Poolhall Junkies tries very hard to be a hip mix of Rounders grittiness, Reservoir Dogs machismo, and Swingers camaraderie, but doesn’t have the talent to pull it off. Although there is an impressive cast for such a low budget feature ($4...
Slowly but surely, Mexican director Guillermo del Toro has been crafting a nice little career for himself as a director of atmospheric horror, and El Espinazo del Diablo (or The Devil’s Backbone, as it’s known in the English-language...
The Vagrant is another of those “suburban nightmare” flicks that came out in the 80s, only a few years too late. Had it come sooner, it might have found a modest audience for those who...
1970s / Adventure / Family / Fantasy / Science Fiction
by Vincent Leo · Published February 24, 2003 · Last modified April 22, 2019
With Harry Potter all the rage these days, it would seem the perfect time to release Escape to Witch Mountain on DVD. After all, they both feature child magicians just learning that they have gifts beyond mere mortals,...
by Vincent Leo · Published February 22, 2003 · Last modified April 21, 2019
Spoof-meister Mel Brooks, having recently spoofed Westerns (Blazing Saddles), horror flicks (Young Frankenstein), and the silent movie era (Silent Movie), sets his sights on the works of Alfred Hitchcock in his sixth directorial effort. ...
by Vincent Leo · Published February 21, 2003 · Last modified April 20, 2019
Although the blurb at the beginning states that Fargo is based on a true story, it’s actually not. Oh, those wacky Coen brothers are an odd couple, aren’t they? The film starts off with William...
by Vincent Leo · Published February 20, 2003 · Last modified April 20, 2019
The Pledge follows an aging Nevada homicide detective (Nicholson), days from retirement, who investigates a child murder in the snows of the nearby hills. He vows to find the murderer to the parents of the...
1980s / Animation / Family / Fantasy
by Vincent Leo · Published February 19, 2003 · Last modified April 20, 2019
For the record, I watched the dubbed American version of My Neighbor Totoro (or Tonari No Totoro if you need the Japanese title) because it was the only option available to me at the time. I try to...
1980s / Comedy / Mystery / Thriller
by Vincent Leo · Published February 18, 2003 · Last modified June 26, 2022
Bates Motel was announced in February 1987 as a two-hour pilot for a proposed new comedy-thriller series on NBC. It was the brainchild of screenwriter Richard Rothstein, creator of the HBO series, “The Hitchhiker”....
Ryder is Patty Vare, who has been getting visits from the local police regarding her knowledge about the whereabouts of a stolen car and a missing baseball player. Not wanting to deal with it,...
Reviews from film writer Vince Leo, covering all eras and genres of films from classics to the latest releases.
Film reviews from Vince Leo, from classics to new releases, since 1996.
