Tag Archives: science fiction

10 Great Standoffs in Movies

Standoffs are great because they create instant drama and force characters to reveal important parts of their personalities by how they react. When two or more characters face a situation in which they can’t win by taking direct action, they … Continue reading →

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What Makes Superman Super

What makes Superman super? Is it his superpowers? Is it his heroics? Is it the red S on his chest? All of those are elements of it, but they’re not the whole answer. The real answer to this question is … Continue reading →

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The Biblical Allegory of Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Remember that movie about everyday people who are called to do a marvelous work and a wonder, being invited by a vision to a mountain where they will see signs in the heavens as they commune with heavenly beings? The … Continue reading →

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Spider-Man 3 Is a Chiasmus, Making the Trilogy 3 for 3!

Oh. My. Gosh. This is truly unexpected. Who could have guessed that Spider-Man 3 would turn out to be a chiasmus, completing the circle and making all three Sam Raimi Spider-Man films examples of Cinematic Chiasmus? This chiasmus is unlike … Continue reading →

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The Most Important Thing to Include in Disaster Movies

Disaster movies can be a lot of fun because they show us something we would never expect to see in real life. There’s just something jaw-dropping about watching things that were built up over centuries destroyed in an instant. But … Continue reading →

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Independence Day Paradoxically Appeals to Disparate Worldviews

With the Fourth of July just a few days away, I’d like to share an uplifting observation about the 1996 film Independence Day. Today’s riots and feelings of animosity between people who disagree on political issues make me want to … Continue reading →

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6 Actors with Appropriate Names for the Alien Series

I’m always finding unusual ways of looking at movies that often (and arguably probably should) go unnoticed. But I just can’t help myself, and you get to be the lucky recipients of my musings. This time, I noticed that at … Continue reading →

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It’s All Right When Everything Goes Wrong

When times get tough, I try to look on the bright side and count my blessings. I don’t feel so bad about the social distancing and isolation right now in part because the last year has been so hard for … Continue reading →

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10 Details That Elevate WarGames Above Most Thrillers

I’ve spoken at length about the beautiful story structure of WarGames, and now I’m going to share 10 little touches that make me absolutely love this movie. There are a lot of thrillers out there, but there’s something special about … Continue reading →

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The Strict Morality of James Cameron’s Action Sequences

It’s the little things that distinguish James Cameron from other visually impressive action directors like Michael Bay and Zack Snyder. Case in point, Cameron has a strict moral code when it comes to his action sequences that help the audience … Continue reading →

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