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Josh Tate

  • Photo courtesy of The Weinstein Company George A. Romero pioneered the zombie genre when he wrote and directed the seminal Night of the Living Dead in 1968. He would later go on to make Dawn of the Dead (1978), Day of the Dead (1985) and Land of the Dead (2005). His latest undead picture, Diary of the Dead hits theaters today after successful screenings at the Toronto and Sundance film festivals. Actor Shawn Roberts...
  • Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox There's a certain kooky irresistibility to Doug Liman. By many accounts, he's virtually impossible to work with and yet the movies he turns out are often very good (Swingers, The Bourne Identity), and one is even great (Go). That said, I'm hesitant to sign on for Jumper. I'm what some would call the opposite of a fan of Hayden Christensen and Rachel Bilson looks like she has encephalitis....
  • Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm Ltd Like many fans of the original trilogy, I was relieved that the disaster of the "prequels" mercifully ended after Revenge of the Sith. I can't relate to you the sheer embarrassment I felt when my boyhood hero, Darth Vader--a character to whom I ritualistically sacrificed neighborhood pets as a child!--weakly mewled, "Nooo!" after hearing of his beloved Padme's death. Well, fans of the original trilogy are about to feel...
  • Photo courtesy of Miramax When was the last time an actor executed a more profound career turnaround than Casey Affleck? Gone Baby Gone is his second superb performance of the year. If you don't see it for him, see it for Amy Ryan's breakout, Oscar-nominated turn. The mere presence of the divine Anne Hathaway makes Becoming Jane worth renting. James McAvoy was better in this than in the over-hyped (but still good) Atonement. No...
  • Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers In what can only be seen as a ratification of Mike Huckabee's belief that Satan actually exists, Fool's Gold roared to the top of the box office this weekend with a robust take of $22M. Plans are already underway for a third Kate Hudson-Matthew McConaughey pairing, tentatively titled Shit Sandwich. In further bad news, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins finished second with a healthy gross of $17.1M in its first...
  • Photo courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment Joel David Moore is one of those character actors whose name you can never place but whose face you recognize instantly. He often works in broad comedies (Dodgeball, Grandma's Boy) and--let's be honest--his characters are usually not the sharpest tools in the shed. Given all that, I was surprised by the radical and dark departure taken in his latest film, Spiral, in which Moore not only acts, but...
  • Photo courtesy of Picturehouse Entertainment After the awful Fred Claus, Vince Vaughn owes us some laughs and Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights - Hollywood to the Heartland might be just the ticket. It follows Vaughn and four hand-picked comedians as they cross the country to play an exhausting 30 shows in 30 nights. There are a bevy of on-stage celebrity cameos and Vaughn never lets his out-sized persona...
  • Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford didn't exactly set the box-office on fire when it landed in theaters. Something tells me, though, that this superb, meditative neo-Western will enjoy a long life on DVD. Across the Universe is the world's longest music video and a treat for any Beatles fan (and only for Beatles' fans!). Elizabeth - The Golden Age was unexpectedly ripped by critics....
  • Photo courtesy of Mike Schmid via Flickr Not since 1992 when Billy Ray Cyrus sparked an ill-advised cultural revolution with his tuneless "Achy Breaky Heart" has the Cyrus family experienced a moment of such undeserved triumph. Defying all logic and good taste, Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour crushed all comers at the box-office this weekend. In only 683 theaters, it amassed a staggering $29M and will likely continue playing despite...
  • Photo courtesy of Rialto Pictures This weekend's new movie offererings are so spectacularly awful that I felt compelled to lead with the dreamy 1961 French classic, Last Year At Mariendbad, which opens this weekend at the Nuart. You'll probably walk out of the theater wondering what in the hell you just saw (it's trippy and plotless), but at least you'll be challenged a little bit. That certainly won't be the case with Jessica Alba's...

Stories by Josh Tate

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