Movie Monday: The Purge
The crew from the Fast & Furious franchise have some pretty nifty wheels, no question. But no amount of nitro-fueled, turbo-charged, high-octane horsepower could help Vin Diesel and company outrace The Purge. The budget-minded horror/sci-fi film made (ahem) a killing at the box office, parlaying a compelling premise and some virtual marketing magic into an […]
Desperately Seeking Stone Presidents
You wouldn’t think Mount Rushmore would be that hard to find. First, it’s a mountain. By definition, they tend to stick up out of the ground. Second, it’s got people carved into it—familiar people, people we see every time we fish in our wallets for cash to pay the McDonald’s drive-thru guy. But it’s not […]
Movie Monday: Fast Wins Again (Making Rivals Furious)
They say that the days of the internal combustion engine are numbered. Someday we’ll all toodle around in one-seat, 50-pound cars that run solely on happy thoughts. Someday we’ll all look back at the age of high-octane muscle cars as days of wasteful excess and unimaginable engine noise. But that “someday” isn’t here yet. This […]
No S.H.I.E.L.D. From Superheroes
Broadcast television networks have announced their bevy of shows ready for the fall. And from what I can see, it should be an interesting autumn. Fox, for instance, is bringing back Jack Bauer and 24 for a limited 12-episode, miniseries-like run. (Alas, it won’t be called 12.) Fantasy-oriented geeks will be tempted by shows like […]
Into Darkness … and Finding Light?
I’ll be seeing Star Trek Into Darkness tonight—attending the screening with who knows how many costumed Ferengis and Klingons and perhaps the occasional Horta. And of all the movies I’ve had an opportunity to review this year, this may be the one I’m most intrigued to see. These Star Trek films almost always have […]
Movie Monday: Iron Man Trumps Great Gatsby
It was a glitzy, gaudy showdown between rich, somewhat shady tycoons at the multiplex this weekend. At one end we found Tony Stark—a flawed techno-genius with a penchant for spectacular houses, fast cars and rip-roaring parties. At the other was Jay Gatsby—a flawed socio-genius with a penchant for … well, spectacular houses, fast cars and […]
Movie Monday: Iron Man 3
It’s too bad that Tony Stark’s Malibu mansion was blown to smithereens. It was a pretty place. But here’s a bit of good news: With the moolah Iron Man 3 collected this weekend, methinks Tony will be able to build a shiny new crib. In fact, he could probably build a spare—you know, just in […]
The Book Was Better
I’ve been re-reading F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby the last few nights, prepping for the release of the film version starring Leonardo DiCaprio (coming out May 10). It’s my third time through the novel and each time, I like it more. Look, I’m obviously a writer. I mess around with language every day, and […]
Movie Monday: Pain & Gain
You could say that our pain was Paramount Pictures’ gain this weekend. Paramount’s kinda-sorta truthy dark comedy Pain & Gain, starring Mark Wahlberg, muscled its way to the top of the box office, flexing its box office biceps with a $20 million gross and clean-and-jerking the weekend’s crown over its steroid-addled head. Sure, Plugged In […]
Movie Monday: Oblivion
Some would say that banking on a superstar is risky business in these CGI-laden days: Big names aren’t as bankable at the box office as they used to be, even ones that have all the right moves. But this week, Tom Cruise jumped into the fray with his eyes wide shut and proved that there […]