Soderbergh's The Informant! puts comedic twist on corporate crime
By Daniel Supanick
Corporate crime is a serious issue. It has hurt countless people around the world, and has all been carried out in the name of making an extra dollar. A subject like corporate crime is something that should taken seriously. It should never be joked about. Right?Steven Soderbergh's new film, The Informant!, does not take corporate crime lightly, nor does it joke about it. It acknowledges how deeply wrong it is to steal from or harm unsuspecting customers that trust a company to have their best interests in mind. It makes the point, though, that it is sometimes the people involved ... Read More
Coming to theaters this week
By Daniel SupanickCapitalism: A Love Story [PG]The new documentary from Michael Moore focuses on the economic crisis and who is to blame for the ongoing disaster. Expect an unslanted, balanced, and restrained inside look at the major players in the great economic plunge, because as we all know, Michael Moore is a professional in the field of restraint and balance.The Invention of Lying [PG-13]British comedian Ricky Gervais' new film takes place in an alternate universe where lying doesn't exist. Gervais plays the man who tells the world's first lie, thus sending society into a tailspin. Backed up by a powerhouse comedic cast, ... Read More
Mostow's Surrogates explores dystopian Sci-fi future
By Daniel Supanick
Science fiction has always had a fairly bleak look at robotic technology and its applications. According to most every film made about robots and computers, the technology will eventually become self-aware and destroy or enslave the human race. Movies about robots don't usually stray from this concept, and over the years it has become very one-noted.Surrogates, the new film from Terminator 3 director Jonathan Mostow, bases itself on this concept. However, he doesn't have the technology to enslave us against our will. Instead, we willingly let the technology enslave us, even if the technology is unaware of this fact.In ... Read More
Zombieland makes for blood-soaked cinema bliss
By Daniel Supanick
Zombies have always been a source of blood-soaked entertainment. The concept of brain-dead, diseased humans losing every bit of themselves and running rampantly trying to eat other human beings is fun to watch. Add to the fact that these zombies could be people we know, and it becomes frightening.Zombieland is a film that twists this concept for comedic purposes. Unlike Edgar Wright's Shaun of the Dead, which was a parodic homage to the classic zombie films of old, Zombieland associates itself with newer zombie films such as 28 Days Later and Zack Snyder's remake of Dawn of the Dead. It ... Read More
Coming to Theaters This Week
By Daniel SupanickCouples Retreat [PG-13] In this film, Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman, Malin Ackerman, Kristen Bell, and Kristen Davis go to an island retreat to mend their impaired marriages. As the all-star cast implies, this movie needs neither a good script nor a clear direction. It doesn't even need to be original or not look like a situational rip-off of Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Its success is pretty much guaranteed. Anyways, it's directed by Peter Billingsley, the guy who played Ralphie Parker in A Christmas Story. When Ralphie Parker is directing a movie, you can tell the studio isn't resorting to ... Read More
Coming to theatres
By Daniel SupanickLaw Abiding Citizen [R]Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx star in this thriller about a man whose wife and child are murdered. Once the criminals get time cut off their sentences, Butler's character goes into a rage-induced vengeance. Expect this to be about on par with every other film about a family man avenging the death of his family. By that, I mean it'll be lifeless and probably a chore to watch.The Stepfather [R]A teenage boy comes home from military school to find that his mother has shacked up with a new boyfriend who may or may not have a dark ... Read More
Cast chemistry can't compete with blatant banality of Couples' Retreat
By Daniel Supanick
A cast's chemistry can make or kill a movie. This is especially true in comedy movies. If the lead performers do not work together, the film can fall apart. If we as an audience do not buy them as characters, then we don't buy the movie. Having the lead actors work as a unit is key. Sometimes, however, the cast's chemistry cannot save the film from its problems.Couples' Retreat has a cast that works great together. Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman, and Faizon Love work off each other well, as do Malin Ackerman, Kristen Bell, and Kristin Davis. This ... Read More
Wild Things makes magic out of children's classic
