Martial arts movies can go one of two ways. It can be an intelligent action/adventure with colorful characters and powerful themes of good versus evil or it can be a 2-hour bloodbath with hollow characters, terrible acting and zero plot. The Chinese actioner Triad Wars falls under the latter sad and pathetic category and the results are truly painful to watch. Now out on DVD, this terrible “film” is yours to own so you can relive the pain over and over.
Storage Wars: Texas
For some reason, shows which involve auctions and appraising seem to be very popular. Antiques Roadshow started things off in England in 1979 and since then, the United States has taken a hint and started a similar program: Storage Wars on A&E. A spin-off called Storage Wars: Texas premiered in 2011 and the show is highly entertaining because of its reality television nature. Audiences gobble this type of programming up and season one of Storage Wars: Texas is now out on DVD.
Rescue 3D
In recent times, heroes have shone very brightly. With the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, brave men and women have stepped up to save those you need saving and to help those who need helping. The fascinating documentary Rescue 3D takes viewers on a harrowing journey via plane, helicopter and ship to assist those in danger and also, to give hope.
The Amazing Spider-Man
In 2012, Marvel cemented its name as the leader of superhero film franchises. Sure, Batman has done well on film but DC doesn’t hold a candle to Marvel when it comes to consistent quality and a variety of characters and storylines. Fifty years ago Stan Lee and Steve Ditko created one of pop culture’s most recognizable characters: Spider-Man, a nerdy kid from Queens who gets bitten by a genetically-engineered arachnid. He then transforms into web-swinging crime-fighter, the subject of the latest reboot by Director Marc Webb, The Amazing Spider-Man (with Andrew Garfield as the webslinger). This is the fourth time Spidey has graced the screen with his presence in a major film series all his own, with the first three starting back in 2002 with Sam Raimi’s vivid and somewhat campy trilogy (with Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst) which ended in 2007.
Love and Valor
The American Civil War was a time of social and political unrest. Hundreds of thousands of lives were lost and untold amounts of property was damaged. The war between the states was a nasty time for many including those in love. Married couples were torn apart when husbands were sent to the front lines to risk their lives for the unfortunate purpose that is war. The PBS documentary Love and Valordetails the relationship between a Union captain and his wife through the written letters they would send one another.
The Campaign
The Frat Pack used to be an entertainment entity of hugely talented proportions. Its members were comedy legends, actors who could do no wrong when it came to tickling audiences’ funny bones. Will Ferrell is probably the unofficial leader of this once highly coveted group of funnymen. The Frat Pack got a lot of mileage in the early to mid 2000‘s. Old School, Anchorman and Wedding Crashers were just a few of the Frat Pack’s successful entries in cinema. Unfortunately, Will Ferrell’s humor started to get stale as he tried recreating his previous success. This sad way of trying to relive the glory days was ever present in his latest cinematic bomb The Campaign. Filmmaker Adam McKay (Anchorman) is also partly to blame for this comedic misfire.
Rites of Passage
Bad movies are a very common thing these days. Particularly, movies released direct to DVD fall into this sad category. One such cinematic disaster,Rites of Passage is the subject of this review and the flaws contained in this flop are almost too many to count. The film is a thriller with a relatively good cast but has an unfortunate combination of a laughably bad script and weak direction. These two negative factors basically destroy the movie and make Rites of Passage one of the year’s worst films.
Alex Cross
When one hears the name Tyler Perry, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Madea, of course. Perry has had a successful career in comedy, drama and sitcoms. He usually dons a lady’s wig and dress to transform into the annoyingly unfunny Madea. This character has been seen many a time in Perry’s productions but on October 19, audiences will see a new side of Perry in Alex Cross, an action-drama about a revenge-seeking cop hunting a psychopathic assassin. The film is filled to the brim with cliches and results are rather average, if not below so.
New York Comic Con Round-Up: Bruce Timm, A Legendary Afterparty, and a Very Spidey Sunday
Saturday started out as a party, well sort of. I interviewed two notable members of the DC animated universe. The first was producer/animator Bruce Timm, a legend in the animation game. His work on Batman: The Animated Series is the stuff of legends and during a roundtable interview, I sat with other journalists, soaking in all the awesomeness that is Bruce Timm. He talked about his career, his current projects and where he wants to go from there. Much of the same occurred with my interview of Andrea Romano, casting director for much of the DC animated universe. I also interviewed Briana Evigan about Grimm Fairy Tales and got to learn about the talented actress’ current projects.
New York Comic Con 2012 in Review: Day 2
After easing into Day 1 of the New York Comic Con and re-familiarizing myself with the terrain of the Jacob Javitz Center, I was ready to tackle Day 2. Friday, October 12 was a day which saw an increased number in Con attendance. Nearing the work-free weekend, people flocked to the Con in an attempt to soak up all the geeky awesomeness which included celebrity appearances by Christopher Lloyd, Briana Evigan, and more, panels and whatnot. With many panels, the ones I attended on day 2 were very film and TV-oriented.
Unger the Radar 