| Title |
Excerpt |
Author |
Date |
Total Comments |
Recent Comment |
| 25 Best Vampire Movies of All Time |
25. House of Dracula (1945) An interesting blend of two of classic horror mythology’s more famous characters, Dracula and the Wolf Man (Frankenstein and the Hunchback also make appearances), Erle Kenton’s House of Dracula makes for an interesting story as well: both characters are searching for cures for their respective… |
Nick Anno |
10/31/09 |
3 |
11/07/09 |
| 33 Best Children’s Book Film Adaptations, Part II: 20-1 |
20. One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) The title should give you an idea of what you’ll see in this Disney classic. But only previous viewing(s) can prepare audiences for its overall charm and its archetype narrative, which its three directors transferred flawlessly from Dodie Smith’s timeless youth novel The… |
Nick Anno |
10/15/09 |
1 |
10/16/09 |
| 33 Best Children’s Book Film Adaptations, Part I |
33. The Polar Express* (2004) Robert Zemeckis’ first go-’round with motion-capture animation (to be followed by ’07’s Beowulf and this year’s upcoming A Christmas Carol), The Polar Express, seemed to focus more on the five roles of Tom Hanks and spending its $170 million budget than transposing the graceful text… |
Nick Anno |
10/05/09 |
1 |
10/05/09 |
| 10 Best Zombie Movies of the Decade |
10. Versus (2000) I defy you to find a weirder cinematic exposé of the undead than Versus, Japanese action helmer Ryuhei Kitamura’s opus, which chronicles a self-reincarnating prisoner’s fight against endless waves of living thugs and the “resurrected” versions of all those he’s killed. Strange? Yes. Cool? For the most… |
Nick Anno |
09/21/09 |
2 |
09/21/09 |
| A Reflective in Film: Remembering and Memorializing American History |
1607 Historical Event: Jamestown Settlement Jamestown is founded as the first colony of the New World under London Company exclusivity. Best Cinematic Tribute: The New World (2005) This quiveringly gorgeous period epic interweaves documented history with romantic legend as well as—if not better than—any other cinematic venture of all time.… |
Nick Anno |
09/09/09 |
2 |
09/10/09 |
| 36 Best Serial Killers of Cinema: Part II |
If you missed 36-20, check it out first. 19. Vincent Price as Professor Henry Jarrod in House of Wax (1953) Left horribly disfigured after his disgruntled business partner burned down their wax museum, Professor Jarrod rebuilds his own museum and becomes the monster he looks, murdering his former comrade and… |
Nick Anno |
08/28/09 |
2 |
09/10/09 |
| 36 Best Serial Killers of Cinema: Part I |
Yet, as is typical, I feel compelled to lay down some ground rules, seeing as how some consider the shark in Jaws to be a serial murderer: Any inclusion on this list has to 1) be—or have been (Freddy, Jason)—a human; and 2) kill to appease his or her psychological… |
Nick Anno |
08/27/09 |
3 |
09/10/09 |
| 20 Most Significant Nazi Films of All Time: Part II - The Top Ten |
If you haven’t read part one, check it out first. 10. Come and See (1985) If you’ve seen this film, you’re probably grimacing at its title. Elim Klimov’s Come and See, considered by most to be either a platinum gem of world drama or a disgusting exploitation piece, is one… |
Nick Anno |
08/19/09 |
3 |
10/20/09 |
| 20 Most Significant Nazi Films of All Time: Part I |
20. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Spielberg’s apex adventure classic welded thrilling action with historical legend in a way more common in post-war era serials (indeed, these were producer George Lucas’ inspiration) than Hollywood productions. And with the very pinnacle of evil (the Nazis) representing the hero’s opposition, excitement… |
Nick Anno |
08/10/09 |
1 |
08/10/09 |
| 53 Funniest Characters of the Decade: Part II |
27. Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fogell, a.k.a. “McLovin’” (Superbad, 2007) I loved Superbad. I thought it was both a terrific film with depth and one of the funniest movies of the 21st century. And I as well found McLovin’ to be a genius inclusion. But the cult obsession with his character… |
Nick Anno |
07/30/09 |
3 |
10/06/09 |
| 53 Funniest Characters of the Decade: Part I |
53. Jack Black as Lance Brumder (Orange County, 2002) Lance Brumder is a textbook mooch who’s equal in laziness and bad timing. He has a penchant for living in the moment (even though that typically implies he’s asleep or high) and is in constant need of his younger brother Shaun’s… |
Nick Anno |
07/27/09 |
1 |
07/29/09 |
| The List: 15 Most Memorable Movie Wizards of the Past 35 Years |
15. High Aldwin (Billy Barty), Willow (1988) Sure, so he’s got a small role. But that role rippled waves of consequence, as the entire journey that Willow takes in Ron Howard’s ’88 fantasy is because of Aldwin’s nudge. And, let’s be honest, who can forget Willow? (One point for me.)… |
