By 1984, pop culture had exploded in ways that had never been seen before. John Hughes had made Sixteen Candles, a very dated but breakthrough comedy that would represent a generation. MTV was three years old and as popular as ever. Saturday morning cartoons were competing for young minds. And Madison Avenue was selling everythingContinue reading “How ‘Amadeus’ Turned A Risky Gamble Into An Oscar-Winning Blockbuster”
Category Archives: Movie Reviews
‘Spoiler Alert’ A Gay Romantic Drama That Finally Plays It Straight
The irony of a movie like Spoiler Alert is that Hollywood movies that seemed to tackle real relationships of the LGBTQIA community and don’t exploit them for comedy often end sadly. Movies like Philadelphia, Longtime Companion, Jeffrey, and Chantilly Lace, to name a few, all had some character’s death associated with it. Why is HollywoodContinue reading “‘Spoiler Alert’ A Gay Romantic Drama That Finally Plays It Straight”
This Little ‘Piggy’ Gets Some Revenge
Piggy is one of those movies that anyone who ever was bullied growing up delights in because the bullies get their just desserts. In Carrie, when the gym teacher falls victim to the titular character’s wrath at the prom, I felt it was justifiable. She had just as much to do with the events thanContinue reading “This Little ‘Piggy’ Gets Some Revenge”
‘Caligula’ A Pornographic Biopic Of Epic Awfulness, Filth And Horror
Caligula is a horror movie. It’s a lot of things, but good is not one of them. It’s pornography and by that I mean, it’s the textbook definition. I’m not talking about all the scenes of nudity or unsimulated sexual scenes are meant to be arousing. It’s the definition of pornography as having no artisticContinue reading “‘Caligula’ A Pornographic Biopic Of Epic Awfulness, Filth And Horror”
‘Rosaline’ Retelling Of Romeo And Juliet Probably Looked Better On Paper
In 1966, Tom Stoppard wrote Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead taking two supporting characters from Hamlet and making them the protagonists. In 1990, he turned it into a movie that had some charm but seemed to waddle through its premise after the halfway mark. Did it play as a parody or was it supposed toContinue reading “‘Rosaline’ Retelling Of Romeo And Juliet Probably Looked Better On Paper”
The Failed Romance Between Poe And Finn In ‘The Force Awakens’
When Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens premiered during the Christmas season of 2015, most people were anticipating the next level in the saga. George Lucas had sold Lucasfilms and the properties to Disney in 2012 for over $4 billion. J.J. Abrams was the writer and director and all we knew was that theContinue reading “The Failed Romance Between Poe And Finn In ‘The Force Awakens’”
‘Till’ Has A Great Performance That’s Overshadowed By Tired Cliches, Tropes
I’ve always been of the opinion that a subject matter shouldn’t warrant universal praise. Till has a 98 percent rating of 172 reviews on RottenTomatoes.com. On imdb.com, user reviews average 7.2. The list of awards, recognition and nominations for the movie and its lead actress Daniel Deadwyler are way too much to list. Yet, IContinue reading “‘Till’ Has A Great Performance That’s Overshadowed By Tired Cliches, Tropes”
‘History Of The World Part 1’ Has Divided Fans Of Mel Brooks For Decades
In just under four years in the mid 1970s, Mel Brooks directed four comedies that received great reviews and performed well at the box office. Even though Silent Movie and High Anxiety didn’t earn as much at the box office as Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstein, they were still modest success. So, the big questionContinue reading “‘History Of The World Part 1’ Has Divided Fans Of Mel Brooks For Decades”
‘My Bloody Valentine’ Original Is For Those Who Have A Love For Slashers
The original 1981 My Bloody Valentine is a slasher that is so notorious for pushing the envelope, rumors have persisted for decades that some original footage that had to cut is lost forever. To capitalize on the slasher craze as movies like Halloween and Friday the 13th had become popular, Canadian movie producers scooped upContinue reading “‘My Bloody Valentine’ Original Is For Those Who Have A Love For Slashers”
‘Fall’ Has Great Visuals, But A Plot With Its Head Is In The Clouds
Fall is a movie about two young woman who enjoy mountain climbing going to climb a decommissioned B67 TV tower in the Mojave Desert and everything goes just smoothly. End credits. I’m just joking. Of course, something goes wrong. Something always goes wrong. And since they’re mountain climbers for fun, there’s a prologue where aContinue reading “‘Fall’ Has Great Visuals, But A Plot With Its Head Is In The Clouds”
Zane Says 