In a modern-day world where the vampire myth has been done to death in spin-offs and variants, one of the best parallels we have to the classic monsters found in Bram Stoker’s Dracula and John Polidori’s The Vampyre is the gentlemanly serial killer Hannibal Lecter, originally created by Thomas Harris and aptly played on the screen by Anthony Hopkins.
For most people, the 1925 adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera is the first time Gaston Leroux’s novel reached the big screen. While a Russian film based on the novel did come out in 1916, it is now a historical footnote as no copies of that movie survived to the modern era. Thus, for our discussion of The Phantom of the Opera and its many adaptations, we have to skip over the first one and go right to the 1925 silent film starring Lon Chaney.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (or Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for we dumb Americans) is my favorite film from the Harry Potter series that I’ve seen because it’s the story that feels the most like an introduction to a magical world. Like all the films, it does a pretty good job of adapting J.K. Rowling’s original work and features an amazing cast that not only introduced the world to the likes of Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson but also included such great stars as Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, Richard Harris, and more. It’s a fun time and a good movie, so now I’m going to spend some time going on about nitpicky details.
Jurassic Park is more than just a breakthrough in special effects. It is well-directed, nicely acted, and has a tight, suspenseful story. That said, there are some choices in the film that I find to be either very baffling or extremely hilarious. And, because it’s such a good movie, it can take my nitpicking.
If you want an animated movie that teaches all the wrong lessons to kids, Sing will fulfill your desire. The film pulled in more than $600 million worldwide and garnered positive reviews from critics who seemed to miss something very important: Buster Moon is a monster who must be stopped.
Continue reading “Buster Moon is History’s Greatest Monster”
Spoilers for Star Wars: The Last Jedi below.
Of the many points of controversy in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the behavior of Vice Admiral Holdo ranks as one of the film’s most frequent criticisms. Why couldn’t the film have used an existing character, like Admiral Ackbar? Why does she have such a problem with ace fighter pilot Poe Dameron? And why didn’t she avoid a mutiny by letting others aboard the ship know she had a plan to escape the First Order?
Based on the failure of her plan in The Last Jedi, you could argue that she should never have held the position of command that she did. But while she was far from perfect, she actually filled her role much better than most fans give her credit for.
Continue reading “Vice Admiral Holdo was Smarter than Fans Give Her Credit For”
You’ve got a great film hero and you’re just dying to make audiences fall in love with the character. How do you make that happen effectively? Introducing a character is no easy task, but it helps that there are dozens of examples of great introductions in film.
Continue reading “My Favorite Character Introductions in Film”
(Spoilers for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story below.)
The Star Wars franchise has been blessed with some good movies in recent years, which I consider payback for the misfire of the prequel trilogy. Rogue One marked a departure from the standard Star Wars film, presenting a war story that was pretty good overall. Then again, it could have been terrible and I still would have loved it for the Vader scene at the end.
Continue reading “The Disturbing Implications of Star Wars Droids”
I’ma gonna talk about Star Wars: The Last Jedi here, and I’m not going to bother hiding spoilers. If you haven’t seen the movie and want to be surprised, just skip this ramble until after you’ve watched the film.
Continue reading “Your Feelings Betray You: Luke Skywalker and The Last Jedi”
If humans found a way to clone dinosaurs, would you be down for it?
There’s no right or wrong answer to this question, unless you bring up Jurassic Park as an argument against cloning. Then you’re wrong.
Jurassic Park is a good book and an entertaining movie. But it always makes me grind my teeth when people use it as an illustration of the dangers of human beings playing God. It is not a cautionary tale about the dangers of cloning. It is a cautionary tale about running a shitty zoo. Continue reading “Jurassic Park is a Terrible Argument Against Cloning”
Babbling Brooks 