Prior to becoming an Oscar-winning writer and filmmaker, Brian Helgeland spent his youth off the coast of New Bedford, Mass., fishing for scallops. He grew up in the area, lived there and worked around the blue-collar fishermen who have scruffy beards, haven’t bathed in a week, swear like sailors and return to port to drinkContinue reading “‘Finestkind’ Gets Lost In Sea Of Cliches”
Tag Archives: movies
‘Fargo’ Is The Show To Watch
I never really caught on with the TV anthology show Fargo initially. I missed the first two seasons but started to watch the third when I recognized the cast of Ewan McGregor (in dual roles), Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Carrie Coon. It was a pretty good season but I really didn’t have any interest inContinue reading “‘Fargo’ Is The Show To Watch”
‘The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty’ Is A Wonderful Storytelling Achievement
Every now and again, a movie is released that isn’t favored by many critics and doesn’t do well at the box office but finds its audience, respect and admiration later. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty opened on Christmas Day in 2013 to polarizing reviews. Produced on a huge budget of $90 million, it madeContinue reading “‘The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty’ Is A Wonderful Storytelling Achievement”
The Filmmaker Who F@#%ing Loves Christmas
For many cinophiles, they don’t care for the Hallmark Christmas movies or whatever family-friendly “instant classic” Disney tries to present each year. No, there’s one filmmaker whose pretty much made it his goal to focus as many movies he can around the holidays. A lot of people may not know the name Shane Black. ButContinue reading “The Filmmaker Who F@#%ing Loves Christmas”
‘Christmas Evil’ A Noteworthy Entry For The Killer Santa Horror Subgenre
There’s just something about Santa Claus that is so creepy when you look at it. He’s an omniscient omniprescient person who is immortal and is able to travel around the world like The Flash (or Quicksilver for the MCU fans) and deliver presents. Popularized in A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clark Moore, he’sContinue reading “‘Christmas Evil’ A Noteworthy Entry For The Killer Santa Horror Subgenre”
‘Mickey’s Christmas Carol’ Turns 40
Disney has done two feature movies of the Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. One featured the Muppets and Sir Michael Caine and it’s loved by many. The other featured Jim Carrey as Ebeneezer Scrooge and directed by Robert Zemeckis during his three-dimensional digital animation phase and is considered by some to be too scaryContinue reading “‘Mickey’s Christmas Carol’ Turns 40”
‘Good Burger 2’ Feels Like A Leftover That Stayed In The Fridge Too Long
I was never a big fan of Good Burger. Nor was I really a fan of All That, of which the 1997 movie was based on a skit. By 1994, Nickelodeon had changed from airing a wide range of American, Canadian and British programming to finding its own niche with Millennials. All That was anContinue reading “‘Good Burger 2’ Feels Like A Leftover That Stayed In The Fridge Too Long”
Oh! ‘Krampus’ Might Be Frightful, But Overall It’s Not Too Delightful
Kramus has been a subject of Austro-Bavarian folklore for as far back as the 6th Century. So, it’s a wonder why it took over a 100 years of motion pictures for the creature who punishes naughty children to get its own movie. Sometimes the first of anything isn’t always the best. The Finnish movie RareContinue reading “Oh! ‘Krampus’ Might Be Frightful, But Overall It’s Not Too Delightful”
‘Candy Cane Lane’ Wrecks Good Idea On Overlong, CGI Path Of Mediocrity
Going into Candy Cane Lane, I wasn’t expecting a great movie. At one time, Eddie Murphy would’ve strayed far away from a movie like this. But I’m sure he was offered a huge paycheck and the opportunity to film a Christmas movie in Southern California so he doesn’t have to worry about getting cold. ButContinue reading “‘Candy Cane Lane’ Wrecks Good Idea On Overlong, CGI Path Of Mediocrity”
Unwrapping ‘Nightmare Before Christmas
The Nightmare Before Christmas might just well be one of the most disappointing movies ever made. How could something with a great concept and stunning visuals be so incredibly dull and problematic? I remember watching this once when it went to video in 1994 and feeling bored. I later was talking about it with someoneContinue reading “Unwrapping ‘Nightmare Before Christmas”
Zane Says 