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 ...

Video View (2008 Mar 18)

Battlestar Galactica fans, your week has arrived! At long last, Season 3 is available on DVD, so those who savor the benefit of watching the DVDs before the new episodes air on TV can get the marathon underway (Season 4 is only two weeks from ...

More Hate Mail (2008 Mar 17)

Back by popular demand... more hate mail. As I have previously noted, I get plenty of negative e-mail (as one would suppose from anyone who puts opinions out there the way I do). Every once in a while, I decide to share a few so you, my faithful ...

Theatrical Releases (2008 Mar 14)

When it comes to the box office this weekend, there's only one movie to keep an eye on, and it's not either of the two genre derivatives: the mixed martial arts story, Never Back Down, or the apocalyptic action vehicle, Doomsday. (The latter was not...

My Life as a Geek (Part Two) (2008 Mar 13)

Where did I leave off? Oh yes - King Kong. Well, if I didn't, that's where I should have left off. The problem about writing these poorly organized pieces is that I tend to wander down blind alleys chasing tangents, then lose track of where I am ...

Video View (2008 Mar 11)

The demise of HD-DVD has opened up shelf space for Blu Ray discs at many retailers. When I stopped by at Best Buy a couple days ago, their Blu Ray section had all but gobbled up the HD-DVD area. It was possible to get American Gangster and a couple...