On the Big Screen

Where’s the Jokes, Mummy Men?

Photo courtesy of correctopinion.worldpress.com Brendan Fraiser vs. Jet Li ... who do you thing would win?

August 26, 2008

Do mummies bring out the best or worst in Brendan Fraser, playing explorer Rich O’Connell? They have ensured the actor has a vigorous daily workout. Yet something’s snagged the wrappings of “Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.”

Starting with an Indiana Jones archeologist dig into an ancient tomb of a would be Chinese emperor, O’Connell’s son (Luke Ford) opens the sealed vault unaware his employer has nefarious motives.

An array of requisite kung-fun, swashbuckling, one-on-one sword and fist battles, hidden traps in the tomb chambers and drenching avalanches maintain nearly continuous scenes of action and danger. Toss in a few mythical creatures — abominable snowmen, dragons, legions of undead.

Mummy movies demand more than an Indiana Jones styled family of treasure seeking archeologists. They mandate integrating a sly, slightly campy ‘making fun of itself’ element t

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A Weed-Loving Ride on the ‘Pineapple Express’

August 26, 2008

How did we get into this mess? By smoking, inhaling and bonging a sweet smelling, tropical flavored, stash of a leafy, green weed. And it’s a gradually tightening noose from which these grossly “high” dudes must run. » Full Story

How Video Games Became Movie Fodder

August 26, 2008

Imagine this for one minute, will you — a movie about “Madden 2009.” That’s right, I said it. Video games are no strangers to movie adaptations, so why should one of the most widely successful video game franchise

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You Might Have to Wait a Bit for a Blockbuster

August 19, 2008

Bond. Twilight. The Earth Stands Still.

Those are just a few of the anticipated tent pole features Hollywood will serve up this fall, particularly in the Thanksgiving-Christmas season. Typically, fall films do not have the at

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A Knight of Cinematic Brilliance

July 29, 2008

When you go to escapist flicks, they usually have but a single, somewhat rudimentary element: Variations on the good guy(s) versus bad guys(s) sometimes doused with a sense of morality like sprinkling dressing on a salad.

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Demons, Manilow: That’s Our Hellboy

July 16, 2008

Do you notice a slight resemblance of the red horned, demon carrying an oversized gun called Samaritan and an animated green ogre? Hellboy’s (Ron Perlman) body characteristics may resemble Shrek, but the red man with an adolescent

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