10.7.2010 | By Jack Rico |
*Updated December 2025
How does one recommend a torture film to women? What does one possibly say? “Dear, you’ll love that scene where five men brutally violate a woman?” Obviously not. But, as a critic, one hopes that the female in question is one whose curiousity in macabre films is high. Read More
10.5.2010 | By Jack Rico |
If anyone remembers the original ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ from 1984, you’ll most likely remember how scary it was. Not the case with this vapid, inconsequential remake. Read More
10.5.2010 | By Jack Rico |
Rated: R for disturbing elements including strong sexuality, nudity, sci-fi violence and language.
Release Date: 2010-06-04
Starring: Vincenzo Natali & Antoinette Terry Bryant
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.splicethefilm.com/
‘Splice,’ is in this critic’s opinion, one of the worst, if not arguably the worst movie of 2010. There are so many wrong things with it on so many levels I don’t even know where to begin. Actually, I do know where to begin. Let’s start with the plotline that Warner Bros. has up on their press website for the film:
Superstar genetic engineers Clive (Adrien Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley) specialize in splicing DNA from different animals to create incredible new hybrids. Now they want to use human DNA in a hybrid that could revolutionize science and medicine. But when the pharmaceutical company that funds their research forbids it, Clive and Elsa secretly take their boldest experimentation underground — risking their careers by pushing the boundaries of science to serve their own curiosity and ambition. The result is Dren, an amazing, strangely beautiful creature of uncommon intelligence and an array of unexpected physical developments. At first, Dren (spelled ‘NERD’ backwards, wink, wink). exceeds their wildest dreams. But as she grows and learns at an accelerated rate, her existence threatens to become their worst nightmare.
The story sounds compelling and gripping, piquing ones interest of the outcome. Regrettably, when you finish experiencing this disjointed effort, the results are baffling and incomprehensible. There are numerous leaps of logic – instances when the protagonists act in a fashion that only characters in a comedy would. It’s as if the screenwriters wanted to hammer home how idiotic these scientists really are. Ultimately, our heroes actions in the second act are aberrations of consistent implausibilities.
The character of Elsa played by Sarah Polley is a vexing figure who is pigheaded, ambitious and arrogant. She’s not a likable character, you don’t root for her but rather against her. Her behavior towards volatile situations and tense moments are obtuse and supercilious. Brody on the other hand is cautious, correct in his ways, but eventually turns out to be a milksop of a man who lets his unstable woman take charge of critical situations and of his morals. The movie finally collapses when several Freudian occurrences transpire without any rhyme or reason. I can only describe them as some of the most preposterous, unlikely and outrageous twists I have seen in movies (‘Orphan’ by Spaniard director Jaume Collet-Serra comes a close second).
The fright horror we were putatively in for was diminished to only special effects editing and dimwitted risible scenes of absurdity, nothing more. Not once was I scared (unlike The Strangers or The House of The Devil recently). I kept placing my hands on my face, but in disbelief for the inanity unfolding before my very eyes. The trailer is patrly the culprit. It misleads us into expecting a flat out terror film full of suspense building sequences matched with high-intense graphics. Rather, it delivers a science fiction drama of the likes of Species, to be exact. Horror is only a secondary thought here.
Guillermo Del Toro served as a producer and did a descent job in creating Dren and most of the special effects with the budgets he was provided. Director Vincenzo Natali shot a beautifully dark and mysterious production that is visually appealing, but the payoff is painful not only to the viewing experience but to the pocket as well. If you can, stay away from this film, unless you want to see how bad it is. That sometimes happens to me too.
10.4.2010 | By SBC Staff |
The Facebook movie “The Social Network” found millions of friends in theaters over the weekend, taking in $23 million and earning the No. 1 spot at box offices.
By contrast, other releases of the weekend kicked off with weakness. The Paramount horror film, Case 39, starring Renee Zellweger, came in seventh place with $ 5.35 million, while Let Me In, the vampire story of Overture Film, debuted eighth with 5.3 million .
Meanwhile, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps at 20th Century Fox, the last weekend topped the list, dropped to third place with $ 10.1 million and 35.9 million accumulated in total.
The Social Network joined a list of plays for adults who are reigning in theaters, along with the sequel to the film Wall Street, The Town, starring and directed by Ben Affleck, which was ranked fourth, with $ 10 million. In its three weeks has brought 64.3 million.
Here are the top movie ticket sales Friday through Sunday, with estimated weekend receipts and total receipts since the movie opened. The number of weeks opened is in parentheses.
