He is the master of suspense. I began to show more interest in old movies a few years ago. I feel I can safely say that my knowledge of modern film is more than average (to stay on the modest side). However, I have difficulties keeping up with what is released these days, let alone diving into all of those classic gems. This series is dedicated to the amazing work of Alfred Hitchcock. We are hoping to see and review most of the 53 films he directed, if not all. We will start with the most famous and obvious ones and then dive into his rich history and more obscure titles…
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Summer’s here and it’s queer! Well June is in New York City, as The 29th New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival begins on June 2nd and runs through June 12th at two main locations in Manhattan. Highlighting diverse film themes, the Newfest provides an opportunity for many controversial films to reach a wider audience. Themes in focus at this year’s festival include: Activism, Parenting and Retro-sex. For times and schedule check out the Newfest site.
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Martial arts movies aren’t generally good movies by most standards. With notable exceptions like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, most of them have terrible scripts and worse acting. It seems there’s an audience out there that’ll eat just about anything as long as there’s fights in there. Naked Weapon has a few things going for it that lift it above most competition. Though not by much.

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What do you get when you take undead pirates with familiar aspirations, a plot that seems vaguely familiar, more than enough blood and fake heads, and strippers?

You get “Jolly Roger: Massacre at Cutter’s Cove,” the newest film from The Asylum.

It’s so new, in fact, it’s not even on shelves.

Yet.

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The Bloodsuckers Binge: a series of reviews on vampire movies in all incarnations as I look for, and find, any vampire movie I can get my grubby little hands on. The classics, the culty, the really good, the really old and inevitably: movies that suck!

Comparing this film to the excellent TV-series is inevitable, and I will not even try to avoid doing so. Unfortunately, when compared to the series, this movie falls short in almost every way. There is however one compelling reason to watch it: it has, by far, the funniest death-scene ever. And possibly the longest too, since it goes on well into the end-credits.
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With such high expectations for the prequel trilogy, total disappointment was almost inevitable for die-hard fans. The release of Episode I – The Phantom Menace was a total let down for many fans of the Star Wars legacy. Most criticism was aimed at the rather childish storylines (including the most annoying character in movie history – Jar Jar Binks) and the extensive use of CGI, that despite the time span of twenty-two years between Episodes IV and I was to be expected for a pioneer such as George Lucas. Episode II – Attack of the Clones received more kudos, as it was clear the legacy was developing a darker tone, although many felt it still lacked the spirit and charm of the original trilogy. With the release of Episode III – Revenge of the Sith the circle is now complete, although it remains questionable whether Lucas has tied up loose ends in a satisfying way. Beware: spoilers ahead.
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So there we are. The last of the Star Wars prequels has been released. We now know the events leading up to Luke Skywalker’s adventures in A New Hope. But did we really want to? Were the prequels really worth all the excitement? Commercially they did very well, sure, but how about artistically? I say not. Why? Let me try and explain.

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Oh, I’m scared from the very beginning on this one. I’m not scared because of the quality of the script, or the skill of the actors. I’m scared right before I even took the video out of the box. I’m scared because of five little words at the bottom of the box, in very small print, that you need to strain to see. And not “Lions Gate Home Entertainment production,” either, scary as that usually is.

I’m scared because of this:

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What’s wrong with the Exorcist legacy? Quality issues of all releases after William Friedkin’s 1973 version set aside, all installments seem to be bugged by misfortune, ranging from crew members dying under mysterious circumstances to parts of sets being destroyed. One of the more recent tragic examples is the Exorcist:The Beginning.
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I’ve always been a fan of Ridley Scott’s. Although a lot of his movies don’t excel in terms of story and content, they do visually. Alien, Blade Runner, Black Rain, Black Hawk Down and Gladiator are all movies that look great and in which Scott’s cinematographic skills serve a purpose. They suck you into the story and let you experience it in the most intense way possible. The opening scene in Gladiator, the battle against the ‘barbarians’, is a good example. In my opinion, that grim, brutal battle scene alone was better than the trend-follower movies Troy and Alexander combined.

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