I went to see the latest Jim Jarmusch film, “The Dead Don’t Die” recently. To be honest, zombies aren’t really my thing. However, I was highly impressed with Jarmusch’s moody, dream-like vampire film, “Only Lovers Left Alive,” and wanted to see what he could do with the mindless undead. I had been thoroughly captivated by…
I first saw Star Wars when it came out in 1977. It was the early days of the Disco era, and I was… young. Anyway, I was given this shirt as a gift, and have worn it extensively over the years. It’s a subtle joke from one of the Robot Chicken Star Wars sketches. It…
In a shocking departure from tradition, a discussion broke out recently on Facebook. I started the ball rolling by asking if anyone else was tired of seeing Marvel’s superheroes fighting each other rather than the bad guys. I was amazed at the passion from the other side of the debate — people who enjoyed seeing…
Last week I wrote about getting a job at a movie theater when I first moved to Madison, Wisconsin many years ago. The theater was an “Art house,” showing foreign films, documentaries, and basically filling a niche that other theaters had ignored at that time. The theater I worked at — the Majestic — was…
When I first moved to Madison, Wisconsin many years ago, I landed a job working in a movie theater. The theater was an “Art house,” showing foreign films, documentaries, and basically filling a niche that other theaters had ignored. The theater I worked at was technically part of a chain: Landmark Theatres also managed theaters…
With halloween only a week away, I’d like to recommend a few films to help inspire the Halloween Spirit. Not all of them are, strictly speaking, scary, but all of them capture aspects of the holiday, and many can be viewed the year ’round. First up on my list is a double-feature based on a…
If you’re looking for inspiration for a Chill, Call of Cthulhu or Pulp gaming campaign and want to include plenty of supernatural thrills and chills, here are some films that I feel capture this spirit perfectly. Even if you just like a good horror/adventure film, take a look at this list and see if anything…
Muppets Most Wanted (2014) First of all, let’s throw something away from this discussion. While it may be convenient shorthand to reference the situation, I don’t care for the phrase “selling out” — it reminds me too much of the jealousy of one artist towards another who is more financially successful. That being said, let…
Buckaroo Banzai: Across the 8th Dimension Warning: This appreciation contains a few modest spoilers. The first time I saw The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the 8th Dimension, was at Wiscon in February or March of 1986. I sat down with a friend to watch it in the film room, and was instantly hooked by…
So my lovely wife T and I took in the latest installment of Peter Jackson’s Tolkein franchise last night. I have to admit, after seeing the first part last year, I went into this with lowered expectations. I was STILL disappointed. I will do my best to leave out spoilers for those of you who…