Theatrical Releases (2008 Apr 18)

This is an odd time for theatrical releases. It's the first weekend in a while when a few mid-budget films are opening that are capable of generating some interest. It's also a weekend when studios are taking the trash out, getting things nice and ...

Video View (2008 Apr 15)

It's David Lean week at the video store. Three of his films: Lawrence of Arabia, The Bridge on the River Kwai, and A Passage to India are being re-released as two-disc Collector's Editions. This is fine - classics like this deserve to be re-packaged...

Upgrade Update (2008 Apr 14)

Originally, I had hoped the site redesign, which I have unoriginally dubbed "ReelViews 2.0," would be ready by May 1, but I underestimated the amount of time necessary to add reviews to the newly created database (the underlying foundation of the ...

Theatrical Releases (2008 Apr 11)

The end of the drought is nearing: Al Pacino, a Judd Apatow-produced comedy, and a teaming of Jet Li and Jackie Chan. But that's next weekend. What about today? Sadly, more of the same. A lot of movies that few people care about and even fewer ...

My Voice from the Past (2008 Apr 10)

I frequently write things that have nothing do with movies, although most of them go unpublished because of my fundamental laziness when it comes to taking all the tedious steps necessary to get them from a semi-final state to where they're in a ...

Video View (2008 Apr 08)

The hit-and-miss nature of high definition releases is maddening. The latest film to fall into the "where's the high-def?" category is There Will Be Blood. Coupled with Lust, Caution, this makes two egregious omissions in the past few months. It ...

How Bad Is It? (2008 Apr 07)

A slump seems to be a poor way to define the free-fall situation in which the movie industry finds itself. Hollywood has only itself to blame. When the multiplex output consists of one lame film after another, what could the expectations be? This ...

Theatrical Releases (2008 Apr 04)

It's like a broken record, and one that has been broken since the end of January: another weekend, another lackluster crop of movies. Interest in multiplex fare is at a low ebb. I drove past a theater at 7:45 pm this evening - prime movie-going ...

My Life as a Geek (Part Five) (2008 Apr 03)

And so we come to the end of "My Life as a Geek"... (Figuratively speaking, that is.)Actually, most of the autobiographical details have already been filled in. Now it's time for a broader discussion about nerds and geeks in general and how ...

Video View (2008 Apr 01)

Sorry for the late, short post today. I'm pressed for time...It's a slim week for movies on DVD. The big release is Alvin and the Chipmunks, which was a surprise hit when it reached theaters last year. By mixing the nostalgia factor with its ...

Swing and a Miss (2008 Mar 31)

Today is baseball's Opening Day. For those of us who follow the sport, this Rite of Spring represents hope and renewal. That sense of rebirth may only last as long as it takes for a team to start its first losing streak, but it's there. The slow ...

Theatrical Releases (2008 Mar 28)

It's brutal out there. There's no other way to describe things at the multiplexes this weekend. Has anyone else noticed this? For the third straight weekend, Horton Hears a Who! will likely take the Box Office Champion crown, and that's mainly ...

My Life as a Geek (Part Four) (2008 Mar 27)

First, a word from our sponsors... Several readers have e-mailed me to suggest I remind visitors on a regular basis of the importance of the ads. Due to ad blindness, there's a tendency to forget and/or ignore the ads unless prompted. I know there ...

Video View (2008 Mar 25)

DVD sales are down significantly year-over-year from 2007. This has caused alarm in Hollywood and is likely one reason for the surprisingly quick end to the high-def format war (even the most optimistic prognosticators expected it to last until mid-...

You Don't Agree with Me Enough! (2008 Mar 24)

Recently, as I was aimlessly surfing the net, moving from movie site to movie site, I stopped at one I infrequently visit and decided to spend some time peruse everything it has to offer. I discovered a "links" page that provides jumping-off points ...

Theatrical Releases (2008 Mar 21)

If you're interested in going to the movies to see something new this weekend, things don't look good. It's Easter weekend and the distributors are assuming traffic will be light. The strategy is surprising because, although a large percentage of ...

My Life as a Geek (Part Three) (2008 Mar 20)

For some people, high school is blur of booze and drugs. For me, it was a blur of Dungeons & Dragons and Star Trek. Yet, while that's certainly enough to cement my geek credentials, there was something that kept me from uber-geek status: I liked ...