Monthly Archives: January 2013

There is but a faint hint of “barbarian” in the gloomy snowscapes, grim sword and scimitar duels and epic struggles against demons of “Solomon Kane,” the film based on the further fantasy writings of Robert E. “Conan the Barbarian” Howard. … Continue reading →

“Sinister” goes about as far as a horror movie can with just shocking images, a good cast and outstanding sound design. But this modestly creepy blend of “The Ring” and “The Shining” whiffs on a horror film fundamental. Nobody seems … Continue reading →

A horror movie that works cuts through analysis, shrugs off opinions and snobbery and eschews complexity — either in technique or in budget. You know it works when the hairs on the back of your neck rise. It’s a visceral … Continue reading →

All horror movies are somebody’s vision of Hell, but few are set in as convincing a vision as the “Silent Hill” films.

For half an hour or more, “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” is as lost and out of sorts as its title.

The movie-loving world years ago split into two camps — those who have given up on Nicolas Cage, considering everything he touches these days to be tainted, and those who still see the actor underneath the bad, or at least … Continue reading →

His Awesomeness, Jason Statham, has let it be known that, often as not, he chooses his films based on he fight choreographer the producers hire. Often as not, that blows up in his face. Why else would the Human Bullet … Continue reading →

He must have joined “The Agency” with an eye toward excitement, exotic locales and danger. But in Capetown, a backwater as far as foreign intrigue goes, agency newcomer Matt Weston is stuck — a one-man show, running a never-used “Safe … Continue reading →

American movies have a long tradition of insisting that characters have an arc, that we see signs of “growth” between the moment we meet someone on screen until the closing credits. We like to understand “motivations,” the things that draw … Continue reading →

“Ruby Sparks” is the great romantic gem of the summer, a diamond in the rough that bends genres, tickles the fancy and trips up expectations.