“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 […]
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. […]
“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 […]
John’s “Batman Begins” flashback review, Jan. 14, 2019 “Batman Begins” – This prequel sets aside the grandiose stunts long enough that we actually get a sense of who Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) is – like […]
“Team America: World Police” – In an oversized puppet show, “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone slam Jerry Bruckheimer efforts such as “Armageddon” and “Pearl Harbor,” while also delivering smart political jabs. Parker […]
“National Treasure” – Ever since the last “Indiana Jones” movie 15 years ago, Hollywood has floundered in attempts to recapture the adventurous spirit with the likes of “The Mummy” and “Tomb Raider.” The Jerry Bruckheimer-produced […]
“XXX” — I avoided “MIB II” and “Austin Powers 3,” but somehow got sucked in by the allure of Vin Diesel re-teaming with “Fast and the Furious” director Rob Cohen. But “XXX” pales next to […]
John’s “Spider-Man” flashback review, May 18, 2019 “Spider-Man” — This is a colorful start to a new film franchise, but it has some nagging flaws: The Green Goblin, despite the best efforts of Willem Dafoe, […]
John’s “The Fast and the Furious” flashback review, May 16, 2020 “The Fast and the Furious” — The latest in the recent spate of car movies is quite stupid, but surprisingly, it’s also quite entertaining. […]
John’s “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” flashback review, March 19, 2018 “Tomb Raider” — Some really fun action sequences and eye-popping scenery (mansions, temples, ice caves) make up for the boring expositional parts of what’s sure […]