John Hansen

Congo movie

‘Congo’ (1995) taps into old-fashioned adventure

Michael Crichton Monday (Movie review): It falls short of the novel, but this adaptation succeeds as a rollicking – if corny – old-fashioned adventure.

Reminiscence

‘Reminiscence’ unspools noir plot against cli-fi backdrop

Movie review: The waterlogged future is gorgeous to look at, but the plot is rather standard for a film that seems to promise so much more.

Evil Under the Sun

Christie’s ‘Evil Under the Sun’ (1941) an ideal beach read

Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Yet again, Poirot’s coastal vacation is interrupted by murder. He doesn’t mind too much though, and readers won’t either.

Cursed

‘Cursed’ (2005) a mildly amusing werewolf yarn

Frightening Friday (Movie review): The only non-“Scream” collaboration between Williamson and Craven has a cast of stars, but also a messy werewolf mythology.

‘Speed Racer’ (2008) a downshift for Wachowskis

Throwback Thursday (Movie review): “Speed Racer” is fun and has a mature plot, but it’s odd that the race scenes are so blatantly artificial.

Anything Else

Allen meets ‘American Pie’ in ‘Anything Else’ (2003)

Woody Wednesday (Movie review): Attraction isn’t everything, especially if the girlfriend has more issues than the Allen-esque lead.

Runaway

‘Runaway’ (1984) offers future paths-not-taken

Michael Crichton Monday (Movie review): This is a standard cop actioner, but it’s fun to see what future tech devices Crichton predicts.

The Mousetrap

‘Mousetrap’ collection (1950) doesn’t merely squeak by

Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Agatha Christie gives us a collection of Poirot, Marple and the novella that became a hit play in the United Kingdom.

Slasher Season 4

‘Slasher’ returns with gore-ific Season 4 premiere

First episode impressions (TV review): “Slasher” reaffirms its status as the goriest show on TV in a Season 4 that starts slow but is steadily building.

Friday the 13th rankings

All 12 ‘Friday the 13th’ films, ranked from worst to best

Movie rankings: It’s Friday the 13th, so here are my worst-to-first rankings of the 12 films of the Jason Voorhees saga.