Weekend Total in millions of dollars
1. The Social Network: $23 Million
2. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole – $10.9M
3. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps – $10.1M
4. The Town – $10.0M
5. Easy A – $7.0M
6. You Again – $5.6M
7. Case 39 – $5.4M
8. Let Me In – $5.3M
9. Devil – $3.7M
10. Alpha and Omega – $3.0M
10.2.2010 | By Karen Posada |
We recently attended a 20-minute sneak peek of Disney’s Tron: Legacy months before its theatrical release. The presentation offered an in-depth look at how the visual effects, costumes, and vehicles were brought to life. This project is significant as it follows the footsteps of the 1982 cult classic Tron. Read More
10.1.2010 | By Jack Rico |
For those who have not seen ‘Let the Right One In,’ you’ll like it’s Hollywood remake – ‘Let Me In.’ If you’ve already seen the Swedish original, this new version will feel choppy and uninteresting, only until the second half where it really picks up. Read More
10.1.2010 | By Karen Posada |
*Updated December 2025
I got an EXCLUSIVE behind the scenes look at the upcoming movie from Disney’s Tron: Legacy, the sequel of the very successful movie Tron in the early 80s. This one is said to be just as big as Avatar! Read More
09.29.2010 | By Jack Rico |
*Updated January 2026
Although The Social Network isn’t a masterpiece, this film will undoubtedly be the film that defines our generation. Each decade had a film that captured the zeitgeist of the times such as Saturday Night Fever in the 70s, The Breakfast Club in the 80s and Reality Bites in the 90s. Read More
09.29.2010 | By SBC Staff |
Lincoln Center Theater (under the direction of André Bishop, Artistic Director, and Bernard Gersten, Executive Producer) has announced that it’s production of the new musical WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, will now begin performances on Friday, October 8 at 8pm at the Belasco Theatre (111 West 44 Street). Opening night for the musical, based on the film by Pedro Almodóvar, with a book by Jeffrey Lane, music and lyrics by David Yazbek and direction by Bartlett Sher, will remain as originally scheduled on Thursday, November 4 at 6:45pm.
“WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN” needs more technical rehearsal time and so we will start performances on Friday, October 8 at 8pm. We are very sorry to inconvenience so many theatergoers who have purchased tickets for these now cancelled performances. We apologize to all of you who are affected by this change,” said André Bishop and Bernard Gersten in a joint statement on behalf of the Lincoln Center Theater staff.
Ticket holders for performances through Thursday, October 7 can either exchange their tickets for a future performance or get a refund at point of purchase.
WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN features features de’Adre Aziza, Laura Benanti, Danny Burstein, Justin Guarini, Nikka Graff Lanzarone, Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Mary Beth Peil, Sherie Rene Scott with Julio Agustin, Alma Cuervo, John Carroll, Murphy Guyer, Rachel Bay Jones, Nina Lafarga, Yanira Marin, Sean McCourt, Vivian Nixon, Luis Salgado, Jennifer Sanchez, John Schiappa, Samantha Shafer, Phillip Spaeth, Matthew Steffens and Charlie Sutton.
09.24.2010 | By SBC Staff |
‘Buried’ is perhaps one of the most emotionally uncomfortable films you will see this year. The idea of walking out of the theater due to its inherent claustrophobic visuals might cross your mind, but try to stay to the end because it will extract an abstruse, if not, enraged reaction from you. You won’t recognize yourself after seeing the final scenes of this movie. You will be an emotionally wreck!
The premise is extremely intriguing. The very first frame has American truck driver, Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds), waking up in a coffin six feet underground in Irak. He’s in utter blackness, silence and barely able to breath, but he isn’t ready to die. But with no idea of who put him there or why, life for the family man instantly becomes a hellish struggle for survival. Buried with only a cell phone and a lighter, his contact with the outside world and ability to piece together clues that could help him discover his location are maddeningly limited. Poor reception, a rapidly draining battery, and a dwindling oxygen supply become his worst enemies in a tightly confined race against time. Fighting panic, despair and delirium, Paul Conroy has only ninety minutes to be rescued before his worst nightmare comes true.
It is rare in today’s Hollywood spectrum to see a film acted by only one person and Ryan Reynolds pulls it of brilliantly. He had a lot of help from Spanish director Rodrigo Cortés who provides constricted, suffocating shots that’ll make you cringe several times.
If Cortés and Reynolds set out to achieve a film that will stir up your emotions, then I must admit they did a masterful job. I left the screening speechless and unable to formulate or utter an immediate opinion on the film for days. The subtextual, inherently moral and political conflicts the film brings forth questions your very outlook of the world today. Buried is a visceral and powerful film that you will not be able to shake off long after you leave the theater. If that’s not the principal reason you go to the movies, then I don’t know what is.
The one moment where the credibility of the movie suffers is a snake scene that just seemed too random to take seriously. It was obviously inserted to prevent any monotony the pacing could have encountered.
Nevertheless, if Hitchcock were alive today, I truly do believe, he would have indulged in directing this film. I think Cortés and Reynolds pulled off a difficult film to entertain people with. Let’s now see if Danny Boyle’s version with James Franco, ‘127 Hours,’ is better!
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