Wrath of Khan

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Following the critical disappointment of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the franchise's fate was up in the air. Legend has it that after attending the premiere, William Shatner said, "That's it. We gave it our best shot, but there'll be no more Star Trek movies." But that was back when…
December 5, 202231 Comments
Star Trek the Motion Picture

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

There's no question about what the best Star Trek movie is. But debate rages over which is the worst. Surprisingly for a long-running Hollywood franchise, a frontrunner for the least enjoyable Star Trek movie also happens to be the series' first. With that rather inflammatory intro out of the way,…
November 30, 202221 Comments
BackToTheFuture3

Back to the Future Part III

Every American science fiction series involving time travel has to have a Western arc. It's an unwritten law of storytelling. And of course, the best time travel movie series is no exception. Nor was Back to the Future's take on the Western genre unexpected. Doc and Marty's trip to the…
September 23, 20228 Comments
BackToTheFuture2

Back to the Future Part II

In the current Dark Age, it's almost a universal law that any successful IP from before Ground Zero will become fodder for a bastardized remake or insulting sequel. Yesterday's post showcased Back to the Future as the sole exception to that rule. But did it break the other ironclad Hollywood…
September 22, 202219 Comments
BackToTheFuture

Back to the Future

It's important to be thankful for small mercies. In the context of beloved 1980s film franchises, only one has escaped desecration by the Hollywood Death Cult ... for now. That as-yet unsullied franchise began with 1985's Back to the Future, a time travel adventure flick written by Robert Zemeckis and…
September 21, 202212 Comments
Ferris Bueller

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

The 1980s teen comedy genre isn't a field known for producing great art or artists. Nostalgia blinds most contemporary viewers to the weed and fornication-fueled subversion beneath the presentable Reagan-era exterior. As film critics have pointed out, Hollywood got even more subversive in reaction to the conservative political turn. And…
September 12, 202219 Comments
Demolition Man

Demolition Man

1993's dystopian romp Demolition Man has multiple offbeat claims to fame. It's arguably the last of the 1980s style sci-fi actioners, its script having been sold in 1988. But its long and convoluted production wouldn't wrap until five years later, at the start of the High 90s. In a twist…
May 12, 20228 Comments
The Northman

The Northman

A defining feature of movies in general since Cultural Ground Zero movies isn't so much a lack of quality as a lack of humanity. As visual effects have advanced and budgets ballooned, vision and authenticity have vanished from the silver screen. One current film maker whose works have bucked that…
April 26, 202210 Comments
Milo v Beardson2

Milo v Beardson 2

A few months back, I let readers in on the internet beef between professional gadfly Milo Yiannopoulos and curmudgeonly streamer Beardson Beardly. Many were surprised that instead of a slap fight, the two debaters arrived at a détente of sorts over the meaning and gradations of art. It was a…
March 1, 20223 Comments
Last Action Hero

Last Action Hero

It's often said that the mark of a good parody is that you could take out all the jokes, and it would still play well as a straight genre film. The best parodies start with that ingredient and add a deep love for the source material. Due in part to…
February 4, 20227 Comments