In the era of remakes and remixes, it seems we all have something to say about original classics which undergo personally artistic make-overs. There tends to be a higher level of expectation for works of art, especially films, that are re-created and molded after their maiden form. This perception also bleeds into the criticism loyal fans disperse upon such valiant…
By Ji-Un Kwon
In the interest of full disclosure, I must confess that Martin Scorsese is the reason I worship at the altar of Cinema. I find his manic love for film completely adorable and believe his finest works are timeless and uncompromising testaments to the integrity of American cinema.
That being said, Shutter Island, his latest film and his fourth collaboration with Leonardo…
By Ji-Un Kwon
Kwon: <Sigh> Okay. I understand why people were excited about this movie, although I was less excited than most. And I get why people are impressed by it. Though again… I mean, fine. Yay you, James Cameron, you built your own camera. And your computer graphics team did some fantastic work. Who doesn’t want to fly on a dragon? Or…
By Hawkes Klein
Holy Mother of Jackie Chan, yes. I’m sort of angry at everyone I know that nobody took the time to alert me that this trailer was available. It wasn’t until this week when I turned the corner on my way to work and saw the three story ad boasting “Rock Out with Your Glock Out” that I knew we had…
By Hawkes Klein
ZOMG. If you’re alive and a human I’m sure you’re super excited for Ghostbusters 3!! Bloody Disgusting (a horror website! Shared by Bobby D of course, like I’d ever, ever go to a horror website). Anyway and regardless, the rumors have been a-plenty (#2 being Paul Rudd… adding a dash of PR to Ghostbusters? Hello. best. ever.) Ok! I’m too excited to articulate anything right now… but let’s just say that Sig Weaver lets slip something a-mazing (after the jump).
By Ji-Un Kwon
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to post another MJ blog, because 1) it’s still legit sad to me and 2) I’m like 14% embarrassed about it… maybe more like 12%. And, when the promotion started for this concert/rehearsal/musical feature, documenting his preparation for the concerts that would never actually be (see… sad), I was half overcome with too-soon-syndrome. But…
By Peter Brauer
I just had the pleasure of watching The Guild seasons 1 and 2 on a sweet two-disc set. I remember watching season 1 on the internet when it came out a couple of years ago. But I must say this show is definitely best when packaged together on one DVD. While each season is broken up into many episodes, the…
By Ji-Un Kwon
The Informant!, if nothing else, epitomizes what can most aptly be termed The Soderbergh Dilemma. There are few directors as adept at aesthetic as Steven Soderbergh, for whom I have the utmost respect. I root for his career, for reasons I cannot always explain (though A.O. Scott does, far more eloquently than I can at this particular moment, so totally…
By Ji-Un Kwon
Virtual gold? MMO-huh? World of WTF-craft? Who are these people?
Well… they’re everyone, actually. At least according to Second Skin, a fascinating documentary about the world of online gaming.
Computer games have come a very long way since the original days of Oregon Trail (isn’t there an online version of this game now?), in which the average virtual lifespan was maybe 4 minutes…
By Ji-Un Kwon
It’s somewhat fitting that Spike Lee decided to make this film on the heels of a public (and unfortunate) spat with Clint Eastwood over the lack of representation of African Americans in both of Eastwood’s World War II films, Flags of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima. Mr. Lee took issue with the omission, as he felt it reflected a much…
Matt Ellsworth and I met while making Second Skin, a documentary I directed on virtual worlds. He’s one of the boys from Indiana who loves to game. Our conversations over the years have led to a few things, one of them was finding a common love for Johnnie Walker Black Label, and the second was a penchant for postulating about…
The geek have officially inherited the Earth, as was prophesied in Psalms 37:7 (more or less) so many bearded men ago. It’s a fairly recent thing, having happened somewhere between Google’s ascent to ubiquity, the second installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the eyebrow-raising popularity of Weird Al’s White & Nerdy. And since history is told by the…
How much does James Cameron ride George Lucas’ dick? Only enough to base an entire movie, Avatar, on the final battle sequence from the last good film in the Star Wars franchise, Return of the Jedi. Each film has its ragtag band of native creatures, each film pits basic bush weaponry against mechanized slaughter machines, each film has exploding trees.…
Come with me, friends, to another time. Let’s say 1998ish. Ross and Rachel rule the airwaves, ER is hailed as the Best Drama Evar. As the sun sets on Seinfeld, critics mourn its passing, proclaiming that we’re not likely to see a show of its brilliance ever again.
I watched an episode of Seinfeld yesterday. It’s still funny, despite the canned…
I sincerely hope I made every attempt to be fair and honest and if I left off a film you love, please know that it was not with malice and there are only ten spots. I even split them into two genres because taking any of these off the list kind of made my heart hurt. Also, feel free to…