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…

By Coop Cooper

10. “Battle: Los Angeles” – This remake of “Independence Day” mixed with “Black Hawk Down” got very little love from critics and a lukewarm response from audiences but I maintain my opinion that it’s the most visually satisfying, most action-packed sci-fi film of the year. I have re-watched “Battle: LA” more than any other film on this list.

9. “Captain America” – This lead-in for “The Avengers” superhero team movie (opening in May of 2012) is second only to “Iron Man” in the series of Marvel Comics films. A “Cap” film was previously regarded as too difficult to sell to a foreign market and potentially corny. Director Joe Johnston allayed all fears by creating a Hollywood blockbuster and introducing new fans to the star-spangled hero…

by Coop Cooper
There are many great horror films out there but very few actually take place during or around Halloween. Here are six of the best…

6. “Ginger Snaps” (2000) – Ginger and her sister, Brigitte are two high school Goth outcasts… Until Ginger gets bit by a werewolf. The infection gives Ginger the confidence she’s never had… and an appetite for human flesh. The climax occurs during a Halloween party where Ginger doesn’t need a fake costume to look scary. One of the great underrated werewolf films, “Ginger Snaps” is a sly, grim allegory to the pains of female puberty. It spawned two bizarre and substandard sequels but the original has a large fan following…

After attending numerous film festivals over the years, I quickly learned the benefits of such an event, but was frustrated I was not exposed to them sooner. I feel it is necessary to highlight the advantages so people in my community, and others, can understand what the big deal is. These positives do not apply exclusively to film festivals, but to music, art and all other creative festivals as well…

Every year there are several acclaimed films that really rub me the wrong way. It’s not that I don’t agree they are all good, some are and some aren’t, but something about them bugged me and no one can convince me otherwise.

I plan on getting some hate mail for these because they are all popular choices for critics as well as the general public. Hopefully many of you will agree with me on one or more of these because let’s face it, it’s awards season and I’ve got a bad feeling that Inception isn’t going to win a thing despite being the best movie of the year. That sad realization makes this list feel like sweet justice…

Wow, shooting even a short film takes a lot out of you. Especially if you’re handling the writing, producing, directing, etc… It distracts you from things, such as the website you’ve been building for the past few years.

No, the Small Town Critic site is not defunct, just transitioning to encompass all of my projects, including movie reviews, short films, festival screenings, screenwriting seminars and whatever else I’ve got going on.

To get things on track for the New Year (2011? When did that happen?), here are my top 10 movie pics of the last year…

Everyone has at least seen one zombie film, and, if you haven’t, I don’t think we can be friends until you do. So get on it! I’m not waiting around! You have to be prepared for when a zombie outbreak occurs in your own small town. The zombies have to be nipped in the bud (or head) before it takes over the whole world and it is up to you to do it. Prepare yourselves! It’s inevitable…

The movies in this list fully expected and possibly depended upon offending certain religions in order to succeed. Sometimes the film in question preys upon longstanding fears and prejudices in order to make a point. Here are 10 movies designed to offend your (or someone else’s) religious beliefs (Note: The Small Town Critic does not endorse or defend any of the viewpoints these films present)…

Movies don’t try to please everyone. Tailor-made for certain demographics, some filmmakers try to entertain or provoke discussion, knowing full well their movie will offend a particular group. The most inflammatory of these movies attempt to question taboos, rituals and customs of many of the world’s most popular religions…

Most of us would agree that the bare-endoskeletal Terminators and all of its other models are probably the baddest killer robots of them all, so in honor of them and “Terminator Salvation,” I’m going to rate them higher than #1. Hey, it’s my list I’ll do it if I wanna so I can leave more room for the Baddest Killer Robots of all time in film…

Here are the movie titles that – when you see them – completely grab your attention. Whether they are the best piece of cinema of all time or a complete piece of crap, one thing cannot be denied… You gotta love that title. Here are the 10 best movie titles of all time in descending order all the way down to #1…

In 1999, civilization teetered on the brink of annihilation as the oracles of doom lined up for a spot on the talk show circuit to pronounce the end of the world as we knew it. According to the naysayers, the Y2K bug was poised to wreck havoc on computer systems across the entire digital spectrum from finance to air traffic control to eBay. In short, it was claimed that this viral Boolean mutation would infect the operating systems of every computer on the planet and thereby destroy our global infrastructure; plunging mankind back into the Dark Ages. NBC, in a deplorable yet completely predictable vulturistic fit of negative opportunism, pounced…

Jay’s final installment of sports films includes all the sports I’m best at. Except for running. And wrestling. Olympics, here I come!…

The penultimate installment of Jay’s list, this one includes a few favorites from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and today. Think you know the best surfing and skydiving movies? Think again…

In his fifth installment, Jay focuses on movies that feature sports involving ice/water (and a horse?). C’mon, Hollywood! We need some movies about polo out there!

Did you know there was a movie about lacross? Neither did I. Jay counts down #’s 16 through 20 of the sports movies you may (or may not) know about. Now, if only they’d make a movie about competitive cockfighting…

Jay continues his list 35 of films that feature your favorite (and possibly not-so-favorite) sports. Man, these bring back some memories. This one makes me want to go diving, fencing, fishing, freediving and vault the pommel horse all on the same day. Especially fencing…

Yessir sporting activities, like crooked cops, malevolent extraterrestrials and nymphomaniacal teens, just lends itself to treatment on the silver screen. Yet apart from films centered on the big four – you heard me, four (football, basketball, baseball, golf) – few seem to have any knowledge or interest in cinematic depictions of the so-called lesser athletic endeavors. So let’s take a look at some participatorily-challenged sports and the films which sought – with varying degrees of success – to bring them to the forefront of the public conscience. (Part 2 of Jay’s article!)…

Whenever the subject of films comes up, I am invariably asked “So what’s your favorite?” I’ve always equated this overly-broad inquiry with “So what’s your favorite liquid?” If you’re talking beer, then it’s Mac and Jacks. Wine, probably Louis Martini Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (NOT Sonoma). Tequila… Therefore, “What’s your favorite movie?” gets whittled down to “favorite comedy”, “favorite drama” and eventually “favorite sports movie”. And when it comes to one’s taste in athletic competition, brutality truly is in the eye of the beholder. Some like it rough, some like it serene. Some are attuned to team sport; others are drawn to…

These are the heroes that just won’t go down no matter what you thow at them. The best of the best. The Greatest. Here’s the criteria I used while making the list… a. The heroes must survive to the end of their film/franchise. b. No superheroes with superpowers. c. Pick heroes who represent cult phenom films. These are my results:

With the Academy Awards taking place next weekend, I’m going to take this opportunity to list ten reasons we Americans look forward to watching the ceremony. Forget that we’ll never get to hold that golden, bald trophy or that many of us haven’t seen any of the nominated films. The “Oscars” offer more to viewers [...]