Despite getting horrible across-the-board reviews, “Van Helsing” is a success. Sure, only 24 percent of national critics gave it a favorable review, according to RottenTomatoes.com, but for most of the people who actually make the decisions in the film industry, the more important number is the $54 million it made at the box office. The […]
Author Archives: Jake Tracer
Sitcom choices reveal your true nature
There’s a deleted scene in “Pulp Fiction” (available on the Collector’s Edition DVD) in which Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) tries to get inside Vincent Vega’s (John Travolta) head by making him choose between Elvis and The Beatles. “My theory is that when it comes to important subjects, there’s only two ways a person can answer,” […]
An essay on film criticism: a tribute to Alexander Pope
Part 1 An English student, I am forced to read Inordinate amounts at blinding speed. As Superman flew ’round the world to save Ms. Lane from harm and almost certain grave, I, too, must circle, with my eyes, and gauge What happens line to line, from page to page. One major class subjected me to […]
Memorable soundtracks fuse music with movie moments
If there’s one thing that Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” saga has taught us (other than that squishing someone’s eyeball between your toes is a little creepy), it’s that with the right music a good film can become a great one. The art of making a good mix tape isn’t limited to “High Fidelity” junkies. And […]
Good use of publicity key to success on reality show
On tonight’s season finale of “The Apprentice,” Donald Trump will utter his catchphrase either to Kwame Jackson or Bill Rancic, ending the competition and one of the most successful new reality shows in recent memory. Unfortunately, I can’t print Trump’s phrase because I’m afraid of being sued for copyright infringement. Trump’s quest to copyright legally […]
Films, not weather, define L.A. seasons
As spring dawns on most of the United States, the weather in Los Angeles doesn’t really change. Thankfully, we have Hollywood to mimic the seasons for us. It actually seems perfectly appropriate. The city is already dominated by the entertainment industry, so why shouldn’t it control the weather, too? Naturally, I don’t mean to imply […]
Midnight movie screenings epitome of cool
When I was 11 and in the sixth grade, my friends and I would go to the movies right after school. After the final bell rang on Friday, we’d grab our backpacks, travel the four blocks or so to the local theater, and see the early afternoon screenings of movies like “Goldeneye” or “Beavis and […]