The “Superbad” generation is going to have no idea what to do with “Adventureland.” They’ll see ‘From the director of ‘Superbad’ in the ads and have visions of inept cops, fake IDs, and slow dances with girls that are having their period. This is not that kind of movie. For starters, it’s set in 1987, and at the risk of sounding like Abraham Simpson, things were much different then. I was roughly the same age at the time as the main characters, and I speak from experience when I say that we were naïve much later in life than kids…
Author: David Medsker
DreamWorks is very lucky that their latest animated movie sports a premise that every kid under ten thinks is the most awesome idea ever: monsters fighting aliens. Heck, the parents of those kids think it’s the most awesome idea ever. Too bad that reality has to come along and spoil the party, because “Monsters vs. Aliens” is not awesome. It follows the formula of its “Shrek” ancestors by taking the easy joke whenever possible and filling the blanks with lame pop culture references. And for a movie that will be shown around the country in 3-D, this has some of…
The following is a loose transcription of the conversation I had with myself as I drove home after seeing “Race to Witch Mountain.” Head: Man, that was a bad movie. Heart: Oh, don’t be a jerk. It’s made for kids, not for you. Head: So you’re saying they don’t need to try as hard to make a good movie because it’s “for the kids”? That’s just pandering. Heart: What do you want from them, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Witch Mountain”? Head: Honestly, I just want something that doesn’t suck. Heart: Let me guess: you don’t like Dwayne Johnson because…
Don’t let the title or box office numbers fool you: “Sex Drive” is one of the funniest movies we’ve seen in years, and possibly the raunchiest sex comedy of all time. And if that weren’t enough, the unrated, “cream-filled” cut of the movie is delightfully over the top, filled with take after take of the actors riffing one-liners and more gratuitous nudity than your typical porno flick. (They even hired porn stars for the gratuitous nude shots.) Bullz-Eye chatted with “Sex Drive” star Josh Zuckerman about why the movie failed to find an audience, having fun with the idea of…
You can see why Clive Owen and Naomi Watts would be interested in a movie like “The International.” After all, when the director of the 1999 indie smash “Run Lola Run” finally picks a project with which to make his American debut, you just know it will be something spectacular…right? Right, if your definition of ‘spectacular’ is synonymous with ‘languid’ and ‘anti-climactic.’ There is certainly a story to be had out of the idea behind “The International” (though admittedly a slightly ridiculous one), but a little more cat-and-mouse and less hiding in plain sight, along with a faster pace, would…
It appears that Michael Bay has tired of raping and killing horror movie cornerstones from yesteryear (“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning,” “The Amityville Horror,” “The Hitcher”), and now prefers to knife them in an alley and steal their shoes. Perhaps he feels it’s more sporting that way. Whatever the case, Bay’s recent production, a remake of “Friday the 13th,” is not as unbearable as it could have been. It isn’t good, mind you, but it has what every gore hound is jonesing for: boobs, blunts and blood. It doesn’t deliver anything resembling suspense, but that’s not really the point,…
Abandon hope all ye who enter here. “Batman & Robin” is staggeringly bad, even in comparison to the amusingly bad “Batman Forever” (1995) that preceded it. That movie was at least occasionally entertaining, thanks to Jim Carrey rising above his poorly written Riddler character (by Oscar winner Akiva Goldsman, no less). The laughs in “Batman & Robin,” also written by Goldsman, are purely unintentional, and usually when Arnold Schwarzenegger is onscreen. Before the movie was released, George Clooney said, to anyone who would listen, that he would be to blame if this movie kills the “Batman” franchise. Very courageous, and…
You can see why Summit was interested in “Push”: the Hollywood pitch would be that it’s an “X-Men”-type property that could be made on the cheap. Summit only has one movie in their library that’s made any money, you see, and they’ve already fired the director of that movie from its sequel because, yep, she wanted to spend more money. So you can see their desire in keeping things cheap. And as cheap properties go, “Push” has incredible potential, exploring a world where people can push memories, or even the thought of suicide, into someone’s head. There are also watchers,…
Every decade has its rental success story. The first good example of a movie coming to life in the video store is James Cameron’s “The Terminator” 1984, which showed the studios just how powerful a medium video could be. Ten years later, “The Shawshank Redemption” pulled a similar stunt. The movie was abysmally marketed, something that even the scores of praise and a bevy of Oscar nominations couldn’t overcome. (Just think back to the Best Picture nominees that year: “The Shawshank Redemption.” “Pulp Fiction.” “Quiz Show.” “Four Weddings and a Funeral.” “Forrest Gump.” That was also the year that “Hoop…
“Inkheart” has all of the makings of a smart children’s fantasy movie. The story takes place in the world of books, which means the protagonists don’t have to be strong, or fast, or cunning in order to escape their dilemma; they just have to use their imaginations, and I applaud anything that encourages children to think big. Unfortunately, the grown-ups let this charming young adult adventure down, which is really saying something considering you have two British master thespians, one an Oscar winner, getting out-acted by Gollum and a 15-year-old girl. Brendan Fraser stars as Mo Folchart, a book buyer…