Tag Archives: S

Say Anything… (1989)

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Say-Anything

Truly, “Say Anything” is one of the most iconic romance movies of all time. It’s a last gasp of the eighties and in many ways a very touching tale of two people finding one another. But one of the best things about it is the final scene. Much in the way “The Graduate” ended, “Say Anything” puts our characters through the ringer, and then throws everything up in the air leaving it there for the audience to figure out what will happen next. Like Benjamin and Elaine in “The Graduate,” our young couple sits on a plane awaiting their fate and look at one another pondering on what the future holds.

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Shandar – The Shrunken City (1998)

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You have to love how our kiddy duo complain that the bottled city of Kandor–er–Shandar isn’t protected when it’s been seated by hieroglyphs deep in a cave underground. And in Pennsylvania! No one would ever expect a bottled city to be hidden in Pennsylvania. Directed by Ted Nicolaou who brought us many of Full Moon’s more entertaining genre outings, “The Shrunken City” (or as it’s known now: “Shandar–The Shrunken City”) is a entertaining enough for kids, but incredibly convoluted. I was never quite sure what the hell was going on, all I knew was that two kids found the miniature city of Kandor–er–Shandar.

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The Shadow: Collector’s Edition (1994) [Blu-ray]

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I love pulp heroes and classic superheroes from the 1930’s. If you were around during the 90’s, you will remember many of the heroes that studios attempted to revive for big franchises and massive movie series. And sadly they all failed. From Tarzan, and The Phantom, right down to The Rocketeer, they were all fun movies, but audiences wanted no part of their worlds. “The Shadow,” the biggest inspiration for the creation of Batman, is still one of the most underrated superhero adaptations ever made, but one that unfortunately never bloomed in to a full fledged film series.

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Santa (2014)

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It’s Santa! Or is it Krampus? In either case, directors Dionysis and Manos Atzarakis have a real winner on their hands with the very short but utterly creepy “Santa.” Though it’s barely two minutes in length, “Santa” garners enough of a story element and set up to become utterly horrifying; Especially considering the tropes of Santa being a welcoming and loving presence on Christmas night.

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Short Term 12 (2013)

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Brie Larson has remained one of the most subtle and hard working character actors in modern film, sometimes taking seemingly missed turns in great indies (The Spectacular Now), and often blowing people away with supporting performances (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World). In “Short Term 12,” Larson proves she’s capable of being a lead and should often play the leading character in films that can show she’s a performer of beauty and immense vulnerability.

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The Spectacular Now (2013)

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Director James Ponsoldt’s drama is very much a film that takes its pages from John Hughes’ teen oriented films about change and growing up. “The Spectacular Now” is much in the arena of “Breakfast Club,” and “Say Anything” where what we once thought we understood is actually false, and we eventually reach a fork in the road where we must decide to move on, or stay perpetually stunted by our environment. Director Ponsoldt introduces us to the destructive part of our lives that keep us from accepting growth and adulthood, and he just happens to be our protagonist Sutter.

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Shadowzone (1990)

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Shadowzone

I tried very hard to stay awake and somewhat alert through “Shadowzone” but mid-way I had a difficult time even keeping my attention on the convoluted plot. With the tagline “Beyond Alien! Beyond The Thing!” Cardone’s science fiction horror hybrid is so beyond boring. Director J.S. Cardone definitely steals from the former films wholesale, but none of it ever amounts to a remotely entertaining horror science fiction film. I’d sooner watch 2011’s “The Thing” before I watched “Shadowzone” one more time.

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