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”
Tag Archives: reviews
‘Amazing Stories’ Cartoon Episode Helped Change Prime-Time Animation
An anthology show such as Amazing Stories was never really bound to last long. It seemed more like a lighter, less bleak version of The Twilight Zone, which in itself only lasted five seasons. Yet there are more than three times as many episodes during its original run. Steven Spielberg spearheaded the anthology, creating and developing it as well as acting as a producerContinue reading “‘Amazing Stories’ Cartoon Episode Helped Change Prime-Time Animation”
‘The Simpson’ 800th Episode Airs Today, Will You Be Watching?
To be honest, I haven’t watched The Simpsons on a regular basis in almost a decade. I used to look forward to it but by about the mid-2010s, there were too many cracks. The show had become too self-aware and the jokes weren’t as funny as more. Still, the show stayed on the air. I’dContinue reading “‘The Simpson’ 800th Episode Airs Today, Will You Be Watching?”
‘Valentine’ Turns 25
A movie like Valentine basically asks us to believe that the one character we know is the killer isn’t the killer. In all fairness, David Boreanz only had about two weeks to film all his scenes in this movie and his character of Adam Carr never does really seem to fit the storyline. I don’t doubt there were script changes during filming which meant some of hisContinue reading “‘Valentine’ Turns 25”
‘Jason Takes Manhattan’ Only Briefly In Lackluster ‘Friday the 13th’ Entry
Before Kangaroo Jack deceived a whole generation into believing that the premise of a movie was different than how it was advertised, there was Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. You could also say the same thing about The Full Monty by the way. By 1989, horror movies were scrapping the bottom of the barrel of filmmaking. Critics detested them. Audiences were staying away.Continue reading “‘Jason Takes Manhattan’ Only Briefly In Lackluster ‘Friday the 13th’ Entry”
‘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 Rip’ Is One Of Those Movie That Is For Guys That Like Movies
Some filmmakers get stuck in their formative years and it becomes a reflection on their work no matter how long they live. Quentin Tarantino seems to be stuck in the 1970s. Floyd Mutrux wrote, produced and directed movies that were mostly set in the 1950s and early 1960s. It happens. Your late teens and early 20s are usually those moments when you feel like you’re goingContinue reading “‘The Rip’ Is One Of Those Movie That Is For Guys That Like Movies”
‘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”
‘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”
Zane Says 