Action Rod Lott
Love it or hate it, the Clash of the Titans remake accomplished
something the 1981 original could not manage: Birth a sequel. As much
cash as that 2010 upgrade made, the shoddy job of converting it to 3-D
after production left a lot of moviegoers feeling burned, which may
explain why Wrath of the Titans was unable to draw similar numbers.
Drama Rod Lott
It's fun to view Back from Eternity as an early, lower-wattage version of the Airport disaster franchise that ruled the 1970s. Actually, I take that back: It’s not fun at all. It’s a dour,
depressing, overwrought melodrama as only old-school Hollywood could do.
Action Rod Lott
When The Expendables reinvigorated my love of Dolph Lundgren, the
one movie I couldn't wait to get my hands on from his golden age of
wide theatrical releases was the one I never got to see: 1988's Red Scorpion. So naturally, it was out-of-print.
‘God Bless’ Bobcat Goldthwait for making this savage satire.
Comedy Rod Lott
With God Bless America,
writer/director Bobcat Goldthwait slices a wound on our country's
collective stupidity, then wrings a lemon wedge into its opening. Too
bad his targets aren't likely to watch it on purpose. And if they did,
they're less likely to get the joke. Their loss.
Comedy Rod Lott
One man's symphony is another's pollution, and to police inspector
Amadeus Warnebring (Bengt Nilsson), head of the department's
anti-terrorism unit, no music is good music. Although coming from a
family of musicians, he's tone-deaf. Notes make his ears bleed,
literally.
Thriller Phil Bacharach
Oliver Stone might be best-known for making movies filled with political and cultural bomb-throwing (JFK, Natural Born Killers), but
what makes his best works so eminently watchable is their visceral
punch. He might claim he’s out to edify, but the guy can exploit with
the best of ’em.
Does 457 minutes of Batman sound like a good Bat-time to you?
Sleep? Who needs it?
Certainly not debonair billionaire Bruce Wayne. Because if he took time to catch some Zs, who would keep Gotham City in check? That dude dons cowl and cape every night, busting his ass to keep it clean of jokers.
I speak of Batman, of course. I’ve been a huge Batman fan since Adam West and Burt Ward camped it up in reruns of their Pop Art-inspired series. The caped crusader was the first Halloween costume I remember having — and homemade by my loving mother, even!
Therefore, more than any other movie this year, I look forward to The Dark Knight Rises, the final chapter in director Christopher Nolan’s defining trilogy that began in 2005 with Batman Begins and hit unexpected creative heights three years later with the double Oscar-winning, billion-buck grosser, The Dark Knight, putting the misdeeds of Joel Schumacher and his nipple suits far in the past.
Which goes back to the issue of nocturnal slumber: Beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, Harkins Bricktown Cinemas, 150 E. Reno, hosts The Ultimate Dark Knight Marathon, screening Nolan’s first two Batman films before Rises, well, rises at midnight.
For $20, you can catch all three movies, plus get a commemorative lanyard and some refreshments. Better make the drink something with a serious dose of caffeine. For more information, call 231-4747 or visit harkinstheatres.com. —Rod Lott
Rachel Weisz commits the vice of adultery in a drama so pedestrian-paced, it makes sex look boring.
Drama Rod Lott
Don’t confuse last year’s drama The Deep Blue Sea with Deep Blue Sea, the 1999 action movie about sharks. Based on a stage play, this is the one that could use some sharks.