Albert Brooks is psychic. I mean, how else can your explain his first feature film, Real Life? The movie that predicted reality TV in such a biting way that you would think it was made today instead of thirty-plus years…
Category: Movies
Geek, Movies, Neglected Cinema, TV, Twin Peaks
It’s not Twin Peaks, but Storyville is a remarkable underrated film
“The past isn’t dead.” Revisiting well-remembered films in this Neglected Cinema series is like a crapshoot. Sometimes movies I loved on first viewing I find merely likeable, and other times I discover old favorites are, with the passage of time,…
Movies, My Quora answers, Technology
What are good tips on how to shoot a short film with a smartphone camera?
The main thing is, start with a good simple but solid story, and plan out as much as you possibly can. Do shot lists, number your scenes, draw storyboards… basically, create your movie on paper before you shoot it. A…
Movies, My Quora answers, Twin Peaks
Will there ever be a Twin Peaks reboot/sequel? My thoughts…
I think so, but it may be a while… and a new “season” of Twin Peaks would be markedly different from what has come before if it ever does happen.The DVDs have been selling consistently well since the Gold Box…
Geek, Movies, My Quora answers
On James Bond movies and continuity…
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…
Movies, Neglected Cinema
1970’s Scrooge is a magical take on the classic Dickens tale
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…
Movies, Neglected Cinema
Penn and Teller Get Killed is an odd look into the minds of the master magicians
“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…
Disney, Movies, My Quora answers
Why did Disney choose to create new characters in Wreck-It-Ralph instead of using existing video game characters?
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…
Movies, Neglected Cinema
Memoirs of an Invisble Man should disappear completely
Chevy Chase, what did you have against John Carpenter, anyway? I mean, he had to have done SOMETHING to tick you off. Why else would you, through your production company, hired him to direct the movie Memoirs of an Invisible…
Disney, Geek, Movies
Disney buys Star Wars: One fan’s perspective
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.…
Movies, Neglected Cinema
Halloween III: Season of the Witch was the night HE (didn’t) come home…
“Happy Happy Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! SILVER SHAMROCK!” If when reading the above you heard the accompanying music in your head, my apologizes. Planting that particular “earworm” was a test, to identify fellow travelers. Yes, if you heard John Carpenter and…
Geek, Movies
Bond at 50: A critical reappraisal of Goldfinger
I love Goldfinger. Not the character Auric Goldfinger, Goldfinger, the movie. It is, by popular decree, the Best. Bond. Ever. It features the Most Famous Car in the World (the Aston Martin DB 5) Sean Connery at his hairy testosterone-filled…
Movies, Neglected Cinema
In the Mouth of Madness is Lovecraft, John Carpenter style
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…
Movies, Neglected Cinema
The Ninth Configuration is a movie well worth seeking out
Wiilliam Peter Blatty is best known for writing The Exorcist, one of my personal favorite films… and one I was tempted to pull from the shelf and rewatch this weekend. It is October, after all… the time you get ready…
Movies, Neglected Cinema
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is Bond at his most underrated
Tomorrow October 5th is “James Bond Day”, a new international holiday that also happens to occur just before the release of the new Bond film Skyfall (wow, what a coincidence). To celebrate Bond day I rewatched one of my favorite…
Geek, Movies, TV, Twin Peaks
Like Twin Peaks? Then buy Mark Frost’s new book, The Paladin Prophesy!
I was lucky enough to get Mark Frost’s new book The Paladin Prophecy the day before it was officially released, thanks to the magic of Amazon. I had preordered it months ago, because I’ve been a long time fan of…