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…
Tag Archive for Movies
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…
Speed Racer brings a cartoon to vivid life in a surprisingly divisive way
by Joseph Dickerson • January 7, 2013
One of the first movies I purchased on Blu-Ray was Speed Racer. Not because I was a fan – I hadn’t seen it before I bought it – but because it was on sale for less than $10. I was…
On James Bond movies and continuity…
by Joseph Dickerson • November 26, 2012
Trying to figure out and align James Bond continuity is like making a vodka martini from Siamese vodka… it can be done, but it’s not going to result in something that is very palatable or satisfying. I remember one of…
Was the concept of "Rosebud" an anticlimax to Citizen Kane?
by Joseph Dickerson • November 26, 2012
I think that anyone who thinks the reveal of Rosebud at the end of Citizen Kane is anticlimactic are missing the primary point of the movie. Citizen Kane is not a traditional narrative. Charles Foster Kane is revealed to the…
1970′s Scrooge is a magical take on the classic Dickens tale
by Joseph Dickerson • November 25, 2012
We all rewatch movies. Why? To relive that initial experience? To analyze the acting, directing, or screenplay? Or are we simply creatures of habit, replaying on a favorite film like one would slip on a pair of comfortable slippers? The…
Penn and Teller Get Killed is an odd look into the minds of the master magicians
by Joseph Dickerson • November 17, 2012
“Don’t pout! I’ve got a goddamn knife in my stomach!” I love Penn and Teller. They are incredibly talented, witty and brilliant entertainers. That their socioeconomic and political views align almost 100% with mine makes me appreciate them all the…
Why did Disney choose to create new characters in Wreck-It-Ralph instead of using existing video game characters?
by Joseph Dickerson • November 6, 2012
The answer is simple, and to explain it I will quote Yogurt from Spaceballs: "Merchandising! Merchandising!" If Disney used existing characters from classic video games as the protagonists, they would have to share/pay substantial licensing fees to the companies that…
Disney buys Star Wars: One fan’s perspective
by Joseph Dickerson • October 30, 2012
Slow news day. As we are all still reeling in the east coast from Hurricane Sandy, and seeing the devastating aftermath, there is no logical reason at all to get worked up over an announcement of yet another corporate acquisition.…
In the Mouth of Madness is Lovecraft, John Carpenter style
by Joseph Dickerson • October 21, 2012
John Carpenter has read the works of H.P. Lovecraft. That point is abundantly clear when you watch his loving homage to the works of Lovecraft, In the Mouth of Madness. Starring Sam Neill as a private investigator, the movie opens…