Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel 2009 Directed by Betty Thomas Welcome back to Movie Monday. Before we go any further, the standard disclaimer applies: everything that follows is my own opinion, shaped entirely by my own experience with this film, and none of it is meant as a criticism of anyone who watched The … Continue reading The Worst 21 – Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel
Movies I’ve Seen
From Pencils to Pixels: How Technology Shaped the Art of Disney Animation
There's a moment in The Little Mermaid — right around the time Ariel is swimming through her collection of human treasures, the light filtering down through the ocean water in shimmering, layered waves — where I completely forgot I was watching a cartoon. I was a kid who had grown up on the Disney classics … Continue reading From Pencils to Pixels: How Technology Shaped the Art of Disney Animation
The Character Couch – Travis Bickle
Welcome back to The Character Couch, where we put on our amateur psychology hats and spend some quality time with characters who probably could have used a real therapist at some point along the way. Today's subject arrived at the office alone, at night, and spent the first ten minutes of our session staring at … Continue reading The Character Couch – Travis Bickle
From Nakatomi to Nowhere: How Die Hard Forgot It Had a Heart
Let me be upfront about something before we dive in: I love Die Hard. I have gone on record — multiple times, including as recently as this past December — arguing passionately, even aggressively, that Die Hard is a Christmas movie. And one of the central pillars of that argument is that the movie is, … Continue reading From Nakatomi to Nowhere: How Die Hard Forgot It Had a Heart
The Worst 21 – Mr. Nanny
Mr. Nanny 1993 Directed by Michael Gottlieb Welcome back to Movie Monday. And before we get into anything else, the standard disclaimer applies: everything that follows is my own opinion, shaped entirely by my own experience with this film, and none of it is meant as a criticism of anyone who watched Mr. Nanny and … Continue reading The Worst 21 – Mr. Nanny
New Members, Old Grudges: The Characters Who Changed the Avengers Forever
There's a moment in Avengers: Age of Ultron that I think about more than I probably should. The Avengers are at a party. Thor's hammer is sitting on a coffee table. One by one, Earth's mightiest heroes step up to try to lift it, and one by one they fail — with varying degrees of … Continue reading New Members, Old Grudges: The Characters Who Changed the Avengers Forever
The Character Couch – Hannibal Lecter
Welcome back to The Character Couch! Today's patient — and I use that word with the full awareness that he would correct my pronunciation of something, offer me a glass of wine I definitely should not drink, and then evaluate my bone structure with the quiet, professional interest of a man deciding whether I'd pair … Continue reading The Character Couch – Hannibal Lecter
The Worst 23 – Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace 1987 Directed by Sidney J. Furie Welcome back to Movie Monday. And as always, before we go any further, let me be clear: everything that follows is my own opinion, shaped entirely by my own experience with this film, and none of it is meant as a criticism of … Continue reading The Worst 23 – Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Life Finds a Way… But Should It?
There's a moment near the beginning of Jurassic Park — the novel, specifically — where chaos theorist Ian Malcolm sits across from the park's creator, John Hammond, and delivers what amounts to the entire thesis of the book in a single paragraph. He explains, with the patient condescension of a man who has done the … Continue reading Life Finds a Way… But Should It?
Disney 24 – The Fox and the Hound
The Fox and the Hound 1981 Directed by Art Stevens, Ted Berman, and Richard Rich Welcome back to Movie Monday. As we do every first Monday of the month, we're setting aside the disasters for something I actually love. This month we're heading into the woods with Disney's 1981 animated film The Fox and the … Continue reading Disney 24 – The Fox and the Hound
The Confusing Middle 