Escape to a Galaxy Far, Far Away

“Star Wars is fun, it’s exciting, it’s inspirational, and people respond to that. It’s what they want.”

– George Lucas

George Lucas, the creator of the film Star Wars gave the people what they wanted.  A simple farm boy reluctantly becomes a hero when he is forced to confront the evil empire and save the princess.  Along the way, he discovers that the princess is his twin sister, and the evil man he is pursuing is his father.  This is not from the Bible, nor written by Homer or Shakespeare, but represents some of the universal themes in the film Star Wars.  What started the phenomenon of the summer blockbuster has become a cultural icon. And, its cultural impact remains as strong and predominant today as it was when it was released over 34 years ago on May 25, 1977.  As of 2008, the overall box office revenue generated by the six Star Wars films has totaled over $4.41 billion (Cultural impact of Star Wars).  The universal themes found in Star Wars have had a strong cultural impact around the world and continue to create new fans.  “The Force”, a 2011 Volkswagen Super Bowl advertisement, which featured a young boy dressed in a Darth Vader costume, captured the attention of the country and was voted best commercial of the event by a CBS poll. With 40 million views on YouTube to date, this proves that the cultural impact of “Star Wars” is just as popular, relevant and significant as ever.

Jaws Continues to Clamp Down on Society

            Jaws still reigns in as the original summer blockbuster, and “this was no boat accident” in itself.  After more than 35 years, Jaws continues to set the standard by which all others are measured. Simply, it’s the Michael Jordan of cinema today. By so profoundly changing the way movies are produced and marketed, Jaws has instilled a “standard” on which movie lovers and critics continually look upon to what raises the bar next.  Just like society at large, movie enthusiasts are always searching for that next source that can bring about new entertainment. Because in essence, movies aren’t just simply entertainment, it introduces a vast lifestyle that has found its’ niche among our society. Therefore, Jaws has been the leader, as well as an influence on the way cinema lovers create movies, when looking at Hollywood for new entertainment by originally introducing the summer season “blockbuster” era.

            Before the time every beach bum paddled their way into the cinema, it wasn’t common for a new movie to make way in only a hundred or so screens in its’ debut. So, it would be very difficult for any movie to become a phenomenon, let alone a “national event”. But, unlike anything before its’ time, Jaws was the first to open in over an astounding 400 cinemas (Muller).At first, this doesn’t seem like a big number, but originally compared to maybe one hundred cinemas, it is nearly a 400 % increase in viewing audience. So nonetheless, Jaws had the power and potential to become a living legend. Additionally, it was backed by one of the most expensive TV ad campaigns up to that time (Muller). As a result, it single handedly jump-started the blockbuster era of cinema.

Movies I thought were shitty but got a good Rotten Tomato rating: Julie and Julia (2009)

I want to follow Alex’s post of movies that Rotten Tomato thinks are shitty that he thought were better, with movies that I think are shitty and somehow got a good rating. Julie and Julia somehow received a 76% but when I saw this I had trouble keeping my eyes open. Now don’t get me wrong, I can be a sucker for a feel good chick flick from time to time but this was down right boring. Yes, Meryl Streep is a good actress, but when you look at her other performances (Fantastic Mr. Fox, Deer Hunter, Doubt, Adaptation, etc.) this movie seems to be curiously lacking. It seemed to be half a good movie and half a crappy movie, which unfortunately doesn’t really make it a good movie. The Julia Childs parts were interesting however the modern day Julie parts  were not exciting what so ever. Maybe I don’t cook enough to truly appreciate a ‘culinary comedy’ but he way I see it, an actor can carry a movie when given the right role, but I don’t think that this was that role.

