the oh-no! DVD of the week: ‘Squeal’
I love the piquancy of that: It’s not just any ol’ ordinary rock group that breaks down in the middle of nowhere, it’s a *dysfunctional* rock group…
dvd/vod/streaming
cinematic roots of: ‘The Switch’
In *The Switch,* Jennifer Aniston can’t believe she got Jason Bateman’s sperm in her baby, when someone else was supposed to be her artificial baby daddy. This flick sprang from (among other films)…
retro trailer: ‘The Day of the Triffids’
I saw this several times as a kid — it was a staple of the local TV stations’ Saturday afternoon movies — and I was always creeped out by it.
cinematic roots of: ‘Lottery Ticket’
In *Lottery Ticket,* Bow Wow’s poor but nice ghetto kid wins a mega lottery but must protect the ticket from his greedy friends and neighbors over a long holiday weekend. This flick sprang from (among other films)…
cinematic roots of: ‘Nanny McPhee Returns’ (aka ‘Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang’)
In *Nanny McPhee Returns,* Emma Thompson’s stern, scary babysitter teaches a gaggle of monstrous brats a couple of things about being civilized people. This flick sprang from (among other films)…
the oh-no! DVD of the week: ‘Furry Vengeance’
I had just about recovered from the ordeal of the trailer for this film, and here the wound gets ripped open again via the news of its DVD release…
when a boy becomes a Jedi
It seems that a missing scene from *Return of the Jedi* was screened for fans at Celebration, the big *Star Wars* convention this past weekend…
cinematic roots of: ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’
In *Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,* Michael Cera is forced to battle, videogame style, his new girlfriend’s (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) ex-boyfriends in order to win her hand. This flick sprang from (among other films)…
cinematic roots of: ‘The Expendables’
In *The Expendables,* writer-director-star Sylvester Stallone gathers together a small mercenary army of leftover 80s action stars and a few wannabe youngsters to kick some ass and take some names. This flick sprang from (among other films)…
cinematic roots of: ‘Eat Pray Love’
In *Eat Pray Love,* Julia Roberts’s newly divorced writer travels to Rome, India, and Bali in order to figure out who she is and what she wants from life, and creating her own family of friends along the way. This flick sprang from (among other films)…
