“When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” That line from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance really applies to The Outsider, Nick Jarecki’s examination of cinematic iconoclast James Toback, a man whose filmmaking is intensely personal and obsessive and whose life is incredibly over the top and mythologized. Toback’s work is very much on … Continue reading
Edward Lee’s The Pig & The HousePublished by Necro Publications Ed Lee’s name is almost always spoken of in hushed tones as if it’s a touchy subject. His books are legendary for the depths they sink to- you can guarantee that any fan of his work has a sick, sick sense of humor- and a … Continue reading
I knew something was very wrong when Larry the Cable Guy’s Mater was my favorite character in Pixar’s latest film, Cars. In many ways Mater is the character that kept me involved in the story, which takes almost two hours to finally reach its conclusion, and which falters so badly in the second act that … Continue reading
In the original 1976 The Omen, Father Brennan meets Robert Thorn in a park to deliver to him a message about the infernal heritage of his son, Damien. When the two split up, Brennan is left alone and the wind rises. Soon the trees are shaking as the wind howls, and lightning bolts are spitting … Continue reading
The appeal of Batman vs Superman isn’t about the physical fight. All Frank Miller hokum aside, Superman would wipe the floor with Batman in nanoseconds if push came to shove. What’s interesting about these guys going head to head is how they represent such different sides of the same coin – the darker Batman operates … Continue reading
Is this the line for the Rian Johnson bandwagon? If so, I want on. The young director’s first feature, Brick, is an often brilliant film made all the more amazing by the fact that it just should not, in any rational world, work at all. Johnson has married the plot structure, characters and dialogue of … Continue reading
In An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore stands before a group of true believers and delivers a fairly engaging Power Point presentation about global warming. The same dynamic will be played out in movie theaters, except that cinemagoers will also get Tales of Young Al Gore, stories from his life that end up having some bearing … Continue reading
This review contains some spoilers. X-Men: The Last Stand isn’t the worst movie of the year. Hell, it’s not even the worst film in the series. The bad news is that it’s also not the best, although the elements seem to be there; what we end up with is a movie that’s a miracle, given … Continue reading
NOTE: To truly discuss this movie, I need to venture into pretty major spoiler territory. For those who prefer to enter a movie unsullied, I’ll front load the review with stuff that’s safe to know – and pack all the big spoiler stuff at the end, safely contained behind a big warning. Bad news for … Continue reading
In the opening scene of The Da Vinci Code, an old man is gutshot by Paul Bettany, who has been covered in pancake makeup. The film then cuts to a lecture delivered by Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor of “religious symbology,” who is in France presenting what appears to be a version … Continue reading