Any adventurous moviegoer looking for a good scare will find exactly that in “Ju-on: The Grudge”. And those who say Japanese horror cinema is past its peak will find a harsh rebuke. Well-crafted, stylish, and scary, “Ju-on” manages to frighten with surprisingly little bloodshed....

Asian horror films are becoming all the rage in the West, especially with the popularity of “The Ring”, “The Eye”, and the “Battle Royale” series. So it goes without saying that “Ju-On” has an awful lot to live up to in terms of audience expectations. The...

With the big budget version soon to come out, it’s inevitable that there’s going to be renewed interest in the original attempt to bring Frank Castle to the screen. But anyone planning on renting the older version should do so with low expectations. This take on the character can be entertaining...

How do you film perfection? How does a filmmaker trap genius on celluloid? Anyone wanting to know the answers to these questions should contact Mel Gibson. His film “The Passion of the Christ” is not only the greatest religious drama ever filmed, but also a captivating artistic triumph. ...

Sometimes a brilliant idea is wasted on an average film, which is unfortunately the case with “The Butterfly Effect”. The movie possesses an incredibly imaginative concept, but can’t manage to translate it into a consistently engaging movie. Much of the film’s weakness lies in...

For the final film in the “Mothra” trilogy, Toho Co. decided to use fan favorite monster King Ghidorah to end the series with a flourish. Sadly, this film doesn’t live up to anyone”˜s expectations. With a confusing storyline and poor special effects, the movie ends the series...

After Tri-Star’s “Godzilla” gobbled like a turkey instead of roared, Toho Pictures was quick to return their creation to the big screen. The first film in the “Millennium” Godzilla series ignores all the previous entries that came before it and starts over with a fresh continuity...

For those viewers who believe Godzilla films consist of two guys in rubbery costumes wrestling with each other while a badly dubbed cast carries on some semblance of a plot, this film will be a revelation. This Godzilla film is a dark and occasionally frightening tale with heavy supernatural elements....

Gundam fans that have been yearning for a live-action version of their favorite anime may be surprised to learn that one has already been made. They will probably be even more surprised to discover what an average production it is. While the film does display some impressive computer generated effects,...

The second “Crow” film was controversial even before it was released, due to a massive re-editing by the film studio against the will of the writer and director. The result is a visually impressive film that is quite well acted and still entertaining, but adds nothing new to the Crow mythos....

With the resurgence of Godzilla and Gamera in the 1990s, South Korea’s Zero Nine Entertainment threw their hat into the kaiju ring with the return of Yonggary. Back after a 34-year absence in which he wasn’t particularly missed, the new film attempts big budget aspirations on a shoestring...

Promoted as Marvel’s answer to “Batman” and set for release to coincide with the character’s 50th anniversary, this cinematic embarrassment was quickly shelved in 1990. It eventually received a quiet release on home video and cable television two years later, a deserving fate...

“Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers” is an example of how even a film budgeted at $2 million can experience the same problem as a big budget feature. Title changes, frustrated cast members, studio interference, the death of an actor, extensive re-shoots and plot reconstructions were...

Godzilla may have turned 49, but he shows no sign of slowing down. In the initial part of a planned trilogy, he battles an enemy very familiar to fans of the kaiju genre. An enjoyable entry in the Godzilla series, that previous outing shows the filmmakers are as adept at recycling old ideas as creating...

In 1998, Lady Death creator Brian Pulido announced that the character would make the transition to the screen in the form of an animated feature film. Six years later, the “Lady Death” film finally arrives on video shelves for the perusal of those so inclined. While not exactly worth the...