Author: Jason Zingale

Asian cinema has been knocking on Hollywood’s door ever since director John Woo and action star Jackie Chan became household names, but it’s never really made an impact until now. Some of the best films of the year were harshly brushed aside (“House of Flying Daggers”), and others were mutilated by Hollywood executives who attempted to Americanize the foreign film market of the East (“The Ring” and “The Grudge”). Finally, a film like “Oldboy” has hit the States like a falling meteor begging for the attention of the mass audience, and once “Oldboy” reels you in, it never lets go.…

“Gothika” encompasses all the stark aesthetics of the usual supernatural film noir, except of course for a good story and savvy leading lady. The film’s limitless potential inherently vanishes once Halle Berry’s dreadful performance becomes impossible to bear, with little help from its supporting actors and a weak ending that cries rip-off. Berry stars as Miranda Grey, the head criminal psychologist at a women’s psychiatric ward alongside her associate Pete Graham (Robert Downey Jr.), helping alleged psychotics like Chloe Sava (Penelope Cruz) with their problems. Miranda, who believes Chloe is fabricating her rape story, leaves for home one night when…

Peter Weir’s war epic “Master and Commander” is the most realistic experience you’ll have on the sea since Ridley Scott’s “White Squall.” The film ditches the use of special effects in favor of the real starkness of nature in a cast-driven production that will nonetheless test both your patience and interest. Capt. “Lucky” Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) commands his ship around Brazil as he and his crew chase a phantom French vessel named the Acheron in an attempt to halt Napoleon’s conquest at the shores of Britain. Joining him on the voyage is his friend, and the ship’s surgeon, Dr.…

Christmas movies are a dime a dozen, but there are only a handful that truly deserve to be called classics. These are the same films that we all watch with our families every holiday season. “It’s a Wonderful Life.” “A Christmas Story.” “Miracle on 34th Street.” You know the ones. Of course, they’re also pretty dated, so it was only a matter of time before a new Christmas movie came along to freshen things up a bit. The jury is still out on whether “Elf” is that film, but thanks to a charming story packed with humor for all ages,…

Carried by an impressive ensemble cast of British imports like Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley and Emma Thompson, “Love Actually” is quite possibly the biggest romantic comedy to date. It’s also one of the best, and although its lengthy runtime will put some viewers’ patience to the test, the stories are so funny, charming and heartwarming that it’s likely to become an instant holiday classic. Writer/director Richard Curtis introduces nine different interweaving stories throughout the film, but leaves little room to fully develop any of them. Hugh Grant stars as Britain’s newest Prime Minister, a young politician who has…

While director Michael Tollin’s newest football drama, “Radio,” is one of those based-on-a-true-story waterfalls crammed with sentimental sympathy, it survives because of its strong characters and even better performances from Ed Harris and Cuba Gooding Jr. In short, “Radio” is everything that “Seabiscuit” should have been. The story of “Radio” was based on a Sports Illustrated article written by Gary Smith depicting the decades-long friendship between Hall-of-Fame South Carolina football coach Harold Jones (Harris) and James “Radio” Kennedy (Gooding), a young, mentally challenged black man nicknamed for his love of collecting radios. Radio has wandered the streets of Anderson, South…

It’s only been three years since the Wayans Brothers first brought their mega-spoof film “Scary Movie” to theaters. After one sequel and plenty of criticism, the sibling duo backed away from the franchise, leaving the studios to make their own decision. Unfortunately, they chose wrong by creating a third and, with any luck, final “Scary Movie.” In the third installment of the series, the filmmakers change gears to spoofing the more serious horror/suspense films released lately including “The Ring,” “Signs” and “The Others” as well as other, non-horror films like “8 Mile” and “Matrix Reloaded.” “Scary Movie 3” once again…

After his last few book-to-film adaptations have failed miserably, megastar courtroom novelist John Grisham has returned for another try at box office success with his fast-paced thriller “Runaway Jury,” complete with an A-list cast and a killer plot full of enough double-crosses to last you the year. Two years after an office-building massacre left 11 workers dead and many others critically wounded, the widow of one of the victims has taken the manufacturer of the murderer’s gun to court in a ruse to cripple the arrogant gun companies and seek justice for the death of her husband. But is it…

While the Coen brothers’ newest film “Intolerable Cruelty” is a step back from their typical banter, this throwback to the old oddball comedies of the 1940s still exhibits a bit of the same Coen charm. By incorporating their own unique methods into the mainstream Hollywood formula, these sibling directors also prove that no genre is taboo for them. Miles Massey (George Clooney) is the supreme divorce lawyer in town, the creator of a self-named iron-clad prenuptial who can cripple the other party whenever he’s involved. Enter Marilyn Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones), an ambitious gold digger who plans to make a living…

After the disastrous “Mummy” spin-off that was “The Scorpion King,” it’s comforting to know that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s newfound acting career is alive and well. It’s all thanks to Peter Berg’s “The Rundown,” which finally marks the wrestler-turned-actor’s transformation into a full-fledged action star. Granted, he’s no Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone, but he does have one thing that those guys could only dream about: charisma, and he delivers it by the boatload in his latest Hollywood role. A fun action-comedy whose success hinges entirely on Johnson’s involvement, “The Rundown” might seem better suited for a summer release, but…