8 Movies and Shows to Watch with Dad
I’m a little late (or early) for Father’s Day, but I’m pretty excited to have my dad visiting this week. We’ll be doing some Christmassy and possibly touristy things in London, but it’s each of…
Rise of the Machines: Robots Are Taking Over Hollywood
Robots, androids, A.I. – concepts and characters we’ve explored almost since film was invented. With the Hollywood shift into ‘high concept’ movies came a real interest in showing us robots with personality, who could be…
Could Patrick Rothfuss’ Kingkiller series rival Game of Thrones?
“I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled…
Take That: Emmanuel Lubezki and the Rise of the Long Take
There’s a scene in Children of Men that runs us through a war zone with Clive Owen. We hear the sound of a baby crying. We feel gunshots rebound all around us. It’s frightening and…
Ridley Me This: Can Ridley Scott Make Good?
Ridley Scott is a brilliant filmmaker. From the ‘70s to the early ‘00s, he dazzled us time and again with big screen spectacles. Alien was one of my first horror experiences, and shares credit with…
Five Undeniable Visual Character Cheats in Film
Filmmaking is visual trickery. When you have two hours to introduce characters, get them in trouble, and have them get back out of trouble, every second counts. The easy way to introduce a character who’s good…
Films and Series That Will Get You Interested in Politics
“Power is a lot like real estate. It’s all about location, location, location. The closer you are to the source, the higher your property value.” Kevin Spacey’s flawless delivery of lines like this has had…
Sunset Overdrive Just Isn’t Good, Period
My favorite games – Mass Effect, Uncharted, Hungry, Hungry Hippos – tend to have strong stories, lead by memorable characters (you go, Pink Hippo!). But I can appreciate and often enjoy the mindless action of…
James Cameron’s ‘The Potential Spider-Man’: What Almost Was
In June of 2002 I had my first real Spider-Man experience. Seeing Raimi’s web slinger swinging through New York City was a spectacle that really struck a chord with me. And it obviously stuck, because…