“Space Jam: A New Legacy” did something I had not anticipated: It was a sweet, smart, funny and engaging movie.
I suppose I did not expect this because the word-of-mouth buzz for the film has been negative. I base this on anecdotal experience; people I know cringe at the thought of this movie existing because the 1996 original is so cherished.... Read Original Article
There have been eight movies in the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” series, but only two are worth watching if you want to feel real horror. One is the original film, “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre,” which was released by director/co-writer Tobe Hooper in 1974 and is rightly regarded as a classic. Like “The Blair Witch Project” a quarter-century later, it did not allow its low budget to get in the way of creating a uniquely creepy aesthetic, cleverly using practical effects and skillful pacing to scare viewers.... Read Original Article
A movie like “The Deaths of Ian Stone” makes you lament the fickle nature of show business. I know only two things about director Dario Piana and writer Brendan Hood: Together they made one of the most unique science fiction thrillers I’ve ever seen, and they have not done much other filmmaking work since.... Read Original Article
It is a shame that movie remakes usually cover films that were already perfect the first time. The ones that truly deserve a second shot are those based on interesting concepts but which, for one reason or another, collapsed upon execution.
“Darkness Falls,” a 2003 horror film directed by Jonathan Liebesman, is Exhibit A for this argument.... Read Original Article
“Scary Movie 2” is indefensible on every artistic and comedic level… yet I will still stand up for its fans.
Okay, I guess I should have written “on most artistic and comedic levels.” My disdain for the film caused some hyperbole there, because there is a lot wrong with this film.... Read Original Article
I’d like to focus on two elements of “Leprechaun Returns,” the only installment in the “Leprechaun” horror series to directly continue the narrative of the original 1993 film.
To explore the first, I must mention that Mark Holton returns as the mentally disabled then-handyman Ozzie, who here is a lonely cab driver dismissed by his small North Dakota town as a “weirdo.”... Read Original Article