Gremlins

Gremlins

A common malady among aspiring artists is to get hung up on an established set of rules. That's not to deny that any rules exist. Art is a work performed to a standard. Where artists run into trouble is when a type of creative myopia sets in that sees only…
November 12, 202014 Comments
Rehabilitating E.T.

Rehabilitating E.T.

You know that a new medium has come into its own when its subculture bleeds into pop culture. Old media still defaults to treating video games like some novel fad, even though they've been around for half a century now. Yet gaming rivals Hollywood as the most influential force in…
October 26, 202026 Comments
The Crow

The Crow

Lately, movie reviews and true accounts of high strangeness have become popular post subjects here. With the spooky season upon us and Hollywood on its knees due to Corona-chan, I thought it fitting to post my analysis of a movie that is itself a nexus of high strangeness. Said to…
October 16, 20206 Comments
Batman Returns

Batman Returns

Tim Burton's first Batman movie was a classic black swan event. Like Star Wars, it was a genre film by a fledgling director whose quirky vision inspired little confidence in the corporate office and the press. Also like Lucas, Burton defied expectations to create a genre-redefining cultural landmark that launched…
October 14, 202019 Comments
Vicki Vale Popcorn

Batman 1989

Back in the 80s, an action movie by a young director with only two films under his belt was shot at a venerable British studio with a motley cast of Oscar winners and veterans of 60s schlock from Hammer/American International. Dismissed as B movie camp by the press, and even…
October 12, 202035 Comments
Galaxy Quest

Galaxy Quest

My 80s and 90s movie reviews seem to be resonating with readers. This response makes sense, given that many have rightly despaired of Hollywood ever treating classic franchises with anything but contempt. Multiple commenters brought up one film in particular that seems worthy of review, especially since it has the…
September 14, 202059 Comments
Major League 1989

Major League 1989

In the spirit of what's turned into a series of 80s movie reviews, I decided to revisit the 1989 sports comedy Major League. If you're unfamiliar with Major League, it's a light comedy firmly in the "ragtag team of misfits learn to put aside their differences to win the big game'…
September 9, 202014 Comments
The Running Man

The Running Man

In keeping with my recent penchant for reviewing lesser 80s and 90s classics, I took the occasion to rewatch 1987's camp dystopia actioner The Running Man. Based on a Stephen King novels published under his Richard Bachman pen name and adapted for film by the screenwriter of Commando and Die…
September 7, 20208 Comments
Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey

Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey

Readers immediately asked for a follow up to yesterday's post on Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. I'd planned on watching the sequel, anyway, so happily our purposes aligned. This was only my third viewing of Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. My dad took me and a friend to see it…
September 2, 202010 Comments
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure

Red Letter Media's retrospective on Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and its sequel, occasioned by the recent release of the series' long-awaited third film, put me in a mood to revisit the first movie. If you want a case study in how much Hollywood has changed in the last thirty…
September 1, 202030 Comments