By Daniel Supanick
Childhood is not an easy period. It's a time when children are discovering the world, and, at the same time, the people and the things around them are growing up and changing. Many children act out in reaction to this change, screaming for attention, but are met with anger and reprimands from those who have forgotten what is it like to be a child at that stage. Childhood is a very complicated time in anyone's life. Where the Wild Things Are, an adaptation of Maurice Sendak's storybook, is a film that at its core is about childhood and the places ... Read More
Coming to Theatres
By Daniel SupanickSaw VI [R] Jigsaw tortures more people who truly deserve it. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's tired of seeing new installments of this series litter theaters. The worst part is that they've announced more to come. Please, no. For the love of God.Astro Boy [PG] An adaptation of the Japanese manga, this film tells the story of a scientist who creates a young robot in the image of his dead son. The robot sports incredible powers and must learn what it means to be a hero. This movie looked like a fun watch but may be too ... Read More
An open letter to George Lucas from concerned fan
By Daniel SupanickDear George Lucas,I love Star Wars. I thank God every time I watch it that I had it when I was growing up. It was my first love, my first true obsession. When growing up became too painful to deal with in a real-world fashion, I had Star Wars to turn to. At least in that galaxy, the bad guys got what was coming to them eventually, and good triumphed in the end.I am writing this letter to you now in response to news this week that some new Star Wars movies may be on the horizon. According to Fox ... Read More
The Coens release latest dark comedy, A Serious Man
By Daniel Supanick
People are constantly asking the question "What does it all mean?" They go everywhere to find the answer as to why their lives have taken such sudden turns. Who has the answers to all the questions? Why do bad things happen to good people when the bad people go free? How does it all end?Joel and Ethan Coen, the filmmakers behind The Big Lebowski and No Country for Old Men, present this dilemma in their new film, A Serious Man. The film revolves around college math professor Larry Gopnik, a Jewish man who is suddenly confronted with many plights at ... Read More
Coming to theatres
By Daniel SupanickMichael Jackson's This Is It [PG]A documentary composed of rehearsal footage from what was supposed to be Michael Jackson's comeback tour. This seems like it's going to be a concert movie without any actual concert, so it'll be interesting to see how the filmmakers pull it off. At the same time though, don't expect a timeless treasure, seeing as it was made to capitalize off Jackson's death.Gentlemen Broncos [PG-13]The new film from Jared Hess, the director of the highly overrated Napoleon Dynamite. A budding writer (Michael Angarano)'s unpublished story is ripped off by a legendary science fiction novelist (Jemaine Clement), ... Read More
Father and son struggle to survive in Hillcoat's post-apocalyptic film, The Road
By Daniel Supanick
The apocalypse has always been envisioned as a dark time for humanity. In a setting where survival instincts take over, everything is scarce and no one is safe. It brings out the darkest traits in man, and forces the living to adapt to a primal situation.In the film adaptation of author Cormac McCarthy's novel The Road, directed by John Hillcoat and coming to theaters on November 25, this is the world we are presented with. However, unlike many other films set in post-apocalyptic times, the setting is not the primary focus. The Road is a more human story about ... Read More
Coming to Theatres
By Daniel SupanickThe Box [PG-13]From the director of Donnie Darko, a married couple, played by Cameron Diaz and James Marsden, receives a box from a stranger that promises wealth at a lethal cost. Expect a dark, cerebral tale of morals that should be intriguing at the very least.A Christmas Carol [PG]Robert Zemeckis is most well-known for directing Forrest Gump and the Back to the Future series, but recently he has been playing around with motion capture animation films such as The Polar Express and Beowulf. A Christmas Carol is just another mo-cap film from Zemeckis, and it looks bad. Please return to ... Read More
Clooney plays metaphysical military soldier in Heslov's film The Men Who Stare at Goats
By Daniel Supanick
The paranormal is a field that is usually treated with a high level of skepticism. The accepted notion on such a subject is that it is unrealistic, and should be looked upon with an up-turned nose and a goofy sense of humor. It's made quite silly to think that such things would exist.Not so in The Men Who Stare at Goats. In the film, a sort of satire on military operations in Iraq, we follow Ewan McGregor's Bob Wilton, a journalist in Iraq trying to break through with a big story on the war. He meets George Clooney's Lyn Cassady, ... Read More
