Considering the lofty expectations that preceded it, The Matrix Reloaded triumphs where most sequels fail. It would be impossible to match the fresh audacity that made The Matrix a global phenomenon in 1999, but in continuing the exploits of rebellious Neo (Keanu Reeves), Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) as they struggle to save the human sanctuary of Zion from invading machines, the codirecting Wachowski brothers have their priorities well in order. They offer the obligatory bigger and better highlights (including the impressive "Burly Brawl" and freeway chase sequences) while remaining focused on cleverly plotting the middle of a brain-teasing trilogy that ends with The Matrix Revolutions. The metaphysical underpinnings can be dismissed or scrutinized, and choosing the latter course (this is, after all, an epic about choice and free will) leads to astonishing repercussions that made Reloaded an explosive hit with critics and hardcore fans alike. As the centerpiece of a multimedia franchise, this dynamic sequel ends with a cliffhanger that virtually guarantees a mind-blowing conclusion. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

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Asin: B0000AXE8I
Subjects:  1. Science Fiction   

Neo thus embarks on an adventure that is both terrifying and enthralling. Pitted against an enemy that transcends human concepts of evil, Morpheus and his team must train Neo to believe that he is the chosen champion of their fight. With mind-boggling, technically innovative special effects and a thought-provoking script that owes a debt of inspiration to the legacy of cyberpunk fiction, this is much more than an out-and-out action yarn; it's a thinking man's journey into the realm of futuristic fantasy, a dreamscape full of eye candy that will satisfy sci-fi, kung fu, action, and adventure fans alike. Although the film is headlined by Reeves andFishburne--who both turn in fine performances--much of the fun and excitement should be attributed to Moss, who flawlessly mixes vulnerability with immense strength, making other contemporary female heroines look timid by comparison. And if we were going to cast a vote for most dastardly movie villain of 1999, it would have to go to Hugo Weaving, who plays the feckless, semipsychotic Agent Smith with panache and edginess. As the film's box-office profits soared, the Wachowski brothers announced that The Matrix is merely the first chapter in a cinematically dazzling franchise--a chapter that is arguably superior to the other sci-fi smash of 1999 (you know... the one starring Jar Jar Binks).--Jeremy Storey ... Read more

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Asin: B00000K19E
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-action/Adventure   

When three thirtysomething friends with woman troubles (Luke Wilson,Will Ferrell, and Vince Vaughn) decide to form a fraternity, it's supposedly tosave Wilson from losing his house, which the nearby college is trying to claimfor academic purposes. But really, Ferrell and Vaughn are desperate to return tothe reckless, feckless days of beer bongs and hot chicks, and they drag Wilsonalong with them as they throw themselves into gathering frat pledges of allages. Old School could have been just another string of bad jokes hangingon a flimsy plot, but the script and the cast have a jovial energy and justenough grounding in reality--at least, up until the obligatory beat-the-systemending, but by that point you'll forgive the excesses of this silly, cheerful, and frequentlyfunny movie. Featuring Jeremy Piven and Juliette Lewis, with cameos by SnoopDog, Andy Dick, and others. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Asin: B00005JM1F

A U.S. soldier is dead, and military lawyers Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee and Lieutenant Commander JoAnne Galloway want to know who killed him. "You want the truth?" snaps Colonel Jessup (Jack Nicholson). "You can't handle the truth!" Astonishingly, Jack Nicholson's legendary performance as a military tough guy in A Few Good Men really amounts to a glorified cameo: he's only in a few scenes. But they're killer scenes, and the film has much more to offer.Tom Cruise (Kaffee) shines as a lazy lawyer who rises to the occasion, and Demi Moore (Galloway) gives a command performance. Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, J.T. Walsh, and Cuba Gooding Jr. (of Jerry Maguire fame) round out the superb cast.Director Rob Reiner poses important questions about the rights of the powerful and the responsibilities of those just following orders in this classic courtroom drama. ... Read more

