Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)

Well, THAT was a silly movie. And I say that…as only a PARTIALLY bad thing. When this flick FINALLY got released (it had been ‘shelved’ for a while and not screened for critics…not really a good sign), I really didn’t give it TOO much thought, as the trailers reminded me FAR too much of the […]

Brooklyn’s Finest (2009)

I was working for a film distribution company when this modestly budgeted cop drama emerged on to The Scene. Seeing first hand the shockingly lackluster advertising campaign and the woefully limited distribution was something of a curious shock, especially considering the talent involved. Right off the bat, Brooklyn’s Finest is directed by a rather high-profile […]

The Numbers Station (2013)

The concept of ‘number stations’ was completely alien to me, before I encountered the use of clandestine communications via ham radio frequencies in a cool episode of Fringe. My curiosity was peaked. I did a lil digging and discovered that this creepy espionage phenomenon does, in fact, exist. The ‘wannabe filmmaker’ gears in my mind […]

A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)

I have to say it simply: Die Hard 5 is the ‘Kingdom of the Crystal Skull/Alien Resurrection’ of the Die Hard franchise. Compared to the films that came before it, including the much-maligned Live Free or Die Hard (2007), this entry is absolutely PATHETIC. The entire essence of what made the Die Hard franchise so […]

Fast and Furious 6 (2013)

(Long, drawn-out facepalm). Utterly. Ridiculous. Those two words pretty much sum up this umpteenth sequel in the preposterous Fast and Furious series. It’s not too often that a sub-par genre franchise can dupe me into believing that the longer it goes…the better it gets. Now, right off the bat, I’m NOT a fan of this […]

The Big Red One (The 2004 ‘Reconstruction’ version of the 1980 film)

I’m almost ashamed to admit that in all my cinematic travels, this World War 2 classic has escaped my attention till now. What’s even stranger is that WW2 is one of my favorite historical time periods and some of my most rewatched films (Saving Private Ryan, Empire of the Sun, A Bridge Too Far, The […]

Vanishing on 7th Street (2010)

Over the last few years, director Brad Anderson has steadily crept into my cinematic consciousness with his limited but impressive filmography. The first film of his, that I saw, was Session 9 (2001), a micro-budgeted psychological/haunting thriller that was better than it had any right to be. The next film I took in was The […]

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

Having thoroughly enjoyed J.J. Abrams rebooted take on the Trek franchise with 2009s Star Trek, I was definitely looking forward to seeing what he would pull off with an expansion of the ‘new’ universe. The man certainly has a near-Spielbergian touch when it comes to his cinematic efforts (Just take 2011s Super 8, as a […]

Jack Reacher (2012)

This Tom Cruise action thriller sort of popped in under the radar for me. I’ve never read any of author Lee Childs books dealing with a dangerous and intelligent former military police investigator and his various crime-related adventures. The one thing that did catch my eye was that this flick was to be the second […]

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Seemingly, Marvel Studios can do NEARLY no wrong. Iron Man 3 is yet another testament to the care and understanding that this new studio is putting into its admirably well-thought out series of Phase One Marvel movies (Iron Man 1-2, Thor, Captain America, The Avengers…with Iron Man 3 being the springboard for Phase Two). Now, […]