Hi, my name is Stephen Sommers and I’m the director of the drama called G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra. I’ve been making movies since 1989, and in that time my goal has been to win an Oscar for Best Director. Or win a Razzie. I have yet to win either because Hollywood just doesn’t understand my sophisticated storytelling techniques or complex, layered characters. They just don’t understand. But audiences love my movies. They told me The Mummy was good, so I made a sequel. That movie made a lot of money, so I learned that people like ridiculous plots with terrible special effects. That’s how I came to make Van Helsing, one of the most celebrated films of this generation.

Read the rest about G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra.

It’s been six years since we last heard from John Woo, and even longer since he directed a good movie. For a short while, Woo was my favorite action director – that is, until he made Windtalkers. Oh, and Paycheck. Jesus, Paycheck. But Woo is back with an all-Chinese, all-battle epic called Red Cliff (Chi Bi), and it his best movie this decade. Of course, that’s not saying much.

View this Red Cliff movie review at its original location – FilmJabber!

The boombox is back! Say Anything, one of the quintessential romantic comedies of the 1980’s, is coming to Blu-Ray in an all-new 20th Anniversary Edition.

Say Anything marks the directorial debut of Cameron Crowe and stars John Cusack as a young man named Lloyd Dobler, who’s one mission in life is to date Diane Court (Ione Skye). The movie looks at the rise and fall of their relationship in a very sincere way, which sets it apart from a lot of the teen comedies that were to follow. (more…)

By the time August rolls around, most of the big blockbusters have faded into the sunset and studios, desperate to ink out a few more dollars in the dog days of summer, start unleashing their B-round of films. These movies are generally worthless and forgettable, hardly worth the $10 price of admission. Going into A Perfect Getaway, a largely un-marketed thriller from Universal Pictures, this is exactly what I expected. Thankfully, the movie is surprisingly entertaining and well done, despite a rather disastrous third act.

Read the rest of my A Perfect Getaway movie review.

The time is near, that when the Harry Potter franchise delivers its final whisk of the wand. The tension is starting to build, and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth entry in the blockbuster franchise, is a key indicator of how the story of Harry, Ron and Hermione will end. David Yates, who also directed the previous Harry Potter film, is back at the helm – as he will be for the final two movies – but there was no certainty that the franchise would end on a high note. After sitting through two and a half hours of the latest Harry Potter, however, I can say with confidence that I can’t wait for the final chapters to arrive.

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Forget Megan Fox. Odette Yustman is the hottest young actress working today. In her follow-up to Cloverfield, in which she made a name for herself despite being in the movie for just a few minutes, she plays a young woman who is being haunted by her dead, unborn twin. That’s got to suck.

Read the rest of The Unborn movie review.

There’s bad, and then there’s Street Fighter bad. And what’s worse than a Street Fighter movie but an unnecessary, unwanted sequel fifteen years after the franchise’s heyday, starring a TV actress and lacking a plot? Yes, it’s Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li.

One has to think that 20th Century Fox had this absurd idea when greenlighting the film that it would do well enough to fund several sequels titled Street Fighter: The Legend of Another Forgettable Character. Ah, Hollywood executives. You’re so cute sometimes.

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When I saw the previews for Dark Streets, I was intrigued. It looked like a darker Moulin Rouge meets Chicago, a smoky musical thriller set in the underworld of New Orleans. Unfortunately, reality is often much less exciting.

Dark Streets stars Gabriel Mann as Chaz, a playboy and nightclub owner who finds his life spinning out of control amidst too many love affairs, debt and the mystery surrounding his father’s death. Though there is a plot, Dark Streets is essentially one-long music video, featuring original songs with performances by Natalie Cole, Etta James, Richie Sambora and more.

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John Travolta knows how to play memorable villains. He was intense in Face/Off, entertaining in Broken Arrow and mind blowing in Battlefield Earth. Just joking about that last one, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be excited to see the crafty Scientologist back on the dark side – and squaring off against his most worth opponent yet: Denzel Washington. Can you think of two better scene-chewing actors that should work together? Throw in the frenetic Tony Scott and you’ve got The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, an entertaining though unexceptional action-thriller.

Read the rest of my Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 movie review.

Oh, how far has Harrison Ford fallen? Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was supposed to resurrect his career, but instead it just seemed to reaffirm people’s suspicions that he is a bit of a has-been, a man whose best movies are behind him. Personally, I believe he still has a few good years left in him, but Crossing Over does little to back up my position.

In Crossing Over, Ford is but one of an ensemble cast that includes the likes of Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd, Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe) and Summer Bishil (Towelhead), among others. I like the idea of Ford playing a smaller role, as going the supporting route allows actors to reestablish credibility and play characters he or she might otherwise not get to play. However, if you’re going to do an ensemble part, at least play a character that is at least marginally interesting.

Read the rest of my Crossing Over movie review.