Coming to Theatres
By Daniel Supanick2012 [R] This looks like a steaming pile of garbage. Starring the awesome John Cusack, Amanda Peet, and Thandie Newton, among others, this film revolves around the end of the world as it occurs according to the end of the Mayan calendar. Stuff blows up, people stare horrified at the destruction, and Roland Emmerich rakes in more dough on another one of his terrible Independence Day rip-offs.Pirate Radio [R]Originally released in the United Kingdom as The Boat That Rocked (an infinitely better title, in my opinion), this film revolves around a group of radio DJs in Britain in the 1960's ... Read More
Apocalyptic epic 2012 sacrifices storyline for special effects
By Daniel Supanick
2012 is an odd movie to contemplate. Its advertisements basically made it out to be a giant disaster movie that would play out like the film Independence Day, which was directed by the same man, Roland Emmerich. Upon seeing the film, though, it becomes clear that, while the similarities are apparent, there is one comparison to this film that stands out above the rest.Remember how on South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone make fun of melodrama in movies by playing out really ridiculous situations? After the situations meet their climax, the characters look forward, dumbfounded, and utter "...My God!" ... Read More
Coming to Theatres
By Daniel SupanickThe Twilight Saga: New Moon [PG13]Edward and Bella are back for another round of emotionless stare-offs in the new Twilight movie. New Moon, based on the second book in the series by Stephenie Meyer, involves the vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson) hitting the high road on the human Bella (Kristen Stewart), who is as devastated as someone as devoid of emotion as she is can be. She soon finds solace in the arms of the perpetually shirtless werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). Things only get sexy from there. I personally can't wait for this movie. The first one was insanely bad, ... Read More
Forego U.S. fame; foreign flicks not to be missed
By Daniel Supanick
Foreign cinema does not get its due respect in America. We get bombarded with so many American films throughout the year that the few great foreign films that manage to find some sort of release here fall through the cracks, and upon release are generally hard to find.It seems that many times, America is the only country that makes films that get any attention at all. It's American films that find success at the international box office. It's American films that receive attention from audiences worldwide. Films from other countries, films that are many times better than the films released ... Read More
Coming to Theatres
By Daniel SupanickFantastic Mr. Fox [PG]This stop-motion animated film from filmmaker Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited) draws its story from Roald Dahl's book of the same name, and features George Clooney voicing Mr. Fox, who fights off evil farmers in order to keep his existence on their lands intact. It also features the voices of Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, and Jason Schwartzman. This has been getting great word of mouth, and also looks like unabashed fun. See.Ninja Assassin [R]Produced by the Wachowski Brothers and starring Korean pop singer Rain, Ninja Assassin tells the story of a ninja ... Read More
Coming to Theatres
By Daniel SupanickPrincess and the Frog [G]The highly anticipated return to 2-dimensional animation from Disney, The Princess and the Frog is a re-telling of the classic fairy tale, only set in New Orleans' French Quarter. It also features Disney's first black princess, Tiana. I, personally, can't wait to see this one. I'm excited to see if Disney can make a grand return to form from the mediocre 3D movies its been producing (Note: not Pixar, Disney) since rejecting the medium of 2D.Invictus [PG-13]From director and life-long badass Clint Eastwood, Invictus stars Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon in the story of Nelson Mandela's ... Read More
Life's hand dealt in Precious
By Daniel Supanick
Lee Daniels' urban drama Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire has been stirring controversy in the black community. Some have been praising its raw honesty in its portrayal of life in a destitute African-American household, while some have labelled it a white supremacist's dream film. In a way, both of these points could be argued.Precious tells the story of Clarice Precious Jones, a sixteen-year-old black girl living in a destitute apartment with a spiteful and abusive mother. Precious, as she likes to be referred as, keeps mostly to herself, having learned from years of being put down that ... Read More
