‘Stan Helsing’ a helpless victim of its own absurdity


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The film Stan Helsing, written and directed by Bo Zenga, prominently displays the words “A Parody” in the opening credits, which leads one to believe that the movie will, in fact, be an acceptably humorous spoof. It’s supposed to poke fun at the horror genre, which has been done repeatedly (Scary Movie 1, 2, 3, […]

Muay Thai action outshines minimal plot


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Ong Bak 2: The Beginning proves that ridiculously awesome and awesomely ridiculous are not interchangeable. Although grand orchestrator Tony Jaa does a striking job with art design and skull-crushing action, the story and one-dimensional characters leave the film soundly in the latter category. It bites to be an overthrown prince. It burns to be captured […]

Colorful remake pales in comparison


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Welcome to the newest installation of computer-generated animation. Recall the 1980s when American kids would gather around the television to watch Astro Boy, a popular crossover series from Japan that featured a little robot boy with a heart of gold and the ability to kick some poetic justice. Decades later, Astro Boy is back with […]

Suspense film leaves viewers unsatisfied


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Word on the street is that after seeing Paranormal Activity, Steven Spielberg returned to the studio with the DVD in a trash bag. He claimed the door to his bedroom locked by itself after he watched the film. Was it the ghost of Orson Welles, still upset over Spielberg’s adaptation of War of the Worlds? […]

‘Good Hair’ doesn’t address the root of the matter


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Fifteen years ago, Chris Rock got the idea to create a documentary depicting the struggles various hair types pose, and the ramifications of “fashionable” hair styles within the black community. When his daughter asked him, “Daddy, how come I don’t have good hair?” Rock jumped into action to solve the issue for her, but also […]

Family finds healing in an unexpected way


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When a child has a condition and modern medicine offers no relief, some parents turn to faith. Others turn to natural healing. When the Isaacsons discovered their autistic son had a connection with horses, they did both. The documentary The Horse Boy follows the Isaacsons through Mongolia to visit shaman healers. Although the film has […]

In Theaters Today


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An Education This coming of age story, unlike any other, depicts the premature exposure of 16 year old Jenny (Carey Mulligan) to the sophisticated and seemingly glamrous world of glamorous 1960s London by a man twice her age (Peter Sarsgaard). Directed by Lone Scherfig and written by High Fidelity author Nick Hornby. Couple’s Retreat Vince […]