After much anticipation, the first trailer for 'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' is finally here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVDtmouV9kM A few thoughts: -I am very pleased with what I see so far: we get glimpses of all four monsters, and so far they look fantastic. -They really show off Rodan in the second half of the trailer, and it … Continue reading First ‘Godzilla’ Trailer Drops!
Movies
Thoughts on ‘Attack of the Clones’
Past Entries: -Star Wars -The Holiday Special -The Empire Strikes Back -Return of the Jedi -The Phantom Menace The general view among fans seems to be that Attack of the Clones is the worst of the prequels. Upon rewatching it, I’m going to have to dissent from the majority opinion. It is in no way … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘Attack of the Clones’
Thoughts on ‘The Phantom Menace’
Past Entries: -Star Wars -The Holiday Special -The Empire Strikes Back -Return of the Jedi I called the original Star Wars a textbook example of storytelling. Well, if Star Wars was a textbook, The Phantom Menace is more of a case study: what happens when you give a vividly imaginative, but uneven writer unchecked control … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘The Phantom Menace’
Thoughts on ‘Return of the Jedi’
Past Entries: -Star Wars -The Holiday Special -The Empire Strikes Back What started out as a simple fantasy adventure in space with Star Wars was turned into an epic by The Empire Strikes Back. Return of the Jedi faced the daunting task of bringing the whole thing to a satisfying conclusion. For my money, they … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘Return of the Jedi’
Thoughts on ‘The Empire Strikes Back’
Past Entries: -Star Wars -The Holiday Special Empire Strikes Back is generally regarded as the best of the ‘Star Wars’ films, and for good reason. This is where the fun space adventure of the original film becomes something grander: something epic, yet without losing the adventure and excitement of the original. The film, as the … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘The Empire Strikes Back’
Thoughts on ‘The Star Wars Holiday Special’
Past Entries: -Star Wars I wasn’t sure whether I’d including the Holiday Special in my Star Wars rewatch, for the obvious reason that it’s not really part of the series proper. But, in the end, I decided that, since I had it (in the Rifftrax version), I might as well take another look in context … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘The Star Wars Holiday Special’
REPOST: Why I Love ‘Independence Day’
Posted this last year, but since I watch the film every year, I might as well post this every year as well. 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 the late 90s. And, yes, … Continue reading REPOST: Why I Love ‘Independence Day’
WALL-E at the Federalist
For the ten-year anniversary of one of my favorite films. The film is often described as an environmental parable, or a caution against consumerism. Those things are present, but they are subordinate themes. The main thesis of the film is something much more universal, interesting, and timely. Fyodor Dostoyevsky famously said in “The Idiot” that … Continue reading WALL-E at the Federalist
‘Incredibles 2’ at the Federalist
Latest essay is up at 'The Federalist,' this one on 'Incedibles 2.' Aside: there seems to be a lot of, shall we say, competing opinions on this film. I'll say for my part I really liked it; it's not in the same league as the original, and it has some very notable problems (I've heard … Continue reading ‘Incredibles 2’ at the Federalist
Lazy Writing and Lack of Consequence
Something I’ve noticed about a lot of contemporary films is that they seem to have an almost childish inability to consider real-world consequences. I’m not talking about complex things that the average person wouldn’t think of; I’m talking major factors about how people behave or how the world works. Let me illustrate with two particularly … Continue reading Lazy Writing and Lack of Consequence
Serpent's Den 