W.E. Won't Rock You: THE FRONT PAGE ONLINE

Film Review - W.E.


It’s not a good sign when you suspect filmmakers are lying to you. W.E.’s credits list Abbie Cornish in the role of a maritally distraught New Yorker obsessed with the scandalous love affair between the Once and Never More King of England, Edward VIII, and American Wallis Simpson. But throughout the film I wondered what Charlize Theron was doing slumming around in the glassy lead role when surely there was a better film elsewhere for her to inhabit.


Read the full review at The Front Page Online

Through a Glass, Bloodily - A Review of Alice: Madness Returns

"Gone was the innocuous blonde-haired girl with a summery blue-and-white dress and a penchant for attracting the whimsical. In her place, a dark gothic beauty with a blue, white, and bloodied dress, and a steely resolve to fight her way through Wonderland and, eventually, peace of mind."

A lengthy review of a very impressive game, at The Front Page Online:

Part 1

Part 2

quick review: Toy Story 3

I was a late admission to the Toy Story appreciation club, and even then I never rose above a loose associate membership. The first outing, with all the heft that comes from establishing a foothold in the history of animated films, was sweet and amusing, and followed by an enjoyable, light-hearted adventure sequel. Yet neither achieved for me, either artistically or emotionally, the depths of Finding Nemo and Wall*E. 


This time around, the toys confront the fact that their owner, Andy, has outgrown them on his way to college. Faced with a dusty retirement in the attic or a horrible fate at a local daycare, the emotions of nostalgia, family, and the free spirit of imagination are eloquently. The drama is terrific, though often intense as it involves horrifying scenarios of imprisonment and potential death as much as it does bittersweet goodbyes and, yes, hope. It holds its own with grace and a strong heart, but ironically takes on a more resonant tone with foreknowledge of the characters and their relationships from the previous two movies. Of three films nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar in 2010, I still lean towards How to Train Your Dragon or L’Illusioniste as the better films both in terms of animation and narrative effect, but the distinction is fine and, ultimately, rather pointless. See them all, and enjoy.

news from around the world: january 9, 2012

A handful of interesting article's I've read, and now share with you for your amusement and edification.

'Matrix'-Style Learning Implants New Skills in Brain

Shunning Facebook, and Living to Tell About It

President Obama Richly Deserves to Be Dumped

Ex-Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson, Former Democrat, Launches Third Party Presidential Bid Against Obama, GOP

Census shows 1 in 2 people are poor or low-income

“Super memory” pill–and possibly an Alzheimer’s cure–could be around the corner

This bastardised libertarianism makes 'freedom' an instrument of oppression

Warner Bros. Joins the Attack on Netflix

quick review - Dylan Dog: Dead of Night

Fans are, as I understand it, profoundly affronted by this film adaptation of the beloved and long-running Italian comic about an idiosyncratic paranormal investigator with the unlikely name of Dylan Dog. And with a 6% fresh rating on the TomatoMeter, film critics aren’t feeling the warm and fuzzies either. Understandably; though handsomely filmed, the script is mostly cardboard and the performances are mostly wooden or, at least, thinner than even the film’s paltry plot. Brandon Routh, better known for putting on the cape left behind by Superman Christopher Reeve, makes for a stilted protagonist. His partner, energetically played by Sam Huntington, fares better in the role of comic relief. The plot involves an artifact with the power to resurrect an unkillable monster, with Dylan trying to sort out a murder victim’s daughter, a power-hungry vampire, and a clan of werewolves. In other words, nothing that hasn’t been seen elsewhere in the Whedonverse or other offerings in the occult genre.


Yet nothing about the film is really bad, per se; merely lacking in professional refinement. The mystery is engaging enough to stick with, and the cast eventually loosens up as the film progresses. Sympathy for the dead is the film’s greatest asset, presenting the world of vampires, werewolves, and zombies not as unequivocally evil but just as morally variable as humans. A zombie subculture of body shops and support groups offers a hilarious and surprisingly poignant look at people who retain their personalities but have become undead creatures with unique needs. Into this universe comes a role for Dylan beyond occult detective; he serves as mediator between the living and the dead, ensuring that paranormal crimes don’t destabilize the social order. An interesting idea, and a refreshing alternative to the death-fearing stance typical of the horror genre.


Whatever the relationship to the comic, I find myself agreeing with other critics who see in Dylan Dog not a successful feature film, but a seed that a television series format could mature into something worthwhile.