Author: Jason Zingale

You can’t say that you didn’t see it coming – “Hitman” sucking, that is. The latest video game to be adapted for the big screen experienced more than its share of on-set controversy throughout production, and it certainly shows. First, executive producer Vin Diesel dropped out of the lead role, only to be replaced by an actor (Timothy Olyphant) who, despite his moderately successful track record, was anything but right for the character. Then, rumors of director Xavier Gens’ firing began circulating at exactly the same time that rumors of the film being cut to a PG-13 rating set online…

For anyone expecting to come out of Todd Haynes’ “I’m Not There” knowing a little more about musical reformist Bob Dylan than they did before, abandon all hope. The film doesn’t even come close to being this year’s “Walk the Line,” nor does it ever aspire to be. Instead, it’s a courageously artistic approach at explaining the many eccentricities of Dylan’s life and career through a series of six different vignettes. The end result, however, is a convoluted mess that doesn’t only jump between the many personalities of the prophetic singer/songwriter, but between time as well, and though Dylan fanatics…

Any true fan of sci-fi/fantasy RPGs knows that when it comes to great storytelling, there’s no one more dependable than the guys at BioWare. The creators of PC classics like “Baldur’s Gate,” “Neverwinter Nights” and “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic” (not to mention the Xbox-exclusive title “Jade Empire”) have been MIA for quite some time now. But with the release of their new sci-fi action title, “Mass Effect,” they’ve finally resurfaced, bringing with them a brand new story ripe for future installments. The new game also features their trademark choose-your-own-adventure style of play, and a deep space setting…

If you like your movies dry and overly pretentious, then Noah Baumbach’s “Margot at the Wedding” may be just the thing for you. It also happens to be incredibly hopeless and mean-spirited, not to mention mildly depressing. That particular demographic only represents a small percentage of the moviegoing public, however, making the film’s theatrical run positively meaningless. It’s a mandatory nuisance, really, since the film has to be released in some capacity to be eligible for the Academy Awards. And let’s face it: despite some serious problems in both the script and the pacing of the film, “Margot at the…

After being invited to a sneak peak of some footage from Paramount’s big screen adaptation of “Beowulf” earlier this year, I left the screening feeling completely underwhelmed. Never a big fan of 3-D (it’s a silly gimmick that never stuck), the experience was completely lost on me, despite co-writer Roger Avary (“Pulp Fiction”) likening it to an acid trip. But a psychedelic sword-and-sandals flick this is not, and while the film is generally being marketed towards the “300” crowd, there’s simply not enough spilt blood to justify what amounts to an over-hyped action flick with very little action. It also…

If there’s one thing to learn from the holiday season, it’s this: Christmas movies released in November are almost never good. A quick look back at some of the more recent films from this time of year (“Surviving Christmas,” “Christmas with the Kranks,” “Deck the Halls”) is more than enough proof of that theory, but in case you needed one more example, look no further than “Fred Claus,” a PG-rated family comedy starring a man best known for bringing to life some of the loudest, most obnoxious characters in film history. To be fair, the film isn’t quite as bad…

Another classic movie, another dilemma. After all, how does one talk about Roman Polanski’s “Chinatown” when so much has already been said? The film is not only one of the best of its decade, but is also widely considered the finest film noir ever made. It’s presence at the 1975 Academy Awards is certainly proof of that, but despite its whopping 11 nominations, the film took home only one Oscar – for Best Original Screenplay. So what exactly happened? Film critics would usually call shenanigans on such a lucid snub, but that was hardly the case in ‘75. Francis Ford…

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching John Cusack movies, it’s that sister Joan will never have to look for work again. The actor’s latest film, “Martian Child,” marks the ninth onscreen pairing of the brother-sister duo, with a tenth (“War, Inc.”) scheduled for release in 2008. This isn’t meant to take anything away from Joan’s own career, but I’ve always found it interesting to watch real-life siblings play those roles – especially when the film itself is centered around the theme of family. That’s certainly one of many themes of “Martian Child,” a film best described as a…

Woo-hoo, it’s finally here: a “Simpsons” game actually worth praising. It’s been a long time coming for fans of the animated series. After more than a decade of playing horrible titles based on the popular license, Electronic Arts has taken control of the situation with a “Simpsons” game that, while not entirely original, still delivers one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences of the year. True, EA may be responsible for several of the bad movie license adaptations, but here’s where they get things right: despite the fact that a “Simpsons” film was released only three months prior, the game…

When news broke that software developer Harmonix would be ending their partnership with “Guitar Hero” collaborators Red Octane in order to pursue their own project – the multi-instrument rhythm game “Rock Band” – fans of the series grew worried. After all, the original game was a monumental success, and its sequel nearly doubled the fanbase, so when “Tony Hawk” developer NeverSoft stepped in to take over, the question on everyone’s mind wasn’t whether or not the franchise would suffer, but rather how badly. What many failed to acknowledge, however, was the possibility that the third installment could actually prosper as…