Tag Archives: comedy

10 Villains Who Think They Are Heroes

Not every movie villain is interested in being evil. Some are misguided or wrongly believe that they are completely in the right. They see the supposed heroes of the story as hindrances to their righteous cause. Let’s examine 10 bad … Continue reading

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Forgotten Film Gems: Always

Always is the one Steven Spielberg film that no one ever talks about. People like to rag on 1941 as Spielberg’s one true bomb or discuss Hook’s shortcomings or Empire of the Sun’s good qualities. But no one seems to care … Continue reading

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The 10 Most Obscure Movies That Earned More Than $300 Million (Adjusted for Inflation)

This summer’s crop of big-budget movies struggled to get into true blockbuster territory in the U.S. and Canada. Domestically, only one film has managed to gross more than $300 million in 2014 – Guardians of the Galaxy, a film that … Continue reading

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Movie Matchups: Who Framed Roger Rabbit vs. Chinatown

Some people have speculated that Who Framed Roger Rabbit is some sort of sequel, remake, or homage to Chinatown. But it’s none of those things. Who Framed Roger Rabbit is actually a perfect parody of that classic murder mystery. I … Continue reading

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Bill and Ted’s Symmetrical Adventure

In my last Cinematic Chiasmus, I demonstrated how the entire Back to the Future Trilogy follows the same pattern backwards and forwards. This time I’ll delve into another classic ‘80s time-travel movie: Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Wait. A seemingly … Continue reading

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Forgotten Film Gems: Stay Tuned

Stay Tuned is a mix between The Running Man and Kentucky Fried Movie. It’s a bizarre little film that presents us with the idea that Satan is not only sadistic, but he likes his sadism served up as primetime television. … Continue reading

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Pleasant Surprises: Robots

Remember Robots – the most generically titled animated film until Cars came out the following year? I skipped it when it first came out because if the title was that uninspired I was sure the rest of the movie wouldn’t … Continue reading

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Great Scott! The Entire Back to the Future Trilogy Is One Big Chiasmus

I’ve discovered that some films follow a chiasmus formula in the way their stories are set up. What is a chiasmus? It’s an ancient writing structure in which ideas are listed in one order and then repeated in the opposite … Continue reading

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10 Amazing ’80s Directors Who Lost Their Mojo in the ’90s

It’s not always easy for directors to make the transition from one decade to the next. For every Steven Spielberg there are several Francis Ford Coppolas. Filmgoers’ expectations change, technology improves, and the industry moves in a new direction. If … Continue reading

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Pleasant Surprises: High School Musical 2

I’m fascinated by High School Musical 2, not because it’s a particularly deep movie but because I absolutely love it. By all rights, I should hate it. It’s a TV movie that bridges the gap between two utterly forgettable (if … Continue reading

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