Author: Jason Zingale

The underdog sports film is one of those genres that Hollywood loves to milk. There’s just something about a good crowd-pleaser that audiences can’t get enough of, and boxing movies, in particular, have delivered some of the best ones, with the 1976 classic, “Rocky,” ranking as perhaps the finest underdog story of them all. So it’s not surprising that director Shawn Levy would use the movie as inspiration for his new film, “Real Steel,” because it follows the same basic formula. The difference here, of course, is that it’s robots boxing instead of people – a unique twist that gives…

Every so often, a movie comes along that sounds too good to be true. Whether it’s the talent involved, an interesting concept, or a particularly well-cut trailer, it’s easy to be duped into thinking a movie will be better than it really is. Thankfully, “Tucker and Dale vs. Evil” is not that film. A horror comedy in the spirit of “Shaun of the Dead,” “Tucker and Dale” isn’t a spoof of the genre it’s parodying (in this case, hillbilly slasher movies like “Wrong Turn”), but rather a razor-sharp homage fueled by a clever script and hilarious performances from its stars.…

They say that all good things must come to an end, but even with the long-awaited release of “Gears of War 3,” the latest installment in the popular sci-fi action series, it’s hard to imagine that Cliff Bleszinski and the rest of the Epic crew have said goodbye to the “Gears” universe forever. As the final piece in the purported trilogy, however, “Gears of War 3” delivers one helluva farewell for Marcus Fenix and his COG buddies with more of the same white-knuckle intensity that made the first two games such an absolute blast to play. And while it may…

One of the bigger success stories to come out of this year’s Cannes Film Festival was the Nicolas Winding Refn film “Drive,” and it’s been building an incredible amount of buzz ever since. So much, in fact, that it seemed like the movie couldn’t possibly live up to all the hype. But while it may not exactly be what a lot of people expected, it’s easy to see why audiences fell so madly in love with the film after its premiere at Cannes. “Drive” is an unforgettable moviegoing experience, and though it will likely have a difficult time appealing to…

You can cut a movie until it’s faster than light, but no amount of editing will make a movie more intense if the action isn’t in the script. Director John Madden clearly understands this, because his film “The Debt” manages to wring tension out of a sequence that cuts between two people walking at normal speed. In truth, only a third of the movie could be considered a thriller; the rest of it is the kind of period piece family drama that litters Ang Lee’s resume, but the action-to-plot ratio is not what undoes the movie. Rather, it’s the transparency…

One of the biggest challenges that Electronic Arts has faced over the last few years is making each new installment of their popular “Madden” franchise unique enough that it doesn’t feel like you’ve just spent $60 for a roster update. But while they’ve always been good about cramming as many new features and upgrades into each edition as possible, “Madden NFL 12” plays suspiciously a lot like last year’s installment. That’s not to say that EA hasn’t improved the gameplay at all – because they have in a number of areas – but when you’ve perfected something as well as…

Writing about your favorite movie is one of the hardest things to do, because you don’t want to sound too biased, but you also want to be honest about why you think it’s so great. And therein lies the problem of reviewing “Swingers” more than a decade after its release. While most critics would probably list something a little more classic (like “Citizen Kane” or “The Godfather”) as their inspiration for getting into the business, for me, it was Doug Liman’s hipster comedy that instigated my love of movies. It wasn’t just the funny writing or memorable characters that won…

In the late 90s, Miramax earned a reputation for taking chances on a number of great films, but they never achieved much at the box office. A majority of these movies went on to become cult classics on video and earned the Weinstein brothers a lot of money and respect in the process. One of these films was the John Dahl drama “Rounders,” which not only featured a fantastic cast of talented up-and-comers and screen veterans, but also helped in launching the poker craze that’s sweeping the nation today. “Rounders” offers an inside look at the world of high-stakes gambling…

It’s hard to believe that it’s been ten years since “The Big Lebowski” first rolled into theaters, but it still stands as one of the strangest movies of its generation. It’s also one of the most oddly enjoyable, and although the film may not be the Coen brothers’ greatest achievement, it’s definitely their most original. A crime thriller wrapped up in the skin of a stoner comedy, “The Big Lebowski” may have a reputation for being the late night movie of choice for burnouts, but it’s more than your average stoner film. Narrated by Sam Elliot and starring an ensemble…

With just about every major action hero (from James Bond to Batman) getting a big screen reboot these days, it was only a matter of time before Hollywood started reviving their B-list characters as well, with Conan the Barbarian the most obvious choice. But while some people may have fond memories of the trashy Arnold Schwarzenegger films of the ‘80s, the latest Conan adventure is a misfire in every way. Exceptionally dumb and loud for a summer movie, “Conan the Barbarian” is a muddled mess of a film bogged down by poor acting, cheesy dialogue and an incoherent plot. It…