Lawless (2012)

As a self-admitted fan of the ‘gangster’ (not gangsta!) genre, I was intrigued when the first whispers of this ‘based on a true story’ flick came to light. John Hillcoat is a relatively new Aussie director who’s blossoming career I’ve been following with interest. The first film of his that I saw was his bleak […]

Savages (2012)

Holy shit! Oliver Stone…buddy…what the hell has happened to you?!!! Not since Alexander (2004) have you fucked up a promising story SO badly! Alexander has the notable distinction of being the only film, to date, that I actually walked out of…as in ‘out of the damn theatre!’. That bloated, piss poor wannabe epic was a […]

Skyfall (2012)

So, 5 years after they scattered our brains with break-neck, seizure-inducing action in lieu of deep story with Quantum of Solace, the Bond crew have blessed us with another gritty ‘realistic’ addition to the longest-running action franchise in cinematic history. Daniel Craig returns as the iconic British (not so) secret agent and again, knocks ‘it’ […]

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)

“This movie is more fun than it has ANY right to be.” That was the concise diagnosis that a good friend of mine rendered after his viewing. He was absolutely right. This premise, hell…the TITLE, just BEGS for ridicule. But, given the preposterousness of the concept, crazy Russian director Timur Bekmambetov SOMEHOW manages to inject […]

Dark Shadows (2012)

Well, t’is the season for ghosts n goblins and, at a recent ‘theme night’ (Oktoberfest…go figure)…it was decided that SOMETHING Halloweenish was in order for visual entertainment. After MUCH searching and debating, we FINALLY settled on the latest cinematic endeavor of the (mostly) great Tim Burton. Now, as a rather discerning movie nerd, I was […]

The Notebook (2004)

So, my lady and I have recently been getting into the habit of having Movie Nights which, needless to say, is pretty damn cool for a Film Nerd such as myself. And after subjecting the poor thing to a hefty dose of loud, blood-splattered ‘guy’ flicks, the spirit of fairness took over and I casually […]

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 […]