Category: Movies
Underneath the Mango Tree: The Ladies of Sean Connery’s Bond
“I must be dreaming.” Allies. Lovers. Betrayers. One of the defining features of any James Bond film is its female characters. Sometimes smart, usually helpful and always beautiful, their importance is undeniable. Sean Connery being the original cinematic Bond, let’s first look at the ...
Read MoreWhere No Man Has Gone Before
Since its inception, the Kelvin Timeline – that is, the alternate timeline that has encompassed Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond – has been a real shot in the arm for the Star Trek brand, allowing the new films to simultaneously honor what has come before while forg...
Read MoreGive and Take in Superhero Cinema
The other day I was talking to a friend and he brought up the idea that there’s no such thing as a perfect movie, arguing that the best films have flaws that enhance them rather than sully them. In principle, I disagree with this (a Hitchens quote comes to mind: “It’s only true if you …...
Read MoreFive Things Independence Day: Resurgence Does Better Than The Force Awakens
When I saw Independence Day: Resurgence last week, I was struck by how just how competent it is. That sounds like faint praise, but this a sequel that kind of has no right existing from a creative standpoint, so it could easily have coasted on nostalgia for the original (like, say, Jurassic World), ...
Read MoreWhatever Gotham Needs Him to Be
Batman, like most comic characters, has gone through many different phases and versions over his seventy-seven-year history, from dark avenger to silly goofball to a sort of swashbuckling adventurer, with many different shades mixed in. His cinematic exploits have followed suit, portraying him alter...
Read MorePulling Pistols and Whistling Dixie
Clint Eastwood is one of the great modern filmmakers, a man whose directing talents have landed him many Oscar nominations and widespread critical acclaim. Those accolades don’t usually extend to his work in front of the camera, however; it may be the parts he often played in his younger days, the...
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