Tag Archives: Retro Reviews

You Are (Not) Alone: A ‘PACIFIC RIM’ (2013) Retrospective

Pacific Rim

To some, Pacific Rim may be a long, silly, robots vs monsters movie, meant to be disposable popcorn fun. Even if you only came to watch the movie for that, there’s more to it than meets the eye. Director Guillermo del Toro (read our recent retrospective on another film of …

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‘HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY’ (2008) Retrospective: A Perfect Opening?

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

Guillermo del Toro loves mythology. It’s evident. Very few viewers could protest it. But more than any, he loves the melancholic ones most. The ones that show our world is or could be fantastical still, but we have to be aware of ourselves, our actions, and how we move those …

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‘SHUTTER’ to Think… Not the Worst Asian Horror Remake

Rachel Taylor and Joshua Jackson as Jane and Ben pose in front of Mt. Fuji in the movie Shutter

The Era of Hollywood’s Tried and True Formula The early 2000s saw so many remakes of wildly popular, highly successful Asian horror films. From The Ring to One Missed Call, and Pulse, there was a wave of remade films that got a lot of hate. Sometimes fairly justified. The originals …

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Nosferatu Reborn: ‘Shadow Of The Vampire’ (2000) – Retro Review

When it comes to vampire movies, there are none better than Nosferatu (1922). In fact, Nosferatu is my favorite vampire film. It’s dark and gothic, and Max Schreck (The Street 1923) is absolutely fantastic. But not much was known about the production of the film. Rumors circulated about Schreck really …

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‘War Of The Worlds’ (2005): David Koepp’s Best Kept Secret – Retro Review

The 2005 version of War Of The Worlds was met with mixed results. However, like fine wine, the film gets better with age. David Koepp wrote the screenplay for legendary director Steven Spielberg. Koepp is probably best known for the Kevin Bacon thriller, Stir of Echoes (1999 – read our …

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‘The Crazies’ (2010) The 10th Anniversary

On February 26, 2010  the world was reintroduced to The Crazies. Staring Timothy Olyphant (A Perfect Getaway, Santa Clarita Diet, Scream 2), Radha Mitchell (Silent Hill, Rouge, Pitch Black) The Crazies follow the story of the aftermath of a strange and insecure plane crash, an unusual toxic virus enters a …

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Thirty-five Years Later: The Coen Brothers’ ‘Blood Simple’ (1984) Retro Review

Blood Simple tells of the way independent movies became dominant in the ’90s. It’s easy to look at Blood Simple as the little engine that could. The film was created by the dynamic duo of Joel and Ethan Coen, who are also known for Fargo (1996), No Country for Old …

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The Nuclear Holocaust: The Impact Of ‘Threads’ (1984) 35 Years Later

If you thought Chernobyl on HBO was tough, get ready for Threads. I wasn’t aware of this film until recently. I was searching through Shudder and came across this random title called Threads. I looked at the general synopsis, and it sounded like a mockumentary… and I’m all for mockumentaries. …

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First Short Horror Film: The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots (1895)

Often credited with inventing the light bulb, Thomas Edison also produced the world’s first short horror film, The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots. This very short work — which is only about 17 seconds — was directed by Alfred Clark and depicts exactly what you’d expect. “Mary” (Robert Thomae, secretary …

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The Prophecy (1995) – Retro Review

Most of us have seen the cover art for The Prophecy when perusing the shelves for something to rent. If you’re like me, you have more than likely glanced over it and put it back. What if that was a mistake? A few days ago I decided to finally give …

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