Author: Jason Zingale

It’s hard to imagine that the original concept of “Ghostbusters” was centered around a pair of space-traveling ghost hunters (as we learn on the commentary of the first film), but with help from the writing-directing duo of Harold Ramis and Ivan Reitman (respectively), “Ghostbusters” was turned around into one of the most successful movies of 1984. The film also redefined the action-comedy genre in the process with a brilliant comic team made up of “SNL” and “SCTV” alums, and a hilarious script that exploited each comic’s individual strengths. Bill Murray easily carries a majority of the film with his dry,…

It’s amusing to think that something as meaningless as the Golden Globes would have such a big effect on the turnout of a movie screening, but alas, the flourishing crowd at Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain” proved otherwise. After the Globes announcement revealed Lee’s film sitting pretty at the top with seven nominations, it became hard not to suspect the interest level would skyrocket, and so it has, with whispers of That Gay Cowboy Movie gradually becoming the talk of the town. Except, to classify the film as such would be like describing “Titanic” as a movie about a rich girl…

The studio double-dip has become perhaps the most annoying aspect of collecting DVDs, and no one knows this better than fans of director Alfred Hitchcock. Box sets featuring the famed director’s extensive library pop up once – sometimes twice – a year with promises of new video transfers and special features. Even worse is the stupid decision-making as to which films will actually appear in the different sets, because for every gem there are two dreadful titles. A majority of the time, the consumer is forced to decide whether he should pay the ridiculous price tag for a certain version…

It’s taken nearly a decade to bring Arthur Golden’s celebrated novel to the big screen, but it was well worth the wait. Directorial changes (Steven Spielberg was originally set to direct before Rob Marshall stepped in) and international controversy over the casting of Chinese actors in lead roles were the first of many obstacles to stand in the way of a problem-free production. The decision to hire an all-Asian cast, and then to have them speak in English with Japanese accents, might have been the final nail in the coffin, if it weren’t for the reported on-set catfights between the…

After waiting 14 hours in the freezing cold outside of a local Best Buy, I finally secured the highly coveted Xbox 360 premium system on launch day. With a price tag of $399, the system may seem a tad on the expensive side for casual gamers, but once you open the box and see what’s inside, I promise you that a giant smile will appear on your face. Along with the system itself – which might just be the sexiest piece of technology since the advent of the iPod – the premium bundle also includes one wireless controller, a detachable…

Over the past year, a profusion of controversial, politically-charged films have surged their way into theaters with one message in mind; namely, that Hollywood isn’t afraid to exploit the page-one, hot topic news stories of the Middle East and the war on terrorism, and that maybe, a majority of the American population actually wants to hear about it. Recently, both “Jarhead” and “Lord of War” succeeded as black comedies on the subject, focusing on the farcical involvement of the U.S. government much more than the varying degrees of seriousness these issues might present. Writer/director Stephen Gaghan, however, isn’t joking around,…

Just when you thought that the holiday movie season would deliver an unrelenting supply of Oscar gold, a romantic comedy like “Just Friends” comes around to slap you in the face; really hard. The timing of the film release isn’t that far off. It’s essentially a Christmas movie opening on Thanksgiving Day, but the last time that happened (see: “Surviving Christmas”), the results weren’t very encouraging. “Surviving Christmas” may have exited theaters quicker than you can say “Gigli,” but there’s a very simple explanation for that: it was a Ben Affleck movie. Ryan Reynolds, on the other hand, is slightly…

After sitting through a grab bag of biopics last year ranging from the noteworthy “Aviator” to the over-hyped “Ray,” it’s nice to see a film that actually delivers justice to its subject. Howard Hughes will forever be remembered as a complete nut job, regardless of the advances he made in the world of aviation, and Ray Charles has probably lost a good deal of respect from fans after finding out about his drug-laced, adulterating lifestyle. Still, while Johnny Cash was no angel himself, his troubles are much easier to forgive with the serene Joaquin Phoenix behind the musician’s trademark shades…

Caution: “Dance Dance Revolution” isn’t as fun as it was three years ago, but don’t tell that to rabid fans of the arcade rhythm game looking for a new assortment of dance steps to master. While the series has proven itself time and again as one of the more entertaining party activities, as well as the unofficial White Boy Dancing Exam, the game’s poor music selection and repetitive gameplay result in a title that has little value to any recreational gamer. It does, however, offer “DDR” enthusiasts a medley of new game modes that will no doubt make the series…

Over the past decade, Nintendo has been accused of whoring out Mario to just about every sports genre possible, including – but certainly not limited to – baseball (“Mario Superstar Baseball”), soccer (“Super Mario Strikers”), tennis (“Mario Power Tennis”), golf (“Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour”), racing (“Mario Kart: Double Dash”), dancing (“Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix), and seven incarnations of the “Mario Party” series. The last two examples could hardly be described as sports titles, but it’s worth noting the exaggerated use of the franchise characters, and while only a select few of the aforementioned games have actually been successful in…