Nick Anno |
07/13/09 |
1 |
07/14/09 |
| Moon |
The science-fiction genre is one unique to all others of the industry. Why? Because unlike horrors, actioners, comedies, and in many cases dramas, sci-fi pictures live and die by their ability to stimulate the mind. Simply put, people go to sci-fi movies to think. And the difference in intellect between… |
Nick Anno |
07/03/09 |
0 |
|
| The List: 15 Worst TV/Movie Bosses of the Decade |
Bill (David Carradine), Kill Bill Ah, Bill. The leader of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, Bill is a master manipulator and the coldest bastard since Mr. Freeze. He impregnates the Bride (Uma Thurman), then heads a bullet-plaid massacre at her wedding, putting her in a four-year coma and killing everyone… |
Nick Anno |
06/29/09 |
0 |
|
| Boy A |
You may not know the name Andrew Garfield, but that’s irrelevant. You will. At age 25 and with a couple studio titles to his résumé (Lions for Lambs, The Other Boleyn Girl), he has attained a level of dramatic portrayal that takes some a lifetime and escapes others completely. The… |
Nick Anno |
11/27/08 |
0 |
|
| The Foot Fist Way |
The Foot Fist Way, a made-for-cheap, back-alley project directed by Jody Hill and bought by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s Gary Sanchez Productions company, embraces little relevance but produces just enough laughs to pass the time (which, at a skimpy 82 min., is slight, to say the least). As pestering… |
Nick Anno |
11/03/08 |
0 |
|
| The List: 25 Best Movie Remakes of All Time, Part II - The Top Ten |
10. King Kong (2005) Peter Jackson’s epic “homage” to the ’33 classic is a larger-than-life vessel of entertainment and wonder, and won three of four nominated categories at the 2006 Oscars (Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects), besting its predecessor, which was completely shunned at the… |
Nick Anno |
10/15/08 |
1 |
04/27/09 |
| The List: 25 Best Movie Remakes of All Time, Part I |
25. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932) This remade version of John S. Robertson’s 1920 film of the same name is perhaps the best adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 120-year-old novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to ever hit the screen. 24. The Italian Job (2003)… |
Nick Anno |
10/08/08 |
0 |
|
| Chicago 10 |
Midway through Brett Morgen’s dauntless documentary Chicago 10, decades-old news footage beholds then-Chicago Mayor Richard R. Daley answering the question “Will it be a good convention?” referring to the 1968 Democratic Convention, which was held at Chicago’s International Amphitheatre and ran for four days, from August 26 to August 29.… |
Nick Anno |
10/06/08 |
0 |
|
| Monsieur Vincent |
Released in France (1947) and the recipient of an honorary Academy Award in 1949 (Foreign Language Film), this picture, widely considered Maurice Cloche’s best, has been praised for over a half-century—it’s included on the Vatican Best Films List—but perhaps too highly. A well-acted film, and an occasionally gorgeous one, Monsieur… |
Nick Anno |
10/06/08 |
0 |
|
| The List: 25 Best Movie Sequels of All Time, Part II - The Top Ten |
10. Bride of Frankenstein (1935) James Whale’s follow-up to his unsettling 1931 masterpiece, Frankenstein, manages to surpass the fright of its predecessor with an eccentricity and maturity that gracefully builds throughout the film, erupting into one of the horror genre’s most classic conclusions—the unveiling of the monster’s undead bride. Bride… |
Nick Anno |
10/01/08 |
1 |
09/09/09 |
| Snow Angels |
David Gordon Green’s Snow Angels is a film that amalgamates the structure and familial insecurity of Ang Lee’s The Ice Storm and the post-tragedy management of Atom Egoyan’s The Sweet Hereafter. The result, still, is only a portioned makeup of the picture’s totality. The rest is any combination of bleak,… |
Nick Anno |
09/29/08 |
0 |
|
| The List: 25 Best Movie Sequels of All Time, Part I |
25. Before Sunset (2004) On a dire budget of around $2 million (a lesser one than its forerunner), Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy co-wrote and star in this wise, poignant, very funny adult romance, the sequel to 1995’s critically-praised Before Sunrise, which was, like this movie, directed and co-written by… |
Nick Anno |
09/24/08 |
6 |
09/26/08 |
| The List: 51 Most Definitive Sci-Fi Films of All Time, Part V - The Top Ten |
10. The Invisible Man (1933) Starring a first-time screen actor (Claude Raines) in the title role, this adaptation of H.G. Wells’ story is among the most influential films ever created—it mixes the horror and sci-fi genres with unremitting tension and clever, subtle humor. Its strong display of will and pace… |
Nick Anno |
09/19/08 |
3 |
09/25/08 |
| The List: 51 Most Definitive Sci-Fi Films of All Time, Part IV |
