The time of year has come when we dutiful Americans shove our families into tightly packed cars and head off to giant, overpriced amusement parks! Crying children in the back, sleeping spouse in the passenger seat, and a strong urge to drive headlong into an eighteen wheeler if only to save yourself from the agony
The Injuries of Indiana Jones, Cataloged
Whether Nazis, Communists, or Thuggees, Indiana Jones fights them all, and he gets his share of bruises and beatings. But just how much damage does he take in the course of his adventures? How many concussions has the great archeologist suffered while fighting the most evil of evil jerks around? We kept track. Here’s a handy movie-by-movie summary. .
The Lost Versus
Movie audiences love great action, and they love it more when they care about the characters. From Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman to Batman v Superman to Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, the overpriced-popcorn-loving set rush to the local cinema to watch what goes down when two classics come together to settle the most important question mankind
There’s a Marx Brother for Every Stage of Life
For close to 90 years, the world of pop culture has been influenced by four brothers from New York. Their look has sold millions of “nose glasses” and novelty wigs. Their faces have graced the walls of movie theaters, been spray-painted onto walls, and turned into shirts and posters. They’ve shown up in cartoons, comic
All of Kevin Costner’s Sports Movies: A Beginner’s Guide
If we were playing Family Feud and the question was “Name a Kevin Costner movie,” your best bet would be to hit that plunger and yell out one of his sports films. While a certain “Sly” actor has created an athletic hero who has his own statue, when you think of sports on film, Costner
U.S. History in Film Part 2: 1914-2008
Welcome back! Last time, we took a look at movies based on U.S. history from Columbus to the end of the 19th century, and boy did we have fun! But there’s still plenty of history to cover, so we better get back in the groove. And what better place to jump back in than what
U.S. History in Film Part 1: 1492-1908
George Santayana isn’t a household name, but something he said is one of the best-known quotations in human history: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” As a bit of a history buff, I’m a big fan of that quote, and I think it is, for the most part, very true. If
Forget ‘Fist Fight’: ‘Three O’Clock High’ Is the Greatest High School Fight Movie Ever Made
There are certain movies that filled my teen years. Some of these, like Sixteen Candles and The Lost Boys, are staples that have been passed on to the next generation. But one seems forever stuck between “forgotten” and “cult classic.” Every two years or so, someone will bring it up and a bunch of people
Harry Potter and the Importance of Accepting Imperfection
I’m not sure there is another book series like the Harry Potter novels. J.K. Rowling’s sprawling, seven-year epic captured the hearts and minds of multiple generations, spawning a series of unbelievably successful films, a theme park, and endless merchandise. Children today grow up in a world where Harry and his friends are part of the
Buy My Drink! The Art of Product Placement
Product placement has been around for a long time. Like, super-long. We tend to think of it in terms of movies and TV shows, but the truth is, the concept was in use well before the Lumière brothers were born. Perhaps the first notable use of product placement was in Jules Verne’s classic novel, Around