Today, if a movie needs a fantastic animal or locale visualized, filmmakers usually turn to computer-generated imagery (CGI) to get the job done. As fast as a computer graphics card can render something, it can appear on screen. Before CGI, though, filmmakers had to rely on skilled craftspeople, like theContinue Reading
Every time I’d heard about Phantom of the Paradise, it was always referred to as a takeoff on the Phantom of the Opera. So, when I decided to watch it, I really wasn’t prepared for the film as it is. It is very reminiscent of Phantom of the Opera but it’sContinue Reading
For thousands of years, the demonic wizard, Mestema (Richard Moll,) has searched for a worthy combat opponent to relieve his monumental boredom. He believes he’s finally found one in Paul Bradford (Jeffrey Byron), a wizard in his own right in the field of computer programming. Transporting Paul and his girlfriend,Continue Reading
As a very young man, Calvin Weir-Fields (Paul Dano) wrote a critically and financially successful novel. He has been unable to recreate that same success with a follow-up. Actually, he hasn’t even attempted a follow-up. Feeling the pressure of his creative slump and the stress it’s put on his romanticContinue Reading
When a body washes ashore near a hotel on the coast of Cornwall, the local fisherman are spooked. They’ve been hearing “ghost bells” from out on the water and have heard legends of Lyonesse, a city beneath the waves. They’re convinced the sound of the bells means death. Ben HarrisContinue Reading
Word-of-mouth and a frigid box-office reception gave me an obvious clue that 2010’s Jonah Hex should be a terrible movie. Based on DC Comics’ long-running western series and featuring an excellent cast and an interesting premise, I was surprised that it flopped. I had no knowledge of the comic seriesContinue Reading
Glass is the final entry in what has been dubbed the Unbreakable series, which also includes 2000’s Unbreakable and 2016’s Split. M. Night Shyamalan’s first two entries were essentially stand alone films. Although it was eventually revealed that they took place in the same universe, Unbreakable and Split had no obviousContinue Reading