-
Furious, Hungover and Lost
For this week's Sandbox column, I look into why games based on movies – titles that always arrive in large quantities during the summer – generally suck. The Sandbox: License to Infuriate (IFC News) As for the week's reviews, two are mixed-positive and two are negative, though one of the latter still has its merits.…
-
Sunday Night Updating
This weekend's review update – featuring my last write-up's for The Screengrab, which officially signs off today – is a bit late. But it makes up for its tardiness with some – gasp! – honest-to-goodness positivity. Out Now:Up (The Screengrab)Drag Me to Hell (The Screengrab)Pontypool (Slant magazine)What Goes Up (Slant magazine)
-
War, Present and Future
For my latest Sandbox column, I take a look at the controversy surrounding Six Days in Fallujah, a game based on the 2004 Iraq war conflict that was recently canceled by Konami. The Sandbox: Interactive Iraq (IFC News) As for reviews, I have some less-than-glowing things to say about this weekend's two major releases, both…
-
Monday Morning Tweet Tweet
After an insanely hectic weekend delayed its arrival, here's my latest review round-up. And for those who can't get enough of me, I'm now also on Twitter, at nschager. Follow away! Now Playing:Angels & Demons (Slant magazine)The Brothers Bloom (The Screengrab)Jerichow (The Screengrab)Management (Cinematical)
-
Worthwhile Trek
Star Trek is sure to make a killing this weekend, and deservedly so. But my praise this week extends beyond J.J. Abrams' reboot to Braid, an XBOX Live downloadable game that's the focus of my latest Sandbox column over at IFC News. The Sandbox: "Braid" Forges A Path for Indie Gaming (IFC News) In Theaters:Star…
-
Sharpening the Claws
Summer movie season officially kicks off today with the release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It's an inauspicious beginning, to be sure, though in the first major surprise of the year, this superhero prequel is no more intolerable than Jim Jarmusch's latest. Out Now:X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Slant magazine)The Limits of Control (The Screengrab)Ghosts of Girlfriends Past…
-
Ready to Rumble
Over at IFC News, I investigate the cinema's attempts to mimic video games' rumbling-controller effects. And in the review department, I take a look at fiction and non-fiction portraits of fighters, a nature doc culled from the BBC's Planet Earth, a racially charged Fatal Attraction clone, and a wretched Greek import. The Sandbox: Shake Your…
-
Crank It Up
Crank: High Voltage offers up just what its predecessor did – frenzied, outrageous, R-rated cartoon sex and violence, as well as heavy doses of racism, sexism and homophobia. Though always going at 100 mph, it's far more dull than the comparably restrained, refined State of Play. Now Playing:Crank: High Voltage (Slant magazine)State of Play (The…
-
Observing and Reporting
Thanks to a busy holiday weekend, this new link post is a bit late. But, rest assured, it's still oh-so-very relevant. My latest Sandbox Column:The Sandbox: Blockbusteritis (IFC News) Out Now:Observe and Report (Slant magazine)Hannah Montana: The Movie (Cinematical)Lymelife (The Screengrab)An Unlikely Weapon (The Screengrab) My latest "Letdowns" column at The Screengrab:Ghostbusters II (The Screengrab)
-
Eight Track
Eight new reviews for this Friday morning, all for films that open today. In Theaters:Fast & Furious (Slant magazine)Sugar (The Screengrab)Gigantic (The Screengrab)Paris 36 (Slant magazine) The Escapist (Slant magazine) Forbidden Lie$ (Slant magazine)The Song of Sparrows (The Screengrab)Alien Trespass (The Screengrab) And coming next week – a new Sandbox column, as well as my…
