Movieline Online

The demise of the  professional  film critic was lauded by most casual movie fans as something long overdue.  After all, no one wants to hear some failed artist tearing apart their favorite writer, director, star or franchise.  There’s some strange sort of fan propriety than reacts to any criticism with almost parental violence.  Of course, the criticism hasn’t stopped, it’s only become increasingly fragmented…and increasingly uneducated.  The studios finally have exactly what they want: an audience whose opinions can be manipulated with a trending social media post or empty-headed influencer.  Who knew the democratization of film criticism would have us pining for the days of Pauline Kael. Who is Pauline Kael?  Well, if Siskel & Ebert were the curmudgeonly uncles stuck in the balcony tossing off well-intentioned insults, Kael was the aunt whose cutting remark or unexpected praise were the talk of family reunions for years to come.  As the matriarch of film criticism, Kael lorded o

Most of us have ceased to appreciate the golden age of home video we’re now enjoying.  In fact, if an obscure horror movie  isn’t  presented in blemish-free 4K glory with interviews from cast, crew and an overly excited podcaster, the internet gets its collective knickers in a bunch.  So  Lover’s Lane , a tossed-together 1999 slasher sporting an early role for Anna Faris, probably won’t earn it any more accolades or notoriety.  Quite honestly, it might not deserve them.  But it  is  another sterling example of niche companies over-delivering on the sort of deluxe treatment even fans might not expect.  The murder of a pair of cheating spouses circles back on their children 13 years later when the maniac held responsible breaks out of the asylum.  Now another generation of teens is threatened by the “The Hook” as he works his way through their gang of cheerleaders, jocks and social misfits.   Lover’s Lane  is schizophrenically simple-minded and laughably complex.  It takes at least 20 mi

Jackie Chan was never content with his role as the “next Bruce Lee.”  In fact, he took the reins of his career quite early by working with trusted collaborators and, finally, directing films himself.  1985’s  Heart of Dragon was an obvious attempt to prove that he was more than just a comedic stuntman, pairing up with Sammo Hung (who also directed) in a family drama with just enough action to keep the hardcore fans happy.   Tat (Chan) is a cop struggling to balance his work and romantic life while taking care of his mentally challenged brother, Dodo (Hung), who all the neighborhood kids simply refer to as “Chubby.”  But when the pair get mixed up in a jewel robbery, family loyalty gets pushed to the limit as the brothers get caught on the wrong side of the law… and  the bad guys.   Years ahead of  Rain Man  and  Dominick and Eugene , the film certainly has its heart in the right place.  And Sammo’s performance as a child trapped in an adult body thankfully never sinks into slapstick te

The 1960s was a rough time for cinema.  Lacking the Atomic age innovation of the ‘50s and the creative freedom of the ‘70s, it was defined by the slow decay of the studio system and evolving audiences that weren’t so easy to pin down.  It wasn’t until the tail end of the decade that filmmakers found some solid footing in the form of counter-culture independents and outer-space spectacles.  But the same year as  Easy Rider  and  2001 , there were still movies like  The Assassination Bureau  desperately vying for attention in a world that seemed to be passing them by.  On the edge of World War 1, a clandestine organization of killers for hire is outed by a budding female journalist, Sonia Winter (Diana Rigg), who hires the chairman, Ivan Dragomiloff (Oliver Reed), to assassinate himself.  Always up for a challenge, Ivan sees the contract as a chance to test the mettle of his employees…and snuff out the secret plot of his second-in-command (Telly Savalas) whose ambitions for the bureau fo

No matter how many franchises it spawns on the big screen, the science-fiction genre is still perceived as inherently  uncool .  Even the combined directorial might of Kubrick, Spielberg and Cameron haven’t been able to overcome the idea of pew-pew laser guns and rocket ships on a string.  But maybe that’s for the best.  Maybe pulp sci-fi should always be a little left of center when it comes to pop culture.  It’s what makes filmmakers like Jeff Twohy seem like they’re making these sorts of films because they genuinely love the genre…not because it’s trendy.   The Grand Tour  (1991) was Twohy’s first time behind the camera after penning a pair of reasonably well received genre flicks:  Critters 2  and  Warlock .  And unlike his later  Riddick  films which would lean heavy into the macho tradition of Edgar Rice Burroughs, here he’s following the Spielberg  roadmap to the letter, pulling in elements from  Back to the Future  and  Amazing Stories  with a script based on a 1946 sci-fi nove

Streaming all-but destroyed the idea of listening to music in any particular order.   Suddenly carefully crafted albums (not to mention mixtapes) were obsolete, consumed in a random algorithm of greatest hits.  Sure, a great song can stand alone, but it’s even better in context.  What the hell does that have to do with  The Legend of Fong Sai-Yuk ? Well, the Jet Li / Cory Yuen joint contains what is arguably one of the best fight scenes in the modern kung fu era, one that could easily be enjoyed as a stand-alone highlight reel of Hong Kong action cinema…but the movie around it ain’t half bad either! A carefree trouble-maker, Fong Sai-Yuk (Jet Li) is constantly being bailed out of trouble by his mother (Josephine Siao), whose kung-fu skills equal or rival his own.  But when a Manchu conspiracy and impending wedding vows put her son in hot water, it takes the entire Fong family to set things right.   Plot-wise,  The Legend  (as it was titled on home video in the U.S.) is boilerplate mate