Author: Jason Zingale

“The Ring” is creepy, disturbing…and everything a horror movie should be. According to rumor, a cursed videotape exists and, if you watch it, you’ll die in seven days. After watching this mysterious tape, a group of four teenagers — fascinated by the urban legend — are all found dead seven days later. “The Ring” follows journalist Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) as she investigates the sudden death of her niece, one of the teenagers killed in the opening sequence. At the wake, Rachel overhears some people discussing the strange tape that their friends watched the week before their deaths. This pushes…

It’s been a while since a soccer film was released for American fans to go and see, but with the extended release of the surprise hit “Bend It Like Beckham,” soccer fans can now enjoy a great film featuring some good solid soccer action. Jess Bhamra (Parminder Nagra) is the youngest daughter of a traditional Indian family living in London. Jess’ parents could only hope for a “normal” daughter, one interested in marriage, an education and the knowledge to cook good Indian food, but unfortunately, this isn’t what Jess has in mind. Instead, she spends her days playing soccer in…

I’ll be the first one to admit that I absolutely despise musicals. I have never accepted the idea that characters could suddenly break into song and dance without looking a little strange. I’ll also be the first one to say that those who hate musicals might just like the sexy and jazzy “Chicago,” only the second musical I have ever sort-of liked in my short, yet qualified lifetime. This change in opinion, of course, comes courtesy of director Rob Marshall’s logical explanation behind all of the spontaneous musical performances: simply, it’s all the imagination of the film’s main character. The…

In a slew of fantastic holiday films released one after the other within the past month, all vying for a spot in this year’s upcoming Oscars, it may be hard to find a great all-around film that will please everyone in the family. While “Gangs of New York” is too long and mature and “The Two Towers” is just as long and more involved, “Catch Me If You Can” offers everything you could want in a December film. It’s a classic cat and mouse chase thrown into a can of ’60s-style soda pop cool with great comedy and acting by…

After a one-year delay, rumors of cast feuding and a skyrocketing budget, “Gangs of New York” has finally arrived in theaters, and just in time for the Oscars. To say this film won’t receive any nominations would be to completely underestimate the fine job that director Martin Scorsese has done, and though its beautiful cinematography and stirring plot are both cause for celebration, it’s Daniel Day-Lewis (who was pulled out of semi-retirement) that steals the show in his grand return to acting. It’s a story of violence, revenge, racial intolerance and class struggle, and it’s a story told extremely well.…

I just saw a commercial for the new “Star Trek: Nemesis” film on MTV last week — does that mean that Capt. Piccard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew are gonna be chillin’ in the Starship Enterprise showing off their hot crib this time around? Unfortunately not, but for any fan of the “Star Trek” films, at least to some measure, will be relieved to know that while the 10th and latest installment of the series isn’t this crew’s best space journey, it really isn’t all too bad. The whole crew is still together on board the USS Enterprise where “Nemesis”…

In the second installment of Peter Jackson’s epic adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” the franchise exceeds the majestic heights achieved a year ago by the first film of the series. Maintaining the commitment to cinematic beauty, story and amazing special effects he established with “The Fellowship of the Ring,” Jackson once again gives stunning life to one of the finest stories ever written with “The Two Towers.” The film is divided into three subplots: Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) continue their hunt of the nasty Uru-kai tribes in their search to…

I was happy when Jack Nicholson’s new film “About Schmidt” rolled into Cleveland this past weekend, a film I’ve been waiting to see since I heard about it last summer. Those keen on Jack’s prior roles will be surprised to find him in a much more melodramatic role, but his angry conscience and comedic aura aren’t far away. Nicholson plays Warren Schmidt, a 66-year-old Omaha insurance executive who’s just retired from the company where he’s spent his entire career. Now that he’s retired, Warren sits at home and wastes his days watching TV, contemplating the feeling that he may have…

While it may be true that there were only about eight original stories ever written, and that every story written after is just an alteration of one of those stories, some films show great promise by taking an old story and creating a new world. “Equilibrium” is a great example of such a movie that will unfortunately not receive the recognition it deserves this time of year. Christian Bale stars in this film, reminiscent of such classic novels as “1984,” “Brave New World” or “Fahrenheit 451,” as Cleric John Preston, a servant of Libria, a totalitarian government run by one…

Pierce Brosnan returns as the super cool super spy James Bond in the newest installment of the 007 series. But this time around, he’s not so cool. Fossilized into a mold that can’t be tampered with after 20 films, the Bond series is a lot of the old with none of the new technology. “Die Another Day” begins with the common opening sequence where Bond takes down some elaborate military plan in a few minutes, this time a diamond-weapon trade with the North Koreans. Losing his touch, Bond is captured and tortured for 14 months, finally set free and rescued…