Movies I didn’t think were as shitty as Rotten Tomatoes said they were: I Am Number Four (2011)

I Am Number Four was not as shitty as Rotten Tomatoes says it is. As it stands, the movie has a 30% rating on the site’s Tomatometer, which is pretty damn low. Now granted, the film is cliched and sappy at times, but the action is well executed, and the tone is better than most young adult fiction books turned blockbuster films. The basic plot is that a teenaged alien is hiding out on earth in a small town in Ohio with his protector from an evil race called the Mogadorians. They destroyed the kid’s home planet and now must kill the 8  people that remain who fled to Earth. The first 3 are dead, and he is number 4. I kept asking myself why the hell they had to kill the people in order, but just kept telling myself that the Mogadorians are evil and possibly have OCD. I know, the premise is kinda hokey and played out, and it is, but the film is fairly entertaining and worth the watch. After the success of the Twilight series, studio execs were clamoring for teen love stories with a twist. Having spent 7 weeks at #1 on the children’s chapter of the New York Times Best Seller list, I Am Number Four was next in line for a Hollywood makeover.This thought process will be put into action again in the near future as the Hunger Games series prepares for a multi-million dollar 4 film series. Overall I felt that I Am Number Four was well paced and only lame enough so that it wasn’t distracting to the film. The acting is over the top and outright bad at times, but the action and moments of suspense make it redeemable. In my opinion, I Am Number Four is not number two, even if Rotten Tomatoes says it is

Check out these movies that have the highest differential on Rotten Tomatoes between critics’ ratings and audience rating.

by Alex Prouhet

Harry Potter – Something for everybody or nothing new? Part 2

This piece of literature and cinema may function and as a whimsical jaunt of fluff for the first few installments which really is what gets the kids hooked. But to the older crowd, it is only setting up a good background for bigger issues. Also, this background she creates works extremely well to metaphorically illustrate some of her underlying messages, which I really think is a perfect medium to convey some of these messages that might be less effectively conveyed in a more realistic story.  She uses magic as a means to talk about deep mental and ethical issues. However, since this is a 7 volume novel with thousands of pages of text, I won’t be able to give too much of an analysis. However, I can give you a taste of some of the things that stuck out to me as a way of making a case that these books might warrant a second look. There have been lots of criticisms that say that J.K. Rowling’s efforts function only as children’s books, and that her works are unoriginal clichés played out again and again in fairytales. They may be right; however there are some deeper levels that are worth a look.

Harry Potter – Something for everybody or nothing new? Part 1

As J.K. Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter’ empire grows to fantastic proportions we have an interesting look into the culture that has made the epic tale so popular. It is pretty easy to see why both the movie and the books are so popular for kids. The books are extremely easy to read and very entertaining. The movies fit well with the books, and are pretty kid friendly themselves. But what about Harry Potter is so appealing for adults? Especially, why is this story, which is so similar to other stories of its type, so popular now? In part 1 we will talk about the movie’s and books on the surface and we will try to see if the movies brings in any new ideas. In part 2 we will talk about some of the more adult messages being put forth in J.K. Rowling’s books.

First let’s talk about how this story is similar to epic tales of the past. J.K. Rowling has painted a fantastic background that is truly astonishing but how much of it is new? Witches, wizards, trolls, unicorns, dragons, giants, flying broomsticks, spells, potions, werewolves, vampires, hags, ghosts, the list could continue for awhile, but you get the point. We have been seeing these imaginary icons for a long long time. Also, this long epic tale’s main themes are nothing new either.  The protagonist has some strange connection with antagonist, how often do we see this? Our hero grows up in a completely mundane life with his aunt and uncle, do I really need to list all the epic stories we see this situation in? Ok, Star Wars (again), Lord of the Rings,Braveheart,Aragon, Spiderman, etc. But surely an epic tale of friendship has never been written?

