Author: Jason Zingale

It’s only been six years since “The Ring” experienced unprecedented success at the American box office, and in that small period, seven other Asian horror films were pushed through the Hollywood remake machine. None turned out even remotely as well as Gore Verbinski’s “The Ring,” but that has less to do with the people involved and more to do with the fact that almost half of these films share the exact same story. “One Missed Call” (a remake of director Takashi Miike’s 2004 film of the same name) is the latest Asian import to suffer from this repetition, and though…

One of the more buzzed-about entries at last year’s Sundance film festival, the Spanish ghost story “The Orphanage,” was given an extra promotional boost when “Pan’s Labyrinth” director Guillermo del Toro signed on as the official “presenter.” Much like Quentin Tarantino’s name has done in the past for genre films like “Iron Monkey” and “Hero,” the appearance of del Toro’s name gave fans of the Mexican filmmaker something to look forward to. Unfortunately, while first-time director Juan Antonio Bayona employs the same visual style as the Academy Award-nominee, “The Orphanage” is far from an once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s been 30 years…

Misery may love company, but it loves Oscars even more, and Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood” is the perfect example. A surefire candidate for several of the year’s major awards, the film doesn’t feature a single uplifting moment throughout its painstakingly long 158-minute runtime. This isn’t exactly new ground for Anderson (in regards to both tone and pace), but the film still represents a major departure for the writer/director, and one that will teach him to be a little less ambitious the next time around. Sorry P.T., but you’re not quite the second coming of Orson Wells. The…

Every year, there’s one film that catches the eye of moviegoers young and old, and while many initially believed that film to be Adrienne Shelly’s “Waitress,” there’s no denying that once you see “Juno” – the sophomore effort from “Thank You For Smoking” director Jason Reitman – you’ll quickly change your mind. Of course, both “Juno” and “Waitress” have something working against them: they’re both about unplanned pregnancies. They’re also not the only movies to walk that particular tightrope this year, either. Judd Apatow’s “Knocked Up” and the musical drama “August Rush” are also about babies, adoption and the drama…

Denzel Washington is one of the most powerful actors in Hollywood. Unfortunately, his star power means nothing as a director, and though he’s proven himself behind the camera before, no studio is going to gamble millions of dollars without a little insurance. In the case of “The Great Debaters,” that insurance was Washington himself, who only agreed to star in the film in order to convince the studio to finance it. And it’s a good thing he did, because without the ever-charming Washington in the lead role, “The Great Debaters” would have been just another civil rights underdog film. Of…

Oh where, oh where has Rob Reiner gone? After producing some of the best films of the 1980s (“This Is Spinal Tap,” “The Princess Bride”), the writer/director/actor has been stuck in one of the industry’s longest dry spells. His latest film – the old-guys-on-a-road-trip drama “The Bucket List” – may finally recapture some of that box office magic, but it’s still going to fall short of the critical recognition it desperately wants and, quite frankly, needs to be considered an all-around success. After all, what’s the point of talking Jack Nicholson into shaving his head if it isn’t going to…

Steven Spielberg take note: if “Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is anything like “National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets,” you’re going to have mobs of angry fanboys clawing at your door. Of course, that isn’t to say fans of the original “National Treasure” won’t enjoy the follow-up – it’s just that the Indy series is known more for its integrity than the kind of preposterous, over-the-top tall tales that have made Jerry Bruckheimer millions. Case in point: “Pirates of the Caribbean” co-writers Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio are partly responsible for the story behind “Book of…

If you were to compile a list of the best directors currently working in the Hong Kong film industry, Johnnie To would undoubtedly land in the top three. Now, that may not mean a whole lot to American audiences, but for fans of Asian cinema, it’s a fact that hasn’t gone unnoticed. It shows, too; not only in the numerous awards that he’s won over the years, but also in the star-studded casts that headline each of his films. “Exiled,” To’s latest entry in the gangster genre, is far from his best, but it’s still a beautifully crafted homage to…

Arguably one of the most influential horror directors of his time, Wes Craven is perhaps best known for crafting some of the most original slasher films in the history of the genre. It goes without saying, then, that the man is directly responsible for a good majority of my nightmares as a kid, and while the 2005 thriller “Red Eye” was a minor departure for the director, it doesn’t even come close to his latest project: “Paris Je T’aime,” a collection of films by 18 of the industry’s best directors all examining the City of Light and its magical allure.…

Writer/director Tamara Jenkins’ 1998 film, “Slums of Beverly Hills,” may not have been the most impressive debut feature, but it showed amazing potential from the up-and-comer, and even teased the idea that a future filled with women filmmakers wasn’t far off. If you were to ask people what had become of Jenkins after the film’s release, however, you’d probably see a lot of shrugged shoulders. It’s been nearly a decade since Jenkins first arrived on the scene, and since her debut, she’s done a whole lot of nothing. Or at least that’s what her résumé would suggest. Struggling to get…