If you’ve seen the first trailer for the Ghostbusters reboot then your reaction probably fell into one of three categories: 1 – CLUELESS OPTIMISM: You may have seen the original films a few times. Certainly enough to remember their showcase bits: the library scene, the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, Ecto-1, the proton packs, and Slimer the...
Movies
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It doesn’t take long for The Witch to make a lasting impression. We meet the title character very early on. She’s hidden in shadows, obscured by branches, and in the midst of doing something unspeakable. Her actions are further obscured by the awful sounds made by her walking stick and her rapid, shallow breathing. Writer-director Robert...
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Now that 2015 is over, it’s time to look back on the films that had the most profound effect on me. Of all the lists I write, this is always my favorite one (hence the length). As fun as it is to trash something, it’s far more fun to praise something. And I hope...
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Continuing my annual year end barrage of LISTS, I hereby present the most disappointing films of 2015. These are not the movies that are merely bad. Not the Paranormal Activities, the Green Infernos, the Adam Sandler films, or the Ride Alongs. Those films are easy targets. These are the films that should have been great but were instead massive...
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Spectre Failed To Reinvent The Modern Blockbuster. Shall We Burn It?
Imagine climbing inside a private jet piloted by Sir Roger Moore. His blood alcohol content is 30% above the legal limit because he has been drinking vodka martinis all day. He declares his intentions to fly around the world, thwarting evil wherever he can – from Mexico City to the Swiss Alps – and...
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One of the hardest things for a movie to evoke is a mounting sense of dread. There are so many horror and thriller films that rely on violence or staccato blasts of music to put the audience on the edge of their seats. It’s much harder to make the audience feel unsafe by seemingly...
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You’ve never seen a haunted house like this one. It doesn’t simply creak at night; the east wind howls through it with deafening force. There are no leaks in the ceiling but there is a giant hole directly above the main foyer. Snow falls as if it has been invited. The water from the...
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There’s a knock on your front door. You know what’s coming but don’t want to believe it. You lie to your family members, telling them not to worry, that you’ve got it all under control. You take a deep breath and open the door. A well-dressed man holds out his hand. He’s flanked by...
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There’s a small horror movie from Germany playing in select theaters right now that most critics are hailing as some kind of dark masterpiece in the vein of The Babadook and It Follows. That kind of praise, coupled with it’s creepy trailer, got my attention real quick so I’m sorry to report that Goodnight Mommy is a stunning disappointment....
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The Visit looks like an easy movie to make fun of. It’s got an inherently creepy premise that could easily teter over into unintentional comedy in the wrong director’s hands. One need only take a look at the trailers to see what I’m talking about. Any movie that treats an old lady screaming ‘YAHTZEE’ into...
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