As regular readers know, I avoid interviews like the plague - not because I can't do them, but because I usually find them boring. I ask the subject the same questions he or she has been asked a thousand times, and get the same rehearsed responses...
Piracy is one of those topics I return to frequently. Although I believe it is a serious problem on some levels, I also believe the MPAA and its cronies have turned this into a witch-hunt, seeking to punish fanboys and movie-lovers with the same ...
This is the time of year when those of us living in the United States pause to take a few minutes to express our thanks for things. Being contrarian by nature, I have decided to take a few moments to express my lack of thanks for a few of my least ...
SPOILERS AHOY!Now that I have seen the movie, I can address a few issues that I couldn't beforehand. For purposes of this column, I am assuming that the reader has either (1) also seen the movie, or (2) doesn't care if I give things away, like the ...
I frequently receive what I call "procedural questions." These are from readers who are interested in the nuts-and-bolts aspects of review writing. How long does it take to write a review? Do I write immediately after seeing a movie or do I wait a...
For a writer, a proper attribution is everything. There are few things more irritating than to see something you have spent hours putting together attributed to someone else. I'm not referring to plagiarism, however. That's blatant and illegal, ...
Random thoughts that won't fill up an entire column...Contrary to what one e-mailer wrote, advertisements have not taken over my main movie page. Currently, there are four text links (two pairs of two) and one banner ad. It helps pay the bills. My...
It was the darkest day since November 22, 1963. For those who awoke on that crisp, sunny morning and went to sleep under a cloud of anxiety and uncertainty, September 11, 2001 will not soon be forgotten. The passage of five years has mercifully ...
I was originally going to write something about Motherfucking Snakes on a Plane, but that will have to wait... (Better to see it first, then write about it. Or not, as the case may be. Keep in mind that almost no one has seen it, but everyone is ...
Censor: to examine (as a publication or film) in order to suppress or delete any contents considered objectionable. [Miriam-Webster; emphasis mine]Death of a President is opening in the United States next week... sort of. I am already on record as ...
Brokeback Mountain is going to win the Best Picture Oscar. This is a bigger lock than Titanic or The Return of the King. It's pointless to ask whether it deserves the recognition - that's not what Oscar victories (or nominations, for that matter) ...
I'm a planner, so the sudden, emergency need to move my website from movie-reviews.colossus.net to reelviews.net came as an unwelcome surprise, but it also galvanized me. As most of you who are reading this know, ReelViews has moved, and the ease ...
Ethics are a curious thing, since they define how we live our lives. Consider for a moment the importance of ethics across a wide span of life, from big business to politics to religion. Everyone has to develop their own personal code. I'm not ...
This is one of those commentaries that, if written in a "real-world" publication, would generate limited (if any) controversy. But this isn't the real world. This the Internet, and the Internet is a place where all sorts of baseless rumors and ...
As a critic, perhaps I shouldn't be so cynical about movies I haven't yet seen. So let me state up front that my comments below have nothing to do with a movie's quality or lack thereof. I haven't seen these pictures. For all I know, this could be...
There are essentially four types of film critics, and there's not a lot of love lost between members of the different groups. That doesn't mean we can't get along, but it's like putting Democrats and Republicans in the same room. As long as you don...
Direct-to-DVD. Those words are not so much a label as they are a Scarlet Letter. If the industry wants to move forward with its stated goal of expanding the video market, the negative connotations associated with this term have to be removed. As long...