Search for Heat
This is the second in an open-ended series looking back at film-related subjects from 20-30 years ago. It was the evening of Friday, May 23, 1980. The Memorial Day weekend was officially underway, and I was on my way to see The Empire Strikes Back ...
It's Vin Diesel week! Suddenly, this largely unknown actor, whose only significant credits were a part in Saving Private Ryan and some voice work in The Iron Giant (as the title character), is a hot commodity with significant roles in two films op...
U.S. Release Date: 2000-02-18
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: SCIENCE FICTION/THRILLER
Director: David Twohy
Cast: Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, ...
Moody and brooding, Scott Teems’ The Quarry falls loosely within a genre that has been dubbed “Western noir” by some critics. Undoubtedly a serious work that attempts to address immigration tensions and personal redemption, the film suff...
U.S. Release Date: 2020-04-17
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity)
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: Scott Teems
Cast: Shea Whigham, Michael Shannon, Catalina Sandino Moreno, ...
This week is all about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It will unquestionably be the Box Office Champion, although the jury is still out whether it will set any receipt records. It's a curious thing. This is the summer's most ...
1940’s Rebecca was the only Alfred Hitchcock-directed film to win a Best Picture Oscar. Considering the filmmaker’s incredible body of work, that may seem odd, but it’s as much a testimony to the popularity of the source material, Daphe ...
U.S. Release Date: 2020-10-21
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (Sexual Content, Adult Themes)
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Director: Ben Wheatley
Cast: Lily James, Armie Hammer, Kristin Scott Thomas, ...
There has been much discussion and debate recently about the simplistic and juvenile handling of characters in female-oriented motion pictures, with perhaps Confessions of a Shopaholic being the poster child for what's wrong with many of these movi...
U.S. Release Date: 2009-03-13
MPAA Rating: "R" (Violence, Profanity, Sexual Situations)
Genre: COMEDY/DRAMA
Director: Christine Jeffs
Cast: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, ...
There are really two separate problems with seeing movies in theaters. The first has to do with the setting; the second has to do with other patrons. Many theaters have extremely poor quality control. They do not properly calibrate their sound ...
This represents the first of three parts of an essay I'm writing to discuss the pros and cons of watching a movie in a theater versus watching it on home video. With the advent of excellent home surround sound systems and bigger widescreen TVs, the ...
For many in the northern hemisphere, July represents the start of summer - outdoor barbecues, days on the beach, nights lying out under the stars. For Hollywood, July is the beginning of the end of the blockbuster season. With movies being so ...
Jumper isn't the worst movie being released this weekend but it's not the best, either. That won't prevent it from taking the crown as Box Office Champion. This is the kind of movies that will attract teenage boys like flies to manure. The fact ...