Disjointed comedy sinks third collaboration between Sacha Baron Cohen and Larry Charles For The Dictator, the third collaboration between chameleon comedian Sacha Baron Cohen and director Larry Charles, the two have bucked the mockumentary genre that had previously proved to be a perfect playgr »»
Vulgar action comedy finds winning humor in its stars chemistry I cackled more than once during 21 Jump Street. I’m quite embarrassed – the sound I make when cackling is quite ugly and off-putting. I couldn’t help it, though. 21 Jump Street is a very, very funny film. Directed by Ph »»
New Spanish horror movie is a fun horror film, a poor sequel REC 3: Genesis is a fun “zombie” movie and is regularly entertaining. As a sequel in the REC franchise, though, the movie comes up seriously lacking. I can admire REC 3: Genesis director Paco Plaza for taking a risk and drastic »»
Clever dissection of horror genre one of the most consistently fun films you'll see this year You don’t have to be a dedicated horror fan to enjoy The Cabin in the Woods, the long delayed film from director and co-writer Drew Goddard. It sure helps, though. The film, a twisting and often unpr »»
New Hammer Films production a fun throwback to classic horror movies Have we really gone so far in our movie loving culture where we can no longer appreciate a good old-fashioned ghost story? James Watkins’ The Woman In Black is the first theatrical film from Hammer Film Productions since »»
Any critic that attends a film festival has a tough choice awaiting them when it comes time to write a "Best of the Year" list: Do you include films that you saw at a festival that haven't been released to the general public yet. Some films, like the masterfully directed drama We Need to Talk About »»
This month marks the tenth anniversary of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings adaptations. In the decade since The Fellowship of the Rings’ release, Jackson has established himself as one of the top tier directors working in escapist film today — sitting on a shelf slightly below Lucas, Spie »»
Island life not all idyllic for troubled family in Alexander Payne's film Alexander Payne has developed a knack for capturing deep, intrinsic truths about people through the use of very broad caricatures. Payne’s previous films such as Election and About Schmidt resonated due to a combination »»
Beautifully violent imagery helps life up a pedestrian story There are moments of beauty in the violence of Immortals, the new 3D fantasy film from director Tarsem Singh. As precisely choreographed swordplay strums out on the screen like a Rube Goldberg machine — everything neatly fitting int »»
Jonathan Liebesman has been a director to watch as of late. After making his directorial debut at the age of 26 with the film Darkness Falls, Liebesman toiled away in the world of b-movie horror and indie thrillers before making a splash last spring with the big budget (if critically savaged) Battle »»
Meows and machismo combine in an inspired animated romp Puss in Boots, the new animated film from Dreamworks, may spring from the creative loins of the Shrek series but the lovably lumpy green ogre is nowhere to be found in the spin-off. It was a wise choice on the part of the filmmaking team led »»
When it was announced that Warner Brothers and DC Comics would be adapting the fan beloved story arc “Batman: Year One” into an animated movie, there was some concern about how the film would exist on its own merits in a world where so much of the material had already been used, albeit in an alt »»
The Howling series has never been known for quality. Joe Dante’s original film, titled simply The Howling, is a certifiable classic in the werewolf sub-genre but the subsequent films in the franchise have ranged from gloriously bad to depressingly terrible. The Howling series is the island of mi »»
Kryptonite Prints & Apparel have put out a stunning new print paying tribute to the George A. Romero classic Night of the Living Dead. Illustrated by artist Grzegorz Domaradzki, the poster has apparently been six months in the making — and it shows. A 24 X 36" four color silkscreen with me »»
Fun if light documentary explores extreme fandom Documentaries about passionate people must walk a fine line. It’s very easy to fall into the temptation to mock the fanatical — cast them as obsessive freaks worthy of pity and maybe a giggle or two. On the other hand, a film that explores a f »»
When uneven horror anthology works, it really works V/H/S is a frustrating movie for fans of horror anthologies – a sub-genre that has become disgustingly neglected over the last decade. The film, a collaboration between a group of writers and directors who represent a new and talented genera »»
Action junkies will want to snort a line of this ultra-violent theatrical experience There are films and then there are theatrical experiences – full-throttle assaults perpetrated on your senses via filmed images flicking on a screen. Very rarely do these two animals crossbreed and when they »»
Strong performance from Ethan Hawke at center of very scary horror film Screened early for South by Southwest, Sinister is a highly effective horror movie that, through the use of a great performance from Ethan Hawke and extremely unnerving music from composer Christopher Young, manages to cut »»
Great responsibility takes a backseat when teenagers gain great power With great power comes great responsibility. With an addiction to Red Bulls and a childhood spent listening to Kanye West songs, though, responsibility might just be put on the waiting list. In Josh Trank’s film Chronicl »»
I'll admit – I hate doing these top ten lists. As soon as I publish this article, I'll have already changed my mind about the placement of at least one film on this list. Films are as much a reflection of the audience as they are the filmmaker. As people grow and mature, their view of the world gr »»
What happened to the Bigfoot horror movie? Once upon a time, an entire sub-genre thrived on a healthy fear of a race of hairy ape-men that lived just beyond civilization. From The Legend of Boggy Creek to the simply named Bigfoot, horror films found inspiration in an urban legend tha »»
Spiritualism takes a backseat in this satanic Christmas treat The commercialization of Christmas is indirectly explored in writer/director Emilio Portes’ pitch-black supernatural comedy Pastorela, a limited release this past weekend from Lionsgate. In Portes’ film, there is no such thing »»
Last year Kino Classics released Fritz Lang’s Metropolis on Blu-ray in its near complete state. Discovered in Argentina, the almost pristine print of Metropolis used to strike the new Blu-ray gave audiences something thought forever lost — a near perfect approximation of the movie Frtiz Lang fir »»
Conflicting approaches to storytelling sink fractured portrait J. Edgar, the new biopic by Clint Eastwood, suffers from conflicting approaches to storytelling. Eastwood is a seasoned veteran who can churn out an emotionally rich, if slightly maudlin, story with military precision but zero genui »»
Attack the Block works most effectively as relentless escalation. As the film builds to an explosive finale, writer/director Joe Cornish continues to lather on the threats, the violence and the humor. From its charming, if rather unassuming beginning, Attack the Block barrel rushes into greatness »»
In the 2010 Finish film Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, it’s not just important to believe in Santa Claus — you must also fear him. For the feature length adaptation of the 2003 short film “Rare Exports Inc.,” director Jalmari Helander expands on his and Juuso Helander’s darkly comedic tak »»
This evening Paranormal Activity 3 is being released early as part of a late night sneak preview. Some markets are getting the film at 9 PM while other, larger markets will get a 10 PM screening. The one thing both markets will have in common, though, is that as the film lets out, the theater lobby »»
The warmest place to hide is in the shadow of a better film It is only appropriate that The Thing, Matthijs van Heijningen Jr’s tribute to the 1982 John Carpenter film of the same name, resembles the monster at the center of the film. Just as The Thing’s alien intruder, prone to stalking An »»
The world of film is in desperate need of Drew Struzan. The illustrator, famed for his work with George Lucas on the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films, is not dead but his partnership with the world of film is in sad decline due to more and more movie studios turning to Photoshop to cheaply and »»
Initial thoughts from an early screening hint towards dud OK. First things first — this is not a review. When introducing the screening of Paranormal Activity 3, directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (who had previously brought audiences the documentary Catfish) told the crowd gathered that »»
