As I sat down to rewatch The Ruling Class, the 1972 British black comedy, I remembered the first time I watched it. It was at the suggestion of a good friend, who said to my 19-year-old self, “If you consider…
Category: Movies
Geek, Movies, Trek
Going to Dragon*Con? Here’s some hints and tips!
First off, if you are going to Dragon*Con, congratulations! You should have a great time! It’s one of the biggest SF/fantasy cons in North America, and it’s HUGE… like, “46,000 attendees” huge. It’s spread out over four hotels in downtown…
Geek, Movies
My Top 10 list of seminal Horror films
After getting some great feedback to my list of the top 10 SF films, I decided to do a similar list on horror. Please note that my tastes are obviously different than yours, and your agreement with this list (and…
Geek, Movies, Trek
My Top 10 List of seminal Science Fiction films
Top 10 Lists: Everybody’s doing them! I just read Film.com‘s list of the top 50 science fiction films, and I… disagreed (and apparently I’m not alone). Not violently, but enough to prompt this, my absolutely biased look at the top…
Movies, Neglected Cinema, Trek
Never give up, never surrender: Galaxy Quest is one of the best Star Trek movies ever made
Next week I will be flying to Las Vegas to join some friends for the official Star Trek convention. I plan on meeting some celebrities, having some great conversations, and generally having a good time (no, I won’t be in…
Geek, Movies, My Quora answers
How feasible is building a James Bond villain hideout?
When it comes to feasability, you have to look at three things: location, labor, and the type of lair you are trying to build. Location is the most important factor, because if it is in a remote area the construction…
Movies, Technology, TV
Traditional Media: Competing for eyeballs (and with their customers)
Two stories this week peaked my interest. On the surface they don’t appear to have a lot in common, but I think both reflect the same significant cultural trend. Story number one: The iPad magazine The Daily, introduced with great…
Geek, Movies, TV
“Where there’s always music in the air:” Introducing The Twin Peaks Gazette
Somebody stop me before I blog again! I have created yet ANOTHER new web site as part of my vast multimedia empire. The site, named The Twin Peaks Gazette, features the latest news, articles, videos and information about the wonderful…
Movies, Neglected Cinema
The Passenger features Jack Nicholson at his peak
You would think that a movie starring Jack Nicholson, made at the peak of his acting powers in 1975, and directed by noted auteur Michaelangelo Antonoini… well, that would be a movie film lovers around the world would know and…
Geek, Movies
Forry Story
I was reading about Forrest J. Ackerman, the late great creator of Famous Monsters magazine and world-famous movie memorabilia collector, and realized that I had never ever told my own personal Forry Story. Let’s correct that oversight, shall we? It…
Movies, Neglected Cinema
FM is a snapshot of when radio ruled
“Nobody walks into this booth when I’m making my art!” They had me in the first five minutes. As Steely Dan’s classic title song blared over the opening titles, I knew I would find a lot to enjoy in FM,…
Movies, Neglected Cinema
The President’s Analyst is crazy good
Wow, James Coburn was SO good. He’s stars as Sydney Schaefer, the title character in The President’s Analyst, a wild 1967 pastiche of comedy, drama, thriller and spy film… a movie that is as absurd as it is entertaining. A…
Movies, Neglected Cinema
The Kentucky Fried Movie was a funny kick-off for several careers
Not for the easily offended, 1977’s The Kentucky Fried Movie was the first cinematic outing from the writers who brought us Airplane!, David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker. Composed of a series of vignettes that take on, well, almost…
Movies, Orson Welles
A very personal list: my top 20 favorite films
It seems that nowadays everyone on the Internet has been posting a list of their favorite films. I blame Roger Ebert, who recently updated his top 10 list in a much-viewed column. Since I’m a lover of cinema (and also…
Movies, Neglected Cinema
Psycho IV: The Beginning is a fitting end to the story of Norman Bates
I remember when I first read they were making a sequel to Psycho, I shook my head at how wrong-headed the idea was. Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho was an amazing, ground-breaking film that started the entire slasher genre. The fact that…
Movies, Neglected Cinema
The Two Jakes tries… but forget it, Jake, it’s no Chinatown
I hate narration in movies. It’s usually completely unnecessary, and in those rare occassions when it works… well, that these occassions are rare is proof enough. The Two Jakes, the 1990 sequel to the film noir classic Chinatown, starts out…