archives

Gary Dowell

Professional film critic, journalist, Byronic hero.
Gary Dowell has written 563 posts for movie ink™

30 Years of Dick on Film

Colin Farrell is currently starring in Total Recall, a loose remake of the 1990 classic starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, itself a loose adaptation of a short story by Philip K. Dick (1928-82). One of the most visionary and influential speculative fiction authors ever, Dick’s works revolved around themes of the boundaries of identity and reality, and … Continue reading

Movie review: ‘The Watch’

The premise was promising, but in execution The Watch is a tepid dude comedy wrapped around an anemic science fiction plot. Ben Stiller is the leader of this particular wolf pack, starring as Evan, the manager of a local Costco store who has intimacy issues with his wife Abby (Rosemarie DeWitt, the latest in Stiller’s chain of unlikely screen … Continue reading

Movie review: ‘Silent House’

  In their debut film Open Water (2003), husband-and-wife filmmaking duo Chris Kentis and Laura Lau established a knack for building suspense and genuine fear by depositing hapless everyday folks into a hostile and unforgiving environment. They carry that experience forward with Silent House, a home-invasion thriller built around a gimmick and a twist, either … Continue reading

Superman ‘Man of Steel’ Teaser Arrives

The first official teaser footage for Man of Steel, director Zack Snyder’s shot at re-invigorating Superman for the movie-going public, is now online. Many have expected the trailer to be a trimmed-down version of the clip recently shown at the San Diego Comic Con; rather, it appears to be an almost entirely different clip. The … Continue reading

This Week’s Special Screenings

The Texas Theater resumes its Tuesday Night Trash series with a free screening of the martial arts extravaganza The Dragon Lives Again (aka Deadly Hands of Kung Fu, 1977), 9:15pm, July 24, at the theater. Details The Magnolia’s The Big Movie films series kicks off its two-part Disaster! series with a screening of the all-star epic The Poseidon Adventure (1974), 7:30 and … Continue reading

Movie Night for July: America — Fuck Yeah!

The venerable free magazine Lit Monthly has updated its online edition with the contents of its July issue, which means another installment of my mind-bending Movie Night column is now available online. Click on the photo to read about some great American movies.

Movie review: ‘The Dark Knight Rises’

It’s the Batman movie we need, though whether it’s the one we want depends on what one expects. Director Christopher Nolan co-writes once more with his brother Jonathan (Memento and the past two Bat-movies), taking the audience into some unexpected places as they wrap up their take on the character’s mythos, throwing us some curveballs … Continue reading

From the Vault: ‘Who Dares Wins’

A true guilty pleasure, Who Dares Wins (released in the US as The Final Option, 1982) makes up for its rough edges with attitude, flair, and a well-staged action climax. Lewis Collins (the UK series The Professionals) stars as Captain Skellen, British soldier in the elite Special Air Service (the title refers to the SAS … Continue reading

This Week’s Special Screenings

The Dallas Film Society continues its Summer Screenings series with a free screening of Alan Miller’s acclaimed documentary The Turandot Project (2000) at 7:30pm, July 16, at the Studio Movie Grill. Details Cinemark Theaters and Paramount Studios continue their Reel Classics summerfilm series continues with a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller North by Northwest (1959), … Continue reading

Batmania: 70 Years of The Dark Knight on Film

One of the most anticipated movies of the year and most eagerly awaited sequels of all time, The Dark Knight Rises opens on Friday, concluding director Christopher Nolan’s epic trilogy and capping off what has so far been the highpoint of the Caped Crusader’s film career. Movie Ink takes a look back at the ups … Continue reading

Go to:

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,019 other subscribers