Joseph is a contributing writer for BeyondHollywood.com and ScifiCool.com, where he critiques movies, television, and books. He lives in PA, and obsessively loves movies, books, and the New York Yankees.

Friday Night Lights (2004) Movie Review

“Friday Night Lights” isn’t the kind of high school football movie you’d expect, and in fact it bears little resemblance to “Varsity Blues” and its ilk. It’s a sharply drawn portrait of a town and a football team, providing insights that ring with emotional resonance...

October 9th, 2004 | Read More

Godzilla’s Revenge (1969) Movie Review

The Godzilla series was meant to end with “Destroy All Monsters”, a whiz-bang Armageddon of a finale. But there was a problem: “Destroy All Monsters” made a lot of money at the Japanese box office, so producer Tomoyuki Tanaka decided to follow the philosophy, “You can fool...

October 6th, 2004 | Read More

Generation X (1996) Movie Review

Long before the X-Men made a splash on the big screen, Marvel Comics tried things on a smaller scale with a television film based on a spin-off of the X titles. They made a very wise decision, and the result signals the beginning of Marvel’s rise as a theatrical force to be reckoned with. Breezy...

October 2nd, 2004 | Read More

Decoys (2004) Movie Review

There are certain films that you question why the producers even bothered to make. “Decoys” falls nicely into that category. An uninspired mating of sci-fi, horror, and campus sex comedy, it’s as awful as it is ridiculous. “Decoys” transports us to St. John’s College...

October 1st, 2004 | Read More

Mechanical Violator Hakaider (1995) Movie Review

Keita Amemiya returns to robot territory with “Mechanical Violator Hakaider”, and seems to have learned his lessons well from his previous efforts. The result is a visually impressive and entertaining film that will satisfy fans of science fiction and Japanese cinema. If only the script relied...

September 30th, 2004 | Read More

Moon Over Tao (1997) Movie Review

You’d be hard pressed to find a stranger cinematic amalgam than “Moon Over Tao”. As an odd mixture of the past and future, the film is only partially successful in what it tries to accomplish. Moviegoers will probably find “Moon Over Tao” an interesting curiosity, but not...

September 30th, 2004 | Read More

Hardware (1990) Movie Review

One of the bleakest, most inventive, and nihilistic films of the 1990s was barely noticed when it was first released, but thanks to cable and video rentals, “Hardware” has slowly gained a following that has earned it cult status. Deservedly so, for “Hardware” is a dark and daring...

September 25th, 2004 | Read More

Zeiram 2 (1994) Movie Review

The original “Zeiram” must have made money for somebody somewhere, because a sequel was released three years later. They really shouldn’t have bothered on our account, since the resulting film is more akin to a bloody “Power Rangers” episode instead of a science fiction/action...

September 25th, 2004 | Read More

Gunhed (1989) Movie Review

Whenever you see the credit “directed by Allan Smithee”, you know you won’t be experiencing life to the fullest for the next hour or so. Like the names Titanic, Three Mile Island, and Chernobyl, Alan Smithee has come to be associated with a cataclysmic disaster. In the case of “Gunhed”,...

September 23rd, 2004 | Read More

Fist of the North Star (1995) Movie Review

You would think you’re in safe hands with the creative team behind “Hellraiser II” working on the live action version of “Fist of the North Star”, but you’d be wrong. Incoherent and working from a weak script, “Fist of the North Star” is a shadow of the...

September 22nd, 2004 | Read More

Hellraiser 2: Hellbound (1988) Movie Review

After the phenomenal returns on the first “Hellraiser”, New World executives managed to pick their jaws off the floor long enough to quickly green light a sequel. The result is a worthy follow up, one that has an ambitious script but is nevertheless aesthetically disappointing. Fans of the...

September 21st, 2004 | Read More

Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth (1992) Movie Review

Miramax started off their Dimension Films subsidiary with a bang with the release of the third “Hellraiser” film, awaited by fans for almost four years. Their patience has not gone unrewarded, for Pinhead is back in all his blackest splendor. Assuming a more central role this time around,...

September 20th, 2004 | Read More

303: Fear Faith Revenge (1998) Movie Review

“303″ is a film that is hardly original, and is in fact very reminiscent of American slasher films, even though at times it shows promise in the solid direction and excellent camerawork. Then again, despite the flashes of brilliance, this echo will never overcome the voice. The film takes...

September 16th, 2004 | Read More

Boa vs. Python (2005) Movie Review

The first warning sign that something dreadful is lurking on a DVD is the sign on the package promising a free ticket to the new snake movie “Anacondas”. How good can this film be if it’s using a free ticket to a different film as a selling point? The sad verdict is not very good at...

September 12th, 2004 | Read More

Star Wars: The Dark Redemption (1999) Movie Review

For fans who can’t wait for next year’s “Episode III”, this fan-made offering should help tide them over for the next several months. While not on par with the official films, “Star Wars: The Dark Redemption” is well done and more ambitious than most amateur fan films....

September 7th, 2004 | Read More

Godsend (2004) Movie Review

The makers of “Godsend” should be arrested for false advertising, as this film is anything but godly. A dreary and dull piece of work, its only saving grace is the performance of Robert DeNiro; otherwise, it’s a supernatural misfire that squanders an excellent cast and an intriguing...

September 6th, 2004 | Read More

Halloween 3: Season of the Witch (1982) Movie Review

“Halloween III” has long been viewed as the bastard child of the “Halloween” series and is frequently the subject of scorn and derision. Michael Myers is glaringly absent, replaced by an entirely new set of circumstances that have little relation to the previous two films. Nevertheless,...

September 5th, 2004 | Read More

Full Eclipse (1993) Movie Review

“Full Eclipse” offers an extremely clever premise: an elite task force of police officers who literally hunt criminals. Oh, and they happen to be werewolves to boot. Although slick and entertaining, it’s too bad “Full Eclipse” is never able to live up to its innovative concept...

September 5th, 2004 | Read More

Taking Lives (2004) Movie Review

Moviegoers have always had a perverse fascination with serial killers and their heinous acts. The concept of someone hunting their own species attracts audiences like Paris Hilton to a photo-op. “Taking Lives” tries to offer a new twist on the genre, and even though it only partially succeeds,...

September 4th, 2004 | Read More

Halloween 7: H20 (1998) Movie Review

At first glance, the 20th anniversary “Halloween” film should have been spectacular. It boasted a story by Kevin Williamson, whose work on “Scream” made him hotter than First Baptist Hell. Jamie Lee Curtis (”True Lies”) was returning to the role of Laurie Strode after...

August 31st, 2004 | Read More