20. Solaris (1972) Based on the sci-fi novel of the same name, this pensive, therapeutic Russian film by Andrei Tarkovsky is subtly, yet extraordinarily stimulating and addresses classic sci-fi themes—such as the purpose of human existence—through psychologically and philosophically challenging scenarios. It’s as visually rich as its intellectual facilitation is… |
Nick Anno |
09/18/08 |
2 |
09/03/09 |
| The List: 51 Most Definitive Sci-Fi Films of All Time, Part III |
30. The War of the Worlds (1953) Overlooked because it came out two years following the release of The Day the Earth Stood Still and three years preceding the release of both Forbidden Planet and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, this film adaptation of H.G. Wells’ classic novella (which would… |
Nick Anno |
09/17/08 |
2 |
07/29/09 |
| The List: 51 Most Definitive Sci-Fi Films of All Time, Part II |
40. Serenity (2005) This exemplary continuation of the Fox television series Firefly proves that a TV-to-big screen transition is not always rough. Directed by Joss Whedon (who also directed the short-lived series), Serenity (which shares its name with the program’s beloved ship) is a science-fiction action-comedy with a classic Western… |
Nick Anno |
09/16/08 |
1 |
09/16/08 |
| The List: 51 Most Definitive Sci-Fi Films of All Time, Part I |
51. The Andromeda Strain (1971) Two years following the release of the Michael Crichton novel off of which it is based, Universal Studios released this film, a thorough, well-paced adaptation by screenwriter Nelson Gidding, directed by sci-fi guru Robert Wise. The film follows a team of scientists (led by Arthur… |
Nick Anno |
09/15/08 |
4 |
09/20/08 |
| Shine a Light |
The Film – 46 years and The Rolling Stones aren’t dead yet. As a matter of fact, they’re as energetic and frisky in Shine a Light as they ever have been before. Frontman Mick Jagger, with his slithering size-zero waste, belting a risqué duet with pop kitten Christina Aguilera (“Live… |
Nick Anno |
09/07/08 |
0 |
|
| Never Forever |
The Film – Never Forever, writer-director Gina Kim’s second effort (her 2003 debut, Invisible Light, is next to myth in its availability), is throbbingly gorgeous, both aesthetically and internally. But make no mistake about it: this drama belongs to Vera Farmiga, whose soulful performance as a woman distraught by the… |
Nick Anno |
09/02/08 |
0 |
|
| Fade |
The Film – 45-year-old filmmaking amateur Anthony Stagliano crops together a mess of scenes, each more disillusioned and nightmarish than intended, for his quiet, sickly dozer Fade. But traditional rookie hazing is steered from Stagliano and redirected at his movie’s unlucky lookers—and it’s not the typical friendly fare, either, but… |
Nick Anno |
09/02/08 |
0 |
|
| Redbelt |
The Film – Writer-director David Mamet, who most recently confused audiences with his 2004 thriller Spartan, takes on modern martial arts (MMA fighters Randy Couture and Enson Inoue help the cause) in his latest, an L.A.-based drama which faintly implies the inspiration of the work of Kurosawa whilst continuing many… |
Nick Anno |
08/24/08 |
0 |
|
| Deliver Us from Evil |
The Film – Horrifying are the crimes of former Catholic priest and pedophile Oliver O’Grady, culprit of the Church’s biggest sexual scandal in history. More horrifying is the attempt (and, for a while, success) of the bureaucratic establishment to conceal them. Most horrifying, yet, are the accounts of his victims,… |
Nick Anno |
08/19/08 |
0 |
|
| Chop Shop |
The Film – This deft, tonal art piece is a bewildering stunner and a new coming-of-age classic of urban filmmaking, joining the society chiefed by Satyajit Ray’s ageless 1954 masterwork Pather Panchali and otherwise comprised of Hector Babenco’s Pixote, David Gordon Green’s George Washington, and Fernando Meirelles’ City of God.… |
Nick Anno |
08/17/08 |
0 |
|
| Stop-Loss |
The Film – Directed by Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry), Stop-Loss squarely straddles the perimeter that separates compelling right-there docu-cinema from histrionic been-there-seen/heard-that. Its depiction of war in action (which constitutes only the opening scene and occasional flashbacks) is astutely shaped and achieves unexpected realism in a realm between Ridley… |
Nick Anno |
08/17/08 |
0 |
|
| The Counterfeiters |
The rightful winner of the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards, Stefan Ruzowitzky’s moral drama The Counterfeiters (Austria), which is based on the memoirs of Adolf Burger (most widely known under the title The Devil’s Workshop), achieves confounding enormity—in regards to both content and context—from a… |
Nick Anno |
08/12/08 |
0 |
|
| Pineapple Express |
The other day, a friend of mine got hold of a pair of passes to the local premier of Seth Rogen and James Franco’s twinkling new stoner saga, Pineapple Express, and favorably chose me to join him (in return, I gave him a knuckle-bruising number of taters—fist-fives, or fist pounds,… |
