“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” – Perhaps the most challenging book of J.K. Rowling’s series to adapt, “Phoenix” ends up being the best “Potter” movie so far. The cinematography is rich and […]
“Grindhouse” – Writer-directors Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino have a bloody good time here, spinning yarns in the style of the choppy, grainy B-movies they grew up watching in the 1970s. Rodriguez’s “Planet Terror” is […]
“Futurama: Bender’s Big Score” – I had forgotten how much I missed Matt Groening’s hilariously satirical take on the future before viewing this first of four straight-to-DVD movies. It’s a decent story – despite featuring […]
“The Condemned” – In a year that featured the long-awaited aliens-come-to-Earth chapter of “Aliens vs. Predator” and the absolutely insane fourth “Die Hard” entry, “The Condemned” was still the best unintentional comedy. It follows a […]
“Blades of Glory” – We were long overdue for a good figure skating parody, and Will Ferrell and friends score a 6.0 for their effort. It’s a tale of a disgraced skater who resurrects his […]
John’s “V for Vendetta” flashback review, Nov. 5, 2020 “V for Vendetta” – This adaptation of Alan Moore’s famous comic book takes us to a not-too-distant future when England is ruled by an oppressive state. […]
“United 93” – Writer-director Paul Greengrass tells the story of the only one of the four hijacked planes on 9/11 to not reach its target, the only way it can be told. He gets the […]
“Sweet Land” – Minneapolis writer-director Ali Selim, who shot the film in Montevideo, takes us back to a time when Norwegian immigrants earned a hard living from working the corn fields and milking cows. They […]
“Snakes on a Plane” – Sure, the hype was out of proportion with the pedigree of this Samuel L. Jackson flick, a throwback to those gleefully silly actioners that used to be more prevalent in […]
“The Prestige” – Like “V for Vendetta,” this wide release surprisingly allows viewers to use their brains while being entertained. During the progressive age of Thomas Edison, two rival magicians (Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale) […]