The Trouble with Quibbles: Evil Dead

Fede Alvarez’s directorial debut is a smorgasbord of gore. A darker, bleaker, bloodier Evil Dead, Alvarez’s melodramatic interpretation of Sam Raimi’s classic has a group of friends holed up in a cabin in the woods for an intervention when they accidentally unleash an ancient evil after discovering the Book of the Dead.

Whiz of a Wiz – “Oz the Great and Powerful” Review

It might seem counterintuitive, but comparing Oz the Great and Powerful to the classic The Wizard of Oz is a waste of time. It’s not that one has nothing to do with the other because they do. In fact, a lot of care has gone into respecting the roots. The problem is nothing will ever compete with that film, not only because of its status in history but also because it’s not 1939 anymore. As they say, they don’t make them like they used to.

No Spidey Sense – “The Amazing Spider-Man” Review

Whether or not rebooting a franchise barely a decade old was a good idea is inconsequential to the merits of the resulting film. And it isn’t as if the original web-slinging trilogy is some sacred cow. Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man has its moments but doesn’t ever reconcile the origin story with the business at hand. Also, Macy Gray. I’m willing to let some silliness slide, but a man has his limits. Raimi’s second try is possibly the best superhero movie ever made. Sure, some things remain goofy, but the narrative thrust of the film pushes it through deftly. Also, the climactic train sequence is legend. As for Spider-Man 3 well, I remember thinking it was bad, but I can’t remember anything about it. And that’s precisely how I feel about The Amazing Spider-Man, except I saw it less than 12 hours ago.

Scared Silly: Top 31 Horror Comedies – Part 3

Today, we’ve got egomaniacal mad scientists, yuppie vampires, and zombies zombies zombies… well, variations on a theme, anyway. The Halloween celebration continues with six more of my top 31 favorite horror comedies.

Dearly Departed Dino De Laurentiis

Veteran movie mogul Dino De Laurentiis passed away Wednesday night. The acclaimed Italian producer was 91. You might not know who Dino De Laurentiis is, but if you grew up watching 80s genre films, then you’ve probably seen his name before, countless times.

Of course, if you weren’t an uber-movie-geek with an endless capacity for useless information, then you might not be so quick to recall all the films that opened with, “Dino De Laurentiis Presents,” and the wave of giddy fanboy glee that followed.