A Night at the Roxbury. It’s Pat. Stuart Saves His Family. Superstar . Do any of these movies ring a bell? They were all misguided attempts at bringing Saturday Night Live sketches and characters to life. With few exceptions, such as Blues Brothers and Wayne’s World, these films are almost always doomed from the start. […]
There is a cycle occurring among some young, black male actors. They begin in a comedic series on television, then move up to some mediocre action film, in which they play the hero while still making the wise cracks that made them famous in the first place. After that they graduate, hopefully, to more serious […]
Remember the choose-your-own-adventure books that were really popular when our generation was younger? If you picked the right paths, you would get decent little stories all revolving around the same theme. Attempting to read the book linearly would probably result in an incoherent mess and a headache. Timecode 2000 (Screen Gems), the new directorial effort […]
Three hatchets Omar Epps has been hanging around Hollywood for a long time. He first appeared on the radar screen in The Program as a football player. That was almost 10 years ago. He has gone up and down in status since then, taking on a variety of roles in movies such as Menace II […]
According to Fortune magazine, Julia Roberts is the most powerful celebrity in Hollywood. She is the only actress that can command a $20-million salary and for good reason. Her films routinely bring in more than $100 million dollars, the benchmark for economic success in the motion picture industry. But Roberts is not infallible. People only […]
It started in 1992, with a small-time, fundamentally well-told story of a bungled robbery. Disturbingly realistic and told in an engaging, non-linear style, independent films spread like wildfire through word of mouth and positive critical reviews. The film is Reservoir Dogs, and the movement it founded brought on the rise of independent cinema. Despite its […]
A common debate has existed in Hollywood during the last decade – when a film is based on a true story, how much fact does the film actually contain? This same problem applies to director Norman Jewison’s latest film, The Hurricane (Universal). It is based on the life of one-time welterweight champion Ruben Hurricane Carter […]
Sequels usually are not better than the original films. It seems to be a fundamental rule of Hollywood. Every now and then, a sequel will equal the quality of its predecessor. Toy Story 2 (Disney) does more than attain the same level of creativity and quality of the original – it surpasses it. The animation […]
There are a few definitions in popular culture of a sell-out. One definition refers to an artist producing a work purely for the sake of financial rewards. In The Messenger: The Story Joan of Arc (Columbia Pictures), the term sell-out definitely can be applied. The creative team behind the film, including director Luc Besson, has […]
Senior guard Elisa Aguilar is the consummate basketball player. There isn’t anything she can’t do on the court. Her natural talent, combined with a sheer determination to improve on every aspect of her game, makes her a tremendous force. I want to do everything I can to help this team, Aguilar said. Anyone can look […]