All posts by Nix »
Rotten Shaolin Zombies (2004) Movie Review
What can you say about Blaine Wasylkiw’s “Rotten Shaolin Zombies” except you either like’em or you don’t. Truth be told, there’s actually only one zombie, and I’m not sure going to a dojo qualifies...
Read More »Hart’s War (2002) Movie Review
For a movie about American soldiers during World War II and considering its title, Gregory Hoblit’s Hart’s War is not actually a war film. There’s very little actual “war” action, at least not enough...
Read More »Big Fish (2003) Movie Review
There is something so heartfelt and sincere about Tim Burton’s “Big Fish” that if you don’t find yourself smiling during the movie and then deeply affected when it’s done, you are the type of...
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Yomigaeri: Resurrection (2003) Movie Review
“Yomigaeri” isn’t a movie that tries to scare you; in fact, it does everything it can not to scare you. Despite its premise — dead people are mysteriously resurrected and returns to their loved...
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Band of Brothers (2001) Mini-series TV Review
The HBO original mini-series “Band of Brothers” is the kind of filmmaking enterprise that makes the word “epic” seem inadequate. The series (smartly) takes a myopic view of the war, focusing on a small...
Read More »Hallow’s End (2003) Movie Review
Dear Low-budget Horror Filmmakers: Your low-budget horror opus should not — and I can’t stress this enough, should not — under any circumstances resemble a bad Afterschool Special at any point. The niche audience...
Read More »Sex and the Beauties (2004) Movie Review
The thing about characters in movies having uni-brows — that is, one long eyebrow instead of two — is that it only works if it’s not overplayed. Say, a cameo appearance by someone with...
Read More »Timeline (2003) Movie Review
For some reason people in “Timeline” are constantly talking over each other. I’m not sure if director Richard Donner (“Lethal Weapon”) planned this, but the end result is irritating as hell. In a lot...
Read More »Spy Girl (2004) Movie Review
Although it opens with the main character doing his “business” in a bathroom stall, Han-chun Park’s “Spy Girl” is actually not another “Sex is Zero”. Oh sure, the film indulges in bathroom humor about...
Read More »May (2002) Movie Review
Lucky McKee’s “May” is certainly one of the best horror movies you’re liable to see, but it’s also one of the worst horror movies when it comes to repeat viewing. This isn’t a movie...
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Aragami (2003) Movie Review
I must confess to being a bit disappointed by writer/director Ryuhei Kitamura’s output since his breakthrough hit “Versus”. His films so far have proved less than spectacular, with “Alive” being unwatchable and “Azumi” coming...
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Slash (2002) Movie Review
It may be a South African product masquerading as a generic cheapo B-movie Teen Slasher, but “Slash” is not your typical — Oh wait, nevermind. “Slash” is your typical Teen Slasher, and the fact...
Read More »The Last Samurai (2003) Movie Review
While it may be a Hollywood big-budget epic about an Asian (and thus, foreign) culture, “The Last Samurai”, while picturesque and excellent on every technical level, is nonetheless strangely average. Which of course doesn’t...
Read More »Highlander: Endgame (2000) Movie Review
The Highlander franchise has seen better times. Consider the interesting premise of the 1986 original that started it all: men and women who are “immortals” (they can’t die unless someone decapitates them (usually with...
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Shaun of the Dead (2003) Movie Review
Who knew the Brits cared about making anything other than quirky romantic comedies, quirky gangster comedies, and quirky period comedies? Apparently there’s more to the British movie industry than yet another — and yet...
Read More »Slave Love (aka 100 Days with Mr. Arrogant, 2004) Movie Review
Actress Ji-won Ha played the straight man in the gross-out comedy “Sex is Zero” and an adult in the horror film “Phone”. And apparently she’s tired of playing it straight, which may explain why...
Read More »The Wisher (aka Spliced, 2002) Movie Review
If you were going to write a horror movie I’d imagine the first thing is come up with a fairly sympathetic hero (or, as is often the case in today’s horror movies, a sympathetic...
Read More »The Killer Within Me (2003) Movie Review
Movies don’t get anymore “indie” than Jesse Vint’s “The Killer Within Me”, one of those films that oozes the phrase “guerilla filmmaking” with every celluloid pore. It’s a low, low, low, low budget movie,...
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El Nominado (2003) Movie Review
I’m sorry to say that I can’t give the Chilean movie “El Nominado” (aka “The Nominee”) any points for originality. The “reality TV goes bad” gimmick has been done before, in films like “Series...
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