A movie like Champions tries so gosh-darn hard that the script basically writes itself. It’s actually been written and rewritten time and time again. The movie is based on the Spanish movie Campeones, but it also has remnants of the 1991 TV movie One Special Victory featuring John Larroquette, even though at times it comesContinue reading “It Takes A Lot More To Make ‘Champions’ A Good movie”
Category Archives: Movie Flashback
‘Vampire’s Kiss’ Is Nic Cage’s Masterpiece Of Extreme Overacting
The best way to describe Vampire’s Kiss, or more to the point, Nicolas Cage’s performance is by paraphasing that line from This is Spinal Tap that it’s a fine line between stupid and clever. Cage is currently playing Dracula in Renfield, which has underperformed both with credits and at the box office. I haven’t seenContinue reading “‘Vampire’s Kiss’ Is Nic Cage’s Masterpiece Of Extreme Overacting”
‘Manhunter’ Inadvertently Started A Horror Franchise Four Decades Ago
I have a confession to make. I’ve never seen a single episode of Succession. But I do admire Brian Cox. It’s surprising he was younger than I when he first appeared as Dr. Hannibal Lecktor in the 1986 horror thriller Manhunter. (The mispelling is listed in the credits differently than what Thomas Harris had wroteContinue reading “‘Manhunter’ Inadvertently Started A Horror Franchise Four Decades Ago”
‘Once Bitten’ An Allgory Of The HIV/AIDS Crisis In The 1980s
By the time, Once Bitten opened in theaters in mid-November 1985 (two weeks after Halloween for some reason!), Rock Hudson had been dead for about six weeks. The HIV/AIDS crisis had entered into the homes of Middle Americans (aka conservative Christian WASPs). Charlatans like Jerry Falwell was still calling it a plague for gay peopleContinue reading “‘Once Bitten’ An Allgory Of The HIV/AIDS Crisis In The 1980s”
‘The Lord Of The Rings’ Animated Feature Remains Divided Among Tolkein Fans After 35 Years
It’s been less than 20 years since Peter Jackson’s epic adaptation of The Lord of the Rings into a trilogy of movies hit theaters. The spectacle of doing three movies at such great lengths through New Line Cinema, which was still considered an independent studio, was a risk that would’ve bankrupted the studio and torpedoedContinue reading “‘The Lord Of The Rings’ Animated Feature Remains Divided Among Tolkein Fans After 35 Years”
‘The Rapture’ Explores Religious Faith
The Rapture is one strange movie. It begins like a soft-core porn you’d use to find on Skinemax. It even has the sets and a young David Duchovny appears during his Red Shoe Diaries days. It then transitions into a faith movie before spiraling down into a psychological thriller and ending as a drama aboutContinue reading “‘The Rapture’ Explores Religious Faith”
‘Critters 2’ Takes A Bite Out Of Easter
The first Critters movie was a surprise. Despite being considered a rip-off of Gremlins (which it isn’t), the movie about these furry little aliens with a huge appetite who crash land on Earth, was a hit with critics and audiences. Roger Ebert gave it three stars in a positive review and it scored over $13Continue reading “‘Critters 2’ Takes A Bite Out Of Easter”
‘One Cut Of The Dead’ Is A Zomcom Of Slapstick Madness
Warning: This contains spoilers A movie like One Cut of the Dead could easily be one of the best and worst zombie movies depending on how you view it. It begins with a 37-minute long poorly made and filmed movie within in a movie as a low-budget Japanese horror production is plagued by real zombies.Continue reading “‘One Cut Of The Dead’ Is A Zomcom Of Slapstick Madness”
‘The Outsiders’ At 40 Stays Gold
When Tulsa area teen S.E. Hinton got her first novel The Outsiders published in 1967, there were already concerns over the novel. The term “young adult novel” probably hadn’t entered into the literary world. Even Judy Blume hadn’t published a book yet. She had wrote it while still in high school as she was upsetContinue reading “‘The Outsiders’ At 40 Stays Gold”
‘In The Mouth Of Madness’ Spins A Tale Of Hallucinations, Monsters And Murder
For a while, John Carpenter seemed to be on fire. After a small start in the 1970s with Dark Star and Assault on Precinct 13, he made Halloween in 1978 and spent the next 10 years banging out a movie almost every year, as well as the 1979 Elvis television movie, the first collaboration withContinue reading “‘In The Mouth Of Madness’ Spins A Tale Of Hallucinations, Monsters And Murder”
Zane Says 