This is a list of archived entries published in the Reviews category.
I first read The Lord of the Rings at the rather late age of fifteen. I’d heard of the books before; the title occupied a dim, misty part of my mind, and were associated with a sense of cultishness and even history. Their recent commercialization has been for me bittersweet. I suppose this is not [...]
“Pirate movie.” Even the phrase itself sounds like a cliche - an old, worn-out cliche. But perhaps it’s so worn-out that, much like “gladiator movie” a few years back, it’s almost something new to contemporary audiences.
There’s absolutely no reason The Pirates of the Caribbean should be anything close to a “good” movie. It’s a “pirate [...]
Somewhere around Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Star Trek fans (a.k.a. “Trekkers” - never “Trekkies“) began to notice a pattern: the even-numbered Trek films were good, while the odd-numbered ones were invariably mediocre at best. This pattern continued once the crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) took over; of the three TNG [...]
Having been educated at a college - and in particular, an English department - firmly entrenched in the traditions of mid-to-late twentieth century criticism, it was ingrained in me that to fervently love a text is to sacrifice one’s ability to critique it without bias. As the term and the concept of being a “fan” [...]
“Fear comes with imagination, it’s the penalty, it’s the price of imagination.”–from Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
The crime thriller, a combination of the classic pulp thriller and “true crime” accounts of the 1950s and ’60s, was beginning to solidify into its own genre by 1981, when Thomas Harris published his second novel, Red Dragon. This [...]
“So when does the molesting commence?”
I can’t remember whether I saw the original Austin Powers in the theater. Something makes me think I didn’t - I’m pretty sure that was the summer I dated three girls in three months. One would think that would mean I’d be at the movies even more frequently, but I’ve [...]
Unlike the venerable Mr. Humphries, I am a Star Wars fan. But I think he’s wrong when he claims that most SW fans were disappointed with the first prequel and would equally criticize this one. The majority of diehard SW fans I’ve spoken to have been willing to overlook all flaws of both the first [...]
Critics have more or less pounded Men in Black II. A lot of my friends have also told me they thought it sucks. I didn’t, but I might as well admit up front that I seem to be in the minority opinion. In this review I’ll address a few of their arguments against the film, [...]
The Bourne Identity is based on a 1980 novel by Robert Ludlum, the first of a Cold War-themed trilogy of spy novels centering around the character of Jason Bourne. The novel was previously adapted into a very 80s TV-movie starring Richard Chamberlain. The story has been retooled for a naughts audience and most of [...]
I saw The Scorpion King less than two days ago, yet I can scarcely remember anything about it. I’m not surprised that I’m sketchy on the plot details; there’s never much plot in such films. But what does surprise me is that the film left me with no lasting images. Particularly in the case of [...]