Coming to Theatres
By Daniel SupanickDear John [PG-13]Channing Tatum walks shirtlessly into Amanda Seyfried's life by retrieving her purse, which had fallen off a boardwalk on the beach. He's mysterious and sensitive in his time with her. She falls hopelessly in love with him within the span of the most incredible two weeks of all time, only to have him taken away from her when he's deployed. This film actually makes me feel bad for its director, Lasse Holstrom. At one time, this man was directing great movies, like What's Eating Gilbert Grape and The Cider House Rules. Now he's in a slump: his last ... Read More
Gibson finds a healthy outlet for his rage in Edge of Darkness
By Daniel Supanick
Mel Gibson wasn't originally a controversial director. He was once an action star, known for playing a mix of hardened warriors and off-kilter goofballs. After his turn in M. Night Shyamalan's alien thriller Signs, though, Gibson took a long break from being a star and turned his focus to directing. Edge of Darkness is Gibson's return to acting, and one that serves his attempted comeback to stardom well. The film is a solid one, and is able to utilize many of Gibson's best attributes as a performer. It plays off his serious side, a side that also isn't afraid to ... Read More
Coming to Theatres
By Daniel SupanickThe Good Guy [R]In this week's bad young-person romance, Alexis Bledel, hot off the unanimously railed Post Grad, plays a working girl who's trying to maintain a good job, have good friends, and, hardest of all, find a good guy. This film will probably open its audience up to new considerations in the area of love and relationships, and will probably change America's cultural expectations surrounding love. Just kidding. This one looks terrible.The Ghost Writer [PG-13]In Roman Polanski's new film, which he finished from jail after finally being arrested for something he did do and shouldn't be left alone for, ... Read More
The nominations are out: Supanick's 2010 Oscar picks
By Daniel Supanick
As of a few years ago, I've begun to drift away from caring about the Academy Awards. My first reason for this is that awards don't dictate what movies I love, contrary to what the industry would have me believe. My second reason is that the awards themselves are given based on popularity. I've often seen great movies beaten out by ones that really don't deserve the recognition they get. These complaints aside, I do like to sift through the nominations the Academy puts out and pick out my personal choices in my head. If I were to give out ... Read More
Wolfman: all bark, little bite
By Daniel Supanick
The Wolfman is not a horror film in the mold of what we expect from the genre today. It follows more of a pattern set by the classic Universal monster movies of the 1930's, and seeing as it is a remake of one such film, this makes sense. The Wolfman creature fits more of a gothic tone, and shouldn't have to conform to the gruesome, ultra-violent standards horror films are held to today. That said, The Wolfman succeeds in some part on recreating this tone. It takes place in a very gothic atmosphere, and has a creepy, dreadful mood that ... Read More
Despite star power, Cop Out doesn't quite make the cut
By Daniel Supanick
Kevin Smith is not a bad director. It's true that his movies aren't as visceral a visual experience as they are a written one, but his laid-back style has served his films well in the past, and has in some cases stepped up his game to meet the necessities some of his films have called for. He does not step up his game, however, for his latest work, Cop Out, and it suffers for it.In Cop Out, the first film Smith has directed that he has not written himself, we follow two New York police officers, played by Bruce Willis ... Read More
Scorsese's violence and classic mid-century suspense
By Daniel Supanick
How can violence shape a man? What different forms can violence take to affect a man differently? Violence in one's life is not a small thing, but can it be forgotten? In the film Shutter Island, Martin Scorsese presents us with a character whose life has been dictated by violence. Teddy Daniels, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, has seen war and murder, and as a U.S. federal marshal, probably more as well. He comes off as on-edge most of the time, and expects the worst in people. This sort of life has made him this way. Shutter Island harks back ... Read More
Coming to Theatres
