Short on enthusiasm and originality, the legal thriller Closed Circuit wastes a talented cast, writer, and director on something that's been done to death. The film isn't merely ill conceived. It feels like it was cloned in a lab.
Much like Scream did almost 20 years ago now, You’re Next resurrects the oft derided slasher genre with demented, witty, and terrifying glee.
It's hard to review the North American, Weinstein approved cut of Wong Kar Wai's The Grandmaster since the half hour or so that's been cut from the film leave it feeling disjointed, but it's still a great kung fu, historical romance from one of the world's finest filmmakers.
As homages to Seven Samurai go, Rubicon is very well done: respectful to the source while still adding something new to keep it fresh and interesting.
Although somewhat uneven and sloppily assembled, the British "unromantic comedy" I Give It a Year gets some big laughs from marrying rom-com conventions with risque humour delivered by a game, talented cast.
Despite a jarring transition to its genre story this time out and not being the same laugh a second riot that Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz were, Edgar Wright's trilogy capping The World's End becomes the best of the trilogy simply through being incredibly thoughtful (on top of being hilarious).
The quiet, unsettling, and visually mesmerizing Canadian independent The Oxbow Cure might be one of the most thoughtful genre films in recent memory. There isn’t another movie like this that’s come out this year, this decade, or possibly will ever be seen again. It's that unique.
Though written with ages 9 -12 in mind, UK author S.F. Said's new graphic novel Phoenix has been one of my best reading experiences this year. A science fiction story with amazing and real characters, dramatic action, a fascinating mythology and incredible artwork by Dave McKean, I can't recommend this enough to any readers either with children of said age in their life, or for themselves.
Author SF Said talks about writing for young people, the wonders of stars, Pixar, Rio Bravo and space adventures in his new book Phoenix.
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones will be barely passable for non-fans, but it's thankfully far less derivative than it looks on a passing glance. It all comes with a brisk pace, knowing wit, good performances, and a set-up that never talks down to its core demographic of fans by pandering to basic adolescent needs.
This might be our best Blu-Ray review round up yet, including The Muppet Movie, The Sword in the Stone, Wes Craven's Swamp Thing, John Carpenter's The Fog, Mel Brooks' The Producers, and The Kentucky Fried Movie.
This issue starts the three issue "Batgirl: Wanted" arc that pits Commissioner Gordon against Batgirl.
There's no way Jobs can be looked at as a serious biopic about Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. It's a frustrating iDisaster.
Other potential titles for the abysmally idiotic thriller Paranoia that must have been taken: “Patently Implausible on This or Any Other Earth,” “Captain Obvious,” and “Seriously, Guys, Is This Some Sort of Joke?”
A Hijacking resonates like a visceral true story lifted from the front page of a newspaper and a hostage drama unfolding in real time (despite being a month long stand-off).
