Tag Archives: films

Pleasant Surprises: Ernest Goes to Camp

Ernest Goes to Camp perfectly captures childhood in a way I’ve never seen another film pull off. I loved this movie as a kid because it spoke to me on a very personal level. That might sound strange because it’s … Continue reading

Posted in Pleasant Surprises | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Every Mel Brooks Movie Follows the Same Formula

Mel Brooks was really good at telling one kind of story. In fact he was so good at it that he just kept telling it throughout his career. The Producers served as a template for every other movie Brooks wrote … Continue reading

Posted in Movie Matchups | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

8 Timeless Yet Dated Classic Films

Some movies, such as Star Wars, try to be as timeless as possible in their music, costumes, and sets. That way, they can be enjoyed by audiences for generation after generation and never get old. Other films aim for a … Continue reading

Posted in Random Stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Thanks to Days of Future Past, X-Men Is Finally the Series It Always Deserved to Be

I saw X-Men: Days of Future Past this weekend, and I can’t help feeling that this is what the X-Men series was always meant to be. All of the series’ strengths are on display here and almost none of its … Continue reading

Posted in Random Stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Empire Strikes Back Is a Perfectly Symmetrical Film

Anakin Skywalker was prophesied to bring balance to the Force, and it looks like he did in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. This film, which many hail as the best of the original trilogy, is an example of … Continue reading

Posted in Cinematic Chiasmus | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 57 Comments

1990: The Year of Failed Film Franchises

As far as I can tell, 1990 had more series-destroying sequels than any year before or since. And most of these sequels to popular films didn’t exactly go out on a high note, like, say, Return of the King. Most … Continue reading

Posted in Random Stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

In Defense of Joel Schumacher’s Batman Movies

No one can mistake Joel Schumacher’s two Batman films for masterpieces. Nor can they call me a Schumacher fan, especially after I lambasted his atrocious St. Elmo’s Fire, which he took sole credit for both writing and directing. But I … Continue reading

Posted in Random Stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

RoboCop (1987) Is an Almost Perfectly Symmetrical Film

The Old Testament is full of examples of chiasmus, which is a figure of speech used in ancient times to emphasize balance. It lists a bunch of ideas or things and then repeats each of them in reverse order. It’s … Continue reading

Posted in Cinematic Chiasmus | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 170 Comments

10 Ridiculously Lopsided Hero-Villain Fights

This is the first time I’ve done something like this. I’m participating in the Great Villain Blogathon with dozens of other bloggers. We all staked out some famous villains to talk about in our own unique ways. Since I’m such an … Continue reading

Posted in Random Stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

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.

Posted in Random Stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments