The ReelViews Shift (2010 May 10)

In 1996, as the snows fell heavily outside, I embarked upon the then-radical concept of establishing a "personal website." At the time, few people outside universities and tech-related corporations knew about the Web, and the idea of a site that ...

The Reader Vanishes (2008 Sep 17)

Over the course of 2008, I have noticed a decline in the website's readership. There are no obvious site-related issues to explain this. Advertising has been constant since 2007 (it actually started in late 2006). The June redesign has not resulted ...

THE PRICE OF TERROR: Final Thoughts (2006 Nov 16)

This column is written for the small but loyal group of readers who have forged their way through the recently serialized The Price of the Terror. Those who haven't read it or don't know what it is are welcome to continue reading, but I'm not sure ...

THE PRICE OF MAGIC: Introduction (2005 Aug 01)

For those who read The Price of the Crown, welcome back to the land of Devforth. For those who haven't, I would encourage reading the first book, but it isn't a necessity. The Price of Magic is intended to be a stand-alone, although there are ...

The Posthumous Nomination (2008 Sep 01)

This summer, there has been considerable talk about an Oscar nomination, or even a victory, for Heath Ledger. Such discussion, while premature (the main "Oscar bait" films have not yet been released), is understandable. Ledger's interpretation of ...

The Post-Oscar Hangover, 2012 Edition (2012 Feb 27)

This year, I tried to remain upbeat about the Oscars, abandoning at least some of my natural cynicism. Many of my contentions have not changed, however. The Oscar-cast remains too long. My attention span for an awards show of this nature is about 2 1...

The Porn Star Experience (2009 May 29)

The average, mainstream Hollywood actress can create a stir when she takes her clothes off. Sasha Grey has done it by putting them on.By now, anyone who cares is aware that Grey is director Steven Soderbergh's leading lady for The Girlfriend ...

The Porn Analogy (2011 Nov 10)

I'm about to make a connection between porn and film criticism... and it has nothing to do with the boobs, pussies, and asses in both areas.When I started reviewing movies in 1992, making money was the farthest thing from my mind. Calling it an ...

The Phantom Defense (2004 Jun 22)

It has become fashionable over the last five years to bash all things related to George Lucas in general, and The Phantom Menace in particular. Let me be the first to say that Lucas deserves a fair amount of criticism. He's not what one might call ...

The PG-13 Fuck (2012 Mar 16)

There was a time when I used this space for occasional rants against the MPAA. It was all repetitive venting, of course, since what I wrote carried no more weight than the angry words of anyone not directly associated with the secretive group of men ...

The PG-13 Curse (2007 Oct 28)

In the beginning, the MPAA's decision to introduce a PG-13 rating seemed like a good idea - a compromise between the PG and R to accommodate movies that were a little too "course" for the family friendly PG rating without condemning them to exclusive...

The Patreon Plot (2017 Jun 20)

Details about the upcoming Patreon membership options for Reelviews. These are expected to go "live" on July 1, 2017.

The Passage of Youth: Endurance or Experience? (2005 Apr 03)

Full disclosure: I have not seen this movie. What movie? It's called The Passage of Youth, a six-hour picture produced for Italian TV and released in the U.S. in two three-hour installments by Miramax. I can safely say that, if I see this movie, it...

The Panda Messes with the Zohan (2008 Jun 06)

Is Adam Sandler slowly losing his appeal? While the actor still has a vocal and loyal following, the passion and magnitude of that group has been on the wane in recent years. There was a time when the opening of an Adam Sandler movie was something ...

The Obligatory Post-Mortem (2007 Feb 26)

In a word: lame.In two words: lame and long. (What, you expected me to be complimentary?)It took me 70 minutes (with ample exercising of my right index finger on the FF button) to slog through Sunday night's Oscarcast. I pity those who had to endure...

The Nuclear Option (2007 Dec 06)

If the WGA strike was just about money, it would be over by now. In fact, money is only part of the equation. The other, more significant variable is power. The sides don't just want to settle; they want to win. They'll deny this, of course, but ...

The Noble Death (2007 Feb 10)

There's nothing wrong with killing off characters in TV series and movie franchises, but there's a rule that should always be observed: Be respectful. Longevity plays into this. If the character has only been around for a few TV episodes or a movie ...