It’s hard to imagine an actual die-hard fanboy for the TV show Land of the Lost. All the Sid & Marty Krofft shows seem to inspire fond, indulgent affection rather than geek loyalty. This movie tips its cap to our favorite aspects of the series (Sleestaks! Chaka! Craziness! The theme [...]
The first Night at the Museum movie benefited from low expectations: Ben Stiller in a kids movie with tons of effects? Greater men than him have been felled by lesser beasts. It could have been direly stupid, but instead, it was really charming fun. A sequel? They couldn’t possibly take a [...]
I have a weakness for the Freaky Friday body-switching comedies, which this is not, despite appearances. Nor is it a rehash of Big. It’s more of a male fantasy than even that. A wise older cynic gets to be hot and seventeen years old again and fix everything in his present-day life? [...]
We’re not here to discuss what a watershed the 1986 Alan Moore graphic novel is/was. They said a movie of it couldn’t be done, but no one dared to suggest it shouldn’t be done (unless you count Alan Moore taking his name off this film). As a movie, as a flickering visual narrative, [...]
Catch it on HBO with Snacks
I know I am the only person who can’t stand watching the Nightmare Before Christmas. It puts me to sleep within 30 minutes (I have tried multiple times) despite its incredibly detailed and beautiful characters and sets. Corpse Bride has the same aesthetic but kept my interest with [...]
This is one of those movies I saw the preview for and decided on the spot that I was not at all interested, like I was with Million Dollar Baby. Then, like Million, it got two zillion awards nominations and I know I have to see it now. I dragged my companion, who [...]
The short version: Prince Caspian (the movie) is gorgeous and a total snore. All the best effects houses worked on the computer and practical effects. The locations are in the stunning environments of the Czech Republic, Poland, and New Zealand. Every dollar of that budget is on that screen, trembling to blow your mind. Aslan [...]
Yes, it’s a Jack Black movie, with Mos Def costarring. However, it is more than that – it’s a film by Michel Gondry, who tamed Jim Carrey for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Jack’s unique brand of mania works for this film, but it does not turn into School of Rock. [...]
Zach Helm (writer of the delightful Stranger Than Fiction) writes and directs this film, one that is, by discussions I have had, either going to be a massive classic or vanish into obscurity. From these two works of Helms, it is clear that he loves the notion of inanimate objects being more in tune [...]
After Disney turned J.M. Barrie’s mature play into a fun little tale about permanent play time, it’s hard to recall why Peter Pan got his own syndrome named after him – until you see this adaptation. I fully admit to not having read the original for a very, very long time, but this is [...]
