Movies based on videogames do not have a terribly good reputation.  While it is possible to make a successful and popular film based on a game, more often than not, the audience is left with a terribly disappointing movie, one which only diehard fans (and sometimes not even them) seem to enjoy.  Exactly why so few good films are made based on videogames is difficult to say, and Street Fighter:  The Legend of Chun-Li is certainly not one of the better adaptations....more

While the final season of Stargate Atlantis may have come to a conclusion, the final story has not been written for the crew of Earth’s most famous and mythical city, Atlantis. Having reached the all-important fifth season where the show can reach its full syndication potential, it can now be spun off into films released on DVD as to take advantage of a fanbase now forced to pay for something that they once received for free. The Sci-Fi Channel, which originally aired the series, has always been known for cutting shows too soon, but after watching the final season, they may have done it just at the right time....more

Let’s pretend for a moment that the original Inspector Clouseau/Pink Panther films never existed. Sure, it’s a bit hard to imagine – it’s almost as painful to think about for me as is envisioning a world without Maruchan chicken-flavored ramen. But, remember, we’re only pretending, kids. Now, if you can picture a motion picture industry completely devoid of Peter Sellers and his subtle performance of the world’s clumsiest detective (and that is a very big “if,” I know), than Steve Martin does a pretty damn good job interpreting Inspector Jacques Clouseau....more

With over 65 years of work in modern dance, Merce Cunningham has largely been shaped by four discoveries: video/film, DanceForms computer software, the separation of music and the dance, and the use of chance operations. It is the latter that formulates the basis for Split Sides. Capturing the modernist choreographer’s most sweeping application of chance operations to date, Split Sides gives the viewer the opportunity to get in on the action and “roll the dice” in terms of what performance he or she will partake in....more

In 1995, one popular song and video on the airwaves was "I Kissed A Girl" by up-and-coming singer/songwriter Jill Sobule. Sobule's ability to address difficult or controversial topics with wit and irony became her trademark, but by the end of the '90s, the tide had turned and the American pop music ear was no longer interested in the female singer/songwriters that had, for a brief while, dominated the pop charts. Two major labels and two now-defunct independent labels later, Sobule is still writing and performing music, and rather than trying to go down the record label route again, she enlisted the aid of her fans to produce, distribute, and promote her new album, California Years....more

Exploring the theme of being who you are, rather than trying to shape yourself for others, Disney’s Princess Protection Program is a fun and enjoyable movie for the entire family. Starring Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place) as Carter, the average ordinary tomgirl and Demi Lovato (Sonny with a Chance) as Rosalinda “Rosie,” the beloved Princess of a small country who is sent uncover for protection, Princess Protection Program shows that true friendship can transcend all barriers....more

There's a telling moment in the opening credits to Friday the 13th: Part VI -- Jason Lives. We've already seen Jason Voorhees improbably resurrected from his grave by two bolts of lightning, even though we were told in the previous installment that the guy had been cremated. What follows after Jason makes quick work of the disposable companion of would-be monster killer Tommy Jarvis gives a clue as to what writer/director Tim McLoughlin is up to. A visual parody of the James Bond opener with our masked anti-hero tossing a machete at the viewer instead of firing his berretta, it signals that this particular none-too-scary entry is gonna have a whole lotta winking in it....more

There are times when someone sits down to watch a film and after 90 minutes realize that they've been sitting there in stunned silence the entire time.  Did they like it?  Maybe, maybe not.  Was it a good movie?  Well, it was certainly a "good for you" movie.  But was it fun, was it enjoyable?  It was both technically impressive and entirely engrossing, but enjoyable, who knows.  Perhaps, just perhaps, the person you're talking to just finished watching Waltz with Bashir.  This 2008 release, which won a DGA award for Best Documentary, a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, and was nominated for an Academy Award in the same category is certainly an experience....more

Of all the directors seemingly capable of taking on the socially, politically, and personally complex war that is Vietnam, Uwe Boll would be low on the list (perhaps right behind Michael Bay and Shawn Levy). As the master of the disaster, a German filmmaker whose proclivity toward producing absolute garbage (House of the Dead, In the Name of the King, Postal) more than precedes him, one would imagine him tackling the subject as some manner of elaborate joke. Instead, his Tunnel Rats is actually quite effective. It may not have a lot to say about the military men who risked their lives clearing underground passageways booby trapped by the enemy, but when compared to the rest of his awful oeuvre, this is a very accomplished work....more

Silvertongues are those who have the amazing ability to read a book out loud and have the characters come to life. Mo Folchart (Brendan Fraser) was unaware that he had this amazing ability when he began reading to his baby daughter. Twelve years later, Mo, a book buyer, is visiting an old bookshop and finds a book that he has long been searching for, Inkheart. When leaving the store, Mo in intercepted by Dustfinger (Paul Bettany) who is seeking his help and warns him that people are looking for him to make him read out loud. Mo takes his daughter Meggie (Eliza Bennett) to eccentric great-aunt Elinor’s (Helen Mirren) home in an attempt to elude his captors. ...more