There’s Only One Way To Rank Marvel Movies. This Is It.
By Rhonda Robinson
Although you could say, I’m a most unlikely Marvel fan, David’s kind invitation to disagree with him is too tempting to pass up. Perhaps its because he dismissed Guardians of the Galaxy. Or maybe it’s because he placed Iron Man too far down on the list. Or it could be, I just wanted to defend my favorite superheroes. Whatever subconscious reasons propelled me to my keyboard, I think the Marvel Universe deserves our attention as creators.
An Unplanned Conversion of the Heart
By Alec Ott
Roughly 50% of this country identify as being pro-choice, meaning that members of this group believe that abortion should be legal at least in the early stages of a pregnancy. I have often wondered how many of this group would remain pro-choice if they really knew what was involved with abortion. Rather than agreeing with a lofty concept of letting a woman have a “right to choose,” would they maintain the courage of their convictions if they actually spent time in an abortion clinic to witness what happens there?
For I hope obvious reasons, I myself have not gone to an abortion clinic for this purpose, but I have read the testimonies of women who have gotten abortions and people who have worked at such facilities. And just recently I had a great opportunity to witness the story of a former abortion industry worker.
Mary Pickford: The Archetypal (Canadian) Actress
Deconstructing Canadian Culture, Part 21: The Blank Screen
By Josh Lieblein
The history of Canadian actors is unlike the history of Canadians in any other medium. Canadian novelists are celebrated at home and barely noticed abroad. Canadian musicians are oddities and curiosities with hardcore fanbases. Canadian directors are singular visionaries who engage (or refuse to engage) with the meaning of life itself.
But Canadians have been such an integral part of Hollywood that you have to remind people that a famous actor is, or was Canadian. And so, as I introduce the archetypal Canadian actress – Gladys Smith, aka Mary Pickford – I really have to squint to pick out what makes her Canadian.
Why Are So Many Horror Movies an Allegory for Modern Parenting?
By Tamara Wilhite
“Birdbox” and “A Quiet Place” are recent horror movies featuring parents trying to protect children in a world full of monsters. What is interesting to me is how often I’ve heard both horror movies considered an allegory for modern parenting.
Green Book: The Worst Best Picture Winner I’ve Ever Seen. My Rankings…
My Oscar Viewing List Isn’t Complete, But I Haven’t Seen One As Lousy as last Year’s Most Blatant Oscar Bait
By David M. Swindle
So Green Book finally became available on Netflix and April and I watched it over the weekend, both in a similar state of annoyance and almost embarrassment that this silly, formulaic, insulting movie had won Best Picture. It was about as bad as predicted, save for a handful of entertaining and redeeming moments from Mahershala Ali. I can see why the family of Dr. Donald Shirley would be so angered by the obvious false scenes inserted into a narrative based on a true story.
Roma should have won. Black Panther was good enough to deserve to win too. (Blockbusters in the past such as Avatar being nominated and the third Lord of the Rings winning so I think Black Panther as the winner would have been legitimate.) BlackkKlansman is much better than Greenbook and one of Spike Lee’s rare upper tier films. It’s still fairly B-level, mediocre, though (and totally unworthy of a best picture nomination or the screenwriting award Lee won). But that’s such an improvement over his usual C or D-level offerings.
Paul Haggis’ Superficial Gloss
Deconstructing Canadian Culture, Part 19: Promising More Than He Delivers
By Josh Lieblein
The Oscars are long over, and not a few commentators were of the opinion that the latest Best Picture Winner, Green Book, was the worst film to claim the prize since Crash, way back in 2005. Not a great comparison to be sure, but think about it this way: In our outrage-driven culture, and against ever-more virtue-signaling efforts like The Shape of Water and Moonlight, Crash somehow managed to hold the title of Worst Best Picture Ever for 14 years.
Why Video Game Movies Are So Hit and Miss
By Tamara Wilhite
The TV and movie industry is always looking for inspiration, while already written with a following are seen as the ideal to be put on screen. Sometimes they’ll turn to classic stories and modernize them. This includes any work from Shakespeare to epic poems of the Vikings, equally likely to be turned into a gritty Western as a 21st century action/romance. Sometimes they’ll just take a book and make that into a movie, with or without adaptation for modern sensibilities and politics. And, every now and then, you’ll see them try to adapt a video game.
The Quiet Earth VS. The Last Man on Earth with Vincent Price
By Tamara Wilhite
It was a shock to realize that The Quiet Earth is now old enough to be a classic like The Last Man on Earth. These two low budget science fiction movies have a number of points in common, though there are understandable differences as well. Spoiler warning – we spoil everything.
Species VS. Splice
By Tamara Wilhite
A young, not-quite female human hybrid has been created and poses a threat to all of humanity. Sound familiar? SPOILER WARNING!
The War of the Ice Age Apocalypse Movies
By Tamara Wilhite
Back before we rebranded global warming into climate change, we were afraid the world was cooling. Actually, in the 1970s, it was cooling, bringing on fears of a global ice age. This wasn’t addressed nearly as much in Cold War movies as fear of nuclear wars; many movies actually featured worlds that arose in the aftermath of such destruction, though it might have included a nuclear winter in there. What you don’t see, though, are many movies set in a future ice age.
After watching “Snowpiercer”, I tried finding similar movies and stumbled upon “Quintet”. These two movies are almost as far apart as possible, though they end up in the same, dismal place.
