Growing up, one of the few Disney movies I saw was The Sword In the Stone. The classic tale of the young boy who does the impossible and becomes King of England had a more serious and lasting message than just about any other Disney movie to date. Disney is re-releasing the movie on DVD now in a 45th Anniversary version, but not a great deal has changed. Still, it’s a classic, and worth your consi...[Read More]

High school hazing leads to rhyme wars and samurai swords in this movie co-written by Seth Rogen.“I was discharged - unauthorized heroism."

A far cry from the sweeping oratories of Martin Sheen’s portrayal of General Robert E Lee in the film Gettysburg, Staff Sergeant Brandon King (Ryan Philippe) brings the gritty profanities of a soldier’s experiences in Iraq to American living rooms in Stop-Loss. “I ain’t scared, I’m pissed off!!” The film opens with a small group of soldiers in camp in the desert...[Read More]

 That’s the premise of The Bucket List, an amiable film with great scenery.  Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson are Carter and Edward, both cancer patients, and unwilling hospital roommates who come to be great friends. Edward’s the one who makes fulfillment of the bucket list (as in “kick the …”) Carter starts possible.  Edward’s very wealthy; in fact, he owns the hospital they’re in.  The only re...[Read More]

I miss the old days where aliens dropped probes in your neck and vampires served pizza (sigh).

Acid anyone? Various artistic directions throughout a film is not bad at all.

Jon Heder really it hit big with Napoleon Dynamite. Somehow that film was miraculously able to pull itself out of its cult trappings and transition into the mainstream surprise for the summer of 2004. Unfortunately, Heder's socially awkward and interpersonally clueless role in that film has become the base for all future casting decisions. The last few movies I've seen him in, School for Scoundrel...[Read More]

 Word of a new drama on CBS was not likely to draw my attention. After hearing several people my own age (and with similarly good taste) praise Jericho, I still didn't buy it. With a season and a half's worth of DVDs in my hands, I became a believer.  

I didn't even know what a burn notice was until this show defined it for me. It was an education in spy knowledge (true? falsified? who knows?) and full of Miami scenery, beach and style that made me feel I was back in my home state. Entertaining show that makes you want to lay out with a pina colada.

I had at least decent hopes for this movie. I liked The Patriot when I was younger, and I could handle some of the filmmaker's other stuff, too. They follow a classic action/adventure storyline, but the scripts made characters that you wanted to succeed, even though you knew exactly what was going to happen.   I realized there was a reason I really didn't remember this movie coming out in the thea...[Read More]

What do you get when you mix Frasier, Bart Simpson and Richie Rich? Charlie Bartlett.

“Let’s get sweaty.I’m talkin’ rainforest sweaty.I’m talkin’ swamp sweaty.Let’s fill the bathtub full of sweat.”  - from Jackie Moon’s number-one hit, “Love Me Sexy”