There’s always a thrill that comes from discussing the adapted works of Stephen King. It’s especially exciting when they’re in a televised mini-series form. Needful Things doesn’t quite have the ambitions of The Stand, and hasn’t penetrated the pop culture the way IT did. The story also doesn’t swing as broadly as Storm of the… Read More: Stephen King’s Needful Things Gives Audiences What They Desire »
Tony Scott enjoyed quite the career, starting with 1983’s The Hunger and culminating in the 2010 action flick Unstoppable, starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. In between, the man directed Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, Days of Thunder, The Last Boy Scout, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State, Spy Game, Man on Fire (one… Read More: 30 Years of True Romance: Tony Scott’s Directorial Triumph »
The 1990 TV miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s IT always frustrated me as an avid fan of the book. The sneering, snarling nastiness of the source material was stripped away, and entire plot points were ripped up from the roots (understandably in some cases). The casting was a mixed bag, even though Seth Green‘s Richie… Read More: Andy Muschietti’s IT & IT Chapter Two Almost Conquer Adapting… »
Next month marks 55 years since George Romero blessed the world with Night of the Living Dead, but this month is the 45th anniversary of its spiritual sequel Dawn of the Dead. Night may have been the one to break ground on the redefinition of the zombie, but Dawn takes it to another level with… Read More: George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead Is Still the Pinnacle… »
There’s been plenty of exorcism movies in the wake of the late William Friedkin’s seminal masterpiece The Exorcist. So it takes a good hook to make an interesting take on the subject. The Last Exorcism uses a 21st-century method to do just that. The Last Exorcism takes on the form of a mockumentary about a… Read More: The Last Exorcism Treads the Line Between Cynicism and Faith »
When American Graffiti hit theaters in August 1973, critics hailed it as a charming and nostalgic throwback to a bygone era. They appreciated director George Lucas‘s devotion to character-driven storytelling, the film’s incredible soundtrack of classic tunes, and its relatable and engaging coming-of-age storylines. At the time, the picture stood out amidst a crowd of… Read More: American Graffiti Was Nostalgia Done Right »
The Exorcist is being reborn as a franchise this year with a new trilogy being kicked off with The Exorcist: Believer soon. Where is the bar set for Exorcist sequels though? Arguably there’s only been one very good follow-up to William Friedkin’s 1973 classic. That would be 1990’s The Exorcist III: Legion, which was directed… Read More: Exorcist: The Beginning Deserved To Be Exorcised From the Franchise »
Wes Craven slowed his roll somewhat in the later years of his directing career, periodically returning to the Scream series and dabbling in other genre fare now and again. In 2005 he helmed two movies. One was the aptly named Cursed, which for various reasons, stunk out the place. The other was a taut thriller… Read More: Red Eye: High Drama in the Skies in Wes Craven’s… »
Sometimes, films just come way harder than they need to, and this seems especially true for R-rated comedies. Tropic Thunder comes, and then it comes again, and it, honestly, probably comes one too many times, but that’s why we remember it. This movie was relentless, took no prisoners of war, and lingers like an old… Read More: Examining Tropic Thunder’s Legacy 15 Years Later »
With all due respect to Han Solo, Indiana Jones, Jack Ryan, and John Book, Dr. Richard Kimble is Harrison Ford’s best performance. That’s not exactly a hot take. The 1993 thriller, The Fugitive, which celebrated its 30th anniversary this week, is adored by many, and Ford’s performance is often singled out by critics, such as… Read More: The Fugitive Is Harrison Ford’s Best Performance »