott (1944-2012)

So, I’ll admit right off the bat that THIS is somewhat off kilter, considering that this blog is a ‘Film Reviews Only’ kind of an affair. But on August 19, 2012, this man chose to take his own life by leaping, with no hesitation, to his death from the Vincent Thomas Bridge over Los Angeles […]

The Bourne Legacy (2012)

“Watchable”. That’s what my date said as soon as we exited the theatre. And she was absolutely right. This newest, sorta sequel to the Bourne franchise (which I quite like) has a fair bit working in it’s favor, but also a lot that doesn’t. The story follows Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), another ‘black ops’ operative […]

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Well, that’s the end of THAT. And…it’s a pretty satisfying (and entertaining) conclusion to the Dark Knight Trilogy. Christopher Nolan has nicely crafted a film that solidly links to the events of the previous two movies while also expanding upon them. In case you’re one of the 5 people out there who don’t know the […]

Battleship (2012)

When I first heard that this unnecessary flick (ie ‘cash grab’), based on one of the most simplistic board games of my childhood, was being given the ‘big screen’ treatment, I didn’t know how to feel. On one hand, it could’ve been a smart and harrowing tale of WW2 naval combat using todays special effects […]

The Ruins (2008)

Ok, so this flick has been staring out at me from the deep, dark depths of my miniscule DVD collection, for over a year. I’ve read the book and thought it was great. It’s a creepy ‘read’ made creepier by the fact that the author, Scott Smith (who also wrote the terrific book ‘A Simple […]

Alligator (1980)

This ‘Nature Run Amok’ creature feature is another of those that tried its best to capitalize on the revitalization of the ‘animal horror’ genre that 1975s Jaws issued into play 5 years earlier. When an impulse-buy baby gator incurs the wrath of its owners father, it finds itself swirling away down the toilet, surely doomed […]

Lockout (2012)

I was interested in this sci-fi action flick from the minute it turned up on the cinematic radar, for several reasons. For starters, there’s been a near criminal lack of decent outer space-themed science fiction lately. Then there’s Luc Besson, the producer and co-writer of this one. I’ve enjoyed, in one way or another, virtually […]

Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS (1975)

I do believe that I should now bathe…in burning napalm! This is one of those rare moments where my own occasionally misguided curiousity REALLY gets the better of me. For literally decades, I’ve been vaguely aware of this sick little ‘numbers’ existence. I remember noticing the pure Grindhouse VHS (remember those?) box art back when […]