31 FLAVORS OF HORROR #16: ZOMBIE 2 (1979).

Admittedly, when my friends and I turn our debates to the more philosophical questions in life, it usually goes like this:  “Who do you think would win in a fight: A grizzly bear, or a great white shark?” We figure that the battle would take place in an enclosed space, in shallow waters, where there’d [...]

From The Archives: KISS KISS BANG BANG (2005).

#7.  Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) This is the last of the great Los Angeles movies on my list, from a guy who knows a fair amount about Los Angeles.  Shane Black had a hand in the writing of many of the action films of my youth – Predator, Lethal Weapon, The Monster Squad, The [...]

From The Archives: SPIDER-MAN 2 (2004).

#5.  Spider-Man 2 (2004) Why fight it?  This movie is a kind of biography.  I don’t feel the need to talk too much in detail about my personal life, but if I were to do it, the parallels would be pretty blatant, and not just because pretty much everyone who’s ever seen me insists I’m [...]

From The Archives: 25TH HOUR (2002).

Continuing my list of favorite movies from the last decade, here’s #2.  25th Hour (2002) This is a movie that warrants an entire essay.  One day, I’ll give it one.  In the meanwhile, my abbreviated commentary will have to do. Personally, I’m a filmgoer who tends to generally agree with what the mainstream defines as [...]

From The Archives: TWO LOVERS (2009).

Weather permitting, Two Lovers is playing tonight at BAM, with a Q&A from co-writer/director James Gray.  It’s part of the 10 Years Of Magnolia Pictures festival.  James Gray is an interesting interview, and while this may not be his single best movie, it’s certainly raw and seemingly personal and courageously imperfect. Gray (The Yards, We [...]