Tag Archive | motion pictures
The Genius of Ray Harryhausen
To honor the memory of Ray Harryhausen, who passed away today, May 7, 2013, I am republishing this article that was originally published on November 11, 2011. My love for movies started at an early age. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t overwhelmed by the magic of cinema. I can remember being only […]
Battle of the Airbenders: TV Series vs Film
Avatar: The Last Airbender is an animated series that Nickelodeon aired from 2005 to 2008 that draws heavily from Asian mythology and Anime style. It’s easy to dismiss this as another Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh! or just another goofy Japanese import for little kids. While definitely in that vein, it is an American production that […]
2012 Razzies – Now with Winners!
Originally published on February 26, 2012. This year’s Academy Awards are upon us, but amid all the razzle-dazzle of awards season is one event that’s less that auspicious: The Golden Raspberry Award. Originally started in 1981, the Razzies celebrates the worst films of the year. Typically, Hollywood ignores this ignominious honor, though Sandra Bullock did […]
RIP Ralph McQuarrie
I was nine years old when I first saw Star Wars, along with a good portion of the world’s population. Is it too melodramatic to say that it changed my life, when practically any event changes the life of a nine-year-old? Regardless, nothing else effected the direction my life took as much as George Lucas‘s […]
Forrest Button Fish – Variations of the Same Parable
Hollywood likes to tell the same story repeatedly. Usually it’s obvious (gee, two blockbusters coming out the same year about asteroids threatening all life on Earth—what a coincidence!), but other times it’s more subtle. For instance, consider the movies that have the following plots: a man with a low IQ changes the lives of everyone […]
Star Wars: The Stage Play
When the original Star Wars hit the movie theaters in 1977 and became a worldwide sensation, George Lucas milked his creation in what seemed to be every means possible–toys, T-shirts, a story album, and the infamous holiday special on TV. As previously chronicled, Star Wars has given us entertainment in every conceivable medium except for […]
In Defense of 3D
A lot has been made of the recent trend of releasing every blockbuster in 3D, mostly with negative reactions. People complain that it’s overused, that it’s a marketing ploy meant to take even more of our hard-earned money, that it’s a cheap gimmick with no lasting power, that it makes the image too dark, and […]
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