James' Movie Blog

Alfred Hitchcock was considered the master of suspense, with almost every movie he made. And for a very good reason. His films always kept the audience guessing, keeping them on the edge of their seats, and wondering what was going to happen next. Plus, there was always a hint of tension with each production Hitchcock worked on, giving the audience something to be invested in. With 1958's “Vertigo”, which could be argued as Hitchcock's greatest masterpiece, is a prime example of what he brought forth to the big screen. However, there are a couple of issues surrounding the film, but the majority of the movie is definitely worth checking out. “Vertigo” may not be the master's greatest work, but it is definitely one of his finest. The story involves a San Francisco cop named John “Scottie” Ferguson (James Stewart), who has acrophobia, or a fear of heights resulting in vertigo, causing the sensation of being dizzy. Hence the title. One day, an old friend asks John to s...

Disney has created a whole slew of characters that a lot people recognize. From Mickey Mouse to Goofy, these and many more have become iconic in the realm of entertainment for many people. But one such character wasn't created by Disney, and that was Winnie the Pooh, originally created by author A. A. Milne. The company created several shorts with the character in question, before settling on a feature film. And that was 1977's “The Many Adventurist of Winnie the Pooh”. While it is obvious that it's just a bunch of shorts to make up a feature length production, the stories themselves are quite memorable, to say the least, With clever scenarios and a huge supply of imagination, “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” is a fun and simple feature that is sure to entertain most everybody. The main story has three individual shorts compiled together to create one big feature. The first involves Winnie the Pooh (Sterling Holloway), or Pooh for short, trying to get some ...

Throughout the 1950s, Hollywood saw a lot of filmmakers making quite a few movies that were made for a cheap, low budget. Mostly in both the science fiction and horror genres. Movies like “Robot Monster” and of course “Plan 9 from Outer Space” have been called worthy of films that are so bad, that they have to be seen because of their bad quality in their production. Luckily, with 2004's “The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra”, we get a fantastic recreation of all those bad films from the 1950s; from bad continuity to over-the-top acting, and a ridiculous plot, the movie is a great tribute to cheesy B-movies of the era. But maybe it does its job a little too well... “The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra” is an amazing tribute to all things schlock of yesteryear. The plot has three different groups of people, each with their own unique agenda. A scientist and his wife are searching for meteor that has landed in the mountains. An evil scientist wants to revive the titular character so that he...

When dealing with spiders, the sense of arachnophobia is brought on. But sometimes, especially in the movies, this can be played for laughs. Which leads us the 2002 creature feature “Eight Legged Freaks”, a movie which focuses on giant, mutated spiders. What else? This movie was an unfortunate bomb at the box office, and had its title changed thanks to clever marketing. But personally, this is a rather fun and enjoyable flick. While “Eight Legged Freaks” may not be for everyone, I still think that it should be viewed as an enjoyable and quite entertaining flick. The story follows a small Arizona town where things are not so good financially. That is until a truck carrying toxic waste dumps a barrel into a lake, and effects the grasshoppers. The grasshoppers are then fed to spiders at a special farm nearby, and soon grow to gigantic proportions. Now, the town must hurry if they want to survive this invasion of mammoth arachnids. “Eight Legged Freaks” is a dumb flick. But i...

Walt Disney thrived on bringing memorable stories that would, in turn, become easily recognizable among the public. By turning interesting ideas and concepts into a profit, Walt and his team of animators delivered some of the greatest animated movies ever made. And 1941's “Dumbo” is a prime example of not only delivering , solid animation, but great storytelling in the process. When watching the movie, one gets a sense of wonder at what creativity went into making this film a reality. Even after 80 years, this movie still holds up very well. Anything can happen, and that's the charm of this movie: it is not bound by studio executives, but rather creative control to let go and do whatever they want. “Dumbo” is a fantastic treat for anyone that can enjoy the modesty of why Walt Disney and his team made such a creative feature. The story has a mother elephant receiving newborn son unto the world, as she and several other animals are working for the circus. Unfortunately, ...

By using animation to tell a story, there is practically no limit to what could be shown for audiences of all ages. However, animation is mostly considered for children/families, as everyone can enjoy the artistic form of animation. However, that's where the film “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Adventure” breaks all the boundaries of animation. Based off the book series by Dav Pilkey, one might assume that because of the title, there will be toilet humor strewn throughout the film. Yes, there are the occasional gross-out joke, but (no pun intended) this is actually a clever comedic movie that is surprisingly entertaining. There is also one other thing that is kind of a distraction, but it is a nitpick nonetheless. “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Adventure” is a clever comedy that translates the books almost perfectly into animation, thanks to DreamWorks. The plot consists of two creative friends: George Beard (Kevin Hart) and Harold Hutchins (Thomas Middleditch) wh...

Drugs are a primary source of controversy. On the one hand, they can be used to help people with certain medical conditions. But on the other hand, they can be used by the wrong individuals. Such is the case with the infamous drug smuggling cases all around the world. One such notable case involved a certain Frank Lucas in the late 60s and early 20s. This was used as the primary focus for the 2007 film “American Gangster”, starring Denzel Washington and Russel Crowe, and directed by Ridley Scott. While the film only has a few minor setbacks, the rest of the movie is surprisingly good at how one of the most biggest drug cases went down. “American Gangster” is a thrilling experience you won't soon forget. The story follows two important people during the late 1960s and early 1970s. These are Frank Lucas (Washington) and Richie Roberts (Crowe). One is a cool and sophisticated mobster, while the other is a detective working in New Jersey. Frank builds up his empire by selling h...