Nick Anno |
08/07/08 |
1 |
11/20/09 |
| Vantage Point |
Director Pete Travis molds his first studio film like an episode of TV’s 24 (right down to a second-ticker that shutters its way to 12 o’clock noon) and approaches terrorism with like amounts of self-seriousness and folly. Add to that Vantage Point’s gruelingly redundant narrative, the events of which span… |
Nick Anno |
08/03/08 |
0 |
|
| Sleepwalking |
When what some may interpret as a “hopeful” outlook finally comes in Bill Maher’s rather dire melodrama, it does so in the derivative, borderline discourteous form of this terribly underwhelming quote: “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” To make the scene, which concludes the film,… |
Nick Anno |
08/03/08 |
0 |
|
| The Dark Knight |
This summer in film has been one for the times, particularly for comic junkies—Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Wanted and Hellboy II were all successful in transposing their comic origins to celluloid, while simultaneously making their release studios happy by cranking great box office numbers. But the summer wouldn’t be… |
Nick Anno |
07/17/08 |
0 |
|
| Just Add Water |
Water symbolizes beauty and compassion in this underachieving black comedy. But there isn’t any water in the town of Trona, California, and there hasn’t been for nearly two decades, making its drought-plagued stretch of land a breeder of nothing but ugliness and apathy. Having lived in Trona all of his… |
Nick Anno |
07/13/08 |
0 |
|
| The Last Winter |
Eternity’s a pretty long time. But it quickly becomes an ugly long time when one thinks about how he or she will be spending it (reincarnated, in Heaven or Hell, or in a coffin or an urn). Eternity is so undeniably boundless that the prospect of its endless duration is… |
Nick Anno |
07/06/08 |
0 |
|
| In Bruges |
Ever seen The Beauty Queen of Leelane or The Lonesome West? The Lieutenant of Inishmore? How about The Pillowman, an award-winner? Hmmm…and you call yourself a knowledgeable source? I’m just joshin’—neither have I. In fact, just prior to Googleing Martin McDonagh’s name, I had no idea who he was. Go… |
Nick Anno |
07/06/08 |
0 |
|
| Persepolis |
Based on director Marjane Satrapi’s own graphic novel, Persepolis bulges out of the screen with style and wit that scream with originality and heart, making it an epochal work, in addition to being an immensely enjoyable, creatively unparalleled one. And the DVD accentuates its element of grandeur by meticulously documenting… |
Nick Anno |
07/02/08 |
0 |
|
| 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days |
Romanian cinema has been valiantly tearing through film festivals around the world as of late. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, which premiered at Cannes in 2005, and 12:08 East of Bucharest, which followed the next year, both were well received at the annual French mega-event. Last year, Cristian Mungiu made… |
Nick Anno |
06/29/08 |
0 |
|
| The Wig |
Wigs are creepy; everyone knows that (case-in-point: Tyra Banks). However, long, straight black wigs are scary, especially when they’re draped over one’s face (see Ringu/The Ring). So what better antagonist for a horror film than a long, straight black wig? Hmmm…I can’t think of any, can you? (Aside from Tyra… |
Nick Anno |
06/29/08 |
0 |
|
| Wanted |
Bfft. In trying to sum up Timur Bekmambetov’s Hollywood directorial debut (he helmed the turbulent Russian blockbusters Night Watch and Day Watch) in one word, I found myself baffled and at a loss. And it was then that I came to the realization that the only term that can suitably… |
Nick Anno |
06/26/08 |
0 |
|
| Fool’s Gold |
Director Andy Tennant, who had built for himself a tiny steeple of successful romantic comedies (Ever After, Sweet Home Alabama, Hitch), searches for treasure in his latest, though, much as his film’s characters do, ends up sinking his steeple and nearly loses all of his credibility in the process. The… |
Nick Anno |
06/24/08 |
0 |
|
| The Bucket List |
The Bucket List is an open, engaging film, and its leading pair play off of each other with tremendous emotional resonance and perfect comedic timing. Rob Reiner, the director behind This Is Spinal Tap and the Academy Award-nominated A Few Good Men (a film that starred Jack Nicholson in an… |
Nick Anno |
06/22/08 |
0 |
|
| Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins |
Three years removed from his coming-of-age misfire Roll Bounce, lensman Malcolm D. Lee gathers an intimidating cast of African American actors and heads to the South for some home-cooked comedy in Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins. But there’s a problem—a few, actually. Not only is Roscoe Jenkins a mostly-stale clunk of… |
Nick Anno |
06/22/08 |
0 |
|