Film Review: The X-Files: I Want to Believe

In 1998, a hit television series called The X-Files made the leap to the big screen. The highly-anticipated film was supposed to have the answers for which the television series had only hinted. Unfortunately, The X-Files movie was something of a disappointment, for both the box office and its fans. Now, a decade later, series creator Chris Carter is attempting to resurrect the nearly forgotten series. But some things are best left to memory.

Read the full review of The X-Files: I Want to Believe.

Film Review: Hancock

This is a late post. I've been meaning to write a review for Hancock all month, but July has been filled with good movies and too much going on in my personal life. Anyway, I didn't want to rush this review, because I felt this was an astounding movie.

In the real world, even people with super powers would still have human failings. In the 2006 comedy My Super Ex-Girlfriend, the ideas of jealousy and bad relationships were played out in a superhero universe. Director Peter Berg gives the hero in Hancock similar human failings, as a loner, a drunk and a bully. What Berg also gives us is a world where one ordinary man can make a difference, even without super powers.

Read the full review of Hancock.

Film Review: The Dark Knight

After the high-profile reboot of the Batman franchise in 2005, fans have waited breathlessly to see what director Christopher Nolan would do next. Now that Batman's universe and tone are set, Nolan shines the proverbial bat signal on Gotham. In The Dark Knight, he gives us a story of organized crime and the fight to keep a city from spiraling into darkness.

Read the full review of The Dark Knight.

Film Review: Hellboy II

This has been a summer for comic book movies. Even though the Hellboy series owes its storyline to the Dark Horse comic of the same name, it might be unfair to call Hellboy II: The Golden Army a comic book movie. First and foremost, it's a fantasy – a dark fantasy where fairies have gnashing teeth and gods of the forest can destroy city blocks. With Hellboy II, director Guillermo del Toro gives us a fantasy that is newer, bigger and more beautiful than the first. But can he make us care about two-dimensional characters?

Read the full review of Hellboy II: The Golden Army.

Film Review: WALL•E

The magic of Disney/Pixar is never so grand as when it sees the world through the eyes of a child. Toys come to life in Toy Story. Monsters climb out of closets in Monster's, Inc. The innocence of childhood is the perfect inspiration for the computer animation of this studio. In the latest credit on the company's growing resume of sure-fire hits, the point of view shifts from the awe inspiring to the awe-inspired, a robot named WALL•E.

Read the full review of WALL•E.

Film Review: The Incredible Hulk

My apologies for taking almost two weeks to post this. Work and home life have been crazy busy lately, and I haven't had much time in the evenings to watch movies, let alone post reviews. Enjoy!

While most people will tell you that The Incredible Hulk is a far superior movie to Ang Lee's version Hulk (2003), I have a horrible secret to tell. I liked the first one. If you read my review of Lee's film, you'll see that I called it a "thought-provoking ... serious story." But that film didn't satisfy my appetite for action and comic book geek detail. It took director Louis Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk to make me see what was missing.

Read the full review of The Incredible Hulk.

Film Review: The Happening

For years, I have been one of M. Night Shyamalan's biggest supporters. After being blown away by The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, I weathered the derision of my friends who thought his subsequent films were pointless or laughable. Now, after standing by him through some tough times, I'm finally giving up. The Happening is a low-point in Shyamalan's work, an utterly laughable plot with so many problems compounded by poor acting and dull direction.

Read the full review of The Happening.

Soundtrack: The Love Guru

If you haven't seen the trailers for the upcoming film The Love Guru, you're missing out on one of this summer's most frightening train wrecks. In the film, comedian Mike Myers portrays Pitka, an American who was left at the gates of an ashram in India as a child and raised by gurus. The story revolves around Pitka's move back to the U.S. to seek fame and fortune in the world of self-help and spirituality. The film, which has been protested by several groups for being offensive to the Hindu religion, appears to be a cross between Myers' own Austin Powers and Mickey Rooney's portrayal of Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

What could be more offensive than Myers dressing up as a Hindu guru and spouting nonsense in a bad Indian accent? How about a soundtrack that features old 1970s pop hits covered by Myers in his Pitka character? Yes, that's right. You haven't heard Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" until you've heard it done with traditional Indian musical instruments. And don't get me started on his remake of "The Joker." It almost made my ears bleed to hear Myers croon, "Some people call me the Space Cowboy, some call me the Gangster of Love."

The horrible soundtrack also includes a bizarre collection of songs by their original artists, from Robbie Nevil's "C'est La Vie" to Celine Dion (seriously?) singing "I Drove All Night."

If you're a fan of good soundtracks, whether you prefer film scores or compilations, you should avoid this one. Don't just walk away from it. Run!

Short Film Review: I F*cking Hate You

When I started to watch the short film by director Zak Forsman, I imagined all types of sophomoric angst that could be behind a film called I F*cking Hate You. The title seemed pulled from the notebook of a first year student who thinks "offensive" is synonymous with "edgy." Nevertheless, I grit my teeth and watched it; waiting for the spew of expletives that I was sure would follow.

Read the full review of I F*cking Hate You.

Film Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

My first thought, when seeing publicity stills from the making of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, was "Wow. Harrison Ford looks like my dad." While my dad would probably be happy with the comparison, it merely reinforces the fact that nearly 20 years have gone by since the franchise ended. While most fans had probably given up hope of ever seeing Indiana Jones don his trademark fedora again, director Steven Spielberg has given us a new tale of adventure just in time for summer!

Read the full review of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Film Review: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

At the end of the 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Lucy Pevensie asks the professor if she and her siblings will ever return to the magical land of Narnia. He answers, "Oh, I expect so. But it'll probably happen when you're not looking for it. All the same... best to keep your eyes open."

Now, after two and a half years, the much-anticipated sequel is finally in theaters. With The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, the series takes a slightly darker, more violent turn. But the magic of the original is here, too.

Read my full review of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

Film Review: Iron Man

Here it is true believers, my first post for the summer! Check out all the superhero action that comes with the debut of Iron Man!

Well into the new millennium, there couldn't be a better hero for the Information Age. Iron Man is the dot-com revolution come to life. In director Jon Favreau's summer action film, the Marvel comic book character is finally given a chance to shine.

Read the full review of Iron Man.