Chris Beckwith

Still early in the year, but undoubtedly this mini-series will wind up proclaimed as one of the best of the year. Yes, it is (somewhat) non-linear, however, it all comes together rather nicely in the final episodes. Regardless, the series will easily bear a second viewing, and possibly a third because it is that rich and unusual. And while some episodes may initially leave you puzzled on the first go 'round, others will keep you bolted to your seat. You'll really have no idea what's coming next.because there's nothing predictable about it.

Given Knuckleduster is about an underground fight club, I need not mention how the color red flows and gushes. But for all its bloodletting, what Knuckleduster really needed was a sharp red pencil to slice through its witless, slack-paced script. Too bad really, because I think director James Kermack has a talent for compelling and highly stylized visuals, but he hasn't got the wit, brevity or knack for punchy, well-paced dialogue that the film knows it needs - and never quit achieves.

Some occasionally interesting bits of FX, but overall Dark Fate offers little more than a stodgy recycling of plot points from the prior Terminator films along with plodding dialogue to match. Though it's nice to see Linda Hamilton again, there is little here that is inventive, new or newsworthy to the story line. Cameron provided brilliant and intriguing plot conceptions that allowed the first two - and best - films of the Terminator series to move like sharks in water. None of the films that have come since have anywhere near the intellectual rigor or inventiveness that Cameron initiated the series with. It's conceivable that a new Terminator series, based on entirely new characters and plot concepts, could be worth a try - the Terminator universe is an interesting one - but anything short of complete reinvention isn't worth the time.

Opens in theatres? What the hell are they talking about? Reviewers would do well to explain how and where a film can be accessed; that would certainly seem the most helpful info to viewers, which is what a review is suppose to be. As is, digital venue information for Peninsula has been badly coordinated to the point of confusion. Remarkably bad distribution. Come on, people - think!

Dark may be as a good an example as any to argue that we have passed out of postmodernism and are now squarely in the Neo-Baroque era.

Baby Doll was condemned by the Catholic League of Decency upon its '56 release and was regarded as controversial for its time, but audiences today would likely shrug their shoulders and wonder what all the fuss was about. What audiences would instantly recognize is that Baby Doll is a comic masterpiece featuring three exceptionally nimble performers (Carole Baker, Karl Malden and Eli Wallach) doing some of the best character work ever committed to film. Not to be missed!