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.

The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) Movie Review

Most people barely remember this offering, which aired back in November of 1978 and was never repeated again. There’s a reason for it being kept under wraps, mostly because it wasn’t exactly “Star Wars”‘ finest hour and proved to be a colossal embarrassment to the fledgling...

August 31st, 2004 | Read More

Suspect Zero (2004) Movie Review

There have been a lot of serial killer films, but none about a killer that hunts other serial killers instead of innocent victims. “Suspect Zero” presents that scenario and manages a fine job of making a believable and chilling film. But while the film scores major points for originality...

August 30th, 2004 | Read More

Kichiku (1997) Movie Review

Probably the most amazing thing about “Kichiku” is not the amount of gore, but the fact that it was made by a third year college student name Kazuyoshi Kumakiri, whose skill at depicting the deterioration of a group belies his inexperience. But the film’s main flaw is that the director...

August 29th, 2004 | Read More

Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla 2 (1993) Movie Review

For Godzilla’s 20th film, Toho brought the old stalwart MechaGodzilla out of mothballs to serve as the Big G’s adversary. This could be problematic, as MechaGodzilla has appeared in two previous films and two more since. Surprisingly, the result is not the stale monster rehash you’d...

August 28th, 2004 | Read More

Halloween 2 (1981) Movie Review

After “Halloween” proved to be a critical and commercial hit, a sequel may have been inevitable, but it’s doubtful anyone ever expected it to be such a quality outing. While not in the same league as the original classic, the second entry in the “Halloween” series is still...

August 28th, 2004 | Read More

Exorcist: The Beginning (2004) Movie Review

Rarely has a film started behind the eight ball as much as “Exorcist: The Beginning”. Original director John Frankenheimer died before filming started, and lead Liam Neelson departed soon after. New director Paul Schrader completed the project, only to have his work junked by the producers,...

August 27th, 2004 | Read More

A.li.ce (1999) Movie Review

While the title isn’t exactly original, the premise certainly is. “A.li.ce” is an all-CGI feature and it’s a fairly impressive looking movie that gets points for innovative thinking. While not in the same class as other, more advanced computer animated films, “A.li.ce”...

August 22nd, 2004 | Read More

Halloween 4: Return of Michael Myers (1988) Movie Review

Sick of Freddy and Jason getting all the attention, the producers of the “Halloween” series decided to return Michael Myers to the big screen in 1988. Apparently, they also decided to be ambitious and create a film on par with the original. They came close, succeeding in giving us a quality...

August 20th, 2004 | Read More

Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (1998) Movie Review

Things weren’t always so good for Marvel Studios. Several years before they were making big budget blockbusters, they were reduced to cranking out television films for the Fox Network. A fair effort went into bringing Nick Fury, the famed S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, to life, but even so it never truly...

August 18th, 2004 | Read More

Gonin 2 (1996) Movie Review

It’s difficult to say why writer/director Takashi Ishii (”Freeze Me”) decided to do a sequel to “Gonin”. While the original was a hit, moviegoers weren’t exactly rioting in the streets for a sequel, so the idea is probably as wise as letting Eminem grand marshal a...

August 17th, 2004 | Read More

Godzilla 1985 (1984) Movie Review

After a nine year hiatus Godzilla stages a stunning comeback that restores his title as King of the Monsters. The filmmakers of “Godzilla 1985″ wisely ignored the 15 films made since the original “Godzilla”, ditching the excess baggage the other films brought in favor of a direct...

August 11th, 2004 | Read More

Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth (1992) Movie Review

The title of this Godzilla offering is a bit misleading. It makes it seem like Godzilla and Mothra are teaming up to save the planet, when in reality the two are still beating the crap out of each other in Japan and ignoring the rest of the world. Still, the film is fun to watch, and should be given...

August 10th, 2004 | Read More

Justice League of America: Pilot (1997) TV Review

After the disaster that was “Batman and Robin”, DC Comics tried to regain face with a live-action television pilot of their popular super team, the Justice League of America. Unfortunately, the finished product only made matters worse and was quickly shelved, never to see the light of day....

August 8th, 2004 | Read More

Godzilla vs King Ghidorah (1991) Movie Review

This entry in the popular monster series is a disappointing and flawed effort unworthy of the “Godzilla” name. Rampantly anti-Western and entirely unoriginal, “Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah” also makes the huge mistake of relegating its main star to the film’s third act. Instead...

August 4th, 2004 | Read More

Highlander 2: Special Edition (1991) Movie Review

Despite being a mediocre sequel released over 13 years ago, “Highlander II” keeps rearing its head, this time with a new version that really isn’t much of an improvement on the original. After a theatrical version, a European cut, and a director’s cut, it’s dawned on Lions...

August 4th, 2004 | Read More

Godzilla vs Biollante (1989) Movie Review

It makes sense that Godzilla’s foe in “Godzilla vs. Biollante” would be the product of genetic engineering, since that science was beginning to dawn when the film was made. It doesn’t, at first, make sense why the filmmakers would decide to have Godzilla fight a mutated rosebush;...

August 2nd, 2004 | Read More

The Village (2004) Movie Review

If you’re having trouble sleeping, taking in a showing of “The Village” will definitely fix that. While the movie is beautifully photographed and well acted, the script is boring and a massive letdown. Essentially, the film is like a chocolate Easter Bunny; it looks great on the outside,...

August 1st, 2004 | Read More

Catwoman (2004) Movie Review

The latest comic book adaptation come to life is a ridiculous and joyless effort, more likely to inspire incredulous laughter than audience enjoyment. Despite the presence of a good cast, “Catwoman” is a mess of action sequences, corporate conspiracies, and Egyptian mythology. And it’s...

July 31st, 2004 | Read More

Godzilla vs Megaguirus (2000) Movie Review

When “Godzilla 2000 Millennium” failed to set the box office on fire, Toho Ltd. fired the creative team and slashed the budget for the following film. The result should have been a disaster, a cut-rate film by a rookie director. Fortunately “Godzilla vs. Megaguirus” managed to...

July 11th, 2004 | Read More

Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death (1999) Movie Review

The Doctor Who series has been many things over the past few decades, but funny has never been one of them. And while director John Henderson and writer Steven Moffat may have only a tentative grasp on the Time Lord, they’ve nevertheless made a wickedly amusing parody sure to leave fans in stitches....

July 8th, 2004 | Read More