By day, I'm a humble computer systems administrator, now, but in my life I've worked as a sound engineer, a radio disk-jockey, a custodian, a short-order cook and a whole host of other fun and educational occupations. No, I'm not a million years old and I don't know everything. I am a happily married father of three lovely girls and my family is the most important thing in my life. So, movie reviews just seemed to come naturally. You can see the connection, can't you?

Elsewhere (2009) Movie Review

Veteran cinematographer Nathan Hope tries on his Writer and Director caps with “Elsewhere,” a small town thriller released in theatres in January and already out on DVD and Blu-Ray. To be blunt, he really shouldn’t quit his day job. While the production values are high and the acting...

June 20th, 2009 | Read More

News From Development Hell: The Brazilian Job

In this episode of Development Hell, we have The Brazilian Job, the sequel to the remake The Italian Job (2003) with an all-star cast including Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Jason Statham, Mos Def and Edward Norton. The biggest challenge here isn’t a story, it’s trying to coordinate...

June 4th, 2009 | Read More

Actor David Carradine, 72, found hanged in Bangkok hotel.

Well known actor, David Carradine, was found hanged in a hotel room in Bangkok, Thailand yesterday. According to his manager, Carradine, who is most famous for his role as Qwai Chang Caine in the 1970s TV series Kung-Fu, was in Thailand shooting his latest movie. Details from The Associated Press article...

June 4th, 2009 | Read More

The Way of War (2009) Movie Review

“The Way of War”, starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and JK Simmons (Spider Man, Juno), seems, at first blush, to be another action movie about a rogue covert operative trying to stay alive while uncovering a government conspiracy at the highest levels. Unfortunately, if you examine closely, you’ll...

February 15th, 2009 | Read More

Holly (2006) Movie Review

The truth is, Holly is a public service announcement. A very well made, well produced, well written, well acted and well meaning public service announcement that will rip your still beating heart out of your chest and stomp on it, while you watch. If you enjoy that kind of thing, it’s a masterpiece....

February 15th, 2009 | Read More

Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008) Movie Review

Even people who absolutely hate modern musical movies, like Rent or Chicago, will appreciate the amount of effort put into Repo! The Genetic Opera. It’s not some backyard film disguised as nothing more than an extended music video. While it has some of the same visual production elements it carries...

January 25th, 2009 | Read More

Book Review: The Spirit Movie Visual Companion by Mark Cotta Vaz

There’s no denying the hard work. talent and sheer enthusiasm author Mark Cotta Vaz pours into his movie companion books. The Spirit: The Movie Visual Companion is definitely some of his best work, to date. It could be said that Mark’s biggest passion lies with animation. One of his earlier...

January 20th, 2009 | Read More

Hulk vs … Wolverine/Thor (2009) Movie Review

So many men started out as young boys who dreamt of being heroes… super heroes. Marvel knows it’s target audience but, seemingly in an effort to push the envelope, they seem to miss the mark with too little story and too much violence. The first of the DVDs is Hulk Vs. Wolverine. Inspired...

January 19th, 2009 | Read More

Pulse 3: Invasion (2008) Movie Review

In the third, and supposedly final, installment in the Pulse trilogy of movies the world has shunned technology and learned to live in a world without any communications devices. A world, ironically, that would not have been able to view this straight-to-DVD release. Truthfully, they would have been...

December 27th, 2008 | Read More

The Longshots (2008) Movie Review

Like eating a familiar dish you’ve had a hundred times before, The Longshots, a true story inspired film starring Ice Cube and Keke Palmer (Akeela and the Bee), is a pretty standard recipe. Also, like good comfort food, it has just the right amount of all the usual ingredients that help make family...

November 30th, 2008 | Read More

Renaissance Village (2008) Movie Review

Good documentaries provide the viewer with an intimate perspective of a person, place, event or period of time. A great documentary either simply educates, if unbiased, or improves social awareness by immersing people in the world being documented. Renaiassance Village, while admirable in it’s...

November 30th, 2008 | Read More

Long Way Down TV Series (2007) DVD Review

With so much reality television favoring conflict and situations that seem to bring out the worst in people it’s refreshing to discover a documentary about a “couple of mates” who find their friendship strengthened in the face of adversity. In Long Way Down, the sequel to the popular...

November 26th, 2008 | Read More

Hell Ride (2008) Movie Review

There are few true bikers. There are only a few more people who know real bikers. No, you aren’t one of them. If you were, you wouldn’t be sitting in front of a computer reading this review. You’d be too busy removing glass from your scalp from the beer bottle a guy broke over your...

October 25th, 2008 | Read More

Wasting Away (2007) Movie Review

People think that every angle on the zombie movie has been covered. Zombies attack small farmhouse… check. Zombie menace from outer space invades a tiny town and then threatens a small farmhouse… check. Satanic cult performs unholy ritual and causes corpses to rise from their graves and enact...

October 13th, 2008 | Read More

Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden? (2008) Movie Review

Morgan Spurlock, the man famous for putting on the pounds eating McDonalds three meals a day for thirty days in Super Size Me, is back and he’s on a mission, a global one this time. He’s decided that he doesn’t want to bring his unborn child into a world where the US can’t find...

August 18th, 2008 | Read More

Kung Fu Killer (2008) Movie Review

Kung Fu Killer, much like it’s name, is a seriously flawed blend of quality elements that just don’t mix well. David Carradine isn’t a great actor but in the right role, like his plausible bad guy in Kill Bill, he’s near perfect. Daryl Hannah, too, can be charming and captivating...

August 17th, 2008 | Read More

The Final Inquiry (2006) Movie Review

Okay, an admission right up front, this review contains spoilers for the film The Final Inquiry. Here it comes… Ready? Jesus dies. If that doesn’t shock or surprise you then absolutely nothing else about this movie will. It is, very nearly, the most mediocre film, ever. It’s not...

July 13th, 2008 | Read More

John Adams (2008) TV Mini-Series Review

Historians have, for two centuries, portrayed the men who signed America’s Declaration of Independence as proud figures standing alone in their greatness and grand ideals. Many of the documentaries about history spend a great deal of time on the momentous events that defined the course of history...

June 9th, 2008 | Read More

The Andromeda Strain (2008) TV Mini-Series Review

Science-fiction movies have a few rules they generally must adhere to in order to be considered “science” fiction. First, they must revolve around a science, whether that’s physics, astronomy, biology, quantuum mechanics, geology or any of a multitude of fields of study. Really good...

May 28th, 2008 | Read More

Seagalogy: A Study of the Ass-Kicking Films of Steven Seagal (2008) Book Review

There are so many categories of fans. Take the average sports fan, for example. A sports fan, if he’s dedicated, can quote a plethora of statistics about his favorite team, highlight the strengths and weaknesses of individual players, where they attended college, what teams they’ve played for and...

May 19th, 2008 | Read More