I’ve been ripping on movies with the “Happy Madison Production” label a lot lately but with Paul Blart: Mall Cop, I actually found one I enjoyed. Think of Paul Blart: Mall Cop this way, it’s what Die Hard would have…
A remake of the popular 2001 Italian film L’ultimo bacio, The Last Kiss is yet another tale of generational angst. Written by Paul Haggis (Crash) and directed by Tony Goldwyn (A Walk on the Moon), A group of thirty-year-olds are…
This modest story has been told a million times–loveless singles who find each other. However, that age old tale still works as a film when it’s done with the right details and fine actors. Such is the case with Last…
The second series of Skins, a BAFTA-winning teen drama created by father and son television writers Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain, is notably darker and more dramatic in tone than its predecessor. The series is an unflinching attempt to capture…
Few would argue director Alfred Hitchcock’s status as a master of suspense. However, his 1955 effort, To Catch a Thief, can hardly be considered among the best in his suspense cannon. If a person’s first exposure to Hitchcock is To…
I first saw The Robe when I was about eight years old, at a showing by a local film society. I remember the man who introduced the film telling us that the movie we were about to see was the…
With credits including Kitty Foyle (1940), Bill of Divorcement (1940), Roman Holiday (1953), (using the name of Ian McLellan Hunter as a front) and Spartacus (1960), Dalton Trumbo is considered by many one of the best screenwriters to ever work…
History has shown that film sequels can be a risky proposition; for every Godfather II, there’s a Grease 2. While The French Connection II certainly isn’t the failure that was Grease 2, it has been well documented that neither Gene…
Born Harlean Carpenter,the dentist’s daughter eloped at age 16 with a young businessman and wound up in Los Angeles where she found work as an extra and bit player (examples: Moran of the Marines (1928) Liberty (1929) and somewhat more…
In this direct-to-video animated release of Wonder Woman, the plot is based on George Perez’ reboot of the character. Specifically, the “Gods and Mortals” arc that started the character’s second volume back in 1987. The film presumes that Wonder Woman…