Horror Flicks: Jaws (1975)

By Jason Haskins

Duh-duh. Duh-duh. Duh duh duh duh duh duh--okay, you get my point. Almost everyone knows Jaws, even if they haven't seen it. It was the cultural phenomenon in 1975 that practically invented the summer blockbuster movie and jumpstarted Steven Spielberg into celebrity status. Imagine a film like Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, only in the cold, dark reaches of the ocean with a man-eating great white shark. Yeah, you see my point.

Another Take: J. Edgar (2011)

By Jason Haskins

J. Edgar is Clint Eastwood’s newest movie and his first with Leonardo DiCaprio. When this was first announced I was more than happy because of not only the daunting task of chronicling the life of perhaps one of the most controversial political figures of our time, but because of how it was going to portray the said figure. After all is said and done, Eastwood has done a fairly good job with the subject matter, but it won’t be garnering any Oscar acceptance speeches.

Immortals (2011) Review

By Paco McCullough

Tarsem Singh is one of the most visually interesting directors in Hollywood today. His obvious care and detail to every minut of every shot may only be surpassed by David Fincher. While both of his previous films (The Cell, The Fall) were incredibly beautiful, story was never focused to the level it should have been. Unfortunately, this shortcoming continues in Immortals, perhaps the worst of Tarsem's films.

Hugo 3D (2011) Review

By Jason Haskins

In Martin Scorsese’s follow-up to 2010’s Shutter Island and hot off the cuff of his documentary about George Harrison earlier this year, he embarks on a new path: the path of a kid-friendly movie that is bursting with 3D technology. There’s no question about 3D being a gimmick to plump up the green returns, but it has been done well in the past—notably in James Cameron’s Avatar and to a greater extent Jackass 3D. Scorsese has taken the technology to the next step—one that Cameron has said is the best use of it he’s ever seen. This is Hugo (2011).

New Releases on DVD/Blu-ray: November 29th

This week in DVD/Blu-ray we had some good releases...and some bad one (like always), but some very cool movies were finally released--particularly The Cave of Forgotten Dreams by Werner Herzog and the excellent looking Another Earth, which both deserve a solid rental. However, you also have 30 Minutes or Less starring Jesse Eisenberg and Friends with Benefits--which was a huge shitstorm. Here's out write-up.

Cult Films: True Romance (1993)

By Jason Haskins

I’ve never been a fan of romances, but with True Romance you have a romantic movie for the whole family—action for dad, romance for mom, and plenty of fucks flung around for the kids.

Martial Arts Madness: Hero (2002)

By Jason Haskins

There are few movies that come along that leave you out of breath once the credits begin to roll. Hero is one of those great movies that you watch expecting a decent action picture, but finding a wonderful movie instead.

Cult Films: A Dirty Carnival (2006)

By Paco McCullough

A Dirty Carnival is the third film by South Korean direction Ha Yu, following perhaps his most popular film, Once Upon A Time In High School (Youtube the end fight scene, it's great). Released in 2006, it tells the story of Byung-doo (In-Seong Jo), a young gangster trying to support his ill mother and high school age siblings. As financial pressures mount, he agrees to take out a pesky DA, setting off a chain of murder and betrayal. At the same time, Byung-doo also has an old friend hanging around, now a director who is trying to see how gangsters really act. Byung-doo is also attempting to romance an old flame from his youth.

The Tree of Life (2011) Review

By Jason Haskins

Beautiful. Grand. Elegant. Confusing. Subtle. Epic. Enigmatic. Exciting. Scary. These are all words to describe Terrence Malick’s newest film, The Tree of Life.

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) Review

By Paco McCullough

Martha Marcy May Marlene is one of the creepiest movies I've ever seen, and certainly one of the most creepy non-horror films I've ever seen. This indie film is nothing short of exceptional, and a movie that everyone should go see.

Small Screen Scene: Dexter - The First Season

By Jason Haskins

Welcome to our newest column, the Small Screen Scene, where we examine and review whatever television show sets we can get our hands on. This week we look at the first season of Showtime's hit show, Dexter.

New Releases on DVD/Blu-ray: November 15th

By Terry Cleveland and Jason Haskins

It's a slow week in DVD/Blu-ray this week. Aside from the two talked about here, you can also check out the Blu-ray Criterion Collection debut of Jean Renoir's 1939 effort, The Rules of the Game, as well as the 50th Anniversary Edition of West Side Story in a stellar Blu-ray package.