Does the world really need another “Musketeer” movie? To be more precise, does the world need a “Musketeer” movie that bypasses logic and tradition in order to satisfy a youth action market who has no idea who Alexandre Dumas is, much less read one of his books? Read the rest of this entry »

It is a common practice in Hollywood to save Oscar-worthy films and release them at the end of the year, where they will be fresh in the minds of voting members of the Academy. That’s why there is always a proliferation of personal dramas and epic undertakings crowding theaters the last two weeks of December. Read the rest of this entry »

Last year, tucked away in my Sunday newspaper, I received a glossy flyer for “Van Helsing,” who would arrive in theaters May 7, 2004, to save the world from such classic Universal Studios monsters as Frankenstein’s creature, Dracula, and the Wolfman. If I hadn’t already gone to the bathroom I would have wet myself. Read the rest of this entry »

Written, produced and directed by James Bond III, “Def By Temptation” is one of those rare low-budget horror films where everything comes together. The film stars Samuel L. Jackson (“Pulp Fiction”), Kadeem Hardison (“A Vampire in Brooklyn”) and Bill Nunn (“Sister Act”), and was shot by Ernest Dickerson, who became Spike Lee’s main man behind the camera and then went on to become a director as well (“Juice”). Read the rest of this entry »

Samuel L. Jackson is a cool cat. Even when he’s surrounded by a choir of sourpusses, Jackson always purrs. That’s why he’s cool. Like a cinematic savior, Jackson has the ability to walk on top of rather than wade through crap. Take Coach Carter, a formulaic, preachy high school basketball movie. Read the rest of this entry »

After 22 years and 10 movies, the “Star Trek” movie franchise is dragging. Looking more tired and worn out than a pair of Elizabeth Taylor’s shoes, “Star Trek: Nemesis” limps along like a one-legged dog begging for someone to shoot it. Read the rest of this entry »

Even though I had been reviewing professionally for eight years when “Ghostbusters” came out, for one reason or another I didn’t manage to make the press screening. That meant I had to see the film at a local theater when it opened. Read the rest of this entry »

The first time I saw “Dracula: Prince of Darkness” was at a midnight show at the Mann Fox Oxnard. It was 1973. The other film was “The Gruesome Twosome.” The theater was in a shopping center parking lot, and that weekend the carnival was in town. People started lining up for the midnight show around eleven o’clock. Read the rest of this entry »

“How do you solve a problem like Maria?” Oops, wrong musical. Still, the question still applies for “West Side Story.” Maria (Natalie Wood) is the demure PR (that’s Puerto Rican in 1950’s slang) who falls for former bad boy from across the tracks Tony (Richard Beymer). Read the rest of this entry »

Hell hath no fury like a woman scored, and Libby Parsons is furious. Libby has just been framed for the murder of her husband, and now she has to stew in prison. You can’t blame Libby for being mad. Read the rest of this entry »