By Daniel SupanickCop Out [R]The new film from Kevin Smith stars Bruce Willis and Tracy Jordan, um, that is, Morgan, as two New York cops who find themselves up against a cruel gangster obsessed with memorabilia while investigating the disappearance of a rare, mint-condition baseball card. Despite its awful trailers, I'm pulling for this film. I'm a fan of Kevin Smith, and I'm hoping this one will prove to be surprising. The Crazies [R]A remake of George Romero's film, this stars Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell, and revolves around a town whose inhabitants are contracting a disease that turns them into merciless ... Read More
This Oscar season, remember the bad films
By Daniel Supanick
During Oscar season, the film industry is abuzz with conversation about what a good year the past year was for movies, and how many good movies they produced and will recognize when awards are distributed. It's this time of year that the industry likes to make it look like they produce nothing but gold. This is complete and utter crap.The truth is, ninety percent of the movies produced in a calendar year range from being mediocre to being outright terrible. At a time when Hollywood prides itself on its artistic successes, it forgets that some of these films weren't films ... Read More
Coming to Theatres
By Daniel SupanickAlice in Wonderland [PG]Tim Burtons adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic story, it stars Mia Wasikowska as Alice and frequent Burton collaborator Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. I seem to be the only person in the world that's looking forward to this film, if only because I feel Tim Burton was born to adapt a story like Alice in Wonderland for film. In fact, they should've not made it before and just waited for him to do it.Brooklyn's Finest [R]Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke, Don Cheadle, and Wesley Snipes star in this film about New York cops who get caught up ... Read More
Despite visual accomplishment, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland underwhelms even anticipatory fans
By Daniel Supanick
Tim Burton seemed like the perfect director to take on Alice in Wonderland. His quirky and Gothic sensibilities seemed to blend in well with the historically creepy atmosphere of Lewis Carroll's seminal work, and he seemed to be a director who'd understand that Wonderland is not meant to be a friendly atmosphere. Unfortunately, this assumption was wrong.Tim Burton's version of Alice in Wonderland is a very messy affair. It's a film with very appealing visuals, yes, but it does very little in terms of forming its story around the right things. His version of the story is really an addition ... Read More
Coming to theatres
By Daniel SupanickGreen Zone [R] In the new film from the director of the last two Bourne films, Matt Damon plays a rogue U.S. Army officer sifting his way through faulty intelligence before an escalating war reaches its fever pitch. This movie looks like Bourne without the amnesia thing going for it. Not that I'm complaining. Kick some ass, Mattie!She's Out of My League [R]Jay Baruchel plays Jay Baruchel and thinks he's really funny in this awkward comedy about a guy who scores a really hot chick who's (wait for it) out of his league. His slacker buddies make fun of him, ... Read More
HISS brings student and alumni work into focus
By Daniel Supanick
On Friday, March 5, UMBC's Interdisciplinary Film Association (IFA) kicked off their first Hilltop Independent Student Short Film Festival, HISS, a three-day event where UMBC students and alumni from the film/video program could display their works and discuss them with a participative audience. The event came at the end of Art Week, and highlighted a medium not covered to a great extent during that week.The first night of the festival was a celebration of UMBC alumni works. Fifteen works were seen total, and saw even non-UMBC graduates come out to support their collaborators. After a screening of the works ... Read More
Week in movies
By Daniel SupanickHot Tub time Machine [R]Four guys, played by John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry, and Clark Duke, hanging out in a ski resort find a hot tub time machine and accidentally travel back to 1986. It may sound stupid, but the movie looks hilarious. The trailers imply that the film acknowledges its dumb premise and just effaces itself. And it has Crispin Glover. Must see. How to Train Your Dragon [pg]A young, awkward viking voiced by Jay Baruchel goes against his villages dragon-killing ways and befriends a baby dragon in an attempt to come to peace with the species. Also ... Read More
Jude Law and Forest Whitaker tackle health care reform
By Daniel Supanick
