Movie Review: God Bless America

Today's film poses me an interesting dilemma to which I'm not sure I have an answer: To what extent is indulgence and emotional catharsis in film an good thing?

Movie Madhouse: Taken 2

Back for a pointless, ever-so-slightly xenophobic sequel, Liam Neeson is...the Taken guy.

Movie Madhouse: Dredd & Looper

Dystopian futures, badass gunmen, and heaps of ultraviolence. That's my kinda weekend at the movies.

The Lunatic Fringe: Judge Dredd

Charged with the crime of liking Batman & Robin, Joshua the Anarchist has been declared insane and committed to Arkham Asylum. Locked away in a padded cell, he will endure movie after movie as doctors attempt to "treat" him. He may not have gone in a madman, but he soon will be.

This episode, Josh will give his deranged take on the 1995 Judge Dredd movie.

Things are Changing on the Lunatic Fringe

Teaser for the next episode.

Movie Madhouse (The Series Formerly Known as Anarchy at the Movies): Resident Evil: Retribution

So yeah, I haven't been updating the blog like I should. Sorry about that. Anarchy at the Movies has a new name now. Enjoy.

Movie Review: The Expendables 2

The ultimate selling point of The Expendables franchise has largely been similar to The Avengers. Certainly they could not be more different in overall tone, and there is no continuity experiment at work. But at their most basic, they are both ensemble films offering the previously unheard of opportunity to see all your favorite childhood heroes teaming up in the same movie. For Avengers it was the comic book characters they grew up reading. For Expendables it's the action stars of the movies of their teens. But there is a reason why Avengers worked and the Expendables films absolutely do not. Comic book superheroes, whether because of their adaptability, their universal themes of teamwork and altruism, or their fantastical detachment from reality that keeps them from being anchored to one setting or time period, have a timeless quality to them. The Avengers was about characters that have been enjoyed by generation after generation of readers. It was a movie that touched that small shred of childhood innocence every jaded adult still has and taught us to cheer and have fun again. The Expendables, by contrast, is anchored unshakably to one long dead era in action filmmaking.