José Cruz Jr.

07 May 2009

‘X-Men’ takes audience through confusing plot with random twists

Is knowing the past of Wolverine really that necessary? Probably not. But apparently, comic book fanboys think it was, as legions of them called for a prequel to reboot the series. Maybe 20th Century Fox thought it was still a […]

30 Apr 2009

‘17 Again’ follows similar plot to ‘Big’, not worth the money

The cinema of our time needs a new injection of imagination. That is not to say that interesting movies have not been stemmed from one original premise—what I mean is that much of the time we have one concept that […]

23 Apr 2009

Popular actor may find new audience with 'Observe and Report'

Obviously, this Seth Rogen guy is a big star right now. In a fortune career boost that arguably started with “40-Year-Old Virgin,” he has continued to churn out a flick every few months, especially within the last year. Unless you […]

16 Apr 2009

‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ appeals to one of two target demographics

Animation is certainly making a comeback, and has been gradually for the past decade (debatable, of course). While 2-D animation is taking a backseat, CG animation reigns supreme. Animated films nowadays are facing a different demographic than they were before. […]

09 Apr 2009

‘I Love You, Man’ changes romantic comedy formula

Romantic comedies have always been a genre of formulaic and predictable storylines. An outline of these scripts will usually consist of the old, tired “boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy wins back girl.” For some reason, we still tend […]

02 Apr 2009

Big name actor fails to compensate for confusing plot, obvious ending

Blending genres can be a unique and bold feat. The whole process of writing and directing such a film is so delicate, in that elements have to be carefully aligned in a way that makes sense, is intelligent and is […]

26 Mar 2009

Remake of ‘Last House on the Left’ falls short of original movie

The sea of mediocrity that is Hollywood knows how to run good ideas and stories into the ground. By the improper use of sequels, prequels, remakes, adaptations and knock/spin/rip-offs, the mainstream filmmaking machine rehashes the same concepts and storylines repeatedly. […]

12 Mar 2009

‘Hotel for Dogs’ relies on ‘cuteness,’ neglects to strive for originality

Child-friendly movies are not always this bad. If a film has enough imagination and knowledge of children, it can definitely pull off a movie that entertains kids, as well as adults (i.e. “Wall-E”). But it is when producers sacrifice originality […]

05 Mar 2009

‘Valkyrie’ intrigues audience with journey rather than destination

Hollywood seems to be obsessed with making films about World War II.  From the propaganda “Why We Fight” documentaries to the upcoming “Inglorious Bastards,” the Second World War scenarios have been continuously used and exhausted. But what is even more […]

26 Feb 2009

Horror genre steadily weakens, reaches new low with ‘My Bloody Valentine 3-D’

I am convinced that the horror genre is in a terrible slump. What looked like a promising resurgence in the early to mid-2000s that took elements from old-school horror (from “Shaun of the Dead” to “Grindhouse”), may have died shortly […]