Reviews: Movies Channel

The Avengers (2012) Review

In a year with a new Batman movie, a (maybe) prequel to the Aliens series, a reboot of Spider Man, a new Men in Black, a new Bond and a new Tarantino flick, the release of The Avengers stood above the rest due to the enormous hype and build up it received. Whatever expectations you may have, however hyped you may be, your expectations will be met -- if not entirely exceeded -- by The Avengers. It’s a movie that works on so many levels, it...

Hitch (2005) Review

There are many, many romantic comedies loosed upon the viewing public. Most of them follow a pretty strict formula, Hitch included. Despite this it's still a charming, wonderful story about two couples getting together and the intricacies of human dating. The story begins with Alex Hitchens, played by Will Smith, explaining that he is a dating consultant, commonly referred to as the Date Doctor throughout the movie. In a nutshell, guys find him...

Fast Five (2011) Review

Usually, when a movie series gets to its fourth and fifth installments, its creative wheels are spinning off the tracks. However, in the case of the The Fast and the Furious series, the opposite is true. The third installment, Tokyo Drift was the best of all. And now, we have Fast Five that is almost as good as its predecessor. As with the previous Fast and Furious movies, this is purely an escapist flick. As such, this is a movie that helps you...

Princess of Mars (2009)

There is a small movie production company called The Asylum that specializes in making "mockbusters." Mockbusters are legal ripoffs of Hollywood blockbusters. Usually, mockbusters are created while the targeted blockbuster is still in production. Then, while the blockbuster is in theaters, the mockbuster is released direct to video. Examples: Transformers was ripped off as Transmorphers, and Pirates of the Caribbean was ripped off as Pirates of...

John Carter (2012) Review

John Carter is a form of science fiction that is rarely -- if ever -- seen in this age of dark and brooding sci-fi/action films. While the marketing and previews may have made it look like a sci-fi epic similar to Star Wars or Avatar, it isn't akin to either one. Some plot points and story arcs may seem similar (this is due to the monomyth story type shared by most common stories), but the rest of the movie is completely its own brand of sci fi...

The Killing Time (1987) Review

Hollywood has a tendency to underestimate the intelligence of the American people. This is shown by the plethora of poorly thought out so-called “motion pictures” produced and distributed every year. One such movie is 1987’s The Killing Time. Kiefer Sutherland stars as a hitchhiker who kills Brian Mars who has just been hired as a deputy sheriff in a coastal county in Louisiana. Sutherland assumes the identity of his victim and...

Bloody Pit of Horror (1965) Review

There are some movies that were considered quite scary by their contemporary audiences. However, when audiences in later years see those same movies, the result is often laughter at unintentional humor. Often the same scenes that terrified the audiences of yesteryear are the same ones that elicit mirth in today's film goers. 1965’s Bloody Pit of Horror is one of these movies. The movie begins with film of a strangely garbed figure being...

Triggermen (2002) Review

One film genre that’s the hardest to pull off successfully is the comedy drama or “dramady.” Another difficult undertaking is ripping off another successful filmmaker’s works without making it too obvious that your film is a ripoff. If a film attempts to pull off both feats simultaneously, then the end result is almost always a travesty. One such movie is 2002’s Triggermen. Triggermen is an attempt to ripoff the...

One for the Money (2012) Review

There are Hollywood stars out there whose behavior and/or viewpoints cause film critics to froth like rabid dogs. Movie reviews read like personal attacks and give the movie in question short shrift. One such actress to attract this kind of hatred is Katherine Heigl, and the movie unfairly maligned is her latest effort, the 2012 comedy-mystery One for the Money. According to Bill Gibron of filmcritic.com, "Fans of the former Grey's...

Black Brigade (1970) Review

Black Brigade is a good example of how ignorance of military history by Hollywood types can result in a really bad -- not to mention unintentionally funny -- movie. This was a 1970 TV movie written by Aaron Spelling. Black Brigade begins when Captain Carter (Stephen Boyd) is tasked to go on a dangerous mission to blow up a Nazi-held dam 50 miles behind enemy lines. The unit chosen to accomplish the task is B Company, which is all black ... and...

Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Blu-ray) Review

One of the most beloved movie sagas has finally made the jump to high-definition. All six Star Wars movies are now available on Blu-ray in two box sets for each trilogy (Episodes I-III and IV-VI), or as a special nine-disc set that contains all six movies and a plethora of bonuses. So is the complete saga box set worth it? If you’re a Star Wars geek, then these are the droids you’re looking for, but if you’re a casual fan, then...

The War of the Worlds (1953) Review

The War of the Worlds is the best alien invasion movie ever made. This film looks better and better in comparison to most of the over-produced, digital drivel released today. Unlike today’s filmmakers, the folks who made this movie realized it takes more than gore, ear-splitting soundtracks, and drooling aliens to truly scare and thrill an audience. The War of the Worlds entertains because producer George Pal and his crew were able to make...

The Rocketeer (1991) Review

The Rocketeer is a greatly underrated science fiction action flick set during the late 1930s in the Great Depression while the world was inching toward World War II. This particular movie was made in 1991 and based on a graphic novel by Dave Stevens. This movie is of the same flavor of the Republic serials of the 1930s and 1940s, and it captures the spirit of the pulp magazines of the time. This is fitting because the original Dave Stevens...

Jackson County Jail (1976) Review

There are some movies that are so poorly made, it defies belief that they ever made it to the silver screen. Jackson County Jail, produced by the prolific Roger Corman, is one such movie. If it were possible to gauge the IQ of the script writer from this movie, it would be pretty close to zero. Jackson County Jail is a slapdash effort. It begins in Los Angeles when liberated career woman Dinah Hunter (Yvette Mimieux) quits her job as a...

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011) Review

As someone who has enjoyed all incarnations of the Mission Impossible film series (yes, even the second one, only much less so than the others), I can say without a doubt that Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is easily the best of the bunch. It takes all of the tension and dynamic teamwork from the TV series, the high caliber stunts and action set pieces from the movies, and combines them to make a highly entertaining and fast-paced action/spy...

Hanna (2011) Review

Fairy tales and global espionage are something that usually don't go in hand in hand, much less sound like a good idea, but they can turn out pretty decent in the end if the script, pacing, and acting are well done. An idea that sounds stupidly laughable on paper suddenly becomes an entertaining flick. Hanna isn't strictly a fairy tale movie that deals with espionage. There aren't any Grimm characters spying on terrorist encampments. Instead it...

Mortal Kombat (1995) Blu-Ray Review

One of the most popular video game movies has been given the HD treatment and re-released on blu-ray. The movie version of Mortal Kombat was highly regarded by gamers around the world when it was released in 1995. While the movie itself does not hold up as well as it did more than 15 years ago, the updated version of the film is still a decent buy. Click the image to view movie stills The story of Mortal Kombat is loosely based on the 1993...