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Cinema Revisited: The Postmodern Horror of Wes Craven’s Scream
With the advent of the Internet, postmodernism found the perfect vessel. Today, a few clicks and an enter button can thrust you into any realm you so chose – along with a wink and plenty of ironic air quotations. This practice hasn’t solely applied to the common consumer either; tastemakers and artists have also sought this chic alternative in their works. Charlie Kaufman writes about his fictiona...[Read More]
Trailer Trashin’: James Bond Returns in the Final Spectre Trailer
Hello again, dear readers. We’re now firmly into October, the days are getting shorter, and Halloween is on the way. But there’s still some cool movies coming out this year, including the subject of today’s column. With that, let’s take a look at the latest (and final) trailer for the new James Bond movie, Spectre. Premise: In the aftermath of the attack on MI6, a cryptic message sets in motion ev...[Read More]
Box Office Weekend: The Martian Conquers the Box Office
While not the horror movie the title conjures up, October began with a strong start thanks to The Martian. With an estimated $55 million, director Ridley Scott and Matt Damon have been earning high marks from critics and audiences, though it will probably need a few more weekends like this if it hopes to make back its $108 million in costs. In fact, very little in release conjures up the spooks an...[Read More]
Trailer Trashin’: An Animated Classic Comes to Life in The Jungle Book Teaser Trailer
It’s almost October, dear readers, and that means prestige movie season is just around the corner. But it also means that we’re going to be getting trailers for more of next year’s big movies. And this week’s installment of Trailer Trashin’ is just that, with our first look at Disney’s The Jungle Book. Premise: The orphan boy Mowgli (Neel Sethi) grows up in the Indian jungle with the help of a pac...[Read More]
Palladium Theatre Re-imagined By Emagine Entertainment
“From the moment you enter the venue, you will see and feel the difference,” says Paul Glantz, Co-Founder and Chairman of Emagine Entertainment, Inc., the Michigan owned and operated company that will open the new Emagine Palladium theatre to the public on Friday, October 2. The remodeled theater promises patrons a unique, upscale, and luxurious movie going experience. The theater, along with acco...[Read More]
Second-Chance Cinema: Guardians of the Galaxy
No critic is infallible. It’s an open secret that few of them will admit, but would be remiss to deny. As valuable a resource as the informed film critic can provide when appraising a motion picture, we’re prone to the same random prejudices and peccadillos as anyone else. Sure, professionalism dictates that we diligently strive to check them at the door, but few of even the very best films are re...[Read More]
Box Office Weekend: Hotel Transylvania 2 Scares Up Record Box Office Rout
It may be getting marginally better reviews than the first film, but audiences were more than happy to see Hotel Transylvania 2. So much so, that its estimated $47.5 million opening is the best domestic September opening on record. While its unreleased budget makes it hard to tell whether it is on path to be a financial success in the long run remains to be seen (even Minions, with its relatively ...[Read More]
Trailer Trashin’: Christmas Gets Horrific in the Krampus Official Trailer
Sorry that it’s been a while, dear readers. A combination of computer trouble and being busy with other things has kept me away for the last couple weeks. But the column is finally back, and this week’s Trailer Trashin’ takes a look at the upcoming horror-comedy Krampus. Premise: When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max (Emjay Anthony) is disillusioned and turns his back ...[Read More]
Box Office Weekend: Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials Burns Up the Box Office
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials may be the winner at the box office with an estimated $30.3 million, but it failed to make much headway with critics, nor did it manage to top the previous film and its $32.5 million opening (though it will likely do well with overseas dollars). Interestingly, the real winner of the box office may well be second-place finisher Black Mass. With an estimated $23.4 mill...[Read More]
Movie Review: Black Mass
Black Mass is not necessarily a bad mob film, but it’s a mob film too concerned with emulating the cool of other, better mob films to develop any real voice of its own. Director Scott Cooper clearly had Martin Scorsese on the brain as he put this film together, but Cooper brings none of his own creative intent to the table. David O. Russell recently aped Scorsese with even wilder abandon in Americ...[Read More]
Interview with David Oyelowo, Star and Producer of Captive
In March 2005, Ashley Smith was held hostage in her apartment by Brian Nichols, an escaped killer hell-bent on seeing his newborn son. As Nichols kept Smith captive for seven hours, the pair slowly came to a crossroads between hope and despair. Smith had bonded with Nichols by reading aloud Rick Warren’s best-selling book The Purpose Driven Life. The new film, Captive, based on Smith’s account of ...[Read More]
Brie Larson Shines in the New Trailer for Room
The new film Room, based on the best selling novel by Emma Donoghue and directed by Lenny Abrahamson, premiered to packed houses and standing ovations at the Telluride Film Festival earlier this month and will next screen at the Toronto International Film Festival as a Special Presentation before being released in New York and Los Angeles on October 16th and nationwide on November 6th. Both highly...[Read More]