2009
Max Payne
A lot of people hated this movie, but I thought it was pretty darn good. Okay, the demons were a... more
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Well, someone finally found a film genre that hadn’t been parodied—the rock bio pic. They pull it off relatively... more
My Name Is Bruce
Bruce Campbell’s self-depricating monster movie. Somewhat of a big in-joke, but I found myself laughing a few times.
Chocolate
Well done Kung-Fu flick about a retarded girl who knows how to fight.
Tokyo Gore Police
Japanese splatter. Despite the gore, it gets boring pretty quickly.
The French Sex Murders
Mediocre giallo from Dick Randall and Mondo Macabro. UPDATE: This one really grows on you when you realize how... more
The Dark Knight
Even better than Batman Begins.
Sabata
A better-than-most Spaghetti Western with high-flying acrobatics.
Sukiyaki Western Django
Super stylish Japanese tribute to Spaghetti Westerns. Only hindered by the thick Japanese accents.
Wall-E
A fun movie but it felt shallow in the the end to me.
El Orfanato (The Orphanage)
Very good ghost story from the producers of Pan’s Labyrynth.
The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things
Dark story of child abuse and drugs.
Get Carter
Still not sure what I think of this. A brutal character study of an anti-hero with a confusing plot.
2008
Enchanted
Mildly Entertaining Disney faire
The Happening
Bad acting and a cheesy premise.
Cloverfield
Very well done fake-real video horror.
The Case of the Scorpion’s Tail
This is a pretty top-notch Giallo. It has George Hilton, Luigi Pistilli, a black hatted killer, bloody murder set... more
The Odessa File
Lacks the pacing that could have made this a great spy thriller, and many of the performances are quite... more
The Love Guru
A lot of people said this was horrible, but I didn’t mind it so much. Funny but completely lacking... more
Tropic Thunder
Entertaining war film parody. A little bit too much of an action film at the end.
Kung Fu Panda
Decent animated feature that’s completely cliche, but enjoyable.
La Decima Vittima
A quirky 60’s sci-fi thriller meets bedroom farce. Fairly entertaining but the ending is muddled.
Simpsons: The Movie
Like a long medicore episode. Very disappointing.
Casino Royale
The best bond since the Spy Who Loved Me. The emphasis is on character development instead of over-the-top action... more
Evil Dead Trap
Japanese horror that draws almost note for note from Italian gore-maestro Lucio Fulci–synthy score, gratuitous eye gag, sound f/x... more
CJ7
Shephen Chow’s family movie that follows the formula laid out in E.T. a couple of decades ago. Chow knows... more
Starcrash
“Imperial battleship, halt the flow of time!” This is some awesome trash. Mostly crap, but pay attention to the... more
La Terza Madre: The Third Mother
Not at all worthy of it predecessors, Inferno & Suspiria, but at least it takes no prisoners when it... more
The Ruins
Not bad, considering the “monster” is not in the least bit scary. The initial set-up is a bit slow,... more
Contamination
Surprisingly, I was entertained by this. Yes, it’s an Italian Alien rip-off, but Alien was itself rip off of... more
Space Chimps
Horrible CGI and, except for a handful of gags, not worth your time.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
This entry into the series suffers from long stretches not much of anything happening. I suppose you could argue... more
The Host
Entertaining but thoroughly confused monster movie. The over-the-top comedic moments tend to jar you out of the already paper... more
The Machine Girl
Horrible story, horrible acting, and wall-to-wall fakey Japanese schoolgirl gore. I enjoyed every second of it.
Ratatoulli
The most visually impressive and stylized Pixar movie
Spiderman 3
In desparate need of some editing, this film runs about 1 hour too long with way too many lame... more
Superbad
Entertaining, but not quite laugh-out-loud funny. 40-year-old virgin was better.
Ti piace Hitchcock? (Do You Like Hitchcock?)
Actually, I liked this. Argento’s painterly style is nowhere to be found but I thought the story never was... more
The Stendhal Syndrome
The best of the post-Opera Argento films. Has moments of sheer brilliance, but plenty of crappy parts too. The... more
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Entertaining, but didn’t really feel like an Indiana Jones film. Maybe it was too effects driven, rather than stunt... more
Dario Argento’s Trauma
It has its moments, but Trauma suffers from horrible dialogue (even for Argento), a wholly inappropriate score and many... more
The House of Exorcism
An entertaining rethink of Lisa and the Devil.
Kidnapped
In many ways, much tighter than Rabid Dogs, but the ending ruins the film.
The House by the Cemetary
Fulci haunted house movie. Pretty slow until the finale.
The Antichrist
Starts out interesting but loses focus in the second, exorcist wannbe, half.
Grindhouse
Shallow and stupid, but I guess that’s the point. Nonetheless, always entertaining. Tarantino’s section is mediocre but the fake... more
The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg (Parapluies de Cherbourg, Les)
Visually stunning French film. If you don’t like musicals, just turn down the sound and read the subtitles… you... more
Indagine su un Cittadino al di Sopra di Ogni Sospetto (Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion)
An ingaging film about corruption, power and the law. There are threads of dark comedy mixed in with the... more
Horton Hears a Who
Mildly entertaining, but caters too much to the Shrek crowd.
