It’s not every day that you’re addressed by the man who wrote your childhood. On Thursday, April 4, Stu Krieger (writer of “The Land Before Time,” chair of the theatre department and capable of absolutely rocking a pink oxford) introduced “Names” to a packed crowd in the screening room of INTS. “We hope for this film to be the...
Following in the path of “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters,” director Bryan Singer continues the fad of revamping old time children’s stories into full-blown adventures with “Jack the Giant Slayer,” which takes the much beloved folktale of “Jack and the Beanstalk” and transforms Jack from curious boy to strapping young man. The manner in which Singer is able to...
Sitting through “Snitch” is much like walking through a museum or a time machine. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson reprises his role as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson from seemingly every film he’s ever starred in. This time, however, instead of a fresh round of butt-kicking and name-taking, director Ric Roman Waugh (“Felon”) decides to add some interesting design concepts and...
“Beautiful Creatures’” debut on the big screen served as just another link in the chain of the new age teen paranormal-romance book-to-film adaptations that crowd the bookshelves in Barnes and Noble and rake in the cash at the box office. Characterized by teen angst and sexual frustration in small towns, “Beautiful Creatures” (originally written by Kami Garcia and Margaret...
When I walked into the theater to see “Bullet to the Head,” I expected just another B grade, comic-book-to-film adaptation about vigilantism, and I wasn’t far off the mark. With a lead duo of Sylvester Stallone and Sung Kang, I had no idea what was in store as far as acting is concerned. Instead, I anticipated that the apex...
Touted by critics and audiences everywhere as the “Romeo and Juliet” of zombie stories, “Warm Bodies” is a creepy, unique premise for a twist on the undead genre. It is a satisfyingly typical love story—adapted from Isaac Marion’s novel of the same name—between the blonde and living Julie (Teresa Palmer) and an unusual zombie named R (Nicholas Hoult).
Sometime after...
At a glance, “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters” seems like a fairytale mash-up of “Van Helsing” (2004), “The Brothers Grimm” (2005) and the “Underworld” film series. It comes from the same mythic potpourri of campy flourishes, stylized violence and a wistfully over-earnest stab at being dark and edgy, but it lacks one important ingredient that proved to be the...
As the star of director Taylor Hackford’s crime thriller “Parker,” Jason Statham (“The Expendables,” “The Transporter”) is part Robin Hood, part righteous villain and all brawn. As the film’s eponymous antihero, he throws impressive punches, drops cliché one-liners and inexplicably survives fatal stab wounds and gunshots. Basically, Statham plays the same character he usually brings to the screen. “Parker’s”...
There isn’t much to say when it comes to the humorless, scatologically driven train wreck that is “Movie 43,” and that’s because there is absolutely nothing worth seeing. But for you, noble Highlanders and other folk, I will try my darnedest. This quasi-metafictional nightmare is hands down the best example of a squandered all-star ensemble, and the least entertaining...
A mother’s love is unconditional and precious—sometimes to the point of being frightening, and that’s when you feel the constriction in the relationship. This is definitely the case in “Mama,” a thrilling and more comprehensive recreation of director Andres Muschietti’s Spanish short film, “Mamá” (2008). He collaborates with fairy tale and horror genius, executive producer Guillermo del Toro (“The...