The Avengers (2012)

Well, Geeks and Geekettes. After a long, multi-film lead up, Marvels ‘Dream Team’ hits the big screen. And is it worth the wait? ALMOST entirely. Joss Whedon clearly had his work cut out for him when he signed on to direct this dynamic ensemble of well-established superheroes and I’ll be damned if he didn’t succeed. […]

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2011)

This modestly budgeted genre flick had its genesis as a comic book series I’d never heard of…and you can tell. It follows the title character, a supernatural special investigator in New Orleans, as he navigates his way through a monster-inhabited ‘film noir’ mystery story. This movie is mostly an exercise in ‘style over substance’; carried […]

Haywire (2011)

As I’ve stated before, I have a love/hate relationship with the films of Steven Soderbergh. This one…I mostly love. It’s a surprisingly cool addition to the ‘Spy’ genre bolstered by a medley of great actors. In this one film, you have Michael Douglas, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, Michael Fassbender, Bill Paxton and a weaselly Ewan […]

Absentia (2011)

This micro-budgeted ‘haunting’ flick lands right in the middle of the road for me. On one hand, the story of two sisters tormented by a dark, malicious people-snatching entity is effectively simple in its narrative and contains more than a couple eerie moments. The filmmakers realized their short-comings (budget-wise) and played it safe; subscribing to […]

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

I’ll start off by saying that I enjoyed Guy Ritchies first take on the Holmes character. Having the iconic detective be brought to life by the always impressive Robert Downey Jr., in amongst the fun, kinetic visuals and ideas, was an inspired choice that certainly helped elevate the ‘meh’ story. The end result cleaned up […]

Threads (1984)

I stumbled across the existence of this TV movie from the BBC by accident and, after having now seen it, I’m filled with joy and wonder! Um…not really. This gritty and depressing flick is a step by step examination of the realistic effects of a nuclear holocaust on the UK industrial town of Sheffield. The […]

Westworld (1973)

This cynical, but strangely playful science fiction flick was written and directed by author Michael Crichton and, when coupled with his ‘Jurassic Park’ story, one would think that an amusement park once raped and killed his entire family…or something. Westworld follows a pair of Chicago businessmen who decide to spend some time at the newest […]

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

“Klaatu, Barrada, Nikto”. Those famous words were first uttered in this intelligent B/W science fiction classic (and then in Army of Darkness!) and it’s interesting to note how they’ve resonated through cinema history…just like the message that propels this whimsical flick along. As the ominous spectre of The Cold War seeps into the lives of […]

Them! (1954)

I couldn’t resist diving back into another of these classic B/W flicks from the Cold War Era…and I’m glad I did. This one’s surprisingly well done! It’s a cautionary tale warning of the ‘negatives’ behind weaponized radiation; driven forward by a determined group of cop, soldier and scientist characters tasked with hunting down and destroying […]

The Deadly Mantis (1957)

Here’s another helping of pure 1950s schlock…only this one comes with a propaganda-heavy ‘message’ that comes at you with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Russians…er….deadly giant mantis=BAD! USA=GOOD! It seems to me that the studio that created this overly patriotic drivel was handed a ton of stock military footage and told to build a […]