Repo Men is not an important movie by any means. While it is a strange treatise of sorts on the current state of health care, it isnt by any means a film that is going to shatter perceptions of the medium. It is, however, an example of a B-movie done almost perfectly. B-movies are not meant to be artistic achievements. Theyre supposed to be genre films, fun and enticing enough to keep an audience captivated and entertained for two hours. Repo Men has its flaws. Its writing isnt top-notch and it has some minor structure issues. However, when it comes ... Read More
Clash of the Titans entertains with visual spectacle
By Daniel Supanick
As far as mythological epics go, Clash of the Titans isn't bad. It's got visual spectacle, larger-than-life characters, and fantasy-based action that keeps a steady drive throughout the film. It's not an exciting film by any means, but it's got a flow to it that keeps it pretty entertaining.When Clash of the Titans works, it's at its best. While its best never reaches really high levels of greatness, it still manages to be passively engaging. Ralph Fiennes turns in a solid performance as Hades, and Liam Neeson is also fun as Zeus. The action scenes, as mentioned before, are a ... Read More
Coming to Theatres
By Daniel SupanickDate Night [PG-13]This action comedy stars comedic superstars Tina Fey and Steve Carell as a bored married couple who decide that the thing they need to spice up their lives is a date night. Once on said date night, they run into a case of mistaken identity and go on the run. As funny and talented as both of these performers are, I dont think theyre going to save what looks like a fairly standard comedy following a tired formula.Letters to God [PG]A young boy with cancer sends letters to God, asking for a cure. The mailman doesnt know what ... Read More
Fey and Carrell's chemistry makes Date Night a must see
By Daniel Supanick
The pairing of comedic superstars is not an uncommon gimmick in the film industry. Putting two very talented and funny performers in one film implies that it will be twice as hilarious as one with only one of these performers in it. The only problem with this phenomenon, though, is that sometimes this equation for success doesn't add up, and the film ends up being a dud. Thankfully, Date Night, the vehicle for sitcom stars Steve Carell and Tina Fey, is not one of those films.Date Night had the potential to be a mediocre film. Its script isn't exactly great, ... Read More
Coming to Theatres
By Daniel SupanickKIck Ass [R]In this comic book adaptation, Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Nicholas Cage play superheroes with no powers who start a superhero craze when they start taking down crime. I have not heard a single bad thing from anyone who has seen this film. Apparently, it's every bit as violent, funny, and entertaining as we thought it would be. Drop what you're doing and go see Kick-Ass. You know you want to.Death at a Funeral [R]In this remake of the 2007 British comedy, Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence lead an all-star cast in a film about two ... Read More
Latest superhero satire delivers on expectations
By Daniel Supanick
Comic book superheroes are usually painted as the mythological figures of our time. They have costumes that distinguish them and symbolize their importance, and they have individual powers that set them apart from the pack. Superheroes, no matter their origins, are god-like in nature. And like any good god-like figure, they are also very absurd.At its core, Kick-Ass is a satire on the superhero genre. It asks, "What if someone suddenly decided to become a superhero?" One could say this question was already covered in Alan Moore's Watchmen, but this is not totally true. Watchmen asked what would happen if ... Read More
Coming to Theatres
By Daniel SupanickCceans [G]In celebration of Earth Day, Disney follows up last year's documentary Earth with Oceans, which explores the depth of the planet's seas and the life that inhabits them. I'm not going to lie, this looks incredible, and the fact that Disney got Jacques Perrin, the director of 2003's documentary Winged Migration, on as a co-director is even more enticing.The Back-up Plan [PG-13]Jennifer Lopez hasn't found Mr. Right, and she has grown tired. She wants, no, needs, a baby. She files for artificial insemination. Upon being approved, she finds the man that could be Mr. Right. What ever is she ... Read More
Week in Movies
By Daniel SupanickFurry Vengeance [PG]- I hate that I'm even writing about this movie. In it, perennial bad film staple Brendan Fraser plays a real estate developer who wants to put a shopping mall up in the forest. But wait! The animals won't have this, so they attack him in the manner of all sorts of pranks. I think this film is the logical conclusion to Brendan Fraser's career up to this point: The single most horrible, embarrassing piece of "entertainment" he could possibly attach his name to. Skip. A Nightmare on Elm Street [R]- Jackie Earle Haley, or Rorschach from ... Read More
