The Blu Spot

The Film: In 1981, a little sci-fi thriller called "Outland" was released into theaters from writer/director Peter Hyams, who had previously given us similar genre films like "Capricorn One," and would go on to deliver other sci-fi & horror outings like "2010: The Year We Make Contact," "The Relic," and "End of Days." "Outland" wasn't exactly a hit with the critics, though it did receive positive notices from The New York Times & Variety, and performed respectably at the box

The Show: Without a doubt, one of the very best writers to come along in the business over the last few decades is the great Aaron Sorkin, who has garnered massive critical acclaim for writing extraordinary film projects like "The Social Network," "Moneyball" (co-written with Steven Zaillian), "Molly's Game," and "The Trial of the Chicago 7," all four of which earned him Oscar nominations and a win for "The Social Network." However, his work has not been restricted to film, w

The Film: A little over 50 years ago, a little gangster thriller called "Get Carter," starring the great Sir Michael Caine, was released in theaters. Over the decades, opinions of the film have varied quite a bit, with many having a mixed reaction to it, and many others considering it to be one of the finest films of its genre ever made. Wherever one may fall on the spectrum, there's no doubt that the film has quite a few fans, so for them, Warner Bros. recently unleashed a n

The Film: Renowned master of horror John Carpenter has been known for a number of memorable works throughout his incredible career, including "Halloween," "The Thing," and "The Fog," but one of his later works that seemed to slip through the cracks was his 1994 supernatural thriller "In the Mouth of Madness." It was another one of those films that didn't exactly wow critics at the time, and hardly made a dent at the box office, but in the 30 years since its release, there hav

The Film: It's impossible to overstate the important impact of Hammer Films as a major stage in the history of horror cinema. Their numerous classic films, which primarily involved beloved horror stories like "Dracula," "Frankenstein," and "The Mummy," had their own distinct look & feel that created rich atmospheres to go along with their well-known tales, leaving behind an incredible legacy of entertaining & absorbing works that continue to delight audiences to this day. Wit

The Film: Actor Riz Ahmed has had a rather remarkable last few years, not only earning an Oscar nomination for his incredible performance in "Sound of Metal," but also winning one for his short film "The Long Goodbye." While it may seem like he hasn't been around as much lately, the truth is that he remains hard at work in smaller films like "Encounter" and "Fingernails," while also taking on small parts in major films like Wes Anderson's "The Phoenician Scheme." Another one

The Film: Between 2011 and 2017, three different "Smurfs" films were brought to the big screen, attempting to keep alive the spirit of the beloved comics from the '50s, which were most famously turned into a popular cartoon series that ran for nine seasons between 1981 and 1989. Sadly, the recent films were not received very well by critics, but that hardly stopped them from being rather successful at the box office, with the first of them grossing well over half a billion do

The Films: There have already been so many incredible films celebrating their 40th anniversary this year, but out of all of those, one that is truly considered an absolute classic is Robert Zemeckis' "Back to the Future," a film that remains one of the most beloved pieces of cinema to come out of the '80s and continues to resonate with audiences even four decades later. To celebrate this special milestone, Universal Pictures is re-releasing the entire trilogy of films in a ne

The Film: Writer/director David Cronenberg is primarily known for his extensive work in the sub-genre of body horror films, which has included such memorable projects as "The Fly," "Videodrome," "Dead Ringers," and "The Brood." However, in 2005, he delivered what is quite possibly his least Cronenberg-like film, but in this critic's opinion, it's also the very best one he's made thus far in his career. Working from a screenplay by Josh Olson that adapts the 1997 graphic novel

The Film: "Aeon Flux" originally started as an animated sci-fi series consisting of three seasons that aired on MTV from 1991-1995. It was received rather well by critics, who praised its creativity, characters, and themes, making it no surprise that a live-action version was eventually brought to life on the big screen. However, things didn't go quite as well for the film as they had for the series, with critics & audiences being quick to dismiss it, and its box office perfo