sci-fi
A Final Bit about TRON: Legacy
June 7th, 2011
Greetings, programs! As we’re steeling ourselves for a summer of mind-bending blockbusters that will take us from Ohio to Oa, I took one last visit to The Grid with several hundred attendees at a viewing of TRON: Legacy where I was asked to provide an exploration of the film’s narrative themes in greater detail than [...]
Read More...TRON proves ’82 debut was not the “end of line”…
December 13th, 2010
In 1982, TRON was passed over for an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects because the Academy felt the movie “cheated” by using a computer (seven years later, The Abyss would win for it’s computer generated effects), showing how out of touch the Academy has ALWAYS been… Meanwhile, in the real world… 28 years later, [...]
Read More...IRON MAN 2: The Legacy of Howard Stark
May 19th, 2010
All I can give you is my knowledge. – Howard Stark From the opening, smirking speech Tony delivers at the beginning of Iron Man 2 to old newsreel footage of the impetuous Stark’s very 50s father, “legacy” is a key theme of the film (as mentioned in our inaugural video review). What kind of legacy are [...]
Read More...IRON MAN: well-suited for sequel
May 12th, 2010
BIG plans for Tony Stark: this first review of Iron Man 2 is just a taste of what to come at Cinemagogue. As an avid comic book reader since the 70s, it’s been fascinating to watch a former second-stringer like Tony Stark rocket his way to pop culture Iron icon status. We owe thanks to [...]
Read More...DISTRICT 9 showcases (un?)likely hero
April 5th, 2010
As mentioned in my commentary on the Oscars and Cinemagogue’s Top 10 for 2010, the surprising gem District 9 ranked high on the list; although it didn’t make number 1, it DID boast the most unexpected story with the most intriguing character development I’ve seen in film for quite some time. The transformation of Wikus van [...]
Read More...Faith & Sight in The BOOK OF ELI
March 30th, 2010
As we finish our 3-shot review on The Book of Eli (click here for part 1) this last part includes SPOILERS. Curiously enough, I’d read the screenplay prior to seeing the film, knew the twist ending, and still loved it. The “reveal”, though intriguing, didn’t make the movie for me. My final spoiler-laden thoughts are [...]
Read More...3 Deep cuts & 3 fun slices of ELI
March 22nd, 2010
In our opening post on The Book of Eli (click here), I promised to carve out 3 points the film makes about man, religious power, and God, so let’s continue: 1. The heat of life brings people’s true nature to the surface… “When the chips are down, these ‘civilized’ people will eat each other. You’ll [...]
Read More...Seen the movie? Now read the BOOK (of Eli)
March 15th, 2010
“Dear Lord… Thank you for guiding me straight and true through the many obstacles in my path…” The Book of Eli was my favorite film in January 2010, though considering this is usually the month where movies go to die (save for the occasional horror film, so if a film is “undead” it’s okay) Eli didn’t [...]
Read More...Our Savior in AVATAR
March 5th, 2010
(this is the last post in a series, click here for the introduction to our series on James Cameron’s AVATAR.) Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the [...]
Read More...New Birth, Blue Birth in AVATAR
March 3rd, 2010
“Every person is born twice. The second time is when you earn your place among the people forever.” – Avatar (click here for the introduction to our series on Avatar) Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but [...]
Read More...