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Asin: B00005B6JZ
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-drama   

One of the best romantic comedies of the 1990s, this box-office hit cemented writer-director Cameron Crowe's reputation as "the voice of a generation." Crowe could probably do without that label, but he's definitely in sync with the times with this savvy story about a sports agent (Tom Cruise) whose fall from grace motivates his quest for professional recovery, and the slow-dawning realization that he needs the love and respect of the single mom (Renée Zellweger in her breakthrough role) who has supported him through the worst of times. This is one of Cruise's best, most underrated performances, and in an Oscar-winning role, Cuba Gooding Jr. plays the football star who remains Jerry Maguire's only loyal client on a hard road to redemption and personal growth. If that sounds touchy-feely, it is only because Crowe has combined sharp entertainment with a depth of character that is rarely found in mainstream comedy. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

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Asin: 0800141741
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-drama   

Set in the chillingly possible future of 2054, Steven Spielberg's Minority Report is arguably the most intelligently provocative sci-fi thriller since Blade Runner. Like Ridley Scott's "future noir" classic, Spielberg's gritty vision was freely adapted from a story by Philip K. Dick, with its central premise of "Precrime" law enforcement, totally reliant on three isolated human "precogs" capable (due to drug-related mutation) of envisioning murders before they're committed. As Precrime's confident captain, Tom Cruise preempts these killings like a true action hero, only to run for his life when he is himself implicated in one of the precogs' visions. Inspired by the brainstorming of expert futurists, Spielberg packs this paranoid chase with potential conspirators (Max Von Sydow, Colin Farrell), domestic tragedy, and a heartbreaking precog pawn (Samantha Morton), while Cruise's performance gains depth and substance with each passing scene. Making judicious use of astonishing special effects, Minority Report brilliantly extrapolates a future that's utterly convincing, and too close for comfort. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

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Asin: B00005JL78
Subjects:  1. Feature Film-action/Adventure   

People is the most wildly, consistently successful magazine in history (not to mention the most stolen from lunchrooms) and it's avidly read by half the population of America each year. Why? The people at People know what you want to read: the absolute latest, impossible-to-get dish on celebrity scandals (a $3-million-a-year fact-checking department keeps it real); definitive tribute issues; snappy wrap-ups on the whereabouts of yesterday's stars and the current Most Beautiful People; riveting stories of real folks caught up in the day's biggest news, health, and crime stories; and quick picks and pans on what's up in entertainment. And after years of black-and-white drabness, the mag has fully mastered the art of flashy, full-color photography. --Bob Brandeis ... Read more

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Asin: B00005R8BC
Subjects:  1. Entertainment    2. Movies (Movie, Films, Film, Cinema)    3. Music    4. TV (Television)    5. Motion picture actors and actresses    6. Celebrities   

It may share the same ZIP Code as its Tinseltown cousin Entertainment Weekly, but Premiere is a far different magazine, focusing less on gossip and more on the nuts and bolts that have helped Hollywood become a gigantic industry. Premiere tackles the big picture through articles like "Women in Film," "The Ultimate Summer Movie Guide," and "The Power List" of who's who in Hollywood. Premiere also offers a great variety of profiles, from movie stars to behind-the-scene players like grips and gaffers. Smart, unbiased reviews accompany each month's top movie releases, and the "In the Works" and "Home Guide" sections track films from creation to video release. Libby Gelman-Waxner adds humor with her indelible look at film from the fan's point of view. --Doug Thomas ... Read more

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Asin: B00005N7NT
Subjects:  1. Literary    2. Entertainment    3. Movies (Movie, Films, Film, Cinema)   

