I was playing with a new outdoor projector setup and was looking through Netflix to test it out. What movie could I use to run it through its paces? What film had a great variety in shot selection that would…
Neglected Cinema
Movies you haven’t watched but should. Retro reviews of overlooked films.
Outland is a western in space that surprises and entertains
by Joseph Dickerson • April 24, 2013
One of the things I dislike about recent movies has been the rise of the “High Concept” film, movies that with a simple one-sentence premise that appeal to the lowest common denominator. You get generic movies that doesn’t surprise or…
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century tried to be James Bond in space… and failed
by Joseph Dickerson • April 22, 2013
When I was a wee lad, I obsessively consumed any sci-fi movies and TV shows I could find and watch. The 70s and 80s was a great time for genre television, with lots of different shows: Wonder Woman, Six Million…
Helvetica is a celebration of typography and design
by Joseph Dickerson • April 7, 2013
Everything is designed. Everything we engage with and use, everything we read and drive and throw away… it was designed. Someone at some point sat down and created those multitude of things that surrounds all of us, and there is…
Celebrating Roger Ebert
by Joseph Dickerson • April 5, 2013
I have to add my thoughts to the many many voices who have expressed grief about the passing of writer and film critic Roger Ebert. These few words are just a few drops of the oceans of “ink” that have…
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: a cult film that contains geeky multitudes
by Joseph Dickerson • March 31, 2013
When the film The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the 8th Dimension came out in 1984 I bought into the crazy world that director WD Richter and writer Earl Mac Rauch created hook, line, and sinker. The idea of a…
Thanks to “Weird Al”, you can get it all on UHF
by Joseph Dickerson • March 7, 2013
Sometimes, I ignore the obvious choice. I mean, seriously… I’ve been doing this semi-weekly column about Neglected Cinema for over a year now, and I haven’t rewatched UHF? It took the random shuffle to the music player that played a…
Andy Griffith is far from a kindly sheriff in A Face in the Crowd
by Joseph Dickerson • February 25, 2013
Many fans of the late Andy Griffith, including myself, were upset by last night’s Oscars ceremony. No, Seth McFarlane didn’t do any offensive joke at Griffith’s expense, we were mad because this year’s In Memorium segment failed to include him.…
A look at some Neglected Directors
by Joseph Dickerson • February 20, 2013
I’ve written about some underrated and/or neglected movie directors like John Carpenter, Bob Fosse and Orson Welles before, but when I put my latest Neglected Cinema column to bed, I realized that there were many other directors who haven’t gotten…
F For Fake is Orson Welles’ forgotten masterpiece
by Joseph Dickerson • February 20, 2013
I love Orson Welles. He is one of the most amazing people of the 20th Century, a larger-than-life figure who’s had a dozen books written about him (I’ve read quite a few of them). His life could be accurately described…
Night of the Comet is full of cheesy goodness
by Joseph Dickerson • January 27, 2013
“This is no time for an attitude problem.” So, I’m looking through my Neglected Cinema list on a Saturday night, wondering what movie I could check out for this week’s installment. What was I in the mood for? A drama?…