COOP COOPER is an independently syndicated film critic with a split personality. His “Southern Side” prints mainstream reviews that appear in various print publications across the mid-south. His “Dark Side” from Los Angeles befouls the site with reviews of horror and grindhouse flicks. Welcome to the site where COOP’s two halves (and his contributors) review and debate the latest film/DVD releases…

The current trend of remaking beloved films of past generations is often met with ire by both critics and movie goers alike. In spite of this vicious cycle, Memphian filmmaker Craig Brewer has accomplished a near impossible feat… He remade one of the most beloved pop movies from the 80’s and actually improved upon it. In short, “Footloose” (2011) is an amazingly entertaining film.

Teen orphan Ren McCormack (Kenny Wormald) moves from Boston to a small town in Georgia after his mother dies of cancer. His good-hearted uncle (Ray McKinnon) takes him in and makes him feel at home, but Ren soon runs afoul of a county ordinance that bans loud music and dancing…

Nope, it’s not movie news per se, BUT I’m trying to ease back into the horror scene after a long, pre-Halloween slumber. I’m kicking in the movie scene by reviewing Pandorum in the next day or two, but when a bunch of cartoon characters from “Adult Swim” can singlehandedly resurrect the flagging “death metal” scene, that’s news for the ages. Dethalbum II, by the fictional band Dethklok, hit iTunes last night at midnight and I downloaded it immediately. Why? Because Dethalbum I was so popular and completely owned the genre it satirizes…

One very welcome side effect to blues music tourism in Clarksdale, Mississippi is that it attracts filmmakers to the area. Locals may have noticed an increasing amount of camera jockeys and boom mics wandering around downtown and the nearby tourist attractions. Get used to it, because if Tuesday night’s filming of “The Mud Dog Blues” feature promo trailer at Ground Zero Blues Club is any indication, Clarksdale may become one of the most filmed cities in the state.

This movie sucks. It’s, more like a raging music video spectacle in the vein of “Rocky Horror.” Nope, that’s not a compliment.
Adapted from a stage play, “Repo!” takes place in a not-so-distant future where organ failure has become a worldwide epidemic. GeneCo comes up with the medical technology to create new organs from scratch and [...]

Baz Luhrmann’s directorial debut, “Strictly Ballroom,” gave him success in his native Australia and a cult following in America. Later, he pushed boundaries with the stylized, modern version of “William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet,” then surpassed them with the Academy Award winning “Moulin Rouge!” No doubt, fans and critics have been waiting for his grand [...]

One of the most satisfying feel-good movies of 2007, “August Rush” flew under the radar of most viewers and got no love from the critics last Thanksgiving. I’m going to blame all of that on mass cynicism and poor marketing because there is no reason this “happy tear-jerker” shouldn’t have been a hit.
This modern fairy [...]