The brainchild of Andy Warhol back in the heyday of the '70s club culture, Interview magazine has morphed from newsletter and photo essay of the Studio 54 set to the arbiter of what defines cutting edge for the nation (well, at least those in the nation who believe New York to be the center of the universe). It's magazine chic at its highest. When you pick up the magazine, don't look for Julia Roberts; look for the woman who will eclipse Julia in the next five years. The concept of the magazine couldn't be simpler--Q&A format, accompanied by photographs--but the Q is often provided by celebrity interviewers, and the A is usually extremely insightful, intriguing, and candid. And the photographs are the crème de la crème, by A-list lensers like Bruce Weber, Herb Ritts, and Annie Leibovitz (if you don't know them by name, this is definitely not the magazine for you). Nudity and profanity may put off some readers; others will be pleasantly titillated. --Mark Englehart ... Read more

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Asin: B00005N7NY
Subjects:  1. Entertainment    2. General    3. Periodicals    4. Movies (Movie, Films, Film, Cinema)   

FILMMAKER: The Magazine Of Independent Film
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The Art of Reviewing Art
I love this magazine!!!As if it isn't hard enough to find anyone out there with a good appreciation of independent film (and by appreciation, I also mean knowledge), but then you have to deal with all these film nerds who think that if it wasn't done on a shoestring budget by a no-name director, it must be bad.
FILMMAKER does an excellent job of giving an overview of the world of independent film, while still providing good discussions of some more mainstream films.It's tough, when reviewing and writing criticism of any art form, to know what to discuss, and I think that FILMMAKER does this. ... Read more

Asin: B000060MI1
Sales Rank: 206
Subjects:  1. Literary    2. Entertainment    3. Movies (Movie, Films, Film, Cinema)   

Fangoria
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The internet will do them in
One of my greatest childhood memories involving horror movies concerns Fangoria magazine. You would think the recollection would have something to do with watching "Friday the 13th" or "Halloween" for the first time, and I do have those memories to keep me warm at night, but my first vivid impression of the shocking power of horror films hit me at the tender age of ten or eleven when I stumbled into the local drugstore and picked up a copy of this magazine. I don't remember what the cover looked like--surely it was one of the grotesque images Fangoria routinely plasters on the front cover that initially caught my eye--but I do recall thumbing through the magazine rather quickly in case the nosy cashier decided a youth of my tender years shouldn't look through such a gruesome publication. Immediately before I sat the magazine back on the rack, my eyes settled on a nauseating color photograph of one of those "axe in the head" effects so common in slasher films of the era. I suspect this still came from footage eventually excised from the theatrical cut, however, because it was far worse than what we usually see. I almost lost my lunch on the spot. Even today, I wish I knew which movie that scene came from.

This walk down memory lane aside, I'm ashamed to admit I never owned a copy of Fangoria until I received the latest issue as a Christmas gift. Issue 239 contains several articles of great interest to the horror fan. An interesting one-page story introduces the reader to Tartan films, a Scottish distribution firm planning on releasing a plethora of recent Asian horror films into the U.S. market. Another article interviews director David S. Goyer, the man behind the third installment of the "Blade" franchise. Following this up is another multi-page account of the latest Michael Keaton vehicle, "White Noise," due in theaters in early January. Lots of articles in this thing called Fangoria. "Alien" creator Dan O'Bannon receives a four-page treatment, primarily providing a short retrospective of his career and an announcement that he's returning to Hollywood. The eagerly awaited French slasher picture "Haute Tension" and the remake of John Carpenter's "Assault on Precinct 13" receive in-depth treatment, as does the latest Godzilla flick and the two low budget films made about the Bell Witch incident in Tennessee. There's even a story about how audiences will likely never see the new reincarnation of "Dark Shadows." All of these articles contain numerous photographs.

