10 great Asian horror films

Just as the vitality and bold style of manga has swept through the formerly American-dominated field of comic books, Asian cinema has left a lasting stamp on the horror-film genre — especially the violent and distinctively spooky movies currently coming out of Japan, known by their fans as J-horror. Hollywood has made English-language remakes of some of the bigger J-horror hits, including “The Ring” and “The Grudge,” but why not check out the originals? After all, you only need to fear a few subtitles.

Originally published on msnbc.com Oct. 29, 2007. Read the complete article.

Buried treasure: 12 pirate flicks to dig up

Few people expected “Pirates of the Caribbean” to be a hit, let alone the record-breaking smash that it is. But one reason that the trilogy has been successful is the way it embraces the best trappings of the genre while jettisoning the worst. The creators of the series clearly know their pirate-movie history, and it’s worth taking the time to check out some of the films that inspired them. So let’s set a course for adventure: Here are 12 pirate films worth their sea salt.

Originally published on msnbc.com May 29, 2007. Read the complete article.

Laying odds in the Harry Potter dead pool: Who will die in “”Deathly Hallows””?

A year or more from the final chapter in the Harry Potter series, the boy wizard can still make headlines. Author J.K Rowling recently let slip a particularly juicy piece of news — in the forthcoming book, two major characters will die during the final confrontation with the evil wizard Lord Voldemort — and Harry himself seemed especially likely.

Rowling has known for years how the series ends; the final chapter of the as-yet-untitled closing novel was one of the earliest she wrote. But in a June interview with the British TV talk show “Richard & Judy,” she revealed that she had changed her plans: One character she’d thought would die now survives, but two others die instead.

That’s the price, said Rowling, of fighting evil. Villains “don’t target the extras, do they? They go for the main characters, or I do,” she said. Not surprisingly, fans began speculating on the identity of the unlucky pair almost immediately, and the Internet gambling site WagerWeb.com even began offering odds.

It’s not the first time a major character has died. Harry’s grandfatherly mentor, Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, was murdered at the end of the most recent book, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” Or was he? It’s clear that more remains to be revealed about what really happened. Did Dumbledore fake his death? Is his apparent killer, Severus Snape, really evil, or a double agent? We have yet to find out.

In real life, death is permanent, but not always in fiction. Obi-Wan Kenobi of “Star Wars,” another mentor figure, is killed at the end of the first film, but reappears later as an advice-giving spirit. And in “Lord of the Rings,” the wizard Gandalf returns from the beyond even more powerful than before.

Originally published on msnbc.com Aug. 1, 2006. Read the complete article.

Back to school 101: Watch these flicks

Let’s face it: It’s August, and the summer is slipping inevitably into fall. For a lot of us, this means heading back to school for another year of toil in the salt mines of the intellect. It’s vitally important that you be mentally prepared for what awaits you in those hallowed, ivy-covered halls. Oh, sure, you could do something practical like brushing up on your term-paper skills, but we’ll leave the practical recommendations to others — our job is to fill your head not with Socratic philosophy, but quality light entertainment, and to that end, here are a few of our favorite movies set at (or near, anyway) college and high school. Yes, they will be on the final exam.

Originally published on msnbc.com Aug. 16, 2005. Read the complete article.

Will next ‘Potter’ book answer these questions?

It’s been a long two-year wait for fans of the Harry Potter novels for J.K. Rowling to finish the next installment — a wait made a little easier by the best film adaptation so far, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” But at last, on July 16, copies of “Harry Potter And The Half-BloodPrince” will fly off bookstore shelves so fast it will seem like readers have cast summoning spells. (“Accio book!”)

Since there’s one more volume left in the seven-book series, it’s too soon to expect resolution to many of Rowling’s as-yet-unanswered questions. In fact, it’s likely that Harry will be in worse trouble than ever at the end of this book, the better to create a cliffhanger leading into the as-yet-untitled final story. But here are a few mysteries, some important and some trivial, that I hope Rowling will explore in “Prince.”

Originally published on msnbc.com July 16, 2005. Read the complete article.

Seen ‘Revenge of the Sith’? Now see these

Whether you’re a “Star Wars” fanatic who’s been camped out in front of the theater for months, or a casual moviegoer who just wants some popcorn and a few starship battles, it’s a sad mathematical truth that there are only so many times you’re going to want to watch “Revenge Of The Sith.” How, then, can you fill the long hours that stretch ahead of you until the end of your days? Well, here are a few films, all available on DVD or video, that should pique the interest of moviegoers.

Originally published on msnbc.com May 13, 2005. Read the complete article.

Can Hitch-Hiker’s survive Hollywood?

Over the course of nearly three decades, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy” has been many things. It began as a radio drama — a terrifically sharp, satirical sci-fi piece about the destruction of the Earth because of a bureaucratic snafu, and all the fun that came next. … The radio series was a smash hit on its debut in 1977, making a star (or at least a popular cult author) out of its creator, Douglas Adams, and spawning “Hitchhiker” adaptations in nearly every form imaginable — books, two stage plays, a TV series, a computer game, even a beach towel.

Just about the only thing “Hitchhiker” hadn’t been turned into was a feature film, which became a lifelong quest for Adams, who spent nearly 20 years trying to get a film project off the ground before his untimely death from a heart attack in 2001. Ironically, that tragic event seemed to break the Hollywood dam, leading to the movie starring Martin Freeman, Mos Def and Sam Rockwell that arrives on screens Friday.

Originally published on msnbc.com April 28, 2005. Read the complete article.

And the ‘Survivor’ winner is…

Diaz-Twine claims title, $1 million prize, SUV

“Jonny Fairplay” became “Jonny Loser.” In the finale of the seventh season of “Survivor,” Sandra Diaz-Twine, 29, an office assistant from Fort Lewis, Wash., beat out the remaining contestants to take home one million dollars, a sport-utility vehicle, and the title of Ultimate Survivor.

Four contestants had made it to the final round of CBS’ reality game show. Besides Diaz-Twine, they were Jon Dalton, 29, an art consultant from Danville, Virginia; Lill Morris, 51, a Boy Scout troop leader from Cincinnati; and Darrah Johnson, 22, a mortician from Liberty, Miss.

Diaz-Twine beat out Morris in a 6-1 vote by a jury made up of the seven most recently ousted Survivors. She had achieved the notable distinction of never having received a vote against her in any of the tribal councils leading up to this final ballot, a first in the series. In addition to the money, she won a new SUV; Morris took second place and $100,000.

Originally published on msnbc.com March 4, 2005. Read the complete article.

Nine to tingle your spine: Slasher flims that are a cut above the rest

Let’s face it, Halloween just isn’t complete without a scary movie. A crazed killer with a chainsaw is just the thing to round out this ghoulish holiday. Here’s a few of our favorite films from the slasher genre, that knife-wielding set of horror flicks that includes the infamous “Friday the 13th” and “Nightmare on Elm Street” series. Read along as we take a stab at the nine of the genre’s best moments.

Originally published on msnbc.com Oct. 27, 2004. Read the complete article.

Sci-fi monster super death cage match

“Alien vs. Predator” is only the latest example of that perennial sci-fi subgenre known as the crossover — where two characters from two different series cross into one another’s storytelling territories. In the case of “AvP,” you can even divide it further into the sub-subgenre known informally as “Who’d kick whose butt?” … But why stop at Aliens and Predators? Here’s a full fight card matching up more than a dozen other movie monsters, tough guys and villains.

Originally published on msnbc.com Aug. 19, 2004. Read the complete article.