participant

No Participation Trophies

If you spent any length of time on social media this weekend, you couldn't escape seeing culture warrior Conservatives backsliding into the Pop Cult slop funnel en masse. Many of the same people who lamented the outrage marketing that turned Captain Marvel from a near-flop to a billion-dollar hit fell…
July 25, 20237 Comments
Yeti Hand

The Oilman, the Funnyman & the Yeti Hand

What do a Texas oil tycoon, a beloved comedic actor, and a mytho-historical cryptid all have in common? A connection to a mysterious artifact - a mummified hand once kept in the reliquary of a remote Buddhist monastery. The cryptid used to be connected to it, at least. Read on…
July 17, 2023
The Tangled Web of Tony Pellicano

The Tangled Web of Tony Pellicano

Hollywood has its own intrigues that rival international espionage, as this writer learned while pulling a thread left in yesterday's comments by author JD Cowan. [Director John] McTiernan’s career is fascinating. Everything he did was fantastic until the 2000s hit and he got entangled with the feds after his producers…
July 12, 20231 Comment
Hunt for Red October

The Hunt for Red October

The defection of a beloved yet eccentric military commander threatens to tip the balance in a tense standoff between Russia and NATO, leaving the world teetering on the edge of nuclear Armageddon. No, that's not the news. It's The Hunt for Red October. Based on Tom Clancy's breakout thriller and…
July 11, 20236 Comments
Heat

Heat

Few films have captured the bloody logic and shifting loyalties of the criminal underworld with as much intensity and finesse as Michael Mann's 1995 classic, Heat. This movie is the high point of High 90s cinema, and with good reason. As we'll see, every element is executed with virtuoso precision…
June 29, 202311 Comments
Darkman

Darkman: Shadier Than The Shadow

In the domain of pulp-inspired superhero movies, Darkman stands as a shining example of how to adapt a beloved character to the silver screen without featuring that character at all. What do I mean? Read and learn. Released in 1990, Darkman not only delivers a thrilling narrative but also proves…
June 21, 202310 Comments
The Mummy

The Mummy: The Post-80s Indy We Deserved

This blog's comparative movie reviews have struck a chord with readers. Today, we embark on a thrilling expedition into one of the most underrated treasures of the late 20th century: The Mummy (1999). As we dust off this Brendan Fraser-led gem, we'll explore how it outshines any post-1980s Indiana Jones…
June 13, 202317 Comments
Mothman Prophecies

The Mothman Prophecies: More X-Files than The X-Files

In the paranormal thriller genre, few franchises have captured the imagination of audiences like The X-Files. Its gripping tales of relentless investigations into high strangeness for the pursuit of truth have become iconic. However, when it comes to translating the essence of the series onto the big screen, 1998's The…
June 8, 20235 Comments
Dark City

Dark City

"What's the best Matrix movie?" is a question no one asks. Because the answer seems obvious. But it's not. Because what everyone misses is that the film which handles the style and themes of The Matrix better than any other isn't an official Matrix installment at all. In the labyrinthine…
June 1, 202315 Comments
Hellboy II The Golden Army

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

I've been a fan of Guillermo del Toro's work since his first feature film, Cronos. He's a director with a singular vision, an unmatched mastery of the macabre, and a true artistic flair. So when I heard he was making a sequel to his 2004 hit Hellboy, I was thrilled.…
May 16, 20239 Comments