| Fringe Blog – Writing on Film, Culture, and Things on the Fringe

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

By jelewis8 ⋅ July 17, 2007 ⋅ 6 comments

The latest Harry Potter is heavy on talk and light on excitement. What once was mysterious has now become mundane.

1408

By jelewis8 ⋅ July 16, 2007 ⋅ Post a comment

The latest Stephen King adaptation starts out well, but gets mired by its own lackluster script and direction.

Transformers

By jelewis8 ⋅ July 6, 2007 ⋅ 5 comments

Transformers is everyone’s favourite summer movie. But guess what? Your cranky, resident film critic didn’t think much of it. Big surprise.

Spiderman 3

By jelewis8 ⋅ June 26, 2007 ⋅ Post a comment

What could have been a lean movie with a brisk plot turns laboriously complex, making this anticipated third movie a letdown.

Hot Fuzz

By jelewis8 ⋅ June 21, 2007 ⋅ Post a comment

A movie review of Hot Fuzz, the film starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, directed by Edgar Wright.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

By jelewis8 ⋅ May 30, 2007 ⋅ 2 comments

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End has everything going for it. Quality writing that is both dramatic and funny, without being patronizing, extremely smart CG and special effects, amazing production design and stylish costumes and makeup, sound and score that easily pulls one into the world of pirates and the supernatural, and direction by [...]

Grindhouse

By jelewis8 ⋅ May 14, 2007 ⋅ Post a comment

Grindhouse is a rebel film fan’s wet dream. Helmed by Tarantino and Rodriguez, two filmmakers who can legitimately be called auteurs, the flick is anything but high-brow cinema. Yet somehow, it transcends the bounds of normal schlock and exploitation cinema, becoming something not quite categorical in nature. Whispers of this leaning could be seen in [...]

300

By jelewis8 ⋅ May 7, 2007 ⋅ 2 comments

If only cars ran on testosterone. There’d be enough fuel in one viewing of 300 to power many nations, with enough left over to cause men’s heartrates to rise and muscles to bulge imperceptibly. Say hello to Pectoral Theatre. The movie is almost proto-Aryan in its ubermensch mentality–no flabby mutt blood in these characters’ veins. [...]

Blades of Glory

By jelewis8 ⋅ April 13, 2007 ⋅ One comment

Blades of Glory isn’t your typical stupid comedy. Well, it is. But it’s particularly well-cast, which gives every scene added currency. Clearly, everyone involved is having fun, but in many cases, are poking fun at themselves and the poser sentimentality of the of the sport genre movie. It’s possible to have a flick that neither [...]

The Wind That Shakes The Barley

By jelewis8 ⋅ April 5, 2007 ⋅ Post a comment

The Wind That Shakes The Barley borrows its name from an Irish tune that lilts and flirts as easily as it deceives. The song may sound lovely, but is a sad tale. Such is the case with Ken Loach’s film about two brothers who are bonded in blood then torn apart by peace–a clear indication [...]

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