Tag Archives: empire strikes back

Movies That Force Heroes to Make an Impossible Choice

Great movies force their protagonists to make hard choices that help us understand their true character traits and motivations. Sometimes those choices are extremely difficult, messy, and uncomfortable while others only have the appearance of being like that while they … Continue reading

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Middle Movies Everyone Agrees Are the Best in Their Trilogies

Even though it seems like everyone disagrees on just about every imaginable topic, it’s nice to know that there are at least some things we can all agree upon. Take, for example, movie trilogies. There are a number of them … Continue reading

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How to End a Lightsaber Duel

I watched Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and was thoroughly underwhelmed like most people, but not just because of its desperate attempt to pretend there was a plan all along when it’s obvious that these three films didn’t know … Continue reading

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What We Want from Star Wars, and Why We’ll Never Get It

People are seeking something from Star Wars. Like Luke Skywalker staring at the two suns on the horizon of Tatooine, we yearn for some vague notion of adventure, but we can’t find the words to describe it. I’m going to give you those words. Continue reading

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A Behind-the-Scenes Look at How I Uncover Cinematic Chiasmus

I’ve written more than a dozen articles explaining how the story structure of some special films fall into the category of Cinematic Chiasmus. These are films that unfold in a particular way in which the events in their first half … Continue reading

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10 Actors Whose Presence Adds Gravitas to Torch-Passing Sequels

When making a sequel, it’s important to cast actors from the previous film in order to connect it to earlier entries. Otherwise you end up with a mess like The Sting 2. Of course, I doubt even Robert Redford or … Continue reading

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The Rise and Fall and Rise and Fall and Rise of the Muppets

Anyone who has ever watched Sesame Street or enjoyed John Denver’s acting or been alive during the ‘70s, ‘80s, or ‘90s loves the Muppets. Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, the Great Gonzo, and Rowlf the Dog have been … Continue reading

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10 Directors Who Seamlessly Transitioned to Sci-Fi on Their First Try

Great directors are ones who thrive even when making films in genres they’re not particularly familiar with. Science fiction is a great one to test a director’s mettle because films in this genre could so easily be dismissed as mindless … Continue reading

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10 Good Sequels That Sowed the Seeds of Their Series’ Destruction

It’s really hard to make a good sequel to a hit movie. The filmmakers have to please fans of the first film while also adding something new to the mix to make the sequel stand on its own. But something … Continue reading

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10 Movie Poster Mashups

I usually compare movies’ plots to show how similar they are, but today I’m going to do something different. Here are 10 movies with titles that could work for completely different films. Let’s dive right in and start having fun.

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