Author: Jason Zingale

Director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson redefined the horror genre during the late 90’s by wrapping senseless gore around a clever whodunit plot in the “Scream” trilogy. Five years later, it seems only logical to believe that employing one of the most talented young actresses in the business (Christina Ricci) to headline their latest project would make for one amazing film. Think again. “Cursed” will probably scare a little scream of enjoyment from the usual horror-genre cronies that fashion a lifestyle around wearing lots of black and being mad at the world, but the many production problems that riddled…

Hollywood has come a long way since the 1994 release of Jim Carrey’s manic comedy, “The Mask,” and in that time we’ve all learned a few things about how the movie industry operates – namely, that most studios could really care less about the quality of their films. Instead, they design sequels around the money they’re sure to make from faded memories of watching the original, and after suffering from years of script revisions, cast changes, and a near direct-to-video release, “Son of the Mask” can finally be added to that list. But if the concept didn’t sound bad enough…

Keanu Reeves doesn’t get much credit for his talent as an actor, but slide him into the perfect role and you’ve got an instant winner. (We all experienced what a black trench coat and a little bullet-time did for the actor as the sci-fi superhero Neo in “The Matrix” films.) Enter John Constantine, the eternally-doomed British exorcism detective from the pages of the DC/Vertigo comic book “Hellblazer.” Reeves doesn’t exactly do a great British accent (which is probably why he’s opted not to use one here), but he definitely knows how to play doomed, and his dedication to the source…

If you thought that Jude Law was the perfect replacement for the ultimate ladies’ man in the remake of “Alfie” at the end of last year, then you haven’t met Hitch (Will Smith), an ultra-suave player who can get pretty much any girl he wants with his step-by-step rulebook to dating. Both movies are very similar in many ways, featuring both actors in trendy designer clothes while they deliver sharp-witted narration to the camera, but the success of “Hitch” is ultimately more reliant on the entire cast. “Hitch” is the perfect date film and hits theaters just in time for…

Produced especially for the DVD geek in all of us, the Wachowski Brothers have finally released “The Ultimate Matrix” DVD box set, a digital nerd-a-palooza filled with over 35 hours of special features and the entire film trilogy in all of its glory. So it’s a bit overdone and incredibly redundant, but how could any fan of the sci-fi saga resist such a colossal DVD release as this? Before you even crack open the several flip cases that protect each disc, most fans will fall in love with the cosmetically fresh and shiny “running code” box – a mesmerizing pop…

Most of today’s action films choose to show their level of violence by way of a high body count and immense explosive sequences, but “Assault on Precinct 13” has carefully selected to display its small spurts of violence with gritty gun warfare and explicit pointy-objects striking mostly the neck-and-head region. And where most action films follow suit with the usual blueprint for success, “Precinct 13” dares to take a more radical road away from the common trip to the movies. With a reverberating similarity to courageous TV dramas like “24” and “The Shield,” “Assault on Precinct 13” is not afraid…

Why some comic book characters are adapted for the big screen before others has always been a mystery to me. Ever since the very first “X-Men” and “Spider-Man” films bombarded filmgoers with colorful characters and exciting action sequences, I quickly made a list in my head of the many others that would soon follow. “Elektra” wasn’t at the top of my list, but neither was the lackluster “Daredevil,” whose spy-like prowess was too identical to that of the web-slinging favorite. Ben Affleck didn’t help the situation any more with his poor representation of the red-suited hero, but the film did…

We’ve seen it all before: the down-and-out team and their sudden rise to the top. But somehow, “Coach Carter” is different. Underneath all that feel-good Cinderella-story mumbo jumbo is a real message, and one that will hopefully stand the test of time for audiences of all ages. Based on the true story of controversial basketball coach Ken Carter, “Coach Carter” delivers a hip-hop translation of “Hoosiers” that doesn’t stray too far from the stories of each character. Commanded by Samuel L. Jackson in his first genuine role in years, the film also features a talented cast of young up-and-comers, and…

2004 could have easily been named the Year of the Biopic, but most of the lives brought to the screen this past season (ie. Ray Charles, Alexander the Great, J.M. Barrie) have mostly been about men that were only historically or artistically significant. None of these men ever really accomplished something that drastically changed the world… until now. Enter Martin Scorsese’s newest movie about aviation pioneer, Hollywood producer and renowned oddball Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio). “The Aviator” is not only the best biopic of the season, but it’s also one of the best films of the year thanks to a…

With “Meet the Parents,” Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro teamed up in what quickly became one of the best comedic combos of the year. Audiences laughed and critics stuck their thumbs high into the air to congratulate both Stiller’s restrained performance and D eNiro’s long-awaited return to comedy (and for those who have yet to see his earlier comedic work, check out “King of Comedy” alongside Jerry Lewis). “Meet the Fockers,” the eventual follow-up to the box-office blockbuster, doesnt have much to laugh about beyond the humorous play-on-words in the title, but its fabulous cast of award-winning actors embarrass…