It seems like a clichéd trope that once a film franchise resorts to being set in space, it’s gone off the rails. “Leprechaun,” James Bond, “The Fast and the Furious” all resorted to sending characters into space. Even “Critters 4” is set mostly in space but it was actually a sci-fi movie to begin with.Continue reading “‘Jason X’ Does Suck On So Many Levels But It’s So Bad, It’s Good”
Tag Archives: horror
Movie Trailers That Fooled Us
Today is April Fools Day. And every now and again movie trailers pull a prank on us. A lot of trailers are released months before a movie is released so test screenings and reshoots can often result in scenes being cut. And sometimes actors are portrayed more prominently in the trailers even though they haveContinue reading “Movie Trailers That Fooled Us”
‘Urban Legend’ Was Late Filmmakers’ Great Debut
Jamie Blank died recently. He was in his mid-20s when he helmed Urban Legend during the slasher craze resurgence of the late 1990s.I’ll admit I had no idea what an urban legend meant when I saw the movie posters. Yet I had heard a lot of them. There was Bloody Mary, huge alligators in theContinue reading “‘Urban Legend’ Was Late Filmmakers’ Great Debut”
‘Gunslingers’ Misfire On All Level
I’ve never understood the appeal of Stephen Dorf. The son of songwriter Steve Dorf, he’s another “Nepo Baby” that overestimated his abilities and his popularity. There were a few times here and there where he wasn’t too bad. His performance in the third season of True Detective alongside Mahershala Ali has been his best so far in a nearly 40-year career. But he mostly just gives off a vibeContinue reading “‘Gunslingers’ Misfire On All Level”
‘Code Of Silence’ Was Chuck Norris’ Best Movie As It Feels Different
I remember back around 1990 comic/actor Robert Wuhl said during a stand-up routine that if you counted all the good Burt Reynolds movies on one hand, you’d still have some fingers left over. This was around the time he had appeared in the crime comedy Breaking In directed by Bill Forsyth. But it still wasn’t enough as he had to turn to TV toContinue reading “‘Code Of Silence’ Was Chuck Norris’ Best Movie As It Feels Different”
Old Hat For ‘Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood’
The following post contains spoilers! After the fan backlash over Friday the 13th : A New Beginning which attempted to take the franchise in a different direction where Tommy Jarvis turns into a killer following too much trauma, Jason Vorhees was brought back from the dead in the sixth movie. Incidentally, the fifth movie made more money compared to its meager budget asContinue reading “Old Hat For ‘Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood’”
‘War Machine’ Stalls On Cliches
The problem with a movie like War Machine is that it’s two different cliched stories that never do make for an entertaining feature. It’s basically An Officer and a Gentleman meets Predator. It’s the type of movie they used to release in the 1990s and 2000s in movies during the less active months before they were regulated to video rental shops and TBS’ Movies For Guys Who Like Movies. Part ofContinue reading “‘War Machine’ Stalls On Cliches”
‘Storm Of The Century’ Still Hits Hard Many Years Later
When New England recovering from the huge snowstorm that hit less than two weeks ago, I’d thought I’d look at Storm of the Century which Stephen King wrote specifically for TV. Set in February 1989, it aired as a three-part miniseries in the middle of February 1999. Now, Stephen King adaptations are mostly hit or miss. But his work on TV has been less than stellar. There wasContinue reading “‘Storm Of The Century’ Still Hits Hard Many Years Later”
‘Scream 4’ Brought Franchise Back To Life, For Better And For Worse
The Scream franchise has divided horror fans for the past 30 years. I think it’s mainly because horror movies exist on the fringes of entertainment, a step up from porno flicks and raunchy sex comedies. They’re really never supposed to be big-budget high concept movies. But if done right, it can still be a critical and commercial success. The first Scream movie was released during the ChristmasContinue reading “‘Scream 4’ Brought Franchise Back To Life, For Better And For Worse”
‘The Pledge’ Showcases Tom Noonan’s Talents Alongside Jack Nicholson
When you’re about 6-foot-5, actors like Tom Noonan’s imposing size were mostly cast as villains and antagonists. Yet his dual role in Last Action Hero both as The Ripper and himself showed that deep down he was just a regular person who got the acting bug and went with it. His brother, John Ford Noonan, was an actor and playwright himself. And hisContinue reading “‘The Pledge’ Showcases Tom Noonan’s Talents Alongside Jack Nicholson”