Author: Jason Zingale

“Backdraft” may be one of the most overrated films of the ‘90s, but as Ron Howard’s first step towards becoming a serious director, it’s quite possibly the best of its kind. That’s not saying much, really, since there are only about five other movies ever made on the topic, but when it comes down sheer entertainment value, “Backdraft” is to firefighters as “Top Gun” is to fighter pilots. At the end of the day, it’s all about the glorification of a dangerous job that most men only wish they could do, and while there’s no homoerotic volleyball scene to be…

Whenever a filmmaker effectively mimics the style of another director, it’s usually called stealing, but when they fail, it’s much worse. In fact, it’s pretty close to heresy, and though no one has even come close to matching the success of mockumentary extraordinaire Christopher Guest, the fact that Debbie Isitt even believes she has a chance is absolute lunacy. Her latest film is an insipid parody of the wedding industry that slowly deteriorates with each improvised line, and seeing as how the film has no script whatsoever, it doesn’t take very long before you lose interest. The concept is actually…

What can you say about one true life sports drama that hasn’t already been said about another? In the case of “Gridiron Gang”: absolutely nothing. Actually, most people have already seen this movie before; it was called “Remember the Titans,” but instead of juvenile delinquents, it was about race segregation. Same difference, really, since it features two groups of kids who have to learn how to work together as a team, not to mention a pair of stand-out rivals (in this case, gang members) who become friends when it’s all said and done. Oh, and while they might not win…

Years before Jim Carrey was respected as a dramatic actor, the rubber-faced stand up-comedian paid his dues on the sketch comedy show, “In Living Color.” His big-screen debut as the incorrigible pet detective, Ace Venture, gained Carrey widespread exposure as an upcoming comic, but it was his performance in 1994’s comic book adaptation of “The Mask” that paved his path to box office gold. Co-starring a then-unknown Cameron Diaz and featuring groundbreaking special effects, “The Mask” is a light and fun action-comedy that introduced Carrey to the masses as Hollywood’s next comedy star. Carrey stars as Stanley Ipkiss, a nice-guys-finish-last…

The grand finale to George Lucas’ “Star Wars” saga, “Return of the Jedi,” may be the worst received of the three films, but it wraps up his tale of farmboy-turned-hero Luke Skywalker with the same great storytelling as its predecessors. Along with some equally captivating special effects and a heavy dose of action, “Return of the Jedi” is still a solid combination of everything you love about the first two movies. Following the events of “The Empire Strikes Back,” the evil Republic is still wreaking havoc across the galaxy with the construction of a second Death Star. On the other…

The second film in one of the greatest trilogies ever made, George Lucas’ “The Empire Strikes Back” also stands as one of the greatest sequels, second perhaps only to Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather: Part II,” depending on your tastes. Offering up yet another well-prepared dish of Jedi fun with a darker story and new characters –including Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) and Jedi Master Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz) — the film has enough new tricks to keep the story rolling along at warp speed. The film’s immense success may be due to the fact that film geeks love…

A not-so-long time ago in theaters all across the world, George Lucas’ sci-fi epic, “Star Wars: A New Hope,” captivated an entire generation with its thrilling story of adventure while also introducing some truly ground-breaking technology that would prove to inspire future filmmakers for years to come. It has everything you could want in a movie — action, suspense and comedy — and yet never forgets to pay homage to the stories that came before it, like “Flash Gordon” and Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Most people know the story by heart, but here’s a quick refresher course: After…

The Wild West has experienced a renaissance of sorts on television, with series like “Deadwood” and “Firefly,” but the video game industry has struggled with titles rooted in the same ancient genre. Past games like “Dead Man’s Hand” and “Red Dead Revolver” were less than well-received, and the last decent western game that comes to mind (“Gunsmoke”) debuted on the original NES game console. It’s refreshing, then, to see a game like “GUN” push its way to the front of the line and succeed; thanks most in part to its straightforward control system and addictive gameplay. “GUN” isn’t without its…

Fans of 50’s sci-fi cinema are simply going to love Pandemic’s latest shooter, “Destroy All Humans,” a sort of “War of the Worlds” take on the alien invasion of Planet Earth, but with a wicked sense of humor. You play as Crypto, an alien clone of the intergalactic Furon race sent down to the green planet to investigate the sudden disappearance of a fellow alien brother. Slaughtering his way through crowds of stereotypical 1950’s Americans, Crypto (who just so happens to sound exactly like Jack Nicholson) slowly uncovers a secret society known as the Majestic, a CIA-like organization pulling the…

The Castlevania series has endured a lasting relationship as a side-scrolling platformer throughout the years (from the NES to the Game Boy Advanced), but its jump to 3D hasn’t gone as smoothly. After the franchise’s less-than-desirable debut on the Playstation 2 (“Castlevania: Lament of Innocence”), Japanese game developer Konami is giving it another go with the latest chapter in the series, “Castlevania: Curse of Darkness.” But where the 2D versions of the franchise excelled in addictive gameplay, “Curse of Darkness” disappoints, and instead attempts to introduce new role-playing elements that take away from the original experience. The player takes control…