‘Superman III’ A Crazy Superhero Movie With Elements Of Pure Terror

Every now and again, a movie comes along that seems so basic but it has one scene of true terror and WTF outrageousness. Take Pee-wee’s Big Adventure where the titular character takes a ride with a trucker named Large Marge. And she begins to tell a horror story. Then, flashes a gruesome face at him.Continue reading “‘Superman III’ A Crazy Superhero Movie With Elements Of Pure Terror”

A Mad, Wild Trip With ‘Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory’

On the surface, a movie like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a generic kids’ movie with all the singing and dancing that was common at the time. Musicals were all the rage even though movies were going through a huge change with the end of the Hays Code and the rise of theContinue reading “A Mad, Wild Trip With ‘Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory’”

Fourth ‘Friday The 13th’ Is Too Entertaining For Its Own Good

By the time Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter hit theaters on April 13, 1984, the whole slasher horror craze was entering its great downfall. Critics hated them and the big names refused to acknowledge their existence except to condemn and degrade them. At the time, most of them had been filmed in Canada asContinue reading “Fourth ‘Friday The 13th’ Is Too Entertaining For Its Own Good”

James Earl Jones Had An Impressive, Most Impressive Life And Career

I’ve always bee fascinated with actors like James Earl Jones and their difficult pasts. As a child in rural Mississippi, he had a terrible stutter. For years, he refused to talk as he was much embarrassed. Then, one day, Jones said a teacher made him read aloud. And when that happened, the stutter was gone.Continue reading “James Earl Jones Had An Impressive, Most Impressive Life And Career”

Are Conservative Christian Movies Intentionally Bad As A Way To Show A “Liberal Bias” Among Hollywood?

In August, Deadpool and Wolverine became the highest grossing R-rated movie ever. It beat a 20-year record that had been established by The Passion of the Christ. The movie was only the third feature directed by Mel Gibson and reportedly funding were from Gibson and his Icon Productions company. The final price tag was $30Continue reading “Are Conservative Christian Movies Intentionally Bad As A Way To Show A “Liberal Bias” Among Hollywood?”

Why The ‘Ghostbusters’ 2016 Remake Really Failed

Jean-Luc Godard famously quipped: “The best way to criticize a movie is to make another movie.” I don’t know what anyone would have against the 1984 original Ghostbusters. The movie seems to be one of those rare lightning in a bottle movies where everything worked. Even the casting of Ernie Hudson to replace Eddie MurphyContinue reading “Why The ‘Ghostbusters’ 2016 Remake Really Failed”

‘The Cable Guy’ Pretentious Comedy Dud Or Hidden Dark Comedy Gem?

A movie like The Cable Guy was doomed to fail before the first scene was shot. In the mid-1990s, Jim Carrey became one of the biggest stars of the time thanks to movies like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask and Dumb and Dumber. You can’t blame someone who grew up with parents struggling financiallyContinue reading “‘The Cable Guy’ Pretentious Comedy Dud Or Hidden Dark Comedy Gem?”

‘Alien’ Remains Iconic Horror Flick Many Decades Later

What’s crazy about the original 1979 Alien that like a lot of horror movies from that decade, it was originally intended to just play as an exploitation drive-in movie. With another Alien movie, Alien Romulus, in theaters, let’s look back at the movie that started it all. The late Dan O’Bannon who had worked withContinue reading “‘Alien’ Remains Iconic Horror Flick Many Decades Later”

Rest In Power, Gena Rowlands, Queen Of Independent Films

The old saying goes, “Behind every good man is a good woman.” Well, the same can apply to John Cassavetes and his wife, Gena Rowlands. The two would marry while they were in their mid-20s and spend the next 35 years not only building a marriage and family, but also one of the most notableContinue reading “Rest In Power, Gena Rowlands, Queen Of Independent Films”

‘Conjuring’ Movies Helped Redefine Horror For Modern Times

Horror movies are usually the red-headed stepchild of filmmaking. They’re hated most of the times by movie critics. Parental groups despise them so much they’ve been successful in getting them removed from theaters, which was the case in the original Silent Night, Deadly Night. And the Academy Awards have pretty much refused to acknowledge them,Continue reading “‘Conjuring’ Movies Helped Redefine Horror For Modern Times”