Thursday 20 Jun
 
 

Terror on a Train

Not to be confused with the ’80s slasher Terror Train — but, oh, how I wish it were! — 1952's Terror on a Train finds Glenn Ford (Superman: The Movie's Pa Kent) as Peter Lyncort, a bomb diffuser whose home life with his spouse (French actress Anne Vernon) is currently as explosive as his work life.
06/20/2013 | Comments 0

The Monk

For several years, I’ve intended to read Matthew G. Lewis' 1796 novel, The Monk. I even bought a snazzy trade-paperback edition with an introduction from Stephen King. Never got around to cracking it open.
06/20/2013 | Comments 0

The Last Exorcism Part II

Unlike many moviegoers, 17-year-old farm girl Nell Sweetzer (Ashley Bell, The Day) has no memory of the events of The Last Exorcism, a found-footage smash of three years prior. The Last Exorcism Part II finds her taking steps to build life anew, beginning in a boarding house for troubled girls, where the deeply devout Nell is exposed to such heretofore corrupting influences as lipstick and rock music and YouTube and cotton candy.
06/19/2013 | Comments 0

The ABCs of Death

Suspense novelist Jeffery Deaver once praised the short-story format, writing that the minimal time investment on the part of the reader allows the writer to get away with endings he or she cannot in the long form. In other words, the writer can be meaner, more devious. He's absolutely right, and the theory applies wholesale to The ABCs of Death, more or less a horror anthology depicting "26 ways to die."
06/19/2013 | Comments 0

Ninja III: The Domination

Don't ask why Ninja III: The Domination begins with a ninja assault on a municipal golf course. Just be grateful it does. You also may wonder why its sex scene employs a can of V8: Don't question it. Just lie back and enjoy it.
06/14/2013 | Comments 0
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Thriller
 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo


Thriller

Rod Lott
As not-so-boldly predicted, director David Fincher (“The Social Network”) delivers a superior remake of Sweden’s global hit “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” an adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s phenomenon of a novel.
 
Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Martha Marcy May Marlene

Desire for community leads to the dark side of humanity in ‘Martha Marcy May Marlene,’ a chilling film by any name.


Thriller

Kathryn Jenson White
Community ranks as key on the list of basic human needs. After water, food and shelter, our need to connect with others drives and defines us.
 
Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The Skin I Live In

In ‘The Skin I Live In,’ Antonio Banderas is like Spain’s answer to Dr. Frankenstein. ¡Está vivo!


Thriller

Rod Lott
As one character says to another in “The Skin I Live In,” “Don’t look at the surfaces.” He refers to the literal and physical, but writer/director Pedro Almodóvar may be instructing his audience in the figurative sense.
 
Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The Debt

Near-excellent espionage lies at the core of ‘The Debt.’


Thriller

Rod Lott
First with “Red” and now with “The Debt,” Helen Mirren has cornered the market on films with senior-citizen assassins. Whereas “Red” was goofy and spoofy, “The Debt” is stone-cold serious — the rare thriller that’s actually smart. Would you expect less from a director as literary-minded as “Shakespeare in Love”’s John Madden?
 
Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Source Code

Can’t save the world in eight minutes? Try, try again, posits ‘Source Code,’ a mind-bender that keeps you guessing.


Thriller

Doug Bentin
In order to enjoy “Source Code” to its fullest, stay alert — not always a necessity with thrillers. This time, if you snooze, you lose.
 
Wednesday, April 6, 2011

The Adjustment Bureau

Underwhelming and lacking in energy


Thriller

Rod Lott
I get the feeling "The Adjustment Bureau" was created by an improv group soliciting a mishmash of ideas from its audience: It's a thriller! And a romance! Plus science fiction! And it has hats with magical powers!
 
Friday, March 4, 2011

Let Me In

 
Thursday, October 7, 2010

The Town

 
Thursday, September 23, 2010

Devil

 
Thursday, September 23, 2010

Machete

 
Thursday, September 16, 2010

The American

 
Thursday, September 9, 2010

Chloe

 
Thursday, March 25, 2010

Green Zone

 
Thursday, March 18, 2010

Shutter Island

 
Thursday, February 25, 2010

Sherlock Holmes

 
Thursday, December 31, 2009
 
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