The New York Ripper
You’d be hard pressed to find a movie that hated its female characters any more than this one does.... more
The Five Days of Milan
Dario Argento’s political farce. Has many funny moments, but is very confusing if you don’t know the history of... more
Seven Shawls of Yellow Silk (Crimes of the Black Cat)
Horrible quality video. A giallo that isn’t quite as stylish as its contemporaries, but has a solid plot and... more
The Eye (Gin gwai)
Mediocre ghost story in which bursts of sped-up film and of quick cuts are a lame substitute for real... more
Zombi 5: Killing Birds
Absolutely horrible. It was like a student film from a C student. The overly loud sound of chirping insects... more
Crimson
Gangster/mad scientist movie that is only worth watching tsee the satyr burlesque number in the middle of the film.
Murder Party
What’s not to love about a gory thriller/comedy that makes fun of art scene-sters.
Zombi 4: After Death
I thought it was better than Zombi 3, but not by much. More gore, and an effective opening. Paper... more
Zombi 3
Fulci literally phones this one in. A few interesting shots, but mostly poorly paced and horribly acted with no... more
Children of Men
A great sci-fi film with lots of long-shot action sequences that will have you wondering how the heck they... more
2007
Talladega Nights
Business as usual comedy from Ferrell.
Baron Blood
Bava doesn’t quite have the monster movie thing down. Has it’s moments, but overall just a mediocre Gothic horror.
Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key
An Italian twist on Poe’s “The Black Cat.” All the standard giallo elements are here in this better-than-average entry... more
Lisa and the Devil
Trippy and confused, but somehow this movie works for me. Telly Savalas is great. One of Bava’s best.
Five Dolls for an August Moon
A Bava play on the And then There Were None theme.
Four Times That Night
Strange Bava sex comedy based on Rashomon.
Flushed Away
So-so animated feature from Ardmann. Much of the humor falls flat.
Hot Fuzz
Not quite as funny as Shaun of the Dead, but entertaining nontheless.
The Devil’s Rain
Even Shatner and Ernest Borgnine in a goat mask can’t save this lame devil worshipers movie.
Who Saw Her Die
Predictable yet watchable giallo. Ennio Morricone music gets quite repetetive even though it’s a nice theme.
Rabid Dogs
Posthumous Bava film. Most of the action takes place in a car as bandits kidnap a woman, man and... more
Horror Express
Okay horror film about a “fossil” that kills with a look.
The Decent
Very effective horror movie. Claustrophbia abounds.
The Case of the Bloody Iris
Well done giallo with a decent plot and a fair ending.
Short Night of the Glass Dolls
Initially compelling giallo that loses steam at the out-of-nowhere ending.
Seven Blood-Stained Orchids
Ho-hum giallo offering. You can see the earplug in Antonio Sabato’s ears at the climax.
Shock
Horrible child acting ruins what would be a great thriller.
Torso
Very suspenseful third act make up for the awful first 2/3 of the movie. This one get better with... more
Planet of the Vampires
Colorful and holds your attention despite the technical limitations of the era. Very cool art design.
Seven Deaths in the Cat’s Eye
Mildly entertaining giallo. Not terribly suspensful or scary.
Munich
Decent thriller, that gets a bit too political at times and, like Spielburg’s last few movies, doesn’t know when... more
Knocked Up
Entertaining comedy that is a veiled chick flick.
Flightplan
Lame third act really ruins this otherwise tight thriller.
Feast
Limited budget and bad acting. Not as funny as it should have been and not very scary at all.
Kill Baby… Kill!
Slow moving ghost story that is just a bit lacking in budget to make it great. I write a... more
Knives of the Avenger
A viking tale that’s a bit too weak on style and action.
The Girl Who Knew Too Much
Lighthearted giallo with great B&W photography.
The Devil’s Backbone
Ghost story set in an orphanage during spanish civil war. I would have preferred more ghosts and less reality.
Pan’s Labyrinth
Dark fantasy amid Franco’s spanish civil war. Great effects, story and characters.
Idiocracy
Entertaining one-joke movie about a future of stupid people.
Sleepless
Not awful, but far from Argento’s best. A few inventive shots and Max Von Syndow make it worth a... more
A Scanner Darkly
Mildly intriguing but, beyond the acting, fails on many fronts.
Borat
Does not live up to the hype, but has its moments.
Black Sabbath
Collection of 3 horror tales. They vary in quality but the last is superb.
Danger: Diabolik
Visually stunning comic book adaptation. The plot and character development are a bit lacking though.
Two Mules for Sister Sara
The plot is a bit disjointed at times and Shirley McClane is not terribly good , but Clint Eastwood... more
I Drink Your Blood
Low budget grindhouse production about killer, satanic hippies. Pretty boring. Only the last, zombie-flick inspired 10 minutes are kinda... more
The Church
Disappointing resolution and shallow characters, but enough interesting imagery and weirdness to moderately recommend.
Buio Omega (Beyond the Darkness)
Cheesy Italian horror film about a taxidermist who is infatuated with his dead girlfriend. It’s a character study without... more
The Wicker Man
Classic tale of pagan villagers. I was spoiled because I already knew the twist ending, but was enjoyable nonetheless.... more