In 2021 I spent a lot of time fighting off the rigmarole of “movie reviews” or “film criticism” by doing “projects” instead. I’ve linked to the projects of the year, as well as some individual posts that I think are representative of the kind of criticism I wanted to do this year. I’ve chosen thirteen… Read More 2021 Year-End Review: Index of Good Posts
I’m going to be shy of 600 first watches for the year, and although my caveman instinct to applaud round numbers is a little revolted by that miss, it’s worth noting that I’ll have seen more movies new to me during 2021 than I have in any other year of my life. I love watching… Read More 2021 Year-End Review: 25 Favorite First Watches
You can find the full list of the top 100 blockbusters since 1972 here, as well as an index for other posts in this series. One of the first questions I had as I was working through my rubrics and compilations was a pretty simple one: Spielberg or Cameron? I’m a little alarmed by how conventional… Read More Top 100 Blockbusters of the Multiplex Era: Trends
You can find the full list of the top 100 blockbusters since 1972 here, as well as an index for other posts in this series. If your monster has a mirror in it, do not shout. This kind of situation does not call for freaking out. And do nothing that you would not like to see… Read More Top 100 Blockbusters of the Multiplex Era: The Monster in the Mirror
You can find the full list of the top 100 blockbusters since 1972 here, as well as an index for other posts in this series. Like most other phrases you hate, “having it all” has its basis in marketing as opposed to someone’s actual thoughts. Helen Gurley Brown angled for that 1982 book which launched a… Read More Top 100 Blockbusters of the Multiplex Era: Heroines of the Second Wave
You can find the full list of the top 100 blockbusters since 1972 here, as well as an index for other posts in this series. As anyone who has ever pored over Tolkien minutiae will know—heck, as anyone who has ever stared at a Lord of the Rings Risk map will know—Frodo and Sam get reasonably… Read More Top 100 Blockbusters of the Multiplex Era: Fragments and Hyperlinks
You can find the full list of the top 100 blockbusters since 1972 here, as well as an index for other posts in this series. Every director you’ve ever heard of is begging you to see their movie on the biggest screen you can. Now that I’m getting old, my reaction to those Fathom Events screenings… Read More Top 100 Blockbusters of the Multiplex Era: The 60-Foot Face
You can find the full list of the top 100 blockbusters since 1972 here, as well as an index for other posts in this series. I could understand why, if you were adapting Jurassic Park, you might decide to drop “Mr. DNA.” There are other ways to do this plot exposition, maybe by giving B.D. Wong… Read More Top 100 Blockbusters of the Multiplex Era: Tech Messiah
You can find the full list of the top 100 blockbusters since 1972 here, as well as an index for other posts in this series. The westerner is one of the most hallowed figures of American moving images, an icon for film and television alike. His virtues (toughness, persistence, wherewithal) and his faults (prejudice, temper,… Read More Top 100 Blockbusters of the Multiplex Era: Cowboys on a New Frontier
You can find the full list of the top 100 blockbusters since 1972 here, as well as an index for other posts in this series. It’s a well-worn bit of trivia that the Death Star trench run in Star Wars, which I think would get my vote for “the most exciting twelve minutes in movies,”… Read More Top 100 Blockbusters of the Multiplex Era: Eschatology
Seeing Things Secondhand 