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The Butterfly Effect (2004) Movie Review
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
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Visitors (2003) Movie Review
I’ve never been particularly impressed with people who sail around the world on a boat, in a hot air balloon, or fly a plane, by themselves in an effort to set some record. The
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Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed (2004) Movie Review
“Abandon hope all who enters.” This should be the tagline for the “Ginger Snaps” franchise because it fits the films to a “T”. There is almost no hope, no ray of light, not even
Read More »My Tutor Friend (2004) Movie Review
If the premise of “My Tutor Friend” sounds suspiciously like a recent South Korean box office success called “My Sassy Girl”, it’s no coincidence. Like all movie industry, the Koreans know that when you’ve
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Book of Fate (2003) Movie Review
Movie anthologies are very hard to critique. With some, like the Japanese “Twilight Zone”-esque “Tales of the Unusual”, I reviewed each segment as individuals, and that seemed to work. And so, with that in
Read More »Fire Over Afghanistan (2003) Movie Review
In a lot of ways you have to respect the makers of “Fire Over Afghanistan”. These guys have almost no resources to speak off and yet they try to make a war movie set
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Last Exit (2003) Movie Review
David Noel Bourke’s “Last Exit”, about an Englishman in Denmark who gets into trouble with some criminal types, is problematic in the same way most low-budget films are problematic — there is a distinctive
Read More »The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) Movie Review
Marcus Nispel’s “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” was billed as a “re-imagining” (the new Hollywood buzzword for “remake”) of Tobe Hooper’s 1974 low-budget original. And since every reputable and disreputable movie critic has compared the two
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Mothra 3: Invasion of King Ghidorah (1998) Movie Review
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.
Read More »Silver Hawk (2004) Movie Review
If you picked up Michelle Yeoh’s “Silver Hawk” expecting something serious, then you’re out of luck. The movie, directed by Jingle Ma (“Tokyo Raiders”), is all camp. After the average “The Touch”, one should
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American Cousins (2003) Movie Review
I suppose that in the final analysis Don Coutts’ “American Cousins” is innocuous enough that one finds oneself having no real attachment toward it. Then again, one also finds oneself not having any real
Read More »The Sweet Sex and Love (2004) Movie Review
Man-dae Bong’s “The Sweet Sex and Love” is filled with sex held together by a flimsy story that may or may not be worth making a feature length film around. It’s not as if
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Ghost in the Shell (1995) Movie Review
In many ways, Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 effort “Ghost in the Shell” is one of the more influential sci-fi works out there. Which doesn’t mean it’s one of the best, only influential. The film that
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Battle Royale 2: Requiem (2003) Movie Review
When watching a sequel or remake, I try to avoid comparing it to the original, unless the sequel/remake in question goes out of its way to invoke the original. “Battle Royale II: Requiem” does
Read More »Lost in Translation (2003) Movie Review
I suppose it’s not all gravy being the daughter of a world famous filmmaker like Francis Ford Coppola. On the plus side, you can pretty much get any movie made, because even if investors
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Godzilla 2000 Millennium (1999) Movie Review
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
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Natural City (2003) Movie Review
One obstacle in the way of the new South Korean sci-fi film “Natural City” isn’t the undeniable fact that its every construction is derivative of Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner”, but that the film is,
Read More »Belly of the Beast (2003) Movie Review
Steven Seagal and Hong Kong filmmakers don’t go together, mostly because the filmmakers are used to throwing actors around with wild abandon; this includes making them do absurd stunts. Now add Steven Seagal, who
Read More »Why We Had to Kill Bitch (2004) Movie Review
Depending on how you approach John-Paul Nickel’s “Why We Had to Kill Bitch”, you may or may not be disappointed. Approached as a comedy filled with film-savvy post-modern hipsters, it’s a pretty enjoyable little
Read More »Ghost Lake (2004) Movie Review
I’m a tad peeved by writer/director Jay Woelfel, and here’s why: for about 20 minutes of “Ghost Lake”, I had convinced myself this might be one of those hidden gems in a sea of
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