Reading this edition of "The Big Question" at Hitfix.com got me thinking about the first R-rated movie I ever saw. The film itself—a Michael Douglas thriller called The Star Chamber—was not so memorable, but the circumstances around my viewing of...  read

This is long overdue, but some folks over on Facebook asked me for a recap of the movies I saw last month at the SXSW Film Conference & Festival. But first, you might be asking, what was Bill doing at...  read

Maggie Thatcher's dead, but so is Roger Ebert. Always a trade-off.  read

UPDATE!  After this blog entry was written, I emailed the text of it to John Hodgman on a whim. A few hours later, to my surprise, I received a response. His Honor told me he would endure my "gut punches"...  read

I watched Paranormal Activity yesterday evening on DVD. I found the movie deeply, thrillingly, and realistically frightening—not because I believe in ghosts or demons, but because it returned me to a time in my life when I did. Between the...  read

B-movie legend Bruce Campbell gives himself the schlock treatment in an homage to low-budget horror flicks.  read

In his most personal role ever, Anthony Hopkins dares audiences to assemble the pieces of an aging screenwriter’s fractured mind.  read

This film review was originally published online at Science Fiction Weekly, July 27, 2007. C+ Ben Willis (Sean Biggerstaff) can’t seem to get to sleep. His gorgeous girlfriend Suzy (Michelle Ryan) dumped him two weeks ago after a terrible fight,...  read

In this pensive new thriller, Guy Pearce discovers to his dismay that sometimes a fortune teller’s predictions are no snow job.  read

A subtle new film from Germany, based on actual events, asks us how literally we should regard the task of facing down our demons.  read