On this week in 1991, MGM released Not Without My Daughter, a drama film about a woman and her daughter held captive in Iran. It was hacky, received poor reviews, and generally flopped. It also carried the unusual, regrettable status as being one of the only American films about Iran at the time. For years, […]
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Forget Pink Floyd. Watch The Wizard of Oz alphabetically
Supercuts, mashups, and re-edits of popular films are ubiquitous now, and we’ve made a point of only sharing the most interesting of them. We suspect it’ll be difficult to top the absurdity of Of Oz the Wizard, an alphabetical re-cut of The Wizard of Oz. Filmmaker Matt Bucy broke down the 1939 classic apart based […]
Continue readingThe definitive Star Wars remaster came from fans, is super illegal
George Lucas’s remastering the original Star Wars trilogy has gone down as perhaps the most controversial decision in film history. Even without discussing the merits of the changes made (many of which stand out like a sore thumb or detract from the original meaning), Lucas’s permanent alterations to the films’ negatives effectively erased the original […]
Continue readingStar Wars was probably not “brutalizing children” in 1983
With its Disney-fication complete, the Star Wars series has become embraced (or begrudgingly accepted) as a family-friendly sci-fi adventure series. That wasn’t always the case. Not that the series was ever adult or hyper-violent – it was meant for kids! – but at least a few cultural critics still objected. Specifically, watch this bizarre, recently […]
Continue readingThe Star Wars saga, as seen for the first time by kids
The Star Wars series has understandably become a major cultural touchstone for several generations. For parents of a certain nerdy persuasion, introducing a child to R2-D2 and the Jedis for the first time can be a make-or-break moment. What order do you show the films in? Does the “I am your father” twist matter? What […]
Continue readingYep, it’s Star Wars Week
As almost every human being on the continent is aware, Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters this Friday (with some early showings Thursday). We recognize cultural critical mass when we see it, so we’re dedicating this week of blog posts to the juggernaut movie franchise. We realize that Star Wars exhaustion has also reached […]
Continue readingThe future of film copyright could rest in the Hands of Fate
Beloved by fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 but unknown to the rest of the world, horror film Manos: The Hands of Fate is often considered the worst commercially released movie ever made. Nearly everything about the movie is a disaster, most famously the bizarre characterization and knee-heavy costuming of the evil henchman Torgo (pictured). […]
Continue readingThe Hateful Eight makes the case for physical film, so what if it backfires?
The upcoming release of Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight is a pivotal moment for physical film. Tarantino famously loves film stock (having shelled out money to keep film production plants running); the director wants his upcoming movie to showcase the rich power of film in a way that’s undeniable to studios and audiences. But showing […]
Continue readingSpecial event film screenings grow with audiences and theaters alike
Archipelago Cinema, via the KT Wong Cinema In a little over two weeks, Star Wars: The Force Awakens debuts, and insiders hope that raises the tide for the whole film industry. Like Jurassic World this summer, a new Star Wars movie is a cultural event, and although that usually spells huge profits for theaters and […]
Continue readingHow We Made looks at the inauspicious production of My Beautiful Laundrette
We hadn’t stumbled across it until now, but since 2012, The Guardian has been publishing “How We Made,” a weekly column that invites creative types to talk about the history of their works, including films and television shows. This leads to all sorts of great anecdotes, often about the emotional, personal side of production. This […]
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