REVIEW: THE DARK CRUSADER “You Got Spaghetti Coming Out of Your Eyeballs!“ (2025)
While fans of the genre eagerly anticipate this year’s new blockbuster releases from both DC (Superman) and Marvel (Stockton, California’s own The Fantastic Four), one caped crimefighter has already beaten them both to the Wham! Pow! cinematic punch across the face of a silver screen: The Dark Crusader (Coincidentally, another superhero from the 209 area code) hit several select theaters/showings this month in San Francisco and I was fortunate enough to attend the world premiere. Now, full disclosure: I may be a bit biased here writing this up because I know the guy who made it. But that being said, what a blast. It’s amazing. Perfect, even. 10/10. I have nothing bad to say about this movie.
Mostly because I know he’s reading this right now.
WATCH: STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER PRESS CONFERENCE (1989)
Directed by William Shatner himself, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is for the most part universally agreed upon as being the worst cinematic outing of the entire franchise. But since all throughout this year we’ll be taking a look back and honoring the 35th anniversaries of that great string of 1989 genre releases, I at least wanted to acknowledge this movie in some way. Admittedly I am a pretty big fan of Trek as a whole, but I still couldn’t bring myself to do an entire write up here because berating it is such low hanging fruit. Instead, let’s have a look at a behind the scenes clip that all by itself almost makes this fifth big screen entry’s existence totally worth it. Almost but more like kinda…
…actually not really, though it’s still fun.
POOR THINGS (2023): A New Favorite
Well, the 2024 Oscar nominations were announced this morning with Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon predictably leading the pack with 13 and 10 nominations respectively. And nestled right in between the two with 11 nods is the new film from Director Yorgos Lanthimos: Poor Things. A movie that is so bold, fresh, inventive, hilarious and straight up weird that it’s truly remarkable to see it receive such mainstream acclaim.
BLOG: NOW AND THEN (2023) The “Last” Beatles Song.
For Beatles fans, there are a few stages you go through when there’s an announcement that “new” material by the band is coming. There’s of course excitement at the idea of listening to something by the Fab Four that you’ve never heard before. Then there’s the anticipation leading up to the release date as all sorts of articles and clips spring up offering details about the track. Finally there’s the actual playing of the music which at first, is less listening and more dissecting.
So now after having given this so called “last” song 3 or 4 dozen spins, is it any y’know… good?
BLOG: CLOAK AND DAGGER (1984) “Jack Flack ALWAYS Escapes!”
If like me, you grew up in the 80's loving video games, E.T. and for whatever reason Dabney Coleman, chances are you've seen Cloak & Dagger. It follows this kid named Davey (Henry Thomas) who's obsessed with an Atari game featuring super-spy Jack Flack (Coleman). In fact he's so into it that he actually runs around town acting out his own secret missions complete with an imaginary version of Flack popping up in his head to offer advice and support.
BLOG: GODFATHER’S PIZZA (ESTD 1973) “A Pizza I Can’t Refuse.”
Like any complicated relationship, mine with Godfather’s pizza has always been an unresolved one with hard, strong, traumatic roots planted firmly in my childhood. But the desire to revisit this franchise was one plagued by geographical location. Y’see, there hasn’t been a Godfather’s pizza shop (that I knew of) anywhere near the Bay Area/Northern California since around 1993, which did nothing but forge the damn joint into legendary status in my memory.