Shorter sections of the magazine relate information just as important to the hardcore horror fan as the longer articles. Several discuss recently released and upcoming DVDs, with a feature called "The Video Eye" giving four of these films lengthier reviews. The pick of the month is "Hole," a movie I myself am looking forward to seeing. Their review of another film on my must see list, "Frankenfish," is hilariously sarcastic. Other reviews, such as those found in the "DVD Dungeon," are much shorter. Included here is information on the Indonesian schlockfest "Dangerous Seductress" and Blue Underground's latest release "Mark of the Devil," to cite just two. That the Dungeon named "The Bride of Frank" their pick of the month amused me to no end. If you plan on picking up this shot on video monstrosity, take it from someone who has seen it: don't pop it into the player with family and friends around. Anyone who rates this sludge as a pick of the month is probably someone I'd like to know personally. Anyway, Fangoria does an excellent job of listing most major studio and shot on video DVD releases. They aren't as thorough as the numerous sites on the Internet, though, which is where my critique of the magazine comes in.

I sat down with Fangoria expecting great things and came away with mixed feelings. My biggest problem is with the articles. All of them are well written, carefully structured pieces with much information worth reading about, so that isn't what I'm going to complain about. What I didn't like is how they resemble studio press releases and the stuff you hear on the late night talk shows. Do I really need to pick up this magazine so I can hear the people involved with a film gush about their fellow co-workers? Or constantly state how big a fan of the genre they are? Of course they are going to say these things; they want the movie to do well in the theater by appealing to the fan base. I'd rather see some write ups about special effects work--we all know these guys are the real heroes of horror movies--than listen to some actor go on and on about how dead people might really be trying to contact us through our television sets. One thing I am glad about: I learned the Carpenter remake is a piece of left-wing propaganda I won't be shelling out money to see in the theater. In the fashion of true ideologues, the folks behind the new "Assault" decided to make corrupt cops the enemy storming the police station instead of gang members. Geez, I'm surprised they didn't have the vice-president and president laying down a challenge by throwing a pot of oil on the doorstep.

Fangoria, if this issue is any indication, might be facing serious trouble down the road. I can get all of this information and more from wonderful sites like bloodydisgusting, gorezone, and upcoming horror movies, and I can get it weeks before Fangoria hits the stands. I can even get lots of neat information from Fangoria's website, like their recent series of articles on the AFM event. The magazine is definitely a prime example of the old media we hear so much about lately. The times, they are a changin', as the saying goes. Hopefully, Fangoria will survive.

OVER 20 YEARS AND STILL GOING STRONG
You've got to take your hat off to Fangoria.Whether their style of gory, visceral coverage of the horror genre appeals to you or not you can't deny their success.The fact that they've been doing it for 20 years is really a marvel in the world of magazines, let alone genre magazines.

Fangoria is still tops in terms of their production values and photography although newer mags like Rue Morgue and some of the imports are certainly as good.

Fangoria each month checks in with a very large array of reviews of both current releases and older releases that you may have missed.Since many of these films go direct to video, chances are you probably did miss them.

Besides movies they also cover Horror fiction and non-fiction, TV and even a smattering of music where appropriate.If there's a minor complaint about Fangoria it's that sometimes they come off a bit fannish and perhaps not as critical of movies as they should be.

Honestly I've watched movies they've given favorable reviews to and wondered just what in the heck they were smoking when they watched.The other complaint would be that they devote almost no space to classic horror, but that's just a pet peeve.

best horror magazine ever!
Fangoria always has and always will be the greatest horror magazine around. Terrific on the set previews of the latest films, retrospectives on classic films ,dvd reviews and always dependable for bloody photo's from your favorite movies. ... Read more

Asin: B00006KDVZ
Sales Rank: 1005
Subjects:  1. Entertainment    2. Movies    3. Recreation. Leisure    4. Movies (Movie, Films, Film, Cinema)   

MovieMaker Magazine
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Movie Makers Unite!
Moviemaker is great for the beginner and the pro-indie alike. This magazine features interviews with Hollywood moguls as well as independant greats. There are helpful articles ranging from what DVDs that can serve as film school to festival information. Everything is informative, even if it's just a short bit about a new type of equipment. Moviemaker may not come out monthly, but each issue is worth the wait!! ... Read more

Asin: B00005NIPL
Sales Rank: 892
Subjects:  1. Entertainment    2. Movies (Movie, Films, Film, Cinema)