‘After Hours’ Showcases Catherine O’Hara’s Great Talents

Born and raised in the Toronto area in an Irish Catholic household, Catherine O’Hara was on SCTV with other greats like John Candy, Rick Moranis, and Eugene Levy. She famously went on to Saturday Night Live in the infamous sixth season which would see Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo among others like Gilbert Gottfried and Charles Rocket.   She reportedly spent one week working at SNL before leavingContinue reading “‘After Hours’ Showcases Catherine O’Hara’s Great Talents”

‘The Hidden’ Needs To Be Seen

During the 1980s, filmmakers managed to make some of the best sci-fi movies without having much special effects. Look at the first Back to the Future or the first Terminator.   Even then, we knew that a lot of special effects are just eye candy if the story isn’t well made. There are a number of campy and crappy sci-fi movies that were released during thisContinue reading “‘The Hidden’ Needs To Be Seen”

Oscar Nominations Have Been Announced, So Who Gets The Gold?

As someone who’s been watching the Oscars since the late 1980s, I wasn’t surprised by the latest nominations, even though I did think it’s odd Wicked For Good was snubbed.   It happens sometimes. Look at The French Connection II, Babe: Pig in the City, and just about every Rocky sequel. Ok, the second and third Rocky were good but not Oscar worthy. And you feel the Academy nominated The Godfather Part III just out ofContinue reading “Oscar Nominations Have Been Announced, So Who Gets The Gold?”

‘A House Of Dynamite’ Has Some Great Sparks Despite Too Many Duds

A movie like A House of Dynamite feels like the first part of a two-part miniseries that would’ve aired during the Cold War era. And that might find so many people frustrated by what all happens. Or shall I say what doesn’t happen.   The events take place over many hours on what starts out as just another normal Friday. One thing people haveContinue reading “‘A House Of Dynamite’ Has Some Great Sparks Despite Too Many Duds”

‘Return Of The Living Dead Part II’ Never Does Work As Well

By the winter of 1988, zombie movies were dead…for lack of a better word. Horror movies in general were in rare supply by then. Parental groups and an almost universal distaste for the genre by the most famous and professional critics meant most of the horror flicks were the bottom of the barrel, about a small rung upContinue reading “‘Return Of The Living Dead Part II’ Never Does Work As Well”

‘Spinal Tap II’ Feels Like A Tribute Band That Can’t Hit The Same Notes

When This is Spinal Tap opened in 1984, it had such a tongue-in-cheek feel mixed with a fly on the wall observation to it that a lot of people believed it was about a real band. Rob Reiner said he was approached by people who told him he should’ve focused on a more well-known band.   It was the first movie to be directed by Reiner. I wasContinue reading “‘Spinal Tap II’ Feels Like A Tribute Band That Can’t Hit The Same Notes”

‘Life Of Chuck’ Is Amazing Despite Some Problematic Scenes

I wanted to like The Life of Chuck a lot more than I did. Flannagan has emerged as one of the most impressive horror/thriller filmmakers and quite possibly one of the rarest to make a good adaptation of a Stephen King story.   That’s what makes Chuck so odd because it works on one level and it fails on another. The story, which could be considered a novella was included inContinue reading “‘Life Of Chuck’ Is Amazing Despite Some Problematic Scenes”

A 2nd Look At ‘The 6th Day’

Some of the biggest criticisms of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s movies is that they’re mindless action. Granted by the 1980s, most filmmakers of action movies realized they didn’t need a complex story to go along with the action. People would watch it mostly anyway.   Yet, by the time the 1990s came on, Schwarzenegger had two of his best movies Total Recall and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. They were very well made moviesContinue reading “A 2nd Look At ‘The 6th Day’”

‘Americana’ Feels More Like A Collection Of Better Crime Movies

It’s been almost three years since Americana premiered at the 2023 South by Southwest Film and TV Festival in March of that year. Since then, three of the main cast members have had their careers explode.   I had never seen Euphoria and didn’t recognize Sydney Sweeney from Sharp Objects when I saw her in Reality. One thing I will say is that she has been impressive asContinue reading “‘Americana’ Feels More Like A Collection Of Better Crime Movies”

‘Toxic Avenger’ Remake Sizzles In Absurd, Gross-Out Goofiness

Trying to critique a Troma movie is like trying to describe a Jackson Pollock to Helen Keller. It’s an exercise in futility because you have to see a Jackson Pollock to understand his use of colors. And I’m sure Keller never really could distinguish between red and blue.   When the movie studio was established in the early 1970s, it was supposed to be different from anything else. And consideringContinue reading “‘Toxic Avenger’ Remake Sizzles In Absurd, Gross-Out Goofiness”