Out Now: Attack the Block (2011)

After a successful opening in May in the UK, the British sci-fi import Attack the Block comes out July 29th stateside. The film first gained attention at the South by Southwest film festival as the must-see movie of the event, and has continued to create buzz ever since. The science fiction-horror-comedy takes place in South London and centers around a gang of teenaged hoodlums as they attempt to defend themselves against an alien invasion. This is the first film for director Joe Cornish, who’s more famous for acting in British productions like No Heroics, Hot Fuzz, and Shaun of the Dead. In fact, Cornish’s film was produced by Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim director Edgar Wright, who along with his creative partner Simon Pegg have released some of the most interesting genre bending films in recent past. What makes this film so interesting is the realism and characters Cornish chooses to tell his story with. While we’ve all seen alien invasion films like War of the Worlds, The Thing, and Independence Day, we have never seen one with protagonists like these. Choosing to examine this theme from the point of view of a low-income black teenager from the public housing district of South London is definitely a novel approach, and one that could easily have been executed poorly. Cornish has received positive attention for the way he handles this premise with authenticity and realism. Personally, I can’t wait to see this flick, and people I know who have seen it said it is a must see. The soundtrack from electronic music duo Basement Jaxx is reaon enough to go see this movie. The future looks bright for Cornish as well, lets hope he keeps it as real as his characters in Attack the Block, and continues to make great pictures.

Check out articles on the film here and here, along with a list of the top 30 alien invasion films of all time here.

by Alex Prouhet

Movie Review: Duel (1971)

I recently chased down a copy of Stephen Spielberg’s first film, Duel (1971), and was surprised by the raw intensity and simplicity of it. The story is about David Mann (Dennis Weaver), who is driving to an important  business meeting through the desert of California. Early in his trip, Mann gets stuck behind the driver of a 1955 Peterbilt truck that looks like it came off the set of Mad Max. The two motorists continue to pass each other on the road to establish dominance, upping the speed, danger, and relentlessness between the two as the film progresses. Things quickly get personal and the word “road rage” begins to take on a whole new meaning. Dennis Prince at DVD Verdict writes, “Duel is a film that is fully captivating as it drops us into perhaps one of modern life’s most frightening situations … The viewer experiences the events from Mann’s perspective, and shares in his mounting feelings of unease and dread; the situation is all the more disconcerting because, in addition to the fact that there seems to be no reason for the trucker’s extreme actions, Mann (and, therefore, the viewer) is left slack-jawed asking the most disconcerting of questions, ‘Why me?’”

Book Vs. Film: Watchmen

Check out this article from A.V. Club.

What was your take on the Watchmen? The acclaimed graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons was turned into a Hollywood blockbuster in 2009 by director Zack Snyder (300, Sucker Punch). Although Alan Moore was vehemently against a film adaptation, I think it is one of the few in recent past that captured the spirit and tone of its source. Zack Snyder’s films feel like graphic novels brought to the screen, seeming plastic and fantastic, perhaps this is why the adaptation works on own merit. He pays particular attention to the attributes of the film medium that can enhance the story material in ways the novel cannot, mainly through intense music and expertly choreographed fight scenes. Writer Alan Moore is famous for despising Hollywood adaptations of comic books, and vowed never to see the film version of his magnum opus. Unfortunately for him, Hollywood does not feel the same way bout his work. His books, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, From Hell,  and V for Vendetta have all been turned into blockbusters with varying degrees of success. Let us know what you think, and check out this link, and this link about the bizarre relationship between Alan Moore and Hollywood.

by Alex Prouhet

Micheal Bay to direct live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Remake

Art from the upcoming remake of TMNT

For our first official post, I find it only fitting that it is about our favorite group of mutated reptiles, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the inspiration for our namesake. Check out these links to articles about the upcoming re-invention from Tranformers director Micheal Bay. The director is rich and famous for directing big budget blockbusters such as Bad Boys, Armageddon, and Pearl Harbor. We here at CF are exited to see how he will screw up the franchise and make the once-cool ninjas into turtle soup. Let’s hope for the best though, and share in the anticipation of the newest installment of TMNT. Although Michael Bay’s films are one dimensional and cliched, they are entertaining the first time you see them. I must give him credit for his ability to direct action, which is no simple task. If he could only match the intensity of his action sequences with genuine character development, story structure, and some degree of artistic aesthetic, he might be able to break away from his reputation as a blockbuster shlock director and step into the more respectable role of auteur. This explains my point.

Check out these links here and here about the film.

by Alex Prouhet