I missed this 4th of July's 'Independence Day' rewatch due to being sicker than paint, but here's my yearly post on why it's among my personal favorites. When Independence Day came out, it was a huge hit, but ever since then it’s kind of become the poster-child for the big, dumb, CGI-fueled blockbusters of … Continue reading RE-POST: Why I Love ‘Independence Day’
Movies
Compare – Contrast: ‘Street Fighter’ vs. ‘Mortal Kombat’
The two biggest fighting game franchises of their time (and ours) were adapted into feature films one after another: first Street Fighter in 1994, then Mortal Kombat in 1995. The question is, why did one work and the other didn’t? The Structure: The first and, I think, the most important factor is how the two … Continue reading Compare – Contrast: ‘Street Fighter’ vs. ‘Mortal Kombat’
Thought of the Day: Blaming Audiences
I notice that audiences always seem to get blamed for Hollywood's attitudes: people say things like "audiences wouldn't have accepted an actor like this in a lead role before such-and-such, but the country was more mature now." I remember seeing a clip from a Film Noir documentary where someone was saying: "The Bogarts and the … Continue reading Thought of the Day: Blaming Audiences
Thoughts on ‘Street Fighter’
Last week we looked at a video game movie that worked. This time we're tackling one that...doesn't. At least, not in the way the filmmakers probably intended. 1991’s Street Fighter II was one of the most popular and influential fighting games ever made, laying foundations that the genre has built upon to this day. As … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘Street Fighter’
Friday Flotsam: Mundane Thoughts of Last Week
1. Been a fairly busy week. Got my latest appreciation video up and running, been working on tomorrow's entry in the 'compare / contrast' series, as well as working on my current book and doing stuff around the house. Also had to do some research / testing for another project, but that seems all in … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Mundane Thoughts of Last Week
Kaiju Appreciation: Sanda & Gaira
For those who don't know, one of my hobbies is editing together music videos, particularly ones celebrating the various Godzilla and other Toho characters. My latest one (first in nearly a year for one reason or another) is for Sanda & Gaira, the gargantua brothers from War of the Gargantuas. For those unfamiliar with Kaiju … Continue reading Kaiju Appreciation: Sanda & Gaira
Thoughts on ‘Mortal Kombat'(1995)
Video Game movies seem to be going through a bit of a renaissance at the moment. Which is rather ironic, given the state of the film industry in general. 2019 gave us Detective Pikachu, a light-hearted, fun, and generally well-received take on one of the biggest gaming franchises out there, being essentially a family adventure-comedy … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘Mortal Kombat'(1995)
Fun Fact of the Day
During the filming of Rocky IV, director-star Sylvester Stallone thought it would be a good idea (for realism) to do a shot where Dolph Lundgren actually punched him as hard as he could. The next thing he knew, Stallone was spending four days in intensive care with a bruised heart. He then had to convince … Continue reading Fun Fact of the Day
A Terrible Fate
I found this video the other day. It's a shockingly well-done short film depicting the backstory to The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. Not only is the animation beautiful and of a professional-grade quality, but most importantly I feel like they really captured the tone and atmosphere of the game perfectly. Not just of the … Continue reading A Terrible Fate
Serpent's Den 