The Losers fails as a mere imitation of action movies past
By Daniel Supanick
Style can go a long way in movies. It can embellish a film and maybe hide its more pressing flaws, or it can make a great movie better, supplementing what substance had already been there in the first place. The Losers definitely has a flashy sense of style that stands out in its gripping opening scene. However, that same sense of style ends up impeding the film from reaching any level of entertainment, and also tries, unsuccessfully and a bit too hard, to hide the film's flaws.The opening scene in the film is really the only one that works. It's ... Read More
Nightmare remake lacks tension, fails in its homage
By Daniel Supanick
When one discusses great horror films, the original A Nightmare on Elm Street is bound to come up. A Nightmare on Elm Street was the quintessential slasher flick, one with a truly threatening, yet brutally appealing, villain, Freddy Krueger. Freddy was the kind of slasher villain that audiences loved, no matter how much he scared them. Paired with the intrigue and terror that comes with a character that operates primarily through one's dreams, Freddy had a macabre charm and wit that supplemented the film's subversive and gleefully frightful nature. A Nightmare on Elm Street reveled in its premise and made ... Read More
Coming to Theatres
By Daniel SupanickIron Man 2 [PG-13]The summer movie season kicks off with the sequel to 2008's superhero hit. This time around, Tony Stark, as played by Robert Downey, Jr., must deal with a multitude of opponents, ranging from his corporate rival Justin Hammer (the ever-so-awesome Sam Rockwell) and Russian prisoner Ivan Vanko, a.k.a Whiplash (Mickey Rourke), while also making new allies in his struggle against global weaponization. I'm stoked for this one, but I'm skeptical at how they're going to manage so many new characters. The method of "More villain, more cool" definitely did not work for films such as Spider-Man 3.Babies ... Read More
The Last Exorcism veers away from horror film cliches
By Daniel Supanick
The horror genre is one that has always run the risk of becoming too gimmicky. Many films in the genre cover related themes and stories, and are presented in similar manners. From monster films to slasher flicks, there has not been a long history of total originality in the horror genre. The Last Exorcism is not an exception to this trend, and it does utilize many of the filmmaking gimmicks that horror films of late have been oft to use. Despite this, it is far more effective than its premise would lead many to believe. The Last Exorcism follows the ... Read More
This Week in Movies
By Daniel SupanickTHE AMERICAN [R] Italian countryside. The trailers for this film give off a kind of Euro-style Spy Who Came in from the Cold vibe, so that seems to be working in its favor. That, and, Serious George is usually tied in with good projects. Color me interested.MACHETE [R] It's finally here. In Robert Rodriguez's new film, Danny Trejo, the Mexican king of ass-kicking plays an assassin who's double-crossed on an assignment. He survives the ordeal, and goes on a vengeful rampage. I've been down for this movie ever since I saw the fake trailer for it in Rodriguez's Grindhouse project. ... Read More
Coming to Theaters
By Daniel SupanickResident Evil: Afterlife [R]Milla Jovovich returns as Alice, who this time around is joined in her fight against the Umbrella Corporation by an old friend, played by Ali Larter, as she makes her way into Los Angeles. Aside from the fact that I don't particularly care for Jovovich, I have no hopes for this movie. Naturally, it's in 3D, and it looks gimmicky for the sake of being gimmicky. It also advertised itself saying it was using the 3D technology James Cameron created, as though it had nothing else to go on. Skip.I'm Still Here [Unrated]Remember when Joaquin Phoenix grew ... Read More
Machete is excellent example of B-movie homage
By Daniel Supanick
Robert Rodriguez likes making B-movies, or at least films inspired by B-movies. If the Grindhouse project he headed up in 2007 wasn't evidence enough, Rodriguez has usually found ways of incorporating elements of sleaze and wild, sometimes humorous, violence into his more adult-oriented fare. In Planet Terror, his half of Grindhouse, he made a film that was a good mix of brutal, violent merriment and a spoof of the grindhouse ouevre. Machete is essentially the same film, just with a bit more serious undertones. Rodriguez, who is joined in the director's chair this time around by his long-time editor Ethan ... Read More
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