Blogcritics Author: Thomas Steenhagen

Music Review: Various Artists - I'm Bout It

Thomas Steenhagen — Sat, 5 Jul 2008 19:24:14 EDT

A perfect piece of No Limit product that knows exactly how to implement itself.
If you were a rap fan during the just before the dawn of the new millennium, odds are you’ve heard a No Limit song or two.Label owner and CEO Master P was, at this time, riding high on the massive success of his anthemic "Make 'Em Say Ugh,” recouping from the impressive sales from his indie-released Ice Cream Man LP, and simply...

Music Review: AZ - Undeniable

Thomas Steenhagen — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:42:33 EDT

One of the best comebacks in rap history.
AZ has been on fire lately, starting with the fantastic Aziatic in 2002, the above average A.W.O.L. in 2005, then completely shattering expectations set upon him 13 years ago with the superbly produced and rapped The Format a year later.AZ has never sold millions of units or received the critical acclaim of many of his fellow New York brethren....

Xbox 360 Review: Condemned 2: Bloodshot

Thomas Steenhagen — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:45:54 EDT

Gory, tense, and incredibly violent - horror fans will love it.
If Condemned: Criminal Origins was just the tip of the iceberg, then Condemned 2: Bloodshot is the Titanic smashing into it.Bloodshot, because of its expansive horror elements and copious amounts of gore, feels more like a harsh NC-17-rated sequel to its moderately R-rated predecessor. Forgetting the improved fighting mechanics, reworked game play...

Xbox 360 Review: The Bourne Conspiracy

Thomas Steenhagen — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:21:17 EDT

A short yet thoroughly faithful, worthwhile experience.
In the realm of movie-to-video game adaptations, their quality is almost as unpredictable as adaptations made from video games to film.In the case of The Bourne Conspiracy, High Moon Studios' prequel to/recreation of The Bourne Identity, a film-based video game adaptation has never been presented with this much quality or concern for its source...

DVD Review: Day of the Dead

Thomas Steenhagen — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:05:12 EDT

Recommended for open-minded viewers only.
Very peculiar are remakes that do very little in the way of actually remaking the film in their title. The same can be said for Steve Miner's Day of the Dead (2008) which is no more a remake as it is its own zombie picture with a handful of events from George A. Romero's legendary original re-invented for continuity's sake.But that isn't...

DVD Review: Frontier(s)

Thomas Steenhagen — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:55:11 EDT

Every bit as good as you've been hearing.
Moments after my initial viewing of Xavier Gens’ Frontier(s), I noticed something quite peculiar; a few of my front teeth were missing. It was then that I assumed the film had kicked them out of my mouth during viewing. Whoever says that hardcore horror is dead certainly hasn’t been keeping up with the recent crop of French genre...

DVD Review: Bachelor Party 2: The Last Temptation

Thomas Steenhagen — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:16:30 EDT

Skip this sequel and go watch the original again.
Rude and crude raunch comedies like Bachelor Party 2: The Last Temptation are a dime a dozen these days. But back when its predecessor was released, this was just a fledgling subgenre that pretty much began with Porky’s and waned soon after the original Bachelor Party was released on home video. Thanks to the original trio of American Pie...

DVD Review: Storm Warning

Thomas Steenhagen — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:33:02 EST

Sick, twisted, but more than a little effective.
Jamie Blanks, director of Storm Warning, is someone you could argue has been held down by "the system." Blanks has worked mostly within strict Hollywood guidelines, previously churning out by-the-numbers, mid-'90s slashers such as Urban Legend and Valentine with the main goal being to amass as much money as possible for each...

DVD Review: Live Free or Die Hard

Thomas Steenhagen — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:15:13 EST

An energetic, entertaining action extravaganza - the second best in the series.
Live free or Die Hard, indeed. The best Die Hard picture since the original (though this entry's overt modernization could have something to do with me enjoying it so) and it accomplished it, initially, with a PG-13 rating. With that being said, though, this film should have failed. A fifty-year-old Bruce Willis stars alongside Justin...

DVD Review - Hostel: Part II

Thomas Steenhagen — Fri, 2 Nov 2007 22:02:23 EDT

Not perfect, but a solid sequel to one of the best horror films of the last five years.
What is the desired worth of a torture flick in today's world of PG-13 horror films and summer blockbusters? The first Hostel was a major success, in director Eli Roth's opinion, because it mirrored the violent atrocities of America's (and other countries') involvement in the war in Iraq. To Mr. Roth, it acted as sort of a grisly...