Summer Film Series – Vol. 7, No. 5: NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM – BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN

August 18, 2009 at Movies 10 in Plano, Texas 
 
I am a die-hard fan of Night at the Museum, so the decision to take another crazy ride with those living exhibits was the simplest movie decision ever. The fact that I visited Washington, D.C., once upon a time only served to make the film all the [...]

Summer Film Series – Vol. 7, No. 4: JULIE & JULIA

August 8, 2009 at Movies 14, McKinney, Texas 
 
The more I view the work of Meryl Streep, the more I am convinced that she is our greatest living actress. Her talents are undeniable, but in recent years, as she enjoys an unexpected phase of her career, she has become larger than life. She portrays characters with [...]

Summer Film Series – Vol. 7, No. 3: PUBLIC ENEMIES

July 5, 2009, at Movies 14 in McKinney, Texas  
At this point I’m a full-fledged fan of both Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, so the idea of both starring in one film — and a gangster film set in my beloved Chicago, no less — really just sealed the deal for me with regard to Public [...]

Summer Film Series – Vol. 7, No. 2: UP

June 25, 2009 at Movies 14 in McKinney, Texas

When the first trailer appeared for Pixar’s latest film, UP, my reaction was, “Um… no.” I was thoroughly disappointed in the concept, despite the beauty of the film itself. A story about a cranky old man and his balloon-powered flying house didn’t have appeal. It seemed… weird. [...]

Summer Film Series – Vol. 7, No. 1: TERMINATOR SALVATION

June 22, 2009 at Movies 14 in McKinney, Texas

You might think I’ve always been a fan of the Terminator films, given my love of sci-fi and action movies, but the truth is that I didn’t actually realize that love until the last decade or so. Before that I enjoyed science fiction like Star Wars and [...]

Summer Film Series – Vol. 6, No. 8: THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA – PRINCE CASPIAN

August 12, 2008, at Movies 10 in Plano, Texas

The Chronicles of Narnia have such a special place in my heart, so I’m always looking forward to the films. And Prince Caspian is a treat for me because I don’t have as much familiarity with the story as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In [...]

Summer Film Series – Vol. 6, No. 7: THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE

August 1, 2008, at Movies 14 in McKinney, Texas

Somehow I missed the news last year that this big screen X-Files sequel was in production, and its appearance in the 2008 summer lineup was a complete surprise to me. While I was very excited to return to the bizarre world that had captivated me throughout the [...]

Summer Film Series – Vol. 6, No. 6: THE DARK KNIGHT

July 18, 2008 at Movies 14, McKinney, Texas

In preparation for the next chapter in the Batman saga, I rewatched Batman Begins last night, wanting to remember all the key points that might be referenced in the new film. What I failed to realize was just how great is that film. Sure, I enjoyed it a [...]

Summer Film Series – Vol. 6, No. 5: WANTED

July 10, 2008, at Movies 14, McKinney, Texas

A lot of movies have been made in the past eight years that mimic the look of The Matrix, yet very few have appealed to me. The Matrix is in the top five of my All-Time Favorite Movies list, and I refuse to have it sullied by every [...]

Summer Film Series – Vol. 6, No. 4: WALL•E

July 1, 2008 at Movies 14, McKinney, Texas

The critics have crowned WALL•E as Pixar’s “best yet”. I had my reservations about this, of course, because I hold so many of the films dear, but I was happy to keep my judgments at bay until first viewing. At the end of the film, I could easily [...]

Summer Film Series – Vol. 6, No. 3: THE INCREDIBLE HULK

June 20, 2008, at Movies 14, McKinney, Texas

I am one of the great minority that did not fully despise the first pass at bringing Hulk to the big screen. Ang Lee’s version has some beauty in the midst of its chaos, and I still very much enjoy Eric Bana’s performance. Nonetheless, Hulk holds a special [...]

Summer Film Series – Vol. 6, No. 2: THE HAPPENING

June 13, 2008, at Movies 14, McKinney, Texas
I’m a die-hard fan of M. Night Shyamalan. I’m one of the few who loves The Village, and one of the fewer who enjoyed Lady in the Water. So I’m hard-pressed to slam anything that Shyamalan creates, no matter how unusual or (in the case of The Happening) [...]

Summer Film Series – Vol. 6, No. 1: INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL

May 27, 2008, at Cinemark 16, Allen, Texas

Naturally, there would be very little that would cause me to dislike the fourth (final?) installment of the Indiana Jones film series. First, it has everything going for it: a beloved character too-long-gone, a reteaming of the creative minds that first brought the genius to light, a contemporary [...]

Summer Film Series – Vol. 5, No. 5: OCEAN’S THIRTEEN

July 8, 2007, at Cinemark Allen 16, Allen, Texas

What can be said about the Ocean’s movies that hasn’t already been said? They are delightfully goofy, and the cast continues to impress with each new film. I have enjoyed seeing them grow in their characters to where they now appear to be second skins, and [...]

Summer Film Series – Vol. 5, No. 4: EVENING

July 6, 2007, at Cinemark Allen 16, Allen, Texas

image from Yahoo Movies

Summer Film Series – Vol. 5, No. 3: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN – AT WORLD’S END

June 23, 2007, at Movies 14, McKinney, Texas

I absolutely loved this film, and for so many reasons! Visually it is definitely the most impressive, and the story was more engaging than any of its predecessors. It has a perfect balance of beloved characters and new ones, coupled with a most suprising array of talent. And [...]

Summer Film Series – Vol 5, No. 2: FANTASTIC FOUR – RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER

June 21, 2007, at Movies 14, McKinney, Texas

I am an unapologetic fan of the first Fantastic Four film, so I was thrilled with a second one this summer. I love Ioan Gruffudd, Michael Chiklis, and the delightfully irreverent Julian McMahon, and I enjoy the simple good fun presented in these films. But when I saw [...]

Summer Film Series – Vol 5, No. 1: SPIDER-MAN 3

May 9, 2007, at Movies 14, McKinney, Texas

It’s appropriate that a comic book film is my first popcorn flick of the summer. Summer movies are meant to be fun, action-packed, and easy on the brain. Spider-Man 3 surprised me just a bit, but was all I expected it to be.
My friend Adam wasn’t that impressed [...]

Summer Movie Plan 2007

I’m sure it’s no surprise that I am a subscriber to Entertainment Weekly, and this past week they published my favorite issue of the year: Summer Movie Preview. This one issue guides most all of my activities for the next four months as I attempt to see all of the popcorn flicks and usually [...]

Summer Film Series – Vol 4, No. 5: MIAMI VICE