Tag Archives: films

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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How to Fix Star Trek Generations

In 1994, the first film starring the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew arrived in theaters. I’ve had a lot of time since then to think about what went wrong with it. Star Trek Generations is a puzzling film because … 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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Which James Bond Movies Actually Had You Convinced Bond Was in Danger of Being Killed?

James Bond is the most immortal mortal character ever conceived. He has a nasty habit of surviving. Put him in an overly elaborate death trap and he finds a way to escape. Kill him off and he shows up a … 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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The Duality of The Dark Knight (2008)

The presence of Two-Face in The Dark Knight is no coincidence. Christopher Nolan stuffed that film full of duality to show how Batman and the Joker are opposite sides of the same coin. Order and chaos, light and darkness – … Continue reading

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