The beginning of May, which is now less than two weeks away, officially starts the Summer movie season with big budget action flicks, comedies, and sci-fi films hitting the theaters every week until the end of August. This year’s crop brings us the end of the world (at least three times), post-apocalyptic futures, zombies, giant robots, sequels, monsters, super-heroes, aliens, Greek mythology, men of steel and iron, action, Minions, animated racing snails and planes, old spies back in the game, a hearty Hi-Yo Silver, and new takes on the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald and William Shakespeare. Here’s a look at the big movies of the summer (with a handful of smaller films that just may be worth a look, too).
[click to continue…]
2012 turned out to be a pretty darn good year at the movies. There were two films which I gave perfect scores to this year, one of which the majority of the country won’t be seeing until early next year. I’m breaking my own rule of including it on the list, but we’ll get to that in a moment. Between these two films, which naturally open and close the list (as it’s presented alphabetically), are eight other films rounding out the class of 2012.
Cutting down my list to ten means I need to speak for a moment on films that barely missed the cut. John Carter was the year’s most under-appreciated film, The Cabin in the Woods turned the horror genre on its ear, Ang Lee delivered an amazing journey with Life of Pi, Wreck-It Ralph was this year’s best animated feature, Safety Not Guaranteed was a terrific little sci-fi flick almost no one saw, and Moonrise Kingdom was director Wes Anderson‘s best film since The Royal Tenenbaums.
Enough with what didn’t make the list, let’s get down to discussing what did:
[click to continue…]
There are many reasons why I love Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and why it remains my favorite of the Star Trek franchise.
Reason #49: Kor
[click to continue…]
Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. True, she might not grab the starring role, but she finds a way to keep popping up in movies and television, almost always reminding us that we have seen her before, even if we can’t quite remember where. And from time to time, she may even stay on-screen long enough to find a way to steal the spotlight for a memorable scene or two. Even if we can’t quite remember her name we immediately recognize her face and search furiously through our brains to remember where we have seen “that girl” before.
[click to continue…]
“”Of all the stories you told me, which ones were true and which ones weren’t?”
“My dear Doctor, they’re all true… especially the lies.”
There are many reasons why I love Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and why it remains my favorite of the Star Trek franchise.
Reason #28: The Wire
[click to continue…]
Okay, this list began as a list of Olympic movies for obvious timely reasons, but due to the fact that would make for a very lame list, I broadened the topic. Instead, I’m focusing on training moments, montages, competition, pommel horses that appear magically in the middle of a chase, and a double dose of Dolph Lundgren. Let’s just say this list ended up being quite different, and a lot more fun, than I originally thought it would be. Let the badassery begin!
[click to continue…]
Super-heroes, aliens, character studies, parents and their children, time travel, the Scottish Highlands, young love, monsters, and the end of the world. Halfway through the year we take a look back at the ten best movies from the first-half of 2012.
[click to continue…]
The recent release of Snow White and the Huntsman started me thinking back on Hollywood’s best live-action fairy tales. Sure, when we think movie fairy tales Disney’s animated classic films immediately come to mind, but over the years there have been several attempts to adapt, or create new, fairy tales without the use of animation. Many are best forgotten, but it turns out there are quite a few worthy of discussion. With apologies to The NeverEnding Story and Ever After (both of which will have to settle for honorable mentions), here are the Top Ten Live-Action Fairy Tale Movies.
[click to continue…]
It’s going to be hard for any film this summer to meet the bar The Avengers set this Spring. In Hollywood terms Memorial Day has always been (more or less) the start of the summer movie season. So what do they have in store for us this year? A couple more super-hero flicks, new films by director Wes Anderson and Woody Allen, time travel, a fictional character literally brought to life, and the end of the world. Not all of these look to be box office winners, but with all do respect to that Schwarzenegger remake (which didn’t make my list), these are your best bets at finding some real movie magic this summer.
[click to continue…]
I think we can all agree DC Comics New 52 has been a mixed success, at best. There are several reasons for this including the choice of characters and titles not included in the reboot, the vast difference in how much of each character’s history was rebooted compared to others, and odd yearning to recapture the style and gritty feel of the 1990′s.
No one is more responsible (or more to blame, depending on your perspective) than artist Jim Lee. Lee’s redesign of each member of the Justice League set the standard for the style of the New 52. But what if DC had decided to go in a different direction? What if, instead of Lee’s 90′s-inspired grittiness, DC had decided to allow Bruce Timm (the man largely responsible for the look of DC Animation for the better part of two decades) to redesign the DCU? Here’s what that much more vibrant, joyous, sultry, and kick-ass DCU might have looked like. I give you Bruce Timm’s New 32.
[click to continue…]
