Fourth of July falls on a Saturday this year, so many DC businesses are taking Friday off too – including us! The extended weekend gives us an opportunity to cram in a few more patriotic movies. We have fond memories of spending the Fourth lazily watching Independence Day on basic cable, and for America’s 239th […]
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Documentaries answer: what’s happening in Greece?
News broke today that Greece is in serious financial straits, having missed a major loan repayment to the IMF and now teetering on the edge of default. We admit to not following this situation closely and to being less literate in international politics than likely a majority of the AU students. As is our tendency, […]
Continue readingAFIDOCS is underway!
Time for a quick PSA: the annual AFIDOCS documentary film festival kicked off yesterday! AFIDOCS is a terrific, half-week-long, city-spanning event that showcases new documentary features and shorts from around the world. Visit the AFIDOCS website for a list of where and when everything will be playing. Many of these documentaries will screen at the […]
Continue readingHead back to dino-school before seeing Jurassic World
What will blow up the box office this summer? Dino might. …okay, fine, we’re sorry. The point is that Jurassic World, the fourth movie in the Jurassic Park franchise, is going to be monstrously successful this weekend. Nearly every child of a certain age became obsessed with dinosaurs at the same time because of Jurassic […]
Continue readingOregon Goonies fans never say die, but they’re getting on in years
Beloved 80s adventure movie The Goonies turned 30 last week. That’s a milestone you probably didn’t know or really care about, much like how you missed the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie‘s 25th anniversary in March. But it was a big deal in Astoria, Oregon, the small northwest town where The Goonies was filmed. Over […]
Continue readingThe unexpected new life of Black Angel
Two years ago, we first told you about Black Angel, a recently unearthed lost film from 1980. Black Angel was an influential fantasy short film that played before The Empire Strikes Back during its first theatrical run; its practical effects and “step-printed” slow-motion paved the way for movies including Legend and Excalibur. But copies of […]
Continue readingUnearthed transcript reveals the origins of Indiana Jones
The National Geographic Museum downtown recently opened an exhibit about Indiana Jones and the films’ connections to actual history. This had us thinking about our favorite tenured action hero. Coincidentally, a link has been making the rounds revealing how Indy got his start – and what he might have been in an early draft. In […]
Continue readingWith Letterman’s departure, walk back through the old guard of late night
David Letterman ends his late night talk show career tonight. Although he has certainly settled into a curmudgeonly pattern in the last decade or so – and is probably indistinguishable from Jay Leno for many younger viewers – Letterman’s earlier years behind the desk remain some of the stranger and riskier network television ever produced. […]
Continue readingSterling Cooper will go out big – but not bigger than Tool Time
AMC’s breakthrough drama Mad Men ends tonight, eight years after its debut that put scripted basic cable television on the map. Despite the show’s cultural ubiquity(some would argue oversaturation) the final episode likely won’t come even close to breaking records for most-watched finales. This has much to do with the ways we now watch television […]
Continue readingSchool’s out! Christen the end of the year with summer vacation movies
In just a few hours, the 2014-2015 academic year comes to a close. We’ve enjoyed this decidedly busy year, but like you, we’re looking forward to cutting back our workload a little. More importantly, we’re sure everyone is looking forward to taking some time off for a little vacation, no matter how big or small. […]
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