Author: Jason Zingale

Forgetting for a moment the mildly disappointing hiccup that was “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,” Wes Anderson is easily one of this generation’s greatest filmmakers. That’s pretty amazing company when you consider the group also includes the likes of Christopher Nolan, Alfonso Cuaron and Quentin Tarantino, but don’t think for a second that it isn’t well deserved. Both “Rushmore” and “The Royal Tenenbaums” stand as some of the best films of the past decade, and while the director’s first feature (“Bottle Rocket”) doesn’t quite live up to his other work, it’s still an impressive debut from a guy who,…

Do you hear that? It’s the sound of left-wing liberals telling us all what bad people we are – an occurrence that’s become synonymous with awards season ever since Paul Haggis’ “Crash” stole the Oscar for Best Picture two years ago. And racism was just the tip of the iceberg. Following the tragic events of 9/11, movie theaters have been inundated with message films about the war – from “Babel” and “Syriana,” to this year’s crop of post-9/11 movies meant to shock Americans into action. As if Fox News wasn’t enough. What Hollywood failed to realize, however, is that by…

Ridley Scott must have the patience of a Tibetan monk. I can’t think of another director working today that is capable of casting two powerhouse actors like Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe in a film that doesn’t see them sharing a scene until the final minutes. Most directors would re-write a script for the sole purpose of getting as much bang for their buck out of the pairing, but Scott has two things going for him with his latest film, “American Gangster,” that many others don’t. For starters, it plays like two movies in one, with each actor carefully developing…

There are plenty of good reasons why more horror films should take place in Alaska, but they all come second to the fact that red blood looks fantastic as a warm stain on the cold white snow. This is just one of many stunning visuals that inhabit David Slade’s “30 Days of Night” – a big screen adaptation of the award-winning graphic novel – but it’s a pretty important one when you consider the amount of red ink that fills the pages of Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith’s original vision. The film is also a fairly accurate retelling when compared…

For what it’s worth, Ben Affleck has always been a behind-the-scenes kinda guy. Though his good looks and charming personality eventually led the Boston native to pursue a career in front of the camera, Ben has always been more successful behind it. His best work to date remains his collaboration with pal Matt Damon on “Good Will Hunting,” and though many have been clamoring for him to return to the writer’s desk for years, it’s taken nearly a decade to answer the call. Of course, Ben Affleck probably isn’t the first name that comes to mind when you think of…

For the past eight years, Activision’s “Tony Hawk” series has coasted along with little to no competition, but with the release of EA’s “Skate” earlier this year, the long-running skateboarding franchise has been put under the microscope for its most grueling evaluation yet. Featuring little in the way of improvements when compared to last year’s “Project 8,” fans will be happy to learn that the series is still very much alive, thanks in part to a necessary expansion of the Nail the Trick system and an open-ended career mode that allows the player the chance to choose his own path.…

Much has been made of the fact that “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” is a sequel to Shekhar Kapur’s Academy Award-winning portrait of England’s most famous queen, but has it really been that long since “The Godfather: Part II” took top honors at the show? Surely a movie isn’t automatically discredited for bearing the title of “sequel,” and if there’s any subject the Academy has proven they simply can’t get enough of, it’s the Virgin Queen. In the past decade alone, three actresses have portrayed Elizabeth I (Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench and Helen Mirren), and all three walked away from the…

Don’t buy into the hype: “FIFA Soccer 08” isn’t quite the near-flawless soccer experience that EA (and most critics) would like you to believe. True, the latest installment of the long-running series has been given a massive overhaul in terms of content and gameplay, but that doesn’t always mean it’s for the better. There are still plenty of kinks that need to be worked out of the new system, and it’s going to take you a while to get acquainted with the controls. While many may call this the best “FIFA” in years, it’s probably safe to keep your expectations…

You’ve got to hand it to Ryan Gosling: it’s been over a decade since the cancellation of Disney’s “Mickey Mouse Club” reboot, and while co-stars like Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears will always be remembered as former Mouseketeers, Gosling has blazed a career trail so rich with potential that most would rather forget about his teenage years. As the title character in Craig Gillespie’s directorial debut, “Lars and the Real Girl,” Gosling’s portrayal of the socially awkward Lars is so spot-on that it’s not a question of if he’ll win an Oscar, but when he’ll win one. Living out of…

Ask any director whether they’d ever consider remaking a movie and you’d likely hear the same answer each time. In the words of Rob Zombie, “I feel it’s the worst thing any filmmaker can do.” And yet somehow, several remakes are released every year. Sometimes it’s because a rookie director just needs their big break, and other times it’s because the director in question is falling behind on his mortgage. Heck, even Zombie himself gave in to the allure of a bigger paycheck when he signed on to remake “Halloween,” but in the case of the Farrelly brothers, it’s more…