Since its invention, television led to a lot of surprises. People watched Lee Harvey Oswald get murdered by Jack Ruby live on TV. Then, they saw the Challenger space shuttle explode with confusion and shock. The infamous Max Headroom signal hacking happened on Chicago stations WGN and WTTW in 1987 and there’s still no ideaContinue reading “‘Too Many Cooks’ Ten Years Later”
Tag Archives: horror
The ‘Candyman’ Can: Farewell To Master Of Horror Tony Todd
As is always the case with many icons of horror, they didn’t start out making horror movies. Kane Hodder was a stuntman and some of his earliest roles were in action movies like Lone Wolf McQuade or comedies like Hardbodies. Robert Englund appeared alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in Stay Hungry and Kris Kristofferson and Barbra StreisandContinue reading “The ‘Candyman’ Can: Farewell To Master Of Horror Tony Todd”
‘A Nightmare On Elm Street’ Turns 40
By the Fall of 1984, the slasher subgenre of horror was at the bottom of the barrel of movies. The critics hated them. Parental groups were trying to get them removed from theaters. And major studios realized they weren’t making the money they once did. Most of the movies were independently produced on the pre-soldContinue reading “‘A Nightmare On Elm Street’ Turns 40”
‘MaXXXine’ Not So EXXXcellent
A movie like MaXXXine is a bad joke that has a great set-up. Yet the punchline fails tremendously. I had problems with the first entry in this trilogy which is X released just two years ago when Jenna Ortega was only known as that young girl from the Scream movie. But there was something aboutContinue reading “‘MaXXXine’ Not So EXXXcellent”
‘The Watchers’ Shouldn’t Be Seen
M. Night Shyamalan went from being one of the hottest filmmakers people were watching in 2000. Yet by 2010, he was mostly a joke thanks in part to a gag on Robot Chicken where he is is parodying with the catchphrase, “What a twist!” Yet some filmmakers have hits and misses. It happens to everyoneContinue reading “‘The Watchers’ Shouldn’t Be Seen”
‘The Blob’ Remake Makes A Bigger Splash On Reassessment
While it seems remakes/reboots are all the trends now with most of them failing, filmmakers decades ago seemed to get it right. John Carpenter’s The Thing is seen now as one of his best movies with a thrilling score by the late great Ennio Morricone. When Mel Brooks tapped David Cronenberg to do a remakeContinue reading “‘The Blob’ Remake Makes A Bigger Splash On Reassessment”
‘Your Monster’ A Modern Retelling Of Beauty And The Beast
I saw Your Monster at an advanced screening at the Regal Warren Theater in Broken Arrow, Okla. as they have a Monday Mystery Movie every week. For $5, you can see a movie about to be released later that week or month. But they won’t tell you what it is. I was skeptical going in.Continue reading “‘Your Monster’ A Modern Retelling Of Beauty And The Beast”
Mixed Reception For ‘Late Night With The Devil’
David Dastmalchian is one of those actors who has a distinct look that he’s often cast in roles where he plays bad guys or just unhinged characters. His first role was as one of The Joker’s henchmen, who had just been released from Arkham Asylum, during a scene in The Dark Knight. He’s appeared inContinue reading “Mixed Reception For ‘Late Night With The Devil’”
‘It’s A Wonderful Knife’ Slices Just Right
During the last 80 years, It’s a Wonderful Life went from being a box-office disaster to one of the most cherished Christmas holiday movies. The final collaboration between director Frank Capra and actor Jimmy Stewart didn’t really sit well with audiences in the post-WWII era. The movie barely broke even at the box office andContinue reading “‘It’s A Wonderful Knife’ Slices Just Right”
Third Adaptation Of ”Salem’s Lot’ Sucks Life Out Of Source Material
Stephen King had already written the first draft of what became ‘Salem’s Lot when his first novel, Carrie, was published 50 years ago. Originally titled Second Coming, it was changed to Jeruslam’s Lot, which is the real name of the town in the book. Then, it was shortened to just ‘Salem’s Lot, which is theContinue reading “Third Adaptation Of ”Salem’s Lot’ Sucks Life Out Of Source Material”