Having just moved to a tree-filled lot near a creek, I was curious what all the chatter was about. I began noticing the variety of birds, like the small, blue-gray speedster in the flower beds and the orange-mohawked punk rocker that gathered twigs outside my window. An entire Crayola box of birds flitted around my […]
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Restoration project
And compared to previous years’ budgets full of bad news, cuts and declining revenue, this one wasn’t so bad. “Relative to last year, it’s good economic times, but if you look at the trends that we’ve seen, it’s really more moderate economic times,” said City Manager Jim Couch. “There are a lot of good things […]
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The Mechanic
Fresh from the all-star “The Expendables,” Statham takes over Charles Bronson’s role from the 1972 “Mechanic” as Arthur, the title’s hit man for hire who is ordered to off his wealthy mentor (Donald Sutherland, TV’s “The Pillars of the Earth”) and then, feeling guilty, takes the man’s destitute son, Steve (Ben Foster, “Pandorum”), under his […]
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The Dorm That Dripped Blood
Whatever you call it, it’s a minor cult item that’s finally making a jump to shiny discs, thanks to Synapse Films, and via an uncensored cut at that. It’s recommended only to slasher fans and anybody who’s ever wished to see Daphne Zuniga get run over. Yes, this marks the film debut of Zuniga, who […]
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The Big Bang
For a review in a few hundred more, read on. Private dick Ned (Antonio Banderas) is hired by a 7-foot Russian ex-con (wrassler Robert Malliet, “Sherlock Holmes”) to locate Lexie Persimmon (Guillory), a to-die-for stripper who’s been pledging her undying love to the prisoner as a pen pal. Strange thing is, her return address is […]
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Drive Angry
The tax-strapped Nicolas Cage of late seems to be selecting roles that require the Oscar winner to do the least amount of acting (“Season of the Witch,” “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” et al.) but when the projects turn out like this one, I’m all up for his creative slump. With ever-present sunglasses, black leather and mangy […]
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Burning Palms
That’s a close-enough summation of “Burning Palms”; even then, the sleeper surprise offers many scoops of the unexpected. From the wonderfully devious mind of writer/director Christopher B. Landon (screenwriter of “Paranormal Activity 2” and “Disturbia,” and son of the late Michael Landon, who likely would be appalled) comes this anthology of five tales set in […]
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Smile Jenny, You’re Dead
How ironic for this made-for-TV movie to sport “Smile” in its (incorrectly punctuated) title, because for network television — especially in 1974 — it’s remarkably morose. But it’s a crime drama, so that’s a good thing.“The Fugitive” fugitive David Janssen headlines as Harry Orwell, a former California cop who left the force after taking a […]
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Kaboom
That’s not to say his latest, “Kaboom,” is good, but compared to past efforts like “The Doom Generation,” “Nowhere” and “Smiley Face,” which verge on the unfinishable, it’s an improvement. His work is perhaps best described as candy-coated gay camp — don’t complain; he’d take that as a compliment — but he needs to make […]
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Crossroads Mall’s future at a crossroads
The mall, located near the intersection of Interstate 240 and Interstate 35, was built in 1973 and is 1.2 million square feet. In the last decade, it lost all but one of its anchor stores; the owners couldn’t pay the mortgage, which was held by Bear Sterns; and the property was scooped up by the […]