Last night, I took in a rare (for me) Monday night motion picture, as the Peter Jackson-directed documentary They Shall Not Grow Old premiered for the first date of a two-night engagement. And can I say this? The film was totally impressive. Peter Jackson took 100-year-old footage from World War I (the “Great War”) or…
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City Lights is the greatest silent film ever made
It’s a film that took Charlie Chaplin three years to finish. He replaced his leading actress midway through the film, then brought her back when he knew he couldn’t start the film over with a new actress. This film debuted four years after the release of the first successful talking picture, The Jazz Singer. And…
Read MoreThey Shall Not Grow Old: An incredible film restoration project
I am a huge fan of restored motion pictures and vintage films. Back when AMC was “American Movie Classics,” they would host an annual weekend “Film Preservation Festival” on TV, with commercial-free broadcasts of restored and preserved films – such as the Todd-AO version of Oklahoma, the roadshow version of It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad,…
Read MoreYour midnight movie cult cartoon festival!
Are you feeling … adventurous? Possibly a bit … demented? Looking for something … off the wall? Well, get yourself some popcorn, buy a soda, and step into the theater. Because we’ve got some classic cartoon shorts, just before our feature film tonight. What I’m about to show you are some very unique and mind-altering…
Read MoreStar Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi – Spoilers! Massive Spoilers!! Click to see!!!
So I just came back from a late-night opening-night screening of Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. And you know what… Even though I shouldn’t reveal any spoilers for this film… Even among the die-hard dedicated hard-core fans of the Star Wars series… I can’t help myself. But here’s the thing. I know you…
Read MoreLess Justice League, more Jack Kirby’s Fourth World, please…
Yesterday, I watched a matinee showing of the film Justice League, where a collection of DC superheroes band together to stop an alien conqueror from taking over the Earth. The best thing I can say about it was … well, it was kinda okay. But that being said … there were moments in the film…
Read More“Kodachrome: The Movie” coming to Netflix
About seven years ago, I used the iconic slide film Kodachrome in its last year that the film could be developed. I photographed bridges and trees and winter scenes and other cool images. Then, in December 2010, the last processing plant in the world – the only one capable of handling the various chemicals used…
Read MoreSo I saw Marvel’s Inhumans in IMAX last night…
As a kid, I feasted on comic books. I followed the multi-layered storylines of Marvel’s superhero lines, as well as the sharp, snappy, inventive comics in the DC line. So any time a new Marvel or DC motion picture or television series debuts, I have to give it a chance. Whether it’s the films in…
Read MoreSpider-Man: Homecoming and that … er … um … smell…
Let’s get a few things straight. I enjoyed the Spider-Man trilogy with Tobey Maguire as the webslinger. I kinda was okay with the Amazing Spider-Man double feature with Andrew Garfield in the suit. They both had their strengths and they both had their weaknesses, to be sure. And last night, I watched the reboot of…
Read MoreReflections on Adam West
Last night, I heard the awful news that actor Adam West passed away at the age of 88. He led a fll and long life, and whether he was typecast in one specific role or not, and although he eventually grew to appreciate and embrace that one role – he will always be, to a…
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