The 1994 movie Rumble in the Bronx, which launched Jackie Chan into international superstardom overnight, was the result of a carefully-planned effort to bring Jackie to Western audiences. Chan, already in his 40s at the […]
ESCAPIST CINEMA: WE CAN’T GET AWAY FROM ‘THE RUNNING MAN’
The following piece was finished early on Monday morning, not knowing the great Yaphet Kotto would be pronounced dead in just a matter of hours. While The Running Man is very clearly an Arnold vehicle start to […]
A SIX-PACK, MAGNUM .44, AND A KITTEN: IT’S ‘TRUCK TURNER’!
I’m not a big action film fan, but I love Blaxploitation films. I consider Shaft (1971), the opening chapter of a glorious trilogy of films, to be one of the greatest crime films of all […]
‘WELCOME TO SHERWOOD!’ THE ACTION OF YESTERYEAR IN ‘THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD’
In 2010, The Adventures of Robin Hood was named by The Guardian as 15th best in its roundup of the best 25 action and war movies of all time, coming in under Die Hard, but […]
ACTION: THE UNSPOKEN GENRE
For years, action movies have been dismissed by serious cinephiles as “big and dumb.” But what if they weren’t just that? In our new column Into Action, we aim to remind movie fans of the […]
UNCLARITY OF PURPOSE: THE NATURE OF COMEDY AND THE ENDURING APPEAL OF ‘PCU’ (1995)
“The strange thing about Political Correctness,” wrote Roger Ebert in his 1994 review of PCU, “is that it seems to have many opponents and no supporters. No one ever describes themselves as Politically Correct, and […]
THE (RETRO) FUTURE IS FANTASTIC! THE ‘SPACE: 1999’ MOVIES
Warp Factor examines overlooked or nearly-forgotten science-fiction artifacts from the recent past with a 21st Century perspective. In this inaugural entry, the journey of Space: 1999, from being an original TV production to becoming a […]
MAYBE THIS IS ABOUT: ‘CHANGE OF HABIT’
The night I watched Change of Habit was the third night in a row I had watched a movie involving nuns, none of which were The Nun. If you’re finding time for those Conjuring spinoffs, you should consider better decisions […]
BHYH: THE ‘LOVE/HATE COMPLEX’ MIX
For this week’s mix, our team of cute little cupids put together their recommendations for one love song and one “anti-love” song. Take a peek at our Valentine’s picks, and watch out for those pesky […]
DOCTOR, DOCTOR, IS THIS LOVE I’M FEELING? – THE JEALOUSY OF HAROLD RUSK
Of all the places a film could premiere, Dayton, Ohio is probably the last to come to mind. But on July 16th, 1982, Dayton, Ohio is exactly where Cannon Films released their new Valentine’s Day […]
AUDIO FANFICTION: ‘SOUTHLAND TALES’
Richard Kelly is as divisive a director as they come. Stylish, moody, and dabbed with dark humor, allusions to morality, and unusually relatable situations, his three feature films to date (Donnie Darko, Southland Tales, The […]
‘OH, People–People, No!’ TV’s Tim Stack on the cult of ‘Night Stand’
The mid-’90s seemed to be the golden age of syndicated television. After the prime-time, major network programming ended, you could search the dials to discover a vast swathe of programming populating the late-night airwaves. From […]
NATHAN SMITH DOESN’T LIKE FRIDAY THE 13TH (2009)
Grumpire 11, Friday the 13th Remake 0 Hello friends, we’re back with the second episode in a row that pits two classic horror movie remakes against each other! How exciting! This week, Grumpire columnist Nathan […]
MAYBE THIS IS ABOUT ‘MAGNOLIA’
Nothing says “I got free time aplenty” like watching a three-hour movie. The first thing I think about when it comes to a three-hour runtime is children. Given how demanding being a parent must be, […]
MIXTAPE: GRUMPY ’91
1991: the year hair metal got sheared, the year we all took a big ol’ whiff of teen spirit, the year college radio really started paying attention to Athens, the year that defined alternative rap […]